Weekly Links
This post will have to cover the last two weeks, as I missed last week’s update partly due to being on the evening shift at the ADCO console. I happened to be on duty in mission control when the lost Progress cargo ship re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific. Unfortunately, ISS was too far away for us to see anything from the onboard cameras.
Down to Earth
The crew of Expedition 43 will not be coming back down to Earth as planned this month. NASA and the other ISS partners announced this week that upcoming crew rotation dates will be delayed due to the ongoing investigation of the Progress resupply craft that failed to reach ISS. The next launch was also postponed by a couple of months.
Fortunately, the astronauts aboard ISS seem to be in high spirits and are making the best of it:
Looks like it's not time to get my spacesuit ready yet… what a present! #MoreTimeInSpace http://t.co/i26pwWu8Oo pic.twitter.com/HzSuRjFQpE
— Sam Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) May 12, 2015
Today was our original landing date but we got extended, @astrosamantha, @antonastrey and I are very glad to stay! pic.twitter.com/DKDax710XZ
— Terry W. Virts (@AstroTerry) May 13, 2015
In a seemingly unrelated announcement, British singer and spaceflight hopeful, Sarah Brightman, has postponed her plans to fly on a Soyuz to the International Space Station, according to a press release on her website. No official word yet if her backup Satoshi Takamatsu will take her Soyuz seat on TMA-18M later this year.
A new astronaut movie called Pale Blue Dot will star Reese Witherspoon. Let’s hope it lives up to the pedigree of its namesake. Based on what little we know about it so far, I don’t know if I am convinced.
The company that designed the capillary flow coffee cups for serving espresso on the ISS wants to commercially produce the cups for sale on Earth. You can pledge to their Kickstarter here.
The UAE space agency has produced a pretty interesting promo video for their Martian orbiter mission plans:
In Orbit
Check out this awesome video blog from Smarter Every Day about the window shutters in the Cupola on ISS (via Bad Astronomy).
Here are some of my favorite posts from the astronauts in space from the last week or so:
Looking at the sands of #Earth it's hard to imagine there are more stars than every grain on our planet.#YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/NJlP9Hi6eD
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) May 8, 2015
The rising sun casts shadows upon the US #SouthWest this morning creating a striking image. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/dj4aB2hyoq
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) May 8, 2015
Subtropical Storm #Ana churns off the East coast of USA. #Wx from @Space_Station. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/uaMRGDO8JG
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) May 8, 2015
Massive lightning storm over #India. A majestic performance that inspires awe and respect. #SpaceVine https://t.co/yrMpOV2J1D
— Terry W. Virts (@AstroTerry) May 9, 2015
These dark clouds in the US heartland look very threatening. Be safe! #wxreport #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/eIFbbKAxsi
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) May 10, 2015
Fishing boats… what an intriguing visual effects as the light shines through a cloud layer! pic.twitter.com/ugdIYu2m6I
— Sam Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) May 11, 2015
Fun with candy: I am a human centrifuge in this #spacevine 🙂 https://t.co/IQh1wr4kQv
— Sam Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) May 11, 2015
My first look out the window today. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/61hpRPE9KB
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) May 14, 2015
Around the Solar System
The small Japanese probe Procyon was unable to recover its ion engine in time for a needed course correction and will miss its asteroid rendezvous. Procyon launched with Hayabusa 2 in December.
New Horizons is now close enough to Pluto to image all 5 of its known moons!
The “tiger stripes” on Europa could be “sea salt” from beneath the surface.
In other icy moon news, the geysers on Enceladus, seen by the Cassini probe, may actually be curtains rather than geysers.
Check out this awesome Vine from Saturn:
And How could I not share this sunset image taken by the Curiosity rover on Mars.
Out There
Astronomers may have found the first volcanoes on a planet around another star.
Astronomers from Yale University discovered the most distant galaxy ever seen – a stunning 13 billion light years distant.