Fwd: NASA news --my version

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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: January 5, 2015 at 3:13:49 PM CST
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: NASA news --my version

Don't forget to join us this Thursday at Hibachi Grill at 11:30 for our monthly NASA retirees luncheon.   We gather in the back left party room  just tell them at the front you are with the NASA retirees group and come on back for good food and good fellowship.

 

 

 

LEADING THE NEWS

• Tuesday's SpaceX Launch Features Reusable Rocket Test.

NASA NEWS

• Bolden, Nelson Defend NASA's Current Projects.

HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS

• NASA Knew Of Potential Orbital Engine Issues Since 2008.

• Boston Companies Now Participating In ISS Research.

• Testing About to Begin On SLS Engines.

• Marshall Space Flight Center Kicks Off "Recycle Rush" Robotics Challenge.

• People Claim To See UFO In Another ISS Video.

LEADING THE NEWS

Tuesday's SpaceX Launch Features Reusable Rocket Test.

The New York Times (1/4, Chang, Subscription Publication, 9.9M) reports that when SpaceX makes its next launch to the International Space Station on Tuesday, it will attempt "to upend the economics of space travel" by trying to land the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a floating platform. If that works, SpaceX will reuse the stage on a future launch, bringing it one step closer to its goal of developing a reusable rocket. According to the article, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk claims that reusability will reduce launch costs "to a hundredth of what they are now." Meanwhile, the article notes that the launch is also generating more "scrutiny" because it is carrying 17 of the 18 student experiments destroyed during an Orbital Sciences launch failure back in October. Jeff Goldstein, the director of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, said that NASA "moved heaven and earth" to make sure the experiments made it onto this launch.

cover the story.

        2015 Expected To Be A Significant Year At The Kennedy Space Center. Florida Today (1/3, Dean, 151K) reported 2015 is expected to be a "significant year" for the Kennedy Space Center, which is in the process of becoming "more than just a NASA spaceport." The new commercial activity expected at the center comes as the "buzz fades" from the recent Orion launch, which does not launch again until 2018. Meanwhile, this year SpaceX will attempt to complete work on a "mothballed NASA pad" it is now leasing for Falcon 9 launches and the inaugural Falcon Heavy launches. Other activity at KSC includes the use of former shuttle hangars by Boeing and the US Air Force; work on the Atlas V rocket in order to launch Boeing's CST-100 capsule in the future; the completion of a deal between Space Florida and NASA for the use of the three-mile shuttle runway; and more work on the infrastructure needed for the Space Launch System;

  

        SpaceX Posts Jobs For Its Commercial Launch Site. The Brownsville (TX) Herald (1/3, Perez-Treviño, 58K) reported that SpaceX has begun issuing job openings "for an electrical engineer for the launch pad facilities and for a field contact representative" at its commercial launch site at Boca Chica Beach.

NASA NEWS

Bolden, Nelson Defend NASA's Current Projects.

In letters to the Wall Street Journal (1/2, Subscription Publication, 5.62M), NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Sen. Bill Nelson respond to a critical op-ed by Sen. Tom Coburn. Both defend NASA's current projects, especially those Coburn took to task. Bolden especially highlighted the work at the ISS and one the Space Launch System. He also noted that had Congress given NASA the Commercial Crew funds requested by the Administration years ago, it could have ended the US' dependence on Russia this year.

HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS

NASA Knew Of Potential Orbital Engine Issues Since 2008.

The Los Angeles Times (1/4, Petersen, 4M) reports that NASA knew as far back as 2008 that the "50-year-old Soviet-made engines" used in Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket could run a "substantial" risk of failure because of cracking. That rocket suffered a launch failure back in October. NASA spokesperson Stephanie Schierholz said, "Launching rockets is a very difficult engineering endeavor. ... NASA and its contractors do our best to mitigate risks, but we can never eliminate them entirely." Meanwhile, the article notes that NASA made "advance payments" to Orbital for the launches, despite a NASA inspector general warnings that the practice was putting "hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars."

Boston Companies Now Participating In ISS Research.

The Boston Globe (1/3, Newsham, 1.78M) reported that several Boston-based companies have experiments underway or planned for the ISS, an "excellent place" to send projects looking "to exploit the potential of microgravity, the effects of which are felt on even a microscopic, chemical level." Cam Med, after taking part in the Mass Challenge competition, will now test a version of its "miniature drug pump" to see how it will perform in "unusual environments" on Earth. The article notes that astronauts aim to conduct "70 to 100 hours" of experiments per week as efficiently as possible. Astronaut T.J. Creamer, who "now directs astronauts from the ground," said, "Crew time is valuable, so we want to minimize the overhead for any activity on board."

Testing About to Begin On SLS Engines.

NASA Space Flight (1/2, Sloss, 305) reported that this month, NASA will start the test program at the Stennis Space Center for the Space Launch System's (SLS) RS-25 engines, "formally known as the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME)." SLS Program Manager Todd May said, "We've got three things that we're really interested in making sure that we shake out on these engines, because you're actually talking about engines that have flown in space before. These are engines that have flown on the Shuttle before – they're qualified engines." Meanwhile, the article notes that more hardware is under development at the Michoud Assembly Facility, "utilizing an array of new machinery."

Marshall Space Flight Center Kicks Off "Recycle Rush" Robotics Challenge.

Alabama Live (1/3, Campbell, 497K) reported that NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center kicked off the annual FIRST Robotics competition on Saturday, announcing the theme to be "Recycle Rush." Teams from Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi were given kits and instructed to design robots that "can manipulate three objects: a plastic garbage can, a hard-sided crate, and... a swimming pool noodle."

       .

People Claim To See UFO In Another ISS Video.

The Inquisitr (1/3, Vankin, 267K) reported on another video which UFO enthusiasts claim shows alien activity at the ISS, making it "the third recently spotted near the space station." The article notes that what some consider an alien may be "nothing more than a trick of the light on the lens of the camera."

Fwd: NASA Coverage Set for Next SpaceX Mission to ISS

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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: January 5, 2015 at 3:08:55 PM CST
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: NASA Coverage Set for Next SpaceX Mission to ISS

Looks like PAO is still out so my NASA News will be out shortly

 

 

Monday, January 5, 2015

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NASA Coverage Set for Next SpaceX Mission to ISS The SpaceX-5 cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract is now scheduled to launch Tuesday, Jan. 6, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.   The Dragon, carrying its 3700 pounds of scientific experiments and supplies, will lift off at 5:20 a.m. CST. NASA TV coverage of the launch begins at 4 a.m. An on-time launch will result in Dragon arriving at the space station Thursday, Jan. 8.  NASA's Expedition 42 Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore will use the station's 57.7-foot robotic arm to reach out and capture Dragon at approximately 5 a.m. CST.   If launch is delayed, the next opportunity for launch is set for Friday, Jan. 9, with grapple and berthing to be conducted on Saturday, Jan. 10.   JSC, Ellington Field, Sonny Carter Training Facility and White Sands Test Facility employees who have hard-wired computer network connections can view the events using the JSC EZTV IP Network TV System on channel 404 (standard definition) or channel 4541 (HD). Please note: EZTV currently requires using Internet Explorer 32Bit on a Windows PC or Safari on a Mac. Mobile devices, Wi-Fi, VPN or connections from other centers are currently not supported by EZTV.   First-time users will need to install the EZTV Monitor and Player client applications:   For those WITH admin rights (Elevated Privileges), you'll be prompted to download and install the clients when you first visit the IPTV website   For those WITHOUT admin rights (Elevated Privileges), you can download the EZTV client applications from the ACES Software Refresh Portal (SRP)   If you are having problems viewing the video using these systems, contact the Information Resources Directorate Customer Support Center at x46367 or visit the FAQ site.   JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111

 

JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles. Disclaimer: Accuracy and content of these notes are the responsibility of the submitters.

 

Fwd: Chinese villagers visit rocket crash site

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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: January 5, 2015 at 12:40:40 PM CST
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: Chinese villagers visit rocket crash site

 

 

In an eerie scene, Chinese villagers visit rocket crash site

January 4, 2015 by Stephen Clark

Photo credit: China News Service

The expended first stage of a Long March rocket tumbled into a forested region of southwestern China a few minutes after successfully blasting off Dec. 31 with a Chinese weather satellite, and photographers were there to capture the booster's fall back to Earth, according to Chinese state media.

The images released on the website of the state-owned China News Service show the rocket's descent and crumpled debris along a rural roadside near Fuquan, a small city in southwestern China's Guizhou province. The crash site more than 300 miles east of the rocket's launch pad at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

China News Service and the CCTV television network linked the wreckage to the launch of a weather satellite Dec. 31. State media reported there were no casualties from the rocket's impact.

Photo credit: China News Service

The Long March 3A rocket lifted off with the Fengyun 2G weather satellite at 0102 GMT on Dec. 31 (8:02 p.m. EST on Dec. 30), or 9:02 a.m. Beijing time.

The Long March 3A rocket's first stage burned about 189 tons (172 metric tons) of hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide propellants — a toxic and flammable mixture — during the first two-and-a-half minutes of the launch.

China's space launch centers are located in inland regions of the country, and booster stages often plunge back to Earth in deserts and forests, sometimes near populated villages.

Launches from the Russian-operated Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan also routinely jettison used-up rocket stages over land, but drop zones near Baikonur are sparsely populated. Launch sites in the United States, India, Japan and the European-run spaceport in French Guiana are positioned on coastlines.

Photo credit: China News Service

China is building the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island off of mainland China's southern coast to replace the Xichang space base. Rockets launched from Wenchang will drop booster stages into the South China Sea.

Photos of Chinese rocket impact sites have spread on Chinese state media before, but imagery from last week's launch shows the descent of the Long March 3A rocket's first stage just before impact. The photos below also capture local citizens inspecting the debris and Chinese security authorities cordoning off the area.

Video from the impact site was also broadcast on China's government-controlled CCTV news channel.

Photo credit: China News Service

Photo credit: China News Service

Photo credit: China News Service

Photo credit: China News Service

Photo credit: China News Service

Photo credit: China News Service

Photo credit: China News Service

 

© 2015 Spaceflight Now Inc.

 

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Fwd: This Week in The Space Review - 2015 January 5

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: jeff@thespacereview.com (Jeff Foust)
Date: January 5, 2015 at 10:13:29 AM CST
Subject: This Week in The Space Review - 2015 January 5
Reply-To: jeff@thespacereview.com

[ If you no longer wish to receive announcements from The Space Review,
please follow the instructions at the end of this message. ]


Welcome to this week's issue of The Space Review:


In with the new, and the old
---
The new year is a time for new beginnings for many, but in the space industry there is a lot of leftover issues from 2014 to deal with first. Jeff Foust reports on some of the topics, from a contract protest to accident investigations to a test of reusability, on tap for early 2015.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2672/1

A tale of two Martins
---
Did a little-known space vehicle concept from the early 1960s inspire a science fiction author? John Charles examines the similarities between that vehicle concept and a vehicle from the film "Marooned".
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2671/1

The X-37B program: an American exercise in the Art of War?
---
While the Air Force has been tightlipped about the missions of its X-37 robotic spaceplane, there's been no shortage of speculation about its purpose. Michael Listner discusses if the Air Force is deliberately encouraging that speculation as par tof a broader strategy.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2670/1

Encouraging private investment in space: does the current space law regime have to be changed? (part 1)
---
Many space commercialization advocates have argued for a change in space law in order to provide property rights for entities wishing to use the Moon or asteroids. Jonathan Babcock, in the first of a two-part essay, explores whether such wholesale changes are needed to provide such protections.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2669/1

Review: Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?
---
Science and religion often seem in conflict with one another. Jeff Foust reviews a book by two Vatican Observatory scientists that use several astronomy topics to examine if that is really the case.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2668/1


If you missed it, here's what we published in our previous issue:


India's heavy-lift rocket and crew module milestones: which is more important?
---
Last week, India achieved two major milestones in a single test flight: the first test of a new, more powerful launch vehicle, and the suborbital test of a spacecraft that could later be used for crewed missions. Ajey Lele describes those achievements and discusses why one is more important than the other.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2667/1

Deferred decision
---
Last week as supposed to be the week where NASA decided between two options for the robotic portion of its Asteroid Redirect Mission. But as Jeff Foust reports, NASA officials decided they needed more time to evaluate the differences between the two.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2666/1

What is Orion's technological significance?
---
The test earlier this month of NASA's Orion spacecraft on the EFT-1 mission was hailed as a major test of many of the spacecraft's key technologies. Anthony Young examines those technologies, not all of which are brand new, that are essential to the spacecraft.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2665/1

Dead trees live!
---
Even as Internet publications and ebooks proliferate, there's still a role for print books, including those about space. Dwayne Day rounds up some of the more interesting space-related books published in the past year, including those that take particular advantage of the print medium.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2664/1


We appreciate any feedback you may have about these articles as well as
any other questions, comments, or suggestions about The Space Review.
We're also actively soliciting articles to publish in future issues, so
if you have an article or article idea that you think would be of
interest, please email me.

Until next week,

Jeff Foust
Editor, The Space Review
jeff@thespacereview.com
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Fwd: 2014’s launch tally highest in two decades

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: January 5, 2015 at 12:38:57 PM CST
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: 2014's launch tally highest in two decades

 

 

2014's launch tally highest in two decades

January 4, 2015 by Stephen Clark

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket flew nine times in 2014, more than any other U.S. launcher. Six of the missions flew from Cape Canaveral, which was the starting point for 16 space launches in 2014, tied for the highest number of launches there since 2003. Credit: ULA

There were more successful space launches in 2014 than in any year since 1992, with Russia, the United States and China responsible for more than 80 percent of global launch activity.

Russia had the most liftoffs with 36 orbital launch attempts — 34 were deemed complete successes — and the United States came in second with 23 space launches, with all but one reaching its intended target.

Chinese rockets were 16-for-16 in satellite launches last year.

There were 92 space launches worldwide in 2014, and 90 of the missions at least reached orbit. One of those flights — a Russian-made Soyuz rocket launched from French Guiana — failed to put its payload in the correct orbit.

That figure marks the highest number of launch attempts since 1994, when there were 93 launches with spacecraft passengers heading for Earth orbit or beyond.

There were 81 space launch attempts in 2013.

Launch rates have steadily risen since activity bottomed out in the mid-2000s, when NASA's space shuttle fleet was grounded after the Columbia accident, the commercial space industry was reeling from weakness in the communications satellite market, and U.S. military launches were facing delays.

While economic and programmatic issues are the principal drivers of the launch business, the final tally of a year's launch activity is also at the mercy of technical glitches, weather delays and other relatively minor complications.

Since the annual launch rate dropped below 60 missions in 2004 and 2005, China's space program has dramatically increased its number of launches as military intelligence satellites roll out of Chinese factories.

The U.S. military is launching navigation, communications and spy satellites at a faster clip, and SpaceX is capturing a larger slice of business in the international and commercial launch market. SpaceX had more launches in 2014 than in any previous year.

Arianespace, the French launch services provider, is also now operating three launchers from its base in French Guiana aimed at sending payloads of all sizes into many types of orbits.

Russia's Soyuz rocket family had more flights in 2014 than in any year since 1993.

A Soyuz rocket soars into the sky over French Guiana. Soyuz rocket variants flew 22 times in 2014, more than any other type of launch vehicle. The Guiana Space Center also had its most launches in a single year since 2002. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Photo Optique Video du CSG – P. Baudon

European-built Ariane 5 and Vega launchers achieved a 100 percent success rate in 2014 with seven missions. Japan and India each conducted four successful space launches with the H-2A, PSLV and GSLV boosters, while Israel put a satellite into orbit with a Shavit rocket in its only launch of the year.

Sea Launch, which is licensed under U.S. jurisdiction but uses a Zenit rocket made with parts from Russia and Ukraine, also successfully placed a commercial communications satellite in orbit in the company's sole flight of 2014.

The busiest launch site in 2014 was the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which hosted 21 launches. Cape Canaveral was the starting point for 16 launches, tied for the highest number of rockets with spacecraft taking off from the Florida spaceport since 2003.

Eleven launches took off from the European-run Guiana Space Center in South America, the most there since 2002.

The world's other launch sites each had fewer than 10 orbital launch attempts in 2014.

The most-used launch pad in the world last year was a facility at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China, where seven rockets blasted off with military and experimental satellites.

The most active launcher family last year was the Soyuz booster with 22 missions, including 12 takeoffs from Baikonur, six launches from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, and four flights from French Guiana.

China's Long March rocket fleet had 15 space launches across its multiple configurations.

The most-flown U.S. launcher was the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 booster with nine missions. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket ended 2014 with six flights, ULA's Delta 4 rocket launched four times, the Orbital Sciences Antares launcher took off three times, and ULA's medium-lift Delta 2 rocket had one launch.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket takes off with a Thaicom communications satellite on Jan. 6, 2014. SpaceX had six space launches in 2014, the most in a single year in the company's 12-year history. Credit: Walter Scriptunas II/Scriptunas Images

The Antares rocket had the only U.S. launch failure of 2014, when it lost power and crashed near its launch pad in Virginia in October.

The majority of the U.S. launches occurred at Cape Canaveral. Four launches — three Atlas 5s and a Delta 2 — blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and three Antares rockets launched from Wallops Island, Va.

Other rockets that launched at least six times in 2014 were Russia's Proton launcher — with eight missions — and Europe's Ariane 5 rocket, which had six flights.

Russia's Angara launcher and India's new GSLV Mk.3 rocket had their first flights in 2014. The important maiden missions are not counted in the year's space launch figures because they were not supposed to achieve Earth orbit.

Launch activity in 2015 promises to be nearly as busy.

Around 30 Russian launches are scheduled this year, according to a report by the Itar-Tass news agency.

ULA has 13 missions on its manifest, and SpaceX and Arianespace each plan around 12 space launches, according to company officials.

A handful of flights are planned by India and Japan. China has not disclosed the number of space launches on its schedule for 2015.

 

© 2015 Spaceflight Now Inc.

 

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Reuseable STS nasaproblems.com

 

The Commercial Space Freighters will be designed to support near earth space transportation requirements, provide the capability for deep space exploration, support mankind's need to obtain deep space resources, and establish populated safe havens in deep space. Affordable and sustainable space transportation for the 21^st century must be based on commercially operated reusable launchers and space based vehicles. This requires a space transportation system that has the capability to return commercial quantities of near-earth and deep space resources to the Earth's surface…a commercial space shuttle (CSS) freighter. The CSS freighter using the decommissioned space shuttle's configuration reduces the mission cost to $205 million; however there are many existing technologies that can reduce the freighter's operational cost to a profitable level for commercial enterprises. 

The CSS freighter uses the orbiter airframe profile and will be autonomously operated. Passengers will be flown only on missions requiring their presence. For these missions, they will be provided escape pods which provides protection for launch, on-orbit, and entry anomalies. Launch pad assembly of the freighter will reduce operations cost and turnaround time. Rapid turn-around is a unique CSS freighter feature which reduces operation's cost, provides the capability for timely intercepts of threating asteroids/comets, and supports USAF rapid deploy missions.

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America needs this capability