News Archive / Tagged: Space Shuttle

• Insider Interview: From Shuttle to Shuttle an interview with Steve Lindsey – Part 2

  Jason RhianJune 17th, 2015

  In this second part of our interview with former NASA astronaut Steve Lindsey, SpaceFlight Insider delves deeper into what it was that made his decision to leave NASA and to join Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser program, what it was like to discover that Dream Chaser was not selected to continue under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and what […]

• Nicole Stott retires from NASA after 27 years of service

  Joe LatrellJune 5th, 2015

  Astronaut Nicole Passonno Stott, a 27 year veteran with NASA, is retiring from the space agency. Stott flew two space missions to the International Space Station (ISS ) including a long-duration stay on board the orbiting lab. Stott will now be pursuing a career as a full-time artist. She also plans to be an advocate for science, […]

• Our SpaceFlight Heritage: A life of exploration and discovery – Remembering Sally Ride

  Gregory CecilMay 26th, 2015

  Today, May 26, 2015, would have been U.S. astronaut Sally Ride’s 64th birthday. Although Ride is mainly known for her tenure as an astronaut, Ride was much more than just the first U.S. woman to venture into the blackness of space. Her legacy is something that we at SpaceFlight Insider wanted to provide a review […]

• Women in Space: Dr. Anna Fisher, one of the ‘Original Six’

  J.D. TaylorApril 30th, 2015

  SpaceFlight Insider and USA in Space recently had a chance to interview U.S. astronaut Dr. Anna Lee Tingle Fisher. In 1978, Dr. Fisher was in the first group of six women ever selected to be American astronauts. Prior to 1978, women were not allowed into NASA’s Astronaut Training Program. In fact, the only woman to have […]

• Women in Space: Nicole Stott – More than 100 Days on orbit

  J.D. TaylorApril 29th, 2015

  We interviewed Dr. Nicole Marie Passonno Stott, an American engineer and a NASA astronaut with more than 100 days of space experience. Dr. Stott joined NASA in 1988, as an Operations Engineer in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. In July of 2000, she was selected as a mission […]

• Can I go back? An interview with veteran NASA astronaut Brian Duffy

  Tomasz NowakowskiApril 7th, 2015

  Space is always on the mind of veteran NASA astronaut Brian Duffy’s mind. One of the key figures working at aerospace giant Orbital ATK and a former Space Shuttle commander to boot – Duffy wants to travel once more into the black of space. The enthusiasm that emanated from him during a recent interview, all of it focused toward […]

• REVIEW: “Journey to Space” debuts at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

  Jason RhianMarch 22nd, 2015

  KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla — Sometimes we forget. That simple statement played out again and again in my mind as I watched – Journey To Space. This new documentary details the close of the shuttle era, the interim period that we currently find ourselves in as well as the possible future we might have in store for […]

• Our SpaceFlight Heritage: The 33rd Anniversary of the launch of STS-3

  Gregory CecilMarch 22nd, 2015

  On March 22, 1982, Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off for her third mission (STS-3 ) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. On board were Commander Jack Lousma and Pilot C. Gordon Fullerton. Their mission included testing the orbiter’s Remote Manipulator System (RMS) – also known as the “Canadarm” – conduct thermal testing on […]

• Historic Mate-Demate Device demolished at KSC as part of center upgrades

  Collin SkocikFebruary 8th, 2015

  NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is undergoing renovations to transform it into a multi-user spaceport. In the process, many of the historic buildings will be demolished and replaced with more efficient alternatives. One of Space Shuttle Program’s more iconic elements, the Mate-Demate Device (MDD), was demolished in late 2014 so that the facility could […]

• Reflections: The Astronaut Beach House

  Jason RhianJanuary 25th, 2015

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — It is perhaps one of the least-covered (in terms of the press) components of astronaut “life” at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and the adjacent Kennedy Space Center – the Astronaut Beach House. However, just going to the historic site, really does not allow one to get a feel for the true background, the […]

• Our SpaceFlight Heritage: Hail Columbia – Personal reflections on the loss of STS-107

  Jason RhianJanuary 18th, 2015

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — From time-to-time I am asked why I left a good-paying (if not safe) job and entered college at the ripe old age of 30 – and in so doing embarked on a path toward a very uncertain future. The simple answer is because of Columbia, STS-107. Space has always inspired me, however, as […]

• REVIEW: Infinite Worlds – capturing a historic moment in time

  Jason RhianNovember 9th, 2014

  KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla — Many books that detail the people and machines that make spaceflight, especially those dealing predominantly with photography, detail events – in very broad strokes. On some occasions, however, the focus becomes far narrower – such is the case with, Infinite Worlds: The People and Places of Space Exploration, a book […]

• Our Spaceflight Heritage: STS-115

  Heather SmithSeptember 9th, 2014

  On September 9, 2006, the STS-115 crew of space shuttle Atlantis launched at 11:15 a.m EDT (1515 GMT) from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39 in Florida. Led by Commander Brent Jett and Pilot Chris Ferguson, the mission included the addition of the P3/P4 truss structure. After the  two return to flight missions of STS-114 and STS-121, the STS-115 was a return to major assembly of the […]

• OPINION: Tone down the political rhetoric around space issues

  Collin SkocikSeptember 7th, 2014

  The partisan divide in America is deep and frightening. There seems to be little, if any civil discourse between the two prevailing political ideologies of the day—liberal and conservative. And since President Obama canceled the Constellation Program, many on the right have attempted to claim the space platform as their own.

• OPINION: What will it take to reignite U.S. interest in space?

  Collin SkocikSeptember 1st, 2014

  Few would dispute that NASA has been in turmoil since President Obama canceled the Constellation Program in 2010, or at least in a state of declining activity. Faced with a vague and undefined mission, inadequate funding, poor leadership, and mounting political tension with Russian, the country that’s providing astronauts with transportation to and from the International […]