Category Archives: Space Station

Italys first female astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti was welcomed aboard the International Space Station with smiles and hugs today.

Although Cristoforetti, who flew to the station in an agreement between her countrys space agency ASI and the European Space Agency, has yet to tweet from space, ESA has released a video clip of her entrance onto the ISS ISS

Cristoforetti and her crewmates Terry Virts of NASA and Roscosmos Anton Shkaplerov blasted off from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Soyuz transport craft late last night local time and docked with the station just under six hours later.

They were welcomed aboard the orbiting science laboratory by NASA station commander Barry Wilmore and Russian cosmonauts Yelena Serova and Alexander Samokutyaev.

Cristoforetti will be living and working on the station for the next five months, during which the first half of Expedition 42 will set off home and Virts will take over command for the start of the overlapping Expedition 43.

The Italian astronaut was assigned to the mission more than two years ago and has spent that time learning how to control the stations robotic arms and perform all the scientific experiments for her tour, as well as how to handle any emergencies that might pop up. She also learned to fly the Soyuz capsule that took them to the ISS, a hurdle every crew member has to clear, and had to go through a two-week quarantine period before setting off.

According to ESA, Cristoforetti was one of the first women to apply as soon as the Italian air force opened to women and shes logged over 500 hours in military aircraft. She was one of six chosen from 8,000 applicants to join the ESA astronaut corps in 2009.

While onboard the station, her main tasks will be to run science experiments that cant be performed on Earth and maintain the microgravity lab that will be her second home. Her scientific programme includes experiments in biology and human physiology as well as radiation research and technology demonstrations.

She will also be the prime operator for the undocking of ESAs final Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), the stations largest unmanned support craft. ATV Georges Lematre is the fifth in the series and was named after the Belgian astronome ISSThe space agency announced it would be discontinuing its ATVs back in 2012, as parts for the crafts became obsolete and European member states lost the appetite for the million-dollar spaceships.

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First Female Italian Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti Arrives At The Space Station

43 minutes ago by By Marcia Dunn

The first 3-D printer in space has popped out its first creation.

The 3-D printer delivered to the International Space Station two months ago made a sample replacement part for itself this week. NASA says it churned out a replica of the face plate for the print head casing.

Space station commander Butch Wilmore set aside the small plastic creation Tuesday for eventual return to Earth. About 20 objects will be printed in the next few weeks for analysis back home.

NASA hopes to one day use 3-D printing to fix broken equipment in space.

A Northern California company called Made in Space supplied the 3-D printer. The European Space Agency plans to fly its own 3-D printer next year.

Explore further: 3-D printer powered up on the International Space Station

More information: NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Made in Space: http://www.madeinspace.us/

2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Space station's 3-D printer pops out first creation

Now that the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft has successfully transported three people to the International Space Station, the space station has an espresso machine.

"'An espresso coffee is what I miss most aboard the International Space Station.' We have repeatedly heard this comment from the Italian astronauts who for 13 years have been at times working in the International Space Station," wrote Lavazza in June. Thus, the Turin-based coffee company teamed up with another Turin company, the engineering firm Argotec, to make a space-ready espresso machine.

Espresso machines typically rely on gravity to get water through coffee grounds, but they don't have much gravity at the space station. So the companies created the "ISSpresso," as it's called, that uses pumps that shoot heated water through a coffee capsule at the correct pressure level, according to The Guardian.

The company claims the espresso the machine makes meets the requirements of being considered a traditional Italian espresso, except the astronauts have to drink it through a straw that goes into a plastic pouch to avoid spillage.

The ISSpresso officially made it into the space station with Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on Monday morning.

2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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The International Space Station officially has an espresso machine

Like most Americans back on the ground, astronauts aboard the International Space Station will celebrate Thanksgiving with a feast: NASA food scientists have created zero-g versions of classic Thanksgiving dishes for this week's celebration.

The American astronauts currently living on the orbiting laboratory 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth's surface commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and flight engineer Terry Virts as well as Italian-born flight engineer Samantha Cristoforetti, will get a day off this Thursday (Nov. 27) to celebrate Thanksgiving. (Watch Wilmore deliver a Thanksgiving greeting in this video.) At mealtime, they'll gather for some "traditional" Turkey Day fare in zero-g form, of course.

The in-flight menu includes smoked turkey, candied yams, green beans and mushrooms, cornbread stuffing and cherry-blueberry cobbler. In addition, the crewmembers may enjoy some personal Thanksgiving favorites. [Space Food Photos: What Astronauts Eat in Orbit]

"I'm from Tennessee, so I grew up drinking sweet tea so I've got a little sweet tea as well," Wilmore said in his Thanksgiving video. "So, we're going to have all of that up here and try to share in the spirit of the season."

The astronauts will likely share the meal with their newly arrivedRussian shipmates, flight engineers Alexander Samokutyaev, Anton Shkaplerov and Elena Serova, who got to the station late Sunday (Nov. 23). The Russians do not have the day off, but crewmembers dine together most days. The orbiting laboratory frequently hosts an international crew, and astronauts generally join in the celebrations of their crewmates.

Food aboard theInternational Space Stationis either freeze-dried or thermostabilized (a process similar to canning, but with the food packed in pouches), so it has a long shelf life and can be stored without refrigeration. There are no microwaves or ovens on board the station, so food is heated using warm water. Such storage methods do not work well with all foods, so it can be a challenge to recreate specific dishes.

One Thanksgiving staple, sweet potatoes, may one day be grown in space, NASA officials said.Deep-space missions to Mars, or even more distant destinations, will likely require astronauts to grow their own food. According to NASA, sweet potatoes could be an ideal crop for these missions: They would provide astronauts with energy (from carbohydrates) and beta-carotene, they can adapt to a controlled environment with artificial sunlight, and in addition to the tuber itself, the side shoots from the potato are also edible.

Thanksgiving has been celebrated aboard the International Space Station since the first Americans came on board in 2001. The first Thanksgiving in space took place aboard the United States' first space station, Skylab, on Nov. 22, 1973, and was marked by American astronauts Jerry Carr, Bill Pogue and Ed Gibson. On that first extraterrestrial Thanksgiving, the astronauts did not get the day off.

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article onSpace.com.

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Thanksgiving in Zero-G: Space Station Astronauts Enjoy 'Traditional' Dishes

Lego Batman 3 Beyond Gotham: Lvl 4 Space Station Infestation FREE PLAY (All Collectibles) - (HTG)
(HTG) Brian walks you through Level 4 Space Station Infestation FREE PLAY mode for Lego Batman 3 Beyond Gotham. Our Lego Batman 3 Level 4 Space Station Infestation FREE PLAY video covers ...

By: HappyThumbsGaming

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Lego Batman 3 Beyond Gotham: Lvl 4 Space Station Infestation FREE PLAY (All Collectibles) - (HTG) - Video

Futura mission: Launch preparation II #ESA
ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen #39;s second video diary from Baikonur, in Kazakhstan, where he is currently joining the Expedition 42/43 crew in quarantine ahead of their launch to the International...

By: 10 MINUTES

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Futura mission: Launch preparation II #ESA - Video

Soyuz rendezvous and docking explained
This second video in the #39;Journey to the International Space Station #39; series follows the Soyuz capsule from Earth orbit to docking with the Space Station. Featuring interviews with ESA...

By: European Space Agency, ESA

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Soyuz rendezvous and docking explained - Video

Space Engineers - 80s Inspired Space Station - Workshop Review
You guys asked for more workshop reviews. Here #39;s one for ya! This is an incredible cool, survival ready space station set in an 80s style, designed by SgtStuka. Workshop link: http://steamcom...

By: BlackMaze

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Space Engineers - 80s Inspired Space Station - Workshop Review - Video

Space to Ground: Space Bound: 11/21/14
NASA #39;s Space to Ground is your weekly update on what #39;s happening aboard the International Space Station. Got a question or comment? Use #spacetoground to talk to us.

By: ReelNASA

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Space to Ground: Space Bound: 11/21/14 - Video

Futura mission: Launch preparation 3
ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen #39;s third video diary from Baikonur, in Kazakhstan, where he is currently joining the Expedition 42/43 crew in quarantine ahead of their launch to the International...

By: European Space Agency, ESA

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Futura mission: Launch preparation 3 - Video