Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – Feb.11.2022

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

** STEMonstrations: Centripetal Force – NASA Johnson

NASA Astronaut Shane Kimbrough discusses centripetal force and its connection to keeping the International Space Station safely orbiting Earth. Watch JAXA astronaut Aki Hoshide demonstrate centripetal force in the weightless-simulated environment aboard the space station and find out what happens to a revolving object when the centripetal force is lost. Be sure to check out https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstrations for more videos like this, along with their corresponding classroom connection lesson plans.

** Destination Station 2022 – ISS National Lab – YouTube

The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind research platform that is capable of groundbreaking innovations that are not possible on Earth. Just as importantly, the orbiting laboratory also provides a novel venue to inspire and engage the next generation of researchers and explorers. This year’s virtual Destination Station event took place Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, and featured NASA astronaut Victor Glover on what it is like to live and work in space. Additionally, representatives from NASA and the ISS National Lab offered overviews of the capabilities on station as well as current research opportunities to become part of the space station research community!

** Expedition 66 Astronaut Mark Vande Hei Answers Virginia Student Questions – Feb. 10, 2022 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, NASA Expedition 66 Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei of NASA answered pre-recorded questions about life and work on the orbital laboratory during an in-flight event Feb. 10 with students attending Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, Virginia. Vande Hei is in the midst of a record setting mission for a single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut 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.

** Media Briefing: Space Station Science Highlights on Northrop Grumman’s 17th Resupply Mission – NASA Video

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

Scientist, engineer, test subject and tradesperson – astronauts in orbit wear many different hats. In this 360° timelapse, ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer works to repair a faulty valve behind EXPRESS-Rack 3. Water On-Off Valve 8 (WOOV-8), along with WOOV-6 and WOOV-7, determines whether the cooling water of Europe’s Columbus module flows through, or bypasses, the heat exchange system that transfers waste heat to downstream cooling circuits outside the International Space Station. The valve has been a problem child for ground teams and astronauts for the past few years and was first replaced during a complicated operation in 2013. It was last replaced by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet in October 2021, but continued issues led Matthias to try out a reserve valve to see if an unplanned conversion was possible.

The operation was successfully completed on the real WOOV-8 in December 2021, and all involved breathed a sigh of relief. Performing maintenance and repair tasks in weightlessness is especially difficult as astronauts have the added challenge of trying to hold themselves in position while turning a screw or securing a hatch. Watch Matthias carefully fold down the rack, set-up lighting and complete the task as you explore his workspace in 360°.

Matthias was launched to the International Space Station for his Cosmic Kiss mission on 11 November 2021. He will spend approximately six months living and working in orbit, supporting over 35 European and many more international experiments on board. Follow Matthias: https://bit.ly/ESACosmicKiss

** China to Complete Space Station with Six More Missions in 2022: Blue Book – CCTV Video News Agency

China plans to make a record six launches in 2022 to finish building its space station, according to a blue paper released by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the main contractor of China’s space program, on Wednesday.

** Mechanical Arm on China’s Space Station Completes Another Grab Operation – CCTV Video News Agency

The mechanical arm attached to China’s Tiangong space station firmly grabbed a docking port in one operation, as shown in a video clip released by China Manned Space Agency on Tuesday.

** 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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