** The Official Space Flight Thread - The Space Station and Beyond **

[Cosimo]

So you've arrived in space and need to use your camera. Time to look in the NASA Astronaut’s Photography Manual.

 

[Cosimo]

The good old Hasselblad, is that the same one they used in Apollo or was that upgraded?

They've changed over the years:

http://www.hasselblad.com/about-hasselblad/hasselblad-in-space/space-cameras.aspx

 

[Cosimo]

Soyuz launch dates set. Yay! \/

http://www.universetoday.com/88917/...s-dates-for-resuming-progress-soyuz-launches/

Excellent news! We'll all be watching on the 30th of October with fingers crossed.

 

[Cosimo]

Life goes on aboard the ISS and three members of Expedition 28 will be returning home after five and a half months in space. Their Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft will undock from the station on Friday at 01:38 BST (Thursday 20:38 EDT) and is scheduled to land in Kazakhstan on Friday at 05:00 BST (10:00 local time).

 

[Cosimo]

Now this is hot news:

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NASA Announces Design for New Deep Space Exploration System 09.14.11

NASA is ready to move forward with the development of the Space Launch System -- an advanced heavy-lift launch vehicle that will provide an entirely new national capability for human exploration beyond Earth's orbit. The Space Launch System will give the nation a safe, affordable and sustainable means of reaching beyond our current limits and opening up new discoveries from the unique vantage point of space.

The Space Launch System, or SLS, will be designed to carry the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, as well as important cargo, equipment and science experiments to Earth's orbit and destinations beyond. Additionally, the SLS will serve as a back up for commercial and international partner transportation services to the International Space Station.

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/sls1.html

The first launch of the SLS is targeted to be in 2017.

 

[Cosimo]

Back to earth with a bump:

The Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft with Expedition 28 crew landed safely this morning in Kazakhstan. 

 

[Cosimo]

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Soyuz from ISS at 11:30
Landing replay at 20:45
Hatch opening replay at 22:30

 

[Cosimo]

Aleksandr looks a bit worse for wear, but it's to be expected - i'd be very surprised if they all didn't adapt back in very little time. I mean, Ron on the other hand looks like he's never been away

Got to love those Kazakh space armchairs and hats. Could be the start of the next big fashion trend.

 

[Cosimo]

What's the point in being a cosmonaut or an astronaut if you don't get to wear a space hat?

Which one do you fancy, hat that is?

 

[Cosimo]

Love this vid.

 

[Cosimo]

A few more of Expedition 28 landing:

 

[Cosimo]

 

[Cosimo]

Arianne V launch tonight?

www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2011/843.asp

A strike by employees of the company responsible for tracking the rocket’s launch by radar has forced the Ariane 5 launch to be postponed.

 

[Cosimo]

Now that's got to be a new one

I suppose it had to happen one day. They were planning to negotiate for a launch today, we shall see.

 

[Cosimo]

Ariane 5 is now going up tonight. The launch window is 22:38 to 00:02 BST.

 

[Cosimo]

Just fantastic:

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Video of the Aurora Australis taken by the crew of Expedition 29 on board the ISS a few days ago.

 

[Cosimo]

Coverage starts in <10 minutes if anyone's interested:

http://bit.ly/Z9rNp

They've got the launch video showing now.

 

[Cosimo]

Ariane 5 blasting off last night with the Arabsat-5C and SES-2 satellites aboard:

 

[Cosimo]

Grab a hot drink, put on some music, fullscreen HD and away you go:

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[Cosimo]

How come the space station doesnt melt in the sun light?

Sounds stupid, but if its not in the ozone layer and gets a direct hit.. surely the heat is more than we can simulate on Earth?

Look here:

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/379068main_Temperature_of_Space.pdf

then here:

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2001/ast21mar_1/