Stratolaunch:

Stratolaunch was founded by inventor, investor and philanthropist Paul G. Allen and Scaled Composites founder Burt Rutan.

They announced their plans to the media at the end of 2011, showing images of a super large derivative of SpaceShipTwo’s carrier aircraft that would transport a multi-stage booster to be air-launched, prior to lofting payloads into orbit.

The company originally envisioned the use of a derivative of SpaceX’s Falcon rocket. However, not long into the evaluations, both Stratolaunch and SpaceX decided a four or five engine version of the Falcon would require extensive alterations to its design – something the Californian company claimed would cause too much disruption to their assembly line at Hawthorne.

Stratolaunch then approached Orbital Sciences of Dulles, Virginia – not only an established space industry leader, but also experts in air launch, as proven via the 41 flights of their Pegasus rocket, as well as nine other Pegasus-class air launches.

Pegasus – a vehicle with three solid motor stages, plus an optional HAPS (Hydrazine Auxiliary Propulsion Stage) monopropellant liquid fourth stage – came into existence in the late 1980s, while a stretched and more powerful Pegasus-XL first flew in June 1994.

For Stratolaunch, Orbital will be making the next leap forward, with a rocket that is unofficially being called Pegasus II.

Stratolaunch – The Aircraft:

Utilizing the ability to air-launch from an aircraft means that the rocket – which because of the lower outside pressure at ignition can sport bigger nozzles on its first stage solid motor to gain specific impulse – does not need to travel through as much of the Earth’s atmosphere before reaching space, and also allows a greater flexibility in terms of launch sites and orbital inclinations.

However, designing an aircraft capable of carrying a rocket as large as that envisioned by Stratolaunch is a major challenge.

With Rutan’s expertise in aircraft design, which has already resulted in the impressive WhiteKnightTwo carrying Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo on its first test flights, Stratolaunch’s carrier aircraft is portrayed as having a wingspan of 385 feet, making it the largest airplane, by wingspan, to ever fly.

The aircraft will be powered by six 46,000-66,500 lbf thrust-range jet engines, that are planned to be sourced from two used 747-400s that have already been purchased. These planes will be cannibalized not just for their engines, but also the avionics, flight deck, landing gear and other proven systems that can be recycled to cut development costs.

As shown in an impressive full mission video, acquired by L2, the huge aircraft would depart from its giant hanger, before taxing on to a runway that would have to be at least 200 feet wide to cater for the massive plane.

A runway such as the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) would more than cater for Stratolaunch, with its 300 feet wide, 15,000 feet long strip, and this has been classed as a potential East Coast location for their missions.

However, the focus will initially be to the west, with Stratolaunch systems already signed up to a 20-year lease agreement with the Kern County Airport Authority, Mojave, California, for the lease of 20 acres at the Mojave Air and Space Port.

Stratolaunch have constructed a large fabrication hangar and an assembly and test hangar near Scaled Composites. The first of two manufacturing buildings, the “88,000 square foot facility (to) be used to construct the composite sections of the wing and fuselage sections” was opened for production in October 2012, two months ahead of schedule and on budget.

Stratolaunch completed their second Mojave building, the very large hangar facility for the Stratolaunch Carrier Aircraft in February of this year.

During missions, the huge aircraft will begin its flight by powering up its six 747 engines to enable the aircraft and rocket – weighing in at a combined weight of 1.3 million pounds – to take off.

Flexibility is the name of the game for air-launch, although some parameters have already been evaluated, per associated L2 information. This includes information on the amount of time required to fly to the drop point, based on weather conditions.

The operational radius for missions will be around 1,000 miles. However, that is based on the carrier aircraft flying 1,000 miles to the drop zone, loitering for an hour, then flying back 1,000 miles – even with the rocket still attached if the mission is scrubbed – then wait for 45 minutes before landing if required. That equivalent range of about 2,500 miles could be utilized when ferrying a rocket cross country.

The carrier plane will launch with a crew of three – a pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer – who will have safety responsibilities for the rocket. The complex launch sequence will be performed from the ground via a two-way telemetry/command link.

Stratolaunch – The Rocket (“Pegasus II”):

Exclusive details (L2) into the current design work for this new launch vehicle portray a very high-performance rocket, with a GLOW of 485,000 lbs resulting in a payload capability to Low Earth Orbit of 13,500 lbs.

Orbital will also be responsible for integration of rocket and aircraft that is being fully financed by Stratolaunch.

The first and second stages are made from “carbon-composite wound” cases, with the same outside diameter as the Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) segments.

As such, these stages will use the same ground support equipment, transportation railroad cars, and lift devices as those used during the Shuttle era.

However, unlike the SRBs, Pegasus II’s casings will be much lighter, while the stages will sport additional performance via an updated propellant mix.

As seen with Pegasus launches, the rocket will be released over the drop zone, with the first stage solid igniting seconds later to send the rocket forward and upwards as it begins its climb.

The rocket will be guided by moving aero surfaces on both its wings and via the two inverted-V tails.

The wing will be located on the top of the first stage, while the inverted-V tails share a commonality with Pegasus, albeit at a different angle, so as not to be blanketed by the wings during high angles of attack.

The rocket will also have a Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system on both the first and second stages – unlike Pegasus, which does not have a TVC on its first stage.

The first two stages will act like a single first stage, given they will provide half of the required Delta-v.

The rocket will sport a five meter fairing, which provides a significant percent of the lift during pull-up.

Once the solid stages have been expended, a restartable cryogenic third stage will provide the rest of the Delta-v to orbit, as well as allowing for restart capability to achieve higher orbits.

This upper stage has been baselined with two Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) RL-10 engines for the development and early flights of the rocket, pending development of a higher thrust LOX-Hydrogen unit.

Initially there will be no on-board replenishment for this cryogenic stage during the trip to the drop zone. However, one of the “planned product improvements” in work is to enable in-flight top-off of cryos.

For Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) missions, the rocket will have a capability of around 4,500 lbs to a 15-degree inclination. This version would use a single RL-10 upper stage and a four meter fairing.

Other notes of interest include a GPS-based autonomous Flight Termination System (FTS) that will be certified on another launch vehicle before the first Strato flight. Such a system would minimize, and maybe eliminate, the need to have existing range involvement.

However, one intriguing element of the Stratolaunch vision is the potential for their capability to mature into a human rated launcher. The company noted this aim during their initial reveal to the media, and these evaluations are continuing.

While the human rating effort was only classed as a very preliminary concept, Pegasus II would be able to grow into such a role. Information states that a future manned winged vehicle would replace the fairing and have an equivalent lift, which is classed as the reason the main wing appears small and located on the aft of the vehicle.

No definitive schedule has yet been produced for Stratolaunch, although it is hoped the carrier plane may be ready in time for a 2017 test flight.

(Images: via Orbital, Stratolaunch, via L2).

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MEV:

Satellite rescue isn’t a new concept, with the early days of the Space Shuttle resulting in the use of the orbiter’s range of capabilities to breathe new life into troublesome spacecraft.

One such example came via Shuttle Endeavour’s STS-49 mission in 1992, which focused on a rendezvous with the Intelsat VI satellite – which was stranded and unusable in Low Earth Orbit following its launch on a Titan rocket in March 1990 when its launch system failed to place it in its correct, geostationary orbit.

To facilitate the repair of Intelsat VI, a spacewalk was planned in which two of Endeavour’s crewmembers would physically grab the satellite and attach a capture bar to the satellite. During the spacewalk to grab the satellite, all attempts to grab Intelsat VI and attach the capture bar failed.

The EVA was subsequently called off and rescheduled for the following day, and Endeavour backed away to safe distance.

The next day, after a re-rendezvous, all attempts to capture Intelsat VI and install the capture bar failed as well.

Then, on May 13, a third attempt to capture the satellite was made using three of Endeavour’s crewmembers.

Before capture of Intelsat VI, an Assembly of Station by EVA Methods (ASEM) structure was erected by the crew to assist in the satellite’s capture.

The EVA was successful: Intelsat VI was captured, the capture bar attached, a live rocket engine kit installed (a kit that would propel Intelsat VI into its correct orbit), and the satellite released back into orbit.

The EVA marked the first and, to date, only time in history that an EVA was conducted involving three people, the first and, to date, only time that a live rocket kit was attached to a satellite in space during an EVA, and the longest single EVA in history to that point – a record that would stand until STS-102 in March 2001.

While such missions were impressive, they were restricted to Low Earth Orbit, were highly complex and hugely expensive, to the point they soon lost their viability.

However, a more innovative, cheaper and safer option for aiding malfunctioning or aging satellites is being developed by ViviSat.

At the center of their plans is the Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV), manufactured by one of its parent companies, ATK. The primary mission of the MEV is to dock with an orbiting satellite and serve as the propulsion and attitude control systems.

This enables mission extension for satellites that have run out of maneuvering fuel yet still have healthy payload and power systems.

“Life extension is the founding mission for the MEV. However, we have an increasing interest by customers and the scientific community in our unique agility and the large Space, Weight and Power (SWAP) that we can accommodate,” noted Bryan McGuirk, chief operating officer of Vivisat.

Such a technology could possibly have been used to come to the rescue of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite (AEHF-1).

Despite a nominal launch atop of an Atlas V in August, 2010, a failure of the satellite’s subsystem resulted in the AEHF-1′s hydrazine-fueled liquid apogee engine (LAE) failing to carry out the required burns to place it correctly into Geostationary Orbit.

Thanks to some clever work via the satellite’s United States Air Force controllers and AEHF-1 teams, the $2 billion bird was saved via the ingenious use of the two smaller engines – namely the hydrazine-fueled Reaction Engine Assemblies (REAs) and later by the xenon-fueled Hall Current Thrusters (HCTs) – despite their primary role being one of positional stability on orbit.

The MEV – based on the ATK A700 satellite bus – is aiming to be multi-capable, which could result in it providing a platform for hosted payloads, before then being assigned to a life extension role.

“Hosted payloads can actually perform as the primary mission during the first several years of life of the MEV and then the MEV will revert to its original mission of life extension,” said retired Maj. Gen. Craig Weston, CEO of ViviSat. “This combination of prime mission flexibility, orbit location agility and large SWAP opens up a new market that cannot be met by typical GEO Commsats.”

As part of their forward plan, ViviSat are utilizing the ATK Robotic Rendezvous and Proximity (RPO) testing facility at the headquarters of ATK’s Space Systems Division in Beltsville, Maryland.

The RPO facility enables ViviSat to demonstrate and verify critical enabling technologies for state-of-the-art robotic and air-bearing testbeds to simulate satellite motion and facilitate hardware and software development and validation.

“The MEV can host payloads greater than 200kg and accommodate power demands greater than 2kW. The differentiating feature of the MEV capability versus most other geo-stationary earth orbit (GEO) Commsat hosts is the ability to be temporarily located to any orbital slot, or multiple slots, as arranged for by the payload provider,” added Joe Anderson, chief engineer and director of MEV Services at ATK.

“Furthermore, there is no constraint on pointing or slewing like most other GEO hosts.”

ATK’s Space Systems Division completed two prototype docking mechanisms that will reinforce the MEV’s ongoing development.

“The ATK Robotic RPO Lab demonstrates a substantial investment in retiring risk for ViviSat and its clients,” Tom Wilson, vice president and general manager of ATK Space Systems Division, noted. “The capability currently demonstrated is the first step in our plans to perform full six degree of freedom docking validation and qualification.”

According to ATK, these prototypes demonstrate servicing capabilities to potential clients and will be used to validate contact dynamics and docking performance in the ATK RPO lab.

ATK also recently completed initial testing of closed loop proximity operations, demonstrating the ability to track a simulated host satellite using a prototype visual sensor suite.

“We demonstrated this closed loop capability to several clients and the response has been overwhelmingly positive,” added Bryan McGuirk, chief operating officer of ViviSat. “They see these developments as further validation that ViviSat is making key qualification milestones and demonstrating real capabilities to provide in-orbit servicing.”

(Images via ATK, Vivisat, ULA and L2 Historical)

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Dream Chaser at Dryden:

The Dream Chaser ETA’s Californian vacation marks the beginning of a number of key milestones in her goal of becoming the crew transport for NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

Following a road trip from her base in Colorado, a journey that saw her partially disassembled and placed under a protective blanket, the ETA arrived at the famous NASA center, ready to becoming the latest winged lifting body to be tested over the expanses of the Edwards Air Force Base.

While numerous vehicles have enjoyed test flights at Dryden, Dream Chaser’s synergy with one particular vehicle is obvious.

That vehicle was Enterprise, a version of the Space Shuttle that received approval for its construction nine years before Columbia’s launch, resulting in the test vehicle being transported 36 miles over land from her Palmdale construction facility to Edwards Air Force Base and NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in 1977 for the series of Approach and Landing Tests (ALTs).

Ever since the decision was made to test the ETA at Dryden, the historic association with the Enterprise was seen as a matter of importance within SNC.

“Edwards is a historical place where many of America’s most famous planes and spacecraft have gotten tested and we like history in that regard,” noted Mark Sirangelo, Corporate Vice President and head of SNC’s Space Systems in an interview with NASASpaceflight.com’s Lee Jay Fingersh last year. “We think there’s a lot of value to it and so we’re going to be doing virtually the same thing that the first Shuttle tests did.

Click here for recent SNC/Dream Chaser News Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/snc/

“It is like Enterprise and you could look at it like that way. It’s going to do an Enterprise-like testing called an ‘ALT’.”

Marking Dream Chaser’s arrival, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden met with the SNC team and the ETA during a tour on Wednesday, noting the historical association with NASA lifting bodies in a speech in-front of both the ETA and a NASA M2-F1 – one of the first lifting bodies from the 1960s.

For Dream Chaser, her history ranges back to NASA Langley’s Horizontal Lander HL-20 lifting body design concept, a heritage that builds on years of analysis and wind tunnel testing by Langley engineers during the 1980s and 1990s.

Langley and SNC joined forces six years ago to update the HL-20 design in the Dream Chaser orbital crew vehicle to help refine the spacecraft design.

During the summer, the ETA will undergo ground and approach-and-landing flight tests later this Summer as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) development work.

“This will be the first full scale flight test of the Dream Chaser lifting body and will demonstrate the unique capability of our spacecraft to land on a runway,” noted Jim Voss, SNC’s vice president of Space Exploration Systems.

“Other flight tests will follow to validate the aerodynamic data used to control the vehicle in the atmosphere when it returns from space. This is a huge step forward for the SNC and NASA teams towards providing our nation with safe and reliable transportation to the International Space Station.”

The tests will come in three key stages, noted as tow, captive-carry and free-flight.

The first test will involve the ETA being towed by a truck down a runway to validate performance of the nose strut, brakes and tires. The captive-carry flights will further examine the loads it will encounter during flight as it is carried by an Erickson Skycrane helicopter.

The free flight later this year will test Dream Chaser’s aerodynamics through landing.

“NASA Dryden has always played a vital role in the testing of American flight vehicles,” added Mr Sirangelo following the shipping of the ETA. “As the Dream Chaser program takes flight, this unique opportunity to conduct our tests at the same location as the Space Shuttle begin its flight brings great pride to our team.

“We are one step closer to returning U.S. astronauts on a U.S. vehicle to the International Space Station and in doing so continuing the long standing and proud legacy that was the Space Shuttle program.”

During General Bolden’s visit, the veteran of four Shuttle missions also got to “ride” in the Dream Chaser, via a simulator that mimics the approach to – and landing at – Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The simulation involves the final 10,000 feet and 60 seconds of a future Dream Chaser flight, a flight that has already been tested by astronauts at NASA Langley via a cockpit model simulator using the same software.

This allows astronauts to evaluate how well the spacecraft would handle in a number of different atmospheric conditions as well as assess its guidance and navigation performance.

The transition to Dryden testing has earned Dream Chaser some welcome attention from the NASA big guns, with William Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for human exploration and operations, also singing the praises of the vehicle, SNC and the associated NASA teams.

“Unique public-private partnerships like the one between NASA and Sierra Nevada Corporation are creating an industry capable of building the next generation of rockets and spacecraft that will carry U.S. astronauts to the scientific proving ground of low-Earth orbit,” Mr Gerstenmaier noted.

“NASA centers around the country paved the way for 50 years of American human spaceflight, and they’re actively working with our partners to test innovative commercial space systems that will continue to ensure American leadership in exploration and discovery.”

(Images via NASA, SNC, L2 and Lee Jay Fingersh/NASASpaceflight.com)

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Major Peake’s flight assignment:

At an event in the UK earlier today – exactly four years to the day that Major Tim Peake’s selection as a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut was made public – it was announced that Major Peake will fly to the ISS for five and a half months, as a Flight Engineer on Expeditions 46 and 47.

Major Peake will launch on the Russian Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on November 30, 2015, and return to Earth on the same vehicle on May 16, 2016. During his mission, he will participate in many scientific experiments, many of which of European, and some maybe even of British origin.

According to the latest Flight Planning Integration Panel (FPIP) chart (available on L2), Major Peake can expect to see two visits of Russian Progress vehicles during his stint on the ISS, as well as two visits of SpaceX Dragon vehicles, and one visit of a Japanese HTV, with visits of Orbital’s Cygnus vehicle also likely.

He will also be trained to perform spacewalks, should one become necessary during his stay. However, plans at this point are very preliminary, and are likely to change dramatically between now and Major Peake’s launch.

Major Peake’s ISS slot was preliminarily planned to be assigned to French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, meaning Peake would have been the last of his selection class to fly, in the 2016-2017 timeframe. However, Pesquet appears to have now moved into the later slot, with Peake taking his place in the 2015-2016 slot, possibly in recognition of the UK’s recent financial contributions to ESA’s human spaceflight program.

In January of this year, NASASpaceflight.com sources reported that Major Peake had been chosen to fly on a unique short-duration flight opportunity afforded by the year-long mission to the ISS in 2015. Under this plan, Major Peake would have launched on Soyuz TMA-18M on September 30, 2015, and returned to Earth ten days later on Soyuz TMA-16M on October 10, 2015.

However, while said opportunity would have resulted in Major Peake flying to the ISS earlier than the 2016-2017 timeframe, it is understood that Britain objected to Major Peake being assigned to a short-duration slot while Andreas Mogensen of Denmark flew a long-duration mission, considering that the UK contributed more money than Denmark to ESA’s human spaceflight program at the most recent ESA ministerial meeting in November 2012.

As such, the 2015 short-duration opportunity has now been tentatively assigned to Denmark’s Andreas Mogensen, with Major Peake now being assigned to the long-duration slot from 2015-2016, and Frenchman Thomas Pesquet likely becoming the last of his class to fly in the 2016-2017 slot.

Major Tim Peake – Britain’s first ESA astronaut:

Timothy Peake was born on April 7, 1972, in Chichester, United Kingdom. In 1990, at the age of 18, he attended the Royal Military College Sandhurst, and upon graduation in 1992 went on to serve as an Officer in the British Army, serving as a platoon Commander with the Royal Green Jackets infantry division in Northern Ireland.

In 1994, he graduated as a helicopter pilot into the Army Air Corps (AAC), and four years later in 1998 went on to become a flight instructor, becoming instrumental in bringing the Apache attack helicopter into service with the AAC.

In 2005, he graduated from the Empire Test Pilots School at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, England, a British military establishment that has now churned out eleven international astronauts. In 2006 he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Flight Dynamics from the University of Portsmouth.

Major Peake left the British Army in 2009, after 17 years of service and over 3,000 flying hours, and became a helicopter test pilot with the Agusta-Westland company. However, just a few months later in May 2009, he was announced as part of the European astronaut class of 2009, in the process becoming the first Briton ever to be selected for the ESA astronaut program.

While the UK was not a contributor to ESA’s human spaceflight program at the time of his selection, it was hoped that Major Peake would serve as an incentive for the UK to become more involved with human spaceflight – a hope that has been fulfilled with the UK’s recent financial contributions to ESA’s manned programs.

Major Peake graduated from ESA astronaut training in November 2010, and since then has been dividing his time between flying Apache helicopters for the British Territorial Army (TA), and astronaut training in Houston, Germany, and Russia, in the hope of an assignment to an ISS crew.

Peake’s assignment to a space mission will not be the first time a Briton has been in space, with many joint UK-US nationals having flown aboard the Space Shuttle and ISS, including Mike Foale, Piers Sellers, Nick Patrick, and Greg H. Johnson. As NASA astronauts however, they all flew with US flags on their arms, and did not represent the UK.

British national Helen Sharman did make it into space in 1991, however she flew as part of a privately-funded commercial experiments program to the Russian Mir space station, and as such was not sanctioned by the British government to fly on behalf of UK. Other privately-financed “space tourist” flights have also been made by joint UK-US national Richard Garriott, and joint UK-South African national Mark Shuttleworth.

Coincidentally, Major Peake looks set to miss out on claiming the title of “first UK national on the ISS” by just 2.5 months, as that claim will instead go to British singer Sarah Brightman, who will visit the ISS as a space tourist, along with ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, for ten days from September 30-October 10, 2015, meaning that two Britons will in fact fly on the ISS in 2015.

Major Peake will however be the first ever person to fly in space on behalf of the UK government, thus representing the whole of the UK, and wearing a Union Jack flag on his arm. Major Peake’s flight will also represent the end of a long road by the British armed forces to get a current or former service member in space, having come tantalisingly close on several occasions in the past.

Those attempts were British Army Lieutenant-Colonels Anthony Boyle and Richard Farrimond, Royal Navy Commander Peter Longhurst, and Royal Air Force (RAF) Squadron Leader Nigel Wood, who in February 1984 were all selected as Payload Specialists to fly on the Space Shuttle as part of the Skynet 4 program. Ultimately however, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster prevented all from ever flying in space.

The British forces again came close to being able to lay claim to an astronaut as part of the commercial Project Juno in 1991, with Royal Navy physician Gordon Brooks being selected as one of the final four candidates, and Army Air Corps Major Tim Mace being selected as back-up for Helen Sharman, who ultimately flew the mission.

Major Peake however will end the long history of disappointment when he blasts off toward the ISS in 2015.

“I am delighted to be proposed for a long-duration mission to the International Space Station. This is another important mission for Europe and in particular a wonderful opportunity for European science, industry and education to benefit from microgravity research,” said Major Peake on Monday.

“Since joining the European Astronaut Corps in 2009, I have been training to work on the Station and I am extremely grateful to the ground support teams who make it possible for us to push the boundaries of knowledge through human spaceflight and exploration.”

The United Kingdom and the ISS:

The UK has had a long and difficult relationship with the ISS over the past two decades, however, with Major Peake’s flight assignment, it finally looks as though the UK is firmly committing to the orbiting laboratory, and thus is finally set to start receiving its many benefits.

The UK was a signatory to the ISS Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) signed on January 28, 1998, between the USA, Russia, Canada, Japan, and the 11-member ESA, however it was the only signatory of that agreement that did not go on to contribute any funding to the ISS program.

This was due to a long-standing UK government policy that barred the UK from contributing any funding to human spaceflight, preferring instead to focus on unmanned missions and telecommunications technologies. While this strategy allowed for the creation of a very strong satellite industry for the UK, it meant that Britain was left out of sharing in the scientific benefits that result from the ISS.

Within the past few years however, the space industry has been identified as a key area of growth for the UK, contributing £9 billion to the British economy every year. As such, a government-backed drive to increase the UK’s involvement in the space sector has been underway, which resulted in the April 2010 establishment of the UK Space Agency (UKSA), who are tasked with managing Britain’s participation in space projects, for the benefit of the entire nation.

UKSA manages Britain’s contributions to ESA, and in the November 2012 ESA ministerial meeting, Britain became the only nation in the austere European budget environment to actually increase their financial contributions to ESA, becoming ESA’s third largest contributor in the process.

Notable among Britain’s £1.2 billion ESA contributions at the 2012 ministerial were two never before seen British contributions to the field of ESA human spaceflight. In a departure from past policy, and following years of campaigning by many who saw the potential benefits of UK participation in human spaceflight, the UK made a £12.4 million contribution to ESA’s European Life and Physical Sciences (ELIPS) program, which will grant the UK access to the microgravity environment of the ISS to conduct research.

Additionally, the UK made a completely unexpected one-off contribution of £16 million to ESA’s effort to design and build an Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV)-derived Service Module (SM) for NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which is now expected to include construction contracts for British industry in the areas of telecommunication and propulsion, meaning British made technologies could be used to send the first human beings beyond Earth’s orbit in over half a century.

ESA is building the Orion SM for NASA in order to cover ESA’s share of ISS operating costs for the period of 2017-2020, meaning that, since Britain is a financial contributor to the Orion SM effort, technically the UK will be an ISS partner nation for the 2017-2020 period. It is this fact that paved the way for Major Peake’s ISS flight assignment.

It is hoped that Major Peake may be able to carry out some British experiments during his time on the ISS, thanks to the UK’s recent contributions to the ELIPS program.

There is a surging interest lately in UK participation in microgravity research, with the second ever UK Space Environments conference set to take place at the National Space Centre in Leicester from November 9-10, 2013, organised by the UK Space Biomedicine Association (UKSBA).

While in late 2010 the Union Jack flag was quietly removed from the ISS, Major Tim Peake will hopefully place it back during his flight, as the UK finally takes its rightful place as an ISS partner nation, with the benefits of the orbiting laboratory in the form of scientific research and inspiration becoming available to the people of Britain at long last.

(Images: via NASA, BBC, and L2).

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Launch Pad 39A:

The famous launch pad last saw action during the final Space Shuttle launch, when Atlantis successfully departed on her STS-135 mission.

While the launch from Pad 39A marked an emotional end of an era for Shuttle, visible signs towards the future were already in evidence at next door’s 39B – a pad that was already deep into its transition for its role with the Space Launch System (SLS).

Work has continued on 39B, converting it into a “clean pad” that is capable of not only hosting the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV) but also commercial launchers. However, only the SLS has committed its future to the pad.

Meanwhile, Pad 39A was placed into a mothballed state, with the majority of its Shuttle facilities still intact.

Despite its near-abandoned state, the facility has been fresh in the minds of the KSC teams involved with the spaceport’s transition.

According to L2 sources, NASA and Space Florida – the State’s aerospace economic development agency – came very close to a deal in 2012, centered around the handover of 39A. However, this was delayed due to NASA wanting “the State” to assume responsibility for any future environmental remediation at 39A, such as cleaning up any pollution/contamination.

Without a deal currently in place, no funds have yet been requested in the State legislature, which is required in order to carry the demolition work towards 39A becoming suitable for a commercial launch vehicle.

However, there has been some interest, with the L2 sources noting SpaceX have been looking into options at KSC for their future launch vehicles, providing the required incentives are in place.

Initial SpaceX interest was noted when sites were considered for their Falcon Heavy – although that vehicle’s Eastern Range home is currently set to be associated with its current SLC-40 pad at Cape Canaveral.

Sources claim that Space Florida will likely (obtain the use of) the Shiloh site located at the very North end of KSC, providing environmental reports come back favorable. In that event, Space Florida may be willing to provide funds to SpaceX to build a Falcon Heavy complex at the Shiloh site.

More intriguing is the interest in potentially hosting a Super Heavy version of the Falcon, a notional family of rockets called Falcon X, Falcon X Heavy and Falcon XX – vehicles that would utilize the preliminary future engine that was initially referred to as the Merlin 2, but has since moved towards an engine called Raptor.

These vehicles were mentioned by name via L2 source information as part of the interest in using Complex 39A in the long-term future, citing potential scenarios where Space Florida held full control over the complex within the next 10 years, which – it was noted – would be below the time frame SpaceX is envisioned to be looking at actually building their own Super Heavy Lift Vehicle.

The ULA have also expressed interest – again, providing the economics are acceptable – in potential options at Complex 39.

While their expanding order book can be catered for within the confines of their current infrastructure, the company is aware they need to look towards the future, especially if they also become the launch provider for a commercial crew vehicle.

“We still have a lot of untapped capacity in both the production and launch infrastructure. So we can increase rate by increasing staffing,” noted Dr. George Sowers, ULA VP for Human Launch Services, during a Q&A session with NASASpaceFlight.com members.

“At some point depending on where the demand was coming from, we would have to increase launch infrastructure – e.g., additional MLP (Mobile Launch Platform or VIF (Vehicle Integration Facility) for Atlas.”

Taking another pad in the Space Coast area – namely at Complex 39 – was also classed as an option by Dr. Sowers, citing the studies and discussions that have taken place with the famous spaceport. Moving forward with such a plan would depend on the viability of such an agreement.

“ULA is interested in the possibility in launching Atlas or Delta from LC-39. We have participated in the KSC led studies looking at options,” added the ULA VP. “Technically it’s feasible. The biggest hurdle right now is devising a business model that works.”

Notes and graphics from the studies were acquired by L2 (LINK), showing an integration path involving an Atlas V being stacked inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), atop of a former Shuttle MLP, prior to being rolled out to Complex 39.

Such an arrangement is part of KSC’s drive to become a multi-user spaceport, allowing for dual flows inside the VAB for both a commercial vehicle and the SLS – with work ongoing at this time to remove and replace platforms that were dedicated to the Shuttle stack.

The Kennedy Space Center’s Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) program also noted how they expect to transition their three MLPs, with MLP-1 set to retire, MLP-2 to be dedicated to a liquid fueled vehicle – such as Atlas V, and MLP-3 to be used by a Solid Rocket Motor vehicle – such as the Liberty rocket.

ATK are understood to be close to announcing details into a realigned version of that rocket, currently known as Liberty II.

For a crewed Atlas V, the studies note the use of a standard Atlas MLP, placed over one of the SRB Hold Down Post (HDP) locations (Side 4) on MLP-2. The Atlas V – with graphics depicting a human rated vehicle with notional spacecraft on top – would then be integrated on to its standard launch mount.

A crew access tower would then be built over the location of the other SRB HDP, rising above the Atlas V MLP and reaching over – or around – to allow for access to the spacecraft the Atlas V was tasked with launching.

The entire set of hardware and rocket would then be rolled out of the VAB by the Crawler Transporter (CT) likely to a clean pad capable of hosting both commercial crew vehicles and SLS.

All studies are naturally notional, although the Agency appears to be moving forward with their drive to find new uses for 39A, following the release of an announcement for proposals for the commercial use of the pad.

“We remain committed to right-sizing our portfolio by reducing the number of facilities that are underused, duplicative, or not required to support the Space Launch System and Orion,” said Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana.

“Launch Complex 39A is not required to support our asteroid retrieval mission or our eventual missions to Mars. But it’s in the agency’s and our nation’s best interest in meeting our commitment and direction to enable commercial space operations and allow the aerospace industry to operate and maintain the pad and related facilities.”

The release noted the assessments conducted by NASA show 39A could serve as a platform for a commercial space company’s launch activities providing the company assumes financial and technical responsibility of the complex’s operations and management.

The RFP move appears to confirm more than one company is indeed interested in the pad.

(Images via L2 content, NASA, AIAA and ULA)

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Optional Milestones under CCiCap and Phase Two of Certification:

NASA is currently funding three commercial crew providers under its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) program which runs thru May 2014. Optional milestones under CCiCap beyond May 2014 could be exercised by NASA.

As with the two previous phases (CCDev1 & CCDev2), NASA is granting money under CCiCap using Space Act Agreements (SAAs), instead of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).

In parallel, NASA has also started initial certification activities using FAR-based procurement contracts. The first phase of certification is known as the Certification Products Contract (CPC) and its deliverables include early life-cycle certification products (alternate standards, hazards analysis, and verification, validation, and certification plans).

CPC money was awarded last December to SpaceX, SNC and Boeing for amounts that did not exceed $10 million per company.

Under NASA’s planned strategy, the next phase of certification (phase two) should start in 2014 and should include development, test, evaluation, and certification activities. It could also include, as options, a number of crewed missions to the ISS following certification.

McAlister indicated that although FAR will be used for phase two of certification, NASA has yet to decide which part of the FAR would be used. He explained that while they are planning to shift away from SAAs for the second phase of certification, NASA will not change the basic philosophy of the program.

“The specific mechanism (space act agreement versus contract) has gotten a lot of attention but what’s really important to us is the philosophy under which we are exercising this program. We want the philosophy to remain the same. We still want industry to own (their crew transportation system). We still want some form of fixed price arrangement.

“We would like to do a public-private partnership meaning the companies (will) own the design and they (will) make more of the decisions. For customers, it should be (both) NASA and non-NASA customers.

“We are going to provide that investment (by a company) be a milestone payment based on cost. Industries defines how (they intend to do things) and we approve (it). We believe (that) we are going to maintain our program philosophy and approach to be more of a commercial oriented development.”

Phase two of certification is currently planned to start in the spring of 2014 (after the CCiCap base period ends) but the exact date has not yet been finalized.

McAlister explained that NASA is not certain that it will be able to award it in the spring of next year. If NASA is unable to award it at that time, NASA may decide to exercise some of the early optional milestones from CCiCap.

“If it’s in the government’s interest, we might exercise the early milestones. We do not intend to exercise the crewed flights milestones which are the last milestones. As you get later and later in the timeline, there is going to be more time for us to push those efforts into the certification phase. But we have not made any decision yet. We are (still) keeping the options open.”

McAlister’s statement confirms what Ed Mango, program manager of NASA’s commercial crew program, had previously told NASASpaceflight.com last year.

Mango had stated that the optional milestones in the CCiCap agreement had two purposes. “One, to get the entire end-to-end cost and schedule profile for the company to certify their hardware, their way for a crewed demonstration.

“Second, we may need to activate some options if the budget and schedule drives us in the late 2014 timeframe. We are not committing to any of the optional milestones, and there will be a rigorous process to activate those milestones.”

Although the optional milestones funding for each company is proprietary, the hearing charter from a House Hearing on commercial crew on September 14th 2012 revealed that the optional milestones under CCiCap for all three commercial crew providers “have aggregate total cost estimates in the range of $4.5 Billion”.

NASA or Company Astronauts?:

A crew transportation system can either be offered as a taxi or a rental system. Under the taxi system, each company would use its own pilot to ferry the crew. Under a rental arrangement, NASA would rent the entire capsule and would thus provide its own pilot.

McAlister explained that it was up to each company to decide which model they preferred. “NASA has not dictated whether the commercial providers should use a taxi or a rental car system. We have left that up to the provider (to decide which) concept of operation is best for them.

“Because of our requirement that they have to provide a lifeboat function, it kind of complicates the taxi model to some extent but it doesn’t preclude it. It’s up to the providers to figure out whether they want their pilot or a NASA pilot. As long as they meet our requirements, we shouldn’t care (which option they choose). We are probably going to ask for a four crew person rotation if we have the money for it.”

McAlister added that there will be test flights during the second phase of certification. It will likely include an uncrewed and a crewed flight, but they are leaving up to the commercial companies to define how many test flights they need.

The issue of whether NASA or company astronauts can be used also arises for test flights under phase two of certification. This issue was previously discussed by Ed Mango on January 9, 2013.

Click here for additional Commercial Crew News Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/news/commercial/

“Under phase two (of certification), it will probably be combined crews between what NASA needs as well as what the companies want to do. In the end, this is a joint effort between our astronaut core and the crew members that the individual companies (are) hiring.

“It’s that joint test plan that will get us to an end state. It isn’t just one or the other. If anyone has developed aircrafts in the past, you know that it is military pilots as well as pilots from the companies that do the flight testing. We expect that same kind of approach as we move through this overall process (of certification).”

Competition Is Important:

McAlister also emphasized the importance of maintaining competition in the next phase of certification. “If the budget would enable it, we would like to have more than one” commercial crew provider (during phase two of certification),” he noted.

“The posture for the government is to have competition because the big item is going to be in this ISS service line (i.e. the crew transportation contract is part of the budget for the ISS). (It was the) same way with cargo (where) we have seen significant benefits from competition.

“A lot of people think that competition only means you are getting a good price. It actually means that you are getting a safer vehicle as well. These guys are competing on safety because they know that’s (one of the) evaluation criteria by NASA. The government loses a lot of leverage when you only have one (provider).

“If we want any little change, if there is only one (provider), there is really no reason for that company to invest additionally. My big concern is that we will prematurely go down to one.

“Both schedule and competition are very important to NASA. We would like to maintain those. If it gets to the point where we can’t, it will depend on the proposals that we will receive.”

McAlister explained that if they are in a situation where one proposal is evaluated very highly but the others are not, this could have an impact on how may providers they will continue to fund in the next phase. On the other hand, he explained that if you have two proposals that are very close, this could dictate a different outcome.

“The lifetime of the ISS might (also) be factor in the decision. Once we get those phase two proposals and they get evaluated and we get a little bit better understanding of where our budget is going to be, we will be able to make a better informed decision.”

Cost of Commercial Crew Development:

McAlister also discussed the recently completed Booz Allen evaluation of NASA’s cost estimates for commercial crew.

“We have had some internal cost estimate (for commercial crew) that we have used using a variety of different data sources. Some of our stakeholders felt that it would be important for us to get an independent cost estimate. (Booz Allen) did not do an independent estimate; they did an assessment on our estimate.”

McAlister noted they purposely used some of the same people from Booz Allen that did the analysis for the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Orion.

He indicated that the report indicated that the “government cost estimates are high quality and follow standard cost estimating best practices but should be considered optimistic (i.e., likely to experience cost growth).” He said that he was pleased with the report.

“We do have some reserves (Unallocated Future Expenses – UFE) to cover these potential cost growth. In general, we embraced all of the findings (of Booz Allen). We had some slight differences on some of their recommendations regarding some of (the) areas of cost growth and the magnitude of the cost growth. But in general at (the) top level, we thought that (their) findings and recommendations were positive and kind of validated our approach and certainly our cost estimates.

“Where we had differences, I kind of consider them not to be big ticket items.”

McAlister said that in their estimates they calculated the total funding which would be required for each company in order to complete their program. He added that he couldn’t share these numbers because they were proprietary.

Cost of Commercial Crew Operations:

McAlister also discussed the cost of commercial crew once operational, noting that “the assumption is that (commercial crew) will be cost effective with respect to the Russians. However, McAlister admitted that he was being purposely vague on whether this meant lower than Soyuz or not.

“There is still a big pretty range on what the (costs) are going to come in at,” he added. “We will have a better idea (of the cost) in the phase two (certification) contracts.”

Another point that was addressed by McAlister is whether NASA would provide any Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) to the commercial crew companies. He explained that NASA’s philosophy was that they should not generally provide any equipment to the companies.

“We did not want to want to be in the critical path (by) providing any GFE. (However,) we always said that there were two possible exceptions: docking and the communication system because they are so integrated with the ISS. It got a little bit complicated with cargo (for systems that are very integrated with the ISS).”

McAlister indicated that rescue services could potentially be another exception, noting “for global rescue services, it might make more sense for the government to do that using Department of Defense assets as opposed to have each company negotiate individually.

“However, we haven’t made any final decisions on that, because there will hopefully be flights without NASA crew and (the companies) have to figure out how to do that without NASA’s involvement. Whatever, they come up with has to work in both situations.”

McAlister also discussed the impact that a slip to the 2017 schedule could have on each company’s business case.

“With a slip, you lose a bit of certainty on the business case for the providers if the end date for ISS is 2020. It gives them a couple of (fewer) flights that they can rely on. The plan was always for them to get non-government customers.

“Each provider is looking at that market a little bit differently. Some of them are bearish on that market; some are little bit more bullish. If you are more bullish, you might be able to say that’s not a problem, I can still close my business case (without these additional flights).

“If you are more risked adverse and you are not certain about that non-government market, it might be more difficult to close your business case. That also factors into how much they are willing to invest. It’s all kind of inter-related.”

At the same meeting William Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate discussed another issue which could also have an impact the business case of certain of the commercial crew providers.

He mentioned that NASA has not yet decided whether it will extend the Crew Resupply Service (CRS) contract to Orbital and SpaceX after 2016, or if it will allow new entrants such as SNC or Boeing to compete for new cargo contracts after the current CRS expires in 2016.

NASA anticipates releasing a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for phase two of certification in July, with the final RFP to follow in October. Awards are planned for the spring of 2014.

(Images: NASA and L2 Content)

(NSF and L2 are providing full transition level coverage, available no where else on the internet, from Orion and SLS to ISS and CRS/CCP, to European and Russian vehicles.

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Atlas V Launch:

The fourth Block IIF GPS satellite, GPS IIF-4 is the sixty-fourth GPS satellite overall, and the first to launch on an Atlas since Navstar 11, also known as USA-10, in October 1985. That satellite, a the last Block I prototype satellite, was boosted into orbit by an Atlas E/F with an SGS-2 upper stage, flying from Space Launch Complex 3W at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Since then, launching GPS spacecraft has been left solely to Delta rockets, with the Delta II 6925 used for Block II launches, the Delta II 7925 for Block IIA, IIR and IIRM, and the Delta IV Medium+(4,2) for the three Block IIF launches to date.

GPS IIF-4 has Space Vehicle Number (SVN) 66. It will use PRN-27; a signal modulation previously used by USA-84, or GPS IIA-6 (SVN-27), a twenty-year-old satellite which was retired from service last October. IIF-4 will serve as a replacement for USA-117 in slot 2 of plane C of the GPS constellation.

Launched in March 1996 as GPS IIA-16, USA-117 is a Block IIA spacecraft which carries SVN-33, and uses PRN-03. Once IIF-4 replaces it, USA-117 will remain in service as a backup satellite, presumably moving to Slot 5 of its plane.

The GPS constellation consists of six planes, designated A to F, with six slots in each, numbered 1 to 6. Slots 1 to 4 contain operational satellites, with 5 and 6 housing reserve spacecraft. Plane C currently contains satellites in slots 1-4 and 6; two Block IIA spacecraft, one Block IIR, and two Block IIRMs. The most recent launch to plane C was GPS IIR-18(M) in December 2007.

Constructed by Boeing, Block IIF GPS satellites are expected to operate for twelve years, broadcasting signals at three different frequencies, including the L5 “Safety of Life” signal for civil aviation. The three Block IIF satellites launched to date, SVNs 62, 63 and 65, are operating in slots B2, D2 and A1 of the constellation respectively.

The Atlas V that launched GPS IIF-4 flew in the 401 configuration, with tail number AV-039. The launch was the thirty-eighth flight of the Atlas V, and the eighteenth flight of the 401 configuration.

The Atlas V consists of two stages; a Common Core Booster (CCB) and a Centaur. The CCB is powered by a single RD-180 engine, produced by NPO Energomash of Russia. It burns RP-1 propellant, oxidized by liquid oxygen.

The Centaur is powered by RL10A-4-2 engines burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen; one or two engines are present depending on mission requirements – for this launch the single-engine configuration will be used, as denoted by the one in the 401 designation. The zero indicates that no solid rocket motors will be used; up to five Aerojet SRMs can be attached to the first stage to augment thrust at liftoff, however for this flight none are necessary.

The four gives the diameter of the payload fairing, in meters. Four and five-meter fairings can be used, with three different lengths of each. The Long Payload Fairing (LPF), which despite its name is the shortest of the four-meter fairings, will be used on AV-039. The other two four-meter fairings, the Extended and Extra-Extended (EPF and XEPF) Payload Fairing, are 90 and 180 centimeters longer respectively.

AV-039 was assembled in the Vertical Integration Facility, which is located approximately half a kilometer to the southwest of the launch pad.

Rollout to the launch complex occurred on Wednesday, with the rocket departing the VIF atop a mobile platform shortly after 15:00 UTC, and arrived at the launch pad around 50 minutes later. It was the fifty-ninth rocket to launch from SLC-41, and the thirty-second Atlas V to do so.

Before the Atlas V was introduced in 2002, SLC-41 was a Titan launch complex. Twenty seven Titan rockets, including Titan IIIC, IIIE and IV configurations, flew from the pad between December 1965 and April 1999.

The last launch, a failed attempt to place a Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite into geosynchronous orbit, was conducted by a Titan IV(402)B with an Inertial Upper Stage. Six months later the fixed and mobile service towers were demolished, and the complex was rebuilt to accommodate the Atlas. The majority of Atlas V launches use the pad.

The launch was conducted by United Launch Alliance (ULA). Formed in December 2006, ULA have taken over Atlas V construction from Lockheed Martin, and launch operations from International Launch Services. They are also responsible for constructing and launching Delta II and Delta IV rockets.

T-0 for Wednesday’s launch occurred at 21:38 UTC; which was the opening of an 18-minute window. At T-2.7 seconds, the RD-180 engine ignited and begin throttling up, reaching full thrust 4.2 seconds later. At T-0, the engine was ready for flight, and liftoff occurred 1.1 seconds later when the thrust generated by the first stage engine exceeded the weight of the rocket.

Following liftoff, AV-039 maneuvered to a 45.8 degree launch azimuth, and pitched over for its ascent into orbit. One minute and 18.4 seconds after launch, the rocket’s speed reached Mach 1, passing through the sound barrier and beginning supersonic flight.

A minute and a half into the mission, the RD-180 throttled down in preparation for passing through the area of maximum dynamic pressure, Max-Q, which occurred 90.5 seconds after launch.

The first stage burned for four minutes and 4.4 seconds before it was extinguished, an event known as Booster Engine Cutoff (BECO). Six seconds later, the spent Common Core Booster was jettisoned, and following a further ten seconds of unpowered flight, the Centaur ignited for the first of two burns – a flight milestone which was designated Main Engine Start 1 (MES-1).

Fairing separation occurred eight seconds after the Centaur ignites. The Centaur’s first burn lasted twelve minutes and 46.6 seconds, ending with Main Engine Cutoff 1 (MECO-1), as the flight entering an extended coast phase.

The coast phase lasted three hours, 30.7 seconds, before Main Engine Start 2 (MES-2) began another burn of the Centaur’s RL10 engine. This second burn, intended to circularize the vehicle’s orbit, lasted 89.3 seconds, with its end, MECO-2, marking the end of powered flight. Spacecraft separation occurred four minutes, 45.7 seconds later; at T+ three hours, 23 minutes and 52.8 seconds.

Click here for Atlas V News Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/atlas-v/

The satellite separated into a circular orbit, at an altitude of 20,459 kilometers (12,713 statute miles, 11,047 nautical miles), and an inclination of 55 degrees to the equator.

Unlike earlier spacecraft, Block IIF GPS satellites are launched directly into their operational orbits, eliminating the need for each satellite to carry an apogee motor and the necessary fuel to raise itself out of a transfer orbit.

Wednesday’s launch was the fourth Atlas V mission of 2013, and the fourth launch of the year to be conducted by ULA. ULA’s next EELV launch is scheduled for 23 May, when a Delta IV will place the fifth Wideband Global Satcom spacecraft into orbit.

The next Atlas will fly on 19 July, when an Atlas V 551 will orbit the second MUOS communications satellite. The next GPS launch is expected to be in October, with a Delta IV lifting GPS IIF-5.

(Images via ULA).

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Recent Ammonia Leak:

Following recent events, the ISS controllers are continuing to keep a very close eye on the system that uses ammonia to dissipate heat from the electrical power systems on the truss.

The system leaked last week, when controllers observed data that indicated a large increase in a previously known small ammonia leak in the cooling loop of power channel 2B. At the same time, the crew inside the station noted that they were able to see flakes of ammonia originating from the channel 2B area, which were floating away into space.

Confirmation of a serious leak ultimately resulted in both the teams on the ground and in space to spring into action, resulting in an unplanned EVA taking place less than two days after the leak was spotted.

Spacewalkers Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn ventured out of the Quest Airlock on Saturday, successfully inspecting the hardware, before swapping out the old 2B Pump Flow Control Subassembly (PFCS) with one of the two spares located on the truss.

With the system recharged, controllers successfully returned the flow of ammonia without any anomalous indications, allowing the spacewalking duo to return back inside the ISS an hour ahead of schedule.

Marshburn then prepared for his return back to Earth onboard Soyuz TMA-07M, along with departing Expedition 35 commander Chris Hadfield and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko. They successfully landed on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of Dzhezkazgan on Monday.

Leak Returns?

However, controllers noticed an issue during the period surrounding the departure of the Soyuz, which appeared to indicate the ammonia leak on the 2B system had returned.

“Post the Soyuz undock, there were several indications that the gross 2B PVTCS leak was still present. The 2B PVTCS was shutdown to preserve consumables as the team continues to monitor the system,” noted a flash on L2′s rolling ISS Update Section.

“The channel 2B primary power equipment has powered down to a dormant configuration. Channel 2A continues to power all downstream loads of channel 2B.”

Controllers positioned cameras on the ISS to take a closer look, in order to see if they could spot ammonia flakes departing from the region. No such observations were seen.

With evaluations taking place on the ground, the focus switched to a possible false signature indication on the system, which was immediately backed up by the ISS’ requirement of maneuvering to different attitudes to cater for the Soyuz’s departure.

“As a result of the PVTCS troubleshooting performed on EVA 20 in November, the modified 2B loop includes four separate accumulators as compared to one accumulator in the unmodified system,” added notes.

“During the Soyuz undock, telemetry was only available for a single accumulator. After the maneuver to the undocking attitude, the quantity reading of that accumulator began dropping.”

As part of the written response plans, the pump was shut down and the power was removed from the 2B power channels.

Once the ISS was back into its regular attitude, additional data became available that showed the quantity in the other accumulators had actually been increasing or remaining stable while the one accumulator had been decreasing. This backed up the theory the ammonia fluid was shifting through the system, as opposed to leaking – a theory supported by the absence of snowflakes seen with the earlier leak.

The team continued to investigate the decreasing accumulator quantities and pressures – a trend of about 9.6 percent per day over a six hour period – with a focus on the attitude maneuvers and associated changes to the passive thermal environment.

“However it continued at the same rate through the undock, comm attitude maneuver, and return to TEA with all Arrays in Autotrack, and for a full orbit after this unabated, and we are not currently able to explain it by other means,” notes added, showing the evaluations were continuing throughout Tuesday. “This signature and its magnitude are very comparable to the fast leak rate observed on Thursday.

Click here for additional ISS News Articles: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/iss/

“We do not have the benefit of crew eyes on it this time because they entered crew sleep since the signature became more definitively non-transient. We do have high definition video of the area in question, but it does not show anything observable at this time.”

Thankfully, data for the Early External Thermal Control System (EETCS) system became available later on Tuesday, confirming stable quantities in the starboard and trailing radiator accumulators and the EETCS PFCS accumulator, allowing for the 2B power channels to become reactivated.

“Based on further data review, ground teams determined that there is no gross leak of the 2B PVTCS system, and that the ammonia quantity downward trend was caused by the 2B PFCS experiencing cold conditions in the Soyuz undocking attitude,” concluded the latest notes.

“An Anomaly Resolution Team (ART) meeting was held, and the 2B PVTCS was later reactivated per the ART recommendation.”

The lack of a leak will come as a relief, not least because the potential for another EVA would only become available in a few week’s time. The ISS will only return to a six member crew – with two NASA astronauts – when Soyuz TMA-09M docks at the end of the month.

(Images: L2′s ISS Section and NASA)

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Proton M Launch:

The Proton booster that was used to launch the satellite is 4.1 m (13.5 ft) in diameter along its second and third stages, with a first stage diameter of 7.4 m (24.3 ft). Overall height of the three stages of the Proton booster is 42.3 m (138.8 ft).

The Proton vehicle has a heritage of nearly 400 launches since 1965 and is built by Khrunichev Research and State Production Center, one of the pillars of the global space industry and the majority owner of ILS.

The first stage consists of a central tank containing the oxidizer surrounded by six outboard fuel tanks. Each fuel tank also carries one of the six RD-276 engines that provide first stage power. Total first stage vacuum-rated level thrust is 11.0 MN (2,500,000 lbf).

Of a conventional cylindrical design, the second stage is powered by three RD-0210 engines plus one RD-0211 engine and develops a vacuum thrust of 2.4 MN (540,000 lbf).

Powered by one RD-0213 engine, the third stage develops thrust of 583 kN (131,000 lbf), and a four-nozzle vernier engine that produces thrust of 31 kN (7,000 lbf). Guidance, navigation, and control of the Proton M during operation of the first three stages is carried out by a triple redundant closed-loop digital avionics system mounted in the Proton’s third stage.

The Briz-M (Breeze-M) upper stage is the Phase III variant, a recent upgrade which utilizes two new high-pressure tanks (80 liters) to replace six smaller tanks, along with the relocation of command instruments towards the centre – in order to mitigate shock loads when the additional propellant tank is being jettisoned.

The launch utilized a 5-burn Breeze M mission design. The first three stages of the Proton used the standard ascent profile to place the orbital unit (Breeze M upper stage and the EUTELSAT 3D satellite) into a sub-orbital trajectory.

From this point in the mission, the Breeze M performed planned mission maneuvers to advance the orbital unit first to a circular parking orbit, then to an intermediate orbit, followed by a transfer orbit, and finally to a geosynchronous transfer orbit.

Separation of the EUTELSAT 3D satellite occurred approximately 9 hours, 13 minutes after liftoff.

EUTELSAT 3D will bring resources, reach and flexibility for high-growth professional video, data, telecom and broadband services at 3 degrees east, an orbital position that sits at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia.

“The Proton vehicle and Eutelsat partnership dates back 13 years starting with the SESAT-1 launch on Proton in 2000,” noted ILS President Phil Slack.

“After seven launches, including the 50th ILS Proton launch in 2009 with the EUTELSAT 10A satellite, we are honored that Eutelsat continues to place their trust in us to enable the expansion of their business. Many thanks to the Eutelsat, Thales Alenia Space, Khrunichev and ILS teams for ensuring mission success with the launch of EUTELSAT 3D.”

Through a configuration of Ku and Ka transponders connected to three footprints, Eutelsat’s new satellite will serve customers in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. A fourth footprint in the Ku-band will serve customers in sub-Saharan Africa.

EUTELSAT 3D will be located at 3 degrees east until the launch in 2014 of EUTELSAT 3B that will further extend coverage to South America. It will subsequently continue service at 7 degrees east.

The satellite’s Spacebus 4000 Platform sports 56 Ku and Ka-band transponders and has a mass of 5,470 kg. It has an anticipated service life of 15 years.

“We thank ILS and Khrunichev for this flawless launch which maintains our perfect track record of success since our first Proton flight in 2000,” added Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat CEO.

“I’m happy to say that EUTELSAT 3D is well on its way to 3 degrees East, where it will go into service next month. The performance of the Proton launcher gives us the flexibility we need to further increase our resources and commercial flexibility which is highly valued in our business.”

This was the third ILS Proton launch in 2013 and the 80th ILS Proton launch overall. This mission will also mark the seventh Eutelsat Satellite to be launched on Proton, the ninth for Thales Alenia Space Satellite.

(Images via ILS).

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Soyuz TMA-07M:

It was an eventful end to Commander Hadfield’s stay on the ISS, as the keys to the Station were handed over to Russian Commander, Pavel Vinogradov.

All three of the returning crewmembers have played their part in making the 146 days of their Expedition 35 mission a memorable period in the Station’s history, not least during the latter part of their stay on the orbital outpost.

Roman Romanenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) conducted his final major role during his tour of duty during the Russian EVA in April, during which he worked alongside the veteran Vinogradov.

While the EVA involved routine maintenance on the Russian Segment (RS), Romanenko provided some comical moments during the spacewalk, even causing the Russian translator to giggle as her commentary was broadcast over NASA TV.

“I don’t like to work at night time, I’m afraid of the darkness,” not long after joking about how “for some reason the Earth is round,” which was met by bemused silence from the Russian CAPCOM in Moscow.

There was less time for joking during the unscheduled EVA that was conducted by Spacewalkers Chris Cassidy and the third person to be riding home on Soyuz TMA-07M, Tom Marshburn.

The duo ventured outside of the Quest Airlock on Saturday, in search of the source of an ammonia leak that had been observed less than two days before the spacewalkers exited the Quest airlock.

The duo investigated the cooling loop of power channel 2B on the P6 Truss of the Station, and while the system appeared to be clean, the installation of a new Pump Flow Control Subassembly (PFCS).appears to have resolved the issue.

Although it will take weeks before it is known for sure that the leak is an issue of the past, so far all indications appear to show the system is now working nominally.

Prior to the departure of the three crewmembers, Commander Hadfield uploaded a video that has since gone viral.

The Canadian astronaut showed off his singing prowess with a rendition of David Bowie’s Space Oddity, shot on board the ISS. The moving video received praise from Bowie himself, as it was revealed a member of the iconic singer’s tour band was involved in the reproduction of the song.

“The task was in front of me. I came up with a piano part. I then enlisted my friend, producer and fellow Canadian Joe Corcoran to take my piano idea and Chris’ vocal and blow it up into a fully produced song,” noted Emm Gryner. “Drums! mellotrons! fuzz bass! We also incorporated into the track ambient space station noises which Chris had put on his Soundcloud.

“I was mostly blown away by how pure and earnest Chris’ singing is on this track. Like weightlessness and his voice agreed to agree.

“And voila! And astronaut sings Space Oddity in space! I was so honoured to be asked to be a part of this. You wouldn’t get too many chances to make a recording like this and not only that, to make music with someone who – through his vibrant communications with kids in schools to his breathtaking photos to his always patient and good-humoured demeanour – has done more for science and space than anyone else this generation.

“Planet earth IS blue, and there’s nothing left for Chris Hadfield to do. Right. Safe travels home Commander!”

In preparation for that safe trip home, the Soyuz TMA-07M crew donned their Sokol launch and entry suits, closed the hatch between the Orbital Module (BO) and Descent Module (SA), and strapped themselves into their Kazbek couches inside the SA.

Undocking was on schedule at 23:08 UTC, which was followed by two separations burns to depart the vicinity of the ISS.

“”We can see the entire ISS, with the solar arrays stretched out like arms saying farewell to us,” said Romanenko, who commanded the Soyuz as it departed from the ISS.

Following a few hours of free flight, Soyuz TMA-07M made its de-orbit burn, followed by a landing near the town of Dzhezkazgan on the Steppe of Kazakhstan.

Now the crew are extracted from the SA by Russian recovery forces, they will be flown by MI-8 helicopters to a nearby airfield, where the crew will part ways, with Hadfield and Marshburn boarding a NASA Gulfstream III aircraft to be flown back to Ellington Field in Houston, Texas – via two refuelling stops in Glasgow, Scotland, and Goose Bay, Canada. Romanenko will be flown back to Star City, outside Moscow.

Vinogradov, Chris Cassidy of NASA and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin will tend to the station as a three-person crew for two weeks until the arrival of three new crew members, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency.

(Images: via NASA and L2).

(Click here: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/ – to view how you can support NSF and access the best space flight content on the entire internet).

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