Kennedy Space Center

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Military Space Plane Blasts Off on Secretive Mission

X-37B could be in space for years

(Newser) - The US military's X-37B space plane blasted off Thursday on another secretive mission that's expected to last at least a couple of years. Like previous missions, the reusable plane resembling a mini space shuttle carried classified experiments. There's no one on board. The space plane took off...

At Last, 'What an Incredible Sight to See'

Artemis rocket holding unmanned Orion spacecraft is finally headed toward moon after series of delays

(Newser) - With a series of nixed attempts left in its wake, Artemis I is finally on its way to the moon. NASA reports that its powerful Space Launch System (SLS), holding the unmanned Orion spacecraft, blasted off for its flying debut from Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 1:47am Wednesday...

Space Plane Returns Safely From Secretive Mission

Sonic booms announce the return of the X-37B to Florida

(Newser) - Most information about the US military's space plane is classified, but dozens of sonic booms announced its return to Florida on Saturday after a record stay in orbit. The robotic spacecraft landed safely at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Space.com reports. The craft, built by Boeing, was in...

Fueling Glitch Threatens Long-Awaited Moon Launch
NASA Has to Scrap
Its Big Moon Launch
UPDATED
Aug 29, 2022 7:51 AM CDT

NASA Has to Scrap Its Big Moon Launch

Fuel leaks push back next possible launch date to Friday

(Newser) - Update: This summary has been updated throughout. Fuel leaks have forced NASA to scrub Monday's launch of its new moon rocket on a no-crew test flight, per the AP . The next launch attempt will not take place until Friday at the earliest. The 322-foot Space Launch System rocket...

SpaceX Crew, Already Gone 6 Months, Has Minor Delay
SpaceX Crew
Splashes Down
UPDATED
Nov 9, 2021 12:01 AM CST

SpaceX Crew Splashes Down

Toilet-less astronauts experienced a minor delay getting back to Earth

(Newser) - Update: Following a brief delay, a SpaceX crew of four astronauts returned to Earth Monday, the AP reports. Their capsule streaked through the late night sky like a dazzling meteor before parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. Recovery boats quickly moved in with spotlights,...

All Systems Go for Historic SpaceX Flight This Month
Next SpaceX Launch
Will Make History
May 18, 2020 10:45 AM CDT

Next SpaceX Launch Will Make History

Company is sending up astronauts for the first time

(Newser) - Tesla is the Elon Musk company making all the headlines lately, but his SpaceX will make some pretty big ones of its own later this month. The company confirmed Monday that its next launch will send two astronauts into space for the first time, reports CNBC . The closely watched Demo-2...

NASA's $1B Tower Is Leaning
NASA's $1B Tower
Is Leaning
Feb 21, 2018 11:56 AM CST

NASA's $1B Tower Is Leaning

Agency says SLS launcher remains 'structurally sound' but it may send off only one mission

(Newser) - Since 2011, NASA has been upgrading a mobile launcher originally built for the Ares I vehicle to fit its massive Space Launch System rocket. The project is well over budget—when all is said and done, the revamp of the $234 million tower is expected to cost an additional $678...

SpaceX Sends Mysterious Air Force Minishuttle Into Orbit

It's the 5th minishuttle flight, but their missions remain a secret

(Newser) - SpaceX launched the Air Force's super-secret space shuttle on Thursday, a technology tester capable of spending years in orbit, the AP reports. The unmanned Falcon rocket blasted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, as schools and businesses boarded up for Hurricane Irma. It's the fifth flight for...

Mike Pence Ignores 'Do Not Touch' Sign, Internet Memes It

VP caught in viral photo taken at Kennedy Space Center

(Newser) - What's the first thing you do when you see a "DO NOT TOUCH" sign, in all caps, on a piece of NASA "critical space flight hardware"? If you're Mike Pence, you proceed to touch it, obviously. Per Gizmodo , a picture taken by photographer Mike Brown...

Obama: This Is 'Still a Really Dangerous Hurricane'

600K without power in Florida

(Newser) - President Obama is echoing a meteorologist in warning that Hurricane Matthew is no joke. This is "still a really dangerous hurricane," Obama said Friday, per the AP . He urged people not to be complacent after early headlines suggesting the storm isn't as bad expected, noting that people...

Amazon CEO Says He'll Launch Rockets From Florida

Jeff Bezos plans on making spacecraft, launching them from Cape Canaveral

(Newser) - When Jeff Bezos graduated valedictorian from Miami Palmetto Senior High in 1982, he told the Miami Herald that one day he wanted to "build space hotels, amusement parks, yachts, and colonies for two or three million people orbiting around the Earth." The Amazon CEO just took a major...

Challenger Wreckage Hidden From View Is Finally Shown

NASA puts debris and astronauts' personal artifacts on display

(Newser) - The remnants of two tragic space shuttle disasters are finally seeing the light of day. Hidden away for decades, Columbia and Challenger debris is on display at a new NASA exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., the AP reports. Among the remnants are a large body...

NASA Launches Orion, Begins the 'Mars Era'

Second time's the charm for 'Mars ship'

(Newser) - After yesterday's launch was canceled amid gusts of wind and technical problems, Orion successfully blasted off at 7:05am today as thousands of people watched in Cape Canaveral. "This is Day 1 of the Mars era," said NASA administrator Charles Bolden; the space agency plans for the...

Plug Pulled on World's 2nd-Most-Watched Clock

NASA countdown clock iconic since 1969

(Newser) - After London's Big Ben, NASA says its Kennedy Space Center countdown clock was the world's most watched. Not anymore: It was taken down yesterday, WESH reports. The clock, with 336 40-watt light bulbs, has been around since November 1969, when it ticked away the seconds until the launch...

From Jamestown to Space Centers, Climate Change Imperils US Landmarks
 Climate Change 
 Could Bury, Burn 
 US Landmarks 
SCIENTISTS SAY
May 21, 2014 7:53 AM CDT

Climate Change Could Bury, Burn US Landmarks

Group highlights 30 precious sites at risk

(Newser) - Rising seas and wildfires caused by climate change are threatening to wipe out huge swathes of American history, from prehistoric sites in Florida and Alaska to the first English colony at Jamestown to NASA sites including the Kennedy Space Center, scientists warn. A Union of Concerned Scientists report highlights 30...

For Sale: Space Shuttle Launch Pad, Slightly Used

NASA selling off pieces of Kennedy Space Center

(Newser) - If you've been looking for a place to park your spaceship, then NASA has got a deal for you. With the space shuttle program on ice, Uncle Sam is hoping to sell or lease its Kennedy Space Center facilities, including its 15,000-foot landing strip, its launchpad, its rocket...

Prototype NASA Moon Lander Explodes

Morpheus a write-off after test flight failure

(Newser) - After NASA's amazing success with its Mars rover this week comes a setback. Morpheus, a prototype lander under development for missions to the moon and beyond, crashed and blew up during a test at Kennedy Space Center yesterday, reports CNN . Nobody was injured, but the $500,000 unmanned test...

For Rent: Slightly Used Space Shuttle Launchpad

Kennedy Space Center is looking for tenants

(Newser) - Wondering where to park your space shuttle? Consider Cape Canaveral's Kennedy Space Center. "We’re putting out the word officially and unofficially that Kennedy Space Center is open for business," says a chief architect at the facility. "I have a lot of facilities that we, NASA,...

Up to 1M Gather for Final Shuttle Launch

A 50-mile traffic jam is expected

(Newser) - Up to 1 million people are converging on Cape Canaveral to see the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis, surprising many with such a level of interest in the 30-year-old space program. A 50-mile traffic jam from the Kennedy Space Center to Orlando is expected today, despite the 70% chance...

Shuttle Worker Falls to His Death

James Vanover was working on Endeavour

(Newser) - A worker preparing the space shuttle Endeavour for its April 19 launch fell to his death from a launch pad access arm today, according to NASA. Emergency crews at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral tried to revive James Vanover, a United Space Alliance worker, but were unsuccessful. Work at...

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