Obama, NASA, private space ventures: Steady the course?

The Obama Administration has recommended commercial ventures to ferry astronauts back and forth between Earth and low-Earth orbit. Can it work? Will it succeed? What if this course of action fails?
 

NASA boss says: Let's go to Mars

NASA administrator Charles Bolden said that walking on the planet Mars by the 2030s is a good possibility if NASA is given a "reasonable and sustained" budget—and if they use that money wisely.
 

NASA's Endeavour prepares to launch for next-to-last time

The space shuttle Endeavour is being prepared for its next-to-last mission into space. Only four other NASA missions of its Space Shuttle fleet remain in the Space Transportation System (STS) program—which is scheduled to end in September 2010.
 

Vote for your favorite NASA accomplishment in 2009

The NASA website "What Do You Think?" features numerous accomplishments made by the U.S. space agency NASA in 2009 in order to help all peoples of Earth to learn more about our world and the worlds of our Solar System and the Universe. What do you think is the top accomplishment?
 

WISE lifts off to map infrared universe

The NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) lifted off Monday morning, December 14, 2009, from its California launch pad for its six-month mission to make a detailed survey of the universe in the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum of radiation.
 

Rover Spirit gets bogged down but finds steam-formed sulfates

The NASA Mars Exploration Rover Spirit was driving across a crusty surface on Mars one day when it fell through and got stuck. When it tried to drive out its wheels flew up some soft soil under the crust. What it found scientists call "supremely interesting"!
 

White House commission says: Redo Ares, Keep Space Station!

For many months members of the Augustine Commission have been studying the various options available to the United States with respect to its NASA manned space program. Among its conclusions is that under the current NASA budget, the U.S. space agency will not be able to complete its future goals on a timely basis.
 

Moon plume occurred: Only 1 mile high

At first, spectators and NASA scientists were disappointed that a debris plume was not visible as the LCROSS spacecraft imaged its Centaur rocket impacting the Cabeus crater on the Moon. However, now, enhanced crash images show a 1-mile high plume did occur—much shorter than the 12-mile plume predicted.
 

Senate confirms Bolden as new NASA administrator

Charles Frank Bolden, Jr. was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, July 15, 2009, as the new NASA head. He becomes the twelfth administrator of the U.S. space agency the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
 

Space Station study to help your heart on Earth

Muscles deteriorate in space, including the heart muscle. Because bones and muscles must be exercised even more in space than on Earth to keep them in tip-top shape, NASA is beginning a comprehensive study called Integrated Cardiovascular that hopes to find out more about how to counteract impaired heart function, both in space and here on Earth.