Imagine a dark haired little girl of not quite four years old, playing outside in a cotton dress in the warm dusk of July 30, 1969, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Me and my little sister, Geri, in New Mexico, where I recall being called in to witness man’s first steps on the moon. Photo: Joanne [...]

CAPE CANAVERAL — I took this picture last night, and I don’t like it very much. Let’s set aside discussions of artistic merit and admit that it’s a pretty dreary view of the last functioning space shuttle perched on its launch pad. Especially when NASA promised a glorious sunset. I’m a 20-something science journalist now [...]

Atlantis Launch Notes: July 7, 9:00 A.M. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER—As of now, NASA’s final space shuttle launch is still on for Friday at 11:26 A.M. Eastern time, but a gathering storm bearing down on Florida’s Space Coast remains a major concern. While waiting on a go/no-go decision from the mission managers yesterday afternoon, I decided [...]

Atlantis Launch Notes: July 6, 2:45 P.M. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER–One day, 20 hours to launch on Friday. This may be a last for the shuttle program, but it’s a first for me. I’ve watched liftoffs since Alan Shepard took his ride—but only on TV or the Internet. As any NASA explorer would know, a first [...]

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER—The shuttle Endeavour suffered a minor but potentially troublesome electrical failure that delayed its launch from Friday to Monday at the earliest. Technicians won’t know for sure until they drain the external fuel tank and get access to the errant unit, a process that will take 24 hours. By Sunday noontime, NASA officials [...]

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER—If I’d jumped, I could have touched the belly of the Discovery. Of course, I would have then been escorted unceremoniously from the Orbiter Processing Facility. But I was that close. What a strange mix of thrill and melancholy it was to see those heat-shield tiles, the swoop of the delta wing, and [...]