Space exploration thread

[ScienceRocks]

All dressed up and nowhere to go.

Because our leadership is full of idiots. We not only should lead in space, but must.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Japan Wants Space Plane or Capsule by 2022


Japan Plans Manned Capsule or Space Plane by 2022 | Space.com

Japan hopes to be launching astronauts aboard a manned capsule or space plane by 2022, and the nation is also eyeing point-to-point suborbital transportation over the longer haul.

The capsule or mini-shuttle — which may resemble Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser space plane — would each accommodate a crew of three and carry up to 880 pounds (400 kilograms) of cargo, officials with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said this month.

The mini-shuttle would weigh 26,400 pounds (11,975 kg) and land at one of five suitable runways worldwide. Because a launch abort from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center would mean a Pacific Ocean landing, the space plane would also have to be able to cope with the sea.

 

[ScienceRocks]

SpaceX’s 10-Story Re-useable Grasshopper Rocket Takes a Bigger Hop


SpaceX’s 10-Story Re-useable Grasshopper Rocket Takes a Bigger Hop

Quote

SpaceX is developing the “Grasshopper” reusable vertical takeoff, vertical landing rocket. Back in September, the 32-meter- (106-ft-) tall Grasshopper made a tiny hop – barely lifting off the pad just to test-fire its engines. But now the Grasshopper has made a second, bigger hop. Over the weekend, Elon Musk quietly tweeted a link to a video, saying, “First flight of 10 story tall Grasshopper rocket using closed loop thrust vector & throttle control.”

SpaceX hasn’t talked much about this rocket, but reportedly the goal with Grasshopper is to eventually create a reusable first stage for its Falcon 9 rocket, which would be able to land safely instead of falling back into the ocean and not being usable again.


Here’s some info about the Grasshopper from a draft environmental impact assessment put out by the FAA in 2011:


The Grasshopper RLV consists of a Falcon 9 Stage 1 tank, a Merlin-1D engine, four steel landing legs, and a steel support structure. Carbon overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs), which are filled with either nitrogen or helium, are attached to the support structure. The Merlin-1D engine has a maximum thrust of 122,000 pounds. The overall height of the Grasshopper RLV is 106 feet, and the tank height is 85 feet.

The propellants used in the Grasshopper RLV include a highly refined kerosene fuel, called RP-1, and liquid oxygen (LOX) as the oxidizer.

The reports goes on to say that the Grasshopper test program is to have three phases of test launches, at SpaceX’s facility in McGregor, Texas. Phases 1 and 2 would consist of very low test fires with the rocket rising to not more than 73 meters (240 feet) during Phase 1 and 204 meters (670 feet), which is below controlled-airspace. Both Phase 1 and 2 flights would last up to 45 seconds.

Phase 3 tests have the goal of increasingly higher altitudes with higher ascent speeds and descent speeds. The altitude test sequence likely would be 366 meters (1,200 feet); 762 meters (2,500 feet); 1,524 meters (5,000 feet); 2,286 meters (7,500 feet); and 3,505 meters (11,500) feet. The maximum test duration would be approximately 160 seconds. If all goes well, the Grasshopper would land back on the launch pad.


Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/98316/...pper-rocket-takes-a-bigger-hop/#ixzz2BLTTJFyM

 

[Mr. H.]

^ this is how rockets were depicted in 50's and 60's sci-fi flicks.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Post-election rumor: next NASA mission will be beyond moon

A view of the moon and Earth from 6.2 million miles out, taken by the Galileo spacecraft in 1992.
Post-election rumor: next NASA mission will be beyond moon | DVICE


We've known since February that the leading candidate for NASA's next major manned mission is a station located at the L2 Earth-Moon Lagrange Point out beyond the far side of the moon. The latest rumors suggest that this mission was probably approved by the Obama administration, and now that he's been reelected, it has a good chance of actually happening.

Long term (perhaps by 2030 or 2035), humans are headed for Mars. Medium term (perhaps by 2025), humans are headed for an asteroid. But before all that, within the next decade or so, the next logical stepping stone is probably going to be a manned space station outside of the Earth-moon system. Or at least, that's NASA's plan, provided that the agency receives enough government funding and support. Pre-election, things were less certain, since Mitt Romney would likely have made some substantial changes to NASA's mission. But with Barack Obama back in office for another four years, it's now sounding like NASA can go ahead with plans to send humans out into deep space.

Before humans stray too far from home, NASA wants to take its fancy new Orion capsule and powerful Space Launch System and park out in space past the moon for a while to see how to keep humans from dying or going crazy after extended stays in deep space. While they're out there, astronauts could also have some fun by teleoperating lunar rovers on the moon's dark side.

All of this will get kicked off in 2017 with the first (unmanned) launch of the SLS, and the trans-lunar mission could come as early as 2021. Supposedly, this is all more or less within NASA's existing budget structure, and although a lot can happen between now and the 2020s, we're definitely on an optimistic and exciting path towards space.

I think it would make more sense for a space base on the moon. BUT THIS would be cool! Why can't we sat one day on the moon once in the next 10 years?

What makes it so much harder. Honestly, if the new rocket is the new saturn 5 why couldn't we?

 

[ScienceRocks]

NASA and ESA test interplanetary internet protocol using Lego robot

Summary: NASA and the European Space Agency have successfully tested something called the Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) protocol, which they hope will provide internet-like communications in space. They did so by controlling a Lego robot in Germany from the International Space Station.

NASA and the European Space Agency say they have successfully tested an interplanetary communications protocol, with astronauts on the International Space Station using it to control a Lego robot in Germany.
The Lego robot. Image: ESA
The protocol is called Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN), and one of its creators is Vint Cerf, a man who helped come up with the original Internet Protocol suite. NASA and the ESA said on Thursday that DTN may one day allow "internet-like communications" with spaceships and help support infrastructure on other planets.

NASA and ESA test interplanetary internet protocol using Lego robot | ZDNet

 

[ScienceRocks]

Analysts keep close eye on China's mystery space plane
MSNBC ^ | 11/9/2012 5:24:08 PM ET | Leonard David

A close-up of China's robotic Shenlong space plane prototype tucked beneath a Chinese H-6 bomber for glide testing in December 2007.


Last year several Chinese media outlets reported a test flight of the Shenlong space plane that apparently included its airdrop from an H-6 bomber.

Several China watchers in the U.S. have taken a stab at what the Shenlong (Mandarin for "Divine Dragon) might mean, with some experts conjecturing that the craft is simply a tit-for-tat response to the unmanned X-37B space plane.


This December 2007 image shows China's robotic Shenlong space plane prototype carried by an H-6 bomber during testing.


This comparative chart shows China’s Shenlong and the U.S. Air Force X-37B space plane.


Space-to-ground military operations

Other China space program watchdogs are mindful of the military origins of the country's space efforts.

"Given regular People’s Liberation Army writings about the importance of space-to-ground military operations in the future, something like an X-43 (an unmanned experimental hypersonic aircraft) or X-37B would also have appeal, as a likely pathway for military purposes," Cheng said.



This is an alleged screenshot of coverage by China’s official military television channel depicting a Shenlong test flight.


The bottom line

depending on its precise nature, Shenlong’s reported test may turn out to be part of a larger trend: a shrinking time gap between when the U.S. discloses a prototype military system and when China publicly shows a system similar in type —if not equal in capabilities or immediately operational.

"Beijing’s development of space plane programs is broad-based, and their trajectory will represent a key barometer of its civil and military space intentions."

China's mystery space plane draws attention - Technology & science - Space - Space.com | NBC News

 

[ScienceRocks]

Habitable-zone super-Earth candidate in a six-planet system around the K2.5V star HD 40307
[1211.1617] Habitable-zone super-Earth candidate in a six-planet system around the K2.5V star HD 40307

The K2.5 dwarf HD 40307 has been reported to host three super-Earths. The system lacks massive planets and is therefore a potential candidate for having additional low-mass planetary companions. We re-derive Doppler measurements from public HARPS spectra of HD 40307 to confirm the significance of the reported signals using independent data analysis methods. We also investigate these measurements for additional low-amplitude signals. We used Bayesian analysis of our radial velocities to estimate the probability densities of different model parameters. We also estimated the relative probabilities of models with differing numbers of Keplerian signals and verified their significance using periodogram analyses. We investigated the relation of the detected signals with the chromospheric emission of the star. As previously reported for other objects, we found that radial velocity signals correlated with the S-index are strongly wavelength dependent. We identify two additional clear signals with periods of 34 and 51 days, both corresponding to planet candidates with minimum masses a few times that of the Earth. An additional sixth candidate is initially found at a period of 320 days. However, this signal correlates strongly with the chromospheric emission from the star and is also strongly wavelength dependent. When analysing the red half of the spectra only, the five putative planetary signals are recovered together with a very significant periodicity at about 200 days. This signal has a similar amplitude as the other new signals reported in the current work and corresponds to a planet candidate with M sin i = 7 Me (HD 40307 g). ...

 

[Mr. H.]

If I had a space hammer
I'd space hammer in the mornin'

I'd space hammer in the evenin'

All over this land....

 

[ScienceRocks]

Mars radiation fine for humans, Curiosity finds

Initial readings of cosmic ray radiation on Mars suggest it's about the same as on the International Space Station. Now we just need a spaceship.

by Tim Hornyak
| November 16, 2012 10:05 AM PST


"Now, this is the plan. Get your ass to Mars."

We all remember Schwarzenegger motivating himself to go to the Red Planet in "Total Recall" (anyone bother watching the remake?) and sure we'd like to go too. Now NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has determined that radiation levels on the planet's surface are safe for human explorers.

"The astronauts can live in this environment," Don Hassler, principal investigator on Curiosity's Radiation Assessment Detector instrument (RAD), told a news conference.

"Basically, we're finding that the Mars atmosphere is acting as a shield for the radiation on the surface and as the atmosphere gets thicker, that provides more of a shield and therefore we see a dip in our radiation dose," Hassler said.

The findings mark the first time that cosmic rays have been measured on the surface of another planet, and come 100 years after Victor Hess discovered cosmic rays on Earth by using a hot-air balloon.

This is a huge reason that Mars is better than the moon.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Has Curiosity Made an ‘Earth-Shaking’ Discovery?

by Nancy Atkinson on November 20, 2012

The Mars Science Laboratory team has hinted that they might have some big news to share soon. But like good scientists, they are waiting until they verify their results before saying anything definitive. In an interview on NPR today, MSL Principal Investigator John Grotzinger said a recent soil sample test in the SAM instrument (Sample Analysis at Mars) shows something ‘earthshaking.’

“This data is gonna be one for the history books,” he said. “It’s looking really good.”

What could it be?

SAM is designed to investigate the chemical and isotopic composition of the Martian atmosphere and soil. In particular, SAM is looking for organic molecules, which is important in the search for life on Mars.

Read more: http://www.universet.../#ixzz2CnKhGW67

http://news.discovery.com/space/mars-mystery-what-has-curiosity-discovered-121120.html

 

[ScienceRocks]

Skylon spaceplane engine concept achieves key milestone
By Jonathan Amos

BBC News - Skylon spaceplane engine concept achieves key milestone

The UK company developing an engine for a new type of spaceplane says it has successfully demonstrated the power unit's enabling technology.

Reaction Engines Ltd (REL) of Culham, Oxfordshire, ran a series of tests on key elements of its Sabre propulsion system under the independent eye of the European Space Agency (Esa).

Esa's experts have confirmed that all the demonstration objectives were met.

REL claims the major technical obstacle to its ideas has now been removed.

"This is a big moment; it really is quite a big step forward in propulsion," said Alan Bond, the driving force behind the Sabre engine concept.

The company must now raise the £250m needed to complete the next phase of development.

This would essentially take the project to the final designs that could be handed to a manufacturer.

Although the British government has put significant sums into REL's technology in the past, the company's preference is to pursue city finance.

"The project to date has been more than 90% privately funded, and we intend to continue with that type of structure," explained Tim Hayter, the CEO of Reaction Engines Ltd.

"Yes, we would encourage government money but we're not reliant on it and we're certainly not depending on it.

"What is more important to us is government endorsement. That gives everyone the confidence that the UK is behind this project."

REL's idea is for an 84m-long vehicle called Skylon that would do the job of a big rocket but operate like an airliner, taking off and landing at a conventional runway.

The vehicle would burn a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen but in the low atmosphere the oxygen would be taken from the air, in the same way that a jet engine breathes air.

The pre-cooler demonstration was a critical step in proving the Skylon concept
Only once it had achieved very high speeds would Skylon switch to full rocket mode, burning onboard fuel supplies.

Taking its oxygen from the air in the initial flight phase would mean Skylon could fly lighter from the outset with a higher thrust-to-weight ratio, enabling it to make a single leap to orbit, rather than using and dumping propellant stages on the ascent - as is the case with current expendable rockets.

If such a vehicle could be made to work, its reusability should transform the costs of accessing space.

But its success depends on the Sabre engine's ability to manage the very hot air entering its intakes at high speed.

These gases have to be cooled prior to being compressed and burnt with the onboard hydrogen.

REL's solution is a module containing arrays of extremely fine piping that can extract the heat and plunge the inrushing air to minus 140C in just 1/100th of a second.

Ordinarily, the moisture in the air would be expected to freeze out rapidly, covering the piping in a blanket of frost and dislocating their operation.

But the company's engineers have also devised a means to control the frosting, permitting the Sabre engine to run in jet mode for as long as is needed before making the transition to full rocket mode to take the Skylon spaceplane into orbit.

It is the innovative helium cooling loop with its pre-cooler heat-exchanger that REL has been validating on an experimental rig.

"We completed the programme by getting down to -150C, running for 10 minutes," said Mr Bond. "We've demonstrated that the pre-cooler is behaving absolutely as predicted."

 

[ScienceRocks]

The biggest breakthrough in propulsion since the jet engine

29th November 2012

Reaction Engines Ltd. has announced what they claim is "the biggest breakthrough in aerospace propulsion technology since the invention of the jet engine." Critical tests have been successfully completed on the key technology for SABRE, an engine which will enable aircraft to reach the opposite side of the world in under 4 hours, or to fly directly into orbit and return in a single stage, taking off and landing on a runway.

SABRE, an air-breathing rocket engine, utilises both jet turbine and rocket technology. Its innovative pre-cooler technology is designed to cool the incoming airstream from over 1,000°C to minus 150°C in less than 1/100th of a second (six times faster than the blink of an eye) without blocking with frost. Recent tests have proven the cooling technology to be frost-free at the crucial low temperature of -150°C.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has evaluated the SABRE engine's pre-cooler heat exchanger on behalf of the UK Space Agency, and has given its official validation to the test results:

"The pre-cooler test objectives have all been successfully met and ESA are satisfied that the tests demonstrate the technology required for the SABRE engine development."

Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts said: "This is a remarkable achievement for a remarkable company. Building on years of unique engineering know-how, Reaction Engines has shown the world that Britain remains at the forefront of technological innovation and can get ahead in the global race. This technology could revolutionise the future of air and space travel."

Well over 100 test runs, undertaken at Reaction Engines Ltd's facility in Oxfordshire, integrated the ground-breaking flight-weight cooling technology and frost control system with a jet engine and a novel helium cooling loop, demonstrating the new technologies in the SABRE engine that drive its highly innovative and efficient thermodynamic cycle. This success adds to a series of other SABRE technology demonstrations undertaken by the company including contra-rotating turbines, combustion chambers, rocket nozzles, and air intakes. It marks a major advance towards the creation of reusable vehicles like SKYLON – initially designed to transport satellites and cargo, but which could eventually transport people into space at relatively low cost.

The biggest breakthrough in propulsion since the jet engine

 

[Moonglow]

NASA wants a digging probe on Mars also.

 

[ScienceRocks]

NASA probe reveals organics, ice on Mercury

NASA probe reveals organics, ice on Mercury | Reuters

(Reuters) - Despite searing daytime temperatures, Mercury, the planet closest to the sun, has ice and frozen organic materials inside permanently shadowed craters in its north pole, NASA scientists said on Thursday.

Earth-based telescopes have been compiling evidence for ice on Mercury for 20 years, but the finding of organics was a surprise, say researchers with NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, the first probe to orbit Mercury.

Both ice and organic materials, which are similar to tar or coal, were believed to have been delivered millions of years ago by comets and asteroids crashing into the planet.

"It's not something we expected to see, but then of course you realize it kind of makes sense because we see this in other places," such as icy bodies in the outer solar system and in the nuclei of comets, planetary scientist David Paige, with the University of California, Los Angeles, told Reuters.

 

[Votto]

I hate when people say they hate space exploration. "it's a waste of money" they say. How is that smartphone or calculator doing? Wait, that doesn't count right?

You are telling me. In fact, I think it high time we send a manned mission to Mars. I hear they have a lot of rocks.......red ones. That should keep them busy for years!!

Of course, this will be met with some resistance from the Obama administration since it will progably be viewed as a form of seceding from the Union.

 

[Votto]

NASA wants a digging probe on Mars also.

Why are bureaucrats always obsessed with digging large holes? I don't get it.

 

[LAfrique]

All missions and latest advances in space exploration goes here.


NASA building a better solid rocket booster for space launch system rocket

October 3, 2012 by Bill Hubscher

ATK employees at the company's Promontory, Utah facility prepare a segment of a qualification motor for NASA's Space Launch System for transport. Credit: ATK (Phys.org)—The largest and most powerful solid rocket booster ever built for flight is being assembled for NASA's Space Launch System at ATK Space Systems in Brigham City, Utah, incorporating new cost-savings measures. The SLS will launch NASA's Orion spacecraft and other payloads beyond low Earth orbit, and provide an entirely new capability for human exploration.

Although similar to the solid rocket boosters that helped power the space shuttle to orbit, the five-segment SLS boosters include several upgrades and improvements implemented by NASA and ATK engineers. In addition, the SLS boosters will be built more affordably and efficiently than shuttle boosters, incorporating new and innovative processes and technologies. "America's next steps in deep space exploration build on the lessons learned from our nation's rich human spaceflight history.

By using the best-of-the-best from shuttle and improving on previous investments, we will produce the needed solid booster for the first SLS flights," said Dan Dumbacher, NASA's deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development at NASA's headquarters in Washington, D.C. "We are encouraged by the progress being made at ATK. Their commitment to deliver a safe and high-quality rocket booster is vital as we build SLS to enable exploration to new frontiers in the solar system." New process improvements have been implemented throughout the manufacturing of Qualification Motor-1, the next full-scale test article for SLS booster. Four case segments have now been cast, and the motor will begin assembly in the test stand next month in preparation for a ground test in the spring of 2013.

The forward segment of the qualification motor for NASA'S Space Launch System is transported through manufacturing and assembly at ATK's facility in Promontory, Utah in preparation for a full-scale ground test there next spring. Credit: ATKImplementing new handling processes, ATK estimates the total assembly time for the SLS booster can be reduced by approximately 46 percent overall. In one area, ATK optimized inspection methods and replaced x-ray inspections with an ultrasonic examination of the booster's nozzle, allowing technicians to evaluate the hardware on the production floor.

In another, ATK reduced the number of moves from 47 to seven during one phase of booster assembly, reducing the chance of any damage in transit and greatly reducing the time it takes to complete that production process. "By improving upon proven Space Shuttle solid rocket motor hardware and operations, our shared goal is to deliver a safe, affordable and sustainable launch vehicle," said Alex Priskos, SLS booster manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. "We are embracing innovation both technically and in our management processes as we design and build SLS. Through the use of new streamlined approaches and techniques we have been able to drive down costs and enhance the reliability of the hardware."

The booster team has successfully completed its Booster Requirements Review confirming the five-segment solid rocket motor had a well-understood set of requirements. The review, held at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, included independent consultants and determined the team is ready

Read more at: NASA building a better solid rocket booster for space launch system rocket

Man, what is going on? I thought space travel was now open private business and NASA was finished with rocket launching!

 

[Politico]

New rockets cool. Now if they only had something to attach them to.

 

[ScienceRocks]

All missions and latest advances in space exploration goes here.


NASA building a better solid rocket booster for space launch system rocket

October 3, 2012 by Bill Hubscher

ATK employees at the company's Promontory, Utah facility prepare a segment of a qualification motor for NASA's Space Launch System for transport. Credit: ATK (Phys.org)—The largest and most powerful solid rocket booster ever built for flight is being assembled for NASA's Space Launch System at ATK Space Systems in Brigham City, Utah, incorporating new cost-savings measures. The SLS will launch NASA's Orion spacecraft and other payloads beyond low Earth orbit, and provide an entirely new capability for human exploration.

Although similar to the solid rocket boosters that helped power the space shuttle to orbit, the five-segment SLS boosters include several upgrades and improvements implemented by NASA and ATK engineers. In addition, the SLS boosters will be built more affordably and efficiently than shuttle boosters, incorporating new and innovative processes and technologies. "America's next steps in deep space exploration build on the lessons learned from our nation's rich human spaceflight history.

By using the best-of-the-best from shuttle and improving on previous investments, we will produce the needed solid booster for the first SLS flights," said Dan Dumbacher, NASA's deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development at NASA's headquarters in Washington, D.C. "We are encouraged by the progress being made at ATK. Their commitment to deliver a safe and high-quality rocket booster is vital as we build SLS to enable exploration to new frontiers in the solar system." New process improvements have been implemented throughout the manufacturing of Qualification Motor-1, the next full-scale test article for SLS booster. Four case segments have now been cast, and the motor will begin assembly in the test stand next month in preparation for a ground test in the spring of 2013.

The forward segment of the qualification motor for NASA'S Space Launch System is transported through manufacturing and assembly at ATK's facility in Promontory, Utah in preparation for a full-scale ground test there next spring. Credit: ATKImplementing new handling processes, ATK estimates the total assembly time for the SLS booster can be reduced by approximately 46 percent overall. In one area, ATK optimized inspection methods and replaced x-ray inspections with an ultrasonic examination of the booster's nozzle, allowing technicians to evaluate the hardware on the production floor.

In another, ATK reduced the number of moves from 47 to seven during one phase of booster assembly, reducing the chance of any damage in transit and greatly reducing the time it takes to complete that production process. "By improving upon proven Space Shuttle solid rocket motor hardware and operations, our shared goal is to deliver a safe, affordable and sustainable launch vehicle," said Alex Priskos, SLS booster manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. "We are embracing innovation both technically and in our management processes as we design and build SLS. Through the use of new streamlined approaches and techniques we have been able to drive down costs and enhance the reliability of the hardware."

The booster team has successfully completed its Booster Requirements Review confirming the five-segment solid rocket motor had a well-understood set of requirements. The review, held at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, included independent consultants and determined the team is ready

Read more at: NASA building a better solid rocket booster for space launch system rocket

Man, what is going on? I thought space travel was now open private business and NASA was finished with rocket launching!

The SLS suppose to be able to put 105-120 tons into space. This is bigger than the saturn 5...All we need is a modern lander and we can land on the moon.

My problem with Obama is he doesn't have a clear plan.