NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft comes one step closer to launch today as it is sealed inside the two-piece payload fairing that will protect it during the critical early minutes of liftoff. This process, called encapsulation, is taking place inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at Kennedy Space Center, where OSIRIS-REx has undergone prelaunch processing since …
ISS Reboost: This morning, an ISS reboost was performed using 63P R&D thrusters. This reboost was to set up for 46S landing. Biological Rhythms 48 Holter Start: The crew began the operations phase of the Biological Rhythms experiment by attaching the Digital Walk Holter Electrocardiogram (ECG) and electrodes and initiating the first of two 24-hour …
To accomplish the science goals of ATom, every scientific instrument on the NASA DC-8 is tenderly cared for. In the case of the Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) an instrument for quantifying black carbon aerosol concentration, this care includes gentle heating after cold nights, frequent laser intensity calibrations, and renewal of drying agents used to […]
Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams established a new record for most time spent in space by a NASA astronaut today, surpassing 520 days in space over his four missions. Williams will have a total of 534 cumulative days by the time he lands Sept. 6 in Kazakhstan. Former astronaut Scott Kelly had set the record …
SpaceX-9 Dragon Pack: In preparation for SpX-9 return this Friday the crew completed the following: Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) to Polar Sample Transfer: Samples were transferred from the MELFI to the Polars. Space Automated Bioproduct Lab (SABL) CO2 Controller Removal: SABL-1’s CO2 Incubator Controller was removed for return on SpaceX-9. …
The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship is getting ready to return to Earth Friday morning loaded with gear and a variety of science for analysis. Another spacecraft, the Soyuz TMA-20M, will leave Sept. 6 and land in Kazakhstan with three International Space Station crew members. Dragon delivered numerous science experiments July 20 that the Expedition 48 …
By Eric Lindstrom One of the popular topics of conversation during the first week of the voyage has been sleep. Whether it is poor sleep, good sleep, disturbed sleep, or deep sleep, almost everyone in the science party has had something to say about the subject of sleep. Sleep on a ship is special. As […]
Hi there, Last blog post of for this field season, as Olivia mentioned in her science post, we were able to collect an important amount of high-quality data to further our knowledge of firn aquifers and try to answer the following research questions: How fast is the water flowing in the firn aquifers? How permeable […]
Command and Control (C&C) Multiplexer Demultiplexer (MDM) Transition : The ground executed a planned C&C MDM transition today. C&C 2 MDM was transitioned to primary with C&C 3 MDM in backup and C&C 1 MDM in standby. The transition supports the desired configuration for OA-5, ensuring that the primary Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) MDM …
