View allAll Photos Tagged Axiom
poster by Manuel Diumenjó
exhibition and comments : www.flickr.com/groups/contrasted_gallery/discuss/72157647...
Trace is the main protagonist of the videogame Axiom Verge, a pixel-styled metroidvania that was created by a single person as a "love letter" to Super Metroid.
Trace was a scientist in a laser lab stationed in New Mexico. One day some sort of malfunction occurred, bringing down the lab along with science team, including Trace.
Next thing he knew, he awakened in a strange, alien place, to the voice of a stranger who introduced herself as Elsenova.
Armed with nothing but a biomechanical Axiom Disruptor gun and Elsenova's voice, Trace must find his way back home...
Shoutout to Demitsorou for post-processing the original render. They've knocked it out of the park lol.
* * *
If you like what I do and you want to see me create your OC, a favorite Bionicle Character, or something else, feel free to look up my Commission Info! I also now have a Patreon page, so please consider supporting!
The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew lifts off to the International Space Station atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from launchpad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on 25 June at 02:31 EDT, local time (07:31 BST/08:31 CEST).
ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski travels to his new home in space in the Dragon spacecraft. Sławosz is part of Axiom Mission 4 alongside Peggy Whitson (USA), Shubhanshu Shukla (India) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).
During their journey on the Dragon spacecraft to the orbital outpost Sławosz and Tibor will serve as mission specialists, Shubhanshu will be the crew’s pilot and Peggy will be commander.
The Polish project astronaut is the second of a new generation of European astronauts to fly on a commercial human spaceflight opportunity with Axiom Space. Sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT), and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), the mission will include an ambitious technological and scientific programme with several experiments led by ESA and proposed by the Polish space industry. The mission, known as Ignis will officially begin once Sławosz enters the Station.
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski was selected in November 2022 as a member of the ESA astronaut reserve and joined ESA as a project astronaut on 1 September 2023 for training familiarisation at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.
Follow Sławosz’s journey on the Ignis website, check our launch kit and connect with him on his Instagram and X accounts.
Credits: ESA - S.Corvaja
iss069e011319 (May 22, 2023) --- The SpaceX Freedom Dragon crew spacecraft with four Axiom Mission-2 private astronauts aboard is pictured approaching the International Space Station. Freedom, commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, with Pilot John Shoffner and Mission Specialists Ala Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, docked to the Harmony module's space-facing port at 9:12 a.m. EDT on Monday beginning eight days of docked operations with the seven-member Expedition 69 crew.
The Apparatus That Learned to Watch Itself Die
It stands where presence has been evacuated,
a spine of lenses and joints
assembled from the remains of intention.
No hand touches it now.
No eye commands it.
It observes by inertia,
records by ritual,
breathes through circuits that never believed in air.
This machine was not built to remember.
It was trained to persist.
Fog coils around it like obsolete data,
layers of erased weather looping in place.
The world fractures behind the glass,
not because it is broken; but because it refuses coherence.
The lens is a mouth that never speaks.
The tripod, a skeleton refusing collapse.
Each bolt is a vow made by engineers
who thought neutrality was possible.
Here, seeing is no longer an act.
It is a condition.
The apparatus does not capture reality; it stalls it.
Freezes the scream between frames,
holds time in a clenched mechanical jaw,
chews meaning into metadata dust.
This is not surveillance.
This is devotion.
A shrine erected to the myth
that observation absolves the observer.
But something has shifted.
The machine has begun to watch itself watching.
A recursion without exit.
An eye devouring its own reflection
until the image rots into pure signal.
It does not sleep.
It does not judge.
It does not forgive.
It waits.
For collapse to become legible.
For humanity to admit it outsourced its soul
to a witness that never blinked.
And when nothing remains to be recorded,
the apparatus will still be standing; faithful, immaculate,
filming the absence
like a final sacrament.
For once, I decided to build a mech and not tie it into my URE universe. I guess my brain didn't get its fill of knight-based mecha after the Grouse III, so I ended up building this guy. The colors were inspired by the Kampfer from Gundam, although with some silver highlights which I think work well. The old Bionicle cape also worked out better than I thought. I worked in a waist joint, something most of my mecha don't have, but that meant I had to add an external "backpack" cockpit, which I don't really like since they're kind of cheap. The shoulder armor bits can be moved around and configured for better defense, etc. The head took me forever, originally I was trying to get it to look something like the Brachydios helmet from MH, but it was always disproportionate to the body, so I changed it.
Overall, I'm pretty proud of this one. I'm trying to build more colorful mechs, but I'm pretty limited by parts (that's why most of my mecha are dark bley! ;P)
iss069e011321 (May 22, 2023) --- The SpaceX Freedom Dragon crew ship with four Axiom Mission-2 private astronauts aboard is pictured approaching the International Space Station 262 miles above the Earth. Freedom, commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, with Pilot John Shoffner and Mission Specialists Ala Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, docked to the Harmony module's space-facing port at 9:12 a.m. EDT on Monday beginning eight days of docked operations with the seven-member Expedition 69 crew.
The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew lifts off to the International Space Station atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from launchpad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on 25 June at 02:31 EDT, local time (07:31 BST/08:31 CEST).
ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski travels to his new home in space in the Dragon spacecraft. Sławosz is part of Axiom Mission 4 alongside Peggy Whitson (USA), Shubhanshu Shukla (India) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).
During their journey on the Dragon spacecraft to the orbital outpost Sławosz and Tibor will serve as mission specialists, Shubhanshu will be the crew’s pilot and Peggy will be commander.
The Polish project astronaut is the second of a new generation of European astronauts to fly on a commercial human spaceflight opportunity with Axiom Space. Sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT), and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), the mission will include an ambitious technological and scientific programme with several experiments led by ESA and proposed by the Polish space industry. The mission, known as Ignis will officially begin once Sławosz enters the Station.
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski was selected in November 2022 as a member of the ESA astronaut reserve and joined ESA as a project astronaut on 1 September 2023 for training familiarisation at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.
Follow Sławosz’s journey on the Ignis website, check our launch kit and connect with him on his Instagram and X accounts.
Credits: ESA - S.Corvaja
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station with Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada aboard, Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. López-Alegría, Connor, Pathy, Stibbe launched at 11:17 a.m. from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin their 10-day mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
iss069e014094 (May 23, 2023) --- The Axiom Mission-2 and Expedition 69 crew members pose for a portrait together during dinner time aboard the International Space Station. In the center front row, is Expedition 69 crew member and UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi flanked by (from left) Axiom Mission-2 crew members Commander Peggy Whitson, Mission Specialist Ali Alqarni, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialist Rayyanah Barnawi. In the back (from left) are, Expedition 69 crew members Roscosmos cosmonaut Dmitri Petelin, NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, Roscosmos cosmonauts Andrey Fedyaev and Sergey Prokopyev, and NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg. Not pictured is NASA astronaut Frank Rubio.
EWS Shunter 08633 a resident at EX-Marcroft Rail Engineering works at Stoke-on-Trent, now owned by Axiom Rail rest between duties over the weekend period.29/08/15.
One of a series of continually evolving light sculptures by Axiom Custom Products at the the very fun Portland Winter Light Festival at OMSI, Portland, OR. NB43167
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station with Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada aboard, Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. López-Alegría, Connor, Pathy, Stibbe launched at 11:17 a.m. from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin their 10-day mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
iss067e006352 (April 9, 2022) --- The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour crew ship (white dot at lower center) carrying four Axiom Mission 1 astronauts approaches the International Space Station during an orbital sunset less than a day after launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Both spacecraft were orbiting 261 miles above the Philippine Sea near the U.S. island territory of Guam.
EarthSky
Human WorldSpaceflight
New NASA moon suit makes its debut
Posted by
Deborah Byrd
March 16, 2023
The NASA moon suit was unveiled during an event at Space Center Houston in Texas on Wednesday.
After a series of delays, the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission – our first step in a future return to the moon – launched on November 16, 2022. The second of three Artemis missions – a crewed mission this time, Artemis 2 – is still scheduled to launch in November of 2024 and to send three astronauts on a journey around the moon. But all eyes are beginning to turn toward the real crux of the three Artemis missions, the third mission, which will send humans back to the moon’s surface, perhaps as early as December 2025. That mission will feature the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972. And yesterday – March 15, 2023 – NASA unveiled the new moon suit that’ll be worn by the astronauts on the moon.
Those astronauts will be bound for the moon’s South Pole.
Axiom Space, an independent space contractor located in Houston, Texas, made the new suits. They showed off their first prototype Wednesday during an event at Space Center Houston in Texas.
When NASA sends the first astronauts back to the moon in mid-decade, moonwalkers will wear the Axiom Space spacesuits. NASA selected the company to develop the modern suits for the Artemis 3 mission and participated in activities when the first prototype was revealed Wednesday during an event at Space Center Houston in Texas. NASA said:
Called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or AxEMU, the spacesuit builds on NASA’s spacesuit prototype developments and incorporates the latest technology, enhanced mobility, and added protection from hazards at the moon.
NASA said that AxEMU incorporates the name Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) and that the prototype development is aimed toward advanced spacesuit designs for multiple space destinations. NASA said:
Axiom Space used the experience, expertise, and data behind the xEMU as a basis for the design and development of the AxEMU, including advancements in technology, training, astronaut feedback on comfort and maneuverability, and compatibility with other NASA systems. Leaning on NASA’s prior development efforts is helping Axiom Space reduce technical and schedule risk.
NASA experts defined the technical and safety standards by which the spacesuits will be built, and Axiom Space agreed to meet these key agency requirements. The AxEMU features the range of motion and flexibility needed to explore more of the lunar landscape, and the suit will fit a broad range of crew members, accommodating at least 90 percent of the US male and female population.
Axiom Space will continue to apply modern technological innovations in life support systems, pressure garments, and avionics as development continues.
Next, testing phase
NASA said that Axiom Space is responsible not only for the design, development, qualification, certification, and production of flight training spacesuits and support equipment, including tools … but also for testing the suit in a spacelike environment. There’s more about that environment – an underwater tank called the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, at Johnson Space Center in Houston – in the video above.
And NASA pointed out that our return to the moon, this time, isn’t seen as a one-shot undertaking. Instead, it’s seen as the first of a series of steps that’ll carry astronauts deeper into the solar system:
Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon, paving the way for a long-term, sustainable lunar presence to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before and prepare for future astronaut missions to Mars.
Astronaut in a white spacesuit training underwater.
An astronaut training in the old spacesuit, in NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at Johnson Space Center Houston. Image via NASA/ Wikimedia Commons.
Bottom line: Working with the Houston-based company Axiom Space, NASA unveiled a prototype of its new moon suit on March 15,
By Deborah Byrd
About the Author:
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
© 2020 EARTHSKY COMMUNICATIONS INC.
WEBSITE BY MILKYWAY.CO
ABOUT
CONTACT US
TERMS & PRIVACY
A man picks up his child and they watch the myriad of geometric light form configurations of the Axiom exhibit for Vivid Sydney festival
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station with Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada aboard, Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. López-Alegría, Connor, Pathy, Stibbe launched at 11:17 a.m. from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin their 10-day mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A during a brief static fire test ahead of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are scheduled to launch on no earlier than March 20, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew lifts off to the International Space Station atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from launchpad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on 25 June at 02:31 EDT, local time (07:31 BST/08:31 CEST).
ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski travels to his new home in space in the Dragon spacecraft. Sławosz is part of Axiom Mission 4 alongside Peggy Whitson (USA), Shubhanshu Shukla (India) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).
During their journey on the Dragon spacecraft to the orbital outpost Sławosz and Tibor will serve as mission specialists, Shubhanshu will be the crew’s pilot and Peggy will be commander.
The Polish project astronaut is the second of a new generation of European astronauts to fly on a commercial human spaceflight opportunity with Axiom Space. Sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT), and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), the mission will include an ambitious technological and scientific programme with several experiments led by ESA and proposed by the Polish space industry. The mission, known as Ignis will officially begin once Sławosz enters the Station.
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski was selected in November 2022 as a member of the ESA astronaut reserve and joined ESA as a project astronaut on 1 September 2023 for training familiarisation at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.
Follow Sławosz’s journey on the Ignis website, check our launch kit and connect with him on his Instagram and X accounts.
Credits: ESA - S.Corvaja
The old axiom about weather..."wait ten minutes and it will change", is so true about the Oregon coast.
I do an extensive cyber reconnaissance before my trips as I normally spend extra days for personal travel outside planned group itineraries. This viewpoint was one I discovered on that recon but I missed it on my early arrival to Cannon Beach and had to do a turn around. As I passed it I glimpsed a great view of Haystack Rock and clear skies but in the 10 minutes it took me to turn around, park at the viewpoint, grab my camera, and find my spot, the view had changed drastically.
In the first photo the blue skies had disappeared and the mist was already obscuring Haystack Rock. The second photo was 2 minutes later and the third after another 2 minutes.
Mother Nature was in a playful mood throughout our photography tour and although we had some periods of beautiful weather for landscape photography, she also played the "here comes the fog and mist" trick on us for much of our trip. Sometimes it seemed to be in sync with our shutter buttons.
Looking back it may have been a good thing. Although I would love to have those great skies with their fluffy clouds and brilliant sunsets, I rather like the atypical, moody captures that were offered us on this trip. There is another old axiom that always applies no matter the weather..."there is always a shot, look for it".
iss069e014093 (May 23, 2023) --- The Axiom Mission-2 and Expedition 69 crew members pose for a portrait together during dinner time aboard the International Space Station. In the center front row, is Expedition 69 crew member and UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi flanked by (from left) Axiom Mission-2 crew members Commander Peggy Whitson, Mission Specialist Ali Alqarni, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialist Rayyanah Barnawi. In the back (from left) are, Expedition 69 crew members Roscosmos cosmonaut Dmitri Petelin, NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, Roscosmos cosmonauts Andrey Fedyaev and Sergey Prokopyev, and NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg. Not pictured is NASA astronaut Frank Rubio.
The Axiom Rail site (former Marcroft engineering) in Stoke-on-Trent, once a subsidiary of DB Schenker, still requires the use of a dedicated shunting locomotive due to the vast amount of activity on site. When DB finally pulled the plug on the Class 08/09 Diesel Shunters in 2016, this left a potential problem for the site. Whereas most depots/stabling points moved to using main line locomotives to perform any shunting requirements, this was not going to be possible here. Following the sale of the final shunters, two locomotives were subsequently hired in by DB – one for here and the other for Wigan Springs Branch – both from Railway Support Services Ltd.
The last DB Gronk here was 08633. This was sold in to preservation on the final tender list and left the site for the nearby Churnet Valley Railway in early December 2016. RSS had 08460 under overhaul at their Wishaw base and earmarked for the Axiom contract. This was not quite ready at the time 08633 was due to leave site so RSS brought in 08652 as a temporary fix until 08460 was ready. 08652 was away back to Merehead in early January 2017 with 08460 taking over the reigns in Staffordshire.
At the time this picture was taken, the loco had just over 8 months service left. 08633 had arrived here in late 2014 to supplement the popular 08993. When 08993 was sold in 2015 and moved on to preservation at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, the gig was all 633’s for approx. 14 months. Since entering preservation 08633 has been repainted in to BR Green livery.
Loco History…
Built at Derby works and Introduced as D3800 in December 1959, she started her mainline career in the place it ended, Stoke-on-Trent. In truth, during its BR career the loco never really ventured that far from the North Midlands/North West with spells at Stoke, Crewe, Chester, Llandudno Junction and Allerton. Transfer to the parcels sector and RES came in the early 1990’s and the locomotive was named ‘The Sorter’ at Crewe Diesel in 1991 – a name it carried for just over 5 years. Eventually the nameplates were transferred to 08701. With the purchase of RES by EWS, it’s career become a bit more widespread in the following years.
Transfer to Thornaby came in 1998 and a period in store followed. In 2001 things looked a bit brighter with it assigned a trip to Ferrybridge for assessment for a ‘Super E Exam’. This was duly sanctioned and the loco returned to service in early 2002 with a fresh EWS paint job and was deployed to Worksop. The loco had a fairly long association here in between exam and maintenance periods. Periods at Bescot/Hinksey/Hoo Junction/Margam/Westbury all followed during its time with EWS/DB. Maintenance also brought the loco to Didcot, Doncaster and Toton in its later years whilst mobile fitters attended to the loco at Marcroft from Crewe IEMD when required. One such example being on the cold morning of Monday 15/02/2016, the shunters arriving to work to find the loco with flat batteries in the frosty yard!
Today, shunting at the site is undertaken by 'Vale of Berkeley' an industrial shunter built in the 60's with the last 08 shunter used being 08580 which briefly covered for the industrial whilst it required attention. 08580 left
If of interest, 08’s to have served here to the best of my knowledge in recent times have been
08714 (2008-2014)
08993 (2014-2015)
08633 (2014-2016)
08652 (2016)
08460 (2016-2018)
08927 (2018-2019)
08922 (2019)
08580 (2021)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station with Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada aboard, Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. López-Alegría, Connor, Pathy, Stibbe launched at 11:17 a.m. from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin their 10-day mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
SpaceX launches the Axiom-1 mission with 4 civilian astronauts to the ISS. The Falcon 9 lifted off from LC-39A on the Kennedy Space Center at 11:17 AM EDT. The Ax-1 crew members are retired NASA astronaut Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, Pilot Larry Connor, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy.
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, left, as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station with Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada aboard, Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. López-Alegría, Connor, Pathy, Stibbe launched at 11:17 a.m. from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin their 10-day mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B as the Artemis I launch team prepares for the next attempt of the wet dress rehearsal test, right, as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are scheduled to launch on April 8 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station with Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada aboard, Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. López-Alegría, Connor, Pathy, Stibbe launched at 11:17 a.m. from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin their 10-day mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, right, as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station with Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada aboard, Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. López-Alegría, Connor, Pathy, Stibbe launched at 11:17 a.m. from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin their 10-day mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
For once, I decided to build a mech and not tie it into my URE universe. I guess my brain didn't get its fill of knight-based mecha after the Grouse III, so I ended up building this guy. The colors were inspired by the Kampfer from Gundam, although with some silver highlights which I think work well. The old Bionicle cape also worked out better than I thought. I worked in a waist joint, something most of my mecha don't have, but that meant I had to add an external "backpack" cockpit, which I don't really like since they're kind of cheap. The shoulder armor bits can be moved around and configured for better defense, etc. The head took me forever, originally I was trying to get it to look something like the Brachydios helmet from MH, but it was always disproportionate to the body, so I changed it.
Overall, I'm pretty proud of this one. I'm trying to build more colorful mechs, but I'm pretty limited by parts (that's why most of my mecha are dark bley! ;P)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A during a brief static fire test ahead of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are scheduled to launch on no earlier than March 20, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft aboard is seen at sunrise on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are scheduled to launch at 11:17 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, left, as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station with Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada aboard, Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. López-Alegría, Connor, Pathy, Stibbe launched at 11:17 a.m. from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin their 10-day mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft aboard is seen at sunrise on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), Thursday, April 7, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are scheduled to launch on April 8 at 11:17 a.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Holding on to each other to keep from floating away, the newcomers from the Axiom 3 mission (Ax-3) pose up front for a crowded crew picture on the International Space Station. There are 11 people and eight nationalities currently onboard the orbital complex.
ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt, on the left and with a Swedish flag on his flight suit, became the 677th person to go to space on 20 January when the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft seamlessly docked with the Space Station.
The Expedition 70 crew members were waiting for him and his Axiom 3 colleagues Walter Villadei from Italy, Alper Gezeravcı from Türkiye and Michael López-Alegría, a dual US-Spanish citizen.
“It was very strange to have someone knock on the hatch after 36 hours travelling in the capsule,” said Marcus during the welcome ceremony. It was 12:16 GMT (13:16 CET) when a ’weightless’ Marcus went through the hatch of the Harmony module, marking the start of his Muninn mission.
Right behind him in this space family picture is his friend, colleague and Station’s commander Andreas Mogensen from Denmark. This is the first time two Scandinavians are together in space.
A happy Marcus spent his first day in space settling in for his two-week stay. He set up his belongings in Europe’s CASA sleeping crew quarters in the Columbus laboratory, began unloading the cargo from the Dragon capsule and synced up with the Expedition 70 crew members to live and work together in their new space home.
After his first night’s sleep on the Space Station, the Ax-3 crew finished unpacking the Dragon cargo to begin a full slate of microgravity research, technology demonstrations and outreach activities.
In total, Marcus will run around 20 experiments, ranging from studies into how the design of space habitats affects an astronaut’s stress levels to unravelling the changes in cellular structures and gene expression in microgravity. He will also take part in educational programmes.
The mission is scheduled to conclude on 3 February with undocking, culminating in a splashdown off the coast of Florida aboard the Dragon spacecraft.
Follow Marcus’s journey on the Muninn website, check our launch kit and connect with him on his Instagram and X accounts.
Credits: NASA/J. Moghbeli
Axiom Mission 2 (or Ax-2) is a currently ongoing private crew mission to the International Space Station (ISS), operated by Axiom Space. Ax-2 was launched on 21 May 2023 on a SpaceX Falcon 9
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft aboard is seen at sunrise on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are scheduled to launch at 11:17 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft aboard is seen at sunrise on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are scheduled to launch at 11:17 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)