Astronomy on MSN

Jan. 16, 2003: Space Shuttle Columbia's final launch

On Jan. 16, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia launched on its 28th mission, STS-107. NASA had five additional space shuttle ...
Avgeekery

How Space Shuttle Discovery Almost Became a Victim of Cultural Vandalism

Space Shuttle Discovery remains intact at the Smithsonian after officials warned relocation could damage the historic orbiter ...
The Root

NASA Chief: Final Shuttle Launch Begins New Era

When the space shuttle Atlantis blasts off on Friday, it will mark the final NASA shuttle mission ever. But the shuttering of the 30-year-old program isn’t the end of American space exploration — in ...
Dark Space Official on MSN

Shuttle-C, NASA’s uncrewed heavy-lift plan that could’ve built Mars ships in orbit

In the aftermath of the Challenger disaster, NASA explored Shuttle-C—an uncrewed, shuttle-derived cargo launcher meant to deliver massive payloads, support lunar missions, and enable assembly of ...
CNN

NASA: Space shuttle replacement won't fly until 2014

NASA has put off the planned launch of its next-generation Orion spacecraft for a year, a setback to efforts to fly a successor to its aging space shuttles, the space agency announced Monday.