MommySite.com » Uncategorized

Gazing at Earth

MommySite — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:00:00 +0000

The STS-131 crew snapped this image as space shuttle Discovery remained docked with the International Space Station. The Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module can be seen in Discovery’s payload bay. Earth’s horizon and the blackness of space provide the backdrop for the scene. Image Credit: NASA

Group Portrait

MommySite — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 09:40:04 +0000

The crews of STS-131 and Expedition 23 gathered for a group portrait in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery was docked at the station. STS-131 crew (in light blue shirts) are commander Alan Poindexter, pilot James P. Dutton Jr., and mission specialists Clayton Anderson, Rick Mastracchio, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki. Expedition 23 crew Commander Oleg Kotov, cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Alexander Skvortsov, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi, and NASA astronauts T.J. Creamer and Tracy Caldwell Dyson. Image Credit: NASA

Spacewalkers at Work

MommySite — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:00:00 +0000

During the second of three spacewalks STS-131 astronauts Rick Mastracchio (left) and Clayton Anderson continued maintenance activities outside the International Space Station by installing a 1,700-pound ammonia tank on the station’s Starboard 1 truss. Image Credit: NASA

A Day's Work

MommySite — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 04:00:00 +0000

During the second spacewalk of the STS-131 mission, NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Clayton Anderson (out of frame) unhooked and removed the depleted ammonia tank and installed a 1,700-pound replacement on the station’s Starboard 1 truss. This was the second of three spacewalks in the coolant tank replacement process. Image Credit: NASA

Upgrading the Station

MommySite — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 04:00:00 +0000

During the STS-131 mission’s first spacewalk, which lasted about 6.5 hours, NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio helped move a new 1,700-pound ammonia tank from space shuttle Discovery’s cargo bay to a temporary parking place on the station, retrieved an experiment from the Japanese Kibo Laboratory exposed facility and replaced a Rate Gyro Assembly on one of the truss segments. Image Credit: NASA

A View of the Main Engines

MommySite — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 14:40:06 +0000

The Expedition 23 crew photographed this view of the aft portion of space shuttle Discovery, including the three main engines, during a survey of the approaching vehicle prior to docking with the International Space Station. As part of the survey and part of every mission’s activities, the STS-131 Discovery crew performed a back flip as part of the rendezvous pitch maneuver. The image was photographed with a digital still camera, using a 400mm lens at a distance of about 600 feet, or 180 meters. Image Credit: NASA

Pitch, Roll

MommySite — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 11:20:04 +0000

This view of the underside of the crew cabin of the space shuttle Discovery was provided by the Expedition 23 crew during a survey as STS-131 approached the International Space Station. As part of the survey and part of every mission’s activities, Discovery performed a back-flip for the rendezvous pitch maneuver (RPM). The image was photographed with a digital still camera, using a 400mm lens at a distance of about 600 feet (180 meters). Image Credit: NASA

Flying Across the Moon

MommySite — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 04:00:00 +0000

The International Space Station flew across the face of the moon over NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida approximately 15 minutes before the launch of space shuttle Discovery on the STS-131 mission. Discovery successfully launched on April 5 and is now docked with the station. STS-131 will deliver the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the International Space Station’s laboratories. The crew also will switch out a gyroscope on the station’s truss, install a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the station’s exterior. Image Credit: Photo courtesy of Fernando Echeverria

Discovery Lifts off

MommySite — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 04:00:00 +0000

An exhaust cloud billowed around Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as space shuttle Discovery lifted off to begin the STS-131 mission. The seven-member crew will deliver the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the International Space Station’s laboratories. The crew also will switch out a gyroscope on the station’s truss, install a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the station’s exterior. Image Dredit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

3-2-1 Lift Off

MommySite — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 04:00:00 +0000

Space shuttle Discovery’s engines ignited at 6:21 a.m. EDT Monday, April 5, for liftoff of the STS-131 mission from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The seven-member crew will deliver the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the International Space Station’s laboratories. The crew also will switch out a gyroscope on the station’s truss, install a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the station’s exterior. STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission. Image Credit: NASA/Troy Cryder