10th Dragon captured at ISS

10th Dragon captured at ISS

Twenty-four hours after an aborted rendezvous attempt, SpaceX’s CRS-10 Dragon capsule was captured by the International Space Station’s robotic arm. This second approach to the outpost went by the book.

Capture took place at 5:44 a.m. EST (10:44 GMT) Feb. 23, 2017, while the orbiting laboratory was flying 402 kilometers over the west coast of Australia.

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Dragon rendezvous aborted, next attempt in 24 hours

Dragon rendezvous aborted, next attempt in 24 hours

SpaceX’s CRS-10 Dragon capsule will try again tomorrow as its planed Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, rendezvous and berthing attempt with the International Space Station was called off. An onboard computer triggered the abort when it saw an incorrect value in the data about the location of the outpost.

The abort occurred at 3:25 a.m. EST (08:25 GMT) while the spacecraft was 1,200 meters below the ISS.

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Russian Progress MS-03 departs ISS

Russian Progress MS-03 departs ISS

With the undocking of a Russian Progress cargo ship from the International Space Station, only two spacecraft remain at the outpost – a rarity in an era of high visiting vehicle traffic.

Progress MS-03 undocked at 9:25 a.m. EST (14:25 GMT) Jan. 31, 2017, from the Pirs docking compartment on the Earth-facing side of the ISS after spending six months there.

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Astronauts breeze through spacewalk, complete all get-ahead tasks

Astronauts breeze through spacewalk, complete all get-ahead tasks

In the second of two planned to spacewalks up upgrade the International Space Station’s power system, two astronauts finished the process of replacing 12 nickel-hydrogen batteries with new lithium-ion units. The spacewalking duo worked so fast, they had time to complete all of the assigned get-ahead tasks.

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Astronauts to finish installing batteries during Jan. 13 spacewalk

Astronauts to finish installing batteries during Jan. 13 spacewalk

The International Space Station crew is gearing up for the second of two spacewalks aimed at replacing aging nickel-hydrogen batteries with new lithium-ion units. Two astronauts will leave the Quest airlock at around 7 a.m. EST (12:00 GMT) Jan. 13, 2017, for an estimated six-and-a-half-hour-long excursion.

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1st battery-replacement spacewalk completed at ISS

1st battery-replacement spacewalk completed at ISS

Two NASA astronauts on the first of two spacewalks outside the International Space Station made swift work to help with the replacement of old batteries with new lithium-ion units. They even had enough time left over to perform several get-ahead tasks.

Extravehicular Activity 38 began at 7:23 a.m. EST (12:23 GMT) Jan. 6, 2017. It was performed by NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson. The goal was to install three adapter plates next to three lithium-ion batteries that were installed robotically late last week.

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Robotics work clears way for Friday spacewalk

Robotics work clears way for Friday spacewalk

On Friday, NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson will venture outside the 400-metric-ton International Space Station on the first of two spacewalks to begin a multi-year process of upgrading the outpost’s power system.

The spacewalk, Extravehicular Activity 38, will see the two Expedition 50 astronauts install battery adapter plates and help with the swap-out of old nickel-hydrogen batteries with new lighter and more efficient lithium ion units.

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Video: Jeff's Earth in 4K

Video: Jeff's Earth in 4K

In a stunning five-minute ultra high-definition video released by NASA at the end of 2016, retired NASA astronaut Jeff Williams recounts his time spent orbiting Earth aboard the International Space Station.

Williams, who returned to Earth Sept. 7, 2016, on his fourth and final trip into the black, has spent more than 534 days in space over his career—more than any American astronaut as of this writing.

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Cargo ships, expandables and spacewalks: ISS in 2016

Cargo ships, expandables and spacewalks: ISS in 2016

Between cargo ships servicing the outpost and spacewalks to maintain it, 2016 was arguably one of the busiest years for the International Space Station since the end of the space shuttle era.

Probably the most visible event for the space station in 2016 was the yearlong crew – NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko – returning to Earth. They had launched to the outpost on March 27, 2015.

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ISS Expedition 50 crew preps for January spacewalks

ISS Expedition 50 crew preps for January spacewalks

With the Japanese Kounotori 6 cargo craft firmly attached to the International Space Station's Harmony module, the six-person Expedition 50 crew is heading into the holiday weekend with images of spacewalk preparations dancing in their heads.

U.S. Extravehicular Activity 38 will occur Jan 6 and EVA-39 Jan 13. Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson and Thomas Pesquet will be the astronaut duo performing the spacewalk. The goal of the two EVAs is to replace 12 old nickel-hydrogen batteries with six new lithium-ion batteries on the station's Integrated Truss Assembly.

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