Year: 2018

OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sampler Completes 1st Engine Firing for Final Approach to Target Bennu

Illustration of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft during a burn of its main engine for arrival at target Asteroid Bennu in Dec. 2018.  Credit: University of Arizona Ken Kremer  —   SpaceUpClose.com  —   9 October 2018 CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sampling spacecraft successfully completed the first in a series of critical main engine firings in early October that significantly slowed

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Enters Safe Mode After Gyro Glitch

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in Earth orbit.  Credit: NASA Ken Kremer  —   SpaceUpClose.com  —   9 October 2018 TITUSVILLE, FL – NASA’s premiere space observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, entered safe mode after suffering a serious glitch with one its onboard gyroscopes this past Friday, Oct. 5.  One of the current gyros used to aim and stabilize the telescope has failed.

Encapsulated Air Force AEHF-4 National Security MilSatCom Rolls to Cape Launch Pad for Oct 17 Blastoff: Photos

Advanced Extremely High Frequency-4 (AEHF-4) jam-resistant national security military communications satellite for U.S. Air Force Space Command is encapsulated in 5 meter RUAG Space payload fairing as it rolls overnight Oct. 5, 2018 with convoy from Astrotech processing facility, Titusville, FL on public highways to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL for upcoming night launch Oct. 17, 2018 on most

NASA Confirms Boeing, SpaceX Slip Debut Commercial Crew Test Flights to ISS to 2019

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry as companies develop a new generation of spacecraft and launch systems to carry crews safely to and from low-Earth orbit – the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing CST-100 Starliner. Initial test launches for both have slipped to 2019. Credits: NASA Ken Kremer  —   SpaceUpClose.com  —   5 October 2018 CAPE

Parker Solar Probe Completes 1st Venus Flyby Curving Path to Touch the Sun Soon!

Illustration of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe passing Venus on Oct. 3, 2018 at a distance of 1500 miles (2400 km) above the surface. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben Ken Kremer  —   SpaceUpClose.com  —   3 October 2018 KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL –  NASA’s Parker Solar Probe  completed its first flyby of the planet Venus early today, a critical maneuver that curved

NASA Celebrates 60th Anniversary Today Oct. 1 – 60 Years and Counting !

NASA 60th anniversary commemorative statue displayed today Oct 1, 2018 on NASA’s 60th birthday as a US Federal Agency since Oct 1, 1958 – in the world famous Rocket Garden at  the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com  Ken Kremer  —   SpaceUpClose.com  —   1 October 2018 KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL –  NASA, the most inspiriting agency of the U.S.

Last Delta II to Live On at Lasting Home at Famous Kennedy Space Center Rocket Garden

The final United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket that launched NASA’s ICESat-2 mission stands poised for liftoff from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California on Sept 15, 2018. The same configuration with four strap-on solid rocket booster will be displayed in the lineup at the famous Rocket Garden at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in