For its next generation of space vehicles, NASA has decided to abandon the design principles that went into the aging space shuttle, agency officials and private experts say.

It looks like the memo spaceref got ahold of a few weeks ago was right. This will be hopefully be way better.

Redesign Is Seen for Next Craft, NASA Aides Say

The space shuttle Discovery successfully docked with the International Space Station today, after carrying out an unprecedented back-flip to allow the crew members to photograph the shuttle's heat shield.

The maneuver followed a decision by NASA on Wednesday to suspend further flights of the space shuttle fleet after determining that a large piece of insulating foam had broken off the external fuel tank of the Discovery shortly after liftoff on Tuesday morning, the same problem that doomed the Columbia and its seven astronauts in the last mission, two and a half years ago.

oops...

NASA Suspending Shuttle Program Over Foam Debris

The Discovery was launched today as planned at 10:39, embarking on the first shuttle journey since the loss of Columbia and its crew of seven astronauts over Texas on Feb. 1, 2003.

Shuttle Launches as Planned, Starting 12-Day Journey in Space

The House overwhelmingly endorsed President Bush's vision of sending people back to the Moon and eventually to Mars as it passed a bill on Friday to set NASA policy for the next two years.

House's NASA Bill Embraces Bush Plan - New York Times

Like an increasingly creaky baby boomer who can still run a marathon, the space shuttle is a delicate organism that can do miraculous things. But as the Discovery prepares to lift off Tuesday morning on the first shuttle mission since the loss of the Columbia two and a half years ago, it is clearly feeling its age.

Not much news here. Everyone cross your fingers tomorrow.

High Tech in the 70's, Shuttles Feel Their Age

NASA will try to launch the space shuttle Discovery on Tuesday after having narrowed down the most likely cause of the fuel tank sensor problem that delayed last week's effort to fly for the first time since the Columbia disaster in 2003, space agency officials said Wednesday.

NASA Plans to Launch Space Shuttle on Tuesday - New York Times

According to a White House staffer, a memo representing official Bush administration space policy calls for no more than 15 space shuttle flights before the fleet is retired in 2010.

For the amount of money they've spent trying to get Shuttle flying again, how much closer could we be to a new launch system?

White House Memo Calls For Slashing Remaining Space Shuttle Flights

The shuttle Discovery will not be launched today because of a malfunctioning fuel sensor, NASA said, delaying the return to space for a fleet grounded since the Columbia disaster in February 2003.

Shuttle's Liftoff Canceled by Fuel Sensor Problem

SERS is our latest venture - a mobile space technology showcase, centered around the Space Elevator concept, that will visit airshows, schools and universities, science fairs and other public gatherings.

SERS will be a sight to behold - more details here, but suffice it to say that it will easily be the tallest and brightest exhibit in any such gathering, and will attract plenty of positive attention - an ideal platform for your corporate message.

They have some kind of x-prize-like thing for developing Space Elevator technologies -- primarily climbers and tether materials -- by 2010.

The Space Elevator - Elevator:2010

, also known as a space bridge, is a fixed structure from the Earth's surface into space for carrying payloads.

Wikipedia has a very detailed article on the subject.

Space elevator - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia