Comentarios desactivados en Dragon Cargo Mission Launch No Earlier than May 3
Dragon Cargo Mission Launch No Earlier than May 3
The International Space Station was pictured by an Expedition 56 crewmember aboard a departing Soyuz crew ship on Oct. 4, 2018.
NASA has requested SpaceX move off from May 1 for the launch of the company’s 17th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station.
On April 29, the space station team identified an issue with one of the station’s Main Bus Switching Units that distributes power to two of the eight power channels on the station. There are no immediate concerns for the crew or the station. Teams are working on a plan to robotically replace the failed unit and restore full power to the station system. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available. The earliest possible launch opportunity is no earlier than Friday, May 3.
Comentarios desactivados en Crew Waits for Dragon Mission While Teams Troubleshoot Power Issue
Crew Waits for Dragon Mission While Teams Troubleshoot Power Issue
The Aurora and the night sky above Earth’s atmosphere are pictured from the space station. A portion of the station’s solar arrays and a pair of nitrogen/oxygen recharge system tanks are pictured in the foreground.
A SpaceX Dragon cargo craft is poised to liftoff this week from Florida to the International Space Station. The Expedition 59 crew will welcome Dragon when it arrives three days later carrying nearly 5,500 pounds of cargo.
Dragon will be encapsulated atop the Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for a countdown to its Wednesday launch at 3:59 a.m. EDT. Astronaut David Saint-Jacques will be at the controls of the robotics workstation Saturday commanding the Canadarm2 to capture Dragon around 6:45 a.m. NASA TV will broadcast the launch and capture activities live.
He and fellow flight engineers Nick Hague, Anne McClain and Christina Koch are familiarizing themselves with the complex cargo unpacking procedures today. Dragon is also carrying external cargo, including the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3, that will be removed by robotics controllers and installed on the station.
In the meantime, the space residents have been filming a virtual reality experience aboard the orbital lab. Today, McClain set up the 360-degree camera in the U.S. Destiny lab module to film herself talking about her space experience as her crewmates work around her.
Koch is helping engineers learn how to produce high quality optical fibers on the space station. The weightless environment of space provides the opportunity to explore manufacturing techniques that are superior to those on Earth. Results could improve space technologies as well as provide more Earth-bound benefits.
On the Russian side of the station, Commander Oleg Kononenko focused on lab maintenance ensuring life support systems are in tip-top shape. Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin spent a couple of hours cleaning Orlan spacesuits before checking radiation sensors and replacing fire extinguishers.
Monday morning, teams identified an issue with the International Space Station’s electrical power system and are working to identify the root cause and restore full power to the system. There are no immediate concerns for the crew or the station. An issue is being worked with a Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU) that distributes electrical power to two of the eight power channels on the station. Flight controllers have been working to route power through the remaining six power channels. Electrical power generated by the station’s solar arrays is fed to all station systems through these power channels. Discussions are underway to determine any impacts to SpaceX’s CRS-17 cargo resupply mission targeted for launch May 1.
Comentarios desactivados en Crew Juggles Emergency Drill, Space Biology and Dragon Preps
Crew Juggles Emergency Drill, Space Biology and Dragon Preps
NASA astronaut Christina Koch works on the COLBERT treadmill inside the Tranquility module.
The six-member Expedition 59 crew conducted a routine, periodic drill for response to emergencies today in the middle of a science-packed day. The astronauts also researched space biology while preparing for next week’s SpaceX Dragon cargo mission.
The space residents practiced communications, roles and responsibilities, and evacuating the station in the unlikely event of an emergency. The crew would split up, board their Soyuz spacecraft and undock quickly for a ride back to Earth. The two Soyuz crew ships docked to the International Space Station each hold three crewmembers.
NASA Flight Engineers Nick Hague and Anne McClain set up the ultrasound and optometry instruments today for more Fluid Shifts studies. Flight surgeons are exploring what happens to an astronaut’s veins and eyes due to the head-ward flow of fluids caused by microgravity.
Hague later checked out command and communications gear he and astronaut David Saint-Jacques will use when the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship arrives next week. Saint-Jacques will command the Canadarm2 robotic arm to capture Dragon early Friday, May 2, two days after it launches from Florida. Hague will monitor Dragon’s telemetry during its approach and rendezvous. NASA TV is broadcasting the pre-flight activities and mission events live.
Saint-Jacques and Flight Engineer Christina Koch also split the day feeding mice and cleaning cages for the Rodent Research-12 experiment. The study is investigating the immune system’s response to the conditions of long-term spaceflight.
Commander Oleg Kononenko focused much of his attention today on life support maintenance in the Russian segment of the orbital lab. Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin studied ways to maximize the effectiveness of exercise in the weightless environment of microgravity.
Comentarios desactivados en Biomedical and Botany Research Today as Station Preps for Sixth Spacecraft
Biomedical and Botany Research Today as Station Preps for Sixth Spacecraft
The aurora australis, also known as the “southern lights”, is pictured as the International Space Station orbited 265 miles above the Indian Ocean southwest of Australia.
Vein scans and eye checks were on the schedule today as the Expedition 59 crew continues ongoing biomedical studies. The International Space Station is also getting ready to host a sixth spacecraft when it arrives next week.
Scientists have been observing the space residents all week as they seek to understand the effects of the upward flow of body fluids in space. Flight Engineer Anne McClain worked on the Fluid Shifts experiment again today attaching body electrodes to NASA astronaut Nick Hague and conducting ultrasound scans of his veins. She also peered into his eyes using optical tomography coherence hardware. Results may help flight surgeons prevent the increased head and eye pressure caused by the upward fluid shifts astronauts report in space.
NASA is also learning how to support longer human missions farther out into space. Feeding crews without expensive cargo missions and fuel-consuming inventories is critical. As a result, the station provides a variety of greenhouse facilities for plant cultivation and research. Christina Koch of NASA set up new botany hardware today to enable the ongoing research and harvesting of lettuce and mizuna in space.
The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship is due to liftoff Tuesday at 4:21 a.m. EDT on its 17th contracted cargo mission to the station. Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques is training to capture Dragon with the Canadarm2 robotic arm when it arrives Thursday May 2 at 6:50 a.m. A pair of new experiments it is delivering will explore atmospheric carbon dioxide as well as X-ray frequency communication techniques.
Comentarios desactivados en More Head and Eye Pressure Research and Dragon Robotics Training
More Head and Eye Pressure Research and Dragon Robotics Training
Astronauts David Saint-Jacques and Anne McClain practice Canadarm2 robotics maneuvers and spacecraft capture techniques on the robotics workstation in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module.
The Expedition 59 crew is unloading one U.S. cargo ship today and preparing for the arrival of another after it launches from Florida next week. The orbital residents also continued exploring how microgravity impacts the human body and a variety of terrestrial materials.
Astronauts Christina Koch and David Saint-Jacques worked Wednesday afternoon to offload some of the 7,600 pounds of cargo the Cygnus space freighter delivered last week. Saint-Jacques is also training today to capture the SpaceX resupply ship with the Canadarm2 robotic arm when it arrives next Thursday. Dragon will be the sixth spaceship parked at the station and occupy the Harmony module’s Earth-facing port.
The duo also split the day working with a variety of biomedical hardware and research gear to ensure healthy astronauts and successful space research. Koch and Saint-Jacques participated in ultrasound scans for ongoing health checks. Koch then explored the feasibility of manufacturing fiber optic cables in space. Saint-Jacques set up Kubik incubator hardware inside Europe’s Columbus lab module.
NASA Flight Engineers Anne McClain and Nick Hague were back collecting more blood, urine and saliva samples today. The samples are spun in a centrifuge, stowed in a science freezer then analyzed for the long-running Fluid Shifts study. The experiment seeks to understand and prevent the upward flow of body fluids in space that cause head and eye pressure in astronauts.
