Tag: ISS
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STS-133 launch slip impacts HTV-2 and ATV-2 missions
Following the further delay of the STS-133/ULF-5 mission into late February, International Space Station (ISS) Program Managers are readjusting the mission plans for Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicle-2 (ATV-2) “Johannes Kepler” and Japan’s H-II Transfer Vehicle-2 (HTV-2) “Kounotori”. Both vehicles will be present at the ISS during the STS-133 mission, which should provide for some stunning…
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ISS Reviews Upcoming Software Changes for Visiting Vehicles
As the International Space Station prepares to enter a new era of governmental (ATV, HTV, and Progress) and commercial (SpaceX’s Dragon and Orbital’s Cygnus) unmanned resupply services, the ISS Program (ISSP) is pressing ahead with three software upgrades for the Space Station – which are aimed at accommodating multiple visiting vehicles at a single time, improving…
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ISS Managers review long-term configuration of International Space Station
International Space Station (ISS) program managers are currently in the process of conducting an assessment into the long-term configuration of the US Segment of the orbital outpost, as preparations are made for the post-Shuttle era which will see the addition of a new fleet of “Visiting Vehicles” arriving at the Station. ISS Configuration: Under current…
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Soyuz TMA-20 launches to begin busy period on ISS – Docking successful
The Russian Soyuz TMA-20, also known by its US designation of 25S, lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday at 7:09:25 PM GMT. Following a two-day free flight, TMA-20 successfully dock to the International Space Station (ISS) at the Mini Research Module-1 (MRM-1) Nadir port on Friday 17th December at 8:12 PM…
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STS-135: Downmass requests build with ISS interest in returning a BGA motor
Although technically still a notional mission, should Atlantis provide the swansong to the Shuttle Program with STS-135, she’d be returning home full of downmass – ranging from a full Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), the failed Pump Module, a Pressurized Mating Adaptor (PMA-3) and also now potentially including the BRRM motor component of the 2A Beta…
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NASA managers realigning ISS manifest following STS-133 slip to February
Following the decision to move Discovery’s STS-133 launch date target to No Earlier Than (NET) February 3, NASA managers have begun realigning the International Space Station (ISS) manifest. An April 1 placeholder has been selected for Endeavour’s STS-134 mission, while Japan’s HTV resupply vehicle is also involved in supporting the manifest changes. STS-133 Delay: With…
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ISS crew complete 26th Russian EVA
The Russian EVA-26 has been completed Monday, with Russian cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin (EV-1), and Oleg Skripochka (EV-2), woking on the outfitting of the exterior of the Service Module (SM) for future assembly work and the support of external experiments. This was the fifth spacewalk for Yurchikhin, and the first for Skripochka. Russian EVA Overview: The hatch was…
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ISS Prepares for Busy Upcoming Year of Logistics Operations
The ISS Program is gearing up for what will be a very busy upcoming year of logistics operations, with a total of eleven Visiting Vehicles (VVs) scheduled to visit the orbital outpost in 2011. Manifested arrivals consist of five Russian Progresses, three SpaceX Dragons, one Orbital Cygnus, one Japanese HTV, and one European ATV. At…
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Soyuz TMA-01M docks with ISS as crews conduct hardware installation
Soyuz TMA-01M has docked with the International Space Station (ISS) – at 00:01 GMT on Sunday – following a two-day free flight, returning the population of the ISS to six people. The TMA-01M crew will arrive at the ISS in the midst of a busy period of activity, as the Expedition 25 crew work to install…
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ISS updates failure investigations and future configuration challenges
The International Space Station Increment 25 are ending their first full week on the orbital outpost, as specialists on the ground continue their investigation into the events leading up to the failure of the GPRVs (Gas Pressure Regulation Valves) in April and Pump Module (PM) in July. Engineers are also evaluating the ISS’s long-term module…