Category Archives: Space Station

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA)Three South Carolina high school students whose experiment was chosen for the International Space Station have gotten the results back. Tevin Glover, Parker Matthews, and Cedric McQueen are all sophomores at Keenan High in Columbia and had their experiment chosen after a contest.

The experiment used starch mixed with water to see if the microgravity of space would affect the transparency of the mixture, called its turbidity. They had a sample here on earth, called a ground truth, for comparison.

Cedric McQueen says, After we measured the turbidity, our ground truth and the experiment we sent up to space had the same turbidity, so it showed microgravity didnt really have any effect on the turbidity of the liquid, so basically that means the starch concentration, it wasnt affected.

The experiment has implications for the ability to grow plants in space or on other planets, something that will be crucial to mans ability to travel greater distances in space. Tevin Glover says, If all this light can pass through the substance on the ground and all the light can also pass through in microgravity, then that shows that we can have plant growth in space.

They plan to design other experiments to test other variables.

The fact that they had an experiment chosen for the space station has made them celebrities on campus, and their science and engineering teacher, Kareem Beckett, says hell use their example with other students. Theyre like the first ones to do it, and Im quite sure that were going to have other competitions for the students to actually be able to compete to do activities like this, he says.

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SC students get results back from space station experiment - WSPA.com

By Chelsea Whyte

NASA is running out of space suits, and new ones are years away from being flight-ready. This was the finding of an audit released on 26 April by the NASA Office of Inspector General, relating to the agencys three next-generation spacesuit development projects.

Future missions might send humans deeper into space than ever before, so new suits need to be designed to handle the challenging conditions. Recent efforts, which have not been linked to a specific mission or destination, have cost almost $200 million since 2007 but have yet to produce a suitable option for deep-space missions.

The suits currently used during spacewalks from the International Space Station, called Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMU), were designed more than 40 years ago and were intended to last 15 years.

NASA currently uses 11 of the 18 original backpack-like life support systems, which were updated with glove heaters, improved lights and cameras, and an emergency propulsion module in the 1990s. The most recent loss of one of these suits happened during the 2015 explosion of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which was ferrying cargo to the ISS.

Yet US involvement on the space station is funded until 2024. NASA will be challenged to continue to support ISS needs with the current fleet of EMUs through 2024, a challenge that will escalate significantly if Station operations are extended to 2028, the report says.

Over the past decade, NASAs focus on developing new spacesuits has been split between three programmes. The Constellation Space Suit System was being designed for use on missions for the Constellation Program, which was canceled in 2010. Despite that, NASA continued to pay to develop spacesuit technologies for six years after the cancellation, ultimately spending $135 million.

The Advanced Space Suit Project was meant to develop suits with more mobility to sustain astronauts on a mission to Mars. The Orion Crew Survival System was a design for a spacesuit that could withstand fire, smoke or toxic chemicals if there was an emergency on the launch pad.

Any of these would need to be far enough along in the design process to be tested on the ISS before the end of the programme in 2024, and at current funding levels that may not be possible, according to the report.

Inspector General Paul Martin recommended that NASA end the Constellation spacesuit design contract and develop a plan for producing and testing next-generation spacesuits on the ISS before 2024.

William Gerstenmaier, head of Human Exploration and Operations for NASA, said in a response letter that the report is a fair assessment of the current state of extravehicular spacesuits and accepted the recommendations, although he said the report is overly critical of the Constellation Space Suit System and that the technology developed for it may be used to improve current suits.

Read more: NASA rushes spacesuit repair kit to space station

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NASA might run out of space suits before it quits the ISS - New Scientist

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A week after the successful launch of its first cargo spacecraft, the Tianzhou-1, China announced its plans to build its own permanent base in space similar to the International Space Station.

According to Chinese officials, the planned base in orbit will take them a step closer to becoming a major space power. Construction of the ambitious project is set to commence in about two years.

Chinas Tianzhou-1 spacecraft completed the first of three planned docking attempts with the orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 two days after it was launched on April 20. Directed by the China National Space Administration, the five-day refueling was successfully completed on Thursday, reports Daily Mail.

This again announces the ambition and aspiration of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese people, and our resolute confidence in becoming a major space power, Wang Zhaoyao, the space station projects supervisor was quoted as saying.

After completing experimental stage spaceflight missions, we will enter the development and construction phase. According to our plans, we will carry out the assembly and construction of Chinas manned space station between 2019 and 2022.

The announcement also comes after news of the Chinese and European space agencies reported possible collaboration to construct a base on the moon. The proposed Moon Village was disclosed by the director-general of the European Space Agency ESA, Johann-Dietrich Woerner.The report was later confirmed by CNSA secretary general Tian Yulong and verified by ESA spokesperson, Pal Hvistendahl.

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China to Start Building Its Own Orbital Space Station in Two Years - NextShark

HOLLYWOOD, CA--(Marketwired - May 2, 2017) - nFsz, Inc. ( OTCQB : FUSZ ), (formerly bBooth) the Hollywood-based digital technology company, is pleased to announce the continued expansion of its senior executive team to include notable NASA projects engineer Mohammad Amanullah, who joins nFsz as Director of Broadcast & Government Applications and a Member of its Advisory Board. In his new role, Mr. Amanullah will lead the Company's Interactive Video Broadcast & Government product strategy and related customer acquisition initiatives.

Prior to joining nFsz, Mr. Amanullah served as Senior Hardware Engineer for Lockheed Martin Corporation at Johnson Space Center in Houston responsible for video system design and development for NASA's Mission Control Center (MCC), including the MCCS, MCC-21 and the International Space Station (ISS). As video lead for NASA's MCC-21 and ISS programs, Mr. Amanullah redesigned the video systems and was the training coordinator for the platform engineering department.

With more than 40 year's experience, Mr. Amanullah also held senior engineering positions at Ford Aerospace Corporation, where he was responsible for systems design and development, configuration, coordination, implementation and testing of the data, audio and video transmission for the Space Shuttle Program. He also held a senior engineering position at the US Department of Treasury for the U.S. / Saudi Arabia Joint Commission.

"We're about to release notifiCRM version 3.0 of our interactive video-based CRM/Lead Gen application for sales based-organizations that seek a truly effective tool designed to help even inexperienced salespeople close deals -- not merely track and report sales activity to management," states Rory J. Cutaia, nFsz CEO. "Because we intend to lead and not simply follow the interactive video revolution, we've begun testing a soon to be released platform to expand beyond CRM and bring our interactive video experience to broadcast video. Imagine watching the Olympics and being able to click on your favorite athlete's jersey and buy it, or simply see his or her recent stats, without interrupting the action on screen. This capability and more is coming and it's coming soon," continues Mr. Cutaia.

"To execute plans of this magnitude requires bold, experienced talent. Mohammad Amanullah knows first-hand what it takes to be the first, to accomplish that which others only dream, and we are thrilled to welcome him to our team," states Mr. Cutaia.

"I've spent my entire career at the forefront of technological innovation," states Mr. Amanullah. "And I know very well what it takes to achieve it. I am inspired by the talent, dedication, ingenuity and leadership of this company and I am thrilled to be part of the nFsz team," states Mr. Amanullah.

About nFsz, Inc. nFsz, Inc. ( OTCQB : FUSZ ) is a Hollywood-based digital tech company. Our proprietary next generation interactive video technology is the core of our new broadcast and cloud-based, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products. We offer subscription-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM), sales lead generation, and social engagement software on mobile and desktop platforms for sales-based organizations, consumer brands, and artists seeking greater levels of engagement and higher conversion rates. Our software platform can accommodate any size campaign or sales organization, and is enterprise-class scalable to meet the needs of today's global organizations. Our service is built around our proprietary 'Video-First' Notifi technology, which places interactive video front and center in all customer and prospect communications. We've re-invented what a CRM, lead-gen tool should be in today's video-centric business and social environment. Now watch for our live broadcast interactive video platform that will redefine what 'engagement' means in consumer video consumption.

For more information on nFsz, Inc., visit http://www.nFusz.com.

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

This press release may contain "forward-looking" information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In accordance with the safe harbor provisions of this Act, statements contained herein that look forward in time that include everything other than historical information, involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the Company's actual results. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and there are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by the Company, including, but not limited to, plans and objectives of management for future operations or products, the market acceptance or future success of our products, and our future financial performance. The Company cautions that these forward-looking statements are further qualified by other factors including, but not limited to, those set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, and other filings with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (available at http://www.sec.gov). The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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nFusz Adds Space Station Engineer to Senior Executive Team - Yahoo Finance

A Finnish research organization says it has come up with another way to put Microsoft's HoloLens augmented reality headset to use on the International Space Station (ISS).

If it works as advertised, the new augmented reality (AR) system will let ISS staffers "see" telemetry and other data that would otherwise be invisible to them. That in turn, frees them up to perform manual maintenance and diagnostic tasks, according to the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, which led the project for the European Space Agency.

This is not the first time HoloLens has been considered for work in space: NASA has been working with the technology as well.

AR technology mixes virtual elements with real-world surroundings. Many consumers experienced AR by playing Pokemon Go last year. But the technology is also touted by tech companies including Salesforce ( crm ) , IBM ( ibm ) , and Microsoft ( msft ) for use by businesses for repair, maintenance, and training.

Many maintenance taskson earth or in spaceare slowed down because technicians have to continually refer to printed or online data for instructions. AR technologywhich superimposes data in graphics, text, or video form into the field of vision (and audio into their earpiece)means they can focus on what's in front of them without having to look away. This also leaves their hands free for the task at hand.

Related: Microsoft HoloLens Goes Global

Per the VTT statement, the system "displays detailed visual instructions on the astronauts' AR glasses, guiding them step by step to perform the necessary procedures in the right order, such as 'now press this button, then turn the lever (B)." The biggest perk is the technicians now are shown exactly where the problem is and then what to do about it.

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VTT says the system, produced with partners including Thales Alenia Space, has been tested at the ESA's European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. It is unclear if and when it will be deployed in space.

Original post:
Microsoft HoloLens Could Aid in Space Station Repair | Fortune.com - Fortune

VTT participates in the development of new AR tools for the European Space Agency (ESA)

An international project led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland developed a new augmented reality (AR) tool for the ESA. In the future, it is envisaged that astronauts will be able to use this tool to perform maintenance tasks and real-time equipment monitoring in the demanding conditions of space. The first practical tests carried out at ESA's European Astronaut Centre produced excellent results.

The two-year EdcAR project (Engineering data in cross platform AR) led by VTT developed a solution to the challenges involved in maintenance and the provision of work instructions, which have been an issue for more than a decade.

Since maintenance and other work tasks in space are critical, they must be carried out without errors and at the right time. Preparing for these requires in-depth practising, which involves coordinating the activities of various experts. Since astronauts' time is extremely valuable, their tasks and maintenance instructions must be unambiguous.

Proceeding step by step, making the invisible visible The EdcAR project developed a new AR system intended to improve the performance of manual tasks in the frame of the Space Industry. The system is expected to reduce mistakes, speed up the tasks and improve the clarity of the instruction by the use of AR technology. The major benefit is the real-time location of the point requiring maintenance.

This information is transmitted to the astronaut's AR glasses explicitly and at the right time by using text, graphics, video, sound etc. The system displays detailed visual instructions on the astronauts' AR glasses, guiding them step by step to perform the necessary procedures in the right order, such as "now press this button", "then turn the lever (B)".

The new system also makes the invisible visible by enabling the visualization of telemetry data from equipment and other systems on board the space station, such as fault diagnostics, the latest maintenance data, life cycle, radiation, pressure or temperature - both in space and on the ground. All of this information can be displayed on the AR glasses.

"The AR system that we developed runs on the Microsoft HoloLens platform. It supports the astronauts' work in a completely new way by displaying key telemetry data through an IoT (Internet-of-Things) interface," explains Project Manager Kaj Helin of VTT.

"This is very impressive! We are exploring possibilities for an EdcAR follow on," says David Martinez Oliveira, Technical Officer, ESA.

The first practical tests of the new AR systems have been performed in the ISS-Columbus training mock-up located in the ESA's on-ground European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. The test team included an experienced astronaut.

The AR system can be applied in a number of sectors, such as the aviation industry, machine building, ships, mining machines and power plants.

The two-year project was funded by ESA. The project partners are VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Thales Alenia Space, Italy and France, and ICCS (Institute of Communications and Computer Systems), Greece.

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Augmented reality increases maintenance reliability at a space station - Space Daily

By the time the NFL Draft reaches Day 3, things are starting to get less interesting. So bring on the hijinks!

The Houston Texans won Round 4, not because offensive tackle Julien Davenport was some remarkably great pick though his raw tools and smarts should make him a nice project but because they tapped into their citys astronomicroots.

The woman in suspension was Peggy Whitson on the International Space Station. She holds the record for most consecutive days living in space, and shes doing something tremendously important to the human race in researching how we all could one day survive out there. She obviously had to pre-tape her segment, so she threw it down to retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly from Space Center Houston.

Houston, we have a draft pick, Kelly said before announcing the Davenport pick.

Very good. All drafts should be on space ships.

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The Houston Texans went to space to announce their Round 4 NFL Draft pick - For The Win

An artist's concept of China's space station, with the initial module set to launch in 2018. Credit: CMSA

Chinese officials said Friday theyre ready to move ahead with development of a space station after testing refueling technologies in space.

The Tianzhou-1 spacecraft successfully transferred propellant to the Tiangong-2 module this week after docking with the lab module on Saturday.

That test, officials said, clears the way for development of a permanent space station, with various components to be launched between 2019 and 2022. [Reuters]

More News

NASA now acknowledges that the first launch of the Space Launch System will slip to 2019. In a response to a GAO report issued Thursday, NASA said that holding the current November 2018 date for the EM-1 mission is not in the best interest in the program and that NASA was in the process of determining a new launch date, sometime in 2019. The GAO report concluded, prior to NASAs response, that EM-1 was likely to be delayed because of various issues with the rocket, Orion spacecraft and ground systems that had depleted cost and schedule reserves on those programs. [SpaceNews]

Weather looks good for Sundays scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 from Florida. Forecasts issued Thursday predict an 80 percent chance of acceptable weather during a two-hour launch window that opens at 7 a.m. Eastern at Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A. The Falcon 9 is carrying a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office on a mission designated NROL-76. The NRO released the missions patch Thursday, which the agency says represents Lewis & Clark heading into the great unknown. [Florida Today / Twitter @NatReconOfc ]

Congress is set to pass a one-week stopgap spending bill Friday to at least delay the threat of a government shutdown. The House is scheduled to vote on the continuing resolution (CR) Friday after delaying a vote on a healthcare bill that threatened to jeopardize the deal, with the Senate to follow. The current CR funding government agencies expires tonight. The new CR funds the government through May 5, giving appropriators more time to finalize a spending bill for the rest of the 2017 fiscal year. [Washington Post]

Russias deputy prime minister said recent dismissals of several veteran cosmonauts are part of a planned renewal of the Russian cosmonaut corps. Dmitry Rogozin said Thursday that the average age of cosmonauts is 53, and that Roscosmos needed new, younger cosmonauts as it plans for activities beyond the end of the International Space Station in 2024. Roscosmos dismissed three veteran cosmonauts earlier this week, after another, Gennady Padalka, announced plans to resign. [TASS]

The Canadian government will provide funding for two new space projects, ministers announced Thursday. The Canadian Space Agency will receive $80.9 million (US$59.3 million) over five years to develop a radar mapping instrument for a future NASA Mars orbiter mission and a test of quantum communications technologies in space. The agency also announced plans to award grants to Canadian universities to fund the development of cubesats. [Canadian Press / CSA]

NASA released Thursday the first images taken by the Cassini spacecraft as it made its dive between Saturn and its rings. The images show a giant cyclonic storm and a large number of small, filamentary clouds, which scientists taking their first look at the images found particularly interesting. The images came from a close approach earlier this week, the first of 22 in the Grand Finale phase of the mission that ends with Cassinis plunge into Saturns atmosphere in mid-September. [Science News]

The U.S. Postal Service will release a first-of-its-kind stamp to commemorate an upcoming solar eclipse. The stamp, set to debut June 20, shows an image of a solar eclipse. Touching the black disk in the center activates thermochromic ink to reveal an image of the full moon. The stamp marks the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse that will be visible on a path cutting across the country, from Oregon to South Carolina. [GeekWire]

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China ready to move ahead with development of a space station after refueling tests - SpaceNews

April 28, 2017 Credit: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

An international project led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a new augmented reality (AR) tool for the ESA. In the future, it is envisaged that astronauts will be able to use this tool to perform maintenance tasks and real-time equipment monitoring in the demanding conditions of space. The first practical tests carried out at ESA's European Astronaut Centre produced excellent results.

The two-year EdcAR project (Engineering data in cross platform AR) led by VTT developed a solution to the challenges involved in maintenance and the provision of work instructions, which have been an issue for more than a decade. Since maintenance and other work tasks in space are critical, they must be carried out without errors and at the right time. Preparing for these requires in-depth practice, which involves coordinating the activities of various experts. Since astronauts' time is extremely valuable, their tasks and maintenance instructions must be unambiguous.

The EdcAR project developed a new AR system intended to improve the performance of manual tasks in space. The system is expected to reduce mistakes, speed up the tasks and improve the clarity of instructions via AR technology. The major benefit is the real-time location of the point requiring maintenance. This information is transmitted to the astronaut's AR glasses at the right time by using text, graphics, video, sound etc. The system displays detailed visual instructions on the astronauts' AR glasses, guiding them step by step to perform the necessary procedures in the right order, such as "now press this button," "then turn the lever (B)."

The new system also makes the invisible visible by enabling the visualization of telemetry data from equipment and other systems on board the space station, such as fault diagnostics, the latest maintenance data, life cycle, radiation, pressure or temperatureboth in space and on the ground. All of this information can be displayed on the AR glasses.

"The AR system that we developed runs on the Microsoft HoloLens platform. It supports the astronauts' work in a completely new way by displaying key telemetry data through an IoT (Internet-of-Things) interface," explains Project Manager Kaj Helin of VTT.

"This is very impressive. We are exploring possibilities for an EdcAR follow on," says David Martinez Oliveira, Technical Officer, ESA. The first practical tests of the new AR systems have been performed in the ISS-Columbus training mock-up located in the ESA's on-ground European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. The test team included an experienced astronaut.

Explore further: Industrial maintenance is becoming knowledge work

British inventor Richard Browning lifted off from the shore of Vancouver Harbor on Thursday in a personal flight suit that inspired references to comic superhero 'Iron Man.'

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Amazon's digital assistant Alexa is being transformed into a fashionista in a new device that was unveiled Wednesday.

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Intelligent machines of the future will help restore memory, mind your children, fetch your coffee and even care for aging parents.

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Augmented reality increases maintenance reliability at a space station - Phys.Org

NASA spent nearly $200 million on three new spacesuit designs for deep space exploration, although only one of the suits will be ready for testing on the International Space Station (ISS) before it retires in 2024, according to an audit by the agency.

Despite this investment, the Agency [NASA] remains years away from having a flight-ready spacesuit capable of replacing the [current spacesuit] or suitable forfuture exploration missions, stated the report, which was released on April 26.

Among the three design projects, auditors were critical of NASA spending $148 million on the Constellation Space Suit System (CSSS) program, which began with a contract issued to Oceaneering International to develop a suit for the Constellation exploration program in 2009.

A year later, the Obama administration canceled the project but NASA kept the contract active until January 2016, spending an additional $80.6 million on developing portions of the spacesuit technology, according to the audit.

NASA said it continued the contract because it wanted to keep the industry engaged in spacesuit design. Auditors dismissed this argument, however, noting the agencys in-house projects shared several contractors and primary subcontractors with Oceaneering.

The report found that by extending the program it duplicated work on another spacesuit design, the Advance Space Suit Project (ASSP). Designs for the ASSP were more advanced than the CSSS, but the auditors found NASA spent three times as much on the latters design.

Auditors found the ASSP had weaknesses including the lack of defined destinations for exploration missions, which affected the suit design, as well as competing funding priorities leading to the project only being financed for half a year in 2016.

The ASSP was redirected to a spacesuit design known as Exploration EMU, or xEMU, which will be tested on the ISS, but not until 2023.

This schedule leaves only one year for testing before the Stations planned 2024 retirement, the report stated, but added that extending the ISS operations beyond 2024 would alleviate this schedule pressure.

A third program, the Orion Crew Survival Suit, a pressure suit designed for use on the Orion spacecraft, is also facing delays, with the suit on track to be available only five months before the current launch date for the first crewed Orion mission in August 2021.

The audit was issued the same week President Donald Trump placed an inter-orbital call to NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson to congratulate her on setting a record for time spent in space and expressed his own goals for Mars.

Tell me, he asked. For Mars, what do you see as a timing for actually sending people to Mars? Is there a schedule, and when do you see that happening? In reply, Whitson told the president that NASA could go to Mars by the 2030s.

Unfortunately spaceflight takes a lot of time and money, she said. Getting there will require some international cooperation, a planet-wide approach in order to make it successful just because it is a very expensive endeavor.

Well, we want to try and do it during my first term or, at worst, during my second term, Trump responded. So well have to speed that up a little bit, okay?

Trump has already proposed cutting NASAs budget by about 1 percent in fiscal year 2018.

Auditors recommended the agency create a plan for developing a next-generation spacesuit and conduct a trade study comparing maintaining the current EMU spacesuits versus developing a new one, and apply lessons learned from existing spacesuit efforts to new designs.

NASA accepted the recommendations and said it would have a spacesuit development plan completed by the end of September, although its chief of human spaceflight, William Gerstenmaier, argued the report was overly critical and disagreed with the auditors findings over the work with Oceaneering.

NASA astronauts currently use spacesuits called ExtraVehicular Mobility Units, originally designed 40 years ago. The EMUs have been redesigned and completely refurbished multiple times since then. The space agency concluded its design life could last until 2028, but it would not meet the agencys needs for deep space exploration.

The space agency only has 11 of the original 18 EMU units left for future operations. They are also ill-suited to exploring planetary surfaces because they lack the hip flexibility needed to walk.

Read more:
NASA next gen spacesuits not ready before Intl Space Station retires audit - RT