He picked a good day to retire. After overseeing a successful impromptu spacewalk to fix an ammonia leak at the International Space Station, beloved Candian Commander Chris Hadfield transferred command to Russia's Pavel Vinogradov. Hadfield and two other crew members expect to return to earth tonight.
NASA Has Lost Communication Capabilities with the International Space Station (UPDATE)
According to a NASA press release, the space program governing body lost communication with the International Space Station this morning around 9:45 AM EST. While the situation sounds frightening, NASA made sure to note that the communication breakdown happened during a routine onboard software update, and that the…
Stunning Video of Earth from 240 Miles Up
Here's the best space video we've ever seen: 18 time-lapse sequences of photos taken from the International Space Station, gorgeously processed and edited by Michael König. There's so much going on it's hard to know where to focus while you watch—the North and Southern Lights? The flickers of lightning in the…
What It Feels Like to Fly Over Planet Earth
Here's a gorgeous time-lapse video constructed (by James Drake) out of 600 publicly-available photos taken from the International Space Station as it orbited around the Earth. Our only gripe: No music! We would have gone with this, or maybe this. But we're open to hearing your suggestions for a space jam if you post…
NASA's Most Jet-Setting Shuttle Retires
NASA's most-flown shuttle, Discovery, landed for the final time today at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Over the course of 39 missions spanning the course of 26 years, Discovery traveled 148,221,665 miles. Career highlights: Launched the Hubble telescope, delivered new modules to the International Space Station.…
One Overshare-y Step for Man: Astronaut Checks Into Space on Foursquare
Where were you at 10:09 AM today? Figure it out, because you're going need to tell your kids what you were doing when someone overshared from space. Astronaut Douglas Wheelock just checked in 220 miles above the Earth.
International Space Station May Conduct Spacewalks to Fix Broken Cooling System
A broken cooling system on the International Space Station may require spacewalks to fix.
Space Sex Forbidden, Making It Even Sexier
There is a no sex, no relationships policy on the International Space Station, NASA commander Alan Poindexter says, adding, "we are a group of professionals." True, but good luck avoiding the 100-mile-high club now that it's officially naughty.
The 'Southern Lights' as Seen from Space
[The aurora australis, or "southern lights," as seen from the International Space Station. Discover Magazine's Bad Astronomer says it's caused by subatomic particles interacting with earth's magnetic field, which is almost as cool as our explanation, "Space Elves." Pic via]
Long Fly Ball
Astronaut Garrett Reisman showed off his love for the Bronx today while retrieving one of A-Rod's foul balls near the International Space Station. Image via Getty.
NASA Just Spent Your Money on a Walk-In Space Closet
The International Space Station now has a powder room for sponge baths and a walk-in closet, which means there will be plenty of room to perform weightless somersaults while eating bananas and playing floating chess. [AP]
Outer Space Wishes You a Happy Thanksgiving
Pay attention Obama: Here is how you wish people a happy Thanksgiving: FROM MOTHERFUCKING OUTER SPACE!
How do you clean a virus in space?
The laptops up on the International Space Station have been infected with a virus — the W32.Gammima.AG worm, to be precise — which raises an interesting challenge: How do you wipe a computer clean when you're 217 miles away from Earth and moving at 17,000+ miles per hour? According to the BBC, the ISS isn't…
