On Friday, March 10, 2017, the very important first step in activation of the SAGE III/ISS payload was completed successfully. At approximately 10:01 EST, 28V Operational Power was applied by the HOSC to the Interface Adapter Module (IAM) and initialization proceeded nominally. From there, the Solid State Memory Card (SSMC) downlink was initiated and performed […]
After a globetrotting journey that started in Texas and included stops in Belgium and Singapore, an 18.8 million-cubic-foot (532,000 cubic-meter) super pressure balloon (SPB) arrived in Wanaka, New Zealand, March 9, in preparation for another journey—one that should take it around the world multiple times. This is the third consecutive year NASA has flown the …
Rodent Research-4: Over the weekend and continuing today, the crew performed Rodent Research operations, in coordination with ground specialists, collecting samples and stowing them in Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) for return on SpX-10. The Tissue Regeneration-Bone Defect (RR-4) investigation studies what prevents vertebrates such as rodents and humans from regrowing …
The CYGNSS constellation was launched on 15 Dec 2016 and the eight spacecraft have been going through engineering commissioning, in which each of their subsystems is tested and adjusted for best performance. One important milestone was reached on 4 Jan 2017 when we made our “first light” science measurements. This happened the first time we […]
Advanced Plant Experiments (APEX)-04: The crew configured the Veggie facility for the next APEX-04 Petri Plate sample for a four-day growing cycle. After the four days of growth, the petri plate will be inserted into the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR) Light Microscopy Module (LMM) facility for detailed imaging. The APEX-04 (Epigenetic change in Arabidopsis thaliana in response to …
In Hawaii, land of palm trees, pineapples, and year-round surfing, a full-blown blizzard hit last week. The early March storm brought more than 8 inches (20 centimeters) to the top of Mauna Kea volcano, leading authorities to shut the road to the peak. The snow was all the more surprising given how little has fallen […]
Fluid Shifts Chibis Measurements, Day 1: The 48S crew member performed the first of two days of operations in the Russian Segment conducting the Return minus 45 day (R-45) Fluid Shifts operations. The subject donned the Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP/Chibis) device while the operator, with ground support in Moscow, assisted in the medical monitoring. …
New videos of lightning from the GOES-16 satellite and a blue jet from the International Space Station are spectacular.
On Wednesday, March 8 around 6:30 p.m. EST the SAGE III Instrument Payload was successfully installed on the Nadir Viewing Platform at ELC-4 on the outside of the space station. The mission operations team confirmed that electricity was flowing and the survival heaters were on with good temperature readings. The next step is activation which […]
The crew is harvesting plants today grown on the International Space Station that will be returned to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon. Also, a variety of student experiments submitted from schools across the United States were activated inside the orbital laboratory. Dragon is due to return to Earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean …
