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 …
“Who’d have thought that five months away from the planet would make you feel closer to people,” mused Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield a few days before his return trip back to Earth. Along with two crew members, the commander of International Space Station Expedition 35 landed safely in Kazakhstan on May 13, 2013, via a Russian Soyuz […]
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) …
This photo of Skylab was taken by the astronauts of Skylab-2 as they left the space station and departed for Earth on June 22, 1973. More photos from all three Skylab missions are archived on NASA’s Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. To look through the rest of the Skylab collection, select Find Photos > […]
Not all of NASA’s rovers are headed to Mars. A new Earth science rover nicknamed GROVER started roaming Greenland’s ice sheet this week. The autonomous, solar-operated robot carries a ground-penetrating radar that will be used to examine how snow is accumulating on the Greenland ice pack. Its findings could help scientists understand how the massive […]
Japan’s MTSAT-2 (also known as Himawari-7) collected these images of today’s annular solar eclipse from geostationary orbit. The satellite (similar to the United State’s GOES satellites), observed the moon’s shadow as it passed over Australia & the Pacific Ocean. The image sequence begins at 21:32 UTC, with an additional image each hour until 02:32 UTC. […]
