Technology News: Science

Wednesday - July 1, 2009

Like a car salesman pushing a luxury vehicle that the customer no longer can afford, NASA has pulled out of its back pocket a deal for a cheaper ride to the moon. It won't be as powerful, and its design is a little dated. Think of it as a base-model Ford station wagon instead of a tricked-out Cadillac Escalade. Officially, the space agency is still on track with a 4-year-old plan to spend $35 billion to build new rockets and return astronauts to the moon in several years. However, a top NASA manager is floating a cut-rate alternative that costs around $6.6 billion. [More...]

Shuttle Launch Delayed 3 Weeks by Hydrogen Leak

Wednesday - June 17, 2009

For the second time in four days, a potentially dangerous hydrogen gas leak forced NASA to delay shuttle Endeavour's launch to the international space station, this time until July at the earliest. Launch officials waited almost an hour after the leak appeared during fueling, trying to fix it through remote commands, before calling off Wednesday's pre-dawn launch. [More...]

Using GPS Phones to Track Virtual Infections - and Real Epidemics

Saturday - June 13, 2009

A few months from now, a highly contagious disease will spread through a Japanese elementary school. The epidemic will start with several unwitting children, who will infect others as they attend classes and wander the halls. If nothing is done, it will quickly gain momentum and rip through the student body, then jump to parents and others in the community. [More...]

Endeavour Visitors to Make Record-Setting ISS Crowd

Thursday - June 11, 2009

Mix seven shuttle astronauts and six space station residents and you set a record for the biggest off-the-planet gathering. NASA is aiming to launch Endeavour on Saturday morning to the international space station for a long, laborious construction job. When the shuttle pulls up, there will be 13 people at the station -- the most people ever together in space at one time. [More...]

Computer Accident Study Highlights Hazards of Home Office

Tuesday - June 9, 2009

Computers are the cause of a surprising number of serious injuries every year -- usually to children. The number of acute computer-related injuries increased by 732 percent -- from nearly 1,300 to approximately 9,300 injuries per year -- according to a new study. The injury rate increase is nearly double the growth rate of the number of computers in the home. [More...]

NASA May Buddy Up With Europe on Road to Mars

Tuesday - June 9, 2009

For almost half a century, the United States has dominated the exploration of Mars from the first grainy black-and-white pictures of the craggy surface to the more recent discovery of ice. Now, budget woes are pushing NASA toward a joint exploration venture with Europe. By 2016, the U.S. may unite with the European Space Agency for future Mars trips -- a move that would mark a significant shift for NASA. [More...]

On the ISS, Six Is Company, Thirteen's a Crowd

Tuesday - June 2, 2009

Life on board the international space station is busier and more crowded now that it's a full house. For the first time ever, the space station is accommodating a permanent crew of six, the way it was intended when the first piece flew a decade ago. The population at the orbiting outpost doubled Friday when three new residents moved in. [More...]

Storms Could Delay Hubble Repair Crew's Homecoming

Thursday - May 21, 2009

Atlantis' astronauts checked their ship's flight systems and packed up Thursday in hopes of an on-time end to their triumphant Hubble Space Telescope repair mission, although the weather prospects were dismal. Thunderstorms pounded NASA's spaceport throughout the morning, and more bad weather was expected Friday when Atlantis was due to return home. [More...]

Astronauts Bid Hubble Fond Farewell Following Historic House Call

Tuesday - May 19, 2009

Spacewalking astronauts completed repairs to the Hubble Space Telescope on Monday, leaving it more powerful than ever and able to peer even deeper into the cosmos -- almost to the brink of creation. The last humans to lay hands on Hubble outfitted the observatory with another set of fresh batteries, a new sensor for precise pointing, and protective covers. [More...]

Astronauts Begin Risky Business of Repairing Hubble

Thursday - May 14, 2009

A pair of spacewalking astronauts stepped outside Thursday to begin demanding repair work on the Hubble Space Telescope, a job made all the more dangerous because of the high, debris-ridden orbit. John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel emerged from space shuttle Atlantis and quickly got started on their first job, a camera swap. [More...]

Shuttle Crew Moves In for Dicey Hubble Repair Job

Wednesday - May 13, 2009

Shuttle Atlantis and its crew moved toward the Hubble Space Telescope for a 350-mile-high grab Wednesday that will set the stage for five days of treacherous spacewalking repairs in an orbit littered with space junk. Late Tuesday, the astronauts got comforting news: The ugly stretch of nicks on Atlantis' thermal tiles were not considered serious. [More...]

See More Articles in Science Section >>