Nighttime footage taken from the International Space Station as it orbits over the West Coast, released by NASA earlier in the week, provides perfect soothing visuals. more ›

This morning's launch of the space shuttle Atlantis marked the last shuttle launch NASA's foreseeable future. The craft launched successfully, but still had plenty of folks nervous for the safety of the crew. Of course, our concern this morning was nothing compared to the emotional rollercoaster that viewers felt in 1981, when the first shuttle went careening into space. more ›

There are no words to describe the size, intensity and pure unadulterated awe that occurred last night at Qwest Field. As we mentioned, it took four days just to assemble the huge stage designed solely to provide fans a 360 degree view of the U2 show that has been two years in coming. Even professional photographers shooting the show had a palpable excitement among them as we all prepared to grab shots during the meager three songs we're allotted. As a matter of fact, we may or may not have (but definitely did) take photos of ourselves in front of the stage. more ›

Annie explains a little more about this morning's sad NASA news, officially ending Seattlest's celebration of the Shuttle Day that Wasn't. more ›

We watched a documentary about space shuttles narrated by William Shatner to bring you the NASA news, and the names of the cities which will receive a retired shuttle. Hint: it's not us. more ›

Bad news, but the game's not over yet. more ›

It's Shuttle Day, maybe! Also, a shortage of medication and bad news in Belltown. more ›

The term “gonzo science writer” is apt when applied to author Mary Roach, who has made a name for herself by writing funny and fascinating explorations of human corpses, the science of sex, and the mysteries of the great beyond. Her newest endeavor, Packing for Mars, tackles the mundanities of an astronaut’s life on the road—er, in space—such as bodily functions, culinary quirks, and workplace personality conflicts. (As if anything about floating in zero gravity a gajillion miles from Earth is mundane.) Roach meticulously delves into the research behind astronaut selection, machinery testing, and the psychology of living in cramped quarters for extended periods under unusual circumstances. Turns out the weakest link in the chain of technology that would allow exploration to faraway places like Mars may be the limitations of the human body and mind. Roach’s insights are surely just as wryly humorous and enlightening in person—if not more so—so be sure to catch her at UW’s bookstore on the Ave this evening. more ›

Like the rest of the country, Seattlest was shocked and saddened by the plane crash that killed former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and four other passengers. Former NASA chief Sean O'Keefe was also on board, but has apparently survived the crash. more ›

Thousands gathered Friday for the memorial of police Officer Timothy Brenton, who was killed in the line of duty on Halloween night. more ›

WALKING ON THE MOON: The Northwest Film Forum keeps on 69ing with their screenings this week of Downhill Racer and Camille 2000. As a lovely coincidence, 1969 was also the year that Neil Armstrong did his giant leap for mankind. As such, the NWFF is well within their purview to show footage of the moon landing tonight as part of their 69 film series. A screening of the original television broadcast starts at 7 p.m., followed by a montage of major NASA events leading up to and including the landing, stitched together love by local filmmaker and sound artist Joe Milutis. 7 p.m. // Northwest Film Forum // 1515 12th Ave. // $9 more ›

Forty years ago next Monday, the world watched as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon, which is still one of the coolest things ever. This weekend, the Museum of Flight is beginning a week of exhibitions celebrating the moon landing's anniversary. more ›

At 2:01 EST / 11:01 PST today, you can watch West Seattle H.S. and UW alum, Gregory C. Johnson and six other astronauts of mission STS-125 blast off into outer space. Up, up and away! Johnson will be piloting the space shuttle Atlantis throughout its 11-day service mission to repair NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.The big ol' telescope--sent up into space in 1990--needs some tender loving care since its last fix seven years ago. The crew of STS-125 have scheduled five spacewalks to fix the snafus and update camera technology that's expected to last until 2014. Godspeed.
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GRINDHOUSE: The Sunset's monthly night of chopsocky fun Kung Fu Grindhouse puts out another installment of more delicious b-movie trash. Tonight's triple-header kicks off with Charles Bronson as a bareknuckles boxer in Hard Times, followed by monster movie From Beyond at 8:30, and closing the night with Jackie Chan in Dragons Forever. more ›

First of all, may we just say it's great to be back in the Seattlest saddle again after a somewhat extended absence! We actually...*sniff*...missed you guys. Alright, back to business. Thanks to Twitter, we now know about a neat local cooking site named, appropriately, CookLocal. They're covering the very important rutabaga and sunchoke baked chips beat this week. West Seattle Blog passes along news about South Seattle Community College's new scholarships, money set aside to help out anyone who's ever been in the U.S. foster care system. The Weekly's Sara Brickner reports on N.A.S.A.'s show at Nectar last night on Reverb, with photos and all ("go-go dancers, a giant visualizer screen and aliens" is part of the write-up, reason enough for you to click on that link). And over at the Seattle Post-Times, they're upset about the new, unsightly ads on Washington ferries. Of course, the pictured ad supporting the Post-Times' case is for the Woodland Park Zoo's flamingos exhibit--not exactly the devil incarnate. more ›

INTERNATIONAL TIPPLE TASTING: As a Pacific Rim port, Seattle should really be more broadly acquainted with saké than it is. Enter tonight's premium sake tasting at Umi Saké House in Belltown, a Saké Nomi event designed to familiarize attendees with thirty of the world's finest (and in some cases, rarest) brands. You and your fellow fermented rice enthusiasts will be able to sample a saké whose brand hails straight from 1505 as well as an igloo-brewed variety called "Divine Droplets." Kampai! more ›

Four years ago, President Bush announced his Vision for Space Exploration; we would, he said, aim to return to the moon by 2020, develop an "extend[ed] human presence across the solar system," and build new vehicles to take us where we want to go in space. Part of that plan was a request to NASA to complete the International Space Station, retire the current, aging space shuttles (to be replaced by a new Crew Exploration Vehicle) and to close the space shuttle program facilities across the country by 2010. The time is drawing steadily near for Congress to reaffirm that course of action. King5 tells us that Seattle's Museum of Flight, on East Marginal Way, could be home to one of those shuttles in a year or two, and that, of course, would be downright really frickin' cool. more ›

Most of us who have spent any time bored on the internet, or have bored friends who send us forwards about everything they find, know our porn star name. The formula for this is, of course, the name of your first pet and the street you grew up on. (For example, we have the world's most boring porn star name ever: Minnie Smith.) More advanced bored internet surfers may also know their soap star name and Star Wars character name. more ›

To the average damp Seattle dweller, life in eastern Washington's Moses Lake--complete with rodeos, farms, and arid landscape--may very well seem like a different world. But NASA believes that Moses Lake and its surrounding landscape better mimics life on the moon. That's why NASA has decided to test a prototype of a lunar vehicle near Moses Lake this summer. more ›