Endeavour Blasts Into Night Sky

Hydrogen gas leak forces Endeavour's launch to be called off a second time

(NEWSER) - A hydrogen gas leak has forced NASA to call off the launch of the space shuttle for the second time in less than a week, AP reports. The glitch, discovered just hours before blastoff, means Endeavour's mission to the International Space Station will now be delayed until July 11 because of unfavorable sun angles. More»

(AP) - NASA scrubbed space shuttle Endeavour's scheduled launch today after nine lightning strikes were reported near the pad in Florida. Technicians said they found no damage but will need another day to check critical systems. The next launch attempt will be in the early evening tomorrow. Endeavour should have blasted off to the international space station in mid-June but was grounded by potentially dangerous leaks of hydrogen gas. More»

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 that bad weather will delay the last-ever space shuttle launch. "I always wanted to see one in person, and now I got my chance," a 72-year-old retired Air Force sergeant who drove down from Kentucky tells the Los Angeles Times . More»

Museums vie for soon-to-be-retired spacecraft

(NEWSER) - NASA is preparing to give away its space shuttle fleet to institutions willing to cough up $28.8 million per spacecraft for cleaning and transportation. Atlantis will be retired after returning from its final mission today and some two dozen museums and other institutions around the country are vying to get their hands on it or its sister ships Endeavor and Discovery when they follow it into retirement later this year, CNN reports. More»

Craft scheduled to reach International Space Station Sunday

(AP) - Space shuttle Atlantis is on its way to orbit for the last time. Atlantis and an experienced crew of six blasted off this afternoon from the Kennedy Space Center. More than 40,000 guests gathered at the Florida launch site, all of them eager to catch one of the few remaining shuttle flights. NASA said it was the biggest launch-day crowd in years. More»