Auf die Tagung "Satellite 2024" in Washington, 18-20 März, habe ich gestern schon verwiesen. Heute, am 2. Tag:
Zitat Christian Davenport@wapodavenport·1h On a panel at the Satellite conference, Gwynne Shotwell says SpaceX should be ready to fly Starship again in about six weeks. Says teams are still reviewing the data from the last flight and that flight 4 would not have satellites on board.
She adds that the goal for Starship this year is to reach orbit, deploy satellites and recover both stages. And of course to launch Falcon 9 148 times. 2:55 PM · Mar 19, 2024
Zitat Speaking at the Satellite 2024 conference March 19, Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, said the company was still reviewing the data from the vehicle’s third integrated launch March 14 but expected to be ready to fly again soon.
“We’re still going through the data” from the flight, she said when asked about the analysis of data from the mission. “It was an incredibly successful flight. We hit exactly where we wanted to go.”
On that launch both the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage performed as expected on its ascent, placing the vehicle on its planned suborbital trajectory. Starship’s payload door was opened while in space and a propellent transfer demonstration, moving liquid oxygen between two tanks in the vehicle, was initiated.
“We’ll figure out what happened on both stages,” she said, not discussing what may have gone wrong with either, “and get back to flight hopefully in about six weeks,” or early May.
That schedule will depend on completing a mishap investigation that must be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, which would then have to modify the existing launch license for Starship before the next launch.
Zitat Jeff Foust@jeff_foust In a Satellite 2024 panel, Isar Aerospace's Stella Guillen said they are targeting this summer for a first launch; hoping to beat RFA (and Ariane 6). #satshow 7:41 PM · Mar 20, 2024
Zitat The Ultimate Guide to Argo: Our Cost-Effective Cargo Capsule March 21, 2024
Meet Argo, our cost-effective space cargo capsule. Optimized for flexibility and reliability, Argo offers an end-to-end service at a low price point of just €150M. Led by RFA, the bidding consortium combines our expertise with that from Space Cargo Unlimited, along with partners like ATMOS Space Cargo to offer a fully reusable solution for the European Space Agency and commercial clients.
Instead of giving you a formal press release, we decided the best way to talk about Argo would be to talk directly with YOU. So, we asked you to submit any pressing questions you had about Argo and promised to answer some of them in a future post.
Chapter 1: Why Europe Needs Space Cargo Capabilities While Europe’s space capabilities are still world class, it is no longer the space power it once was due to the lack of autonomy.
But with a booming New Space industry and innovative initiatives, the doors are open to achieve the European Space Agency’s ambition to position Europe as a global space power once again by 2035. One such initiative is the competition opened by ESA in November 2023 for a European cargo service to and from space stations in Low Earth Orbit. Since the termination of ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), we have had to rely on international sources for our space cargo needs. The recent call from ESA shows their commitment to developing Europe’s future as a global space leader once more.
Argo is our answer to this call. But it’s also more than that. Argo is not “just” a supply service for space stations. It stands as a symbol of Europe’s leadership and innovation in the New Space economy.
According to the requirements of ESA, Argo is developed for use on any launcher. At a minimum, it is compatible with current and future European medium to heavy-lift launch vehicles, but can also fly with other medium or heavy-lift launch vehicles if needed.
This approach makes Argo launch agnostic and capable of offering a 100% flexible and customer-oriented service.
Although Argo is compatible with other existing and upcoming launchers, the most cost-effective solution would be to launch on our very own medium or heavy-lift launch system. This enables us to offer a full end-to-end cargo service for 4,000kg to and from orbit.
As one person pointed out, RFA ONE is indeed too small to carry Argo. But that was never our plan. ESA’s requirement is that we must launch Argo by 2028 – and by then the European Launcher Challenge will presumably provide the framework for the development of a larger RFA rocket. So we move step by step and start with our RFA ONE which, you’ll know, is due to launch in summer 2024 and is already fully booked for its two test flights.
3) When is the maiden flight planned?
Tying in nicely to the previous point, we can confirm that we plan to implement Argo’s first demo mission in 2028.
During our market research, we found a substantial global demand for cargo transportation missions. After its first demo mission in 2028, we plan to make the service commercially available from 2029 onward, with the aim to increase cadence as needed to serve the market.
Argo will be 3.7 m in diameter and 7.7 m long (without its fairing). It will have a 1:1 ratio between its up and down cargo mass – one of its most unique features. How do we achieve the same up-and-down mass? With an Inflatable Atmospheric Decelerator (IAD), provided by our partner Atmos Space Cargo.
Argo has a dry mass of 5,200 kg without cargo, a total internal pressurized volume of 27.9 cubic meters and a pressurized cargo volume of 15.5 cubic meters. It can carry up to 4,000 kg of cargo to and from orbit.
Two RFA Fenix engines will power Argo in orbit, with an additional 24x 100 N Thrusters for the Reaction Control System (RCS). The Fenix engines use bi-propellant and will already have flight heritage from RFA ONE. Argo has an estimated propellant mass of 3,082 kg.
Argo will utilize its Inflatable Atmospheric Decelerator to allow the entire vehicle to return to Earth and safely land with up to 4000 kg of cargo. The position of the Inflatable Atmospheric Decelerator (IAD) was moved from the front in Version 1 to the back in the current version, but this doesn’t change the functionality or effectiveness of the return module. We can confirm that Argo is capable of safe re-entry.
Our demo mission in 2028 will last a total of 25 days. Argo will spend three of those days getting to the ISS, 20 days docked, and 2 further days for undocking, re-entry and recovery. However, Argo is designed to service our customers and their needs. Therefore, it’s possible for Argo to remain in orbit for over one year, if required.
Argo will be fully reusable. This reusability starts from the first mission with immediate post-recovery actions like de-salting and unloading payload, followed by refurbishment. Argo returns to Earth enveloped and protected by the cutting-edge technologies of the large IAD, allowing a fast turnaround time on refurbishment and expedited reuse. This also helps keep costs low and offer short response times for emergency delivery.
Its design is based on existing technologies from our partners and also our RFA ONE and Redshift OTV. This allows us to provide modularity and be cost-competitive, but we also have the goal of full reusability. After our first demo mission with Argo, we will analyze and further refine the reusable aspects to meet our goals effectively.
Argo’s services start at 150 million EUR per launch.
Our analysis was based on publicly available information and showed that Argo is highly competitive and significantly undercuts the prices offered by competitors. For reference, ATV claimed to be 300 million EUR per launch.
Lucky for us, Argo is based on a combination of existing technology through European partnerships. Therefore, we can use a building blocks approach to build the capsule. The Fenix engines will see their first flight on RFA ONE this year. A subscale IAD has already been tested and is planned to gain its flight heritage on the SpaceX Transporter mission in 2025. And the stainless steel tanks and CFRP structures will also be flight-qualified on RFA ONE. We are confident that all critical systems of Argo will reach TRL 6 in 2026 for its first demo mission in 2028.
Mal wieder ein wenig Zahlenmagie (oder Zahlenfetischismus, je nachdem).
Vor einer Viertelstunde Start der Starlink-Mission 6-46 von Startrampe 40 in Cape Canaveral mit 23 Starlink "Mini"-Satellliten; mit Landung auf der "A Shortfall of Gravitas"
Vor gut einer Woche kam auf X die Frage auf, ob die Falcon 9, wenn sie denn einmal ihren Lauf beendet hat & durch das Starship ersetzt wird, die am öftesten gestartete Rakete der Raumfahrtgeschichte sein wird. Mit dem Hinweis darauf, daß die F9 etwas über 300 Starts hinter sich hat, die sowjetische/russische Sojus aber "mehr als 1900."
Deshalb als Gedächtnisstütze ein wenig Statistik. Auf die Zahl ">1900" kommt man nur, wenn man sämtliche Starts der verschiedenen Sojus-Varianten, einschließlich der R-7, der ersten Interkontinentalrakete überhaupt (ab Mai 1957), addiert. Für die einzelnen Modelle sieht das wie folgt aus (Variante, Einsatzzeitraum, Zahl der Starts/der Fehlstarts):
Auch die F9 ist nur ein Modell einer Reihe (begonnen mit der F1 mit 3 Fehlstarts 2006-8, plus der Falcon Heavy), Erstflug 2010. Der Start vorhin war der 314. Start einer F9; mit der 214. erfolgreichen Landung in Folge.
Roskosmos hat im vergangenen Jahr 16 Starts absolviert; in diesem Jahr bislang 3. Die F9 hat 2023 insgesamt 86 Starts absolviert; in diesem Jahr 29 (in den nächsten 4 Tagen stehen 3 weitere an); macht einen Start alle 2,9 Tage.
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
Zitat FXHedge@Fxhedgers Starlink soars: SpaceX’s satellite internet surprises analysts with $6.6 billion revenue projection (Space News)
SpaceX’s ambitious Starlink satellite network is exceeding expectations at a blistering pace, according to a new report by Quilty Space, a market research and consulting firm.
The report, discussed by Quilty Space analysts on a webinar May 9, forecasts Starlink is on track to generate a staggering $6.6 billion in revenue for 2024, defying industry skepticism and rewriting the future of satellite internet.
“Back in 2015, when SpaceX and OneWeb announced these mega-constellations, many industry veterans scoffed,” said Chris Quilty, founder of Quilty Space. “They remembered past satellite broadband ventures failing in the 1990s.” Industry watchers expected Starlink to make a mark, but not to this degree, he noted.
SpaceX in May 2019 launched the first 60 Starlink satellites on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.
Fast forward to today, and Starlink boasts a constellation of nearly 6,000 satellites, with over 5,200 operational and beaming internet access to 2.7 million subscribers across 75 countries. SpaceX is a private company and Starlink’s financials are not publicly available. The company’s rapid growth prompted Quilty Space to delve deeper into what is driving Starlink’s performance.
“Starlink’s achievements over the past three years are mind-blowing,” said Quilty. “We’re projecting a revenue jump from $1.4 billion in 2022 to $6.6 billion in 2024.”
To put that in perspective, the combined revenue of the two largest geostationary satellite operators, SES and Intelsat, which recently announced a merger, is around $4.1 billion. 1:27 AM · May 10, 2024
Zitat Starlink soars: SpaceX’s satellite internet surprises analysts with $6.6 billion revenue projection Quilty Space: ‘Starlink’s achievements over the past three years are mind-blowing’ ... “The answer lies in their subscriber base,” explained Quilty. Viasat and Hughes, two dominant players in the consumer GEO satellite internet market for over 20 years, peaked at a combined 2.2 million subscribers in 2020. Starlink surpassed that number in just a few years, he said.
The financial outlook is equally impressive. Quilty Space estimates Starlink’s EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes,depreciation, and amortization) to reach $3.8 billion in 2024, a significant leap from negative $128 million in 2022.”We expect Starlink to achieve positive free cash flow for the first time in 2024,” said Quilty.
Quilty Space estimates the cost of Starlink satellites has evolved significantly. While the first generation V1 satellites were produced for around $200,000 each, the latest V2 mini version carries a heftier price tag of $800,000, but that reflects its increased size and capabilities (from 260 kilograms to 730 kilograms).
Looking ahead, Quilty projects the future V3 satellite will weigh in at a substantial 1,500 kilograms and cost roughly $1.2 million.
This focus on efficiency comes with trade-offs. As Henry highlights, “the spacecraft have gotten more powerful to handle increased capacity and data rates, but that comes with an increased power burden that translates to higher cost and mass.”
Quilty Space estimates that roughly 3,000 of SpaceX’s 13,000 employees are dedicated to Starlink.
Henry predicts that if SpaceX’s next-generation Starship rocket becomes operational for Starlink deployments by 2025, “they might jump straight to launching the V3 version of their satellites.”
Zitat Steve Jurvetson@FutureJurvetson The Q1 Launch Report just came out. SpaceX has grown to 87% of the world's tonnage to orbit, a new high. The graph uses a magnifying projection to even see the other domestic launch providers. The five Chinese launchers combined lofted 13.6x less than SpaceX. Europe was zero. 11:44 PM · May 20, 2024
Total Spacecraft Upmass (kg) Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) - 429.125 China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) - 29.426 Roscosmos - 23.782 Mitsdubishi Heavy Industries Launch Services - 4.755 Indian Space Research Organisaiton (ISRO) - 2.744 United Launch Alliance (ULA) - 890 CAS Space - 575 Chinarocket Co. Ltd. - 508 Rocket Lab - 350 ExPace - 300 Orienspace - 100 Space One (Canon/IHI) - 50 Iranian Space Agency - 40
Zitat Elon Musk@elonmusk SpaceX might exceed 90% of all Earth payload to orbit later this year. Once Starship is launching at high rate, probably >99%. Has to be or we can’t build a city on Mars or base on moon. We file almost no patents, so nothing stopping competition from copying us. 12:49 AM · May 21, 2024
Zitat von 29/04/2024In diesem Sommer dürfte Europa seinen direkten Weltraum-Zugang wiedererlangen. Denn die neue Trägerrakete Ariane 6 geht im Juni an den Start, derzeit ist die Endmontage in vollem Gange.
Wenn alles planmäßig läuft, wird im Juni der erste Testflug der europäischen Trägerrakete Ariane 6 stattfinden. Sie hätte bereits 2020 ihre Vorgängerin Ariane 5 ersetzen sollen, doch die Corona-Pandemie und Probleme mit den Lieferketten sorgten für Verzögerungen.
Zitat Die zentralen Elemente der Ariane-6-Trägerrakete sind am Startplatz eingetroffen. Der Erstflug ist für den Zeitraum zwischen dem 15. Juni und dem 31. Juli geplant.
Das erste Flugmodell der Ariane 6 wird derzeit am europäischen Weltraumbahnhof Kourou in Französisch-Guayana zusammengebaut. Vergangene Woche wurden der Zentralkörper (die miteinander verbundene Haupt- und Oberstufe) sowie die beiden Feststoffbooster zum Startplatz ELA-4 gebracht und dort installiert.
Der Zentralkörper legte am 24. April die 800 Meter lange Strecke von der Montagehalle bis zum Startplatz horizontal auf vier autonomen Transportfahrzeugen zurück. Anschließend wurden Haupt- und Oberstufe von zwei Transportfahrzeugen und einem Portalkran mit Traverse aufgerichtete und auf dem Starttisch abgesetzt.
Am 25. und 26. April erreichten die beiden Booster mithilfe eines speziell konstruierten Schwerlastschlepper den Startplatz. Sie seien entsprechend der Ariane-62-Konfiguration an beiden Seiten des Zentralkörpers platziert worden, so ArianeGroup in einer Pressemitteilung.
Nun müssen die Booster noch mit dem Zentralkörper verbunden werden. Dazu wird dieser mit einer Krantraverse angehoben und die Booster werden die letzten Zentimeter bis zu ihrer Endposition geschoben. Nach Angaben der ArianeGroup wird der Zentralkörper dann auf den Boostern abgesetzt. Die Teams kümmern sich anschließend um die mechanischen und elektrischen Anschlüsse, bevor einige funktionelle Tests durchgeführt werden.
Wenige Wochen vor dem Start kommt dann noch die Upper-Composite-Struktur auf die Ariane 6. Dabei handelt es sich um die Nutzlast inklusive Nutzlastverkleidung.
Zitat Anders als die Ariane 5 wird die Ariane 6 direkt auf dem Startplatz endmontiert. Dass soll die Montagezyklen und die Startkampagnen verkürzen.
Zitat Insgesamt sollen 18 Kleinnutzlasten auf eine Umlaufbahn in 600 Kilometer Höhe fliegen.
Dass die Europäische Weltraumagentur ESA beim Jungfernflug der Ariane 6 so vorsichtig ist, beruht auf leidvoller Erfahrung: Am 4. Juni 1996 sollte die Vorgängerin Ariane 5 ihren Erstflug absolvieren, an Bord befanden sich die vier teuren Forschungssatelliten der Cluster-Mission zur Erkundung des irdischen Magnetfelds. Aber schon 40 Sekunden nach dem Abheben explodierte die Rakete spektakulär am Himmel über Kourou, und aus dem Feuerball regneten neben Raketentrümmern auch die Cluster-Satelliten zur Erde. So etwas möchte die ESA nicht noch einmal erleben, schließlich zeigen die weltweiten Erfahrungen aus den letzten Jahrzehnten, dass rund die Hälfte aller Jungfernflüge von neuen Trägerraketen misslingen. Doch an Stelle eines inerten Klotzes aus Beton oder Metall als Ballast soll zumindest etwas Sinnvolles mitfliegen.
Zitat Am 4. Juni 1996 wurde die Ariane 5 ca. 39 Sekunden nach ihrem Start von der Selbstzerstörung zusammen mit 4 geladenen Satelliten in einer Höhe von etwa 2.5 Meilen in Stücke gesprengt. Ursache dieses 500 Millionen Dollar - Feuerwerkes war ein simpler Integer-Overflow.
Bei der Konvertierung der Horizontalgeschwindigkeit der Rakete von einer 64-Bit Gleitpunkt- in eine 16-Bit Ganzzahl kam es schlicht und einfach zu einem Überlauf, da die entsprechenden Zeilen der Software noch aus Ariane 4 - Programmen stammten. Die Ariane 4 war nicht so schnell, daß es dazu kommen kann, also hatte es damals niemand für nötig befunden, den Bereich abzuchecken.
Nachdem sich das Leitsystem (wie auch sein redundanter Partner wenige Millisekunden vorher aufgrund des gleichen Fehlers) verabschiedet hatte, erhielt der Computer eine etwas seltsame Zahl, die er anstatt als Fehlermeldung (was sie war) als Kursdaten auffasste und sich so zu einer völlig überflüssigen abrupten Kurskorrektur entschloß.
In Folge dieses sinnlosen Manövers rissen die Booster von der Rakete ab, so daß der On-Board-Computer die Selbstzerstörung einleitete.
Bereits vor dem Start überprüfte das Navigationssystem ständig die horizontale Neigung der Rakete. So wurde sichergestellt, dass sich die Rakete in einer für den Start sicheren Lage befand. Aufgrund einer speziellen Anforderung der Ariane 4 lief die Lagebestimmung bis 40 Sekunden nach dem Start weiter. In dieser Zeit wurde der Messwert zwar nicht mehr gebraucht, aber er wurde weiter erfasst und in einer Variable gespeichert.
Eine solche Variable kann verschiedene Größen haben, so kann wertvoller Speicher gespart werden. Das bedeutet aber auch, dass nicht beliebig hohe Werte gespeichert werden können. Eine 16-bit-Variable ohne Vorzeichen etwa kann Werte zwischen 0 und 65.535 aufnehmen. Versucht man einen größeren Wert zu speichern, kommt es zu einem sogenannten arithmetischen Überlauf und die Variable fängt wieder von vorne an zu zählen. Ungefähr so, wie wenn der Tacho 999.999 Kilometer anzeigt und dann wieder auf 0 springt, weil es keine Stelle für die Million gibt.
Die erste Ariane 5 beschleunigte viel schneller als die Ariane 4 und neigte sich dementsprechend auch weiter. 36,7 Sekunden nach dem Start – nur 3,3 Sekunden bevor sich das Programm abgeschaltet hätte – wurde der Wert für die "arme" Variable, die den Messwert der Lage aufnehmen musste, dann zu groß. Es kam zum Überlauf. Das Programm war für diesen Fall nicht ausgelegt und kurz nacheinander stürzten beide Navigationscomputer ab und sendeten, statt Navigationsdaten, nur diagnostische Daten zum Absturz an den Flugcomputer.
Ende des Jahres soll dann die nächste Generation der Ariane-Raketen, die Ariane 6, zum ersten Mal starten. Wollen wir hoffen, dass die Ingenieure aus ihren Fehlern gelernt haben.
Korrektur: In einer älteren Version hieß es "Eine 16-bit-Variable ohne Vorzeichen etwa kann Werte zwischen 0 und 255 aufnehmen". Es sind jedoch Werte zwischen 0 und 65.535.
Zitat It has been stated to the Board that not all the conversions were protected because a maximum workload target of 80% had been set for the SRI computer. To determine the vulnerability of unprotected code, an analysis was performed on every operation which could give rise to an exception, including an Operand Error. In particular, the conversion of floating point values to integers was analysed and operations involving seven variables were at risk of leading to an Operand Error. This led to protection being added to four of the variables, evidence of which appears in the Ada code. However, three of the variables were left unprotected. No reference to justification of this decision was found directly in the source code. Given the large amount of documentation associated with any industrial application, the assumption, although agreed, was essentially obscured, though not deliberately, from any external review.
The reason for the three remaining variables, including the one denoting horizontal bias, being unprotected was that further reasoning indicated that they were either physically limited or that there was a large margin of safety, a reasoning which in the case of the variable BH turned out to be faulty. It is important to note that the decision to protect certain variables but not others was taken jointly by project partners at several contractual levels.
There is no evidence that any trajectory data were used to analyse the behaviour of the unprotected variables, and it is even more important to note that it was jointly agreed not to include the Ariane 5 trajectory data in the SRI requirements and specification.
Although the source of the Operand Error has been identified, this in itself did not cause the mission to fail. The specification of the exception-handling mechanism also contributed to the failure. In the event of any kind of exception, the system specification stated that: the failure should be indicated on the databus, the failure context should be stored in an EEPROM memory (which was recovered and read out for Ariane 501), and finally, the SRI processor should be shut down.
It was the decision to cease the processor operation which finally proved fatal. Restart is not feasible since attitude is too difficult to re-calculate after a processor shutdown; therefore the Inertial Reference System becomes useless. The reason behind this drastic action lies in the culture within the Ariane programme of only addressing random hardware failures. From this point of view exception - or error - handling mechanisms are designed for a random hardware failure which can quite rationally be handled by a backup system.
Zitat Entwicklungskosten in 10 Jahren: DM 11 800 Millionen
Ada-Programm des Trägheits-Navigationssystems (Ausschnitt): ... declare vertical_veloc_sensor: float; horizontal_veloc_sensor: float; vertical_veloc_bias: integer; horizontal_veloc_bias: integer; ... begin declare pragma suppress(numeric_error, horizontal_veloc_bias); begin sensor_get(vertical_veloc_sensor); sensor_get(horizontal_veloc_sensor); vertical_veloc_bias := integer(vertical_veloc_sensor); horizontal_veloc_bias := integer(horizontal_veloc_sensor); ... exception when numeric_error => calculate_vertical_veloc(); when others => use_irs1(); end; end irs2;
Wirkung: 37 Sekunden nach Zünden der Rakete (30 Sekunden nach Liftoff) erreichte Ariane 5 in 3700 m Flughöhe eine Horizontal-Geschwindigkeit von 32768.0 (interne Einheiten). Dieser Wert lag etwa fünfmal höher als bei Ariane 4. Die Umwandlung in eine ganze Zahl führte daher zu einem Überlauf, der jedoch nicht abgefangen wurde.
Der Ersatzrechner (Redundanz !) hatte das gleiche Problem schon 72 msec vorher und schaltete sich sofort ab. Daraus resultierte, daß Diagnose-Daten zum Hauptrechner geschickt wurden, die dieser als Flugbahndaten interpretierte.
Daraufhin wurden unsinnige Steuerbefehle an die seitlichen, schwenkbaren Feststoff-Triebwerke, später auch an das Haupttriebwerk gegeben, um die großen Flugabweichungen (über 20 Grad) korrigieren zu können. Die Rakete drohte jedoch auseinanderzubrechen und sprengte sich selbst (39 sec).
Ein intensiver Test des Navigations- und Hauptrechners wurde nicht unternommen, da die Software bei Ariane 4 erprobt war.
Schaden: DM 250 Millionen Startkosten DM 850 Millionen Cluster-Satelliten DM 600 Millionen für nachfolgende Verbesserungen Verdienstausfall für 2 bis 3 Jahre
Zitat Dr. Dr. Rainer Zitelmann@RZitelmann·1h Wenn ich ein neues Buch schreibe, brauche ich für das Schreiben nur 5 Prozent der Zeit. 95 Prozent sind Recherche und Lesen, Lesen, Lesen. Derzeit arbeite ich diese Bücher und Aufsätze durch 8:29 PM · Jun 26, 2024
Bei der Titelliste dürfte klar werden, warum ich das hersetze. Zu sehen sind in den knapp 30 Sekunden folgende Titel:
Eugen Reichl: # Raumfahrt-Geschichte – Die 100 wichtigsten Ereignisse, Motorbuchverlag, 2022 # Menschen im Weltraum, Springer, 2022 # Die Zukunft der Raumfahrt: Private Projekte, Motorbuchverlag, 2022 # Chinas Raumfahrt – Ein Riese erwacht, Motorbuchverlag, 2023 # SPACE 2022: Das aktuelle Raumfahrt-Jahrbuch mit allen Starts, 2022, Verein zur Förderung der Raumfahrt # SPACE 2023 # SPACE 2024
# Mary-Jane Rubenstein: Astrotopia: The Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race Hardcover, University of Chicago Press, 2022 # Philip Tomlinson: Space Colonies: A Realistic Plan, Kindle 2023 # Alexander C.T. Geppert: Imagining Outer Space: European Astroculture in the Twentieth Century, Palgrave 2012 # Heribert Kuczera, Peter W. Sacher: Reusable Space Transportation Systems, Springer Praxis, 2011 # Robert Zubrin: The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must, The Free Press, 2011 # Johannes Weyer: Wernher von Braun. Rowohlts Monografien, 1999 # Roger Handberg: The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must, Praeger, 1995 # Robert Zubrin: The Case for Space: How the Revolution in Spaceflight Opens Up a Future of Limitless Possibility, Prometheus Books, 2019 # Wernher von Braun: The Mars Project, Combined Academic Publications, 1962 # Ernest Stuhlinger, Frederick Ordway: Wernher Von Braun: Crusader for Space: An Illustrated Memoir, Krieger, 1994 # Edward L. Hudgins: Space: The Free-Market Frontier, Cato Institute, 1994 # John S. Lewis: Asteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy, Lightning Source, 2014 # Peter Lothian Nelson, Walter E. Block: Space Capitalism: How Humans will Colonize Planets, Moons, and Asteroids, Palgrave Studies in Classical Liberalism, 2018 # Walter Isaacson: Elon Musk, Simon & Schuster, 2023 # Magnus Henrekson, Christian Sandström, Mikael Stenkula: Moonshots and the New Industrial Policy: Questioning the Entrepreneurial State, Springer, 2024 # Peter M. Schneider: Goldrausch im All: Wie Elon Musk, Richard Branson und Jeff Bezos den Weltraum erobern – Silicon Valley, NewSpace und die Zukunft der Menschheit, Finanzbuch Verlag, 2018 # Glenn H. Reynolds, Robert P. Merges, Hg.: Outer Space: Problems of Law and Policy, 2nd ed., Routledge, 2019 # Chad Anderson: The Space Economy: Capitalize on the Greatest Business Opportunity of Our Lifetime, Wiley & Sons, 2023 # Matthew Brzezinski: Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries that Ignited the Space Age, Times Books, 2007 # Ashlee Vance: Die Eroberung des Himmels: Wie Außenseiter, Milliardäre und Genies den Weltraum für uns nutzbar machen, Finanzbuchverlag, 2023 # Elizabeth Howell, Nicholas Booth: The Search for Life on Mars: The Greatest Scientific Detective Story of All Time, Arcade Books, 2022 # Kelly & Zach Weinersmith: A City on Mars: Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through? Penguin Press, 2023 # Jack Gregg: The Cosmos Economy: The Industrialization of Space, Springer, 2021 # Dirk H. Lorenzen: Der neue Wettlauf ins All: Die Zukunft der Raumfahrt, Kosmos, 2021 # John S. Lewis: Mining the Sky: Untold Riches from the Asteroids, Comets, and Planets, Basic Books, 1997 # Erik Seedhouse: SpaceX: Starship to Mars – The First 20 Years, Praxis Books, 2022 # Brad Stone: Amazon unaufhaltsam: Wie Jeff Bezos das mächtigste Unternehmen der Welt erschafft, Ariston, 2021 # Ashlee Vance: Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Ecco, 2015 # Brad Bergan: Space Race 2.0: SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, NASA, and the Privatization of the Final Frontier, Motorbooks, 2022 # Chris Dubbs, Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom: Realizing Tomorrow: The Path to Private Spaceflight, University of Nebraska Press, 2011 # Julian Guthrie: How to Make a Spaceship: A Band of Renegades, an Epic Race, and the Birth of Private Spaceflight, Penguin Press, 2016 # Robert Zubrin: The Case for Nukes: How We Can Beat Global Warming and Create a Free, Open, and Magnificent Future, Polaris Books, 2023 # Alexander Macdonald: The Long Space Age: The Economic Origins of Space Exploration from Colonial America to the Cold War, Yale University Press, 2017
PS.
Zitat Scott Manley@DJSnM SpaceX is going to destroy the International Space Station From nasa.gov 10:59 PM · Jun 26, 2024
Zitat NASA Selects International Space Station US Deorbit Vehicle Jun 26, 2024 RELEASE 24-090 NASA Headquarters
NASA announced SpaceX has been selected to develop and deliver the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle that will provide the capability to deorbit the space station and ensure avoidance of risk to populated areas.
“Selecting a U.S. Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations. This decision also supports NASA’s plans for future commercial destinations and allows for the continued use of space near Earth,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “The orbital laboratory remains a blueprint for science, exploration, and partnerships in space for the benefit of all.”
While the company will develop the deorbit spacecraft, NASA will take ownership after development and operate it throughout its mission. Along with the space station, it is expected to destructively breakup as part of the re-entry process.
The single-award contract has a total potential value of $843 million. The launch service for the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle will be a future procurement.
Zitat Elon Musk@elonmusk Some audiobook recommendations:
The Story of Civilization by Durant Iliad (Penguin Edition) The Road to Serfdom by Hayek American Caesar by Manchester Masters of Doom by Kushner The Wages of Destruction by Tooze The Storm of Steel by Junger The Guns of August by Tuchman The Gallic Wars by Caesar Twelve Against the Gods by Bolitho Genghis Khan by Weatherford
The first one on the list will take a while to get through, but is very much worthwhile.
Admittedly, this is a list that appeals to those who think about Rome every day.
I hope someone makes an audiobook of The Encyclopedia of Military History by Dupuy and The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World by Creasy. 5:07 AM · Jul 1, 2024
Elon Musk@elonmusk·6h Stalin: Court of the Red Czar by Montefiore (If you want some real nightmares)
Kleine Erinnerung: die 11 Bände der "Story of Civilization" von Will Durant (Bd. 7-11 in Zusammenarbeit mit seiner Frau Ariel) umfassen ungekürzt 13.500 Seiten.
Zitat It took me over a month to hunt down an 89-year-old book Elon Musk recommended, and I'm glad I did
# William Bolitho's "Twelve Against the Gods" was a bestseller when it was published in 1929. # The book gained a second wave of attention in 2016, after Elon Musk gave it a shout-out. # The non-fiction work tells the stories of 12 historical risk-takers. # Back in 2016, it took me a month to get my hands on an old copy. It's since been reprinted.
In July 2016, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed that he was reading a largely forgotten 1929 bestseller: William Bolitho's "Twelve Against the Gods." The 89-year-old book delves into the lives of 12 famous — and infamous — historical adventurers, malcontents, and non-conformists. Musk's endorsement sparked a bit of a frenzied search for copies of the out-of-print non-fiction book. At one point, the work was listed on Amazon for a not-at-all intimidating price of $575. Well, just recently, "Twelve Against the Gods" was re-released. History buffs can now purchase it on Amazon for $12.78.
Just when I was beginning to suspect that the book itself might not actually exist, it turned up in my local library system. I was put on the waitlist and, about a month later, finally obtained Bolitho's account of the lives of 12 "wanderers."
Each chapter paints a portrait of a historical figure that smacked convention in the face through war, exploration, political intrigue, romance, or all of the above. Subjects include big names like Alexander the Great, Christopher Columbus, Giacomo Casanova, the Prophet Muhammad, Napoleon I, Isadora Duncan, and Woodrow Wilson, as well as slightly less famous characters like Lola Montez, Alessandro Cagliostro and Lorenza Seraphina Feliciani, Charles XII of Sweden, Lucius Sergius Catilina (also known as Catiline), and Napoleon III.
Beginning with Bolitho's proto-adventurer Alexander the Great and his destructive sweep eastward, each of "the twelve" follows a similar, often tragic, arc. They display promise and make their mark on history in a spectacular fashion, only to eventually succumb to hubris or circumstances.
The biographies must have been considered pretty edgy at the time. Bolitho shines the spotlight on his subjects' often unusual life choices and colorful antics, noting that true adventure is "rarely chaste, or merciful, or even law abiding at all, and any moral peptonizing, or sugaring, takes out the interest, with the truth, of their lives."
I especially enjoyed the chapters focusing on the less famous figures. I had never even heard of Lola Montez, the mistress of a Bavarian king who pushed for liberal reforms until she was forced to flee Europe altogether; Cagliostro and Seraphina, a couple known for everything from occult rituals to an infamous scandal involving Marie Antoinette's diamond necklace; or Charles XII of Sweden, a "saint" of adventure who emulated Alexander the Great and led an initially successful, but ultimately fatal, march on Moscow.
Fascinated by Bolitho, I called up China Ryall, Bolitho's daughter. He died when she was just two years old, but she has spent years digging into her father's legacy. He led a wild life, not unlike his adventuring subjects. Ryall found that Bolitho originally wanted to follow in his father's pastoral footsteps, entering a seminary and becoming an Anglican deacon as a young man. But history intervened, and Bolitho enlisted to serve in WWI. The experience changed his life. "The legend is he went off to war and then sort of lost his interest in God," Ryall told Business Insider. "He saw all the mayhem in the trenches."
Bolitho was badly wounded and buried alive in the 1916 Battle of the Somme. He was taken to a hospital in Scotland to recover where, according to Ryall, a group of poets befriended him and encouraged him to become a writer.
He became a reporter for the Manchester Guardian — now known as the Guardian. Later, he took a job with the now-defunct New York World. Bolitho rubbed shoulders with the influential literarti group, the Algonquin Round Table, in the 1920s. Over the course of his career, Bolitho also befriended the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Noel Coward, and Walter Lippmann.
Bolitho reported on fascist dictator Benito Mussolini's rise to power in Italy, wrote a book called "Murder for Profit" about infamous killers, and published "Camera Obscura," a collection of his essays. Bolitho turned out pieces on everything from the saxophone to stamp collectors to the gangsters of Chicago. "He just had this enormous curiosity," Ryall said. "He wrote about anything that interested him. He wrote about anything and everything." Like many of his 12, Bolitho didn't have much time to savor his success. Just a year after achieving enormous recognition with "Twelve Against the Gods," Bolitho died of appendicitis while in France. He was only 39.
Zitat We won't have to wait much longer to see the most powerful rocket ever built take to the skies again, if all goes according to plan. That rocket, SpaceX's 400-foot-tall (122 meters) Starship, has flown four test flights to date. And number five should be just around the corner, according to SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk. "Flight 5 in 4 weeks," Musk said Friday (July 5) via X, the social media platform he owns.
Starship's four test flights occurred in April and November of 2023 and March 14 and June 6 of this year. All have launched from Starbase, SpaceX's site in South Texas, near the city of Brownsville. The vehicle has performed better on each successive flight. The most recent launch, for example, went entirely according to plan; Super Heavy and Ship separated on time and came back to Earth as planned, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico and the Indian Ocean, respectively.
That success helps explain the relatively rapid turnaround for Flight 5. Because Starship performed as expected on June 6, SpaceX has fewer issues to analyze ahead of the next launch. And the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration didn't require a mishap investigation, so technical readiness, rather than regulatory approval, is the main timeline driver for Flight 5.
Offizielle Stellungsnahme von SpaceX zur fehlgeschlagenen Mission 9-3 vor drei Tagen.
Zitat On July 11, 2024, SpaceX launched Falcon 9 with 20 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Falcon 9’s first stage performed nominally, carrying the second stage and Starlink satellites to orbit, separating from the second stage as expected, and returning to Earth for a successful droneship landing, representing SpaceX’s 329th recovery of an orbital class rocket to-date.
Falcon 9’s second stage performed its first burn nominally, however a liquid oxygen leak developed on the second stage. After a planned relight of the upper stage engine to raise perigee – or the lowest point of orbit – the Merlin Vacuum engine experienced an anomaly and was unable to complete its second burn. Although the stage survived and still deployed the satellites, it did not successfully circularize its orbit, but it did passivate itself as normally performed at the end of each mission. This left the satellites in an eccentric orbit with a very low perigee of 135 km, which is less than half the expected perigee altitude.
The team worked overnight to make contact with the satellites in order to send early burn commands, but the satellites were left in an enormously high-drag environment only 135 km above the Earth (each pass through perigee removed 5+ km of altitude from the orbit’s apogee, or the highest point in the satellite orbit). At this level of drag, our maximum available thrust is unlikely to be enough to successfully raise the satellites. As such, the satellites will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and fully demise. They do not pose a threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety.
We greatly appreciate the team’s effort to learn as much as possible from the satellites and attempt recovery.
This event is a reminder of how technically challenging spaceflight is. To date, we have completed 364 successful Falcon launches – safely carrying astronauts, customer payloads and thousands of Starlink satellites to orbit – making the Falcon family of rockets one of the most reliable in the world. SpaceX will perform a full investigation in coordination with the FAA, determine root cause, and make corrective actions to ensure the success of future missions. With a robust satellite and rocket production capability, and a high launch cadence, we’re positioned to rapidly recover and continue our pace as the world’s most active launch services provider.
Zitat SpaceX requests public safety determination for early return to flight for its Falcon 9 rocket
July 16, 2024
SpaceX is seeking to resuming launching its Falcon 9 rocket soon. In a statement to Spaceflight Now, the Federal Aviation Administration said the company was seeking a public safety determination. That request was submitted to the FAA on July 15, according to the agency. If approved, it would allow SpaceX to resume launching its Falcon 9 rocket while the mishap investigation into the Starlink 9-3 anomaly continues. “The FAA is reviewing the request and will be guided by data and safety at every step of the process,” the FAA said in a statement. Following liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 11, the Falcon 9’s second stage experienced a liquid oxygen leak, which prevented it from circularizing its orbit prior to releasing the 20 Starlink satellites.
Ich gehe davon aus, daß die Flugkontrollbehörde dem Antrag nachgeben wird. Zum einen hat die Falcon 9 seit dem Fehlschlag von Start Nr. 19 im Juni 2015 insgesamt 345 fehlerfreie Starts hinter sich gebracht. Zum anderen liegt die Kadenz der Starts mittlerweile bis 3 pro Woche (70 allein 2024), und es gibt für die USA sonst keine Möglichkeit, die ISS zu erreichen. Wie weiter oben angemerkt, ist für den Fall, daß sich die NASA entschließen sollte, die beiden Raumfahrer des Boeing Crew Flight Test nicht mit dem Starliner landen zu lassen, nur die Möglichkeit gegeben, die mit Hilfe einer Crew-Dragon-Kapsel landen zu lassen.
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
Zitat von July 18, 2024NASA, Boeing Complete Starliner Engine Testing, Continue Analysis
NASA and Boeing engineers are evaluating results from last week’s engine tests at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico as the team works through plans to return the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test from the International Space Station in the coming weeks.
Teams completed ground hot fire testing at White Sands and are working to evaluate the test data and inspect the test engine. The ongoing ground analysis is expected to continue throughout the week. Working with a reaction control system thruster built for a future Starliner spacecraft, ground teams fired the engine through similar inflight conditions the spacecraft experienced on the way to the space station. The ground tests also included stress-case firings, and replicated conditions Starliner’s thrusters will experience from undocking to deorbit burn, where the thrusters will fire to slow Starliner’s speed to bring it out of orbit for landing in the southwestern United States. For a detailed overview of the test plans, listen to a replay of a recent media teleconference with NASA and Boeing leadership.
Integrated ground teams also are preparing for an in-depth Agency Flight Test Readiness Review, which will evaluate data related to the spacecraft’s propulsion system performance before its return to Earth. The date of the agency review has not yet been solidified.
NASA and Boeing leadership plan to discuss the testing and analysis work in detail during a media briefing next week. More information on the briefing will be made available soon.
Zitat NASA delays ISS spacewalks indefinitely to investigate spacesuit coolant leak
NASA says its next spacewalk will be delayed indefinitely until engineers understand more about what caused a coolant leak on June 24.
Tracy Dyson, a NASA astronaut, had a brief spacesuit leak a month ago while still in the hatch of the International Space Station (ISS). She and Mike Barrett had just opened the door for a 6.5-hour spacewalk for maintenance activities, when showers of ice particles erupted from a spacesuit connection to the ISS. The spacewalk was suspended, but the astronauts were never in any danger, NASA has emphasized.
"That spacewalk ended early because of a water leak in the suit's service and cooling umbilical; that's the site that's connected to ISS," station program manager Dana Weigel, of NASA, told reporters in a teleconference Wednesday (July 17). (Astronaut spacesuits stay connected to ISS life support systems via that umbilical until just before they exit the hatch.)
"We're still taking a look at the cause of the water leak, and what we want to do to recover," Weigel added. "We'll go look for the next opportunity for where we want to do the spacewalk. It's not time-critical or urgent, and so we'll find the best, logical place to put it."
NASA's extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) spacesuit used for spacewalks has design that dates to the 1970s, and was first used during space shuttle mission STS-6 in April 1983. The EMU has a long and reliable flight heritage: It's the spacesuit that was used for all space shuttle spacewalks, it handily allowed crews to service the Hubble Space Telescope, and it helped astronauts build the ISS as well.
The EMU has swappable parts that can be replaced and serviced. That said, in recent years, it has been prone periodically to coolant leaks for different reasons. NASA suspended spacewalks for seven months in March 2022 after water was discovered in a spacesuit helmet, for example. And a July 2013 incident required an investigation report and additional months of spacewalk suspension, after Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano's helmet filled with water while he was spacewalking.
Zitat Musk Says He’s Deleted CrowdStrike From Systems After Outage. Microsoft Says Underlying Cause of IT Issue Has Been Fixed By Nick Turner, July 19, 2024
Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said he has stopped using CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. software after a botched update by the cybersecurity firm crashed computer systems around the world.
“We just deleted CrowdStrike from all our systems,” Musk said in a post on his social media site X, formerly known as Twitter. He previously said that the outage “gave a seizure to the automotive supply chain.”
Zitat Jeff Foust@jeff_foust A couple notes from an ESA briefing at #FIA2024 this afternoon: - Update from the Ariane 6 task force reviewing the inaugural launch is expected late Friday or the following Monday; - Vega C return to flight still planned mid-Nov to mid-Dec. 3:45 PM · Jul 22, 2024
Aus der Rubrik "Flurfunk" - noch nicht offiziell bestätigt, aber es gibt starke Indizien.
Die Serie des Starts der Falcon 9 ist bekanntlich seit dem Versagen der Zweitstufe der Starlink-Mission 9-3 am 12. Juli unterbrochen, die US-Luftfahrtbehörde hat einen Untersuchungsbericht zum Entstehen des Lecks in der Versorgung mit flüssigem Sauerstoff gefordert, der zu zu geringem Schub des Merlin-Triebwerks geführt hat. Am 15. Juli hat SpaceX einen Antrag auf einstweilige Aussetzung des Stops gestellt.
Gestern abend ist die schwimmende Landeplattform "A Shortfall of Gravitas" von Port Canaveral aus in Richtung Atlantik ausgelaufen; heute morgen der Tender Bob, der zum Auffischen der in 90 km Höhe abgesprengten Schanzverkleidungen dient, die die Satelliten vor der Reibungshitze beim Start schützen. Da nicht anzunehmen ist, daß dies schlichte Trockenübungen darstellt, gehe ich davon aus, daß SpaceX am Wochenende eine informelle Zusage über das Stattgeben des Antrags erhalten hat. Wie weiter oben schon bemerkt, ist die F9 die einzige Transportmöglichkeit, die die USA zurzeit besitzen, um die ISS zu erreichen, auf der die beiden Astronauten des Boeing Crew Flight test zurzeit "gestranded" sind (auch wenn NASA wie Boeing diesen Ausdruck um jedem Preis vermeiden), zudem hat SpaceX Dutzende von Startaufträgen, gerade auch des amerikanischen Militärs, die nicht leicvht auf unabsehbare Zeit in die Zukunft verschoben werden können.
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
Zitat Ellie in Space 🚀💫@esherifftv It’s been 10 days since the Falcon 9 anomaly. SpaceX has quickly determined a fix and is ready to fly, waiting for a determination from the FAA. 1:25 AM · Jul 23, 2024
Zitat The Falcon 9 rocket may return to flight as soon as Tuesday night - SpaceX is waiting for a determination from the FAA.
ERIC BERGER - 7/22/2024
Typically, after a launch failure, a rocket will be sidelined for months while engineers and technicians comb over the available data and debris to identify a cause, perform tests, and institute a fix.
However, according to multiple sources, SpaceX was ready to launch the Falcon 9 rocket as soon as late last week. Currently, the company has a launch opportunity for no earlier than 12:14 am ET (04:14 UTC) on Wednesday for its Starlink 10-4 mission.
A quick fix?
In a summary of the anomaly posted shortly afterward, SpaceX did not identify the cause of the failure beyond saying, "The Merlin Vacuum engine experienced an anomaly and was unable to complete its second burn."
Officially, the company has provided no additional information since then. However, the company's engineers were able to identify the cause of the failure almost immediately and, according to sources, the fix was straightforward.
So, as of today, SpaceX is waiting for a determination from the FAA as to whether it will be allowed to resume Falcon 9 launches less than two weeks after the failure occurred.
The company plans to launch at least three Starlink missions in rapid succession from its two launch pads in Florida and one in California to determine the effectiveness of the fix. It would like to demonstrate the reliability of the Falcon 9 rocket, which had recorded more than 300 successful missions since its last failure during a pad accident in September 2016, before two upcoming crewed missions.
There is still a slight possibility that the Polaris Dawn mission, led by commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman, could launch in early August. This would be followed by the Crew-9 mission for NASA, which will carry four astronauts to the International Space Station.
Notably, neither of these crewed missions requires a second burn of the Merlin engine, which is where the failure occurred earlier this month during the Starlink mission.
Zitat Gav Cornwell@SpaceOffshore A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship has made it to the Starlink 10-4 LZ. Third time lucky, no turning back around this time 12:08 AM · Jul 24, 2024
Zitat SpaceX took another important step on its road to resuming launches of its Falcon 9 rocket. At the stroke of midnight on Thursday, July 25, it conducted a static fire test of its workhorse launch vehicle.
The burn of the nine Merlin engines at the base of the Falcon 9 booster lasted about 10 seconds in total. The rocket, which was tested at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, will likely be the vehicle used for the return to flight mission.
As of Wednesday evening, the FAA said it was still evaluating the request and hadn’t made a determination.
The resumption of Falcon 9 rockets is important not only for SpaceX and its Starlink internet constellation, but the company has an extensive customer manifest, which includes a pair of astronaut launches coming up as the summer comes to a close.
NASA is preparing to send three of its astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut up to the International Space Station as part of the six-month Crew-9 mission. Meanwhile, the Polaris Program, led by businessman Jared Isaacman, is waiting to launch a roughly five-day, free-flying Dragon mission called “Polaris Dawn.”
It’s unclear how long after the FAA grants SpaceX permission to resume launches that NASA and its partners will approve astronaut flights and other commercial payload launches.
Zitat Alejandro Alcantarilla Romera (Alex)@Alexphysics13 SpaceX just rolled a fresh stack of Starlink satellites to the pad encapsulated within their payload fairing. This is hopefully for the upcoming Starlink Group 10-9 mission coming up this weekend from Launch Complex 39A in Florida. 3:45 PM · Jul 25, 2024
Zitat Spaceflight Now@SpaceflightNow·9m NASA and Boeing leadership are preparing to discuss the latest developments on the Starliner Crew Flight Test mission on day 50 of the test flight. Watch live and catch the highlights through our live blog: 5:29 PM · Jul 25, 2024
6 minutes ago Spaceflight Now Spaceflight Now NASA's Steve Stich begins by saying a lot of learning has happened in the past two weeks, but they are not ready to announce a return date yet. "We're making great progress, but we're just not quite ready to do that."
3 minutes ago Stich says there are two valves that open and close to allow propellant to enter the combustion chamber of the RCS thruster being tested at the White Sands Test Facility. "We're seeing a bit of a bulge in the Teflon seal, which can restrict the flow, and that's matching very closely to what we're seeing in flight.
2 minutes ago Stich says they're going to do a hot fire test with 27 out of 28 of the RCS thrusters on the Starliner spacecraft docked to the ISS. This will be happening this weekend. He adds that this will also allow and opportunity to look at the helium leak rates, since it's been about six weeks since they last checked on that.
Stich confirms that the batteries on Starliner, which were initially approved for 45-days, have received an extension of their approved life out to 90 days. "So that gives us time, if we need it, all the way out through, let's say, the early September timeframe. We'll work to execute an agency review as soon as we're ready to do that. That could be as early as late next week."
Mark Nappi begins his remarks by noting that the Starliner service module out at White Sands has been exposed to propellant for about three years, "So it was a really good test case to go and do some leak checks on and then take that hardware apart. We did those leak checks. We found leaks." He added that when they took the hardware apart, they found "pretty good degradation of the seals."
Q&A is beginning now. The first question was if they are continuing the plan to bring Butch and Suni back on Starliner. Stich says that is the first and main plan. He notes that they do have contingency plans. Pressed on that, Stich notes that they do have two providers to the ISS under the Commercial Crew Program, with the other being SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft. "We would employ those systems if we need to, but we really have our team focused on this as we close in on this final flight rationale, returning on Starliner."
Stich says he's meeting with Dana Weigel, NASA's ISS Program manager, this afternoon to talk about all of the different options regarding whether they will be able to return Starliner back before launching the Crew-9 mission to allow for a direct handover with Crew-8, currently on station. He said they would still like the direct handover, which would have Starliner undock sometime through August 19 or 20. He says they can adjust and they have a "pretty good window." Stich adds that there's a "key Soyuz handover coming up in September around the 11th through the 23rd and that's really the time frame we want to have both the handover for Crew-9 and Crew-8 completed." *
Stich says they're looking at either Saturday or Sunday for the hot fire testing (no specific time named). He says the pulses are ground commanded, but adds that Butch and Suni will likely be in the vehicle to listen, watch and follow along with all the testing.
Stich uses an analogy for the doghouses, describing them in terms of pizza. "I think of them almost like when you get pizza delivered to your house or your apartment or your condo that comes in a little container, right, that's got aluminum foil on the outside to keep it nice and warm. The doghouse itself is acting like a little pizza oven that the pizza delivery man brings to you. There's heat every time a thruster fires, there's combustion and heat is released and it goes back into the doghouse and it's kind of kept in that doghouse." **
Stich says the issue is not a corrosion issue, but a heat problem. "This is a problem where, as you get heat into the thruster, at certain pressures, the oxidizer will vaporize and become a gas. And it becomes very hot, it causes the seal to swell. And that's a different problem than what we had in 2021. And so, we didn't see any likelihood of this happening at all in 2021. So, there was no major redesign of the hardware because we didn't know this problem existed in 2021."
Nappi says there are a number of smaller "funnies or actions that need to be addressed and our team goes through those every day. We go through them at the mission management team. There have been a number of them, but they're really small and nothing that we consider anywhere near the magnitude of the two anomalies that we've mostly talked to you about." "It's a shame that these two have gotten all the attention because the vehicle has really performed extremely well."
Regarding the agency-level return review, Stich says it will chaired by Ken Bowersox, the associate administrator for the Space Operations Mission Directorate. Various center directors will participate along the NASA's chief engineer, safety officers, the Astronaut Office and the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel.
Stich says a worst-case scenario would be multiple, large helium leaks "that we think are very unlikely, based on what we're seeing." This concludes the press briefing.
* Der kleine Pedant betont noch einmal, daß es für den Start von Crew 9 eine Freigabe der FAA braucht. ** Der fatale Gebrauch infantilen Kindergartenmetaphern für technisch anspruchsvolle Vorgänge, übernommen aus einer auf "auf einfache Sprache" gedrehten Politik, scheint mir symptomatisch.
Mit anderen Worten: Tag 50 einer auf 8 Tage angelegten Mission, 6 Wochen Überziehung bislang, und NICHTS Neues an Informationen, Planungen, Status, Ausweichplanungen.
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
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