News on Space Technology

First-time cosmonauts set to blast off with toy duck

2010-03-19T11:17:15Z

<div><p>Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov brandished a small toy duck Friday as he and his crewmates prepared to blast off to the International Space Station (ISS) in April.</p><p>The tiny toy was picked out by his daughter as an impromptu "weightlessness sensor," said Skvortsov, who will take off from NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and Russian Maxim Surayev touches down not far from the Kazakh town of Arkalyk, Thursday, March 18, 2010. Astronauts from the United States and Russia landed safely in northern United States and Russia landed safely in northern Kazakhstan's chilly steppes on Thursday after spending almost six months on the International Space Station.</p><p>The Russian Soyuz TMA-16 capsule carrying ...

Astronauts return to Earth on Russian spacecraft

2010-03-18T07:16:27Z

<div><p>A Russian cosmonaut and a US astronaut returned to Earth on Thursday from the International Space Station (ISS) after 169 days in space, mission control in Moscow said.</p><p>"The crew of the Souyz TMA-16 craft is on Earth," it said in a statement, after Jeffrey Williams of...

Russian astronauts back down to earth

2010-03-18T06:15:53Z

<div><p>A Russian spacecraft carrying a Russian cosmonaut and a US astronaut back from the International Space Station (ISS) has landed in Kazakhstan, mission control in Moscow said on Thursday.</p><p>"The crew of the Souyz TMA-16 craft...

U.S.-Russian duo returns to Earth from space station

2010-03-18T05:15:22Z

<div><p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian Soyuz space capsule carrying a U.S. astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut from the International Space Station landed safely in Kazakhstan on Thursda...

Boeing sees modest growth in space over five years

2010-03-16T14:15:30Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing Co <BA.N> said on Tuesday it expects only modest growth in its space revenues over the next five years with commercial orders seen accounting for a growing share as government orders decline.</p><p>Government orders comprised about 90 percent of Boeing's space business now, but would shrink to aro...

NASA chief Bolden sees opportunities for industry

2010-03-16T14:00:26Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NASA Administrator Charles Bolden defended the U.S. space agency's budget on Tuesday and said its focus on commercial space transportation would provide "incredible opportunities" for U.S. companies.</p><p>"This budget is good for NASA because it sets the agency on a sustainable...

Shootout at Indian space facility: official

2010-03-16T00:16:15Z

<div><p>Security guards at a space centre in southern India on Tuesday exchanged fire with two men who were acting suspiciously near the facility, an official said.</p><p>The shootout occurred in the early hours of Tuesday at the Deep Space Network, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Bangalore, when the security guards challenged two men, one of whom began firing a handgun.</p&...

Leaky valves could delay space shuttle launch

2010-03-15T12:17:06Z

<div id="subtitle">NASA: Leaky valves could delay April launch of space shuttle Discovery, extra tests planned</div><div><p>Space shuttle Discovery has some leaky valves that could delay its launch next month.</p><p>NASA discovered the helium leaks over the weekend. The valves are part of a control system used to maneuver the shuttle in orbit a...

Help wanted: Space flight experience required

2010-03-15T10:16:59Z

<div><p>CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - For astronauts worried about their future with NASA, good news: a private company is hiring.</p><p>Bigelow Aerospace, a

SpaceX says Falcon 9 rocket test fire is a success

2010-03-14T18:15:09Z

<div><p>CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Space Exploration Technologies successfully test fired its Falcon 9 rocket this weekend, clearing a milestone toward the inaugural flight of a privately dev...

Is There Life on Mars?

2010-03-13T08:25:26Z

Planet Mars has been a topic of controversy amongst the scientific community. Many believe the possibility of life on the planet while others support their disbelief through scientific evidence.<br><br>The famous ?face? that appeared on the landscape of the planet, has now disappeared. The answer lies in the dust storms that gradually erode the Martian landscape. It was hypothesized that aliens created the face years ago when our planet was still a mass of gas. However, the recent...

US lawmakers urge Obama to save NASA moon program

2010-03-11T16:16:56Z

<div><p>A group of US lawmakers Thursday urged the US administration to save NASA's Constellation project aimed at returning Americans to the moon in the next generation of space travel.</p><p>"Space exploration has been the guiding star of American innovation," the lawmakers -- 10 Republicans and five Lockheed wins $17 million Navy contract for missile launch systems, could reach $104 million</div><div><p>Lockheed Martin Corp. said Wednesday it recently won a $17 million Navy contract for engineering on Navy missile launch systems, and with options it could be worth $104 million over four years.</p><p>The contract covers costs plus a fixed fee. It combin...

China chooses first women astronauts

2010-03-10T09:16:59Z

<div><p>China has selected its first two women astronauts to serve on a team that will undertake future missions launched by the nation's burgeoning space programme, state media reported Wednesday.</p><p>The women were part of a "second batch" of seven people who will take over manned space-flight duties from the nation's first generation of astronauts, Xinhua news ag...

Space shuttle can fly beyond 2010, if money is there: NASA

2010-03-09T19:16:01Z

<div><p>The US space shuttle fleet can continue flying beyond NASA's September 30 deadline if the money is made available to keep it going, a US space agency official told reporters Tuesday.</p><p>"I think the real issue that the agency and the nation has to address is the expense," said Space Shuttle Program Manager John Sh...

Space Shuttle

2010-03-09T11:46:34Z

The crew of space shuttle Discovery, from left, pilot James Dutton, mission specialist Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut NASA: Money key to keeping space shuttles flying longer, more missions technically feasible</div><div><p>With space shuttle retirement just months away, a senior NASA manager said Tuesday it wouldn't be hard to add more flights, provided the nation is willing to keep paying $200 million a month.</p><p>NASA's three shuttles are scheduled to retire in September, after four more trips to the CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - MARCH 5: NASA's STS-131mission specialist and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki walks out of the operations and checkout building at Kennedy Space CenterMarch 5, 2010, in Cape Canaveral. The a...