Blogs

New Status:  Russian Treadmill (БД-2) Outfitting: ISS Commander (CDR) Vinogradov and Flight Engineer (FE)-2 Misurkin completed the installation of the БД-2.  Ground specialists will evalaute pictures and a video that the crew downlinked earlier today.  The crew is scheduled to perform a БД-2 checkout tomorrow. Capillary Flow Experiment (CFE) Vane Gap-1 (VG-1): FE-3 Cassidy used a CFE-2 …

New Status:  Fundoscope Activation, Checkout and Eye Exam:  Flight Engineer (FE)-3 Cassidy checked out the new Fundoscope hardware used in the Prospective Observational Study of Ocular Health. Following this activity,  he performed an eye exam using the fundoscope with assistance of a physician on the ground.  Ocular Health’s protocol gathers physiological data to characterize the …

New Status:  Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) Hardware Replacement: On May 16, Combustion Integration Rack (CIR) experienced a failed igniter in the combustion chamber. Further test points could not be accomplished until it was replaced. Today, FE-3 Cassidy reviewed procedures, gathered hardware, accessed the CIR Combustion Chamber and removed the MDCA Chamber Insert Assembly (CIA) from the …

New Status:  Binary Colloidal Alloy Test (BCAT)-4: Cassidy configured and deployed the BCAT-4 sample module.  The BCAT-4 module is being revisited after being undisturbed for several years to see the condition of the sample and their mixing status.  BCAT-4 is an experiment of two samples containing microscopic spheres suspended in a liquid which are designed to …

New Status:  Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Proximity Communication Equipment (PCE) Installation:  FE-2 Misurkin installed and successfully checked out the PCE equipment required for ATV4 docking.  A successful checkout of the РСЕ and Antenna Switching Controller (БУАП) in the Service Module is needed prior to the ground fueling the ATV4 tanks, which is scheduled to launch …

The NASA All Sky Fireball Network detected this beauty on May 16, 2013 at 03:11:50 UTC.  Observed by 6 meteor cameras, this fireball penetrated deep into the atmosphere, making it down to an altitude of 36 km (22 miles).A view of the fireball from Cartersville, Georgia.  (NASA/MEO)The 350 gram meteoroid responsible for this brilliant display …

New Status:  Burning and Suppression of Solids (BASS): Flight Engineer (FE)-3 Cassidy set up and completed the ninth of thirteen sessions planned for this experiment. BASS examines the burning and extinguishing characteristics of a wide variety of fuel samples in microgravity and will guide strategies for extinguishing fires in microgravity. BASS results contribute to the combustion …

 Same meteor — same location — two different meteor cameras! The video shows the same meteor (an Eta Aquarid!) from one of our all-sky cameras and from our wide-field camera (~20×15 degree FOV) both located at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.  (Credit: All Sky Camera Network)

New Status:  Change of Command:  On Sunday, off-going ISS Commander (CDR) Chris Hadfield handed ISS command responsibilities over to CDR Pavel Vinogradov, making the 34 Soyuz (S) crew the prime crew in the event of an ISS emergency. 33 Soyuz (S) Cargo Return and Undock Preparations: FE-6 Marshburn collected and packed Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) …

New Status:  Channel 2B to Channel 2A Power Transfer: Due to the loss of cooling on the 2B channel, ground controllers successfully performed a seamless power channel handover.  Channel 2A is now supplying power to the 2B loads with no impact to powered equipment.  Channel 2B is isolated and dormant. USOS Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: Tomorrow Flight …