Orbital Sciences Antares & Cygnus spacecraft

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Question for Doc.....It is confusing as to how the new Antares can pass inspection for new engines, new avionics, new structural engine supports, new tanks and new plumbing in this short span of time. One Atlas for Sunday and only one more...unless Orbital purchases more rides to extend time, later....?

 

[Blue-Vision]

What about ATK being the sole supplier of the strap-on boosters from next year on in ...

 

Well, yeah. Never mind ... it didn't change Aerojet's fortunes any.

[DocM]

9 hours ago, Draggendrop said:

Vulcan is a ways off....

2018-2019 for the first flight of Block 1 with the Centaur upper stage, 2023-2024 for the Block 2 with the ACES upper stage.

[Beittil]

 

Cool video of Cygnus' solar arrays deploying and aligning  with the Sun

[Draggendrop Veteran]

They appear to be reasonably compact with respect to overall surface area...."Geisha hand fan". The more I look at the Cygnus "container", the more that I think that it would be great as a "unit" for a lunar assembly or space station. This and Bigelow units will work great for installations...

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Orbital ATK Shows Off Repaired Launch Pad and Antares Rocket Hardware for Return to Flight

 

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With the return to flight of Antares quickly approaching, launch operations at Wallops Island are in full swing both in the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) and at Launch Pad 0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS). AmericaSpace had the opportunity to get an inside look at the integration activities this week for the first two upgraded Antares launch vehicles and the newly refurbished launch pad.

 

Currently on schedule for a targeted launch date of May 31, the OA-5 mission will be the first Antares launch from Wallops since the failed Orb-3 mission in late October 2014. It will also be the first flight of the new upgraded Antares, powered by RD-181 engines. This mission will follow the OA-6 mission in March, which was added to the manifest when Orbital ATK decided to purchase a second Atlas-V rocket from United Launch Alliance (ULA). Because preparations for OA-5 were already underway when the second Atlas-V launch was ordered, the mission numbers are out of sequence.

Two RD-181 engines integrated with an Antares core stage for the hot fire test and OA-7. Photo Credit: Elliot Severn / AmericaSpace

 

Long article with several photo's.....

http://www.americaspace.com/?p=89776#more-89776

 

This is the quote that I find to be questionable when dealing with safety....

 

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NASA is comfortable flying a CRS mission on the first upgraded Antares. Orbital ATK decided there was no need to invest in a dedicated test flight.

Engines, fuel feed system and avionics change.....I call BS on this move, for anyone, when taxpayers foot the bill.

[DocM]

I would imagine NASA is holding off the Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract announcement until Orbital and SpaceX return to flight.

 

There's a lot of speculation about a 3rd provider for events like this, where 2 suppliers had a failure. With Boeing, and likely Lockheed, out because of high costs  the logical 3rd would be the Dream Chaser cargo variant.

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

I don't know if "thegaurdian.com" is a reputable source, but here goes....

 

Mouldy luggage delays Nasa launch of space station cargo

 

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Black mould found during inspection, so Cygnus cargo ship had to be unpacked and everything disinfected, pushing launch back to late March

 

 An Orbital ATK Cygnus capsule being loaded with cargo. Photograph: Julian Leek/Demotix/Corbis

 

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Nasa’s next cargo run to the International Space Station will be delayed for at least two weeks after black mould was found in two fabric bags used for packing clothing, food and other supplies.

 

The source of the mould, common in humid climates like Florida’s, is under investigation by Nasa and Lockheed Martin, which prepares cargo for launch aboard two commercial carriers, Orbital ATK and privately owned SpaceX.

 

An Orbital Cygnus cargo ship was more than halfway packed for the launch, scheduled for 10 March, when the mould was found during routine inspections and tests, said Nasa spokesman Daniel Huot.

 

Nasa and Lockheed decided to unpack the cargo, disinfect all the bags and repack, delaying launch.

 

The Cygnus’s liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket is now scheduled for late March.

 

Had the mould reached the station, the crew would not have been in any danger, but Nasa decided to clean the bags as a precaution, Huot added.

 

Nasa is still assessing what, if any, impact delaying the Cygnus launch will have on the next cargo run planned by SpaceX.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/feb/11/moldy-luggage-delays-nasa-launch-of-space-station-cargo?CMP=twt_a-science_b-gdnscience

 

[DocM]

It's for real, and every cargo bag in Enhanced Cygnus needs to be decontaminated. 

 

http://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2016/02/10/black-mold-delays-iss-cargo-launch-cape-canaveral/80174420/

[Beittil]

Which means of course that everything has to be unloaded from Cygnus, all the bags need to be unpacked and inspected. All the bags decontaminated (as Doc said) and possibly it's contents as well. Still surprised it is currently 'only' a 12 day delay...

[Blue-Vision]

Makes me wonder how long that stuff was sitting around ... black mold doesn't just "crop up". We've got a problem with that stuff here in Michigan, and that crap takes a bit to show up even in the best of conditions.

 

That could have sickened the crew or even forced a medical evac of the ISS. Glad they caught it before it went uphill.

[DocM]

Black mold grows best between 25-30°C, and it loves dead air spaces. Once it gets a hold it becomes a mycotoxin factory, even in dry conditions, and it causes allergic reactions galore.

 

WTF did they do, store it in someone's basement?

[Draggendrop Veteran]

//bit off topic

 

I was checking through a few video's and came across these three ,which are a different take on the Wallops island explosion.

 

Orbital Sciences Antares Explosion at Wallops from 3000ft

video is 1:40 min.

 

 

 

 

 

GoPro Hero Camera Captures Awesome Sight Of Antares Orb-3 Rocket Explosion

video is 10:02 min.

 

 

 

 

 

Remote Camera Footage of Antares Rocket Explosion

video is 1:33 min.

 

 

 

 

[DocM]

Fugly, and predictable given the test stand explosions at Russia and NASA Stennis - not to mention how the engines had been stored for 40+ years. 

[Beittil]

Saw this today:

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The next Cygnus cargo spacecraft to go to the ISS will be named after an astronaut who died in the Columbia accident. Orbital ATK said the Cygnus spacecraft launching March 22 will be named the S.S. Rick Husband, after the astronaut who was commander of the STS-107 mission. The spacecraft will deliver about 3,500 kilograms of supplies to the station. [collectSPACE]

And immediately my firsts thought was... "Well, he gets to burn up on reentry twice :X"

 

I mean, naming your ships after astro's that have passed away is one thing. But naming your ship, which meets fiery destruction at the ends of it's mission, after one who met the same faith. Ouch.

[DocM]

Yeah, that needed a bit of a rethink.

[Blue-Vision]

Yeah, bad decision-making process there. I understand the desire to honor a fallen Astronaut and all; but it's inappropriate in that context. I'm against it as well.

[FloatingFatMan]

6 hours ago, Beittil said:

Saw this today:

And immediately my firsts thought was... "Well, he gets to burn up on reentry twice :X"

 

I mean, naming your ships after astro's that have passed away is one thing. But naming your ship, which meets fiery destruction at the ends of it's mission, after one who met the same faith. Ouch.

Wow, talk about bad taste...

[Draggendrop Veteran]

I agree with you all, this is in bad taste. The re-entry module is also carrying out combustion experiments as the last one did.

 

Photo Credit: NASA-KSC

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/03/08/photos-cygnus-packed-up-and-fueled-for-trip-to-the-space-station/

 

[Blue-Vision]

They can't be serious. Wow.   

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Here’s why NASA is setting fire to a cargo ship in space

 

Cygnus                       NASA

 

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Next Tuesday, Orbital ATK will launch their Cygnus cargo vehicle to the International Space Station (ISS). Cygnus will bring the astronauts on station food, water, and a 3-D printer, among other supplies.

 

Normally, after supplies are unloaded from Cygnus, the crew would fill the cargo ship with trash and send it back to Earth to burn up in the atmosphere. This time, before Cygnus breaks apart above the Earth, NASA is going to intentionally set it on fire – well, part of it anyway.

 

In order to study how fire reacts in a weightless environment, NASA is performing the Spacecraft Fire Experiment, or “Saffire.” Up until now, only very small combustion tests have been conducted aboard the space shuttle and the ISS due to risks associated with such experiments.

 

Saffire will allow NASA scientists to study how microgravity fires react on a much larger scale.

 

After Cygnus leaves the ISS and begins its return to Earth, engineers from NASA’s Glenn Research Center will remotely ignite a large swath of cloth contained in a 3-by-3-by-5 foot module inside Cygnus.

 

The 16 by 37-inch cloth is made out of fiberglass and cotton, a material blend that’s been included in previous, smaller microgravity combustion experiments. Sensors and high definition video cameras inside Cygnus will record the characteristics of the flame propagation along the cloth. The experiment is expected to take a few hours to complete.

 

Once the experiment is over, Cygnus will remain in orbit for 7 days in order to downlink the data to ground stations around the world. After the Saffire team has retrieved the data, Cygnus will begin its reentry and burn up in the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.

http://techcrunch.com/2016/03/17/heres-why-nasa-is-setting-fire-to-a-cargo-ship/

 

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Preview: Cygnus to take flight Tuesday aboard Atlas 5 rocket

 

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The rocket will have five specific times available to launch each night:

TUESDAY, MARCH 22:

* 11:05:48 p.m. EDT
* 11:13:18 p.m. EDT
* 11:20:48 p.m. EDT (in-plane)
* 11:28:18 p.m. EDT
* 11:35:48 p.m. EDT

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23:

* 10:40:05 p.m. EDT
* 10:47:35 p.m. EDT
* 10:55:05 p.m. EDT (in-plane)
* 11:02:35 p.m. EDT
* 11:10:05 p.m. EDT

THURSDAY, MARCH 24:

* 10:17:31 p.m. EDT
* 10:25:01 p.m. EDT
* 10:32:31 p.m. EDT (in-plane)
* 10:40:01 p.m. EDT
* 10:47:31 p.m. EDT

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/03/19/preview-cygnus-to-take-flight-tuesday-aboard-atlas-5-rocket/

 

 

Forecast excellent for Tuesday night Atlas V launch

 

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The forecast is excellent for Tuesday night's planned launch of International Space Station supplies atop an Atlas V rocket, with an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions.

The United Launch Alliance rocket is targeting an 11:05 p.m. liftoff, at the opening of a 30-minute window at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41.

There's a small chance that cumulus clouds could pose a problem.

The odds are the same if the launch slips to Wednesday.

http://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2016/03/18/forecast-fine-tuesday-night-atlas-v-launch/81968260/

 

 Read the 45th Weather Squadron's official forecast...

http://www.patrick.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070716-027.pdf

 

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March 22/23Atlas 5 • OA-6

Launch window: 0305:48-0335 GMT on 23rd (11:05:48-11:35 p.m. EDT (on 22nd)
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-064, will launch the sixth Orbital Sciences Cygnus cargo freighter on its fifth operational cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station. The mission is known as OA-6. The rocket will fly in the 401 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from March 10 and March 20. [Feb. 19]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

[DocM]

Webcasts

 

NASA TV (uStream mirror)
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

 

uStream NASA TV channel
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-media-channel

 

A YouTube Live Event may, or may not, appear on NASA Kennedy's channel shortly before T-0

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAKennedy

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Photos: Atlas 5 rocket moves to pad with space station cargo ship

 

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The Atlas 5 rocket emerges Monday from the Vertical Integration Facility for rollout to Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral in preparation to launch the Orbital ATK Cygnus resupply ship to the International Space Station. Liftoff is set for Tuesday at 11:05 p.m. EDT.

 

Photo credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/03/21/photos-atlas-5-rocket-moves-to-pad-with-space-station-cargo-ship/

 

 

 

 

more images at the link...

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/03/21/photos-atlas-5-rocket-moves-to-pad-with-space-station-cargo-ship/

 

[DocM]

We get a good look at the new CST-100 Commercial Crew tower next to the launch umbilicals tower.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

I am curious as to the method for astronaut transfer to the capsule. Would it be swing arm, telescopic ramp....or on the ULA cheap with rope and tire...