Space Shuttle Enterprise sets off to New York today, where it will join the collection at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.
Smell Ya Later, Space Shuttle Enterprise
Space Shuttle Enterprise Remains in D.C. for Another Day
Space Shuttle Enterprise isn't go anywhere just yet—today's foul weather has delayed a scheduled flight up to its new home in New York.
Shuttle Shuffle: As Enterprise Goes North, Discovery Finds New Home at Udvar-Hazy
After Tuesday's spectacular Space Shuttle Discovery flight over the region, thousands traveled to the Udvar-Hazy Center yesterday to welcome the shuttle and say goodbye to the Enterprise.
Video: The Spacegasmic Shuttle Fly-Over of 2012
We've already got a ton of great pictures of today's Space Shuttle Discovery fly-over, but now the Smithsonian sends along a video of the day's events.
For the Next 15 Minutes, Drop Everything and Look Up: The Space Shuttle is Coming (and Early)
It's 9:30 a.m. Do you know what you might be missing outside? A space shuttle fly-over, to be exact, so look towards the Potomac River during the next 15 minutes and see if you spot it.
Look Up: The Space Shuttle is Coming!
Don't forget to look out towards the Potomac River tomorrow morning between 10 and 11 a.m.—you may just catch a glimpse of Space Shuttle Discovery as it is flown over Washington on the back of a 747 on its way to the Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum tomorrow.
Caption Contest: T-38 Training Flight Above Washington
Last week, two T-38 jets participated in a NASA training exercise in the skies over Washington. What exactly where the pilots thinking when they flew through some of the country's most restricted airspace?
Carry On, D.C.: Those Jets are Merely on a Training Mission
Not many errant planes make it into Washington's airspace. So if you see some jets flying low over the city tomorrow morning, fear not—it's all part of a NASA training exercise.
Weather Causes NASA to Delay Virginia Rocket Launch Yet Again
For the second time in a week, NASA announced it is delaying the launch of five suborbital rockets from Virginia that would be visible across the East Coast after cloudy weather in official viewing areas.
Falling NASA Satellite Lands; D.C. Unscathed
After several days of harrowing uncertainty, the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite finally made its fiery descent through the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.
Falling NASA Satellite Won't Be Landing On Our Heads
UPDATE (12:35 p.m.): Well, now the satellite's orientation has shifted, so the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite might land in the U.S., after all. Keep calm and carry on, people.
So, You Know, Heads Up
We love space, astronauts and science around these parts. But we wouldn't really be very honest if we weren't slightly unnerved at the fact that when a defunct six-ton satellite is going to come crashing to Earth, NASA isn't exactly sure where it is going to land.
DCist Interview: Alvin Drew
What better way to get in the mood for a space shuttle launch than to talk to an astronaut about one? DCist sat down with Alvin Drew, a D.C. born and bred astronaut who recently flew aboard the final Discovery mission.
NASA | Art: 50 Years of Exploration @ National Air and Space Museum
In 1962, then NASA Administrator James E. Webb began to invite artists to have special access to the astronauts, engineers and spacecraft during the tail-end of the Mercury program, just as Gemini was getting off the ground. NASA | ART includes over 70 artworks from the nearly 50 year span that has so far gathered 3000 pieces in both NASA and the Air and Space Museum's collections. As co-curator Burt Ulrich notes, the exhibit is meant to "see how far we've come as a nation, and as human beings."
Look Up: What's in the Sky This Week?
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of American human spaceflight with stargazing events, rocket challenges, planet "dances," and space shuttle launches.
Look Up: Air & Space Museum Will Get Space Shuttle Discovery
Cheers erupted from the staff at the National Air & Space Museum this afternoon as NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, over a live feed from Kennedy Space Center, officially announced that space shuttle Discovery will find a new home at the Udvar-Hazy Center.
Look Up: Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Progresses
Early last year, we told you all about the new Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS). The launch grounds, run in cooperation with the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, is located on NASA's Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) on Wallops Island, Virginia, about three hours from D.C. on the Eastern Shore. Are you ready to watch some launches from D.C.?
Look Up: What's in the Sky This Week?
Good morning, space fans. I know it's been awhile since we posted a Look Up column (every winter, space takes a backseat to photography, as you know), but we have a few good bits for you today. Read on for once-in-a-lifetime launch viewing opportunities, how the Japan earthquake permanently altered the Earth, and some debunked space myths.
Local Astronaut Aboard Shuttle Discovery's Last Hurrah
UPDATE: Space shuttle Discovery has landed safely at 11:57:17 a.m. Next mission: Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum
D.C. Astronaut Launches on Space Shuttle This Afternoon
Washington, D.C. native Alvin Drew was the sixth and last astronaut strapped in a few minutes ago aboard the space shuttle Discovery at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is Drew's second shuttle mission, his first since STS-118 in 2007.
Thundersnow, From Space
With heavy snowflakes beginning to fall inside the District, we thought it would make for an interesting perspective to see what could be the biggest storm of the winter so far looks like space. The image above shows us the current storm that's about to wallop the District, taken by a NASA satellite and posted by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Look at that swirl go! (Image courtesy NOAA/NASA GOES Project.)
The Weather From Above
I know, we've been a little photo heavy today. But what are you going to do when the most exciting things happening are the weather and people Monday-morning quarterbacking the egregious bad call on the weather by D.C. meteorologists? Most everyone is either trapped in their Christmas vacation locales or staying inside for one reason or another. Either way, I always look forward to NASA's release of satellite images anytime we get some big weather event – nothing puts into perspective the massive size and destructiveness of a hurricane or the pure blanket coverage of a regional thunderstorm like seeing it from above.
Look Up: What's in the Sky This Week?
I don't know about you, but I'm having flashbacks to October 2009, when the media went nuts about NASA "bombing" the moon.
Look Up: What's in the Sky This Week?
Early in October, we told you about NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center's "Tour & Tweet" event. DCist photographer Steve Goldenberg signed up for the tour and took the set of photos in the gallery above; click through for his descriptions as they were led through the facilities.
Look Up: What's in the Sky This Week?
The easiest and perhaps most poignant way that NASA has connected the public with space exploration is through photography. Breathtaking photos of our first Earthrise, Hubble's extended gaze to the ends of the universe and brilliant studies of activity on our sun show us how much exists that we have yet to explore, things we couldn't even imagine until the photons hit film and CCD chips and were displayed for our relatively Earthbound eyes.
Look Up: What's in the Sky This Week?
Last week, we told you to keep an eye out for the Perseid meteor shower. Tonight and tomorrow will be the best nights for this year's show, as up to 50-80 meteors an hour will reach Earth and burn up into fireballs in the atmosphere. You may see them as early as dusk -- but for the real show, stay up late and watch until the early morning on both nights.
Here's Why You Lost Power
Yesterday, NASA's Earth Observatory released this awesome image of Sunday's huge thunderstorm, created by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. We highly recommend taking a look at the animation of the storm, which is mighty impressive, even though what's depicted has made a whole lot of people on the ground pretty miserable over the last 48 hours.
Look Up: What's in the Sky This Week?
Hello again, space readers. Look Up is back from a short hiatus while your DCist Space Editor was out in the field. Let's start with some events in D.C. before we get to the main course.
Look Up: What's in the Sky This Week?
Big space news this week -- so big you could actually hear about it in mainstream media, a rare-ish thing indeed. President Obama delivered a (sort of) game-changing speech at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday. After the budget release a few months ago and the announcement that the Constellation program would be canceled, the space industry was left asking, "well, what now?" Obama's speech was meant to answer that question. The new plan is to vaguely resurrect Constellation, with the Orion spacecraft -- originally designed to launch atop the Ares 1 rocket and carry 4-6 astronauts into deep space -- now redesigned to be docked with the International Space Station and act as a rescue vehicle. Additionally, the plan includes design of a new heavy-launch vehicle, replacing Ares V, by 2015, sending astronauts to an asteroid by 2025, and to Mars by 2030. Lastly, the President committed to increase NASA's budget by $6 billion over the next five years, with $40 million to help the tens of thousands of workers who will be laid off as the shuttle program ends.
Look Up: What's in the Sky This Week?
We hope you didn't miss Look Up too much while your Space Editor was up to other things during the past month. Your weekly astronomy fix is back, however, so pull up a lawn chair and dim the porch light.

