International Space Station (Updates)

[DocM]

The Sabatier process is exothermic once started and well understood. It's expected an early Falcon Heavy/DV2 'Red Dragon' mission will carry an experimental Sabatier reactor. Packing a large one into an early unmanned MCT to fuel a later manned flights return shouldn't be a problem.

[Arachno 1D]

Just going back to robotics for a moment heres some images from the DARPA Robotics challenge that look really promising

http://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/photos-the-incredible-robots-from-darpas-robotic-challenge/1/

 

The final phase of the DRC took place from June 5-6 in Pomona, California. The first place winner was Hubo, developed by Team Kaist of Korea.

Second place went to Running Man, developed by Team IHMC Robotics of Pensacola, Florida, and third place went to CHIMP, out of Carnegie Mellon University.

 

Unlike DARPA's previous tests, the 23 competing robots were untethered this time. They had to complete an obstacle course that was designed to simulate a disaster building. Each robot needed to drive in on an ATV, step out of the vehicle, open and walk through a door, rotate a valve, drill a wall before either walking on or through a patch of rubble. In the end, they had to climb a small flight of stairs to finish on an elevated plank.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/08/the-machines-that-rose-to-darpas-robotics-challenge/

 

CHIMP [third]

 

 

https://youtu.be/l5Bz6siTxu4

 

Heres an interesting multiview of CHIMP on an obstacle course

 

http://www.nrec.ri.cmu.edu/projects/tartanrescue/home/1280/

[Blue-Vision]

I won't be impressed with Anthropomorphic Robotics until we have the full, direct, Neural-Control Interfaces with HoloLens duplication for the Human Operator. Then I'll be interested. Of course, then everyone else will be too ...

[Arachno 1D]

Yes I was thinking more they should concentrate on the mechanics of the Bot and initially aim to control it manually with some form of immersive interface.Ergo you don the control panel and you are subliminally then the bot.

[flyingskippy]

Supersonic retropropulsion is the ONLY way to get a 25-50+ tonne payload down. Parachutes won't cut it. Even if they did their growing percentage of the payload mass would be impractical.

I agree doc. Maybe LDSD is NASA's way of pushing for more funding of these Mars exploration programs like MSL and their next rover. I think NASA also looks at it as less mass to launch with spacecraft in the LDSD size range if they can get chutes to work. However, by the time they get the fix, it may be more cost effective and efficient to use retro.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

"Glitch"....shifts position of ISS....

 

 

Roscosmos said the engines of a Soyuz spacecraft that is docked at the station unexpectedly started on Tuesday during testing of the radio system that controls the docking procedure.

The agency said steps were taken to stabilize the station and the crew was not in danger, adding that specialists were working to determine what caused the engines to start.

Two Soyuz spacecraft are docked at the station, and one of them is scheduled to return three of the six crew members to Earth on Thursday.

Roscosmos did not specify which capsule had the malfunction, but said the landing would go ahead as planned.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-06-glitch-shifts-position-international-space.html#jCp

http://phys.org/news/2015-06-glitch-shifts-position-international-space.html

 

 

 

[Blue-Vision]

RF Interference getting into the Flight Control Computer? That shouldn't be possible.

 

Malfunction? There are subsystems to prevent an off-schedule engine start, unless the Russian systems aren't built with three-deep redundancies like U.S. and European systems are. I can't believe that could be the case, but given all the trouble with Russian hardware lately it's quite possible.

 

Deliberate hack? That would seem plausible, but its' occurrence should(would?) be immediately detected and located.

 

In any event, this is troublesome in the extreme.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

ISS repositions to avoid debris.......(19:58 GMT)

 

 

 

The International Space Station (ISS) conducted a Pre-Determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver (PDAM) on Monday, dodging part of a spent Minotaur rocket body. The space shove was provided by the engines on the docked Progress M-26M spacecraft, with the burn lasting over five minutes

[flyingskippy]

Let's just hope all goes well for the astronauts returning. I'd be a little nervous about stepping on board with all that has happened recently.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

RF Interference getting into the Flight Control Computer? That shouldn't be possible.

 

Malfunction? There are subsystems to prevent an off-schedule engine start, unless the Russian systems aren't built with three-deep redundancies like U.S. and European systems are. I can't believe that could be the case, but given all the trouble with Russian hardware lately it's quite possible.

 

Deliberate hack? That would seem plausible, but its' occurrence should(would?) be immediately detected and located.

 

In any event, this is troublesome in the extreme.

I have been witness to many incidents of SWR feedback causing strange things such as autopilot altitude drop on an old Boeing to signal switching in mux's on Satellite channel controllers....shielding is very important......"#hit happens"

Let's just hope all goes well for the astronauts returning. I'd be a little nervous about stepping on board with all that has happened recently.

Radio silence till landing..........

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Update on mishap....10:27 am Central time...is 16:27 GMT.....19:58 GMT was 5 minute thruster burn to avoid debris...my guess is that system checks and prelim setup for burn were done early and someone did a routine radio check which may not normally be done while thruster systems are on line...ie: out of SOP routine....or ...a legitimate quirk was found with certain equipment turned on...or legitimate RF interference due to degraded equipment state.

 

Situation recap....

 

 

Today at 10:27 a.m. Central time during the routine testing of communications systems between the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft and the International Space Station (ISS), Soyuz thrusters activated inadvertently which led to a slight change in the orientation of the ISS. Actions were immediately taken to reorient the ISS. There was no threat to the crew or the station itself, and the issue will have no impact to a nominal return to Earth of the Soyuz TMA-15M on Thursday. Roscosmos specialists are determining the cause of the incident. Once more information is known, additional information will be provided.?

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

[Draggendrop Veteran]

"Material Science" will have it's "scope and process" of experimentation changed...enabling immediate access to data for industry as well as experimenting for critical issues to be solved as well as testing immediately viable solutions.....this is good.....

 

 

 

"We're creating a new opportunity to develop materials experiments in space that makes it easier for scientists to conduct these investigations and share their research and data widely with the scientific community," said Marshall Porterfield, NASA's director of Space Life and Physical Sciences in the agency's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The Open Science concept allows multiple researchers around the world the ability to access data from station experiments and build on each other's work."

 

 

With MaterialsLab, NASA is changing the way scientists conduct research by adding a slight twist: space station materials research will aim to solve engineering problems that relate to space travel and target a specific outcome or address a materials problem challenge identified by industry.

http://spaceref.biz/nasa/materialslab-changes-materials-research-on-the-international-space-station.html

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Space junk has always been a problem and China has had enough as well...

 

 

China on Monday launched a space junk monitoring center to protect its spacecraft in orbit. The new center, to be managed by the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), will track and monitor near-earth objects and space debris.

It will also be used to develop emergency response plans, take measures in case of emergencies, and share data with international counterparts.

Good for them.....

 

China now has 129 spacecraft orbiting the Earth, including the Tiangong-1 space station put into orbit in 2011 for an anticipated two years.

According to Yan Jun, head of the CAS astronomical observatory, the country has registered an average of 30 incidents each year where pieces of space junk have come to a dangerously close (less than 100 meters) to Chinese spacecraft.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/China_launches_space_junk_monitoring_center_999.html

[Draggendrop Veteran]

The Top Ten U.S. EVA Mission articles is at # 1.....Neil Armstrong and "One small step..."

 

 

 

On Sunday, 20 July 1969, the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) at NASA

[Draggendrop Veteran]

High Beta Angles.........This is what they are......

 

 

From my solar array post....

 

 

To begin, the ISS orbits approximately 220 miles (407 km) above the earth. It's orbit is roughly 52 degrees to the equator. It takes the station 90 minutes to complete an orbit, of which 35 minutes is in eclipse (dark). The solar generating system supplies 84 kw to 120 kw to the station. The nominal 84 kw is stated in most instances. While in the generating phase of the orbit, the EPS supplies required power to the station for equipment and 60 percent of total output is used to charge batteries which take over the full load on the "dark" side. During transit in orbit, the solar arrays must have their "plane" adjusted orthogonal (90 degrees) to the received solar energy for maximum collection, This tracking must be continuous through out the orbit.

A high Beta angle is anything above 60 degrees.....

 

 

The degree of orbital shadowing an object in LEO experiences is determined by that object's beta angle. An object launched into an initial orbit with an inclination equivalent to the complement to the Earth's inclination to the ecliptic results in an initial beta angle of 0 degrees ( = 0

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Nasa ISS on Orbit Report for 9 June 2015.....

 

 

Three Soyuz crew missions to the International Space Station have been given new launch dates. The next Soyuz mission carrying three Expedition 44/45 crew members is scheduled sometime between July 23 and 25. A Soyuz taxi flight that will bring up Flight Engineer Sergey Volkov and return Commander Gennady Padalka is scheduled for launch Sept. 1. Volkov will be accompanied by European astronaut Andres Mogensen and a third crew member yet to be announced. The Expedition 46/47 trio will launch Dec. 15.

Three Progress cargo missions were also rescheduled. The first resupply mission is set for July 3 and the next two are planned for Sept. 21 and Nov. 21.

In space, Commander Terry Virts and Flight Engineers Anton Shkaplerov and Samantha Cristoforetti are packing their Soyuz TMA-15M and getting ready for Thursday's undocking and landing. The homebound trio will undock at 6:20 a.m. EDT and land in Kazakhstan at 9:43 a.m.

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-iss-on-orbit-status-9-june-2015.html

 

What is it like on a ride back home.......

 

 

On-Orbit Status Report

ISS Attitude Control Disturbance: ISS experienced unexplained torque around 15:27 GMT in the roll axis. The attitude control system experienced a large number of desats with a continued increase in attitude error. SARJs were safed and attitude control was handed over to RS thrusters. Preliminary indications seem to point to an approximate 38-second inadvertent 41S thruster firing following a scheduled Kurs checkout in preparation for 41S undocking. MCC-M performed realtime commanding to stop the thruster firing. ISS attitude control has been handed back over to the USOS and the ISS is in a stable attitude. All ISS and Soyuz systems are operating nominally at this time.

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-iss-on-orbit-status-9-june-2015.html

[Blue-Vision]

Update on mishap....10:27 am Central time...is 16:27 GMT.....19:58 GMT was 5 minute thruster burn to avoid debris...my guess is that system checks and prelim setup for burn were done early and someone did a routine radio check which may not normally be done while thruster systems are on line...ie: out of SOP routine....or ...a legitimate quirk was found with certain equipment turned on...or legitimate RF interference due to degraded equipment state.

 

Situation recap....

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

 

WHOOPS. 

 

Yeah, there are procedures and specifications in place that are supposed to prevent that sort of thing from happening. Problem is, sometimes those procedures (and other, unrelated subsystems) aren't crafted to deal with Emergency Situations and Normal Operations at the same time. Looks like this is one of those cases where someone forgot what mode they were supposed to be in.

 

What this demonstrates to me, from an Engineering perspective, is that the Soyuz Program as a whole is woefully lacking in Redundancy, Fault Tolerance, and most importantly, Operator Training.

 

You can bet that NewSpace are already taking notes about "what not to do", and that this will be another one that goes into that particular pile of data sheets. Yikes ... a fault like that will blow an entire mission if severe enough.

 

Some serious "House Cleaning" is in order. This is another example of that. They could have destroyed the ISS and killed everyone on board.

[DocM]

You'd think that Soyuz would have been fixed since Expedition 7, but apparently not. As with Proton and Soyuz 2-1a, another of those design "issues" that never gets fixed.

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[Blue-Vision]

Yeah. One of those "Won't Fix" issues we hear about from time to time. Sheesh.

 

Roscosmos sure plays fast and loose with Soyuz sometimes.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

When that Dragon V2 docks for the first time......They might as well put a travel kiosk on the ISS and start checking luggage.....

[DocM]

That'll happen elsewhere.

[_neutrino Veteran]

Soyuz landing in a few minutes.

 

Watch live at:

 

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

ESA: http://livestream.com/accounts/362/events/4024451

[_neutrino Veteran]

Perfect landing.

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Geoffrey B has us up to date with the landing and also has the best photo.....on two sites, this other photo is shown...and in light of recent troubles...should have been edited....

 

It may have been taken with this....

 

 

http://www.americaspace.com/

http://www.spaceref.com/

[_neutrino Veteran]

i took the screen capture from the live stream.

Here is a better one from the NASA Twitter