A Flight of Changes: 20 Years Since the Record-Setting Mission of STS-80 (Part 2)

By Ben Evans, on November 20th, 2016

Upon touchdown on 7 December 1996, Columbia and her STS-80 crew set an empirical record for the longest single mission of the Space Shuttle Program. Photo Credit: NASA, via Joachim Becker/SpaceFacts.de

When the crew of STS-80—launched 20 years ago, this week—were assigned to their mission in January 1996, theirs was expected to be […]

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Three-Spacecraft Ballet: 20 Years Since the Record-Setting Mission of STS-80 (Part 1)

By Ben Evans, on November 19th, 2016

Columbia roars to orbit on 19 November 1996, 20 years ago, today. Photo Credit: NASA, via Joachim Becker/SpaceFacts.de

Twenty years ago, today, on 19 November 1996, the longest space shuttle mission in history got underway with the spectacular liftoff of Columbia from Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. During […]

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From Shuttle to Hubble: An Interview With Dr. Story Musgrave

By Emily Carney, on April 13th, 2015

The STS-61 crew restored full sight to the ailing Hubble Space Telescope in December 1993. Standing at top, from left: Richard Covey, Jeffrey Hoffman, and Thomas Akers. Seated at bottom, from left: Kenneth Bowersox, Kathryn Thornton, Dr. Story Musgrave, and Claude Nicollier (ESA). Photo Credit: NASA

In space shuttle history, there is one […]

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Stretching the Shuttle: 25 Years Since the EDO Decision

By Ben Evans, on April 1st, 2015

Columbia is approached by servicing vehicles on the runway on 7 December 1996, after concluding STS-80, the shuttle program’s longest Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO) mission. Photo Credit: NASA

Twenty-five years ago, this week, NASA and Rockwell International reached a historic agreement which would, both figuratively and literally, “extend” the shuttle and its myriad […]

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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 […]

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'Man of Destiny': Astronaut Tom Jones Turns 60 Today

By Ben Evans, on January 22nd, 2015

Tom Jones waves during his first career EVAs on STS-98, the mission which installed the U.S. Destiny laboratory onto the International Space Station (ISS) in February 2001. Photo Credit: NASA

Astronaut Tom Jones—a man who did, then didn’t, and then did again, embark on the hundredth spacewalk in U.S. history—turns 60 today (Thursday, […]

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Expedition 34 Continues Thanksgiving Traditions in Orbit

By Ben Evans, on November 22nd, 2012

Commander Kevin Ford introduces his televised audience to the fare which will be eaten by himself and Expedition 34 crewmates, Oleg Novitsky and Yevgeni Tarelkin, on Thanksgiving Day. Ford expressed particular thanks to the ground control teams for keeping his crew safe and operational. Photo Credit: NASA

As millions of Americans tuck into […]

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