Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 1, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 1, 2015 2016 is going to be an awesome year to be a human on board the ISS. I'd sure like a -naut term to use for the crew that makes everybody one group ... Astronaut and Cosmonaut remind me too much of the Cold War era. Aethernaut seems okay, but eh. I dunno. *shrug* "Off Worlders", "Terrans" or "Wanderers" Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 2, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 2, 2015 NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 30 September 2015 Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui (left) and NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren (right) work on removing items from a storage rack located inside the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory. The pair are making room for new communications hardware that will be used for future visiting vehicles arriving at the space station, including the new U.S. commercial crew vehicles currently in development. Credit: NASA. (09/18/2015) Inside the space station, Commander Scott Kelly worked with a pair of bowling ball-sized satellites observing their automated docking abilities for the long-running SPHERES experiment. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui used an ultrasound to scan cosmonaut Sergey Volkov's eyes for the Ocular Health study. Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren routed cables in the Destiny laboratory to support the next Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo mission planned for early December. Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites - Universal Docking Port (SPHERES-UDP): Kelly reviewed the SPHERES-UDP procedure and test plan and then participated in a conference with the Payload Developer to discuss science operations. He then performed a SPHERES-UDP test run and downloaded data to a Station Support Computer (SSC). The addition of docking ports to SPHERES provides a testbed for the investigation of solutions to the challenges of combining autonomous spacecraft. Mated spacecraft can be used to assemble complex systems in orbit or combine sensors and actuators for satellite servicing and repurposing missions. SPHERES-UDP enables testing of complex tasks through optimal and adaptive control, autonomous decision-making processes, and real-time image processing. Node 1 Nadir Berthing Port Preparation: As part of USOS Reconfiguration, Lindgren and Yui routed two power cables from the forward end cone to bay 3 in the Lab Overhead Starboard Standoff. These cables connected to the set of cables installed yesterday. Today's cable routing required every other overhead rack (LAB1O1, LAB1O3, and LAB1O5) to be rotated in the Lab. One crew member retrieved the cable ends behind the un-rotated racks as the other crew member fed the cables through. Additional cabling routing activities within Node 1 and Node 2 are scheduled for next week. These cables will eventually provide power from Node 2 to the Node 1 Nadir Berthing Port and the Node 1 Galley Rack. Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: Yesterday afternoon, Robotics Ground Controllers successfully translated the Mobile Transporter from Worksite 5 to Worksite 2. This evening, they will maneuver the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to retrieve the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) then perform an Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) imagery survey. Following the survey, they will position the MSS to support upcoming Robotics Refueling Mission (RRM) Operations starting Friday, October 2nd. Ground ActivitiesAll activities are on schedule unless otherwise noted. MSS Operations- SPDM Unstow- AMS Survey- Config for RRM Ops Three-Day Look Ahead:Thursday, 10/01: 61P Launch and Dock, Cubesat Deployer install on MPEP, SPRINT VO2, NPV O-Ring Install, Col PWS R&RFriday, 10/02: JEMAL Depress, MELFI 2 Troubleshooting, MF Bed, IX Bed, EFA & MCA R&Rs, Cap. Beverage, WRS Waste Water Filter replace, RRM Phase 2Saturday, 10/03: Weekly Cleaning, Crew Off Duty QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group: Component - StatusElektron - OnVozdukh - Manual[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - On[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - OffCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - StandbyCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - OperateMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - ShutdownMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - OperateOxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - StandbyUrine Processing Assembly (UPA) - NormTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - OffTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-30-september-2015.html Space Station Live: Space Plants in a BRIC video is 2:54 min Later.... Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 3, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 3, 2015 Hurricane Joaquin Seen From the International Space Station Hurricane Joaquin NASA NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photo on Oct. 2, 2015, from the International Space Station. Kelly wrote on Twitter, "Early morning shot of Hurricane #Joaquin from @space_station before reaching #Bahamas. Hope all is safe. #YearInSpace." In addition to the crew Earth observations from the space station, NASA and NOAA satellites are tracking the progress of this powerful storm. http://spaceref.com/onorbit/hurricane-joaquin-seen-from-the-international-space-station.html larger image at...http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/iss045e037243a_0.jpg ------------------------------------------------------- Russian Cargo Ship Arrives at Space Station Russia's robotic Progress 61 cargo craft approaches the International Space Station on Oct. 1, 2015.Credit: NASA TV A robotic Russian cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station this evening (Oct. 1), ending a brief orbital chase. Russia's uncrewed Progress 61 freighter, also known as 61P, docked with the space station's Zvezda service module at 6:52 p.m. EDT (2252 GMT), while the two craft were zooming together over the North Atlantic Ocean. The cargo vessel, which is stocked with more than 3 tons of food and supplies for the astronauts aboard the orbiting lab, had launched atop a Russian Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan just 6 hours earlier. Progress 61 will remain docked to the International Space Station (ISS) until December, when the ship will depart, full of trash, and burn up in Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean, NASA officials said. The Progress vehicles aren't the only robotic spacecraft that bring cargo up to the $100 billion orbiting complex. Japan's HTV-5 resupply ship, for example, just left the ISS on Monday (Sept. 28) after wrapping up its mission. NASA also holds billion-dollar resupply deals with two American aerospace companies, SpaceX and Orbital ATK. SpaceX has flown six successful missions with its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule, and Orbital has delivered cargo twice using its Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft. Both companies failed in their last resupply attempts, however. In late June, the Falcon 9 broke apart less than 3 minutes after liftoff, and the Antares exploded just seconds after rising off the launch pad in October 2014. The Progress has also encountered problems. In July, the Progress 60 freighter reached the space station as planned, but the previous mission never made it. Progress 59 began spinning wildly after separating from its Soyuz rocket and ended up crashing to Earth nine days after its late April launch. All of these robotic resupply vessels are disposable, with the exception of Dragon, which is designed to make a parachute-assisted ocean splashdown. http://www.space.com/30728-russia-61p-cargo-ship-arrives-iss.html -------------------------------------------------------- NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 1 October 2015 NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 1 October 2015. NASA Traveling about 252 miles over the North Atlantic, the unpiloted ISS Progress 61 Russian cargo spacecraft docked to the rear port of the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station at 6:52 p.m. EDT. The spacecraft is delivering more than three tons of food, fuel and supplies, including 1,940 pounds of propellant, 110 pounds of oxygen, 926 pounds of water, and 3,397 pounds of spare parts and experiment hardware for the members of the Expedition 45 crew currently living and working in space. Progress 61 is scheduled to remain docked to ISS for the next two months. 61 Progress (61P) Launch and Dock: 61P launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome this morning at 11:49am CDT. Once in orbit, the spacecraft performed a 4 orbit rendezvous with ISS and dock to the Service Module aft port at 5:52pm CDT. 61P is delivering over 1500 kgs of supplies to the ISS. NanoRack Cubesat Deployer 6 (NRCSD#6) Installation: Kelly opened the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock inner hatch, extended the slide table into the module, and installed the Cubesat Quad Deployers onto the Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform (MPEP) on the slide table. He was unable to install fasteners that attach the Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) to the deployer. Ground teams are investigating and evaluating possible workarounds. Kelly retracted the slide table back into the Airlock and closed the interior hatch. The 16 cubesats in the deployers are scheduled for launches on Monday through Wednesday of next week, October 5th - October 7th. Habitability: Kelly documented his recent observations related to human factors and habitability for the Habitability investigation. Habitability assesses the relationship between crew members and their environment in order to better prepare for future long-duration spaceflights to destinations, such as near earth asteroids and Mars. Observations recorded during 6 month and 1 year missions can help spacecraft designers determine how much habitable volume is required, and whether a mission's duration impacts how much space crew members need. Integrated Resistance and Aerobic Training Study (Sprint) Volume of Oxygen Utilized (VO2) Max: For his Flight Day 75 Sprint VO2 session, Yui attached to himself Electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes, set up and donned Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) hardware, performed Portable PFS calibrations and an instrumentation check, and then performed the VO2 protocol. The Sprint VO2 investigation evaluates the use of high intensity, low volume exercise to minimize loss of muscle, bone, and cardiovascular function in ISS crewmembers. Upon completion of this study, investigators expect to provide an integrated resistance and aerobic exercise protocol capable of maintaining muscle, bone and cardiovascular health while reducing total exercise time during long-duration space flights. Protein Crystallization Research Facility (PCRF) Removal and Data Downlink: Yui retrieved the temperature logger from the PCRF and downlinked the data via a Station Support Computer (SSC). He also relocated the PCRF Maintenance Unit (PMU) for troubleshooting of the faulty PCRF Temperature Sensor #3. Plant Gravity Sensing 2 (PGS2) Investigation: Yui retrieved a Seed Paper Kit from a Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI), prepared the Seed Papers for Culture Dishes and then returned the culture dishes to the MELFI. Tomorrow the seeds will be inserted into the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) to start the first of two runs for PGS2. This investigation supports the study of cellular formation of the gravity sensors and the molecular mechanism for gravity sensing in plants grown in microgravity conditions. Non-Propulsive Vent (NPV) O-Ring Installation: Kelly inspected the Node 3 NPV sealing surface and installed new seals today. During an Extravehicular Activity (EVA) this past February, the NPV had been removed from Node 3 exterior in preparation for Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) relocation. During the removal process, the original seals remained adhered to Node 3 exterior. The NPV will be re-installed onto Node 3 exterior during the ISS Upgrades EVA scheduled for late October. Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: Overnight, Robotics Ground Controllers powered up the MSS and maneuvered the SSRMS to grapple and unstow the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) from Mobile Base System (MBS) Power Data Grapple Fixture 2 (PDGF2). Next they maneuvered the SPDM in order to perform a survey of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS). Finally the Robotics Ground Controllers configured the SSRMS and SPDM for the start of the Robotics Refueling Mission (RRM) Phase 2 Science Operations scheduled to begin tomorrow, October 2nd. Ground ActivitiesAll activities were completed unless otherwise noted.Timetag commanding associated with Optimized Propellant Maneuver (OPM) Three-Day Look Ahead:Friday, 10/02: JEMAL Depress, MELFI 2 Troubleshooting, MF Bed, IX Bed, EFA & MCA R&Rs, Cap. Beverage, WRS Waste Water Filter replace, RRM Phase 2Saturday, 10/03: Weekly Cleaning, Crew Off DutySunday, 10/04: Crew Off Duty QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group: Component - StatusElektron - OffVozdukh - Manual[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - OffCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - StandbyCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - OperateMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - ShutdownMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - OperateOxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - StandbyUrine Processing Assembly (UPA) - NormTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - OffTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-1-october-2015.html StationLIFE: Brain in Space - October video is 21:36 min....some good sections on the brain in zero g... ------------------------------------- NASA ISS Space to Ground Weekly Report - 2 October 2015 NASA ISS Space to Ground Weekly Report - 2 October 2015. NASA NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-iss-space-to-ground-weekly-report---2-october-2015.html Space to Ground: Cargo Traffic 10/2/2015 video is 2:20 min... -------------------------------------------------------------- Private Moon Landing Set for 2017 Artist's illustration of Moon Express' MX-1 lunar lander on its way to the moon.Credit: Moon Express The first private moon landing could be just two years away. California-based company Moon Express, which aims to fly commercial missions to the moon and help unlock its resources, has signed a five-launch deal with Rocket Lab, with the first two robotic liftoffs scheduled to take place in 2017. These uncrewed launches — three of which are firmly on the books, with the other two optional at the moment — will blast Moon Express' MX-1 lander into space aboard Rocket Lab's 52.5-foot-tall (16 meters) Electron rocket. The goal is to test out the MX-1 and its systems, making sure the spacecraft can land softly on the moon, move about the lunar surface, grab samples and return them to Earth. [Moon Express: A Private Lunar Lander in Pictures] "The holy grail of our company is to provide, to prove, a full-services capability — not just landing, but coming back from the moon," said Moon Express co-founder and CEO Bob Richards, who announced the new launch deal today (Oct. 1) at the Space Technology & Investment Summit in San Francisco. If the MX-1 nails its landing on the first mission, "we're going to be inspired to try a sample-return," Richards told Space.com. "I don't know if we'll do that on the second mission, but I sure hope we're trying it by the third mission, if all is going that well." The two optional launches provide some insurance for Moon Express in case the first three flights don't go entirely according to plan, Richards said. The contract puts Moon Express in position to possibly win the Google Lunar X Prize, a $30 million competition to land a privately funded robotic spacecraft on the moon by the end of 2017. The first team to do this — and have the craft move 1,640 feet (500 m) and beam high-definition video and images back to Earth as well — will win the $20 million grand prize. (The second team to accomplish these goals gets $5 million; another $5 million is available for meeting certain other milestones.) Sixteen teams remain in the running for the Google Lunar X Prize, so the outcome remains very much up in the air. For example, one team, Astrobotic, signed a contract in 2011 to launch its lunar lander aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Astrobotic representatives have said they plan to launch in 2016. The 3.9-foot-wide (1.2 m) Electron rocket is designed to deliver a 330-lb. (150 kilograms) payload to a sun-synchronous orbit 310 miles (500 kilometers) above Earth, according to Rocket Lab's website. The two-stage rocket is not operational yet; commercial launches are scheduled to begin in 2016, say representatives of the company, which is headquartered in California but has a New Zealand subsidiary. (Moon Express will have the option of launching from Rocket Lab's range in New Zealand or from a site in the United States.) "Rocket Lab is pleased to begin working with Moon Express to launch its spacecraft and to provide support to such an ambitious mission," Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said in a statement. "Moon Express has used advanced orbital mechanics to enable this mission from low-Earth orbit." Electron is quite an affordable option as far as orbital launches are concerned, with each liftoff costing just $4.9 million. Falcon 9 launches, for example, cost about $60 million each. "We think the collapse of the price to get to the moon is going to enable a whole new market — kind of like the 4-minute-mile of space," Richards said. The MX-1 landers that blast off atop an Electron will be relatively small, constrained by the rocket's size.. But the MX-1 is scalable, Richards said, and can be modified as needed to help the company achieve its ambitious goal of opening up the moon and its resources to commercial use. "As the market responds, we will be able to provide the platforms to support the market," Richards said. "We're starting small; we're starting with the baby steps." http://www.space.com/30720-moon-express-private-lunar-launch-2017.html ------------------------------------------------------------ European Venture Seeks To Raise $1 Million for Lunar Mission Moonspike plans to develop both a spacecraft to crash-land on the moon as well as a rocket to send it there. Credit: Moonspike WASHINGTON — A European entrepreneur and engineer are betting they can raise nearly $1 million in a month-long crowdfunding campaign that began Oct. 1 to start work on a spacecraft to land on the moon. Moonspike, a company registered in Britain but with its engineering team based in Copenhagen, plans to develop a spacecraft to crash-land a tiny payload on the surface of the moon, as well as a rocket to launch it. The effort, its founders say, is driven as much by curiosity about whether the project is feasible as by any commercial opportunities. Chris Larmour, a former executive in several European technology companies, said the idea of Moonspike came to him early this year after watching videos of high-altitude balloon flights. “I wondered if we could do something different, and the first thing that came into my head was, ‘How hard could it be to get to the moon these days?’” he recalled in an interview. He later discussed the idea with Kristian von Bengtson, who was one of the founders of Copenhagen Suborbitals, a Danish organization attempting to build a one-person suborbital rocket. Von Bengtson agreed that the concept was feasible, although challenging. “You have to look at it as some kind of engineering adventure,” he said. As currently planned, Moonspike will develop its own three-stage rocket to launch a spacecraft weighing 150 kilograms. That spacecraft will deliver to the moon a small impactor with a payload weighing as little as one gram. The payload will consist of flash memory loaded with images and other data provided by the mission’s backers. Larmour said Moonspike decided to take on the additional challenge of building a launch vehicle to adhere to the spirit of his original concept. “I started this journey asking the question of how hard it would be to get something to the moon, not asking how hard it would be to pay someone else to get it there for me,” he said. “We need to build a rocket to prove to ourselves and others that this can or cannot be done by a small, dedicated group of people.” The profile of the Moonspike mission to the moon. Credit: Moonspike Moonspike, though, is keeping an open mind to commercial applications, particularly for its launch vehicle. “We’re not trying to beat SpaceX, but you never know where this will take us,” von Bengtson said. “It might lead to other missions later on.” Larmour said he expects Moonspike to cost “tens of millions” of dollars, most of which he expects to raise later in the project from individual investors or venture capital firms. Moonspike is planning to raise an initial 600,000 pounds ($910,000) through the crowdfunding site Kickstarter in October. That funding will go towards initial development of some of the key subsystems of the spacecraft and launch vehicle over the next year, including tests of rocket engines. “The money will be transferred into production very quickly,” von Bengtson said. “From that, hopefully we can create a foundation to go to the next step of financing.” Backers of the crowdfunding campaign will have the opportunity to add their data to the mission’s payload, and also will have access to regular updates from the Moonspike team as they work on their spacecraft and launch vehicle. Larmour and von Bengtson said they plan to be “completely transparent” about their efforts to win trust from backers and potential future funding sources. As part of that transparency, the Moonspike team acknowledges they’re not sure when the mission itself will launch. “I think there’s a tendency in the space business to overpromise and underdeliver,” Larmour said. “It will be several years, to be sure, but I can’t be more precise.” One immediate challenge for Moonspike is raising that initial funding. Kickstarter operates on an “all-or-nothing” basis, meaning that projects get the money pledged by donors only if those pledges meet or exceed the stated goal. If Moonspike falls short of that goal, it receives no money. “We don’t have a Plan B. It is all or nothing,” Larmour said, adding that he didn’t think it was feasible to raise that initial round of funding from other, more conventional sources. “We’re hopeful that we’ll get a very good response.” Moonspike is not the first lunar mission to use crowdfunding to raise money. In 2014, Lunar Mission One, another British venture with plans to develop a large lunar lander, raised more than 670,000 pounds ($1.01 million) on Kickstarter, exceeding its goal by more than $100,000. SpaceIL, an Israeli team competing for the Google Lunar X Prize, raised nearly $285,000 earlier in 2014. Von Bengtson said Moonspike spent months working on this crowdfunding campaign and was optimistic about its chances. Having left Copenhagen Suborbitals in 2014, he is glad to be involved in another space project. “I have found out, on a personal level, that life is quite boring without having a space program.” http://spacenews.com/european-venture-seeks-to-raise-1-million-for-lunar-mission/ Later...... Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unobscured Vision Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 I hope both Companies succeed. It'll bode well for everyone else who has plans for Lunar Missions. Draggendrop 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 3, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 3, 2015 I hope both Companies succeed. It'll bode well for everyone else who has plans for Lunar Missions. Agreed...If a few upstarts, or crowd sourced groups, are able to make it to the moon, and even land an instrument or rover...on a low budget.......welll...the pressure and questions start getting aimed at the big guy's...such as... why so long to get back to the moon when these guy's did this with virtually peanuts... and hopefully spurs activity, which I am confident, that it will...We need moon outposts...asap..for science and commercial activities...remember Moon Base Alpha....New Berlin.....etc.... Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 4, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 4, 2015 Operating Canadarm2 Kjell Lindgren operates Canadarm2 NASA NASA Astronaut Kjell Lindgren operates the controls for the space station's robotic arm, Canadarm2. Lindgren and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui moved the HTV-5 Exposed Pallet back into the vehicle's unpressurized carrier in advance of its departure. http://spaceref.com/onorbit/operating-canadarm2.html --------------------------------------------- Amazing Photos of the Rare Supermoon Total Lunar Eclipse of 2015 Veteran night sky photographers Imelda Joson and Edwin Aquirre used a spotting scope and smartphone to capture this view of the total lunar eclipse of Sept. 27, 2015 as seen from the Burlington area of Massachusetts. Veteran night sky photographers Imelda Joson and Edwin Aquirre used a spotting scope and smartphone to capture this view of the total lunar eclipse of Sept. 27, 2015 as seen from the Burlington area of Massachusetts. See lot's more at....http://www.space.com/30586-supermoon-lunar-eclipse-2015-blood-moon-photos.html ----------------------------------------------------- Moon Express Launch Contract to be Verified by Google Lunar XPRIZE File photo: Google Lunar X PRIZE. ©GOOGLE LUNAR X PRIZE Yesterday Moon Express became the first Google Lunar XPRIZE participant to sign a launch contract with a launch service provider, albeit one who has yet to launch a rocket. The contract with Rocket Lab, a New Zealand startup based in Los Angeles but with a launch site in New Zealand, still needs to be verified by the Google Lunar XPRIZE authorities. Chanda Gonzales, Senior Director, Google Lunar XPRIZE said the "XPRIZE is pleased to hear about Moon Express's progress in the Google Lunar XPRIZE, and we look forward to receiving and verifying the terms of the launch contract in order to fully support an extension to the competition." Should the Google Lunar XPRIZE verify the contract, then the competition deadline will be extended beyond the current deadline of December 31st of this year to the end of 2017. However, any other team who wish to remain in the competition would have to announce and have their contract verified by December 31st, 2016. http://spaceref.biz/commercial-space/moon-express-launch-contract-to-be-verified-by-google-lunar-xprize.html -------------------------------------------------------------- Cosmic Rays in the Atmosphere Situation Report -- Oct. 3, 2015 Stratospheric Radiation (+37o N) Cosmic ray levels are elevated (+6.1% above the Space Age median). The trend is flat. Cosmic ray levels have increased +0% in the past month. Sept. 06: 414 uRad/hr Sept. 12: 409 uRad/hr Sept. 23: 412 uRad/hr Sept. 25: 416 uRad/hr Sept. 27: 413 uRad/hr Once a week, and sometimes more often, Spaceweather.com and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus fly "space weather balloons" to the stratosphere. These balloons are equipped with radiation sensors that detect cosmic rays, a form of space weather important to people on Earth. Cosmic rays can alter the chemistry of the upper atmosphere, seed clouds, spark exotic forms of lightning, and penetrate commercial airplanes. This last point is of special interest to the traveling public. Our measurements show that someone flying back and forth across the continental USA, just once, can absorb as much ionizing radiation as 2 to 5 dental X-rays. From now on we will present the results of our regular weekly balloon flights in this section of our web site. Here is the radiation profile from our latest flight: Radiation levels peak at the entrance to the stratosphere in a broad region called the "Pfotzer Maximum." This peak is named after physicist George Pfotzer who discovered it using balloons and Geiger tubes in the 1930s. Radiation levels there are nearly 100x sea level. Note that the bottom of the Pfotzer Maximim is near 55,000 ft. This means that some high-flying aircraft are not far from the zone of maximum radiation. Indeed, according to the Sept. 27th measurements, a plane flying at 45,000 feet is exposed to 288 uRads/hr. At that rate, a passenger would absorb about one dental X-ray's worth of radiation in 5 hours. The radiation sensors onboard our helium balloons detect X-rays and gamma-rays in the energy range 10 keV to 20 MeV. These energies span the range of medical X-ray machines and airport security scanners. http://www.spaceweather.com/ ----------------------------------------------- Expedition 46 Poster (upcoming) http://spaceflight101.com/iss/iss-expedition-posters/ Later...... Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 6, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 6, 2015 UN-Declared World Space Week Inspires America, Oct 4-10 Press Release From: World Space Week Posted: Monday, October 5, 2015 Throughout the United States of America this week, excited eyes are gazing into the sky, and curious minds are exploring the reaches of the cosmos during World Space Week 2015. Declared by the UN in 1999, the annual celebration is the largest public event on the planet inspired by space exploration, space science and technology. Celebrations large and small are being held on all 7 continents, as well as online, and all space enthusiasts, professionals, students, and hobbyists alike, are invited to join an event or create one inspired by the 2015 theme “Discovery”. World Space Week exists to foster international cooperation in space outreach and education, to educate people around the world about the benefits they receive from space, to encourage greater use of space for sustainable economic development, to demonstrate public support for space programs, and to inspire youth. Some highlights of World Space Week planned throughout the US include: - Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, FL hosts hands-on and educational activities Oct 2-11, including two special NASA speakers on Oct 5 and 6.- Special screenings and the American openings of two space-themed feature films The Visit, An Alien Encounter and The Martian.- ‘Breakfast with an Astronaut’ Dr. Leroy Chiao, Oct 10, one of several Space Foundation events.- Journey to Mars virtual 5K Organized by the Sea, Earth, and Space Summit. First 100 people to register save $5 by entering code 'Bootprint' during registration checkout.- Hack the Moon Hackathon and 5th International Lunar Cubes Workshop San Jose, CA. Oct 10-11 and Oct 6-9. Global highlights include: screening The Visit at the Antarctic Concordia Station, for a research crew that is investigating some of the stressors that will be common to long-duration human spaceflight missions; and for the finale of the week, explore diverse perspectives by joining participants from around the world asking questions on Twitter about space discoveries with the Executive Directors of World Space Week and Space Generation Advisory Council #WSW2015 finale Tweet-up Oct 10, 13:00-15:00 GMT. About World Space Week: World Space Week is an international celebration of science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition. The United Nations General Assembly declared in 1999 that World Space Week will be held each year from October 4-10. World Space Week is coordinated by the United Nations with the support of the World Space Week Association (WSWA). // end // http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=46991 -------------------------------------------------- Major Update to International Docking Standard Released Second International Docking Adapter, IDA-2 NASA The International Space Station Multilateral Coordination Board (MCB) has approved a major update to the station docking system standard. First released in 2010, the docking standard established a common station-to-spacecraft equipment interface to enable spacecraft of multiple types to dock to the space station. Image: The second International Docking Adapter, IDA-2, will launch to the International Space Station on a future cargo resupply mission. The adapter was built to the specifications of the International Docking Standards, and will be a connection point for commercial crew spacecraft visiting the orbiting laboratory. Credits: NASA/Charles Babir "The latest additions to the docking standard further open the door for contributions by international agencies, as well as commercial enterprises for the International Space Station and exploration," said William Gerstenmaier, MCB chair and NASA's associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. "We have already seen benefits of this standard, creating the opportunity to develop additional standards for spacecraft design. The International Docking Adapters that will soon be installed on the space station are fully compatible with the docking standard, which means that any spacecraft can use the adapters in the future from new commercial spacecraft to other international spacecraft yet to be designed." The update more than doubles the content in the guidelines, which enable in-orbit crew rescue by a range of spacecraft types and international collaborative exploration with future spacecraft -- from crewed to autonomous vehicles, and low-Earth orbit to deep-space missions. Limited to describing physical features and design parameters of a standard docking interface, the docking standards help ensure a common interface without dictating a particular design. With this revision, the standard now includes a full range of rendezvous operations, with information on passive rendezvous targets used by spacecraft to locate the space station and lock on for approach. The addition of content related to rendezvous operations will provide the greatest possible access to information for active rendezvous sensor developers, while providing full compatibility for all current rendezvous sensor technologies. The space station's senior level management board, the MCB includes senior representatives from NASA; the Russian Federal Space Agency; the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, assisted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency; ESA (European Space Agency); and the Canadian Space Agency. This group coordinates the orbiting laboratory's operations and activities among the partners. The Multilateral Coordination Board released the document to allow non-partner agencies and commercial developers to review the new standard and provide feedback. Technical teams from the five space station partner agencies will continue to work on additional refinements and revisions to the standard. The International Docking Standard interface definition document is available at:http://www.internationaldockingstandard.com Interested parties may send comments to: comments@internationaldockingstandard.com http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/major-update-to-international-docking-standard-released.html I would assume that the presently manufactured commercial adapters are of this standard...will check with Doc.... ------------------------------------------------------ Looking Out Of The Cupola At Night ISS Cupola NASA Expedition 45 commander Scott Kelly is seen peeking out of the space station's Cupola module which provides a 360-degree view of the Earth below. The module is also used for robotics operations, including controlling the station's main robotic device Canadarm2, seen below the Cupola. ISS045E002596 (09/14/2015) - Larger image http://spaceref.com/onorbit/looking-out-of-the-cupola-at-night.html ------------------------------------------------------- Colorful View of Spain From Orbit Spanish Coast NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly posted this photo of Spain taken from the International Space Station on Instagram. Caption "Color palette of the #Spanish coast is an appealing morning view. #GoodMorning from @ISS! #YearInSpace#colors #colorful #earth #space #spacestation #iss #morning". Image: iss044e073423 Larger image http://spaceref.com/earth/colorful-view-of-spain-from-orbit.html Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 6, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 6, 2015 NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 2 October 2015 NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren loads a deployer device filled with 16 CubeSats into a small airlock in the Japanese Kibo Module on the International Space Station. Among the 16 satellites are 14 Dove satellites from Planet Labs that will be used for Earth observation, one for testing space based radios and another that will be used to track ships on the open ocean. Credit: NASA (09/25/2015). The hatches were opened today to the new space delivery from Russia's Progress resupply craft. The Expedition 45 crew also worked on orbital lab maintenance and on science to improve life on Earth and in space. The Progress 61 space freighter arrived at the International Space Station Thursday evening delivering more than three tons of food, fuel and supplies six hours after its launch from Kazakhstan. The vehicle is docked to the Zvezda service module and ready for two months of cargo transfer activities. Japan's delivery space ship, the Kounotori HTV-5, finished its five-week stay at the space station Monday morning. The six station residents were busy throughout the U.S. and Russian segments on a wide variety of activities. Commander Scott Kelly performed high-tech plumbing work as he replaced gear in the Water Processing Assembly. NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren built a custom tool for lubricating the tip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm, which he and Kelly will do on a spacewalk at the end of October. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui installed a Cubesat deployer, and then worked on plant science. Cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Oleg Kononenko opened the Progress hatch and began checking inventory and unloading the cargo craft today. One-Year Crew member Mikhail Kornienko, Kelly's partner, checked the station's air quality and worked on Russian life support systems. Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock Preparation for NanoRack Cubesat Deployer 6 (NRCSD#6) Cubesat Launches: During yesterday's preparation of the NRCSD, there was an issue installing the Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI). Yui implemented a workaround with an alternate set of fasteners to attach MLI to the deployer. He then returned the slide table to the Airlock and depressed and vented the Airlock. The 16 cubesats in the deployers are scheduled for launches on Monday through Wednesday of next week, October 5th - October 7th. Plant Gravity Sensing 2 (PGS2) Experiment Run 1: Yui retrieved culture dishes containing seed papers from a Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI), inserted them into Plant Experiment Units (PEUs), and attached the PEUs to the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) to start a 10 day incubation period. This investigation supports the study of cellular formation of gravity sensors and the molecular mechanism for gravity sensing in plants grown in microgravity conditions. The research results may have implications for higher crop yield in farming and for cultivating plants for long-duration space missions. Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) 2 Troubleshooting: Lindgren performed troubleshooting for MELFI #2. Preliminary results indicate a Rack Interface Unit (RIU) failure. An onboard spare is available to replace the RIU next week. On September 7th this unit stopped providing Health and Status updates and the temperature started to change, indicating a Brayton motor stop. Water Processor Assembly (WPA) Maintenance: The crew performed a series of maintenance items related to the WPA today. Based on recent trending of the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) concentration in the WPA product water, the Multi-Filtration (MF) Beds were known to be at the end of their life, and therefore, were replaced. Additionally, the Ion Exchange (IX) Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) was replaced due to the recent detection of Silica in a product water sample that was returned on SpaceX-6. The presence of silica is evidence that this ORU had also reached the end of its life. The team also took advantage of this maintenance opportunity by replacing a degraded Microbial Check Valve (MCV) ORU, however, following the replacement there was a flow issue with the new spare, so the degraded spare was re-installed. Additionally, an External Filter Assembly (EFA) change out was performed due to trending that has shown an increase in loading on the Waste Water Filter. It is anticipated that changing out the IX Bed in conjunction with the MF Beds will return the TOC to below minimum detectable limits. The team is currently working on returning the WPA to operational following these activities. Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: In support of the ISS Upgrades EVA planned for October 28th, Lindgren built a Ballscrew Lubrication Tool (BLT) that will be used to lubricate the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) Latching End Effector (LEE)-B. He then filled both prime Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garments (LCVGs) with EVA Mobility Unit (EMU) feed water. Once the LCVGs were filled, the EMUs were left powered for an additional 10 minutes in order to dry out the EMU Fan Module. Later in the day he also initiated a battery charge cycle for the Pistol Grip Tools (PGT), Helmet Lights, and two Rechargeable EVA Battery Assemblies (REBA) which will be used during the EVA. Inter-Module Ventilation (IMV) Flow Measurements: Yui used the Velocicalc and a set of aids to measure the air flow exiting outlets and entering inlets throughout the USOS modules. In addition to flow rate measurements, inspections were performed in select locations. The results of this survey, which is performed every 120 days, are used to monitoring the health of the ISS IMV system and determine if any additional corrective actions are required. Ground ActivitiesAll activities were completed unless otherwise noted.JEM Airlock Depressurization Three-Day Look Ahead:Saturday, 10/03: Weekly Cleaning, Crew Off DutySunday, 10/04: Crew Off DutyMonday, 10/05: NRCSD #6 Deploys, Node1 Power/Data Jumper Routing, Robonaut QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group: Component - StatusElektron - OffVozdukh - Manual[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - OffCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - StandbyCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - OperateMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - ShutdownMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - OperateOxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - StandbyUrine Processing Assembly (UPA) - StandbyTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - OffTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 Full Up http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-2-october-2015.html -------------------------------------- SAIC Drops Protest of Wyle’s $1.5 Billion NASA Space Medicine Contract WASHINGTON — A two-year scrap over NASA’s main space-medicine contract appears to be over now that SAIC has dropped its protest of NASA’s decision to award the nearly $1.5 billion Human Health and Performance contract to Wyle. Wyle’s Houston-based Science, Technology and Engineering group won the contract — technically for the second time — in August. SAIC of McLean, Virginia, immediately lodged a protest with the Government Accountability Office, but withdrew it Sept. 1. Wyle’s bid was better than bids from SAIC and another competitor, Jacobs Engineering Group of Pasadena, California, in every way, according to an official document explaining NASA’s decision making. Wyle, NASA’s incumbent astronaut health services provider under a $1.5 billion Bioastronautics contract, appeared both more technically competent and cheaper than its competitors, and had a better history of performance as a NASA contractor, says a source selection statement dated July 27 and signed by Melanie Saunders, associate director at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. According to that document, SAIC proposed “unsupported and unsubstantiated reductions to personnel in key areas including Supervisors and senior technical personnel,” compared with current Bioastronautics staffing levels. That prompted Saunders to question whether SAIC could bring enough technical and managerial expertise to bear to deliver the space medicine work and associated support tasks that could, if NASA exercises all its options, continue for up to 10 years under the new Human Health and Performance contract. Jacobs, meanwhile, was considered a distant third in the competition. The company’s proposal “did not offer nearly as much value as the other two proposals,” wrote Saunders. She also dinged Jacobs for an “inadequate technical approach” to laboratory operations. SAIC spokeswoman Lauren Presti said the company withdrew its protest because it did not see any point in dragging out the procurement cycle any further. “We did not find any additional merit in proceeding further with the protest,” Presti said Sept. 30. “While we do not totally agree with all parts of the evaluations, we found that the evaluation was fair and appropriate.” The base Human Health and Performance contract runs for five years, beginning Oct. 1. NASA holds a three-year option and a two-year option on the indefinite quantity, indefinite delivery deal, which could be worth up to $1.44 billion for Wyle. Wyle’s contract includes not only day-to-day health care and wellness services for astronauts aboard the International Space Station but also biomedical research to support future crewed missions, and associated support tasks on the ground. Most of the work will be done at Johnson Space Center, the hub of the agency’s crewed spaceflight program, but some will be done at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Although past performance was ostensibly the least important of the three selection criteria in the Human Health and Performance competition, after technical expertise and price, adherence to the status quo appears to have played a role in Wyle’s win. “Wyle proposed essentially the same major subcontractors that are currently performing very relevant work on the predecessor to the HHPC contract, the Bioastronautics Contract,” Saunders wrote. Wyle’s subcontractors on the Human Health and Performance contract include: Lockheed Martin of Bethesda, Maryland; University of Texas Medical Branch of Galveston, Texas; Intelligent Automation of Rockville, Maryland; Anadarko of the Woodlands, Texas; and MEI Technologies, JES Tech, University of Houston, Intuitive Machines and GeoControl Systems, all of Houston. SAIC, on the other hand, got what amounted to a nod of approval in the past-performance department for proposing a Human Health and Performance program manager with “very relevant past performance as a JSC Civil Servant,” Saunders wrote. NASA first put the Human Health and Performance contract out for bids in 2013. Wyle won the first competition, but SAIC protested and NASA reopened the solicitation. SAIC won the second competition, but then Wyle protested, leading to a third competition that Wyle won. NASA’s July 27 source selection document bolsters claims Wyle made in its 2013 bid protest. Wyle said at the time SAIC could not deliver what NASA wanted for the price NASA was willing to pay because SAIC lost too many resources and personnel when it split from its former parent, Leidos of Reston, Virginia. In 2013, Leidos spun off its $4 billion government information technology and technical services unit into the publicly traded company that kept the SAIC name. SAIC’s first bid on the Human Health and Performance contract in 2013 had the backing of the old SAIC, which was an $11 billion company prior to the split. http://spacenews.com/saic-drops-protest-of-wyles-1-5-billion-nasa-space-medicine-contract/ ---------------------------------------- Asteroids found to be the moon's main 'water supply' This is the temperature of the surface around the southern pole of the moon according to LRO data. Image courtesy NASA. For a larger version of this image please go here. Water reserves found on the moon are the result of asteroids acting as "delivery vehicles" and not of falling comets as was previously thought. Using computer simulation, scientists from MIPT and the RAS Geosphere Dynamics Institute have discovered that a large asteroid can deliver more water to the lunar surface than the cumulative fall of comets over a billion year period. Their research is discussed in an article recently published in the journal Planetary and Space Science. At the beginning of the space age, during the days of the Apollo program, scientists believed the moon to be completely dry. At these earliest stages in satellite evolution, the absence of an atmosphere and the influence of solar radiation were thought enough to evaporate all volatile substances into space. However, in the1990s, scientists obtained data from the Lunar Prospector probe that shook their confidence: the neutron current from the satellite surface was indicative of a larger fraction of hydrogen at the near-surface soil of some regions of the moon, which one could interpret as a sign of the presence of water. In order to explain how water could be kept on the moon's surface, scientists formulated a theory known as "cold traps." The axis of the moon's rotation is nearly vertical, which is why in the polar regions there are craters with floors that are never exposed to sunlight. When comets consisting mostly of water ice fall, evaporated water can gravitate into those "traps" and remain there indefinitely, as solar rays do not evaporate it. In recent years, lunar missions (the Indian Chandrayan probe, the American LRO, data from the Cassini probe and Deep Impact) have brought scientists two pieces new information. The first is that there are indeed considerate quantities of water and hydroxyl groups in the near-surface soil on the moon. The LCROSS experiment, in which a probe purposely crashed onto the moon resulting in the release of a cloud of gas and dust that was later studied with the use of a spectrometer, directly confirmed the existence of water and other volatile substances. The second piece of new information came when the Russian LEND apparatus mounted on board LRO generated a map of water distribution on the moon's surface. But this second piece has only partly proven their theory: the map of "cold traps" did not correspond to the map of water deposits. The scientists had to refine the theory, and the idea of "lunar congelation" was proposed. It allowed accepting that "survival" of water ice in the regions exposed to sunlight is possible under a soil blanket. It was also suggested that a substantial part of "water" seen by the probes is implanted solar wind: hydrogen atoms from solar wind react with oxygen atoms and form an unstable "dew" of water molecules and hydroxyl groups. Scientists left the possibility open that water could exist in a bound state, i.e. in hydrated minerals. There was still the matter of determining how water had appeared on the moon and how much of it there could be. At the same time, another issue may prove to be of practical importance in the coming years: if manned stations are to be constructed on the moon in the nearest future, we should know what kind of resources we can count on, preferably before construction begins. Vladimir Svettsov and Valery Shuvalov, who have been researching the fall of comets and asteroids, including the computerized simulation of the Tunguska catastrophe as well as the Chelyabinsk meteorite fall, decided to develop the most probable mechanism of water delivery to the moon and an approximate the "supply" volume. For this they used the SOVA algorithm, which they created themselves, for the computerized modelling of the fall of cosmic bodies onto the surface of the moon. Each body had its own velocity and its own angle of fall. In particular, at the output, the model demonstrated the distribution of maximum temperatures when the falling body's mass heated up during impact as well as its dynamic. The scientists first decided to check whether the comets are able to fulfill the role of main "water suppliers." The typical velocity of an ice comet ranges from 20 to 50 km per second. The estimates suggested that such a high impact velocity causes from 95 to 99.9 percent of the water to evaporate into space beyond retrieve. There is a family of short-period comets whose velocity of fall is much lower - 8-10 km per second. Such short-period comets account for about 1.5 percent of lunar craters. Nevertheless, the simulation has shown that when these short-period comets do fall, almost all the water evaporates and less than 1 percent of it remains at the impact point. "We came to the conclusion that only a very small amount of water that arrives with a comet stays on the moon, and from this decided to explore the possibility of an asteroid origin of lunar water," Shuvalov says. The scientists decided to take a closer look at asteroids and found that they consist of initially non-differentiated construction materials of the solar system and contain a rather considerable proportion of water. In particular, chondrite carbonaceous, the most common type of asteroids and meteorites, can contain up to 10 percent water. However, water in chondrites is effectively protected: it is in a chemically bounded condition, and it is "blocked" in a crystal lattice of minerals. Water starts to seep out only when it is heated to 300-1200 degrees centigrade depending on the type of hydrous mineral. This means that it has the potential of remaining in the crater together with the asteroid. The simulation has also revealed that when the velocity of fall is 14 km per second and the angle of fall is 45 degrees, about half of the asteroid's mass will never even reach the fusing temperature and remains in a solid state. One-third of all asteroids that fall on the moon have a velocity of less than 14 km per second just before impact. When this happens, the major part of the fallen body remains in the crater: 30-40 percent is left after an oblique impact, and 60-70 percent after a vertical one. "We've concluded that the fall of asteroids containing water could generate "deposits" of chemically bounded water inside some lunar craters," Shuvalov says. "The fall of one two-kilometer size asteroid with a rather high proportion of hydrated minerals could bring to the moon more water than all of the comets that have fallen over billions of years," he adds. Calculations reveal that around 2 to 4.5 percent of lunar craters could contain considerable supplies of water in the form of hydrated minerals. They are stable enough to contain water even in areas exposed to the Sun. "That is very important because the polar cold traps are not very convenient areas for the construction of lunar bases. There is a small amount of solar energy and it is difficult to organize radio communication and, lastly, there are dramatically low temperatures. The possibility of obtaining lunar water in regions exposed to the Sun could make the issue of satellite exploration much easier," concluded the scientist. http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Asteroids_found_to_be_the_moons_main_water_supply_999.html This one is interesting and will require further review...... Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 7, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 7, 2015 NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 5 October 2015 File photo: Robonaut 2. NASA The crew is working high-end maintenance today, while preparing for an upcoming spacewalk and an early December cargo mission. CubeSats are also being deployed this week from the Kibo laboratory module. Commander Scott Kelly checked on a power supply problem with the humanoid Robonaut. Flight Engineers Kjell Lindgren and Kimiya Yui installed cables in the Unity module where the Orbital ATK Cygnus commercial space freighter is scheduled to arrive in early December. Yui earlier charged spacesuit batteries that Kelly and Lindgren will use on a spacewalk planned for Oct. 28. Cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Oleg Kononenko continued unloading cargo from the new Progress 61 resupply ship which arrived last Thursday. Sergey Volkov, on his third space station mission, worked throughout the Russian segment on maintenance tasks. The trio also had time set aside for ongoing Russian science investigations exploring magnetics andchemical reactions in Earth's upper atmosphere. A small satellite deployer attached to Japan's Kibo module will be busy this week as 16 CubeSats will be released into orbit through Wednesday. The Cubesats are exploring such things as navigation, communications and Earth observations. NanoRack Cubesat Deployer (NRCSD) #6 Operations: Today Kelly opened the outer hatch and extended the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock slide table external to ISS. The ground operations team used the JEM Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS) Small Fine Arm (SFA) to grapple the Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform (MPEP), mounted on the slide table, and maneuvered it into position for the initial cubesat deploys. Today, two Danish cubesats were deployed at 9:06am CDT and the first 4 Dove cubesats of the "Flock 2" fleet of satellites will be launched later today. Yui used a camera to take several photos of the CubeSat deployment from the Cupola window. The Danish satellite GOMX-3 has an advanced antenna-pointing system and a variety of communications capabilities. It contains radios to test reception and data downlink for GPS satellites, the military and for weather monitoring, air traffic control and other uses. The second Danish satellite AAUSAT-5 uses a student-designed and constructed Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver to track ship signals in support of a space-based AIS system. The Dove nanosatellites enable imagery of the entire planet to be taken on a frequent basis, with humanitarian and environmental applications ranging from monitoring deforestation and the ice caps to disaster relief and improving agriculture yields in developing nations. A total of 16 cubesats will be deployed this week: 14 Planet Lab Doves and the 2 Danish satellites. Robonaut 2 Troubleshooting: Kelly performed troubleshooting the Robonaut's Compact Peripheral Component Interface today. Both power supplies are giving the same error indications. Ground teams are in the process of developing additional troubleshooting steps. Robonaut 2 is a two-armed humanoid robot torso designed with the versatility and dexterity to manipulate hardware, work in high risk environments, and respond safely to unexpected obstacles. Robonaut is currently mounted inside the ISS. In the future, it will perform tasks both inside and outside the ISS. Node 1 Sample Delivery System (SDS) Hose and Power Cabling Installation: As part of USOS Reconfiguration, Lindgren removed several Node 1 Closeout Panels. The panels were removed early before working behind them to allow adequate time for passive ventilation. Later in the afternoon, Lindgren and Yui installed two SDS hoses and partially completed installation of power and data cables which will eventually support the Node 1 Nadir Berthing Port, Galley Rack and the International Docking Adapters on Node 2. The cable routing activity ran long and planner are working to schedule the remainder of the activity tomorrow. Waste Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Maintenance: As part of regularly scheduled Maintenance, Yui replaced the WHC Piping between the Pump Separator and the Dose Pump. Robotics Refueling Mission (RRM): On Saturday, the Robotics Ground Controllers maneuvered Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) Arm2 into position to continue the RRM payload Task Board 3 (TB3) Science Operations. They first acquired the Vent Plug Adapter (VPA) and removed it from its receptacle. After backing it away from the receptacle, they then performed the VPA free space checkout consisting of radial expansion and retraction of the VPA o-rings. Next they inserted the VPA inside a 2" tube vent, where the o-rings were expanded to seal the inside of the vent tube. After multiple attempts of pulling with incrementally higher forces and pushing back in, the VPA was finally released by the Multi Function Tool (MFT) with minimum force after the MFT was cycled through its modes. Sunday, the Robotics Ground Controllers maneuvered SPDM Arm2 to position it over MFT Valve Interface (MVI) Valve 1 (V1). However, the MVI pressure test activity was deferred due to video camera issues. They then moved on to the Electrical Plug Adaptor (EPA) task by repositioned SPDM Arm2 for the start of the EPA task and used the MFT to unstow the EPA from its receptacle. After backing it away from the receptacle, they performed the EPA free space checkout. Finally, the Robotics Ground Controllers maneuvered SPDM Arm 2 to a park position. The RRM operations will resume this afternoon. Ground ActivitiesAll activities were completed unless otherwise noted. JEMRMS Operations in support of CubeSat deploysRobotics Refueling Mission Science Operations Three-Day Look Ahead:Tuesday, 10/06: NRCSD #6 Deploys, Node2 and 3 Cable Routes, RRM OpsWednesday, 10/07: NRCSD #6 Deploys, SDS Power data Jumper Install, EMU 3005 & 3011 Loop Scrubs, RRM OpsThursday, 10/08: SPHERES, Node 1 Nadir Power Connections Part 1 QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group: Component - StatusElektron - OnVozdukh - Manual[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - On[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - OffCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - StandbyCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - OperateMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - ShutdownMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - OperateOxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - StandbyUrine Processing Assembly (UPA) - StandbyTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - OffTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-5-october-2015.html ------------------------------------------------------------------ AAUSAT5 and GomX-3 Cubesats Have Been Deployed from the Space Station AAUSAT5 and GomX-3 Deployment ESA/NASA At 15:55 CET today two ESA CubeSats, the student-built AAUSAT5 and the professional technology demonstrator GomX-3, were deployed from the International Space Station (ISS). The two satellites have just started their mission in space. Follow today.s updates on the mission's Facebook pages and website. http://spaceref.com/nasa-hack-space/aausat5-and-gomx-3-cubesats-have-been-deployed-from-the-space-station.html ------------------------------------------------------------ How to Protect Astronauts from Space Radiation This computer simulation, based on data from NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft, shows the interaction of the streaming solar wind with Mars' upper atmosphere. MAVEN is gathering information on the space environment at Mars-information that will be key to planning a human mission to Mars in the 2030s. Image courtesy X. Fang, University of Colorado, and the MAVEN science team. For a larger version of this image please On Aug. 7, 1972, in the heart of the Apollo era, an enormous solar flare exploded from the sun's atmosphere. Along with a gigantic burst of light in nearly all wavelengths, this event accelerated a wave of energetic particles. Mostly protons, with a few electrons and heavier elements mixed in, this wash of quick-moving particles would have been dangerous to anyone outside Earth's protective magnetic bubble. Luckily, the Apollo 16 crew had returned to Earth just five months earlier, narrowly escaping this powerful event. In the early days of human space flight, scientists were only just beginning to understand how events on the sun could affect space, and in turn how that radiation could affect humans and technology. Today, as a result of extensive space radiation research, we have a much better understanding of our space environment, its effects, and the best ways to protect astronauts-all crucial parts of NASA's mission to send humans to Mars. "The Martian" film highlights the radiation dangers that could occur on a round trip to Mars. While the mission in the film is fictional, NASA has already started working on the technology to enable an actual trip to Mars in the 2030s. In the film, the astronauts' habitat on Mars shields them from radiation, and indeed, radiation shielding will be a crucial technology for the voyage. From better shielding to advanced biomedical countermeasures, NASA currently studies how to protect astronauts and electronics from radiation - efforts that will have to be incorporated into every aspect of Mars mission planning, from spacecraft and habitat design to spacewalk protocols. "The space radiation environment will be a critical consideration for everything in the astronauts' daily lives, both on the journeys between Earth and Mars and on the surface," said Ruthan Lewis, an architect and engineer with the human spaceflight program at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "You're constantly being bombarded by some amount of radiation." Radiation, at its most basic, is simply waves or sub-atomic particles that transports energy to another entity - whether it is an astronaut or spacecraft component. The main concern in space is particle radiation. Energetic particles can be dangerous to humans because they pass right through the skin, depositing energy and damaging cells or DNA along the way. This damage can mean an increased risk for cancer later in life or, at its worst, acute radiation sickness during the mission if the dose of energetic particles is large enough. Fortunately for us, Earth's natural protections block all but the most energetic of these particles from reaching the surface. A huge magnetic bubble, called the magnetosphere, which deflects the vast majority of these particles, protects our planet. And our atmosphere subsequently absorbs the majority of particles that do make it through this bubble. Importantly, since the International Space Station (ISS) is in low-Earth orbit within the magnetosphere, it also provides a large measure of protection for our astronauts. "We have instruments that measure the radiation environment inside the ISS, where the crew are, and even outside the station," said Kerry Lee, a scientist at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. This ISS crew monitoring also includes tracking of the short-term and lifetime radiation doses for each astronaut to assess the risk for radiation-related diseases. Although NASA has conservative radiation limits greater than allowed radiation workers on Earth, the astronauts are able to stay well under NASA's limit while living and working on the ISS, within Earth's magnetosphere. But a journey to Mars requires astronauts to move out much further, beyond the protection of Earth's magnetic bubble. "There's a lot of good science to be done on Mars, but a trip to interplanetary space carries more radiation risk than working in low-Earth orbit," said Jonathan Pellish, a space radiation engineer at Goddard. A human mission to Mars means sending astronauts into interplanetary space for a minimum of a year, even with a very short stay on the Red Planet. Nearly all of that time, they will be outside the magnetosphere, exposed to the harsh radiation environment of space. Mars has no global magnetic field to deflect energetic particles, and its atmosphere is much thinner than Earth's, so they'll get only minimal protection even on the surface of Mars. Throughout the entire trip, astronauts must be protected from two sources of radiation. The first comes from the sun, which regularly releases a steady stream of solar particles, as well as occasional larger bursts in the wake of giant explosions, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, on the sun. These energetic particles are almost all protons, and, though the sun releases an unfathomably large number of them, the proton energy is low enough that they can almost all be physically shielded by the structure of the spacecraft. Since solar activity strongly contributes to the deep-space radiation environment, a better understanding of the sun's modulation of this radiation environment will allow mission planners to make better decisions for a future Mars mission. NASA currently operates a fleet of spacecraft studying the sun and the space environment throughout the solar system. Observations from this area of research, known as heliophysics, help us better understand the origin of solar eruptions and what effects these events have on the overall space radiation environment. "If we know precisely what's going on, we don't have to be as conservative with our estimates, which gives us more flexibility when planning the mission," said Pellish. The second source of energetic particles is harder to shield. These particles come from galactic cosmic rays, often known as GCRs. They're particles accelerated to near the speed of light that shoot into our solar system from other stars in the Milky Way or even other galaxies. Like solar particles, galactic cosmic rays are mostly protons. However, some of them are heavier elements, ranging from helium up to the heaviest elements. These more energetic particles can knock apart atoms in the material they strike, such as in the astronaut, the metal walls of a spacecraft, habitat, or vehicle, causing sub-atomic particles to shower into the structure. This secondary radiation, as it is known, can reach a dangerous level. There are two ways to shield from these higher-energy particles and their secondary radiation: use a lot more mass of traditional spacecraft materials, or use more efficient shielding materials. The sheer volume of material surrounding a structure would absorb the energetic particles and their associated secondary particle radiation before they could reach the astronauts. However, using sheer bulk to protect astronauts would be prohibitively expensive, since more mass means more fuel required to launch. Using materials that shield more efficiently would cut down on weight and cost, but finding the right material takes research and ingenuity. NASA is currently investigating a handful of possibilities that could be used in anything from the spacecraft to the Martian habitat to space suits. "The best way to stop particle radiation is by running that energetic particle into something that's a similar size," said Pellish. "Otherwise, it can be like you're bouncing a tricycle off a tractor-trailer." Because protons and neutrons are similar in size, one element blocks both extremely well-hydrogen, which most commonly exists as just a single proton and an electron. Conveniently, hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and makes up substantial parts of some common compounds, such as water and plastics like polyethylene. Engineers could take advantage of already-required mass by processing the astronauts' trash into plastic-filled tiles used to bolster radiation protection. Water, already required for the crew, could be stored strategically to create a kind of radiation storm shelter in the spacecraft or habitat. However, this strategy comes with some challenges-the crew would need to use the water and then replace it with recycled water from the advanced life support systems. Polyethylene, the same plastic commonly found in water bottles and grocery bags, also has potential as a candidate for radiation shielding. It is very high in hydrogen and fairly cheap to produce-however, it's not strong enough to build a large structure, especially a spacecraft, which goes through high heat and strong forces during launch. And adding polyethylene to a metal structure would add quite a bit of mass, meaning that more fuel would be required for launch. "We've made progress on reducing and shielding against these energetic particles, but we're still working on finding a material that is a good shield and can act as the primary structure of the spacecraft," said Sheila Thibeault, a materials researcher at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. One material in development at NASA has the potential to do both jobs: Hydrogenated boron nitride nanotubes-known as hydrogenated BNNTs-are tiny, nanotubes made of carbon, boron, and nitrogen, with hydrogen interspersed throughout the empty spaces left in between the tubes. Boron is also an excellent absorber secondary neutrons, making hydrogenated BNNTs an ideal shielding material. "This material is really strong-even at high heat-meaning that it's great for structure," said Thibeault. Remarkably, researchers have successfully made yarn out of BNNTs, so it's flexible enough to be woven into the fabric of space suits, providing astronauts with significant radiation protection even while they're performing spacewalks in transit or out on the harsh Martian surface. Though hydrogenated BNNTs are still in development and testing, they have the potential to be one of our key structural and shielding materials in spacecraft, habitats, vehicles, and space suits that will be used on Mars. Physical shields aren't the only option for stopping particle radiation from reaching astronauts: Scientists are also exploring the possibility of building force fields. Force fields aren't just the realm of science fiction: Just like Earth's magnetic field protects us from energetic particles, a relatively small, localized electric or magnetic field would-if strong enough and in the right configuration-create a protective bubble around a spacecraft or habitat. Currently, these fields would take a prohibitive amount of power and structural material to create on a large scale, so more work is needed for them to be feasible. The risk of health effects can also be reduced in operational ways, such as having a special area of the spacecraft or Mars habitat that could be a radiation storm shelter; preparing spacewalk and research protocols to minimize time outside the more heavily-shielded spacecraft or habitat; and ensuring that astronauts can quickly return indoors in the event of a radiation storm. Radiation risk mitigation can also be approached from the human body level. Though far off, a medication that would counteract some or all of the health effects of radiation exposure would make it much easier to plan for a safe journey to Mars and back. "Ultimately, the solution to radiation will have to be a combination of things," said Pellish. "Some of the solutions are technology we have already, like hydrogen-rich materials, but some of it will necessarily be cutting edge concepts that we haven't even thought of yet." http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/How_to_Protect_Astronauts_from_Space_Radiation_999.html Good article...being realistic...... ----------------------------------------------------- Nobel Prize in Physics Honors Flavor-Changing Neutrino Discoveries Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald will share this year's Nobel Prize in physics for helping to reveal that subatomic particles called neutrinos can change from one type to another — a finding that meant these exotic particles have a teensy bit of mass. Neutrinos are the second-most abundant particles in the cosmos, constantly bombarding Earth. (Photons, or particles of light, are the most numerous.) The tiny particles come in three flavors: electron, muon and tau. In their separate experiments, Kajita and McDonald each showed that neutrinos change between certain flavors — a process called neutrino oscillation. "The discovery has changed our understanding of the innermost workings of matter and can prove crucial to our view of the universe," representatives of the Nobel Foundation said in a statement about this year's Nobel Prize in physics. In 1998, Kajita presented research that showed that muon-neutrinos created by reactions between the atmosphere and cosmic rays changed their identities as they traveled to the Super-Kamiokande detector, buried in a zinc mine, about 155 miles (250 kilometers) northwest of Tokyo. [5 Mysterious Particles Lurking Underground] In 2001, McDonald and his team announced that they had discovered that electron-neutrinos from the sun changed flavors into muon- or tau-neutrinos on their way to the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory in Canada. Neutrinos very rarely interact with matter; they can zip through a block of lead a light-year across. Large underground detectors, like the ones in Japan and Canada, are needed to observe such rare interactions with matter. The Nobel Prize-winning discoveries have far-reaching implications, scientists with the Nobel Foundation say. For instance, they could help physicists figure out the matter-antimatter puzzle: Scientists think that during the Big Bang, equal amounts of matter and its weird cousin antimatter were produced; smash-ups with matter destroyed most of this antimatter, leaving a slight excess of matter in the universe. Physicists are still unsure why matter won this cosmic clash. One way to solve the puzzle would be to find matter behaving differently from antimatter; flavor-changing neutrinos could be one way to see this difference. In addition, neutrinos would not be able to oscillate, or change their identities, if they had zero mass, physicists say. Therefore, the experiments by Kajita and McDonald also uncovered neutrinos' slight mass. Kajita, like most Nobel Prize winners, was surprised to get the call this morning letting him know of his achievement. When Adam Smith of the official Nobel Prize website asked Kajita if he'd ever dreamed of this moment, he responded, "Well, of course, well, as really a dream, maybe years, but not serious dreaming so far." Kajita, of the University of Tokyo in Kashiwa, Japan; and McDonald, of Queen's University, in Kingston, Canada, will share the Nobel Prize amount of 8 million Swedish krona (about $960,000). Yesterday, the Nobel Foundation announced the Prize in physiology or medicine to a trio of scientists for discovering novel treatments for parasitic infections. Tomorrow (Oct. 7), the Nobel Prize in chemistry will be announced. http://www.space.com/30756-nobel-prize-physics-flavor-changing-neutrinos.html Good to have the slight mass confirmation...quite a few of us had problems with the notion of flavour changes, without mass...neutrino's had to have a very small mass to change flavours on the fly..... Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 8, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 8, 2015 NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 6 October 2015 NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 6 October 2015. NASA The astronauts in the U.S. segment of the International Space Station continued more cable work and life support maintenance. The cosmonauts conducted a wide array of Russian science experiments studying human research and physics. More Cubesats were deployed today from a deployer mechanism attached to Japan's Kibo lab module. Wednesday will be the last day for this series of Cubesat deployments. In all, 16 Cubesats will be deployed this week researching a variety subjects including navigation, communications and Earth observations. Expedition 45 Commander Scott Kelly teamed up with Flight Engineers Kjell Lindgren and Kimiya Yui today to reroute cables from the Tranquility and Harmony modules to the Unity module. The cable work will set up Unity, the first U.S. station module, to receive the Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo craft due in early December. Cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Oleg Kononenko spent Tuesday morning working on a Russian treadmill in the Zvezda service module. Kornienko then moved on to the Interactions study of crews working with ground support while Kononenko studied chemical reactions in Earth's upper atmosphere. Flight Engineer Sergey Volkov participated in a pair of experiments, Cardiovector andCosmocard, researching the adaptation of the human blood circulation system to microgravity. After some life support maintenance work, he moved on to more science exploring magnetics. NanoRack Cubesat Deployer (NRCSD) #6 Operations: Yesterday, two Danish cubesats and the first 4 Dove cubesats of the "Flock 2" fleet of satellites were launched. This morning an additional 4 Dove cubesats were launched and the final 6 Dove cubesats will be launched tonight. The Dove nanosatellites enable imagery of the entire planet to be taken on a frequent basis, with humanitarian and environmental applications ranging from monitoring deforestation and the ice caps to disaster relief and improving agriculture yields in developing nations. A total of 16 cubesats will be deployed this week: 14 Planet Lab Doves and the 2 Danish satellites. Sleep Log: Kelly and Kornienko continued a week-long set of Sleep Log entries by making daily entries. The Sleep ISS-12 experiment monitors ambient light exposure and crew member activity and collects subjective evaluations of sleep and alertness. The investigation examines the effects of space flight and ambient light exposure on sleep during a year-long mission on the ISS. Node 1, 2 and 3 Cable Routes: As part of USOS Reconfiguration, Lindgren finished an activity he started yesterday to install power and data cables within Node 1. Once complete, he re-installed all of the closeout panels he had removed in support of this activity. Yui, routed power cables from the Node 2 DC-to-DC Converter Unit (DDCU) Rack to the Node 2 Aft Bulkhead. The cables will eventually provide redundant power to Node 1 Nadir Berthing Port and Node 1 Galley Rack. Kelly re-routed a Node 3 Sample Delivery System (SDS) power cable which will provide power to a new Node 1 Deck SDS Valve. This cable was previously routed, however laid short of the connection point. The Node 3 cable routing called for a widespread powerdown of Node 3 systems, including the Node 3-1 MDM, OGA, MCA, and CDRA. The Lab CDRA was activated for CO2 removal. Remote Power Control Module (RPCM) N31B4A F1 Change Out: Kelly replaced RPCM N31B4A F1 which is located behind Node 3 Avionics Rack #1. The RPCM had experienced a switch anomaly in March 2015 which prevented power distribution to Audio Bus Coupler (ABC)-5, an Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) that provides a redundant Audio path for voice and Caution/Warning Tones to and from Node 3 and Cupola Modules. Russian Treadmill (БД-2) Repair: Today, Kornienko and Kononenko have replaced a broken Thrust Compensator Bracket on the Russian Treadmill (БД-2). The bracket was reported as broken last month. With no onboard spares available, Russian Ground Teams manifested a replacement bracket onboard Progress 61P. Mission Control Center (MCC)-M has given the Russian Crew a go for БД-2 exercise. The Russian Crew had been using the US Treadmill 2 (T2) while БД-2 was out of service. Robotics Refueling Mission (RRM): Yesterday, the Robotics Ground Controllers maneuvered Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) Arm2 into position to continue the Robotics Refueling Mission (RRM) payload Task Board 3 (TB3) Science Operations. All objectives for TB3 were completed. This evening and overnight, ground controllers will begin TB4 science operations. Ground ActivitiesAll activities were completed unless otherwise noted. JEMRMS Operations in support of CubeSat deploysSystem Safing in preparation for RPCM N31B4A F1 Change OutRobotics Refueling Mission Science Operations [In Work] Three-Day Look Ahead:Wednesday, 10/07: NRCSD #6 Deploys, RRM Ops, EMU Loop Scrubs, EMU resizingThursday, 10/08: SPHERES, Node 1 Nadir Power Connections Part 1, MELFI-2 RIU replacementFriday, 10/09: SPHERES, Node 1 Nadir Power Connections Part 2 QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group: Component - StatusElektron - OnVozdukh - Manual[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - OffCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - OperateCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - StandbyMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - ShutdownMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - ShutdownOxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - StopUrine Processing Assembly (UPA) - ShutdownTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - OffTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Off http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-6-october-2015.html Цирк на орбите МКС / Space Circus on ISS video is 2:19 min....pretty good... Interview with cosmonaut Gennady Padalka video is 3:33 min...translation on screen ------------------------------------------------------- Moving Things Around in Space Moving and ISS Rack NASA Kimiya Yui (left) and Kjell Lindgren (right) work on removing items from a storage rack located inside the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory. The pair are making room for new communications hardware that will be used for future visiting vehicles arriving at the space station, including the new U.S. commercial crew vehicles currently in development. ISS045E019087 (09/18/2015) - Larger image http://spaceref.com/onorbit/moving-things-in-space.html ----------------------------------------------------------- Glonass system can fully switch to domestic electronics in 2 years Glonass is a satellite navigation system operated by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces. Russia found a solution to switch its Glonass global navigation system to domestically produced components within two years. The Russian Glonass global navigation system will fully switch to domestically-produced electronic components in the next two years, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Thursday. "We have found solutions for switching to a domestically-produced [electronic] component base within a year and a half or two years," Rogozin said at an international congress on the ERA-GLONASS system. Glonass is a satellite navigation system operated by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces. The Glonass project, launched in 1993, is considered to be Russia's answer to GPS (Global Positioning System). http://www.gpsdaily.com/reports/Russias_Glonass_System_Can_Fully_Switch_to_Domestic_Electronics_in_2_Years_999.html ----------------------------------------------------- Draconid Meteor Shower Peaks This Week Skywatchers have a chance to see some "shooting stars" this week with the annual Draconid meteor shower. The meteor display, which peaks overnight on Thursday and Friday (Oct. 8 and 9) is caused by the remains of a comet raining down on Earth. Weather permitting, skywatchers can see the Draconid meteor showerradiating out from the constellation Draco (the Dragon) near the triangle formed by the stars Deneb, Altair and Vega. NASA estimates that, on average, about 10 to 20 meteors per hour will be visible during the Draconids. What's more, according to EarthSky.org, the moon will be just a faint crescent, allowing for excellent views of the shower. While the Draconids appear to be coming from the constellation Draco, in reality they are remnants of debris shed by Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which orbits the sun once every 6.5 years. Around 1900, according to a NASA description, the comet ejected a stream of particles that intersects Earth's orbit, spawning the annual meteor display. To watch a meteor shower, no special equipment is needed. Simply take a lawn chair, bundle up against the cold if you are in chillier parts of the United States, Europe or Canada, and sit outside watching the sky. This NASA sky map shows the location of the Draconid meteor shower radiant in the northwestern night sky at 2 a.m. your local time on Oct. 9, 2015 during the shower's peak, which occurs overnight on Oct. 8 and 9.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech You do need to pick a viewing spot well away from city lights, which can reduce the number of meteors visible during the night. Binoculars or telescopes are not of much use because meteors travel unpredictably and typically only last a couple of seconds. While a meteor looks spectacular in the sky, a shower like the Draconids does not have particles big enough to make it all the way down to Earth. These particles burn up high in the atmosphere and are generally slow moving, distinguishing them from other random meteors you may see throughout the evening. Editor's note: If you capture an amazing image of the night sky that you would like to share with Space.com and its news partners for a story or photo gallery, send photos and comments in to managing editor Tariq Malik at: spacephotos@space.com. http://www.space.com/30759-draconid-meteor-shower-peaks-this-week.html Later..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 8, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 8, 2015 Progress 61 Launch Viewed From Orbit Progress 61 NASA The ISS Progress 61 is photographed from the International Space Station moments after launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The vehicle docked successfully roughly six hours after launch and was loaded with more than three tons of food, fuel and supplies for the Expedition 45 crew. ISS045E037156 (10/1/2015) Larger image http://spaceref.com/onorbit/progress-61-launch-viewed-from-orbit.html --------------------------------------------------------------- NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 7 October 2015 Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui works on spacesuits in the U.S. Quest airlock. Credit: NASA. The deployment of this week's final two Cubesats from the Kibo lab module is on hold today. Also, the crew is preparing a pair of spacesuits for an Oct. 28 maintenance spacewalk. More Cubesats were released overnight and this morning from a deployer mechanism attached to the Kibo lab module. However, the final pair of Cubesats failed to deploy today due to interference with a latch on the deployer. Payload controllers are investigating the issue to determine a future release date of the Cubesats. This week's Cubesats due for release included 14 Dove sats from Planet Labs and two European Cubesats. NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren are scheduled for a pair of spacewalks in late October and early November to upgrade systems on the outside of the International Space Station. The duo resized their spacesuits and unpacked gear from the U.S. Quest airlock. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui assisted the duo as he scrubbed suit cooling loops and dried out suit fans and vent loops. The three cosmonauts -- Flight Engineers Sergey Volkov, Oleg Kononenko and Mikhail Kornienko -- worked on science, maintenance and cargo transfers. Volkov studiedmicrometeoroid impacts, Earth observation techniques and crystal magnetism. Kononenko unloaded gear from the new Progress 61 resupply ship. Kornienko assisted with the Progress unpacking and worked on Russian maintenance tasks. Large Format Motion Picture Camera (IMAX) Activities: Kelly connect the IMAX Codex to a Station Support Computer (SSC) for downlink of recorded video files. IMAX filmmakers intend to produce a three dimensional movie called A Perfect Planet, using ISS-based video and images to show how natural and human forces shape planet Earth. The film will also showcase NASA's exploration efforts and highlight the ISS as a platform for scientific research and a stepping stone to deep space exploration. Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparation: Yui has configured Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) suits 3005 and 3011 for loop scrubbing. Samples containing 250 mL of the water were obtained after the loop scrub activity to determine the effectiveness of the filtering. 10 mL of this water sample were used for a conductivity test and the remaining water will be sent to the ground for chemical analysis. After the samples were taken, Yui then reconfigured Loop Scrub hardware for Iodination of Ion Filters on both suits. Later in the afternoon, Lindgren unstowed items from the Airlock that will not be required for the upcoming EVAs. Kelly and Lindgren also worked to resize EMU 3003 and 3010 which will be used during the EVAs. EMU 3003 was resized for Kelly and EMU 3010 for Lindgren. Portable Emergency Provisions (PEPS) Inspection: Lindgren conducted the regular inspection of the Portable Fire Extinguisher (PFE), Extension Hose Tee Kit (EHTK), Portable Breathing Apparatus (PBA), and Pre-Breathe Masks. Pre-Breathe Masks are not emergency equipment, but have similar maintenance requirements and thus are included in this inspection. Robotics Refueling Mission (RRM) Operations: Overnight, Robotics Ground Controllers maneuvered the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) and the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) into position to start the TB4 Science Operations. Next SPDM Arm2, using use the Multifunction Tool (MFT), acquired, checked out and unstowed the Blindmate Connector Adaptor (BCA). They then maneuvered the BCA into position and inserted it into and mated it to the Electrical Test Port Panel (TTP) on TB4. Today, the Robotics Ground Controllers released the MFT from the BCA and maneuvered the SSRMS and SPDM into position to perform the MFT Vision Task which consisted of calibrating the MFT cameras using a checkerboard target on TB4. Finally they commanded SSRMS and SPDM to overnight park ready to resume tomorrow. Ground ActivitiesAll activities were completed unless otherwise noted. JEMRMS Ops [On Hold]UHF Activation in support of EMU Loop Scrub Three-Day Look Ahead:Thursday, 10/08: SPHERES, Node 1 Nadir Power Connections Part 1Friday, 10/09: SPHERES, Node 1 Nadir Power Connections Part 2Saturday, 10/10: Crew off Duty, Node 1/Lab Vestibule Leak Check (Modules forward of Node 1 will be isolated) QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group: Component - StatusElektron - OnVozdukh - Manual[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - On[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - OffCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - StandbyCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - OperateMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - ShutdownMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - OperateOxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - ProcessUrine Processing Assembly (UPA) - StandbyTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - OffTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-7-october-2015.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 9, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 9, 2015 NASA announces Challenge for Methods of Assessing Damage to Space Suits "We have learned a lot about space suit performance through our experience on the International Space Station, and designing for a planetary surface will require us to build on that knowledge." Astronauts venturing beyond the controlled environment of a spacecraft require protection from the harsh conditions in space. They get that protection from a space suit, which is a multilayer garment specially designed to retain pressure, carry loads and offer structural support, and shield against the environment. NASA is seeking proposals for test methods or procedures to assess wear/damage to candidate space suit textile materials. NASA's focus is to support the development of space suits designed for extraterrestrial planetary exploration, but the technology could prove useful on Earth, as well. Space suits currently in use are optimized for operations in low-Earth orbit where the primary environmental hazards are temperature, vacuum, radiation, puncture, and micrometeoroids. Exploration in deep space will require expanding protection to encompass planetary environments such as those on Mars and large asteroids. A major consideration in these environments is the difference in the dirt and dust compared to those on Earth. As of now, no standard way exists to assess the protection performance of newly developed environmental protection garment designs versus current and past designs. "NASA is developing the next generation of suit technologies that will enable deep space exploration by incorporating advancements in science and technology," said Jason Crusan, director of Advanced Exploration Systems in NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. "We have learned a lot about space suit performance through our experience on the International Space Station, and designing for a planetary surface will require us to build on that knowledge." Possible approaches might include, but are not limited to, a device to tumble a mounted material sample and simulated Martian dirt, modification of standard wear testing devices, or modification of non-destructive examination techniques for textile applications. Participants are encouraged to consider innovative and creative methods beyond these examples. Test procedures should be able to replicate fiber degradation of material previously exposed to lunar dust/dirt as well as indicate the size and quantity of particles that migrate through the different layers of the garment and catalog/quantify any degradation of the layers (cuts, abrasion, color changes, reduction in tear or tensile strength, reduction in thermal isolation). NASA expects to make up to three awards of $5,000 each from a total award pool of $15,000. This challenge will be run by NineSigma Inc. as part of the NASA Tournament Lab. The tournament lab works across NASA and the federal government to provide crowd-based challenges as a way to solve hard problems and get work done. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NASA_Announces_Challenge_for_Methods_of_Assessing_Damage_to_Space_Suit_Textiles_999.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What Happens When Your Brain Can't Tell Which Way is Up? Conducting neurocognitive assessments NASA In space, there is no "up" or "down." That can mess with the human brain and affect the way people move and think in space. An investigation on the International Space Station seeks to understand how the brain changes in space and ways to deal with those changes. Previous research and first-hand reports suggest that humans have a harder time controlling physical movement and completing mental tasks in microgravity. Astronauts have experienced problems with balance and perceptual illusions feeling as if, for example, they are switching back and forth between right-side-up and upside down. The Spaceflight Effects on Neurocognitive Performance: Extent, Longevity, and Neural Bases (NeuroMapping) study is examining changes in both brain structure and function and determining how long it takes to recover after returning from space. Researchers are using both behavioral assessments and brain imaging. Astronauts complete timed obstacle courses and tests of their spatial memory, or the ability to mentally picture and manipulate a three-dimensional shape, before and after spaceflight. The spatial memory test also is performed aboard the station, along with sensory motor adaptation tests and computerized exercises requiring them to move and think simultaneously. Astronauts are tested shortly after arriving aboard the station, mid-way through and near the end of a six-month flight. Structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain are done pre-flight and post-flight. "We are looking at the volume of different structures in the brain and whether they change in size or shape during spaceflight," said principal investigator Rachael D. Seidler, director of the University of Michigan's Neuromotor Behavior Laboratory. Functional MRIs involve astronauts completing a task during the imaging, which will show researchers which parts of the brain they rely on to do so. These slides show changes in volume in certain areas of the brain that occur with long-duration, head-down tilt bed rest. The Neuromapping Flight Study examines whether similar changes occur with spaceflight. Credits: University of Michigan According to Seidler, both the behavioral assessment and brain imaging are important to help identify the relationship between physical changes in the brain and those in behavior. "On Earth, your vestibular - or balance - system tells you how your head moves relative to gravity, but in space, the gravity reference is gone," Seidler said. "That causes these perceptual illusions, as well as difficulty coordinating movement of the eyes and head." These difficulties could have serious consequences for astronauts, especially when changing between gravitational environments, such as landing on Mars. In those cases, astronauts will need to be able to perform tasks such as using tools and driving a rover, and they must be capable of escape in a landing emergency. Identifying the physical mechanisms behind changes in behavior and how much time it takes to adapt will help researchers determine how best to help space explorers compensate. The study results could also reveal whether astronauts return to "normal" post-flight because the brain changes back, or if the brain instead learns to compensate for the changes that happened in space. Scientists know that brain changes and adaptations happen here on Earth as well. As people age, for example, they use more brain networks than a younger person does to perform the same task. Chemotherapy, injury and illness also can trigger such adaptation. Co-investigator Patricia A. Reuter-Lorenz, chair of psychology at the University of Michigan, said a major benefit of this study is that the subjects are fit, healthy astronauts. That will make it possible to apply the findings across a range of causes. Learning more about how the human brain changes in space will help scientists better understand the ways it can recover and adapt in space, and on Earth. At least here on Earth, people can usually tell which way is up. http://spaceref.com/space-medicine/what-happens-when-your-brain-cant-tell-which-way-is-up.html --------------------------------------------------------- Meet the International Docking Adapter Engineers in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, recently tested the mechanisms that will connect future commercial crew spacecraft with the second International Docking Adapter. IDA-2, as it's called, will be taken to the space station on a future cargo resupply mission. It will be one of two connection points for commercial crew spacecraft visiting the orbiting laboratory. The systems and targets for IDA-2 are set to be put through extensive tests with both Boeing's CST-100 and SpaceX's Crew Dragon before the adapter is loaded for launch. Image courtesy NASA/Charles Babir. Two International Docking Adapters (IDA) will be the physical connecting point for spacecraft, but for NASA it will be a metaphorical gateway to a future in which crews go to the station aboard America's first new, human-rated spacecraft since the space shuttle. The adapters are built to the International Docking System Standard, which features built-in systems for automated docking and uniform measurements. That means any destination or any spacecraft can use the adapters in the future - from the new commercial spacecraft to other international spacecraft yet to be designed. The adapters also include fittings so power and data can be transferred from the station to the visiting spacecraft. The work by private companies to take on low-Earth orbit missions is expected to free up NASA's resources for future missions into deep space with astronauts in the Orion crew capsule launching on the Space Launch System Rocket to prepare for future journeys to Mars. Boeing's CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft will dock at the adapters in the near future when bringing astronauts to the station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. An IDA will be placed on each of the station's two open Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMA), both of which will be connected to Harmony module. When each IDA arrives, the station's robotic arm would remove it from Dragon's trunk and move it to about 30 cm (1 ft) from the front of the PMA. Astronauts during an extravehicular activity would then attach tethers to the IDA and manually connect it to the PMA. The first spacewalks to prepare the station for the addition of the new adapters took place in early 2015. It took international and national teams working together to construct the IDAs. Built by Boeing, parts from companies in 25 states were assembled to make the adapters, which measure about 42-inches tall and about 63-inches wide each. The Russian company RSC-Energia made the primary structures of the IDAs. Docking targets, laser retro-reflectors and related systems are arrayed around the outer perimeters to give them an outer diameter of about 94 inches. The systems and targets for the IDA are much more sophisticated than previous docking systems and include lasers and sensors that allow the station and spacecraft to talk to each other digitally to share distance cues and enable automatic alignment and connection. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Meet_the_International_Docking_Adapter_999.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 10, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 10, 2015 India-Pakistan Borderlands at Night As Seen From Orbit India-Pakistan Borderlands NASA Clusters of yellow lights on the Indo-Gangetic Plain reveal numerous cities large and small in this astronaut photograph of northern India and northern Pakistan. Of the hundreds of clusters, the largest are the capital cities of Islamabad, Pakistan, and New Delhi, India. (For scale, these metropolitan areas are approximately 700 kilometers or 435 miles apart.) The lines of major highways connecting the cities also stand out. More subtle, but still visible at night, are the general outlines of the towering and partly cloud-covered Himalayas to the north (image left). A striking feature is the line of lights, with a distinctly orange hue, snaking across the center of the image. It appears to be more continuous and brighter than most highways in the view. This is the fenced and floodlit border zone between India and Pakistan. The fence is designed to discourage smuggling and arms trafficking. A similar fenced zone separates India's eastern border from Bangladesh (not visible). This image was taken with a 16 mm lens, which provides the wide field of view, as the International Space Station (ISS) was tracking towards the southeast across India. The ISS crew took the image as part of a continuous series of frames, each with a one-second exposure time to maximize light collection. Unfortunately, this also causes blurring of some ground features. The distinct, bright zone above the horizon (visible at image top) is airglow, a phenomenon caused by excitation of atoms and molecules high in the atmosphere (above 80 kilometers, or 50 miles altitude) by ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. Part of the ISS Permanent Multipurpose Module and a solar panel array are visible at image right. Astronaut photograph ISS028-E-29679 was acquired on August 21, 2011, with a Nikon D3S digital camera using a 16 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by the Expedition 28 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by M. Justin Wilkinson, Jacobs/ESCG at NASA-JSC. Instrument(s): ISS - Digital Camera Larger image http://spaceref.com/onorbit/india-pakistan-borderlands-at-night-as-seen-from-orbit.html ------------------------------------------ CubeSat to Demonstrate Miniature Laser Communications in Orbit OCSD CubeSat NASA NASA and The Aerospace Corporation of El Segundo, California, have received confirmation the Optical Communications and Sensor Demonstration (OCSD) CubeSat spacecraft is in orbit and operational. OCSD launched aboard an Atlas V rocket Thursday from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. OCSD is the first in a new series of six NASA-managed technology demonstration missions set to launch during the coming months using CubeSats to test technologies that can enable new uses for these miniature satellites, which measure 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm (about 4 inches per side). NASA, other government agencies, academia and commercial companies can incorporate these technologies, which range from high-speed communications to novel propulsion systems to technologies that enable rendezvous and docking, into future space missions. "Technology demonstration missions like OCSD are driving exploration," said Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "By improving the communication capability of small spacecraft to support data-intensive science missions, OCSD will advance the potential to become a more viable option for mission planners." OCSD differs from other space-based laser communication systems because the laser is hard-mounted to the spacecraft body, and the orientation of the CubeSat controls the direction of the beam. This makes the laser system more compact than anything previously flown in space. The CubeSat will evaluate the ability to point a small satellite accurately as it demonstrates data transfer by laser at rates of up to 200 Mb/s -- a factor of 100 increase over current high-end CubeSat communications systems. More at the link...http://spaceref.com/nasa-hack-space/cubesat-to-demonstrate-miniature-laser-communications-in-orbit.html ------------------------------------------- Morning Aurora From the Space Station Aurora From the Space Station NASA NASA astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph from the International Space Station on Oct. 7, 2015. Sharing with his social media followers, Kelly wrote, "The daily morning dose of #aurora to help wake you up. #GoodMorning from @Space_Station! #YearInSpace" Larger image http://spaceref.com/earth/morning-aurora-from-the-space-station.html ---------------------------------- The Blue Nile Friday, Oct. 9, 2015: Astronaut Scott Kelly captured a view of the Middle East from the International Space Station and tweeted it on Oct. 8, 2015. Kelly wrote: "#MiddleEast. So much history, so much tragedy. #YearInSpace." The Nile river flows at left, while the Sinai Peninsula lies in the center of the image. The Red Sea stretches from lower right to center. Presently, Kelly is in the middle of a 1-year mission in space. http://www.space.com/34-image-day.html ---------------------------------------- Light Show Sky watchers around the Arctic Circle have experienced three straight nights of auroras that some veteran observers say is "the strongest" they've ever seen. "Mother Earth gave us a massive display of lights," reports Johnny Henriksen, who photographed this outburst over Harstad, Norway: The lights were not restricted to the Arctic Circle, however. Auroras spilled into the United States as far south as Virginia. Sightings were also made in the Dakotas,Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Minnesota. Subscribers to our Space Weather Alert service received wake-up calls during the storm. Most displays of this magnitude are caused by CMEs, billion-ton clouds of gas from the sun. This event, however, was caused by a CIR (co-rotating interaction region). CIRs are boundary zones between slow- and fast-moving solar wind streams. Solar wind plasma piles up in these regions, producing density gradients and shock waves that do a good job of sparking auroras. A CIR hit Earth's magnetic field during the early hours of Oct. 7th, amplifying a storm already in progress. A solar wind stream arriving in the wake of the CIR has kept the storm going through Oct. 8th. More auroras are in the offing tonight, albeit not as strong. NOAA forecasters estimate a 60% chance of minor geomagnetic storms on Oct. 9th as Earth slowly exits the stream of solar wind. http://www.spaceweather.com/ ------------------------------------------ Apollo Photos Redux: The Story Behind the NASA Moon Pics Posted to Flickr The addition of tens of thousands of the Apollo astronauts' moon photos to an online repository drew worldwide media interest this week, but lost in many of the headlines were the facts behind the four-decade-old photographs. Numerous news articles declared the photos were "never before seen" and attributed the upload to NASA, neither of which were true. The images were described as "new" and "secret" and "restored," when, in fact, they are old, public and untouched. "Contrary to some recent media reports, this Flickr gallery is not a NASA undertaking, but an independent one," said Kipp Teague, the founder of the Project Apollo Archive, in an introduction he wrote for the newly-added gallery. "[This is] a re-presentation of the public domain, NASA-provided Apollo mission imagery as it was originally provided in its raw, high-resolution and unprocessed form." [NASA's 17 Apollo Moon Missions in Pictures] For 15 years, Teague's Project Apollo Archive website has been presenting and organizing the photographs taken by astronauts during the 11 Apollo missions, including the six that successfully landed on the moon between July 1969 and December 1972. Those photos include iconic images, such as the shot first moonwalker Neil Armstrong took of Buzz Aldrin standing at Tranquility Base, as well the more seldom seen imagery of landscapes and hardware. Initially, the photographs on Teague's website were NASA-provided scans made from "master dupes" – duplicates of the film used in the astronauts' Hasselblad cameras. But in 2004, Teague began adding images based on the scans taken directly from the 70mm film magazines, or rolls, as received from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "The process involves removing each original [flown] film roll from a double-freezer, allowing it to thaw, then digitally scanning each frame using a long roll film scanner," wrote Teague in 2004, describing how the scans were produced. These scans were scaled down and color-corrected before they appeared on the Archive. In the decade that followed, users of Teague's site and the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, another independent project documenting the astronauts' activities on the moon, have made requests for an improved presentation of the gallery, as well as asked about the photos' original resolution and the processing that had been applied to the scans. Those requests led to Teague uploading the full-resolution, unprocessed scans to Flickr. As the media caught attention of the new gallery though, the story behind the photos — and about Teague, himself — began to spin out of control. "In one article I was described as an employee of Johnson Space Center, and in another, the headline indicated that a 'NASA astronaut' had uploaded the images," Teague told collectSPACE in an email. "My role has at most been as a volunteer working with the NASA History Office from my home in Virginia, and alongside Eric Jones in support of his 'bible' of the Apollo missions, the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal." Teague began the upload process in late-September with the addition of two magazines of photos. By the time he is finished later this month, he expects the gallery to present at least 13,000 images. [Apollo Quiz: Test Your Moon Landing Memory] But none of the photos are new or have never before been seen, said Teague. "I do not believe any of these images are actually new to the public, as all have been available over the years by one means or another," he said. "The grand majority have been available online in one format or another." That is not to suggest that the Project Apollo Archive Flickr Gallery doesn't deserve to be celebrated in the media and elsewhere. Raw, unprocessed photo of the Apollo 14 lunar module "Antares" taken on the moon in 1971. Credit: Project Apollo Archive/NASA The availability of the full-resolution scans has already led to enthusiasts stitching together collections of the photos to create new panoramas and animations. Teague has set up a new Facebook page where he plans to occasionally share newly-rendered versions of the Apollo imagery. In addition to Teague's efforts to make the raw Hasselblad photos accessible, Arizona State University partnered with NASA in 2007 to digitally scan all of the original film from the Apollo moon missions, focusing primarily on the larger format film used in lunar orbit. That project has produced and put online more than 10,000 metric and almost 5,000 panoramic frames. http://www.space.com/30794-apollo-moon-mission-nasa-photos-flickr.html This is a really cool project...and many, many thank's to him and his helpers....... Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 10, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 10, 2015 NASA ISS Space to Ground Weekly Report - 9 October 2015 NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-iss-space-to-ground-weekly-report---9-october-2015.html video is 1:49 min --------------------------------------------- NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 8 October 2015 NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 8 October 2015. NASA Payload controllers are exploring why two Cubesats were unable to deploy this week from the Kibo lab module so they can be released later. Meanwhile, the six-member Expedition 45 crew is finalizing cable work for the next Cygnus cargo mission, unloading cargo from a new Progress 61 (61P) resupply ship and conducting human research. NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren is completing cable connections and routing today in the Unity module, the first U.S. module delivered to space and installed in 1998. The Unity's Earth-facing port, which will be powered by the cables, will host the Orbital ATK Cygnus commercial space freighter due to arrive in early December. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui assisted Lindgren with the Unity cable work before reviewing procedures for the SPHERES Vertigo experiment that uses a pair of bowling ball-sized satellites. Commander Scott Kelly replaced electronic gear inside a science freezer before attaching instruments and sensors to himself for the Sprint exercise study. Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Mikhail Kornienko continued cargo transfers from the 61P. Kononenko also worked on science hardware that monitors chemical reactions in Earth's upper atmosphere. Kornienko joined veteran cosmonaut Sergey Volkov to process blood samples for the Neiroimmunitet study before working on the Algometriya medical monitoring experiment. Volkov then moved on to more science including the ongoing crystal magnetism experiment, the Calcium bone loss study and the Seismoprognoz earthquake study. NanoRack Cubesat Deployer (NRCSD) #6 Operations: Overnight, three unsuccessful attempts were made to retract the secondary latch associated with deployer # 6, which would have allowed the deployment of the remaining two cubesats for this operation. The next troubleshooting attempt to launch the cubesats will involve cycling the latches during a Japanese Experiment Module Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS) E-stop test to jolt the deployer. A total of 14 cubesats have been deployed this week: 2 Danish satellites and 12 Planet Lab Doves. The Danish satellite GOMX-3 has an advanced antenna-pointing system and a variety of communications capabilities. It contains radios to test reception and data downlink for GPS satellites, the military and for weather monitoring, air traffic control and other uses. The Danish satellite AAUSAT-5 uses a student-designed and constructed Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver to track ship signals in support of a space-based AIS system. The Dove nanosatellites enable imagery of the entire planet to be taken on a frequent basis, with humanitarian and environmental applications ranging from monitoring deforestation and the ice caps to disaster relief and improving agriculture yields in developing nations Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) 2 Rack Interface Unit (RIU) Replacement: This morning, Kelly replaced the failed MELFI 2 RIU. Following the replacement, ground teams successfully activated MELFI 2. On September 7th this unit stopped providing Health and Status updates and the temperature started to change, indicating a Brayton motor stop. Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) Vertigo Setup: Yui reviewed procedures and participated in a conference with the SPHERES ground team in preparation for SPHERES Vertigo runs tomorrow. This investigation uses the SPHERES free-flying satellites to demonstrate and test enhanced technologies and techniques related to visual inspection and navigation. This effort incorporates hardware and software that enables multiple SPHERES to construct 3D models of a target object and then perform relative navigation solely by reference to those 3D models. Node 1 Nadir Power Connections Part 1: As part of USOS Reconfiguation, Lindgren and Yui changed out bulkhead feedthrough connectors in the Lab to Node 1 vestibule. They then mated pre-routed jumper cables to the ISS 2 and 3 power domains. An additional activity is scheduled tomorrow in order to mate an alternate set of jumper cables to the 1 and 4 power domains. These cables will provide power to Node 1 Nadir Berthing Port and Galley Rack. Service Module (SM) 8.08 Software Transition: Today, the Service Module Central Computers (ЦВМ) and Service Module Terminal Computers (TBM) were upgraded from the SM 8.07 software load to the SM 8.08 software load. The new software will support new Russian Cargo and Soyuz vehicles as well as provide 20 new Pre-Determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver (PDAM) Modes and removes SM software related to Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: During MSS power-up today, the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) Arm-2 Shoulder Yaw joint failed to read the expected position and reported an Invalid Joint Position. The flight control engineering teams are working to troubleshoot and gather data. Robotics Refueling Mission (RRM) science operations for today have been postponed while they work the issue. Ground ActivitiesAll activities were completed unless otherwise noted. System safing in support of Node 1 Nadir power connectionsRobotics Refueling Mission Science Operations Three-Day Look Ahead:Friday, 10/09: SPHERES, Node 1 Nadir Power Connections Part 2Saturday, 10/10: Crew off Duty, Node 1/Lab Vestible Leak Check (Modules forward of Node 1 will be isolated)Sunday, 10/11: Weekly Cleaning, Crew Off Duty QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group: Component - StatusElektron - OnVozdukh - Manual[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - OnCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - StandbyCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - OperateMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - ShutdownMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - OperateOxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - ProcessUrine Processing Assembly (UPA) - StandbyTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - OffTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-8-october-2015.html Later....... 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Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 14, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 14, 2015 Misc space/science goodies....... China’s Space Station Planners Put out Welcome Mat Artist’s concept of Chinese space station. JERUSALEM — China is soliciting international participation in its future manned space station in the form of foreign modules that would attach to the three-module core system, visits by foreign crew-transport vehicles for short stays and the involvement of non-Chinese researchers in placing experiments on the complex, the chief designer of China’s manned space program said Oct. 12. But he declined to commit to an international orbital docking technology that would facilitate international participation in the Chinese facility. The Chinese orbital station, consisting of a core module and two experiment-carrying modules, can be expanded to a total of six modules if international partners want to invest in their own components, said Zhou Jianping, chief designer of the China Manned Space Program at the China Manned Space Agency. Addressing the 66th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) here, Zhou said the station will have a nominal crew of three, with a maximum capacity of six, with three-member crews being launched aboard Chinese Long March 2F rockets from the Jiuquan spaceport for missions of up to six months. China has signed initial space station cooperation agreements with the Russian and European space agencies, and while the European Space Agency has begun training astronauts in Chinese, there is no specific plan yet to send astronauts to the Chinese facility. The core module of the Chinese station is scheduled for launch in 2018, Zhou said. Crew-carrying Chinese capsules will visit the module before the two experiment modules are added to complete the initial station design. “Work is well under way,” said Zhou, whose education includes time at the University of Southern California. “All the modules and associated vehicles are under development.” If the current schedule holds – he gave no indication of any financing or technical roadblocks – the station would be ready for full operations “around 2022,” he said. One of the interesting features of the Chinese space station is that it will be served from two of China’s four spaceports. The cargo modules will be launched aboard Chinese 5B rockets from the Hainan spaceport in southern China, at 19 degrees north latitude. Pressurized and unpressurized cargo will be launched aboard Long March 7 rockets, also from Hainan. But China’s Shenzhou crew-transport vehicle is launched from the Jiuquan launch facility at 41 degrees north latitude, in the Gobi Desert of Inner Mongolia. The station will operate for 10 years or more, at an altitude of 340-450 kilometers with an orbital inclination of 42-43 degrees relative to the equator. The international space station managed by the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada, operates in low Earth orbit of around 400 kilometers in altitude, with an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees, an accommodation to Russia, whose Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan is at 46 degrees north latitude. Zhou said China plans to launch an astronomy telescope into an orbit near enough to the space station to dock to it for upgrades and servicing. He declined to specify the telescope’s size. Zhou also declined to say whether China’s station would use a technical standard being developed in Europe and the United States that would facilitate future interoperability of orbital stations through common docking technologies. The annual IAC conferences are routinely filled with commitments to international collaboration from national space agencies. A common docking standard is one of the few concrete examples of progress in this respect. A Chinese refusal to adopt it – Zhen said his office would need to assure its quality – would send a signal about China’s intentions with international partners. The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, has said it wants to maintain the current space station until at least 2024. NASA has said likewise, and both have said the facility could last until 2028 given the current understanding of hardware obsolescence and future maintenance requirements of the core structure. European Space Agency Director-General Johann-Dietrich Woerner said here Oct. 12 that ESA, which has made a de facto commitment to the station to 2020, would like to extend that to 2024. Woerner said his agency wants an extended space station participation to be tied to a longer-term barter agreement with NASA. The current agreement allows ESA to pay for its 8.3 percent share of the station’s common operating costs not in cash to NASA, but in provision of the service module for NASA’s future Orion crew-transport vehicle. Under the current NASA-ESA agreement, ESA will provide a full service module for one Orion flight, and hardware for a second flight. The two sides have yet to negotiate an agreement that would make European industry the supplier of service modules beyond the first flight. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, has not yet been given clear indications from the Japanese government about whether Japan will maintain its space station participation to 2024. JAXA President Naoki Okumura said Japan’s Ministry of Education,Culture, Sports, Science & Technology, which control’s JAXA’s budget, has proposed a 2024 commitment to Japan’s parliament. A decision is expected in early 2016, he said. http://spacenews.com/chinas-space-station-planners-put-out-welcome-mat/ This is good news for the future....It will be busy "up there" with the ISS on extension, this space station, possible beginnings of a commercial station, various Mar's aspirations, planetary science missions and a lunar establishment. There will be lot's of co-operation between everyone as well.......nice...... ----------------------------------------------------- Earth's Gravitational Pull Cracks Open the Moon Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera images have revealed thousands of young, lobate thrust fault scarps on the moon. Image released Sept. 15, 2015.Credit: NASA/LRO/Arizona State University/Smithsonian Institution Earth's gravitational pull is massaging the moon, opening up faults in the lunar crust, researchers say. Just as the moon's gravitational pull causes seas and lakes to rise and fall as tides on Earth, the Earth exerts tidal forces on the moon. Scientists have known this for a while, but now they've found that Earth's pull actually opens up faults on the moon. "We know the close relationship between the Earth and the moon goes back to their origins, but what a surprise [it was] to find the Earth is still helping to shape the moon," study lead author Thomas Watters, a planetary scientist at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., told Space.com. The researchers analyzed data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter(LRO), which launched in 2009. In 2010, the spacecraft helped scientists discover that the moon is shrinking: High-resolution LRO images revealed 14 lobe-shaped fault scarps, or cliffs, which likely formed as the hot interior of the moon cooled and contracted, forcing the solid crust to buckle. The map shows the locations of over 3,200 lobate thrust fault scarps (red lines) on the Moon. Credit: NASA/LRO/Arizona State University/Smithsonian Institution After more than six years in orbit and imaging nearly three-quarters of the moon's surface, LRO has detected more than 3,200 of these fault scarps. These cliffs are the most common tectonic feature on the moon, and are typically dozens of yards or meters high and less than about 6 miles (10 kilometers) long. Previous research had suggested they were less than 50 million years old, and are likely still actively forming today. If the only influence on lunar fault scarp formation was the cooling of the moon's interior, the orientations of these cliffs should be random, because the forces of contraction would be equal in strength in all directions, researchers said. "It was a big surprise to find that the fault scarps don't have random orientations," Watters said. Instead, "there is a pattern in the orientations of the thousands of faults, and it suggests something else is influencing their formation, something that's also acting on a global scale," Watters said in a statement. "That something is the Earth's gravitational pull." Earth's tidal forces do not act equally across the surface of the entire moon. Instead, they act most strongly on the parts of the moon that are either closest to or farthest away from Earth. The result is that many scarps are lined up north to south at low and mid latitudes near the moon's equator and east to west at high latitudes near the moon's poles. The effects of Earth's tidal forces are likely about 50 to 100 times smaller than those from the moon's contraction, Watters said. A model incorporating the effects of tidal and contractional forces on the moon's surface closely matched the fault scarps observed on the moon, he added. "With LRO, we've been able to study the moon globally in detail not yet possible with any other body in the solar system beyond Earth, and the LRO data set enables us to tease out subtle but important processes that would otherwise remain hidden," John Keller, LRO project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said in a different statement. If these lunar faults are still active, shallow "moonquakes" might occur along them. These rumbles should happen most often when Earth's tidal effects are greatest on the moon — when the moon is farthest away from the Earth in its orbit. A network of seismometers on the moon's surface could one day detect these quakes, Watters said. Watters and his colleaguesdetailed their findings in the October issue of the journal Geology. http://www.space.com/30795-earth-gravitational-pull-cracks-moon.html ----------------------------------------------- Light Show...Again.... Arctic sky watchers are still buzzing about last week's 3-day outburst of Northern Lights. Many veteran observers ranked it as the brightest display they had seen in years. Photographer Ole Salomonsen was one of them. "On Friday, Oct. 9th, I was treated with perhaps the most massive aurora I have ever witnessed," he says. "They appeared right over my hometown, Tromsø, Norway." "The auroras were so strong that many of my shots were overexposed," he continues. "I had to continuously lower the exposure not to burn out the auroras. I have never in my life witnessed this amount of pink auroras, just MASSIVE!" The display was caused by shock waves from a CIR (co-rotating interaction region), which hit Earth on Oct. 7th, followed by a stream of high-speed solar wind on Oct. 8th and 9th. Strong geomagnetic storms sparked Northern Lights as far south as Virginia, USA. Another stream of solar wind is coming. ETA: Oct.12-13. Without another CIR to "pre-condition" Earth's magnetic field, however, this week's solar wind stream will probably have less effect. NOAA forecasters estimate a 60% chance of minor G1-class geomagnetic storms on Oct.12th. http://www.spaceweather.com/ --------------------------------------------------- Doctor Who LEGO Set Coming Soon: Prepare for Time-Traveling Adventures A new Lego Ideas set will bring the "Doctor Who" world to the small scale, including at least two of the Doctors, two Daleks, at least one companion, a weeping angel and the sonic screwdriver.Credit: The Lego Group "Doctor Who" fans know that size doesn't really matter — after all, the time machine used in that show is bigger inside than it is on the outside. So it shouldn't be any problem for fans to imagine time-travel adventures using a Lego TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space). The Lego group will release this Doctor Who set at some point in December. "Lego Ideas Doctor Who set will be available starting December!" the company wrote on Google+ and Facebook on Oct. 6. "Construct a stunningly detailed Lego version of the iconic TARDIS and role-play the Doctor's time-travel adventures!" The Doctor Who LEGO set appears to include at least two of the Doctors, two Daleks (enemies of the Doctor), at least one of the companions who travels with the Doctor, a weeping angel and the sonic screwdriver (a multifunctional tool the Doctor uses to solve problems in all sorts of situations). The company did not release a retail price for the set or availability details. The ninth series of the current iteration of "Doctor Who" began last month. "Doctor Who" has been running for most of the past 50 years; one of its distinguishing features is that every time the lead actor is ready to relinquish the role, the Doctor in the show dies and is resurrected as a new Doctor, who is played by the new lead actor http://www.space.com/30810-doctor-who-lego-set-coming-soon.html ------------------------------------------- China will build the largest satellite dish designed for picking up messages from outer space. Chinese scientists set their sights on building the world’s largest radio telescope, which will be the most advanced telescope designed to pick up messages from outer space. The telescope will be named the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, also known as FAST. The construction will be completed in 2016. The reflector dish of the telescope will measure no less than 500 meters in diameter and will trump the second largest telescope in the world, Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory, measuring only 300 meters in diameter.Nan Redong, the chief scientist of the FAST project said: The dish of the satellite will be built into a natural bowl-shaped valley in the Guihzou province in China. The dish will be suspended above ground level by strong pillars and cables, thus allowing operators to be able to listen to interference from Earth radio signals. The construction of the telescope will represent one of China’s biggest advancement in space exploration. China’s first space exploration programme started back in the 1990’s, and they have already managed to send a human into orbit. The telescope will permit the Chinese scientists to have their own data and equipment in order to conduct independent research, rather than depending on foreign equipment. http://neurope.eu/article/china-to-build-the-worlds-largest-radio-telescope/ They have been working on this for a few years now and should be done next year.......big, big, dish....... Drone footage of the World's largest radio telescope in China video is 0:50 min China Is Building The World's Largest Radio Telescope (FAST)video is 0:50 min Later...... Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 14, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 14, 2015 Status reports for the ISS have been slow coming down the pipe...have yesterdays from another source... ISS Daily Summary Report – 10/13/15 Large Format Motion Picture Camera (IMAX): Yui connected the IMAX Codex to a Station Support Computer (SSC) for a downlink of recorded video files. IMAX filmmakers intend to produce a three dimensional movie called A Perfect Planet, using ISS-based video and images to show how natural and human forces shape planet Earth. The film will also showcase NASA’s exploration efforts and highlight the ISS as a platform for scientific research and a stepping stone to deep space exploration Russian Pilot-T Experiment: Kelly performed a session for the Russian experiment Pilot-T. The goal of Pilot-T is to improve methods and develop equipment to assess and predict crewmember performance reliability during the execution of complex operator tasks (such as piloting a space vehicle or controlling transport and robotic equipment on the surface of a spacecraft) during various stages of long-term spaceflight. Observation and Analysis of Smectic Islands in Space (OASIS) Glycerol/Water Fill: Kononenko filled the inkjet droplet device with glycerol and water in preparation for the experiment protocol on each sample container. OASIS studies the unique behavior of liquid crystals in microgravity, including their overall motion and the merging of crystal layers known as smectic islands. Liquid crystals are used for display screens in televisions and clocks, and they also occur in soaps and in cell membranes. The experiment allows detailed studies of the behavior of these structures, and how microgravity affects their unique ability to act like both a liquid and a solid crystal. Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions-3 (InSPACE3): Lindgren inspected and documented the condition of the InSPACE vial assemblies. He also used the BCAT-3 Magnet to evenly distribute the particles in the vial assemblies to support further observations. InSPACE-3 studies magnetic colloidal mixtures under the influence of various magnetic fields. A magnetic colloidal fluid, a type of smart fluid, contains materials which solidify within the liquid when a magnetic field is applied to it, thus changing the physical properties of the liquid as a whole. Conducting these experiments on board the ISS allows scientists to examine in detail the network and arrangement of the ‘frozen’ solid structures unaffected by the force of gravity which can deform them on Earth. ISS Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Umbilical (IEU) Removal and Replacement (R&R): On September 23, the crew found a damaged seal on the coolant loop outlet port in the connector that connects the IEU to the EMU. Both IEUs were due to be changed out early next year due to life time expiration. The team elected to R&R both expiring IEUs to support upcoming EMU operations. Today, Yui completed the R&R and performed part 1 of the activation and checkout procedure. Part 2 of the activation and checkout procedure will be done tomorrow. Water Sample and Analysis: Today, Yui collected two water samples from the Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) for inflight analysis. This was a regularly scheduled test to verify water quality. He then initiated a Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) sample analysis and stowed the other sample for incubation prior to microbial and coliform analysis on Thursday. Three-Day Look Ahead: Wednesday, 10/14: Ocular Health, IEU Checkout, Node 1 Reconfig Cable Connector Re-clocking Thursday, 10/15: Fundoscope, REBA H/W Checkout, OFV Measurements, Magvector Friday, 10/16: Fundoscope, Ocular Health, X2R14, IMAX, CIR, EVA LLB Battery Charge QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group: Component Status Elektron On Vozdukh Manual [СКВ] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”) On [СКВ] 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) Process Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Standby Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab Off Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 Full Up https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2015/10/13/iss-daily-summary-report-101315/ -------------------------------------------------- Here are a few neat articles..... --------------------------------------------------- Ascent Trajectories and the Gravity Turn Almost all space launch vehicles liftoff from the ground in the vertical direction and continue to orbit along an ascent trajectory that is usually optimized for the conditions in order to maximize performance while maintaining conservative safety margins. The actual shape of the path to orbit is influenced by a number of factors, including winds and the desired payload injection parameters. However, the ideal trajectory profile is based on reaching orbital speed, altitude and orientation as the upper stage completes its injection burn. In most cases, the trajectory is designed to avoid any aerodynamic side load, i.e., the angle of attack is kept at zero. Ignoring wind factors, this is achieved through the use of a "gravity" turn or "zero-lift" turn. This is a trajectory optimization technique that uses the transverse component of gravity (that is perpendicular to the launch vehicle's longitudinal axis) to turn the velocity vector as it ascents toward orbit. Control is achieved by carefully changing the pitch orientation of the vehicle during its powered ascent. The gravity turn offers the advantage of a natural ascent profile without wasting any of the vehicle's propellant. Furthermore, by keeping the angle of attack near zero, transverse aerodynamic stresses are kept to a minimum, allowing a lighter launch vehicle. At liftoff, the rocket begins its vertical ascent, gaining both speed and altitude. Initially, gravity acts directly against the thrust of the rocket, limiting its vertical acceleration and acting as "gravity drag." As soon as the vehicle clears any service towers and performs any required roll maneuvers, a "pitchover maneuver" is executed in order to steer the rocket's longitudinal axis toward the downrange direction and to establish the ultimate orbit plane. This maneuver is accomplished by gimbaling the rocket engines slightly to direct some of the thrust to one side, creating a net torque on the vehicle. Once this is completed, a small part of the gravitational force is directed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. This is the beginning of the gravity turn. From this point until orbit injection, the transverse gravity component continues to grow and causes the vehicle's velocity vector to rotate toward the horizon as it ascends. The exact initial pitchover angle depends on the specific launch vehicle and is orbital destination. As soon as the pitchover maneuver is completed, the rocket engines are returned to their non-gimbaled orientation. Note that this small steering maneuver is the only one needed during an ideal ascent in which thrust must be used for the purpose of steering. In reality, wind forces do cause minor gimbal-induced corrections during ascent. Since all space launch vehicles consist of at least two stages, each stage is fired sequentially, resulting in slight discontinuities in thrust. Therefore, ascent sequences are designed to deal with lower-stage shutdown, separation and upper-stage startup. An actual ascent sequence involves many events and steps. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Ascent_Trajectories_and_the_Gravity_Turn_999.html --------------------------------------------- Vanishing Acts: A Call for Disappearing Delivery Vehicles "In a military context, access to small, unmanned delivery systems whose structural and avionics components were made with transient materials could ease the provision of, say, water, batteries or emergency medical supplies without adding to a unit's pack-out-burden." It sounds like an engineering fantasy, or maybe an episode from Mission Impossible: A flock of small, single-use, unpowered delivery vehicles dropped from an aircraft, each of which literally vanishes after landing and delivering food or medical supplies to an isolated village during an epidemic or disaster. And it would be nothing more than a fantasy, were it not that the principle behind disappearing materials has already been proven. Building on recent innovations in its two-year-old Vanishing Programmable Resources (VAPR) program, which has developed self-destructing electronic components, DARPA has launched ICARUS, a program driven by a vision of vanishing air vehicles that can make precise deliveries of critical supplies and then vaporize into thin air. "Our partners in the VAPR program are developing a lot of structurally sound transient materials whose mechanical properties have exceeded our expectations," said VAPR and ICARUS program manager Troy Olsson. Among the most eye-widening of these ephemeral materials so far have been small polymer panels that sublimate directly from a solid phase to a gas phase, and electronics-bearing glass strips with high-stress inner anatomies that can be readily triggered to shatter into ultra-fine particles after use. A goal of the VAPR program is electronics made of materials that can be made to vanish if they get left behind after battle, to prevent their retrieval by adversaries. "With the progress made in VAPR, it became plausible to imagine building larger, more robust structures using these materials for an even wider array of applications. And that led to the question, 'What sorts of things would be even more useful if they disappeared right after we used them?'" Olsson said. "In discussions with colleagues, we were able to identify a capability gap that we decided was worth trying to close." From those deliberations emerged ICARUS, the mythology-alluding acronym for Inbound, Controlled, Air-Releasable, Unrecoverable Systems. Described in a Broad Agency Announcement (DARPA-BAA-16-03, published on October 9, 2015, is available on FedBizOpps: http://go.usa.gov/3uJJd), the two-phase program is slated to last 26 months with total funding of about $8 million. The millennia-old Icarus story ends badly when the protagonist, soaring with youthful abandon on wings of feather and wax, flies too close to the sun and then falls and drowns in the ocean as his wings disintegrate. DARPA's new ICARUS program aims to mimic the material transience that led to Icarus' demise, but leverages that capacity in scenarios with more uplifting endings. In one program-driving scenario, troops are called upon to deliver food, perishable vaccines, insulin, and blood and plasma products to widespread, difficult-to-reach destinations in the aftermath of an earthquake or tsunami. The option to forget entirely about the remains of all those delivery vehicles once they have done their job would relieve response teams from the logistics task of packing and transporting the vehicles out of the affected region while essentially eliminating environmental impacts from the vehicles' deployment. In a military context, access to small, unmanned delivery systems whose structural and avionics components were made with transient materials could ease the provision of, say, water, batteries or emergency medical supplies without adding to a unit's pack-out-burden. "Vanishing delivery vehicles could extend military and civilian operational capabilities in extenuating circumstances where currently there is no means to provide additional support," said Olsson, adding that he is optimistic the program will attract talented and created partners because it involves such interesting science and engineering. "Inventing transient materials, devising ways of scaling up their production, and combining those challenges with the hard control and aerodynamic requirements to reach the precision and soft-landing specs we need here makes for a challenging and compelling engineering problem." http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Vanishing_Acts_A_Call_for_Disappearing_Delivery_Vehicles_999.html DARPA link..http://www.darpa.mil/program/vanishing-programmable-resources This has a lot of neat uses.....besides "Mission Impossible" evidence removal...... ------------------------------------- Ultrathin Microlenses Could Boost Space Science and Tech This drawing shows how a "metasurface" can generate and focus radially polarized light.Credit: Amir Arbabi/Faraon Lab/Caltech Researchers have created the first ultrathin, flat lens able to focus light just as well as its curved counterparts, potentially enabling big breakthroughs in camera and microscope technology. "These flat lenses will help us to make more-compact and robust imaging assemblies," Mahmood Bagheri, a microdevices engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, said in a statement. The new tech could be a boon for space science, as small size and toughness are important characteristics for spacecraft components. [8 Baffling Astronomy Mysteries] Typical lenses, such as those used in eyeglasses or magnifying glasses, rely on curvature to bend and focus light. As light enters a curved lens, it bends based on the density of the material and comes to a focus point. The new flat lenses can manipulate light in ways that are nearly impossible for conventional lenses, and they take up less space, allowing for smaller electronics. (Each lens is less than 1 percent of the thickness of a human hair, researchers said.) Devices made with the new lenses should also be tougher, since the new technology uses silicon nanopillars instead of glass. The silicon nanopillars — so-called because they'd look like tall columns to anything smaller than a nanometer (one one-billionth of a meter) — are arranged in a honeycomb pattern. This creates "metasurfaces" that can control the paths and properties of passing light waves via electromagnetic features. For example, these metasurfaces can change the degree to which light bends, which affects whether an image appears in or out of focus. The surfaces can also manipulate polarization, restricting the vibration of light waves to only one direction, which is essential for the operation of advanced microscopes, cameras and displays, researchers said. Doing all of this shouldn't break the bank, either, researchers added. "Currently, optical systems are made one component at a time, and the components are often manually assembled," Andrei Faraon, an assistant professor of applied physics and materials science at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, said in the same statement. "But this new technology is very similar to the one used to print semiconductor chips onto silicon wafers, so you could conceivably manufacture millions of systems, such as microscopes or cameras, at a time." Other than microscopes and cameras, these ultrathin, flat lenses can also be used in advanced displays and sensors. The team, which is composed of researchers at JPL and Caltech, is now working to create metasurfaces that can be used in commercial products, like miniature cameras and spectrometers. The new research was published in May in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. http://www.space.com/30808-ultrathin-lenses-camera-microscope-space-tech.html This will be a breakthrough when a control system is established for the magnetic portion of the "lenses"...compact, tough, lightweight and extremely variable -------------------------------------------------------- Coronal Hole...again..... A gigantic hole in the sun's atmosphere has opened up and a broad stream of solar wind is flowing out of it. This is called a "coronal hole." It is the deep blue-colored region in this extreme UV image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory: Coronal holes are places in the sun's atmosphere where the magnetic field unfurls and allows solar wind to escape. In the image above, the sun's magnetic field is traced by white curving lines. Outside the coronal hole, those magnetic fields curve back on themselves, trapping solar wind inside their loops. Inside the coronal hole, no such trapping occurs. Solar wind plasma is free to fly away as indicated by the white arrows. For much of the next week, Earth's environment in space will be dominated by winds flowing from this broad hole. This should activate some beautiful Arctic auroras. NOAA forecasters estimate a 65% of polar geomagnetic storms today as Earth moves deeper into the solar wind stream. http://www.spaceweather.com/ Later..... Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unobscured Vision Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Nice! DD's latest entries of Space & Science to tickle our neurons. Something in the Chinese Space Station article caught my attention though. They're concerned about the different inclinations (19 degrees versus 42) between the two launch sites? It requires a substantial amount of fuel to change your orbital inclination if you're already there, but when you launch it's not that big of a deal ... change your angle of attack during the entire launch phase, gradually. The Space Shuttle was famous for being able to launch into weird corridors like that. Remember the "pitchover" maneuver? That. Of course, physics and gravity still apply, so there's only so much you can change during launch (otherwise it becomes dangerous, mainly due to vehicle stresses as the velocity increases). Different inclinations can be dealt with, and are best dealt with at launch during initial guidance corrections. Aiming for a 19-degree inclination from a 42-degree one is quite easily dealt with, and then fine-tune any needed course corrections with small burns after reaching orbit. No big deal. Draggendrop 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 15, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 15, 2015 Biomedical and Physics Research for Crew Including Spacesuit Work (13 October, 2015) NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren prepares a fresh coffee using one of the specially designed cups used in the Capillary Beverage study. The six-member Expedition 45 crew focused on human research and physics Tuesday as NASA prepares for deep space missions and learns how to live in space for longer periods. Two astronauts are also getting ready for a pair of maintenance spacewalks beginning at the end of the month. Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren teamed up in the morning for theBody Measures experiment, a study that explores how microgravity affects a crew member’s body measurements over time. Lindgren then moved on to researching smart materials under magnetic conditions, potentially improving the design and strength of buildings and bridges on Earth. Kelly also explored how a long-term spaceflight influences spacecraft piloting abilities. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui sampled the station’s water quality, worked on life support maintenance and replaced cable ropes on an exercise device. Yui also swapped out gear on a pair of U.S. spacesuits that Kelly and Lindgren will wear on two upcoming spacewalks, the first on Oct. 28 and the second on Nov. 6. Veteran cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Oleg Kononenko worked on two different crystal experiments, one of which studies liquid crystals and another that explores crystal magnetism. One-Year crew member Mikhail Kornienko worked on Russian maintenance tasks and monitored his blood pressure and heartbeat. He also took his turn, along with Kononenko, on the same Pilot experiment Kelly participated in Tuesday. https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2015/10/13/biomedical-and-physics-research-for-crew-including-spacesuit-work/ --------------------------------------------- Crew Prepares for Spacewalks and December Cygnus Mission (14 October, 2015) NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, wearing an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz In two weeks, NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren will step outside the U.S. Quest airlock for the first of two maintenance spacewalks. The International Space Station is also being readied to host the next Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo mission set for early December. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui has been servicing the two spacesuits Kelly and Lindgren will wear on the two six-hour spacewalks scheduled for Oct. 28 and Nov. 6. The spacewalkers will lubricate the tip of the International Space Station’s robotic arm, Canadarm2. He and Lindgren started their day, though, with eye checks for the ongoing Ocular Health study. Kelly and Lindgren have also been preparing the Unity module where the Cygnus commercial cargo craft will be attached when it arrives in December after a 14-month hiatus. Kelly installed a Unity power adapter in the Destiny lab module then joined Lindgren to adjust power connectors inside Unity. The three cosmonauts continued their routine maintenance tasks and science experiments in the station’s Russian segment. Flight Engineer Sergey Volkov explored crystal magnetism, while Oleg Kononenko and Mikhail Kornienko studied how a crew member adapts to motion during a spaceflight. https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2015/10/14/crew-prepares-for-spacewalks-and-december-cygnus-mission/ --------------------------------------------- Spaceflight Brings Third Fully-Operational Ground Station Online in New Zealand Press Release From: Spaceflight Services Posted: Tuesday, October 13, 2015 the leading full-service satellite, launch and communications provider, announced its third and newest ground station in Invercargill, New Zealand is now fully operational. With two other operational stations located in Fairbanks, AK and Tukwila, WA, Spaceflight continues to build out a network of ground stations to meet customer demand for low-latency communications for small satellites or constellations for Earth observation and other applications. As a result, operators can more rapidly access the data their satellites collect via Spaceflight’s network of ground stations.“The small-satellite revolution requires massive improvements in latency, data throughput and operating costs compared to what is available today,” said Jason Andrews, chief executive of Spaceflight. “Bringing the ground station online in New Zealand is another step in executing on our vision to add more capacity across more continents to satisfy the tremendous customer demand.”ORBIT, a leading provider of mission and business critical communication solutions for land, sea, air and space applications, was selected as the antenna system provider for Spaceflight’s New Zealand ground station, where its Gaia 100 product is well-suited for the needs of the small satellite community.“ORBIT’s versatile ground station solutions, based on the Gaia family product-line, enable space agencies and satellite owners to download data for Earth Observation and remote sensing applications such as weather monitoring, disaster control, surveillance, and oil & gas exploration,“ said Erez Shabirow, ORBIT's CEO. “We are thrilled to play an integral role in helping accelerate the growth and capability of Spaceflight’s network of ground stations and making reliable communications between satellites and ground users immediately compatible.” About SpaceflightSpaceflight is a next-generation, integrated space services and solutions company that is fundamentally changing how small satellites are built, launched and operated to improve access to space and enable persistent global awareness. Through its market-leading subsidiaries and service lines, the company provides cost-effective, comprehensive small-satellite products and services from development to launch, communications and operations. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Spaceflight provides its services worldwide through its global network of partners, ground stations and launch vehicle providers. For more information, please visit www.spaceflight.comAbout ORBIT Communication SystemsORBIT is a global provider of highly engineered mission-critical communication solutions for land, sea, air and space applications. ORBIT's maritime, aerospace and land application solutions are suitable for commercial, defense and homeland security markets. ORBIT’s portfolio includes mobile satellite communication systems, communication management systems and tracking and telemetry ground stations, deployed on thousands of marine, airborne and ground platforms worldwide. ORBIT’s customers include leading navies, major systems integrators, communication service providers, earth observation organizations and space agencies. ORBIT's integrated end-to-end turnkey solutions for Earth Observation / Remote Sensing applications combine antenna systems, complete RF chain, M&C, control shelters and trailers, on-site installation & commissioning and service support. For more information, please visit www.orbit-cs.comMedia Contact:Christie Melby or Suong Nguyen, Communiqué PRSpaceflight@CommuniquePR.com(206) 282.4923 // end // http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=47046 ---------------------------------- NASA Awards Contract for Aerospace Systems Research, Technology Development Press Release From: NASA HQ Posted: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 Under its Basic and Applied Aerospace technology (BAART) multiple-awards contract, NASA has awarded contracts to 11 companies to support research and technology development for aerospace systems at the agency’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The multiple-award, indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity contract, which begins Nov. 1, allows NASA to spend as much as $400 million during five years cumulatively on all 11 contracts. By technical tracks of work, the awardees are: Advanced Materials and Structural Systems, Aerodynamics, Aerothermodynamics, and Acoustics Alliant Techsystems Operations, LLC of Elkton, MarylandAnalytical Services & Materials, Inc. of Hampton, VirginiaAurora Flight Sciences Corporation of Manassas, VirginiaLockheed Martin Corporation, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company of Palmdale, CaliforniaNorthrop Grumman Systems Corporation, Aerospace Systems of Redondo Beach, CaliforniaThe Boeing Company of Hazelwood, MissouriSystems Analysis and Concepts ViGYAN, Inc. of Hampton, VirginiaEntry, Descent, and Landing Alliant Techsystems Operations, LLCAnalytical Services & Materials, Inc.Lockheed Martin Corporation, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics CompanyThe Boeing CompanyMeasurement Systems and Autonomous Technologies Alliant Techsystems Operations, LLCNorthrop Grumman Systems Corporation, Aerospace SystemsThe Boeing CompanyViGYAN, Inc.Flight-Critical and Intelligent Flight Systems Aurora Flight Sciences CorporationEngility Corporation of Chantilly, VirginiaHoneywell International, Inc. of Golden Valley, MinnesotaNorthrop Grumman Systems Corporation, Aerospace SystemsRockwell Collins, Inc. of Cedar Rapids, IowaSaab Sensis Corporation of East Syracuse, New YorkThe Boeing Company The scope of work under the BAART contract includes support for basic and applied research, technology concepts, analysis, development and integration; systems concepts, analysis development and integration; and technology demonstrations. The research scope ranges in maturity from fundamental tool and technology development through integrated technology demonstrations, potentially to include flight demonstrations and vehicle concepts and performance conditions within the speed regimes of subsonic through hypersonic atmospheric flight. For more information on NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov // end // http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=47056 Later..... Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 15, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 15, 2015 Clearing the Space Fog on ISS NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren works through 10 cognitive tests developed to test how spaceflight affects mental abilities. Image courtesy NASA. For a larger version of this image please go here. The term "space fog" refers not to water droplets blocking the view in space - there's no water out there - but rather a phenomenon affecting the mental abilities of astronauts. Those who have spent time aboard the International Space Station coined the term to describe the difficulty concentrating and mental fatigue they sometimes experience. Astronauts need to maintain a high level of mental performance, so scientists need a tool to objectively measure how spaceflight changes that performance - the density of the fog, if you will. An investigation called Cognition is evaluating the in-flight use of one such tool, a comprehensive battery of computerized tests. The battery includes 10 different cognitive tests and lasts about 20 minutes. Crew members will complete the battery 11 times during six months aboard the station. The tests cover a wider range of mental or cognitive functions than can be currently assessed in space and provide immediate, real-time feedback on performance. Designing the series of tests took about four years, said principal investigator Mathias Basner, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine who holds an M.D. and Ph.D. in research. The tests couldn't be too easy, which might bore astronauts, or too hard, which might cause frustration. The entire battery couldn't take too long, either, as time is very valuable in space. In addition, the tests need to evaluate a variety of brain functions in order to create a clear picture of astronaut health and performance capability. The battery covers cognitive abilities such as working memory, stability of attention, and sensory motor speed; emotional recognition, such as whether a subject can "read" a fellow astronauts' face; a subject's willingness to take the appropriate amount of risk in decision-making; and spatial orientation, a critical ability in microgravity. The problem of space fog is hardly surprising. In space, astronauts deal with disruption of sleep and daily rhythms, heavy mental and physical workloads, and environmental stressors such as microgravity, high levels of carbon dioxide, and radiation. There are also psychological issues related to isolation and confinement. "We have done other work on understanding what kind of things impair cognitive ability," said co-investigator David F. Dinges, a professor in the University of Pennsylvania Department of Psychiatr, who holds a Ph.D. in physiological psychology. "We know that sufficient length and quality of sleep is paramount for performing at high levels, yet astronauts on the station often get six or fewer hours of sleep every 24 hours. That is comparable to chronic sleep deprivation, which we know causes impairment." Scientists do not yet know the exact role of fatigue in causing space fog, or that of other physical effects of spaceflight such as changes in vision, higher pressure in the brain, or medications used to manage sleep and fatigue. For the most part, all they have are subjective reports of problems from the astronauts themselves. "There can be a huge disconnect between subjective and objective assessment, especially during sleep deprivation," Basner said. "You just get used to feeling tired and think that is normal, and then you may overestimate your performance capability." As highly-trained, highly-effective individuals, astronauts also may be able to better compensate, at least temporarily. Data from the test battery provide an objective, rather than subjective, measure of an astronaut's level of impairment and the role various stressors play. Researchers also have been giving the tests on the ground to astronauts, astronaut candidates, and subjects from mission control. The data from these tests show how a similar population performs in normal gravity, which then can be compared to data from space. The test battery could be useful in a variety of situations on Earth. "This is designed for high-performing individuals, not necessarily for a standard population," said Basner. "But it could be administered to medical doctors, who have problems with fatigue, or to pilots, for example. We've implemented it with scientists in Antarctica, an environment with some of the same challenges as space." The level of difficulty of the tests could be adjusted for other uses as well, such as assessing whether mental changes represent normal aging or signs of dementia. By enabling more effective measurement of the performance of crew members in space or populations on the ground, the test battery should help clear up the fog. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Clearing_the_Space_Fog_on_ISS_999.html -------------------------------------------- MDA to Provide Additional Units for Robotic Capture and berthing of Spacecraft to the ISS Press Release From: MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. Posted: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (“MDA” or the “Company”) (TSX:MDA), a global communications and information company, today announced that it has received a contract amendment from Orbital ATK for additional interface units to enable capture and berthing of its Cygnus commercial resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. MDA has provided previous interface units to Orbital ATK as announced in January 2010.About MDA MDA is a global communications and information company providing operational solutions to commercial and government organizations worldwide.MDA’s business is focused on markets and customers with strong repeat business potential, primarily in the Communications sector and the Surveillance and Intelligence sector. In addition, the Company conducts a significant amount of advanced technology development.MDA’s established global customer base is served by more than 4,800 employees operating from 11 locations in the United States, Canada, and internationally.The Company’s common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “MDA.”About Orbital ATK Orbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies. The company designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier. Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs more than 12,000 people in 18 states across the U.S. and in several international locations. For more information, visit www.orbitalatk.com.Related Websiteswww.mdacorporation.comwww.orbitalatk.com // end // http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=47063 ------------------------------------------ Blast waves in the Sun's atmosphere A look at the Sun's right limb on 26 January 2010. Within the marked red square a large-scale blast wave travels through the Sun's atmosphere. These images were obtained with the help of NASA's STERO A probe and show the Sun's atmosphere in extreme ultraviolet light. Image courtesy NASA/STEREO A/MPS/AAS reproduced with permission. For a larger version of this image please go here. Two teams of researchers led by Nariaki Nitta from the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in the USA and by Radoslav Bucik from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany have independently discovered a new solar phenomenon: large-scale waves in the star's atmosphere accompanied by energetic particle emissions rich in helium-3. Helium-3 is a light variety of the inert gas helium. The huge waves may contribute significantly to accelerate the particles into space, the MPS scientists now report in The Astrophysical Journal. Decisive for this discovery were the two spacecraft STEREO A and ACE making it possible to simultaneously observe the Sun from two different directions. In the near future, no such opportunity will arise again. The Sun is a highly eruptive star: Again and again it emits energetic particles and radiation into space in violent outbursts. Examples of outbursts are the coronal mass ejections (CMEs) where a plasma of electrons, protons, and a few heavy atoms is hurled into space, as well as short, collimated X-ray flares. Both phenomena occur in connection with so-called solar eruptions. Two research groups have now independently discovered a completely new type of solar ejection in observational data: large wave fronts in the Sun's atmosphere together with particle flows rich in helium-3. The waves could be tracked down by looking at the Sun's atmosphere in extreme ultraviolet light. The waves detected in data from 26 January and 2 February 2010 extended over at least half a million kilometers and propagated at a speed of approximately 300 kilometers per second. They occurred shortly after a weak X-ray flash, but differ significantly from this typical jet-like form of radiation. Coronal mass ejections as a trigger of the waves were not observed. "The new phenomenon is like a kind of explosion," said Bucik, who headed the team of researchers at the MPS, the Johns Hopkins University, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US. Simultaneously with the blast waves, the Sun hurls a particle stream rich in helium-3 into space. Particle emissions of this kind have been well-known for years, but could never be fully explained. "We believe that the blast waves accelerate the helium-3", says Davina Innes from the MPS. "Our analysis shows that typical characteristics of the waves, such as their energy, influence the properties of the particles", adds her colleague Lijia Guo, also stationed at the MPS. However, how exactly this works, is still unclear. In order to observe both the wave phenomenon and the helium-3 ejections and so to recognize the connection between the two, a two-fold look at the Sun was necessary. Since the Sun rotates, ejected particles leaving the star travel on a curved trajectory similar to the water jets of a rotating lawn sprinkler. The particles reaching Earth have, therefore, originated on the right side of the Sun (as seen from Earth). This region is not clearly visible from Earth. "STEREO A is the only solar observatory in space, which does not remain close to Earth, but travels around the Sun," explains Bucik. In early 2010, the spacecraft was located exactly above the right limb of the Sun. While ACE orbiting close to Earth could detect the particle streams, STEREO A yielded recordings of the region where they originated - and thus of the EUV blast wave. The researchers believe that the new phenomenon is not rare, but could so far not be well observed. "Unfortunately, however, in the foreseeable future the necessary viewing geometry will not occur again", says Bucik. STEREO A is one of NASA'S twin space probes launched in 2006. The probes, called A and B, circle the Sun in opposite directions thus allowing for a three-dimensional look at our star. Since the loss of communication with STEREO B last October, STEREO A has continued its observations alone. In 2025 it will reach the same favorable viewing position again as it had 2010. ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer) is a NASA spacecraft. Since 1997 it has been studying solar, cosmic, and interstellar particles from an observation site near Earth. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Blast_waves_in_the_Suns_atmosphere_999.html This is pretty big news.....Just when you think you have a "handle" on processes.....POOF....rethink time....science.... --------------------------------------------- I just had to throw this one in...made my day...... Robots are learning to fall with grace file photo Robots aren't yet perfect. As they learn new skills, they're likely to be even less perfect. For this reason and others, it's important for robots to learn to fall and fail gracefully. At Georgia Tech, engineers are working to do just that -- teaching robots to fall. One of the physiological skills that robots have had trouble picking up is improvisation. When a person begins to lose their balance, their innate reflexes kick in, allowing them to quickly re-calibrate their equilibrium and adapt -- often preventing a slip or fall. Even when humans fall, most are able to adopt postures to protect themselves and dampen the landing. Robots traditionally lack this ability, too. But a new algorithm, designed by Ph.D. graduate Sehoon Ha and Professor Karen Liu, is helping to change that, empowering robots to react to their tumbles and prevent damage. "A fall can potentially cause detrimental damage to the robot and enormous cost to repair," Ha, a 2015 graduate of Disney Research Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, said in a press release. "We believe robots can learn how to fall safely." Earlier this month, Ha and Liu presented their work at the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, held this year in Hamburg, Germany. "Our work unified existing research about how to teach robots to fall by giving them a tool to automatically determine the total number of contacts (how many hands shoved it, for example), the order of contacts, and the position and timing of those contacts," Ha added. "All of that impacts the potential of a fall and changes the robot's response." The researchers' algorithm was informed by observing the falling skills of cats, sequencing and transcribing the subtle movements that make up a fall and a reaction to a fall. "From previous work, we knew a robot had the computational know-how to achieve a softer landing, but it didn't have the hardware to move quickly enough like a cat," Liu said. "Our new planning algorithm takes into account the hardware constraints and the capabilities of the robot, and suggests a sequence of contacts so the robot gradually can slow itself down." http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Robots_are_learning_to_fall_with_grace_999.html We will teach you how to fall spasticly, get up, dust yourself off, and carry on like you planned it ...... There goes my defensive options like "cow tipping", 10W30 on the roadway, barb wire tumbleweed and luring them onto ice lakes..... Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 17, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 17, 2015 ISS update backlog....... NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 13 October 2015 Veteran cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Oleg Kononenko worked on two different crystal experiments, one of which studies liquid crystals and another that explores crystal magnetism. One-Year crew member Mikhail Kornienko worked on Russian maintenance tasks and monitored his blood pressure and heartbeat. He also took his turn, along with Kononenko, on the same Pilot experiment Kelly participated in Tuesday. Large Format Motion Picture Camera (IMAX): Yui connected the IMAX Codex to a Station Support Computer (SSC) for a downlink of recorded video files. IMAX filmmakers intend to produce a three dimensional movie called A Perfect Planet, using ISS-based video and images to show how natural and human forces shape planet Earth. The film will also showcase NASA's exploration efforts and highlight the ISS as a platform for scientific research and a stepping stone to deep space exploration Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions-3 (InSPACE3): Lindgren inspected and documented the condition of the InSPACE vial assemblies. He also used the BCAT-3 Magnet to evenly distribute the particles in the vial assemblies to support further observations. InSPACE-3 studies magnetic colloidal mixtures under the influence of various magnetic fields. A magnetic colloidal fluid, a type of smart fluid, contains materials which solidify within the liquid when a magnetic field is applied to it, thus changing the physical properties of the liquid as a whole. Conducting these experiments on board the ISS allows scientists to examine in detail the network and arrangement of the 'frozen' solid structures unaffected by the force of gravity which can deform them on Earth. Ground Activities All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.Nominal System Commanding Three-Day Look Ahead: Wednesday, 10/14: Ocular Health, IEU Checkout, Node 1 Reconfig Cable Connector Re-clockingThursday, 10/15: Fundoscope, REBA H/W Checkout, OFV Measurements, MagvectorFriday, 10/16: Fundoscope, Ocular Health, X2R14, IMAX, CIR, EVA LLB Battery Charge QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group: Component - StatusElektron - OnVozdukh - Manual[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - On[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - OffCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - StandbyCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - OperateMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - ShutdownMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - OperateOxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - ProcessUrine Processing Assembly (UPA) - StandbyTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - OffTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-13-october-2015.html Space Station Live: A MinION to Space Station video is 6:54 min...content unknowm...but Amiko looks great... ------------------- NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 14 October 2015 Plant Gravity Sensing 2 (PGS2): Today Lindgren retrieved culture dishes from a Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) and treated the plants growing in them with a chemical reagent that induces a bioluminescence response that is dependent on the concentration of calcium ions in the plants. The Plant calcium concentrations have been shown to change in response to the direction of gravity: the plants emit photons when the culture dishes they are growing in are turned upside down so that the direction of gravity is changed relative to the plants. The reagent will be removed tomorrow with an absorbent and on Thursday the culture dishes will be turned upside down and returned to a Photon Counting Unit (PCU) so that photon measurements can be taken. The PGS2 investigation supports the study of cellular formation of the gravity sensors and the molecular mechanism for gravity sensing in plants grown in microgravity conditions. Node 1 Nadir Berthing Port Cabling: Last Friday, the crew was unable to mate two pre-routed power cables due to interference resulting from connector backshell clocking. Today, the crew succesfully re-clocked the 90° connectors and completed the installation of the wire harnesses to the Node 1 Forward Overhead and Lab Aft Overhead Bulkheads. These cables will provide power to Node 1 Nadir Berthing Port and Galley Rack. The crew also removed the airlock y-jumper that was installed as an interim measure last Friday. Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparation: Kelly has packed International Docking Adapter (IDA) Cables into an EVA cable bag. The cables will be installed on Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA)-3 during the ISS Upgrades EVA currently scheduled for October 28th. The ISS Program plans to establish two docking ports on the US On-orbit Segment compatible with the International Docking System Standard (IDSS). In the future, the docking adapters will be installed onto the existing PMA-2 and PMA3 interfaces. Each adapter will permanently convert a passive Androgynous Peripheral Attachment System (APAS) docking interface into a passive IDSS interface. Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) Troubleshooting: Today, Robotics Controllers performed data collection on the SPDM Arm 2 Shoulder Yaw Joint utilizing a diagnostics software patch. The troubleshooting was conducted as a result of an anomaly that occurred on the joint last Thursday, 08 October. The data will now be analyzed by ground teams. Ground ActivitiesAll activities were completed unless otherwise noted. Powerdowns in support of Node 1 Nadir Berthing Port cable connectsSPDM Troubleshooting Three-Day Look Ahead: Thursday, 10/15: Fundoscope, REBA H/W Checkout, OFV Measurements, MagvectorFriday, 10/16: Fundoscope, Ocular Health, X2R14, IMAX, JEMAL Shielding, EVA LLB Battery ChargeSaturday, 10/17: Weekly Cleaning, Crew Off Duty QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group: Component - StatusElektron - OnVozdukh - Manual[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - OnCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - StandbyCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - OperateMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - ShutdownMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - OperateOxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - ProcessUrine Processing Assembly (UPA) - StandbyTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - OffTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-14-october-2015.html --------------------------------- NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 15 October 2015 Plant Gravity Sensing 2 (PGS2) Run 1: Following up on Lindgren's treatment yesterday of the growing plants with a chemical reagent that induces a bioluminescence response, today Yui removed the reagent with an absorbent and placed them in a Photon Counting Unit (PCU). Photon measurements will be taken over the next 24 hours. Lindgren noted yesterday that one of the four culture dishes was contaminated and, after coordination with ground experts, he discarded that dish. Plant calcium concentrations have been shown to change in response to the direction of gravity: the treated plants will emit photons when the culture dishes they are growing in are rotated so that they are "upside down." The PGS2 investigation supports the study of cellular formation of the plant's gravity sensors and the molecular mechanism for gravity sensing in plants grown in microgravity conditions. MAGVECTOR: Today Lindgren completed the sixth run of the European Space Agency's (ESA's) MAGVECTOR experiment begun last Friday, October 9th, by transferring data from a jump drive to a Station Support Computer (SSC). MAGVECTOR qualitatively investigates the interaction between a moving magnetic field and an electrical conductor. The expected changes in the magnetic field structure on the ram and wake side of the electrical conductor are of interest for technical applications as well as for astrophysical research. SOLAR: Measurements continue to be taken for European Space Agency's (ESA's) SOLAR investigation during the current sun visibility window which is open from October 9th to October 19th. The goal of the SOLAR instruments is to measure solar spectral irradiance and variability. Space Headaches: Yui answered his weekly Space Headaches questionnaire today. Headaches can be a common complaint during spaceflight. The Space Headaches experiment will provide information that may help in the development of methods to alleviate associated symptoms and improvement in the well-being and performance of crew members in space. Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparation: Lindgren and Kelly obtained body measurements on each other as part of Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) On-Orbit Fit Verification (OFV). The measurements will be used to confirm the correct sizing of the EMU suits prior to going EVA on October 28th. In addition, they installed Rechargeable EVA Battery Assemblies (REBA) on EMU suits 3003 and 3010. Once installed, they performed a checkout to verify the EMU Glove heaters were functional and helmet cameras were receiving power. Lastly, Lindgren replaced the gas trap on EMU 3010. Ground ActivitiesAll activities were completed unless otherwise noted.HCZ MDM Swap and EEPROM refresh Three-Day Look Ahead:Friday, 10/16: Fundoscope, Ocular Health, X2R14, IMAX, JEMAL Shielding, EVA LLB Battery ChargeSaturday, 10/17: Weekly Cleaning, Crew Off DutySunday, 10/18: Crew Off Duty QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group: Component - StatusElektron - OnVozdukh - Manual[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - OnCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - StandbyCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - OperateMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - ShutdownMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - OperateOxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - ProcessUrine Processing Assembly (UPA) - StandbyTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - OffTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-15-october-2015.html -------------------------------------- NASA ISS Space to Ground Weekly Report - 16 October 2015 NASA ISS Space to Ground Weekly Report - 16 October 2015....NASA Space to Ground: Spacewalk Preps: 10/16/2015video is 2:03 min ----------------------------------------------- 'Back the Booster': Museum Crowdfunding Move of Saturn V Rocket Stage For the past 37 years, the last Saturn V first stage to be built has sat outdoors, exposed to the elements, in New Orleans. INFINITY Science Center now wants to move the stage to Mississippi to be conserved and put on public display. collectspace.com Forty-five years ago Friday (Oct. 16), NASA's last-ever Saturn V rocket stage arrived back at its birthplace. The 138-foot-long (42 m) S-IC first stage, which served as the engine-tipped "business end" of the three-stage Apollo moon booster, was shipped by river barge to the Michoud Assembly Facility outside of New Orleans after being test fired at the Mississippi Test Facility (now Stennis Space Center) for a final time. Originally built to launch Apollo 19 to the moon, the mission was canceled and the stage was deemed no longer needed. Now, on the anniversary of its arrival home, a new mission is underwayto return the S-IC stage to Stennis, where it will undergo conservation and be put on public display by the INFINITY Science Center. The museum, which is also the visitor center for Stennis, has now launched "Back the Booster," a Kickstarter projectto crowdfund the $500,000 needed to move the S-IC back to Mississippi. "It is hard to believe that this is the Saturn V first stage that was going to start me on my way back to the moon," said astronaut Fred Haise, who after launching as lunar module pilot on Apollo 13was slated to command Apollo 19. "It is even harder to believe that it could one day be forgotten." "Join us for one final Apollo mission. Help us rescue this remaining piece of Apollo hardware so that it will still be around to inspire new generations," said Haise in a video accompanying the "Back the Booster" campaign. After arriving back at Michoud on Oct. 16, 1970, the S-IC-15 (15 being the production number) was moved between environmental enclosures for eight years, and was briefly prepared as a backup for the first stage that would launch Skylab, the United States' first space station. Ultimately, on Dec. 19, 1978, it was moved outdoors to where it still sits today, just within the entrance to the facility. "It is the only large piece of flight hardware that is left that has not been preserved for future generations, and it is sitting behind guarded gates, hidden from the public, but exposed to the elements," stated Taylor Hardenstein with INFINITY. "Decay is taking its toll and time is running out to preserve this priceless artifact from American history." INFINITY has received state funding to move the booster to Mississippi, but needs additional money to prepare the site for its arrival and build a foundation for its display. "[The museum] has plans to conserve the hardware, bring it indoors and put it on display, but first we've got to get it here," said Hardenstein. "The booster will be loaded onto a barge and travel 40 miles [65 kilometers] by river, leaving from the dock at Michoud and making its way to Stennis in Mississippi." "Once at Stennis, it will travel approximately 4 miles [6.5 km] by land, eventually merging onto Interstate 10 before arriving at its final destination. It is going to be an epic 10-day process involving a lot of collaboration," he said. To encourage the public to "Back the Booster," INFINITY has created a selection of new swag to reward supporters. The perks include bumper stickers, refrigerator magnets, pens and pins featuring the "Back to Booster" campaign logo, as well as "smashed booster" pennies. Haise is also offering to autograph photographs, posters and models of the Saturn V rocket for higher level pledges. Those who give the most will be rewarded with VIP invites to see the stage on the move, a yearbook chronicling its journey and the chance to have dinner with Haise. The "Back the Booster" campaign will run on Kickstarter through Nov. 14. The project will only be funded if it raises the $500,000 goal. "[Apollo] was the greatest, most ambitious undertaking of the modern age and it is absolutely important that we pass on what we learned from the people and machines that made it possible," stated Hardenstein. "But to do that, we need your help." For more information or to back the project, see "Back the Booster" on Kickstarter. http://www.space.com/30851-saturn-v-moon-rocket-museum-kickstarter.html This should have been inside, on display, from day "one"...........for ( ) sakes.........this is a Saturn 5...... ------------------------------------------------ Space weather..... AROUND THE BEND: Get ready for something new. An active sunspot may have announced itself just hours ago by hurling a massive plume of plasma over the sun's southeastern limb. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory took this picture on Oct. 16th at 1300 UT: /s solar "Tums" required..... Update: The explosion did produce a minor CME. Radio emissions from shock waves at the leading edge of the storm cloud suggest the CME raced away from the sun at ~600 km/s (1.3 million mph). There will be no Earth impact, however, because the blast site was on the far side of the sun. No auroras this time! http://www.spaceweather.com/ Here is the real data for this event.....http://www.solarham.net/ Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 18, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 18, 2015 Misc space goodies...... This Week at NASA: Journey to Mars, Israel Agreement and More During meetings and public events at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Oct. 12-16 in Jerusalem, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and several other NASA officials highlighted the agency's recently released plan to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030's. They also emphasized the need for international partnerships and cooperation to make a mission of this magnitude a reality, the importance of harnessing enthusiasm for space exploration and the need to encourage young people to develop the skills we'll need for the Journey to Mars. Also, New American record in space, Flyby of Saturnian moon, Next launch for Cygnus, Access to space for small satellites and more! JPL Open House is a big draw. http://spaceref.com/missions-and-programs/nasa/this-week-at-nasa-journey-to-mars-israel-agreement-and-more.html Journey to Mars: An international effort on This Week @NASA – October 16, 2015video is 4:07 min ------------------------------------------- Commercial Crew Astronauts Answer Questions Live on NASA TV NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has contracted with American aerospace industry partners Boeing and SpaceX to return the capability to launch astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) from American soil. This exciting program allows NASA to focus on deep-space exploration, while stimulating a growing spaceflight economy to low-Earth orbit. Now is your chance to ask Bob Behnken and Sunita “Suni” Williams about their selection to be among the first astronauts to train for commercial crew test flights! They are three months into their commercial crew assignments, and will answers questions live on NASA TV on Monday at 12:30 p.m. EDT. To participate, submit your questions in the comments below, tweet us @Commercial_Crew with #askNASA or post to our Facebook page with #askNASA. We’ll take questions in advance and live during the show. A new generation of human-rated American spacecraft is in development under the Commercial Crew Program that will operate safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to the space station. Instead of NASA designing and operating a new spacecraft, rocket and all the ground support equipment required for successful human space transportation system, the agency offered the aerospace industry a chance to apply its own innovations while still meeting NASA’s requirements. Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V, and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft will launch on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. These systems will send astronauts to the station where they can perform more of the research that is making life better on Earth, and preparing future astronauts for missions to an asteroid, Mars and beyond. We hope you join us Monday to find out if Bob and Suni answer your question. https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2015/10/16/commercial-crew-astronauts-answers-questions-live-on-nasa-tv/ -------------------------------------------- China has had a telescope on the moon for the past two years Point a telescope at the moon, and you might just see one looking back. Chinese researchers have reported that their robotic telescope, the first of its kind, has been operating flawlessly ever since it landed on the moon in 2013. The 15-centimetre telescope is mounted on the Chang’e 3 lander, which touched down on the lunar surface in December 2013. Chang’e 3 (pictured above) carried the Yutu rover, which repeatedly struggled to survive the lunar night and ceased working in March this year – but the lander is still going strong. The telescope sees in ultraviolet light, making it particularly suited for observations that aren’t possible here on Earth. “There is no atmosphere on the moon, so unlike Earth, the ultraviolet light from celestial objects can be detected on the moon,” says Jing Wang of the National Astronomical Observatories in Beijing, China, who is in charge of the telescope. And since the moon rotates 27 times more slowly than the Earth, the scope can stay fixed on the same star for a dozen days without interruption, he says. Snapping Earth In a paper published this week, Wang and his colleagues detail the first 18 months of the telescope’s operation, during which it has observed for 2000 hours and monitored 40 stars. The team also captured a picture of the Pinwheel galaxy, shown below. Astronauts on the Apollo 16 mission had a manually operated UV telescope, which they used to take pictures of Earth, stars and the Large Magellanic Cloud. But the Chinese telescope is the first to be operated remotely from Earth. That’s a challenge, because the moon is a hostile environment, full of charged and abrasive lunar dust that can get into equipment and destroy electronics, as Yutu’s troubles demonstrate. To counter this, the telescope is stowed within Chang’e 3 during sunrise and sunset on the moon, when dust is thought to be at its worst, and has survived much longer than its expected one year life. Wang says the scope is still working today, and the team are awaiting a decision to continue its mission past the end of this year. https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28323-china-has-had-a-telescope-on-the-moon-for-the-past-two-years/ --------------------------------------------------- Mound Near Lunar South Pole Formed by Unique Volcanic Process Mafic Mound NASA A giant mound near the Moon's south pole appears to be a volcanic structure unlike any other found on the lunar surface, according to new research. The formation, known as Mafic Mound, stands about 800 meters (2,600 feet) tall and 75 kilometers (47 miles) across, smack in the middle of a giant impact crater known as the South Pole-Aitken Basin. This new study suggests that the mound is the result of a unique kind of volcanic activity set in motion by the colossal impact that formed the basin. "If the scenarios that we lay out for its formation are correct, it could represent a totally new volcanic process that's never been seen before," said Daniel Moriarty, a Ph.D. student in Brown University's Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences and the study's lead author. The research has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters, a publication of the American Geophysical Union. Image: A topographic view of the South Pole-Aitken Basin. Reds are high; blues are low. Mafic Mound, (the reddish area in the center) stands 800 meters above the surrounding surface. Image: NASA/Goddard/MIT/Brown Mafic Mound (mafic is a term for rocks rich in minerals such as pyroxene and olivine) was first discovered in the 1990s by Carle Pieters, a planetary geologist at Brown and Moriarty's adviser. What makes it curious, other than its substantial size, is the fact that it has a different mineralogical composition than the surrounding rock. The mound is rich in high-calcium pyroxene, whereas the surrounding rock is low-calcium. "This unusual structure at the very center of the basin begs the question: What is this thing, and might it be related to the basin formation process?" Moriarty said. To investigate that, Moriarty and Pieters looked at a rich suite of data from multiple lunar exploration missions. They used detailed mineralogical data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper, which flew aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. NASA's Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter provided precise topographic data, and data from the GRAIL mission characterized gravitational anomalies in the region. Those combined datasets suggested that Mafic Mound was created by one of two unique volcanic processes set in motion by the giant South Pole-Aitken impact. An impact of that size would have created a cauldron of melted rock as much as 50 kilometers (30 miles) deep, some researchers think. As that sheet of impact melt cooled and crystalized, it would have shrunk. As it did, still-molten material in the middle of the melt sheet may have been squeezed out the top like toothpaste from a tube. Eventually, that erupted material may have formed the mound. Such a process could explain the mound's strange mineralogy. Models of how the South Pole-Aitken melt sheet may have crystalized suggest that the erupting material should be rich in high-calcium pyroxene, which is consistent with the observed mineralogy of the mound. Another scenario that fits the data involves possible melting of the Moon's mantle shortly after the South Pole-Aitken impact. The impact would have blasted tons of rock out of the basin, creating a low-gravity region. The lower gravity condition could have enabled the center of the basin to rebound upward. Such upward movement would have caused partial melting of mantle material, which could have erupted to form the mound. These scenarios make for a strong fit to those very detailed datasets, Moriarty said. And if either is true, it would represent a unique process on lunar surface. Moriarty said a sample return mission to the South Pole Aitken Basin would be a great way to try to verify the results. The basin has long been an interesting mission target for lunar scientists. "It's the largest confirmed impact structure in the solar system and has shaped many aspects of the evolution of the Moon," Moriarty said. "So a big topic in lunar science is studying this basin and the effects it had on the geology of the Moon through time." A sample return mission to the basin could bring back bits of lunar mantle, the composition of which is still not fully understood. A returned sample could also put a firm date on when the impact occurred, which could be used as a standard to date other features on the surface. And in light of this work, a sample could also help to shed light on a unique lunar volcanic process. http://spaceref.com/moon/mound-near-lunar-south-pole-formed-by-unique-volcanic-process.html Later....... Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 18, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 18, 2015 Misc goodies..slow day.... Russian Cosmonauts Taste 160 Meals Ahead of Space Station Expedition Russian cosmonauts have tasted 160 meals for a space menu ahead of a March 2016 expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), the press service of the Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center said in a statement Wednesday. "Oleg Skripochka and Aleksey Ovchinin, crew members of the long-term expedition 47/48 to the ISS, completed tasting the onboard ration at the CTC [Cosmonaut Training Center]," the statement read. The cosmonauts tasted 20 meals at each session, rating them on a scale of one to nine, according to the press service. Every crew carries out tastings six months prior to the mission, to determine whether cosmonauts have individual intolerances to some food products. Calorie content of the main part of the daily ration makes up 2,000 kilocalories. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russian_Cosmonauts_Taste_160_Meals_Ahead_of_Space_Station_Expedition_999.html Good idea...last place you want to get sick...is up there..... ----------------------------------------------------------- They're Loving It: Cheeseburgers Will Be Added to ISS Menu file image The current record-holder for the longest total time in space, Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, has welcomed a plan to improve the space menu with cheeseburgers. The Russian Roscosmos space agency reportedly plans to break the monotony of space meals with a new flavor - cheeseburgers in tubes. A fast-food company earlier approached Roscosmos chief Igor Komarov with an offer to provide cosmonauts with this pasty delicacy in space. Padalka, recently returned from the International Space Station (ISS), said his US colleague Scott Kelly had taught the space crew how to make burgers at the ISS during a previous space mission. "Burgers...are not new at the station. We have been making them ourselves from tortillas, meat and fish. Scott Kelly taught us. He made burgers during the previous missions, he is a real burger chef. So we are quite happy about it [the plan]," the cosmonaut said. On Friday, Padalka gave his first after-mission press conference in Zvyozdny Gorodok (Star City), near Moscow. He has spent 879 days in space over five missions, becoming the new record-holder in June 2015. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Theyre_Loving_It_Cheeseburgers_Will_Be_Added_to_ISS_Menu_999.html --------------------------------------------------- Boeing showcases lightest metal ever disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only Microlattice is 99.99 percent air. But it's not air, it's a metal -- the "lightest metal ever made," according to aerospace giant Boeing. It's so light, it takes several seconds for a sizable chunk of the metal to fall to the ground, floating like a feather. The metal, first described in 2011 scientific paper, is the product of HRL Laboratories, a collaboration between engineers at Boeing and General Motors, with help from scientists at Caltech and the University of California, Irvine. Over the last few years, researchers have been tweaking the material to make it as strong and light as possible. But the basic production process remains the same. The metal is made similar to the way a sculptor casts a metal statue using a mold. A polymer with a hollowed structure is filled with a nickel-phosphorus alloy. The polymer is then stripped away to reveal a honeycomb-like lattice featureing metal links just 100 nanometers thick -- or as Boeing calls it, an "open cellular polymer structure." Scientists say the lattice structure is inspired by the internal design of human bones. "Strength and record-breaking lightness make it a potential metal for future airplanes and vehicles," Boeing wrote in a recent press release. The metal will first be used to build rockets and the insides of airplane cabins. By reducing weight, the new material will enable improved fuel efficiency. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Boeing_showcases_lightest_metal_ever_999.html Soluble casting......would like to find out the material specifications and cost of this structure. There are quite a few lightweight constructions over the years, but the material properties are only suited to specific uses due to inherent characteristics of the composition. Nice engineering though.... --------------------------------------------------- Interesting article...but...another instance of a tech writer not understanding the explanation from the developers, as well as not having a good background in quantum mechanics... In quantum mechanics, the uncertainty principle, also known as Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, is any of a variety of mathematical inequalities asserting a fundamental limit to the precision with which certain pairs of physical properties of a particle, known as complementary variables, such as position x and momentum p, can be known simultaneously. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle Meaning the "act of measuring" a property, will cause a change in another related property as well as changing the property in question. The "degree of change" depends on the "process of measurement" and the "scale" involved. This is as close as one can get to "common knowledge" for experimenters, but writers and proof readers continually have problems reporting the sciences...I have been seeing a lot of this the last few years...When you read the article..you will pick it out....otherwise, good article... Redefining temperature with precision lasers File image. A team of Australian scientists has produced a precision laser device that creates an accurate international standard for temperature. Published in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers from the University of Adelaide, University of Queensland and University of Western Australia, have come up with a new way to determine Boltzmann's constant, a number which relates the motion of individual atoms to their temperature. The experiments contribute to a worldwide scientific effort in redefining the international unit of temperature: the kelvin. (Zero kelvin or 'absolute zero' is the absence of all thermal energy and equivalent to -273.15 degrees celsius). "Although temperature is a familiar concept to all of us, remarkably it can only be measured accurately at a handful of locations around the globe," says project leader, Professor Andre Luiten, Director of the University of Adelaide's Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), where the experiments were conducted. The researchers used lasers to make highly accurate measurements of the speed of individual atoms moving in a gas. "An atom sitting at rest will absorb light of a particular frequency or colour - if it is moving towards you or away from you then the absorbed light is very slightly changed because of something called the Doppler effect," says Professor Luiten. "This is exactly the same effect that makes a police siren sound different depending on whether the car is moving towards you or away. We use a pure laser to measure these changes in light absorption, from which we can infer the speeds of the atoms and the temperature of the gas." By conducting the experiments with world-record precision the team came across a completely unexpected effect. The light has an apparent effect on the atoms themselves: the measurement itself ends up changing the result. One of the breakthroughs of the project was to develop an explanation of how this happened and ensuring that it didn't affect the result. The development means any laboratory in the world with appropriate skills and equipment could accurately measure temperature. Further development could deliver this capability to industry - something never before possible. "Traditionally scientists kept a set of special clocks, rules and standard masses to define units such as the second, metre and kilogram," says Associate Professor Tom Stace, from the ARC Centre for Engineered Quantum Systems at the University of Queensland. "Over the last 50 years we have been getting rid of these standards and replacing them with universal quantities such as the speed of light or the frequency at which certain atoms vibrate. "This program is completed for time, electrical quantities and length but mass and temperature still make use of special objects. In the case of temperature, it is based on the freezing point of a very special type of water to define the kelvin which makes it difficult for all laboratories around the world to agree about temperature. "Our work will bring a universally agreed temperature scale to the globe. As with any upgrade, this one will be deemed successful if people hardly notice the transition on a day-to-day basis. But for those at the cutting edge - whether developing new metal alloys at very high temperatures, or measuring the temperatures of the coldest substances, the need for absolute temperature is critical." "When we started this research as an Australian Research Council Discovery Project in 2010, we decided to take a fundamentally different approach to measure temperature," says Professor Eric May from the Centre for Energy at the University of Western Australia. "The results show that taking a different approach clearly pays off - it has allowed us to observe and explain new phenomena. "Creating agreed definitions of quantities is crucial for the industry and economy of all advanced technological societies." http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Redefining_temperature_with_precision_lasers_999.html ------------------------------------------------------ NASA music video.....4:57 min......Dragon is shown at 3:29 min Published on Oct 16, 2015 On October 16, 2015, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly became the new record holder for most time in space by an American astronaut. He broke fellow astronaut Mike Fincke’s mark of 382 days, and will extend that record well beyond 500 days by the end of his yearlong mission. Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are spending a year aboard the International Space Station, testing the limits of human research, space exploration and the human spirit.Learn more about their historic mission at www.nasa.gov/oneyear Music Credit Info:“SPEED OF SOUND”Written by Guy Rupert Berryman, Jonathan Mark Buckland, William Champion, and Christopher Anthony John MartinCourtesy of Universal Music - MGB Songs on behalf of Universal Music Publ. MGB Ltd. -------------------------------------- I was about to post an article on Martian radiation....guess what...filled with typo's and editorial misunderstandings...will find a better one and post later.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 19, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 19, 2015 NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 16 October 2015 Kelly, was inside the Kibo laboratory module retrieving two CubeSat nanosatellites from the laboratory's porch, using the Kibo airlock. His fellow NASA astronaut, Kjell Lindgren, joined Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui for eye scans with an ultrasound and heart exams with an echocardiogram. Kelly then partnered with Lindgren practicing spacewalk rescue techniques using virtual reality goggles. Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko got together with Kelly for more eye checks using a Fundoscope. Flight Engineer Sergey Volkov installed a storage unit then serviced a video camera. Kelly's fellow One-Year crew member, Mikhail Kornienko, worked on a radiation detection experiment before moving on to routine maintenance in the station's Russian segment. Radi-N Neutron Field Study (Radi-N): Kornienko handed over eight Radi-N detectors to Yui who deployed them around the ISS for the Radi-N experiment. The objective of this investigation is to better characterize the ISS neutron environment and define the risk posed to the crewmembers' health and provide the data necessary to develop advanced protective measures for future space flight. Space Headaches: Lindgren answered his weekly Space Headaches questionnaire today. Headaches can be a common complaint during spaceflight. The Space Headaches experiment will provide information that may help in the development of methods to alleviate associated symptoms and improvement in the well-being and performance of crew members in space. X2R14 Software Preparation: Lindgren gathered Portable Computer System (PCS) hard drives which are pre-loaded with PCS R17 software and placed them into 4 PCS laptops. The 4 PCSs will not be powered on until after the Command and Control (C&C) Multiplexer/Demultiplexers (MDM) are transitioned to CCS R14 software on Saturday. The new PCS software contains display updates and fixes. Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparation: Kelly and Lindgren each utilized a Virtual Reality Trainer to practice using the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER). SAFER is a small, self-contained, propulsive system worn by the crew during EVAs. SAFER would only be used in case of an emergency, providing the EVA crewmember free-flying mobility in order to return to ISS. Three-Day Look Ahead:Saturday, 10/17: Weekly Cleaning, Crew Off Duty, CCS R14 TransitionSunday, 10/18: Crew Off DutyMonday, 10/19: EVA Procedure Review, Emergency OBT, Ocular Health QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group: Component - StatusElektron - OnVozdukh - Manual[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - On[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - OffCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - StandbyCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - OperateMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - ShutdownMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - OperateOxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - ProcessUrine Processing Assembly (UPA) - ProcessTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - OffTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Full Up http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-16-october-2015.html Space Station Live: Fighting Cancer in SpaceVideo is 8:41 min About 3/4 way through the video, mention is made of another part of their experiment going up on SpaceX CRS8 on 3 Jan 2016...... -------------------------------------------- NasaWatch...had a blurb about an abandoned X-38 outside a building...the site can be ( ) disturbers sometimes, but they have a point with this "puppy".. data at link......but I will do a blurb on this....http://nasawatch.com/archives/2015/10/jsc-is-letting.html X-38 The X-38 Program, under leadership of the NASA-Johnson Space Center, was focused on developing the technology for a prototype emergency Crew Return Vehicle for the International Space Station (ISS). The project also intended to develop a crew return vehicle design that could be modified for other uses, such as a possible joint U.S. and international human spacecraft that could be launched on the French Ariane 5 booster.[1] The program would eventually develop a total of three test prototype flight demonstrators for the proposed Crew Return Vehicle, each having incremental improvements on its predecessor. All three were wingless lifting bodyvehicles used in drop tests. The X-38 program was cancelled in 2002 due to budget cuts. In an unusual move for an X-plane, the program involved the European Space Agency and the German Space Agency DLR. It was originally called X-35. The program manager was John Muratore, while the Flight Test Engineer was future NASA astronaut Michael E. Fossum. The X-38 design used a wingless lifting body concept originally developed by the U.S. Air Force in the mid-1960s during theX-24 program. The X-38 program used unmanned mockups to test the CRV design. Flight models were indicated with the letter V for "Vehicle" followed by a number. X-38 V-131 X-38 V-132 X-38 V-131-R, which was the V-131 prototype reworked with a modified shell X-38 V-201, which was an orbital prototype to be launched by the Space Shuttle X-38 V-121, V-133 and V-301 were also foreseen, but were never built. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_X-38 About 100 people, mostly civil servants, are currently working on the X-38 project at the Johnson, Dryden, and Langley centers. The X-38 project is the first in which a prototype space vehicle has been built-up in-house by NASA at the Johnson Space Center, rather than by a contractor. This approach has advantages. By building the vehicles in-house, NASA engineers have a better understanding of the problems contractors experience when they build vehicles for NASA.The agency's X-38 team will have a detailed set of requirements for the contractor to use when the operational CRVs are built. This type of hands-on work dates back to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), predecessor agency of NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/news/FactSheets/FS-038-DFRC.html NASA’s Scrubbed Escape Pod Glides to New Home THE ODD STORY of NASA’s unused wingless escape vehicle for the International Space Station is finally over. The prototype X-38, a 7-person, unpowered, totally automatic lifeboat, was officially laid to rest at the Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska last weekend. Canceled in 2002 by the Bush administration in an effort to cut some costs from the International Space Station budget, the vehicle could have provided an emergency return route for astronauts on the station. It would have been docked in space, awaiting the call of duty. The program got as far as “drop tests” during which the vehicles were dropped from B-52s and piloted to the ground. One of them is seen above. After a short freefall, the X38 deployed an enormous parafoil, which allowed it to glide softly to the ground. The program had cost around $510 million and needed around $50 million more to complete its flight testing. At the time, an unnamed engineer told the Houston Chroniclethe decision to abandon the project was “absolutely ridiculous.” The shape of the plane’s body recalls the X-24 and other lifting body airplanes, including the one designed for the1969 space opera starring Gene Hackman, Marooned. http://www.wired.com/2009/11/nasa-escape-pod-glides-to-new-home/ X-38 Historyhttp://www.astronautix.com/craft/x38.htm X-38 image galleryhttps://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/multimedia/imagegallery/X-38/index.html NASA X-38 Crew Return Vehicle (CRV)video is 3:07 min Photo time... X-38 V131R, V132, V201, 2003 X-38 Dryden FRC 1998 Nasa NB-52B....Nasa workhorse for more than 3 decades X-38, December 2001 drop X-38, 4 foot model test, 1995 11 July 2000, X-38 V131R X-38 test model V201 ISS artist's concept drawing X-38 V131R, 2 November, 2000 X-38 with DPS...deorbit propulsion system...drawing X-38, June 1997 delivery X-38 V201 at JSC building 49...forgotten.....shame I will not get into this other than to say.....NASA/government facepalm..... This was so close, 1 more drop test then orbit test via shuttle.....rrrrrrrrrr Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 20, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 20, 2015 Misc goodies..... The Last Tiangong China will launch Tiangong 2 at some point in 2016, probably within the first three quarters of the year. Later, the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft will carry three astronauts to live aboard Tiangong 2. This analyst guesses that they will stay there for about a month. In less than a year, China is expected to launch the Tiangong 2 space laboratory. Despite its name, Tiangong 2 is expected to be a small space station, just like its predecessor, Tiangong 1. With its long flights and complex tasks, the Tiangong program has taken China's human spaceflight program to new lengths, but it's really designed to prove the technologies required for the Chinese Space Station (CSS). This large, modular complex seems to be well on the pathway to launch in a few years. Tiangong is not an end in its own right, but an intermediate step between undocked human space missions and a permanent foothold in space. That's critical. The Tiangong program is useful only as long as it is preparing China for its space station. Once these goals are met, is there any point in continuing with the Tiangong program? It could be possible to conceive of an extended Tiangong program for small, short-term space expeditions, or setting up experiments in a pressurized laboratory, then letting them run unattended for months. China could launch Tiangong-class miniature space stations to fly alongside big brother CSS. Small space platforms like this have been proposed in the past for other nations, but not implemented. For the moment at least, it seems that China has no plans to run any more than one active space station at a time. This raises a key question. Will Tiangong 2 be the last of its kind? This analyst is increasingly supporting the theory that there will be no more Tiangong laboratories launched after Tiangong 2. This theory is largely based on China's launch timetable, which looks increasingly tight. China will launch Tiangong 2 at some point in 2016, probably within the first three quarters of the year. Later, the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft will carry three astronauts to live aboard Tiangong 2. This analyst guesses that they will stay there for about a month. Much later, the first Tianzhou cargo spacecraft will be launched to make an experimental docking with Tiangong 2. The two spacecraft will probably practice robotic dockings and undockings. Tianzhou could also possibly boost Tiangong 2's orbit by firing its thrusters when they are docked. Thus, active exercises with Tiangong 2 will probably continue well into 2017. China is becoming increasingly confident in its schedule for the Chinese Space Station. As recently as the 2015 International Astronautical Congress, China has been promoting 2018 as the year for launching the core module of the station. Other modules will follow progressively, until the station is essentially complete around 2022. Thus, we really don't have much time between Tiangong 2's mission and the debut of the Chinese Space Station. With such a tight schedule, there doesn't seem to be much room for any more "practice" missions. We can probably state that there will not be a Tiangong 3 laboratory. That's a critical point for China's human spaceflight program. It suggests that the Tiangong program has been at least as successful as outside observers suspected, and possibly more. China needs some more practice with a slightly more advanced Tiangong laboratory, but if this works out, they will consider themselves station-worthy. Discussions of a possible Tiangong 3 laboratory were circulating long before Tiangong 1 was launched. At the time, it was expected that Tiangong 3 would be a larger module than Tiangongs 1 and 2, and would represent a prototype module for the Chinese Space Station. Some sources suggested that Tiangong 3 was actually a provisional designation for the real core module for the Chinese Space Station, and not a test run. Who was right? Was something lost in the garbled reportage of China's space plans, or has the Tiangong program been truncated? It seems probable that the human spaceflight program is being fast-tracked. China wants a full-blown space station as soon as possible. This approach also saves money by cutting out a redundant test platform. This analyst wonders if Chinese leader Xi Jinping is behind the acceleration. China has been repeatedly snubbed from joining the International Space Station, mostly due to American opposition. There's a straightforward response to this. If you can't join them, beat them. China is also stepping up the rhetoric on international participation in the CSS, even suggesting that non-Chinese modules could be docked to the station. If the CSS becomes larger and more international in scope, it could soon become a genuine rival to the American-dominated International Space Station. The future of the International Space Station beyond 2024 is questionable, but the future of China's equivalent is not. Thus, at some point in the future, discussions of the "space station" could possibly reference the Chinese Space Station, and not the International Space Station of the present. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/The_Last_Tiangong_999.html They will be on the moon with ESA, Russia, and commercial interests, after Tiangong 2 as this station will be their main space station for years to come..... ------------------------------------------------ RSC Energia President Vladimir Solntsev spoke at the International Astronautical Congress in Israel October 15, 2015 The president of Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia Vladimir Solntsev spoke at 66th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Jerusalem (Israel) and outlined key possible areas for further development of manned space flight. "The high-priority line of activities for Russian manned programs in the next 10 to 20 years is lunar exploration. Russia develops a new-generation advanced transportation spacecraft, in the nearest future development of other elements of the lunar program will also begin. There are plans to accomplish a manned mission to the lunar surface before 2030", - pointed out V. Solntsev. In his words, taking into account the fact that the Moon as the exploration target attracts interest of many nations, it would be reasonable to join forces with the leading space powers in order to cooperate with them on the basis of a mutually beneficial equal partnership. "At the level of space agencies a conclusion has been reached about the advisability of establishing an international platform in near-lunar space, which might be useful for the implementation of the lunar program, as well as a springboard for missions to asteroids and Mars", - pointed out the Corporation president. He explained that a reasonable solution would be to jointly develop engineering equipment with integration at the level of systems and instruments and to use the most efficient technologies. In which case the effort may involve, for example, the ICM group, which includes leading companies from Russia, USA, Europe, Japan and Canada. "As for Mars, today it is the final reachable destination of manned space flight. At the level of technologies achievable in the foreseeable future, manned missions beyond Mars are problematic", - pointed out V.Solntsev. Along with the exploration of the Moon and Mars, the president of RSC Energia singled out the problem of comet/asteroid threat, an important role in preventing which will be played by manned missions to study asteroids potentially dangerous to Earth. In the words of V. Solntsev, to address most future tasks of space flight, a range of assets will be required, which includes a heavy-lift launch vehicle, a manned spacecraft, a habitable module, a chemical upper stage, a solar tug, a power/propulsion and ascent/descent modules. In his turn, the vice president for strategy, business development and international activity of the Corporation Alexander Derechin in his presentation told about major trends in commercial spaceflight and prospects for space tourism development in the next few years. Senior managers, postgraduates, young professionals and specialists of the Corporation annually present papers at technical sections and round tables of the International Astronautical Congress, which is held in various countries of the world and is the main scientific forum of specialists in space exploration. The organizer of the Congress is the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) with the assistance of International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the International Institute of Space Law (IISL). http://www.energia.ru/en/news/news-2015/news_10-15_2.html --------------------------------------------- RSC Energia patented inflatable space module for ISS File photo Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia has taken out a patent for the invention of a transformable habitable module for the Russian Segment of the International Space Station (ISS) and future space stations. The module consists of a rigid core compartment with a constant volume and a multi-layered transformable pressurized shall deployed around it. With that, the size and ergonomics of the rigid compartment fully match the working areas of conventional space station modules. The transformable shell consists of different functional layers: for protection against meteoroids and radiation, thermal insulation, and external structural support layer. In the transportation configuration the shell is compactly stowed around the compartment, which allows launching the module inside payload fairings of the launch vehicles that are currently in use. In space it is deployed into the working configuration, the pressurized volume is increased by several times. The size and shape of the rigid load-bearing compartment, make it possible to accommodate within the module additional radiation protection in the form of an instrumentation rack covering the constant volume useful area, which results in better crew protection during their long-duration stay onboard the spacecraft. It is expected that the use of transformable modules will make it possible to increase the useful pressurized volume of the ISS Russian Segment and of the future space stations, will provide a more effective crew protection against ionizing radiation, meteoroids and particles of space debris as compared with rigid compartments. In stowed configuration the inflatable structures have good mass and dimensions characteristics, which is an advantage when they are put into orbit on the existing and future launch vehicles, and also when transported to the launch site by rail and by air. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/RSC_Energia_patented_inflatable_space_module_for_ISS_999.html ----------------------------------------- Russia and Europe are working together to plan a permanent base on the moon Reach for the moon. (ESA/Foster + Partners) Russia really wants to go to the moon. Roscosmos, the country’s space agency, has made it clear that its priority is exploring the moon—not Mars—with the ultimate goal of establishing a permanent base there. Now, Russia is asking international partners for help, and Europe is ready to answer the call. Roscosmos is currently planning Luna 27, an unmanned mission to the moon’s south pole that will scour for resources and assess if it’s feasible to build a colony there. According to BBC News and Russia’s state-owned media outlet Russia Today, the European Space Agency (ESA) will provide two key components to the Luna 27 lander: an advanced laser-guiding landing system, called Pilot, and an onboard laboratory to analyze the samples collected by the lander. “There are currently discussions at [the] international level going on for broad cooperation on how to go back to the Moon,” Bérengère Houdou, the head of ESA’s lunar exploration group, told BBC News. ESA did not respond to an email asking for more information about its involvement in the project. The agency is expected to officially approve its participation in the mission by next year, and the probe could launch as early as 2020. The planned landing site is the South Pole-Aitken Basin—an enormous impact crater on the far side of the moon—where scientists believe there is water ice. Despite the frigid temperatures and darkness inside the basin itself, there are nearby mountains which bask under constant sunlight, making it the perfect spot to perpetually power solar panels. Russia last landed a spacecraft on the moon in 2013—the last time anything’s landed there since 1976. (The United States remains the only country to put humans on the lunar surface.) Meanwhile, China is set to launch its Chang’e-4 probe, which would also explore the far side of the moon, in 2020. China hopes to find water and harvest helium-3, a valuable resource that can fuel fusion power, and is found in abundance on the moon. Because of an archaic law, NASA couldn’t help China with these lunar endeavors even if it wanted to. But there’s nothing stopping the US space agency from collaborating with ESA or Roscosmos, two agencies it’s worked with before. It’s unclear if NASA was invited to this moon party—but even if it were, it might have to decline the invitation. NASA’s biggest priority, right now, is figuring out how to put a man on Mars. http://qz.com/527527/russia-and-europe-are-working-together-to-plan-a-permanent-base-on-the-moon/ -------------------------------------------- Large solar storms 'dodge' detection systems on Earth Solar flares can provoke geomagnetic perturbations to the Earth. Image courtesy NASA. For a larger version of this image please go here. According to observations from the Tihany Magnetic Observatory in Hungary, the indices used by scientists to assess the Sun's geomagnetic perturbations to the Earth are unable to detect some of these events, which could put both power supply and communication networks at risk. The Tihany Magnetic Observatory registered a solar storm similar to the largest one ever recorded while other observatories were completely unaware of the event. In 1859 the largest and most powerful solar storm ever recorded, also known as the Carrington Event or the Carrington Flare in honour of the English Astronomer Richard Carrington who observed it, was detected at the Colaba Observatory in India. This solar storm allowed for the observation of auroras at latitudes as low as Madrid and even the Caribbean Sea. However, the storm was also the cause of power outages and fires at telegraph system facilities all over Europe and North America. Ever since, geomagnetic storms caused by the Sun pose a serious threat to a society that is increasingly dependent on technology, in addition to directly posing serious danger to power and communication networks. In order to avoid this risk scientists have developed several indices that can help to both analyse and predict this phenomenon. One of the most widely used indices for measuring geomagnetic storms is the Dst (Disturbance storm time), which is obtained every hour by averaging the data recorded at four observatories: Hermanus (South Africa), Kakioka (Japan), Honolulu (Hawaii, USA) and San Juan (Puerto Rico). A more precise version called SYM-H -which assesses the horizontal component of the Earth's magnetic field- utilises the information collected from even more observatories and a one-minute time resolution. Scientists can track the effects of large solar storms by using these two indices wherein latitude (the angular distance to the equator) is the prevailing data in magnetic records. One of these large solar storms was the Halloween Solar Storm that took place between October and November of 2003. Nevertheless, neither Dst nor SYM-H was able to detect the magnetic perturbation that affected the Earth precisely at that time, specifically on 29 October 2003. This solar event was extraordinarily similar to the Carrington Flare of 1859. The Halloween Solar Storm affected power plants both in Sweden and South Africa where several transformers were burnt. The event was recorded at the Tihany Magnetic Observatory in Hungary. A team of researchers from the University of Alcala has now analysed the official indices' failure to detect that event, and is now reporting on the potential consequences. Could the scientific community be wrong?"One of the conclusions is that the indices commonly used by scientists -such as Dst or SYM-H, which are based on an overall perspective of the Earth and obtained by calculating averages,- failed to detect such an important event, and they most likely would have failed to detect the Carrington Event as well," explains Consuelo Cid, the lead author. The study, published by the Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate, suggests that the scientific community could be mistaken in their calculation of the data average from different observatories around the world. This may be attributable to the fact that positive and negative magnetic disturbances cancel each other out, meaning that the true magnetic disturbance in a region disappears. In addition, the disturbance depends greatly on the local time (longitude), although other scientists postulate that it depends largely on the latitude. "A Carrington-like event may occur more often than we expect; actually, it might have already happened without us even realising it," notes Cid, who points out the need to develop local indices that are truly useful to companies that may be affected by these disturbances, such as electric companies. In fact, her team has developed the Local Disturbance index for Spain (LDin) which calculates the geomagnetic perturbation in Spanish territory. It is calculated based on the magnetic field recorded at the San Pablo Observatory in Toledo, which belongs to the Spanish National Geographic Institute. "An index similar to LDin could be used in neighbouring countries, such as Portugal, France and Italy; likewise, indices adjusted to each region could be developed for use in other parts of the world," points out the researcher, who insists on the need to collaborate with implicated companies, just as her research team collaborated with Spain's national power grid company, Red Electrica Espanola. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Large_solar_storms_dodge_detection_systems_on_Earth_999.html Again, as stated in the proverbial BS Kit, never take anyone's word...regardless of scientific stature....case in point, this total screw up oversight, which was found by those with the courage to say "why and prove it"......the total, top notch, unquestionable data gathering and forecasting by "leading experts".....negligent...with a bit of arrogance ........cudo's to those that question....... How can you "miss" a "Carrington" level event...and keep a straight face........end of rant....... ------------------------------------------ Struck by an Asteroid, Atoms Almost Instantly Re-form to New Crystals (Video) The Barringer meteor crater is an iconic Arizona landmark, more than 1km wide and 170 metres deep, left behind by a massive 300,000 tonne meteorite that hit Earth 50,000 years ago with a force equivalent to a ten megaton nuclear bomb. The forces unleashed by such an impact are hard to comprehend, but a team of Stanford scientists has recreated the conditions experienced during the first billionths of a second as the meteor struck in order to reveal the effects it had on the rock underneath. The sandstone rocks of Arizona were, on that day of impact 50,000 years ago, pushed beyond their limits and momentarily – for the first few trillionths and billionths of a second – transformed into a new state. The Stanford scientists, in a study published in the journal Nature Materials, recreated the conditions as the impact shockwave passed through the ground through computer models of half a million atoms of silica. Blasted by fragments of an asteroid that fell to Earth at tens of kilometres a second, the silica quartz crystals in the sandstone rocks would have experienced pressures of hundreds of thousands of atmospheres, and temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius. What the model reveals is that atoms form an immensely dense structure almost instantaneously as the shock wave hits at more than 7km/s. Within ten trillionths of a second the silica has reached temperatures of around 3,000℃ and pressures of more than half a million atmospheres. Then, within the next billionth of a second, the dense silica crystallises into a very rare mineral called stishovite. A meteroite impact event would generate shock waves through the Earth.Credit: NASA The results are particularly exciting because stishovite is exactly the mineral found in shocked rocks at the Barringer Crater and similar sites across the globe. Indeed, stishovite (named after a Russian high-pressure physics researcher) was first found at the Barringer Crater in 1962. The latest simulations give an insight into the birth of mineral grains in the first moments of meteorite impact. The size of the crystals that form in the impact event appears to be indicative of the size and nature of the impact. The simulations arrive at crystals of stishovite very similar to the range of sizes actually observed in geological samples of asteroid impacts. Studying transformations of minerals such as quartz, the commonest mineral of Earth’s continental crust, under such extreme conditions of temperature and pressure is challenging. To measure what happens on such short timescales adds another degree of complexity to the problem. These computer models point the way forward, and will guide experimentalists in the studies of shock events in the future. In the next few years we can expect to see these computer simulations backed up with further laboratory studies of impact events using the next generation of X-ray instruments, called X-ray free electron lasers, which have the potential to “see” materials transform under the same conditions and on the same sorts of timescales. Simon Redfern, Professor in Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge http://www.space.com/30857-struck-by-an-asteroid-atoms-almost-instantly-re-form-to-new-crystals.html Nanosecond Stishovite Crystallizationvideo is 0:58 min Later..... Note.....Neowin posting editor is out to lunch today!, post is a bit messy...apologies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted October 20, 2015 Author Veteran Share Posted October 20, 2015 NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 19 October 2015 Doing science in their sleep. NASA Commentator Amiko Kauderer talks [video below] with Dr. Laura Barger of Harvard Medical School, the principal investigator of the Sleep ISS-12 study now underway on the International Space Station. Barger’s new study on the One Year Mission crew members is a follow-up to sleep research conducted on prior station and space shuttle flights, using information from sleep journals kept by the crew and data from a motion sensor worn on the wrist to learn about the quality and quantity of sleep for astronauts in space and how it impacts their health and performance. Credit: NASA. Kornienko also joined his fellow cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Oleg Kononenko for heart evaluations while riding an exercise bicycle. They also explored crew motion disturbances in space and remote control of a robot from a spacecraft to the ground. Kelly and Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren are gearing up for a pair of spacewalks on Oct. 28 and Nov. 6. The duo joined Yui, who will choreograph the spacewalks from inside the station, for procedure reviews and a conference with specialists on the ground. On the first spacewalk, Kelly and Lindgren will service the Canadarm2, route power cables and place a thermal shroud over the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. During the second spacewalk, the pair will return the port truss cooling system back to its original configuration after repair work completed back in 2012. ISS Emergency Drill: All six crewmembers participated in an ISS emergency drill and debrief. The crew used an onboard simulator to guide their responses during two separate simulations (Rapid Depress and Fire). The purpose of this training is to practice ISS emergency responses based on information provided by the simulator. The crew physically translates through ISS to appropriate locations in order to visualize the use of station equipment and interfaces. They also practice procedure execution and associated decision making, all while exercising communication skills with MCC-H and MCC-M. X2R14 Software Transition: On Sunday, Flight Controllers successfully loaded Command and Control System (CCS) R14 software onto 2 of 3 C&C Multiplexer/Demultiplexer (MDM) and performed an MDM transition in order to utilize the new software on the Primary C&C MDM. Lindgren then powered on and connected Portable Computer Systems (PCS) loaded with new PCS R17 software. Today, Flight Controllers continued with the X2R14 software transition by loading Hub Control Zone (HCZ) R4 to both HCZ MDMs in Node 3 and loaded the 3rd C&C MDM with CCS R14. Node 3 Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA): On Saturday, Node 3 CDRA experienced a fault on its Heater Controller B. As a result, Flight Controllers activated the Lab CDRA. After some troubleshooting which involved isolating the fault to the secondary heater string, flight controllers masked the associated Passive Built In Test (PBIT) and activated the Node 3 CDRA using the single string of heaters. Later, the Node 3 CDRA was commanded to standby in preparation for the HCZ software transition today. Ground ActivitiesAll activities are on schedule unless otherwise noted. HCZ MDM R4 Software LoadStandby C&C MDM Software LoadThree-Day Look Ahead:Tuesday, 10/20: Ocular Health, EMU Loop Scrubs, EVA Tool Config, Fundoscope, NRCSD into JEMAL, X2R14Wednesday, 10/21: EVA Safer Practice, EVA Tool Config, Ocular Health, EVA Camera Setup, X2R14Thursday, 10/22: EMU Water Recharge, EMU OFV QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group: Component - StatusElektron - OnVozdukh - Manual[СКВ] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - On[СКВ] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - OffCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - OperateCarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - ShutdownMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - ShutdownMajor Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - OperateOxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - ProcessUrine Processing Assembly (UPA) - StandbyTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - OffTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Warm Up http://spaceref.com/international-space-station/nasa-international-space-station-on-orbit-status-19-october-2015.html ------------------------------------ U.S. Plans $6 Billion Investment in Space Situational Awareness Space surveillance has taken on increased importance in recent years as near-Earth orbit becomes, as U.S. government officials are fond of saying, more contested, congested and competitive. Credit: NASA Space surveillance has taken on increased importance in recent years as near-Earth orbit becomes, as U.S. government officials are fond of saying, more contested, congested and competitive. According to the GAO report, the Air Force’s Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) issued 671,000 notifications of possible orbital collisions in 2014 alone. - See more at: http://spacenews.com/planned-u-s-investment-in-space-awareness-is-6-billion-gao-says/#sthash.bS0UOkbf.dpuf The government also operates 18 multimission sensors that in addition to space surveillance can be used for things like missile tracking, the report said. The new programs cited in the report — some of which are funded under the Defense Department’s $5.5 billion space protection investment program — include: The space tracking radar known as the Space Fence. The $500 million-plus Space Based Space Surveillance follow-on system. The Operationally Responsive Space-5 satellite. The JSpOC Mission System upgrade. An Energetic Charged Particle sensor that would fly aboard the Air Force’s next-generation weather satellite system, which is still being defined. The Energetic Charged Particle sensor will monitor space radiation, data that will be used in part to distinguish between naturally occurring and man-made events. Earlier this year, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James mandated that all new satellite programs plan to include the Energetic Charged Particle sensor, prototypes of which are expected to be delivered in fiscal year 2018, the report said. The report also highlights a $60 million Air Force program that will use ground radars to detect changes in the ionosphere. The Air Force Weather group’s Next Generation Ionosonde consists of three ground-based radars whose installation is underway and expected to be complete by 2022. More data at the link....It is getting very busy up there...only a matter of time for an accident....http://spacenews.com/planned-u-s-investment-in-space-awareness-is-6-billion-gao-says/ ------------------------------------------- Orionid Meteor Shower Promises Bright Sky Show This Week Astrophotographer BG Boyd captured this Orionid meteor shower several miles outside of Tucson, Arizona, in October 2014.Credit: BG Boyd Even before the start of 2015, assiduous meteor observers were aware that this was going to be an excellent year for some of the best of the annual meteor displays. The August Perseids nearly coincided with a new moon, and the upcoming December Geminids will peak when the moon is just a narrow crescent in the early evening skies. Now, one of the more reliable meteor showers — sort of a junior version of the Perseids — is set to reach its maximum before sunrise on Thursday morning (Oct. 22). This upcoming display is known as the Orionids, because the meteors seem to fan out from a region to the north of the constellation Orion's second-brightest star, ruddy Betelgeuse. [Meteor Shower Quiz: How Well Do You Know 'Shooting Stars'?] Currently, Orion appears to be ahead of Earth as the planet journeys around the sun, and the constellation has not completely risen above the eastern horizon until after 11:00 p.m. local daylight time. So expect to see few, if any, Orionid meteors before midnight — especially this year, with a bright waxing gibbous moon glaring high in the western sky. But moonset is around 1:30 a.m. local daylight time on Thursday, and that's a good time to begin preparing for your meteor vigil. The shower will peak several hours later, at around 5 a.m., when Orion will be highest in the sky toward the south. Around that time, under clear, dark skies, skywatchers could see 20 to 25 "shooting stars" per hour. More data at the link..... http://www.space.com/30871-orionid-meteor-shower-peaks-soon-2015.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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