Category Archives: Living in Space

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

** See astronauts work outside space station in 2nd spacewalk of 2023 – VideoFromSpace

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann and Japan’s Koichi Wakata are making their second spacewalk of 2023 on Feb. 2 to prep the International Space Station for solar array upgrades. […] (https://www.space.com/spacewalk-inter…)

** Oklahoma Students Discuss Life In Space With Space Station Astronaut – NASA Johnson

Aboard the International Space Station, NASA Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Nicole Mann answered pre-recorded questions about life and work on the orbiting laboratory during an in-flight event Jan. 31 with students who are a part of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Mann is the first Native American woman to fly in space for NASA and is in the midst of a science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.

** Reasons to Believe | LIFE Habitat for Space Exploration – Sierra Space

Sierra Space’s LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) habitat launches on a conventional rocket and inflates on-orbit to a large structure that is three stories tall, and 27 feet in diameter. It’s stronger than steel and designed to support LEO applications and long-duration missions.

“Investing in these types of technologies and developing them for space exploration means that we can leverage it for other applications that directly benefit humanity.” – Mickey Mathew, Systems Engineer – Space Destinations

We look forward to continuing to build this key element in our Destinations portfolio and paving the way for the development of advanced inflatable habitat systems and architectures.

https://www.sierraspace.com/space-des...

** LIFE Habitat | Successful Accelerated Systematic Creep Test for Extended Human Missions – Sierra Space

Sierra Space has completed its third successful test of its inflatable LIFE Habitat. This latest assessment, called an Accelerated Systematic Creep Test, was conducted on a subscale version of the habitat and exceeded NASA certification requirements for the Duration Test for Extended Human Missions.

Press Release: Sierra Space Completes Third Successful Test of Inflatable Habitat Unit Designed for First Commercial Space Station | Sierra Space – Jan.31.2023

** Aging | We research. You benefit. – European Space Agency, ESA on Youtube

Did you know that living in space has similar effects on the body to natural aging on Earth?

Spaceflight research is helping astronauts live healthier in space, but also everybody on Earth to grow old gracefully.

As Europe’s population continues to significantly age, fiscal costs linked to pensions, health care and long-term care are expected to rise over the coming decades. Population’s ageing is one of the most significant demographic and social trends of the 21st century, affecting nearly all the countries in the world.

Over the years, research conducted in space helped scientists get a better understanding of the biological processes hidden in our bodies playing an important role in the aging of the human body.

In particular the muscle and the skeletal systems have been studied in weightlessness offered by the International Space Station over the last 20 years: the results of these findings are promising in providing countermeasures to aging-related diseases.

Muscle loss (like that suffered by people forced in bed for long periods) and osteoporosis are just two examples of ailments that are having an increasing impact on human society, as the world’s population ages.

Research on bone and muscle loss in space helps scientists better understand the modifications in the bone and muscle structures.

Each of the topics covered in this short film can have large positive return for patients with muscle and bone pathologies here on Earth, enabling new prevention and treatment procedures to be developed.

The step to space research is closer than you might think. Get involved with spaceflight research via https://www.esa.int/spaceflightAO. Find out about our commercial partnerships and opportunities in human and robotic exploration via https://www.esa.int/explorationpartners to run your research in microgravity as well.

** Robotic Arm Control Team Strengthens Ground Support for Upcoming EVAs of Shenzhou-15 Astronauts – CCTV Video News Agency

The robotic arm control team of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) have been stepping up preparations for the first extravehicular activities conducted by the Shenzhou-15 astronauts.

** 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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Check out the
The Lurio Report
for news and analysis of key developments in NewSpace

The latest issue:
Moving, China’s Starship, Tracing New Space in India
Vol. 17, No. 7, December 31, 2022 (Issued January 2023)

Space Frontier Foundation Award for NewSpace Journalism

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

In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Systems

Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – Jan.29.2023

January 29, 2023 TopSpacer

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

** DARPA small satellite RED-EYE jettisoned from International Space Station (ISS) – Millennium Space Systems – YouTube

Deployed in 2019 and 2020, the RED-EYE small sats demonstrated advanced satellite constellation technologies. Read more: https://www.millennium-space.com/medi…

** Care In Space – Axiom Space

Together with Boryung and Starburst, we are providing space start-ups with capital, business and technical guidance and access to space. All of this through the Care In Space Challenge!”
— — —

Axiom Space is guided by the vision of a thriving home in space that benefits every human, everywhere. The leader in providing space infrastructure as a service, Axiom offers end-to-end missions to the International Space Station today while privately developing its successor – a permanent commercial destination in Earth’s orbit that will sustain human growth off the planet and bring untold benefits back home. More information about Axiom can be found at www.axiomspace.com.

Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – Jan.21.2023

January 21, 2023 TopSpacer

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

** The Age of Private Space Stations – Bloomberg Quicktake: Explained

Voyager Space CEO Dylan Taylor shares his vision for the future of the space industry, from travel to commercial space stations. “I’m super excited about where we are, and even more excited about where we’re headed.”

** U.S. Spacewalk 84 Animation – January 20, 2023 – NASA Johnson

Expedition 68 astronauts Nicole Mann of NASA and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) 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 1A and 1B power channels. 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.

Learn more about the research being conducted on the space station: https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

** Spacewalk with Astronauts Nicole Mann and Koichi Wakata at the Space Station (Jan. 20) – NASA

Astronauts Nicole Mann of NASA and Koichi Wakata of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) will step outside the International Space Station for their first spacewalk to finish work preparing for solar array additions planned for this summer.

The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 8:15 a.m. EST (1315 UTC) and will last up to seven hours.

Follow the space station blog for more updates: https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation

** Spacewalk begins to prep space station for new solar arrays – VideoFromSpace

Expedition 68 astronauts Nicole Mann of NASA and JAXA’s Koichi Wakata. began a spacewalk on Jan. 20, 2023. They will “conduct preparation work for upcoming solar array upgrades for the station’s 1A and 1B power channels,” according to NASA. Watch live: https://www.space.com/space-station-f…

** NASA’s Plan To Rescue Stranded Astronauts – Playing Sardines In A Space Capsule – Scott Manley

In 1973 there were concerns that the crew on Skylab may be stuck without a ride home after half the thrusters on the Service module failed. In response NASA turned to its existing Skylab Rescue plans which involved squeezing 5 people into a capsule designed for 3, and assigned Vance Brand and Don Lind to train for this mission. Over the next few days this crew showed the rescue was possible, but as they analyzed the problem in with the spacecraft they also showed that there were safe ways to return the damaged spacecraft without needing the rescue mission. This story is of course relevant 50 years later because Soyuz MS22 has a crippled cooling system and the crew will have to wait for a replacement.

** Care in Space – Axiom Space

Together with Boryung and Starburst, we are providing space start-ups with capital, business and technical guidance and access to space. All of this through the Care In Space Challenge!”

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

==================

Check out the
The Lurio Report
for news and analysis of key developments in NewSpace

The latest issue:
Moving, China’s Starship, Tracing New Space in India
Vol. 17, No. 7, December 31, 2022 (Issued January 2023)

Space Frontier Foundation Award for NewSpace Journalism

==================

=== Amazon Ads ===

LEGO Ideas International Space Station Building Kit,
Adult Set for Display,
Makes a Great Birthday Present
(864 Pieces)

====

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

In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Systems

Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – Jan.14.2023

January 14, 2023 TopSpacer

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

** Expedition 68 Space Station Crew Talks with WPLG-TV, Miami, and KFAN-FM, Minneapolis- Jan. 11, 2023 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 68 Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight event January 11 with WPLG-TV “Local 10 News” in Miami, Florida and KFAN Sports Talk FM Radio in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Cassada and Rubio are in the midst of a science 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.

** Expedition 68 Space Station Crew Talks with Consumer Electronics Show – Jan. 6, 2023 – NASA Video

Astronauts on the International Space Station talk with participants at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, using ultra-high definition television. The live interaction was sponsored by the non-profit Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, which coordinates International Space Station National Laboratory research for NASA. The conversation with astronauts Nicole Mann and Frank Rubio focused on how a variety of users are leveraging the space station to further technological advancements that can bring value to humanity, improve the quality of life for those living and working in space, and enable a sustainable market in low Earth orbit. The orbiting laboratory continues to maintain an uninterrupted human presence after more than 22 years.

** SpaceX Dragon CRS-26 Cargo Ship Departs International Space Station – NASA Video

Loaded with experiments and hardware, the unpiloted SpaceX-26 cargo ship undocked from the Harmony module of the International Space Station Jan. 9, headed for a splashdown off the coast of Florida. The resupply vehicle arrived at the orbital complex in late November to deliver several tons of food, science experiments and hardware for station maintenance, science investigations and upgrades.

** A Realistic Way to Make Space Habitats From Asteroids – Fraser Cain

We can build space habitats from asteroids by spinning them fast enough. That’s what Professor Adam Frank suggests in a recent paper he co-wrote. In this interview, we discussed the idea, how realistic it is and what technology will be needed to achieve it, what applications it can have and when we can expect something like that.

…

00:00 Intro
01:35 Meet Professor Adam Frank
02:27 Building space habitats from asteroids
13:16 Materials required to achieve that
18:00 Generation ships
24:52 Asteroid mining
27:29 Exponential technological progress
34:45 Great Realistic SciFi
35:56 Outro

Professor Adam Frank on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdamFrank4

Habitat Bennu: Design Concepts for Spinning Habitats Constructed From Rubble Pile Near-Earth Asteroids
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/…

The Fermi Paradox and the Aurora Effect: Exo-civilization Settlement, Expansion, and Steady States
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10…

** Update on Soyuz MS-22 and Soyuz MS-23 – SciNews

Update on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the International Space Station and on the planned launch of the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, from Joel Montalbano (International Space Station program manager, NASA) and Sergei Krikalev (Human Space Flight Programs executive director, Roscosmos) on 11 January 2023. A coolant leak was detected from the aft end of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the International Space Station, on 14 December 2022. The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft carried NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin into space after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sept. 21.
Credit: NASA/Roscosmos

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

====

=== Amazon Ads ===

LEGO Ideas International Space Station Building Kit,
Adult Set for Display,
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Outpost in Orbit:
A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station

In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Systems

Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – Jan.7.2023

January 7, 2023 TopSpacer

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

** Science on space station in 2022 – See the best pics! – VideoFromSpace

The International Space Station science experiments in 2022 are highlighted in these images. “Hundreds of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations,” were supported by the orbital outpost’s crew during the year, according to NASA.

** Webinar: NLRA 2023-5 Leveraging the ISS for Education and Workforce Development – ISS National Lab – YouTube

This webinar – held on January 5, 2023 – provided information of interest to offerors for NLRA 2023-5: Leveraging the ISS National Lab for Education and Workforce Development. The webinar offered details regarding the scope of the NLRA as well as the timeline, processes, and procedures for submitting proposals.

** NASA’s Commercial Crew Program: Leading the Way in Human Spaceflight – NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

For more than a decade, NASA’s groundbreaking Commercial Crew Program (CCP) has led the way toward a new era in human spaceflight, impacting the agency and industry in tremendous ways. Together with commercial partners Boeing and SpaceX, CCP is delivering on its goal to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective human space transportation to and from the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit, enabling NASA to maximize station utilization, and highlighting the benefits of NASA’s commercial model with industry.

** What an astronaut needs to know | Flight control, space weather and debris – European Space Agency, ESA on Youtube

Recently, Andreas Mogensen, now getting ready for his ‘Huginn’ mission to the ISS in 2023, stopped by ESA’s ESOC mission control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, to meet with some of the experts who keep our satellites flying.

Andreas usually works at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston as an ISS ‘capcom’, and we don’t often see him in Europe. A few months back, while returning to Germany for some training at ESA’s Astronaut Centre in Cologne, we seized the opportunity to ask him if he’d like to stop over in Darmstadt for a look behind the scenes at mission control, and he immediately answered, ‘yes’!

Andreas’ studied aeronautical engineering with a focus on ‘guidance, navigation and control of spacecraft’ and we thought he’d be delighted to meet with the teams at mission control doing precisely that sort of work for our robotic missions.

We figured he’d also enjoy meeting colleagues from our Space Safety programme, especially the ones working on space debris and space weather, as these are crucial areas that influence the daily life of astronauts on the ISS.

Andreas met with Bruno Sousa and Julia Schwartz, who help keep Solar Orbiter healthy and on track on its mission to gather the closest-ever images of the Sun, observe the solar wind and our Star’s polar regions, helping unravel the mysteries of the solar cycle.

He also met with Stijn Lemmens, one of the analysts keeping tabs on the space debris situation in orbit, and Melanie Heil, a scientist helping ESA understand how space weather and our active Sun can affect missions in orbit and crucial infrastructure – like power grids – on ground.

We hope you enjoy this lively and informative day at mission control as much as Andreas and the teams at ESOC did!

** Starlab_ Flying Toward – Nanoracks

Starlab is Voyager’s planned free-flying, multifunctional commercial space station dedicated to conducting advanced research, fostering commercial industrial activity, and ensuring continued U.S. presence and leadership in low-Earth Orbit. Starlab will host the George Washington Carver Science Park, the first in-space science park, and meet existing demand for commercial space activities.

** Starlab- Side View Animation 4k – Nanoracks

** Starlab – Wide View Animation 4k – Nanoracks

** Living on China’s space station – Take a peek inside on New Year’s Day – VideoFromSpace

See views inside and outside of the Tiangong space station captured on New Year’s Day 2023. Chinese astronauts open New Year’s presents, exercise and more.