Space and astronomy news
The big news around astronaut circles these days is the assignment of Takuya Onishi — from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency — to Expedition 48/49 around June 2016. Onishi is from the class of 2009, and we’re guessing he’d be sure to poll his classmates on how their mission training is going. Well, another of the …
There wasn’t a lot of elbow room when six people from the Endeavour shuttle floated into the baby International Space Station on Dec. 10, 1998, but the cramped quarters resonated with possibility in STS-88 commander Bob Cabana’s mind. “It’s hard to believe 15 years ago we put those first modules together, and we have this …
Continue reading “What Day 1 On The International Space Station Was Like For The Astronauts”
Extreme conditions surround the International Space Station’s scientific work, to say the least. It takes a rocketship to get there. Construction required more than 1,000 hours of people using spacesuits. Astronauts must balance their scientific work with the need to repair stuff when it breaks (like an ammonia coolant leak this past spring.) But amid …
OTTAWA, CANADA — With 6,000 hailstorm divots scarring a space shuttle external tank, and no backup immediately available to fly, NASA found itself with a problem in February 2007. The STS-117 mission was supposed to carry solar panels and connecting trusses up to the station, so changing the shuttle rotation would affect construction. What to …
Continue reading “How NASA Can be Innovative on Reduced Budgets”
In Canada, “gimme five” could soon have a space connotation. Today the country announced it is preparing to put new polymer $5 bills into circulation that feature Canadian robotics and an astronaut. At the official circulation ceremony near Montreal, Que. was none other than Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who brought unprecedented social media attention to …
To drum up publicity for the Google Lunar XPRIZE missions, the organization has produced a “dome film” about exploring the moon through the past to the future — and is giving away the product for free to dozens of dome theaters and planetariums worldwide. Among Back To the Moon For Good’s first appearances will be …
Continue reading “Moonstruck: Private Moon Robot Competition Coming To A Theater Near You”
Commercial space took another major leap forward this morning, Oct 22., when the privately developed Cygnus cargo vehicle undocked from the International Space Station on its historic maiden flight and successfully completed a highly productive month long stay during its demonstration mission – mostly amidst the US government shutdown. The Cygnus was maneuvered about 10 …
Continue reading “Cygnus Commercial Cargo Craft Completes Historic First Flight to Space Station”
“Talk about a selfie!” wrote former astronaut Clay Anderson on Twitter yesterday (Oct. 1). He posted that comment along with a favorite photo from Expedition 15, when he was standing in restraints on the robotic Canadarm2. Off in the distance, he saw his shadow against the solar array panels of a Soyuz spacecraft. That got …
The Cygnus cargo spacecraft is just a few feet away from the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 during rendezvous and berthing on Sept 29, 2013. Credit: NASA Updated – See Falcon 9 launch video below[/caption] Today (Sept. 29) was a doubly historic day for private spaceflight! And a boon to NASA as well! Early this morning …
NASA and Orbital Sciences Corporation have announced a new date and time for the targeted arrival and berthing of the Cygnus spacecraft for its demonstration cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. All the action will now take place on Sept. 29, a week later than originally planned, after a software glitch on the …
Continue reading “Watch Live on September 29: Orbital’s Cygnus Capsule Rendezvous with ISS”