East Texas will never forget February 1, 2003. 20 years ago, a national tragedy unfolded in our backyard and East Texas showed the world what it means to help neighbors in need. East Texas has vowed to never forget the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107 crew. They’ll never forget the 25,000+ volunteers who came from around…
Tag: Spaceflight
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
WATCH: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin speaks at CR Smith Museum
Click here to watch a portion of moon-walking astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s lecture at the CR Smith Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.
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…
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.
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 