Space News - OrlandoSentinel.com

Astronauts float inside SpaceX Dragon capsule

Irene Klotz — Sat, 26 May 2012 16:28:03 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Astronauts aboard the International Space Station opened the hatch and floated inside a Space Exploration Technologies' Dragon capsule on Saturday, the first privately owned spaceship to reach the orbital outpost, NASA said.

SpaceX carried 'cremains' of 320 people into space

By Scott Powers , Staff Writer — Sat, 26 May 2012 00:14:00 GMT

The SpaceX rocket that launched a spacecraft to the International Space Station also carried the cremated remains of 320 people, including former Mercury astronaut L. Gordon "Gordy" Cooper and James Doohan, immortalized in TV's "Star Trek" by Captain Kirk's command to "Beam me up, Scotty."

Dragon docks at space station and makes history

By Scott Powers , Orlando Sentinel — Fri, 25 May 2012 22:08:00 GMT

SpaceX, the upstart California rocket maker, launched a new era in spaceflight Friday when its Dragon capsule was docked at the International Space Station, concluding a cargo delivery trip previously made only by NASA space shuttles and other governments' spacecraft.

Dragon cleared to dock with space station

By Scott Powers , Orlando Sentinel — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:35:25 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL -- After its Dragon capsule passed maneuvering tests early Thursday morning, SpaceX has tentative permission from NASA to dock its spacecraft with the International Space Station Friday morning, marking the world's first private cargo delivery in space.

Dragon gets 'go' to dock with space station

By Scott Powers , Orlando Sentinel — Fri, 25 May 2012 00:43:00 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL -- After its Dragon capsule passed maneuvering tests early Thursday morning, SpaceX has tentative permission from NASA to dock its spacecraft with the International Space Station on Friday morning, marking the world's first private cargo delivery in space.

SpaceX rocket blasts Dragon into space in historic launch

By Scott Powers , Orlando Sentinel — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:01:00 GMT

Historic launch of commercial space vehicle

CAPE CANAVERAL – The SpaceX Dragon capsule is on its way to a rendezvous with the International Space Station and possibly heralding a new era of space transportation.

SpaceX launch aborted

By Scott Powers , Orlando Sentinel — Sat, 19 May 2012 23:03:41 GMT

SpaceX hopes to try historic launch again Tuesday

CAPE CANAVERAL — SpaceX's attempt to launch its Falcon 9 rocket carrying a capsule to the International Space Station has failed and another shot could be tried Tuesday morning.

SpaceX ready to launch to space station

By Scott Powers , Orlando Sentinel — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:53:38 GMT

An eccentric billionaire intends to blast his rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to the International Space Station early Saturday morning — and launch a new era in which private rocket companies take over a role filled by NASA and its space shuttles for decades.

Super moon to shine bright on Saturday night

Fri, 04 May 2012 20:42:00 GMT

For stargazers, werewolves and lovers, it’s going to be a great night.

New amateur video of Challenger explosion released

By Scott Powers , Orlando Sentinel — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:39:00 GMT

Twenty-six years later, images of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster still stop breath -- and remind everyone of the dangers of human space flight.

Tech billionaires bankroll gold rush to mine asteroids

Irene Klotz — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:33:05 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Google Inc executives Larry Page and Eric Schmidt are among those bankrolling a venture to survey and eventually extract precious metals and rare minerals from asteroids that orbit near Earth, the company said on Tuesday.

Close encounter: New Yorkers watch with excitement as shuttle passes low over the skyline

DEEPTI HAJELA — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:48:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — In a city understandably wary of low-flying aircraft, New Yorkers and tourists alike watched with joy and excitement Friday as space shuttle Enterprise sailed over the skyline on its final flight before it becomes a museum piece.

Smithsonian welcomes space shuttle Discovery into its collection at Virginiamuseum hangar

BRETT ZONGKER — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:05:00 GMT

CHANTILLY, Va. (AP) — NASA turned over space shuttle Discovery on Thursday to the Smithsonian Institution, the first in its orbiter fleet to be transferred to a U.S. museum.

Space shuttle Discovery arrives in D.C. after historic final flight

Irene Klotz — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:43:00 GMT

The space shuttle Discovery soared over the Washington Monument, the White House and the Capitol in a high-flying salute to the nation's capital Tuesday.

Doubts linger about space station's science potential

By Mark K. Matthews, Washington Bureau — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:33:00 GMT

WASHINGTON — After more than 12 years and at least $100 billion in construction costs, NASA leaders say the International Space Station finally is ready to bloom into the robust orbiting laboratory that agency leaders envisioned more than two decades ago.

Kennedy Space Center: Say farewell to space shuttle Discovery

Dewayne Bevil — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:09:00 GMT

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will present four days of farewell festivities to the Space Shuttle Discovery, the orbiter that's heading for its next destination at the Smithsonian, beginning Saturday, April 14.

NASA races to find tenants for vacant shuttle facilities

By Mark K. Matthews, Washington Bureau — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:13:00 GMT

WASHINGTON — The clock once again is ticking at Kennedy Space Center, but this time the countdown won't end with a space shuttle blasting into orbit.

Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos invests in space travel

By Amy Martinez — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

SEATTLE — Amazon.com founder and Chief Executive Jeff Bezos is putting a chunk of his fortune — estimated at $18 billion — toward more out-of-the-box ventures.

'60 Minutes' spotlights the unemployed on Space Coast

By Hal Boedeker — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 20:15:00 GMT

Show examines economic fallout after final shuttle mission, which put 7,000 Kennedy Space Center employees out of work

CBS' "60 Minutes" keeps returning to Central Florida. After two memorable reports last year on homeless families here, the newsmagazine Sunday is scheduled to focus on the unemployed in Brevard County.

In new film, retired rocket scientist warns about dangers of Mars mission

By David Breen , Orlando Sentinel — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:25:00 GMT

'Wally's Mission on Mars' made by UCF film professor

Wally Nelson is an 88-year-old retired rocket scientist. He's also a World War II veteran and a former prisoner of war. Soon, he can add a new entry to his eclectic biography: documentary-film star.

Amazon CEO vows to recover Apollo 11 engines from seafloor

Brian Walker — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:29:00 GMT

Each Saturn V engine weighs nearly 9 tons, and they came in a cluster of five

Just days after "Titanic"director James Cameron traveled to the bottom of the sea, another wealthy adventurer has announced a spectacular deep ocean discovery.

Passing space junk prompts ISS crew into escape ships

Irene Klotz — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:10:00 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A passing piece of potentially dangerous space debris forced astronauts at the International Space Station to temporarily seek refuge in escape ships early on Saturday, U.S. officials said.

Report: International Space Station nearly struck by space junk

From the web — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:22:00 GMT

Space junk nearly struck the International Space Station this week, sending astronauts into emergency spacecraft that would have taken them back to Earth in the event of a collision, the New York Times is reporting.

SpaceX launch: 1st commercial cargo run to space station April 30

By Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:53:00 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — The International Space Station should be getting its first commercial cargo shipment in early May.

Legislation would legitimize astronaut 'mementos'

By Mark K. Matthews, Orlando Sentinel Washington Bureau — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:44:22 GMT

WASHINGTON — Looking to settle a bitter fight over NASA artifacts, a bipartisan group of 19 lawmakers has introduced legislation that would make clear that the agency's earliest astronauts have full rights to equipment they were given as souvenirs.