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SpaceX is set to make a change to its Crew Dragon spacecraft for its forthcoming history-making all-civilian launch, currently set for September 15. That Dragon will replace its International Space Station docking mechanism with a transparent dome, through which passengers will be able to take in an awe-inspiring panorama of space and the Earth from an orbital perspective.

The glass dome will be at the nose of the Dragon capsule, or its topmost point when its loaded upright on top of a Falcon 9 rocket readying for launch. There should be space for one passenger to use it at a time, and itll be opened up once the spacecraft is safely out of Earths atmosphere, exposed by a protective cover that can be flipped back down to protect the observation deck when the spacecraft re-enters on its return trip.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk called it the most in space you could possibly feel in a tweet sharing a concept render of the new modification in use. During a press briefing for the upcoming tourist flight, which is called Inspiration4 and led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, it was described as being similar to the exiting cupola on the International Space Station in terms of the views it affords.

The ISS cupola is an observatory module built by the European Space Agency (ESA) and installed in 2010. Based on these renders from SpaceX, the Dragon version will be a continuous unbroken transparent surface, whereas the ISS cupola is made up of segmented panes separated by support structure, so that could mean Dragon provides a better view.

International Space Station cupola exterior. Image Credits: NASA

This modification could pave the way for a more permanent alternate configuration of Dragon, one best-suited for SpaceXs planned commercial passenger missions, most of which will likely aim to do orbital tours without any actual docking at the ISS. Its possible the company will make further cabin modifications when the vehicle isnt configured for crew delivery to the orbital science station.

SpaceX also revealed new details about the Inspiration4 mission today, including its planned launch date of September 15, and a three-day mission flight duration. The remaining two passengers on board the four-person crew were also revealed this morning.

Read more here:
SpaceX is outfitting its Dragon spacecraft with an observation dome for space tourists - TechCrunch

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei is preparing for his second trip to the International Space Station.

He and two Russian cosmonauts are scheduled to launch from Kazakhstan on Friday, April 9. Vande Hei completed his first spaceflight in 2018 and spent 168 days at the space station. This time, he could be up there for twice as long.

Vande Hei says he expects a surprisingly calm trip on board Russias Soyuz spacecraft.

A lot of our training involves everything possible going wrong. We get trained on how to respond to all that, he says. But we very rarely get to experience what a space flight will really be like when a spacecraft, ideally, will work just fine.

It takes 8 minutes to get into orbit, he says, and the spacecraft should arrive at the station three hours after launch.

Vande Hei might need to give up his seat on a return flight to Earth in the fall because a Russian film crew will be at the space station making a movie, meaning he wouldnt come home until the spring of 2022. Astronauts understand that their assigned mission might change, he says.

If I do end up staying in space for a year, that's a great deal for me, he says. Again, I'm not certain that's going to happen, but if it ended up being the situation I'm in, I think it's a new opportunity a new life experience that I've never had before.

Vande Hei describes working at the International Space Station as a fantastic science lab in a basement with a beautiful view of the Alps behind the boiler. Theres plenty of space at the station, which is as big as a six-bedroom house, unlike the tiny but efficient spacecraft that will take him up there.

When you get a chance to look out the window, you cannot get a better view than that spot, he says. But it's not your normal work environment.

A few other Americans have made trips to space for more than 300 days. Vande Hei says hes most concerned about his bone density after losing 7% on his previous flight.

He regained all of his bone density but recovery took time. On his upcoming trip, he intends to persevere his bone density by carefully following his nutrition and exercise plan.

A much longer trip to a faraway planet like Mars poses major physical and psychological challenges for astronauts, Vande Hei says. On top of the length of the flight, he thinks humans will struggle to see their home planet in the way earthlings view Mars in the night sky.

Imagine what it would be like looking back: This place where all the people you love your entire life history before that time looking back and it just looks like a faint blue star out there in this vast field of other stars, he says. I think it's going to be hard for humans to be that far away from home.

But Vande Hei believes that humans will take the risk and make the long trip to Mars anyway.

Even crossing the Atlantic or Pacific to get to new places, that involved tremendous risks, he says. We've still done them and I'm sure we'll do them again.

Julia Corcoranproduced and edited this interview for broadcast withTodd Mundt.Allison Haganadapted it for the web.

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Astronaut Mark Vande Hei Expects A 'Surprisingly Calm' Trip To International Space Station - Here And Now

Night owls across Lancashire will be able to see the International Space Station over the next few nights.

Tonight (March 30) the ISS will be visible to the naked eye at around 9.13pm for a period of around five minutes at a height of 33 degrees.

The ISS is visible when the sunlight reflects off of it and comes back down to Earth and this evening residents in parts of Lancashire should be able to spot its distinctive V shape.

Budding astronomer Linda Preston snapped an impressive photo above Darwen earlier this week.

The ISS always appears from the South West and travels in a straight line to the East.

The International Space Station is a large spacecraft that has been orbiting the earth since its launch on November 20, 1998, and travels at 17.500mph at an altitude of roughly 200 miles.

It has been permanently staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts since November 2000.

Research conducted aboard the ISS, which is the size of a football pitch, often requires one or more of the unusual conditions present in low Earth orbit, such as low-gravity or oxygen.

ISS studies have investigated human research, space medicine, life sciences, physical sciences, astronomy and meteorology.

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Link:
When to see the International Space Station in Lancashire skies this week - Lancs Live

Pictured are Astronaut Dr. Soichi Noguchi and Maestro Eduardo Marturet.

A historic event took place on Sunday, Mar. 14, Einsteins birthday, when Astronaut Dr. Soichi Noguchi (JAXA, Japan Exploration Agency) was inducted as a Genius 100 Visionary.

Miami Symphony Orchestra (MISO) Maestro Eduardo Marturet, a fellow Genius100 Visionary, took part in the ceremony along with a global representation of the organization.

The celebration and induction were divided into a three-part event during that same day.

At precisely 3:14 p.m., Genius 100 Foundation was connected to a live feed at the International Space Station for a private ceremony and conversation with Dr. Noguchi. During this private event, Planet 9, an opus Maestro Marturet composed exclusively to be performed in space, was performed for this occasion. Marturet and many other Genius 100 Visionaries took part in this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Prior to the out-this-world event, there was a community event at 1 p.m. EST, to honor Einsteins birthday, and to celebrate the inauguration of Astronaut Soichi Noguchi on becoming a Genius100 Visionary. The event was hosted by Genius100 Foundationvia YouTube live streaming. An exceptional performance by the Miami Symphony Orchestra was part of the event.

In 2019, Maestro Marturet, was inducted as a Genius 100 Visionary, and there to support him, amongst the G100 global community, was Dr. Soichi Noguchi. On Sunday, Maestro Marturet returned the honor.

At 6 p.m., the complete performance of Marturets Planet 9 was streamed on the MISO Youtube channel. This piece was composed by the Maestro in honor of his fellow visionary Dr. Noguchi, featuring concertmaster Daniel Andai and G100 Visionary, electric guitarist Konstantin Batygin. Batygin, a world-renowned astronomer, co-discovered the Planet 9. The video was produced by Fernando Duprat, Miami Symphonys executive producer for Special Events, taking place at the Miami Design Districts Moore Building, Elastika.

For more information about Genius100 visit http://www.genius100visions.com.

For more information about MISO visit http://www.themiso.org.

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Genius 100 Foundation, MISO go live to the International Space Station - Miami's Community Newspapers

In the Soviet mission control center, known by the Russian acronym TsUP, in Kaliningrad, now Korolev, outside of Moscow, controllers monitor the countdown for the launch of Mirs base block module on February 19, 1986.

On March 23, 2001, after 15 years in orbit, Russias space station Mir reentered over the Pacific Ocean following a controlled deorbit maneuver. Despite highly publicized incidents late in its orbital life, Mir secured its place in history as the first modular space station that enabled semi-permanent human habitation in low-Earth orbit.

The destination for a generation of Russian cosmonauts, Mir, provided opportunities for astronauts from other countries and space agencies to conduct research for their national programs on a commercial basis. The Shuttle-Mir Program saw nine space shuttle missions dock with Mir, and seven American astronauts join their Russian colleagues on long-duration expeditions as the two nations learned to work together in preparation for building and operating the International Space Station (ISS).

The launch of Mirs base block module at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Soviet Kazakhstan.

The Mirs base block module as seen by the first expedition crew in March 1986.

The Soviet Union approved the Mir space station program in 1976, its modular elements based on hardware and technologies developed during the Salyut and Almaz space station programs of the 1970s. The most significant improvement involved adding a docking hub at the core modules forward end that could accommodate the addition of four large research modules.

On February 19, 1986, the Soviet Union launched Mirs first element, called the base block or core module, enabling crews to live aboard. Over the next several years, the Soviets added five research modules, including two partially outfitted with science equipment provided by the United States as part of the Shuttle-Mir Program, to expand its capabilities and habitable volume. The overall mass of the complex increased from 45,000 pounds to 285,900 pounds, and its habitable volume from 3,200 cubic feet to 12,400 cubic feet, at the time the largest spacecraft in orbit.

During its 13 years of human occupancy, Mir hosted 104 cosmonauts and astronauts from 13 countries and space agencies.

Space shuttle Atlantis docked with Mir in July 1995.

The first crew to occupy Mir, Leonid D. Kizim and Vladimir A. Solovev, launched on March 13, 1986. During their 125-day mission, they not only began commissioning the new station but also spent 50 days at the older Salyut-7 space station, conducting experiments and bringing 880 pounds of equipment, including a guitar, back to Mir.

By the time Sergei V. Zalyotin and Aleksandr Y. Kaleri, the 28th and final main expedition crew, departed the station on June 16, 2000, Mir accumulated an impressive series of accomplishments. Among these were the three longest space missions to date, extending the spaceflight record first to 326 days, then to 366 days, and finally to 438 days, a record that stands to this day.

Mir photographed by the STS-91 crew in June 1998.

Mir hosted nine international astronauts as part of long-duration missions, including seven Americans as part of the Shuttle-Mir program and numerous short-term visitors, including the crews of nine space shuttle missions. Of the Mir visitors, 42 went on to fly on the ISS, bringing their previous experience to bear on the assembly and operations of the new facility.

Mirs first resident crew, Leonid D. Kizim, left, and Vladimir A. Solovyov, prepare to board their spacecraft at the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Soviet Kazakhstan.

Mirs controlled deorbit and reentry followed a carefully planned stepwise approach. On October 19, 2000, Progress M43 arrived at Mir and used its engines to boost the station to a higher orbit, allowing for a controlled deorbit early the following year.

Mir expedition 18 Commander Vladimir N. Dezhurov, left, and STS-71 Commander Robert L. Hoot Gibson shake hands during the first Shuttle-Mir Program docking.

Progress M1-5 arrived on January 27, 2001, carrying 5,900 pounds of propellant for the deorbit burns. Through February, Mir lost orbital altitude at a somewhat unpredictable rate of 200 to 650 meters per day, the uncertainty caused by variability in solar heating of the Earths upper atmosphere. On February 19, the space station celebrated 15 years of in-orbit operations.

Mirs final resident crew, Sergei V. Zalyotin, left, and Aleksandr Y. Kaleri following their landing in Kazakhstan.

By March 1, its altitude had dropped to 164 miles, and the rate of descent increased to one mile per day. In the early morning hours, Moscow time, of March 23, Progress M1-5 fired its eight docking and attitude control thrusters, generating a total thrust of 220 pounds, for nearly 22 minutes. This changed Mirs orbital altitude to 136 by 117 miles. One orbit later, a second burn lasting 24 minutes dropped the low point of Mirs orbit to 98 miles. Mir then completed two more orbits around the Earth before the final burn using the Progress thrusters and its main rendezvous engine for a total of 660 pounds of thrust. Controllers allowed the engines to burn to fuel depletion as Mir passed out of radio contact with the ground.

Debris of Mir streaking through the sky as seen from Fiji as it reentered the Earths atmosphere.

Mir entered the Earths atmosphere at an altitude of about 62 miles and began to disintegrate at about 50 miles. Debris impacted the south Pacific east of New Zealand. Among those present to observe Mirs reentry from the island nation of Fiji were Mir designer Leonid A. Gorshkov and cosmonauts Sergei V. Avdeyev, Yelena Y. Kondakova, Musa K. Manarov, and Vladimir G. Titov, all of whom spent at least six months aboard Mir.

Also, monitoring and controlling Mirs deorbit and reentry were the operators in the Russian flight control center (TsUP is the Russian acronym) located in the Moscow suburb of Korolev. Their professionalism in carrying out the task must have been mixed with strong emotions as they watched the end of the space station on which many had devoted their entire careers, working in the TsUP for all of the base blocks 86,331 orbits around the Earth as it traveled 2.2 billion miles. The workers took solace that the ISS was in its earliest stages of assembly, and many of the lessons learned from Mir, including how to deorbit such a large spacecraft, would be passed on to the new program.

Excerpt from:
20 Years Ago: Space Station Mir Reenters Earths Atmosphere and Disintegrates - SciTechDaily

It tastes like rose petals. It smells like a campfire. It glistens with a burnt-orange hue. What is it? A 5,000-euro ($5,900) bottle of Petrus Pomerol wine that spent a year in space.

Researchers in Bordeaux are analysing a dozen bottles of the precious liquid along with 320 snippets of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines that returned to Earth in January after a sojourn aboard the International Space Station.

They announced their preliminary impressions on Wednesday mainly, that weightlessness didnt ruin the wine and it seemed to energise the vines.

Organisers say its part of a longer-term effort to make plants on Earth more resilient to climate change and disease by exposing them to new stresses, and to better understand the aging process, fermentation and bubbles in wine.

At a one-of-a-kind tasting this month, 12 connoisseurs sampled one of the space-travelled wines, blindly tasting it alongside a bottle from the same vintage that had stayed in a cellar.

A special pressurized device delicately uncorked the bottles at the Institute for Wine and Vine Research in Bordeaux. The tasters solemnly sniffed, stared and eventually, sipped.

I have tears in my eyes, Nicolas Gaume, CEO and co-founder of the company that arranged the experiment, Space Cargo Unlimited, told The Associated Press.

Alcohol and glass are normally prohibited on the International Space Station, so each bottle of wine was packed inside a special steel cylinder during the journey [File: NASA via AP]Alcohol and glass are normally prohibited on the International Space Station, so each bottle was packed inside a special steel cylinder during the journey.

At a news conference Wednesday, Gaume said the experiment focused on studying the lack of gravity which creates tremendous stress on any living species on the wine and vines.

We are only at the beginning, he said, calling the preliminary results encouraging.

Jane Anson, a wine expert and writer with Decanter, said the wine that remained on Earth tasted a little younger than the one that had been to space.

Chemical and biological analysis of the wines aging process could allow scientists to find a way to artificially age fine vintages, said Dr Michael Lebert, a biologist at Germanys Friedrich-Alexander-University who was consulted on the project.

The vine snippets known as canes in the grape-growing world not only survived the journey but also grew faster than vines on Earth, despite limited light and water.

Once the researchers determine why, Lebert said that could help scientists develop sturdier vines on Earth and pave the way for grape-growing and winemaking in space.

Christophe Chateau of the Bordeaux Wine-Makers Council welcomed the research as a good thing for the industry, but predicted it would take a decade or more to lead to practical applications. Chateau, who was not involved in the project, described ongoing efforts to adjust grape choices and techniques to adapt to ever-warmer temperatures.

The wine of Bordeaux is a wine that gets its singularity from its history but also from its innovations, he told The AP. And we should never stop innovating.

Private investors helped fund the project, which the researchers hope to continue on further space missions. The cost wasnt disclosed.

For the average earthling, the main question is: What does cosmic wine taste like?

For me, the difference between the space and Earth wine it wasnt easy to define, said Franck Dubourdieu, a Bordeaux-based agronomist and oenologist, an expert in the study of wine and winemaking.

Researchers said each of the 12 panelists had an individual reaction. Some observed burnt-orange reflections. Others evoked aromas of cured leather or a campfire.

The one that had remained on Earth, for me, was still a bit more closed, a bit more tannic, a bit younger. And the one that had been up into space, the tannins had softened, the side of more floral aromatics came out, Anson said.

But whether the vintage was space-flying or earthbound, she said, They were both beautiful.

Original post:
Space wine: Researchers analyse wine that spent year on ISS - Al Jazeera English