Before Europe's advanced space transporter is ready for launch on its voyage to the International Space Station, the components that make up ATV Albert Einstein have traveled quite some kilometers over sea, land and air:
This item not directly related to ATV, but we couldn't help but share this brilliant video by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. Everyone here at the ATV blog wishes Chris a safe journey home!
A revised version of David Bowie's Space Oddity, recorded by Commander Chris Hadfield on board the International Space Station.
With thanks to Emm Gryner, Joe Corcoran, Andrew Tidby and Evan Hadfield for all their hard work.
Today, Expedition 35 spacewalkers Vinogradov & Romanenko will deploy/retrieve scientific experiments and install a replacement navigation aid – the LRR – for ATV-4. Replacement of the LRR is set to happen between 18:00-18:30 CEST.
The Laser Radar Reflector target is used by ATV during the last part of Rendezvous operations. Previous investigations concluded that the current LRR should be replaced as it is likely contaminated.)
Watch live below. Details via NASA.
(UPDATE 20.04: You can review the complete replay of the EVA below via the archive in NASA's uStream channel. The LRR replacement takes place at around the 1:30:00 point in this video).
By Rhett Allain
The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) doesn’t just bring supplies to the International Space Station. It can also be used for ISS reboosts. What is a reboost? In short, during a reboost, the ISS velocity is increased by a small amount to bring the space station up to a slightly higher orbit.
Why is this needed? Well, although the ISS is in space, there is still stuff up there (gas from the atmosphere) that exerts a small drag force on the Station, decreases its velocity. The reboost are there just to keep it where it needs to be.
This video shows the inside of the ISS during an ATV reboost, i.e. when the ATV's main thrusters were firing. Let’s see if we can estimate the ATV thrust based on the acceleration of astronauts inside the space station.
Rhett Allain
Editor's note: In addition to having a knack for science communication, Rhett Allain is Associate Professor of Physics at Southeastern Louisiana University. He writes regularly for Wired's Dot Physics blog and is a bit of a physics fanatic who spends more time than many pondering how daily life intersects with science. With the recently announced development of ATV in cooperation with NASA for Orion, we're delighted to feature a few posts from the far side of the Atlantic. Enjoy! – DGS
There are a couple of different ways you can measure the acceleration in NASA astronaut Mike Fossum's YouTube video, but I am going to use one of the astronauts themselves (we think this is the first scientific use of an astronaut's floating body as seen in a YT video to calculate ATV acceleration – Ed).
Basically, I will use a video analysis program (in this case, the free Tracker Video Analysis). With video analysis, you can get position and time data from each frame of a video. If the motion of the astronauts had been recorded from a side view, position vs. time would obviously be the best choice. As you can see in Mike's video above, however, Mike, astro Satoshi Furukawa and cosmonaut Sergy Volkov are moving away from the camera, so I will measure the angular size of a person.
As things move farther away from a camera, they also appear steadily smaller. Here is a diagram that shows the relationship between angle, size and distance.
If you know the angle theta (θ) and the length of the object, you can find the distance (which I call r) with the formula:
r = L / θ
With this, I can mark a point on each side of one of the receding astronauts as he accelerates away from the camera. With some basic estimations for the angular view of the camera (and size of an astronaut), I get the following plot of distance from the camera for one of the astronauts.
Not your average spring cleaning
When ATV Albert Einstein docks with the International Space Station, it will bring fresh food and water and then serve as a habitable module for the astronauts aboard. Nobody wants to bring fungi or bacteria to Station, so guidelines have been set on the level of cleanliness expected on all equipment used in human spaceflight.
The task of scrubbing ATV clean has gone to ESA's Life and Physical Sciences Instrumentation and Life Support team since the launch of the first ATV vessel, ATV Jules Verne, in 2008.
The team is part of a multidisciplinary group based at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) who regularly work on developing a closed Life Support System, MELiSSA.
MELiSSA intends to produce oxygen, water and food by recycling mission waste. Knowledge gained from understanding, running and controlling microbiological processes as part of this project is used to ensure ATV'sPressurised Module reaches the necessary level of microbial cleanliness.
Scroll down (after the jump) for a fabulous behind-the-scenes video tour of the disinfection process of ATV Albert Einstein.
Super duper preview... more after the jump!
Yesterday, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield had an in-flight call with none other than William Shatner (also, not uncoincidentally, Canadian), aka Captain James Kirk, the famous starship commander of Star Trek.
The two had previously chatted via Twitter, with @WilliamShatner asking: "Are you tweeting from space?" @Cmdr_Hadfield replied: "@WilliamShatner: Yes, Standard Orbit, Captain. And we're detecting signs of life on the surface."
Later, other Star Trek Twitterers, like George Takei (Hikaru Sulu series), Will Wheaton (Wesley Crusher) and Leonard Nimoy (Spock), joined the virtual chat.
Hadfield kicked off yesterday's call by playing the famous 'Captain on the bridge' whistle from Star Trek, reporting that he was on board 'Science Research Vessel ISS'.
We guess that makes our favourite spaceship 'Cargo Resupply Vessel ATV'...?
Watch the replay below, in which Shatner asks some excellent questions on space exploration, the life of an astronaut and courage.
PS: After the call, ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, now training for a mission to the ISS in 2014, tweeted:
Well, if you grew up on heavy doses of #StarTrek like me, this is just too cool
buff.ly/WRjEgO
— Sam Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) February 7, 2013
Our colleagues at NASA have sent along a fabulous video in time for today's ESA/NASA Orion media briefing. It shows an animated scenario for the first Orion mission using an ESA-developed Service Module. Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), set for 2017, is the first planned flight of the Space Launch System carrying the second uncrewed Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV).
You can see the classic ATV solar panels unfold at 00:45, and the Orion capsule and Service Module separate at 1:01. Enjoy!
Set to launch in 2017 from Kennedy Space Center, the Orion spacecraft would perform a circumlunar trajectory during a seven-day mission. The Orion capsule will be equipped with a Service Module provided by the European Space Agency that is based on technology developed and proven in the ATV-series of missions. Credit: NASA
NASA and ESA will brief media at 17:30 CET on Wednesday, 16 January, on the details for ESA to provide a service module for the first Orion spacecraft mission in 2017. European media are invited to watch the event and can ask questions.
Orion will be the most advanced spacecraft ever designed and carry astronauts farther into space than ever before. ESA’s service module will be based on the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). Sitting directly below Orion’s crew capsule, it will provide propulsion, power, thermal control, as well as supplying water and atmosphere for the astronauts in the habitable module.
NASA TV's daily Station recap for 28 September includes details on last night's undocking preparations. As soon as we see the replay of the undocking webcast in the NASA or ESA websites, we'll post it here as well.
