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THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2009

Space: Final Frontier

Started by Imperator; Last updated by SeacoastNH

Space: Final Frontier

"The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever." -Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

Nearly four decades after Neil Armstrong took his giant leap for mankind, the race is on—again. And this time, the course has expanded, with government scientists reaching outward towards Mars, and private entrepreneurs, from Amazon's Jeff Bezos to Virgin's Richard Branson, jumping in to open up the wonders of the universe to anyone who's got the cash. Branson's Virgin Galactic aims to launch in 2009 with $200K orbits, but the wealthy and willing can already pony up $25 mil for a journey to the Russian space station. Too bad PanAm didn't hang around for the second act—they once had a waiting list of 93,000 for travel to the moon.

Stories

Stories 1 - 20 of 410

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  • June 2009
    • NASA Scrubs Shuttle Launch

      NASA Scrubs Shuttle Launch

      (Newser Summary) - 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 »

    • NASA Hopes for Wednesday Launch

      NASA Hopes for Wednesday Launch

      (Newser Summary) - NASA is planning to delay the launch of two unmanned moon probes to give the space shuttle Endeavour another shot at takeoff, Space.com reports. The shuttle was grounded last week because of a hydrogen gas leak. Mission managers will make the final decision later today, but expect Endeavour to leave Cape Canaveral at 5:40am Wednesday. More »

    • Colonize the Moon? NASA to Scope It Out

      Colonize the Moon? NASA to Scope It Out

      (Newser Summary) - NASA will launch a mission Wednesday to gather information about how humans might someday colonize the moon, the Los Angeles Times reports. A robotic orbiter will provide detailed maps of the topography and first-of-their kind peeks inside craters where ice might be hiding. “We're going to provide NASA with what is needed to get human beings back to the moon and to stay there for an extended duration,” said one mission official. More »

    • NASA Delays Shuttle Over Gas Leak

      NASA Delays Shuttle Over Gas Leak

      (Newser Summary) - NASA officials canceled today's Space Shuttle Endeavour launch after workers discovered a hydrogen gas leak during fueling, Space.com reports. If the failure is fixed soon, the seven-member crew could lift off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., as early as tomorrow morning, when near-perfect weather is expected. Discovery's STS-119 launch was delayed with a similar glitch 3 months ago, but launched successfully after repairs. More »

    • Armstrong Flubbed Moon Line, Made It Stellar

      Armstrong Flubbed Moon Line, Made It Stellar

      (Newser Summary) - Stressed out Neil Armstrong flubbed his line as he became the first human to step on the moon—and turned it into out-of-this-world poetry, reports the BBC. The astronaut was supposed to say: "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind," as he walked onto the moon in 1969. But he dropped the "a" in the pre-scripted phrase penned by NASA. More »

  • May 2009
    • Atlantis Lands Safely in Calif.

      Atlantis Lands Safely in Calif.

      (Newser Summary) - With weather conditions in Florida remaining too soggy for a safe shuttle landing, Atlantis instead touched down at Edwards Air Force Base in California this morning. This was the 53rd west-coast landing for a space shuttle, a $2 million decision made easy by the balmy conditions in the Mojave Desert. Atlantis will make it back to Kennedy Space Center on the back of a modified 747. More »

    • Storms Delay Shuttle for Another Day

      Storms Delay Shuttle for Another Day

      (Newser Summary) - Thunderstorms in Florida will keep space shuttle Atlantis in space for yet another day, the AP reports. Mission Control canceled all landing attempts for the second straight day at the Kennedy Space Center. The forecast looks clear for tomorrow, so the seven astronauts will try again then rather than heading to California. They're wrapping up a successful mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. More »

    • Obama Picks Ex-Astronaut as NASA Chief

      Obama Picks Ex-Astronaut as NASA Chief

      (Newser Summary) - President Obama will name former astronaut Charles Bolden Jr. as his NASA administrator soon after the Atlantis shuttle returns to Earth this weekend, sources tell the Los Angeles Times . Bolden, a military aviator who flew four shuttle missions, will be the first African-American to lead NASA if he is confirmed by the Senate. Obama's campaign space adviser, Lori Garver, is expected to be his deputy. More »

    • Weather Delays Shuttle's Return Until Tomorrow

      Weather Delays Shuttle's Return Until Tomorrow

      (AP Summary) - Stormy weather in Florida prevented space shuttle Atlantis and its crew from landing today, and the crew will try again tomorrow. The news isn't a huge surprise to the seven astronauts, who are wrapping up a successful mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. The weather outlook has been grim for days. The crew has enough supplies through Monday. More »

    • Despite Its Faults (and Costs), Hubble Remains Crucial

      Despite Its Faults (and Costs), Hubble Remains Crucial

      (Newser Summary) - The Hubble Space Telescope has expanded our knowledge of black holes, so it’s ironic that critics complain the $9.6 billion device is sucking up money and energy that could be shifted to other programs. But, on CNET, Don Reisinger defends the telescope as earthlings’ best shot at unlocking the secrets of the universe, like determining its formation and exact age. More »

    • Mmm, Mmm, Good! Astros Toast With Recycled Urine

      Mmm, Mmm, Good! Astros Toast With Recycled Urine

      (Newser Summary) - The crew of the International Space Station toasted successful testing of their new water-recycling system with sips of recycled sweat and urine yesterday, CNET reports. "The taste is great," US astronaut Michael Barratt said as his Russian colleague Gennady Zyuganov chased a floating mouthful in zero gravity. "As Gennady is showing you, it's perfectly clear and worth chasing in zero G here." More »

    • Astronauts Release Hubble on Final Run

      Astronauts Release Hubble on Final Run

      (AP Summary) - Atlantis' astronauts gingerly dropped the Hubble Space Telescope overboard today, sending the restored observatory off on a new voyage of discovery and bidding it farewell on behalf of the planet, reports the AP. The shuttle and telescope had just crossed the Atlantic, and were soaring 350 miles above the coast of northwestern Africa, when astronaut Megan McArthur used a robot arm to release the snares gripping Hubble. Then the shuttle slowly backed away. More »

    • Astronauts Wrap Up Hubble 'Scope Repairs

      Astronauts Wrap Up Hubble 'Scope Repairs

      (AP Summary) - After 5 amazing days, spacewalking astronauts finished repair work on the Hubble Space Telescope today and shut the doors to the treasured observatory, which will never be touched by human hands again. NASA said the revived telescope will be better than ever thanks to the astronauts' efforts and should provide even more dazzling views of the universe for another 5 to 10 years. More »

    • Astronauts Take Final Hubble Spacewalk

      Astronauts Take Final Hubble Spacewalk

      (AP Summary) - Spacewalking astronauts ventured out today to finish repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope, never to be touched by human hands again. It was the fifth and final spacewalk for the crew of the shuttle Atlantis, and the final planned visit by astronauts, ever, to Hubble. The astronauts outfitted Hubble with two state-of-the-art science instruments totaling $220 million that should allow the telescope to peer as far back as 13 billion years. More »

    • Stuck Bolt Throws Wrench in Hubble Repairs

      Stuck Bolt Throws Wrench in Hubble Repairs

      (Newser Summary) - Yesterday was a frustratingly long day in space as Atlantis astronauts struggled to fix a long-broken spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. They ultimately succeeded, but a stuck bolt and dead battery prolonged the spacewalk to 8 hours—making it the sixth longest in history, Space.com reports. Astronauts also ran out of time to insulate Hubble, but may attempt to do so on today's fifth and final spacewalk. More »

    • Smile! Astronauts Fix Broken Hubble Cam

      Smile! Astronauts Fix Broken Hubble Cam

      (AP Summary) - Spacewalking astronauts gave the Hubble Space Telescope a more commanding view of the cosmos by installing a new high-tech instrument today, then pulled off their toughest job yet: fixing a broken camera. It was the third spacewalk in as many days for the shuttle Atlantis crew, and it was the most intricate ever performed because of the unprecedented camera repairs. More »

    • Spacewalkers Wrap Up Tricky Hubble Job

      Spacewalkers Wrap Up Tricky Hubble Job

      (AP Summary) - Spacewalking astronauts had to put a refurbished pair of gyroscopes into the Hubble Space Telescope after a brand new set refused to go in yesterday, but scientists were satisfied nonetheless and confident the observatory would point precisely to more distant objects in the cosmos. Replacing the gyroscopes was the top priority of the repair mission, and the struggle had NASA on edge for 2 hours. More »

    • Spacewalking Astronauts Fix Hubble Gyroscopes

      Spacewalking Astronauts Fix Hubble Gyroscopes

      (AP Summary) - Astronauts from the shuttle Atlantis headed out for another spacewalk today, this time to give the Hubble telescope some new gyroscopes and batteries. The gyroscopes—a top priority—are part of the telescope pointing system, and half of the old ones are broken. The two space walkers ventured out as the shuttle and telescope sailed 350 miles above the Atlantic Ocean. "It is a beautiful day outside," one said. More »

    • Hubble Gets New Camera

      Hubble Gets New Camera

      (Newser Summary) - The Hubble space telescope got some improved vision today in the form of a new camera. Two Atlantis astronauts completed a seven-hour spacewalk to give the 19-year-old telescope a much-needed upgrade, Space.com reports. "Woo-hoo, it's moving out," said astronaut Andrew Feustel after the old camera refused to budge at first. The spacewalk is the first of five planned over the shuttle's 11-day mission to service Hubble. More »

    • Shuttle Atlantis Snags Hubble

      Shuttle Atlantis Snags Hubble

      (AP Summary) - The Atlantis astronauts have captured the Hubble Space Telescope, grabbing the orbiting observatory early this afternoon for the first time since 2002. Astronaut Megan McArthur caught the school bus-sized telescope with the space shuttle's robot arm. The crew now faces five days of treacherous telescope repairs to the 19-year-old Hubble. More »

Stories 1 - 20 of 410

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A film still from %u201CVoyage to the Moon,%u201D...
A film still from %u201CVoyage to the Moon,%u201D aka %u201CA Trip to the Moon%u201D (Le Voyage dans la lune; 1902). 35mm film, black and white, silent, 13 minutes (approx.). Directed by George Melies   (Scene360.com)
Cover of Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon
Cover of Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon   (Scribner, Armstrong & Company, 1874)
Cover of Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon
Cover of Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon   (Scribner, Armstrong & Company, 1874)
This handout image obtained 19 February
This handout image obtained 19 February   (Getty Images)
This photo released by NASA shows a sunburst view...
This photo released by NASA shows a sunburst view of the Space Shuttle's robot arm over a cloudy Earth taken June 1,1996, during the flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Earth Sciences...   (Associated Press)
Space Shuttle Atlantis streaks into the sky on mission...
Space Shuttle Atlantis streaks into the sky on mission STS-106 after a perfect on-time launch from Kennedy Space Center in this file photo from Sept. 8, 2000. NASA will try to launch Atlantis on the...   (Associated Press)
In this Dec. 19, 2006 file photo, a view of the international...
In this Dec. 19, 2006 file photo, a view of the international space station is seen from the space shuttle Discovery. Astronaut Suni Williams, who is registered for the Boston Marathon, will run the equivalent...   (Associated Press)
solar_system3
solar_system3   ((c) Royalty-free image collection)
 %u20AC%u2122s first generation of newborn stars condensed...
%u20AC%u2122s first generation of newborn stars condensed and ignited in the middle of a huge cloud of cold molecular hydrogen.The immense nebula is an estimated 7,500 light-years away in the southern...   (Associated Press)
This photo from the Advanced Camera for Surveys on...
This photo from the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope shows a pillar of gas and dust called the Cone Nebula which resides in a turbulent star-forming region.   (KRT Photos)
Hubble Captures Image Of Merging Galaxies
Hubble Captures Image Of Merging Galaxies   (Getty Images)
Scientists Capture Deep Space Image Of Early Universe
Scientists Capture Deep Space Image Of Early Universe   (Getty Images)
Hubble Captures Images of Hoag's Object
Hubble Captures Images of Hoag's Object   (Getty Images)
Gamma-Ray Burst From Chandra X-Ray Observatory
Gamma-Ray Burst From Chandra X-Ray Observatory   (Getty Images)
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL -- The 2001 Mars Odyssey is launched...
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL -- The 2001 Mars Odyssey is launched on a Delta II rocket at Cape Canaveral, Florida, Saturday, April 7, 2001.   (KRT Photos)
-July 22 NASA's rover Sojourner is photographed next...
-July 22 NASA's rover Sojourner is photographed next to the boulder dubbed "Barnacle Bill" on the planet Mars on July 22. The rover used its spectrometer to study the rock's chemical makeup.   (KRT Photos)
Martian Landscape
Martian Landscape   (Archive Photos)
Mercury Astronaut Gordon Cooper Dies at 77
Mercury Astronaut Gordon Cooper Dies at 77   (Getty Images)
Mercury 6 Booster Rocket
Mercury 6 Booster Rocket   (Archive Photos)
(FILES) Mercury program astronauts pose
(FILES) Mercury program astronauts pose   (Getty Images)
John Glenn
John Glenn   (Archive Photos)
Alan Shepard
Alan Shepard   (Archive Photos)
Virgil 'Gus' Grissom
Virgil 'Gus' Grissom   (Archive Photos)
Scott Carpenter
Scott Carpenter   (Archive Photos)
Astronaut Deke Slayton
Astronaut Deke Slayton   (NASA)
First Man In Space
First Man In Space   (Archive Photos)
Space Tourist Returns To Earth
Space Tourist Returns To Earth   (Getty Images)
The Great Canary Telescope is a seen on a mountaintop...
The Great Canary Telescope is a seen on a mountaintop of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, Friday, July 13, 2007. The Great Canary Telescope is among the world's largest telescopes. The...   (Associated Press)
The Martian moon Phobos is seen in an image released...
The Martian moon Phobos is seen in an image released by NASA Wednesday April 9, 2008. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took the image...   (AP Photo)
The International Space Station with the Space Shuttle...
The International Space Station with the Space Shuttle Discovery docked to it, is seen from the ground in Tyler, Texas, Thursday Oct. 25, 2007. The ISS & Discovery are on orbit, approximately 200 miles...   (AP Photo)
The launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-115...
The launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-115 is shown in this Sept. 9, 2006 photo. An experiment on that flight involving salmonella, best known as a culprit of food poisoning is reported in Tuesday's...   (AP Photo)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
STS-114 space shuttle discovery return to space launch   (anyhandleleft (YouTube))
v2 rocket launch explosions   (aussiestormer (YouTube))
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster   (ei2232 (YouTube))
First Step on the Moon 1969   (InternetTim (YouTube))
BBC Horizon lord of the rings Saturn   (hitmanllcn (YouTube))
Early U.S. rocket and space launch failures and explosion   (spacearium (YouTube))
8 june 2007 Space Shuttle Atlantis LAUNCH STS-117   (verfkwast (YouTube))

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Background

How Space Tourism Works
How Stuff Works

In this article, you'll learn about the spacecraft being designed as destinations for space tourists, and how you may one day have a chance to cruise through the solar system. Includes a list of potential space tourism operators.

» Read more about How Space Tourism Works at How Stuff Works

The Solar System: A 3-D Tour
National Geographic

Take a flyby tour of the sun and each planet in its orbit, observe planets and extraterrestrial weather patterns up close, and more.

» Read more about The Solar System: A 3-D Tour at National Geographic

The Space Race: A Timeline
PBS

On Christmas Eve 1968, one of the largest audiences in television history tuned in to an extraordinary sight: a live telecast of the moon's surface as seen from Apollo 8, the first manned space flight to leave Earth's gravitational pull and orbit the moon. The Apollo 8 astronauts had just four months...

» Read more about The Space Race: A Timeline at PBS

space exploration
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

space exploration the investigation of physical conditions in space and on stars, planets, and other celestial bodies through the use of artificial satellites (spacecraft that orbit the earth), space probes (spacecraft that pass through the solar system and that may or may not orbit another celestial body), and spacecraft with human crews. Satellites and Probes Although studies from earth using optical and radio telescopes had accumulated much data on the nature of celestial bodies, it was not until after World War II that the development of powerful rockets made direct space exploration a technological possibility. The first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, was launched by ...

» Read more about space exploration at Encyclopedia.com