The Genesis Rock proved to be a chunk of anorthosite, part of the original lunar crust and older than any Moon rock previously found. This one rock helped revolutionise ideas about lunar formation, and gave us new insights into the age of the solar system. For the first time, the astronauts were extensively trained as geologists and could make scientific observations, both on the surface and from orbit. After Apollo 15, there were just two more manned missions to the Moon, with the final manned lunar landing, Apollo 17, completed in December 1972. However, in January 2004 the US President, George Bush, announced a new programme for lunar exploration, saying American astronauts would return to the Moon by 2020 as the launching point for missions further into space. James Irwin resigned from Nasa in 1972 to found a religious organisation, High Flight Foundation, and led two expeditions to Mount Ararat in search of Noah's Ark. He died in 1991, aged 61. David Scott retired from Nasa in 1977 to found Scott Science and Technology.

 AUGUST 7, 2007

Two astronauts are looking forward to their first taste of space when NASA's shuttle Endeavour rockets towards the International Space Station (ISS) this week.Mission specialists Tracy Caldwell and Alvin Drew, Jr. are each poised to make their first career spaceflights with NASA's STS-118 mission set to launch Aug. 8."It's almost unreal," Caldwell told reporters in an interview. "I haven't allowed myself to get too giddy imagining what floating in space is going to be like and trying to do all the things that I'm trained to do."Caldwell, Drew and five crewmates will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to deliver cargo, spare parts and a new piece of the space station's starboard-side truss. Endeavour's crew also includes teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan, who joined NASA as the backup for Teacher in Space Christa McAuliffe in 1985. McAuliffe and six astronauts were aboard the space shuttle Challenger when it broke apart just after launch in January 1986.Teacher in Space's legacyAs Mission Specialist 1 during the STS-118 mission, Caldwell will choreograph up to four spacewalks from inside Endeavour, as well as wield the orbiter's robotic arm. She joined NASA's astronaut corps in 1998, but her interest in spaceflight began at age 16 in 1986 while the agency was preparing to launch the first teacher into space."It was all because of Christa McAuliffe, and she was a teacher that was going up into space," said Caldwell, now 37 and a private pilot, in a NASA interview. "So I started thinking, 'Wow, if a teacher can become and astronaut, I wonder if I could too.'"Growing up in Arcadia, California, Caldwell routinely helped her electrician father rewire houses and repair cars before working to obtain a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of California at Davis. That training, as well as her ongoing interest in athletics, is welcome practice for her role as the intravehicular spacewalk choreographer, she said."You've got to think ahead, and what tools you need, and how you approach a problem," Caldwell said. "Dad prepared me really well for that."Since joining NASA, Caldwell helped test and integrate Russian-built hardware and software bound for the ISS. She served as the prime crew support astronaut for the space station's Expedition 5 mission has also served as spacecraft communicator for later ISS flights.Off all the advice she's received from veteran spaceflyers, taking time to look out the window while in Earth orbit is one Caldwell takes to heart."I'm not just going up there," she told reporters. "My family, my friends, my professors. Everybody that's played a role and I'm going to look out that window for them."CAPCOM to crewmateA late addition to the STS-118 mission, Drew is Mission Specialist 5 on Endeavour's crew and will serve as sort of a utility astronaut. "I'm supporting cast for this mission," he said in a NASA interview, adding that he will help out on tasks and packing things in the right place. "It's not a very glamorous role, but it's something that I'm very happy to be doing." Drew, 44, joined Endeavour's crew in late April as a replacement for ISS Expedition 15 flight engineer Clayton Anderson, who launched earlier during June's STS-117 mission to relieve fellow NASA astronaut Sunita Williams. At the time, he was training to serve as a shuttle spacecraft communicator, or CAPCOM, to speak to orbiter crews for Mission Control. "My initial reaction was just plain shock," Drew told reporters in a preflight briefing. "I've never heard of anybody being selected for a mission about three and a half months out in front of a launch. After that, it was just time to get busy."A colonel in the U.S. Air Force and native of Washington, D.C., Drew joined NASA's astronaut corps in July 2000. After gaining experience as a combat helicopter pilot, he has logged 3,000 of flying time in over 30 different aircraft and has worked in the space station branch of the Astronaut Office."I've just been all over," Drew said. "My fingerprints are all over parts of space station at this point."Drew's interest in space began at age six, when he watched NASA launch the Apollo 7 mission at school with his classmates in 1968. He later obtained degrees in physics, aeronautical engineering, aerospace science and political science during his Air Force career. But despite the long path, Drew said he isn't sure what part of his first flight will make the biggest impression."Knowing how my brain works, I won't think about that until after I've landed and hopefully I've got a set of good memories to go reflect back on," Drew said

 MORE NASA NEWS

August 9, 2007

AD ASTRA !!!!

 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The space shuttle Endeavour and its astronaut crew roared into space this evening, ending a 22-year wait for teacher-turned-spaceflyer Barbara Morgan.The successful launch is a milestone not only for Morgan, who served as a backup to Christa McAuliffe prior to the tragic 1986 Challenger mission, but also for Endeavour. NASA technicians spent nearly five years overhauling the orbiter with new hardware and electronics systems.Endeavour shot the seven STS-118 astronauts toward space at about 6:36:42 p.m. EDT (2236:42 GMT) from Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Pad 39A to kick off a busy construction flight to the International Space Station. The shuttle is slated to dock at the orbital laboratory Friday at about 1:53 p.m. EDT (1753 GMT)."Good luck, Godspeed and have some fun up there," NASA launch director Mike Leinbach told shuttle commander Scott Kelly just before liftoff. "Take good care of that great ship Endeavour.""Thanks Mike, this is serious business we're in here," Kelly said, adding that he was proud of the entire NASA team for readying Endeavour for flight. "We'll see you in a couple weeks and thank you for loaning us shuttle."In addition to Morgan and Kelly, STS-118 pilot Charlie Hobaugh and mission specialists Tracy Caldwell, Rick Mastracchio, Alvin Drew, Jr. and Dave Williams - of the Canadian Space Agency - launched into orbit aboard Endeavour. Their planned 11-day mission will deliver 5,000 pounds (2,267 kilograms) of cargo, spare parts and new hardware to the ISS. The spaceflight may also be extended three extra days pending the success of a new station-to-shuttle power transfer system."I think we're all going to say 'Woohoo!' and then get back to work," Morgan said of reaching orbit before Wednesday's launch.A family matterMorgan said her journey from teacher to astronaut has been emotionally difficult, and that thoughts of the Challenger's STS-51L crew never leave her mind."I think about Christa and the Challenger crew about every day," Morgan said during a preflight interview. "That’s just something I carry with me. I know how painful this is for folks who were really close."June Scobee Rodgers, who was married to astronaut Dick Scobee when he died aboard Challenger, said she admires Morgan for her strength."Barbara Morgan is an example of passion, patience and persistence. The Challenger crew were her best friends," Rodgers said of the astronaut. "And she was assigned as an astronaut educator when we lost Columbia, so she lost another crew of seven best friends. She so humble and modest, yet she still goes about her life with enthusiasm."Juliet Sisk, a 7th-grade science teacher at Space Coast High School in Florida, said Morgan is more than an example."She is a hero to all teachers," Sisk said. "She's shown educators and students that there's no limit to how high they can aim."Morgan plans to hold at least one, and possibly up to three, interactive video events with students on Earth during her shuttle mission. She is also carrying 10 million basil seeds and two plant growth chambers into space as part of her educational program.Tumultuous yearThe months leading up to Endeavour's launch have been turbulent for NASA, which has seen a former astronaut's arrest, a murder-suicide at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston and - most recently - allegations that spaceflyers have flown at least twice while intoxicated.NASA administrator Michael Griffin said the events have been distracting, but the agency is doing what it can to investigate its culture."I can't guarantee the behavior of 100,000 people," Griffin told SPACE.com of NASA's workforce.So far, NASA spokesperson David Mould said today, a health review issued by the space agency and conducted by a panel of health experts has not revealed any evidence to support the allegations of alcohol-related abuses among astronauts."I must admit I would be surprised … if we had any astronaut boarding the shuttle under the influence," Griffin said.Astronaut Patrick Forrester, who flew as a mission specialist aboard the shuttle Atlantis during NASA's STS-117 spaceflight in June, expects investigators to find no foul play."I don't think they'll find anything other than a professional, hard-working group of people," Forrester said of the investigation. Constructing the futureIn spite of the allegations centered on the space agency's astronaut corps, Griffin said the space program is moving along well."In the end, we're judged on our execution of spaceflight missions and we've been having a great year in regard to spaceflight missions," Griffin said. He added that if the space agency's current pace of four to five shuttle flights each year should be adequate to complete the space station."If we can maintain that average for the next few years, we'll easily get it done," Griffin said.The STS-118 mission will be the second ISS construction flight of the year. The spaceflight marks NASA's 119th shuttle mission, the 22nd bound for the station and the 20th trip to space for Endeavour itself.Launch came after engineers wrangled Endeavour's stubborn shuttle hatch shut and analyzed a small, shallow crack in foam insulation near base of the orbiter's external fuel tank. Even in the worst-case scenario, the analysis team determined the crack's formation posed no risk to the Endeavour, shuttle fuel tank officials said.Once at the ISS, Endeavour's crew will install the small Starboard 5 (S5) spacer truss to the station's starboard-most edge to make room for a new set of solar panels due to launch next year. Other tasks include replacing a broken gyroscope and hooking up a spare parts platform. "I think the building of the International Space Station is one of the greatest engineering accomplishments in the history of mankind," Mastracchio told SPACE.com before today's planned launch. "It's one of the seven wonders in space, that's for sure."

August 10,2007

Teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan and her six crewmates have a warm welcome ahead of them when their shuttle Endeavour arrives at the International Space Station (ISS) later today. Aboard the ISS, Expedition 15 commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and flight engineers Oleg Kotov and Clayton Anderson - a former member of Endeavour's STS-118 crew - are ready and waiting for their first human visitors since June. "We're really looking forward to docking with the International Space station tomorrow and joining with our crewmates Clay, Oleg and Fyodor," Morgan, a former McCall, Idaho, schoolteacher, said late Thursday.Commanded by veteran shuttle flyer Scott Kelly, Endeavour's STS-118 crew is due to dock at the ISS at 1:53 p.m. EDT (1753 GMT) after a two-day orbital chase that began with a Wednesday launch. Tucked aboard the shuttle are about 5,000 pounds (2,267 kilograms) of fresh cargo, a loaded spare parts platform and a new piece of the space station's starboard-side truss."The International Space Station is getting visitors from another planet," Anderson, who launched on NASA's earlier June shuttle flight for a crew change, told reporters last week. "I'm really looking forward to seeing them and hopefully they're bringing some goodies for us." Endeavour is also equipped with a new power transfer system designed to siphon electricity from the ISS rather than rely on its own internal fuel cells. If successful, the system will allow Endeavour's STS-118 astronauts to extend their planned 11-day construction mission by three extra days, NASA has said."Clearly it's a real privilege to be up here in space," Kelly said late Thursday. "Everything is going well."Shuttle back flip on tapBefore Kelly and his crew can begin their ISS construction mission, the shuttle commander will fly Endeavour through a bit of orbital acrobatics. At about 12:51 p.m. EDT (1651 GMT), Kelly will guide the 100-ton orbiter into a slow back flip to allow astronauts aboard the ISS to photograph Endeavour's belly-mounted heat resistant tiles. Analysts will study the resulting high-resolution images, particularly those that cover three regions where debris may have struck Endeavour during launch, to ensure the shuttle's heat shield is fit for the return to Earth.Shuttle managers hope the ISS crew's photographs will also show that doors designed to close over Endeavour's two belly-mounted external tank connections after launch are properly latched in place. "We did see some indications early on that things may have been, in terms of the mechanism, not completely seated, but that later cleared," said Matt Abbott, NASA's lead STS-118 shuttle flight director, adding that the heat shield photography during docking will confirm for sure that the doors are in position.Endeavour's ISS arrival will be a return of sorts for two STS-118 astronauts. Mission specialist Rick Mastracchio helped prime the station for astronaut crews during NASA's STS-106 mission in 2000 while shuttle pilot Charlie Hobaugh helped deliver the orbital laboratory's U.S. Quest airlock during the STS-104 mission in 2001."It'll be really neat to see how it's coming along, how we're proceeding and hopefully where we'll be able to head and go from here," Hobaugh said. NASA is broadcasting Endeavour's STS-118 mission live on NASA TV. Click here for mission updates and SPACE.com's NASA TV feed.  

Endeavour returns to earth with first civilian astronaut on board

(CLICK BELOW TO SEE LANDING AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER)