Latest National Aeronautics and Space Administration News

China calls on scientists of all nations to study lunar samples, but notes obstacle with the US

Jun. 27, 2024 05:28 AM EDT

BANGKOK (AP) — China's space officials said Thursday they welcomed scientists from around the world to apply to study the lunar rock samples that the Chang'e 6 probe brought back to Earth in a historic mission, but noted there were limits to that cooperation, specifically with the United States....

NASA taps Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring International Space Station out of orbit in a few more years

Jun. 26, 2024 20:33 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — NASA has awarded SpaceX an $843 million contract to build the vehicle that will bring the International Space Station out of its longtime orbit of Earth when its operating lifespan ends in a few more years. SpaceX, a privately held company controlled by technology...

Why NASA astronauts are delayed at the space station after Boeing Starliner launch

Jun. 26, 2024 15:00 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — When two veteran NASA astronauts blasted off on a test drive of Boeing's new capsule, they expected to head home from the International Space Station in a week or so. It's now three weeks and counting for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams as NASA and Boeing...

NASA calls off spacewalk after spacesuit water leak

Jun. 24, 2024 16:19 PM EDT

NASA on Monday canceled a spacewalk at the International Space Station after water leaked from an astronaut's spacesuit. Astronauts Tracy Dyson and Mike Barratt opened the hatch to the space station’s airlock when Dyson reported water leaking from her spacesuit’s cooling system....

NASA's Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, is doing science again after problem

Jun. 17, 2024 11:31 AM EDT

DALLAS (AP) — NASA's Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, is sending science data again. Voyager 1's four instruments are back in business after a computer problem in November, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory said this week. The team first received meaningful...

New research explores how a short trip to space affects the human body

Jun. 11, 2024 18:40 PM EDT

DALLAS (AP) — Space tourists experience some of the same body changes as astronauts who spend months in orbit, according to new studies published Tuesday. Those shifts mostly returned to normal once the amateurs returned to Earth, researchers reported. Research on...

Former astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, killed in Washington plane crash

Jun. 08, 2024 01:20 AM EDT

SEATTLE (AP) — William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic “Earthrise” photo showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968, was killed Friday when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state. He...

Former astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, killed in Washington plane crash

Jun. 07, 2024 22:17 PM EDT

SEATTLE (AP) — William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic “Earthrise” photo showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968, was killed Friday when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state. He...

Boeing's astronaut capsule arrives at the space station after thruster trouble

Jun. 06, 2024 23:22 PM EDT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing’s new capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Thursday, delayed by last-minute thruster trouble that almost derailed the docking for this first test flight with astronauts. The 260-mile-high (420-kilometer-high) linkup over the...

Boeing launches NASA astronauts for the first time after years of delays

Jun. 05, 2024 15:59 PM EDT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing launched astronauts for the first time Wednesday, belatedly joining SpaceX as a second taxi service for NASA. A pair of NASA test pilots blasted off aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule for the International Space Station, the first to fly the new...