As powerful storms produced tornadoes in East Texas last week, a special device was tracking lightning data from the International Space Station, flying 250 miles overhead. On Tuesday, December 13, a National Weather Service survey determined an EF2 tornado with peak winds of 115 mph touched down in northern Panola County around 3:30 p.m., traveling…
Tag: space
NASA conducts critical dress rehearsal for new moon rocket
NASA is taking a big step toward returning humans to the surface of Moon. Monday, the space agency conducted a “wet test” dress rehearsal for its new SLS, or Space Launch System, moon rocket and Orion spacecraft. This was expected to be a final test before the launch of the Artemis I demonstration mission later…
WATCH: Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy 18th anniversary coverage
Click here to watch my reports from the ‘Remembering Columbia’ NASA Museum.
Hemphill museum to commemorate 18th anniversary of Shuttle Columbia tragedy
The Hemphill museum dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Space Shuttle Columbia will host its annual memorial service on Monday, the 18th anniversary of the tragedy that trust East Texas into international headlines. On the morning of February 1, 2003, the orbiter broke apart in the skies over East Texas, just minutes before Columbia’s…
NASA closer to locating small leak in International Space Station after months-long search
NASA has isolated a persistent air leak in the International Space Station to the main work area of the Zvezda Service Module, the space agency announced Tuesday. For months, the Expedition 63 crew and ground teams have been analyzing data to locate the precise source of an increased air leak at the orbiting complex. Monday…
Astronauts emerge from shelter after ‘avoidance maneuver’ successful
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have emerged from their ‘safe haven’ after taking shelter inside their Soyuz spacecraft as an unknown piece of space debris approached the orbiting outpost. According to NASA, the object was expected to pass within .8 of a mile of the space station Tuesday afternoon. Around 4:19 p.m., the Russian…
Spacecraft to be named for astronaut who died in 2003 space shuttle tragedy
A spacecraft set to launch later this month will be named for a pioneer astronaut who died in the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy in East Texas. Northrop Grumman announced its un-crewed NG-14 Cygnus spacecraft will be named for Kalpana Chawla, a NASA astronaut assigned to Shuttle Columbia’s ill-fated final mission. “It is the company’s…
East Texas NASA facility to play key role in football stadium-sized balloon mission to study stars
One of NASA’s next missions to study the origins of stars will feature a record-breaking telescope hoisted by a football stadium-sized balloon and the space agency is relying on an East Texas facility to make sure it gets off the ground. The Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for High Spectral Resolution Observations at Submillimeter-wavelengths, or ASTHROS, is…
NASA shifts space agency to telework after workers test positive for COVID-19
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,”…
Retired NASA astronaut reflects on two Shuttle missions, future of human spaceflight
Two visits to low Earth orbit have forever changed the outlook on life for former NASA astronaut Byron Lichtenberg. Even though he’s now retired form the space agency’s astronaut corps, he’s still using those experiences to inspire the next generation of aerospace professionals. As a professor at LeTourneau University, he’s currently working with students to…
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…
East Texas students to make radio call to NASA astronauts aboard space station
This month students from Huntington High School will have a rare opportunity to chat directly with the crew of the International Space Station. Seven students who have obtained their Amateur Radio or “ham” licenses from the Federal Communications Commission will participate in the event with astronauts in space. After submitting a proposal to Amateur Radio…
My Instagram Top 10: Give me some Space
Among the hundreds of photos populating my Instagram feed are plenty featuring one of my biggest passions — human spaceflight.
WATCH: China’s defunct Tiangong 1 space station hurtles toward uncontrolled reentry
China’s first orbiting outpost, the Tiangong 1 space station, is hurtling toward an uncontrolled re-entry in the Earth’s atmosphere. Lane Luckie appeared on KLTV’s streaming newscast, East Texas Now, to explain what will happen over the next few days.
Commander’s widow shares journey of faith on 15th anniversary of Shuttle Columbia tragedy
This month marks 15 years since the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart over East Texas. The widow of the Columbia’s commander is sharing how that tragedy turned into a test of faith for her family. While enduring the loss of a spouse wasn’t easy, Evelyn Husband-Thompson says she has been able to find healing comfort…
Totality! Solar eclipse provides show in the sky
For the first time in decades, a solar eclipse was visible to millions of people in the United States. Across the country and here in East Texas people were looking to the sky with special lenses to catch a glimpse of the moon passing between the Earth and the Sun. East Texas was expected to…
E. Texas high school experiment rocketing to International Space Station
A SpaceX rocket carrying an East Texas high school’s science project is heading to the International Space Station. An experiment created by Bullard High School students was launched Tuesday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. 6,400 pounds of science experiments, supplies, and equipment were launched aboard the SpaceX CRS-12, a commercial…
Astronaut carries friends’ wedding rings to Space
This Summer a special couple will receive a wedding gift that’s truly out of this world. European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who has been aboard the International Space Station since November, posted photo to social media of two wedding rings floating in micro gravity. The flight engineer from France tweeted that he carried in…
Police: Rocket debris washes ashore on Texas beach
Debris that washed ashore along the south Texas coast has been identified as part of a rocket, according to law enforcement. A police officer made the discovery last week while investigating a report of possible airplane or boat debris being found at a Brazoria County beach. The large rectangular object is believed to be debris…
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…
WATCH: Pre-launch interview with NASA astronaut Kate Rubins
Click here to watch my interview with NASA astronaut Kate Rubins before the launch of Expedition 48/49 to the International Space Station.
New spacecraft named after astronaut killed in E. Texas space shuttle tragedy
The next cargo spacecraft to launch to the International Space Station will bear the name of an American astronaut killed in the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy over East Texas. An Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo resupply spacecraft bearing the name S.S. Rick Husband will launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida on March 22. Husband served as commander of…
Shuttle Columbia debris collected in E. Texas goes on public display for first time
A new exhibit at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida memorializes the Space Shuttle Columbia, which broke apart over East Texas in 2003. The 2,000 square foot exhibit, housed at the Space Center’s visitor complex, features the personal effects of crew members and recovered shuttle hardware from both the ill-fated Columbia tragedy and the 1986…
WATCH: Orion spacecraft’s first test flight
Click here for my live coverage of the test flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft, launching atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket.
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,…
Next-gen NASA spacecraft to visit E. Texas on cross-country road trip
A test version of the Orion capsule left NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia early Thursday on the bed of an 18-wheeler, headed for California. The four-week road trip will make stops in Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before an early January arrival in San Diego, California. A map showing the convoy’s…
WATCH: East Texans mark 10 years since Shuttle Columbia tragedy
Click here for my coverage of the 10th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy and recovery effort.
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. Hundreds crowded along the…
Lane Luckie 