In response to the Dec. 22, 2010 Safe Mode event on the Kepler spacecraft, the mission team has brought in several experts and begun a detailed anomaly investigation.
The team's initial results are that the Kepler spacecraft appears to be in good condition, and that the on-board fault protection is working as designed. During an initial assessment of the likely source of the anomaly, the team has been able to highlight the circuits most likely to have been involved in causing the safe mode. The team also has performed a failure analysis, which has not yet revealed any part that would have produced the behavior seen on the spacecraft, and has identified no part failures that would put the spacecraft at undue risk.
With this assessment, the team commanded the spacecraft to gather more data on both the primary and back-up electronics. Those data were gathered on Dec. 29, 2010 and on Dec. 30, 2010, and are being analyzed. The results appear to show that the back-up electronics are not suffering from the same problem seen on the primary unit.
Science operations will not resume until the first week in Jan. 2011, at the earliest, while the team assesses whether or not to switch to the back-up hardware.
Meanwhile, the team is assessing delaying the next science data download, currently scheduled for late Jan. 2011, to minimize future data disruptions.
Thursday 30 December 2010
Earth - Full Disk
The GOES-13 satellite captured a "full-disk image" of North and South America in an image created December 30 at 1445 UTC (9:45 a.m. EST), as the world awaits the new year. Credit: NOAA/NASA GOES Project
The GOES series of satellites keep an eye on the weather happening over the continental U.S. and eastern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and had a busy time with wild weather in 2010. Today, GOES-13 captured one of the last images of North and South America in 2010 as the world continues to turn toward 2011.
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite called GOES-13 satellite captured a "full-disk image" of North and South America in an image created December 30 at 1445 UTC (9:45 a.m. EST) as the world awaits the new year. The stunning image shows cloud cover associated low pressure areas over the upper Midwestern U.S. and Colorado's Rocky Mountains.
NASA's GOES Project, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., procures and manages the development and launch of the GOES series of satellites for NOAA on a cost-reimbursable basis. NASA's GOES Project also creates some of the GOES satellite images and GOES satellite imagery animations. NOAA manages the operational environmental satellite program and establishes requirements, provides all funding and distributes environmental satellite data for the United States.
NASA's GOES Project was very busy this year. GOES-13 monitors the eastern continental U.S., Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, while GOES-11 monitors weather conditions over the western U.S. and the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
In 2010, GOES satellites were busy providing images and animations of weather systems from nor'easters to tropical cyclones that caused blizzards, flooding and wind damage.
Most recently, the GOES project used satellite data to create an impressive animation of the great Christmas weekend blizzard that pummeled the northeastern U.S. Prior to that, GOES imagery showed travel conditions for the holiday weekend when that low was over the Colorado Rockies.
On Dec. 19, the GOES-11 satellite captured an image of the famous "Pineapple Express." Occasionally in the winter, a large jet stream forms across the mid-Pacific, carrying a continuous flow of moisture from the vicinity of Hawaii to California, bringing heavy rain and snow to the Sierra-Nevada for several days.
On Dec. 8 GOES-13 satellite imagery revealed a snow-covered, winter-like upper Midwest, several weeks before astronomical winter. On Nov. 24, GOES satellites helped Thanksgiving travelers figure out where delays may be happening.
During the summer, on July 25, GOES-13 imagery tracked one of the most destructive storms in years to strike Washington, D.C. and the surrounding area. Strong winds downed trees and power lines, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without power, stopping elevators, and darkening malls and movie theaters. Falling trees killed at least two people. The NASA GOES Project created a satellite animation of the storm as moved through the region.
GOES-13 was busy in the Atlantic during the 2010 hurricane season. The Atlantic season started on June 1 and ended on November 30. The Atlantic season tied for third with two other years (1995 and 1887) as having the largest number of named storms at 19, and tied with two other seasons (1969 and 1887) for the second largest number of hurricanes, with 12. GOES-13 covered all of those tropical cyclones. GOES-11 didn't see the action in the Eastern Pacific tropics that GOES-13 did, however. Because of a La Niña event, the 2010 Pacific hurricane season (which began May 15 and ended Nov. 30) was the least active season in terms of the number of named storms and hurricanes on record. All tropical cyclones can be seen at NASA's Hurricane page archives for 2010 at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/index.html.
On April 14, months before hurricane season started, GOES-13 became the official GOES-EAST satellite. GOES-13 was moved from on-orbit storage and into active duty. It is perched 22,300 miles above the equator to spot potentially life-threatening weather, including tropical storm activity in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico..
Before GOES-13 moved into the position previously occupied by GOES-12, GOES-12 captured a parade of three large storms the flooded the upper Midwest and Northeast in the second half of March. In the first half of March, GOES-12 covered storms as they dumped heavy rainfall in the Northeastern U.S.
On March 12, GOES-12 captured a very rare event in the tropics: the second–ever known tropical cyclone called Tropical Storm 90Q formed in the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina.
During the first two weeks of February 2010, the GOES-12 weather satellite also observed a record-setting series of "Nor'easter" snow storms which blanketed the mid-Atlantic coast in two blizzards.
Whatever and wherever the weather in 2011, the GOES series of satellites will always go.
Related Links:
GOES-POES web site
NOAA web site Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Spaceflight souvenirs and collectables from the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store
Discovery Tank Scans Complete, New Small Cracks Detected
Thu, 30 Dec 2010 12:05:39 -0600
Technicians in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are essentially done with the latest round of X-ray type image scans of space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank.
The computed radiography images of all 108 support beams, called stringers, on the outside of the external tank’s intertank section, which technicians began taking Sunday, are being evaluated by engineers.
However, preliminary analysis indicates small cracks were detected on the tops of three stringers on panel 6, which is on the opposite side of the tank from Discovery. The newly detected cracks currently are under evaluation and there has been no decisions on what affect, if any, the these cracks will make on future plans.
The new data, along with previous testing and analysis, will help engineers and managers determine what caused other small cracks on the tops of two stringers during Discovery’s launch countdown on Nov. 5.
Space Shuttle Program managers are meeting this afternoon to decide whether testing and analysis indicate modifications are needed on some of the stringers. If required, modifications would begin next Monday (Jan. 3).
Technicians in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are essentially done with the latest round of X-ray type image scans of space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank.
The computed radiography images of all 108 support beams, called stringers, on the outside of the external tank’s intertank section, which technicians began taking Sunday, are being evaluated by engineers.
However, preliminary analysis indicates small cracks were detected on the tops of three stringers on panel 6, which is on the opposite side of the tank from Discovery. The newly detected cracks currently are under evaluation and there has been no decisions on what affect, if any, the these cracks will make on future plans.
The new data, along with previous testing and analysis, will help engineers and managers determine what caused other small cracks on the tops of two stringers during Discovery’s launch countdown on Nov. 5.
Space Shuttle Program managers are meeting this afternoon to decide whether testing and analysis indicate modifications are needed on some of the stringers. If required, modifications would begin next Monday (Jan. 3).
Monday 20 December 2010
NASA Spacecraft Provides Travel Tips For Mars Rover
SAN FRANCISCO -- NASA's Mars Opportunity rover is getting important tips from an orbiting spacecraft as it explores areas that might hold clues about past Martian environments.
Researchers are using a mineral-mapping instrument aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to help the rover investigate a large ancient crater called Endeavour. MRO's Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) is providing maps of minerals at Endeavour's rim that are helping the team choose which area to explore first and where to go from there.
As MRO orbits more than 150 miles high, the CRISM instrument provides mapping information for mineral exposures on the surface as small as a tennis court.
"This is the first time mineral detections from orbit are being used in tactical decisions about where to drive on Mars," said Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis. Arvidson is the deputy principal investigator for the Spirit and Opportunity rovers and a co-investigator for CRISM.
Opportunity's science team chose to begin driving the rover toward the 14-mile-wide crater in 2008, after four years studying other sites in what initially was planned as a three-month mission. The rover has traveled approximately nine miles since setting out for Endeavour crater. It will take several months to reach it.
The team plans for Opportunity's exploration of Endeavour to begin at a rim fragment called Cape York. That feature is too low to be visible by the rover, but appears from orbit to be nearly surrounded by water-bearing minerals. The planned route then turns southward toward a higher rim fragment called Cape Tribulation, where CRISM has detected a class of clay minerals not investigated yet by a ground mission.
Spacecraft orbiting Mars found these minerals to be widespread on the planet. The presence of clay minerals at Endeavour suggests an earlier and milder wet environment than the very acidic wet one indicated by previous evidence found by Opportunity.
"We used to have a disconnect between the scale of identifying minerals from orbit and what missions on the surface could examine," said CRISM team member Janice Bishop of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., and the SETI Institute of Mountain View, Calif. Now, rovers are driving farther and orbital footprints are getting smaller."
Ten years ago, an imaging spectrometer on the Mars Global Surveyor orbiter found an Oklahoma-sized area with a type of the mineral hematite exposed. This discovery motivated selection of the area as Opportunity's 2004 landing site. Each pixel footprint for that spectrometer was two miles across. CRISM resolves areas about 60 feet across. Last fall, the instrument began using a pixel-overlap technique that provided even better resolution.
Opportunity has just reached a 90-meter-diameter (300-foot-diameter) crater called Santa Maria where CRISM detected a patch of ground with indications of water bound into the mineral. Opportunity will conduct a science campaign at the crater for the next several weeks to compare the ground results to the orbital indications.
A Martian year lasts approximately 23 months. During the past Martian year, Opportunity covered more than 7.5 miles of the mission's 16 total miles traveled since it landed in January 2004. The rover has returned more than 141,000 images.
MRO reached the Red Planet in 2006 to begin a two-year primary science mission. Its data show Mars had diverse wet environments at many locations for differing durations during the planet's history, and climate-change cycles persist into the present era. The mission has returned more planetary data than all other Mars missions combined.
JPL manages the Mars Exploration Rovers and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., manages CRISM.
For more information about Mars missions, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mars
Spaceflight / Space Exploration Souvenirs Available from the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store!
Researchers are using a mineral-mapping instrument aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to help the rover investigate a large ancient crater called Endeavour. MRO's Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) is providing maps of minerals at Endeavour's rim that are helping the team choose which area to explore first and where to go from there.
As MRO orbits more than 150 miles high, the CRISM instrument provides mapping information for mineral exposures on the surface as small as a tennis court.
"This is the first time mineral detections from orbit are being used in tactical decisions about where to drive on Mars," said Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis. Arvidson is the deputy principal investigator for the Spirit and Opportunity rovers and a co-investigator for CRISM.
Opportunity's science team chose to begin driving the rover toward the 14-mile-wide crater in 2008, after four years studying other sites in what initially was planned as a three-month mission. The rover has traveled approximately nine miles since setting out for Endeavour crater. It will take several months to reach it.
The team plans for Opportunity's exploration of Endeavour to begin at a rim fragment called Cape York. That feature is too low to be visible by the rover, but appears from orbit to be nearly surrounded by water-bearing minerals. The planned route then turns southward toward a higher rim fragment called Cape Tribulation, where CRISM has detected a class of clay minerals not investigated yet by a ground mission.
Spacecraft orbiting Mars found these minerals to be widespread on the planet. The presence of clay minerals at Endeavour suggests an earlier and milder wet environment than the very acidic wet one indicated by previous evidence found by Opportunity.
"We used to have a disconnect between the scale of identifying minerals from orbit and what missions on the surface could examine," said CRISM team member Janice Bishop of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., and the SETI Institute of Mountain View, Calif. Now, rovers are driving farther and orbital footprints are getting smaller."
Ten years ago, an imaging spectrometer on the Mars Global Surveyor orbiter found an Oklahoma-sized area with a type of the mineral hematite exposed. This discovery motivated selection of the area as Opportunity's 2004 landing site. Each pixel footprint for that spectrometer was two miles across. CRISM resolves areas about 60 feet across. Last fall, the instrument began using a pixel-overlap technique that provided even better resolution.
Opportunity has just reached a 90-meter-diameter (300-foot-diameter) crater called Santa Maria where CRISM detected a patch of ground with indications of water bound into the mineral. Opportunity will conduct a science campaign at the crater for the next several weeks to compare the ground results to the orbital indications.
A Martian year lasts approximately 23 months. During the past Martian year, Opportunity covered more than 7.5 miles of the mission's 16 total miles traveled since it landed in January 2004. The rover has returned more than 141,000 images.
MRO reached the Red Planet in 2006 to begin a two-year primary science mission. Its data show Mars had diverse wet environments at many locations for differing durations during the planet's history, and climate-change cycles persist into the present era. The mission has returned more planetary data than all other Mars missions combined.
JPL manages the Mars Exploration Rovers and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., manages CRISM.
For more information about Mars missions, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mars
Spaceflight / Space Exploration Souvenirs Available from the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store!
Sotra Facula, Titan
Based on data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, this image shows an area of Saturn's moon Titan, known as Sotra Facula. Scientists believe Sotra is the best case for an cryovolcano, or ice volcano. The flyover shows two peaks more than 3,000 feet (about 1,000 meters) tall and multiple craters as deep as 5,000 feet (1,500 meters). The image also shows finger-like flows. These are land features all indicate the presence cryovolcanism. The 3-D topography comes from Cassini's radar instrument. Topography has been vertically exaggerated by a factor of 10. The false color in the initial frames shows different compositions of surface material as detected by Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer. In this color scheme, dunes tend to look relatively brown-blue. Blue suggests the presence of some exposed ice. Scientists think the bright areas have an organic coating that hides the ice and is different and lighter than the dunes. The finger-like flows appear bright yellowish-white, like the mountain and caldera. The second set of colors shows elevation, with blue being lowest and yellow and white being the highest. Dunes here appear blue because they tend to occupy low areas. The finger-like flows are harder to see in the elevation data, indicating that they are thin, maybe less than about 300 feet (about 100 meters) thick. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/USGS/University of Arizona
Workers Focus on Shuttle Rollback Preps
Having collected data through the weekend from Friday's tanking test on space shuttle Discovery, workers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center are preparing the shuttle for a return to the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. The move is to take place tomorrow, starting at about 3 a.m. EST. Once inside the VAB, the back side of the intertank region of the external tank will be scanned and foam will be reapplied to areas where sensors were placed for the tanking test.
Initial data and a walk down by the inspection team identified no cracks in the foam or anything out of the ordinary. Analysis could take several weeks. Engineers are looking at what caused two stringers on the tank's ribbed section to crack during fueling on Nov. 5. Discovery’s launch attempt was scrubbed after a leak developed in the ground umbilical carrier plate, GUCP, which also was evaluated. The GUCP did not leak during the tanking test. Analysis could take several weeks.
The STS-133 mission to the International Space Station is planned to launch no earlier than Feb. 3, 2011.
NASA Completes Space Station, Fosters Commercial Spaceflight And Makes Amazing Discoveries During Ambitious Year Of Exploration
NASA Completes Space Station, Fosters Commercial Spaceflight And Makes Amazing Discoveries During Ambitious Year Of Exploration
WASHINGTON -- NASA in 2010 set a new course for human spaceflight, helped rewrite science textbooks, redefined our understanding of Earth's nearest celestial neighbor, put the finishing touches on one of the world's greatest engineering marvels, made major contributions to life on Earth, and turned its sights toward the next era of exploration.
"This year, NASA's work made headlines around the world," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "More importantly, it enlarged our understanding of the universe and our home planet, inspired people, and opened new frontiers for our dreams and aspirations."
"NASA achievements this year across the spectrum -- from science, to aeronautics, education and human spaceflight - provided incredible value to our nation," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said. "We continue to build upon our rich history, taking on new challenges and doing the things that no one else can do -- all for the benefit of humanity."
The following are some of NASA's top stories for the past calendar year:
PRESIDENT OBAMA LAYS OUT NEW PLANS FOR SPACE EXPLORATION
After announcing a new direction for NASA in February, President Obama visited the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 15 to discuss details of his plans for space exploration. The president committed NASA to a series of developmental goals leading to new spacecraft for reaching low Earth orbit and new technology for potential missions beyond the moon. Discussing his ambitious goals for human spaceflight, the president said of his strategy, "We will not only extend humanity's reach in space -- we will strengthen America's leadership here on Earth."
http://www.nasa.gov/about/obamaspeechfeature.html
SPACE STATION CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF HABITATION AND GETS ANOTHER DECADE FOR RESEARCH
NASA and its international partners celebrated 10 years of permanent human habitation on the International Space Station on Nov. 2. More than 600 different research and technology development experiments have been conducted aboard the orbiting lab, many of which are producing advances in medicine, environmental systems and our understanding of the universe. As the station transitions from its assembly phase to use as a unique scientific outpost, NASA is investing in the laboratory's future by ensuring a wide pool of organizations outside the agency have access. The NASA Authorization Act of 2010, in addition to extending station operations until at least 2020, also directed NASA to select an independent, nonprofit research management organization to develop and manage a portion of the U.S. share of the station as a national laboratory.
With NASA's space shuttle fleet nearing retirement, three missions helped put finishing touches on the station this year. The STS-130 mission in February delivered a cupola with seven windows and a robotic control station. The cupola provides a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. The STS-131 mission in April delivered science racks and new crew sleeping quarters. In May, the STS-132 crew delivered the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 known as Rassvet to the orbiting laboratory. The module provides additional storage space and serves as a new docking port for Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/living/10years.html
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
COMPANIES MAKE HUGE STRIDES AS FIRST COMMERCIAL SPACECRAFT SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED AND RECOVERED
Commercial companies made major progress in 2010, highlighted by SpaceX's successful Dec. 8 launch of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. The flight was the first for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, which is developing commercial supply services to the International Space Station. SpaceX became the first commercial company to launch and return a spacecraft from low Earth orbit. After NASA's space shuttle retires, SpaceX is expected to launch at least 12 missions to carry cargo to and from the station. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft also are being designed to eventually carry astronauts into low Earth orbit.
Orbital Sciences Corp., the other participant in the COTS program, had a successful year also. In November, Orbital test-fired the first-stage rocket engine for its Taurus II rocket and opened the mission control center that will support the company's COTS program missions. The company shipped the Taurus II stage-one core in December to NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for assembly. Orbital is under contract with NASA to fly eight cargo missions to the International Space Station.
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/home/spacexfeature.html
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration
NASA AIDS TRAPPED CHILEAN MINERS
NASA responded in late August to a request from the government of Chile for technical advice to assist with the rescue of 33 trapped miners in a copper and gold mine near Copiapo. As part of its support, NASA sent two medical doctors, a psychologist and an engineer to Chile. The team offered expert advice about medical, nutritional and behavioral health issues based on the agency's long experience in protecting humans in the hostile environment of space. NASA also provided suggestions regarding the rescue cages designed to transport the miners out of the mine. Dr. Michael Duncan, deputy chief medical officer in the Space Life Sciences Directorate at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, led the team. The other members were physician James Polk and psychologist Albert Holland from Johnson; and Clint Cragg, principal engineer with the NASA Engineering and Safety Center at the agency's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.
http://www.nasa.gov/news/chile_assistance.html
NASA-FUNDED RESEARCH DISCOVERS LIFE BUILT WITH TOXIC CHEMICAL
NASA-funded researchers conducting tests in the harsh environment of California's Mono Lake discovered the first known microorganism on Earth that is able to thrive and reproduce using the toxic chemical arsenic. The microorganism substituted arsenic for phosphorus in its cell components. Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur are the basic building blocks of all known forms of life on Earth. Researchers successfully grew microbes from the lake on a diet that was lean on phosphorus, but included generous helpings of arsenic. The research team included scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, Arizona State University, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource in Menlo Park.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/astrobiology_toxic_chemical.html
NASA AIDS U.S. DISASTER RESPONSE TO GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL
NASA aided the U.S. response to the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill. Advanced remote-sensing instruments on NASA Earth-observing satellites and aircraft provided data on the spill's location, oil concentrations, and impact on ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico. NASA data were distributed to federal and state agencies and organizations that worked to contain the spill and lead recovery efforts. NASA also sent several research aircraft to make targeted observations that continue to help federal and state agencies document changes in the marshes, swamps, bayous, and beaches along the Gulf Coast.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/oilspill/index.html
NASA-FUNDED RESEARCH FINDS POTENTIALLY HABITABLE EXOPLANET
A team of planet hunters sponsored by NASA and the National Science Foundation announced the discovery of a planet with three times the mass of Earth orbiting a nearby star in a zone that might allow the planet to support life. The research placed the planet in an orbit where liquid water could exist on the planet's surface. If confirmed, the find would be the most Earth-like exoplanet yet discovered and a strong candidate for the first that is potentially habitable. To astronomers, a potentially habitable planet is one that could support life, not necessarily one that humans would find hospitable. This discovery was the result of more than a decade of observations using the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, one of the world's largest optical telescopes.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/gliese_581_feature.html
NEW EYE ON THE SUN DELIVERS STUNNING FIRST IMAGES
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, returned initial images that confirmed an unprecedented new capability for scientists to better understand our sun's dynamic processes. Images from the spacecraft showed never-before-seen detail of material streaming outward and away from sunspots. Others showed extreme close-ups of activity on the sun's surface. The spacecraft also provides images of the sun with 10 times greater resolution than high-definition television in a broad range of ultraviolet wavelengths. These solar events can greatly affect Earth. Launched on Feb. 11, SDO is the most advanced spacecraft ever designed to study the sun.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/news/first-light.html
COMET GIVES UP SECRETS TO EPOXI
NASA's EPOXI spacecraft successfully flew past comet Hartley 2 on Nov. 4, providing unprecedented images and giving scientists new information about the comet's volume and material erupting from its surface. The EPOXI spacecraft revealed a cometary snowstorm. The snowstorm was created by carbon-dioxide jets spewing out tons of golf-ball to basketball-sized fluffy ice particles from the peanut-shaped comet's rocky ends. At the same time, a different process was causing water vapor to escape from the comet's smooth mid-section. The information sheds new light on the nature of comets and their role in the formation of planets. EPOXI is an extended mission that used the Deep Impact spacecraft.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/epoxi/epoxi20101104b.html
NASA UNCOVERS THE MOON'S BURIED TREASURES
Scientists announced in 2010 new data about the moon uncovered by NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. Scientists determined the soil in the moon's shadowy craters is rich in useful materials, including water in the form of mostly pure ice crystals. Researchers also found the moon is chemically active and has a water cycle. By understanding the processes and environments that determine the delivery of water to the moon, where water ice is, and the active water cycle, future mission planners may be able to better determine which locations will have easily-accessible water.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/lro-lcross-impact.html
NASA CREATES OFFICE OF THE CHIEF TECHNOLOGIST, EMBARKS ON TECHNOLOGY-ENABLED FUTURE
NASA created a new Office of the Chief Technologist in February and named Bobby Braun to lead the effort. A professor of space technology at Georgia Tech and former engineer at NASA's Langley Research Center, Braun leads the new Space Technology Initiative targeting technologies that could be transformational in their ability to improve the agency's knowledge and capabilities, while reducing cost and expanding the reach of future aeronautics, science and exploration missions. In December, NASA provided the National Research Council (NRC) with 14 technology area roadmaps drafted by agency experts as NASA works toward a long-range technology-investment plan. An NRC panel will gather public comments on the draft technology plans and make recommendations back to NASA by January 2012.
http://www.nasa.gov/oct
SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITES HELP PUBLIC ENGAGE WITH NASA
NASA expanded its online engagement of the public and was honored to be recognized as a government leader in social media and web use. People now can find NASA, the agency's centers, programs and projects on more than 200 locations across Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and UStream. The agency's website, NASA.gov, won its second consecutive Webby award in 2010, and was joined this year by two other Webby-winning NASA sites, NASA Home and City 2.0, and Global Climate Change. NASA.gov expanded its reach with the release of a new video player that was used to view six million videos in its first eight months. A version of the site focusing on breaking news, videos and social media updates was optimized for mobile devices.
NASA launched partnerships with geolocation services Gowalla and Foursquare to engage with people at the agency-related sites they visit. More than four million people have viewed NASA videos on the agency's YouTube channel. The NASA App now is available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. NASA also made the online engagement personal by inviting hundreds of participants to multiple Tweetup events that provided behind-the-scenes access across the agency. Find all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA at:
http://www.nasa.gov/connect
NASA PURSUES NEW AIRCRAFT CONCEPTS AND GREEN AVIATION TECHNOLOGY
NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate focused again in 2010 on green aviation initiatives that seek to reduce aircraft noise, emissions and fuel consumption, and ensure the safe evolution of the aviation system. In April, NASA completed an 18-month research effort to visualize the passenger airplanes of the future. The advanced concept studies for airplanes that may enter service in 20-25 years produced exotic new designs for developing airframe and propulsion technologies enabling significantly quieter, cleaner, and more fuel-efficient aircraft, with better passenger comfort.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/features/future_airplanes_index.html
SUMMER OF INNOVATION PROGRAMS FOCUS ON MIDDLE-SCHOOLERS
NASA kicked off a new education initiative called the Summer of Innovation in June 2010. The program aligns with President Obama’s Educate to Innovate campaign and seeks to keep middle school students engaged in meaningful science, technology, engineering and math activities during the summer break. In the 2010 pilot year, NASA reached more than 78,000 students across the country through more than 150 events and activities led by NASA and about 130 partners in 13 states and the District of Columbia. Plans for the 2011 Summer of Innovation program are under way. The agency hopes to significantly expand the number of participating students as the effort matures and grows.
http://www.nasa.gov/soi
NASA Television's Video File newsfeed will include items featuring these top stories beginning at noon EST, Dec. 20. For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
Visitors to NASA's website can vote on the top NASA story of the year at: http://www.nasa.gov/news/10_YIR_poll.html
WASHINGTON -- NASA in 2010 set a new course for human spaceflight, helped rewrite science textbooks, redefined our understanding of Earth's nearest celestial neighbor, put the finishing touches on one of the world's greatest engineering marvels, made major contributions to life on Earth, and turned its sights toward the next era of exploration.
"This year, NASA's work made headlines around the world," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "More importantly, it enlarged our understanding of the universe and our home planet, inspired people, and opened new frontiers for our dreams and aspirations."
"NASA achievements this year across the spectrum -- from science, to aeronautics, education and human spaceflight - provided incredible value to our nation," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said. "We continue to build upon our rich history, taking on new challenges and doing the things that no one else can do -- all for the benefit of humanity."
The following are some of NASA's top stories for the past calendar year:
PRESIDENT OBAMA LAYS OUT NEW PLANS FOR SPACE EXPLORATION
After announcing a new direction for NASA in February, President Obama visited the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 15 to discuss details of his plans for space exploration. The president committed NASA to a series of developmental goals leading to new spacecraft for reaching low Earth orbit and new technology for potential missions beyond the moon. Discussing his ambitious goals for human spaceflight, the president said of his strategy, "We will not only extend humanity's reach in space -- we will strengthen America's leadership here on Earth."
http://www.nasa.gov/about/obamaspeechfeature.html
SPACE STATION CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF HABITATION AND GETS ANOTHER DECADE FOR RESEARCH
NASA and its international partners celebrated 10 years of permanent human habitation on the International Space Station on Nov. 2. More than 600 different research and technology development experiments have been conducted aboard the orbiting lab, many of which are producing advances in medicine, environmental systems and our understanding of the universe. As the station transitions from its assembly phase to use as a unique scientific outpost, NASA is investing in the laboratory's future by ensuring a wide pool of organizations outside the agency have access. The NASA Authorization Act of 2010, in addition to extending station operations until at least 2020, also directed NASA to select an independent, nonprofit research management organization to develop and manage a portion of the U.S. share of the station as a national laboratory.
With NASA's space shuttle fleet nearing retirement, three missions helped put finishing touches on the station this year. The STS-130 mission in February delivered a cupola with seven windows and a robotic control station. The cupola provides a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. The STS-131 mission in April delivered science racks and new crew sleeping quarters. In May, the STS-132 crew delivered the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 known as Rassvet to the orbiting laboratory. The module provides additional storage space and serves as a new docking port for Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/living/10years.html
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
COMPANIES MAKE HUGE STRIDES AS FIRST COMMERCIAL SPACECRAFT SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED AND RECOVERED
Commercial companies made major progress in 2010, highlighted by SpaceX's successful Dec. 8 launch of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. The flight was the first for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, which is developing commercial supply services to the International Space Station. SpaceX became the first commercial company to launch and return a spacecraft from low Earth orbit. After NASA's space shuttle retires, SpaceX is expected to launch at least 12 missions to carry cargo to and from the station. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft also are being designed to eventually carry astronauts into low Earth orbit.
Orbital Sciences Corp., the other participant in the COTS program, had a successful year also. In November, Orbital test-fired the first-stage rocket engine for its Taurus II rocket and opened the mission control center that will support the company's COTS program missions. The company shipped the Taurus II stage-one core in December to NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for assembly. Orbital is under contract with NASA to fly eight cargo missions to the International Space Station.
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/home/spacexfeature.html
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration
NASA AIDS TRAPPED CHILEAN MINERS
NASA responded in late August to a request from the government of Chile for technical advice to assist with the rescue of 33 trapped miners in a copper and gold mine near Copiapo. As part of its support, NASA sent two medical doctors, a psychologist and an engineer to Chile. The team offered expert advice about medical, nutritional and behavioral health issues based on the agency's long experience in protecting humans in the hostile environment of space. NASA also provided suggestions regarding the rescue cages designed to transport the miners out of the mine. Dr. Michael Duncan, deputy chief medical officer in the Space Life Sciences Directorate at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, led the team. The other members were physician James Polk and psychologist Albert Holland from Johnson; and Clint Cragg, principal engineer with the NASA Engineering and Safety Center at the agency's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.
http://www.nasa.gov/news/chile_assistance.html
NASA-FUNDED RESEARCH DISCOVERS LIFE BUILT WITH TOXIC CHEMICAL
NASA-funded researchers conducting tests in the harsh environment of California's Mono Lake discovered the first known microorganism on Earth that is able to thrive and reproduce using the toxic chemical arsenic. The microorganism substituted arsenic for phosphorus in its cell components. Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur are the basic building blocks of all known forms of life on Earth. Researchers successfully grew microbes from the lake on a diet that was lean on phosphorus, but included generous helpings of arsenic. The research team included scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, Arizona State University, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource in Menlo Park.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/astrobiology_toxic_chemical.html
NASA AIDS U.S. DISASTER RESPONSE TO GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL
NASA aided the U.S. response to the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill. Advanced remote-sensing instruments on NASA Earth-observing satellites and aircraft provided data on the spill's location, oil concentrations, and impact on ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico. NASA data were distributed to federal and state agencies and organizations that worked to contain the spill and lead recovery efforts. NASA also sent several research aircraft to make targeted observations that continue to help federal and state agencies document changes in the marshes, swamps, bayous, and beaches along the Gulf Coast.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/oilspill/index.html
NASA-FUNDED RESEARCH FINDS POTENTIALLY HABITABLE EXOPLANET
A team of planet hunters sponsored by NASA and the National Science Foundation announced the discovery of a planet with three times the mass of Earth orbiting a nearby star in a zone that might allow the planet to support life. The research placed the planet in an orbit where liquid water could exist on the planet's surface. If confirmed, the find would be the most Earth-like exoplanet yet discovered and a strong candidate for the first that is potentially habitable. To astronomers, a potentially habitable planet is one that could support life, not necessarily one that humans would find hospitable. This discovery was the result of more than a decade of observations using the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, one of the world's largest optical telescopes.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/gliese_581_feature.html
NEW EYE ON THE SUN DELIVERS STUNNING FIRST IMAGES
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, returned initial images that confirmed an unprecedented new capability for scientists to better understand our sun's dynamic processes. Images from the spacecraft showed never-before-seen detail of material streaming outward and away from sunspots. Others showed extreme close-ups of activity on the sun's surface. The spacecraft also provides images of the sun with 10 times greater resolution than high-definition television in a broad range of ultraviolet wavelengths. These solar events can greatly affect Earth. Launched on Feb. 11, SDO is the most advanced spacecraft ever designed to study the sun.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/news/first-light.html
COMET GIVES UP SECRETS TO EPOXI
NASA's EPOXI spacecraft successfully flew past comet Hartley 2 on Nov. 4, providing unprecedented images and giving scientists new information about the comet's volume and material erupting from its surface. The EPOXI spacecraft revealed a cometary snowstorm. The snowstorm was created by carbon-dioxide jets spewing out tons of golf-ball to basketball-sized fluffy ice particles from the peanut-shaped comet's rocky ends. At the same time, a different process was causing water vapor to escape from the comet's smooth mid-section. The information sheds new light on the nature of comets and their role in the formation of planets. EPOXI is an extended mission that used the Deep Impact spacecraft.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/epoxi/epoxi20101104b.html
NASA UNCOVERS THE MOON'S BURIED TREASURES
Scientists announced in 2010 new data about the moon uncovered by NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. Scientists determined the soil in the moon's shadowy craters is rich in useful materials, including water in the form of mostly pure ice crystals. Researchers also found the moon is chemically active and has a water cycle. By understanding the processes and environments that determine the delivery of water to the moon, where water ice is, and the active water cycle, future mission planners may be able to better determine which locations will have easily-accessible water.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/lro-lcross-impact.html
NASA CREATES OFFICE OF THE CHIEF TECHNOLOGIST, EMBARKS ON TECHNOLOGY-ENABLED FUTURE
NASA created a new Office of the Chief Technologist in February and named Bobby Braun to lead the effort. A professor of space technology at Georgia Tech and former engineer at NASA's Langley Research Center, Braun leads the new Space Technology Initiative targeting technologies that could be transformational in their ability to improve the agency's knowledge and capabilities, while reducing cost and expanding the reach of future aeronautics, science and exploration missions. In December, NASA provided the National Research Council (NRC) with 14 technology area roadmaps drafted by agency experts as NASA works toward a long-range technology-investment plan. An NRC panel will gather public comments on the draft technology plans and make recommendations back to NASA by January 2012.
http://www.nasa.gov/oct
SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITES HELP PUBLIC ENGAGE WITH NASA
NASA expanded its online engagement of the public and was honored to be recognized as a government leader in social media and web use. People now can find NASA, the agency's centers, programs and projects on more than 200 locations across Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and UStream. The agency's website, NASA.gov, won its second consecutive Webby award in 2010, and was joined this year by two other Webby-winning NASA sites, NASA Home and City 2.0, and Global Climate Change. NASA.gov expanded its reach with the release of a new video player that was used to view six million videos in its first eight months. A version of the site focusing on breaking news, videos and social media updates was optimized for mobile devices.
NASA launched partnerships with geolocation services Gowalla and Foursquare to engage with people at the agency-related sites they visit. More than four million people have viewed NASA videos on the agency's YouTube channel. The NASA App now is available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. NASA also made the online engagement personal by inviting hundreds of participants to multiple Tweetup events that provided behind-the-scenes access across the agency. Find all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA at:
http://www.nasa.gov/connect
NASA PURSUES NEW AIRCRAFT CONCEPTS AND GREEN AVIATION TECHNOLOGY
NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate focused again in 2010 on green aviation initiatives that seek to reduce aircraft noise, emissions and fuel consumption, and ensure the safe evolution of the aviation system. In April, NASA completed an 18-month research effort to visualize the passenger airplanes of the future. The advanced concept studies for airplanes that may enter service in 20-25 years produced exotic new designs for developing airframe and propulsion technologies enabling significantly quieter, cleaner, and more fuel-efficient aircraft, with better passenger comfort.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/features/future_airplanes_index.html
SUMMER OF INNOVATION PROGRAMS FOCUS ON MIDDLE-SCHOOLERS
NASA kicked off a new education initiative called the Summer of Innovation in June 2010. The program aligns with President Obama’s Educate to Innovate campaign and seeks to keep middle school students engaged in meaningful science, technology, engineering and math activities during the summer break. In the 2010 pilot year, NASA reached more than 78,000 students across the country through more than 150 events and activities led by NASA and about 130 partners in 13 states and the District of Columbia. Plans for the 2011 Summer of Innovation program are under way. The agency hopes to significantly expand the number of participating students as the effort matures and grows.
http://www.nasa.gov/soi
NASA Television's Video File newsfeed will include items featuring these top stories beginning at noon EST, Dec. 20. For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
Visitors to NASA's website can vote on the top NASA story of the year at: http://www.nasa.gov/news/10_YIR_poll.html
Sunday 19 December 2010
How it Works Annual
I'm buying the monthly magazine too but will be usinig the annual to catch up on missed and no longer available issues - check it out!
Follow the link!
Follow the link!
Tuesday 14 December 2010
Discovery Rollback Planned After Tanking Test
Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:17:04 -0600
Technicians at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39A in Florida are moving ahead with plans for a tanking test for space shuttle Discovery’s external fuel tank, which now will be no earlier than Friday, Dec. 17, weather permitting. Cold and windy conditions have slowed test preparation. The test will help verify repairs associated with cracks on the tops of two 21-foot-long, U-shaped aluminum brackets, called stringers, and help engineers determine what caused the cracks in the first place during Discovery’s launch countdown on Nov. 5.
Shuttle managers also officially decided late Monday afternoon that following the tanking test, Discovery will be rolled back into Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to allow its external tank to undergo additional image scans. Rollback is expected to occur 4-5 days after the tanking test. Once in the VAB, technicians will collect x-ray data on stringers on the back side of the external tank midsection, called the intertank, which is not accessible at the launch pad. Additionally, the test instrumentation and foam insulation on those areas of the intertank will be removed while the stringer inspections are going on in parallel.
At the launch pad, crews currently are finishing installing 89 strain gauges and temperature sensors for the tanking test to precisely record movement and temperatures from the intertank as it chills and warms again during the loading of propellants and emptying process. The tank holds super-cold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, which cause the tank to shrink by about half an inch.
Managers and engineers will review the data gathered from the tanking test and additional image scans before determining the next course of action. Currently, managers plan to have Discovery returned to the launch pad in January ahead of its next launch opportunity, which is no earlier than Feb. 3 at 1:34 a.m. EST.
Monday 13 December 2010
Astronaut Alan Poindexter Leaves NASA
HOUSTON -- Veteran NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter has left the agency to return to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.
Poindexter, a U.S. Navy captain, earned a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the school in 1995. He will return to serve as the dean of students and executive director of programs.
"Dex was a well-respected leader within our office," said Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "We will miss him being part of our team and wish him the best in his new role as he continues his service to the Navy and the country."
A veteran of two spaceflights, Poindexter logged more than 669 hours in space. In 2008, he was the pilot on the STS-122 space shuttle mission to deliver and install the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station. In 2010, he was the commander for STS-131, a resupply mission to the station that delivered more than 13,000 pounds of hardware and equipment.
He was selected as an astronaut candidate in June 1998 and served in the Astronaut Office Shuttle Operations Branch as the lead support astronaut at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He also served as a spacecraft communicator, or capcom, for several missions.
Photo Credit: NASA
Poindexter, a U.S. Navy captain, earned a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the school in 1995. He will return to serve as the dean of students and executive director of programs.
"Dex was a well-respected leader within our office," said Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "We will miss him being part of our team and wish him the best in his new role as he continues his service to the Navy and the country."
A veteran of two spaceflights, Poindexter logged more than 669 hours in space. In 2008, he was the pilot on the STS-122 space shuttle mission to deliver and install the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station. In 2010, he was the commander for STS-131, a resupply mission to the station that delivered more than 13,000 pounds of hardware and equipment.
He was selected as an astronaut candidate in June 1998 and served in the Astronaut Office Shuttle Operations Branch as the lead support astronaut at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He also served as a spacecraft communicator, or capcom, for several missions.
Photo Credit: NASA
Soyuz Rollout
The Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft is rolled out by train on its way to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Monday, Dec. 13, 2010, in Kazakhstan. The launch of the Soyuz spacecraft with Expedition 26 Soyuz Commander Dmitry Kondratyev, NASA Flight Engineer Catherine Coleman and Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 16. Image Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi
Thursday 9 December 2010
Technicians Set Up Tank for Test Next Week
Thu, 09 Dec 2010 07:39:04 -0600
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians at Launch Pad 39A have installed an environmental enclosure on space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank for a tanking test planned for no earlier than Wednesday, Dec. 15.
The test will help verify repairs associated with cracks on the tops of two 21-foot-long, U-shaped aluminum brackets, called stringers, on the external tank and help engineers determine what caused the cracks in the first place. Technicians repaired the cracks and reapplied foam insulation on the stringers last month.
Tanking test plans call for recording temperature and strain gauge measurements in the intertank region near the top of the external tank where the stringers are located.
Managers determined last week more tests and analysis were needed before proceeding with Discovery’s STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. Discovery’s next launch opportunity is no earlier than Feb. 3 at 1:34 a.m. EST.
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians at Launch Pad 39A have installed an environmental enclosure on space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank for a tanking test planned for no earlier than Wednesday, Dec. 15.
The test will help verify repairs associated with cracks on the tops of two 21-foot-long, U-shaped aluminum brackets, called stringers, on the external tank and help engineers determine what caused the cracks in the first place. Technicians repaired the cracks and reapplied foam insulation on the stringers last month.
Tanking test plans call for recording temperature and strain gauge measurements in the intertank region near the top of the external tank where the stringers are located.
Managers determined last week more tests and analysis were needed before proceeding with Discovery’s STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. Discovery’s next launch opportunity is no earlier than Feb. 3 at 1:34 a.m. EST.
SPACEX’S Dragon Spacecraft Re-enters Successfully
Lands on Target in the Pacific Ocean, 500 miles Off of the Coast of Southern California
SpaceX/NASA to Hold Post-Mission Press Conference at 3:30 PM EST
Cape Canaveral, FL – Today, SpaceX became the first commercial company in history to re-enter a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit.
SpaceX and NASA will have a post-mission press conference at 3:30 PM EST at the press site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Participants include:
Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and CTO
Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President
Alan Lindenmoyer, NASA Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Manager
Watch it live at www.nasa.gov/ntv
SpaceX launched its Dragon spacecraft into low-Earth orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 10:43 AM EST from the Air Force Station at Cape Canaveral.
The Dragon spacecraft orbited the Earth at speeds greater than 17,000 miles per hour, reentered the Earth’s atmosphere, and landed in the Pacific Ocean shortly after 2:00 PM EST.
This marks the first time a commercial company has successfully recovered a spacecraft reentering from low-Earth orbit. It is a feat performed by only six nations or government agencies: the United States, Russia, China, Japan, India, and the European Space Agency.
It is also the first flight under NASA’s COTS program to develop commercial supply services to the International Space Station. After the Space Shuttle retires, SpaceX will fly at least 12 missions to carry cargo to and from the International Space Station as part of the Commercial Resupply Services contract for NASA. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft were designed to one day carry astronauts; both the COTS and CRS missions will yield valuable flight experience toward this goal.
View the press kit: http://www.spacex.com/downloads/cots1-20101206.pdf
SpaceX/NASA to Hold Post-Mission Press Conference at 3:30 PM EST
Cape Canaveral, FL – Today, SpaceX became the first commercial company in history to re-enter a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit.
SpaceX and NASA will have a post-mission press conference at 3:30 PM EST at the press site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Participants include:
Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and CTO
Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President
Alan Lindenmoyer, NASA Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Manager
Watch it live at www.nasa.gov/ntv
SpaceX launched its Dragon spacecraft into low-Earth orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 10:43 AM EST from the Air Force Station at Cape Canaveral.
The Dragon spacecraft orbited the Earth at speeds greater than 17,000 miles per hour, reentered the Earth’s atmosphere, and landed in the Pacific Ocean shortly after 2:00 PM EST.
This marks the first time a commercial company has successfully recovered a spacecraft reentering from low-Earth orbit. It is a feat performed by only six nations or government agencies: the United States, Russia, China, Japan, India, and the European Space Agency.
It is also the first flight under NASA’s COTS program to develop commercial supply services to the International Space Station. After the Space Shuttle retires, SpaceX will fly at least 12 missions to carry cargo to and from the International Space Station as part of the Commercial Resupply Services contract for NASA. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft were designed to one day carry astronauts; both the COTS and CRS missions will yield valuable flight experience toward this goal.
View the press kit: http://www.spacex.com/downloads/cots1-20101206.pdf
The SpaceX Falcon 9 Lifts Off
12.08.10
› View Now
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft launched from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010, at 10:43 a.m. EST.
› View Now
› View Now
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft launched from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010, at 10:43 a.m. EST.
› View Now
Wednesday 8 December 2010
Tanking Test Being Planned for Middle to Late Next Week
Engineers met yesterday to discuss plans for an instrumented test on space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank. The test will verify repairs associated with cracks on two 21-foot-long, U-shaped aluminum brackets, called stringers, on the shuttle's external tank. NASA repaired the cracks and reapplied foam to the exterior of the stringers. Details still are being discussed. Plans call for temperature and strain gauge measurements in the intertank region near the top of the tank during the test. The tanking test is being planned for the mid- to late-next week.
NASA managers have targeted Discovery's launch for no earlier than Feb. 3 at 1:34 a.m. EST. Shuttle managers determined more tests and analysis are needed before proceeding with the launch of the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station.
NASA will review and analyze the data from the tests before setting a launch date. Because of Discovery's delayed launch, the earliest opportunity for the liftoff of the final scheduled shuttle mission, STS-134 on Endeavour, is April 1.
Today at NASA's Johnson Space Center, the STS-133 crew is reviewing its flight plan.
NASA managers have targeted Discovery's launch for no earlier than Feb. 3 at 1:34 a.m. EST. Shuttle managers determined more tests and analysis are needed before proceeding with the launch of the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station.
NASA will review and analyze the data from the tests before setting a launch date. Because of Discovery's delayed launch, the earliest opportunity for the liftoff of the final scheduled shuttle mission, STS-134 on Endeavour, is April 1.
Today at NASA's Johnson Space Center, the STS-133 crew is reviewing its flight plan.
TODAY: SpaceX to Make First Launch Attempt for COTS Demo 1
Hawthorne, CA – Today SpaceX released the following information on today’s launch day activities for the first SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon demonstration launch for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.
SpaceX will make its first launch attempt on TODAY, December 8th from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window extends from 9:03 AM to 12:20 PM. EST/ 6:03 AM to 9:20 AM PST. We are now counting down for a 9:06 AM EST attempt.
SpaceX has discovered the root cause of the two small cracks in the aft end of the 2nd stage engine nozzle extension. A GN2 vent line caused fluttering of the the thinnest portion of the nozzle extension, creating the cracks. SpaceX engineers repaired the extension by trimming off the end where the cracks are located and corrected the root cause by diffusing the vent.
SpaceX plans to launch its Dragon spacecraft into low-Earth orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The Dragon capsule is expected to orbit the Earth at speeds greater than 17,000 miles per hour, reenter the Earth’s atmosphere, and land in the Pacific Ocean roughly 3 1/2 hours later. This will be the first attempt by a commercial company to recover a spacecraft reentering from low-Earth orbit. It is a feat performed by only 6 nations or government agencies: the United States, Russia, China, Japan, India, and the European Space Agency.
It is also the first flight under NASA’s COTS program to develop commercial supply services to the International Space Station. After the Space Shuttle retires, SpaceX will fly at least 12 missions to carry cargo to and from the International Space Station as part of the Commercial Resupply Services contract for NASA. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft were designed to one day carry astronauts; both the COTS and CRS missions will yield valuable flight experience toward this goal.
Webcast
The COTS Demo 1 launch will be webcast at http://www.spacex.com/.
The webcast will begin approximately 45 minutes prior to the opening of the daily launch window, at 8:15 a.m. EST / 5:15 a.m. PST / 13:15 UTC. During the webcast, SpaceX hosts will provide information specific to the flight, an overview of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft and commentary on the launch and flight sequences.
Launch Day Viewing for Media
U.S. media wishing to attend the launch day viewing must be credentialed through NASA following the instructions in the NASA advisory below. On launch day, the NASA News Center at the KSC press site will open at 6 a.m. For launch viewing, reporters and photographers will be taken to from the KSC press site to the NASA Causeway between stations C & D by bus. The bus will leave the press site for NASA Causeway at L-1 hour and will return to the press site once Falcon 9/Dragon are no longer visible.
Post-Mission News Conference
A post mission press conference will be held one to two hours after splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft at the press site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Participants include:
Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President
Phil McAlister, NASA Commercial Space Flight Development Acting Director
Alan Lindenmoyer, NASA Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Manager
SpaceX will make its first launch attempt on TODAY, December 8th from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window extends from 9:03 AM to 12:20 PM. EST/ 6:03 AM to 9:20 AM PST. We are now counting down for a 9:06 AM EST attempt.
SpaceX has discovered the root cause of the two small cracks in the aft end of the 2nd stage engine nozzle extension. A GN2 vent line caused fluttering of the the thinnest portion of the nozzle extension, creating the cracks. SpaceX engineers repaired the extension by trimming off the end where the cracks are located and corrected the root cause by diffusing the vent.
SpaceX plans to launch its Dragon spacecraft into low-Earth orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The Dragon capsule is expected to orbit the Earth at speeds greater than 17,000 miles per hour, reenter the Earth’s atmosphere, and land in the Pacific Ocean roughly 3 1/2 hours later. This will be the first attempt by a commercial company to recover a spacecraft reentering from low-Earth orbit. It is a feat performed by only 6 nations or government agencies: the United States, Russia, China, Japan, India, and the European Space Agency.
It is also the first flight under NASA’s COTS program to develop commercial supply services to the International Space Station. After the Space Shuttle retires, SpaceX will fly at least 12 missions to carry cargo to and from the International Space Station as part of the Commercial Resupply Services contract for NASA. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft were designed to one day carry astronauts; both the COTS and CRS missions will yield valuable flight experience toward this goal.
Webcast
The COTS Demo 1 launch will be webcast at http://www.spacex.com/.
The webcast will begin approximately 45 minutes prior to the opening of the daily launch window, at 8:15 a.m. EST / 5:15 a.m. PST / 13:15 UTC. During the webcast, SpaceX hosts will provide information specific to the flight, an overview of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft and commentary on the launch and flight sequences.
Launch Day Viewing for Media
U.S. media wishing to attend the launch day viewing must be credentialed through NASA following the instructions in the NASA advisory below. On launch day, the NASA News Center at the KSC press site will open at 6 a.m. For launch viewing, reporters and photographers will be taken to from the KSC press site to the NASA Causeway between stations C & D by bus. The bus will leave the press site for NASA Causeway at L-1 hour and will return to the press site once Falcon 9/Dragon are no longer visible.
Post-Mission News Conference
A post mission press conference will be held one to two hours after splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft at the press site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Participants include:
Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President
Phil McAlister, NASA Commercial Space Flight Development Acting Director
Alan Lindenmoyer, NASA Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Manager
Demonstration Flight Of Falcon 9 Rocket Set For Wednesday
Mon, 06 Dec 2010 23:00:00 -0600
The first demonstration flight of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program has been scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 8, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Friday 3 December 2010
Backscatter Scans of Tank Continue
Fri, 03 Dec 2010 07:15:05 -0600
NASA space shuttle managers met Thursday at a Program Requirements Control Board (PRCB) to review repairs and engineering evaluations associated with shuttle Discovery and cracks on two 21-foot-long, U-shaped aluminum brackets, called stringers, on the shuttle's external tank. NASA will continue to review and analyze the data before setting a launch date. NASA managers are meeting daily to assess the data and progress being made.
Technicians at Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39A will continue to collect data on the stringer repair by performing backscatter scans, which bounces radiation off space shuttle Discovery’s external fuel tank, through the weekend.
At NASA's Johnson Space Center, the STS-133 crew will review rendezvous procedures today.
NASA space shuttle managers met Thursday at a Program Requirements Control Board (PRCB) to review repairs and engineering evaluations associated with shuttle Discovery and cracks on two 21-foot-long, U-shaped aluminum brackets, called stringers, on the shuttle's external tank. NASA will continue to review and analyze the data before setting a launch date. NASA managers are meeting daily to assess the data and progress being made.
Technicians at Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39A will continue to collect data on the stringer repair by performing backscatter scans, which bounces radiation off space shuttle Discovery’s external fuel tank, through the weekend.
At NASA's Johnson Space Center, the STS-133 crew will review rendezvous procedures today.
NASA Targets Shuttle Discovery's Launch For No Earlier Than Feb. 3
WASHINGTON -- NASA managers have targeted space shuttle Discovery's launch for no earlier than Feb. 3 at 1:34 a.m. EST. Shuttle managers determined more tests and analysis are needed before proceeding with the launch of the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station.
The Program Requirements Control Board met Thursday and reviewed engineering evaluations associated with cracks on two 21-foot-long, U-shaped aluminum brackets, called stringers, on the shuttle's external tank. NASA repaired the cracks and reapplied foam to the exterior of the stringers.
Managers decided the analysis and tests required to launch Discovery safely are not complete. They are planning to conduct an instrumented test on the external fuel tank and structural evaluations on stringer test articles to determine if the analysis is correct. Details and timelines for the tanking test are in work, but plans call for temperature and strain gauge measurements in the intertank region near the top of the tank during the test.
The test also will verify the integrity of repairs made earlier when two cracked stringer sections and foam were replaced. A team of engineers and technicians will inspect the tank for evidence of any foam cracking as it would on an actual launch day. The test also will verify the integrity of repairs to the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, which leaked an unsafe amount of gaseous hydrogen during Discovery's Nov. 5 launch attempt. The date of the test is under evaluation, but likely will occur this month.
Engineers will continue to search for the root cause of the stringer cracks through data analysis and tests, including placement of manufacturing defects in separate stringers to demonstrate structural integrity in an effort to duplicate the same type of failure that occurred in November.
NASA will review and analyze the data from the tests before setting a launch date. Because of Discovery's delayed launch, the earliest opportunity for the liftoff of the final scheduled shuttle mission, STS-134 on Endeavour, is April 1.
For continued STS-133 updates as well as crew and mission information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
Wednesday 1 December 2010
EVA Suit Batteries to be Removed Today
Wed, 01 Dec 2010
Technicians will remove batteries for the STS-133 crew's spacewalk suits as they prep space shuttle Discovery at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttles airlock was opened yesterday to allow crews access to the batteries. Installation of reference dots on space shuttle Discovery's ground umbilical carrier plate, or GUCP, to monitor for movement during tanking, has been delayed to Dec. 2 and 3, because of rain.
Discovery's launch is currently targeted for no earlier than Dec. 17, after shuttle managers determined more tests and analysis are needed.
The Program Requirements Control Board reviewed on Nov. 23 repairs and engineering evaluations associated with cracks on two 21-foot-long, U-shaped aluminum brackets, called stringers, on the shuttle's external tank. Managers decided the analysis and tests required to launch Discovery safely are not complete. The work will continue through this week.
The next status review by the PRCB will be tomorrow, Dec. 2. If managers clear Discovery for launch on Dec. 17, the preferred time is about 8:51 p.m. EST.
NASA Sets Coverage For Cots 1 Launch Targeted For Dec. 7
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first SpaceX Falcon 9 demonstration launch for NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program is targeted for liftoff on Tuesday, Dec. 7. Liftoff will occur from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window extends from 9:03 a.m. to 12:22 p.m. EST. If necessary, launch opportunities also are available on Dec. 8 and Dec. 9 with the same window.
Known as COTS 1, the launch is the first flight of the Dragon spacecraft and the first commercial attempt to re-enter a spacecraft from orbit. This is the first of three test launches currently planned in the Falcon 9 test flight series. It is intended as a demonstration mission to prove key capabilities such as launch, structural integrity of the Dragon spacecraft, on-orbit operation, re-entry, descent and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
NASA established the COTS program to procure a commercial launch service to stimulate the commercial space industry, to facilitate a private industry cargo capability to the International Space Station as soon as achievable, and to achieve cost effective access to low Earth orbit that will attract private customers.
PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE
The prelaunch news conference for the COTS 1 Falcon 9 launch is planned for L-1, currently Monday, Dec. 6 at 1:30 p.m., at the press site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA Television will provide live coverage, and the briefing will be streamed at
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.
Known as COTS 1, the launch is the first flight of the Dragon spacecraft and the first commercial attempt to re-enter a spacecraft from orbit. This is the first of three test launches currently planned in the Falcon 9 test flight series. It is intended as a demonstration mission to prove key capabilities such as launch, structural integrity of the Dragon spacecraft, on-orbit operation, re-entry, descent and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
NASA established the COTS program to procure a commercial launch service to stimulate the commercial space industry, to facilitate a private industry cargo capability to the International Space Station as soon as achievable, and to achieve cost effective access to low Earth orbit that will attract private customers.
PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE
The prelaunch news conference for the COTS 1 Falcon 9 launch is planned for L-1, currently Monday, Dec. 6 at 1:30 p.m., at the press site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA Television will provide live coverage, and the briefing will be streamed at
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.
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