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In his own words: Mike Massimino on how he "nearly broke" Hubble
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/09/05 11:14 CDT
In an enthralling article for Esquire magazine, astronaut Mike Massimino writes about nearly failing to repair the Hubble Space Telescope, and how the people of Earth came to his rescue.
Posted by Jason Davis on 2013/07/03 07:03 CDT
When Space Shuttle Discovery launched on its 1988 return-to-flight mission, it was a big moment for NASA and America.
Reflections on the 10th Anniversary of Columbia Disaster from a Science Investigator
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2013/02/01 11:02 CST
David Warmflash, who organized a science (and peace) experiment with the Planetary Society for the ill fated STS-107 Columbia mission, reflects on that tragic day ten years ago.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/02/01 11:47 CST
Remembering Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon on the tenth anniversary of the loss of the space shuttle Columbia.
Curiosity, Endeavour, and Bill Nye on Your Phone
All these and more on this week's Planetary Radio
Posted by Mat Kaplan on 2012/11/07 10:31 CST
This week's Planetary Radio episode presents highlights of the first Curiosity press briefing about the Martian atmosphere, and then takes you to the opening day ceremony for Shuttle Endeavour. You have till Friday, November 9, at 10am Pacific to send your 10th anniversary message to the show and possibly win Bill Nye on your answering machine.
Video: Endeavour's final liftoff
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/09/21 04:41 CDT | 1 comments
I was at Edwards Air Force Base this morning for Endeavour's last takeoff, and shot video as it roared past me. Follow the link for 3D video.
A 3D photo album of Endeavour at Edwards Air Force Base
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/09/20 11:01 CDT | 7 comments
I drove up to Edwards Air Force Base today to see the shuttle carrier aircraft NASA 905 carry in the space shuttle Endeavour, which will be delivered to Los Angeles tomorrow. I'm not a great photographer but I do have a 3D camera; here's an album.
Endeavour's final mission has begun
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/09/19 11:38 CDT
Piggybacked on the shuttle carrier aircraft NASA 905, Endeavour has departed Florida for the last time. Her journey will take her to Los Angeles, where she'll begin a new and different kind of mission at the California Science Center.
Posted by Bill Nye on 2012/07/23 05:41 CDT | 5 comments
Sally Ride changed the world. We are very sorry to hear of her recent death after a nearly two-year battle with cancer. Dr. Ride was an excellent astronaut, a remarkable educator, and a longtime Planetary Society friend and adviser.
Nearly the last view of Endeavour with its life-blood flowing
Posted by Ben Cooper on 2012/04/08 11:59 CDT
After 12 years of photographing the space shuttle, and even getting to work for NASA as a photographer for the final three years of the program, I never had the privilege of going inside the cockpit until the program was over.
Beginning of the post-shuttle era
Posted by Jason Davis on 2011/07/21 11:58 CDT
At 5:57AM EDT (9:57 UTC) this morning, Atlantis gracefully rolled to a stop on runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center Landing Facility, completing the 135th and final mission of the space shuttle program that started in 1981.
What a Day! From Earth to the Moon and Mars
Posted by Bill Nye on 2011/07/21 03:02 CDT
Mission accomplished! It's been thirty great years for the Space Shuttle program. With this venerable space vehicle retired, it's on to the next adventure.
Your guide to a shuttle landing
Posted by Jason Davis on 2011/07/19 11:58 CDT | 1 comments
The final installment of my three-part series on the basics of shuttle launches and landings. Part III: de-orbiting, re-entering and landing.
Shuttle LIFE Organisms Return from Space
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2011/06/09 05:40 CDT
Shuttle LIFE Organisms Return from Space
We did it -- Shuttle LIFE launches!
Posted by Bill Nye on 2011/05/16 09:39 CDT
Today at 8:56 a.m. EDT, Space Shuttle Endeavour launched on its final mission, and we are part of this historic moment!
Congratulations to the California Science Center on getting Space Shuttle Endeavour!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/04/13 12:16 CDT
Space exploration is an international endeavor and I usually try to speak as a citizen of Earth rather than one of my nation, state, or city, but I'm going to ask you to indulge me in a little local boosterism today.
What's up in the solar system in April 2011
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/03/31 03:59 CDT
April 2011 will see MESSENGER begin the science phase of its orbital mission at Mercury, and should, I think, also see the start of Dawn's approach observations of Vesta. At Mars, Opportunity is back on the road again, rolling inexorably toward Endeavour. At Saturn, Cassini will continue its focus on Saturn and Titan science.
Phobos LIFE gets a ride on Endeavour as Shuttle LIFE!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/03/25 03:52 CDT
The Planetary Society is contributing this thing called the Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment (LIFE) to Russia's Phobos sample return mission -- it's basically a sealed puck with dormant microbes inside that'll fly to Mars and back in the return capsule, and biologists will take a look to see what damage the little bugs suffered during their space journey.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/01/28 09:21 CST
In the past week there have been 25th anniversaries of two events in 1986, one great, one terrible: the closest approach of Voyager 2 to Uranus on January 24, and the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger upon liftoff on January 28.
Discovery Launch Scrubbed, Again
Posted by Mat Kaplan on 2010/11/05 02:54 CDT
The launch has been scrubbed once again due to a critical hydrogen leak detected once fueling had been underway for a while.
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