The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on the House of Representatives’ NASA authorization bill: “The NASA authorization bill making its way through the House of Representatives guts our Earth science program and threatens to set back generations worth of progress in better understanding our changing climate, and our ability to prepare […]
Robotic Refueling Mission-2 (RRM-2): Virts worked with ground teams to configure the Japanese Experiment Module Airlock (JEMAL) and extend the JEMAL slide table to position the RRM for transfer. The Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) operators on the ground are currently using the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) to remove task board (TB)3 from …
Attempts by Russian ground controllers to regain control of the Progress have been unsuccessful, and they have said they will not be able to regain propulsive control of it. As a result, the Progress currently is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere within the next two weeks. Russian ballistics specialists, working in conjunction with flight controllers in …
Station astronauts continued preparing for the next round of robotic refueling demonstrations while conducting various biomedical experiments and checkouts. Expedition 43 commander Terry Virts worked with ground teams to prepare the airlock in the Japanese Experiment Module and extend the slide table carrying the new Robotic Refueling Mission-2 (RRM-2) hardware. Robotics controllers on the ground …
59 Progress (59P) Status: Last night Russian ground controllers resumed 59P troubleshooting during Russian ground passes and were able to establish communications with the vehicle and review telemetry. Russian controllers configured the refueling system to feed the thrusters and made two unsuccessful attempts to command the thrusters to stabilize the vehicle’s angular rotation. Per Mission …
The Expedition 43 crew continued their work on Wednesday with a variety of research and technology demonstration activities. NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Terry Virts studied the effects of microgravity on living organisms for the Rodent Research experiment. They are looking at mice and how their body systems change in space. The results may promote …
UPDATE (4/29 9:50 a.m. EDT): Docking has been called off for the Progress 59 spacecraft. Russian flight controllers are continuing to assess the vehicle and what the plan going forward will be. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available. UPDATE (4/28 11:00 p.m. EDT): Russian flight controllers are continuing attempts to communicate with …
Several readers have asked us to post satellite imagery related to the earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015. While we regularly post imagery of natural hazards, the weather and the satellites haven’t cooperated in this case. Some people assume NASA’s satellite fleet can collect images of virtually any part of the world in near-real […]
59 Progress (59P) Status: 59P launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2:09 AM CDT and achieved orbital insertion. Shortly after the third stage separation, the ground experienced partial loss of communication with the vehicle. Mission Control Center (MCC)-Moscow attempts to re-gain communication with the vehicle over subsequent ground passes were unsuccessful. The next troubleshooting …
April 25, 2015 — The team had come back exhausted and cold but very happy to have a warm meal and bed on Thursday (April 23). Anatoly and I were very excited to have everyone safe after the very long and stormy two weeks they had had in the field. On Friday (April 24), the next […]
