International Space Station (ISS) Grapples SpaceX Dragon Capsule (5/25/2012, May 25th)

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NPR BREAKING NEWS:

Space Station's Robotic Arm Successfully Captures SpaceX Capsule

The crew aboard the International Space Station successfully used the robotic arm to capture the unmanned Dragon capsule in an attempt to reel it in for docking. The Dragon is on track to become the first commercial vessel to visit the space station orbiting Earth. It rocketed into space Tuesday on a mission to deliver a half-ton of supplies.

More at NPR.org:
http://n.npr.org/NPRI/jN314486164_1321818_1321817_Z.htm 

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

NASA TV’s PUBLIC, MEDIA CHANNELS NOW IN HD
NASA Television’s Public (101) and Media (103) channels are now transmitting in high definition. 

Minimalist comments as have been recovering from a case of shingles on my right arm and hand and have been in computer withdrawal for the last several months.

http://www.shinglesinfo.com/shinglesinfo/index.jsp

Many thanks to you who have sent me links and I only replied with a few thumb poked cellphone email replies.

Geoff in New Zealand sent me this link about Neil Armstrong yesterday.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/may/23/neil-armstrong-accountancy-website-moon-exclusive

As the first person to walk on the moon, he is a man whose name will be remembered for generations to come. But one of the other well-known things about Neil Armstrong is that he hardly ever gives interviews.

Hope to bring you more as the arm and hand get over the prickly pain of shingles.

I would not wish this on my worst enemy.  I have a much better appreciation for being left handed. :-)

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/
Newsletter: https://mailman1.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

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INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS UPDATE SPACE STATION LAUNCH MANIFEST

Send in the International heavy lift.  May it provide an altitude boost when needed.
- LRK -

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INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS UPDATE SPACE STATION LAUNCH MANIFEST
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/oct/HQ_10-242_Updated_Station_Manifest.html

WASHINGTON -- NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) agreed on Friday to update the International Space Station launch schedule.

The target launch dates for the last planned space shuttle flight, STS-134 on Endeavour, will be Feb. 27, 2011, and the Automated Transfer Vehicle-2 (ATV-2) will be Feb. 15. Roscosmos will continue to look at Soyuz launch and landing options to provide manifest robustness.

The agencies agreed to the changes during discussions at the International Astronautical Conference in Prague. Arianespace, whose Ariane 5 rocket will launch ATV-2 into orbit from French Guiana, has confirmed its commitment to launch on Feb. 15.

The STS-134 flight will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the station. The AMS is a state-of-the-art cosmic ray particle physics detector designed to examine fundamental issues about matter, and the origin and structure of the universe. The flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of the AMS to the exterior of the space station using both the shuttle and station arms.

ATV-2, dubbed Johannes Kepler, is scheduled to dock on Feb. 26 to the station. The cargo craft is designed to deliver more than seven tons of experiments, fuel, water, food and other supplies to the space station. While docked, ATV-2 will use its thrusters to periodically boost the station's orbit, which decays with time. It also can be used for emergency maneuvers, such as those required if a piece of space debris is predicted to hit the station. This capability saves critical attitude control propellant for the station.

After about 3.5 months, the ATV-2 will undock from the station and burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere over an uninhabited area of the Pacific Ocean. The first ATV, Jules Verne, was launched in March 2008 and reentered the atmosphere in September 2008.

The space station launch manifest is available at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/iss_manifest.html

For details about upcoming shuttle missions and crews, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For more information about ATV-2, visit ESA at:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ATV

For more information about the Ariane 5 launch vehicle, visit:
http://www.arianespace.com/launch-services/launch-services-overview.asp

For more information about the space station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station

snip
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Making an appointment to meet up with friends is not always easy, on Earth or in space.
Making allowances for participants schedules takes some fine tuning.
Can you really come?
- LRK -

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ESA Reassurances Clear Way for Station Cargo Launch Delay
http://www.spacenews.com/civil/100930-esa-reassurances-clear-cargo-launch.html
Thu, 30 September, 2010
By Peter B. de Selding

PRAGUE, Czech Republic — The European Space Agency (ESA) has secured approval from its international space station partners to delay the launch of the ATV-2 cargo carrier by two months, to mid-February, following ESA guarantees that there will be no more postponements caused by commercial concerns for Europe’s Arianespace launch consortium, government officials said Sept. 30.

A formal announcement of the agreement is expected Oct. 1.

Arianespace Chief Executive Jean-Yves Le Gall in turn has promised ESA that even if a planned late-December launch of two telecommunications satellites is delayed for whatever reason, this commercial mission will be rescheduled for March, giving time for the ATV-2 launch to occur around Feb. 15.

The 20,000-kilogram Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) delivers water and other supplies to the station. It is also needed to reboost the station into its operating orbit, a maneuver that NASA has said it wants to occur in March or April.

Managing the arrival and departure of vehicles to the station — Europe’s ATV, Japan’s smaller H-TV cargo transporter, the U.S space shuttle and Russian Soyuz manned flights and Progress cargo deliveries — has been made more complicated by the ATV-2 delay.

NASA, as the station’s general contractor, had pushed for a December launch, government officials said. ESA officials, including ESA Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain, have clearly been uncomfortable in explaining the two-month delay.

[Read more about the scheduling complications - LRK -]
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As noted at ESA News
- LRK -

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International partners update launch manifest
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMR88QOHEG_index_0.html

1 October 2010
ESA PR 22-2010 NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) on Friday agreed to update the International Space Station launch schedule. The target launch dates for the last planned space shuttle flight, STS-134 on Endeavour, will be Feb. 27 and the Automated Transfer Vehicle-2 (ATV-2) will be Feb. 15.

Roscosmos will continue to look at Soyuz launch and landing options to provide manifest robustness.

The agencies agreed to the changes during discussions at the International Astronautical Conference in Prague. Arianespace, whose Ariane 5 rocket will launch ATV-2 into orbit from French Guiana, has confirmed its commitment to launch ATV-2 on February 15.

[See related articles for ATV on right hand navigation column. - LRK -]
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Many more adjustments to be made over the coming years.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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ISS Repair Space Walk: A Glimpse Into the Station's Future

This is sooooh cool, or not if you happen to be on the ISS.  Still, I think it is great that the astronauts are going to have to be more prepared to react to the unscheduled happenings caused by breakdowns.  I know, you think that is cruel of me to think good of accidents, but if you want to go to Mars you will have to be able to take care of yourselves.  No one is going to send up a shuttle with specially trained fix it personnel, you will have to improvise and fix the problem yourself.
Read James Oberg's post and see if you don't agree.
- LRK -

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ISS Repair Space Walk: A Glimpse Into the Station's Future
http://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/space-flight/iss-repair-space-walk-a-glimpse-into-the-stations-future

NASA is changing the way it handles hardware problems
By James Oberg  /  August 2010

6 August 2010—The dramatic emergency-repair space walks assigned to astronauts Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson aboard the International Space Station (ISS) tomorrow signify much more than the repair itself. The astronauts are the first to employ an entirely new mode of spacecraft maintenance. Previous approaches to keeping the 380-metric-ton orbital outpost functional are being retired, along with the United States’ space shuttle fleet. Astronauts should expect this new emergency-repair scenario for the remainder of the station’s lifetime, which could be decades.

From now on, urgent repairs will be performed entirely by broadly trained space-station crews, not by specialized teams on brief shuttle visits as was previously done. These crews will use stocks of spare parts left inside and outside the station by the final visiting shuttles. These resources are being sent up based on a careful analysis of the ”mean time between failure” (MTBF) of the spacecraft’s components, which are designed to last for years in space.
snip

The usual preparation period for a Big 14 task is two weeks. But because of a fortunate coincidence (good luck is also known to occur in space), a space walk was already on the schedule, so many of the required preparations have already been done. This allowed the two weeks to be squeezed down to about seven days. That put some pressure on workers at mission control and the crew. But in the tradition of the Apollo 13 crisis, astronauts and ground controllers have responded. And, after this first time, they will have to do so again and again in the years ahead.

About the Author

James Oberg worked as an aerospace engineer at NASA for 22 years. He switched to journalism in the late 1990s and now makes his living reporting on space for such outlets as Popular Science, NBC News, and of course, IEEE Spectrum. He interviewed Wesley T. Huntress, author of NASA’s new manned spaceflight plan, for IEEE Spectrum Online in April 2010.

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Pumps break down and you may have backups in place.  We had something like that where I worked at NASA Ames, sewer sump pumps to pump the building sewer up to the city sewage system.  There was a prime and a backup (which was broken) and when the prime failed we had sewage backup and out into the basement.   Backups are only as good as what is working when you need it.  Best to keep and eye on both  the prime system and the backup.  :-)
Read more about the problem on the ISS.
- LRK-

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38521707/ns/technology_and_science-space/
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/nasa-emergency-space-station-spacewalk-100802.html
NASA scrambling to plan vital space station repairs
U.S. astronauts set for two spacewalks to fix cooling system

 By Tariq Malik
updated 8/2/2010 10:01:52 PM ET
This story was updated at Aug. 3 at 8:28 a.m. ET.

NASA engineers are working round-the-clock to firm up plans to send astronauts on two emergency spacewalks outside the International Space Station to repair a serious cooling system failure.

The move comes after the weekend breakdown of a pump on the right side of the space station that pushes liquid ammonia through one of two cooling system loops that keep the outpost from overheating.

The malfunction occurred late Saturday and forced astronauts on the station to shut down many systems and leave others just one glitch away from failure. The first spacewalk is set for Friday.

Currently, the space station's condition is stable, with its second cooling system loop working well, and its crew is in no danger, NASA officials have stressed. But the space agency wants to fix the problem soon so the station crew can resume science experiments and other work that have been postponed until the pump can be replaced.

"Folks are working hot and heavy to get everything ready," said space station flight director Courtenay McMillan.

snip
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Well it looks like there will soon be a handyman going to the ISS who doesn't have to pre-breath oxygen before going out on a spacewalk.
- LRK -

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http://singularityhub.com/2010/07/27/dextre-robot-on-space-station-almost-ready-for-duty/
Dextre Robot On Space Station Almost Ready For Duty
July 27th, 2010 by Aaron Saenz

“The most sophisticated robot every built…is a handyman.” —Canadian Space Agency

After more than two years, the International Space Station is very close to bringing its Dextre robot  completely online. Built by Canada, Dextre is a large white robot with two highly articulated arms, and is meant to assist with repairs aboard the station, reducing the need for astronauts to take EVAs  (space-walks).  It’s a prime example of how robots can take over tasks that are too dangerous for humans, especially in extremely harsh environments like space. Despite Dextre’s potential, however, it has faced a series of setbacks since it first arrived at the ISS. Which means it’s also a prime example of how robotics has yet to meet our increasingly high expectations.

snip
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STS-133 mission prepares for launch to the ISS on Nov 1.
Hope they have a cool reception.
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html
Technicians to Focus on Discovery's Heat Shield
Fri, 06 Aug 2010 07:19:49 AM PDT

This weekend, technicians will continue processing work on space shuttle Discovery's tiled heat shield as it undergoes launch preparations in Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Recent leak checks on the crew module were completed successfully with no issues arising, and work on the orbiter's S-band antenna and front nose gear were finished. The STS-133 astronauts are spending Friday simulating their roles during the rendezvous phase of the mission, when Discovery will be steered to the International Space Station.

During space shuttle Discovery's final spaceflight, the STS-133 crew members will take important spare parts to the International Space Station along with the Express Logistics Carrier-4. Discovery is being readied for flight inside Kennedy's Orbiter Processing Facility-3 while its solid rocket boosters are stacked inside the  nearby Vehicle Assembly Building. STS-133 is slated to launch Nov. 1.

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Well to live in space we will have to learn how to be self reliant.  That may go for some folks down on Earth as well.  Keep up the good technology transfer programs.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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Space Shuttle Discovery Returns to Earth After Successful Mission

Watched the landing on NASA TV (when it wasn't stalled)
Land now, no tomorrow, well skip KSC and land at Edwards.
- LRK -

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Space Shuttle Discovery Returns to Earth After Successful Mission
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/sep/HQ_09-212_Discovery_Lands.html

EDWARDS, Calif. -- Space shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven astronauts ended a 14-day journey of more than 5.7 million miles with an 5:53 p.m. PDT landing Friday at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The mission, designated STS-128, delivered two refrigerator-sized science racks to the International Space Station. One rack will be used to conduct experiments on materials such as metals, glasses and ceramics. The results from these experiments could lead to the development of better materials on Earth. The other rack will be used for fluid physics research. Understanding how fluids react in microgravity could lead to improved designs for fuel tanks, water systems and other fluid-based systems.

STS-128 Commander Rick Sturckow was joined on the mission by Pilot Kevin Ford, Mission Specialists Pat Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny Olivas and European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang. NASA astronaut Nicole Stott flew to the complex aboard Discovery to begin a nearly three-month mission as a station resident, replacing Tim Kopra, who returned home on Discovery.

snip
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How interesting, I am asked what kinds of science has been accomplished on the ISS and some reports over the years have talked about what hasn't and what has.

Two racks delivered to the ISS, here in 2009 when similar ones were desired long ago but were delayed with all of the adjustments to what would become the ISS.
One rack will be used to conduct experiments on materials such as metals, glasses and ceramics.
The other rack will be used for fluid physics research.

When I was at NASA Ames I remember the centrifuge that was going to be attached to the ISS and never happened. There was going to be a facility to load modules for experiments that never materialized either.
- LRK -

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Factors Affecting the Utilization of the International Space Station for Research in the Biological and Physical Sciences (2003)
Space Studies Board (SSB)

http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10614&page=8
1
Introduction

TASK DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY
This report represents phase II of a study requested by Congress and conducted by the Task Group on Research on the International Space Station to examine factors affecting the utilization of the International Space Station (ISS) for research. The phase I report, released in September of 2001, looked at the readiness of the scientific community to utilize the ISS1 and the benefits and costs of flying additional shuttle missions dedicated to science during the station build-up2 (NRC, 2001). During the course of that study, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that it would make major changes in the final ISS configuration in order to address construction cost overruns. These design changes (discussed
below) would reduce considerably the research capabilities of the ISS and therefore had to be taken into account when the task group made its phase I recommendations. While the task group concluded in that report that the research community was in fact ready to utilize the
ISS, it also pointed out that the uncertainty resulting from years of schedule delays, funding fluctuations, and lack of flight opportunities seriously threatened the continued viability of the ISS research community in many disciplines. The task group also noted that the planned reductions in ISS capabilities would exacerbate this problem considerably.
snip
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[The above report can be read on-line and even down loaded if you care to register with The National Academies Press.]

For what is reported that has been accomplished on present ISS in its limited 3 person, no life boat version, see the recent report.
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/sep/HQ_09-203_ISS_Science_Report.html
NASA Publishes Report about International Space Station Science
RELEASE : 09-203

snip
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20090029998_2009030907.pdf
(5.8 MB, 262 pages, yrs 2000 - 2008)
International Space Station - Science Research Accomplishments During the Assembly Years: An Analysis of Results from 2000-2008
snip
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So what happens now? Do we continue to take things up to the ISS and let some more science be done or does the ISS get dumped in 2016?
The Augustine Report is being presented and debated and decisions on what gets funded will appear and missions may disappear.

Did you read the LEAKED email that Mike Griffin has supposedly sent to unknown persons?
- LRK -

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http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_space_thewritestuff/2009/09/exnasa-chief-griffin-calls-augustine-panel-irresponsible.html
Ex-NASA chief Griffin calls Augustine panel "irresponsible"
posted by Robert Block on Sep 10, 2009 3:07:37 PM

CAPE CANAVERAL - Former NASA Administrator Michael Griffin apparently has sent a scathing memo to friends and supporters in Washington, lashing out at the work of the presidential committee reviewing NASA’s human space flight plans and calling some of its recommendations “irresponsible.”
snip

Clearly the battle lines in the looming fight over the future of human space flight at NASA are being drawn.

READ THE EMAIL HERE: Download Griffin's Augustine Email

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/files/griffins-augustine-email.docx
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Well at least I don't need to worry about my job, I don't have one. :-)

You may not feel the same and would really like to see us doing exciting things with space that you and your kids could take part in, and maybe even get paid for.

Do you know someone, who just might know someone, who knows someone, that could poke someone and say, hey we would like to continue looking
up. :-)

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
=============================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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Space station crew has close call with space junk

Bob, in Texas, sent me a heads up about a recent close call from space junk for the ISS.
Thanks Bob.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D96SMFQ02&show_article=1
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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
snip
MCC-Houston CAPCOM Kathy Bolt spoke with Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke about the possible conjunction of an estimated 13-centimeter-diameter piece of space debris with the station. Listen to an edited clip of the highlights of the conversation including the first notification that went to the crew and the all-clear notification.

+ Listen to the audio clip of the conversation (2.1 Mb MP3)
http://www.nasa.gov/mp3/318202main_tca_highlights_clip3.mp3
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I suppose that with more satellite launches and more collisions of old satellites the chances of near misses will only increase.
- LRK -
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Orbital Debris Quarterly News - October 2008 - [1042 KB PDF]
http://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/newsletter/pdfs/ODQNv12i4.pdf
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Here we have seen another example of debris in Earth orbit causing problems.
I wonder what will happen when we start sending folks to the Moon?
Will we have debris in solar orbit drop in unexpectedly?
- LRK -

Where will all of our booster stages end up then?
In the ocean, in lunar orbit, in solar orbit to come back later?
Fly along with us and follow us to the Lunar surface?

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

More at:
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/