Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are observing the behavior of flames in differently-shaped confined spaces in the unique microgravity environment of the orbiting outpost.
Read MoreAn instrument aboard the International Space Station has obtained the “best-ever” measurements of a pulsar and helped scientists create the first surface map of this special type of neutron star.
Using NASA’s Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, astrophysicists were able to gather “precise and dependable” X-ray measurements to determine the size and mass of a pulsar.
Read MoreWhen SpaceX’s CRS-17 Dragon spacecraft launches toward the International Space Station at the end of April, it is expected to be carrying with it a new carbon-observing instrument.
Called Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3, or OCO-3, the instrument is a follow-on to the still-active OCO-2 mission, according to NASA. Once at the ISS, it will be attached to the exposed platform on the Japanese Kibo module.
Read MoreIf humans are ever to settle the Solar System sustainably, a number of technologies will need to be perfected, including in-space refueling.
As such, NASA created the Robotic Refueling Mission, or RRM, a series of experiments designed to understand and perfect technologies for robotic propellant transfer and help extend the life of spacecraft.
Read MoreEach International Space Station module is designed with micrometeoroid debris protection. A recent survey of the European Space Agency’s Columbus module shows just how much it is needed.
According to a news release from ESA, a survey performed Sept. 6, 2018, using the station’s 17.6-meter robotic arm showed “hundreds of impacts” across the surface of the Columbus module.
Read MoreAmong the 6,200 kilograms of cargo that Kounotori 7 brought to the International Space Station is NASA’s new Life Sciences Glovebox to help with biological and physiological studies.
Designed to help with ongoing research relating to the impact of long-duration spaceflight on the human body, the glovebox is a fully-enclosed, acrylic-windowed facility about the six of a large fish tank.
Read MoreA humanoid robot designed to eventually help International Space Station astronauts with various tasks will be returning to Earth for repairs, according to an IEEE Spectrum report. Robonaut2, or R2, was launched in 2011, but ran into problems in 2014 after an upgrade revealed unforeseen problems.
Read MoreWhile many around the world celebrated the arrival of 2018 with champagne, fireworks and social gatherings, robotics operators at NASA’s Johnson Space Center rang in the New Year by working to remotely install new external instruments recently brought to International Space Station inside the trunk of SpaceX’s CRS-13 Dragon cargo spacecraft.
Read MoreOne of the external payloads that rode uphill with SpaceX's CRS-12 Dragon spacecraft was the Cosmic Ray Energetics and Mass Investigation, or CREAM (sometimes referred to as ISS-CREAM). This instrument, which is designed to look for the origins of cosmic rays, has now been attached to the exposed facility on the Japanese Kibo module.
Read MoreOrbital Velocity is designed to be "living time capsule" about the International Space Station.
This project is an attempt to bridge an information gap between space agencies and companies, as well as a public that supports space endeavors with their tax dollars. Despite the importance of the space station, the general public doesn't always know what is happening aboard this amazing complex on a regular basis. Research being conducted isn't always readily available and what information is out there can sometimes be difficult to understand. Some people aren't even aware there is an active space program, let alone a space station.
Orbital Velocity hopes to change that by building a database of information through blogs, a website, small videos and longer documentary-like series'.
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