Category Archives: In Space Infrastructure

Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – Oct.25.2023

This week’s selection of videos about space stations and living in space including NASA’s latest Space to Ground report for the International Space Station:

** Expedition 70 Space Station Crew Talks with 2023 ASCEND Conference Oct. 23, 2023 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 70 Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview Oct. 23 with ASCEND conference attendees in Las Vegas. O’Hara and Moghbeli are in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.

** Expedition 70 Space Station Crew Talks with Fox News Digital Originals, Yahoo News – Oct. 17, 2023 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 70 Flight Engineers Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Andy Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview Oct. 17 with Fox News Digital and Yahoo News. Mogensen and Moghbeli are in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.

** Science Launching on SpaceX’s 29th Cargo Resupply Mission to the Space StationNASA

The 29th SpaceX commercial resupply services (CRS) mission for NASA carries scientific experiments and technology demonstrations, including studies of enhanced optical communications and measurement of atmospheric waves. The uncrewed SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than Nov. 5.

Details: https://go.nasa.gov/402KJSA

** Meet Ax-3Axiom Space

Meet the Ax-3 Crew!
Four Astronauts
Five Nations
The first all European commercial astronaut mission
Redefining the pathway to LEO

See also Axiom Space Hab One Pressure Vessel Nears Completion | Aviation Week Network/

The structure forms the basis of the first of two inhabitable modules that are to be connected to the International Space Station (ISS). The structure is being built in Turin, Italy, by Thales Alenia Space.

“The first module shell is effectively completed,” Jason Aspiotis, Axiom’s director of in-space infrastructure and logistics, said at AIAA’s Ascend conference here on Oct. 23. “A lot of the subsystems that will populate the underlying structure–think about life support systems, avionics, propulsion, [guidance, navigation and control systems], power, communications, all that good stuff–we’re developing in a lab in Houston.”

Hab One hatches have also been fabricated, tested and prepared for delivery to Thales Alenia Space to support Hab One pressure testing, the company says.

The first module is to be shipped to Houston by 2024 for final assembly and integration at Axiom Space’s factory at Ellington Airport. The company plans to launch the Hab One module in 2026.

** Shenzhou-17 crew announcedSciNews

On 25 October 2023, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) has announced the crew for the Shenzhou-17 mission: Hongbo Tang (汤洪波, commander), Shengjie Tang (唐胜杰) and Xinlin Jiang (江新林). The Long March-2F Y17 (长征二号F遥十七) launch vehicle will launch the Shenzhou-17 (神舟十七) crew spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu Province, China, on 26 October 2023, at 03:14 UTC (11:14 China Standard Time). Shenzhou-17 is the sixth crew of three astronauts on a mission to the China Space Station (中国空间站).

See also: Shenzhou-17 Crew to Launch to Tiangong Space Station | NASASpaceFlight.com.

** SR Academy Space Habitats Committee Webinar, with Werner Grandl and Jerry Stone – Space Renaissance

Living in space in a zero- or low-gravity environment like the Moon or Mars causes danger to human health, such as bone demineralization or muscle atrophy. In the long run space habitats need gravity simulation by rotating around their main axis. The AGOS (Artificial Gravity Orbital Station) project was designed as a rotating space station and a possible successor of the present ISS. The station is built of cylindrical modules and a structural framework. SpaceX Falcon launchers are proposed to transport the modules to Low Earth Orbit. The initial stage 1 of AGOS has a mass of 270 metric tons and a diameter of 102 meters. 24 crew members can live and work in a 0.9 g environment. In the far future, Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) can be mined to utilize their mineral resources. When the mining process is finished, we can build a rotating habitat inside a hollow asteroid. As an example, we have taken the asteroid 2008EV5 with a diameter of approx. 450 meters. A toroidal structure of 240 m diameter is rotating inside the asteroid´s hull. The stony hull provides shelter against radiation and meteorites. 2,000 inhabitants can live on the inner surface of the torus. Nutrition is provided by vertical farming and aquaculture. In the coming centuries, we can utilize about 10,000 NEAs for mining and use some hundreds of them to carry human habitats.

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

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ISS after undocking of STS-132

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Outpost in Orbit:
A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station

Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – Oct.16.2023

This week’s selection of videos about space stations and living in space including NASA’s latest Space to Ground report for the International Space Station:

** Spacewalkers will collect samples to see if microorganisms exist on space station – AnimationVideoFromSpace

Astronauts Loral O’Hara and Andy Mogensen will “collect samples for analysis to see whether microorganisms may exist on the exterior” on the the International Space Station, according to NASA.

The spacewalk was scheduled for Oct. 11, 2023 but will be rescheduled due to leak on the Nauka module. Full Story: https://www.space.com/international-s…

** NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio Talks with Media Following Record-Breaking Mission – Oct. 13, 2023NASA

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, who returned to Earth on Sept. 27 after spending 371 days in space, discussed his historic mission in a news conference on October 13. Rubio broke the record for longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut during his mission aboard the International Space Station where he lived and worked to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

** NLRA 2024-1: In-Space Production Applications: Tissue Engineering and BiomanufacturingISS National Lab

This webinar – held on October 13, 2023 – provided information of interest to offerors for NLRA 2024-1: In-Space Production Applications: Tissue Engineering and Biomanufacturing. The webinar offered details regarding the scope of the NLRA as well as the timeline, processes, and procedures for submitting proposals.

** CA NV AZ UT Oct 13, 2023 0820 PDT –   ISS Above

This is a very special morning pass of the Space Station over SoCal – passing directly over NASA JPL – where many of the team who work on Mission To Psyche are based. Congratulations to the entire team for a successful launch (7:19AM PDT)!

This pass on Oct 12, 2023 8:20 a.m. PDT

NOTE: The pass features so many cities in the County of LA including LACity, and beyond – and then passes over NV / City Of Las Vegas across a corner of AZ and finishing over UT

SOURCE: NASA EHDC6 Live views of the Earth from the International Space Station

** A couple of items regarding space settlement:

*** John Jossy on The Space Show – A recent audio interview with space settlement proponent John Jossy. See his blog at  Space Settlement Progress. (A recent post addresses the question, Why settle space?)

*** Protect & Expand the Domain of Life, with Rick TumlinsonSpace Renaissance

Called one of the world’s top space “visionaries” and most influential people in the space field, Rick helped coin the term “NewSpace,” and is credited with helping birth the new commercial space industry highlighted by Musk, Bezos and Branson. A leading writer, speaker, and six-time Congressional witness, Rick helped start the first mission to find water on the Moon, signed the first space commercial data purchase agreement, led the commercial takeover of the Russian Mir space station, signed the first private astronaut to fly to the space station, co-founded the Space Frontier Foundation, and was a founding board member of the X-Prize. In 2015 he won the World Technology Award, along with Craig Venter of the Human Genome project. He founded the SpaceFund venture capital company with 20 space companies in its portfolio and is a member of the US Space Force Doctrine Organization Group. Rick’s Space Revolution “radiopod” is on IHeart Radio Network’s iRoc Space Radio and most podcast sites. He hosts the New Worlds Conference and Space Cowboy Ball in Austin, and his non-profit EarthLight Foundation is working to save the Earth while expanding life into the cosmos. They recently initiated Permission to Dream, to raise funds for placing a telescope in every middle school on Earth that wants one, so that new generations can see the rings of Saturn and the mountains of the Moon.

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

====

ISS after undocking of STS-132

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Outpost in Orbit:
A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station

Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – Oct.10.2023

This week’s selection of videos about space stations and living in space including NASA’s latest Space to Ground report for the International Space Station:

** Spacewalks Preview – Oct. 6, 2023 (Official NASA BriefingNASA Video

NASA experts from Johnson Space Center preview a series of upcoming spacewalks at the International Space Station. News conference participants include:

• Dana Weigel, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson
• Elias Myrmo, spacewalk flight director, NASA Johnson
• Faruq Sabur, U.S. spacewalk 89 officer, NASA Johnson
• Sandra Fletcher, U.S. spacewalk 90 officer, NASA Johnson

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will participate in spacewalks on Thursday, Oct. 12, and Friday, Oct. 20, with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen joining her on the first, and NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli joining her on the second. The spacewalks are in support of science research and space station maintenance and assembly.

Details: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nas…

** U. S. Spacewalk 89 Animation NASA Johnson

This animation discusses the October 12th spacewalk in which NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andy Mogensen will exit the station’s Quest airlock to collect samples for analysis to see whether microorganisms may exist on the exterior of the orbital complex. They also will replace a high-definition camera on the port truss of the station and conduct other maintenance work to prepare for future spacewalks.

** U.S. Spacewalk 90 Animation – Oct. 6, 2023 NASA Johnson

This animation discusses the October 20th spacewalk in which NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli will complete the removal of a faulty electronics box, called a Radio Frequency Group, from a communications antenna on the starboard truss of the station and replace one of twelve Trundle Bearing Assemblies on the port truss Solar Alpha Rotary Joint.

** Gravitics: Video clip and images posted recently on X

** Sierra Space and Blue Origin reaffirm their commitment to the Orbital Reef commercial space station:

** Northrop Grumman drops its space station project in favor of supporting Voyager Space‘s Starlab commercial station project:

A recent rendering of the Starlab station design:

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

====

ISS after undocking of STS-132

=== Amazon Ads ===

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====

Outpost in Orbit:
A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station

Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – Oct.3.2023

This week’s selection of videos about space stations and living in space including NASA’s latest Space to Ground report for the International Space Station:

** Soyuz MS-23 International Space Station Hatch Closing – Sept. 27, 2023 – NASA Video

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin gave farewell remarks ahead of hatch closure of the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft on September 27. Following hatch closure, the spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station’s Prichal module, returning to Earth a few hours later for a parachute-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan. During his mission, Rubio broke the record for longest single spaceflight for a U.S. astronaut spending 371 consecutive days living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program. .

** Soyuz MS-23 International Space Station Undocking – Sept. 27, 2023 – NASA Video

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin gave farewell remarks ahead of hatch closure of the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft on September 27. Following hatch closure, the spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station’s Prichal module, returning to Earth a few hours later for a parachute-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan. During his mission, Rubio broke the record for longest single spaceflight for a U.S. astronaut spending 371 consecutive days living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program. 

** Astronaut Andreas Mogensen Talks with Herning, Denmark DI Business Summit – Sept. 28, 2023 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 69 Flight Engineer and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogenson discussed living and working in space during an in-flight interview September 28 with industry stakeholders in Denmark. Mogenson launched in August on the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 which is a science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions.

** Sierra Space | A Leading Pureplay Commercial Space Company – Sierra Space

Sierra Space is a leading, pureplay commercial space company at the forefront of innovation and the commercialization of space in the Orbital Age™, building an end-to-end business and technology platform in space to benefit life on Earth.

With more than 30 years and 500 missions of space flight heritage, the company is enabling the future of space transportation with Dream Chaser®, the world’s only commercial spaceplane, and is bringing LIFE™ (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) to Low Earth Orbit with its modular, three-story commercial habitation and science platform.

Sierra Space also builds and delivers a host of systems and subsystems across solar power, mechanics and motion control, environmental control, life support, propulsion and thermal control, offering myriad space-as-a-service solutions for the new space economy.

** See the Chinese space station assembly in animation & ground photosVideoFromSpace

Watch the Tiangong space station assembly in this time-lapse animation along taken by satellites in orbit. Full Story: https://www.space.com/china-space-sta…

** Keynote: Gateway: Humanity’s First Lunar Space StationPolicy Studies Organization

A talk by Sean Fuller, international partner manager for NASA’s Gateway lunar orbital station program.

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

====

ISS after undocking of STS-132

=== Amazon Ads ===

Lego Ideas International Space Station
21321 Toy Blocks, Present, Space, Boys, Girls, Ages 16 and Up

====

Outpost in Orbit:
A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station

Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – Sept.26.2023

This week’s selection of videos about space stations and living in space including NASA’s latest Space to Ground report for the International Space Station:

** Vibrant Communities Beyond Earth are PossibleVideoFromSpace

Join the BEYOND EARTH SYMPOSIUM in Washington D.C., November 1-2: https://www.beyondearthsymposium.org The Beyond Earth Institute’s founder and senior staff explain their mission to drive policy and legal frameworks that will economically enable communities beyond Earth. This non-profit “think tank” focuses on catalyzing the technologies, support, and public policies needed to achieve a permanent, sustainable human presence in space. https://beyondearth.org/

** Reinventing the Space Station with LIFE HabitatSierra Space

Learn how Sierra Space is driving significant cost savings for operating on-orbit with the LIFE Habitat. This latest successful milestone and the first one in the testing campaign to include a metallic window sub-structure – or blanking plate – now propels Sierra Space into full-scale testing of LIFE by the end of this year. The milestone cements the company’s position as the industry leader in commercial space station development for use in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and deep space.

** The first steps of the Huginn mission – European Space Agency, ESA

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen has begun his Huginn mission, turning the International Space Station into his home and workplace. After piloting on Crew Dragon Endurance as the first non-US pilot, Andreas has started performing European experiments and technology demonstrations with many more to come throughout the mission.

** Andreas Mogensen becomes the new ISS commander – European Space Agency, ESA

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen became commander of the International Space Station (ISS) on September 26, 2023, in a traditional ceremony in which the departing commander, Sergey Prokopyev, handed over the symbolic key of the Space Station. Mogensen is the sixth European to take on the role of ISS commander.

Mogensen will serve as commander for the rest of his Huginn mission until early 2024. During his command, he will be responsible for overseeing the crew’s activities and ensuring the safety and operation of the Space Station.

** Shenzhou-16 Astronauts Play Ping Pong with Water Droplet in SpaceCCTV Video News Agency

Shenzhou-16 astronauts showed off their table tennis skills during a space lecture on the Tiangong Space Station Thursday playing a game of ping pong using a droplet of water instead of a ball.

See also: China Space Station: LEO Lecture Hall | Leonard David – Sept.21.2023

** Chinese Astronaut Demonstrates Spherical Flame Experiment During Space LectureCCTV Video News Agency

China’s Shenzhou-16 astronauts conducted an experiment on Thursday to show the shape of flame in the unique environment inside the Mengtian Lab module of the Tiangong space station.

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

====

ISS after undocking of STS-132

=== Amazon Ads ===

Lego Ideas International Space Station
21321 Toy Blocks, Present, Space, Boys, Girls, Ages 16 and Up

====

Outpost in Orbit:
A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station