International Space Station news - 2016

2016-12-13

Beginning on December 31, 2016, Dextre will tackle his most intensive robotics operations to date. The Canadian robotic handyman will methodically remove nine old nickel-hydrogen batteries on the International Space Station (ISS), and replace them with six new, more efficient lithium-ion batteries and adapter plates. The batteries are critical to ISS operations, since they store electrical energy generated by the station's solar arrays. Dextre's marathon mission will last a record 16 days, continuing on until January 15, 2017.

Dextre will get a helping hand from two astronaut tag teams during their spacewalks. NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson are scheduled for a spacewalk on January 6, 2017 while the European Space Agency's Thomas Pesquet will perform his first spacewalk ever with Shane Kimbrough on January 13.

Watch Dextre live online

2016-12-13

In another shining example of international collaboration, Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency successfully captured the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's HTV-6 cargo spacecraft using the Canadian Space Agency's Canadarm2. After the 5:37 a.m. capture, when the International Space Station and the HTV-6 were flying 400 km over southern Chile, flight controllers at the Canadian Space Agency, along with NASA's Johnson Space Center, installed HTV-6 on the Earth-facing side of the Harmony module.

2016-12-12

Canadarm2 will catch the Japanese cargo spacecraft HTV-6 tomorrow at around 6:00 a.m. EST. Live coverage will begin at 4:30 a.m. on NASA TV.

2016-12-08

The Japanese cargo spacecraft HTV-6 will launch to the International Space Station on December 9 at 8:26 a.m. EST.

HTV-6 is carrying six new batteries for the Station, which the Canadian robotic handyman Dextre will install.

Watch live on NASA TV from 8:00 a.m. EST.

2016-11-25

From November 28 to December 4, Dextre is putting a new tool to the test. The Canadian Space Agency's robotic helper is testing the NASA-developed International Space Station Robotic External Leak Locator (IRELL), designed to help pinpoint potentially dangerous ammonia leaks on the exterior of the International Space Station. Watch Dextre work live online.

2016-11-18

In the early hours of November 21, robotics controllers will position Canadarm2 for NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and the European Space Agency's Thomas Pesquet to release Cygnus around 8:20 a.m. EST (5:20 a.m. PST).

Watch live on UStream and on NASA TV.

2016-11-10

The Canadarm, one of Canada's greatest contributions to international space exploration, made its space debut on Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-2) on November 13, 1981. After 90 successful missions, the Canadarm retired in July 2011, having paved the way for a new generation of Canadian robotics aboard the International Space Station.

A look back at the Canadarm's shining achievements

Fun facts for 1981

1. U.S. Space Shuttle Columbia goes on its first flight.
2. The Soviet Union launches the Venera 13 space probe to explore Venus.
3. The European rocket Ariane is launched.
4. IBM in U.S. launches its first PC using Microsoft software MS-DOS.
5. The term "Internet" is first used.
6. Post-it® Notes are introduced into Canada and Europe by 3M Corp.
7. Ronald Reagan becomes the President of the United States.
8. Researchers find the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic.
9. The popular movie Raiders of the Lost Ark makes its debut in theatres across the United States.
10. Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Beyoncé are born.

2016-10-21

Canadarm2 will capture Orbital ATK's Cygnus resupply ship on Sunday, October 23 at approximately 7:05 a.m. EDT. Live coverage of Cygnus's arrival begins at 6:00 on NASA TV.

2016-06-10

Put on your 3D glasses and take this narrated tour of the International Space Station, courtesy of the European Space Agency. Visit all the modules of the orbiting laboratory.

2016-06-03

This weekend, Dextre is busy replacing two faulty circuit-breaker boxes on the orbiting lab to restore part of the International Space Station backup electrical systems.

Known by the technical term "Remote Power Control Modules (RPCMs)," circuit-breaker boxes control the flow of electricity through the Station's secondary power distribution system, and tend to fail occasionally. Astronauts used to change the boxes during spacewalks, which always carries a certain level of risk. Dextre was designed to reduce the need for astronauts to conduct spacewalks for routine maintenance, therefore freeing up the crew's time for more important activities, like conducting science.

Follow Dextre on duty through to June 6 (schedules vary).

2016-05-26

This week, the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) is conducting two experiments on behalf of Canadian researchers.

Earlier this week, NASA astronaut Jeff Williams conducted two sessions of MARROW, which studies the effects of ageing and immobility in microgravity.

European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake will take part in Vascular Echo on Friday to help learn more about changes in the heart and blood vessels of astronauts in space.

Learn more about both experiments in these videos narrated by Tim Peake.

• MARROW video entitled "Studying the effects of ageing and immobility in space with Tim Peake"
• Vascular Echo video entitled "Using Space to Fight Cardiovascular Disease with Astronaut Tim Peake"

2016-05-25

After being installed on board the International Space Station (ISS) by Canadarm2 on April 16, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is ready for its first test. The crew of the ISS will open up the valves between the Station and the module to allow it to expand to its full size.

Mission controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Center and at the Canadian Space Agency will use Canadarm2's cameras to monitor BEAM's inflation and help determine when it is fully deployed.

You can watch BEAM's expansion, too. Live coverage begins on NASA TV at 5:30 a.m. EDT (2:30 PDT) on May 26.

2016-05-10

Dragon is on its way back to Earth after delivering the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) and over three metric tons of scientific equipment and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).

In the early hours of May 11, robotics controllers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, will position Canadarm2 for European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake to release Dragon around 9:18 a.m. EDT (6:18 a.m. PDT).

Dragon is currently the only US spacecraft able to return to Earth intact, and will bring back samples for science experiments. The spacecraft will splash down in the Pacific Ocean around 2:55 p.m. EDT (11:55 a.m. PDT).

Watch Canadarm2 release Dragon on UStream and on NASA TV.

2016-04-19

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the launch of Canada's iconic second-generation robotic technology, Canadarm2.

More information about the blog: 15 years of Canadarm2 in 15 pictures

During the night of April 15-16, Canadarm2 will remove the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) from Dragon's trunk and install it on the International Space Station. Operations will begin around 11:10 p.m. EDT (8:10 p.m. PDT) and continue until mid-morning on April 16. Watch live online the Canadarm2 Attaches the First Expandable Module to the ISS.

2016-04-14

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Tim Peake took this photo of a new record for the International Space Station: the first time two US commercial vehicles are docked at the same time. Canadarm2 captured and installed SpaceX's Dragon (left) on April 10, 2016, and Orbital ATK's Cygnus (right) on March 26, 2016. In addition to Cygnus and Dragon, there are also two Russian Soyuz and two Progress vehicles for a total of six visiting vehicles.

2016-04-13

Did you know that during a six-month space mission, an astronaut's cardiovascular system can age by up to 10 or 20 years?

The European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Tim Peake will take part in the Canadian experiment Vascular Echo aboard the International Space Station that will examine changes in heart and blood vessels of astronauts in space.

2016-04-08

The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) will be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft on April 8, 2016. Once it is attached to the ISS by Canadarm2, BEAM will expand in volume, enabling crew members to enter it to conduct periodic testing during a two-year period.

If successful, this expandable technology could increase habitable area and lower costs for future space exploration missions.

2016-04-04

The crew on board the ISS has conducted the first space session of the Canadian experiment, At Home in Space.

Funded by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), this study assesses how astronauts develop a shared culture during long-duration missions. Dr. Phyllis J. Johnson, University of British Columbia, is the principal investigator for the experiment.

Benefits for people on Earth

There are many communities on Earth that share some of the characteristics of a crew living in a space capsule, and whose functioning could be improved by our findings, including:

• the elderly, especially those in group housing, assisted living centres, or nursing homes;
• people living in remote, confined, and isolated environments (e.g., resource extraction camps, oil rigs, long-voyage tankers, cargo ships, and the Arctic and Antarctic); and
• those whose employment is dangerous and requires periodic absences from family (e.g., military deployments).

2016-03-31

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Tim Peake explains how the Canadian experiment TBone will study the effects of microgravity on bone health to benefit astronauts and people on Earth.

Pre-flight sessions of TBone are being conducted at the NASA Johnson Space Center on March 30 and 31, 2016.

Dr. Steven K. Boyd of the University of Calgary is leading this research project on how weightlessness affects the internal structure of bones. Since spaceflight is an excellent model for understanding bone loss due to immobilization or menopause, TBone will help better understand and identify those at risk, and could lead to individualized treatment strategies.

2016-03-18

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Tim Peake is taking part in the Canadian experiment MARROW that will study the effects of ageing and immobility in microgravity. This will benefit astronauts and people on Earth who are bedridden or who have reduced mobility.

More information about MARROW: Studying the effects of ageing and immobility in space

2016-01-07

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has commissioned the design of an advanced vision system for Dextre, the International Space Station's (ISS's) robotic handyman. Dextre will use the new hand-held tool to inspect the external surfaces of the orbiting laboratory and sleuth out signs of damage caused by natural ageing and by small meteorites and orbital debris that regularly hit the Station.

Roughly the size of a microwave oven, the vision system combines a 3D laser, a high-definition camera and an infrared camera to reveal damage that (in some cases) is hidden to the naked eye and in places that are hard to reach or difficult to see in the harsh lighting conditions on board the ISS.

The vision system will be operated by mission controllers on the ground at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, or at the CSA's headquarters in Longueuil, Quebec. Imagery generated by the system will be available to the public, who will see the ISS as they have never seen it before.

The vision system is currently being designed by Neptec Design Group Ltd. of Ottawa and will be launched to the ISS in 2020.