Category Archives: Space Station

ISS Expedition 42 - Progress M-26 (M58) Docks With The Space Station
ISS Expedition 42 - Progress M-26 (M58) Docks With The Space Station Video Credit: NASA.

By: Matthew Travis

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ISS Expedition 42 - Progress M-26 (M58) Docks With The Space Station - Video

A series of upcoming spacewalks at the International Space Station will begin a day late.

The first spacewalk by a pair of U.S. astronauts was supposed to occur Friday. But on Thursday, NASA bumped it to Saturday to complete a spacesuit investigation.

The second spacewalk is now Wednesday; the third is March 1. The extensive, outdoor cable-routing work will prepare for the arrival of new commercial crew capsules in 2017.

Two critical fan and pump units for the astronauts' spacesuits failed recently during routine maintenance in orbit. Engineers suspect water seeped into the bearings, causing them to corrode and seize up.

Both units were returned to Earth on the Dragon capsule last week. The spacesuits that will be used for the spacewalks have check out fine.

NASA says a pump failure would cut short a spacewalk, but not endanger anyone. An unrelated problem with the same component led to an astronaut's near-drowning in 2013.

Kenny Todd, a space station manager, said earlier this week that the corrosion is likely the result of frequent water sampling put in place after the 2013 episode.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Terry Virts are the designated spacewalkers. The space agency would like to pull off all three spacewalks before Wilmore leaves the orbiting lab in mid-March.

Private companies SpaceX and Boeing are working on crew capsules under NASA contract to ferry U.S. astronauts to and from the space station. NASA lost the ability to launch its own crews when the space shuttles retired in 2011, and is paying Russia for crew transportation.

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NASA Delays Space Station Spacewalk Because of Suit Issue

Newly 3-D printed wrenches, data to improve cooling systems, protein crystals and seedling samples returned Feb. 10 aboard SpaceX's fifth contracted resupply mission to the International Space Station. Researchers will use samples and data returned to improve scientific studies on Earth and build on research that will enable space exploration.

Printed parts and hardware returned from the first phase of operations for the 3-D Printing In Zero-G technology demonstration aboard the station. A study team from Made in Space and NASA demonstrated the first ever 3-D printer in space using relatively low-temperature plastic feedstock on the space station. To conclude the test phase, a ratchet wrench was printed using a design file transmitted from the ground to the printer.

"For the printer's final test in this phase of operations, NASA wanted to validate the process for printing on demand, which will be critical on longer journeys to Mars," explained Niki Werkheiser, the space station 3-D printer program manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Insight from demonstrations in microgravity also may help improve 3-D printing technology on Earth.

Many physical science investigations take place aboard the space station. Hardware and data from the recent Device for the study of Critical Liquids and Crystallization Alice Like Insert (DECLIC-ALI) returned aboard Dragon.

On the orbital laboratory, researchers examined liquids at the verge of boiling to understand how the flow of heat in liquids behaves in microgravity. This is important to the development of cooling systems for space exploration with additional applications to waste disposal and recycling processes on Earth.

Samples, hardware and data from several biology and biotechnology studies returned with completion of this SpaceX contracted resupply mission. The Advancing Membrane Protein Crystallization by Using Microgravity (CASIS PCG HDPCG-2) investigation targeted producing high-quality crystals of the cystic fibrosis protein and other closely related proteins.

Since many medically relevant proteins are difficult to crystalize on Earth, researchers attempt to grow them in space to help determine their shape and structure for drug development. Scientists hope to improve drug therapies for cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs and digestive system.

The model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, or thale cress, seedlings feature heavily in these next three studies of which samples returned with the SpaceX Dragon. Growing model organisms like these to study plant biology in space may enable future space exploration by serving as a source of food and helping to create breathable air for astronauts.

Samples from the Advanced Plant Experiments 03-1 (APEX-03-1) were returned to help scientists better understand the effects of microgravity on the development of roots and cells on plant seedlings.

Researchers will conduct a detailed analysis on the returned plant samples to scrutinize the molecular and genetic mechanisms that control plant development. With this knowledge, scientists may be able to improve agricultural and bioenergy research on Earth, leading to crops that use resources more efficiently.

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Space Station 3-D Printed Items, Seedlings Return in the Belly of a Dragon

Astronauts Terry Virts, left, and Expedition 42 commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore, right, inside the space station's airlock where they have been readying their suits for three planned spacewalks. The excursions will kick off a busy year of work to ready the station for eventual visits by new U.S. commercial crew ferry ships. NASA TV

NASA space station managers decided Thursday to delay the first two of three planned spacewalks by one day to give flight controllers and engineers a chance to catch their collective breath after exhaustive troubleshooting to verify the health of critical internal spacesuit components.

Expedition 42 commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Terry Virts plan to install more than 760 feet of power and data cables needed for new docking mechanisms that will be used by commercial crew ferry ships being built by Boeing and SpaceX. They also plan to install and hook up two sets of antennas, part of a new communications system that will be used by crews approaching and departing the lab complex.

The first spacewalk, originally planned for Friday, will slip to Saturday, starting around 7:10 a.m. EST (GMT-5) and the second outing will move one day to Wednesday. The third EVA remains on track for March 1 as originally planned pending additional review.

The decision to press ahead, albeit with a slight delay, was made after engineers concluded the suits that will be worn by Wilmore and Virts were healthy and not likely to suffer failures due to corrosion like that found in two spacesuit fan/pump/separator assemblies that were returned to Earth for analysis.

The modules in question circulate oxygen and cooling water throughout the spacesuit using a common motor and drive shaft. Each suit also is equipped with an emergency backup system.

After extensive troubleshooting, engineers concluded the drive shaft bearing corrosion seen in the fan assemblies shipped back to Earth likely was the result of additional testing implemented after water backed up into the helmet of spacewalker Luca Parmitano in 2013.

While some bearing corrosion is believed to be present in the fan/pump/separator in Virts' spacesuit, analysis indicates it is well below the threshold that could cause the unit to fail during use. And even if it did, officials said, the astronaut would have more than enough time to get back to the station's airlock using the suit's backup system.

As a result, mission managers cleared the astronauts to proceed after a one-day delay.

"We're not in a big hurry out get out the door on these," said a NASA spokesman. "Twenty four hours will just kind of make life easier."

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Three spacewalks to kick off big year aboard the ISS

On Friday, two astronauts will begin the first of a series of spacewalks designed to ready the International Space Station to handle a growing number of space taxis ferrying supplies and humans to the orbiter.

NASA's Commander Barry Wilmore and Flight Engineer Terry Virts will head outside of the station at 7:10 a.m. ET tomorrow for a six-and-a-half hour spacewalk. They are scheduled to begin preparing cables and communication gear for two new docking ports, according to NASA.

Astronauts will also conduct spacewalks on Tuesday, Feb. 24, and Sunday, March 1, to continue their work on the space docks.

This is the first time in several years that NASA and its international partners working on the space station have reworked the design of the orbiter.

They are preparing for an increased number of spacecraft expected to carry food, water, scientific experiments and supplies to the space station. However, the extra space docks largely will be needed because in 2017, US.-based commercial companies are expected to begin carrying astronauts back and forth to the orbiting station.

NASA has awarded contracts to SpaceX, which already is running resupply missions to the station, along with Boeing, to build and operate human space taxis.

The space agency is looking to no longer have to depend on Russia and its Soyuz space capsules to carry NASA astronauts to and from the space station. The U.S. has been dependent on Russia since NASA retired its fleet of space shuttles in 2011.

NASA noted that a pair of docking adapters, built by Boeing, will be installed on the new docking spaces after they are carried up to the station on a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft later this year.

Making room for more spacecraft to dock with the station should enable the orbiter to be home to seven astronauts, instead of the traditional six, according to the space agency.

NASA TV is scheduled to provide coverage of Friday's spacewalk, beginning at 6 a.m.

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NASA preps space station to handle more space taxis

NASA this week begins work to reassemble parts of the International Space Station to create parking spots for two commercial space taxis.

The reconfiguration, which is expected to be finished before the end of the year, is the first major overhaul of the station, which was completed in 2011 after more than a decade of space shuttle-based assembly missions.

With station construction finished, NASA retired its fleet of space shuttles and turned to Russia for crew ferry flights, a service that costs the United States more than $70 million per person.

VIDEO: Ownership of the International Space Station

NASA, which hopes to end its reliance on Russia before the end of 2017, awarded contracts to Boeing and Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, to develop, test and fly capsules that can taxi astronauts to and from the station, which orbits about 260 miles above Earth. The agency expects to pay its U.S. operators an average $58 million per person for transportation to and from the station, said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASAs commercial crew program.

Reconfiguring the station will open docking ports for Boeings CST-100 and SpaceXs Dragon capsules. One berthing slip will be at the front end of the Harmony connecting node, where the space shuttles used to dock. The other will be on Harmonys zenith, or up-facing, port.

The visiting ships also will need docking targets, communications systems and other gear, all of which will be installed during seven spacewalks planned for this year, said station operations manager Kenneth Todd.

NEWS: Space Station Laser Link Blasts Broadband from Orbit

The spacewalks kick off on Friday when station commander Barry Butch Wilmore and flight engineer Terry Virts make the first of three outings to prepare cables and communications gear. They are scheduled for two more outings on Tuesday and on March 1.

Two new International Docking Adapters, which is what the space taxis will attach to, are due to arrive aboard SpaceX Dragon cargo flights later this year, but several pieces of the station need to be rearranged before then.

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NASA Gearing Up to Reassemble the Space Station

Three spacewalks on the International Space Station by two American astronauts now are planned forSaturday, Feb. 21;Wednesday, Feb. 25; andSunday, March 1. The spacewalks will help prepare the space station for two new docking ports that will welcome U.S. commercial spacecraft launching from Florida beginning in 2017.

NASA Television coverage for all three excursions will begin at6 a.m. EST. The spacewalks are planned to begin each day around7:10 a.m.

Space station managers decidedThursdayto move the first two spacewalks by NASA's Expedition 42 Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Flight Engineer Terry Virts by one day because of added analysis of spacesuits they will wear.

Built by Boeing under contract to NASA, the International Docking Adapters are a critical component of the station's reconfiguration to ensure long-term docking ports for future commercial crew and other visiting spacecraft. They will permit the standard station crew size to grow from six to seven, potentially doubling the amount of crew time devoted to research aboard the orbiting laboratory.

The two new docking adapters will be launched to the station on a pair of SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft this year. Astronauts will install the first of two adapters on Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 on the forward end of the stations Harmony module during a future spacewalk. The second adapter will be installed on Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 after it is relocated robotically to the space-facing port of Harmony later this year.

The spacewalks will be the 185th, 186th and 187th in support of space station assembly and maintenance. Wilmore has conducted one spacewalk in his career last October. The spacewalks will be the first of Virts' career.

For the first two spacewalks, Wilmore will be designated as extravehicular (EV) crew member 1 and wear a spacesuit bearing red stripes. Virts will be EV 2 and will wear a suit with no stripes. For the third spacewalk, they will reverse roles, with Virts as EV 1 wearing red stripes, and Wilmore as EV 2 wearing a suit without stripes.

To view the recorded broadcast previewing the spacewalks, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/1EacQAj

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:

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Updated Dates Announced for Space Station U.S. Spacewalks

recycled space station | kerbal space program 2
hey guys welcome back to kerbels.

By: thepokemaster

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recycled space station | kerbal space program 2 - Video

SPACE STATION SIM #3 [HD+] - Sonnen Power - Let #39;s Play Space Station Sim
SONNEN beleuchten http://enorion.de/?p=1156 Forum: http://forum.enorion.de Alle Folgen Space Station Sim: http://goo.gl/ZOeT1C Untersttze mich auf: ht...

By: THEGAMEZONE Enorion

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SPACE STATION SIM #3 [HD+] - Sonnen Power - Let's Play Space Station Sim - Video

Apple Motion 5: Space Station Tutorial Part 1
Create this complex 3D scene using only the built-in Motion toolset. Lots of interesting and useful construction techniques here. Part Two can be found here:...

By: Simon Ubsdell

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Apple Motion 5: Space Station Tutorial Part 1 - Video