I was wondering if any of the British folks here have caught the International Space Station programs running on Channel 4 (produced by National Geographic and Arrow Media). One ran yesterday ("ASTRONAUTS: LIVING IN SPACE"), another will air in a couple hours ("HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM,"), and there will be a 2.5 hour live show on Sunday ("LIVE from SPACE: LAP OF THE PLANET"). For those interested, the show on Sunday will feature several live interviews with the ISS crew, and all of the shows are hosted from the Mission Control Center here in Houston, TX. For those who have seen the first one (and who plan to view the others), I'd like to get some feedback on your overall impression. What did you like/dislike? Were you entertained and/or informed? for those in the US, there will be a similar 2-hour live program on the National Geographic Channel tomorrow (Friday, March 14). Check your local listings if you're interested.
Switched over 15 minutes before it started, woke up 15mins before the end. Was so gutted! I'll catch up with it tomorrow on 4oD : D
The two hour workout that the astronauts have to do everyday in microgravity must be real hard work and it must be pretty amazing having a video conversation with your father on the ISS! Astronaut Luca Parmitano is the coolest guy ever and it probably saved his life when he nearly drowned due to a helmet leak during a spacewalk I quickly realised how tough it must be to live in that environment and how a simple problem can quickly spiral into a life threatening situation. I remember a few years ago watching NASA TV broadcasts online when the ISS was being constructed and NASA realised that the ISS had started to very slowly rotate and they couldn't work out why, it was eventually traced to an astronaut who used an electric powered socket wrench to do up some bolts and the torque reaction caused the ISS to start rotating Did you get the coolest trailer for any program ever in the US?
When you watch them working out, you'll notice that the apparatus (whether it's the treadmill (TVIS), the cycle (CVIS), or the weight bench (ARED)) appears to flop around underneath the astronauts. This is because each device has its movements isolated from the ISS. Now you know why. Especially in the case of the treadmill and the cycle, the repeated motions over the course of time would case the vibrations to translate and eventually amplify throughout the rest of the structure. We didn't get that preview here in the US, but the video has been passed around to some of the folks in the office. There's a subtle joke that may not have been entirely intentional. The ISS Program Manager graduated from the University of Texas, the mascot for which is the Longhorn. The astronaut in the clip is doing the 'hook 'em horns' salute - a traditional sign for UT - while riding the rocket like a bull. There were jokes that Channel 4 and National Geographic must have done that to get on the program manager's good side.
I did notice the training gear moving a lot but didn't associate it with it being isolated from the ISS, I guess they could end up like a hamster in a wheel from the torque reaction of the treadmill! Not much bull riding in the UK, I thought it was the heavy metal hand gesture but bull riding makes more sense
