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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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Space: Final Frontier

Started by Imperator; Last updated by SeacoastNH

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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 341 - 360 of 413

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  • September 2007

    • Russia Tests 'Real World: Mars'

      Der Spiegel  |  Sep 14, 07 2:25 PM CDT

      Russia Tests 'Real World: Mars'

      (Newser) - In a sort of extraterrestrial edition of MTV's "Real World," Russia will lock six would-be cosmonauts in a "spaceship" for 520 days in a simulated voyage to Mars. As Russian scientists test the effects of extended isolation, participants will spend 2 years growing their own vegetables, breathing "spaceship air," and drinking reprocessed urine, Der Spiegel reports. More »

    • Mars Rover Steps Into Crater

      Wired  |  Sep 13, 07 6:00 PM CDT

      Mars Rover Steps Into Crater

      (Newser) - The dust has finally settled on Mars, and NASA's Mars rover Opportunity took its first steps Tuesday 13 feet into the half-mile-wide Victoria Crater—and then backed out after slipping beyond acceptable levels. With Opportunity's six wheels perched over the lip of the crater, researchers paused the operation in order to analyze data collected in the foray, Wired reports. More »

    • Google Offers $30M for Private Moon Missions

      BBC  |  Sep 13, 07 3:03 PM CDT

      Google Offers $30M for Private Moon Missions

      (Newser) - Google announced its own search today: It will award $30 million to private firms whose robotic spacecrafts successfully reach the moon and perform specific lunar tasks. The BBC reports that the search giant hopes to encourage low-cost space exploration. The first-place winner will receive $20 million, second place gets $5 million, and there's another $5 million in incentives. More »

    • Russia Shoots For the Moon

      ABC News  |  Sep 3, 07 12:10 PM CDT

      Russia Shoots For the Moon

      (Newser) - Russia has announced a plan to put a man (or woman) on the moon by 2025, reports ABC. The cash-strapped Russian space agency also plans a permanent moon base and a Mars mission. "The Russians have some big ideas, but their space program is coming up slowly from being in a position (of) bankruptcy," says one former astronaut. More »

  • August 2007

    • Probe to Study Asteroid Too Close to Earth

      BBC  |  Aug 31, 07 6:27 AM CDT

      Probe to Study Asteroid Too Close to Earth

      (Newser) - Astronomers are preparing to send a probe to investigate an asteroid that in 2029 will pass closer to Earth than communications satellites do. The mission would gather information on the 1,000-foot-wide rock to figure out whether it poses a serious danger the next time it passes Earth in 2036. More »

    • NASA Blasts Rumors of Drunken Astronauts

      Miami Herald  |  Aug 29, 07 6:20 PM CDT

      NASA Blasts Rumors of Drunken Astronauts

      (Newser) - NASA said today there is no truth to allegations that several astronauts were drunk as they were blasted into space, the Miami Herald reports. A month after an independent panel reported vague accounts of astronauts drunk on the job, space agency officials said interviews and a review of 20 years' worth records found nothing to support the claim. More »

    • The Force Is With the Discovery

      Inside Bay Area (Oakland)  |  Aug 29, 07 8:56 AM CDT

      The Force Is With the Discovery

      (Newser) - Astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery will have a bit of extra protection on their next mission: Luke Skywalker's original light saber from 1977's Star Wars . Lucasfilm has loaned the prop—in real life not much more than a slick flashlight—to NASA for the shuttle's launch this October, reports the Oakland Tribune . More »

    • Western US Awaits Total Lunar Eclipse

      Space.com  |  Aug 26, 07 1:48 PM CDT

      Western US Awaits Total Lunar Eclipse

      (Newser) - The Western US will get a celestial treat early Tuesday morning: a total lunar eclipse. Residents of the Western Hemisphere and eastern Asia will get at least a glimpse of the spectacle, but Europeans will miss out—the moon will be below the horizon. Space.com tells you how to make the most of the event, wherever you may be. More »

    • Google Takes Map Program to the Stars

      BBC  |  Aug 22, 07 12:28 PM CDT

      Google Takes Map Program to the Stars

      (Newser) - Launching off of the success of Google Earth, Google launched a new program today allowing armchair astronomers to chuck the telescope and gaze at the heavens from their monitors. Google Sky will harness Hubble photos along with a database of information, and feature more than one million stars and 200 million galaxies, the BBC reports. More »

    • Endeavour Returns Home

      CNN  |  Aug 21, 07 3:11 PM CDT

      Endeavour Returns Home

      (Newser) - Endeavour landed safely in Florida this afternoon, a day earlier than planned. Damage sustained during launch didn't affect the space shuttle's return from its 13-day mission, and neither did Hurricane Dean, CNN reports. "Welcome back. You give new meaning to the term 'higher education,' " Mission Control told the crew, which included the first teacher in space. More »

    • 25 Biggest Scientific Discoveries

      USA Today  |  Aug 21, 07 1:10 PM CDT

      25 Biggest Scientific Discoveries

      (Newser) - The invention of the wheel was pretty good. Fire, even better. But what has science done for us lately? USA Today lists the top 25 scientific discoveries; here are the top 10: Accelerating universe Human genome Climate accord More »

    • NASA Learned Its Lesson With Endeavour

      New York Times  |  Aug 20, 07 10:53 AM CDT

      NASA Learned Its Lesson With Endeavour

      (Newser) - Endeavour faced the same problem that the ill-fated Columbia did, but NASA officials handled the two missions in dramatically different ways, marking a radical cultural shift at the space agency. Columbia’s shuttle suffered more damage from a flying piece of foam, but NASA still spent days using elaborate equipment to study the impact of Endeavour’s gouge. More »

    • Endeavour Heads Home, Dodging Dean

      Associated Press  |  Aug 19, 07 5:50 PM CDT

      Endeavour Heads Home, Dodging Dean

      (Newser) - To a chorus of ringing bells, space shuttle Endeavour undocked today from the international space station, skipping out a day early because of fears Hurricane Dean could disrupt its landing operations. Even though revised predictions show the storm poses almost no threat to Houston and Mission Control, the AP reports, Endeavour will land at Cape Canaveral in Florida on Tuesday. More »

    • Storm Forces Shuttle Home Early

      Associated Press  |  Aug 18, 07 5:48 PM CDT

      Storm Forces Shuttle Home Early

      (Newser) - NASA managers worried about the wrath of Hurricane Dean have ordered shuttle Endeavour home a day earlier than planned, the AP reports. Astronauts wrapped up a space walk today and prepared for a trip that would leave tomorrow and land in Houston on Tuesday. One astronaut clearly saw the hurricane’s eye from 214 miles over the Caribbean: "Hooo, man, yeah, can't miss that," he said. More »

    • Dying Star Unlocks Life Cycle Mystery

      Washington Post  |  Aug 16, 07 3:42 AM CDT

      Dying Star Unlocks Life Cycle Mystery

      (Newser) - Astronomers have recently spotted a dying red giant star trailing material knocked off by winds  created by its high-speed orbit, providing an important clue to the life cycle of stars. Scientists have long theorized that the detritus of old stars become the seeds for new ones, but they've never before seen the process. More »

    • Endeavour May Not Need Repair

      Associated Press  |  Aug 15, 07 8:29 AM CDT

      Endeavour May Not Need Repair

      (Newser) - Repairs to the damaged heat shield on the space shuttle Endeavor may not be needed before the shuttle's return to Earth, NASA says, based on the first set of tests, completed yesterday. Program managers say they are "cautiously optimistic" that business-card-sized gash in Endeavour's thermal tiles shouldn't pose a threat as the shuttle re-enters the atmosphere. Testing is expected to be finished by later today. More »

    • Astronauts Look at Endeavour's Tummy Trouble

      Associated Press  |  Aug 12, 07 5:28 PM CDT

      Astronauts Look at Endeavour's Tummy Trouble

      (Newser) - Endeavor’s crew gave NASA a better look at a wound on the space shuttle’s belly today, CNN reports. Astronauts used a robotic arm to photograph the three-inch gouge on the shuttle’s heat shield, a ding caused by a flying piece of foam during liftoff. NASA hopes the image will show whether the damage needs to be repaired. More »

    • NASA Eyes Endeavor Damage

      Associated Press  |  Aug 11, 07 4:01 PM CDT

      NASA Eyes Endeavor Damage

      (Newser) - Endeavour's astronauts finished their first spacewalk today by installing a 2-ton beam on the back of the international space station, the AP reports. Meanwhile NASA engineers inspected troubling images of a gash in shuttle Endeavour’s heat shield caused, they believe, by an ice chunk that flew off the fuel tank.  More »

    • Comet Dust Will Light Sky

      Discovery Channel  |  Aug 11, 07 1:46 PM CDT

      Comet Dust Will Light Sky

      (Newser) - Comet debris will light up the sky tomorrow night and Monday morning with shooting stars as Earth passes through the Perseid meteor shower. For the best view, pick a dark spot away from city lights and look east, says the Discovery Channel. "It's going to be a great show," a NASA expert advises. The showers will start around 9 PM EDT tomorrow night and peak at 2 AM Monday morning. More »

    • Shuttle Docks With Space Station

      Associated Press  |  Aug 10, 07 4:12 PM CDT

      Shuttle Docks With Space Station

      (Newser) - Shuttle Endeavour docked with the International Space Station today after executing an orbital flip to allow the exterior of the craft to be photographed and examined for any damage sustained during liftoff. Three foam chunks detached from the shuttle during launch, and although some damage remains possible, mission managers say they don't believe there's cause for alarm, the AP reports. More »

Stories 341 - 360 of 413

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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
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 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 and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center)
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 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 first space shuttle mission of the year in early June, almost three months later than...
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 space station is seen from the space shuttle Discovery. Astronaut Suni Williams, who is registered for the Boston Marathon, will run the equivalent distance on a treadmill _ 210 miles above Earth, and tethered to her track by...
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 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 constellation Carina. (AP Photo/NASA-ESA)
%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 the Hubble Space Telescope shows a pillar of gas and dust called the Cone Nebula which resides in a turbulent star-forming region.
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 on a Delta II rocket at Cape Canaveral, Florida, Saturday, April 7, 2001.
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 to the boulder dubbed
-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 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 telescope cost US$143 million and took seven years to construct. The Canary Island observatory said...
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 by NASA Wednesday April 9, 2008. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took the image of the larger of Mars' two moons, Phobos, the larger and inner of Mars' two tiny moons, from...
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 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 up, and traveling at about 17,200 mph. The image shows the Solar power panels on...
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 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 edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that the bacteria, come back...
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))

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

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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
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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
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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


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