Updates ISS UPDATES

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RIA Novosti: ‘Fire! Fire!:’ ISS Crew Tested Ahead of Shortened Journey

 

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Florida Today: Space Station crew unloads SpaceX Dragon capsule

 

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NASAtelevision:

 

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RIA Novosti: Sara Brightman’s Space Trip Under Question – Roscosmos:

Brightman’s trip to orbit depends on the duration of the 2015 visiting flight to the ISS, Popovkin told journalists.

The British soprano was set to go on an eight-day trip to the station, but NASA and Roskosmos are considering extending the visiting flight to one month, in which case she would have to give up her seat to a professional spaceman, Popovkin said.

“If it’s a monthly shift, then it will be staff cosmonauts and astronauts who will be performing some short-term scientific research,” the official said.

Popovkin did not say when the decision will be made or whether Brightman’s flight could be rescheduled for a later date. Neither did he name Brightman’s potential replacement, saying only that the candidate will be fielded by the European Space Agency.

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ISS' orbit was raised today at 00:25 UTC (04:25 Moscow time), to support docking of Soyuz TMA-07M Mar. 29.

The orbit adjustment was carried by engines of Progress M-17M which fired for 673 seconds, resulting in deltaV of 1.5 m/s and average raise of the orbit by 2.6 km to 410.4 km.

PeA: 403.8 km
ApA: 435.1 km
T: 5563.2 s
Inc: 51.670°

Source: Roscosmos

 

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NASAtelevision:

 

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NASA:

• ISS Daily Summary Report - 04/01/13
  
• ISS Daily Summary - 04/02/13
  
• ISS Daily Summary Report - 04/03/13
  
• ISS Daily Summary Report - 04/05/13
  
• RELEASE : 13-096 - NASA Administrator Statement on Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
  
  [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcfEX-MZH8s"]Space Station Instrument Finds Excess Antimatter - YouTube[/ame]

NASASpaceflight: Endeavour’s ongoing legacy: AMS-02 proving its value

CBS News Space: Initial AMS data consistent with dark matter, but not yet proof

Aviation Week: Space Station Experiment Data Support Existence Of Dark Matter

EurekAlert!: First data released from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

NBCNEWS.com - Cosmic Log: Space station's antimatter detector finds its first evidence of dark matter

Scientific American: Dark Matter Signal Possibly Registered on International Space Station

AmericaSpace: AMS-2 Finds Dark Matter? Maybe, Maybe Not

SPACE.com: Potential Dark Matter Discovery a Win for Space Station Science

Slate - Bad Astronomy: Tantalizing Hints of WIMPy Dark Matter

Florida Today: ISS instrument zeroes in on mysterious dark matter

Discovery News: Dark Matter Found? Orbital Experiment Detects Hints

Spaceflight Now: Hunt for dark matter heats up with orbiting detector

SpaceRef: Space Station Science: Left In The Dust - Again

 

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NASASpaceflight: ISS gets communications overhaul to boost scientific output, article by Orbinaut Pete

 

[mojoey]

New Russian node module set to launch to the ISS in 2014

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Huh. I assume it's going to attach to a Soyuz/Progress port.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

I was going to ask "Is this in preparation for the Nakua module?", but then I think I found the answer to my own question here... http://www.russianspaceweb.com/iss_node.html

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Yeah it looks like the Russians are finally finding enough rubles to get some shiny new hardware to the ISS. The extremely delayed MLM is still holding on to the December 2013 launch date (there are reports that the Russians will launch it by then, even if that means not installing all the planned equipment!), and then this little node by a specifically modified Progress half a year after that. Then there are two big modules that provide wide compartments and electric supplies that are now in the advanced planning stages. All of these new modules can be "re-used" as a new all Russian space station when the ISS finally shuts down, probably in the late 2020s!

 

[MattBaker]

Huh. I assume it's going to attach to a Soyuz/Progress port.

Nauka is going to be attached instead of the current module Pirs, which has a docking port.
And Nauka is going to have another docking port at the nadir side (opposite side of where it's attached) where this node module is going to be attached.

And for our American/private spaceflight supporters: There's currently a Bigelow Expandable Activity Module [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigelow_Expandable_Activity_Module"]set for launch in 2015.[/ame]

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

Yeah it looks like the Russians are finally finding enough rubles to get some shiny new hardware to the ISS. The extremely delayed MLM is still holding on to the December 2013 launch date (there are reports that the Russians will launch it by then, even if that means not installing all the planned equipment!), and then this little node by a specifically modified Progress half a year after that. Then there are two big modules that provide wide compartments and electric supplies that are now in the advanced planning stages. All of these new modules can be "re-used" as a new all Russian space station when the ISS finally shuts down, probably in the late 2020s!

Ahhh, but this was part of the original plan for the russians to keep using their half of the station anyways, right? Wouldnt it make more sense to send up the new hardware in another 4-5 years or so when the russian orbital segment actually needs it, as opposed to now? Once you put hardware up in space, the clock starts ticking till it needs to be replaced...

 

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NASA News Release:
MEDIA ADVISORY : M13-060
NASA TV Provides Coverage of Space Station Spacewalk

April 12, 2013

WASHINGTON -- Two members of the Expedition 35 crew will venture outside the International Space Station April 19 for a six-hour spacewalk to deploy and retrieve several science experiments and install a new navigational aid.

NASA Television will broadcast the spacewalk live beginning at 9:30 a.m. EDT. Russian flight engineers Pavel Vinogradov and Roman Romanenko will open the hatch to the Pirs airlock and docking compartment to start the spacewalk at 10:06 a.m.

The spacewalkers' first task will be to install the Obstanovka experiment on the station's Zvezda service module. Obstanovka will study plasma waves and the effect of space weather on Earth's ionosphere.

They will retrieve the Biorisk experiment, which studied the effect of microbes on spacecraft structures. If time permits, they also will retrieve one section of the Vinoslivost experiment, which exposed materials samples to space.

While at the far end of Zvezda, Vinogradov and Romanenko will replace a faulty retro-reflector device, one of a suite of navigational aids that will provide assistance to the European Space Agency's Albert Einstein Automated Transfer Vehicle 4 cargo ship during its final approach for an automated docking to the space station in June.

This spacewalk will be the 167th in support of space station assembly and maintenance, the seventh for Vinogradov and the first for Romanenko. Both spacewalkers will wear spacesuits marked by blue stripes. Romanenko's suit will be equipped with a helmet camera to provide close up views of the spacewalk activity as it progresses.

This is the first of as many as six Russian spacewalks planned for this year. Two U.S. spacewalks are scheduled in July.

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• ISS Daily Summary Report - 04/08/13
  
• ISS Daily Summary Report - 04/09/13
  
• ISS Daily Summary Report - 04/10/13
  
  
• ISS Daily Summary Report - 04/11/13
  

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Big News: The torch flame of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics will pay a visit to the ISS in November, and will even reach the space vacuum during a Russian EVA! :hotcool:

NASASpaceflight.com: Sochi Winter Olympics torch relay to include ISS spacewalk

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Speaking of Russian EVAs, the first of six (yes, six) Russian EVAs will start tomorrow at 14:00 UTC, with Pavel Vinogradov and Roman Romanenko going out for about 6 hours. Main tasks are installing an Earth plasma waves and ionosphere experiment, retrieve microbes and exposed materials samples on the outside, and replace a faulty retro-reflector device that will provide assistance to the European Space Agency's Albert Einstein Automated Transfer Vehicle 4 cargo ship during its final approach for an automated docking to the space station in June.

Two US EVAs are also planned in July.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Speaking of Russian EVAs, the first of six (yes, six) Russian EVAs will start tomorrow at 14:00 UTC, with Pavel Vinogradov and Roman Romanenko going out for about 6 hours. Main tasks are installing an Earth plasma waves and ionosphere experiment, retrieve microbes and exposed materials samples on the outside, and replace a faulty retro-reflector device that will provide assistance to the European Space Agency's Albert Einstein Automated Transfer Vehicle 4 cargo ship during its final approach for an automated docking to the space station in June.

Two US EVAs are also planned in July.

Tired and dizzy of watching the hunt for people turned crazy and killing others? Suggest you guys tune to NASA TV for the first EVA of the year as mentioned above! Coverage starts in just over 20 minutes. :thumbup:

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

The EVA has been wrapped up.... rather smooth except for one mishap right at the end: they accidentally dropped one of the experiment panels while trying to retrieving it! :facepalm:

Article by Pete: NASASpaceflight.com: Cosmonauts successfully conclude Russian spacewalk

 

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Universe Today: Warning Shot: a “Bullet Hole” on the ISS

RIA Novosti: Astronaut Finds ‘Bullet Hole’ in ISS Solar Panel