io9: Space Shuttle

What weapons could be used in a real-life space war?

Keith Veronese — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:20:00 PST

Space, the final frontier...of warfare? Science fiction tales often center around the militarization of space, with lasers and torpedoes made of light racing past (and through) battleships and star destroyers. More »

Six Daleks are en route to NASA's Stennis Space Center disguised as "space shuttle engines"

Robert T. Gonzalez — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:45:00 PST

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NASA says they're "Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne engines" from space shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis... but we think they look an awful lot like incognito Dalek shipping containers. More »

Here's your chance to take one last look inside space shuttle Atlantis

Robert T. Gonzalez — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:16:21 PST

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Last Friday, after 27 years of service, NASA powered down space shuttle Discovery for the very last time. This week, space shuttle Atlantis — which five months ago today touched down at Kennedy Space Center, marking the end of the US Space Shuttle Program — will share the same fate. More »

An ordinary space shuttle launch (apparently) shot a blue laser at the Moon

Alasdair Wilkins — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:30:00 PST

This photo was taken back in 2001, during a launch of the space shuttle Atlantis. On the left is the space shuttle's launch plume. On the right is the plume's shadow. So why is it pointing straight at the Moon? More »

NASA's Atlantis Shuttle crew lands in New York!

Robert T. Gonzalez — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:30:00 PDT

Self-respecting geeks living in NYC have got virtually no excuse not to meet up with the crew of NASA's Atlantis this week — the last team to fly aboard a space shuttle. More »

An astronaut's-eye-view of Space Shuttle Discovery's flight deck

Cyriaque Lamar — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 07:30:00 PDT

Sadly, none of us are going to be able to cruise around in the decommissioned Space Shuttle Discovery from here on in, so the best we can get is this hypnotizing virtual panorama of the Discovery's flight deck. More »

The last launch of NASA's Space Shuttle program, caught from an airplane

Cyriaque Lamar — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:50:00 PDT

Airplane passenger Ryan Graff was en route to Miami last Friday when he captured this dazzling shot of the Space Shuttle Atlantis blasting into the sky. That's one heck of a window seat. More »

30 Years of the Space Shuttle Program in Pictures

Annalee Newitz and Keith Veronese — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:16:41 PDT

With today's last Space Shuttle flight, we've reached the end of an era in American space exploration. In this gallery, we look back on 30 years of the Space Shuttle program: the beauty of our space outposts, the engineering marvels of the Shuttles, and the brave sacrifices many people made to leave this gravity well. It's been a good run, NASA. A really good run. More »

"Let's light this fire one more time": The Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off

Charlie Jane Anders — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:53:56 PDT

The Space Shuttle Atlantis takes off for its final flight, in spite of predictions that weather might have delayed this final shuttle mission. Click this image to make giant, or right-click and select "open link in new tab." More »

The first-ever photos of a space shuttle docked at the International Space Station

Lauren Davis — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:20:00 PDT

The space shuttle Endeavour has taken its final bow, but its last mission also marks the first time a space shuttle has ever been photographed while docked to the International Space Station. More »

The Last Space Shuttle Roll Out

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:07:23 PDT

This morning we showed you a breathtaking photo of the Space Shuttle Endeavour docked with the ISS for the very last time. Now here's a beautiful picture of the Space Shuttle Atlantis being rolled out for her last launch. More »

Fall in love with the Space Shuttle Endeavour one last time

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 07:30:00 PDT

The Space Shuttle Endeavour has landed safely back on Earth for the final time, but NASA just released this swoon-worthy photo of the shuttle docked with the International Space Station a few days earlier. More »

Abandoned remains from the Soviet Shuttle Program

Lauren Davis — Sat, 28 May 2011 13:30:00 PDT

What happens when space programs are left to die? In the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse, the Buran reusable spacecraft program was canceled, leaving the launchpads and equipment to decay. More »

Last flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavor begins with a ring of fire

Annalee Newitz — Tue, 17 May 2011 10:49:16 PDT

It's the penultimate flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and it began yesterday with an amazing launch that took Endeavor dramatically through a layer of cloud, leaving behind a ring of fire that looked as if the vessel had zoomed into a wormhole. You can get this incredible photograph in several sizes over at Stuck in Customs. More »

The End of an Era in Space Flight, and the Beginning of Another

Annalee Newitz — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:00:00 PDT

This image from NASA shows the Space Shuttle Endeavor waiting on the launch pad last night, with lightning streaking the sky. In 48 hours (delayed from this afternoon), the final launch of the Endeavor will mark the end of the Space Shuttle program. More »

The astronaut pee from Discovery's last mission streaks toward Earth

Alasdair Wilkins — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:55:13 PDT

I can't imagine a more moving tribute to the final flight of the space shuttle Discovery. This shooting star photographed on March 8 is almost certainly the waste water from Discovery...in other words, a whole lot of astronaut urine. More »

Discovery's Final Mission in Pictures

Nancy Atkinson - Universe Today — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:30:00 PST

As space shuttle Discovery prepares to return home from its final mission to space, let's take a look back at the STS-133 mission, an historic "last" for the program's most-traveled shuttle. More »

A picture of the Space Shuttle launch, shot from space by a camera phone

Charlie Jane Anders — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 12:07:54 PST

That streak of light breaking out of the "space barrier" around the Earth is the Space Shuttle Discovery, photographed by Droid 1, an Android phone lifted into space by a weather balloon. More »

Watch the amazing trailer for Robonaut 2: The next step in space robotics

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:30:00 PST

The Space Shuttle Discovery's crew today includes one special robot — Robonaut 2, who has way more lifting and manipulation capacity than existing humanoid robots. Check out this super-dramatic movie-style trailer, showing why Robonaut is the bot with a mission. More »

Which cities should get the retiring space shuttles?

Alasdair Wilkins — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:00:26 PST

As the holiday season kicks into high gear, a few cities are scrambling for one of the biggest gifts imaginable: a space shuttle. Now that the shuttles are retiring, it's time to decide their final homes. More »

Airbus interior designer creates Space Shuttle for honeymooners

Annalee Newitz — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:49:45 PST

Yelken Octuri designs interiors for Airbus, but in his spare time he creates fanciful, futuristic airplanes. This is my favorite - a special Space Shuttle for people who want a honeymoon suite in space. More »

The Space Shuttle's last blaze of glory on the launch pad

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 07:00:00 PDT

The Space Shuttle Discovery sparkles with pride as it's unveiled to reporters before its final launch, later today. More gorgeous photos of the ship preparing for its last flight into the unknown, below. More »

Learn how to pilot an Apollo moon lander by looking at your necktie

Charlie Jane Anders — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:30:00 PDT

If you're ever stuck flying an Apollo Program module, you'd better hope you're wearing this necktie, which is silk-screened with schematics from NASA's newly declassified Apollo Operations Handbook. It's just one entrant in NASA's new contest, in partnership with Etsy.com. More »

Last chance to see the beauty of the space shuttle Discovery in flight

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 09:44:49 PDT

Floridians have eleven more days to see the space shuttle Discovery on a launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center. On November 1, Discovery will blast off for the last time. More »

This Lunar astronaut art is going up in the final space shuttle flight

Charlie Jane Anders — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 08:30:00 PDT

There's something almost unbearably sad and touching about this bright piece of art, depicting astronauts on the Moon. It's going to be included on the very last space shuttle flight, the end of the space program that gave us Apollo. More »

Nearly 1,400 space shuttle workers laid off in Florida and Texas

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:43:57 PDT

Preparing for the imminent demise of the Space Shuttle program, Texas-based United Space Alliance laid off 1,394 workers this week, most of them in Florida. The layoffs represent 15% of the government contractor's employees. We hope that every one of these folks finds a new job quickly, and thank them for all their hard work getting humans into space over the years. [Read more via Space.com] More »

An International Space Station-sized blot on the Sun

Marc Bernardin — Wed, 19 May 2010 08:30:00 PDT

Photographer Thierry Legault captured this picture of the International Space Station and the shuttle Atlantis as their orbit took them in front of the sun — a transit that lasted all of a half a second. More »

Launch! The Space Shuttle Atlantis On The Edge Of The Final Frontier

Charlie Jane Anders — Fri, 14 May 2010 11:36:16 PDT

The Space Shuttle Atlantis has its final launch, in this breathtaking picture from Cape Canaveral. Atlantis will spend 12 days at the International Space Station, including three spacewalks. Photo by Matt Stroshane/Getty Images. More »

Taking a Stroll in Low-Earth Orbit: The Truth About Spacewalks

Ed Grabianowski — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:30:00 PST

When astronauts spacewalk, it looks like they're floating serenely in the vacuum of space. The reality: they're hurtling at 17,220 mph inside bulky pressurized suits. Here's the lowdown on spacewalking, from how it's done to what it costs. More »

Which Country Will Be The Next To Put An Astronaut On The Moon?

Alasdair Wilkins — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:54:52 PST

President Obama's 2011 budget cut NASA's Constellation program, his predecessor's plan to return humans to the Moon, en route to Mars. With the US government apparently out of the race to return to the Moon, who will now be next? More »

The Space Shuttle Blasts Into The Night

Annalee Newitz — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:13:23 PST

Early this morning in the pre-dawn hours, the space shuttle Endeavor shot into space for a two-week trip to the International Space Station. This will be its last nighttime launch. More »

NASA Giving Away Space Shuttle Engines For Free - To Anyone Who Can Pick Them Up

Annalee Newitz — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:30:00 PST

You could own this amazing main engine from the Space Shuttle for free, as long as you're willing to remove it from NASA premises. NASA tried to sell the shuttle's engines, but lack of interest is your good fortune. More »

10 Things We're Worried About In 2010

Graeme McMillan — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:00:56 PST

A new year always gives us optimism for what lies ahead over the next 12 months, but that doesn't mean that there's no potential for disaster in there. Here're ten things we're crossing our fingers don't actually happen. More »

Space Shuttle Atlantis: The Beautiful Music Video Launch

Meredith Woerner — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:30:00 PST

Watch this video compiled by NASA of the beautiful launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-129. It's gorgeous and proves that all space launches should come with their own Celtic soundtracks. More »

Latest Space Shuttle Mission Lifts Off, Stuffed With Worms

Alex Eichler — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:00:14 PST

Space Shuttle Atlantis took to the skies this week, carrying thousands of microscopic worms to be used in muscle-degeneration research. We already know these worms can handle spaceflight, because in 2003, another group of them survived a fall from orbit. More »

Celebrate Space Day With The Shuttle Astronauts And An ISS Webcam

AndrewLiptak — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:40:52 PDT

Today is the 12th Annual Space Day, an event that's jointly hosted by NASA and Lockheed Martin, held each year on the first of May. This year's theme is titled : 'Celebrating Human Space Flight: Past, Present and Future'. More »

A Gorgeous Day for Jet Planes and Space Shuttles

Annalee Newitz — Fri, 01 May 2009 08:30:00 PDT

On Wednesday NASA pilots Jack Nickel and Charles Justiz buzzed their T-38 trainers over the two space shuttles at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Robert Markowitz photo via NASA More »

Sitting In a Tin Can High Above the World

Annalee Newitz — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 08:30:00 PDT

Over the weekend, space shuttle astronaut Steve Swanson climbed outside the International Space Station to do some repair work and inspections. Here he floats beneath one section of the growing space structure. More »

The Shuttle Blasts Off On One of Its Final Missions

Annalee Newitz — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 08:30:00 PDT

Yesterday the space shuttle Discovery blasted into space, ready to deliver its payload of solar panels and astronauts to the International Space Station. More »

Another Glitch For Space Shuttle Discovery Mission

AndrewLiptak — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:30:00 PDT

NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery was supposed to launch tonight for a two-week mission, linking up with the International Space Station, but the launch has been delayed due to yet another technical problem. More »