Russian Space Agency news stories on Newser

Russia Suspects Spacecraft Was Shot Down

Kevin Spak — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:12:28 CST

Russia suspects sinister forces may have been at work in the failure of its Phobos-Grunt probe, which was supposed to make it to one of Mars' moons. The probe was launched in November, but it failed to make it out of low orbit , and is now plummeting Earth-ward instead. The...

Space Station May Be Forced to Go Unmanned

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:08:32 CDT

The failure of a Russian spaceship, which crashed back to Earth shortly after its launch last week, could lead to the International Space Station being unmanned for the first time since 2001. Russian engineers are trying to determine why the unmanned ship crashed, but they only have a short time...

Space Station Will Plunge Into Pacific After 2020

Rob Quinn — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 05:41:29 CDT

The International Space Station's grave will be a watery one, not a cosmic one. The colossal orbiting outpost will be deliberately crashed into the Pacific Ocean when it reaches the end of its working life some time after 2020, AP reports. "It cannot be left in orbit, it's too complex,...

A Day Late, Soyuz Lands in Kazakhstan

Polly Davis Doig — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 06:18:29 CDT

Russia's Soyuz space capsule safely touched down in a Kazakhstan steppe this morning, reports the AP, landing flawlessly a day after being delayed by an undocking glitch with the International Space Station. "That was almost a bull's-eye landing," said a NASA spokesman as Russian officials swarmed the landing site to...

Russia: We'll Save Earth From Asteroid

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:06:09 CST

A 1,150-foot asteroid on a collision course with Earth could create a France-sized desert in 2036—unless Russian scientists can avert the catastrophe. No, it’s not the plot of a science-fiction movie; the head of Russia’s space agency confirms secret talks are in the works to prevent just such...

Tourist, Crew Dock at Space Station

Matt Cantor — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:37:00 CDT

American space tourist Richard Garriott arrived safely at the International Space Station today for a 10-day visit, Space.com reports. “I can fly!” Garriott told Russia’s command center, where former NASA astronaut and dad Owen watched his son become the first second-generation space-traveler. Also aboard the Soyuz craft was a...

An Other-Worldly Brew on Tap

Lev Weinstein — Sat, 31 May 2008 11:40:05 CDT

Want to try a heavenly lager? Come November, you might get a chance. Japan's Sapporo Breweries is harvesting barley this weekend from seeds that spent 5 months aboard the International Space Station, the AP reports. It then plans to brew 100 bottles of space beer, though it hasn't figured out...

Red Planet of the Apes?

Sam Gale Rosen — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:57:09 CDT

The first mammal on Mars may be a monkey. Russia is testing radiation and weightlessness effects on macaques for a possible trip to the red planet. Scientists also want to see how the animals react to isolation and the special diet the 520-day mission would require, reports the BBC. Twelve...

South Korea's First Astronaut Docks at ISS

Harry Kimball — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:38:44 CDT

South Korea’s first astronaut arrived at the International Space Station today, and her country must be relieved—having paid $25 million to get her there, Space.com reports. The South Korean president called So-yeon Yi’s mission a “stepping stone” in that country’s fledgling space program; lacking ships of their own,...