Engineers have found four more small cracks in the shuttle Discovery's external tank. NASA managers are considering installation of additional doublers to beef up ribs, or stringers, that experience the most stress during launch. Read More...

The shuttle Discovery was hauled off the pad and back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for additional inspections and possible external tank modifications. Launch remains on hold until at least Feb. 3. Read More...

The Russian Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft, carrying Dmitry Kondratyev, Italian flight engineer Paolo Nespoli and NASA astronaut Catherine Coleman, docked with the International Space Station Friday, boosting the lab's full-time crew back to six (UPDATED at 6:55 p.m. EST with hatch opening). Read More...

Realtime coverage of a planned seven-and-a-half-hour fueling test to verify the structural integrity and safety margins of the shuttle Discovery's external tank (UPDATED at 3 p.m. EST; fueling test complete; no obvious problems). Read More...

The shuttle Discovery's external tank will be loaded with liquid oxygen and hydrogen rocket fuel Friday to collect data needed to assess the tank's structural integrity in the wake of cracked ribs, or stringers, found after a Nov. 5 launch attempt.
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A Russian Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Wednesday (U.S. time) carrying three crew members bound for the International Space Station. Docking is expected Friday. Read More...

NASA is gearing up for an instrumented fueling test Friday, weather permitting, to collect critical data about the structural integrity of the shuttle Discovery's external tank. After the test, the shuttle will be hauled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for additional inspections before another launch try as early as Feb. 3. Read More...

The maiden orbital flight of the SpaceX Dragon cargo carrier met virtually all of the company's objectives, demonstrating an ability to maneuver to the International Space Station and making a pinpoint splashdown in a first for a commercial rocket program (REPOSTING original story to correct duplicate filing/time stamp problem). Read More...

After cutting away two cracks in a second stage engine nozzle extension, SpaceX engineers late Tuesday pressed ahead with work to ready a Falcon 9 rocket for launch Wednesday on a long-awaited NASA-sponsored demonstration flight. Read More...

After two last-second aborts, SpaceX test fired the first-stage engines of the company's Falcon 9 cargo rocket Saturday, setting the stage for launch next week on a NASA-sponsored demonstration flight. Read More...

Launch of shuttle Discovery on a space station resupply mission will be delayed until at least Feb. 3, NASA announced Friday, to give engineers more time to conduct tests to determine the root cause of cracks in the ship's external tank. Read More...

The root cause of unexpected cracks in the shuttle Discovery's external tank is still not understood, engineers said Thursday, a critical stumbling block for developing the necessary 'flight rationale' for another launch attempt this month. Read More...

Researchers discover bacteria that can substitute toxic arsenic for phosphorous in critical biomolecules. The finding suggests the definition of 'life as we know it' may need expanding to cover a broader range of possible organisms and habitats. Read More...