The International Space Station (ISS) has been in orbit for over 26 years, housing astronauts at an altitude of 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth. But even at that distance, the space station can’t escape the drag of Earth’s atmosphere as oxygen molecules and other gases collide with it, causing it to lose altitude over […]
The Space Station’s Russian Segment Won’t Stop Leaking Air
A pesky air leak on the International Space Station (ISS) just won’t quit. Although the crew hoped they had sealed the last crack on the Russian module, long-term observations revealed that the ISS is still leaking air. During a recent press conference, a Roscosmos official told reporters that recent attempts to fix the leak have […]
Origami Space Planes Could Solve a Major Problem in Orbit
Building a spacecraft could one day be as simple as folding a piece of paper into a plane and letting aerodynamics do the rest. A team of researchers from the University of Tokyo simulated the release of a paper airplane from the International Space Station (ISS) to see if would survive atmospheric reentry. In a […]
ISS Conference Scrapped as NASA Budget Cuts Threaten Crew and Cargo
The International Space Station (ISS) still has a few years left in orbit before it’s due for retirement, but the future of the orbital lab is looking a little shaky as NASA is forced to tighten its purse strings. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which operates the ISS National Lab, […]
Watch Live as NASA Astronauts Take On a Rare All-Woman Spacewalk Outside the ISS
Two astronauts are gearing up for some orbital maintenance work outside the International Space Station (ISS) during a rare all-woman spacewalk. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers are set to begin their spacewalk on Thursday at 8 a.m. ET, exiting the space station for a planned six hours and 35 minutes. NASA will broadcast […]
NASA Confirms 70-Year-Old Astronaut Don Pettit Is Doing Well Despite Looking Frail After Landing
NASA’s oldest serving astronaut returned to Earth on Saturday following a 7-month mission on board the International Space Station (ISS). Don Pettit marked his 70th birthday with a special homecoming, although his post-touchdown appearance raised concerns that the astronaut wasn’t doing so well after landing in Kazakhstan. Pettit, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and […]
Miso Fermented in Space Has an Entirely Different Taste
Forget chalky freeze-dried ice cream or some individually packaged mashed potatoes. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have now proved that delectable fermented delicacies like the Japanese soybean paste known as miso can be prepared in space. This might sound like a big deal only to ISS residents who are craving some better meals, but […]
Musk’s Plan to Kill the ISS Early Is a Selfish, Shortsighted Move
The immediate future of the International Space Station is suddenly in doubt thanks to a single tweet. Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX and unelected advisor to President Donald Trump on basically everything, wants the venerable station gone, and he wants it gone sooner rather than later. On Thursday, Musk posted on his X platform that […]
NASA Astronaut Suni Williams Smashes Spacewalking Record While ‘Stranded’ in Space
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have been making headlines since June of last year, when their eight-day mission to the International Space Station turned into an eight-month ordeal (and counting) after Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft experienced technical issues. Now, Williams and Wilmore will be pleased to hear that we’re finally talking about them for […]