Space
SpaceX launches billionaire on first private spacewalk mission
The Falcon 9 crew is shooting for an orbit far beyond the International Space Station — an altitude of 1400 kilometres, which surpasses the record set by NASA’s Project Gemini in 1966.
- by Marcia Dunn
Latest
Starliner’s troubled space capsule begins to emit ‘strange’ noises
Last week, NASA officials deemed issues with Starliner’s propulsion system too risky to bring its first crew home as planned, dealing a major blow to Boeing’s struggling space program.
- by Chris Zappone
What AI can learn from the history of the moon landing
In this extract from her book AI Needs You, Verity Harding delves into the motivation of artificial intelligence.
Space headache: Astronauts’ plight piles pressure on Starliner program
NASA deemed the capsule’s troublesome thrusters unsafe for the return journey for two astronauts, creating the latest humiliation for Boeing at the hands of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
- by Joey Roulette
A billionaire adventurer returns to space, this time on a riskier mission
The mission, named Polaris Dawn, hearkens back to the earliest era of space flight, the 1960s, when pioneers pushed the boundaries of what had been accomplished in space
- by Kenneth Chang
Astronauts who went to space for a week stranded for eight months
The astronauts have been stuck at the International Space Station since the beginning of June – and will spend more months in space before returning to Earth.
- by Marcia Dunn
They went to space for eight days, are now stuck indefinitely, but don’t call them ‘stranded’
NASA now faces a difficult decision within the next week or so about the safest way to bring two US astronauts back to Earth.
- by Kenneth Chang
Chinese space rocket’s accidental take-off results in fiery conclusion
Falling rocket debris in China after launches is not unheard of, but it is very rare for part of a rocket under development to make an unplanned flight.
Russian satellite breaks up in space, forcing ISS astronauts to shelter in capsules
Astronomers said they didn’t believe the Russians would have blown up their own satellite. However one remarked, “but, with the Russians these days, who knows.”
- by Joey Roulette
An eight-day trip to space has gone wrong. Two astronauts are stuck indefinitely
Boeing and NASA warned that because this was a test flight to and from the International Space Station, everything might not go perfectly. It hasn’t gone perfectly.
- by Christian Davenport