Here is the latest episode in NASA’s Space to Ground weekly report on activities related to the International Space Station:

** Expedition 66 SpaceX Dragon CRS-24 Cargo Ship Departs International Space Station – Jan. 21, 2022 – NASA Video

Loaded with scientific experiments and supplies, the unpiloted SpaceX Cargo Dragon undocked from the International Space Station Jan. 23, completing a month-long mission to the outpost for the company’s 24th commercial resupply services mission for NASA. The SpaceX spacecraft undocked from the zenith port of the Harmony module, headed for a splashdown off the coast of Florida Jan. 24 to complete its flight that delivered several tons of experiments and hardware to the station.

** Watch SpaceX Cargo Dragon drift away from space station after undocking – VideoFromSpace

A SpaceX Cargo Dragon spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station on Jan. 23, 2022 for its return to Earth.

** Expedition 66 Space Station Astronauts Answer California Student Questions – Jan. 24, 2022 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, NASA Expedition 66 Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Kayla Barron of NASA answered pre-recorded questions about life and work as astronauts on the orbital laboratory during an in-flight event Jan. 24 with students attending the Center for Early Childhood Education in Hollywood, California. Vande Hei and Barron are in the midst of long duration missions 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.

** Commercial Crew Program: Embracing the Next Challenge – NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP), based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, eclipsed several milestones in 2021. This year, CCP will continue to partner with private industry in embracing the next challenge.

** Fitness in 360° | Cosmic Kiss – European Space Agency, ESA on Youtube

You’ve heard of spacewalking astronauts but how do astronauts run? Join ESA’s Matthias Maurer for a workout on the International Space Station’s T2 treadmill and explore Node 3 in 360°. Astronauts living and working on the International Space Station exercise for around two hours a day six days a week to stay fit and healthy in orbit. This helps counteract muscle and bone loss caused by life in microgravity. The T2 treadmill is attached to the wall in Node 3 and astronauts secure themselves using a harness and bungies. This creates a feeling like running on a treadmill on Earth. This clip is just a snapshot of the exercise Matthias performs in space. A typical T2 session is around 30-40 minutes in length. Matthias was launched to the International Space Station for his current Cosmic Kiss mission on 11 November 2021. In his approximately six months on board, he will support over 35 European experiments and many more international experiments in orbit. For more on Matthias and his mission, visit the Cosmic Kiss mission page. Follow Matthias: https://bit.ly/ESACosmicKiss

** ISS Live video stream – IBM/ISS HD Earth Viewing Experiment

Currently, live views from the ISS are streaming from an external camera mounted on the ISS module called Node 2. Node 2 is located on the forward part of the ISS. The camera is looking forward at an angle so that the International Docking Adapter 2 (IDA2) is visible. If the Node 2 camera is not available due to operational considerations for a longer period of time, a continuous loop of recorded HDEV imagery will be displayed. The loop will have “Previously Recorded” on the image to distinguish it from the live stream from the Node 2 camera. After HDEV stopped sending any data on July 18, 2019, it was declared, on August 22, 2019, to have reached its end of life. Thank You to all who shared in experiencing and using the HDEV views of Earth from the ISS to make HDEV so much more than a Technology Demonstration Payload!

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

Here is the latest episode in NASA’s Space to Ground weekly report on activities related to the International Space Station:

** ISS 2030: NASA Extends Operations of the International Space Station – NASA

NASA announced the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to extend International Space Station (ISS) operations through 2030. Over the past two decades, the United States has maintained a continuous human presence in orbit around the Earth to test technologies, conduct scientific research, and develop skills needed to explore farther than ever before. The unique microgravity laboratory has hosted more than 3,000 research investigations from over 4,200 researchers across the world and is returning enormous scientific, educational, and technological developments to benefit people on Earth. Nearly 110 countries and areas have participated in activities aboard the station, including more than 1,500,000 students per year in STEM activities. Extending operations through 2030 will continue another productive decade of research advancement and enable a seamless transition of capabilities in low-Earth orbit to one or more commercially owned and operated destinations in the late 2020s.  Learn more here: https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2...

** Astrobee robots in 360° | Cosmic Kiss – European Space Agency, ESA on Youtube

Join ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer inside Kibo, the Japanese laboratory module of the International Space Station in 360°, setting up Astrobee robotic free-flyers for the ReSWARM experiment. Short for RElative Satellite sWArming and Robotic Maneuvering, this robotics demonstration tests autonomous microgravity motion planning and control for on-orbit assembly and coordinated motion. This investigation aims to test coordination between multiple robots, robots and cargo, and robots and their operating environment as developers envision the future of autonomous robot operations in space. Matthias was launched to the International Space Station on Crew Dragon Endurance as part of Crew-3 at 02:03 GMT/03:03 CET Thursday 11 November 2021. His ESA mission on board is known as Cosmic Kiss and will see him live and work for approximately six months in orbit. Follow Matthias: https://bit.ly/ESACosmicKiss

** Chinese astronauts manually dock spacecraft for first time at space station – VideoFromSpace

Shenzhou-13 astronauts completed a manual rendezvous and docking test with the Tianzhou-2 spacecraft on January 8, 2022.

** Teleoperated Docking Test of Space Station, Cargo Craft Lays Foundation for Unmanned Docking: Expert – CCTV Video News Agency

China verified the effectiveness and reliability of its emergency plan for unmanned laboratory module docking during the future construction process of its space station through the successful manual rendezvous and docking experiment between the core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-2 cargo craft.

** The Chinese Space Station Tests Module Transfer Capability, A Startup is Developing Laser Comms Tech – Dongfang Hour

** ISS Live video stream – IBM/ISS HD Earth Viewing Experiment

Currently, live views from the ISS are streaming from an external camera mounted on the ISS module called Node 2. Node 2 is located on the forward part of the ISS. The camera is looking forward at an angle so that the International Docking Adapter 2 (IDA2) is visible. If the Node 2 camera is not available due to operational considerations for a longer period of time, a continuous loop of recorded HDEV imagery will be displayed. The loop will have “Previously Recorded” on the image to distinguish it from the live stream from the Node 2 camera. After HDEV stopped sending any data on July 18, 2019, it was declared, on August 22, 2019, to have reached its end of life. Thank You to all who shared in experiencing and using the HDEV views of Earth from the ISS to make HDEV so much more than a Technology Demonstration Payload!

** See also:

• NASA Sets Coverage for Russian Spacewalk Outside Space Station | NASA
• NASA TV to Air SpaceX Cargo Dragon Departure from Space Station | NASA
• NASA Invites Media to Northrop Grumman’s February Launch from Virginia | NASA
• New images of the International Space Station reveal that it is still a jewel | Ars Technica
• Washington Students to Hear from NASA Astronauts Aboard Space Station | NASA
• ISS orbit raised ahead of launch of Russian manned spacecraft later this year – TASS
• Other ISS partners start planning for extension to 2030 – SpaceNews
• Expedition 66 concludes 2021 with busy December aboard ISS – NASASpaceFlight.com

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Adult Set for Display,
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Outpost in Orbit:
A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station