| | JSC TODAY CATEGORIES - Headlines
- NASA TV Coverage Set for Orbital Resupply Mission
- The Orion Trivia Contest Winner is ...
- Dusty Plasma in Space to Fight Cancer?
- National Cybersecurity Awareness Month - Organizations/Social
- Aerodynamics of Airplanes, Birds & Fish: Nov. 19 - Jobs and Training
- Human Systems Academy Lecture
- IRDLive Presents: NAMS Upgrade Coming Nov. 2014
- Russian Phase One Language Course - for Beginners
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training: Dec. 8-12
- Job Opportunities |  |
| Headlines - NASA TV Coverage Set for Orbital Resupply Mission
Orbital Sciences Corp. will launch its next mission to resupply the International Space Station today, Oct. 27, and NASA TV will broadcast live coverage of the event, including arrival at the station on Nov. 2. Orbital's Cygnus cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 5:45 p.m. CDT from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Launch Pad 0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Launch coverage begins at 4:45 p.m. Cygnus will transport almost 5,000 pounds of supplies, including science experiments, crew provisions, spare parts and experiment hardware. It will arrive at the station Sunday, Nov. 2. Expedition 41 crew members Reid Wiseman and Barry Wilmore of NASA will be ready in the station's cupola to capture the resupply craft with the station's robotic arm and install it on the Earth-facing port of the station's Harmony module. NASA TV coverage of capture and installation will begin at 2:30 a.m. Nov. 2, followed by grapple at 3:58 a.m. Coverage of the installation of Cygnus onto the International Space Station will begin at 6 a.m. The capsule is scheduled to depart the station Wednesday, Dec. 3, and burn up in Earth's atmosphere during reentry. This mission is the third of eight Orbital flights NASA contracted with the company to resupply the space station, and the fourth trip by a Cygnus spacecraft to the orbiting laboratory. First-time users will need to install the EZTV Monitor and Player client applications: - For those WITH admin rights (Elevated Privileges), you'll be prompted to download and install the clients when you first visit the IPTV website
- For those WITHOUT admin rights (Elevated Privileges), you can download the EZTV client applications from the ACES Software Refresh Portal (SRP)
If you are having problems viewing the video using these systems, contact the Information Resources Directorate Customer Support Center at x46367 or visit the FAQ site. Event Date: Monday, October 27, 2014 Event Start Time:4:45 PM Event End Time:6:00 PM Event Location: NASA TV, IPTV Add to Calendar JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111 http://www.nasa.gov/orbital [top] - The Orion Trivia Contest Winner is ...
The winner of the Orion Monthly Trivia Contest drawing is: Julie Hinson October Trivia Question: The space shuttle cockpit had 10 display screens. How many will Orion have? * The correct answer: Orion will have three display screens in the cockpit. Congratulations, Julie, and thanks to all contest participants! The next trivia contest question will post in November. Join the fun. You could be the next winner of the Orion Monthly Trivia Contest! - Dusty Plasma in Space to Fight Cancer?
The Plasma Kristall Experiment (PK-3 Plus) lab, a Russian-German cooperation, has provided new insight into an unusual type of matter called plasma crystals. This research continues to open an exciting world of potential technological spinoffs in medicine, agriculture and general science. Read more here. - National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Cybersecurity Tip for Today: STOP, THINK, CONNECT Protect mobile devices. Password-protect your portable device. Disable Bluetooth when not required. Organizations/Social - Aerodynamics of Airplanes, Birds & Fish: Nov. 19
You are invited to JSC's SAIC/Safety and Mission Assurance speaker forum featuring Dr. John Lienhard, writer and host of "The Engines of Our Ingenuity," which is heard nationally on public radio. This event is free and open to the public. Please feel free to bring your family/friends (teens and older) and enjoy a night out! Subject: Aerodynamics of Airplanes, Birds and Fish Date/Time: Wednesday, Nov. 19, from 7 to 8 p.m. CDT Location: Gilruth Alamo Ballroom Lienhard will look at the following question and, using photographic evidence, discuss: Does human flight really emulate avian flight? Please share with your friends and add this event to your calendar. Jobs and Training - Human Systems Academy Lecture
Join the Human Systems Academy lecture tomorrow on "Pharmacy and Pharmacology." This lecture will introduce attendees to both operations and research involved in supplying medications for spaceflight missions. The leads of both the JSC Clinical Pharmacy and the Pharmacology discipline will each discuss what their groups do to ensure a safe and effective supply of medications. Topics will include medications in spaceflight missions past, present and future, including special issues surrounding medications in spaceflight. - IRDLive Presents: NAMS Upgrade Coming Nov. 2014
The Information Resources Directorate (IRD) invites you to participate in an IRDLive session to introduce you to the NAMS 7.0 upgrade. We will focus on the NAMS 7.0 new look, capabilities and user navigation. You can attend the presentation, demonstration and Q&A from your desk via Lync and telecom. NAMS 7.0 is scheduled to go live on Nov. 12. Bring your questions about NAMS 7.0 to one of the following IRDLive sessions. Save the link for the session you would like to attend. You must dial in to the telecom and join the Lync meeting. - Telecom for all sessions: 866-459-2110, passcode 1561614
- Monday, Oct. 27, 2 to 3 p.m.; Join Lync Meeting
- Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2 to 3 p.m.; Join Lync Meeting
- Tuesday, Nov. 4, 1 to 2 p.m.; Join Lync Meeting
- Russian Phase One Language Course - for Beginners
Russian Phase One is an introductory course designed to acquaint the novice student with certain elementary aspects of the Russian language and provide a brief outline of Russian history and culture. Our goal is to introduce students to skills and strategies necessary for successful foreign language study that they can apply immediately in the classroom. The linguistic component of this class consists of learning the Cyrillic alphabet and a very limited number of simple words and phrases, which will serve as a foundation for further language study. Dates: Nov. 10 to Dec. 11 When: Monday through Thursday, noon to 1 p.m. Where: Building 12, Room 158Q Please register via SATERN. The registration deadline is Nov. 4. - Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training: Dec. 8-12
Lean Six Sigma is one of the continuous improvement tools and methods used to help achieve operational excellence. The Lean Six Sigma approach helps identify process deficiencies, eliminate redundant or ineffective steps and overcome barriers that inhibit the rapid and smooth flow of work. The overall purpose of Lean Six Sigma is to improve process quality, which ultimately helps reduce operational costs and schedules. Green Belt Training provides both the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively identify improvement opportunities, confidently participate on the Lean Six Sigma teams and apply Lean principles and Six Sigma methodology to respective NASA/JSC projects and work areas. The skills acquired in class are beneficial to aspiring project managers, team leads and anyone who works in groups to make risk based decisions. Dates: Dec. 8 to 12 in Building 20, Room 205/206 Open to civil servants and a limited number of contractors. Prerequisites and approval are required. - Job Opportunities
Where do I find job opportunities? To help you navigate to JSC vacancies, use the filter drop-down menu and select "JSC HR." The "Jobs" link will direct you to the USAJOBS website for the complete announcement and the ability to apply online. Lateral reassignment and rotation opportunities are posted in the Workforce Transition Tool. To access, click: HR Portal > Employees > Workforce Transition > Workforce Transition Tool. These opportunities do not possess known promotion potential; therefore, employees can only see positions at or below their current grade level. If you have questions about any JSC job vacancies or reassignment opportunities, please call your HR representative. | |
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| JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles. Disclaimer: Accuracy and content of these notes are the responsibility of the submitters. |
NASA and Human Spaceflight News
Monday – October 27, 2014
NASA TV:
NASA TV will provide coverage of the launch of the Orbital Sciences/Cygnus craft this afternoon beginning at 4:45 pm CT. HEADLINES AND LEADS
The U.S. still spends more on space than every other country—combined
Roberto A. Ferdman - The Washington Post
Ever since NASA retired its last space shuttle in 2011, American space travel has taken a back seat to news of growing Chinese space ambitions, Indian Mars missions, Iranian space chimps, and Russian space geckos. But make no mistake, the United States is still the global powerhouse in space spending.
Huntsville still the 'Rocket City' as NASA aims for Mars: guest opinion
Huntsville became known as America's "Rocket City" during the 1960s when the pioneering rocket scientist, Wernher von Braun, led Marshall Space Flight Center and the development of the Saturn V rocket that made possible the first steps on the moon by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
Roscosmos to test its Moon base on Earth
Russia Today
Russian space agency Roscosmos will build a prototype of the base it plans to build on the Moon beyond 2030 on Earth, TASS news agency reports citing a source in the space industry.
Infertile Field of Mars? Colonization plans marred by gravity, radiation fears
Ria Novosti, of Russia
The Mars One mission - to bring humans to the Red Planet - is underway, with nearly 80,000 applicants for a possible one-way trip. But will they go forth and multiply? Low gravity and cosmic rays lie in the path of the ambitious plan.
Original Redstone launch team recalls start of modern space program
James Dean – Florida Today
Bill Grafton ran.
PBS 'Makers' film looks at women in space
Peter Keough - Boston Globe
Now we take for granted the notion of female astronauts, but for two decades it was strictly an all-male affair. Not so well known is how women finally breached that barrier.
Orbital Sciences readies SS Deke Slayton for resupply run to International Space Station
Britt Rawcliffe - Spaceflight Insider
After minor delays, Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital) is set to launch one of the company's Cygnus resupply spacecraft on Monday, Oct. 27 to deliver crew supplies and cargo to the International Space Station's (ISS) Expedition 40. Monday's launch is slated for 6:44 p.m. EDT (1844 GMT), providing only a 15 minute launch window at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) launch site on Wallops Island, Virginia.
Russian Progress M-24M cargo spacecraft undocks from ISS
Progress M-24M is scheduled to take part in a scientific experiment to study the possibility of transmitting optical signals to carry out the researches on the changes of the Earth's atmosphere
TASS
Russia's Progress M-24M cargo resupply spacecraft has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS), the Mission Control Center (MCC) said on Monday.
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, mission complete, returns home
Jason Rhian - Spaceflight Insider
The Expedition 40 crew said goodbye to a fellow space traveler with the departure of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Dragon cargo vessel which arrived at the space station on Saturday, Oct. 25. After being instructed to carry out a burn, the spacecraft and its new payload of used experiments and equipment splashed down off an estimated 300 miles west of Baja, California at 3:39 p.m. EDT (1939 GMT).
How 3D Printing Could Help Replace Russian Rockets
Marcus Weisgerber - Defense One via Space News
As the Pentagon looks to develop a replacement for the Russian engine that blasts the Atlas V rocket into orbit, two U.S. companies have been working on a little-known project that could speed up the process.
ILS plans to return Proton to commercial service next month
Nearly a year since its last mission in February, International Launch Services aims to resume commercial flights of Russia's Proton rocket in late November with the Astra 2G communications satellite for SES.
Google Exec's Stratospheric Plunge Breaks World Record
Lee Billings - Scientific American
This morning in Roswell, New Mexico, a spacesuit-clad 57-year-old Google executive, Alan Eustace, strapped into a harness beneath a giant helium balloon and lifted off to new heights in the upper stratosphere. After reaching an altitude of 135,908 feet—more than 25 miles high, with a black sky overhead and a visibly-round planet beneath—Eustace severed his connection to the balloon with a small explosive charge, and fell to Earth.
COMPLETE STORIES
The U.S. still spends more on space than every other country—combined
Roberto A. Ferdman - The Washington Post
Ever since NASA retired its last space shuttle in 2011, American space travel has taken a back seat to news of growing Chinese space ambitions, Indian Mars missions, Iranian space chimps, and Russian space geckos. But make no mistake, the United States is still the global powerhouse in space spending.
Last year, the United States spent roughly $40 billion on its space program, which is more than every other country combined, according to a new study (pdf) by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). For comparison, China's space budget, which is the second largest in the world, was just under $11 billion in 2013; Russia's the third largest, was roughly $8.6 billion; and India's, the fourth largest, was about $4.3 billion.
America's space budget isn't quite as exceptional when adjusted for population, but it's still number one. On a per capita basis, the United States spent roughly twice that of any other country last year.
Space spending is also slightly down in the United States, by the OECD's estimate.
National space budgets can be fairly difficult to track, because they often include a wide range of activities, spanning not only research and development, but also a number of civilian and defense programs that aren't necessarily housed under agencies that are explicitly dedicated to space exploration.
In the case of the United States, the budget largely reflects activities carried out by NASA, which cost roughly $18 billion in 2013. The bulk of that was spent on science, space operations (largely the international space station, which other countries contribute to as well), exploration, and cross-agency support, including those for commercial firms like Elon Musk's SpaceX.
But the U.S. space budget also includes activities that fall under the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation (Office of Commercial Space Transportation), the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of the Interior's Geological Survey (USGS), to name a few.
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Huntsville still the 'Rocket City' as NASA aims for Mars: guest opinion
Huntsville became known as America's "Rocket City" during the 1960s when the pioneering rocket scientist, Wernher von Braun, led Marshall Space Flight Center and the development of the Saturn V rocket that made possible the first steps on the moon by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
As NASA prepares to take its next giant leap in space exploration with a human journey to Mars in the 2030s, Huntsville is again at the forefront, developing the Space Launch System (SLS), the heavy lift rocket that will carry our astronauts farther into the solar system than anyone has ever gone before.
On Oct. 28, at the annual Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium taking place on the campus of the University of Alabama in Huntsville, I will share with key members of America's space community, the progress we are making on our Journey to Mars and several other major priorities.
A highlight of NASA's recent efforts was the announcement on Sept. 16 of the selection of Boeing and SpaceX to develop and certify crew transportation systems that will transport U.S. astronaut crews from U.S. soil to and from the International Space Station, ending our sole reliance on the Russians.
From day one, the Obama Administration has made it clear that the greatest nation on Earth should not be dependent on other nations to get into space.
Today we are one step closer to launching our astronauts from U.S. soil on American spacecraft and ending the nation's sole reliance on Russia by 2017. Turning over low-Earth orbit transportation to private industry will allow NASA to focus on an even more ambitious mission - sending humans to Mars.
We have already fulfilled part of the President's vision. For the past two years, two companies, SpaceX and Orbital Sciences, have been making regular cargo deliveries to the International Space Station.
The contracts we recently announced are designed to complete the NASA certification for human space transportation systems capable of carrying people into orbit. Once certification is complete, NASA plans to use these systems to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station and return them safely to Earth.
Each day, around the clock, the Marshall Payload Operations Center team helps our on-orbit astronauts conduct groundbreaking science from the Space Station.
As this research takes place in low-Earth orbit, and Boeing and SpaceX refine their new space transportation systems, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and its Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, are working just as diligently readying our new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS).
Joined with our multi-purpose crew vehicle, Orion, this new, powerful launch vehicle will carry people far from our local space neighborhood for deep space missions in the next decade.
When SLS and Orion are ready, we'll conduct missions that will each set their own impressive roster of firsts. First crew to visit and take samples of an asteroid, first crew to fly beyond the orbit of the moon, perhaps the first crew to grow its own food in space - all of which will set us up for humanity's next giant leap: the first crew to touch down on and take steps on the surface of Mars.
Beyond SLS, Marshall has a diverse portfolio of technology development and science research underway that will make it possible to explore, live and work in space beyond low-Earth orbit.
None of this would be possible without the more than 6,000 civil service and contractor employees at Marshall who are dedicated to America's spirit of exploration and innovation.
I especially want to commend the President and Congress for providing us support for this new way of doing business. By combining private sector ingenuity with a bipartisan national commitment, and the unmatched expertise of NASA, we are not only better able to stretch the boundaries of the possible, we are strengthening our economy and creating good jobs for our people.
Like that first mission to the moon, our Journey to Mars is an unprecedented undertaking. But, as Marshall's Wernher von Braun reminded us, "Mankind's reach should always exceed his grasp."
Our destiny is set, our course is laid out before us and we are following it. We hope that the people of Huntsville and all Americans will be inspired to join us on this next great, ambitious leg of humanity's journey farther into our solar system than ever before.
Roscosmos to test its Moon base on Earth
Russia Today
Russian space agency Roscosmos will build a prototype of the base it plans to build on the Moon beyond 2030 on Earth, TASS news agency reports citing a source in the space industry.
The base will consist of four parts – habitable module, energy module, laboratory module and junctional module. The prototype will allow the developers test all architectural and technical solutions for the actual Moon base.
The Roscosmos source added that the agency plans to supply the base with various robots – some of which will be constructing it. They will also be tested on Earth at the prototype base.
The agency estimates the costs of its most ambitious space projects in the federal space program for 2016-2025 at about $7.5 billion, the source said.
The most perspective spacecraft for deep space exploration that are to be developed during this period will be supplied with artificial intelligence so that they can carry on with their mission even with no commands from Earth.
Among the most ambitious projects the Russian space agency is working on are spacecraft that will fly not only to the Moon and Mars, but also Jupiter and the Sun.
Infertile Field of Mars? Colonization plans marred by gravity, radiation fears
Ria Novosti, of Russia
The Mars One mission - to bring humans to the Red Planet - is underway, with nearly 80,000 applicants for a possible one-way trip. But will they go forth and multiply? Low gravity and cosmic rays lie in the path of the ambitious plan.
Mars is considered to be the most hospitable planet in the solar system, after Earth. The dreams of the 'Martian Chronicles' author, Ray Bradbury, or 'Mr. Nobody'director Jaco Van Dormael, could be turned into reality with the colonization project.
The mission is aimed at sending first four Mars inhabitants in 2024, and their journey will become a Dutch reality TV program. One of the things the first settlers will not be allowed to do, however, is to have children.
The reason is that "The human ability to conceive in reduced gravity is not known, neither is there enough research on whether a fetus can grow normally under these circumstances," the mission states.
Still, Mars One acknowledges that to lead "true" life on Mars, having children is "vital," so Adams and Eves could still descend on Mars. But what's in store for them?
The planet's gravity is just 38 percent of Earth's, the atmosphere is so thin it resembles a laboratory vacuum, and is terribly cold. Typical nighttime temperatures close to the equator are -70 C.
Scientists have been examining the issue of reproduction in space for decades – in conditions of reduced gravity and limited space.
Although "performance of the sex act during a journey to Mars may require potentially complex sexual gymnastics," American neuropsychologist Rhawn Joseph once noted, what concerns scientists more is the dangers and risks space conditions pose to a potential baby and his surviving abilities.
Researchers began their experiments with plants. Over 50 years ago, Soviet scientists sent peas into space – and its four generations turned out not to differ from their earthly breeds. Fruit flies followed, and in 1979 quail eggs.
Embryos developed normally, but problems arose when the chicks hatched - they didn't even live four days, as they couldn't cope with micro-gravity, somersaulting helplessly. Their instincts atrophied completely in 10 hours, not reacting to light and sound.
To explore effects on sexual behavior, Russian scientists sent male and female rats, as well as geckos, into space. In 1979, the rats refused to mate, and the 2014 gecko experiment returned dead lizards.
However, human beings are considered likely to easily overcome sex-related psychological problems.
Officially, NASA has no policy regarding sex in space. Nevertheless, astronauts voluntarily abide by the 'Astronaut Code of Professional Responsibility', which calls "for a constant commitment to honorable behavior."
But even if those hurdles are overcome, biological factors come into play. High levels of radiation, both from the sun and from outer space, damage the ovaries and testicles – the most sensitive parts of body to the cosmic rays.
Studies in non-human primates during the second half of pregnancy revealed that even low doses of ionizing radiation are enough to harm the ovaries of a female fetus. Should humans be exposed, a girl carried to term in interplanetary space could be infertile.
Bad luck for this solar system?
"I believe that we will eventually establish self-sustaining colonies on Mars and other bodies in the solar system, but not within the next 100 years," believes British physicist Stephen Hawking.
Original Redstone launch team recalls start of modern space program
James Dean – Florida Today
Bill Grafton ran.
As the last one on the pad before the launch of the first Redstone rocket from Cape Canaveral, on Aug. 20, 1953, it was his job to plug an igniter into the enormous, seven-story missile.
"I was a little bit nervous, because this thing was filled with all the fuel and it was sitting there puffing like an old train," Grafton, 89, remembered recently.
When he hooked up the igniter, it unexpectedly triggered a liquid oxygen valve to open, dumping a smokey-looking cloud of condensed water around him. Fearing an explosion, Grafton took off, continuing to sprint even after a 25-foot cord reached its limit and yanked a headset and hard hat from his head.
"Because if that thing had gone off — of course, by that time I would have probably been flying anyway," he laughed.
Engineers repaired an electrical short and the rocket proceeded to blast off on a brief flight that members of the launch team consider the start of the modern space program.
Versions of the Redstone went on to launch the first U.S. satellite and the first American in space. Within 15 years of the countdown that sent Grafton running, some of the team were supporting a manned flight around the moon, launched from the new Kennedy Space Center by a rocket that dwarfed the Redstones and everything since.
"Redstone I would put as the benchmark for space history," said Ike Rigell, 91, of Titusville. "And if you look at this generation, we're the first and only generation that has experienced the entire space program. After us, there's nobody that lived through those early days."
Four of the five living members of the original Redstone launch team gathered last week at Rigell's Titusville home to reminisce and record some of their stories.
Reed Barnett, of Melbourne Beach, and Bill "Curly" Chandler, of Astor, Fla., joined Rigell and Grafton, visiting from Flagstaff, Ariz. Their friend Jim Rorex was unable to make the trip from Huntsville, Ala.
"We're getting kind of old," said Grafton. "We thought we ought to get together while we can still get around."
The team
The engineers arrived from Huntsville's Redstone Arsenal in 1953 as civilian employees of the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency, part of a team led by legendary German rocket scientists including Wernher von Braun and Kurt Debus.
Rigell remembers Cocoa Beach then offering only a small motel and The Surf restaurant. Grocery runs required trips to Cocoa or Melbourne.
As for many Brevard County pioneers, blood-sucking insects loom large in their early memories.
"I can't exaggerate the mosquito problem," said Rigell.
It was so bad Chandler said he cried one night, resolving to leave and never return. A truck regularly sprayed fumes into the small blockhouse close to pads 3 and 4. Fueled rockets provided some relief.
"We sure enjoyed it when they loaded the vehicle because we all wanted to go out to the pad and walk in those vapors," said Chandler. "Not only was it cool, but it got rid of the mosquitoes."
The launch team consisted entirely of white men. Rigell remembers a colleague warning Debus not to start a meeting on a sensitive subject because a secretary was there, and women couldn't keep secrets.
"That was the culture," said Rigell, noting that Debus dismissed the objection.
The Redstone was a large ballistic missile then being developed to carry nuclear warheads during the Cold War. After its on-pad repairs, Grafton made a safe retreat to nearby Hangar C to watch the first launch.
Inside the blockhouse, a team of about 30 followed countdown procedures that fit on a single page, front and back. Time events were marked with an "X" rather than a "T," possibly a German preference, Rigell speculates.
After the rocket climbed beautifully through a low cloud deck, Grafton began hearing strange grinding sounds. A splash in the ocean that some initially thought was a porpoise turned out to be the rocket, which had tumbled with its engine sputtering on and off.
The flight was still considered a success, and a photo taken shortly afterward shows Grafton and Barnett in hard hats among a group of 10 smiling men.
"In those days, all the programs, if you could get the engine fired up, no matter how far it went, you claimed partial success," said Rigell.
But under von Braun's leadership, the Redstone team understood they were part of a development program and could learn important lessons from mistakes, not perfection.
In this case, a German engineer volunteered that a nut he'd tightened may have pushed some lines askew, contributing to the engine trouble.
His punishment? A bottle of champagne, as a reward for speaking up.
"We learned that lesson and it's still enforced today, as far as I know, at the space center," said Rigell. "If you make an honest mistake, you admit it and you get commended. But don't make that mistake again."
Failures and successes
The third Redstone blew up on the pad. A pressure wave pushed through pipes routing cables to the blockhouse, knocking off an interior panel with a shower of the materials they had stuffed inside to keep out bugs and snakes. No one was hurt.
Grafton had argued against a proposed change in how to start the Rocketdyne engine, since existing procedures had worked during testing in Huntsville.
"Big mistake," he said.
Rigell remembers the January 1958 launch of the Explorer 1 satellite, which was the U.S. response to the "wake-up call" of Sputnik a few months earlier, as one of the biggest moments in his life.
In May 1961, a Redstone boosted Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 Mercury capsule from the Cape on a 15-minute suborbital ride, weeks after Yuri Gagarin had become the first person to orbit the planet.
And a few weeks after that, President John F. Kennedy issued his challenge to fly men to the moon and back.
During the early Redstone program, von Braun already dreamed about exploring the moon and beyond, and had a model on his desk of a futuristic booster that could fly back to the ground. But most of the others were focused on the defense-related mission at hand and never imagined moon shots were on their horizon.
Rigell, who went on to become chief engineer and deputy director of launch vehicle operations in the Apollo program, said the big-budget, fast-paced program drastically changed the small Redstone team's do-it-yourself, "mom-and-pop" operation.
"When Apollo came in, we were like General Electric or Walmart," he said. "We were big stuff."
The four original launch team members last week visited Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to see the pads and blockhouse where they started the space program.
Rigell remembers looking at the first Redstone on Pad 4, standing nearly 70 feet tall and six feet in diameter, and thinking, "This thing's too big to fly!"
"And 15 years later we're listening to Frank Borman and his crew on Christmas Eve reading the Book of Genesis, circling the moon," he said. "Now that's incredible."
PBS 'Makers' film looks at women in space
Peter Keough - Boston Globe
Now we take for granted the notion of female astronauts, but for two decades it was strictly an all-male affair. Not so well known is how women finally breached that barrier.
Michael Epstein's "Makers: Women in Space" is one of six documentaries in the PBS "Makers" series about pioneering women. It relates the story from the earliest days of the space program, when female candidates — some of them proven to be more qualified than their male counterparts — were still denied. That story continues on up through the triumph of Sally Ride, who in 1983 became the first woman in space, and the tragedy of Christa McAuliffe, victim of the 1986 Challenger disaster.
"Makers: Women in Space" can be seen at a special screening at 7 p.m. on Monday at WGBH studios, One Guest Street, Brighton. It will be preceded by a reception at 6 p.m. and followed by a Q&A with NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, who is featured in the documentary. The event is free, but those wishing to attend should register at www.wgbh.org/support/boxoffice.cfm. Subsequent "Makers" films can be seen on PBS on Oct 28 ("Women in Business") and Nov. 4 ("Women in Politics"), both at 9 p.m. Previous episodes can be accessed on the PBS website. Orbital Sciences readies SS Deke Slayton for resupply run to International Space Station
Britt Rawcliffe - Spaceflight Insider
After minor delays, Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital) is set to launch one of the company's Cygnus resupply spacecraft on Monday, Oct. 27 to deliver crew supplies and cargo to the International Space Station's (ISS) Expedition 40. Monday's launch is slated for 6:44 p.m. EDT (1844 GMT), providing only a 15 minute launch window at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) launch site on Wallops Island, Virginia.
Monday's launch will be a joint effort between Orbital Sciences and NASA to conduct the fourth of eight resupply flights in a series of on-going Commercial Resupply Services missions.
With Monday's flight, and including a 2013 Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demonstration flight for Cygnus, four of the soda can-shaped spacecraft that have traversed the void to deliver much-needed supplies to the space station.
Through the $1.9 billion agreement that Orbital Sciences has with NASA, the company has become one of two U.S. commercial aerospace firms able to deliver cargo to the astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory. With the contract open for rebidding starting on Nov. 14, the CRS contract will be reopened for bidding.
At present, Orbital and Hawthorne, California-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) are carrying out the resupply flights to the ISS under the first phase of the CRS contract.
The upcoming Antares launch was confirmed after a series of minor delays that set the ORB-3 mission back from its original Oct. 20 launch date. The first delay was due to a decision to provide a few extra days for ground and space station pre-launch operations to be completed. Then, due to Hurricane Gonzalo's path through an important Bermuda down-range tracking station, the date was moved to Oct. 27 to accommodate for damage assessment and potential repairs. Luckily, nothing was damaged and after reviewing the Bermuda station, it was confirmed that a Monday launch was still plausible.
"The Wallops range relies on the Bermuda downrange assets to track and maintain data communications with the Antares rocket during flight and ultimately to ensure public safety during launch operations," said Steven Kremer, Chief of the Wallops Range and Mission Management Office.
Earlier in the week, the Cygnus cargo spacecraft was fully fueled, and mated with the Antares 130 launch vehicle. After the initial loading, the remaining time-sensitive cargo was also loaded into the spacecraft in the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) – bringing the payload weight to an estimated 5,000 lbs (2,268 kg).
NASA released a full cargo manifest for this month's mission which includes the following: Science investigations: 1,602.8 lbs (727 kg)
- U.S. science: 1,254.4 lbs (569 kg)
- International partner science: 348.3 lbs (158 kg)
Crew supplies: 1,649 lbs (748 kg)
- Equipment: 273.4 lbs (124 kg)
- Food: 1,360.3 lbs (617 kg)
- Flight procedure books: 15.4 lbs (7 kg)
Vehicle hardware: 1,404.3 lbs (637 kg)
- U.S. hardware: 1,338.2 lbs (607 kg)
- JAXA hardware: 66.1 lbs (30 kg)
Spacewalk equipment: 145.5 lbs (66 kg)
Computer resources: 81.6 lbs (37 kg)
- Command & data handling equipment: 75 lbs (34 kg)
- Photography/TV equipment: 6.6 lbs (3 kg)
One of the larger items on the payload manifest is the relatively tiny 3U CubeSat, Arkyd 3 (A3), built and funded by private company, Planetary Resources (PRI). The mission of PRI is to explore space and aid in the mining of resources in space (including asteroids). The A3 CubeSat is a smaller, condense version of the larger, Arkyd-100 satellite, which includes telescope technology. Arkyd 3 stands as a early, small test of the Arkyd-100 technology that will later be flown to aid in PRI's company objectives.
On Friday Oct. 24, after payload fairing encapsulation, Antares set off on its one mile-long journey from the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) at 4:45 p.m. EDT (2045 GMT) to Pad-0A. Yesterday, on Saturday Oct, 25, the Antares rocket was raised into its vertical position in preparation for flight.
Monday's launch will be a special one for space history enthusiasts, as Orbital has announced that the Cygnus for this mission will be named for the late NASA astronaut and U.S. Air Force pilot, Donald "Deke" K. Slayton.
One of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, Slayton also flew combat missions over Europe and Japan during World War II as a decorated pilot. The SS Deke Slayton, as the capsule has been named, is Orbital's tribute to the astronaut's leadership and contributions to America's space program. After a long career with NASA, Slayton was named the president of Space Services Inc. of America (SSI), which was the forerunner to commercial spaceflight today. His company became the first to launch a privately-funded rocket into space on Sept. 9, 1982 with the flight of the Conestoga 1 rocket.
Orbital has a history of naming their spacecraft after astronauts and individuals who contributed to the United States' commercial space program. Past Cygnus spacecrafts have been named in honor of Janice E. Voss, C. Gordon Fullerton, and G. David Low, who were all former NASA astronauts. The selection of Slayton is slightly unique, as Slayton, unlike the prior designees, had no professional connection to Orbital.
On Saturday, NASA released a statement that Antares and Cygnus should now be clear for a Monday launch attempt, with fair weather predicted for the flight. A 72 hour forecast suggests that there will be a 98 percent probability of acceptable weather conditions for launch. Weather will be monitored closely up until launch day should something change.
The launch sequence for Antares usually lasts about ten minutes from ignition to orbital insertion. Between these two events, Antares will shed its first stage, second stage, and payload fairing as on-board computers carefully place the SS Deke Slayton into its proper orbit.
Shortly after launch, those viewing the rocket from the vicinity of Wallops Flight Facility will be in for a special treat. The International Space Station is scheduled to be visible at about 6:49 p.m. EDT (2249 GMT), about 5 or so minutes after the rocket is ignited. The space station can be located at about a maximum height of 87 degrees and will be visible for a few minutes as it catches the reflected light of the Sun.
Once Antares has successfully inserted Cygnus into orbit, the spacecraft will spend the next six days traveling to the station so as to ensure maximum schedule flexibility with other spacecraft operations at the complex. The Cygnus spacecraft is due to arrive, rendezvous and berth with the station early on the morning of Nov. 2. After almost a month's visit, Cygnus is scheduled to depart from the ISS on Dec. 3 filled with materials to be discarded upon a fiery reentry into Earth's atmosphere.
Even though Monday's launch will be in Virginia, it will be visible along large stretches of the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. The launch should be able to be seen as far south as South Carolina up to Rhode Island. From various positions along the coast, viewers will be able to see both the first and second stage ignition of the Antares rocket. The early evening "twilight hour" is optimal for long-distance launch viewing.
Orbital Sciences has provided a detailed series of maps which can be used to locate the trajectory of the rocket in your area. The best areas for viewing will be on higher ground with darker skies, as close to the coastline as possible. Those interested in viewing the launch of Antares from a distance should check these maps as well as the weather for their viewing location.
Russian Progress M-24M cargo spacecraft undocks from ISS
Progress M-24M is scheduled to take part in a scientific experiment to study the possibility of transmitting optical signals to carry out the researches on the changes of the Earth's atmosphere
TASS
Russia's Progress M-24M cargo resupply spacecraft has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS), the Mission Control Center (MCC) said on Monday.
"The spacecraft undocked from the station at 8:38am Moscow time," the MCC said.
Progress M-24M is scheduled to take part in a scientific experiment between October 27 and November 20 to study the possibility of transmitting optical signals to carry out the researches on the changes of the Earth's atmosphere.
"With the use of a TV camera, we look under various angles from the Sun at the Earth's atmosphere and the processes happening on it," said Vladimir Solovyov, flight director for the Russian segment of the space station.
A similar experiment was earlier conducted with the use of cargo spacecraft Progress M-61, Progress M-65, Progress M-04M and Progress M-05M.
The spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur center in Kazakhstan on July 24, successfully docking with the Pirs module of the ISS in an automatic mode. It delivered fuel, oxygen, food and equipment for scientific experiments.
The next cargo spacecraft, Progress M-25M, is due to be launched from the Baikonur space center via the Soyuz-U carrier rocket on October 29 at 10:09am Moscow time.
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, mission complete, returns home
Jason Rhian - Spaceflight Insider
The Expedition 40 crew said goodbye to a fellow space traveler with the departure of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Dragon cargo vessel which arrived at the space station on Saturday, Oct. 25. After being instructed to carry out a burn, the spacecraft and its new payload of used experiments and equipment splashed down off an estimated 300 miles west of Baja, California at 3:39 p.m. EDT (1939 GMT).
Dragon carried an estimated 3,276 lbs (1,486 kg) cargo and science samples which will be returned to NASA. Dragon is a unique asset as it is the only spacecraft that currently travels to the International Space Station that is capable of returning an appreciable amount of cargo to Earth.
"This mission enabled research critical to achieving NASA's goal of long-duration human spaceflight in deep space," said Sam Scimemi, director of the International Space Station division at NASA Headquarters. "The delivery of the ISS RapidScatterometer advances our understanding of Earth science, and the 3-D printer will enable a critical technology demonstration. Investigations in the returned cargo could aid in the development of more efficient solar cells and semiconductor-based electronics, the development of plants better suited for space, and improvements in sustainable agriculture."
Dragon will now be transported via boat to a port located near Los Angeles. From there, some of the cargo will be offloaded and returned to NASA within 48 hours. Dragon itself will be ferried back to SpaceX's McGregor, Texas test facility for processing.
Some of the scientific experiments are time sensitive, especially in terms of the Rodent Research-1 experiment. This study will review the impacts of the micro-gravity environment on animals, in this case – mice. It is hoped that information gleaned from this experiment can be relayed to human space exploration efforts as well as the health of individuals back on Earth.
The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS ), an organization funded by the U.S. government which manages experiments on the International Space Station in conjunction with NASA. Both organizations are developing experiments which will use the Rodent Research Hardware System.
The Dragon which splashed down today was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) in Florida on Sept. 21. Onboard was almost 5,000 lbs (2,268 kg) worth of experiments, cargo and crew supplies. The equipment on the spacecraft supported some 255 scientific investigations that are currently or planned to be carried out by the Expedition 41 and 42 crews on the orbiting laboratory.
Other experiments on Dragon include the following:
The Fundamental and Applied Studies of Emulsion Stability (FASES) investigation will be processed to help determine the physical principles which play a part in stabilizing different emulsions and the compounds that influenced those emulsions while in orbit. Emulsions are mixtures of two or more liquids where one liquid is present in droplet form and distributed throughout the other liquid; common emulsions include milk, mayonnaise and paint.
NanoRacks-Girl Scouts of Hawai'i-Arugula Plant Growth study was returned to Earth, as well. This study seeks to determine the impact that various nutrients and microgravity have on the growth and nutritious value of arugula seedlings grown in space. The goal of the study is to develop better ways to grow plants with a high nutritional content in the space environment. If the study samples have a high nutrition value, this may enable NASA and astronauts to grow and consume fresh, healthy food during future space travel.
Under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract, SpaceX is tasked with conducting 12 resupply flights to the ISS by 2016. NASA is negotiating with both SpaceX and the other commercial partner working on the CRS contract, Dulles, Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corporation – to extend the first phase of the contract for an additional year.
How 3D Printing Could Help Replace Russian Rockets
Marcus Weisgerber - Defense One via Space News
As the Pentagon looks to develop a replacement for the Russian engine that blasts the Atlas V rocket into orbit, two U.S. companies have been working on a little-known project that could speed up the process.
Dynetics, of Huntsville, Ala., and Aerojet Rocketdyne, of Sacramento, Calif., are already building a replacement engine that could power the Atlas V for military launches and future NASA manned space launches. Much of the engine has been built using a 3-D printing technique known as additive manufacturing.
"Going to additive manufacturing is going to be one of the biggest cost and time savers on this engine," said Steve Cook, director of corporate development at Dynetics. The team has built a key rocket engine part, know as the pre-burner, with a new manufacturing process for this type of part. What typically takes 15 months, Cook said, they did in 15 days.
"It's what is used to generate the hot gas that turns the turbo pump on the main engine," he said.
The company plans to test the part before the end of the year.
Additive manufacturing could save substantial time and money in engine development, but the technology is still unproven, said Marco Caceres, senior analyst and director of space studies at the Teal Group consulting firm. "Right now, what the Air Force needs with regard to a new engine is precisely that, to save a lot of time and money," he said.
Dynetics and Aerojet Rocketdyne have been working on the project for two years, long before the replacement of the RD-180 became part of the common vernacular in defense circles.
The U.S. Air Force launches many of the military's communications, reconnaissance and navigation satellites on the massive Atlas V rocket. The powerful and reliable RD-180 engine blasts the Atlas V rocket during the boost phase, the first four minutes-or-so during launch. The engine and booster then disconnect and a second engine, the RL-10, propels the payload into space. Aerojet Rocketdyne makes the RL-10.
Souring relations between Washington and Moscow of the past year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine has put American access to the RD-180 in question. In response to U.S. sanctions levied against Russian firms, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin in May said Moscow would no longer export the RD-180 to the U.S. military. But that has not happened as Atlas V-maker United Launch Alliance received engines in August.
Still, this has prompted the White House, Pentagon and Congress to support a project to build a U.S.-made RD-180 replacement. Members of Congress on both sides of the political aisle have unified in their support for a replacement engine. Last month, 19 lawmakers sent a letter to President Barack Obama pushing for an RD-180 replacement by 2019.
"The path forward requires both careful consideration and decisive action," they wrote.
Congress recently blessed a Pentagon request to realign $40 million for the replacement engine effort.
The U.S. government scaled back its development of liquid rocket booster technology when it decided to use the Russian RD-180 in the 1990s, said Cook, who worked at NASA for 25 years and served as a Ares rocket program manager.
"We dialed way back in the investments we were making," Cook said. "This is about recapturing and reclaiming our technology, bringing it back to this country and being able to control our own destiny."
The Air Force in August asked rocket engine companies to send in thoughts on how it should go about replacing the RD-180. Pentagon officials are now figuring out how to move forward.
"I think that there is close to a consensus of the administration that we need to find a way to remove the dependency [on the RD-180]," Frank Kendall, the Pentagon's acquisition chief, said in September. "[W]e're looking for the best course of action to do that. We haven't made a decision yet."
Next week, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work is expected to convene a Pentagon panel to discuss the way ahead for the program, according to industry sources.
In addition to the Dynetics and Aerojet Rocketdyne team, other companies interested in engine replacement include Blue Origin, a company established by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. It has partnered with United Launch Alliance. In addition, ATK is pitching a solid-fueled rocket engine. The Blue Origin and Dynetics-Aerojet Rocketdyne engines are liquid-fueled.
There are many divergent estimates for how much a replacement engine might cost and how long it would take to build. These range from hundreds of millions of dollars to as high as $5 billion and five to seven years.
"Basically nobody knows," Caceres said. "If you see so much divergence in these estimates, then ultimately what it tells me is that everybody's guessing and they're hoping."
The Dynetics and Aerojet Rocketdyne team believes it could build a prototype engine in about two-and-a-half years of a Pentagon contract award and have a flyable engine by 2019, Cook said.
Regardless of the results, the government will own the intellectual property that comes out of the Dynetics-Aerojet Rocketdyne project.
"The government can take that and provide it to other competitors in a full and open competition … thereby increasing the knowledge of the field in terms of getting more competitive proposals," Cook said.
ILS plans to return Proton to commercial service next month
Nearly a year since its last mission in February, International Launch Services aims to resume commercial flights of Russia's Proton rocket in late November with the Astra 2G communications satellite for SES.
The U.S.-based launch services company had to suspend commercial flights after a Proton launch failure in May. Satellites for the Russian government took precedence in the Proton manifest when the rocket was in service, forcing commercial payloads to wait for a ride into space.
With back-to-back successful launches since the May 15 rocket failure that destroyed a Russian telecom satellite, the Proton booster is set to return to commercial service with a launch scheduled for Nov. 27 for SES of Luxembourg, which owns the world's second-largest fleet of satellites in geostationary orbit.
Industry officials said the Astra 2G satellite was ready for shipment next week from its Airbus Defence and Space factory in France to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for fueling and final launch preparations.
Liftoff on Nov. 27 is set for 2124 GMT (4:24 p.m. EST), according to Russian news reports.
Astra 2G's launch will mark the 400th flight of a Proton rocket since the launcher debuted in 1965.
At least two more Proton rocket missions are planned after Astra 2G's launch, said Karen Monaghan, a spokesperson for International Launch Services.
Monaghan did not say whether the Proton launches planned for December would be commercial flights under the auspices of ILS or would carry Russian government payloads under the management of the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, the Moscow-based owner of ILS and prime contractor for the Proton rocket and Breeze M upper stage.
Based in Reston, Va., ILS announced in August it cut its workforce by approximately 25 percent in response to a lagging launch rate. Instead of seven or eight ILS Proton launches annually, ILS said it now targets around three or four.
The last ILS Proton launch in February successfully delivered the Turksat 4A satellite into orbit for a Turkish telecom company.
Two Khrunichev-managed Proton launches occurred in March and April before the botched launch of the Express AM4R communications satellite in May.
Investigators blamed the May launch failure on an anomaly in the Proton rocket's third stage steering system that led to the premature shutdown of the third stage main engine.
The Proton rocket returned to flight status with the Sept. 27 launch of a Russian military satellite. Another Proton launch Oct. 21 deployed the Express AM6 spacecraft for Russia's government-owned civilian satellite telecom operator.
Reliability woes with the Proton rocket and Breeze M upper stage have primarily afflicted launches with Russian institutional payloads in recent years.
Only one ILS Proton/Breeze M launch in the last six years has suffered a mishap, and the satellite aboard that December 2012 mission — Russia's commercial Yamal 402 spacecraft — recovered and reached its planned orbit using on-board propellant.
In the same time period, five Proton/Breeze M flights had failures that destroyed their payloads or put them in the wrong orbit, with most of the issues attributed to process or manufacturing errors.
ILS officials have said they subject commercial Proton launches to an extra layer of scrutiny, offering their customers additional quality control measures to raise the chance of success.
Google Exec's Stratospheric Plunge Breaks World Record
Lee Billings - Scientific American
This morning in Roswell, New Mexico, a spacesuit-clad 57-year-old Google executive, Alan Eustace, strapped into a harness beneath a giant helium balloon and lifted off to new heights in the upper stratosphere. After reaching an altitude of 135,908 feet—more than 25 miles high, with a black sky overhead and a visibly-round planet beneath—Eustace severed his connection to the balloon with a small explosive charge, and fell to Earth.
As first reported by John Markoff in the New York Times, during his descent Eustace broke the world record for highest-altitude jump, soaring more than a mile higher than the previous record-holder, Austria's Felix Baumgartner, who ascended to 128,100 feet in October 2012. In his descent Eustace broke the sound barrier, reaching a top speed of more than 800 miles per hour. He safely touched down via parachute about 15 minutes after leaving his balloon.
Whereas Baumgartner's plunge was a heavily promoted public extravaganza sponsored by energy-drink company Red Bull, Eustace's attempt was pure Silicon Valley: shrouded in secrecy until today, and apparently largely self-funded. That minimalist, low-key approach may have contributed to Eustace's decision to ascend dangling free beneath his balloon, rather than riding in a more complex and costly pressurized capsule as Baumgartner did.
Eustace had worked with a cadre of experts in aeronautics and life-support systems to perfect his crucial pressure suit, design the parachute, and conceive the mission profile. "What if you could design a system that would allow humans to explore the stratosphere as easily and safely as they do the ocean," he said in a statement. "With the help of the world-class StratEx team, I hope we've encouraged others to explore this part of the world about which we still know so little."
The "StratEx" Eustace mentioned is short for "Stratospheric Explorer," according to the prime contractor he partnered with for his stunt, Paragon Space Development Corporation. The company's website states that the StratEx system has, among other uses, "wide-ranging applications for the study of the science of the stratosphere," and encourages potential customers to get in touch. Eustace, it seems, is hoped to be only the first of many future daredevils ascending to lofty heights.
Do not be fooled. For a part of the world "about which we still know so little," the stratosphere is a crowded, busy place, filled with tens of thousands of commercial airline flights each day and monitored by fleets of weather balloons, sounding rockets, and orbital satellites. And although the overlooked upper stratosphere and the mesosphere above it have been dubbed the "ignorosphere," truth is, the case for sending human "explorers" there is as thin as its air.
Eustace's audacious project is a spectacular feat of engineering and a heroic achievement worthy of celebration. It's also an astounding testament to the growing power of extremely wealthy individuals to perform feats that were previously the purview of advanced nation-states. But it is not science – it is, in the words of Alan Stern, a prominent space scientist on the Paragon board, "engineering space tourism."
END
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