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Welcome home Peggy!

Commander Peggy Whitson and cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko of the 16th International Space Station crew landed on the steppes of Kazakhstan around 4:30 a.m. EDT Saturday after 192 days in space.

All three people aboard the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft were reported to be in good condition after their re-entry and landing.

The landing was approximately 475 kilometers from the expected landing site, delaying the recovery forces’ arrival to the spacecraft by approximately 45 minutes.

Whitson, 48, returned from her second mission to the station. She served as a flight engineer on the Expedition 5 crew, launching June 5, 2002, and returning to Earth Dec. 7 after almost 185 days in space. With this mission under her belt, Whitson has spent a total of 377 days in space, more than any other U.S. spacefarer!

Welcome home Peggy!

Diane

ISS07 Admin

Welcome home Peggy!

Commander Peggy Whitson and cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko of the 16th International Space Station crew landed on the steppes of Kazakhstan around 4:30 a.m. EDT Saturday after 192 days in space.

All three people aboard the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft were reported to be in good condition after their re-entry and landing.

The landing was approximately 475 kilometers from the expected landing site, delaying the recovery forces’ arrival to the spacecraft by approximately 45 minutes.

Welcome home Peggy!

Diane

ISS07 Admin

Chopstick Insight

As landing day approaches a bit more quickly now, the list of last minute things I need to do before departure seems to expand inversely with the time remaining. People I wanted to thank from orbit, pictures I wanted to take, thoughts I wanted to capture in writing…it has always seemed that there would be plenty of time, until now.

Yuri pointed out last week, while catching a floating chunk of Japanese-provided rice with his chopsticks (a feat that I consider challenging when I have gravity-assist) that during our stay here this time, we have eaten food from the U.S. and Russia, of course, but also from Malaysia, France and Japan, and we are expecting Korean food with the arrival of the next Soyuz (and their Korean space flight participant).

Yuri’s insight with the food got me reflecting on what a truly international flavor (pun intended) this expedition has had. We have had the privilege to witness/participate in the addition of the Italian-built U.S. Harmony module, the European Columbus Laboratory module, the Kibo Japanese Logistics Module, and the Canadian-built robotic arm extension (Dextre). All of this has been added to my (well, ok, it’s not exactly just mine) Station in the last 6 months!

Each work day, we begin and end the day tagging up with the ground teams in the DPC (daily planning conference). During my first expedition here we would call Houston, Huntsville (in Alabama for payloads), and Moscow. During the course of this expedition, we have added calls to ground teams in Cologne, Germany, for the European Columbus module and Tsukuba, Japan, with the first installment of the 3-part Japanese Kibo laboratory. And most recently, we started working with Toulouse in France for the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (cargo re-supply ship) rendezvous to the Station. I have to admit, I (still) find it amazing/unbelievable/eye-watering that a farm girl (ok, it’s been a few years since I was a girl) has the opportunity to talk with people around the world from my orbiting home/lab on a daily basis. Even more than that, the around-the-world DPCs emphasize to me what an incredible partnership with the world we have established with our link, the International Space Station, up here in space.

Peggy Whitson

ISS Expedition 16 Commander

Chopstick Insight

Peggy Whitson

ISS Expedition 16 Commander

Chopstick Insight

Peggy Whitson

ISS Expedition 16 Commander

ISS Commander Peggy Whitson set to return home

Commander Sergei Alexandrovich Volkov and cosmonaut Oleg Dmitrievich Kononenko of the 17th International Space Station crew docked their Soyuz TMA-12 with the ISS at 8:57 a.m. EDT today, marking the beginning of their six-month stay aboard.

Expedition 16 crew members Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko will return to Earth on April 19.

Diane

ISS07 Admin

ISS Commander Peggy Whitson set to return home

Expedition 16 crew members Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko will return to Earth on April 19.

Diane

ISS07 Admin

ISS Crew Makes Preparations For Automated Transfer Vehicle

The first of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATVs) – named Jules Verne after the visionary 19th century science fiction writer – is set to dock for the first time with the ISS on April 3, 2008.

The Jules Verne is the most complex space vehicle ever developed in Europe. It will play a vital role in servicing the International Space Station. Its mission will be as a cargo carrier, storage facility and as a ‘tug’ vehicle to raise the Space Station’s orbit every so often.

The versatile craft is an essential European contribution to the regular operations of the Space Station. It will make regular deliveries of experimental equipment and spare parts as well as food, air and water for the long-stay crews. At present this role is largely fulfilled by the US Space Shuttle and Russian unmanned Progress craft but the retirement of the Shuttle in 2010 will give added importance to Europe’s ATV.

Jules Verne was launched from French Guiana on March 8 and has been in a “parking” orbit around the Earth waiting for the STS-123 Mission to be competed. Since the STS-123 crew returned to Earth, the ISS crew members have completed rendezvous and docking training exercises, simulating the ATV's final approach in case they may be called upon to override the ATV’s automatic docking controls.

For more information about the Jules Verne visit:

NASA's Jules Verne Feature

ESA's Jules Verne ATV site

Diane

ISS07 Admin

Endeavour on its way home

Space shuttle Endeavour undocked from the International Space Station at 8:25 p.m. EDT, ending its 12-day stay at the orbital outpost. This was a very busy mission! The crew of STS-123 delivered the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section, the first pressurized component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory, to the station. They also delivered the final element of the station’s Mobile Servicing System, the Canadian-built Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator. The astronauts performed five spacewalks to install these new elements. Endeavour is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Wednesday.

Diane

ISS07 Admin

Endeavour on its way home

Diane

ISS07 Admin

News Release: Dextre flexes its muscles

News Release from the Canadian Space Agency

It's Alive! Dextre flexes its muscles

Gets ready to work on the International Space Station

Longueuil, Quebec, March 18, 2008 – After a picture-perfect night launch on March 11 and three spacewalks to assemble it, Dextre was activated today. Canada's advanced, two-armed robot is now successfully installed on the International Space Station and ready for action. Endeavour's Canadarm lifted Dextre from its cradle in the Shuttle payload bay and handed it over to the International Space Station's Canadarm2 in a majestic manoeuvre known as the "Canadian handshake in space."

Now that Dextre is installed, Canada's Mobile Servicing System, an innovative suite of space robotics on the International Space Station, is complete. Dextre can be carried by two elements, the mobile base and Canadarm2, or move independently. Dextre adds robotic tools and a range of fine manipulation abilities to construction and maintenance operations on the Space Station, which is now much larger than in 2001 when Canadarm2 was installed. Dextre will accelerate assembly activities on the Station.

"Canadians everywhere can be proud of the ingenuity and innovation which have made Canada a space robotics leader," said the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). "Our contribution to the International Space Station has opened doors for Canadian scientists and industry in a quest for discovery that has great potential for bringing real benefits to humanity."

Over the next few months, the two-armed robot will be heavily tested to validate its performance. The addition of Dextre means that astronauts can spend less time on spacewalks and more time inside the International Space Station on microgravity science and industrial research.

"The installation of Dextre marks the culmination of years of hard work by passionate and dedicated employees of the Canadian Space Agency and of our industry partners," said Guy Bujold, CSA President. "The team that brought Dextre to life is an example of true Canadian excellence. While Dextre extends the reach of Canadian robotics in space, its creators are inspiring young Canadians to reach for their dreams."

CSA astronaut Julie Payette talks about Dextre

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette talks about Canada's newest contribution to the ISS, Dextre in this video.

Play video

Video: NASA TV

Diane

ISS07 Admin

CSA astronaut Julie Payette talks about Dextre

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette talks about Canada's newest contribution to the ISS, Dextre in this video.

Play video

Video: NASA TV

Diane

ISS07 Admin

Dextre assembled on ISS

Dextre, the final element of the International Space Station’s Mobile Servicing System, was put together earlier today during the second spacewalk of STS-123. Spacewalkers assembled the stick-figure-shaped Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator (SPDM), a task that included attaching its two arms. Designed for station maintenance and service, Dextre is capable of sensing forces and movement of objects it is manipulating. It can automatically compensate for those forces and movements to ensure an object is moved smoothly.

Initial attempts to route power to Dextre had not been successful Thursday after its unassembled components were temporarily parked on the station's truss in a pallet structure. Flight controllers then decided to grapple Dextre with the station's Canadarm2 Friday night. This proved successful with Canadarm2 powering up Dextre minutes later and successfully activating it.

Image Credit: Canadian Space Agency

Kibo module installed on ISS

Image above: This view shows the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory (bottom center) attached to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV

The International Space Station has grown yet again thanks to the efforts of two space-walking astronauts and Canadarm2.

The Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section, the first component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory is now installed on the station’s Harmony node.

The Japanese Experiment Module called Kibo is Japan's first human space facility and enhances the unique research capabilities of the International Space Station.

Experiments in Kibo will focus on space medicine, biology, Earth observations, material production, biotechnology and communications research. Kibo experiments and systems are operated from the Tsukuba Space Center in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, just north of Tokyo.

Watch this video as Canadian astronaut Julie Payette describes the module.

Installation of the new Science lab will be completed on Julie's mission to the ISS in 2009.

For more information about Kibo see:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/jem.html

http://kibo.jaxa.jp/en/index.html

Here's a challenge for you. What does Kibo mean? Is it a fitting name for this new component of the ISS? Comment on this post with your answers.

Diane

ISS07 Admin