Category Archives: Space Station

Some 2.5 tons of freight are speeding toward the International Space Station following Saturday morning's successful launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket topped with the company's Dragon cargo capsule.

The rocket launched at4:47 a.m.Eastern Standard Time from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, following an aborted launch attempt Jan. 6. That launch was scrubbed less than two minutes before lift-off after launch controllers reported that a key component in the steering mechanism for the rocket's second stage wasn't working properly.

This morning's launch went flawlessly, delivering the capsule to orbit some 17 minutes after launch. It's the companys fifth formal cargo flight to the station under a $1.6 billion agreement with NASA to resupply the space station.

Although the mission's primary goal is to deliver the goods to the station, the launch also represented Space Exploration Technology Corporation's first try at returning a first-stage booster safely back to Earth. In this case, Earth was represented by a football-field-size, ocean-going platform dubbed the autonomous spaceport drone ship.

Three times before, Falcon 9 boosters had soft-landed into the ocean during initial tests of the booster-return system. This time, with landing legs added, the stage was to have set down on the platform.

Instead, tweeted SpaceX CEO and chief technology officer Elon Musk, "Rocket made it to drone spaceport ship, but landed hard. Close, but no cigar this time. Bodes well for the future tho."

Even so, landing with a resounding thud could be considered a partial success. The SpaceX team delivered the first stage to the platform. In past tests, from about 150 miles up, the first stages splashed down within about six miles of the projected landing spot. Engineers added special fins to the first stage of the Falcon 9 used Saturday to help steer it to a more-accurate landing. The goal was to land with an accuracy of about 30 feet. A hard landing on the platform suggests that the fin system worked.

The company had another, crewed vessel nearby, but it was too dark and foggy to get decent video of the landing attempt. Still, engineers have a wealth of telemetry the first stage sent throughout its descent they can analyze for clues as to what changes need to be made to improve chances for success on future launches.

SpaceX is trying to perfect the system so that it can use a first stage for multiple launches. The goal is to drive down launch costs in hopes of expanding access to space for a wider variety of potential users.

The Falcon 9, as well as the more-powerful Falcon Heavy slated for its initial demonstration flight later this year, are unlikely to sport reusable seconds stages, Mr. Musk acknowledged in a question-and-answer session on reddit.com earlier this week.

Continue reading here:
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets toward International Space ...

Falcon 9 rocket launches supplies to the space station
A commercial Dragon spaceship soared into orbit from Cape Canaveral on Saturday in pursuit of the International Space Station.

By: Astronomy Now

Go here to see the original:
Falcon 9 rocket launches supplies to the space station - Video

StationLIFE: Nutrition Jan 2015
Every month on StationLIFE, we #39;ll focus on a scientific area where the International Space Station is conducting groundbreaking research. This month, astronaut Tracy Dyson hosts a focus on...

By: ReelNASA

Continued here:
StationLIFE: Nutrition Jan 2015 - Video

HACKERS EVERYWHERE
pie is crackling with the audio wave up in the space station mineplex dot com G10: https://www.youtube.com/Graser10.

By: StrauberryJam

Read more:
HACKERS EVERYWHERE - Video

KSP - Space Station K1 part 5 (expansion of power)
Space Station expansion in Kerbal Space Program: Current version: 0.9 Current mods: FASA ver 5.0 and Docking Strut With the success of the first shuttle flight, a second shuttle joins Space...

By: K1productions

See the original post:
KSP - Space Station K1 part 5 (expansion of power) - Video

Dead Space 2 - Part 15 PC Playthrough [HD]
In Dead Space 2, you join Isaac Clarke, the Systems Engineer from Dead Space, as he wakes up three years after the horrific events on the USG Ishimura. The Ishimura was a Planetcracker-class...

By: lyubomir1111

Read more here:
Dead Space 2 - Part 15 PC Playthrough [HD] - Video

Raw: SpaceX Supply Ship Arrives at Space Station
A shipment of much-needed groceries and belated Christmas presents finally arrived Monday morning at the International Space Station. The SpaceX company #39;s supply ship, Dragon, pulled up at...

By: Associated Press

Continue reading here:
Raw: SpaceX Supply Ship Arrives at Space Station - Video

Iriss space robotics competition
Student teams across ESA Member States are invited to submit plans for remote-controlled robots that will be tested on a mock-up of the International Space Station. Their mission: to unload...

By: European Space Agency, ESA

The rest is here:
Iriss space robotics competition - Video

Alien: Isolation - Episode #27 - Baiting The Trap
Amanda Ripley #39;s search for her missing mother has lead her to the space station Sevastopol... Unfortunately, something terrible has happened on board! Amanda will have to fight for her life...

By: OSWguild

Originally posted here:
Alien: Isolation - Episode #27 - Baiting The Trap - Video

U.S. Cargo Ship Delivers Goods to ISS
Two days after its launch from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, the unpiloted U.S. SpaceX Dragon cargo craft arrived at the International Space Station Jan. 12 with more than...

By: Cloud .Tube

The rest is here:
U.S. Cargo Ship Delivers Goods to ISS - Video