Blogs

Flight controllers in Mission Control Houston, with assistance from U.S. Space Command, are tracking an unknown piece of space debris expected to pass within several kilometers of the International Space Station. An avoidance maneuver is scheduled to take place using the Russian Progress resupply spacecraft currently docked to the aft end of the Zvezda service …

Payloads Combustion Integrated Rack/Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments (CIR/ACME)/BRE-2: The crew exchanged a 40% oxygen/60% nitrogen bottle at the manifold 2 location for a new bottle with the same composition.  They also replaced the ethylene manifold 4 bottle with a methane bottle, but were not able to open the bottle valve.  CIR powered ops for …

By Joe Atkinson / NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia/ Four months ago, with COVID-19 disrupting life across the globe, it seemed virtually unthinkable that a major NASA airborne science campaign would fly again anytime soon. But today, that's exactly what's happening. In August, NASA's Aerosol Cloud Meteorology Interactions Over the Western Atlantic Experiment (ACTIVATE) eased …

Following a series of critical contract awards and hardware milestones, an update on NASA’s Artemis program is now available, including the latest Phase 1 plans to land the first woman and the next man on the surface of the Moon in 2024. In the 18 months since NASA accepted a bold challenge to accelerate its …

Payloads SCRAM (Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor) relocate:  The crew installed the MCA (Major Constituents Analyzer) plug, removed SCRAM from its Node 2 location, installed it into EXPRESS (EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space Station) rack 8, and removed the MCA plug.  The MCA plug is used to protect the SCRAM’s sensor when the unit is powered …

Eye checks took place aboard the International Space Station today to help flight surgeons understand how living in space affects vision. The Expedition 63 crew also explored future space-piloting techniques and worked on atmospheric and power systems. All three space lab residents participated in vision tests today measuring visual acuity, visual field and contrast sensitivity. …

NASA is preparing for the launch of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, an international partnership that is the first launch of a constellation of two identical satellites launched sequentially. Together, they will continue observations of sea level change for at least the next decade. The mission is targeted for launch Nov. 10 at 2:31 p.m. …

Technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems rehearse booster stacking operations inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Sept.14, in preparation for the Artemis I launch. The team is using full-scale replicas of booster segments, referred to as pathfinders, for the practice exercise in one of the tallest sections, or high bays, …

Happy equinox, Earthlings! Sept. 22 marks the fall equinox, when day and night are nearly equal. “However, that day/night length depends on where you are on Earth,” said NASA solar scientist Mitzi Adams. “For example, at the North and South Poles, the length of the day and night is six months!” At the North Pole, …

Payloads ISS HAM: The crew initiated an ISS HAM contact with Avellaneda Ikastetxea school, Sodupe, Spain. ISS Ham Radio provides opportunities to engage and educate students, teachers, parents and other members of the community in science, technology, engineering and math by providing a means to communicate between astronauts and the ground HAM radio units. Packed …