Russian cosmonauts Dmitry Kondratyev and Oleg Skripochka opened the International Space Station's Pirs airlock hatch at 8:30 a.m., officially beginning this morning's spacewalk. Read more
NASA has released a crisp, detailed photo of the snowy mountains of British Columbia to show how well its new teaching tool for middle-school students called WORF is working. WORF stands for Window Observational Research Facility. Worf is also the name of a Klingon character on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." That's probably a coincidence. Read more
The U.S. Destiny Laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS) features an Earth observation window with the highest quality optics ever flown on a human occupied spacecraft. Images from space have many applications i.e., they can be used to study global climates, land and sea formations, crop weather damage and health assessments. Special sensors can also provide important data regarding transient atmospheric and geologic phenomena (hurricanes and volcanic eruptions), as well as act as a testbed for collecting data for new sensor technology development. The WORF design uses existing EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space Station (EXPRESS) Rack hardware which includes a Rack Interface Controller (RIC) box for power and data connection, Avionics Air Assembly (AAA) fan for air circulation within the rack, rack fire detection, and appropriate avionics to communicate with the ISS data network. The WORF will maximise the use of this window by providing sensors (cameras, multispectral and hyperspectral scanners, camcorders and other instruments) to capture imagery of the Earth and space. Read more
Cosmonauts Perform 27th Russian Space Station Spacewalk
Two Russian cosmonauts ventured outside the International Space Station on Jan. 21 to complete installation of a new high-speed data transmission system, remove an old plasma pulse experiment, install a camera for the new Rassvet docking module and retrieve a materials exposure package. Expedition 26 Flight Engineers Dmitry Kondratyev and Oleg Skripochka began the five-hour, 23-minute excursion at 9:29 a.m. EST. Both spacewalkers wore Russian Orlan-MK spacesuits. Read more
Two of the space station's crew have stepped out on a spacewalk. Russian astronauts Dmitry Kondratyev and Oleg Skripochka floated outside Friday morning. Their job is to install a camera and an experimental radio system on the International Space Station, and retrieve a pair of old science experiments. Read more
Successful premiere - German robotic arm completes its five-year ISS mission
Germany's first experiment in space robotics has now come to an end. On the evening of 15 November 2010, two Russian cosmonauts performed a space walk during which they removed the Rokviss robotic arm developed by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) from the experimental platform on the Russian service module Svezda and took it inside the ISS. By 2 November 2010, the Rokviss team from the DLR Robotics and Mechatronics Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen had moved the robot arm into the required position for this operation. Only in this position could Rokviss be easily transported through the air lock and into the interior of the ISS. Read more
Malaysia plans to have its second astronaut stay in the International Space Station for weeks or months instead of days, but the second space mission is unlikely to take place soon - at least not in the next couple of years. National Space Agency Director-General Dr Mustafa Subari said time was necessary to work out the details of the preparations and for the negotiation process with potential collaborators. A few things had to be sorted out before the mission could be launched, including partnership and the types of experiment to be conducted on board the ISS, he told Bernama. [url=http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=545060]
Out of this world agriculture may be futuristic in terms of widespread implementation. But for some, research is already under way. Among those studying the possibilities are researchers at The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore. On April 5, through a grant from NASA, the Noble Foundation sent 14 Petri dishes with 50 to 150 seedlings up in the space shuttle Discovery and kept as many in a lab at the Kennedy Space Centre. Read more
Cupola has proved itself to be an excellent viewing platform since it was attached to the International Space Station in February. The latest photos taken from this heavenly observatory are stunning. How about doing a spacewalk wearing a t-shirt, without donning a complex spacesuit, with superb views back to Earth and up to the stars? Read more