Die ꝏ Geschichte (Boeing, somit the same procedure as every year).
Zitat von 29. Okt. 2024For those who follow NASA's human spaceflight program, when the Orion spacecraft's heat shield cracked and chipped away during atmospheric reentry on the unpiloted Artemis I test flight in late 2022, what caused it became a burning question.
Multiple NASA officials said Monday they now know the answer, but they're not telling. Instead, agency officials want to wait until more reviews are done to determine what this means for Artemis II, the Orion spacecraft's first crew mission around the Moon, officially scheduled for launch in September 2025.
"We have gotten to a root cause," said Lakiesha Hawkins, assistant deputy associate administrator for NASA's Moon to Mars program office, in response to a question from Ars on Monday at the Wernher von Braun Space Exploration Symposium.
"We are having conversations within the agency to make sure that we have a good understanding of not only what's going on with the heat shield, but also next steps and how that actually applies to the course that we take for Artemis II," she said. "And we'll be in a position to be able to share where we are with that hopefully before the end of the year.”
Zitat von Nov 19, 2024 RELEASE24-143 - NASA HeadquartersNASA Plans to Assign Missions for Two Future Artemis Cargo Landers
NASA expects to assign demonstration missions to current human landing system providers, SpaceX and Blue Origin, to mature designs of their large cargo landers following successful design certification reviews. The assignment of these missions builds on the 2023 request by NASA for the two companies to develop cargo versions of their crewed human landing systems, now in development for Artemis III, Artemis IV, and Artemis V.
“NASA is planning for both crewed missions and future services missions to the Moon beyond Artemis V,” said Stephen D. Creech, assistant deputy associate administrator for technical, Moon to Mars Program Office. “The Artemis campaign is a collaborative effort with international and industry partners. Having two lunar lander providers with different approaches for crew and cargo landing capability provides mission flexibility while ensuring a regular cadence of Moon landings for continued discovery and scientific opportunity.”
NASA plans for at least two delivery missions with large cargo. The agency intends for SpaceX’s Starship cargo lander to deliver a pressurized rover, currently in development by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), to the lunar surface no earlier than fiscal year 2032 in support of Artemis VII and later missions. The agency expects Blue Origin to deliver a lunar surface habitat no earlier than fiscal year 2033.
“Based on current design and development progress for both crew and cargo landers and the Artemis mission schedules for the crew lander versions, NASA assigned a pressurized rover mission for SpaceX and a lunar habitat delivery for Blue Origin,” said Lisa Watson-Morgan, program manager, Human Landing System, at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “These large cargo lander demonstration missions aim to optimize our NASA and industry technical expertise, resources, and funding as we prepare for the future of deep space exploration.”
SpaceX will continue cargo lander development and prepare for the Starship cargo mission under Option B of the NextSTEP Appendix H contract. Blue Origin will conduct its cargo lander work and demonstration mission under NextSTEP Appendix P. NASA expects to issue an initial request for proposals to both companies in early 2025.
Apropos Blue Origin: vor 4 Minuten Landung der New Shepard-Kapsel des suborbitalen Flugs NS-28 in Texas, 9. bemannter Flug, RSS First Step, 7. suborbitaler Flug in diesem Jahr. (Technisch gesehen zählen auch die bisherigen Starship-Flüge zu dieser Kategorie, da dort keine Umlaufbahngeschwindigkeit erreicht wurde & der Wiedereintritt in die Atmosphäre somit ohne Bremszündung erfolgt ist, aber ich zähle sie hier nicht mit, da diese Testflüge ein ganz leicht anderes Einsatzprofil haben als ein kurzer Hüpfer über die Kármán-Linie.)
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
Zitat China launched its first Long March 12 rocket Saturday, marking an advance in its crewed moon plans and the debut of a new spaceport that will boost the country’s access to space.
The two-stage, 62-meter-tall Long March 12 lifted off at 9:25 a.m. Eastern (1425 UTC) Nov. 30 from the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site. The rocket climbed into the night sky above the coastal spaceport, with amateur live streams from the area capturing the event.
The kerosene-fueled Long March 12 is China’s first 3.8-meter-diameter launch vehicle. It can carry a payload of 12,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit (LEO), and 6,000 kg to sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), according to SAST. The new rocket could play a role in the construction of China’s planned LEO megaconstellations.
The launch is a step forward for SAST in bringing new rockets online, for its parent company CASC in the development of new rocket engines for its lunar plans and, through the debut launch from the new commercial Wenchang spaceport, the easing of a bottleneck in access to launch pads in China. It is distinct from Wenchang’s existing national spaceport and is made to enable higher launch frequencies for multiple CASC and commercial rockets.
China had aimed to launch around 70 Long March rockets in 2024 and approximately another 30 launches from commercial providers. A lack of reusable launchers and options for launch pads likely contributed to the slower than expected pace, with the launch being China’s 59th orbital launch attempt with just a month of 2024 remaining.
The launch was the first flight use of the YF-100K engine, with the Long March 12 using four YF-100K engines on its first stage. The YF-100K is an uprated version of the YF-100 kerosene-liquid oxygen engines that power China’s new-generation liquid propellant rockets. These newer rockets include the Long March 5, 6, 7 and 8.
The YF-100K notably will power the first stages of the Long March 10 rocket. That launcher is intended to send China’s astronauts to the moon before the end of the decade. A reusable version of the engine, the YF-100N, is also being developed.
Zitat China 'N Asia Spaceflight 🚀𝕏 🛰️@CNSpaceflight Timelapse of building Wenchang commercial launch pad #2, 2 years in 30 seconds 2:08 PM · Dec 2, 2024
Da momentan gerade die PK der NASA zur Zukunft von Artemis läuft, eine Zwischenmeldung.
Zitat Ryan Caton@dpoddolphinpro BREAKING: @NASA Administrator @SenBillNelson confirms Artemis II has been delayed to 2026.
The agency has a "path forward" following the Orion heatshield issues with Artemis I. This is the existing heatshield, but with a different re-entry trajectory.
Keep in mind this date may change again with the incoming administration.
Zitat Anatoly Zak@RussianSpaceWeb NASA: Due to problems with heatshield during the first (unpiloted) Orion flight around the Moon, the next mission with the crew onboard will use a modified trajectory in April 2026, followed in mid 2027, with the lunar landing of the crew....
Anatoly Zak@RussianSpaceWeb It sounds like the solution to the heat shield issue is no longer use the "skip entry" method during landing, which will lessen the heat loads on the capsule... Interestingly, skip entry was used by the Soviets in the L1 project:
Zitat NASA@NASA After investigating how the @NASA_Orion spacecraft’s heat shield fared during the Artemis I mission to the Moon, we are confidently preparing for Artemis II with the heat shield already attached to the capsule. #Artemis II is now targeted for April 2026. https://go.nasa.gov/49nafGU 7:21 PM · Dec 5, 2024
In 15 Monaten also. Fürs Angucken des lädierten Hitzeschilds haben sie ja nur 24 Monate gebraucht.
PS.
Zitat Derek Newsome@DerekdotSpace·1h NASA has also released a high resolution photo of the Artemis 1 heatshield, alongside a detailed explanation of the mechanism behind the unexpected char loss during the flight. 7:28 PM · Dec 5, 2024
Zitat NASA Identifies Cause of Artemis I Orion Heat Shield Char Loss
During Artemis I, engineers used the skip guidance entry technique to return Orion to Earth. This technique provides more flexibility by extending the range Orion can fly after the point of reentry to a landing spot in the Pacific Ocean. Using this maneuver, Orion dipped into the upper part of Earth’s atmosphere and used atmospheric drag to slow down. Orion then used the aerodynamic lift of the capsule to skip back out of the atmosphere, then reenter for final descent under parachutes to splashdown.
Using Avcoat material response data from Artemis I, the investigation team was able to replicate the Artemis I entry trajectory environment — a key part of understanding the cause of the issue — inside the arc jet facilities at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. They observed that during the period between dips into the atmosphere, heating rates decreased, and thermal energy accumulated inside the heat shield’s Avcoat material. This led to the accumulation of gases that are part of the expected ablation process. Because the Avcoat did not have “permeability,” internal pressure built up, and led to cracking and uneven shedding of the outer layer.
Teams performed extensive ground testing to replicate the skip phenomenon before Artemis I. However, they tested at much higher heating rates than the spacecraft experienced in flight. The high heating rates tested on the ground allowed the permeable char to form and ablate as expected, releasing the gas pressure. The less severe heating seen during the actual Artemis I reentry slowed down the process of char formation, while still creating gases in the char layer. Gas pressure built up to the point of cracking the Avcoat and releasing parts of the charred layer. Recent enhancements to the arc jet facility have enabled a more accurate reproduction of the Artemis I measured flight environments, so that this cracking behavior could be demonstrated in ground testing.
While Artemis I was uncrewed, flight data showed that had crew been aboard, they would have been safe. The temperature data from the crew module systems inside the cabin were also well within limits and holding steady in the mid-70s Fahrenheit. Thermal performance of the heat shield exceeded expectations.
Engineers understand both the material phenomenon and the environment the materials interact with during entry. By changing the material or the environment, they can predict how the spacecraft will respond. NASA teams unanimously agreed the agency can develop acceptable flight rationale that will keep crew safe using the current Artemis II heat shield with operational changes to entry.
Zitat NASA Administrator Bill Nelson begins his remarks by quoting President Kenney's speech about going to the Moon.
He says they've done extensive testing on the heat shield used on the Orion spacecraft as part of the Artemis 1 mission and says they were able to recreate the issues and determine the root cause.
Nelson says based on the data "we have decided, NASA unanimously with our decision makers, to move forward with the current Orion capsule and heat shield with a modified trajectory and reentry."
Nelson says the life support system of the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 2 mission needs to be checked out.
He says therefore, Artemis 2 is being delayed until April 2026, but adds that "we're going to do all in our power with our commercial partners to launch earlier.
NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy picks up the discussion on the heat shield. She says that during the skip reentry during Artemis 1, "heat accumulated inside the heat shield's outer layer, leading to gases forming and becoming trapped inside the heat shield. This caused internal pressure to build up and led to cracking and uneven shedding of that outer layer."
Kshatriya says there were about 100 spots across the heat shield where the liberation of the heat shield was seen.
He notes that the Orion team stood up a tiger team whose work was "substantial, significant and extremely impressive." He said they established "a fault tree assessment that led directly to enabling advances."
Marcia Dunn with the Associated Press asks how long of a delay would've been created if they needed a new heat shield. Nelson says that would've pushed Artemis 3 to the end of 2028. Melroy says Artemis 2 would've delayed a year.
Free says all future heat shields will include the recommended changes.
Asked about how NASA will be able to continue receiving congressional budgetary support for Artemis when the Artemis 1 mission was delayed six years and Artemis 2 is now coming four years after that, Free says there's been important learning from Artemis 1 on the road to Artemis 2 and says that "the proof is in the pudding in the time from (Artemis) 2 to 3."
He says that they've also implemented design improvements to the Mobile Launcher and the launch pad to make it more resilient.
Regarding the launch window, because of planetary trajectory, they lose about 50 percent of the window. He says they will have a tighter window compared to the Artemis 1 launch, which was about 12 days at a time.
Pulling on the thread of Kshatriya's comments about creating a more expanded profile for the Artemis 2 mission, Kshatriya says they're communicating with SpaceX about potentially flying Orion in proximity with Starship on orbit (the two will dock on Artemis 3). He says a proximity maneuver could happen in lunar orbit.
He says they need to think of all the options available to bring forward some of the objectives set for Artemis 3 and think about creative ways to get the learning done to help buy down risk on some of these critical path items.
Nun sollte man eigentlich meinen, daß die NASA im Lauf der letzten 63 Jahre im Zuge der Programme Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Shuttle und Dragon einiges an empirischen Erhebungen in Sachen Hitzetransfer, Ablation, Materialermüdung pp. gesammelt hat & an die Subconctractors weitergeben kann, damit es nicht zu "Gasaufbau und -druck, der zu Rissen und unkontrolliertem Austritt" führt.
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
Zitat Derek Newsome@DerekdotSpace·19h NASA has also released a high resolution photo of the Artemis 1 heatshield, alongside a detailed explanation of the mechanism behind the unexpected char loss during the flight. 7:28 PM · Dec 5, 2024
Zitat NASA Identifies Cause of Artemis I Orion Heat Shield Char Loss
Dec 05, 2024
After extensive analysis and testing, NASA has identified the technical cause of unexpected char loss across the Artemis I Orion spacecraft’s heat shield.
Engineers determined as Orion was returning from its uncrewed mission around the Moon, gases generated inside the heat shield’s ablative outer material called Avcoat were not able to vent and dissipate as expected. This allowed pressure to build up and cracking to occur, causing some charred material to break off in several locations.
During Artemis I, engineers used the skip guidance entry technique to return Orion to Earth. This technique provides more flexibility by extending the range Orion can fly after the point of reentry to a landing spot in the Pacific Ocean. Using this maneuver, Orion dipped into the upper part of Earth’s atmosphere and used atmospheric drag to slow down. Orion then used the aerodynamic lift of the capsule to skip back out of the atmosphere, then reenter for final descent under parachutes to splashdown.
Using Avcoat material response data from Artemis I, the investigation team was able to replicate the Artemis I entry trajectory environment — a key part of understanding the cause of the issue — inside the arc jet facilities at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. They observed that during the period between dips into the atmosphere, heating rates decreased, and thermal energy accumulated inside the heat shield’s Avcoat material. This led to the accumulation of gases that are part of the expected ablation process. Because the Avcoat did not have “permeability,” internal pressure built up, and led to cracking and uneven shedding of the outer layer.
Teams performed extensive ground testing to replicate the skip phenomenon before Artemis I. However, they tested at much higher heating rates than the spacecraft experienced in flight. The high heating rates tested on the ground allowed the permeable char to form and ablate as expected, releasing the gas pressure. The less severe heating seen during the actual Artemis I reentry slowed down the process of char formation, while still creating gases in the char layer. Gas pressure built up to the point of cracking the Avcoat and releasing parts of the charred layer. Recent enhancements to the arc jet facility have enabled a more accurate reproduction of the Artemis I measured flight environments, so that this cracking behavior could be demonstrated in ground testing.
While Artemis I was uncrewed, flight data showed that had crew been aboard, they would have been safe. The temperature data from the crew module systems inside the cabin were also well within limits and holding steady in the mid-70s Fahrenheit. Thermal performance of the heat shield exceeded expectations.
Engineers understand both the material phenomenon and the environment the materials interact with during entry. By changing the material or the environment, they can predict how the spacecraft will respond. NASA teams unanimously agreed the agency can develop acceptable flight rationale that will keep crew safe using the current Artemis II heat shield with operational changes to entry.
Zitat "While the capsule was dipping in and out of the atmosphere as part of that planned skip entry, heat accumulated inside the heat shield outer layer, leading to gases forming and becoming trapped inside the heat shield," NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said today. "This caused internal pressure to build up and led to cracking and uneven shedding of that outer layer."
Further study has shown that Orion's heat shield will be able to protect astronauts on the 10-day-long Artemis 2, she and others announced during the press conference; a new version doesn't need to be developed for the coming crewed mission. But planners will alter the reentry trajectory to minimize the issues experienced during Artemis 1.
"For Artemis 2, engineers will limit how long Orion spends in the temperature range in which the Artemis 1 heat shield phenomenon occurred by modifying how far Orion can fly between when it enters Earth atmosphere and lands," NASA officials wrote in an Artemis FAQ that was published today.
That revised trajectory will also bring the Artemis 2 Orion down in the Pacific Ocean closer to San Diego than previously planned, meaning it will be easier to get help to the mission's four astronauts if anything goes wrong during reentry.
Artemis 2 likely would've been delayed by a year or so, to late 2026, had a heat-shield replacement been required, NASA officials said today. But the mission team still needs more time than originally envisioned to get Orion up to crew-carrying speed, explaining the roughly six-month push.
"The updated timeline for the Artemis 2 flight is informed by technical issues engineers are troubleshooting, including with an Orion battery issue and its environmental control [life-support] system," NASA officials wrote in the Artemis FAQ. "The heat shield was installed in June 2023, and the root cause investigation took place in parallel to other assembly and testing activities to preserve as much schedule as possible."
Artemis 3's timeline is likewise informed by numerous factors — perhaps even more of them, given the increased complexity of the mission.
For example, the current plan calls for the involvement of SpaceX's Starship megarocket, whose upper-stage spacecraft will serve as the Artemis 3 lunar lander. Starship is still in development, with just six test flights under its belt, though the last few of these missions have gone very well.
The newly revised Artemis 3 timeline still keeps the United States ahead of China, which has said it plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030. Both nations are targeting the lunar south pole, which is thought to be rich in water ice, a crucial resource for a settlement or research outpost.
Zitat Why did NASA decide to use the current heat shield?
Extensive data from the investigation has given engineers confidence the heat shield for Artemis II can be used to safely fly the mission’s crew around the Moon and back. NASA will modify the trajectory by shortening how far Orion can fly between when it enters Earth’s atmosphere and splashes down in the Pacific Ocean. This will limit how long Orion spends in the temperature range in which the Artemis I heat shield phenomenon occurred. The heat shield for the test flight is already attached to Orion.
When will Artemis II take place?
The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first mission with crew aboard the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft and will pave the way to land astronauts on the Moon on Artemis III. Artemis II builds on the success of the uncrewed Artemis I mission and will demonstrate a broad range of capabilities needed on lunar missions. The 10-day flight will help to confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the actual environment of deep space. The mission is targeted for April 2026.
The updated timeline for the Artemis II flight is informed by technical issues engineers are troubleshooting including with an Orion battery issue and its environmental control system. The heat shield was installed in June 2023 and the root cause investigation took place in parallel to other assembly and testing activities to preserve as much schedule as possible.
Zitat Within hours of NASA announcing its decision to fly the Artemis II mission aboard an Orion spacecraft with an unmodified heat shield, critics assailed the space agency, saying it had made the wrong decision.
"Expediency won over safety and good materials science and engineering. Sad day for NASA," Ed Pope, an expert in advanced materials and heat shields, wrote on LinkedIn.
There is a lot riding on NASA's decision, as the Artemis II mission involves four astronauts and the space agency's first crewed mission into deep space in more than 50 years.
A former NASA astronaut, Charles Camarda, also expressed his frustrations on LinkedIn, saying the space agency and its leadership team should be "ashamed." In an interview on Friday, Camarda, an aerospace engineer who spent two decades working on thermal protection for the space shuttle and hypersonic vehicles, said NASA is relying on flawed probabilistic risk assessments and Monte Carlo simulations to determine the safety of Orion's existing heat shield.
"I worked at NASA for 45 years," Camarda said. "I love NASA. I do not love the way NASA has become. I do not like that we have lost our research culture."
Pope, Camarada, and others — an official expected to help set space policy for the Trump administration told Ars on background, "It's difficult to trust any of their findings" — note that NASA has spent two years assessing the char damage incurred by the Orion spacecraft during its first lunar flight in late 2022, with almost no transparency. Initially, agency officials downplayed the severity of the issue, and the full scope of the problem was not revealed until a report this May by NASA's inspector general, which included photos of a heavily pock-marked heat shield.
This year, from April to August, NASA convened an independent review team (IRT) to assess its internal findings about the root cause of the charring on the Orion heat shield and determine whether its plan to proceed without modifications to the heat shield was the correct one. However, though this review team wrapped up its work in August and began briefing NASA officials in September, the space agency kept mostly silent about the problem until a news conference on Thursday.
"Based on the data, we have decided—NASA unanimously and our decision-makers—to move forward with the current Artemis II Orion capsule and heat shield, with a modified entry trajectory," Bill Nelson, NASA's administrator, said Thursday. The heat shield investigation and other issues with the Orion spacecraft will now delay the Artemis II launch until April 2026, a slip of seven months from the previous launch date in September 2025.
Notably the chair of the IRT, a former NASA flight director named Paul Hill, was not present at Thursday's news conference. Nor did the space agency release the IRT's report on its recommendations to NASA.
In an interview, Camarda said he knew two people on the IRT who dissented from its conclusions that NASA's plan to fly the Orion heat shield, without modifications to address the charring problem, was acceptable. He also criticized the agency for not publicly releasing the independent report. "NASA did not post the results of the IRT," he said. "Why wouldn’t they post the results of what the IRT said? If this isn’t raising red flags out there, I don’t know what will."
Zitat The stickiest point during the review team's discussions involved the permeability of the heat shield. Counter-intuitively, the heat shield was not permeable enough during Artemis I. This led to gas buildup, higher pressures, and the cracking ultimately observed. The IRT was concerned because, as designed, the heat shield for Artemis II is actually more impermeable than the Artemis I vehicle.
Why is this? It has to do with the ultrasound testing that verifies the strength of the bond between the Avcoat blocks and the titanium skin of Orion. With a more permeable heat shield, it was difficult to complete this testing with the Artemis I vehicle. So the shield for Artemis II was made more impermeable to accommodate ultrasound testing. "That was a technical mistake, and when they made that decision they did not understand the ramifications," Hill said.
However, Hill said NASA's data convinced the IRT that modifying the entry profile for Artemis II, to minimize the duration of passage through the atmosphere, would offset the impermeability of the heat shield.
Hill said he did not have the authority to release the IRT report, but he did agree that the space agency has not been forthcoming with public information about their analyses before this week.
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
Zitat NASA to Discuss Firefly’s First Robotic Artemis Moon Flight
NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EST Tuesday, Dec. 17, to discuss the agency science and technology flying aboard Firefly Aerospace’s first delivery to the Moon as part of the NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign.
Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The six-day launch window opens no earlier than mid-January 2025.
The lunar mission, named Ghost Riders in the Sky, will land near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, a more than 300-mile-wide basin located in the northeast quadrant of the Moon’s near side. The mission will carry 10 NASA instruments and first-of-their-kind demonstrations to further our understanding of the Moon’s environment and help prepare for future human missions to the lunar surface, as part of the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach.
Science investigations on this flight include testing lunar subsurface drilling, regolith sample collection, global navigation satellite system abilities, radiation tolerant computing, and lunar dust mitigation. The data captured could also benefit humans on Earth by providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces impact Earth.
Zitat Firefly Aerospace@Firefly_Space Buckle up! Our road trip to the Moon is set to launch at 1:11 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 15, on a @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. From liftoff to landing, here's the rundown of Blue Ghost's 60-day lunar mission, including 45 days traveling to the Moon and 14 days of surface operations. With 17 success milestones along the way, our #GhostRiders will collect critical data for our @NASA payloads and future missions as we pave the way for a lasting lunar presence. Last edited 3:45 PM · Jan 7, 2025
Firefly’s first Blue Ghost mission, named Ghost Riders in the Sky *, will deliver 10 science and technology instruments to the lunar surface as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Upon launching, Blue Ghost will spend approximately 45 days in transit to the Moon, allowing ample time to conduct health checks on each subsystem and begin payload science. Blue Ghost will then land in Mare Crisium and operate payloads for a complete lunar day (about 14 Earth days). Following payload operations, Blue Ghost will capture imagery of the lunar sunset and provide critical data on how lunar regolith reacts to solar influences during lunar dusk conditions. The lander will then operate for several hours into the lunar night.
Our Ride
Standing 2 m (6.6 ft) tall and 3.5 m (11.5 ft) wide, Blue Ghost is designed to stick the landing with shock absorbing feet, a low center of mass, and a wide footprint. Blue Ghost’s core components, including the panels, struts, legs, harnesses, avionics, batteries, and thrusters, were built using many of the same flight-proven technologies common to all of Firefly’s launch and orbital vehicles, enabling lower costs and improved reliability.
Our Descent
During the final hour of descent, Blue Ghost uses vision-based terrain relative navigation and hazard avoidance to measure the lander’s position and identify craters, slopes, and rocks before selecting the final hazard-free target within the landing zone. Blue Ghost’s RCS thrusters pulse as needed throughout the descent for a soft landing.
* Das hier ist die erfolgreichste Einspielung von 1949, von Vaughn Monroe. Schon deshalb, weil seine Combo den Namen "The Moon Men" trug, damals noch ohne das "ghost" vornweg. 22 Wochen lang in der Hitparade, davon 11 an der Nummer 1:
Völlig paßgenau haben die Programmierer der Matrix ihr Osterei nicht hinbekommen. "Riders in the Sky" hat in der Fassung von Monroe den Spitzenplatz der Billboard-Charts vom 24. Mai bis zum 23. Juli 1949 erreicht.
Der ikonische Bildband mit Text von Willy Ley und den Farbillustrationen von Chesley Bonestell, der erste wirklich populäre Beststeller über die Raumfahrt, "The Conquest of Space," ist am 16. September 1949 bei The Viking Press herausgekommen. Diese Bilder haben die populäre Vorstellung von Raumfahrt, und wie solche Raumschiffe aussehen würden, fast so geprägt wie die drei von Charles Ryan 1952-54 herausgegebenen Bildbände des "Collier's Magazine." Ganz besonders das Titelbild, das die an eine V-2 erinnernde Mondrakete zeigt, die aufrecht vor einer schwarzen Mondlandschaft steht, dürfte DAS symbolische Bild aus diesen Jahren der "Prähistorie der Raumfahrt" vor dem Start von Sputnik 1 darstellen.
PS. Kommando zurück! Ich hab's geahnt: Der Song hat in der Monroe-Einspielung zum ersten Mal am 15. April 1949 eine Chart-Notierung erhalten & ist wie erwähnt dort 22 Wochen geblieben. Somit fällt die letzte Notierung auf den 16. September 1949.
Und jetzt überzeug' mich bitte jemand davon, daß dieses hier KEINE Simulation ist.
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
Один старий козак вертався сам з війни домів. Став на ночівлю в степові і люльку запалив.. Розпряг коня, розвів багаття, заварив узвар, Та й баче-скачуть вершники серед багряних хмар
Їх коні чорні, мов круки, а збруя в них з зірок Мов блискавки їх шаблі! Мов далекий грім їх крок! Козак той бачив різне , але чуб його тремтів.. Коли у небі пролунав пронизливий їх спів.
Чуєте ви? Там на землі.. Вершників в небі спів?
Ich versuch's mal:
Ein alter Kosake kam nach Haus, kam einsam heim vom Krieg Schlug in der Steppe sein Lager auf und lehnte sich zurück. Er zündet sich die Pfeife an, er braut sich einen Tee Und in den blauen Wolken ziehn die Reiter in der Höh'
Die Pferde sind schwarz wie die Nacht, mit Sternen aufgezäumt Wie ferner Donner hallt ihr Lauf, von Blitzen hell umsäumt, Und der Kosak schaut ihnen zu, und vor Angst wird er bleich Denn ihrem rauhen Kriegsgesang kommt nichts auf Erden gleich.
Hörst du ... da unten auf Erden ... wie es am Himmel singt?
(Da schießt Herr Musk eine Rakete auf den Mond & ich fange an prompt, aus dem Ukrainischen nachzudichten. Allmählich nimmt das Formen an... )
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
As I went out one evenin' down Columbus Avenue All the sushi bars were shuttered, dark cantinas too And I stood there in the darkness, as an empty cab rolled by Then all at once I heard the sound of yuppies in the sky
I've seen them in commercials sailin' boats and playin' ball Pourin' beer for one another cryin', "Why not have it all?" Now I saw the ghostly progress as the winds around me blew Till I, I felt the urge to purchase a BMW
Condos for sale, condos to buy, yuppies in the sky
All the salad bars were empty, all the Quiche Lorraine was gone I heard the yuppies crying as they vanished in the dawn Calling brand names to each other, as they faded from my view They'll be networking forever down Columbus Avenue
Eigentlich müßte man die alte NASA-Tradition der "Wake-Up-Calls" wiederaufleben lassen und jeden der 60 Tage der Mondmission mit einer Blüte aus diesem Strauß beginnen. Vollständige Playliste, seit Gemini 7, Dezember 1965.
Und wie man ab S. 83 ff. sehen kann, gilt das nicht nur für bemannte Missionen.
Zitat MARS PATHFINDER & SOJOURNER ROVER Sol 4 “The Final Frontier” Paul Reiser, Don Was (Theme from “Mad About You”) The team sent their "wakeup call" to Mars as a joke (it's not like a spacecraft would need music) and the team enjoyed it enough that it became a tradition. The "Mad About You" production office was surprised by the choice and put out a press release noting the unusual use for their theme song. They even used a clip of the Mars team playing the music in the end credits of one of their shows. PC 5 “Three Little Birds” Bob Marley 6 “In the Mood” Glenn Miller (with live accompaniment by Chief Engineer Rob Manning) 8 “Coisinha Do Pai” Brazilian Samba 12 “You’ve Got a Friend” Randy Newman 13 “Follow You, Follow Me” Genesis 14 “Also Sprach Zarathrustra” Richard Strauss (Theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey”) 17 “Roll to Me” Del Amitri 18 “Let the Good Times Roll” Ray Charles 19 “So Far Away” Dire Straits 20 “Life in the Fast Lane” Eagles 21 “Ride of the Valkyries” Richard Wagner 39 “Mars Rovin’” Tempus Fugit and the Time Travellers
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
(Nb. weiß ich jetzt auch, warum mir das völlig unerklärlicherweise bislang durch die Lappen gegangen ist: der genaue Starttermin ist erst heute bekannt gegeben worden).
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
They called it Dirty Gulch, and this is how it got its name Everyone who chewed some gum or ate a candy bar Would throw the wrapper on the ground and leave it lyin' thar Aye oo, Aye aa The dirtiest town in the west Ooh ooh ooh
Soon the people of the town all started turning mean. They swore:This is the yuckiest place that I have ever seen! But still they dropped their newspapers, and rags. Banana peels and pop-top tabs and empty paper bags.
Aye oo, Aye aa The dirtiest town in the west Ooh ooh ooh
Then one day a marshal came a'ridin' o'er the hills. He said: My name's McClean, and I am here to cure your ills! Then from his mighty steed he jumped. He said: I have a plan. We'll pick the garbage off the ground and put it in a can. Aye oo, Aye aa He's gonna put the trash in a can. Ooh ooh ooh The marshal pushed his sleeves up high and grabbed his trusty broom. He said: This trash is ugly, and it's unhealthy, too!
Soon the people of the town joined in and did the same. And then the town of Dirty Gulch had to change its name. Aye oo, Aye aa The cleanest town in the west
Sesame Street, Folge 1461, Staffel 12, gesendet am 15. 12. 1980. Marshall McClean wurde übrigens von Jim Henson himself gehandhabt.
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
Zitat Our road trip to the Moon is set to launch at 1:11 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 15, on a @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Und der nächste:
Zitat In May 2019, NASA issued the first three awards as part of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program to pay private companies—in this case, Astrobotic, Orbit Beyond, and Intuitive Machines—to deliver scientific payloads to the lunar surface. It's been a long road since then. Astrobotic's first mission a year ago failed on the way to the Moon. Orbit Beyond dropped out. But Intuitive Machines largely succeeded, putting its Odysseus lander on the Moon, albeit sideways, after its altimeter failed. For the first time ever, a private company successfully made a soft landing on the Moon.
Now, it's going to try again.
"For us, it's been a real journey," said the chief executive of Intuitive Machines, Steve Altemus, as we stood a few feet away from the company's second lunar lander, which will soon be shipped to a launch site in Florida. "In February of 2023, we went public, and that was a huge milestone for us in terms of growing up. In February 2024, we landed on the Moon, and everything has changed since then. And here we are again, ready to launch our second mission in February 2025."
The company's lander, named Athena, is presently scheduled to lift off on a dedicated Falcon 9 rocket at the end of February, Altemus said. The current launch date supports a lunar landing about a week later, on March 6 or 7, near the South Pole of the Moon. The goal is to have about 10 days in sunlight before the lunar night sets in.
Und der nächste. Die Europäer haben auch mit den Fingern geschnippt. Mit Planziel nicht in 6 Wochen, sondern in 6 Jahren. Also wie üblich.
Zitat ESA Set to Sign Major Argonaut Lunar Lander Contract in Q1
By Andrew Parsonson - January 11, 2025
The European Space Agency expects to award a contract to build the main element of its Argonaut lunar lander in the first quarter of 2025.
Funding for the Argonaut lunar lander project was approved by ESA Member States in November 2022 at the agency’s Ministerial Council meeting in Paris. Argonaut will be a multi-role lunar lander capable of delivering up to 1,600 kilograms of cargo to the surface of the Moon. It will consist of three main elements: the lunar descent element, the cargo platform element, and, finally, the payload itself.
During his annual briefing to the press on 9 January, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher revealed that the agency expects to select a primary contractor for the lunar descent element in 2025. Following the briefing, ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, Daniel Neuenschwander, shared a statement on LinkedIn that further narrowed the timeline to the first quarter of the year.
In its Explore 2040 strategy, ESA describes the development of the Argonaut lunar lander as a “first step” toward the agency’s ambition to “play a significant role on the Moon’s surface.” ESA envisions the lander supporting not just science missions but also providing cargo logistics services for human missions to the Moon within NASA’s Artemis architecture.
According to a Phase A/B1 development document published in July 2024, ESA is targeting 2031 for the launch of the first Argonaut mission. The lander is set to launch aboard an ArianeGroup Ariane 64 rocket from the Guiana Space Centre.
Sollte jemand angesichts des Stichworts "Ariane 64" die Brauen leicht hochziehen: es handelt sich um die stärker ausgelegte Variante der Ariane 6 (im Englischen würde es "Block 2" heißen), die statt 3500 kg wie bei der ersten Baureihe Ariane 62 8600 kg auf den LTO (Lunar transfer orbit) befördern kann.
"Les hommes seront toujours fous; et ceux qui croient les guérir sont les plus fous de la bande." - Voltaire
Der Start von New Glenn wird verschoben und verschoben. Der Start von Flug 7 wird verschoben und verschoben. Das Andocken von Chaser und Target ...
Zitat Blue Origin@blueorigin We’re moving our NG-1 launch to no earlier than Thursday, January 16. The three-hour launch window opens at 1 a.m. EST (0600 UTC). 3:07 AM · Jan 14, 2025
Zitat von Ulrich Elkmann im Beitrag #89 Eigentlich müßte man die alte NASA-Tradition der "Wake-Up-Calls" wiederaufleben lassen und jeden der 60 Tage der Mondmission mit einer Blüte aus diesem Strauß beginnen. Vollständige Playliste, seit Gemini 7, Dezember 1965.
Da war ich wohl nicht der einzige. Das Team der Blue Ghost Mission 1 hat heute eine solche Playlist von 45 Titeln zusammengestellt. Voilà:
Zitat Playlist - The Blue Ghost Mision 1 - Ghost Riders in the Sky
Firefly’s team of Ghost Riders are taking the Blue Ghost lunar lander to the moon! This playlist of songs are enjoyed by the team on their road trips here on Earth. Tune in with Blue Ghost, take a road trip to the moon! •29 Saves• 45 Songs, etwa 3 Std.
1 Johnny Cash - (Ghost) Riders in the Sky 2 Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song - Remaster 3 Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama 4. C.W.McCall - Convoy 5 Stan Rogers - Northwest Passage 6 Pink Floyd - Eclipse 7 Pink Floyd - The Great Gig in the Sky 8 Jorge Rivera-Herrans, Michuel Veloso, Ayron Alexander, Cats of EPIC - Legendary 9 Jorge Rivera-Herrans, Anna Lee - Suffering 10 Eddy Grant - Electric Avenua 11 Kenny Loggins - Electric Avenue (From "Top Gun" original soundtrack) 12 Fleetwod Mac - Dreams 13 Katy Perry - Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) 14 Claude Debussy - Clair de Lune (Hayato Sumino) 15 Mt. Joy - Astrovan 16 LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean 17 Sammy Rae & The Friends - Good Life 18 John Denver - Take me Home, Country Roads 19 DragonForce - Through the Fire and Flames 20 Daft Punkt - Around the World/Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger 21 Florida George Line, Tim McGraw - May We All 22 Taylor Swift - Love Story (Taylor's Vision) 23 Taylor Swift - Long Live (Taylor's Vision) 24 JJ Grey & Mofor - Georga Warhorse 25 Bon Jovi - Wanted Dead Or Alive 26 Blue Swede, Björn Skifs - Hooked On A Feeling 27 John Denver, Emmylou Harris - Wild Montana Skies 28 Bon Joyi - Lovin' On A Prayer 29 Lady Gaga - Highway Unicorn (Road To Love) 30 Outkast - Roses 31 Claude VonStroke, Wyatt Marshall - Youngblood 32 The Lagoons - California 33 Marty Robbins - El Paso 34 Autoheart - Oxford Blood 35 Eagles - Take It Easy (2013 Remaster) 36 Nickiy Youre, dazy - Sunroof 37 Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars 38 Journey - Don't Stop Believin' 39 Smash Mouth - I'm A Believer (from "Shrek" Motion Picture Soundtrack) 40 Smash Mouth - All Star (ditto) 41 The Proclaimers - I'm On My Way (ditto) 42 Lynyrd Skynyrd - Call Me The Breeze 43 Frank Sinatra - Fly Me To The Moon (with Count Basie Orchestra, 2008 Remaster) 44 Elton John - Rocket Man 45 Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky
Livestream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI9DAXWHUgg T. minus 6 Minuten. 07:11. Start der beiden Mondsonden, Blue Ghost und Hakuto-R.. t 2:31. Brennschluß der 1. Stufe/Stufentrennung. 3:41. Absprengung der Schanzverkleidungen. 8:11. "Nominal orbit insertion." 8:20. Landung des Boosters auf der "Just Read the Instructions." Zweitstufe Brennschluß bis etwa t 58 Minuten.
Zitat SpaceX@SpaceX Deployment of @Firefly_Space’s Blue Ghost lunar lander confirmed 8:18 AM · Jan 15, 2025
Zitat Firefly Aerospace@Firefly_Space On-orbit commissioning is now complete! Up next, Blue Ghost will spend approximately 25 days orbiting Earth 3.5 times at varying altitudes that get us closer to the Moon each time. Check back for daily updates along the way! #BGM1 11:49 AM · Jan 15, 2025
Zitat von Ulrich Elkmann im Beitrag #87 Der ikonische Bildband mit Text von Willy Ley und den Farbillustrationen von Chesley Bonestell, der erste wirklich populäre Beststeller über die Raumfahrt, "The Conquest of Space," ist am 16. September 1949 bei The Viking Press herausgekommen. Diese Bilder haben die populäre Vorstellung von Raumfahrt, und wie solche Raumschiffe aussehen würden, fast so geprägt wie die drei von Charles Ryan 1952-54 herausgegebenen Bildbände des "Collier's Magazine." Ganz besonders das Titelbild, das die an eine V-2 erinnernde Mondrakete zeigt, die aufrecht vor einer schwarzen Mondlandschaft steht, dürfte DAS symbolische Bild aus diesen Jahren der "Prähistorie der Raumfahrt" vor dem Start von Sputnik 1 darstellen.
In "The Conquest of Space" ist das Bild außerdem als Abb. XXIV enthalten. Bildunterschirft dort: "The ship, having landed on its tail, will take off from this position for the return to earth." (*) Die Erstveröffentlichung war in Farbe, als Titelbild von Astounding Science Fiction vom Juli 1948: https://isfdb.org/wiki/images/1/12/ASTJUL1948.jpg
Liste der Illustrationen:
Zitat "The Conquest of Space" Bonestell Color Illustrations Index, by Melvin Schuetz Many people received their introduction to the art of Chesley Bonestell by way of coming across a copy of the famous 1949 Willy Ley/Chesley Bonestell book, "The Conquest of Space". Of the 58 Bonestell illustrations in "Conquest", 43 were first published in magazines, between 1944 and 1948. Whereas a majority of the illustrations in CONQUEST were reproduced in black and white, almost all of those early magazine appearances were in color.
Presented here is a table of those 43 illustrations, along with the names and dates of the magazines where they first appeared.
Transcontinental rocket ship taking off from Long Island Pic, Oct. 1947 Twenty-five miles above New Jersey Coronet, Aug. 1946 A hundred and twenty-five miles above Williamsport, Pa. Pic, Oct. 1947 Five hundred miles above central Nebraska Pic, Oct. 1947 Two hundred and fifty miles above the Nevada-Utah border Pic, Oct. 1947 Flying to Europe, rocket ship 200 miles above the Atlantic Life, Mar. 4, 1946 Circling the earth outside the atmosphere, over England Life, Mar. 4, 1946 Four thousand miles above the surface of the earth, looking west Life, Mar. 4, 1946 "Zero hour minus five" - preparing the ship for a trip to the moon Pic, Sep. 1948 Fifteen thousand miles out from the earth, coasting without power Life, Mar. 4, 1946 Thirty-five thousand miles out Coronet, Aug. 1946 Forty-five hundred miles from the moon Mechanix Illustrated, Sep. 1945 One of the most impressive mountain ranges on the moon Pic, Sep. 1948 An eclipse of the sun by the earth Pic, Sep. 1948 Two hundred miles above the moon Life, Mar. 4, 1946 Fifty miles above the moon Pic, Sep. 1948 Fifty miles above San Francisco Bay Life, Mar. 4, 1946 Beginnings of the lunar base; the weekly transport to earth being readied Pic, June 1947 The crater Aristarchus, the brightest spot on the moon Life, Mar. 4, 1946 Promontory Laplace in foreground, promontory Heraclides on horizon Pic, Sep. 1948 A study in apparent sizes; constellation Orion and earth, in lunar sky Life, Mar. 4, 1946 The Great Valley of the "Alps," from a ship 10 miles above the moon Pic, Sep. 1948 The rocket ship some 10 miles above the lunar pole Mechanix Illustrated, Sep. 1945 Standing on a high peak of the eastern wall of the crater Copernicus Pic, Sep. 1948 Ship 25 miles above Mt. Pico, which is 10,000 feet high Life, Mar. 4, 1946 View from the rim of the crater Theophilus into its interior Life, Mar. 4, 1946 * Ship ready for return trip Astounding Science Fiction, July 1948 View from spaceship's cabin, sometime during 1985 Coronet, Aug. 1946 Surface of Venus Air Trails and Science Frontiers, Sep. 1947 Another view of Mars from Deimos Coronet, Aug. 1946 Mars as seen from Phobos, its nearer moon Coronet, Aug. 1946 Saturn as it appears in the dark sky of its satellite Japetus Life, May 29, 1944 Saturn seen from Phoebe, its outermost satellite Life, May 29, 1944 Saturn as it appears from its satellite Dione Life, May 29, 1944 The rings of Saturn seen from a position on the planet at 15 ½ degrees northern latitude Life, May 29, 1944 Saturn as seen from its satellite Titan Life, May 29, 1944 Saturn as seen from its satellite Mimas Life, May 29, 1944 Close-up of another sun: the double star Mira Astounding Science Fiction, Apr. 1948 What would happen if a very large meteorite scored a hit on Manhattan Coronet, July 1947 Martian landscape, eroded mountains in distance Air Trails and Science Frontiers, Sep. 1947 Martian landscape, looking toward the pole Coronet, Aug. 1946 Jupiter's surface Air Trails and Science Frontiers, Sep. 1947 The 200-inch telescope Science Illustrated, June 1947
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