expedition 39 Archives - Universe Today

Watch Live As Three People Return From Space Today

13 May , 2014 by Elizabeth Howell

It’s time to come home! Expedition 39 astronauts Rick Mastracchio, Koichi Wakata and Mikhail Tyurin will climb into a Russian Soyuz spacecraft later today to make the trip back to Earth from the International Space Station. Much of the activity will play out on NASA TV, which you can watch above. Below are details about […]

Dangling Dextre Digs out Docked Dragon Depot prior to Station Departure

6 May , 2014 by Ken Kremer

To close out their final week aboard the International Space Station, three of the six Expedition 39 crew members are completing their unloading tasks inside the docked commercial SpaceX Dragon cargo freighter and other duties while teams at Mission Control in Houston conduct delicate robotics work outside with dazzling maneuvers of the Dextre robot to […]

UPDATE: Spacewalkers Zip Through Tasks To Fix Broken Computer

23 Apr , 2014 by Elizabeth Howell

UPDATE, 11:42 a.m. EDT: Rick Mastracchio and Steve Swanson finished their spacewalk in just 1 hour and 36 minutes, nearly an hour faster than what NASA budgeted for. Early tests show the replacement computer is working well, providing backup once again for the robotics, solar arrays and other systems on station. Can two astronauts fix a broken […]

Urgent Spacewalk Must Dance Between Dragon and Progress Spacecraft

18 Apr , 2014 by Elizabeth Howell

It’s a good thing that next week’s urgent spacewalk is pegged as a short one, because the coming days will be hectic for the Expedition 39 crew. Finding a spot for even a 2.5-hour excursion on the International Space Station was extremely challenging, NASA officials said in a news conference today (April 18), because crew time also is […]

Shiny: Astronaut Wears ‘Firefly’ T-Shirt In First Instagram From Space

15 Apr , 2014 by Elizabeth Howell

And now, time for some thrilling heroics. NASA astronaut Steve Swanson sent out the first Instagram from space last week wearing none other than a Firefly T-shirt. There’s something to be said about a space-faring guy evoking images of Captain Mal doing the impossible in the plucky Serenity spaceship, isn’t there? We’re happy the epicness […]

Contingency Spacewalk Planned Next Week, But Dragon Must Arrive At Space Station First

13 Apr , 2014 by Elizabeth Howell

As contingency spacewalks go, the urgent task should be easy: a quick 2.5-hour run to swap out a failed backup computer that controls several systems on the International Space Station, including robotics. But NASA doesn’t want to go ahead with it until spare spacesuit parts arrive, in the aftermath of a life-threatening suit leak that […]

Failed Space Station Computer Spurs Contingency Spacewalk Plans

12 Apr , 2014 by Elizabeth Howell

NASA is preparing a contingency spacewalk to deal with a broken backup computer component on the International Space Station, the agency said in an update Saturday (April 12). While there’s no timeline yet for the spacewalk, the agency must consider carefully when to do it given a cargo ship is supposed to arrive at station on […]

Backup Computer Glitches On Space Station But Crew Safe, NASA Says

11 Apr , 2014 by Elizabeth Howell

A backup computer that controls “some systems associated with robotics” on the International Space Station is not “responding to commands”, NASA said in a late-night statement Eastern time Friday (April 11). The crew is safe, there’s no “immediate” change to space station operations, and because the primary computer is working, there’s also no alteration to […]

Event Alert: Watch Space Station Hatch Opening Live Tonight

27 Mar , 2014 by Elizabeth Howell

Update, 8:33 p.m. EDT: The Soyuz spacecraft arrived safely at station at 7:53 p.m. EDT (11:53 a.m. UTC) and coverage of the hatch opening is scheduled at 10:15 p.m. EDT (2:15 a.m. UTC). After spending an extra couple of days in the cramped Russian Soyuz spacecraft, the incoming International Space Station crew will likely be very […]

Astronauts ‘In Good Shape’ As They Face Space Station Docking Delay

26 Mar , 2014 by Elizabeth Howell

Despite a problem that held up last night’s International Space Station docking, the Expedition 39/40 crew is doing well as they execute a standard backup procedure to bring their Soyuz spacecraft to the station on Thursday, NASA said. The crew was originally expected to dock with the station around 11 p.m. EDT (3 a.m. UTC), but […]

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