Wānaka, New Zealand—NASA is targeting Saturday, May 13 (Friday, May 12 in U.S. EDT) to conduct a second super pressure balloon (SPB) test flight launching from Wānaka Airport to further test and qualify the technology, which can offer cost savings compared to space missions. The first super pressure balloon launch carrying the Super Pressure Balloon …
Payloads: Actiwatch-Plus: Actiwatch devices were attached to the HRF-1 rack for data downlink and charging. The Actiwatch-Plus is a waterproof, non-intrusive, sleep-wake activity monitor worn on the wrist of a crewmember and contains a miniature uniaxial accelerometer that produces a signal as the subject moves. The data is stored in non-volatile memory within the Actiwatch …
Station managers have given the go for a spacewalk on Friday to deploy and activate a radiator on the International Space Station. Meanwhile, the Expedition 69 crew is continuing its ongoing human research activities and science hardware maintenance. Two cosmonauts will exit the Poisk airlock in their Orlan spacesuits at 11:55 a.m. EDT on Friday …
Two cosmonauts spent the day readying the spacesuits they will wear for a spacewalk scheduled for Friday. The rest of the Expedition 69 crew concentrated on eye exams, orbital lab maintenance, and human research aboard the International Space Station. Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin are getting ready for their third spacewalk together …
Payloads: There were no Payload activities today. Systems: In-Flight Maintenance (IFM) Node 1 Zenith Hatch Troubleshooting: Today, the crew performed troubleshooting on the Node 1 Zenith Hatch, which the crew had been unable to open earlier this year to access the Z1 Dome. As part of the troubleshooting, the crew removed the hatch Manual Pressure …
Payloads: Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR): Manifold #2 Bottle of High Percentage Oxygen was swapped out for a fresh bottle. The CIR includes an optics bench, combustion chamber, fuel and oxidizer control, and five different cameras for performing combustion investigations in microgravity. Human Research Facility-1 (HRF-1): The crew performed a resupply of HRF-1 hardware and accessories. …
The Expedition 69 astronauts had their day full on Tuesday servicing a variety of science hardware and maintaining critical life support gear. The cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station cleared their schedule and relaxed before finalizing preparations for Friday’s spacewalk. NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio began Tuesday removing a small satellite deployer from inside the …
Crew-6 Port Relocation: On Saturday, May 6th, Crew Dragon Endeavor was successfully relocated from Node 2 Zenith to Node 2 Forward. This relocation was completed in preparation for the arrival of SpX-28 in early June, which requires the Node 2 Zenith port for robotic arm access. The crew will be off duty today to recover …
Four Expedition 69 crew members are relaxing today following Saturday’s relocation of a U.S. crew ship. At the same time, three cosmonauts are gearing up for another spacewalk to outfit a science module on the International Space Station. Sunday and Monday were off-duty days for flight engineers Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, both from NASA, …
Team members successfully sent commands to the first CubeSat at 1:48 a.m. EDT, May 8. Subsequently, they established communications with the second CubeSat at 6:31 a.m. EDT. Read the NASA release here. For imagery of this mission, please check here. Follow launch updates on this blog and stay connected with the mission on social media. …
