Monthly Archives: May 2020

Image 1 of 22

Expedition 63 to the International Space Station began in April 2020, after the Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft arrived at the orbiting lab with NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy (left) and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin (center) and Ivan Vagner.

The three-person Expedition 63 will be joined by NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, who will arrive May 28 with the first crewed test flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft. If all goes well with SpaceX's demonstration mission, the first operational Crew Dragon flight could bring three more crewmembers to the space station before the end of Expedition 63, which is scheduled to last until October. See photos of the Expedition 63 mission in this Space.com gallery.

Related: A photo tour of the International Space Station

The Expedition 63 prime crewmembers pose for a photo at the Garagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, on Nov. 12, 2019. From left: NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner.

The official insignia for Expedition 63.

Prior to their scheduled April 9, 2020 launch, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, the prime crewmembers for Expedition 63, arrive at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, for qualification exams on March 11.

The Expedition 63 backup crewmembers NASA astronaut Steve Bowen and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrei Babkin pose for photos in front of a Soyuz trainer on March 11, 2020.

Expedition 63 prime crewmembers pose with the Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft during pre-launch training activities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. From left: Ivan Vagner, Anatoly Ivanishin and Chris Cassidy.

As the prime crewmembers flew to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the trio affixed their mission insignia on the wall of the plane on March 24.

At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Kazakhstan, Expedition 63 crewmembers, both prime and backup, participate in pre-launch activities. From left to right are Chris Cassidy, Anatoly Ivanishin, Ivan Vagner, and backup crewmembers Andrei Babkin, Sergey Ryzhikov and Steve Bowen.

On April 9, 2020, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and his Russian crewmates Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos, journey from building 254 to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The Soyuz MS-16 carrying NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner approaches the International Space Station while orbiting over the coast of Peru, on April 9, 2020.

Once aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 63 crewmembers pose for photos with Expedition 62 crewmembers after Roscosmos' Oleg Skripochka (bottom right) handed over station command to NASA's Chris Cassidy (bottom left). Expedition 62 returned to Earth on April 17, 2020.

Above Skripochka are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan. On the left, above Cassidy, are Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner.

On board the International Space Station on April 16, 2020, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy shows a meal packet left for him by European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, who returned to Earth Feb. 6, 2020. Cassidy and Parmitano were crewmates during the Expedition 36 mission in 2013.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Antaoly Ivanishin, Expedition 63 flight engineer, practices remote spacecraft maneuvering techniques in the Zvezda service module on the Tele-Operated Robotics Unit (TORU), which enables a cosmonaut to dock a Russian spacecraft manually.

Expedition 63 flight engineer Ivan Vagner practices remote spacecraft maneuvering techniques in the Zvezda service module on the Tele-Operated Robotics Unit (TORU).

Expedition 63 Cmdr. Chris Cassidy connects water umbilicals and checks for leaks in the Combustion Integrated Rack at the International Space Station. This research device allows for safe fuel, flame and soot studies to be conducted in microgravity.

Inside the Quest airlock of the International Space Station, Expedition 63 Cmdr. Chris Cassidy of NASA cleans does routine maintenance on the U.S. spacesuits.

Link:
In photos: The Expedition 63 mission to the International Space Station - Space.com

Posted: May. 27, 2020 7:00 am Updated: May. 27, 2020 12:01 pm

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) NASA is rolling out the International Space Stations red carpet for Tom Cruise to make a movie in orbit.

The space agency's administrator, Jim Bridenstine, said before Wednesdays planned launch of two NASA astronauts aboard a SpaceX rocket that Elon Musks company is already getting customers eager to blast off.

Cruise is one of them.

Bridenstine said hell leaving it to Cruise and SpaceX to provide the mission details.

I will tell you this: NASA has been in talks with Tom Cruise and, of course, his team, and we will do everything we can to make it a successful mission, including opening up the International Space Station," he told The Associated Press.

Asked about Cruise filming on the space station, Musk told CBS This Morning, Actually, I think that remains to be seen. We are supportive and I think NASA is supportive of anything that captures the imagination of the public.

Bridenstine said the whole reason NASA created this commercial marketplace is so SpaceX, Boeing and other private companies can attract customers besides the U.S. government. That will drive down costs to American taxpayers, he said, and increase access to space for all types of people celebrities included.

I don't admit this very often ... but I was inspired to become a Navy pilot because when I was in elementary school, I watched the movie Top Gun,'" the 44-year-old Bridenstine said.

Cruise starred as Navy pilot Pete Maverick Mitchell in the 1986 film. A sequel is due out later this year.

The question is, Can Tom Cruise make a new movie that inspires the next generation Elon Musk. And if he can do that, then were all for it. NASA is all in," Bridenstine said.

A message to Cruises representative was not immediately returned.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Read the rest here:
NASA chief "all in" for Tom Cruise to film on space station - Herald-Whig

Look up, way up: the International Space Station is doing flyovers of Thunder Bay nightly until June 1.

But you'll have to be quick if you want to catch a glimpse.

The station which orbits about 400kilometres above the Earth will be visible nightly, but only for a few minutes at a time, as it passes over the city.

The next sighting window will begin at 10:29 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, and last for six minutes, according to NASA's Spot the Station web page.

It will also be visible for six minutes just after midnight, and then again briefly at 1:43 a.m. Friday.

This pattern will continue every day until June 1, with chances to see the station late in the evening, and during early-morning hours, in the western sky.

The good news is, it will be hard to miss: the Canadian government describes it as "abig white dotthat moves quickly across the sky without changing direction, unlike aircraft, for example. It is usually the brightest object in the night sky after the Moon bright enough to be seen in urban areas even through all the light pollution."

For a complete list of chances to see the International Space Station from Thunder Bay, visit Spot the Station.

See the original post:
Look up: International Space Station visible above Thunder Bay in coming weeks - CBC.ca

Space fans across Devon and Cornwall are set to get the chance to view the NASA's International Space Station (ISS) in the skies above the counties tonight.

According to the Spot The Station website, the ISS is expected to be visible across parts of the UK, including the South West region, after 10pm.

People in Plymouth will be able to see the station at 10.09pm at a maximum height of 82 from 27 above west-north-west before it disappears 10 above east.

Later on in the night, the ISS is set to appear again 11 above west before going out of sight 33 above south-south-west and have a maximum height of 33 in the sky.

Meanwhile, we have a new app and here's how to download it.

Click here to sign up to our newsletters for all the latest near you.

Stargazers in Devon and Cornwall are due to get two chances to view the station - the first coming at 10.09pm before it reappears at 11.44pm - if weather conditions remain clear during the night.

It is expected that the ISS will viewable for around five minutes during the first sighting and for three on the second.

The website has details of where the ISS will appear and disappear from sight in four locations across the two counties.

You can now get your favourite content via our dedicated smartphone apps.

Discover breaking news including the latest on crime, business, travel updates, weather and all the entertainment you need while staying at home.

Just one quick download and you can read our content on the move without being online.

Only see the news that interests you - just select the topics you want to display on the app's homepage.

Most importantly you can now get push notifications through to your mobile, which will pop up on your screen like a text message.

Click here to download the Cornwall Live app for iOS devices, and on the Google Play store here to download the app on Android.

To get the Plymouth Live app visit the App Store here for iOS devices, and on the Google Play store here to download the app on Android.

Click on the App Store here to download the Devon Live app for iOS devices, and on the Google Play store here to download the app on Android.

In Barnstaple, it will appear at 10.09pm in the sky 22 above west before disappearing 10 above east-south-east and have a maximum height of 86.

Then on the second expected viewing at 11.44pm, it will reappear 11 above west and disappear 29 above south-south-west and have a maximum height of 30.

Details for Exeter suggest the ISS will appear first 22 above west-north-west and disappear 10 above east-south-east with a maximum height of 87.

At 11.44pm, the ISS should be visible from 11 above west before going out of sight 30 above south-south-west with a top height of 30.

Cornish stargazers can use details given for Truro to help guide them to where the ISS might show up with the information for the 10.09pm saying it will appear 33 above west-north-west with a top height of 78 before going out of sight at 10 above east.

The second chance to view it should occur when it reappears 11 above west at a height of 36 before it disappears 33 above south.

Go here to see the original:
International Space Station visible over Devon and Cornwall tonight - Plymouth Live

Stargazers will be able to catch a glimpse of the International Space Station during the bank holiday weekend as it passes over Bristol.

Every 24 hours, the space station completes 16 orbits of the Earth while travelling at around five miles per second.

It will be visible across the county, including in Bristol, this week and beyond, and will make three passes over our city tonight (Friday, May 22).

Sign up to our daily newsletter using the box at the top of this article, read all about what's involved here, or click here to see all of our newsletters

The first pass over Bristol will take place at around 10.05pm and will remain visible for six minutes.

Later tonight at later around 11.42pm, it will make another pass and will be visible for five minutes.

There will be a third sighting at 1.19am in the morning but this will last less than one minute.

The ISS, due to its speed, completes an orbit roughly every 90 minutes and travels through 16 sunsets and sunrises.

It has been continuously occupied since November 2000 by 240 individuals, including British astronaut Tim Peake.

There will be several sightings during the bank holiday weekend, which you can find below.

Here are all the timings you need if you want to spot the ISS flying overheard in Bristol this weekend.

Read more:
Here's how to see the International Space Station passing over Bristol this weekend - Bristol Live

Want to view the International Space Station up close and personal?

According toSpace.com, it's somewhat of a commitment. Actually, it requires that you are in amazing physical condition and have at least a bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics, as well as three years of professional experience before you are even considered for the selection process.

With this in mind, only a diehard astronaut hopeful will commit to this lengthy and demanding journey. However, you can still view this marvel of human ingenuity from a distance with both feet firmly planted in Vancouver soil (or grass, or pavement - you get the picture). In fact, the International Space Station is viewable from the Lower Mainland on numerous occasions - but you'll have to know exactly where and when to look for it.

Luckily, tonight is one of those nights,weather permitting.

Stargazers can set their alarms for around 9:45; the station will be viewable at 9:50 p.m.

While the cloud cover may make viewing difficult tonight, there are a number of viewing opportunities in the upcoming days.NASA outlines them with this user-friendly tool HERE.

Of course, knowing where and when to look is only half the battle - you'll also have to know what to look for.

So, what exactly does the station look like?

According to NASA, the station is visible to the naked eye and looks like a, "fast-moving plane only much higher and traveling thousands of miles an hour faster."

With that said, it is the third brightest object in the sky, which makes spotting it less difficult. Like the moon, the space station is visible because it reflects the light of the Sun. And, naturally, viewing opportunities are best on clear nights.

The football field-sized space station serves as a testbed for technologies and supports NASAs mission to push human presence father into space. Learn more about station updates and researchhere.

Happy viewing, Vancouver!

Go here to read the rest:
You can view the International Space Station from Vancouver tonight - Vancouver Is Awesome