OPALS project uses laser beams for Earth space communications
You may know opals as fiery gemstones, but something special called OPALS is floating above us in space. On the International Space Station, the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS)...
By: Thomas Barnes
See the original post here:
OPALS project uses laser beams for Earth space communications - Video
NASA and its International Space Station partners will hold a news conference in Paris at 10 a.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 18, to discuss the upcoming one-year expedition on the International Space Station. NASA Television and the agency's website will carry the briefing live.
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly will launch to the space station in March 2015 to begin a yearlong stay aboard the orbiting laboratory -- the longest single space mission ever undertaken by an American. He will be joined by Mikhail Kornienko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) on this one-year mission.
Thursdays briefing will take place at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris and will include participants from NASA, its international partner space agencies, and UNESCO. During the briefing, questions will be taken from media in attendance and on the phone from participating partner locations.
The briefing participants will be: -- Scott Kelly, NASA astronaut and one-year mission crew member -- Mikhail Kornienko, Roscosmos cosmonaut and one-year mission crew member -- Andreas Mogensen, European Space Agency astronaut and visiting crew flight engineer -- Soichi Noguchi, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency chief astronaut -- Jeremy Hansen, Canadian Space Agency astronaut
For those attending in person, the deadline to request credentials is Tuesday, Dec. 16. For more information about media accreditation, contact Nicola Firth (Nicola.Firth@esa.int). Reporters attending at partner locations should contact those centers' newsrooms for specific deadlines.
U.S. media may participate at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston or by phone. Reporters must contact the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111no later than noon CST Wednesday, Dec. 17, to request approval. Approved media will be notified that afternoon and those participating by phone will need to call the Johnson newsroom at least 15 minutes before the start of the Thursday briefing. Media will not be able to connect once the briefing begins.
The public also may ask questions via social media by using the hashtag #askNASA.
For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit:
For NASA TV satellite coordinates, visit:
Read the original here:
Space Station Partners Hold Paris News Conference to Discuss Yearlong Mission
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Georges Lemaitre captured the International Space Station (ISS) in a new light in August, as it fired up a set of experimental sensors that may form the basis of the next generation of automated docking systems. Such tech will be vital for the increasingly-ambitious missions planned by NASA and its partners to explore the Red Planet and beyond.
Using the contemporary system, ESA's ATVs have successfully completed five automated dockings, with each attempt safely affixing the resupply vessels to the Russian Zvesda module of the ISS. With the tested system, an ATV is required to set up a communications link with the station to allow the resupply vessel to undertake precision maneuvers relative to the station using advanced GPS technology.
During this phase, the station repositions its solar panels edge-on with the ATV, in order to minimize interference with the GPS signal. At a distance of 249 m (817 ft) from the station, the spacecraft uses videometer and telegoniometer data in addition to a set of "eye-like sensors" to automatically dock with the outpost at a gentle 7 cm/s.
August's docking of the Georges Lemaitre represented the first field test of a system that could replace the current navigational sensors. The experimental Laser Infrared Imaging Sensors (LIRIS) switched on while the ATV was positioned 7 km (4.3 mi) below the station. By utilizing the device so far from the station, ESA could test the experimental equipment's long-range target acquisition capabilities. As the ATV approached the ISS, it tracked and imaged the station using its lidar component an apparatus that is like a radar that uses light instead of radio waves and operates by pulsing laser beams over a mirror in order to collect high-resolution 3D data.
Using this technique, the sensors can track the station in both sunlight and darkness, with a high degree of accuracy. Furthermore, lidar has the ability to register the amount of light reflected from the surface of the object it scans, gaining an insight into the composition of the reflecting material in the process. As LIRIS does not require a direct link to, or hardware installed aboard its target, the system is potentially capable of tracking and docking with an inert object, such as another spacecraft beyond low-Earth orbit.
Data collected during the experiment was stored on hard-disk in the ATV's cargo hold and has since been returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-12M, the capsule that ferried astronauts Steve Swanson and cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev back to the planet's surface in September.
Following a preliminary assessment of the data returned by LIRIS, it is clear that the sensors succeeded in tracking the station perfectly while creating a detailed 3D map of it. The system also managed to maintain the track during several 30-minute intervals of darkness, displaying high levels of reliability both at distance, and close up with the station. The potential applications of the technology, especially its ability to enable docking with an inert object, could allow spacecraft to de-orbit space junk or even dock around a distant planet.
Source: ESA
Here is the original post:
UK Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake will take two Raspberry Picomputerson his next space mission, in the hope that UK pupils will create their own app or experiment that can be deployed on the International Space Station.
Peake will fly two Astro Pi maker-boards, which have been kitted with sensors, to the space station when he begins his six-month mission.
Primary and secondary school children will compete to develop an idea for an application, which if successful, will be developed with the help of the Astro Pi, CGI and Raspberry Pi Foundation, who will code their idea.
Peake will then load up the winning code whilst in orbit, set them running, collect the data generated and then download this to Earth where it will be distributed to the winning teams.
Business Secretary Vince Cable highlighted the importance of inspiring pupils to get involved with data science. He said: So much technology relies on big data but not enough people are being trained in this field. This challenge helps the next generation to have fun whilst learning the skills that industry need.
Peake added: "I'm really excited about this project, born out of the cooperation among UK industries and institutions. There is huge scope for fun science and useful data gathering using the Astro Pi sensors on board the International Space Station.
ESERO-UK and Raspberry Pi are developing teaching resources to link to the curriculum and assist teachers of STEM subjects in engaging their students in the competition.
As well as explaining how to use and write code for the Astro Pi and its sensors, the resources will provide a context for the Astro Pi in the curriculum and link to teaching subjects and areas.
View original post here:
UK schools to make space apps with interstellar Raspberry Pi computers
A new laser link with the International Space Station could do what optical fiber has done for internet access on Earth by turning orbital communications from painfully slow dial-up to blazing-fast broadband.
In recent tests of the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) instrument, which is attached to the space stations exterior, NASA scientists and engineers have demonstrated that laser communications, as opposed to traditional radio transmissions, could revolutionize how we communicate with space-based assets.
NEWS: Pew! Pew! Space Lasers to Give Missions Broadband
OPALS has shown that space-to-ground laser communications transmissions are practical and repeatable, said Matthew Abrahamson, OPALS mission manager at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. As a bonus, OPALS has collected an enormous amount of data to advance the science of sending lasers through the atmosphere. We look forward to continuing our testing of this technology, which sends information to and from space faster than with radio signals.
OPALS was delivered to the ISS in April by a SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle and it has since completed the first 4 months of its prime mission. In an effort to minimize the impact of atmospheric turbulence on data loss, OPALS uses 4 individual lasers and average out the data received by the Optical Communications Telescope Laboratorys ground station at JPLs Table Mountain Observatory in Wrightwood, Calif. The next big step for system development is the use of adaptive optics to dynamically compensate for this turbulence.
NEWS: NASA Laser Beams HD Video From the Space Station
Four lasers from the ground station travel through the sky toward the space station. Under clear, dark background conditions, its very easy for the payload to acquire the ground beacon. Daylight conditions have proven more challenging, but we are working on increasing capabilities during the day as well, through software enhancements, said Abrahamson.
According to a JPL news release, some of the landmark transmissions included:
All in all, OPALS is proving laser communications between the Earth and orbit could transform how we transmit data into space, but the biggest challenge to this method is, of course, the weather.
VIDEO: This Isnt CGI, Its The International Space Station
See original here:
Leading UK space organisations have joined forces with British ESA Astronaut Tim Peake and Raspberry Pi to offer students a chance to devise and code their own apps or experiment to run in space. Two Raspberry Pi computers are planned to be flown to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of Tims 6 month mission and both will be connected to a new Astro Pi board, loaded with a host of sensors and gadgets.
Launched today (10 Dec 2014) at an event held by the UK Space Agency, the Astro Pi competition will be officially opened at the BETT conference (21-24 January) and will be open to all primary and secondary school aged children who are resident in the United Kingdom. The competition will be supported by a comprehensive suite of teaching resources that are being developed by ESERO-UK and Raspberry Pi.
During his mission, Tim Peake plans to deploy the Astro Pi computers in a number of different locations on board the ISS. He will then load up the winning code whilst in orbit, set them running, collect the data generated and then download this to Earth where it will be distributed to the winning teams.
Speaking at the Astro Pi launch event, Dr David Parker, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, also revealed that the UK Space Agency has been given a 2 million programme, as part of the Chancellors Autumn Statement, to support further outreach activities around Tims mission, particularly to help inspire interest in STEM subjects.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said:
So much technology relies on big data but not enough people are being trained in this field. This challenge helps the next generation to have fun whilst learning the skills that industry need.
Creating tomorrows engineers is part of our industrial strategy that gives a long term commitment to world-class skills.
Tim Peake added:
View original post here:
Send Your Computer Code Into Space with British ESA Astronaut Tim Peake
ARK3 Mission Patch Designed by Seth Green
Actor, creator, producer and space-enthusiast Seth Green has designed the latest CASIS mission patch. Hear his story on the development of this patch, which symbolizes all CASIS research intended...
By: ISSCASIS
Follow this link:
Part 1 of MOON tycoon Roblox(PC)
After crash landing on the moon you need to get back to Earth. To do this your mission is to build your space station, kill your foes and buy gear, weapons and perks to help you. Once you have...
By: Cole May
Original post:
TROLLING GOES TO SPACE? SPACE TROLLING! (Minecraft)
Join me, Felix, LDShadowLady and JoyStyx in today #39;s Minecraft video in which we went to the SPACE Station and did some pretty cool 1.8 Space Parkour! 😀 Subscribe for daily fun! http://bit.ly...
By: Bodil40
View post:
Space Station 13 Ep1 boring AI part 1
Description.
By: snow5445
See original here:
International Space Station Build EP.10 Air Lock Repair (KSP)
I finally brought up the air lock. I somehow forgot earlier in the build! like and subscribe for more!
By: Strike Eagle #39;s Perch
See the article here:
International Space Station Build EP.10 Air Lock Repair (KSP) - Video
It's one giant leap for snowman-kind: Olaf, the goofy snowman from Disney's hit film "Frozen," is floating aboard the International Space Station, and we have the photos to prove it.
Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov brought the small, stuffedOlaf toy into spaceas his mission's "zero-g indicator" at the request of his 8-year-old daughter when he launched on a mission to the International Space Station. Shkaplerov and two crewmates blasted off aboard their Soyuz capsule on Nov. 24 and arrived at the orbiting outpost six hours later. On Tuesday (Dec. 9), Shkaplerov posted a photo on Twitter of Olaf floating serenely in the many-windowed observation deck of the station.
Every Soyuz flight includes a "zero-g" indicator, which is often a toy of some kind selected by the Soyuz commander and crew. The indicator is hung by a string in a place where the crew can see it during launch. (Notice the string tied around Olaf in the images, suggestingShkaplerov doesn't truly want to "let it go".) When the object becomes weightless and begins to float, it confirms that the crew is in orbit.
Olaf joins a long line of toys in spacethat have been launched into orbit over the years. Those intrepid toy explorers include Hello Kitty, Legos, Smokey the Bear, a stuffed hippopotamus and a red Angry Bird (which NASA astronaut Don Pettit used to make his own version of Angry Birds in space).
"Frozen" is the highest-grossing animated movie of all time and can truly be said to have reached new heights: 250 miles (402 kilometers) above the Earth, to be exact. The second-highest-grossing animated film of all time, "Toy Story 3," also had a character aboard the station: an action figure of Buzz Lightyear took a ride on NASA's space shuttle Discovery in 2008.
Shkaplerov arrived at the orbiting laboratory on Nov. 24, alongsideNASA astronaut Terry Virts and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. They join NASA's Barry Wilmore and cosmonauts Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova as part of the Expedition 42 crew. Rotating crews of astronauts have continuously lived aboard the $100 billion International Space Station since 2000.
Follow Calla Cofield@callacofield. Follow us@Spacedotcom,FacebookandGoogle+. Original article onSpace.com.
See the rest here:
'Frozen' in Space! Olaf the Snowman Floats in Zero-G (Photos)
SpaceX will apparently attempt something truly epic during next week's cargo launch to the International Space Station.
During the Dec. 16 launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, which will send SpaceX's robotic Dragon capsule toward the orbiting lab, the California-based company will try to bring the first stage of itsFalcon 9 rocketback to Earth for a controlled landing on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean.
The bold maneuver marks a big step forward in SpaceX's development of reusable-rocket technology, which the company's billionaire founder, Elon Musk, says could eventually cut the cost of spaceflight by a factor of 100 and perhaps make Mars colonization economically feasible. [SpaceX's Quest For Rocketry's Holy Grail: Exclusive Video]
Musk shared photos of the Falcon 9 and landing platform via Twitter late last month, ratcheting up interest in the cargo mission, the fifth of 12 unmanned resupply flights SpaceX will make to the space station for NASA under a $1.6 billion contract.
"Autonomous spaceport drone ship. Thrusters repurposed from deep sea oil rigs hold position within 3m even in a storm,"Musk tweetedabout the platform on Nov. 22. "Base is 300 ft by 100 ft, with wings that extend width to 170 ft. Will allow refuel & rocket flyback in future," he added in another tweet.
The Falcon 9 photo revealed that the rocket is outfitted with "hypersonic grid fins" to increase stability during a return to Earth.
"Grid fins are stowed on ascent and then deploy on reentry for 'x-wing' style control," Musk tweeted on Nov. 22. "Each fin moves independently for pitch/yaw/roll."
At a conference at MIT in October, Musk said that SpaceX would attempt to land the Falcon 9 first stage on the floating platformduring the rocket's next flight. The next liftoff on the rocket's schedule is the Dec. 16 Dragon launch.
Musk estimated a 50 percent chance of success for the platform landing on the first attempt, but said the odds would improve on subsequent missions.
"There are a lot of launches that will occur over the next year," Musk said at the conference, which was called "AeroAstro at 100" and celebrated 100 years of MIT aerospace research. "I think it's quite likely that [on] one of those flights, we'll be able to land and refly, so I think we're quite close."
Visit link:
SpaceX will apparently attempt something truly epic during next week's cargo launch to the International Space Station.
During the Dec. 16 launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, which will send SpaceX's robotic Dragon capsule toward the orbiting lab, the California-based company will try to bring the first stage of itsFalcon 9 rocketback to Earth for a controlled landing on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean.
The bold maneuver marks a big step forward in SpaceX's development of reusable-rocket technology, which the company's billionaire founder, Elon Musk, says could eventually cut the cost of spaceflight by a factor of 100 and perhaps make Mars colonization economically feasible. [SpaceX's Quest For Rocketry's Holy Grail: Exclusive Video]
Musk shared photos of the Falcon 9 and landing platform via Twitter late last month, ratcheting up interest in the cargo mission, the fifth of 12 unmanned resupply flights SpaceX will make to the space station for NASA under a $1.6 billion contract.
"Autonomous spaceport drone ship. Thrusters repurposed from deep sea oil rigs hold position within 3m even in a storm,"Musk tweetedabout the platform on Nov. 22. "Base is 300 ft by 100 ft, with wings that extend width to 170 ft. Will allow refuel & rocket flyback in future," he added in another tweet.
The Falcon 9 photo revealed that the rocket is outfitted with "hypersonic grid fins" to increase stability during a return to Earth.
"Grid fins are stowed on ascent and then deploy on reentry for 'x-wing' style control," Musk tweeted on Nov. 22. "Each fin moves independently for pitch/yaw/roll."
At a conference at MIT in October, Musk said that SpaceX would attempt to land the Falcon 9 first stage on the floating platformduring the rocket's next flight. The next liftoff on the rocket's schedule is the Dec. 16 Dragon launch.
Musk estimated a 50 percent chance of success for the platform landing on the first attempt, but said the odds would improve on subsequent missions.
"There are a lot of launches that will occur over the next year," Musk said at the conference, which was called "AeroAstro at 100" and celebrated 100 years of MIT aerospace research. "I think it's quite likely that [on] one of those flights, we'll be able to land and refly, so I think we're quite close."
Read the original:
Can SpaceX land a rocket on a floating ocean platform? (+video)
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Space Station Infestation
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Space Station Infestation Join My Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Drizzo151.
By: Drizzo151
Read this article:
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Space Station Infestation - Video
Minecraft - ISS : International Space Station
Minecraft - ISS : International Space Station The Minecraft Inspiration Series! Give it a LIKE if you did enjoy. Don #39;t forget to subscribe http://goo.gl/yCQnEn Shaders for 1.8 Tutorial...
By: Keralis
Visit link:
StarTalk Spotlight: Astronaut Ricky Arnold and Elmo
While covering the Orion launch for StarTalk Radio, our Social Media Coordinator Stacey Severn was able to grab this interview with NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold and Sesame Street #39;s Elmo. They...
By: StarTalk Radio
View original post here:
MC Hosencrop SP LP - Die Space Station #044
Hier Wieder ein neues Lets Play. Mit dem Modpack der Hosencorp. Es geht von Mekanism ber Minefactory Reloaded bis hin zu Mystcraft und Applied Energistics. Wir haben einiges zu tun :-)...
By: OPCGT
See the article here:
Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft transfer and liftoff
This timelapse video shows the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft during transfer from the MIK 40 integration facility to Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad 31, as well as the launch on 23 November 2014...
By: European Space Agency, ESA
Read the original here:
NASA TV Presents: Inside the ISS - December 2014
A look inside the life, science and adventure of being an astronaut aboard the International Space Station. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station.
By: NASA
See the original post here: