NASA lost seven of its own on the morning of Jan. 28, 1986, when a booster engine failed, causing the Shuttle Challenger to break apart just 73 seconds after launch. In this photo from Jan. 9, 1986, the Challenger crew takes a break during countdown training at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
NASA Image of the Day
A Russian cargo ship left the International Space Station this morning and was deorbited for a destructive demise over the Pacific Ocean. The Expedition 58 crew now turns its attention to the departure of a U.S. space freighter next month.
The Progress 70 (70P) resupply ship ended its six-and-a-half month stay at the station when it undocked from Pirs docking compartment today at 7:55 a.m. EST. It descended into Earth’s atmosphere less than four hours later loaded with trash and discarded gear and burned up safely over the southern Pacific.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus commercial cargo vessel is next up, scheduled to depart the Unity module in early February. Astronauts Anne McClain and David Saint-Jacques have been reviewing Cygnus departure procedures and carefully packing the spaceship throughout the week.
McClain and Saint-Jacques spent Friday working on a variety of science hardware and life support gear aboard the orbital lab. The duo first set up gear to measure airflow inside Japan’s Kibo laboratory module. Next, they serviced a pair of science freezers nicknamed MELFI and GLACIER that store research samples at ultra-cold temperatures.
NASA’s McClain also replaced hardware in the Actiwatch Spectrum, a wearable device that analyzes an astronaut’s sleep quality, sleep onset, hyperactivity and other daily routines. Saint-Jacques from the Canadian Space Agency activated a new 3D printer known as the Refabricator that uses recycled plastics.
Commander Oleg Kononenko from Roscosmos monitored this morning’s 70P undocking and photographed the departing spacecraft. The station veteran also checked on Russian laptop computers and participated in a study that explores how cosmonauts adapt to complex space tasks.
Mark Garcia
A Russian Progress 70 (70P) cargo craft undocked from the International Space Station today at 7:55 a.m. EST loaded with trash and discarded gear. It will orbit Earth a few more hours before reentering the Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean for a fiery but safe destruction.
The Progress deliver three tons of food, fuel and supplies to the station crew members on July 9. It was after the first two-orbit rendezvous in International Space Station history.
Today’s departure leaves three spaceships attached to the orbital lab including Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter and Russia’s Progress 71 resupply ship and Soyuz MS-11 crew ship. Cygnus is due to complete its mission when it departs from the station’s Unity module on Feb. 8.
Mark Garcia
The Expedition 58 crew opened up the International Space Station’s “closet” today stowing hardware inside the experimental module. The three orbital residents also reviewed medical emergency procedures and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program announced a crew update Tuesday.
The Bigelow Experimental Activity Module (BEAM) had its stay extended at the orbital lab in November of 2017. BEAM now serves as a cargo hold and continues to undergo tests of its ability to withstand the rigors of microgravity. Crews periodically check BEAM’s sensors to determine its ongoing suitability for spaceflight.
Astronauts Anne McClain and David Saint-Jacques entered BEAM today stowing a variety of station hardware inside the near three-year-old module. The added volume at the station enables more room for advanced space research at the orbital complex.
They later joined Commander Oleg Kononenko in the afternoon and reviewed procedures in the event a crew member experiences a medical emergency in space. Actions a crew can take if necessary include cardiopulmonary resuscitation, surgical procedures aboard the orbital lab or quickly returning an affected astronaut to Earth aboard the Soyuz spacecraft.
The Commercial Crew Program announced a crew change Tuesday afternoon with NASA astronaut Michael Fincke replacing NASA astronaut Eric Boe. Fincke now begins his training as a crew member for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner Crew Flight Test. Boe will now become assistant chief of the commercial crew office at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Mark Garcia
ISS SSTV MAI-75 image 9/12 received by Chertsey Radio Club on Baofeng handheld
The Inter-MAI amateur radio Slow Scan Television experiment in the Russian Service Module of the International Space Station is scheduled to be activated Jan 30 – Feb 1 on 145.800 MHz FM.
The ARISS-SSTV blog says:
Received information that the Moscow Aviation Institute will be conducting their SSTV experiment from January 30 – February 1.
It appears from the scheduling that the experiment will only be active during a couple of orbits that overfly Moscow instead of a continuous operation. Rough time periods of activation appear to fall between the hours of 13:00 – 19:00 UTC. Activity should occur on the traditional 145.800 MHz downlink.
Source: ARISS SSTV Blog https://ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/
You can receive the pictures from the ISS by using the MMSSTV software and an Online Radio (WebSDR). Select a Frequency of 145800.0 kHz and Mode FM:
• Farnham WebSDR when ISS in range of London http://farnham-sdr.com/
• R4UAB WebSDR when ISS is over Russia http://websdr.r4uab.ru/
Check the N2YO site to see when the ISS is in range https://n2yo.com/?s=25544&df=1
ISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) hints and links https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/
m5aka
AMSAT-UK
