International Space Station (Updates)

[Draggendrop Veteran]

NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 1 March 2016

 

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Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA, and Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos landed their Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft in Kazakhstan at 11:26 p.m. EST. Russian recovery teams will help the crew exit the Soyuz vehicle and adjust to gravity after their stay in space.

 

Kelly and Kornienko launched to the space station on March 27, 2015, for their one-year mission. The pair's return on March 1 marks the end of 340 days aboard the space station and almost 143 million miles during their time in space, roughly the same average distance between Earth and Mars.

 

With Kelly, Kornienko and Volkov landing in Kazakhstan, Kelly has logged 520 days in space on two flights, the first of which was on space shuttle mission STS-103 in 1998. Kornienko has spent 516 days in space on two flights, the first of which was on Expedition 23/24 in 2010. Volkov arrived at the station on September 4 and has spent 548 days in space on three flights, the first of which was in 2008.

 

Expedition 47 Commander Tim Kopra of NASA, Yuri Malenchenko of Roscosmos, and Tim Peake of ESA (European Space Agency) remain aboard the station to continue research and maintenance. The remainder of the Expedition 47 crew, NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Skriprochka and Alexey Ovchinin, is scheduled to launch from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on March 18.

 

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Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
44S Undock Operations

 

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Wednesday, 03/02: Crew Off Duty
Thursday, 03/03: Robonaut CPCI Fault Troubleshooting
Friday, 03/04: BASS H/W Stow, Food Consolidation

 

QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:

Component - Status
Elektron - On
Vozdukh - Manual
[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - On
[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - Off
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Override
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-1-march-2016.html

 

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Soyuz TMA-18M Lands after 'Year in Space' Mission

video is 14:18 min.

 

 

 

 

 

Soyuz TMA-18M Lands in Kazakhstan after 'Year in Space' Mission

video is 26:43 min.

 

 

 

 

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ISS Expedition 46 Crew First Interview after Returning from Space

 

ISS Expedition 46 Crew First Interview after Returning from Space.    NASA

 

 

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Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos were greeted during a traditional ceremony in Kazakhstan on Mar. 2, a few hours after landing in their Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft.

 

Kelly and Kornienko spent 340 days in space, aboard the International Space Station conducting research on the long duration effects of weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars.

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/iss-expedition-46-crew-first-interview-after-returning-from-space.html

 

Welcome Back to Earth

video is 14:31 min.

 

 

 

[flyingskippy]

I found Scott Kelly's ride home. Here it is on flight aware. Time matches up for when NASA said he would arrive in Houston @ 2355 CST. 

 

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/id/NASA2-1456962960-0-1

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Soyuz TMA-18M wrap up.

 

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The departure of the Soyuz TMA-18M, marked the beginning of Expedition 47 onboard the outpost, which at the time, will remain occupied by three members of the Soyuz TMA-19M crew: Yuri Malenchenko, Timothy Kopra and Timothy Peake. They are scheduled to stay on the ISS until June 2016.

 

After around two orbits in solo flight, Soyuz TMA-18M initiated a deorbiting burn at 06:32 Moscow Time on March 2 (10:32 p.m. EST on March 1) at an altitude of 425 kilometers above the Southern Atlantic Ocean and around 12 kilometers from the ISS. The maneuver slowed down the vehicle by around 128 meters per second, initiating its reentry into the Earth's atmosphere.

 

Some 22 minutes later, as the spacecraft descended to an altitude of 140 kilometers, the Soyuz split into a Descent Module, SA, carrying the crew, a Habitation Module, BO, and an Instrument Module, PAO.

 

The descent module of the Soyuz TMA-18 was expected to make a parachute landing on March 2, 2016, at 07:25 Moscow Time (11:25 p.m. EST on March 1) around 147 kilometers southeast of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan, according to the mission control in Korolev. NASA reported landing time as 10:26 p.m. Houston Time. The touchdown took place nearly 2.5 hours after local sunrise.

 

Recovery services found the descent module of the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft in vertical position after touchdown. All crew members were extracted from the descent module in seemingly excellent condition.

 

A special field test tent was set up in the landing zone to conduct post-landing checkups and tests on the crew, including vision and balance.

 

 

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/iss-soyuz-tma18m.html#land

 

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ISS Calendar

 

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March 2, 2016	Soyuz M-18M Landing (Volkov, Kornienko, Kelly)
March 7, 2016	Satellite Deployment
March 19, 2016	Soyuz TMA-20M Launch & Docking (Ovchinin, Skripochka, Williams)
March 23, 2016	Cygnus OA-6 Launch atop Atlas V
March 25, 2016	Cygnus OA-6 Rendezvous, Capture & Berthing to Node 1
March 29. 2016	Progress M-29M Undocking from Zvezda
March 31, 2016	Progress MS-2 Launch & Docking to Zvezda
April 1, 2016	Dragon SpX-8 Launch atop Falcon 9
April 3, 2016	Dragon SpX-8 Capture & Berthing to Harmony
April 22, 2016	Dragon SpX-8 Departure & Landing
April/May	Dragon SpX-9

http://spaceflight101.com/iss/iss-calendar/

 

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March 18Soyuz • ISS 46S

Launch time: 2126 GMT (5:26 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan

A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the manned Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station with members of the next Expedition crew. The capsule will remain at the station for about six months, providing an escape pod for the crew. [Dec. 16]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

U.S., Russian and British Crew Continuing Station Operations

 

British astronaut Tim Peake works on an experiment that explores the risk of breathing in toxic dust during a future crewed mission to Mars.

 

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NASA astronaut Scott Kelly has returned to Houston and his Expedition 46 crewmates Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov have returned to Russia. Their historic mission is over but there are three crew members who are still orbiting Earth on the International Space Station.

 

The new station commander of Expedition 47, NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, worked on the Water Recovery System that converts urine into pure drinking water. After that, he took a look at the humanoid robot, also known as Robonaut2, for some troubleshooting activities.

 

British astronaut Tim Peake was inside the Columbus lab module today checking out science hardware for a magnetic field experiment and a payload transfer rack. Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, who has visited the orbital lab five times, worked on Russian life support gear.

 

A new set of space station crew members is getting ready to join Expedition 47 when they launch March 18 U.S. time. NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin will ride the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft for a six-hour trip to their new home in space.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/03/03/u-s-russian-and-british-crew-continuing-station-operations/

 

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Kelly in good shape after marathon mission

 

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Astronaut Scott Kelly, in good spirits and looking surprisingly fit after a record 340 days in space, said Wednesday he could have stayed up longer if necessary, giving him confidence future astronauts will be up to the challenge of even longer flights to Mars and beyond.

 

That said, “a year’s a long time,” he told a NASA interviewer shortly after landing in Kazakhstan. “It felt like I’d been up there my whole life after about the first six months. The normal increment is about six months, and that’s a long time. So a year’s really, really long.

 

“But I’m definitely encouraged on our ability to go even longer. Even though I looked forward to coming home, and there are things that I miss, I felt like if it was for the right reason, I clearly could have stayed however long it took.”

 

Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko were launched to the International Space Station last March 27. They returned to Earth late Tuesday U.S. time, along with Soyuz TMA-18M commander Sergey Volkov, landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan.

 

Kelly and Kornienko both looked fit, smiling and chatting with recovery crews during initial medical checks. After more extensive field tests to begin assessing their re-adaptation to gravity, all three crew members were flown to nearby Dzhezkazgan for an official Kazakh welcoming ceremony.

 

From there, Kornienko and Volkov headed back to Star City near Moscow while Kelly boarded a NASA jet bound for Houston. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Jill Biden, representing the vice president, and John Holdren, President Obama’s science advisor, planned to be on hand to welcome him back to the United States shortly before midnight.

more at the link...

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/03/02/kelly-in-good-shape-after-marathon-mission/

 

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Swansea Bay
United Kingdom
8 days ago

 

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Low tide exposes mud flats at the mouth of the River Neath near Swansea, Wales.

https://www.planet.com/gallery/swansea/

 

 

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Satellite Tracker and Interactive Map: How to Spot the Space Station & More

 

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Pinpoint the International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope and other satellites in the sky above you with this satellite tracker powered by N2YO.org. Plus, watch the paths they trace as they orbit Earth on interactive maps and find when they'll next pass overhead.

ISS tracker with an additional payloads...

http://www.space.com/32054-satellite-tracker.html

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 3 March 2016

 

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly speaks to friends, family and NASA officials shortly after arriving in Houston early Thursday morning. Behind Scott from left are, Dr. Jill Biden, Second Lady of the United States; Mark Kelly, former astronaut and Scott’s twin brother; Dr. John Holdren, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy; and Charlie Bolden, NASA Administrator. Credit: NASA.

 

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NASA astronaut Scott Kelly has returned to Houston and his Expedition 46 crewmates Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov have returned to Russia. Their historic mission is over but there are three crew members who are still orbiting Earth on the International Space Station.

 

The new station commander of Expedition 47, NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, worked on the Water Recovery System that converts urine into pure drinking water. After that, he took a look at the humanoid robot, also known as Robonaut2, for some troubleshooting activities.

 

British astronaut Tim Peake was inside the Columbus lab module today checking out science hardware for a magnetic field experiment and a payload transfer rack. Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, who has visited the orbital lab five times, worked on Russian life support gear.

 

A new set of space station crew members is getting ready to join Expedition 47 when they launch March 18 U.S. time. NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin will ride the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft for a six-hour trip to their new home in space.

 

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MAGVECTOR: Peake configured switches on portable power supply 1 and inserted the Universal Serial Bus (USB) in preparation for the European Space Agency's (ESA's) MAGVECTOR experiment run. MAGVECTOR qualitatively investigates the interaction between a moving magnetic field and an electrical conductor. The expected changes in the magnetic field structure on the ram and wake side of the electrical conductor are of interest for technical applications as well as for astrophysical research.

 

Education Payloads Operations (EPO) - AstroPi: Peake played Reaction Games on the ESA AstroPi which is a complete suite of games that provide reaction times of the user. AstroPi is composed of RaspberryPi B+, Sense HAT (Hardware Attached on Top) and a camera module contained within a protective aluminum case. Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that enables students to explore computing and learn how to program. Two AstroPi are on board: AstroPi Vis, with visible light camera, and AstroPi IR, with an infrared camera. Both AstroPi will run programs written by the winners of a student competition and collect data from sensors (i.e., inertial movement, barometric pressure, relative humidity and temperature). The data will be shared with various schools.

 

Robonaut: Kopra setup the XF305 camcorders, which will be used capture video downlinks of the Robonaut investigation in the Lab and Node 2 modules. Kopra configured the Oscilloscopes to Robonaut which will monitor voltage signatures during debugging activities. Robonaut is a humanoid robot designed with the versatility and dexterity to manipulate hardware, work in high risk environments, and respond safely to unexpected obstacles. It is comprised of a torso with two arms and a head, and two legs with end effectors that enable the robot to translate inside the ISS by interfacing with handrails and seat track. Robonaut is currently operated inside the ISS, however, in the future, it will perform tasks both inside and outside the ISS. The Robonaut Teleoperations System enables Robonaut to mimic the motions of a crewmember wearing specialized gloves, a vest and a visor providing a three-dimensional view through Robonaut's eyes.

 

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Separator Plumbing Assembly (SPA) Remove & Replace (R&R): On February 21st, the UPA failed due to the Distillation Assembly (DA) centrifuge speed exceeding its low limit. Three attempts to restart the UPA were not successful and review of the data indicated that the SPA was not functioning properly. Today Peake purged the DA-PCPA purge hose of moisture and R&Rd the malfunctioning SPA. Shortly after transitioning the UPA to standby, the PCPA turned on and the UPA immediately faulted due to a high pressure alert, indicating a lack of flow through the SPA. The crew subsequently cycled the Quick Disconnects (QDs) connected to the newly installed SPA in an attempt to recover flow through the SPA which was unsuccessful. The crew was advised to perform another SPA R&R which was completed but did not recover the UPA. Teams are meeting to discuss the forward plan.

 

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Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
- UPA recovery support

 

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Friday, 03/04: BASS H/W Stow, SPHERES, Food Consolidation
Saturday, 03/05: Crew Off Duty, Weekly Cleaning
Sunday, 03/06: Crew Off Duty

 

QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:

Component Status
Elektron - On
Vozdukh - Manual
[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off
[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - On
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Override
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Init
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-3-march-2016.html

 

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Station Lifts Orbit Before New Crew Launches

 

Expedition 47-48 crew members (from left) Jeff Williams, Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka are pictured before leaving to the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch site in Kazakhstan.

 

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The Expedition 47 crew onboard the International Space Station is getting ready to welcome three new crew members when they launch in two weeks. The station will raise its orbit tonight to the correct altitude to receive the new crew that will launch inside the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft.

 

NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin are counting down to their March 18 launch scheduled for 5:26 p.m. EST/10:26 p.m. UTC. They are in Kazakhstan at the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch site checking out their Soyuz spacecraft today. This will be Williams’ fourth trip to the orbital lab, Skripochka’s second and Ovchinin’s first.

 

The three current space station residents are NASA astronaut and Commander Tim Kopra, European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake and cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko. The orbiting trio worked today on high-flying plumbing tasks, participated in a variety of space research and exercised to stay healthy and in shape during their long-term mission.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/03/04/station-lifts-orbit-before-new-crew-launches/

 

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Fire in the Hole: Studying How Flames Grow in Space

 

A team of scientists and engineers test the components of Saffire I (background) and Saffire II (foreground)

 

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Understanding how fire spreads in a microgravity environment is critical to the safety of astronauts who live and work in space. And while NASA has conducted studies aboard the space shuttle and International Space Station, risks to the crew have forced these experiments to be limited in size and scope.

 

Now a new experiment, designed, built and managed at NASA's Glenn Research Center, will ignite an understanding of microgravity fire on a much larger scale. The Spacecraft Fire Experiment, known as Saffire, is a series of experiments to be launched on three different flights beginning in March.

"A spacecraft fire is one of the greatest crew safety concerns for NASA and the international space exploration community," says Gary Ruff, Saffire project manager.

 

Saffire will involve far larger flames than previous experiments and will investigate the way fire spreads on a variety of combustible materials. Because the experiments will be conducted away from the space station, there is no risk to the astronauts aboard.

 

Each Saffire experiment will be remotely operated inside a 3 x 5 foot module, split into two compartments. One side of the module is an avionics bay that contains sensors, high definition video cameras and signal processing equipment. The other side contains the hardware required to ignite a large flame and burn the fabrics and materials inside.

 

When the experiments begin, Saffire I and III will burn one large 16 by 37-inch piece of SIBAL cloth, which is a blend of fiberglass and cotton. This material has been studied in previous microgravity combustion experiments, although at a much smaller size. The SIBAL cloth will be burned from the bottom to see how the flame spreads. If the flame extinguishes itself, scientists will light it at the top and see what happens as the flame moves opposite to the airflow.

 

Saffire II, scheduled to launch in May from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, will ignite a mix of nine different samples of materials used routinely on the space station including flame retardant fabrics used for astronaut clothing, station Plexiglas window samples with edge variations and structures used for storage containers and silicone composites. Each sample is two by 11 inches, the size sample NASA uses to screen materials on Earth before they are used on a spacecraft.

 

"Saffire seeks to answer two questions," says David Urban, principle investigator. "Will an upward spreading flame continue to grow or will microgravity limit the size? Secondly, what fabrics and materials will catch fire and how will they burn?"

 

The Saffire I payload will hitch a ride on a resupply mission to the space station in an Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo vehicle from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. When Cygnus arrives, astronauts will unload their supplies, but Saffire will remain on board Cygnus.

 

"Within the first day after Cygnus pulls away from the space station, we will begin the experiment, which will run autonomously once the RUN command is sent," says Steven Sinacore, deputy project manager.

 

"It will only take a few hours to run the experiments, but Cygnus will remain in space for seven days to ensure complete data transmission back to the Saffire operations team on the ground." Eventually, Saffire, along with Cygnus, will be destroyed upon reentry into Earth's atmosphere.

Concepts for additional Saffire missions- IV, V, VI are in development to focus more on flame spread, smoke propagation, detection and suppression of fire.

 

As NASA continues to send astronauts to the space station and continues the path toward a human mission to Mars, improving understanding of the structure of spacecraft fires is critical.

 

"Saffire is all about gaining a better understanding of how fire behaves in space so NASA can develop better materials, technologies and procedures to reduce crew risk and increase space flight safety," says Ruff.

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Fire_in_the_Hole_Studying_How_Flames_Grow_in_Space_999.html

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Space Station Orbit raised for next Crew Launch & Express Cargo Mission

 

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The International Space Station conducted a reboost maneuver on Saturday to set up the orbital geometry required for the fast rendezvous of the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft carrying the next crew to the orbital outpost, followed by an express cargo flight by Progress MS-02 at the end of the month.

The reboost, carried out by the engines of the Progress M-29M spacecraft docked to the aft port of the Zvezda module, raised the Station’s orbit from 402.6 by 406.2 to 404.6 by 406.6 Kilometers, according to tracking data published on Saturday.

 

The engines of the Progress fired for around eight minutes and 20 seconds until 4:15 UTC, delivering a small acceleration to the Station as is required for the microgravity environment not to be disturbed significantly. The engine firing accelerated ISS by 0.85 meters per second.

more at the link...

http://spaceflight101.com/space-station-orbit-raised-for-next-crew-launch-express-cargo-mission/

 

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Lego Astronauts Aboard The International Space Station

 

Lego Astronauts              NASA/ESA

 

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Astronaut Tim Peake: "Farewell Expedition 46 an honour and a privilege to serve with such great crewmates #safereturn"

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/lego-astronauts-aboard-the-international-space-station.html

 

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Soyuz TMA-20M cleared for Fueling, Next ISS Crew completes Suit Checkouts

 

Photo: RSC Energia

 

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The next crew to fly to the International Space Station had a busy day on Friday, visiting their Soyuz spacecraft for the first time and climbing into their seats in the confined space of the vehicle and checking their Launch and Entry Suits.

 

Soyuz TMA-20M continues to work towards a March 18 liftoff for a fast link-up with ISS to top up the Expedition 47 crew at six.

 

Soyuz commander Alexey Ovchinin and Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Jeff Williams had a packed schedule on Friday, their first full day at the Baikonur Cosmodrome after arriving at the launch site on Thursday. First thing in the morning, they visited their Soyuz at the MIK processing facility to familiarize themselves with the situation on board, for the first time seeing their actual spacecraft.

 

At Site 254, the crew ingressed their Sokol Launch and Entry Suits and went through fit and leak checks to verify the suits will be able to fulfill their function of protecting the crew in the event of a depressurization of the Soyuz on the way up or down. This is the first opportunity for the crew to check their flight suits as different suits are in use during training operations in Star City.

more at the link...

http://spaceflight101.com/soyuz-tma-20m-cleared-for-fueling-next-iss-crew-completes-suit-checkouts/

 

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This is a free pdf book from NASA, actually, a collection of study papers, 181 pages, 4.12 MB, if downloaded. It does contain lots of interesting LEO data, can also double as a sleep inducer....

 

The Economic Development of Low-Earth Orbit (NASA Book)

 

Cubesat deployment from ISS                       NASA

 

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This collection of papers identify a number of important policy questions that will be of rising importance as NASA transitions LEO to the private sector, as well as a number of economic analysis methods of addressing those questions.

 

Although far from a comprehensive assessment of the opportunities and challenges inherent in the continued, private-sector-led economic development of human spaceflight in LEO, this collection represents an impressive level of knowledge and insight. It is our hope that this volume may serve to guide decisions and spark the intellectual curiosity of space policy makers, NASA managers, and economic researchers, and all others interested in the continued economic development of human spaceflight.

 

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Preface

 

Patrick Besha, Editor 
Alexander MacDonald, Editor

 

In the next decade, NASA will seek to expand humanity's presence in space beyond the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit to a new habitation platform orbiting the moon. By the late 2020's, astronauts will live and work far deeper in space than ever before. The push to cis-lunar orbit is part of a stepping-stone approach to extend our reach to Mars and beyond. This decision to explore ever farther destinations is a familiar pattern in the history of American space exploration.

 

Another major pattern with historical precedent is the transition from public sector exploration to private sector commercialization. After the government has developed and demonstrated a capability in space, whether it be space-based communications or remote sensing, the private sector has realized its market potential. As new companies establish a presence, the government withdraws from the market.

 

In 2015, we are once again at a critical stage in the development of space. The most successful long-term human habitation in space, orbiting the Earth continuously since 1998, is the International Space Station. Currently at the apex of its capabilities and the pinnacle of state-of-the-art space systems, it was developed through the investments and labors of over a dozen nations and is regularly re-supplied by cargo delivery services. Its occupants include six astronauts and numerous other organisms from Earth's ecosystems from bacteria to plants to rats. Research is conducted on the spacecraft from hundreds of organizations worldwide ranging from academic institutions to large industrial companies and from high-tech start-ups to high-school science classes. Its operational lifetime will be exceeded by the late 2020's, however, compelling its retirement to make way for new spacecraft and new missions. In the current strategy, NASA will begin moving astronauts out to cis-lunar orbit and beyond in the 2020s, leaving the further development of lowEarth orbit to private sector companies.

more at the link...

http://spaceref.biz/agencies/the-economic-development-of-low-earth-orbit-nasa-book.html

 

PDF link   (NASA book)

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20160002472.pdf

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Sore, but no taller, astronaut Scott Kelly adjusts to Earth

 

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US astronaut Scott Kelly said Friday he is battling fatigue and super-sensitive skin, but is back to his normal height after nearly a year in space.

Kelly's 340-day mission -- spent testing the effects of long-term spaceflight ahead of a future mission to Mars, along with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko -- wrapped up early Wednesday when they landed in frigid Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz spacecraft.

 

One of the effects of spending such a long time in the absence of gravity was that Kelly's spine expanded temporarily, making him grow 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters), only to shrink as he returned to Earth.

 

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Kelly had previously spent six months at the orbiting research lab, and was somewhat prepared for the effects of returning from microgravity.

"Initially this time, coming out of the capsule, I felt better than I did last time," when his mission lasted 159 days, he said.

But that soon changed.

 

"My level of muscle soreness and fatigue is a lot higher than it was last time. Maybe there is a linear function to it," he said.

"I also have an issue with my skin, that because it hadn't touched anything for so long -- like any significant contact -- it is very, very sensitive. It is almost like a burning feeling wherever I sit or lie or walk."

more at the link...

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Sore_but_no_taller_astronaut_Scott_Kelly_adjusts_to_Earth_999.html

 

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Glass Bottom Spaceship

 

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Astronaut Scott Kelly posted this photo taken from the International Space Station over the Bahamas on Dec. 26, 2015.

iss046e002764_alt (12/26/2015)

 

ISS out of the cupola            NASA

 

http://spaceref.com/onorbit/glass-bottom-spaceship.html

 

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Scott Kelly Tweets Final Sunrise as Sun Sets on One-Year Space Mission

 

Scott Kelly captured 5 great sunrise shot's prior to leaving the ISS

 

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U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly bid farewell to Twitter at the end of his yearlong mission this morning with a sequence of five sunrise photos before he leaves the International Space Station.

Images at the link, here are a few of the tweet's

http://www.space.com/32108-scott-kelly-last-sunrise-from-space-photos.html

 

https://twitter.com/StationCDRKelly/status/704680442826350592/photo/1

 

 

https://twitter.com/StationCDRKelly/status/704691369227358208/photo/1

 

extra....

https://twitter.com/StationCDRKelly/status/704768329358012416/photo/1

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Crew Readying Station for Future Commercial Crew Vehicles

 

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The three orbiting residents on the International Space Station worked on commercial crew vehicle equipment and lab maintenance today. The crew members also worked on life science and physics research to improve life for citizens on Earth and future space crews.

 

British astronaut Tim Peake started installing and routing cables that will enable communications with future commercial crew vehicles. The Common Communications for Visiting Vehicles, or C2V2, consists of both radio frequency and hardline connections that will be used during rendezvous, docking and mated activities at the space station.

 

Commander Tim Kopra installed and tested acoustic equipment in the U.S. Destiny lab module that will listen for air and pressure leaks. The tests will contribute to the development of a system that can differentiate between harmless background noise and potential leaks. Kopra also checked out gear that will support research on biological samples such as small plants, animal cells and microorganisms.

 

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko explored methods to detect and locate micrometeoroid impacts outside the station. The veteran cosmonaut also photographed areas on Earth impacted by natural or man-made disasters for the long-running Uragan experiment.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/03/07/crew-readying-station-for-future-commercial-crew-vehicles/

 

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Russian Cosmonaut simulates Walk on Mars after a ‘Year In Space’

 

Photo: IMBP (Institute for Biomedical Problems)

 

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Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, having just return from nearly a full year in space, and two of his fellow Cosmonauts, conducted a simulated Extravehicular Activity on Mars in the continued efforts of gathering data on how the human body responds to different tasks after spending an extended period of time in Zero-Gravity.

 

Kornienko landed on the steppe of Kazakhstan on Wednesday, returning after 340 days aboard the International Space Station, accompanied by Scott Kelly, the second one-year crew member, and Soyuz TMA-18M Commander Sergei Volkov, coming home after 182 days in space. For all three crew members, the days after landing were filled with plenty of experiments and sample collection, starting immediately after landing with a series of Field Tests.

 

The day after his return, Mikhail Kornienko was strapped into a centrifuge at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center to conduct a landing simulation on Mars in manual control mode, subjected to the typical forces of re-entry. This was the first of two “Созвездии” (Constellation) experiments focused on future Mars exploration.

 

Quote

For the second experiment, conducted on Sunday, Kornienko put on an Orlan DMA Spacesuit for a simulated ‘Marswalk’ in the Выход-2 EVA simulator. The Orlan suit was suspended on lifting slings to simulate the crew member’s weight on the Martian surface and the planet’s reduced gravity of 0.38 Earth Gs.

 

As part of the simulated EVA, Kornienko was tasked with a number of activities crew’s would be faced with when performing an excursion on the Martian surface. These tasks included opening and closing a spacecraft hatch, climbing up and down an EVA ladder, moving equipment, setting up experiments and traversing terrain including obstacles.

 

In addition to carrying out surface operations himself, Kornienko used a Virtual Reality Setup (VIRTU) to remote-control a Mars surface rover along two different paths, one over relatively flat terrain, the other down a narrow canyon with multiple obstacles.

 

Sunday’s Experiment was also performed by Sergei Volkov and Aleksandr Misurkin to deliver data for a comparison between the abilities of crew members with no recent exposure to microgravity (Misurkin) and half a year in space (Volkov). According to a report by the Cosmonaut Training Center, Kornienko, Volkov and Misurkin were able to carry out all tasks given to them.

more at the link...

http://spaceflight101.com/russian-cosmonaut-simulates-walk-on-mars-after-a-year-in-space/

 

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Scott Kelly Considers Journey to Mars as Doable in Post-Landing Remarks About One-Year Mission

 

Quote

Despite fatigue, muscle soreness and—untouched by the full force of terrestrial gravity in almost a year—a peculiar “itchiness” of the skin, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly feels that his 340 days in space have cleared a significant psychological and physiological milestone towards someday planting boots on Mars. During press events at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, last Friday, Kelly spoke candidly about his time in orbit, his spectacular #EarthArt imagery, his first impressions of the Home Planet upon returning to terra firma and his hopes for the future.

 

“I think the only big surprise was how long a year is,” Kelly began. “It seemed like I’d lived there forever; seemed longer than I thought it would be.” A veteran of three previous missions, including two short-duration shuttle flights and a 159-day International Space Station (ISS) increment between October 2010 and March 2011, Kelly had learned to pace himself appropriately during his early days and weeks in orbit. That said, he noted that working with a small group of other astronauts and cosmonauts in the relatively closed environment of the station was a testament to NASA’s and the International Partners’ ability to select compatible people. He also managed to draw deeply upon his U.S. Navy career experience by “compartmentalizing” his thinking during the long mission, in order to focus upon the tasks at hand.

 

Quote

The two men are, of course, the first people to have spent such an extreme amount of time in space in the 21st century—and the first to do so aboard the ISS—although missions of around a year have been done several times aboard the Mir space station. This orbital outpost was operated in the declining years of the Soviet era and the opening decade of the Russian Federation and saw no fewer than six cosmonauts fly missions of more than 300 days. Firstly, in December 1987, Yuri Romanenko chalked up 326 days, securing a new world record for the time, which was itself broken in December 1988, when Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov came home after almost 366 days aloft. This was eclipsed in March 1995, when Valeri Polyakov completed a 437-day mission, which remains the longest single spaceflight ever undertaken in human history. Two others have completed impressive endurance missions, with Sergei Krikalev wrapping up a pair of back-to-back expeditions, totaling almost 312 days, between May 1991 and March 1992, and Sergei Avdeyev flying for 379 days between August 1998 and August 1999.

more at the link...

http://www.americaspace.com/?p=92079#more-92079

 

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ISS Flight Crew Assignments

 

Quote

Listed are all crews currently planned for a Flight to the International Space Station. May contain outdated information. (∆ denotes an arriving crew member, ∇ a departing crew member)

 

Quote

Expedition	Start	End	Ferry	Crew
46	Nov 15	March 2016	Soyuz TMA-18M ∇	Sergei Volkov, RSA (18M CDR)
46			Soyuz TMA-18M ∇	Scott Kelly, NASA (CDR-46)
46			Soyuz TMA-18M ∇	Mikhail Kornienko, RSA
46			Soyuz TMA-19M ∆	Yuri Malenchenko, RSA
46			Soyuz TMA-19M ∆	Timothy Kopra, NASA (CDR-47)
46			Soyuz TMA-19M ∆	Timothy Peake, ESA
47	March 2016	May 2016	Soyuz TMA-19M ∇	Yuri Malenchenko, RSA
47			Soyuz TMA-19M ∇	Timothy Kopra, NASA
47			Soyuz TMA-19M ∇	Timothy Peake, ESA
47			Soyuz MS ∆	Aleksey Ovchinin, RSA
47			Soyuz MS ∆	Oleg Skripochka, RSA
47			Soyuz MS ∆	Jeff Williams, NASA (CDR-48)
48	May 2016	Sep 16	Soyuz MS ∇	Aleksey Ovchinin, RSA
48			Soyuz MS ∇	Oleg Skripochka, RSA
48			Soyuz MS ∇	Jeff Williams, NASA
48			Soyuz TMA-20M ∆	Anatoli Ivanishin, RSA (CDR-49)
48			Soyuz TMA-20M ∆	Takuya Onishi, JAXA
48			Soyuz TMA-20M ∆	Kate Rubins, NASA
49	Sep 16	Nov 16	Soyuz TMA-20M ∇	Anatoli Ivanishin, RSA
49			Soyuz TMA-20M ∇	Takuya Onishi, JAXA
49			Soyuz TMA-20M ∇	Kate Rubins, NASA
49			Soyuz MS-2 ∆	Sergey Ryzhikov, RSA
49			Soyuz MS-2 ∆	Andrey Borisenko, RSA
49			Soyuz MS-2 ∆	Robert S.Kimbrough, NASA

http://spaceflight101.com/iss/iss-crew-assignments/

 

 

International Space Station Calendar

 

Quote

This is a listing of all upcoming operations related to the International Space Station. Given the fluidity of the Station’s schedule, all Dates are subject to Change. Schedule may contain outdated information.

Last Update: March 3, 2016

 

Quote

Date	Event
March 5, 2016	ISS Reboost by Progress M-29M
March 7, 2016	Satellite Deployment
March 18/19, 2016	Soyuz TMA-20M Launch & Docking (Ovchinin, Skripochka, Williams)
March 23, 2016	Cygnus OA-6 Launch atop Atlas V
March 26, 2016	Cygnus OA-6 Rendezvous, Capture & Berthing to Node 1
March 29. 2016	Progress M-29M Undocking from Zvezda
March 30, 2016	Dragon SpX-8 Launch atop Falcon 9
March 31, 2016	Progress MS-2 Launch & Docking to Zvezda
April 1-3, 2016	Dragon SpX-8 Capture & Berthing to Harmony
April 2016 (Late)	Dragon SpX-8 Departure & Landing
April /May	U.S. EVA-36 & 37 (TBD)
May 2, 2016	Cygnus OA-6 Unberthing, Release
May 31, 2016	Cygnus OA-5 Launch atop Antares 230
June 2, 2016	Cygnus OA-5 Rendezvous, Capture & Berthing to Unity
June 5, 2016	Soyuz TMA-19M Undocking & Landing (Malenchenko, Kopra, Peake)
June 21, 2016	Soyuz MS Launch & Docking (Ivanishin, Onishi, Rubins)
2016	Relocation of Pressurized Mating Adapter 3 from Node 3P to Node 2Z
Summer	Russian EVA-43 & 44
Summer	Russian Satellite Deployment
July 2, 2016	Progress MS Undocking from Pirs
July 4, 2016	Progress MS-03 Launch atop Soyuz 2-1A & Docking to Pirs
August 2. 2016	Cygnus OA-5 Departure & End of Mission
August 15, 2016	Dragon SpX-9 Launch atop Falcon 9
August 17, 2016	Dragon SpX-9 Rendezvous, Capture & Berthing

http://spaceflight101.com/iss/iss-calendar/

 

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NASA Jet to Be Reunited with Space Shuttle Enterprise at NYC Museum

 

NASA’s T-38 jet, tail no. 913, is seen in chase of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft mated with the orbiter Enterprise in 1977. The same jet is going on display with the prototype shuttle at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City.
Credit: NASA

 

Quote

Almost 40 years after it gave chase to the space shuttle Enterprise, a NASA jet is about to catch up with the prototype winged orbiter at a museum in New York City.

 

The two-seat, supersonic T-38 Talon jet, tail number 913, is set to land on the flight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, a converted aircraft carrier berthed on the west side of Manhattan, in early April. Enterprise has been on display at the Intrepid since 2012.

 

"This is the perfect airplane to enhance Enterprise's story," said Eric Boehm, the curator of aviation at the Intrepid, in an exclusive interview with collectSPACE.com. [Photos: NASA's Amazing T-38 Supersonic Jet Planes]

 

The no. 913 T-38 was one of several such jets that flew as the chase planes for NASA's 1977 Approach and Landing Test (ALT) program. Carried piggyback and released from atop a modified Boeing 747 jet, the Enterprise proved that the space shuttle orbiter could safely land as a glider.

 

"It was an amazing test program that had to happen before the other orbiters flew in space," said Boehm.

 

After the ALT program, T-38 913 (N913NA) was used as a training jet, flown by astronauts to gain experience working in a high-pressure environment and to keep up their flight proficiency. Built by Northrop (now Northrop Grumman) in 1965 and delivered to NASA in 1969, T-38 913 flew for 38 years in support of the space program.

NASA’s T-38 jet, tail no. 913, is seen in chase of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft mated with the orbiter Enterprise in 1977. The same jet is going on display with the prototype shuttle at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City.
Credit: NASA

 

http://www.space.com/32171-nasa-jet-coming-to-intrepid-museum.html

 

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-030716a-intrepid-t38-chaseplane-enterprise.html

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Crew Sets Up Experiment Ahead of Next SpaceX Mission

 

Quote

The Expedition 47 trio conducted a wide variety of science today. The crew explored life science, physics research and crew performance.

Astronaut Tim Peake is setting up the Microgravity Science Glovebox for Rodent Research operations. That experiment is due to start after the arrival of the next SpaceX mission due in the spring. Scientists will use the research to learn how to prevent muscle atrophy and bone loss in space.

 

Commander Tim Kopra also worked with the Microgravity Science Glovebox installing gear for a different experiment. The OASIS study explores the unique behavior of liquid crystals in microgravity with potential benefits for display devices on Earth and in spacecraft. Kopra also explored how living in space affects cognitive performance by taking brief computerized tests.

 

Veteran cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko transferred cargo from the new 62P resupply ship docked to the Pirs docking compartment. He also studied radiation exposure on the Russian side of the International Space Station using simulated tissue.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/03/08/crew-sets-up-experiment-ahead-of-next-spacex-mission/

 

----------------------

 

NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 7 March 2016

 

Astronauts Tim Kopra and Tim Peake perform medical work in the Columbus laboratory module. Credit: NASA.

 

 

Quote

The three orbiting residents on the International Space Station worked on commercial crew vehicle equipment and lab maintenance today. The crew members also worked on life science and physics research to improve life for citizens on Earth and future space crews.

 

British astronaut Tim Peake started installing and routing cables that will enable communications with future commercial crew vehicles. The Common Communications for Visiting Vehicles, or C2V2, consists of both radio frequency and hardline connections that will be used during rendezvous, docking and mated activities at the space station.

 

Commander Tim Kopra installed and tested acoustic equipment in the U.S. Destiny lab module that will listen for air and pressure leaks. The tests will contribute to the development of a system that can differentiate between harmless background noise and potential leaks. Kopra also checked out gear that will support research on biological samples such as small plants, animal cells and microorganisms.

 

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko explored methods to detect and locate micrometeoroid impacts outside the station. The veteran cosmonaut also photographed areas on Earth impacted by natural or man-made disasters for the long-running Uragan experiment.

 

 

Quote

Ultrasonic Background Noise Test (UBNT): Kopra replaced an AA battery pack behind LAB racks followed by a data download. UBNT detects high-frequency sounds generated by hardware on the U.S.-built portions of the International Space Station. Identifying sources of noise will aid in development of a leak locating system, which would detect the high-pitched sound of air leaking through a pressurized wall. To detect leaks, the system would have to tell the difference between harmless background sounds and potentially dangerous air leakage.

 

Common Communications For Visiting Vehicles (C2V2): Peake gathered hardware, then with assistance from Kopra, began this week's C2V2 installation. Today they routed C2V2 1553, Joint Station Lab (JSL) and Ethernet cables in the Lab. C2V2 will integrate a communications system for the ISS to be used specifically for communicating with future visiting vehicles. This system will utilize both an S-Band based Radio Frequency (RF) system, and hard-line connections to visiting vehicles so secure, reliable communications will be available for all phases of rendezvous, docking, and mated operations. The system will consist of elements that will be permanently installed on the ISS as well as a corresponding element that will be made available to visiting vehicles.

 

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Status: Over the weekend ground teams directed the crew to initiate a 24-hour dryout period. The ground attempted 2 restarts of the UPA Distillate Assembly (DA) this morning without success. A cool down is currently in process prior to a 3rd restart attempt planned for this evening. If the attempt is unsuccessful, a DA Remove & Replace (R&R) will be scheduled tomorrow.

 

ISS Reboost With 61 Progress (61P): A reboost was performed last Friday at 10:15 PM CST using 61P thrusters. The reboost was to set up conditions for 46S 4-orbit rendezvous on March 19.

 

Quote

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Nominal ground commanding

 

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Tuesday, 03/08: OASIS h/w setup, JEM Stowage Frame Install Part 3, Cognition, IV-TEPC relocation, DA R&R
Wednesday, 03/09: OASIS experiment, OBT 45S Emergency Drill, Neuromapping
Thursday, 03/10: C2V2 h/w install. LAB1P5 RPCM R&R, SPRINT Ultrasound

 

QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:

Component - Status
Elektron - Off
Vozdukh - Manual
[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - On
[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - Off
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Override
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-7-march-2016.html

 

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Today is International Women's Day - on Earth and In Space

 

First Time 4 Women Were in Space                 NASA

 

Quote

Today is International Women's Day - on Earth and In Space.

 

In this April 8, 2010 photograph, STS-131 mission specialists Stephanie Wilson of NASA, Naoko Yamazaki of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger of NASA, and Expedition 23 flight engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson (top left) work at the robotics workstation on the International Space Station, in support of transfer operations using the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to move cargo from the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module.

 

The STS-131 mission's seven-member crew launched aboard space shuttle Discovery on April 5 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, joining the six residents of the space station when the shuttle docked on April 7. The merging of the two crews marked the first time four women were in space at the same time.

 

Image Credit: NASA

http://spaceref.com/education/today-is-international-womens-day---on-earth-and-in-space.html

 

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Pyrenees in the Sunshine As Seen Fron Orbit

 

Quote

The Pyrenees looking beautiful in the sunshine as seen from the International Space Station by astronaut Tim Peake.

Credits: ESA/NASA

 

Pyrenees                NASA/ESA

 

http://spaceref.com/earth/pyrenees-in-the-sunshine-as-seen-fron-orbit.html

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 8 March 2016

 

Quote

The Expedition 47 trio conducted a wide variety of science today. The crew explored life science, physics research and crew performance.

 

Astronaut Tim Peake is setting up the Microgravity Science Glovebox for Rodent Research operations. That experiment is due to start after the arrival of the next SpaceX mission due in the spring. Scientists will use the research to learn how to prevent muscle atrophy and bone loss in space.

 

Commander Tim Kopra also worked with the Microgravity Science Glovebox installing gear for a different experiment. The OASIS study explores the unique behavior of liquid crystals in microgravity with potential benefits for display devices on Earth and in spacecraft. Kopra also explored how living in space affects cognitive performance by taking brief computerized tests.

 

Veteran cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko transferred cargo from the new 62P resupply ship docked to the Pirs docking compartment. He also studied radiation exposure on the Russian side of the International Space Station using simulated tissue.

 

Quote

Rodent Research (RR) Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) Hardware Gather: Peake gathered hardware and consumables needed to set up MSG for RR operations which will begin following the arrival of SpX-8. Spaceflight causes a rapid loss of bone and muscle mass especially in the legs and spine with symptoms similar to those experienced by people with muscle wasting diseases or weakness in mice exposed to long-duration spaceflight (RR-3), studies molecular and physical changes in the musculoskeletal system that occurs in space. Results expand scientists' understanding of muscle atrophy and bone loss in space, while testing an antibody that has been known to prevent muscle wasting in mice on Earth.

 

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Distillation Assembly (DA) Remove & Replace (R&R): The ground team has activated the UPA following this morning's successful DA R&R. The first process cycle is underway and is looking nominal. The next planned process cycle will occur on GMT 069 Orbit 1, after the crew performs a WSTA Fill from a US urine EDV.

 

Quote

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Nominal ground commanding

 

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Wednesday, 03/09: OASIS experiment, OBT 45S Emergency Drill, Neuromapping
Thursday, 03/10: C2V2 H/W install. LAB1P5 RPCM R&R, SPRINT Ultrasound
Friday, 03/11: C2V2 comm unit install, LAB1P5 reconfig, OBT Cygnus conference

 

QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:

Component - Status
Elektron - Off
Vozdukh - Manual
[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off
[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - On
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Override
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Norm
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-8-march-2016.html

 

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Science in Short: SABL facility

 

The Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory (SABL) facility Credits: Bioserve

 

Quote

Last week the crew performed some setup and preliminary checkout activities of the Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory (SABL) facility. SABL is a facility that can support a wide range of investigations across life sciences, physical sciences, and materials sciences, with a main focus on research that enables biological systems and processes. Developed by Bioserve, it will replace the existing two Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA) that has been serving a major incubator function on ISS since 2001.

more at the link...

https://blogs.nasa.gov/ISS_Science_Blog/2016/03/09/science-in-short-sabl-facility/

 

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Sahara Desert As Seen From the Space Station

 

Quote

Tim Peake @astro_timpeake "I never imagined a desert could look so magnificent"

http://spaceref.com/onorbit/sahara-desert-as-seen-from-the-space-station.html

 

Sahara Desert                  NASA/ESA

 

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'A Beautiful Planet' Transports Earthlings To The ISS via IMAX | Trailer

 

Quote

From Toni Myers, director of IMAX films Hubble 3D , Blue Planet, The Dream Is Alive and more, comes a stunning look at our home planet from LEO. Jennifer Lawrence narrates. Hits IMAX screens on April 29th, 2016.

http://www.space.com/32193-a-beautiful-planet-transports-earthlings-to-the-iss-via-to-imax-trailer.html

 

A Beautiful Planet Official Trailer #1 (2016) - Jennifer Lawrence Documentary HD

video is 2:15 min.

 

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Communications Gear Work to Ready Station for Future

 

Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko is inside the seven-window cupola prepared to photograph the Earth below.

 

Quote

The International Space Station is being upgraded with new communications gear as NASA moves ahead with its Commercial Crew Program. Meanwhile, science taking place on the orbital laboratory today included human research and Earth photography.

 

Astronauts Tim Kopra and Tim Peake were back at work today installing hardware that will communicate with future commercial crew vehicles. The equipment will enable hardline and frequency communications with the private spacecraft during rendezvous, docking and mated activities.

 

Kopra also conducted a quarterly inspection of a treadmill ensuring it is in operable condition. He later conducted a ham radio pass with students at the University of North Dakota, the 1,000th such contact made possible by the ARISS program.

 

Peake spent a few moments collecting a saliva sample for a study that observes the human immune system in space. He is also helping engineers understand the factors necessary for a comfortable living space during long term missions.

 

Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko explored Earth photography techniques to better identify features on the ground. He also researched the effects of living in space on blood circulation.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/03/10/communications-gear-work-to-ready-station-for-future/

 

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Sticky, stony and sizzling science launching to space station

 

This is a small handheld gecko grippers and associated test hardware. Image courtesy NASA. 

 

Quote

Gecko Gripper: From grounded to gripping, another investigation launching takes its inspiration from small lizards. Geckos have specialized hairs on their feet called setae that let them stick to vertical surfaces without falling, and their stickiness doesn't wear off with repeated use. The Gecko Gripperinvestigation tests a gecko-adhesive gripping device that can stick on command in the harsh environment of space.

 

The gripping device is a material with synthetic hairs much like setae that are much thinner than a human hair. When a force is applied to make the tiny hairs bend, the positively charged part of a molecule within a slight electrical field attracts the negatively charged part of its neighbor resulting in "stickiness." Once adhered, the gripper can bear loads up to 20 pounds. The gripper can remain in place indefinitely and can also be easily removed and reused.

 

Gecko Grippers have many applications on current and future space missions, including acting as mounting devices for payloads, instruction manuals and many other small items within the space station. In addition, gecko adhesive technology enables a new type of robotic inspection system that could prove vital for spacecraft safety and repair.

 

Grippers could also inspect and service satellites and be used for large grappling equipment to catch and retrieve large pieces of space debris, reducing the risk of collisions. The technology in this investigation also holds promise for industries where gecko-like grippers could be used in factories to handle fragile or lightweight objects like glass, and bags or boxes of food.

 

Quote

Additive Manufacturing Facility
From adhesion to additive, the new Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) will also launch on the flight. Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is the process of building a part layer-by-layer, with an efficient use of the material. The AMF uses this technology to enable the production of components on the space station for both NASA and commercial objectives. Parts, entire experiments, and tools can be created on demand.

 

The facility is capable of producing parts out of a wide variety of space-rated composites, including engineered plastics. The ability to manufacture on the orbiting laboratory enables on-demand repair and production capability, as well as essential research for manufacturing on long-term missions.

more experiments at the link...

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Sticky_stony_and_sizzling_science_launching_to_space_station_999.html

 

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Astro Pi Computer Runs Student Code On ISS

 

Astro Pi                          NASA/ESA

 

Quote

Mini-computer Astro Pi isset up aboard the International Space Station and is looking out the window.

 

What the mini-computer will run next is up to UK schoolchildren, 30 days left to get your code in space! astro-pi.org/coding-challenges/

Credits: ESA/NASA

http://spaceref.com/nasa-hack-space/astro-pi-computer-runs-student-code-on-iss.html

 

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Baltimore
Maryland, USA

 

Quote

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor neighborhood, once the victim of depression and urban blight following the Great Baltimore Fire (1904), is now a thriving economic center. Hotels, parks, stadiums, and shops draw locals and tourists alike to the harbor front.

https://www.planet.com/gallery/baltimore/

 

Planet.com Image   Baltimore

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

ISS Daily Summary Report – 03/10/16

 

Quote

Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC): Last Friday, the crew completed a pre-treat tank Remove & Replace (R&R) without the Pre-Treat Bad Qual Light (PTBQL) illuminating. Illumination is expected when water in the EK hose passes through the piping where the PTBQL sensor is located. Ground teams believe this was an indication of a bad PTBQ sensor and recommended R&Ring the following 3 items: the piping (which includes the PTBQ sensor), the dose pump, and the EK hose.  The dose pump was at the end of its expected 6 month life.  The EK hose would serve to verify that the PTBQ sensor and light are both working. Kopra R&Rd these components today with no issues. The PTBQL illuminated as expected, then cleared with dosing as expected and the crew then configured WHC to UPA.

 

Common Communications For Visiting Vehicles (C2V2): Peake, with assistance from Kopra, continued C2V2 installation which began on Monday. Peake completed coldplate installation, Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) umbilical re-routing and temperature sensor installation. The comm unit installation is scheduled for tomorrow.  C2V2 will  integrate a communications system for the ISS to be used specifically for communicating with future visiting vehicles. This system will utilize both an S-Band based Radio Frequency (RF) system, and hard-line connections to visiting vehicles so secure, reliable communications will be available for all phases of rendezvous, docking, and mated operations. The system will consist of elements that will be permanently installed on the ISS as well as a corresponding element that will be made available to visiting vehicles.

 

Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM) LAP51A4A-A R&R: This RPCM experienced a FET Controller Hybrid (FCH) failure on RPC 2 in September of 2012 and RPC 18 in March of 2014. Four different spare RPCMs were installed in the LAP51A4A-A location. None would communicate with the Multiplexer/De-multiplexer (MDM) on either channel, however, each worked nominally in other locations on ISS. The original RPCM was reinstalled and has continued to communicate in this LAP51A4A-A location.  Both FCH failures have since self-healed. A failed RT Address connection in the rack is the most likely cause of the prior inability to communicate with the four spare RPCMs.Today the crew installed a unique RPCM with a pre-installed RT Address Jumper in the LAP51A4A-A location.The R&R was completed with no issues followed by the ground performing a successful refresh of the RPCM.

 

Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: Yesterday Robotic Ground Controllers powered up the MSS and maneuvered Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) Arm2 into position to grasp the Robotic Offset Tool (ROST).  Over the course of last evening, the ROST was released from its tool holster and checked out in free space.  After the successful checkout, the tool was re-stowed.  These operations used the updated recon files from Canadian Space Agency (CSA) that modified the expected size of the grasp fixture. Operations were nominal throughout.

 

Quote

Ground Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Nominal ground commanding
WHC maintenance support
 

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Friday, 03/11: C2V2 comm unit install, LAB1P5 reconfig, OBT Cygnus conference

Saturday, 03/12: Crew off duty, housekeeping

Sunday, 03/13: Crew off duty

 

QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:

                              Component    Status
Elektron    Off
Vozdukh    Manual
[СКВ] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”)    Off
[СКВ] 2 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV2”)    Off
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab    Override
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3    Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab    Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3    Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA)    Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA)    Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab    Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3    Full Up

https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2016/03/10/iss-daily-summary-report-031016/

 

-------------------------

 

Scott Kelly, NASA's One-Year Astronaut, Will Retire Next Month

 

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly inside the cupola of the International Space Station during his one-year mission aboard the orbiting lab.
Credit: NASA

 

Quote

Astronaut Scott Kelly, who recently completed an unprecedented yearlong mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and holds the American record for most days spent off Earth, will retire from NASA on April 1, agency officials announced today (March 11).

 

After his retirement, Kelly will continue to participate in the research related to his one-year space mission, which was designed to help pave the way for crewed missions to Mars by shedding light on the ways long-duration spaceflight affects the human body psychologically and physiologically.

 

"This year-in-space mission was a profound challenge for all involved, and it gave me a unique perspective and a lot of time to reflect on what my next step should be on our continued journey to help further our capabilities in space and on Earth," Kelly, a former Navy test pilot, said in a statement. [One Year in Space: Epic Space Station Mission in Photos]

 

"My career with the Navy and NASA gave me an incredible chance to showcase public service to which I am dedicated, and what we can accomplish on the big challenges of our day," he added. "I am humbled and excited by new opportunities for me to support and share the amazing work NASA is doing to help us travel farther into the solar system and work with the next generation of science and technology leaders."

more at the link...

http://www.space.com/32246-one-year-astronaut-scott-kelly-retires.html

 

------------------------

 

Video: Monthly ISS Research Video Update for March 2016

 

Monthly ISS Research Video Update for March 2016

video is 7:10 min.

 

 

 

 

-----------------------------

 

Midday Winter Sun Over Greenland's Mountains Viewed From Orbit

 

Quote

Tim Peake: Some midday winter sun glinting off Greenland's snow capped peaks

http://spaceref.com/onorbit/midday-winter-sun-over-greenlands-mountains-viewed-from-orbit.html

 

Greenland's Mountains                NASA

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

NASA ISS Space to Ground Weekly Report - 11 March 2016

 

NASA ISS Space to Ground Weekly Report - 11 March 2016.              NASA

 

Quote

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station.

Got a question or comment? Use #spacetoground to talk to us.

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-iss-space-to-ground-weekly-report---11-march-2016.html

 

Space to Ground: You Talkin' to Me? -- 03/11/2016
NASA Johnson 
video is 2:09 min.

 

 

 

 

Snow on the Welsh Hills As Seen From Orbit

 

Quote

Tim Peake: Some snow on the Welsh hills today - I think I've climbed all of those thanks to the British Army.

Credits: ESA/NASA

http://spaceref.com/onorbit/snow-on-the-welsh-hills-as-seen-from-orbit.html

 

Welsh Hills     NASA

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Sequencing DNA in Space

 

MinION    Nanopore

 

Quote

NASA is not often known for making the best use of existing COTS (commercial off the shelf technology) abord the ISS.

There's usually quite a lag time. The reasons range from slogging through the often cumbersome payload safety and integration process to people at NASA who are simply not up to date with what the ral world is doing in their field. In this instance a rather remarkable gizmo is being flown in space that truly puts genetic sequencing in the palm of your hand. 

 

Quote

A tiny new device called the MinION, developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies, promises to help scientists sequence DNA in space. NASA's Biomolecule Sequencer investigation is a technology demonstration of the device.

 

The investigation's objectives include providing proof-of-concept for the device's functionality and evaluation of crew operability of a DNA sequencer in the International Space Station's microgravity environment. While the petite device is already being used to sequence DNA on Earth, it has never been used to do so in space.

 

Determining the sequence of DNA is a powerful way to characterize organisms and determine how they are responding to changes in the environment. The goal of this technology demonstration is to provide evidence that DNA sequencing in space is possible, which holds the potential to enable the identification of microorganisms, monitor changes in microbes and humans in response to spaceflight, and possibly aid in the detection of DNA-based life elsewhere in the universe.

 

"The ultimate goal is to be able to do on the space station or on Mars the things we are able to do normally on Earth when we sequence DNA," said investigator Douglas Botkin, Ph.D. "We want to replicate the laboratory environment, the high-tech equipment and those processes we use terrestrially, and try to demonstrate that functionality in a microgravity environment."

 

This has never been done in space before and, if successful, this little device could be a big deal.

 

Quote

Keith's update: I got the following response to my inquiry from Aaron Burton at the NASA JSC Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division:

 

"The [minION] sequencer is currently manifested on SpaceX 9, which has a launch date of June 24th, 2016, though the launch dates have been moving quite a bit. The flow cells are best if used within 60 days of their production, so we're looking at doing the sequencing in the June to August timeframe, and the data should hopefully be back on Earth a few days after each sample run.

 

We are sending up samples that we are preparing on the ground, and the crew will thaw the samples and load them for sequencing. The samples will contain lambda bacteriophage, which is Oxford Nanopore Technology's characterization standard for sequencer performance. The samples will also contain E. coli and mouse genomic DNA to demonstrate that you could sequence DNA from any organism. The samples will not contain human DNA.

We plan to submit papers arising from this work to Nature Microgravity, with open access. Hopefully we'll be able to get the paper submitted within a month or two after we get the data back. Depending on journal policies (I haven't contacted them about this yet), we would like to post the data (either the base-called sequences or the raw data) on the NASA GeneLab site to make it available to any interested parties. We will work with the journal to see about when we might be able to post the data on GeneLab, assuming they're okay with it.

 

CASIS is not involved with this activity, though we're definitely aware of the mini-PCR effort. PCR is certainly a complimentary technology to sequencing, and, particularly for environmental monitoring, we'll likely need to do some amplification to detect organisms, as the ISS is a pretty clean environment.

 

The project is being supported by JSC center level funding only, and is not receiving funds from the NASA Astrobiology Institute. However, I am a collaborator on the NASA Goddard NAI node, and was a postdoc at NASA Goddard when we started thinking about using sequencing in space exploration. We are working on astrobiology-focused applications for Nanopore sequencing, though that work is at a very preliminary stage."

http://spaceref.com/nasa-hack-space/sequencing-dna-in-space.html

 

Oxford Nanopore

video is 5:37 min.

 

 

 

 

----------------------------

 

African Deserts As Seen From Orbit

 

Quote

Tim Peake: From space it's easy to see how nature has sculpted the landscape #AfricaArt

Credits: ESA/NASA

http://spaceref.com/onorbit/african-deserts-as-seen-from-orbit.html

 

African Deserts           NASA

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 11 March 2016

 

Quote

Common Communications For Visiting Vehicles (C2V2): Kopra completed this week's C2V2 activities when he successfully installed two communications units. Health and status checks are currently scheduled for no earlier than March 28. A complete system checkout will occur at a later date, including a Radio Frequency (RF) system functionality check.

 

Robotic Onboard Trainer (RoBOT) On Board Training (OBT) Cygnus: In preparation for OA-6 arrival currently scheduled for March 26, Kopra and Peake completed an offset grapple session. Robotics and Visiting Vehicle teams were available for questions and/or feedback regarding procedures and operations.

 

Crew Provisions Relocate: Peake moved some crew provisions from Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA)1 to Node 1 to clear space in the PMM for OA-6 cargo. He also photographed the contents of 2 pantries to verify bag fullness and usage rates for those items. This data will assist in manifesting decisions for future visiting vehicle.

 

Quote

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Nominal ground commanding

 

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Saturday, 03/12: Crew off duty, housekeeping
Sunday, 03/13: Crew off duty
Monday, 03/14: Fine Motor Skills, C2V2 hardware restow, WHC urine R&R, EWC system install

 

QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:

Component - Status
Elektron - Off
Vozdukh - Manual
[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - On
[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - Off
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Override
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-11-march-2016.html

 

---------------------------

 

Crew Studies Living in Space Before New Trio Launches

 

Commander Tim Kopra works inside the Zvezda service module.             NASA

 

Quote

The three residents onboard the International Space Station are busy today researching space science to benefit life on Earth and future crews. The trio is also ramping up to welcome a new set of Expedition 47-48 crew members when they arrive at the end of the week.

 

Scientists are researching how astronauts perform complex and detailed tasks before, during and after their long-term space missions. Commander Tim Kopra contributed to that study today, known as the Fine Motor Skills experiment, by conducting a series of interactive tasks on a touchscreen tablet. Kopra is also getting ready for another experiment that observes the impact of microbes on a crew member’s immune system.

 

British astronaut Tim Peake started the day conducting the final experiment run for the Magvector electromagnetic study. He then moved on to Japan’s Kibo lab and replaced Payload Data Handling hardware required to run future life science experiments.

 

In the Russian side of the orbital lab, cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko is preparing for the arrival of three new crew members. NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin will launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft Friday at 5:26 p.m. EDT/9:26 p.m. UTC and dock less than six hours later to the Pirs docking compartment.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/03/14/crew-studies-living-in-space-before-new-trio-launches/

 

-----------------------------

 

Space station astronauts ham it up to inspire student scientists

 

NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren participates in an amateur radio call with students while aboard the International Space Station during Expedition 45. Image courtesy NASA.

 

Quote

On Thursday, March 10, 2016 astronauts on the International Space Station logged their 1,000th educational contact with the ground. NASA astronaut Tim Kopra answered questions posed by the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium in Grand Forks, North Dakota. No matter how many times it happens, talking directly with someone orbiting above the Earth remains a thrill for students.

 

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) works through an international consortium of amateur radio organizations and space agencies in the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe. Amateur, or ham, radio operators set up hardware on the ground and call NA1SS, the space station's radio call sign. The suspense is palpable as those on the ground await a reply from space.

 

A few students prepare and ask questions while hundreds of others, along with teachers, parents and members of the community, listen in from classrooms or auditoriums. The overall goal of this long-running experiment is to interest young people in mathematics and science, and inspire the next generation of explorers.

 

Crew members typically answer from 10 to 20 questions. These frequently touch on current research and life aboard the station, along with a wide variety of topics from emergencies, whether a human heart beats faster or slower in space, how food is stored on the station, whether astronauts ever get fresh fruit and vegetables, and what returning to Earth is like.

more at the link....

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Space_station_astronauts_ham_it_up_to_inspire_student_scientists_999.html

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 14 March 2016

 

Commander Tim Kopra works inside the Zvezda service module. Credit NASA.

 

Quote

The three residents onboard the International Space Station are busy today researching space science to benefit life on Earth and future crews. The trio is also ramping up to welcome a new set of Expedition 47-48 crew members when they arrive at the end of the week.

 

Scientists are researching how astronauts perform complex and detailed tasks before, during and after their long-term space missions. Commander Tim Kopra contributed to that study today, known as the Fine Motor Skills experiment, by conducting a series of interactive tasks on a touchscreen tablet. Kopra is also getting ready for another experiment that observes the impact of microbes on a crew member's immune system.

 

British astronaut Tim Peake started the day conducting the final experiment run for the Magvector electromagnetic study. He then moved on to Japan's Kibo lab and replaced Payload Data Handling hardware required to run future life science experiments.

 

In the Russian side of the orbital lab, cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko is preparing for the arrival of three new crew members. NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin will launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft Friday at 5:26 p.m. EDT/9:26 p.m. UTC and dock less than six hours later to the Pirs docking compartment.

 

Quote

MAGVECTOR: Peake activated the 8th and final MAGVECTOR run for Increments 47 and 48. The experiment will run for the next 5 days with completion planned for Friday, March 18. MAGVECTOR qualitatively investigates the interaction between a moving magnetic field and an electrical conductor. The expected changes in the magnetic field structure on the ram and wake side of the electrical conductor are of interest for technical applications as well as for astrophysical research.

 

Payload Data Handling (PDH) Remove & Replace (R&R): Peake successfully R&Rd PDH2 with PDH that was originally installed. PDH2 was an enhancement to the original, however, when it was installed in January, it did not perform as expected and could not be activated via the ground. Troubleshooting steps revealed that it could not be repaired on orbit, therefore the original PDH was reinstalled today. The PDH provides redundancy and is required for JAXA life science experiments arriving on SpX-8. Nominal operations can be conducted with the PDH that was re-installed today. PDH2 will return on SpX-8 for ground assessment as future experiments will require the enhancements provided by PDH2.

 

Waste & Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Urine Hydraulic Components R&R: Kopra completed this preventive maintenance that is scheduled yearly. He R&Rd the WHC urine valve block, urine lines, urine pressure sensors and WHC Flush Water Tank Empty Pressure sensor.

 

Quote

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Nominal ground commanding

 

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Tuesday, 03/15: Ocular Health, OASIS experiment run, Hatch seal inspection
Wednesday, 03/16: Ocular Health, Fundoscope, OBT Cygnus RoBOT #1
Thursday, 03/17: Ocular Health, Hatch seal inspection, T2 6-month maintenance

 

QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:

Component - Status
Elektron - Off
Vozdukh - Manual
[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off
[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - Off
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Override
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-14-march-2016.html

 

------------------------

 

South Africa As Seen By The Space Station's EarthKAM

 

Quote

The remotely controlled Sally Ride EarthKAM aboard the International Space Station snapped this striking photograph during a flyover of South Africa on Feb. 9, 2016.

 

The EarthKAM program allows students to request photographs of specific Earth features, which are taken by a special camera mounted on the space station when it passes over those features. The images are posted online for the public and students in participating classrooms around the world to view.

 

EarthKAM is the only program providing students with such direct control of an instrument on a spacecraft orbiting Earth, teaching them about environmental science, geography and space communications.The project was initiated by Dr. Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, in 1995 and called KidSat; the camera flew on five space shuttle flights before moving to the space station on Expedition 1 in 2001. In 2011, NASA and Sally Ride Science installed a new camera system in a downward-pointing window on the station. This camera system is responsible for taking and downloading student image requests.

 

Image Credit: NASA/EarthKAM.org

 

http://spaceref.com/onorbit/south-africa-as-seen-by-the-space-stations-earthkam.html

 

------------------------

 

Space Research on Station Advancing Society

 

The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was photographed by an Expedition 47 crew member.

 

Quote

Much of the research taking place onboard the International Space Station helps doctors improve health for citizens on Earth and astronauts living in space. Other station experiments help engineers design smarter materials and better technologies to advance business and space industries.

 

At the beginning of the day, British astronaut Tim Peake joined Commander Tim Kopra for blood pressure checks. The duo also checked the fluid pressure in each other’s eyes using a tonometer with support from doctor’s on the ground. The medical checks are part of the ongoing Ocular Health study that seeks to understand vision problems some astronauts have reported after their long-term missions.

 

Kopra then started researching liquid crystals and their potential for better display screens on spacecraft systems. Afterward, he collected and stored samples for a study that explores how microbes influence the human immune system in space.

 

Peake spent the rest of the afternoon inspecting the COLBERT treadmill located in the Tranquility module. Veteran cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko studied radiation exposure before cleaning fans and air ducts inside a pair of Russian modules.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/03/15/space-research-on-station-advancing-society/

 

---------------------------

 

'Year of Yuri Gagarin' Logo Added to Rocket Launching Next Space Station Crew

 

NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka pose with the 'Year of Yuri Gagarin' logo added to their Soyuz TMA-20M rocket fairing.
Credit: RSC Energia

 

Quote

Yuri Gagarin, the first person to fly into space, will be joining the three-member crew launching to the International Space Station this week, in the form of his smiling face decorating the side of their rocket.

 

The cosmonaut's image was added to the booster to mark the Russian space agency's year-long commemoration of Gagarin's historic April 12, 1961 flight. The blue and white portrait was applied to the fairing – or launch shroud – that will shield the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft as it ascends to space on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday (March 18).

 

The launch, scheduled for 5:26 p.m. EDT (2126 GMT; 3:26 a.m. Kazakh time), will bring cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka and NASA astronaut Jeff Williams to the space station for a planned docking later that night at 11:12 p.m. EDT (0312 GMT March 19).

 

Ovchinin, the commander and only rookie flier aboard the Soyuz, will be the 544th person to follow Gagarin into orbit. Ovchinin, Skripochka and Williams will fly from "Gagarin's Start," the same launch pad that the first cosmonaut used to begin his Vostok 1 mission 55 years ago. [Yuri Gagarin: Photos of the First Man in Space]

 

The Soyuz rocket's decoration reproduces the logo for the "Year of Yuri Gagarin," a jubilee celebration announced by Roscosmos in late February.

"To commemorate this milestone in human [space] history, Roscosmos proclaims 2016 to be the Year of Yuri Gagarin and plans a number of interesting events," Russian space officials stated in a release. "Let's remember together how it was and dream about the future — because it is just the beginning!"

 

The cosmonauts already onboard the space station helped to launch the celebration, holding a sign reading "Gagarin. Lift-Off!" in Cyrillic.

 

The "Year of Yuri Gagarin" logo reads "POYEKHALI! [GO!] 55."
Credit: Roscosmos

 

Quote

Yuri Gagarin, who would have turned 82 on March 9, died in a training jet crash on March 27, 1968. Vostok 1 was his only flight into space.

The fairing displaying Gagarin's portrait will be jettisoned from the Soyuz rocket about two minutes and 40 seconds into Friday's launch.

http://www.space.com/32277-year-of-yuri-gagarin-soyuz-rocket-launch.html

 

A true space pioneer...."hats off"  

 

------------------------------------------

 

NASA making progress on EVA-35 water leak incident

 

Quote

NASA teams are continuing to evaluate the root cause of the water leak that resulted in the termination of EVA-35. Suspicion is currently falling on an element of the sublimator in the EMU 3011 suit, which may have become contaminated during storage aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This suit will be returned to Earth at the conclusion of the next SpaceX Dragon mission.

more at the link...

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/03/nasa-making-progress-on-eva-35-water-leak-incident/

 

[Arachno 1D]

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

On 3/9/2016 at 4:42 AM, Draggendrop said:

Today is International Women's Day - on Earth and In Space

 

First Time 4 Women Were in Space                 NASA

It's getting hot up there.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Two Rockets Prep for Launch, Crew Busy with Research

 

The Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft is seen at the launch pad after being rolled out by train in the early hours of Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

 

Quote

A pair of spaceships is getting ready for launch to the International Space Station in less than a week. A Soyuz rocket will launch three new Expedition 47 crew members Friday evening from Kazakhstan. A few days later Orbital ATK will launch its Cygnus cargo ship from Florida and deliver new science, spacewalk gear and crew supplies to the station crew.

 

NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin are counting down to their launch Friday at 5:26 p.m. EDT/9:26 p.m. UTC. They will arrive at their new home in space less than six hours later when they dock their Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft to the Poisk mini-research module. Watch the launch and docking activities live on NASA Television.

 

Orbital ATK is preparing to launch its Cygnus space freighter Tuesday at 11 p.m. EDT/Wednesday 3 a.m. UTC for a four-day trip to replenish the Expedition 47 crew. Cygnus will launch atop a United Launch Alliance rocket from Kennedy Space Center on its sixth Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA. The Cygnus launch and rendezvous will be covered live on NASA TV.

 

Back in space aboard the orbital laboratory, astronauts Tim Kopra and Tim Peake participated in more eye checks for the Ocular Health study. The duo is also exploring how living in space affects the side effects and the dosage of medication on the human body. Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko explored stresses on the station’s structure and researched how international crews and mission controllers inter-relate during missions.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/03/16/two-rockets-prep-for-launch-crew-busy-with-research/

 

----------------------

 

International Space Station to study meteors hitting atmosphere

 

Astronaut Ron Garan, Expedition 28 flight engineer, caught this image from the International Space Station in 2011 during Perseid Meteor Shower. Credit: NASA

 

Quote

CAPE CANAVERAL — Peering down at the Earth’s atmosphere from a research window aboard the International Space Station, a new science instrument launching Tuesday will compose unprecedented characterizations of the chemical makeup of shooting stars.

 

Called METEOR, the Meteor Composition Determination experiment will take high-resolution video and images of Earth and uses a software program to filter out bright spots, the telltale sign of a meteor plunging into the atmosphere below.

 

The device is among the 7,000 pounds of cargo launching inside an Orbital ATK commercial Cygnus supply ship to the International Space Station. Liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket is scheduled for Tuesday night from Cape Canaveral.

 

The instrument will perform visible spectroscopy through the Window Observational Research Facility, or WORF, in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module for two years, making observations during predicated meteor showers, the highest priority observing time, as well as nighttime periods of orbits and even watch the de-orbiting of other spacecraft.

 

“The WORF window points at the Earth and will allow us to observe meteors entering the atmosphere during the nighttime portion of each orbit,” said Michael Fortenberry, the METEOR principal investigator.

 

Studying meteors from ground-based or aircraft investigations has one major drawback — ozone absorption in the atmosphere masks the “organic” carbon spectral emission. METEOR’s space-based observations eliminates that problem.

 

METEOR will provide scientists with data on the physical and chemical properties of meteors, such as size, density and elemental composition, and monitor for carbon-based compounds.

more at the link...

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/03/17/international-space-station-to-study-meteors-hitting-atmosphere/

 

-----------------------------

 

Louisiana Flooding

2 days ago

 

Quote

A recent slow-moving storm has caused severe flooding in the southern United States. Just outside of Oak Grove, Louisiana, nearly 24 inches of rainfall has flooded the Boeuf River, engulfing roads, fields, and homes.

https://www.planet.com/gallery/louisiana-flooding/

 

Louisiana, USA   Planet.com

 

----------------------

 

tweets from space, open in another tab....editor ?

 

https://twitter.com/astro_timpeake/status/708604266391478272/photo/1

 

https://twitter.com/astro_tim/status/708798843937296384/photo/1

 

https://twitter.com/astro_tim/status/708818608030392325/photo/1

 

https://twitter.com/astro_tim/status/709154041562005504/photo/1

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 16 March 2016

 

NASA

 

Quote

A pair of spaceships is getting ready for launch to the International Space Station in less than a week. A Soyuz rocket will launch three new Expedition 47 crew members Friday evening from Kazakhstan. A few days later Orbital ATK will launch its Cygnus cargo ship from Florida and deliver new science, spacewalk gear and crew supplies to the station crew.

 

NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin are counting down to their launch Friday at 5:26 p.m. EDT/9:26 p.m. UTC. They will arrive at their new home in space less than six hours later when they dock their Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft to the Poisk mini-research module. Watch the launch and docking activities live on NASA Television.

 

Orbital ATK is preparing to launch its Cygnus space freighter Tuesday at 11 p.m. EDT/Wednesday 3 a.m. UTC for a four-day trip to replenish the Expedition 47 crew. Cygnus will launch atop a United Launch Alliance rocket from Kennedy Space Center on its sixth Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA. The Cygnus launch and rendezvous will be covered live on NASA TV.

 

Back in space aboard the orbital laboratory, astronauts Tim Kopra and Tim Peake participated in more eye checks for the Ocular Health study. The duo is also exploring how living in space affects the side effects and the dosage of medication on the human body. Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko explored stresses on the station's structure and researched how international crews and mission controllers inter-relate during missions.

 

Quote

Air Quality Monitor (AQM) Sieve Cartridge Troubleshooting: On February 3, during activation and checkout of AQM #1005 the crew received a "Not Ready" status. It was suspected that the issue is with a sieve cartridge. Kopra removed the old cartridges from AQM #1005 and replaced it with new ones to confirm whether the issue was due to a bad cartridge or the unit itself. Initial results of ground commanding indicate that the cause was a bad cartridge and is now resolved.

 

Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: On October 8, 2015, during Robotics Refueling Mission (RRM) operations, invalid joint position and Resolver-to-Digital (RDC) Built-In-Test (BIT) errors were seen. Last evening, Robotics Ground Controllers performed Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) Arm2 Shoulder Yaw (SY) joint characterization. The characterization was completed with no test failures and no recurrence of the anomaly. Data collected will be analyzed to help characterize the original anomaly.

 

Quote

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
OH support
Cygnus RoBOT OBT support
Nominal ground commanding

 

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Thursday, 03/17: Ocular Health, METERON, Cygnus RoBOT OBT
Friday, 03/18: 46S launch/dock (crew sleep shift), docking prep/arrival tasks
Saturday, 03/19: Crew sleep day following 46S docking

 

QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:
Component - Status
Elektron - Off
Vozdukh - Manual
[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off
[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - On
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Override
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-16-march-2016.html

 

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Soyuz Stands Ready at Launch Pad as Cargo Missions Line Up

 

The Soyuz TMA-20M rocket stands ready for lifoff at its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

 

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The Soyuz rocket that will carry three new crew members to the International Space Station Friday evening stands ready for launch in Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, the orbiting trio awaiting reinforcements is busy with medical science and preparations for upcoming cargo missions.

 

High winds at the Baikonur Cosmodrome delayed the raising of the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft into vertical position a few hours after its roll out Wednesday. Launch is scheduled for 5:26 p.m. EDT/9:26 p.m. UTC Friday. Expedition 47-48 crew members Jeff Williams, Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka will arrive at their new home in space less than six hours later.

 

The three current residents onboard the orbital laboratory, Commander Tim Kopra and Flight Engineers Tim Peake and Yuri Malenchenko, continued their medical research to help scientists understand how living off the Earth affects the human body. The crew is also getting ready for a pair of cargo deliveries due soon from Orbital ATK and SpaceX.

 

Kopra and Peake were back at work today on the Ocular Health study scanning their eyes with an ultrasound and checking their blood pressure. Kopra also explored how microbes affect the human immune system in space and practiced the robotic capture of the Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft. Peake is helping engineers validate the technology that will control rovers on another planet from a spacecraft. Malenchenko researched how the digestive system adapts to microgravity and packed trash into the 61P resupply ship due to undock at the end of the month.

 

Orbital ATK will launch its Cygnus space freighter Tuesday at 11 p.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center on a four-day trip to the space station. Cygnus will deliver almost 7,500 pounds of research gear, spacewalk hardware and crew supplies to the Expedition 47 crew.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/03/17/soyuz-stands-ready-at-launch-pad-as-cargo-missions-line-up/

 

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Station-Bound Cosmonaut First to Bookend Spacecraft Missions

 

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka is pictured inside the Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft in October 2010. On March 18, he will launch on board Soyuz TMA-20M, bookending the spacecraft's missions.
Credit: NASA

 

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A Russian cosmonaut launching to the International Space Station will set a new first by flying on the last spacecraft of its type.

 

Oleg Skripochka will lift off Friday (March 18) at 5:26 p.m. EDT (2126 GMT) on board Russia's Soyuz TMA-20M from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Joining him on board the vehicle for the six-hour flight to the space station will be his fellow Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and NASA astronaut Jeff Williams.

 

But it will only be Skripochka who sets the new first, as a result of this being his second spaceflight. [What It's Like to Ride Russia's Soyuz Spaceship (Video)]

 

A veteran of the Soyuz TMA-01M mission to the station in 2010, Skripochka will become the first person in history to fly on both the maiden and final flights of a spacecraft.

 

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Russia launched its first crewed Soyuz spacecraft back in April 1967. In the five decades that followed, RSC Energia — the company that builds the Soyuz — has rolled out new versions of the vehicle, advancing the Soyuz to the Soyuz T, Soyuz TM, Soyuz TMA and Soyuz TMA-M.

 

The Soyuz TMA-M replaced the older spacecraft's analog main computer with a digital model, swapped out obsolete equipment with modern devices and improved the craft's structure by using aluminum rather than magnesium alloy.

 

"The improvements are rather significant," said Scott Kelly, who flew with Skripochka and cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri on board Soyuz TMA-01M in October 2010. "The displays that the cosmonauts and myself use to control the vehicle have been upgraded to make flying it easier."

 

Eighteen more TMA-M spacecraft followed that first one to space — including TMA-16M and TMA-18M that delivered Kelly to and from the space station for his recently-ended almost year-long mission.

 

Now, Energia is ready to introduce another new Soyuz, the MS, which is planned as the final model of the vehicle. The MS incorporates more efficient solar panels, an upgraded approach and docking system and a new communications system that lets the Soyuz relay data through satellites.

 

Skripochka, Ovchinin and Williams were originally training to fly on the first Soyuz MS, but a delay in the introduction of the Progress cargo version of the new spacecraft led to the crew's reassignment to Soyuz TMA-20M, the final ship in the older series of crewed ships.

 

Hence, Skripochka's flights will bookend the Soyuz TMA-M program.

more at the link...

http://www.space.com/32303-cosmonaut-first-to-bookend-space-missions.html

 

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Pantanal
Brazil
2 days ago

 

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Thousands of seasonal lakes spring up every wet season in the Pantanal—the world’s largest wetland. This vast, interior floodplain is home to diverse wildlife including caimans, tapirs, jaguars, wolves, macaws, and marsh deer.

https://www.planet.com/gallery/pantanal-brazil/

 

Planet.com

 

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an excellent choice of a song, love it!

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Three and a half hours to go...

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