Russian space chief: Sanctions could imperil space station
The head of Russia’s space program says the future of the International Space Station hangs in the balance after the United States, the European Union and Canadian space agencies missed a deadline to meet Russian demands for lifting sanctions on Russian enterprises and hardware.
NASA head: We have cooperation with our Russian colleagues
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Friday played down recent comments by the head of Russia’s space agency that the United States would have to use broomsticks to fly to space after Russia said it would stop supplying rocket engines to U.S. companies.
Spacewalkers take extra safety precautions for toxic ammonia
The astronauts are rearranging space station plumbing and tackling other odd jobs. (NASA via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Spacewalking astronauts had to take extra safety precautions Saturday after possibly getting toxic ammonia on their suits from the International Space Station's external cooling system. But so much ammonia spewed out of the first hose that Mission Control worried some of the frozen white flakes might have gotten on their suits. As a result, Mission Control said it was going to “be conservative" and require inspections. NASA did not want any ammonia getting inside the space station and contaminating the cabin atmosphere.
Get ready! A sampling of April and May warmth to come the next few days
Expect high temperatures across much of the area to reach into the 60s with a few high clouds drifting through. At this time, the International Space Station will be flying over. This will put our high temperatures in the 70s Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, making it feel like the middle of May at times. Upper air pattern by Thursday, 3/11/2021This will also extend our dry spell to 10 straight days, which hasn’t happened since late December of 2019. Last time we had a dry spell of 10 straight daysThat streak may come to an end late Friday, as a front slowly moves closer to the region.
Spacewalkers finish solar panel prep for station power boost
More mounting brackets and struts need to be installed for new and improved solar panels due to arrive in June. (NASA via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Spacewalking astronauts completed the first round of prep work Friday for new solar panels, part of a major power upgrade at the International Space Station. NASA’s Kate Rubins and Japan’s Soichi Noguchi installed mounting brackets and struts for the improved solar wings due to arrive in June. The eight solar panels have degraded over time; the oldest were launched 20 years ago. Noguchi, Glover and two other NASA astronauts will fly SpaceX back in late April or May.
Spacewalking astronauts prep station for new solar wings
In this image taken from NASA video, NASA astronauts Kate Rubins, top, and Victor Glover work outside the International Space Station Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. The spacewalking astronauts ventured out Sunday to install support frames for new, high-efficiency solar panels arriving at the International Space Station later this year. (NASA via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Spacewalking astronauts ventured out Sunday to install support frames for new, high-efficiency solar panels arriving at the International Space Station later this year. With more people and experiments flying on the space station, more power will be needed to keep everything running, according to NASA. The eight solar panels up there now are 12 to 20 years old — most of them past their design lifetime and deteriorating.
Space station launch honors 'Hidden Figures' mathematician
The rocket is delivering cargo to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A space station supply ship named after the Black NASA mathematician featured in the movie “Hidden Figures” rocketed into orbit Saturday, the 59th anniversary of John Glenn's historic launch. Northrop Grumman's Cygnus capsule — dubbed the S.S. Katherine Johnson — should reach the International Space Station on Monday following its launch from Virginia's eastern shore. He noted that the space station flew over Virginia just 10 minutes ahead of Saturday's launch. The capsule also holds 120,000 tiny roundworms for a muscle experiment, as well as off-the-shelf computer equipment to increase data processing speed at the space station.
Russian cargo ship docks at International Space Station
In this photo provided by Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service, the Progress MS-16 cargo blasts off from the launch pad at Russia's space facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. The Russian Progress MS-16 cargo ship blasted off from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan and reached a designated orbit en route to the International Space Station. (Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service photo via AP)MOSCOW – An unmanned Russian cargo ship docked at the International Space Station Wednesday with a load of supplies. The Progress MS-16 cargo ship, which blasted off Monday from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan, has delivered water, propellant and other supplies to the orbiting outpost. The space station is now operated by NASA’s Kate Rubins, Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi; and Russian Space Agency Roscosmos’ Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.
Russian cargo ship launched to International Space Station
In this photo provided by Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service, the Progress MS-16 cargo blasts off from the launch pad at Russia's space facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. The Russian Progress MS-16 cargo ship blasted off from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan and reached a designated orbit en route to the International Space Station. (Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service photo via AP)MOSCOW – An unmanned Russian cargo ship launched successfully Monday with a load of supplies for the International Space Station. The Progress MS-16 cargo ship blasted off as scheduled at 9:45 a.m. (0445 GMT) from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan and reached a designated orbit en route to the station. The space outpost is now operated by NASA's Kate Rubins, Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi; and Russian Space Agency Roscosmos' Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.
Spacewalkers complete 4 years of power upgrades for station
In this image taken from NASA video, NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, left, and Victor Glover work outside the International Space Station on Monday, Feb. 1, 2021. The pair ventured out on their second spacewalk in under a week Monday to complete a four-year effort to modernize the International Space Station's power grid. Although the spacewalk got started late, Hopkins and Glover hustled through the battery work in under an hour. AdThe space station is now equipped with 24 lithium-ion batteries to store power collected by the solar panels. In all, 14 spacewalks were needed to complete the battery work.
Cheers! French wine, vines headed home after year in space
This photo provided by NASA shows SpaceX's Dragon undocking from International Space Station on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule undocked with 12 bottles of Bordeaux wine and hundreds of snippets of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Space Cargo Unlimited, a Luxembourg startup behind the experiments, wanted the wine to age for an entire year up there. Through a series of space experiments, Space Cargo Unlimited hopes to take what’s learned by stressing the plants in weightlessness and turn that into more robust and resilient plants on Earth. SpaceX is the only shipper capable of returning space station experiments and other items intact.
Mid-December thaw on the way before unsettled weather pattern
ROANOKE, Va. – Our cold snap continues Wednesday morning, as temperatures start out in the 20s. Some of us may have to break out the ice scraper before heading out in the morning. By the afternoon, however, a breeze out of the west will help temperatures rise into the upper 40s and lower 50s. High temperature forecast for Wednesday, 12/9/2020We expect a clear sky after sunset, which is good news if you plan to check out the International Space Station flying over. International Space Station fly-over Wednesday night, 12/9/2020As we head deeper into the week, we’ll be on the warm side of a developing storm system to our west.
SpaceX capsules parked side-by-side at station for 1st time
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A SpaceX supply ship bearing Christmas goodies arrived at the International Space Station on Monday, parking alongside another Dragon capsule that carried up astronauts three weeks ago. The two Dragon parking spots are just 15 feet (4.5 meters) or so apart. SpaceX redesigned its cargo ships to be as big as its spacious crew capsules in order to pack more in. The cargo Dragon will remain at the space station for a month, before parachuting into the Atlantic with science samples and discarded gear. The crew Dragon will stay up until spring.
Double Dragons: SpaceX launches space station supplies
The Dragon — packed with Christmas treats and presents — should reach the space station on Monday, joining the Dragon that delivered four astronauts last month. “Dragons everywhere you look,” said Kenny Todd, NASA’s deputy space station program manager. With NASA’s commercial crew program officially under way, SpaceX expects to always have at least one Dragon capsule at the space station. The station crew watched a live broadcast of the launch, from 250 miles (400 kilometers) up. This updated cargo-carrying model — as large as the SpaceX crew capsule — will dock to the orbiting lab by itself.