The Curse of the Solar Sail August 7, 2008
Posted by Brian Pfeifer in JAXA, NASA, Planetary Society, Russia, Space Startups, SpaceX.add a comment
As you know SpaceX’s recent Falcon1 launch failed to reach orbit. They tracked down the technical cause to extra thrust produced by their new Merlin 1C engine. After engine cutoff, there’s still some fuel remaining in the regenerative cooling channels. When that seeped into the combustion chamber and mixed with residual oxygen, it pushed the first stage into the separated second stage.
There is of course a more sinister cause behind this mishap…The Curse of the Solar Sail.
Some of you may be familiar with the “Mars Gremlin.” Only about 50% of all spacecraft destined for the red planet are successful. We are getting better at dropping landers and rovers on the planet, but it’s still extremely difficult and risky. You may not be aware of it, but there is a similar curse afflicting attempts to put a solar sail into orbit. And yes, The Falcon 1 was carrying NanoSail-D, a solar sail technology demonstrator from NASA.
In 2005, the Planetary Society attempted to launch Cosmos1, another solar sail demonstrator. Unfortunately, the launcher was a bargain basement, submarine launched Volna rocket. The Russian operators hoped to demonstrate that the Volna was ready to launch commercial payloads. Although the booster reached orbital altitude, the payload failed to separate, the spacecraft was lost.
In 2006, JAXA launched a solar sail vehicle piggybacked to ASTRO-F’s M-V booster. While it successfully reached orbit, it failed to deploy its solar sails.
This makes NanoSail-D our third attempt, and our third failure of a solar sail spacecraft. So from where I’m sitting, the only mistake SpaceX made was agreeing to launch a solar sail. Solar sails have great potential to support long duration robotic missions, but before that happens, we’ll have to defeat the Curse of the Solar Sail.
The final Shuttle flight is scheduled July 8, 2008
Posted by Brian Pfeifer in NASA, News and politics.add a comment
Just a quick note that NASA has released the schedule for the final 8 Shuttle flights to be distributed over 2009 and 2010. Here’s the full release:
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008 16:42:03 -0500
From: info@JSC.NASA.GOV
Subject: NASA SETS LAUNCH DATES FOR REMAINING SPACE SHUTTLE MISSIONS
July 7, 2008
Kyle Herring
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
John Yembrick
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0602
Report #H08-167
NASA SETS LAUNCH DATES FOR REMAINING SPACE SHUTTLE MISSIONS
HOUSTON — Following a detailed, integrated assessment, NASA selected target launch dates for the remaining eight space shuttle missions on the current manifest in 2009 and 2010. The manifest includes one flight to the Hubble Space Telescope, seven assembly flights to the International Space Station, and two station contingency flights, planned to be completed before the end of fiscal year 2010. The agency previously selected Oct. 8 and Nov. 10 as launch dates for Atlantis’ STS-125 mission to service Hubble and Endeavour’s STS-126 / ULF-2 mission to supply the space station and service both Solar Alpha Rotary Joints on the port and starboard end of its truss backbone that supports equipment and solar arrays.
The approved target dates are subject to change based on processing and other launch vehicle schedules. They reflect the agency’s commitment to complete assembly of the station and to retire the shuttle fleet as transition continues to the new launch vehicles, including Ares and Orion.
SHUTTLE FLIGHTS IN 2009
Feb. 12 — Discovery (STS-119 / 15A) will kick off a five-flight 2009 with its 36th mission to deliver the final pair of U.S. solar arrays to be installed on the starboard end of the station’s truss. The truss serves as the backbone support for external equipment and spare components, including the Mobile Base System. Lee Archambault will command the 14-day flight that will include four planned spacewalks. Joining him will be pilot Tony Antonelli and mission specialists John Phillips, Steve Swanson, Joseph Acaba, Richard Arnold and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will replace Sandy Magnus on the station as a flight engineer. STS-119 marks the 28th shuttle flight to the station.
May 15 — Endeavour (STS-127 / 2JA) sets sail on its 23rd mission with the Japanese Kibo Laboratory’s Exposed Facility and Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section, the final permanent components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s contribution to the station program. During the 15-day mission, Endeavour’s crew will perform five spacewalks and deliver six new batteries for the P6 truss, a spare drive unit for the Mobile Transporter and a spare boom assembly for the Ku-band antenna. Mark Polansky will be Endeavour’s commander with Doug Hurley as pilot. Mission specialists will be Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Dave Wolf, Tim Kopra and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. Kopra will become a station flight engineer replacing Koichi Wakata, who will return home with the STS-127 crew. It will be the 29th shuttle flight to the station.
July 30 — Atlantis (STS-128 / 17A) launches on its 31st flight, an 11-day mission carrying science and storage racks to the station. In the payload bay will be a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module holding science and storage racks. Three spacewalks are planned to remove and replace a materials processing experiment outside the European Space Agency’s Columbus module and return an empty ammonia tank assembly. The mission includes the rotation of astronaut Nicole Stott for Tim Kopra, who will return to Earth with the shuttle crew. The remaining crew members have yet to be named. STS-128 marks the 30th shuttle flight dedicated to station assembly and outfitting.
Oct. 15 — Discovery’s (STS-129 / ULF-3) 37th mission will focus on staging spare components outside the station. The 15-day flight includes at least three spacewalks. The payload bay will carry two large External Logistics Carriers holding two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly, a spare latching end effector for the station’s robotic arm, a spare trailing umbilical system for the Mobile Transporter and a high-pressure gas tank. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Bob Thirsk will return home aboard Discovery with its crew, which has yet to be named. STS-129 marks the 31st shuttle mission devoted to station assembly.
Dec. 10 — Endeavour (STS-130 / 20A) will close 2009 with its 24th mission to deliver the final connecting node, Node 3, and the Cupola, a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center that provides a 360-degree view around the station. At least three spacewalks are planned during the 11-day mission. The 32nd station assembly mission by a shuttle does not yet have a crew named.
SHUTTLE FLIGHTS IN 2010
Feb. 11 — Atlantis (STS-131 / 19A) begins its 32nd mission as the first flight in 2010, carrying a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module filled with science racks that will be transferred to laboratories of the station. The 11-day mission will include at least three spacewalks to attach a spare ammonia tank assembly outside the station and return a European experiment that has been outside the Columbus module. It will be the 33rd shuttle mission to the station. The crew has yet to be named.
April 8 — Discovery’s (STS-132 / ULF-4) 38th mission will carry an integrated cargo carrier to deliver maintenance and assembly hardware, including spare parts for space station systems. In addition, the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, a Mini Research Module, will be permanently attached to the bottom port of the Zarya module. The Russian module also will carry U.S. pressurized cargo. The first Russian Mini Research Module to go to the station is scheduled to launch on a Russian rocket in the summer of 2009.
Additionally, at least three spacewalks are planned to stage spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, a boom assembly for the Ku-band antenna and spares for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm extension. A radiator, airlock and European robotic arm for the Russian Multi-purpose Laboratory Module also are payloads on the flight. The laboratory module is scheduled for launch on a Russian rocket in 2011. The mission marks the 34th mission to the station. The STS-132 crew has yet to be named.
May 31 — Endeavour’s (STS-133 / ULF-5) 25th mission will carry critical spare components that will be placed on the outside of the station. Those will include two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields. At least three spacewalks are planned to be carried out by the crew, which has yet to be named. The 15-day mission will be the 35th to the station.
For the shuttle launch manifest, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/iss_manifest.html
For details on upcoming shuttle missions and their crews, visit:
Exploration Confusion July 6, 2008
Posted by Brian Pfeifer in Future Development, NASA.1 comment so far
I’m about to criticize NASA’s planes for the near future, so I’d like to state for the record that I am a fan a NASA and all that the organization has accomplished. I love NASA, and have no desire to see it dissolved, undercut, or otherwise destroyed. Having said that, I’d like to point out that the current steps being taken for our follow on vehicle to the Space Shuttle, are all backwards.
When planning a space mission, you usually start by determining the goals of the mission. The goals may be “to search for the evidence of past water on Mars,” or, “before this decade is out, to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to the Earth.”
Once you have your mission objectives you can start to decide what tools and systems are needed to fulfill the mission. These become the engineering specifications that determine the size and shape of the spacecraft. Then you can go out and buy launch services on a Pegasus for small payloads, a Delta II or IV for larger payloads. Or if you need to, you can start designing a new booster that fits the needs of the mission.
In pursuing President Bush’s Vision for Space Exploration, NASA started with the booster design, not the mission objectives. This has lead to an odd design cycle. Once they decided to use a shuttle derived solid booster for the crew vehicle launcher, that drove the design of the Crew Exploration Vehicle now known as the Orion capsule. Unfortunately, once they determined the mission objectives, they realized the “stick” lacked the thrust to push the Orion into space. NASA was forced to add a fifth segment to the solid booster to achieve the required thrust. They also discovered that using a Space Shuttle Main Engine for the upper stage was impractical. So they swapped the SSME for a to-be-redesigned Saturn era J2 engine.
The whole point of using Shuttle derived hardware was that it was already man rated. Thus it would dramatically reduce development and testing time and money. With the modifications now in place, everything must follow the full proofing process, and loses the advantages of using derived systems.
Few NASA observers thought the stick was a great solution when it was first proposed. We were willing to accept it because development was supposed to be quick, inexpensive, and take advantage of technical continuity with the Shuttle program. Now that those benefits are quickly dissolving, we should reexamine whether the stick is the right booster to put the Orion in orbit, or even if the Orion is the right vehicle at all.
In my next post, we’ll explore possible alternatives based on one simple idea: NASA should do those things that only NASA can do.
Space Yoga April 27, 2008
Posted by Brian Pfeifer in Future Development, India, NASA, Russia.3 comments
Astronauts and Cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station spend two hours a day exercising to keep bone and muscle loss to a minimum. Bones become brittle and muscles waste away in microgravity without constant work. Current exercise regimes include a bicycle ergometer (stationary bicycle), a treadmill for running, and the Resistive Exercise Device that simulates weight lifting with elastic bands. That’s not a whole lot of options. How could we increase the variety with increasing the equipment?
I would like to suggest we add yoga to the list of exercise regimes. When you think of yoga, you probably think of guys turning themselves into pretzels, but the art is really good at building a core of strength as well as flexibility.
Most yoga positions rely on gravity, but not all do. For example there is a version of uttanasana, forward bend, where you lock your fingers around your big toes before straightening your legs. No gravity needed there to stretch the back, and put stress on the leg joints and muscles. Other positions could be similarly modified to make them more effective in micro, or lunar gravity. A trained yoga instructor with a strong foundation in physiology should also be able to develop sequences to help alleviate back pain, which is a common orbital complaint.
I did a little research, looking for any references to yoga in space, or NASA studies, but there’s almost no information out there. In 1984 Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma of India spent a little over a week on Russia’s Salyut 7. One of his experiments was using yoga to combat motion sickness. If anyone knows the results of his experiments, I’d love to hear about it.
Year in Review April 27, 2008
Posted by Brian Pfeifer in Armadillo Aerospace, Bigelow Aerospace, ESA, JAXA, NASA, Orbital SCiences, Rocketplane Kistler, Russia, Space Startups, SpaceX.add a comment
Yes, it’s been twelve months since my last post. So, I thought I’d give a quick run down of spaceflight activities for the past year. It’s been a busy one with many exciting developments.
Let’s start with the ISS’s growth spurt. The installation of ESA’s Columbus module, and JAXA’s Kibo Pressurized Logistics Module, and NASA’s Node 2 Harmony greatly expanded that habitable volume of the orbital outpost. It also means that. ESA and JAXA activated their own control rooms to support their modules. ESA also wins bonus points for finally getting Jules Vern, their first ATV cargo ship off the ground last month. After several rendezvous tests, the unmanned vehicle automatically docked to a Russian port. Just the other day, Jules Vern fired two of its four engines to boost the Space Station’s orbit.
Canada also has new hardware on orbit. Dexter, a two-armed extension for the Canada Arm II, accompanied the Kibo module on STS-123. It’s designed to complete some of the maintenance and repair tasks usually handle by space walking astronauts. Considering how dangerous those activities are, Dexter is a welcome contribution to this great experiment in space.
The ISS also played host to numerous international astronauts. Germany’s Hans Schlegel helped install ESA’s Columbus module on STS-122. Frances’s Leopold Eyharts also rode up on STS-122 and remained on orbit for a month to configure Columbus before returning on STS-123. Japan’s Takao Doi flew aboard STS-123 to deliver and install the Kibo PLM. South Korea also sent its first astronaut into space. Engineer Yi So Yeon joined Russia’s most recent Soyuz taxi flight. She spent ten days on orbit, and introduced the crew to some Korean foods including spicy kimchi, and fermented soybean paste. Both of which I can personally confirm are delicious, as I currently reside just north of Seoul. Soon the ISS may boast both an international cuisine as well as an international crew.
In other news, NASA’s project Orion is proceeding. The mockup capsule for the launch abort test is complete. Orbital Sciences is building the abort tower that will cap the module. Launch pad modifications are under way for the Ares I-X test. The dummy upper stage for the test is also complete. NASA also conducted numerous airbag tests to see if the vehicle can safely perform a landing on dry ground. They performed drop tests for the larger parachutes needed for the extended five segment solid booster. It’s great to see real hardware under construction and in tests.
The private sector hasn’t been sitting on its laurels either. Bigelow Aerospace successfully launched Genesis II, and is pushing forward with plans for full-scale inflatable orbital modules.
Armadillo Aerospace again failed to capture the Lunar Lander Challenge at the XPrize Cup. However, they were the only team to field a vehicle, and their repeat attempts were the highlight of the Cup. They also posses an experimental launch permit which has allowed them to log a great deal of low altitude flight time beyond tethered flights. They also have a modular sub-orbital design, which looks like it could be a commercial success.
SpaceX still hasn’t orbited any hardware, but progress continues on the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9. Flights of both are still scheduled for this year, and the company has plenty of paying customers lined up. They’ve improved their Merlin engine with a regeneratively cooled version that increases the available thrust, and their engine test stand has been keeping their neighbors on their toes. SpaceX is still on track for the COTS program, and has past several critical reviews and funding milestones. NASA also awarded them an indefinite quantity, indefinite time contract for launch services to be specified as needed.
Scaled Composites/ The Spaceship Company has had the roughest year. They had an engine blow up on a test stand. The accident resulted in two deaths, and has slowed down development work on SpaceShip II. Burt Rutan is in it for the long haul, and is an experienced aircraft designer. They will investigate the causes of the accident, and prevent it from occurring again. This will not end the SpaceShip II program. One interesting idea to come out of Virgin Galactic is that this model could be used for point to point supersonic flights as well as space tourism.
One last note: NASA finally managed to get rid of Rocket Plane Kistler and re-award their portion of the COTS contract to Orbital Sciences. RPK failed to make required funding deadlines. Few space insiders really believed RPK had the muscle to launch any hardware into space. Their K-1 vehicle has been “90% complete” for the past five years, and they haven’t done anything in that time but burn money. Orbital Sciences was a new aerospace startup during the Reagan administration. They still think like a small, young organization, but they have a successful development track record including three launch vehicles.
Upcoming Launches April 5, 2007
Posted by Brian Pfeifer in Armadillo Aerospace, Bigelow Aerospace, NASA, News and politics, Rocketplane Kistler, Space Startups, SpaceX, UP Aerospace, schedule.add a comment
Of the seven launch vehicles mentioned below, three have experienced terminal failures in the past twelve months. This is just a reminder that what these people do is difficult, and success cannot be taken for granted.
April 7 – ISS Expedition 15 launches in a Soyuz-TMA From Baikonur Cosmodrome. The crew includes Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov, and Spaceflight Participant Charles Simonyi.
April 19 – Bigelow Aerospace will launch Genesis II, their second subscale inflatable demonstrator aboard a dnepr rocket from ISC Kosmotras Space and Missile Complex near Yasny, Russia.
April 28 – UP Aerospace’s SpaceLoft will carry commercial and student payloads, including the remains of Gordon Cooper and James Doohan on a suborbital flight from New Mexico’s Space Port. This will be their second attempt after their launch failure in January.
Also in April, Armadillo Aerospace plans several test flights of Pixel, their Lunar Lander Challenge vehicle. The flights will take place at the Oklahoma Space Port.
In May or June, Space Shuttle Atlantis mission STS-117 should lift off From Cape Canaveral. The flight will flesh out the space station with the addition of new solar arrays.
SpaceX has two more launches scheduled for this year from their facility on Omelek Island in the Kwajalein Atoll. The first could be as early as August and will carry TacSat 1, a US military demonstrator. Their second flight, in the fourth quarter, will carry a Malaysian communications satellite.
After their last launch ended in a launch pad explosion, Sea Launch is repairing their floating facility and plans to be ready for their next launch in October.
SpaceX Prepares for Launch March 19, 2007
Posted by Brian Pfeifer in NASA, Space Startups, SpaceX.add a comment
This week, Space Exploration Technologies conducted a brief static fire test of their Falcon 1rocket. The successful test paves the way for a launch attempt on Monday, March 19 at 11 pm, GMT. The only hiccup was a problem with the GPS guidance system.
“Our initial review of the data showed that the rocket functioned almost perfectly,” Said Elon Musk in a press release. “The only remaining concern is that the GPS portion of the guidance system showed an anomaly about 15 minutes *after* the static fire. Falcon 1 is designed to achieve its target orbit purely on inertial navigation, so the GPS, while helpful for improving orbit insertion accuracy, is not flight critical.”
Dubbed Demo Flight 2, the launch will mark the first successful launch by SpaceX and will be followed later this year by Malaysian and DoD satellite launches. Musk also pointed towards strong progress made on the Falcon 9 for NASA’s COTS program.
Network Engineers…In Space March 18, 2007
Posted by Brian Pfeifer in NASA.add a comment
Now I’ve pull my share of CAT-5 cables through tight craw spaces, but never in Zero-G. This week astronauts Suni Williams and Mike Lopez-Alegria will do just that on the International Space station. They are overhauling the onboard computer network and upgrading all of the links to Ethernet or Wireless standards. The work will eliminate cables that currently snake through hatches between the US and Russian segments of the orbital complex.
I have just one question. Are Mike and Suni certified LAN engineers? If not, I could suggest to NASA a few hundred who would be happy to go up there and make a house call…
DARPA and NASA Working From the Same Playbook March 10, 2007
Posted by Brian Pfeifer in DARPA, Future Development, NASA, News and politics.add a comment
If the VSE (Vision for Space Exploration) is to become a reality, then engineers must develop several critical path technologies. These include autonomous rendezvous and docking, and robotic assembly of space structures. NASA’s Exploration Systems Directorate is not the only organization interested in these technologies. DARPA, the military’s high-risk, high-reward research arm is working to develop the same capabilities.
At this moment, DARPA’s Orbital Express mission is testing out these technologies on orbit. Launched on March 8, the mission consists of two purpose built vehicles: ASTRO, and NextSat. The two spacecraft were boosted into space together on an Atlas V and are scheduled to separate, and then rendezvous and re-dock. Before separation, they have some impressive mission goals. ASTRO carries an extra supply of hydrazine, and will demonstrate refueling techniques by transferring the liquid to NextSat. ASTRO is also equipped with a robotic arm, resembling the little brother of that on the Shuttle and the ISS. The arm will replace electronics components on NextSat with spares carried on ASTRO. If all goes well, ASTRO will demonstrate rendezvous, docking, refueling, assembly, and repair capabilities.
All of these are on NASA’s wish list, if for different reasons than those of the Defense Department. In fact, NASA engineers are heavily involved in Orbital Express, and supplied software and sensors to the program. Although DARPA sees vital national security uses for these technologies, they also envision spawning a military/civilian space infrastructure around in-space servicing of satellites and manned facilities.
Of course, success is not guaranteed. DARPA’s first attempt at autonomous rendezvous and docking failed spectacularly two years ago when DART bumped into it’s docking target and sent it into a new orbital path. Perhaps that is why they are testing out the refueling and repair systems before undocking and performing rendezvous maneuvers. If successful, it will have applications for crew and cargo delivery to the ISS in Orion or COTS capsules. It will allow for robotic missions to upgrade future orbiting telescopes. There are many possible applications that we are only beginning to dimly perceive.
Elon Musk Sets Date for Second SpaceX Launch Attempt March 6, 2007
Posted by Brian Pfeifer in Bigelow Aerospace, NASA, SpaceX.add a comment
Space Exploration Technologies will attempt to launch their Falcon 1 during a window between March 19th and 22nd. This launch attempt is labeled Demo Flight 2 after last year’s inaugural flight that ended in fire and destruction of the vehicle. The Merlin engine will boost the rocket from Omelek Island in the Kwajalein Atoll. After separation, the first stage will parachute into the Pacific Ocean to await recovery and reuse for later flights.
If the flight is successful, SpaceX is positioned to launch at least three paying payloads this year alone. In the face of last year’s failure, the company has already demonstrated robustness stronger than most previous commercial spaceflight operations. The Conestoga rocket, developed during the Reagan era, was the first privately financed commercial launch vehicle. When it blew up on it’s maiden flight, the insurers got nervous and pulled their policy. This lack of confidence, and the enduing financial difficulties ended the program before a second launch attempt. With their second vehicle at the Omelek launch facility, SpaceX has already surpassed Conestoga’s achievements.
SpaceX’s launch at the end of March is just the first in a tight cluster of Upcoming launches. Bigelow Aerospace is expecting to place Genesis II, their second sub-scale inflatable test habitat, in the beginning of April. That month will also see a Soyuz launch to the ISS carrying space tourist, Charles Simonyi. Shuttle flight STS-117 is scheduled for no earlier than April 20th, and will add new solar arrays and complete other construction jobs on the ISS.
