Tag Archives: astronauts

Astronauts Could Potentially Consume Asteroids in the Future

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Samples from asteroid Ryugu

JAXA

Future astronauts may be able to eat a nutritionally complete meal made from bacteria grown on crushed asteroids, creating a type of milkshake or yogurt.

Astronauts on the International Space Station are experimenting with growing salad leaves, but most of the food consumed in space comes from Earth. This will not be possible for more distant and longer duration space missions. joshua pierce and his colleagues at Western University in Ontario, Canada, decided to study the use of bacteria to convert carbon-containing compounds from asteroids into edible food.

Although they have not yet performed this process using real asteroids, Pearce and his team performed a similar experiment using bacteria that breaks down plastic from leftover military ration packets. To do this, they heated the plastic in the absence of oxygen, a process called pyrolysis, and fed this to a mixture of carbon-eating bacteria.

“If you look at the pyrolysis products that bacteria are known to eat and the materials found in asteroids, there's actually a pretty reasonable match,” Pearce said. “So I think this really works.”

The bacterial aggregates end up being “something like a caramel milkshake,” Pearce said, and the team is also experimenting with drying the material to make something like yogurt or powder.

Although it may not be very appetizing, Pearce says this bacteria is highly suited for human needs. “We did a nutritional analysis and found it to be a nearly perfect food,” he says. “We found that the bacterial consortium we were using was more or less allocating a third each to protein, carbohydrates, and fat.”

If this idea is correct, a 500-meter-wide asteroid similar to Bennu, which NASA visited in 2020, could feed between 600 and 17,000 astronauts for a year, Pierce said. say. The exact amount depends on how efficiently the bacteria can digest the asteroid's carbon compounds.

A fully operational asteroid food project would require an “industrial-sized supermachine” in space, but researchers will begin testing the idea on a small scale next year, starting with coal. He says he wants to move on to meteorites next. They are currently working on the proposal. “It's very expensive, so we have to destroy it.” [the meteorites]So when we made these proposals, the stone collectors were not happy,” Pearce says.

“There's definitely potential there, but it's still a very futuristic and exploratory idea,” he says. Annemiek Wargen At the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. “It's good to think about these things, but in terms of technology, there's still quite a bit of development to be done before we can use these methods.”

The success of this process depends on how much of the carbon compounds in the asteroid are suitable food for bacteria, Wagen said. Based on the composition of meteorites on Earth, it's likely somewhere in the middle of the range the researchers calculated, she says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will return to Earth without astronauts on Friday

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NASA announced on Wednesday that the troubled Boeing spacecraft will undock from the International Space Station on Friday and attempt to return to Earth without any astronauts on board. The uncrewed liftoff of the Starliner spacecraft is set to take place, assuming the weather is clear at the landing site in New Mexico. The return journey is expected to last about six hours, with the spacecraft scheduled to land at White Sands Spaceport early Saturday morning.

This return flight marks the final phase of a challenging test flight that did not go as planned. The mission was supposed to demonstrate Boeing’s capability to safely transport astronauts to the space station, leading to NASA certification. However, after encountering issues with thrusters and a helium leak from its propulsion system, the mission had to be aborted, leaving astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams stranded on the space station for an extended period of time.

During a press conference, Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, expressed excitement about Starliner’s return and the lessons learned from this test flight. The spacecraft is set to undock from the space station on Friday evening and land in New Mexico early Saturday morning.

The undocking process will be different without astronauts on board, with precautions taken to protect the space station in case of any malfunctions. After departing from the space station, Starliner will perform a deorbit burn before landing in New Mexico with the help of parachutes and airbags.

A successful return would be significant for Boeing, potentially signaling the safe return of NASA astronauts aboard the spacecraft. However, NASA has requested SpaceX to handle the return flight to minimize risks.

The certification process for Starliner remains uncertain, with NASA and Boeing working together to address issues and improve the spacecraft’s thrusters.

Boeing, along with SpaceX, was awarded a contract under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to develop spacecraft for transporting astronauts to low Earth orbit. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft has been successfully ferrying NASA astronauts to the space station since 2020.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Astronauts stranded on ISS after Starliner failure: US space program not in jeopardy

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Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is not scheduled to return astronauts from space this year

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

It’s official: Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will remain aboard the International Space Station until at least February. While it’s a major setback for Boeing’s Starliner, the plane that carried them there, it doesn’t spell doom for the U.S. space program. Rather, it highlights the success of the transition from the government providing the sole rocket to space to a proliferation of commercial spaceflight options.

This is exactly the contingency that NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which transports astronauts to the ISS using spacecraft built by private companies, was designed to handle. “The Commercial Crew Program deliberately selected two providers for redundancy in preparation for exactly this situation,” he said. Laura Forzigan independent space industry consultant. The two NASA astronauts were originally scheduled to arrive at the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5 and return to Earth about a week later. However, issues with the spacecraft resulted in them staying for an extended mission before returning home aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft instead of the Starliner.

“If they had only picked one provider, it would have been Boeing because SpaceX was a riskier proposition at the time,” Forczyk said, “so in some sense, this is a win for the Commercial Crew program.”

The mission was Starliner’s first manned test flight, and it was rocky from the start: valve leaks and thruster failures on the journey into space forced NASA and Boeing to reconsider whether the spacecraft could safely return astronauts to Earth. Tests of the thrusters on the ground were inconclusive, and there was still a risk of the thrusters failing during the return journey.

The safest alternative would be for astronauts to remain on the ISS until SpaceX’s proven Crew Dragon spacecraft has room to return, which could happen in early 2025. In the meantime, Starliner will autonomously detach from the ISS in September and return to Earth without a crew member while Boeing engineers continue to troubleshoot.

“This was a test mission, but sometimes testing gives you answers that tell you there are things that need to be fixed,” said former NASA astronaut Michael Fossum. statement“Testing doesn’t necessarily prove that everything worked perfectly.”

At a press conference on August 24, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Though Boeing has been adamant that Starliner will get another chance to carry crew to the ISS, some aren’t so convinced. Boeing’s contract requires that the vehicle isn’t certified for use in real missions until it completes a successful test flight, which it didn’t this time. If NASA requires Starliner to undergo another test flight, Forchik says, the first operational flight could be delayed until 2026 at the earliest. With the ISS scheduled to close around 2030, keeping Starliner ready for active duty may not be worth it.

Without redundancy in the commercial crew program, the failure of Starliner could have left the U.S. without a launch provider entirely. As it stands, SpaceX will continue to shuttle astronauts to and from the ISS. Although Wilmore and Williams will need to stay aboard the ISS for a little longer, they are veteran astronauts with the experience and equipment to quickly jump into daily life in space before returning safely to Earth.

For Wilmore and Williams, the challenges and inconveniences of a long-term stay may not outweigh the excitement of life in orbit. “I know them really well, and I think in some ways they were a little disappointed to be up there in such a short amount of time,” Fossum said. “They both have been on long-term missions aboard the space station before… and they both enjoyed it.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

NASA reveals astronauts stranded in space will wait for SpaceX spacecraft instead of returning in Boeing capsule.

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NASA announced on Saturday that SpaceX will bring home the two astronauts who have been stranded on the International Space Station since early June due to issues with Boeing’s spacecraft. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will return to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft instead of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. This decision follows months of uncertainty within the space agency regarding the safe return of the crew members on a mission initially planned to last eight days.

The problems with the Starliner spacecraft have posed a significant setback for Boeing’s space program, which has been struggling to keep up with SpaceX. The Starliner program was already over budget and behind schedule before the launch of Wilmore and Williams in June.

Top NASA officials, led by Administrator Bill Nelson, held a formal review in Houston and based their decision on the results of tests conducted in orbit and on the ground. The announcement to choose SpaceX for the astronauts’ return was made during a press conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Although the return plans have been finalized, Wilmore and Williams will remain on the space station for approximately six more months before coming back in February. NASA revealed that two seats on SpaceX’s next launch, Crew 9, will be left empty to accommodate the astronauts on their return journey.

The Crew 9 mission is scheduled to launch on September 24 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Meanwhile, the troubled Starliner spacecraft will return to Earth without its crew.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

NASA to determine astronauts’ return method on Boeing spacecraft within two weeks

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Should NASA opt to utilize SpaceX for the return journey, Wilmore and Williams would be required to stay aboard the space station for an additional six months.

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is set to launch a new crew to the orbital outpost in September on a mission named Crew 9. NASA has announced a change in plans to send only two astronauts instead of the initial four, and could potentially use the available seats to bring back Wilmore and Williams at the conclusion of Crew 9 in February.

Under this scenario, the Starliner spacecraft would return to Earth without one crew member, as stated by NASA.

Bowersox mentioned on Wednesday that no decisions have been made as yet, but NASA must soon finalize a plan to manage the space station’s resources and ensure smooth operations in orbit.

“We’re approaching a point where a decision needs to be made by the end of August, potentially even earlier,” he explained.

The launch of Wilmore and Williams marked the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. This mission was intended to serve as a critical final test before NASA grants approval for Boeing to conduct regular trips to and from the International Space Station.

However, in June, five of Starliner’s thrusters malfunctioned as the spacecraft was nearing the space station, leading to a delay in the rendezvous and docking process. Helium leakage was detected from the capsule’s propulsion system during the flight. Mission managers were already aware of this issue prior to Starliner’s launch into orbit, but stated that it was unlikely to impact the mission or the astronauts’ safety.

Joe Acaba, astronaut office chief at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, stated that astronauts undergo training for potential contingencies, including accidents that could result in an extended stay in space.

While in orbit, Wilmore and Williams utilize their free time to conduct scientific experiments and assist the space station’s crew with maintenance work.

Acaba mentioned that the duo are kept informed about NASA’s decision-making process, but ultimately must rely on the expertise of engineers and mission managers on the ground.

“They will adhere to our directives. That’s their duty as astronauts,” Acaba affirmed.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

NASA is contemplating extending Boeing astronauts’ stay on space station until February

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NASA is considering keeping its two astronauts there until February as they make their way to the International Space Station after the Boeing spacecraft encountered problems during the flight.

NASA said Wednesday it was still considering options for how to return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams safely to Earth and that no plans had been made yet, but officials acknowledged more openly than before that it may decide to use a SpaceX capsule instead.

“Our first option is to return Butch and Suni aboard Starliner,” Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, said at a press conference Wednesday. “But we are making the necessary plans to ensure we have other options and are working with SpaceX to ensure we are prepared to respond.”

Wilmore and Williams arrived at the space station on June 6 on the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The original plan was to stay in space for about a week. But a problem with five of Starliner’s thrusters caused the spacecraft’s propulsion system to leak helium, leaving the astronauts stranded in space for more than two months while engineers on the ground gather data on the problem and attempt to troubleshoot it.

The mission was planned as the final step before Boeing is approved to launch regular crewed flights to the ISS, a process whose fate is now up in the air.

NASA gave no indication of when astronauts might return in the Boeing capsule, but Stich said a final decision would need to be made by mid-August.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (left) and Suni Williams before boarding the Boeing Starliner spacecraft at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on May 6.
John Laux/AP File

Meanwhile, the launch of one of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which was scheduled to deliver a new crew of four to the space station later this month, has been postponed to give NASA and Boeing more time to address issues with the Starliner.

SpaceX mission (Crew 9) NASA officials said they could change plans to send just two crew members into space on the spacecraft instead of four, and use the capsule to bring Wilmore and Williams home.

Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, said there had been disagreements over how to bring the astronauts home safely.

“We have to admit that when we have disagreements, it’s not fun,” Bowersox said. “Those discussions can be painful, but that’s what makes us a good organization, and it helps us make good decisions in the future when we get to that point, and I don’t think we’re that far away.”

If Wilmore and Williams were to return to Earth in a separate spacecraft, mission managers could adjust Starliner’s software to detach it from the space station and return to Earth without a crew member, Stich said.

Boeing officials did not attend the briefing, but a company representative said in a statement that “we remain confident in Starliner’s capabilities and flight principles.”

“Should NASA decide to modify the mission, we will take the necessary steps to prepare Starliner for an uncrewed return,” the statement said.

The thruster problem occurred as Starliner approached the space station in June, forcing a delay in the docking process. Meanwhile, the helium leak was already on mission managers’ radar before launch, who said at the time that the leak was unlikely to affect the mission or the safety of astronauts.

NASA and Boeing engineers have been trying to replicate on-orbit conditions with a test engine at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, and mission managers have also conducted two “hot-fire” tests in space, in which the capsule’s thrusters were briefly fired while docked to the space station.

Stich said Wednesday that tests showed that small Teflon seals expand under high temperatures, possibly contributing to the thruster failure. When the seals expand, they likely block the flow of propellant to the thrusters, he said.

Further testing is needed to understand the cause of the potential blockage and why it went undetected during the recent hot-fire test. Last week, NASA reported that the thrusters used to steer the spacecraft in orbit and guide it into position before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere appeared to be stable.

“This gives us a lot of confidence in the thruster, but we can’t prove with complete certainty that what we’re seeing in orbit is exactly what we’re replicating on the ground,” Stich said.

The recent Starliner debacle has been a blow to Boeing, especially since the program was already years behind schedule and more than $1.5 billion over budget before astronauts even launched.

Boeing and SpaceX developed the space capsule as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, an effort launched more than a decade ago to help private companies build new spacecraft to carry astronauts to low Earth orbit. The program began after NASA retired the Space Shuttle.

SpaceX has been ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station since 2020.

Dennis Chou

Dennis Chou is a science and space reporter for NBC News.

Tom Costello, Jay Blackman and Juliet Arcodia Contributed.

Source: www.nbcnews.com