Soyuz Problems Traced to Faulty Separation Bolts
	As we already know, the last two Soyuz capsules used to return astronauts from the International Space Station executed 'ballistic' re-entries into Earth's atmosphere during descent, possibly endangering the lives of the crew they were carrying. As it turns out, both ships may have suffered from the same glitch that is possibly also plaguing the Soyuz-TMA-12 spacecraft now stationed at the ISS, expected to return the crew of ... [read more >>]
	26 May 2008, 07:09GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

NASA Finally Shows Some Concern Regarding the Soyuz Landings
	Although one month has passed since the return of the Soyuz TMA-11 capsule, carrying on board the crew of the International Space Station's Expedition 16, NASA is just starting to contest the capabilities of the Russian spacecrafts. As you probably already know, the Soyuz TMA-11 returned to Earth on April 19, after a 'ballistic re-entry' which landed it some 475 kilometers away from the designated spot. It was the second tim ... [read more >>]
	19 May 2008, 04:56GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Experimental Data Recovered from Columbia Disaster Hard Drive
	On the 1st of February 2003, the space shuttle Columbia re-entered Earth's atmosphere while severely damaged to the left wing. The intense heat generated by the friction with the air eventually weakened the structural integrity of the vehicle and determined its disintegration, killing the crew of seven it was carrying on board. Most of the pieces which resulted in the breakup burned over the sky of Texas, while some reached ... [read more >>]
	10 May 2008, 04:26GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Soyuz Glitch Not a Threat, says NASA
	Last Saturday, the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft carrying the crew of Expedition 16 back to Earth experienced a 'ballistic' re-entry into Earth atmosphere, thus subjecting the crew to forces up to 10 G and putting their lives in serious jeopardy. It was a bumpy ride, one might say, and the second in a row with a Soyuz capsule. Although the problem remains partly unknown and might have been determined by an electrical short ci ... [read more >>]
	23 April 2008, 03:45GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Soyuz Spacecraft Lands off Target. Crew is Safe Though
	Due to a slight glitch, the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft carrying the crew of Expedition 17 back to Earth landed way off target, several hundred miles away from the scheduled landing site. Although experiencing the action of severe G-forces, the crew is said to be safe and do not suffer any permanent medical problems, albeit Russian medical staff gave no details of their condition. Upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere, the Soyuz spacecr ... [read more >>]
	21 April 2008, 03:02GMT | (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

Orion Capsule Heat Shield Delivered to NASA
	We all know how valuable heat shields are while making re-entries into Earth's atmosphere, the Columbia space shuttle disaster stands as testimony for the importance of such hardware, as a hole only about 30 centimeters in diameter brought down a 3.6 ton behemoth of a spacecraft, killing seven in the process. In fact, the heat shields of the U.S. space shuttles are rather weak in comparison with those of the new Orion space capsules w ... [read more >>]
	03 March 2008, 05:57GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Bent Hose Problem Will Not Delay Atlantis
	Last week NASA confronted another possible problem that could have set back the launch of Atlantis even further. During a routine inspection of the shuttle that is supposed to take the European module Columbus to the International Space Station, engineers discovered that one of the hoses used to carry Freon coolant to one of the shuttle's heat radiation was severely bent out of its shape. Other coolant hoses had been retract ... [read more >>]
	04 February 2008, 06:38GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

US Spy Satellite Most Likely to Fall in North America
	On Tuesday, the U.S. military warned that a large spy satellite owned by the U.S. has lost power, is decaying its orbit and will most likely hit the Earth in the next two months or so. USA 193's size suggests that, as it will re-enter the atmosphere, it will not burn completely and some parts may end up of the surface almost intact. The situation is a double edged sword if I may, as it is not clear yet where the satellite wi ... [read more >>]
	30 January 2008, 02:57GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Large U.S. Satellite Loses Power and Threatens Earth with Collision
	The U.S. officials were very evasive in their press statement released on Saturday, which could be related to the fact that the giant orbiter is a spy satellite. It is unclear when the satellite lost power or when and where it will hit the Earth. What is known is that it cannot be controlled anymore, is quickly decaying orbit and may spread a series of hazardous materials in the atmosphere during the re-entry. The U.S. government ... [read more >>]
	28 January 2008, 02:47GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia