NASA

Read the latest NASA news today on Newser.com

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Sex Would Lift Flaccid Space Travel: Expert

Hanky panky, champagne would boost funding: historian

(Newser) - Why should flight attendants have all the fun? A respected NASA historian is proposing that astronauts too should join the mile-high club, Bloomberg reports. “Sex in space, now there’s an experiment scientists certainly want to conduct,” James Hansen declared in a lecture at the 100th Paris Air...

NASA's Moon Probes Lift Off

(Newser) - NASA launched its first moon shot in a decade today, with an unmanned rocket blasting off from Cape Canaveral. It carried a pair of science probes that will scout out potential landing spots for astronauts. It's a first step in NASA's effort to return humans to the moon by 2020.

Help Wanted: Pillownauts for NASA

They do so for months to mimic lunar gravity

(Newser) - If astronaut school seems too daunting, this might be the next best thing. NASA is offering $160 per day for human testers to lie down at a slight downward angle—a position that simulates the moon's gravitational pull—for months at a stretch. It may sound easy, but bodies aren't...

NASA Scrubs Shuttle Launch
 NASA Scrubs Shuttle Launch 
Jun 17, 2009 2:17 AM CDT

NASA Scrubs Shuttle Launch

Hydrogen gas leak forces Endeavour's launch to be called off a second time

(Newser) - A hydrogen gas leak has forced NASA to call off the launch of the space shuttle for the second time in less than a week, AP reports. The glitch, discovered just hours before blastoff, means Endeavour's mission to the International Space Station will now be delayed until July 11 because...

NASA Hopes for Wednesday Launch

Moon probes would be delayed to Friday

(Newser) - NASA is planning to delay the launch of two unmanned moon probes to give the space shuttle Endeavour another shot at takeoff, Space.com reports. The shuttle was grounded last week because of a hydrogen gas leak. Mission managers will make the final decision later today, but expect Endeavour to...

Colonize the Moon? NASA to Scope It Out

(Newser) - NASA will launch a mission Wednesday to gather information about how humans might someday colonize the moon, the Los Angeles Times reports. A robotic orbiter will provide detailed maps of the topography and first-of-their kind peeks inside craters where ice might be hiding. “We're going to provide NASA with...

NASA Delays Shuttle Over Gas Leak

(Newser) - NASA officials canceled today's Space Shuttle Endeavour launch after workers discovered a hydrogen gas leak during fueling, Space.com reports. If the failure is fixed soon, the seven-member crew could lift off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., as early as tomorrow morning, when near-perfect weather is expected. Discovery's STS-119 launch was...

Armstrong Flubbed Moon Line, Made It Stellar

Astro put tiny poetic spin on script

(Newser) - Stressed out Neil Armstrong flubbed his line as he became the first human to step on the moon—and turned it into out-of-this-world poetry, reports the BBC. The astronaut was supposed to say: "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind," as he walked onto...

Atlantis Lands Safely in Calif.
 Atlantis Lands Safely in Calif. 
May 24, 2009 10:46 AM CDT

Atlantis Lands Safely in Calif.

Stormy Florida weather prompted NASA to go to Plan B

(Newser) - With weather conditions in Florida remaining too soggy for a safe shuttle landing, Atlantis instead touched down at Edwards Air Force Base in California this morning. This was the 53rd west-coast landing for a space shuttle, a $2 million decision made easy by the balmy conditions in the Mojave Desert....

Obama Picks Ex-Astronaut as NASA Chief

Bolden would be first African-American to lead agency

(Newser) - President Obama will name former astronaut Charles Bolden Jr. as his NASA administrator soon after the Atlantis shuttle returns to Earth this weekend, sources tell the Los Angeles Times. Bolden, a military aviator who flew four shuttle missions, will be the first African-American to lead NASA if he is confirmed...

Despite Its Faults (and Costs), Hubble Remains Crucial

Pricey telescope enhances our understanding of space

(Newser) - The Hubble Space Telescope has expanded our knowledge of black holes, so it’s ironic that critics complain the $9.6 billion device is sucking up money and energy that could be shifted to other programs. But, on CNET, Don Reisinger defends the telescope as earthlings’ best shot at unlocking...

Mmm, Mmm, Good! Astros Toast With Recycled Urine

New recycling system will let NASA boost size of station's crew

(Newser) - The crew of the International Space Station toasted successful testing of their new water-recycling system with sips of recycled sweat and urine yesterday, CNET reports. "The taste is great," US astronaut Michael Barratt said as his Russian colleague Gennady Zyuganov chased a floating mouthful in zero gravity....

Astronauts Release Hubble on Final Run

Telescope to go where no one has gone before, never return

(Newser) - Atlantis' astronauts gingerly dropped the Hubble Space Telescope overboard today, sending the restored observatory off on a new voyage of discovery and bidding it farewell on behalf of the planet, reports the AP. The shuttle and telescope had just crossed the Atlantic, and were soaring 350 miles above the coast...

Astronauts Take Final Hubble Spacewalk

The final mission to repair the telescope will finish Tuesday

(Newser) - Spacewalking astronauts ventured out today to finish repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope, never to be touched by human hands again. It was the fifth and final spacewalk for the crew of the shuttle Atlantis, and the final planned visit by astronauts, ever, to Hubble. The astronauts outfitted Hubble with...

Stuck Bolt Throws Wrench in Hubble Repairs

Spacewalk becomes sixth longest in history

(Newser) - Yesterday was a frustratingly long day in space as Atlantis astronauts struggled to fix a long-broken spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. They ultimately succeeded, but a stuck bolt and dead battery prolonged the spacewalk to 8 hours—making it the sixth longest in history, Space.com reports. Astronauts also...

Spacewalking Astronauts Fix Hubble Gyroscopes

Spacewalk is second of five planned

(Newser) - Astronauts from the shuttle Atlantis headed out for another spacewalk today, this time to give the Hubble telescope some new gyroscopes and batteries. The gyroscopes—a top priority—are part of the telescope pointing system, and half of the old ones are broken. The two space walkers ventured out as...

Hubble Gets New Camera
 Hubble Gets New Camera 
May 14, 2009 4:58 PM CDT

Hubble Gets New Camera

(Newser) - The Hubble space telescope got some improved vision today in the form of a new camera. Two Atlantis astronauts completed a seven-hour spacewalk to give the 19-year-old telescope a much-needed upgrade, Space.com reports. "Woo-hoo, it's moving out," said astronaut Andrew Feustel after the old camera refused to...

Shuttle Atlantis Snags Hubble
 Shuttle Atlantis Snags Hubble 
May 13, 2009 12:52 PM CDT

Shuttle Atlantis Snags Hubble

(Newser) - The Atlantis astronauts have captured the Hubble Space Telescope, grabbing the orbiting observatory early this afternoon for the first time since 2002. Astronaut Megan McArthur caught the school bus-sized telescope with the space shuttle's robot arm. The crew now faces five days of treacherous telescope repairs to the 19-year-old Hubble.

Atlantis Lifts Off on Mission to Hubble

(Newser) - The space shuttle Atlantis and seven astronauts blasted off today en route to the Hubble Space Telescope. It is NASA's final trip to Hubble and comes after a seven-month delay. Atlantis and its crew were supposed to fly to Hubble last fall, but the telescope broke down. The telescope is...

Last Tweaks Will Rocket Hubble to Final Frontier

$10b telescope snapped many of space's mysteries

(Newser) - Today's launch of the Atlantis shuttle marks the beginning of the end for Hubble. The space telescope is scheduled to get its final set of repairs, extending its life and giving it greater abilities than ever before. "Everything we have done up to this point has been in preparation...

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