Realtime coverage of Russian EVA-37
By WILLIAM HARWOOD
CBS News
02:00 PM EST, 12/27/13: Russian spacewalkers told to bring Canadian cameras back to space station after telemetry problems
Two cosmonauts working outside the International Space Station Friday installed two cameras for a Canadian company as part of a commercial venture to beam down near-realtime Earth imagery, but problems receiving telemetry prompted flight controllers to tell the spacewalkers to bring both cameras back inside the lab complex.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy had no problems installing a high-resolution camera for Vancouver-based UrtheCast, attaching it to an aiming platform outside the command module. They then attached a medium-resolution camera and ran long cables to connect it to station power and data circuitry.
But flight controllers were unable to receive expected telemetry and the spacewalkers were asked to unplug and reconnect a variety of cables in a bid to correct the problem. Finally, after extensive troubleshooting, Kotov and Ryazanskiy were told to detach both cameras and to bring them back inside the space station for additional troubleshooting.
"Both of them?" Kotov asked.
"Affirmative. We will take both telescopes inside," a Russian flight controller radioed in translated remarks.
After discussing the issue, one of the spacewalkers asked, "what happened here, if it's not a top secret?"
"There's nothing in the circuits," a translator quoted Russian mission control.
"They're all dead?"
"Well, we did not receive anything we really needed to receive in those channels," the flight control radioed.
"Would you like us to check those connectors one more time?" a cosmonaut asked.
"Everything that could be checked was checked," someone said. "We demated and remated all the connectors and still we did not get the results."
Kotov and Ryazanskiy were asked to take additional photographs of the cameras on their mounts, along with visible electrical connectors, before detaching them and hauling them back into the Pirs airlock compartment.
"The plan that was called up to Kotov just a few minutes ago now calls for him to take an extensive amount of photos of the electrical connectors and the mating positions of those connectors on the two connector patch panels and then to disconnect those electrical connectors from both the high resolution camera and the medium resolution camera (and to bring them) back inside the Pirs docking compartment," said Rob Navias, NASA's mission control commentator.
"So it appears we have seen an unsuccessful attempt at bringing those two cameras to life," he added. "The exact cause of the problem is not known at this point. The Russian flight control team will spend some time, obviously, analyzing the data and trying to understand from the analysis of these photographs whether or not the problem lies in the electrical connectors themselves or in the cameras, which of course would be a more significant issue."
Installing the two cameras was the primary objective of the spacewalk and a major milestone for UrtheCast, which had hoped to begin transmitting Earth views back to subscribers around the world. Once operational, the company said it would post a free stream on its web site and provide a subscriber-based feed from the high-resolution camera.
How long it might take to resolve the camera issue and stage another spacewalk to install them is not yet known. A company spokesman said a statement would be released later in the day and that UrtheCast officials were hopeful the problem would be easy to resolve.
BC Business reported earlier this year that UrtheCast had secured a $35 million insurance policy "for the launch, installation, commissioning and business interruption of its two cameras aboard the ISS." If the cameras failed to work properly or could not be installed, the report said, the company would use the insurance coverage to build and launch a fresh set of cameras.
But it is far from clear whether any new hardware will be required or whether engineers can come up with a fix for the cameras currently aboard the station.
"Can you tell us at least approximately what you guys are thinking, why it didn't work?" one of the spacewalkers asked.
"Well, all I can tell you is there was no connection," a flight controller replied. "So we don't know why there was no connection, whether the problem was inside, was it outside."
09:20 AM EST, 12/27/13: Russian spacewalkers install hi-res camera
Completing the first major objective in a planned seven-hour spacewalk, cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy mounted a large high-resolution camera on an aiming platform outside the International Space Station's Zvezda command module Friday, the centerpiece of a commercial Canadian venture to beam down Earth views to subscribers around the world.
The 4K camera, owned by Vancouver-based Urthecast, was the first of two that will be installed by Kotov and Ryazanskiy during Russian EVA-37. The second, a medium-resolution imager, will be mounted at a different location on the Zvezda module.
When that work is complete, the cosmonauts will turn their attention to removing and jettisoning two experiment packages that are no longer needed and installing a space physics experiment. They also plan to attach a payload support boom.
"Wow! What a view," one of the spacewalkers marvled as the International Space Station flew 260 miles above Peru.
The cosmonauts have not encountered any major problems and are ahead of schedule on their timeline.
08:05 AM EST, 12/27/13: Russian EVA-37 begins
Following two U.S. spacewalks to repair the International Space Station's cooling system, two Russian cosmonauts are closing out the year in orbit with a spacewalk Friday to install two cameras on the hull of the Zvezda command module, along with a space physics experiment and a new payload support boom.
Expedition 38 commander Oleg Kotov and flight engineer Sergey Ryazanskiy opened the hatch of the Russian Pirs airlock compartment at 8 a.m. EST (GMT-5) to begin a planned seven-hour spacewalk, the third in less than a week for the station's six-man crew.
Kotov, call sign EV-1, and Ryazanskiy, EV-2, both are wearing Russian Orlan spacesuits with blue stripes and both are equipped with NASA-supplied helmet cameras to give Russian flight controllers a ringside seat.
This is the 177th spacewalk devoted to station assembly and maintenance since construction began in 1998, the 11th and final planned outing this year, the fifth for Kotov and the second for Ryazanskiy.
The first items on the agenda are to install a pair of cameras on the hull of the Zvezda module as part of a commercial venture with a Canadian company -- UrtheCast -- to beam down Earth views using high-resolution and medium-resolution cameras.
Based in Vancouver, UrtheCast (pronounced Earth Cast) says anyone with internet access will be able to download imagery of selected targets using cell phones, tablets or personal computers as the space station flies 51.6 degrees to either side of the equator at an altitude of around 260 miles.
The medium-resolution camera will provide a fixed view of the ground below while the high-resolution 4K camera will be mounted on a platform that can be aimed at specific targets. The company plans to provide basic imagery free of charge while more specific imaging requests will be billed at yet-to-be-specified rates.
"Having a platform on the ISS gives us a really neutral place to let the world observe itself without having a single governmental organization control that data," the company’s director of technology, Dan Lopez, said in an interview with CBSNews.com.
According to BC Business Online, the company is promoting an open Application Program Interface, or API, "which will allow developers to build products of its live-stream, and has signed data distribution agreements worth between $19 and $21 million."
BC Business also said UrtheCast had secured a $35 million insurance policy "for the launch, installation, commissioning and business interruption of its two cameras aboard the ISS." If the cameras fail to work properly or cannot be installed, the company would use the insurance coverage to build and launch a fresh set of cameras.
But it is not yet clear how much bandwidth UrtheCast will be provided by the Russians to get the imagery back to Earth. The Russians rely on a handful of ground stations for direct communications and do not have a globe-spanning satellite communications network like the one NASA uses to stay in contact with the station on a near-continuous basis.
Mike Suffredini, space station program manager at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, said NASA and Russian space officials were in negotiations over how much U.S. bandwidth the Russians will be able to provide.
"We're working some deals with them about how much bandwidth they want to get from us in a barter arrangement," Suffredini told CollectSpace.com Dec. 18. "You know, they would say 'I want a hundred gigs all the time' and we'd say, 'you can't have a hundred gigs all the time.'
"But we'll find a healthy spot there. The Russians, that's something they have to barter for because that is an asset that we use. But they've been talking to us about it. And we've been working back and forth with them to decide."
He said NASA has "some things that we want and they're willing to trade, so it is just (a matter of) getting it done. It is not a contentious issue."
Once the cameras are installed, Kotov and Ryazanskiy will turn their attention to installing a new space physics experiment and jettisoning two others that have run their course. They also plan to attach a new payload support boom.
CBS News
02:00 PM EST, 12/27/13: Russian spacewalkers told to bring Canadian cameras back to space station after telemetry problems
Two cosmonauts working outside the International Space Station Friday installed two cameras for a Canadian company as part of a commercial venture to beam down near-realtime Earth imagery, but problems receiving telemetry prompted flight controllers to tell the spacewalkers to bring both cameras back inside the lab complex.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy had no problems installing a high-resolution camera for Vancouver-based UrtheCast, attaching it to an aiming platform outside the command module. They then attached a medium-resolution camera and ran long cables to connect it to station power and data circuitry.
 |
| Cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy, working outside the International Space Station's Zvezda command module Friday. (Credit: Rick Mastracchio/NASA/Twitter) |
But flight controllers were unable to receive expected telemetry and the spacewalkers were asked to unplug and reconnect a variety of cables in a bid to correct the problem. Finally, after extensive troubleshooting, Kotov and Ryazanskiy were told to detach both cameras and to bring them back inside the space station for additional troubleshooting.
"Both of them?" Kotov asked.
"Affirmative. We will take both telescopes inside," a Russian flight controller radioed in translated remarks.
After discussing the issue, one of the spacewalkers asked, "what happened here, if it's not a top secret?"
"There's nothing in the circuits," a translator quoted Russian mission control.
"They're all dead?"
"Well, we did not receive anything we really needed to receive in those channels," the flight control radioed.
"Would you like us to check those connectors one more time?" a cosmonaut asked.
"Everything that could be checked was checked," someone said. "We demated and remated all the connectors and still we did not get the results."
Kotov and Ryazanskiy were asked to take additional photographs of the cameras on their mounts, along with visible electrical connectors, before detaching them and hauling them back into the Pirs airlock compartment.
"The plan that was called up to Kotov just a few minutes ago now calls for him to take an extensive amount of photos of the electrical connectors and the mating positions of those connectors on the two connector patch panels and then to disconnect those electrical connectors from both the high resolution camera and the medium resolution camera (and to bring them) back inside the Pirs docking compartment," said Rob Navias, NASA's mission control commentator.
"So it appears we have seen an unsuccessful attempt at bringing those two cameras to life," he added. "The exact cause of the problem is not known at this point. The Russian flight control team will spend some time, obviously, analyzing the data and trying to understand from the analysis of these photographs whether or not the problem lies in the electrical connectors themselves or in the cameras, which of course would be a more significant issue."
Installing the two cameras was the primary objective of the spacewalk and a major milestone for UrtheCast, which had hoped to begin transmitting Earth views back to subscribers around the world. Once operational, the company said it would post a free stream on its web site and provide a subscriber-based feed from the high-resolution camera.
How long it might take to resolve the camera issue and stage another spacewalk to install them is not yet known. A company spokesman said a statement would be released later in the day and that UrtheCast officials were hopeful the problem would be easy to resolve.
BC Business reported earlier this year that UrtheCast had secured a $35 million insurance policy "for the launch, installation, commissioning and business interruption of its two cameras aboard the ISS." If the cameras failed to work properly or could not be installed, the report said, the company would use the insurance coverage to build and launch a fresh set of cameras.
But it is far from clear whether any new hardware will be required or whether engineers can come up with a fix for the cameras currently aboard the station.
"Can you tell us at least approximately what you guys are thinking, why it didn't work?" one of the spacewalkers asked.
"Well, all I can tell you is there was no connection," a flight controller replied. "So we don't know why there was no connection, whether the problem was inside, was it outside."
09:20 AM EST, 12/27/13: Russian spacewalkers install hi-res camera
Completing the first major objective in a planned seven-hour spacewalk, cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy mounted a large high-resolution camera on an aiming platform outside the International Space Station's Zvezda command module Friday, the centerpiece of a commercial Canadian venture to beam down Earth views to subscribers around the world.
 |
| In a view out a Russian porthole, cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy can be seen working to mount a high-resolution camera to a mounting platform on the International Space Station's Zvezda command module. (Credit: NASA TV) |
The 4K camera, owned by Vancouver-based Urthecast, was the first of two that will be installed by Kotov and Ryazanskiy during Russian EVA-37. The second, a medium-resolution imager, will be mounted at a different location on the Zvezda module.
When that work is complete, the cosmonauts will turn their attention to removing and jettisoning two experiment packages that are no longer needed and installing a space physics experiment. They also plan to attach a payload support boom.
"Wow! What a view," one of the spacewalkers marvled as the International Space Station flew 260 miles above Peru.
The cosmonauts have not encountered any major problems and are ahead of schedule on their timeline.
08:05 AM EST, 12/27/13: Russian EVA-37 begins
Following two U.S. spacewalks to repair the International Space Station's cooling system, two Russian cosmonauts are closing out the year in orbit with a spacewalk Friday to install two cameras on the hull of the Zvezda command module, along with a space physics experiment and a new payload support boom.
Expedition 38 commander Oleg Kotov and flight engineer Sergey Ryazanskiy opened the hatch of the Russian Pirs airlock compartment at 8 a.m. EST (GMT-5) to begin a planned seven-hour spacewalk, the third in less than a week for the station's six-man crew.
 |
| Cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy plan to install a pair of cameras on the Zvezda command module as part of a commercial venture with a Canadian company to beam down Earth views to subscribers around the world. This frame from an animation shows the cosmonauts mounting a high-resolution camera on its aiming platform. (Credit: NASA TV) |
Kotov, call sign EV-1, and Ryazanskiy, EV-2, both are wearing Russian Orlan spacesuits with blue stripes and both are equipped with NASA-supplied helmet cameras to give Russian flight controllers a ringside seat.
This is the 177th spacewalk devoted to station assembly and maintenance since construction began in 1998, the 11th and final planned outing this year, the fifth for Kotov and the second for Ryazanskiy.
The first items on the agenda are to install a pair of cameras on the hull of the Zvezda module as part of a commercial venture with a Canadian company -- UrtheCast -- to beam down Earth views using high-resolution and medium-resolution cameras.
Based in Vancouver, UrtheCast (pronounced Earth Cast) says anyone with internet access will be able to download imagery of selected targets using cell phones, tablets or personal computers as the space station flies 51.6 degrees to either side of the equator at an altitude of around 260 miles.
The medium-resolution camera will provide a fixed view of the ground below while the high-resolution 4K camera will be mounted on a platform that can be aimed at specific targets. The company plans to provide basic imagery free of charge while more specific imaging requests will be billed at yet-to-be-specified rates.
"Having a platform on the ISS gives us a really neutral place to let the world observe itself without having a single governmental organization control that data," the company’s director of technology, Dan Lopez, said in an interview with CBSNews.com.
According to BC Business Online, the company is promoting an open Application Program Interface, or API, "which will allow developers to build products of its live-stream, and has signed data distribution agreements worth between $19 and $21 million."
BC Business also said UrtheCast had secured a $35 million insurance policy "for the launch, installation, commissioning and business interruption of its two cameras aboard the ISS." If the cameras fail to work properly or cannot be installed, the company would use the insurance coverage to build and launch a fresh set of cameras.
But it is not yet clear how much bandwidth UrtheCast will be provided by the Russians to get the imagery back to Earth. The Russians rely on a handful of ground stations for direct communications and do not have a globe-spanning satellite communications network like the one NASA uses to stay in contact with the station on a near-continuous basis.
Mike Suffredini, space station program manager at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, said NASA and Russian space officials were in negotiations over how much U.S. bandwidth the Russians will be able to provide.
"We're working some deals with them about how much bandwidth they want to get from us in a barter arrangement," Suffredini told CollectSpace.com Dec. 18. "You know, they would say 'I want a hundred gigs all the time' and we'd say, 'you can't have a hundred gigs all the time.'
"But we'll find a healthy spot there. The Russians, that's something they have to barter for because that is an asset that we use. But they've been talking to us about it. And we've been working back and forth with them to decide."
He said NASA has "some things that we want and they're willing to trade, so it is just (a matter of) getting it done. It is not a contentious issue."
Once the cameras are installed, Kotov and Ryazanskiy will turn their attention to installing a new space physics experiment and jettisoning two others that have run their course. They also plan to attach a new payload support boom.