Soyuz MS-05 trio lands in Kazakhstan after 138-day ISS stay

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Soyuz MS-05 trio lands in Kazakhstan after 138-day ISS stay

Returning from the black of space to the cold of Kazakhstan, three International Space Station crew members have returned to Earth after 138 days and 17 hours in space. Soyuz MS-05 landed at 2:37 p.m. Kazakh time (3:37 a.m. EST / 08:37 GMT) Dec. 14, 2017.

NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli, and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy landed on the Steppe of Kazakh in their Soyuz MS-05 capsule, not far from where they launched to space some five months earlier on July 28, 2017.

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The S.S. Gene Cernan OA-8 Cygnus arrives at ISS

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The S.S. Gene Cernan OA-8 Cygnus arrives at ISS

After a two-day trek, Orbital ATK’s OA-8 Cygnus cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station. The vehicle was berthed to the outpost at 7:15 a.m. EST (12:15 GMT) Nov. 14, 2017, and will remain attached for several weeks.

Named “S.S. Gene Cernan” after the late Moonwalker, the spacecraft is loaded with about 7,400 pounds (3,350 kilograms) of pressurized cargo.

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Astronauts complete 3rd spacewalk in 2 weeks

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Astronauts complete 3rd spacewalk in 2 weeks

International Space Station Expedition 53 astronauts Randy Bresnik and Joe Acaba stepped outside for the third spacewalk this month dedicated toward outpost maintenance activities.

U.S. Extravehicular activity 46 lasted 6 hours, 49 minutes. It started at 7:47 a.m. EDT (11:47 GMT) on Oct. 20, 2017, once the NASA duo switched their spacesuits to battery power.

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Progress MS-07 freighter docks with ISS

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Progress MS-07 freighter docks with ISS

After spending two days catching up with the International Space Station, an automated Russian cargo freighter rendezvoused and docked with the outpost to supply the Expedition 53 crew with food and supplies.

Progress MS-07 docked with the Pirs module on the Russian Orbital Segment of the space station. Contact came at 7:04 a.m. EDT (11:04 GMT) Oct. 16, 2017. Once hatches between the two spacecraft are open, the crew will begin to transfer the pressurized cargo into the outpost.

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Astronauts breeze through US EVA-45

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Astronauts breeze through US EVA-45

Less than a week after completing one spacewalk, International Space Station Expedition 53 astronauts Randy Bresnik and Mark Vande Hei set out on another extravehicular activity. This excursion, U.S. EVA-45, lasted about 6.5 hours.

At 7:56 a.m. EDT (11:56 GMT) Oct. 10, 2017, the two NASA astronauts switched their spacesuits over to battery power, officially starting U.S. EVA-45. The primary task of the spacewalk was to replace a faulty camera and begin the process of lubricating the new Latching End Effector on the robotic Canadarm2.

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Spacewalkers replace ‘hand’ on space station robotic arm

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Spacewalkers replace ‘hand’ on space station robotic arm

Expedition 53 Commander Randy Bresnik and Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei wrapped up the first of three spacewalks planned for the next two weeks. The October 5, 2017, spacewalk was nearly seven hours long and saw the replacement of one of the two Latching End Effectors on the International Space Station’s robotic arm.

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ISS crew size returns to 6

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ISS crew size returns to 6

The population of the International Space Station returned to six people as the crew of Soyuz MS-06 docked with and entered the outpost. The spacecraft hard-mated with its docking port at about 10:55 p.m. EDT Sept. 12 (02:55 GMT Sept. 13), 2017.

About 2 hours later, at 1:08 a.m. EDT (05:08 GMT), the hatches between the Soyuz and space station were opened allowing Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin and NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba to float inside.

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Next ISS crew rockets to space atop Soyuz rocket

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Next ISS crew rockets to space atop Soyuz rocket

Launching atop a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, three people are heading toward the International Space Station. The trio will arrive at the $100 billion complex in just under six hours.

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba, along with Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, launched inside their Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft atop a Soyuz-FG rocket.

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2017 ISS crew assignments updated

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2017 ISS crew assignments updated

Earlier this year, Roscosmos announced it would be reducing its crew on each International Space Station expedition from three to two. This means only five people will participate in each expedition as opposed to the normal six. As such, NASA has updated the 2017 crew assignments for the outpost.

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