The space flight thread

vreihen said:

Speaking of lessons from the 1980's, I'm happy to see this happening.....

https://apnews.com/f3f2fc24b2494f5b...uliffe's-lost-lessons-finally-taught-in-space

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Google’s Lunar Xprize to go unclaimed as moonshot deadline looms

Posted yesterday
by Darrell Etherington (@etherington)

Google teamed up with Xprize to sponsor an audacious literal race to the Moon, but sadly the competition will end with no one taking home the grand prize of $30 million. Xprize and Google realized after discussing progress with its five finalist teams that none will be able to make a Moon launch in time for the deadline of the competition, and so the 10-year journey ends somewhat anticlimactically.

To say that not crowning a winner means the competition ended in failure would be shortsighted and incorrect, however; Google and Xprize’s competition did bring teams close to the dream of launching a private spacecraft to the Moon, and it’s not even necessarily the end yet for the finalists. Xprize is looking at multiple options for keeping the competition alive, including finding a new sponsor post-Google, and even opting to keep the Lunar landing race going as a non-cash competitive venture.

As Xprize points out, it shouldn’t be entirely surprising to anyone that one of its competitions would end without crowning a clear winner: The whole point is that they’re very hard. The aphorism “it’s about the journey, not the destination” comes to mind, and indeed, with high-stakes innovation competitions designed to encourage pursuit of extra-planetary exploration, it seems like an apt statement.

XPrize’s Founder and Executive Chairman, Peter H. Diamonds, as well as its CEO Marcus Shingles, penned the following statement explaining the state of the Google Lunar Xprize, as well as the impact it has had thus far – even if it fell short of its lofty goal of Earth’s nearest natural satellite:

After close consultation with our five finalist Google Lunar XPRIZE teams over the past several months, we have concluded that no team will make a launch attempt to reach the Moon by the March 31st, 2018 deadline. This literal “moonshot” is hard, and while we did expect a winner by now, due to the difficulties of fundraising, technical and regulatory challenges, the grand prize of the $30M Google Lunar XPRIZE will go unclaimed.

We are extraordinarily grateful to Google for enabling this 10-year journey with us and for having the foresight and courage to support and catalyze the commercial space industry, which was the ultimate goal of this competition.

As a result of this competition, we have sparked the conversation and changed expectations with regard to who can land on the Moon. Many now believe it’s no longer the sole purview of a few government agencies, but now may be achieved by small teams of entrepreneurs, engineers, and innovators from around the world. We are thankful to the teams for their decade of hard work, and acknowledge that a number of our teams are now, finally building flight ready hardware, contracting with launch providers and are close to being able to make their attempt to land on the Moon.

XPRIZE is exploring a number of ways to proceed from here. This may include finding a new title sponsor to provide a prize purse following in the footsteps of Google’s generosity, or continuing the Lunar XPRIZE as a non-cash competition where we will follow and promote the teams and help celebrate their achievements.

Even though we are disappointed that we do not have a winner at this time, we are proud of the impact that the Google Lunar XPRIZE has achieved to date. Over the course of this competition:

1) Teams and the companies that own the teams have raised more than $300 million through corporate sponsorships, government contracts and venture capital, including the largest space-related series A investment of $90 million;

2) Hundreds of jobs were created and the first commercial space companies were established in India, Malaysia, Israel and Hungary;

3) Through educational programs, we have engaged hundreds of thousands of young people across the globe, sparking an interest in exploration and STEM fields;

4) We have also seen regulatory reform: one team received the first-ever payload review approval from the FAA to leave Earth’s orbit in their quest to complete their lunar mission;

5) We have already awarded more than $6 million in prize money to teams over the course of the competition, in recognition of the milestones they have accomplished; and,

6) Finally, we have secured global media exposure for our teams, including a recent 32-page feature in National Geographic, a segment on The Today Show, and a 9-part web series, Moon Shot, executive produced by J.J. Abrams, inspiring millions of people around the world with the story of the Google Lunar XPRIZE.

In conclusion, it’s incredibly difficult to land on the Moon. If every XPRIZE competition we launch has a winner, we are not being audacious enough, and we will continue to launch competitions that are literal or figurative moonshots, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. We are inspired by the progress of the Google Lunar XPRIZE teams, and will continue to support their journey, one way or another, and will be there to help shine the spotlight on them when they achieve that momentous goal.

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Astronomers really hate that bright disco ball satellite secretly launched to space

Miriam Kramer
Mashable
January 25, 2018

On Thursday, the rocket company Rocket Lab announced that it had secretly launched the Humanity Star, a satellite in the shape of a reflective sphere that effectively works as a disco ball and could at times become the brightest object in the night sky.

The Humanity Star was launched as a way to unite all who see it under the night sky, according to Rocket Lab.

"The Humanity Star is intended to serve as a focal point for humanity as every single person on Earth will have the opportunity to see and experience it," Rocket Lab said in a statement.

But certain people on Earth aren't exactly pleased.

Just after Rocket Lab announced the surprise launch of the satellite, many astronomers tweeted their annoyance that the New Zealand-based company would build and launch this bright object.

Looking up at the Moon and the planets in the night sky invokes similar feelings of wonder - why do we need this artificial disco ball in orbit? https://t.co/FDxiR7FyQr

— Meg Schwamb (@megschwamb) January 24, 2018

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This is stupid, vandalizes the night sky and corrupts our view of the cosmos. https://t.co/KkATT35Kf0

— David Kipping (@david_kipping) January 25, 2018

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An unscientific survey of the astronomy folks I follow suggest they all hate this object. https://t.co/zKP94AqISw

— M.P. (@OmanReagan) January 24, 2018

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"Looking up at the Moon and the planets in the night sky invokes similar feelings of wonder - why do we need this artificial disco ball in orbit?" planetary scientist Meg Schwamb said in a tweet.

The Humanity Star isn't expected to stay in orbit for very long, and it won't be visible everywhere.

The quickly spinning satellite will orbit the Earth every 90 minutes and its orbit should decay in about 9 months, forcing the Humanity Star to harmlessly burn up in the atmosphere. That said, it could create a bit of a headache for astronomers trying to peer deeply out into the cosmos during the time that it's in orbit.

While this is a great idea, there is the problem that having another bright light in the sky, making light pollution that makes it more difficult to see that Universe.... S https://t.co/OD21gTbnjb

— DJ Dr JJ Eldridge (@astro_jje) January 24, 2018

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There are already hundreds of satellites you can see with your naked eye. Launching a disco ball as a PR stunt just increases the odds of the Kessler Syndrome making low earth orbit unusable.

— Andy Howell (@d_a_howell) January 24, 2018

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I agree, it presumably also adds one more piece of optical noise to the sky (how to ruin nice telescope integration time...)

— Caleb Scharf (@caleb_scharf) January 24, 2018

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Wow. Intentionally bright long-term space graffiti. Thanks a lot, @RocketLab. https://t.co/jvYBvQGyW3

— Mike Brown (@plutokiller) January 24, 2018

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Agree, this is an awful idea. Besides: ISS is naked eye when visible. It’s been done. Judging by the past couple decades: putting bright shiny thing in orbit =/= awe and world peace.

— Eric Mamajek (@EricMamajek) January 25, 2018

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David Kipping, an astronomer who hunts for planets outside of our solar system, made the point that the satellite could create some serious problems if he's trying to catch sight of one of those elusive planets as the Humanity Star flies through his field of view.

it's supposed to be the brightest thing in the sky, i'd be pretty annoyed if this thing passed through my field whilst observing a transit...

— David Kipping (@david_kipping) January 25, 2018

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The intention behind the Humanity Star, however, is certainly something most astronomers can likely understand.

"I know many astronomers are upset at this unnecessary object that will cause light pollution, although again we don't know orbit or brightness yet so we don't know how bad it will be," astrophysicist JJ Eldridge said via Twitter message.

"But I can also kinda see that maybe we do need something like this with so much negativity in the world at the moment."

Rocket Lab, for its part, has been replying to some negative tweets and attempting to clarify just how much of a distraction the Humanity Star will be for those studying the universe.

The Humanity Star will blink across the sky for just a seconds, and it won't be visible in your region for the full 9 months in orbit. Our hope is that it draws people's attention to the stars, then leaves them looking to the universe long after The Humanity Star has passed.

— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) January 24, 2018

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"The Humanity Star will briefly flash across the sky for a few seconds, reflecting sunlight back to the Earth’s surface, creating a fleeting glint of light," Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said in a statement via email.

"It is designed to be a brief moment of just a few seconds."

The Humanity Star was launched to space during a test flight of Rocket Lab's Electron rocket over the weekend.

Update: This story was updated to include a statement from Rocket Lab.

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Satellite transforms into huge fireball as it crashes to Earth in Peru

Nick Reilly
Yahoo News UK
January 31, 2018

The fiery satellite was seen soaring through the skies of Peru

This is the moment a huge fireball was seen soaring through the skies of South America on Saturday.

But far from being a UFO or a planet-destroying asteroid, the Peruvian Air Force confirmed that the burning object was an old piece of satellite that burnt up after entering the earth’s orbit.

The remaining parts of the satellite were discovered by peasants in southeastern Peru, who immediately contacted the Peruvian Air Force.

The Peruvian Air Force quickly released photos to dispel conspiracy theorists

Air Force officials quickly released images of the space debris in a bid to dispel potential conspiracy theories.

The satellite’s descent to earth comes after 60 years of space exploration – which has led to the atmosphere being clogged with pieces of debris from various crafts and satellites.

‘When the debris enters the atmosphere it comes under intense friction and this causes it to set on fire. That is what could have happened’, Meteorologist Alejandro Fonesca said.

The spectacular images of the fireball were captured in the skies above the Peruvian cities of Tinga Maria and Pucallpa in southern Peru, located about 115 miles apart from each other.

The satellite crashed in a remote area of Peru

A 2016 count by the United States Strategic Command found that there was a staggering 17,852 artificial objects in the earth’s orbit, including 1,419 operational satellites.

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Dream Chaser's first ISS resupply mission launches in late 2020
It'll ferry space station cargo and host science experiments.

Jon Fingas, @jonfingas
02.07.18 in Space

After years of testing, Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser cargo spacecraft has a launch window. NASA has given the go-ahead to the vehicle's first mission, which is now slated for late 2020. Appropriately, it's a straightforward resupply trip for the International Space Station. The company received the all-clear after hitting a slew of key NASA-approved design milestones.

Out of the companies NASA picked to provide ISS resupply missions back in 2016, Sierra Nevada's vessel is the only aircraft-like design of the bunch -- the Orbital ATK and SpaceX offerings are capsules. That should give it an edge when it carries scientific experiments, as it can land on a runway and offload equipment immediately (crucial for time-sensitive science) instead of waiting for a recovery. There's a pressurized cabin for human-tended experiments.

Dream Chaser might not serve its original purpose for long when the ISS isn't poised to receive funding past 2024. Even so, it should help usher in the private spaceflight era and offer some fresh competition.

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Aerojet says government asking it to invest too much in its own engine
Rocket company seeks to reduce its share of costs from one-third to one-sixth.

ERIC BERGER
2/19/2018, 11:07 AM

The propulsion company Aerojet Rocketdyne, formed in 2013 by two of America's most storied rocket engine manufacturers, has been working a new engine, known as the AR1, since 2014. Almost from its outset, however, the AR1 has faced two primary questions: who would pay for its development, and who would use the new engine.

In recent years, Aerojet has sought funding from the US Air Force to design and build the AR1, which has approximately 20 percent more thrust than a space shuttle main engine. The Air Force, in turn, has pledged as much as $536 million in development costs provided that Aerojet puts its own skin in the game—about one-third of research and development expenses.

According to a new report in Space News, Aerojet is now saying that even this modest investment is too much, and the company is seeking to reduce its share of the development costs from one-third to one-sixth. “As we look to the next phase of this contract, we are working with the Air Force on a smart and equitable cost-share,” Aerojet spokesman Steve Warren told the publication. “We are committed to delivering an engine in 2019.”

AR1’s purpose

According to the report, the Air Force is not inclined to renegotiate the agreement. The Air Force's hesitation to increase its investment is probably because the military may not really need the AR1 rocket engine any more due to the emergence of Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The original funds to develop the AR1 were spent by the US military as part of a "Rocket Propulsion System" program to ensure continued access to space for communications and spy satellites. The AR1 funds were paid in part because the military's primary launch provider, United Launch Alliance, needed a new rocket engine for its next-generation rocket, Vulcan. The Colorado-based rocket company has instead indicated its preference for a different rocket engine being manufactured by Blue Origin, the BE-4. This engine is further along in development and will almost certainly cost less than Aerojet's AR1 engine. It's not at all clear whether any customers exist for the AR1 if it does not fly on the Vulcan booster.

From the military's perspective, the BE-4 is also attractive because it was developed largely through private investment—in this case from Bezos. Increasingly, the US military has recognized the potential of privately developed engines and rockets like those built by SpaceX and Blue Origin as a means to reduce launch costs in the 21st century. Paying Aerojet more money for the AR1 engine now, at a time of rapid commercial expansion in the aerospace industry, would harken back to an era of sole-source providers in which the government paid for most, if not all, of launch development costs.

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vreihen said:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/02/aerojet-wants-more-money-for-rocket-engine-the-government-may-not-need/

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Uwe said:

Because it uses methane rather than RP1, the BE4 isn't a direct substitute for the RD180 that the AR1 was supposed to replace on the Atlas V.

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Then again, what does an Atlas V do that an F9 or FH can't?

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vreihen said:

So it runs on cow farts?

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vreihen said:

Keep several overpaid defense contractors in business?????

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NASA fires shuttle rocket engine to the max during test for Space Launch System

Alan Boyle
GeekWire
February 21, 2018

Like a “Spinal Tap” guitarist, NASA turned the dial up to 11 today on a souped-up rocket engine from the bygone space shuttle program.

The 260-second engine firing at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi represented the toughest test yet for hardware that’s destined to go on the Space Launch System, NASA’s heavy-lift rocket.

NASA plans to use sets of Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 rocket engines left over from the shuttle program in the main propulsion systems on the first four SLS rockets, four at a time. Fourteen of the 16 hydrogen-fueled engines were previously installed on the shuttle orbiters, which were retired in 2011 and are now on display in museums.

The recycled RS-25s have been upgraded with new seals as well as 3-D printed parts that are designed to serve as shock absorbers during the engines’ thunderous firings.

Stennis’ test firings are aimed at certifying that the upgrades work as planned, and that the engines can perform at the higher power ratings required by the SLS. Today’s test hit 113 percent of the engine’s original design thrust level, the highest mark ever achieved.

Computer modeling already had determined that the engines can reach those levels, but today’s test provided valuable ground truth — and will guide Aerojet Rocketdyne as it makes more RS-25s.

“Increased thrust requirements for the RS-25 are just one of the many changes in the SLS rocket’s performance that will facilitate our nation’s deep-space exploration goals and objectives,” Dan Adamski, RS-25 program director at Aerojet Rocketdyne, said in a news release.

The first SLS flight, known as Exploration Mission 1, aims to send an uncrewed Orion capsule to the far side of the moon and back in 2020. Astronauts are due to get on board for a similar round-the-moon odyssey in 2023.

The SLS has been controversial because of its estimated $10 billion development cost, its operational cost of roughly $1 billion per launch, and a relatively low projected flight rate of one to two launches per year.

In comparison, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk estimates the cost of creating his company’s Falcon Heavy rocket at upwards of $500 million. The list price for a Falcon Heavy launch is $90 million.

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, which made its debut this month, is currently the world’s most powerful rocket in operation with 5 million pounds of liftoff thrust. But the SLS is designed to exceed that performance.

The initial version, known as SLS Block 1, aims to deliver 8.8 million pounds of liftoff thrust — more than the 7.5 million pounds that the Saturn V rocket mustered for Apollo moon shots. SLS Block 2 would turn the dial even higher, to 9.2 million pounds.

In terms of payload lift capacity, Block 1 could put 70 metric tons in low Earth orbit, and Block 2 takes that figure up to 143 tons. Falcon Heavy’s comparable lift capacity is 64 metric tons.

NASA intends to use the SLS for missions to the moon, Mars and other deep-space destinations. But the rocket’s critics say other heavy-lift launch vehicles such as the Falcon Heavy or Blue Origin’s yet-to-be-built New Glenn could be configured to do what needs to be done less expensively and more frequently.

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vreihen said:

ULA launched GOES-S for NOAA/National Weather Service yesterday afternoon, on a pretty beefy Atlas V "541" configuration with 4 SRB's.

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Uwe said:

Y U no post launch vid?

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THE MOON IS GETTING 4G CELL SERVICE AND A LIVE VIDEO FEED NEXT YEAR

BY MEGHAN BARTELS
ON 2/27/18 AT 4:28 PM


Updated | On Tuesday, British telecommunications company Vodafone announced a new partnership with Nokia to bring 4G coverage to the Moon next year. It's part of an initiative run by a German company called PTScientists, which wants to land the first non-governmental mission on the Moon.

If you're wondering why precisely the Moon needs a 4G network—which, to be clear, is better connectivity than people can access in parts of Africa right now—it ties back to that first nongovernmental mission. Specifically, the company wants to land two rovers on the Moon to examine the Apollo 17 vehicle astronauts left behind the last time humans visited, in 1972.

That will put the equipment on the near side of the Moon, where it's much easier to land and communicate with Earth. But PTScientists has its eye on sending a whole lot of data home—not just scientific data, but also a live HD video feed of the Moon's surface. (As to what sort of action that live feed would actually show, it could watch the sun rise and set, and perhaps could catch some dust storms.)

The 4G technology is supposed to weigh about two pounds, making it a tiny system. In addition to allowing the two rovers to communicate with each other as they wander the Moon separately, the device would beam back a 4G signal back to Earth.

As of August, the project was hoping to launch late this year, but Vodafone now says the devices are supposed to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sometime in 2019. None of the companies involved—Vodafone, PTScientists, and Nokia—appear on the rocket company's future missions list. According to the Financial Times, the whole endeavor will cost in the range of tens of millions of dollars.

This story has been updated to correct Vodafone's headquarter country.

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