Here is the latest episode in NASA’s Space to Ground weekly report on activities related to the International Space Station:
Other recent ISS related videos:
** Expedition 63 July 4th Message – July 3, 2020
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 63 Commander Chris Cassidy of NASA and NASA Flight Engineers Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken of NASA shared their thoughts about the 244th birthday of the United States in a downlink message received from the complex on June 19. Orbiting 260 miles above the Earth, the three American astronauts discussed the challenges facing the nation at this moment in history and the resolve of the nation in forging ahead with human exploration in the name of peaceful cooperation for the benefit of all humanity.
** Live Event with Astronaut Kate Rubins – July 1, 2020
On her first trip to the International Space Station, Kate Rubins became the first person to sequence DNA in space. Find out the plans for her next trip during a live event at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, July 1. Rubins and two Russian crewmates will launch to the station in October.
** Expedition 63 InFlight event with Various Media – June 29, 2020
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 63 Commander Chris Cassidy of NASA and NASA Flight Engineer Robert Behnken discussed the progress of their mission during a series of in-flight interviews June 29 with the Washington Post, the Associated Press and NBC Nightly News’ “Kids Edition.” Cassidy is in the midst of a six-and-a-half month mission on the orbital outpost, while Behnken is completing a month on orbit after he and NASA crewmate Douglas Hurley launched May 30 on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and the “Endeavour” Crew Dragon spacecraft in the first crewed mission in Commercial Crew Program history.
Here is the latest episode in NASA’s Space to Ground weekly report on activities related to the International Space Station:
** NASA animations highlight the activities carried out during the two spacewalks this week by astronauts Chris Cassidy and Robert Behnken :
** The Most Dangerous EVA in US History – NASA Video
Chris Hansen, NASA EVA Office Manager, presents lessons learned from the EVA 23 incident that occurred on July 16, 2013 onboard the International Space Station. 44 minutes into the ISS EVA, Astronaut Luca Parmitano’s helmet began filling up with water. As the water level continued to rise it propagated around to the front of his face, which could have resulted in a fatal accident. What followed became the most dangerous EVA incident in US history. The mishap investigation identified many lessons learned that will be presented and can be used to make any hazardous operation safer.
** Expedition 63 InFlight with Late Late Show and NPR Morning Edition – June 24, 2020 – NASA Video
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 63 Flight Engineers Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken discussed their historic mission on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft to the orbital laboratory during a pair of in-flight interviews June 24 with CBS’ “Late Late Show with James Corden” and NPR’s “Morning Edition.” Hurley and Behnken arrived on the complex May 31 after launching in Dragon Endeavour atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida – the first launch of American astronauts on an American rocket from American soil to the station since the retirement of the space shuttle in July 2011.
** Why The Docking Adapters On The Space Station Are Shaped Oddly –
There are many docking systems on the International Space Station, reflecting the fact that it’s the product of multiple space programs which combined their space station plans into the ISS. The history of the program has lead to some design choices which seem to be strange, until you look at them in the context of the whole program history. In particular, I often get asked about the pressurized mating adapters at the front of the space station and how the tunnel includes a bend rather than simply going straight through, and of course it’s all because of historical choices. Some further reading on the docking and berthing hardware used on the ISS https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ca…
A sampling of recent articles, press releases, etc. related to student and amateur CubeSat / SmallSat projects and programs (find previous smallsat roundups here):
** Ireland’s student built EIRSAT-1 Cubesat undergoing antenna tests: The image below shows Ireland’s first official satellite, EIRSAT-1, a 2U CubeSat, in preparation for testing in ESA’s Hertz antenna test chamber: Testing for Ireland’s first satellite – ESA ESTEC
At just 22 by 10 by 10 cm, the miniature EIRSAT-1 is smaller than a shoebox but is still equivalent in complexity to a standard space mission.
Normally the EIRSAT-1 student team would have joined the test campaign in person, but current Covid-19 restrictions made this impossible. Instead the team delivered their self-made Antenna Deployment Module (ADM) plus a mock-up of the satellite body, along with detailed test preparation procedures.
“Ireland’s first space mission, EIRSAT-1, seen taking place at ESA’s Hertz antenna test chamber”. Credits: ESA
Project Hermes is a 1U cubesat development project and is ERFSEDS first satellite effort. Our team is in the design development phase and is planning to launch the project within the next two years. Hermes is communications based satellite that will be used to communicate with the Hermes ground team.
Building their own ground station for communications, the Hermes ground team is certified with HAM Radio Technician liscenses.
Julie Sage is an aspiring astrophysicist, science communicator, and the host of SuperNova Style Science News. At just 16-years-old, she’s been doing some real science with running a variety of different experiments on cubesats, including material testing.
AMSAT Announces Candidates for 2020 Board of Directors Election
AMSAT Announces GridMaster Award
CAS-6 Online
Amicalsat – Aurora Pictures
Raspberry Pi FUNcube Satellite Telemetry Decoder Now Available
ORI Announces ARRL Foundation Grant Award
ORI Announces YASME Foundation Grant Award
38th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Moving to Virtual Event
Upcoming Satellite Operations
ARISS News
Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
Satellite Shorts From All Over
See also
6th anniversary of NANOSATC-BR1 | Southgate Amateur Radio News
“Friday, 19-06-2020, completes six years since we successfully launched the NANOSATC-BR1, CubeSat 1U, which was launched on June 19, 2014, from Yasny Base, in Russia. The first Brazilian Scientific Nanosatellite remains in operation, sending telemetry to the Earth Stations of the NanosatC-BR Program, Cubesats Development and Amateur Radio Support Stations.“
In this webinar, we will be focusing on the questions that must’ve crossed every developer’s mind, i.e. “Someone else must’ve have this problem too! How did they solve it?” Sometimes, it’s about the lack of time and manpower, sometimes it’s about the problem’s complexity. With our panellists, we will explore these problems and current (and potentially future) solutions, and how collaboration may help especially in the Australian context. This webinar will cater to both newcomers, where we streamline up-to-date resources, and to the experienced, where we can share ideas on how to make things better. These include:
1. A survey on Australian small satellite developers
2. Existing standards, available resources, and what are the current shortfalls?
3. Interfacing subsystems – hardware and software issues
4. Space Communications – RF issues and how cloud solutions may help
5. Building a Cubesat developer’s community – open source approaches?
CubeSats are miniature satellites typically deployed into low earth orbit. A standard 1U CubeSat is a cube ten centimeters on a side. Here, I tracked three different CubeSats on the night of 6/17 at our dark site observatory. Tracking is performed blind, meaning there is no optical assist to help the telescope point to the target. These videos are shot using a Celestron RASA 11 telescope and the ZWO ASI 6200 mono camera, operated in 8 bit video mode, quarter frame size, 100ms exposure. That video is further cropped here to make it easier to find the satellite.
Here is the latest episode in NASA’s Space to Ground weekly report on activities related to the International Space Station:
** Down to Earth – The Fragile Earth – NASA Johnson
In celebration of the upcoming #SpaceStation20th anniversary, European Space Agency Astronaut Luca Parmitano, who has flown two missions, shares his new awareness of how we are changing and influencing our planet in this this episode of “Down to Earth – The Fragile Earth.”
** Expedition 63 Inflight CBS News, Fox Business, CNN Business – June 16,2020 – NASA
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 63 Flight Engineers Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley of NASA discussed the progress of their mission on the orbital outpost during a series of in-flight interviews June 16 with CBS News, CNN Business News and Fox Business News. Behnken and Hurley launched on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft May 30 and arrived at the station on May 31, marking the first launch of U.S. astronauts on an American spacecraft from American soil to the station since the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011.
** A Recipe for Cooling Atoms to Almost Absolute Zero – NASA JPL
NASA’s Cold Atom Lab aboard the International Space Station cools atoms down to a billionth of a degree above absolute zero, or the temperature at which atoms should stop moving entirely. Nowhere in the universe are there atoms that reach this temperature naturally. But how do scientists accomplish this feat? It’s a three-step process that starts with scientists hitting the atoms with precisely-tuned lasers to slow them down.
The colder atoms are, the slower they move, and the easier they are to study. Ultracold atoms can also form a fifth state of matter, called a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). Learning about the fundamental properties of atoms has laid the foundation for technologies that most of us use every day, such as computers. As the first ultracold atom facility in Earth orbit, Cold Atom Lab is opening up new avenues for investigation. You can learn more about Cold Atom Lab here: https://coldatomlab.jpl.nasa.gov/
A sampling of recent articles, press releases, etc. related to student and amateur CubeSat / SmallSat projects and programs (find previous smallsat roundups here):
NASA is inviting additional teams to compete in the Cube Quest Challenge. You can still participate in the in-space phase of the challenge and be eligible to win part of a $4.5 million prize purse.
The Cube Quest Challenge, NASA’s first in-space competition, incentivizes teams to design, build and deliver small satellites capable of advanced operations near and beyond the Moon. To compete, new teams meeting the eligibility criteria must obtain a ride to deep space for their CubeSats – either through commercial launch opportunities or programs like NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative.
“We welcome new teams to join us in this challenge in pursuit of advancing space exploration,” said Monsi Roman, program manager for NASA’s Centennial Challenges. “When we established the Cube Quest Challenge in 2015, commercial flight opportunities weren’t as available. Now that technology has advanced and commercial partners are flying payloads, it is a great time to make potential participants aware of the opportunity.”
Fifteen university and private developer teams have already competed for prizes to showcase creative CubeSat technologies through ground-based tournaments, or phase one, of the Cube Quest Challenge, which was completed in 2017.
Three winners received spots as secondary payloads on Artemis I, the first integrated test flight of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft. These teams have been working on their CubeSats, readying them for launch. Once deployed from the rocket, the teams will begin phase two, the in-space competition.
In-Space Competition
All Cube Quest Challenge competitors, both new and current, will compete in one of two arenas. The Lunar Derby is where CubeSats are to maintain a verifiable lunar orbit. There’s also the Deep Space Derby, in which CubeSats reach approximately 1.8 million miles from Earth.
Once in orbit, the CubeSats must complete various tasks outlined in the competition rules document to be eligible for prize money. To ensure data integrity, each satellite must transmit NASA-provided communications data to be eligible for prize money.
The Next Frontier
“The Cube Quest Challenge opens the lunar and deep space environment, thanks to the mastery of several technologies,” said Elizabeth Hyde, a mechanical engineer at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and technical advisor for the challenge. “The three technology areas we see as important for jumping from low-Earth orbit to deep space are communications, propulsion and radiation tolerance for CubeSats.”
Initiatives such as the Cube Quest Challenge aim to make deep space exploration more accessible and open up commercial space opportunities beyond low-Earth orbit.
“The next frontier is small satellites. Development efforts are aimed at pushing the boundaries of CubeSat exploration beyond low-Earth orbit,” Hyde said.
The competition is a part Centennial Challenges, based at the NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Centennial Challenges is a part of the Prizes and Challenges program within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. The challenge is managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.
** Code In Space! initiative challenges students to create software to upload and run on a CubeSat in orbit. The 1U CubeSat is named QMR-KWT. Both the satellite and the initiative are sponsored by the Kuwaiti company Orbital Space and developed in partnership with EnduroSat of Bulgaria. The educational program “is open to all students from all schools and universities around the world“.
individual, or team based and should include a mentor (teacher/ university faculty member or scientist affiliated with a school or academic/ research institution)
Software apps will be selected on the basis of how well they provide
a solution for current challenge or limitation in the satellite industry or new concept that could be of value to satellite technology.
The CubeSat will get to orbit in February 2021 on a SpaceX Falcon 9. After deployment from the F9 upper stage, it will get to its target orbit with the help of a Momentus Vigoride transfer vehicle:
… release eight small satellite sensors in space to form a first-of-its-kind free-flying mesh network capable of delivering uniquely comprehensive data mapping of magnetic fields and space weather to our smart phones here on campus.”
Illustration of the ANDESITE 6U cubesat with picosat deployments. Credits: BUSAT
Funding Aims to Boost Mini-Satellite Program for Space Exploration
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cal Poly’s partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory will direct roughly $2.5 million to enhance the university’s Aerospace Engineering Department and boost its mini-satellite program, which was the catalyst for a substantial expansion of space research two decades ago.
The Education Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the Air Force provides a total of $5 million to be split evenly between Cal Poly and California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. Funding for the partnership was secured by three U.S. representatives from California — Salud Carbajal, Norma J. Torres and Grace Napolitano — through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 (H.R. 1158).
The EPA’s agreements between a defense laboratory and an educational institution allow the labs to provide laboratory equipment and personnel to the schools, plus career and academic advice to students while involving faculty and students in research.
The EPA will help the Air Force Research Lab pioneer transformative aerospace technologies and accelerate its long-term strategic objectives in key areas, such as energy security, energy optimization, reusability, maneuverability and multi-mission mobility.
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In particular, the funds for Cal Poly will support a thermal vacuum chamber with upgraded facilities to support it. A thermal vacuum chamber can be used for testing spacecraft or spacecraft parts under a simulated space environment.
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Cal Poly became a major contributor to space research roughly 20 years ago, when former Aerospace Engineering faculty member Jordi Puig-Suari co-created the CubeSat standard with Bob Twiggs of Stanford University. CubeSats are mini-satellites that are affordable and easy to make, allowing governments, schools and private companies worldwide to more easily and affordably explore space and conduct research.
The new vacuum chamber will allow researchers to test and develop propulsion for CubeSats, allowing for greater control of the satellites for space exploration. Currently, most CubeSats cannot be controlled in space, and propulsion and maneuverability are often viewed as the next major step in CubeSat technology.
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Multiple small satellites will be launched at once on the Vega VV16 mission from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. This flight will demonstrate the modular SSMS dispenser resting on its upper stage intended to bring routine affordable launch opportunities for light satellites from 0.2 kg CubeSats up to 400 kg minisatellites. Until now the smallest classes of satellites – all the way down to tiny CubeSats, built from 10 cm modular boxes – have typically ‘piggybacked’ to orbit. They have to make use of any spare capacity as a single large satellite is launched, meaning their overall launch opportunities are limited. The new Vega Small Spacecraft Mission Service switches this into a ‘rideshare’ model, with multiple small satellites being flown together, splitting the launch cost…
