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International Space Station

Viewing Posts from April 2016

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    BEAM Installation Work Begins Tonight

    BEAM Installation

    BEAM, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, will be removed from the back of the SpaceX Dragon late tonight before installation on the Tranquility module begins early Saturday. Expansion of the new habitat module won’t occur until late May for two years of habitability tests. Meanwhile, the six-member Expedition 47 crew kept up its very busy …

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    Station Gets Ready for BEAM as Crew Researches Life Science

    Dragon and Cygnus

    The International Space Station will get a new module Saturday when the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is removed from the SpaceX Dragon and installed on the Tranquility module. BEAM will be attached to the station for two years of tests before expandable modules become a permanent feature of future spacecraft. NASA and its international …

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    New Science Begins as Station Boosts Orbit

    Astronauts Tim Kopra, Jeff Williams and Tim Peake

    The Expedition 47 crew has begun working new science delivered aboard the new Dragon and Cygnus commercial cargo ships. The crew is also getting ready for the extraction and installation of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module scheduled for Saturday. One of the experiments delivered aboard Dragon is already being set up for operation. The Rodent …

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    SpaceX Dragon Mated to Harmony

    SpaceX Dragon Mated to Harmony

    The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft was bolted into place on the Harmony module of the International Space Station at 9:57 a.m. EDT as the station flew 250 miles over southern Algeria. The spacecraft is delivering about 7,000 pounds of science and research investigations, including the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, known as BEAM. Keep up with …

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    Dragon Capture Makes Six Spacecraft at Station

    Station Viewed from Soyuz

    While the International Space Station was traveling over the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii, astronaut Tim Peake of ESA (European Space Agency), with the assistance of NASA’s Jeff Williams, successfully captured the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with the station’s robotic Canadarm2 at 7:23 a.m. EDT. NASA TV coverage will resume at 9:45 a.m. for Dragon installation. …

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    Dragon Launches and Will Reach Station Sunday

    Falcon 9 Rocket Launches With Dragon Spacecraft

    The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 4:43 p.m. EDT, and Dragon has begun its journey to the International Space Station. Dragon separated from its second stage and achieved its preliminary orbit. Dragon’s solar arrays have deployed and will provide 5 kilowatts of power to the spacecraft as it begins a carefully choreographed series …

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    Weather Favors Dragon Launch as Crew Preps New Science

    The SpaceX Dragon and Falcon 9 Rocket

    Weather forecasters have predicted a 90% percent chance of favorable conditions for the Friday launch of the SpaceX CRS-8 mission to the International Space Station. Launch of the Dragon resupply ship atop the Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for 4:43 p.m. EDT/8:43 p.m. UTC from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NASA Television …

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    Crew Explores Space Muscles Before Dragon Arrives Sunday

    Astronaut Timothy Peake

    The Expedition 47 crew conducted an emergency drill today in coordination with flight controllers. The station residents also continued human research and prepared to welcome a sixth spacecraft to the International Space Station The crew periodically simulates emergencies at the space station to stay familiar with escape routes, safety hardware and communication protocols. Afterward, the …

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    Dragon Will Deliver Rodents for Muscle Study

    SpaceX Dragon

    The SpaceX Dragon CRS-8 mission will deliver 6,900 pounds/3,130 kilograms of science, crew supplies and hardware to the International Space Station. Payloads aboard Dragon will include rodents for a medical study and an expandable module that will be installed after Dragon completes its two-day trip to the station. Dragon is scheduled for launch Friday at …

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    Muscle and Heart Research as Dragon Targets Sunday Arrival

    Kibo and the Milky Way

    The six station residents researched advanced space science today inside the orbital laboratory. The crew is also training for the automated arrival and robotic installment of the SpaceX Dragon. The crew members are exploring how living in space affects the human muscular system and heart function. The crew also preparing a high quality protein crystal …

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