Новости МКС

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https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/3d-printing-biology-research-journey-back-to-earth-in-spacex-20-dragon

April 3, 2020

3D Printing, Biology Research Make the Journey Back to Earth aboard SpaceX's Dragon

On March 9, 2020, a Dragon cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station carrying dozens of scientific experiments as a part of SpaceX's 20th cargo resupply mission. Now, Dragon heads home. On April 7, it is scheduled to undock from station, bringing samples, hardware and data from completed investigations back to Earth on its return trip.

Here are details on some of the investigations returning to the ground for further analysis and reporting of results.

Generating a nutritional meal

Planning ways to supply food for a multi-year mission on the Moon or Mars while keeping astronauts healthy on the long trip may require making fresh food and nutrients in space. BioNutrients demonstrates a technology that enables on-demand production of nutrients needed for during long-duration space missions.


These BioNutrients packets aboard the International Space Station demonstrate a technology that enables on-demand production of human nutrients during long-duration space missions.
Credits: NASA

The process uses microbes, such as baker's yeast, expressly engineered to make fresh nutrients for human consumption starting from dry powdered media -- food for the yeast -- and water. The fresh nutrients can supplement potential vitamin losses from food that is stored for very long periods. Over the five-year period of the demonstration, astronauts intermittently activate specially designed packets containing the yeast -- or other microorganisms, in the future -- and their food. They warm the packets for two days to allow the yeast to do its job, growing and producing the desired nutrients, and then freeze them for return to Earth for analysis. These tests will allow scientists to check how long their specially engineered yeast can be stored on the shelf and still be able to churn out fresh nutrients that humans need to stay healthy in space. Some samples will be returning on this SpaceX Dragon capsule. Although designed for space, this system also could help provide nutrition for people in remote areas of our planet.


NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan works with packets for the BioNutrients investigation aboard the space station.
Credits: NASA

Toward printing human organs in space

Biological printing of the tiny, complex structures found inside human organs, such as capillaries, has proven difficult in Earth's gravity. Under Earth's gravity, an initial scaffolding, or support structure, is necessary to form the desired shape of the tissue. The BioFabrication Facility (BFF) attempts to take the first steps toward printing human organs and tissues in microgravity using ultra-fine layers of bioink that may be several times smaller than the width of a human hair. This research is part of a long-term plan to manufacture entire human organs in space using refined biological 3D printing techniques.


NASA astronaut Christina Koch handles media bags for the BioFabrication Facility (BFF), a 3D biological printer that could become a part of a larger system capable of manufacturing fully functioning human organs in microgravity.
Credits: NASA

Launched to station in July 2019 on the 18th SpaceX cargo resupply flight, the facility now comes back to Earth. According to Techshot President and CEO John Vellinger, the facility has proven basic functionality. The team is bringing the facility back to Earth to make upgrades that will enable high throughput use when it returns to the space station.

Helping the heart

The Engineered Heart Tissues study looks at how human heart tissue functions in space. It uses unique 3D tissues made from heart cells derived from human induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSCs), essentially adult stem cells. The engineered heart tissues, or EHTs, are complex 3D structures, each about the size of a few grains of rice. These structures are more similar to tissues in the body than flat cell cultures in a petri dish or those floating in a flask of liquid.


NASA astronaut Jessica Meir works on a media change for the Engineered Heart Tissues investigation inside the Life Sciences Glovebox.
Credits: NASA

Researchers expect significant differences in function, structure and gene expression between EHTs in microgravity and those on the ground. Understanding these differences could help them find ways to prevent or mitigate problematic changes on future long-duration missions. The hardware developed for the experiment also has created advanced, more efficient and more cost-effective technology for use on Earth. Researchers are bringing some EHTs back to Earth to see whether they recover from changes thought to occur in microgravity.

Biofilm festival

Samples from the Space Biofilms investigation, which examines microbial species and their formation of biofilms, are returning on Dragon. Biofilms are collections of one or more types of microorganisms - including bacteria, fungi and protists - that grow on wet surfaces. In spacecraft, biofilm formation can cause equipment malfunction and human illness, and it could pose a serious problem on future long-term human space missions. Better control of biofilms may help maintain crewed spacecraft and protect the health and safety of crew members as well as help prevent the introduction of Earth-based microbes to planetary bodies on which humans land.


NASA astronaut Christina Koch conducts operations for Space Biofilms. This investigation examines microbial species and their formation of biofilms, communities of microorganisms that attach to each other and to different surfaces.
Credits: NASA

Examining amyloid formation in microgravity

The Ring Sheared Drop investigation takes advantage of the fact that fluids float in microgravity, allowing researchers to examine formation of amyloid fibrils in liquids held together by surface tension rather than by a container. Amyloids are abnormal fibrous deposits found in organs and tissues and are associated with neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. These proteins can denature -- or lose characteristic properties -- and precipitate, or come out of solution. As they accumulate over time, they may disrupt the healthy function of tissues and organs. Results from this experiment could contribute to a better understanding of and treatments for these neurodegenerative diseases. Data on the flow of liquids without the complications associated with solid walls also could contribute to development of advanced materials. Samples from this experiment are returning on Dragon.


NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Nick Hague are pictured inside the U.S. Destiny laboratory module. Hague
was setting up the Microgravity Sciences Glovebox to begin operations for the Ring-Sheared Drop experiment
to understand how fluids flow in the human body and other materials.
Credits: NASA


These are just a few of the many investigations currently being conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory. ...

Erin Winick

International Space Station Program Research Office
Johnson Space Center

Last Updated: April 3, 2020
Editor: Michael Johnson

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/04/06/boeing-to-fly-second-uncrewed-orbital-flight-test-for-nasa/

Boeing to Fly Second Uncrewed Orbital Flight Test for NASA

Marie Lewis
Posted Apr 6, 2020 at 7:19 pm

Boeing has decided to fly a second uncrewed flight test as a part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Although no new launch date has been set, NASA has accepted the proposal to fly the mission again and will work side-by-side with Boeing to resume flight tests to the International Space Station on the company's CST-100 Starliner system.

The agency's Commercial Crew Program is a unique approach to human spaceflight in which NASA provides a set of mission and safety requirements and private companies, like Boeing and SpaceX, propose their own unique strategies to prove the systems meet the intent of the requirements. Consistent with that approach, Boeing had the responsibility to bring NASA its proposal on how to proceed with the flights.

An uncrewed flight test originally was proposed by Boeing to demonstrate the Starliner system could perform as designed to fly to the space station prior to having a crew onboard. With that proposal, the uncrewed flight became a part of the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract in 2014 between NASA and Boeing.

Although many of the objectives of Boeing's first uncrewed flight test in December 2019 were accomplished, Boeing decided the best approach to meeting the agency's requirements would be to fly the mission again, including docking with the space station. Data from the next and previous flight test will be used as part of NASA's process of certifying Boeing's crew transportation system for carrying astronauts to and from the space station.

If Boeing would have proposed a crewed mission as the next flight, NASA would have completed a detailed review and analysis of the proposal to determine the feasibility of the plan. However, as this was not the recommendation made by Boeing, NASA will not speculate on what the agency would have required.

The second uncrewed flight does not relieve Boeing from completing all the actions determined from the joint NASA/Boeing independent review team, which was commissioned following the flawed initial flight.  NASA still intends to conduct the needed oversight to make sure those corrective actions are taken.

NASA and Boeing are in the early stages of the decision to fly a second uncrewed orbital mission to the station, and a timeline for flying crew has not been determined.

Although completing a second uncrewed flight test was not in the timeline for returning U.S. human spaceflight on Starliner, NASA fully supports our Boeing partner's commitment to flying astronauts as safely as possible.

This is exactly why NASA decided to select two partners in the commercial crew effort. Having dissimilar redundancy is key in NASA's approach to maintaining a crew and cargo aboard the space station and to keeping our commitments to international partners. It also allows our private industry partners to focus on crew safety rather than schedule. The safety of our commercial crew team always will remain as our top priority.

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2020/04/06/nasa-tv-broadcasts-dragon-departure-tuesday-morning/

NASA TV Broadcasts Dragon Departure Tuesday Morning

Mark Garcia
Posted Apr 6, 2020 at 7:22 pm


Astronaut Andrew Morgan will monitor the departure of the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship when ground controllers command its robotic release Tuesday morning.

Filled with more than 4,000 pounds of valuable scientific experiments and other cargo, a SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft is set to leave the International Space Station Tuesday, April 7. NASA Television and the agency's website will broadcast its departure live beginning at 8:45 a.m. EDT.

Robotic flight controllers at mission control in Houston will issue commands to release Dragon using the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm, and Expedition 62 Flight Engineer Andrew Morgan of NASA will back up the ground controllers and monitor Dragon's systems as it departs the orbital laboratory.

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https://tass.ru/kosmos/8176867

7 АПР, 03:32
В Boeing рассчитывают провести новый беспилотный полет корабля Starliner этой осенью
Детали еще не подтверждены

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 7 апреля. /Корр. ТАСС Иван Пильщиков/. Американская корпорация Boeing предполагает, что новый испытательный полет ее корабля Starliner без экипажа будет проведен осенью 2020 года. Об этом сообщила в понедельник корреспонденту ТАСС официальный представитель компании Ребекка Риган.

"Boeing взаимодействует с Национальным управлением США по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства (NASA), чтобы определить приемлемые сроки второго испытательного орбитального полета, - сказала она. - Хотя детали еще не подтверждены, мы ожидаем, что полет состоится осенью 2020 года".

"Мы решили вновь провести испытательный орбитальный полет, чтобы продемонстрировать качество систем Starliner, - говорится в заявлении, опубликованном ранее в понедельник. - Еще один полет в беспилотном режиме позволит нам выполнить все задачи летных испытаний и оценить работу второго корабля Starliner без каких-либо затрат для налогоплательщиков". В компании пояснили, что лишь после этого компания намерена "доставить астронавтов на МКС".

 Скрытый текст:

Starliner был запущен 20 декабря 2019 года в беспилотном режиме к Международной космической станции (МКС) с авиабазы на мысе Канаверал (штат Флорида) с помощью ракеты-носителя Atlas V. Из-за технических неполадок запланированная стыковка корабля с орбитальным комплексом была отменена. Одной из причин был признан сбой в системе подсчета полетного времени. В итоге корабль был возвращен на Землю.

Новый американский корабль Starliner, разработанный Boeing, имеет массу 13 тонн. Он рассчитан на экипаж из семи человек и способен в течение 60 часов осуществлять автономный полет.

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10:50 ДМВ

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12:45 ДМВ

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13:30 ДМВ

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Дракон отстыкован от стыковочного узла между 13:30 и 13:33 ДМВ

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Начат отвод Дракона от МКС на безопасное расстояние (~13:50 ДМВ)

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О5 вошли в тень

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Всё готово к освобождению Дракона

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CAPCOM подтвердил готовность SSRMS к освобождению Дракона. Будет окно на освобождение с 13:05 до 13:26 UTC

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/04/07/dragon-crs-20-deorbit-splashdown/

04/07/2020 15:29 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Dragon cargo freighter will depart the International Space Station Tuesday and return to Earth, wrapping up the 20th and final visit to the orbiting research complex for the current version of SpaceX's supply ship before an upgraded Dragon starts launching later this year.

The automated Dragon supply ship will be released fr om the space station's Canadian-built robotic arm shortly after 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT).

Once Dragon flies to a safe distance from the station, the spacecraft will close the door to its guidance, navigation and control bay, then fire its Draco thrusters around 1:58 p.m. EDT (1758 GMT) for a deorbit burn to target splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

The reusable cargo capsule will jettison its disposable trunk section to burn up in the atmosphere. The Dragon's pressurized compartment, protected by a carbon ablative heat shield, will enter the atmosphere heading northwest-to-southeast over the Pacific Ocean.

Three main parachutes will unfurl to slow the capsule for splashdown at 2:47 p.m. EDT (1847 GMT) in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Los Angeles.

A SpaceX recovery team in the Pacific will hoist the capsule out of the water and return the craft to the Port of Los Angeles, wh ere SpaceX will hand over time-sensitive research specimens and experiments to NASA and other science teams.

The Dragon cargo capsule is packed with live mice, plant cells and other biological samples.

SpaceX's 20th resupply mission to the space station arrived at the orbiting complex March 9, following a launch from Cape Canaveral aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on March 6.

The automated Dragon cargo capsule delivered 4,358 pounds (1,977 kilograms) of supplies, equipment and research investigations for the station's Expedition 62 crew.

Among the equipment delivered to the station was the European-built Bartolomeo external science platform, which was robotically installed outside the research lab's Columbus module last week.

The return of the Dragon spacecraft to Earth today marks the transition to SpaceX's next Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. SpaceX's following series of cargo missions will use a new Dragon spacecraft design known as the Dragon 2. Cargo flights to the space station using the Dragon 2 spacecraft are scheduled to begin in late October.

The Dragon 2's human-rated variant is named the Crew Dragon, which is scheduled to fly astronauts to the space station for the first time as soon as May.

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