Expedition 48 Undocks, Begins Journey to Earth

ROSCOSMOS - Soyuz TMA-20M Mission patch.

September 6, 2016

Image above: The Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft is seen slowly departing away from the International Space Station. Image Credit: NASA TV.

NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos undocked from the International Space Station at 5:51 p.m. EDT to begin their trip home. Ovchinin, the Soyuz commander, is at the controls of the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft.

Expedition 48 Crew Undocks from ISS for Return Trip to Earth

The crew is scheduled to land at 9:13 p.m. southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.

The Expedition 49 crew members, Commander Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, and astronaut Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will operate the station for more than two weeks until the arrival of three new crew members.

NASA TV will air live coverage of the Soyuz TMA-20M deorbit burn and landing beginning at 8 p.m. Watch live at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Keep up with the International Space Station, and its research and crews, at:

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

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

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

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Spacewalkers Cleaning Up Before Trio Returns Home Tuesday

ISS - Expedition 48 Mission patch / ISS - Expedition 49 Mission patch.

Sept. 6, 2016

Two astronauts are cleaning up after a spacewalk while a pair of cosmonauts are getting a Soyuz spacecraft ready for departure after the Labor Day weekend. On the ground, three new crew members are preparing for a launch to the International Space Station at the end of the month.

Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins completed a spacewalk Thursday, retracting a thermal radiator and installing a pair of high definition cameras. Today, the astronauts are recharging spacesuits and tidying up the Quest airlock by stowing their tools and other spacewalk gear.

Image above: The new high-definition video camera installed during Thursday’s spacewalk is now in service and providing better external views. Image Credit: NASA.

Expedition 48 Crew Hands Over the Space Station to Expedition 49

Video above: The reins of the International Space Station were passed from NASA’s Jeff Williams to cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos during a ceremony on the orbital outpost on Sept. 5. Williams is returning to Earth Sept. 7 with his Expedition 48 crewmates, Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos in the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft for a landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan to complete a 172-day mission. Ivanishin remains on the station as commander of Expedition 49 along with Flight Engineers Kate Rubins of NASA and Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency until later this year. Video Credit: NASA.

The trio will undock Tuesday at 5:51 p.m. EDT inside the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft officially ending the Expedition 48 mission. After a few hours they will parachute to a landing in Kazakhstan after 5-1/2 months in space.

Back on Earth, new station crew members Shane Kimbrough, Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko participated in traditional ceremonies and final qualification exams. They will join the Expedition 49 crew two days after their Sept. 23 launch inside the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft.

Keep up with the International Space Station, and its research and crews, at:

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

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

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

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

The crash of Swiss Air Force F/A-18 is linked to a communication error with the pilot

Swiss Air Force logo.

Sept. 5, 2016

The pilot of the F/A-18 that crashed Monday 29 August 2016 in the Bernese Alps have received incorrect information on its flight altitude before the crash, according to a survey of 10 Vor 10 issue of SRF.

As always in an accident of this type, the air traffic controller (Skyguide) will be heard by investigators, reacted on SRF Tobias Kühne, spokesman of Military Justice. He said that all tracks were explored.

Swiss Air Force F / A-18C

For his part, Pascal Kümmerling, a journalist specializing in aviation, believes it must remain cautious. "It's a part of information, but this is not necessarily the same reason of the crash The guidance system skyguide to specify aircraft if other devices in the area. what is amazing is that if there was a bad information transmitted by the air traffic control system, one might wonder why the first unit could pass safely and not the second, "he told the RTS.

The pilot died in the crash was a Vaudois 27 years. He had his pilot school in Payerne where he lived with his girlfriend, reports Blick Friday.

Search for black box

Twenty mountain specialists continue to look for pieces of the plane. But the accident site, at 3000 meters above sea level, is particularly steep terrain formed by glaciers and crevasses, which complicates the recovery of debris.

These will be valuable to the investigation, but it will especially find the black box of the aircraft. The spokesman of Military Justice said Wednesday that the analysis could take several months.

Push the limit - Swiss Air Force Tribute

A crash that reopens the debate on the purchase of new aircraft

While the investigation will shed light on the crash of the F / A-18 in the Bernese Alps, parliamentarians are divided about to relaunch the debate on the purchase of new fighter jets.

The crash of the F / A-18 Monday, August 29 in the Susten Pass region (UR / BE) is the fourth accident involving five aircraft involved in less than three years, which raises the question of the status of the aircraft 'army. This accident rekindled the debate on the need to acquire new jets, a little more than two years after the refusal of the purchase of 22 Gripen at the polls (this poll mainly penalized the bad choice of the aircraft).

Image Above: Dassault Rafale M "Swiss Air Force" for Flight Simulator X, this aircraft is the best choice to replace the F-5E Tiger and complement the F / A-18 Hornet that are no longer numerous enough to ensure services of rotation and maintenance for surveillance and aviation safety 24/24 over territory as planned for the coming years, F / A-18C & D fighters remaining: 25 F / A-18Cs, 6 F / A-18D two-seat.

"We do not know the reasons for the accident in Besançon and this accident, but we see that the planes are old, they have 20 years, and they are nearing the end of their business," notes the liberal-radical Aargau Corina Eichenberger in the Journal of the morning. "It is becoming increasingly difficult to organize air police and planes are used more, that is to say, they become even more worn and their lifespan is shortened."

Related links and articles :

Free Dassault Rafale M Swiss Air Force for Flight Simulator X (SFX): http://simulators.jimdo.com

Switzerland's Hornet Upgrade Program 25: http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/switzerlands-hornet-upgrade-25-program-04471/

The future of the Patrouille Suisse in after-issue a crash in the Netherlands Airshow
http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.ch/2016/06/the-future-of-patrouille-suisse-in.html

Cracks in the Swiss Air Force F-5E Tiger
http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.ch/2015/01/cracks-in-swiss-air-force-f-5e-tiger.html

It is not! The Gripen aircraft will not fly in Switzerland
http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.ch/2014/05/it-is-not-gripen-aircraft-will-not-fly.html

New fighter aircraft for the Swiss Air Force, the people will decide on May 18
http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.ch/2014/04/new-fighter-aircraft-for-swiss-air.html

The Patrouille Suisse will continue to exist
http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.ch/2013/02/the-patrouille-suisse-will-continue-to.html

Patrouille Suisse: a boss flies to the rescue
http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.ch/2013/02/patrouille-suisse-boss-flies-to-rescue.html

Swiss Air Force - The Gripen Ongoing saga ...
http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.ch/2013/02/swiss-air-force-gripen-saga-continues.html

Choice of a new fighter aircraft of the Swiss Air Force: Description and comparison
http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.ch/2013/01/choice-of-new-fighter-aircraft-of-swiss.html

Images, Video, Text, Credits: RTS /SAF/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Engineer and founder of Swiss Space Systems (S3) violently assaulted

S3 - Swiss Space Systems logo.

Sept. 5, 2016

The boss of a company active in space technology was brutally assaulted there ten days. He was threatened for months.

The engineer and head of the company Swiss Space Systems (S3) Pascal Jaussi almost died on August 26 last in a forest in the Broye, Fribourg. As revealed Monday the newspaper "24 heures", the forty was beaten, strangled and literally burned by several assailants who followed him by car from the headquarters of his company. It was then left for dead beside his car on fire near Aumont (FR). An assault worthy of a movie. He escaped by a miracle. His condition is critical, but his days are not in danger.

 Pascal Jaussi CEO & Founder

How has this father could find itself in a similar situation? Disturbing indications that his professional activity started in 2013 is not for nothing, says the Vaudois daily. Specializing in highly strategic technology of satellite launches by space shuttles, the brilliant engineer evolves in an environment of fierce competition among several actors from around the world. In seeking to democratize the maximum this field, Pascal Jaussi has not only friends.

For several months, he said threatened to industrial issues. He had spoken to his entourage and the police. Last year, computer equipment his company had been sabotaged by individuals broke. If it is related to its business, the attack of 26 August pushed much further limitations of these attempts at intimidation. We are devastated and shocked by what is happening, says a company founder S3, joined by our colleagues. (...) This is madness, the real James Bond! "

The investigation into this ambush is underway. Several issues remain to be clarified, says the Fribourg cantonal police.

Editor's Note:

Personally, I do not think that this latest attack is linked to his activities, I think rather a heinous crime motivated by money, it is public notoriety as aerospace brew a lot of money because these are expensive technologies.

Kidnapping and torture are "mafia-like" methods used in the crime organization.

And some journalists and police officers are especially ignorant about the aerospace activities in Switzerland, most concurrent companies are also based in Switzerland and have a fair and constructive competition, either through cooperation on space programs are headquartered Switzerland to enjoy tax regimes and trained indigenous staff, stability and tranquility of Switzerland.

Image above: Swiss Space Systems (S3) wants to develop the launch of low cost satellites with a reusable space shuttle.

The market for space launch is currently dominated by Arianespace (ESA / CNES, Switzerland is a member of the ESA), which has 50% market share, followed by International Launch Services (ILS, USA / Russia), third SpaceX (Eon Musk , USA), which also has a contract with NASA to refueled ISS suite United Launch Alliance (ULA, USA) are specialized on military launches and for refueling ISS, ISC Kosmotras (Dnepr Space Launch System - SLS, Moscow Russia) specializes in recycling SS-18 missile Inter-continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) in commercial launcher, Sea launch AG offshore launching pad for rocket Zenit-3SL, headquartered in Nyon, canton de Vaud as S3 in Payerne, the reusable space shuttle will be manufactured by Dassault Aviation. The Japanese and Chinese agencies have currently a small market share because they were more focused on the domestic market (indigenous telecommunications and navigation satellites) and scientific research.

In the area of ​​cooperation in space programs, there Ruag (known for the manufacture of fairing's for Ariane rockets), the Universities of Bern, Zurich, Geneva, Neuchâtel (atomic clocks in the satellites), EPFL, ETH Zurich, the CERN who collaborate on space programs. I wish a speedy recovery to Pascal Jaussi so he can return to his activities quickly. Roland Berga, founder & owner of Orbiter.ch Aerospace.

For more information about Swiss Space Systems (S3), visit: http://www.s-3.ch/

Images, Text, Credits: FRB/Swiss Space Systems (S3)/Orbiter.ch Aerospace.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Philae found!

ESA - Rosetta Mission patch.

5 September 2016

Less than a month before the end of the mission, Rosetta’s high-resolution camera has revealed the Philae lander wedged into a dark crack on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

The images were taken on 2 September by the OSIRIS narrow-angle camera as the orbiter came within 2.7 km of the surface and clearly show the main body of the lander, along with two of its three legs.

Philae found

Image Credits: Main image and lander inset: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA; context: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0.

The images also provide proof of Philae’s orientation, making it clear why establishing communications was so difficult following its landing on 12 November 2014.

“With only a month left of the Rosetta mission, we are so happy to have finally imaged Philae, and to see it in such amazing detail,” says Cecilia Tubiana of the OSIRIS camera team, the first person to see the images when they were downlinked from Rosetta yesterday.

Philae close-up

Image Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA.

“After months of work, with the focus and the evidence pointing more and more to this lander candidate, I’m very excited and thrilled that we finally have this all-important picture of Philae sitting in Abydos,” says ESA’s Laurence O’Rourke, who has been coordinating the search efforts over the last months at ESA, with the OSIRIS and Lander Science Operations and Navigation Center (SONC, CNES) teams.

Philae was last seen when it first touched down at Agilkia, bounced and then flew for another two hours before ending up at a location later named Abydos, on the comet’s smaller lobe.

After three days, Philae's primary battery was exhausted and the lander went into hibernation, only to wake up again and communicate briefly with Rosetta in June and July 2015 as the comet came closer to the Sun and more power was available.

OSIRIS narrow-angle camera image with Philae, 2 September

Image Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA.

However, until today, the precise location was not known. Radio ranging data tied its location down to an area spanning a few tens of metres, but a number of potential candidate objects identified in relatively low-resolution images taken from larger distances could not be analysed in detail until recently.

While most candidates could be discarded from analysis of the imagery and other techniques, evidence continued to build towards one particular target, which is now confirmed in images taken unprecedentedly close to the surface of the comet.

At 2.7 km, the resolution of the OSIRIS narrow-angle camera is about 5 cm/pixel, sufficient to reveal characteristic features of Philae’s 1 m-sized body and its legs, as seen in these definitive pictures.

“This remarkable discovery comes at the end of a long, painstaking search,” says Patrick Martin, ESA’s Rosetta Mission Manager. “We were beginning to think that Philae would remain lost forever. It is incredible we have captured this at the final hour.”

Philae close-up, labeled

Image Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA.

“This wonderful news means that we now have the missing ‘ground-truth’ information needed to put Philae’s three days of science into proper context, now that we know where that ground actually is!” says Matt Taylor, ESA’s Rosetta project scientist.

"Now that the lander search is finished we feel ready for Rosetta's landing, and look forward to capturing even closer images of Rosetta's touchdown site,” adds Holger Sierks, principal investigator of the OSIRIS camera.

The discovery comes less than a month before Rosetta descends to the comet’s surface. On 30 September, the orbiter will be sent on a final one-way mission to investigate the comet from close up, including the open pits in the Ma’at region, where it is hoped that critical observations will help to reveal secrets of the body’s interior structure.

Further information on the search that led to the discovery of Philae, along with additional images, will be made available soon.

Related links:

Comet viewer tool: http://sci.esa.int/comet-viewer/

Where is Rosetta?: http://sci.esa.int/where_is_rosetta/

For more information about Rosetta mission, visit: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta

Rosetta overview: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta_overview

Rosetta in depth: http://sci.esa.int/rosetta

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: ESA/Markus Bauer/Laurence O’Rourke/Holger Sierks/Matt Taylor/Patrick Martin.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

NASA’s SDO Witnesses a Double Eclipse

NASA - Solar Dynamics Observatory patch.

Sept. 2, 2016

Early in the morning of Sept. 1, 2016, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, caught both Earth and the moon crossing in front of the sun. SDO keeps a constant eye on the sun, but during SDO’s semiannual eclipse seasons, Earth briefly blocks SDO’s line of sight each day – a consequence of SDO’s geosynchronous orbit. On Sept. 1, Earth completely eclipsed the sun from SDO’s perspective just as the moon began its journey across the face of the sun. The end of the Earth eclipse happened just in time for SDO to catch the final stages of the lunar transit.

SDO Witnesses A Double Eclipse

Video above: Early in the morning of September, 1, 2016, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, caught both Earth and the moon passing in front of the sun. Video Credits: NASA/SDO.

In the SDO data, you can tell Earth and the moon’s shadows apart by their edges: Earth’s is fuzzy, while the moon’s is sharp and distinct. This is because Earth’s atmosphere absorbs some of the sun’s light, creating an ill-defined edge. On the other hand, the moon has no atmosphere, producing a crisp horizon.

Image above: You can tell Earth and the moon’s shadows apart by their edges: Earth’s is fuzzy, while the moon’s is sharp and distinct. This is because Earth’s atmosphere absorbs some of the sun’s light, creating an ill-defined edge. On the other hand, the moon has no atmosphere, producing a crisp horizon. Image Credits: NASA/SDO.

This particular geometry of Earth, the moon and the sun had effects on viewing down on the ground as well: It resulted in a simultaneous eclipse visible from southern Africa. The eclipse was what's known as a ring of fire, or annular, eclipse, which is similar to a total solar eclipse, except it happens when the moon is at a point in its orbit farther from Earth than average. The increased distance causes the moon’s apparent size to be smaller, so it doesn't block the entire face of the sun. This leaves a bright, narrow ring of the solar surface visible, looking much like a ring of fire.

Related:

Eclipses and Transits: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/eclipse/index.html

Download additional imagery at NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12292#42786

For more information about SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory), visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/main/index.html

Image (mentioned), Video (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, by Lina Tran/Ashley Morrow.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

NASA Approves 2018 Launch of Mars InSight Mission

NASA - InSight Mission logo.

September 2, 2016

NASA is moving forward with a spring 2018 launch of its InSight mission to study the deep interior of Mars, following final approval this week by the agency's Science Mission Directorate.

The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission was originally scheduled to launch in March of this year, but NASA suspended launch preparations in December due to a vacuum leak in its prime science instrument, the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS).

The new launch period for the mission begins May 5, 2018, with a Mars landing scheduled for Nov. 26, 2018. The next launch opportunity is driven by orbital dynamics, so 2018 is the soonest the lander can be on its way.

"Our robotic scientific explorers such as InSight are paving the way toward an ambitious journey to send humans to the Red Planet," said Geoff Yoder, acting associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, in Washington. "It's gratifying that we are moving forward with this important mission to help us better understand the origins of Mars and all the rocky planets, including Earth."

Image above: NASA has set a new launch opportunity, beginning May 5, 2018, for the InSight mission to Mars. InSight is the first mission dedicated to investigating the deep interior of Mars. Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

The SEIS instrument -- designed to measure ground movements as small as half the radius of a hydrogen atom -- requires a perfect vacuum seal around its three main sensors in order to withstand harsh conditions on the Red Planet. Under what's known as the mission "replan," NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, will be responsible for redesigning, developing and qualifying the instrument's evacuated container and the electrical feedthroughs that failed previously. France's space agency, the Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES), will focus on developing and delivering the key sensors for SEIS, integration of the sensors into the container, and the final integration of the instrument onto the spacecraft.

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is contributing the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) to InSight's science payload.

NASA's budget for InSight was $675 million. The instrument redesign and two-year delay add $153.8 million. The additional cost will not delay or cancel any current missions, though there may be fewer opportunities for new missions in future years, from fiscal years 2017-2020.

InSight's primary goal is to help us understand how rocky planets formed and evolved. Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, said, "We've concluded that a replanned InSight mission for launch in 2018 is the best approach to fulfill these long-sought, high-priority science objectives."

CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall added, "This confirmation of the launch plan for InSight is excellent news and an unparalleled opportunity to learn more about the internal structure of the Red Planet, which is currently of major interest to the international science community."

The InSight Project is managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, which is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

For more information about InSight mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/insight/main/index.html

Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Dwayne Brown/Laurie Cantillo/JPL/Guy Webster.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch