With the successful anti-satellite missile test, India is capable of hitting a target at a range of over 1,000 km in space and a lower orbit was chosen for the mission to avoid a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/asat-satellite-destruction-led-to-400-pieces-of-debris-endangering-iss-nasa-207311">threat of debris to global space assets</a>, DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy said Saturday.

On being asked whether multiple satellite targets can be hit, he said, "It is a question of how many launchers we have, and with multiple launchers, one can have multiple engagements. But, multiple (targets) is definitely feasible."

India shot down one of its satellites in space on March 27 with an anti-satellite (A-SAT) missile to demonstrate this complex capability, joining the elite club of countries -- the US, Russia and China -- which have such capabilities.

"The A-SAT test was successfully conducted with a new interceptor missile against a live orbiting satellite in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in a hit-to-kill mode. The interceptor has the capability to hit the target at a range of 1,000 km, which covers most of the LEO satellites," he told a press conference at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Bhawan here.

"An orbit of around 300 km was chosen for the test for capability demonstration and the purpose was to avoid the threat of debris to any global space assets," Reddy said.

His remarks come days after NASA raised concerns about the spread of debris from the A-SAT test India conducted under Mission Shakti.

"The debris created following the intercept will decay in a matter of weeks," he added.

Addressing the media persons, Reddy also said, "For a similar application we don't need another test."

On Tuesday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had termed a "terrible thing" India's shooting down of its satellite, saying the hit-to-kill mission created about 400 pieces of orbital debris.

"Some debris going up could be a possibility, as per our simulation also. We don't have information on that.. From our simulation, we can very clearly say that the possibilities of (debris) hitting the ISS are not there," Reddy said.

He said the first 10 days since the test were critical and that have passed, and in 45 days all debris will disintegrate.

The Ministry of External Affairs too has said the test was done in the lower atmosphere to ensure that there is no space debris.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hailed the A-SAT test's success as "an unprecedented achievement" that makes India a "space power".

Some 150 scientists, including at least 40 women scientists, worked round-the-clock, and especially in the last six months on this project. About 2,000 components were sourced from 50 private industries. The idea began around 2014 and development started in 2016 with a go-ahead from the government.

The press interaction came days ahead of the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls on April 11 due to which the model code of conduct is in place.

He also said that earlier in the day there was a meeting with eminent scientists to inform them about the A-SAT test.&nbsp;

He also responded to a question on Congress leader P Chidambaram's criticism of the government on the test, who had said that "only a foolish government" would reveal a defence secret.

"Mission of this nature after a test is conducted can't be kept secret. The satellite is tracked by many stations across the world. All necessary permissions were taken, Reddy said.

With the successful anti-satellite missile test, India is capable of hitting a target at a range of over 1,000 km in space and a lower orbit was chosen for the mission to avoid a threat of debris to global space assets, DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy said Saturday.

With the successful anti-satellite missile test, India is capable of hitting a target at a range of over 1,000 km in space and a lower orbit was chosen for the mission to avoid a threat of debris to global space assets, DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy said Saturday. On being asked whether multiple satellite targets can be hit, he said, "It is a question of how many launchers we have, and with multiple launchers, one can have multiple engagements. But, multiple (targets) is definitely feasible." India shot down one of its satellites in space on March 27 with an anti-satellite (A-SAT) missile to demonstrate this complex capability, joining the elite club of countries -- the US, Russia and China -- which have such capabilities. "The A-SAT test was successfully conducted with a new interceptor missile against a live orbiting satellite in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in a hit-to-kill mode. The interceptor has the capability to hit the target at a range of 1,000 km, which covers most of the LEO satellites," he told a press conference at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Bhawan here. "An orbit of around 300 km was chosen for the test for capability demonstration and the purpose was to avoid the threat of debris to any global space assets," Reddy said. His remarks come days after NASA raised concerns about the spread of debris from the A-SAT test India conducted under Mission Shakti. "The debris created following the intercept will decay in a matter of weeks," he added. Addressing the media persons, Reddy also said, "For a similar application we don't need another test." On Tuesday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had termed a "terrible thing" India's shooting down of its satellite, saying the hit-to-kill mission created about 400 pieces of orbital debris. "Some debris going up could be a possibility, as per our simulation also. We don't have information on that.. From our simulation, we can very clearly say that the possibilities of (debris) hitting the ISS are not there," Reddy said. He said the first 10 days since the test were critical and that have passed, and in 45 days all debris will disintegrate. The Ministry of External Affairs too has said the test was done in the lower atmosphere to ensure that there is no space debris. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hailed the A-SAT test's success as "an unprecedented achievement" that makes India a "space power". Some 150 scientists, including at least 40 women scientists, worked round-the-clock, and especially in the last six months on this project. About 2,000 components were sourced from 50 private industries. The idea began around 2014 and development started in 2016 with a go-ahead from the government. The press interaction came days ahead of the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls on April 11 due to which the model code of conduct is in place. He also said that earlier in the day there was a meeting with eminent scientists to inform them about the A-SAT test. He also responded to a question on Congress leader P Chidambaram's criticism of the government on the test, who had said that "only a foolish government" would reveal a defence secret. "Mission of this nature after a test is conducted can't be kept secret. The satellite is tracked by many stations across the world. All necessary permissions were taken, Reddy said.

A-SAT: India chose much lower orbit to avoid debris threat to global space assets, says DRDO

The head of NASA on Monday branded India's destruction of one of its satellites a "terrible thing" that had created 400 pieces of orbital debris and led to new dangers for astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Jim Bridenstine was addressing employees of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration five days after <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/us-tracking-250-270-objects-from-indian-asat-test-debris-iss-not-at-risk-pentagon-206638">India shot down a low-orbiting satellite in a missile test </a>to prove it was among the world's advanced space powers.&nbsp;

Not all of the pieces were big enough to track, Bridenstine explained. "What we are tracking right now, objects big enough to track -- we're talking about 10 centimetres (six inches) or bigger -- about 60 pieces have been tracked."

The Indian satellite was destroyed at a relatively low altitude of 180 miles (300 kilometres), well below the ISS and most satellites in orbit.

But 24 of the pieces "are going above the apogee of the International Space Station," said Bridenstine.

"That is a terrible, terrible thing to create an event that sends debris at an apogee that goes above the International Space Station," he continued, adding, "That kind of activity is not compatible with the future of human spaceflight."

"It's unacceptable and NASA needs to be very clear about what its impact to us is."

The US military tracks objects in space to predict the collision risk for the ISS and for satellites. They are currently tracking 23,000 objects larger than 10 centimetres.&nbsp;

That includes about 10,000 pieces of space debris, of which nearly 3,000 were created by a single event, a Chinese anti-satellite test in 2007 at 530 miles from the surface.&nbsp;

As a result of the Indian test, the risk of collision with the ISS has increased by 44 per cent over 10 days, Bridenstine said.

But the risk will dissipate over time as much of the debris will burn up as it enters the atmosphere.

The head of NASA on Monday branded India's destruction of one of its satellites a "terrible thing" that had created 400 pieces of orbital debris and led to new dangers for astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

The head of NASA on Monday branded India's destruction of one of its satellites a "terrible thing" that had created 400 pieces of orbital debris and led to new dangers for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Jim Bridenstine was addressing employees of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration five days after India shot down a low-orbiting satellite in a missile test to prove it was among the world's advanced space powers. Not all of the pieces were big enough to track, Bridenstine explained. "What we are tracking right now, objects big enough to track -- we're talking about 10 centimetres (six inches) or bigger -- about 60 pieces have been tracked." The Indian satellite was destroyed at a relatively low altitude of 180 miles (300 kilometres), well below the ISS and most satellites in orbit. But 24 of the pieces "are going above the apogee of the International Space Station," said Bridenstine. "That is a terrible, terrible thing to create an event that sends debris at an apogee that goes above the International Space Station," he continued, adding, "That kind of activity is not compatible with the future of human spaceflight." "It's unacceptable and NASA needs to be very clear about what its impact to us is." The US military tracks objects in space to predict the collision risk for the ISS and for satellites. They are currently tracking 23,000 objects larger than 10 centimetres. That includes about 10,000 pieces of space debris, of which nearly 3,000 were created by a single event, a Chinese anti-satellite test in 2007 at 530 miles from the surface. As a result of the Indian test, the risk of collision with the ISS has increased by 44 per cent over 10 days, Bridenstine said. But the risk will dissipate over time as much of the debris will burn up as it enters the atmosphere.

ASAT satellite destruction led to 400 pieces of debris, endangering International Space Station: NASA

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-parliament-remains-divided-on-brexit-options-207308">British Parliament remains divided on Brexit options</a>

All four alternative Brexit proposals considered Monday by the UK House of Commons went down to defeat, albeit by narrower margins than in last week's initial vote.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/asat-satellite-destruction-led-to-400-pieces-of-debris-endangering-iss-nasa-207311">ASAT satellite destruction led to 400 pieces of debris, endangering International Space Station: NASA</a>

The head of NASA on Monday branded India's destruction of one of its satellites a "terrible thing" that had created 400 pieces of orbital debris and led to new dangers for astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/imran-khans-promise-of-naya-pakistan-a-distant-dream-as-pakistan-economy-struggles-207337">Imran Khan's promise of 'Naya Pakistan' a distant dream as economy struggles&nbsp;</a>

Imran Khan's promise of 'Naya Pakistan' seems to be a distant dream' with the country's economy in shambles

According to the latest numbers released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, inflation in Pakistan is at an all-time high at 9.41 per cent, up from the previous 8.21 per cent.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/second-woman-says-former-us-vice-president-biden-touched-her-inappropriately-207340">Second</a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/second-woman-says-former-us-vice-president-biden-touched-her-inappropriately-207340"> woman says former US vice president Joe Biden touched her inappropriately</a>

A Connecticut woman said former US Vice President Joe Biden touched her inappropriately and rubbed noses with her at a 2009 political fundraiser, becoming the second person in three days to accuse the former vice president of unwanted physical contact as he considers a White House run.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/top-venezuela-court-calls-to-strip-guaidos-immunity-207309">Top Venezuela court calls to strip opposition leader Guaido's immunity</a>

Venezuela's top court called on the ruling Constituent Assembly Monday to strip opposition leader Juan Guaido of parliamentary immunity.

The decision by the Supreme Court of Justice could open the way for President Nicolas Maduro's rival Guaido, recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries, to be prosecuted.

British Parliament remains divided on Brexit options All four alternative Brexit proposals considered Monday by the UK House of Commons went down to defeat, albeit by narrower margins than in last week's initial vote.

British Parliament remains divided on Brexit options All four alternative Brexit proposals considered Monday by the UK House of Commons went down to defeat, albeit by narrower margins than in last week's initial vote. ASAT satellite destruction led to 400 pieces of debris, endangering International Space Station: NASA The head of NASA on Monday branded India's destruction of one of its satellites a "terrible thing" that had created 400 pieces of orbital debris and led to new dangers for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Imran Khan's promise of 'Naya Pakistan' a distant dream as economy struggles Imran Khan's promise of 'Naya Pakistan' seems to be a distant dream' with the country's economy in shambles According to the latest numbers released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, inflation in Pakistan is at an all-time high at 9.41 per cent, up from the previous 8.21 per cent. Second woman says former US vice president Joe Biden touched her inappropriately A Connecticut woman said former US Vice President Joe Biden touched her inappropriately and rubbed noses with her at a 2009 political fundraiser, becoming the second person in three days to accuse the former vice president of unwanted physical contact as he considers a White House run. Top Venezuela court calls to strip opposition leader Guaido's immunity Venezuela's top court called on the ruling Constituent Assembly Monday to strip opposition leader Juan Guaido of parliamentary immunity. The decision by the Supreme Court of Justice could open the way for President Nicolas Maduro's rival Guaido, recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries, to be prosecuted.

News brief: Big stories of the day

The US is tracking 250-270 objects of debris in the space generated due to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/us-didnt-spy-on-indias-asat-test-pentagon-206628">India's anti-satellite (ASAT) missile test</a> in lower earth orbit, but the International Space Station or ISS is not at risk, the Pentagon said Friday.&nbsp;

US Strategic Command's Joint Force Space Component Command (JFSCC) said 250 pieces of debris associated with an Indian ASAT launch that occurred on Wednesday are being actively tracked.&nbsp;

"Debris from the event is being actively monitored by the JFSCC, and conjunction notifications are being issued to satellite owners/operators in accordance with standard notification processes through the Department of Defense's public space situational awareness sharing website HYPERLINK "http://www.Space-track.Org," it said.

The JFSCC said it will continue to actively track debris associated with the event and issue close approach notifications as required until the debris enters the earth's atmosphere.

US Air Force Space Command Commander Lt Gen David D Thompson told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing on Thursday that the JFSCC and Air Force's 18 space control Squadron are currently "tracking about 270 different objects in the debris" field.&nbsp;

Responding to questions from members of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, he said the number is going to grow as the debris field spreads out as the US collects more sensor information.

Thompson, however, refrained from giving any further details of the debris.

"But we do know the altitude at which it occurred. We immediately started providing public notice on our space track website and will provide direct notification to satellite operators, if those satellites are under threat," he said.

Responding to questions from lawmakers, Thompson said, "At this point in time, the International Space Station is not at risk."&nbsp;

The ISS orbits over 100 km higher than the orbit at which India carried out the ASAT test.&nbsp;

"That's another thing that we do and provide warning routinely. That's just an example of -no other nation --no other military force, no other civil or other body could have detected characterised and begun warning and providing the world, the way we do with air force and other joint assets," Thompson said.

Astronomer Jonathan McDowell from the prestigious Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said India acted in a less irresponsible manner than the Chinese in doing the test.&nbsp;

"We don't know yet how much debris and how high. The United States has said that it's tracking about 250 pieces. But it will take them at least a few days, if not a few weeks to figure to catalogue those pieces," he told PTI.

Once the cataloguing is done, only then one could analyses how bad the situation is, he added.

Responding to a question, McDowell, who has been following India's space program since the 1970s, described the ASAT test as a "much more aggressive stance" even though it is presented as a defensive measure.

This is reflective of the ambitious and military side of the Indian space programme and is in response to China's aggressive space militarisation programme, he said.

Opposed to such tests, McDowell said, the Indian ASAT test was "relatively responsible" or "less responsible" than the Chinese ASAT test.&nbsp;

"Although I'm opposed to the test, I think that if you're going to do a test, that's a better way to do it.

"There will be debris that ends up in higher orbit but not as much and not as long left. The test at the level will ensure that the debris doesn't stay up for long periods of time, in contrast to what happened with the Chinese test, which was much higher up," he said.&nbsp;

"So that is relatively responsible. Certainly, they (Indians) have learned from the mistakes of the Chinese," said the American astronomer.

He said the Chinese debris&nbsp;hundreds of pieces in worst possible orbit - are still in the space.

The Indian debris might vanish and burn up when they come down in the next few months, while that of the Chinese might take decades to come down, McDowell said.&nbsp;

Well known space professional, Brian Weeden said China is one reason for India's test.&nbsp;

"India sees itself in competition with China for regional power and prestige and has been internally debating its own demonstration ever since the Chinese ASAT test in 2007," he said.

"The other factor is India's concern about being one of the "have nots" for ASAT weapons like they were for nuclear weapons, in the event of a future ban on ASAT testing," Weeden said.&nbsp;

But more tests like this risk creating space debris that could impact commercial business models for space, plus many of these new space companies feel strongly about social responsibility, he added.

The US is tracking 250-270 objects of debris in the space generated due to India's anti-satellite (ASAT) missile test in lower earth orbit, but the International Space Station or ISS is not at risk, the Pentagon said Friday.

The US is tracking 250-270 objects of debris in the space generated due to India's anti-satellite (ASAT) missile test in lower earth orbit, but the International Space Station or ISS is not at risk, the Pentagon said Friday. US Strategic Command's Joint Force Space Component Command (JFSCC) said 250 pieces of debris associated with an Indian ASAT launch that occurred on Wednesday are being actively tracked. "Debris from the event is being actively monitored by the JFSCC, and conjunction notifications are being issued to satellite owners/operators in accordance with standard notification processes through the Department of Defense's public space situational awareness sharing website HYPERLINK "http://www.Space-track.Org," it said. The JFSCC said it will continue to actively track debris associated with the event and issue close approach notifications as required until the debris enters the earth's atmosphere. US Air Force Space Command Commander Lt Gen David D Thompson told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing on Thursday that the JFSCC and Air Force's 18 space control Squadron are currently "tracking about 270 different objects in the debris" field. Responding to questions from members of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, he said the number is going to grow as the debris field spreads out as the US collects more sensor information. Thompson, however, refrained from giving any further details of the debris. "But we do know the altitude at which it occurred. We immediately started providing public notice on our space track website and will provide direct notification to satellite operators, if those satellites are under threat," he said. Responding to questions from lawmakers, Thompson said, "At this point in time, the International Space Station is not at risk." The ISS orbits over 100 km higher than the orbit at which India carried out the ASAT test. "That's another thing that we do and provide warning routinely. That's just an example of -no other nation --no other military force, no other civil or other body could have detected characterised and begun warning and providing the world, the way we do with air force and other joint assets," Thompson said. Astronomer Jonathan McDowell from the prestigious Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said India acted in a less irresponsible manner than the Chinese in doing the test. "We don't know yet how much debris and how high. The United States has said that it's tracking about 250 pieces. But it will take them at least a few days, if not a few weeks to figure to catalogue those pieces," he told PTI. Once the cataloguing is done, only then one could analyses how bad the situation is, he added. Responding to a question, McDowell, who has been following India's space program since the 1970s, described the ASAT test as a "much more aggressive stance" even though it is presented as a defensive measure. This is reflective of the ambitious and military side of the Indian space programme and is in response to China's aggressive space militarisation programme, he said. Opposed to such tests, McDowell said, the Indian ASAT test was "relatively responsible" or "less responsible" than the Chinese ASAT test. "Although I'm opposed to the test, I think that if you're going to do a test, that's a better way to do it. "There will be debris that ends up in higher orbit but not as much and not as long left. The test at the level will ensure that the debris doesn't stay up for long periods of time, in contrast to what happened with the Chinese test, which was much higher up," he said. "So that is relatively responsible. Certainly, they (Indians) have learned from the mistakes of the Chinese," said the American astronomer. He said the Chinese debris hundreds of pieces in worst possible orbit - are still in the space. The Indian debris might vanish and burn up when they come down in the next few months, while that of the Chinese might take decades to come down, McDowell said. Well known space professional, Brian Weeden said China is one reason for India's test. "India sees itself in competition with China for regional power and prestige and has been internally debating its own demonstration ever since the Chinese ASAT test in 2007," he said. "The other factor is India's concern about being one of the "have nots" for ASAT weapons like they were for nuclear weapons, in the event of a future ban on ASAT testing," Weeden said. But more tests like this risk creating space debris that could impact commercial business models for space, plus many of these new space companies feel strongly about social responsibility, he added.

US tracking 250-270 objects from Indian ASAT test debris: Pentagon

The demonstration mission of SpaceX's new Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked Sunday on the International Space Station, passing a key test before it can begin taking US astronauts into space.

The docking of the capsule, which has only a dummy on board, was concluded at 1051 GMT, nearly 250 miles (400 kilometers) over the surface of the Earth, NASA and SpaceX confirmed during a live broadcast of the mission.

A little over two hours later, the space station's three crew members -- American Anne McClain, Canadian David Saint-Jacques and Russian Oleg Kononenko -- opened the hatch of the space capsule and, for the first time, penetrated its interior in space.

There they found the dummy, Ripley, strapped to a seat, and an untethered plush toy in the form of the blue planet, which SpaceX had jokingly placed there as a "super high-tech zero-g indicator."

"Welcome to the new era in spaceflight," McClain said from inside Dragon.

Saint-Jacques tweeted about the experience monitoring Crew Dragon's "first-ever approach and docking" to the space station, hailing it as "the dawn of a new era in human spaceflight!"

NASA chief Jim Bridenstine tweeted his congratulations on "this historic achievement," which brings the United States a big step closer to its goal of again flying astronauts into space on American rockets.

NASA has relied on Russia to ferry its astronauts to the space station since the end of the US space shuttle program in 2011 after a 30-year run. 
The capsule, also called Dragon or Dragon 2, approached the space station very gradually, carefully synchronizing its speed and trajectory.

Contact appeared to be made very slowly, but in actuality, both spacecraft were orbiting the Earth at more than 27,000 kilometres per hour.

From blast-off at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday to contact Sunday, the flight took 27 hours. Dragon will detach itself from the space station next Friday and splash down in the Atlantic Ocean, its descent slowed by four parachutes.

The mission is a dress rehearsal, without anyone on board, for Dragon's first manned mission, which should take place this year. The test run sought to demonstrate that the vehicle is reliable and safe so that NASA can resume manned flights from US soil this year.

'NASA 'rocking' again'&nbsp;

Founded by billionaire Elon Musk, SpaceX has made the trip to the ISS a dozen times since 2012, but only to bring cargo to the station.

Transporting people is a more complex task, requiring seats, a pressurised cabin with breathable air, temperature regulation and emergency escape systems.

In 2014, the US space agency awarded contracts to SpaceX and Boeing to take over the task of ferrying astronauts to the space station. In SpaceX's case, NASA has agreed to pay $2.6 billion for six round trips.

The switch from NASA owning spacecraft to paying private firms for service was initiated under former president Barack Obama -- but due to development delays, has come to fruition under US President Donald Trump.

"We've got NASA 'rocking' again. Great activity and success. Congrats to SPACEX and all!" Trump tweeted Saturday evening.

Return to the Moon&nbsp;

Since 2017, one of NASA's official missions has been to return to the Moon. Congress has been generous with the space agency, providing overall funding of $21.5 billion in the 2019 budget.

Bridenstine has explained that NASA wants to reduce costs in low orbit to devote resources to getting back to the Moon and assembling a small space station in lunar orbit in the 2020s.&nbsp;

"As a country, we're looking forward to being one customer of many customers, in a robust commercial marketplace in low Earth orbit, so that we can drive down costs and increase access in ways that historically have not been possible," he said Saturday following Dragon's launch.

But Musk has admitted that marketing travel in the Dragon capsule is not a priority -- and he is more interested in distant exploration of the solar system.&nbsp;

At the post-launch press conference on Saturday, he reiterated his dream for a permanent Moon base -- and sending people to Mars.

Musk has already locked in his first private customer to fly around the Moon: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. But it won't happen before 2023 at the earliest -- with the rocket, far more powerful than that used for the Dragon mission, still in development.

The demonstration mission of SpaceX's new Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked Sunday on the International Space Station, passing a key test before it can begin taking US astronauts into space.

The demonstration mission of SpaceX's new Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked Sunday on the International Space Station, passing a key test before it can begin taking US astronauts into space. The docking of the capsule, which has only a dummy on board, was concluded at 1051 GMT, nearly 250 miles (400 kilometers) over the surface of the Earth, NASA and SpaceX confirmed during a live broadcast of the mission. A little over two hours later, the space station's three crew members -- American Anne McClain, Canadian David Saint-Jacques and Russian Oleg Kononenko -- opened the hatch of the space capsule and, for the first time, penetrated its interior in space. There they found the dummy, Ripley, strapped to a seat, and an untethered plush toy in the form of the blue planet, which SpaceX had jokingly placed there as a "super high-tech zero-g indicator." "Welcome to the new era in spaceflight," McClain said from inside Dragon. Saint-Jacques tweeted about the experience monitoring Crew Dragon's "first-ever approach and docking" to the space station, hailing it as "the dawn of a new era in human spaceflight!" NASA chief Jim Bridenstine tweeted his congratulations on "this historic achievement," which brings the United States a big step closer to its goal of again flying astronauts into space on American rockets. NASA has relied on Russia to ferry its astronauts to the space station since the end of the US space shuttle program in 2011 after a 30-year run. The capsule, also called Dragon or Dragon 2, approached the space station very gradually, carefully synchronizing its speed and trajectory. Contact appeared to be made very slowly, but in actuality, both spacecraft were orbiting the Earth at more than 27,000 kilometres per hour. From blast-off at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday to contact Sunday, the flight took 27 hours. Dragon will detach itself from the space station next Friday and splash down in the Atlantic Ocean, its descent slowed by four parachutes. The mission is a dress rehearsal, without anyone on board, for Dragon's first manned mission, which should take place this year. The test run sought to demonstrate that the vehicle is reliable and safe so that NASA can resume manned flights from US soil this year. 'NASA 'rocking' again' Founded by billionaire Elon Musk, SpaceX has made the trip to the ISS a dozen times since 2012, but only to bring cargo to the station. Transporting people is a more complex task, requiring seats, a pressurised cabin with breathable air, temperature regulation and emergency escape systems. In 2014, the US space agency awarded contracts to SpaceX and Boeing to take over the task of ferrying astronauts to the space station. In SpaceX's case, NASA has agreed to pay $2.6 billion for six round trips. The switch from NASA owning spacecraft to paying private firms for service was initiated under former president Barack Obama -- but due to development delays, has come to fruition under US President Donald Trump. "We've got NASA 'rocking' again. Great activity and success. Congrats to SPACEX and all!" Trump tweeted Saturday evening. Return to the Moon Since 2017, one of NASA's official missions has been to return to the Moon. Congress has been generous with the space agency, providing overall funding of $21.5 billion in the 2019 budget. Bridenstine has explained that NASA wants to reduce costs in low orbit to devote resources to getting back to the Moon and assembling a small space station in lunar orbit in the 2020s. "As a country, we're looking forward to being one customer of many customers, in a robust commercial marketplace in low Earth orbit, so that we can drive down costs and increase access in ways that historically have not been possible," he said Saturday following Dragon's launch. But Musk has admitted that marketing travel in the Dragon capsule is not a priority -- and he is more interested in distant exploration of the solar system. At the post-launch press conference on Saturday, he reiterated his dream for a permanent Moon base -- and sending people to Mars. Musk has already locked in his first private customer to fly around the Moon: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. But it won't happen before 2023 at the earliest -- with the rocket, far more powerful than that used for the Dragon mission, still in development.

SpaceX Dragon capsule successfully docks with ISS

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/spacex-rocket-with-unmanned-us-capsule-blasts-off-for-space-station-200674">SpaceX's new Dragon capsule</a> successfully docked on the International Space Station on Sunday, NASA and SpaceX confirmed during a live broadcast of the mission.

"We can confirm hard capture is complete," NASA said.&nbsp;

The docking began at 1051 GMT, more than 400 kilometres above the Earth's surface, north of New Zealand -- and 27 hours after the capsule's launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida.

The mission is a test launch and only has a dummy on board the capsule ahead of a manned flight scheduled for later this year.

SpaceX's new Dragon capsule successfully docked on the International Space Station on Sunday, NASA and SpaceX confirmed during a live broadcast of the mission. "We can confirm hard capture is complete," NASA said.

SpaceX's new Dragon capsule successfully docked on the International Space Station on Sunday, NASA and SpaceX confirmed during a live broadcast of the mission. "We can confirm hard capture is complete," NASA said. The docking began at 1051 GMT, more than 400 kilometres above the Earth's surface, north of New Zealand -- and 27 hours after the capsule's launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida. The mission is a test launch and only has a dummy on board the capsule ahead of a manned flight scheduled for later this year.

SpaceX capsule docks successfully at International Space Station: NASA

NASA and SpaceX counted down the hours Friday to the launch of a new astronaut capsule on a week-long trip to the International Space Station and back -- a key step towards resuming manned space flights from US soil after an eight-year break.

This time around, the only occupant on board SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule will be a dummy named Ripley.

But if the test goes smoothly, NASA plans to put two astronauts aboard by the end of the year.&nbsp;

The new capsule will blast off aboard a rocket built by SpaceX -- run by billionaire Elon Musk -- at 2:49 am Saturday (0749 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

It is scheduled to reach the ISS by Sunday, with a return to Earth next Friday.

"This is a critically important event in American history," the head of the US space agency, Jim Bridenstine, told reporters, with the rocket and capsule visible behind him on the legendary launch pad where the Apollo missions to the Moon began. &nbsp;

"We're on the precipice of launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil again for the first time since the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011."

The excitement was palpable at Cape Canaveral, from the space-fan volunteers guiding media on site, to the tourists who came to watch the launch light up the overcast skies.

"It's been a long eight years," the Kennedy Space Center's director Bob Cabana, a former astronaut himself, said as SpaceX employees milled around the rocket.

After the shuttle program was shuttered in July 2011 after a 30-year run, NASA began outsourcing the logistics of its space missions.

It pays Russia to get its people up to the ISS orbiting research facility at a cost of $82 million ahead, for a round trip.

In 2014, the US space agency awarded contracts to SpaceX and Boeing for them to take over this task.

But the program has suffered delays as safety requirements are much more stringent for manned flights than for unmanned missions to deploy satellites.

"We're going to have more access to space at a better cost than at any point in human history," said Bridenstine, adding he was "100 per cent confident" that a manned flight would happen by year's end.

Boeing next&nbsp;

Boeing also received a contract in 2014 to develop a space vessel, the Starliner. It will not be tested until April, in a mission similar to SpaceX's.

NASA did not want to rely on just one single vehicle, in case of accidents.

"We're going to be a customer," Bridenstine told reporters.

Planning has been delayed by around three years, with the first manned SpaceX flight still pencilled in for July, though officials frequently refer to the end of 2019 as a more realistic deadline.

"We're going to take it day by day," Bridenstine said of the timeline.&nbsp;

"Right now, the date is July and that's what we're planning for, but if we change that date we'll make sure people know when it's the right time."

Doug Hurley, one of the two astronauts chosen for the future first manned flight, said: "We will be ready when SpaceX and NASA are ready for us to fly."

'Going to learn a ton'

Saturday's flight aims to test the vessel's reliability and safety in real-life conditions.

The dummy that will ride in the capsule -- which SpaceX's Hans Koenigsmann prefers to call a "smartie" -- has been nicknamed Ripley in honour of the character played by Sigourney Weaver in the "Alien" movies.

It will be fitted with monitors to test the forces that future astronauts will be subjected to on takeoff and when they return to the Earth's atmosphere and then splash down in the Atlantic, slowed down by giant parachutes.

"We're going to learn a ton from this mission," said Kathy Lueders, the manager of NASA's Commercial Crew program.

For SpaceX, which Musk founded in 2002, sending an astronaut into orbit would be a culmination of years of hard work and high-risk investment.

"Every mission is important, but this is even more important, said Koenigsmann, the firm's vice-president for build and flight reliability.

"Early on, our goal was human spaceflight," he said. "Human spaceflight is a core value of the business of SpaceX."

In less than a decade, SpaceX has become a key partner for NASA, in addition to dominating the market for private satellite launches.

Its Falcon 9 rockets have resupplied the space station 15 times in seven years, even though one of them blew up in 2015.

NASA and SpaceX counted down the hours Friday to the launch of a new astronaut capsule on a week-long trip to the International Space Station and back -- a key step towards resuming manned space flights from US soil after an eight-year break.

NASA and SpaceX counted down the hours Friday to the launch of a new astronaut capsule on a week-long trip to the International Space Station and back -- a key step towards resuming manned space flights from US soil after an eight-year break. This time around, the only occupant on board SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule will be a dummy named Ripley. But if the test goes smoothly, NASA plans to put two astronauts aboard by the end of the year. The new capsule will blast off aboard a rocket built by SpaceX -- run by billionaire Elon Musk -- at 2:49 am Saturday (0749 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. It is scheduled to reach the ISS by Sunday, with a return to Earth next Friday. "This is a critically important event in American history," the head of the US space agency, Jim Bridenstine, told reporters, with the rocket and capsule visible behind him on the legendary launch pad where the Apollo missions to the Moon began. "We're on the precipice of launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil again for the first time since the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011." The excitement was palpable at Cape Canaveral, from the space-fan volunteers guiding media on site, to the tourists who came to watch the launch light up the overcast skies. "It's been a long eight years," the Kennedy Space Center's director Bob Cabana, a former astronaut himself, said as SpaceX employees milled around the rocket. After the shuttle program was shuttered in July 2011 after a 30-year run, NASA began outsourcing the logistics of its space missions. It pays Russia to get its people up to the ISS orbiting research facility at a cost of $82 million ahead, for a round trip. In 2014, the US space agency awarded contracts to SpaceX and Boeing for them to take over this task. But the program has suffered delays as safety requirements are much more stringent for manned flights than for unmanned missions to deploy satellites. "We're going to have more access to space at a better cost than at any point in human history," said Bridenstine, adding he was "100 per cent confident" that a manned flight would happen by year's end. Boeing next Boeing also received a contract in 2014 to develop a space vessel, the Starliner. It will not be tested until April, in a mission similar to SpaceX's. NASA did not want to rely on just one single vehicle, in case of accidents. "We're going to be a customer," Bridenstine told reporters. Planning has been delayed by around three years, with the first manned SpaceX flight still pencilled in for July, though officials frequently refer to the end of 2019 as a more realistic deadline. "We're going to take it day by day," Bridenstine said of the timeline. "Right now, the date is July and that's what we're planning for, but if we change that date we'll make sure people know when it's the right time." Doug Hurley, one of the two astronauts chosen for the future first manned flight, said: "We will be ready when SpaceX and NASA are ready for us to fly." 'Going to learn a ton' Saturday's flight aims to test the vessel's reliability and safety in real-life conditions. The dummy that will ride in the capsule -- which SpaceX's Hans Koenigsmann prefers to call a "smartie" -- has been nicknamed Ripley in honour of the character played by Sigourney Weaver in the "Alien" movies. It will be fitted with monitors to test the forces that future astronauts will be subjected to on takeoff and when they return to the Earth's atmosphere and then splash down in the Atlantic, slowed down by giant parachutes. "We're going to learn a ton from this mission," said Kathy Lueders, the manager of NASA's Commercial Crew program. For SpaceX, which Musk founded in 2002, sending an astronaut into orbit would be a culmination of years of hard work and high-risk investment. "Every mission is important, but this is even more important, said Koenigsmann, the firm's vice-president for build and flight reliability. "Early on, our goal was human spaceflight," he said. "Human spaceflight is a core value of the business of SpaceX." In less than a decade, SpaceX has become a key partner for NASA, in addition to dominating the market for private satellite launches. Its Falcon 9 rockets have resupplied the space station 15 times in seven years, even though one of them blew up in 2015.

Countdown as SpaceX, NASA prepare to test new astronaut capsule

NASA and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/spacex-rocket-with-unmanned-us-capsule-blasts-off-for-space-station-200674">SpaceX celebrated the successful launch Saturday</a> of a new astronaut capsule on a week-long round trip to the International Space Station -- a key step towards resuming manned space flights from US soil after an eight-year break.

This time around, the only occupant on board SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule was a dummy named Ripley -- but NASA plans to put two astronauts aboard later this year.

The new capsule blasted off aboard the Falcon 9 rocket built by SpaceX -- run by billionaire Elon Musk -- at 2:49 am&nbsp;from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, lighting up the coastline.

Eleven minutes later, the confirmation came from SpaceX mission control: "Dragon separation confirmed."

That triggered cheers at the firm's headquarters and at the Kennedy Space Center.

The capsule is scheduled to reach the ISS by Sunday at around 1100 GMT, with a return to Earth next Friday.&nbsp;

It will splash down in the Atlantic Ocean, from where it will be brought back to Cape Canaveral.&nbsp;

In another success, the rocket's first stage returned to Earth, landing on a platform 500 kilometres off the Florida coast in the Atlantic. It marks the 35th such recovery by SpaceX.

NASA had announced weather conditions were a good head of the launch, with an 80-per cent chance of favourable weather.

SpaceX chief Elon Musk, who founded the company in 2002, was at the space centre for the occasion.&nbsp;

"This is a critically important event in American history," the head of the US space agency, Jim Bridenstine, told reporters on Friday, with the rocket and capsule visible behind him on the legendary launch pad where the Apollo missions to the Moon began.

"We're on the precipice of launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil again for the first time since the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011."

The excitement was palpable at Cape Canaveral, from the space-fan volunteers guiding media on site, to the tourists who came to watch.

"It's been a long eight years," the Kennedy Space Center's director Bob Cabana, a former astronaut himself, said as SpaceX employees milled around the rocket.

After the shuttle program was shuttered in July 2011 following a 30-year run, NASA began outsourcing the logistics of its space missions.

It pays Russia to get its people up to the ISS orbiting research facility at a cost of $82 million per head for a round trip.

In 2014, the US space agency awarded contracts to SpaceX and Boeing for them to take over this task.

But the program has suffered delays as safety requirements are much more stringent for manned flights than for unmanned missions to deploy satellites.

"We're going to have more access to space at a better cost than at any point in human history," said Bridenstine, adding he was "100 per cent confident" that a manned flight would happen by year's end.

Boeing next&nbsp; 
Boeing also received a contract in 2014 to develop a space vessel, the Starliner. It will not be tested until April, in a mission similar to SpaceX's.

NASA did not want to rely on just one single vehicle, in case of accidents.

"We're going to be a customer," Bridenstine told reporters.

Planning has been delayed by around three years, with the first manned SpaceX flight still pencilled in for July, though officials frequently refer to the end of 2019 as a more realistic deadline.

"We're going to take it day by day," Bridenstine said of the timeline.&nbsp;

"Right now, the date is July and that's what we're planning for, but if we change that date we'll make sure people know when it's the right time."

Doug Hurley, one of the two astronauts chosen for the future first manned flight, said: "We will be ready when SpaceX and NASA are ready for us to fly."

'Going to learn a ton'&nbsp; 
Saturday's flight aims to test the vessel's reliability and safety in real-life conditions.

The dummy riding in the capsule -- which SpaceX's Hans Koenigsmann prefers to call a "smartie" -- has been nicknamed Ripley in honour of the character played by Sigourney Weaver in the "Alien" movies.

It is fitted with monitors to test the forces that future astronauts will be subjected to on takeoff and when they return to the Earth's atmosphere and then splash down in the Atlantic, slowed down by giant parachutes.

"We're going to learn a ton from this mission," said Kathy Lueders, the manager of NASA's Commercial Crew program.

For SpaceX, sending an astronaut into orbit would be a culmination of years of hard work and high-risk investment.

"Every mission is important, but this is even more important, said Koenigsmann, the firm's vice-president for build and flight reliability.

"Early on, our goal was human spaceflight," he said. "Human spaceflight is a core value of business of SpaceX."

In less than a decade, SpaceX has become a key partner for NASA, in addition to dominating the market for private satellite launches.

Its Falcon 9 rockets have resupplied the space station 15 times in seven years, even though one of them blew up in 2015.

NASA and SpaceX celebrated the successful launch Saturday of a new astronaut capsule on a week-long round trip to the International Space Station -- a key step towards resuming manned space flights from US soil after an eight-year break.

NASA and SpaceX celebrated the successful launch Saturday of a new astronaut capsule on a week-long round trip to the International Space Station -- a key step towards resuming manned space flights from US soil after an eight-year break. This time around, the only occupant on board SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule was a dummy named Ripley -- but NASA plans to put two astronauts aboard later this year. The new capsule blasted off aboard the Falcon 9 rocket built by SpaceX -- run by billionaire Elon Musk -- at 2:49 am from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, lighting up the coastline. Eleven minutes later, the confirmation came from SpaceX mission control: "Dragon separation confirmed." That triggered cheers at the firm's headquarters and at the Kennedy Space Center. The capsule is scheduled to reach the ISS by Sunday at around 1100 GMT, with a return to Earth next Friday. It will splash down in the Atlantic Ocean, from where it will be brought back to Cape Canaveral. In another success, the rocket's first stage returned to Earth, landing on a platform 500 kilometres off the Florida coast in the Atlantic. It marks the 35th such recovery by SpaceX. NASA had announced weather conditions were a good head of the launch, with an 80-per cent chance of favourable weather. SpaceX chief Elon Musk, who founded the company in 2002, was at the space centre for the occasion. "This is a critically important event in American history," the head of the US space agency, Jim Bridenstine, told reporters on Friday, with the rocket and capsule visible behind him on the legendary launch pad where the Apollo missions to the Moon began. "We're on the precipice of launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil again for the first time since the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011." The excitement was palpable at Cape Canaveral, from the space-fan volunteers guiding media on site, to the tourists who came to watch. "It's been a long eight years," the Kennedy Space Center's director Bob Cabana, a former astronaut himself, said as SpaceX employees milled around the rocket. After the shuttle program was shuttered in July 2011 following a 30-year run, NASA began outsourcing the logistics of its space missions. It pays Russia to get its people up to the ISS orbiting research facility at a cost of $82 million per head for a round trip. In 2014, the US space agency awarded contracts to SpaceX and Boeing for them to take over this task. But the program has suffered delays as safety requirements are much more stringent for manned flights than for unmanned missions to deploy satellites. "We're going to have more access to space at a better cost than at any point in human history," said Bridenstine, adding he was "100 per cent confident" that a manned flight would happen by year's end. Boeing next Boeing also received a contract in 2014 to develop a space vessel, the Starliner. It will not be tested until April, in a mission similar to SpaceX's. NASA did not want to rely on just one single vehicle, in case of accidents. "We're going to be a customer," Bridenstine told reporters. Planning has been delayed by around three years, with the first manned SpaceX flight still pencilled in for July, though officials frequently refer to the end of 2019 as a more realistic deadline. "We're going to take it day by day," Bridenstine said of the timeline. "Right now, the date is July and that's what we're planning for, but if we change that date we'll make sure people know when it's the right time." Doug Hurley, one of the two astronauts chosen for the future first manned flight, said: "We will be ready when SpaceX and NASA are ready for us to fly." 'Going to learn a ton' Saturday's flight aims to test the vessel's reliability and safety in real-life conditions. The dummy riding in the capsule -- which SpaceX's Hans Koenigsmann prefers to call a "smartie" -- has been nicknamed Ripley in honour of the character played by Sigourney Weaver in the "Alien" movies. It is fitted with monitors to test the forces that future astronauts will be subjected to on takeoff and when they return to the Earth's atmosphere and then splash down in the Atlantic, slowed down by giant parachutes. "We're going to learn a ton from this mission," said Kathy Lueders, the manager of NASA's Commercial Crew program. For SpaceX, sending an astronaut into orbit would be a culmination of years of hard work and high-risk investment. "Every mission is important, but this is even more important, said Koenigsmann, the firm's vice-president for build and flight reliability. "Early on, our goal was human spaceflight," he said. "Human spaceflight is a core value of business of SpaceX." In less than a decade, SpaceX has become a key partner for NASA, in addition to dominating the market for private satellite launches. Its Falcon 9 rockets have resupplied the space station 15 times in seven years, even though one of them blew up in 2015.

SpaceX astronaut capsule separates from rocket, is en route to International Space Station

NASA gave its final go-ahead on Friday to billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX company to conduct its first unmanned test flight of a newly designed crew capsule to the International Space Station on March 2.

The approval cleared a key hurdle for SpaceX in its quest to help NASA revive America's human spaceflight program, stalled since space shuttle missions came to an end in 2011.

NASA has awarded SpaceX $2.6 billion, and aerospace rival Boeing Co $4.2 billion to build separate rocket and capsule launch systems to carry US astronauts to and from the space station, an orbital research laboratory that flies 250 miles above Earth.

"Following a full day of briefings and discussion, NASA and SpaceX are proceeding with plans to conduct the first uncrewed test flight of the Crew Dragon on a mission to the International Space Station," NASA said in a statement announcing its decision.

NASA gave its final go-ahead on Friday to billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX company to conduct its first unmanned test flight of a newly designed crew capsule to the International Space Station on March 2.

NASA gave its final go-ahead on Friday to billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX company to conduct its first unmanned test flight of a newly designed crew capsule to the International Space Station on March 2. The approval cleared a key hurdle for SpaceX in its quest to help NASA revive America's human spaceflight program, stalled since space shuttle missions came to an end in 2011. NASA has awarded SpaceX $2.6 billion, and aerospace rival Boeing Co $4.2 billion to build separate rocket and capsule launch systems to carry US astronauts to and from the space station, an orbital research laboratory that flies 250 miles above Earth. "Following a full day of briefings and discussion, NASA and SpaceX are proceeding with plans to conduct the first uncrewed test flight of the Crew Dragon on a mission to the International Space Station," NASA said in a statement announcing its decision.

NASA clears SpaceX test flight to space station

Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft returning <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russias-soyuz-rocket-blasts-off-into-space-to-international-space-station-181195">from the International Space Station</a>(ISS) carrying Russian, German and US astronauts landed safely in Kazakhstan, Russian space agency informed.

"There's been a landing... The crew of the manned Soyuz MS-09 has returned safely to Earth," Russian space agency Roscosmos said.&nbsp;

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ЕСТЬ ПОСАДКА! Добро пожаловать домой, «Алтаи»! Экипаж пилотируемого корабля <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D0%A1%D0%BE%D1%8E%D0%B7?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Союз</a> МС09 благополучно вернулся на Землю спустя 197 суток полёта! 
// 
TOUCHDOWN! Welcome home, Sergey, <a href="https://twitter.com/Astro_Alex?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Astro_Alex</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AstroSerena?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AstroSerena</a>! <a href="https://t.co/HUXbsjFx3o">pic.twitter.com/HUXbsjFx3o</a>
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1075618149259755520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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"The crew feels well after returning to Earth," the space agency added.

Soyuz was carrying Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency, NASA's Serena Aunon-Chancellor and Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos.

The landing occurred at 0802 Moscow time (0502 GMT) on the Kazakh steppe, Roscosmos said.

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Специалисты поисково-спасательных групп добрались до спускаемого аппарата и начали проводить эвакуацию вернувшегося на Землю экипажа корабля <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D0%A1%D0%BE%D1%8E%D0%B7%D0%9C%D0%A109?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#СоюзМС09</a>. Самочувствие Сергея Прокопьева Александра Герста и Серины Ауньён-Чэнселлор хорошее. <a href="https://t.co/t3L2EKGIKh">pic.twitter.com/t3L2EKGIKh</a>
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1075626159424069633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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NASA said that all search and recovery helicopters had arrived at the scene and were extracting the crew.

Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft returning from the International Space Station(ISS) carrying Russian, German and US astronauts landed safely in Kazakhstan, Russian space agency informed.

Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft returning from the International Space Station(ISS) carrying Russian, German and US astronauts landed safely in Kazakhstan, Russian space agency informed. "There's been a landing... The crew of the manned Soyuz MS-09 has returned safely to Earth," Russian space agency Roscosmos said. ЕСТЬ ПОСАДКА! Добро пожаловать домой, «Алтаи»! Экипаж пилотируемого корабля #Союз МС09 благополучно вернулся на Землю спустя 197 суток полёта! // TOUCHDOWN! Welcome home, Sergey, @Astro_Alex and @AstroSerena! pic.twitter.com/HUXbsjFx3o — РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) December 20, 2018 × "The crew feels well after returning to Earth," the space agency added. Soyuz was carrying Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency, NASA's Serena Aunon-Chancellor and Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos. The landing occurred at 0802 Moscow time (0502 GMT) on the Kazakh steppe, Roscosmos said. Специалисты поисково-спасательных групп добрались до спускаемого аппарата и начали проводить эвакуацию вернувшегося на Землю экипажа корабля #СоюзМС09. Самочувствие Сергея Прокопьева Александра Герста и Серины Ауньён-Чэнселлор хорошее. pic.twitter.com/t3L2EKGIKh — РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) December 20, 2018 × NASA said that all search and recovery helicopters had arrived at the scene and were extracting the crew.

Watch: Soyuz spacecraft with German, US, Russian astronauts returns from International Space Station

Using knives and shears, a pair of Russian spacewalkers Tuesday cut samples of material around a mysterious hole in a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/soyuz-arrives-at-iss-on-first-manned-mission-since-october-failure-181307">Soyuz spacecraft</a> docked on the International Space Station that a Moscow official suggested could have been deliberate sabotage.

Roscosmos space agency said the aim was to discover whether the "small but dangerous" hole had been made on Earth or in space.

The two-millimetre cavity on the Soyuz spaceship docked at the ISS caused an air leak detected in August, two months after the craft's last voyage. 
Until Tuesday, astronauts had only been able to examine the hole from inside the spacecraft.

During the seven-hour, 45-minute spacewalk, veteran cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Sergei Prokopyev struggled, but eventually succeeded, in cutting away the insulation covering the hole and taking out a sample to analyse.

What made it especially hard is that the Soyuz spacecraft, unlike the ISS, was not designed to be repaired in spacewalks and has no outside railings for astronauts to hold onto.

"There's nothing, that's the problem," Kononenko said ahead of the outing. Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said in October that an investigation had ruled out a manufacturing error. He had said earlier that Russia did not exclude "deliberate interference in space."&nbsp;

Russian media reported the investigation was probing the possibility US astronauts deliberately drilled the hole to get a sick colleague sent back home. Russian officials later denied those reports.

The discovery of the hole was followed in October by the failure of a manned Soyuz launch, although the Russian and US astronauts returned safely to Earth.

The samples will be sent to Earth to "get at the truth" of the cavity's origins, the space agency said. The cosmonauts also took photographs and filmed video, before putting new insulation over the area. The spacewalk was the fourth for Kononenko and the second for Prokopyev.

Rogozin called the spacewalk "unprecedented in its complexity" on Twitter and Roscosmos said it would "enter the history of space exploration." The Soyuz spacecraft is used to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS. The hole is in a section that will not be used for the return journey to Earth on December 20.

The ISS is one of the few areas of Russia-US cooperation that remains unaffected by the slump in relations and Washington's sanctions.

Using knives and shears, a pair of Russian spacewalkers Tuesday cut samples of material around a mysterious hole in a Soyuz spacecraft docked on the International Space Station that a Moscow official suggested could have been deliberate sabotage.

Using knives and shears, a pair of Russian spacewalkers Tuesday cut samples of material around a mysterious hole in a Soyuz spacecraft docked on the International Space Station that a Moscow official suggested could have been deliberate sabotage. Roscosmos space agency said the aim was to discover whether the "small but dangerous" hole had been made on Earth or in space. The two-millimetre cavity on the Soyuz spaceship docked at the ISS caused an air leak detected in August, two months after the craft's last voyage. Until Tuesday, astronauts had only been able to examine the hole from inside the spacecraft. During the seven-hour, 45-minute spacewalk, veteran cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Sergei Prokopyev struggled, but eventually succeeded, in cutting away the insulation covering the hole and taking out a sample to analyse. What made it especially hard is that the Soyuz spacecraft, unlike the ISS, was not designed to be repaired in spacewalks and has no outside railings for astronauts to hold onto. "There's nothing, that's the problem," Kononenko said ahead of the outing. Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said in October that an investigation had ruled out a manufacturing error. He had said earlier that Russia did not exclude "deliberate interference in space." Russian media reported the investigation was probing the possibility US astronauts deliberately drilled the hole to get a sick colleague sent back home. Russian officials later denied those reports. The discovery of the hole was followed in October by the failure of a manned Soyuz launch, although the Russian and US astronauts returned safely to Earth. The samples will be sent to Earth to "get at the truth" of the cavity's origins, the space agency said. The cosmonauts also took photographs and filmed video, before putting new insulation over the area. The spacewalk was the fourth for Kononenko and the second for Prokopyev. Rogozin called the spacewalk "unprecedented in its complexity" on Twitter and Roscosmos said it would "enter the history of space exploration." The Soyuz spacecraft is used to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS. The hole is in a section that will not be used for the return journey to Earth on December 20. The ISS is one of the few areas of Russia-US cooperation that remains unaffected by the slump in relations and Washington's sanctions.

Russian spacewalkers take sample of mystery hole at space station

Russia's space agency <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/crew-of-soyuz-rocket-alive-after-emergency-landing-russian-space-agency-170888">Roscosmos said today it has</a> "successfully launched into orbit" the first manned Soyuz flight to the International Space Station(ISS).

The Soyuz team consists of Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Anne McClain of NASA and David Saint-Jacques of Canadian Space Agency.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Soyuz&nbsp;MS-11 flight lifted off from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

It is the first manned voyage to the ISS since the mission in October was aborted mid-air because of a rocket malfunction.&nbsp; 
According to Russian investigators, the rocket failure was caused due to sensor damage.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SoyuzMS11?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SoyuzMS11</a>: T+08:48 min → third stage cut-off and separation of the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft! Oleg Kononenko, <a href="https://twitter.com/Astro_DavidS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Astro_DavidS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AstroAnnimal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AstroAnnimal</a> are on their way to the International <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a>. 
 
Docking to ISS on December 3 at 17:36 UTC <a href="https://t.co/cKyX3zpM3Y">pic.twitter.com/cKyX3zpM3Y</a>
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1069557076798709760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Before the flight, US astronaut Anne Mcclain had said that she trusted the rocket.

"We trust our rocket. We're ready to fly. I think the space flight it's a hard task, it's a complicated task," she said, adding, "we know that systems will fail and so the importance is having redundant systems, and even twice redundant system."

"I think what we learned from the inside in October was how safe this rocket was," she said.

The ISS space laboratory has been orbiting the Earth since 1998.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Russia's space agency Roscosmos said today it has "successfully launched into orbit" the first manned Soyuz flight to the International Space Station(ISS). The Soyuz team consists of Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Anne McClain of NASA and David Saint-Jacques of Canadian Space Agency.

Russia's space agency Roscosmos said today it has "successfully launched into orbit" the first manned Soyuz flight to the International Space Station(ISS). The Soyuz team consists of Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Anne McClain of NASA and David Saint-Jacques of Canadian Space Agency. The Soyuz MS-11 flight lifted off from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It is the first manned voyage to the ISS since the mission in October was aborted mid-air because of a rocket malfunction. According to Russian investigators, the rocket failure was caused due to sensor damage. #SoyuzMS11: T+08:48 min → third stage cut-off and separation of the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft! Oleg Kononenko, @Astro_DavidS and @AstroAnnimal are on their way to the International @Space_Station. Docking to ISS on December 3 at 17:36 UTC pic.twitter.com/cKyX3zpM3Y — РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) December 3, 2018 × Before the flight, US astronaut Anne Mcclain had said that she trusted the rocket. "We trust our rocket. We're ready to fly. I think the space flight it's a hard task, it's a complicated task," she said, adding, "we know that systems will fail and so the importance is having redundant systems, and even twice redundant system." "I think what we learned from the inside in October was how safe this rocket was," she said. The ISS space laboratory has been orbiting the Earth since 1998.

Russia's Soyuz rocket blasts off into space to International Space Station

American and Canadian astronauts and Russian cosmonaut launch to the International Space Station

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/lankan-court-restrains-pm-rajapaksa-cabinet-from-functioning-181159">Lankan court restrains PM Rajapaksa, </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/lankan-court-restrains-pm-rajapaksa-cabinet-from-functioning-181159">cabinet</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/lankan-court-restrains-pm-rajapaksa-cabinet-from-functioning-181159"> from functioning</a>

A Sri Lankan court today denied Mahinda Rajapakse authority to act as the prime minister.

The court suspended Rajapakse's power and said it could not function till until its legitimacy was established.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russias-soyuz-rocket-blasts-off-into-space-to-international-space-station-181195">Russia's Soyuz rocket blasts off into space to International Space Station</a>

Russia's space agency Roscosmos said today it has "successfully launched into orbit" the first manned Soyuz flight to the International Space Station(ISS).

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/trump-seeking-pakistans-help-for-afghan-peace-talks-information-minister-fawad-chaudhry-181163">Trump seeking Pak help for Afghan peace talks: Information minister Chaudhry</a>

US President Donald Trump has sought Pakistan's help with Afghan peace talks in a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, the South Asian nation's information minister, Fawad Chaudhry, said on Monday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/video-french-government-says-no-plans-currently-to-impose-state-of-emergency-over-yellow-vest-protest-181154">No plans to impose </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/video-french-government-says-no-plans-currently-to-impose-state-of-emergency-over-yellow-vest-protest-181154">state</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/video-french-government-says-no-plans-currently-to-impose-state-of-emergency-over-yellow-vest-protest-181154"> of emergency over protests: French government</a>

The French government has no plans currently to impose a state of emergency over the "yellow vest" protests which caused chaos and destruction in Paris over the weekend, junior interior minister Laurent Nunez said Monday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/dont-underestimate-britains-capabilities-uk-spy-chief-warns-russia-181197">Don't underestimate Britain's capabilities: UK spy chief warns Russia</a>

The chief of Britain's foreign intelligence service warned the Kremlin on Monday not to underestimate the West after a brazen nerve agent attack on a retired double agent in England stoked fears about Russian covert activity abroad.

&nbsp;

Lankan court restrains PM Rajapaksa, cabinet from functioning A Sri Lankan court today denied Mahinda Rajapakse authority to act as the prime minister. The court suspended Rajapakse's power and said it could not function till until its legitimacy was established.

Lankan court restrains PM Rajapaksa, cabinet from functioning A Sri Lankan court today denied Mahinda Rajapakse authority to act as the prime minister. The court suspended Rajapakse's power and said it could not function till until its legitimacy was established. Russia's Soyuz rocket blasts off into space to International Space Station Russia's space agency Roscosmos said today it has "successfully launched into orbit" the first manned Soyuz flight to the International Space Station(ISS). Trump seeking Pak help for Afghan peace talks: Information minister Chaudhry US President Donald Trump has sought Pakistan's help with Afghan peace talks in a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, the South Asian nation's information minister, Fawad Chaudhry, said on Monday. No plans to impose state of emergency over protests: French government The French government has no plans currently to impose a state of emergency over the "yellow vest" protests which caused chaos and destruction in Paris over the weekend, junior interior minister Laurent Nunez said Monday. Don't underestimate Britain's capabilities: UK spy chief warns Russia The chief of Britain's foreign intelligence service warned the Kremlin on Monday not to underestimate the West after a brazen nerve agent attack on a retired double agent in England stoked fears about Russian covert activity abroad.

Spacecraft launch seen in outer space timelapse

A Russian Soyuz rocket with a cargo vessel blasted off Friday in the first launch to the International Space Station (ISS) since a manned accident last month.

The Soyuz-FG rocket took off at the scheduled time of 1814 GMT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, images from Russian space agency Roskosmos showed.

The launch is seen as a rehearsal for the next manned voyage, planned for December 3.

That flight will carry Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, and NASA's Anne McClain to the ISS.

Russia, the only country able to ferry astronauts to the space station, suspended all launches after a Soyuz rocket failed on October 11 just minutes after blast-off.

During the aborted launch, Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin and US astronaut Nick Hague made an emergency landing and escaped unharmed.

It was the first such incident in the history of post-Soviet space travel.

The Progress MS-10 will take around 48 hours to reach the ISS, bringing with it fuel, oxygen, water and scientific materials.

A commission to probe the October 11 accident reported that the flight was aborted because a sensor part had been damaged during assembly.&nbsp;

A Russian Soyuz rocket with a cargo vessel blasted off Friday in the first launch to the International Space Station (ISS) since a manned accident last month. The Soyuz-FG rocket took off at the scheduled time of 1814 GMT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, images from Russian space agency Roskosmos showed.

A Russian Soyuz rocket with a cargo vessel blasted off Friday in the first launch to the International Space Station (ISS) since a manned accident last month. The Soyuz-FG rocket took off at the scheduled time of 1814 GMT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, images from Russian space agency Roskosmos showed. The launch is seen as a rehearsal for the next manned voyage, planned for December 3. That flight will carry Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, and NASA's Anne McClain to the ISS. Russia, the only country able to ferry astronauts to the space station, suspended all launches after a Soyuz rocket failed on October 11 just minutes after blast-off. During the aborted launch, Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin and US astronaut Nick Hague made an emergency landing and escaped unharmed. It was the first such incident in the history of post-Soviet space travel. The Progress MS-10 will take around 48 hours to reach the ISS, bringing with it fuel, oxygen, water and scientific materials. A commission to probe the October 11 accident reported that the flight was aborted because a sensor part had been damaged during assembly.

Russia stages first Soyuz launch since accident

Russia hopes to launch three crew for the International Space Station on December 3, the first manned blast-off since an accident this month, the Roscosmos space agency said Wednesday.

Russia, the only country able to ferry astronauts to the orbiting science lab, suspended all launches after a rocket failed on October 11 just minutes after blast-off -- the first such incident in the history of post-Soviet space travel.

Roscosmos executive director Sergei Krikalyov told the RIA Novosti state news agency: "The industry is now making significant efforts to move forward the launch to December 3."

On the rocket destined for the ISS will be Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, and NASA astronaut Anne McClain.&nbsp;

The trio had originally been scheduled to blast off on December 20, but had their trip brought forward after the failed October 11 launch with Russia's Aleksey Ovchinin and NASA's Nick Hague on board.

Ovchinin and Hague returned safely back to Earth in their capsule, and are likely get their chance to go to the space station in the spring, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin has said.&nbsp;

Krikalyov said the astronauts currently on the ISS -- Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency, NASA's Serena Aunon-Chancellor, and Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos -- are expected to back on Earth "around December 20."&nbsp;

They had initially been scheduled to land on December 13 after their stint on the ISS, a joint project of the space agencies of America, Europe, Russia, Japan and Canada.

Meanwhile, an unmanned Progress cargo ship will blast off to the ISS on November 16 after its launch was postponed from October 30 due to the accident investigation, Krikalyov said.

In the first official report on the cause of the October 11 accident, Roscosmos said a sensor that indicated the separation of the first two stages of the rocket malfunctioned.&nbsp;

The Soyuz rocket used to launch astronauts has three stages, or segments. The first stage with four boosters is used to blast the rocket into the sky, before falling back to Earth, as the second and third stages continue the journey.

"The reason found by the commission (investigating the accident) was the abnormal operation of a sensor that signals the separation of the first and second stages," Krikalyov said at a space industry event in Moscow.&nbsp;

The malfunction led to one of the four boosters on the first stage failing to detach correctly and colliding with a fuel tank of the second stage, which exploded.

Roscosmos is due to hold a press conference Thursday to further detail the findings of the accident probe.

Russia hopes to launch three crew for the International Space Station on December 3, the first manned blast-off since an accident this month, the Roscosmos space agency said Wednesday.

Russia hopes to launch three crew for the International Space Station on December 3, the first manned blast-off since an accident this month, the Roscosmos space agency said Wednesday. Russia, the only country able to ferry astronauts to the orbiting science lab, suspended all launches after a rocket failed on October 11 just minutes after blast-off -- the first such incident in the history of post-Soviet space travel. Roscosmos executive director Sergei Krikalyov told the RIA Novosti state news agency: "The industry is now making significant efforts to move forward the launch to December 3." On the rocket destined for the ISS will be Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, and NASA astronaut Anne McClain. The trio had originally been scheduled to blast off on December 20, but had their trip brought forward after the failed October 11 launch with Russia's Aleksey Ovchinin and NASA's Nick Hague on board. Ovchinin and Hague returned safely back to Earth in their capsule, and are likely get their chance to go to the space station in the spring, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin has said. Krikalyov said the astronauts currently on the ISS -- Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency, NASA's Serena Aunon-Chancellor, and Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos -- are expected to back on Earth "around December 20." They had initially been scheduled to land on December 13 after their stint on the ISS, a joint project of the space agencies of America, Europe, Russia, Japan and Canada. Meanwhile, an unmanned Progress cargo ship will blast off to the ISS on November 16 after its launch was postponed from October 30 due to the accident investigation, Krikalyov said. In the first official report on the cause of the October 11 accident, Roscosmos said a sensor that indicated the separation of the first two stages of the rocket malfunctioned. The Soyuz rocket used to launch astronauts has three stages, or segments. The first stage with four boosters is used to blast the rocket into the sky, before falling back to Earth, as the second and third stages continue the journey. "The reason found by the commission (investigating the accident) was the abnormal operation of a sensor that signals the separation of the first and second stages," Krikalyov said at a space industry event in Moscow. The malfunction led to one of the four boosters on the first stage failing to detach correctly and colliding with a fuel tank of the second stage, which exploded. Roscosmos is due to hold a press conference Thursday to further detail the findings of the accident probe.

Russia targets December 3 for first manned ISS launch after accident

A recent study done&nbsp;by NASA has revealed that spending a year in space could change a person&#39;s&nbsp;DNA.

According to the research, 7% of astronaut&#39;s DNA does not return to normal after they land on earth.

The case study is based on an astronaut Scott Kelly&#39;s genes which involve information data gathered from before, during and after he spent one year in the International space station(ISS).

The data was later compared to his identical twins living on earth.

The research revelaed&nbsp;that after Kelly&#39;s return to earth he no longer shared the same genetics.

The official statement by NASA said&nbsp;&#39;&#39;researchers now know that 93% of Scott&rsquo;s genes returned to normal after landing. However, the remaining 7% point to possible long-term changes in genes related to his immune system, DNA repair, bone formation networks, hypoxia, and hypercapnia.&#39;&#39;

&quot;Increasing mission duration from the typical six-month ISS mission to one year resulted in no significant decreases in Scott&rsquo;s cognitive performance while inflight and relative to his twin brother Mark on the ground. However, a more pronounced decrease in speed and accuracy was reported post-flight, possibly due to re-exposure and adjustment to Earth&rsquo;s gravity, and the busy schedule that enveloped Scott after his mission.&quot;

The twin study research was done by ten research teams from around the country to discover what happens to the human body after spending a year in space.

According to the research, 7% of astronaut's DNA does not return to normal after they land on earth

A recent study done by NASA has revealed that spending a year in space could change a person's DNA. According to the research, 7% of astronaut's DNA does not return to normal after they land on earth. The case study is based on an astronaut Scott Kelly's genes which involve information data gathered from before, during and after he spent one year in the International space station(ISS). The data was later compared to his identical twins living on earth. The research revelaed that after Kelly's return to earth he no longer shared the same genetics. The official statement by NASA said ''researchers now know that 93% of Scott’s genes returned to normal after landing. However, the remaining 7% point to possible long-term changes in genes related to his immune system, DNA repair, bone formation networks, hypoxia, and hypercapnia.'' "Increasing mission duration from the typical six-month ISS mission to one year resulted in no significant decreases in Scott’s cognitive performance while inflight and relative to his twin brother Mark on the ground. However, a more pronounced decrease in speed and accuracy was reported post-flight, possibly due to re-exposure and adjustment to Earth’s gravity, and the busy schedule that enveloped Scott after his mission." The twin study research was done by ten research teams from around the country to discover what happens to the human body after spending a year in space.

Spending a year in space could change your DNA: NASA

While scientists and experts make unfettered efforts towards finding an alternative planet for habitation, space travel continues to baffle astronomy enthusiasts and laymen alike.

After NASA experts and astronauts successfully forayed into space, the prolonged human stay outside the &#39;familiar&#39; and &#39;habitable&#39; realm of the Earth was contemplated.&nbsp;

In December 2015, Tim Peake became the first Briton in space for more than 20 years on board the International Space Station (ISS).&nbsp;

Peake&#39;s life and his struggles, almost 400 kilometres above the Earth, are widely documented and written about. From the technology that made his &#39;nearly alien-like experience&#39; not only just hospitable but also bearable, to techniques that made his stay a safe and healthy one -- every aspect of his life &#39;away from home&#39; has been studied, almost still under a close scrutiny.&nbsp;

Interestingly, and not surprisingly, space food is very much a category in itself. After all, food (just like water and oxygen) holds the utmost importance for human survival.&nbsp;

<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AZx0RIV0wss" width="560"></iframe>

Ahead, we take a quick look at what &#39;eating&#39; and &#39;preparing&#39; food in space is all about -- how it is constantly restructured to fit an astronaut&#39;s dietary requirement -- to qualify the standards of weight, nutrition and of course, palatability.&nbsp;

NASA&#39;s official website states interesting facts about &#39;eating in space&#39;, how eating or preparing food in space is not similar to the Earth.

The supply&nbsp;

Some foods, like brownies and fruits, can be eaten in their natural form.&nbsp;

&quot;Of course, an oven is provided in the space station to heat foods to the proper temperature. There are no refrigerators in space, so space food must be stored and prepared properly to avoid spoilage, especially on a longer mission,&quot; noted the website.&nbsp;

While condiments like as ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise are available, salt and pepper are always available in liquid form simply because nothing can be sprinkled in space, it simply floats away.&nbsp;

&quot;There is a danger they could clog air vents, contaminate equipment or get stuck in an astronaut&#39;s eyes, mouth or nose,&quot; noted NASA.&nbsp;

The meals

Astronauts eat three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their meals are tailormade and cleared by certified nutritionists to ensure that they don&#39;t fall deficient in essential nutrients and minerals crucial for their survival in space.&nbsp;

&quot;Calorie requirements differ for astronauts. For instance, a small woman would require only about 1,900 calories a day, while a large man would require about 3,200 calories,&quot; explains NASA.&nbsp;

While an astronaut can choose from a variety of foods ranging from fruits, nuts, chicken, beef, seafood, candy, brownies, the available options for drinks and beverages include coffee, tea, orange juice, fruit punches and lemonade.

<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4exaXdPKS3Y" width="560"></iframe>

The packing&nbsp;

Space food is typically packaged in disposable packing. Astronauts are directed to throw away the packages after they are done eating. Food for space is packaged in a way to avoid spoilage, preventing them from flying away.&nbsp;

&quot;The food packaging is designed to be flexible and easier to use, as well as to maximize space when storing or disposing of food containers,&quot; as mentioned on the official website.&nbsp;

Plates and wrappers are disposable. The cutlery is usually used again -- not washed but wiped clean using wet wipes.

The challenges

Among few things that simply don&#39;t get well with space&#39;s environment include soft drinks -- because of microgravity. Ice cream would need freezers that&#39;s why they are ruled out while pizzas &quot;have not been perfected yet. Beyond that, astronauts can eat anything you might order from a typical menu.&quot;

Thanks to technological innovations, space food is now way better than what it was years ago, there were times when astronauts used to eat &quot;dried food from metal tubes that squeezed out like toothpaste. It was not very tasty. Space food has become more like the food we eat on Earth.&quot;

In one of the features published on NASA&#39;s website, Vickie Kloeris, sub-system manager for the International Space Station food aptly notes, &quot;Astronauts are people, they have likes and dislikes and we try to meet their preferences.&quot;&nbsp;

He noted that astronauts are now staying in space for longer and need tasty nutritious meals, something which is now close to achieving a level of perfection, however, the Space Station pizza party may still be a dream yet to come true.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

After NASA experts and astronauts successfully forayed into space, the prolonged human stay outside the 'familiar' and 'habitable' realm of the Earth was contemplated

While scientists and experts make unfettered efforts towards finding an alternative planet for habitation, space travel continues to baffle astronomy enthusiasts and laymen alike. After NASA experts and astronauts successfully forayed into space, the prolonged human stay outside the 'familiar' and 'habitable' realm of the Earth was contemplated. In December 2015, Tim Peake became the first Briton in space for more than 20 years on board the International Space Station (ISS). Peake's life and his struggles, almost 400 kilometres above the Earth, are widely documented and written about. From the technology that made his 'nearly alien-like experience' not only just hospitable but also bearable, to techniques that made his stay a safe and healthy one -- every aspect of his life 'away from home' has been studied, almost still under a close scrutiny. Interestingly, and not surprisingly, space food is very much a category in itself. After all, food (just like water and oxygen) holds the utmost importance for human survival. Ahead, we take a quick look at what 'eating' and 'preparing' food in space is all about -- how it is constantly restructured to fit an astronaut's dietary requirement -- to qualify the standards of weight, nutrition and of course, palatability. NASA's official website states interesting facts about 'eating in space', how eating or preparing food in space is not similar to the Earth. The supply Some foods, like brownies and fruits, can be eaten in their natural form. "Of course, an oven is provided in the space station to heat foods to the proper temperature. There are no refrigerators in space, so space food must be stored and prepared properly to avoid spoilage, especially on a longer mission," noted the website. While condiments like as ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise are available, salt and pepper are always available in liquid form simply because nothing can be sprinkled in space, it simply floats away. "There is a danger they could clog air vents, contaminate equipment or get stuck in an astronaut's eyes, mouth or nose," noted NASA. The meals Astronauts eat three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their meals are tailormade and cleared by certified nutritionists to ensure that they don't fall deficient in essential nutrients and minerals crucial for their survival in space. "Calorie requirements differ for astronauts. For instance, a small woman would require only about 1,900 calories a day, while a large man would require about 3,200 calories," explains NASA. While an astronaut can choose from a variety of foods ranging from fruits, nuts, chicken, beef, seafood, candy, brownies, the available options for drinks and beverages include coffee, tea, orange juice, fruit punches and lemonade. The packing Space food is typically packaged in disposable packing. Astronauts are directed to throw away the packages after they are done eating. Food for space is packaged in a way to avoid spoilage, preventing them from flying away. "The food packaging is designed to be flexible and easier to use, as well as to maximize space when storing or disposing of food containers," as mentioned on the official website. Plates and wrappers are disposable. The cutlery is usually used again -- not washed but wiped clean using wet wipes. The challenges Among few things that simply don't get well with space's environment include soft drinks -- because of microgravity. Ice cream would need freezers that's why they are ruled out while pizzas "have not been perfected yet. Beyond that, astronauts can eat anything you might order from a typical menu." Thanks to technological innovations, space food is now way better than what it was years ago, there were times when astronauts used to eat "dried food from metal tubes that squeezed out like toothpaste. It was not very tasty. Space food has become more like the food we eat on Earth." In one of the features published on NASA's website, Vickie Kloeris, sub-system manager for the International Space Station food aptly notes, "Astronauts are people, they have likes and dislikes and we try to meet their preferences." He noted that astronauts are now staying in space for longer and need tasty nutritious meals, something which is now close to achieving a level of perfection, however, the Space Station pizza party may still be a dream yet to come true.

Food in space: Astronauts binge on brownies, seafood while pizzas are still being perfected

Could the <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/International-Space-Station" pg="AS1_InlineMedia#AS1_https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/us-wants-to-privatize-international-space-station-report/articleshow/62884992.cms~International Space Station-https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/International-Space-Station">International Space Station</a> become a commercial venture run by private industry?

That is the wish of the White House, which hopes to end funding for the costly program within a few years, The Washington Post reported yesterday. 
 
The US plan, the paper said, involves privatizing the ISS, a low-orbit space station piloted by the US space agency NASA and developed jointly with its Russian counterpart. 
 
The station has allowed international crews- notably in collaboration with the Canadian, European and Japanese space agencies- to pursue scientific research in the environment of a low Earth orbit. 
 
&quot;The decision to end direct federal support for the ISS in 2025 does not imply that the platform itself will be deorbited at that time,&quot; says an internal NASA document obtained by the Post. &quot;It is possible that industry could continue to operate certain elements or capabilities of the ISS as part of a future commercial platform.&quot; 
 
&quot;NASA will expand international and commercial partnerships over the next seven years in order to ensure continued human access to and presence in low Earth orbit,&quot; the document says.

A budget request to be issued today by the Trump administration will call for $150 million to be spent on the ISS in the 2019 fiscal year, and more in succeeding years, &quot;to enable the development and maturation of commercial entities and capabilities which will ensure that commercial successors to the ISS... are operational when they are needed.&quot; 
 
To ensure a smooth transition, the White House would ask the private sector to provide market analyses and development plans, the Post reported.

The plan is expected to face stiff opposition. The United States has already spent some $100 billion to launch, operate and support the orbital station. 
 
Beginning during the presidency of George W. Bush (2001- 2009), NASA has subcontracted certain ISS support operations, starting with the supply flights now carried out by the SpaceX and Orbital ATK companies -- a trend that gained speed during the Obama presidency.

It was not clear, however, how private companies might profit from taking over the ageing station &mdash; its first section was launched in 1998. 
 
NASA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The station has allowed international crews- notably in collaboration with the Canadian, European and Japanese space agencies- to pursue scientific research in the environment of a low Earth orbit

Could the International Space Station become a commercial venture run by private industry? That is the wish of the White House, which hopes to end funding for the costly program within a few years, The Washington Post reported yesterday. The US plan, the paper said, involves privatizing the ISS, a low-orbit space station piloted by the US space agency NASA and developed jointly with its Russian counterpart. The station has allowed international crews- notably in collaboration with the Canadian, European and Japanese space agencies- to pursue scientific research in the environment of a low Earth orbit. "The decision to end direct federal support for the ISS in 2025 does not imply that the platform itself will be deorbited at that time," says an internal NASA document obtained by the Post. "It is possible that industry could continue to operate certain elements or capabilities of the ISS as part of a future commercial platform." "NASA will expand international and commercial partnerships over the next seven years in order to ensure continued human access to and presence in low Earth orbit," the document says. A budget request to be issued today by the Trump administration will call for $150 million to be spent on the ISS in the 2019 fiscal year, and more in succeeding years, "to enable the development and maturation of commercial entities and capabilities which will ensure that commercial successors to the ISS... are operational when they are needed." To ensure a smooth transition, the White House would ask the private sector to provide market analyses and development plans, the Post reported. The plan is expected to face stiff opposition. The United States has already spent some $100 billion to launch, operate and support the orbital station. Beginning during the presidency of George W. Bush (2001- 2009), NASA has subcontracted certain ISS support operations, starting with the supply flights now carried out by the SpaceX and Orbital ATK companies -- a trend that gained speed during the Obama presidency. It was not clear, however, how private companies might profit from taking over the ageing station — its first section was launched in 1998. NASA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

US wants to privatise International Space Station: Report

American aerospace manufacturer Space Exploration Technologies Corp., will launch its 13th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station, NASA this Friday. SpaceX has have attempted several attempts earlier this month.

According to NASA, SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will be carrying a Dragon spacecraft which will be attached to the space station for about a month. The spacecraft will carry roughly 4,800 pounds of cargo including science and research equipment along with crew supplies.

The mission is aimS at carrying out investigations vital to lower the risk to human life and critical hardware by orbital debris, NASA said.

The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida

American aerospace manufacturer Space Exploration Technologies Corp., will launch its 13th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station, NASA this Friday. SpaceX has have attempted several attempts earlier this month. According to NASA, SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will be carrying a Dragon spacecraft which will be attached to the space station for about a month. The spacecraft will carry roughly 4,800 pounds of cargo including science and research equipment along with crew supplies. The mission is aimS at carrying out investigations vital to lower the risk to human life and critical hardware by orbital debris, NASA said. The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

SpaceX cargo mission to International Space Station to launch today

The dense fog in Bhatinda,&nbsp;Punjab has resulted in a huge&nbsp;accident leading to the death of at least&nbsp;10 students with at least 25 others injured.&nbsp;

The low visibility due to the smog in Bhatinda led to the collision of four vehicles.

A truck rammed into a Scorpio and then collided with the college bus killing ten students.&nbsp;

The accident happened in Bhucho&nbsp;mandi, a village in Bhatinda.&nbsp;

One student who suffered serious injuries was referred to PGIMER hospital in Chandigarh.

Finance minister of Punjab, Manpreet Singh Badal has assured one lakh as compensation to the students who have died in the accident.

The 25 injured have been promised compensation of Rs 50,000.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner said that a college bus had stopped on the expressway, a truck collided with a Scorpio which&nbsp;hit the college bus.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

NASA recently released a 2015 video?on how a family dinner would look like 250 miles above the Earth on the International Space Station.

The dense fog in Bhatinda, Punjab has resulted in a huge accident leading to the death of at least 10 students with at least 25 others injured. The low visibility due to the smog in Bhatinda led to the collision of four vehicles. A truck rammed into a Scorpio and then collided with the college bus killing ten students. The accident happened in Bhucho mandi, a village in Bhatinda. One student who suffered serious injuries was referred to PGIMER hospital in Chandigarh. Finance minister of Punjab, Manpreet Singh Badal has assured one lakh as compensation to the students who have died in the accident. The 25 injured have been promised compensation of Rs 50,000. Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner said that a college bus had stopped on the expressway, a truck collided with a Scorpio which hit the college bus.

Watch: NASA's Thanksgiving from space aboard ISS

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/towards-the-dawn-of-the-solar-system-nasa-set-to-launch-near-earth-asteroid-mission-6085" target="_blank">Two American astronauts floated outside the International Space Station</a> Friday for the third spacewalk this month aimed at repairing the orbiting outpost&#39;s robotic arm and replacing old video cameras.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/nasas-first-of-its-kind-near-earth-asteroid-mission-lifts-off-6119" target="_blank">NASA&#39;s </a>Joe Acaba and Randy Bresnik officially began the spacewalk at 7:47 am (1147 GMT) when they switched their spacesuits to battery power, then ventured outside the airlock into the vacuum of space.

The pair hopes to replace a degraded camera at the end of the 57-foot (17-meter) robotic arm, finish lubricating its newly installed latching end and replace a blown fuse, among other tasks.

The ageing arm, made by Canada and named the Canadarm, is used to move objects around outside the station and to grab incoming cargo ships.

Installed 16 years ago, its latching end lost its gripping ability in August. A key piece of equipment called the latching end effector was replaced during the October 5 spacewalk.&nbsp;

Further lubrication work was done on the October 10 spacewalk, and a new high definition video camera was also installed outside the research lab.

On Friday, astronauts plan to replace another camera, nicknamed &quot;Old Yeller&quot; because it broadcasts in yellow hues.

The spacewalk is the 205th in the history of the space station, an international collaboration involving more than a dozen countries.

Bresnik, 50, a former Marine Corps aviator who goes by the nickname &quot;Komrade,&quot; has led all three of the October spacewalks, and on Friday is making his fifth career excursion outside the space station.

His colleague Acaba, 50, is the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to become an astronaut, according to his NASA biography.&nbsp;

The former hydro-geologist and educator became an astronaut in 2004 and spacewalked twice in 2009 during the space shuttle era.

Friday&#39;s outing is the ninth this year for NASA. Russian cosmonauts have ventured out on one spacewalk this year.m Spain.

NASA's Joe Acaba and Randy Bresnik officially began the spacewalk at 7:47 am (1147 GMT) when they switched their spacesuits to battery power, then ventured outside the airlock into the vacuum of space

Two American astronauts floated outside the International Space Station Friday for the third spacewalk this month aimed at repairing the orbiting outpost's robotic arm and replacing old video cameras. NASA's Joe Acaba and Randy Bresnik officially began the spacewalk at 7:47 am (1147 GMT) when they switched their spacesuits to battery power, then ventured outside the airlock into the vacuum of space. The pair hopes to replace a degraded camera at the end of the 57-foot (17-meter) robotic arm, finish lubricating its newly installed latching end and replace a blown fuse, among other tasks. The ageing arm, made by Canada and named the Canadarm, is used to move objects around outside the station and to grab incoming cargo ships. Installed 16 years ago, its latching end lost its gripping ability in August. A key piece of equipment called the latching end effector was replaced during the October 5 spacewalk. Further lubrication work was done on the October 10 spacewalk, and a new high definition video camera was also installed outside the research lab. On Friday, astronauts plan to replace another camera, nicknamed "Old Yeller" because it broadcasts in yellow hues. The spacewalk is the 205th in the history of the space station, an international collaboration involving more than a dozen countries. Bresnik, 50, a former Marine Corps aviator who goes by the nickname "Komrade," has led all three of the October spacewalks, and on Friday is making his fifth career excursion outside the space station. His colleague Acaba, 50, is the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to become an astronaut, according to his NASA biography. The former hydro-geologist and educator became an astronaut in 2004 and spacewalked twice in 2009 during the space shuttle era. Friday's outing is the ninth this year for NASA. Russian cosmonauts have ventured out on one spacewalk this year.m Spain.

US spacewalkers begin third October repair mission

A pair of astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station on Tuesday for an emergency spacewalk to replace a failed computer, one of two that control major US&nbsp;systems aboard the orbiting outpost, NASA said on Sunday.

The primary device failed on Saturday, leaving the $100 billion orbiting laboratory to depend on a backup system to route commands to its solar power system, radiators, cooling loops and other equipment.

The station&#39;s current five-member crew from the United States, Russia and France were never in any danger, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a statement.

Station commander Peggy Whitson and flight engineer Jack Fischer, both with NASA, will partner for the spacewalk, which is expected to last two hours, the US&nbsp;space agency said.

Earlier on Sunday, Whitson assembled and tested a spare electronics box to replace the failed device, which had been installed during a spacewalk on March 30, said NASA spokesman Dan Huot.

NASA&#39;s last emergency spacewalk took place in December 2015 when two US&nbsp;astronauts left the station to release the brakes on a robot arm&#39;s mobile transporter.

The ISS, which is staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts, serves as a research laboratory for biology, life science, materials science and physics experiments, as well as astronomical observations and Earth remote sensing.

The station, owned and operated by 15 nations, flies about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth and orbits the planet about every 90 minutes. It has been continuously staffed since 2000.

(Reuters)

NASA's last emergency spacewalk took place in December 2015 when two US?astronauts left the station to release the brakes on a robot arm's mobile transporter

A pair of astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station on Tuesday for an emergency spacewalk to replace a failed computer, one of two that control major US systems aboard the orbiting outpost, NASA said on Sunday. The primary device failed on Saturday, leaving the $100 billion orbiting laboratory to depend on a backup system to route commands to its solar power system, radiators, cooling loops and other equipment. The station's current five-member crew from the United States, Russia and France were never in any danger, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a statement. Station commander Peggy Whitson and flight engineer Jack Fischer, both with NASA, will partner for the spacewalk, which is expected to last two hours, the US space agency said. Earlier on Sunday, Whitson assembled and tested a spare electronics box to replace the failed device, which had been installed during a spacewalk on March 30, said NASA spokesman Dan Huot. NASA's last emergency spacewalk took place in December 2015 when two US astronauts left the station to release the brakes on a robot arm's mobile transporter. The ISS, which is staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts, serves as a research laboratory for biology, life science, materials science and physics experiments, as well as astronomical observations and Earth remote sensing. The station, owned and operated by 15 nations, flies about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth and orbits the planet about every 90 minutes. It has been continuously staffed since 2000. (Reuters)

NASA plans emergency spacewalk on International Space Station

A SpaceX reusable cargo ship splashed down in the Pacific Ocean safely on Sunday, ending a mission to supply astronauts on the International Space Station, the company said.

The Dragon capsule, the only such vessel capable of returning research samples and other material to Earth, remained docked with the ISS for nearly a month after delivering more than two tonnes of food, water and scientific equipment for NASA on February 23.

Before its departure, the crew loaded the cargo ship with old equipment, waste and almost 4,000 pounds of research samples from experiments carried out in the station`s condition of microgravity.

Released by the ISS&#39;s robot arm at 0900 GMT, the capsule undertook a more than six-hour journey back to Earth,landing off the coast of Mexico just before 1600 GMT, its final descent slowed by three giant parachutes.

&quot;Today we said goodbye to the #Dragon!&quot; tweeted the French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, one of six crew members, who arrived on the ISS in November.

&quot;She is taking part of us back to the ground with her - important scientific samples, some from the crew!&quot;

(AFP)

&nbsp;

The capsule, the only such vessel capable of returning research samples and other material to Earth, remained docked with the ISS for nearly a month

A SpaceX reusable cargo ship splashed down in the Pacific Ocean safely on Sunday, ending a mission to supply astronauts on the International Space Station, the company said. The Dragon capsule, the only such vessel capable of returning research samples and other material to Earth, remained docked with the ISS for nearly a month after delivering more than two tonnes of food, water and scientific equipment for NASA on February 23. Before its departure, the crew loaded the cargo ship with old equipment, waste and almost 4,000 pounds of research samples from experiments carried out in the station`s condition of microgravity. Released by the ISS's robot arm at 0900 GMT, the capsule undertook a more than six-hour journey back to Earth,landing off the coast of Mexico just before 1600 GMT, its final descent slowed by three giant parachutes. "Today we said goodbye to the #Dragon!" tweeted the French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, one of six crew members, who arrived on the ISS in November. "She is taking part of us back to the ground with her - important scientific samples, some from the crew!" (AFP)

Watch: SpaceX Dragon returns to Earth

NASA is planning to send an ice chest-sized box to the International Space Station (ISS), where it will freeze gas atoms to create the coolest spot in the universe - an advance that may provide new insights into gravity and dark matter. Inside that box, lasers, a vacuum chamber and an electromagnetic &quot;knife&quot; will be used to cancel out the energy of gas particles, slowing them until they&#39;re almost motionless.

The suite of instruments, developed by NASA&#39;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US, is called the Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL). It is set to ride to space in August aboard the SpaceX CRS-12.

CAL&#39;s instruments are designed to freeze gas atoms to a mere billionth of a degree above absolute zero - more than 100 million times colder than the depths of space. &quot;Studying these hyper-cold atoms could reshape our understanding of matter and the fundamental nature of gravity,&quot; said CAL Project Scientist Robert Thompson of JPL. 
 
&quot;The experiments we&#39;ll do with the Cold Atom Lab will give us insight into gravity and dark energy - some of the most pervasive forces in the universe,&quot; said Thompson. When atoms are cooled to extreme temperatures, as they will be inside of CAL, they can form a distinct state of matter known as a Bose-Einstein condensate. 
 
In this state, familiar rules of physics recede and quantum physics begins to take over. Matter can be observed behaving less like particles and more like waves. Rows of atoms move in concert with one another as if they were riding a moving fabric. These mysterious waveforms have never been seen at temperatures as low as what CAL will achieve. 
 
NASA has never before created or observed Bose-Einstein condensates in space. On Earth, the pull of gravity causes atoms to continually settle towards the ground, meaning they are typically only observable for fractions of a second. However, on the ISS, ultra-cold atoms can hold their wave-like forms longer while in freefall. That offers scientists a longer window to understand physics at its most basic level. 
 
Thompson estimated that CAL will allow Bose-Einstein condensates to be observable for up to five to 10 seconds. Future development of the technologies used on CAL could allow them to last for hundreds of seconds. 
 
Bose-Einstein condensates are a &quot;superfluid&quot; - a kind of fluid with zero viscosity, where atoms move without friction as if they were all one, solid substance. &quot;If you had superfluid water and spun it around in a glass, it would spin forever. There&#39;s no viscosity to slow it down and dissipate the kinetic energy,&quot; said Anita Sengupta of JPL, Cold Atom Lab project manager. 
 
&quot;If we can better understand the physics of superfluids, we can possibly learn to use those for more efficient transfer of energy,&quot; said Sengupta.

(PTI)

An ice chest-sized box will fly to the International Space Station this summer

NASA is planning to send an ice chest-sized box to the International Space Station (ISS), where it will freeze gas atoms to create the coolest spot in the universe - an advance that may provide new insights into gravity and dark matter. Inside that box, lasers, a vacuum chamber and an electromagnetic "knife" will be used to cancel out the energy of gas particles, slowing them until they're almost motionless. The suite of instruments, developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US, is called the Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL). It is set to ride to space in August aboard the SpaceX CRS-12. CAL's instruments are designed to freeze gas atoms to a mere billionth of a degree above absolute zero - more than 100 million times colder than the depths of space. "Studying these hyper-cold atoms could reshape our understanding of matter and the fundamental nature of gravity," said CAL Project Scientist Robert Thompson of JPL. "The experiments we'll do with the Cold Atom Lab will give us insight into gravity and dark energy - some of the most pervasive forces in the universe," said Thompson. When atoms are cooled to extreme temperatures, as they will be inside of CAL, they can form a distinct state of matter known as a Bose-Einstein condensate. In this state, familiar rules of physics recede and quantum physics begins to take over. Matter can be observed behaving less like particles and more like waves. Rows of atoms move in concert with one another as if they were riding a moving fabric. These mysterious waveforms have never been seen at temperatures as low as what CAL will achieve. NASA has never before created or observed Bose-Einstein condensates in space. On Earth, the pull of gravity causes atoms to continually settle towards the ground, meaning they are typically only observable for fractions of a second. However, on the ISS, ultra-cold atoms can hold their wave-like forms longer while in freefall. That offers scientists a longer window to understand physics at its most basic level. Thompson estimated that CAL will allow Bose-Einstein condensates to be observable for up to five to 10 seconds. Future development of the technologies used on CAL could allow them to last for hundreds of seconds. Bose-Einstein condensates are a "superfluid" - a kind of fluid with zero viscosity, where atoms move without friction as if they were all one, solid substance. "If you had superfluid water and spun it around in a glass, it would spin forever. There's no viscosity to slow it down and dissipate the kinetic energy," said Anita Sengupta of JPL, Cold Atom Lab project manager. "If we can better understand the physics of superfluids, we can possibly learn to use those for more efficient transfer of energy," said Sengupta. (PTI)

NASA plans to create 'coolest spot in universe'

In a US presidential election that&#39;s already been out of this world, the lone American astronaut in outer space has cast his vote, NASA said on Monday.

Shane Kimbrough became the latest astronaut to join in a long tradition of voting while floating above the Earth, inside the orbiting International Space Station.

&quot;Current space station resident astronaut Shane Kimbrough is the most recent astronaut to take advantage of the opportunity,&quot; NASA said in a statement.

Since astronauts can already get emails in space, an electronic ballot generated by the Galveston county clerk&#39;s office was emailed to Kimbrough&#39;s secure account at NASA&#39;s Johnson Space Center.

Mission control then transferred the email to the space station, so Kimbrough could make his selections some 250 miles (400 kilometers) above the Earth, before sending it back to Texas via secure email.

There was no word from NASA or Kimbrough on which candidate he picked for president.

Kimbrough rode a Russian Soyuz rocket to the ISS on October 19 to start a four-month mission at the research outpost, along with two Russian cosmonauts.

US astronauts have been able to vote from space since 1997, under Texas law. Most astronauts live in the Houston area, home to NASA&#39;s mission control and Johnson Space Center.

The first American to vote from space was David Wolf, who cast his ballot from the Russian space station Mir.

The first US astronaut to vote for a president from space was Leroy Chiao in 2004.

(AFP)

An electronic ballot was emailed to Shane Kimbrough's secure account which NASA then passed on to the International Space Station

In a US presidential election that's already been out of this world, the lone American astronaut in outer space has cast his vote, NASA said on Monday. Shane Kimbrough became the latest astronaut to join in a long tradition of voting while floating above the Earth, inside the orbiting International Space Station. "Current space station resident astronaut Shane Kimbrough is the most recent astronaut to take advantage of the opportunity," NASA said in a statement. Since astronauts can already get emails in space, an electronic ballot generated by the Galveston county clerk's office was emailed to Kimbrough's secure account at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Mission control then transferred the email to the space station, so Kimbrough could make his selections some 250 miles (400 kilometers) above the Earth, before sending it back to Texas via secure email. There was no word from NASA or Kimbrough on which candidate he picked for president. Kimbrough rode a Russian Soyuz rocket to the ISS on October 19 to start a four-month mission at the research outpost, along with two Russian cosmonauts. US astronauts have been able to vote from space since 1997, under Texas law. Most astronauts live in the Houston area, home to NASA's mission control and Johnson Space Center. The first American to vote from space was David Wolf, who cast his ballot from the Russian space station Mir. The first US astronaut to vote for a president from space was Leroy Chiao in 2004. (AFP)

US election 2016: Lone American astronaut in space casts his vote

Three astronauts from the International Space Station landed safely in Kazakhstan on Sunday following a 115-day mission.&nbsp;

The crew comprising of astronauts from the US, Russia and Japan left for Earth on Saturday aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule.&nbsp;

Russian mission control announced at 11:58 pm EDT/0358 Sunday GMT that the &quot;landing ha taken place!&quot; AFP quoted the control saying.&nbsp;

During the change of command ceremony before departure, Roscosmos&#39; Anatoly Ivanishin said &quot;I&#39;m kind of reluctant to close the hatch,&quot; Reuters reported.&nbsp;

&quot;The time is very special here ... I didn&#39;t have time to know what&rsquo;s going on our planet, and maybe it&rsquo;s for the better. On the space station, you live in a very friendly, very good environment.&quot;

Station commander Anatoly Ivanishin, NASA&#39;s Kate Rubins and Japanese molecular biologist Takuya Onishi landed southeast of the Kazakh steppe town of Zhezkazgan in frosty conditions.

Rubins successfully used a DNA sequencer aboard the International Space Station for the first time with scientists on earth replicating the process with the same samples.&nbsp;

She sequenced the DNA of mouse, virus, and bacteria.&nbsp;According to NASA, this can help in recognising harmful microbes on board the ISS and prevent diseases.&nbsp;

US astronaut Shane Kimbrough is the new commander of the ISS, who left with two other astronauts for the space station last week.&nbsp;

This is the first complete mission for the&nbsp;new generation Soyuz spacecraft with upgraded features.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins successfully used a DNA sequencer aboard the ISS that can help recognise harmful microbes on the space station

Three astronauts from the International Space Station landed safely in Kazakhstan on Sunday following a 115-day mission. The crew comprising of astronauts from the US, Russia and Japan left for Earth on Saturday aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule. Russian mission control announced at 11:58 pm EDT/0358 Sunday GMT that the "landing ha taken place!" AFP quoted the control saying. During the change of command ceremony before departure, Roscosmos' Anatoly Ivanishin said "I'm kind of reluctant to close the hatch," Reuters reported. "The time is very special here ... I didn't have time to know what’s going on our planet, and maybe it’s for the better. On the space station, you live in a very friendly, very good environment." Station commander Anatoly Ivanishin, NASA's Kate Rubins and Japanese molecular biologist Takuya Onishi landed southeast of the Kazakh steppe town of Zhezkazgan in frosty conditions. Rubins successfully used a DNA sequencer aboard the International Space Station for the first time with scientists on earth replicating the process with the same samples. She sequenced the DNA of mouse, virus, and bacteria. According to NASA, this can help in recognising harmful microbes on board the ISS and prevent diseases. US astronaut Shane Kimbrough is the new commander of the ISS, who left with two other astronauts for the space station last week. This is the first complete mission for the new generation Soyuz spacecraft with upgraded features. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Soyuz spacecraft carrying three-man crew docks with ISS

&nbsp;

&nbsp;An unmanned Antares rocket owned by Orbital ATK Inc blasted off from Virginia on Monday with a cargo ship for the International Space Station, marking the booster&rsquo;s return to flight two years after a previous version exploded during liftoff.

The 14-story-tall rocket, powered by a pair of new Russian-made engines, lifted off from Wallops Island, Virginia, at 7:45 pm EDT (2340 GMT), a NASA TV broadcast showed. Launch was delayed five minutes to resolve a minor glitch with the rocket, according to NASA commentator Brandi Dean.

&quot;It&rsquo;s such a feeling of elation to see the vehicle take off. ... I&rsquo;m very happy to see Antares back,&quot; said Amanda Davis, Orbital&rsquo;s director of program engineering.

The rocket carried a Cygnus capsule loaded with 5,290 pounds (2,400 kg) of food, supplies, equipment and science experiments for the space station, a $100 billion laboratory in orbit about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.

The capsule is expected to reach the station on Sunday after lingering several days in orbit to allow time for a Russian Soyuz capsule carrying three new crew members to reach the outpost on Friday. The Soyuz is slated to launch Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The last Antares launch, on October 28, 2014, ended in disaster a few seconds after liftoff due to a problem with the booster&rsquo;s refurbished, Soviet-era engines. After the accident, Orbital sped up plans to replace the motors.

During the downtime, Orbital bought rides for two Cygnus cargo ships aboard Atlas rockets, built and flown by United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co.

Orbital conducted a 30-second engine test firing of the Antares at the Virginia launch pad on May 31, but had never flown the refurbished rocket before Monday.

The mission became more crucial for the US space agency after a September 1 accident destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket operated by Elon Musk&rsquo;s SpaceX and a $200 million Israeli communications satellite. The accident, which occurred while the rocket was being fueled for a routine prelaunch test, has temporarily grounded SpaceX, the only company apart from Orbital currently contracted by NASA to fly cargo to the space station.

Private contractors for the cargo runs became necessary following the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011.

With SpaceX sidelined, NASA said it added extra food, clothing, laptop computers and spacesuit parts to the Cygnus cargo list.

(Reuters)

The rocket carried a Cygnus capsule loaded with 5,290 pounds of food, supplies, equipment and science experiments to the space station

An unmanned Antares rocket owned by Orbital ATK Inc blasted off from Virginia on Monday with a cargo ship for the International Space Station, marking the booster’s return to flight two years after a previous version exploded during liftoff. The 14-story-tall rocket, powered by a pair of new Russian-made engines, lifted off from Wallops Island, Virginia, at 7:45 pm EDT (2340 GMT), a NASA TV broadcast showed. Launch was delayed five minutes to resolve a minor glitch with the rocket, according to NASA commentator Brandi Dean. "It’s such a feeling of elation to see the vehicle take off. ... I’m very happy to see Antares back," said Amanda Davis, Orbital’s director of program engineering. The rocket carried a Cygnus capsule loaded with 5,290 pounds (2,400 kg) of food, supplies, equipment and science experiments for the space station, a $100 billion laboratory in orbit about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. The capsule is expected to reach the station on Sunday after lingering several days in orbit to allow time for a Russian Soyuz capsule carrying three new crew members to reach the outpost on Friday. The Soyuz is slated to launch Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The last Antares launch, on October 28, 2014, ended in disaster a few seconds after liftoff due to a problem with the booster’s refurbished, Soviet-era engines. After the accident, Orbital sped up plans to replace the motors. During the downtime, Orbital bought rides for two Cygnus cargo ships aboard Atlas rockets, built and flown by United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co. Orbital conducted a 30-second engine test firing of the Antares at the Virginia launch pad on May 31, but had never flown the refurbished rocket before Monday. The mission became more crucial for the US space agency after a September 1 accident destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and a $200 million Israeli communications satellite. The accident, which occurred while the rocket was being fueled for a routine prelaunch test, has temporarily grounded SpaceX, the only company apart from Orbital currently contracted by NASA to fly cargo to the space station. Private contractors for the cargo runs became necessary following the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011. With SpaceX sidelined, NASA said it added extra food, clothing, laptop computers and spacesuit parts to the Cygnus cargo list. (Reuters)

Orbital's Antares rocket takes off on space station cargo run

Elon Musk&#39;s SpaceX spacecraft was successfully installed to the International Space Station today, a crucial step in enabling US commercial space taxis to ferry astronauts to the orbiting lab, NASA said. 
 
The SpaceX Dragon capsule was filled with nearly 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms) of pressurised cargo such as food and crew supplies, including one of two metal docking rings with a diameter of 7.8 feet (2.4 metres). 
 
The ring will be attached to the station, letting commercial spaceships under development by SpaceX and Boeing Co ferry astronauts to the station.&nbsp;The metal docking ring will serve as a parking space for commercial spaceships under development by SpaceX and Boeing. The manned craft are scheduled to begin test flights next year. 
 
Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, tried last year to deliver a ring for the first time, but the equipment was destroyed during a launch accident.&nbsp;SpaceX&#39;s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo ship launched at 12:45 am EDT (0445 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on July 18. 
 
The final stage of today&#39;s installation occurred at 10:03 am EDT (1403 GMT).&nbsp;A second docking ring is due to be delivered in 2017, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, said. 
 
Owned and operated by Musk, the technology entrepreneur who founded Tesla Motors Inc, SpaceX is developing rockets that can be refurbished and re-used, potentially slashing launch costs. So far, it has successfully landed a Falcon on the ground once and on an ocean platform in three out of its last four attempts. 
 
(Reuters)

The ring will be attached to the station, letting commercial spaceships under development by SpaceX and Boeing Co ferry astronauts

Elon Musk's SpaceX spacecraft was successfully installed to the International Space Station today, a crucial step in enabling US commercial space taxis to ferry astronauts to the orbiting lab, NASA said. The SpaceX Dragon capsule was filled with nearly 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms) of pressurised cargo such as food and crew supplies, including one of two metal docking rings with a diameter of 7.8 feet (2.4 metres). The ring will be attached to the station, letting commercial spaceships under development by SpaceX and Boeing Co ferry astronauts to the station. The metal docking ring will serve as a parking space for commercial spaceships under development by SpaceX and Boeing. The manned craft are scheduled to begin test flights next year. Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, tried last year to deliver a ring for the first time, but the equipment was destroyed during a launch accident. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo ship launched at 12:45 am EDT (0445 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on July 18. The final stage of today's installation occurred at 10:03 am EDT (1403 GMT). A second docking ring is due to be delivered in 2017, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, said. Owned and operated by Musk, the technology entrepreneur who founded Tesla Motors Inc, SpaceX is developing rockets that can be refurbished and re-used, potentially slashing launch costs. So far, it has successfully landed a Falcon on the ground once and on an ocean platform in three out of its last four attempts. (Reuters)

SpaceX successfully delivers docking ring to International Space Station

Three astronauts blasted off into the early morning sky in an upgraded Soyuz spacecraft from Russia&#39;s Baikonur cosmodrome on Thursday, heading towards the International Space Station (ISS). 
 
First-time astronauts Kathleen Rubins of NASA and Takuya Onishi of the Japanese space agency set off for a four-month mission at the ISS with Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin at around 0136 GMT. 
 
&quot;All is well on board!&quot; said mission control in comments relayed by NASA TV, which broadcast footage of the launch in Kazakhstan. 
 
Footage also showed Ivanishin and Onishi giving each other fist bumps to celebrate the successful launch. 
 
Features of the new Soyuz series include upgraded boosters, an improved navigation system, strengthened shielding from debris and more cells on the craft&#39;s solar panels. 
 
The trio&#39;s launch was delayed by two weeks as Russian space officials carried out further software tests on the modified vehicle. 
 
The craft&#39;s journey to dock at the ISS will take two days - longer than the usual six-hour flight - to give ground control more time to monitor the tweaked system&#39;s performance. 
 
NASA&#39;s Kate Rubins will be the first woman aboard the ISS since Italian Samantha Cristoforetti returned to earth with the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman (199 days) in June last year. 
 
The molecular biologist-turned astronaut will also become the first person to sequence DNA in space during her mission. 
 
&quot;Rocket is on the launchpad, crew is ready to go! #AstroKate&quot; the NASA Astronauts Twitter handle tweeted prior to her launch. 
 
Rubins&#39; launch caps an exciting week for NASA as the US space agency&#39;s unmanned Juno spacecraft entered orbit around distant Jupiter on Tuesday after a journey of nearly five years. 
 
Onishi, who trained as a pilot on Japan&#39;s largest commercial airliner, is the eleventh Japanese national to enter space. 
 
His journey to the ISS, where he will participate in experiments connected to the Japanese space agency&#39;s Kibo program, coincides with the Tanabata star festival celebrated across his homeland. 
 
The last Japanese astronaut to spend time at the ISS, Kimiya Yui, returned to earth from the ISS in December alongside NASA&#39;s Kjell Lindgren and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko. 
 
Flight engineer Anatoly Ivanishin has already logged over 165 days in space following his first mission at the ISS in 2011 and 2012 and has a background as a military pilot. 
 
Following docking at ISS, Rubins, Ivanishin and Onishi will join current ISS commander Jeff Williams of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin. 
 
The ISS space laboratory has been orbiting Earth at about 28,000 kilometres per hour since 1998. 
 
Space travel has been one of the few areas of international cooperation between Russia and the West that has not been wrecked by geopolitical tensions over Ukraine. 
 
(AFP)

The launch was delayed by two weeks as Russian space officials carried out further software tests on the modified vehicle

Three astronauts blasted off into the early morning sky in an upgraded Soyuz spacecraft from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome on Thursday, heading towards the International Space Station (ISS). First-time astronauts Kathleen Rubins of NASA and Takuya Onishi of the Japanese space agency set off for a four-month mission at the ISS with Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin at around 0136 GMT. "All is well on board!" said mission control in comments relayed by NASA TV, which broadcast footage of the launch in Kazakhstan. Footage also showed Ivanishin and Onishi giving each other fist bumps to celebrate the successful launch. Features of the new Soyuz series include upgraded boosters, an improved navigation system, strengthened shielding from debris and more cells on the craft's solar panels. The trio's launch was delayed by two weeks as Russian space officials carried out further software tests on the modified vehicle. The craft's journey to dock at the ISS will take two days - longer than the usual six-hour flight - to give ground control more time to monitor the tweaked system's performance. NASA's Kate Rubins will be the first woman aboard the ISS since Italian Samantha Cristoforetti returned to earth with the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman (199 days) in June last year. The molecular biologist-turned astronaut will also become the first person to sequence DNA in space during her mission. "Rocket is on the launchpad, crew is ready to go! #AstroKate" the NASA Astronauts Twitter handle tweeted prior to her launch. Rubins' launch caps an exciting week for NASA as the US space agency's unmanned Juno spacecraft entered orbit around distant Jupiter on Tuesday after a journey of nearly five years. Onishi, who trained as a pilot on Japan's largest commercial airliner, is the eleventh Japanese national to enter space. His journey to the ISS, where he will participate in experiments connected to the Japanese space agency's Kibo program, coincides with the Tanabata star festival celebrated across his homeland. The last Japanese astronaut to spend time at the ISS, Kimiya Yui, returned to earth from the ISS in December alongside NASA's Kjell Lindgren and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko. Flight engineer Anatoly Ivanishin has already logged over 165 days in space following his first mission at the ISS in 2011 and 2012 and has a background as a military pilot. Following docking at ISS, Rubins, Ivanishin and Onishi will join current ISS commander Jeff Williams of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin. The ISS space laboratory has been orbiting Earth at about 28,000 kilometres per hour since 1998. Space travel has been one of the few areas of international cooperation between Russia and the West that has not been wrecked by geopolitical tensions over Ukraine. (AFP)

Three astronauts blast off for International Space Station in upgraded Soyuz craft