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.
Read MoreAfter six weeks attached to the International Space Station, Japan’s Kounotori 6 spacecraft was unberthed and commanded to leave the vicinity of the outpost. It will now spend a week conducting a few stand-alone experiments for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
A few hours after ground teams commanded the 17.5-meter long robotic Canadarm2 to move the spacecraft, also called the H-II Transfer Vehicle 6, from the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module to about 10 meters below the Destiny laboratory to release it.
Read MoreDespite the Commercial Crew Program being years behind schedule, NASA has said for the last number of months that it has no plans to purchase additional Soyuz seats from Russia past the end of 2018. While that may technically hold true, the U.S. space agency is, however, looking to buy Soyuz seats acquired by Boeing.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreTwo 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.
Read MoreOn 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.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreBetween 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.
Read MoreSince August, I have been working to give Orbital Velocity a basic functionality. Currently, about two blog posts are produced a week and content has been created for the spacecraft that currently service the International Space Station.
With 2016 coming to a close, it’s time to create a road map for 2017. This road map will change as more funds and time are contributed to it. But before going over that, it might be important to describe what was and wasn’t accomplished in the last five months.
Read MoreOrbital Velocity is designed to be "living time capsule" about the International Space Station.
This project is an attempt to bridge an information gap between space agencies and companies, as well as a public that supports space endeavors with their tax dollars. Despite the importance of the space station, the general public doesn't always know what is happening aboard this amazing complex on a regular basis. Research being conducted isn't always readily available and what information is out there can sometimes be difficult to understand. Some people aren't even aware there is an active space program, let alone a space station.
Orbital Velocity hopes to change that by building a database of information through blogs, a website, small videos and longer documentary-like series'.
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