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STS 131


Inside the ISS ;)


ISS cupola



Vulcanic eruption in Iceland

Highlights ISS

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President Obama Speaks to crew


Mission Highlights

Atlas V launches

Solar Dynamics Observatory

> Image above: A graphic shows the Solar Dynamic Observatory separating from the Centaur upper stage that propelled the spacecraft into orbit. Telemetry from the spacecraft and rocket showed a flawless beginning for the mission to study the sun in detail. Photo credit: NASA TV

SDO Launches!

The Atlas V roared to life Thursday morning to send the Solar Dynamics Observatory into space on its mission to evaluate the complex mechanisms of the sun. Liftoff came on-time at 10:23 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Florida's Atlantic Coast.

The SDO spacecraft is in good shape midway through the launch phase that will eventually place it in an elongated orbit reaching more than 21,000 miles high. Eventually, SDO's orbit will be circularized and will reach about 22,300 miles in what is called geosynchronous orbit. From that altitude, the spacecraft will point its instruments at the sun and relay the readings instantly to a ground station in New Mexico. The research is expected to reveal the sun's inner workings by constantly taking high resolution images of the sun, collecting readings from inside the sun and measuring its magnetic field activity. This data is expected to give researchers the insight they need to eventually predict solar storms and other activity on the sun that can affect spacecraft in orbit, astronauts on the International Space Station and electronic and other systems on Earth.

Proton M Russian Rocket launched !

Proton Roll Out

:: 08.02.2010

Proton-M/Breeze-M/Intelsat 16 launch campaign gets closer to its end.

Proton was rolled out this morning and transported to site 200. The operatins began at 3.30 Moscow time, and completed at 6 am. Service tower was installed after rocket erection. L-3 operations commenced.

Lift-off of Proton-M/Breeze-M with Intelsat 16 aboard is scheduled for 3:39 Moscow time on Feb. 12.

Yuzhny Space Center PAO

Photo credit: Yuzhny Space Center

Endeavour lansat !

Space Station gains a new room: Node-3 installed

12 February 2010
Almost exactly two years after the Columbus laboratory was added to the Space Station, the hi-tech Node-3, also ‘made in Europe’, was installed on the ISS this morning.

The new room with a view – the biggest window ever launched – means the astronauts will have better life-support systems, more exercise facilities and a wider view on space for monitoring, observing and relaxing.

After arriving at the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday morning and a full day of activities, astronauts Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken opened the Quest airlock hatch at 03:17 CET (02:17 UT) last night and started their spacewalk. They made their way to the Shuttle cargo bay for unberthing the combined Node-3 and Cupola. After removing the cover from Node-3’s docking port and disconnecting the cables that powered the Node’s heaters during the Shuttle’s cold journey, a signal was sent from inside the Shuttle to release the latches that held Node-3 in place.

	Node-3 and Cupola in the cargo bay of Endeavour

Node-3 was then manoeuvred using the robotic arm from the cargo bay to its attachment point on the left side of Node-1 and became a part of ISS at 7:20 CET after firmly securing it to Node-1 with electronically-diven bolts. Once Node-3 was attached, the astronauts connected avionics and power cables.

Inside the ISS, the space between the hatches of Node-1 and Node-3 was pressurised. After leak checks, Node-1’s hatch was opened. Opening of the hatch to the new Node-3 is planned for Saturday morning.

Robonaut2

NASA and General Motors are working together to accelerate development of the next generation of robots and related technologies for use in the automotive and aerospace industries.

Engineers and scientists from NASA and GM worked together through a Space Act Agreement at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston to build a new humanoid robot capable of working side by side with people. Using leading edge control, sensor and vision technologies, future robots could assist astronauts during hazardous space missions and help GM build safer cars and plants.

The two organizations, with the help of engineers from Oceaneering Space Systems of Houston, developed and built the next iteration of Robonaut. Robonaut 2, or R2, is a faster, more dexterous and more technologically advanced robot. This new generation robot can use its hands to do work beyond the scope of prior humanoid machines. R2 can work safely alongside people, a necessity both on Earth and in space.