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.
Many coffee drinkers they can't function until they have that hot and caffeinated stuff flowing through their body. Not all coffee is created equal some has more caffeine than others and the variety of tastes are endless. A company called Death Wish Coffee Company has what it claims to be the strongest coffee in the world.
NASA wants to turn the International Space Station into a private space lab managed by a consortium of private companies. Details about the plan were recently given by NASA's Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a new interview, during which he explained that he's been talking with "many large corporations" about getting involved. The White House previously revealed that it plans to cut direct government funding for the ISS by 2025.
On the heels of last week's successful Falcon 9 launch that carried 10 Iridium satellites into orbit, SpaceX is ready to take to the skies again today. Assuming the weather cooperates, another Falcon 9 rocket will launch from Cape Canerval today at 4:30 PM Eastern. This time around, the destination is the International Space Station, where it will drop off about 5,800 pounds of supplies to the astronauts currently residing there.
The folks at AIRBUS and IBM will bring a Crew Interactive MObile CompanioN (CIMON) disembodied robot head to the International Space Station this summer. This robot head was never really attached to a robot body - it was built specifically for the ISS - and a free-floating environment in which it'll function. This robot head will bring artificial intelligence to the ISS - almost like DAVID in Prometheus, or Ash in Alien. Not to worry!
NASA has announced that three of the crew from ISS Expedition 54 have safely returned to Earth. The trio includes NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba. The crew members landed on Tuesday after spending months in low-Earth orbit aboard the ISS performing research and spacewalks.