Category Archives: Space Station

Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, left, shakes hands with US astronaut Scott Kelly after a press conference at Unesco on Thursday. Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images

A US astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut gearing up for the longest-ever flight on the International Space Station (ISS) said Thursday they were unfazed by any turbulence in their countries political ties.

Nasa spacefarer Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko of the Russian space agency Roscosmos are to launch to the ISS in 2015 for a year-long stay designed to be a test-bed for a future trip to Mars.

The ISS is a rare area of US-Russian cooperation that has not been hit by the Ukrainian crisis, which has prompted Washington to impose sanctions on Moscow.

In space, we rely on each other implicitly for our lives, Kelly, 50, said at a press conference in Paris to showcase the mission.

Any political issues that exist between our countries is something we dont even discuss. Were great friends, were colleagues, were professionals. Thats the way it has to be.

Kornienko, 54, added: There is no borders in space between us.

Its a great example of ... working together, especially for politics on the ground.

Their spell will be the longest stay aboard the ISS since the orbital outpost in space was manned in 2000.

The longest-ever space trip was by cosmonaut Valeriy Polyakov, who in 1994 and 1995 spent 437 days in the Russian-Soviet station Mir.

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US, Russian space travellers: 'There is no borders in space between us'

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(CNN) -- In space there's no atmosphere, it's never cloudy, and in geosynchronous orbits it's never night: a perfect place for a solar power station to harvest uninterrupted power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The concept has been around since the 1940s when science fiction writer Isaac Asimov posited the idea of a robot-manned space station that delivered energy to Earth via microwaves.

Today, the idea is less science fiction than a steadily advancing reality.

Clean energy from above

The United States, China, India and Japan all have projects at various stages of development that would see robots assemble solar arrays that could provide the Earth with massive amounts of clean and renewable energy delivered wirelessly.

Some variants of the idea could even see as much as 1GW of energy beamed to receivers on Earth -- enough to power a large city.

According to Dr Paul Jaffe, spacecraft engineer at the US Naval Research Laboratory, the concept is scientifically sound.

"NASA and the US Department of Energy did a study in the late 70s that cost $20 million at the time and looked at it in pretty great depth," Dr Jaffe told CNN. "The conclusion at that time was that there was nothing wrong with the physics but the real question is the economics."

Link:
Free energy from space with lasers?

SpaceX is delaying the planned launch on Friday of an unmanned Falcon 9 rocket, which will carry a cargo ship to the International Space Station for NASA, to early January, officials said on Thursday. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida had been planned for 1:22 p.m. EST, but an undisclosed technical issue with the rocket prompted SpaceX, as the company is known, to postpone the flight until Jan 6. The problem surfaced during routine prelaunch test firing of the rocket's engines, SpaceX spokesman John Taylor said. "The test did not run the full duration," he said. "The data suggests we could push forward without a second attempt, but out of an abundance of caution, we are opting to execute a second static fire test prior to launch." SpaceX, founded and run by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, is one of two companies hired by NASA to fly cargo to the space station following NASA's retirement of its space shuttle fleet in 2011. The other company, Orbital Sciences, has been temporarily grounded after its Antares rocket exploded seconds after liftoff Oct. 28 from Wallops Island, Virginia, destroying a Cygnus cargo ship. The space station, a $100 billion research laboratory that flies about 260 miles (418 km) above Earth, is in no danger of running out of food or supplies for its six-member crew, NASA said.

--- Reuters

First published December 18 2014, 7:50 AM

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SpaceX Delays Space Station Cargo Launch to January

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The space station astronauts will have to wait until next month for their Christmas delivery.

On Thursday, SpaceX announced it was delaying this week's planned launch of an unmanned supply capsule until January.

SpaceX spokesman John Taylor said a test firing of the rocket engines earlier this week did not go precisely as planned at the Cape Canaveral launch pad. The company wants to conduct a second test on the Falcon rocket before committing to a launch, he said.

Combined with the Christmas and New Year's holidays, as well as the sun's angles on the space station, the earliest the California-based company can launch is Jan. 6. The liftoff should have occurred Friday, already a few days late.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying a payload of Orbcomm communications satellites, lifts off from launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Monday, July 14, 2014. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (John Raoux)

NASA says the delay will not affect the space station or its six occupants: two Americans, one Italian and three Russians.

The space agency is paying SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corp. to launch supplies and experiments to the orbiting lab. Orbital's shipments are on hold, however, because of October's launch explosion. The Antares rocket blew up seconds after liftoff from Wallops Island, Virginia.

Orbital Sciences said it will be 2016 before it can launch again with an improved Antares rocket from Wallops Island. The Virginia-based company is shifting much of its intended station shipment to an Atlas rocket that would fly from Cape Canaveral sometime later next year. A second Atlas might also be needed to pick up the slack.

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SpaceX delays supply shipment to space station

December 18, 2014 5:01 AM

In this handout image provided by NASA, February 26, 2011 in Space. Discovery, on its 39th and final flight, is carrying the Italian-built Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), Express Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC4) and Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot in space to the International Space Station. (credit: NASA via Getty Images) FILE

Marie Osborne is an Anchor and Reporter for WWJ Newsradio 950. She...

FERNDALE (WWJ) A Ferndale man has come up with some creativeways to honora lifelong friend who died unexpectedly this month.

WWJs Marie Osborne reports that when 34-year-old Daniel Wilson passed awayin his sleep, his friend,Dave Zabihaylo was devastated. In tribute, Zabihayloarranged to havehis friends ashes sent into low Earth orbitas part of Elysium Space, a memorial spaceflight company.

Daniel Wilson was my best friend, and was the biggest proponent of both space exploration and science education Ive ever know,Zabihaylo said.Were very happy that hell actually have a chance to go to space, which wassomething hes always wanted to do.

Having planned that,Zabihaylo and his wife thought about taking it one step further.

The couple set up a Gofundme page with the goal of sending young potential astronautsto space camp.

He was constantly sending us stories about NASA and space exploration,Zabihaylo said.We both agreed that the much better idea would be to set up the next generation of kids who love space the way Dan did.

Every donation will be made in Daniels name, ensuring a small part of him goes too,Zabihaylo said.

Read more here:
Space Camp Online Fundraiser Honors Late Metro Detroit Man

Johnson Space Center 2014 Highlights
2014 was quite a year for NASA #39;s Johnson Space Center. Some highlights include: Support to four crews doing research on the International Space Station, the first Vine video was sent from...

By: ReelNASA

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Johnson Space Center 2014 Highlights - Video

Astronaut films terrifying re-entry to...
An astronaut returning from the International Space Station filmed what it was like to re-enter the Earth #39;s atmosphere from space. An astronaut returning from the International Space Station...

By: Buzariel Videos

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Astronaut films terrifying re-entry to... - Video

2014 Was A Great Year For Space Exploration And NASA
2014 was quite a year for NASA #39;s Johnson Space Center. Some highlights include: Support to four crews doing research on the International Space Station, the first Vine video was sent from...

By: Stargazer Nation

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2014 Was A Great Year For Space Exploration And NASA - Video

10 GREATEST DISCOVERIES of Ancient Egypt (AMAZING HISTORY Documentary)
Egypt #39;s Ten Greatest Discoveries (Amazing History Documentary) This is the story of Ancient Egypt as it was revealed to the world - a succession of discoveries and treasures. The book provides...

By: ChannelDocs

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10 GREATEST DISCOVERIES of Ancient Egypt (AMAZING HISTORY Documentary) - Video

Space Station Silicon Valley - any% - 1:54:50
2nd completed run and was done during a race.

By: mashystrr

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Space Station Silicon Valley - any% - 1:54:50 - Video