The Sun emitted a strong solar flare, peaking at 4:06 a.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 8. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Solar Ultraviolet Imager, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event. Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation …
Robotic tentacles, antibiotic resistant microbes, and space agriculture topped the research schedule aboard the International Space Station at the end of the week. The Expedition 72 crew members are also preparing for a spacewalk and continuing maintenance on the orbital outpost. NASA astronaut and station Commander Suni Williams had a busy day on Friday researching …
The science-packed SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will wait another week before departing the International Space Station as mission managers monitor weather conditions at the splashdown sites. Meanwhile, the Expedition 72 crew geared up for a spacewalk planned later in December and serviced an array of science hardware and exercise equipment. Mission managers waved off the planned …
Packing research samples and station hardware for return to Earth were the top tasks aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The seven-member Expedition 72 crew also serviced a variety of science hardware and electronics gear throughout the orbital lab. NASA astronauts are finishing up the loading of completed science experiments and lab hardware inside …
Two shoebox-size satellites, part of NASA’s Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-Infrared Experiment (PREFIRE) mission, are delivering measurements on the amount of heat in the form of far-infrared radiation that the Arctic and Antarctica emit to space. This aspect of the polar environment has never been systematically measured before and will offer crucial insights into …
The Expedition 72 crew is packing up finalized science experiments this week for return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. The International Space Station residents also studied antibiotic resistant bacteria and set up space botany hardware. Station Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Don Pettit, both from NASA, kicked off their day transferring …
Some data from NASA’s SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory) and IRIS (Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph) missions is temporarily unavailable because of flooding in the building that houses the missions’ data center at Stanford University. Both spacecraft remain healthy and are otherwise operating normally. On Tuesday, Nov. 26, a broken pipe caused major flooding in the …
The Expedition 72 crew is packing a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft ahead of its departure later this week. The seven astronauts and cosmonauts also kept up a variety of space biology and lab maintenance tasks aboard the International Space Station on Monday. Cargo packing is at the top of the schedule this week as the …
The Expedition 72 crew is back to work following a day off yesterday to observe the Thanksgiving holiday. Space botany experiment prep and cargo operations topped Friday’s schedule aboard the International Space Station as three NASA astronauts prepped the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft for return and another installed science gear that will assess how plants …
Advanced technology research into DNA-like nanomaterials, bacterial genetic analysis, and 3D printing kept the Expedition 72 crew busy the day before Thanksgiving. The International Space Station residents also sent down a Thanksgiving message, checked out a Roscosmos cargo craft, and continued their standard orbital maintenance duties. Commander Suni Williams kicked off her day with Flight …
