'Ultima' Game Creator To Conduct Experiments On Space Station Video game designer and programmer Richard Garriott will cooperate with NASA on experiments, including studying how astronauts' eyes react to low and high pressure.
NASA Astronaut in Space Challenges Earthlings in Chess Match It will be Earth vs. space in a unique chess match, and you can help Earth win. NASA and the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) are teaming up to host the first public chess match between International Space Station astronaut Greg Chamitoff and the inhabitants of the Earth, beginning Monday, Sept. 29.
The International Space Station is once again visible flying over the UK at dusk. To see the International Space Station, it needs to fly overhead at either dawn or dusk. Any later in the night, and the station is completely in shadow. Any earlier in the day, and the bright daytime sky makes it difficult to spot.
How to See the Space Station The International Space Station is a large satellite, currently carrying a crew of three human beings, circling the Earth a little over 200 miles up. And you can easily see it in the sky this week. It doesn't appear in the same place at the same time every night. Some nights we don't see it at all. But starting this week, we'll have some good evening opportunities. The best thing about ISS passes is that you don't need a powerful telescope or 20-20 vision to do the observations: you just need a pair of eyes that work reasonably well.
Primary school children are invited take part in a competition to design a t-shirt for ESA astronaut Frank De Winne to wear during his mission to the International Space Station next year. The winner, and all their classmates, will get to talk to De Winne in space.
ESA astronaut Frank De Winne, of Belgian nationality and a member of the European Astronaut Corps, will fly to the International Space Station for a six month mission. ESA is holding a competition to find a name for the mission. During his stay on the ISS, De Winne will conduct scientific experiments developed by scientists from different European countries and others worldwide. In addition he will also perform technology demonstrations and an education programme.
Chess has now taken the next giant leap in a match that pits space against Earth. NASA astronaut and chess aficionado Greg Chamitoff, speeding around the Earth at five miles a second aboard the International Space Station, is in the midst of a chess game with mission control centres.
Using ATV thrusters, the ISS performed a 1 m/s braking burn yesterday at 12:11pm EDT to remove the risk of collision with an orbital object,- #33246 (part of the Kosmos-2421 satellite). The retrograde firing of 5 min 2 sec duration resulted in a mean altitude loss of ~1.77 km. Propellant usage: ~98 kg of ATV prop, leaving ~190 kg in Jules Verne prior to undock (possibly with some margin, to be assessed by ESA) and ~320 kg of Progress/SM props for attitude control of the stack. A second possible conjunction with another piece (#33248) of Kosmos-2421 has been identified for tomorrow (8/29) at 9:09pm EDT, currently predicted to be in the RED box. This would require another DAM (Debris Avoidance Manoeuvre), but more tracking is required for a burn decision. Estimated prime TIG (Time of Ignition): tomorrow 7:00pm. Prop strategy is currently under study. If a second DAM is necessary tomorrow, using ATV prop, the Progress 29P undocking on 9/1 (Monday) can be supported by SM thrusters. Ballistic calculations must continue to account for future Soyuz launch, Soyuz landing and Shuttle ULF2 launch/rendezvous constraints.
According to the Russian Mission Control Centre, the orbit of the International Space Station's was lowered by 1.7 km to avoid space junk. The avoidance manoeuvre was carried out by firing the engines of the docked Jules Verne Automated Transport Vehicle (ATV), which lower the station's orbit to an altitude of 353.7 km. On August 13, the Jules Verne Automated Transport Vehicle had been used to boost the station's orbit in preparation for the docking of the Progress 30P/M-65 cargo module, which is scheduled to be launched on September 10th.