WEATHER ALERT
NASA astronauts won't say which one of them got sick after almost 8 months in space
Read full article: NASA astronauts won't say which one of them got sick after almost 8 months in spaceThree NASA astronauts whose prolonged space mission ended with a trip to the hospital last month won't say which one of them got sick.
SpaceX CRS-31 docks at International Space Station following supply run
Read full article: SpaceX CRS-31 docks at International Space Station following supply runSpaceX’s Falcon 9 recently launched its 31st Dragon Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.
Could 2 NASA astronauts be stuck at the space station until next year? A decision is imminent
Read full article: Could 2 NASA astronauts be stuck at the space station until next year? A decision is imminentNASA is on the verge of deciding how and when to bring two astronauts back from the International Space Station, after running into trouble with their new Boeing capsule.
SpaceX to launch Falcon 9 Thursday from Cape Canaveral
Read full article: SpaceX to launch Falcon 9 Thursday from Cape CanaveralIt’s time for liftoff!SpaceX is looking to launch the Falcon 9 for the Dragon’s 30th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-30) mission from Cape Canaveral on Thursday at 4:55 p.m.
Dragon 2 launch maybe delayed due to weather
Read full article: Dragon 2 launch maybe delayed due to weatherLarge area of moisture across the entire State of Florida (and South Georgia) is going to be hanging around and with it, the possibility of lightning. Not a good combination for a rocket launch.
Cheers! French wine, vines headed home after year in space
Read full article: Cheers! French wine, vines headed home after year in spaceThis photo provided by NASA shows SpaceX's Dragon undocking from International Space Station on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule undocked with 12 bottles of Bordeaux wine and hundreds of snippets of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Space Cargo Unlimited, a Luxembourg startup behind the experiments, wanted the wine to age for an entire year up there. Through a series of space experiments, Space Cargo Unlimited hopes to take what’s learned by stressing the plants in weightlessness and turn that into more robust and resilient plants on Earth. SpaceX is the only shipper capable of returning space station experiments and other items intact.
SpaceX capsules parked side-by-side at station for 1st time
Read full article: SpaceX capsules parked side-by-side at station for 1st timeCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A SpaceX supply ship bearing Christmas goodies arrived at the International Space Station on Monday, parking alongside another Dragon capsule that carried up astronauts three weeks ago. The two Dragon parking spots are just 15 feet (4.5 meters) or so apart. SpaceX redesigned its cargo ships to be as big as its spacious crew capsules in order to pack more in. The cargo Dragon will remain at the space station for a month, before parachuting into the Atlantic with science samples and discarded gear. The crew Dragon will stay up until spring.
Double Dragons: SpaceX launches space station supplies
Read full article: Double Dragons: SpaceX launches space station suppliesThe Dragon — packed with Christmas treats and presents — should reach the space station on Monday, joining the Dragon that delivered four astronauts last month. “Dragons everywhere you look,” said Kenny Todd, NASA’s deputy space station program manager. With NASA’s commercial crew program officially under way, SpaceX expects to always have at least one Dragon capsule at the space station. The station crew watched a live broadcast of the launch, from 250 miles (400 kilometers) up. This updated cargo-carrying model — as large as the SpaceX crew capsule — will dock to the orbiting lab by itself.
Astronaut: SpaceX Dragon beats shuttle, Soyuz for launching
Read full article: Astronaut: SpaceX Dragon beats shuttle, Soyuz for launchingSpaceX delivered its second crew of astronauts to the International Space Station late Monday night, just 27 hours after their launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. In their first press conference from orbit, the four astronauts described Sunday night's launch and their first impressions of the space station, their new home until spring. It's the first time the space station has had seven long-term crew members all at once, which is expected to boost scientific output. There's energy up here,” said NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, who arrived on a Russian Soyuz capsule a month ago. NASA turned to SpaceX and Boeing to transport astronauts to the space station from the U.S. following the 2011 retirement of the shuttle fleet, reducing America's costly reliance on Russian rockets.
Baby Yoda catches ride on SpaceX Crew Dragon into orbit with astronauts
Read full article: Baby Yoda catches ride on SpaceX Crew Dragon into orbit with astronautsKENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – Following the tradition of bringing a “gravity indicator” on their spaceflight, astronauts in the Dragon Capsule selected “Baby Yoda” for their journey to the ISS. The crew kept “The Child” a secret until they reached zero-gravity. NASA and SpaceX also did not reveal the identity of the fifth passenger until all astronauts were ready. The character, as fans know, is part of the Disney Spin-Off Star Wars series “The Mandalorian.”Click here to read more.
Weather looking up for historic SpaceX launch of NASA astronauts
Read full article: Weather looking up for historic SpaceX launch of NASA astronautsCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – With the weather looking up, SpaceX and NASA officials vowed Tuesday to keep crew safety the top priority for the nation's first astronaut launch to orbit in nearly a decade. Veteran NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken were set to make history Wednesday afternoon, riding SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule to the International Space Station on a test flight. SpaceX has been launching cargo capsules to the space station since 2012. NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to transport astronauts to the space station, after commercial cargo shipments had taken off. Development of SpaceX’s Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner capsules took longer than expected, however, and the U.S. has been paying Russia to launch NASA astronauts in the interim.
SpaceX launches station supplies, nails 50th rocket landing
Read full article: SpaceX launches station supplies, nails 50th rocket landingCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX successfully launched another load of station supplies for NASA late Friday night and nailed its 50th rocket landing. The Falcon rocket blasted off with 4,300 pounds of equipment and experiments for the International Space Station. “What an amazing live view all the way to touchdown.”The Dragon capsule, meanwhile, hurtled toward a Monday rendezvous with the space station. The landing was the 50th successful touchdown of a SpaceX booster following liftoff, either on land or at sea. The usual stringent precautions were taken to avoid passing along any germs or diseases to the space station crew.