The European Space Agency (ESA) is celebrating another milestone for the European Robotic Arm (ERA), which "effortlessly" completed a test on the International Space Station last week.

The 11-metre arm completed its first transfer following commands from cosmonauts inside the space station as teams from Russia and the Netherlands watched on from Earth.

Cosmonauts roused the robotic arm from hibernation, stretched it out and moved a payload about the size of a small suitcase from one side of the Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module to the other and back again.

After this, the ERAwent back into hibernation.

It might sound minor, but the whole operationtook aboutsix hours.

The ESA called it "one small step for robot" but spoke of its significance.

"The test proved what the European Robotic Arm was built for: to move and latch payloads and equipment outside the Russian segment of the Space Station with an accuracy of 5 mm, saving time and work for the crew," the agency said in a statement.

It said the arm completed the task "effortlessly".

The test was carried out on August 26 ahead of a spacewalk scheduled for later on Friday.

Roscosmos astronauts Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev will step out of the station to keep working on the robotic arm after last month's spacewalk was cut short when one of their spacesuits had battery power problems.

"Oleg and Denis will relocate the arms external control panel, remove some restraints near the two end effectors or 'hands' of the arm, and test a rigidising mechanism that will facilitate the grasping of payloads," the ESA said.

The arm will be testedagain later this month in a performance mission that the ESA said would "push the arm'scapabilities to the limit".

Space engineers will evaluate the arm's brakes, motions and force control.

The ESA will also be scrutinising the quality of images captured by the cameras on thearm's "elbow", to work out if they're good enough to guide operations during the orbital night.

Launched in 2021, the ERA is the International Space Station's newest robotic arm.

TheCanadian and Japanese robotic arms were already functional, but were unable to reach the Russian segment of the station.

Forming a V shape, the ERA has one elbow joint and two limbs, with both ends of those limbs acting like a hand and a foot as it is able to effectively "walk"around the Russian segment.

Itshome base is theMultipurpose Laboratory Module but it was designed to anchor to the station at multiple points.

It can handle payloads of up to 8 tonnes, can withstand temperatures from between -150 and 120 degrees Celsius and has the capacity to transport spacewalkers around the outside of the stationlike acherrypicker crane.

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Robotic space arm successfully completes test by moving a suitcase-sized object around the International Space Station - ABC News

Proposed U.S. space station

Space Station Freedom was a NASA project to construct a permanently crewed Earth-orbiting space station in the 1980s. Although approved by then-president Ronald Reagan and announced in the 1984 State of the Union address, Freedom was never constructed or completed as originally designed, and after several cutbacks, the project evolved into the International Space Station program.

Space Station Freedom was a multinational collaborative project involving four participating space agencies: NASA (United States), NASDA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada).

As the Apollo program began to wind down in the late 1960s, there were numerous proposals for what should follow it. Of the many proposals, large and small, three major themes emerged. Foremost among them was a crewed mission to Mars, using systems not unlike the ones used for Apollo. A permanent space station was also a major goal, both to help construct the large spacecraft needed for a Mars mission as well as to learn about long-term operations in space. Finally, a space logistics vehicle was intended to cheaply launch crews and cargo to that station.

In the early 1970s, Spiro Agnew took these general plans to President Nixon, who was battling with a major federal budget deficit. When he presented the three concepts, Nixon told him to select one. After much debate, NASA selected the space logistics vehicle, which by this time was already known as the Space Shuttle. They argued that the Shuttle would so lower costs of launching cargo that it would make the construction of the station less expensive.

From this point forward these plans were never seriously changed, in spite of dramatic changes to the funding environment and the complete redesign of the Shuttle concept. In the early 1980s, with the Space Shuttle completed, NASA proposed the creation of a large, permanently crewed space station, which then-NASA Administrator James M. Beggs called "the next logical step" in space. In some ways it was meant to be the U.S. answer to the Soviet Mir.

NASA plans called for the station, which was later dubbed Space Station Freedom, to function as an orbiting repair shop for satellites, an assembly point for spacecraft, an observation post for astronomers, a microgravity laboratory for scientists, and a microgravity factory for companies.

Reagan announced plans to build Space Station Freedom in 1984, stating: "We can follow our dreams to distant stars, living and working in space for peaceful economic and scientific gain."

Following the presidential announcement, NASA began a set of studies to determine the potential uses for the space station, both in research and in industry, in the U.S. or overseas. This led to the creation of a database of thousands of possible missions and payloads; studies were also carried out with a view to supporting potential planetary missions, as well as those in low Earth orbit.

Several Space Shuttle missions in the 1980s and early 1990s included spacewalks to demonstrate and test space station construction techniques. After the establishment of the initial baseline design, the project evolved extensively, growing in scope and cost.

In April 1984, the newly established Space Station Program Office at Johnson Space Center produced a first reference configuration; this design would serve as a baseline for further planning. The chosen design was the "Power Tower", a long central keel with most mass located at either end. This arrangement would provide enough gravity gradient stability to keep the station aligned with the keel pointed towards the Earth, reducing the need for thruster firings. Most designs featured a cluster of modules at the lower end and a set of articulated solar arrays at the upper end. It also contained a servicing bay. In April 1985, the program selected a set of contractors to carry out definition studies and preliminary design; various trade-offs were made in this process, balancing higher development costs against reduced long-term operating costs.

At the same time, late 1986, NASA carried out a study into new configuration options to reduce development costs; options studied ranged from the use of a Skylab-type station to a phased development of the Dual-Keel configuration. This approach involved splitting assembly into two phases; Phase 1 would provide the central modules, and the transverse boom, but with no keels. The solar arrays would be augmented to ensure 75kW of power would be provided, and the polar platform and servicing facility were again deferred. The study concluded that the project was viable, reducing development costs while minimizing negative impacts, and it was designated the Revised Baseline Configuration. This would have a development cost of US$15.3 billion (in FY1989 dollars) and FEL in the first quarter of 1994. This replanning was endorsed by the National Research Council in September 1987, which also recommended that the long-term national goals should be studied before committing to any particular Phase 2 design.

During 1986 and 1987, various other studies were carried out on the future of the U.S. space program; the results of these often impacted the Space Station, and their recommendations were folded into the revised baseline as necessary. One of the results of these was to baseline the Station program as requiring five shuttle flights a year for operations and logistics, rotating four crew at a time with the aim of extending individual stay times to 180 days.

NASA signed final ten-year contracts for developing the Space Station in September 1988, and the project was finally moving into the hardware fabrication phase.

The Space Station Freedom design was slightly modified in late 1989 after the program's Fiscal 1990 budget again was reduced from $2.05 billion to $1.75 billion when the design was found to be 23% overweight and over budget, too complicated to assemble, and providing little power for its users. The 1990 Space Exploration Initiative called for the construction of the Space Station Freedom. Congress consequently demanded yet another redesign in October 1990, and requested further cost reductions after the fiscal 1991 budget was cut from $2.5 billion to $1.9 billion. NASA unveiled its new space station design in March 1991.

Repeated budget cuts had forced a postponement of the first launch by a year, to March 1995. The Station would be permanently crewed from June 1997 onwards, and completed in February 1998. Cost escalation of the project and financial difficulties in Russia led to a briefing between NASA and NPO Energia on Mir-2. In November 1993, Freedom, Mir-2, and the European and Japanese modules were incorporated into a single International Space Station.

Underestimates by NASA of the station program's cost and unwillingness by the U.S. Congress to appropriate funding for the space station resulted in delays of Freedom's design and construction; it was regularly redesigned and re-scoped. Between 1984 and 1993 it went through seven major re-designs, losing capacity and capabilities each time. Rather than being completed in a decade, as Reagan had predicted, Freedom was never built, and no Shuttle launches were made as part of the program.

By 1993, Freedom was politically unviable; the administration had changed, and Congress was tiring of paying yet more money into the station program. In addition, there were open questions over the need for the station. Redesigns had cut most of the science capacity by this point, and the Space Race had ended in 1975 with the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. NASA presented several options to President Clinton, but even the most limited of these was still seen as too expensive. In June 1993, an amendment to remove space station funding from NASA's appropriations bill failed by one vote in the House of Representatives.[1] That October, a meeting between NASA and the Russian Space Agency agreed to the merger of the projects into what would become the International Space Station. The merger of the project faced opposition by representatives such as Tim Roemer who feared Russia would break the Missile Technology Control Regime agreement and felt the program was far too costly.[2] Proposed bills did not pass Congress.

In 1993, the Clinton administration announced the transformation of Space Station Freedom into the International Space Station (ISS). NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin supervised the addition of Russia to the project. To accommodate reduced budgets, the station design was scaled back from 508 to 353 square feet (47 to 33 m), the crew capacity of the NASA-provided part was reduced from 7 to 3 (while the complete station is crewed by 6 but may be increased to 7[3]), and the station's functions were reduced.[4] Its first component was launched into orbit in 1998,[5] with the first long-term residents arriving in November 2000.[6]

Link:

Space Station Freedom - Wikipedia

The International Space Station in 2006, shortly after the departure of Space Shuttle Atlantis.Image: NASA (Getty Images)

Russias newly launched International Space Station module Nauka is still in the fight as of Friday afternoon, as early reports indicate that the modules backup engines have fired successfully. Thats a big relief for Roscosmos, which nearly saw its long-awaited module become a tragic piece of space trivia instead of the newest piece of the International Space Station. But its not out of the woods yet.

The first glitch in Naukas journey happened yesterday, when the spacecraft didnt complete its first orbit-raising burn. This meant that the uncrewed Nauka wasnt on track to actually intercept the ISS, which its scheduled to dock with on Thursday, July 29. The problem was attributed to a software issue in a computer aboard Nauka, which prevented the spacecrafts main engines from firing. Naukas team was able to manage a remote course correction, but a second bout of course corrections were deemed necessary, and scheduled for today. One early report from journalist Anatoly Zak indicated that one of the spacecrafts engines sputtered back to life in a mission. The backup engine seems to have fired fine, said Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, in an email today, though he added that the status of the engines was not yet certain and it would likely be a few hours before a new dataset from Nauka verified the situation.

The thrusters are just one piece of the engineering puzzle, so the new module is hardly home free. Naukas also been having issues with one antenna and its docking target, and its uncertain how those issues will affect docking attempts, SpaceNews reported. Apparently there is still an issue with the Kurs rendezvous system, and that is pretty critical for docking, McDowell said, adding that the spacecrafts TORU systemwhich allows the astronauts aboard the ISS assist with the dockingis working normally.

For now, the Pirs docking compartment is currently sitting in Naukas assigned dock on the ISS. Pirs scheduled undocking to make way for the new module was postponed from Friday to Sunday, according to RussianSpaceWeb.

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It is not unusual for complex spacecraft to have teething troubles. However, the number and severity of problems on this flight is above the norm, and perhaps this is not too surprising given the long delays in the development of the vehicle. Nevertheless, I am moderately optimistic that they will eventually complete a successful docking, although not necessarily on the first attempt, McDowell said.

Keep your eyes on this spacecraft. Theres certainly a twist or two left in this tale.

More: Russia Averts Possible Disaster as New Space Station Module Finally Reaches Proper Orbit

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Russian Module Headed for the ISS Is Still Having Problems - Gizmodo

A Russian Progress cargo ship undocked from the International Space Station early Monday, taking with it the two-decades-old Pirs airlock and docking compartment to clear the way for Thursday's arrival of Russia's new Nauka multipurpose lab module.

With the Progress MS-16/77P supply ship firmly locked to Pirs, hooks and latches holding the docking compartment to the Zvezda service module's Earth-facing port were commanded open, and the Progress backed away at 6:55 a.m. EDT.

After moving a safe distance away, the Progress fired its thrusters at 10:01 a.m., setting up a destructive plunge into the atmosphere 41 minutes later. The braking burn was planned to make sure any debris that might survive reentry heating would fall harmlessly into the southern Pacific Ocean.

Undocking originally was planned for last Friday, two days after Nauka's launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, but problems with the lab's navigation and propulsion systems prompted Russian flight controllers to delay Pirs' departure.

Finally, after several anxious days of troubleshooting, Nauka's propulsion system was restored to normal operation, and two successful tests of its KURS navigation and rendezvous system were carried out. While few details were provided, Russian mission managers then cleared Pirs and Progress for departure.

Pirs was launched on September 14, 2001, three days after the 9/11 attacks. It served as a docking port for visiting Soyuz crew ships and Progress freighters for nearly 20 years and as an airlock for Russian spacewalks.

The much larger 44,000-pound Nauka module features an airlock and docking port, expanded crew quarters, research space, an additional toilet, oxygen generator, solar arrays and a European Space Agency-built robot arm. Nauka's thrusters also will help provide roll control to keep the station properly oriented.

With the departure of Pirs, NASA flight controllers planned to reposition the station's Canadian-built robot arm on the Russian Zarya module so it could carry out a seven-hour inspection of the Zvezda module's now-vacant Earth-facing port. Russian engineers want to make sure no debris or other issues are present that might prevent the docking mechanism from working properly when Nauka arrives.

Assuming no problems are found, the lab module will complete its rendezvous with the space station Thursday, moving in for docking at Zvezda's Earth-facing port at 9:24 a.m. It will take up to 11 Russian spacewalks over about seven months to electrically connect and outfit the new lab module.

Nauka's docking will come the day before a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket launches a Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew capsule to the station for an unpiloted test flight. The Atlas 5 rollout to pad 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is expected Wednesday, setting up a launch at 2:53 p.m. Friday.

The Starliner, like SpaceX's already operational Crew Dragon spacecraft, is designed to carry U.S. and partner-agency astronauts to and from the space station on a commercial basis, helping end NASA's post-shuttle reliance on Russian Soyuz spacecraft for crew transportation.

An initial Starliner test flight in December 2019 had major software problems, prompting Boeing to launch a second unpiloted test flight before the ship's first planned launch with a crew on board late this year or early next year.

For the test flight, the Starliner will dock at the front end of the station's forward Harmony module, returning to a White Sands, New Mexico, landing on August 5.

Read more:

Russia ditches 20-year-old space station module to clear way for lab's arrival - CBS News

NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station are growing red and green Hatch chile peppers that will be ready to eat in just a few months.

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The 48 chile pepper seeds were planted here on Earth at the Kennedy Space Center then delivered to the ISS in June. The seeds were slotted into the Advanced Plant Habitat, one of three plant growth chambers on the ISS. This is one of the longest and hardest growth experiments the astronauts and scientists on the ground have attempted.

Luckily, NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, who initiated NASAs Plant Habitat-04 (PH-04) experiment onboard, has already tended to space crops. He helped grow (and eat) "Outredgeous" red romaine lettuce in late 2016.

The peppers will be harvested in about four months. Some will be sampled by the astronauts onboard, while others will be sent back to the Kennedy Space Center for analysis.

It is one of the most complex plant experiments on the station to date because of the long germination and growing times, said Matt Romeyn, principal investigator for PH-04. We have previously tested flowering to increase the chance for a successful harvest because astronauts will have to pollinate the peppers to grow fruit.

Jason Fischer (left), a research scientist, and Lashelle Spencer, a plant scientist, with the Laboratory Support Services and Operations contract at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, harvest peppers from pepper plants on Jan. 15, 2020, that were grown in the Space Station Processing Facility for a growth assessment in preparation for sending them to space. As NASA prepares to send humans beyond low-Earth orbit, the ability for astronauts to grow a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in space will be critical. Fresh produce will be an essential supplement to the crew's pre-packaged diet during long-duration space exploration when they are away from Earth for extended periods of time.

Growing peppers on the ISS has a few benefits for NASA's astronauts. Living in microgravity can cause astronauts to lose some of their sense of taste and smell, which means spicy foods are a welcome meal for some. Peppers are also high in Vitamin C and other nutrients. Plus, the bright peppers even help the astronauts' mental health while onboard the ISS.

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Growing colorful vegetables in space can have long-term benefits for physical and psychological health, Romeyn said. We are discovering that growing plants and vegetables with colors and smells helps to improve astronauts well-being.

It's comforting to know when humans eventually colonize Mars, we might not have to give up our beloved chiles. Man can only live on astronaut ice cream for so long.

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NASA astronauts are growing chili peppers on the International Space Station - Chron

The International Space Station (ISS) is preparing to take delivery of the European Robotic Arm (ERA) later this week.

The 11-meter-long robot launched on a Russian Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 21, and is scheduled to dock with the ISS on Thursday.

Due to its large size, the ERA was folded into a more compact shape prior to loading, and then attached to what will be its home base at the ISS the new Multipurpose Laboratory Module, also called Nauka.

The space station is already home to two robotic arms from Canada and Japan. While extremely useful for docking procedures and assisting astronauts on spacewalks, neither of these arms can reach the Russian segment of the orbiting outpost. But the ERA will be able to do just that.

According to the European Space Agency (ESA), the new robotic arm will also be the first with the ability to walk around the outside of the ISS by moving hand-over-hand between fixed base-points.

Moving hand-over-hand around the Russian parts of the station, the ERA will bring more freedom, more flexibility, and more skills to space operations, said David Parker, ESA director of human and robotic exploration.

Itll also be the first robotic arm at the ISS thats able to be controlled by crew members both inside and outside the station.

The robots main tasks will be to handle experiment payloads and other components, transport spacewalkers between locations outside the station like a cherry-picker crane, and carry out inspection work of the stations exterior using its four built-in cameras. During its activities, the ERA will be able to handle components weighing up to 8,000kg with an impressive 5mm precision.

First, though, the ERA needs to be set up. Current ISS astronaut Thomas Pesquet will help prepare the robot for installation, with incoming astronauts Matthias Maurer and Samantha Cristoforetti conducting the first of five spacewalks to fully deploy the device.

The ERA is the work of a consortium of 22 European companies from seven countries. It was actually designed more than three decades ago and was supposed to head to the ISS long before now, but technical issues kept it grounded for longer than expected.

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An arm made for walking is about to arrive at the space station - Digital Trends

The International Space Station is getting mobile robot space avatars controllable by the public from Earth, courtesy of a joint project between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and ANA Holdings telepresence start-up avatarin.

The project will create a virtual remote space tourism experience aimed at those who can't afford to hitch a ride with Jeff Bezos or Richard Branson.

JAXAs press release reads:

This isnt the first collaboration between JAXA and avatarin. The duo collaborated last year resulting in a technology demonstration of virtual experience enabling robots onboard the KIBO module of the ISS.

The new project builds on that technology demonstration increasing the role of robots onboard the ISS with a new type of avatar that will act as a co-worker for astronauts on the station and on other settings like the moon. Avatars working in this capacity will have high-precision hands. Other avatars will be all about an entertainment experience .

In addition to the two new types of avatars, the project will use an existing type of avatar robot called newme as education and public relations tools, giving virtual tours and nurturing interest in space exploration from Earth.

avatarin will provide the avatars and telepresence tech; JAXA will bring its space experience, knowledge and facilities; and a third party, the University of Tokyo School of Engineering, will pitch in by developing a self-position estimation system.

None of the parties are saying when the avatars will become available for a spot of tele-tourism, but their aspirations already exceed ISS experiences and aim at "possible robotics technologies that can be effectively deployed in future space exploration missions."

And seeing as JAXA has twice landed on asteroids, we may be in for quite a ride.

Excerpt from:

Japan plans remote-controlled robotic space tourism to the ISS and beyond - The Register

Live from the International Space Station

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Live from the International Space Station Toggle header content - YourErie

If youve ever heard someone refer to the idea of working in space, youd be forgiven for thinking they were describing a science-fiction plot. But the number of humans actively working beyond Earths atmosphere and living significant chunks of their lives there, too is about to start growing at a potentially exponential rate. Given how small that population is now, the growth might look slow at first but its happening soon, and plans are in place to help it start ramping up quickly.

The main company leading those plans in the near-term is Axiom Space, a private space station service provider, and eventual operator. Axiom is founded and led by people with International Space Station experience and expertise, and the company already operates R&D missions on behalf of private clients on the ISS with the help of NASA astronauts. Its planning to begin shuttling entire flights of private astronauts to the station starting in 2021, and its also building a new, commercial space station to ultimately replace the ISS on orbit once that one is decommissioned.

Axiom Spaces Chief Business Office Amir Blachman joined us at TC Sessions: Space last week on a panel that included NASA Chief of Exploration and Mission Planning Nujoud Merancy, Sierra Nevada Corporation senior vice president and former astronaut Janet Kavandi, as well as Space Exploration Architecture (SEArch+) co-founder Melodie Yashar. The panel was focused on how public and private entities are preparing for a (relatively near) future in which humans spend more time off Earth and further away from it, too.

Its now, its been now for a couple years already, Blachman said, in response to a question about how far off humans beyond NASA astronauts living in space actually is. Axiom, sends crews to the International Space Station today on our own missions, while were building the new commercial space station that will succeed ISS when its decommissioned. Our first mission with a crew of four astronauts launches 12 months from now, and the four crew members have already gone through medical, theyve done their suit fittings, weve already integrated our medical operations and training team with our launch provider. Well launch that crew in 2021, another crew in 2022, two crews and 2023, four in 2024 and it grows from there.

Both Blachman and Merancy talked about the importance of automation and robotic systems on both Axioms future commercial space stations and on NASAs future habitats on the lunar surface, and on the lunar Gateway that will remain in orbit around the moon and act as a staging ground for lunar missions.

ISS was meant to be tended all the time, Merancy said. Its not meant to be an uncrewed station. And while the flight controllers on the ground do a lot of the actual operation of it, its meant to have people there to perform maintenance. We dont have that luxury, when you start talking about the lunar architecture, the Gateway will be tended only when the crew arrives, and the stuff on the surface will be tended only for, you know, a week at first and then longer over time. But you still want to have all of those things be capable of doing useful science or useful exploration even without the crew. So the ability to do tele robotics, maintain things via ground command and things like that so that when the crew arrives, they can just throw the hatch open and get to work would be the ideal state.

Weve been working under the assumption that these habitats and critical infrastructure on Mars, and now more recently on the moon should be constructed, and should be thought of as being constructed, as autonomously as possible, Yashar added. So we typically design for precursor missions, which would happen even before a crew arrives, hoping that almost all of the systems through construction, materials, excavation, materials handling and all of the other systems that weve been looking at would more or less happen as autonomously as possible.

Kavandi, too, echoed the sentiments of the others with regards to the degree to which modern human space systems will incorporate automation. I asked whether that would introduce complexity, but she said that rather, it should accomplish the opposite. Somewhat ironically, the path forward for human activity in space actually involves a lot less human activity at least when it comes to the business of operating and maintaining in-space infrastructure.

Advanced technology things can sometimes add simplicity, Kavandi said. As weve increased our capabilities over the years, with computers, for instance, theyve become easier to use, not harder to use. The objective is to try to minimize crew time and crew maintenance so that you can concentrate your time, your time for doing research, or whatever it is that youre supposed to do up there, whatever your mission happens to be. So the more we can simplify the interfaces, the more that we can have automation, where the crew only has to intervene when something is going wrong, but generally things go smoothly, and they dont have to do anything, that is an ideal situation. And in that case, you have a lot more free time available to then actually do the work that youre up there for.

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Dedicated commercial human in-space operations are coming sooner than you may realize - TechCrunch

1. NC native heading to International Space Station in fall of 2021  WCTI12.com
2. NASA Astronauts Hard at Work on Multiple Life Science Investigations Aboard the International Space Station  Space Ref
3. China's Space Program Suggests Decoupling Won't Work Like the US Hopes  The Diplomat
4. World's space achievements a shining star in 2020 | Science  Albany Democrat Herald
5. Eventful year in space distracted us from grim year on Earth  Los Angeles Times
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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NC native heading to International Space Station in fall of 2021 - WCTI12.com

Santa Claus will be performing a ceremonial fly-by of the International Space Station (ISS) on Dec. 24. The visit will honor the 20th anniversary of continuous life on the ISS, a milestone achieved in November.

The official NORAD Santa Tracker at NoradSanta.org will allow users to track Santas journey all day on Dec. 24. New for this year, visitors will be able to see the ISS orbiting the planet in its precise real-time location by zooming out on the 3D Santa Tracker app. Other updates include additions to Santas traditional garb, including a face mask and space helmet.

Santas sleigh flying past the International Space Station on a precise digital twin of the Earth built by Cesium. (Photo: Cesium)

The ISS is a spectacular example of what humans can accomplish when we work together, said Hannah Pinkos, lead developer of the app. 2020 has been a tough year, but I think this special trip is Santas way of reminding us to believe in ourselves.

NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, is a United States and Canada bi-national organization that defends North America by tracking objects flying in and around its airspace 24 hours a day using radar, satellites and fighter jets. Each year, it joins corporate partners in taking on a special mission to also track Santas sleigh. The app shows Santas position reflected on a digital twin of the Earth provided by Cesium, a Philadelphia-based geospatial software company.

Cesium is rooted in aerospace, so its especially meaningful to us that our technology will allow millions of people to enjoy this event in real-time from the safety of their homes, added Cesium CEO Patrick Cozzi.

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Santa Claus to fly by the International Space Station - GPS World magazine

UK Science Minister Amanda Solloway remembers Peakes Dec. 15, 2015 mission to the ISS as a turning point for British space exploration.

Five years ago today, Maj. Tim Peake stepped off a gangway into a Soyuz rocket, fastened his seat belt and took to the skies from a remote desert in Kazakhstan. As he did so, he took along a photograph of his family and friends, his iPod nano, and the anticipation of a whole country.

As Tim made the eight-minute, 45-second journeyaway from the Earths gravity, the former RAF officer and Apache helicopter pilot wrote his name into our history books, and pub quizzes up and down the land, becoming the first Briton to live on humanitys most unique science laboratory, the International Space Station.

I am delighted that we are ending this difficult year on a rare high note. These past few weeks have seen rapturous applause for the outstanding achievements of scientists from our shores and beyond in helping us find a safe vaccine for COVID-19. And it is a time in which we should also recognize the shot in the arm for science that Tim Peake gave this country.

Tim became our own star in space and used his time to inspire many school children in the UK to believe space is within their grasp and to discover the wealth of opportunities that exist in science, technology, engineering.

During his missions 186 days and 11 hours, Tim undertook no fewer than 250 pioneering science experiments, before going on to don the infamous white pressure suit and join the history books once again as he joined the few who can say they have walked in space.

But Tims job on the space station went far beyond the experiments.

While onboard Tim took time to host question and answer sessions with school students giving kids a chance to put their questions to an astronaut floating round the Earth, thousands of miles away, and have answers beamed back down to Earth.

He was able to harness the growing power of social media to capture the publics imagination, sharing images that reflected the true beauty of the world; allowing us all to vicariously enjoy a thin slice of the heavens on a daily basis.

In the weeks prior to launch, a competition to design the mission badge, led by the BBCs Blue Peter, generated over 3,000 entries and was won by 13-year-old Troy Wood, who, with talent beyond his years, visualized a design featuring Isaac Newtons apple and the Soyuz rocket.

Five years on, we know Tim did not leave his legacy in orbit. Since his return he has been a beacon for science and a champion for space, sharing his wonderful experiences as an astronaut to inspire people in myriad ways. He embarked on a nationwide tour with the Soyuz rocket in tow, visited schools across the country and used his platform to encourage us all to ponder a career in space, to take up that science qualification, or register for an amateur astronomy course.

In the first two decades that followed the halcyon days of the space race in the 1960s, one of the great ambitions of many children was not to be a football player, singer or a celebrity, but to be an astronaut or a rocket scientist.

We know that the legacy of Tims historic journey similarly captivated people in the UK and we have now launched a campaign to ask people to share their memories of Tims mission and their personal reflections.

Inspiring British spacemen and women cannot be a guise for underinvestment. We are serious about turbocharging our research community, which is why we are not just talking a good game, we are investing record amounts in research and development. In the recent Spending Review we committed to invest 14.6 billion ($19.5 billion) in research and development including to support groundbreaking technologies and businesses, for innovation loans to help cutting-edge UK businesses access capital, and to build new science capability and support the whole research and innovation ecosystem.

This is married to big ambitions to make us the first country in Europe to launch satellites in the next couple of years, earning us our stripes as a space nation and giving the UK its very own Sputnik moment.

When Tim reached the International Space Station five years ago, he boldly went where no Briton had gone before. Because of him, I know he will be the first of many.

Amanda Solloway is the United Kingdoms science minister.

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Commentary | Tim Peake's 2015 space station mission gave UK science a long-lasting shot in the arm - SpaceNews

Over the past 20 years, the International Space Station (ISS) has housed more than 200 astronauts from 17 countries. The ISS has proven to be uniquely capable of enabling the development and testing of exploration technology and human physiology research for future Mars missions.

In the next 10 years the ISS can play a critical role in overcoming hurdles on the road to human exploration of Mars, not only as a laboratory for key research topics, but as the starting point for simulated Mars missions that take humans from a zero-G environment to Mars analog sites on Earth. Areas of research include environmental and life support systems, habitation module development, human factors, space nutrition, space suit testing, long duration human physiology, surface adaptation and rehabilitation, and much more. The ISS is a unique facility for solving scientific mysteries, and if we leverage everything it has to offer, it will accelerate our efforts to explore the solar system.

Integrated Mars mission analogs

One unanswered question is how long it will take for astronauts to recover from their zero-gravity transit to Mars when they reach the martian surface. Currently, astronauts returning from the ISS are scooped up by support staff moments after they reach the Earth; however, astronauts will not have the same luxury on Mars. They will need to self-recover on a dangerous alien planet after six to nine months in a zero-g environment and begin work as soon as possible. Given this reality, it is necessary to understand how long astronaut recovery, both physical and mental, will take in order to design the architecture of future Mars missions to meet their needs. We can start to answer these questions with astronauts returning from the ISS now.

Mars missions will also require updates to the operations concepts, tools and processes astronauts need to enable their ground activities as quickly and safely as possible. Expeditions that simulate astronaut operations with time-delayed support teams will demonstrate where knowledge is lacking. These activities should be incorporated into upcoming ISS expeditions to maximize the benefits of the ISS while it is in orbit. Addressing these unknowns will allow us to buy down significant risk for the crews on their way to Mars.

To take full advantage of any of these tests, we need to start now. If humans are going to go to the martian system in the 2030s, it requires an understanding of what the crew will experience. Integrated analog missions, in harsh environments such as the dry valleys of Antarctica or the Arctic, which combine the above research areas, could potentially revolutionize our understanding of Mars mission operations.

Long duration spaceflight studies laboratory

The ISS is also useful for testing how humans will perform during deep space missions. Early Mars missions may be as long as 1,100 days from launch to Earth return for both orbital and surface missions. Whether by design or as a contingency plan, the crew could end up spending the entire duration in a zero-G environment. It is currently unknown how missions of this duration will affect astronaut health and performance. In fact, there are zero data points for long term human spaceflight beyond 438 days (Valeri Polyakovs Mir mission in 1994), not even half the duration of the shortest Mars missions.

Missions such as The Year in Space, with Scott Kelly and Mikhail Korniyenkos time aboard the ISS, have been key to understanding how long-duration space flight affects the human body and psyche. That being said, we need more data points to generate a statistically meaningful dataset from a diverse population if we are going to generalize the findings.

The two-and-a-half hour exercise regimen currently employed on the ISS largely remediates the effects of bone loss and muscle deterioration on 6-month to 1-year missions. But, even if these problems prove manageable, there are still other challenges that we need to examine. For example, astronauts on the ISS can also experience vision blurring, renal stone formation, bone fractures and limited access to medical care, to name a few. How astronauts will overcome these and other unknown challenges that may arise as they extend their stay in space is currently unknown. But we can pursue more long duration missions on the ISS to find out.

A testbed for Mars mission equipment

ISS can also serve as a valuable testbed for Mars mission equipment such as for experiments and technology demonstrations that require microgravity, radiation or thermal space environments. Environmental control systems, 3D printing techniques, intelligent systems and many other technologies required for Mars exploration could be tested on the ISS today, in an in-space environment only hours away from the Earths surface. It is necessary to understand how new deep space systems withstand the rigors of exposure to a zero-G environment. In fact, many of these systems, such as urine processors, can be thoroughly tested only when there are humans regularly stressing the system.

Public outreach

The public wants NASA to do great things; they want to see humans explore the solar system. As NASA develops more comprehensive plans to send humans to Mars in the 2030s, the public would almost certainly be excited to see NASA testing equipment for the Mars Transfer Vehicle in orbit or to follow the progress of astronauts on simulated Mars missions from the ISS to a Mars analog site during the 2020s. Taxpayers will witness astronauts doing real training in preparation for Mars, and the public will even be able to experience the challenges of such missions firsthand, both through social media and augmented or virtual reality experiences currently in use in the space program.

The ISS is unique: it is nearby, it is active, but it will not last forever. If we are serious about ever going beyond the Earth system, we need to take advantage of our resources at hand. With the right expertise applied and supporting management structure, the ISS can expand the horizons of human space exploration. There are no other platforms in existence that provide the unique capabilities that the ISS offers. Abandoning the opportunity to use the ISS to the fullest extent of its capabilities will only slow us down and even stand in the way of the journey to Mars.

Chris Carberry is CEO of Explore Mars, Inc., and author of Alcohol in Space. Rick Zucker is vice president for policy, and member of the board of directors, of Explore Mars, Inc.

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Utilizing the International Space Station to enable humans to reach Mars - The Hill

China may have been a latecomer to the moon, but when its capsule full of lunar rocks and soil returned to Earth early Thursday, it set the stage for a new space race over the coming decades. This time, it will be a competition over resources on the moon that could propel deeper space exploration.

The countrys Change-5 spacecraft gathered as much as 4.4 pounds of lunar samples from a volcanic plain known as Mons Rmker in a three-week operation that underlined Chinas growing prowess and ambition in space. It was Chinas most successful mission to date.

The United States and the Soviet Union competed for supremacy in an epic space race in the 1960s and 70s, during which they brought back lunar samples, but that was a different era. Now China is in the fray, and todays competition once seemingly the realm of science fiction could be equally intense and more mercantile.

The Chinese are eager to flaunt their technical skills and explore the solar system. Like the United States, the country has a broader goal to establish a lunar base that could exploit its potential resources and serve as a launching pad for more ambitious missions.

Beijing has not staked out some sort of declarative statement where they want to replace the United States as leader in space, said Brendan Curry, chief of Washington, D.C., operations at the Planetary Society. But they certainly want to be a major actor in space.

In a statement, the China National Space Administration said a capsule with the moon rocks landed in Inner Mongolia at about 2 a.m. local time (it was around 1 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday). The capsule had separated from the main spacecraft when it was about 3,000 miles above the southern Atlantic Ocean. At an altitude of about six miles, it deployed its parachutes to slow its descent.

Video broadcast on state television showed recovery teams arriving at the capsule less than an hour after the landing. It may take hours for the capsule to be transferred to facilities where it can be confirmed that the lunar samples are intact.

Space now is fast becoming one more arena where the two countries might clash. Although Chinas military and civilian space programs are still catching up with those in the United States, the countrys ambitions were part of the Trump administrations motivation to set up a Space Force.

Vice President Mike Pence last year announced plans to accelerate Americas return to the moon by 2024 during a speech in which he warned that China wanted to seize the lunar strategic high ground and become the worlds pre-eminent spacefaring nation.

Entrepreneurial space companies could further upend any competition between NASA and China. By the time that NASA or Chinese astronauts reach the moon, Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of SpaceX, says he will be sending people to Mars. Even if Mr. Musks pronouncements turn out to be too optimistic, the future of space exploration may no longer be dominated by national space agencies.

Some hope that a competition between China and the United States could change to cooperation. But NASA is currently limited from directly working with the Chinese space agency or Chinese-owned companies. That provision was inserted in 2011 into the law financing NASA by Frank Wolf, then a Republican congressman from Virginia, to punish China for its human rights record and to protect American aerospace technology.

In the near term, planetary scientists in the United States could be left out of the science bonanza from the rocks gathered by Change-5, which came from a region of the moon much younger than those visited previously.

Although the law does not prevent non-NASA scientists from working with Chinese counterparts, it does prevent Chinese scientists from looking at the moon rocks that NASA astronauts brought back during the Apollo missions, and China may well return that snub.

Obviously the United States prohibits cooperation with China, no? said Xiao Long, a scientist at the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, who has advised the Chinese space program. It certainly does not hope that China develops quickly. They have already put their cards on the table. It is not something that is being done quietly.

At a talk on Tuesday to the Greater Houston Partnership, an economic development organization, Jim Bridenstine, the NASA administrator, addressed the prospect of relaxing the ban on NASA-China cooperation.

Its above my pay grade, Mr. Bridenstine said. But certainly, I do believe NASA is a tool of diplomacy. I believe that asset is a tool that can be used as, for example, a pot sweetener for a trade deal. I think it can be used for all kinds of purposes for international diplomacy.

The incoming Biden administration has yet to announce its plans for NASA. But it will probably push back the Trump administrations 2024 target, which was unlikely to be achieved even if President Trump had been re-elected because of technical and financial limitations.

In contrast to the uncertainty and periodic shifts in direction at NASA, China has stuck to its plans and timetables, with the countrys space program serving as a source of national pride that provides another tool of international diplomacy.

Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, has made space a central part of his dream of creating a greater, more powerful China and, despite occasional setbacks, the space program has made enormous progress.

They are able to commit to a much longer-term goal, said Namrata Goswami, an independent analyst and co-author of a new book on space exploration, Scramble for the Skies.

The development of the Change probes started in the early 2000s when President George W. Bush declared that NASA astronauts would return to the moon by 2020. It continued that path when the Obama administration canceled that moon program and focused on more distant destinations like an asteroid and Mars.

The first two Change spacecraft were orbiters that circled the moon. Change-3 landed in December 2013, and China joined the United States and Soviet Union as the only nations to make a successful landing there. In January 2019, Change-4 became the first spacecraft to land on the far side of the moon. Its rover, called Yutu-2, is still operating, studying lunar geology nearly two years later. China is now the only country to land successfully on the moon in the 21st century, and has done it three times.

And even as the Trump administration touted a return to the moon, China has shown no urgency to accelerate its plans of sending Chinese astronauts to the moon in the 2030s. If NASA astronauts arrive earlier, China seems to be in no rush to beat them.

But while China takes its time with longer-term space goals, the successful Change-5 mission took off only last month, and its speedy return with lunar samples provided almost instant gratification. It required feats of engineering and execution that China has never attempted before.

Not long after arriving in lunar orbit, Change-5 split into two parts, an orbiter and a lander that reached the surface on Dec. 1. It then scooped up and drilled for samples that the spacecraft returned to lunar orbit and then ultimately back to Earth. The lander also lifted a small Chinese flag.

China envisions its moon missions as more than demonstrations of its space technology and national pride. It envisions the moon as a base robotic at first, then perhaps a human outpost that will support space exploration in the decades to come.

Lt. Gen. Zhang Yulin, a former deputy commander of Chinas astronaut program, wrote in The Peoples Daily last year that cislunar space the area between the Earth and moon would become another broad field for the expansion of human living space.

Another senior official in Chinas space program, Bao Weimin of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, last year floated the once seemingly fanciful idea that cislunar space could become an economic zone generating $10 trillion for the countrys economy.

Its not just about showing off technology, Dr. Goswami said in a telephone interview. They are starting to articulate economic aspirations in terms of the resources that are out there.

China was not the only country to bring something back from space in December. A Japanese spacecraft, Hayabusa2, returned to Earth after a six-year journey with what that countrys space agency described as a large number of particles, which scientists will study to understand the building blocks of the solar systems inner planets, including Earth.

Still, in scope, ambition and resources, Chinas program now rivals the United States and Russias. And in the nearer term, competition between the two countries could occur closer to Earth.

China is planning to build a space station in orbit around Earth and has offered to have astronauts from other nations work there. If it is able to accomplish that goal, that would make the Chinese orbital outpost a competitor with the International Space Station led by the United States and Russia.

And the restrictions on cooperative study of Chinas new stash of moon rocks will also be a disappointment for many scientists in the United States in the years to come.

They represent a completely different era of lunar history and will definitely help in our quest to understand the evolution of our moon, wrote Clive R. Neal, a professor of civil engineering and geological sciences at the University of Notre Dame who said he would love a chance to examine the new samples.

Alas, Dr. Neal added in his email, I dont think this is possible.

That was followed by a sad face emoticon.

Claire Fu in Beijing contributed research.

Originally posted here:

China Moon Mission Brings Lunar Rocks to Earth, and New Competition to Space - The New York Times

Update for 11:10 am ET: SpaceX has called off today's launch attempt for the NROL-108 spy satellite due to higher than expected pressures in the Falcon 9 rocket's upper stage. The next launch attempt will be Friday, Dec. 18, at 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT). There is a 3-hour launch window for the mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. SpaceX is set to launch a spy satellite into orbit for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) on Thursday (Dec. 17), and you can watch the action online.

The flight is scheduled to blast off from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center here in Florida during a planned three-hour window that opens at 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT). However, the exact liftoff time has not yet been announced.

You can watch the launch live here and on the Space.com homepage, courtesy of SpaceX, beginning about 15 minutes before liftoff. You'll also be able to watch the launch directly from SpaceX here.

Related: SpaceX's 1st secret US military satellite launch (& landing) in photos

This mission will mark the 31st launch this year for SpaceX and its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, as well as the third Falcon 9 to fly in a little over a week. On Dec. 6, SpaceX kicked off its final launch run of the year by ferrying an upgraded cargo Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station, marking the first time there were two such craft attached to the orbital outpost. A few days later, the California-based rocket builder launched a radio satellite into orbit for Sirius XM.

Now, SpaceX will close out a record-setting year with a bang. The company announced that this mission, dubbed NROL-108, includes a rare treat: an upright Falcon 9 booster landing at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, as opposed to the more common drone-ship landings at sea.

To date, SpaceX has successfully recovered 69 first-stage boosters, 20 of which touched down on terra firma. For its 70th, the company's Falcon 9 will touch down at one of the company's landing sites just 9 miles (14 kilometers) from where it lifted off. SpaceX warned central Florida residents that they should expect to hear sonic booms as the rocket touches down at LZ-1.

"There is the possibility that local residents may hear one or more sonic booms during the landing attempt," SpaceX officials said in an advisory emailed out to the media. "Residents of Brevard County are most likely to hear one or more sonic boom, although what residents experience will depend on weather conditions and other factors."

Officials at the U.S. Air Force's 45th weather squadron have said that the weather looks good for Thursday's attempt, with 70% chance of favorable conditions for launch. The main issues for concern are liftoff winds and potential for a thick cloud layer.

Related: Hitch a ride to space (and back) on a Falcon 9 in this awesome video

The star of today's mission will be one of SpaceX's frequent flyers a Falcon 9 first stage known as B1059. This will mark the booster's fifth launch and landing attempt. Previously it ferried two different Dragon cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station (CRS-19 in December 2019 and CRS-20 in March of this year), launched the Starlink 8 mission in June, and most recently lofted the SAOCOM-1B Earth-observing satellite into orbit for Argentina on Aug. 30.

Thursday's flight will mark the 102nd overall launch of a Falcon 9 rocket and the 70th first stage recovery. SpaceX's drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" is sidelined for this mission as the booster will attempt its second touchdown on land in a row. (Previously in August it landed at LZ-1 after carrying SAOCOM-1B to space.) That touchdown will occur approximately nine minutes after liftoff.

The company's other drone ship, "Just Read the Instructions" is on its way to Port Canaveral, toting a seven-time flyer. That booster, B1049, became the second in SpaceX's fleet of veteran rockets to launch and land seven times when it ferried the first of two massive radio broadcasting satellites into space for Sirius XM on Sunday (Dec. 13). The second Sirius XM satellite is set to launch sometime next year, and the duo are expected to replace aging satellites already on orbit.

GO Ms. Tree, one of SpaceX's net-equipped boats, is heading to the recovery zone to await today's launch. It's unclear yet if the vessel will attempt to catch the Falcon 9's falling payload fairing the protective "nose cone" that surrounds a satellite during launch or if SpaceX will just scoop the two halves out of the ocean. (Whether or not a catch is attempted depends on a number of factors, including weather and sea conditions at the recovery zone.)

SpaceX has been successful in its attempts to reuse more of the Falcon 9, even reusing several fairings on multiple missions. The payload fairing accounts for approximately 10% of the cost of the rocket, which is roughly $62 million. Reusing fairings could save as much as $6 million per flight, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has said.

The company has been reusing payload fairings, and even used its first refurbished fairing on a paying customer's flight. The Sirius XM-7 mission featured one fairing half that previously flew on the Anasis-II mission earlier this summer, which launched a communications satellite for South Korea's military.

Today's mission will mark the final launch from Florida for 2020. In total 31 missions have launched from the area this year, and 26 of those have been on SpaceX rockets.

Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.

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SpaceX will launch a spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office Thursday. Watch it live! - Space.com

Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond spoke today at TechCrunch's Space 2020 virtual event.

Raymond emphasized the role partnerships play in the Space Force. "I'm going to really work hard on cultivating partnerships," he said, citing Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand, France, Germany and Japan.

Two days ago, he said he signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan for the Hosted Payload Program, which involves putting U.S. payloads on Japanese satellites. "It saves us dollars and gives us capability."

Last year, the U.S. signed a Hosted Payload Program memorandum of understanding with Norway. Two payloads on their satellites saved the U.S. more than $900 million, he said.

"We're really turning these partnerships into partnerships where we operate together; we train together; we exercise together; we war-game together; we develop capabilities together, and it's proven to pay significant advantages and there's future growth opportunities ahead," he said.

Raymond said he also wants closer ties to the commercial sector.

A few weeks ago, he mentioned watching NASA launch U.S. astronauts from U.S. soil aboard a commercial rocket to the International Space Station.

"I really believe with all this going on in the commercial industry that there's a fused relationship to be had. And we're trying to bring us closer together and to be able to capitalize on this innovative transformation that's happening, especially in the national security space business," he said.

Raymond said industry is heading toward autonomous launches and reusable rocket stages. "Those are going to be huge national advantages that we need to be able to capitalize on."

All of the launch industry will eventually go to autonomous launch operations, he predicted, adding that he's written a policy letter mandating that all Defense Department launches be autonomous by 2025. "It completely rewrites the rulebook on how we do range operations; reduces the footprint of the infrastructure that we have; reduces the amount of bodies that have to come to work to support a launch; allows us to launch more cheaply; allows us to have greater transaction rates, so we can launch more and turn the range around a lot quicker and reduces launch costs."

Raymond said the U.S. has no desire to weaponize space.

"Our goals are to deter conflict from beginning or extending into space," he said.

Unfortunately, adversaries such as China and Russia have robust programs to weaponize space, he mentioned.

Raymond said his goals are to keep the Space Force lean, diverse, agile and cutting-edge and to reduce bureaucracy.

There are currently about 2,400 uniformed personnel in the Space Force, and that number should soon climb about 6,400, he said. Additionally, there are another 10,000 Space Force civilians.

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Space Operations Chief Emphasizes the Importance of Partnerships - Department of Defense

By: Trends Desk | New Delhi | Updated: December 16, 2020 5:40:19 pmThe picture also captures the orange airglow, which is the result of atmospheric particles reacting to solar radiation.

NASA shared an image what the snow-covered Himalayas look like from space and its being widely shared on social media. Shared from NASAs official Instagram handle, the picture also captured the bright city lights of New Delhi and Lahore.

The enhanced, long-exposure image was reportedly taken by one of the crew members of the International Space Station (ISS).

The snow-covered Himalayan Mountains are in splendid view in this enhanced, long-exposure image taken by a crew member aboard the @iss, the post read.

Take a look here:

The picture also captures the orange airglow, which is the result of atmospheric particles reacting to solar radiation.

Take a look at some of the reactions to the picture:

The Himalayan mountain range has some of the highest peaks in Earth, including the Mount Everest, located at the border between Nepal and China.

The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

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NASA shares photo of what snow-covered Himalayas look like from space - The Indian Express

12/17/2020

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) will continue its year-long 20th anniversary celebration of continuous ham radio operation from the ISS this month, with a slow-scan television (SSTV) event over the holidays. The first ARISS school contact took place in December 2000, not long after the first ISS crew arrived on station a month earlier and had made test contacts. The commemorative late-December SSTV event will be held December 24 through December 31, although dates are subject to change. The frequency will be 145.800 MHz, using SSTV PD-120 mode. Over its 20 years, ARISS has supported nearly 1,400 scheduled ham radio contacts with schools, student groups, and other education organizations.

ARISS would not be the complex and growing program of education, operations, and hardware were it not for ARRL, AMSAT, NASA, and the ISS National Lab (INL), said Rosalie White, K1STO, ARISS-US Delegate representing ARRL. For these past 20 years and for the years to come, when we grow into lunar ham radio opportunities and more, the ARISS team will continue to be grateful to ARRL and all our sponsors. We could not do it without you!

The ARISS ham radio gear, for what would become NA1SS on board the station, arrived ahead of the Expedition 1 crew, headed by Bill Shepherd, KD5GSL. Shepherd made the first ARISS school contact with students at Luther Burbank Elementary School in Illinois on December 21, 2000. NASA has marked the ARISS milestone with an infographic highlighting the educational contacts via amateur radio between astronaut crew members aboard the ISS and students.

ARISS will continue to sponsor various commemorative events through November 2021, including more of the very popular ARISS SSTV sessions. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of ham radio on the space station, ARISS took part in the ISS Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC) panel session, 20 Years of STEM Experiments on the ISS. A video developed for the session describes the program, conveys some key lessons learned over the past 20 years, and describes the ARISS teams vision for the future.

Twenty years of continuous operations is a phenomenal accomplishment, said ARISS-International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, whos been with the program from the start. But what makes it even more extraordinary is that ARISS has achieved this through hundreds of volunteers who are passionate in paying it forward to our youth and ham radio community. On behalf of the ARISS International team, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks to every volunteer who has made ARISS such an amazing success over the past 20 years. Your passion, drive, creativity, and spirit made it happen.

In September, ARISS announced that the initial element of its next-generation Interoperable Radio System (IORS) had been installed in the ISSColumbusmodule, replacing outmoded and problematic station gear.

A helpful addition to the ARISS website is a Current Status of ISS Stations, which reports the present or coming operating mode of ARISS radios in the Columbus and Service modules. Click on General Contacts and then Current Status of ISS Stations on the drop-down menu of the ARISS website to access the reports.

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SSTV Event to Help ARISS Mark 20 Years of Continuous Ham Radio Operation in Space - ARRL

Soichi Noguchi has emerged as the resident photographer of the International Space Stations current Expedition 64 crew.

The 55-year-old Japanese astronaut reached the orbiting outpost last month, together with three American astronauts, aboard SpaceXs Crew Dragon capsule on its first operational flight.

Since arriving, Noguchi has been tweeting some amazing photos as the ISS orbits the planet every 90 minutes or so, from around 250 miles up. The images were likely taken from the space stations seven-window Cupola observatory, which offers incredible views of Earth, the moon, and beyond.

So lets take a look at some of the best ones to date

This remarkable image shows Houston, Texas, as well as Trinity Bay and Galveston Bay, and Beaumont off to the east.

Howdy, #Houstonian! #houstontx # pic.twitter.com/hkhXW9JXPG

— NOGUCHI, Soichi (@Astro_Soichi) December 10, 2020

An enviable view of Spains Balearic Islands

#Ibiza #Spain's Balearic Islands in the #Mediterranean Sea. pic.twitter.com/ZwXzKFtzY0

— NOGUCHI, Soichi (@Astro_Soichi) December 14, 2020

Noguchi describes this eye-catching image of Mauritania in Africa as almost like an oil painting.

Almost like an oil painting #Africa is beautiful. #Mauritania and #WesternSahara pic.twitter.com/JpD6dtPacV

— NOGUCHI, Soichi (@Astro_Soichi) December 13, 2020

A striking photo of Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri (not Illinois, Soichi!)

I found #Dragon! Lake Ozarks in #Illinois , near hometown of @Astro_illini pic.twitter.com/wbfUY4kLC4

— NOGUCHI, Soichi (@Astro_Soichi) December 5, 2020

With its quirky man-made islands in the Persian Gulf, heres no mistaking Dubai from 250 miles up

Palms, and the World. #Dubai Happy belated anniversary #UAENationalDay pic.twitter.com/wNabENmWf4

— NOGUCHI, Soichi (@Astro_Soichi) December 8, 2020

If you follow an imaginary diagonal line from the top right corner of this photo, youll see a bright white dot about a quarter of the way down. Its the Sydney Opera House

Sydney, #Australia. Yes, I can see the famous operahouse! pic.twitter.com/6sD5CXZ5d7

— NOGUCHI, Soichi (@Astro_Soichi) December 9, 2020

Noguchis fabulous night shot of his home countrys capital city

Good night, #TOKYO! pic.twitter.com/laSbi0FbSW

— NOGUCHI, Soichi (@Astro_Soichi) December 6, 2020

Here we see the Texas location of SpaceXs recent test flight of its prototype Starship rocket, which ended in a spectacular fireball.

Boca Chica, #TX. Probably the closest place to #moon and beyond. Go, #SpaceX !!! pic.twitter.com/jgyeuqYJCG

— NOGUCHI, Soichi (@Astro_Soichi) December 10, 2020

An awesome view of Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia

#Riyadh, #SaudiArabia magical city in the middle of beautiful desert. pic.twitter.com/S0jHVVWuWM

— NOGUCHI, Soichi (@Astro_Soichi) December 6, 2020

Beautiful Hawaii islands, tweets Noguchi.

Beautiful #Hawaii islands. # pic.twitter.com/dh1U0PsSk5

— NOGUCHI, Soichi (@Astro_Soichi) December 5, 2020

The Japanese astronaut points out the place where the Crew Dragon, which transported him and his fellow crew members to the ISS last month, was built.

#LosAngeles our #resilience spacecraft was built here. pic.twitter.com/OssLoOtJBp

— NOGUCHI, Soichi (@Astro_Soichi) December 5, 2020

Turning his gaze away from Earth for a moment, Noguchi captured this beautiful image of the moon, a place set to welcome the first woman and next man before the end of this decade.

#Moonrise pic.twitter.com/sz1TZa4Gew

— NOGUCHI, Soichi (@Astro_Soichi) November 30, 2020

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Check out these amazing views of Earth shot from the space station - Digital Trends

In her famous track titled Tennis Court, singer Lorde sang the poetic lyric, Ill see the veins of my city like they do in space. If youre a Delhite, then this statement may be the aptest description for what this image, shared on the official Instagram account of NASA, shows. The long-exposure photograph, taken by a crew member aboard the International Space Station, shows what the snow-covered Himalayan mountains look like from space. It also captures the bright city lights of New Delhi. The stunning snapshot may leave you stunned.

Posted just a few hours ago, the image is accompanied by text explaining what it shows. It reads, The snow-covered Himalayan Mountains are in splendid view in this enhanced, long-exposure image taken by a crew member aboard the @iss. The highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas are the result of 50 million years of collisions between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. South of the range, or to the right from this perspective, lies the agriculturally fertile region of northern India and Pakistan.

The caption further goes onto state that the bright city lights of New Delhi and Lahore are visible below the orange airglow of atmospheric particles reacting to solar radiation. Check out the post below:

Since being shared on the photo and video sharing platform, this post has accumulated over 5.8 lakh likes and many comments from netizens. These numbers are also steadily rising.

Here is what Instagram users had to say about the post. One person said, OMG! So beautiful.

Another individual wrote, A marvellous picture. Brilliant photography and fascinating exquisite image! read one comment under the post.

What are your thoughts on this share?

Also Read | Heres what 2 supermassive black holes merging together look like. Check it out

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NASA shares picture of snow-covered Himalayan mountains from space. It also captures Delhis bright... - Hindustan Times