NASA Orion splashdown tests ensure safe landings for astronauts

(Phys.org)—The 18,000-pound test article that mimics the size and weight of NASA's Orion spacecraft crew module recently completed a final series of water impact tests in the Hydro Impact Basin at the agency's Langley Research ...

A canopy of confidence: Orion's parachutes

(Phys.org)—They were perhaps some of the most visible images of the end of each Apollo mission: Giant orange and white parachutes unfurled high above the spacecraft, gently descending toward the ocean. As NASA continues ...

Space race, on a budget, was not how Armstrong saw it

More than 40 years after Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, humans continue to push the frontiers of space exploration but missions are being tempered by costs, a trend that concerned the astronaut.

Russia relishes chances created by end of shuttle

(AP) -- The mothballing of the space shuttle will be mourned by many astronauts, but Russia is relishing the prospect of serving as the only carrier to the International Space Station.

Mars tribute marks memories of Shepard's flight

(PhysOrg.com) -- The team exploring Mars via NASA's Opportunity rover for the past seven years has informally named a Martian crater for the Mercury spacecraft that astronaut Alan Shepard christened Freedom 7. On May 5, 1961, ...

Fly us to the Moon... south pole to be precise

(PhysOrg.com) -- The south polar region of the Moon, with dark craters and high ridges, is a world away from the relatively smooth terrain visited by Apollo astronauts four decades ago. This rugged moonscape is the target ...

X-ray named top achievement by British museum

The X-ray was named the most important modern scientific achievement Wednesday in a poll conducted for Britain's Science Museum, beating Apollo spacecraft and DNA.

LRO Sees Apollo 14's Rocket Booster Impact Site

(PhysOrg.com) -- A distinctive crater about 35 meters (115 feet) in diameter was formed when the Apollo 14 Saturn IVB (upper stage) was intentionally impacted into the moon. The energy of the impact created small tremors ...

School Kids Track LCROSS

Using a colossal radio telescope in the Mojave Desert, school kids around the world are helping NASA track the LCROSS spacecraft as it heads for a crash landing on the Moon.

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