NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson being honored in bronze
INSTITUTE, W.Va. — Katherine Johnson, the NASA mathematician whose calculations helped astronauts return to Earth, is being honored at her alma mater with a bronze statue and a scholarship in her name.West Virginia State University says a dedication ceremony is planned for Aug. 25, the day before Johnson's 100th birthday.Long before the digital era, Johnson worked as a human "computer" at the agency that became NASA, working in relative obscurity as an African-American woman.
INSTITUTE, W.Va. — Katherine Johnson, the NASA mathematician whose calculations helped astronauts return to Earth, is being honored at her alma mater with a bronze statue and a scholarship in her name.West Virginia State University says a dedication ceremony is planned for Aug. 25, the day before Johnson's 100th birthday.Long before the digital era, Johnson worked as a human "computer" at the agency that became NASA, working in relative obscurity as an African-American woman.
Astronaut and moonwalker Alan Bean dies at 86
HOUSTON, Tx. -- Astronaut Alan Bean, who was the fourth person to walk on the moon, has died.A statement released by NASA and family members says Bean died Saturday in Houston after a short illness.
HOUSTON, Tx. -- Astronaut Alan Bean, who was the fourth person to walk on the moon, has died.A statement released by NASA and family members says Bean died Saturday in Houston after a short illness.
NASA spacecraft will have company all the way to Mars
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's next Mars explorer is going to have company all the way to the red planet.The Mars InSight lander will be trailed by a couple of puny yet groundbreaking sidekicks called WALL-E and EVE.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's next Mars explorer is going to have company all the way to the red planet.The Mars InSight lander will be trailed by a couple of puny yet groundbreaking sidekicks called WALL-E and EVE.
SpaceX rocket booster lands on floating platform; Tess satellite headed toward orbit
FLORIDA -- Just minutes after launching NASA's planet-hunting spacecraft, the SpaceX rocket booster is back on Earth.The first-stage booster landed Wednesday evening on a floating platform in the Atlantic, just off the Florida coast.
FLORIDA -- Just minutes after launching NASA's planet-hunting spacecraft, the SpaceX rocket booster is back on Earth.The first-stage booster landed Wednesday evening on a floating platform in the Atlantic, just off the Florida coast.
NASA Tess spacecraft to prowl for planets as galactic scout
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Look up at the sky tonight.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Look up at the sky tonight.
NASA delays next-generation space telescope until 2020
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA is delaying the launch of its next-generation space telescope — its highest science priority — until at least 2020.Top officials said Tuesday that more time is needed to assemble and test the James Webb Space Telescope, which is considered a successor to the long-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope.It's the latest in a series of delays for the telescope, dating back a decade.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA is delaying the launch of its next-generation space telescope — its highest science priority — until at least 2020.Top officials said Tuesday that more time is needed to assemble and test the James Webb Space Telescope, which is considered a successor to the long-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope.It's the latest in a series of delays for the telescope, dating back a decade.
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity marks 2,000th day on red planet
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has now marked 2,000 days on the red planet.That's 2,000 days by Martian standards.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has now marked 2,000 days on the red planet.That's 2,000 days by Martian standards.
Astronaut's DNA no longer matches identical twin's after time in space, NASA finds
Spending a year in space not only changes your outlook, it transforms your genes.Preliminary results from NASA's Twins Study reveal that 7% of astronaut Scott Kelly's genes did not return to normal after his return to Earth two years ago.The study looks at what happened to Kelly before, during and after he spent one year aboard the International Space Station through an extensive comparison with his identical twin, Mark, who remained on Earth.NASA has learned that the formerly identical twins are no longer genetically the same.
Spending a year in space not only changes your outlook, it transforms your genes.Preliminary results from NASA's Twins Study reveal that 7% of astronaut Scott Kelly's genes did not return to normal after his return to Earth two years ago.The study looks at what happened to Kelly before, during and after he spent one year aboard the International Space Station through an extensive comparison with his identical twin, Mark, who remained on Earth.NASA has learned that the formerly identical twins are no longer genetically the same.
NASA says 'fireball' that shook Washington coast about the size of minivan
SEATTLE – The fireball hundreds of people reported over the Washington coast Wednesday night was a meteor entering our atmosphere, NASA scientists told KCPQ.Around 7:10 p.m., Washingtonians reported a bright light in the sky, a boom and shaking.
SEATTLE – The fireball hundreds of people reported over the Washington coast Wednesday night was a meteor entering our atmosphere, NASA scientists told KCPQ.Around 7:10 p.m., Washingtonians reported a bright light in the sky, a boom and shaking.
Watch LIVE: Space sports car now flying toward asteroid belt beyond Mars
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The world's first space sports car is cruising toward the asteroid belt, well beyond Mars.SpaceX chief Elon Musk confirmed the new, more distant route for his rocketing Tesla Roadster, which was launched aboard the company's Falcon Heavy from Florida.The Heavy became the most powerful rocket flying today with Tuesday's inaugural test flight.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The world's first space sports car is cruising toward the asteroid belt, well beyond Mars.SpaceX chief Elon Musk confirmed the new, more distant route for his rocketing Tesla Roadster, which was launched aboard the company's Falcon Heavy from Florida.The Heavy became the most powerful rocket flying today with Tuesday's inaugural test flight.
SpaceX's big new rocket blasts off with sports car on top
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX's big new rocket blasted off Tuesday on its first test flight, carrying a red sports car aiming for an endless road trip past Mars.The Falcon Heavy rose from the same launch pad used by NASA nearly 50 years ago to send men to the moon.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX's big new rocket blasted off Tuesday on its first test flight, carrying a red sports car aiming for an endless road trip past Mars.The Falcon Heavy rose from the same launch pad used by NASA nearly 50 years ago to send men to the moon.
Record-setting spacewalk ends with antenna in wrong spot
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A record-setting Russian spacewalk ended with a critical antenna in the wrong position Friday outside the International Space Station.NASA's Mission Control reported that the antenna was still working.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A record-setting Russian spacewalk ended with a critical antenna in the wrong position Friday outside the International Space Station.NASA's Mission Control reported that the antenna was still working.
Christa McAuliffe's lost lessons finally taught in space
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Christa McAuliffe's lost lessons are finally getting taught in space.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Christa McAuliffe's lost lessons are finally getting taught in space.
NASA: Legendary astronaut, moonwalker John Young has died
NASA says legendary astronaut John Young, who walked on the moon and later commanded the first space shuttle flight, has died.
NASA says legendary astronaut John Young, who walked on the moon and later commanded the first space shuttle flight, has died.
Brilliant light over SoCal skies after SpaceX launches rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base
CALIFORNIA -- A mysterious white light that appeared over Southern California skies during the Friday evening rush hour, prompting curiosity and questions from the many onlookers who observed it, was from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, authorities confirmed.KTLA began receiving numerous phone calls shortly after 5:30 p.m., when a brilliant but slow-moving light -- somewhat resembling a jellyfish-like creature -- appeared in the night sky.
CALIFORNIA -- A mysterious white light that appeared over Southern California skies during the Friday evening rush hour, prompting curiosity and questions from the many onlookers who observed it, was from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, authorities confirmed.KTLA began receiving numerous phone calls shortly after 5:30 p.m., when a brilliant but slow-moving light -- somewhat resembling a jellyfish-like creature -- appeared in the night sky.
NASA astronaut, 1st to fly untethered in space, dies at 80
HOUSTON — NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless, the first person to fly freely and untethered in space, has died.
HOUSTON — NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless, the first person to fly freely and untethered in space, has died.
NASA drops replica Orion spacecraft to test parachutes
YUMA, Ariz. — NASA on Friday successfully dropped a replica Orion spacecraft from an Air Force transport aircraft to a southwestern Arizona desert site to test the craft's ability to cope with a partial parachute failure.The test used two of Orion's three main parachutes to simulate the failure of the third and still sufficiently slowed the spacecraft for a landing.Previous attempts were thwarted by a failure of the C-17 plane's cargo doors to open at the drop altitude of 35,000 feet (10,668 meters) on Wednesday and by high winds on Thursday.Jim McMichael, a NASA systems engineer, said the 10-ton (10.16-metric ton) replica was "sitting perfectly upright" after bouncing once when it landed at the Yuma Proving Ground, an Army installation.Actual Orion landings will involve ocean splashdowns.The Orion spacecraft is expected to carry as many as four astronauts deeper into space than anyone has ever gone before.In Friday's test, two small "drogue" chutes successfully deployed, stabilized the replica's fall and then were cast off before deployment of the orange-and-white main chutes that then slowed the descent, McMichael said.The landing spot was on hard desert soil, not a plowed and leveled area where NASA hoped the unit would land, McMichael said.Still, "it went really well," McMichael said. "We get a little bit of a bounce.
YUMA, Ariz. — NASA on Friday successfully dropped a replica Orion spacecraft from an Air Force transport aircraft to a southwestern Arizona desert site to test the craft's ability to cope with a partial parachute failure.The test used two of Orion's three main parachutes to simulate the failure of the third and still sufficiently slowed the spacecraft for a landing.Previous attempts were thwarted by a failure of the C-17 plane's cargo doors to open at the drop altitude of 35,000 feet (10,668 meters) on Wednesday and by high winds on Thursday.Jim McMichael, a NASA systems engineer, said the 10-ton (10.16-metric ton) replica was "sitting perfectly upright" after bouncing once when it landed at the Yuma Proving Ground, an Army installation.Actual Orion landings will involve ocean splashdowns.The Orion spacecraft is expected to carry as many as four astronauts deeper into space than anyone has ever gone before.In Friday's test, two small "drogue" chutes successfully deployed, stabilized the replica's fall and then were cast off before deployment of the orange-and-white main chutes that then slowed the descent, McMichael said.The landing spot was on hard desert soil, not a plowed and leveled area where NASA hoped the unit would land, McMichael said.Still, "it went really well," McMichael said. "We get a little bit of a bounce.
Good night, night: Light pollution increasing around globe
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The world's nights are getting alarmingly brighter — bad news for all sorts of creatures, humans included.A German-led team reported Wednesday that light pollution is threatening darkness almost everywhere.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The world's nights are getting alarmingly brighter — bad news for all sorts of creatures, humans included.A German-led team reported Wednesday that light pollution is threatening darkness almost everywhere.