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

** Know Your Crew…Three! – NASA Johnson

The astronauts flying on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission have been working together for months and months now to prepare for their launch, and then six months together on the International Space Station. You’d think they’ve gotten to know each other pretty well by now. Watch as Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and Matthias Maurer declare who on the crew is the funniest, who has an annoying habit, and who is the clear front-runner to beat the others in a race. Also, which crew member is the most perspicacious and what type of “smorgasbord” are they planning? Let’s find out!

**  Quick Questions with Crew-3 – NASA Johnson

Astronauts are public figures and much of their history is well known, but not all of it. We “grilled” the astronauts flying to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission – Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and Matthias Maurer – with a dizzying series of rapid-fire questions to discover the truth about their favorite foods, guilty pleasures, and what these explorers would do with a free day on the Moon. Be on the lookout for the one thing that all four of them unanimously agree on!

** Expedition 66 inflight with Seeker.com – October 25, 2021 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 66 Commander Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA Flight Engineer Shane Kimbrough discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight event October 25 with Seeker.com. Pesquet and Kimbrough are in the midst of long duration missions 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.

** Announcing Orbital Reef – Your Address in Orbit – Blue Origin – Possible commercial successor to the ISS. – Orbital Reef press release (pdf)

Blue Origin and Sierra Space have announced plans for Orbital Reef, a commercially developed, owned, and operated space station to be built in low Earth orbit. The station will open the next chapter of human space exploration and development by facilitating the growth of a vibrant ecosystem and business model for the future. Orbital Reef is backed by space industry leaders and teammates including Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering Solutions, and Arizona State University. Designed to open multiple new markets in space, Orbital Reef will provide anyone with the opportunity to establish their own address on orbit. This unique destination will offer research, industrial, international, and commercial customers the cost competitive end-to-end services they need including space transportation and logistics, space habitation, equipment accommodation, and operations including onboard crew. The station will start operating in the second half of this decade. Learn more at OrbitalReef.com

**Starlab: The first free-flying, continuously crewed commercial space station. – Starlab – The Starlab is a commercial space station project led by Nanoracks, Voyager Space, and Lockheed-Martin. The goal is to be in orbit by 2027. See announcement: Nanoracks, Voyager Space, and Lockheed Martin Teaming to Develop Commercial Space Station – Nanoracks.

** Axiom Rewind September 2021 – Axiom Space – Brief update on the projects by Axiom Space, which is developing commercial space habitat modules, which initially will attach to the ISS and then form an Axiom free-floating station.

** Blastoff! Progress 79 cargo spacecraft launches to space station – VideoFromSpace

A Russian Soyuz rocket launched the Progress 79 cargo resupply spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station on Oct. 27, 2021 (Oct. 28 local time).

** Soyuz MS-18 departure timelapse – European Space Agency, ESA on Youtube

Timelapse video made during ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s second mission to the International Space Station, “Alpha”. On 17 October 2021 at 01:14 GMT the Soyuz MS-18 undocked from the Space Station to return to Earth, inside were @Roscosmos Media cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy (who had spent 191 days in space) and actress Yulia Peresild and Russian producer-director Klim Shipenko (who both spent 11 days in space). The trio landed on Earth just over three hours later. The camera for this timelapse was setup to take pictures at intervals of two a second, and the pictures are then edited into this video that plays at 25 pictures a second. The video is around 12 times faster than real speed. …

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

** Expedition 66 Inflight with Space.com – October 21, 2021 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 65 Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Megan McArthur of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during a question and answer session with Space.com on October 21. Vande Hei and McArthur are in the midst of long duration missions 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.

** Video File: Russian Trio Returns To Earth From The International Space Station – NASA Video

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos and Russian spaceflight participants Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko undocked from the International Space Station’s Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module in their Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft October 16, returning to Earth a few hours later for a parachute-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan Oct. 17. Peresild, a Russian actress and Shipenko, her producer-director, spent 12 days on the station filming scenes for a movie title “Challenge” under an arrangement between Roscosmos and Moscow-based media entities. Novitskiy returned after spending 191 days in space on a flight which spanned almost 81 million miles. Novitskiy has now logged 531 days in space on his three missions.

** Spacewalk scenes with Thomas and Aki – 8K! – European Space Agency, ESA on Youtube

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet and @JAXA | 宇宙航空研究開発機構 astronaut Akihiko Hoshide performed a spacewalk on 12 September 2021 to prepare for the installation of a new solar array on the International Space Station. The new solar arrays, called IROSA or ISS Roll-Out Solar Array, are being gradually installed over the existing arrays to boost the International Space Station’s power system. Thomas and @NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough prepared and installed two IROSA solar panels across three spacewalk in June. The arrays were taken from their storage area outside the Space Station and passed from spacewalker to spacewalker to the worksite. There the rolled arrays were secured, unfolded, connected and then unfurled. Aki and Thomas prepared the P4 truss for its IROSA installation. This is the same area as where Thomas and Shane installed two IROSA’s but closer to the main body of the Space Station, in an area called the 4A channel. Only one new solar array will be installed here, on a later spacewalk. While the extravehicular activity or EVA was already the fourth spacewalk during Thomas’ Alpha mission, it was his first with Aki and the first time a spacewalking pair did not feature a US or Russian astronaut. …

** Space food | Mission Alpha [in French with English subtitles] – European Space Agency, ESA on Youtube

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is on his second mission to the International Space Station called Alpha. In this video Thomas talks about his crew preference food that arrived on @SpaceX CRS-22 supply spacecraft, the video was recorded on 19 June 2021 in the Zvezda module of the Space Station. Astronauts’ full space menu comprise of a range of food designed to meet nutritional and operational requirements on board. Because of the two hours of exercise they perform every day on the Station and a full schedule of science and operations, astronauts are expected to consume approximately 3000 calories per day in space. For ESA astronauts such as Thomas, two thirds of this calorie intake come from the basic food supply that is preselected and prepacked by @NASA for the entire space mission. The final third of their calories comes from ‘crew choice meals’ – food that the astronauts choose for themselves, either from the US menu or a range of European, Russian and Japanese options. …

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

** NRCSD#21 Deployments from the International Space Station – Nanoracks

Deployments of three CubeSats from the Nanoracks CubeSat Deployer on the International Space Station. This is Nanoracks’ 21st CubeSat deployment mission from the ISS. The first deployment will contain CAPSat, a 3U from the University of Illinois. The second deployment will contain PR CuNaR2, a 3U from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico (the first ever Puerto Rican Satellite!), and a 3U from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

** Crew 3 Training Resource Reel UHD – October 12, 2021 – NASA Video

NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer train for their six-month stay aboard the International Space Station.

** Space food | Mission Alpha [in French with English subtitles] – European Space Agency, ESA on Youtube

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is on his second mission to the International Space Station called Alpha. In this video Thomas talks about his crew preference food that arrived on @SpaceX CRS-22 supply spacecraft, the video was recorded on 19 June 2021 in the Zvezda module of the Space Station.

Astronauts’ full space menu comprise of a range of food designed to meet nutritional and operational requirements on board. Because of the two hours of exercise they perform every day on the Station and a full schedule of science and operations, astronauts are expected to consume approximately 3000 calories per day in space.

For ESA astronauts such as Thomas, two thirds of this calorie intake come from the basic food supply that is preselected and prepacked by @NASA for the entire space mission. The final third of their calories comes from ‘crew choice meals’ – food that the astronauts choose for themselves, either from the US menu or a range of European, Russian and Japanese options. Before any mission to the Space Station, the astronauts participate in several space food tasting sessions to help determine what dishes will be included in the basic food supply. During a training course they test a range of different food and drink items and rate each of them in a questionnaire.

This information is then provided to NASA’s food lab which determines the final food package. Over 200 experiments are planned during Thomas’ time in space, with 40 European ones and 12 new experiments led by the French space agency @CNES. Follow Thomas: http://bit.ly/ThomasPesquetBlog

** Earth Images from the International Space Station. | Oct. 9, 2021– space googlevesaire

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

** Expedition 65 Video File Soyuz MS 19 Launch Docking HatchOpen – October 5, 2021 – NASA Video

Russian actress Yulia Peresild, Russian producer Klim Shipenko and veteran Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos launched Oct. 5 on the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a fast-track, two-orbit journey to the International Space Station. Peresild and Shipenko will be filming scenes for a movie while on board the outpost under a commercial agreement with Roscosmos. They will return to Earth Oct. 17 with station Flight Engineer Oleg Novitskiy while Shkaplerov remains on the complex through March 2022.

** Soyuz with film crew flies around space station in these amazing views – VideoFromSpace

The Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft carrying Russian actress Yulia Peresild, producer Klim Shipenko and cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov flew around the International Space Station while over Africa and the Mediterranean Sea ahead of docking on Oct. 5, 2021. [Watch the Soyuz launch](https://www.space.com/russian-film-cr…)

** Expedition 65 Inflight with Fox Weather – October 6, 2021 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 65 Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei discussed living and working in space during an in-flight interview October 6 with the Fox Weather Network. Vande Hei is in the midst of a year-long 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.

** Watch SpaceX Crew Dragon approach space station in stunning flashback time-lapse – VideoFromSpace

The SpaceX CRS-23 Cargo Dragon spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station on Aug. 30, 2021. The spacecraft departed the orbital outpost today (Sept. 30), see the undocking here: https://www.space.com/spacex-dragon-c…

** Space workout anyone? – European Space Agency, ESA on Youtube

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is sharing scenes from life on board the International Space Station during his second mission “Alpha”. He shared this video on social media with the caption:

“Space workout anyone? The Advanced Resistive Exercise Device or ARED is called this for a reason, it uses pressurized air in two cylinders and complicated machinery to allow us to weightlift in space: squats, deadlifts, bench press, shoulder press, biceps curl, etc, we can do it all… but we do a lot of squats: these muscles don’t do much work during our normal day. We never skip exercise on the International Space Station. Every. Single. Day. I miss having a shower, and I miss the rain, and I miss fresh food, but secretly I also miss having a day without having to exercise. Don’t tell my flight surgeon!” …

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

** Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Talks With NASA Astronauts – September 27, 2021 – NASA

Pittsburgh Steeler Josh Dobbs joins NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, Shannon Walker, and Soichi Noguchi for a discussion focused on their recent mission to space, the future of STEM and the importance of ensuring that space is for everyone. This event is in collaboration with NASA, the Pittsburgh Steelers, EverFi Character Playbook, and the Carnegie Science Center.

** Expedition 65 SpaceX CRS 23 Departure – September 30, 2021  – NASA Video

Loaded with scientific experiments and supplies, the unpiloted SpaceX Cargo Dragon undocked from the International Space Station September 30, completing a month-long mission to the outpost for the company’s 23rd commercial resupply services mission for NASA. With NASA Flight Engineer Shane Kimbrough looking on, the SpaceX spacecraft undocked from the forward port of the Harmony module, headed for a splashdown off the coast of Florida to complete its flight, that delivered several tons of experiments and hardware to the [station.]

** Expedition 65 Soyuz MS 18 Relocation – September 28, 2021  – NASA Video

The Russian Soyuz MS-18 undocked from the Rassvet module on the International Space Station and relocated for the first docking to the new “Nauka” Multipurpose Laboratory Module September 28. Aboard the Soyuz for the brief flight were NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Soyuz commander Oleg Novitskiy. The maneuver opened the Rassvet docking port for the arrival of the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft that will launch Oct. 5 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with veteran cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov and Russian spaceflight participants Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko aboard.

** Expedition 65 Education Inflight with Iowa Space Grant Consortium – September 27, 2021 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 65 Flight Engineers Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight event September 27, answering prerecorded questions from Iowa Space Grant students in Ames, Iowa. Kimbrough and McArthur are in the midst of a long duration 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.

** Node 3 | Space Station 360 (in French with English subtitles available) – ESA – European Space Agency, ESA on Youtube

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet takes you on a tour of the International Space Station like no other. Filmed with a 360 camera, the Space Station 360 series lets you explore for yourself alongside Thomas’s explanation – episode six is NASA’s Node-3, also known as Tranquility. Node 3 has cylindrical hull 4.5 m in diameter with a shallow conical section enclosing each end. It is almost 7 m long and, together with the Space Station’s observatory Cupola, weighed over 13.5 tonnes at launch. Built in Europe, Node 3 houses the life-support equipment, the toilet and equipment racks.

** STEMonstration: Five Senses – NASA Johnson

NASA Astronaut Shane Kimbrough talks about the five senses – sight, taste, smell, hearing and touch from aboard the International Space Station. Watch as Shane describe how astronauts use each of their five senses and learn how these senses adapt to life in microgravity. Learn how your own senses provide you with important information and keep you safe in your environment – whether in outer space or on Earth! Be sure to check out https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstrations for more videos like this, along with their corresponding Classroom Connection lesson plans.

** Chris Hadfield sang the tune “I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing)” in space – CBC Music.  Back on February 12, 2013, Chris Hadfield debuted the song “I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing)” on the International Space Station:

I.S.S. Commander Chris Hadfield joins The Barenaked Ladies and the Wexford Gleeks in the first space-to-earth musical collaboration. The song, “I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing) was commissioned by CBCMusic.ca and The Coalition for Music Education with the Canadian Space Agency to celebrate music education in schools across Canada.

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Outpost in Orbit:
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