SpaceX Dragon CRS-3 (ISS mission thread)

[Beittil]

Funny how a NRO sat would be top priority because of 'national security'... it's not like they don't already have a swarm of spy sats up there already looking down on us. What difference would it make for this one to wait out another week =/

[DocM]

Because they're often launched to 1) cover a new hotspot or 2) replace a failing/failed bird to maintain coverage. Some simply have new capabilities not in existing birds.

NRO/USAF have ~50 new birds to be launched by 2019, minimum.

[geertd]

hard to understand that there is no such thing as a back up system 

[DocM]

Such is the neglect of several presidents and congresses since the 1970's. They spend about 1/3 as much on NASA as US residents spend on pet care annually.

US budget: $3,770 billion

Pet supplies: $56 billion

NASA budget: $17.5 billion (0.0046 of budget)

The radar that failed? Second hand. NASA got it from the White Sands Missile Range in 1993.

[Beittil]

If they do not delay that again... :/

 

And they did...

 

 

Brownsville residents will have to wait a little while longer to receive news about SpaceX?s plans to build a launch pad here.

Although the Federal Aviation Administration has never scheduled a specific date for the release of the final environmental impact statement, which will help determine whether SpaceX can build a rocket site in Cameron County, its release has been much anticipated.

A federal official said the report might be released in May.

FAA spokesman Hank Price said the agency is working with the consulting agencies to ?resolve any potential issues.? The agency is conducting reviews of information contained in the draft environmental study and addressing public comments. The FAA hopes to release the final report next month, Price said.

 

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/article_7aa3e8fe-ba19-11e3-a729-001a4bcf6878.html

[IsItPluggedIn]

Its annoying that this study is holding SpaceX back and they cant really do much about it. 

 

If somebody within FAA is holding this report back because they dont like SpaceX, what can SpaceX do apart from wait. 

 

They should raise the point of delayed productivity for the State and have the state push them. 

[DocM]

Mpst likely some disgruntled locals went to the EPA and it's taking time for both agencies to coordinate.

[DocM]

Atlas V NROL-67 is now NET April 10, with a window of 1345-1426 Local. Range approved. NROL -67 is a DMSP (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program) military weather satellite.

This should mean SpaceX CRS-3 will get a NET of April 14. If confirmed the time should be ~1700 Local (5 PM Eastern) give or take.

[flyingskippy]

I can't see why SpaceX would have a negative effect on the environment barring a hazmat situation. Look at KSC and how well the nature preserve it sits on is thriving.

[DocM]

Precisely, but the enviro-wackos complain about everything anyhow.

[DocM]

NET April 14 1659 Local (4:59 PM Eastern)

[DocM]

Someone got their wires crossed - 1 minute earlier than first reported,

April 14 1658 Local (4:58 PM Eastern)

[Beittil]

Bright side... its a daylight launch again so we can actually see it :D And more importantly (for me :P), it is not in the middle of the night anymore so get to watch it. Yay.

[DocM]

April 4, 2014

NASA Coverage Set for SpaceX Mission to Space Station

The next SpaceX cargo mission to the International Space Station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract is scheduled to launch Monday, April 14, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The company's Falcon 9 rocket, carrying its Dragon cargo spacecraft, will lift off at approximately 4:58 p.m. EDT. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 3:45 p.m. If for any reason the launch is postponed, the next launch opportunity is Friday, April 18 at approximately 3:25 p.m.

The mission, designated SpaceX-3, is the third of 12 SpaceX flights contracted by NASA to resupply the space station. It will be the fourth trip by a Dragon spacecraft to the orbiting laboratory.

The spacecraft will be filled with almost 5,000 pounds of scientific experiments and supplies. The Dragon will remain attached to the space station's Harmony module until mid-May and splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California with more than 3,000 pounds of experiment samples and equipment returning from the station.

NASA will host a prelaunch news conference at 1 p.m., Sunday, April 13, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, followed by a SpaceX science and technology cargo news conference at 2 p.m. Both briefings, which are subject to a change in time, will be carried live on NASA TV and the agency's website. A post-launch briefing will be held approximately 90 minutes after launch.

If launch occurs April 14, NASA TV will provide live coverage Wednesday, April 16, of the arrival of the Dragon cargo ship to the International Space Station. Grapple and berthing coverage will begin at 5:45 a.m. with grapple at approximately 7 a.m. Berthing coverage begins at 9:30 a.m.

Media may request accreditation to attend the prelaunch news conferences, events and launch online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

The deadline for U.S. media to apply for accreditation is April 9. The deadline has passed for international media to apply.

Media credentials will be valid for mission activities from launch through splashdown at Kennedy and at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

For more information about media accreditation, contact Jennifer Horner at 321-867-6598.

For an updated schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage items, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/1dsh9dp

For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For video b-roll and other International Space Station media resources, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/stationnews

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog and more information about the mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

For more information about the International Space Station, research in low-Earth orbit, NASA's commercial space programs and the future of American spaceflight, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

[DocM]

http://www.spacex.com/webcast/

Dragon got a few upgrades since its last trip to station.

To support more critical science payloads for the ISS, the spacecraft flying on Monday has nearly four times its previous powered cargo capability. Dragon will carry additional freezers in its pressurized section and for the first time ever, powered cargo inside its unpressurized trunk; NASAs OPALS and HDEV experiments. The spacecraft is also sporting redesigned cargo racks to accommodate the additional payloads.

Read more about OPALS at

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/861.html

read more about HDEV at

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/917.html

and watch the launch LIVE right here on Monday 4/14!

[Beittil]

Looks like NASA is gonna send a bird up to keep an eye on SpaceX's efforts next monday :)

 

 

Jeff Foust ?@jeff_foust  23m

Gerst: will have aircraft monitoring SpaceX effort to recover F9 1st stage on Monday's launch; interest in supersonic retropropulsion.

[DocM]

SpaceX will have one up there too. All part of the need to document they have command authority over a landing stage before doing a land touchdown at KSC. May take a few more attempts to satisfy FAA, NASA and the USAF.

[flyingskippy]

For DragonRider (crew) the DragonEye gets moved to a position next to an off-centeted NDS docking adapter at its nose.

What is the purpose of off-centering the docking adapter?

[DocM]

The NDS adapter will be offcentered to make room for a viewport so the pilot can make a manual docking if required. Without it being offcentered the viewport would be too small. DragonRider also gets more & larger windows elsewhere.

This is the closest guesstimate we have of the offset so far, and it's probably wrong on several counts. We find out how wrong this summer when DragonRider has a pad abort flight test of the 8 SuperDraco thrusters scheduled at KSC. Then we can lay eyes on it.

And as an example of what to expect, this is the Blue Origin New Shepard suborbital capsules pad abort test.

[DocM]

Controlled destructive reentry?

Gathering data for retropropulsive reentry and recovery of upper stages?

Jury is still out.

F1132/14 -

AMERICAN LAUNCH VEHICLE RE-ENTRY WILL TAKE PLACE EASTERN RANGE WILL BE CONDUCTING HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS SURFACE TO UNLIMITED FOR ATMOSPHERIC RE-ENTRY AND SPLASHDOWN OF LAUNCH VEHICLE UPPER STAGE WITHIN THE FOLLOWING AREAS.

A: FROM 2816S 08713E TO 3604S 09809E TO 4237S 11001E TO 4829S 12649E TO 5130S 14432E TO 5221S 14433E TO 5152S 13631E TO 4855S 11934E TO 4414S 10751E TO 3916S 09905E TO 2914S 08620E TO BEGINNING. SFC - UNL, 1404142157 TO 1404142217 1404182024 TO 1404182044

14 APRIL PRIMARY RE-ENTRY 18 APRIL BACKUP RE-ENTRY, 14 APR 21:57 2014 UNTIL 18 APR 20:44 2014.

CREATED: 03 APR 22:12 2014

[DocM]

Here we go again....another equipment failure that could delay the mission.

http://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp39/140411mdm/#.U0jNTMvD_qB

A computer "black box" in the International Space Station's solar power truss that provides redundancy for robotic arm operations stopped responding to commands Friday, NASA said in a statement. If the component cannot be coaxed back to normal operation, the planned Monday launch of a SpaceX Dragon supply ship -- which must be captured by the station's robot arm -- could be delayed.

The avionics box, known as a multiplexer-demultiplexer, or MDM, is mounted in the central S0 section of the station's power truss. Spares are available, but a spacewalk would be required to install a replacement, assuming flight controllers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston are unable to resolve the problem remotely.

"The mission control team at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston confirmed Friday night that a backup computer on the exterior of the International Space Station called a multiplexer-demultiplexer is not responding to commands," NASA said in a brief statement.

"The station's MDM computers control some systems associated with robotics aboard the space station. The primary MDM operating aboard the space station is functioning normally and there is no immediate impact to space station operations. The computer outage does not pose a risk to the six crew members aboard the space station."

Flight controllers are studying what might be needed to restore the unit to normal operation or what might be required to replace it if recovery efforts are not successful.

"Replacing the backup MDM, if needed, would require a spacewalk," the NASA statement said.

The apparent failure occurred Friday afternoon, amid work at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to prepare a commercial SpaceX Dragon cargo ship for launch to the space station atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff is targeted for 4:58 p.m. Monday and if all goes well, the uncrewed supply ship will reach the lab complex around 7:11 a.m. Wednesday.

But unlike supply ships built by the Russians and the European Space Agency, the Dragon is not able to dock on its own. Instead, the station's robot arm, operated by astronauts inside the space station, is used to lock onto a grapple fixture so the capsule can be moved into position for berthing at the Earth-facing port of the forward Harmony module.

While the Canadian-built robot arm remains fully functional, the loss of redundancy due to the apparent MDM failure could prompt NASA mission managers to consider a launch delay for the SpaceX/Dragon mission if the MDM cannot be restored to normal operation. But pending additional troubleshooting, the SpaceX launch remains on track for Monday, with forecasters predicting a 70 percent chance of acceptable weather.

"The backup MDM would provide redundancy for robotic systems that will be needed to attach the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft currently scheduled to launch on Monday and rendezvous with the ISS on Wednesday," NASA said in its statement. "NASA is continuing to work toward a Monday launch of the SpaceX cargo resupply mission pending further evaluations by the ISS Program."

The SpaceX cargo craft is loaded with 4,600 pounds of equipment and supplies, including spacesuit components intended to prevent any recurrence of a potentially catastrophic helmet water leak that occurred during a spacewalk last year.

If a spacewalk is required to replace the suspect MDM, two station astronauts, presumably Rick Mastracchio and Koichi Wakata, would use spacesuits currently aboard the station, following safety procedures implemented for two excursions last December to replace a faulty cooling system component.

Those spacewalks were successful, and there was no recurrence of the leak that occurred during a July 2013 spacewalk by European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano.

[DocM]

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/space-station-glitch-could-delay-spacex-cargo-ships-launch-n78831

Space Station Glitch Could Delay SpaceX Cargo Ship's Launch

NASA is weighing whether the failure of a backup electronics box for the International Space Station's robotic arm system will force another postponement in SpaceX's launch of a Dragon cargo ship.

If the box can't be revived, it would have to be replaced during a spacewalk. That might require SpaceX, the California-based company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, to hold off on its third resupply mission to the station under the terms of a $1.6 billion contract with NASA. But there's also a chance the mission could go ahead before the spacewalk.

In a status report issued on Saturday, mission managers emphasized that the crew was in no danger. But they're evaluating whether the problem with the computer component, known as a multiplexer-demultiplexer, would pose too much of a risk for the Dragon's hookup to the station ? which relies on the proper operation of the station's robotic arm.

?NASA FILE

A SpaceX Dragon capsule is attached to the International Space Station's robotic arm during a cargo run in 2012. The robotic arm is required to bring the Dragon in for its berthing.

The Dragon capsule is currently scheduled for launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 4:58 p.m. ET Monday, with the station berthing set for Wednesday. The Dragon is packed with about 4,600 pounds (2,100 kilograms) of supplies and equipment, including scientific experiments and the legs for the station's Robonaut 2 android.

The SpaceX launch has already been delayed once, due to a temporary problem with the Air Force's radar tracking system.

The problem with the backup multiplexer-demultiplexer, one of more than a dozen such boxes mounted on the station's exterior, cropped up on Friday when it stopped responding to commands. The primary system, which transmits commands to the robotic arm system's rail car, is working fine, NASA said. The big question is whether it's too risky to proceed with the Falcon 9 launch without the backup system. Astronauts on the station have to use the robotic arm to pull the Dragon in to its berthing port.

NASA said there were other contingency plans that didn't depend on the failed electronics box. A decision on whether to go ahead with the launch would be made on Sunday, after a series of technical reviews. Meanwhile, plans are also being laid for a spacewalk to replace the backup box, which is considered one of the station's routine maintenance tasks.

[Beittil]

SpaceX was cleared for launch as planned tomorrow. A space walk to repair the computer issue will be planned later this month.

[DocM]

An urgent late cargo load has taken place; thermal interface materials for replacing the faulty backup MDM on ISS were flown to Florida last minute and loaded into Dragon's pressurized cargo.

Nice having easy (very) late-load capability vs. a cargo ship the gets encapsulated in a fairing.

They're also flying a new spacesuit to replace the one that leaked water a few months ago. Handy for that spacewalk.

[DocM]

@collectSPACE

A rainbow forms behind @SpaceX's #CRS3 Falcon 9 at LC-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., April 14, 2014.pic.twitter.com/vhER3AOZ26

(Pic at bottom)

SpaceX ?@SpaceX  

Falcon 9 and Dragon have gone vertical in advance of todays launch to the ISS! Liftoff @ 4:58pm ET.

Press kit....(pdf)

Today, SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are set to launch the CRS-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA. Liftoff is targeted for 4:58pm EDT from SpaceXs Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Dragon will be loaded with nearly 5,000 pounds of supplies and science experiments bound for the ISS, and if all goes according to plan, the spacecraft will berth with the station around 7:00am EDT on Wednesday April 16th. A full mission press kit is attached.

SpaceXs live launch webcast will begin at 4:20pm EDT atwww.spacex.com/webcast.

Photos are available atwww.spacex.com/media, and videos will be made available after the launch at vimeo.com/spacexlaunch.