The Central Research Institute of Machine Building (TSNIIMASH) in Russia is conducting a series of space plasma experiments in order to evaluate the shape of previously observed 'dead' zone, or shadowing due to the firing of an onboard arcjet plasma source.

Expedition 28 Commander Andrey Borisenko and Flight Engineers Alexander Samokutyaev and Ron Garan landed their Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft in Kazakhstan a few seconds before midnight EDT Friday, with an official landing time of 11:59:39 p.m. Thursday. Russian recovery teams were on hand to help the crew exit the Soyuz vehicle and adjust to gravity after 164 days in space.

The trio launched aboard the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in April and spent 162 days living and working aboard the International Space Station.

The first human-like astronaut robot - Robonaut 2 or R2 - has awakened at the International Space Station - and already started tweeting.

"Those electrons feel GOOD! One small step for man, one giant leap for tinman kind," said the robot's first tweet.

R2 was brought to the ISS in February 2011 on board of space shuttle Discovery.

It has been designed to work alongside humans, helping them both inside and outside the station.

From KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL.
The six-member crew of the International Space Station took shelter in two Russian Soyuz spacecraft early Tuesday because of a predicted close approach by an unknown piece of space debris. Radar tracking indicated the debris could pass within about 820 feet of the space station at 8:08 a.m. EDT (GMT-4), but no impact was detected and the crew was told to resume normal operations.

The ARRL reports that the International Space Station could be on-the-air on 2m FM or packet for Field Day weekend June 25-26.

After spending 157 days aboard the International Space Station, Dmitry Kondratyev, NASA Flight Engineer Cady Coleman and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Paolo Nespoli undocked from the station's Rassvet module at 5:35 p.m. EDT to begin their voyage home.

› Read more about Expedition 27 at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition27/index...

European Space Agency member states agreed last week to continue their involvement in the International Space Station program through 2020, but the nations will re-evaluate funding at the next space ministers' meeting in 2012.

Expedition 26 Commander Scott Kelly ceremonially handed over command of the International Space Station to Flight Engineer Dmitry Kondratyev Monday. Kelly along with Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexander Kaleri will return to Earth aboard the Soyuz TMA-01M on Wednesday. The undocking of Kelly, Skripochka and Kaleri late Tuesday night will mark the official beginning of Expedition 27.

For the second time in less than a month, two Russian cosmonauts will venture outside the International Space Station on Feb. 16 to install a pair of earthquake and lightning sensing experiments, and to retrieve a pair of spacecraft material evaluation panels.

Expedition 26 Flight Engineers Dmitry Kondratyev and Oleg Skripochka are scheduled to float outside the Pirs airlock at 8:15 a.m. EST Wednesday to begin the five-and-a-half-hour excursion. Both spacewalkers will wear Russian Orlan-MK spacesuits.