Monthly Archives: February 2015

KSP Ch.3, Legend of the Kraken, Ep.2: As You Know, Bob...
With apologies for the long delay, the Legend of the Kraken continues. In this episode we find out what Bill Kerman is up to, launch a long range commsat, and make further plans for the space...

By: TheWinterOwl

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KSP Ch.3, Legend of the Kraken, Ep.2: As You Know, Bob... - Video

Kerbal Space Made - SpaceStation Assembly: Episode 15
GeneralVonDoom and Tomino-Sama begin work on the space station assembly for fabrication of Space station modules. Kerbal Space Made is a Starmade survival series based on the Kerbal Space...

By: MF GeneralVonDoom

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Kerbal Space Made - SpaceStation Assembly: Episode 15 - Video

Spacecrafts Fiery Break-Up Seen From Space Station
Europe #39;s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-4 Albert Einstein) met its demise on Nov. 2nd, 2014, carrying 1.6 tons of trash and used clothing from the International Space Station. The...

By: VideoFromSpace

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Spacecrafts Fiery Break-Up Seen From Space Station - Video

HOUSTON, TX/24-7PressRelease/-- Independence Day is not the only important fourth this July. Hot on the heels of the holiday is the fourth annual International Space Station (ISS)Research and Development Conference, which takes place in Boston July 7 to 9. Launching this year's event is a keynote speaker who lives up to one of the core conference themes of gaining a new perspective: Elon Musk, chief executive officer and lead designer atSpaceX.

"To welcome this diverse set of new and existing ISS users we were looking for a keynote speaker whose name is synonymous with the future of innovation," said Brian Talbot, marketing and communications director with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS). "Elon Musk is an ideal fit for this role. Elon's passion for discovery and exploration appeals to business leaders, research and development professionals, and the space community."

Musk was at the helm in designing the Dragon spacecraft--the first commercial vehicle to berth with the space station. SpaceX continues to transport resupply missions to and from the space station multiple times each year, the latest launch having departed on Jan. 10. NASA recently selected SpaceX, along with Boeing, to finalize their vehicle designs capable of ferrying a commercial crew to the station.

The multidisciplinary space station's array of research areas for new and potential users is reflected in the span of topics for the conference's call for papers. This includes biology and medicine, human health in space, commercialization and nongovernment utilization, materials development, plant science, remote sensing/Earth and space observation, energy, STEM education, and technology development and demonstration. The deadline for submissions of abstracts is March 2.

During the conference, attendees will have a chance to build connections, talk innovation with peers and experts, and grow their current knowledge of microgravity research. While visiting sessions at the Boston Marriott Copley Hotel, they also can learn about the latest results, upcoming investigations in orbit, and opportunities to get their ideas from concept to launch.

"The focus of this year's conference is bringing a new population of users to the space station by showing how the orbiting laboratory can be a valuable part of their future," said Christian Maender, NASA's ISS National Laboratory Office deputy manager for commercial utilization at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "Now in its fourth year, the conference will explore a wide range of important areas of research and development that leverage the station as an incredible platform for learning, discovery and innovation."

Registration for the ISS Research and Development Conference is now open and additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. The event is organized by theAmerican Astronautical Societyand CASIS in cooperation with NASA. The annual meeting is the only U.S. conference to detail the space station's many capabilities along with an array of research and technology development.

This July the ISS Research and Development Conference will be a fourth to remember, complete with participants interested and already successful in launching more than just fireworks towards the heavens. While quite the impressive display of sparks with each take-off, it's the benefits from space station research and technology that will keep the world watching.

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Elon Musk Headlines Space Station Research and Development Conference

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After delivering more than 5,000 pounds of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station last month, the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is set to leave the orbiting laboratory on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

NASA Television will provide live coverage of Dragon's departure beginning at 1:45 p.m. EST.

The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to detach from the Earth-facing side of the station's Harmony module and release through commands sent by ground controllers in mission control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston operating the Canadarm 2 robotic arm. Mission control will maneuver Dragon into place for its release, which is scheduled for 2:09 p.m.

Dragon will execute three thruster firings to move a safe distance from the space station for its deorbit burn at approximately 7 p.m. Thespacecraft will splash down in the Pacific Ocean around 7:44 p.m. The deorbit burn and the splashdown will not air on NASA TV.

In the event that weather at the landing zone does not permit a Feb. 10 departure, the next available opportunity is on Feb. 11 with a 1:17 p.m. departure time with NASA TV coverage beginning at 12:45 p.m.

Dragon currently is the only spacecraft able to return cargo from the space station to Earth. It will return about 3,700 pounds of cargo, including science samples from human physiology research, biology and biotechnology studies, physical science investigations and education activities sponsored by NASA and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) in Melbourne, Florida. CASIS, a nonprofit organization, is responsible for managing research performed in the U.S. national laboratory portion of the space station.

Dragon launched on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Jan. 10 on the companys fifth commercial resupply mission to the station. It arrived at the station Jan. 12.

For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit:

NASA TV Live

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NASA TV Coverage Set for U.S. Cargo Ships Departure from Space Station

Around 400 kilometers above the Earth's surface, the International Space Station continues its orbit of the planet.

Since the first crew arrived in November 2000, more than 200 astronauts from 15 different countries have visited the ISS. At its core, it's a floating lab, where for six months at a time six crew members work, exercise, sleep -- and eat.

Providing NASA astronauts with a nutritious diet is the job of food scientists at the Johnson Space Center, in Houston. There, Maya Cooper is part of the team responsible for about 40 percent of the food sent to the astronauts. She says her team tries to strike a delicate balance between providing home comforts and healthy food.

"There are many items that we've had on the menu that were great tasting items but recently we've had a big sodium reduction, trying to get the sodium content on the space menu down," Cooper says. "So we've had to reformulate a lot of those items, preserving the taste and the homely comfort food aspects of the food, while making sure that the nutrition is right where we need for it to be."

If Cooper makes space food sound like a science, that's because it is. Weightlessness requires more energy; your body is never truly at rest at zero gravity, so astronauts must eat accordingly, consuming 3,000 calories a day.

In the controlled environment of the ISS, scientists are able to study the astronauts' physiological processes with great accuracy. "We know exactly what they're eating," Cooper says, "so we have better data in terms of how food actually impacts the body."

Likewise, food is affected by the requirements of space. Food sent into orbit has to be preserved by heat processing which, paired with its long-term storage, causes food to lose some of its nutritional value due to vitamin degradation.

Overcoming these obstacles is one of the challenges facing Cooper, along with how to make such adulterated food appetizing.

Meals through a straw?

Space food in popular culture ranges from liquid meals of various viscosities -- think Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" -- to a miracle pill containing a day's worth of nutrition.

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The NASA diet: Food, but not as we know it

(CNN) -

Around 400 kilometers above the Earth's surface, the International Space Station continues its orbit of the planet.

Since the first crew arrived in November 2000, more than 200 astronauts from 15 different countries have visited the ISS. At its core, it's a floating lab, where for six months at a time six crew members work, exercise, sleep -- and eat.

Providing NASA astronauts with a nutritious diet is the job of food scientists at the Johnson Space Center, in Houston. There, Maya Cooper is part of the team responsible for about 40 percent of the food sent to the astronauts. She says her team tries to strike a delicate balance between providing home comforts and healthy food.

"There are many items that we've had on the menu that were great tasting items but recently we've had a big sodium reduction, trying to get the sodium content on the space menu down," Cooper says. "So we've had to reformulate a lot of those items, preserving the taste and the homely comfort food aspects of the food, while making sure that the nutrition is right where we need for it to be."

If Cooper makes space food sound like a science, that's because it is. Weightlessness requires more energy; your body is never truly at rest at zero gravity, so astronauts must eat accordingly, consuming 3,000 calories a day.

In the controlled environment of the ISS, scientists are able to study the astronauts' physiological processes with great accuracy. "We know exactly what they're eating," Cooper says, "so we have better data in terms of how food actually impacts the body."

Likewise, food is affected by the requirements of space. Food sent into orbit has to be preserved by heat processing which, paired with its long-term storage, causes food to lose some of its nutritional value due to vitamin degradation.

Overcoming these obstacles is one of the challenges facing Cooper, along with how to make such adulterated food appetizing.

Meals through a straw?

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Food scientists provide meals for NASA astronauts