Category Archives: Space Station

3 hours ago Technology demonstrations aboard the International Space Station help drive space exploration. Credit: NASA

If necessity is the mother of invention, then survival in space breeds many "children." These children are the research and technologies demonstrated aboard the International Space Station. For 16 years, the station has provided researchers a platform in microgravity where they perform experiments and test technologies to allow humans to travel farther into the solar system than ever before. From life support systems to growing plants in space, the space station continues to drive human exploration for missions beyond low-Earth orbit.

NASA's Orion spacecraft, which is set to blast off on its first flight test in December, will demonstrate many technologies first tested aboard the space station. Orion, built to transport humans into deep space, embarks on a two-orbit, four-hour "Trial By Fire" on Dec. 5 to test many of its critical systems.

"Without what we've learned from having a continuous human presence in space for more than a decade, we wouldn't be able to think about sending people into deep space onboard Orion," said Mark Geyer, Orion Program manager. "We're testing out technologies and concepts on the space station right now that are necessary for the kind of long-duration trips Orion enables."

Technology demonstrations aboard the station beget new systems and concepts for on Earth and for space exploration. For example, the amine swingbed, which uses organic compounds with modified ammonia atoms, controls carbon dioxide and humidity in Orion. This type of recovery system also can operate on Earth to help remove carbon dioxide and humidity in tight spaces, like in mine tunnels or submarines.

With successful demonstrations of 3-D printing on the space station, the potential now exists to manufacture parts quickly and cheaply in space. Instead of waiting for a cargo delivery, astronauts could replace filters or faulty equipment simply by printing new parts. Researchers are gaining insight into improving 3-D printing technology on Earth by testing it in microgravity. This knowledge could help advance industry printing methods.

Environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) aboard the station support humans in space. ECLSS includes wastewater recycling to provide clean water for bathing and drinking. It also includes oxygen generation systems to provide air for crews to breathe. These and other components of ECLSS help cut transportation costs for resupply and provide astronauts a habitable environment. This technology demonstration helps engineers design and develop improved closed-loop life support systems for long duration spacecraft.

"Testing various life support sub-systems is an ideal use of the space station," said George Nelson, manager of NASA's International Space Station Technology Demonstration. "Reliability of these systems on long duration missions is paramount. We can verify design reliability in the microgravity environment by using them on the station without any mission or crew risk, since the existing space station systems are always available."

Human behavioral health and performance also is taken into account for deep space missions where crew members reside in confined spaces for long periods of time. One study evaluates the effects of delayed communications for interplanetary crews that have to handle medical and other emergencies. This type of research also may help refine procedures for Earth-based teams that operate in extreme or remote environments with limited contact with a home base and its experts. Additionally, NASA recently announced funding for three proposals to help answer questions about neurological conditions related to behavioral health and performance on deep space exploration missions.

Finally, plant growth facilities on the station like Veggie may one day produce safe, fresh and nutritious crops for astronauts while giving the crew opportunities for relaxation and recreation. Using these facilities, researchers can glean knowledge about plant growth and development in microgravity. This information may improve growth, biomass production and farming practices on Earth.

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International Space Station enables interplanetary space exploration

Space Angels Network and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) announced their agreement today to promote angel investment in projects aboard the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory.

Space Angels Network Principal, Amir Blachman said, This relationship showcases the historic growth of private investment in space. We are excited to have our telescope focused on the ISS, and are honored to work with CASISs team members who are steeped in space flight, space economics and space science.

NASA has given CASIS the responsibility of inspiring the imagination of entrepreneurs and scientists alike, accelerating and facilitating space-based research. CASIS drives scientific inquiry toward developing groundbreaking new technologies and products that tangibly affect our lives, with results including new technologies and scientific knowledge in medicine, materials, and communications.

CASIS is proud to welcome Space Angels Network as a key partner in making investment dollars available to many of the startup companies interested in commercial space, said CASIS Director of Development and Partnerships, Ed Harris. Space Angels Network has a unique focus that allows its investors to understand commercial space trends and opportunities, and we look forward to working alongside them as we both push the limits of what is possible on our Nations only orbiting laboratory.

About Space Angels Network Space Angels Network is a professionally managed global network of seed and earlystage investors focused specifically on aerospace ventures. Space Angels Network members share a common passion for promoting the development of the aerospace industry and related technologies while also earning attractive returns on private investments. For the latest information, follow the companys blog and tweets.

About CASIS The Center for Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) was selected by NASA in 2011 to maximize use of the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory. CASIS is dedicated to supporting and accelerating innovations and new discoveries that will enhance the health and wellbeing of people on our planet. For more information, http://www.iss-casis.org

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CASIS and Space Angels Network Orbits Align

Orion on its launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Mankind will take its first steps on the path to landing on Mars on Thursday, according to Nasa. The first test flight of the Orion spacecraft, the intended successor to the space shuttle, is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral just after dawn.

The unmanned $370m (235m) mission, formally known as Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), will last about four and a half hours. The success of this test is crucial for the future of Nasas human spaceflight exploration programme, said Dr David Baker, a former Nasa engineer.

Once in orbit, the conical Orion capsule will circle Earth twice, reaching a maximum altitude of 3,600 miles. At about 15 times higher than the International Space Station, it will have travelled further into space than any crew capsule has gone since the 1970s.

Orion will then plunge into Earths atmosphere at 20,000mph. This will generate temperatures of around 2,200C, which is representative of a re-entry from lunar orbit. A newly designed 16ft-wide heat shield will protect the spacecraft from burning up, allowing it to splash down off the coast of Baja California, in the Pacific, from where it will be recovered by Nasa and the US Navy.

Really this is just a test of the Orion heat shield, said Baker, who worked for Nasa for 25 years, including during the Apollo moon landings.

Beneath the hype and the excitement, there are worries that Nasas Mars programme lacks focus. The Nasa PR machine is good at bigging things up, but I think to say that this is the road to Mars is a bit much, said Ian Crawford, an astronomer and advocate of human spaceflight at Birkbeck, Univeristy of London.

Nasa says it is aiming to carry out a Mars mission in the 2030s, but there are no definite plans at the moment beyond the present one a collaboration with Sesame Street. Items including Ernies rubber ducky, Oscars pet worm, Slimey, and the Cookie Monsters cookie are being taken into space by Orion and will later be displayed on the childrens television show in the hope that they could inspire the next generation of astronauts. Nasa predicts that the first astronauts on Mars will be todays pre-schoolers.

The capsule itself is largely devoid of anything required for a human crew, such as life-support and command consoles. Instead it will be packed with 1,200 sensors to test its durability.

Orion is the first new Nasa spacecraft designed to transport humans into space for a generation. Its predecessor was the space shuttle, retired in 2011 after a 30-year programme during which there were 133 successful flights and two fatal disasters. With the shuttles retirement, Nasa lost its ability to launch astronauts into space. For the last three years it has been forced to buy seats on Russian Soyuz launches.

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Nasas space shuttle successor Orion set for first test flight

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Cosmic radiation from space travel could be less harmful to astronauts than previously believed, data from experiments conducted on board and outside of the International Space Station (ISS) has revealed.

The MATROSHKA experiment, the first comprehensive measurement of long-term exposure of space travelers to cosmic radiation, brought together researchers from the European Space Agency (ESA) and colleagues from other institutions to determine precisely how much radiation astronauts are exposed to during long-term space travel.

The goal was to determine how long astronauts could remain in space without their health being threatened due to exposure to ionizing radiation. To do so, they developed a type of mannequin that was outfitted with several thousand detectors that recorded the doses of cosmic radiation from inside and outside the ISS over the course of several years. The data collected by those sensors has been analyzed, the researchers called the results surprising.

One may say that we found open space to be a bit less hostile to humans than expected. The effective doses, related to the health risk of the astronauts and calculated from measurements with our detectors, were lower than those indicated by dosimeters worn by the astronauts, Dr. Pawe Bilski from the Henryk Niewodniczaski Institute of Nuclear Physics (IFJ PAN), said in a recent statement.

Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov (left) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, both Expedition 23 flight engineers, work with the European Matroshka-R Phantom experiment in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station. Matroshka, the name for the traditional Russian set of nestling dolls, is an antroph-amorphous model of a human torso designed for radiation studies. Credit: NASA

The mannequin, a legless torso described by the researchers as a specially adapted humanoid phantom used in medical research, contained real human bones places inside a plastic shell simulating the shapes and densities of soft tissues and lungs in an astronauts body. It consisted of 33 slices 2.5 cm thickness each, and each of them contained measuring equipment and sets of passive thermoluminescent detectors placed in plastic tubes.

Using a total of six thousand thermoluminescent detectors, the researchers created a three-dimensional rectangular grid of measurement points inside the phantom. The design allowed the authors to accurately determine how much radiation would be absorbed by each of the bodys organs, and to calculate the so-called effective dose, which is considered to be an estimate of the radiation hazard to humans, IFJ PAN explained.

The main hazard to the astronauts health due to exposure to cosmic radiation is the increased probability of developing cancer in his or her body, the institute added. This probability however is quite dependent on the type of radiation the astronaut is exposed to. Most of the natural sources of ionizing radiation on Earth produce electromagnetic radiation of high energy gamma rays. On the other hand, in cosmic rays, energetic protons or heavier ions dominate, which are much more effective in creating cancer cells.

Interior structure of the phantom used in the experiment MATROSHKA. White tubes contain sets of thermoluminescent detectors. Half of these detectors was manufactured by the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakw, Poland. Credit: DLR

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Cosmic Radiation Less Of A Risk To Astronauts Than Previously Thought

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(CNN) -- It's the biggest countdown for NASA since the shuttle era ended in 2011. The space agency's new Orion spacecraft is scheduled to lift off on an uncrewed test flight at 7:05 a.m. ET Thursday from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

"We haven't had this feeling in awhile, since the end of the shuttle program," Mike Sarafin, Orion flight director at Johnson Space Center, said in a preflight briefing on Wednesday. He said it's the beginning of something new: exploring deep space.

Orion looks like a throwback to the Apollo era, but it is roomier and designed to go far beyond the moon: to an asteroid and eventually to Mars.

"It is, I think, consistent with those -- the beginning of shuttle and beginning of Apollo," said Mark Geyer, NASA Orion program manager. "I think it's in the same category."

Orion -- NASA's next giant leap

Orion -- NASA's next giant leap

Orion -- NASA's next giant leap

Orion -- NASA's next giant leap

Orion -- NASA's next giant leap

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NASA 'go' for its next giant leap into space

Samantha Cristoforetti #39;s greeting for 50 years of European cooperation in Space
EN - A few days before her launch to the International Space Station, ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti recorded this greeting to mark 50 years of European cooperation in space. The greeting...

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Samantha Cristoforetti's greeting for 50 years of European cooperation in Space - Video

Planet Earth (timelapse) HD
"Remix Video". This video is a compilation of 15890 photos. Photos were taken from the International Space Station (ISS). This movie shows mainly North America and Europe at night. Also it...

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Planet Earth (timelapse) HD - Video

~ Babylon 5: The Gathering Full Movie ~
Babylon 5: The Gathering (1993) Full Movie http://masgalmovie.net/play.php?movie=0106336 Babylon 5: The Gathering (1993) Movie Storyline : The first installment of this Emmy award-winni...

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~ Babylon 5: The Gathering Full Movie ~ - Video

Wobbling Mayhem :: Kerbal Space Colonization With Ruarc :: EP35
A new update brings a new adventure in a new season of a new series in KERBAL SPACE PROGRAM!!! Join me in my unique persuit in Kerbal Space Colonization! Rules: 1. I can only unlock 1...

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Wobbling Mayhem :: Kerbal Space Colonization With Ruarc :: EP35 - Video

UFO Sighting and Alien Anomalies near our Sun - November 29, 2014
Various types of UFOs. UFO - rods, UFOs - angel, UFO - Space Station.

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UFO Sighting and Alien Anomalies near our Sun - November 29, 2014 - Video