International Space Station (Updates)

[Arachno 1D]

 

In a depressing alternate reality, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin successfully landed on the moon only to get stuck there after a critical equipment failure. That thankfully didn

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Nice find arachnoid...... .........there was a moment where the letter was a "slight" possibility. When Armstrong and Aldrin completed tasks outside the lander, they entered the LEM and noticed lunar dust on the floor and on their clothing, along with a partial piece of a switch laying on the floor, which must have gotten knocked off by brushing past it with the space suits on. The ascent engines could not be fired until this problem was fixed, and ground control mulled overnight on this. Aldrin took his AG-7 space pen (prior post) and stuck it in the slot to push the contactor, and engines were able to be started.

 

Here's another one...not sure if a joke by customs or  bureaucratic nonsence....but on landing, pickup and landing at Hawaii......the guys signed into customs....

 

 

Cheers......

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Getting ready for Wednesday's launch.....

 

 

 

A three-stage Soyuz booster rocket, capped by a three-person crew transport capsule, rolled out to a launch pad in Kazakhstan on Monday, two days before blasting off with new residents headed for the International Space Station.

The rocket emerged from its hangar just after sunrise Monday, traversed across the Kazakh steppe towed behind a train locomotive, then arrived at the historic Launch Pad No. 1 at Baikonur, the same facility used by Yuri Gagarin on the first human space mission in 1961.

Veteran Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko is set to command the Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft during Wednesday

[Draggendrop Veteran]

NASA ISS On Orbit Status for 20 July 2015

 

The gantry arms begin to close around the Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft to secure the rocket on July 20, 2015 at launch pad 1 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for July 23 Baikonur time and will carry Expedition 44 Soyuz Commander Oleg Kononenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren of NASA, and Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) into orbit to begin their five month mission on the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani).

 

 

 

Node 3 Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Activities: Today, Kelly replaced the N3 CDRA Air Selector Valve (ASV) 104. The valve was successfully checked out by the ground. This newly installed valve is the last pristine spare on-orbit, one more will arrive on HTV-5 (Aug 2015). The crew will also perform an inspection with Ultrasonic Leak Detector (ULD) today, to locate a leak discovered following the installation of the new CDRA beds back in May of this year. The ground team will review the ULD data from today's operations and develop a leak repair task for the crew to perform in the next few weeks. Ground teams will be performing N3 CDRA activation overnight.

Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: Robotics ground controllers are planning to stow the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) from the LAB Power Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF). As part of the procedure ground controllers will be checking out the Gearbox Limping feature on the Special Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) and characterizing the Latching End Effector (LEE) Force Moment Sensor under loaded operations.

 

 

 

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Tuesday, 07/21: SPRINT, JEM Return Grill Cleaning, JEM A/L pressurization, VEG-01 maintenance
Wednesday, 07/22: 43S launch/dock, RS EVA Tool gather and transfer, Fine Motor Skills, N1 stowage reconfig
Thursday, 07/23: Crew off duty following 43S dock
QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:

Component - Status
Elektron - On
Vozdukh - Manual
[???] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off
[???] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - On
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Standby
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Standby
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Shutdown
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Manual
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Standby
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Process
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Full Up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Off

 

Extra data at the link...Cheers....

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-20-july-2015.html

 

[Blue-Vision]

Soyuz Boosters aren't so much wide as they are tall. And by golly I love looking at the business end of Rockets. It's like checking out the centerfold of a gentlemen's magazine ... just stop and admire the view from that end.

 

And anyone reading these threads knows they like it too. 

[DocM]

>

And by golly I love looking at the business end of Rockets. It's like checking out the centerfold of a gentlemen's magazine ... just stop and admire the view from that end.

>

Imagine what BFR will look like from the business end.

[Blue-Vision]

Imagine what BFR will look like from the business end.

She's gonna be Playmate of the Century.

[DocM]

Its very possible that from that angle it'll bear a resemblance to N1. Likely 3 rings of engines instead of 2.

N1

[Blue-Vision]

Its very possible that from that angle it'll bear a resemblance to N1.

And make just as much, if not more noise, doing it. Likely more fireworks too. Let's just hope that one doesn't go bang like N1 ... there's going to be some very robust engineering needed to keep that kit together. Putting 100~200t into EV is not something one simply does without carefully thinking the matter through and building the hardware with that purpose in mind.

 

If anyone is up to the task, it's SpaceX.

[Arachno 1D]

Another serious project with a modicum of fun for Earth bound souls

http://www.planetary.org/get-involved/messages/lightsail/

 

Flight by Light

LightSail

[Draggendrop Veteran]

NASA ISS On Orbit Status for 21 July, 2015

 

 

An international crew from Russia, Japan and the United States is in Kazakhstan as their Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft rests on its launch pad counting down to a 5:02 p.m. EDT launch on Wednesday (3:02 a.m. Baikonur time Thursday). Soyuz Commander Oleg Kononenko, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren will take a six-hour ride to the space station and dock to the Rassvet mini-research module. They will stay on orbit until December.

 

 

 

Node 3 Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Leak Check Status: Yesterday, Kelly located a likely source of the leak in N3 CDRA during the inspection with Ultrasonic Leak Detector (ULD). This leak was discovered following the installation of the new CDRA beds back in May of this year. Ground teams will be reviewing the data and developing a leak repair task for the crew to perform in the future. Overnight, the N3 CDRA was activated and operated nominally following the replacement of Air Selector Valve (ASV) 104, and it is actively scrubbing Carbon Dioxide (CO2). ASV Spares Correction - Yesterday's Daily Summary Report stated that the next CDRA ASV spare is expected to arrive on HTV-5 which is incorrect. The next pristine spare is expected to arrive NET Orb-4. There are two degraded spares that can be cleaned on-orbit if needed.

FLame Extinguishment Experiment (FLEX)-2J: Yesterday, Ground Controllers resumed operations of FLEX-2J. After two successful runs of Test Point (TP)-1, soot was observed to be accumulating along the fiber. Ground controllers attempted to investigate the extent of the soot deposits along the fiber to determine if the soot could be removed. During the investigation through manual commanding, a hardware interference between the fiber arm tip and the needle occurred and resulted in a break in the fiber. A fiber replacement activity is required prior to resumption of operations.

 

 

 

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Wednesday, 07/22: 43S launch/dock, Fine Motor Skills, Russian EVA Tool Gather
Thursday, 07/23: Off Duty following 43S dock
Friday, 07/24: Lab RPCM R&R, JAXA PCG install, Emergency Roles & Responsibilities review, CMS Battery Clean
QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:

Component - Status
Elektron - Off
Vozdukh - Manual
[???] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - On
[???] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - Off
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Standby
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Shutdown
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Standby
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Full Up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Warm Up

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-21-july-2015.html

 

Live Coverage of the launch....

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

or

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/07/22/exp44-mission-status-center/

or

http://spaceref.com/live/live-nasa-tv.html

 

Cheers.....

[Draggendrop Veteran]

ISS Expedition 44, Soyuz TMA-17M launch at 5:02:45 EST went great....night launches are cool.....

 

3rd stage separation and solar panels are deployed....

 

Docking is for approx 10:45 pm EST tonight on fast trajectory

 

NASA and other links will be on air tonight to show the docking...

 

I will post video when available

 

Great launch....well done.....

 

step by step data at ...

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/07/22/exp44-mission-status-center/

 

 

 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015
2130 GMT (5:30 p.m. EDT)
Russian Soyuz commander Oleg Kononenko, JAXA flight engineer Kimiya Yui and NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren have arrived in orbit following a good launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Both solar arrays have apparently unfurled aboard the spacecraft to generate electricity, and the first major orbit-adjustment maneuver is planned for 5:45 p.m. EDT (2145 GMT) to begin raising the capsule's altitude to match that of the space station.

A second "delta velocity" burn is set for 6:26 p.m. EDT (2226 GMT), followed by several more firings over the next few hours to set up for rendezvous and docking.

The 7.9-ton capsule's automated rendezvous sequence, guided by its Kurs radar system, will commence at 8:40 p.m. EDT (0040 GMT).

The Soyuz should be in position to start a flyaround maneuver at range of about 400 meters, or 1,300 feet, at about 10:25 p.m. EDT (0225 GMT) to line up with the docking port on the space station's Earth-facing Rassvet module. Soyuz commander Oleg Kononenko will be standing by to take over manual flying of the spacecraft if required. Final approach will begin about 11 minutes before docking, which is scheduled for 10:46 p.m. EDT (0246 GMT).

The docking should occur 5 hours and 43 minutes after liftoff.

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/07/22/exp44-mission-status-center/

 

first posted video of launch....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDi2olrcW2A

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Well...allrighty then...lets try this video of the TMA-17M launch....

 

 

Misc Data....

 

Smithsonian does first crowdfunding drive..20 July, 2015

Neil Armstrong's spacesuit that was worn on the moon during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, seen here in close-up, is the focus of the Smithsonian's "Reboot the Suit" campaign.

 

 

 

The Washington, DC institution inaugurated a multi-project partnership with the crowdfunding website Kickstarter with "Reboot the Suit," a campaign to raise $500,000 to digitize and exhibit Armstrong's spacesuit at the National Air and Space Museum in time for the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing mission in 2019. The fundraising effort began 46 years to the day after Armstrong's historic "small step" on July 20, 1969.

"This is the crown jewel of our collection," Cathleen Lewis, who as curator oversees the spacesuits at the National Air and Space Museum, told collectSPACE.com. "Kickstarter is a very new and innovative way to go for the Smithsonian. We haven't done anything like this before."

http://www.space.com/29991-neil-armstrong-apollo11-spacesuit-kickstarter.html

 

Astronaut skin changes in space...

 

 

 

Three astronauts were examined before and after
their space journey. Reactions of skin structure to
a mission were imaged using advanced imaging
technology. Moceri said, "According to them, this
imaging technology is similar to a real tissue
biopsy, providing detailed information that helps
the researchers learn more about the skin layers
after spending time in space."
Findings: The morphology of the skin suffers
changes during space travel. First off, skin
produced a higher level of collagen in space.
Second, the epidermis was shrinking, especially in
the region of living cells. "The scientists said that
the epidermis got thinner by almost 20 percent than
it usually is," said Moceri.
Discussing the technology at play in this
investigation, Professor Karsten Koenig from the
Department of Biophotonics and Laser Technology
at Saarland University said in a Monday Reuters
report that "We use femtosecond laser pulses. We
scan the skin and we get signals from the skin,
particularly fluorescence, as well as another signal
called second harmonic generation. So with these
two signals we can build up images and get a
precise look into the skin with a high resolution."
Koening said the resolution was a factor of one
thousand (times) better than ultrasound.
The technique means researchers can get the
information in seconds that would otherwise need
to come from taking biopsies, slicing them, staining
them, and having a pathologist study them,
Nonetheless, there is more research to be done.
Scientists have been made aware what happens
but they still search for more information.
"So far we have no explanation yet, and we are
waiting for the other astronauts to figure out what's
going on and maybe to try to figure out how we can
protect, how we can help so that this epidermis is
not shrinking," said Koenig in the Reuters report.

http://phys.org/news/2015-07-astronauts-skin-missions.html

 

Next launch to ISS....

 

 

Aug. 16H-2B

[Draggendrop Veteran]

This will be an edit to an edit to an edit....latest...

 

 

 

2317 GMT (7:17 p.m. EDT)
The mixed messages continue. Russian mission control in Moscow just radioed the International Space Station crew that "Plane 4" of the Soyuz solar arrays did not deploy following launch.
Ground controllers are requesting photos of the solar array from the crew aboard the space station as the Soyuz TMA-17M spaceship approaches the outpost later tonight for docking at 0246 GMT (10:46 p.m. EDT).

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/07/22/exp44-mission-status-center/

 

In summary..."cranky" solar panel "plane"  #4, This is a quick injection trajectory...they will be fine without it, as stated from previous experience with this issue. The ISS crew will verify the issue as the Soyuz approaches the ISS. Docking will continue as normal...../s...and the little gremlin will fully release it later after docking.....

 

/s standing by for edit to edit............etc.....

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Meanwhile....as we wait for docking, I came across another article about a satellite group, which I have been following for awhile.

This article......

http://spacenews.com/air-force-six-more-dmsp-satellites-susceptible-to-battery-explosion/

 

7 More USAF Weather Satellites at Risk of "Explosion"

 

 

WASHINGTON

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Update...

 

The solar "plane #4" is not going to be an issue, a stuck array has happened on 3 other missions...Soyuz-1, Soyuz-T9, and Soyuz TMA-14M.....Chris B, NSF

http://www.scoopnest.com/user/NASASpaceflight/623938958301466625

 

The bigger story....is the droid...R2D2....

 

 

I believe it belong's to Kjel's son, as a good luck charm...will check on that. In the video, by watching it, you know when the crew is in space.....it just floats around having a good time.......The droid is getting popular on line and mention has been made to have it do an EVA and fix the solar array.....   

 

http://nasawatch.com/archives/2015/07/3-humans-and-a.html

 

Edit...live docking coverage...

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

 

data status reports...

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/07/22/exp44-mission-status-center/

 

 

 

0146 GMT (9:46 p.m. EDT on Wed.)
No major problems have been reported during the Soyuz rendezvous sequence. The Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft should have established a communications link with the International Space Station by now, the capsule's Kurs navigation radar should be activated, and the automated rendezvous is underway.
Docking with the space station's Earth-facing Rassvet module is set for one hour from now at 0246 GMT (10:46 p.m. EDT).

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/07/22/exp44-mission-status-center/

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Soyuz TMA-17M docked.....and a few meters from docking, the solar array behaved and popped out...../s  droid was suiting up

 

 

 

0254 GMT (10:54 p.m. EDT on Wed.)
The docking probe on the front of Soyuz has retracted, allowing the hooks and latches to close and form a seal between the capsule and station. Pressure and leak checks will be performed over the next orbit before the hatchway is opened for the crew to enter into the station in a couple of hours.
0248 GMT (10:48 p.m. EDT on Wed.)
Over the next few minutes, the Soyuz docking probe will retract to allow hooks and latches to bring the spacecraft to a firm seal with the station. Hatches between the two vehicles will be opened around 12:25 a.m. EDT (0425 GMT).
0246 GMT (10:46 p.m. EDT on Wed.)
Docking occurred over 250 miles over the Pacific.
0245 GMT (10:45 p.m. EDT on Wed.)
DOCKING! The Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft has docked to the Rassvet module of the space station, delivering Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren and Japanese flight engineer Kimiya Yui to the complex after a fast-track six-hour rendezvous following liftoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Kononenko, Lindgren and Yui are starting a five-month expedition on the space station. They are due to return to Earth in December.

0244 GMT (10:44 p.m. EDT on Wed.)
Standing by for contact and capture momentarily.

 

 

The Soyuz TMA-17M vehicle docked to the International Space Station at 10:45 p.m. EDT, over the ocean near Ecuador.

Aboard the space station, Expedition 44 Commander Gennady Padalka of Roscosmos, as well as Flight Engineers Scott Kelly of NASA and Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos will welcome Soyuz crew members Kjell Lindgren of NASA, Oleg Kononenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) when the hatches between the two spacecraft are opened.

Watch the hatch opening and welcome ceremony live on NASA TV beginning at 11:45 p.m.:

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/07/22/exp44-mission-status-center/

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

 

I will post the docking video shortly....Cheers

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Soyuz TMA-17M docking

 

 

 

Following soft dock, the hooks and latches were driven to secure the Soyuz firmly to the ISS, known as hard dock.

As with Soyuz TMA-14M, with the ISS crew visually noted the port array had actually deployed upon docking.

Once all leak checks were completed, the hatches open ahead of greetings with the Expedition 44 crew, which includes NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Roscosmos cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Gennady Padalka.

Kelly and Kornienko are currently working through their one-year mission on the Station, in a milestone study to learn how long duration space flight impacts on the human body and mind

[Draggendrop Veteran]

While looking for updates on the Soyuz TMA-17M mission, I came across an article that really "hit home".

Usually, the crew has input on the design of the misson patch that they will wear. The patch will portray an ideal that they wish to display. 

 

A Tale of Two Patches

 

 

What is blue, gold and silver and links the final manned mission to launch to the moon with the next crew lifting off for the International Space Station today (July 22)?

The Soyuz TMA-17M mission patch.

The emblem, which represents the 43rd crew to launch on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the space station, borrows its design from the insignia for NASA's Apollo 17 mission, launched 43 years ago.

 

 

"I am a big fan of the Apollo program and it would have been a pity not to use this coincidence between Soyuz 17 [M] and Apollo 17," Soyuz commander Oleg Konenenko, a cosmonaut with Russia's space agency Roscosmos, told collectSPACE.com. "So that is how this patch came about."

 

 

 

The U.S. Apollo 17 mission capped a race that began with Russia launching the first human into space from the very same launch pad that Soyuz TMA-17M will depart.

Like the current station-bound flight, Apollo 17 was crewed by three men

[Arachno 1D]

Interesting about Sergei how he gave so much for his country only for it to imprison him yet he seems to have come out and carried on as if it never occoured..

With regard to the redundant sataliites I take it they dont have enough propellent onboard to make them deburn.Im sure there was mention previously about designing additional hardware to capture and remove such satalites from orbit?

[FloatingFatMan]

Interesting about Sergei how he gave so much for his country only for it to imprison him yet he seems to have come out and carried on as if it never occoured..

With regard to the redundant sataliites I take it they dont have enough propellent onboard to make them deburn.Im sure there was mention previously about designing additional hardware to capture and remove such satalites from orbit?

 

Personally, I think it should be a mandatory requirement that all satellites be designed with sufficient propellant reserve to be able to de-orbit at the end of their operational life.

[DocM]

That's happening. Not all of them yet, but increasingly. LEO and MEO are easy, but HEO and GSO are harder.

Soyuz TMA-17M made it to ISS, but once again a solar array failed to deploy. This also happened to Soyuz TMA-14M last September.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Bit's and bytes......

 

 

 

The launch and the docking were successful even though one solar array did not deploy on time.

Both Russian and US space officials said the mishap did not affect the rocket's flight because the other solar arrays were still operating.

"Now THAT was awesome. Thank you to everyone who made this dream come true!" Lindgren wrote on Twitter.

Russian television broadcast footage of a beaming crew next to Russia's Gennady Padalka and Mikhail Kornienko, as well as Scott Kelly of NASA, who welcomed them on board the orbiting lab.

The spacecraft blasted off on schedule from Russian-leased Baikonur in the barren Kazakh steppe at 2102 GMT, and after a fly-around at around 350 metres (1,150 feet), the rocket manoeuvred to dok with the ISS at 0246 GMT.

Russian space officials stressed that the launch had been smooth and the third stage of the Soyuz rocket had separated on time but pointed to a possible problem with solar panels.

"A commission will probably be put together. Of course this situation will be looked into," veteran cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin said in televised remarks.

-'Same happened last year'-

Dmitry Rogozin, deputy prime minister in charge of the space industry, ordered the Roscosmos space agency to resolve the problem.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russian_Japanese_US_crew_reach_ISS_despite_minor_mishap_999.html

 

Orion prep work...

 

 

Expedition 44 crew members are expected to be the first to harvest and eat crops grown aboard the station, another necessary advance for astronauts traveling on deep space missions. Astronauts will be allowed to eat half of the second crop of lettuce in the Veggie investigation, freezing the other half for a return to Earth where scientists will analyze the plants and compare them to a control set grown at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

While a favorite pastime for astronauts aboard the station is photography, these crew members will take moon imagery that also will help calibrate navigation software on the Orion spacecraft. Crew members will photograph the moon's phases during one 29-day cycle, providing images of varying brightness to calibrate Orion's camera software to guide the spacecraft in case its transponder-based navigation capability is lost.

http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/soyuz-launches-expedition-44-crew.html

 

Bad...bad...cubes.....

 

 

 

PARIS

[DocM]

Its easy enough to assure deorbit a cubesat. The package can include either a ~30 meter tether or balloon which automatically deploys after X period of time. Both increase drag enough to deorbit the satellite.

[HawkMan]

Personally, I think it should be a mandatory requirement that all satellites be designed with sufficient propellant reserve to be able to de-orbit at the end of their operational life.

 

They may have been, but with the need for more satellites, they use the fuel to keep correcting the orbit until it's all used up instead to keep it up there longer.