Space and Space Travel News

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The space shuttle Atlantis crew. How to watch: NASA TV - NASA TV Video Coverage: Atlantis in Orbit

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Nov 13: At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-129 Pilot Barry E. Wilmore gets settled in the cockpit of a Shuttle Training Aircraft to practice landings in preparation for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission. The Shuttle Training Aircraft is a Gulfstream II jet, modified to handle like the space shuttle. On STS-129, the crew will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Launch is set for Nov. 16. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett




Nov 13: At Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay doors are ready to be closed around the cargo for Atlantis' STS-129 mission to the International Space Station. The cargo includes the Express Logistics Carriers 1 and 2. The STS-129 crew will deliver two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Credit: NASA/Troy Cryder



http://space.gs/news/?p=3154

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The ISS viewed from Space Shuttle Discovery after undocking during mission STS-128; credit: NASA

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The new unpiloted Russian Mini-Research Module 2 (MRM2), also known as Poisk, approaches the International Space Station. The MRM2 docked to the space-facing port of the Zvezda Service Module at 9:41 a.m. (CST) on Nov. 12, 2009. It began its trip to the station when it was launched aboard a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Nov. 10. Poisk is a Russian term that translates to search, seek and explore. It will provide an additional docking port for visiting Russian spacecrafts and will serve as an extra airlock for spacewalkers wearing Russian Orlan spacesuits. Poisk joins a Russian Progress resupply vehicle and two Russian Soyuz spacecraft currently docked at the station. Credit: NASA

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The unpiloted Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), filled with trash and unneeded items, departs from the International Space Station. European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, Expedition 21 commander; NASA astronaut Nicole Stott and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk, both flight engineers, used the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to grab the HTV cargo craft and unberth it from the Harmony node’s nadir port. The HTV was successfully unberthed at 10:18 a.m. (CDT) on Oct. 30, 2009, and released from the station’s Canadarm2 at 12:32 p.m. Credit: NASA

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Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight. Credit: NASA/Jim Grossman

Video: Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis - More News: http://space.gs

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Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis; Credit: NASA/Kevin O'Connell.




- Astronaut Charles O. Hobaugh (right), STS-129 commander, briefs his crew on the middeck of Space Shuttle Atlantis during flight day two activities. Pictured from the left are astronauts Mike Foreman, Robert L. Satcher Jr., both mission specialists; Barry E. Wilmore, pilot; and Leland Melvin, mission specialist. Not pictured is astronaut Randy Bresnik, mission specialist. Credit: NASA

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- A partial view of Space Shuttle Atlantis' payload bay, vertical stabilizer, orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods and docking mechanism are featured in this image photographed by an STS-129 crew member from an aft flight deck window. Credit: NASA

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- Astronaut Robert L. Satcher Jr., STS-129 mission specialist, occupies the commander's station while using a communication system on the flight deck of Space Shuttle Atlantis during flight day three activities. Credit: NASA

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- The International Space Station and Space Shuttle Atlantis' payload bay are featured in this image photographed by an STS-129 crew member as Atlantis and the station approach each other during rendezvous and docking activities on flight day three. Docking occurred at 10:51 a.m. (CST) on Nov. 18, 2009. Credit: NASA

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- Nov 18: STS-129 and Expedition 21 crew members are pictured shortly after Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station docked in space and the hatches were opened on Nov. 18, 2009. Pictured are NASA astronauts Jeffrey Williams (foreground), Expedition 21 flight engineer; Robert L. Satcher Jr. (left), STS-129 mission specialists; and Nicole Stott, Expedition 21 flight engineer. Pictured on the right are Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk, both Expedition 21 flight engineers; along with European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, Expedition 21 commander. NASA astronaut Leland Melvin (partially obscured), STS-129 mission specialist, is visible in the background. Credit: NASA


- http://space.gs

- Nov.19: Dr Satcher on the station's robotic arm as the spacecraft fly over the north Atlantic ocean; Image credit: NASA TV

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Nov 20: Eight of the 12 crew members currently on the International Space Station pose for a photo at the galley in the Unity node while Space Shuttle Atlantis remains docked with the station. Pictured from the left are NASA astronauts Leland Melvin, Robert L. Satcher Jr., both STS-129 mission specialists; Charles O. Hobaugh, STS-129 commander; Nicole Stott, STS-129 mission specialist; Russian cosmonauts Roman Romanenko and Maxim Suraev and NASA astronaut Jeffrey Williams, all Expedition 21 flight engineers; and European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, Expedition 21 commander. Credit: NASA

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Nov 20: Astronauts Leland Melvin (left), STS-129 mission specialist; and Jeffrey Williams, Expedition 21 flight engineer, are pictured in the Harmony node of the International Space Station while Space Shuttle Atlantis remains docked with the station. Credit: NASA




Nov 21: This is a high-angle view of the crew cabin of the space shuttle Atlantis during the second space walk of Atlantis' visit to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

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Nov 21: Astronaut Mike Foreman, STS-129 mission specialist, looks toward his camera bearing crewmate, astronaut Randy Bresnik, who captured the image with an electronic still camera. The two were in the midst of the second scheduled space walk for the Atlantis crewmembers. Credit: NASA

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Nov 21: Astronauts Mike Foreman (center frame) and Randy Bresnik, STS-129 mission specialists, perform a series of tasks on the exterior of the International Space Station during the second STS-129 space walk. Credit: NASA