Gentle readers:
The Russian supply ship did not make it to the space station and so I am wondering
how much food the Current Astronauts have on board?
how much food the Current Astronauts have on board?
May 20, 2015
As NASA Science Returns to Earth, Space Station Upgraded for U.S.-Based Astronaut Launches in 2017
Inside the International Space Station's Harmony module an American flag awaits the next astronauts that launch from the United States. The flag was flown on the first space shuttle mission and was carried to the space station on the last. Now, with major activities planned this month and in the near future, NASA and its partners are on-track to launch astronauts from the United States again in 2017 and return the flag home.
This American flag was taken to the International Space Station in 2011 on STS-135, the final mission of the space shuttle. Flown on the first space shuttle mission in 1981, the flag will be returned to Earth by the next crew to launch from the United States to the orbiting laboratory.
Credits: NASA
New spacecraft being developed and tested by American companies Boeing and SpaceX will need a place to dock to the space station. Astronauts on three recent spacewalks in February and March began reconfiguring the space station to prepare for the arrival of those commercial crew vehicles (Watch GoPro video of the most recent spacewalk).
On Wednesday, May 27, controllers in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will use the space station's robotic arm to move the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), a storage facility on the station’s Unity node, and relocate it to the Tranquility node. The move is part of a choreographed reconfiguration of multiple space station components this year that will result in two docking ports for a new generation of commercial crew spacecraft, and two for commercial cargo vehicles.
The next major milestone follows shortly after the PMM relocation with the scheduled arrival in June of the first of two International Docking Adapters (IDAs) aboard SpaceX’s seventh cargo resupply mission. The IDA is designed to connect a visiting spacecraft to a pressurized mating adapter (PMA) connected to the space station. After arrival of the first docking adapter, NASA astronauts will install it outside Harmony during a spacewalk later this summer.
On Thursday, May 21, SpaceX’s sixth Dragon spacecraft currently attached to the space station returns to Earth, making way for the next SpaceX Dragon and its delivery of the adapter, science experiments and cargo. The returning Dragon will carry back to Earth science from experiments taking place aboard the station, including the first samples from the one-year crew mission of NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, who began their stay aboard the station in March. The long duration of their mission will help scientists better understand the effect of prolonged spaceflight on the human body. Kelly's twin brother, former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, also is helping researchers on Earth compare any physical changes Scott experiences in space. This knowledge will help NASA plan for human missions deeper into the solar system, including to Mars.
In Florida, work is underway to ensure the safe launches of astronauts who will increase the science conducted aboard the space station this decade. Boeing is making progress on the first two tiers of the crew access tower, which will be installed on Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. From there, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch Boeing’s crewed CST-100 spacecraft to the space station.
Engineers from Boeing also recently tested a new armored vehicle that could transport astronauts and ground crews away from a launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency. The astronauts could either stay in place protected or drive away from potential danger in the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.
SpaceX also recently tested a safety system of its Crew Dragon spacecraft. A pad abort testconducted at Cape Canaveral on May 6 demonstrated the ability of eight SuperDraco engines’ ability to quickly carry the spacecraft away from a life-threatening situation on the launch pad. A second test, currently scheduled for later this year, will demonstrate the abort capability of Crew Dragon about a minute after launching on a Falcon 9 rocket.
Through its Commercial Crew Program, NASA plans to use the new generation of spacecraft privately developed and operated by Boeing and SpaceX to carry as many as four astronauts per mission, increasing the space station crew complement to seven and doubling the amount of scientific research that can be performed off the Earth, for the Earth.
The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that enables us to demonstrate new technologies and make research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has been continuously occupied since November 2000 and, since then, has been visited by more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next giant leap in exploration.
Last Updated: May 21, 2015
Editor: Jim Wilson
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