Two International Space Station crew members Monday successfully wrapped up a 7-hour, 41-minute spacewalk that saw the removal and jettison of a refrigerator-size ammonia reservoir.
Washington, DC (SPX) Jul 24, 2007 - An ongoing labor strike, the approaching retirement of the Shuttle program and the challenges of operating and utilizing the International Space Station (ISS) after the Shuttle is retired were among the major issues considered today by the House Science and Technology Committee's Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics.
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 22, 2007 - Military and aerospace powerhouse Northrop Grumman is reported to be on the verge of buying the jewel of the new space crown - SpaceShipOne builder Scaled Composites. With an already well established beachhead of 40 percent it was only a matter of time before the company was fully acquired.
Houston TX (SPX) Jul 20, 2007 - Led by Commander Scott Kelly, the STS-118 crew completed a full dress rehearsal for launch on Thursday aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. The simulated countdown at Launch Pad 39A concludes the terminal countdown demonstration test. Held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the test is a standard part of prelaunch training and allows the astronauts to try on their launch and entry suits, learn emergency procedures at the launch pad, and take part in a variety of familiarization activities and briefings.
Houston TX (SPX) Jul 20, 2007 - A new oxygen generation system tested between July 11 and 14 aboard the International Space Station will allow the orbiting laboratory's crew size to increase in 2009. The hardware is part of the station's environmental control and life support system and will be used to augment the Russian Elektron oxygen generator. With the increased capability to produce oxygen, the station can better support six crew members as they work and live aboard the outpost. The station currently supports a three-person crew.
Canoga Park CA (SPX) Jul 20, 2007 - Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) was awarded a NASA contract valued at $1.2 billion to design, development and test a J-2X engine that will power the upper stages of the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles. We are very proud to have been selected by NASA to power the return of U.S. astronauts to the moon and beyond, said Stephen Finger, president, Pratt and Whitney. This contract award is another important milestone in the partnership between Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne and NASA, which spans more than half a century.
Arlington VA (SPX) Jul 20, 2007 - Space Adventures has announced that it has finalized contracts with the Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation (FSA) for two commercial seats aboard upcoming flights of the Soyuz TMA spacecraft. The company became world renowned in 2001 with the launch of California businessman Dennis Tito and since then, has launched four other privately-funded individuals to space. Space Adventures has purchased the fall of 2008 Soyuz TMA-13 and the spring of 2009 Soyuz TMA-14 private spaceflight opportunities. Each experience includes cosmonaut training and over a week in space orbiting the Earth aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Beijing, China (Xinhua) Jul 19, 2007 - China's first taikonaut, or Chinese astronaut, in space Yang Liwei says the country is preparing to select a new intake of well-rounded and well-educated potential spacemen from its air force. China has a 14-strong astronaut team. Yang, one of the team and also deputy director of the China Astronaut Research and Training Center, said the number of new trainees will be no more than 14. The preparation for the selection has begun, and the selection may begin soon, but we have no plans to select woman astronauts yet, said Yang.
Beijing, China (Xinhua) Jul 19, 2007 - More than a year before China's third manned space mission, Chinese astronauts have begun training for their first spacewalk during the Shenzhou VII space flight mission. As it's the first time that our astronauts will leave their capsule in space, the mission requires even higher physical, technical and psychological standards, so training is more intense than ever, said Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut in space, who is also deputy director of the China Astronaut Research and Training Center.
Huntsville AL (SPX) Jul 18, 2007 - As part of the Alliant Techsystems-led team and its risk reduction efforts focused on the Ares I upper stage production proposal, Lockheed Martin has completed fabrication of two common bulkhead demonstration articles. Team Ares led by ATK includes major subcontractors Lockheed Martin, and Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc.
Houston TX (SPX) Jul 18, 2007 - The next visitors to the International Space Station will discuss their upcoming flight during a news conference at 2 p.m. CDT Monday, July 23. The Expedition 16 crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson, the first female to lead a long-duration spaceflight. The news conference from NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, will be broadcast live on NASA Television with questions taken from media at other NASA facilities. Reporters should call their local NASA center to confirm its participation in the event.
Raleigh NC (SPX) Jul 17, 2007 - The telephone, personal computers, the Internet. Each of these technological innovations deeply altered our culture. Civilian space travel, which is less than two years away, has the potential to trigger even broader changes, and a leading group of scientists, experts in space flight, and visionary leaders will meet in Washington D.C. on July 18 at the First Annual Conference on the Overview Effect to discuss the impact this phenomenon will soon have on the way we think, live, work and interact, both here in the United States and globally.
Houston TX (SPX) Jul 17, 2007 - Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Clay Anderson are gearing up for next Monday's spacewalk. The crew has been configuring spacewalk tools and reviewing spacesuit systems. The July 23 spacewalk will be Anderson's first and Yurchikhin's third.
Washington DC (SPX) Jul 17, 2007 - NASA has signed a $1.2 billion contract with Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne Inc., of Canoga Park, Calif., for design, development, testing and evaluation of the J-2X engine that will power the upper stages of the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles. The contract includes ground and test flight engines. It continues work that began on June 2, 2006, under a preliminary letter contract with Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne.
Cape Canaveral FL (ESA) Jul 16, 2007 - More than 500 years ago, the voyages of Christopher Columbus to the New World and the discoveries he made caused quite a stir throughout Europe. Today, excitement is building on both sides of the Atlantic as the long-awaited launch of ESA's Columbus space laboratory grows closer, as NASA starts processing Shuttle Atlantis in preparation for the mission.
Noordwijk, Netherlands (ESA) Jul 16, 2007 - Jules Verne, the first Automated Transfer Vehicle, will this evening leave ESA's research and technology centre, ESTEC, in Noordwijk, the Netherlands - for the start of a long journey to Kourou.
