Category Archives: Space Station

Astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore, left, and Reid Wiseman, right, suited up for a planned 6.5-hour spacewalk Wednesday to replace a critical electrical component on the space station's solar power truss. NASA TV

Astronauts Reid Wiseman and Barry "Butch" Wilmore floated outside the International Space Station Wednesday to replace an electrical component for one of the lab's eight solar power channels. They also plan to remove a broken camera, install a replacement at a different location and relocate a support mast and wireless transmitter assembly in preparation for spacewalks next year.

U.S. EVA-28 got underway at 8:16 a.m. EDT (GMT-4) Wednesday when Wiseman and Wilmore, floating in the Quest airlock compartment, switched their spacesuits to battery power. This is the second spacewalk in a week for the U.S. crew after an EVA last Tuesday to relocate a broken cooling pump, to replace a camera light and to install a component to provide backup power to the lab's robot arm transporter.

For identification, Wiseman, call sign EV-1, is wearing a suit with red stripes while Wilmore, EV-2, is using an unmarked suit. This is the 183rd spacewalk devoted to station assembly and maintenance since construction began in 1998, the sixth of seven EVAs planned for this year, the second for Wiseman and the first for Wilmore, a former shuttle pilot.

18 Photos

American astronaut Reid Wiseman tweets breathtaking photos from the International Space Station

The primary objective of the six-and-a-half-hour excursion is to replace an electrical component known as a sequential shunt unit, or SSU, that failed earlier this year, knocking out one of the eight solar power channels in the station's NASA-built electrical grid.

The space station is equipped with eight 110-foot-long solar wings that provide power to eight distribution channels. Each array is equipped with a sequential shunt unit to regulate voltage as the station moves into and out of Earth's shadow. The SSU in power channel 3A failed May 8, forcing flight controllers to re-route power from channel 3B to keep a variety of components in operation.

The EVA timeline is set up to ensure that Wiseman and Wilmore can remove the faulty SSU during a night pass when the arrays are not generating power. Once the replacement SSU is in place, flight controllers will reconfigure the electrical grid for normal operation across all eight power channels.

The astronauts, meanwhile, will press ahead with work to move a camera support mast from the lower side of the port-1 solar array truss segment to the top of the forward Harmony module. The relocation is required to clear a path for work next summer to robotically move a storage compartment from the bottom of the central Unity module to the forward-facing port of the left-side Tranquility module.

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Spacewalk underway to repair electrical system

Let #39;s Play Space Farmers 004 [HD] - Let #39;s Play with OmegaRainbow and MorgwenLP
[004] Space Sheeps and Flying Cows Subscribe: http://goo.gl/gI36P Space Farmers Playlist: http://goo.gl/69tHX4 MorgwenLP: https://www.youtube.com/MorgwenLP Tweet, like and subscribe...

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Let's Play Space Farmers 004 [HD] - Let's Play with OmegaRainbow and MorgwenLP - Video

Is UFO monitoring ISS astronauts during spacewalk?
Segment from International Space Station Live Feed of astronauts during spacewalk. UFO appears from the 1:40 to 1:52 in the original Youtube video uploaded by NASA: Source video: http://youtu.be/d.

By: Michael Salla

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Is UFO monitoring ISS astronauts during spacewalk? - Video

RapidScat "Wind Watcher" Installed on International Space Station
RapidScat Installed on the Int #39;l Space Station. NASA #39;s RapidScat "wind watcher" was unpacked from the Dragon capsule and installed on the International Space...

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RapidScat "Wind Watcher" Installed on International Space Station - Video

Alien: Isolation - First Glimpse Of The Alien - Part 3
Progressing further into the bowels of Sewastopol station we encounter some of the remaining human inhabitants some of which are better left alone. We are also witness to the horror that has...

By: JG4_Karaya

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Alien: Isolation - First Glimpse Of The Alien - Part 3 - Video

Artists concept of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), currently scheduled to be added to the International Space Station in 2015. Credit: Bigelow Aerospace.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are going to be getting an addition in the near future, and in the form of an inflatable room no less. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is the first privately-built space habitat that will added to the ISS, and it will be transported into orbit aboard a Space X Falcon 9 rocket sometime next year.

The BEAM is one small step for Bigelow Aerospace, Bigelow representative Michael Gold told Universe Today, but is also one giant leap for private sector space activities since the BEAM will be the first privately owned and developed module ever to be part of a crewed system in space.

NASA and Bigelow Aerospace announced the $17.8 million contract in 2013, and on October 2, 2014, Gold announced at the International Astronautical Congress that the launch would take place next year on a SpaceX resupply flight. Gold said BEAM provides an example of what the company, and private firms in general, can do in low-Earth orbit (LEO).

Upon arrival, the BEAM will be installed by the robotic Canadarm2 onto the Tranquility nodes aft docking port. Once its expanded, an ISS crew member will enter the module and become the first astronaut to step inside an expandable habitat system. The plan is to have the module remain in place for a few years to test and demonstrate the feasibility of the companys inflatable space habitat technology.

The BEAM, which weighs approximately 1,360 kg (3000 lbs), will travel aboard the unpressurized cargo hold of a Dragon capsule. Once it is successfully transferred to the station, ISS astronauts will activate the deployment sequence, and the module will expand out to its full size approx. 4 meters (13 feet) in length and 3 meters (10.5 feet) in diameter.

Bigelow currently has two stand-alone autonomous spacecraft in orbit, the Genesis I and the Genesis II both of which are collecting data about LEO conditions and how well the technology performs in practice in space. In turn, NASA will use BEAM to measure the radiation levels inside the module as compared to other areas of the ISS to determine how safe it is for habitation.

Through the flight of the Bigelow module on the International Space Station, weexpect tolearncritical technical performance data related to non-metallic structures in space, said Jason Crusan, director of Advanced Exploration Systems Division at NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, in an email to Universe Today.Data about things such as radiation, thermal, and overall operations of non-metallic structures in spacehas multiple benefits both to NASA and to the commercial sector.

Artist concept of the Bigelow space station. Credit: Bigelow Aerospace.

The BEAM module will also allow for further data collection for the company, which is planning on launching its own space station, named Bigelow Aerospace Alpha Station, to be at least partially operational as early as next year. This station will be initially made up of two BA 330 expandable habitats, which are designed to function either as an independent space station or as modular components that can be connected to create a larger apparatus.

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Bigelow Inflatable Module to be Added to Space Station in 2015

ISS-RapidScat instrument, shown in this artists rendering, was launched to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX CRS-4 mission on Sept. 21, 2014 and attached at ESAs Columbus module. It will measure ocean surface wind speed and direction and help improve weather forecasts, including hurricane monitoring. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Johnson Space Center.

NASA inaugurated a new era of research for the International Space Station (ISS) as an Earth observation platform following the successful installation and activation of the ISS-RapidScat science instrument on the outposts exterior at Europes Columbus module.

The ISS Rapid Scatterometer, or ISS-RapidScat, is NASAs first research payload aimed at conducting near global Earth science from the stations exterior and will be augmented with others in coming years.

RapidScat is designed to monitor ocean winds for climate research, weather predictions, and hurricane monitoring.

The 1280 pound (580 kilogram) experimental instrument is already collecting its first science data following its recent power-on and activation at the station.

Its antenna began spinning and it started transmitting and receiving its first winds data on Oct.1, according to a NASA statement.

The first image from RapidScat was released by NASA on Oct. 6, shown below, and depicts preliminary measurements of global ocean near-surface wind speeds and directions.

Launched Sept. 21, 2014, to the International Space Station, NASAs newest Earth-observing mission, the International Space Station-RapidScat scatterometer to measure global ocean near-surface wind speeds and directions, has returned its first preliminary images. Credit: NASA-JPL/Caltech

The $26 million remote sensing instrument uses radar pulses to observe the speed and direction of winds over the ocean for the improvement of weather forecasting.

Most satellite missions require weeks or even months to produce data of the quality that we seem to be getting from the first few days of RapidScat, said RapidScat Project Scientist Ernesto Rodriguez of NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, which built and manages the mission.

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NASA Inaugurates New Space Station Era as Earth Science Observation Platform with RapidScat Instrument

Astronaut Chris Hadfield is releasing a stunning book of photos that he snapped from space.

During his time orbiting Earth in the International Space Station, the mustachioed Canadian gained a following as he shared the ins and outs of life in space on social media. Millions of Earthlings were treated to photos, videos and blog posts answering everything from how Hadfield sleeps to whether it's possible to cry in space.

He wasn't afraid to bust out a song, either. After his final mission, Hadfield treated his fans at home to a rendition of David Bowie's "Space Oddity," performed while he was on the International Space Station. The video garnered more than 22 million hits, according to Hadfield's official website.

Hadfield's book, "You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes," will be released Tuesday. He's also set to play four shows with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra this weekend, where he'll play several new songs he wrote while in space.

Chris Hadfield

PHOTO: Chris Hadfield took this photo of Mount Vesuvius in Italy from the International Space Station.

Chris Hadfield

PHOTO: Chris Hadfield took this photo of Broome, Australia, from the International Space Station.

Chris Hadfield

PHOTO: Chris Hadfield took this photo of Cuba and Florida from the International Space Station.

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Astronaut's Breathtaking Photos From Space

NEW YORK NASA needs your help to name a new space robot, and you could win some cash doing it.

NASA officials are asking space fans around the world to help name, and design a mission patch for, a new free-flying robot expected to launch to theInternational Space Stationin 2017. The first-place winnerof the challenge will receive $1,000. Officials with the space agency put out the call to any interested space fans during a packed session here at New York Comic Conon Saturday (Oct. 11).

"We have this new free-flying robot that we're building," Jason Crusan, director of NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems division, told a full house at Comic Con. "We don't know what to call it. 'Free-flying robot' sounds kind of boring and not all that exciting, so we're asking you to actually name the robot for us."

Second, third and fourth place also come with cash prizes. Second place will win $500, with third and fourth prize taking home $250 each. NASA has teamed up with Topcoder to organize the contest.

If an artist's depiction of the new space automaton is any indication, the new robot may look like something out of "Star Wars." In the artist's concept, the robot could appear as a small, ball-shaped droid that will use fans to move itself around the interior of the International Space Station. It is expected to be able to fly itself, or be operated by remote control.

The new free-flying bot would join a group of other free-fliers already on the station. NASA's SPHERES robots (the name is short for Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites) are already used on the orbiting outpost. The program has been running for seven years, and is designed to help scientists test robotics hardware and software in microgravity.

The SPHERES robots and the new robot should be able to move around autonomously, but humans living and working on the orbiting outpost can also control the satellites.

"As the push for manned and automated exploration of the solar system expands, NASA and the NASA Ames Research Center are creating controlled and autonomous robotic devices capable of supplementing flight crew," officials wrote in a description of the challenge on the Topcoder website. "These 'free-flying robots' will eventually extend the research and exploration capabilities of astronauts, as they are capable of working during off-hours and (eventually) in extreme environments."

To participate in the NASA challenge to name the new robot, space fans need to register with Topcoder. Participants will reach a checkpoint where they will receive feedback on their initial designs on Oct. 22, and the challenge ends on Oct. 27. Officials will announce the winners of the competition on Nov. 2.

To participate in the challenge and learn more about it, go to http://www.topcoder.com/challenge-details/30046039/?type=design&noncache=true.

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NASA Contest Will Let You Name a Space Station Droid

A $26 million science instrument carried to the International Space Station last month by SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule has been switched on and is measuring winds over the world's oceans to help forecasters track the intensity of tropical cyclones, NASA officials said.

The International Space Station-Rapid Scatterometer instrument is mounted on the space station's European Space Agency Columbus module. Credit: NASA Made of leftover parts from a satellite developed in the 1990s, the instrument package was mounted on the outside of the space station to fill a data gap that could degrade the ability of meteorologists to monitor hurricanes.

Without the need for a dedicated launcher or a standalone satellite, NASA saved more than $300 million by recycling spare parts launching the wind monitoring sensor to the space station, according to Howard Eisen, the mission's project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

"RapidScat is the ultimate effort in recycling," Eisen said. "We took hardware, some of which was 17 or 18 years old, and we put it to new use."

The International Space Station-Rapid Scatterometer, or ISS-RapidScat, instrument launched from Cape Canaveral on Sept. 21 in the unpressurized trunk section of an unmanned SpaceX Dragon supply ship.

The Dragon spacecraft, carrying more than 2.5 tons of pressurized and unpressurized cargo such as food, experiments and spare parts, arrived at the space station Sept. 23.

Under the control of engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the station's Canadian-built robot arm and Dextre manipulator -- a two-armed device with mechanical hands -- completed a two-step procedure to pull the RapidScat instrument and its mounting adapter from the Dragon spaceship's trunk.

The first step on Sept. 29 attached an adapter for RapidScat to an external platform on the space station's European Columbus laboratory module. After engineers made sure the adapter had a firm mechanical and electrical attachment to the station, the outpost's robotics system extracted the RapidScat sensor system and mated it to the adapter plate on Columbus.

The instrument was powered up Oct. 1, according to a NASA press release, and it should be supplying weather forecasters with operational data by the end of the month.

Part of the RapidScat instrument assembly is seen attached to the space station's Dextre robot during the transfer from the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Credit: NASA RapidScat's primary sensor is a 100 watt, 2.5-foot-diameter microwave antenna that spins at nearly 20 rpm, emitting and receiving signals bounced off the ocean's surface.

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Winds sensor opens door for Earth science from ISS