Vacuum Access Port (VAP) Installation and Leak Check: Today, the crew installed a VAP in Node 2 from the LAB Vent Relief Valve to provide vacuum access capability for Visiting Vehicles berthed to Node 2 Nadir after PMA3 is relocated to Node 2 Zenith. Once installed, the VAP and lines were depressed and a leak …
The Expedition 50 crew is continuing its investigation into vision changes and eye damage some astronauts have experienced after long-term missions in space. Living in the microgravity environment causes a headward fluid shift that may be causing pressure behind astronauts’ eyes resulting in visual and physical changes. Two cosmonauts, Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko, and …
Japanese Small Satellite Orbital Deployer-6 (J-SSOD6) Removal: Following the successful deployments on Monday, the crew repressed the JEM Airlock (JEMAL) then extended the Slide Table into the cabin to remove the deployers from the Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform (MPEP). The next use of the JEMAL is the High Definition Television External Facility-2 (HDTV-EF2), a high-definition television …
Following a successful pair of spacewalks, the Expedition 50 crew has switched gears and is moving full-speed ahead with advanced space research. The orbital residents checked out science gear and studied the impacts of living in space. European astronaut Thomas Pesquet repressed the Japanese Kibo lab module airlock after a small satellite deployer shot a …
In some parts of the world, saline lakes are common features. Take, for instance, the image below, from our January 2017 article about fires in Argentina. But saline lakes are an environment unto themselves. Lakes cover about 4 percent of the Earth’s land surface. Many of the largest ones (by area) are salty: Utah’s Great Salt […]
NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Engineering Directorate coordinated a platform beam signing event to celebrate the NASA and contractor team’s last several years of study, design, construction and installation of 20 new work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Workers involved in the High Bay 3 platform project had the …
Extra-vehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Loop Scrub: Today, the crew configured EMUs 3006 and 3008 for loop scrubbing following last week’s EVA. They initiated ionic and particulate filtration (scrubbing) and conducted biocidal maintenance (iodination) on the suit and Airlock cooling water loops. Samples of the coolant water will be obtained before and after the loop scrub …
Japanese-Small Satellite Orbital Deployer-6 (J-SSOD-6) Deployment: Today four deployers, holding six satellites, were grappled by the JEM Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS) and deployed. J-SSOD #6 is the first enhanced J-SSOD, which is able to launch twice the amount of satellites when compared to previous deployers. Photos of each satellite deployment were taken by the crew …
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) #39: Kimbrough and Pesquet opened the Joint Airlock external hatch at 5:22 am CST in order to perform US EVA #39 (Lithium Ion Battery Remove & Replace (R&R) EVA #2). The EVA installs adapter plates and relocates Channel 1A Nickel Hydride (NiH2) batteries to complete the installation of the new Lithium Ion …
