Scott is now on his way down the mountain to a lower Camp. Astronaut Scott Parazynski and his Sherpa Danuru are standing on the summit of Mt. Everest as of 6:15 pm EDT – 4 am Nepal time Scott was at the south summit of Mt Everest 8,750 m (28,700 ft) at 2:35 am local time. 8:26 pm Nepal time: Scott has just departed Camp IV and is headed for […]

As you can see from this SPOT update, Scott is now on his way to Camp IV (South Col) at an elevation of 7,920 meters (26,000 ft). The summit is still a bit away at 8,848 meters (29,029 ft). Scott is using his SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker to check in. You can follow his progress all the way to the summit by checking his personal tracking page . Select “terrain” […]

NASA JSC Internal Memo: Orion All Hands on June 4 “Please save the date and join Orion Project Manager Mark Geyer and Lockheed Martin Orion Program Manager Cleon Lacefield for an Orion update and All Hands meeting on Thursday, June 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Teague Auditorium. The agenda will be conducted in two parts: Part one – 2 to 2:45 p.m., Orion update and accomplishments; Part […]

“Grunsfeld is wearing a spacesuit marked with solid red stripes. Feustel is wearing an all white spacesuit. For this spacewalk, the astronauts will begin with some setup tasks and then move to install the second battery group replacement in an equipment bay above the Wide Field Camera 2 and next to the compartment where the first battery set was installed on the second spacewalk of the flight.” More reports

Image: Scott holding up sample 10085,134 inside its protective housing Apollo 11 Moon Rocks Headed for the Summit of Mt. Everest with Astronaut Climber “Astronaut Scott Parazynski – in the midst of a historic summit bid at Mount Everest – is carrying some small pieces of moon rock as he climbs to the top of the highest spot on Earth. This sample was loaned to Parazynski’s team by NASA which […]

Players In Nowak Case Start Adventure Web Site, WESH “The bio is part of an adventure writing Web site Shipman is running with Oefelein. In their bios, he’s known as “Billy O” and Shipman’s nickname is “Coll.” The two are offering to publications worldwide a list of freelance adventure writing missions. Oefelein claims a long list of writing credits including the New York Times, Washington Post and Newsweek. His bio […]

NASA Astronaut to Watch New Star Trek Movie Among the Stars “Moviegoers likely will sit in crowded theaters to watch the new “Star Trek” movie, which premiered on May 8, but not NASA astronaut Michael Barratt. He will have the opportunity to watch the film aboard the International Space Station, while he and two crewmates fly 220 miles above Earth. The only thing missing will be the popcorn. Paramount Pictures […]

Frank’s note: Another thought exercise for NASA Watch readers: What would the U.S. civil space agency look like if you built it from scratch? NASA, as we know, was established at the height of the Cold War, and was structured as a field centered organization with maximum deployment of facilities to help get and keep Congressional largess. The Cold War is long over yet the same organizational structure-and some would […]

Frank’s note: Readers have spoken-and the overwhelming majority of you want to see Ares 1/and V scrapped in favor of either some variant of Direct, or an EELV derivative. The most popular names suggested for the panel are: John Young Pete Worden Paul Spudis Elon Musk Heres my input: Elon is a great rocket scientist, but with a vested interest in COTS D, his appointment is unlikely. While some readers […]

Frank’s note: OK, NASAWATCH readers, let’s hear your ideas on the future of NASA’s human spaceflight program, as if you had the chance to testify before the newly created Augustine Commission. Please be direct (no pun intended) and brief and to the point. Get specific. Secondly, who would readers like to see joining Norm Augustine as one of the other 10 appointees? Please explain your choice(s).