Act 1: Blowin’ in the wind At the unholy hour of 0400, I find myself on the aft deck of the world-class research vessel Falkor, bubbling with excitement stemming from a unique combination of four shots of espresso, generally being a morning person, and, most importantly, preparing to test an experimental device that I have put […]
Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) ORU Transfer Interface (JOTI) and Robotics External Leak Locator (RELL) Installation on JEM Airlock (JEMAL) Slide Table: The crew installed the JOTI on the JEM A/L Slide Table. Afterwards, the crew installed the Robotics External Leak Locator (RELL) onto the JOTI, and retracted the Slide Table inside the JEMAL. RELL operations …
The Expedition 50 crew is gearing up for three different spaceships in two months to resupply the International Space Station. The crew also worked today on a variety of research hardware and practiced an emergency drill. Two U.S. companies are getting their rockets ready to deliver food, fuel, supplies and new science gear to the …
As an undergraduate student, Colleen Durkin had no idea what to specialize in, but looking at a seawater sample through a microscope during a field-trip to Friday Harbor Labs changed that forever. “I suppose I had used a microscope before, but I can’t remember it,” she shares. “All I know is that to this day, I can recall what […]
Galley Rack Outfitting: Today the crew relocated the Node 1 16-Port Ethernet Switch from Node 1 Port-Deck location to the Galley Rack. All pre-existing cables remained mated to the switch during relocation, and the switch power feed will remain the same. Later today they will connect the two Microgravity Experiment Research Locker/Incubator (MERLIN) Ethernet connections …
SpaceX has announced no earlier than Feb. 18 for the launch of its tenth commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. Dragon will be loaded with advanced space science and will launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Commander Shane Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet will …
Galley Rack Outfitting: The crew continued with Galley Rack Outfitting today. They mated power, data, and fluid umbilicals to the Galley Rack in preparation for activation. They also relocated the Food Warmer from the Node 1 Starboard location to the Node 1 Galley Rack. Following this relocation the Food Warmer will be powered from the …
An analysis of satellite data suggest that crop fires in Punjab in 2016 were the most severe the state has seen in more than decade.
The Expedition 50 crew trained today for the robotic capture of the SpaceX Dragon and studied how the brain adapts to living in space. Three crew members also conducted an emergency drill aboard the International Space Station. Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson and Thomas Pesquet joined Commander Shane Kimbrough to study the robotics maneuvers they will …
Every great ship needs a Holodeck. Not for entertainment, but for science. Star Trek‘s fictional Holodeck can create matter virtually (in our case, it would be scientific data) which can be seen, touched and interacted with. Unfortunately, real technology is not as advanced as we know it from TV, so for now we skip the touch. But there […]
