Новости МКС

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РОСКОСМОС уточняет

https://www.roscosmos.ru/25036/

ПОСАДКА СПУСКАЕМОГО АППАРАТА ТПК «СОЮЗ МС-07»
3 июня 2018

Прямая трансляция - на сайте РОСКОСМОСА (online.roscosmos.ru) или на официальной странице РОСКОСМОСА ВКонтакте.

3 июня - 8:45 - 9:15 мск - посадка экипажа в ТПК «Союз МС-07», закрытие переходных люков;
3 июня - 12:00 - 12:30 мск - расстыковка и отлет ТПК «Союз МС-07» (команда на расстыковку - в 12:16:30 мск);
3 июня - 15:30 - 16:30 мск - приземление спускаемого аппарата ТПК «Союз МС-07» и эвакуация экипажей (посадка - в 15:40 мск).

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Anton Shkaplerov‏ @Anton_Astrey 2 ч. назад

Проверка на герметичность скафандров прошла успешно! Наш экипаж готов к посадке, которая запланирована 3 июня.

//

Our crew is ready to return to Earth. The landing of the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft will take place on June 3.

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[tnt22]

РОСКОСМОС уточняет

https://www.roscosmos.ru/24999/

Запуск транспортного пилотируемого корабля «Союз МС-09» с участниками длительной экспедиции МКС-56/57

Прямая трансляция мероприятий пусковой кампании - на сайте РОСКОСМОСА (online.roscosmos.ru)

6 июня - 11:30 - 14:30 мск - подготовка ракеты-носителя, посадка космонавтов в ТПК «Союз МС-09» (пуск в 14:12:41 мск);

8 июня - 15:00 - 16:07 мск - стыковка ТПК «Союз МС-09» с МКС (модуль МИМ-1 «Рассвет»);
8 июня - 18:00 - 19:00 мск - открытие переходных люков, первая видеоконференция экипажа МКС-56.

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2018/05/25/iss-daily-summary-report-5252018/

ISS Daily Summary Report – 5/25/2018

NanoRacks-Remove Debris (RemDeb):

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The crew pressurized and performed a leak check of the Japanese Experiment Module Airlock (JEMAL) and then extended the Airlock slide table into the JEM this morning. They then removed the Handhold Experiment Platform (HXP) Adapter and the Multipurpose Experiment Platform (MPEP) from the Slide Table. These activities are the initial preparation steps for the launch of the RemDeb, planned for June 19th. NanoRacks-Remove Debris demonstrates an approach to reducing the risks presented by space debris or "space junk". Collisions in space may have serious consequences, but research has shown that removing the largest debris significantly reduces the chance of collisions. NanoRacks-Remove Debris uses a 3D camera to map location and speed of debris and then deploys a net to capture and de-orbit simulated debris that is up to 1 meter in diameter. Ground experts will then analyze video of the demonstration runs.

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Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) Video Upgrade Equipment (VUE):

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Today, the crew replaced the VUE in the MSG that failed on March 1st. In concert with the ground they then performed a video checkout to verify MSG VUE functionality.

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Multi-Use Variable-G Platform (MVP):

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As part of the ongoing validation of the MVP, the crew removed adherent cell modules that were installed in the MVP on May 18th. MVP is used to conduct research in space with a wide variety of sample types, such as fruit flies, flatworms, plants, fish, cells, protein crystals and many others. It includes internal carousels that simultaneously can produce up to 2 g of artificial gravity. Each carousel hosts 6 separate removable experiment modules on each carousel. Video and still imagery, including microscopy, can be included. The platform also provides temperature and humidity controls and monitors and records oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.

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TangoLab:

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The crew swapped cards containing experiment cubes from the TangoLab-1 and -2 facilities today. TangoLab-1 and -2 are reconfigurable general research facilities designed for microgravity research and development and pilot manufacturing in the ISS.

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Orbital ATK (OA)-9 Cygnus Ops:

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This morning, the crew continued transferring cargo, payloads, and trash between Cygnus and ISS. The day's goal was to clear the inner core of stowage, creating a "corridor" within Cygnus for crew translation and to provide a workspace. The crew now has access to payloads and nearly all of the cargo inside the Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM), allowing them to begin unpacking bays and loading them with trash as soon as they are cleared.

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[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2018/05/28/iss-daily-summary-report-5282018/

ISS Daily Summary Report – 5/28/2018

Kubik 6:

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After completing commissioning for ESA's Kubik 6 facility the crew disconnected and stowed the Kubik 6. Kubik is a small controlled-temperature incubator/cooler used to study biological samples in a microgravity environment. It is equipped with removable inserts designed for self-contained, automatic experiments using seeds, cells, and small animals.

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Electro-static Levitation Furnace (ELF):

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The crew exchanged the sample cartridges in ELF and stowed the processed sample for return. ELF is an experimental facility designed to levitate, melt and solidify materials by containerless processing techniques using the electrostatic levitation method. With this facility thermophysical properties of high temperature melts can be measured and solidification from deeply undercooled melts can be achieved.

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Barrios Protein Crystal Growth (PCG):

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The crew mixed solutions in a crystallization plate. Barrios PCG focuses on the successful transfer and mixing of different solutions into commercial off-the-shelf multiwell plates. Video of the growth of the protein crystals in the multiwell plates will be downlinked for evaluation.

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Orbital ATK (OA)-9 Cygnus:

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The crew completed a training session to practice emergency response actions that need to be taken with Cygnus attached. They also continued with Cygnus cargo operations.

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Soyuz (53S) Return Cargo Packing:

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The crew started packing the cargo that will return on 53S. The remaining packing will be completed prior to undocking.

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External Television Camera Group (ETVCG) Disassembly:

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The crew disassembled the ETVCG that was retrieved from Camera Port (CP)-13 during EVA #50 on May 16, 2018 and removed the Pan and Tilt Unit (PTU) with the Television Camera Interface Converter (TVCIC). The TVCIC was then removed and stowed. The crew will install a new TVCIC on the PTU and then reassemble the ETVCG at a later date. The newly assembled ETVCG will be installed at Camera Port CP-3 during EVA #51.

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[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2018/05/29/crew-unloading-cygnus-while-new-trio-preps-for-launch/

Crew Unloading Cygnus While New Trio Preps for Launch

Mark Garcia
Posted May 29, 2018 at 12:49


The next three crew members to launch to the space station and their backups pose for a portrait at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. From left are Expedition 56-57 crew members Alexander Gerst, Sergei Prokopyev and Serena Auñón-Chancellor with back up crew members Anne McClain, Oleg Kononenko and David Saint-Jacques.

The Expedition 55 crew is unloading the Orbital ATK Cygnus space freighter today ahead of next week's crew swap at the International Space Station. On top of the cargo transfers and crew departure activities, the orbital residents are also running space experiments to benefit humans on Earth and astronauts in space.

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NASA Flight Engineer Scott Tingle has been working inside Cygnus today unpacking station hardware and research gear delivered just last week. He removed science kits and spacewalking gear and stowed them throughout the orbital lab.

Tingle finally wrapped up his workday with his homebound crewmates Commander Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineer Norishige Kanai preparing for their June 3 return to Earth. The trio packed personal items and other gear inside the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft that will parachute the crew to a landing in Kazakhstan after 168 days in space.

Back on Earth, Soyuz MS-09 Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineers Serena Auñón-Chancellor and Alexander Gerst are in final training in Kazakhstan ahead of their June 6 launch to the space station. The Expedition 56-57 trio will orbit Earth for two days before docking to the Rassvet module to begin a six-month stay in space

NASA astronauts Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel, who are staying in space until Oct. 4, familiarized themselves today with the new Cold Atom Lab's hardware and installation procedures. The device, delivered last week on Cygnus, will research what happens to atoms exposed to temperatures less than a billionth of a degree above absolute zero.

The two later split up as Arnold set up thermal hardware that will help scientists understand the processes involved in semiconductor crystal growth. Feustel moved on and began uninstalling a plant biology facility, the European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS), which has finalized its research operations. The EMCS will now be readied for return to Earth aboard the next SpaceX Dragon cargo craft.

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[tnt22]

Paxi on the ISS: A view of Earth

European Space Agency, ESA

Опубликовано: 29 мая 2018 г.

Our alien friend Paxi, ESA Education's mascot, went to visit American astronaut Mark Vande Hei on board the International Space Station. Vande Hei shows Paxi the views outside of the Cupola, the biggest window on Earth in the International Space Station.

(2:56)

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2018/05/29/iss-daily-summary-report-5292018/

ISS Daily Summary Report – 5/29/2018

Solidification Using Baffles in Sealed Ampoules (SUBSA):

Спойлер

The crew set up the SUBSA hardware today and installed a calibration sample. The objective of the SUBSA investigation is to advance understanding of the processes involved in semiconductor crystal growth. It offers a gradient freeze furnace for materials science investigations that can reach 850°C. Samples are contained in transparent quartz or ceramic ampoules with high definition video imaging available in real-time along with remote commanding of thermal control parameters.

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European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS):

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The crew decommissioned and removed ESA's EMCS for return on the SpaceX-15 vehicle. The EMCS Holding Structure will be temporarily stowed in the Cygnus vehicle.

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Microbial Tracking-2 (MT-2):

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Today the crew collected saliva and body samples and placed them inside a Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) in support of the Microbial Tracking-2 investigation. MT-2 monitors the different types of microbes that are present on ISS over a 1-year period. After the samples are returned to Earth, a molecular analysis of the RNA and DNA will be conducted to identify the specific microbes that are present on ISS in order to understand the microbial flora diversity on the ISS and how it changes over time.

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Orbital ATK (OA)-9 cargo status:

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The crew is scheduled for ~8 hours of Cygnus Cargo operations today. The crew has completed 13.5 hours of cargo operations since last Friday. Cargo specialist estimate approximately 16 hours of cargo operations remain to complete Cargo Message #1. Cargo Message #1 will unload the Cygnus vehicle and load about 1/3 of the trash.

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Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations:

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This evening ground robotics controllers will ungrapple the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) from the OA-9 Cygnus spacecraft. Once complete, the SSRMS will backaway from the vehicle, complete a walkoff to Mobile Base System (MBS)-1, and stow the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) in preparation for tomorrow's planned robotic surveys.

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[tnt22]

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-television-to-air-return-of-one-space-station-crew-launch-of-another

May 29, 2018
MEDIA ADVISORY M18-086

NASA Television to Air Return of One Space Station Crew, Launch of Another


After 168 days on the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Scott Tingle returns to Earth June 3, 2018, with Expedition 55 crewmates Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The International Space Station Expedition 54 crew returns in the Soyuz MS-06 fr om their mission Feb. 27, 2018 (left). Tingle, Shkaplerov and Kanai launched to the space station on the Soyuz MS-07 (right). Expedition 56 astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor of NASA, cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos and astronaut Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) launch to the orbiting outpost June 6, 2018, in the Soyuz MS-09.
Credits: NASA/Bill Ingalls/Joel Kowsky

Three of the crew members currently aboard the International Space Station are scheduled to end their mission on the orbiting laboratory on Sunday, June 3. A few days later, another trio of space travelers will depart for the station on a launch scheduled for Wednesday, June 6. Live coverage of both the landing and launch will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

In advance of the departure, the traditional change of command ceremony on Friday, June 1, will see Expedition 55 Commander Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos hand over command of the station to NASA's Drew Feustel for Expedition 56.

Shkaplerov and Flight Engineers Scott Tingle of NASA and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will close the hatch to the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft and undock from the Rassvet module as they head for a parachute-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan a little more than three hours later. The crew is completing a mission spanning 168 days, with 2,688 orbits of the Earth and a journey of 71.2 million miles. The mission also marks the first spaceflight for Tingle.

After landing, the crew will return by helicopter to the recovery staging city in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, wh ere Tingle and Kanai will board a NASA plane for a flight back to Houston while Shkaplerov returns to his home in Star City, Russia.

At the time of undocking, Expedition 56 will begin formally aboard the station, with Feustel, NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold and Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos comprising a three-person crew for several days.

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos, Serena Auñón-Chancellor of NASA and Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) are preparing to launch in the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft Wednesday, June 6, on a two-day journey to dock to the station.

Coverage of Expedition 55 landing and Expedition 56 launch activities will be as follows (all times EDT):

Friday, June 1

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• 2:25 p.m. – Change of command ceremony with Anton Shkaplerov handing over station command to NASA astronaut Drew Feustel
  

Sunday, June 3

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• 1:30 a.m. – Farewell and hatch closure coverage (hatch closure at 1:55 a.m.)
• 4:45 a.m. – Undocking coverage (undocking scheduled for 5:16 a.m.)
• 7:15 a.m. – Deorbit burn and landing coverage (deorbit burn at 7:57 and landing at 8:40 a.m.)
  

Wednesday, June 6

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• 6:15 a.m. – Soyuz MS-09 launch coverage (launch at 7:12 a.m.)
  

Friday, June 8

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• 8:15 a.m. – Docking coverage (docking scheduled for 9:07 a.m.)
• 10:30 a.m. – Hatch opening and welcome coverage
  

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A full complement of video of the crew's prelaunch activities in Baikonur will air on NASA TV in the days preceding launch.

The crew members of Expedition 56-57 will continue work on hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science aboard the International Space Station, humanity's only permanently occupied microgravity laboratory.

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Last Updated: May 29, 2018
Editor: Karen Northon

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2018/05/30/crew-juggles-science-departure-preps-and-spacewalk-work/

Crew Juggles Science, Departure Preps and Spacewalk Work

Mark Garcia
Posted May 30, 2018 at 1:18 pm


The city of Perth, Garden Island and Rottnest Island are pictured as the International Space Station began an orbital pass across the coast of Western Australia.

International Space Station Commander Anton Shkaplerov will lead fellow Expedition 54-55 crewmates Scott Tingle and Norishige Kanai back to Earth early Sunday morning. The trio will undock from the Rassvet module inside the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft on Sunday at 5:16 a.m. Just three and a half hours later the homebound crew will parachute to a landing in Kazakhstan after 168 days in space. NASA TV will broadcast live the undocking and landing activities.

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Three more crew members are waiting in Kazakhstan to replace the Expedition 54-55 crew. Soyuz MS-09 Commander Sergey Prokopyev will launch with Expedition 56-57 Flight Engineers Serena Auñón-Chancellorand Alexander Gerst on June 6 from Kazakhstan on a two-day ride to their new home in space.

The following week after the crew swap activities, NASA astronauts Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel will go out on their third spacewalk together this year. The duo will install new high definition cameras and route cables on the Harmony module during the 6.5-hour spacewalk planned for June 14. Tingle is readying some of the gear today that will be installed during that spacewalk.

Finally, Feustel and Arnold spent a little over half their day today setting up the new Cold Atom Lab (CAL). The duo installed the scientific gear in the Destiny lab module, connected cables and inspected fiber optics before powering up the low temperature research device. The CAL will chill atoms to temperatures barely above absolute zero allowing scientists to observe quantum behaviors not possible on Earth.

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[tnt22]

Anton Shkaplerov‏ @Anton_Astrey 3 ч. назад

А вы знали, что у нас на станции есть Пингвин? Так называется космический костюм, который в невесомости придает телу нагрузку, похожую на земную. Два часа в день в костюме "Пингвин" помогают космонавтам вернуться на Землю пусть и ослабевшими, но здоровыми.

[tnt22]

Футбол на МКС

ROSCOSMOS Media Store

Опубликовано: 31 мая 2018 г.

Большого футбольного праздника ждут не только на Земле, но и в космосе! Космонавты РОСКОСМОСА Антон Шкаплеров и Олег Артемьев провели тренировку по футболу на Международной космической станции. Специально для этого на борт был доставлен официальный мяч Чемпионата, который планируется вернуть на Землю вместе с экипажем пилотируемого корабля «Союз МС-07» 3 июня.

(2:12)

[tnt22]

Приветствие с МКС участникам российско-чешского молодежного конкурса «Космос объединяет»

ROSCOSMOS Media Store

Опубликовано: 30 мая 2018 г.

Космонавты российского сегмента МКС обратились с приветствием к участникам российско-чешского молодежного конкурса «Космос объединяет».

(2:44)

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2018/05/30/iss-daily-summary-report-5302018/

ISS Daily Summary Report – 5/30/2018

Solidification Using Baffles in Sealed Ampoules (SUBSA):

Спойлер

Today the crew deactivated SUBSA, exchanged sample ampoules, and started SUBSA processing of the new sample. The objective of the SUBSA investigation is to advance understanding of the processes involved in semiconductor crystal growth. It offers a gradient freeze furnace for materials science investigations that can reach 850°C. Samples are contained in transparent quartz or ceramic ampoules with high definition video imaging available in real-time along with remote commanding of thermal control parameters.

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Cold Atom Lab (CAL):

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The crew installed the CAL Science Instrument and Power Electronics (SIPE) into Express Rack 7, connected the SIPE to the Moderate Temperature Loop, and completed configuration of the SIPE for operations today. The CAL produces clouds of atoms that are chilled to about one ten billionth of a degree above absolute zero — much colder than the average temperature of deep space. At these low temperatures, atoms have almost no motion, allowing scientists to study fundamental behaviors and quantum characteristics that are difficult or impossible to probe at higher temperatures. In microgravity, researchers may be able to achieve even colder temperatures than what is possible on the ground, and observe these cold atom clouds for longer periods of time. CAL was activated from the ground and the CAL team is now starting a 6 week checkout of the payload.

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Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Camera Robot:

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The crew completed checkout of the JEM Camera Robot today in the JEM using varying light levels and a target marker on the JEM Airlock. The JEM Camera Robot is a free-flying camera robot that provides real time video downlink and photographs. It is expected to reduce the crew time requirements to support video recording of activities, especially in the blind spots of existing JEM internal cameras.

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Lighting Effects:

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The crew obtained light meter readings in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) today. The Lighting Effects investigation studies the impact of the change from fluorescent light bulbs to solid-state light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with adjustable intensity and color and aims to determine if the new lights can improve crew circadian rhythms, sleep, and cognitive performance.

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Correction: The entry in yesterday's IMC Daily Summary misstated return/trashing of EMCS components in SpX-15 and OA-9. The correct entry is:
European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS):

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The crew removed ESA's EMCS from EXPRESS Rack 3 today and de-assembled the hardware. The EMCS Holding Structure will be trashed with the Cygnus vehicle and other EMCS parts will be returned in the SpaceX-15 vehicle.

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External TV Camera Group (ETVCG) Video Camera Luminaire (VCL) Bulb R&R:

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Today the crew replaced the primary metal halide light bulb in the ETVCG light that is scheduled to be taken outside and installed during next week's US EVA. Following the bulb change, crew utilized a newly flown VCL test cable to perform a functional test of the assembly; both the new bulb and the backup bulb performed nominally during this checkout.

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Orbital ATK (OA)-9 Cargo Status:

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After completing 10 hours of cargo operations yesterday, and additional work today, the crew has completed a total of 34 hours of cargo operations since last Friday. Cargo specialist estimate approximately 1.0 hour of cargo operations remain to complete Cargo Message #1. Cargo Message #1 will unload the Cygnus vehicle and load about 1/3 of the trash scheduled for disposal on the vehicle.

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[Olaf]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2018/05/30/iss-daily-summary-report-5302018/

Today's Planned Activities:

RADIOSKAF. Gathering and Assembly of Tanyusha-ЮЗГУ-3 and Tanyusha-ЮЗГУ-4 satellites.

RADIOSKAF. Photo/Video Ops

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2018/05/31/captains-log-the-last-week/

Captain's Log – The Last Week

Mark Garcia
Posted May 31, 2018 at 11:55 am


The six member Expedition 55 crew poses for a portrait in the Japanese Kibo laboratory module.

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• Crew: Captain Scott "Maker" Tingle, USN
• ISS Location: Low Earth Orbit
• Earth Date: 4 March 2018
• Earth Time (GMT): 13:30
  

[/B]

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Wow, time has gone by extremely fast. The mid-deployment phase will be short-lived for me this time, as the new crew (Drew Feustel, Ricky Arnold, and Oleg Artemyev) will arrive on March 23rd, and then we have at least one spacewalk on the 29th, followed by a planned SpaceX Dragon cargo craft arrival on the 4th of April. It's a little strange being up here with only two other crewmates. We are still very busy, but the overall work effort is half of what it was just a week ago. My crewmate, Nemo (Norishige Kanai), and I are trying to use the time to prepare for the upcoming very busy schedule, and we have been having some great success getting a ton of details taken care of.

I can't believe that Expedition 55 is already over. Today is Sunday, and we will depart the International Space Station (ISS) next Sunday morning. 168 days in space. There have been many challenging moments, but even more positive highlights of our time on ISS. The new crew fr om the Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft (Oleg Artymyev, Drew Feustel, and Ricky Arnold) joined Norishige Kanai (Nemo), Anton Shkaplerov, and I last March. Since then, we have completed two spacewalks, captured and released the SpaceX Dragon-14 cargo craft, captured the Cygnus OA-9 cargo craft, and completed a myriad of maintenance and science activities. The team on the ground controlling, monitoring, supporting, and planning has been amazing. It is always great to work with them, and especially during the moments where the equipment, tools, procedures or crew need help. It is incredible to see how much a good team can accomplish when methodically placing one foot in front of the other. I have been lucky in that the first crew (Mark Vande Hei, Joe Acaba and Alexander Misurkin (Sasha)) and the second crew (Drew, Ricky and Oleg) were all amazing to work with. I do believe the planets aligned for my mission onboard ISS. Drew and Ricky have been friends forever, and listening to them nip at each other provided a ton of great humor for the ground and for us. Their one-liners to each other reminded me of several scenes from the movie Space Cowboys. This a great example that happened as I was writing this log entry:

Ricky: Hey Maker, is this your smoothie?
Maker: No.
Ricky: It must Drew's.
Drew: Hey Ricky, don't drink my smoothie.
Ricky: What smoothie? This one has my name on it (as he writes his name on it).
Drew: Okay, Grandpa Underpants, hands off my smoothie.
Ricky: Okay, Feustelnaut – we have rules around here, so this is my smoothie now!
All: Much laughing.

To quote my kids: "LOL!"

One the hardest things to do in space is to maintain positive control of individual items such as tools, spare parts, fasteners, etc. We try very hard not to lose things, but even with all of the attention and positive control, items can still float away and disappear. We generally hold items in a crew transfer bag (CTB). Inside the CTB are many items for the system that it supports. When the CTB is opened, the items are free floating inside the bag and tend to escape. It is very difficult to maintain control of the items – especially if they are small, do not have Velcro, or when the daily schedule is so tight that we are rushing to stay on time. We always try to close the CTB's and Ziploc bags after removing or replacing each item to maintain positive control, but this takes much more time to do for individual items, and if the timeline is tight, we absorb more risk by rushing. The same applies for tools, which we usually keep in a Ziploc bag while working on individual systems and tasks. Last month, I was installing a new low temperature cooling loop pump that had failed a month or two earlier. I gathered the needed tools into my modified (with Velcro) Ziploc bag as I always do and floated over to the work area. When I got there, one of the tools that I had gathered was missing. I looked for 30 minutes, and could not find it. Lost items are very hard to find because the items that escape are usually barely moving and blend in with the environment very quickly. A lost item could be right in front of us and we would never see it. Our crew, after learning these lessons, decided that when anyone loses something, we would tell the other crew members what we had lost with a general location. This has had a huge impact on finding items. If a different crew member can help within the first minutes of losing an item, the new crew member has an excellent chance of finding the item. We have proven this technique several times during the expedition – and Nemo was the very best at quickly finding lost items. But, in my case, we still could not find the missing tool. Our amazing ground team understood and vectored me to a replacement tool and I finished the job. I spent the next 3 weeks watching, looking, and never forgetting about the lost tool. Then, one day last week, Oleg came to the lab and handed us a tool he had found in his Soyuz spacecraft, way on the aft side of the ISS. Amazing. We finally found the tool and I was happy again. This was a lucky ending. ISS has many corners, crevices and hard-to-see areas wh ere missing items could hide and never be found.

We captured a Cygnus cargo craft last Thursday. I was very impressed with the entire team. Our specialists and training professionals in Mission Control did a great job preparing the necessary procedures and making sure we were proficient and ready to conduct operations. The robotic arm is a wonderful system that we could not operate ISS without. Being in space, however, it has some very unique handling qualities. If you think about a spring-mass-damper system just as you did during physics or control theory class, and then remove the damper, you will see a system that is very subject to slow rate oscillations. In test pilot terms, damping ratio is very low and the latency is well over a half of a second. Also in test pilot terms – this is a pilot-induced oscillations (PIO) generator. These characteristics require crew to "fly" the robotic arm using open-loop techniques, which requires a huge amount of patience. Test pilots are sometimes not very patient, but understanding the system and practicing with the incredible simulators that our ground team built and maintain help keep our proficiency as high as possible. The capture went flawlessly, and I was very impressed with the professionalism across the board – crew, flight controllers, and training professionals – what a great job!

Drew, Ricky and I got to play guitar a few times while on ISS. This was fun! Drew connected pickups to the acoustic guitars and then connected the pickups to our tablets for amplification. I've never heard an acoustic guitar sound like an electric guitar amped up for heavy metal before. We had a great jam on the song "Gloria", and a couple others. Rock on!

Last night we had our last movie night. The entire crew gathered in Node 2 and watched Avengers Infinity Wars on the big screen. We enjoy each other's company, as we did during Expedition 54, and this was a welcome break from the daily grind of trying to complete the required stowage, maintenance and science activities while preparing for departure.

Our last full weekend here on ISS. I gave myself a haircut. We usually clean our spaces each weekend to make sure we can maintain a decent level of organization, efficiency and morale. This weekend is no different, and it is time for me to vacuum out all of our filters and vents. You'd be amazed at what we find!

The top 5 things I will miss when I am no longer in space:

• The incredible team that supports ISS operations from our control centers
• The camaraderie onboard ISS
• The breathtaking view of the Earth, Moon, Sun and Stars
• Floating/flying from location to location with very little effort
• Operations in the extreme environment of space
  

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Anton Shkaplerov‏ @Anton_Astrey 3 ч. назад

Как вам наши перспективные космические носки? Отличаются от обычных наличием специальных силиконовых подушечек именно на верхней части. Они нужны, чтобы мягче было цепляться за поручни и другие выступающие элементы внутри станции.

[konti]

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Astronauts/ESA_astronaut_Luca_Parmitano_to_be_Space_Station_commander_on_his_next_flight

ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano to be Space Station commander on his next flight
 
 
 
Luca during spacewalk
 
 
 31 May 2018
 Next year ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano is returning to the International Space Station for his second mission and he will be acting as commander of the weightless research outpost during the second part of his flight.
 Luca was the first of ESA's astronauts sel ected in 2009 to fly to the Space Station in 2013 and stayed for 166 days. On his Volare mission Luca conducted two spacewalks and collected data for many experiments that are still running today. 
 Luca commented on the news: "I am honoured that the Space Station programme chose me for this role, and at the same time I am humbled by the task."

    
 
 
Training at NASA's Johnson Space Center
 
 
 
 "Being the commander of the most trained and proficient people on and off Earth can be daunting," continues Luca, "I see myself as a facilitator, my goal will be to put everybody in the condition to perform to the best of their capability. Ultimately, though, I am responsible for the safety of the crew and the Station, and for overall mission success."
 "I have been lucky enough, in my experience, to work with leaders whom I could look up to: I will do my best to follow their example and mentorship to achieve those goals" concludes Luca.
 The Italian astronaut is preparing for his second trip into space by running through simulations and training with the new experiments that he will take part in. He is now training in Russia on the Soyuz spacecraft that will launch him into space alongside NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan and Roscosmos astronaut Alexander Skvortsov.
 The trio will be part of Expeditions 60/61 on the Space Station. It is the first time that an Italian astronaut will be commander of the Space Station and only the third time for an ESA astronaut in its 18 years of operation. ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst is set to take up duties as Space Station commander during the second half of his Horizons mission this year.
 
    
 
 
Survival training in Russia
 
 
 
 "With two ESA astronauts set to run the Space Station as commander in one year, it is a great time for European spaceflight and an example of the international character of our collaboration in space", says ESA's director of human and robotic exploration David Parker.
 "I am proud of the excellent work done by the astronauts and their trainers to be given the responsibility of humanity's outpost in space."
 Circling our planet at 28 800 km/h the International Space Station offers space for six astronauts to conduct experiments for researchers all over the world in weightlessness as well as test and demonstrate techniques needed to further explore our Solar System.
 Europe's laboratory Columbus was launched 10 years ago this year and over 200 experiments have been done inside. Columbus houses as many disciplines as possible in a small volume, from astrobiology to solar science through metallurgy and psychology. Countless papers have been published drawing conclusions fr om experiments performed in Columbus, and Luca will continue the research during his mission.
 Follow Luca as he prepares for the mission via lucaparmitano.esa.int.
 

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2018/05/31/crew-to-swap-command-before-return-to-earth/

Crew to Swap Command Before Return to Earth

Mark Garcia
Posted May 31, 2018 at 5:05 pm


The six member Expedition 55 crew poses for a portrait in the Japanese Kibo laboratory module. Clockwise from left are Flight Engineers Norishige Kanai, Ricky Arnold, Drew Feustel, Oleg Artemyev and Scott Tingle. In the center is International Space Station Commander Anton Shkaplerov.

Three Expedition 55 crew members are returning to Earth Sunday, but first the Commander will hand over control of the International Space Station in a ceremony Friday afternoon. In the meantime, the crew managed to continue ongoing space research and station maintenance.

Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, who has been leading the station crew since February, will turn over command of the orbital laboratory to NASA astronaut Drew Feustel during the traditional Change of Command Ceremony at 2:25 p.m. EDT Friday live on NASA TV.

Спойлер

Next, the International Space Station Program turns its attention to the undocking Sunday at 5:16 a.m. of Shkaplerov with crewmates Scott Tingleand Norishige Kanai inside the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft. The trio will parachute to a landing in Kazakhstan at 8:40 a.m. (6:40 p.m. Kazakh time) after 168 days in space. NASA TV begins it live coverage starting at 1:30 a.m. when the crew says farewell and closes the hatches to their Soyuz vehicle.

Feustel worked throughout Thursday installing improved communications gear inside Europe's Columbus lab module. Flight Engineer Ricky Arnoldstrapped himself into an exercise bike to research how exercising in microgravity affects the human body.

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[tnt22]

https://www.roscosmos.ru/25120/

РОСКОСМОС. НА МКС ЗАВЕРШАЕТ РАБОТУ 55 ДЛИТЕЛЬНАЯ ЭКСПЕДИЦИЯ
01.06.2018 15:44

3 июня 2018 года на Международной космической станции (МКС) завершается работа 55-й длительной экспедиции. Участники экспедиции МКС-54/55, члены международного экипажа транспортного пилотируемого корабля (ТПК) «Союз МС-07» космонавт Антон ШКАПЛЕРОВ (РОСКОСМОС), астронавты Скотт ТИНГЛ (NASA) и Норишиге КАНАИ (JAXA) готовятся к возвращению на Землю.

Сегодня, 1 июня, в 21:25 мск на МКС состоится церемония передачи командования. Полномочия управление станцией и символический ключ передаст командир экспедиции МКС-55 космонавт РОСКОСМОСА Антон ШКАПЛЕРОВ командиру экспедиции МКС-56 астронавту NASA Эндрю ФОЙСТЕЛУ.

В настоящее время в соответствии с планом полёта осуществляется укладка возвращаемых грузов в спускаемый аппарат ТПК «Союз МС-07», проводятся бортовые тренировки экипажа и проверки основных систем корабля. Приземление спускаемого аппарата корабля «Союз МС-07» ожидается в 15:40 мск юго-восточнее города Жезказган в Казахстане.

Прямая трансляция - на сайте РОСКОСМОСА (online.roscosmos.ru) и на официальной странице РОСКОСМОСА ВКонтакте.

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• 3 июня - 8:45 - 9:15 мск - посадка экипажа в ТПК «Союз МС-07», закрытие переходных люков;
• 3 июня - 12:00 - 12:30 мск - расстыковка и отлет ТПК «Союз МС-07»;
• 3 июня - 15:30 - 16:30 мск - приземление спускаемого аппарата ТПК «Союз МС-07» и эвакуация экипажей.
  

После расстыковки ТПК «Союз МС-07» с МКС свою работу начинает экспедиция МКС-56. До прибытия следующего экипажа на МКС будут работать командир МКС-56 Эндрю ФОЙСТЕЛ, бортинженеры Олег АРТЕМЬЕВ (РОСКОСМОС) и Ричард АРНОЛЬД.