Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – Sept.19.2023

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:

** Astronaut Frank Rubio Calls NASA Leadership From Space (Official NASA Broadcast) – NASA

Record-breaking astronaut Frank Rubio talks with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy about his historic mission during a space-to-ground call. On Sept. 11, 2023, Rubio surpassed the U.S. record for single longest duration spaceflight, a record previously set by astronaut Mark Vande Hei in 2022.

Rubio is set to return to Earth on Sept. 27, 2023, when he will have spent 371 days in space. His extended stay aboard the orbiting laboratory helps us see how the human body reacts to microgravity and informs future missions to deep space.

** NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio: A Year of Science in Space – NASA

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is set to return to Earth this fall after setting the record for the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut. He arrived at the International Space Station on Sept. 21, 2022, and will return home after 371 days in space.

While on the orbiting lab, Rubio and his fellow crew members conducted dozens of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations.

Learn more about Frank Rubio’s year-long scientific journey aboard the space station: https://go.nasa.gov/3LrwS29

** Crew of 3 arrive at space station aboard Soyuz spacecraft in these docking highlights – VideoFromSpace

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, alongside Russian counterparts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub docked with the International Space Station about 3 hours after launching aboard their MS-24 Soyuz spacecraft.

** Soyuz MS-24 International Space Station Hatch Opening, Welcome Remarks – Sept. 15, 2023 – NASA Video

Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub and NASA astronaut Loral O’ Hara launched on the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft atop a Soyuz 2.1a rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on September 15. Following a two-orbit rendezvous, the trio docked to the Rassvet module of the International Space Station where they will conduct long-duration missions aboard the orbital outpost.

** NSS Space Forum: NASA New Technologies: On-Orbit Servicing and Manufacturing with James Tomaka – National Space Society Channel

NASA New Technologies: On-Orbit Servicing and Manufacturing
With James Tomaka, Mission Systems Engineer, Goddard Space Flight Center

Although servicing of satellites has been theoretically considered since the early days of spaceflight, progress has been slow. However, in recent years, government and private industry is pursuing a more sustainable future in space.

In the past three decades, some of the most extraordinary successes in space exploration involved in-orbit repair and construction. Five servicing missions to the Hubble Space Telescope and countless spacewalks to assemble the International Space Station required astronauts to conduct activities outside the confines of their vehicle. Going forward, the next generation of space activities and construction can involve robotics to refuel satellites, perform orbit relocation, or building large structures in space and on the Moon.

Government entities and commercial industry are entering the fray to develop the necessary technologies for the nascent in-orbit servicing industry. Jim’s presentation covers NASA’s original 1960s concepts for satellite servicing through the Hubble Space Telescope. Jim then discusses NASA’s newest technologies to perform servicing missions robotically and provides a preview of the OSAM-1 mission which will, for the first time ever, robotically refuel a U.S. government satellite not designed to be serviced. Enjoy this informative space forum which will introduce you to technologies necessary for a sustained future in space.

James Tomaka is a mission systems engineer on NASA’s On-orbit Assembly and Manufacturing-1 (OSAM-1) mission scheduled to launch in 2026. OSAM-1 is part of NASA’s Exploration and In-space Services projects division, which develops groundbreaking, more sustainable technologies to service spacecraft and pioneer in-space assembly and manufacturing. Jim is assigned to the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFFC) in Greenbelt MD and is employed by Science Applications International Corp (SAIC) as a senior principal systems engineer.

Jim previously worked for NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) program as an RF engineer for 25 years. His communications systems relayed data from the Hubble Space Telescope and for over 120 Space Shuttle missions. Other experiences included working in the Optics Department at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) supporting a broad range of customers including the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). His career started out at the Holloman High Speed Test Track in the timing/telemetry section collecting data from rocket sled tests.

Jim is a graduate of New Mexico State University in Las Cruces NM. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Computer Engineering and a Masters Certificate in Systems Engineering. Jim is also a board member with the International Space Hall of Fame Foundation supporting the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, NM. To unwind, Jim is an avid amateur astronomer (Astro-photographer) and performs outreach in southern New Mexico and west Texas parks and schools, encouraging the next generation of space explorers and engineers.

** Chinese taikonauts harvest space vegetables aboard Tiangong space station – VideoFromSpace

China’s Shenzhou-16 crew have a “garden of vegetables in space. “The plants that grow in the garden are watered in the opposite direction from that on Earth,” according to China Central Television.

** 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