Daily Archives: September 26, 2019

Two Allen County companies have produced bags protecting batterieson their way to the InternationalSpace Station.

Brimstone Fire Protection supplied 20 fire containment bags for lithium-ion batteries aboard an unpiloted cargo ship launched Tuesday by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The spacecraft isscheduled to reach the space station on Saturday.

Lee Hershberger, owner of Brimstone Fire Protection, said the batteries are mainly for laptopcomputers used on the space station.

Hershberger designs the bags, which he said aremanufacturedby Excellon Technologies in Fort Wayne. They are composed of "my secret recipe of materials," he said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

Brimstone said in a news release thatit collaborated withNASA contractor Leidos, a science and technology company based in Reston, Virginia,to design and test fire containment bagsthat would improve the safety and storage of batteries while in orbit. Lithium-ion batteries used in consumer electronicscan igniteor explode if they overheat or are damaged.

Daniel Barineau, senior project manager at Leidos, said in the news release that Brimstone "modified their off-the-shelf designs to meet our needs and have shown a willingness to go above and beyond to make our efforts a success under a compressed schedule." Barineau also said that inthe 30 yearshe has worked on projects for the space station and the space shuttle, "I have never come across a company that was as responsive, customer focused, and easy to work with as Brimstone."

Hershberger started Brimstone, which has a Spencerville address, in 2016. It has produced fire containment products fortheNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, all branches of the U.S. military, the U.S. Forestry Service, airlines, corporate jet fleets and such companies as General Electric,General Dynamics,Hewlett Packardand Facebook,according to the company's website.

bfrancisco@jg.net

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Bags made by local companies headed to space station | Local | Journal Gazette - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

PUBLISHED: 15:58 24 September 2019 | UPDATED: 17:10 24 September 2019

The International Space Station has good visibility over Norfolk this month. Photo: NASA

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According to NASA's Spot The Station website the International Space Station will be appearing over Norfolk until October 4.

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The NASA website has provided the dates and times people in Norfolk can view the station as it moves west to east.

The dates and times are as follows.

Tuesday, September 24: 8.22pm, 9.59pm

Wednesday, September 25: 7.34pm, 9.10pm

Thursday, September 26: 8.23pm, 9.59pm

Friday, September 27: 7.35pm, 9.10pm

Saturday, September 28: 8.23pm, 9.58pm

Sunday, September 29: 7.35pm, 9.11pm

Monday, September 30: 8.23pm

Tuesday, October 1: 7.35pm, 9.10pm

Wednesday, October 2: 8.22pm

Thursday, October 3: 7.35pm, 9.10pm

Friday, October 4: 8.22pm

The duration of the space station's appearance at these times ranges from less than one minute to six minutes.

According to NASA: "The space station looks like an airplane or a very bright star moving across the sky, except it doesn't have flashing lights or change direction.

"It will also be moving considerably faster than a typical airplane."

No special equipment is needed to see the station as it is visible to the naked eye.

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When can I next see the International Space Station over Norfolk? | Tech - Eastern Daily Press

A relaxed and cheerful Hazza Al Mansouri joined fellow astronauts for a final press conference before his historic journey into space on Wednesday evening.

Saying he had the good wishes of the whole Arab world and my whole country, the first UAE astronaut added that all humankind had contributed to his mission.

He was watched by family and friends, including his brothers, as well dozens of the worlds media, who have taken a keen interest in the UAEs first space mission.

The three astronauts, who include Russian commander Oleg Skripochka and Nasas Jessica Meir, were dressed in their blue mission suits and spoke behind protective quarantine glass to ensure they did not catch any infection prior to heading to the International Space Station.

There was applause across the room as Major Al Mansouri was introduced as representing the UAE, with the pioneering astronaut raising his hand in acknowledgment and giving the three-fingered salute made famous by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

In official business, the Russian space agency first confirmed what everyone already knew. That Soyuz Mission MS-15 will lift off on Wednesday just before 6pm, UAE time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and head to the ISS.

Maj Al Mansouri was then able to take questions in three languages; Arabic, Russian and English from journalists.

It is a requirement of training that all astronauts learn Russian before flying on a Soyuz space ship.

Fellow astronaut Jessica Meir, from the US, who is also making her first flight, praised Maj Al Mansouri as great, saying his personality was a perfect match for the team.

His training as an F-16 fighter pilot made him a natural candidate for astronaut training, she said, along with his sense of enthusiasm and motivation.

The crew were able to communicate easily using a language she described as Ronglish, a mixture of Russian and English.

Many of the questions during the hour-long press conference were directed to Maj Al Mansouri and his backup - or colleague on standby should he fall ill - Sultan Al Neyadi.

Maj Al Mansouri told journalists he would be dedicating a song to his mother in a mix tape chosen by astronauts to play in the two hours they spend strapped in their space capsule before the launch.

The importance of family and his children was something the astronaut repeated several times, saying he hoped to inspire young people with his mission and would return for the good of my children and my family.

It was a great honour to be chosen to take the UAE into space for the first time, he added.

He also paid tribute to some of the pioneers of space travel, singling out Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, and Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon.

His mission, he said, was realising the dream of Sheikh Zayed, who met Nasa astronauts twice in the 1980s and spoke of his vision of the UAE becoming a major player in space exploration.

[For] more than one year I was afraid to say I wanted to be an astronaut because it cannot happen in our country, said Maj Al Mansouri.

Thanks to our leadership they have made it real and possible, and we proudly say in our country we have astronauts.

During his time on the space station, Maj Al Mansouri will carry out several experiments relating to health and host an evening of Emirati food specially prepared to eat in zero gravity. His crew mates were also particularly fond of dates he added, with a supply travelling as cargo.

Questioned about observing his Muslim faith, he explained he had become used to praying in the cockpit of his fighter aircraft, even at high speed.

He also plans to make a live broadcast showing how to pray on the Space Station, which makes a full orbit of the Earth, seeing sunrise and sunset, every 90 minutes.

Asked about humourous moments in training, he recalled having to put out a non-existent fire during a simulated exercise on a mock-up of the space station.

For Dr Al Neyadi, it was the moment he nearly accidentally choked Maj Al Mansour during another training exercise. People will think I am the worst backup ever, he joked.

To end the conference, Maj Al Mansouri even managed to turn the tables on his interrogators, gathering his two crew members and a smart phone to record a final selfie with the media as a backdrop.

For rest of the evening, the three crew of MS-15 will observe a pre-launch tradition by watching the 1970 Russian cult film White Son of the Desert.

In the morning they will put on their space suits and leave their home at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur City for the drive to the launch pad and a day of destiny.

Updated: September 25, 2019 09:50 AM

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'Sheikh Zayed's dream is coming true': Major Hazza Al Mansouri reveals pride before blast-off - The National