Spacers

Watch In High Quality

A quick update... there is a link to the right that takes you directly to a 300k NASA TV feed, which is great for watching the entire STS-126 mission online from launch to landing.

You can click it, or as a very special treat, click the high quality link below that I stumbled upon quite by accident. It's a 1200k feed and is just as good as a regular TV feed. You'll need a good fast connection though. Enjoy!

http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1368163

Happy Spacing, Spacers!
SpaceHead!

STS-126 Ready For Home Improvement

Space Shuttle Endeavour is ready to chase down the ISS for a spot of home improvement on Friday. STS-126 marks the first return to spaceflight for the Itialian built Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) since the resumption of construction at the orbital complex.


STS-126 crew poses with Endeavour.

So, what are they adding this time?
Unlike regular assembly missions, STS-126 isn't actually adding anything to the outside of the station. The Leonardo MPLM is packed with all the goodies needed to turn what is now a three bedroom, one bathroom home for three into a five bedroom, two bathroom residence for six.

The heavy construction and outfitting work over the last couple of years has readied the station to fulfil its primary purpose - as a live-in science laboratory. Starting next year, a six-person crew will permanently occupy the orbital outpost allowing the international partners to begin utilising the laboratories that were recently added - the European Columbus, and Japanese Kibo modules - alongside the fully operational US Destiny laboratory that has seen the expansion of the station since its installation in February 2001.


Leonardo in the Shuttle

Leonardo is a reusable module that is launched in the cargo bay of the Shuttle and strapped to the station for the duration of the mission. Each MPLM can carry up to 10 tons of cargo packed into 16 standard Space Station equipment racks. Of the 16 racks, five can be furnished with power, data and fluid to support a refrigerator freezer.


The inside of Leonardo

So, where are the bedrooms and toilet?
Actually, the bedrooms take the form of one of the standard racks! Large enough to comfortably accommodate a human, two rack-sized sleep stations will be transferred from Leonardo to the recently added Harmony module, as well as a Waste and Hygiene Compartment - a new toilet, and a galley that will be located in the Destiny module -which could be called a new gourmet kitchen.

So, isn't there something broken outside that they need to fix?
Yes, the infamous SARJ - the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint - on the starboard side has been inoperative since the discovery of metallic debris in the rotating joint after vibrations were felt during its operation. The joint allows the massive solar arrays to track the Sun and provide full power during the daylight portion of an orbit, and there are several spacewalks planned during the mission to replace failed parts and hopefully get the joint working again.

So, is there anyone we know going up?
Two of the crew flew together on STS-115 in 2007, The Commander, Chris Ferguson, and Mission Specialist Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper. They are joined by former ISS Expedition 6 crewmember Donald Pettit, and rookies Eric Boe, Steve Bowen, and Shane Kimbrough. Joining the mission on the way up is Sandy Magnus, who flew in 2002 and will stay on the station for six months as part of the Expedition 18 crew, spending 6 months at the station. Magnus replaces Greg Chamitoff, who takes the final seat for the landing of STS-126.

That should be enough to get you Spacers all spaced up for the weekend. At the moment there is a 60 percent chance of favourable weather for the launch at 7:55 pm EST, so it's looking good for a spacey weekend.

Happy Spacing Spacers!
SpaceHead!

Endeavour Breaks The Fast

Hello Spacers!

Well, it has been a long fast from the food of shuttle launches, but on November 14th Space Shuttle Endeavour is set to break that fast and launch once again to the International Space Station (ISS). Woohoo!!!

There has been some human spaceflight activity since the last launch way back on May 31st, when Discovery actually damaged the launch pad. The repairs are all complete now, and thanks to the Russian space program it was not an entirely launch free summer. For the ISS we had a Progress launch which delivered fresh cargo and supplies on September 10th, Expedition 18 launched on October 12th with Commander Edward Michael "Mike" Fincke and Flight Engineer Yury Valentinovich Lonchakov on board for a six month stay.

Also of note, China launched their first spacewalking mission on September 25th, and congratulations to that nation as they join the ranks of those brave enough to step off the doorstep of planet Earth. India, although not a manned flight, launched its Chandrayaan 1 moon mission on October 22nd joining the worldwide drive to gather information on the Moon as we get closer to returning to our iconic natural satellite.

Just a quick note from me on all this activity. I grow increasingly proud of the nations of this world as they break the ties of our planet and move outward into the cosmos. There is so much holding us back that we need to put as many fingers into the space pie as we can to fight the forces that would seek to have us return to the stone age. I especially applaud those who enter into the spirit of spaceflight with comfort alongside religions and religious beliefs, for inside many creeds and faiths there are many powerful and misguided souls who seek to denegrate all things science. Even in the USA, the undisputed and long time leader in space science, those lost souls seek to steer mankind away from a future where Mother Earth is not the only egg in the basket of humanity.

Look out for Spacers to pick up the pace once again as we approach launch day.

Until then, happy spacing, Spacers!
SpaceHead!

Discovery Damages Pad!

Okay, so I've been away from the keyboard for a while... but space boldly goes on regardless!

Last Saturday (May 31st) Space Shuttle Discovery launched on the second of three missions to add the Japanese Kibo laboratory to the International Space Station, and in the process managed to actually damage the launch pad! Launches are known to be extremely violent events, so much so that absolutely NO personnel are permitted within a few miles of the pad. Space Shuttles are heavy beasties on their own, but for this mission, Discovery carried in her belly the largest piece of hardware ever to be launched using the reusable vehicle - the main Kibo laboratory. Every pound of weight on the launch pad required roughly ten pounds of extra fuel to launch, which isn't too difficult to imagine since fuel itself has weight. This particular launch unleashed the biggest surge of energy since the Apollo program, and parts the ageing pad crumbled under the strain.


In the image above, large chunks of concrete can be seen splashing into the water after being hurled into the air by the force of the launch.


And the damage can clearly be seen after the smoke and dust clears. The so called "flame trench" has to withstand not only incredible heat, but also tremendous pressure from the solid rocket boosters and Space Shuttle main engines.


Debris litters the roads surrounding the pad after the launch.

Watch this space for details of the mission.

Happy Spacing Spacers!

SpaceHead

At Whitson's End

Peggy Whitson, commander of Expedition 16 on the International Space Station, and holder of the record for longest cumulative time in space for an American, ended her tenure with a landing in Kazakhstan with her crewmate Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, and South Korea's first astronaut, 29-year-old bioengineer Yi So-yeon.



Yi described their descent through reentry as "Really scary" as a glitch in the descent profile caused their Soyuz capsule to go through a "ballistic reentry", whereby a much steeper drop through the atmosphere inflicts much higher G loads on the occupants.



Expedition 17 is settling in to their new home and is awaiting the arrival of the STS-124 Space Shuttle mission due to launch on May 31st. Keep an eye on Spacers for coverage of the mission!

Happy Spacing, Spacers!

SpaceHead

Jules Verne practices approaching

The European Jules Verne spacecraft practiced approaching the ISS on Monday, coming within 36 feet of the orbiting complex. In a series of maneuvres on "Demo Day 2", European ground controllers coordinated with NASA controllers and the crew aboard ISS which proved the automated capability of the craft.



So, what's so special about all this then?

Well, we've all seen the science fiction stuff where automatic spacecraft do crazy stuff without even a hint of people intervention. But, when it comes down to it we here in the real world have very little practical and technical experience of such automation. This is why the space community is very excited about the weeks of tests that Jules Verne is going through, basically it is putting into practice what we have been capable of in theory for years.

So, why don't the just dock the darned thing then?

It's true that one of the purposes of JV is to resupply the ISS, and it certainly contains a bagful of goodies for the crew. But the primary purpose for this first ATV mission is to prove several really cool new technologies. For instance - Command based flight. This is where a computer that is well versed and intelligent in space travel, is flown simply by giving it a command. Think about it, to fly something in space, there are a lot of variables you need to know. Jules Verne has the know how to do this, and also a wealth of sensory information such as distance and GPS. A language of commands is defined, then a controller simply asks JV to, for example, back off... and it does so, fully aware of its surroundings and capable of altering the way in which it backs off should the unforseen happen.

The practical aspects of this are invaluable for applications where communication times are not instantaneous - like the 20 minute delay to Mars. As a result of this, remote craft can now operate autonomously and make informed decisions about how to carry out a command.

Keep watching NASA TV this week and look out for Jules Verne docking on Thursday.

Keep the Space, Spacers!

SpaceHead

The Longest Mission Ends

STS-123, the longest ISS assembly mission has come to an end with a night landing of Endeavour at Kennedy Space Center.

Thanks to all the Spacers who watched as mankind continued the most difficult project in the entire known history of the human species.

Keep watching this space for news on Jules Verne and the next Shuttle mission in May.

SpaceHead