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. Another Milestone for the ISS
For the past 18 years we have kept humans in space continuously researching and discovering wonderful things. The international space station is one of a kind and is a huge resource for the world to have, being able to collaborate with multiple nations across the world. Heres to another 18 years, I hope we can continue this amazing program and expand it to include more nations around the world and expand these partnerships to the moon and on to mars and beyond.
If you caught my post last week you will know that the ISS was celebrating its 20 year anniversary since the beginning of construction. In 1988 construction began on the ISS and in 2000 we finally sent our first crew to the station.
2. New Technology
I'm going to be completely honest and let you all know that I didn't even know 8K was even real. We all know what 4k is at this point and I guess it was only a matter of time that 8K came about. After a brief moment of research I discovered that 8K was released as of January 2017. Let me give you a word of warning, DO NOT look at the price of an 8K tv or monitor, lets just say paying off my student loans would be cheaper. Regardless check out this video because it shows a little of what they have been up to over the past few months in space!
3. Launch Investigation Complete
The investigation to the October Soyuz launch failure is finally complete. The Investigation concluded that one of the boosters separated abnormally leading it to hit another booster during the separation causing the Soyuz to become unstabilized triggering the abort procedures. The completion of this investigation means that they can move onto the flight readiness review which sounds mostly like formality to move onto the scheduled December 3rd launch of expidition 58 with Oleg Kononenko, Anne McClain, and David Saint-Jacques.
Here is a video from the soyuz of the booster separation.
4. Starman
This week SpaceX tweeted out an update about our favorite roadster in space. If you all don't remember let me remind you, SpaceX sent a Tesla into space during the Falcon Heavy launch last fall where not only did we get to see the first boosters from the falcon heavy return safely back to earth but we also got to witness the first car being launched into space accompanied by Starman who was dressed in one of SpaceX's new astronaut suits.
5. Things are getting Spooky!
So halloween was this week was halloween and while all the kiddos were running around getting candy from strangers our favorite astronauts in space also got to celebrate halloween with some costumes! Sergey Prokopyev is elvis, Serena Aunon-Chancellor is a mad scientist, and Commander Alexander Gerst is the one and only Darth Vader.
For your amusement I threw sergey's instagram post into google translate to try and get an idea of what he was saying.
"Halloween is not our holiday, but the crew had to be supported. For 15 minutes he cooked a suit from improvised means. I tried not to stand out! But I got along with @astro_alex_esa and Serina has a lot of good emotions and a mood charge for the week ahead. #Halloween" - Sergey Prokopyev So although halloween isn't really celebrated in Russia (it is also celebrated a little differently in Germany than in the United States) they all still had a great time together.
If you haven't already asked this question I want to bring it to your attention. So cargo is a very important part in planning for a trip the the ISS, the items they bring during their launch are placed on the rocket 1 year in advance. Everything is meticulously planned out so what I want to know is WHO let Alexander Gerst bring a light saber (and halloween costumes in general) to space? How did this get approved and who suggested it, I just want them to know I appreciate them because seeing this on halloween made my day.
1. A Different perspective
Alexander Gerst and all of the astronauts in space have the opportunity to observe the earth from above. Even in an airplane we still can not make some of these same observations as those in space can.
This week Commander Gerst observed the Amazon Rainforest and tweeted out some photos of his observations. When you think Amazon Rainforest you think about large luscious green forests, these photos are not what you would expect from so far above.
2. Students and the ISS
This week Serena went into detail about some of the ways that students can get involved with the International Space Station. Many people don't realize that many of the experiments on board the station were thought of and work with universities across the globe so they can learn more than they would in just a lab on earth. Students from kindergarten all the way to universities have the opportunity to interact with the astronauts in space. NASA also has hundreds of internship and post graduate opportunities for young professionals to begin their careers in the industry. Internship opportunities range anywhere from engineering all the way to graphic design and business so no matter what your degree they probably have an opportunity for you.
3. Sergey Prokopyev
This week on the ISS Sergey Prokopyev answered some questions his followers have been asking him this week. Now its all in Russian so this may not be interesting for everyone that can't speak Russian but I think it is still good to keep up with what everyone on board the space station is doing.
This week Sergey also observed some lakes in the United States, it is always interesting seeing what astronauts have to say about the earth from above because they have such a different perspective and through the eyes of science you can really learn a lot from them just by following their social media accounts.
4. First thanksgiving and then on to mars
The crew has begun growing their first salad crops in the space station this week. This is an exciting experiment because we can learn how to better grow crops in space which can lead to less supplies needing to be sent to the ISS and for longer missions to the moon and mars.
Speaking of the mighty red planet we are only 30 days away from the landing of InSight, NASA will be holding a press conference on Wednesday to answer questions about the upcoming landing and the InSights Mission. You can watch it here:
5. 20 Years and Counting
Over the weekend NASA celebrated 20 years since the beginning of construction of the International Space Station. NASA's Johnson Space Center opened its doors to the public for a large event to celebrate the hard work over the last 20 years that made it possible to keep the space station up and running.
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