Blogs

There are lots of eyes on the Sun this week, as NASA's Parker Solar Probe swings around our star on the seventh of its 24 scheduled orbits.

For the Green Run hot fire test on Jan. 16, NASA set out to acquire test data to support 23 detailed verification objectives. To satisfy the objectives, hot fire test data is used in combination with analysis and testing that has already been completed. These detailed verification objectives are used to certify the design of …

Payloads 3DMM (Three-dimensional Microbial Monitoring) module photos – The crew took a series of rack images for the ground team to use in the assessment of viable sampling locations.  Surfaces in the space station contain microbes and associated biomolecules excreted by these microorganisms. Three-dimensional Microbial Monitoring of ISS Environment (3DMM) uses DNA sequencing and other …

Spacewalk preparations and science maintenance tasks kept the seven-member Expedition 64 crew busy today aboard the International Space Station. Two NASA astronauts are getting ready for a pair of spacewalks scheduled for Jan. 27 and Feb. 1. Flight Engineers Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover will spend about six and a half hours during both excursions …

Payloads Biolab maintenance – The crew performed maintenance activities on the Biolab facility. These activities included exchanging the defective Life Support Module 2 (LSM2), as well as the installation of a new LSM4.  Although the Biolab facility is not currently supporting any science, these activities prepare it for future science.  The BioLab is a multiuser …

Emergency training took precedence aboard the International Space Station today with the Expedition 64 crew reviewing safety procedures and equipment. The orbital residents also had eye checks while gearing up for a busy period of spacewalks. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins joined her two crewmates from Roscosmos, Commander Sergey Ryzhikov and Flight Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, at midday …

Drone images show mangrove damage on the Yucatan Peninsula.

The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket Green Run team has reviewed extensive data and completed preliminary inspections that show the rocket’s hardware is in excellent condition after the Green Run test that ignited all the engines at 5:27 p.m. EST at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. After analyzing initial data, the …

Payloads Antimicrobial coatings:  The crew touched coupons A-G, then took photos of each of the coupons. The experiment was set up in early January and is planned to remain deployed for a period of 6 months. Boeing Environment Responding Antimicrobial Coatings tests an antimicrobial coating on several different materials that represent high-touch surfaces. Some microbes …