Shuttle Discovery lands after final voyage

The space shuttle Discovery capped a successful 13-day spaceflight with a smooth landing in Florida on Wednesday, ending a 27-year flying career for NASA's most-traveled spaceship as the agency prepares for an uncertain future.

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• Video: Space shuttle Discovery lands
• U.S. shuttle Discovery on track for final landing
• Photo Gallery: Discovery makes its final return
• Mars should be U.S. space agency’s focus: panel
• U.S. astronauts get ready to leave space lab

Mars should be U.S. space agency’s focus: panel

NASA should focus its efforts on a solar-powered rover mission to Mars rather than human spaceflight in the coming decade, but only if costs can be slashed, a science panel said Monday.

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U.S. astronauts get ready to leave space lab

Six U.S. astronauts are wrapping their mission at the International Space Station on Sunday before strapping themselves back into the shuttle Discovery, one day before setting back toward Earth, NASA said.

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• U.S. must be 'unafraid' of commercial spaceflight: NASA
• U.S. astronauts venture outside station for spacewalk

Space plane and its secret payload set for launch

An experimental robotic space plane developed for the Air Force is slated to launch Friday from Cape Canaveral, Fla., fueling an ongoing mystery about its hush-hush payload and overall mission.

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NASA satellite fails to reach orbit

NASA's earth observation satellite Glory failed to reach orbit on Friday after its protective cover did not detach following its launch, the U.S. space agency said.

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• U.S. must be 'unafraid' of commercial spaceflight: NASA
• U.S. astronauts venture outside station for spacewalk
• Shuttle Discovery pays last visit to space station

U.S. must be ‘unafraid’ of private spaceflight: NASA

NASA’s chief said Wednesday that America must be "unafraid" of a new future in spaceflight and vowed full confidence that private business can come up with a solution to replace the space shuttle.

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