Blogs

There is something about being at sea, totally surrounded by blue sea and blue sky that demands blogging about blue.

Satlet Initial Mission Proofs and Lessons (SIMPL) Deployment: Following the depressurization of the Japanese Experiment Module Airlock (JEMAL) yesterday, today ground controllers opened the outer hatch of the JEMAL and extended the slide table holding SIMPL.  Then the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) with the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) grappled and removed the Kaber …

During the last decade, atmospheric rivers have fueled a new flood of scientific research.

Japanese Experiment Module Airlock (JEM A/L) Depress: The crew has depressurized the JEM A/L and vented the remaining air in preparation for the deployment of Satlet Initial Mission Proofs and Lessons (SIMPL) early Friday morning. Personal Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Monitor Installations: After reviewing reference material, the crew completed software and hardware installation activities by configuring …

In the middle of a workday where the Expedition 53 crew performed a routine emergency drill and additional ocular ultrasounds to map any eye changes, there was, most certainly, a higher (phone) call that actually came from more than 200 miles below the International Space Station at the Vatican: Pope Francis phoned in. It was …

Recent calculations project that by 2050 there be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

Node 3 Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Photos:  This morning, the crew removed the WHC Kabin, took photographs of surrounding areas, and then replaced the WHC Kabin. These high-resolution, high-quality photos of seat track locations in the vicinity of the WHC and Node 3 Mid-Bay will be analyzed by teams on the ground.  These analyses …

Mid-week, the crew of Expedition 53 completed tasks to investigate the various ways microgravity affects the human body and shared the benefits of the International Space Station with students in Kiev, Ukraine, during a Public Affairs in-flight event. At 11 a.m. EDT, Commander Randy Bresnik of NASA spoke with U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch live on …

Lasers can help scientists get a qualitative measure of the increases and decreases of mixing at the ocean surface.

Extravehicular Mobility Unit Loop Scrub:  Today, the crew configured Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) suits 3003 and 3008 for loop scrubbing.  Once the scrubbing activity was complete, they reconfigured hardware and performed iodination of Ion Filters for both suits. A sample of the water was obtained after the loop scrub activity to determine the effectiveness of …