Category Archives: Space Station

The ISS Progress 51 cargo craft completed a two-day journey to the International Space Station when it was captured at the Zvezda service module on Friday at 8:25 a.m. EDT, the cargo craft completed a hard mate when the docking hooks were deployed at 8:34 a.m.

Flight Engineers Pavel Vinogradov and Roman Romanenko monitored the docking while at the controls of TORU, the Russian telerobotically operated rendezvous system, ready to take manual control of the automated docking process if difficulties arose.

After conducting leak checks at the docking interface and opening the hatch to the cargo craft, the Expedition 35 crew members will begin the long process of inventorying and unloading its 3.1 tons of food, fuel and equipment.

The unpiloted cargo craft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 6:12 a.m. on Wednesday loaded with 1,764 pounds of propellant, 48 pounds of oxygen, 57 pounds of air, 926 pounds of water and 3,483 pounds of spare parts, experiment hardware and other supplies for the station crew.

Unlike its three predecessors, Progress 51 was relegated to the typical two-day rendezvous because of the phasing and orbital mechanics associated with its launch date. It replaces the trash-filled ISS Progress 49 cargo craft which undocked from the station's Zvezda service module on April 15.

Progress 51 will be filled with trash and station discards then undocked from the station on June 11 to make way for the arrival of the European Space Agency's "Albert Einstein" Automated Transfer Vehicle 4 on June 15.

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Progress 51 Cargo Craft Docks to Space Station

NASA TV

A Russian Progress 51 robotic spacecraft successfully docked to the International Space Station on Friday morning.

By Miriam Kramer Space.com

An unmanned cargo-carrying spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station Friday morning, despite a glitch in the capsule's navigation system.

After its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, the RussianProgress 51 spacecraftfailed to deploy one of the two antennas used for the Kurs automated docking system. Russian ground controllers were able to reposition the antenna, allowing the automated docking to go ahead as planned.

Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Roman Romanenko kept an eye on Progress as it moved into position.

"We have contact," one of the cosmonauts said after docking, "We have capture."

Although the cosmonauts were prepared to take over docking procedures, the automated system worked and the spacecraft fully docked to the station at 8:34 a.m. EDT while flying 251 miles (404 kilometers) over the border between China and Kazakhstan.

NASA TV

The Russian Progress 51 nears the International Space Station after a glitch involving a navigational antenna.

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Russian cargo spacecraft docks with space station despite glitch

An unmanned cargo-carrying spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station Friday morning (April 26), despite a glitch in the capsule's navigation system.

After its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, the RussianProgress 51 spacecraft failed to deploy one of the two antennas used for the Kurs automated docking system. Russian ground controllers were able to reposition the antenna, allowing the automated docking to go ahead as planned.

Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Roman Romanenko kept an eye on Progress as it moved into position.

"We have contact," one of the cosmonauts said after docking, "We have capture."

Although the cosmonauts were prepared to take over docking procedures, the automated system worked and the spacecraft fully docked to the station at 8:34 a.m. EDT (1234 GMT) while flying 251 miles (404 kilometers) over the border between China and Kazakhstan.

The approach to the space station was slower than usual because controllers on the ground and astronauts on the International Space Station were carefully monitoring Progress's position, NASA officials said.

At first the Progress was "soft-docked" and not secured in place with hooks in latches, giving the station crew and flight controllers a chance to make sure its stuck antenna posed no risk to the station's exterior. When they saw it was safe, the Progress was slowly drawn into the port and secured.

Progress delivered 1,764 pounds (800 kg) of propellant, 57 pounds (26 kg) of air, 48 pounds (21 kg) of oxygen, 926 pounds (420 kg) of water and 3,348 pounds (1519 kg) of experiment hardware, spare parts and other supplies to the residents of the space station, NASA officials said.

Vinogradov and Romanenko are flight engineers on the station's Expedition 25 crew, along with NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn and Chris Cassidy, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin. The crew is led by commanderChris Hadfieldof the Canadian Space Agency.

Romanenko, Marshburn and Hadfield are expected to leave the space station in May after six months onboard. Once they leave, Vinogradov will take over for Hadfield as the commander of the Expedition 36 mission.

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Russian Cargo Spacecraft Successfully Docks to Space Station

Space Station Live: Astronaut Don Pettit on Earth Photography
In celebration of Earth Day, Space Station Live commentator Pat Ryan sat down with NASA astronaut Don Pettit to learn more about the experience of viewing and photographing our planet from...

By: ReelNASA

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Space Station Live: Astronaut Don Pettit on Earth Photography - Video

A group of Rice University engineering students think they can make the perfect cup of coffee with a 3D printer for astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

If you're looking for a cup of delicious caffeine in near-Earth orbit, you might agree with them.

The Rice students, Robert Johnson, Colin Shaw and Benjamin Young, created a simpler way for astronauts to customize coffee to their personal tastes, forgoing the instant, syrupy, pre-packaged liquid that they had been drinking in space. Sounds way worse than your standard breakroom coffee.

The new system lets astronauts distribute just the right amount of creamer and sugar. Before this project, astronauts could not decide how sweet or bitter their morning cup of joe could be. A two-element roller with a gauge that dispenses the desired ratios of sugar and cream was created with a 3D printer at Rice's Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen.

Johnson Space Center's Space Food Systems Laboratory gave the trio constraints on what can and cannot be used in space. The challenge for the group was in creating a way to make the coffee that the astronauts could replicate in the zero gravity of the ISS. The astronauts heat up their current mixture with 158 degree water, while on Earth the optimal temperature for a cup is at least 140 degrees.

"If they know what they like on Earth, they know what they like in orbit," said Shaw in a press release.The students are hoping their coffee soon becomes the astronauts' favorite treat aboard the ISS. Right now, the astronauts are raving about the Russian shrimp and tartar sauce from the ISS kitchen.

Now, let's just hope NASA doesn't feel the need to hire a few surly space baristas.

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Space station visitors can thank Rice students for the delicious coffee

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Central Florida residents will have several opportunities to see the International Space Station pass overhead this week and next, weather permitting.

The station, with its six-member Expedition 35 crew, is about 260 miles above Earth and will celebrate its 13th anniversary of continuous occupancy in November. Commander Chris Hadfield from the Canadian Space Agency and Flight Engineers Tom Marshburn and Chris Cassidy from NASA, and Roman Romanenko, Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin from the Russian Federal Space Agency are conducting important science and technology experiments aboard the complex.

At 9:42 p.m. EDT on Thursday, the station will approach from the northwest and for about one minute will be more than two-thirds of the way up in the sky as it moves to the north/northwest. Sighting opportunities also occur Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.

The station can be seen every day at various locations around the world just prior to sunrise and just after sunset.

For sighting opportunities from specific cities in Florida, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/KtXV9E

NASA's Spot the Station service sends you an email or text message hours before the space station passes over your house: http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/

For the latest information about the International Space Station, its crews and scientific research taking place onboard, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

For updates about activities at Kennedy, visit the NASA Kennedy News Twitter feed at: http://www.twitter.com/nasakennedy

For more on NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

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Space Station Sighting Opportunities for Central Florida

by Nancy Atkinson on April 23, 2013

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International Space Station pass over Stonehenge, Wiltshire UK, April 20, 2013. Credit and copyright: Tim Burgess. Used by permission.

In a gorgeous mix of archeology and space exploration, photographer Tim Burgess captured a stunning view of the International Space Station passing over the historic and iconic Stonehenge on April 20, 2013. Tim said this composite image is composed of 11 shots, 10 sec, f2.8, 400 ISO. As one person commented on Flickr, An amazing feat of human engineering passing over an amazing feat of human engineering, captured by an amazing feat of human engineering.

Thanks to Tim for allowing us to post this image on UT; keep track of Tims photography on Flickr and Twitter. Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group or send us your images by email (this means youre giving us permission to post them). Please explain whats in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.

Tagged as: Astrophotos, ISS, Stonehenge

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Incredible Astrophoto: Space Station Flies Over Stonehenge

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) test bed has begun its experiments after completing its checkout on the International Space Station.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)

The SCaN test bed is an advanced, integrated communications laboratory facility that uses a new generation of software-defined radio (SDR) technology to allow researchers to develop, test and demonstrate advanced communications, networking and navigation technologies in space. This radio communication technology is based on a new standard that enables radio characteristics and functionality to be changed simply by altering the software. It can be transferred to any radio built to the standard. The cost savings and efficiency of this new technology will improve NASA's data communications in the future.

"The space station serves as a dynamic test bed for the technologies needed for future human and robotic exploration," said International Space Station Program Manager Michael Suffredini. "SCaN is an example of the technologies that are being matured in low-Earth orbit and used to increase science return of many different types of spacecraft."

Checkout activities completed in February established the status and health of the payload, including the antenna systems and software on each of three SDRs. The test bed will help technology developers and mission planners understand how they will be used in future missions.

"With the development and deployment of this test bed, NASA has enabled significant future advancements by gaining knowledge and understanding of SDR development," said John Rush, technology and standards director for SCaN at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "That has created expertise across the agency that will define and develop the next generation of SDRs for future missions."

Initial experiments under way include advancing in S-band and Ka-band SDR technology and enhancing the capabilities of the existing communications paths, especially in the Ka-band. Researchers expect the test bed to operate aboard the space station for as long as six years.

"The SCaN Test bed represents a significant advancement in SDRs and its applications for NASA," said David Irimies, project manager for the SCaN test bed at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. "Investigating these SDR technologies in the dynamic space environment increases their technology readiness level and maturity, which in turn can be used for future missions as risk reduction."

An experiment with NASA's latest Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)-K will be the first in-orbit test and demonstration of a TDRS spacecraft acquiring and successfully auto-tracking a Ka-band user in low-Earth orbit.

This reconfigurable in-orbit laboratory provides broad participation to NASA, industry, academia and other government agencies. These experiments will contribute data to the Space Telecommunications Radio Standard Compliant repository and will enable future hardware platforms to use common, reusable software modules to reduce development time and costs.

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Space Station Communications Test Bed Checks Out; Experiments Begin

Spot the International Space Station moving across the night sky this week. Chances arise the next three nights, but the best viewing opportunity Wednesday is possible to coincide with rain and thunderstorms.

Look tonight at 8:59 p.m., Tuesday at 9:45 p.m. and Wednesday at 8:54 p.m. In each case, the space station will appear brighter than a star moving steadily across the sky, first appearing on the northwestern horizon.

Wednesdays will be the best chance, with the spacecraft taking a path directly overhead and at its brightest. But forecasts are calling for a 50 percent chance of rain Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service.

It takes about 6 minutes for the space station to cross the sky, but Tuesday's opportunity will be only about half that before the space station disappears into the shadows.

Given all that, you might want to spot the space station Monday while you have the chance. It will stay low in the sky, passing eastward through the constellations Cassiopeia and Ursa Minor, better known as the Little Dipper.

Look out for Jupiter low in the western sky while you're out there.

The space station's current crew, on Expedition 35, is led by Canadian space agency astronaut Chris Hadfield and includes NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn and Chris Cassidy, both flight engineers.

The space station could soon gets its first reinforcements from a commercial spacecraft after a successful launch of Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Antares rocket Sunday. The rocket launched at 5 p.m. after several delays in the preceding days.

"Today's successful test marks another significant milestone in NASA'splan to rely on American companies to launch supplies and astronauts tothe International Space Station, bringing this important work back tothe United States where it belongs," NASA Administrator CharlesBolden said in a statement.

A demonstration mission for Orbital Sciences to resupply the space station is scheduled for later this year.

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International Space Station to fly over Baltimore this week

International Space Station Moon Pass

By: TheStone808

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International Space Station Moon Pass - Video