At 9:48 GMT on October 28th, the National Polar Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite was successfully launched atop a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base into a polar orbit, circling the Earth at an altitude of 824km. With a cost of 1.5 billion US dollars, the NPP is expected to have an operational lifetime of at [...]
Post Tagged with: “USA”
SpaceX Launch Abort System Approved
SpaceX announced the completion of the preliminary design review of the Dragon spacecraft’s launch abort system. Since the end of space shuttle program in summer 2011, NASA depends on Russian Soyuz to ferry astronauts to the ISS, with a cost of about 62 million dollars a seat. This is another important step for USA to regain the possibility of launching [...]
ROSAT reentered atmosphere over Bay of Bengal
Accordint to German space agency DLR and its partners, including NASA, the Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT) reentered the atmosphere over the Bay of Bengal on 23 October 2011 at 03:50 CEST. It is not yet known whether any part of the satellite has reached the ground. Determination of the time and location of re-entry was based on the evaluation of data provided by international partners, [...]
Safety of Nuclear Powered Missions
The use of Plutonium as a power source is still considered the best choice for certain type of deep space missions. The extraordinary scientific results of missions like Voyager, Pioneer and Apollo would have not been possible without nuclear power. Yet, the US Senate Appropriations Committee decided not to fund the administration’s request for $15 million for the Department of Energy to restart production of plutonium-238 (Pu-238) in the 2012 energy and [...]
Space Safety Magazine – Issue 1 – Fall 2011
Inside the Fall Issue of the Space Safety Magazine Welcome to the First Issue of the Space Safety Magazine The Need for an Integrated Regulatory Regime for Aviation and Space Space Toxicology The Vision: An International Institute for Space Safety Introducing IAASS Jerome Lederer Space Safety Pioneer Award Vladimir Syromiatnikov Safety-by Design Award Commercial Space Debris Removal Safety of Nuclear [...]
Has Anyone Been Hit by Space Debris?
US website Aerospace reports the story of Lottie Williams, the only human being who has been hit so far by an orbital debris: ”Reportedly, only one individual has been struck by debris from a reentering spacecraft’s. Lottie Williams of Tulsa, Oklahoma reported that she was struck on the shoulder while walking. The timing and location were consistent with debris from the Delta second [...]
Columbia Tank Found on Lakebed
An aluminum tank from Space Shuttle Columbia has been found in Lake Nacogdoches, Texas in August 2011. The fragment emerged from the lake following an unusually severe drought. NASA has recognized the fragment as a Shuttle tank, and is now organizing its recovery. Soon the tank will be brought back to NASA Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, along with the other [...]
Soyuz TMA-21 returns to Earth
Soyuz TMA-21, carrying NASA astronaut Ron Garan and Russian cosmonauts Alexander Samokutyaev & Andrey Borisenko, landed in the Kazakhstan region at 4:00am GMT, after a 6 months mission. The spacecraft, whose mission began on April 4, 2011, had completed 162 days out of its 200 day orbital lifetime limit. Its return, originally scheduled pro September 8, was delayed by one week [...]
NASA Announces Design for New Deep Space Exploration System
NASA announced the design for the Space Launch System (SLS), an heavy-lift vehicle which has the potential to provide the capability for exploration beyond Earth orbit. The SLS is designed to carry the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, along with cargo and equipment for deep space exploration. ”This launch system will create good-paying American jobs, ensure continued U.S. leadership in space, and [...]
Boeing CST-100 Airbag Test
Boeing and Bigelow Aerospace have recently conducted a series of successful air bag drop tests for the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 mock capsule. Boeing is developing its capsule under the framework of Commercial Crew Development (CCDev)-2, which is aimed at restoring US human space capability to LEO and the ISS by 2016. Airbags, which have never been used for human spaceflight, [...]
