NanoRack Cubesat Deployer (NRCSD) Operations: Yesterday evening two Dove cubesats were launched successfully from Deployer #5. However, an overnight attempt to launch an additional two cubesats from Deployer #6 was not successful. Subsequently, two cubesats from Deployer #7 were launched this morning. Ground teams are investigating the launch failure for Deployer #6 and working the …
Event Oct. 14 to Introduce CubeSat Launch Providers
NASA will host a news conference at 1 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to announce the outcome of the Venture Class Launch Service competition. The news conference will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website. The participants are: Garrett Skrobot, Educational Launch of Nanosatellites …
Cubesat Pair Deployment on Hold as Spacewalks Preps Underway
The deployment of this week’s final two Cubesats from the Kibo lab module is on hold today. Also, the crew is preparing a pair of spacesuits for an Oct. 28 maintenance spacewalk. More Cubesats were released overnight and this morning from a deployer mechanism attached to the Kibo lab module. However, the final pair of …
ISS Daily Summary Report – 10/6/15
NanoRack Cubesat Deployer (NRCSD) #6 Operations: Yesterday, two Danish cubesats and the first 4 Dove cubesats of the “Flock 2” fleet of satellites were launched. This morning an additional 4 Dove cubesats were launched and the final 6 Dove cubesats will be launched tonight. The Dove nanosatellites enable imagery of the entire planet to be …
U.S. Cable Work, Russian Science and Cubesat Deployments Today
The astronauts in the U.S. segment of the International Space Station continued more cable work and life support maintenance. The cosmonauts conducted a wide array of Russian science experiments studying human research and physics. More Cubesats were deployed today from a deployer mechanism attached to Japan’s Kibo lab module. Wednesday will be the last day …
ISS Daily Summary Report – 10/5/15
NanoRack Cubesat Deployer (NRCSD) #6 Operations: Today Kelly opened the outer hatch and extended the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock slide table external to ISS. The ground operations team used the JEM Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS) Small Fine Arm (SFA) to grapple the Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform (MPEP), mounted on the slide table, and maneuvered it …
Pluto’s Small Moons Nix and Hydra
Today’s post is written by Simon Porter, a New Horizons postdoctoral researcher at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. Simon’s work focuses on the small satellites of Pluto. This week’s beautiful Charon images remind us that Pluto is not just one body; it’s a whole system of worlds. Pluto and its largest moon Charon …
CubeSats Being Deployed While Crew Preps for Future Cygnus Mission
The crew is working high-end maintenance today, while preparing for an upcoming spacewalk and an early December cargo mission. CubeSats are also being deployed this week from the Kibo laboratory module. Commander Scott Kelly checked on a power supply problem with the humanoid Robonaut. Flight Engineers Kjell Lindgren and Kimiya Yui installed cables in the …
ISS Daily Summary Report – 10/2/15
Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock Preparation for NanoRack Cubesat Deployer 6 (NRCSD#6) Cubesat Launches: During yesterday’s preparation of the NRCSD, there was an issue installing the Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI). Yui implemented a workaround with an alternate set of fasteners to attach MLI to the deployer. He then returned the slide table to the Airlock and …
New Space Freighter Open for Business before Late October Spacewalk
The hatches were opened today to the new space delivery from Russia’s Progress resupply craft. The Expedition 45 crew also worked on orbital lab maintenance and on science to improve life on Earth and in space. The Progress 61 space freighter arrived at the International Space Station Thursday evening delivering more than three tons of …