NanoRack Cubesat Deployer (NRCSD) #13: Installation: This morning, the JEM A/L inner hatch was opened and the slide table was extended to the JPM side. The crew then installed the NRCSD #13 deployer onto the Multipurpose Experiment Platform (MPEP). The slide table was retracted from the JPM side and the inner hatch was closed. The …
Marrow: Upon wakeup, a 52S crewmember conducted breath and ambient air sample collections for the Marrow investigation, which looks at the effect of microgravity on bone marrow. It is believed that microgravity, like long-duration bed rest on Earth, has a negative effect on the bone marrow and the blood cells that are produced in the …
When NASA's Parker Solar Probe lifts off on top of a Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle in summer 2018, it will undergo both intense vibration from the physical forces of the rocket engines, as well as acoustic effects from the sound of the engines and the rocket going through the atmosphere.
Verifying the spacecraft and its systems are ready for the rigors of launch is one of the most important parts of testing. On Nov. 3, Parker Solar Probe passed vibration testing at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, or APL, in Laurel, Maryland, where it was designed and built. On Nov. 14, the spacecraft successfully completed acoustic testing at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and is now being prepared for further environmental tests.
Expedition 53 checked out a specialized microscope and worked on the International Space Station’s toilet today. More supplies and hardware are also being offloaded from the newly-arrived Cygnus cargo craft. Commander Randy Bresnik opened up the Fluids Integrated Rack this morning to take a look at its Light Microscopy Module (LMM), an advanced space …
Probiotics Operations: The crew completed the second half of the second sampling phase that began on GMT 316 with fecal sample collections. Today’s activities included saliva sample collections, a questionnaire, and a capsule intake. This sampling phase was the second of four sampling phases for the JAXA Probiotic experiment. Some species of harmful bacteria such …
The Expedition 53 astronauts are continuing to unload several thousand pounds of space cargo from the new Cygnus resupply ship that arrived Tuesday morning. Some of the new science cargo contains a bacteria that curiously loses its harmful properties in microgravity and CubeSats that will be deployed in Earth orbit. The Cygnus is now installed …
Orbital 8 (OA-8) Capture/Berthing: Monday night, Robotics Ground Controllers maneuvered the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to inspect the Node 1 Nadir Active Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM). They then maneuvered the SSRMS to the Cygnus high hover position in preparation for Cygnus capture. Early this morning, the crew monitored the Cygnus approach from the Cupola …
The Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship was bolted into place on the International Space Station’s Earth-facing port of the Unity module at 7:15 a.m. EST. The spacecraft will spend about three weeks attached to the space station before departing in early December. After it leaves the station, the uncrewed spacecraft will deploy several CubeSats before …
At 5:04 a.m., Expedition 53 Flight Engineers Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency) and Randy Bresnik of NASA successfully captured Orbital ATK’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft using the International Space Station’s robotic arm. Robotic ground controllers will position Cygnus for installation to the orbiting laboratory’s Earth-facing port of the Unity module. NASA Television coverage of …
Orbital-ATK 8 (OA-8) Launch: Following a 24 hour delay, OA-8 launched successfully from Wallops Island, Virginia atop an Antares rocket on Sunday at 6:19 AM CST. Capture and berthing to Node 1 Nadir is planned for Tuesday, November 14th starting at 3:50 AM CST. The spacecraft will deliver ~3300 kgs of payloads and supplies to …
