Zitat Andrew Jones @AJ_FI Mission extended: the Chang'e-5 orbiter is heading to Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1, according to the link here, citing Hu Hao, a chief designer of Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. Images: Weibo/China航天，NASA。 5:30 nachm. · 20. Dez. 2020·Twitter for Android
Zitat von Spacenews.com, 21 DecChina’s Chang’e-5 orbiter is heading for a gravitationally stable point in space on an extended mission after delivering fresh lunar samples to Earth.
The spacecraft is now heading to a Sun-Earth Lagrange point to carry out observations of the local environment, the Sun, and perform operational tests.
The Chang’e-5 orbiter left lunar orbit late Dec. 12 Eastern along with a return capsule containing lunar samples. The two spacecraft separated around 5,000 kilometers from Earth Dec 16., with the return capsule performing a ‘skip’ reentry into the atmosphere. The return capsule landed at 12:59 Eastern Dec. 16 with 1.731 kilograms of lunar materials.
Meanwhile the orbiter had conducted an avoidance burn. It was initially unclear if the avoidance burn referred to avoiding the return capsule or the Earth’s atmosphere.
Hu Hao, a chief designer of the third (sample return) phase of the Chinese lunar exploration program, told China Central Television Dec. 20 that the orbiter is now on an extended mission to a Sun-Earth Lagrange point.
Hu said the extended mission was made possible by the accurate orbital injection by the Long March 5 launch vehicle, the same rocket which failed in July 2017 and delayed Chang’e-5 by three years. The Chang’e-5 orbiter has more than 200 kilograms of propellant remaining for further maneuvers.
While unspecified, it is believed that the Chang’e-5 orbiter will enter orbit around L1, based on the reference to planned solar observations. The orbiter is equipped with optical imagers.
Chang’e-2, which orbited and mapped the moon in 2010, later visited Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian point to test tracking and ground networks. It then performed a flyby of asteroid 4179 Toutatis. ... Possible future scenarios for the Chang’e-5 orbiter could include visiting the Sun-Earth L4 or L5 points. These triangular libration points are more stable than the other three points and could harbor near-Earth objects. Imagers could be used to survey the region for speculated Earth Trojan asteroid objects.
Zitat von NASA.gov, 9 Febr 2021NASA Awards Contracts to Launch Initial Elements for Lunar Outpost
NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for the agency Power and Propulsion (PPE) and Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HAO), the foundational elements of the Gateway. As the first long-term orbiting outpost around the Moon, the Gateway is critical to supporting sustainable astronaut missions under the Agency's Artemis program.
After integration on Earth, the PPE and HALO are targeted to launch together no earlier than May 2024 on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The total cost to NASA is approximately $ 331.8 million, including the launch servcies and other mission-related costs.
The PPE is a 60-kilowatt class solar electric propulsion spacecraft that will also provide power, high-speed communications, attitude control and the capability to move the Gateway to orbits, providing more access to the Moon's surface than ever before.
The HALO is the pressurized living quarters where astronauts who visit the Gateway, often on their way to the Moon, will work. It will provide command and control serve as the docking hub for the outpost. HALO will support science investigations, distribute power, provide communications for visiting vehicles and lunar surface expeditions, and supplement the life support systems aboard Orion,, NASA's spacrecraft that will deliver astronauts to the Gateway.
About one sixth the size of the International Space Station, the Gateway will function as a way station, located tens of thousands of miles at its farthest distance from the lunar surface, in a near-rectilinear halo orbit. It will serve as a rendezvous point for Artemis astronauts traveling to lunar orbit aboard Orion prior to low-lunar orbit and and the surface of the Mooon. From this vantage, NASA and its international and commercial partners will conduct unprecedented deep space science and technlogy investigations.
Ich nehme an, das Preisschild über $331m bezieht sich auf Start plus Positionierung. Daß die NASA eine komplette Raumstation für einen solchen Schnäppchenpreis erstellen könnte, halte ich für ausgeschlossen. PS. Vielleicht liegt hier auch ein kleiner Buchungstrick vor. Der Kongress hat Ende 2018 für das FY (Fiscal Year) 2019-20 für die Vorplanungen und erste Kontraktvergaben die Summe von 331 Mio. USD freigegeben. In Sachen des "beinahe rechtwinkligen Halo-Orbits" dies hier:
Zitat The Gateway is planned to be deployed in a highly elliptical seven-day near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the Moon, which would bring the station within 3,000 km (1,900 mi) of the lunar north pole at closest approach and as far away as 70,000 km (43,000 mi) over the lunar south pole.[3][32][33] Traveling to and from cislunar space (lunar orbit) is intended to develop the knowledge and experience necessary to venture beyond the Moon and into deep space. The proposed NRHO would allow lunar expeditions from the Gateway to reach a low polar orbit with a delta-v of 730 m/s and a half a day of transit time. Orbital station-keeping would require less than 10 m/s of delta-v per year, and the orbital inclination could be shifted with a relatively small delta-v expenditure, allowing access to most of the lunar surface. Spacecraft launched from Earth would perform a powered flyby of the Moon (delta-v ≈ 180 m/s) followed by a ≈240 m/s delta-v NRHO insertion burn to dock with the Gateway as it approaches the apoapsis* point of its orbit. The total travel time would be 5 days; the return to Earth would be similar in terms of trip duration and delta-v requirement if the spacecraft spends 11 days at the Gateway. The crewed mission duration of 21 days and ≈840 m/s delta-v are limited by the capabilities of the Orion life support and propulsion systems.[34]
One of the advantages of an NRHO is the minimal amount of communications blackout with the Earth.
Zitat von Ulrich Elkmann im Beitrag #79 Morgen Mittag (bzw. heute Mittag) soll die chinesische Tianwen-1-Sonde folgen. Meldungen über den Status der Mission werden um ca. 14:00 erwartet.
Zitat von Space News.comChina’s Tianwen-1 enters orbit around Mars by Andrew Jones — February 10, 2021
HELSINKI — China’s first interplanetary mission, Tianwen-1, successfully entered Mars orbit Feb. 10 following a 202-day journey through deep space.
Tianwen-1 initiated a near 15-minute burn of its 3000N main engine at 6:52 a.m. Eastern allowing the five-ton spacecraft to slow down and be gravitationally captured by Mars.
The Mars orbit insertion maneuver was designed to place the Tianwen-1 into an elliptical orbit of 400 by 180,000 kilometers inclined by 10 degrees, with an orbital period of 10 days.
With Mars more than 192 million kilometers away from Earth and a light time delay of 10 minutes and 40 seconds, the braking burn was by necessity pre-programmed. Intervention would not be possible in the event of an issue.
Tianwen-1 will gradually lower its orbit to allow for observations of Mars. It will also begin preparations for the entry, descent and landing attempt of a 240-kilogram solar powered rover, an event expected to take place around May or June, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.
The orbiter is expected to approach as close as 265 kilometers to the surface, allowing a high-resolution camera to return images with a resolution of better than 0.50 meters per pixel.
This capability will be used to map a targeted rover landing site in Utopia Planitia. Landing coordinates of 110.318 degrees east longitude and 24.748 degrees north latitude had previously appeared in an official Chinese space publication before being removed.
Tianwen-1 joins the United Arab Emirates’ Hope mission, which arrived Tuesday, in orbit around the Red Planet. NASA’s Perseverance rover will arrive and make a soft landing attempt Feb. 18.
Laut Mitteilung von CASC (China Aerospace Science and Technology/中国航天), dem größten Hersteller von Satellitentechnik in China, vom frühen Nachmittag ist die Landung des Rovers für Mai oder Juni geplant.
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
Zitat June 23 (UPI) -- NASA needs crewed lunar landings every year for "a dozen years," the agency's administrator, Bill Nelson, said in a House of Representatives committee hearing Wednesday.
Nelson, who became administrator May 3, said Congress hasn't appropriated enough money for the nation's coming lunar aspirations.
Zitat For landing astronauts on the moon, Nelson said the goal remains 2024, a deadline set by the Trump administration. But he said he needs more time to review the matter, especially with challenges to the contract for the astronauts' lunar lander.
“That is the intended schedule, but I think we have to put a dose of sobering reality into our analysis," he said from NASA headquarters in Washington.
The lunar expeditions will benefit the Martian crews, according to Nelson. Whether the 2030s is still feasible for human Mars missions, “all of that is being discussed,” he said.
NASA and Northrop Grumman of Dulles, Virginia, have finalized a contract to develop the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) for Gateway, which will be a critical way station and outpost in orbit around the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program.
NASA and its commercial and international partners are building Gateway to support science investigations and enable surface landings at the Moon, which will help prepare astronauts for future missions to Mars.
The firm, fixed-price contract is valued at $935 million. Under the contract, Northrop Grumman will be responsible for attaching and testing the integrated HALO with the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), being built by Maxar Technologies. Northrop Grumman will also lead the integrated PPE and HALO spacecraft turnover and launch preparation with SpaceX, and support activation and checkout of HALO during the flight to lunar orbit. NASA is targeting November 2024 to launch the integrated spacecraft on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
“NASA is building the infrastructure to expand human exploration further out into the solar system than ever before, including Gateway, the lunar space station that will help us make inspirational scientific discoveries at and around the Moon. Just as importantly, these investments will help NASA carry out the United States’ horizon goal: to further develop and test the technology and science needed for a human trip to Mars,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “The HALO is a critical component of Gateway, and this exciting announcement today brings us one step closer to landing American boots on both the Moon and Mars.”
HALO is where astronauts will live and conduct research while visiting the Gateway. The pressurized living quarters will provide command and control systems for the lunar outpost, and docking ports for visiting spacecraft, such as NASA’s Orion spacecraft, lunar landers, and logistics resupply craft. The HALO module will serve as the backbone for command and control and power distribution across Gateway and will perform other core functions, including hosting science investigations via internal and external payload accommodations and communicating with lunar surface expeditions. HALO also will enable the aggregation of additional habitable elements to expand Gateway capabilities. Immediately after launch, the Heliophysics Environmental and Radiation Measurement Experiment Suite, built by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will begin conducting research outside of the integrated spacecraft.
Zitat China’s Chang’e-5 orbiter is heading back to the moon
by Andrew Jones — September 6, 2021
The Chang’e-5 orbiter module which facilitated China’s complex lunar sample return last year is on its way to the moon following deep space tests.
The orbiter, one of four distinct Chang’e-5 mission spacecraft, delivered a return module containing 1.731 kilograms of lunar samples to Earth Dec. 16 before firing its engines to deep space for an extended mission.
The Chang’e-5 orbiter later successfully entered an intended orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1, roughly 1.5 million kilometers, in March. There it carried out tests related to orbit control and observations of the Earth and Sun.
New data from satellite trackers now suggests Chang’e-5 has left its orbit around Sun-Earth L1 and is destined for a lunar flyby early September 9 Eastern time.
It was noted that Chang’e-5 may have altered its orbit Aug. 30 based on observations by and data from amateur satellite trackers Daniel Estevez and Scott Tilley and independent astronomy software developer Bill Gray.
The spacecraft is under the control of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center (BACC), which is responsible for telemetry, tracking and command of spacecraft. BACC has not yet provided an update on the plans for Chang’e-5.
Potential maneuvers such as entering lunar orbit, heading for another Sun-Earth Lagrange point or an Earth-moon Lagrange point depend on how much propellant the orbiter has remaining. Another possibility could be using the flyby to set Chang’e-5 on a trajectory to flyby 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, a quasi-satellite of Earth and the target for China’s 2024 near Earth asteroid sample-return mission.
Zitat von Andrew Jones October 7, 2021China’s Chang’e 5 mission returned pieces of the Moon in a technological feat last year. Now, scientists are publishing the first analyses of those samples.
Analysis of lunar material delivered to Earth by China’s Chang’e 5 mission confirms that the samples are the youngest collected to date. But their composition surprised scientists.
A team of lunar scientists led by Xiaochao Che (Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences) analyzed the lead content in two basalt fragments of around 3 to 4 millimeters in size, publishing the results in the October 8th Science. They determined the fragments’ to be around 1.96 billion years old, making them almost a billion years younger than material returned by the Apollo and Soviet-era Luna missions as well as what’s found in lunar meteorites.
The composition of the samples poses new questions, however.
A relatively high abundance of heat-producing elements in the lunar mantle, deep below the mare, might have kept the magma flowing. Some of these elements would have been radioactive (namely uranium, thorium, and potassium). Yet Che’s team finds no unusual amounts of these radioactive elements; the concentrations are similar to those the basalts returned by Apollo and Luna missions.
Scientists also expected the rocks from this site to contain other heat-producing materials known as KREEP, short for potassium (labelled “K” in the periodic table), rare Earth elements, and phosphorus. Instead, only relatively small amounts were found.
“The unexpected composition challenges our traditional thinking,” says Long Xiao (China University of Geosciences), a planetary geoscientist not involved in the study. If not heat-producing elements, what would have kept Oceanus Procellarum hot? Did the tidal pull from Earth’s gravity heat the Moon’s interior? Or is the mantle made up of different minerals than we thought?
Besides raising new questions, the results also provide clarity in chronology. The age of Oceanus Procellarum gives a “ground truth” that scientists can compare to the number of craters there. They can then infer the ages of other surfaces across the solar system by measuring the crater density.
Observations from lunar orbit had identified this mare to be younger than other areas by its paucity of craters, which suggested that the lava there had flowed more recently. By dating the samples returned to Earth, the scientists confirm that volcanism occurred later in Oceanus Procellarum than other areas of the Moon.
Zitat Space Science Institute- SKLPlanets Macau @sklplanets
Busy Period in #Macau! Very happy to share that we are now preparing to receive the first of samples from the #Moon collected by #ChangE5! Congratulations to Shaolin Li, Menghua Zhu and their teams. #Space #China
macaudailytimes.com.mo Science | MUST prepares for moon rock analysis
Zitat The State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences of the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) will analyze the moon rock samples collected by the Chang’e-5 Lunar Explorer.
At the end of 2020, the Lunar Explorer carried 1,731 grams of moon rock samples – samples which are of enormous value for scientific research – back to earth. Due to the specifics of its landing position, the sample will provide key data on many major issues, including the timeframe of lunar magma activity and the limitations of the impact flux of the inner solar system. Under the support of the National Space Administration and the Science and Technology Development Fund, the State Key Laboratory of the university established the first celestial sample analysis experimental platform in Hong Kong and Macau, and is actively preparing for the analysis and preparation of lunar samples.
Chair Professor Zhang KeKe, director of the laboratory, led a team applying to be a recipient in the sample’s distribution on October 8. After expert review, a total of 17 scientific research institutions received approval. The State Key Laboratory of the MUST is the only non-mainland institution selected. Samples assigned to the MUST are lunar soil samples (No. CE5C0400) and cuttings samples (No. CE5Z0403YJYX012).
Zitat NASA delays human lunar landing to at least 2025
by Jeff Foust — November 9, 2021
NASA leadership has formally given up on the goal of returning humans to the moon by 2024, pushing back a landing by NASA astronauts on the lunar surface to at least 2025.
In a Nov. 9 media teleconference, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the recently concluded legal challenge mounted by Blue Origin to the agency’s selection of SpaceX for a Human Landing System (HLS) award was a major, but not the only, reason for pushing back the lunar landing goal set by the Trump administration in March 2019.
“Because of the litigation for seven months, we have not been allowed to have, under law, any contact with SpaceX” on the HLS program, he said. He said he talked with SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell for the first time about HLS on Nov. 5, a day after a federal judge ruled against Blue Origin in its lawsuit against NASA on the program.
The landing on the moon is the key objective of the Artemis 3 mission, which had been scheduled for before the end of 2024. Nelson said that mission was now planned for no earlier than 2025, but added that NASA and SpaceX needed more time to review the state of the program before committing to a more specific schedule for the mission.
The HLS litigation was not the only factor he cited for the delay in return humans to the moon. “Prior to fiscal year ’22, previous Congresses did not appropriate enough dollars for the Human Landing System,” he said. NASA requested $3.3 billion for HLS in its fiscal year 2021 budget proposal, the last by the Trump administration, but Congress provided only $850 million.
The 2024 goal, he added, may not have been achievable in the first place. “The Trump administration’s target of a 2024 human landing was not grounded in technical feasibility,” he said. Earlier this year he had expressed doubts about the 2024 goal given the state of the HLS program as well as delays in development of a new spacesuit that, according to an Office of Inspector General report in August, would not be ready in time for a 2024 landing.
NASA is also delaying Artemis 2, the first Orion flight to carry astronauts. Nelson said at the briefing that the mission, previously scheduled for launch in 2023, had been delayed to as late as May 2024.
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
Zitat NASA inspector general warns of further delays in returning humans to the moon
Jeff Foust — November 16, 2021
NASA’s plans to return humans to the moon, which it already pushed back to at least 2025, could be further delayed, the agency’s inspector general warned Nov. 15.
In a report on the Artemis program, NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said that NASA’s timeline to develop a crewed lunar lander through the Human Landing System program is far too aggressive compared to past efforts to develop major programs.
“We found the HLS development schedule to be unrealistic when compared to other major NASA space flight programs,” the report stated. “Specifically, space flight programs in the last 15 years have taken on average about 8.5 years from contract award to first operational flight and the HLS Program is attempting to do so in about half that time.”
The report noted that NASA was aware of the schedule issues for some time, citing a February 2020 report for the agency by The Aerospace Corporation that concluded that a lander would not be ready until mid-2026. The OIG report concluded that, based the average delays in recent major NASA spaceflight programs, “we estimate the HLS Program could face up to 3.4 years of delays before operational flights begin.” That would push out the landing, originally planned for late 2024, to as late as 2028.
That would affect overall Artemis plans, even if other elements, like the Space Launch System and Orion, remain on their current schedules. The OIG report stated that NASA officials “raised the possibility of using Artemis III to complete an additional fly-by of the Moon rather than a lunar landing mission should necessary systems not be available in time.”
The study, prepared when NASA was projecting a late 2021 launch for the first SLS/Orion mission, Artemis 1, concluded that mission will likely launch in the spring of 2022 “with a higher probability of launch—in our estimation—by summer 2022.” NASA announced Oct. 22 that it was targeting no earlier than Feb. 12, 2022, for the launch.
Zitat von Pressemitteilung NASA, 16. November 2021Media registration is now open to capture imagery and video as NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft roll out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida this winter for the first time. SLS and Orion will journey to Launch Pad 39B atop the crawler transporter-2 for a test in preparation for the agency’s Artemis I mission.
The exact date for the move is currently under review. Additional information on timing, as well as interview opportunities and NASA coverage for the final prelaunch test, known as a wet dress rehearsal, will be provided later. No onsite media support is planned during the test itself at this time.
During the rollout, media will have the opportunity to follow the journey from the iconic VAB to the pad from multiple locations. Experts from NASA and its partners will be available to answer questions during the beginning and end of rollout operations.
Accreditation for this activity is open to U.S. and international media. International media must apply by Sunday, Nov. 28. U.S. media must apply by Wednesday, Dec. 8.
Zitat 24. November 2021 Pritschal: Neues russisches Modul fliegt zur ISS
Am 24. November soll das nächste Modul für die Internationale Raumstation ISS ins Weltall gebracht werden. Es handelt sich um das russische Knotenmodul Pritschal, was übersetzt so viel wie Landebrücke, Pier oder Anlegestelle heißt. Seine ursprüngliche Bezeichnung war Uzlovoi Modul (russ. Knotenpunktmodul), kurz UM.
Der Roskosmos-Chef Dmitri Rogosin erklärte am 31. Juli laut der russischen Presseagentur Tass, dass Pritschal die Möglichkeiten zum Andocken von russischen Raumfahrzeugen an die Station erweitern würde. Dazu soll auch die neue Mondlandefähre Orel (russ. Adler) gehören, die 2023 zum ersten Mal getestet werden soll. Das kugelförmige Pritschal-Modul besitzt fünf weitere Andockstellen und wiegt vier Tonnen.
Zitat РОСКОСМОС @roscosmos The State Commission cleared the Soyuz-2 for fueling and launch, which is scheduled for 13:06:35 UTC. At 09:35 UTC, fueling of the 1st and 2nd stages with kerosene will begin.
The broadcast of the #Prichal module launch will begin at 12:00 UTC.
Zitat Katya Pavlushchenko @katlinegrey Roscosmos will have two live streams of today's #Prichal launch. The technical broadcast (without speakers and special guests, but I hope, with timer this time!) should begin in 15 minutes.
Die beiden Videostreams laufen um ca. 10. Sekunden zeitversetzt zueinander, ' 1 ist der frühere.
14:07. Liftoff. So einen Brennvorlauf hab' ich noch nie gesehen. Auch nicht, daß die Rakete beim Startverlauf per Computergraphik simuliert wird. Und daß unten links die Flugzeit in Gesamtsekunden eingespielt wird. Bei 287 Sek. Stufentrennung. Bei 559 Sek. Brennschluß der 3. Stude. 9:39 Abtrennung der 3. Stufe.
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
Junge Frauen sehen in der Schwerelosigkeit eindeutig besser aus.
___________________ Jeder, der Merkel stützt, schützt oder wählt, macht sich mitschuldig. “Die gefährlichsten Unwahrheiten sind Wahrheiten mäßig entstellt”, Georg Cristof Lichtenberg "Warum halten sie Begriffe wie 'Zigeunersoße' für rassistisch, aber 'Schei** Juden' für harmlos?", Hamed Abdel-Samad
Zitat von Frank2000 im Beitrag #94Junge Frauen sehen in der Schwerelosigkeit eindeutig besser aus.
Zitat “Some women, Commander Norton had decided long ago, should not be allowed aboard ship; weightlessness did things to their breasts that were too damn distracting. It was bad enough when they were motionless; but when they started to move, and sympathetic vibrations set in, it was more than any warm-blooded male should be asked to take. He was quite sure that at least one serious space accident had been caused by acute crew distraction, after the transit of a well-upholstered lady officer through the control cabin.”
- Arthur C. Clarke, "Rendezvous with Rama," 1973, Kapitel 11
Die Stelle hat Clarke schon in den späten 70er Jahren hefitgen Ärger mit feministische-bewegten Leserinnen eingetragen. Solche Stellen entgleisen bei ihm regelmäßig ins Irreale (bei andere gibt es im Roman "The Songs of Distant Earth" von 1986); es dürfte damit zusammenhngen, daß sein eigenes Interesse in diesem Bereich etwas anders gelagert war.
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
Zitat von South China Morning Post, Nov. 24, 2021China’s space programme will go nuclear to power future missions to the moon and Mars
Prototype design for a powerful nuclear reactor for the space programme has been completed and some components have been built, according to researchers Secrecy surrounding most Chinese space nuclear reactor programmes means there is no government regulation or law on clean-up after an accident
China is developing a powerful nuclear reactor for its moon and Mars missions, according to researchers involved in the project.
The reactor can generate one megawatt of electric power, 100 times more powerful than a similar device Nasa plans to put on the surface of the moon by 2030.
The project was launched with funding from the central government in 2019. Although technical details and the launch date were not revealed, the engineering design of a prototype machine was completed recently and some critical components have been built, two scientists who took part in the project confirmed to the South China Morning Post this week.
In his last days in office, former United States president Donald Trump signed an executive order to accelerate the application of nuclear power in US civilian and military space programmes. Nasa recently opened a bid to private contractors to develop a 10-kilowatt nuclear fission device that could support a sustained human presence on the moon within a decade.
Russia has announced a plan to launch a huge spacecraft powered by TEM, a megawatt-sized nuclear reactor, before 2030. The nuclear energy would allow the spacecraft to operate for more than a decade in the Earth’s lower orbit while carrying out additional missions to the moon or beyond.
The European Space Agency has launched a similar project, Democritos, with a 200kW space reactor to be tested on the ground by 2023.
Und mit Lithium als Mittel für den Primärkreislauf.
Zitat Because of its compact size, the space reactor would operate at a temperature much higher than those on Earth (likely 2,000 degrees Celsius at the core). It would use liquid lithium as coolant for greater power generation efficiency.
But the lithium would become solid in temperatures below 180 degrees Celsius, another obstacle the Chinese team must overcome.
Die USA haben übrigens vor fünf Tagen ein ähnliches Projekt gestartet.
Zitat November 19, 2021 NASA seeks ideas for a nuclear reactor on the moon
NASA and the nation's top federal nuclear research lab on Friday put out a request for proposals for a fission surface power system.
NASA is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory to establish a sun-independent power source for missions to the moon by the end of the decade.
"Providing a reliable, high-power system on the moon is a vital next step in human space exploration, and achieving it is within our grasp," Sebastian Corbisiero, the Fission Surface Power Project lead at the lab, said in a statement.
If successful in supporting a sustained human presence on the moon, the next objective would be Mars. NASA says fission surface power could provide sustained, abundant power no matter the environmental conditions on the moon or Mars.
Submitted plans for the fission surface power system should include a uranium-fueled reactor core, a system to convert the nuclear power into usable energy, a thermal management system to keep the reactor cool, and a distribution system providing no less than 40 kilowatts of continuous electric power for 10 years in the lunar environment.
Some other requirements include that it be capable of turning itself off and on without human help, that it be able to operate from the deck of a lunar lander, and that it can be removed from the lander and run on a mobile system and be transported to a different lunar site for operation.
Additionally, when launched from Earth to the moon, it should fit inside a 12-foot (4-meter) diameter cylinder that's 18 feet (6 meters) long. It should not weigh more than 13,200 pounds (6,000 kilograms).
The proposal requests are for an initial system design and must be submitted by Feb. 19.
Fun fact: Die Planstudien der NASA aus der Mitte der sechziger Jahre für die Weiterführung des Mondlandeprogramms sahen übrigens Landebasen für sechsmonatige Exkursionsdauer voraus. Die Energie sollte von einem Atommeiler geliefert werden.
Zitat During the early 1960s there was intense study of lunar-base concepts in an attempt to transition, with the Apollo mission, technology from short-term manned visits to the Moon to lunar bases. The Saturn V transportation system was to be upgraded to 111% and then 188% of initial capability. Figure 1 from the LESA initial concept developed for NASA in 1963 shows an artist's rendition of base model 2 on the surface of the Moon. This model envisioned six people on the Moon for 6 months. The lunar roving vehicle (LRV) would have the capability for 3000 miles of travel.
Prime power for base 2 was to come from a 10-kW nuclear reactor with standby power furnished by a fuel cell with a 15-kW average load power rating. Larger bases (LESA 3 and 4) were to be served by a 100-kW nuclear reactor remotely placed and shielded with lunar material.
NASA confirms the completion of the docking process providing hard mate between #ISS and newly arrived #Prichal module: http://russianspaceweb.com/index.html
Gemäß meinem Motto: Wir haben jetzt das 21. Jahrhundert, jetzt wollen wir, daß die Post sci-fi-mäßig abgeht.
Zitat Russia threatens criminal charges against married NASA astronaut, 45, over baseless claims she drilled HOLE in their spacecraft while it was docked in ISS 'because she'd broken up with crew member and wanted to go home'
Russia's space agency finished its investigation into what caused a hole in its Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft that was docked with the ISS in 2018 The agency has long cited NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor as the culprit who deliberately drilled the small hole that caused an air pressure drop Russia has handed its investigation to law enforcement, which now allows them to press criminal charges against the astronaut
The Izvestia newspaper reported on Friday, citing sources, that Auñón-Chancellor made the hole with the hopes of return home early, TASS reports.
Sources told the Russian news outlet that Auñón-Chancellor wanted to leave the orbiting laboratory due to a blood clot or fight wither her boyfriend onboard the ISS.
However, Auñón-Chancellor was married to Jeff Chancellor when she was in space - and the two are still married to this day - so it is unclear who the 'boyfriend' was as stated by Russian insiders.
The hole was spotted on August 30, 2018, after a pressure drop was identified due to an air leak.
Man bohrt ein Loch in eine Raumstation, weil man die Dienstzeit abkürzen will? Jetzt mal eine ganz echt gemeinte Frage:
Kommt so ein Schwachsinn bei Frauen häufiger vor, weil die halt Gefühle höher werten als Verstand?
___________________ Jeder, der Merkel stützt, schützt oder wählt, macht sich mitschuldig. “Die gefährlichsten Unwahrheiten sind Wahrheiten mäßig entstellt”, Georg Cristof Lichtenberg "Warum halten sie Begriffe wie 'Zigeunersoße' für rassistisch, aber 'Schei** Juden' für harmlos?", Hamed Abdel-Samad
Die Nachricht vom Loch im Raumschiff hatte ich damals auch gelesen.
Eigentlich der Stoff für einen Weltraum-Thriller: es wird an der Außenhülle ein Loch entdeckt. Erst geht man von einem Mikro-Meteoriteneinschlag aus. Aber dann stellt man fest, dass das Loch VON INNEN entstand. Weitere Nachforschungen ergeben, dass dies absichtlich geschehen sein muss während das Raumschiff schon im Weltraum war (also nicht während dem Zusammenbau auf der Erde).
Es gibt nur eine Handvoll Astronauten an Bord. Einer von ihnen muss das Loch also gebohrt haben.
(An dieser Stelle stelle man sich das Einsetzen von dramatischer Film-Musik vor. Und 5 Astronauten, die sich gegenseitig aus den Augenwinkeln belauern...).
Sehr faszinierend. Auch die juristischen Implikationen finde ich spannend. Welches Gericht ist zuständig für die Verhandlung eines versuchten Totschlags im Weltraum?
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