NASA to Launch Ares I-X
Rain and clouds could interfere with Tuesday’s scheduled test flight of NASA’s new rocket, the Ares I-X, a 327-foot tall space ship designed to carry astronauts into orbit on future missions to the International Space Station and possibly to the Moon or even Mars.
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Atlantis Lands in California (May 24)
Bright blue skies provided the backdrop Sunday as space shuttle Atlantis and its crew of seven – including two astronauts from Illinois – glided to a perfect landing in California. After two days of weather delays in Florida, NASA decided to land the shuttle at Edwards Air Force Base. Touchdown at 10:39 a.m. CDT officially ended the successful mission to repair and refurbish the
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Obama Nominates Ex-Astronaut NASA Director (May 23)
President Obama nominated former shuttle commander Charles Bolden Jr. on Saturday to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. If confirmed, the 62-year old would become NASA’s first black administrator and just the second-ever astronaut to lead the agency.
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Hubble Mission Accomplished (May 23)
Thunderstorms delayed the homecoming of Atlantis and its astronauts for a second consecutive day Saturday. Bad weather at the Kennedy Space Center also scrubbed Friday's landing attempt. Despite being stuck in orbit, the STS-125 crew celebrated a mission accompished.
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Atlantis Landing Delayed by Storms (May 22)
Rain and thunderstorms forced NASA to delay Friday’s landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis for at least another day. The seven-member crew, including two astronauts from Illinois, will try to make the return home again on Saturday with the first landing opportunity at 8:16 a.m. CDT.
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Illinois Astronauts Testify at Senate Hearing (May 22)
The crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis, including Scott Altman of Pekin and John Grunsfeld of Chicago, made an appearance Thursday via video hookup from orbit before a Congressional committee on space and science.
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President Obama Phones Shuttle Astronauts (May 20)
President Barack Obama told the astronauts aboard space shuttle Atlantis on Wednesday that they are an example of the dedication and commitment to exploration that represents America.
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Mission to Hubble Moved Up One Day
NASA moved up the launch date of Space Shuttle Atlantis to May 11 after engineers reported being ahead of schedule on processing the orbiter for liftoff. The schedule change will give the space agency an extra launch attempt should bad weather or other problems force some unforeseen delay.
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NASA to name new Space Station Addition
Stephen Colbert is still clinging to hope that NASA will name a new room at the international space station after him. The space agency said it would announce the name of the module Tuesday on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." Astronaut Sunita Williams will appear on the program. The agency held an online contest, letting the public vote on a name.
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Discovery Lands; Illinois Astronauts Return Home (Mar.28)
Discovery descended from orbit and broke through thick clouds before making a successful landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Bellwood-native Lee Archambault guided the shuttle to touchdown at 2:14 p.m. CDT., completing a 13-day mission to the International Space Station to install new solar wings on the orbiting lab.
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Illinois Astronauts Ready for Landing (Mar.28)
The crew of Space Shuttle Discovery, including two astronauts from Illinois, made final preparations for their return to Earth Saturday. NASA cleared the orbiter for landing and predicted favorable weather at the time of touchdown – at 12:39 p.m. CDT at the Kennedy Space Center.
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Discovery Undocks; Crew Headed Home (Mar.25)
With a round of good byes, hugs and handshakes, the crews of Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station bid farewell to each other on Wednesday then closed the hatch and undocked from the orbiting outpost to begin their journey back to Earth. Astronauts from Bellwood and Belleville are among the crew.
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President Obama Chats with Illinois Astronauts (Mar.24)
President Obama extended the reach of the White House into outer space Tuesday when he placed a call to the International Space Station. Astronauts connected with Obama as the orbiting laboratory passed 220 miles above the planet over the southern tip of South America.
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Solar Wings Deployed on ISS (Mar.20)
Astronauts successfully unfurled the newly installed solar wings at the International Space Station on Friday and completed the primary task of the Discovery mission. The new panels will provide the final segment of power generating capability on ISS and clear the way for additional science research and expansion to six member crews later this year.
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Discovery Docks with ISS (Mar.17)
Space shuttle Discovery delivered the fourth and final set of solar wings to the International Space Station on Tuesday following the successful docking of the two spacecraft 220 miles above Australia.
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Suburban Astronaut Rockets into Orbit (Mar.15)
Space shuttle Discovery roared into orbit Sunday following a nearly flawless countdown in the wake of five consecutive delays and nearly a month behind schedule. Under the command of suburban astronaut Lee Archambault, the orbiter lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 6:43 p.m. CDT on a mission to the International Space Station.
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Shuttle Fueling Complete; No Leaks (Mar.15)
Fueling of space shuttle Discovery’s fuel tanks was completed on schedule Sunday with no sign of hydrogen leaks which forced NASA to scrub last Wednesday’s launch. Launch pad repairs apparently resolved the problem and NASA pushed forward with the countdown for launch at 6:43 p.m. CDT.
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Suburban Astronaut to Command Discovery Mission (Mar.14)
Air Force Colonel Lee Archambault describes himself as a “blue collar” astronaut from a working-class Chicago suburb who grew up with a strong work ethic and not afraid to get his hands dirty. On Sunday, the Bellwood-native will make his second trip into space as Commander of Space Shuttle Discovery on a construction mission to the International Space Station.
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NASA Shoots for Sunday Discovery Launch (Mar.14)
Launch pad repairs – if successful – could clear the way for a Sunday evening blastoff of Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission, under the command of a suburban astronaut, had to be scrubbed Wednesday for the fifth time because of leaking hydrogen gas. Engineers continued to troubleshoot the problem and replaced several shuttle components as NASA geared up for launch at 6:43 p.m.
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Suburban Astronaut Arrives at KSC for Shuttle Launch (Mar.8)
The seven crew members for the next space shuttle mission, including an astronaut from suburban Chicago, arrived Sunday at the Kennedy Space Center to begin final preparations for this week’s launch. A short time later, NASA started the official countdown clock leading to the 8:20 p.m. CDT liftoff on Wednesday.
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Discovery Cleared for Launch (Mar.7)
Space Shuttle Discovery has finally been given the green light for launch after being delayed four times because of problems with the orbiter’s engine valves. NASA managers gave the spacecraft a clean bill of health and set liftoff for Wednesday at 8:20 p.m. CDT on a mission that includes two astronauts from Illinois.
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Chicago-area Scientists Have Role in Kepler Mission (Mar.7)
NASA successfully launched the Kepler Telescope Friday night on a voyage to the outer reaches of the Milky Way in search of planets like Earth. Astronomers and mission scientists, two of whom have ties to the Chicago-area, applauded as the spacecraft rocketed into space from Cape Canaveral to begin its 3-1/2 year, $600 million mission.
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Discovery Delay Impacts Illinois Astronauts (Mar.1)
Two Illinois astronauts figure prominently in the next space shuttle mission which has now been delayed a fourth time because of engine valve problems. One astronaut is anxious to get to space while the other patiently awaits her ride home from the International Space Station.
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Chicago Scientist Among NASA Administrator Candidates (Feb.8)
The Obama Administration is reportedly considering several candidates including a veteran shuttle astronaut, America’s first woman in space and a NASA scientist from Chicago to head the nation’s space program. According to reports, the president does have his favorites among the contenders for NASA Administrator.
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President Obama to Decide NASA's Future (Feb.8)
The White House has some big decisions to make soon about the leadership and direction of America’s space agency. In the coming weeks, President Barack Obama must fill the vacant NASA Administrator position and make decisions about the future of the space shuttle program and the International Space Station.
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Columbia Disaster Remembered; Shuttle Future Uncertain (Feb.1)
As the nation marks the sixth anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, questions remain about the future of the space program.
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Mission to ISS and Beyond: Jim Lovell (Jan.20)
As NASA gears up for the next generation of space exploration, lessons from the past are guiding the space agency’s next steps into the future. In this segment of Newsradio 780’s special series “Mission to ISS and Beyond,” the story of a Chicago astronaut and the mission that became known as NASA's successful failure.
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Mission to ISS and Beyond: NASA's New Vision (Jan.18)
With construction of the International Space Station more than half way finished and the retirement of the space shuttle program just a year or so away, the White House has given NASA a new set of marching orders. And the next generation of space exploration could take astronauts back to the Moon, Mars and Beyond.
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Mission to ISS and Beyond-Space Station Overview (Jan.11)
NASA is preparing to launch 2009’s first space shuttle flight to the International Space Station on a mission to deliver the fourth and final set of solar array wings to the orbiting laboratory. In this segment of Newsradio 780's special series "Mission to ISS and Beyond" we take a closer look at ISS and the role it will play in the future of space exploration.
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Spacewalk Repair Boosts Station Power (Jan.30)
Two astronauts pulled off a riskier and trickier-than-usual spacewalk Wednesday, replacing a failed electric motor and giving the international space station a much-needed power boost.
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Astronauts Prepare for Spacewalk (Jan.27)
Chicago-area astronaut Dan Tani made final preparations Sunday to conduct the fifth spacewalk of his current mission to the International Space Station. The Lombard-native will be joined by Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson during Wednesday’s pre-dawn spacewalk to replace a broken motor at the base one of the space station’s giant solar wings.
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NASA Aims for February Atlantis Launch (Jan.11)
NASA began installing a new connector in Atlantis' fuel tank Friday in hopes of launching the space shuttle in early February, two months late. The space agency is aiming for a Feb. 7 launch of the mission to deliver Europe's long-awaited lab, Columbus, to the international space station.
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Astronaut Gives First Interview Since Mother's Death (Dec.31)
In his first interview since the death of his mother earlier this month, astronaut Dan Tani said Monday he is holding-up well aboard the International Space Station but wishes he could be with his family back here on Earth. The astronaut’s elderly mother Rose Tani, 90, was killed Dec. 19 in a train-car crash in the Chicago suburb of Lombard.
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Atlantis Launch Delayed Indefinitely (Dec.28)
NASA managers gave the go-ahead to engineers on Thursday to remove and replace components tied to faulty fuel gauge sensors on space shuttle Atlantis and said a Jan. 10 launch date was no longer achievable. The delay will mean yet another extension for the mission of a Chicago-area astronaut’s aboard the International Space Station.
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Russian Supply Ship Docks at Space Station (Dec.26)
An unmanned Russian cargo ship carrying 2 tons of supplies, including holiday gifts, docked Wednesday at the international space station, officials said. The Progress M-62, which lifted off Sunday from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, docked at the orbiting outpost at 11:14 a.m., Russia's Mission Control spokesman Valery Lyndin said.
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Christmas on ISS (Dec. 25)
Christmas arrived on the International Space Station Tuesday along with more than 6,000 messages from people all around the globe offering holiday greetings to the three astronauts including Lombard-native Dan Tani. The messages offered condolences to Tani following the accidental death of his mother in a train-car crash and helped to brighten the spirits of the crew after a somber week in orbit.
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Astronaut's Mother Mourned at Memorial Service (Dec.24)
Hundreds filled a suburban church Sunday to attend a memorial service for the mother of astronaut Dan Tani who was killed last week in a train-car crash. Mourners remembered Rose Tani, 90, as a woman who survived the U-S interment camps during WorldWar Two, who raised five children alone after the death of her husband and worked in a school cafeteria until the age of 70.
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Memorial Set for Astronaut's Mother (Dec.21)
A memorial service will be held on Sunday for Rose Tani, the mother of suburban astronaut Dan Tani, who was killed earlier this week when her car was struck by a train in Lombard. Two of Tani’s children met with reporters Friday and rememberedthe family matriarch as an active woman who treasured her independence and took life's struggles in stride.
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Grieving Astronaut Back at Work (Dec.20)
An astronaut aboard the international space station went back to work Thursday even as he grieved for his mother, who was killed a day earlier when a train struck her vehicle.
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Astronaut's Mother Killed in Crash (Dec. 19)
Orbiting 200 miles above the planet, International Space Station astronaut Dan Tani learned Wednesday that tragedy had struck on Earth below when his 90 year old mother was killed in a train-car crash near her suburban Chicago home.
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Spacewalkers Inspect Array Problems (Dec.18)
Two astronauts went for spacewalk Tuesday to inspect a pair of malfunctioning mechanisms causing electrical problems on the International Space Station. Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani of Lombard emerged fromthe ISS airlock well before dawn to begin the 100th spacewalk dedicated to space station construction.
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Atlantis Launch Reset to January (Dec.13)
NASA on Thursday postponed the launch of space shuttle Atlantis until Jan. 10 to give engineers extra time to troubleshoot faulty fuel gauge sensors. Mission managers said the new target launch date will also give NASA workers much deserved time off for Christmas.
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Spider Attacks Shuttle (Dec.11)
Science fiction writers could not have scripted it better when what appeared to be a giant spider climbed onto the space shuttle Atlantis on Sunday. The image, captured by a NASA-TV video camera pointed at the shuttle, showed a small spider that somehow made it onto the lens, amplified to monster size proportions.
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NASA Scrubs Atlantis Launch Again (Dec.9)
NASA scrubbed Sunday's launch of space shuttle after technicans discovered yet another malfunctioning fuel gauge sensor on the orbiter's external tank. The discovery came just as ground crews began fueling Atlantis for this afternoon's liftoff, which had been scheduled for 2;21 p.m. Chicago Time. In the wake of yet another scrub, NASA decided to postpone the Atlantis mission until early next year.
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Last Man on Moon Marks Apollo 17 Anniversary (Dec.7)
The “Last Man on the Moon,” Gene Cernan, marked the 35th Anniversary of the Apollo 17 launch on Friday with renewed optimism that he might lose the dubious title before the end of the next decade with NASA’s planned return to the lunar surface before 2020. Cernan, a Chicago native, spoke exclusively with WBBM for Newsradio 780’s special series “Mission to ISS and Beyond."
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Atlantis Countdown Begins Monday (Dec.3)
The countdown clock for the next space shuttle launch was to begin Monday as astronauts and NASA engineers make final preparations for the trip to space. Atlantis stood packed and poised for a 3:31 p.m. CST liftoff on Thursday from the Kennedy SpaceCenter on an 11-day mission to deliver and install another new addition to the International Space Station and to bring suburban astronaut Dan Tani back to Earth.
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Columbus Ready to Sail to ISS (Dec.2)
After 25 years in the making Columbus is finally ready to set sail for the new world but not on the Pinta or Santa Maria and not to explore new lands. The voyage of this Columbus will be aboard Atlantis and the final destination is outer space as the newest exploration and research laboratory on the International Space Station.
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Atlantis Cleared for Launch (Dec. 1)
All systems are “go” for launch of space shuttle Atlantis Thursday on an 11-day mission to deliver and install another new addition to the International Space Station. Atlantis will also ferry a new crew member to ISS and return to Earth with Lombard-native Dan Tani following his nearly two-month tour of duty aboard the space station.
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Space Station Crew Conducts Leak Tests (Dec.1)
Expedition 16 crew members performed leak checks in the passageway that connects the new Harmony module with the rest of the International Space Station after detection of what may be a small air leak.
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Astronauts Complete Final Spacewalk (Nov.24)
A pair of astronauts conducted a third and final spacewalk Saturday to finish wiring the International Space Station’s new Harmony module. ISS Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani of suburban Lombard began working an hour aheadof schedule and successfully completed their spacewalk with time to spare approximately 7 hours and 4 minutes later.
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ISS Crew Celebrates Thanksgiving (Nov.22)
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station sent holiday greetings back to Earth and conducted a cooking demonstration to show off some of the foods included in their Thanksgiving dinner. This marked the 8th consecutive year that Americans have celebrated Thanksgiving aboard ISS.
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