Dominique Luchart's Blog, page 649
April 17, 2021
NASA may attempt 1st Mars helicopter flight on Monday, ,
The first helicopter on Mars is once again ready to attempt an historic flight on another world.
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Amazon has canceled its Lord of the Rings MMO game,
Amazon Game Studios has canceled a Lord of the Rings online role-playing game, Bloomberg reported. The company announced the project with Leyou-owned Athlon Games back in 2019, and planned it to be a free-to-play game for PC and consoles.
The game was to be set “at a time long before the events of The Lord of the Rings, exploring lands, people and creatures never seen before by fans of the Tolkien universe,” according to an announcement from Athlon at the time. But Leyou was acquired by Tencent Holdings in December, and an Amazon spokesperson said in an email to The Verge that the company was “unable to secure terms to proceed with this title at this time.”
The team from the LOTR project will work on other games for the company, the spokesperson added. “We love the Lord of the Rings IP, and are disappointed that we won’t be bringing this game to customers.”
Since its launch in 2014, Amazon Game Studios has yet to release a successful video game, canceling some previously announced games and delaying others. Its video game adaptation of The Grand Tour in 2019 got such bad reviews that the game was pulled from storefronts. In January, Bloomberg reported that the games studio had internal problems, including a culture that didn’t provide equal opportunities to men and women, and an in-house game engine that was “painfully slow.”
But Amazon’s incoming CEO Andy Jassy said in response that he’s committed to the video games division, which launched under outgoing CEO and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who is stepping down as CEO later this year. “I believe this team will get there if we stay focused on what matters most,” Jassy said.
In the meanwhile, Amazon still reportedly plans to spend a breathtaking sum on a different Lord of the Rings property: it’s said to be paying $465 million for the first season of its LotR TV show.
Update April 17th, 6:45PM ET : Added statement from Amazon spokesperson.
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April 16, 2021
Soyuz MS-17 crew returns to Earth after 185 days on space station, ,
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Russia’s Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft lands in Kazakhstan from the International Space Station with cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Roscosmos and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins on Saturday, April 17, 2021. (Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)Two cosmonauts and an astronaut have landed safely from the International Space Station after spending 185 days aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos and Kate Rubins of NASA touched down on the steppe of Kazakhstan on Saturday (April 17), riding aboard Russia’s Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft. The three crewmates landed southeast of the remote Kazakh town of Dzhezkazgan at 12:55 a.m. EDT (0455 GMT or 10:55 a.m. local Kazakh time).
“Behind our shoulders is six months being on the space station,” Ryzhikov said during a brief change of command ceremony on Thursday when he relinquished leadership of the station’s Expedition 64 crew. “It was an amazing time and it was unforgettable. There were many unforgettable events during our increment.”
Related: Crew-2 astronauts arrive in Florida ahead of SpaceX launch next week
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NASA astronaut Kate Rubins (left) and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov are seen after landing aboard Soyuz MS-17 from the International Space Station on the Kazakh steppe on April 17, 2021. (Image credit: NASA TV)After landing, Russian recovery forces, as well as NASA personnel, were on hand to help the crew out of the Soyuz descent capsule and provide initial medical checks. Rubins was next to be flown by NASA jet back to Houston, while Ryzhikov and Kud-Sverchkov are flown back to their training center in Star City, Russia.
Ryzhikov, Kud-Sverchkov and Rubins’ departure from the station on Friday at 9:34 p.m. EDT (0134 GMT Saturday) marked the official end of Expedition 64. At the time of their undocking, Expedition 65 began on the station under the command of NASA astronaut Shannon Walker.
“I know I speak for everybody when I say thank you so much for these wonderful five months that we have had together,” Walker told Ryzhikov as she accepted command of the station. “It has truly been the teamwork and the camaraderie that has made it very special.”
“Expedition 64 was incredibly busy. We’ve done all kinds of research, I don’t know how many EVAs [extravehicular activities or spacewalks] between the two sides, multiple cargo vehicles, we’ve done station repairs, we’ve done station upgrades, we’ve done station maintenance,” said Walker.
Walker, with NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Mark Vande Hei, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov, will operate the station for one week until the arrival of SpaceX’s Crew-2. Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet are scheduled to launch on April 22 and dock their Dragon “Endeavour” to the station the next day.
Walker will then hand over command of the Expedition 65 crew to Hoshide before she, Hopkins, Glover and Noguchi land on Dragon “Resilience” on April 29.
Ryzhikov, Kud-Sverchkov and Rubins arrived on the station on Soyuz MS-17 on Oct. 14. They served as flight engineers on the Expedition 63 crew for one week before beginning Expedition 64.
During their 185 days on orbit, Ryzhikov, Kud-Sverchkov and Rubins conducted hundreds of experiments in the disciplines of biology, biotechnology, physical and Earth science. They also oversaw the arrival and departure of multiple visiting vehicles, including SpaceX’s first operational Crew Dragon mission, which brought the Crew-1 astronauts to join the Expedition 64 crew.
Ryzhikov and Kud-Sverchkov each performed their first spacewalk by making the first-ever EVA out of Russia’s Poisk module. The two worked outside the station for 6 hours and 48 minutes to prepare for the removal of the Pirs docking module, which will clear the way for the arrival of Russia’s Nauka multipurpose laboratory later this year.
Rubins, together with Glover and Noguchi, conducted two spacewalks to prepare the space station for the installation of new, more capable solar arrays. The two seven-hour EVAs brought her total career time working in the vacuum of space to 26 hours and 46 minutes over the course of her four spacewalks.
This was Ryzhikov’s and Rubins’ second spaceflight and Kud-Sverchkov’s first. Rubins now has logged 300 days in space. Ryzhikov has spent 358 cumulative days off the planet.
The three traveled a total of 78.4 million miles (126 million km) completing 2,960 orbits of Earth.
Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @ collectSPACE . Copyright 2021 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
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Watch live Saturday: SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts hold a virtual press conference at 9:45 am ET, ,
The four astronauts that will launch on SpaceX’s Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station next week will take questions from the media during a live event at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Saturday (April 17). You can watch it live in the window above, courtesy of NASA TV, beginning at 9:45 a.m. EDT (1345 GMT).
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Crew Dragon Endeavour on Thursday, April 22 to ferry four astronauts to the International Space Station. Liftoff is at 6:11 a.m. EDT (1011 GMT). The mission will be SpaceX’s third crewed flight for NASA and the second operational flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Called Crew-2, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon launch will carry NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet on a six-month mission to the space station.
NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station. This is the second crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and the first with two international partners. The flight follows certification by NASA for regular flights to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
The launch, on a Falcon 9 rocket, is targeted for 6:11 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 22, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew Dragon is scheduled to dock to the space station about 5:30 a.m. Friday, April. 23. Prelaunch activities, launch, and docking will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
The Crew-2 flight will carry NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur – who will serve as the mission’s spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively – along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who will serve as mission specialists to the space station for a six-month science mission.
All media participation in the following news conferences will be remote except where specifically listed below, and only a limited number of media will be accommodated at Kennedy due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Please note that the Kennedy Press Site facilities will remain closed throughout these events for the protection of Kennedy employees and journalists, except for a limited number of media who will receive confirmation in writing in the coming days.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):
Saturday, April 17
9:45 a.m. – Virtual Crew Media Engagement at Kennedy with Crew-2 astronauts:
NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, spacecraft commanderNASA astronaut Megan McArthur, pilotJAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, mission specialistESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, mission specialistMonday, April 19
1 p.m. – Science Media Teleconference to discuss investigations Crew-2 will support during their mission
David Brady, associate program scientist for the International Space Station Program at Johnson will discuss how the Commercial Crew Program is boosting research aboard the orbiting laboratory. ISS U.S. National Laboratory Senior Program Director Dr. Liz Warren will discuss Tissue Engineering, which uses a combination of cells, engineering, and materials to restore, maintain, improve, or replace biological tissues. Scientists will leverage microgravity, which allows cells to grow without scaffolding and in ways that mimic tissues in the human body.Dr. Lucie Low from the National Institutes of Health will discuss Tissue Chips, complex bioengineered 3D models that mimic the structure and function of human organ systems. Scientists use tissue chips to test the potential effects of drugs on those tissues and to study diseases.ISS Program Scientist for Earth Observations Dr. William Stefanov will discuss Crew Earth Observations. Astronauts have taken more than 3.5 million images of Earth from the space station, contributing to one of the longest-running records of how Earth has changed over time.NASA Project Manager for ISS Power Augmentation Bryan Griffith and Boeing’s director for the ISS Structural and Mechanical Development Project Rick Golden will discuss the ISS Roll-out Solar Array compact solar panels that roll open like a yoga mat. In 2017, the basic design underwent testing on the space station to determine its strength and durability, and NASA will deliver the first two of six new arrays that will be delivered this summer to augment the station’s power.Tuesday, April 20
TBD – Prelaunch News Conference at Kennedy (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review) with the following participants:
Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, KennedyJoel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station, JohnsonKirt Costello, chief scientist, International Space Station Program, JohnsonNorm Knight, deputy manager, Flight Operations Directorate, JohnsonBenji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceXJunichi Sakai, manager, International Space Station Program, JAXAFrank de Winne, manager, International Space Station Program, ESABrian Cizek, launch weather officer, U.S. Air Force 45th Weather SquadronWednesday, April 21
10 a.m. – Administrator Countdown Clock Briefing with the following participants (limited, previously confirmed in-person media only):
Steve Jurczyk, acting NASA administratorBob Cabana, Kennedy center directorHiroshi Sasaki, vice president and director general, JAXA’s Human Spaceflight Technology DirectorateFrank de Winne, manager, International Space Station Program, ESANASA astronautNASA astronautNo teleconference option is available for this event.
Thursday, April 22
2 a.m. – NASA Television launch coverage begins. NASA Television will have continuous coverage, including docking, hatch opening, and welcome ceremony.
7:30 a.m. (approximately) – Postlaunch news conference with the following participants:
Steve Jurczyk, acting NASA administratorKathy Lueders, associate administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA HeadquartersHiroshi Sasaki, vice president and director general, JAXA’s Human Spaceflight Technology DirectorateFrank de Winne, manager, International Space Station Program, ESASpaceX representativeFriday, April 23
5:30 a.m. – Docking
7:35 a.m. – Hatch Opening
8:05 a.m. – Welcome Ceremony from the International Space Station with the following participants:
Kathy Lueders, associate administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA HeadquartersHiroshi Yamakawa, president, JAXAJosef Aschbacher, director general, ESANASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live coverage will begin at 2 a.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:
Find out what the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station are up to by tuning in to the “ISS Live” broadcast. Hear conversations between the crew and mission controllers on Earth and watch them work inside the U.S. segment of the orbiting laboratory. When the crew is off duty, you can enjoy live views of Earth from Space. You can watch and listen in the window below, courtesy of NASA.
“Live video from the International Space Station includes internal views when the crew is on-duty and Earth views at other times. The video is accompanied by audio of conversations between the crew and Mission Control. This video is only available when the space station is in contact with the ground. During ‘loss of signal’ periods, viewers will see a blue screen.
“Since the station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, it experiences a sunrise or a sunset about every 45 minutes. When the station is in darkness, external camera video may appear black, but can sometimes provide spectacular views of lightning or city lights below.”
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Peloton is fighting a recall request on its treadmill after a child died last month,
Peloton is resisting a request from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to recall its Tread Plus treadmill, which was involved with the death of a child last month, the Washington Post is reporting tonight. At the time of the incident, the CPSC issued a statement that it was investigating.
The agency is reportedly planning on issuing a consumer alert about the Tread Plus and may do so as early as Saturday, according to officials who spoke to the Post. One official added that “this doesn’t happen with other treadmills.” The Post’s sources tell the paper that the CPSC is aware of “‘dozens’ of incidents involving Peloton’s treadmills, some involving pets or exercise balls and many of them resulting in serious injuries.”
Bloomberg notes this this past February the CPSC received a report that a three-year-old suffered a “significant brain injury. He was found to have tread marks on his back matching the slats of the treadmill, neck injury, and petechiae on his face, presumably from occlusion of blood flow.” Peloton commented on the report that the child from that separate incident “is expected to fully recover.”
Peloton CEO John Foley noted the death in an open letter on March 18th, in which he reiterated the safety instructions for Peloton’s Tread Plus exercise treadmill, including “Keep children and pets away from Peloton exercise equipment at all times. Before you begin a workout, double check to make sure that the space around your Peloton exercise equipment is clear.”
“While we are aware of only a small handful of incidents involving the Tread+ where children have been hurt,” Foley wrote, “each one is devastating to all of us at Peloton, and our hearts go out to the families involved.”
In a comment to The Verge, a Peloton spokesperson writes
We are disappointed that the CPSC is mischaracterizing the situation. The Peloton Tread+ is safe for use at home when operated as directed and in accordance with our warnings and safety instructions. As a reminder, the Tread+ is not for children under 16 and children, pets, and objects need to be kept away from the Tread+ at all times. Peloton is 100% committed to the safety of our Members and we will always be open to working with the CPSC to implement impactful safety measures. When the Tread+ is not in use, Members should continue to follow the safety instructions by storing the safety key, which keeps the Tread+ from operating, away from the Tread+ and out of reach of children.
A spokesperson for the company told the Post that it “does not believe a recall is necessary” and further that it didn’t provide more information to the CPSC at the family’s own request — and therefore asked the agency to issue a subpoena. The CPSC reportedly has issued an administrative subpoena that required Peloton to provide regulators the family’s contact information so that it can investigate the incident.
At issue is whether the accident was a result of a poorly designed product or improper use — Peloton says that not only should children be kept away from the treadmill, but that owners should “store it out of reach of children” when it’s not in use.
In October of 2020 Peloton recalled the PR70P Clip-In Pedals, because they “can break unexpectedly during use, causing laceration injuries.”
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Peloton is fighting a recall request on its treadmill after a child died last month, Dieter Bohn
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergePeloton is resisting a request from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to recall its Tread Plus treadmill, which was involved with the death of a child last month, the Washington Post is reporting tonight. At the time of the incident, the CPSC issued a statement that it was investigating.
The agency is reportedly planning on issuing a consumer alert about the Tread Plus and may do so as early as Saturday, according to officials who spoke to the Post. One official added that “this doesn’t happen with other treadmills.” The Post’s sources tell the paper that the CPSC is aware of “‘dozens’ of incidents involving Peloton’s treadmills, some involving pets or exercise balls and many of them resulting in serious injuries.”
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Camera footage from wolf’s collar reveals a very good boy, Elizabeth Lopatto
Have you ever wanted to watch a wolf hunt freshwater fish? Thanks to the Voyageurs Wolf Project from the University of Minnesota, you can see it on YouTube any time you like.
The researchers with the project trapped V089, a lone wolf, sedated him, and then strapped on the Vectronic-Aerospace camera collar. The collar recorded video in 30 second bursts during daylight hours, for a total of 7 minutes a day.
The wolf is a regular neckbeard, it turns outThe footage is very cool, though some of it is obscured by V089’s fur. (“The wolf’s beard needed a little trim… lesson learned,” one video caption says.) They found that V089 was clever enough to hunt near a beaver dam, going after fish that were trapped by the…
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Supernova deaths of white dwarf stars may explode like a nuclear bomb, ,
When a white dwarf star explodes as a supernova, it may detonate like a nuclear weapon on Earth, a new study finds.
White dwarfs are the dim, fading, Earth-size cores of dead stars that are left behind after average-size stars have exhausted their fuel and shed their outer layers. Our sun will one day become a white dwarf, as will more than 90% of the stars in our galaxy.
Previous research found that white dwarfs can die in nuclear explosions known as type Ia supernovas. Much remains unknown about what triggers these explosions, but prior work suggested they may happen when a white dwarf acquires extra fuel from a binary companion, perhaps due to a collision. (In contrast, type II supernovas occur when a single star dies and collapses in on itself).
Now researchers have suggested a new way that type Ia supernovas might happen — a white dwarf may detonate like a nuclear weapon.
Related: When will the sun die?
As a white dwarf cools, uranium and other heavy radioactive elements known as actinidescrystallize within its core. Occasionally the atoms of these elements spontaneously undergo nuclear fission, splitting into smaller fragments. These instances of radioactive decay can release energy and subatomic particles, such as neutrons, which can break up nearby atoms.
If the amount of actinides within a white dwarf’s core exceeds a critical mass, it can set off an explosive, runaway nuclear fission chain reaction. This outburst can then trigger nuclear fusion, with atom nuclei fusing to generate huge amounts of energy. In a similar fashion, a hydrogen bomb uses a nuclear fission chain reaction to detonate a nuclear fusion explosion.
[image error]
This computer simulation shows a uranium crystal (orange) forming in a liquid of carbon and oxygen nuclei (white). (Image credit: C. J. Horowitz and M. E. Caplan)The new study’s calculations and computer simulations found that a critical mass of uranium can indeed crystallize from the mixture of elements usually found in a cooling white dwarf. If this uranium explodes due to a nuclear fission chain reaction, the scientists found that the resulting heat and pressure in the white dwarf’s core could be high enough to trigger fusion of lighter elements, such as carbon and oxygen, resulting in a supernova.
“The conditions to build and set off an atomic bomb seemed very difficult — I was surprised that these conditions might be satisfied in a natural way inside a very dense white dwarf,” study co-author Charles Horowitz, a nuclear astrophysicist at Indiana University, told Space.com. “If true, this provides a very new way to think about thermonuclear supernovae, and perhaps other astrophysical explosions.”
Supernova Photos: Great images of star explosions
So how many type Ia supernovas might this new mechanism help explain? “Perhaps about half,” Horowitz said.
Specifically, these new findings might explain type Ia supernovas that happen within a billion years of a white dwarf’s formation, as their uranium has not yet all radioactively decayed. When it comes to older white dwarfs, type Ia supernovas might happen through mergers of two white dwarfs, Horowitz said.
Future research can include running computer simulations to pin down whether fission chain reactions in white dwarfs can trigger fusion, and how this happens. “There are many different physical processes going on during the explosion, and therefore there are many possible uncertainties,” Horowitz said. Such work could also reveal ways to detect whether or not any type Ia supernovas occurred because of this newfound mechanism.
Horowitz and study co-author Matt Caplan, a theoretical physicist at Illinois State University, detailed their findings online March 29 in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Originally published on Space.com.
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Best eco-friendly iPhone 12 and 12 Pro cases for Earth Day and beyond – CNET,
Environmentally friendly smartphone cases are rapidly proliferating as more companies are making an effort to manufacture products out of recycled or biodegradable materials. And sometimes cases are made out of both recycled plastic and plant-based materials that are biodegradable.
Eco cases can look and feel slightly different from standard thermoplastic polyurethane, or TPU, cases — particularly the wooden ones — but most people wouldn’t even realize you were using an eco-friendly case unless you told them. Many offer good drop protection and all the cases on this list are compatible with wireless chargers.
Earth Day 2021 is April 22, and hopefully we’ll see some sales on eco-friendly cases at that time. It’s also worth noting that many of these cases are available for earlier iPhone models, including the iPhone 11 and iPhone XS, and many of those cases are discounted.
Read more: Best iPhone 12 and 12 Pro cases
Compostable optionTorro Eco Cover
David Carnoy/CNET
While the Torro Eco Cover for the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro is made out of renewable plant-based raw material such as corn and cassava — no plastic is used — it feels similar to a firm plastic case and has a slight bit of grip to it. It also seems pretty protective and has raised edges to help protect your screen in the event you drop your phone face down. Torro says the Eco Cover is only biodegradable in a composting environment; you simply place it in your home compost bin and it’ll break down. This case was previously on sale for 50% off with an instant coupon code — we’re looking for that deal to return and will update this post if it does.
It’s also available for the iPhone 12 Mini, but I didn’t see a listing for a version for the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
$26 at Amazon
Best clear eco caseNimble Disc case
David Carnoy/CNET
You know all those compact discs you no longer listen to? Nimble makes translucent iPhone cases out of them. They’re a little pricey at $40, but some of us like the idea of protecting the latest technology with recycled technology and don’t mind paying a little extra for that. They have antimicrobial protection, are scratch-resistant and aren’t supposed to turn yellow over time. While the Disc Case is slim, it’s rated for 6-foot drop protection. Use code CNET25 for 25% off any Disc Case, bringing the price down to $30.
$30 at Nimble
Cork case option15:21 cork case
David Carnoy/CNET
Swedish startup 15:21 makes natural cork cases and wallets that give your phone a unique look and feel. These are slim cases that aren’t incredibly protective, although the edges are raised slightly on the corners to help protect your screen from cracking should you drop it (other cases do offer more corner protection). Also, the bottom of the case covers half of the bottom of your phone rather than leaving it totally exposed, which is good. You can read the story behind the 15:21 company name here.
$39 at Amazon
Best wood caseKerfCase Plywood case
David Carnoy/CNET
KerfCase has been making handmade wooden cases for a while, and its new Plywood case is not only more durable but less expensive than some, starting at $50, with 6-foot drop protection and a limited lifetime repair warranty. I like it better than other cases made of wood that I’ve tried. It’s also worth noting that Apple’s MagSafe charger will stick to the back of it, and KerfCase sells matching charging docks for the Apple MagSafe charger (yes, it’s an accessory for an accessory).
$50 at KerfCase
Under $10 optionDalinba eco-friendly case
Amazon
This is the only case on the list I haven’t yet tried, but the Amazon user reviews for it are positive and it only costs $7.50. Dalinba says its case is built from “65% biodegradable wheat straw fiber and 35% recyclable high-quality TPU” and has “no unpleasant smell.”
According to the company, the case is biodegradable by European standard EN 13432 and can completely disintegrate into carbon dioxide and water in three to five years without leaving toxic residues. It’s available in several color options.
$8 at Amazon
Mobile
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You can watch a NASA astronaut and 2 cosmonauts return to Earth in a Soyuz capsule tonight, ,
A NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts will head back to Earth on a Soyuz spacecraft tonight (April 16), and you can watch the whole thing live online.
Expedition 64 flight engineer Kate Rubins will return home from the International Space Station alongside Roscosmos crewmates Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov. You’ll be able to watch their landing events live here on Space.com and directly from NASA beginning at 5:45 p.m. EDT (2145 GMT).
If all goes to schedule, the crew will close the hatch of their Soyuz MS-17 vehicle around 6:10 p.m. EDT (2210 GMT), before undocking from the International Space Station’s Poisk module at 9:34 p.m. (0134 GMT on Saturday, April 17.)
Touchdown will take place on the steppes of Kazakhstan southeast of the small town of Dzhezkazgan on Saturday at 12:56 a.m. EDT (0456 GMT or 10:56 a.m. local time), according to the flight plan. From there, Rubins will fly back to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston while the cosmonauts will go to their training facility in Star City, near Moscow.
NASA is pivoting toward crewed flights on commercial SpaceX and Boeing spacecraft, making Rubins’ return on Soyuz a rarer opportunity these days for agency astronauts. She is expected to clock 185 days on this mission, with 300 days of experience accrued overall across two space station missions. Ryzhikov is expected to have 358 cumulative days in space across two missions, while Kud-Sverchkov will complete his first mission.
The departing crew leaves behind a space station that received, during several spacewalks, key battery and strut upgrades in anticipation of putting in new solar arrays later this year. The ongoing power improvements are expected to help the ISS stay in good shape through its planned end of mission in 2024. The station’s mandate could be extended to 2028 or even further depending on NASA’s anticipated work with commercial space stations — along with international consensus on what to do.
Staying on board station will be an Expedition 65 crew of seven — larger than the usual six people, thanks to SpaceX’s Crew-1 mission, which carried four people aloft in November 2020 on the first operational commercial crew flight, compared with the usual three seats a Soyuz can hold.
Those remaining crew members include space station commander and NASA astronaut Shannon Walker, a trio of fellow NASA astronauts (Victor Glover, Michael Hopkins, and Mark Vande Hei — who flew to space last-minute on a Soyuz recently, under an exchange agreement), two cosmonauts (Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov) and Soichi Noguchi, an astronaut with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
On April 22, SpaceX and NASA plan to send another four crew members on a Crew Dragon spacecraft to join Expedition 65. The new arrivals on the Crew-2 mission will be NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet.
Commercial crew is still a young program, and NASA is trying to fill its flight obligations with only one of the two planned United States spacecraft. Boeing is still working on completing the requirements to fly astronauts on its CST-100 Starliner capsule following an uncrewed mission in 2019 that encountered several glitches and never reached the ISS as planned.
Bad weather and technical problems delayed a second Starliner test attempt, but Boeing is now working with NASA to get that flight done. One of the main issues now is that there are many ISS vehicle launches and landings in the coming months, so Starliner may not fly until late July or early August. Those results then need to be reviewed before giving the thumbs-up for carrying people. Given that crowded schedule, it’s now thought astronauts may not climb aboard Starliner until 2022, according to Ars Technica.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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