Blog Archive

Chilly liftoff sends veteran crew into orbit

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/12/19 07:47 CST | 3 comments

Three veteran space travelers are safely in orbit following a 6:12 p.m. (7:12 a.m. EST, 1212 UTC) liftoff from Baikonur, Kazhakstan Wednesday.

Orion service module, Ariane development highlight new ESA budget

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/11/26 06:00 CST | 1 comments

Representatives from the ESA approved a 10 billion euro budget for 2013-2017 during their Ministerial Council last week in Naples, Italy.

SpaceX's first paid cargo run off to bumpy start

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/10/08 11:03 CDT | 7 comments

SpaceX successfully sent their first paid Dragon capsule towards the International Space Station Sunday night. But the bigger story happened on the way to orbit.

VIDEOS: Nye & Teens in Space as Curiosity Lands in Hi-Def!

Posted by Mat Kaplan on 2012/09/19 12:06 CDT | 2 comments

Losing your enthusiasm for space exploration and science? Watch these new and terrific videos for an exhilarating shot of Vitamin S.

Thursday: Watch Bill Nye Host YouTube SpaceLab Webcast

Posted by Mat Kaplan on 2012/09/11 04:55 CDT

The Planetary Society CEO goes to London to MC a live conversation with ISS astronaut Sunita Williams and the kids who've had their experiments conducted in orbit.

Photo by astronaut Don Pettit on Space Station Expedition 31, shortly before his return to Earth, taken on June 30, 2012.

Birth of a New Moon

Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/07/05 12:01 CDT

As astronaut Don Pettit prepared for his return to Earth, he tweeted several beautiful shots from the Space Station.

SpaceX's Dragon returns to Earth, completes mission

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/31 10:15 CDT | 1 comments

SpaceX's Dragon capsule successfully completed its COTS 2 demo flight, as the capsule splashed down into the Pacific Ocean on May 31, 2012.

Dragon packed and ready for reentry

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/30 01:51 CDT | 1 comments

After making history at the International Space Station, SpaceX's Dragon capsule has been re-loaded with cargo and is preparing for reentry.

Dragon makes history, berths with International Space Station

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/25 02:24 CDT | 1 comments

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft has been successfully grappled with the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 and berthed with the station's Harmony module.

Dragon completes initial ISS fly-under

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/24 02:25 CDT

SpaceX's Dragon capsule performed a successful fly-under of the International Space Station last night, at a distance of 2.5 kilometers.

SpaceX successfully launches Dragon into orbit

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/22 03:24 CDT | 7 comments

SpaceX moved closer to spaceflight history last night as their Falcon 9 rocket rose from its launch pad, sending the Dragon capsule on a journey to berth with the International Space Station.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 aborts liftoff due to abnormal engine reading

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/19 10:51 CDT | 2 comments

The launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule was aborted last night a half-second before liftoff, due to abnormally high pressure readings in engine number five.

SpaceX set to launch COTS 2 flight this Saturday

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/18 09:45 CDT | 1 comments

This Saturday, SpaceX will attempt to make history by launching the first commercial spacecraft to berth with the International Space Station.

SpaceX Dragon flight to ISS draws near

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/04/16 09:45 CDT | 1 comments

SpaceX and NASA have completed a successful flight readiness review (FRR) for the Dragon's upcoming visit to the International Space Station.

NASA collects round three of CCDev proposals

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/04/13 08:15 CDT

NASA is soliciting a third round of proposals from private spaceflight companies looking to send astronauts to the International Space Station.

Lovely Lovejoy pictures

Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/27 10:34 CST

Just a few of the amazing photos of Comet Lovejoy that have been taken from the southern hemisphere over the last few days. Comet Lovejoy is the first Kreutz sungrazer to have been discovered from the ground in 40 years, and after its surprising survival of its passage close to the Sun, it has been putting on a spectacular show in southern skies.

Space Shuttle Endeavour docked to Harmony module on the ISS

Expedition 30, SpaceX and Stratolaunch

Posted by Jason Davis on 2011/12/16 10:25 CST

An update on upcoming missions to the International Space Station (ISS).

The International Space Station (May 2010)

One-astronaut game of baseball in the International Space Station

Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/01 07:18 CST

A fun video of Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa playing baseball aboard the ISS.

Shenzhou 8 approaches Tiangong 1 for docking

Have two spacecraft ever docked to two separate space stations on the same day?

Posted by Jason Davis on 2011/11/02 04:20 CDT

The Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou 8 docks with space station Tiangong 1, on the same day a Progress resupply capsule arrives at the International Space Station.