International Space Station

National

International Space Station Is About To Get Crowded, And It's Running Out Of Beds

7:15am April 22, 2021

by Brendan Byrne

Four astronauts are set to launch to the space station Friday. When they arrive, the new crew of 11 will be the largest since the shuttle program, and there aren't enough sleeping pods for them all.

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Astronauts (from left) Victor Glover, Michael Hopkins, Shannon Walker and Japan's Soichi Noguchi wave to family and friends as they leave for the launch site on Sunday.

Science

4 Astronauts Aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon Successfully Dock With Space Station

11:39am November 17, 2020

by Scott Neuman

Three NASA astronauts and one from Japan's space agency reach the ISS after a 27-hour flight following Sunday's liftoff from Kennedy Space Center.

From left, astronaut Soichi Noguchi of Japan and NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover and Michael Hopkins walk after arriving at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The four astronauts will fly on the SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the Interna

Science

Astronauts Arrive In Florida To Ready For SpaceX Launch To Space Station

8:52pm November 08, 2020

by Matthew S. Schwartz

Four astronauts are scheduled to take a SpaceX capsule to the International Space Station on Saturday. NASA hopes to demonstrate the safety and reliability of regular crew transportation to the ISS.

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins participates in Soyuz qualification exams on Wednesday at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center just outside Moscow.

National

NASA Astronaut Will Vote From Space

2:38pm September 26, 2020

by Matthew S. Schwartz

Astronauts have been able to cast ballots from above since the Texas legislature gave its blessing in 1997. "It's critical to participate in our democracy," NASA astronaut Kate Rubins said.

The mouse on the right has been engineered to have four times the muscle mass of a normal lab mouse. A drug to achieve the same effect was recently tested in space.

Drug That Bulked Up Mice In Space Might Someday Help Astronauts Make Long Voyages

3:50pm September 08, 2020

by Jon Hamilton

An experiment involving some "mighty mice" on the International Space Station could someday help astronauts maintain muscle and bone strength on interplanetary journeys.

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The SpaceX capsule sits aboard a recovery ship in the Gulf of Mexico.

Science

Splashdown! SpaceX And NASA Astronauts Make History

7:12pm August 02, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

NASA and SpaceX are welcoming home two astronauts who splashed down safely in the Gulf of Mexico after several months on the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts (from left) Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley and Chris Cassidy are the U.S. members of the Expedition 63 crew aboard the International Space Station. Behnken and Hurley are scheduled to return to Earth on Aug. 2.

Science

Astronauts Set To Return To Earth In First U.S. Splashdown In Decades

5:51pm July 31, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The two NASA astronauts who flew on the SpaceX craft to the International Space Station in May are scheduled to return to Earth on Sunday. But there's a hurricane forecast for the splashdown vicinity.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule approaches the International Space Station ahead of docking Sunday.

Science

SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule Successfully Docks With The International Space Station

10:55am May 31, 2020

by Brendan Byrne

The docking came above China and Mongolia as the ISS was traveling at 17,000 mph. It docked 19 hours after the historic launch with NASA astronauts from the Kennedy Space Center.

NASA astronaut Doug Hurley rehearses putting on his SpaceX spacesuit last week at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Science

Shuttle Veteran Leads First Human Space Mission Launched From U.S. Since 2011

1:04pm May 27, 2020

by Brendan Byrne

When Doug Hurley launched aboard Atlantis on July 8, 2011, the future of human spaceflight from U.S. soil was uncertain. Nearly a decade later, the astronaut is piloting SpaceX's new Crew Dragon.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is prepared for its first crewed launch from American soil. It arrived at the launch site on Feb. 13.

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New Spaceship Prepares To Blast Off And Make History

4:01pm May 26, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

NASA and SpaceX plan to launch astronauts to the International Space Station on Wednesday. It'll be the first time a new kind of spacecraft has launched astronauts into orbit since the space shuttle.