ISS | The International Space Station

[Ionut]

Aici vom posta stiri si noutati despre Statia Spatiala Internationala.

[Ionut]

http://www.youtube.com/v/74mhQyuyELQ

[bogdymol]

^^ Great video!

[valexandru]

Cateva poze de pe site-ul NASA din interior:
Asta mi s-a parut cea mai faina:

[valexandru]

Si niste poze din exterior:


Aici arata mai ciudat si imi aminteste de filmele SF cu OZN-uri:




sursa pozelor

[valexandru]

Ultimele stiri legate de ISS:

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) had to evacuate its premises over the weekend to escape what could've been a fatal disaster — a piece of space debris passed too close to the satellite for comfort. NASA usually maneuvers the ISS out of the way whenever there's passing debris, but this time, the orbiting rubble was spotted too late.

The six astronauts took shelter inside Russian Soyuz capsules because the ISS was in danger of getting struck by the rubble and losing pressure and oxygen. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, and the $100 billion space station wasn't damaged. NASA identified the passing debris as a fragment from the Russian satellite Cosmos 2251 that smashed into another spacecraft in 2009.

The fragment's size and exact distance from the space station when it passed remain unknown. But NASA scientists estimate that it was around 6.8 to 8.7 miles away from the ISS during the time of its closest approach at 2:38 A.M. Eastern on March 24.

Approximately 20,000 pieces of smashed satellites and spacecraft orbit the Earth at great speeds. These softball-sized fragments can cause some serious damage, which is why NASA and the U.S. military have been looking for ways to track them better and to eliminate them altogether.

sursa: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/astronauts-evacuate-international-space-station-during-space-debris-005610186.html

[l3x]

Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle, the third in a line of five robotic cargo haulers, glided into the aft docking port of the International Space Station on Wednesday, delivering a heavy load of supplies, food, rocket fuel, air and water to keep the 450-ton complex running at full capacity.

Cargo delivered by European and Japanese resupply missions is crucial after the space shuttle's retirement. NASA is waiting on U.S. commercial logistics vehicles to begin flying this year to ensure the lab's crew continues churning out a steady flow of scientific discoveries beyond 2013.

sursa & articol complet aici: http://spaceflightnow.com/ariane/va205/120328docking/

Si restul misiunilor spre IIS de anul asta plus date si un mic rezumat despre fiecare (datele de lansare sunt aproximative, ca intotdeauna):

April 20     Soyuz   •  Progress 47P
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the 47th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station. Moved up from April 25.

April 30     Falcon 9  •  Dragon C2
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the second Dragon spacecraft, called Dragon C2, to demonstrate rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station for cargo-delivery. The company is building the Dragon to fly on operational resupply missions to the orbiting lab. Delayed from June 6, Oct. 8, Nov. 30, Dec. 19, Jan. 7, Feb. 7 and March 20.

May 14/15     Soyuz  •  ISS 30S
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the manned Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station with members of the next Expedition crew. The capsule will remain at the station for about six months, providing an escape pod for the crew. Delayed from March 30 replace descent module.

July 15     Soyuz  •  ISS 31S
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the manned Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station with members of the next Expedition crew. The capsule will remain at the station for about six months, providing an escape pod for the crew. Delayed from May 30.

July 20/21     H-2B   •  HTV 3
The Japanese H-2B rocket will launch the third H-2 Transfer Vehicle. The HTV serves as an unmanned cargo vehicle to deliver equipment and supplies to the International Space Station. Delayed from Jan. 20, Feb. 18, June 26 and July 18.

July 31     Soyuz   •  Progress 48P
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the 48th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station. Delayed from July 25.

Aug. 18     Falcon 9  •  Dragon C3
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the third Dragon spacecraft, called Dragon C3, on the first operational cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station. The flight is being conducted under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. Delayed from Aug. 9.

Sept. 1     Antares  •  Cygnus 1
The Orbital Sciences Antares rocket, formerly known as the Taurus 2, will launch the first Cygnus cargo freighter on a test flight to the International Space Station. Orbital Sciences is developing the Cygnus spacecraft to deliver supplies to the space station. Delayed from June and December 2011. Delayed from Feb. 23, April 28 and Aug. 20.

Oct. 15     Soyuz  •  ISS 32S
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the manned Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station with members of the next Expedition crew. The capsule will remain at the station for about six months, providing an escape pod for the crew. Delayed from Sept. 26.

Nov. 1     Soyuz   •  Progress 49P
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the 49th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station.

Dec. 5     Soyuz  •  ISS 33S
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the manned Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station with members of the next Expedition crew. The capsule will remain at the station for about six months, providing an escape pod for the crew.

Dec. 15     Falcon 9  •  Dragon C4
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the fourth Dragon spacecraft, called Dragon C4, on the second operational cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station. The flight is being conducted under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA.

Dec. 26     Soyuz   •  Progress 50P
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the 50th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station.

sursa: http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

quite some traffic

[Ionut]

Care sunt planurile de viitor pentru ISS? Asa pe scurt, cele mai importante. Stii cumva?

[l3x]

Ionut,

Momentan nu am cunostinta despre niciun plan maret legat de IIS cu exceptia discutiilor (si asigurarii finantarii) pentru prelungirea misiunii, eventual pana in 2028.

Ar mai fi VASIMR (mai precis VF-200 - http://www.adastrarocket.com/aarc/VF200), planul este sa-l testeze pe IIS atunci cand va fi gata...

Daca e sa ma intrebi pe mine, mi se pare ca se freaca menta la greu pe acolo. Inteleg problemele legate de costuri, etc. (desi costurile legate de explorarea spatiului nu mi se mai par deloc mari cand ma uit la bugetul SUA pt aparare, de exemplu) dar totusi am auzit mult prea putine lucruri legate de experimente, etc. (pana la urma e un laborator). In schimb activitati legate de PR sunt garla.

Daca tot trambiteaza baietii reintoarcerea omului in spatiu (as in - below Low Earth Orbit), ma gandesc ca ar fi dragut sa inceapa sa experimenteze si cu: gravitatie artificiala (nu cred ca e o misiune imposibila sa monteze o centrifuga pe IIS), protectia impotriva radiatiilor, etc.

[Ionut]

Merci de vesti!
Sper ca in timpul vietii mele sa ajungem totusi pe Marte. Vad ca nu se grabesc.

[l3x]

Uite, ti-au auzit intrebarea si baietii de la Spaceflight Now 

Astronauts on the International Space Station this summer will use instant messaging, Internet chat clients and email to contact mission control, the first in a series of experiments designed to exploit the orbiting outpost as a behavioral laboratory for future journeys to an asteroid or Mars.

The exercise will lead to a voice communications delay, expanded autonomy for the space station crew, and, eventually, the extension of orbital crew flights from six months to one year or longer.

"Clearly, in order to be able to explore beyond low Earth orbit, we're going to have to stay in orbit longer than six months," said Michael Suffredini, NASA's International Space Station program manager.

Russia has proposed a 500-day expedition, replicating the estimated round-trip travel time between Earth and Mars. Vladimir Popovkin, head of the Russian space agency, told the Novosti news agency he expects a 500-day mission could be mounted on the space station by 2017 or 2018.

Before launching a crew to fly up to 500 days - more than 16 months - managers may decide to schedule space station expeditions lasting nine months or a year. But it could be several years before NASA managers are comfortable with even a modest mission extension for space fliers.

articol full aici, zice cate ceva si despre implicatiile medicale ale microgravitatiei:
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1203/29marsanalog/

...ca de obicei oamenii prefera sa trateze efectele in loc sa inlature cauzele problemelor medicale - se pare ca exportam conceptul asta si in spatiu   Would it be so hard to send a spinning s**t above?

[l3x]

Russians successfully launch space station resupply ship

Dispatching a freighter filled with food, fuel and supplies to the International Space Station, an unmanned Russian Soyuz booster successfully launched Friday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

The booster blasted off carrying the automated Progress vessel from the launch base in Kazakhstan at 8:50:24 a.m. EDT (1250:24 GMT), beginning Russia's second of five cargo delivery missions to the space station in 2012.

The preliminary orbit was achieved after a nine-minute ascent provided by the three-stage rocket, and onboard commands were issued to unfurl the craft's communications and navigation antennas and extend two power-generating solar arrays that span 35 feet.

A series of precise engine firings over the next two days will guide the Progress toward an automated rendezvous with the station for docking Sunday at 10:40 a.m. EDT (1440 GMT).

The 24-foot long ship will attach itself to the open port on the Pirs compartment on the underside of the station, which became available Thursday when the previous Progress flew away to fly solo for a few days of engineering tests before its eventual deorbiting into the South Pacific on April 28.

Today's launch was known in the station's assembly matrix as Progress mission 47P. The spacecraft's formal Russian designation is Progress M-15M.

The craft will bring nearly three tons of supplies to the station. The "dry" cargo tucked aboard the Progress amounts to 2,703 pounds in the form of food, spare parts, life support gear and experiment hardware.

The refueling module carries 1,988 pounds of propellant for transfer into the Russian segment of the complex to feed the station's maneuvering thrusters. The vessel also has 926 pounds of water and 110 pounds of oxygen and air.

It'll remain attached to the station through the end of July.

The space station is staffed by the Expedition 30 crew of commander Dan Burbank, NASA astronaut Don Pettit, Russian cosmonauts, Anton Shkaplerov, Anatoly Ivanishin and Oleg Kononenko, and Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers.

The cosmonauts will be standing by Sunday to take over manual control of the approaching Progress spacecraft if the autopilot experiences a problem. They spent time Thursday checking out the backup system.

Russian plans additional Progress missions in 2012 to continue the resupply chain to the space station in July, November and December.

sursa:http://www.spaceflightnow.com/station/exp30/120420prog47plaunch/

[valexandru]

Rusii mai traiesc inca cand vine vorba de cosmos? 
Multumim de informatii

[l3x]

Space station welcomes Russian cargo ship arrival

The International Space Station received a cargo freighter today when the Russian-made vessel loaded with three tons of supplies safely approached and docked on autopilot.

The Progress M-15M spacecraft linked up to the station's Pirs module at 10:39 a.m. EDT (1439 GMT) while orbiting 249 miles above northern China.

Hooks and latches were engaged a few minutes after docking to firmly secure the 24-foot-long craft to the station where it will remain parked through late July.

The Expedition 30 crew of commander Dan Burbank, NASA astronaut Don Pettit, Russian cosmonauts, Anton Shkaplerov, Anatoly Ivanishin and Oleg Kononenko, and Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers plans to open hatches and enter the Progress later today.

The "dry" cargo includes 2,703 pounds of equipment, food, clothing, life support system gear, 1,988 pounds of propellant to replenish reservoirs that feed the Russian maneuvering thrusters, 926 pounds of water and some 110 pounds of oxygen and air for the station's atmosphere.

The Progress was launched Friday atop a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, reaching a preliminary orbit of 159 by 120 miles tilted 51.63 degrees relative to the equator. A series of precise engine firings over the past two days guided the freighter to the rendezvous.

After arriving in range of the space station, the vessel began a flyaround maneuver to get lined up with the docking port and then executed a roll maneuver to properly orient its forward nose probe with Pirs.

A brief stationkeeping hold with about 635 feet between the freighter and station allowed Russian flight controllers to assess systems before giving approval to commence the 11-minute final approach.

The ship's automated docking system did its job and drove the craft to the linkup at orbital sunset.

The docking is the final major event for the departing Expedition 30 crew of Burbank, Shkaplerov and Ivanishin, who will board their Soyuz TMA-22 capsule next Friday and undock at 4:18 a.m. EDT. The craft's deorbit burn begins at 6:49 a.m. for a landing in Kazakhstan at 7:45 a.m. EDT after 165 days in space.

Kononenko will become the new Expedition 31 commander, with Pettit and Kuipers poised to operate the station's robotic arm for capture of the SpaceX Dragon freighter on May 3.

A new three-man crew of Joe Acaba, Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin will launch inside their Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft on May 14 at 11:01 p.m. EDT.

sursa: http://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp30/120422prog47pdock/

data articolului: 22 aprilie 2012 (se foloseste in continut 'today')

[valexandru]

^Sa inteleg ca a fost un lucru in 'echipa' intre SUA si Rusia.