SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Zaxxon »

It really is absurd when you lay it all out like this...
SpaceX launched its first Falcon 9 rocket on June 4, 2010, nearly a dozen years ago. During those first years, the company grappled with a whole host of challenges, from things as seemingly simple as trying to transport the rocket over land instead of by sea or air to more demanding tasks such as producing enough Merlin engines.

The company's first 50 flights took nearly eight years to complete, and in that time SpaceX engineers and technicians learned much about building large rockets, testing and transporting them, and then flying them. From 2010 to early 2018 SpaceX would make three major "block" upgrades to the rocket, as well as debuting the Falcon Heavy variant of the booster.

During this learning period of activity, SpaceX managed to launch a Falcon 9 rocket only every 56.6 days. As it started to experiment with reusing the first stage, of its first 50 launches, seven of those were on reused rockets. Also during this learning period, SpaceX had one launch failure, CRS-7 in 2015, and one failure during pre-launch activities, the Amos-6 accident in 2016.

...

SpaceX launched its 51st rocket on March 30, 2018, and flew its 100th on November 25, 2020. During this period the company began to fly the rocket more frequently, averaging a launch every 19.4 days. And of these 50 launches, 35 were reused.

...

SpaceX launched its 101st mission on December 6, 2020, to supply cargo to the International Space Station. It flew its 150th on Wednesday, launching the Crew-4 mission for the US space agency, carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station.

During this period SpaceX has flown the Block 5 version of the Falcon 9 rocket exclusively, launching a booster on average every 10.1 days. Remarkably, of the company's last 50 rocket launches, 47 have used a previously flown first stage booster.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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FAA delays environmental review of SpaceX's Starship yet another month, to May 31
We'll have to wait at least another month to see the results of the U.S Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) environmental review of SpaceX's Starship program.

The FAA has been working for months on that review — officially known as a programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) — which is assessing the environmental impacts of Starbase, the South Texas site where SpaceX has been building and testing its huge Starship vehicle.

The agency published a draft PEA in September and estimated that the final version would be wrapped up by the end of the year. But the FAA has repeatedly delayed the final PEA, generally by a month at a time, citing the need to analyze the public comments submitted in response to the draft report and discuss next steps with other government agencies.

Late last month, the FAA told us that it expected to release the final PEA today (April 29) — but that's not going to happen.

"The FAA plans to release the Final PEA on May 31, 2022. The FAA is finalizing the review of the Final PEA, including responding to comments and ensuring consistency with SpaceX's licensing application," FAA officials wrote in an update today.

"The FAA is also completing consultation and confirming mitigations for the proposed SpaceX operations," they added. "All consultations must be complete before the FAA can issue the Final PEA."
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Spoiler:
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Holman »

Zaxxon wrote: Sun May 01, 2022 1:25 pm
That's amazing. Just amazing.

There was so much pessimism about this incredibly complex and ambitious project. I'm sure NASA had press releases prepared all along for various scenarios of partial malfunction or failure.

But here we are: everything works great, and the knowledge to be gained is almost limitless.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Don't start popping the champagne yet... James Webb Space Telescope faces crucial test of thermal stability
NASA's new deep-space observatory will soon move between hot and cold in a crucial test of its infrared viewing capabilities.

The James Webb Space Telescope, which just finished its alignment phase last week with sharp images of distant stars, is preparing a thermal stability test. This daring gauntlet will deliberately turn the observatory between positions where it receives more or less sunlight. The goal is to make sure the $10 billion observatory can sail through its science work despite the extremes of space and without sacrificing the quality of its images, its pointing ability or other vital abilities that will keep it focused on the early universe.

"The thermal stability exercise will measure these changes by moving between the extremes of Webb's field of view, from the hot to the cold attitude, spending multiple days in the cold attitude, then slewing back to the hot attitude," Erin Smith, Webb deputy observatory project scientist, said in a Saturday (April 29) agency statement.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Cost-plus on the way out?

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Zaxxon wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 11:01 am Cost-plus on the way out?
Don't you believe it. What it will become is something like contractor bids a certain price to do a project under fixed price. Then the contractor runs into issues, says they can't complete the project without more money. NASA will grumble and grunt but realize that their overall program will be torpedoed with this contractor's project. So they will alter the contract to add money. Basically it's cost-plus, just more work for the contract lawyers.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Very good article, 30 years after Intelsat VI rescue, Northrop Grumman aims to make in-space servicing a permanent reality
On 7 May 1992, Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off on her first voyage at 23:40 UTC from Pad-B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Her target: Intelsat VI F-3 (now known as Intelsat 603). The goal: rendezvous with, repair, and re-release the satellite.

In the now-30 years since that mission, on-orbit satellite repair and servicing have largely languished — save for the five Hubble servicing missions Endeavour and the Shuttle fleet would conduct after STS-49.

Northrop Grumman now aims to change that in 2024 when their new Mission Robotic Vehicle and Mission Extension Pods begin launching to perform on-orbit satellite servicing and repairs.


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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Hrdina »

Oooh,I'm gonna have to watch that when I have a spare half-hour.

I remember watching as much of that mission live as I could at the time (via NASA TV on our cable system IIRC).
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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As Centaur turns 60 years old, ULA prepares to evolve Centaur V
60 years ago, on May 8, 1962, Atlas-LV3C Centaur-A – designated Atlas Centaur-1 (AC-1) – lifted off from the newly-constructed Launch Complex-36A (LC-36A). AC-1 was the first flight test of the hydrogen-powered Centaur upper stage. Since the maiden flight of Centaur, the stage has flown on several different rocket families across six decades. Centaur has launched military, commercial, and science missions allowing access to every planetary body in the solar system and even beyond.

As of early May 2022, 263 flight-capable Centaur upper stages have flown and continue to operate on the Atlas V rocket. Soon new variants of the Centaur upper stage will be introduced on United Launch Alliance (ULA)’s future Vulcan-Centaur rocket.
I was involved in the planning and implementation of the ground hardware and software changes for Centaur-G Prime, the Centaur stage which would ride to orbit in the payload bay of the Space Shuttle. Ah, we had grand ideas then...
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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After losing contact with its helicopter, NASA put the entire Mars mission on hold
The achievement of powered flight on another world is one of the great spaceflight feats of the last decade. Since its first brief hop on April 19, 2021, the Mars Ingenuity helicopter has subsequently made an additional 27 flights, traveling nearly 7 km across the surface of the red planet and scouting ahead of NASA's Perseverance rover. It has wildly exceeded the expectations and hopes of its scientists and engineers.

But recently, the small, automated helicopter has had problems with dust accumulating on its solar panels, NASA says. This dust reduces the ability of the vehicle to recharge its six lithium-ion batteries. And just as the helicopter needs all of the solar energy it can get, the northern hemisphere of Mars is approaching the dead of winter, which comes in a little more than two months.

Due to these battery issues, the helicopter's team of flight controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory lost contact with the helicopter on May 3. They had been closely monitoring the health of their tiny spacecraft, particularly the charge state of its batteries. After losing contact, the engineers figured that the Ingenuity's field-programmable gate array—essentially, its flight computer—entered into shutdown mode due to a lack of power. In such a situation, virtually all of the helicopter's on-board electronics turned off to protect them from the cold nighttime temperatures, more than 100° Fahrenheit below freezing. This included the internal clock.
Well, happily, Ingenuity did call home after about 24 hours. According to NASA, the link was stable, and the solar array managed to charge its batteries to 41 percent. The engineers say they hope to resume Ingenuity's flight campaign within the next several days after bringing the helicopter's batteries to a full charge.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Holman »

Voyager 1 is sending back odd data.

It's not aliens.
The interstellar explorer is operating normally, receiving and executing commands from Earth, along with gathering and returning science data. But readouts from the probe's attitude articulation and control system (AACS) don't reflect what's actually happening onboard.

The AACS controls the 45-year-old spacecraft's orientation. Among other tasks, it keeps Voyager 1's high-gain antenna pointed precisely at Earth, enabling it to send data home. All signs suggest the AACS is still working, but the telemetry data it's returning is invalid. For instance, the data may appear to be randomly generated, or does not reflect any possible state the AACS could be in.
I didn't know that Vger was still sending data back at all. I'd assumed it was just a message in a bottle by now.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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The Boeing Starliner launch to the ISS is this evening at 6:54pm
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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So Voyager is failing? Losing its mind?
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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When Voyager launched nobody knew that a spacecraft could live for 45 years. The Space Age itself was only 20 years old.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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jztemple2 wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 2:06 pm The Boeing Starliner launch to the ISS is this evening at 6:54pm
Fingers crossed. T-1 hour and change.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Daehawk wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 2:17 pm So Voyager is failing? Losing its mind?
I would give an entire paycheck* if the head of NASA would call a press conference and show up in a bald cap and robe to announce the emergence of V'Ger, the first sentient AI in human history.

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Only Shatner's hairpiece can save us!
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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See Boeing's Starliner launch tonight from southeastern US (visibility map)
Boeing's Starliner capsule will launch on a crucial test mission to the International Space Station this evening (May 19), and many folks in the southeastern U.S. will be able to see the action with their own eyes.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Starliner makes first docking with ISS on OFT-2 mission
A day into its OFT-2 mission, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station for the first time. Starliner’s docking, which marks a major milestone in Boeing’s demonstration flight for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, occurred at 8:28 PM EDT on Friday (00:28 UTC on Saturday).

The Orbital Test Flight 2 (OFT-2) mission is the second uncrewed test flight of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner capsule, which was necessary due to the failure of the original OFT mission to complete its objectives in 2019. Starliner successfully lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Thursday, atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. This began a 24-hour chase that ended in its docking with the International Space Station on Friday.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Video game character becomes real 'Kerbalnaut' on Boeing Starliner
In the spaceflight simulation game Kerbal Space Program, if the rocket you design does not reach its desired orbit or destination, you return to the (virtual) hangar to try to correct your problems and then launch again.

It seems only appropriate then that the first real-life flight of a Kerbal — the green humanoid aliens that populate the video game — should be on Boeing's second attempt and first success at docking its CST-100 Starliner crew spacecraft to the International Space Station.

Jebediah Kerman, or "Jeb" as he is better known to Kerbal Space Program fans, is one of four original "Kerbonauts" in the game and now the first to actually be launched into space — in the form of a plush toy. Jeb officially flew as the "zero-g indicator" for Boeing's Starliner Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2), which arrived at the space station on Friday (May 20), the day after launching on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral and two and half years after the first Starliner test flight was cut short by software issues.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Isgrimnur wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 7:23 pm Still a few bugs
The docking was delayed again after a problem with the mechanism Starliner uses to dock with the station forced controllers to retract the system and then extend it a second time to reset it.
...
On the way to the station, two of Starliner’s 12 main thrusters failed shortly after launch and the spacecraft’s temperature control system also malfunctioned.

Boeing blamed the thruster problem on a drop in pressure in the thruster chamber. But the company also said the capsule’s flight control system automatically fired a third thruster as a backup, which completed the burn.
...
[Mark Nappi, a Boeing vice president who oversees the Starliner program,] said it was not entirely clear what caused the problem with the drop in pressure and added that since the thrusters are located on the service module, which is discarded during the return flight, “we may never know what the real cause of this is.”
...
Boeing also said it was continuing to monitor problems with the thermal control system, which is designed to keep the capsule’s systems at the right temperature as it flies through the vacuum of space. Spokesman Steve Siceloff said during a live broadcast of the docking that the company had been able to overcome the problem by making “manual adjustments to the cooling system that would normally be automated.”
This is the advantage that SpaceX had in flying the unmanned Cargo Dragon to work out bugs like this. Those problems that Starliner just had will no doubt cause more delay in flying the first manned mission. And imagine what NASA has to look forward to with the first Orion mission, especially since the first mission will be six weeks long.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Good luck up there Jeb. We're all counting on you.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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NASA unveils Artemis 1 moon mission launch windows through mid-2023
Here's a look at the launch windows remaining in 2022.
• July 26 – Aug. 10: 13 launch opportunities, excluding Aug. 1, 2, and 6;
• Aug. 23 – Sept. 6: 12 launch opportunities, excluding Aug. 30, 31, and Sept. 1;
• Sept. 20 – Oct. 4: 14 launch opportunities, excluding Sept. 29;
• Oct. 17 – Oct. 31:11 launch opportunities, excluding Oct. 24, 25, 26, and 28;
• Nov. 12 – Nov. 27: 12 launch opportunities, excluding Nov. 20, 21, and 26;
• Dec. 9 – Dec. 23: 11 launch opportunities, excluding Dec. 10, 14, 18, and 23;
"Because of their size, the sphere-shaped tanks used to store cryogenic propellant at the launch pad can only supply a limited number of launch attempts depending on the type of propellant," the agency added. Essentially, any week only has three maximum launch attempts available due to the core stage tanking process.

Because liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen are loaded into the core stage and upper stage on launch day, engineers must wait 48 hours to make a second launch attempt. A third attempt must wait an additional 72 hours, "due to the need to resupply the cryogenic storage sphere with more propellant from nearby sources," NASA said.
NASA outlined four main constraints when it comes to planning launch dates, aside from the fueling operations.

The first is to make sure that the moon is within reach of the massive SLS rocket's upper stage, which will perform a trans-lunar injection to move the Orion spacecraft towards the moon. Orion will then fly in a distant retrograde orbit. (Retrograde means that it will orbit the moon in the opposite direction to that in which the moon spins.)

The second constraint is making sure Orion's solar panels are not out of the sun for more than 90 minutes, so that the spacecraft has enough electricity to operate and to stay at a healthy temperature range. Orbital dynamicists must take into account the positions of the Earth, moon and sun (which pull upon the spacecraft with their gravity) as well as the "state of charge" on the battery to plot this out properly.

The third constraint is making sure Orion can perform a "skip entry" when returning to Earth, which is only allowable with certain launch dates. Orion will use the upper part of Earth's atmosphere, along with its inherent lift, to slow down a bit while skipping deliberately out of the atmosphere temporarily. Then it will re-enter for final descent and splashdown.

"The technique allows engineers to pinpoint Orion's splashdown location and on future missions, will help lower the [gravity] loads astronauts inside the spacecraft will experience, and maintain the spacecraft's structural loads within design limits," NASA stated.
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Lastly, Orion must launch at a time to allow for daylight recovery conditions after splashdown to assist in recovery operations. This will be especially crucial when people are on board.

The launching date of the mission will also determine how long Orion is in space. The mission will either be between 26 and 28 days long, or between 38 and 42 days.

"The mission duration is varied by performing either a half lap or 1.5 laps around the Moon in the distant retrograde orbit, before returning to Earth," NASA said.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Can you put some odds on those launch windows for us?
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Hrothgar wrote: Sun May 22, 2022 4:29 pm Can you put some odds on those launch windows for us?
From what I've heard a late summer launch is still possible, but there hasn't been all that much news lately.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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And now we have some news! From the NASA Artemis blog, Artemis I Moon Rocket to Return to Launch Pad 39B in Early June
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are slated to return to launch pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in early June for the next wet dress rehearsal attempt.
Following completion of a few remaining verifications, teams will retract platforms inside the VAB to prepare SLS and Orion to roll out to pad 39B. Plans call for the next wet dress rehearsal to take place about 14 days after the rocket arrives at the pad.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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From the NASA Artemis blog, June 6 Set for Artemis I Moon Rocket to Roll for Next Tanking Test
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are targeted to return to launch pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 6, for the next wet dress rehearsal attempt ahead of the Artemis I mission. First motion is currently slated for 12:01a, the morning of the 6th with tanking operations to begin no earlier than June 19.

The rehearsal is the final test needed before launch and calls for NASA to load propellant into the rocket’s tanks, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and drain the tanks to practice the timelines and procedures that will be used for launch.

While inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), teams completed several major objectives, including assessing the liquid hydrogen system leak at the tail service mast umbilical, replacing the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) gaseous helium system check valve and support hardware, and modifying the ICPS umbilical purge boots. The addition of hazardous gas detectors above the upper stage allows for additional visibility into any potential leaks during cryogenic operations.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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A Spectacular Meteor Shower Might Hit Us This Weekend. Here's What to Expect

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The story begins with a comet called 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 (comet SW3 for short). First spotted in 1930, it is responsible for a weak meteor shower called the Tau Herculids, which nowadays appears to radiate from a point about ten degrees from the bright star Arcturus.

In 1995, comet SW3 suddenly and unexpectedly brightened. A number of outbursts were observed over a few months. The comet had catastrophically fragmented, releasing huge amounts of dust, gas, and debris.

By 2006 (two orbits later), comet SW3 had disintegrated further, into several bright fragments accompanied by many smaller chunks.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Today's space news: FAA delays environmental review of SpaceX's Starship 2 more weeks, to June 13
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has delayed the completion of its environmental review of SpaceX's Starship program by another two weeks, to June 13.

That review, known as a programmatic environmental assessment (PEA), is gauging the environmental impacts of SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas, where the company builds and tests its giant Starship vehicle.

The FAA released a draft PEA last September, saying at the time that the final report would likely be done by the end of the year. But the agency has repeatedly pushed the deadline back, saying it needs more time to consult with other government departments and analyze the thousands of public comments submitted in response to the draft.
And for those who might be thinking of visiting the Kennedy Space Center, Inside Kennedy Space Center's new Gateway attraction
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex's newest attraction is designed to let visitors explore not only the present, but also the future of space travel. ​​Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex, which opens on June 15, is a 50,000 square foot, multi-level attraction with interactive exhibits, models and real space artifacts.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Zaxxon »

At least this FAA delay reads differently from all the prior delays--they seem actually close this time (and accordingly delayed only two weeks rather than a month).
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Somewhat space related, Kennedy Space Center [Visitor Center] raises admission prices, adds new ticket option
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is raising admission prices as well as introducing a new two-day ticket option. ​​​Currently, a single-day ticket to the complex costs $57 for adults and $47 for children ages 3-11. But starting June 20, those prices will increase to $75 for adults and $65 children. Tickets for military members and seniors as well as annual passes will also see an increase.

The complex last raised prices in 2018.

With the price increase, Kennedy Space Center is also adding a new ticket option to accommodate “growing demand for multi-day visits.” The two-day ticket, which can be used up to six months from purchase, will cost $89 for adults and $79 for children. The changes come as the complex adds its newest attraction, Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex, which debuts June 15.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by jztemple2 »

Another big update from NASASpaceflight.com, covering SpaceX activities at Boca Chica and the Kennedy Space Center, Starbase orbital duo preps for Static Fire campaign – KSC Starship Progress
SpaceX’s Starbase is heading into its latest phase of milestones for Starship, with the high likelihood the FAA is close to approving a critical checkpoint for its rapidly reusable launch vehicle, paving the way for the orbital launch attempt of Booster 7 with Ship 24.

Both the Booster and the Ship are progressing towards Static Fire attempts this month, with Ship 24 passing cryogenic proof testing before heading back to the Production Site for its Raptors, and Booster 7 set to return to the launch site with all 33 of its Raptor 2s.
While some claim FAA is the hold up for Starship plans, even if the FAA had approved a launch in December of last year, SpaceX likely still would not have been ready for an orbital launch.

It was initially expected that Ship 20 and Booster 4 would make the debut orbital flight, and both vehicles made it through significant testing. However, SpaceX’s mind was changed, or something broke, because Booster 4 never performed even a single static fire test – even though it had all engines properly installed. It still resides out at the launch site, as a retired booster.

Regardless, the ground support infrastructure was not – and still is not – complete for an orbital flight.

SpaceX installed new methane tanks to replace the flawed Starship-derived ones. Those new tanks have only recently begun to be filled, meaning they were only recently certified. So even if everything else has been ready, there would have been no way to get methane into the full Starship stack.

And even today, the new set of vehicles are still not ready for flight.

SpaceX must also work towards gaining a launch license for the orbital test flight.
Elon recently shared a render of how the Roberts Road [Kennedy Space Center] complex will look once all significant work is done, and this cosmetic work can be seen on that same corner of the Hangar X building.

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Video of activities at the Cape, including SLS, Astra and Blue Origin:
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Max Peck
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Max Peck »

Small space rock hits $10B James Webb Space Telescope
A tiny meteoroid struck the newly deployed James Webb Space Telescope in May, knocking one of its gold-plated mirrors out of alignment but not changing the orbiting observatory's schedule to become fully operational shortly, NASA said on Wednesday.

The little space rock hit the $10 billion telescope sometime in late May and left a small but noticeable effect in the telescope's data, NASA said in a statement, noting that it was the fifth and largest hit to the telescope since its December launch.

"After initial assessments, the team found the telescope is still performing at a level that exceeds all mission requirements," NASA said. "Thorough analysis and measurements are ongoing."

Engineers have begun a delicate readjustment of the impacted mirror segment to help "cancel out a portion of the distortion" caused by the micrometeoroid, NASA said.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Unagi »

5th in as many months…. Yikes. I hope this thing isn’t too exposed.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by jztemple2 »

Meanwhile, for your weekend reading, a PDF! From NASA's Office of Inspector General/Office of Audits: NASA’s Management of the Mobile Launcher 2 Contract. Don't feel like reading all 54 pages? Here's what they had to say under the heading What We Found which I put in spoiler tags to avoid blinding people with too much sudden text :wink:
Spoiler:
NASA is estimated to spend approximately a billion dollars or at least 2.5 times more than initially planned for the ML-2 contract with final delivery of the launcher to NASA expected to take at least 2.5 years longer than initially planned. As of March 2022, NASA had obligated $435.6 million of Bechtel’s current $460.3 million contract value and extended the contract’s performance period 10 months. However, as of May 2022, design work on the ML-2 was still incomplete and Bechtel officials do not expect construction to begin until the first quarter of fiscal year 2023 at the earliest. To complete contract requirements and deliver an operational ML-2, Bechtel estimates it will need an additional $577.1 million, bringing the structure’s total projected cost to $960.1 million coupled with an October 2025 rather than March 2023 delivery date. We expect further cost increases as inevitable technical challenges arise when ML-2 construction begins. Given the time NASA requires for additional testing once the structure is delivered, the earliest the ML-2 will be available for Artemis IV is November 2026.

Compounding Bechtel’s projected cost increases and schedule delays, an ML-2 project analysis provided only a 3.9 percent confidence level that the nearly $1 billion cost and October 2025 delivery estimates were accurate. NASA requires projects to develop budgets and schedules consistent with a 70 percent joint cost and schedule confidence level (JCL), meaning a 70 percent likelihood the project will finish equal to or less than the planned costs and schedule. In fact, an Independent Review Team analysis determined the project would require an additional $447 million and 27 months, for a total contract value of $1.5 billion and a launcher delivery date of December 2027—a schedule that would enable an Artemis IV launch no earlier than the end of 2028. Further, while the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program, which manages the ML-2 project, established a formal Agency Baseline Commitment (ABC) for the overall EGS Program—the cost and schedule baseline against which a project is measured—NASA has not established a separate ABC for the ML-2, a recommendation we made in our March 2020 report.

The ML-2’s substantial cost increases and schedule delays can be attributed primarily to Bechtel’s poor performance on the contract, with more than 70 percent ($421.1 million) of the contract’s cost increases and over 1.5 years of delays related to its performance. For example, Bechtel underestimated the ML-2 project’s scope and complexity, experienced ML-2 weight management challenges, and experienced staffing turnover and retention issues. Additionally, Bechtel’s lack of a certified EVMS since inception of the ML-2 contract—a contractually required tool for measuring and assessing project performance—has limited NASA’s insight into the project’s cost and schedule issues. Bechtel’s performance notwithstanding, NASA’s management practices contributed to the project’s cost increases and schedule delays. NASA awarded the ML-2 contract while the Exploration Upper Stage—the primary reason NASA needed a second mobile launcher—lacked final requirements, impacting the ML-2 design. With respect to contract management, while NASA withheld award fees for a 6-month performance period in spring 2021 due to Bechtel’s poor performance, the Agency did not continue this practice despite the contractor’s continued poor performance in the subsequent award period. Therefore, we question nearly $3 million in award fees NASA awarded to Bechtel for this period.

During this audit, we urged NASA to take immediate corrective action given the substantial concerns surrounding Bechtel’s performance. Bechtel has developed a recovery plan focused on addressing weight concerns and updating the project’s cost and schedule, while NASA is assessing whether to transition to a fixed-price contract in the construction phase. It is too early to tell what impact, if any, these efforts will have on improving the trajectory of the project.

Subsequent to the completion of our audit work, we learned the Agency rated Bechtel's performance for the award fee period ending in March 2022 as "unsatisfactory," resulting in no award fee for this period. Additionally, Bechtel developed a revised interim cost and schedule estimate that projected even higher contract costs and delivery of the ML-2 to NASA in late 2026—more than 3.5 years later than originally promised. While we did not evaluate Bechtel's revised cost and schedule estimate or award fee rating as part of this audit, we will examine both as we continue to monitor NASA’s management of the ML-2 contract.
The tl;dr version is that the contract for the building of ML-2, which is required for the Artemis IV and beyond missions, is way over budget and way behind schedule. The schedule was for a cost of $460 million with a completion in March 2023. An Independent Review Team analysis performed for the IG's office notes an only 70% likelihood of the ML-2 completion by December 2027 with total cost of 1.5 billion dollars. And, amazingly, the NASA Artemis program office continued to give the contractor Bechtel their award fee bonuses in spite of Bechtel actually failing the requirements of the award fee. The report was also critical of NASA's oversight of their contractor.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Daehawk »

Hubble was protected in a way inside a tube but JW is just out there it seems.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Unagi »

Daehawk wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 6:20 pm Hubble was protected in a way inside a tube but JW is just out there it seems.
More so, it's not even in Earth's orbit, but is actually in orbit around the sun - at our L2
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Lagrange points are positions in space where objects sent there tend to stay put. At Lagrange points, the gravitational pull of two large masses precisely equals the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them. These points in space can be used by spacecraft to reduce fuel consumption needed to remain in position.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Hrdina »

Was there some kind of test firing at KSC on Friday (May 27)?

My wife and I were walking out on the wildlife trail at Merritt Island Refuge when I heard a low rumbling in the distance. We eventually saw a small amount of smoke (definitely not enough for a launch).

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The funny thing was that I think that we were over on the Cruickshank Trail, looking toward the Observation Tower from the roadway. If that were true then I would have been looking back toward the mainland and not KSC. It's possible we were at the Wild Bird Trail instead, in which case it could have come from the direction of KSC. I took the photo with my 35 mm camera and not my phone, so it doesn't have location information embedded.

It's also possible that this small amount of smoke was totally unrelated to the sound. :D
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