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ISS spacewalk interrupted by suit malfunction
A Russian cosmonaut was briefly forced to interrupt a spacewalk after his suit encountered problems.
'Space Explorers: The ISS Experience' wraps up with a spacewalk filmed in VR
The final episode of the series lands on Meta Quest headsets today.
SpaceX plans its first commercial spacewalk for this year
The leader of SpaceX's first all-civilian mission has ordered three more flights, including the first private spacewalk and the first crewed Starship journey.
Christina Koch returns to Earth after a record 328 days in space
After 328 days in space, NASA astronaut Christina Koch is back on Earth. She returns holding the record for the longest stay in space by a woman, and she has earned bragging rights for another major milestone: she and fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir completed the first all-female spacewalk during Koch's extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Watch astronauts install commercial spacecraft adapter on the ISS
NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Andrew Morgan are floating around in low Earth orbit today, installing the second of two docking adapters on the International Space Station. The international docking adapters -- or IDAs -- will allow Boeing and SpaceX commercial spacecraft to connect to the ISS and deliver crew members and supplies. Earthbound humans can watch the spacewalk on NASA's live feed below.
An ill-fitting spacesuit cancels NASA's first all-female spacewalk
A historic spacewalk was scheduled to occur this week, with only women operating outside the ISS for the first time ever. News of the event was revealed earlier this month when a flight controller tweeted about the schedule, but as NASA noted at the time "assignments and schedules could always change." Now that has happened, as the second of three planned spacewalks will instead be performed by a man and a woman, Nick Hague and Christina Koch. According to NASA, last week when Hague performed the first operation with astronaut Anne McClain, there was an issue with the fit of McClain's spacesuit. In what is essentially the "t-shirt" area of the Enhanced EMU suit astronauts wear on spacewalks, the Hard Upper Torso (H.U.T.) comes in three sizes: Medium, Large and XL. McClain had trained in both the medium and large sized units, but discovered that the medium size worked better for her. According to a spokesperson, there are two medium-sized units onboard, however only one can be ready in time, so Koch will go with Hague instead and history will have to be made another day. While there's some confusion over how this could happen, it seems like there are a few issues going on. Of course astronauts are measured extensively before their trip, but there is no way to simulate the extended effects of zero gravity on their body and earlier this month McClain tweeted that she's grown by two inches since launch.
The first all-female spacewalk takes place March 29th
After several decades of human spaceflight, you're finally going to see the first all-female spacewalk. NASA has confirmed that astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch will venture outside the International Space Station on March 29th. This wasn't intentional, the agency told Axios -- it just so happened that the particular crew aboard the ISS led to the team-up. If you've been following the progression of the space program, however, it might not be quite such a surprise.
BBC launches VR division with ISS spacewalk experience
The BBC is getting serious about VR content production. Today, the broadcaster has released a spacewalk experience and formally announced a VR team that will work with filmers, showrunners and "digital experts" on new pieces. Home — A VR Spacewalk was developed by the BBC and digital production studio Rewind for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift last year. It's based on NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) training programs — yes, the same ones used by astronaut Tim Peake — and takes you through a repair on the outside of the ISS. It's been shown at various film festivals but hasn't been available to the public before today.
Learning to fly with NASA's spacewalk simulator
What you're looking at is not a production set photo from Gravity, but rather a training simulation for Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. He's suspended over a mockup of the International Space Station (ISS), while attached to the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. For this particular session, engineers ran tests in both light and darkness to simulate the 90 minute day/night cycles experienced by orbiting astronauts.
ISS crew’s 360-degree video is the closest you’ll get to space
You can always count on the crew of the International Space Station to harness technology to bring us up to the heavens with them. Back in July, they uploaded enough footage to map the entire station out on Google Streetview. Today, the crew uploaded the first spacewalk recorded in 360-degree video. Immerse yourself in footage of mankind maintaining its farthest outpost at the border of space.
Watch astronaut Peggy Whitson's historic spacewalk
Dr. Peggy Whitson, the first woman to command the ISS, might soon also hold the record for the most spacewalks by a female astronaut. She's scheduled to step out of the ISS today (March 30th), and once she does, she'll have eclipsed the number of times current record holder Sunita Williams floated around in space outside the orbiting lab. Williams still holds the distinction of being the astronaut who fixed the ISS with a toothbrush, though.
Watch astronauts install a space taxi dock on the ISS
Boeing and SpaceX are working on manned spacecraft that will send astronauts to the International Space Station as early as 2017, but before that happens, they need a place to dock. Crew aboard the space station are about to install the first of two international docking adapters that will let the taxis link up to the station. The six hour-plus mission, being livestreamed by NASA starting soon at 8:05 AM EST, will be performed by astronauts Kate Rubins and Jeff Williams, with a big mechanical assist from the Candarm2.
Spacewalk cancelled after water found in helmets again
Mission control had to cut short an ISS spacewalk on Friday after US astronaut Tim Kopra noticed water building up in his helmet hours into the excursion. Both Kopra and British astronaut Tim Peake are back and safe inside the International Space Station.
Watch Tim Peake become the first Briton to spacewalk
At 12:55pm GMT (7:55am ET, or 4:55am PT) British astronaut Tim Peake will step outside the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time. He'll be accompanied by NASA astronaut Tim Kopra and together they'll perform some crucial repair work. The pair's main task is to replace a broken Sequential Shunt Unit (SSU) which transfers power generated by the Station's solar arrays. As the European Space Agency explains, the job needs to be completed within 30 minutes while the ISS passes through the Earth's shadow, as this mitigates the risk of high-voltage sparks.
British astronaut Tim Peake will spacewalk next week
It's the moment every astronaut dreams of. Tim Peake has been told he'll be exiting the International Space Station (ISS) next week and conducting a spacewalk with NASA astronaut Tim Kopra. The pair have been tasked with replacing a broken Sequential Shunt Unit that transfers power generated by the space station's solar arrays. There are eight of these in total, so the problem isn't too serious, and the European Space Agency (ESA) says it can be removed by undoing a single bolt. Simple!
ICYMI: Humanoid moto bot, engineered desk marvel and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-121846{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-121846, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-121846{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-121846").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Altwork Station is a $3,900 computer desk that can sit, stand and fully recline, levering the screen and desk up to keep that ergonomic alignment you've realized you need to actually care about. Being an adult can be so overrated. Meanwhile there are two pieces of fun robot news: Yamaha is teasing its autonomous motorcycling robot and MIT researchers built a robotic cube that can jump over uneven terrain.
Watch live as two ISS Cosmonauts perform a spacewalk
With only a bit of fabric preventing certain death, spacewalks are one of the most thrilling and dangerous jobs (among many) that ISS astronauts and cosmonauts do. You'll be able to watch one (here or in the video below) shortly as Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Mikhail Kornienko exit the Russian Pirs airlock. Their goal is to make it easier for ISS occupants do future spacewalks by installing so-called "gap spanners," a type of soft handrail. The duo will also photograph "Expose-R," a NASA experiment testing how biological samples like seeds, bacteria and ferns tolerate space, a stepping-stone towards future Mars missions. The whole thing will take about six hours, but it kicks off soon at 10:14 EDT.
NASA takes to the sea to test new space tools
What's the best way to simulate the conditions of outer space here on Earth? Go to the bottom of the ocean, of course. NASA has actually been sending astronauts to an underwater habitat for years under the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) program, and the 20th expedition is slated to begin soon. On July 20th, a team of NASA, ESA (Europe) and JAXA (Japan) astronauts will start testing new tools and techniques for future spacewalks to get them used to different surfaces and gravity levels on asteroids, the moon and Mars.
Incredible GoPro footage shows what it's like to spacewalk
Leaving the cozy confines of Earth's atmosphere for life aboard the ISS is an exceedingly rare experience reserved for just a handful of astronauts. But thanks to NASA and GoPro, now you can share in the breathtaking views/sheer terror that astronaut Terry Virts enjoyed during a recent hour-long spacewalk. In the video below, Virts attaches the action camera to his space suit prior to beginning an EVA (or "Extravehicular Activity" as spacewalks are officially called). Viewers are treated to an unprecedented view of the ISS's underbelly as Virts adapts its docking station for use with a new generation of commercial spacecraft rather than the retired space shuttle.
PSA: Watch today's ISS spacewalk right here, coverage begins 8:10 am ET
ISS Flight Engineers Chris Cassidy and Luca Parmitano are set to commence a spacewalk on the ISS today starting at 8:10 ET. The pair will undertake the final installation of bypass jumpers, providing essential power redundancy to critical components. Other tasks to be completed on the walk include replacing a video camera, relocating wireless television kit and performing vital checks on component door covers. This will be the fifth spacewalk performed on the ISS this year, and the 171st in support of the station overall. You can watch the preliminaries right now, or head back at 8:10 to catch the action. Update: As those watching will be aware, the spacewalk wound up being cut considerably short due to a water leak in astronaut Luca Parmitano's helmet that required him to be assisted back inside the space station.
