The Senate passed an $18.7 billion funding bill for NASA, including $3.8 billion for exploration. Beyond that, the Senate inserted language into the bill designed to protect the Constellation Program—NASA’s planned successor to the retiring space shuttle. Will Constellation (the Ares rocket and Orion spacecraft) survive? Well, first of all, the President has to sign [...]

The current Discovery shuttle mission successfully repaired and upgraded the International Space Station. Thanks to the crew, and ground support, the ISS has increased its electrical capacity (with a new set of solar panels); fixed a toilet; and got their exercise bicycle working again. Hurrah!

Iran launched a spacecraft today that put a rat, two turtles and some worms into space. Piecing together coverage from several sources, it seems that the craft went into sub-orbital space and then returned to earth. The animalnauts, we are told, are fine. Of course, coverage of any Iranian space mission is understandably overshadowed by [...]