OrbitalHub

ESA dixit:

“From building to liftoff and installation, these images show the making of European space lab Columbus and its daily use for out-of-this-world research.

Like the transatlantic voyages that Christopher Columbus made half a millennium ago, the Columbus module was meticulously planned, budgeted, scrapped and redesigned before getting the official blessing to build, ship and launch.

The laboratory ascended to orbit aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA on 7 February 2008. Nestling in the spaceplane’s cargo bay, Columbus was accompanied by a seven-man crew.

On 11 February, the crew on the International Space Station captured the new arrival. At that moment, Columbus became Europe’s first permanent human outpost in orbit and Europe became a full partner of the International Space Station.

Columbus houses as many disciplines as possible in a small volume, from astrobiology to solar science through metallurgy and psychology – more than 225 experiments have been carried out during this remarkable decade. Countless papers have been published drawing conclusions from experiments performed in Columbus.”

Video credit: ESA

ESA dixit:

“On 7 February 2008, Space Shuttle Atlantis launched to the International Space Station. In its cargo bay, ESA’s laboratory module Columbus. Now for a decade Columbus has been a part of the ISS. It is the place where ESA astronauts have done countless experiments in microgravity and the scientific importance of the module can hardly be overstated. “

Video credit: ESA

NASA dixit:

“Behind every weather forecast—from your local, five-day prediction to a late-breaking hurricane track update—are the satellites that make them possible. Government agencies depend on observations from weather satellites to inform forecast models that help us prepare for approaching storms and identify areas that need evacuating or emergency first responders.”

Elizabeth Willaman (Willaman Creative): Lead Producer

Andrea S. Martin (SGT): Producer

Kerri Cahoy (MIT): Scientist

Video credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA dixit:

“In a test targeted for April 2019 known as Ascent Abort-2, NASA will verify the Orion spacecraft’s launch abort system, a tower on top of the crew module, can steer the capsule and astronauts inside it to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during ascent for deep-space missions. The test is quick, fast and high, lasting less than three minutes with the test crew module reaching an average speed of Mach 1.5, roughly 1020 miles per hour, at approximately 32,000 feet in altitude.”

Video credit: NASA Johnson

NASA dixit:

“Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) will be the first integrated flight of NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft and launch from the agency’s modernized spaceport in Florida. The uncrewed mission will send Orion thousands of miles beyond the Moon and is a critical flight test for NASA’s human deep space exploration goals. EM-1 lays the foundation for the first crewed flight of SLS and Orion, as well as a regular cadence of missions thereafter near the Moon and beyond.”

Video credit: NASA Johnson

Planetary Resources dixit:

“We are underway with the development of Planetary Resources’ next spacecraft platform – the Arkyd-301. Our latest completed spacecraft, the Arkyd-6, has helped create the technical framework for Arkyd-301. We expect to learn more once our Arkyd-6 spacecraft launches and enters into operation in early 2018.

After Arkyd-6 launches, we enter our initial operations phase in which we will access all of its critical functions such as power generation, power storage, two-way communication, attitude determination, attitude control, and instrument operation. The continued operation of Arkyd-6 will include comparing its on-orbit performance with predicted behaviors and will further validate and inform our company’s design philosophies for Arkyd-301.

One of the things that we are most excited about is our onboard mid-wave infrared imager, which will not only be able to produce interesting images of our planet but also generate valuable scientific data. Enormous effort and careful radiometric calibration will allow us to assign a physical value to each and every pixel. We are maturing this remote sensing capability for use on the Arkyd-301 platform with a more advanced scientific imager that will enable the collection of calibrated spectral data for use in detecting water signatures on other planetary bodies.

The lessons that we continue to learn from the development and operation of Arkyd-6 will help us move closer to our goal of providing in-space resources to fuel industry and sustain life beyond Earth.”

Video credit: Planetary Resources