The big news for Webb this week was the final insertion into orbit around the second Lagrange point. The team also turned on the High-Gain Antenna, enabling downlink to Earth through the Deep Space Network using the Ka radio band. The Ka-band provides a much higher data rate than the S-band that Webb has been …
Payloads: Biological Experiment Laboratory (BioLab): A crew member cleaned the Biolab Temperature Controlled Units (TCUs) and exchanged the Silica Gel Bags. The BioLab is a multiuser research facility located in the European Columbus laboratory. The facility is used to perform space biology experiments on microorganisms, cells, tissue cultures, small plants, and small invertebrates. BioLab allows …
By Jim Cawley NASA's Kennedy Space Center An activity completed at Astrotech's Space Operations facility in Titusville today brings NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite T (GOES-T) mission one significant step closer to its March 1, 2022, liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in just over a month. On Jan. 27, 2022, the …
The Expedition 66 crew split its research schedule between space botany and life science aboard the International Space Station today. NASA Flight Engineer Thomas Marshburn started Thursday watering plants growing for the Veggie PONDS study that explores ways to reliably grow vegetables in microgravity. Afterward, the three-time space station visitor verified the operability of the …
Payloads: Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF-L): CBEF-L internal equipment and junction box and were removed. Gas sensors, stirring fan and vent fans were reconfigured and the centrifuge was re-inserted. CBEF-L is a new Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) subrack facility, which is an upgraded facility of the original CBEF currently aboard the ISS. CBEF-L provides …
Space agriculture dominated the research schedule aboard the International Space Station today to learn how to sustain long-term crews far beyond low-Earth orbit. The Expedition 66 crew also had time set aside for ongoing life science work to help keep astronauts and Earthlings healthy. NASA Flight Engineers Raja Chari and Kayla Barron spent Wednesday afternoon …
Can you solve this month's satellite mystery?
Payloads: Acoustic Diagnostics: The crew executed the Acoustic Diagnostics software to perform AUDIO measurements in the Columbus module. The Acoustic Upgraded Diagnostics In-Orbit (AUDIO) investigation tests the hearing of ISS crew members before, during, and after flight. This study (Acoustic Diagnostics) assesses the possible adverse effects of noise and the microgravity environment aboard the ISS …
A U.S. resupply ship completed its 24th International Space Station cargo mission after returning to Earth on Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, back in space the Expedition 66 crew had hearing tests while working on a myriad of orbiting lab and science maintenance tasks. The SpaceX Cargo Dragon space freighter parachuted to a splashdown off the coast …
