The official introduction as follows:

For anyone who has ever looked up at the night sky and wondered about the mysteries of the universe, witnessing the International Space Station pass overhead can be an awe-inspiring moment.

The Spot the Station mobile app is designed to notify users when the International Space Station (ISS) is visible from their location.

It aims to expand global access to and awareness of the International Space Station and NASA by providing users with the opportunity to experience the wonders of the International Space Station first-hand.

It’s breathtaking to realize that humans live and work in that tiny dot, orbiting the Earth at an incredible 17,500 miles per hour.

The application includes several useful features, including:

 2D and 3D live position views of the International Space Station

 Upcoming sightings list with visibility data

 Augmented reality (AR) view with compass and track lines embedded in camera view

 Upward - The latest NASA ISS resources and blogs

 privacy setting

 Push notifications when the ISS is close to your location

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Today, Roscosmos President Borisov said that the Russian segment of the ISS will be extended until 2028. The Russian space agency’s plan is not to withdraw from the ISS project until its own station, ROSS, is “in the sky.

For some time last year, the industry debated whether Russia would withdraw from the ISS after the head of Roscosmos hinted that it would withdraw from the project in 2024, but Roscosmos subsequently informed NASA that it would not withdraw from the project until at least 2028.

Image source Pixabay

Earlier today, Vladimir Kozhivnikov, deputy chief designer of the Russian rocket space company “Energy”, said that the construction of the Russian orbital station will start in 2024.

He said that the Russian orbital station will be built in two steps between 2028 and 2035, with the sketch design to be completed in the summer of 2023 and the full construction of the station planned for 2032, instead of 2035 as previously planned.

“Consideration is being given to sending the first modular module into orbit in 2027 and completing the deployment of the Russian orbital station in 2032,” Kozhevnikov said in an interview with the Russian newspaper.

The first phase of the Russian Orbital Station ROSS includes four basic modules, and the second phase includes three modules with target and production modules and a service platform.

It is worth mentioning that the orbital inclination of ROSS is as high as 96~98°, that is, it almost runs around the north and south poles. The orbital inclination of the ISS is 51.6° and that of the Chinese space station is 42°.

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It is reported that the empty spare spacecraft is scheduled to be launched on February 20 to bring Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio back to Earth. The trio arrived at the International Space Station last September, but the Soyuz spacecraft they were aboard was damaged during the docking.

On Dec. 14, as the astronauts were preparing to leave the ISS airlock module for a spacewalk, ground controllers noticed a coolant leak that was spewing uncontrollably into space. Roscosmos immediately canceled the spacewalk and determined that the leak was coming from a small hole of about 1 mm in the spacecraft’s external cooling line.

The role of the coolant is to keep the spacecraft cabin at a relatively comfortable temperature. After the leak, astronauts inspected the leak using a camera on the end of the ISS’s robotic arm, while ground crews focused on the damaged area. Since then, Roscosmos has been working with NASA to try to determine whether the spacecraft is suitable for returning astronauts to Earth or if a backup needs to be launched. The team determined that without the coolant, temperatures inside the spacecraft could have exceeded 37 degrees Celsius. The high temperature and high humidity environment will affect the spacecraft computing system and make astronauts feel uncomfortable.

After the spare spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station, the Russian Space Agency plans to return the damaged Soyuz spacecraft to Earth in March this year with only some test items and cargo for further inspection after recovery.

There are currently 7 people on the International Space Station, 3 of whom arrived on a Soyuz spacecraft in September last year, and 4 arrived on a SpaceX manned Dragon spacecraft in October last year. The Dragon spacecraft is still docked at the International Space Station.

Both NASA and the Russian space agency said that the current astronauts on the International Space Station are not in danger, and they continue to conduct scientific research and experiments such as planting tomatoes, while ground staff work on solutions to the problem of damage to the spacecraft.

Joel Montalbano, NASA’s International Space Station program manager, tried to downplay the seriousness of the problem in an interview Wednesday. He said, “There is no immediate need for the astronauts to return to Earth, and all systems are functioning normally.”

Sergei Krikalev, executive director of the Russian space agency’s human spaceflight program, said agencies knew it was extremely rare and were prepared, saying: “It’s something we envisioned.” Scenarios, now we are basically working from the procedures.”

Krikalev said it was “the first time” in his memory that he had to launch a replacement spacecraft to the ISS. “We never really needed to do that,” he said.

NASA and Roscosmos are also working on contingency plans for astronauts who need to evacuate the International Space Station until a backup spacecraft arrives. Astronauts carrying the Soyuz spacecraft can still board the spacecraft and use it as a lifeboat without returning to Earth’s atmosphere. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft is also likely to add an astronaut.

Montalbano said the plan now is to have the staff “on their own ships.” “But at the same time, we’ve been in talks with SpaceX about what we can do with SpaceX vehicles.”

Krikalev said the investigation concluded that the damage to the spacecraft was a micrometeoroid about 1 millimeter in diameter traveling at about 7 kilometers per second. The micrometeoroid hit the radiator of the Soyuz spacecraft, causing a coolant leak. The leak was located at the spacecraft’s farthest docking port from the ISS, making repairs in space largely impossible. “Not only do you have to patch a hole, you also have to inject coolant into the radiator,” Krikalev said. “It’s a very difficult and risky process, and the risk of directly replacing the spacecraft is much smaller.”

Based on the direction and speed, Krikalev said the culprit was unlikely to be rocket components or orbital debris from other man-made spacecraft. “Another man-made object in this orbit cannot exist because it would not stay in this orbit if it had such a high velocity,” Krikalev said. “It will leave.”

NASA officials agree with this claim. Montalbano said there were no anomalies “during the craft’s construction.”

Overall, according to Montalbano, NASA and Roscosmos’ “technical and management teams work extremely well together. It’s a true testament to our partnership.”

Krikalev said the mission of the three cosmonauts would be extended by several months due to the launch of a spare spacecraft. Still, it’s unclear how launching a replacement spacecraft would affect NASA’s launch plans. Currently, SpaceX expects to deliver another crew to the International Space Station in February. “It will be a few weeks before we have a series of new launch dates,” Montalbano said.

He said that the astronauts on the International Space Station are in good spirits and continue to work normally. But he added: “I might have to ship some more ice cream to reward them.”

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According to the report, the team conducted an experiment from 2016 to 2017 to assess the psychological stress of eight adults in a simulated space habitat, which turned out to be experiment data falsified by two people just to make it appear that other researchers were involved in the assessment.

JAXA later found the experiment data to be faulty and launched an investigation in November 2017, discontinuing the experiment two years later. The two researchers involved explained that they were “too busy” to fully commit to the experiment.

It is worth mentioning that the team involved was led by Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. Although Furukawa should be partially responsible for the data falsification and accept the corresponding punishment, JAXA said he will still go to the International Space Station again next year as planned.

Satoshi Furukawa, 58, worked and lived on the ISS for 165 days in 2011 and is the third Japanese astronaut based on the ISS.

Furukawa is in charge of the implementation of the entire project, and directly related to the problem is the expert in psychological interviews. JAXA said it would “respond appropriately in the future in accordance with the procedures”.

Sasaki apologized, saying, “Lax data management and loose management of research not only undermine the reliability of research data, but also the scientific value of the entire study.” He noted regarding the reasons for the violation, “As an organization, there was a shallow understanding and inexperience of medical research. The opportunity to strive for self-regulation and improvement was missed.”

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Mission Control in Houston will direct the robotic arm to rotate Cygnus to its mounting orientation and then direct it to the Earth-facing port of the space station’s Unity module.

The spacecraft was able to successfully rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) despite deploying only one of its two solar panels.

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space cargo spacecraft was connected to the International Space Station on Feb. 27 after delivering 8,300 pounds of new science experiments, crew supplies and station hardware to replenish the Expedition 66 crew. Source: NASA

On Monday, Nov. 7, the Cygnus spacecraft was launched at 5:32 a.m. by a Northrop-Grumman Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. After successfully reaching orbit, it can only deploy one of its two solar panels. NASA and Northrop-Grumman, after initial unsuccessful attempts to deploy a second solar array, decided not to deploy the battery in order to remain focused on the spacecraft’s arrival at the International Space Station, where the Cygnus cargo spacecraft is on its way He successfully arrived after completing four rendezvous and burning on the way.

With just a single solar array, Cygnus still has enough power to rendezvous with the space station on Wednesday, November 9. Northrop Grumman is working closely with NASA to monitor and evaluate the spacecraft ahead of its planned arrival, capture and installation on the space station tomorrow. The mission team also plans to conduct additional inspections of the cargo craft after approach and capture.

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space cargo spacecraft, with its protruding cymbal-shaped UltraFlex solar array, was photographed as it approached the International Space Station on Feb. 21, carrying 8,300 pounds of new science experiments, crew Supplies and space station hardware to supplement the needs of the Expedition 66 crew. Source: NASA

This is Northrop Grumman’s 18th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA. The Cygnus spacecraft delivers 8,200 pounds of scientific investigation materials and other cargo to the orbiting laboratory.

The spacecraft was named S.S. Sally Ride in honor of the late NASA astronaut, physicist and the first American woman to fly in space.

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The ISS uses large solar panels to collect the sun’s energy and convert it into usable electricity for life support, temperature control, communication with Earth, and for its propulsion systems to enable the station to avoid space debris.

The old ISS power system, which consisted of eight solar arrays that spread out like wings from the exterior of the station, has so far been able to meet the station’s power needs, producing an average of 84 to 120 kilowatts of electricity. However, some of these arrays are more than 20 years old and were originally designed for a 15-year lifespan, so they are already showing signs of age.

This doesn’t mean that older arrays will suddenly lose power or stop working, but they are becoming less efficient over time. And with a large number of increasingly complex scientific experiments being conducted on the space station, the power requirements are on the rise.

In order to keep up with the power demands of the space station, the ISS has been constantly upgrading its power systems, including previously replacing batteries. Now, new solar arrays need to be added, which is the main purpose of the upcoming spacewalk.

The upgrades to the electrical system include the addition of six new arrays that will be placed in front of the old ones. The new arrays are 60 feet (about 1,830 centimeters) long and 20 feet (about 610 centimeters) wide and are called “ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays,” or iROSA, and are smaller than the old arrays, which are 112 feet (about 3,416 centimeters) long and 39 feet (about 1,189.5 centimeters) wide. 1189.5 cm) wide. However, advances in solar panel technology mean that the new array can produce about the same amount of power as the original array.

However, adding new arrays is not a simple process. Before the iROSA arrays can be added, support structures, called mod kits, need to be installed on the exterior of the space station. the process is a two-step process, with scaffolding installed first, followed by the arrays. Currently, two new iROSA arrays have been installed on the International Space Station. The scaffolding for the other two is ready, and the scaffolding for the final two will be installed soon, starting with the upcoming spacewalk on Nov. 15. This will be the first-ever spacewalk by NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio.

Two subsequent spacewalks are tentatively scheduled for Nov. 28 and Dec. 1, and then two more arrays will be installed on top of the existing scaffolding, with the goal of having all six arrays installed and operational by the middle of next year.

The new solar arrays will arrive folded up for the SpaceX CRS-26 resupply mission, which launches Nov. 18. The arrays will then be installed, integrated into the power system, and deployed. To integrate with the power system, spacewalkers will need to install Y-cables to connect the old and new arrays to the power system.

NASA says these new arrays are being tested for possible use in future missions, such as the Artemis Moon program, as well as to help keep the space station operational. As for the space station, its exact future remains unclear. Although NASA announced late last year that it intends to continue operating the International Space Station until 2030.

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Two Russian cosmonauts ended their spacewalk early due to problems with their space suits, according to a news release from the Russian space group.

The Russian space group said that the mission that could not be completed will be carried out during the next spacewalk.

Earlier, Artemiev suffered a space suit battery failure and was forced to return to the space station, and with the help of the ground flight control center, the space suit was connected to the power supply of the space station.

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Back in 2013, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Palmitano was forced to end his spacewalk mission early due to difficulty breathing as 1.5 liters of water entered his helmet. in 2015, the same aging spacesuit was used for a spacewalk and nearly drowned another astronaut. after completing his spacewalk in spacesuit 3005, NASA astronaut Terry Virts found the helmet filled with free-floating water droplets.

It is understood that in 2019, NASA introduced the new spacesuit and used it for the agency’s upcoming Artemis mission to the moon, but the deployment of the suit was delayed due to funding shortages. As a result, NASA now hopes to extend the life of the spacesuit until 2028.

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Eventually, the team hopes that MIRA will accompany astronauts to Mars and operate in untouched outer space.

“As people go further and further into space, one day they may need to have surgery. We’re working toward that goal,” said Shane Farritor, an engineering professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and co-founder of Virtual Incision, the company behind MIRA, in a statement.

The 2-pound robot basically looks like a white stick with two small arm-like attachments on one end. These attachments are adorned with two metal instruments. It is the product of nearly 20 years of development – since its founding in 2006, Virtual Incision has received more than $100 million in venture capital investment. In addition, NASA recently awarded the University of Nebraska-Lincoln $100,000 to make the device ready for the 2024 journey.

According to a press release about the robotic “surgeon,” MIRA has helped perform important surgeries. Doctors have successfully used the instrument to perform minimally invasive colectomies, which involve, for example, removing part or all of a patient’s colon.

If the MIRA works well in space, surgeons on the ISS could use the technology to help astronauts who need medical assistance without posing a significant risk to their bodies. MIRA could be particularly important given the lack of personnel, time and tools on board the spacecraft.

Beyond that, the team says its technology could also allow surgeons on the ground to work remotely on astronaut patients in space. As a proof of principle, NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson took control of the robot at Johnson Space Center in Houston, guiding MIRA to perform surgery-like tasks in the operating room at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, 900 miles away. It worked.

This remote control aspect of MIRA may also help to one day perform surgery closer to home – one example the team cites is injured soldiers in the field who need advanced surgery and who request specialists stationed elsewhere. In fact, with this in mind, the U.S. Army has provided some funding for the MIRA program.

By 2024, we will have a better idea of how MIRA will perform in an intense situation. If MIRA can withstand the intense pushing and shoving that accompanies a rocket launch, it will reach the International Space Station and be quickly loaded into the station’s experiment cabinet. According to the team, it could take up to a year for the astronauts conducting the science experiments to put it into service. Then, once it is turned on, the robotic device will operate almost autonomously.

Farritor said, “The astronauts flick a switch, the program starts, and the robot does its job on its own. Two hours later, the astronaut turns it off and it’s done.”

Recently, extraterrestrial surgery has become more of a topic of conversation as the space agency aims to send humans to other planets and proposes new forms of transportation to deep space. medicine as part of its efforts to advance telemedicine. Combined with MIRA, this mechanism suggests that one day life may actually mimic Star Trek when it comes to health care.

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Pictures and information released by the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) show that the country plans to build the Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS), whose first stage of assembly is scheduled to begin in 2028 and includes the launch of the core module, the use of a new supply spacecraft and a completely new launch vehicle. The second phase, which is expected to begin in 2030, will focus on adding two larger modules.

However, the design of ROSS has not yet been finalized. For example, it could be placed in a 51.6-degree orbit (similar to the one in which the ISS is located) or in a 97-degree orbit close to the poles. Roscosmos sees the withdrawal from the ISS project as a good opportunity to turn its attention to building a new space station.

“We need to decide what we want to do in the future and have already started preparing for a new manned program,” said Vladimir Solovyov, flight director of the Russian segment of the ISS and chief designer of RSC Energia, the prime contractor for the Russian manned space program.

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Solovyov discussed the aging of the International Space Station. He said maintenance has become a big problem for the Russian segment of the ISS. In some cases, the modules have been in use for nearly 25 years, despite a design life of 15 years.

Solovyov revealed, “Recently, there has been a tendency for the cosmonauts to spend more time on maintenance and repair of on-board systems, which drains their resources and energy. Cosmonauts have less and less time to conduct scientific experiments.”

In addition, Russia has shown no interest in joining the ranks of other ISS partners in the NASA-led Return to the Moon program (Project Artemis), which aims to return humans to the lunar surface around 2025. In fact, Solovyov’s comments suggest that Russia may not go to the moon first.

According to Solovyov: “It is clear that before sending cosmonauts to the moon, we must decide whether we need to take such serious and expensive actions (to assemble a new space station).”

Solovyov said the new Russian space station will also represent a different “philosophy” of human spaceflight. He claimed that Russia’s scientific investment in the ISS and the previous Mir space station had not paid off in a big way. “It is well known that for various reasons our space experiments on the ISS did not go very well, and the results on Mir were not very good,” he said in the interview.

Solovyov said the lack of funding for operations and the stationary location of the ISS “does not always facilitate the conduct of certain experiments that observe Earth and space. For example, certain high-energy experiments in materials science cannot be performed because of the lack of available energy resources.”

How Russia’s new space station will overcome these problems is unclear, but the latest developments suggest that Roscosmos wants humans to make only occasional short trips to the new space station. Solovyov explained, “The cost of providing water, food, clothing and oxygen for cosmonauts is very high. In addition, flying partially beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere increases the radiation dose to the astronauts, which somehow reduces the allowed flight time.”

The cosmonauts will likely stay for several months each year after ROSS is built to help Russian scientists conduct experiments that Solovyov said include cosmic ray physics, space technology and space materials science (such as nanotechnology). They may also test robots and observe the aurora borealis.

Looking ahead, Solovyov believes ROSS could be used as a staging area to help cosmonauts prepare for trips to the moon or Mars, but he did not suggest a timeline for those deep space trips.

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