Final new first-generation Dragon launches toward ISS

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Final new first-generation Dragon launches toward ISS

SpaceX sent its final new first-generation Dragon capsule into space Aug 14, 2017. Launching atop a Falcon 9 rocket, the CRS-12 Dragon cargo ship was sent on its way toward the International Space Station.

The spacecraft is loaded with over 2,900 kilograms of equipment, science experiments and food to the orbiting laboratory. It will spend 36 hours fine-tuning its orbit before rendezvousing to and berthing with the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module.

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Getting a phone call from SPACE!

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Getting a phone call from SPACE!

Starting in July, Gary Jordan of NASA's Johnson Space Center has been hosting a new podcast called "Houston, We Have a Podcast." The most recent episode was broadcast live on YouTube and featured a special out of this world guest.

Episode six, which was recorded Aug. 10, 2017, featured astronaut Jack "2fish" Fischer, who is currently residing onboard the International Space Station. It was the first live broadcast of the show.

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Station boosts orbit ahead of spacewalk, visiting vehicle swaps

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Station boosts orbit ahead of spacewalk, visiting vehicle swaps

The International Space Station got its orbit reboosted on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2017. The slight raising of its orbit set up the next crew swap planned for the beginning of September.

Recently arrived Progress MS-06 used its onboard engines to increase the speed of the outpost, thus raising its orbit. The spacecraft is currently docked to the Zvezda service module located at the aft end of the station.

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You can now visit the ISS via Google Street View

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You can now visit the ISS via Google Street View

Google Street View has partnered with NASA to allow the map services's users to explore the International Space Station on their computers. While virtually flying through each of the station's 16 modules, users can click on particular points of interest to learn about each one.

This was done primarly by European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who returned from the orbiting outpost June 2, 2017.

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Astronaut Randy Bresnik enters BEAM

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Astronaut Randy Bresnik enters BEAM

Just days after arriving at the ISS, NASA astronaut and Expedition 52 Flight Engineer Randy Bresnik got to visit the usually sealed-off BEAM module.

The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module is a technology demonstrator designed to test the effectiveness of an "inflatable" habitat as an alternative or supplement to traditional rigid modules. Astronauts periodically enter the module to collect various data points such as temperature, radiation exposure, condensation, etc.

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ISS crew flies over Super Typhoon Noru

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ISS crew flies over Super Typhoon Noru

Recently arrived NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik snapped an amazing photo of Super Typhoon Noru in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The picture was taken Aug. 1, 2017 as the ISS was flying overhead.

Less than a week ago, the system was a mere tropical storm. But by Sunday, July 30, the storm had swelled to a super typhoon. According to meteorologists, it is the most intense storm of 2017, so far.

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ISS crew size increases to 6 with Soyuz MS-05 docking

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ISS crew size increases to 6 with Soyuz MS-05 docking

After a six-hour, four-orbit trek to rendezvous and dock with the International Space Station (ISS), the three-man crew of the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft joined Expedition 52, increasing the outpost’s population to six people.

Docking took place at 5:54 p.m. EDT (21:54 GMT) July 28, 2017, while the spacecraft and station were flying over Germany.

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Progress MS-06 docks with ISS

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Progress MS-06 docks with ISS

Pulling into port at 7:37 a.m. EDT (11:37 GMT) June 16, 2017, the autonomous Russian Progress MS-06 cargo spacecraft glided in for a docking at the aft port of the International Space Station’s Zvezda service module.

The two vehicles were traveling some 400 kilometers over the Philippine Sea at the time of docking.

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OA-7 Cygnus re-enters atmosphere after 2-month mission

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OA-7 Cygnus re-enters atmosphere after 2-month mission

Burning up in a blaze of glory, Orbital ATK‘s OA-7 Cygnus cargo ship re-entered Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean June 11, 2017, ending its nearly two-month-long flight.

The spacecraft, which spent some six weeks attached to the International Space Station, delivered more than 3,300 kilograms of supplies to the outpost and, after unberthing last week, performed a fire experiment.

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