Tag Archives: Space Shuttle

NASA Links

As the end of the space shuttle program draws nearer, I think it important to watch and observe this moment in our nation’s history.
So here are a collection of links to NASA resources, which can also be found on the main website NASA.gov.
Information on NASA programs is available at the NASA Public Affairs Home Page
NASA TV information has schedules and links to streaming video.
NASA Television Schedule features key mission events and media briefings during the mission.
Status reports and timely updates on launch countdown, mission progress, and landing operations will be posted at: nasa.gov/shuttle
Information on the International Space Station is [...]

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NASA Space Shuttle Update 11-5-10

NASA Space Shuttle Update / Friday November 5, 2010:
The shuttle weather team is carefully watching a cold front moving through Florida, that could impact the final launch of space shuttle Discovery. There’s about a 50 percent chance the shuttle will lift off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, November 5th.
Friday’s tentative launch time is 3:04 p.m. EDT. The shuttle team meets at 5:00 am Friday morning to make a final assessment of the weather conditions at the cape, before giving a “go” or “no-go” decision to fill Discovery’s external fuel [...]

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Final Spaceflight of Space Shuttle Discovery

Due to last minute technical issues, the final launch of space shuttle Discovery has been delayed until at least Thursday. If the shuttle does launch this Thursday, a mid-afternoon liftoff is scheduled.
Discovery’s final spaceflight is scheduled to last 11 days, which includes two scheduled spacewalks. It’s the 39th flight for the space shuttle, which has flown more times than any other orbiter in NASA’s shuttle fleet.
This last mission is known as STS-133; it’s crew members will carry several important components to the International Space Station, such as the Italian-built Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM,) and the Express Logistics [...]

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Cloudy Skies Thwart Two Shuttle Landing Attempts : Discovery News

Cloudy Skies Thwart Two Shuttle Landing Attempts : Discovery News
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Discovery Departs International Space Station

The crew of Space Shuttle Discovery have said goodbye to the International Space Station. The STS-131 mission draws to a close as Discovery makes her way back home, with over three tons of used equipment from the space station. The space shuttle is scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center on Monday morning.
Only three more shuttle missions remain in the space program. U.S. astronauts will then be riding with the Russian cosmonauts to get back and forth from the International Space Station. Let’s just hope private aerospace engineers and companies will be able to carry [...]

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Space Shuttle Discovery STS-131 Mission Update

Space Shuttle Discovery began mission STS-131 with it’s seven-member crew, as they headed to the International Space Station. There’s only a few shuttle flights left, before the fleet is grounded for good.
Liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center took place at 6:21 a.m. EDT on Monday, April 5th.
Here is the video of the lift-off on NASA TV’s YouTube Channel.
Mission STS-131 Press Kit

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Space Shuttle Discovery STS-131

Space Shuttle Discovery is set to lift-off tomorrow morning at 6:21 AM EDT on mission STS-131.
Follow NASA’s Launch Blog beginning at 1:15 AM.
Commander Alan Poindexter, Pilot Jim Dutton, Mission Specialists Rick Mastracchio, Clay Anderson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson and Naoko Yamazaki will execute the 33rd shuttle mission to the International Space Station.
Discovery will carry a multi-purpose logistics module filled with science racks for the laboratories aboard the ISS. The mission has three planned spacewalks, with work to include replacing an ammonia tank assembly, retrieving a Japanese experiment from the station’s exterior, and switching out a rate gyro assembly [...]

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NASA: Ten Years of Space Exploration

The past decade has been pretty exciting in the realm of space exploration. Here’s my look at NASA’s milestones in the past ten years.
NASA 2009 Year in Review
October 2009: water discovered on the moon by the LCROSS mission.
July 2009: 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing
May 2009: Hubble Space Telescope upgraded and repaired. Space walking astronauts from the Atlantis space shuttle gave the aging space telescope several new updated systems. Two new instruments, the Wide Field Camera 3 and Cosmic Origins Spectrograph were installed, while repairs were made to the Advanced Camera for Surveys and Space [...]

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Thanksgiving in Space

watch?v=9lMjY4RdSaw
I was wondering what it must be like to celebrate a holiday like Thanksgiving in space.  A quick search discovered this year-old video from the collectspace YouTube Channel. It shows two of the astronauts aboard the International Space Station describing their Thanksgiving dinner and counting their blessings.
The current astronauts have bid farewell to the space station crew, as they prepare to undock and depart the station Friday morning for a return to earth.  The Endeavour shuttle mission was declared a success with four spacewalks completed in eleven days.  More info at www.nasa.gov

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Shuttle Discovery Delivers Japanese Laboratory to International Space Station

NASA News Release: 08-136 May 31, 2008
Space shuttle Discovery and a seven-member crew has launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to deliver and install a Japanese laboratory on the International Space Station.
The mission, designated STS-124, is the second of three flights to launch components to complete the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory.  Discovery is carrying Kibo’s tour bus-sized Japanese Pressurized Module, or JPM, which will be the station’s largest module.  The shuttle astronauts will work with the three-member station crew and ground teams around the world to install the JPM and Kibo’s robotic arm system.
Joining Kelly on Discovery’s 14-day [...]

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Skywatch

Have you ever watched for the space shuttle, the space station, or just a satellite flying over?  There’s a real handy tool online called Skywatch, that gives you the exact times and locations where you can see orbiting spacecraft pass over your city.
What a thrill to see the sunlight gleaming off the space station’s solar panels, as it streaks across the sky. I’ve seen satellites in the night sky just by accident, when I’m out camping under dark skies, and it’s always really cool, and I just can’t wait to see it again.
Go to spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings to use Skywatch [...]

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Spacewalk # 2

Shuttle crew members Rick Linnehan and Mike Foreman have completed the second spacewalk of Endeavour’s STS-123 mission. They worked outside the International Space Station for seven hours assembling the Canadian-built mechanical maintenance robot called Dextre.
Andrew Potter reports via Reuters Video

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Space Shuttle Endeavour docks with International Space Station

This is a busy time for NASA crews aboard the space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station. They’re outfitting the new Japanese Logistics Module with supplies and equipment, which is the first onboard laboratory for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The astronauts are also finishing assembly of the Canadian robotic service system, called Dextre. This shuttle mission (STS-123) will be the longest mission to the space station, because it’s a sixteen day flight. Plus there are five spacewalks planned, two of which are already completed.
Andrew Potter reports via Reuters Video:

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