Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – Apr.29.2022

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

** NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Mission Overview – NASA Johnson

The next flight to the International Space Station is ready to launch! NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission will deliver four new crewmembers to the space station and power the next increment of groundbreaking science research. Join NASA’s Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, for a look into their expedition to low-Earth orbit, and share their excitement about the prospect of flying on the Dragon vehicle for the first time.

** NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Flight Day 1 Highlights – NASA Johnson

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts lifted off at 3:52 a.m. EDT Wednesday, April 27, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, bound for the International Space Station for the fourth NASA and SpaceX commercial crew rotation mission aboard the microgravity laboratory. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Crew Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Jessica Watkins, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, into orbit to begin a six-month science mission on the space station. The Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Freedom, will dock autonomously to the forward port of the station’s Harmony module around 8:15 p.m. EDT.

** NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Flight Day 2 Highlights – NASA Johnson

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts docked autonomously to the forward port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 7:37 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 27. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Jessica Watkins, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, arrived after a one-day journey to begin a six-month science mission on the space station. Following docking Lindgren, Hines, Watkins, and Cristoforetti joined the Expedition 67 crew of NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, Kayla Barron, and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Sergey Korsakov, and Denis Matveev.

** NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Docks to the Space Station (Official NASA Broadcast) – NASA

Watch NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts arrive at the International Space Station aboard their Dragon spacecraft Freedom. Docking is scheduled for approximately 7:40 p.m. EDT (23:40 UTC). Once aboard the orbiting laboratory, astronauts Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins, and Kjell Lindgren of NASA, alongside Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency), will spend nearly six months conducting new scientific research in areas such as materials science, health technologies, and plant science to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and to benefit life on Earth. Crew-4 lifted off on April 27 at 3:52 a.m. ET (7:52 UTC) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Watch the launch broadcast replay: https://youtu.be/JNKPbe_gacg

** An astronaut gets ready for bed | Cosmic Kiss – European Space Agency, ESA on Youtube

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer gives a glimpse into his evening routine aboard the International Space Station during his Cosmic Kiss mission. Matthias’s crew quarters, known as CASA (short for Crew Alternate Sleep Accommodation), is located within the European Columbus science laboratory module. But before he floats into his sleeping bag in there for the night, Matthias takes a little detour to one of the three “bathrooms” currently on board the Space Station. Separated from the work areas and installed in different modules of the USOS and Russian segments of the Station to allow them some privacy, the astronauts on board share these bathrooms to wash up, take a “shower” in space and brush their teeth. More info on Cosmic Kiss here: https://bit.ly/ESACosmicKiss

** Time-lapse of NASA growing peppers aboard the International Space Station for Plant Habitat-04 – NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

NASA grew chili peppers aboard the International Space Station in the Advanced Plant Habitat for 137 days in 2021 in the Plant Habitat-04 (PH-4) experiment. PH-04 used the NuMex ‘Española Improved’ pepper, a hybrid developed by New Mexico State University. NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough initiated the experiment on July 12, 2021. Expedition 66 flight engineer Mark Vande Hei performed the first harvest on Oct. 29, 2021 and made the second and final harvest on Nov. 26, 2021. Astronauts ate some of the peppers harvested and packaged samples for analysis. Those samples returned to Earth on April 25, 2022, along with the first mission with an entirely private crew to the space station, Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1). To learn more about the experiment visit: https://www.nasa.gov/content/plant-ha…

** Concrete Hardening | Cosmic Kiss 360° – European Space Agency, ESA on Youtube

ake a look inside the box and join ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer from a very special perspective as he supports the @DLR Mason/Concrete Hardening experiment. The Concrete Hardening experiment investigates the behaviour of various concrete mixtures containing cement and sand or simulated ‘Moon dust’ combined with water and various admixtures. On Earth, higher density components tend to move downward but in weightlessness they are likely to be more evenly distributed. Researchers will analyse the concrete mixed by Matthias in space for strength, bubble and pore distribution as well as crystal structures, comparing this to ground samples. Their findings will facilitate the development of new, improved concrete mixes that could be used to construct habitats on the Moon or Mars and build more sustainable housing on Earth. 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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