Page 5 - Astronauts

Nasa calls off a spacewalk after astronaut's suit observes water leakage

This is the second time Nasa has called off the spacewalk, after one had to be postponed when an astronaut reported discomfort in the spacesuit earlier this month

Sunita Williams stuck in space: After launch, Starliner's return delayed

Everything you need to know about Sunita Williams' space mission, Boeing Starliner setbacks and delays

Nasa erringly broadcasts simulation of stressed astronauts on space station

A female voice asks crew members to 'get commander back in his suit', check his pulse and provide him with oxygen, later saying his prognosis was 'tenuous'

Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore test unique Starliner piloting capability

On the way to the International Space Station aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams and her colleague Butch Wilmore tested out a unique capability of the spacecraft on orbit manual piloting. Williams flew to space for the third time on Wednesday along with Wilmore, scripting history as the first members aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on a 25-hour flight to the International Space Station (ISS). Williams, 58, is the pilot for the flight test while Wilmore, 61, is the commander of the mission. Although the spacecraft is usually autonomous, the crew used the hand controller to point and aim the spacecraft during about two hours of free-flight demonstrations. During a far-field demo, they pointed Starliner's nose toward the Earth so that its communications antenna on the back of the Service Module was pointed at the Tracking and Data Relay satellites. They then moved the Starliner so that its solar array pointed at the sun to show they cou

Boeing's first astronaut flight called off due to last minute issues

A last-minute problem nixed Saturday's launch attempt for Boeing's first astronaut flight, the latest in a string of delays over the years. Two NASA astronauts were strapped in the company's Starliner capsule when the countdown automatically was halted at 3 minutes and 50 seconds by the computer system that controls the final minutes before liftoff. With only a split second to take off, there was no time to work the latest trouble and everything was called off. It was not immediately clear why the computers aborted the countdown. Launch controllers were evaluating the data, said United Launch Alliance's Dillon Rice. But it's possible the team could try again as soon as Sunday, depending on what went wrong. Technicians raced to the pad to help astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams out of the capsule atop the fully fuelled Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Within an hour of the launch abort, the hatch was reopened. It was the second launch attempt. The first

Last minute issue halts launch of Boeing's first astronaut flight

Boeing took another crack Saturday at launching astronauts for the first time aboard its new space capsule, after a delay for leak checks and rocket repairs. The company's Starliner capsule was due to rocket away at midday with a pair of test pilots to the International Space Station for a weeklong stay. The test drive should have happened years ago. But problems kept piling up, most recently a leak that went unnoticed until the first launch attempt with a crew in early May. NASA wants a backup to SpaceX, which has been flying astronauts for four years. United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket is providing the lift from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Nasa to soon provide advanced training to Indian astronauts: Garcetti

NASA will soon provide advanced training to Indian astronauts, with the goal of mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station, a top American diplomat said Friday.? US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti made these remarks while speaking at the "US-India Commercial Space Conference: Unlocking Opportunities for US & Indian Space Startups," hosted by the US-India Business Council (USIBC) and the US Commercial Service (USCS) in Bangalore. NASA will soon provide advanced training to Indian astronauts, with the goal of mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station, hopefully, this year or shortly thereafter, which was one of the promises of our leaders' visit together. And soon we will launch the NISAR satellite from ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Center to monitor all resources, including ecosystems, the Earth's surface, natural hazards, sea level rise, and the cryosphere, Garcetti said, according to a USIBC press statement issued here. You see whether it's the ...

Mission is to push Indians to see Majestic Blue Ball: Gopichand Thotakura

Thotakura discusses his aspirations for an orbital space journey to see India from the space, collaborating with an Indian space startup, and becoming an inspiration for many in the future

First African American astronaut goes to space 60 yrs later on Bezos rocket

America's first Black astronaut candidate finally rocketed into space 60 years later, flying with Jeff Bezos' rocket company on Sunday. Ed Dwight was an Air Force pilot when President John F Kennedy championed him as a candidate for NASA's early astronaut corps. But he wasn't picked for the 1963 class. Dwight, now 90, got to experience a few minutes of weightlessness with five other passengers aboard the Blue Origin capsule as it skimmed space. Launch officials said all of the astronauts were well shortly after the capsule parachuted down after a flight of roughly 10 minutes. The brief flight from West Texas made Dwight the new record-holder for oldest person in space nearly two months older than Star Trek actor William Shatner was when he went up in 2021. It was Blue Origin's first crew launch in nearly two years. The company was grounded following a 2022 accident in which the booster came crashing down but the capsule full of experiments safely parachuted to the ground. Flights

Boeing delays first astronaut launch for week to replace faulty valve

Boeing's first astronaut launch is off until late next week because of a bad valve in the rocket that needs to be replaced. The countdown was halted Monday night after a pressure-relief valve in the Atlas V rocket's upper stage opened and closed so quickly and so many times that it created a loud buzz. Engineers for United Launch Alliance determined Tuesday that the valve has exceeded its design limit and must now be removed, pushing liftoff to no earlier than May 17. The NASA astronauts assigned to the Starliner capsule's test flight to the International Space Station Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will remain at Cape Canaveral. Starliner's first crew flight already is years behind schedule because of a multitude of capsule problems.

Explained: Why Sunita Williams' Boeing Starliner flight got postponed?

The Boeing Starliner's lift-off, which was to take astronaut Sunita Williams to space for a third time, has been postponed due to a technical glitch.

Astronaut Sunita Williams set to fly into space for third time on Tuesday

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams is ready to fly into space for the third time on Tuesday as the pilot aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft in its the first crewed test flight. Boeing's Starliner will blast off for the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Starliner will carry Williams, 58, and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station, marking what could be a momentous and long-awaited victory for the beleaguered Boeing programme. The scheduled lift-off is set for 22:34 local time on Monday (8:04 am IST on Tuesday) "We are all here because we are all ready. Our friends and family have heard about it and we've talked about it and they are happy and proud that we are part of the process to fix it all," the BBC quoted Williams as saying The mission has been delayed for several years because of setbacks in the spacecraft's development. If it is successful, it will become the second private firm able to provide crew transport to and from the ISS,

Boeing to launch astronauts in new capsule, expanding space travel

After years of delays and stumbles, Boeing is finally poised to launch astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA. It's the first flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station. NASA turned to US companies for astronaut rides after the space shuttles were retired. Elon Musk's SpaceX has made nine taxi trips for NASA since 2020, while Boeing has managed only a pair of unoccupied test flights. Boeing program manager Mark Nappi wishes Starliner was further along. There's no doubt about that, but we're here now. The company's long-awaited astronaut demo is slated for liftoff Monday night. Provided this tryout goes well, NASA will alternate between Boeing and SpaceX to get astronauts to and from the space station. A look at the newest ride and its shakedown cruise: THE CAPSULE White with black and blue trim, Boeing's Starliner capsule is abou

China's three astronauts return to earth after six months in space

China's Shenzhou-17 spacecraft returned to Earth Tuesday, carrying three astronauts who have completed a six-month mission aboard the country's orbiting space station. The three, Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, landed at the Dongfeng site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the Gobi desert shortly before 6:00 pm (1000 GMT). It comes roughly four days after the Shenzhou-18 mission docked with the station with their three-member replacement crew onboard. China built its own space station after being excluded from the International Space Station, largely because of US concerns over the Chinese military's total control of the space programme amid a sharpening competition in technology between the two geopolitical rivals. This year, the Chinese station is slated for two cargo spacecraft missions and two manned spaceflight missions. China's ambitious space programme aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030, as well as bring back samples from Mars around the

IAF guarding skies, making paramount contribution to space programme: Prez

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said the Indian Air Force's contribution to the nation's service is etched in "golden letters" and it is not only guarding the skies but also making a paramount contribution to the country's space programme. In her address at a ceremony held at the Hindan Air Force Station to award President's Standard and Colours to four units of the IAF, Murmu said she believed that more and more women will sign up for the force and serve the nation and emphasised that increased representation of women in the force will make it "more inclusive". She also extended her wishes to women on International Women's Day. The President is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The IAF's contribution to the nation's service in protecting the country is "etched in golden letters", she said. "It is a matter of joy that the IAF is not only guarding our skies but also making a paramount contribution to India's space programme," the President said. The President said the

Nasa wants astronauts for its Moon, Mars missions: Check how to apply

The search for the astronauts is part of NASA's mission - Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which will carry humans for missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars

4 new astronauts head to the International Space Station for a 6-month stay

Four astronauts headed to the International Space Station on Sunday where they will oversee the arrivals of two new rocketships during their half-year stint. SpaceX's Falcon rocket blasted off from Kennedy Space Centre, carrying NASA's Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps and Russia's Alexander Grebenkin. The astronauts should reach the orbiting lab on Tuesday. They will replace a crew from the US, Denmark, Japan and Russia, who have been there since August. When are you getting here already? space station commander Andreas Mogensen asked via X, formerly Twitter, after three days of delay due to high wind. There was almost another postponement Sunday night. A small crack in the seal of the SpaceX capsule's hatch prompted a last-minute flurry of reviews, but it was deemed safe for the whole mission. The new crew's six-month stay includes the arrival of two rocketships ordered by NASA. Boeing's new Starliner capsule with test pilots is due in late April. A month or tw

India's ambitious plans on space station on track: Chandrayaan-3 director

India's ambitious plans to have its own space station by 2035 and have an Indian astronaut on the moon by 2040 are progressing on track, Project Director of ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission, P Veeramuthuvel said on Saturday. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ISRO chairman have already said that by 2040 we should have an Indian astronaut on the moon and also to have our space station by 2035. These are very ambitious plans that ISRO has taken up and we are working towards that, he told PTI here. On ISRO's success in bringing back the Propulsion Module (PM) of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft to Earth's orbit, Veeramuthuvel said, as far as Chandrayaan-3 is concerned, the lander and rover mission successfully completed one lunar day. We successfully completed the hop on experiment wherein we used the same engine where we landed and again we operated the payload for one earth day, the ISRO scientist added. The propulsion module which was supposed to orbit around the moon met all the mission ..

First Indian astronaut on moon by 2040, says Isro Chairman Somanath

Four test pilots from the Indian Air Force have been selected as astronaut designates for the mission and they are undergoing mission-specific training at the ATF in Bengaluru

Isro chief S Somanath expresses wish for more female representation

Acknowledging his spiritual inclination, the Isro chairman engaged in prayers on Vijayadashami day