STS-72 « AmericaSpace

100th Shuttle Commander and STS-100 Spacewalker Inducted into Astronaut Hall of Fame

By Ben Evans, on May 15th, 2016

This weekend saw the induction of veteran shuttle fliers Brian Duffy (left) and Scott Parazynski into the Astronaut Hall of Fame (AHOF). Photo Credit: NASA

Having circled hundreds of miles above Earth, a pair of NASA spacefarers with a personal affinity for the word hundred were this weekend inducted into the Astronaut Hall […]

'How Adaptable Humans Are': 20 Years Since STS-72 (Part 2)

By Ben Evans, on January 17th, 2016

Grappled by Endeavour’s Remote Manipulator System (RMS) mechanical arm, the Japanese Space Flyer Unit (SFU) satellite is readied for installation in the payload bay. Photo Credit: NASA, via Joachim Becker/SpaceFacts.de

Two decades ago, last week, in January 1996, Shuttle Endeavour and a six-man crew—Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Brent Jett, and Mission Specialists Leroy […]

Mission for Japan: 20 Years Since STS-72 (Part 1)

By Ben Evans, on January 16th, 2016

Twenty years ago, this week, STS-72 showcased the space shuttle’s myriad capabilities in satellite deployment and retrieval, rendezvous, science, and spacewalking. Photo Credit: NASA

Twenty years ago, this week, six astronauts executed a mission which put virtually all of the space shuttle’s capabilities—satellite deployment and retrieval, rendezvous and proximity operations, research, and spacewalking—to […]

Ready for Space Station Building: The First 50 Years of Spacewalking (Part 5)

By Ben Evans, on March 28th, 2015

Story Musgrave works at the end of Endeavour’s mechanical arm during activities to service the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in December 1993. Photo Credit: NASA

Almost a quarter-century ago, in April 1991, the effort to build today’s International Space Station (ISS) got underway with a pair of spacewalks—one unplanned—outside the shuttle Atlantis. During […]

How Adaptable Humans Are: Looking Back at STS-72 (Part 2)

By Ben Evans, on January 11th, 2015

Nineteen years ago, today, on 11 January 1996, Shuttle Endeavour and a six-man crew—Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Brent Jett, and Mission Specialists […]

Mission for Japan: Looking Back at STS-72 (Part 1)

By Ben Evans, on January 10th, 2015

Leroy Chiao (foreground) works in Endeavour’s payload bay during one of the STS-72 EVAs. Photo Credit: NASA

Almost two decades ago, six astronauts rocketed into the night on a mission which put virtually all of the shuttle’s capabilities—satellite deployment and retrieval, rendezvous and proximity operations, research, and spacewalking—to the test, as well as […]

Koichi Wakata to Assume First Japanese ISS Command Sunday

By Ben Evans, on March 6th, 2014

With Cygnus appearing in the circular window of the cupola during its final rendezvous, Koichi Wakata poses for a photograph before using Canadarm2 to grapple the cargo ship on 12 January. Photo Credit: NASA

For the crew of the International Space Station (ISS), the Sun rises and sets 16 times daily, as they […]

Northrop Grumman Honors LM Workers at Apollo 11 44th Anniversary Event

By Emily Carney, on July 23rd, 2013

On Saturday, July 20, Northrop Grumman held a ceremony to honor the workers that made the Moon landings a reality. Photo Credit: Alan Walters / AmericaSpace

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla — The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s Apollo/Saturn V Center played host to Northrop Grumman’s gala celebrating the 44th anniversary of the Apollo […]

Two More NASA Astronauts Leave Agency

By Jason Rhian, on February 6th, 2013

With the recent departure of NASA astronauts Brent Jett and Clayton Anderson, NASA’s abilities to conduct some of its requirements may be impacted. Photo Credit: NASA

NASA has lost two more veteran astronauts, including the head of the space agency’s Flight Crew Operations Directorate. The first of the astronauts to leave was Brent […]

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