Blogs

SPHEROIDS De-installation: SPHEROIDS experiment containers were removed from KUBIK 6 and the Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) before being transferred and packed into the SPHEROIDS launch bags for return on SpX-8. Incubation and data transfer has been completed for all samples according to schedule. The SPHEROIDS experiment investigates the effects of microgravity …

The SpaceX Dragon cargo ship is ending its stay tomorrow at the International Space Station. The commercial cargo craft has been packed with about 3,700 pounds of cargo, spacewalk gear and biological samples for analysis on Earth. Astronauts Tim Peake and Jeff Williams will be at the controls of the Canadarm2 robotic arm when the …

by Stephanie Schollaert Uz / Woods Hole, MA / Stephanie Schollaert Uz, PhD, is an ocean scientist working in the Ocean Ecology Lab at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Her research interests include the response of ocean biology to physics. She also coordinates communications for the future NASA ocean color satellite PACE, …

Sprint: The crew completed the exercise protocol and data collection for Sprint VO2.  Sprint VO2 measures oxygen uptake, ventilatory threshold, and other physiological parameters. It evaluates the use of high intensity, low volume exercise training to minimize loss of muscle, bone, and cardiovascular function in ISS crew members during long-duration missions.   Meteor Procedure Review: …

Engineers and technicians on the Test and Operations Support Contract go over procedures with liquid hydrogen (LH2) provider PRAXAIR April 28 to prepare for a fit check of the new LH2 transfer flex hose at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. LH2 provider PRAXAIR connected the transfer flex hose from its …

The SpaceX Dragon is being packed with critical science today and tomorrow before its release and splashdown on Wednesday. The crew is also reviewing Dragon departure procedures and training for its release from the grip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Dragon is currently attached to the Harmony module. After it is uninstalled early Wednesday with …

Rodent Research-3 (RR-3) Bone Densitometer Scans: Following the completion of ten bone densitometer scans earlier this week, the crew transferred the rodents from the habitats, configured Ultrasound 2, and have conducted the remaining ten bone densitometer scans with support from ground teams. This is the final of three planned sessions this week to study the …

Today's blog is from Veronica Bray, a planetary scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson. She specializes in comparing the surfaces of planetary bodies across the solar system, especially through the study of impact craters. A spacecraft flies to Pluto, amazing images of this alien disk are sent back to Earth for us …

Mother Nature continues to flex her muscles and throw us some jabs down in New Zealand; NASA's scheduled super pressure balloon (SPB) launch attempt for today, May 6 (May 7 in New Zealand) has been postponed again due to poor weather. "The high pressure system that was looking like it would help keep low-level winds down has dissipated …

We observed a fireball the morning of May 4 around 12:50am EDT, traveling southwest at about 77,000 mph over the Nantahala National Forest on the Tennessee/North Carolina state line. At its brightest point, it rivaled the full moon. According to Dr. Bill Cooke in NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. , …