Launch of the Japanese supply spaceship to ISS today

Dear readers and followers,

Japan will launch its robotic HTV-5 cargo vessel toward the International Space Station on Wednesday morning, August 19th at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 GMT). You can watch the liftoff live in the window below, courtesy of NASA TV. Coverage begins at 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT). If all goes according to plan, HTV-5 will arrive at the space station next Monday morning, August 24th 2015.

The HTV is one of four robotic spacecraft that currently resupply the space station, along with Russia's Progress freighter and the Dragon and Cygnus vehicles, which are built by American companies SpaceX and Orbital ATK, respectively. The HTV, Progress and Cygnus are designed to burn up in Earth's atmosphere at the end of their cargo missions, while Dragon makes a parachute-aided splashdown in the ocean when its time in space is done.

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Fireball meteor in western Japan sky

Dear readers and followers,

Yesterday evening, on Monday November 3nd, people in western Japan have reported sightings of a sparkling light racing across the sky, as illustrated in the following picture. Experts say it was probably a "fireball" meteor, a piece of an asteroid that ignites upon entering Earth's atmosphere, and any surviving fragments mostly likely ended up in the sea. A remote controlled camera at Fukuoka airport recorded an object emitting a strong green light, while another camera at Hakata port showed a faint orange light.

Credit image: Japan Times

Last year, a fireball meteor has been seen in US. The +American Meteor Society indicated that they received 63 reports of a fireball over the state of Maryland and New Jersey during the night on October 14th 2013 around 8:25 pm

Credit image: +BBC News 

Source: +BBC News

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Japanese artist makes fly Bonsai tree and plants high above Earth

Dear readers and followers,

Could life survive in the harshness of space? What would it mean to send plants from Earth beyond, well, the Earth? According to multiple media reports, a Japanese artist recently explored these questions by launching a bonsai tree and other plant arrangements high into the atmosphere via high-altitude balloon. The Exobiotanica project saw a bonsai tree launched to 30,000 meters.

Credit image: azumamakoto.com

According to the Huffington Post, artist Azuma Makoto and his team sent the arrangements aloft from Black Rock Desert, Nevada (where the Burning Man festival is held). He did several practice runs under low-temperature conditions, checking out the camera angles and other parameters. The highest altitude was reportedly 30,000 meters. While that’s technically not high enough for space, at that altitude the air is thin enough that you can see black sky instead of blue.

More picture of the project

Source

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Successful take-off of Soyuz from Baikonur [with video]

Dear followers,

yesterday, the Soyuz was ready on the pad for its launch. This morning the Russian spacecraft took-off with success from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Credits: REUTERS / Shamil Zhumatov

Actually, the Russian space agency, Roscosmos successfully launched the Soyuz spacecraft TMA-11M bound for the International Space Station. The crew comprises the Japanese Koichi Wakata, the American +Rick Mastracchio and the Russian Mikhail Tyurin. The trio are carrying a replica of the Olympic torch for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games that are set to take place in Sotchi, Russia.

"It's just an outstanding day and a spectacular launch" said William Gerstenmaier, the NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operation.

Enjoy, the video of the take-off (with French commentary) : the launch starts at 14:30 in the video