Space

NASA Is Set To Launch Astronauts Aboard A SpaceX Spacecraft

4:17pm May 26, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Phil McAlister, NASA's head of commercial spaceflight development, about the first launch of astronauts aboard a SpaceX spacecraft scheduled for Wednesday.

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

Science

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.

NASA Astronaut Doug Hurley Prepares To Return To Space

10:25am May 26, 2020

by Brendan Byrne

Doug Hurley is set to return to space this week aboard a SpaceX capsule. It's the first time astronauts will depart from U.S. soil since the shuttle program ended in 2011.

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Two astronauts will launch to the International Space Station aboard a new capsule built by the company SpaceX.

Health & Safety

Here's How The Pandemic Is Changing America's Plans For Its Newest Spaceship

3:58pm May 25, 2020

by Geoff Brumfiel

Later this week, NASA and SpaceX will launch the first rocket carrying astronauts from U.S. soil since the end of the space shuttle era. But COVID-19 has forced some changes to their plans.

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Oliver Jeffers speaks as part of TED2020: The Prequel. April 22, 2020. Photo courtesy of TED.

Oliver Jeffers: An Ode To Living On Earth

9:07am May 22, 2020

by NPR/TED STAFF

If you had to explain to a newborn what it means to live on Earth, at this time of crisis — what would you say? Writer, illustrator, and artist Oliver Jeffers gives his answer in a letter to his son.

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NASA Seeks Participants For Isolation Study

5:57am May 21, 2020

NASA researchers are seeking candidates who want to spend eight months isolated in a Russian lab. The study will simulate the psychological effects of isolation during trips in space.

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Douglas Loverro, associate NASA administrator for the human exploration and operations mission directorate, in an official portrait taken in January. Loverro announced his resignation on Tuesday.

Science

Head Of NASA's Human Spaceflight Program Resigns A Week Before Crucial Launch

5:32pm May 19, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The sudden departure of Doug Loverro startled the space community, which has been eagerly anticipating the planned May 27 launch of astronauts from U.S. soil for the first time since 2011.

U.S. Space Force senior enlisted adviser Chief Master Sgt. Roger Towberman presents the Space Force Flag to President Trump on Friday in the Oval Office.

Politics & Government

Trump, Unveiling Space Force Flag, Touts What He Calls New 'Super-Duper Missile'

6:12pm May 15, 2020

by Barbara Sprunt

President Trump held a ceremony with senior defense officials to unfurl the official flag of the Space Force and boasted about what he called powerful new American weapons.

Scientists with the European Southern Observatory say system HR 6819, seen in this artist's rendering, is composed primarily of two stars (orbits in blue) and a newly discovered black hole (orbit in red). The black hole is invisible, but it makes its pres

Science

Scientists Find Nearest-Known Black Hole, In Distressingly Fitting Metaphor

2:05pm May 06, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

The black hole is roughly 1,000 light-years from Earth — and more than 2,000 light-years closer than the next one known. What's more, scientists say, it may be just "the tip of an exciting iceberg."

NASA confirmed that actor Tom Cruise and private spaceflight company Space X are considering a feature film shot on board the International Space Station. Cruise is shown above in New York City in June 2017.

Arts

Tom Cruise And NASA Could Be A Match Made In The Heavens

7:02pm May 05, 2020

by Bob Mondello

NASA confirmed that actor Tom Cruise and private spaceflight company Space X are considering a feature film shot on board the International Space Station.