SpaceX Starlink 58 launch

 

SpaceX - Falcon 9 / Starlink Mission patch.

Aug. 31, 2022

Falcon 9 carrying Starlink 58 liftoff

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle launched 46 Starlink satellites (Starlink-58 / Starlink 3-4) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, on 31 August 2022, at 05:40 UTC (30 August, at 22:40 PDT).

SpaceX Starlink 58 launch & Falcon 9 first stage landing, 31 August 2022

Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage landed on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship,  stationed in the Pacific Ocean. Falcon 9’s first stage (B1063) previously supported six missions: Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, DART, and four Starlink missions.

Related links:

SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com/

Starlink: https://www.starlink.com/
 
Image, Video, Text, Credits: SpaceX/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

NASA, Axiom Sign Second Private Astronaut Mission to Space Station Order

 

ISS - International Space Station patch.

Aug 31, 2022

NASA and Axiom Space have signed a mission order for the second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station to take place in the second quarter of 2023.

Image above: A photo of the International Space Station taken by Expedition 56 crew members from a Soyuz spacecraft after undocking on October 4, 2018. Image Credit: NASA.

“With each new step forward, we are working together with commercial space companies and growing the economy in low-Earth orbit,” said Phil McAlister, director of commercial space at NASA Headquarters. “In addition to expanding access to orbit for more people, we are also hoping these private astronaut missions will help the industry learn and develop the skillset to conduct such missions, and NASA is benefitting from gaining additional capability, particularly with returning additional cargo from the space station.”

The spaceflight, designated as Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and travel to the space station. Once docked, the Axiom astronauts are scheduled to spend 10 days aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA and Axiom mission planners will coordinate in-orbit activities for the private astronauts to conduct in coordination with space station crew members and flight controllers on the ground.

"Axiom Space’s Ax-2 mission builds upon the success of Ax-1, which demonstrated our team’s ability to work collaboratively with our partners at NASA and SpaceX to plan and execute a complex human spaceflight mission,” said Derek Hassmann, Axiom’s chief of Mission Integration and Operations. “Axiom continues to fund and fly private astronaut missions to the International Space Station to build our expertise and attract new customers in preparation for the launch of our space station, Axiom Station. Our new Ax-2 crew, together with a full mission manifest of science, outreach, and commercial activities, will continue to increase utilization of the International Space Station National Laboratory and demonstrate to the world the benefits of commercial space missions for all humanity.”

For the Ax-2 mission, Axiom Space will submit four proposed crew members and four back up crew to the station’s Multilateral Crew Operations Panel for review. NASA is currently requiring all private astronaut mission providers to select a previously flown NASA astronaut as the spacecraft commander, and Axiom will comply with that requirement for Ax-2. Following review and approval from NASA and its international partners, the prime crew members for the mission will be named.

The Ax-2 crew members will train for their flight with NASA, international partners, and SpaceX, which Axiom has contracted as launch provider for transportation to and from the space station and who will familiarize the private astronauts with systems, procedures, and emergency preparedness for the space station and the Dragon spacecraft. Based on current mission planning, team crew training is scheduled to begin this fall.

In December 2021, NASA announced the selection of Axiom Space for negotiations for the second private astronaut mission. To conduct the mission, Axiom is obtaining NASA services via both the mission specific order and Reimbursable Space Act Agreements.

Through the mission specific order, Axiom is obtaining from NASA services such as crew supplies, cargo delivery to space, storage, and other in-orbit resources for daily use. The order also accommodates up to an additional contingency week aboard the space station. This mission is subject to NASA’s updated pricing policy for private astronaut missions, which reflects the full value of services the agency is providing to Axiom that are above space station baseline capabilities.

The order also identifies capabilities NASA will obtain from Axiom, including the return of scientific samples that must be kept cold in transit back to Earth, the return of a Nitrogen/Oxygen Recharge System (NORS) tank, the capability for last-minute return of two cargo transfer bags, and up to 10 hours of the private astronaut mission commander’s time during the docked mission to complete NASA science or perform tasks for NASA.

Through Reimbursable Space Act Agreements, Axiom will reimburse NASA for services to enable the mission, such as training for crew members and use of facilities at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In addition, SpaceX has a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with Kennedy for launch services.

For more than 21 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence in low-Earth orbit. The agency's goal is a low-Earth orbit marketplace where NASA is one of many customers, and the private sector leads the way. This strategy will provide services the government needs at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on its Artemis missions to the Moon and on to Mars while continuing to use low-Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions.

Learn more about how NASA is fostering a robust commercial low-Earth orbit economy at:

https://www.nasa.gov/leo-economy

Find out about Axiom Space and its collaborations with NASA at: https://www.axiomspace.com/

Related link:

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Gerelle Dodson/Stephanie Schierholz/Josh Finch/JSC/Leah Cheshier.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Chaotic crust contains clues to Mars’ watery past

 

ESA - Mars Express Mission patch.

Aug. 31, 2022

Mars Express takes us over the Holden Basin – part of a region that is a high-ranking target in the search for signs of past life on the Red Planet. This image was taken on 24 April 2022 by the spacecraft’s High Resolution Stereo Camera.

Holden Basin on Mars

A barren landscape shaped by water

The Holden Basin* is part of a series of channels and sinks called the Uzboi-Ladon-Morava (ULM) outflow system that may have once drained up to 9% of the martian surface. The complex history of the ULM outflow system makes it an interesting target to explore in more detail with Mars orbiters and rovers.

Holden Basin in context

In the maps on the above and directly below, we see the Holden Basin and the full ULM outflow system in context. The solid royal blue colour in the map below shows how water once flowed across this region of Mars; it would have started in channels that drain into the Argyre Planitia, then flowed through Uzboi Vallis into the location now scarred by the Holden Crater. From there it would have collected in the Holden Basin before streaming through Ladon Valles to Ladon Basin and beyond.

The map below also shows Mars’ ‘Grand Canyon’ Valles Marineris, which we delved into in our previous Mars Express image release. Iani Chaos, another chaotic area that we have explored in detail, is visible towards the top of the image.

The ULM system in context. Zoom in to see Mars’ crust in incredible detail

A closer look at Holden Basin

The images on the left show close ups of the Holden Basin from inside the once water-filled reservoir.

Perspective view from inside Holden Basin

The first image is from the south of the Holden Basin (the left side of the main image at the top of this page). It shows a distinct crater and the basin walls, which slope gently down to around 1500 metres below the level of the surrounding ground.

Perspective view from inside Holden Basin

The second image is from the northeast of the Holden Basin (the bottom right of the main image). It takes a closer look at the location where water would have flowed from Holden Basin to Ladon Valles. The bumps in the rough terrain were formed when water ice under the surface of Mars melted.

High-ranking target in the search for life

The entire region could be an interesting target in the search for ancient life on Mars. Our experience on Earth tells us that where there is water, there is life: could the same have been true billions of years ago on Mars?

Topography of Holden Basin

Ladon Valles and Holden Crater – both of which lie just outside the imaged area, and can be seen in the images showing the broader region – may be particularly interesting as they contain layered and phyllosilicate-bearing deposits. Phyllosilicates are a type of mineral also found on Earth, with one example being clay. They could serve as a reaction centre for organic molecules, which make up all living things on Earth; past experiments suggest that phyllosilicates could have played a role in the origin of life.

Holden Basin in 3D

The 140-km wide Holder Crater formed when Mars was hit by a space rock; the material that was ejected during the impact filled Holden Basin, which is itself a much older impact crater. As the crater shows no evidence that significant amounts of water flowed through it, it very likely formed after the ULM system had mostly dried out. Due to its interesting geology and potential for clues to past life, Holden Crater was on the shortlist of landing sites for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory and Perseverance rover.

Exploring Mars

Mars Express has been orbiting the Red Planet since 2003, imaging Mars’ surface, mapping its minerals, identifying the composition and circulation of its tenuous atmosphere, probing beneath its crust, and exploring how various phenomena interact in the martian environment.

Mars Express

The mission’s High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), responsible for these new images, has revealed much about Mars’ diverse surface features, with recent images showing everything from wind-sculpted ridges and grooves through impact craters and channels that once carried liquid water to volcanoes, tectonic faults, river channels and ancient lava pools.

* The names Holden Basin and Ladon Basin are not officially recognised by the International Astronomical Union.

Related link:

Mars Express: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express

Images, Text, Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO/MOLA Science Team/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Second try for the Artemis I Moon flight

 

NASA - ARTEMIS 1 Mission patch.

Aug. 31, 2022

Teams are moving forward to the Moon with a second launch attempt of the Artemis I mission on Saturday, 3 September. The two-hour launch window starts at 20:17 CEST (19:17 BST).

SLS Artemis I ready for launch

The original countdown stopped last Monday, 40 minutes before the targeted liftoff. The flight team took the decision to postpone the uncrewed launch after encountering issues cooling one of the four main engines, a valve glitch and a hydrogen leak.

Mission managers met Tuesday to discuss data and address issues that arose during that first launch attempt. In order to remedy the engine temperate issue, NASA’s launch teams at the Kennedy Space Center will begin chilling the rocket’s engines earlier in the countdown.

Artemis I on the launchpad at night

ESA’s European Service Module (ESM) remains ready to drive the Orion spacecraft onwards to the Moon. Though there is no crew aboard Artemis I, the ESM is designed to provide for astronauts’ basic needs, such as water, oxygen, nitrogen, temperature control, power and propulsion, taking the Orion capsule to its destination and back.

Live coverage

The countdown restarts for the first human-rated launch to the Moon in over half a century.

Watch the most powerful rocket ever built launch on 3 September from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. Follow the livestream on ESA Web TV starting at 18:15 CEST (17:15 BST). The launch window will run from 20:17 to 22:17 CEST.

Artemis I launch awaits

In case of further delays, the next launch opportunity for the Artemis Moon mission is on 5 September, with more launch opportunities in the coming months.

This journey will serve as a test of both the Orion spacecraft and its SLS rocket ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. No crew will be on board Orion this time, and the spacecraft will be controlled by teams on Earth.

NASA announcement:

NASA Sets Coverage for Artemis I Moon Mission Next Launch Attempt
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-sets-coverage-for-artemis-i-moon-mission-next-launch-attempt

Related articles:

Engineers Assess Data After Scrub, Mission Managers to Meet Tuesday Afternoon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/08/engineers-assess-data-after-scrub.html

NASA to Provide Update on Artemis I Moon Mission Status
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-provide-update-on-artemis-i-moon-mission-status

ARTEMIS 1 - Launch Attempt Scrubbed
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/08/artemis-1-launch-attempt-scrubbed.html

Related links:

ESA Web TV: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/ESA_Web_TV

NASA Television: http://www.nasa.gov/live

Artemis I: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/

Space Launch System (SLS): https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

Orion spacecraft: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html

European Service Module (ESM): https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Orion/Orion_European_Service_Module_kit

Images, Text, Credits: ESA/NASA.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Vein Scans, Blood Tests on Station Prolong Astronaut Health

 

ISS - Expedition 67 Mission patch.

August 30, 2022

Vein scans and human research samples comprised the majority of the research schedule for the Expedition 67 crew members on Tuesday. Spacesuit work is also ongoing aboard the International Space Station as the cosmonauts prepare for a spacewalk.

Three astronauts took turns on Tuesday morning using the Ultrasound 2 device to scan each other’s neck, shoulder, and leg veins. NASA Flight Engineers Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins started the day inside the Columbus laboratory module with researchers on the ground remotely guiding the biomedical study. The ultrasound scans produce an echo that bounces off human tissue converting it to a video signal that is downlinked to Earth in real-time for analysis. Scientists view the imagery to observe how microgravity affects crew health.

Image above: The seven-member Expedition 67 crew poses for a portrait inside the International Space Station’s Harmony module. Image Credit: NASA.

The crew members also regularly collect their own blood, saliva, and urine samples, stowing the specimens in science freezers for later analysis. Shortly after Lindgren woke up on Tuesday, he spun his blood samples in a centrifuge for the Phospho-aging study to understand space-caused accelerated bone loss and muscle atrophy. ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti collected her blood and urine samples during the afternoon for future examination. Earlier, she documented her meals for a nutrition study then swapped material samples inside the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace, a high-temperature research facility.

Cristoforetti and Watkins also spent time inside the U.S. Quest airlock servicing a U.S. spacesuit. The duo split their day on a variety of suit activities including swapping components and cleaning cooling loops. Hines spent his afternoon charging computer tablets and downloading security updates for the devices.

International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: ESA

Commander Oleg Artemyev and Flight Engineer Denis Matveev spent the day activating and inspecting a pair of Orlan spacesuits, testing their communication systems, and performing leak checks. The two cosmonauts have been busy this week preparing for an upcoming spacewalk to prepare the European robotic arm for payload operations on the station’s Russian segment. Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov worked throughout Tuesday maintaining electronics systems and life support hardware inside the orbiting lab’s Russian modules.

Related links:

Expedition 67: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition67/index.html

Ultrasound 2 device: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=736

Columbus laboratory module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/europe-columbus-laboratory

Phospho-aging study: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8278

Nutrition study: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7875

Electrostatic Levitation Furnace: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=1536

U.S. Quest airlock: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/joint-quest-airlock

Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/overview.html

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Image (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Engineers Solve Data Glitch on NASA’s Voyager 1

 

NASA - Voyager 1 & 2 Mission patch.

Aug 30, 2022

A critical system aboard the probe was sending garbled data about its status. Engineers have fixed the issue but are still seeking the root cause.

Image above: Voyager’s high-gain antenna, seen at the center of this illustration of the NASA spacecraft, is one component controlled by the attitude articulation and control system (AACS). Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Engineers have repaired an issue affecting data from NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft. Earlier this year, the probe’s attitude articulation and control system (AACS), which keeps Voyager 1’s antenna pointed at Earth, began sending garbled information about its health and activities to mission controllers, despite operating normally. The rest of the probe also appeared healthy as it continued to gather and return science data.

The team has since located the source of the garbled information: The AACS had started sending the telemetry data through an onboard computer known to have stopped working years ago, and the computer corrupted the information.

Suzanne Dodd, Voyager’s project manager, said that when they suspected this was the issue, they opted to try a low-risk solution: commanding the AACS to resume sending the data to the right computer.

Engineers don’t yet know why the AACS started routing telemetry data to the incorrect computer, but it likely received a faulty command generated by another onboard computer. If that’s the case, it would indicate there is an issue somewhere else on the spacecraft. The team will continue to search for that underlying issue, but they don’t think it is a threat to the long-term health of Voyager 1.  

“We’re happy to have the telemetry back,” said Dodd. “We’ll do a full memory readout of the AACS and look at everything it’s been doing. That will help us try to diagnose the problem that caused the telemetry issue in the first place. So we’re cautiously optimistic, but we still have more investigating to do.”

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have been exploring our solar system for 45 years. Both probes are now in interstellar space, the region outside the heliopause, or the bubble of energetic particles and magnetic fields from the Sun.

More About the Mission

A division of Caltech in Pasadena, JPL built and operates the Voyager spacecraft. The Voyager missions are a part of the NASA Heliophysics System Observatory, sponsored by the Heliophysics Division of the Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

For more information about the Voyager spacecraft, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/voyager

Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Tony Greicius/JPL/Calla Cofield.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

China Space Station (CSS) - Rice grows in the Wentian Laboratory Module

 

CMS - China Manned Space logo.

Aug. 30, 2022

Rice grows in the Wentian Laboratory Module

According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the experimental samples of Arabidopsis (rockcress) and Oryza (rice) seeds have grown well in the Wentian Laboratory Module of the China Space Station (CSS).

Rice grows in the Wentian Laboratory Module

The Shenzhou-14 (神舟十四号) crew, astronauts Chen Dong (陈冬, commander), Liu Yang (刘洋) and Cai Xuzhe (蔡旭哲), are on a six-month mission on the China Space Station (中国空间站), currently including the Wentian Laboratory Module (问天实验舱) and the Tianhe Core Module (天和核心舱).

Related articles & link:

China Space Station (CSS) - Shenzhou-14 astronauts enter Wentian
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/china-space-station-css-shenzhou-14.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Wentian docking
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/china-space-station-css-wentian-docking.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Wentian launch
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/china-space-station-css-wentian-launch.html

CSS - Long March-5B ready to launch Wentian & Xuntian space telescope prototype phase
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/css-long-march-5b-ready-to-launch.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Tianzhou-3 undocking
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/china-space-station-css-tianzhou-3.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Shenzhou-14 hatch opening
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/06/china-space-station-css-shenzhou-14_5.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Shenzhou-14 Crew launch & Shenzhou-14 docking
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/06/china-space-station-css-shenzhou-14.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Tianzhou-4 docking
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/05/china-space-station-css-tianzhou-4_10.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Tianzhou-4 launch
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/05/china-space-station-css-tianzhou-4.html

What’s next for the China Space Station in 2022 and 2023
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/04/whats-next-for-china-space-station-in.html

For more information about China National Space Administration (CNSA), visit: http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/

Image, Video, Text, Credits: China National Space Administration (CNSA)/China Central Television (CCTV)/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch