Atlantis Space Shuttle

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A Thanksgiving Prank Rattled NASA in 1991
A Thanksgiving Prank
Rattled NASA
in 1991
longform

A Thanksgiving Prank Rattled NASA in 1991

It involved a Turkish satellite

(Newser) - He missed a key word in the phone call he answered at Mission Control in Houston in the early hours of Thanksgiving 1991. Lead Flight Director Milt Heflin picked up the phone and was given a warning by his flight dynamics officer: Air Force trackers who monitor orbital traffic had...

Ex-Astronaut Killed When Son Crashes Into His Jet Ski

NASA mourns Capt. Alan Poindexter

(Newser) - NASA is mourning former astronaut Alan Poindexter, who died in a jet ski accident in Florida over the weekend. Poindexter, 50, was on a jet ski with his 22-year-old son when his older son, 26, crashed into them on another jet ski, sending both men into the water, reports the...

Atlantis Makes Final Landing
 Atlantis Makes Final Landing 

Atlantis Makes Final Landing

30-year shuttle program ends smoothly

(Newser) - The very last space shuttle landing was as smooth as they come. NASA's 30-year space shuttle program came to end just before sunrise as Atlantis landed safely in Florida, the AP reports. The shuttle, which performed perfectly during its final mission to resupply the International Space Station, is home...

'Godspeed:' Atlantis Leaves ISS a Final Time

Shuttle takes unprecedented photos of space station on last return trip

(Newser) - Atlantis left the International Space Station for the very last time today, heading home to end the 30-year run of a vessel that kept Americans flying to and from orbit longer than any other rocketship. The space shuttle slipped away after performing a partial lap around the space station. Ten...

Astronauts Take NASA's Last Spacewalk of Shuttle Era

They set up experiment for robot to refuel satellites

(Newser) - Astronauts making the last spacewalk of NASA's space shuttle era today retrieved a broken pump from the International Space Station and installed a fill-er-up experiment for a robot on the side of the space station. The two-armed robot Dextre won't actually begin the $22.6 million experiment until...

Space Shuttle Atlantis Docks a Final Time
 Atlantis Docks a Final Time 

Atlantis Docks a Final Time

Last shuttle mission cruising along smoothly

(Newser) - Atlantis has docked with the International Space Station, yet another final milestone as NASA winds down its storied shuttle program with what the AP is perhaps excessively referring to as "a flight full of passion." "Atlantis arriving," called space station astronaut Ronald Garan Jr. as the...

Strangest Passengers in NASA History

From frogs to fish, the space shuttle has carried plenty of crazy critters

(Newser) - You can probably name the first American sent into space (Alan Shepard), but the first monkey, frog, and jellyfish made the trip with far less fanfare. Space Shuttle Atlantis took off yesterday with a few odd passengers: an iPhone and a mutant strain of salmonella. But they're not the...

Atlantis Blasts Off on Final Shuttle Flight

Flight will last 12 days

(Newser) - Atlantis blasted off this morning on the last flight of NASA's space shuttle program. The historic liftoff occurred 30 years and three months after the very first shuttle flight. Four astronauts are riding Atlantis to orbit, bound for the International Space Station. Massive crowds jammed Cape Canaveral and surrounding...

Up to 1M Gather for Final Shuttle Launch

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...

NASA's Final Shuttle Crew Readies for Atlantis' Last Ridew
 Meet NASA's Last Shuttle Crew 

Meet NASA's Last Shuttle Crew

Four astronauts close out program with Atlantis' final flight

(Newser) - They are the envy of America's space program: Christopher Ferguson, Douglas Hurley, Rex Walheim, and Sandra Magnus will zip into space on Friday aboard NASA's 135th and final shuttle mission. The smallest crew since 1983 amounts to an afterthought: They were initially groomed as a rescue mission in...

Endeavour Returns to Earth a Final Time

After 299 days in space, space shuttle grounded for good

(Newser) - After 25 missions, 299 days in space, 4,671 orbits around the Earth, and more than 122 million miles, the space shuttle Endeavour has landed for good. It touched down at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral at 2:34am this morning after its final 16-day mission, Space.com...

NASA Decides Homes for Retiring Space Shuttles

Three museums get Atlantis, Discovery, and Endeavour

(Newser) - NASA's space shuttle fleet has only two flights left, and the space agency announced today where the shuttles are going for retirement, reports CollectSpace :
  • Atlantis: It stays with NASA and will be parked at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
  • Discovery: It's going to the Smithsonian's Steven F.
...

Inside the Crazy Museum Battle to Own Discovery

21 places are clamoring for it ... but the quietest spot might get it

(Newser) - Discovery returns to Earth today then will continue on to its final resting place ... location TBD. The 27-year-old shuttle (along with sister orbiters Endeavour and Atlantis) is one hot property these days, with 21 museums angling for the right to house it—and pay the $28.8 million it will...

Shuttle Atlantis Touches Down a Final Time

NASA hoping White House will relent, grant 1 more flight

(Newser) - Space shuttle Atlantis is back on Earth, and its flying career is over. Atlantis and its six-man crew landed at Florida's Kennedy Space Center this morning, marking the end of Atlantis' 25 years of service. Only two shuttle missions remain, by NASA's two other spaceships. The space agency would like...

Up for Grabs: Free* Space Shuttle *$29M Postage & Handling Required

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...

Atlantis Begins Final Flight Home

Shuttle departs International Space Station

(Newser) - Space shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station for the last time this morning and began its return trip to Earth. With Tony Antonelli at the helm, the shuttle did an inspection lap around the nearly complete ISS before its 3-day trip home, reports Florida Today . "This place...

Atlantis Docks With Space Station
 Atlantis Docks With 
 Space Station 
FINAL FLIGHT

Atlantis Docks With Space Station

Mission to deliver Russian room to be shuttle's last

(Newser) - Space shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station for the final time this morning, reports Space.com , capping a two-day flight meant to deliver a $200 million Russian module. "It is an absolutely stunning view," said Atlantis' commander as the ISS came into view. Hatches are to...

Shuttle Atlantis Embarks on Final Voyage

Craft scheduled to reach International Space Station Sunday

(Newser) - 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...

Coin in This Year's Super Bowl Is Out of This World

Literally—it was on Atlantis spaceflight

(Newser) - By the time the coin in this year's Super Bowl lands heads or tails tonight, it will have more than 4 million miles under its belt, reports Space.com . The gold-plated coin accompanied shuttle Atlantis on its 11-day mission in November, and is the first to have flown in space...

Shuttle Atlantis Back Home
 Shuttle Atlantis Back Home 

Shuttle Atlantis Back Home

11-day mission to resupply International Space Station a success

(Newser) - Space shuttle Atlantis and its seven astronauts are back on Earth. The shuttle landed at Kennedy Space Center in Florida this morning, swooping through a clear sky. The touchdown ended an 11-day flight in which the astronauts spent time stockpiling the International Space Station with big spare parts.

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