NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System has now connected with ground operators following its April 23 launch aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket. The satellite is on its way to testing next-generation solar sail technology, which uses the power of sunlight to propel a spacecraft. The results from this mission will advance future space travel to …
Payloads: Astrobee – Zero Robotics: The crew reviewed the Astrobee procedures to prepare for a Zero Robotics technology demonstration session on Wednesday. Technology demonstration sessions provide practice for the crew and validate key components of the Zero Robotics competition, which will occur later. More information on the Zero Robotics investigation can be found here. Exploration …
On Friday, April 26, engineers completed a series of electromagnetic tests on the integrated Orion crew and service module for NASA’s Artemis II mission inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During testing, engineers subjected the spacecraft to electromagnetic energy using wave guides, amplifiers, …
A suite of on-orbit training topped Tuesday’s schedule aboard the International Space Station as the Expedition 71 crew gets ready for a spacecraft relocation on Thursday and a crew arrival next week. Four crew members also spent some time conducting ongoing health research to help scientists on Earth better understand the effects of spaceflight on …
SpaceX’s uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft splashed down at 1:38 a.m. EDT Tuesday off the coast of Tampa, Florida, marking the return of the company’s 30th contracted cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA. The spacecraft carried more than 4,100 pounds of valuable scientific experiments and other cargo back to Earth. Next, four …
The eta Aquariid meteor shower should put on a spectacular sky show this year with meteor rates up to one per minute! The typical peak viewing time would normally be the night of May 4 into the morning of May 5. However, due to the outburst, May 2-6 could provide excellent skygazing opportunities. According to …
NASA and Rocket Lab are targeting no earlier than Wednesday, May 22, 2024, for the first of two launches of the agency’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission to study heat loss to space in Earth’s polar regions. For the PREFIRE mission, two CubeSats will launch on two different flights aboard the company’s …
Payloads: Genomic Enumeration of Antibiotic Resistance in Space (GEARS): Following the completion of the MinION Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) sequencing, today the crew powered off and stowed the hardware. More information on the GEARS investigation can be found here. Omics Archive: The crew collected various biological samples in support of the Omics Archive investigation. More information …
Five spacecraft are parked at the International Space Station following yesterday’s undocking of a cargo craft. Aboard the orbiting complex, the Expedition 71 crew is looking ahead to a Dragon relocation mid-week and the arrival of two new crew members next week. On Monday, the septet spent the day conducting routine maintenance, prepping for upcoming …
Following commands from ground controllers at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, Dragon undocked at 1:10 p.m. EDT from the forward port of the station’s Harmony module. At the time of undocking, the station was flying at an altitude about 260 miles above Earth. After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will make a parachute-assisted splashdown off the …
