Tag: ISS
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Japan’s HTV-4 successfully berths with the ISS
The Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle-4 (HTV-4) automated resupply spacecraft has arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) following its launch into space from the Tanegashima space center in Japan on August 3. HTV-4’s capture was at 7:22 AM EDT, ahead of berthing at 11:38 AM EDT, which marked a large delivery of critical supplies and…
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Bringing down the ISS – Plans for Station’s demise updated
The latest meeting of NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) was briefed on an updated action plan pertaining to the End Of Life (EOL) scenario for the International Space Station (ISS). The plan for a destructive deorbit of the Station is required in the event of a serious contingency resulting in the evacuation of the…
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NASA Outlines its Plans for Commercial Crew Certification
In a recent conference with its industry partners, NASA outlined the next phase of its strategy to enable the certification of commercial crew transportation systems to and from the International Space Station (ISS). The goal is to return domestic launch and transportation capability by the year 2017. Certification Strategy: Phase 1 of the certification…
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Japan’s HTV-4 launches supplies and science to the ISS
Japan’s venerable HTV spacecraft made its fourth launch to the ISS tonight, blasting off atop a H-IIB booster from the Tanegashima space center in Southern Japan at 7:48:46 PM GMT. HTV-4 is carrying a cargo of food, hygiene items, internal and external spare parts, and scientific experiments for the ISS and its crew. HTV-4 overview:…
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NASA planning ISS module relocations to support future crew vehicles
International Space Station (ISS) program managers and engineers are working on long-term plans to support future crew and cargo vehicles, including the installation of a new docking system onto the station for use by future commercial crew vehicles, along with the relocation of some Station modules, in order to free up ports for use by…
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Progress M-20M arrives at ISS with spacesuit repair tools
Russia’s Progress M-20M spacecraft, known in NASA’s numbering scheme as Progress 52 (52P), launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 8:45 PM GMT on Saturday. The spacecraft then dock to the ISS just six hours later, delivering some vital spacesuit repair tools to the station crew. Progress M-20M: Following liftoff from the Baikonur…
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NASA team close in on root cause of Luca’s leaking EMU
NASA’s Anomaly Resolution Team (ART) are continuing to investigate the cause of the water leak that terminated EVA-23 last week. Evaluations on Luca Parmitano suit have ruled out numerous root causes, with the remaining credible failure sources all in the PLSS (Portable Life Support Unit), with a sublimator, the gas trap, an I-134 filter clog…
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Frustration grows as lawmakers continue to penny pinch commercial crew
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program – one of the Agency’s key near-term priorities – is once again battling against proposed funding cuts, following the House Appropriations Committee approval of their Commerce, Justice, Science FY 2014 Appropriations Bill. The report that accompanies the bill proposes a funding reduction and a change to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)-based contracts.…
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EVA-23 terminated due to Parmitano EMU issue
NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano were hard at work outside the International Space Station (ISS) for the second time in only a week. However, the EVA was terminated, when water started to leak into Parmitano’s space suit helmet, immediately resulting in the duo heading back to the Quest Airlock. Previous EVA:…
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EVA-22: Cassidy and Parmitano complete ISS spacewalk
Expedition 36 Flight Engineers Chris Cassidy of NASA and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency have completed the first of two key EVAs on the outside of the International Space Station (ISS). The spacewalks are laying the foundations for the arrival of the Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) at the end of the year.…