Mystery of Launch Pad 39A Solved. It Was Flawed from the Beginning.
	On May 31, 2008 the Discovery space shuttle was launched into space from the Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in the STS-124 mission destined to deliver the second section of the massive Japanese space laboratory Kibo to the International Space Station. All went well during liftoff and afterwards, although the launch pad was far from OK. A total of 5,300 bricks had been dislodged from the flame trench of the launch pad an ... [read more >>]
	13 June 2008, 06:31GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

ISS Toilet Back in Business
	After the arrival of the space shuttle Discovery at the International Space Station on Monday, astronauts began making preparations for the docking of the new Japanese space module Kibo and for the repair of the faulty toilet that has been haunting the crew of the space station for the last two weeks or so. On Wednesday they opened up the second section of the mammoth laboratory and at the same time finished fixing the only toilet on the s ... [read more >>]
	05 June 2008, 02:52GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Discovery Blasts into Space
	The Discovery space shuttle launched into space on Saturday along with its cargo – consisting of the second section of the Japanese space laboratory Kibo and a toilet pump, among other things – and is expected to arrive and dock at the International Space Station today. The second section of the Kibo space laboratory measures about 11 meters in length, weighs some 14.5 metric tons, cost 2 billion US dollars to build and almost completely f ... [read more >>]
	02 June 2008, 03:45GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

ISS Toilet Broken. Astronauts Have Nowhere to 'Go'
	The only toilet on board the International Space Station allegedly broke last week while in use, when the motor fan suddenly stopped, leaving astronauts with no other option than to use the toilet on board the Soyuz-TMA-12 capsule. The problem is that this particular toilet has limited capacity. Luckily, rescue is at hand, since the space shuttle Discovery is set to launch into space on Saturday, in order to deliver the second section of t ... [read more >>]
	28 May 2008, 09:27GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Alien Life Is Definitely Out There, Astronauts Say
	The crew participating in the STS-123 mission, on board NASA's space shuttle Endeavor – which had the role of carrying the first section of JAXA's space laboratory Kibo along with the Canadian maintenance robot Dextre to the International Space Station – have recently participated in a news conference in Tokyo where they expressed their opinions regarding the possibility of life existing elsewhere except for Earth. & ... [read more >>]
	13 May 2008, 08:32GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

STS-124 Payload Installed in Discovery's Bay
	Discovery space shuttle arrived on May 3 at the launch pad 39A at NASA's Kenned Space Center after being carried with the crawler-transporter from the Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. The shuttle was secured to the launch pad and is now expecting the two rehearsals scheduled to take place between May 6 and May 9. The crew is expected to arrive at the Shuttle Landing Facility today and will make a televised press statement bro ... [read more >>]
	06 May 2008, 08:38GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Discovery Space Shuttle Ready for Assembly
	The Discovery space shuttle currently in preparation for the STS-124 mission to the International Space Station was carried on Saturday to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center were it will be attached to the external liquid fuel tank and the two solid rocket boosters. After that, the space shuttle will spend another week inside the Vehicles Assembly Building in order to undergo the final checkout befo ... [read more >>]
	30 April 2008, 04:07GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Space Shuttle Lands Safely on Second Attempt
	After it had missed the first re-entry attempt due to cloudy weather, the space shuttle Endeavor landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at 8:39 p.m. CDT, in complete darkness, thus ending the mission STS-123. Endeavor was supposed to land at 7:05 p.m. CDT, one hour before sunset; but in the last minute before beginning the re-entry procedure, clouds moved in above Florida. Mission control decided to delay the landing until ... [read more >>]
	27 March 2008, 09:31GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Endeavor Expected to Land Tonight
	After 16 days of intense work in space, the crew of mission STS-123 is expected to return to Earth today and land at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During its 12 days stay at the ISS the space shuttle Endeavor broke yet another record in the build of the space station, with the longest mission ever conducted. The shuttle commanded by Dominic Gorie is scheduled to land at 7:05 p.m. EDT, thus completing the mission in which End ... [read more >>]
	26 March 2008, 10:35GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

STS-123 Mission Over, Endeavor to Return to Earth
	Yesterday the crew of mission STS-123 rested in the first half of the day, then began packing Endeavor for the re-entry and return to Earth, which is scheduled for Wednesday. The space shuttle is to undock from the International Space Station today at 7:56 p.m. ET, thus completing the longest mission in which a space shuttle was docked to the ISS. During the 12-day mission, the crew of Endeavor constructed the Canadian mainte ... [read more >>]
	24 March 2008, 05:23GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Space Robot Dextre Suffers Power Loss
	Upon analyzing the possible object that could have stricken the space shuttle Endeavor during the liftoff on Tuesday, NASA engineers concluded that it could have only been a bird which actually missed the orbiter. The inspection of the Endeavor's thermal shield revealed no problems, thus it is clear for the re-entry scheduled for the 26th of March. Meanwhile, the first spacewalk of the total of five scheduled started with th ... [read more >>]
	14 March 2008, 07:47GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Unidentified Object May Have Hit Endeavor's Nose During Liftoff
	It has been a busy day for the crew of Endeavor, as the inspection of the shuttle's heat shield was completed today, and everything seems to be in order. While they still have a lot to do in preparation for tomorrow's rendezvous with the International Space Station, back here on Earth, NASA has got itself into some kind of a puzzle. Cameras monitoring the launch of the orbiter reveal that about 10 seconds after the ignition of th ... [read more >>]
	12 March 2008, 09:24GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Liftoff, Space Shuttle Endeavor
	No problems for the space shuttle Endeavor as it approached the final countdown. At 2:28 a.m. EDT, the shuttle ignited its engines, cleared the Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center and lifted off through Florida's cloudy sky, to engage in the pursuit of the International Space Station with which Endeavor mush meet up on the 13th of March. Just moments before the engines fired, commander Dominic Gorie said: "God's ... [read more >>]
	11 March 2008, 06:29GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Dextre to Ride Along with Kibo
	Also to be delivered to the International Space Station will be the robot Dextre, a Canadian creation which will give the crew of the ISS the ability to make basic repairs and maintenance outside the station, without the need of conducting risky spacewalks. The Endeavor space shuttle will have the mammoth mission to carry the first section of the massive Kibo science laboratory, more precisely the Japanese Logics Pressurized (JLP) Module, ... [read more >>]
	08 March 2008, 04:54GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Kibo Loaded in Endeavor's Shuttle Bay. Ready for Launch
	The first section of the massive space laboratory Kibo has been loaded into the shuttle bay of the space shuttle in anticipation for the launch scheduled for Tuesday. JAXA's Kibo space laboratory consists of three sections, and once in space, it will be docked to the Harmony module of the International Space Station. NASA meteorologists attribute a chance of 90 percent for launch to the attempt on Tuesday, as a result of the perfect w ... [read more >>]
	08 March 2008, 04:16GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Endeavor Cleared for Liftoff
	The fifth and the final orbiter vehicle of NASA, Endeavor, was cleared yesterday for the liftoff which is scheduled to take place on March 11. It will be the second flight of the space shuttle Endeavor since the Columbia disaster in 2005, which disintegrated during its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. Endeavor has the mission of transporting JAXA's space module Kibo to the International Space Station. The liftoff will ... [read more >>]
	01 March 2008, 05:19GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia