CLEVELAND - The end of this week will offer someof the best viewing opportunities of the International Space Station across northeast Ohio for August.
Clear skies and the perfect orientation of the station with the reflection of the sun around sunset will combine to offerthe chance to see the station in the night sky.
For the best viewing dates, see the graphic.
For specific information on approach, departure and maximum elevation angles, log on to http://bit.ly/WKYCSpaceStation
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Published: Aug. 22, 2012 at 5:28 PM
MOSCOW, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Europe's ATV-3 unmanned supply spacecraft has raised the International Space Station's orbit to about 261 miles, a mission control spokesman said Wednesday.
The successful orbital readjustment follows a failed attempt Aug. 15 when the ATV-3's engines shut down prematurely because of an increase in temperature on one of the units, leaving the ISS short of its intended orbital height, RIA Novosti reported.
The orbit adjustment Wednesday was done in two stages, with the ATV-3 engines firing for 348 seconds to lift the orbit to 257 miles followed by another burn four hours later that brought the space station to its final altitude.
The maneuver was to prepare for the return to earth of Russia's Soyuz TMA-04M manned spacecraft on Sept. 17 and the docking of the Soyuz TMA-06M manned spacecraft with the ISS on Oct. 15.
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British soprano Sarah Brightman could become the next space tourist to blast off to the International Space Station (ISS), a senior official at the Russian space agency hinted Wednesday.
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MOSCOW British singer Sarah Brightman may be the next paying passenger to ride a Russian rocket to the International Space Station, sources familiar with the negotiations said Wednesday.
If the trip happens, Brightman, 52, would make the journey in 2015, the Interfax news agency reported, citing an unidentified official in the Russian space industry. A source familiar with Brightman's side of the negotiations confirmed to NBC News that talks were under way, but stressed that they were at an early stage.
Assuming the negotiations are successful, Brightman would be the first paying orbital space passenger since Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, who donned a red clown's nose for his 2009 trip to the space station.
Russia has sent seven private passengers to the space station, with the reported price tags escalating from $20 million to more than $40 million. California investment manager Dennis Tito was the first to make the journey in 2001.
Seats on the three-person Soyuz capsules have become scarce since NASA retired its space shuttles last year, leaving Russian rockets as the only craft capable of carrying crews to the station for now.
Space news from NBCNews.com
Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: NASA's Curiosity rover has wiggled its wheels to warm up for its first honest-to-goodness drive, just hours from now.
Brightman who rose to fame starring in the original London and New York casts of "The Phantom of the Opera" visited Russia about a month ago and received the approval of a medical commission to begin training at the Cosmonaut Training Center outside Moscow, the source added.
She was married to composer Andrew Lloyd Webber in the 1980s and pursued a chart-topping solo career after their divorce, bringing classical music to a broader audience and selling millions of records along the way. Estimates of her net worth have ranged from $45 million to $52 million and beyond.
Virginia-based Space Adventures has organized trips to the space station for deep-pocketed passengers in the past, but representatives of the company have not commented publicly on the prospects for future trips.
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MOSCOW (Reuters) - British singer Sarah Brightman may be the next paying passenger to ride a Russian rocket to the International Space Station, the Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday, citing an unidentified official in the space industry in Russia. If it happens, Brightman, 52, would make the journey in 2015 and would be the first paying customer since Cirque du Soleil founder Guy ...
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Singer Sarah Brightman may be Russia's next space tourist: report
MOSCOW British singer Sarah Brightman may be the next paying passenger to ride a Russian rocket to the International Space Station, sources familiar with the negotiations said Wednesday.
If the trip happens, Brightman, 52, would make the journey in 2015, the Interfax news agency reported, citing an unidentified official in the Russian space industry. A source familiar with Brightman's side of the negotiations confirmed to NBC News that talks were under way, but stressed that they were at an early stage.
Assuming the negotiations are successful, Brightman would be the first paying orbital space passenger since Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, who donned a red clown's nose for his 2009 trip to the space station.
Russia has sent seven private passengers to the space station, with the reported price tags escalating from $20 million to more than $40 million. California investment manager Dennis Tito was the first to make the journey in 2001.
Seats on the three-person Soyuz capsules have become scarce since NASA retired its space shuttles last year, leaving Russian rockets as the only craft capable of carrying crews to the station for now.
Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: NASA's Curiosity rover has wiggled its wheels to warm up for its first honest-to-goodnes...
Brightman who rose to fame starring in the original London and New York casts of "The Phantom of the Opera" visited Russia about a month ago and received the approval of a medical commission to begin training at the Cosmonaut Training Center outside Moscow, the source added.
She was married to composer Andrew Lloyd Webber in the 1980s and pursued a chart-topping solo career after their divorce, bringing classical music to a broader audience and selling millions of records along the way. Estimates of her net worth have ranged from $45 million to $52 million and beyond.
Virginia-based Space Adventures has organized trips to the space station for deep-pocketed passengers in the past, but representatives of the company have not commented publicly on the prospects for future trips.
Sources have said the space station's partners are considering a plan to send two spacefliers into orbit in 2015 for almost a year, instead of the usual six months. The logistics involved in that experiment would open up an opportunity for two short-term visitors to the station visitors who could include paying passengers such as Brightman.
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August 21, 2012
Image Credit: NASA/Roscosmos
Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online
Cosmonauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) handled a spacewalk on Monday that took 5 hours and 51 minutes to complete, involving the moving of a telescoping space crane to a different module.
The cosmonauts moved the module in preparation of a Russian laboratory that will be docking with the International Space Station sometime next year.
After moving the crane, they sent off a small science satellite into orbit by using a handling tool to manually deploy the 20-pound spacecraft on a trajectory to the rear of the space station.
The last major objective of the spacewalk was to install five micrometeoroid shields on the Zvezda command module.
Mondays spacewalk was the ninth for Expedition 32 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko. It was the 163rd spacewalk in support of station assembly and maintenance, according to NASA.
Another Expedition 32 spacewalk is scheduled for August 30, and it will be conducted by NASA Flight Engineer Sunita Williams and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Flight Engineer Akihiko Hoshide.
During the next spacewalk, the two astronauts will use the U.S. extravehicular mobility unit spacesuits for the first time since July 2011. It will be a 6.5-hour mission designed to replace a faulty power relay unit on the stations truss, install power cables before the Russian laboratory module arrives next year, and replace a failing robotic arm camera.
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Astronauts Finish Successful EVA Outside Of The Space Station
Spacewalk Wind-Up: Expedition 32 EVAs
Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka is seen just before tossing a spherical satellite into space from the International Space Station during an Aug. 20, 2012 spacewalk.
Expedition 32 commander Gennady Padalka, a Russian cosmonaut, throws the small Spherical Satellite into orbit during an Aug. 20, 2012, spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The small satellite will spend three months in orbit and be used for space tracking experiments.
The small Spherical Satellite appears as a bright spot (right) just after being thrown into space by Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka during an Aug. 20, 2012, spacewalk. The satellite will be used for space tracking experiments by Russian scientists.
A camera on the International Space Station captures the small, steel Spherical Satellite as it drifts away after being thrown overboard from the station by a spacewalking cosmonaut on Aug. 20, 2012.
Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka is seen at the end of the International Space Stations' Strela crane during a spacewalk on Aug. 20, 2012.
Look close near the center of the 'X' created by the solar arrays here and you will spot Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko as he controls a hand-operated crane outside the International Space Station during an Aug. 20, 2012 spacewalk. Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka was riding the end of the Strela crane, and is hidden behind the large antenna dish at upper right.
Cosmonauts Gennady Padalka (left) and Yuri Malenchenko work to move a crane outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk on Aug. 20, 2012, in this still image from a video camera on the station.
Russian cosmonauts Yuri Malenchenko and Gennady Padalka work on a crane during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station in this still image from a video camera on the station's exterior on Aug. 20, 2012.
This still image shows the view of Earth and part of the International Space Station from the helmet video camera of station commander Gennady Padalka during an Aug. 20, 2012 spacewalk. Padalka was at the end of a station crane during this view.
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Photos: Spacewalking Cosmonauts Upgrade Space Station (Aug. 2012)
It is the most expensive and the largest spacecraft ever to be put into orbit - measuring about the same size as Croke Park.
The space station - which has a crew of 6 astronauts on board - will be visible tonight, tomorrow and on Thursday - and will not be seen again until later this year.
Chairman of Astronomy Ireland - David Moore said that spotting the spacecraft is all about timing:
"Unless you are out at the right time you won't have noticed it before but if you go out at the right time then you can't mistake it I watched it a couple of nights ago and it was a hundred times brighter than the brightest star in the sky", he said
"If you see any star in the sky you'll easily see the international space station, it's that bright"
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Two veteran cosmonauts sailed through a six-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Monday to prepare the orbital outpost for a new module and better shield its living quarters against small meteorite and debris impacts, officials said. Station commander Gennady Padalka and flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko opened the hatch on the station's ...
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SPARKS, Nev.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Over a month ago, Japans HTV3 cargo carrier launched atop a Japanese H-II rocket delivering an innovative software-defined radio experiment to the International Space Station (ISS). This new ISS facility, known as the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Testbed, utilizes Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Space Systems developed antenna pointing system. Initial reports indicate the system is operating as designed.
The NASA SCaN Program is responsible for providing communications and navigation services to space flight missions throughout the solar system. Using a new generation of Software Defined Radios, the SCaN Testbed, developed by the NASA Glenn Research Center, will perform a variety of communications, networking and navigation experiments in the realistic environment of space. These experiments will advance space communication technologies in support of future NASA missions and other U.S. space endeavors.
SNC supplied the integrated antenna pointing system, which incorporates the SNC open-loop, microstepping technology. This system has also successfully flown on Deep Impact, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Suomi NPP and several commercial remote sensing platforms. This is another excellent example of a successful collaborative program between SNC and NASA, said Matt Johnson, space technologies director of programs for SNCs Space Systems.
About Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems
Sierra Nevada Corporations Space Systems business area headquartered in Louisville, Colorado, has more than 25 years of space heritage in space and has participated in over 400 successful space missions through the delivery of over 4,000 systems, subsystems and components. During its history, SNC Space Systems has concluded over 70 programs for NASA and over 50 other clients. For more information about SS visit http://www.sncspace.com. For more information visit http://www.sncspace.com.
About Sierra Nevada Corporation
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) is one of Americas fastest growing private companies. Under the leadership of CEO Fatih Ozmen and Chairman and President Eren Ozmen, SNC employs over 2,100 people in 31 locations in 16 states. SNCs six unique business areas are dedicated to providing leading-edge technology solutions to SNCs customers. For more information visit http://www.sncorp.com.
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Sierra Nevada Corporation Supports Communications Experiment on International Space Station
A sign of a leakyvalve on the International Space Station held up Russian cosmonauts for nearly an hour Monday, as flight controllers sought to isolate the suspected leak.
A suspected leaky valve on the International Space Station stalled the start of a spacewalk by Russian cosmonauts for nearly an hour today (Aug. 20), forcing them to wait in bulky spacesuits until it was deemed safe to venture outside.
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Veteran cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Yuri Malenchenko were preparing to begin theirspace station spacewalkwhen the leak was detected during air pressure tests. Russian flight controllers at the station's Mission Control Center in Moscow asked the cosmonauts to stay put until the leaky valve could be isolated.
Padalka, the space station's commander, agreed.
"We're in no rush," Padalka radioed Mission Control in Russian, which was translated in a NASA broadcast.
Flight controllers spent almost an hour trying to isolate the leaky valve and monitoring air pressure inside the station's airlock and adjoining modules. Ultimately, they radioed good news to the spacewalkers the leak was resolved and it was safe to proceed. It was welcome news for the cosmonauts.
"We're just hanging here and it's kind of boring," Padalka said.
At 11:37 a.m. EDT (1337 GMT) nearly an hour latethe two cosmonauts finally opened the space station's airlock hatch and prepared to get to work.
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Two Russian cosmonauts merged orbital construction with zero gravity sports in a spacewalk Monday (Aug. 20), when they moved a space station crane and — with a mighty throw — tossed a big steel ball into orbit.
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Space Station Cosmonauts Toss Satellite Overboard in Spacewalk
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - Astronauts are spacewalking outside the International Space Station for the first time in half a year.
Monday's spacewalk got started late because of a leaky valve on the Russian side of the orbiting outpost. The crew had to reopen the air lock and check the seals to ensure a tight fit, before Russians Gennady Padalka and Yuri Malenchenko could go out. Padalka assured Moscow flight controllers they were in no rush. But he admitted it was boring to wait an extra hour.
The two spacewalking pros will attach shields to protect against space junk. The panels were supposed to go up during a spacewalk in February, but got put on hold. The men also will move a crane and release a small satellite, all Russian-based work.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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A suspected leaky valve on the International Space Station stalled the start of a spacewalk by Russian cosmonauts for nearly an hour on Monday, forcing them to wait in bulky spacesuits until it was deemed safe to venture outside.
Veteran cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Yuri Malenchenko were preparing to begin their space station spacewalk when the leak was detected during air pressure tests. Russian flight controllers at the station's Mission Control Center in Moscow asked the cosmonauts to stay put until the leaky valve could be isolated.
Padalka, the space station's commander, agreed.
"We're in no rush," Padalka radioed Mission Control in Russian, which was translated in a NASA broadcast.
Flight controllers spent almost an hour trying to isolate the leaky valve and monitoring air pressure inside the station's airlock and adjoining modules. Ultimately, they radioed good news to the spacewalkers the leak was resolved and it was safe to proceed. The cosmonauts welcomed the go-ahead.
"We're just hanging here and it's kind of boring," Padalka said.
At 11:37 a.m. ET nearly an hour later than the scheduled time of 10:40 a.m. ET the two cosmonauts finally opened the space station's airlock hatch and went to work.
Monday's spacewalk is due to 6.5 hours outside the International Space Station. Padalka is making his ninth career spacewalk during the excursion, and it's the fifth spacewalk for Malenchenko.
During the excursion, Padalka and Malenchenko plan to install new shields on the station to protect it from damage by tiny bits of space debris, and they'll move a hand-operated crane to a new location on the orbiting lab's hull.
Space news from NBCNews.com
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Astronauts are spacewalking outside the International Space Station for the first time in half a year.
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Two Russian cosmonauts will venture outside the International Space Station today (Aug. 20) to upgrade the massive orbiting complex.
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Expedition 30 Cosmonauts Perform Spacewalk
This image of Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Anton Shkaplerov, both Expedition 30 flight engineers, was taken during a spacewalk on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. During the six-hour, 15-minute spacewalk, Kononenko and Shkaplerov moved the Strela-1 crane from the Pirs Docking Compartment in preparation for replacing it in 2012 with a new laboratory and docking module. The duo used another boom, the Strela-2, to move the hand-operated crane to the Poisk module for future assembly and maintenance work.
Flight Engineers Oleg Kononenko and Anton Shkaplerov work with a Strela crane during a Feb. 16, 2012 spacewalk outside the International Space Station.
Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov (right) rides the Strela crane outside the International Space Station during a 6-hour, 15-minute spacewalk with crewmate Oleg Kononenko on Feb. 16, 2012. The cosmonauts moved the Strela crane to a different spot on the station.
This still from a NASA animation shows how Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Anton Shkaplerov will use one crane to move another outside the International Space Station during a Feb. 16, 2012 spacewalk.
Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Expedition 30 flight engineer, poses for a photo with a Russian Orlan spacesuit in the Pirs docking module after a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Feb. 16, 2012. Kononenko is wearing a blue thermal undergarment that complements the Orlan spacesuit.
Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Expedition 30 flight engineer, is seen wearing a bulky Orlan spacesuit during in a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Feb. 16, 2012. Kononenko and cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov (out of frame) spent more than 6 hours preparing the station's Pirs docking module to be replaced by a new module in 2013.
Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, Expedition 30 flight engineer, participates in a session of extravehicular activity (EVA) to continue outfitting the International Space Station. Image released feb. 16, 2012.
Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Expedition 30 flight engineer, participates in a session of extravehicular activity (EVA) to continue outfitting the International Space Station, August 16, 2012.
Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Expedition 30 flight engineer, participates in a session of extravehicular activity (EVA) to continue outfitting the International Space Station, August 16, 2012.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Two veteran spacewalkers floated outside the International Space Station on Monday to prepare the orbital outpost for a new module and beef up its living quarters against micrometeorite and debris impacts, officials said. Dressed in spacesuits, station commander Gennady Padalka and flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko opened the hatch on the station's Pirs airlock ...
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A suspected leaky valve on the International Space Station stalled the start of a spacewalk by Russian cosmonauts for nearly an hour today (Aug. 20), forcing them to wait in bulky spacesuits until it was deemed safe to venture outside.
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