The International Space Station (a.k.a. Alpha) has been manned, through thick and thin, continuously since 1 November 2000. This in spite of a 2 1/2 year hiatus on US Space Shuttle flights subsequent to the loss of Shuttle Columbia on 1 February 2003.

The 14th Expedition launched in Soyuz TMA-9, atop a Starsem booster, from Baykonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, at 11:09 PM CDT on 17 September 2006 (4:09 GMT 18 September). This was the fourth space flight for the new commander of ISSy, Michael Lopez-Alegria, and second for Soyuz Piot/Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin. The world's first woman space tourist, Anoushe Ansari, occupied the third seat in the space craft.

Following a two day chase, TMA-9 rendezvoused and safely docked to ISSy on 20 September. The Expedition 14 crew were warmly greeted by the outgoing 13th Expedition members, Commander/Soyuz Pilot Pavel Vinogradov, Flight Engineer Jeff Williams, and Second Flight Engineer Thomas Reiter. Reiter remained aboard as a member of Expedition 14 until returning home on Shuttle Discovery at the close of STS-116 in December 2006. He was replaced by Second Flight Engineer Sunita Williams, on her first flight into space.

After eight days of joint operations, the Expedition 13 crew, and tourist Ansari, entered their Soyuz TMA-8, undocked, and headed for home on 28 September at 4:53 PM CDT (21:53 GMT). They safely landed in Kazakhstan some 3 hours 20 minutes later.

Five EVAs (Extra-Vehicular Activity or spacewalk) were mounted by the Expedition 14 crew during their increment. Two originated from the Russian PIRS Airlock & Docking Compartment, wearing Orlan (Russian for Eagle) suits. These took place on 22 November 2006, and 22 February 2007. Three more were carried out from the Quest Joint Airlock in US suits, almost back-to-back between 31 January and 8 February 2007. Commander Michael Lopez-Allegria set a NASA record on this flight, completing his 10th EVA for a total of 67 hours, 40 minutes. Five EVAs during one Expedition was also a new record.

Numerous improvements and reconfigurations were accomplished on these EVAs. Amongst them, rewiring the station power systems, reroutiing the cooling system, installation and retrieval of science experiments on the outer hull, and "driving" a golf ball from a tee on the outside of the PIRS compartment in a commercial for a Canadian golf equipment maker.

Space Shuttle Discovery came calling in December on the STS-116 mission. Launch was on 9 December, with docking on the 11th. Supplies were delivered, and four EVAs were mounted from the Quest airlock to add the P5 Truss Segment (Adobe PDF File), and retract a stubborn solar array. Discovery left for home on 19 December, landing safely at KSC on the 22nd.

As of this writing, ISS Expedition 14 is still in progress. Updates will be added after Soyuz TMA-9 and crew have landed, scheduled for spring 2007.

This EVA was not on the original schedule for Expedition 14. It was added for the main purpose of retracting a stuck KURS antenna on the Progress 23 cargo freighter.

This antenna is in its extended position during rendezvous operations. Its function is to receive signals from a corresponding antenna aboard ISSy.

Shortly before final docking, this antenna is normally retracted, as it protrudes next to the docking ring, and can come into contact with the docking port on the station, possibly precluding a hard mate, and atmospheric seal.

When Progress 23 reached ISSy on 26 October 2006, the KURS antenna did not retract on command from ground control in Korelev, near Moscow.

All attempts to make it follow orders failed. Docking was achieved in spite of this stubborn antenna at 11:29 AM CDT (16:29 GMT). The operation did, however, take many times longer than normal.

EVA 17 began with some problems encountered with Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin's Orlan space suit. His sublimator, part of the Orlan cooling system, did not work properly. Not only did Tyurin suffer abnormally high temperatures inside his suit, but his helmet visor repeatedly fogged over. The malfunction also created a great deal of ice, in the form of "snowflakes", which drifted across the field of view in clouds.

The pesky antenna refused to budge when hit with a hammer and chisel, so it was finally cut loose with a boltcutter, then tied down out of the way. There was concern that if left in its upright position, it could interfere with the planned undocking and deorbit operations scheduled for later in the mission.

Several other "bonus" tasks were also completed on this EVA, including photography of the guidance system for the European Automated Transfer Vehicle, pictures of the ROKVISS (PDF File 89kb) experiement, and ISSy's GPS antenna. A Russian Strela (Russian word for Arrow) crane was inspected for integrity. In addition, the materials exposure experiment was replace on the outer hull. Lastly, connections were made for the BTN Neutron solar flare experiment.

EVA 17 lasted from PIRS hatch opening at 4:27 AM CST (10:27 GMT) to 10:45 AM CST (16:45 GMT) for a total 6 hours 18 minutes. All planned activities were successfully accomplished.

In this examination, we'll have a look at that "snow" that seems to permeate almost all of NASA's "live" downlink television pictures at night. They probably want you to believe that there is nothing anyone can do about it, that it's just one of the characteristics of TV from outer space.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

When they WANT to have a clear picture, they do. The "snow" is NOT routine, nor is it "Just part of the facts of life for TV from space". This writer is of the opinion that the "snow" is added to the signal, AFTER it comes down from space, but BEFORE the signal reaches the public. I am of the opinion that its purpose is to obscure fine detail in night views. This sort of thing would go a long way toward keeping members of the public at large from noticing anomalous activity. These can be especially subtle as well, so the masking simply increases the likelyhood that they will be missed.

I'd also like to point out that this "snow" is NEVER present during live downlink TV from INSIDE the Shuttles or Space Station.

It's also USUALLY missing from daytime downlink broadcasts. It's almost always only in the views from outside...at night.

Something else to consider. TV from space is not special. In fact, it's about as common in the world as sunshine. Nearly ALL of the television programming you see in your home, from the nightly news to Saturday morning cartoons, comes from space! That's right, nearly all of it. And not just for those who use dish TV services, but also cable subscribers. Those who still use antennas are getting a significant portion of their programming from outer space, because all of your local TV broadcasters receive and rebroadcast programs from communication satellites. EVEN so-called "Third World" nations are using satellites for their television broadcasts these days.

These satellites form a Saturn like ring around the Earth's equator, and are in geosynchronous orbit, 22,500 miles (36,000 km) above our heads. That's roughly 10 TIMES the altitude of ISSy and the Shuttles on orbit, ONE WAY! The round trip distance for the signals is 45,000 miles! (72,000 km) That's about one fifth the distance to the Moon.

Have you routinely noticed this sort of "snow" (which permeates NASA broadcasts from night time downlink) in your favorite shows? ...neither have I.

NASA downlink TV is USUALLY sent up from manned spacecraft to a TDRS satellite. (There are times when the signal is sent "line of sight" straight to a ground receiver) It is then relayed back down to White Sands New Mexico. At the White Sands Complex, there are two sides. One military, and the other NASA's. Sources tell me that the military reviews the signal first, and sends it over to the NASA side. From there it is sent to the Johnson Space Center, Building #8, in Houston Texas. It is only THEN that the signal is routed to the INCO/CATO desk in Mission Control. Here the officer in charge decides what is finally sent (VIA Satellite AGAIN!) out to the public on NASA Select TV. Heh Heh, there's a REASON they call it NASA SELECT TV!

The TDRS satellites reside in the same orbits, and at the same distances, as the commercial satellites. So why is it that commercial television, taking the same 45,000 mile (72,000 km) route up to space, and back to Earth, never seems to have a mask of obscuring snow? Why is it that NASA TV, at night, almost always does? The signals are routed the same way, using nearly identical technology.

The "snow" mask in NASA TV at night looks less and less justified, doesn't it?

In the case at hand, we have absolute proof that NASA are adding the "snow" AFTER the television signal is received from space, and BEFORE it is sent out for public broadcast.

The key to this proof is provided for us by the wee NASA Logo in the upper right corner of the screen. This is definitely added to the signal before public broadcast, as it is not seen in NASA archive recordings of the downlink TV signals, available to the public for a fee. Mr. Donald Ratsch sent me a copy of the archive version of the STS-121 event, and it was not there.

But, as we'll see in the examples from EVA 17 below, the "snow" is inarguably on TOP of the logo. This is proof positive that the "snow" we see in downlink TV from space at night is added AFTER the logo, but before it is shown to the public.

Let's now have a good close look at the evidence for this, OK?

This is typical "live" downlink TV from ISSy during the spacewalk of 22 February. We can clearly see that the NASA logo at upper right is NOT clear. In fact, it is quite obscured by the "snow" mask superimposed over it.

There can now be zero doubt that NASA are adding the "snow mask" to their "live" TV from space. And there can be no reason for doing this other than to hide something. One has to wonder, WHAT would NASA have to hide from the public, who pay all their bills for them. Please think about that...

More On "Snow Games" Here

STS-104 Ridiculous "Snow" Games

STS-105 Snow Games

STS-110 Night Over California - NO SNOW!

ISS EVA 10a - Playing With The Night

ISS EVA 10b - Snow Games AGAIN!

ISS EVA 12a Snow Games Yet Again

ISS EVA 17 "Snow Games" Proven!

***

At all times during this incident, the camera was under the control of the CATO in Houston Mission Control.

(INCO - INstrument & Communication Officer - The man in Houston Mission Control Center who is responsible for operating the Shuttle payload bay, and robotic arm, cameras. He also remotely operates the helmet cameras in space suits. In the case of ISS, this officer is referred to as the CATO - Communications And Tracking Officer. In both cases, these persons CONTROL everything which is PERMITTED to go out on broadcast to the public. It is a commonly believed falacy that the cameras are operated by Astronauts & Cosmonauts on the Shuttles, and Space Station. Very little camera work is done by the crews. They're way too busy for that.)

At the end of the day, it's up to YOU to draw your own conclusions.

© 2006 Jeff Challender