http://cache.io9.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/io9.com.png http://io9.com/tag/iss http://io9.com/tag/iss

On January 4, NASA shot this amazing composite image of the International Space Station crossing over the face of the Moon from Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5873692&view=rss&microfeed=true

You may have heard how a portion of the Soyuz-2 rocket destroyed some poor guy's house in Siberia. That wasn't the only shenanigan Soyuz debris pulled last weekend. A portion of the Soyuz rocket that transported three astronauts to the International Space Station flared up the skies over Germany, Belgium, and France on Christmas Eve, leading confused observers to assume that Santa Claus had fed his reindeers napalm. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5871116&view=rss&microfeed=true

High-energy radiation and atomic oxygen wreak havoc on satellite parts. To evaluate the durability of materials being developed for future satellites, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is running samples through a space-based torture test called MISSE-8. Astronauts bolted a platform full of one-inch samples of mirror coatings, laser-tuning crystals, structural foam and other materials to the outside of the International Space Station, where it will remain for just over two years. The samples, which were sent to the ISS on one of the last space shuttle flights, in May, will return to Earth in July 2013 on the SpaceX Dragon capsule. Scientists from the labs that made each sample will examine them for pitting, cracks and discoloration. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5866914&view=rss&microfeed=true

The future of civilian space travel in low Earth orbit (or "LEO," for those in-the-know) is looking brighter by the day, but what will life be like when you're soaring hundreds of miles above Earth's surface? How will you eat, how will you sleep, and how will you go to the bathroom? We've got a preview of ten things you should know about day-to-day life in LEO, so you don't embarrass yourself when your opportunity at space travel finally presents itself. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5864923&view=rss&microfeed=true

Life on the International Space Station has its ups and downs (well, technically its ups and ups or downs and downs). Thanksgiving dinner comes in bags, but the views are undeniably ravishing. Another added perk of microgravity? You can play baseball by yourself. Allow ISS astronaut Satoshi Furukawa to demonstrate. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5864770&view=rss&microfeed=true

It's orbiting the planet! It comes in airtight bags! You have to affix your cranberry sauce against the wall or it will fly up your nose! Just like Plymouth Plantation in 1621! The only difference these days is that NASA replaces zero-gravity turkey with braised moon spiders. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5862528&view=rss&microfeed=true

Boy howdy, this video definitely confirms that if you're going to gaze at our planet, the International Space Station is the best seat in the house. This video was shot during Expeditions 28 and 29 aboard the ISS from August-October of this year. Time to pretend you're an alien fleet joy-riding through the Milky Way. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5859010&view=rss&microfeed=true

Many of you have probably heard about asteroid 2005 YU55, the massive rocky body that tomorrow night will collide with Earth in a ball of flames pass the planet safely, albeit closer than any asteroid in the last 35 years. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5856820&view=rss&microfeed=true

Back in August, Russia's Progress 44 cargo vessel ran into complications on its delivery to the International Space Station, falling to Earth after the Soyuz-U rocket propelling it into space failed unexpectedly. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5849541&view=rss&microfeed=true

The International Space Station is privy to many a gorgeous view of this big blue marble we live on, but this composite video of an evening on the ISS reinvents jaw-dropping. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5841441&view=rss&microfeed=true

Astronaut Ron Garan has shared some amazing photography from the International Space Station before. Now he's snapped the southern lights from his privileged position on the ISS. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5841411&view=rss&microfeed=true

Here's a view of the moon you'll never see from Earth. This is a picture taken by astronaut Soichi Noguchi while on-board the International Space Station. The photo demonstrates how the crew's position relative to the Moon and Earth's atmosphere create bizarre illusions where the Moon appears to be squished like a beanbag chair. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5839530&view=rss&microfeed=true

An uncrewed Russian cargo shipment to the International Space Station crashed into Siberia just minutes after blastoff this morning. The Russian space agency is reporting that the Progress M-12M cargo ship (pictured above) failed to detach from its launch vehicle at the correct stage of the launch, and was subsequently unable to enter the correct orbit. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5834023&view=rss&microfeed=true

It's about time. After months of being boxed up in a crate, and five more months of sitting around after an awesome unboxing, NASA's Robonaut 2 helper droid has finally been powered up. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5833333&view=rss&microfeed=true

On August 10, Bryan Stewart was filming a fly-by of the International Space Station in Texas when a Perseid meteor jumped into the shot. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5830731&view=rss&microfeed=true

The STS-135 crew of space shuttle Atlantis and the Expedition 28 crew of the International Space Station were treated with great views of the Aurora Australis. Here's one shot the crews photographed, showing a panoramic view of the station/shuttle complex along with several different astronomical beauties! The aurora shows up brightly, but what else is in the image? Looking closely –and southern hemisphere observers might recognize some objects better - but do you see the globular cluster Omega Centauri, the Coalsack Nebula and the Southern Cross? Anyone see anything else? More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5821923&view=rss&microfeed=true

Nathan Bergey has built and programmed a lamp that shines whenever the International Space Station is in the vicinity. It's definitely a groovy idea, and what's even cooler is that the inventor's put directions and the code up for grabs. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5811184&view=rss&microfeed=true

The word from Houston is that NASA managers have settled on April 29th for space shuttle Endeavour's final launch. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5795140&view=rss&microfeed=true

Nerd art group monochrom has just started up its sitcom about life aboard the ISS. Get ready for serious goofery. Here's the series premiere! More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5786990&view=rss&microfeed=true

Earth glows with a ghostly blue fire, as a sliver of moon rises above the horizon, in this amazing photo taken from the International Space Station. Seldom has the Earth looked so magical and... unearthly. Check out another pic below. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5634119&view=rss&microfeed=true

This movie was taken by Don Pettit on the International Space Station - it's a time-lapse view of the Earth zooming by. You can see the northern lights glowing in the atmosphere, over illuminated cities. Gorgeous. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5630796&view=rss&microfeed=true

Chile's 33 heroic mineworkers already survived 17 days trapped alone, with only two mouthfuls of tuna and a sip of milk every other day. But the coming weeks before they're rescued will be like a long haul on the ISS. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5621365&view=rss&microfeed=true

According to NASA's recent budget proposal, the agency is considering inflatable space station modules as a way to cut costs on future missions. Admittedly, I'm not a scientist, but even I can see one potential flaw: It might burst. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5486594&view=rss&microfeed=true

When astronauts spacewalk, it looks like they're floating serenely in the vacuum of space. The reality: they're hurtling at 17,220 mph inside bulky pressurized suits. Here's the lowdown on spacewalking, from how it's done to what it costs. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5479795&view=rss&microfeed=true

How close are we to long-term human habitation beyond low-Earth orbit? Colonies on the moon or Mars are still many years off, but the good news is there are several serious efforts underway to make it happen. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5428896&view=rss&microfeed=true

Earth's atmosphere shimmers in the sunlight, against a dark background, in this amazing photo taken by the crew of the International Space Station during a docking with the Space Shuttle Atlantis. [NASA] More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5415029&view=rss&microfeed=true

Today is the 12th Annual Space Day, an event that's jointly hosted by NASA and Lockheed Martin, held each year on the first of May. This year's theme is titled : 'Celebrating Human Space Flight: Past, Present and Future'. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5236168&view=rss&microfeed=true

Over the weekend, space shuttle astronaut Steve Swanson climbed outside the International Space Station to do some repair work and inspections. Here he floats beneath one section of the growing space structure. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5181692&view=rss&microfeed=true

At last the brave astronauts aboard the International Space Station have received their $19 million Russian toilet, and are ready to start using it to turn their urine into tasty drinking water.
More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5114460&view=rss&microfeed=true

You're stuck for months inside a cramped tin can with a bunch of total strangers, with no gravity, fresh food or World of Warcraft. And yeah, you're forced to drink the recycled sweat of your fellow astronauts (or your own urine). But that doesn't mean you can't have your own stylin' bachelor (or bachelorette) pad in space. Check out the new digs being delivered to the ISS. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5098399&view=rss&microfeed=true

Click to viewIf you're going on a long space trip, you'll soon realize that you can't carry all the fresh water you'll need with you. The cost of getting all that water into space would destroy your budget before you ever built a single photon torpedo launcher. The answer, of course, is recycling. Those childhood dreams of traveling to space probably didn't include drinking your own sweat and pee. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5090721&view=rss&microfeed=true

Think you're facing long lines at your local polling place? At least you aren't casting your vote from over 200 miles above the Earth's surface. Astronauts E. Michael Fincke and Gregory Chamitoff will be voting from the International Space Station today, and their right to do it is the result of a relatively new law. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5075530&view=rss&microfeed=true

These thunderheads are brewing over the midwestern United States, a region where thunderstorms can whip up pretty damn fast. Courtesy of NASA, this image is one of a series running on the Boston Globe's website to celebrate the work done by the International Space Station. Want to see what this kind of cloud looks like a little closer? More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5015213&view=rss&microfeed=true

Today, a satellite was involved in your life. Whether you checked a weather report, watched SportsCenter or looked for your mom's house on Google Maps, you did something that would have been impossible without an automated spacecraft orbiting hundreds of miles above your head. But how many of these satellites do you know by name? Here are the top ten you need to know, because they make modern life possible. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=391538&view=rss&microfeed=true

Get ready for the first gadgets to be stamped with the words, "Made In Space." The European Space Agency has plans to manufacture lightweight metal compounds under zero-gravity conditions on the International Space Station. The new materials could boost the efficiency of hydrogen engines and make aircraft faster, more powerful and less expensive to build. If we can achieve the proper thrust-to-weight ratio, jet-powered aircraft could become cheap enough that everyone can afford one. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=389381&view=rss&microfeed=true

The European Space Agency successfully completed a major test of the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) on Monday, moving within 11 meters of the International Space Station. Tomorrow, in a final test, it will reach the ISS dock. The Jules Verne ATV, seen here from the ISS, is an amazing multi-purpose vehicle that will take over the cargo-ferrying duties of the Soviet Progress vessels and the American Space Shuttle, schlepping critical supplies to astronauts on-board the ISS. It's essentially a beta version of the kinds of vehicles that will bring beer and donuts to moon bases for hungry lunar tourists. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=374843&view=rss&microfeed=true

The looming 12-foot tall robot Dextre (pronounced "Dexter") just hitched a ride on the Space Shuttle Endeavour to be assembled on the International Space Station. When he's put together, the Canadian robot will be able to take on high-risk activities, like changing out components, that would otherwise require a spacewalk by the astronauts. Dextre's arms can extend out 11 feet, and each arm has seven joints, allowing him to position his gripper hands and built-in socket wrenches in all sorts of hard-to-reach spots. Click through for a diagram of Dextre, plus a video of Dextre dancing. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=366955&view=rss&microfeed=true

If you've ever lived in a dorm or a small apartment, you know how hard it can be to cram in all your computers, books, and general stuff while still staying organized. This problem has reached epic engineering proportions in the International Space Station's "living quarters" on the the Zvezda Module. Three people use the 43-foot cylinder for sleeping, eating, relaxing, cleaning up, going to the bathroom, exercising, doing science experiments, and using their computers. What can you learn about space saving from people in space? Turns out there are three basic rules of organization on Zvezda that are useful on Earth, too. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=341364&view=rss&microfeed=true

Sturdy, car-sized space freighter Progress 26 was launched off the International Space Station on Saturday, filled to the brim with trash — basically, all the crap (literally and figuratively) the crew had been accumulating for weeks. Progress 27, another uncrewed freighter, will be arriving with fresh food and supplies from Earth for the ISS cosmonauts. No word on what will happen to the poop-packed Progress 26 once it's been launched from the ISS, but probably it will meet the same fate as its predecessor Progress 23 last March, which was programmed to burn itself up in our atmosphere. Russian Trash Ship [Space.com] More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=337133&view=rss&microfeed=true