Next ISS crew heads to launch site
After participating in traditional ceremonies at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 40/41 Soyuz Commander Max Suraev of the Russian Federal Space Agency,...
By: NASA
Excerpt from:
US and Europe Strike Russian Military Satellite. Star Wars
ON THE VERGE OF WW3. Russia to ban US from using Space Station over Ukraine sanctions. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/10828964/Russia-to-ban-US-from-using-Space-Station-ove...
By: BPEarthWatch
Continued here:
US and Europe Strike Russian Military Satellite. Star Wars - Video
Lawmakers have asked NASAs chief how the U.S. can maintain use of the International Space Station if Russia delivers on a threat to end its participation after 2020 as the crisis in Ukraine strains relations.
We will need to step back and evaluate the costs and benefits of maintaining the station without our Russian partners, House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican, and members of the panel said in a letter today to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
Russias Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said May 13 that his country would no longer export Russian engines for U.S. military rockets and also may withdraw from operations of the civilian space station. Rogozin was among Russian officials singled out for U.S. economic sanctions over his countrys takeover of Crimea from Ukraine.
Our international space partnerships, including our partnership with Russia, have historically endured political division, the lawmakers wrote. But Deputy Prime Minister Rogozins statements raise serious concerns about the strength of those partnerships.
Related:
Since ending its manned space program in 2011, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has depended on Russia to shuttle crews to and from the station that orbits 260 miles (418 kilometers) above the Earth.
Two U.S. companies, Orbital Sciences Corp. (ORB) and Elon Musks Space Exploration Technologies Corp., have NASA contracts to ferry supplies to the space station.
In addition, the government has contracts with SpaceX; Boeing Co. (BA); Sierra Nevada Corp.; and Blue Origin LLC, founded by Jeff Bezos, the chairman and chief executive officer of Amazon.com Inc., to develop a rocket and capsule capable of carrying astronauts to the station by 2017.
The lawmakers asked Bolden for information on international negotiations to keep the International Space Station functioning beyond 2020, and what the impact of a Russian withdrawal would be.
As we move forward, it is important that we fully understand our nations independent capabilities with regard to ISS operations, the lawmakers wrote.
Continued here:
Expedition 39 Soyuz Undocks from Station
After spending 188 days aboard the International Space Station, Koichi Wakata, Rick Mastracchio and Mikhail Tyurin undocked from the station #39;s Rassvet module at 6:36 p.m. EDT to begin their...
By: ReelNASA
Read the original here:
Russia-US space programme at risk
A Soyuz capsule carrying three crew members from the International Space Station (ISS) has successfully landed in Kazakhstan wrapping up a six-month stay in space. The space station partnership,...
By: euronews (in English)
More:
[ISS] Soyuz TMA-11M Touches Down in Kazakhstan After 6 Month Mission to ISS
Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, American NASA astronaut Richard Mastracchio and Japanese JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata successfully have arrived back on Earth after a 6 month stay onboard...
By: SpaceVids.tv
Go here to see the original:
[ISS] Soyuz TMA-11M Touches Down in Kazakhstan After 6 Month Mission to ISS - Video
(NEW RELEASE 2014) CINEVEO - New VR Cinema 3D Software for Oculus Rift DK2
CINEVEO is a brand new virtual reality movie theater / vr cinema software for Oculus Rift and DK2. Release date: May 17th, 2014 Download CINEVEO at http://www.mind-probe.com/vrcinema FEATURES...
By: Sven K
Read the rest here:
(NEW RELEASE 2014) CINEVEO - New VR Cinema 3D Software for Oculus Rift & DK2 - Video
Russia Bans US from International Space Station
In response to sanctions issued after the Crimea annexation, Russia announced that it will refuse to allow American astronauts to hitch rides to the International Space Station. Buy some...
By: SourceFed
Follow this link:
Inside the ISS - A Lot to Grapple
Expedition 38 crew member and NASA astronaut, Mike Hopkins, shows us how the grappling mechanism on Canada Arm 2 works using snares on the International Space Station. For more info please...
By: insideISS
Link:
How Space Station Grapples Spacecrafts | Video
Expedition 38 crew member Mike Hopkins shows how the Canadarm 2 (ISS robotic arm) is controlled by astronauts to snare the Orbital Science Cygnus and SpaceX Dragon spacecrafts. -- See SpaceX...
By: VideoFromSpace
Read this article:
Expedition 39 commander Koichi Wakata, right, turns the International Space Station over to Expedition 40 commander Steven Swanson, front left, during a change of command ceremony Monday. Wakata, Soyuz TMA-11M commander Mikhail Tyurin, middle right, and Rick Mastracchio, back right, planned to return to Earth late Tuesday. NASA TV
A Japanese astronaut, a veteran Russian cosmonaut and a NASA flight engineer boarded their Soyuz ferry craft and undocked from the International Space Station Tuesday, setting their sights on a fiery plunge back to Earth to close out a 188-day stay in space.
Play Video
A Japanese astronaut, a veteran Russian cosmonaut and a NASA flight engineer boarded their Soyuz ferry craft and undocked from the International ...
In the latest space-related tit for tat, Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's deputy prime minister for space and defense, told Russian news agencies future sales of RD-180 engines, which power the first stage of United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 rocket, will not be permitted for launches of U.S. military payloads.
Departing space station commander Koichi Wakata, facing camera, and Soyuz TMA-11M commander Mikhail Tyurin, left, close the hatch to the ferry craft prior to departing the International Space Station. Also on board for return to Earth was NASA flight engineer Rick Mastracchio.
NASA TV
In any case, ULA officials say the company has a two-year supply of RD-180s in hand and it's not yet known what impact Rogozin's statements might have down the road.
Both sides say the station program is not affected by sanctions or other diplomatic hurdles and the Russians continue to honor their lucrative contract with NASA to carry U.S. and partner astronauts to and from the space station aboard Soyuz spacecraft at more than $70 million a seat.
View post:
Responding to US and European sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine, Russia says it would consider ending its cooperation on the International Space Station. But its options are limited, say experts.
The safe landing in Kazakhstan Wednesday of a Russian Soyuz capsule returning three astronauts from the International Space Station suggests that for all the thunder and fury coming from Moscow about the future of the station, operations are continuing on a business-as-usual basis, at least for now.
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
On Tuesday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Rogozin announced that the country would consider ending its participation in the space-station program in 2020; would prohibit the US military's use of a rocket motor that powers the Atlas V, one of two launch workhorses for defense and intelligence satellites; and would close down global-positioning-satellite monitoring stations in Russia unless it was allowed to build comparable monitoring stations in the US for its navigation satellites.
All of these threatened steps are in response to sanctions the US and Europe have imposed on influential Russians including Mr. Rogozin over Russia's annexation of Crimea and its efforts to destabilize eastern Ukraine.
Tuesday's announcement represents a shot across the bow for the US space program, says Roger Handberg, a political scientist at the University of Central Florida in Orlando who specializes in space and defense policy.
But, if no further actions or statements come out of Moscow "indicating that this is going to get pushed seriously, then I think we'll just go on as we are," he says.
NASA has no other choice, he says, and in some ways, neither do the Russians.
In January, the US agreed to extend its participation in the space station program to 2024 instead of 2020, an extension that US partners sought after studies showed that the modules, especially the most recent additions from Europe and Japan, would be capable of lasting at least until 2024, and likely well beyond. The moves Rogozin threatened regarding the space station would affect all of the major partners and put Moscow in the unexpected position of being tarred as an unreliable partner for spaceflight activities.
Continued here:
International Space Station: How serious are Russias threats?
A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying three astronauts rests on the ground after landing in Kazakhstan on May 13, 2014.NASA TV
Three crewmembers of the International Space Station have returned safely to Earth, ending their six-month orbital mission.
A Russian Soyuz capsulecarrying NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, Japanese spaceflyer Koichi Wakata and cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin landed on the steppes of Kazakhstan at 9:58 p.m. ET Tuesday night (7:58 a.m. local time on Wednesday, May 14).
The Soyuz undocked from the space station 3 1/2 hours earlier while the two vehicles were above Mongolia, marking the end of Expedition 39 and the beginning of Expedition 40 aboard the orbiting lab.
[Expedition 39 in Orbit (Photos)]
"What an exciting time we shared in this increment," Expedition 39 Commander Wakata said Monday as he handed the station's reins over to NASA astronaut Steve Swanson. "Congratulations, and best wishes to the crew of Expedition 40 for a successful mission."
Wakata, Mastracchio and Tyurin enjoyed an eventful and historic stint in orbit after arriving at the space station on Nov. 7, 2013. For example, Wakata became the first Japanese person ever to command the station when he took charge of Expedition 39 on March 10.
Just four days later, Wakata and Mastracchio participated in "Live from Space," a two-hour TV event hosted by Soledad O'Brien that aired on National Geographic Channel, as well as Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. "Live from Space" gave viewers in more than 140 countries an idea of what it's like to live and work on the orbiting lab, with Wakata giving a guided tour of the $100-billion complex.
"It is true that it is unprecedented," former NASA astronaut Ron Garan said of the project at the time. "I've never seen any kind of access like this before. Typically, live events from space run 15 minutes, 20 [minutes] tops. Two hours is just unbelievable."
Expedition 39 also oversaw the arrival of SpaceX's robotic Dragon capsule, which launched toward the space station April 18 on the California-based company's third contracted cargo mission for NASA. (SpaceX holds a $1.6 billion deal to make 12 such flights for the agency.)
Link:
By Suzanne Presto, CNN
updated 8:41 PM EDT, Wed May 14, 2014
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) -- Russia said it does not plan to use the International Space Station beyond 2020, casting a shadow on U.S. plans to continue cooperation with the country and extend the life of the orbiting laboratory until at least 2024.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told reporters Tuesday that Russia is looking to redirect its attention to other projects after 2020. His comments come as tensions mount over U.S. sanctions on Russia for its role in the crisis in Ukraine.
NASA released a statement saying that the U.S. space agency "has not received any official notification from the Government of Russia on any changes in our space cooperation at this point."
NASA added that cooperation in space has been a hallmark of U.S.-Russian relations, even during the Cold War, and it pointed to the past 13 years of continuous human presence on the orbiting outpost.
International Space Station
International Space Station
International Space Station
Read the rest here:
Three astronauts one American, one Russian, and one Japanese ended their six-month mission aboard the space station after their Russian Soyuz capsule touched down Wednesday in Kazakhstan.
Three crewmembers of the International Space Station have returned safely to Earth, ending their six-month orbital mission.
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
A RussianSoyuz capsulecarrying NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, Japanese spaceflyer Koichi Wakata and cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin landed on the steppes of Kazakhstan at 9:58 p.m. EDT Tuesday night (May 13; 7:58 a.m. local time on Wednesday, May 14).
The Soyuz undocked from the space station 3 1/2 hours earlier while the two vehicles were above Mongolia, marking the end of Expedition 39 and the beginning of Expedition 40 aboard the orbiting lab. [Expedition 39 Returns to Earth (Photos)]
"What an exciting time we shared in this increment," Expedition 39 Commander Wakata said Monday (May 12) as he handed the station's reins over to NASA astronaut Steve Swanson. "Congratulations, and best wishes to the crew of Expedition 40 for a successful mission."
Wakata, Mastracchio and Tyurin enjoyed an eventful and historic stint in orbit after arriving at the space station on Nov. 7, 2013. For example, Wakata became the first Japanese person ever to command the station when he took charge of Expedition 39 on March 10.
Just four days later, Wakata and Mastracchio participated in "Live from Space," a two-hour TV event hosted by Soledad O'Brien that aired on National Geographic Channel, as well as Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. "Live from Space" gave viewers in more than 140 countries an idea of what it's like to live and work on the orbiting lab, with Wakata giving a guided tour of the $100-billion complex.
"It is true that it is unprecedented," former NASA astronaut Ron Garan said of the project at the time. "I've never seen any kind of access like this before. Typically, live events from space run 15 minutes, 20 [minutes] tops. Two hours is just unbelievable."
Read more:
By Suzanne Presto, CNN
updated 8:41 PM EDT, Wed May 14, 2014
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) -- Russia said it does not plan to use the International Space Station beyond 2020, casting a shadow on U.S. plans to continue cooperation with the country and extend the life of the orbiting laboratory until at least 2024.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told reporters Tuesday that Russia is looking to redirect its attention to other projects after 2020. His comments come as tensions mount over U.S. sanctions on Russia for its role in the crisis in Ukraine.
NASA released a statement saying that the U.S. space agency "has not received any official notification from the Government of Russia on any changes in our space cooperation at this point."
NASA added that cooperation in space has been a hallmark of U.S.-Russian relations, even during the Cold War, and it pointed to the past 13 years of continuous human presence on the orbiting outpost.
International Space Station
International Space Station
International Space Station
Read more from the original source:
Russia plans to leave International Space Station by 2020, official says
Star Trek Walkthrough Part 01 - Space Station Rescue
Star Trek Walkthrough Part 01 - Space Station Rescue.
By: MrLuke1618
Read more:
Star Trek Walkthrough Part 01 - Space Station Rescue - Video
Space station is set to close in 2020 after Russia announced it would refuse U.S. request to keep it open Decision could mark end of decades of international co-operation in space Announcement came as six Ukrainian soldiers were killed in east of country Separatists pictured smashing up gambling club with sledgehammers
By Hugo Gye and Will Stewart
Published: 11:08 EST, 13 May 2014 | Updated: 13:55 EST, 13 May 2014
110 shares
23
View comments
The International Space Station is set to be shut down by the end of the decade thanks to the breakdown in ties between the U.S. and Russia in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.
The announcement came today as six Ukrainian soldiers were killed in an ambush by militants in the breakaway east of the country.
At least 30 pro-Russian insurgents used grenade launchers and automatic weapons in the assault outside the town of Kramatorsk, which also left eight Ukrainian soldiers injured.
Scroll down for video
Original post:
NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin and Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata, from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, have completed their 188 day mission aboard the ISS. On Monday, Wakata gave control of the ISS to NASA stronaut Steve Swanson as part of the Change of Command ceremony. Swanson will serve as the Expedition 40 Commander.
Wakata, Mastracchio and Tyurin arrived at the ISS on Nov. 7, 2013 and the space station was host to nine crew members, the first time that has happened since 2009. Wakata participated in several spacewalks, serving as a robotics controller and operating the ISS' robotic arm, Canadarm2, while Mastracchio participated in three spacewalks, the first to remove a faulty ammonia pump and, most recently, to replace the faulty backup multiplexer/demultiplexer (MDM) computer. Tyurin served as the commander of the Russian side of the ISS.
The ISS Expedition 39 crew members spent their remaining time aboard the ISS completing science experiments and routine maintenance, reports NASA. Wakata worked on the "A Simple In-flight Method to Test the Risk of Fainting on Return to Earth After Long-Duration Space Flights (BP Reg)" experiment. As NASA notes, the experiment's results could be applied to the elderly and general population as dizziness and fainting can lead to an increased risk of injury. Mastracchio and Swanson worked on fixing one of the spacesuits, replacing a fan pump separator while Tyurin completed the "Lower Body Negative Pressure Training" exercise in preparation of Tuesday's launch.
According to NASA, the ISS departure live stream coverage begins at 3 p.m. EDT as the trio say their farewells and close the hatch of the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft. The Soyuz capsule will undock at 6:33 p.m. EDT, the live stream begins at 6:15 p.m. EDT, and the crew will perform a deorbit burn followed by the landing at Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan at 9:57 p.m. EDT. The deborbit burn and landing coverage begins at 8:45 p.m. EDT.
NASA astronaut Reid Weisman, European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst and cosmonaut Maxim Suarev will serve as Expedition 40/41 crew members and will launch to the ISS on May 28.
You can view the ISS departure live stream below.
Live streaming video by Ustream
Read the rest here:
QinetiQ has been awarded a contract extension for servicing the hardware components in the Columbus module, a component of the International Space Station (ISS) that houses various science laboratories and is the European Space Agencys (ESA) biggest contribution to the ISS. QinetiQ Space has been responsible for servicing all the hardware, developed by QinetiQ itself, since the launch of the Columbus module in 2008, and the service contract has now been extended until the end of 2014.
QinetiQ Space has developed a number of scientific instruments for fluid, biological and material research inside the Columbus Module and is subcontracted to Airbus, the European aviation, space transportation and defence consortium, to provide support when these instruments are used by astronauts or any anomalies occur.
Airbus is responsible for all European components in the Columbus module. If a hardware component in the space laboratory has to be fully replaced, Airbus ensures that the replacement component reaches the space station fully in accordance with procedures. If it involves a change to the software, QinetiQ first test the modifications on the ground model of the installation where the problem has occurred. Airbus then gives QinetiQ permission to send the software to the space station.
Dirk Claessens, Director of Operations for QinetiQ Space in Belgium, said;This contract extension highlights the value of QinetiQ Spaces knowledge and in-house facilities to be able to guarantee the lifetime of all hardware components, and in addition that we have experienced, excellently trained people available to support any resolutions.
The Columbus module will continue to orbit in space until at least 2020.
Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
Read more here:
QinetiQ awarded extension to international space station module servicing contract