Astronauts—especially the early astronauts—are generally very proud people. That’s why, during the Gemini program, nobody would dare be called “co-pilot”. The crew was called commander and pilot. (In fact, the “pilot” WAS kind of like a co-pilot.) Of all astronauts, probably the proudest were the original seven Mercury astronauts. And they had every right to [...]

I find myself imagining this: It’s September 2021. The world is watching as a Taikonaut—a Chinese astronaut—steps onto the lunar surface. It’s an incredible view, which I watch on my high-definition video glasses. I see it in real time, except for the 2 1/2 second delay to get the signal from the moon. The Chinese [...]

Engineers hope and expect no foam damage during the next shuttle launch. Foam falling from the external fuel tanks has been an ongoing problem. In 2003, foam hit and damaged the protective tiles on the shuttle Columbia—destroying the spacecraft and killing the crew. Engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center say new adhesive should prevent [...]