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3 votes
2 answers
170 views

Does earth orbiting debris that threatens the space station have a particular direction bias?

I'm starting to investigate the danger of orbital debris on the ISS (international space station). One could assume that due to the orbital velocity vector, that any debris that the ISS encounter, ...
not2qubit's user avatar
  • 167
4 votes
0 answers
98 views

Why is ~280 km one month before reentry the lowest altitude that the final ISS crew may see? Isn't that cutting it kinda close?

Writing this answer to When will the ISS deorbit? I came across Space Policy Online's NASA Solidifies Planning to Deorbit ISS in 2031 and the image below. It shows the estimated last crew occupying ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
6 votes
1 answer
273 views

What generates static charge on the ISS?

There are two plasma contactors on the ISS Z1 truss, designed to neutralize static electrical charge of the space station. What generates static charge on a spacecraft? If it is picking up charge from ...
Woody's user avatar
  • 22.8k
4 votes
2 answers
374 views

Do standard procedures for securing the ISS before an orbital boost burn include making sure that at least large objects are securely "strapped down"?

In discussions on previous posts it was debated whether ISS crew would need to "batten down the hatches" and confirm all objects were "lashed to the deck" before an orbital boost ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
11 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is the procedure in case the ISS loses one of the evacuation crafts?

Suppose that a micrometeorite or a sudden failure renders one of the Soyuz inoperable, or that a routine inspection discovers a defect in one of them that makes it unsafe. What is the protocol to ...
Ginasius's user avatar
  • 920
2 votes
0 answers
189 views

How often are fewer than three astronauts present when moving a Soyuz spacecraft from one docking port to another?

CNN's Astronauts relocated a spacecraft outside the International Space Station (was it inside before?) says: Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, along with NASA astronaut ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
3 votes
1 answer
187 views

Do ISS crew have the opportunity to take daily naps if they'd like to?

Could "days" on the space Station be made shorter to accomodate sleep patterns? raises an interesting point. I've often heard that for some astronauts they never really were able to sleep as ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
2 votes
1 answer
789 views

How do we use Fire Extinguishers to Control Fire in the Space Station?

In this NASA Webpage for Fire Prevention in Space, it is given that If a fire were to occur on the ISS, the astronauts would become firemen and follow a three-step response system. First, they would ...
Vishnu's user avatar
  • 3,296
118 votes
6 answers
27k views

What makes (or at least made) Ada the language of choice for the ISS's safety-critical systems?

We have it on good authority that Ada is widely used for "safety critical software" on at least the US side of the International Space Station. Of all the possible languages to choose from, ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
1 vote
1 answer
156 views

How are airborne particulates monitored on the ISS? Are they distinguished at all by size and/or type?

The question What kinds of activities, experiment and, procedures done on the ISS must be done in chambers vented to space? links to and quotes from this answer to the 3D Printing SE question How is ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
2 votes
2 answers
271 views

What kinds of activities experiment and procedures done on the ISS must be done in nominal-pressure chambers that need to be vented to space?

This answer to the question in 3D Printing SE How is 3D printing done in space? says The first big space-specific issue is actually air quality. You can't just open a window to air out the molten-ABS ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
7 votes
0 answers
196 views

Is the ISS in danger of the outer radiation belt?

Is the ISS in danger of the outer radiation belt? I know that the ISS is in the low earth orbit and that it briefly passes through the base of the outer RB, but it is actually in danger? How does the ...
Lysandros Bafaloukos's user avatar
26 votes
3 answers
2k views

August 30th 2018 Soyuz leak, any dangers for re-entry?

On August 30th 2018, Soyuz MS-09 had a leak that was fixed by the ISS crew (source). Does the leak/fix have any consequences on using the Soyuz for returning to Earth? Would the fix hold the stress ...
Thibault D.'s user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
812 views

Was this large pieces of "space junk" just released from the ISS in the "nadir and retrograde" direction?

According to Space.com's 02-Feb-2018 article Cosmonauts Break Russian Spacewalk Record During Space Station Antenna Repair: The cosmonauts spent the day replacing an electronics box for a high-gain ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
8 votes
0 answers
756 views

ISS - Tiangong 2 minimum safe distance

Using the SGP4 propagator, I calculated the minimum distance between ISS and Tiangong-2 for this year. I obtained 12.32 km for 2017-09-27 17:29:36.376 UTC (which ...
Cristiano's user avatar
  • 1,750
21 votes
5 answers
12k views

Is it safe to observe the ISS with the naked eye?

As far as I understand, when we view the ISS, it is because the sunrays get reflected from the solar panels of the ISS and reach us at the appropriate angle. So that would be equivalent to viewing the ...
User Not Found's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
493 views

Does the ISS have any ability to detect or sense unexpected/unscheduled objects in close proximity?

In a recent science fiction movie there was a space station similar to the ISS, and it had a "proximity alert". This made me wonder; in the real world, does the real ISS have any capability to ...
The Hawk's user avatar
  • 163
32 votes
4 answers
11k views

Why would a box full of 1cm balls released into LEO be so scary to an engineer supporting the ISS?

update March 2018: I just saw this in Buzzfeed (Google sent me there, I don't normally read it): Rich People Will Soon Be Able To Buy Fake Meteor Showers On Demand. It seems this might happen in 2018. ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
10 votes
1 answer
10k views

Can astronauts wear eyeglasses inside their helmets during launches and landings?

Are astronauts allowed to wear their eyeglasses inside their helmets during launches and landings?? Are there any special considerations or rules? During spaceflight (launches and landings) there can ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
19 votes
1 answer
6k views

What is the "ISS's Keep Out Sphere" and what is its radius?

The comment: In a similar vein, it would be interesting to know if going around the moon rather than to the ISS removes any legal hurdles. Do we have any questions covering the legal ramifications (...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
4 votes
1 answer
874 views

Is 45 km unusually close to pass the ISS and deploy a microsatellite without warning?

Eight years ago, on September 27, 2008, the Shenzhou-7 carying three taikonauts deployed the microsatellite Banxing-1 for testing maneuvers and external imaging. A few hours later at 15:07 UTC the ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
2 votes
0 answers
48 views

What systems or technologies are developed to protect ISS from space debris? [duplicate]

What kind of systems or technology is developed for ISS (International Space Station)? There are so many debris at higher orbits than ISS, but many of them has started deorbiting so we have a ...
J. Young's user avatar
  • 255
4 votes
1 answer
971 views

Do meteor showers from 209P/LINEAR cometary debris pose a threat to the ISS and other Earth-orbiting satellites?

This is a somewhat similar question to What risk management options are available for Mars orbiters and rovers to mitigate threat of impacting with Siding Spring cometary debris?, only this time much ...
TildalWave's user avatar
  • 76.1k
21 votes
2 answers
3k views

What is the procedure if communication with the ISS is lost for an extended period?

Between ground control and the ISS there is the occasional short communications loss which they are obviously able to deal with, but is there a procedure to follow if the communication is lost for ...
user avatar