The International Space Station is a spacecraft that orbits the Earth; it is part laboratory and part home for astronauts. And soon it will have a new resident.
Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques will make the journey to the ISS on December 3. The launch is set for 6:30 a.m. He will remain on the spacecraft for about six months.
It is his first mission as an astronaut. It is the 17th space flight for the Canadian Astronaut Corps, according to the Canadian Space Agency.
While he is on board the ISS, Saint-Jacques will conduct experiments and demonstrate technology.
Tag: Earth
Cassini Spacecraft Begins Last Stage Of 20-Year Mission
In October 1997, a spacecraft called the Cassini orbiter was launched on a mission to explore Saturn and its moons.
Now, after nearly 20 years in space, Cassini’s mission is coming to an end. Cassini is running out of fuel. Scientists expect it to burn up in Saturn’s atmosphere in September.
But before that happens, the spacecraft will make a series of dives between Saturn and its rings, sending photographs and other information back to Earth.
A Different View Of The World
Students at public schools in Boston, Massachusetts, will soon be looking at the world in a new way. Social studies teachers there will be using a new type of map that shows the world’s continents in slightly different sizes and positions than we usually see them.
Earth’s Water Older Than The Earth Itself: Scientists
How can the water you get from your tap be older than the Earth, the sun and the solar system?
That’s not possible, right?
MAVEN Spacecraft Takes Off For Mars
This week, a “robotic explorer” left Earth on its way to Mars.
It should get there next September. Mars is more than 700 million kilometres away.
The explorer is going to Mars to try to solve some of the planet’s mysteries.
For instance, why is Mars now a cold, dry planet when it started out warm and wet?
The Associated Press reports that “the early Martian atmosphere was thick enough to hold water and possibly support microbial life.”
Scientists at NASA want to know what happened to change that.
Human Activity Responsible For Global Warming: UN Report
A group of scientists associated with the United Nations has just issued a report on “climate change.”
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has confirmed that human habits and activity is responsible for global warming and for higher sea levels.
If this continues, according to the report, there will be more dramatic changes in plant and animal life.
Some critics believe that the current situation is more likely due to short-term factors or weather cycles. They believe that the climate situation will change on its own eventually.
But the UN report says the reality is clear and the facts are there.
Luckily, because humans cause the problem, humans can help solve the problem.
First Human Colony Planned For Mars
A Dutch business owner is looking for people who want to live on Mars.
He believes that with proper preparation, a human settlement can exist on the Red Planet.
He said the settlement would provide valuable information for those who support and study life beyond Earth.
The project is called Mars One and nearly 80,000 people–including 35 Canadians–have applied to start a new life on Mars.
Those who are chosen to go would set up a colony, similar to a city.
Supplies for the colony will be sent to Mars beginning in 2016.
The first four settlers are scheduled to be transported to Mars in 2023.
Hadfield Arrives Back On Earth; Videos From His Incredible Journey
In Chris Hadfield’s own words, he is, “safely home—back on Earth, happily readapting to the heavy pull of gravity.”
The Canadian astronaut left Earth to live on the International Space Station (ISS) late last December.
He touched down in Kazakhstan on Monday at 10:31 p.m. (EDT), along with two other astronauts who had been on the ISS.
He will now undergo extensive medical testing to help his body adjust to life on Earth again.
In the five months he was living on the ISS, Chris Hadfield changed the way we all relate to space.
Commander Hadfield’s Son, Evan, Helps Bring Space To Earth
Chris Hadfield is the Canadian astronaut living and working on – and commanding – the International Space Station.
He’s the first astronaut to bring the “space experience” to Earthlings in the form of regular tweets, photos, Facebook posts, videos and even songs.
Hadfield lets us know what experiments he’s working on, what the Earth looks like from his vantage point and what it’s like to live in space.
Hadfield has three children, Kyle (30), Evan (27) and Kristin (26).
Evan lives in Darmstadt, Germany.
He has been helping his father communicate with Earth, via Twitter and other social media websites such as Facebook, tumblr and Soundcloud.
Meteorite Lands In Russia
Hundreds of people can walk by your front door every day.
The only time you may notice someone, however, is when they knock. Last week, the universe knocked on Earth’s door.
Thousands of asteroids and meteoroids streak pass planet Earth every year. Some of them enter Earth’s atmosphere where most of them simply burn up—those are called meteors. Any that land on Earth are called meteorites.
When a meteorite landed in the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia last Friday, the world took notice. That’s because it was a particularly large meteorite; one chunk was about the size of a van.
