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Hi, I'm Leigh and this is NASA Now.
Whenever something is transported
to the International Space Station it's called a payload.
We're going to see what it takes to get experiments and supplies
on board the space station.
And, why are Legos heading to space?
We'll tell you what astronauts are going to do
with this very unusual payload.
That's ahead.
First here's what's happening at NASA Now.
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NASA has reached an important milestone
for the next U.S. transportation system
that will carry humans into deep space.
The system will be based on designs originally planned
for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle.
Those plans will now be used to develop a new spacecraft known
as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle.
The spacecraft will carry four astronauts for 21-day missions
and be able to land in the Pacific Ocean.
The spacecraft will have a pressurized volume
of 690 cubic feet, with 316 cubic feet of habitable space.
It is designed to be 10 times safer during ascent and entry
than its predecessor, the space shuttle.
Now let's take a look at the past.
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March 8, 2001, the Payload Operations Center went online
as the science command post for the space station.
It links Earth-bound researchers with their experiments -
or payloads - in orbit.
Approximately 248 miles above us right now,
the International Space Station is conducting experiments
brought on board as payloads.
Here to tell us more about the supply
and science payloads is Katie Presson.
To get a payload ready for operation
on the International Space Station can take a long time.
Once the payload developers develop an idea they'll bring it
to POIC, here in Huntsville, and we'll start working
with their payload team to develop procedures.
We'll develop plans to operate it on space station.
We'll help the payload team train the crew.
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Progress, HTV and ATV are all types of vehicles that are sent
into space on some type of rocket
and they carry all the things that the crew will need to live
and work on the International Space Station -
including the payloads-which we use that term
as our science experiments.
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One of the experiments we have onboard is a camera
that will take pictures of fields here on Earth
that are growing crops and enable the farmers to better
to respond to the conditions on Earth for their crops.
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We're sending some Legos up for the crew to play with
but what they're actually going to be doing
with the Legos is assembling them for educational activities.
They'll assemble an International Space Station,
a shuttle, a satellite, things of that nature.
And then as students here on Earth, you'll be able
to watch video of the crew assembling the Legos
and then hear the crew talk about different aspects
of living and working in space.
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If we want to do longer duration missions,
we need to understand better how our bodies reacts in space
and bringing up live insects is a good way to learn a lot
about how the insects adjust to space.
On a previous shuttle flight, we sent butterflies into space.
They actually started off as caterpillars so we got
to watch them build their cocoons
and then also emerge as butterflies.
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Robonaut 2 just launched on ULF5.
It's the first humanoid robot that we have
on the International Space Station.
It's dexterity, fingers, arms move much like a human.
Robonaut will begin manipulating switches,
moving things on the board.
He'll eventually be there to aid the crew in everyday activities
or possibly do some things that we might not want the crew to do
because it might be a little more dangerous.
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For experiments operating on the space station, there are a lot
of safety precautions taken because its microgravity.
For example, if you had a water spill here
on the ground it would just fall to the ground.
But on space, if water is exposed
to microgravity it floats around - which can be harmful
to hardware or to the crew.
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What's cool about our jobs is we get to interface with the crew
on a daily basis and make sure that the scientist,
here on Earth, get the results
from their science experiments on space station.
It's a very rewarding job in that aspect.
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Did you know, for 10 years the Payload Operations Center team
at the Marshall Space Flight Center has supported more
than 1,100 experiments aboard the International Space Station?
That equals 6,000 hours of science experiments conducted
by 41 space station crew members.
Now you know.
Now it's time to check out what's up.
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Check out this image: a family portrait
of 20 new comets discovered by the WISE mission.
NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer mapped the
entire sky in infrared light.
This collage shows those 20 new comets together
in a cosmic portrait.
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Teachers, here's a great project you and your class can enjoy.
Discover how your students can be part of an actual mission
that is currently happening
on board the International Space Station.
Click on bioedonline.org and start your spider science.
Well that's it for NASA Now; we'll see you next season
for a whole new round of programs on NASA Now.
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NASA Now comes to you from the Virtual Campus
at NASA Explorer Schools.