Tag Archives: spacecraft

Dragon performing ISS fly-under

Falcon 9 launch from Florida with the Dragon spacecraft (Credit: SpaceX)

Falcon 9 launch from Florida with the Dragon spacecraft (Credit: SpaceX)

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is on course to pass 2.4 km underneath the International Space Station. This fly-under is part of a series of manoeuvres and tests as the spacecraft approaches the ISS ahead of the scheduled docking tomorrow. The Dragon is set to pass directly underneath the ISS at around 13:30 CEST (11:26 UT).

Launched from Florida on Tuesday, the Dragon spacecraft is carrying food and supplies for the Station crew. It is the first time a privately built spacecraft has been launched to the ISS.

Dragon berthing is scheduled for Friday

Dragon berthing is scheduled for Friday

During the fly-under the ISS crew will send a test command to the Dragon spacecraft and receive a response, this is to make sure that they can communicate with each other in case other commands such as hold, retreat, or even abort, are needed during the rendezvous operations. The Dragon's relative GPS navigation will also be tested during the fly-under - this enables the spacecraft to navigate according to the position of the ISS and will be essential during tomorrow's complex approach.

Once the fly-under is finished Station managers will meet to review the performance of the spacecraft and give the go-ahead for tomorrow's rendezvous and berthing.

Dragon is scheduled to rendezvous with the ISS on Friday 25 May, when Expedition 31 crewmembers André Kuipers and Don Pettit will use the Station’s robotic arm Canadarm2 to grapple the spacecraft and manoeuvre it into position to mate with the Harmony module’s Earth-facing docking port.

Soyuz crew preparing to depart ISS

ISS crewmembers Dan Burbank, Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoli Ivanishin are preparing to return to Earth. They entered their Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft earlier this morning. The hatches to the International Space Station were closed at 7:12 CEST and they will undock from the ISS at 10:18 CEST (08:18 UT), landing in the Kazakh Steppe some three and a half hours later.

The undocking of the Soyuz marks the official start of Expedition 31 for the crew remaining on the Station: Station Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineers Don Pettit and André Kuipers. In mid-May they will be joined by Flight Engineers Gennady Padalka, Joe Acaba and Sergei Revin who will launch and arrive in the Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft.

Follow the undocking live on NASA TV from 10:00 CEST (08:00 UT): http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Unmanned Russian Progress docks with ISS

Anton and Oleg monitor the approach of Progress 47P (Credit: ESA/NASA)

Anton and Oleg monitor the approach of Progress 47P (Credit: ESA/NASA)

The unmanned Russian Progress 47P spacecraft docked with the International Space Station at 16:39 CEST (14:39 UT) yesterday afternoon. Launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on Thursday 19 April, the Progress delivers supplies such as food, clothes, water and fuel to the ISS crew.

The docking was monitored from the Russian Zvezda module by Expedition 30 crewmembers Anton Shkaplerov and Oleg Kononenko. ESA astronaut André Kuipers sent a photo (right) showing his crewmates monitoring the spacecraft during its approach - the Progress can be seen through the window towards the bottom of the image.

A replay of the docking via NASA TV:

embedded by Embedded Video

PromISSe launch in 3D!

Follow ESA astronaut André Kuipers and his crewmates, NASA astronaut Donald Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononeko, on their journey from Baikonur cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, up to their launch onboard a Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) on 21 December 2011.

Includes the city of Baikonur, the avenue of cosmonauts with the tree once planted by Yuri Gagarin, the Gagarin Museum, the Soyuz roll-out, the vertical erection of the rocket on the launch pad, the pre-launch press conference, the ready-to-fly report of the crew commander, and of course - the amazing light show of a night launch.

Stereoscopic 3D glasses are required to properly enjoy the full effect of this footage.

Russian spacecraft to deliver new supplies to ISS

The Progress spacecraft delivers over 2000 kg of supplies

The Progress spacecraft delivers over 2000 kg of supplies

A Russian Progress resupply spacecraft is set to launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome late Thursday, 26 January. The Progress M-14M spacecraft, designated 46P, will carry new supplies to the International Space Station including food, fuel, water, spare parts and experiment hardware. Liftoff of the Progress is scheduled for 23:06:42 CET (25 January, 23:06:42 UT).

After the successful departure of the Progress M-13M (45P) from the ISS on Monday, the Station's Pirs docking port is now ready to receive the new cargo spacecraft. The Progress M-13M is set for a destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere late tonight.

Progress M-14M will arrive at the ISS at around 01:07 CET (00:07 UT) on Saturday, 28 January. Although the Progress docking is fully automated, the crew monitors the process and will take over and manually dock the spacecraft if necessary.

As the docking is during what is normally the crew's sleep period, they will sleep-shift on Friday (i.e. follow a short workday with a nap before Progress docking and then a shortened sleep period afterwards - they will return to a more or less regular sleep cycle again on Sunday).

ESA is flying some small items on the 46P, a new hard drive and filter for the Fluid Science Laboratory, a facility located in the European Columbus laboratory, and a Portable Power Supply (KuPS).

There will also be a so-called 'personal package' on board for each of the ISS crewmembers, including André Kuipers. This package typically contains a few items set to them by family and friends.

Three or four Progress spacecraft are launched to the ISS each year, each delivering over 2000 kg of supplies. The Progress stays docked for up to six months, after which it is filled with waste items, undocked and deorbited, before burning up in Earth's atmosphere.

The launch and docking of 46P will be broadcast live on NASA TV. Launch coverage starts at 22:45 CET on 26 January; docking from 00:30 CET on 28 January.

After 46P, the next resupply spacecraft set for launch to the ISS is ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). ATV Edoardo Amaldi is scheduled for launch to the ISS from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 9 March this year.

First tweets from @astro_andre

ESA astronaut André Kuipers today sent his first messages on Twitter since arriving on board the International Space Station. Using the handle @astro_andre, André has posted tweets throughout his training for the PromISSe mission and during the preparations for launch. Today André posted several images showing views inside the Soyuz spacecraft during the two day journey to the ISS and others with the Soyuz docked to ISS against the backdrop of Earth.

Soyuz did a great job bringing us to the Space Station. Little room though....

Soyuz did a great job bringing us to the Space Station. Little room though....

Back in the space suit for docking

Back in the space suit for docking

Our Soyuz docked to ISS

Our Soyuz docked to ISS

Follow André on Twitter: @astro_andre
Andre's photostream on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/astro_andre/

Where are they now?

47 hours since their launch from Baikonur, the Soyuz spacecraft carrying André Kuipers, Don Pettit and Oleg Kononenko is closing in on the International Space Station. You can follow the ground track of both the Soyuz and ISS as they rendezvous in space at www.n2yo.com.

Ground track of Soyuz chasing ISS

Ground track of Soyuz chasing ISS

Chasing the ISS

Soyuz spacecraft

Soyuz spacecraft

The Soyuz TMA-03M has now been in space for more than a day, travelling at 28000 km/h, the spacecraft orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes. The International Space Station is still one day away - the spacecraft makes various manoeuvres raising its orbit and aligning it with the station in preparation for rendezvous and docking. In all the Soyuz will orbit earth 35 times before docking with ISS at 16:22 CET (15:22 UT) on Friday.

Shortly after launch, once they confirmed the health of their spacecraft, the crew of three opened the hatch to the Orbital Module - with a volume of just 7.2 m3, this acts as the crew's very cramped living module during the 2 days they are chasing the ISS. Here they removed their Russian Sokol spacesuit and changed into normal clothing.

See the Soyuz pass overhead

If the skies are clear where you are, you may even be able to spot the Soyuz at dusk as it flies overhead - following behind a brighter ISS. Enter your location and closest city under sighting opportunities and look up!

Straight to work at Columbus Control Centre

Just moments after the launch and ESA's Expedition 30 Mission Director Claudio Sollazzo points out a screen at the front of the control room at the Columbus Control Centre - it is a countdown clock relating to one of the PromISSe mission experiments.

ROALD2 experiment already started in Soyuz spacecraft

ROALD2 experiment already started in Soyuz spacecraft

This experiment investigates gene expression of the proteins involved in the metabolic control of the neurotransmitter Anandamide. Scientists want to find out the role of this lipid in the regulation of immune processes and in the cell cycle under microgravity conditions.

Claudio explained that it is critical that the ROALD2 samples are transferred to the Columbus laboratory from the Soyuz spacecraft shortly after Friday's docking. There is a 72 hour window during which the transfer to a temperature controlled Kubik facility has to take place. Kubik has already been activated by the ground controllers in preparation. So just seconds into the mission and the control centre's science monitoring role for the PromISSe mission is already underway.

Soyuz spacecraft 101

A little confusing at first, but the spacecraft that is inside the Soyuz rocket, where the crew is now waiting for the launch, is called the Soyuz spacecraft. For today's launch the Soyuz spacecraft has the series name TMA-03M. This is the third in the TMA-M series and is the latest upgrade to a legendary manned vehicle. The TMA-M is informally known as the 'digital Soyuz', referring to the advanced flight control computer that replaces the one that had been used on it for more than 30 years.

The basic construction of the Soyuz spacecraft however remains the same - it is constructed from three parts - the orbital module, the decent module and the service module.

Soyuz spacecraft

Soyuz spacecraft

The orbital module (red)
It is used only in space and acts as living quarters, with
hygiene and sleeping facilities. Astronauts will spend two days inside it before docking.

The descent Module (yellow)
This is the only module to return to Earth and is therefore designed to resist
the aerodynamic stresses of reentry into the atmosphere.

The service module (green)
It contains oxygen and propellant tanks, attitude control thrusters, electronics for communication and the primary guidance and navigation control systems. Astronauts have no access to it and all the functions are controlled remotely.