ISS - SlashGear

Twelve bottles of wine went to space – now it’s almost time to taste them

Chris Davies | Jan 15, 2021

Twelve bottles of wine that boldly went where no Bordeaux has gone before have returned from the International Space Station, with a tasting planned to see just how near-zero-gravity might have impacted them. The unusual cargo - along with 320 vine canes from the French region - was aboard SpaceX's Dragon when it splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean this week, having returned from the orbiting research platform.

NASA shows off new solar panels for the ISS

Shane McGlaun | Jan 12, 2021

The ISS has been in orbit above the Earth for decades. Power for the space station and the experiments onboard comes from four pairs of solar arrays designed for a 15-year service life. Those solar arrays have been operating continuously since the first pair was deployed in December 2000. Additional array pairs were delivered in September 2006, June 2007, and March 2009.

NASA talks about key experiments conducted aboard the ISS in 2020

Shane McGlaun | Jan 4, 2021

Dozens of experiments are underway aboard the International Space Station at any given time. As 2020 drew to a close, NASA talked about a few of those experiments. One of the experiments being conducted is known as MARROW. This particular experiment is meant to diagnose a question that has long lingered about spaceflight.

Astronauts got to eat a crop of space radishes on the ISS

Shane McGlaun | Jan 4, 2021

About a month ago, we talked about astronauts aboard the ISS harvesting the first crop of radishes grown in space. Being able to grow radishes in space is a big deal as astronauts will require food they can grow on their own for longer duration missions away from the Earth. The first crop of radishes were packed up to be sent back to researchers on the ground. However, the astronauts were recently able to eat some of the radishes they've grown aboard the ISS.

Here’s how astronauts celebrated the holidays aboard the ISS

Shane McGlaun | Dec 26, 2020

While living on the International Space Station certainly can't be considered a normal life, the astronauts still do the same basic activities of daily living we accomplish here on Earth. That means sleeping, eating, going to the bathroom, and celebrating holidays. With Christmas 2020 come and gone, some may be wondering how astronauts aboard the ISS celebrated Christmas and other holidays.

Roscosmos is prepared to send more oxygen to the ISS as the atmosphere leaks

Shane McGlaun | Dec 20, 2020

Astronauts on the ISS continue to struggle with an oxygen leak that is venting the breathable atmosphere into space. General director of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, has stated that the oxygen leak is under control. Still, the Russian space organization is prepared to send additional oxygen to the space station in February if needed.

SpaceX Dragon Cargo completes autonomous docking at the ISS

Shane McGlaun | Dec 8, 2020

NASA confirmed that at 1:40 p.m. ET yesterday, the latest version of the Dragon Cargo spacecraft was successful in completing its first autonomous docking with the ISS. The successful docking marks the first time a SpaceX cargo resupply mission has used autonomous docking. NASA also pointed out this is the first time that two Dragon spacecraft have been attached to the ISS at the same time.

SpaceX successfully launched a new airlock and more to the ISS on Sunday

Shane McGlaun | Dec 7, 2020

After being forced to delay the launch previously, SpaceX was finally able to successfully launch its latest Dragon resupply mission on Sunday at 11:17 AM EST. The rocket launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida via Launch Pad 39A. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to arrive at the ISS at about 1:30 PM Monday, December 7.

Cargo Dragon 2 launch scrubbed due to bad weather

Shane McGlaun | Dec 5, 2020

SpaceX plans to launch a mission to resupply the ISS today, but that flight has been scrubbed. The launch attempt was meant to happen on Saturday, December 5, but weather conditions forced the launch to be scrubbed hours before liftoff. SpaceX has a backup launch window at 1117 EST on December 6 if weather conditions are more favorable at the lift off site and the location where the Falcon 9 first stage will land.

ISS astronauts harvest the first space radish crop

Shane McGlaun | Dec 4, 2020

One of the keys to long-term space exploration is to be able to grow fresh food in space. NASA has announced that on November 30, astronaut Kate Rubins harvested the first radish plants growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat aboard the ISS. NASA says that Rubins collected and wrapped each plant in foil and place them in cold storage for the return trip to Earth next year.

NASA research finds mitochondrial changes may cause health issues in space

Shane McGlaun | Nov 30, 2020

The human body was designed for living on Earth, not in space. Living in space is difficult for people and other living things because of the harsh environment. NASA has been conducting research to figure out what causes health problems in space. Researchers believe they have now identified a possible underlying reason for health problems in space after discovering mitochondria experiences changes in activity during space flight.

ISS astronauts celebrated Thanksgiving aboard the space station

Shane McGlaun | Nov 28, 2020

Thanksgiving 2020 was as much of a mess for most people as the majority of the year has been. Many were unable to visit family due to social distancing. Astronauts aboard the ISS were about as socially distanced from their families as you can get, but they still celebrated Thanksgiving. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins talked about what the astronauts did aboard the ISS as it orbited the Earth at 17,500 miles an hour.