ISS
Re: ISS
NASA astronaut, 2 Russian cosmonauts launch to space station
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/15/world/ru ... index.html
A NASA astronaut on her inaugural spaceflight and two cosmonauts launched aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft toward the International Space Station Friday, marking the first time Russia has launched astronauts to the orbiting outpost in nearly a year.
The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:44 a.m. ET and began a quick, three-hour trajectory to rendezvous with the space station.
The crew on board includes NASA’s Loral O’Hara, a former research engineer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts who was selected to the NASA astronaut corps in 2017. Flying alongside her are two Russian colleagues, Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub.
Once at the space station, the group will prepare to take over operations from a trio of crew members that have been on the space station for nearly a year after launching aboard the Soyuz MS-22 vehicle.
That spacecraft sprang a coolant leak in December 2022, which officials from NASA and Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, later said was caused by an external impact — likely a piece of space debris striking the vehicle’s exterior as it was docked with the ISS.
Roscosmos determined that the MS-22 was not safe enough to carry a crew home and launched a replacement spacecraft in February. That left the MS-22 crew stuck on the orbiting laboratory while Roscosmos prepared another vehicle to resume regular crew rotations.
The MS-22 crew includes NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, whose unexpected extended stay in space broke the US record for the most consecutive days in orbit earlier this month.
After O’Hara, Kononenko and Chub arrive and take over operations, Rubio and his crewmates are expected to make their long-awaited return to Earth as soon as September 27. That would give Rubio a total of 371 days in space, besting the previous record by more than two weeks. (The late Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who logged 437 continuous days in orbit, still holds the global record for the longest mission in space.)
Rubio will also become the first American astronaut to spend a full calendar year in space.
Rubio — and now O’Hara — traveled aboard Russian Soyuz vehicles as part of crew-swapping agreement between NASA and Roscosmos that was hashed out in the summer of 2022. In exchange, NASA’s ISS transportation partner, SpaceX, has included Russian cosmonauts on its flights to the ISS.
Despite geopolitical tensions between the United States and Russia as the war in Ukraine has escalated, NASA has repeatedly said its partnership with Roscosmos is vital to continuing the space station’s operations and the valuable scientific research carried out on board.
The most recent SpaceX flight arrived at the space station in August, carrying astronauts from NASA, Roscosmos, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the European Space Agency.
PP
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/15/world/ru ... index.html
A NASA astronaut on her inaugural spaceflight and two cosmonauts launched aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft toward the International Space Station Friday, marking the first time Russia has launched astronauts to the orbiting outpost in nearly a year.
The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:44 a.m. ET and began a quick, three-hour trajectory to rendezvous with the space station.
The crew on board includes NASA’s Loral O’Hara, a former research engineer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts who was selected to the NASA astronaut corps in 2017. Flying alongside her are two Russian colleagues, Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub.
Once at the space station, the group will prepare to take over operations from a trio of crew members that have been on the space station for nearly a year after launching aboard the Soyuz MS-22 vehicle.
That spacecraft sprang a coolant leak in December 2022, which officials from NASA and Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, later said was caused by an external impact — likely a piece of space debris striking the vehicle’s exterior as it was docked with the ISS.
Roscosmos determined that the MS-22 was not safe enough to carry a crew home and launched a replacement spacecraft in February. That left the MS-22 crew stuck on the orbiting laboratory while Roscosmos prepared another vehicle to resume regular crew rotations.
The MS-22 crew includes NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, whose unexpected extended stay in space broke the US record for the most consecutive days in orbit earlier this month.
After O’Hara, Kononenko and Chub arrive and take over operations, Rubio and his crewmates are expected to make their long-awaited return to Earth as soon as September 27. That would give Rubio a total of 371 days in space, besting the previous record by more than two weeks. (The late Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who logged 437 continuous days in orbit, still holds the global record for the longest mission in space.)
Rubio will also become the first American astronaut to spend a full calendar year in space.
Rubio — and now O’Hara — traveled aboard Russian Soyuz vehicles as part of crew-swapping agreement between NASA and Roscosmos that was hashed out in the summer of 2022. In exchange, NASA’s ISS transportation partner, SpaceX, has included Russian cosmonauts on its flights to the ISS.
Despite geopolitical tensions between the United States and Russia as the war in Ukraine has escalated, NASA has repeatedly said its partnership with Roscosmos is vital to continuing the space station’s operations and the valuable scientific research carried out on board.
The most recent SpaceX flight arrived at the space station in August, carrying astronauts from NASA, Roscosmos, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the European Space Agency.
PP
Re: OOPSY
Astronauts accidentally drop tool bag during ISS spacewalk
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/13/world/as ... index.html
NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara marked their first spacewalk this month with a tool bag floating through space.
The pair concluded their maintenance work outside the International Space Station (ISS) in six hours and 42 minutes, according to the space agency.
The spacewalk on November 1 saw Moghbeli and O’Hara complete works on the station’s solar arrays, which track the sun, but they ran out of time to remove and stow a communications electronics box. Leaving this task for a future spacewalk, the pair instead conducted an assessment of how the job could be done.
During the their hours-long mission, a tool bag gave them the slip and was “lost,” NASA said, with flight controllers spotting it using the ISS’ external cameras. Fortunately, the tools were not required for the remainder of their tasks.
“Mission Control analyzed the bag’s trajectory and determined that risk of recontacting the station is low and that the onboard crew and space station are safe with no action required,” NASA said on its official blog.
According to EarthSky, a website tracking cosmic events, the tool bag is currently orbiting Earth ahead of the ISS, and can potentially be spotted from Earth with a pair of binoculars during the next few months until it disintegrates in our planet’s atmosphere.
This isn’t the first time an astronaut has lost tools in space. In 2008, Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper’s bag floated away while she was cleaning and lubricating gears on a malfunctioning rotary joint. A 2006 spacewalk saw astronauts Piers Sellers and Michael Fossum lose a 14-inch spatula while testing a method of repairing the space shuttle.
Space debris or junk, like these objects, are artificial materials that orbit Earth but are no longer functional. They can be anything from a small chip of paint to parts discarded during rocket launches.
In September 2023, the European Space Agency estimated 35,290 objects were being tracked and cataloged by the various space surveillance networks, with the total mass of objects orbiting Earth amounting to more than 11,000 tons.
PP
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/13/world/as ... index.html
NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara marked their first spacewalk this month with a tool bag floating through space.
The pair concluded their maintenance work outside the International Space Station (ISS) in six hours and 42 minutes, according to the space agency.
The spacewalk on November 1 saw Moghbeli and O’Hara complete works on the station’s solar arrays, which track the sun, but they ran out of time to remove and stow a communications electronics box. Leaving this task for a future spacewalk, the pair instead conducted an assessment of how the job could be done.
During the their hours-long mission, a tool bag gave them the slip and was “lost,” NASA said, with flight controllers spotting it using the ISS’ external cameras. Fortunately, the tools were not required for the remainder of their tasks.
“Mission Control analyzed the bag’s trajectory and determined that risk of recontacting the station is low and that the onboard crew and space station are safe with no action required,” NASA said on its official blog.
According to EarthSky, a website tracking cosmic events, the tool bag is currently orbiting Earth ahead of the ISS, and can potentially be spotted from Earth with a pair of binoculars during the next few months until it disintegrates in our planet’s atmosphere.
This isn’t the first time an astronaut has lost tools in space. In 2008, Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper’s bag floated away while she was cleaning and lubricating gears on a malfunctioning rotary joint. A 2006 spacewalk saw astronauts Piers Sellers and Michael Fossum lose a 14-inch spatula while testing a method of repairing the space shuttle.
Space debris or junk, like these objects, are artificial materials that orbit Earth but are no longer functional. They can be anything from a small chip of paint to parts discarded during rocket launches.
In September 2023, the European Space Agency estimated 35,290 objects were being tracked and cataloged by the various space surveillance networks, with the total mass of objects orbiting Earth amounting to more than 11,000 tons.
PP
Re: ISS
Russian Soyuz rocket suffers rare last-minute abort during launch of 3 astronauts to ISS (video)
https://www.space.com/soyuz-rocket-laun ... SmartBrief
A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying three astronauts bound for the International Space Station experienced a rare abort on the launch pad on Thursday (March 21) while the crew waited expectantly inside their spacecraft.
The abort occurred just 21 seconds before the Soyuz rocket was to launch NASA astronaut Tracey Caldwell Dyson, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus to the International Space Station (ISS) from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Liftoff was scheduled for 9:21 a.m. EDT (1321 GMT).
"The Soyuz launch to the space station has been aborted," NASA spokesperson Rob Navias said during live commentary. "So, no visitors to the International Space Station today. The next opportunity to launch, pending resolution of what happened today, would be Saturday morning," he added.
"No reason has yet been given for the abort," Navias said.
Soyuz MS-25 mission
A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying the three Soyuz MS-25 astronauts of Expedition 71 is seen on the launch pad on March 21, 2024, ahead of a last-minute abort that occurred at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. (Image credit: NASA TV)
Navias said the abort was triggered by an automatic system shortly before engine ignition; two umbilical connections were retracted away from the rocket ahead of the planned launch. Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, sent engineers to the launch pad shortly after the abort to make sure the vehicle was safe and crew could be extracted.
"The vehicle is safe, all fueling operations have ceased," Navias said. "All safety commands have been provided onboard the rocket so there's no danger to the crew. They're perfectly safe."
NASA's Mission Control center radioed news of the launch abort to astronauts aboard the ISS shortly after it occurred. Flight controllers made it clear the Soyuz crew was safe.
"Station copies; aborted," station commander Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency replied. "Most importantly, Station copies crew are safe."
PP
https://www.space.com/soyuz-rocket-laun ... SmartBrief
A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying three astronauts bound for the International Space Station experienced a rare abort on the launch pad on Thursday (March 21) while the crew waited expectantly inside their spacecraft.
The abort occurred just 21 seconds before the Soyuz rocket was to launch NASA astronaut Tracey Caldwell Dyson, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus to the International Space Station (ISS) from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Liftoff was scheduled for 9:21 a.m. EDT (1321 GMT).
"The Soyuz launch to the space station has been aborted," NASA spokesperson Rob Navias said during live commentary. "So, no visitors to the International Space Station today. The next opportunity to launch, pending resolution of what happened today, would be Saturday morning," he added.
"No reason has yet been given for the abort," Navias said.
Soyuz MS-25 mission
A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying the three Soyuz MS-25 astronauts of Expedition 71 is seen on the launch pad on March 21, 2024, ahead of a last-minute abort that occurred at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. (Image credit: NASA TV)
Navias said the abort was triggered by an automatic system shortly before engine ignition; two umbilical connections were retracted away from the rocket ahead of the planned launch. Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, sent engineers to the launch pad shortly after the abort to make sure the vehicle was safe and crew could be extracted.
"The vehicle is safe, all fueling operations have ceased," Navias said. "All safety commands have been provided onboard the rocket so there's no danger to the crew. They're perfectly safe."
NASA's Mission Control center radioed news of the launch abort to astronauts aboard the ISS shortly after it occurred. Flight controllers made it clear the Soyuz crew was safe.
"Station copies; aborted," station commander Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency replied. "Most importantly, Station copies crew are safe."
PP
Re: ISS
ISS Is Leaking. NASA Thinks That Could Be 'Catastrophic'
But Russia's Roscosmos maintains that operations are safe
https://www.newser.com/story/359573/rus ... -leak.html
ISS Is Leaking. NASA Thinks That Could Be 'Catastrophic'
But Russia's Roscosmos maintains that operations are safe
By Arden Dier, Newser Staff
Posted Nov 15, 2024 12:11 PM CST
Russia, US Disagree on Space Station Leak
on for months, you may have forgotten all about the aging space station's persistent air leaks. Well, they're still there and, according to NASA, they are now the ISS' most pressing issue, threatening the safety of the astronauts on board, CNN reports. The US space agency "has expressed concerns about the structural integrity" of the PrK vestibule that connects a docking port to the Russian-controlled Zvezda module "and the possibility of a catastrophic failure," Bob Cabana, chair of NASA's ISS Advisory Committee, said during a meeting this week. But the Russian space agency Roscosmos "does not believe catastrophic disintegration of the PrK is realistic."
Leaks were first discovered in PrK in 2019. In February, NASA gave the issue the highest possible risk level, noting the rate of air escaping each day had doubled from one pound to more than two, per Gizmodo. The rate peaked at 3.7 pounds per day in April, but was reduced "by roughly a third" with repairs, per Space.com. A September report from NASA's Office of Inspector General notes Roscosmos "is confident they will be able to monitor and close the hatch to the Service Module prior to the leak rate reaching an untenable level." "The Russians believe that continued operations are safe—but they can't prove that to our satisfaction," Cabana said, per CNN. "And the US believes that it's not safe, but we can't prove that to the Russian satisfaction."
At the same time, the two space agencies can't agree on the cause of the leaks. NASA blames cracks, too small to be seen, caused by pressure and mechanical stress, residual stress, material properties, and environmental exposure, while Roscosmos blames high cyclic fatigue from micro vibrations, per CNN. The US is now calling for independent experts to evaluate the problem. In the meantime, the leaking segment is sealed off from the rest of ISS when not in use and when it is opened, the hatch separating the US and Russian areas is closed, CNN reports. ISS can continue operating if the leaking segment is closed permanently, but that will mean "one less cargo delivery port," per the OIG report.
PP
But Russia's Roscosmos maintains that operations are safe
https://www.newser.com/story/359573/rus ... -leak.html
ISS Is Leaking. NASA Thinks That Could Be 'Catastrophic'
But Russia's Roscosmos maintains that operations are safe
By Arden Dier, Newser Staff
Posted Nov 15, 2024 12:11 PM CST
Russia, US Disagree on Space Station Leak
on for months, you may have forgotten all about the aging space station's persistent air leaks. Well, they're still there and, according to NASA, they are now the ISS' most pressing issue, threatening the safety of the astronauts on board, CNN reports. The US space agency "has expressed concerns about the structural integrity" of the PrK vestibule that connects a docking port to the Russian-controlled Zvezda module "and the possibility of a catastrophic failure," Bob Cabana, chair of NASA's ISS Advisory Committee, said during a meeting this week. But the Russian space agency Roscosmos "does not believe catastrophic disintegration of the PrK is realistic."
Leaks were first discovered in PrK in 2019. In February, NASA gave the issue the highest possible risk level, noting the rate of air escaping each day had doubled from one pound to more than two, per Gizmodo. The rate peaked at 3.7 pounds per day in April, but was reduced "by roughly a third" with repairs, per Space.com. A September report from NASA's Office of Inspector General notes Roscosmos "is confident they will be able to monitor and close the hatch to the Service Module prior to the leak rate reaching an untenable level." "The Russians believe that continued operations are safe—but they can't prove that to our satisfaction," Cabana said, per CNN. "And the US believes that it's not safe, but we can't prove that to the Russian satisfaction."
At the same time, the two space agencies can't agree on the cause of the leaks. NASA blames cracks, too small to be seen, caused by pressure and mechanical stress, residual stress, material properties, and environmental exposure, while Roscosmos blames high cyclic fatigue from micro vibrations, per CNN. The US is now calling for independent experts to evaluate the problem. In the meantime, the leaking segment is sealed off from the rest of ISS when not in use and when it is opened, the hatch separating the US and Russian areas is closed, CNN reports. ISS can continue operating if the leaking segment is closed permanently, but that will mean "one less cargo delivery port," per the OIG report.
PP
Re: ISS
Odd smell coming from Russian spacecraft docked at space station
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/odd-s ... ce-station
A Russian Progress spacecraft delivering nearly three tons of supplies to the International Space Station also brought an unwanted smell when cosmonauts opened the hatch.
The Progress supply mission launched on Nov. 21 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying supplies, including fuel and food, for the space station's crew. NASA said the spacecraft docked at the Russian Poisk module on Saturday at 9:31 a.m. ET.
"After opening the Progress spacecraft's hatch, the Roscosmos cosmonauts noticed an unexpected odor and observed small droplets, prompting the crew to close the Poisk hatch to the rest of the Russian segment," NASA said Sunday.
NASA did not describe the odor. Russian space news outlet Russianspaceweb.com reports that the cosmonaut crew described it as "toxic" and closed the hatch immediately.
The space agency said the space station's air scrubbers and contaminant sensors monitored the ISS atmosphere for about 24 hours before flight controllers reported normal air quality on Sunday.
"There are no concerns for the crew, and as of Sunday afternoon, the crew is working to open the hatch between Poisk and Progress while all other space station operations are proceeding as planned," NASA said.
Progress is expected to remain docked at the ISS for six months before undocking and disposing of trash from the crew.
The ISS is a collaboration between 15 countries and five space agencies. Europe, Japan, Canada and the U.S. are committed to operating the station through 2030. Russia plans to continue operations through at least 2028, according to NASA.
NASA awarded SpaceX a $843 million contract to develop the deorbit spacecraft that will safely destroy the ISS over the ocean.
PP
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/odd-s ... ce-station
A Russian Progress spacecraft delivering nearly three tons of supplies to the International Space Station also brought an unwanted smell when cosmonauts opened the hatch.
The Progress supply mission launched on Nov. 21 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying supplies, including fuel and food, for the space station's crew. NASA said the spacecraft docked at the Russian Poisk module on Saturday at 9:31 a.m. ET.
"After opening the Progress spacecraft's hatch, the Roscosmos cosmonauts noticed an unexpected odor and observed small droplets, prompting the crew to close the Poisk hatch to the rest of the Russian segment," NASA said Sunday.
NASA did not describe the odor. Russian space news outlet Russianspaceweb.com reports that the cosmonaut crew described it as "toxic" and closed the hatch immediately.
The space agency said the space station's air scrubbers and contaminant sensors monitored the ISS atmosphere for about 24 hours before flight controllers reported normal air quality on Sunday.
"There are no concerns for the crew, and as of Sunday afternoon, the crew is working to open the hatch between Poisk and Progress while all other space station operations are proceeding as planned," NASA said.
Progress is expected to remain docked at the ISS for six months before undocking and disposing of trash from the crew.
The ISS is a collaboration between 15 countries and five space agencies. Europe, Japan, Canada and the U.S. are committed to operating the station through 2030. Russia plans to continue operations through at least 2028, according to NASA.
NASA awarded SpaceX a $843 million contract to develop the deorbit spacecraft that will safely destroy the ISS over the ocean.
PP