Spacewalk

Spacewalk

Join us live for the spacewalk by ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano and NASA’s Chris Cassidy. Streaming starts at 11:00 GMT (13:00 CEST). The spacewalk begins at 12:55 GMT (14:55 CEST). Luca's suit is all-white, while that of Chris bears the red stripes. 

quelle: ESA

JAXA |HTV-3

The H-IIB launch vehicle lifted off at 11:06 a.m., July 21, 2012.
The H-IIB launch vehicle continued ascent toward orbit carrying KOUNOTORI3.

G+ by icelefant Producer: #Space #Science #Astronomy

- international cooperation to travel in Space -

from Space - Inside Earth

Delving Inside Earth from Space:

European Space Agency, or ESA, astronaut André Kuipers is running experiments on the International Space Station that are shedding light on conditions deep inside Earth. Orbiting some 248 miles (400 km) above us, Geoflow is offering insights into the inner workings of our planet.Descending 1,864 miles (3,000 km) under our feet, Earth’s mantle is a semi-solid fluid under our thin outer crust. The highly viscous layers vary with temperature, pressure and depth.

Understanding how the mantle flows is a major interest for geophysics because it could help to explain earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. Computers can model it, but how can scientists be sure they are correct? The deepest that humans have ever drilled is just over 7.5 (12 km), so investigating the mantle directly is out of reach for the immediate future.

The complete Geoflow laboratory experiment that was installed on the International Space Station. Geoflow is used to verify and improve computer models of fluid convection. - Image Credit: ESA

Instead of probing Earth’s depths directly, six European teams led by the University of Cottbus in Germany looked to recreate aspects of mantle flow in a laboratory. Experiments simulating these conditions can verify and improve the computer models.

This poses a different problem, however. How can gravity be simulated without Earth’s gravity itself influencing the results? The solution is to send an experiment to our largest weightless laboratory: the International Space Station.

Planet in a box

ESA sponsored the development of an experiment that mimics the geometry of a planet. Called Geoflow, it contains two revolving concentric spheres with a liquid between them.

Geoflow data from the International Space Station showing how a liquid between two revolving concentric spheres moves as the temperature between the outer and inner sphere changes. - Image Credit: ESA

The inner sphere represents Earth’s core, with the outer sphere acting as the crust. The liquid, of course, is the mantle. Free from the influence of Earth’s gravity, a high-voltage electrical field creates artificial gravity for the experiment. As the spheres rotate slowly and a temperature difference is created between the shells, movement in the liquid is closely monitored. The temperatures can be controlled down to a tenth of a degree.

Inside the Geoflow experiment two revolving concentric spheres heat a liquid. By observing how the liquid moves in response to temperature differences, scientists are verifying and improving computer models of fluid convection. - Image Credit: ESA

André has seen plumes of hotter liquid rising towards the outer shell — as predicted by computer simulations.

Mushroom-like plumes in fluids exposed to strong temperature differences might explain the Hawaiian line of volcanoes in the South Pacific.

A better understanding of our planet is not the only outcome of Geoflow. The results could also benefit industry by improving spherical gyroscopes, bearings and centrifugal pumps, for example. 

Quelle: NASA, ESA, Monnandback

Training |ATV

There’s a great photo posted earlier today showing ESA astronaut André Kuipers training in Russia for his upcoming PromISSe mission – he was in the mock-up of the Zvezda module of the ISS.

Via Twitter @astro_andre wrote (via Yfrog): “ISS training on installing equipment for communicating with ESA’s ATV cargo ship. 40 cables. Imagine floating…”

Prior to the docking of each ATV, the crew — in this case, Astro André — must install and configure the proximity link radio (PCE) inside the Zvezda module. It communicates by radio via two antennas mounted on the outside of the ISS with the two similar antennas mounted on ATV, one directly on the side of the vessel and another on a deployable boom. The 55-kg PCE unit mounted inside the Zvezda module arrived in space via a Progress resupply mission in March 2005.

The PCE is part of the direct radio link between the ISS and ATV and is required for the final phase of the rendezvous and docking. It is through this interface that the ISS crew can quickly react to unexpected deviations from the nominal rendezvous and docking approach by issuing a radio command to ATV – to hold, perform an escape or abort the docking.

More details on how the proximity radio link is also used as a backup telecommand link for ATV via “ESA ground stations communicate with ISS”

Quelle: ESA ATV-Blog

Spaceflight Now Live coverage from |SpaceflightNow:

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Watch live streaming video from spaceflightnow at livestream.com

Endeavour's Close Up

This image of the space shuttle Endeavour's starboard wing

was taken by the Expedition 27 crew during a survey of the

approaching STS-134 mission prior to docking with the

International Space Station. As part of the survey and part

of every mission's activities, Endeavour performed a

rendezvous pitch maneuver, or back-flip, so that the shuttle

could be photographed from a variety of angles. The image

was photographed at a distance of about 600 feet.
(180 meters).

Image Credit: NASA

STS-133 Ascent Highlights

• Wonderfull video !!! Best of the Best = Emotion 
• Awesome video guys n girls!Are any of these available in HD to buy? Tweet out from your @NASA account if they are!Discovery is due home on Wednesday... Good Luck!
• One word... Incredible!
• WOW....stunning and breathtaking
  
  quelle: NASA

Discovery |Good-by

Good-by...

“Space, the final frontier. 

These have been the voyages of the Space Shuttle Discovery. 

Her 30 year mission: To seek out new science.

To build new outposts.

To bring nations together on the final frontier.

To boldly go, and do, what no spacecraft has done before.”

quelle: STS-133 "Star Trek" Wakeup Call |YouTube

ESA |ATV-2

ATV-2 mission profile with ESA Mission Director Kris Capelle!

•  Mission Director, Kris Capelle, who oversees all operational aspects of the
  Johannes Kepler mission. In today’s video, he talks us through the complete
  ATV mission profile from launch to reentry, and provides an authentic,
  ‘working-level’ view into the challenges of flying Europe’s sophisticated ISS
  cargo vessel. Thanks to ATV blog editor Jari Makinen for another excellent
  ATV video! – DGS
  
  quelle: ESA's new ATV Johannes Kepler blog
  

Buzz von icelefant -ice-

 URL dieses Posts:
 http://www.google.com/buzz/108661428331851331796/hzac8jNb6Eg/SpaceCenter-Guiana-Arianespace-VideoCorner-Live

12:00 icelefant -ice-: SpaceCenter |Guiana
================

Arianespace VideoCorner:
Live from the Guiana Space Center

LaunchDate:February 15. 2011
Mission: Servicing of the ISS
...

http://www.videocorner.tv

I love spicy food |ISS

“I love spicy food, I make really hot chili sauce myself,”
Aleksandr Skvortsov said. “I missed it badly. I finished
off all the spicy ketchup stock on the ISS and shocked
everyone by making and eating wasabi sandwiches.
That's my fuel, as good as a rocket's.”

“The thing you miss there most of all is the Earth itself,”
Mikhail Kornienko confessed. “I missed smells. I missed
trees, I even dreamt of them. I even hallucinated. I thought
I smelled a real fire and something being barbecued on it!
I ended up putting pictures of trees on the walls to cheer up.
You do miss the Earth there.”

quelle: RT

2,2 Kilometer angehoben |ISS-Flugbahn

ISS-Flugbahn um 2,2 Kilometer angehoben:

Die Flugbahn der Internationalen Raumstation ISS ist am Mittwochabend

um 2,2 Kilometer angehoben worden. Dazu seien die acht Annäherungs- und

Orientierungstriebwerke des automatischen Frachtraumschiffes «Progress

M-06M» um 22.30 Uhr deutscher Zeit für knapp elf Minuten gezündet worden,

teilte das russische Flugleitzentrum (ZUP) in Koroljow bei Moskau mit.

Space Transport Vehicle |Boeing/Bigelow

Boeing video animation of the CST-100 crew transportation vehicle being designed with Bigelow Aerospace under NASA's Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program. The seven-crew CST-100 is bigger than the Apollo capsule, but smaller than NASA's Orion, and is designed to be launched by a range of rockets incoluding Atlas IV, Delta V and Falcon 9.Video shows the capsule operating with Bigelow's planned inflatable-module Orbital Space Complex.

Soyuz TMA-19 |Roscosmos

Video |Lifted off on their Russian Soyuz TMA-19

quelle: NASAtelevision

Earth's Horizon |NASA

Earth's Horizon:

Earth's horizon and the blackness of space provide the backdrop for Atlantis' aft section while it was docked with the International Space Station during the STS-132 mission. Image

Credit: NASA