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Photo: NASA Crew 11 Launch at Kennedy Space Center .

Photo: NASA Crew 11 Launch at Kennedy Space Center .

UPI5 days ago
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https://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/c995400d4b2d4b8c1c8f06ba77f65865/NASA-Crew-11-Launch-at-Kennedy-Space-Center/
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UPI
UPI
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NASA Crew 11 Launch at Kennedy Space Center .
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket which will carry Crew-11 astronauts sits on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center at sunrise on Friday, August 1, 2025. The launch was scrubbed on Thursday due to weather and is now scheduled for Friday at 11:43 a.m. EDT (15:43 UTC). Photo by Pat Benic/UPI
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NASA and Boeing Starliner astronaut 'Butch' Wilmore retires
NASA and Boeing Starliner astronaut 'Butch' Wilmore retires

UPI

time9 minutes ago

  • UPI

NASA and Boeing Starliner astronaut 'Butch' Wilmore retires

NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore announced his retirement on Wednesday after 25 years with the space agency, where he flew several types of spacecraft, including the Boeing Starliner, and accumulated 464 days in space. File Photo by NASA | License Photo Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore announced his retirement Wednesday after 25 years with NASA and serving as a U.S. Navy test pilot before becoming an astronaut. Wilmore, 62, and astronaut Suni Williams gained a lot of media attention when their 10-day Boeing Starliner test flight turned into a nine-month stay on the International Space Station after lifting off on June 5, 2024, and returning aboard a SpaceX Dragon on March 18. "From my earliest days, I have been captivated by the marvels of creation, looking upward with insatiable curiosity," Wilmore said in a NASA news release announcing his retirement. "This curiosity propelled me into the skies and eventually to space, where the magnificence of the cosmos mirrored the glory of its creator in ways words can scarcely convey," Wilmore continued. "Even as I ventured beyond Earth's limits, I remained attuned to the beauty and significance of the world below," he added, "recognizing the same intricate design evidence among the stars is also woven into the fabric of life at home." Wilmore flew several spacecraft for NASA and accumulated 464 days in space, according to the space agency. He also has flown many types of tactical aircraft as a decorated captain with the U.S. Navy who flew peacetime and combat missions while deployed aboard four aircraft carriers during his military career. Wilmore was graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and served as a test pilot before becoming an astronaut in 2000. "Butch's commitment to NASA's mission and dedication to human space exploration is truly exemplary," Johnson Space Center Director Steve Koerner said. "His lasting legacy of fortitude will continue to impact and inspire the Johnson workforce, future explorers and the nation for generations," Koerner added. "On behalf of NASA's Johnson Space Center, we thank Butch for his service." Wilmore completed three missions aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, Roscosmos Soyuz and the Boeing Starliner, according to NASA. "His mastery of complex systems, coupled with his adaptability and steadfast commitment to NASA's mission, has inspired us all," said Joe Acaba, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Wilmore is a Tennessee native who earned a bachelor's and master's in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University and a master's in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee.

NASA's Butch Wilmore retires from astronaut corps after spending 9 unexpected months in space
NASA's Butch Wilmore retires from astronaut corps after spending 9 unexpected months in space

CNN

time39 minutes ago

  • CNN

NASA's Butch Wilmore retires from astronaut corps after spending 9 unexpected months in space

Astronaut Butch Wilmore is retiring from NASA less than five months after he returned from a troubled test mission that left him aboard the International Space Station far longer than expected, the space agency announced Wednesday. Wilmore, along with NASA astronaut Suni Williams, piloted the first crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft last year. The mission gained worldwide attention when the spacecraft experience several serious issues en route to the space station, including thruster outages and gas leaks. Williams and Wilmore had been expected to stay about eight days in orbit. But NASA and Boeing spent weeks attempting to pinpoint what went wrong with their vehicle and assessing whether Starliner was safe to carry the astronauts home. The space agency ultimately decided returning the duo to Earth aboard Starliner was too risky a proposition. NASA announced last August that Williams and Wilmore would join the next International Space Station crew rotation along with two other astronauts on SpaceX's Crew-9 mission and remain aboard the orbiting laboratory for several additional months. Williams and Wilmore ultimately returned home in March — more than nine months after they left Earth. Such a duration of stay in orbit is not uncommon, as astronauts routinely live on the space station for six months or longer when they serve on staff rotation missions. Both astronauts have maintained the position that they were fully prepared for their extended stay in space, saying they each understood the risks and uncertainty associated with test flying a spacecraft for the first time. Williams and Wilmore also repeatedly sought to quash narratives that they were 'abandoned,' 'stuck' or 'stranded' in space. 'That's been the narrative from day one: stranded, abandoned, stuck — and I get it, we both get it,' Wilmore told CNN's Anderson Cooper in February. 'Help us change the narrative, let's change it to: prepared and committed despite what you've been hearing. That's what we prefer.' Wilmore's 'commitment to NASA's mission and dedication to human space exploration is truly exemplary,' said Steve Koerner, the acting head of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where astronauts train, in a statement Wednesday. 'His lasting legacy of fortitude,' Koerner added, 'will continue to impact and inspire the Johnson workforce, future explorers, and the nation for generations.' Wilmore's departure from NASA follows the example set by Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, the two astronauts who piloted the first crewed test flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule in 2020. That mission marked the last for both Behken and Hurley, who have each since retired. Wilmore, a Naval officer and test pilot who served in 21 combat missions, joined NASA's astronaut corps in 2000. He flew on three missions during his 25 years of service, including a mission on the space shuttle Atlantis and a trip to the space station on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Notably, upon his return to Earth on a SpaceX capsule in March, Wilmore said that he would theoretically fly aboard one of Boeing's Starliner capsules again if given the opportunity. 'We're going to rectify all the issues that we encountered. We're going to fix them, we're going to make it work,' Wilmore said during a March 31 news conference. 'And with that, I'd get on in a heartbeat.' Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.

Trump moves to shut down NASA missions that measure carbon dioxide and plant health
Trump moves to shut down NASA missions that measure carbon dioxide and plant health

Washington Post

time39 minutes ago

  • Washington Post

Trump moves to shut down NASA missions that measure carbon dioxide and plant health

The Trump administration is moving to shut down two NASA missions that monitor a potent greenhouse gas and plant health, potentially shutting off an important source of data for scientists, policymakers and farmers. President Donald Trump's budget request for fiscal year 2026 includes no money for the Orbiting Carbon Observatories, which can precisely show where carbon dioxide is being emitted and absorbed and how well crops are growing.

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