Space Station – Page 351 – Off The Earth, For The Earth

Watch NASA TV for Expedition 41 Farewell and Hatch Closure Activities

Watch NASA TV now for the farewell and hatch closure activities as the Expedition 41 trio gets set to return home tonight inside the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft… https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Here is a timeline of the Expedition 41 undocking and landing.

Sunday, Nov. 9
EDT EVENT
3:45 p.m. NASA TV: Expedition 41 farewell & hatch closure coverage
4:10 p.m. Soyuz TMA-13M/space station hatch closure
7:15 p.m. NASA TV: Expedition 41 Soyuz TMA-13M undocking coverage
7:30 p.m. Soyuz undock command sent
7:31 p.m. Soyuz TMA-13M undocks from space station
7:34 p.m. Soyuz manual separation burn
9:45 p.m. NASA TV: Expedition 41 Soyuz TMA-13M deorbit burn and landing coverage
10:05 p.m. Soyuz TMA-13M deorbit burn (4 minutes, 41 seconds duration)
10:09 p.m. Soyuz deorbit burn complete
10:32 p.m. Soyuz module separation (altitude 87 miles)
10:35 p.m. Soyuz atmospheric entry (altitude 62 miles)
10:44 p.m. Command to open parachute (6.6 miles)
10:58 p.m. Expedition 41 Soyuz TMA-13M landing northeast of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan.

Join the conversation on Twitter by following hashtags and . To learn more about all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/connect.

Station Crew Captures 3-D Water Demonstration

Camera in Water Ball — Watch astronauts put a waterproof camera inside a ball of water in microgravity.

Astronauts on the International Space Station are the “focus” of some of the first 3-D camera footage posted to a new playlist of 3-D videos on the agency’s official YouTube channel.

> Read more and watch the videos

The new gallery includes a tour of the space station and astronauts exploring water surface tension in microgravity with both the 3-D camera and a miniature HD camera in a waterproof case inside a volleyball-sized water bubble. Standard two-dimensional versions of both the tour video and the water surface tension video are also available.

Meanwhile, the homebound Expedition 40/41 trio of Soyuz Commander Max Suraev and Flight Engineers Reid Wiseman and Alexander Gerst spent Thursday morning reviewing their Soyuz undocking and descent activities ahead of their Nov. 9 landing in Kazakhstan. Their orbiting Expedition 41/42 crewmates Flight Engineers Barry Wilmore, Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova practiced emergency communication and coordination tasks.

› NASA TV coverage schedule of Expedition 41 landing activities

At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, the Expedition 42/43 crew’s Terry Virts of NASA, Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency are making final preparations for launch Nov. 23 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Soyuz spacecraft that will deliver them for a 5 ½ month mission on the International Space Station.

And for the latest roundup of information on the space station, watch the latest edition of Space to Ground.

> Watch Space to Ground “Counting Down to Departure”

> View images of the Expedition 42 crew’s launch preparations on Flickr

› Read more about Expedition 41

› Read more about Expedition 42

Med Studies as Departing Trio Trains for Landing

Station Trio Peers out from Cupola — (From left) Expedition 40/41 crew members Alexander Gerst, Reid Wiseman and Max Suraev peer out of the cupola.

The homebound Expedition 40/41 trio of Soyuz Commander Max Suraev and Flight Engineers Reid Wiseman and Alexander Gerst spent Thursday morning reviewing their Soyuz undocking and descent activities ahead of their Nov. 9 landing in Kazakhstan. Their orbiting Expedition 41/42 crewmates Flight Engineers Barry Wilmore, Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova practiced emergency communication and coordination tasks.

› NASA TV coverage schedule of Expedition 41 landing activities

The crew also had time set aside for a variety of medical and physical science. Gerst conducted Ultrasound eye scans on Wilmore. Reid strapped on sensors and exercised for the Sprint study. Serova collected data for the Matryeshka radiation detection experiment. Suraev and Samokutyaev worked on cargo transfers and Soyuz preparations.

Expedition 42/43 crew members Terry Virts, Samantha Cristoforetti and Anton Shkaplerov are due to liftoff Nov. 23 aboard a Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft for a six hour ride to their new home in space. They were in Star City, Russia, for a news conference before going to Moscow for traditional pre-launch ceremonies.

Artery Scans and Eye Checks as Soyuz Readied for Landing

ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst scanned his arteries then measured his body shape and size Wednesday. Flight Engineer Barry Wilmore joined Gerst for the scanning activities using an Ultrasound for the Cardio Ox experiment. NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman assisted Gerst with the Body Measures study.

Wiseman also scanned Wilmore’s retinas for the Ocular Health study. Gerst continued more work on the Aquatic Habitat in Japan’s Kibo lab module for the Zebrafish Muscle experiment.

In the Russian segment of the orbital laboratory, Commander Max Suraev continued packing gear inside the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft that he, Wiseman and Gerst will use to return to Earth on Nov. 9. Cosmonaut Alexander Samokutyaev assisted Suraev’s departure effort, checking the Iridium phones used in the Soyuz for emergency communications. Elena Serova participated in a psychophysiological evaluation, then inventoried gear in the Zarya module and Pirs docking compartment.

The next trio to launch to the station is getting ready for a news conference to be held Thursday in Star City, Russia, before going to Moscow for traditional pre-launch ceremonies. Expedition 42/43 crew members Terry Virts, Samantha Cristoforetti and Anton Shkaplerov are due to liftoff Nov. 23 aboard their Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft for a six hour ride to their new home in space.

Medical and Life Science Work as Station Crew Swap Approaches

NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore worked throughout Tuesday inside Japan’s Kibo laboratory to remove a Cubesat deployer from the laboratory’s airlock. The deployer experienced problems in August, when some of the mini satellites did not deploy as expected and later deployed spontaneously. Wilmore’s Expedition 41/42 crewmates Elena Serova and Alexander Samokutyaev worked throughout the day on maintenance and a variety of Russian physical and medical science experiments.

The homebound Expedition 40/41 trio, consisting of Soyuz Commander Max Suraev and Flight Engineers Alexander Gerst and Reid Wiseman, is counting down to its Nov. 9 departure inside the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft. They are packing gear to be returned home while they continue science and maintenance on the U.S. side of the International Space Station.

Back on Earth, the new Expedition 42/43 crew is getting ready for its launch to the space station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Nov. 23. Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov will be joined by NASA astronaut Terry Virts and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti aboard a Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft to begin a 5-1/2 month mission aboard the orbital laboratory.

Station Trio Prepares for Departure amid Ongoing Science

Expedition 41 crew members Max Suraev and Alexander Gerst check procedures in the Destiny laboratory.

Expedition 41 Commander Max Suraev and Flight Engineers Reid Wiseman and Alexander Gerst are in their final week aboard the International Space Station. All three homebound crew members spent time on Monday preparing for their departure. Expedition 41 will end Nov. 9 when it undocks inside the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft at 7:29 p.m. EST.

Gerst also drew his blood samples for stowage in a science freezer and he also worked on the Zebrafish Muscle experiment in the Kibo laboratory. Wiseman worked on plumbing tasks, then set up cameras for the Sally Ride EarthKAM experiment.

Meanwhile, NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore, who is staying in space until March, checked for leaks and worked on a fan in a U.S. spacesuit. His Expedition 41/42 crewmate Elena Serova sampled the station’s air and surfaces for microbes. Cosmonaut Alexander Samokutyaev transferred cargo from the ISS Progress 57 spacecraft then assisted Wiseman with the EarthKAM study.

Fourteen years ago on Nov. 2 the first International Space Station crew, Expedition 1, docked to the young orbital laboratory in their Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft. The space station at the time consisted of just three modules — the Unity node, the Zarya cargo module and the Zvezda service module. Commander William Shepherd and Flight Engineers Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko returned home aboard space shuttle Discovery after 141 days in space.

Astronaut Reid Wiseman talks to reporters from CBS Radio Network and Baltimore’s WJZ-TV

Station Prepares for November Crew Swap

Astronauts Talk to Blue Angels — Expedition 41 astronauts (from left) Reid Wiseman, Barry Wilmore and Alexander Gerst talk to the Blue Angels pilots who visited Mission Control Center in Johnson Space Center Friday morning. Credit: NASA TV

The Expedition 41 trio of Reid Wiseman, Alexander Gerst and Max Suraev are returning home November 9. They checked their Sokol suits, which are worn during a Soyuz launch and entry, for leaks and started preparing for their departure.

NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore, who will be in space until March, worked on the Zebrafish Muscle experiment in Japan’s Kibo lab module. Cosmonaut Elena Serova participated in Crew Medical Officer training then moved on to a variety of science and maintenance tasks. Alexander Samokutyaev worked on cargo transfers from the new ISS Progress 57 resupply ship and preventative maintenance in the Pirs docking compartment.

› Read about the Zebrafish Muscle experiment

Another space station crew is in Star City, Russia, counting down to its Nov. 23 launch to the orbital laboratory. Today is also the 14^th anniversary of the launch of Expedition 1, the first crew to live and work aboard the International Space Station.

› Read about Expedition 42
› Read about Expedition 1

Expedition 41 Opens Progress Hatch as Orbital Sciences Conducts Investigation

Cosmonauts Max Suraev and Alexander Samokutyaev opened the hatch to the ISS Progress 57 space freighter which arrived Wednesday morning. Suraev also joined NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman for descent training in advance of their Nov. 9 landing in the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft.

Flight Engineers Barry Wilmore and Alexander Gerst scrubbed cooling loops in the U.S. spacesuits throughout the day. Gerst also changed the water in the Kibo laboratory’s Aquatic Habitat.

Orbital Sciences Corp. has completed an initial assessment of its launch facility in Virginia after Tuesday night’s catastrophic failure of the Antares rocket.

› Visit NASA’s Orbital Sciences page for the latest information

New Progress Resupply Craft Arrives at Station

Traveling about 261 miles over the Atlantic Ocean, the unpiloted ISS Progress 57 Russian cargo ship docked at 9:08 a.m. EDT to the Pirs Docking Compartment of the International Space Station.

The craft is delivering almost three tons of food, fuel and supplies, including 1,940 pounds of propellant; 48 pounds of oxygen; 57 pounds of air; 926 pounds of water; and 2,822 pounds of spare parts, supplies and experiment hardware for the six members of the Expedition 41 crew currently living and working in space. Progress 57 is scheduled to remain docked to Pirs for the next six months.

For more information about the current crew and the International Space Station, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/station.

Progress Arrives at Station — The ISS Progress 57 is moments from docking to the Pirs Docking Compartment of the International Space Station.

Watch NASA TV for Live Coverage of Progress Arrival at Station

Beginning at 8:30 a.m. EDT, NASA Television will provide live coverage of the docking of a Russian Progress spacecraft carrying nearly three tons of food, fuel and supplies for the Expedition 41 crew aboard the International Space Station.

Docking of ISS Progress 57 to the Pirs Docking Compartment of the space station is scheduled for 9:09 a.m.

Watch the docking live on NASA TV or at https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Launch of ISS Progress 57 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan occurred at 3:09 a.m. (1:09 p.m. local time in Baikonur) this morning. The spacecraft will remain docked to the station for six months.

The Expedition 41 crew will monitor key events during Progress 57’s automated rendezvous and docking.

To join the online conversation about the International Space Station and Progress 57 on Twitter, follow the hashtags #ISS and #ISScargo. To learn more about all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/connect.

Progress Approaches Station — An ISS Progress resupply vehicle approaches the International Space Station in January 2012.