The Next Station Crew Prepares to Launch on This Week @NASA – June 1, 2018

TL;DR

The next ISS crew prepared for launch, astronomers found a neutron star outside the Milky Way, TickBot aims to kill ticks safely, a Q&A session with astronauts took place on Tumblr, and a tribute ceremony honored deceased astronauts.

Transcript

Tracking the space station’s next crew … A distant and lonely neutron star … And taking the bite out of some very dangerous bugs – a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA! The next International Space Station crew, including our astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor, was in Kazakhstan this week, ahead of its scheduled June 6 launch t... Read More

Key Insights

• 📢 The next crew for the International Space Station has been announced and will consist of representatives from NASA, Roscosmos, and the European Space Agency.
• 🤩 Astronomers made a groundbreaking discovery by identifying a neutron star outside of our own galaxy, which possesses unique characteristics.
• 💋 TickBot, a robotic solution developed by Old Dominion University, shows promise in effectively eliminating ticks without harming humans.
• 👨‍🚀 NASA engaged with Tumblr users by conducting a Q&A session with astronauts in space, providing insights into life on the International Space Station.

Questions & Answers

Q: Who will be the next crew on the International Space Station?

The next crew on the International Space Station will consist of astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor, Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos, and Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency. They will spend over six months aboard the station.

Q: What makes the newly discovered neutron star special?

The recently discovered neutron star is special because it is located outside the Milky Way and has a rare combination of a low magnetic field and no companion star. It is situated within the remains of a supernova.

Q: How does TickBot work to kill ticks?

TickBot is a semi-autonomous robot that patrols a designated area at NASA's Langley Research Center. It releases carbon dioxide to attract ticks, and when they are near, it uses a non-toxic pesticide-treated cloth to eliminate them.

Q: How did the Q&A session with astronauts on Tumblr go?

The Q&A session on Tumblr with astronauts Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold was a success, with over 7,500 questions submitted by users. The astronauts answered 18 of those questions, discussing their experiences of living and working in space.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The next International Space Station crew, including astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor, is in Kazakhstan and scheduled for launch on June 6.

• Astronomers discovered a rare type of neutron star outside the Milky Way, without a companion star and with a low magnetic field.

• A tick-killing robot called TickBot, developed by Old Dominion University, is being tested at NASA's Langley Research Center using a non-toxic pesticide.

• Astronauts Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold on the space station answered questions from Tumblr users in a video Q&A session.

• A tribute ceremony was held at Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Complex to honor the passing of astronauts Alan Bean and Don Peterson.