The International Space Station has a delivery on the way, one containing important cargo for both the science experiments and astronauts on board. The space station receives regular cargo shipments; that's nothing unusual. This month's delivery will include something special for the crew, however, and it'll arrive in time for Christmas.
NASA has confirmed that the three newest crewmembers for the ISS have arrived safely on the space station. The three new crewmembers successfully launched and docked with the space station via a Russian Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft on Monday. The new crew includes Anne McClain of NASA, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadia Space Agency, and Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos.
Some of the best photography and video of the Earth available comes from the lucky few astronauts that are aboard the ISS. As the space station orbits the Earth, the crew members get a literal bird's eye view of the entire planet complete with clouds during the day and bright city lights at night. Crew members also got an extraordinary view of the launch of the Russian resupply mission last week.
Late last week a Russian Progress resupply ship lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch of that resupply ship went off without a hitch, and the resulting two-day flight to the ISS was smooth and issue free. The supply ship has now successfully docked with the ISS.
Russia's Progress 71 spacecraft has launched with three tons of supplies destined for the International Space Station. The launch took place from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome a little after 1PM EST today. Everything went as planned, according to NASA, which says the spacecraft successfully entered preliminary orbit, deployed its solar arrays, and deployed the antennas used for navigation.
ISS astronauts have the best view of Earth available with a giant orbiting space station packed with cameras and portals to look out of. The ISS is currently orbiting at an altitude of about 400 km above the surface of the Earth meaning it has an incredible view of Hurricane Florence as it rages. The images here were all taken by astronaut Alexander Gerst on September 12.
Early this morning, astronauts on the International Space Station learned about a small leak impacting cabin pressure. The leak, which is thought to be the result of a micrometeoroid, is described as not being life threatening. In a statement, NASA explained that flight controllers in both Houston and Moscow noticed signs of the issue yesterday evening.
NASA has announced that the scientists aboard the ISS have reached a milestone using the Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL). The CAL was installed in the ISS science lab in May and has been used to produce clouds of ultracold atoms known as Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). BECs reach temperatures of just above absolute zero, or the temperature when atoms stop moving entirely.
A report newly released by the NASA Office of Inspector General expresses concerns about the government's plan to privatize the International Space Station. The ISS has been continually inhabited by humans for almost 20 years, providing researchers with a lab in space to conduct important research. The privatization plan is eyeing a 2025 deadline, but NASA warns that an extension to 2028 or later may be necessary to complete its research mission.
German ESA astronaut and geophysicist Dr. Alexander Gerst performed a solo live with music masters Kraftwerk. From space, live, Gerst played pre-set notes on an app from his tablet aboard the International Space Station, in Spacelab 2.0 Columbus. We've got the complete appearance in a video posted below, and from here you shall witness the greatness of our modern age.
The ISS had a resupply mission recently that lifted off in Kazakhstan atop a Soyuz-2.1a booster. The resupply mission was Progress MS-09. About nine minutes after liftoff, the three-stage rocket released the Progress MS-09 spacecraft to continue its trip to the ISS.
A SpaceX Dragon capsule is carrying a new cache of items to the International Space Station, among them being a small spherical robot named CIMON. Designed as a companion for researchers located on the ISS, CIMON will float around the space station as a "cyber colleague" that uses artificial intelligence to assistant astronauts. Not familiar with the robot? Here are the five big things to know.