Orbit-raising commands fail to budge Phobos-Grunt probe

Spaceflight Now is reporting on ESA's continuing efforts to regain communication with Russia's Phobos-Grunt Mars probe.  ESA's Perth Austrialia was able to communicate on two occasions last week with the craft.

Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Orbit-raising commands fail to budge Phobos-Grunt probe:
"Plagued by an undiagnosed problem that stranded it in Earth orbit, Russia's Phobos-Grunt Mars mission remained quiet Tuesday after renewed attempts to coax the craft back into contact with ground controllers."

Could Titan's seas harbor life as we don't know it?

MSNBC's Alan Boyle speculates on the possibility of Titan's seas harboring life as we don't know it.

Cosmic Log - Could Titan's seas harbor life?:
"A fresh photo from the Cassini orbiter shows the hydrocarbon-rich seas and dunes of Titan, a Saturnian moon that might be capable of sustaining life as we don't know it.
The picture, published today on the websites of NASA's Saturn mission and Cassini's imaging team, shows the huge sea known as Kraken Mare as a dark spot on the northern edge of Titan's disk. The dark Senkyo dune field is front and center. Cassini's narrow-angle camera captured the view in near-infrared wavelengths from a distance of 1.2 million miles (1.9 million kilometers) on Sept. 14."

Air Force says it's extending mission of mysterious X-37B

As our November 24 article speculated, the LA times is now confirming the Air Force is extending the mission of the secretive X-37B, which now has been in orbit for 270 days.

Air Force says it's extending mission of mysterious X-37B - latimes.com:
The Air Force is extending the mission of an experimental robotic space plane that’s been circling the Earth for the last nine months.

The pilotless X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, which looks like a miniature version of the space shuttle, was launched in March from Cape Canaveral, Fla. At the time, Air Force officials offered few details about the mission, saying that the space plane simply provided a way to test new technologies in space, such as satellite sensors and other components."

The military did confirm that the 29-foot space plane was slated to land 270 days later, which would be Wednesday, on a 15,000-foot airstrip at Vandenberg Air Force Base, northwest of Santa Barbara. Now the Air Force has announced that the mission has been extended, but the exact landing date has not yet been set.

“We initially planned for a nine-month mission, which we are roughly at now, but we will continue to extend the mission as circumstances allow,” Lt. Col Tom McIntyre, the spacecraft's systems program director, said in a statement. “Keeping the X-37 in orbit will provide us with additional experimentation opportunities and allow us to extract the maximum value out of the mission.


Is it possible to see the X-37B land?  
The X-37B's primary landing site is Vandenberg AFB on the California coast north of Los Angles. The backup landing site is Edwards AFB, about 150 miles to the East. While both site's are restricted, there is public access nearby.

Assuming the X-37B uses a path similar to the Space Shuttle, an approach Vandenberg AFB's runway 30 would probably come from the west-south-west on the upward node of it's orbit, fly just north of the runway and make a sweeping 240 degree turn to the right around the heading alignment circle to align with runway 30.  Observers in Lompoc and along California Hwy 1, east of Vandenberg would probably be able to spot the craft, given the right conditions.

An approach from the west-north-west on the downward node of it's orbit would probably fly to the west of the runway, over the ocean, and make 160 degree left turn to align with runway 30. Again observers in Lompoc should be able to spot it under the right conditions.

Right now the upward node of the X-37B's orbit passes over Vandenberg AFB about an hour before dawn each day. In another 10 days or so it will passing over around dawn, prime viewing time. But catching a glimpse of it gets more interesting.

Because of the X-37B's cross-range ability, the distance it can fly to the right or left of it's orbital path while reentering, the craft probably has landing opportunities on 4 or 5 consecutive orbits each day. That's a 6 hour window! So it's going to be tough to spot.  Best advice, if you're near Lompoc and hear a sonic boom in the morning hours, look towards Vandenberg's runway and maybe you'll catch a glimpse of OTV-2's landing.

How Will MSL Navigate to Mars?

How Will MSL Navigate to Mars? Very Precisely:
Getting the Mars Science Laboratory to the Red Planet isn’t as easy as just strapping the rover on an Atlas V rocket and blasting it in the general direction of Mars. Spacecraft navigation is a very precise and constant science, and in simplest terms, it entails determining where the spacecraft is at all times and keeping it on course to the desired destination.


And, says MSL navigation team chief Tomas Martin-Mur, the only way to accurately get the Curiosity rover to Mars is for the spacecraft to constantly be looking in the rearview mirror at Earth.


“What we do is ‘drive’ the spacecraft using data from the Deep Space Network,” Martin–Mur told Universe Today. “If you think about it, we never see Mars. We don’t have an optical navigation camera or any other instruments to be able to see or sense Mars. We are heading to Mars, all the while looking back to Earth, and with measurements from the Earth we are able to get to Mars with a very high accuracy.”

"Pillars of Creation" Vaporized by a Supernova Explosion 6,000 Years Ago

"Pillars of Creation" --A Cosmic Artifact Vaporized by a Supernova Explosion 6,000 Years Ago:
"In early 2007, scientists using the Spitzer discovered evidence that potentially indicates the famed three Pillars of Creation photographed by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in 1995 in the Eagle Nebula were destroyed by a nearby supernova explosion about 6,000 years ago, but the light showing the new shape of the nebula will not reach Earth for another thousand years."

Curiosity equiped with German radiation detector

DLR Portal - News - Curiosity - a heavyweight Mars explorer:
"The US 'Curiosity' rover began its journey to Mars at 16:02 CET on 26 November on board an Atlas V 541 / Centaur launcher that lifted off from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. With 10 instruments on board, Curiosity will gather information about how hostile to or favourable for life the Red Planet was in the past – and might be for future manned missions. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) and Christian Albrecht University in Kiel are part of the team that is sending a Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) to Mars. The objective is to measure radiation levels at the Martian surface for the first time ever, thereby establishing the potential radiation dose for future astronauts and determining the depth below the surface at which living organisms might be able to survive. The spacecraft will land in Gale Crater – a destination that DLR planetary researcher Ernst Hauber favoured during workshops with NASA."

Japan shuts down Akari infrared space telescope

Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Japan calls it quits on infrared space telescope:
Japan announced this week its Akari infrared space telescope was switched off after five years of scanning the sky in search of star-forming dust clouds, ancient galaxies in the distant universe, and asteroids within the solar system.

JAXA Astronaut Activity Report, September 2011:JAXA Astronaut Activity Report

JAXA Astronaut Activity Report, September 2011:JAXA Astronaut Activity Report - JAXA's Astronaut - JAXA:

"Astronaut Kanai, together with astronauts from NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian cosmonaut, participated in the CAVES mission organized by the ESA.

CAVES is a training course which aims to promote the self-management and cooperation ability required for a long duration stay in space.

Kanai and the other four participants co-habited for six days in darkness, with no clue to the passage of time without the sun.

During the training course, they accomplished tasks just like those of the astronauts on the ISS, communicated with the support team outside the cave twice a day, checked the status and upcoming plans, updated a map of the caves, took photographs, and obtained samples for Geology and Microbiology."

Flawless Launch for MSL

Atlas V provided a flawless launch for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) this morning at 10:02 am EST from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

The two-stage Atlas V-541 launch vehicle lifted off right on time with the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The vehicle was provided by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. The thee numbers in the 541 designation signify a payload fairing, or nose cone, that is approximately 5 meters (16.4 feet) in diameter; four solid-rocket boosters fastened alongside the central common core booster; and a one-engine Centaur upper stage.

After a little more than 4 minutes of flight the Centaur second stage took over, burning for abot 7 minutes, placing the spacecraft in orbit. The second Centaur burn, continuing for nearly 8 minutes and lofted the spacecraft out of Earth orbit and on its way toward Mars.

Spectacular video from the Centaur upper stage showed the separation of  MSL now on it's way to Mars.

Russian's help MSL reach orbit

RD-180 test at Marshall Spaceflight Center
Tomorrow's scheduled launch of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) wouldn't be taking place without the help of the Russian company NPO Energomash. How so?  NPO Energomash builds the RD-180 engine that powers the first stage of MSL's Atlas V launch vehicle. Why is a Russian engine used on an American launch vechicle?

The short answer is that the Russian's are better at producing LOX / Kerosene burning engines than anyone else in the world. NPO Energomash had developed the high effeciency four chambered RD-170 engine for use on the strap-on boosters used on the Soviet Energia rocket. The two chambered RD-180 was later developed from the RD-170.

In the early 1990's General Dynamics Space Systems Division (now part of Lockheed Martin) was shopping around for an engine for their upgraded Atlas rocket program and purchased the rights to use the RD-180 engine. Since the Atlas launch vehicle would support US government launches, it was arranged for the RD-180 to be co-produced by Pratt & Whitney. While Pratt & Whitney has certified that it can produce the RD-180, to date all production has taken place at NPO Energomash in Russia. The engine is currently sold by a joint venture called RD AMROSS.  The purchase price for 101 engines was reportedly a Billion US dollars.

In a weird coincidence Energia's strap-on boosters later became the Zenit rocket, which launched Russia's failed Phobos-Grunt Mars probe on November 9.

The question for the day, how many RD-180's does the Atlas V use?  Post a comment if you know.

OTV-2: When will the X-37B land?

The U.S. Air Force's reusable OTV-2 (Orbital Test Vechile 2) automated space plane is nearing it's 270 day orbital design life. Launched on March 5 from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas V booster, the OTV-2, which is the second X-37B spaceplane built, has now been in orbit for 264 days.

Will the OTV-2 land soon? Maybe yes, maybe no. It's possible the mission may be extended. While the X-37B uses solar panels for electrical power, it's orbital lifetime is limited by consumables, such as fuel. If flight controllers have managed to conserve fuel, then the mission may be extended.

Commenting on the possibility that the mission may be extended Lt. Col. Tom McIntyre, Air Force X-37 systems program director said in October, "On-orbit experimentation is continuing, though we cannot predict accurately when that will be complete" and “We are learning new things about the vehicle every day, which makes the mission a very dynamic process." He also said that controllers "will try to extend it as circumstances allow." See Space Insider - Space.Com

If the Air Force follows the same procedures as they did in the landing of OTV-1 in December 2010, they will announce a few days in advance the approximate landing date of the vehicle.

Is it possible to see the X-37B land?  The X-37B's primary landing site is Vandenberg AFB on the California coast north of Los Angles. The backup landing site is Edwards AFB, about 150 miles to the East. While both site's are restricted, there is public access nearby.

Assuming the X-37B uses a path similar to the Space Shuttle, an approach Vandenberg AFB's runway 30 would probably come from the west-south-west on the upward node of it's orbit, fly just north of the runway and make a sweeping 240 degree turn to the right around the heading alignment circle to align with runway 30.  Observers in Lompoc and along California Hwy 1, east of Vandenberg would probably be able to spot the craft, given the right conditions.

An approach from the west-north-west on the downward node of it's orbit would probably fly to the west of the runway, over the ocean, and make 160 degree left turn to align with runway 30. Again observers in Lompoc should be able to spot it under the right conditions.

Right now the upward node of the X-37B's orbit passes over Vandenberg AFB about an hour before dawn each day. In another 10 days or so it will passing over around dawn, prime viewing time. But catching a glimpse of it gets more interesting.

Because of the X-37B's cross-range ability, the distance it can fly to the right or left of it's orbital path while reentering, the craft probably has landing opportunities on 4 or 5 consecutive orbits each day. That's a 6 hour window! So it's going to be tough to spot.  Best advice, if you're near Lompoc and hear a sonic boom in the morning hours, look towards Vandenberg's runway and maybe you'll catch a glimpse of OTV-2's landing.

By the way, this will be only the third time a spacecraft returning from orbit has made an automated runway landing.  Can you guess the first two? Post a comment if you know.

Image credits: Top two - NASA; Bottom - USAF




ESA tracking station establishes contact with Russia’s Mars mission

ESA Portal - ESA tracking station establishes contact with Russia’s Mars mission:

"On Tuesday, 22 November at 20:25 GMT, ESA's tracking station at Perth, Australia, established contact with Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft. Contact with the Mars mission was lost shortly after separation from the launch vehicle was confirmed on 8 November."

Mars Science Laboratory Launch Overview

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station this Saturday, November 26 at 10:02 EST. The following information is provided by NASA and discusses the Atlas launch vehicle, factors that went into setting the launch date, and the sequence of events involved in the launch.

Launch Vehicle
A two-stage Atlas V-541 launch vehicle will lift the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The vehicle is provided by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. The thee numbers in the 541 designation signify a payload fairing, or nose cone, that is approximately 5 meters (16.4 feet) in diameter; four solid-rocket boosters fastened alongside the central common core booster; and a one-engine Centaur upper stage.

Centerpiece of the first stage is the common core booster, 106.5 feet (32.46 meters) in length and 12.5 feet (3.81 meters) in diameter. It has a throttleable, RD-180 engine from a joint venture of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, West Palm Beach, Fla., and NPO Energomash, Moscow. Thermally stable kerosene fuel (type RP-1) and liquid oxygen will be loaded shortly before launch into cylindrical fuel tanks that make up about half of the total height of the vehicle. The common core booster can provide thrust of up to about 850,000 pounds (3.8 million newtons) at full throttle.

Four solid rocket boosters strapped onto the common core booster add to the thrust that will be produced by the first stage. Each of these boosters is 64 feet (19.5 meters) long and 61 inches (155 centimeters) in diameter, and delivers about 306,000 pounds (1.36 million newtons) of thrust.

Two interstage adaptors connect the first stage of the Atlas with its Centaur upper stage. The Centaur has a restartable RL-10 engine from Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. This engine uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and can provide up to about 22,300 pounds (99,200 newtons) of thrust. The Centaur can control its orientation precisely, which is important for managing the direction of thrust while its engine is firing. It carries its own flight control computer and can release its payload with the desired attitude and spin rate.

The spacecraft will ride into the sky inside a protective payload fairing atop the Centaur stage. With the payload fairing on top, the vehicle ready for launch will stand approximately 191 feet (58 meters) tall.

The first Atlas V was launched in August 2002. An Atlas V-401 sent NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on its way to Mars on Aug. 12, 2005, from the same launch complex where the Mars Science Laboratory will be launched.

Launch Timing Factors
As Earth and Mars race around the sun, with Earth on the inside track, Earth laps Mars about once every 26 months. Launch opportunities to Mars occur at the same frequency, when the planets are configured so that a spacecraft launched from Earth will move outward and intersect with Mars in its orbit several months later. This planetary clockwork, plus the launch vehicle’s power, the spacecraft’s mass, and the desired geometry and timing for the landing on Mars were all factors in determining the range of possible launch dates.

An additional factor in determining the launch period for the Mars Science Laboratory was the launch period from Aug. 5 to Aug. 26, 2011, for NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter. The Juno launch on Aug. 5 used an Atlas V-551 vehicle from the same launch complex as the Mars Science Laboratory, Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Consideration was given to the minimum time required to process the Mars Science Laboratory launch vehicle for its launch following Juno’s departure. This was an important factor in the choice of the type of trajectory to Mars and the timing of the launch period for the Mars Science Laboratory.

One priority for choice of a launch period within the range of possible dates has been to have the landing occur when NASA orbiters at Mars are passing over the landing site so they can receive radio transmissions from the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft during its descent through the atmosphere and landing. If the landing is not successful, this strategy will provide much more information than would be possible with the alternative of relying on transmissions from the Mars Science Laboratory directly to Earth. Landing on Mars is always difficult, with success uncertain. After an unsuccessful attempted Mars landing in 1999 without definitive information on the cause of the mishap, NASA set a high priority on communication during subsequent Mars landings.

The selected launch period for the Mars Science Laboratory begins Nov. 25, 2011, and ends Dec. 18, 2011. The durations of the daily launch windows during this 24-day launch period vary from day to day. On the first day in the launch period, the launch window is 103 minutes long. The windows will shorten to 44 minutes by the end of the period. Within each window, regardless of length, unique launch opportunities will occur once every five minutes.

The first launch opportunity on Nov. 25 is for liftoff at 10:25 a.m. EST.

Launch Sequences
The launch time, called “T Zero,” is 1.1 seconds before liftoff. Ignition of the Atlas V-541 first-stage common core booster is at 2.7 seconds before T Zero, or 3.8 seconds before liftoff.

The four solid rocket boosters ignite 3.5 seconds after ignition of the common core booster (0.3 second before liftoff). They burn for about a minute and a half, and then their spent casings are jettisoned in pairs several seconds after burnout.

The common core booster engine of the first stage continues to burn until about 4 minutes and 20 seconds after liftoff. During that burn, at about 3 minutes and 25 seconds after liftoff, the payload fairing around the spacecraft is jettisoned. The booster engine finishes its work at an event called the booster engine cutoff. At that point, these engines have consumed about 623,000 pounds (284,000 kilograms) of propellant in less than five minutes and, with the help of the solid rocket boosters, taken the spacecraft to an altitude of Mars Science Laboratory Launch 27 Press Kit about 98 miles (158 kilometers) down range from Cape Canaveral about 307 miles (494 kilometers).

After coasting for a few seconds following booster engine cutoff, the launch vehicle’s second stage Centaur separates from the first stage, which drops into the Atlantic Ocean. About 10 seconds after that separation, the Centaur engine is started for the first of two burns. That burn lasts about 7 minutes and inserts the Centaurand- spacecraft stack into a parking orbit. The shape of the parking orbit is an ellipse varying in altitude from 103 miles (165 kilometers) to 165 miles (265 kilometers). However, the spacecraft will not complete even one orbit. After completion of the Centaur main engine’s first burn (main engine cutoff 1), the stack coasts in the parking orbit until it reaches the proper position for start of the second Centaur burn, depending on launch date and launch time. This coast lasts 14 to 30 minutes, depending on launch timing — about 20 minutes for a launch at the initial Nov. 25 opportunity at the opening of the launch window.

The second Centaur burn, continuing for nearly 8 minutes (for a launch at the opening of the Nov. 25 launch window), lofts the spacecraft out of Earth orbit and on its way toward Mars. The burn ends with main engine cutoff 2. Three minutes and 43 seconds after that cutoff, pyrotechnic actuators and push-off springs on the second stage of the Atlas release the spacecraft with a separation velocity (relative to the launch vehicle) of 0.6 miles per hour (0.27 meters per second) and a spin rate of about 2.5 rotations per minute. By that point, 43 minutes after liftoff for the first Nov. 25 opportunity at the opening of the launch window, the two stages of the Atlas have accelerated the spacecraft to about 22,866 miles per hour (10.22 kilometers per second) relative to Earth. Shortly after that, the separated Centaur performs its last task, an avoidance maneuver taking itself out of the spacecraft’s flight path to avoid hitting either the spacecraft or Mars.

Throughout the launch sequence, radio transmissions from the Atlas to NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System enable ground controllers to monitor critical events and the status of the launch vehicle and the spacecraft. The Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft cannot begin its own direct transmissions until after it separates from the launch vehicle and an antenna on the spacecraft is exposed. One minute after spacecraft separation, the flight software transitions the Mars Science Laboratory to cruise phase and turns on the X-band transmitter. The spacecraft does not start transmitting data until five minutes after that, allowing time for the warming up the amplifier and configuration of the telecommunications system.

The first antenna station of NASA’s Deep Space Network to receive communication from the spacecraft is near Canberra, Australia. Use of an antenna operated by the private-sector United Space Network on the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius provides a bonus opportunity for earlier establishment of communications with the spacecraft.

Data received from the spacecraft in the initial acquisition will provide the first evaluation of the spacecraft’s health in cruise mode, including confirmation that the cruise-stage solar arrays are producing electricity. Once the spacecraft is in a stable state, cruise phase activities can begin.

Video: Soyuz TMA-02A reentry and landing activities

Camera's on the International Space Station caught an amazing view looking down at Soyuz TMA-02M's reentry.  The brighter object's are the Soyuz's Orbital Module and Service Module burning up.  Ahead of them is a tiny dot, that's the Crew Module.

Also included in the video are post landing activities.


Introducing our new daily newspaper - S-Band

Take a look at our new daily online newspaper S-Band.  It's theme centers around space related subjects, but can branch far afield depending on what we and others find of interest that day.

You may be surprised that you've contributed to it. How? Well the newspaper is generated daily based upon information feeds that we find interesting, Twitter, Facebook, Google +, RSS and so on. You'll notice all the articles list their "spotters."  So, look carefully, it may be you.

If you're interested in starting your own online newspaper, check out paper.li.

10 images from NASA's Spitzer telescope

10 images from NASA's Spitzer telescope: Sombrero | MNN - Mother Nature Network:

"Because Spitzer's instruments are so sensitive, it can see objects that optical telescopes cannot, such as exoplanets, failed stars and giant molecule clouds. "Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes joined forces to create this striking composite image of one of the most popular sights in the universe," according to NASA. The Sombrero Galaxy, named after its resemblance to the Mexican hat, is 28 million light-years away from Earth. At the center of this galaxy, a black hole is believed to exist that is 1 billion times larger than our sun."

Distance measurement is key to producing first "complete description" of a black hole - Astronomy Magazine

Distance measurement is key to producing first "complete description" of a black hole - Astronomy Magazine:

"For the first time, astronomers have produced a complete description of a black hole, a concentration of mass so dense that not even light can escape its powerful gravitational pull. Their precise measurements have allowed them to reconstruct the history of the object from its birth some six million years ago."

10 Amazing Things NASA's Huge Mars Rover Can Do

10 Amazing Things NASA's Huge Mars Rover Can Do | NASA, Mars Science Laboratory & Curiosity Rover | Mars & Mars Exploration | Space.com:

"NASA is getting set to launch its next Mars rover this week, a 1-ton robotic beast that will take planetary exploration to the next level.

The car-size Curiosity rover is the centerpiece of NASA's $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, slated to blast off Saturday (Nov. 26) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Curiosity's main goal is to assess whether the Red Planet is, or ever was, capable of supporting microbial life."

Image of the Day: The Enduring Mystery of Supernova 1987A

Image of the Day: The Enduring Mystery of Supernova 1987A:

"Supernova 1987A exploded on 1987 February 23, in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Because of its relative proximity to us (a mere 168,000 light years) SN 1987A is by far the best-studied supernova of all time. Immediately after the discovery was announced, literally every telescope in the southern hemisphere started observing this exciting new object."

In Search of Mars' Lost Atmosphere --The New Mars Missions

In Search of Mars' Lost Atmosphere --The New Mars Missions:

"Two new NASA missions, one that will roam the surface and another that will orbit the planet and dip briefly into its upper atmosphere, will try to discover what transformed Mars."

Pandora on a String

Daily Rings: Pandora on a String:

"This dramatic image shows Saturn's craggy moon Pandora skimming along the F ring's outer edge.


Pandora orbits about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) exterior to the ring, but in this view is projected onto the ring. The moderately high-resolution of the image reveals the moonlet's odd shape. Pandora is 84 kilometers (52 miles) across.


The image was acquired from less than a degree below the ringplane."

Japanese quake likely to delay next HTV launch

Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Japanese quake delayed tests on space station rocket:
"The launch of Japan's next space station resupply craft will likely be rescheduled for next June, giving engineers time to make up testing of the freighter's H-2B rocket after the deadly earthquake in March, according to NASA and Japanese space officials."

Soyuz TMA-02M Lands Safely

The Soyuz TMA-02 carrying Expedition 28 - 29 crewmates Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, U.S. astronaut Mike Fossum and Satoshi Furukawa of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency landed safely at 9:26 pm EST Monday.

Station Crew Boards Craft For Return To Earth

The Flame Trench space news and analysis: Station Crew Boards Craft For Return To Earth:

A multi-national crew in orbit since June aims to depart the International Space Station tonight, setting off for an atmospheric reentry and landing in more than half-a-foot of snow on the frigid steppes of north-central Kazakhstan.


Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, U.S. astronaut Mike Fossum and Satoshi Furukawa of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency boarded a Soyuz spacecraft moored on the Earth-facing side of the Russian segment of the outpost. Hatches between the Soyuz and the station swung shut at 2:41 p.m. EST.


You can watch live coverage of the spacecraft departure, the deorbit burn and the landing here in The Flame Trench. Click the NASA TV box on the right to launch our NASA TV viewer. Live coverage of the 6 p.m. undocking will begin at 5:30 p.m. Then check back at 8 p.m. for live coverage of the 8:32 p.m. deorbit burn and the 9:25 p.m. landing.

Upside down downunder - Photo of the Day

Astronaut Ron Garan in coploa over Australia.

Google Plus Photo Album
"Picture of me in the cuploa of the International Space Stationover coastal Australia as I get ready to take some time-lapse photographs"

Image credit:Ron Garan

NASA - Mars Science Laboratory launch delayed one day

NASA - Mars Science Laboratory, the Next Mars Rover:
"The launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V carrying NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) has been delayed one day to allow time for the team to remove and replace a flight termination system battery. The launch is rescheduled for Saturday, Nov. 26 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The one hour and 43 minute launch window opens at 10:02 a.m. EST."

Video - Shenzhou 8 return to Earth

China Central Television CCTV is showing this video of Shenzhou 8's return to Earth Thursday.  Especially interesting are scenes taken from two cameras on the craft's Service Module.  Visible is the jettisoning of the Orbital Module, shaking of the solar panels during the de-orbit burn, and separation of the Reentry Module.


Nuclear power generator hooked up to Mars rover

Spaceflight Now | Atlas Launch Report | Nuclear power generator hooked up to Mars rover:
Engineers installed the plutonium power source on NASA's Curiosity rover Thursday, adding the final piece to the complex robot before its Nov. 25 blastoff to Mars.


The Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, or MMRTG, moved from a preparation building to the Atlas 5 rocket's Vertical Integration Facility early Thursday.

The 99-pound device was lifted inside the building and inserted through an access door on the rocket's bulbous white payload fairing. Technicians placed the power source on Curiosity through an opening on the spacecraft's backshell, which encloses the rover and its landing system during the journey from Earth to Mars.
It's a simple connection, according to David Gruel, manager of the mission's assembly, test and launch operations phase.

"We have four bolts holding it on and we hook up the electrical connections," Gruel said.

Image:NASA

SpaceX Demo Flight To ISS May Slip | AVIATION WEEK

SpaceX Demo Flight To ISS May Slip | AVIATION WEEK:
Though tentatively targeted for early January, the NASA-sponsored Space Exploration Technologies Inc. (SpaceX) cargo resupply demonstration mission of the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station could slip a little later into the new year.


“I think January is pretty aggressive,” Alan Lindenmoyer, manager of NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, said following presentations on the status of the six-year-old cargo initiative before the American Astronautical Society national conference here Nov. 15. “At the end of this month, we will know better.”

Shenzhou-8 returns safely to Earth

The unmanned Shenzhou-8 Chinese spacecraft returned to Earth on Thursday night after it docked twice with an orbiting module in preparation for the country launching its own space station.

The craft landed by parachute in China's western desert after more than two weeks in space. It docked twice with the Tiangong 1 module, which remains in orbit, during a mission proving China capable of successfully docking by remote control. Early U.S. astronauts did so manually.


Assembling Dragon - Spaceflightnow

Spaceflight Now | Falcon Launch Report | Photos: Assembling Dragon:
"SpaceX lifted the Dragon capsule and attached it to the craft's trunk section Wednesday inside the company's launch processing hangar in Cape Canaveral, Fla.


The pressurized section of the Dragon spaceship arrived at the launch site Oct. 23. The trunk, or service module, pulled into the hangar Nov. 11, according to a SpaceX spokesperson.


Image: Spacex


The upcoming test flight will the first Dragon mission with the trunk, which contains propulsion tanks, thrusters and holds the craft's solar panels. "

Jupiter and its volcanic moon Io - Photo of the day

Absolutly stunning montage of Jupiter and Io taken by the New Horizons spacecraft on it's way to Pluto.

NASA - Montage:
"This montage of New Horizons images shows Jupiter and its volcanic moon Io, and were taken during the spacecraft's Jupiter flyby in early 2007. The image of Jupiter is an infrared color composite taken by the spacecraft's near-infrared imaging spectrometer, the Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array. The infrared wavelengths used highlight variations in the altitude of the Jovian cloud tops, with blue denoting high-altitude clouds and hazes, and red indicating deeper clouds. The prominent bluish-white oval is the Great Red Spot. The observation was made at a solar phase angle of 75 degrees but has been projected onto a crescent to remove distortion caused by Jupiter's rotation during the scan. The image of Io is an approximately true-color composite taken by the panchromatic Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager with color information provided by the Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera. The image shows a major eruption in progress on Io's night side, at the northern volcano Tvashtar. Incandescent lava glows red beneath a volcanic plume, whose uppermost portions are illuminated by sunlight. The plume appears blue due to scattering of light by small particles within it.
"

'via Blog this'

Shenzhou-8 is heading home

Shenzhou-8 has undocked from the Tiangong-1 mini space station and is scheduled to land Thursday around 7:00 pm local time. (11:00 am GMT, 6:00 am EST). No information on TV coverage. CNTV in English can be found here.

Shenzhou-8 departs from in-orbit lab, ready for return:

"China's unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 departed from the prototype space lab Tiangong-1 at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, preparing for return to earth, a spokesperson for China's manned space program said.


This came after China had successfully completed its first two space docking tests that joined the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft, launched on Nov. 1, and the target orbiter Tiangong-1 on Nov. 3 and Nov. 14, respectively."

Is Mars a spacecraft graveyard?

Beagle Lander
With the recent failure of Russia's Phobos-Grunt Mars probe there is concern that a similar fate may await the U.S. Mars Science Lab (MSL) rover mission due to launch next week. Some have even gone so far as to call Mars a "spacecraft graveyard."  Is it? What does the record show?

Below is a historical list of all Mars missions as compiled by NASA.  A quick look at the list reveals some interesting points.

There have been 39 missions to Mars. Russia launched 19, the United States 18, Europe 1 and Japan 1. Of those, 17 were successful or at least partially successful. The United States has had 13 successes, Russia 3, and Europe 1. Of the failures 11 failed on launch or never left Earth orbit. Overall Mars missions have had a 43% success rate. The US success rate is 72%.

Of course this data includes missions that go back as far as the 1960’s. A lot has been learned about sending probes to Mars since then. Of the 7 Mars missions launched since 2001, 6 have been successful. Phobos-Grunt is the only exception and the Russians haven’t given up on it yet.

So is the MSL rover heading for a Martian spacecraft graveyard. Hardly. Will it succeed? Only time will tell.

Historical list of all Mars missions:
Mission: Country, Launch Date, Purpose, Results
Marsnik 1: USSR, 10/10/60, Mars flyby, did not reach Earth orbit
Marsnik 2: USSR, 10/14/60, Mars flyby, did not reach Earth orbit
Sputnik 22: USSR, 10/24/62, Mars flyby, achieved Earth orbit only
Mars 1: USSR, 11/1/62, Mars flyby, radio failed at 65.9 million miles (106 million kilometers)
Sputnik 24: USSR, 11/4/62, Mars flyby, achieved Earth orbit only
Mariner 3: U.S., 11/5/64, Mars flyby, shroud failed to jettison
Mariner 4: U.S. 11/28/64, first successful Mars flyby 7/14/65, returned 21 photos
Zond 2: USSR, 11/30/64, Mars flyby, passed Mars but radio failed, returned no planetary data
Mariner 6: U.S., 2/24/69, Mars flyby 7/31/69, returned 75 photos
Mariner 7: U.S., 3/27/69, Mars flyby 8/5/69, returned 126 photos
Mars 1969A: USSR, 3/27/69, Mars orbiter, did not reach Earth orbit
Mars 1969B: USSR, 4/2/69, Mars orbiter, failed during launch
Mariner 8: U.S., 5/8/71, Mars orbiter, failed during launch
Kosmos 419: USSR, 5/10/71, Mars lander, achieved Earth orbit only
Mars 2: USSR, 5/19/71, Mars orbiter/lander arrived 11/27/71, no useful data, lander burned up due to steep entry
Mars 3: USSR, 5/28/71, Mars orbiter/lander, arrived 12/3/71, lander operated on surface for 20 seconds before failing
Mariner 9: U.S., 5/30/71, Mars orbiter, operated in orbit 11/13/71 to 10/27/72, returned 7,329 photos
Mars 4: USSR, 7/21/73, failed Mars orbiter, flew past Mars 2/10/74
Mars 5: USSR, 7/25/73, Mars orbiter, arrived 2/12/74, lasted a few days
Mars 6: USSR, 8/5/73, Mars flyby module and lander, arrived 3/12/74, lander failed due to fast impact
Mars 7: USSR, 8/9/73, Mars flyby module and lander, arrived 3/9/74, lander missed the planet
Viking 1: U.S., 8/20/75, Mars orbiter/lander, orbit 6/19/76-1980, lander 7/20/76-1982
Viking 2: U.S., 9/9/75, Mars orbiter/lander, orbit 8/7/76-1987, lander 9/3/76-1980; combined, the Viking orbiters and landers returned more than 50,000 photos
Phobos 1: USSR, 7/7/88, Mars orbiter and Phobos lander, lost 8/88 en route to Mars
Phobos 2: USSR, 7/12/88, Mars orbiter and Phobos lander, lost 3/89 near Phobos
Mars Observer: U.S., 9/25/92, Mars orbiter, lost just before Mars arrival 8/21/93
Mars Global Surveyor: U.S., 11/7/96, Mars orbiter, arrived 9/12/97, high-detail mapping through 1/00, third extended mission completed 9/06, last communication 11//2/06
Mars 96: Russia, 1/16/96, orbiter/two landers/two penetrators, launch vehicle failed
Mars Pathfinder: U.S., 12/4/96, Mars lander/rover, landed 7/4/97, completed prime mission and began extended mission 8/3/07, last transmission 9/27/97
Nozomi: Japan, 7/4/98, Mars orbiter, failed to enter orbit 12/03
Mars Climate Orbiter: U.S., 12/11/98, lost upon arrival 9/23/99
Mars Polar Lander/Deep Space 2: U.S., 1/3/99, lander/two penetrators, lost on arrival 12/3/99
Mars Odyssey: U.S., 3/7/01, Mars orbiter, arrived 10/24/01, completed prime mission 8/25/04, currently conducting extended mission of science and communication relay
Mars Express/Beagle 2: European Space Agency, 6/2/03, Mars orbiter/lander, orbiter completed prime mission 11/05, currently in extended mission; lander lost on arrival 12/25/03
Mars Exploration Rover Spirit: U.S., 6/10/03, Mars rover, landed 1/4/04 for three-month prime mission inside Gusev Crater, completed several extended missions, last communication 3/22/10
Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity: U.S., 7/7/03, Mars rover, landed 1/25/04 for three-month prime mission in Meridiani Planum region, currently conducting extended mission
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: U.S., 8/12/05, Mars orbiter, arrived 3/12/06, completed prime mission 9/26/10, currently conducting extended mission of science and communication relay
Phoenix Mars Lander: U.S., 8/4/07, Mars lander, landed 5/25/08, completed prime mission and began extended mission 8/26/08, last communication 11/2/08
Phobos-Grunt: Russia,11/8/11, Phobos lander and sample return, currently stuck in earth orbit.

Notes: 
  1. I counted Mars 3 a success even though it failed 20 seconds after landing because it was the first craft to land successfully on Mars.
  2. I considered Mars Express and Beagle as one mission since they were launched together.
Image credit: ESA

Star Trails Above Australian Outback - Photo of the Day

Australian photographer Lincoln Harrison captures long exposures of gorgeous star trails in the night sky above the Australian outback. He describes the grueling (and freezing) process of capturing the photos in the Daily Mail.

Russia still hopeful about Red Planet dream

Russia still hopeful about Red Planet dream:

"Russia's Space Agency has not given up hope of completing its mission to Mars.
Against the odds, it hopes to find its missing multi-billion ruble probe, which was meant to obtain soil-samples from the Red Planet's moon Phobos.

A rocket carrying the Phobos-Grunt was launched on November 9. The probe successfully separated from the rocket but its engines failed to ignite once it reached Earth’s orbit. The reasons for the failure remain unknown. Russian space experts are now battling to fix a technical failure.

“Currently we're looking for ways of improving the situation,” Valery Popovkin, head of Russia’s Space Agency, told RT. “There's still a chance, albeit a slim one. But while it remains, we will keep fighting.”"

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Mercury MESSENGER Mission Extended

To become the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury, MESSENGER followed a path through the inner solar system, including one flyby of Earth, two flybys of Venus, and three flybys of Mercury. This impressive journey is returning the first new spacecraft data from Mercury since the Mariner 10 mission over 30 years ago.

NASA - NASA Extends MESSENGER Mission:
"NASA has announced that it will extend the MESSENGER mission for an additional year of orbital operations at Mercury beyond the planned end of the primary mission on March 17, 2012. The MESSENGER probe became the first spacecraft to orbit the innermost planet on March 18, 2011."

Images: NASA

Soyuz docks with Station - 6 person crew restored

The second half of Expedition 29 docked safely with ISS on November 16 at 0524 GMT. Rob Navias, the NASA commentator, announced the docking and the "restoration of a six man crew." Too bad it's only for a week. TMA-02M undocks on November 21 beginning Expedition 30 and it's back to a three person crew until late December.  

Also, not much was said about Burbank, Shkaplerov and Ivanishin's stay on the ISS being trimmed from 5 1/2 to 4 months because of the launch delay.

NASA does great stuff, but I wish they would crank the spin down a notch.

Three men and a bird move into space station - Technology & science - Space - Space.com - msnbc.com:
"A spacecraft carrying the three newest residents of the International Space Station safely arrived at the orbiting outpost on Wednesday after a two-day space journey.

NASA astronaut Dan Burbank and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin reached the space station slightly ahead of schedule, at 12:24 a.m. ET. The trio parked their Russian-built Soyuz TMA-22 capsule at the Poisk mini-research module on the station's Russian segment, as both spacecraft were flying 248 miles (400 kilometers) above the South Pacific."

Soyuz TMA-22 successfully docks with ISS

12:24 am EST Update:
Soyuz TMA-22 successfully docks with ISS.  Docking occurred about 9 minutes early.


12:00 midnight EST Update:
NASA TV has now gone live.


11:33 pm EST Update:
#Soyuz and #ISS have closed to about 10 mile apart now. Passing over Baikonur now.  The TV system is scheduled to be turned on at 11:51 pm EST.  NASA TV coverage starts at 12:00 midnight EST.


11:10 pm EST Update:
Soyuz and ISS are about 60 miles apart now.  Soyuz in a lower orbit is traveling faster than ISS and should close to within 10 miles of ISS in the next 30 minutes.

At 11:18 pm EST rendezvous burn 5 is expected to take place.


10:50 pm EST Update:
Soyuz TMA-22 and ISS are approaching the southern tip of South America.  Soyuz is behind and about 50 miles lower than ISS. You can watch in real time here.

The KURS docking system will be activated in the next few minutes.


10:30 pm EST Update:
Soyuz TMA-22 has now passed out of range of Russian ground stations.  Rendezvous burn 4 (33.4 mph) is scheduled for 10:33 pm EST.

-------------------------------------------------
Soyuz TMA-22 has completed its rendezvous burns as expected and is on course to link up with ISS at 12:33 am EST tonight.

Both craft have just moved into daylight and have been acquired by Russian ground stations. The initiation of automated rendezvous will take place at 10:15 pm EST (0315 GMT).

Soyuz, ISS's docking scheduled tonight

Soyuz TMA-22 is closing in on the International Space Station. with docking scheduled for 12:33 am EDT (0533 GMT) November 16. If you live on the US West Coast as I do, that's 9:33 pm PDT tonight.

NASA TV will begin broadcasting the docking at 12:00 midnight EDT.


Photo of the Day - Soyuz on the Launch Pad in Snowstorm

I couldn't believe the Russians launched Soyuz TMA-22 in this kind of weather! Seems it wasn't a problem as long as it wasn't too windy.

NASA - Soyuz on the Launch Pad:
"The Soyuz TMA-22 rocket is seen on the launch pad during a snow storm the morning of the launch of Expedition 29 to the International Space Station at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Monday, Nov. 14, 2011."


Image Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi

Tickets Available for Mars Science Laboratory Launch

Are these tickets available to anyone or just NASA employees?

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mission | Kennedy Space Center:
"On November 25, 2011, the Curiosity Rover will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V Rocket as part of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mission. Mars, the Red Planet, will be the rover's destination in August 2012.
Curiosity will spend 23 months after landing gathering samples of rocks and soil. Curiosity is equipped with equipment to drill through rocks, and instrumens to collect samples and distribute to onboard test chambers. Curiosity's goal is to assess whether Mars ever had, or does still have today, an environment capable of supporting microbial life and habitability.
The rocket launch is scheduled for 10:25 a.m., with a window of opportunity lasting until 12:08 p.m. EST on November 25, 2011. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will open at 6:30 a.m. EST, and bus boarding for rocket launch transportation tickets will begin at 7:30 a.m. EST.
Rocket Launch Transportation Tickets (RLTT's) are on-sale by calling 866-737-5235


Image credit: NASA

Russians still trying to contact stranded Mars probe

The chances of Phobos Grunt being rescued are slim to none.  Even if controllers can re-establish communication with it, orbital precession has moved the craft's orbit out of alignment for a trans Mars trajectory.

Vladimir Popovkin, head of Roscosmos, says otherwise. He believes the spacecraft has till early December to set course for Mars. If not, it should remain in orbit until January before falling back to Earth.

Russians still trying to contact stranded Mars probe - Technology & science - Space - Space.com - msnbc.com:
"Russian engineers are still trying to communicate with a wayward Mars moon probe, and they have until early December to fix the spacecraft and send it on its way, according to news reports."

Chinese spacecraft dock in orbit for second time

China's Tiangong-1 and Shenzhou-8 unmanned spacecraft undocked and then redocked today.  The two first docked on November 2. They remained docked for twelve days before today's second docking test. Shenzhou-8 is next scheduled to depart and return to earth. Tiangong-1 will then raise it's orbit and await the arrival of it's first crew next year.

Plans are for two manned spacecraft, Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10, to dock with Tiangong-1 next year.

Tiangong-1 is a rudimentary space station, that is probably more properly called a docking target.  China is currently planning two follow-on Tiangong's, each of which will be more fully functioning stations.

Chinese spacecraft dock in orbit for second time - Technology & science - Space - msnbc.com:
"Two unmanned Chinese spacecraft successfully docked together for a second time Monday, state-run media reported, in China's latest step toward placing its own space station in orbit.


The Shenzhou 8 craft re-docked with the Tiangong 1 module that will form part of a future space lab, and the two were jointly orbiting Earth, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the mission's control center."

Voyager 2 Completes Power Saving Switch to Backup Thruster Set

In an ongoing effort to extend the life of the Voyager's mission engineers continue to switch off power consuming devices. In this case switching to the backup roll control thrusters allows the heaters on the primary set to be switched off to conserve power. Power conservation is necessary because the craft's nuclear generator's degrade over time.

It is absolutely amazing that these 34 year old spacecraft are still functioning.  It's a true testament to the genius of the engineers who designed and built them.

Voyager 2 Completes Switch to Backup Thruster Set - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: "NASA's Voyager 2 has successfully switched to the backup set of thrusters that controls the roll of the spacecraft. Deep Space Network personnel sent commands to the spacecraft to make the change on Nov. 4 and received confirmation today that the switch has been made. 

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are each equipped with six sets, or pairs, of thrusters to control the pitch, yaw and roll motions of the spacecraft. These include three pairs of primary thrusters and three backup, or redundant, pairs. Both spacecraft are now using all three sets of their backup thrusters."

Soyuz TMA-22 successfully launched in snowstorm

Soyuz TMA-22 has successfully reached orbit after launching into a snowstorm

NASA astronaut Dan Burbank, 50, is making his third spaceflight, the first on board a Soyuz. Cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin, 42, and Anton Shkaplerov, 39, are making their first trips into space.

After a two-day trip aboard the Soyuz, the crew will arrive at the International Space Station.  There they will briefly join with station commander Mike Fossum of NASA, Japan's Satoshi Furukawa and Russia's Sergei Volkov.  Fossum, Furukawa and Volkov are scheduled to return to earth on November 21.

The launch was the first manned launch since NASA retired it's 30 year old Space Shuttle. The International Space Station now solely on Russia's Soyuz's to ferry crews to the station.

Soyuz TMA-22 prepares to launch in snow storm

Soyuz TMA-22 is preparing to launch in a snow storm.  Half a foot has fallen and it's still snowing, but Russian technicians say they are go for launch because winds are light.

Angry Birds Big Red Bird is flying along on Soyuz TMA-22

Looks like Angry Birds Big Red Bird is the launch mascot for TMA-22.

Update per theipadguide.com:

"Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov's daughter chose a red Angry Birds doll for him to take into space on his trip to the ISS. The crew will hang the doll with string before launch, and 10 minutes into the trip when theAngry Bird starts floating they will know they've entered the weightlessness of space. This continues a tradition by cosmonauts and astronauts of using simple items and charms to mark zero gravity."