NASA’s administrator has ordered the space agency’s employees and contractors to telework after a limited number of workers tested positive for COVID-19. “Although a limited amount of employees have tested positive for COVID-19, it is imperative that we take this pre-emptive step to thwart further spreading of the virus among the workforce and our communities,”…
Tag: Johnson Space Center
Meet the Class: NASA’s newest astronauts could be assigned to Moon, Mars missions
NASA welcomed a new class of astronauts to its active roster Friday, marking the first time the space agency has held a public graduation ceremony. The class, selected in 2017, includes 11 NASA astronauts and two from the Canadian Space Agency. They join a corps of 35 others who are now eligible for assignment on…
Frenchie’s Italian Cuisine: A slice of American space program history
As the more than one million visitors pass through the gates of Space Center Houston at NASA’s Johnson Space Center each year, few are aware they’re missing out on an essential stop that’s not on the tour. Three-quarters of a mile away, in a nondescript strip mall in Clear Lake City, Texas, the story of…
Legendary NASA flight director Gene Kranz discusses Apollo 11, courage under fire
Hundreds of thousands of men and women made contributions to the success of the Apollo moon missions, but Friday night a crowded room listened to every word spoken by someone who never left Earth. Gene Kranz served as flight director during Apollo 11, leading operations inside Mission Control. He delivered a keynote to a theater…
WATCH: Apollo 11 moon mission 50th anniversary coverage
Click here to watch my reports from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA opens $5M Apollo mission control room restoration for public tours
As the country marks 50 years since the history-making Apollo 11 moon landing, visitors to Space Center Houston are getting an inside look at the landmark that helped make the ‘giant leap’ possible. Three weeks ago, NASA and Space Center Houston unveiled a $5 million dollar renovation of Mission Operations Control Room 2, which was…
A pioneer of spaceflight, Ellen Ochoa set to retire from NASA
After a 30-year career with NASA, Dr. Ellen Ochoa is retiring as director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston at the end of May. On Thursday, May 17, I had the great privilege of attending the retirement celebration for the administrator, engineer, and astronaut. Listening to former crew mates, NASA colleagues, and family friends…
Soccer ball recovered from Shuttle Challenger wreckage reaches space three decades later
A soccer ball that was to be carried to space by the ill-fated Space Shuttle Challenger has finally reached its destination, 31 years later. Prior to the January 28, 1986 launch, the ball was presented to NASA astronaut Ellison Onizuka by soccer players, including his daughter, from Clear Lake High School. Onizuka was one of…
‘Virus hunter’ astronaut shares details of science mission to Space Station
In July, a self-proclaimed ‘virus hunter’ astronaut will launch aboard a Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station, embarking on a four month, science-intensive assignment to the orbiting laboratory. NASA’s Kate Rubins is counting down the days until the scheduled July 6 launch of Expedition 48/49, which will be the first spaceflight for the molecular…
NASA unveils flashy, futuristic new look for spacesuit prototype
NASA is ready to unveil the design of their next-generation spacesuit prototype. Wednesday, the space agency will reveal the winner of a contest on their website put the decision to a public vote. The futuristic Z-2 suit will make future missions possible to asteroids or the surface of other planets. Some of the improvements under…
Online contest will pick NASA’s futuristic new spacesuit design
NASA is leaving the design of their next-generation spacesuit prototype up to the public. A contest on the space agency’s website puts three designs up for a vote, with a fully-functional model to be built by November. The NASA Z-2 suit is a follow up to the Z-1, which Time Magazine named ‘one of the best inventions…
NASA spacesuit designer reveals changes to new ‘pumpkin suit’
NASA’s aging stock of spacesuits is coming under great scrutiny as the space agency investigates the near-drowning of an astronaut. Wednesday, an investigation board released its report on the July 2013 incident involving a water leak in Italian astronaut’s Luca Parmitano’s helmet. More than a liter of liquid pooled around Parmitano’s eyes, nose and ears,…
‘Name the Shuttle’ contest gives Texans chance to name space history icon
Texans now have the opportunity to name a high-fidelity replica of a NASA Space Shuttle, the centerpiece of a new attraction set to open in Houston. In early 2015, Space Center Houston will unveil an exhibit featuring the Shuttle replica seated atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, the Boeing 747 jumbo jet that ferried…
Texas lands massive piece of Space Shuttle history
Space Center Houston is adding a “jumbo” piece of space history to its already impressive fleet of retired spacecraft and aerospace vehicles. Thursday, NASA announced the transfer of ownership of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, to the official visitor’s center of the Johnson Space Center. The SCA, one of two modified Boeing 747 jumbo…
Communication restored to International Space Station after computer glitch
Communication has been restored to the International Space Station after a computer glitch Tuesday morning left crew members unable to reach ground controllers for more than two hours. Around 8:45 a.m. Central Time, the ISS lost contact with Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas, according to a NASA news release. By…
10 years after Shuttle Columbia tragedy, E. Texas museum preserves crew’s legacy
10 years have passed since East Texas was thrust into the national spotlight after Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart on re-entry over the Piney Woods. Obviously, it’s an emotional time for the families of the seven brave astronauts, but the small town of Hemphill is reflecting on their very deep and personal connection to the tragedy….
WATCH: Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final ferried flight
Click here for my coverage of the final ferried flight of Shuttle Endeavour from Florida to California.
Houston’s new space shuttle replica arrives by sea
After its hopes of landing a retired Space Shuttle were scrapped, Houston is now home to the next-closest thing — a full-size replica. Friday marked the end to an 8-day voyage across the Gulf of Mexico for the orbiter mock-up that had previously welcomed visitors to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A full-size shuttle replica…
Lane Luckie 