International Space Station

The first mission by a private company to the International Space Station was aborted before dawn Saturday at Cape Canaveral, Fla., when computers detected an anomaly in one of the rocket's engines and automatically shut down the launch sequence. The countdown forSpace Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, was flawless until about 4:55 a.m. EDT when, at the last second, the rocket engines briefly lit up and then went dark. "Three, two, one, zero and liftoff," announced NASA commentator George Diller before he realized what had happened.

NASA will provide periodic televised coverage of the SpaceX mission to the International Space Station on the Internet. Coverage can be found at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv, now scheduled for: Thursday at 11:30 p.m. PT: Live coverage from NASA's Johnson Space Center mission control in Houston as the Dragon spacecraft performs its flyby of the space station. Friday at 11 p.m. PT: Live coverage of the rendezvous and berthing of the Dragon spacecraft to the space stationcontinuing through the capture and berthing of the Dragon to the station's Harmony node.

Countdown clocks at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral began ticking toward Tuesday's launch of space shuttle Endeavour, which will carry a Japanese lab section and a Canadian-built robot for the International Space Station. Meteorologists predicted a 90% chance conditions would be suitable for the early morning liftoff.

In a pivotal moment for private spaceflight, a towering white rocket lifted into space a cone-shaped capsule headed for a three-day trip carrying cargo to the International Space Station and a tricky rendezvous in outer space this week. The launch Tuesday marked the first time a private company has sent a spacecraft to the space station. On a column of fire, a Falcon 9 rocket - built by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX - carried the unmanned Dragon capsule into space after a 3:44 a.m. EDT launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla. But the launch is just the beginning of the mission, and some of the most challenging tasks lie ahead.

After being rushed in from Russia, a toilet pump was loaded into the space shuttle Discovery on Thursday in time for today's scheduled liftoff to the International Space Station, where the lone commode is acting up. For the last week, the two Russian and one American men have had to periodically manually flush the urine side of the malfunctioning Russian-built toilet. Discovery is scheduled to blast off on a 14-day mission.

Astronauts unfurled the newly installed solar wings at the International Space Station on Friday, a nerve-racking procedure that brought the orbiting outpost to full power. To NASA's relief, both wings went out smoothly, one at a time. Nothing hung up, and none of the panels stuck together like they had on previous panels. The wings stretch more than 240 feet and are the final pair of electricity-generating wings that should boost science research at the station. The work was a highlight of shuttle Discovery's mission.

Discovery's astronauts inspected their ship's wings and nose for any signs of damage after bidding "sayonara" to the International Space Station and heading for home. Shuttle commander Mark Kelly and his crew pulled out Discovery's 100-foot inspection pole and began running its laser sensors over the wings and nose cap, particularly vulnerable areas during reentry. A gashed wing brought down shuttle Columbia in 2003, killing everyone aboard. Images were beamed down to engineers at Cape Canaveral for review.

Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven departed the International Space Station on Friday, ending a 12-day visit that left the orbiting complex with more modern living quarters for bigger crews. Endeavour pulled away as the two spacecraft soared 220 miles above the Pacific, just east of Taiwan. "Thanks for the incredible makeover and leaving the station in fantastic shape," space station skipper Mike Fincke radioed the shuttle crew. Endeavour backed up and completed a lap around the space station, for picture-taking.

Astronauts successfully carried out one last spacewalk, finishing an unprecedented clean and lube job that they began a week ago at the International Space Station. Spacewalker Stephen Bowen wrapped up work on a jammed solar-wing rotary joint as partner Shane Kimbrough squirted extra grease as a precaution on another joint. NASA added a 16th day to space shuttle Endeavour's mission. Managers wanted to give the astronauts more time to fix a machine that's supposed to turn urine into drinking water.

Astronauts got power flowing to the International Space Station's new robot, overcoming a problem that had threatened to disrupt shuttle Endeavour's construction mission. Working from inside, the astronauts used the space station's mechanical arm to grab and energize the sleeping giant, named Dextre, which had been dormant outside the orbiting complex for nearly two days. Electricity quickly began streaming to the robot's joints and electronics, to everyone's relief. "Good news from the flight control room," Mission Control announced in Houston.

The first mission by a private company to the International Space Station was aborted before dawn Saturday at Cape Canaveral, Fla., when computers detected an anomaly in one of the rocket's engines and automatically shut down the launch sequence. The countdown forSpace Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, was flawless until about 4:55 a.m. EDT when, at the last second, the rocket engines briefly lit up and then went dark. "Three, two, one, zero and liftoff," announced NASA commentator George Diller before he realized what had happened.

For the last half-century, space flight has been the domain of the world's superpowers. All that is set to change as soon as Saturday when SpaceX, the private rocket company in Hawthorne, will attempt to launch a spaceship with cargo into orbit and three days later dock it with the International Space Station. If successful, the mission could mean a major shift in the way the U.S. government handles space exploration. Instead of keeping space travel a closely guarded government function, NASA has already begun hiring privately funded start-up companies for spacecraft development and is moving toward eventually outsourcing NASA space missions.

WASHINGTON - After more than 12 years and at least $100 billion in construction costs, NASA leaders say the International Space Station finally is ready to bloom into the robust orbiting laboratory that the agency envisioned more than two decades ago. "The ISS has now entered its intensive research phase," said Bill Gerstenmaier, head of NASA operations and human exploration, in recent testimony to Congress in defense of the roughly $1.5 billion...

The first launch of a private spaceship to the International Space Station has been delayed more than a week, until May 7, so engineers can test hardware and software, as well as review data. Space Exploration Technologies Corp., better known as SpaceX, was slated to launch a craft from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on April 30 in a demonstration flight for NASA. The launch date had already been pushed back several times. "After reviewing our recent progress, it was clear that we needed more time to finish hardware in-the-loop testing and properly review and follow up on all data," SpaceX spokeswoman Kirstin Brost Grantham said in a statement.

The first launch of a private spaceship to the International Space Station has been delayed more than a week so engineers can test hardware and software, as well as review data. Space Exploration Technologies Corp., better known as SpaceX, was slated to blast off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Monday in a demonstration flight for NASA. The launch date, which has been pushed back several times already, is now set for May 7. "After reviewing our recent progress, it was clear that we needed more time to finish hardware-in-the-loop testing and properly review and follow up on all data," SpaceX spokeswoman Kirstin Brost Grantham said in statement.

Expansion-minded rocket venture Space Exploration Technologies Corp. may add a small Texas town on the Gulf of Mexico to its list of rocket launch sites. The Hawthorne company, better known as SpaceX, filed a document with the Federal Aviation Administration saying it was taking its first steps toward establishing a launch pad in Cameron County, Texas. SpaceX already has a launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and is building a launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base, northwest of Santa Barbara.

A pair of space shuttle astronauts floated outside the International Space Station late Saturday to assemble a mechanical maintenance man while crewmates set up equipment inside the first piece of Japan's newly arrived space laboratory. Veteran astronaut Richard Linnehan and rookie partner Michael Foreman left the station's airlock to begin the second of five spacewalks planned during the Endeavour's 16-day spaceflight. "Wow, what an awesome view," said Foreman, making his first spacewalk more than 200 miles over China.

In a pivotal moment for private spaceflight, a towering white rocket lifted into space a cone-shaped capsule headed for a three-day trip carrying cargo to the International Space Station and a tricky rendezvous in outer space this week. The launch Tuesday marked the first time a private company has sent a spacecraft to the space station. On a column of fire, a Falcon 9 rocket - built by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX - carried the unmanned Dragon capsule into space after a 3:44 a.m. EDT launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla. But the launch is just the beginning of the mission, and some of the most challenging tasks lie ahead.

SEATTLE - Amazon.com founder and Chief Executive Jeff Bezos is putting a chunk of his fortune - estimated at $18 billion - toward more out-of-the-box ventures. He created a private aerospace company called Blue Origin in 2000 with an aim to make space travel more affordable, and he's spending millions to build a clock that's supposed to last 10,000 years in the desert wilderness of West Texas. Since 2010, NASA has committed nearly $26 million for Kent, Wash.-based Blue Origin, which is competing with Boeing and two other companies to create a new generation of vehicles that can take U.S. astronauts to the international space station.

Lights out, camera, action? Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers will have the perfect spot to watch Earth Hour unfold around the world Saturday evening from his seat on the International Space Station, about 240 miles above the planet. Kuipers, who has been named an Earth Hour ambassador by the World Wildlife Fund, plans to take photos and videos of the planet as the lights go out and share them online, according to the European Space Agency . Look for Kuipers' real-time coverage from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday on his logbook blog and via tweets from @Astro_Andre . (One caveat: Don't expect to see much if it's foggy or overcast.)