How are #LED lights affecting light pollution? #ISS Astronauts tell give us the inside scoop - http://clapway.com/2015/08/23/iss-astronauts-say-leds-are-making-light-pollution-worse-232/

Astronauts aboard the ISS have made an interesting discovery earlier in the week after comparing photos of Milan they’ve taken over the past few years. According to astronauts, the widespread adoption of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is producing a lot more light pollution than their predecessors.

Swapping to LEDs

LEDs are known for being more eco-friendly since they are better at conserving energy. Cities across the globe are switching to LEDs since they’re typically brighter, in addition. The city of Milan made a full transition in 2015, and New York City has recently installed over 250,000 LEDs in street lights. Unfortunately for New Yorkers, many are saying that light pollution is causing them a lot of discomfort.

According to Tech Insider, many Brooklyn residents specifically mention that LEDs are so bright, they’re beginning to invade their homes. Those complaints might seem quaint, but check out the photos from the ISS below to see what all the commotion is about.

Check out more news about the ISS here!

Astronauts Compare Images of Milan Then and Now

Back in 2012, Astronauts aboard the ISS took a photograph of Milan prior to the LED installs in the center of the city. Taking a look at the picture, you can see that the light levels emitted from the suburbs are roughly equivalent to what’s being produced by the city center. They aren’t exact, but they’re pretty close.

Now, taking a look at the second picture, you can see one of two things happening: the cameras onboard the ISS seemed to have snapped a much cleaner shot, and the light levels coming from the city center are now more distinct than the suburbs. You can also see that the light coming from the suburbs gives off warmer reds than the green and blues from the city center, which contributes to making it brighter.

Negative Consequences

The light pollution is also having a negative impact on the environment. The photos from the ISS show that the LEDs are giving off more blue and green light, which has a tendency to obscure the night’s sky, which is disrupting the day and night cycle. As you might expect, this is having a negative impact on nocturnal animals, hunting and migration patterns, and even their internal physiology.

Animals aren’t the only ones who suffer under these conditions, though. Our melatonin levels are regulated by day and night cycles as well. If our bodies become confused by the light pollution then it will cause our bodies to produce less melatonin, which can cause sleep disorders, headaches, anxiety, and even obesity.

Astronauts aboard the ISS will continue to take pictures of various cities in order to better understand how light pollution is spreading across the globe.

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Don’t forget to check out the New in Review with Brandi — featuring the best of Clapway this week!:

ISS Astronauts Say LEDs are Making Light Pollution Worse

Would you be too intimidated to chat with an #astronaut in the #ISS? - http://clapway.com/2015/08/18/amateur-radio-enthusiast-chats-with-international-space-station-234/

Standing on Earth looking towards the night’s sky, it’s difficult to imagine how impossibly far away the astronauts in the International Space Station are. Although they may be floating up the Earth incredibly high above the planet, they are not entirely out of reach, in fact, they can be quite easily reached with a simple home radio set-up. Adrian Lane, an amateur radio enthusiast, demonstrated last week that pretty much anyone can chat with the International Space Station if they know their way around a radio transmitter.

How Is This Even Possible?

Getting in touch with the International Space Station is actually quite easy if you know what you’re doing. Having a basic knowledge of radio transmitters, and being able to build one powerful enough to reach the space station are obvious prerequisites, but you also must be able to identify where overhead the station is flying in order to find a window of opportunity for contact. This can be done using a pass prediction tool.

What Will Happen Now That Other Amateurs Know They Can Reach the Space Station?

The International Space Station is actually set up to receive incoming radio transmissions, and some of the crew members aboard the vessel enjoy making spontaneous outbound calls while floating in space according to the ISS radio contact webpage, “Some ISS crew members make random, unscheduled, amateur radio voice contacts with earth-bound radio amateurs often called ‘Hams’.”

The website also offers a list of a frequencies at which the International Space Station can be reached.

What Do You Talk About When You Dial up The International Space Station?

Adrian Lane’s call to the ISS only lasted 45 seconds, so depending on the weather conditions you may only have time to say a few things the space station before the connection is lost. You can find the crew’s schedule and plan your calls accordingly using NASA’s log of space station activity. The prospect of being able to reach the International Space Station is excited for any amateur radio enthusiast, and experiences like Adrian Lane’s show just how simple it can be to chat with an astronaut.

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Filmin also believes in the power of connecting:

Amateur Radio Enthusiast Chats With International Space Station

The Soyuz TMA-15M vehicle (there is one other Soyuz spacecrafts) was actually due to bring astronauts back to Earth tomorrow. - http://clapway.com/2015/06/10/iss-position-shift-caused-by-russian-spacecraft-is-not-a-problem-123/

The International Space Station’s (ISS) docked Russian spacecraft caused the ISS to shift positions a little, moving away from its normal orbital orientation. This happened after the Russian spacecraft accidentally fired its engines at 10:27am CT, this past Tuesday. It was while testing the radio system that controls docking.  The Soyuz TMA-15M vehicle (there is one other Soyuz spacecrafts) was actually due to bring astronauts back to Earth tomorrow.

Reorienting the ISS for a Return

NASA immediately moved to reorient the ISS. They assured in their blog, “there was no threat to the crew or the station itself, and the issue will have no impact to a nominal return to Earth of the Soyuz TMA-15M on Thursday.” The Soyuz vehicle will reenter our atmosphere with three out of six crew members aboard the ISS. They include European Space Agency’s (ESO) Samantha Cristoforetti, Russian astronaut Anton Shkaplerov, and American astronaut Terry Virts.

Why Crew In Space For 200 Days

Cristoforetti, Shkaplerov, and Virts were all expected to return to Earth on May 14. However, those plans had been pushed back due to the resupply pod Progress M-27M accelerating out of control and blowing up. It contained three tons of supplies such as fodo, water, oxygen and science equipment. This turned out to be a stroke of good for Cristoforetti though. Due to the mission delays, Cristoforetti ended up breaking the record for the longest a woman’s ever spent in space. She would have been in space 200 days by the time she returns to Earth. The previous record was Sunita Williams’ and it was 195 days.

Rest Assured

The slight change is not really a crisis for the ISS but rather more of an abnormality. Shifting position is something that is usually done intentionally. Russian space agency Roscosmos said that their specialists are still attempting to determine the cause of the accidental engine firing. NASA also assures they will provide more informations as it comes.

A perfect Space Adventures for your beloved youngsters that’ll get them dreaming about being one of the crew:

ISS Position Shift Caused By Russian Spacecraft is Not a Problem