Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – May.2.2023

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

** Canadarm dance | 4K timelapse – European Space Agency, ESA

Timelapse video made during ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s second mission to the International Space Station, “Alpha”. The camera is 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.

Thomas shared this video on social media saying:

“We often mention robotics on the International Space Station but it doesn’t mean we are playing with robots. We have a 17–m-long, fully-articulated robotic arm on the outside, proudly built by the Canadian Space Agency. It is hugely important to our operations here: it grabs visiting vehicles, moves astronauts around during spacewalks, and does a lot of outside maintenance and logistics. It is always a fun (and to be honest, a bit tense because it’s not easy) moment when we get to fly it though our control panels and joysticks from the Cupola or the Lab (there are no windows there but we have lots of outside cameras).”

Over 200 experiments are planned during Thomas’ time in space, with 40 European ones and 12 new experiments led by CNES.

** Astronauts Prepare Station For Solar Array Upgrades NASA Johnson

On April 28, NASA astronaut Steve Bowen (EV1) and UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi (EV2) will conduct a spacewalk to continue installation of hardware to support future power system upgrades outside the International Space Station. This will be the 261st spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. It will be the eighth spacewalk for Bowen and the first for Alneyadi, also the first for any UAE astronaut. This computer-generated animation of the spacewalk is narrated by ISS Expedition 69 Spacewalk Officer Sandy Fletcher.

** See the 1st Arab astronaut to spacewalk and NASA crewmate work outside ISS – NASA Video

UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi became the 1st Arab astronaut to take a spacewalk as he and NASA astronaut Steve Bowen work outside the International Space Station on April 28, 2023. Learn more about Sultan Al Neyadi: https://www.space.com/sultan-al-neyad…

The spacewalkers prepped the space station for a power upgrade.

** Space-Grown Crystals Offer Clarity on Parkinson’s DiseaseISS National Lab

Apr 2, 2019: Parkinson’s disease affects more than 5 million people on Earth. Research on the International Space Station could provide insight into this chronic neurodegenerative disease and help scientists find ways to treat and prevent it. In this video, NASA astronaut Serena Auñon-Chancellor narrates as European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Alexander Gerst uses a microscope to examine and photograph the LRRK2 crystals.

Learn more about this research: https://go.nasa.gov/2FtsPiY

See also Creating New and Better Drugs with Protein Crystal Growth Experiments | NASA – Apr.25.2023

** Commercial space station company Gravitics CEO Colin DoughanBecoming Off-Worldly Together

Gravitics CEO Colin Doughan tells us about the future of commercial space stations and what it might look like to live and work in space on StarMax and future artificial gravity space stations.

Want to attend our monthly guest webinars live as well as get exclusive access to monthly training webinars, weekly chats, and resources to get ready for your future spaceflight. We’re a community of future astronaut hopefuls supporting each other on our paths to space.

becomeoffworldly.com

** CMG Airs Exclusive Livestreaming of China’s Tiangong Space Station on Space DayCCTV Video News Agency

In celebration of the eighth Space Day of China on Monday, the China Media Group (CMG) aired a four-hour exclusive livestreaming of China’s Tiangong space station in conjunction with the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

** 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

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Night sky highlights for May 2023

** What’s Up: May 2023 Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in May 2023?

Venus reaches its highest point in the evening sky for the year, while Jupiter disappears behind the Moon for some U.S. observers. Plus, some key differences in the Southern Hemisphere’s skies compared to those of the North.

0:00 Intro
0:12 Moon & planet pairings
1:16 Venus at its highest
1:38 Skies of the Southern Hemisphere
3:48 May Moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatch….

** Tonight’s Sky: May 2023 – Space Telescope Science InstituteTonight’s Sky

In May, we are looking away from the crowded, dusty plane of our own galaxy toward a region where the sky is brimming with distant galaxies. Locate Virgo to find a concentration of roughly 2,000 galaxies and search for Coma Berenices to identify many more. Keep watching for space-based views of galaxies like the Sombrero Galaxy, M87, and M64.

** What to see in the night sky: May 2023BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Astronomers Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal the best things to see in the night sky this month, including catching Venus before it disappears, the daytime lunar occultation of Jupiter, the Moon and the tongue-twisting stars of Libra!

** Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast – May 2023 – Sky & Telescope Youtube

Our monthly Sky Tour #astronomy #podcast provides an informative and entertaining 10-minute guided tour of the nighttime sky. Listen to the May episode and look for tiny bits of #halleyscomet; watch the #Moon cover up #Jupiter; track down a couple of evening #planets; and take stock of bright #stars in the late-spring sky.

See also

** Night Sky Notebook May 2023Peter Detterline

Find out what’s happening in the sky when you look up in May 2023.

** What’s in the Night Sky May 2023 #WITNS Lunar Eclipse | Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower | Manhattanhenge Alyn Wallace

00:00 Intro
00:32 Lunar Eclipse
02:39 Eta Aquariids
03:41 Noctilucent Clouds
04:40 Milky Way
06:07 Moon and Planets
07:45 Manhattanhenge
08:38 WITNS Winners

** See also:

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Stellaris: People of the Stars

The Space Show this week – Apr.25.2023

The guests and topics of discussion on The Space Show this week:

1. Tuesday, Apr. 25, 2023; 7 pm PST (9 pm CST, 10 pm EST): We welcome back Aggie Kobrin and Rod Pyle to talk about the National Space Society‘s upcoming International Space Development Conference (ISDC-2023).

2. Hotel Mars – Wednesday, Apr. 26, 2023; 1:00 pm PST (3:00 pm CST, 4:00 pm EST): Rick Fisher will talk with David Livingston and John Batchelor, about the SpaceX Starship, security, and large rockets in other nations.

3. Friday, Apr.28, 2023; 9:30-11 am PST (11:30 am-1 pm CST, 12:30-2 pm EST): We welcome back Dr. Matthew Weinzierl, Harvard economist, to discuss commercial space going forward.

4. Sunday, Apr.30, 2023; 12-1:30 pm PST (2-3:30 pm CST, 3-4:30 pm EST): Welcome to Open Lines. Call us at 866-7223 and tell us what is on your mind for space, tech, science, engineering, policy and more.

Some recent shows:

** Sunday, Apr.23.2023Dr. Erika Nesvold talked about “ethics, space settlement, and living in space“.

** Friday, Apr.21.2023Tim Cash

went over the known details for the initial Starship demo test from April 20, discussing potential problems, possible remedies and rocket modifications. Furthermore, Tim talked about his passion in detail, space solar power. Starship modifications and the potential impact on lunar and Mars timelines were also discussed as was the rocket’s acoustic damage at launch to the engines and the pad.

** Tuesday, April.18.2023Dr. Robert Zubrin discussed his new book, The Case For Nukes [Amazon commission link] and “nuclear power and why, invention and progress, SSP, nuclear propulsion and much more“.

** Sunday, Apr.16.2023 –  Morgan Irons and Lee Irons talked about

their work on 1 g for humans living off Earth. Many important subtopics were discussed, many issues, lots of calls and emails. You do not want to miss this one!

** Friday, Apr.14.2023Mike Gold of Redwire Spacewas with us to discuss in detail Artemis, to provide a response to the naysayers, to talk commercial space and investment plus economic concerns and more“.

** Hotel Mars – Wednesday, Apr.12.2023Daniel Suarez, author of the books Delta-V and Critical Mass [Amazon commission links], spoke with John Batchelor and Dr. David Livingston about “to the program to speak about the books, the future, asteroid mining sci-fy and Starship and the future”.

** Tuesday, Apr.11.2023Dr. Greg Autry discussed

the use of nuclear power for our energy grid plus for space uses including propulsion. We talked about other forms of energy including green energy, renewables , EVs and more. Also discussed was the climate for ongoing public and private sector investment given our current economic stresses.

** See also:
* The Space Show Archives
* The Space Show Newsletter
* The Space Show Shop

The Space Show is a project of the One Giant Leap Foundation.

The Space Show - David Livingston
The Space Show – Dr. David Livingston

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Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – Apr.24.2023

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

** NRCSD25 Deployments [April 24, 2023] – Nanoracks

A recording of the live web stream on April 24, 2023 showing the deployment by Nanoracks of 6 CubeSats from the International Space Station.

Deployment of the ExAlta-2 (3U), LightCube (1U), and ArkSat-1 (1U) CubeSats happens at the 32:52 point in the video.

Deployment of the NEUDOSE (2U), AuroraSat (2U), and YukonSat (2U) CubeSats happens at the 42:52 point in the video.

** The Ballad of the Overview Effect | Down to Earth NASA Johnson

In preparation for Earth Day, view our beautiful planet from above, with commentary from NASA astronauts.

** Earth in 4K – Space Station Expedition 67-68 Edition NASA Johnson

The people who’ve been to Earth orbit for the rare opportunity to see our home planet from a whole different angle say this blue marble in space is really quite beautiful and awe-inspiring when seen from 250 miles straight up. Here’s your chance to see if you agree: these ultra-high definition video scenes, captured between March 2022 and March 2023 during the International Space Station’s Expeditions 67 and 68, let you imagine yourself as a station crew member with an hour off duty and nothing better to do than look out the window as the world, literally, passes by.

HD Download: https://images.nasa.gov/details/jsc20…

** Expedition 69 Northrop Grumman CRS-18 Cygnus Cargo Craft Departs Space Station – April 21, 2023 – NASA Video

The unpiloted Northrop Grumman CRS-18 Cygnus cargo craft was released from the nadir port of the Unity Module of the International Space Station April 21 by flight controllers on the ground in Houston, Texas. NG-18 launched on November 7, 2022 on an Antares rocket from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, beginning a two-day flight to the International Space Station. Following a April 21 deorbit engine firing, Cygnus will begin a destructive re-entry in which the spacecraft, filled with trash, will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.

** Space Station Astronauts Discuss Life in Space with Medscape Cardiology and KDKA-TV – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Frank Rubio of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview April 18 with Medscape Cardiology. Following this event, Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg of NASA discussed life board the space station during an in-flight interview with KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. Rubio and Hoburg 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. 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.

** Post Malone Calls NASA Astronauts in Space for Earth DayNASA

Artist and music producer Post Malone spoke with NASA astronauts Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg, who are currently living and working on the International Space Station.

In a special Earth Day conversation, Posty chatted with the astronauts about what it’s like to see Earth from above and what makes our blue planet special.

The space station is an orbiting laboratory traveling at a speed of 17,500 mph (25,000 kph), completing one trip around Earth about every 90 minutes. Crew members carry out research and conduct thousands of experiments that have contributed to medical and social benefits on our home planet, allowing us to find new ways to combat disease and develop technologies to deliver clean water to remote communities in need. More: https://nasa.gov/iss

Celebrate Earth Day with NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/earth-day-2023

** Robotic arm on space station moves radiator during Russian spacewalk – VideoFromSpace

During a Russian spacewalk outside the International Space Station on April 18, 2023, the European robotic arm moved a radiator from the Rassvet module to the Nauka module. Full Story: https://www.space.com/iss-spacewalk-r…

** The European Robotic Arm in actionSciNews

The European Robotic Arm was used to move a radiator from the Rassvet Module and attach it to the Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module, during Roscosmos’ Spacewalk 56, on 19 April 2023. ERA consists of two end effectors, two wrists, two limbs and one elbow joint together with electronics and cameras. Both ends act as a “hand” for the robot.
Credit: ESA/NASA/Roscosmos
Music: “No.1 A Minor Waltz by Esther Abrami” courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

** Shenzhou 15 astronauts set Chinese record for most spacewalks by single crewVideoFromSpace

Shenzhou 15 astronauts Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu completed the crew’s 4th spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station on April 15, 2023. It broke the record for most spacewalks by single Chinese crew. Full Story: https://www.space.com/china-shenzhou-…

** 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

====

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The Space Show this week – Apr.17.2023

The guests and topics of discussion on The Space Show this week:

1. Tuesday, Apr. 18, 2023; 7 pm PST (9 pm CST, 10 pm EST): We welcome back Dr. Robert Zubrin to discuss his new book, The Case For Nukes [Amazon commission link].

2. Hotel Mars – Wednesday, Apr. 19, 2023; 1:00 pm PST (3:00 pm CST, 4:00 pm EST): Rick Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center (IASC), will talk with John Batchelor and Dr. David Livingston about the SpaceX Starship, Chinese rockets, competition for launchers, national security and more.

3. Friday, Apr.21, 2023; 9:30-11 am PST (11:30 am-1 pm CST, 12:30-2 pm EST): We welcome back Marc Bell, CEO of Terran Orbital.

4. Sunday, Apr.23, 2023; 12-1:30 pm PST (2-3:30 pm CST, 3-4:30 pm EST): We welcome Dr. Erika Nesvold to discuss space settlement, ethics and much more. For more information on Dr. Nesvold, see www.erikanesvold.com.

Some recent shows:

** Sunday, Apr.16.2023 –  Morgan Irons and Lee Irons talked about

their work on 1 g for humans living off Earth. Many important subtopics were discussed, many issues, lots of calls and emails. You do not want to miss this one!

** Friday, Apr.14.2023Mike Gold of Redwire Spacewas with us to discuss in detail Artemis, to provide a response to the naysayers, to talk commercial space and investment plus economic concerns and more“.

** Hotel Mars – Wednesday, Apr.12.2023Daniel Suarez, author of the books Delta-V and Critical Mass [Amazon commission links], spoke with John Batchelor and Dr. David Livingston about “to the program to speak about the books, the future, asteroid mining sci-fy and Starship and the future”.

** Tuesday, Apr.11.2023Dr. Greg Autry discussed

the use of nuclear power for our energy grid plus for space uses including propulsion. We talked about other forms of energy including green energy, renewables , EVs and more. Also discussed was the climate for ongoing public and private sector investment given our current economic stresses.

** Friday, Apr.7.2023Tom Cooke CEO of Spacely.work talked about “aerospace industry employment, independent workers, trends and much more“.

** Sunday, Apr.2.2023Dr. John Brandenburg discussed

AI and his view that it is very dangerous. This was a two hour discussion with many callers and lots of email questions.

** Friday, Mar.31.2023Duncan Farrah talked about “his work about blackholes and Dark Energy“. See his paper at Observational Evidence for Cosmological Coupling of Black Holes and its Implications for an Astrophysical Source of Dark Energy – NASA/ADS.

** Tuesday, Mar.28.2023Peter Garretson discussed “SSP, in space economy, industrial space development, security issues, Chin and more“.

** See also:
* The Space Show Archives
* The Space Show Newsletter
* The Space Show Shop

The Space Show is a project of the One Giant Leap Foundation.

The Space Show - David Livingston
The Space Show – Dr. David Livingston

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