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WELCOME TO SPACE TO GROUND, YOUR WEEKLY LOOK AT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON BOARD THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION. I’M JOSH BYERLY.
FLIGHT CONTROLLERS ARE STILL LOOKING INTO WHAT CAUSED ONE OF THE STATION’S TWO COOLANT
LOOPS TO SHUT DOWN THIS WEEK. THESE LOOPS CIRCULATE AMMONIA OUTSIDE THE STATION TO KEEP
THE ELECTRONICS COOL. THEY SUSPECT A VALVE DIDN’T WORK THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSED TO.
THE CREW IS FINE, AND WE’LL KEEP YOU UPDATED AS MISSION CONTROL FIGURES OUT HOW TO FIX
THE ISSUE.
MEANWHILE ORBITAL SCIENCES IS GETTING READY FOR ITS CYGNUS TO HEAD TO THE STATION. IT’LL
BE TAKING ABOUT TWENTY-SEVEN-HUNDRED POUNDS OF CARGO UP TO THE CREW. IF YOU LIVE ANYWHERE
FROM SOUTH CAROLINA UP TO MASSACHUSETTS, MAKE SURE YOU LOOK UP BECAUSE YOU’LL BE ABLE
TO SEE THE LAUNCH. FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON THE LAUNCH DATE AND TIME, LOG ON TO NASA.GOV/STATION.
IN STATION SCIENCE, THE CREW HAS BEEN LOOKING AT HOW CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS ARE IMPACTED BY LIVING
IN SPACE. ANYONE WHO HAS SUFFERED JET LAG KNOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF STAYING ON A NORMAL
SCHEDULE. WELL, YOU CAN PROBABLY IMAGINE WHAT IT FEELS LIKE GOING AROUND THE WORLD 16 TIMES
A DAY. THIS STUDY TAKES A LOOK AT WHETHER DIFFERENT EXERCISE OR EVEN DIFFERENT LIGHTING
INSIDE THE STATION COULD HELP THE CREWS ADAPT.
SCIENTISTS ARE ALSO LOOKING DEEP INTO THE EYES OF THE ASTRONAUTS. OVER THE LAST COUPLE
OF YEARS, RESEARCHERS HAVE NOTICED THAT SOME OF THE CREW ‘S EYES ARE AFFECTED BY BEING
UP IN SPACE. THE EYE TENDS TO CHANGE SHAPE, WHICH CHANGES VISION. SO THEY’RE NOW USING
MULTIPLE WAYS TO STUDY THE CREWS’ EYES AND FIGURE OUT WHAT’S GOING ON. THE HOPE IS
THAT THESE CHANGES CAN BE BETTER PREDICTED AND SOLVED, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT
LONGER JOURNEYS TO AN ASTEROID OR MARS.
DO YOU THINK YOU CAN TRAIN LIKE AN ASTRONAUT? MIKE HOPKINS IS GIVING YOU THE CHANCE. MIKE
IS A BIG FAN OF PHYSICAL FITNESS, AND DURING HIS TIME ABOARD THE STATION, HE’S BEEN SENDING
DOWN WORKOUT TIPS AND OTHER FITNESS INFO. IF YOU’D LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK OR JOIN IN,
JUST CHECK OUT WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/TRAINASTRONAUT.
ELLIOTT DAVIS TWEETED US THIS QUESTION: WHAT TIME ZONE DO THE ASTRONAUTS ON BOARD THE ISS
OPERATE IN? GOOD QUESTION. SINCE MISSION CONTROL HOUSTON IS IN TEXAS AND THE RUSSIAN FLIGHT
CONTROL CENTER IS IN MOSCOW, WE SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TIME ZONES. SO THE CREW
AND THE GROUND TEAMS ARE ALL ON GREENWICH MEAN TIME, OR UNIVERSAL TIME. SO THE CREW
ENDS UP WAKING UP AROUND MIDNIGHT CENTRAL TIME AND GOING TO BED AROUND 3:30PM.
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTIONS OR COMMENT YOU WANT TO SEND TO US, USE THE HASHTAG SPACETOGROUND.
SEE YOU NEXT WEEK.