Category Archives: Space Station

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Expedition 63 to the International Space Station began in April 2020, after the Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft arrived at the orbiting lab with NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy (left) and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin (center) and Ivan Vagner.

The three-person Expedition 63 will be joined by NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, who will arrive May 28 with the first crewed test flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft. If all goes well with SpaceX's demonstration mission, the first operational Crew Dragon flight could bring three more crewmembers to the space station before the end of Expedition 63, which is scheduled to last until October. See photos of the Expedition 63 mission in this Space.com gallery.

Related: A photo tour of the International Space Station

The Expedition 63 prime crewmembers pose for a photo at the Garagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, on Nov. 12, 2019. From left: NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner.

The official insignia for Expedition 63.

Prior to their scheduled April 9, 2020 launch, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, the prime crewmembers for Expedition 63, arrive at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, for qualification exams on March 11.

The Expedition 63 backup crewmembers NASA astronaut Steve Bowen and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrei Babkin pose for photos in front of a Soyuz trainer on March 11, 2020.

Expedition 63 prime crewmembers pose with the Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft during pre-launch training activities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. From left: Ivan Vagner, Anatoly Ivanishin and Chris Cassidy.

As the prime crewmembers flew to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the trio affixed their mission insignia on the wall of the plane on March 24.

At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Kazakhstan, Expedition 63 crewmembers, both prime and backup, participate in pre-launch activities. From left to right are Chris Cassidy, Anatoly Ivanishin, Ivan Vagner, and backup crewmembers Andrei Babkin, Sergey Ryzhikov and Steve Bowen.

On April 9, 2020, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and his Russian crewmates Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos, journey from building 254 to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The Soyuz MS-16 carrying NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner approaches the International Space Station while orbiting over the coast of Peru, on April 9, 2020.

Once aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 63 crewmembers pose for photos with Expedition 62 crewmembers after Roscosmos' Oleg Skripochka (bottom right) handed over station command to NASA's Chris Cassidy (bottom left). Expedition 62 returned to Earth on April 17, 2020.

Above Skripochka are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan. On the left, above Cassidy, are Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner.

On board the International Space Station on April 16, 2020, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy shows a meal packet left for him by European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, who returned to Earth Feb. 6, 2020. Cassidy and Parmitano were crewmates during the Expedition 36 mission in 2013.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Antaoly Ivanishin, Expedition 63 flight engineer, practices remote spacecraft maneuvering techniques in the Zvezda service module on the Tele-Operated Robotics Unit (TORU), which enables a cosmonaut to dock a Russian spacecraft manually.

Expedition 63 flight engineer Ivan Vagner practices remote spacecraft maneuvering techniques in the Zvezda service module on the Tele-Operated Robotics Unit (TORU).

Expedition 63 Cmdr. Chris Cassidy connects water umbilicals and checks for leaks in the Combustion Integrated Rack at the International Space Station. This research device allows for safe fuel, flame and soot studies to be conducted in microgravity.

Inside the Quest airlock of the International Space Station, Expedition 63 Cmdr. Chris Cassidy of NASA cleans does routine maintenance on the U.S. spacesuits.

Link:
In photos: The Expedition 63 mission to the International Space Station - Space.com

Posted: May. 27, 2020 7:00 am Updated: May. 27, 2020 12:01 pm

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) NASA is rolling out the International Space Stations red carpet for Tom Cruise to make a movie in orbit.

The space agency's administrator, Jim Bridenstine, said before Wednesdays planned launch of two NASA astronauts aboard a SpaceX rocket that Elon Musks company is already getting customers eager to blast off.

Cruise is one of them.

Bridenstine said hell leaving it to Cruise and SpaceX to provide the mission details.

I will tell you this: NASA has been in talks with Tom Cruise and, of course, his team, and we will do everything we can to make it a successful mission, including opening up the International Space Station," he told The Associated Press.

Asked about Cruise filming on the space station, Musk told CBS This Morning, Actually, I think that remains to be seen. We are supportive and I think NASA is supportive of anything that captures the imagination of the public.

Bridenstine said the whole reason NASA created this commercial marketplace is so SpaceX, Boeing and other private companies can attract customers besides the U.S. government. That will drive down costs to American taxpayers, he said, and increase access to space for all types of people celebrities included.

I don't admit this very often ... but I was inspired to become a Navy pilot because when I was in elementary school, I watched the movie Top Gun,'" the 44-year-old Bridenstine said.

Cruise starred as Navy pilot Pete Maverick Mitchell in the 1986 film. A sequel is due out later this year.

The question is, Can Tom Cruise make a new movie that inspires the next generation Elon Musk. And if he can do that, then were all for it. NASA is all in," Bridenstine said.

A message to Cruises representative was not immediately returned.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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NASA chief "all in" for Tom Cruise to film on space station - Herald-Whig

Look up, way up: the International Space Station is doing flyovers of Thunder Bay nightly until June 1.

But you'll have to be quick if you want to catch a glimpse.

The station which orbits about 400kilometres above the Earth will be visible nightly, but only for a few minutes at a time, as it passes over the city.

The next sighting window will begin at 10:29 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, and last for six minutes, according to NASA's Spot the Station web page.

It will also be visible for six minutes just after midnight, and then again briefly at 1:43 a.m. Friday.

This pattern will continue every day until June 1, with chances to see the station late in the evening, and during early-morning hours, in the western sky.

The good news is, it will be hard to miss: the Canadian government describes it as "abig white dotthat moves quickly across the sky without changing direction, unlike aircraft, for example. It is usually the brightest object in the night sky after the Moon bright enough to be seen in urban areas even through all the light pollution."

For a complete list of chances to see the International Space Station from Thunder Bay, visit Spot the Station.

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Look up: International Space Station visible above Thunder Bay in coming weeks - CBC.ca

Space fans across Devon and Cornwall are set to get the chance to view the NASA's International Space Station (ISS) in the skies above the counties tonight.

According to the Spot The Station website, the ISS is expected to be visible across parts of the UK, including the South West region, after 10pm.

People in Plymouth will be able to see the station at 10.09pm at a maximum height of 82 from 27 above west-north-west before it disappears 10 above east.

Later on in the night, the ISS is set to appear again 11 above west before going out of sight 33 above south-south-west and have a maximum height of 33 in the sky.

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Stargazers in Devon and Cornwall are due to get two chances to view the station - the first coming at 10.09pm before it reappears at 11.44pm - if weather conditions remain clear during the night.

It is expected that the ISS will viewable for around five minutes during the first sighting and for three on the second.

The website has details of where the ISS will appear and disappear from sight in four locations across the two counties.

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To get the Plymouth Live app visit the App Store here for iOS devices, and on the Google Play store here to download the app on Android.

Click on the App Store here to download the Devon Live app for iOS devices, and on the Google Play store here to download the app on Android.

In Barnstaple, it will appear at 10.09pm in the sky 22 above west before disappearing 10 above east-south-east and have a maximum height of 86.

Then on the second expected viewing at 11.44pm, it will reappear 11 above west and disappear 29 above south-south-west and have a maximum height of 30.

Details for Exeter suggest the ISS will appear first 22 above west-north-west and disappear 10 above east-south-east with a maximum height of 87.

At 11.44pm, the ISS should be visible from 11 above west before going out of sight 30 above south-south-west with a top height of 30.

Cornish stargazers can use details given for Truro to help guide them to where the ISS might show up with the information for the 10.09pm saying it will appear 33 above west-north-west with a top height of 78 before going out of sight at 10 above east.

The second chance to view it should occur when it reappears 11 above west at a height of 36 before it disappears 33 above south.

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International Space Station visible over Devon and Cornwall tonight - Plymouth Live

Stargazers will be able to catch a glimpse of the International Space Station during the bank holiday weekend as it passes over Bristol.

Every 24 hours, the space station completes 16 orbits of the Earth while travelling at around five miles per second.

It will be visible across the county, including in Bristol, this week and beyond, and will make three passes over our city tonight (Friday, May 22).

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The first pass over Bristol will take place at around 10.05pm and will remain visible for six minutes.

Later tonight at later around 11.42pm, it will make another pass and will be visible for five minutes.

There will be a third sighting at 1.19am in the morning but this will last less than one minute.

The ISS, due to its speed, completes an orbit roughly every 90 minutes and travels through 16 sunsets and sunrises.

It has been continuously occupied since November 2000 by 240 individuals, including British astronaut Tim Peake.

There will be several sightings during the bank holiday weekend, which you can find below.

Here are all the timings you need if you want to spot the ISS flying overheard in Bristol this weekend.

Read more:
Here's how to see the International Space Station passing over Bristol this weekend - Bristol Live

Want to view the International Space Station up close and personal?

According toSpace.com, it's somewhat of a commitment. Actually, it requires that you are in amazing physical condition and have at least a bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics, as well as three years of professional experience before you are even considered for the selection process.

With this in mind, only a diehard astronaut hopeful will commit to this lengthy and demanding journey. However, you can still view this marvel of human ingenuity from a distance with both feet firmly planted in Vancouver soil (or grass, or pavement - you get the picture). In fact, the International Space Station is viewable from the Lower Mainland on numerous occasions - but you'll have to know exactly where and when to look for it.

Luckily, tonight is one of those nights,weather permitting.

Stargazers can set their alarms for around 9:45; the station will be viewable at 9:50 p.m.

While the cloud cover may make viewing difficult tonight, there are a number of viewing opportunities in the upcoming days.NASA outlines them with this user-friendly tool HERE.

Of course, knowing where and when to look is only half the battle - you'll also have to know what to look for.

So, what exactly does the station look like?

According to NASA, the station is visible to the naked eye and looks like a, "fast-moving plane only much higher and traveling thousands of miles an hour faster."

With that said, it is the third brightest object in the sky, which makes spotting it less difficult. Like the moon, the space station is visible because it reflects the light of the Sun. And, naturally, viewing opportunities are best on clear nights.

The football field-sized space station serves as a testbed for technologies and supports NASAs mission to push human presence father into space. Learn more about station updates and researchhere.

Happy viewing, Vancouver!

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You can view the International Space Station from Vancouver tonight - Vancouver Is Awesome

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches a test of the company's Crew Dragon capsule.

SpaceX

SpaceX is just nine days away from the most significant launch in the history of Elon Musk's company.

The company confirmed on Monday that its next launch will be Demo-2, currently scheduled for May 27. The mission will see two NASA astronauts strap in to SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule and head for the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley buckled into the Crew Dragon capsule for SpaceX Demo-2.

SpaceX

SpaceX had planned to launch another batch of its Starlink satellites this week. But, due to a coming tropical storm, the company decided to delay the satellite mission and instead focus on Demo-2.

As its name implies, Demo-2 will be the second time SpaceX launches its Crew Dragon capsule to the space station. ButDemo-1 last yearhad no crew on board.

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley areset to liftoff at 4:32 p.m. EDT from launchpad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket emblazoned with the famous NASA "worm" logo for the Demo-2 mission/

NASA

Demo-2 has been a priority for both NASA and SpaceX, with the agency deeming the mission to be "mission essential" even during the coronavirus pandemic.NASA AdministratorJim Bridenstine earlier this month explainedthat decision to CNBC, saying that "we need access to the International Space Station from the United States of America." Currently there is just one NASA astronaut on board the ISS.

NASA has helped fund the development of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft under a program known as Commercial Crew.The Commercial Crew program is NASA's replacement for the Space Shuttle, which retired in 2011. While NASA has awarded SpaceX more than $3.1 billion to develop Crew Dragon, the agency estimates that the program will save taxpayers between $20 billion and $30 billion compared to NASA's previous plans.

While thousands of people were expected to come watch the historic launch, Bridenstine has asked people to stay home for Demo-2 and not come to Florida. The agency will host a live broadcast of the mission online.

"Join us in this launch but do so from home. We are asking people not to travel to the Kennedy Space Center," Bridenstine said on April 23.

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Link:
The next SpaceX launch will be the company's first with people on board - CNBC

THE International Space Station is visible over the UK at the moment and is incredibly bright as it passes over in the evenings.

You can catch it all this week, with very bright passes at 10.04pm and 11.40pm tonight, Monday, May 18, and for night owls another one at 1.17am.

On Tuesday, May 19, you will see it overhead at 10.52pm and again at 29 minutes past midnight. The following day, Wednesday, May 20, it will be visible at 10.04pm and at 11.41pm. On Thursday, May 21, it will be passing at 10.53pm and again at half past midnight. Friday's times are 10.05pm and 11.42pm.

The ISS always approaches from the west or southwesterly direction.

This image was taken by nine-year-old Lottie White, over Newbury on Sunday night, usingan old Samsung ST72 pocket digital camera on a tripod on night picture setting and a 16s exposure. Her first attempt at a photograph of the spacestation.

If you've taken a photograph of the ISS, email it to geraldine.gardner@newburynews.co.ukfor our cosmic gallery.

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Timetable for spotting the International Space Station as it passes over the UK and nine-year-old Lottie from Newbury takes her first cosmic...

THE International Space Station will be visible as it passes over the UK over the next 16 days, between May 15 and June 1.

The ISS is the largest space station/laboratory ever built and can be seen with the naked eye at certain times as it orbits Earth at 17,500mph at an altitude of roughly 200 miles.

It is a huge space station that serves as an orbital laboratory, factory, testing ground and home, with crew members conducting experiments from biology to astronomy.

Spotting the space station is very easy and you dont need any special equipment just your eyes and a camera!

It always passes over starting from a westerly part of the sky, but not always from the same point. It can be low on the horizon for some passes and very high for others.

The best times to see it this weekend and appearing from the south west, are Friday, May 15, at 10.50pm and again at 27 minutes past midnight, Saturday, May 16, at 10.03pm and again at 11.39pm, and on Sunday, May 17, you could spot it at 10.51pm.

There are other passes during the night that we haven't included, but if you fancy camping out under the stars there will be two or three opportunities in the early hours of the morning.

Each pass lasts about three minutes and they are predicted to be very bright, but please note they are subject to change at the last minute - if the International Space Station performs an orbital boost and changes its orbit - and we will keep the times as updated as we can.

Next week's times will be posted on Monday. Spaceship incoming

As usual we would love to see your photographs of the satellite, star constellations or planets. Tim Burgess took the picture above from his garden in Thatcham, so the bar has been set. Email geraldine.gardner@newburynews.co.ukand we will create a cosmic gallery for May.

Starlink 7 launch from Cape Canaveral

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International Space Station visible in orbit over the UK until the beginning of June - Newbury Weekly News Group

Salad could be grown on Mars, scientists have said after successfully sending seeds on a mission to space.

The research saw a million rocket seeds sent on an actual rocket to the International Space Station. The mission, in 2015, was supported by British astronaut Tim Peake.

When the seeds came back to Earth six months later, 600,000 children across the UK took part in an experiment organised by the Royal Horticultural Society to grow and monitor these seeds.

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Although spaceflight did not compromise seed viability and development of the seedlings, the researchers said the "germination vigour" of the seeds was reduced.

They believe their findings, published recently in the journal Life, take scientists a step closer to knowing whether edible crops can be cultivated on long space missions.

Dr Jake Chandler, of the Royal Holloway's department of biological sciences in London and lead author on the paper, said: "Transporting high quality seeds to space and beyond will be crucial for growing plants that support human exploration of space, Mars and other worlds.

"Our study found that a six month journey to space reduced the vigour of rocket seeds compared to those that stayed on Earth, indicating that spaceflight accelerated the ageing process."

The researchers say that to maintain the quality of dormant seeds during spaceflights, they need to be protected from the harmful effects of cosmic radiation and mechanical vibrations of the spacecraft.

While aboard the ISS, the absorbed radiation dose of the seeds was found to be 100 times greater compared to the Earth's surface.

The researchers believe the radiation exposure during Mars missions would be at least five times greater than that of the ISS.

But despite these challenges, the experts say growing crops on long space missions could be achievable, if the seeds are sufficiently protected.

Mystic Mountain, a pillar of gas and dust standing at three-light-years tall, bursting with jets of gas flom fledgling stars buried within, was captured by Nasa's Hubble Space Telelscope in February 2010

Nasa/ESA/STScI

The first ever selfie taken on an alien planet, captured by Nasa's Curiosity Rover in the early days of its mission to explore Mars in 2012

Nasa/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Death of a star: This image from Nasa's Chandra X-ray telescope shows the supernova of Tycho, a star in our Milky Way galaxy

Nasa

Arrokoth, the most distant object ever explored, pictured here on 1 January 2019 by a camera on Nasa's New Horizons spaceraft at a distance of 4.1 billion miles from Earth

Getty

An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory in January 2012. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust

Nasa

The first ever image of a black hole, captured by the Event Horizon telescope, as part of a global collaboration involving Nasa, and released on 10 April 2019. The image reveals the black hole at the centre of Messier 87, a massive galaxy in the nearby Virgo galaxy cluster. This black hole resides about 54 million light-years from Earth

Getty

Pluto, as pictured by Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft as it flew over the dwarf planet for the first time ever in July 2015

Nasa/APL/SwRI

A coronal mass ejection as seen by the Chandra Observatory in 2019. This is the first time that Chandra has detected this phenomenon from a star other than the Sun

Nasa

Dark, narrow, 100 meter-long streaks running downhill on the surface Mars were believed to be evidence of contemporary flowing water. It has since been suggested that they may instead be formed by flowing sand

Nasa/JPL/University of Arizona

Morning Aurora: Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station in October 2015

Nasa/Scott Kelly

Mystic Mountain, a pillar of gas and dust standing at three-light-years tall, bursting with jets of gas flom fledgling stars buried within, was captured by Nasa's Hubble Space Telelscope in February 2010

Nasa/ESA/STScI

The first ever selfie taken on an alien planet, captured by Nasa's Curiosity Rover in the early days of its mission to explore Mars in 2012

Nasa/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Death of a star: This image from Nasa's Chandra X-ray telescope shows the supernova of Tycho, a star in our Milky Way galaxy

Nasa

Arrokoth, the most distant object ever explored, pictured here on 1 January 2019 by a camera on Nasa's New Horizons spaceraft at a distance of 4.1 billion miles from Earth

Getty

An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory in January 2012. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust

Nasa

The first ever image of a black hole, captured by the Event Horizon telescope, as part of a global collaboration involving Nasa, and released on 10 April 2019. The image reveals the black hole at the centre of Messier 87, a massive galaxy in the nearby Virgo galaxy cluster. This black hole resides about 54 million light-years from Earth

Getty

Pluto, as pictured by Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft as it flew over the dwarf planet for the first time ever in July 2015

Nasa/APL/SwRI

A coronal mass ejection as seen by the Chandra Observatory in 2019. This is the first time that Chandra has detected this phenomenon from a star other than the Sun

Nasa

Dark, narrow, 100 meter-long streaks running downhill on the surface Mars were believed to be evidence of contemporary flowing water. It has since been suggested that they may instead be formed by flowing sand

Nasa/JPL/University of Arizona

Morning Aurora: Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station in October 2015

Nasa/Scott Kelly

Dr Chandler said: "Thus, while we should carefully consider protecting seeds from potentially harmful factors including space radiation and mechanical vibration, the seeds remained alive, and the prospect of eating home-grown salad on Mars may be one small step closer."

Major Peake, added: "In one of the largest and most inspirational experiments of its kind, more than half a million young people collected reliable data to help the scientists at Royal Holloway investigate the effects of spaceflight on rocket seeds.

"When humans travel to Mars, they will need to find ways to feed themselves, and this research helps us understand some of the biology of seed storage and germination which will be vital for future space missions."

Additional reporting by Press Association

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Salad could be grown on Mars, scientists say - The Independent