Category Archives: Space Station

Feb. 15, 2017: A team of students from Bearden Elementary entered and won the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program. Now, their test will be performed by astronauts on the International Space Station.

Michael Crowe, WBIR 7:26 PM. EST February 15, 2017

Riley Speas holds a replica of the test tube that will be sent to the International Space Station. (Photo: WBIR)

A group of Knox County students is preparing for an out of this world experience this weekend.

A team of students fro Bearden Elementary entered and won the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program. Now, their experiment on the effect of microgravity on the efficacy of antibiotics on a strain of the pink eye virus will be performed by astronauts on the International Space Station.

Students from Bearden Middle work on their experiment. (Photo: WBIR)

On the ISS, bacteria spreads much quicker because you cant use water, and its a lot harder to clean things, said Alex Hoffman, and eighth-grader at Bearden who worked on the project.

The group hopes their test could help solve one of the big problems of long-haul space travel the spread of germs on a sealed spacecraft.

Many of them could be close quarters disease that could spread really fast, said Riley Speas, another eighth-grader in the group. So to have an experiment that might help humans get to Mars faster is really exciting to think about.

Riley Speas is one of several Bearden Middle School students headed to Florida this weekend to watch their experiment launch for the ISS. (Photo: WBIR)

The students will travel to Florida this weekend for the SpaceX rocket launch, which is slated for Feb. 18. The launch has been delayed several times from August 2016.

The International Space Station. (Photo: WBIR)

The group also includes students from Vine Middle and Halls. Halls won second place, but their project will not go to space.

The Vine teams project was selected for a later launch, scheduled in June. That group is led by Melody Hawkins, an 8th grade science teacher at Vine.

Its truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for our students, she said. Im excited to see that maybe it will create a love or new passion for science they didnt have before.

The Vine experiment involved separating blue-green algae from water which could help advance water purification technology.

We focus a lot on standards, that definitely is our education model, standards based, but this gave us an opportunity to take the standard that were working on in the classroom, and extend it out into things that happen in the real world," Hawkins said.

When they found their project had been selected it was a huge surprise.

A group of students from Vine Middle School work on their experiment, which is slated to be sent to the ISS in June. (Photo: WBIR)

She passed out, laughed Sude Buyuktazeler, gesturing at Shukurani Cimpaye.

"I literally jumped out of my seat and started jumping, it was so exciting, she added.

And the educators are happy to have students taking a hands-on role in their education designing experiments and proposals that could further the future of space travel before they can drive here on earth.

It feels really, really cool because a lot of people, they don't get to help with stuff and theyre adults, said Speas. So being the age I am it's like, Woah, it's pretty awesome that I'm affecting the course of history almost.' It's pretty cool."

( 2017 WBIR)

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Knox Co. students' experiment headed to space station - WBIR.com

Last week, U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson tweeted a picture of the Chinese cabbageshes growing on the International Space Station as part of an ongoing study called, aptly enough, the Veggie Project. Think about that: Not only can someone use social media from nearly 250 miles above the planet, they can also grow delicious vegetables there, too.

I am growing cabbage on station. I love gardening on Earth, and it is just as fun in space I just need more room to plant more! pic.twitter.com/5hGMltDVCy

Peggy Whitson (@AstroPeggy) February 8, 2017

ThisFriday, the astronauts aboard the International Space Station will harvestand eatthecabbage, a variety called Tokyo Bekana, which is the first cabbage to be grown in space (astronauts have previously growna romaine variety and some flowers, too.)

Like everything else at NASA, how Tokyo Bekana was selectedinvolves research, research, and more research. Short stature and fast growth were the two main traits scientists were looking for in a crop. A variety of plants, including Swiss chard, several lettuce varieties, spinach and beets, were tested and consideredafter all, the whole point is to get the astronauts to eat their veggies. (Just kidding. In actual fact, the project is about figuring out the best way to grow vegetables in space for long-duration trips, such as goingto Mars, and to provide the crew with a means of recreation and relaxation.)

We conducted a survey of several leafy green vegetables and looked at how the crops grew, how nutritious they were, and how a taste panel felt about them, Gioia Massa, a scientist on the project, told Modern Farmer in an email. The Tokyo bekana Chinese cabbage variety was rated as the top in growth and the favorite of tasters.

Since this is space,a special system was needed. The Vegetable Production System(nickname: Veggie) forgoes soil in favor of aplant pillow that includescontrolled-release fertilizer, water, and calcined clay, which helps with aeration. The system, developed byOrbital Technologies Corp,also uses red and green LED grow lights to replacesunlight. A new, large, plant-growing system namedtheAdvanced Plant Habitat(no nick name yet) has been developed and is expected to head up to ISS sometime this year.

According to Massa, one thing the scientist have learned is that the plants are growinga bit more slowly than expected, but are generally growing well. This is pretty much uncharted territory and things dont always go as imagined.

Our testing has revealed that leaves growing under the high CO2 of the International Space Station sometimes have yellowing and we are seeing a little of this yellowing response, she says. Being able to distribute the correct level of moisture and oxygen to plant roots has been one of the biggest challenges we face. Getting other environmental conditions optimal for plants is also a challenge.

The astronauts have already successfully grown (and eaten, and experimented on) red romaine lettuce, but this is the first time Chinese cabbage will be on the menu.Whitson, who loves to garden on Earth, too, has been in charge of growing this round of vegetables.How the crew plans to enjoy this mild and peppery green hasnt been determined. It can be eaten raw as a salad green or sautedin a stir fry. But they only get to eat half the crop as the rest will be used for experiments.

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The Astronauts on the International Space Station Are About to Harvest Chinese Cabbage - Modern Farmer

Blink and you'll miss it. Astrophotographer Thierry Legault posted a spectacular video of the International Space Station bisecting the moon last week. The European Space Agency highlighted his work on Monday.

Catching a transit is tricky. Legault originally tried to photograph it from Lyon in France, but cloudy skies foiled the effort. Another attempt from Rouen, the birthplace of ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, on February 4 proved more successful. Pesquet is currently in residence on board the ISS.

The transit took place during just a fraction of a second. Legault's video first shows the station streaking along, but then slows it down to give viewers a better look at its movement as it cuts down the moon's center line.

A zoomed-in version shows off Legault's photography skills and the surprising amount of detail on display from both the ISS and the moon. You can even see the station's long solar arrays.

Astrophotographers relish the challenge of snapping an ISS transit. NASA photographer Bill Ingalls captured an image of the ISS transiting the sun in 2015 and another of it in front of the moon that same year.

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These 10 space images look unbelievable, but are actually real (pictures)

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See the space station gloriously bisect the moon - CNET

Just before 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, February 14, 2017 the ISS will fly over Asheville and be visible as it crosses overhead for just over four minutes. (Photo credit: MGN)

The International Space Station (ISS) orbits the Earth, and it's visible when it flies over Asheville, if you know where and when to look.

Just before 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, February 14, 2017 the ISS will fly over Asheville and be visible as it crosses overhead for just over four minutes.

If skies are clear in your area, look northwest at about 7:15 p.m., and wait for the ISS to become visible over the horizon. It will look like a bright, fast-moving star, and will travel overhead and move out of sight into the eastern horizon.

The ISS travels at about 17,150 mph hour, if you can believe that, and you can view how many people are aboard it right here.

You can track where the ISS is here. There's even a livecam on the ISS, and you can see what the international astronauts are seeing here.

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LOOK UP! International Space Station flies over Asheville on Valentine's Day - WLOS

AUSTIN, Texass Taft (not to be confused with Savannahs own Taft) comes to town with a unique blend of electro-pop and ethereal folk. A versatile artist, Taft is just as comfortable crafting spare vintage-pop ballads with entrancing vocals and gentle fingerpicking on songs like "Wheel" as he is throwing down thick beats and contagious hooks for electro dance bangers like "I Button Up My Shirt."

The unusual mix of textures and vocal stylings creates a genre thats the bizarre lovechild of Harry Nilsson and David Byrne bathed in sunshine.

Local hip-hop trailblazers Valore and Cunabear bring their separate acts together for a shared set.

Drinking Bleach, the solo project of Generation Pills James Lee, joins the bill, along with Goldie, a new endeavor from musician-about-town James Chapman and friends.

Thursday, February 16, 8 p.m., all-ages

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Taft, Valore & Cunabear, Goldie, Drinking Bleach @The Space Station at Starlandia Supply - Connect Savannah.com

It may look more like a Companion Cube than R2-D2, but the ISS is getting an astromechdroid of sorts.

According to [Trey Smith] of the NASA Ames Research Center, Astrobee is an autonomous robot that will be able to maneuver inside the ISS in three dimensions using vectored thrust from a pair of turbines. The floating droid will navigate visually, using a camera to pick out landmarks aboard the station, including docking ports that let it interface with power and data. A simple arm allows Astrobee to grab onto any of the hand rails inside the ISS to provide a stable point for viewing astronaut activities or helping out with the science.

As cool as Astrobee is, were intrigued by how the team at Ames is testing it. The droid is mounted on a stand that floats over an enormous and perfectly flat granite slab using low-friction CO gas bearings, giving it freedom to move in two dimensions. We cant help but wonder why they didnt suspend the Astrobee from a gantry using a counterweight to add that third dimension in. Maybe thats next.

From the sound of it, Astrobee is slated to be flight ready by the end of 2017, so well be watching to see how it does. But if they find themselves with a little free time in the schedule, perhaps adding a few 3D-printed cosmetics would allow them to enter the Hackaday Sci-Fi Contest.

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Turbine-driven Robot to Navigate Inside Space Station - Hackaday

A batch of algae has survived 16 months of direct exposure to outer space.

Quartz reports that a type of green algae and photosynthesizing bacteria remained alive while dwelling on the exterior of the International Space Station. Only one of the algae samples failed to resume growth after being brought back to Earth.

The experiment took place under the auspices of the Biology and Mars Experiment (BIOMEX) to learn more about the successes and limitations found when terrestrial life is exposed to conditions in outer space.

The terrestrial samples, which included algae, fungi, lichens, bacteria, and mosses, were positioned in pockets on the outside of the space station. There the samples were exposed to ultraviolet radiation, a near vacuum, and temperatures ranging from -4 F to 116 F.

The algae that survived belonged to species found in Norway and Antarctica. The polar algae are able to protect itself from extreme cold by forming a protective layer of thick walls and cysts while entering a dormant state.

The two algae species join the growing list of known organisms that can survive in space. The list includes bacteria, lichens, and tardigrades (better known aswater bears.)

Space survival studies may help inform future attempts to grow food in hostile conditions, such as on the surface of Mars. Algae could also prove useful to space explorers because it produces proteins and oxygen.

BIOMEX studies can also add information to the debate regarding how life began on Earth. The leading hypothesis is that life formed from a serendipitous mix of chemicals under just the right environmental conditions. Another idea is that life was delivered to Earth via asteroids and/or comets, and proving that some forms of life could survive space travel is another finding in favor of that hypothesis.

Kathy Fey is a freelance writer with a creative writing degree from Mount Holyoke College. She is an active blogger and erstwhile facilitator of science and engineering programs for children.

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Algae survive 16 months on space station exterior - The Space Reporter

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Last week, you probably heard a lot about the full 'snow moon,' the lunar eclipse, and even the faint green comet passing close to Earth. But the most stunning photo of the week involved none of those things.

Florida photographer James Boone captured a series of photos Thursday night showing the International Space Station passing in front of the bright nearly-full moon, which is known as a lunar transit. It's an incredibly difficult feat to achieve -- many photographers plan and practice for years to be ready for such an occasion.

That was indeed the case for James, who's a regular contributor of stunning weather photos to FOX 13 (see his other photos above or click over to his website). We asked him to elaborate a little on how he managed to get the shot, and if he had any advice for other astrophotographers out there.

Here are his answers:

When and where did you shoot this photo?

I shot this from near the Orlando Airport [Thursday night] around 10pm. Exact time was 10:05:38...the ISS takes less than a second to transit the Moon.

How long have you been trying to get a shot like this?

I've wanted this shot as soon as I saw similar photos online of ISS transits. I've probably planned this photo around a dozen times over the past four years...mostly missed my chances due to the weather not cooperating or because I wasn't able to drive to the location the day of the transit.

What inspired you to try for this shot?

There are a few photographers / amateur astronomers who do some incredible work and post their techniques online. Thierry Legault, a French astronomer, is probably the most inspiring. He has captured lunar and solar transits with the ISS and even the space shuttle.

Let's talk about the technical details: What kind of camera, how many exposures? How did you determine what settings to use?

For last night's transit, I had two camera setups -- one with a traditional DSLR lens and the other hooked up with a telescope. The traditional setup was a Nikon D500, Nikkor 300mm f/4 lens and a Nikkor TC-20e Teleconverter (which gives the lens two times the reach). This setup is equivalent to a 900mm lens on a 35mm camera. I also used a polar aligned tracking mount - SkyWatcher Star Adventurer on a tripod. This moves the camera at the same speed as the Earth's rotation so that the Moon stayed center of the frame during the time I was shooting.

My telescope setup was a Nikon D750 and Orion 10" Dobsonian DSE telescope with an adapter to hook the camera up to the eyepiece. The telescope setup was the most difficult one to get as you're only working with a section of the moon so you have to hope that the ISS will cross where you have the telescoped pointed. Also the D750's memory buffer fills up at around 5 seconds so I can't start shooting until the last moment.

I fired off around 20 seconds worth of exposures with my D500, so that ended up being around 200 exposures total...only six of those frames ended up showing the transit. The telescope setup I probably shot 30 exposures and it only showed up in one (and it was the first shot I took...so I was cutting it close).

And the logistics: How did you know where and when to shoot from in order to get the station lined up with the moon?

I use two sites in order to prepare for shots like this. Calsky is the standard as it's been around for years but it's also somewhat tricky to use. Thankfully they've made it a little easier to find these transits within the last couple of years. Also, Transit-Finder.com is a relatively new site but uses the same basic data as Calsky but is more focused and way more user-friendly to use. I'll probably use that one from now on. Also there are a few apps out there, like ISS Finder and SkyView, that I use for tracking the ISS that are handy when I'm shooting. I've attached one of the screenshots from the SkyView app I use.

A little about you: How long have you been shooting? Do you have a 'day job'?

I've been taking photos since I was a kid but didn't pick up a DSLR until 2008. Outside of shooting astronomical objects, I'm a motorsports shooter for races like the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and St. Pete Grand Prix. I also take photos of lightning during our storm season. And yes, I have a day job. I'm not good enough to earn a living as a full-time photographer.

What are some of your other favorite shots through the years?

Probably my most popular photos are some of my moonrise photos, storm shots and some motorsports stuff. Not everyone is into racecars, which I understand, but it is some of the toughest, most demanding photography out there. Plus I love how technically difficult it is when shooting fast cars at slow shutter speeds. Also shooting some astrophotography objects can be really rewarding once you get the image fully processed, which is a lot of work. See attached.

Any advice for aspiring photographers on getting this photo or any other tough shot?

Planning is key. For most of these transit shots, you can't actually see the ISS moving across the sky as it's either too late in the evening for the lunar transits or during the day for the solar transits. You really have to trust the data from the websites. Having a long lens or telescope is definitely a plus but this shot can be done relatively inexpensively. Also, don't give up if you don't get it the first trying to get a difficult shot. I miss plenty of shots but I also love the challenge of a truly difficult photo.

LINK: http://www.JamesBoonePhoto.com

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Photographer explains how he captured rare space station moon ... - FOX 13 News, Tampa Bay

Forbes

What It Takes For The International Space Station To Stream Video To The Internet Forbes I read on Quora that ISS has a slow Internet connection (slow as a dial-up). How do they manage to stream live HD videos from ISS to YouTube? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others ...

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What It Takes For The International Space Station To Stream Video To The Internet - Forbes

A Danish astronaut recorded the creepy moment "elusive blue jets" burst from a distant cloud in footage which has raised more questions than answers.

The unexplained phenomenon, filmed two years ago from onboard the International Space Station (ISS), appears to be a terrifying thunderstorm unfolding in space.

Despite using the station's most sensitive camera, the strange "activity" recorded over the Bay of Bengal remains a mystery.

It was perplexed scientists so much that the European Space Agency (ESA) are set to launch several experiments this year to "monitor the pulsating blue jets" shooting up out of clouds.

For years, the existence of the gigantic blue discharges has been debated, with the scientific community largely dismissing them - despite contrary reports from astronauts in space.

ESA

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who captured the footage, said: "It is not every day that you get to capture a new weather phenomenon on film, so I am very pleased with the result but even more so that researchers will be able to investigate these intriguing thunderstorms in more detail soon."

But for now, Mr Mogensen reiterated that "it's something that we know very little about".

The ESA added: "The blue discharges and jets are examples of a little-understood part of our atmosphere.

"Electrical storms reach into the stratosphere and have implications for how our atmosphere protects us from radiation."

ESA

ESA

It's something that we know very little about

Andreas Mogensen

The Danish-led investigation, named the Thor Experiment, into the "astonishing blue jets" confirmed that the beams grew to 25 miles out of the cloud before fading away.

The beams can move at speeds of up to 360,000kph (220,000mph) and without a high speed camera can be easily missed by the human eye.

Further studies into the strange phenomenon are planned for later this year, as part of a project to monitor the "transient luminious events".

ESA

Olivier Chanrion of the Danish National Space Institute in Lyngby: "We wanted to see what happens above a thunderstorm.

"What we see is that at the top of the cloud in what we call the 'turrets', there is incredible activity.

"They were dancing over the top of the cloud, and we called them glimpses.

"But it's only a first step and we need to find out more."

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Eerie space footage from ISS captures 'blue jets' bursting from alien ... - Express.co.uk