Space to Ground: 2017: 12/22/2017

"HOUSTON, STATION ON SPACE TO GROUND."
WELCOME TO SPACE TO GROUND, I'M DAN HUOT.
2017 WAS CERTAINLY A PACKED YEAR IN SPACE,
COMPLETE WITH RECORD BREAKING ASTRONAUTS AND NON-STOP SCIENCE.
SEVENTEEN DIFFERENT ASTRONAUTS
AND COSMONAUTS CALLED THE STATION HOME IN 2017,
INCLUDING NASA'S PEGGY WHITSON WHO BECAME THE RECORD HOLDER
FOR TIME IN SPACE AMONG U.S. ASTRONAUTS
WITH 665 DAYS SPENT IN ORBIT.
MORE THAN 120 NEW U.S. RESEARCH INVESTIGATIONS WERE CONDUCTED
THIS YEAR, INCLUDING TESTS OF A DRUG TO HELP FIGHT CANCER,
AN EXTERNAL PAYLOAD LOOKING AT NEUTRON STARS
THAT COULD ONE DAY MAP THE GALAXY
AND EVEN A BREAKTHROUGH NEW PROCESS
TO IDENTIFY MICROBES LIVING INSIDE THE STATION.
AND LIKE MOST YEARS, THERE WERE TONS
OF LAUNCHES, SPACEWALKS AND MORE.
FOUR SOYUZ CRAFTS LAUNCHED HUMANS TO THE STATION,
WITH CREW MEMBERS COMING FROM THE U.S.,
RUSSIA, JAPAN AND ITALY.
THE MOST RECENT ARRIVED JUST IN TIME TO CLOSE OUT THE YEAR,
WITH SCOTT TINGLE, ANTON SHKAPLEROV
AND NORISHIGE KANAI DOCKING ON DECEMBER 19TH.
NINE CARGO VEHICLES CARRIED SUPPLIES TO THE STATION IN 2017,
INCLUDING FOUR SPACEX DRAGONS, TWO ORBITAL ATK CYGNUS'
AND THREE RUSSIAN PROGRESSES.
TEN SPACEWALKS ALSO TOOK PLACE, INSTALLING NEW BATTERIES,
REPLACING PART OF THE STATION'S ROBOTIC ARM
AND PERFORMING A NUMBER OF STATION UPGRADES.
2018 IS SHAPING UP TO BE A TRANSFORMATIONAL YEAR
ON STATION, WITH SOME LONG AWAITED TESTS ON THE HORIZON.
THERE WILL BE TWO MAJOR SPACEWALKS
TO KICK OFF THE NEW YEAR,
WITH THE EXPEDITION 54 CREW REPLACING ONE END
OF THE CANADARM2 ROBOTIC ARM.
THEN IN MARCH, NASA ASTRONAUT RICKY ARNOLD WILL LAUNCH
TO CONTINUE THE YEAR OF EDUCATION ON STATION,
A YEARLONG STINT WITH FORMER EDUCATORS TURNED ASTRONAUTS
BRINGING THE WONDERS OF STATION TO STUDENTS BACK ON EARTH
THAT STARTED IN SEPTEMBER WHEN JOE ACABA ARRIVED ONBOARD.
WITH ANOTHER FOUR CREW LAUNCHES AND AS MANY
AS NINE CARGO LAUNCHES SPREAD ACROSS THE STATION PARTNERSHIP,
IT WILL CERTAINLY BE A BUSY TRAFFIC YEAR.
AND MOST EXCITING OF ALL,
TWO U.S. COMMERCIAL COMPANIES ARE STILL TARGETING 2018
FOR THE FIRST FLIGHTS OF THEIR BRAND NEW SPACECRAFT,
RETURNING HUMAN LAUNCHES ONCE AGAIN TO AMERICAN SOIL.
AND THAT WILL WRAP IT UP FOR US THIS YEAR, HAPPY HOLIDAYS
AND KEEP SENDING IN THOSE QUESTIONS
IN 2018 USING THE HASHTAG SPACE TO GROUND.
WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT YEAR.
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Space to Ground: 2017: 12/22/2017

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