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Mission Reports




For ten years, Spaceflight Now has been providing unrivaled coverage of U.S. space launches. Comprehensive reports and voluminous amounts of video are available in our archives.
Space Shuttle
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Endeavour heads for midnight arrival at station

The two-day chase to catch the International Space Station for shuttle Endeavour will culminate with docking at approximately 12:06 a.m. EST tonight. You can follow the rendezvous and linkup with play-by-play updates and live video in our status center:

   MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates and streaming video!
   PREVIEW STORY

   LIVE VIDEO FOR iPHONES
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. C (.pdf download)
   STS-130 FLIGHT PLAN
   STORE: STS-130 PATCH (free U.S. shipping)
   VIDEO: STS-130 FOOTAGE ARCHIVE
   VIDEO: HIGH DEFINITION COVERAGE
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Sun-watching craft to launch Wednesday morning
An Atlas 5 rocket was rolled to its Cape Canaveral pad this morning for Wednesday's launch of the Solar Dynamics Observatory, a NASA spacecraft that will stare directly at the Sun continuously for the next decade to observe the star's behavior and how it influences life on Earth.
   MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates and video!
   PHOTOS: ROCKET ROLLS TO LAUNCH PAD
   LAUNCH WINDOWS CHART
   ASCENT EVENTS TIMELINE
   GROUND TRACK MAP
   VIDEO: SDO FOOTAGE ARCHIVE
   VIDEO: HIGH DEFINITION COVERAGE
   OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
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Astronauts give Endeavour full post-launch inspection
The Endeavour astronauts worked through a busy first day in space early Tuesday, performing a lengthy inspection of the shuttle's heat shield amid work to prepare for rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station late Tuesday.
   FULL STORY
   PREVIEW STORY
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VIDEO: INSPECTION BOOM READIED FOR USE PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF FLIGHT DAY 2 ACTIVITIES PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED TOUR OF ENDEAVOUR'S PAYLOAD BAY PLAY
VIDEO: PAYLOAD BAY DOORS OPENED FOLLOWING LAUNCH PLAY
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Shuttle launches to bring Tranquility to space station
Riding a thunderous pillar of fire and light into the predawn sky Tuesday, shuttle Endeavour began its two-week space station construction mission that will install the Tranquility hub and observation cupola on the international outpost.
   FULL STORY
   PHOTOS: LAUNCH PAD CAMERAS
   PHOTOS: ENDEAVOUR'S DAZZLING LAUNCH
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. B (.pdf download)
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   ASCENT EVENTS TIMELINE
   COUNTDOWN TIMELINE
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VIDEO: JETTISONED EXTERNAL FUEL TANK TUMBLES AWAY PLAY

VIDEO: CREW FINISHES GETTING SUITED UP PLAY
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VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PAD FRONT CAMERA PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: BANANA CREEK SITE PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: NARRATED REVIEW OF SHUTTLE'S PREPARATIONS PLAY | HI-DEF
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Bolden: Florida should be home of private spaceflight
Speaking to reporters at Kennedy Space Center this weekend, NASA chief Charles Bolden said he will try to lure potential operators of commercial space taxis to use processing and launch facilities at Cape Canaveral.
   FULL STORY
Cloudy weather postpones Endeavour launch 24 hours
Low clouds hanging over the Kennedy Space Center prevented the space shuttle Endeavour from launching today on its mission to the International Space Station. Another try will come Monday at 4:14 a.m. EST (0914 GMT).
   SCRUB STORY
   PHOTOS: GANTRY ROLLBACK
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. 0 (.pdf download)
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VIDEO: CREW GETS SUITED UP FOR LAUNCH ATTEMPT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: PAD SERVICE GANTRY RETRACTED PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE OF MOBILE TOWER ROLLBACK PLAY
MORE: STS-130 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Shuttle mission to build another room on the station
Reeling from a morale-sapping change of course, engineers are readying Endeavour for launch Sunday on NASA's final five shuttle missions, a three-spacewalk flight to attach a 15-ton crew module to the International Space Station.
   DETAILED MISSION PREVIEW STORY
Bolden meets the press on eve of Endeavour's launch
NASA is not abandoning efforts to develop a new heavy lift booster in the wake of the Obama administration's decision to cancel NASA's moon program, agency Administrator Charles Bolden said Saturday. But he added that any such rocket, even one using subsystems planned for the canceled Ares 5, is unlikely to fly before the 2020s at best, implying U.S. manned missions beyond low-Earth orbit are one to two decades away.
   FULL STORY
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Come see a space shuttle launch before time runs out
Endeavour's predawn blastoff Sunday begins the final countdown to retirement of the storied spaceships this year, leaving only a few opportunities left to see a shuttle launch in person.
   FULL STORY
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VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR'S PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH COMMANDER GEORGE ZAMKA PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH PILOT TERRY VIRTS PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH MISSION SPECIALIST 1 KAY HIRE PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH MISSION SPECIALIST 2 STEVE ROBINSON PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH MISSION SPECIALIST 3 NICK PATRICK PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH MISSION SPECIALIST 4 BOB BEHNKEN PLAY
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Atlas 5 rocket to launch Sun-watching craft Tuesday
Assuming the space shuttle Endeavour launches from the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday as scheduled, an Atlas 5 rocket will get its shot to fly from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday morning carrying the Solar Dynamics Observatory.
   MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
   LAUNCH WINDOWS CHART
   ASCENT EVENTS TIMELINE
   GROUND TRACK MAP
   VIDEO: SDO FOOTAGE ARCHIVE
   VIDEO: HIGH DEFINITION COVERAGE
   OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
Latest NASA crossroads is familiar territory for space
President Barack Obama's cancellation of NASA's plan to renew manned lunar missions, the completion of major assembly milestones on the International Space Station and the imminent termination of the shuttle flights form a nexus from which to view a previous space juncture that also had profound implications for the U.S. space program.
   FULL STORY
Space station receives latest Russian resupply ship
A Russian cargo freighter flying on autopilot performed a successful rendezvous and docking with the space station Thursday night, delivering two-and-a-half tons of supplies and equipment for the international outpost and its resident crew.
   FULL STORY
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This Week In Space



Feb. 3: Miles O'Brien hosts a special edition of "This Week In Space" with a detailed look at President Obama's sweeping changes for the U.S. human spaceflight program. You also can subscribe for free to watch episodes from iTunes.

News Headlines

Crew got inspiration from space shuttle moments
From seeing the space shuttle ride piggyback atop a 747 jet as a little boy to witnessing a launch for the first time, the Endeavour astronauts cherish special memories of the past as they get ready to soar Sunday morning.
   FULL STORY
Cassini gets another extended mission until 2017
The robotic Cassini explorer circling Saturn was granted a mission extension until 2017 on Wednesday, as NASA engineers and scientists plot a daring end to the $3 billion mission that will take the spacecraft inside of the planet's famous rings.
   FULL STORY
Clocks now ticking for Sunday's shuttle launch
The three-day countdown sequence began as scheduled overnight for Sunday's launch of the shuttle Endeavour on a construction mission to attach the Tranquility module and cupola to the International Space Station.
   FULL STORY
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Earth science, deep space probes get budget boost
NASA's new proposed budget includes $5 billion for science, bolstering the agency's fleet of Earth science missions and restarting production of plutonium to power robotic probes to the outer solar system.
   FULL STORY
Kennedy Space Center hit hard by new NASA vision
The director of the Kennedy Space Center said Tuesday the spaceport's two launch pads, mammoth Vehicle Assembly Building and other one-of-a-kind facilities will be upgraded and made available to private space companies after the space shuttle's retirement.
   FULL STORY
Endeavour crew sees place in history for the shuttles
With just five space shuttle missions left to fly, the astronauts who will launch aboard Endeavour this weekend are sharing their thoughts on the venerable spaceplanes that'll soon be history.
   FULL STORY
Shuttle astronauts arrive
at the Cape for launch

Ready to begin counting down to their blastoff aboard the space shuttle Endeavour this weekend, the six astronauts traveled from the Houston training base to the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday night.
   FULL STORY
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Latest freighter heads for International Space Station
Before space shuttle Endeavour reaches the International Space Station, the outpost will receive an unmanned cargo-delivery freighter that successfully launched atop a Russian Soyuz rocket Tuesday night.
   FULL STORY
NASA, White House still working on new space plan
NASA and senior White House officials are still tweaking the new U.S. space policy unveiled Monday, and it could be months before the agency can announce a definitive plan for procuring commercial rockets and space capsules for human voyages to low Earth orbit.
   FULL STORY
Obama kills moon program, endorses commercial space
On the seventh anniversary of the 2003 Columbia disaster, the Obama administration unveiled a sweeping change of course for the nation's civilian space program Monday, killing NASA's post-Columbia moon program and shifting development and operation of new rockets and capsules from the government to private industry.
   FULL STORY
   EARLIER STORY
   NASA ADMINISTRATOR STATEMENT (.pdf download)
NASA assigns stimulus funds to space ventures
NASA awarded $50 million in stimulus money to five companies Monday, a small sum of seed money but a critical first step in the agency's new capacity as a supporter of commercial human spaceflight.
   FULL STORY
Budget slashes NPOESS weather satellite program
The White House is proposing major changes of the U.S. government's troubled next-generation weather satellites, cutting the NPOESS program in half and directing NOAA and the Air Force to continue developing their own weather observatories.
   FULL STORY
This Week In Space



"This Week In Space" for Jan. 29: Obama rocks the space community with new marching orders for NASA that don't include a return to the moon, Lockheed Martin's John Karas dissects why building rockets and spacecraft is such a hard business and Mars rover leader Steve Squyres talks about the future of Spirit. You also can subscribe for free to watch episodes from iTunes.


Other Stories

A pivotal year for expected space station life extension
The future of the International Space Station will have to be decided this year to order new parts and supply ships in time to support an extension of the orbiting lab project through 2020, according to senior space officials.
   FULL STORY
First Falcon 9 rocket now coming together at the Cape
All the pieces of the first Falcon 9 rocket due to launch between March and May have been trucked into Cape Canaveral, leaving just a handful of final tasks and closeouts before the booster is lifted atop the pad for tanking and engine tests.
   FULL STORY
   PHOTOS: FALCON 9 INSIDE HANGAR
Obama's NASA facelift faces tough fight in Congress
Although specifics of President Obama's NASA budget won't be released until Monday, a bipartisan group of legislators representing key space centers vows to fight to preserve the agency's besieged moon program.
   FULL STORY
NASA tops off new Ares launch tower at the Cape
Workers added the final piece of a 390-foot-tall Ares 1 mobile launch tower at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, topping off a new member of the Cape Canaveral skyline as questions swirl on whether the eye-catching structure will ever be used.
   FULL STORY
Safety paramount as NASA enters period of upheaval
NASA managers have a challenging balancing act ahead of them this year as they oversee the last five missions of the space shuttle program and prepare the agency for a future that is increasingly cloudy and uncertain.
   FULL STORY
NASA officials caucus for Endeavour's flight review
NASA managers Wednesday cleared the shuttle Endeavour for a predawn Superbowl Sunday launch Feb. 7, the first of a final five space station assembly flights before the shuttle fleet is retired later this year.
   FULL STORY
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Proton blasts off with Russian military payload
A Proton rocket launched overnight Thursday with a Russian defense ministry satellite to relay communications between troops and military commanders.
   FULL STORY
This Week In Space



Jan. 24: a decision nears from President Obama on the future of the manned space program, Elon Musk of SpaceX vehemently denies his rockets will be unsafe for astronauts, the clock ticks down to the launch of the shuttle Endeavour, the rover Spirit moves (but just a little), and Miles checks out the lunar-inspired artwork of moonwalker Alan Bean. You also can subscribe for free to watch episodes from iTunes.


Other Stories

Spirit to sleep through winter, then start new work
The Mars rover Spirit's transition from operational rover to a hibernating robot will be the most dangerous period either rover has been forced to endure on the Red Planet, but it may yield a new awakening as a stationary scientific lander later this year.
   FULL STORY
New GSLV rocket engine forces Indian launch delays
Trouble with a new cryogenic engine is delaying India's plans to debut an updated all-Indian version of its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, the most powerful rocket in the country's inventory.
   FULL STORY
Sun-watching satellite put atop rocket for launch
The spacecraft NASA is calling the "crown jewel" mission for probing solar physics was delivered to a Cape Canaveral rocket assembly building and mounted aboard its launcher Tuesday morning.
   MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
   LAUNCH WINDOWS CHART
   ASCENT EVENTS TIMELINE
   GROUND TRACK MAP
   VIDEO: SDO FOOTAGE ARCHIVE
   VIDEO: HIGH DEFINITION COVERAGE
   OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
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VIDEO: SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY JOINS ROCKET PLAY | HI-DEF
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T-minus 1 week until long-awaited NASA budget
Next week's release of a new federal government budget request is expected to include new direction for NASA, taking steps toward "innovative new opportunities, industries and jobs," the White House said Monday.
   FULL STORY
Station crew clears spot for new module launching soon
While launch pad technicians were buttoning up Endeavour's payload bay on Saturday, the crew aboard the International Space Station completed a critical robotics job to vacate the port where a new module will be attached during the space shuttle mission.
   FULL STORY
Looming Martian winter threatens Spirit rover
NASA Headquarters managers face an imminent decision to formally halt further extraction maneuvers by the Mars rover Spirit to conserve electricity and to save the rover's life while it remains stuck in a sand trap 61 million miles from Earth.
   FULL STORY
More funding needed for asteroid detection mandate
NASA is not doing enough to complete a mandated search for Earth-threatening asteroids and comets because the space agency is not receiving enough money for the problem, according to a National Research Council report.
   FULL STORY
Oceans of diamond possible on Uranus and Neptune
High pressure experiments that mimic conditions on the icy gas giants show that chunks of diamond can float on a sea of liquid carbon.
   FULL STORY
European data relay system to be decided in 2010
The European Space Agency expects to finalize a proposed data relay satellite system and secure enough funding to build the network this year, senior space officials said.
   FULL STORY
Observatory to monitor Sun's behavior nears launch
At a satellite-readying hangar outside the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, NASA's sophisticated new Sun-studying probe was enclosed within the giant metal fairing that will shroud the craft during ascent to space atop an Atlas 5 booster next month.
   FULL STORY
   OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
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VIDEO: ATLAS ROCKET'S FIRST STAGE ERECTED PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: APPENDAGES EXTENDED IN AUTO TEST PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: MANUAL TEST OF TWIN SOLAR ARRAYS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: COMMUNICATIONS DISH GIMBAL TEST PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: MANUAL TEST OF ANTENNA BOOM PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: SPACECRAFT ARRIVES IN FLORIDA PLAY | HI-DEF
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No sign of Phoenix during three days of listening
NASA says they heard no signals from the Phoenix lander this week during 30 communications passes over the probe's icy landing site, an expected outcome because the craft was never designed to survive the dark and cold Martian winter.
   FULL STORY
   EARLIER STORY
Endeavour crew boards the spacecraft for rehearsal
Dressed in their bright orange spacesuits and following the scripted launch morning routine, the six astronauts who will blast off aboard Endeavour next month went to the launch pad and climbed inside the shuttle Thursday for a realistic dry run.
   FULL STORY
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VIDEO: PAD BUNKER TRAINING FOR THE CREW PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: CREW BRIEFED ON EMERGENCY PROCEDURES PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TEST-DRIVING AN EMERGENCY ARMORED TANK PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: NIGHTTIME APPROACHES IN TRAINING AIRCRAFT PLAY | HI-DEF
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Orbital updates its Taurus 2 rocket development
Orbital Sciences is still hoping for a March 2011 debut of the company's medium-lift Taurus 2 rocket, but challenges with facility construction and delays in ground testing could push the first launch later into next year, a senior manager said.
   FULL STORY
Crew shifts Soyuz capsule to new station docking port
Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev and space station commander Jeff Williams climbed into their Soyuz lifeboat Thursday and moved the vehicle to a brand new docking port on the top side of the complex.
   FULL STORY
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Cooling line fix on track for Endeavour's launch
Work to modify hoses needed to route ammonia coolant to and from a new space station module is running on or ahead of schedule and the new lines should be delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in time for an on-schedule launch Feb. 7, officials said Wednesday.
   FULL STORY
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VIDEO: SPACEWALKER UPDATES COOLING HOSE ISSUE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ROBINSON'S THOUGHTS ON SHUTTLE RETIREMENT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS CHAT WITH REPORTERS AT PAD 39A PLAY

VIDEO: TRANQUILITY DELIVERED TO PAD 39A PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: PAYLOAD TRANSPORTER GOES UPRIGHT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: PACKING UP THE PAYLOAD FOR LAUNCH PLAY | HI-DEF
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Musk refutes report slamming safety standards
A commercial space pioneer and a former astronaut are answering claims by an independent advisory panel that private companies do not meet NASA human-rating standards and last year's presidential review of the space program did not adequately consider safety.
   FULL STORY
ULA to serve military, science in 2010
United Launch Alliance plans 10 launches this year with Atlas and Delta rockets to dispatch payloads to space for science, Earth observation, navigation, communications and military reconnaissance missions.
   FULL STORY
Next shuttle crew flies to Cape for countdown test
Commander George Zamka and his crew of space station builders reached Kennedy Space Center at sundown Monday for this week's emergency training exercises and a countdown dress rehearsal.
   FULL STORY
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This Week In Space



Miles O'Brien and "This Week in Space" are back for their first show of 2010. In this episode: the space nation awaits direction from President Obama, Endeavour gets ready to deliver a room with a view, how an abandoned McDonald's is being used to restore closeups of the Moon, a space telescope finds new planets, plus an interview with Hubble-Hugger-In-Chief John Grunsfeld. You also can subscribe for free to watch episodes from iTunes.


Other Stories

Endeavour's payload shipped out to launch pad
The Tranquility module that'll be a new room with a view for the International Space Station was trucked to space shuttle Endeavour's launch pad Monday morning, destined for blastoff next month.
   FULL STORY
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VIDEO: SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR'S FRIGID ROLLOUT TO PAD PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR HOISTED FOR ATTACHMENT TO TANK PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: CRANE ROTATES THE ORBITER VERTICALLY PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR MOVES TO ASSEMBLY BUILDING PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE SHOWS ENDEAVOUR ASCENDING IN VAB PLAY
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE SHOWS THE MOVE TO ASSEMBLY BUILDING PLAY

VIDEO: ORBITER READY TO LEAVE HANGAR PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: EXTERNAL TANK ATTACHED TO BOOSTERS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR'S MAIN ENGINE INSTALLATION PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS VISIT THEIR SPACECRAFT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: CREW INSPECTS MISSION PAYLOADS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: FUEL TANK UNLOADED FROM THE BARGE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: EXTERNAL TANK ARRIVES AT SPACEPORT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: FORWARD THRUSTER POD CHECKED OUT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR TOWED OFF RUNWAY FROM STS-127 PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: TRANQUILITY HATCH SEALED FOR LAUNCH PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: CUPOLA ATTACHED TO TRANQUILITY PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: THE SPACE STATION'S NEW CUPOLA PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TRANQUILITY UNPACKED IN FLORIDA PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: NEW MODULE ARRIVES FROM EUROPE PLAY | HI-DEF
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Launch pad development could delay Vega until 2011
The debut launch of Europe's new Vega small satellite launcher could slip until 2011, mainly due to potential delays in the development of ground systems at the rocket's launch site in South America.
   FULL STORY
Safety panel says canceling Ares 1 rocket is a bad idea
Add another voice to the sea of experts weighing in on the upcoming White House decision on NASA's future. A panel of independent safety specialists says abandoning NASA's besieged Ares 1 rocket is "unwise" because potential commercial space transportation providers are currently unable to meet stringent safety standards.
   FULL STORY
Chinese rocket launches with navigation satellite
A Chinese Long March rocket hauled a new navigation satellite to a high-altitude perch over Earth on Saturday, marking the first space launch of the year for the world's space programs.
   FULL STORY

Read our archive for past news.



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Ares 1-X Patch
The official embroidered patch for the Ares 1-X rocket test flight, is available for purchase.
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STS-129 Patch
The official embroidered patch for shuttle Atlantis' flight to deliver critical spare equipment to the space station.
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STS-127 Crew Patch
The official embroidered patch for shuttle Endeavour's flight to finish building Japanese section of the space station.
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Expedition 21
The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 21 crew is now available from our stores.
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Hubble Patch
The official embroidered patch for mission STS-125, the space shuttle's last planned service call to the Hubble Space Telescope, is available for purchase.
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Expedition 20
The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 20 crew is now available from our stores.
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Fallen Heroes Patch Collection
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The official embroidered patch and lapel pin for the International Space Station Expedition 18 crew is now available to from our stores.
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