Category Archives: Space Station

MOSCOW A Russian rocket carrying three navigational satellites broke apart in a fiery explosion seconds after liftoff Tuesday morning, the ninth failure in the countrys troubled space program in the past 30 months and the third this year.

The rockets dramatic disintegration leaves in doubt a scheduled launch this month of a cargo vessel carrying water and other supplies to the international space station. On Tuesday, Russian officials put a hold on launches from the leased space center at Baikonur, in Kazakhstan, while they investigate the cause of the explosion and the damage to the launch site. A spokesman for the space agency Roscosmos said it is too soon to know how long the hold will be in effect.

But the RIA Novosti news agency quoted an unnamed official in the space agency as saying that there would probably be no launches for two to three months.

The next crew change at the space station is scheduled for Sept. 25, also by way of Baikonur. The United States has relied on Russian rockets to ferry astronauts to and from the station.

Analysts here say Russia has been careful to maintain standards in its manned-spaceflight program. But unmanned launches, they say, have been plagued by obsolete design, sloppy engineering, poor training and management, and conspicuous corruption.

The rocket that exploded Tuesday, on live television, was a Proton-M, derived from a 1965 Soviet predecessor. In February, a Zenit naval-launched rocket carrying a telecommunications satellite veered into the ocean. A Defense Ministry satellite also failed this year, the Interfax news agency reported.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev demanded the names of those responsible for Tuesdays crash. A criminal investigation also was opened. In Kazakhstan, an environmental commission was formed over fears of widespread rocket-fuel contamination at the site. A Kazakh official told Interfax that the rocket was carrying 600 tons of toxic substances.

When it hit the ground, it left a crater 150 to 200 yards across.

Interfax calculated the financial loss to Russia from the launch failure at about $140million.

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Russian rocket breaks up on liftoff, threatening next space station launch

Would you like pie with that? (NASA)

Peggy Whitson was the first female commander of the International Space Station. When she arrived on the Station, she took part in a long NASA tradition: she brought gifts from Earth for her fellow crew members.

One of those gifts? A pie.

In a talk about Station life at the Aspen Ideas Festival yesterday, astronaut Jeffrey Ashby told the pie-in-the-sky story. Traditional gifts that astronauts bring up from Earth tend to be things like books and movies and DVDs, he said -- things to help astronauts living on the Station keep connected to the people and cultures back on Earth.

In Whitson's case, though, the gift was a pecan pie, provided by her husband."I don't know how they got it past the food people," Ashby said.

The problem, of course, was that in order to make it up to the Space Station, the pie had to be launched into space. Even stored in a locker aboard the shuttle that delivered Whitson and her payload, the piece was subject to g-forces. So by the time it arrived, Ashby said, "the pie was in about half the shell."

That was okay, though. Fortunately, Whitson had also brought up with her a food product that is both hardier and, in space, even more valuable than baked goods: hot sauce.

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That Time an Astronaut Brought a Pie to the International Space Station

Would you like pie with that? (NASA)

Peggy Whitson was the first female commander of the International Space Station. When she arrived on the Station, she took part in a long NASA tradition: she brought gifts from Earth for her fellow crew members.

One of those gifts? A pie.

In a talk about Station life at the Aspen Ideas Festival yesterday, astronaut Jeffrey Ashby told the pie-in-the-sky story. Traditional gifts that astronauts bring up from Earth tend to be things like books and movies and DVDs, he said -- things to help astronauts living on the Station keep connected to the people and cultures back on Earth.

In Whitson's case, though, the gift was a pecan pie, provided by her husband."I don't know how they got it past the food people," Ashby said.

The problem, of course, was that in order to make it up to the Space Station, the pie had to be launched into space. Even stored in a locker aboard the shuttle that delivered Whitson and her payload, the piece was subject to g-forces. So by the time it arrived, Ashby said, "the pie was in about half the shell."

That was okay, though. Fortunately, Whitson had also brought up with her a food product that is both hardier and, in space, even more valuable than baked goods: hot sauce.

More From The Atlantic

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That Time an Astronaut Bought a Pie to the International Space Station

Would you like pie with that? (NASA)

Peggy Whitson was the first female commander of the International Space Station. In October 2002, she was living on the Station. And during STS-112, the shuttle mission that sent astronauts to help build out the Station's infrastructure, her husband took part in a time-honored tradition: he sent her a care package.

One of his gifts? A pie.

In a talk about Station life at the Aspen Ideas Festival yesterday, astronaut Jeffrey Ashby told the pie-in-the-sky story. Traditional gifts that shuttles delivered to Station-bound astronauts tended to be things like books and movies and DVDs, he said -- things to help astronauts living on the Station keep connected to the people and cultures back on Earth.

In Whitson's case, though, the gift was a pecan pie-- a gesture from her husband."I don't know how he got it past the food people," Ashby said.

There was a problem, though: in order to make it up to the Space Station, the pie had to be, you know,launched into space. Even stored in a locker aboard the shuttle -- and even being pecan, one of the hardier types of pie -- the baked good was subject to g-forces. So by the time it arrived, Ashby said, "the pie was in about half the shell."

That was okay, though. In this, as with most gifts, it was the thought that counted. And, fortunately, Whitson's husband had also included in his care package a foodstuff that is less delicate and, in tastebud-challenging space,even more valuablethan pie: hot sauce.

More From The Atlantic

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That Time an Astronaut Got a Pie Sent to the International Space Station

Space Station Live: June 26, 2013
The Space Station Live recap video for June 26, 2013. Watch the full Space Station Live broadcast weekdays on NASA TV at 10 a.m..

By: ReelNASA

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Space Station Live: June 26, 2013 - Video

Space Station Live June 25, 2013
Credit: NASA http://nightskynews365.blogspot.com/

By: Noctis Caelum

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Space Station Live June 25, 2013 - Video

NASA ISS Expedition 36 Space Station Live! From mission Control Houston June 26, 2013
http://www.zerognews.com - NASA ISS Expedition 36 Space Station Live! From mission Control Houston June 26, 2013.

By: Matthew Travis

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NASA ISS Expedition 36 Space Station Live! From mission Control Houston June 26, 2013 - Video

Space Station June 26, 2013
Space Station Live: June 26, 2013 The Space Station Live recap video for June 26, 2013. Watch the full Space Station Live broadcast weekdays on NASA TV at 10...

By: calamityjane5000

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Space Station June 26, 2013 - Video

International Space Station over San Diego
June 25, 2013; 8:44PM PST Captured with a GoPro Hero II and some help from NASA and Sony Vegas video editing. Audio is Public Domain as performed by the Unit...

By: buddychump

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International Space Station over San Diego - Video

CCP Industry Partners Work Toward Space Station
NASA #39;s Commercial Crew Program manager and three aerospace industry partner representatives discuss America #39;s efforts to regain a domestic crew launch capabi...

By: NASAKennedy

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CCP Industry Partners Work Toward Space Station - Video