Tag: Humans in Space

NASA Astronaut Tracy C. Dyson’s Scientific Mission aboard Space Station

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4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson smiles for a portrait in the vestibule between the Kibo laboratory module and the Harmony module aboard space station. NASA NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson is returning home after a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station. While on orbit, Dyson conducted an array of experiments and technology demonstrations that contribute to advancements for humanity on Earth and the agency’s trajectory to the Moon and Mars.  Here is a look at some of the…

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Station Science Top News: September 13, 2024

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JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) researchers examined the structures of four titanium-based compounds solidified in levitators in microgravity and on the ground and found that the internal microstructures were generally similar. These results could support development of new materials for use in space manufacturing. To produce glass or metal alloys on Earth, raw materials are placed into a container and heated. But reactions between the container and the materials can cause imperfections. The JAXA Electrostatic Levitation Furnace can levitate, melt, and solidify materials without a container. The facility enables measurement of the thermophysical properties of high…

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NASA’s Artemis II Crew Uses Iceland Terrain for Lunar Training

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4 Min Read NASA’s Artemis II Crew Uses Iceland Terrain for Lunar Training Credits: NASA/Trevor Graff/Robert Markowitz Black and gray sediment stretches as far as the eye can see. Boulders sit on top of ground devoid of vegetation. Humans appear almost miniature in scale against a swath of shadowy mountains. At first glance, it seems a perfect scene from an excursion on the Moon’s surface … except the people are in hiking gear, not spacesuits. Iceland has served as a lunar stand-in for training NASA astronauts since the days of…

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 to Conduct Space Station Research

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The International Space Station is pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during a fly around. NASA NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are headed to the International Space Station for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission in September. Once on station, these crew members will support scientific investigations that include studies of blood clotting, effects of moisture on plants grown in space, and vision changes in astronauts. Here are details on some of the work scheduled during the Crew-9 expedition: Blood cell development in space Megakaryocytes Orbiting…

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NASA Astronaut Don Pettit, Crewmates Arrive at Space Station

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The Soyuz rocket launches to the International Space Station with Expedition 72 crew members: NASA astronaut Don Pettit, Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner, onboard, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls NASA astronaut Don Pettit, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, arrived at the International Space Station Wednesday, bringing its number of residents to 12 for the 13-day handover period. After a two-orbit, three-hour journey to the station, the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft automatically docked to the orbiting laboratory’s…

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Starship Super Heavy Breezes Through Wind Tunnel Testing at NASA Ames

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A 1.2% scale model of the Super Heavy rocket that will launch the Starship human landing system to the Moon for future crewed Artemis missions was recently tested at NASA’s Ames Research Center’s transonic wind tunnel, providing valuable information on vehicle stability when re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. NASA Four grid fins on the Super Heavy rocket help stabilize and control the rocket as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere after launching Starship to a lunar trajectory. Engineers tested the effects of various aerodynamic conditions on several grid fin configurations during wind tunnel testing.…

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NASA Astronauts to Discuss Mission from Space Station

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NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams prepare orbital hardware for installation inside the International Space Station. Credit: NASA Media are invited to hear from NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams during an Earth to space call at 2:15 p.m. EDT, Friday, Sept. 13. The pair will participate in a news conference aboard the International Space Station in low Earth orbit. Coverage of the event will stream on NASA+, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social…

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NASA Sets Coverage for Crew Launch; Trio to Join Expedition 71

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The Roscosmos Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station with (pictured left to right) NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. Credit: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center NASA astronaut Don Pettit will launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft, accompanied by cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, to the International Space Station where they will join the Expedition 71 crew in advancing scientific research. Pettit, Ovchinin, and Vagner will lift off at 12:23 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept.…

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NASA Sets Coverage for Starliner News Conference, Return to Earth

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The American flag pictured inside the window of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft at the International Space Station. Credit: NASA NASA will provide live coverage of the upcoming activities for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft departure from the International Space Station and return to Earth. The uncrewed spacecraft will depart from the orbiting laboratory for a landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. Starliner is scheduled to autonomously undock from the space station at approximately 6:04 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 6, to begin the journey home, weather conditions permitting. NASA and Boeing…

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NASA Assigns Astronaut Jonny Kim to First Space Station Mission

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Official portrait of NASA astronaut Jonny Kim in an EMU suit. Credit: NASA During his first mission to the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will serve as a flight engineer and member of the upcoming Expedition 72/73 crew. Kim will launch on the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft in March 2025, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky. The trio will spend approximately eight months at the space station. While aboard the orbiting laboratory, Kim will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare the crew…

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