Space Station | Universe Today

This may come as a surprise, but then again, it might not. Despite the recently signed US Congressional waiver of the Iran-North Korea-Syria Nonproliferation Act, allowing NASA to use the Russian Progress vehicle to send US supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) after Shuttle decommissioning in 2010, NASA has said that they will seek out US-based commercial launch options instead. NASA has lobbied the US government for months to allow them to continue using Russia's launch capabilities, but since the recent launch success of US-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Falcon 1 rocket on September 28th, hopes are high that this option will stop NASA's dependence on Russia…
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In one of the grandest chess challenges ever attempted, a Canadian space station astronaut will contemplate his moves from orbit whilst students on Earth will make theirs from the ground. Greg Chamitoff, an International Space Station (ISS) flight engineer, has been stationed on the orbital outpost for four months and he is filling his spare time following his favorite intellectual hobby. The chess enthusiast has been playing the board game with space centres around the world, and is so far undefeated. Let's see if he can beat some of the brightest strategists from kindergarten through to a third grade US Chess Championship Team…
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Europe's Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) successfully completed its six-month mission today with a controlled destructive re-entry over the South Pacific. Following a final de-orbit burn at 14:58 CEST which slowed its velocity by 70 m/s, the ATV entered the upper atmosphere at an altitude of 120 km at 15:31 CEST. It broke up at an altitude of 75 km with the remaining fragments falling into the Pacific some 12 minutes later. The break-up was monitored by two aircraft, a Gulfstream V, and a NASA DC-8. "The operations went perfectly; there was no hiccup at all." said ESA's mission director Alberto Novelli. "There is a very big feeling of accomplishment because the mission went perfectly from end to end. At the same time we are a little bit sad. The six months (of operation) were very intense and demanding, so there is a mixed feeling. But we are looking forward to start preparing for the following mission."
Update: the first images from the re-entry have just been posted:

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The Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) has done its duty – it even went above and beyond its expected capabilities. But the end is nigh, and soon, on September 29 the ATV will become a fireball and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, never to be seen again. But before it does, people in North America and Europe have the perfect opportunity to see it sail overhead this weekend in its low Earth orbit, and according to Spaceweather.com, the ATV will glow about a brightly as the North Star, Polaris. To find out when and where to look for the ATV in the evening or early morning skies, check out Spaceweather.com's great satellite tracking webpage. Just plug in your zip code and you'll be able to get tracking information for all the satellites that will be visible for the next few days. Also, Heavens Above is a great site to find tracking information, as well. So get out there and bid Jules Verne adieu. Here's some of the great things the ATV accomplished while on orbit at the ISS, and a movie of its undocking too…

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The European Space Agency needs a bang-up, attention-grabbing moniker for the next long duration European mission to the International Space Station, and they are holding a competition for the public to submit a suitable name. In May 2009, ESA astronaut Frank De Winne, of Belgium will fly to the ISS for a six month mission. ESA is holding a competition to find a name for the mission. Have any great ideas? Here are the parameters for the competition:
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Europe's most advanced robotic spaceship, the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), has effectively ended its 6-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It successfully undocked today (Friday) at 21:29 GMT to begin its slow 3 week journey toward the Earth's atmosphere where it is set for re-entry on September 29th. This was the first ever ATV to be launched and was named after the 19th Century novelist, Jules Verne; another four ATVs are scheduled for construction. Jules Verne's re-entry is set for night time over an uninhabited region of the Pacific Ocean and NASA will use this opportunity to monitor the fireball so the characteristics of re-entering spacecraft can be studied…
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Because of stalled legislation that is needed to allow NASA to pay the Russian Space Agency to ferry US astronauts to the International Space Station on board the Soyuz spacecraft, the US section of the space station may have to go unmanned in at least part of 2012. In an interview with CBS's Bill Harwood, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin said because of the of the three-year lead time needed to build Soyuz vehicles, contracts must be in place by early 2009. But because of Russia's invasion of Georgia, Congress is unlikely to extend an exemption that allows money to be paid to Russia for high technology goods. Griffin said the problem is very serious, and new legislation would have to be approved within the next few weeks to prevent an interruption in NASA astronauts being on board the ISS.
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In a dress rehearsal for the disposal of the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) in two days time, the Russian Progress 29 resupply ship was undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday from its Earth-facing berth on the station's Russian Zarya control module. The vessel, having performed its resupply duties back in May, has now been filled with waste from the crew and sent on its week-long journey toward a fiery re-entry. But the tough automated resupply ship still has some work to do, it will carry out some experimental rocket tests before it makes its final plunge over the Pacific Ocean…
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The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Jules Verne will undock from the International Space Station (ISS) on September 5th to begin three weeks of autonomous flight, setting it up for a suicidal re-entry on September 29th. The ATV has been loaded with refuse and unwanted equipment from the ISS set to burn up in the Earth's upper atmosphere marking the end of the life of Europe's most advanced space vehicle. To record the event, both NASA and the European Space Agency will be photographing and videoing the descent…
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During a Russian weather observation campaign, cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko took photographs above the South Ossetia region of Georgia soon after the Russian military action in the area on August 9th. According to NASA's ISS Daily Report, Kononenko was monitoring the "after-effects of border conflict operations in the Caucasus" and his orders from Moscow instructed him to carry out this task for humanitarian reasons. Some sources are suspicious of this possible orbital reconnaissance opportunity, citing that the 1998 ISS international agreement enforces the rule that the space station can only be used for civilian activities. However, NASA has stated that the Russian space agency Roscosmos admitted to the photography request, saying that the images were required to monitor serious water management issues and not intended for military purposes…
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Could this be the first space-borne computer virus ever discovered? It would appear that the International Space Station, orbiting at over 330 km (180 miles) above the planet, is not immune to software problems more commonly associated with computers down here on Earth. Over the last few days, astronauts on board the ISS have been tracking down a fairly benign gaming worm used by hackers to gather personal information. Although this type of virus is not considered a threat to space station operations, it does raise some questions about how the virus got up there and why the station's computers were not protected.
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The conflict between Georgia and Russia over the disputed region of South Ossetia may have huge consequences for NASA's ability to send astronauts to the International Space Station in the future. The US has criticised the Russian military action, prompting concerns for the future NASA use of the Russian Soyuz space vehicle. This comes at a particularly critical time, as concerns were already high due to the Shuttle decommissioning in 2010. The US is only allowed to use Soyuz up until 2011 as that is when the exemption from the Iran Non-Proliferation Act runs out. If US-Russian relations turn even more sour, an extension to the exemption may not be allowed, freezing the US out of any involvement with routine manned access into space. US Senator Bill Nelson (Democrat), an outspoken critic of the government's funding of the US space program, has brought these concerns to light blaming the Bush administration for an over reliance on Russia for future space access…
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NASA Administrator Michael Griffin has announced his intentions to send an advanced spaceship propulsion prototype to the International Space Station for advanced testing. The Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (Vasimir) is currently in an experimental phase, but Griffin hopes that a scale model will be ready for one of the remaining Shuttle-ISS missions before 2010. The Vasimir concept bridges the gap between conventional (fuel hungry, high thrust) rockets and economical (fuel efficient, low-thrust) ion engines. Vasimir achieves this by using an ingenious method of ionizing and heating a neutral gas fuel…
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A huge piece of space debris, weighing 1400 lb (635 kg) and the size of two refrigerators, is gradually falling to Earth, giving observers on the ground a great opportunity to see it. The junk was jettisoned from the International Space Station (ISS) in 2007 and it is expected to re-enter the atmosphere later this year or early 2009. The Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS) was dropped from the ISS after a seven hour spacewalk and pushed in the opposite direction of the space station's orbit shortly before a re-boost by a Soyuz resupply vehicle. This ensured the EAS would pose no danger to the ISS or crew on future orbits. Now the container is beginning its final few months in space and the bets are on as to where it will crash to Earth…
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The International Space Station (ISS) is the jewel in the crown of human ingenuity and a testament to the incredible engineering mankind is capable of. The modular human outpost began construction in 1998 and it is hoped the final configuration will be complete by 2010. Apart from orbiting the Earth and the occasional re-boost by the docked Automated Transport Vehicle (ATV) "Jules Verne," the ISS is going nowhere in a hurry. But wait a minute, isn't that what the ISS is all about? Isn't it simply an orbital science outpost? Well it is, but could it be something a bit more dynamic? Some critics cite the ISS as the most expensive waste of time the international collaboration of space agencies have ever been committed to; after all, who needs more zero-G experiments?

Solution: Attach a rocket and a steerage system and behold, we have a huge interplanetary transport vehicle, capable of travelling to the Moon and possibly to Mars. Who needs the Constellation Program anyway…
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Two cosmonauts at the International Space Station conducted a spacewalk on Thursday and performed the delicate operation of removing an explosive bolt from the Soyuz capsule attached to the station. Ten explosive bolts in all on the Soyuz break the connections between the spacecraft's crew capsule and its propulsion module during descent back to Earth. Engineers suspect one bad bolt delayed the compartment's jettison during landings in October 2007 and April 2008, leading to steep, high-G descents, causing the capsule to land off-course and hit the ground harder than it should. Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko removed the bolt located in the same spot as the ones diagnosed as being faulty on the other capsules. They placed it inside a blast-proof canister, which will be returned home aboard the Soyuz when the crew completes its mission in October.
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Explosive bolts that help detach the Russian Soyuz capsule from the International Space Station may be the source of the problems the spacecraft has encountered during the last two landings. Investigative space journalist and Jim Oberg at MSNBC, who is one of the best experts on the inner workings of the Russian space program recently wrote a very interesting article detailing Russian engineers' plans to fix the problem: have two Russian cosmonauts conduct a spacewalk on July 10 to remove one of the explosive bolts and bring it inside the space station. The bolts, Oberg says, packs twice the explosive force of an M-80 firecracker when ignited, and the cosmonauts will be handling the bolts directly during what will be a very delicate, if not dramatic, operation.
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Last week's record re-boost from ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) pushed the International Space Station 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) higher to an orbit of 345 kilometres (214 miles) above Earth. This was the second re-boost carried out by the ATV, a mission (dubbed "Jules Verne") that has surpassed all expectations. In fact, the ATV has not only passed each and every mission objective perfectly, it has gone above and beyond the call of duty…
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Always a beautiful sight, the space shuttle Discovery touched down safely at 11:15 a.m. EDT, on Saturday, June 14, 2008, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During the 13-day mission, Discovery and the crew of STS-124 delivered the new component Kibo, the Japanese Experiment Module, to the International Space Station. Mission managers say Discovery looks to be in good shape following the mission, and the crew is doing well, too. Even Garrett Reisman, who spent over 90 days on the ISS, joined the rest of the crew in walking around on the runway and surveying the shuttle. After a successful mission, its always fun to look back at some of the great images, so here's a few…
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Space is a very dangerous place to be, whether you're a human or a transistor. Highly energetic particles may hit astronauts, causing damage to their DNA, but as computers become more and more powerful (yet more and more sensitive); the hazards to unprotected circuitry are increasing. There are many examples of satellites and robotic space missions getting hit by energetic particles, sometimes with crippling results. Not only are millions of dollars at stake, lives are put at risk too. Now, using a new technique and material, Northwestern University scientists have developed a new type of transistor with a twist and it is currently being tested on the International Space Station…
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This could be a bit of a tricky (and amusing) situation for astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS). Space Shuttle Discovery astronaut Mark Kelly mentioned a minor technicality with the new Kibo laboratory during an in flight interview last Friday: It might be too spacious. Surely this is a good thing right? It is, and it isn't. On the one hand the lab provides a large volume for four astronauts to work in comfortably, but on the other hand, if you get stuck in the middle, you may not be able to reach the sides. This could result in a rather frustrating situation where one of the astronauts may become "stranded" in zero-G…
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The crew of the STS-124 mission has been busy installing equipment on the International Space Station, fixing a toilet, and trying out the latest robotic arm that's part of the shiny new Kibo module. The image above shows some of the new additions to the station, which just keeps growing in size with every mission. The mass of modules shown are: the Japanese Pressurized Module (left), the Japanese Logistics Module (top center), the Harmony node (center), the Destiny laboratory (right) of the ISS, and the forward section of Space Shuttle Discovery that is docked to the station.
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It has been a very good day for the crew on board the International Space Station. Not only has the brand new Japanese Kibo science laboratory been activated, much to the crew's relief, the faulty toilet has also been fixed. Russian flight engineer Oleg Kononenko was able to replace the broken urine collection pump in a 2 hour repair job yesterday (Wednesday) and specialists in Moscow checked his work to verify it was working fine. Although this may sound like a bit of minor news, it was make-or-break time for the ISS as if the repair was unsuccessful, this may have seriously hindered the manned presence on the station (and besides, we haven't even had time to play with Kibo yet!)…
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The brand new Japanese science laboratory was attached to the International Space Station today (Tuesday). Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission launched on May 31st (Saturday) has quickly gotten down to business, unloading the huge 11.2 meter-long lab using the station's robotic arm. This is the second component of Kibo (Japanese for "Hope") to be attached to the station, the first was a logistics module sent to the station by Endeavour in March. The third and final part of the lab, a facility that will allow outdoor experiments be exposed to space, will be delivered some time next year. The lab will be "switched on" and ready for occupation tomorrow (Wednesday) at 20:52 GMT.
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Countdown for the next space shuttle mission, STS-124 will begin today, Wednesday May 28 at 3:00 pm EDT. Launch is scheduled for Saturday, May 31 at 5:02 pm EDT. The mission will deliver Japan's Kibo pressurized module to the station, as well as some last minute, very important equipment: parts to repair a balky toilet on board the space station. The pump that separates the solids from the gas wastes for the toilet has been working only sporadically. The replacement parts are being flown in from Russia today, hand-carried in a diplomatic pouch, and will be added to the payload on board space shuttle Discovery. "Clearly, having a working toilet is a priority for us," said NASA's Scott Higginbotham, mission manager in the International Space Station and Spacecraft Processing Directorate. STS-124 is the 123rd flight of the space shuttle, the 26th flight to the station and the 35th flight for space shuttle Discovery.
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