November 23, 2005
New Cracks Found in Shuttle's Tank Foam
NASA officials still puzzling over what caused a section of foam insulation to break away from the space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank during its launch in July, have found nine new unexplained cracks in the foam of another tank at the Louisiana plant where the foam is applied.

August 18, 2005
NASA Delays Next Shuttle Launch to Address Falling Foam
In light of what they learned from the space shuttle's return to flight and the reoccurring problem of foam breaking off the external fuel tank during takeoff, NASA officials said they will hold off launching the next shuttle until the spring of 2006.

August 9, 2005
Experts Discuss Discovery Mission, NASA's Next Steps
Despite unexpected repair missions and two days of foul weather that delayed its return, the shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven astronauts safely landed at Edwards Air Force Base Tuesday morning. Two experts discuss the shuttle's return and what comes next in NASA's space program.

Update: Shuttle Discovery Safely Returns to Earth

August 3, 2005
Discovery Crew Makes In-flight Repairs
Astronaut Stephen Robinson gently plucked two protruding and potentially dangerous fiber strips from the space shuttle Discovery's underbelly Wednesday in an unprecedented emergency repair. Kathryn Sullivan, the first American woman to conduct a spacewalk in 1984, discusses the intricacies of the repair mission.

Update: Astronaut Pulls Strips from Shuttle's Tiled Belly

August 2, 2005
NASA Considers In-space Shuttle Repair
NASA scientists are considering whether or not Discovery's astronauts should be the first to try a spacewalk to fix the outside of the shuttle while it is in orbit. The goal: to remove filler material between the shuttle's protective thermal tiles. The gap filler could disrupt air flow during re-entry and lead to dangerous overheating. Keith Cowing, editor of NASA Watch, discusses whether a spacewalk is needed to repair damage to the shuttle’s underside.

July 28, 2005
Experts Assess Future of Shuttle Program
NASA reported Thursday that a second piece of foam had fallen off the fuel tank but posed no danger to the Discovery crew. Keith Cowing, editor of NASA Watch, and Alex Roland, professor of space history at Duke University, discuss the future of the space shuttle program.

July 27, 2005
NASA to Ground Shuttles over Foam Debris
NASA said Wednesday it would ground future shuttle flights because the problem of foam peeling off the fuel tank and possibly damaging the shuttle had not been eliminated. During Discovery's launch Tuesday, a large piece of the insulating foam broke off the tank but did not put the shuttle in danger as it did during the January 2003 liftoff of the shuttle Columbia.

July 26, 2005
Editor Puts Discovery Launch in Context
Keith Cowing, editor of NASA Watch, discusses the significance of Discovery's launch and particulars of its mission.

July 26, 2005
Shuttle Discovery Rockets into Orbit
The space shuttle Discovery successfully took off Tuesday morning on a 12-day mission to resupply the International Space Station and test various new safety features.

July 25, 2005
NASA Counts Down to Tuesday Shuttle Launch
NASA officials say they are prepared to launch the shuttle Discovery on Tuesday morning even if one of the fuel tank sensors malfunctions as it did during the original planned liftoff earlier this month.

July 21, 2005
NASA Resets Shuttle Launch After Sensor Failure
NASA now aims to launch the space shuttle Discovery on Tuesday, after engineers expressed confidence they had pinpointed the fuel-sensor problem that prevented the July 13 liftoff.

July 12, 2005
NASA Prepares for First Shuttle Launch Since Columbia Disaster
Spencer Michels looks at the safety improvements made to the shuttle program since the Columbia tragedy in February 2003.

June 30, 2005
NASA Plans July 13 Shuttle Launch
The space shuttle Discovery is set to rocket into orbit on July 13, two-and-a-half years after the Columbia disaster claimed the lives of seven astronauts, NASA announced Thursday.

Jan. 14, 2004
President Bush Pledges to Return to the Moon
President Bush announced plans Wednesday to develop a new spacecraft to send humans back to the moon as early as 2015 and use it as a launching point for manned missions to Mars and beyond. Two experts debate whether the missions are the best use of science dollars.

Aug. 28, 2003
O'Keefe Responds to Columbia Accident Report
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe responds to a pointed report by the official accident investigation board on the destruction of the space shuttle Columbia.

Special Report
Loss of the Shuttle Columbia
Coverage of the investigation into what caused the shuttle Columbia to disintegrate in the sky above Texas on Feb. 1, 2003, and the ensuing recommendations on what NASA should do before returning the shuttle to flight

Oct. 28, 1998
John Glenn Returns to Space
Sen. John Glenn, the first American man to orbit the Earth, returns to space aboard the shuttle Discovery at age 77.

May 26, 1997
Atlantis Returns from Mir Rendezvous
The space shuttle Atlantis touched down Saturday, after a successful rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir. Reporting on the shuttle's journey and the mission's purpose is Charlayne Hunter-Gault.

Nov. 29, 1996
Goldin Describes Challenger Disaster, New Initiatives
Correspondent Tom Bearden reports on NASA's high-profile leader, Dan Goldin.