Liftoff! NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Launches to International Space Station

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov onboard, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission is the ninth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Hague and Gorbunov launched at 1:17 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40…

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NASA Sets Coverage for Agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 Launch, Docking

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov walk across the crew access arm at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Credit: SpaceX NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff is targeted for 1:17 p.m. EDT, Saturday, Sept. 28, from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This is the first human spaceflight mission to launch from that pad. The targeted docking time is…

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Station Science Top News: September 20, 2024

Researchers found that eddies, or swirling wind patterns, increased moisture evaporation in an alfalfa field. A better understanding of the complex exchange of water and heat between the ground and atmosphere could improve remote sensing products and their use in agricultural water management.   The station’s ECOSTRESS instrument takes high-resolution thermal infrared measurements of Earth’s surface that provide data on changes in water availability, vegetation water stress, and agricultural water use. Researchers use observations from the USGS Landsat 8 and 9 satellites and ECOSTRESS to validate climate models and update data…

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NASA Astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Crewmates Return from Space Station

The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with Expedition 71 NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub and Oleg Kononenko, Monday, Sept. 23. Dyson is returning to Earth after logging 184 days in space as a member of Expeditions 70-71 aboard the International Space Station and Chub and Kononenko return after having spent the last 374 days in space. Credits: NASA/GCTC/Pavel Shvets NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson completed a six-month research mission aboard the International…

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NASA Sets Coverage for Astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Crewmates Return

The Roscosmos Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft is pictured docked to the International Space Station’s Prichal module in this long-duration photograph as it orbited 258 miles above Nigeria. Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub and Oleg Kononenko, will depart from the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft, and return to Earth. Dyson, Chub, and Kononenko will undock from the orbiting laboratory’s Prichal module at 4:37 a.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 23, heading for a parachute-assisted landing at 8 a.m. (5 p.m. Kazakhstan time) on…

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

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

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 SpaceX Crew-9 to Conduct Space Station Research

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

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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