Space and astronomy news
Halfway through their 6-month mission, the crew of Expedition 9 are preparing for their third spacewalk outside the International Space Station. On August 3, Gennady Padalka and Mike Fincke will exit the station and install retroreflectors and communications equipment. This will be used by the European Space Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicle which will make its first flight next year to deliver supplies to the station.
A Russian cargo spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, bringing much needed supplies to the astronauts. On board the Progress 14P spacecraft are 2.5 metric tonnes (2.76 tons) of water, food, air, propellant, as well as scientific equipment. The ship also carries a Russian Orlan-M spacesuit, which will replace a malfunctioning US-built one. It will be needed when the astronauts make a spacewalk in June to fix a power control and circuit breaker box for one of the station’s four gyroscopes.
Image credit: NASA Astronauts Donald Pettit and Kenneth Bowersox enjoyed their first ever walk in space on Wednesday as they performed some maintenance work on the International Space Station. The walk was slightly delayed because of a sticky hatch, but after about 20 minutes they made it outside the station. They spent a total of …
Image credit: NASA The crew of the International Space Station spent a busy day on Friday unloading the cargo delivered by the latest Progress 8 supply ship. The automated ship was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on board a Soyuz rocket on June 26, and it docked three days later. Crewmembers aboard the International Space …
During a 5-hour spacewalk, astronauts Franklin Chang-D?az and Philippe Perrin completed installation of the Mobile Remote Servicer Base System on the International Space Station’s Mobile Transporter. This gives the Canadarm2 the ability to move around the station, assisting with construction and maintenance. The astronauts will perform their third and final spacewalk on Thursday to replace …
Image credit: NASA Endeavour Astronauts Franklin Chang-D?az and Philippe Perrin performed a 7-hour, 14-minute spacewalk on Sunday, completing all the tasks on their plate. The astronauts installed a Power and Data Grapple Fixture to the station?s P6 truss, which will be used as a handle to move the truss around in the future. They also …
Image credit: NASA With the weather finally on side for NASA, the space shuttle Endeavour blasted off Wednesday afternoon from Florida’s Cape Canaveral. The shuttle launched at 2122 GMT (5:22 EDT) carrying the crew of Expedition 5 into orbit, bound for the International Space Station. Endeavour will dock with the station on Friday and relieve …
Atlantis astronauts Jerry Ross and Lee Morin completed a seven hour spacewalk on Saturday to finish bolting the newly installed S0 truss to the International Space Station. Dubbed the Silver Team because of their age (both are grandfathers), the two astronauts found some of the 54 bolts they tightened were a little sticky. The truss …
Astronauts Steven Smith and Rex Walheim spent a productive day in space on Sunday as they continued to extend the International Space Station. During their six and a half hour spacewalk, the astronauts released a clamp that held the Mobile Transporter to the newly installed S0 truss. They also hooked up a set of connectors …
Image credit: NASA After its second day in space, Atlantis caught up, and docked with, the International Space Station. Its seven-astronaut crew are preparing to add the next major component to the station: a 13.4 metre truss which will serve as a backbone for new modules to be installed in future missions. The first spacewalk …