Failed computer replaced on ISS

#ISS #PeggyWhitson #space #spacewalk #computers

Station Commander Peggy Whitson assembled a new computer from spare parts abroad the station and installed it during a 2.5-hour spacewalk as the orbiting outpost sailed 400 kms over Earth.

The computer, that weights 23 kgs and is the size of a microwave oven, control equipment’s such as solar power panels, cooling loops, radiators and robotics gear.

One of the computers (out of two) was lost on Saturday, however the causes are still unknown and will be analyzed by someone.

With this spacewalk, Peggy Whitson has become the third most experienced space-walkers in the world, just behind Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Solovyev and NASA’s Mike Lopez-Alegria.

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This is amazing. Assembling a computer on board the ISS and replacing it in a spacewalk. And congratulations Mrs. Whitson for becoming the most experience woman space-walker, and third most experienced space-walker.

Space suits yet to be updated after spending millions

#SpaceSuits #NASA #space #astronauts #Mars #LucaParmitano #ISS

US and it’s space agency NASA want to send it’s astronauts to Mars in the 2030s, however there has been no next-generation space suit technologies in development, even after spending nearly $200 million on the development program.

The White colored suits currently worn by astronauts were developed more than 40 years ago, even though the life-cycle for the suit was meant to be 15 years during it’s production. Most of the suits have been refurbished over the years and have been added with new features like glove warmers, improved helmet cameras and lights.

However, the current suits are facing new problems, like water leaking. In 2013, astronaut Luca Parmitano nearly drowned in the spacesuit because there was water leakage in the helmet he was wearing. Also, out of 18 life-support backpacks (EMU), only 11 are in working condition currently.

The inventory may not be adequate to last through the planned retirement of the ISS in 2024.

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Why NASA? Why can’t you take better care of the people you are sending in space, rather than just being interested in scientific data and images.

Donald Trump talks to Peggy Whitson

#NASA #PeggyWhitson #ISS #DonaldTrump #astronaut #space #Mars

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, 57, set a new space record on Monday, beating NASA’s previous record-holder Jeff Williams for the most number of days in orbit. However, she is still (534 days) shorter than the world record of Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka (879 days).

Donald Trump commented to her that That’s an incredible record to break, and then asked her What are we learning form being in space? One being told that there is a technology to convert urine to drinking water for astronauts, Trump replied Better you than me.

Whitson is the oldest woman ever in space, and has also set a new record for most space walks (8) by a female astronaut. She also mentioned that NASA is currently building hardware to test a new heavy launch vehicle, Space Launch System (SLS), which will help space vehicles to take manned missions further into the space.

Trump said he wished that NASA is able to do the Mars manned mission in his first or second term of Presidency.

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That’s amazing! Congratulations Peggy Whitson! And in reality, a technology to convert urine to safe/hygienic drinking water will be treasured on Earth.

360 degree rocket launch video

#NASA #rocketLaunch #ULA #CygnusSpacecraft #ISS #space #Youtube

NASA will be broadcasting live 360 degree stream of a rocket launch on April 18. The cargo re-supply mission lift-off to the International Space Station may be viewed on NASA’s Youtube channel from 10 minutes prior to the lift-off.

Users would have to scroll using the mouse for a 360 degree view around the Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft will be launching on a ULA Atlas V rocket, and will be carrying more than 3,447 kgs of science research, crew supplies and hardware.

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Woah. Mark your calendar people! This will be an amazing stream.

Five astronauts assigned to future missions by NASA

#NASA #space #astronauts #ISS #Expedition53and54

NASA is back again!

This time, NASA has assigned five astronauts for upcoming missions abroad the International Space Station (ISS).

Joe Acaba, Ricky Arnold, Nick Hague, Serena Aunon-Chancellor and Shannon Walker, are the five astronauts who have begun training and will have missions by the end of this year and throughout 2018. Each of the astronauts is to undergo a busy schedule of traning on space station systems and the experiments related to their assignments.

Joe Acaba will be the first to be launched in the Expedition 53 and 54 crews. Walker will be training as a dedicated backup for Acaba.

First time fliers, Nick Hague and Serena Aunon-Chancellor will fall into the standard rotation for NASA astronauts.

Read the full article here.Read the full article here.

Creating the ‘Coolest Spot in Universe’

#NASA #space #USA #CAL #gravity #darkMatter #ISS

NASA will send an ice box (called Cold Atom Laoratory or CAL) to the International Space Station (ISS) in August abroad the SpaceX CRS-12. The box is supposed to freeze gas atoms to create the coolest spot in the universe, which in turn might help to understand more about gravity and dark matter.

The box has lasers, a vacuum chamber and an electromagnetic ‘knife’. These will all be used to cancel out the energy of gas particles and slow them down until eventually they are motionless.

When atoms are cooled to extreme temperatures, as they will be inside of CAL they can form a distinct state of matter known as a Bose-Einstein condensate. In this state, familiar rules of physics recede and quantum physics begins to take over. Matter can be observed behaving less like particles and more like waves.

Read the full article here.

Cucumber! Grown in space for research

Cucumber feature specialized protuberances, or pegs, whose formation is regulated by gravity. These pegs form during the plant’s early growth stage to help the seedlings emerge from their hard seed coat and anchor the developing plant in the soil while its roots form.

Hideyuki Takahashi from Tohoku University in Japan explained that when seeds are placed in a vertical position before germination with their embryonic roots pointing down or subjected to microgravity conditions, a peg develops on each side. However, when they are place horizontally on the ground, peg formation on the upper side is suppressed in response to gravity.

Researchers loaded the cucumber seeds into specially designed canisters with water-absorbent plastic foam and these germinating seedlings were grown in the microgravity compartment of the cell biology experiment facility, in the ISS, for 24 hours.

The scientists found that the CsPIN1 protein can relocate under the influence of gravity, thus finding that this behavior stimulates the formation of a cellular canal capable of transporting growth hormones from one side of to the other. Read the full article here.

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NASA shares top photos of Earth for 2016

We are almost at the end of the year 2016 and many people reflect on the year by going through their photos or thinking about the events that passed. Similarly, NASA also shared its amazing photographs taken from space of our home planet, Earth.

Astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) capture images of Earth almost every day, clicking some of the most beautiful photos of our planet from space. By the end of the year, they have more than a thousand photos and now the people at the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston were able to pick the top 16 photos from that list. The photos were released by the space agency in a video.

Stormy skies, aurora’s, beautiful views of mountains and deserts, the photographs are breathtaking and gorgeous. Here you can watch the video.

Japan launches junk collector in space for Trial

The space has been accumulating cosmic junk caused by over half a century of space exploration. Around more than 500,000 pieces of “space junk” are being tracked by NASA currently. This “space junk” includes millions of tiny fragments of old satellites and spent rocket stages. Not only that, but many of these fragments travel at speeds up to 17,500 mph, which can cause a great deal of damage on a satellite or even the ISS.

Due to the potential problem of a collision of space junk, many space agencies are trying to figure out a solution. Japan’s space agency (JAXA) launched Kounotori 6 on Friday, that will deliver a magnetic tether. The tether is made of stainless steel and aluminum. The true purpose of the tether is to generate enough slowing effect to influence the trajectory of space debris, and let it redirect it towards Earth’s atmosphere. After travelling close to Earth’s atmosphere, the space debris will burn up.

Currently the length of the tether is 700 meters only. If the trial is successful then the length will eventually increase to 5,000 or 10,000 meters said Nitto Seimo’s engineer Katsuya Suzuki.

Read the full article here!