Kubik: Today a crewmember upgraded hardware for the Kubik-6 unit. Kubik is a small controlled-temperature incubator or cooler with removable inserts designed for self-contained, automatic microgravity experiments such as those using seeds, cells, and small animals. NanoRacks External Cygnus CubeSat Deployer (NRCSD): Today a crewmember installed NRCSD-15 deployer with the 5 planned cubesats onto the …
Land Ho! Visiting a Young Island
by Ellen Gray Excitement was in the air when research scientist Dan Slayback of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, approached a small trio of islands in the South Pacific island nation of Tonga. It was October 8th, and Dan had joined the scientists and students with the Sea Education Association’s SEA Semester …
Crew Works CubeSats, Life Science and Configures Physics Hardware
The International Space Station is set to deploy a new series of CubeSats as the Expedition 58 crew configures research hardware to enable a variety of space experiments. Japan’s Kibo laboratory module airlock has been set up with a small satellite deployer loaded with several CubeSats. Astronaut Anne McClain finished the installation work Wednesday, depressurized …
ISS Daily Summary Report – 1/29/2019
Bio-Monitor: Today a crewmember swapped out donned hardware with the spare garment and headband hardware to continue the 48 hour data recording session. The primary hardware garment was stowed. Although the ISS is equipped with health and life sciences research tools, the existing instrumentation for continuous and simultaneous recording of several physiological parameters is lacking. …
Station Crew Helping Future Orion Explorers
The International Space Station is providing a research platform today to help future astronauts navigate deep space in the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. The Expedition 58 crew is also testing new lights and setting up the orbital lab for CubeSat deployments. NASA is planning deep space missions with its new Orion spacecraft that will rely …
ISS Daily Summary Report – 1/28/2019
Electro-static Levitation Furnace (ELF): Over the weekend, a crewmember installed ELF cartridge unit 001. ELF is an experimental facility designed to levitate, melt and solidify materials by containerless processing techniques using the electrostatic levitation method. With this facility thermophysical property of high temperature, melts can be measured and solidification from deeply undercooled melts can be …
Crew Tests Time Perception in Space and Real-Time Vital Signs Monitoring
The Expedition 58 astronauts explored time perception and tested a wearable body monitor aboard the International Space Station today. The orbital residents also packed a U.S. space freighter and set up tiny satellites controlled by students on Earth. Astronauts Anne McClain and David Saint-Jacques started Monday in the Columbus lab module learning how microgravity affects …
All Systems Go As Parker Solar Probe Begins Second Sun Orbit
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has begun the second of 24 planned orbits, on track for its second perihelion, or closest approach to the Sun, on April 4, 2019.
ISS Daily Summary Report – 1/25/2019
ISS Experience setup and recording: The crew set up the hardware in Node 1, recorded themselves with The ISS Experience Z- Cam answering questions from the ISS Experience Astronaut Log, then moved the ISS Experience hardware to Node 2. Questions were related to the astronaut’s personal experience, adaptation to life in space, and space exploration. …
Cargo Ship Takes out Trash; Crew Works on Cygnus Preps and Science Hardware
A Russian cargo ship left the International Space Station this morning and was deorbited for a destructive demise over the Pacific Ocean. The Expedition 58 crew now turns its attention to the departure of a U.S. space freighter next month. The Progress 70 (70P) resupply ship ended its six-and-a-half month stay at the station when …