National Aeronautics and Space Administration news and stories

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Skydiver to break sound barrier in free fall
His blood could boil. His lungs could overinflate. The vessels in his brain could burst. His eyes could hemorrhage. And, yes, he could break his neck ...
Space station may move to avoid passing junk
The International Space Station may have to move to avoid some space junk. NASA said debris from an old Russian satellite and a fragment from an ...
Astronauts may play role in Mars robotic missions
NASA's future plans to explore Mars may end up using astronauts as space messengers. The new idea surfaced as a special team looking for a new Mars ...
New NASA photo satellite to join 40-year mission
A fleet of picture-snapping NASA satellites that for 40 years has documented forest fires, tsunamis and everyday changes in the Earth's geography will ...
Endeavour salutes Giffords en route to California
Space shuttle Endeavour returned to its California roots Thursday after a wistful cross-country journey that paid homage to NASA workers and former ...
Space shuttle Endeavour has Houston stopover
Waving American flags and space shuttle toys, hundreds of people lined the streets and crowded the airport Wednesday as they watched space shuttle ...
US, Russian space trio lands in Kazakhstan
An international three-man crew onboard a Russian-made Soyuz capsule touched down successfully on the cloudless central Kazakhstan steppe Monday ...
Correction: Space Shuttle-Last Stop story
In a story Sept. 13 about the space shuttle Endeavour's trip to California, The Associated Press reported erroneously the type of shuttle equipment ...
Nation says goodbye to moonwalker Neil Armstrong
The nation bid farewell Thursday to Neil Armstrong, the first man to take a giant leap onto the moon. The pioneers of space, the powerful of the ...
NASA Dawn spacecraft traveling to dwarf planet
Next and final stop: The biggest object in the asteroid belt. After spending a year gazing at a giant asteroid, NASA's Dawn spacecraft on Wednesday ...
Spacewalking team conquers bolt, installs box
Spacewalking astronauts triumphed over a stubborn bolt and installed a critical power-switching box at the International Space Station on Wednesday, ...
35 years later, Voyager 1 is heading beyond the stars
Thirty-five years after leaving Earth, Voyager 1 is reaching for the stars. Sooner or later, the workhorse spacecraft will bid adieu to the solar ...
Spacewalking astronauts stymied by sticky bolts
Sticky bolts proved too much for spacewalking astronauts Thursday, forcing them to leave a new power-switching box dangling from the International ...
NASA launches twin satellites to radiation belts
Twin satellites rocketed into orbit Thursday on a quest to explore Earth's treacherous radiation belts and protect the planet from solar outbursts.
Can Curiosity Mars mission inspire like Apollo?
Neil Armstrong inspired millions with his moonwalk. Can a feisty robotic rover exploring Mars do the same for another generation? With manned missions ...
NASA's pioneering astronauts: Where are they now?
As space exploration has become more common and the number of astronauts has risen past 300, many names have faded into the background. But some will ...
To hero-astronaut Armstrong, moonwalk 'just' a job
Neil Armstrong made "one giant leap for mankind" with a small step onto the moon. He commanded the historic landing of the Apollo 11 spacecraft on the ...
Armstrong called humble hero who served country
When Neil Armstrong walked on the moon all those years ago, he made his country believe that anything was possible with ingenuity and dedication — and ...
Tropical storm stalls NASA launch until Thursday
NASA's effort to launch a pair of satellites to Earth's radiation belts has been delayed until late next week because of Tropical Storm Isaac.
NASA picks another Mars flight to explore its core
After driving all around Mars with four rovers, NASA wants to look deep into the guts of the red planet. The space agency decided Monday to launch a ...
NASA: Mars rover snapped pic of rocket stage crash
Space enthusiasts have been abuzz for days over whether the Mars rover Curiosity captured an extraterrestrial crash. On Friday, NASA declared the ...
Former astronaut Armstrong has heart surgery
Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was recovering from heart surgery, days after his 82nd birthday. A NASA spokesman talked to ...
NASA's 'green' planetary test lander crashes
Earlier this week NASA safely landed a robotic rover on Mars about 150 million miles away. But on Thursday here on Earth, a test model planetary ...
Russian rocket fails to reach target orbit
Russia's space pride suffered another blow Tuesday when a booster rocket failed to place two communications satellites into target orbits, a mishap ...