Space News thread

[Takeovers]

Boeing did a second unmanned flight of their Starliner capsule. They had to repeat the flight after the first try was an unmitigated disaster with multiple failures. Biggest was failure of the maneuvering thrusters.

This time Boeing did reach the ISS and docked there. But again some failures of thrusters. Looking forward to how NASA will evaluate the results. Lobbying power may spare Boeing a third unmanned test after redesign of the thruster system.

In unrelated news: The contracts with SpaceX and Boeing give each company 6 crew launches to the ISS. With ISS expected to operate until 2030, NASA needs more than that, 2 crew launches every year. NASA had purchased 3 extra launches from SpaceX. Directly after the recent Boeing demo flight NASA purchased another 5 launches from SpaceX. That's now 14 launches from SpaceX, 4 of which have been done already. Plus 6 from Boeing. NASA has now contracted all launches needed until 2030, all extra launches going to SpaceX.

An article from Eric Berger on arstechnica on the matter.

NASA just bought the rest of the space station crew flights from SpaceX | Ars Technica

SpaceX also has a number of contracts with private customers.

Axiom space, who are building private space station modules, that will initially be docked to the ISS but will later form their own space station.

Polaris Dawn, a group that closely cooperates with SpaceX in space operations. They will do some Dragon flights initially, later switching to crew flights on Starship.

[Takeovers]

NASA makes another attempt of testing their SLS for flight. It just rolled out from the famous assembly building to the launch pad LC-39B.


The launch platform rolling out.

Platform with launch tower and SLS rocket.

The test is intended to be a wet dress rehearsal. Which means fueling the first and second stage. Then detank and roll back to the VAB for final launch preparations.

NASA had an attempt in April. Fueling the second stage failed due to some faulty valve. They decided to just do tanking of the first stage, but that too failed due to faulty valves. They rolled the full SLS stack back to the VAB for repairs and now attempt a second try. Assuming things go well this time they can launch in August 2022.

[Edmond]

3 Chinese astronauts docked at the Tiangong space station for a 6 month tour.


What's your take on the Chinese space station, TO? In terms of quality, reliability, and the missions that they conduct on it? Compared to the ISS.

Cheers.

[Takeovers]

What's your take on the Chinese space station, TO? In terms of quality, reliability, and the missions that they conduct on it? Compared to the ISS.

It's hard to say, we do not have that much actual info. They are still behind but are catching up. It does look reasonably good. Their space station is being expanded. New modules are on the way. It looks a little less cluttered than the ISS, but let's see how that changes over time. I say, China is not in a space race. They are building up capabilities on their own pace.

A small trivia info. The female Chinese astronaut sang a little song to Chinese Kindergarten children. A Chinese version of "Twinkle, Twinkle little Star".

[Takeovers]

NASA has selected 2 providers for new space suits after abandoning their own development xEMU. Technology developed for xEMU will be available for both companies to use as they see fit.

A good YouTube video by Scott Manley. Some info on the suits but not that much yet.



During the announcement press conference by NASA space journalists were able to ask some questions. Eric Berger, known for critical coverage of SLS, asked the question, why is the space suit contract more expensive than the contract for a Crew lunar lander? How mean. The NASA people struggled a bit on finding an answer. They came up with HLS has only 1 landing. The space suits are for many purposes. Which is actually not true, the SpaceX contract has 2 lunar landings, one unmanned precursor and one manned landing.

[Edmond]

^^ Cool, cheers.

Wang Yaping can sing to me anytime she wants.

[DrWilly]

Ancient Ryugu asteroid sample sheds new light on solar system's creation

The Hayabusa-2 probe touched down to collect samples from the asteroid Ryugu in 2019.



A Japanese space capsule that landed in South Australia's outback 18 months ago is now helping scientists understand more about the creation of the solar system.
Key points:

• A sample taken from the Ryugu asteroid shows that it was formed about 4.6 billion years ago
• Scientists say it coincides with the creation of the solar system
• Months of analysis shows the asteroid is similar to the outer layer of the sun

In December 2020, Hayabusa2 streaked across the desert sky directly over Coober Pedy in the state's remote far north as it entered the Earth's atmosphere and plummeted towards its landing site.
It was carrying precious cargo: a canister with samples of dust and pebbles from the ancient asteroid, Ryugu.
Seconds later, it touched down in the Woomera Prohibited Area as NASA scientists flew above in a specialised jet, tracking the capsule's location.
Until that moment, Hayabusa2 had been travelling through space for six years, covering more than 5.2 billion kilometres to Ryugu and back.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.[COLOR=var(--card-media-indicator-text,#fff)]
WATCHDuration: 1 minute 8 seconds1m 8s






The Hayabusa2 capsule shot across the outback sky early on Sunday.(ABC News)It had one final leg of its journey to make, a private jet back to the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) where scientists carefully opened the capsule.
Now, 18 months on, the experts behind this mission can reveal what they have discovered.
'Pristine' asteroid

University of Queensland planetary scientist Trevor Ireland has been working on the Hayabusa mission since 2004 and says the meteorite Ryugu is ancient.
"Really the Ryugu samples may actually be the most pristine example of this very rare type of asteroid," Professor Ireland said.


Queensland University planetary scientist Trevor Ireland at Woomera in 2020 during the Hayabusa-2 landing.(Supplied: Trevor Ireland)"[They] will allow us to look back into what the chemistry of the solar system looked like in the earliest days."
Months of analysis of the asteroid samples have found that Ryugu is similar to the outer layer of the sun.
The research suggests it was formed around the same time as the solar system: about 4.6 billion years ago.
"When we look back, we find that this actual rock of Ryugu and [its] CI chondrites actually formed about three million years after the earliest inclusions that we can see a meteorite," he said.
"So this is really pushing back into the earliest times of the solar system.
"Having a sample from that early on is really amazing."


The surface of the asteroid Ryugu at an altitude of about 64 metres.(Supplied: JAXA)This sample shows that Ryugu is very similar to the Ivuna meteorite, which fell to Earth in Tanzania in 1938.
Flinders University space archaeologist Alice Gorman said the findings give scientists a glimpse into the early stages of the solar system.
"What this new research has shown is that Ryugu preserves all of the evidence of this early phase of evolution of the solar system," Associate Professor Gorman said.
"The more we know about how they came to be, the more we will understand about how life ended up forming on Earth and what our sort of broader place in the cosmos is.
"I think that's something that is quite critical to know when we are grappling with climate change and we need that bigger context."

Ancient Ryugu asteroid sample sheds new light on solar system'''s creation - ABC News


[/COLOR]

[misskit]

Thailand’s Theos-2 Satellite Set to Launch in 2023

BANGKOK (NNT)?- Theos-2, Thailand’s first earth exploration satellite, has arrived in Thailand after being assembled in the United Kingdom and will be launched in early 2023.


According to Government deputy spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek, Theos-2 was jointly developed by British satellite specialists and a team of twenty Thai engineers from the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA).


The 100-kilogram satellite is equipped with GPS, solar light intensity and magnetic field sensors, and cameras capable of capturing high-resolution images of the earth at a resolution of one square meter per pixel.


Rachada said Theos-2 is undergoing testing at the Satellite Testing Center at Space Inspirium in the Chonburi province. Once in orbit, the satellite is expected to provide crucial data and images to Thailand’s space programs.


The spokesperson stated that the satellite is part of a joint effort by four organizations to develop the nation’s aviation and space industries and enhance its competitive edge in the global aviation, logistics, and defense industries.


Rachada also reaffirmed the government’s support for the production of aircraft, spacecraft, ground service, and maintenance equipment by both the public and private sectors in order to promote Thailand as a regional hub for the aviation and space industries.

https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/d...20624133003996

[Takeovers]

China announces an attempt of bringing samples from Mars to Earth. If they can meet their timeline, they would beat the NASAK/ESA attempt for a sample return mission. The NASA mission is much more complex, but it would yield a number of very carefully selected items from different locations. The Chinese mission would yield samples from only a very small area, less thoroughly searched.

Doubts of China being able to meet their timeline are larger than doubts of the NASA timeline.

A thread about it on nasaspaceflight

Tianwen 3 - Chinese Mars sample return

[Takeovers]

NASA is planning to visit a lunar polar crater with a science rover in 2023. Polar lunar craters are very interesting, because they contain frozen volatiles like water and probably others, like CO, CO2, maybe nitrogen.

It is known, something is there, but not exactly what, besides water, and how much. volatiles would be useful for supplying a lunar manned mission and potentially producing return propellant. I am looking very much forward to results.

The mission is extremely challenging. The volatiles are in craters that are never touched by the sun and are extremely cold. That's why they don't dissipate. The rover needs to work under these conditions.

From the NASA website.

VIPER | NASA

NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, is a mobile robot that will go to the South Pole of the Moon to get a close-up view of the location and concentration of water ice that could eventually be harvested to sustain human exploration on the Moon, Mars — and beyond. VIPER represents the first resource mapping mission on another celestial body. 


VIPER is planned for delivery to the lunar surface in late 2023 under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. VIPER contributes to NASA’s efforts to partner with commercial lunar delivery services to the surface of the Moon using emerging commercial landers to deliver ready-to-fly payloads. 

[harrybarracuda]

An unassuming patch of red dirt in remote Australia has made history as the site of Nasa's first rocket launch from a commercial spaceport outside the US.


The sub-orbital rocket blasted off from the tiny site early on Monday local time.


It will enable astrophysics studies that can only be undertaken in the Southern Hemisphere, Nasa says.


The launch was also the first in Australia in more than 25 years.


The rocket is Nasa's first of three to blast off from the newly constructed Arnhem Space Centre on the edge of the Northern Territory.


Scientists hope it will help them study the impact of a star's light on the habitability of nearby planets.

Nasa launches first rocket from Australian commercial spaceport - BBC News

[misskit]

NASA calls ‘mystery’ rocket crash on moon highly unusual

NASA said a rocket of unknown national origin that crashed into the moon earlier this year produced a double crater on the surface, an unexpected feat.


The agency’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which collects data on the moon, spotted two craters after the “mystery rocket body” collided with the moon on March 4, NASA said recently.

yards in diameter and a western crater about 17.5 yards in diameter.


The agency said the double crater might indicate that the rocket had a large mass on each end of it. A rocket that has used up its fuel usually will just have its mass on the end with the motor, with the other side being an empty fuel tank.

The rocket’s origin is uncertain, but the double crater that it produced might reveal its identity, according to the release.


A rocket body hitting the moon has not created a double crater before, the release states.


The Houston Chronicle reported Thursday that no space-exploring country has claimed the rocket as their own so far.


NASA calls ‘mystery’ rocket crash on moon highly unusual | The Hill

[harrybarracuda]

It's probably chinky, they'd never admit to a fuck up the silly arses.

[harrybarracuda]

An academic-led study of astronauts has revealed the devastating impact space travel has on the human skeleton.
The research showed astronauts suffered "significant" bone loss during six-month space flights - equivalent to around two decades on Earth.


Only about half the bone loss was recovered a year after returning - raising concerns about future missions to Mars and the Moon.
Longer space missions led to increased bone loss and a reduced likelihood of recovery.
The bone loss occurs due to a lack of gravity in space, where typically weight-bearing bones on Earth are weightless.
The study was conducted on 17 astronauts - 14 men and three women with an average age of 47 - who flew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in the past seven years.
The crew hailed from US space agency NASA, the Canadian and European Space Agencies, and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Astronauts suffer 'significant' bone loss during space missions - raising concerns for future trips to Mars | World News | Sky News

[Takeovers]

An academic-led study of astronauts has revealed the devastating impact space travel has on the human skeleton.

A strange study. They talk about 6 months stay, which is the standard stay time of astronauts at the ISS. Those people do experience some health effect after stay, but nothing devastating. Many of them did multiple stays at the ISS. Also the data must be old. I recall a NASA presentation from 2016 or 2017 where NASA stated that the latest improvements of exercise reduced bone loss by a lot.

Missions to Mars have a similar time in space as an ISS stay. So 6 months to Mars and 6 months back are similar to regular 2 stays on the ISS. That is sane Mars mission profiles as intended by SpaceX. Not the insane NASA mission profile that has astronauts in space for 2 years with only a few weeks on Mars. NASA is planning that way because NASA designs are severely limited in downmass to the surface of Mars, so they need to keep surface stays short. That limitation does not apply to SpaceX Starship with 100t downmass for each of seveal ships they intend to send to Mars.

[Takeovers]

NASA calls ‘mystery’ rocket crash on moon highly unusual

It's probably chinky, they'd never admit to a fuck up the silly arses.

Not necessarily a fuck up. Departure stages of interplanetary missions go into interplanetary space and may come back later.

This incident is somewhat weird. Initially astronomers observing the vehicle thought it was a SpaceX upper stage. That turned out to not be the case. Then the leading theory was that it was indeed a chinese upper stage, but that probably was also not correct. Seems, we presently just don't know. It can be from any old interplanetary mission.

[Takeovers]

The SpaceX Starlink satellite constellation received permission to serve moving stations.

archive.ph Archive link to get around Wall Street Journal paywall

SpaceX Wins Permission to Connect Planes, Boats and Other Vehicles to Starlink Internet Service

FCC authorized Elon Musk-led company to link vehicles through its Starlink unit

This is a game changer. Passenger planes and cruise ships will be able to provide much better service at lower cost than present systems. Also most cargo ships will use that service worldwide. Long distance truckers who are on the road for months will see this as a huge benefit.

To cover all of the globe will still take some time. Service over the oceans and poles will need new satellites with laser links to transport the data. Most of the oceans will be covered by end of this year. Polar regions will take longer, probably late next year.

There were photos of Starlink dishes installed on a caribbean cruise ship. I may add them to this post, if I can find them again. Caribbean can probably be covered already, since the coast is not too far away.

This is going to bring in a lot of money for Starlink.

Edit: Starlink dishes on cruise ship freedom of the seas

[DrWilly]

[COLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6)]the deepest, sharpest infrared view of the universe to date: Webb's First Deep Field, [/COLOR][COLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6)]the image shows us galaxies once invisible to us.
[/COLOR]source www.nasa.gov/webbfirstimages

[Edmond]

That's a lot of galaxies.

With say, 100 billion stars each.
Probably 300 billion planets each.

Probably a trillion planets in this picture.


Could well be a few inter-galactical battles in this photo but we just can't zoom in that close.

[pickel]

That picture covers the same amount of space as if you held a grain of sand at arms length. The pictures coming will be even better than that one.

[malmomike77]

[COLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6)]the deepest, sharpest infrared view of the universe to date: Webb's First Deep Field, [/COLOR][COLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6)]the image shows us galaxies once invisible to us.
[/COLOR]source www.nasa.gov/webbfirstimages

Reminds me of a disco in the 70's

Lulu, have you got a formula for that?

[Edmond]

Reminds me of a disco in the 70's

have you got a formula for that?

MM77 = OF2022 (Old fart) + Alc x Angry

[Ukan Kizmiaz]

A comparison of the same area - hubble vs JWST - amazing

Hubble vs JWST - Album on Imgur

[harrybarracuda]

That's a lot of galaxies.

With say, 100 billion stars each.
Probably 300 billion planets each.

Probably a trillion planets in this picture.


Could well be a few inter-galactical battles in this photo but we just can't zoom in that close.

I couldn't help but think of this....

[Norton]

Could well be a few inter-galactical battles in this photo but we just can't zoom in that close.

Could be but likely long over. We are looking at a pic that shows us local stuff 13 billion years ago.
Amazing, mind boggling stuff.