Blogs

MOSAiC expedition scientists prepare for research aboard an icebreaker, which has been frozen into the Arctic sea ice for about three months.

By Ellen Gray /NASA’S WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY, VIRGINIA/ After a cloudy and rainy morning, by 1:50 pm the sun had come out and the skies were clear for take-off at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The P-3 Orion research aircraft outfitted with eleven instruments to measure conditions inside snow clouds was heading north to …

Engineers on the ground have begun powering up the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer’s (AMS) thermal system following a successful repair spacewalk over the weekend. The Expedition 61 astronauts are now preparing a U.S. cargo craft for its departure at the end of the week. It took four spacewalks over three months to restore and upgrade thermal …

Tests to measure the center of gravity and moments of inertia for the Mars 2020 rover aeroshell were performed on the spin table inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rover is being manufactured at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and, once complete, will be delivered to …

NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and United Launch Alliance (ULA) have adjusted the launch date of the Solar Orbiter spacecraft to Friday, Feb. 7, from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida due to the rescheduling of the mission’s Wet Dress Rehearsal. Solar Orbiter will launch aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41. The two-hour launch window opens at 11:15 p.m. EST. Solar Orbiter is an international cooperative mission between ESA and NASA. The spacecraft has been developed by Airbus Defence and Space.

Expedition 61 crew members Andrew Morgan of NASA and Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency) concluded their spacewalk at 1:20 p.m. EST. During the 6 hour, 16 minute spacewalk, the two astronauts successfully completed leak checks for the cooling system on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) and opened a valve to being pressurizing the system. …

Two astronauts switched their spacesuits to battery power this morning at 7:04 a.m., EST aboard the International Space Station to begin a spacewalk planned to last about six-and-a-half hours. NASA Flight Engineer Andrew Morgan and Expedition 61 Commander Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency) will venture outside the International Space Station to complete repairs on a cooling system …

Expedition 61 NASA Flight Engineer Andrew Morgan and Commander Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency) will begin a spacewalk outside of the International Space Station at about 6:50 a.m. EST Saturday, Jan. 25. NASA Television coverage of the spacewalk will begin at 5:30 a.m. Watch the spacewalk on NASA TV and on the agency’s website. This …

Since its initial eruption, Taal remains on a level 4 alert, with a hazardous eruption still possible.

Muscle Tone in Space (Myotones): The crew completed skin markings, ultrasound measurements, blood collection, and other activities to support the Myotones experiment. The ground team confirmed they have received the expected data and images.  The Myotones investigation observes the biochemical properties of muscles during long-term exposure to the spaceflight environment. Results from this investigation are …