Author Topic: General ISS Q&A thread  (Read 879684 times)

Offline MattBaker

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2260 on: 12/05/2018 10:03 pm »
Salo's ISS schedule has a relocation for MS-11 from Poisk to Rassvet in it now, a week or so before MS-12 launches. Not sure what the source is on that, haven't found anything in any of the relevant threads, although maybe I wasn't looking right, but assuming this is true:

All three astronauts have to be in the Soyuz, in case something goes wrong and they have to abort and land, correct? In which case:

Would you count that as an uncrewed ISS? I guess technically for however long that relocation takes (Anyone remember the last time this was done from the top of their head? And has it ever happened before with the full crew 'leaving' the station to relocate?) the ISS is unmanned, is it not?

Or would you say "They can undock, re-dock and stage Space Formula 1 races around the Station, as long as someone is sleeping there every 24 hours it's a manned station!"

Offline erioladastra

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2261 on: 01/04/2019 05:23 pm »
Salo's ISS schedule has a relocation for MS-11 from Poisk to Rassvet in it now, a week or so before MS-12 launches. Not sure what the source is on that, haven't found anything in any of the relevant threads, although maybe I wasn't looking right, but assuming this is true:

All three astronauts have to be in the Soyuz, in case something goes wrong and they have to abort and land, correct? In which case:

Would you count that as an uncrewed ISS? I guess technically for however long that relocation takes (Anyone remember the last time this was done from the top of their head? And has it ever happened before with the full crew 'leaving' the station to relocate?) the ISS is unmanned, is it not?

Or would you say "They can undock, re-dock and stage Space Formula 1 races around the Station, as long as someone is sleeping there every 24 hours it's a manned station!"

Correct - the ISS will be placed in an unmanned configuration if a solo crewed vehicle does a relocation.  Just to be prepared in case the redock fails.  If I recall correctly it has happened a few times early on when there were fewer docking ports.

Offline wally

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2262 on: 02/11/2019 09:12 am »
With all the (expected) delays regarding commercial crew, what's the current status of NASA contract for Soyuz seats? When will it expire? I suppose there's a transition period in which both Soyuz and commercial crew vehicles will be used for launching American astronauts into orbit, but since the date for the first commercial launch still slipping, how are these delyas going to affect the current and future contract with the Russian side?

Offline Olaf

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2263 on: 02/11/2019 11:41 am »
With all the (expected) delays regarding commercial crew, what's the current status of NASA contract for Soyuz seats? When will it expire? I suppose there's a transition period in which both Soyuz and commercial crew vehicles will be used for launching American astronauts into orbit, but since the date for the first commercial launch still slipping, how are these delyas going to affect the current and future contract with the Russian side?
https://ria.ru/20190205/1550382756.html
Google Translation
Quote
"The previous version of the ISS flight program provided for the return of foreign astronauts under a contract with the US side from the station to Earth on the Soyuz space on February 6, 2020. Now this deadline is shifted to December 18, 2019 due to the refinement of the ISS flight program," interlocutor of the agency.
He recalled that on June 25 the Soyuz MS-11 ship with Russian Oleg Kononenko, Canadian David Saint-Jacques and American Ann McClain would return to Earth. The Canadian and American will be the last astronauts that Russia brought to the ISS and return to Earth under a contract with NASA.
Quote
"On the Soyuz MS-12" ship, on October 3, Russian Alexei Ovchinin and Americans Nick Haig and Christina Cook will return to Earth on March 14, and Alexander Sukvortsov, Italian Luca, starting on July 6, will return to Earth on the Union MS-13. Parmitano and American Andrew Morgan. These four astronauts will be the last ones that Russia will deliver to the station and return to Earth under a contract with Boeing, "the source explained.
Quote
According to him, further contracts with NASA to deliver foreign astronauts on the ISS and return to Earth on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft are not signed, and the flights will most likely be carried out on a barter basis: an astronaut on the Russian spacecraft for an astronaut in the US.

Offline Olaf

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2264 on: 02/11/2019 10:13 pm »
The previous one was last week. This is from today.
https://sputniknews.com/science/201902121072328776-usa-russia-iss-soyuz-missions-extension/
Quote
The United States will extend the use of Russian Soyuz spacecraft to bring NASA astronauts to the International Space Station and ensure their return to Earth until April 2020, a Russian space industry source told Sputnik.
Quote
“The following scheme is planned for now: two NASA astronauts will remain on the ISS for nine months instead of the usual six. So, Nick Hague starts his mission on March 14 [2019] on the Soyuz MS-12 and returns to Earth on 18 December on the Soyuz MS-13, while Andrew Morgan will travel to the orbital station on Soyuz MS-13 on 6 July and will return on Soyuz MS-15 in April 2020", the source said.
Quote
According to the source, this will allow NASA to have at least one astronaut in the US segment of the station to maintain it and, therefore, to have a plan B in case of the delay in the start of regular flights of new US manned spacecraft.

Offline AS_501

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2265 on: 03/06/2019 04:31 pm »
Watching the Crew Dragon docking, I've always wondered why the PMAs have an off-axis design.  Something to do with shuttle payload bay/docking clearances during the early ISS assembly missions?  Thanks
Launches attended:  Apollo 11, ASTP (@KSC, not Baikonur!), STS-41G, STS-125, EFT-1, Starlink G4-24, Artemis 1
Notable Spacecraft Observed:  Echo 1, Skylab/S-II, Salyuts 6&7, Mir Core/Complete, HST, ISS Zarya/Present, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, Dragon Demo-2, Starlink G4-14 (8 hrs. post-launch), Tiangong

Offline whitelancer64

Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2266 on: 03/06/2019 04:48 pm »
Watching the Crew Dragon docking, I've always wondered why the PMAs have an off-axis design.  Something to do with shuttle payload bay/docking clearances during the early ISS assembly missions?  Thanks

It allows for more clearance for removing objects from the Shuttle payload bay. It's also that shape to accommodate the hatch opening on the inside.

I found the answer here:

https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/19564/why-is-the-pressurized-mating-adapter-slanted
« Last Edit: 03/06/2019 04:53 pm by whitelancer64 »
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Offline AS_501

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2267 on: 03/06/2019 07:25 pm »
I've learned more stuff on NSF in the past four years than the previous 40 :)  Thanks again to Whitelancer.
Launches attended:  Apollo 11, ASTP (@KSC, not Baikonur!), STS-41G, STS-125, EFT-1, Starlink G4-24, Artemis 1
Notable Spacecraft Observed:  Echo 1, Skylab/S-II, Salyuts 6&7, Mir Core/Complete, HST, ISS Zarya/Present, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, Dragon Demo-2, Starlink G4-14 (8 hrs. post-launch), Tiangong

Offline Olaf

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2269 on: 06/10/2019 07:34 pm »
Hi,
recently I watched ISS pass by my sky over middle Europe and I spot a bright dot orbiting in front of the ISS, it was orbiting about 20° in front of ISS and about 5-10 times dimmer than ISS. at firs, I thought it is a resuply ship, but when I check it wasn't any resupply ship schedule for the previous week 23. this week I see it twice which has raised my suspicion and I gooogled it and there were no results, so I am asking you to explain what it is ?!!!?

Offline eeergo

Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2270 on: 06/10/2019 09:42 pm »
Hi,
recently I watched ISS pass by my sky over middle Europe and I spot a bright dot orbiting in front of the ISS, it was orbiting about 20° in front of ISS and about 5-10 times dimmer than ISS. at firs, I thought it is a resuply ship, but when I check it wasn't any resupply ship schedule for the previous week 23. this week I see it twice which has raised my suspicion and I gooogled it and there were no results, so I am asking you to explain what it is ?!!!?

Maybe one of the experiment packages jettisoned from ISS during the Russian EVA VKD-46 a couple of weeks ago?

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=48121.0
-DaviD-

Offline Lee Jay

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2271 on: 09/08/2019 05:45 pm »
I hope this isn't a repeat.  Several types of searches didn't turn it up.

A guy named "Jared Owen" did a nice animation of the ISS assembly:


Offline Riley1066

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2272 on: 09/12/2019 09:12 pm »
Always wondered who the tapestry portraits were in the back of these PR shots. Anyone have the answer?
[zubenelgenubi: Attach images. Do not embed them.]
« Last Edit: 08/17/2020 09:23 pm by zubenelgenubi »
Go at Throttle Up!

Offline zubenelgenubi

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2273 on: 09/22/2019 08:31 pm »
Apologies if this question has been answered before...cross-post:
Um, where do 9 people sleep?  :)
On any approved surface.
Where do crew members #7, 8, 9, etc. bunk?
« Last Edit: 09/22/2019 08:32 pm by zubenelgenubi »
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Offline Life_Support_32

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2274 on: 09/24/2019 12:22 am »
Analysis had to be performed to determine locations with proper ventilation, rack front,  limited continuous activity in the module, etc for the 3 extra crew to stay for the short timeframe of the direct handover. Of this list of approved locations, the crew was allowed to decide where they would like to stay.

Offline d3jf

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2275 on: 09/24/2019 10:00 am »
I remember some of the shuttle crews slept in the JEM or even the logistics module.

Offline MattBaker

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2276 on: 12/27/2019 01:31 pm »
Is there a full chart somewhere of the ISS orbital height during its full lifetime? I believe after the latest reboosts the Station is in a higher orbit than ever before, is that so?

Offline eeergo

Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2277 on: 12/28/2019 08:11 am »
Is there a full chart somewhere of the ISS orbital height during its full lifetime? I believe after the latest reboosts the Station is in a higher orbit than ever before, is that so?

Yep: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station#/media/File:Altitude_of_International_Space_Station.svg

It has (briefly) been in a comparably-high (yet not quite as much) orbit in 2012, but as you correctly state, now it's on its highest apogee at 439.1 km.
« Last Edit: 12/28/2019 08:12 am by eeergo »
-DaviD-

Offline Hog

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Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2278 on: 12/31/2019 05:38 pm »
The last shuttle mission, STS-135 landed in July 2011 and the first ISS assembly missions were in 1998.

"the space station uses about 19,000 pounds of propellant a year to maintain a consistent orbit(down at the shuttle era altitudes 330-350km). At the new, slightly higher altitude(over 400), the station is expected to expend about 8,000 pounds of propellant a year.

As of right now :
perigee height:   415 km
apogee height:   421 km

Not sure where you are getting a current 439.1 km for ISS?  Back in August September 2012, the ISS was at its highest altitude.

Here's all the orbit data for right now Dec 31/19 afternoon EST.
Epoch (UTC):   31 December 2019 14:18:13
Eccentricity:   0.0004866
inclination:   51.6436°
perigee height:   415 km
apogee height:   421 km
right ascension of ascending node:   102.6998°
argument of perigee:   87.8908°
revolutions per day:   15.49542703
mean anomaly at epoch:   272.2800°
orbit number at epoch:   587

attach
Here is it's "mean" height for the last 2 years.
« Last Edit: 12/31/2019 05:46 pm by Hog »
Paul

Offline eeergo

Re: General ISS Q&A thread
« Reply #2279 on: 12/31/2019 05:54 pm »
As of right now :
perigee height:   415 km
apogee height:   421 km

Not sure where you are getting a current 439.1 km for ISS? Back in August September 2012, the ISS was at its highest altitude.

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=48025.msg2030291#msg2030291

May it be a typo? Or perhaps the TLEs you used are not updated?
-DaviD-

 

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