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SPACEX
UPDATE: According to NASA, the
SpaceX Dragon capsule has been cleared to enter
200-meter "keep out" sphere around the
International Space Station. It will hold at 150
meters for additional testing before moving to the
next hold point at 30 meters. The projected
capture time for the capsule by the International
Space Station is now 9:10 a.m. EDT. [updates]
DRAGON
RENDEZVOUS: SpaceX's Dragon
spacecraft will rendezvous with the International
Space Station (ISS) on Friday, May 25th, making
it the first commercial
spacecraft to dock with the ISS. Last night, Dave
Blanchard photographed the Dragon chasing the space
station across the night sky over Flagstaff, Arizona:
"While the ISS was very bright and clearly
visible in this image, the Dragon was very dim,"
says Blanchard. "It can be seen as a faint
streak just below the ISS."
The two streaks will soon be joined. During the
early hours of May 25th, the Dragon will approach
the docking port on the station's Harmony module.
Because this is the Dragon's first visit to the
ISS, mission controllers will proceed with caution.
A detailed series of navigation and communication
tests will be performed before the capsule is allowed
to move close enough for astronauts to grab it with
the robot arm and connect it to the station.
After docking, the Dragon will remain connected
for about three weeks, giving astronauts plenty
of time to unload its 1200 lb of supplies and re-load
it with used scientific equipment for return to
Earth. Reversing the process of connecting the spacecraft
to the station, astronauts will use the robotic
arm to remove the capsule. The Dragon will then
de-orbit and return to Earth under parachutes, splashing
down in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast.
Readers, are you ready to see the Dragon? Check
Space Weather's Simple Satellite
Tracker or your
cellphone for a schedule of flybys over your
location.
more images: from
Alan Thomas of Central Otago, New Zealand; from
Stephen & Matthew Lindner of Ann Arbor,
Michigan;
PARTIAL ECLIPSE OF
THE STRAWBERRY MOON: On Monday,
June 4th, the Moon will pass through the shadow
of Earth, producing a partial lunar eclipse visible
across the Pacific from China to the United States.
Get the full
story from Science@NASA.
ECLIPSE
SUNBEAMS: For many observers, the
best part of the May 20th solar eclipse is not what
the Moon did to the sun, but rather what it did
to the sunbeams. Gaps in clouds, leafy trees, and
window shades cast pinhole images of the smiling
crescent sun onto all kinds of happy surfaces:
"My daughter Antonia was sitting
in just the right place," says Tino Hammid
of Los Angeles, California. "The crescent images
are created by small holes in the closed window
blinds that act as a series of pinhole cameras."
Many more pictures of the eclipse--from
the sun to sunbeams--may be found in our new realtime
photo gallery. It's an experimental service, so
feel free to report
problems. Click on the link below and start
exploring:
Space
Weather Real Time Image Gallery
[Submit your
photos] [NASA video: Solar
Eclipse over the USA]
