The International Space Station is a spacecraft that orbits the Earth; it is part laboratory and part home for astronauts. And soon it will have a new resident.
Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques will make the journey to the ISS on December 3. The launch is set for 6:30 a.m. He will remain on the spacecraft for about six months.
It is his first mission as an astronaut. It is the 17th space flight for the Canadian Astronaut Corps, according to the Canadian Space Agency.
While he is on board the ISS, Saint-Jacques will conduct experiments and demonstrate technology.
Tag: International Space Station
Astronauts Will Turn Trash Into Tools
Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) may soon be able to turn their used forks and knives into tools and satellite parts.
Tethers Unlimited Inc., an aerospace technology company, has developed a system that combines a waste recycling machine with a 3D printer.
Astronauts will put waste items made of plastic into the recycling machine, called the Positrusion Recycler. When they press a button, the Recycler will sterilize and melt down the plastic and turn it into 3D filament.
Olympic Torch Arrives Back From Outer Space
The Olympic torch has been to outer space and back.
The torch has even been on a spacewalk.
It’s the first time that has ever happened.
The torch will be used to light the flame that will launch the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, hosted by Russia.
On Nov. 7, a spacecraft called the Soyuz TMA-11M left Russia carrying three crew members and the Olympic torch.
It was bound for the International Space Station (ISS), which is in orbit around the Earth.
Two Russian cosmonauts on the ISS received the torch. Later, they brought it outside and symbolically handed it off to each other in open space. The hand-off took about an hour.
First Human Colony Planned For Mars
A Dutch business owner is looking for people who want to live on Mars.
He believes that with proper preparation, a human settlement can exist on the Red Planet.
He said the settlement would provide valuable information for those who support and study life beyond Earth.
The project is called Mars One and nearly 80,000 people–including 35 Canadians–have applied to start a new life on Mars.
Those who are chosen to go would set up a colony, similar to a city.
Supplies for the colony will be sent to Mars beginning in 2016.
The first four settlers are scheduled to be transported to Mars in 2023.
Hadfield Arrives Back On Earth; Videos From His Incredible Journey
In Chris Hadfield’s own words, he is, “safely home—back on Earth, happily readapting to the heavy pull of gravity.”
The Canadian astronaut left Earth to live on the International Space Station (ISS) late last December.
He touched down in Kazakhstan on Monday at 10:31 p.m. (EDT), along with two other astronauts who had been on the ISS.
He will now undergo extensive medical testing to help his body adjust to life on Earth again.
In the five months he was living on the ISS, Chris Hadfield changed the way we all relate to space.
Chris Hadfield Sings With Hundreds Of Thousands Of Schoolchildren
I’m watching history happen, right in front of my eyes.
It’s 12:30 Eastern Time on Monday, May 6.
On my computer screen, I’m watching a live satellite feed from space.
An astronaut is singing and playing guitar. He’s singing a song he wrote (with Canadian songwriter Ed Robertson from the band the Barenaked Ladies) called I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing)?
But the really exciting part is something I can’t see. Hundreds of thousands of children in Canada and throughout the world are also singing, right at this moment, singing the very same song.
It’s part of Music Monday, which is an annual event in Canada that began in 2005. Each year, a song is chosen and school children across the country learn it so they can sing it at the same time on the same day.
New Designs For Canadian $5 And $10 Bills “Cartoonish” And “Outdated”
The Bank of Canada is ready to show people what its new polymer $5 and $10 bills will look like.
But according to a report, some people say the new bills look too cartoonish or outdated.
The report was obtained by a news service called Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.
The report says that the Bank asked focus groups what they thought about the look of newly designed $5 and $10 bills.
The people in the focus groups said they thought the space images on the bill looked too childish.
Commander Hadfield’s Son, Evan, Helps Bring Space To Earth
Chris Hadfield is the Canadian astronaut living and working on – and commanding – the International Space Station.
He’s the first astronaut to bring the “space experience” to Earthlings in the form of regular tweets, photos, Facebook posts, videos and even songs.
Hadfield lets us know what experiments he’s working on, what the Earth looks like from his vantage point and what it’s like to live in space.
Hadfield has three children, Kyle (30), Evan (27) and Kristin (26).
Evan lives in Darmstadt, Germany.
He has been helping his father communicate with Earth, via Twitter and other social media websites such as Facebook, tumblr and Soundcloud.
Dragon Brings Fresh Supplies To International Space Station
Did you ever wonder how the astronauts who are living on board the International Space Station get fresh supplies, like food, medicine and materials for their research?
A cargo capsule called SpaceX Dragon was recently sent up to the ISS to bring the astronauts fresh supplies.
Dragon was loaded with more than a thousand kilograms of science equipment, food and other materials.
It left Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Friday.
Astronaut Chris Hadfield Debuts Song From Space
Before he left for the International Space Station, Hadfield wrote a song with singer Ed Robertson.
It’s called I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing?). ISS can also stand for “International Space Station,” which is fitting since the song is about what it’s like to leave the Earth and go into space.
Hadfield has done some incredible things during his time on the ISS. He has made his experience in space accessible to the people on Earth.
He has tweeted messages, conducted live media conferences, sent photos and kept people up-to-date on what the astronauts on the Space Station are doing.
What Hadfield is doing is unique. No astronaut has ever brought space so close to Earth before.
