Space News Roundup November 12, 2008

The Mars Rovers, which have been searching the Mars surface since 2004, have been hit by a dust storm and there power levels have dropped to "dangerously low levels."

STS-126 is set to launch Friday at 6:55 pm CST. The shuttle Endeavour is carrying a module to the ISS to increase its capacity to six members from the current three.

The Mars Phoenix mission has been closed after failing to communicate for a week. Phoenix discovered ice on Mars consistent with sea water.

SpaceX Introduces DragonLabTM -- a Free-Flying, Reusable Spacecraft Offering Fast Track to Orbital Flight for Pressurized and Unpressurized Payloads

SpaceX to Host (Invitation-only) Users Workshop on November 6
Hawthorne, CA - November 3, 2008 – Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is introducing a new commercial product called DragonLab™, a free-flying, reusable spacecraft capable of hosting pressurized and unpressurized payloads to and from space. DragonLab will launch to orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

DragonLab provides a platform for in-space experimentation, including recovery of pressurized and some unpressurized payloads, as well as deployment of small spacecraft. As a complete system, DragonLab provides for all aspects of operation: propulsion, power, thermal control, environmental control, avionics, communications, thermal protection, flight software, guidance, navigation and control, entry, descent and landing and recovery.

SpaceX will host a DragonLab Users Workshop on November 6, 2008. This workshop will be an opportunity for potential customers to fully explore DragonLab's capabilities, as well as present customer-specific interests and requirements. The workshop agenda includes an overview of the Dragon spacecraft, concept of operations, payload accommodations and cost parameters.

"Just as importantly," said Max Vozoff, Product Manager for Dragon and DragonLab and host of the Users Workshop, "we will hear from potential users about their applications, requirements, and concerns, as well as discuss contracting mechanisms. We will also include a tour of our 550,000 square foot SpaceX manufacturing facility where we design and build all major systems for SpaceX launch vehicles and spacecraft."

SpaceX is currently manufacturing the Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 launch vehicle to provide the U.S. with cargo services to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) competition. The maiden flight of Dragon/Falcon 9 is currently scheduled for June 2009 from SpaceX's Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Two subsequent flights will be completed by 2010, culminating with Dragon berthing with the ISS.
Contact dragonlab@spacex.com to request further information or an invitation to attend. All participants must register in advance to attend this workshop.

About SpaceX

SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles intended to increase the reliability and reduce the cost of both manned and unmanned space transportation, ultimately by a factor of ten. With its Falcon line of launch vehicles, powered by internally-developed Merlin engines, SpaceX offers light, medium and heavy lift capabilities to deliver spacecraft into any altitude and inclination, from low-Earth to geosynchronous orbit to planetary missions.

On September 28, 2008, Falcon 1, designed and manufactured from the ground up by SpaceX, became the first privately-developed liquid fuel rocket to orbit the Earth.

As a winner of the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services competition (COTS), SpaceX is in a position to help fill the gap in American spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS) when the Space Shuttle retires in 2010. Under the existing Agreement, SpaceX will conduct three flights of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft for NASA, culminating in Dragon berthing with the ISS. SpaceX is the only COTS contender with the capability to return cargo to Earth and demonstrate the capability to carry crew to and from the ISS.

Founded in 2002, the SpaceX team now numbers over 550, located primarily in Hawthorne, California, with four additional locations: SpaceX's Texas Test Facility in McGregor near Waco; offices in Washington DC; and launch facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and the Marshall Islands in the Central Pacific.

Photo Caption: SpaceX DragonLab™ - a free-flying, fully-recoverable, reusable spacecraft capable of hosting pressurized and unpressurized payloads.

Falcon 1 Launch Number 3 Live Blogging

[update 10:39 CDT] The rocket is off and supersonic.

[update 10:26 CDT] We are at T-10 and counting.

[update 10:23 CDT] The turbopump purge pressure was off by 0.5 psi. They are resuming countdown at T-10 minutes shortly.

[update 10:19 CDT] There was an abort at T-0 seconds. They are deciding whether or not to recycle and launch tonight or not. They have 50 minutes in the launch window.

[update 10:00 CDT] The rockete didn't take off. Not sure what happened yet.

[update 9:56 CDT] 5 minutes to go. The arms are open. All is a go!!!!!

[update 9:51 CDT] T-10 minutes and counting.

[update 9:44 CDT] Everything looks good for a 10pm CDT launch.

[update 9:16 CDT] The fuel is being reloaded and they have restarted T-55. They are currently at T-44 and expect to launch about 10pm CDT.

[update 8:06 CDT] Webcast has been put on hold until 8:30 CDT. The helium tanks need more cooling.

[update 7:59 CDT] They have left the hosts and we are now hearing the ground crew talking.

[update 7:53 CDT] According to Kimbal, the hold is due to the Hold is due to extended time needed to cryochill the helium.

[update 7:41 CST] There is another hold at T-16 minutes. Hopefully it is nothing big.

[update 7:40 CDT]They are currently showing a video of Elon Musk giving a tour of the Hawthorne, CA SpaceX facility. The webcast will be posted at http://www.spacex.com/ after the flight if you miss it.

[update 7:25 CDT] The countdown has continued. They are topping off the LOX. Launch expected at 7:55 CDT.

[update 6:37 CDT] LOX loading is complete. They are still on hold but there are two people giving an overview about what we are going to see. Hosts are Max Vozoff and Emily Shanklin.

[update 6:28 CDT] The first stage is full of LOx, the second stage is 50% full. They are on a hold at T-55 minutes.

[update 6:06] They have begun loading the liquid oxygen.

[update 6:03 CDT] There is currently about 1 hour until launch time.

I will be blogging as the night goes on about SpaceX's third launch of the Falcon 1 rocket. You can view the webcast here.

SpaceX Sets August 2 for Falcon 1 launch

Hawthorne CA – Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has scheduled the launch of the Falcon 1 Flight 3 mission for Saturday, August 2nd. The launch window will open at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT) / 23:00 (UTC) and remain open for five hours. Webcast will begin approximately 30 minutes before launch. If launch is delayed for any reason, SpaceX has range availability to resume countdown through August 5.

Lift-off of the vehicle will occur from SpaceX’s Falcon 1 launch site at the Kwajalein Atoll, about 2500 miles southwest of Hawaii. Falcon 1 launch facilities are situated on Omelek Island, part of the Reagan Test Site (RTS) at United States Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) in the Central Pacific.

Designed from the ground up by SpaceX at headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., Falcon 1 is a two-stage, liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene powered launch vehicle. The first stage is powered by a single SpaceX Merlin 1C Regenerative engine – flying for the first time on this Flight 3 mission. A “hold before liftoff” system enhances reliability by permitting all systems to be verified as functioning nominally before launch is initiated. The Falcon 1 second stage is
powered by a single SpaceX Kestrel engine.

Falcon 1 is the first new orbital rocket in more than a decade. Merlin is the first new American hydrocarbon engine for an orbital booster to be flown in more than 40 years and only the second new American engine of any kind in more than a quarter century. After achieving orbit, Falcon 1 will be the first privately developed, liquid fuel rocket to orbit the Earth.
The primary customers for the Falcon 1 launch are the Department of Defense, Government of Malaysia and NASA. Falcon 1 is carrying a payload stack of three separating satellites that will orbit at an inclination of 9 degrees:

The Trailblazer satellite was developed by SpaceDev of Poway, Calif., for the Jumpstart Program of DoD’s Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office, as a test platform to validate the hardware, software and processes of an accelerated microsatellite launch. Trailblazer is deployed from the Falcon 1 second stage shortly after the shut-down of the second stage engine, about 10 minutes into flight.

Deploying four to eight minutes later will be two NASA small satellites: PRESat, a micro laboratory from NASA’s Ames Research Center, and then NanoSail-D, which will unfurl an ultra-thin solar sail, developed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, in collaboration with NASA Ames Research Center.

The three separating satellites attach to the Falcon 1 second stage via the Secondary Payload Adaptor and Separation System, (SPASS), developed by ATSB, a company owned by the Government of Malaysia that develops and commercializes space technology. The SPASS was engineered by Space Access Technologies of Ashburn, Va.

SpaceX will provide live coverage of the Falcon 1 Flight 3 mission via webcast at: www.SpaceX.com . The webcast will begin 30 minutes prior to launch and will include mission briefings, live feeds and launch coverage from the launch site at the Kawjalein Atoll, as well as a special video tour of SpaceX facilities by Elon Musk, CEO and CTO.

Post-launch, high resolution B-roll video footage and photos will be available for download by contacting: media@spacex.com .

About SpaceX
SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles intended to increase the reliability and reduce the cost of both manned and unmanned space transportation, ultimately by a factor of ten. With its Falcon line of launch vehicles, powered by internally-developed Merlin engines, SpaceX offers light, medium and heavy lift capabilities to deliver spacecraft into any altitude and inclination, from low-Earth to geosynchronous orbit to planetary missions. SpaceX currently has 12 missions on its manifest, excluding the two previous Falcon 1 demonstration flights, plus indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts with NASA and the US Air Force.
As a winner of the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services competition (COTS), SpaceX is in a position to help fill the gap in American spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS) when the Space Shuttle retires in 2010. Under the existing Agreement, SpaceX will conduct three flights of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft for NASA, culminating in Dragon berthing with the ISS. NASA also has an option to demonstrate crew services to the ISS using the Falcon 9 / Dragon system. SpaceX is the only COTS contender that has the capability to return pressurized cargo and crew to Earth. The first Falcon 9 will arrive at the SpaceX launch site (complex 40) at Cape Canaveral by the end of 2008 in preparation for its maiden flight.
Founded in 2002, the SpaceX team now numbers over 500, located primarily in Hawthorne, California, with four additional locations: SpaceX's Texas Test Facility in McGregor near Waco; offices in Washington DC; and launch facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and the Marshall Islands in the Central Pacific.

SpaceX Conducts Full Thrust Firing of Falcon 9 Rocket

Video of Engine Firing

McGregor TX – Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) conducted the first nine engine firing of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle at its Texas Test Facility outside McGregor on July 31st. A second firing on August 1st completed a major NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) milestone almost two months early.

At full power, the nine engines consumed 3,200 lbs of fuel and liquid oxygen per second, and generated 832,000 pounds of force (lbf) – four times the maximum thrust of a 747 aircraft. This marks the first firing of a Falcon 9 first stage with its full complement of nine Merlin 1C engines . Once a near term Merlin 1C fuel pump upgrade is complete, the sea level thrust will increase to 950,000 lbf, making Falcon 9 the most powerful single core vehicle in the United States.

"This was the most difficult milestone in development of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and it also constitutes a significant achievement in US space vehicle development. Not since the final flight of the Saturn 1B rocket in 1975, has a rocket had the ability to lose any engine or motor and still successfully complete its mission,” said Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX. “Much like a commercial airliner, our multi-engine design has the potential to provide significantly higher reliability than single engine competitors."

"We made a major advancement from the previous five engine test by adding four new Merlin engines at once," said Tom Mueller, Vice President of Propulsion for SpaceX. "All phases of integration went smoothly and we were elated to see all nine engines working perfectly in concert."

About SpaceX

SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles intended to increase the reliability and reduce the cost of both manned and unmanned space transportation, ultimately by a factor of ten. With its Falcon line of launch vehicles, powered by internally-developed Merlin engines, SpaceX offers light, medium and heavy lift capabilities to deliver spacecraft into any altitude and inclination, from low-Earth orbit to geosynchronous to planetary missions. SpaceX currently has 12 missions on its manifest, excluding the two previous Falcon 1 demonstration flights, plus indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts with NASA and the US Air Force.

As a winner of the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services competition (COTS), SpaceX is in a position to help fill the gap in American spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS) when the Space Shuttle retires in 2010. Under the existing Agreement, SpaceX will conduct three flights of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft for NASA, culminating in Dragon berthing with the ISS. SpaceX is the only COTS contender that has the capability to return cargo and crew to Earth. NASA also has an option to demonstrate crew services to the ISS using the Falcon 9 / Dragon system. SpaceX is the only COTS contender that has the capability to return pressurized cargo and crew to Earth. The first Falcon 9 will arrive at the SpaceX launch site (complex 40) at Cape Canaveral by the end of 2008 in preparation for its maiden flight.

Founded in 2002, the SpaceX team now numbers more than 500 full time employees, primarily located in Hawthorne, California, with four additional locations: SpaceX's Texas Test Facility in McGregor near Waco; offices in Washington DC; and launch facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and the Marshall Islands in the Central Pacific.

National Geographic Space Photos

From National Geographic:

On Wednesday NationalGeographic.com launched a new Photo of the Week Gallery dedicated to the vast universe that is Space. This is for people who just can’t get enough space news, events and imagery. This week’s gallery features a photo taken from 500 miles above California’s wildfire-ridden terrain, a gumball-looking supernova and more! Every Wednesday, Nationalgeographic.com will unveil a new set of photos and stories.

Check out this week’s gallery at:
National Geographic Space Photos

Take a look around and make sure to check out the awesome updated content every week.

New Zealand Gets the Space Bug

Peter Beck, a New Zealander, said today that his rocket lab is building their first rocket for unmanned commercial suborbital flights launched from kiwi country.

Spaceport America Rolls Out New Website

New Mexico's Spaceport America has a new website. The launch-pad for private spaceflights is scheduled to be completed in 2010.

SpaceX Dragon to be Completed this Year

SpaceX will be finished with their first Dragon capsule by the end of the year. SpaceX is one of two COTS finalists for NASA, which will begin purchasing private for cargo to the ISS in 2010. The Dragon capulse will be paired with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.

Why NASA is Building the Ares Rockets

Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides has an article in Wired on why NASA is building the Ares Rockets instead of using the Atlas or Delta rockets that are already built. Her arguments are basically:

• The Orion Capsule is to big
• Man rated capsules need triple redundancy and it would be to hard to retrofit those rockets

With all due respect, this is a good example of "begging the question". They design the Orion around the capability the wanted the rockets to have, so of course it is to big. We could have used a smaller capsule and done multiple launches (which they will have to do anyway for a Mars or Asteroid mission). And nobody is upset that we are building a more capable rocket, but that we are building a new rocket. It cost a fortune. You can't tell me that retrofitting an existing, working rocket is more expensive than building two new rockets from scratch.

There is the other point that Deltas and Atlases would provide access to space during the "gap" planned after the shuttle retires in 2010. The Ares 1 will not be ready until 2015 (if then).

Now whether we have come to far to turn around I don't know, but there is an Turkish saying:

"No matter how far you have gone on the wrong road, turn back."

Scientists Find Water in Moon Glass

Volcanic glass brought back from the Moon during Apollo has revelled a hidden secret. Using techniques that were not available during Apollo, scientists have found water inside the tiny pebbles of glass. It was longed believed the Moon was a completely dry desert, so this is an amazing discovery.

Is NASA Worth It?

Joe Sundra has a writeup in the Atlantic City Press about why NASA is worth the tiny amount of money we give them. I really like the first reader comment:

Of course NASA was worth the investment. People just fail to see the ancillary effects, and think that dinosaurs like welfare were better uses of government money. Science is the ultimate expression of "teaching a man to fish". Welfare is the worst example of just giving a man a fish. The world is bettered for generations from our learning, it is bettered for just a couple days by putting a welfare check in the mail.

NASA Sets the Final Flight of the Space Shuttle

NASA has set the launch date for the final flight of the space shuttle. May 31, 2010 will mark the end of an era (thankfully).

Spaceflight Now has the full list of the remaining space shutle flights.

Voyager 2 Reaches the End of the Solar System

NASA said that the Voyager 2 space probe has reach the end of the solar system. The aging probe was launched 30 years ago and is the second farthest object humans have ever launched (after Voyager 1).

China Claims Breakthrough on Long March V

China said this week that they have make a breakthrough in there next generation rocket, the Long March V.

NASA to Update Hubble this Fall

NASA still plans to send one last servicing mission to Hubble this fall. The mission will fix the know problems with the telescope and add the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and the Wide Field Camera 3.

PlanetSpace to go for ISS Resupply Contract

Even though PlanetSpace lost the COTS competition to SpaceX and Orbital Sciences, they still plan to compete for the ISS resupply contract, estimated at $3.1 billion. They submitted the first proposal for it on Monday.

France Wants More Military in Europe's Space Policy

France said today that the European Union should have more military elements in their space policy to counteract security threats. France has specifically asked for European spy satellites to augment the Galileo GPS like system. France takes over leadership of the European Union today.

France has also said they want a "revolution in space" to keep from falling behind the Japan, China, and India. Their plans include missions to the Moon and Mars.

Web 2.0 Meet Space 2.0

introNetworks is launching (sorry for the pun) a social network for Virgin Galactic and their customers.

SpaceX to Carry NASA Solar Sail

When SpaceX launches their small Falcon 1 rocket in July, a 10 meter NASA solar sail will be piggybacking on board. NASA seems to be doing a good job with commercial rocket providers lately.