Normal bread banned from the ISS because it could ruin delicate instruments and start fires

ASTRONAUTS aboard the International Space Station will soon be baking their own loaves using new crumb-free bread.

A German space firm is preparing to test a new dough mixture and baking oven that are specifically designed to make typical weekend German bread rolls on the ISS.

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Bread is banned from the ISS because of the risk of stray crumbs clogging up sensitive instruments or starting a fire.

Nasa first introduced a baked goods ban after itssecond manned space flight in 1965, when an astronaut smuggled a contraband corned beef sandwich onto the Gemini 3 mission.

When John Young whipped out the sarnie, the zero gravity conditions caused bread crumbs and beefy bits to spread through the spaceship.

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Astronauts are allowed to munch on tortillas, but bread is strictly prohibited- until now.

A firm called Bake In Space will test out its new dough and oven aboard the ISS in April 2018.

As space tourism takes off and people spend more time in space we need to allow bread to be made from scratch, founder Sebastian Marcu told New Scientist.

His firm is working to build a small oven which maintains heat well.

They will test a variety of approaches, but it is likely that the oven will bake bread without needing much human interference and cook at a low pressure, which could make rolls extra fluffy.

If the technique is successful, it could be used during trips to Mars.

Jennifer Levasseur of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum said: The comforts of home, like the smell of freshly baked bread, could energise astronauts physically and psychologically."

Nasa recently published a terrifying video showing asteroids circling Earth after it spotted 10 "potentially hazardous" space rocks which could smash into Earth one day.

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Astronauts on the International Space Station set to bake in space for first time using new crumb-free bread - The Sun

June 8, 2017 by Jenny Howard This is the explosion of a massive star blazes, or a supernova, observed by the NASA Hubble Space Telescope. The bright spot at top right of the image is a stellar blast, called a supernova. The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) investigation, affixed to the exterior of the International Space Station, studies the physics of these stars, providing new insight into their nature and behavior. Credit: NASA, ESA, A.V. Filippenko (University of California, Berkeley), P. Challis (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), et al.

SpaceX is scheduled to launch its Dragon spacecraft for its eleventh commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station June 1 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center's historic pad 39A. Dragon will lift into orbit atop the Falcon 9 rocket carrying crew supplies, equipment and scientific research to crewmembers living aboard the station.

The flight will deliver investigations and facilities that study neutron stars, osteoporosis, solar panels, tools for Earth-observation, and more. Here are some highlights of research that will be delivered to the orbiting laboratory:

New solar panels test concept for more efficient power source

Solar panels are an efficient way to generate power, but they can be delicate and large when used to power a spacecraft or satellites. They are often tightly stowed for launch and then must be unfolded when the spacecraft reaches orbit. The Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA), is a solar panel concept that is lighter and stores more compactly for launch than the rigid solar panels currently in use. ROSA has solar cells on a flexible blanket and a framework that rolls out like a tape measure. The technology for ROSA is one of two new solar panel concepts that were developed by the Solar Electric Propulsion project, sponsored by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate.

The new solar panel concepts are intended to provide power to electric thrusters for use on NASA's future space vehicles for operations near the Moon and for missions to Mars and beyond. They might also be used to power future satellites in Earth orbit, including more powerful commercial communications satellites. The demonstration of the deployment of ROSA on the space station is sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Investigation studies composition of neutron stars

Neutron stars, the glowing cinders left behind when massive stars explode as supernovas, are the densest objects in the universe, and contain exotic states of matter that are impossible to replicate in any ground lab. These stars are called "pulsars" because of the unique way they emit light - in a beam similar to a lighthouse beacon. As the star spins, the light sweeps past us, making it appear as if the star is pulsing. The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) payload, affixed to the exterior of the space station, studies the physics of these stars, providing new insight into their nature and behavior.

Neutron stars emit X-ray radiation, enabling the NICER technology to observe and record information about its structure, dynamics and energetics. In addition to studying the matter within the neutron stars, the payload also includes a technology demonstration called the Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology (SEXTANT), which will help researchers to develop a pulsar-based, space navigation system. Pulsar navigation could work similarly to GPS on Earth, providing precise position for spacecraft throughout the solar system.

Investigation studies effect of new drug on osteoporosis

When people and animals spend extended periods of time in space, they experience bone density loss, or osteoporosis. In-flight countermeasures, such as exercise, prevent it from getting worse, but there isn't a therapy on Earth or in space that can restore bone that is already lost. The Systemic Therapy of NELL-1 for osteoporosis (Rodent Research-5) investigation tests a new drug that can both rebuild bone and block further bone loss, improving health for crew members.

Exposure to microgravity creates a rapid change in bone health, similar to what happens in certain bone-wasting diseases, during extended bed rest and during the normal aging process. The results from this ISS National Laboratory-sponsored investigation build on previous research also supported by the National Institutes for Health and could lead to new drugs for treating bone density loss in millions of people on Earth.

Research seeks to understand the heart of the matter

Exposure to reduced gravity environments can result in cardiovascular changes such as fluid shifts, changes in total blood volume, heartbeat and heart rhythm irregularities, and diminished aerobic capacity. The Fruit Fly Lab-02 study will use the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) to better understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for the adverse effects of prolonged exposure to microgravity on the heart. Flies are smaller, with a well-known genetic make-up, and very rapid aging that make them good models for studying heart function. This experiment will help to develop a microgravity heart model in the fruit fly. Such a model could significantly advance the study of spaceflight effects on the cardiovascular system and facilitate the development of countermeasures to prevent the adverse effects of space travel on astronauts.

Investigation shapes the way humans survive in space

Currently, the life-support systems aboard the space station require special equipment to separate liquids and gases. This technology utilizes rotating and moving parts that, if broken or otherwise compromised, could cause contamination aboard the station. The Capillary Structures investigation studies a new method of water recycling and carbon dioxide removal using structures designed in specific shapes to manage fluid and gas mixtures. As opposed to the expensive, machine-based processes currently in use aboard the station, the Capillary Structures equipment is made up of small, 3-D printed geometric shapes of varying sizes that clip into place.

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Using time lapse photography, on-ground research teams will observe how liquids evaporate from these capillary structures, testing the effectiveness of the varying parameters. Results from the investigation could lead to the development of new processes that are simple, trustworthy, and highly reliable in the case of an electrical failure or other malfunction.

Facility provides platform for Earth-observation tools

Orbiting approximately 250 miles above the Earth's surface, the space station provides views of the Earth below like no other location can provide. The Multiple User System for Earth Sensing (MUSES) facility, developed by Teledyne Brown Engineering, hosts Earth-viewing instruments such as high-resolution digital cameras, hyperspectral imagers, and provides precision pointing and other accommodations.

This National Lab-sponsored investigation can produce data to be used for maritime domain awareness, agricultural awareness, food security, disaster response, air quality, oil and gas exploration and fire detection.

These investigations will join many other investigations currently happening aboard the space station. Follow @ISS_Research for more information about the science happening on station.

Explore further: Image: Eleventh SpaceX commercial resupply mission to space station set for launch

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon spacecraft onboard, is seen shortly after being raised vertical at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Thursday, June 1, 2017. Liftoff ...

A new NASA mission, the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), is headed for the International Space Station next month to observe one of the strangest observable objects in the universe. Launching aboardSpaceX's ...

SpaceX is poised to blast off its next delivery of food, supplies and science experiments to the astronauts living at the International Space Station on Thursday.

SpaceX on Thursday will attempt its first-ever cargo delivery to the astronauts living in orbit using a vessel that has already flown to space once before, the California-based company said.

Nearly 50 years after British astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell discovered the existence of rapidly spinning neutron stars, NASA will launch the world's first mission devoted to studying these unusual objects.

A lightning strike near Cape Canaveral forced SpaceX to delay until Saturday its first-ever cargo delivery to the astronauts living in orbit using a vessel that has already flown to space once before, NASA said Thursday.

The moon hanging in the night sky sent Robert Hurt's mind into deep spaceto a region some 40 light years away, in fact, where seven Earth-sized planets crowded close to a dim, red sun.

A University of Oklahoma post-doctoral astrophysics researcher, Billy Quarles, has identified the possible compositions of the seven planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system. Using thousands of numerical simulations to identify the ...

Two teams of astronomers have harnessed the power of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile to detect the prebiotic complex organic molecule methyl isocyanate in the multiple star system IRAS 16293-2422. ...

Astronomers from the University of Amsterdam have offered an explanation for the formation of the Trappist-1 planetary system. The system has seven planets as big as the Earth that orbit close to their star. The crux, according ...

NASA chose 12 new astronauts Wednesday from its biggest pool of applicants ever, hand-picking seven men and five women who could one day fly aboard the nation's next generation of spacecraft.

With high-pressure experiments at DESY's X-ray light source PETRA III and other facilities, a research team around Leonid Dubrovinsky from the University of Bayreuth has solved a long standing riddle in the analysis of meteorites ...

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SpaceX Dragon to deliver research to Space Station - Phys.Org

For a little while earlier this month, astronauts on the International Space Station had a spooky companion: a spy satellite that circled just outside its danger zone.

Dutch satellite-watcher Marco Langbroek (whose day job is at Leiden University) analysed the orbit of USA 276, a spy satellite owned by the US National Reconnaissance Office and hoisted aboard the May 1 SpaceX mission.

It's something of a vindication for the (now) amateur astronomer, since in late May he speculated that a close approach was feasible.

Just such a pass came to pass happened on June 3, and after doing the mathematics on the orbit, Langbroek reckons the spy-sat came within 6.4 km of the ISS with a 2 km error margin.

(That margin is so large, he explains, because TLE, the two-line element set that describes a satellite's orbit, has a typical 1 km positional accuracy.)

For a few of the approaches Langbroek analysed, the satellite circled the ISS in two plans both laterally (cross-track) and along-track.

USA 276 circling the ISS, along-track. Plot by Langbroek

As he explains, the danger zone the point at which an avoidance manoeuvre is required is in a box 4 x 4 x 10 km around the space station, and US 276 stayed just outside that box.

While Langbroek refrains from speculating on why the NRO would take the satellite so close to the ISS, it's clear that there was no hope of hiding its position, because of the satellite's brightness. USA 276 is shown in the frame below, captured from a video made by Langbroek.

Too bright to hide: USA 276 (circled) recorded from Earth by Langbroek

While USA 276 remained just outside the safety concern box, it is weird to have your just launched classified payload pass so close (6.4 2 km) to a high profile, crewed object like the ISS, he writes.

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US spook-sat buzzed the International Space Station The Register - The Register

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In this frame from NASA TV, a SpaceX Dragon arrives at the International Space Station on Monday, June 5, 2017, making an unprecedented second trip to the orbiting outpost. The Dragon supply ship, recycled following a 2014 flight, was launched from Florida on Saturday.

The International Space Station welcomed its first returning vehicle in years Monday a SpaceX Dragon capsule making its second delivery.

Space shuttle Atlantis was the last repeat visitor six years ago. It's now a museum relic at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

NASA astronaut Jack Fischer noted "the special significance" of SpaceX's recycling effort as soon as he caught the Dragon supply ship with the station's big robot arm.

"That's right, it's flying its second mission," Fischer said. "We have a new generation of vehicles now led by commercial partners like SpaceX."

SpaceX is working to reuse as many parts of its rockets and spacecraft as possible to slash launch costs. The California-based company launched its first recycled booster with a satellite in March; another will fly in a few weeks.

The Dragon pulled up two days after launching from Florida. This same capsule dropped off a shipment in 2014. SpaceX refurbished it for an unprecedented second trip, keeping the hull, thrusters and most other parts but replacing the heat shield and parachutes.

Until their retirement in 2011, NASA's shuttles made multiple flights to the space station.

This new 6,000-pound shipment includes live lab animals: 40 mice, 400 adult fruit flies and 2,000 fruit fly eggs that should hatch any day. The mice are part of a bone loss study, while the flies are flying so researchers can study their hearts in weightlessness. Even more than mice and rats, the hearts of fruit flies are similar in many ways to the human heart, beating at about the same rate, for instance.

Some of these animals will return to Earth aboard the Dragon in about a month.

SpaceX officials anticipate using Dragon capsules as many as three times.

"It's starting to feel kinda normal to reuse rockets. Good. That's how it is for cars & airplanes and how it should be for rockets," SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk said via Twitter following Saturday's liftoff of the Dragon and landing of the Falcon rocket's first stage.

Musk said the latest touchdown was "pretty much dead center" at the SpaceX landing zone at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred next door at Kennedy Space Center.

The Dragon is the only station supply ship capable of returning items, like science samples. On Sunday, an Orbital ATK cargo ship named in honor of the late John Glenn departed the station. It will remain in orbit a week before burning up in the atmosphere upon re-entry. Glenn, the first American to orbit the world, died in December at age 95.

"Godspeed & fair winds S.S. John Glenn," Fischer wrote in a tweet.

Published at 12:10 PM EDT on Jun 5, 2017 | Updated at 12:21 PM EDT on Jun 5, 2017

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Space Station Welcomes 1st Returning Vehicle Since Space Shuttle - NBC Connecticut

A reused SpaceX Dragon cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station today (June 5), becoming the first privately built spacecraft to make a repeat delivery to the orbiting laboratory.

The Dragon capsule, which lifted off on Saturday(June 3) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is packed with nearly 6,000 lbs. (2,700 kilograms) of supplies and science experiments for the Expedition 52 and 53 astronauts.

Inside the space station's Cupola module, NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer remotely operated the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to seize the spacecraft at 9:51 a.m. EDT (1351 GMT). [In Photos: SpaceX's 1st Reused Dragon Spacecraft]

SpaceX's 11th cargo resupply mission arrives at the International Space Station, where NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer operated the robotic Canadarm2 to grapple the spacecraft.

With the Dragon captured, NASA's mission controllers in Houston will operate the robotic arm to install the spacecraft at its docking port on the space station's Harmony module, where crewmembers will then unload the cargo.

This is the 11th mission under SpaceX's commercial cargo contract with NASA. In 2014, SpaceX flew the same Dragon capsule for itsfourth cargo mission. After the Dragon splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, SpaceX retrieved it and refurbished it so it could be reused.

"These people have supplied us with a vast amount of science and supplies, really fuel for the engine and innovation we get to call home, the International Space Station," Fischer said shortly after capture was confirmed. "We also want to note the special significance of the SpaceX-11, which if we follow the naming convention of the artist Prince, could be called the SpaceX formerly known as SpaceX-4."

SpaceX's 11th cargo resupply mission arrives at the International Space Station.

Along with food, water and other essentials for the crewmembers, the Dragon contains several thousand pounds of research equipment and even some live cargo, including 40 mice and thousands of fruit flies. The mice will be testing out a new drug for osteoporosis, or loss of bone density, while the fruit flies will help scientists study the effects of spaceflight on the cardiovascular system.

Other equipment onboard includes a new, more compact and efficient solar panel called the Roll Out Solar Array (ROSA), and an experiment that will study a new type of intergalactic GPS system called theNeutron star Interior Composition ExploreR(NICER).

This SpaceX Dragon will stay at the station for about a month and is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean in early July, returning with about 3,400 lbs. (1,500 kg) of science, hardware and other supplies.

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebookand Google+. Original article on Space.com.

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SpaceX Dragon Capsule Makes History with 1st Repeat Delivery to Space Station - Space.com

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Dazzling Photos Let You Orbit Earth Aboard the Space Station - WIRED

A refurbished SpaceX Dragon cargo ship loaded with 6,000 pounds of supplies and equipment was captured by astronauts operating the International Space Station's robot arm Monday to wrap up a two-day rendezvous.

The Dragon, making its second flight to the station -- a first for SpaceX -- pulled up to within about 30 feet of the station and then stood by while astronaut Jack Fischer, operating the robot arm from inside the multi-window cupola work station, locked onto a grapple fixture at 9:52 a.m. EDT (GMT-4).

"We want to thank the entire team on the ground that made this possible," Fischer said. "These people have supplied us with a vast amount of science and supplies."

Fischer noted that the Dragon's arrival came on the 15th anniversary of crewmate Peggy Whitson's first launch to the space station and said SpaceX had reached a new milestone by re-launching a previously flown cargo ship.

"The last time we had a return visitor to the ISS was STS-135 (the final shuttle flight) in July of 2011," he said. "We have a new generation of vehicles now, led by commercial partners like SpaceX, as they build the infrastructure that will carry us into the future of exploration."

With the Dragon secured, flight controllers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston took over arm operations, remotely pulling the Dragon in for berthing at the Earth-facing port of the station's forward Harmony module. Once precisely aligned, 16 motorized bolts in the common berthing mechanism drove home to lock the capsule in place.

Launched Saturday from the Kennedy Space Center, the Dragon is loaded with 3 tons of crew supplies, station hardware and science gear. The spacecraft's pressurized compartment, the section accessible to the station's crew, is packed with some 3,700 pounds of equipment and supplies, much of it devoted to medical and biological research.

The Dragon over the Red Sea.

NASA

Three payloads are mounted in the Dragon's unpressurized trunk section: an experimental roll-out solar array, a commercial platform that can support up to four Earth-observation instruments at a time and a suite of telescopes to study neutron stars. All three will be extracted later by the station's robot arm.

The station crew will unload the cargo ship in the days ahead and then repack it with 3,400 pounds of biological samples, no longer needed equipment and failed components being returned to Earth for engineering analysis.

Fischer and Whitson plan to unberth and release the Dragon July 2, setting up a fiery plunge to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Los Angeles.

This is the 11th station resupply flight carried out by SpaceX under contract to NASA. The company plans two more cargo runs this year, one scheduled for launch Aug. 1 and the other on Nov. 1.

2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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SpaceX supply ship reaches space station - CBS News

Ronkonkoma What started as a hobby for St. Joseph Schools technical director and technology teacher Jennifer Medordi, ended up taking her whole school to space as more than 300 people packed St. Josephs gym on May 22 to see a dozen students from the school speak directly to astronaut Jack Fischer on the International Space Station. The direct contact with the space station was the culmination to a school year that celebrated mans exploration of space, and the fascination people have had throughout time with the exploration and conquest of space.

Scroll down for gallery of photos

An amateur (HAM) radio operator,Medordi mentioned a program called ARISS, which is an acronym for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, to Principal Richard Kuntzler and asked if she could pursue placement in the program for St. Josephs students. Jennifer explained that the ARISS program was a comprehensive program with suggested readings, hands-on assignments and other related work that gave students a broad historical, scientific and cultural perspective on space exploration Kuntzker said. I was intrigued by the idea, but because only about a dozen schools get chosen nationally each year to participate, I wasnt planning around the program just yet. That all changed when St. Joseph School was notified that they were just one of 14 schools nationally, and the only Catholic school, selected to participate during the 2016 2017 school year.

In her proposal, Ms. Medordi outlined the current STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program already in place at St. Josephs and identified some cross-curricular opportunities they could take advantage of if selected. The initial meeting with the rest of the faculty at St. Josephs just blew me away, Medordi said. The teachers all enthusiastically embraced the concept and identified places where space exploration and radio communication could be embedded into all subjects, including Social Studies, English Language Arts, Music, Art and Religion.

Since the beginning of the school year students at St. Josephs have read books on space, listened to space inspired music, and have learned about radio waves and rocket trajectories. There have even been three teacher-designed Space Days with themes that have included Space History where they studied the Mercury, Apollo and Space Shuttle missions. Theyve learned about Living in Space where they did activities that simulated space living and exercises for living in microgravity. And they projected what the future might hold on Colonizing Mars day. On HAM Radio Day, Medordi and her father, Paul Janson set up radio operations in the school allowing students to make contacts across the tri-state area to better understand HAM radio.

The May 22 contact with the International Space Station was led by 12 students from the school who became Space Ambassadors by qualifying via an essay contest. The Ambassadors and the rest of their classmates put together a list of 20 questions that represented the things that they wanted to know, and that hopefully hadnt been asked before. Some of the questions included: - If you could go back in time and say something to your pre-astronaut self, what would it be? - Do you perceive time differently in space? - How does your view of Earth impact your perspective on humanity and how has the experience affected your faith?

Story continues after slideshow

Photos by Gregory A. Shemitz

Father Mike Reader, pastor of St. Josephs Parish, noted the profound changes weve seen in society in the 50 years since the Christmas Eve reading from the Book of Genesis during Americas Apollo 8 mission, and contrasted that with todays global cooperative international effort. He noted that the International Space Station is the largest non-war international collaboration in history with 16 countries collaborating, and he thanked Medordi for lighting the flame of space exploration in the school, and for all of the rest of the teachers in the school for fanning that flame.

The ARISS Program is a once-in-a-lifetime experience made possible by the Amateur Radio community and NASA. Space Ambassadors from St. Joseph School included:Shane Bellino, Dominic Marando,Alicia Soler , Manuel Kittel,Lauren Avilla, Ralph Silvestre,Cadence DePersio, Logan Danna,Aaron Tabigue, Rohan Douglas,Joseph Fardella Jr. and Alexandra Buttonow

As a result of the ARISS Program and St. Joseph staffs efforts the students now have a new appreciation of space science and many have expressed a desire to pursue careers in science and technology fields stated Medordi. That is the ultimate goal of the ARISS Program, to turn students on to the wonders of science and technology.

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St. Joseph's students make contact with Space Station astronaut - Long Island Catholic

WOODTV.com (blog)

Two Great Views of the Intl. Space Station WOODTV.com (blog) There are many views of the International Space Station here in early June. Here's the complete schedule here. Two views really stand out. The first is tonight at 10:49 pm. The station appears in the northwest sky and moves up close to overhead, then ...

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Two Great Views of the Intl. Space Station - WOODTV.com (blog)

The International Space Station welcomed its first returning vehicle in years Monday a SpaceX Dragon capsule making its second delivery.

Space shuttle Atlantis was the last repeat visitor six years ago. Its now a museum relic at NASAs Kennedy Space Center.

NASA astronaut Jack Fischer noted the special significance of Hawthorne-based SpaceXs recycling effort as soon as he caught the Dragon supply ship with the stations big robot arm.

Thats right, its flying its second mission, Fischer said. We have a new generation of vehicles now led by commercial partners like SpaceX.

SpaceX is working to reuse as many parts of its rockets and spacecraft as possible to slash launch costs. The California-based company launched its first recycled booster with a satellite in March; another will fly in a few weeks.

The Dragon pulled up two days after launching from Florida. This same capsule dropped off a shipment in 2014. SpaceX refurbished it for an unprecedented second trip, keeping the hull, thrusters and most other parts but replacing the heat shield and parachutes.

Until their retirement in 2011, NASAs shuttles made multiple flights to the space station.

This new 6,000-pound shipment includes live lab animals: 40 mice, 400 adult fruit flies and 2,000 fruit fly eggs that should hatch any day. The mice are part of a bone loss study, while the flies are flying so researchers can study their hearts in weightlessness. Even more than mice and rats, the hearts of fruit flies are similar in many ways to the human heart, beating at about the same rate, for instance.

Some of these animals will return to Earth aboard the Dragon in about a month.

SpaceX officials anticipate using Dragon capsules as many as three times.

Its starting to feel kinda normal to reuse rockets. Good. Thats how it is for cars & airplanes and how it should be for rockets, SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk said via Twitter following Saturdays liftoff of the Dragon and landing of the Falcon rockets first stage.

Musk said the latest touchdown was pretty much dead center at the SpaceX landing zone at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff occurred next door at Kennedy Space Center.

The Dragon is the only station supply ship capable of returning items, like science samples. On Sunday, an Orbital ATK cargo ship named in honor of the late John Glenn departed the station. It will remain in orbit a week before burning up in the atmosphere upon re-entry. Glenn, the first American to orbit the world, died in December at age 95.

Godspeed & fair winds S.S. John Glenn, Fischer wrote in a tweet.

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SpaceX's recycled Dragon capsule reaches, resupplies space station - The Mercury News

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Dr Leroy Chiao made the admission when he visited the University of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia, to speak to students.

As ISS commander, Dr Chiao spent months in space dwelling on whether aliens are out there.

Recent discoveries of water on one of Saturn's moons, and amino acids on comets, left him in no doubt about extra-terrestrial life existing, he said.

He added: "To find this kind of evidence of life in our own backyard means to me the idea there's other life in the universe is pretty much a given.

"I think there's all kinds of life out there, including intelligent life, but the reason we haven't found each other is because of vast distances."

He also spoke about the experience of being in space.

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The Crop Circles are often believed to be created by aliens, as there is no proper explanation behind this phenomenon.

I think there's all kinds of life out there, including intelligent life, but the reason we haven't found each other is because of vast distances.

Dr Leroy Chiao

He said: "It's very physical. You're working against the pressures of the suit and you're aware of where you're putting your tethers.

"It's surreal and like a dream. You can't believe you're out there in a suit doing this kind of work.

"But at the same time you're well trained, but if you rest for a minute and look where you are, you think 'Is this real?'"

The ISS orbits Earth every 90 minutes and the crew sees 16 sunrises and sunsets per day

NASA

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ISS Nasa live cam cuts after 'suddenly locking on to mystery glowing UFO'

He added: "I don't think anyone flies into space without some form of fundamental introspection about what life is about.

"For me, I was surprised how much more beautiful it is than what the pictures show.

"It looks very peaceful and nice, and intellectually I knew there was war, famine and conflict down there and that dichotomy was hard to reconcile.

"It makes you stop and think, and it gave me that perspective of what's important in life."

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Ex-NASA commander of International Space Station says intelligent aliens ARE out there - Express.co.uk

Britains fight with Europe has far-reaching implications, stretching all the way into outer space.

In January, the UK announced that it would send its star astronaut, Tim Peake, to the International Space Station for a second time. But the trip is now in doubt, according to the Financial Times, which reports (paywall) that the UK has denied a request to increase its contributions to the European Space Agency (ESA).

Currently the UK puts in about 41 million ($46 million) toward the ESAs 960 million annual budget for the space station. The ESA had demanded that the UK contribute more than 4% of the total pot.

Europes space agency operates independently of the EU, but the Brexit vote in 2016 raised doubts about the future of the UK space program, which works closely with European partners. Indeed, the ESA has long complained that the UK doesnt pay a fair share of the agencys 5.75 billion annual budget. It pays in 7.9% of the total, whereas France and Germany pay more than 20% apiece, and even Italy pays close to 15%.

Space is good business for the UK. The industry generated 13.7 billion ($17.6 billion) in 2015 and the government is looking to increase that to 40 billion by 2030. Part of the increase will come from building the countrys first spaceport by 2020, which will help it launch satellites for other countries and private companies. Another part would come from raising UKs profile through contributions like Peakes visits to the ISS.

Both those strategies are now in doubt. In April, the Parliamentary science and technology committee found legal problems in the governments Spaceflight bill that lays out the development of the spaceport. And now, there seems to be no guarantee that Peake will be able to go back to the ISS.

The pound isnt helping matters. British sterling has fallen about 12% against the euro since the Brexit vote on June 23, and some 13% versus the dollar in that span, making it more expensive for the UK to meet its obligations in those currencies. And it has other expenses that could add upthe UK could owe the EU between 25.4 billion and 65.1 billion for its divorce, according to estimates by Bruegel, a think tank.

This is not the first time that the ESA has demanded more money from the UK. Peake only secured his berth on the ISS after the British science minister in 2012 made a payment of 20 million toward development of the Ariane rocket.

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Tim Peake's next trip to space is in doubt thanks to Brexit, the falling pound, and a spat with the European Space ... - Quartz

An experiment thatarrived at the International Space Station today (June 5) will test a celestial navigational system that one day may guide future spaceships to Jupiter as efficiently as GPS satellites get you to Starbucks.

The Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology (SEXTANT) experiment is among the projects planned for the world's first telescope dedicated to observing neutron stars, the densest known objects in the universe.

Neutron stars form when a star roughly 10 to 30 times the mass of the sun runs out of fuel for nuclear fusion and collapses, crushing every proton and electron in its core. The result is a ball of neutrons about 12.5 miles (20 kilometers) across roughly the size of a city that contains as much mass as the sun. [New ISS Experiment Will Probe Neutron Stars (Video)]

A teaspoon of a neutron star would weigh about 1 billion tons (0.9 million metric tons) here on Earth as much as a mountain, according to NASA.

Artist's concept of a pulsar (blue-white disk in center) pulling in matter from a nearby star (red disk at upper right). The stellar material forms a disk around the pulsar (multicolored ring) before falling onto the surface at the magnetic poles. The pulsar's intense magnetic field is represented by faint blue outlines surrounding the pulsar.

Stars larger than about 30 solar masses generally collapse into a black hole, which are objects so dense with matter that not even light can escape their gravitational fists.

Unlike black holes, neutron stars radiate energy across a broad range of frequencies, but they are most visible in their X-ray beams, which will be the focus of the station's newly arrived Neutron-star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) observatory.

NICER, which will be robotically mounted to the outside of the station, contains 56 X-ray mirrors to illuminate the structure and inner workings of neutron stars. Of particular interest are pulsars, which are fast-spinning neutron stars with especially luminous magnetic fields.

An artist's illustration of the Neutron-star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, on the International Space Station.

Pulsars emit powerful beams in opposite directions as they spin. These beams are observable only when they're pointed toward Earth, making it seem as if these objects pulse (hence the name). In some cases, this apparent pulsing occurs with the predictability and consistency of an atomic clock.

The fastest pulsars spin hundreds of times per second faster than the blades of a household blender, said physicist Zaven Arzoumanian, lead researcher with the NICER project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

"The fact that we have these pulsars apparently flashing away in the sky makes them interesting as tools," Arzoumanian said.

"You can imagine having a system of clocks, very accurate clocks, distributed all over the sky," he said. "In the same way that we use atomic clocks on GPS satellites to navigate our cars and ourselves on the surface of the Earth, we can use these clock signals from the sky, from pulsars, to navigate spacecraft anywhere in the solar system."

The idea of navigating via pulsar is not new, but the technology to autonomously detect and time the flashes is a recent development. Once it's attached to the station, the NICER telescope and SEXTANT software will run for an initial 18-month demonstration mission.

The telescope is among nearly 3 tons (2.7 metric tons) of supplies and experiments aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship that blasted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday (June 3) and arrived this morning.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to state that neutron stars form from stars with masses about 10 to 30 times that of the sun. (The previous version said they form from stars with 1 to 3 solar masses.)

Irene Klotz can be reached on Twitter at @free_space. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.

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Pulsar-Based Navigation System to Get Test on Space Station - Space.com

The Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship S.S. John Glenn pulls away from the International Space Station on June 4, 2017 in this view from a NASA camera on the station exterior.

The last few days have been non-stop action for astronauts on the International Space Station, and there's still more work on the way.

Today (June 2), NASA astronauts Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitsonbid farewell to a robotic Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship, an event that came amid four days of spaceship landings, launches, departures and arrivals.

"It's a remarkable time at the international space station. One of the busiest times of vehicle traffic in history," NASA spokesman Rob Navias said today as Fischer and Whitson worked to release the Cygnus cargo ship.

It all began on Friday (June 1), when two space station crewmembersreturned to Earth on a Soyuz space capsule. Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and French astronaut Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency landed in the remote steppes of Kazakhstan to end a six-month mission to the International Space Station. Their return left Whitson, Fischer and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin behind on the station.

One day later, on Saturday (June 2), a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocketlaunched a Dragon cargo ship packed with 6,000 lbs. (2,721 kilograms) of fresh supplies toward the space station. That launch marked a major milestone for SpaceX: It's the first time the company reused a Dragon capsule (it first flew in 2014).

Then came today's Cygnus departure. The Orbital ATK cargo shiplaunched to the space station in mid-April to deliver 7,600 lbs. (3,500 kilograms) of supplies. It will be intentionally disposed of by burning up in Earth's atmosphere on June 11.

"This is the first time in history that two U.S. commercial cargo vehicles will be in free flight at the same time," Navias said.

But we're not done yet.

On Monday (June 5), the Dragon spacecraft that launched Saturday will arrive at the space station. Whitson and Fischer will use the station's robotic arm to capture the Dragon capsule and attach it to a berthing port so the craft can be unpacked.

According to Navias, the space station crew will get a bit of a breather after the Dragon arrival. But in 10 days, they'll see another arrival: an uncrewedRussian Progress cargo ship packed with still more supplies, he added.

Then on July 28, a new crew is scheduled to launch to the space station on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. So, whew! There's still more space action to come this summer!

Editor's Note: This article has been corrected to reflect thatNASA astronaut Jack Fischer remains on the space station, not French astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him@tariqjmalikandGoogle+.Follow us@Spacedotcom,FacebookandGoogle+. Original article onSpace.com.

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It's a Super-Busy Time at the International Space Station Right Now - Space.com

New York Times

Fruit Flies and Mice to Get New Home on Space Station, at Least Temporarily New York Times The next opportunity is Saturday at 5:07 p.m. If the rocket gets off the ground then forecasters expect more unsettled weather it would arrive at the space station on Monday, when the space station crew will grab the Dragon capsule and attach it ... SpaceX launches first refurbished Dragon cargo ship to the space ...GeekWire Falcon 9 launches reused Dragon to the space stationSpaceNews SpaceX delivers 11th payload to International Space Station for NASAThe Daily Breeze Spaceflight Now -MyStatesman.com -SpaceX -NASA all 163 news articles »

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Fruit Flies and Mice to Get New Home on Space Station, at Least Temporarily - New York Times

If your ears are still ringing out in nostalgia for Aura Fest, not to worry: the great team behind the day-long fest is back! Get your fix at Halfway to Aura Fest, a mini-fest in the heart of Starland District.

Saturdays lineup features a mix of touring and local talent across a variety of rock genres.

Baton Rouge band To Speak Of Wolves creates driving rock/hardcore; they most recently released an EP, New Bones, via Cardigan Records.

Orlando band Makari, who find inspiration in artists like Circa Survive, Two Door Cinema Club, and Beach House, create progressive rock with ex-VersaEmerge and Decoder vocalist Spencer Pearson delivering soaring, melodic choruses.

Henrietta, a Savannah favorite, head up from Orlando to share their experimental indie. Pick up a copy of their latest release, Paper Wings, released in April on Animal Style Records.

Atlanta progressive rock/metal outfit Icaria are due to release a debut album, Transcendent, this month on Cardigan Records.

Savannah boys Between Symmetries are always a treat to see live; local gigs are a bit of a rare occurrence for the band these days, so catch em while you can.

Savannahs HOTPLATE just released an album, Any Surface Can Be Your Death Bed. As heavy and unusual as ever, the instrumental release is one complete song, clocking in at 22:24, and was recorded at The Garage Savannah by Matt Collett and Colin Motlagh. Leave it to HOTPLATE to create a winding, immersive thing of such intensity.

Savannah emo/melodic hardcore four-piece Amor///Exitium round out the bill along with oh sweet apathy, a Savannah-based emoviolence two-piece.

Moes Southwest Grill and Jennies Treats on the Street will be on site with snacks, and The Wormhole will give 10 percent off their bar and food with an Aura Fest wristband.

Saturday, June 10, 6 p.m., all-ages, $10 advance via brownpapertickets.com, $12 day-of

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Halfway to Aura Fest 2018 @The Space Station at Starlandia Supply and Sulfur Studios - Connect Savannah.com

By NASA // June 5, 2017

ABOVE VIDEO:SpaceX launch of its eleventh Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-11) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The instantaneous launch was on Saturday, June 3 at 5:07 p.m.

BREVARD COUNTY KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA Major experiments that will look into the human body and out into the galaxy are on their way to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft following its launch from Kennedy Space Center on early Saturday evening.

The Dragon lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at 5:07 p.m. Saturdayaboard a Falcon 9 rocket.

About 6,000 pounds of research equipment, cargo and supplies are packed into the cargo craft that is now in Earth orbit and headed to the station.

NASA Television and the agencys website will provide live coverage of the rendezvous and capture beginning at 8:30 a.m. Monday, June 5. NASA astronauts Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson will use the space stations robotic arm to capture SpaceXs Dragon when it arrives at the station.

Research materials flying inside the Dragons pressurized area include an experiment studying fruit flies to better understand the effects on the heart of prolonged exposure to microgravity.

Because theyre small, age rapidly, and have a well-known genetic make-up, they are good models for heart function studies.

This experiment could significantly advance understanding of how spaceflight affects the cardiovascular system and could aid in the development of countermeasures to help astronauts.

The Systemic Therapy of NELL-1 for osteoporosis investigation tests a new drug that can rebuild bone and block further bone loss, improving crew health.

When people and animals spend extended periods of time in space, they experience bone density loss, or osteoporosis. In-flight countermeasures, such as exercise, prevent it from getting worse, but there isnt a therapy on Earth or in space that can restore bone.

The results from this ISS National Laboratory-sponsored investigation build on previous research also supported by the National Institutes for Health and could lead to new drugs for treating bone density loss in millions of people on Earth.

ABOVE VIDEO:Time lapse of the NASA TV feed of the rendezvous, grapple, and berthing of the SpaceX Dragon CRS-8 spacecraft to the Node 2 module (Harmony) by the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) or robotic arm aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on April 10, 2016.

Three payloads inside Dragons unpressurized area will demonstrate new solar panel technologies, study the physics of neutron stars, and host an array of Earth-viewing instruments.

This mission is SpaceXs eleventh cargo flight to the station under NASAs Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragons cargo will support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations during the stations Expeditions 52 and 53.

The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to depart the space station in early July, returning with more than 3,400 pounds of science, hardware and crew supplies.

For more than 16 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space.

A global endeavor, more than 200 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 1,900 research investigations from researchers in more than 95 countries.

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VIDEO: New NASA Experiments, Research To Arrive At International Space Station Monday Morning - SpaceCoastDaily.com

Leaving crewmate Peggy Whitson behind in orbit for an extended mission, a Russian cosmonaut and his French co-pilot undocked from the International Space Station early Friday, setting the stage for a fiery plunge to Earth and a landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan to close out a 196-day mission.

Soyuz MS-03 commander Oleg Novitskiy and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet shared a final round of hugs and handshakes with Whitson, Expedition 52 commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and astronaut Jack Fischer, boarded their ferry ship and closed the hatch at 3:35 a.m. EDT (GMT-4).

"You guys take care," Fischer called out a few moments earlier.

Two hours later, at 6:47 a.m., powerful springs gently pushed the Soyuz away from the station's Earth-facing Rassvet module.

After moving a safe distance away, Novitskiy planned to oversee an automated four-minute 36-second de-orbit rocket firing starting at 9:17 a.m. to slow the spacecraft by about 286 mph, just enough to drop the far side of the orbit into the atmosphere.

If all goes well, the Soyuz MS-03 crew compartment will drop to a parachute-and-rocket-assisted touchdown 89 miles southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, at 10:10 a.m. (8:10 p.m. local time), the first landing by a two-person Soyuz crew since March 18, 2010, when astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonaut Maxim Suraev came home.

As usual, Russian and European Space Agency recovery crews and flight surgeons were standing by to assist the returning station fliers as they begin re-adjusting to gravity. Novitskiy's total time in space over two missions will stand at 340 days while Pesquet will have logged 196 days aloft on his first flight.

During their six-and-a-half months in space, the Soyuz MS-03 crew completed 3,136 orbits covering 82.9 million miles. They helped welcome five visiting vehicles -- four cargo ships and a crew ferry flight -- and Pesquet participated in two spacewalks totaling 12 hours and 32 minutes.

"We are, of course, going to miss Oleg and Thomas," Whitson said Thursday, choking back tears. "They are exceptional astronauts in every sense of the word. But mostly, we're going to miss their sense of humor and camaraderie."

Space station commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, left, makes final preparations for undocking while Soyuz MS-03 commander Oleg Novitskiy and Thomas Pesquet look on from inside the hatch of their ferry craft.

NASA TV

Said Pesquet: "It was a great adventure. Just want to say for me and Oleg, we were really proud to be part of such a team and fly with Peggy. Peggy's a legend, but she's also absolutely unbelievable to work with or just hang around with, live with in space."

Whitson flew into space with Novitskiy and Pesquet last Nov. 17. She originally expected to come home with them, but in April, her mission was extended to Sept. 3.

"We're a little bit sad to leave her behind, but we're not staying!" Pesquet laughed during a change-of-command ceremony Thursday. "We know she's in good hands. ... Now is the time for us to go back home to our friends and family, and we're happy. But it's also a bittersweet feeling because we know this is such a unique place that you sometimes get to experience only once. It was fantastic, thanks to everybody."

After initial medical checks and satellite phone calls to family and friends, Novitskiy and Pesquet will be flown by helicopter to the town of Karaganda for an official Kazakh welcome ceremony. Novitskiy then will board a Russian jet for the flight back to Star City near Moscow while Pesquet boards and ESA aircraft and returns to Cologne, Germany, for debriefing.

On Thursday, Whitson turned over command of the station to Yurchikhin.

"Today, I hand over (command) to Fyodor Yurchikhin, the only guy I've flown three times with," she said. "So welcome to your command."

"It's an honor for me working with you, Peggy," said Yurchikhin, speaking in English. "We use your experience in space, your soul, your smarts. The greatest person, an amazing person. Sometimes, everybody says Peggy is 'iron woman,' 'steel woman.' She's amazing woman, an amazing person in space. Thank you very much. So welcome on board to Expedition 52."

Yurchikhin and Fischer took off aboard the Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft on April 20. In a move to save money in the near term, the Russian federal space agency opted not to include a third crew member. After negotiations with Russian space managers, NASA decided to extend Whitson's mission to Sept. 3 when she will take the available seat on the MS-04 spacecraft and return to Earth with Yurchikhin and Fischer.

Keeping Whitson in space will enable additional research between the departure of Novitskiy and Pesquet and the arrival of Soyuz MS-05 commander Sergey Ryazanskiy, Randy Bresnik and ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli on July 28. It also preserves the option for a two-person NASA spacewalk in an emergency.

Whitson is America's most experienced astronaut with 573 days in space over three missions as of Friday. When she returns to Earth Sept. 3, her cumulative time in space will stand at 666 days, moving her up to eighth in the world. Whitson is also No. 3 in the world in total spacewalk time with more than 60 hours of EVA time over 10 excursions.

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Two space station fliers wrapping up 196-day flight - CBS News

SpaceX launched supplies to the International Space Station in a previously used spacecraft Saturday and then landed the rockets first-stage booster back on Earth.

With the launch, SpaceXs Dragon capsule joins a small number of spacecraft, most notably NASAs space shuttles, to reenter space a first for the Hawthorne space company.

The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off a little after 2 p.m. Pacific time from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch had originally been set for Thursday afternoon but was scrubbed because of weather conditions.

The Dragon capsule for this mission was used in 2014 to carry supplies to the space station. For this launch, it was filled with almost 6,000 pounds of crew supplies, hardware and science research, including equipment to study neutron stars.

In preparation for the flight, SpaceX replaced some parts on the Dragon, such as the heat shield. But most of the components, including the hull and thrusters, were reused, said Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of mission assurance at SpaceX.

The majority of this Dragon has been in space before, he said during a prelaunch news conference earlier this week.

About seven minutes after launch, the Falcon 9s first-stage booster landed upright at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Successful landings for the first-stage booster have become so reliable that inspection processes for the booster will be streamlined from now on, Koenigsmann said at a post-launch news conference Saturday.

The Dragon spacecraft deployed about 10 minutes after launch and should arrive at the space station around 7 a.m. Pacific time Monday. The spacecraft is expected to return to Earth in July, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

SpaceX will then evaluate the Dragon, and if all goes well, the capsule could then be reused a couple more times, Koenigsmann said.

Reusing a Dragon capsule is one more piece of the puzzle in creating a fully reusable launch system, said Marco Caceres, senior space analyst at the Teal Group.

In March, SpaceX achieved one of its longtime goals by using a previously flown first-stage booster to launch a commercial communications satellite and then landing that booster on a floating platform at sea.

During that same mission, the company successfully recovered the rockets fairing, a clamshell-like covering that protects satellites and other payloads.

Successful reuse of the Dragon capsule is significant for SpaceXs materials technology, but in general, the spacecraft reuse is less significant than that of the booster, which required more cutting-edge technology to be able to land upright, Caceres said.

SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk has said the first-stage booster is the most expensive part of the rocket. Company President Gwynne Shotwell has said that launch costs could eventually decrease by 30% by reusing rockets.

Saturdays launch was SpaceXs seventh of the year as the company increases its launch cadence. Last year, SpaceX launched eight missions before a launchpad explosion that destroyed a rocket and commercial satellite, grounding the company for several months.

samantha.masunaga@latimes.com

Twitter: @smasunaga

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UPDATES:

June 3, 5:50 p.m.: This article has been updated for additional details and for clarity.

June 3, 4:30 p.m.: This article was updated to include comments from a post-launch press conference.

June 3, 2:50 p.m.: This article was updated with details about the SpaceX launch.

June 3, 1:50 p.m.: This article was updated to include details about SpaceXs launch attempt Saturday.

June 1, 3:15 p.m.: This article was updated with SpaceXs announcement of a launch delay.

June 1, 6:50 a.m.: This article was updated with a clarification about why there will be no fairing recovery.

This article was originally published June 1 at 6 a.m.

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SpaceX, in another advance, launches supplies to space station in a reused capsule - Los Angeles Times

The secret spy satellite that SpaceX launched May 1 is currently on a curious trajectory, according to the calculations of an amateur spy satellite tracker. It appears it might pass near the International Space Station right around the time a SpaceX Dragon capsule will be preparing to dock with the ISS this weekend.

Amateur spy satellite tracker Marco Langbroek shared the above predictive model showing the satellite, which launched as NROL-76 and is now known as USA 276, could pass within as little as 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of the ISS. In fact, based on its current path, the satellite could make several close approaches to the space station on Saturday and Sunday, according to a chart that Langbroek shared in a blog post Tuesday.

Langbroek is a member of an experienced community of amateur satellite spotters who have been tracking the spy satellite since it was first identified in orbit last week. Last year, he managed to capture a video of the space station's lost thermal shield zipping through space after it got away from astronauts during a spacewalk.

USA 276 could alter its path at any moment and wind up never coming anywhere near the ISS. In fact, Langbroek makes it clear to readers of his post that he's the first to admit it's all "very speculative." He also notes that "the calculated distances in the table have quite some uncertainty, perhaps by a factor of 2 or more."

But if the National Reconnaissance Office, which contracted with SpaceX to launch USA 276, is looking to buzz the space station, what gives? Some speculate it could be about testing new technologies for inspecting other satellites or monitoring docking events in space, like the Dragon resupply mission set for Sunday.

That would be a little weird, though, to test a spy technology on a space station that is a symbol of international cooperation and transparency between not only NASA, but the space agencies from Russia, Japan, Europe and others.

"I still don't know what to think of this all," writes Langbroek. "Are these figments of my imagination or is there really something going on here? I am at a loss."

The National Reconnaissance Office didn't respond to a request for comment.

Are we entering a new and bizarre era of spying in space? Maybe we'll find out this weekend, or maybe we'll never know.

Technically Literate: Original works of short fiction with unique perspectives on tech, exclusively on CNET.

Crowd Control: A crowdsourced science fiction novel written by CNET readers.

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