1. Home is where the dom is
After nearly 6 months in space I think Alexander Gerst is probably getting a little homesick. Gerst posted this week (in german) saying "Greetings Home!" and asked if others can see their house. Gerst grew up in a small town in southern Germany but he now calls Cologne (Koln) home because it is also home the the Headquarters of the German Space Agency (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) as well as the European Astronaut Center which is a part of the European Space Agency.
If you are a little confused about Alex's hashtag #HomeIsWhereTheDomIs don't fret! In Germany it is not uncommon for cities to have a large cathedral, and Cologne is no exception. Dom refers to the magnificent Catholic cathedral located along the Rhein River.
2. Tissue Chips
Hundreds of experiments are done each year on the international space station. The ISS is such a unique lab in the sky, one of the new experiments that will be happening on the ISS after the next cargo ship launches in December will be "Tissue Chips In Space". This experiment will help scientists learn more about new drugs faster, it can help speed up possible life saving drugs to be approved by the FDA.
Experiments like this are one of the biggest reasons we always have astronauts in space. for the past 18 years the ISS has been manned where they are constantly learning and discovering thing that will benefit humankind on earth. 3. Rainbows in the sky
When I first saw this photo I didn't realize what it was, once I figured it out I realized that I don't think I have ever seen a photo of a rainbow from above the ground. It only makes sense that it's a circle clearly but it's so interesting seeing this from a different perspective.
4. Cargo Release
This week Alex and Serena released the JAXA HTV7 from the station. This cargo ship was released (by using the Canada Arm!) where it was then sent into the earths atmosphere, where most of the ship will burn up on re-entry. This cargo ship is also as test for a new heat shield so the ship was loaded up with some scientific cargo for JAXA to retrieve.
With the rise of the private space industry it has become incredibly important for improvements on existing technology to develop. Things like cargo ships being able to return safely to earth and to become reusable again are vitally important in the space industry right now to drive down costs and make it more affordable for further missions.
5. Even the crew needs haircuts
My first question when I saw this photo was "But don't all the hair's just float around if they shave it off?" but upon further investigation I deduced that they have a vacuum attached to the clippers to help catch the hairs that are shaved off. NASA and ROSCOSMOS have thought of everything so besides the many air filtration systems they have thought of ways to combat loose hairs flying all over the station.
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1. The art of Earth
Everyday the ISS see's 16 sunrises and sunsets, during their time orbiting earth they have the opportunity to take incredible photos most of us could only dream of. This week Alexander Gerst, Oleg Artemyev, and Ricky Arnold admire the beauty of mother nature and the art she creates.
2. Hobbies in space
Commander Feustel continues posting photos of formula one race tracks across the globe. Each Astronaut has their own hobbies besides being really cool astronauts, Feustel loves to support his favorite F1 teams.
The crew also spends some quality time together having a movie and music night. I'm sure there is a really short list of Musicians in space and Commander Feustel and Sergey Prokopyev are on that list! â
3. Supplies
JAXA the Japanese space agency sent supplies to the international space station. Supplies include everything from food and living essentials to new equipment for experiments and supplies to improve life on the station. Some supplies on the ship include new lithium batteries to replace 4 of the 6 on the outside of the ship, Alexander Gerst will be installing them.
ESA also sent along the new life support system that will help filter carbon dioxide into oxygen on the station. This system being installed on the station can lead to further studies for systems used for long term journeys such as to mars. â
4. We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship
Expedition 56 is coming to a close and the crew that arrived during expedition 55 are heading back down to earth soon. Before the crew can undock from the space station Commander Feustel will hand over the command of the station to Alexander Gerst.
The crew will begin the undocking process from the space station on October 4th at 12:55 Eastern Time. The crew will undock their Soyuz from the ISS and make the two day trip back down to earth. The Soyuz will be commanded by Oleg for the journey. After landing the crew will begin the process of reacclimatizing to earth once again.
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The change of command ceremony can be watched live: October 3rd 8:45am Eastern Time.
The undocking can be watched live: October 4th 12:30a.m, Eastern Time.
Check out NASA's Full list of live events and streaming for the upcoming departure and journey to the international space station with the 56/57 crew.
5. Beyond new Horizons
The European Space Agency announced their next mission to the international space station, Luca Parmitano will become the 3rd ESA astronaut to command the space station and the first Italian commander. Frank De Winne from Belgium was the first ESA astronaut to command the station, Alexander Gerst from Germany will become the second on October 3rd and now Luca Parmitano from Italy will become the 3rd during expedition 61 next year, each the first of their country to command the station. Each ESA mission from Thomas Pesquet's Proxima to Alexander Gerst's Horizons, brings us one step closer to discovering what happens beyond earth and the moon.
With this new design being released it makes me think of my personal experience working with Alexander Gerst and his team on his mission patch and the meaning behind it. Each patch means so much to each of the astronauts it signifies everything they are doing while on the station. The patch visually represents everything the mission stands for and it's difficult to encompass all in one. The beyond patch, like the horizons patch has so much meaning behind it and I think overall it was done well.
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