International Space Station

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Astronauts' Arrival Puts ISS Back to Full Strength

Replacements for evacuated crew will test new medical gear, moon-landing skills

(Newser) - The International Space Station is fully staffed again with the arrival Saturday of four new astronauts to replace colleagues who bailed early because of health concerns, per the AP . "Soft capture complete," radioed Jessica Meir, the mission commander, per Space.com . The spacecraft were flying south of South...

Astronaut's Ex-Wife Sentenced Over Space Crime Lie

Summer Heather Worden gets 3 months over false allegations about her ex

(Newser) - The ex-wife of a NASA astronaut is going to prison over a sensational lie about her ex. A judge in Texas on Thursday sentenced Summer Heather Worden, 51, to 3 months in federal prison and ordered her to pay $210,000 in restitution, reports People . Worden admitted lying when she...

Severe Solar Storm Could Disrupt GPS, Light Up Skies

Largest solar radiation storm in decades expected to bring northern lights as far south as Alabama

(Newser) - The northern lights could be visible as far south as Alabama and northern California on Monday night. The National Weather Service's Space Weather Prediction Center says one of the most severe solar radiation storms so far this century is hitting Earth, with a companion geomagnetic storm close behind, CNN...

NASA Brings Its Ailing Astronaut Home

Crew of 4 returns to Earth early in agency's first medical evacuation

(Newser) - An ailing astronaut returned to Earth with three others on Thursday, ending their space station mission more than a month early in NASA's first medical evacuation. SpaceX guided the capsule to a middle-of-the-night splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego, less than 11 hours after the astronauts exited...

ISS Crew Begins Unprecedented Early Return

'It's the right call, even if it's a bit bittersweet,' NASA astronaut says

(Newser) - NASA is flying a crew home from the International Space Station ahead of schedule for the first time over a medical issue, and it's leaving the orbiting lab with its leanest staff in years. Four astronauts from the Crew-11 mission—Americans Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Japan's Kimiya...

How Space Changes Astronauts' Brains
How Space Changes
Astronauts' Brains
NEW STUDY
Jan 13, 2026 8:16 AM CST

How Space Changes Astronauts' Brains

Microgravity found to shift, tilt the brain, affecting areas related to balance and motion

(Newser) - Spending months in orbit doesn't just weaken astronauts' bones and muscles—it nudges their brains upward inside their skulls, a new study finds. In MRI scans of 26 astronauts taken before and after missions in microgravity, researchers saw the brain tilt and shift up and back, according to findings...

NASA Might Have to Bring ISS Crew Back Early
Medical Issue Forces
Early Return of ISS Crew
UPDATED
Jan 9, 2026 12:00 AM CST

Medical Issue Forces Early Return of ISS Crew

Thursday spacewalk was abruptly canceled before NASA pulled plug on mission

(Newser) - NASA decided to cut a mission aboard the International Space Station short due to a medical issue one of the astronauts experienced. The unidentified crew member is now stable, but few details about their identity or the exact nature of the problem have been given. NASA said the situation was...

In a First, Space Station Is Fully Docked

8 cargo and crew vessels are connected, though one's about to let go

(Newser) - The International Space Station just hit a new milestone, with every one of its eight docking ports full for the first time ever, according to NASA officials . The crowded house comes after the arrival of three new crew members—NASA's Chris Williams and Russia's Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei...

Starliner Is Returning to Space, Minus Astronauts

Troubled Boeing capsule will fly cargo mission to ISS next year

(Newser) - Boeing and NASA have agreed to keep astronauts off the company's next Starliner flight and instead perform a trial run with cargo to prove its safety. Monday's announcement comes eight months after the first and only Starliner crew returned to Earth aboard SpaceX after a prolonged mission, the AP reports....

In Test, Moss Survived on the Outside of Space Station

Spores came back to Earth in fine shape after 9 months, which might bode well for crops in space

(Newser) - Moss is known to survive in some of our planet's harshest environments, but could it do so in the even harsher environs of outer space? A new study suggests it can—and surprisingly well, reports the Guardian . The results might have implications for the diets of future space travelers....

Space Station Is Marking a Huge Anniversary

There's been a nonstop human presence on the ISS for 25 years

(Newser) - It's an unprecedented space streak: 25 years of people living off-planet without even a moment's pause. The International Space Station marks a quarter-century of continuous occupancy this weekend, boasting a guest list of nearly 300 over the years—mostly professional astronauts but also the occasional space tourist and...

Presumed Rocket Part Falls From Space

Charred object found by miners in western Australia on Saturday

(Newser) - A hunk of space debris has turned up in the Australian desert, where it was reportedly found charred and smoking on Saturday. The Australian Space Agency confirmed Monday that the mysterious object, likely a spent rocket part, was discovered smoldering on a remote access road in the Pilbara region of...

Astronauts Splash Down After Subbing Out Wilmore, Williams

The four spent five months on International Space Station

(Newser) - Four astronauts returned to Earth on Saturday after hustling to the International Space Station five months ago to relieve the stuck test pilots of Boeing's Starliner. Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Pacific off the Southern California coast a day after departing the orbiting lab. "Welcome home,"...

Duffy Wants a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon, Fast

Move aims to outpace China as NASA faces budget cuts

(Newser) - Sean Duffy, the interim NASA administrator and Transportation Secretary, is reportedly set to announce an accelerated push to deploy a nuclear reactor on the moon—a move that would mark his most significant step since stepping into the dual role. Documents reviewed by Politico indicate this initiative sets a...

NASA-Netflix Partnership Is a 'Sci-Fi Dream'

Netflix will livestream launches, spacewalks, and more via NASA+ feeds

(Newser) - Netflix is teaming up with NASA to livestream rocket launches and other space events directly to its subscribers, the companies announced on Monday, "in a move that's equal parts sci-fi dream and Saturday afternoon plan," according to Netflix . Starting later this summer, Netflix viewers will be...

In Historic ISS Moment, a Unique Toast

Astronauts from India, Poland, Hungary, as well as astronaut Peggy Whitson, toast with drink pouches

(Newser) - The first astronauts in more than 40 years from India, Poland, and Hungary arrived at the International Space Station on Thursday, ferried there by SpaceX on a private flight. The crew of four will spend two weeks at the orbiting lab, performing dozens of experiments, after launching from NASA's...

Private Astronauts Bring Curry, Paprika, Perogies to ISS

They're the first space travelers from India, Hungary, Poland in decades

(Newser) - India, Poland, and Hungary launched their first astronauts in more than 40 years on Wednesday, sending them on a private flight to the International Space Station. The three countries shared the tab for the two-week mission. Axiom Space, the Houston company that arranged the deal, put the ticket price at...

Musk (Briefly) Threatens to Decommission Key Spacecraft

Musk later walked back his threat, as Trump downplays feud

(Newser) - As President Trump and Elon Musk argued on social media on Thursday, the world's richest man threatened to decommission a space capsule used to take astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station, the AP reports. After Trump threatened to cut government contracts given to Musk's SpaceX rocket...

Oldest US Astronaut Lands in Time to Celebrate His 70th

Don Pettit spent seven months on space station doing research

(Newser) - Seniors including George HW Bush have marked advanced birthdays by skydiving. Don Pettit, NASA's oldest astronaut still flying, marked his 70th on Sunday by landing safely on Earth after seven months on the International Space Station. The Soyuz MS-26 space capsule with Pettit and Russian crewmates Alexey Ovchinin and...

Astronauts' Extra Pay During Long ISS Stay: $5 Per Day

Wilmore, Williams received 'regular 40-hour workweek salaries,' NASA says

(Newser) - NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were in space for 278 days longer than planned but they weren't racking up overtime hours during their long stay on the International Space Station. They received their normal salary—$152,258 a year, according to NASA's 2024 pay rates—but...

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