Blogs

Scientists are researching how International Space Station astronauts adapt to new technology as NASA prepares to send humans beyond low-Earth orbit. Crew members will have to learn how to operate new types of spacecraft and adjust to planetary surfaces with different microgravity environments. As part of this research, Expedition 50 Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson from …

H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)-6 Departure:  This morning, the crew finished closing out the Node 2 vestibule by demating all umbilicals and depressurizing the vestibule between HTV-6 and Node 2 in preparation for the unberth. Commands were sent to the release Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) bolts prior to unberth.  Robotic Flight Controllers then maneuvered HTV-6 to …

Three thick layers of cake and frosting sat atop Jeff Schmaltz’s kitchen counter. The programmer had completed a 3-D model of a GIBS tile pyramid; it was his entry into a collegial science bake-off at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. But there was more to this cake than flour and eggs and sugar. If you have ever browsed […]

8 Expedition 50 Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) and Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA commanded the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to release a Japanese cargo vehicle at 10:46 a.m. EST. At the time of release, the station was flying 261 statute miles above the south Atlantic Ocean. Earlier, ground …

Fluid Shifts Chibis Imaging Day 2: Due to yesterday’s issues with the Joint Station LAN (JSL), the final Flight Day 45 Chibis session for the 49S crew was rescheduled and performed this morning. The subject donned the Chibis device, and while the crewmember was exposed to the negative pressure (pulling the fluid feetward), then with …

The Expedition 50 crew is getting ready for Friday morning’s release of Japan’s sixth cargo craft to visit the International Space Station. The station residents are also continuing to explore how their eyes adapt to living in space for months at a time. The Kounotori HTV-6 resupply ship, from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is …

Fluid Shifts Chibis Imaging Day 2: The Flight Day 45 Chibis session for the 49S crew was planned this morning, however due to Joint Station LAN (JSL) network issues the session had to be cancelled.  This Fluid Shifts session will be replanned for tomorrow.  Lighting Effects Vision Test: The crew performed a Numerical Verification and …

A new analysis of satellite suggests the key causes of a major dust storm in 2015 were climate and weather conditions — not the war in Syria.

The Japanese HTV-6 resupply ship is packed and ready for its release Friday from the International Space Station. European astronaut Thomas Pesquet will command the Canadarm2 to release the HTV-6 at 10:30 a.m. EST. Afterward, it will enter Earth’s atmosphere for a fiery disposal over the Pacific Ocean. NASA TV will broadcast the release and …