SpaceX Oct 7 detailed mission schedule (with images)

On the 7th of October, 2012, SpaceX will fulfill its first contractual commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station on behalf of NASA.

Details of SpaceX CRS-1 Mission

USA: Time of Launch 8:34pm EDT, Oct 7

AUS: Time of Launch 10:34am EST, Oct 8

**Mission details measured in time relative to launch time.

———————————————————————

Day 1: LAUNCH

COUNTDOWN

A SpaceX Falcon 9 ready for launch (image source: SpaceX)

Hour/Min/Sec Events
– 7:30:30 Vehicles are powered on
– 3:50:00 Commence loading liquid oxygen (LOX)
– 3:40:00 Commence loading RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene)
– 3:15:00 LOX and RP-1 loading complete
– 0:10:00 Falcon 9 and Dragon terminal count autosequence started
– 0:02:30 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
– 0:02:00 Range Control Officer (USAF) verifies range is go for launch
– 0:01:00 Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks. Turn on pad deck and Niagara water
– 0:00:40 Pressurize propellant tanks
– 0:00:03 Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
@ 0:00:00 Falcon 9 launch

LAUNCH

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launching (image source: SpaceX)

 Hour/Min/Sec Events
0:01:25 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
0:03:00 1st stage engine shutdown/main engine cutoff (MECO)
0:03:05 1st and 2nd stages separate
0:03:12 2nd stage engine starts
0:03:52 Dragon nose cone jettisoned
0:09:11 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO)
0:09:46 Dragon separates from 2nd stage

DRAGON ON-ORBIT OPERATIONS IN THE FAR FIELD

A SpaceX Dragon module with solar panel arrays deployed (image source: SpaceX)

Hour/Min/Sec Events
0:11:45 Start sequence to deploy solar arrays
2:26:49 Start GNC (guidance and navigation control) bay door deployment—this door holds sensors necessary for rendezvous

———————————————————————

Day 2: DRAGON PHASING – DRAGON BEGINS APPROACH TO SPACE STATION

The International Space Station, destination for SpaceX’s commercial resupply contract (image source: SpaceX)

• Coelliptic burn places Dragon in a circular orbit

———————————————————————

Day 3: HEIGHT ADJUST MANEUVERS TO R-BAR AND CAPTURE

A Dragon module docked to the International Space Station in May, 2012 (image source: SpaceX)

(R-Bar – Radial Bar – is an imaginary line connecting station to the center of the Earth)
• Height adjust burns start adjusting altitude higher toward station
• COTS Ultra-high Frequency Communication Unit (CUCU) and on-board UHF communication system between Dragon and ISS is configured
• Height adjust burn: Dragon begins burns that bring it within 2.5 km of station (go/no-go)
• Dragon receives and sends information from/to the CUCU unit on station
• Height adjust burn brings Dragon 1.2 km from station (go/no-go)
• Height adjust burn carries Dragon into the station’s approach ellipsoid (go/no-go)
• Dragon holds at 250 meters (go/no-go) for confirmation of proximity sensors targeting acquisition
• Dragon begins R-Bar Approach
• Dragon holds at 30 meters (go/no-go)
• Dragon holds at capture point, 10 meters below the station (go/no-go)
• Crew captures Dragon using the station’s robotic arm (SSRMS)
• Dragon is attached to the station

———————————————————————

Day 4: HATCH OPENING

• Hatch is opened

RETURN DAY -1

• Hatch is closed
• Dragon vestibule de-mate and depressurization

RETURN

A SpaceX Dragon module in ocean after reentry in May, 2012 (image source: SpaceX)

• Station’s robotic arm uninstalls Dragon
• Robotic arm releases Dragon
• Crew commands the departure
• Dragon starts departure burns
• Dragon closes the guidance, navigation, and control bay door
• Deorbit burn
• Trunk jettisoned
• Drogue chutes deployed
• Main chutes deployed
• Dragon lands in water and is recovered

More details on the Oct 7 mission @ SpaceX

Mars bricks made from bugs

Mars, the real estate boom of the 22nd century? (image source: Wikimedia Commons)

In what is a completely novel twist on overcoming the habitation problems of humans going to Mars, NASA has begun designing microbes to assist in the development of bricks, fuel and plastics, Andy Coghlan from New Scientist reports.

With weight a premium in space travel, carrying large quantities of building materials is expensive, and energetically inefficient.  But by bioengineering bugs like Anabaena, which consume CO2 and nitrogen, to excrete greater levels of sugar, resources such as fuel, oil and plastics can be, in theory at least, developed on Mars.  Similarly,  Sporosarcina pasteuri, a urea feeding bacteria, excretes ammonia that can be used to assist in the development of calcium carbonate, to cement soil particles together and construct bricks.  Experiments have already proven the validity of this particular concept.

Despite issues of unleashing micoorganisms onto another planet, the idea of using bugs to develop fuel and materials on another planet promises to help make that NASA trip to Mars that little bit lighter, and also that little bit more possible.

Read more @ New Scientist

Look @ a nice Mars vs Earth graphic from the University of Washington

Two black holes instead of one

Globular cluster M22 (image source: NASA JPL)

The Australian Geographic reports that scientists have observed two black holes  sharing the core  of a globular cluster together.  The two black holes, each around 10 to 20 times the size of our Sun, appear locked in a dance together, with neither occupying the very centre as expected – a first for a globular cluster.

Locating black holes is not an easy process, as other stars are needed nearby to observe the effects of the black hole in action.  Scientist James Millar-Jones, from Curtain University Australia, thinks there is probably more black holes in the cluster, stating

“M22 may contain as many as 100 black holes but we can’t detect them unless they’re actively feeding on nearby stars”

Read more @ Australian Geographic

NASA talks space bases at an Earth-moon lagrange point (UPDATED)

A cropped image of Earth-moon-Mars Lagrange point relationships from the NASA website.

NASA is has some ideas about developing a space base from its parts of the International Space Station when it is dismantled in the future, to act as a staging area for future moon and Mars missions.  According to PC Mag author Damon Poeter, apparently it will be positioned at a lagrange point some 61,000km from the moon, and 443,000km from Earth.

According to Wikipedia, lagrange points are:

“the five positions in an orbital configuration where a small object affected only by gravity can theoretically be part of a constant-shape pattern with two larger objects (such as a satellite with respect to the Earth and Moon). The Lagrange points mark positions where the combined gravitational pull of the two large masses provides precisely the centripetal force required to orbit with them”

This is all to go hand-in-hand with NASA’s new SLS (Space Launch System) that is in development and due for first testing in 2014.

Read more here @ PC Mag

(UPDATE)

Mark Whittington from Yahoo! News discusses the challenges of NASA’s emerging ‘beyond moon’ lagrange point plans.  Large distances for resupply and positioning outside of the Earth’s magnetic field are obvious hurdles for the space station concept.

Earth’s 5 lagrange points relative to the moon’s influence.  Lagrange point L2 is the proposed point of NASA’s spacestation (image source: Wikimedia Commons)

Unless NASA plans to use it as a space re-fueling depot, critiques suggest the space station will not serve a real purpose.

Read more @ Yahoo! News

Also a lot of great info and images here @ Space.com and @ here as well

Solar eruption in HD video

Some amazing NASA footage of a long filament of solar material erupting out of the Sun’s corona recorded late in August.  This article is a little late, but is well worthwhile posting.

Amazing images from the Cassini spacecraft

Some great images from the Cassini spacecraft have been released by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

An image of Saturn captured by the Cassini spacecraft (click on image to see full resolution)

Image Title: “Angling Saturn”

Date Captured: 15th June, 2012

Image size: 1020×1020 pixels

Image Scale: 17km per pixel

Details: This is an image of Saturn with its moon Enceladus, some 504km across, appearing in the bottom right hand corner of the image as a bright speck.

More Information: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA)

An image of Saturn’s moon Titan, captured by the Cassini spacecraft (click on image to see full resolution)

Image Title: “Polar Vortex in Color”

Date Captured: 25th July, 2012

Image size: 652×1239 pixels

Image Scale: 6km per pixel

Details: Cassini observes a recently formed vortex at Titan’s south pole.  This is a natural colour image constructed from images taken with red, green and blue spectral filters.

More Information: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA)

A closeup of Titan’s southern polar vortex, captured by the Cassini spacecraft (click on image to see full resolution)

Image Title: “Titan’s Colorful South polar Vortex”

Date Captured: 27th June, 2012

Image size: 479×515 pixels

Image Scale: 3km per pixel

Details: This natural colour image shows the swirling vortex occupying Titan’s south pole.  Titan has a diameter of 5,150km.

More Information: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA)

An image of Titan looking from the night side, captured by the Cassini spacecraft (click on image to see full resolution)

Image Title: “A Ring of Color”

Date Captured: Unknown

Image size: 914×914 pixels

Image Scale: 13km per pixel

Details: Looking back towards Cassini from its night side, sunlight is visible scattering through Titan’s atmosphere.

More Information: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA)

Learn more about the Cassini scpacecraft and Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn @ NASA