Category: iss

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Second Rip in ISS Solar Array

The two rips in ISS' solar array highlightedNew NASA imagery clearly shows that there are two rips in the international space station’s P6 solar array. You can probably not see it on the small picture here. If so, use the hires version.

The second rip was detected on pictures taken today. Please note that the array seems to have been somewhat unfolded compared to yesterday’s status (see picture).

NASA is working hard to solve the problem, as stated in the last mission status report fixing it is now the top priority. Let’s hope they come up with a good plan.

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expedition 16 arrives at the ISS

Expedition 16 Crew arrives at the international space station (ISS)The expedition 16 crew already docked on Friday to the international space station (ISS). I had set up a webcam robot last Friday, but could not check the recordings until now. I think I discovered some nice images of hatch opening and and crew arrival. I created an animated gif file out of the few frames I have. The first two images show the hatch, and the later ones show how the joint expedition 15 and 16 crews gather together for the welcome ceremony.

Again, proper station handover is a prerequisite for a successful STS-120 mission. So Discovery won’t start until the station is ready to support it.

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Soyuz Spacecraft has docked to ISS

Right at this moment, the Soyuz spacecraft with the expedition 16 crew has successfully docked to the international space station. This is a very important milestone, as proper crew exchange is a vital perquisite for a successful STS-120 mission and thus needed before space shuttle Discovery can launch.

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Expedition 16 rockets to ISS

Expedition 16 Crew rockets into space inside a Soyuz capsule.I found this nice image of the expedition 16 rocketing into space inside their Soyuz capsule. Look how cramped it is in the Soyuz spacecraft. It’s design is quite old, but it is extremely reliable. The Russian space agency is also considering a new design with more room.

When the space shuttle is retired in 2010, the Soyuz will be the only spacecraft capable of ferrying crew to and from the space station. The US will catch up with that a few years later when the Orion, also a capsule design, but much roomier, has made its maiden flight.

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complex scheduling…

The Expedition 16 crew (to the middle and left) before launch to ISSSpaceflight is complex. Scheduling is complex. I knew that. But it is even more complex than I thought. I am very happy with the apparent good processing flow on shuttle Discovery. But guess what — I looked at far too few places.

Not only space shuttle processing flow is a constraint. The IIS (International Space Station) must also be ready for the shuttle visit. And I nearly missed an important event: there is a crew swap scheduled a few days before Discovery launches. With a Russian rocket, the new expedition 16 crew will ride to the skies. If that launch is delayed, we’ll probably end up with space traffic jam. And, guess what, that would of course affect Discovery’s launch date.

So let’s cross our fingers and hope for the best. Thankfully, the Russian rockets have an excellent track record…