spacecraft

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Astronaut Reports 'Strange Noise' From Starliner

NASA has solved the mystery of odd pulsing sound coming from Boeing Starliner docked at ISS

(Newser) - NASA's Butch Wilmore had Mission Control scratching its head this weekend with a question about an odd noise. "I've got a question about Starliner," Wilmore said in his Saturday message to Houston from the Boeing aircraft docked at the International Space Station, per the Guardian . "...

Final Resting Place of ISS May One Day Be a 'Treasure Trove'

Underwater conditions at remote Point Nemo keep spacecraft relatively well preserved

(Newser) - Even defunct spacecraft need a final resting place. For Russia's Mir space station, as well as hundreds of other spacecraft from the US, Russia, Europe, and Japan, that graveyard is situated around the remote Point Nemo in the South Pacific, east of New Zealand—and it will eventually claim...

Boeing Starliner Launch Delayed Indefinitely

Multiple issues with spacecraft have been detected since May 6 launch was scrubbed

(Newser) - After years of delays, the first crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule was called off within two hours of its launch time earlier this month. It was rescheduled multiple times, but the latest launch date, May 25, has now been called off and NASA doesn't have a new...

NASA Hits the Jackpot on Its 'Rubble Return Goal'

OSIRIS-REx spacecraft returned double the expected samples from asteroid Bennu

(Newser) - NASA finally has counted up all the asteroid samples returned by a spacecraft last fall—and it's double the rubble return goal. Officials reported Thursday that the Osiris-Rex spacecraft collected 4.29 ounces of dust and pebbles from asteroid Bennu. That's just over half a cup and the...

Moon Lander—and Its Human Remains—to Burn
Doomed Lunar
Lander Meets
Its End
UPDATED
Jan 19, 2024 12:30 AM CST

Doomed Lunar Lander Meets Its End

Astrobotic's Peregrine burns up reentering Earth's atmosphere, along with human remains

(Newser) - The doomed Peregrine moon lander burned up in Earth's atmosphere over a remote stretch of the South Pacific on Thursday, as planned after the spacecraft suffered a malfunction that left it unable to reach the moon. "We commend @Astrobotic for their perseverance," NASA said in a statement...

'We Are on Our Way to the Moon!'
Historic Moon Mission
Might Be in Peril
UPDATED
Jan 8, 2024 1:20 PM CST

Historic Moon Mission Might Be in Peril

Private company's spacecraft develops fuel leak en route to first landing in more than 50 years

(Newser) - Updated throughout. The first US moon landing in more than 50 years was in jeopardy Monday after a private company's newly launched spacecraft developed a "critical" fuel leak. Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology raced to orient its lander toward the sun so the solar panel could collect sunlight, as battery...

Military Space Plane Blasts Off on Secretive Mission

X-37B could be in space for years

(Newser) - The US military's X-37B space plane blasted off Thursday on another secretive mission that's expected to last at least a couple of years. Like previous missions, the reusable plane resembling a mini space shuttle carried classified experiments. There's no one on board. The space plane took off...

NASA's Surprise Find: This Asteroid's 'Dinky Sidekick'

Lucy spacecraft discovers 'mini moon' during flyby of Dinkinesh space hunk

(Newser) - The little asteroid visited by NASA's Lucy spacecraft this week had a big surprise for scientists. It turns out that the asteroid Dinkinesh has a dinky sidekick—a mini moon. The discovery was made during Wednesday's flyby of Dinkinesh, 300 million miles away in the main asteroid belt...

India Tries Again to Nail Moon Landing

After failed 2019 mission, country launches Chandrayaan-3 with a rover and lander

(Newser) - An Indian spacecraft blazed its way to the far side of the moon Friday in a follow-up mission to its failed effort nearly four years ago to land a rover softly on the lunar surface, the country's space agency said. Chandrayaan-3, the word for "moon craft" in Sanskrit,...

Florida Moves to Shield Space Companies From Lawsuits

Passengers, crew members will be required to sign waiver before liftoff

(Newser) - The spaceflight industry is big business in Florida—and lawmakers have moved to protect space companies from getting sued if things go wrong. A bill passed by Florida lawmakers shields companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin from civil lawsuits if spacecraft passengers or crew members...

'White Rabbit' Moon Landing Will Be a Big First

Hakuto lander from Japan firm ispace will be first spacecraft from private company to land on moon

(Newser) - A Japanese company is about to attempt what no other private business has done: land on the moon. Tokyo's ispace company put its own spacecraft into orbit around the moon a month ago. On Tuesday, flight controllers will direct the craft, named Hakuto (Japanese for "white rabbit")...

NASA's Orion Capsule Makes Crazy-Fast Return From Moon

Capsule hit atmosphere at 32 times the speed of sound

(Newser) - NASA's Orion capsule made a blisteringly fast return from the moon Sunday, parachuting into the Pacific off Mexico to conclude a 25-day test flight around the moon that should clear the way for astronauts on the next lunar flyby. The incoming capsule hit the atmosphere at Mach 32, or...

NASA's Orion Capsule Breaks Record Set in 1970

Spacecraft designed to carry humans has now gone further than Apollo 13

(Newser) - Moonikin Campos, the mannequin in the commander's seat of NASA's Orion capsule, has now traveled further into space than any human. The uncrewed capsule broke a record around 8:40am EST Saturday when it reached 248,655 miles from Earth, the distance reached by the Apollo 13 command...

NASA: We've Lost Contact With Microwave-Sized Spacecraft
NASA Is Back in Contact
With Its Satellite
UPDATED
Jul 7, 2022 8:45 AM CDT

NASA Is Back in Contact With Its Satellite

Space agency had temporarily lost communications with CAPSTONE exploring lunar orbit

(Newser) - Update: We have contact with CAPSTONE once again. Just hours after NASA announced Wednesday that communications had been lost with the 55-pound, $32.7 million satellite it sent into space to test-drive a new lunar orbit, the space agency reported that it has restored contact, per the AP . NASA had...

No, That's Not a Microwave NASA Launched Into Space

Tiny CAPSTONE spacecraft will test-drive a new lunar orbit to be used by astronaut way station

(Newser) - In between the gravities of the Earth and the moon lies a halo-shaped orbit that will be used by NASA's soon-to-come Gateway, a lunar rest stop of sorts for astronauts when they head back to the moon as part of the agency's Artemis missions . The agency has now...

Crew Returning in SpaceX Capsule Must Wear Pee Pads

Toilet issue can't be fixed in Crew Dragon Endeavour capsule docked at the ISS

(Newser) - Update: When four astronauts head home from the International Space Station this month, they'll have to relieve themselves on their person. CNN reports the crew reached the ISS in April, and the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour capsule that has since been waiting to take them home is experiencing the...

NASA's Lucy Is Now in the Sky, With Diamonds

Spacecraft is on 12-year mission to explore Jupiter's Trojan asteroids

(Newser) - A NASA spacecraft named Lucy rocketed into the sky with diamonds Saturday on a 12-year quest to explore eight asteroids. Seven of the mysterious space rocks are among swarms of asteroids sharing Jupiter's orbit, thought to be the pristine leftovers of planetary formation. An Atlas V rocket blasted off...

Japan Describes What It Got From That Asteroid

Chips that look like charcoal

(Newser) - They resemble small fragments of charcoal, but the soil samples collected from an asteroid and returned to Earth by a Japanese spacecraft were hardly disappointing. The samples Japanese space officials described Thursday are as big as 0.4 inches and rock hard, not breaking when picked up or poured into...

SpaceX Starship Prototype Explodes on Landing

'But we got all the data we needed!'

(Newser) - Elon Musk is very pleased with how the latest SpaceX rocket prototype performed during the flight portion of a test flight in Texas Wednesday—but the landing portion shows there is plenty of room for improvement. The uncrewed 16-story SN8 prototype failed to slow down enough during its descent and...

NASA: Asteroid Mission Is 'Victim of Our Own Success'

The Osiris-Rex spacecraft gobbles up too much rubble

(Newser) - A NASA spacecraft is stuffed with so much asteroid rubble from this week’s grab that it's jammed open and precious particles are drifting away in space, scientists said Friday. Scientists announced the news three days after the spacecraft named Osiris-Rex briefly touched asteroid Bennu, NASA's first attempt...

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