Here is the latest episode in NASA’s Space to Ground weekly report on activities related to the International Space Station:
** Cross-Cutting Computational Modeling Project – NASA Johnson
** DM-2 Crew Interviews – Douglas Hurley
With the first mission to return human spaceflight launches to American soil now targeted to lift off May 27, NASA astronauts and Demo-2 crew members Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley shared their thoughts and experiences prior to their historic mission. NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission is a flight test with NASA astronauts aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft set to lift off on a Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Interviews were recorded on April 17, 2020.
** DM-2 Crew Interviews – Robert Behnken
With the first mission to return human spaceflight launches to American soil now targeted to lift off May 27, NASA astronauts and Demo-2 crew members Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley shared their thoughts and experiences prior to their historic mission. NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission is a flight test with NASA astronauts aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft set to lift off on a Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Interviews were recorded on April 17, 2020.
A sampling of links to recent space policy, politics, and government (US and international) related space news and resource items that I found of interest (find previous space policy roundups here):
** The Space Show – Tue, 05/05/2020 – Dr. Haym Benaroya talked about “about returning to the Moon, our lunar return policy, plus the technology and advancements we need to make to return to the Moon”:
… is chairman of the Mars Institute, planetary scientist at the SETI Institute, and director of the NASA Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) at NASA Ames. He holds an ME in geology and geophysics from the University of Paris, and a PhD in astronomy and space sciences from Cornell.
Pascal’s research focuses on water and caves on the Moon and Mars, the origin of Mars’ moons, and the future human exploration of the Moon and Mars. He has led over 30 expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica for analog studies, including a 402-day winter-over in Antarctica. He is a recipient of the United States Antarctic Service Medal. He also works on surface systems for future Moon and Mars exploration, including drones, hoppers, rovers, spacesuits, and habitats. Pascal was scientist-pilot for NASA’s first field test of the SEV concept pressurized rover. He also led the Northwest Passage Drive Expedition, a record-setting vehicular traverse on sea-ice along the fabled Northwest Passage and the subject of the award-winning documentary film Passage To Mars (2016). He currently leads the HMP’s Astronaut Smart Glove project and JPL’s GlobeTrotter planetary hopper concept study.
Are we morally obligated to pursue space exploration? What ethical considerations should we consider when creating space policy? Philosopher James Schwartz joins the show to address these questions and talk about his new book, The Value of Science in Space Exploration.
The National Space Society is proud to present “”Views On Space / Views From Space,” exclusive 4K short film series introduced by our president, Geoffrey Notkin. Inspiring, one-on-one interviews invite you to meet brilliant astronauts, engineers, spacecraft designers, and visionaries on the ever-evolving frontline of the Second Great Age of Space Exploration.
In Episode One, analog astronaut, author, television host, geologist, and sustainability professor , Dr. Sian Proctor, relates how her father’s friendship with Neil Armstrong set her on the starry road to cosmic adventure.
This week’s Space Café WebTalk took place on 5 May 2020, featuring Frank Salzgeber, Head of Innovation and Ventures Office at the European Space Agency (ESA), in conversation with Torsten Kriening, co-publisher of SpaceWatch.Global and COO of ThorGroup GmbH.
Frank Salzgeber discussed the ESA’s sustainable and immersive support for space startups and space entrepreneurs in a very engaging way, offering useful and interesting information to the audience.
A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here):
** SpaceX test fired the Raptor engine on the SN4 Starship prototype on two consecutive days. On Tuesday evening, a Raptor engine fired for the first time while mounted on a full scale Starship. Previous Starship prototypes did not survive propellant tank pressure testing. On Wednesday, another brief firing took place. No word from SpaceX or Elon Musk yet on whether more engine tests are planned or if they will proceed towards a 150 meter hop. Higher altitude flights will wait for the SN5 or later model prototypes. SpaceX test-fires Raptor engine on Starship test rocket – Spaceflight Now.
SpaceX successfully conducted a Static Fire test on Starship SN4 on Tuesday night, marking the first time Starship had fired a Raptor engine, paving the way for the upcoming hop test. Photos and Video by Mary (@BocaChicaGal) for NASASpaceflight.com. Edited by Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer).
An image posted by Elon of the Raptor installed on the SN4. The engine is off-center but this can be compensated with with gimbling. There should otherwise be three engines symmetric about the center.
Raptor engine installed on StarshipSN4. Credits: SpaceX
** China’s new Long March 5B heavy lift rocket successfully launched on its first attempt. The vehicle, powered by a liquid-fuel core first stage and four liquid-fueled side boosters, lifted off from the Wenchang Spaceflight Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan. The primary payload was a prototype of a new crew vehicle design that will replace the Shenzhou spacecraft that were used for several crew missions. A reentry operation from a high orbit is expected on Friday, which will send the reusable capsule to a remote northern desert area for a landing by parachute. The fast reentry will put the heat shield under stresses and temperatures similar to that of a return from the Moon. The LM-5B will be the primary launch system for China’s crew program, which include the launch of a space station in the coming years. The country’s first Mars rover will also be launched this July on a LM-5B.
… “an anomaly occurred today during the return” of the cargo capsule, the China Manned Space Agency said in a statement.
“Experts are currently analysing the data,” it said without offering details.
The cargo capsule was not designed to transport astronauts, only equipment. The device, developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, is an experimental prototype.
Animations of Chinese experimental cargo reentry spacecraft that may have been sent to LEO with the Long March 5B. https://t.co/GkUW9xvnxu
Virgin Orbit could attempt its first orbital test launch later this month over the Pacific Ocean southwest of Los Angeles, capping a development program for an air-launched small satellite carrier that began in earnest eight years ago.
The small satellite launch company, part of Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, entered the final phase of pre-flight testing last week with a ground fueling test of its first flight-worthy LauncherOne rocket.
Dan Hart, Virgin Orbit’s CEO, said the company is on track for the rocket’s first demonstration launch in May.
The LauncherOne rocket is designed to compete with other commercial smallsat launchers, such as Rocket Lab’s Electron booster, for contracts to deliver CubeSats and microsatellites to orbit for commercial customers, the U.S. military and NASA. Virgin Orbit says it can haul up to 660 pounds (300 kilograms) of cargo into a 310-mile-high (500-kilometer) polar sun-synchronous orbit, a standard operating orbit for Earth-imaging satellites.
It’s been humbling to see LauncherOne take shape over time as our team meticulously works through these increasingly complex engineering challenges. Last week’s LOX wet dress rehearsal was beautifully executed, so we’ll continue to move with gusto toward our Launch Demo. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/aR69A1jtFU
A Space Act Agreement (SAA) between NASA, Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company (TSC) has been announced, raising the hope that spacecraft could one day become a future high-speed civilian transportation system. Utilizing the “Point-To-Point” method, Virgin Galactic – and as previously envisioned by SpaceX – is aiming for a transportation option that would vastly reduce transit times.
The SAA is aimed at “advancing the United States’ efforts to produce technically feasible, high Mach vehicles for potential civil applications,” noted the text of the agreement.
This will be the first X-37B mission to use a service module to host experiments. The service module is an attachment to the aft of the vehicle that allows additional experimental payload capability to be carried to orbit.
“This sixth mission is a big step for the X-37B program,” said Mr. Randy Walden, Director and Program Executive Officer for the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office. “This will be the first X-37B mission to use a service module to host experiments. The incorporation of a service module on this mission enables us to continue to expand the capabilities of the spacecraft and host more experiments than any of the previous missions.”
The mission will deploy the FalconSat-8, a small satellite developed by the U.S. Air Force Academy and sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory to conduct several experiments on orbit. The FalconSat-8 is an educational platform that will carry five experimental payloads for USAFA to operate. In addition, two National Aeronautics and Space Administration experiments will be included to study the results of radiation and other space effects on a materials sample plate and seeds used to grow food. Finally, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, will transform solar power into radio frequency microwave energy which could then be transmitted to the ground.
“We are excited to return the X-37B to space and conduct numerous on-orbit experiments for both the Air Force and its mission partners,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Keen, the X-37B program manager.
The X-37B program completed its fifth mission in October 2019, landing after 780 days on orbit, extending the total number of days spent on orbit for the spacecraft to 2,865 – or seven years and 10 months.
X-37B inside fairing of Atlas V in preparation for Misison 6. Credits: USAF
Nearly three months after delivering several tons of supplies and scientific experiments to the International Space Station, Northrup Grumman’s unpiloted Cygnus cargo craft is scheduled to depart the International Space Station on Monday, May 11.
Live coverage of the spacecraft’s release will air on NASA Television and the agency’s website beginning at 11:45 a.m. EDT, with release scheduled for noon.
Dubbed the “SS Robert H. Lawrence,” Cygnus arrived at the station Feb. 18 with supplies and science experiments following its launch on Northrup Grumman’s Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.
Flight controllers on the ground will send commands to robotically detach Cygnus from the Earth-facing port of the Unity module, maneuver it into place, and release it from the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Station commander Christopher Cassidy of NASA will monitor Cygnus’ systems as it moves away from the orbiting laboratory.
Within 24 hours of its release, Cygnus will begin its secondary mission, hosting the Spacecraft Fire Safety Experiment – IV (Saffire-IV), which provides an environment to safely study fire in microgravity. It also will deploy a series of payloads. Northrop Grumman flight controllers in Dulles, Virginia, will initiate Cygnus’ deorbit to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere Monday, May 25.
Blue Origin has been making significant progress on the structures, systems, propulsion, and infrastructure supporting their New Glenn heavy lift rocket. Though the company is traditionally quite secretive about most of their operations, they have recently been revealing more and more information as they work towards a first flight date of no earlier than 2021. They also won through as part of the Human Landing System (HLS) award winners as its goals move from the suborbital, through to Low Earth Orbit and beyond.
The company expects to deliver two “flight readiness” BE-4 engines to ULA this summer. These two engines will be attached to a Vulcan rocket for a hot-fire at SLC-41.
And here is a bit of info on the status of the suborbital New Shepard:
Despite COVID-19 and a lack of public activity, I’m hearing that Blue Origin is still targeting a New Shepard flight with humans before the end of 2020. What is taking so long? They’re addressing a lot of little issues to ensure the safety of the vehicle. No word on prices yet.
… Dave was asked a few questions about the corporation Masten Space Systems. Dave talked about employees, hiring new employees from engineering disciplines but not specifically aerospace engineers, plus he talked about their expected growth over the next 5-10 years. I asked Dave how he got his interest in lunar landers \. He said it started early on, around 2004. Don’t miss Dave’s story. Ft. Worth John then called to ask questions about the green fuel plus he wanted specific impulse information for their rocket engines. After this call, Dr. Lurio called to ask Dave about the additional mass for the XL-1 lander over and above the NASA payload requirement of 80kg. Dave was also asked about having made structural changes to the XL-1 to add the additional payload mass. Don’t miss this discussion. …
** Rocket Lab resumes operations after New Zealand loosens virus lock-down restrictions:
Flight 12 is on the pad at LC-1 in NZ, another Electron is at the pad at LC-2 in Virginia, and the team just hot fired flight 13’s 2nd stage. Busy times! #OpeningAccessToSpacepic.twitter.com/WAhlmBEG1y
That’s a perfect wet dress rehearsal done and dusted for our 12th Electron mission! We’re excited to be back on the pad and launching soon for @NatReconOfc, @NASA, and UNSW Canberra Space. Stay tuned for launch window dates soon! pic.twitter.com/o8oM4fe5jO
SpaceX’s next Starlink satellite launch has slipped about a week and a half into mid-May, placing it just nine days (or less) prior to the company’s inaugural NASA astronaut mission.
Known as Crew Dragon’s second Demonstration Mission (Demo-2), SpaceX’s first astronaut launch is officially scheduled no earlier than May 27th and is with little doubt the most important mission in the company’s history. Simultaneously, however, SpaceX is working to rapidly launch thousands of Starlink satellites in a bid to deliver high-quality internet service to tens – or even hundreds – of millions of people. The company has already launched an incredibly 420 operational Starlink satellites but that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the ~4400, ~12,000, or even ~40,000+ the company will ultimately need to match its ambitions.
**** Starship
****** In addition to the firing of the Raptor engine on the SN4 prototype mentioned at top, there is a great deal of production activity underway at Boca Chica Beach. The SN5 prototype is nearly completed and construction of SN6 has begun. Unlike SN4, these will have conical nosecones stacked on top since they will need aerodynamic shapes to carry out high-altitude flights. Here is a diagram showing the estimated assembly status of SN5 and SN6:
At SpaceX Boca Chica, Starship SN4 began testing at the launch site, while SN5 continues preps for stacking. Hopper was also heard “speaking” (PA system in use). Photos and Video by Mary (@BocaChicaGal) for NASASpaceflight.com.
Triple Starship flows now! SN4 was out at the pad for a Static Fire attempt last night, got as far as preburner test, but no Static Fire. Attempting again tonight – see our livestream that has already been spooled up at the time this video went on. SN5 is being stacked in the VAB, but a SN6 bulkhead has also been spotted in one of the tents! Photos and Video by Mary (@BocaChicaGal) for NASASpaceflight.com. Edited by Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer).
Ahead of another test of Starship SN4 tonight, SN5 stacking ops continue around the VAB and sections of SN6 have been spotted out in the wild near the big tents! Video and Photos from Mary (@bocachicagal). Edited by Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer).
** Webcast rocket reports:
**** SpaceX Starship Updates – Static Fire! – Crew Dragon Demo Mission 2 Update – What about it!?
In this Episode, we will take a look at the intense testing operations at the SpaceX Launch Site in Boca Chica Texas. Static fires, methane flares and Starship SN5 & 6 construction. We will also take a look at the recent NASA press conference regarding the SpaceX Demo Mission 2. We will take a look at trainings, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley had to go through, last minute Crew Dragon preparations and the latest news on parachute tests.
**** Let’s watch SpaceX Static Fire Starship SN-4! – Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut
This artist’s impression shows the orbits of the objects in the HR 6819 triple system. This system is made up of an inner binary with one star (orbit in blue) and a newly discovered black hole (orbit in red), as well as a third star in a wider orbit (also in blue). The team originally believed there were only two objects, the two stars, in the system. However, as they analysed their observations, they were stunned when they revealed a third, previously undiscovered body in HR 6819: a black hole, the closest ever found to Earth. The black hole is invisible, but it makes its presence known by its gravitational pull, which forces the luminous inner star into an orbit. The objects in this inner pair have roughly the same mass and circular orbits. The observations, with the FEROS spectrograph on the 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla, showed that the inner visible star orbits the black hole every 40 days, while the second star is at a large distance from this inner pair.
A team of astronomers from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and other institutes has discovered a black hole lying just 1000 light-years from Earth. The black hole is closer to our Solar System than any other found to date and forms part of a triple system that can be seen with the naked eye. The team found evidence for the invisible object by tracking its two companion stars using the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. They say this system could just be the tip of the iceberg, as many more similar black holes could be found in the future.
“We were totally surprised when we realised that this is the first stellar system with a black hole that can be seen with the unaided eye,”
says Petr Hadrava, Emeritus Scientist at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague and co-author of the research. Located in the constellation of Telescopium, the system is so close to us that its stars can be viewed from the southern hemisphere on a dark, clear night without binoculars or a telescope.
“This system contains the nearest black hole to Earth that we know of,”
says ESO scientist Thomas Rivinius, who led the study published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
The team originally observed the system, called HR 6819, as part of a study of double-star systems. However, as they analysed their observations, they were stunned when they revealed a third, previously undiscovered body in HR 6819: a black hole. The observations with the FEROS spectrograph on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at La Silla showed that one of the two visible stars orbits an unseen object every 40 days, while the second star is at a large distance from this inner pair.
Dietrich Baade, Emeritus Astronomer at ESO in Garching and co-author of the study, says:
“The observations needed to determine the period of 40 days had to be spread over several months. This was only possible thanks to ESO’s pioneering service-observing scheme under which observations are made by ESO staff on behalf of the scientists needing them.”
This animation shows the orbits and movements of the objects in the HR 6819 triple system. This system includes an inner binary with one star (orbit indicated in blue) and a newly discovered black hole (orbit indicated in red). As we move away from this inner pair, we see the outer object in the system, another star in a much wider orbit (in blue).
The team originally believed there were only two objects, the two stars, in the system. However, as they analysed their observations, they were stunned when they revealed a third, previously undiscovered body in HR 6819: a black hole, the closest ever found to Earth. The black hole is invisible, but it makes its presence known by its gravitational pull, which forces the luminous inner star into an orbit. The objects in this inner pair have roughly the same mass and circular orbits.
The observations, with the FEROS spectrograph on the 2.2-metre telescope at La Silla, showed that the inner visible star orbits the black hole every 40 days, while the second star is at a large distance from this inner pair.
The hidden black hole in HR 6819 is one of the very first stellar-mass black holes found that do not interact violently with their environment and, therefore, appear truly black. But the team could spot its presence and calculate its mass by studying the orbit of the star in the inner pair.
“An invisible object with a mass at least 4 times that of the Sun can only be a black hole,”
concludes Rivinius, who is based in Chile.
Astronomers have spotted only a couple of dozen black holes in our galaxy to date, nearly all of which strongly interact with their environment and make their presence known by releasing powerful X-rays in this interaction. But scientists estimate that, over the Milky Way’s lifetime, many more stars collapsed into black holes as they ended their lives. The discovery of a silent, invisible black hole in HR 6819 provides clues about where the many hidden black holes in the Milky Way might be.
“There must be hundreds of millions of black holes out there, but we know about only very few. Knowing what to look for should put us in a better position to find them,” says Rivinius. Baade adds that finding a black hole in a triple system so close by indicates that we are seeing just “the tip of an exciting iceberg.”
Already, astronomers believe their discovery could shine some light on a second system.
“We realised that another system, called LB-1, may also be such a triple, though we’d need more observations to say for sure,” says Marianne Heida, a postdoctoral fellow at ESO and co-author of the paper. “LB-1 is a bit further away from Earth but still pretty close in astronomical terms, so that means that probably many more of these systems exist. By finding and studying them we can learn a lot about the formation and evolution of those rare stars that begin their lives with more than about 8 times the mass of the Sun and end them in a supernova explosion that leaves behind a black hole.”
The discoveries of these triple systems with an inner pair and a distant star could also provide clues about the violent cosmic mergers that release gravitational waves powerful enough to be detected on Earth. Some astronomers believe that the mergers can happen in systems with a similar configuration to HR 6819 or LB-1, but where the inner pair is made up of two black holes or of a black hole and a neutron star. The distant outer object can gravitationally impact the inner pair in such a way that it triggers a merger and the release of gravitational waves. Although HR 6819 and LB-1 have only one black hole and no neutron stars, these systems could help scientists understand how stellar collisions can happen in triple star systems.
This wide-field view shows the region of the sky, in the constellation of Telescopium, where HR 6819 can be found, a triple system consisting of two stars and the closest black hole to Earth ever found. This view was created from images forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. While the black hole is invisible, the two stars in HR 6819 can be viewed from the southern hemisphere on a dark, clear night without binoculars or a telescope.
1. Monday, May 4, 2020; 7 pm PDT (9 pm CDT, 10 pm EDT: No special programming.
2. Tuesday, May 5, 2020; 7 pm PDT (9 pm CDT, 10 pm EDT): We welcome back Dr. Haym Benaroya for lunar return options and news, EMP threats & mitigation, lunar resource mining and utilization and more.
3. Wednesday, May 6, 2020: Hotel Mars/John Batchelor Show – Interview with Eric Berger, space journalist at Arstechnica.
4. Thursday, May 7, 2020; 7-8:30 pm PDT (9-10:30 pm CDT, 10-11:30 pm EDT): No special programming.
6. Sunday, May 10, 2020; 12-1:30 pm PDT (3-4:30 pm EDT, 2-3:30 pm CDT): : No show today due to Mother’s Day in the U.S. Happy Mother’s Day to all the great Mom’s out there.
** Fri, 05/01/2020 – Dr. Pekka Janhunem talked about “his space settlement concepts, including his free space Dumbbell like L5 project”.
** Tue, 04/28/2020 – Dr. Bruce Cordell examined “Covid-19 as a Sputnik moment (shock to the world. Bruce compares, contrasts and extrapolates to estimate the virus impact on space now and going forward, plus more just as the Sputnik moment was more”.
