News Archive / Tagged: Space Shuttle

• Decades of dedication: Bob Cabana set to retire from NASA

  Derek RichardsonNovember 14th, 2023

  NASA Associate Administrator and former astronaut Bob Cabana is retiring effective Dec. 31 after an illustrious 38-year career with the space agency.

• NASA marks anniversary of Apollo and space shuttle tragedies

  Derek RichardsonJanuary 27th, 2022

  Each year in late January, NASA honors those who gave their lives in the quest to explore space, including those from Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia.

• Wings of exploration: reflecting on the 40th anniversary of the space shuttle

  Matt HaskellApril 12th, 2021

  The launch of the space shuttle on April 12, 1981, proved to be a history-making event. For many, that day stemmed careers, dreams and imaginations alike.

• OPINION: In spaceflight testing, what defines a failure?

  Cullen DesforgesFebruary 27th, 2021

  Recently, several companies have made great strides in the realm of advanced spaceflight testing, despite public perception some would label a failure.

• Astronaut Owen K. Garriott passes away aged 88

  Joe LatrellApril 15th, 2019

  Skylab and Space Shuttle veteran Owen K. Garriott died Monday at age 88 in his home in Huntsville Alabama. The news was released by Garriott’s family to the Association of Space Explorers.

• Gallery: 2 shuttle astronauts added to Hall of Fame

  Derek RichardsonApril 7th, 2019

  Two veteran Space Shuttle astronauts were added to the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, joining the nearly 100 already inducted.

• NASA, Orbital ATK provide boosters for Endeavour exhibit

  Jason RhianMarch 31st, 2017

  Not everyone had the chance to see the Space Shuttle fully stacked with its external tank and SRBs; those that have usually came away awestruck at the power and size of the vehicle. Soon, guests who visit the California Science Center will have the opportunity to walk away with similar feelings, and it's partly thanks to the efforts of NASA and Orbital ATK.

• Reaching for the stars: An interview with former NASA astronaut Mike Fossum

  Tomasz NowakowskiFebruary 20th, 2017

  In an interview with SpaceFlight Insider affiliate Astrowatch.net, veteran NASA astronaut Mike Fossum talked about his career as an astronaut, recollecting unforgettable and thrilling moments in space.

• From double to triple: Why the landing Falcon 9 creates three sonic booms

  Scott JohnsonJuly 27th, 2016

  One of the iconic sounds of the Space Shuttle era has returned to the Space Coast—the sonic boom. The returning Shuttle orbiter produced a signature double sonic boom on its approach to Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. Similar sounds were heard again in the early morning hours of July 18 as SpaceX's Falcon 9 first stage returned to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's (CCAFS) Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1), formerly Launch Complex 13, creating a triple sonic boom.

• Final Journey: Last Space Shuttle External Tank arrives in California

  Matthew KuhnsMay 19th, 2016

  MARINA DEL REY, Calif. — Under low clouds, ET-94 moved into Marina Del Rey, east of Los Angeles. After moving slowly through the harbor, the barge was tied to the dock around 8 a.m. PDT on May 18. It has been a long and eventful journey from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility.

• Our Spaceflight Heritage: Remembering Challenger

  Collin SkocikJanuary 28th, 2016

  On Jan. 28, 1986, a “routine” shuttle launch turned into a monumental tragedy that forever altered the course of the Space Shuttle Program, and from which NASA – and the nation – never fully recovered.

• Our Spaceflight Heritage: SPARTAN flies high with STS-72

  Collin SkocikJanuary 11th, 2016

  On Jan. 11, 1996, Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off from NASA's Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on STS-72 – a mission, among other things, that was sent aloft to retrieve a Japanese satellite and return it to Earth.

• Skywalking: Did UFOs visit STS-80 Columbia?

  Tom JonesOctober 10th, 2015

  During the week of April 11, 2011, the FBI released some of its investigation records on UFOs. The reports reflect the reality that people do see unexplained phenomena in the sky. Are these sightings evidence for intelligent life elsewhere, or some secret flight testing program?

• Russian reusable spacecraft ambitions revived

  Tomasz NowakowskiAugust 25th, 2015

  The Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center plans to revive the former Soviet Union’s winged space shuttle program, known as Buran. Started in 1974, Buran was a Soviet reusable spacecraft project undertaken as a response to NASA’s Space Shuttle program.

• Astronaut Steve Swanson leaving NASA

  Jason RhianAugust 14th, 2015

  NASA is poised to lose another member of its Astronaut Corps. Three-time shuttle veteran Steven Swanson joins them, becoming one among many who have opted to leave the agency in the post-shuttle era. His departure marks the fourth experienced astronaut to leave NASA in a month's time.