Category Archives: Space Station

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September 15, 2014

Image Caption: A view of Earths atmosphere from the International Space Station during Expedition 23 illustrates the unique vantage point the orbiting laboratory provides for externally mounted instruments. Credit: NASA

Jessica Nimon, International Space Station Program Science Office/NASAs Johnson Space Center

We all know that its whats on the inside that counts, right? But sometimes whats outside can be just as important. At least thats the case with the International Space Station (ISS) and the collection of external instruments soon to join those already operating in orbit.

Moving at 17,500 miles per hour and operating around 240 miles above Earth, the space station circles at a 51.6 degree inclination north and south of the equator, offering a unique platform to mount research equipment. The space stations precessing orbit circles the globe 16 times daily to cover more ground at different times of day, while other satellites follow a sun-synchronous orbitcrossing the equator at the same local time every revolution. For this reason, data from station-mounted instruments can complement those gathered from similar satellite missions to fill in gaps for greater scientific returns.

Station instruments range from those looking for answers to the universe, such as the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS)the largest of the externalsto those looking Earthward, providing remote sensing data. These devices rely not only on the angle and speed of the spacecraft, but also the space stations power, data and thermal support with one-of-a-kind real estate.

These are premium locations, as space in space is limited. Deployment locations on station are valuable because a sensor can reside there and generate data without project teams having to build and launch a dedicated satellite spacecraft. As of July 2014, there are 13 external locations in use aboard the orbiting complex, leaving 10 spots for new technologies. Here are a few of the latest devices planned to join this distinctive community.

The Multi-User System for Earth Sensing (MUSES), currently being developed by Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc., is a precision-pointing platform that will mount externally to the space station. The platform will be capable of hosting up to four Earth-observing instruments simultaneously. MUSES is scheduled to launch aboard an uncrewed Japanese cargo HTV5 spacecraft in 2015. As part of a collaboration with Teledyne, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) will provide the first instrument on MUSES: the DLR Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer (DESIS). Teledyne and its partners will be able to use data from DESIS and future instruments aboard the MUSES platform for a variety of commercial, scientific and humanitarian applications.

Soon joining the efforts of the AMS on station is the Calorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET). This instrument is an astrophysics mission searching for signatures of dark matter. It will provide the highest energy direct measurements of the cosmic ray electron spectrum to help researchers observe discrete sources of high energy particle acceleration. Specifically, CALET will focus on Earths local region of the galaxy, and its location aboard the station will allow for observations unhindered by Earths atmosphere, which can impact readings.

The goal of CALET is to address questions of high energy astrophysics. For instance, what is the origin of cosmic rays? How do they accelerate and propagate? The instrument also will search for the existence of dark matter and nearby cosmic-ray sources. CALET is scheduled to launch to the space station on HTV5 in 2014 and is sponsored by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency.

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In Space, What's On The Outside Matters

The private spaceflight company SpaceX is planning to launch their fourth official unmanned resupply mission to the International Space Station this week. SpaceX's robotic Dragon capsule is now expected to launch atop the company's Falcon 9 rocket to the orbiting outpost on Saturday (Sept. 20). Dragon was initially expected to launch on Friday (Sept. 19), however, rocket preparations delayed the launch by one day, according to NASA officials.

The launch is now scheduled for Saturday at 1:15 a.m. EDT (0515 Sept. 21 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. If the rocket launch is postponed, mission controllers have the option to try again the next day at 1:53 a.m. EDT (0553 Sept. 22 GMT), NASA officials said.

SpaceX's capsule will be packed full of more than 5,000 lbs. (2,270 kilograms) of material for the crewmembers onboard the station. This mission called SpaceX CRS-4 is expected to deliver the first 3D printer to the space station. It is also carrying a new Earth-observing instrument, ISS-RapidScat that will help forecasters on the ground monitor potentially severe weather from space. [The Rockets and Spaceships of SpaceX (Photos)]

Quiz: How Well Do You Know SpaceX's Dragon Spaceship?

The spaceflight company SpaceX is one of several firms building private space taxis and cargo ships to launch astronauts and supplies into space. But there's more to SpaceX than meets the eye. Test your SpaceX know-how here.

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Quiz: How Well Do You Know SpaceX's Dragon Spaceship?

The spaceflight company SpaceX is one of several firms building private space taxis and cargo ships to launch astronauts and supplies into space. But there's more to SpaceX than meets the eye. Test your SpaceX know-how here.

SpaceX CRS-4 is the fourth of 12 missions the private spaceflight company is contracted to fly to the space station with NASA under a $1.6 billion agreement. The spaceflight company Orbital Sciences Corp. also penned a $1.9 billion contract with NASA to fly eight cargo missions to the station using its Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft.

Follow Miriam Kramer @mirikramer and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

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SpaceX Dragon Cargo Ship Launching to Space Station This Week

Meeting of the International Space Station (ISS) Operations Data File (ODF) and International Procedure Viewer (iPV) Working Groups.

Skytek is one of the participating members of both the ODF and iPV working groups. Skytek has been invited to host a meeting of these groups in Dublin in September 2014. This is a major vote of confidence in Skytek and by association the Irish space programme.

The purpose of the meeting is to agree the standards, processes and procedures for all daily activities performed by astronauts on board ISS and the related monitoring of these activities by mission control centres.

The ODF group manages all aspects of operational processes and procedures for Astronauts onboard the International Space Station. Astronauts are required to execute procedures (e.g. Experiments, system maintenance, space walks) on a daily basis while on board the ISS and the ODF group manages these authoring, distribution and execution of these procedures. During the week, there will also be meeting of the working group for the International Procedural Viewer(IPV) system. The iPV working group discusses all aspects of software which supports the standards and processes defined by the ODF members. Skytek are involved in the development of several of these software applications ranging from the core iPV software system through to authoring environments and mobile tablet applications.

Approximately 5 astronauts, supported with members of the astronaut crew offices, in addition to up to 35 key personnel from all the space agencies involved in the ISS will be attending the meeting and giving their feedback on proposed ODF standards and future iPV software suite features.

The meeting will be attended by all partners of the ISS - NASA, ESA, Japanese, Russian and Canadian agencies along with representatives of the major space system integrator Airbus Space and Defence.

The meeting is usually hosted by the various space agencies or the big partners such as Astrium, United Space Alliance.

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Skyteck to Host International Space Station Meeting 15-19th September 2014

Look out, astronauts your companion robot on the International Space Station is now mobile! NASA's Robonaut 2 has received a set of legs that will help it move around the station, and will eventually enable the bot to work on repairs both inside and outside the orbiting outpost.

NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, who commanded the station's Expedition 40 crew, helped attach the appendages to the humanoid robot in late August before returning to Earth last week. The legs will help the robot move around the space station to complete simple tasks. Later this year, after a few changes to its upper body, later this year, Robonaut 2 will use its new legs toventure outside for its first spacewalk as well.

"You can only do so much if you're fixed on a stanchion, which is what we've been on for the past couple of years," Ron Diftler, principal investigator for the Robonaut project, said in a televised interview on NASA Television. "With the addition of legs, we'll be able to go mobile." [See photos of NASA's Robonaut 2 humanoid robot]

While the upper half of Robonaut looks a lot like a human, the legs don't resemble a person's legs very much. Instead of feet, the robot has clamps that allow it to latch onto and climb up on objects. The legs are also longer than human legs a span of 9 feet (2.7 meters) and are more flexible, giving the robot more ways to cling to things inside or outside the station.

"In space, you don't use your human legs in the way you use them on the ground," Diftler said. "We didn't adhere to the human form because it didn't make any sense."NASA researchers did not even have legs in mind when they sent Robonaut 2 to the space station in 2011, but it was possible to add the appendages with some upgrades to the robot's wiring and computer systems."

The legs were flown to the space station aboard a cargo ship in April.Yet, even while it was fixed in place, Robonaut 2 was occasionally used by space station crews. In February 2012, RobonautIt shook hands with Expedition 30 commander Dan Burbank, and earlier this year, the bot used a "task board" to test its ability to manipulate knobs, switches and buttons. More recently, Robonaut has been put to work moving "soft goods," such as covers that provide thermal protection for space station components.

Last year, astronaut Tom Marshburn tested teleoperating Robonaut, using virtual reality gear to control the robot and have it catch a free-floating object.

Follow Elizabeth Howell@howellspace, or Space.com@Spacedotcom. We're also onFacebookandGoogle+.Original article on Space.com.

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NASA's Robonaut 2 Droid Gets Its Legs on Space Station

China is open to cooperation with foreign nations on its manned space station project, according to a senior space official.

"We reserved a number of platforms that can be used for international cooperative projects in our future space station when we designed it," Yang Liwei, deputy director of China Manned Space Agency, said at a news conference following the opening ceremony of the 27th Planetary Congress of the Association of Space Explorers in Beijing on Wednesday.

"In addition to collaboration in applied experiments, we also designed adapters that can dock with other nations' spacecraft," he said.

Yang, China's first astronaut, who went into space in 2003, said the country is willing to deepen collaboration on its space station with other nations in a wide range of fields such as equipment development, applied technology and joint operation.

"We will share our knowledge, experience and achievements in space activities with other countries, especially developing countries," Yang added.

China plans to launch the core module of its space station in 2018 to test related technologies and engineering issues, and the whole station will become fully operational around 2022, according to Yang. China has been in comprehensive cooperation with many foreign space agencies regarding aerospace medicine, applied sciences and astronaut selection and training.

"For instance, our scientists and engineers conducted 17 experiments pertaining to life science in space with the German Aerospace Center during the unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft mission in 2011," Yang said.

During an international workshop on human space technology in Beijing last year, Yang said China would be happy to help train astronauts for other countries and organizations and would also be glad to provide rides to foreign astronauts.

"We will welcome foreign astronauts who have received our training to work in our future space station," Yang said.

China launched its manned space program in September 1992. So far, the nation has sent 10 Shenzhou spacecraft - five of them manned - and the Tiangong-1 space laboratory into space.

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China eyes working with other nations as station plans develop

ScienceCasts: Jellyfish Flame on the International Space Station #Nasa
Astronauts onboard the International Space Station report seeing flames that behave like jellyfish. Video of the microgravity phenomenon is a must-see. Visit...

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