ISS Expedition 42 crew members Anton Shkaplerov, Samantha Cristoforetti and Terry Virts

In the front row, from left are the newest Expedition 42 crew members Anton Shkaplerov, Samantha Cristoforetti and Terry Virts.

In the back are Elena Serova, Commander Barry Wilmore and Alexander Samokutyaev.

They are in the Zvezda service module for a traditional crew greeting ceremony with family and mission officials on the ground. Credit: NASA TV

NASA astronaut Terry Virts, Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency joined their Expedition 42 crewmates when the hatches between the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft and the International Space Station officially opened at midnight EST. Expedition 42 Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore of NASA and Alexander Samoukutyaev and Elena Serova of Roscosmos welcomed the new crew members aboard their orbital home.

Expedition 42 will continue to take advantage of the orbital lab’s unique microgravity environment and expand the scope of research.

The crew will perform experiments that cover human research, biological and physical sciences, technology development and Earth observations as well as engage in educational activities.

They are scheduled to greet a host of cargo vehicles during their mission, including a number of U.S. commercial resupply flights, two Russian Progress resupply missions and the departure of the final European ATV cargo spacecraft. The crew will conduct up to three U.S. spacewalks.

Wilmore, Samoukutyaev and Serova will return home in March 2015. At that time Virts will become commander for Expedition 43. Virts, Shkaplerov and Cristoforetti will return to Earth in May 2015.

ISS Crew Grapples with SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft before Docking

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft successfully berthed at the space station at 9:06 a.m. EDT. 

The mission is the company's third cargo delivery flight to the station.

ISS Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, with the assistance of NASA’s Rick Mastracchio, successfully captured the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with the station’s robotic arm at 7:14 a.m. EDT.

Operations to berth Dragon to the space station begin at approximately 9:30 a.m.

The mission is the company's third cargo delivery flight to the station.

Dragon's cargo will support more than 150 experiments to be conducted by the crews of ISS Expeditions 39 and 40.



The SpaceX-3 Dragon spacecraft separated from the Falcon rocket as it continues on to the International Space Staton.

Liftoff took place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 at 3:25 p.m. EDT.

SpaceX Falcon9 and Dragon Cargo Craft Launch Scrubbed

Monday's launch attempt of the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft, loaded with nearly 5,000 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station's Expedition 39 crew, was scrubbed due to a helium leak on the Falcon 9 first stage. 

The next launch opportunity would be Friday, April 18 at 3:25 p.m. EDT if the issue can be resolved.

The launch of the third SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply services mission from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida will send the vehicle on course to rendezvous with the station several days later.

Commander Koichi Wakata and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio will capture the space freighter using the Canadarm2 robotic arm to set it up for its berthing to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module.

Mission managers and SpaceX had agreed Sunday to proceed with Monday's launch attempt despite the loss Friday of a multiplexer demultiplexer (MDM) backup computer relay system in the S0 truss that assists in providing insight into truss systems, the operation of the external cooling loops, the operations of the Solar Alpha Rotary joints and the Mobile Transporter rail car.

JAXA Astronaut Koichi Wakata takes over role as Commander of Space Station - Video

Astronaut Koichi Wakata, pictured at the Baikonur cosmodrome on November 6, 2013, has become the first Japanese commander of the International Space Station Astronaut 

In a simple ceremony onboard the station, Wakata took over the facility's command from Russian predecessor Oleg Kotov, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said late Sunday.


Most previous ISS commanders have hailed from Russia or the United States.

"I am humbled to be assuming command of the station," Wakata said in a video, as he thanked fellow astronauts who were returning to Earth.

"We have had unforgettable memories together."

Wakata, 50, a veteran of several space missions, left for the ISS in November on Russia's Soyuz rocket, and will serve as the commander until May when he is scheduled to return home.

He was joined by what has been billed as the world's first robot astronaut.


Kirobo, a pint-sized android equipped with artificial intelligence, was sent as part of a longer-term project to see how a robot can act as a companion for isolated people, particularly to see if it can develop conversational skills.

ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano prepares to leave ISS - Video

Watch the Soyuz return flight from the International Space Station of ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg and commander Fyodor Yurchikhin: live coverage starts Sunday 20:30 CET, courtesy NASA TV.

ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano has run over 30 experiments on the International Space Station, helped to dock three spaceships, kept his cool during two spacewalks and entertained us with his blogs and pictures of Earth from above – and now it is time for him to come home.

After almost six months on the orbital complex, Luca will return home in a Soyuz spacecraft together with NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg and cosmonaut commander Fyodor Yurchikhin during the night of Sunday–Monday.

Canadian Astronaut and ISS Cmdr, Chris Hadfield Prepares to Return to Earth - Video

Canadian Astronaut and ISS Cmdr Hadfield’s charm and easy way with the camera are not the whole story behind his popularity. Long before setting off on this expedition to the space station, officials at the Canadian Space Agency were preparing him for fame.

Recognising his ability to explain complex issues easily, they gave him a video camera several years ago and asked him to begin practicing with it through his training.

Since he has been at the space station, a team back in Quebec have been dreaming up ideas for him to talk about, experiments for him to perform and writing scripts for the dozens of videos he has produced.

A professional editing team have polished the footage he has sent back, setting his antics to zany music and with fun graphics.

His final video dispatch from the Space Station (shown above) was a cover of the David Bowie song Space Oddity.

The music video, believed to be the first filmed in space, shows Cmdr Hadfield floating through various parts of the space station and playing his guitar along to a backing track.


Together, what Cmdr Hadfield and his team have achieved is to bring the space station alive for those back on Earth.

They have transformed the ISS from being a sprawling £84 billion laboratory where just an elite few who travel, into a place of wonderment – a playground where all the things we take for granted can be turned on their head.

Being able to share in just a part of that through Cmdr Hadfield’s videos has somehow helped to make the enormous building and running costs of the space station easier to swallow.

It has given the world the chance to be part of something very special.

Expedition 34 Crew: Welcome Home!

Expedition 34 Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin, left with flowers, Flight Commander Kevin Ford of NASA, center with flowers, and Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy are greeted at the Kustanay Airport a few hours after they landed near the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan.

Ford, Novitskiy, and Tarelkin are returning from 142 days onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 33 and 34 crews.

Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

First Woman to Command the International Space Station

First Woman to Command the International Space Station March is the annual celebration of National Women's History Month.

In this image from Jan. 30, 2008, Expedition 16 commander Peggy Whitson, the first female commander of the International Space Station, participates in a seven hour, ten minute spacewalk. 

During the spacewalk, Whitson and astronaut Daniel Tani, flight engineer, replaced a motor at the base of one of the station's solar wings. 

Image Credit: NASA

NASA Hadfield ISS Image: The Andros Islands

Andros Island, a lesser populated island with some great diving. At the bottom center you can see the island's runway.

Credit: NASA, Chris Hadfield

NASA Hadfield Image: The Beauty of the Bahamas

The beauty of the Bahamas is surreal; every blue that exists. Taken by Chris Hadfield on New Year's Day, 2013 from the Space Station.

CSA astronaut Chris Hadfield strums his guitar

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield strums his guitar in the International Space Station's Cupola on Dec. 25, 2012.

Hadfield, a long-time member of an astronaut band called Max Q, later joined with the other five Expedition 34 crew members in a more spacious location to provide an assortment of Christmas carols for the public.

Whilst on the ISS, Cmdr. Hadfield finished off his own songwriting creation "Jewel in the night!"

Credit: Nasa

The Christmas Tune, Written By An Astronaut and Recorded in the ISS

Commander Chris Hadfield controls the Canadarm from the Space Shuttle Atlantic.

Photo: Col. Chris Hadfield

Commander Chris Hadfield, a Canadian astronaut, arrived at the International Space Station on December 19 for a planned five month stint aboard the orbiting platform.

The trip is Hadfield’s third and longest jaunt into space, and as a way to kill some downtime, says the Canadian Space Agency, Hadfield—an accomplished musician—has plans to record himself strumming and singing away.

The first fruits of that labour are now ready, says Rebecca Rosen, marking “the first original song written for and performed on the International Space Station."

Christmas may be over, but Hadfield’s first performance, an original song released on December 24 and dubbed “Jewel in the Night,” could be a good way to hold on the season’s spirit a little longer.

“Listen closely,” says Nancy Atkinson, “and you can hear the slight buzz of the [international space] station’s fans in the background.”

The song was not the first to ever be recorded in space, says Rosen, but rather the first to be written specifically for a zero-gravity performance.

NASA ISS Commander Kevin Ford Offers Holiday Greetings

From 250 miles above the Earth Expedition 34 Commander Kevin Ford of NASA downlinked his Festive holiday greetings from the ESA Columbus /Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station.

Space Station Commander Provides Tour of Orbital Laboratory

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, JAXA In her final days as Commander of the International Space Station, Sunita Williams of NASA recorded an extensive tour of the orbital laboratory and downlinked the video on Nov. 18. The tour took place just hours before she, cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and Flight Engineer Aki Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency departed in their Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft for a crash landing on the steppes of Kazakhstan. The tour includes scenes of each of the station's modules and research facilities with a running narrative by Williams of the work that has taken place and which is ongoing aboard the orbital outpost.

NASA - Commander Kelly on the Station

Credit: NASA

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, Expedition 25 flight engineer, is pictured in the ESA Cupola of the International Space Station on Oct. 14, 2010.

NASA has selected Kelly for a one-year mission aboard the station in 2015.

Kelly will join Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko on a mission that will collect scientific data important to future human exploration of our solar system.

The goal of the yearlong expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory is to understand better how the human body reacts and adapts to the harsh environment of space.

Data from the 12-month expedition will help inform current assessments of crew performance and health and will determine better and validate countermeasures to reduce the risks associated with future exploration as NASA plans for missions around the moon, an asteroid and ultimately Mars.

NASA ISS Images: Expedition Crew Preps for Soyuz Launch

NASA astronaut Kevin Ford (left), Expedition 33 flight engineer and Expedition 34 commander; Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy (center) and Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin (right) clasp hands Sept. 21, 2012 in front of a Soyuz vehicle mock-up as they wrap up two days of final qualification exams at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.

The trio is scheduled to launch Oct. 23 in their Soyuz TMA-06M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a five-month mission on the International Space Station.

Credit: NASA

NASA Commander Chris Hadfield Experiences Virtual Reality EVA

Kate Lunau with her VR helmet. (Photo: Kate Lunau)

At NASA’s Johnson Space Center with astronaut Chris Hadfield, who is set to become the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station. 

In space, there’s no up or down—it’s a 360-degree world and that can be extremely disorienting, as Chris Hadfield learned shortly after getting suited up today at the NASA Johnson Space Center’s Virtual Reality lab, where he took a “spacewalk” with Jeremy Hansen, one of Canada’s newest astronauts.

Despite feeling mildly seasick as he roamed the outside of the International Space Station, it was a thrill.

At Johnson’s VR lab, astronauts practice for all sorts of situations they might encounter in real life on the ISS.

Canadian Chris Hadfield, who’ll assume command of the ISS in March, is working a lot in VR right now to master SAFER, a propulsive backpack that can save spacewalking astronauts should they drift away on an EVA.

In the VR lab, there’s a console filled with monitors where astronauts can operate a virtual Canadarm; and there’s another area where astronauts donning VR helmets can practice climbing all over the ISS to do a repair.

The view from inside the VR helmet. (Photo: Kate Lunau)

A software technician helped set Hadfield up: she put a massive helmet over his heads, and slipped wired gloves onto his hands.

As soon as the helmet was lowered over his eyes, Hadfield felt submerged in a different world. In front of him he could see the Space Station, and beyond it, the blue curve of Earth.

It was beautiful, but stomach churning: the perspective is nothing like on the ground. You can move in any direction, and this makes you feel immediately disoriented (no wonder even seasoned astronauts can get lost aboard the ISS).

The technician helped him figure out how to grab a railing and climb around; eventually he could see the other astronaut in his spacesuit in front of him, waving.

It’s easy to see why this type of practice is important for astronauts, especially when paired with work in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, a massive swimming pool containing a mockup of the ISS where they run through drills in their spacesuits but underwater in the NBL, there’s still an “up” and a “down.”

That wasn’t the case in VR, nor is it in space. When finally the helmet is taken off, his face was white as a sheet but even while battling nausea, the experience was so novel and exciting he didn’t want it to end.

Chris Hadfield said that the best part of the VR experience was when a technician 'fixed' him to the end of the Canadarm2 to really give me a view.

NASA Commander Chris Hadfield: Floating on the Air-Bearing Floor

NASA Commander, Chris Hadfield ‏playing human air hockey - floating on the Air-Bearing Floor to get a feel for weightless inertia of a spacewalking crane.

Commander Scott Kelly: Expedition 26 Soyuz Landing

Expedition 26 Commander Scott Kelly listens to reporters questions while wearing a traditional Kazakh hat at the Kustanay, Kazakhstan airport on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 after he and fellow crew members Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka landed in their Soyuz TMA-01M capsule near the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan.

NASA Astronaut Kelly, Russian Cosmonauts Skripochka and Kaleri are returning from almost six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 25 and 26 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 26 Commander Scott Kelly performs the traditional sighing of the helicopter that flew him from Arkalyk to Kustanay, Kazakhstan after he and Expedition 26 Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexander Kaleri landed in their Soyuz TMA-01M capsule near the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 16, 2011.

NASA ISS Commander Burbank Exercises with aRED

NASA astronaut Dan Burbank, Expedition 30 commander, exercises using the advanced Resistive Exercise Device (aRED) in the Tranquility node of the International Space Station.