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Russia's next space station trip will take days, not hours
It's not a great time to be a Russian cosmonaut. Thanks to the International Space Station making a maneuver to avoid space junk, the next Soyuz spacecraft's flight (due September 2nd) will take two days to reach the station instead of the relatively brisk six hours of recent trips. That's more than a little unpleasant if you're stuck in a cramped capsule, and negates a lot of the planning work that has saved so much time from 2013 onward. There's no indication as to when (or if) launches will speed up, so crews may have little choice but to tough it out in the near future. [Image credit: NASA, Flickr]
Virtual reality video project will immerse you in space
Virtual reality is big on immersing you in cool new environments, and what's cooler than space? Nothing, if you ask SpaceVR. It's crowdfunding a project that will send a 12-camera video array to the International Space Station, where it'll record 360-degree VR videos from the Cupola Observatory (shown above) and other parts of the ISS. The plan is to offer new footage each week as part of a subscription service -- as the team explains, it's like Netflix for space fans. If the effort proves successful, you might even see footage of spacewalks and other outside-the-station events.
NASA astronauts will eat space-grown veggies for the first time
Just because you're aboard the International Space Station doesn't mean you can avoid eating your vegetables. NASA has revealed that its ISS crew will munch on space-grown veggies (specifically, the red romaine lettuce you see above) for the first time on August 10th, rather than sending the food back to Earth as it has in the past. This isn't solely to get more fiber into the astronauts' diet, of course. It'll give NASA a sense of what it's like for spacefarers to eat fresh food that has only ever experienced microgravity and artificial lighting.
A guy in the UK called the ISS from his backyard and you can too
For most of us, visiting the International Space Station is little more than an impossible dream -- but if you know what you're doing, talking to the orbiting laboratory is surprisingly plausible. No, really: just ask Adrian Lane, a Gloucestershire UK Ham radio operator who called up an ISS astronaut from the comfort of his own backyard shed.
NASA shows off the International Space Station in glorious 4K
NASA's International Space Station team recently got a big camera upgrade in the form of RED's Epic Dragon, and it's more than a little eager to show off what this high-resolution gear can do. The agency has started posting 4K videos (sorry, no 6K yet) that show what life is like in orbit in exceptional detail. You can make out the finer details of clouds on Earth, for instance, or see every last nuance of a zero-gravity water bubble.
Vital Russian cargo ship reaches the International Space Station
After two failed attempts in a row, the International Space Station is once again getting fresh supplies. Russia's Progress 60 cargo spacecraft has successfully docked, bringing with it important batches of equipment, food and fuel. While the station already had enough supplies to hold out until October, the arrival is a huge relief -- the string of disasters (including the Orbital Sciences explosion last year) was spurring talk of returning the crew to Earth if things got much worse. And this isn't the only resupply mission this summer, either. Japan's H-2 craft should launch on August 16th, so the ISS may resume some semblance of normalcy before long. [Image credit: NASA TV]
Watch Russia launch crucial Space Station cargo at 12:55AM ET
The International Space Station has had a tough time getting supplies lately between two rocket explosions and an orbital failure, but it's going to get an important lifeline in the near future... hopefully. Russia is about to launch Progress 60, a cargo ship that will ferry over 3 tons of much-needed food, fuel and other equipment to the ISS. You won't have to wait until its expected Sunday arrival to find out how it fares, though. NASA is streaming the launch at 12:55AM ET -- tune in below and you'll have a sense of whether or not Progress 60 fares any better than its ill-fated predecessor. Update: After a successful launch, Progress 60 is on its way to the ISS. It's scheduled to dock with the station at 2:30AM ET Sunday, which will also be covered live on NASA TV.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket breaks up shortly after launch (updated)
Today is not a good day for private spaceflight. SpaceX and NASA have confirmed that a Falcon 9 rocket broke up shortly after launching on a resupply mission for the International Space Station. It's not clear what caused the failure at this stage, but the vehicle started smoking right before it fell apart. The destruction won't create immediate problems for the Space Station. However, it comes at a very bad time for SpaceX. The company has lost yet another chance to land its reusable rocket on a sea barge, and it only just got clearance to launch valuable missions for both NASA and the US Air Force -- Elon Musk and crew may have to work overtime assuring officials that this kind of disaster won't happen again. Update: Musk reports that the explosion might have been due to an "overpressure event" in the rocket's upper-stage liquid oxygen tank. At a press conference, neither NASA nor SpaceX had enough information to say what went wrong besides ruling out a problem with the first (lower) stage. NASA notes that the ISS crew still has a comfortable four-month supply buffer, but is understandably concerned that there have been three supply mission failures in the space of several months. Microsoft is no doubt worried, too, since the HoloLens headsets for its astronaut assistance project were on the SpaceX flight. [Image credit: SpaceX, Flickr]
Watch the first full-color HD videos of Earth from space
It's no longer a challenge to get astonishingly sharp photos of the Earth from space, but video? That's another matter. UrtheCast is about to open the floodgates, however. It just released the first batch of full-color, high-definition video of Earth recorded from the International Space Station. In many ways, the extremely sharp footage (with detail down to 3.3 feet) of Barcelona, Boston and London is like an internet mapping site come to life -- all those pathways are suddenly full of moving boats and cars. The Iris imaging system that recorded these movies won't be fully operational until the summer, but the preview suggests that its customers will get plenty of insights into traffic and other activity that's harder to track from the ground.
Boeing is NASA's first pick for manned ISS flights
NASA is on track to bring human spaceflight back to the US. The agency has ordered its first "crew rotation" mission from Boeing, which will involve ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA says it expects to make a similar order with Elon Musk's SpaceX later this year -- afterwards, it will decide which of the two companies to green-light for the first mission in late 2017. However, the date for this milestone moment in US spaceflight could shift. For one, Boeing and SpaceX still need to complete NASA's certification process before they can undertake any missions. For another, NASA's Commercial Crew Program is dependent on adequate funding through 2016 and beyond. If it comes up short, the agency says it "will have to delay future milestones for both partners proportionally and extend sole reliance on Russia." We're keeping our fingers crossed.
Russia's latest ISS supply ship is spinning out of control
The International Space Station has yet another problem on its hands. Russia's Progress 59 supply ship (you're looking at Progress 47 above) appears to have suffered a communications breakdown shortly after entering orbit, and it's been spinning out of control ever since. As you can see in the dizzying video below, it's not about to dock with the ISS any time soon. Ground control had originally hoped that it could get things in order for an April 30th rendezvous, but it's scuttling those plans unless it can rein in this wayward spacecraft. It's safe to say that the station crew would like a recovery as soon as possible. When Progress 59 is carrying 6,000 pounds of food, fuel and other essentials, a significant delay could cause more than a few headaches. [Image credit: NASA]
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.
NASA is working with Russia on a new space station (update: not quite)
Russia is teaming up with the USA to build ISS 2.0 once the current one's funding runs out in 2024 -- at least according to Russia Today and state news agency TASS. The country's space agency, Roscosmos threatened in February to use the Russian ISS modules as a platform for a new base of its own after 2024, but now it looks like there will be a followup collaboration. This time around, both parties are looking for participation from other countries, as well as private industry, and are apparently even eyeing a team-up for potential missions to Mars. Russian news outlets report the announcement came during a news conference Saturday following the launch of a year-long mission (video of the launch and subsequent ISS docking is embedded after the break) to the current International Space Station. Update: After waiting to get in touch with colleagues in Russia, NASA responded to our inquiry and says "no new partnerships were announced." So what's the status of the ISS to 2024 and beyond? NASA's statement only confirms "interest in continuing international cooperation" but doesn't go further than that -- you can read it in full after the break.
The Big Picture: Russia readies Soyuz rockets ahead of ISS mission
When American astronaut Scott Kelly Russian Cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Gennady Padalka leave Earth for their 12 month stay on the International Space Station, they'll be riding this Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft. The launch is scheduled for this Friday from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and the team will return March, 2016 aboard the TMA-18M.
Russia will resume space tourism in 2018
Russia's Roscosmos space agency is in a bind. It makes money ferrying American astronauts to the International Space Station, but it's going to have a lot of unclaimed seats once NASA starts using capsules from Boeing and SpaceX. The solution? It's resuming space tourism. When 2018 rolls around, Energiya (the main company handling manned trips) will fill the empty third chairs on Soyuz flights to the ISS with tech moguls and anyone else who has the time and money to enter Earth orbit just for kicks. It's not going to be as glamorous as purpose-built space tourism programs (whenever they're finally ready), but something tells us that Russia won't have a problem finding paying customers. [Image credit: NASA, Flickr]
Russia will keep its pieces of the International Space Station in orbit
The International Space Station isn't expected to maintain funding past 2024, but that doesn't mean that everything will come crashing down when the money runs out. Russia's Federal Space Agency has decided that it will keep its station modules in orbit after the ISS goes out of service, using these leftovers to create its own base -- its first since Mir was decommissioned in 2001. Besides serving as a symbol of national pride, the ad hoc station should help with future missions that should include a manned Moon landing around 2030. Of course, this all assumes that the ISS doesn't get another lease on life -- if it does, Russia may have to go back to the drawing board. [Image credit: NASA]
3D-printed tools from the ISS are back on Earth for testing
We'll soon know if those wrenches the ISS astronauts 3D printed aboard the station are up to par. SpaceX's Dragon has brought the tools back to Earth, along with an assortment of experiment data and samples, on its way home from a resupply mission on February 10th. That means scientists will now be able to assess the wrenches and see if they're comparable to the real thing -- if they do, well, they're one step closer to approving 3D printers for future Mars manned missions. "For the printer's final test in this phase of operations," says space station 3D printer program manager Niki Werkheiser, "NASA wanted to validate the process for printing on demand, which will be critical on longer journeys to Mars."
Why is an opera singer going to the ISS?
It's been a weird life for Sarah Brightman, starting out as a dancer before recording one-hit wonder I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper, later reinventing herself as a classical soprano. Now, if you recognize the name, it's probably because she sang the duet to Time To Say Goodbye, more commonly known as the "opera song" that played repeatedly during season two of The Sopranos. Now, however, the 54-year old is going to the International Space Station to become the first recording artist to perform in space, at a personal cost of anything up to $30 million.
The International Space Station is now making 3D-printed tools
It's official: you can "upload" tools to space. Following its earlier test run, the International Space Station has used 3D printing to make a ratchet based on instructions sent from Earth. It's not exactly a sophisticated implement, but it underscores the advantages of letting astronauts print their own gear. NASA and Made In Space (the company behind the printer) designed, tested and manufactured the ratchet in less than a week -- even if a conventional part was ready to go, it would have had to wait days or weeks for a ride on a delivery vehicle. Researchers will have to take a while studying the practicality of 3D-printed tools (including the effects of microgravity) before they're put into regular service, but it's easy to see a day where crews can always make the equipment they need. [Image credit: NASA]
NASA is 3D printing objects in space
At long last, 3D printing has conquered its final frontier: space. NASA has successfully printed its first 3D object aboard the International Space Station. It's just a tiny faceplate that identifies the printer maker (Made In Space), but it's both a symbolic milestone and a source of valuable feedback for tweaking the printer's output. For instance, NASA now knows that parts stick to the print tray more in microgravity than they do on Earth; it's possible that plastic layers bond differently in orbit.
