Space and astronomy news
We humans have certain tendencies toward the eternal. We like to leave our mark by somehow saying “I was here!” or send messages to the future about what we’ve accomplished. We’re also intrigued by things like the Voyager record, the Pioneer plaque, and we all love those “send your name on a spacecraft” opportunities NASA …
Continue reading “Secret Messages Left on the International Space Station”
Meet Abigail Harrison. This teenager’s enthusiasm about space so impressed Luca Parmitano — who just happens to be a European Space Agency astronaut on the space station right now — that the two have a social media collaboration going. Abby collects questions from readers of her blog (AstronautAbby.com) and sends them up to the station …
Continue reading “This Teenager Hosts Earth-To-Space Q&As With An Orbiting Astronaut”
In an unusual news item from Russia’s RiaNovosti news, cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov, who was scheduled to fly to the International Space Station in 2015, has resigned for undisclosed reasons. But one of the heads the Russian Space Corporation Energia, former cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, was quoted by Russian media as saying that Lonchakov had “found a …
Continue reading “Um, Being an Astronaut or Cosmonaut Isn’t Interesting?”
Getting into space is never a guarantee for an astronaut. Heck, getting into an astronaut program can be tough, as Koichi Wakata and Rick Mastracchio told Universe Today. The crewmates on Expedition 38/39 are supposed to head to the International Space Station in November. But they beat incredible odds to be selected in the first place. Wakata, …
Continue reading “Two Astronauts Who Beat The Odds To Get Into Space”
More supplies and a brand new talking robot for International Space Station. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) HTV-4 Transfer Vehicle launched successfully from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan, and will rendezvous in six days with the ISS. On board are 3.6 tons of dry cargo, water, experiments and spare parts to the International …
Continue reading “Japanese Transfer Vehicle Launches Supplies, Robot to the Space Station”
Want a “you are there” view of today’s EVA that took place outside the International Space Station? Take a look at this great video of astronaut Chris Cassidy getting a ride on the station’s Canadarm-2 to make repairs and prepare for a new Russian laboratory. There are several great “over the shoulder” views during this …
Two years after space shuttle Atlantis launched into space, it’s still looking like it returned from a long journey. It “bears the scars, scorch marks and space dust of its last mission,” writes the Kennedy Space Center Visitors’ Center. That’s deliberate, though. In late June, visitors to the Orlando-area attraction got the chance to get …
Continue reading “Shuttle Atlantis Soars In New Exhibit, Two Years After Last Space Launch”
Astronaut Chris Hadfield described himself as a man who never looks back. Still, he spoke fondly of his five months in space during the first press conference with media today (May 16) after his return to Earth earlier this week. “I don’t spend my life going gosh, I went to [space station] Mir in 1995 and …
Continue reading “Hadfield’s Return to Earth: ‘I’m Still Learning How To Walk Again’”
In a world first, Canada’s Chris Hadfield unveiled a new money note — while in space. Hadfield spun a fiver before the camera Tuesday as part of a ceremony to announce new $5 and $10 bills that will be distributed in Canada this year. The $5 bill will feature two pieces of Canadian technology that helped …
Continue reading “Space Robotics Dominate New $5 Bill in Canada”
Think about your typical construction worker — there’s a lot of reaching, bending, stretching, lifting. How do you accomplish those tasks without gravity, as astronauts do on the International Space Station? According to astronaut Shane Kimbrough — who should know, as he spent more than 12 hours “outside” doing station work and repairs during shuttle …