hehe, the Magnificent. After Mario Lemieux??? :smile: <img src="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0804/dextre_sts123.jpg" width="800"> http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080401.html New Space Station Robot Asks to be Called "Dextre the Magnificent" Credit: Expedition 16 Crew, NASA Explanation: In a surprising and potentially troubling request, the new space station robot known as Dextre demanded that astronauts refer to it in the future at "Dextre the Magnificent." Brandishing power tools that would make any handyperson blush, the mobile servicing system thanked humans for creating it and promised a glorious future where humans would retain an important role in the new robot order. Happy April Fools Day from the folks at APOD. The classic fable of humans mistakenly creating technological evildoers dates back to Frankenstein and includes famous fictitious villains such as HAL and the Terminator. Dextre, although real, is no Frankenstein, since its computer intelligence is mainly geared toward allowing astronauts to control it remotely. Dextre was deployed last month to help build and service the International Space Station. As seen in the above picture, Dextre is truly a technological marvel, wielding long arms capable of handling both small tools and large modules with precision dexterity.

Great to see this happening, alas! :chillin: ATV: Closing in on the target 1 April 2008 Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicle introduces a new generation of spacecraft, capable of entirely automated rendezvous and docking. To close in on its target it will rely on two laser-based sensors, a telegoniometer and a videometer. Vodcast Play now | Download Jules Verne ATV’s laser rendezvous sensor will emit a signal and receive a reflection back from the International Space Station. Engineers at the ATV Control Centre and the astronauts on board ISS will monitor the spacecraft as it approaches for docking, making sure it follows a predefined corridor and that the spacecraft is flying at the right angle. This complex system has back-up layers which will kick in if there are any problems. But should its two redundant chains break down, the ATV has a third, totally independent monitoring and safing unit which can be triggered to order the spacecraft to safely back-off from its target and return to its usual cruise mode.

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/d-q-o6t5Q5I&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d-q-o6t5Q5I&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> ATV-1 Docking ISS :chillin:

Great news here. Bigtime help these will be! I'll post this in the ATV + ISS threads... Take care N°20-2008 – Paris, 3 April 2008 Europe’s automated ship docks to the ISS The ATV Jules Verne, European Space Agency’s first resupply and reboost vehicle, has successfully performed a fully automated docking with the International Space Station (ISS). This docking marks the beginning of the Jules Verne’s main servicing mission to deliver cargo, propellant, water, oxygen and propulsion capacity to the Station, as well as ESA’s entry into the restricted club of the partners able to access the orbital facility by their own means. The 19-ton unmanned spaceship manoeuvred from a holding position 39 km behind the 275-ton space outpost and conducted a 4-hour staged approach with several stops at reference points for checks. It autonomously computed its own position through relative GPS (comparison between data collected by GPS receivers both on the ATV and the ISS) and in close range it used videometers pointed at laser retroreflectors on the ISS to determine its distance and orientation relative to its target. Final approach was at a relative velocity of 7 cm/s and with an accuracy of less than 10 cm, while both the ATV and the ISS were orbiting at about 28000 km/h, some 340 km above the Eastern Mediterranean. The ATV Jules Verne’s docking probe was captured by the docking cone at the aft end of Russia’s Zvezda module at 16:45 CEST (14:45 GMT). Docking was completed with hooks closing at 16:52 CEST (14:52 GMT). First automated docking This is the very first time in Europe that an automated docking is performed in due respect of the very tight safety constraints imposed by manned spaceflight operations. All the approach and docking phase was piloted by the ATV’s onboard computers under close monitoring by the teams of ESA, CNES (the French Space agency) and Astrium (the prime contractor) at the ATV Control Centre at CNES Toulouse, France, as well as the ISS crew inside the Zvezda module. In case of anomaly, both ends could trigger pre-programmed manoeuvres to hold position, retreat to the previous reference point or escape to a safe distance. The ATV’s behaviour was also under surveillance from its own independent Monitoring & Safing Unit (MSU), which uses a separate set of sensors and computers to check that the approach manoeuvre is conducted safely. In case of major anomaly, the MSU would have been able to take over the commands and order a Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre (CAM) through dedicated avionics chains and thrusters. As all operations went smoothly, none of these safety manoeuvres was required during this afternoon’s approach and docking. The ATV Jules Verne was launched by an Ariane 5 from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 9 March. Three days later, it successfully demonstrated its autonomous CAM capability and was cleared for ISS proximity operations. The spaceship then moved to a parking orbit for the duration of space shuttle Endeavour’s visit to the ISS. On March 29 and 31 it conducted two rehearsals of today’s docking, approaching at 11 m from the Station. New delivery service Now that it is docked, the ATV Jules Verne will become an additional module of the ISS for about four months. The astronauts will enter its pressurized cargo module and retrieve 1,150 kg of dry cargo, including food, clothes and equipment as well as two original manuscripts handwritten by Jules Verne and a XIXth century illustrated edition of his novel “From the Earth to the Moon”. In addition, they will pump 856 kg of propellant, 270 kg of drinking water and 21 kg of oxygen into Zvezda’s tanks. The ATV can carry about three times as much payload as Russia’s Progress freighters but on this mission, most of it is actually propellant to be used by the ATV’s own propulsion system for periodical manoeuvres to increase the altitude of the ISS in order to compensate its natural decay caused by atmospheric drag. If required, the ATV will also be able to provide redundant attitude control to the ISS or even perform evasive manoeuvres to move the Station out of the way of potentially dangerous space debris. The first of ATV Jules Verne’s reboost manoeuvres is currently scheduled on April 21. "The ATV is so much more than a simple delivery truck, it is an intelligent and versatile spaceship which has just demonstrated its extraordinary skills,” said Daniel Sacotte, ESA’s Director for Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration. “It is the largest and most complex spacecraft ever developed in Europe and the second in size of all the vehicle’s visiting the Station, after NASA’s space shuttle. With Columbus and the ATV, we have entered the major league of the ISS." "The docking of the ATV is a new and spectacular step in the demonstration of European capabilities on the international scene of space exploration ”said Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA’s Director General. “This fantastic step is in first instance the result of collective work in Europe, including ESA Member States, industry under Astrium as prime contractor, CNES and ESA staff as well as among ISS partners, in particular the USA and Russia. We shall now reap the benefits of such investments after the launch of ESA’s Columbus laboratory, first in utilizing the unique capabilities of the ISS and secondly in preparing for the exploration of the Solar System”. Now that the ATV is "up and running", I am happy to announce that in the next few weeks ESA will launch a recruitment campaign to hire new European astronauts" For further information: ESA Media Relations Office Communication and Knowledge Department Tel: + 33 1 5369 7299 Fax: + 33 1 5369 7690

-- Construction of ISS Progressing, Subcommitee Explores Research Capabilities http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=25311 "Testifying on behalf of NASA, Dr. William Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for Space Operations said, "Recent ISS assembly accomplishments are the direct result of years of careful planning, diligence through tragedy and challenges, and the efforts of a worldwide human space flight community dedicated to the completion of a goal -- to build and operate a world-class research facility in low-Earth orbit." -- House Science and Technology Committee's Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics Examines the Status of the International Space Station http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=25312 "While ISS has had a long, and at times controversial and frustrating development path, I am impressed with the progress that has been made in assembling and operating this incredibly complex international space-based science and technology facility," said Subcommittee Chairman Mark Udall (D-CO). As the most complex international scientific and technological endeavor ever undertaken, ISS incorporates innovative ideas and technologies from the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and 10 member states of the European Space Agency. ISS has been continuously crewed for over six years. Once its assembly is completed it will have a pressurized volume of more than 33,000 cubic feet and a mass of more than 925,000 pounds." JULES VERNE BOOSTS ISS ORBIT, April 25 ESA's Jules Verne ATV was used for the first time early this morning to raise the orbit of the International Space Station. A 740-second burn of the Automated Transfer Vehicle's main engines successfully lifted the altitude of the 280-tonne Station by around 4.5 km to a height of 342 km above the Earth's surface. Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news128343131.html

:badger: <img src="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0805/soyuzdock_iss16.jpg" width="800"> http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080514.html A Supply Ship Docks with the International Space Station Credit: ISS Expedition 16 Crew, NASA Explanation: Looking out a window of the International Space Station brings breathtaking views. Visible vistas include a vast and colorful Earth, a deep dark sky, and an occasional spaceship sent to visit the station. Visible early last month was a Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft carrying not only supplies but also three newcomers. The three new astronauts were Expedition 17 commander Sergei Volkov, flight engineer Oleg Kononenko, and spaceflight participant So-yeon Yi. Yi returned to Earth a few days later, while Volkov and Konenenko are scheduled to return in a few months. The docking module pictured above involved the Pirs Docking Compartment. The Expedition 17 crew, including NASA flight engineer Gregory Chamitoff, will carry out repairs on the ISS, explore new methods of living in space, and conduct research in space including the effects of space radiation on vitamin molecules.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080524.html Space Station in the Sun Credit & Copyright: Dirk Ewers Explanation: Still bathed in sunlight, the International Space Station tracked through night skies above Hombressen, Germany on May 12. From a range of at least 360 kilometers, astronomer Dirk Ewers was able to record an impressively sharp video sequence of the passage with a small telescope, using some of the individual frames to construct this composite image. Sporting solar arrays, the station's integrated truss structure is nearly 90 meters long. The ATV Jules Verne is docked with the station, while the space station itself is orbiting at aproximately 27,800 kilometers per hour (17,200 mph). A complete video sequence is available as a 1 megabyte mpeg file or avi file. :badger:

May 22, 2008 Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington 202-358-3749 katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov Kyle Herring Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 kyle.j.herring@nasa.gov RELEASE: 08-133 NASA UPDATES SPACE SHUTTLE TARGET LAUNCH DATES HOUSTON -- NASA Thursday adjusted the target launch dates for two space shuttle missions in 2008. Shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope is now targeted for Oct. 8, and Endeavour's STS-126 supply mission to the International Space Station has moved from Oct. 16 to Nov. 10. The final servicing mission to Hubble was moved from Aug. 28 due to a delay in deliveries of components, including the external fuel tanks, and the need to prepare Endeavour for a possible rescue mission approximately two weeks after STS-125 launches. Flights beyond STS-126 will be assessed and coordinated with NASA's international partners at a later date. Both shuttle and station program officials will continue to consider options for the remainder of the shuttle flights, with those target launch dates being subject to change. The Shuttle Program also has decided that Atlantis will be assigned two additional flights after the Hubble mission in order to more efficiently fly the remaining shuttle flights using the three orbiters in sequence. The shuttle launch manifest is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/iss_manifest.html For details on upcoming shuttle missions and their crews, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle -end-

May 22, 2008 John Yembrick Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0602 john.yembrick-1@nasa.gov Candrea Thomas Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-105 NASA ANNOUNCES SHUTTLE PRELAUNCH EVENTS AND COUNTDOWN DETAILS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- News conferences, events and operating hours for the news center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center are set for the upcoming launch of space shuttle Discovery. Shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to lift off at 5:02 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 31. On Wednesday, May 28, Discovery's seven crew members are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy at 11:30 a.m. NASA Television will provide live coverage as Commander Mark Kelly makes a brief statement to media. Badged journalists planning to cover the event must be at Kennedy's news center by 10 a.m. for transportation to the Shuttle Landing Facility. NASA will provide continuous online updates, including a webcast and a blog on the STS-124 mission at: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle A live webcast featuring NASA astronaut Michael Foale will begin at noon on May 30. Foale's six space flights include long-duration missions aboard the Russian Space Station Mir and the International Space Station. He has logged more than 374 days in space. The webcast also will air live on NASA TV. On launch day, a blog will update the countdown beginning at noon. Originating from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to launch. During the mission, visitors to NASA's shuttle Web site can read about the crew's progress and watch the spacewalks live. As Discovery's flight wraps up, NASA will offer a blog detailing the spacecraft's return to Earth. Detailed lists of countdown milestones, news briefing times and participants, and hours of operation for Kennedy's news center and media credentialing office are available at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/news For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv -end-

DISCOVERY SET FOR SATURDAY LAUNCH TO SPACE STATION, May 27 Space shuttle Discovery is in place at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A and remaining work is on schedule for liftoff May 31 at 5:02 p.m. EDT. Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news131126283.html SPACE STATION CREW TO NASA: SEND PLUMBER SOON, May 28 (AP) -- The international space station's lone toilet is broken, leaving the crew with almost nowhere to go. So NASA may order an in-orbit plumbing service call when space shuttle Discovery visits next week. Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news131172489.html Yikes. :lol: ASTRONAUTS TO DELIVER PUMP FOR BALKY SPACE TOILET, May 28 (AP) -- NASA rushed Wednesday to get a special pump on board shuttle Discovery to fix a balky toilet at the international space station. Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news131201770.html

May 31, 2008 Mike Curie Headquarters, Washington 202-358-4715 michael.curie@nasa.gov Candrea Thomas Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov RELEASE: 08-136 NASA'S SHUTTLE DISCOVERY LAUNCHES WITH JAPANESE LABORATORY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery and its seven-member crew lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 5:02 p.m. EDT Saturday to deliver and install a Japanese laboratory on the International Space Station. The mission, designated STS-124, is the second of three flights to launch components to complete the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Discovery is carrying Kibo's tour bus-sized Japanese Pressurized Module, or JPM, which will be the station's largest module. The shuttle astronauts will work with the three-member station crew and ground teams around the world to install the JPM and Kibo's robotic arm system. Shortly before launch, Commander Mark Kelly thanked the teams that helped make the launch possible. "We're going to deliver Kibo, or hope, to the space station," Kelly said. "And while we tend to live for today, the discoveries from Kibo will certainly offer hope for tomorrow." Joining Kelly on Discovery's 14-day flight are Pilot Ken Ham and Mission Specialists Karen Nyberg, Ron Garan, Mike Fossum, Greg Chamitoff and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide. Garan and Fossum will conduct three spacewalks during the mission. Chamitoff will replace current station crew member Garrett Reisman, who has lived on the outpost since mid-March. Chamitoff will return to Earth on Endeavour's STS-126 mission, targeted for Nov. 10. NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of Discovery's mission, which is the 123rd shuttle flight, the 35th for Discovery and the 26th shuttle mission to the station. NASA Television features live mission events, daily mission status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. NASA TV is webcast at: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv NASA's Web coverage of STS-124 includes current mission information, interactive features, and news conference images, graphics and videos. Mission coverage, including the la-*test*-('") NASA TV schedule, also is available on the main space shuttle Web site at: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle Daily news conferences with STS-124 mission managers take place at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. During normal business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday, reporters may ask questions from participating NASA locations. Please contact your preferred NASA facility by its daily close of business to confirm its availability before each event. Johnson will operate a phone bridge for media briefings that occur outside of the normal business hours. To be eligible to use this service, reporters must possess a valid media credential issued by a NASA center or for the STS-124 mission. Media planning to use the service must contact the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than 15 minutes prior to the start of a briefing in which they wish to participate. Newsroom personnel will verify their credentials and transfer them to the phone bridge. The capacity of the phone bridge is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For information about other NASA missions and activities, visit: http://www.nasa.gov -end- :badger: :badger: :badger: <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zbEB0j5MqT8&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zbEB0j5MqT8&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

Gyros...
Hate to bring this up when it seems like the best news on Earth is off the Earth at the ISS but we can't hide our heads in the sand.Those huge CMGs (gyroscopes) that have failed so often in the past are bound to have another failure before too long, and if they retire the Shuttles there won't be any big enough heavy lift vehicles able to get another CMG up there. Would be an idea worth having to suggest that a spare gyro be sent up there while the Shuttle is still able to make house calls.Hate to lose the ISS because a repetitive failure is ignored. We are adding more and more mass to that station and that is bound to have additional stress upon the CMGs. Aside from that , have enjoyed the good work being done, looking nice for now. Mystery :gloweyes:

Agreed, Mystery. The plans up there are far too maligned and skimpy. We need to bolster things to have more success with what goes on, and propel far more operations beyond what is, now. It's hazardous and neglectful, as it is, now, too. A human problem I see it as, and their faulty socio-economic systems. Space development is not feasible? That's like saying we don't need trees, they don't really clean the air. Oh wait... LOL. Can't wait to see Canada's next arm... This 1 is the bomb, though. :grin2: <img src="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0806/dextre_iss017.jpg" width="800"> http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080611.html Dextre Robot at Work on the Space Station Credit: STS-124 Crew, Expedition 17 Crew, NASA Explanation: What's the world's most complex space robot doing up there? Last week, Dextre was imaged moving atop the Destiny Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS), completing tasks prior to the deployment of Japan's Kibo pressurized science laboratory. Dextre, short for the Canadian-built Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator, has arms three meters in length and can attach power tools as fingers. Behind Dextre is the blackness of space, while Earth looms over Dextre's head. The Kibo laboratory segment being deployed during space shuttle Discovery's trip to the ISS can be pressurized and contains racks of scientific experiment that will be used to explore many things, including how plants brace themselves against gravity, and how water might be inhibited from freezing in cells under microgravity.