Новости МКС

[tnt22]

ASIM‏ @ASIM_Payload 2 ч. назад

@ASIM_Payload instrument temperatures looking good. Just below -10 degC.

Спойлер

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1 ч. назад

During the night, the busy people at @Busoc_official will do the check-outs of the @ASIM_Payload main computer DHPU, and check main functionalities.

[tnt22]

Human Spaceflight‏Подлинная учетная запись @esaspaceflight 2 ч. назад

#SpaceStormHunter in position on European space laboratory Columbus to search for elusive electrical discharges above thunderstorms http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Storm_hunter_in_position ...

[tnt22]

Космическая география с космонавтом Фёдором Юрчихиным

Телестудия Роскосмоса

Опубликовано: 13 апр. 2018 г.

Накануне Дня космонавтики в штаб-квартире Русского географического общества прошел Урок космической географии, который провел лётчик-космонавт РФ, Герой России Фёдор Юрчихин.

(25:37)

[tnt22]

Space to Ground: Genes in Space: 04/13/2018

NASA Johnson

Опубликовано: 13 апр. 2018 г.

(2:35)

[tnt22]

tnt22 пишет (#16601):
18 апреля 2018 в 10:36:13.344 UTC (108/10:36:13.344) запланирована коррекция орбиты МКС импульсом длительностью 147 с (00:02:26.689)

Уточнение данных
https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/SSapplications/Post/JavaSSOP/orbit/ISS/SVPOST.html

18 апреля 2018 в 10:36:05.758 UTC (108/10:36:05.758 ) запланирована коррекция орбиты МКС импульсом длительностью 132 с (00:02:11.515)

[tnt22]

http://spaceflight101.com/iss-spx-14-cargo-operations/

ISS Receives new External Research Facilities & Spare Pump as Part of Dragon Cargo Transfers
 April 14, 2018

Photo: NASA

The International Space Station received a pair of new external science facilities and a potentially critical spare pump module over the last week and a half through an extensive effort involving the Station's robotic duo extracting the items fr om the Trunk Section of the Dragon CRS-14 spacecraft and moving them to their respective installation locations.

Installation work by Canadarm2 & the two-armed Dextre robot wrapped up on Friday and reports fr om the two utilization payloads delivered by Dragon is that all the initial activation tasks have gone very well.

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Launching atop a flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket on April 2nd, Dragon received a smooth ride into Low Earth Orbit and continued in textbook fashion through its rendezvous with ISS – culminating in the successful capture of the previously-flown spacecraft after a 25-orbit link-up. Attached to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module, Dragon was opened for business on April 5th when its hatch was opened – sending the Space Station crew into a busy sprint to move over 1,700 Kilograms of pressurized cargo and complete a number of experiments that will have to be packed back into Dragon before it departs the Station.


Photo: NASA TV


MISSE-FF Installation – Photo: NASA TV

Outside, the Station's robots had no time to waste as Dragon launched with a fully populated Trunk section hosting three payloads. Picking up the Dextre Robot, Canadarm2 maneuvered into position for an initial survey of the trunk payloads before Dextre extracted the first two items fr om the Trunk in the overnight hours of April 6/7 (UTC).

First up was the spare Pump Flow Control Subassembly (PFCS) that was temporarily stowed on Dextre's EOTP (Enhanced ORU Temporary Platform) while the two-armed robot went back in an extracted the MISSE Flight Facility which was then temp-stowed on EOTP Side 2.

Dextre was set down temporarily to free up the end of Canadarm2 for a walk-off fr om the Node 2 Power & Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF) onto the Mobile Base System. Working from the MBS, Canadarm2 picked by Dextre again and the Mobile Transporter relocated the duo to Worksite 2 on the starboard truss.

Resuming work on Sunday, Dextre was tasked with the installation of the MISSE Flight Facility on Express Logistics Carrier 2, Site 3 – a task slightly complicated by clearance issues, requiring Dextre to use one arm to temporarily remove a spare Direct Current Switching Unit, then install MISSE and re-install the DCSU. Good heater power was reported by the MISSE payload, allowing it to head into detailed activation and checkout tasks.

MISSE-FF 1 is the first of two MISSE Flight Facilities headed to the Space Station this year to provide a new way of conducting materials science and exposure experiments outside the orbiting laboratory.

>> MISSE Flight Facility Overview


MISSE-FF – Image: Alpha Space

The original MISSE concept ("Materials on ISS Experiment") had a successful run between 2001 and 2014, but required spacewalking crew members to install and retrieve the passive sample carriers from the exterior of ISS. Taking the original MISSE as a basis, the new facilities add provisions such as robotic servicing and powered/data capabilities to host active experiments that can be exchanged without a spacewalk.

Each MISSE Flight Facility offers 14 slots for MISSE Sample Carries which can host any combination of experiments from sizes of 2.5 x 2.5 to 19.9 x 35.6 centimeters with exposure durations between six months and three years. New features introduced by the facility include the ability to dynamically open and close shutters to protect samples from thruster plumes and an imaging system provides high-resolution imagery of samples on demand to track how different materials respond to the space environment.


PFCS Replacement at P6 – Photo: NASA TV

One MISSE Sample Carrier was already installed on the facility at launch and five additional units rode as part of the pressurized cargo inside the Dragon and are to be installed robotically after transfer through the Kibo module's airlock.

With MISSE-FF 1 finding in its new home, robotic ops resumed on Tuesday when the Mobile Transporter moved all the way port to Worksite 8. Working overnight and into Wednesday, Dextre detached the Pump Flow Control Subassembly (PFCS) from its Flight Support Equipment (FSE) and installed onto the P6 Long Spacer after removal of a degraded PFCS unit that is to be disposed.

ISS has eight active PFCS units, one in each Photovoltaic Power Channel and tasked with regulating the flow of ammonia through cooling loops to remove heat created by the photovoltaic power generation process and radiate it overboard via the photovoltaic radiators.


Image: NASA

One of the active PFCS units had to be replaced in 2013 due to an ammonia leak, leaving ISS with two spares: one new PFCS that was among the first spares flown to ISS back in 2001 and one used but functional unit which operated for seven years under the Station's Early External Thermal Control System. There was desire to stage an additional spare outside ISS to ensure there is another new unit available should a PFCS replacement be needed.

The PFCS removed from the P6 Long Spacer is the failed one that was replaced in 2013. It was installed on the Flight Support Equipment of the spare and is set for a fiery disposal in May when Dragon departs the Space Station and discards its trunk section before re-entry.

>> PFCS Spare Overview


ASIM Extraction – Photo: NASA TV


ASIM installed on Columbus – Photo: NASA TV

The Mobile Transporter moved back to WS6 and Canadarm2 changed base to Node 2 from wh ere it picked up Dextre and proceeded into the extraction of the final Trunk Payload on Friday. Last out of the trunk was ASIM – the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, a 314-Kilogram sensor package designed in Denmark and built with ESA funding to provide new insights into energy exchange processes wh ere the dense atmosphere and near-Earth space meet.

ASIM was officially demated from Dragon's trunk at 15:22 UTC when power to the payload was cut and Dextre began driving the Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism (FRAM) to pull ASIM from the trunk and move it to its new location within a six-hour thermal clock. Once ASIM was clear of the Trunk, Canadarm2 stretched out to its fully extended position and rotated outboard toward the European Columbus Module wh ere the FRAM was carefully positioned for installation on the External Payload Platform. A good installation of ASIM was confirmed at 18 UTC and heater power was re-applied by 19:44 UTC with confirmation of good power & data indications from the payload shortly thereafter.

ASIM combines a series of cameras, high-speed radiometers and specialized X- and Gamma-ray sensors to capture the ultra-fast signatures of Transient Luminous Events like Blue Jets shooting up from thunderstorms or Red Sprites flashing up in the ionosphere. Data from the Danish-led experiment is hoped to provide insights into the energy exchange processes between the dense gaseous atmosphere and the Mesosphere/Thermosphere wh ere charged particles roam.

>> ASIM Instrument Overview


Photo: NASA TV

The last item left on the list of ROBO operations for the CRS-14 mission is stowing the failed PFCS in the Trunk for disposal.

Work on the inside of ISS has also been going well since Dragon's grand opening on April 5th. As of the latest ISS Status Update, removal of 1,721 Kilograms of pressurized cargo upmass was expected to be completed by early next week, to be followed by loading Dragon with some 1,750 Kilograms of return items comprising performed experiments, a barrage of samples, discarded systems hardware, personal crew items and one special passenger: Robonaut.

Launched on the Space Shuttle in 2011, Robonaut underwent some testing operations aboard ISS to learn the tools needed for the efficient use of a humanoid robot in space. However, after receiving a pair of legs in 2014, Robonaut encountered a series of problems with its electrical circuitry and sensor equipment that could not be solved through in-space repairs. As a result, NASA decided to return the R2 and put it through refurbishment and modification before it may return to ISS in around a year's time.

Dragon CRS-14 is currently scheduled for departure on May 2nd, en-route to a multi-hour free flight ahead of a propulsive deorbit maneuver and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

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[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2018/04/13/iss-daily-summary-report-4132018/

ISS Daily Summary Report – 4/13/2018

Metabolic Tracking (MT):

Спойлер

Today the crew injected thawed inoculum into multiwell BioCells, which were then ins erted in to a NanoRacks Plate Reader. The crew also took samples from the BioCell A group and collected surface and air samples while photographing each location. The samples were placed into a Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI). The Metabolic Tracking investigation evaluates a rapid, low-cost method for assessing the effects of therapeutic compounds in microgravity. The method contributes to development of custom plans for emergency medical treatment for crew members, using primary tissue samples. This investigation also determines the feasibility of developing improved pharmaceuticals in microgravity using a new method to test the metabolic impacts of drug compounds. This could lead to more effective, less expensive drugs.

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Microbial Tracking-2 (MT-2):

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Today the crew collected surface and air samples at different locations throughout the station then placed them inside a Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) in support of the Microbial Tracking-2 investigation. MT-2 monitors the different types of microbes that are present on ISS over a 1 year period. After the samples are returned to Earth, a molecular analysis of the RNA and DNA will be conducted to identify the specific microbes that are present on ISS in order to understand the microbial flora diversity on the ISS and how it changes over time.

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Genes in Space-5:

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For the Genes in Space experiment the crew processed samples in the Miniature Polymerase Chain Reaction (miniPCR), and then transferred the data for downlink. The Genes in Space investigation is a winning student-designed experiment that tests whether the polymerase chain reaction can be used to study DNA alterations onboard the ISS. Spaceflight causes many changes to the human body, including alterations in DNA and a weakened immune system. Understanding whether these two processes are linked is important for safeguarding crew health, but DNA technology that can track these changes is relatively untested in space.

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Materials ISS Experiment – Flight Facility (MISSE-FF):

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The ground opened the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock (JEMAL) inner hatch and extended the slide table into the JEM. The crew then reconfigured the JEM ORU Transfer Interface (JOTI) and installed the MISSE-FF Transfer Tray (MTT) on the slide table and loaded it with 4 MISSE Sample Carriers. The slide table was retracted back into the JEMAL and the later today the Airlock will be depressurized and vented. MISSE-FF will be a permanent external platform on the ISS that is modular and robotically serviceable. Remotely controllable sample carriers will provide sample protection and on-demand picture data previously unavailable on prior experiments. Sample plates containing a variety of surface materials will be exposed to the space environment outside the ISS for varying durations to inform satellite designers on how different materials degrade over time.

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MetOx Regeneration Termination:

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Today the crew terminated a regeneration cycle on two MetOx canisters scheduled for use during an upcoming EVA. MetOx canisters are reusable carbon dioxide (CO2) removal devices used by Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs) during EVA. The approximately 14 hour regeneration process is required to restore their CO2 scrubbing capability.

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Eye Exams:

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Today the 54S crew completed the second day of routine eye exams using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and a Fundoscope. Eye exams are performed regularly onboard in order to monitor crewmembers eye health. Eyesight is one of the many aspects of the human body that is affected by long-duration stays in a microgravity environment.

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Dragon Cargo Operations:

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The crew continued with Dragon cargo operations today. Over the next several days, the crew will remove the final ascent items still stowed in the Dragon capsule and begin loading items identified for return on SpaceX-14.

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Dragon Robotic Operations:

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Last night, robotics ground controllers performed a Mobile Transporter (MT) translation from Worksite (WS)8 to WS6, stowed the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) on the Mobile Base System (MBS) and walked Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) off the MT to Node 2 Power Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF). Today, ground controllers extracted the Atmosphere Space Interaction Monitor (ASIM) payload from the Dragon Trunk and installed the hardware onto the Columbus External Payloads Facility (CEPF) starboard facing adaptor plate. Later today, they will remove the degraded Pump Flow Control Subassembly (PFCS) from the Enhanced ORU Temporary Platform (EOTP) and install the unit in the Dragon Trunk for disposal.

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[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2018/04/16/medicine-and-mice-research-all-week-long-for-astro-scientists/

Medicine and Mice Research All Week Long for Astro-Scientists

Mark Garcia
Posted Apr 16, 2018 at 1:36 pm


The clear blue waters surrounding the islands of the Bahamas were pictured April 4, 2018 from an Expedition 55 crew member aboard the space station.

Scientists on the ground and in space this week are exploring a wide variety of phenomena affecting humans living in space. The ongoing life scienceaboard the International Space Station is designed to improve astronauts'health in space and benefit people on Earth.

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Medicine plays an important role in an astronaut's health and doctors want to know more about how drug therapies work in space. NASA Flight Engineer Drew Feustel supported the medicine research today and injected human tissue samples with a drug compound for the Metabolic Tracking study. Those samples will be incubated then frozen before returning to Earth to be analyzed. Results may help the pharmaceutical industry design better, cheaper drugs for humans on Earth and in space.

Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai is tending to mice today, cleaning their habitats and preparing for a week-long run of the Mouse Stress Defense experiment. The Expedition 55 crew and doctors on Earth are observing the mice to understand the processes leading to muscle and bone loss in microgravity. Researchers are testing therapies that may prevent the physiological signals and stresses in space that lead to a weakened musculoskeletal system.

Other important space research taking place throughout the week will look at how plants grow off Earth possibly sustaining future crews and improving Earth agriculture. The crew will also test the new Miniature Exercise Device-2 for providing a range of motion and resistance exercise while taking up less space aboard the station.

More external cargo operations took place outside the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship over the weekend. Robotics controllers remotely operating the Canadarm2 stowed a failed pump flow control sub-assembly (PFCS) in Dragon's trunk ahead of a May spacewalk. That spacewalk will see two astronauts work outside the station to relocate a series of spare sub-assemblies for functional testing.

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[tnt22]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/16/nasa-could-extend-space-station-expeditions-as-hedge-against-commercial-crew-delays/

NASA could extend space station stays as hedge against commercial crew delays
April 16, 2018 | Stephen Clark


File photo of acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

NASA is working with the Russian space agency to potentially extend crew stays on the International Space Station, the agency's acting administrator said last week, as a cushion against expected delays in the development of commercial crew capsules by Boeing and SpaceX.

Robert Lightfoot, who has led the U.S. space agency on an interim basis since January 2017, told lawmakers Thursday that NASA is looking for ways to ensure U.S. astronauts can fly to the space station in case commercial spaceships designed by Boeing and SpaceX are not operational by the time a transportation contract with Russia expires in late 2019.

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One option already under study is potentially extending the first piloted test flights of the commercial crew ships fr om two days up to six months. NASA recently updated its commercial crew contract with Boeing, giving officials the option to lengthen the first piloted test flight of the company's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft from two weeks to six months, along with the possible addition of a third crew member.

The space agency said it would consider a similar arrangement with SpaceX if the company proposes it.

Lightfoot, who is retiring at the end of April, told a House appropriations subcommittee Thursday that NASA does not expect a gap in crew access to the space station between the end of Soyuz missions under contract with U.S. astronauts and the start of regular space station crew rotation flights by Boeing and SpaceX.

But the Government Accountability Office in January reported that the schedules are likely to fall behind NASA's current projection, which anticipates Boeing and SpaceX's vehicles completing their uncrewed and crewed demonstration missions by the spring of 2019.

The GAO's report said certification of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule for operational crew rotation missions is likely to slip until December 2019, with Boeing's final certification likely to occur in February 2020.

Lightfoot said NASA is taking further steps to minimize the impact of further commercial crew delays, including the possibility of lengthening the time astronauts live and work on the space station.

"We're working with all our partners and working all the options, but right now we know we still show margin," Lightfoot said.

"One thing we have is a great relationship with our Russian partners, and we're looking at other alternatives about potentially extending the mission durations for the current missions that are there," he said.


File photo of NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold boarding a Soyuz spacecraft during testing at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov

Space station crews typically spend around six months in orbit, but some crew members have stayed longer. NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko spent 340 days on the space station in 2015 and 2016. Astronaut Peggy Whitson returned from an extended 288-day mission in September.

Scientists are eager for more astronauts to stay on the space station for longer missions. The long-duration missions give researchers important data about how extended exposure to microgravity and radiation affects the human body.

Joel Montalbano, NASA's deputy space station program manager, said April 1 that scientists have asked station officials to find 10 to 12 slots for year-long crew members. There are no firm plans to send a crew to the station for a year, but NASA continues to look for an opportunity, Montalbano said.

"We're looking at ways to ... extend stays that we have currently on the station with the seats that we do have left through the Soyuz program," Lightfoot said Thursday.

NASA is not planning to buy more Soyuz seats from Russia, but officials have previously said that once the commercial crew spacecraft are operational, the station partners plan to accommodate at least one U.S. astronaut and one Russian cosmonaut on each launch. The in-kind arrangement has been negotiated without the exchange of funds between NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.

Lightfoot said Boeing and SpaceX are "making great progress" on their commercial crew capsules. But like NASA's Space Launch System and Orion programs — part of the agency's deep space exploration plans — the commercial crew vehicles are running into difficulties as engineers build the first flight-ready models of each spacecraft.

The most recent public schedule released by NASA indicate the first test flights by the Crew Dragon and CST-100 Starliner could occur in August, but industry and government officials expect that schedule to slip. Plans to conduct the first Crew Dragon test flight with a two-person crew in November, and fly two test pilots on a CST-100 Starliner spaceship in December, are also widely considered "aggressive" by space program officials.

Lightfoot said Thursday that NASA still expects both companies to complete their unpiloted demonstration flights to Earth orbit by the end of the year. He declined to state a schedule for the crewed test flights.

"We still expect to see the first test flights at the end of this year, from both providers," he said. "These would be the uncrewed flights. We're working through that now."

The unpiloted and crewed test missions will dock with the International Space Station.

The Crew Dragon capsule will blast off on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, then parachute into the Atlantic Ocean at the end of its mission. Boeing's CST-100 Starliner will lift off on the Atlas 5 rocket, built and operated by Boeing subsidiary United Launch Alliance, then return to a parachute-assisted and airbag-cushioned touchdown at one of five landing zones in the Western United States, likely in New Mexico.

The U.S.-built ships will normally carry a crew of four to the space station, wh ere the capsules will remain docked for up to 210 days before returning the astronauts to Earth. Russian Soyuz spacecraft carry three-person crews.

"Regardless of what is going on in the rest of the world, our space cooperation with the Russians has been very good," Lightfoot said. "It's a good team. We're ready to get our flights from U.S. soil though. We're ready to get back to that."

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[tnt22]

Ricky Arnold‏Подлинная учетная запись @astro_ricky 8 ч. назад

"San Francisco has only one drawback—'tis hard to leave."~Rudyard Kipling The entire Golden State of California was visible on a magnificent transit. It receded from view far too quickly.

[tnt22]

Anton Shkaplerov‏ @Anton_Astrey 5 ч.5 назад

Готовлюсь к съемкам в продолжении Бэтмена. Ну правда ведь в маске я похож на Бэйна? Это я шучу, конечно же, на самом деле здесь мы работаем над серьезным экспериментом "Профилактика-2". Я - испытуемый, а @olegmks - помогающий, берет кровь и анализирует.

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2018/04/16/iss-daily-summary-report-4162018/

ISS Daily Summary Report – 4/16/2018

Metabolic Tracking (MT):

Спойлер

Earlier today the crew set up the MT hardware and materials for thawing and inoculation. They then injected the thawed inoculum into multiwell BioCells, and ins erted them into a NanoRacks Plate Reader. The crew also took samples from the BioCell B group and placed them into a Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI). The Metabolic Tracking investigation evaluates a rapid, low-cost method for assessing the effects of therapeutic compounds in microgravity. The method contributes to development of custom plans for emergency medical treatment for crew members, using primary tissue samples. This investigation also determines the feasibility of developing improved pharmaceuticals in microgravity using a new method to test the metabolic impacts of drug compounds. This could lead to more effective, less expensive drugs.

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Human Research Program (HRP) Collections (Biochemical Profile and Repository):

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A 53S crewmember collected blood and urine samples yesterday and today for his FD120 session of the Biochem Profile investigation. A 54S crewmember collected urine samples today for his FD30 Biochem Profile session. The Biochemical Profile experiment tests blood and urine samples obtained from astronauts before, during, and after spaceflight. Specific proteins and chemicals in the samples are used as biomarkers, or indicators of health. Post-flight analysis yields a database of samples and test results; which scientists can use to study the effects of spaceflight on the body.

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Mouse Stress Defense:

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The crew temporarily relocated the Mouse Habitat Cage Units from the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) to the Glove Box to perform maintenance on the cage units. They replaced waste collecting equipment and odor filters. Microgravity provokes cellular mechanical stresses and perturbs cellular signaling, leading to reduction of muscle and bone density. To overcome these stresses, one of the promising strategies is to activate Nrf2, a master regulator of antioxidant pathway. Mouse Stress Defense investigates how Nrf2 contributes to effective prevention of space-originated stresses.

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Using Brachypodium distachyon to Investigate Monocot Plant Adaptation to Spaceflight (APEX-06):

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The crew harvested the plants for the APEX-06 investigation today. They took photographs of all 12 science containers and then preserved samples and placed them into a MELFI. The APEX-06 experiment investigates the growth of the common grass species Brachypodium distachyon in the microgravity environment of space. The grasses grow from seedlings aboard the ISS, and are returned as frozen samples to Earth-based labs for detailed analysis and comparison with Earth-based control groups. APEX-06 aims to compare the growth and gene-expression patterns of Brachypodium distachyon with those of the dicotyledonous model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which has been extensively studied in space and whose behavior in microgravity is better understood.

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Advanced Imaging, Folding, and Assembly of Colloidal Molecules (ACE-T-9):

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Today the crew ins erted the ACE-T-9 module inside of the Light Microscopy Module (LMM) auxiliary fluids container. The ACE-T-9 experiment involves the imaging, folding, and assembly of complex colloidal molecules within a fluid medium. This se t of experiments prepares for future colloidal studies and also provides insight in to the relationship between particle shape, colloidal interaction, and structure. These so-called "colloidal molecules" are vital to the design of new and more stable product mixtures.

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AstroPi:

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Today the crew transferred the AstroPi with the infrared camera to the Node 1 nadir hatch window for execution of student software for the European AstroPi Challenge 2017-2018. AstroPis are augmented Raspberry Pi computers equipped with the mighty Sense Hardware Attached on Top (HAT) that measures the environment inside the ISS, detect how the station moves through space, and pick up the Earth's magnetic field. One of the AstroPis has an infrared camera and the other has a standard visible spectrum camera.

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Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS-Neutron (RaDI-N):

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Today the crew retrieved eight RaDI-N detectors from a Node 3 location and handed them over to a Russian crewmember for processing. This Canadian Space Agency (CSA) investigation measures neutron radiation levels while onboard the ISS. Bubble detectors used as neutron monitors are designed to only detect neutrons.

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Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Maintenance:

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The crew completed a loop scrub on Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs) #3004 and #3008 loop, iodination of the ion filters, and water conductivity tests. These activities are nominally performed every 90 days.

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Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) Operations:

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Yesterday, the Robotics Ground Controllers stowed the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) on Mobile Base System (MBS) Power Data Grapple Fixture 2 (PDGF2). Next they walked the SSRMS off Node 2 onto MBS PDGF3 and unstowed the SPDM. Then, after having rotated the SPDM Enhanced Orbital Replaceable Unit (ORU) Temporary Platform (EOTP), they maneuvered SPDM Arm 2 to unstow Robot Micro Conical Tool 2 (RMCT2) from SPDM Tool Holder Assembly 2 (THA2). Earlier today, ground controllers retrieved the Material on ISS Experiment – Flight Facility (MISSE-FF) Transfer Tray (MTT) from the JEM Airlock. The Mobile Transporter (MT) was then moved from worksite 6 (port side) to worksite 2 (stbd side).

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[tnt22]

Anton Shkaplerov‏ @Anton_Astrey 1 ч. назад

Удалось сфотографировать любимые курорты многих россиян – #Сочи и #Адлер. На втором снимке прекрасно видны спортивные объекты, где в 2014 году проходили XXII зимние Олимпийские игры.

[tnt22]

Oleg Artemyev‏Подлинная учетная запись @OlegMKS 4 ч. назад

#Байконур — город, расположенный около первого и крупнейшего космодрома.

Это мой любимый и родной город, который фотографирую чаще всего. Именно с Ленинском (так раньше назывался город) связано всё мое детство, здесь же я окончил школу.

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2018/04/17/station-set-to-orbit-higher-as-crew-performs-biomedical-tests/

Station Set to Orbit Higher as Crew Performs Biomedical Tests
Mark Garcia
Posted Apr 17, 2018 at 1:59 pm


Expedition 55 Flight Engineer Drew Feustel of NASA is inside the Japanese Kibo laboratory module talking to dignitaries on Earth, including university officials, musicians and scientists, during an educational event that took place at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

The International Space Station is set to raise its orbit Wednesday ahead of upcoming cargo and crew missions. Meanwhile, the six Expedition 55 crew members are staying busy today with medical tests, cargo work and lab maintenance.

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The space station will increase its altitude slightly when a docked Russian cargo craft automatically fires its engines for two minutes and six seconds early Wednesday. The maneuver will establish the correct orbit for the landing of three crew members in June and a two-orbit rendezvous capability for the next Russian Progress resupply craft in July.

Flight Engineer Scott Tingle collected and stowed his own urine sample today for a pair of biomedical studies examining the effects of spaceflight on the human body. The U.S. Navy pilot also continued operations for the Metabolic Tracking (MT) experiment that observes how human tissue samples are impacted by a specific drug compound.

Expedition 55-56 crewmates Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold checked each other's eyes today using optical coherence tomography gear inside the Harmony module. Feustel also installed and checked the station's first updated printer since 2000 before wrapping up his day unloading cargo from the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft. Arnold finally collected water samples and changed out a cartridge as part of preventative maintenance on a U.S. oxygen generator.

Astronaut Norishige Kanai from Japan continued more upkeep work for the Mouse Stress Defense experiment that is exploring the causes of muscle and bone loss in space. The busy flight engineer later assisted his fellow crew members unloading SpaceX cargo before injecting human tissue samples with a drug compound for the MT study.

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Expedition 55 Education Inflight Interview - Frostburg State University, April 9, 2018

NASA Video

Опубликовано: 16 апр. 2018 г.

 (25:29)

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http://tass.ru/obschestvo/5134770

Космонавты МКС провели урок географии для студентов Казанского федерального университета

Общество | 17 апреля, 17:25UTC+3

Космонавты рассказали студентам, как проходит съемка природных объектов с борта МКС


Антон Шкаплеров и Олег Артемьев
© Александр Рюмин/ТАСС

КАЗАНЬ, 17 апреля. /ТАСС/. Космонавты Антон Шкаплеров и Олег Артемьев провели урок географии для студентов Казанского федерального университета и артековцев с борта Международной космической станции. Занятие прошло во время телемоста "Казанский федеральный университет - Международная космическая станция", сообщает пресс-служба вуза во вторник.

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"Участники телемоста смогли ознакомиться с презентацией не имеющего аналогов в мире образовательного проекта "Уроки географии с орбитальной высоты", над которым трудятся, в том числе, сотрудники Казанского федерального университета. Как отметили космонавты, они проводят съемку ряда природных объектов специально для проекта "Уроки географии с орбитальной высоты". Также была продемонстрирована технология производства фотоматериалов с борта МКС. Антон Шкаплеров и Олег Артемьев рассказали о своей работе на Международной космической станции, а также провели урок географии для артековцев и студентов Казанского федерального университета", - отмечается в сообщении Казанского федерального университета.

Уроженец Крыма Антон Шакплеров рассказал о географии родного полуострова, строительстве Крымского моста, Ростове-на-Дону, Волгограде и других территориях. По словам космонавтов, хозяйственная деятельность сильно повлияла на облик Земли. С помощью фотографии космонавты могут отслеживать изменения экологической обстановки на планете. Фотоснимки в дальнейшем отправляются ученым для анализа происходящих процессов.

"Уроки географии с орбитальный высоты" - совместный проект Казанского федерального университета, Ракетно-космической корпорации "Энергия" им. С. П. Королева и Института географии Российской академии наук. На данный момент есть четыре раздела образовательного курса - "Горы", "Озера", "Снежный покров и ледники", "Население и расселение мира". Каждый из них содержит от 150 до 200 фотографий, сделанных российскими космонавтами и текстовое сопровождение, разработанное учеными и педагогами Казани и Москвы.

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https://www.roscosmos.ru/24952/

РОСКОСМОС. УРОК ГЕОГРАФИИ ИЗ КОСМОСА В АРТЕКЕ
18.04.2018 11:19

17 апреля 2018 года в рамках профориентационной смены Госкорпорации «РОСКОСМОС» в МДЦ «Артек» «Первая космическая» - «Подними голову» состоялся урок из космоса по географии, который провели для ребят российские космонавты Антон ШКАПЛЕРОВ и Олег АРТЕМЬЕВ с борта Международной космической станции.

Организаторами урока выступили Госкорпорация «РОСКОСМОС» и лаборатория картографии Института географии РАН, соорганизаторами - кафедра географии и картографии Казанского федерального университета, МДЦ «Артек», РКК «Энергия» и Центр управления полетами ЦНИИмаш.

Участники смены в МДЦ «Артек», а также студенты и аспиранты Казанского федерального университета проследили путь МКС от Бразилии до Алтая. По ходу движения орбитальной станции космонавты давали краткую характеристику регионам, над которыми они пролетали. На уроке затрагивались вопросы расселения, ландшафта регионов, проблема загрязнения городов. В конце мероприятия у ребят была возможность задать вопросы.

Прошедший урок входит в цикл «Уроков географии с орбитальной высоты», научным руководителем данного проекта является ДЕСИНОВ Лев Васильевич, профессор РАН.

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http://tass.ru/obschestvo/5135159

Российские космонавты с борта МКС направили видеоприветствие участникам ЯМЭФ

Общество | 17 апреля, 19:03UTC+3

Антон Шкаплеров и Олег Артемьев пожелали участникам форума плодотворной работы и поблагодарили организаторов деловой площадки

СИМФЕРОПОЛЬ, 17 апреля. /ТАСС/. Российские космонавты в составе долговременной космической экспедиции МКС-55 Антон Шкаплеров и Олег Артемьев направили видеоприветствие участникам и гостям IV Ялтинского международного экономического форума (ЯМЭФ), пожелав им успешной работы, сообщили во вторник в пресс-службе форума.

Спойлер

"Приветствуем вас и поздравляем с открытием IV Ялтинского международного экономического форума. Проведение форума стало уже доброй традицией. Надеюсь, Ялтинский международный экономический форум внесет ценный вклад в закрепление и развитие позитивных тенденций, которые сейчас происходят в Крыму, а также будет способствовать реализации новых полезных инициатив", - сказал в видеообращении Шкаплеров.

Артемьев пожелал участникам форума плодотворной работы и поблагодарил организаторов деловой площадки.

"Желаем участникам форума сохранить набранный темп, приумножить богатый опыт международного и межрегионального сотрудничества", - сказал космонавт.

Для записи обращения на орбиту доставили флаг фонда ЯМЭФ. Космонавты записали видеоприветствие в одном из отсеков станции. Обращаясь к участникам форума, Шкаплеров и Артемьев держали в руках развернутый флаг фонда ЯМЭФ.

Четвертый Ялтинский международный экономический форум пройдет 19-21 апреля. Его главная тема - "Будущее мира. Будущее России". ТАСС выступает стратегическим информационным партнером и официальным фотохост-агентством форума.

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/17/potential-contamination-not-a-concern-for-space-stations-new-lightning-instrument/

Potential contamination not a concern for space station's new lightning instrument
April 17, 2018 | Stephen Clark


A view inside the Dragon spacecraft's trunk, housing (clockwise fr om upper left) the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, the Materials ISS Experiment Flight Facility — a materials exposure experiment platform — and the Pump Flow and Control Subassembly. Credit: SpaceX

Scientists working on a new lightning detection instrument mounted outside the International Space Station said Tuesday they expect little effect on the sensor's performance fr om possible contamination from the upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that launched it into orbit April 2.

The Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, an instrument developed in Denmark and funded by the European Space Agency, was attached to an observation post outside the space station's European Columbus lab module Friday, then powered up for a six-week calibration and commissioning campaign.

The science payload was activated sooner than expected, and an initial checkout of computers and sensors was accomplished over the weekend, according to Ole Hartnack, ASIM project manager at Terma A/S, the Danish company that led the technical development of the instrument.

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Hartnack told Spaceflight Now on Tuesday that scientists are examining "possible contamination" on cameras that will be used to detect optical flashes associated with lightning.

But the potential contamination on ASIM's Modular Multispectral Imaging Array — a pair of light-sensitive optical cameras — is not expected to degrade the instrument's scientific performance, officials said.

"We have been assessing possible contamination of the MMIA cameras from (the) Falcon 9 second stage engine, however, we do not expect any problems or issues at this point based on the information we have received from SpaceX," Hartnack said. "Furthermore, all cameras do have a decontamination system which can be activated if performance issues will be identified, which to my understanding is not likely for now."

Torsten Neubert, the ASIM science team coordinator at the Technical University of Denmark, added: "We do not anticipate issues here, because our optical lenses carry decontamination heaters."

The 692-pound (314-kilogram) ASIM instrument launched April 2 from Cape Canaveral inside the trunk of a SpaceX Dragon cargo craft, alongside a platform containing materials exposure experiments and a refurbished spare pump for the space station's coolant system.

SpaceX said in a statement that it has heard of no performance issues on any of the three payloads launched inside Dragon's trunk section, and the decision to call off a Falcon 9 launch attempt Monday with NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite was not related to the April 2 launch.

The statement did not say whether SpaceX had studied the contamination concern.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=5ehN5NxvNBk

After the Dragon capsule arrived at the station April 4, the research lab's Canadian-built robotic arm — with the help of its two-armed appendage nicknamed Dextre — extracted the three trunk payloads, one at a time.

It was ASIM's turn Friday after smooth transfers of the external experiment-carrier, known as MISSE-FF, and the coolant pump to their new homes outside the space station.

The Dextre robot grabbed the ASIM instrument package — about the size of a mini-refrigerator — and pulled it out of the Dragon cargo bay for the move over to ESA's Columbus module. Ground controllers wanted to get the instrument plugged into power on Columbus within six hours from the time its heaters were disconnected inside the Dragon trunk.

The transfer took about four-and-a-half hours, and Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai flipped switches inside the space station apply power to the new instrument.

According to Hartnack, ASIM's initial checkout after power-up occurred as planned.

"We have performed the initial checkout of computers and instruments during the weekend, and everything works fine and as expected," he said.

Despite the initial contamination concern, the instrument's optical cameras registered their first Transient Luminous Events, or TLEs, late Monday, Hartnack said.

TLEs are electrical discharges high in the atmosphere above large thunderstorms, often manifesting themselves as red sprites or blue jets and sometimes visible on dark nights, especially from aircraft. Phenomena known as elves are the most difficult to detect, requiring special photographic equipment.


This diagram illustrates the relationship between thunderstorms and Transient Luminous Events like sprites, jets and elves. Credit: DTU Space

Long theorized with sporadic observations which were spread by word-of-mouth, bright electrical bursts above thunderstorms were first documented in 1989.

In addition to the two light-sensitive optical cameras, ASIM also carries sensors to detect X-ray and gamma-ray emissions from thunderstorms. Scientists hope to correlate the high-energy emissions with simultaneous optical observations of high-altitude lightning.

Scientists know little about how the discharges are triggered, or how they reach so high in the atmosphere, near the edge of space, Neubert said before the April 2 launch.

Lightning processes are slowed at high altitude, Neubert said, making it a good laboratory for studying how electrical discharges emanate through the atmosphere.

"They are really lightning, except they are lightning processes in the upper atmosphere," Neubert said of sprites and jets. "So they look a little bit different, but if we understand them, we'll also understand normal lightning much better."

Scientists also hope to study lightning's effects on ozone and other gases in the atmosphere during the nearly $50 million (40 million euro) instrument's two-year observing campaign.

ASIM will point down at Earth from the space station's 250-mile-high (400-kilometer) orbit, which covers the regions of the planet wh ere most thunderstorms form and strengthen. Parts of the instrument's payload were also contributed by scientists in Norway, Poland and Spain.


Artist's illustration of the ASIM instrument's location (at bottom left) on the Columbus module. Credit: ESA–D. Ducros

In addition to research into lightning formation and electrical processes above thunderstorms, the European instrument could also detect meteors entering Earth's atmosphere.

Part of the calibration effort in the coming weeks will involve determining wh ere to set limits in on-board software to decide whether the instrument's computer should flag an image for downlink to Earth. Scientists don't want to overload the pipeline of data coming from the space station with too many images.

"Setting the levels will be a matter of trial and error – setting the trigger too low will flood the network with images that are of no use, too high and some thunderstorms will not be recorded," ESA said in a statement.

Regular science observations should begin by late May.

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