White Stork mates with ISS, delivers bundles of resupply joy

Japan's space truck Kounotori 5 ("White Stork 5") today successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS), bearing 4.5 tonnes of scientific kit and supplies. White Stork captured by the ISS's Canadarm2. Pic Scott Kelly White Stork captured by the ISS's Canadarm2. Pic: Scott Kelly/Twitter ISS Expedition 44 …

[ravenviz]

Hopefully Kimiya Yui will now be seen sipping ryokucha?!

[a_mu]

Just a thought,

Why take up dehydrated food when you then have to take up water to re hydrate it.

As the ISS recycles most of its water, take up some nice food, with water in it.

food A mass = mass water in food A plus dry mass of food A.

[Bluewhelk]

Dehydrated food

I suspect that there is less water, in terms of number of meals covered (because it gets recycled and only the losses need replacing), than packets of dried food (which doesn't). The water will also be drunk directly and used for other purposes (hygiene?). The upshot, it's more efficient to separate them out on the ground plus you get more food for your launch mass.

Probably keeps better too.

[Graham Dawson]

Re: Dehydrated food

Yep, the food is freeze-dried and vacuum sealed as a preservation method, with the added benefit that it takes up less space in storage.

[Mark 85]

It's pity that no one has ever figured out how to do dehydrated beer. I'm sure it would be welcomed .

[Crazy Operations Guy]

RE: dehydrated beer

But there is plenty of urine up there already...

[I ain't Spartacus]

Re: RE: dehydrated beer

But there is plenty of urine up there already...

Astronauts wouldn't give a XXXX for anything else...

[David Roberts]

Dehydrated beer...

...in known as Malt Whisky.

[I ain't Spartacus]

Re: Dehydrated beer...

Does that mean if I take some, mix with water and put in a sodastream I'll get lager?

[Andy The Hat]

Missed tech brilliance.

Everyone knows how great the ISS, how things go up and down to it and how brilliant everything is. But does anyone give a second glance to the Canadarm? Without that fabulous bit of tech most of the routine dockings wouldn't happen, 'astronauts' wouldn't feel so safe on spacewalks and it's been so useful for general moving and manipulatory stuff. It has to be the 'unsung hero' bit of kit of the entire ISS mission.

[Anonymous Coward]

RE. Re: Dehydrated beer...

Is there any word on when/if any NASA (or for that matter ESA) astronauts have joined the "69 mile high club" ?