The Flight Readiness Review for Axiom Mission 1 has concluded, and teams are proceeding toward launch of the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Pending range availability, launch is targeted no earlier than Sunday, April 3, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA will hold a media …
Payloads: Cold Atom Lab (CAL): A visual inspection was performed of the CAL moderate temperature coolant jumper, and any coolant observed was cleaned up. The CAL produces clouds of atoms that are chilled to about one ten billionth of a degree above absolute zero — much colder than the average temperature of deep space. At …
The 10 Expedition 66 crew members aboard the International Space Station wrapped up the workweek exploring ways to adapt to microgravity, cleaning up after a spacewalk, and completing robotics work. The orbital crewmates also prepared a crew ship for departure and checked emergency gear. NASA Flight Engineers Raja Chari and Kayla Barron took turns in …
NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX managers are gathered at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, where they have started the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) Flight Readiness Review (FRR). The purpose of the review is for the agency to assess the readiness of the International Space Station to execute the Ax-1 mission, including arrival, …
By Emmanuel Masongsong Using a NASA-funded CubeSat, scientists have uncovered a new source of super-fast, energetic electrons raining down on our planet, which can have implications for space infrastructure and atmospheric modeling. Scientists from the University of California Los Angles (UCLA) observed this rain, known as “electron precipitation”, from low-Earth orbit using the Electron Losses …
The Expedition 66 crew is turning its attention to the departure of three crew members late next week following the completion of a pair of spacewalks. The International Space Station is also gearing up to welcome the first private astronaut mission aboard a SpaceX Dragon vehicle in early April. Two astronauts had medical checkups and …
Payloads: Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF): Four Plant Experiment Units were removed from the 1-G CBEF Incubator Unit Centrifuge. The CBEF, a JAXA subrack facility, is an incubator with an artificial gravity generator. CBEF is housed in the Saibo (living cell) Experiment Rack with the Clean Bench (CB). Confocal Space Microscopy: Two USB cables were …
NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) have selected two astronauts to launch on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli and ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, for the mission. Two mission specialists will be announced later, following review by NASA and its international partners. The mission …
While telescope alignment continues, Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) is still in cooldown mode. MIRI, which will be the coldest of Webb’s four instruments, is the only instrument that will be actively cooled by a cryogenic refrigerator, or cryocooler. This cryocooler uses helium gas to carry heat from MIRI’s optics and detectors out to the warm …
Following arrival of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 18, teams have connected numerous ground support equipment elements to the rocket and spacecraft, including electrical, fuel environmental control system ducts, and cryogenic propellant lines. Teams successfully powered …
