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

** Mark Vande Hei: Breaking Records for Science – NASA Johnson

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei is returning to Earth after living in space for 355 days, the record for the longest single spaceflight by a NASA astronaut. This extended mission aboard the International Space Station provides researchers an opportunity to observe effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body as the agency makes plans to return to the Moon under the Artemis program and prepare for human exploration at Mars. During his record-setting mission, Vande Hei spent many hours on scientific activities aboard the space station, conducting everything from plant research to physical sciences studies. Learn more about the research being conducted on the space station: https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

** Expedition 66 Astronaut Mark Vande Hei Talks About One-Year Mission – March 24, 2022 – NASA Video

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei discussed his mission and upcoming return to Earth during an interview March 24 on board the International Space Station. Vande Hei surpassed the record for a single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut on March 15 and is heading home March 30 with Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov having logged 355 days in space since he launched last April. Vande Hei will land in the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft on the steppe of Kazakhstan having traveled more than 150 million miles as part of Expeditions 64-66 and with a total of 523 days in space on his two spaceflights.

** Astronauts Raja Chari & Matthias Maurer Spacewalk Outside the International Space Station – NASA

NASA astronaut Raja Chari and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer are conducting a spacewalk on Wednesday, March 23 to install new hoses on the International Space Station’s Radiator Beam Valve Module, which helps regulate the station’s temperature. Chari and Maurer will also install a power and data cable on the station’s Bartolomeo science platform, replace an external camera, and conduct other upgrades to station hardware. Wednesday’s spacewalk is expected to begin around 8:50 a.m. EDT (12:50 UTC) and take about six-and-a-half hours. This spacewalk will be the second of Chari’s career and the first for Maurer. Get the latest updates on NASA’s Space Station blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

** Spacewalker transported by robotic arm outside space station – VideoFromSpace

NASA astronaut Raja Chari is transported to a workstation via robotic arm during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on March 23, 2022. Watch live: https://www.space.com/astronauts-spac…

 

** Crewed soyuz approaches space station in stunning over Earth view – VideoFromSpace

Watch the Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft carrying Russian cosmonauts Sergey Korsakov, Oleg Artemyev, and Denis Matveev approach the International Space Station on March 18, 2022. Watch the launch: https://www.space.com/soyuz-ms21-cosm…

** Expedition 66-67 Soyuz MS-21 Docking to International Space Station – March 18, 2022 – NASA Video

Three Russian cosmonauts arrived at the International Space Station March 18 a little more than three hours after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on their Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft. Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov docked to the Prichal module on the ISS for the start of a planned six-month mission as part of both the Expedition 66 and 67 crews.

** Expedition 66-67 Soyuz MS 21 Hatch Opening On International Space Station – NASA Video

Three Russian cosmonauts boarded the International Space Station March 18 after docking their Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft a little more than three hours after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov docked the Soyuz to the Prichal module on the ISS for the start of a planned six-month mission and were later greeted by members of the Expedition 66 crew.

** Expedition 66 Astronaut Tom Marshburn Answers Los Angeles Student Questions – March 21, 2022 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, NASA Expedition 66 Flight Engineer Tom Marshburn answered pre-recorded questions about life and work on the orbital laboratory during an in-flight event March 21 with the Orville Wright STEAM Middle School in Las Angeles, California. Marshburn is in the midst of a planned six-month mission 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.

** Water experiments part 1 – Paddles | Cosmic Kiss (In German, English subtitles available) – European Space Agency, ESA on Youtube

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer is currently living and working aboard the International Space Station for his first space mission, Cosmic Kiss. Recently, he has been experimenting with water in microgravity. In this water experiments video series, Matthias demonstrates the different behavior of water in weightlessness and how this research is applied to life on Earth. In Part 1, Matthias lets water spheres float inside the Columbus module of the Space Station and wets a paddle with a hydrophobic surface to take a closer look at the viscosity and surface tension of water. Matthias will live and work in orbit for approximately six months for his Cosmic Kiss mission. During this time, he will conduct and support more than 35 European and numerous other international experiments in microgravity. Follow Matthias: https://bit.ly/ESACosmicKiss

** Water experiments part 2 – olive oil | Cosmic Kiss (In German, English subtitles available) – European Space Agency, ESA on Youtube

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer is currently living and working aboard the International Space Station for his first space mission, Cosmic Kiss. Recently, he experimented with water in microgravity. In this water experiments video series, Matthias demonstrates the different behavior of water in weightlessness and how this research is applied to life on Earth. In this second clip in the series, Matthias blows air into a floating water sphere and looks at what happens when he tries to mix it with olive oil. Matthias will live and work in orbit for approximately six months for his Cosmic Kiss mission. During this time, he will conduct and support more than 35 European and numerous other international experiments in microgravity. Follow Matthias: https://bit.ly/ESACosmicKiss

** Shenzhou-13 Crew to Start Preparations Next Week for Return to Earth – CCTV Video News Agency

Crew members aboard the historic Shenzhou-13 mission are nearing the completion of their record-breaking six-month-long stay in orbit and will next week start their final preparations ahead of their expected return to Earth in April.

** Chinese Astronauts Demonstrate Tie-dye Art in Space During Science Lecture – CCTV Video News Agency

Chinese astronauts demonstrated the traditional art of tie-dyeing onboard the Tiangong space station and explained the principles behind the folk technique during a live science lecture on Wednesday.

** 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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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:

** Soyuz MS-21 manual docking – SciNews

The Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft was docked to the Prichal module of the International Space Station (ISS) on 18 March 2022, at 19:12 UTC (22:12 MSK, 15:12 EDT). The Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft, Soyuz MS-21, with Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov, is scheduled for hatch opening at 21:30 UTC (17:30 EDT; 19 March, at 00:30 MSK). Credit: NASA/Roscosmos Soyuz MS-21 docking to the ISS.

** U.S. Spacewalk 79 Animation – March 14, 2022 – NASA Johnson

Expedition 66 NASA astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari will step outside the International Space Station for a six-and-a-half hour spacewalk to conduct preparation work for upcoming solar array upgrades for the station’s 3A power channel. The current solar arrays which were designed for a 15-year service life are functioning well, but have begun to show signs of degradation, as expected. The first pair of solar arrays were deployed in December 2000 and have been powering the station for more than 20 years. The new ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays (IROSAs) will be positioned in front of six of the current arrays, increasing the station’s total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts. Installation of the first two solar array upgrades were completed during spacewalks on June 20, 2021 and June 25, 2021.

** NASA astronauts begin spacewalk to prep ISS for solar array upgrades – VideoFromSpace – March 15th EVA

Spacewalking Expedition 66 astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari have begun “work for solar array upgrades for the station’s 3A power channel,” according to NASA.

** Spacewalk at the Space Station with NASA Astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari – NASA

NASA astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari conduct a spacewalk at the International Space Station (ISS) to assemble and install brackets and struts kits for upcoming solar array upgrades. The new ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays, or iROSAs, will increase the space station’s total available power. So far, two of six iROSAs have been deployed on the station with four additional arrays to be delivered. Barron will serve as extravehicular crewmember 1 (EV 1) and will wear a suit with red stripes. Chari will serve as extravehicular crewmember 2 (EV 2) and will wear a suit with no stripes. The spacewalk will be the second of Barron’s career and the first for Chari.

** U.S. Spacewalk 80 Animation – March 14, 2022 – NASA Johnson

On March 23, two Expedition 66 astronauts will step outside the International Space Station for a planned six-and-a-half hour spacewalk to replace hoses and other hardware for one of the radiator beam calve modules on the complex and to conduct other upgrades to station hardware.

** Expedition 66 Astronaut Kayla Barron Answers U.S. Navy, Student Questions – March 16, 2022  – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 66 Flight Engineer Kayla Barron of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight event March 16 with students in the U.S. Navy. Barron graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and was a member of the first class of women commissioned into the submarine community. She is now in the midst of a planned six-month mission 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.

** ISS National Lab Sustainability Challenge: Viewer’s Choice Introduction – ISS National Lab – YouTube

We are excited to officially announce the ISS National Lab Sustainability Challenge: Viewer’s Choice presentation and are featuring a week of sustainability-related content leading up to the virtual event on March 25. Beginning on March 14, the finalists’ videos will be featured on the ISS National Lab’s YouTube channel. Viewers will have the opportunity to vote on submissions. Voting will conclude on March 21, and the winning team will be announced during the virtual event. Vote HERE to cast your vote for the winning Viewer’s Choice presentation! https://bit.ly/issnlscvote

Don’t miss the event! 2022 ISS National Lab Sustainability Challenge: Beyond Plastics Virtual Event 3/25 at 1pm EDT Register here: https://bit.ly/issnlscregister

The Sustainability Challenge is an open solicitation for U.S.-based entities to propose flight projects that leverage the space station to tackle plastics waste and enable scientific or technological advancements that improve Earth’s environment. The virtual event on March 25, 2022, will feature finalists’ recorded presentations and exciting guest speakers, culminating with an award ceremony recognizing the top ranked finalists. Following the event, finalists will be invited to submit a Full Proposal for a flight project leveraging the ISS National Lab, and the Final Determination for the selected team will be announced at the 2022 ISS Research and Development Conference July 25-28 in Washington, D.C.

Watch six brief proposal presentations at https://www.youtube.com/c/Iss-casisOrg/videos

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