Tag: Human Spaceflight

What has one horn, two crewmates and shares a name with its ride into orbit? “Calypso,” the plush sequined narwhal that is flying with NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams on the crew flight test (CFT) of “Calypso,” Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner commercial spacecraft. A toy version of the deepest-diving marine mammal, it is soon to be the highest-flying example of its kind while serving as the crew’s “zero-g indicator.” “My zero-g indicator happens to be a very sparkly narwhal whose name is ‘Calypso,’” said Williams in a…

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The first Hispanic woman to launch into space is now the second female astronaut to be awarded the United States’ highest honor. Ellen Ochoa, who later directed NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, was bestowed with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony at the White House on Friday (May 3). Ochoa is the 10th astronaut to receive the medal. “For most, the American dream is to be successful in whatever endeavor you choose here on Earth. For Dr. Ellen Ochoa, her dream was in the heavens,” said President…

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Happy National Astronaut Day 2024! As the inspiring President and CEO of Uniphi Good, music industry fixture Annie Balliro has presided over her successful artist management and marketing firm since 2009 before branching out into Uniphi Space Agency, which has expanded into the nation’s biggest private talent management firm for astronauts.   Emboldened with the company’s tagline of #webelieveinastronauts, Uniphi Good partners with corporations or institutions to advise NASA’s intrepid homegrown heroes on navigating partnerships in media, film and television by creating a positive network of bridges between the worlds…

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When Suni Williams was assigned to fly on board Boeing Starliner flight in 2018, no one anticipated it would be a six-year wait for launch. The veteran NASA astronaut and former U.S. Navy test pilot spoke March 22 about the “emotional rollercoaster” the Starliner team went through in the years since, through two uncrewed test flights, the pandemic and a host of other technical issues that had to be addressed before safely launching astronauts.  The years of work in between, though intense, were a “test pilot’s dream” and are finally…

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CAPE CANAVERAL — May the rocket’s Force be with you! An Atlas V rocket rolled out to its launch pad on Saturday (May 4), also Star Wars Day, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station days before its historic first mission with astronauts. Atop the United Launch Alliance booster was Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which will also make its debut flight with humans onboard after launching no earlier than Monday (May 6). The instantaneous launch window opens at 10:34 p.m. EDT (0234 GMT on Tuesday, May 7) and you can watch the…

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Virgin Galactic will fly again next month, if all goes according to plan. The company announced on Wednesday (May 1) that it’s targeting June 8 for its seventh commercial spaceflight, a suborbital jaunt called, fittingly enough, Galactic 07. It will be Virgin Galactic‘s second spaceflight of the year, after the Galactic 06 mission on Jan. 26, and its 12th overall to date. Related: Virgin Galactic launches researchers to suborbital space on 5th commercial flight (video) Virgin Galactic uses an air-launch system that consists of two vehicles: A carrier aircraft called…

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CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA — The new Starliner spacecraft is “go” for its first-ever astronaut launch on Monday (May 6), Boeing and NASA officials announced today (May 3). Barring bad weather or any last-minute technical issues, Starliner was cleared to send two veteran NASA astronauts and former U.S. Navy test pilots to the International Space Station (ISS). On board this mission, known as Crew Flight Test (CFT), will be commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams. The duo are completing last-minute training items and quarantining here at NASA’s Kennedy Space…

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Two NASA astronauts are days away from partaking in a new spacecraft’s first-ever human launch — if schedules hold, that is. Boeing Starliner‘s debut crew, Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams, told reporters on Wednesday (May 1) that their test pilot experience with the U.S. Navy will help them assess the spacecraft during its debut crewed launch. Liftoff is currently set for Monday (May 6) at 10:34 p.m. EDT (0234 GMT May 7). The event will be livestreamed here at Space.com, via NASA Television. “It almost feels unreal,” Williams, who…

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Boeing’s new spaceship has been cleared for its first-ever crewed liftoff. Over the past two days, NASA and Boeing held a flight readiness review (FRR) for the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, which will send agency astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to and from the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule. The FRR found no serious issues, meaning CFT is go for launch on May 6 as previously planned, NASA announced today (April 25). “I can say with confidence that the teams have absolutely done their due…

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Muhammed Faris, who was the first cosmonaut from Syria and second Arab to fly into space, has died at the age of 72. Faris’ death on Friday (April 19) was reported by Syrian media. According to the reports, he died as a result of a long illness in Türkiye, where had been living as a refugee since 2012. Selected in 1985 as part of the Soviet Union’s Interkosmos program, Faris lifted off on his first and only spaceflight on July 22, 1987. Launching on board Soyuz TM-3 with cosmonauts Aleksandr…

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