NASA officials optimistic Lucy asteroid mission will overcome solar array snag

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Artist’s illustration of the final phase of deploying the solar arrays on NASA’s Lucy spacecraft. Credit: NASA A NASA official said Monday there is “widespread optimism” that a solar array snag discovered on the Lucy asteroid probe after its launch over the weekend will not jeopardize the spacecraft’s 12-year exploration mission. Lucy’s two solar arrays …

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Russian actress returns to Earth after space station movie shoot

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STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION Yulia Peresild, an award-winning Russian actress, sits near her Soyuz crewmates after landing Sunday. Credit: NASA TV/Roscosmos A Russian actress and her director-cameraman, wrapping up a 12-day movie shoot aboard the International Space Station, returned to Earth Sunday and promptly filmed a few additional scenes that will be …

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NASA asteroid explorer leaves planet Earth on Atlas 5 rocket

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A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket provided the ride to space for NASA’s Lucy asteroid probe. Credit: United Launch Alliance Bound for a pristine population of ancient asteroids, a NASA science probe named Lucy took off from Cape Canaveral before dawn Saturday and rocketed into space on top of an Atlas 5 launcher to …

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Three astronauts begin half-year mission on Chinese space station

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The Shenzhou 13 crew — Ye Guangfu, Zhai Zhigang, and Wang Yaping — float inside the Tianhe core module of the Chinese space station. Credit: CMSA Three astronauts floated into the living quarters of China’s space station Friday, hours after launching from a military-run spaceport in the Gobi Desert, moving in for a six-month mission …

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NASA’s Lucy mission will be the first to explore a population of ancient asteroids

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Artist’s concept of the Lucy spacecraft flying past a Trojan asteroid. Credit: Southwest Research Institute NASA is ready to launch a $981 million mission to the distant reaches of the solar system Saturday, kicking off a 12-year expedition to visit a group of unexplored asteroids that may offer clues to help scientists decipher how the …

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Photos: Atlas 5 rocket stands on the launch pad with NASA’s Lucy spacecraft

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The final Atlas rocket assigned to launch a solar system exploration mission is set for liftoff before dawn Saturday. NASA’s Lucy asteroid mission is mounted on top of the rocket awaiting launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket is seen in these photos standing on Space Launch Complex 41 …

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Lucy asteroid probe to set a new distance record for solar-powered spacecraft

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The UltraFlex solar arrays on NASA’s Lucy spacecraft unfold during a ground test at a Lockheed Martin test facility in Colorado. Credit: Lockheed Martin About an hour after launch Saturday, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft will start the delicate process of opening its circular, fan-shaped solar arrays — the largest ever on a deep space probe — …

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China repeats call for international astronauts to join space station crews

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Artist’s concept of the completed Chinese space station. Credit: CMSA On the eve of the next crew launch to the Chinese space station, a spokesperson for China’s human spaceflight agency repeated Thursday the country’s invitation for international astronauts to fly to the new orbiting space lab. The Shenzhou 13 mission, with an all-Chinese crew of …

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Atlas 5 rocket rolls out to launch pad with NASA’s Lucy asteroid probe

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Credit: Alex Polimeni/Spaceflight Now An Atlas 5 rocket emerged from its hangar and rolled to a launch pad at Cape Canaveral Thursday with NASA’s Lucy asteroid probe. The launch of the Lucy spacecraft Saturday will mark the final planetary science mission in the storied history of the Atlas program. The 188-foot-tall (57.3-meter) Atlas 5 rocket …

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