US Space Program - a thread

[Fenrir]

OSIRIS-REx Taking Shape, Engineers Explain Innovative Asteroid Sample Return Mechanism

OSIRIS-REx Taking Shape, Engineers Explain Innovative Asteroid Sample Return Mechanism « AmericaSpace

Artist concept of OSIRIS-REx in the environs of Asteroid Bennu, sometime after 2018. Image Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

While avid space watchers may thrill to missions such as Stardust (which returned a sample from a comet), Dawn (which visited an asteroid and dwarf planet), and Rosetta (which placed a lander upon a comet’s surface), sometimes the significance of smaller solar system body missions is lost on the general public, as planetary missions seem more “glamorous.” Enter OSIRIS-REx (short for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer), which is on track for a September 2016 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s (CCAFS) Space Launch Complex 41. This mission has been described as a “game changer” in small Solar System body exploration.

Why? This $800 million-plus mission is slated to send a spacecraft to the asteroid 101955 Bennu, eventually returning a sample to Earth in 2023. While it sounds “cool,” this NASA New Frontiers mission, selected by NASA in 2011, is more than just flashiness: It hopes to discover how the Solar System came to be and how life originated on our own planet, as asteroids are believed to be relics of the early Solar System. As the project’s website asks: “OSIRIS-REx seeks answers to the questions that are central to the human experience: Where did we come from? What is our destiny?” OSIRIS-REx exists to unveil the answers to these age-old questions.

The mission will start in Florida at CCAFS, launched aboard an Atlas V 441. After a two-year cruise, OSIRIS-REx is expected to arrive at 101955 Bennu in August 2018 to begin its scientific observations, which will include (but is not limited to) extensive mapping, checking for other satellites, and finding an optimal sample site. In 2023, the mission is expected to return a capsule back to Earth containing a sample of the carbonaceous asteroid (notably, carbon is the basis for life on our world).

OSIRIS-REx mission insignia with partners. Image Credit: OSIRIS-REx website

Earlier this year, construction commenced on the spacecraft; a previous AmericaSpace report from March stated: “The System Integration Review—where the plan for integrating the scientific instrumentation, electrical and communication systems, and navigation systems are all looked over—was completed at Lockheed Martin’s Littleton, Colo., facility last month. Launch and test operations officially began March 27, marking a critical stage of the program know as ATLO, or assembly, test and launch operations. Over the next six months technicians with Lockheed will install the subsystems on the main spacecraft structure, comprising avionics, power, telecomm, thermal systems, and guidance, navigation, and control.” According to the article, the assembly is taking place after nearly four years of what was described as “intense design efforts.”

In July, NASA announced that the spacecraft had completed a critical Mission Operations Review (MOR), administered at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and is on track for a September 2016 launch.

While the spacecraft continues to take shape, a challenge posed to engineers designing OSIRIS-REx’s hardware included how to fabricate an appropriate sampling device. A “scoop” sampling device, used in previous planetary missions as far back as the Viking landers in the 1970s, may not prove to be most effective in a low-gravity environment such as an asteroid. Lockheed Martin’s Jim Harris answered the call to this issue, inventing TAGSAM (Touch and Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism).

Harris described the mechanism that makes this particular instrument work on such a mission: “Imagine a cup with air injected on one side, then holes on the other side and a filter outside of the holes. We used a compressor to blow air against the ground. As the air went out through the holes and through the filter, we collected particles.” He and his son tested TAGSAM prototypes at their home in Denver, Colo., on materials as diverse as popcorn, dirt, and rock. “It’s a very simple design, and we’ve done an extensive amount of testing. When you consider the full range of what the surface can be—from a rubble pile to a big rock with loose gravel on top, we’re ready,” he underscored confidently.

The mission, which was synthesized by the University of Arizona with partners, has a better chance of returning rich samples utilizing this innovative method. Ed Beshore of the university enthused: “Rather than trying to land on the surface of Bennu and anchor ourselves in the asteroid’s microgravity environment—which is very difficult to do—we can just touch the surface using an elegant mechanism that has few moving parts and then quickly move away. This gives us a high degree of confidence that we are going to be able to pull this off.”

Technologies such as TAGSAM will undoubtedly aid NASA in its near-future human-helmed mission objectives, as the space agency has been developing an Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) for several years. NASA announced in March it will move forward with the Robotic Boulder Capture Option, bringing a near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) into the Moon’s orbit for eventual human exploration during the mid-2020s. OSIRIS-REx’s collection technologies and scientific findings will aid scientists and engineers immensely, making that “next giant leap for mankind” (or womankind) possible within the next decade.

 

[Fenrir]

NASA’s Space Cubes: Small Satellites Provide Big Payoffs

NASA’s Space Cubes: Small Satellites Provide Big Payoffs | NASA

Good things really do come in small packages.

When we think of space satellites that assist with communications, weather monitoring and GPS here on Earth, we likely picture them as being quite large—many are as big as a school bus and weigh several tons. Yet there’s a class of smaller satellites that’s growing in popularity. These miniaturized satellites, known as nanosatellites or CubeSats, can fit in the palm of your hand and are providing new opportunities for space science.

“CubeSats are part of a growing technology that’s transforming space exploration,” said David Pierce, senior program executive for suborbital research at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “CubeSats are small platforms that enable the next generation of scientists and engineers to complete all phases of a complete space mission during their school career. While CubeSats have historically been used as teaching tools and technology demonstrations, today’s CubeSats have the potential to conduct important space science investigations as well.”

CubeSats are built to standard specifications of 1 unit (U), which is equal to 10x10x10 centimeters (about 4x4x4 inches). CubeSats can be 1U, 2U, 3U or 6U in size, weighing about 3 pounds per U. They often are launched into orbit as auxiliary payloads aboard rockets, significantly reducing costs.

Because of the smaller payload and lower price tag, CubeSat technology allows for experimentation. “There’s an opportunity to embrace some risk,” said Janice Buckner, program executive of NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program. “These mini experiments complement NASA’s larger assets.”

Another advantage of the “smaller is bigger” concept is it’s more inclusive. The low cost and relatively short delivery time from concept to launch – typically 2-3 years – allows students and a growing community of citizen scientists and engineers to contribute to NASA’s space exploration goals, part of the White House’s Maker Initiative. By providing hands-on opportunities for students and teachers, NASA helps attract and retain students in science, technology, engineering and math disciplines, strengthening NASA’s and the nation’s future workforce.

This inclusiveness also applies to geography. In 2014 NASA announced the expansion of its CubeSat Launch Initiative, with the goal of launching 50 small satellites from 50 states within five years. To date NASA has selected CubeSats from 30 states, 17 of which have already been launched. Two more -- Alaska and Maryland -- are slated to go to space later this year, including the first ever CubeSat launched by an elementary school.

In April 2015 the SIMPLEx program requested proposals for interplanetary CubeSat investigations, with a panel of NASA and other scientists and engineers reviewing 22 submissions. Two were chosen—one led by a postdoctoral research scientist and the other a university professor. NASA Headquarters, Planetary Science Division, also selected three technology developments for possible future planetary missions: one to expand NASA’s ability to analyze Mars’ atmosphere, one to investigate the hydrogen cycle at the moon and one to view a small near-Earth asteroid. Each selected team will receive one year of funding to bring their respective technologies to a higher level of readiness. To be considered for flight, teams must demonstrate progress in a future mission proposal competition.

The CubeSat investigations selected for a planetary science mission opportunity are:

• Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper (LunaH-Map), a 6U-class CubeSat that will enter a polar orbit around the moon with a low altitude (3-7 miles) centered on the lunar south pole. LunaH-Map carries two neutron spectrometers that will produce maps of near-surface hydrogen. LunaH-Map will map hydrogen within craters and other permanently shadowed regions throughout the south pole. Postdoc Craig Hardgrove from Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe, Arizona, is the principal investigator. ASU will manage the project.
• CubeSat Particle Aggregation and Collision Experiment (Q-PACE) is a 2U-class, thermos-sized, CubeSat that will explore the fundamental properties of low-velocity particle collision in a microgravity environment, in an effort to better understand the mechanics of early planet development. Josh Colwell from the University of Central Florida (UCF), Orlando, Florida, is the principal investigator, and UCF will manage the project.

The proposals selected for further technology development are:

• The Mars Micro Orbiter (MMO) mission, which uses a 6U-class Cubesat to measure the Martian atmosphere in visible and infrared wavelengths from Mars orbit. Michael Malin of Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, California, is the principal investigator.
• Hydrogen Albedo Lunar Orbiter (HALO) is a propulsion-driven 6U-class CubeSat that will answer critical questions about the lunar hydrogen cycle and the origin of water on the lunar surface by examining the reflected hydrogen in the moon’s solar wind. The principal investigator is Michael Collier of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.
• Diminutive Asteroid Visitor using Ion Drive (DAVID) is a 6U-class CubeSat mission that will investigate an asteroid much smaller than any studied by previous spacecraft missions and will be the first NASA mission to investigate an Earth-crossing asteroid. Geoffrey Landis of NASA’s Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, is the principal investigator.

“These selections will enable the next generation of planetary scientists and engineers to use revolutionary new mission concepts that have the potential to return extraordinary science,” said Buckner. “CubeSats are going to impact the future of planetary exploration.”


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Guess @Armstrong was right. Good things do come in small packages.

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First Pieces of NASA’s Orion for Next Mission Come Together at Michoud

First Pieces of NASA’s Orion for Next Mission Come Together at Michoud | NASA

At NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, engineers welded together on Sept. 5, two sections of the Orion spacecraft’s primary structure that will fly on Exploration Mission-1, the first flight of Orion atop the agency’s Space Launch System rocket. Credits: NASA

NASA is another small step closer to sending astronauts on a journey to Mars. On Saturday, engineers at the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans welded together the first two segments of the Orion crew module that will fly atop NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on a mission beyond the far side of the moon.

“Every day, teams around the country are moving at full speed to get ready for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), when we’ll flight test Orion and SLS together in the proving ground of space, far away from the safety of Earth,” said Bill Hill, deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We’re progressing toward eventually sending astronauts deep into space.”

The primary structure of Orion’s crew module is made of seven large aluminum pieces that must be welded together in detailed fashion. The first weld connects the tunnel to the forward bulkhead, which is at the top of the spacecraft and houses many of Orion’s critical systems, such as the parachutes that deploy during reentry. Orion’s tunnel, with a docking hatch, will allow crews to move between the crew module and other spacecraft.

This diagram shows the seven pieces of Orion’s primary structure and the order in which they are welded together.
Credits: NASA

“Each of Orion’s systems and subsystems is assembled or integrated onto the primary structure, so starting to weld the underlying elements together is a critical first manufacturing step,” said Mark Geyer, Orion Program manager. “The team has done tremendous work to get to this point and to ensure we have a sound building block for the rest of Orion’s systems.”

Engineers have undertaken a meticulous process to prepare for welding. They have cleaned the segments, coated them with a protective chemical and primed them. They then outfitted each element with strain gauges and wiring to monitor the metal during the fabrication process. Prior to beginning work on the pieces destined for space, technicians practiced their process, refined their techniques and ensured proper tooling configurations by welding together a pathfinder, a full-scale version of the current spacecraft design.

NASA’s prime contractor for the spacecraft, Lockheed Martin, is doing the production of the crew module at Michoud.

Through collaborations across design and manufacturing, teams have been able to reduce the number of welds for the crew module by more than half since the first test version of Orion’s primary structure was constructed and flown on the Exploration Flight Test-1 last December. The Exploration Mission-1 structure will include just seven main welds, plus several smaller welds for start and stop holes left by welding tools. Fewer welds will result in a lighter spacecraft.

During the coming months as other pieces of Orion’s primary structure arrive at Michoud from machine houses across the country, engineers will inspect and evaluate them to ensure they meet precise design requirements before welding. Once complete, the structure will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will be assembled with the other elements of the spacecraft, integrated with SLS and processed before launch.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

After delays, SpaceX's massive Falcon Heavy rocket set to launch in spring 2016 | The Verge

SpaceX's super sized Falcon Heavy rocket has a new launch date: spring 2016. That's according to remarks given by Lee Rosen, SpaceX's vice president of mission and launch operations, at a conference in Pasadena this week. Space News reports the executive as saying, "It’s going to be a great day when we launch [the Falcon Heavy], some time in the late April – early May timeframe."

We've been hearing about the Falcon Heavy for some time, but it has seen its share of delays. It will be the world's most powerful operational rocket, capable of launching 115,000 pounds (53,000 kg) into low-Earth orbit. In history, it only comes short of the Saturn V rocket (which powered Apollo missions to the moon) and the Soviet Energia rocket, both of which were significantly more powerful. SpaceX originally promised to launch the rocket for the first time in 2013. It was then pushed back to this year, but the project was put on ice following the failure of a Falcon 9 rocket on June 28th.

The Falcon Heavy is essentially comprised of three Falcon 9 rockets strapped together. SpaceX plans to recover the stage one rocket boosters by landing them back on Earth after launch — the process was spectacularly demonstrated in a video rendering earlier this year. The first launch in spring, if it actually happens on schedule, will merely be a demonstration. A second planned launch in September for the Air Force would bring some 37 satellites to space.

Correction: SpaceX and Elon Musk state that the Falcon Heavy is the most powerful rocket since Saturn V, but, based on potential payload delivered to orbit, the Soviet Energia was also more powerful. We've updated the article accordingly.

 

[Fenrir]

This is how Boeing is building the first commercial Starliner spacecraft ever

NASA and Boeing have released a little teaser on their newest spacecraft, the CST-100 Starliner, which will be built and tested at Kennedy Space Center and hopefully, eventually taxi people to space.

Imagine touring space inside one of these awesome pods in the future. The video below highlights some features of the Starliner.

 

[Fenrir]

The Secrets of NASA's Webb Telescope’s "Deployable Tower Assembly"

The Secrets of NASA's Webb Telescope’s "Deployable Tower Assembly" | NASA

Recently, engineers at Northrop Grumman Corporation in Redondo Beach, California were testing the DTA to ensure it worked properly.
Credits: Northrop Grumman Corp.
Building a space telescope to see the light from the earliest stars of our universe is a pretty complex task. Although much of the attention goes to instruments and the giant mirrors on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, there are other components that have big jobs to do and that required imagination, engineering, and innovation to become a reality.

For example, engineers working on the Webb telescope have to think of everything from keeping instruments from overheating or freezing, to packing up the Webb, which is as big as a tennis court, to fit inside the rocket that will take it to space. Those are two areas where the "DTA" or Deployable Tower Assembly (DTA) plays a major role.

The DTA looks like a big black pipe and is made out of graphite-epoxy composite material to ensure stability and strength with extreme changes in temperature like those encountered in space. When fully deployed, the DTA reaches ten feet in length.

Artist's impression of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. Credits: NASA

The DTA interfaces and supports the spacecraft and the telescope structures. It features two large nested telescoping tubes, connected by a mechanized lead screw. It is a deployable structure that is both very light and extremely strong and stable.

The Webb telescope’s secondary mirror support structure and DTA contribute to how the telescope and instruments fit into the rocket fairing in preparation for launch. The DTA allows the Webb to be short enough when stowed to fit in the rocket fairing with an acceptably low center of gravity for launch.

Several days after the Webb telescope is launched, the DTA will deploy, or separate, the telescope mirrors and instruments from the spacecraft bus and sunshield. This separation allows the sunshield to unfurl and shade the telescope and instruments from radiant heat and stray light from the sun and Earth.

The DTA was designed, built and tested by Astro Aerospace - a Northrop Grumman Company, in Carpinteria, California.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. The Webb telescope is an international project led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

 

[Fenrir]

NASA Just Released This Amazing New Set of Up-Close Pluto Pictures

NASA released a new (and gorgeous) set of Pluto pictures from its recent New Horizons fly-by—and they’re our best look yet at some of the strange terrain of the erstwhile planet.

Top image: Pluto overlook / NASA

Here’s the full set of Pluto pictures—plus one bonus planetary portrait of Charon, included at the very bottom. The set of high-relief photos focuses on surface details, including a close-up look at some Pluto chaos terrain, Pluto during twilight, and the haze around Pluto in profile.

Pluto chaos terrain (above) / NASA

Haze around Pluto (above) / NASA

(Pluto dark areas) / NASA

Pluto surface photo / NASA

Charon / NASA

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

We Can Now See Ceres' Mysterious Bright Spots In a Lot More Detail

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has just sent home a new photo, a much closer look at the famous bright spots on the dwarf planet Ceres. Compared to the previous images taken from higher orbits, significantly more details can be seen in this new photo of the Occator crater.

The composite photo below was created using two images: one short exposure photo that captures the details in the bright spots, and one captured at normal exposure, where the background surface is not underexposed. Dawn took these images during the mission’s High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO) phase, from an altitude of 915 miles (1,470 kilometers). The resolution of this photo is about 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel:

It’s still unclear what those bright areas in the crater are; we are waiting for scientists to come up with some explanation. As Marc Rayman, Dawn’s chief engineer and mission director says:

Dawn has transformed what was so recently a few bright dots into a complex and beautiful, gleaming landscape. Soon, the scientific analysis will reveal the geological and chemical nature of this mysterious and mesmerizing extraterrestrial scenery.

This new view is likely going to help identify those spots, as it’s roughly three times better than the latest images. e:

 

[Fenrir]

SpaceX's Crew Dragon Capsule Looks Like a Luxury Sports Car

Well, it’s official: The days of blasting into space in a rattly aluminum can are over. SpaceX has just unveiled the very first images of the interior of its Crew Dragon capsule. As you might expect, it looks a lot like a luxury sports car.

The capsules, which SpaceX is developing for NASA to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS, include seven seats for its crew (made of the finest carbon fiber and Alcantara cloth money can buy). Video displays light up with information about the vehicle’s position and on-board environment. The astronauts will even be able to adjust the temperature inside the capsule — anywhere from 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit! This thing kicks the crap out of my apartment building. Most importantly, the capsules have a handful of windows that’ll offer a sweeping view of the stars.

I don’t see any big red buttons, which is a bit of a bummer, but it’s probably for the best — those have a tendency to backfire. There is, however, a large ‘execute command’ button in one of these renderings, which I can only assume is to be used for hyperspace jumps or switching on Elon’s global space Internet.

If that wasn’t enough to make you want to kiss planet Earth goodbye, check out this hype as f*ck promo video! Now if only Elon could actually warm up Mars, I’d be sold.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

I don’t see any big red buttons, which is a bit of a bummer, but it’s probably for the best — those have a tendency to backfire. There is, however, a large ‘execute command’ button in one of these renderings, which I can only assume is to be used for hyperspace jumps or switching on Elon’s global space Internet.

"It's the weird color-scheme that freaks me. Every time you try to operate one of these weird black controls, which are labeled in black on a black background, a small black light lights up in black to let you know you've done it!" -Zaphod

"I wonder what will happen if I press this button." -Arthur
"Don't." -Ford
[Presses it] "Oh." --Arthur
"What happened?" --Ford
"A sign lit up saying "Please do not press this button again." -Arthur

"Hey Ford, how many escape capsules are there?" -Zaphod
"None," -Ford
"You counted them?" -Zaphod
"Twice," -Ford

 

[Fenrir]

This is likely my last post on PDF. I don't know what purpose I have here, I don't like the attitudes that propagate and I'm no glutton for negativity and jingoism. Were once I tried to discuss with others, tried to learn, tried to engage, now I dread conversations. I try to avoid conversing with others.

It's troublesome, but I feel happier when I'm not participating.

Don't expect Sven back either. He isn't coming back, I can confirm this. He's just as bothered by the rampant moronic behaviors as I am. He has other motivations though.

...

SALVO Cubesat Rocket Debuts Stealth Launch Vehicle Era

SALVO Cubesat Rocket Debuts Stealth Launch Vehicle Era « AmericaSpace

Artist concept depicts SALVO Cubesat launcher on belly of F-15. The liquid oxygen/kerosene powered rocket may already have begun secret launches off Cape Canaveral. Image Credit: DARPA

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Air Force are poised to begin the Cape Canaveral launch of Cubesats on a new advanced technology rocket called SALVO, for Small Air Launch Vehicle to Orbit. SALVO launchers will be carried aloft for release from an Air Force F-15E fighter jet flying over the U.S Eastern Test Range.

It is possible that the actual launch to orbit of Cubesat spacecraft on SALVO rockets has already begun in secret to counter electronic and infrared intelligence gathering by Russia and China. The flight of a SALVO test article on a F-15 fighter actually began months ago, and likely involved earlier flights over the Eastern Range to checkout telemetry links.

The future air launch of increasingly capable small spacecraft and Cubesats will be especially important as the USAF moves to smaller, more survivable satellites instead of more vulnerable multi-ton spacecraft. The U.S. decades ago developed the F-117 Stealth fighter and the B-2 Stealth bomber, and now programs like SALVO and its ALASA follow on could also give the U.S. a “Stealth Launch Vehicle” capability.

Ventions has launched sounding rockets to test SALVO electronics inexpensively. Image Credit Ventions LLC

The Orbital ATK Pegasus air launched rocket could be especially important in this Defense Dept. shift, but it is a large and easily detected rocket system requiring significant infrastructure, compared with future smaller air launched systems.

Neither DARPA, the Air Force, nor the project’s prime contractor, Ventions LLC of San Francisco, will discuss SALVO at this time—although in the past they have described it as a two-stage system using liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants driven by cutting-edge miniature electric turbo pumps.

Each SALVO rocket will be loaded onboard its twin seat F-15 at Eglin AFB, located on Florida’s panhandle. Once fueled, it will be flown within a safety corridor across the state directly out over the Atlantic for launch down the highly instrumented Eastern Range.

SALVO can only launch a single 11-pound, three unit (3U) Cubesat at a time, and is designed initially to be only a three-flight operational pathfinder for the larger DARPA/Boeing Airborne Launch Assist Space Access rocket called ALASA.

ALASA is planned to launch 12 times also from an F-15 flying over the Eastern Range. The Boeing system is planned to carry a 100-lb load of Cubesats or small satellites for just $1 million per flight.

ALASA is to be first launched in late-2015 without a payload, then launched on Cubesat missions starting by mid-2016. It will be powered by high energy monopropellant made up of nitrous oxide (aka laughing gas) and acetylene mixed together in the same tank, a key design aspect.

The two DARPA air launched programs could help spawn new commercial air launch ventures like one being developed by Generation Orbit with its GOLauncher 1 & 2 programs, which are set for first launch in 2017 from a Gulfstream business jet.

These will be able to compete in future NASA programs like the just-issued NASA’s Launch Services Program Request for Proposals (RFP) for new commercial Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) for small satellites. The deadline for a response to the RFP is July 13, 2015.

NASA plans to award one or more firm fixed-price VCLS contracts to accommodate 132 pounds (60 kilograms) of CubeSats in a single launch or two launches carrying 66 pounds (30 kilograms) each. The launch provider will determine the launch location and date, but the launch must occur by April 15, 2018.

“This solicitation, and resulting contract or contracts, is intended to demonstrate a dedicated launch capability for smaller payloads that NASA anticipates it will require on a recurring basis for future science and CubeSat missions,” the agency said.

“This will start to open up viable commercial opportunities,” said Mark Wiese, chief of the flight projects office for the NASA Launch Services Program. “We [NASA KSC] hope to be one of the first customers for these companies, and once we get going, the regular launches will drive the costs down for everyone.”

SALVO can launch 3U Cubesats like the Radio Aurora Explorer developed earlier by the University of Michigan and Southwest Research Institute. Photo Credit SRI

It is most likely this initial Cubesat launcher contract will be won by one of several traditional ground launch systems like those under development by the Texas-based Firefly Space Systems rocket, the New Zealand based Rocket Lab Electron launch vehicle, or other U.S. competitors.

Air launched systems, although initially carrying a smaller payload mass, would be especially important to the U.S. Defense Dept. because they can be launched from literally anywhere on Earth with minimal detection aloft or by ground infrastructure.

This is especially important now that China’s ASAT anti satellite programs threaten large U.S. satellites. Launching the same type capabilities on multiple distributed satellites makes them harder to destroy and easier to reconstitute, according to USAF Gen. John E. Hyten, who leads Air Force Space Command.

Although prime contractor personnel at Ventions declined to discuss the SALVO rocket, the company’s limited website does cite milestones toward its first SALVO flight, baselined for the current spring 2015 timeframe. The milestones are:

June 2015 –Completed acceptance testing of SALVO 1st stage engines.

April 2015 –Ventions begins cold-flow fill / drain and pressurization tests of SALVO 1st stage.

October 2014 – Ventions ships SALVO test article to Eglin AFB for integration and flight testing with F-15.

July 2014 –Completes aircraft form and fit checks of F-15 aircraft at Eglin AFB.

June 2014 –Completes initial qualification testing of flight-ready injectors for SALVO’s upper stage engine and tests
SALVO first stage engine in pump-fed configuration at Merced, Calif., test site.

April 2014 –Ventions tests thrust vector control gimbal for SALVO first stage engines at Merced test site. The company also tests 2nd generation of 1,000lbf regeneratively-cooled, LOX-RP1 engines for SALVO flight vehicle at Merced test site.

February 2014 – Ventions completes 1,000lbf injector screening tests for SALVO flight vehicle at Merced test site.

August 2013 – Ventions initiates hot-fire testing of SALVO injectors and engines using new test cell at Castle Airport in Merced County, Calif.

March 2013 – Ventions hot-fire tests regeneratively-cooled engines in the 75lbf and 800lbf thrust-classes for launch vehicle applications under SALVO program.

February 2013 – Ventions hot-fire tests 75lbf and 800lbf LOX / RP-1 engine injectors for SALVO launch vehicle applications.

While DARPA is entering the SALVO flight test phase, Boeing is completing design details on the 24-ft-long ALASA air launched rocket toward an initial flight late this year.

It uses a unique design, placing its four main engines at the front end of its first stage propellant tank.

That will enable the same engines used in the first stage to also power the second stage, after the first stage propellant tank is depleted and separated. A third stage with four smaller engines would complete the injection into low-Earth orbit.

SALVO is similar to the ASAT program of the 1980s in that it was a rocket on the belly of an F-15, but that is where the similarities end. The 1985 program was not capable of going into orbit, but rather function like an air-to-air missile—more specifically like a sounding rocket with a payload.

The ALASA air launched rocket follow on to SALVO is depicted under F-15. Note four rocket engine nozzles that power both the first and then second stage after first stage propellant tank separates. Photo Credit DARPA.

The warhead was an ingenious, highly maneuverable IR seeker that would collide to score a kill. It was designed to be launched in front of an approaching satellite given real time NORAD targeting data. SALVO and ALASA as an ASAT are no more similar than an AMRAM or Sidewinder rocket on the belly of a F-15.

The first air launched ASAT tests took place 55 years ago, in 1958-59, with a B-47 bomber during 12 firing tests. The missile was called Bold Orion and in 1959 was fired against the Explorer 6 satellite. It passed within four miles of the satellite, an effective kill range since operationally it would have used a nuke warhead.

 

[mike2000 is back]

This is how Boeing is building the first commercial Starliner spacecraft ever

NASA and Boeing have released a little teaser on their newest spacecraft, the CST-100 Starliner, which will be built and tested at Kennedy Space Center and hopefully, eventually taxi people to space.

Imagine touring space inside one of these awesome pods in the future. The video below highlights some features of the Starliner.

Impressive. I wish governments all over the world could come together nd pool their resources so we can invest more in space, since there is so much we can learn/discover giving the fact that we don't know/haven't even explored 1/billionth of space. lol Good initiative by Nasa and Boeing. Always good to see groundbreaking/new experiments/projects than repeating the same thing over and over again.

This is likely my last post on PDF. I don't know what purpose I have here, I don't like the attitudes that propagate and I'm no glutton for negativity and jingoism. Were once I tried to discuss with others, tried to learn, tried to engage, now I dread conversations. I try to avoid conversing with others.

It's troublesome, but I feel happier when I'm not participating.

Don't expect Sven back either. He isn't coming back, I can confirm this. He's just as bothered by the rampant moronic behaviors as I am. He has other motivations though.

...

SALVO Cubesat Rocket Debuts Stealth Launch Vehicle Era

SALVO Cubesat Rocket Debuts Stealth Launch Vehicle Era « AmericaSpace

Artist concept depicts SALVO Cubesat launcher on belly of F-15. The liquid oxygen/kerosene powered rocket may already have begun secret launches off Cape Canaveral. Image Credit: DARPA

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Air Force are poised to begin the Cape Canaveral launch of Cubesats on a new advanced technology rocket called SALVO, for Small Air Launch Vehicle to Orbit. SALVO launchers will be carried aloft for release from an Air Force F-15E fighter jet flying over the U.S Eastern Test Range.

It is possible that the actual launch to orbit of Cubesat spacecraft on SALVO rockets has already begun in secret to counter electronic and infrared intelligence gathering by Russia and China. The flight of a SALVO test article on a F-15 fighter actually began months ago, and likely involved earlier flights over the Eastern Range to checkout telemetry links.

The future air launch of increasingly capable small spacecraft and Cubesats will be especially important as the USAF moves to smaller, more survivable satellites instead of more vulnerable multi-ton spacecraft. The U.S. decades ago developed the F-117 Stealth fighter and the B-2 Stealth bomber, and now programs like SALVO and its ALASA follow on could also give the U.S. a “Stealth Launch Vehicle” capability.

Ventions has launched sounding rockets to test SALVO electronics inexpensively. Image Credit Ventions LLC

The Orbital ATK Pegasus air launched rocket could be especially important in this Defense Dept. shift, but it is a large and easily detected rocket system requiring significant infrastructure, compared with future smaller air launched systems.

Neither DARPA, the Air Force, nor the project’s prime contractor, Ventions LLC of San Francisco, will discuss SALVO at this time—although in the past they have described it as a two-stage system using liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants driven by cutting-edge miniature electric turbo pumps.

Each SALVO rocket will be loaded onboard its twin seat F-15 at Eglin AFB, located on Florida’s panhandle. Once fueled, it will be flown within a safety corridor across the state directly out over the Atlantic for launch down the highly instrumented Eastern Range.

SALVO can only launch a single 11-pound, three unit (3U) Cubesat at a time, and is designed initially to be only a three-flight operational pathfinder for the larger DARPA/Boeing Airborne Launch Assist Space Access rocket called ALASA.

ALASA is planned to launch 12 times also from an F-15 flying over the Eastern Range. The Boeing system is planned to carry a 100-lb load of Cubesats or small satellites for just $1 million per flight.

ALASA is to be first launched in late-2015 without a payload, then launched on Cubesat missions starting by mid-2016. It will be powered by high energy monopropellant made up of nitrous oxide (aka laughing gas) and acetylene mixed together in the same tank, a key design aspect.

The two DARPA air launched programs could help spawn new commercial air launch ventures like one being developed by Generation Orbit with its GOLauncher 1 & 2 programs, which are set for first launch in 2017 from a Gulfstream business jet.

These will be able to compete in future NASA programs like the just-issued NASA’s Launch Services Program Request for Proposals (RFP) for new commercial Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) for small satellites. The deadline for a response to the RFP is July 13, 2015.

NASA plans to award one or more firm fixed-price VCLS contracts to accommodate 132 pounds (60 kilograms) of CubeSats in a single launch or two launches carrying 66 pounds (30 kilograms) each. The launch provider will determine the launch location and date, but the launch must occur by April 15, 2018.

“This solicitation, and resulting contract or contracts, is intended to demonstrate a dedicated launch capability for smaller payloads that NASA anticipates it will require on a recurring basis for future science and CubeSat missions,” the agency said.

“This will start to open up viable commercial opportunities,” said Mark Wiese, chief of the flight projects office for the NASA Launch Services Program. “We [NASA KSC] hope to be one of the first customers for these companies, and once we get going, the regular launches will drive the costs down for everyone.”

SALVO can launch 3U Cubesats like the Radio Aurora Explorer developed earlier by the University of Michigan and Southwest Research Institute. Photo Credit SRI

It is most likely this initial Cubesat launcher contract will be won by one of several traditional ground launch systems like those under development by the Texas-based Firefly Space Systems rocket, the New Zealand based Rocket Lab Electron launch vehicle, or other U.S. competitors.

Air launched systems, although initially carrying a smaller payload mass, would be especially important to the U.S. Defense Dept. because they can be launched from literally anywhere on Earth with minimal detection aloft or by ground infrastructure.

This is especially important now that China’s ASAT anti satellite programs threaten large U.S. satellites. Launching the same type capabilities on multiple distributed satellites makes them harder to destroy and easier to reconstitute, according to USAF Gen. John E. Hyten, who leads Air Force Space Command.

Although prime contractor personnel at Ventions declined to discuss the SALVO rocket, the company’s limited website does cite milestones toward its first SALVO flight, baselined for the current spring 2015 timeframe. The milestones are:

June 2015 –Completed acceptance testing of SALVO 1st stage engines.

April 2015 –Ventions begins cold-flow fill / drain and pressurization tests of SALVO 1st stage.

October 2014 – Ventions ships SALVO test article to Eglin AFB for integration and flight testing with F-15.

July 2014 –Completes aircraft form and fit checks of F-15 aircraft at Eglin AFB.

June 2014 –Completes initial qualification testing of flight-ready injectors for SALVO’s upper stage engine and tests
SALVO first stage engine in pump-fed configuration at Merced, Calif., test site.

April 2014 –Ventions tests thrust vector control gimbal for SALVO first stage engines at Merced test site. The company also tests 2nd generation of 1,000lbf regeneratively-cooled, LOX-RP1 engines for SALVO flight vehicle at Merced test site.

February 2014 – Ventions completes 1,000lbf injector screening tests for SALVO flight vehicle at Merced test site.

August 2013 – Ventions initiates hot-fire testing of SALVO injectors and engines using new test cell at Castle Airport in Merced County, Calif.

March 2013 – Ventions hot-fire tests regeneratively-cooled engines in the 75lbf and 800lbf thrust-classes for launch vehicle applications under SALVO program.

February 2013 – Ventions hot-fire tests 75lbf and 800lbf LOX / RP-1 engine injectors for SALVO launch vehicle applications.

While DARPA is entering the SALVO flight test phase, Boeing is completing design details on the 24-ft-long ALASA air launched rocket toward an initial flight late this year.

It uses a unique design, placing its four main engines at the front end of its first stage propellant tank.

That will enable the same engines used in the first stage to also power the second stage, after the first stage propellant tank is depleted and separated. A third stage with four smaller engines would complete the injection into low-Earth orbit.

SALVO is similar to the ASAT program of the 1980s in that it was a rocket on the belly of an F-15, but that is where the similarities end. The 1985 program was not capable of going into orbit, but rather function like an air-to-air missile—more specifically like a sounding rocket with a payload.

The ALASA air launched rocket follow on to SALVO is depicted under F-15. Note four rocket engine nozzles that power both the first and then second stage after first stage propellant tank separates. Photo Credit DARPA.

The warhead was an ingenious, highly maneuverable IR seeker that would collide to score a kill. It was designed to be launched in front of an approaching satellite given real time NORAD targeting data. SALVO and ALASA as an ASAT are no more similar than an AMRAM or Sidewinder rocket on the belly of a F-15.

The first air launched ASAT tests took place 55 years ago, in 1958-59, with a B-47 bomber during 12 firing tests. The missile was called Bold Orion and in 1959 was fired against the Explorer 6 satellite. It passed within four miles of the satellite, an effective kill range since operationally it would have used a nuke warhead.

Awwww.....why are you leaving us sister?? How come the only few decent members here are the ones who either go away or stay silent?? Not cool, since i really enjoy your posts/comments, one of the few members from whom i do learn alot of things i didn't know. Please don't go.

Nasa Assembles First Pieces for Orion Deep Space Mission
Indo-Asian News Service , 9 September 2015
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In a small yet significant to send astronauts to Mars, Nasa engineers have welded together the first two segments of the Orion crew module that will fly atop Nasa's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on a mission beyond the far side of the moon.

The primary structure of Orion's crew module is made of seven large aluminium pieces that must be welded together in detailed fashion at Nasa's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

"Every day, teams around the country are moving at full speed to get ready for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) when we'll flight test Orion and SLS together in the proving ground of space, far away from the safety of Earth," said Bill Hill, deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development at Nasa Headquarters in Washington, DC.

"We are progressing toward eventually sending astronauts deep into space," he said in a statement.

The first weld connects the tunnel to the forward bulkhead, which is at the top of the spacecraft and houses many of Orion's critical systems, such as the parachutes that deploy during re-entry.

Orion's tunnel, with a docking hatch, will allow crews to move between the crew module and other spacecraft.

"Each of Orion's systems and subsystems is assembled or integrated onto the primary structure, so starting to weld the underlying elements together is a critical first manufacturing step," added Mark Geyer, Orion programme manager.

During the coming months, engineers will inspect and evaluate them to ensure they meet precise design requirements before welding.

Once complete, the structure will be shipped to Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will be assembled with the other elements of the spacecraft, integrated with SLS and processed before launch.

SLS is one of the most experienced large rocket engines in the world, with more than a million seconds of ground test and flight operations time.

When completed, SLS will enable astronauts to begin their journey to explore destinations far into the solar system.

Nasa Assembles First Pieces for Orion Deep Space Mission | NDTV Gadgets

This one will be interesting, would love to see humans land on Mars.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

This is likely my last post on PDF. I don't know what purpose I have here, I don't like the attitudes that propagate and I'm no glutton for negativity and jingoism. Were once I tried to discuss with others, tried to learn, tried to engage, now I dread conversations. I try to avoid conversing with others..

Sorry to see you go. We'll miss you.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

SpaceX Dragon capsule could be used to return Mars samples to Earth | ExtremeTech

NASA’s Ames Research Center has developed a draft proposal for a mission that would retrieve soil samples from Mars and deliver them back to Earth. It’s ambitious to be sure, but NASA scientists are optimistic about the so-called “Red Dragon” proposal, so named because it would rely on a modified version of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule. According to the team, this mission could be feasible in the early 2020s, just in time for NASA’s next Mars rover mission.

Repurposing near-Earth spacecraft for longer voyages is usually a bad idea that never gets past the initial design stages. However, SpaceX designed the Dragon capsule to be highly adaptable. After all, the manned Dragon is essentially the same vessel that’s already in operation as an automated cargo transport.

CEO Elon Musk says the Falcon 9 Heavy is powerful enough to take the fully loaded Dragon to Mars, provided it is not needed for the return trip. A lighter payload could make it all the way to Jupiter. He and SpaceX were not involved in the design of the Red Dragon mission, but Musk has since come out in favor of the basic idea, noting that the Dragon vehicle is designed to land on any surface in the solar system.

Landing on the surface of Mars becomes an increasingly tricky problem as you increase in mass. The atmosphere is too thin for parachutes to do all the work, and delicate components don’t take kindly to hard impacts. The 1-ton Curiosity rover was landed with the aid of a rocket sled, but the Red Dragon would have a 2-ton payload at least. Ames scientists think the Red Dragon can set down without any parachutes, using only the Super Draco engines that are being developed for the emergency abort system on manned Dragon capsules. This would allow Red Dragon to rendezvous with the planned 2020 NASA Mars rover, which will have already collected soil samples for the return mission.

It would be inefficient to try and lift the whole dragon capsule back off the Martian surface, so instead it would carry a small Mars ascent vehicle that would launch into orbit. The lower gravity and thinner atmosphere on Mars make it easier to reach orbit. This craft would line up for an Earth encounter, then release a smaller Earth return vehicle with the samples on board. Once it’s in low-Earth orbit, a second Dragon capsule will be sent up to retrieve it.

Getting samples of Martian soil back to Earth would be the best way to learn about the history and composition of Mars. There’s only so much a rover can do from millions of miles away, and if scientists come up with a new idea for a test, they have to wait for the next mission. Having fresh samples would accelerate things greatly. Maybe we’d finally be able to figure out if Mars has ever supported life.

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DARPA Wants To Build An Automated Spaceport Run By Robots | Techaeris

Space is awesome. Most of us get excited to watch rocket launches, satellite imagery, and even the thought of manned missions to places like Mars get people’s hearts racing. As we become a space-faring civilization, there will be challenges in getting off of the only planet we’ve ever known. Namely getting off of the only planet we’ve ever known. Launching ships into orbit is still prohibitively expensive, and finding ways to avoid or at the very least improve that situation remains high on the list of priorities. We’ve seen designs for space elevators that would at least reduce the cost of getting cargo into orbit, but there would still be the issue of moving that cargo elsewhere via some type of spacecraft. That spacecraft would likely need to be both reusable, and be able to stay in orbit for extended periods of time. What happens when those ships need to be refueled, or repaired? Scientists at DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) have thought that through and feel that an automated spaceport run by robots is the solution.

To that end, DARPA is developing a highly sophisticated robot arm that they see as part of a future transportation hub in space. This automated station could be used to repair, refuel, and even in some cases rebuild spacecraft, reducing the need to launch quite as much mass into orbit, since as The Martian‘s Mark Watney says, “NASA isn’t in the habit of putting unnecessary mass into orbit.” This also allows for some larger ships to stay in orbit, similar to the Hermes spacecraft from The Martian (yeah, I just recently finished reading The Martian, great book, btw), where they will not so frequently incur the cost of launching to escape Earth’s gravitational pull. These theoretical ships will still need to be maintained though, and that’s where DARPA’s spaceport comes in.

At DARPA’s “Wait, What? A Future Technology Forum” in St. Louis on September 10th, former NASA Astronaut and current DARPA Deputy Director of Tactical Technology Pam Melroy likened the proposed space station to the seaports of the world:

Look at the great seafaring port cities in the world for inspiration, and imagine a port of call at 36,000 kilometers

A station at that height would place it in geosynchronous orbit (GEO), providing a much more stable location to keep the station in orbit. For reference, the International Space Station is in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at a range of 300-600 kilometers. Any station in Low Earth Orbit – including the ISS – will have that orbit decay and get pulled back towards the Earth after around 25 years if course correcting adjustments aren’t made. Objects in geosynchronous orbit can stay in one spot for significantly longer – up to around one million years according to Melroy.

The issue with geosynchronous orbit is that the radiation that far out would be too high for a human crew to handle for any extended period of time. Plus, launching a crew out to the station when repairs are needed would again require a costly space launch each time. Robots wouldn’t have that issue since they can be built to withstand radiation and can stay on any proposed space station without having to come back to Earth. I’d imagine any station built would have redundancies in place or even abilities for the robots to repair themselves in case of a malfunction. Sending a crew out for repairs would have to be a last resort, though an undesirable one due to the necessary space launch.

The perfect station in this instance would obviously have a tremendously expensive cost up front, but by being able to stay in orbit and service spacecraft without requiring a space launch, it would ultimately drive down costs significantly. Robots really are the answer in this instance, and DARPA is working on the robotic arm that they believe will get us there.

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‘Super-antenna’ could let Mars rover talk directly with Earth | ExtremeTech

Right now, Mars rovers like Curiosity get roughly 15 minutes to talk to scientists back on Earth, twice per day. If a scientist wants to issue a complex set of orders, or download a whole bunch of new information, it has to all fit into these 15-minute windows. For scientists on the ground, the necessity of bouncing signals through multiple orbiting satellites means that rover missions progress as a series of quick snapshots, with tense waits in between. Now, they have a prototype for a new and improved type of rover antenna, one that could turn those minutes into hours, and those orbiters into space junk.

The idea comes from a group working on advanced antenna technology at UCLA, in combination with NASA’s Jet Propulsion laboratory. The idea is basically to use an array of 256 antenna elements (a 16 x 16 square) all working together to make a “super-antenna” capable of directly communicating with Earth. Having fewer moving bodies to worry about keeping in alignment, this system could give a rover up to several hours of communication time with operators back on Earth, every day.

The reason it works is not just that the array of mini-antennas creates a more powerful signal, but that the signal is circularly polarized. This has the effect of keeping the signal coherent as it travels through the Martian atmosphere — once a signal gets into the vacuum of space with good signal strength intact, getting the rest of the way to an orbiter around the Earth isn’t hard at all.

Amazingly, this huge increase in signal strength will still run within the power limitations of NASA’s upcoming Mars 2020 rover: it has only about 100 watts to allot to communications, or about enough to keep an incandescent lightbulb shining. For that power commitment, it will purportedly be able to maintain a signal with a satellite around Earth, 225 million kilometers away. The 2020 mission may well be NASA’s major precursor to the start of a manned mission, so it will important to see if it can serve as a proof of concept for direct communications between the Earth and Mars.


The additive characteristics of its compound antenna actually work in both directions; not only will it be able to create more powerful signals to transmit back to Earth, but it will be able to pick up more powerful signals as well. This will give it a better ability to download information from the Earth, widening the lines of communication for both scientists and their rover.

The Mars 2020 rover won’t have the luxury of twisting around to make sure it’s pointing at the Earth at every moment, and so the antenna is planned to be mounted on a gimbal arm that can lift the antenna and orient it in any direction. This unrestrained antenna mount, combined with the circular polarization of the signal itself, should also allow the rover to transmit and receive while on the move, meaning that those hours of phone time don’t need to be wasted.

Right now, the UCLA team has only made a four-element-by-four-element prototype. But this prototype behaved just the way their simulations expected, and as it had to if their 16-by-16 version was going to work. A full-scale prototype is in the works.

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

@Hamartia Antidote @AMDR Hi, can you please shed some light on US's semi-cryogenic / LOX-Kerosene rocket engine developments? Why does US prefer to source Russian RD-180 semi-cryogenic engines for Atlas instead of developing and manufacturing one locally?

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

@Hamartia Antidote @AMDR Why does US prefer to source Russian RD-180 semi-cryogenic engines for Atlas instead of developing and manufacturing one locally?

My observations:
1) During the break up of the Soviet Union NASA was worried that the civilian rocket engineers/scientists employed by the Soviet space program would jump ship to other countries and help build things such as ICBMs. Keeping them happy was a priority. So there were joint ventures such as the International Space Station and leveraging rocket engines to keep them busy.
.2) RD-180 engine is a very very nice engine. Very efficient and not many parts. Has a great track record. Would rather it not fall into the wrong hands.

The US has a handful of companies using rocket engines. United Launch Alliance is the one which uses the Russian engines.