International Space Station (Updates)

6,181 · July 3, 2016

Back with the updates......

Docking exercise

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On July 1, 2016, at 08:35 Moscow Time (1:35 a.m. EDT), the Progress-MS cargo ship was scheduled to undock from the Pirs Docking Compartment (SO1) on the Russian segment of the ISS to test cosmonaut-operated docking system, TORU. The spacecraft was expected to reach a distance of around 200 meters from the outpost, before cosmonauts Aleksei Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka would use a pair of joy sticks on their TORU console inside the Zvezda Service Module (SM) to manually guide the ship back to the Docking Compartment and re-dock it at 09:10 Moscow Time (2:10 a.m. EDT). The crew can use one hand controller of the TORU to affect the lateral movement of the spacecraft and another to change its attitude (orientation) in space based on live TV images sent to the monitor of the TORU console from the incoming vehicle. The system is designed as a backup for an automated rendezvous and docking system. The latest TORU test aimed to certify its compatibility with newly upgraded rendezvous equipment on the Progress-MS and Soyuz-MS series.

The exercise commenced with undocking at 08:36 Moscow Time (1:36 a.m. EDT) and proceeded few minutes ahead of schedule, but during the final few meters during the approach, the crew reported problems with TORU in its communications with the Russian mission control in Korolev and officials on the ground were heard advising the cosmonauts to switch from manual to automated control.

Then, during berthing of the spacecraft, a considerable pitch movement of the spacecraft was clearly visible on live TV broadcast, apparently related to an accidental firing of attitude-control thrusters, DPOs, aboard the cargo ship.

Unusually intense thruster firings had been observed during the berthing of the ship.

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Yet, despite an obvious glitch during docking, Roskosmos issued a statement, claiming that the test was successful and concluded with manual docking at 09:04 Moscow Time (2:04 a.m. EDT) on July 1, 2016. No further details had been provided.

Following the exercise, the Progress-MS was scheduled to conduct final undocking from the ISS on July 3, 2016, at 06:48 Moscow Time (11:48 p.m. on July 2) and to deorbit over the Pacific Ocean west of New Zealand.

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/progress-ms.html#toru

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NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 30 June 2016

File photo from 2014 of SPHERES being tested. NASA

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Two cosmonauts are resting today before they test a new system by flying a cargo ship back to its port early Friday. Commander Jeff Williams spent the morning testing a pair of free-floating satellites known as SPHERES.

Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin will test a new telerobotically operated rendezvous system also called the TORU. The duo will use the TORU to manually guide the Progress 62 cargo ship back to the Pirs docking port after it undocks Friday at 1:36 a.m. EDT. The redocking maneuver is planned to take 34 minutes and will be broadcast live on NASA TV beginning at 1:15 a.m.

Williams cleaned the battery compartments of the SPHERES satellites and searched for the source of ultrasound noise affecting their performance. The tiny satellites are the size of bowling balls and are operated inside the space station to test formation flying techniques, control algorithms and other technology demonstrations. Middle school students on the ground also compete to test their satellite control algorithms using the SPHERES as part of the Zero Robotics competition.

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Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) Maintenance Run: Yesterday during SPHERES maintenance setup, the crew discovered corrosion on the battery terminals in the battery compartments of beacons 1, 2, and the spare beacon. Today the crew successfully removed the corrosion from beacons 1 and 2 and initiated the maintenance run. The first part of the run provided data that may aide ground teams in improving communication between satellites. The second portion of the run was not completed due to a hard drive installation issue, resulting in no data collection. However the issues were resolved and teams estimate that a majority of the desired data was collected from today's activities. SPHERES are bowling-ball sized satellites that provide a test bed for development and research into multi-body formation flying, multi-spacecraft control algorithms and free-flying physical and material science investigations. Up to three self-contained free-flying satellites can fly within the cabin of the ISS, performing flight formations, testing of control algorithms or as a platform for investigations requiring this unique free-flying test environment. Each satellite is a self-contained unit with power, propulsion, computers, navigation equipment, and provides physical and electrical connections (via standardized expansion ports) for Principle Investigator (PI) provided hardware and sensors.

Node 2 (N2) Common Cabin Air Assembly (CCAA) Inlet Fan: On June 5, the N2 CCAA inlet fan failed off due to high current draw. The failure is attributed to increased mechanical resistance to rotation. The fan was restarted and its current draw decreased. Review of data after the failure indicated a slow rise in current over several days preceding the failure. The fan current data is now showing a similar rise and may trigger a shutdown within 4-6 days. Ground teams are monitoring the fan current and are prepared for the crew to replace the N2 CCAA inlet Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU), which includes the fan, if necessary.

Express Logistics Carrier (ELC) Software Update: The software update to ELC version 4 for the ExPCAs (Express Carrier Avionics) on the 4 ELCs was completed yesterday. The new software improves the process for modifying configurations and adds capabilities for future payloads on the ELCs.

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Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
SPHERES support
Nominal ground commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Friday, 07/01: 3D Printer Coupon prints and retrievals, ARED quarterly maintenance, T2 acoustic blanket install & SLM measurements
Saturday, 07/02: Crew day off, housekeeping
Sunday, 07/03: Crew off duty

QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:
Component - Status
Elektron - On
Vozdukh - Manual
[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off
[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - On
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Standby
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-30-june-2016.html

Space Station Live: A Look at the New Science Lineup

video is 9:15 min.

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NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 1 July 2016

nasa_iss_on_orbit_status_report_063016_9

On July 1, 2016, the crew of the International Space Station (ISS), working in accordance with the ISS flight program, has successfully tested the improved system of remote manual control of space vehicles (TORU, Teleoperated Mode of [spacecraft] Control) at the Progress MS transport cargo vehicle. Credit: Roscosmos/Cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka.

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The Russian ISS Progress 62 cargo ship re-docked to the International Space Station's Pirs docking compartment at 2:05 a.m. EDT after a short test flight.

The system test included verification of software and a new signal converter incorporated in the upgraded manual docking system for future use in Progress vehicles in the unlikely event the "Kurs" automated rendezvous system encounters a problem.

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3D Printing in Zero-G Experiment Operations: After successfully printing calibration and compression coupons in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) earlier this week, today the ground team remotely operated the 3D printer to produce another 3D printed test coupon, concluding 3D printer operations for the week. 3D printer operations will resume next week. The 3D Printing In Zero-G experiment demonstrates that a 3D printer works normally in space. In general, a 3D printer extrudes streams of heated plastic, metal or other material, building layer on top of layer to create 3 dimensional objects. Testing a 3D printer using relatively low-temperature plastic feedstock on the International Space Station is the first step towards establishing an on-demand machine shop in space, a critical enabling component for deep-space crewed missions and in-space manufacturing.

Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station (EXPRESS) Rack-3 Laptop Computer (ELC) Operations: The Common Software Release 10 was successfully installed on the EXPRESS Rack-3 Laptop in preparation for European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) maintenance activities scheduled next week.

Treadmill 2 (T2) Acoustic Blanket Installation: The crew installed four acoustic blankets around T2 in an effort to reduce noise levels in Node 3. Sound Level Meter (SLM) measurements were taken before, during and after installation of the blankets to verify the technology works as designed.

Global Position System (GPS) Receiver/Processor 1 (GPS R/P 1) Ring Laser Gyro (RLG) Failure - On June 30th, during the OPM attitude maneuver to -XVV for the 62P TORU Test, the flight control team noted that the Space Integrated Global Positioning System/ Inertial Navigation System (SIGI)1 INS Y-channel (ISS Z-axis) rate differences were not tracking with those of the SIGI2 INS. SIGI1 INS Y-channel (ISS Z-axis) rate gyro appears to be failed. The GPS systems within both SIGIs continue to output good attitude and state measurements. Both the US GN&C attitude determination (AD) and state determination (SD) systems are behaving nominally and are not reliant on the performance of the ring laser gyros within either of the SIGIs. GNC is considered to be in a stable configuration.

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Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
TORU test
Nominal ground commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Saturday, 07/02: Crew day off, housekeeping
Sunday, 07/03: Crew off duty
Monday, 07/04: Crew holiday

QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:
Component - Status
Elektron - On
Vozdukh - Manual
[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off
[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - Off
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Standby
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-1-july-2016.html

Space to Ground: 3D Printing in Zero G: 07/01/2016

video is 2:35 min.

Russian Docking System Tested Aboard the ISS

video is 14:58 min.

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First Soyuz MS completes Processing for Launch of next ISS Crew

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The first Soyuz MS spacecraft to carry a crew into orbit has completed its launch processing campaign and is ready for integration with its Soyuz FG rocket on a path to liftoff on July 7 to transport the ISS Expedition 48/49 crew to their destination in space.

The international crew trio – Commander Anatoli Ivanishin and Flight Engineers Takuya Onishi and Kate Rubins – finished their last training operations at the Baikonur Cosmodrome and are enjoying a few quiet days ahead of their planned liftoff at 1:36 UTC on Thursday, July 7.

Soyuz MS introduces a number of systems upgrades on the trusted Russian spacecraft, primarily focused on the vehicle’s navigation, control and communications system. The modified systems were tested in an operational environment aboard a pair of Progress cargo missions starting in December 2015 to fully check out all new components in space before committing to a crewed flight.

The MS modification replaces the old Kvant radio system of Soyuz with a Unified Command and Telemetry System and the new communications system enables Soyuz to use the Luch data relay satellites to keep in contact with mission control for the majority of its treks around the planet.

GPS/Glonass navigation is employed for onboard orbit determination and autonomous burn targeting and the rendezvous with ISS will be improved through the use of the new KURS-NA radio navigation system and a proximity communications link, allowing for the exchange of relative navigation data. Though KURS-NA will be a firm part of future Soyuz MS missions, the first flights will continue using the heritage system in a hot-backup configuration.

Other upgrades on the spacecraft include the more efficient solar cells, a modified thruster arrangement, a digital video transmission system and new angular rate sensors.

Soyuz MS is also outfitted with a black box recording flight parameters, crew voice and physiological parameters stored in a 4GB memory. The СЗИ-М system can tolerate high G loads, withstand a fire of 700°C for 30 minutes and is expected to be re-flown for ten missions.

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A modification of the flight software has been implemented and fully re-tested in support of a July 7 launch date and the Soyuz crew flew to the Baikonur Cosmodrome on June 24 for the usual two-week launch campaign.

http://spaceflight101.com/soyuz-ms-launch-processing-complete/

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Photos: First Soyuz MS completes final Processing

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The first improved Soyuz MS spacecraft completes final processing at Site 254 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome to prepare for a half-year space mission, introducing a number of systems modifications in what is expected to be the last major upgrade of Russia’s Soyuz and Progress fleet.

All Photos: RSC Energia

more images at the link...

http://spaceflight101.com/photos-soyuz-ms-rollout/

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Launch profile

The liftoff of a Soyuz-FG rocket is scheduled for July 7, 2016, at 04:36:41 Moscow Time (9:36 p.m. EDT on July 6) from Site 1 in Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch vehicle will be carrying the 7,220-kilogram Soyuz MS-01 (No. 731) spacecraft with a crew of three bound to the International Space Station, ISS.

Propelled by the simultaneous thrust of four engines of the first stage and one engine of the second stage, the rocket will head east to align its ascent trajectory with the orbital plane inclined 51.67 degrees toward the Equator. Slightly less than two minutes into the flight, the ship's emergency escape system will jettison, immediately followed by the separation of four boosters of thefirst stage.

The second (core) stage of the booster will continue firing for less than five minutes into the flight. Almost exactly 40 seconds after the separation of the first stage, payload fairing protecting the spacecraft in the dense atmosphere will split into two halves and fall away.

Moments before the second stage completes its firing 4.7 minutes into the flight, the four-chamber engine of the third stage will ignite, firing through a lattice structure connecting two boosters. Moments after the separation of the core booster, the tail section of the third stage will split into three segments and fall away.

The separation of the Soyuz MS-01 from the third stage of the launch vehicle is scheduled for 04:45:29 Moscow Time (9:45 p.m. EDT) .

Without any additional maneuvers, the spacecraft would remain in this orbit for around 20 revolutions around the Earth during the next 30 hours, before reentering the Earth's atmosphere.

Rendezvous and docking with the station

Upon reaching its planned orbit, Soyuz MS-01 will be 315.3 degrees away and below the ISS, which at the time will be circling the planet in the 401.65 by 420.81-kilometer orbit.

To test all its new systems, Soyuz MS-01 will follow a two-day rendezvous scenario rather than a much faster six-hour flight profile practiced in recent missions.

The Soyuz will conduct three orbital maneuvers during the 3rd and the 17th orbit of the flight, which should bring the spacecraft into the vicinity of the station.

Following its orbit corrections, Soyuz MS-01 will begin an autonomous rendezvous with the ISS around 04:51:00 Moscow Time on July 9, 2016, (9:51 p.m. EDT on July 8), aiming to lock sensors of its Kurs-NA rendezvous system onto the station during the 34th orbit of the mission.

The final maneuvers, including a flyaround of the ISS, a short station-keeping period and berthing, are scheduled to be initiated at 06:49:50 Moscow Time on July 9 (11:49 p.m. EDT on July 8).

The spacecraft is scheduled to dock at the MIM1 Rassvet module on the Russian segment of the ISS in the automated mode on July 9, 2016, at 07:12:02 Moscow Time (0:12 a.m. EDT).

The Soyuz MS-01 mission supporting the 48th and 49th expedition on the ISS is scheduled to last 129 days.

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/soyuz-ms-01.html

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Auckland, New Zealand June 30, 2016

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Urban Auckland rests on an ancient volcanic field. Look closely and you’ll find maars (shallow water-filled craters) and cinder cones intermingled with suburban housing developments and city green spaces. credit Planet.

https://planetgallery.global.ssl.fastly.net/full/auckland-20160630-full.jpg (open in new tab, embed issues today)

larger image at above link...credit Planet

6,181 · July 6, 2016

Crew Will Take Two-Day Ride on Upgraded Soyuz

The Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft is raised vertical after it was rolled out by train to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Monday, July 4, 2016. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

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Two astronauts and one cosmonaut are scheduled to launch July 6 at 9:36 p.m. EDT (7:36 a.m. Baikonur time, July 7) for a two-day ride to the International Space Station. During their two-day transit from the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the station, the Expedition 48-49 crew will test a variety of upgraded systems on their Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft.

The modified Soyuz is equipped with upgraded thrusters that are fully redundant, additional micrometeoroid debris shielding, redundant electrical motors for the Soyuz’ docking probe and increased power with more photovoltaic cells on the spacecraft’s solar arrays.

Other enhancements for the Soyuz include a new digital video transmitter and encoder to send engineering video of the ship’s approach to the station for docking, a new relay telemetry capability along with an upgraded Kurs automated rendezvous antenna and an improved satellite navigation system to better calculate the Soyuz’ position in space.

Soyuz commander Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos, board engineer Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and board engineer Kate Rubins of NASA will test these systems periodically throughout their 34-orbit journey to the station, the first of at least two missions in which enhanced Soyuz hardware will be tested and verified.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/07/05/crew-will-take-two-day-ride-on-upgraded-soyuz/

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Russia's Workhorse Soyuz Space Taxi Gets a Makeover

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When a fresh Russian-American-Japanese crew blasts off toward the International Space Station on Wednesday evening, the team's first task will be to try out a new version of the legendary Soyuz spacecraft. Russian pilot Anatoly Ivanishin, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, and Japanese flight engineer Takuya Onishi will take a two-day test drive aboard the Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft before docking at the space station on Friday. There, the new Soyuz will be serving as a lifeboat for its passengers for four months before leaving and landing via parachute in the steppes of Kazakhstan this coming November.

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Most of the upgrades replace obsolete electronic accessories, improve crew safety, and give pilots and mission control more flexibility in flying the ship. Before getting certification to get onboard Soyuz-MS, most new systems were already flight-proven on unmanned Progress cargo ships. Here is what's under the hood of the new Soyuz MS flavor, which replaces the Soyuz TMA-M variant after its 20 missions:

Surprisingly, only now does the Soyuz get true satellite navigation. Although sat nav is a common sight in cars on Earth, Soyuz until now relied on six ground stations for precise measurements of its orbital path. With Soyuz-MS, engineers will do away with a bulky system in favor of a new "Apparatus for Satellite Navigation" or ASN-K, which can talk to GPS satellites and their Russian counterparts known as GLONASS. The satellite navigation will locate the Soyuz descent capsule on the ground after landing, too.

Perhaps, the most important change pertains to the ship's famous automated rendezvous system known as Kurs ("course"), which has guided Soyuz to its destinations in space since the mid-1980s. Though the Kurs proved exceedingly reliable over the years, many of its electronic components are now out of date. They're also produced in Kiev, Ukraine, with whom Russia has been at a virtual state of war for two and a half years. Not surprisingly, Soyuz-MS will introduce the domestically developed Kurs-NA system. In addition to resolving the obvious political problem, the new rendezvous hardware brings a higher level of computerization while being smaller, lighter, and less power-hungry.

That last bit is especially important because many new systems on Soyuz come with an increased appetite for power, pushing the overall electricity consumption on the spacecraft to its limit. To address the deficit, engineers squeezed an extra battery alongside four existing ones in the ship's aft section. They also fitted more cells on the existing solar panels.

credit Anatoly Zak

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Soyuz-MS will now sport a powerful communications system, dubbed EKTS, which can connect the crew to mission control in Korolev near Moscow via satellite. Previously, cosmonauts and astronauts on Soyuz could talk to their peers on the ground only when in direct view of ground stations on the Russian territory.

The large antenna array of the EKTS system "on the roof" of the Soyuz-MS is the most prominent new feature on the ship's exterior. Thanks to three available Russian Luch-5 satellites, the crew will be able to stay in touch with mission control around 83 percent of the time each day. The Soyuz will be also able to communicate via American TDRS and European DRS satellites.

In response to long-standing concerns from NASA, the habitation module of the Soyuz-MS spacecraft—which is essentially a thin aluminum bubble—is now reinforced with an extra layer designed to protect the crew from meteors and from ever-growing menace of space junk.

Lastly, Soyuz-MS gets new digital TV, which promises to give viewers better quality live pictures from orbit, and the new SZI-M "black box" to record voice and data during the mission. Because it is installed under the pilot's seat in the descent module inside a shock-absorbent case, SZI-M should withstand impacts with a speed of up to 150 meters per second and should be available for reuse on as many as 10 flights.

Following this upgrade, the nearly-50-year-old Soyuz is expected to remain in its role until mid-2020s, when a next-generation Russian spacecraft will be ready at last, and it'll probably use some of these new Soyuz-MS features.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/news/a21668/soyuz-russia-spacecraft-upgrade/

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NW Indiana students to have an experiment sent to space

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WHITING, IND.
A group of northwest Indiana students are preparing an experiment that could yield new findings about Alzheimer's disease when it is launched into space next year.

The (Munster) Times reports (http://bit.ly/29rDkXI ) professors Sandra Chimon-Rogers and Ahmed Lakhani are leading the Calumet College of St. Joseph students preparing the experiment.

The professors want to see what effect weightlessness will have on the development of the beta amyloid peptide that is believed to play a role in the disease's progression.

The experiment is expected to be loaded aboard a SpaceX rocket that will blast off early next year. The automated experiment will then spend four weeks aboard the International Space Station.

The project was chosen a year ago to be part of a Center for the Advancement of Science in Space program.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/article87596892.html

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A Decade of Plant Biology in Space

4 July 2016

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On this day 10 years ago, Space Shuttle Discovery was launched to the International Space Station carrying ESA’s European Modular Cultivation System – a miniature greenhouse to probe how plants grow in weightlessness.

From looking at how plants know where to grow roots to how light can influence growth, and how the tips of plant roots bend as they grow, it is a flagship research facility on the orbiting complex.

Installed by ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter in 2006, it nurtures plants from seedlings to maturity, and allows both astronauts and research teams on the ground to intervene and change the conditions.

Every aspect of the growing environment can be regulated – temperature, atmosphere, water and light – and two centrifuges simulate gravity up to twice Earth’s level to compare how plants respond to different degrees of gravity.

Installing EMCS ESA

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Plants in a twirl

Charles Darwin first described how plant stems grow in a corkscrew fashion, but how it happens was unclear. The Multigen experiment showed it is driven by an interplay of light and gravity driving cell signals in the plants.

Understanding the roots of plant growth

A key finding from the mini-laboratory is how plants perceive gravity. It might seem obvious at first glance, but how does a plant know to develop its shoot upwards and send roots downwards? The Gravi-1 experiment showed that plants sense the direction of gravity even at very low levels. Gravi-2, in 2014, showed how plants use calcium to signal root growth under a range of gravity levels.

Similarly, Genera-A studied over 1400 proteins in Arabidopsis seedlings grown in microgravity and in Earth gravity, providing insights into the effect of gravity on the molecular processes regulating plant growth.

Gravi-2

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Red or blue light?

The Tropi experiments studied how Arabidopsis plants respond and grow towards light in weightlessness, as well as at lunar and martian levels. An unexpected finding was the response to red and blue light was different under simulated Moon and Mars conditions. Further experiments are under way.

Tropi 2 experiment

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These experiments are important for deep-space missions, when astronauts will rely on plants for food, oxygen and waste recycling. Establishing a human outpost on the Moon or Mars will require a certain amount of self-sufficiency, and growing plants for consumption will be essential.

We need to know how plants will grow on neighbouring planets. Will they still know which way to send their roots in reduced gravity or will they go haywire?

EMCS is not only helping scientists to prepare for far-off colonisation but also improving our knowledge of growing crops at home. The more we know about plants the better we will be able to cultivate them – on Earth, the Moon or Mars.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Research/A_decade_of_plant_biology_in_space

EMCS pdf, 4 pages with images

Plants in space

video is 3:25 min.

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Schedule broadcasts preparation for the launch of the manned spacecraft # SoyuzMS -http: // the www. roscosmos.ru/22401/ .

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NASA Shares the 45 Best Pics from Scott Kelly’s #YearInSpace

http://twistedsifter.com/2016/03/nasa-shares-best-pics-from-scott-kelly-year-in-space/

Best pics from year in space

A few samples...

best-pics-from-year-in-space-nasa-scott-

Photograph by Scott Kelly / NASA

Night Earth observation of Japan taken by Expedition 44 crewmember Scott Kelly, with a Soyuz Spacecraft connected to the Mini Research Module 1 (MRM1), and a Progress Spacecraft visible. Kelly posted this photo to Twitter on July 25 with the caption, “#Goodevening #Japan. Showing @Astro_Kimiya how to take pictures of #Earth at night. #YearInSpace.”

best-pics-from-year-in-space-nasa-scott-

Photograph by Scott Kelly / NASA

Astronaut Scott Kelly posted this photo of a moonrise from the International Space Station to Twitter on July 17, 2015 with the caption, “Day 112. #Moonrise is upon us. Good night from @space_station! #YearInSpace”.

best-pics-from-year-in-space-nasa-scott-

Photograph by Scott Kelly / NASA

Astronaut Scott Kelly posted this photo of the Perseid meteor shower taken from the International Space Station on Instagram with the caption, “Space weather forecast from @ISS: Moonless with a chance of #Perseid meteors! #YearInSpace #space #spacestation #wx #weather #meteors #meteorshower #constellation #astronomy #nasa”.

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ISS Calendar

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2016   July   7   01:36   1/5 Baikonur   Soyuz FG   Soyuz MS-01
2016   July   16   21:41   1/5 Baikonur   Soyuz U   Progress MS-03
2016   July   18   04:45   SLC-40 Cape Canaveral   Falcon 9   Dragon SpX-9 (IDA-2)

http://spaceflight101.com/calendar/

13,544 · July 6, 2016

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To test all its new systems, Soyuz MS-01 will follow a two-day rendezvous scenario rather than a much faster six-hour flight profile practiced in recent missions.

This means one set of diapers per person lasting two days and no chance of taking a shower when they get to the destination. Or do they have a shower cabin up there?

p.s. "Soyuz" means "union" in case anyone was wondering about it

38,260 · July 6, 2016

While Skylab had a sealed shower, on ISS they have a sort of squirt gun and do towel baths. Hair care is similar using a rinseless "shampoo."

Pete Conrad bathing on Skylab

Washing hair

13,717 · July 7, 2016

Launch of Expedition 48/49 in about 17 minutes. Launch at 9:36 p.m. EDT.

6,181 · July 7, 2016

Show time......

13,717 · July 7, 2016

There she goes.

6,181 · July 7, 2016

lift off !

6,181 · July 7, 2016

Strap on's and escape tower are off....

6,181 · July 7, 2016

Second stage off, third stage on

13,717 · July 7, 2016

Miss their little stuffed owl ... especially for the upcoming engine cutoff.

6,181 · July 7, 2016

2 minutes ago, jjkusaf said:

Miss their little stuffed owl ... especially for the upcoming engine cutoff.

Yes, I miss that too...not a fun bunch here...need a few laughs....

6,181 · July 7, 2016

Soyuz MS-01 is in orbit and will be doing system checks prior to docking at the ISS in 2 days time. I will post the launch video and particulars shortly.

6,181 · July 7, 2016

ISS Crew Trio launched safely into Orbit for Test Drive of modified Soyuz Spacecraft

Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls

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A veteran Cosmonaut, a former Japanese airline pilot and a trained microbiologist from the United States safely arrived in orbit after riding atop a Soyuz FG rocket blasting off from a remote launch pad in Kazakhstan Thursday morning. The international crew trio is set for a two-day approach to the Space Station for docking on Saturday to live and work in space for the next four months.

Thursday’s launch marked the 130th of Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft, in charge of ferrying crews to and from space stations since the 1970.

The 49.5-meter tall Soyuz rocket made a thundering summer morning liftoff at 1:36 UTC, 7:36a.m. local time, climbing into clear skies over the Baikonur Cosmodrome to depart to the north east to place Soyuz into an orbit from where it can climb up to the Space Station in its 400-Kilometer orbit. Soyuz MS-01 – the first in the upgraded line of crewed spacecraft – separated less than nine minutes into the flight after a smooth ride for the three crew members.

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The crew will work with Mission Control on Thursday and Friday to test out the various systems, both concerning hardware and changes to the flight software. Communications will be attempted through Luch and autonomous orbit determination parameters will be compared with tracking data to verify the system’s accuracy.

Another engine burn occurs on Friday to put Soyuz into position to initiate its fully automated rendezvous sequence at 1:51 UTC on Saturday. A series of impulse burns will deliver Soyuz to the vicinity of ISS where KURS and relative navigation will be used to guide the craft to a flyaround of the orbiting laboratory. The crew hopes to be in a monitoring role only, but Anatoli Ivanishin will be ready to take control of the spacecraft at any point in the close approach to bring the Soyuz in for a manual docking.

Docking to the Rassvet module is planned at 4:12 UTC on Saturday after what is hoped to be a smooth 34-orbit flight for the crew, spending two nights aboard the Soyuz.

indepth analysis at the link...

http://spaceflight101.com/first-soyuz-ms-safely-launched/

Soyuz MS-01 launch

video is 2:44 min.

------------------------------

Soyuz MS-01 launch-to-docking timeline

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Based upon an on-time launch at 9:36:41 p.m. EDT Wednesday (0136:41 GMT Thursday), this is the timeline for the Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft through its countdown, liftoff and docking with the International Space Station. Eastern Daylight Time is GMT-4.

Quote

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2016

12:36:41 PM...00...09...00...00...Crew wakeup
01:36:41 PM...00...08...00...00...T-minus 8 hours; countdown begins
03:36:41 PM...00...06...00...00...Crew departs hotel
03:51:41 PM...00...05...45...00...Batteries installed in booster
04:21:41 PM...00...05...15...00...Crew arrives at Site 254
04:36:41 PM...00...05...00...00...Fueling begins
05:06:41 PM...00...04...30...00...Crew dons pressure suits
05:31:41 PM...00...04...05...00...Booster loaded with liquid oxygen
06:11:41 PM...00...03...25...00...Crew meets State Commission
06:31:41 PM...00...03...05...00...1st and 2nd stage oxygen fueling complete
06:36:41 PM...00...03...00...00...Crew walkout
06:41:41 PM...00...02...55...00...Crew departs for launch pad
07:01:41 PM...00...02...35...00...Crew arrives at launch pad
07:11:41 PM...00...02...25...00...Crew boards Soyuz descent module
08:01:41 PM...00...01...35...00...Descent module hardware tested
08:16:41 PM...00...01...20...00...Hatch closed; leak checks
08:30:00 PM...00...01...06...41...NASA TV; Launch coverage begins
08:36:41 PM...00...01...00...00...Soyuz control system preps
08:36:41 PM...00...01...00...00...Gyro activation
08:40:00 PM...00...00...56...41...NASA TV; crew pre-launch B-roll
08:51:41 PM...00...00...45...00...Pad service structure components lowered
08:59:41 PM...00...00...37...00...Suit leak checks
08:59:41 PM...00...00...37...00...Descent module testing done
09:02:41 PM...00...00...34...00...Emergency escape system armed
09:14:41 PM...00...00...22...00...Gantry service towers retracted
09:21:41 PM...00...00...15...00...Suit leak checks done
09:21:41 PM...00...00...15...00...Escape system to auto
09:26:41 PM...00...00...10...00...Gyros ready; recorders activated
09:29:41 PM...00...00...07...00...Prelaunch operations complete
09:30:41 PM...00...00...06...00...Countdown in auto
09:31:41 PM...00...00...05...00...Commander's controls activated
09:32:41 PM...00...00...04...00...Combustion chamber nitrogen purge
09:33:56 PM...00...00...02...45...Booster propellant tank pressurization
09:35:11 PM...00...00...01...30...Ground propellant feed terminated
09:35:41 PM...00...00...01...00...Vehicle to internal power
09:35:41 PM...00...00...01...00...1st umbilical separation
09:36:11 PM...00...00...00...30...Umbilical to third stage disconnected
09:36:26 PM...00...00...00...15...Second umbilical tower separates
09:36:29 PM...00...00...00...12...Launch command issued
09:36:31 PM...00...00...00...10...Engine turbopumps at flight speed
09:36:36 PM...00...00...00...05...Engines at maximum thrust

09:36:41 PM...00...00...00...00...LAUNCH (7:36:41 a.m. local time in Baikonur)

09:37:51 PM...00...00...01...10...Velocity: 1640 f/s (1,118 mph; 500 m/s)
09:38:39 PM...00...00...01...58...Stage 1 separation (4 strap-ons)
09:38:41 PM...00...00...02...00...Velocity: 4921 f/s (3,355 mph; 1500 m/s)
09:39:21 PM...00...00...02...40...Escape tower/launch shroud jettison
09:41:39 PM...00...00...04...58...Core booster separation
09:41:39 PM...00...00...04...58...3rd stage ignition; altitude 105.7 miles (170.1 km)
09:44:11 PM...00...00...07...30...Velocity: 19685 f/s (13,421 mph; 6 km/s)

09:45:26 PM...00...00...08...45...Third stage shutdown/orbit insertion

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

01:09:11 AM...00...03...32...30...DV-1 rocket firing (21.63 m/s; 48 mph)
01:50:02 AM...00...04...13...21...DV-2 rocket firing (22.55 m/s; 50 mph)
11:39:00 AM...00...14...02...19...Sunset at launch site
10:19:52 PM...01...00...43...11...DV-3 rocket firing (2.00 m/s; 4.5 mph)

FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016

06:56:24 PM...01...21...19...43...Range = 2700 km; 1677 mi)
09:41:20 PM...02...00...04...39...Daily Orbit 1 Russian ground station AOS
09:51:00 PM...02...00...14...19...Automated rendezvous start
10:02:21 PM...02...00...25...40...Daily Orbit 1 Russian ground station LOS
10:13:52 PM...02...00...37...11...Impulse 1 burn (24.029 m/s; 53.7 mph)
10:15:00 PM...02...00...38...19...US-to-Russian attitude control handover
10:33:40 PM...02...00...56...59...NET Range = 200 km; 124 mi: Soyuz VHF-2 voice link
10:35:43 PM...02...09...59...02...Impulse 2 burn (1.226 m/s; 2.7 mph)
10:39:00 PM...02...01...02...19...SM Kurs-P activation
10:40:00 PM...02...01...03...19...Soyuz Kurs-NA activation
10:58:40 PM...02...01...21...59...Impulse 3 burn (32.203 m/s; 72 mph)
11:07:36 PM...02...01...30...55...Orbital sunrise
11:08:40 PM...02...01...31...59...Range = 45 km; 28 mi: Valid SM Kurs-P range data
11:10:08 PM...02...01...33...27...Daily Orbit 2 Russian ground station AOS
11:21:40 PM...02...01...44...59...Range = 15 km; 9.3 mi: Kurs-NA test
11:27:02 PM...02...01...50...21...Soyuz TV activation (range = 9.3 km)
11:32:20 PM...02...01...55...39...Range = 6 km; 5.8 mi
11:32:25 PM...02...01...55...44...Daily Orbit 2 Russian ground station LOS
11:39:53 PM...02...02...03...12...Impulse 4 burn (5.519 m/s)
11:40:20 PM...02...02...03...39...Range = 2 km; 1.2 mi
11:41:00 PM...02...02...04...19...Ballistic Targeting Point
11:44:18 PM...02...02...07...37...Impulse 5 burn (5.868 m/s; 12 mph)
11:47:07 PM...02...02...10...26...Impulse 6 burn (1.441 m/s; 3.2 mph)
11:49:50 PM...02...02...13...09...Flyaround mode start
11:55:48 PM...02...02...19...07...Stationkeeping start

SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2016

12:01:00 AM...02...02...24...19...Final approach start
12:02:44 AM...02...02...26...03...Contingency ISS inertial snap-and-hold window open
12:04:44 AM...02...02...28...03...Orbital sunset

12:12:02 AM...02...02...35...21...Docking (Rassvet; 254 miles above southern Pacific Ocean west of Chile)

12:12:02 AM...02...02...35...21...ISS to free drift at docking
12:12:44 AM...02...02...36...03...Contingency ISS inertial snap-and-hold window close
12:25:00 AM...02...02...48...19...Soyuz hooks closed: ISS maneuvers to LVLH attitude
12:40:28 AM...02...03...03...47...Orbital sunrise
12:45:10 AM...02...03...08...29...Daily Orbit 3 Russian ground station AOS
01:00:00 AM...02...03...23...19...Russian-to-US attitude control handover
01:04:40 AM...02...03...27...59...Daily Orbit 3 Russian ground station LOS

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/07/06/soyuz-ms-01-launch-to-docking-timeline/

------------------------

Crew Launches for Two-Day Ride to Station

The Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft launches on time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with the Expedition 48-49 crew onboard. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Quote

The Soyuz MS-01 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station at 9:36 p.m. EDT Wednesday (7:36 a.m. Baikonur time, July 7). NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and astronaut Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency are now safely in orbit.

This is the first flight for the upgraded Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft. The three crew members will travel for two days and a total of 34 Earth orbits before docking to the space station’s Rassvet module at 12:12 a.m. Saturday, July 9. NASA TV coverage of the docking will begin at 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 8.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/07/06/crew-launches-for-two-day-ride-to-station/

-------------------------

NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 5 July 2016

Quote

Two astronauts and one cosmonaut are scheduled to launch July 6 at 9:36 p.m. EDT (7:36 a.m. Baikonur time, July 7) for a two-day ride to the International Space Station.

During their two-day transit from the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the station, the Expedition 48-49 crew will test a variety of upgraded systems on their Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft.

The modified Soyuz is equipped with upgraded thrusters that are fully redundant, additional micrometeoroid debris shielding, redundant electrical motors for the Soyuz' docking probe and increased power with more photovoltaic cells on the spacecraft's solar arrays.

Other enhancements for the Soyuz include a new digital video transmitter and encoder to send engineering video of the ship's approach to the station for docking, a new relay telemetry capability along with an upgraded Kurs automated rendezvous antenna and an improved satellite navigation system to better calculate the Soyuz' position in space.

Soyuz commander Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos, board engineer Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and board engineer Kate Rubins of NASA will test these systems periodically throughout their 34-orbit journey to the station, the first of at least two missions in which enhanced Soyuz hardware will be tested and verified.

Quote

Mouse Epigenetics Setup Operations: In advance of the delivery of JAXA's Mouse Epigenetics experiment on SpaceX (SpX) 9, the crew configured the Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) Laptop and cleaned inside the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) micro-gravity and 1G Incubator Units (IUs). He then installed the Mouse Habitat Unit (MHU) Interface Units into the CBEF. The goal of Mouse Epigenetics is to aid scientists to better understand the impacts and effects of the spaceflight environment's long-term effects on genetic activity, from changes in gene expression in individual organs to changes in DNA that can be inherited and expressed in future generations.

Water Processing Assembly (WPA): On Sunday, the WPA shut down during reprocessing due to an Independent Shutdown Monitor (ISM) fault. Subsequent re-attempts to get the WPA's conductivity to drop resulted in ISM faults. This has happened twice in the last 6 weeks and all were caused by increased delta pressure (dP) across the Microbial Check Valve (MCV). A Flight Investigation Team (FIT) met today to discuss a workaround for flowing through the MCV as well as other troubleshooting options.

Node 2 (N2) Common Cabin Air Assembly (CCAA) Inlet Fan: The N2 CCAA inlet fan current was showing an increase prior to the weekend with the expectation of imminent failure within 4-6 days. During the weekend, the current dropped to near nominal operating current so today's plan to replace the CCAA Fan with an on-orbit spare was deferred. The data is indicative of increased resistance on the fan's rotating components such as a degraded bearing or Viton Pad within the fan assembly. The drop in current indicates that the fan has overcome whatever mechanical interference that caused the initial increase. Procedures are available to replace the fan if needed.

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Battery Maintenance: The crew began recharging Rechargeable EVA Battery Assembly (REBA), and Pistol Grip Tool (PGT) batteries in the Battery Stowage Assembly (BSA) via the Battery Charger Assembly (BCA). Charging will terminate on Friday.

Systems Operations Data File (SODF) Updates: The crew deployed revisions to emergency books, replaced the cue card with printed procedure and stowed discarded books and cue card.

Quote

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Nominal ground commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Wednesday, 07/06: 47S launch, JEMAL pressurization/leak check, 3D Coupon printing/remove/stow, USOS stowage consolidation, Dragon pre-pack, EWC WAP config/SM WAP stow
Thursday, 07/07: CBEF backup power prep for Mouse experiment, JEM stowage reconfig, Cupola ATU mod kit install, Lab RWS screen R&R
Friday, 07/08: 47S dock, CBEF video cable reconfig, 3D Printing cartridge exchange, Food Pantry install

QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:
Component - Status
Elektron - On
Vozdukh - Manual
[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off
[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - On
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Standby
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-5-july-2016.html

----------------------------

Quote

Solar panels and antennas ship # SoyuzMS successfully Revealed!

Quote

Video of the first manned spacecraft launch new modification # SoyuzMS .

-----------------------------

Launch schedule

Quote

July 16 Soyuz • Progress 64P
Launch time: 2141 GMT (5:41 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the 64th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station. Delayed from April 22, July 4 and July 7. [June 7]

July 18 Falcon 9 • SpaceX CRS 9
Launch time: 0445 GMT (12:45 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 11th Dragon spacecraft on the ninth operational cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station. The flight is being conducted under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. Delayed from Dec. 9, June 24, June 27 and July 16. [June 23]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

6,181 · July 9, 2016

NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 7 July 2016

NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 7 July 2016. NASA

Quote

A new set of Expedition 48 crew members is on its way to the International Space Station after launching Wednesday night (Thursday morning Baikonur time) aboard the Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft. The trio from Japan, Russia and the United States will arrive at their new home in space early Saturday morning for a four-month stay.

Veteran cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin is commanding the Soyuz spacecraft that is carrying him and first time astronauts Kate Rubins and Takuya Onishi to the orbital laboratory. They will dock to the Rassvet module Saturday at 12:12 a.m. EDT, open the hatches about two-and-a-half hours later and begin a mission scheduled to last until October. NASA TV will cover the docking activities beginning at 11:30 p.m.

While they wait for the new arrivals, Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin are keeping up science operations and lab maintenance work. They have been aboard the station since March 18 and are due to return to Earth in September.

Williams installed gear in the Japanese Kibo lab module today for a new life science experiment set to arrive on the next SpaceX mission. Next he configured an observation rack in the U.S. lab module that will collect imagery of meteor showers pictured from space.

Quote

Meteor Setup Configuration: Meteor was configured in the US Lab's Window Observational Research Facility (WORF) rack, enabling ground teams to proceed with checkout and operations. The Meteor scientists plan to collect images of the Southern δ-Aquarid (mid-July to mid-August) and Perseid meteor (peak in mid-August) showers. The Meteor investigation provides the first space-based measurement of meteor flux. It also allows for the monitoring of carbon-based compounds. Continuous measurement of meteor interactions with the Earth's atmosphere could also spot previously unseen meteor showers.

3D Printing in Zero-G Experiment Operations: The ground team remotely operated the 3D printer to produce three more 3D printed test coupons in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG), after which the crew removed and stow them. The 3D Printing In Zero-G experiment demonstrates that a 3D printer works normally in space. A 3D printer extrudes streams of heated plastic, metal or other material, building layer on top of layer to create 3 dimensional objects. Testing a 3D printer using relatively low-temperature plastic feedstock on the ISS is the first step toward establishing an on-demand machine shop in space, a critical enabling component for deep-space crewed missions and in-space manufacturing.

Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) Reconfiguration: In preparation for the Mouse Epigenetics experiment arrival on SpaceX (SpX)-9, a 120 to 24 volt direct current (DC) converter and CBEF temperature controller was installed in the Saibo rack. The CBEF is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) sub-rack facility located in the Saibo (living cell) Experiment Rack. The CBEF is used in various life science experiments, such as cultivating cells and plants in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) and consists of an incubator and control equipment for control and communications.

Dose Tracker: The crew completed entries for medication tracking. This investigation documents the medication usage of crewmembers before and during their missions by capturing data regarding medication use during spaceflight, including side effect qualities, frequencies and severities. The data is expected to either support or counter anecdotal evidence of medication ineffectiveness during flight and unusual side effects experienced during flight. It is also expected that specific, near-real-time questioning about symptom relief and side effects will provide the data required to establish whether spaceflight-associated alterations in pharmacokinetics (PK) or pharmacodynamics (PD) is occurring during missions.

Lab Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Troubleshooting: The Lab MCA was successfully activated this morning following installation of a spare Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU)2 (Mass Spectrometer) and reinstallation of the previously installed ORU8 (Verification Gas Assembly). The was an issue during connection of the utilities when the vacuum line could not be fully seated due to an off-set with the vacuum connection on the drawer. This was corrected by adjusting the bracket that secures the vacuum line to the rack. The vacuum line was successfully connected and confirmed fully seated. The Lab MCA will remain powered and in IDLE state until crew time can be scheduled to connect the vacuum hose to pump down the ORU2 prior to being used operationally. The previously installed ORU2 is considered suspect and will be returned to ground.

Quote

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Lab MCA ops support
Nominal ground commanding.

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Friday, 07/08: 3D Printing cartridge exchange, Food Pantry install, 47S dock (begin)
Saturday, 07/09: 47S dock (end), leak check, hatch open, safety briefing
Sunday, 07/10: Crew off duty

QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:
Component - Status
Elektron - On
Vozdukh - Manual
[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off
[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - On
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Standby
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Standby
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-7-july-2016.html

Space Station Live: The New, Improved Soyuz Spacecraft

video is 9:00 min.

------------------

NASA ISS Space to Ground Weekly Report - 8 July 2016

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-iss-space-to-ground-weekly-report---8-july-2016.html

Space-to-Ground: New Crew, New Ride: 07/08/2016

video is 1:52 min.

---------------------

Watch NASA TV Tonight For Crew Arrival at Station

Quote

Following 34 orbits around the Earth aboard their upgraded Soyuz spacecraft, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos, and astronaut Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are scheduled to dock to the International Space Station at 12:12 a.m. EDT Saturday, July 9.

NASA Television coverage of docking to the Rassvet module will begin at 11:30 p.m. tonight. Watch live at http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv.

The three crew members launched aboard a Soyuz MS-01 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:36 p.m. EDT Wednesday (7:36 a.m. Baikonur time, July 7).

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/07/08/watch-nasa-tv-tonight-for-crew-arrival-at-station/

------------------------

Science Ops Continue as Crew Waits for New Arrivals

Quote

A new set of Expedition 48 crew members is on its way to the International Space Station after launching Wednesday night (Thursday morning Baikonur time) aboard the Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft. The trio from Japan, Russia and the United States will arrive at their new home in space early Saturday morning for a four-month stay.

Veteran cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin is commanding the Soyuz spacecraft that is carrying him and first time astronauts Kate Rubins and Takuya Onishi to the orbital laboratory. They will dock to the Rassvet module Saturday at 12:12 a.m. EDT, open the hatches about two-and-a-half hours later and begin a mission scheduled to last until October. NASA TV will cover the docking activities beginning at 11:30 p.m.

While they wait for the new arrivals, Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin are keeping up science operations and lab maintenance work. They have been aboard the station since March 18 and are due to return to Earth in September.

Williams installed gear in the Japanese Kibo lab module today for a new life science experiment set to arrive on the next SpaceX mission. Next he configured an observation rack in the U.S. lab module that will collect imagery of meteor showers pictured from space.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2016/07/07/science-ops-continue-as-crew-waits-for-new-arrivals/

---------------

Docking shortly.....

6,181 · July 9, 2016

NASA TV docking coverage starts in a few minutes (11:30 pm EST), docking is at 12:13 EST.

6,181 · July 9, 2016

Passing through sunset...

http://www.isstracker.com/

orientation

http://isslive.com/displays/adcoDisplay2.html

6,181 · July 9, 2016

Docking complete at 12:06 EDT

Quote

Over the next few minutes, the Soyuz docking probe will retract to allow hooks and latches to bring the spacecraft to a firm seal with the station. Hatches between the two vehicles will be opened around 2:50 a.m. EDT (0650 GMT).

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/07/06/live-coverage-new-space-station-crew-counting-down-to-liftoff/

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