Blogs

A tweet showing a dark smear on an ice shelf in Antarctica prompted scientists to check into what might have caused it.

Two Expedition 51 crew members are in quarantine today at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, getting ready for their liftoff Thursday morning. Meanwhile, new science gear and crew supplies are on orbit right now and headed for the International Space Station this weekend. Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin is getting ready for his fifth mission to …

We are back on the search for Space Robins to help us solve our migration mystery! Remember, last year we set out to track American robins migrating through Canada and Alaska to understand where they go and why. Check out our first post from last year to learn more about the project in general. With […]

Orbital 7 (OA-7) Launch: OA-7 launched successfully from Cape Canaveral at 10:11AM CDT today. Capture and berthing to Node 1 Nadir is planned for Saturday, April 22 starting at 5:05AM CDT. The spacecraft will deliver ~1023 kgs of supplies to support the ongoing ISS Research Program. JEM (Japanese Experiment Module) Airlock (JEMAL) Operations:  In preparation …

Lighting Effects: On Saturday the 49S subject provided a sleep log entry and downloaded data from their Actiwatch for the Lighting Effects investigation. The light bulbs on the ISS are being replaced with a new system designed for improved crew health and wellness. Fluorescent bulbs are being replaced with solid-state light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that have …

Two rockets on opposite sides of the world rolled out to their launch pads today ready to blast off to the International Space Station. An American rocket rolled out to its pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A Russian rocket was carted by train and raised to its vertical position at the Baikonur Cosmodrome …

United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Orbital ATK’s Launch Readiness Review for the Atlas V rocket with the Cygnus cargo resupply module was held April 15 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Launch managers from ULA, Orbital ATK and NASA determined all is ready for a targeted launch to the International Space Station on …

Joint Station Local Area Network (LAN) Version 10.0 Transition: This morning the crew replaced the Edge Routers in the Lab and Node 2. Following the hardware replacement, ground teams began intsalling JSL v10 and configuring the network using the upgraded routers. The previously installed Integrated Station LAN (ISL) Routers were reaching end of life on …

Modern “CubeSat” satellites are smaller and more numerous than ever.

The three International Space Station residents upgraded computer hardware and software today. The crew is also heading into the weekend preparing for the arrival of a new crew and a new cargo shipment. Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet replaced outdated routers this morning with new ones providing expanded capabilities in the station’s …