Construction is continued on the International Space Station today, when the crew of STS-116 went outside on their first spacewalk to attach the P5 truss segment. Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang did the spacewalking, while Joan Higginbotham and Sunita Williams worked the robot arm to assist the construction. Two more spacewalks are planned during STS-116 to reconfigure and redistribute power generated by the solar arrays.
Continue reading “First STS-116 Space Walk Wraps Up”
Progress 23 Docks with the Station
An unpiloted Progress 23 cargo ship docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, delivering a new load of supplies. On board the ship is more than 2 tonnes of food, air, fuel, water and additional equipment. There was a bit of a glitch with the docking, however. Flight controllers weren’t able to confirm if an antenna on the spacecraft was fully retracted before it docked. After a 3-hour delay, they finally gave the command to partially dock the spacecraft. Further latches will be closed on Friday to complete the docking operation.
Continue reading “Progress 23 Docks with the Station”
Cargo Ship Blasts Off for the Station
A new shipment of supplies is headed towards the International Space Station after this morning’s launch of a Russian-built Progress cargo spacecraft. The rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 1341 GMT (9:41 am EDT), and reached orbit a few minutes later. It’s carrying 2.5 tons of food, air, water and other supplies, and will dock with the Zvezda module on the International Space Station on Thursday morning.
Continue reading “Cargo Ship Blasts Off for the Station”
Astronauts Relocate Soyuz Spacecraft
The crew of Expedition 14 took a short ride outside the station last week when they repositioned a Soyuz capsule on the International Space Station. They undocked from the Zvezda port, and then redocked to the Zarya module about 20 minutes later. This Soyuz shuffling was necessary to prepare for the arrival of a new Russian Progress cargo ship, later this month.
Continue reading “Astronauts Relocate Soyuz Spacecraft”
Expedition 14 Reaches the Station
The next crew of residents arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday, and they brought a special visitor. Expedition 14, Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, travelled to orbit with space tourist Anousheh Ansari. Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin will remain on board the station until the Spring, while Ansari will return with Expedition 13 in a week.
Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin of the 14th International Space Station crew docked at the International Space Station at 1:21 a.m. EDT Wednesday to begin a six-month stay on the orbiting laboratory.
Continue reading “Expedition 14 Reaches the Station”
Burning Smell Fills the Station
The crew of the International Space Station had a bit of a scare today when they smelled a noxious odor in the air of the confined station. It turned out the smell was coming from a malfunctioning oxygen generator. NASA now believes a rubber gasket in the generator overheated, creating smoke and an odor. The event won’t cause any problems with the upcoming crew change.
Continue reading “Burning Smell Fills the Station”
Expedition 14 Launches in Russian Soyuz
A Russian Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome early Monday, carrying a new team to the International Space Station. On board are Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, as well as space tourist Anousheh Ansari. The crew of Expedition 14 will remain on board the station, while Ansari will remain on board for a week, and then return with the crew of Expedition 13. They’re expected to arrive at the station early Wednesday.
Continue reading “Expedition 14 Launches in Russian Soyuz”
International Space Station Spreads its Wings
The International Space Station got a lot bigger today when it spread out its newly installed solar panel arrays. NASA mission controllers sent commands up instructing the station to open the first panel, and then the second, spanning a total of 73 metres (240 feet). The STS-115 astronauts will have one final spacewalk on Friday; Joe Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper will spend 6.5 hours outside the station working on a variety of tasks. The Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to depart from the station on Sunday, and land on Wednesday.
Continue reading “International Space Station Spreads its Wings”
Second Spacewalk Ends
The astronauts of STS-115 spent a second day outside the International Space Station working to connect up the new P3/P4 truss element. During the 7-hour spacewalk Dan Burbank and Steve MacLean had to remove insulation covers and hundreds of bolts from the truss. The final test will come on Thursday, when the new electricity-generating solar panels are unfurled to their full 13.7-metre (45-foot) length. Once operating, the new panels will double the amount electricity available to the station. The third and final spacewalk will occur on Friday.
Continue reading “Second Spacewalk Ends”
First Female Space Tourist Will Participate in Several Experiments
The International Space Station is going to be a busy place. Right after Atlantis undocks, the next Soyuz mission, carrying the crew of Expedition 14, as well as a space tourist will launch on September 18. Iranian-American entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari will live on board the station for a week, partly as a tourist, and partly as a test subject for several research experiments. Four experiments are planned for Ansari, including two that test her blood, one to seek the cause of astronaut low-back pain, and a search for bacteria around the station.
Continue reading “First Female Space Tourist Will Participate in Several Experiments”