Blogs

The Soyuz TMA-17M launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station at 5:02 p.m. EDT (3:02 a.m. on July 23 Baikonur time).  Kjell Lindgren of NASA, Oleg Kononenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) now are safely in orbit. NASA …

The Russian Soyuz spacecraft that will carry three additional crew members to the International Space Station stands ready for its 5:02 p.m. EDT liftoff. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 4 p.m. Watch on NASA TV or at: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv. Kjell Lindgren of NASA, Oleg Kononenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and …

Integrated Resistance and Aerobic Training Study (Sprint) Ultrasound: Kelly, with Padalka assisting, configured video, Ultrasound 2 machine, and donned the calf and thigh reference guides for his Flight Day 120 Sprint Ultrasound.  Kelly then performed thigh and calf scans with guidance from the Sprint ground team.  Ultrasound scans are used to evaluate spaceflight-induced changes in …

Three new International Space Station crew members are making final preparations a day before their launch to the orbital laboratory. They will join the orbiting Expedition 44 trio which is busy today with a variety of advanced microgravity experiments to benefit life on Earth and future space crews. An international crew from Russia, Japan and …

Habitability: Kelly used the iShort application on the iPad to document his observations on the habitability of the ISS. Habitability assesses the relationship between crew members and their environment in order to better prepare for future long-duration spaceflights to destinations, such as Near Earth Asteroids (NEA) and Mars. The ultimate goal is to understand how …

The three-member Expedition 44 crew explored microgravity science today while maintaining the systems of the International Space Station. Back on Earth, a Soyuz rocket rolled out to its launch pad today before Wednesday’s launch of three new crew members to the orbital laboratory. One-Year crew member Scott Kelly worked throughout Monday primarily on station life …

Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, and Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) Slosh: Kelly configured two SPHERES satellites and coordinated with ground controllers to observe the dominance of fluid forces during higher accelerations. The investigation uses small robotic satellites to examine how liquids move inside containers in microgravity. A water bottle’s contents slosh around differently in space than …

Late Notice Conjunction: The Flight Control Team was notified of a late notice, red conjunction early this morning with insufficient time to execute a Predetermined Debris Avoidance Maneuver (PDAM). The ISS crew was directed to take steps to safe the ISS and shelter in place in the Soyuz. The conjunction passed without incident and the …

The Expedition 44 crew is back at work after taking precautions as a piece of orbital debris safely passed the International Space Station this morning. Meanwhile, three new crew members are conducting final preparations before next week’s launch to the orbital laboratory. Mission Control in Houston tracked a fragment of an old weather satellite and …

The crew of the International Space Station is resuming normal operations after getting an all clear from Mission Control following a close pass by space debris this morning at 7:01 a.m. CDT. All station systems are operating normally and the crew will move out of the Soyuz spacecraft in which they stayed during the debris …