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ISS toilet leak dumps two gallons of 'water' on crew
If you think a burst toilet is bad news on Earth, spare a thought for the astronauts who have to deal with it in zero gravity. That's what the poor American souls on the ISS were left grappling with last week when their $19 million commode leaked, according to a NASA status report. Around 9.5 litres of water spilled out as a result of the, um, accident. The crew had to clean it up using towels while working to fix the leak, claimed the space agency.
Astronauts aboard Soyuz spacecraft arrive safely at the ISS
The three crew members aboard the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft have safely arrived at the International Space Station after launching from Kazakhstan earlier today. Anne McClain of NASA, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos are all getting settled on board the ISS following a six-hour journey. This was the first crewed launch of a Soyuz rocket since an equipment malfunction caused astronaut Nick Hague and cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin to abort their launch and engage an emergency landing in October.
Soyuz to embark on first crewed mission to ISS since its failure
Three astronauts are blasting off to the International Space Station this morning aboard the Soyuz MS-11 -- the first time people will travel on the rocket since it fell apart on October 11 with NASA's Nick Hague and cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin aboard. Fortunately, the two weren't hurt when they were forced to exit the malfunctioning rocket just two-and-a-half minutes after takeoff. Until then, the craft had a 100 percent success rate, so all eyes will be on this launch.
Russians say ISS air leak could be a result of sabotage
Last Thursday, NASA informed the public that there was an air pressure leak aboard the International Space Station. It was extremely small and posed no immediate danger to astronauts. Flight controllers worked with the astronauts to determine that there was what appeared to be a drill hole aboard an attached Soyuz capsule that the astronauts attempted to patch. Now, the Russians are investigating sabotage as a possibility.
SpaceX readies its spacecraft and astronauts for crewed missions
SpaceX's priority is to get humans into space. Eventually, some of those people will end up on Mars. For now, the rocket-launching company needs to work on getting astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). To that end, it recently showed off the hardware and astronauts that'll be part of the historical mission.
NASA expresses doubts over the privatization of the ISS
Plans to privatize the ISS made headlines earlier this year when NASA revealed The White House intended to pull the plug on federal finances in 2025. This isn't the first time privatization murmurs have surfaced for the space station, but a recent NASA audit suggests a conversion to private operation may not be feasible.
Catching the ISS's fleeting pass between enormous sunspots
Astrophotography requires abundant patience and planning, but as Spanish photographer Dani Caxete has shown, you sometimes need quick reflexes, too. His entry in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 contest shows the International Space Station (ISS) superimposed on the sun, in between two large sunspots. He didn't have a lot of time to grab it -- traveling at 5 miles per second, the ISS took just 0.5 seconds to pass in front of our star.
The app promising to make anyone an astronaut
Every kid dreams of becoming an astronaut, of exploring what lies beyond our planet out there in the unknown. It's a romantic notion, but something few ever achieve. The growth of the private space industry in recent times has made it seem all the more attainable, however. Under current projections, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic will start taking space tourists on trips next year, perhaps even earlier. Naturally, seats on these craft are reserved for the extremely wealthy right now, but there could be another way. Space Nation is a company that's promising anyone can become an astronaut, irrespective of how deep their pockets are. And all you need to do to become a viable candidate is to play a bunch of mobile minigames.
The newest ISS 'crew member' will be a flying robot with AI (updated)
A curious robot is heading to the ISS aboard the next SpaceX resupply mission. It's shaped like a ball with a flattened surface where its face is drawn on a screen -- plus, it can speak, respond to spoken commands and fly. The machine called CIMON, which is short for Crew Interactive Mobile Companion, is pretty much a flying IBM-developed brain with a body and flight mechanism created by Airbus. It's the companies' joint project with the German Aerospace Center and was created to be a hands-free assistant that can make astronauts' tasks easier.
SpaceX price hikes will make ISS cargo missions more costly
NASA said it will pay $400 million more for cargo delivery to the International Space Station (ISS) starting in 2020, thanks in part to a 50 percent price increase from supplier SpaceX. On top of that, the ISS will receive six fewer tons of cargo, so on a cost-per-pound basis, prices will rise by 14 percent for the second phase of commercial resupply (CRS-2) missions between 2020 and 2024. The information comes from a new NASA audit, and reveals new details about the 2016 bidding for CRS-2 missions.
NASA may extend ISS stays following crew vehicle delays
SpaceX and Boeing are both contracted to develop vehicles to carry US astronauts to and from low Earth orbit, a capability we've lacked since the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet in 2011. However, these efforts have been plagued by constant delays, which has required NASA to get creative in figuring out how to continue normal space operations without an operational crew vehicle. Robert Lightfoot, the acting administrator of NASA, has suggested a new option: longer stays on the ISS for US astronauts.
Russian cosmonauts are really into 'World of Tanks'
You'd be forgiven for thinking Fortnite and PUBG were the only games in existence at the moment, given the amount of noise surrounding them. But an upcoming gaming event, launched from actual space, shows that long-established games are still making their mark. Today, in one of the wildest endorsements ever, World of Tanks unveiled a Stellar Bonus event from the International Space Station (ISS), in celebration of the International Day of Human Space Flight.
Boeing's first crewed space flight may be more than just a test
This week, NASA announced that it has updated its commercial crew contract with Boeing. Specifically, Boeing is one of two contractors that is building a crew vehicle that will eventually be able to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The change surrounds its first test flight -- including the option to extend the flight (from two weeks up to six months) and potentially adding a third crewmember. In other words, the first test flight wouldn't be a test anymore.
The ISS will replace its 17-year-old printer this week
The printer model aboard the ISS is seventeen years old and more than ready for a replacement. And this afternoon, it's finally going to be getting one. The HP Envy ISS will be heading to the International Space Station aboard the CRS-14 mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket this afternoon. The rocket is scheduled to lift off at 4:08 PM ET from Cape Canaveral. You can watch a live stream here:
SpaceX and Boeing inch closer toward crewed space missions
NASA's Commercial Crew Program is making "significant progress" according to the space agency, which has outlined upcoming missions for both Boeing and SpaceX. The race between the two companies to be the first to provide commercial transportation services in space appears to be neck-and-neck. Boeing has a crewless orbital flight test scheduled for August this year, while SpaceX plans to complete a crewless flight to the International Space Station in the same month. Crewed missions are then slated to take place in November and December, respectively.
Bigelow forms command center for its expandable space stations
Bigelow Aerospace has big plans for its future expandable space stations, so it has formed a whole new company for them. Called Bigelow Space Operations (BSO), the new private space company will oversee the marketing and customer service, as well as become the operations center for the space habitats its parent corporation is developing. If you'll recall, Bigelow's inflatable module BEAM is currently being tested aboard the ISS. It's been doing so well NASA has decided to keep it around longer to be used as an on-orbit storage facility.
Defunding the ISS might just help get us to Mars
There's good news for NASA in the Trump administration's proposed FY2019 budget and some bad. On the one hand, the space agency would receive a minor funding boost -- NASA itself would get $19.9 billion, a 1.3 percent increase over 2017, while its science directorate would receive $5.9 billion, a 2.3 percent increase.
Dream Chaser's first ISS resupply mission launches in late 2020
After years of testing, Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser cargo spacecraft has a launch window. NASA has given the go-ahead to the vehicle's first mission, which is now slated for late 2020. Appropriately, it's a straightforward resupply trip for the International Space Station. The company received the all-clear after hitting a slew of key NASA-approved design milestones.
Trump's budget reportedly proposes an end to ISS funding by 2025
It appears that there's a troubling line item in President Trump's proposed budget. According to The Verge reporter Loren Grush, the proposal ends funding for the International Space Station by 2025. It's important to note that the final budget won't be released until the 12th of February, so this item could change then, but The Verge spoke with two insiders who confirmed that this item would be in the final budget.
ISS astronauts will complete Challenger teacher’s science lessons
On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded during liftoff. Onboard were seven astronauts, one of which was teacher Christa McAuliffe. She was selected from over 11,000 applicants for the position of NASA's Teacher in Space. McAuliffe had plans to conduct lessons from Challenger; now those lessons will finally take place from the International Space Station.
