WKTV Government 26 features NASA programming (Courtesy, NASA)
By WKTV Staff
deborah@wktv.org
On Wednesday, Sept. 27, the Soyuz MS-23 Spacecraft will return to earth carrying NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio, Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin, cosmonauts from Roscosmos.
Roscosmos cosmonauts will return home after a year working aboard the International Space Station (Courtesy, NASA)
The trio has spent the last year working aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and are now turning their attention to their trip home. The cosmonauts recently spent time checking out the Sokol launch and entry suits they will wear inside the spacecraft.
Live coverage of the Soyuz MS-23 hatch closing begins at 12 a.m. with the actual closing scheduled for 12:20 a.m. The undocking of the spacecraft from the ISS is scheduled for 3:51 a.m. with coverage starting at 3:30 a.m.
Live coverage continues at 6 a.m. for the deorbit burn and landing near Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. The burn is scheduled for 6:20 a.m. with the landing scheduled to take place at 7:14 a.m.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, visit www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
While orbiting Grand Rapids about 250 miles overhead last Thursday, International Space Station astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi answered questions from 15 West Michigan Aviation Academy students in their high school gym on the grounds of Gerald R. Ford International Airport.
With help from local amateur radio enthusiasts, the conversation was loud and clear between the astronaut and the students … even while traveling overhead at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour.
Neyadi, of the United Arab Emirates, is the second Emirati astronaut to go to space and the first Emirati astronaut to make a long duration space flight. He is a member of the SpaceX Crew-6 and ISS Expedition 68/69 and arrived at the space station on March 3, 2023.
West Michigan Aviation Academy students spoke with astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi while he orbited overhead in space Thursday. (Courtesy, NASA/WMAA)
Sophomore Keira Amis was one of the 15 Aviation students who asked astronaut Neyadi a question. She explained her “super rare opportunity” of talking to him in space.
“Nobody my age, except for my other 15 schoolmates here will get to talk to an astronaut like this, ever,” said Amis, who plans to get her pilot’s license at WMAA. “It was kind of scary in front of all these people, but it was incredibly worth it.”
There were many moving pieces that made this contact possible, which took about a year to come to fruition. Specifically, the ARRL (National Association for Amateur Radio) and ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) played the main roles in the event.
“ARISS is the organization that made this contact possible; they built the ham station on the space station and arrange the school contacts with NASA,” said Doug Papay, team lead for radio equipment setup. “Our mentor was Gordon Scannell … who facilitated the live stream for the event.”
The amateur radio team for this contact consisted of Papay, Tom Bosscher (audio) and Mike Wolthuis (loaned the equipment).
“Mike, Tom and I, with the help of Pioneer Construction, set up the station at the school the week prior to the contact,” said Papay, Lead Radio Frequency Design Engineer and Manager of Electromagnetic Compatibility Design at Gentex. “This involved assembling the antennas and lifting them up to the roof of the school, routing coax and cabling and connecting radios and audio equipment for a test run.
“I estimate that I have 60-80 hours of work into getting the station prepared for deployment and assembled at the school.”
West Michigan Aviation students line up to ask astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi questions while he’s traveling overhead on the International Space Station. (WKTV)
All in the family
Papay said he “grew up with amateur radio.”
“I spent hours with my father at the workbench, in the yard building towers and antennas, in his radio shack listening to DX, attending hamfests, field day events and club meetings, but it was his hobby not mine. My interest at the time was 8-bit computers.”
Although he had little interest early on, his father’s love of radio eventually became his own.
“After becoming licensed in 2005, I quickly discovered the world of amateur satellite and ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) and started to pursue this aspect of the hobby. During the last 17 years of being in the hobby, I have made over 17,000 2-way amateur radio contacts, several of which have been with astronauts or space flight participants that were aboard the ISS.”
This was Papay’s second time facilitating an ARISS contact; both at WMAA. His daughter Grace, also a licensed amateur radio operator, made the contact to the space station at this event. A junior at Holland Christian High School, Grace holds an Amateur Extra Class license, which is the top level license assigned by the FCC for amateur radio operators.
Grace Papay and dad Doug Papay were instrumental in the International Space Station contact at West Michigan Aviation Academy. (WKTV)
“I encouraged her to pursue the amateur radio license in order to honor and celebrate her grandfather (my dad, John Papay) on his 60th year of amateur radio,” Papay added.
Aviation science teacher Bryan Forney said it was a really cool opportunity.
“I think we get so used to picking up a cell phone and being able to talk to anybody anywhere, and we don’t really think about the complexity of what it takes to do that,” said Forney, who teaches chemistry and AP physics at Aviation and is a retired Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps. “We didn’t even get into half of the complexity of just how hard it is to track and communicate with an object that’s moving 17,000 miles per hour across the sky. It’s a pretty amazing thing and I thought it was super cool.”
WMAA science teacher Bryan Forney.
Interest in the ISS contact began with a few WMAA teachers several years ago, which led to a proposal from Aviation flight instructor Les Brown, who’s also an amateur radio operator.
“All the teachers were writing content and presenting lessons related to the space station and space travel,” Forney explained. “Every academic department found a way to tie this into the curriculum.”
Forney said WMAA is the place to study if you’re thinking about being an astronaut.
“I’d say that just about any one of the students that goes here is getting the academic background they need to prepare themselves for a career in space if they want one.”
An image of the International Space Station. (Courtesy, WMAA/NASA)
Space Station Facts (Courtesy, nasa.gov)
• An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the International Space Station. Learn more about visitors to the space station by country.
• An international crew of seven people live and work while traveling at a speed of five miles per second, orbiting Earth about every 90 minutes. Sometimes more are aboard the station during a crew handover.
• In 24 hours, the space station makes 16 orbits of Earth, traveling through 16 sunrises and sunsets.
• The space station is 356 feet (109 meters) end-to-end, one yard shy of the full length of an American football field including the end zones.
• The station’s orbital path takes it over 90 percent of the Earth’s population, with astronauts taking millions of images of the planet below. Check them out at https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov.
• The space station travels an equivalent distance to the Moon and back in about a day.
• More than 50 computers control the systems on the space station.
On Thursday, April 15, WKTV will be featuring live coverage of the Change of Command Ceremony of the International Space Station Expedition 64-65, where cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov turns over the space station command to astronaut Shannon Walker. The ceremony begins at 3:45 p.m.
NASA Astronaut Shannon Walker (NASA)
On Friday, April 16, for the Expedition 64 farewells as NASA astronaut Rubin and Roscosmos cosmonauts Ryzhikov and Kud-Sverchkov prepare to return to earth on the Soyuz MS-17. Coverage of the farewells begin at 5:45 p.m., with the hatch closure of the Soyuz MS-17 scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
Coverage continues at 11:30 p.m. with the deorbit burn and landing of the Soyuz MS-17. The deorbit burn is scheduled at 12:01 a.m. with the landing near Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan scheduled for 12:56 a.m.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
The scheduled Wednesday launch from Kennedy Space Center was canceled due to weather with NASA quickly announcing that it was targeting for Saturday at 3:22 p.m. For the first time since 2011, American astronauts will fly in an American spacecraft launched from American soil to the International Space Station on Wednesday.
Dubbed Launch America by NASA, this is the first time since 2011 American astronauts will fly in an American spacecraft launched from American soil to the International Space Station. Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken will be aboard for this history making flight which will be lived broadcast on the WKTV Government 26 channel and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99. Coverage starts at 11 a.m. Saturday with live views of the Space X/ Falcon 9 rocket on Launch Pad 39, with the launch scheduled for 3:22 p.m. Saturday. Residents can also watch the live stream by clicking here.
The launch is the first in the NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, where NASA has been working with the American aerospace industry that are developing and operating a new generation of spacecraft and launch systems capable of carrying crews to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station. Commercial transportation to and from the station will provide expanded utility, additional research time and broader opportunities for discovery on the orbiting laboratory.
Demo-2 will be SpaceX’s final test flight to validate its crew transportation system, including the Crew Dragon, Falcon 9, launch pad and operations capabilities. During the mission, the crew and SpaceX mission controllers will verify the performance of the spacecraft’s environmental control system, displays and control system, maneuvering thrusters, autonomous docking capability, and more.
Astronaut Robert “Bob” Behnken (NASA)
Live coverage continues on Sunday with the 10 a.m. for the docking of the SpaceX//DM-2 Crew Dragon to the International Space Station.
The hatch opening will at around 12:45 p.m., followed the welcoming ceremony for the Space X/DM-2 Crew Dragon crew at 1:05 p.m. Behnken and Hurley will be welcomed aboard station and will become members of the Expedition 63 crew. They will perform tests on Crew Dragon in addition to conducting research and other tasks with the space station crew.
Although the Crew Dragon being used for this flight test can stay in orbit about 110 days, the specific mission duration will be determined once on station based on the readiness of the next commercial crew launch. The operational Crew Dragon spacecraft will be capable of staying in orbit for at least 210 days as a NASA requirement.
Astronaut Doug Hurley (NASA)
Upon conclusion of the mission, Crew Dragon will autonomously undock with the two astronauts on board, depart the space station and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Upon splashdown just off Florida’s Atlantic Coast, the crew will be picked up at sea by SpaceX’s Go Navigator recovery vessel and return to Cape Canaveral.
The Demo-2 mission will be the final major step before NASA’s Commercial Crew Program certifies Crew Dragon for operational, long-duration missions to the space station. This certification and regular operation of Crew Dragon will enable NASA to continue the important research and technology investigations taking place onboard the station, which benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future exploration of the Moon and Mars starting with the agency’s Artemis program, which will land the first woman and the next man on the lunar surface in 2024.
On Wednesday, May 20, the WKTV Government 26 channel will be featuring live coverage of the launch of the JAXA/HTV-9 cargo ship from Tanegashima, Japan, to the International Space Station.
Coverage, which is provided by NASA TV, will start at 1 p.m. with the launch scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The JAXA.HTV-9 is an automated cargo spaceship used to resupply the International Space Station and the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module.
Live coverage will continue on Monday, May 25, at 6:45 a.m .for the rendezvous and capture of the cargo ship to the International Space Station. The capture is scheduled to the place at 8:15 a.m.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 63 crewmembers Chris Cassidy of NASA (left) and Anatoly Ivanishin (center) and Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos (right) pose for pictures in front of a Soyuz trainer during the second day of Soyuz qualification exams March 12. They are scheduled to launch April 9 on the Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station.
Andrey Shelepin/Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
On Thursday, April 9, the WKTV Government 26 channel will feature live coverage the launch of the International Space Station Expedition 63/Soyuz MS-16 from the Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Coverage starts at 3 a.m. with the launch scheduled for 4:05 a.m.
Live coverage continues at 9:30 a.m. for the docking of the Soyuz MS-16 to the ISS. The docking is scheduled to take place at 10:16 a.m.
The hatch opening will take place at approximately 12:30 p.m., followed by the welcoming ceremony for the Expedition 63 crew, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov. NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
This Friday, Nov. 22, WKTV will be featuring the second of four spacewalks to repair the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer attached to the International Space Station. The walk will be aired on WKTV Government 26 and AT&T U-verse 99 Channel 99.
Coverage starts at 5:30 a.m. with the spacewalk scheduled to begin at 6:50 a.m. The spacewalk is expected to last at least six and half hours.
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, known as the AMS, is a state-of the-art particle physics detector. The module is designed to measure antimatter in cosmic rays. the information is needed to understand the formation of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter.
Unlike regular matter, which emits or interacts with electromagnetic radiation, dark matter has never been observed directly. The existence of dark matter is inferred through its gravitational effects on visible matter. The AMS has measured more than 100 billion particles and according to lead scientist Samuel Ting, a Nobel laureate with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, AMS has measured an excess of positrons, the antimatter counterpart to an electron but more data is needed to make sure these positrons are from dark matter.
Expedition 61 Commander Luca Parmitano from the European Space Agency and NASA Flight Engineer Andrew Morgan have spent many hours training for the complex spacewalks to repair the AMS.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, visit NASA’s website, www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
Spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates (left), Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos (center) and Jessica Meir of NASA (right) pose for pictures as part of a pre-flight news conference. (NASA)
On Wednesday, Sept. 25th WKTV Government 26 will be featuring live coverage of the launch of the International Space Station Expedition 61-62/Soyuz MS-15 from the Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Coverage starts at 9 a.m. with the launch scheduled for 10:57 a.m.
Live coverage continues at 3 p.m. for the docking of the Soyuz MS-15 to the ISS. The docking is scheduled to take place at 3:45 p.m.
Stay tune for the hatch opening at approximately 5:40 p.m. followed by the welcoming ceremony for the Expedition 61-62 crew, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and astronaut Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
On Monday, Aug. 19, WKTV will be featuring live coverage of the International Space Station Expedition 60 International Docking Adapter Installation Spacewalk.
NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Andrew “Drew” Morgan will venture outside the space station Monday morning for their latest spacewalk.
The international docking adaptor. (NASA)
Coverage begins at 6:30 a.m., with the spacewalk scheduled to begin at approximately 8 a.m. There will be live footage of the astronauts as they install the international docking adapter to the International Space Station.
On Wednesday, Aug. 21, WKTV will feature the launch of the un-piloted Soyuz MS-14 Spacecraft on a 2.1a Soyuz Booster from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Coverage of the launch starts at 11:15 p.m. with the launch scheduled for 11:38 p.m.
Live coverage continues on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 12:45 a.m. for the docking of the un-piloted Soyuz MS-15 to the International Space Station. The actual docking is expected to take place at 1:31a.m.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
The International Space Station Expedition 59-60 team. (NASA)
By Kelly Taylor WKTV Program Director
This Sunday, WKTV Government 26 will be featuring live coverage of the International Space Station Expedition 59-60 Change of Command ceremony. The program comes via NASA TV.
At at 3:35 p.m. Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko hands over the command of the ISS to fellow cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin.
Live coverage from the ISS continues Monday, June 24 at 3:30 p.m. for the Expedition 59 farewells and Soyuz MS-11 hatch closure. The hatch closure is scheduled for around 4:10 p.m., with cosmonaut Kononenko, astronaut Anne McClain of NASA and astronaut David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency aboard.
At 10:48 p.m. there will be live coverage of the Soyuz MS-11 landing near Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.
For more information on NASA TV or the InternationalSpace Station, log on to www.nasa.gov. NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain”
~Bob Marley
Tons of talent in one colorful exhibition
Dreaming, thinking ready for my happy day*
‘Livin’ Is Easy’ summertime exhibition opens June 1st at LowellArts. Feast your senses on depictions of beautifully weathered objects; local Michigan waterways; animal and aquatic life forms; and whimsical figurative work. More details here. *Lyrics from Uriah Heep’s Easy Livin’.
Ready for some summertime fun?
Don’t settle for the summertime blues
Soon the bell will ring on the end of the year and children will be home for the summer. Follow these handy-dandy tips to avoid the summertime blues. More here.
Look! It’s the International Space Station!
We are all made of stars
A gentle reminder that on Wednesday, May 29 (Hey! That’s tomorrow!), WKTV Government 26 will be featuring live coverage of the International Space Station Russian Spacewalk. Read all about it right here. Don’t miss it!
Fun fact:
3%
That’s how much more milk cows produce when they listen to relaxing music. Just ask the researchers at the University of Leicester. And then there is 2% milk, which is generally available at your local grocer’s. Has nothing to do with music, though.
(Do these look like Guernsey cows to you?)
The Ingenues, an all-girl band and vaudeville act, serenade the cows in the University of Wisconsin, Madison’s dairy barn in 1930. The show was apparently part of an experiment to see whether the soothing strains of music boosted the cows’ milk production. Go here to read the NPR story about it. Angus B. McVicar/Wisconsin Historical Society
On Wednesday, May 29, WKTV Government 26 will be featuring live coverage of the International Space Station Russian Spacewalk.
Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, who is currently serving as commander of the station, and Alexey Ovchinin will venture outside the space station Wednesday morning for a six-and-half-hour spacewalk. The spacewalk is part of Expedition 59.
This is Kononenko’s fourth time to the International Space Station. This will be his third spacewalk. This is Ovchinin’s third trip to the International Space Station and his first spacewalk.
Coverage begins at 11:15 a.m., with the spacewalk scheduled to start at 11:44 a.m. The cosmonauts will continue with the upgrades to the International Space Station.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
S.S. Roger Chaffee is the newest Northrup Grumman Cygnus Cargo Craft.
On Wednesday, April 17, WKTV will be featuring, via the NASA channel, the launch of the newest Northrup Grumman Cygnus Cargo Craft, the S.S. Roger Chaffee, to the International Space Station.
Named after hometown hero Roger B. Chaffee, who died in the Apollo 1 spacecraft fire, the space station resupply craft will deliver several tons of cargo including food, supplies and live mice for scientific experiments.
Coverage begins at 4:15 p.m., with the launch scheduled for 4:46 p.m. from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
On Friday, April 19, WKTV will feature the rendezvous and capture of the S.S. Roger Chaffee to the ISS. Coverage begins at 4 a.m., with the capture scheduled at 5:30 a.m. Installation of the craft to the Unity Module of the Space Station starts at 7 a.m.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, visit www.nasa.gov. NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
Tune in to WKTV Government 26 for our upcoming Special Programming Events from NASA TV! On Wednesday, April 17, we will be featuring the launch of the newest Northrup Grumman Cygnus Cargo Craft, the S.S. Roger Chaffee, to the International Space Station.
Named after hometown hero Roger B. Chaffee, who died in the Apollo 1 spacecraft fire, the space station resupply craft will deliver several tons of cargo, including food, supplies and live mice for scientific experiments.
Coverage begins at 4:15pm, with the launch scheduled for 4:46pm from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
S.S. Roger Chaffee (photo supplied)
Then be watching Friday, April 19, for the rendezvous and capture of the S.S. Roger Chaffee to the ISS. Coverage begins at 4am, with the capture scheduled at 5:30am. Installation of the craft to the Unity Module of the Space Station starts at 7am.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov. NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channelon Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
“Children are not only innocent and curious but also optimistic and joyful and essentially happy. They are, in short, everything adults wish they could be.”
― AuthorCarolyn Haywood
Shazam! That kid is awesome!
Have a great kid in your life? Then join Camp Fire West Michigan in celebrating him or her this Thursday as part of the Absolutely Incredible Kid Day. What do you have to do? Just send that awesome kid a note or letter to let them know just how amazing you think they are.
This week is National Poison Prevention Week. (Public Domain)
On the Safe Side
Over half of the 2.4 million cases of poisonings reported to poison control centers each year involve children less than 5 years of age. This week is National Poison Prevention Week with the Kent County Health Department providing a list of drop-off sites county residents can take a variety of hazardous materials to, including medications and sharps. Both the Kentwood and Wyoming Police Departments are drop-off locations for SafeMeds. The health department has a clinic in Kentwood that is a SafeSharps drop-off site. For more, visit www.MIsafehomes.org.
Richard “Richie” Hitchcock went missing Dec. 22, 1990.
Remembering Richie
It has been 28 years since Richard “Richie” Hitchcock was last seen by family or friends. His family, who live in Allegan, hope to one day learn what happened to the young man. To help, they are hosting a fundraiser Saturday, March 23, to add more money to an existing reward in locating Hitchcock. The dinner event, which is from 1-5 p.m. takes place at Allegan Eagles (#2315) 110 Chestnut St., Allegan. To learn more about how the family has become advocates for all missing persons, click here.
Fun fact:
212
Nope, we are not talking about the area code for New York City. (Good guess, though.) As of Aug. 18, 2018, there have been 212 spacewalks devoted to assembly and maintenance of the International Space Station totaling 1,327 hours and 17 minutes. The 213th one will be this Friday with WKTV Government Channel 26 featuring the walk via the NASA channel. Coverage starts at 6:30 a.m. with the walk at 8:05 a.m.
The Northrup Grumman Cygnus CRS-10 Cargo Craft will depart for the International Space Station Feb. 8. (NASA)
By Kelly Taylor WKTV
Tune in to WKTV Government 26 for the upcoming special programming events from NASA TV. On Friday, Feb. 8, WKTV will be featuring the departure of the Northrup Grumman Cygnus CRS-10 Cargo Craft from the International Space Station.
Live coverage will begin at 10:45 a.m., with the departure scheduled for 11:10 a.m.
After it’s release from the ISS, the Cygnus Cargo Craft will stay in space for two weeks, deploying various satellites at various altitudes to provide increased commercial access to space and demonstrate technology advancements.
Cygnus is scheduled to deorbit on Monday, Feb. 25, and enter the Earth’s atmosphere, where it will burn up harmlessly over the Pacific Ocean.
To learn more about the International Space Station, it’s crews and it’s research, visit www.nasa.gov/station. NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
The Northrup Grumman “SS John Young” Cygnus CRS-10 Cargo Craft will head to space Nov. 15.
On Thursday, Nov. 15, WKTV will be featuring the launch of the Northrup Grumman “SS John Young” Cygnus CRS-10 Cargo Craft to the International Space Station.
The cargo craft, which is flying critical American science experiments and crew supplies to the ISS, has been named in honor of John Young, NASA’s longest serving astronaut who passed away earlier this year.
Young began his impressive career at NASA in 1962, when he was selected from among hundreds of young pilots to join NASA’s second astronaut class, known as the “New Nine.” He walked on the moon during Apollo 16 and commanded the first space shuttle mission. In early 1973, he became chief of the Space Shuttle Branch of the Astronaut Office at Johnson Space Center. The following year, Young, who retired from the Navy as a captain in 1976 after 25 years of military service, was named chief of the Astronaut Office, a post he held until May 1987.
Coverage begins at 4:15 a.m., with the launch scheduled at 4:49 a.m. from the Wallops Flight Facility.
Stay tuned for coverage of the Solar Array Deployment beginning at 5:45 a.m.
Coverage of the Post-Launch News Conference begins at 7 a.m.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
On Wednesday, Nov. 7, WKTV will be featuring the launch of the ICON satellite, otherwise known as the Ionospheric Connection Explorer.
The Ionospheric Connection Explorer will study the frontier of space: the dynamic zone high in our atmosphere where Earth weather and space weather meet. Here, the tenuous gases are anything but quiet, as a mix of neutral and charged particles swirl in giant winds.
Coverage begins at 2:45 a.m., with a 90-minute launch window opening at 3 a.m. Release from the Stargazer Aircraft is anticipated for 3:05 a.m.
Stay tune for the release of the JAXA HTV-7 Cargo Craft from the International Space Station. Coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. with the release scheduled for 11:50 a.m.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
A view of a Kounotori from the International Space Station.
Kelly Taylor
WKTV Staff
On Friday, Sept. 14, WKTV will be featuring the Rendezvous and Capture of the JAXA “Kounotori” HTV-7 Cargo Craft at the International Space Station. Coverage will begin at 6 a.m., with the capture scheduled at 7:40 a.m. Stay tuned for the installation of the cargo craft at 11 a.m.
The Kounotori is an unmanned cargo transporter. It is designed to deliver up to six tons of supplies including food, clothes, and experiment devices to the ISS in orbit at an altitude of about 400 kilometers and return with spent equipment, used clothing, and other waste material.
The Kounotori with waste material is incinerated when it makes a re-entry into the atmosphere. This transport operation involves a rendezvous with and docking to the ISS, in a situation requiring a highly reliable transfer vehicle.
A Kounotori cargo craft
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 4:30 p.m. EDT, carrying the SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft. On its 14th commercial resupply services mission for NASA, Dragon will deliver supplies, equipment and new science experiments for technology research to the space station. NASA/Tony Gray, Tim Powers, Tim Terry
It is not another satellite or a Tesla but rather a toy dog named Seaman Jr. that will be heading to space this Friday.
Seaman Jr. heads to the International Space Station.
In celebration of NASA’s 60th anniversary and the National Trail System’s 50th anniversary, the two organizations have joined up by sending the toy dog. Seaman Jr. is a replica of Seaman, the Newfoundland working dog owned by Capt. Meriwether Lewis and accompanied Lewis and William Clark on their famous expedition to the West.
Seaman Jr. will travel on the SpaceX 15th resupply mission to the International Space Station. Coverage for this launch is set to being at 5:15 a.m. Friday, June 29, with the launch from the Kennedy Space Center targeted for 5:41: 42 a.m.There will be additional post coverage of the launch at 8 a.m. The coverage will be on WKTV Government Channel 26 on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
Packed with more than 5,900 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. About 10 minutes after launch, Dragon reaches its preliminary orbit, at which point it will deploy its solar arrays and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the International Space Station.
In addition to bringing research and Seaman Jr. to the station, the Dragon’s unpressurized trunk is carrying a new Canadian-built Latching End Effector or LEE. This new LEE is being launched as a spare to replace the failed unit astronauts removed during a series of spacewalks in the fall of 2017. Each end of the Canadrm2 robotic arm has an identical LEE, and they are used as the “hands” that grapple payloads and visiting cargo spaceships. They also enable main truss.
It will take three days for the SpaceX to reach the space station. It is scheduled to arrive Monday, July 2. Coverage of the rendezvous and capture of the SpaceX CRS-15 Dragon Cargo Craft will begin at 5:30 a.m. July 2 with the capture scheduled for 7 a.m. Once again, the coverage will be on WKTV Government Channel 26 on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
The Lewis and Clark Pups, from the left, Harper, Dakota, Rocky, and Keelie.
Seaman Jr. will be abroad the International Space Station through November 2018. You can follow Seaman Jr.’s journal on the Newfle News blog www.nps.gov/lecl/newfle-news.htm. The site also follows the Lewis and Clark Pups, Rocky, Harper, Dakota, and Keelie. The pups will travel more than 3,700 miles to to commemorate and protect the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, visit www.nasa.gov.
Spacewalks at the International Space Station have been scheduled for May 16 and June 14.
By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org
Wednesday, May 16, two NASA astronauts are scheduled to venture outside the International Space Station for a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, all of which area residents will be able to watch on WKTV Government channel 26. The spacewalk begins at 8:10 a.m.
Expedition 55 Flight Engineers Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold will be conducting maintenance needs and upgrades for the International Space Station. The two will move a component called a Pump Flow Control subassembly (PFCS) from a spare parts platform on the station’s truss “backbone” to the Special Purpose Dexerous Manipulator (Dexter) robotic arm. The PFCS drives controls the flow of ammonia through the exterior portions of the station’s cooling system. Robotics controllers on Earth will use Canadarm2 and Dextre to perform final installation on the port-side truss for checkout. The spacewalkers will remove a failed PFCS and return it to the spare parts depot. They’ll also replace a camera system on the Destiny Laboratory and a communications receiver.
A second spacewalk has been planned for June 14 in acceptation of the May 24 arrival of the Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo resupply spacecraft. The ninth Cygnus cargo mission is scheduled to launch May 20 from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The launch will be aired on WKTV Government channel 26. Coverage begins at 4:30 a.m. with the launch scheduled at 5:04 a.m.
Stay tune for the development of the Solar Arrays on the Pribital/ATK Cygnus Cargo Craft at 6:15 a.m. followed by a Post-Launch News Conference at around 7:30 a.m.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, go to www.nasa.gov.
NASTA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and on AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, launches May 20. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 55 crewmembers Drew Feustel of NASA (left), Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos (center) and Ricky Arnold of NASA (right) pose for pictures Feb. 21 during their final day of crew qualification exams. They will launch March 21 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft for a five-month mission on the International Space Station. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center/Andrey Shelepin and Irina Spektor
Wednesday, March 21, NASA TV will be featuring the launch of the ISS Expedition 55-56 crew to the International Space Station, which area residents will be able to watch on WKTV Government 26.
NASA astronauts A.J. (Drew) Feustel and Ricky Arnold and cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev of the Russian space agency Roscosmos will launch on the Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft to the International Space Station from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch is scheduled for 1:44 p.m.
On Friday, March 23, tune back in to WKTV Government 26 for the docking of the ISS Expedition 55-56 Crew to the International Space Station. Coverage begins at approximately 3 p.m., with the actual docking scheduled for 3:41 p.m.
Next will be the hatch opening with a Welcoming Ceremony for the ISS Expedition 55-56 crew., Arnold, Feustel, and Artemyev will join Norishige Kanai from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Commander Anton Shkaplerov, from the Russian space program, and NASA Astronaut Scott Tingle all of whom are already on the International Space Station. Coverage of this event will begin at 4:45 p.m., with the hatch opening scheduled at approximately 5:20pm.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and on AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
WTV Government 26 will be broadcasting two special live events next week, the launch of ISS Progress 69 Cargo Ship and a spacewalk from the International Space Station.
On Sunday, Feb. 11, NASA will cover the launch of the Russian ISS Progress 69 Cargo Ship. The unmanned Progress 69 cargo craft will launch to the International Space Station from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Coverage will be begin at about 3:30 a.m. with the launch scheduled at 3:58 p.m.
Coverage will continue with the docking of the ISS Progress 69 Cargo Ship at 6:30 a.m. with the docking scheduled for 7:24 a.m. The cargo ship will be delivering food, fuel, and supplies.
On Thursday, Feb. 15, NASA will be showcasing the ISS Expedition 54 U.S. Spacewalk #48. This was the spacewalk that was scheduled to take place in January. Astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Norishige Kanai will stow and reposition a pair of Latching End Effectors (LEEs). The LEEs are robotic hands attached to the tip of the Canadarm2 that grab and release cargo ships and external station hardware.
According to NASA, during the 6.5-hour excursion, the spacewalkers will first move an older LEE from a bracket on the Mobile Base System on the truss to the Quest airlock. It was removed from Camadarm 2 during a spacewalk last October. Next, a degraded LEE detached from Canadarm2 during the lat U.S. spacewalk on Jan. 23 will be moved from an external stowage platform to the Mobile Base System.
Coverage will being at 5:30 a.m. and the spacewalk will start at approximately 7:10am.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov. NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and on AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
DUE TO THE GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN, THIS PROGRAM WILL NOT BE AIRING.
Part of the NASA TV broadcasting this month, which is featured on WKTV 26 Government Channel, will include the airing of two spacewalks –the first for 2018 for International Space Station.
On Tuesday, Jan. 23, we will be showcasing the first of two scheduled spacewalks. Coverage of the ISS U.S Spacewalk 47 will begin at 5:30 a.m., with the spacewalk starting at approximately 7:10 a.m. The spacewalk is expected to last about six and half hours.
Expedition 54 Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei of NASA will lead both excursions, joined by Flight Engineer Scott Tingle for the Jan. 23 spacewalk. The objective of the Jan. 23 spacewalk will be to replace one of two redundant latching end effectors (LEE) on Canadarm2, the station’s robotic arm, which has experienced some degradation of its snaring cables. A spare LEE will replace the current LEE B.
Then on Monday, Jan. 29, we will be featuring the ISS U.S. Spacewalk 48. Coverage begins at 5:30 a.m., with the spacewalk starting at approximately 7:10 a.m. This spacewalk is also expected to last about six and half hours.
Vande Hei will be joined by Flight Engineer Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for the Jan. 29 spacewalk. This spacewalk will be devoted to securing the degraded LEE B on the station’s Mobile Base System rail car as a spare. Similar work was conducted on the robotic arm’s LEE A during a series of spacewalks last October.
These excursions, U.S. spacewalks 47 and 48, will be the third and fourth in Vande Hei’s career and the first for both Tingle and Kanai. These spacewalks are the first for 2018. There have been 2015 spacewalks at the ISS since 1998. 2007 was the year with the most space walks, which was 20. Last year, 2017, there was a total of nine.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and on AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99
WKTV Government 26 will be featuring two special programming events from NASA TV.
On Saturday, Jan. 13, WKTV will be showcasing the departure of the SpaceX/Dragon CRS-13 Cargo Craft from the International Space Station. Coverage will begin at approximately 4:30 a.m., with the release scheduled at 5 a.m.
Dragon will return to Earth with about 3,600 pounds of cargo after an approximately one-month stay at the orbiting laboratory. About five hours after Dragon leaves the space station, it will conduct its de-orbit burn, which lasts up to 10 minutes. It takes about 30 minutes for Dragon to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.
Tuesday, Jan. 16, WKTV will be featuring the RS-25 Engine Fire Test from the Stennis Space Center, a NASA rocket test facility. The test will begin at 4 p.m.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and on AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
In the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 54-55 crew members Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA, left), Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, center) and Scott Tingle of NASA (right) pose for pictures in front of their Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft Dec. 5 as part of their first fit check dress rehearsal activities….Courtesy of Roscosmos
NASA set to feature the launch of a new crew to the International Space Station which will be featured on the WKTV Government Channel 26.
On Sunday, Dec. 17, we will be covering the launch of the ISS Expedition 54-55/Soyuz MS-07. Coverage will begin at 1:15 a.m, with the launch scheduled at 2:21 a.m. Footage of the crew’s launch day pre-launch activities will be shown at 1:25 a.m. The crew of ISS Expedition 54-55 is Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Scott Tingle of NASA
Tuesday, Dec. 19, we will be featuring the Docking of the ISS Expedition 54-55/Soyuz MS-07 to the International Space Station. Coverage begins at approximately 3:15am with the Docking scheduled for 3:42 a.m.
Stay tuned for the Hatching Opening and Welcoming Ceremony. Coverage starts at 5:30 a.m. with the actual opening scheduled for approximately 5:20 a.m.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and on AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99
The first Joint Polar Satellite System will launch this month with WTKV featuring coverage of the launch on Friday, Nov. 10. The launch will be from the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Coverage will begin at approximately 4:15am.
The launch will air on NASA TV which can beset on WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and on AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
JPSS (short for Joint Polar Satellite System) is a series of high tech satellites that will keep an eye on the weather and environment. These satellites will circle the Earth from North Pole to South Pole 14 times each day as the planet spins below. This allows JPSS to see the whole Earth twice every day!
JPSS-1—the first satellite in the JPSS series—has a suite of advanced instruments to collect information about what’s happening in the atmosphere, on the land, and on the surface of the oceans. From its orbit 512 miles above Earth, JPSS-1 will help:
Create more accurate weather forecasts up to 7 days in advance.
Track how the weather affects plants, including forests and the crops that grow our food.
Monitor ocean health by taking detailed measurements of water temperature and color.
Keep tabs on the atmosphere to create earlier warnings of severe weather.
Watch for volcanoes and forest fires around the world to monitor air quality and enhance public safety.
Also on Saturday, Nov. 11, WKTV will be featuring the launch of the Orbital ATK Antares/Cygnus on the CRS-8 Mission to the International Space Station. Coverage begins at 7 a.m. with the launch scheduled for 7:37 a.m. Cygnus will deliver vital equipment, supplies and scientific equipment to the space station.
On Monday, Nov. 13, WKTV will be featuring coverage of the Rendezvous and Capture of the Orbital ATK Cygnus CRS-8 Cargo Craft at the International Space Station. Coverage starts at 4:15 a.m. with the grapple scheduled for 5:40am. Installation of the Cargo Craft starts at 7 a.m.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
In this May 2017 photo, NASA astronaut Jack Fischer works outside the U.S. Destiny laboratory module of the International Space Station. (Photo courtesy of NASA)
WKTV Government 26 will be featuring two special NASA programs this week.
On Tuesday, Oct. 10, American astronaut Commander Randy Bresnik and Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei, both aboard the International Space Station, will embark on the second of three space walks for October.
Coverage will begin at 6:30 a.m., with the spacewalk scheduled to start at 8:05 a.m. The spacewalks may happen earlier if the crew is running ahead of schedule. The second and third spacewalks will be devoted to lubricating the newly replaced Canadarm2 end effector and replacing cameras on the left side of the station’s truss and the right side of the station’s U.S. Destiny laboratory. The spacewalk is expected to last six and a half hours.
The last of the three spacewalks will take place Oct 18 with Bresnik being joined by Engineer Joe Acaba.
On Thursday, Oct. 12, will be the launch of the ISS Progress 68 Cargo Ship to the ISS from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Coverage begins at approximately 5 a.m. with the launch scheduled for 5:32 a.m. Coverage of the docking at the ISS Progress 68 Cargo Ship starts at approximately 8 a.m. with the actual docking scheduled for 8:56 a.m.
For more information on both of these launches, go to nasa.gov/station. NASA TV can be seen on WKTV 26 Government Channel and AT&T U-verse Government channel 99.
Expedition 53 crew members: Joe Acaba of NASA, Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos, and Mark Vande Hei of NASA pose for a photograph for the press outside the Soyuz simulator ahead of their Soyuz qualification exams, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. The three are scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5:17 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 (3:17 a.m. on Sept. 13, Baikonur time) aboard the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Be sure to tune in to WKTV 26 for our upcoming Special Programming Event from NASA TV!
On Tuesday, Sept. 12, WKTV 26 will be featuring the launch the ISS Expedition 53-54/Soyuz MS-06. Coverage begins at approximately 4:15 p.m. with the launch scheduled t 5:17 p.m. Coverage of the Hatch Opening and Welcoming Ceremony at the ISS starts at approximately 12:40 a.m. NASA TV can be seen on WKTV 26 Government Channel.
Two NASA astronauts are among the three crew members poised to launch for a five-month stay aboard the International Space Station, and NASA Television will provide extensive coverage of their prelaunch activities, launch and their arrival on their orbital outpost.
Expedition 53-54 Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba of NASA and Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5:17 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 12 aboard the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft. A full complement of video of the crew’s prelaunch activities in Baikonur will air on NASA TV in the days preceding launch.
After their launch, the trio will travel on a fast-track, six-hour path to the space station, where they are expected to dock at 10:57 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12. NASA TV coverage of docking will begin at 10:15 p.m.
Hatches between the Soyuz and the space station will open at about 12:40 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13. The arriving crew will be welcomed on board by Expedition 53 Commander Randy Bresnik of NASA and Flight Engineers Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos and Paolo Nespoli of the ESA (European Space Agency). NASA TV coverage of the hatch opening and welcoming ceremonies will begin at 12 a.m. Sept. 13.
For information on the launch, log on to www.nasa.gov.
The launch and docking of the Soyuz MS-04 will be aired on WKTV Government Channel 26 on April 20.
This will mark the transition for the International Space Station Expedition 51 to 52.
At 2 a.m., There will be a showing of the crew’s launch day pre-launch activities. The crew heading to the station includes Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and American astronaut Jack Fischer.
At 8 a.m., there will be video of the pre-launch, launch and post-launch interviews.
Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and American astronaut Jack Fischer preparing to head for the International Space Station.
At 8:30 a.m., will be coverage of the docking of the ISS Expedition 51-52/Soyuz MS-04 to the International Space Station.
At 10:30 a.m., will be the hatch opening and the welcoming ceremony.
Expedition 51 is the 51st expedition to the International Space Station, which began upon the departure of Soyuz MS-02 on April 10 and is scheduled to conclude upon the departures of Soyuz MS-03 in June. Peggy Whitson is commander of the expedition and is the first woman to command two expeditions to the International Space Station, having previously commanded Expedition 16.
Along with Whitson, Yurchikhin, and Fischer, the crew includes Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and French aerospace engineer Thomas Pesquet.
Whitson will be extending her stay through the 52nd Expedition with Fischer and Yurchikhin, returning home in September rather than June. Novitsky and Pesquet will return in June.
The reason for this is Roscosmos’ temporary decision to reduce its number of cosmonauts to two which left a seat open on the return flight. Whitson’s extension will ensure a full complement of six astronauts — rounding out the crew will be U.S. astronaut Randy Bresnik, cosmonaut Sergey Ryazansky, and Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli — on board the station and increase the amount of valuable astronaut time available for experiments.
“I love being up here,” Whitson said through a NASA press release. “Living and working aboard the space station is where I feel like I make the greatest contribution, so I am constantly trying to squeeze every drop out of my time here. Having three more months to squeeze is just what I would wish for.”
On April 24, Whitson will break the standing record U.S. record of 534 cumulative days in space. She also holds the record for most spacewalks by a female. To follow Whitson’s space station journey, go to http://www.twitter.com/AstroPeggy.
For more on NASA and upcoming missions, visit nasa.gov.
