Space Shuttle

Science

The Space Shuttle Program Would Have Been 40 Today, Were It Still Around

3:45PM January 6, 2012 | Andrew Tarantola

NASA had been kicking around the idea of a reusable orbiter spacecraft before it even completed the Apollo project. But it took until January 5, 1973 — 40 years ago today — for President Richard Nixon to announce the full-scale development of this iconic spacecraft. More »

Science

Jaw Dropping 360 Degree View Of Space Shuttle Discovery’s Cockpit

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2:15PM July 13, 2011 | Danny Allen

Ever wanted a close up view of a space shuttle’s instrument panel? This amazing 360 degree virtual panorama was taken inside the Discovery’s flight deck during its decommissioning in the Orbiter Processing Facility. More »

Science

Two iPhones Will Be Guests On Last Space Shuttle Mission

4:25PM June 10, 2011 | Kelly Hodgkins

Some companies have all the luck. While Google’s green Android robot sits on the sidelines, Apple gets to send two of its iPhone 4 handsets into space with the Space Shuttle Atlantis. More »

Cameras

Why This Is The Last Photo Ever Taken By This Camera

2:20PM June 10, 2011 | Michael Zhao

Paolo Nespoti, the Italian astronaut who took this photo, left Earth with three, professional-grade Nikon DSLRs worth over $US20,000. He returned with none of them. The images of Endeavor docked to the ISS were his cameras’ last. More »

Science

Now This Is How You Retrieve Two Massive Solid Rocket Boosters From The Ocean!

5:00AM March 20, 2011 | Jack Loftus

I still can’t believe this is the first up-close, high-definition video of NASA retrieving the space shuttle’s two solid rocket boosters (SRBs) form the Atlantic Ocean, and yet it is! The SRBs, in a word, are massive. And they float! More »

Science

Twilight Discovery

11:00AM February 28, 2011 | Jack Loftus

Yesterday, ISS denizen Paolo Nespoli snapped this photo of the space shuttle Discovery on approach to the station. More »

Entertainment

The Best Of The Year In Space

8:20AM December 28, 2010 | Gizmodo Staff

It’s been a big year for the space sciences. The first privately-held spacecraft orbited our world, the blackest material in history was created, researchers expanded the list of possible sources of life threefold; and that was just in December. More »

Science

Video Of The First Military Shuttle Landing

12:00PM December 4, 2010 | Jesus Diaz

newVideoPlayer( {"type":"video","player":"http://www.youtube.com/v/48sZrAmhMG8&hl=en&fs=1&hd=1","customParams":[] ,"width":500,"height":332.5,"ratio":0.615,"flashData":"","embedName":null,"objectId":null,"noEmbed":false,"source":"youtube","wrap":true,"agegate":false} ); Watch as X-37B—the unmanned military space shuttle operated by the U.S. Air Force—zooms through a runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in fantastic FLIR thermal-o-vision. Then, watch USAF people take care of it in special suits. More »

Cameras

"Here’s A View You Don’t See Every Day"

9:20AM November 11, 2010 | Jesus Diaz

Whoever is responsible for the Kennedy Space Center’s Twitter account just posted this impressive picture. “Here’s a view you don’t see every day,” he or she says. Indeed. This is the first time I’ve seen a photo like this. [Twitpic] More »

Cars

First Images Of The Space Shuttle Fuel Tank Crack

2:20PM November 10, 2010 | Jesus Diaz

NASA is now evaluating the external fuel tank crack that caused the cancellation of the Space Shuttle Discovery launch last week. These are the first pictures of the 20-inch fissure, which was the origin of the fuel leak. More »