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After delivering more than four tons of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station, an unpiloted Japanese cargo spacecraft is scheduled to depart the station today. Live coverage of the departure will begin at 1 p.m. EDT on NASA Television and the agency’s website. Earlier today, ground controllers used the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm …

As we head into the darker half of the year here in Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, astronomers at NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office are sharing eerie images from their meteor cameras. The specialized cameras are part of a network set up by the meteor team to observe and study fireballs — meteors brighter that the planet Venus. …

AMS-02 (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer) EVA preparation: The crew continued preparation for the AMS repair EVAs with procedure reviews.  The multiple AMS-02 repair EVAs are being performed to recover a series of cooling pumps within the AMS-02 experiment.  The first of the EVAs are currently planned to start in roughly 2 weeks.  AMS-02 is a state-of-the-art …

A Japanese cargo craft is preparing to end its mission at the International Space Station, as a U.S. resupply ship stands ready to launch to the orbiting lab. The Expedition 61 crew is gearing up for the space traffic while also staying fresh on station emergency procedures. Japan’s HTV-8 cargo craft, also called Kounotori, will …

AMS-02 (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer) Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparation:  The crew continued preparation for the AMS repair Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) with procedure reviews and other activities.  Multiple AMS-02 repair EVAs are being planned, to recover a series of cooling pumps within the AMS-02 experiment.  The first of the EVAs are currently planned to start in 2 …

The Expedition 61 crew harvested a space-grown crop today aboard the International Space Station. The orbital lab residents also tested robotics systems before exploring blood pressure and time perception in microgravity. Space agriculture aboard the orbiting laboratory has been ongoing for several years to learn how to provide fresh food to space crews. NASA astronauts …

Astrobee: The crew reviewed the Astrobee OBT (On-board Training) in preparation for tomorrow’s hardware checkout and calibration session.  Astrobee is a series of three free-flying, cube-shaped robots. The robots are designed to help scientists and engineers develop and test technologies for use in microgravity to assist astronauts with routine chores, and give ground controllers additional …

The six-member Expedition 61 crew juggled spacesuit maintenance and human research activities aboard the International Space Station today. The orbital residents are also getting ready to send off and receive resupply ships. Two U.S. spacesuits are being serviced ahead of a series of spacewalks planned to repair a cosmic particle detector, also known as the …

A Japanese cargo vehicle will be departing the International Space Station and a U.S. vehicle beginning its trip there this Saturday. The Expedition 61 crew is getting ready for both missions while staying busy with space research and lab maintenance. Japan’s HTV-8 resupply ship, also known as Kounotori, will depart the orbiting lab at the …

EML:  In support of the currently on-going batch 2.4, the crew closed the Argon valve system, opened the Helium valve system and switched the camera mode to RECAL.  The EML (Electro-Magnetic Levitator) is a 360 kg multi-user facility designed for containerless materials processing in space. It supports research in the areas of meta-stable states and …