Here is the latest episode in NASA’s Space to Ground weekly report on activities related to the International Space Station:
** Expedition 64 U S Spacewalks 69 and 70 Preview Briefing – January 22, 2021 – NASA
The Expedition 64 Spacewalk Briefing took place at 3 p.m. EDT Friday, January 22, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The briefing participants were; Kenneth Todd, International Space Station Deputy Program Manager, Flight Director Rick Henfling, spacewalk officer Sarah Korona, Flight Director Vincent Lacourt, and spacewalk officer Sandy Fletcher. EVA 69 (extravehicular activity) and EVA 70 are scheduled to install the final lithium-ion battery adapter plate to the station, complete cable routing and antenna rigging on the Bartolomeo science payload platform, configure a Ka-band terminal to enable high-bandwidth communications to European ground stations, and prepare the station for our future power system upgrades. Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover will be the spacewalking crew members, with Hopkins serving as EV1 and wearing red stripes on his suit. These will be his 3rd and 4th spacewalks. Glover will serve as EV2, on his first and second spacewalks and wearing no stripes.
** Expedition 64 – US Spacewalk 69 Animation – January 21, 2021 – NASA
NASA Flight Engineers Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover, who flew to the space station aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft, will conduct two spacewalks, which will be the 233rd and 234th in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. The Jan. 27 spacewalk will focus on completing cable and antenna rigging for the “Bartolomeo” science payloads platform outside the ESA (European Space Agency) Columbus module. The duo also will configure a Ka-band terminal that will enable an independent, high-bandwidth communication link to European ground stations. After completing the upgrades on the Columbus module, Hopkins and Glover will remove a grapple fixture bracket on the far port (left) truss in preparation for future power system upgrades. Hopkins will be extravehicular crew member 1 (EV 1) for both spacewalks, wearing a spacesuit with red stripes, and Glover will be extravehicular crew member 2 (EV 2), wearing a spacesuit with no stripes. These will be the third and fourth spacewalks in Hopkins’ career, and the first and second for Glover.
** Expedition 64 – US Spacewalk 70 Animation – January 21, 2021 – NASA
NASA Flight Engineers Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover, who flew to the space station aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft, will conduct two spacewalks, which will be the 233rd and 234th in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. The Feb. 1 spacewalk will address a variety of tasks, including installation of a final lithium-ion battery adapter plate on the port 4 (P4) truss that will wrap up battery replacement work begun in January 2017. Hopkins and Glover will remove another grapple fixture bracket on the same truss segment, replace an external camera on the starboard truss, install a new high-definition camera on the Destiny laboratory, and replace components for the Japanese robotic arm’s camera system outside the Kibo module. Hopkins will be extravehicular crew member 1 (EV 1) for both spacewalks, wearing a spacesuit with red stripes, and Glover will be extravehicular crew member 2 (EV 2), wearing a spacesuit with no stripes. These will be the third and fourth spacewalks in Hopkins’ career, and the first and second for Glover.
** International Space Station – ISS – SWL Elsie D – MØYKS – Ham Radio
20:05 Zulu 19-1-21 ISS Reception Over N.W Europe
** Tracking The International Space Station ISS (ZARYA) with Dobsonian Telescope 8″ Dob and ZWO 290mm – AstroNebula
Here is the tracking of the International Space Station ISS (ZARYA) Flyby with my Zhumell Dobsonian Z8 8″ Dob and ZWO 290mm Planetary Camera. The ISS peaked at 53 Degrees. This video is about 2.800 images of the ISS put together with PIPP and exported as an AVI @17 FPS. The .ser file had 27,500 total images, so I was able to capture about 10%. PIPP eliminated any empty frame. You can also see Space X Dragona Attached to it. To follow the ISS, I locked on to it with my TELRAD, then quickly nudged my head over to my Apertura 10×50 RACI illuminated Rectile Eyepiece Finderscope. To see the final image go to my website which is my AstroNebula Dot com. I would of added it to the end of this footage but I didn’t get around to it yet.
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):
1) CASC announces plans for 40 launches in 2021 … 2) CMA announces a tender for a low-cost cargo spacecraft: a Chinese COTS/CRS program? … 3) China confirms the feasibility of space-ground quantum key distribution, in publication published in Nature …
1) iSpace Announces Plans for an IPO on the Star Board… 2) Several updates on CASC making progress on propulsion technology… 3) US adds 9 Chinese companies to a blacklist, including COMAC and Air China Group…
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** Where in Space Are We Going in 2021? – SETI Institute
Despite everything that happened last year, we still got to do science, and missions still got to launch. We sampled asteroids and the Moon. We cruised around the surface of Mars. We flew by Venus on the way to Mercury. And we launched three more missions to the Red Planet, all of which arrive this year. What else can we look forward to in 2021? Join Franck Marchis and Beth Johnson for a look back at last year’s science and this year’s upcoming missions.
Listen to Brigadier General Leonard, principal advisor to the USSPACECOM Commander and Deputy Commander discuss U.S. Space Command and the importance of innovation in a warfighting environment. Space is a booming business, not only for the American people but booming for the U.S. adversaries. To stay ahead, the U.S. military needs to be innovative in how they think, the technology they use and how they are organized. Brigadier General Leonard talked about innovation being the new competitive advantage and that they must equip and enable their people with an environment where they feel their ideas are valued. Enemies understand that innovation and technology and space capabilities are central to fighting in space and across the joint force, so his team must accelerate their capabilities in those areas. USSPACECOM is not interested in small evolutionary technology, but something that’s really going to be a game changer.
Bleddyn Bowen, PhD, is the author of War In Space: Strategy Space Power, Geopolitics. He has a different point of view on space warfare than the typical one we see from fanboys and mechanistic white papers. On this episode of the Cold Star Project, host Jason Kanigan asks Bleddyn:
– How do you operationally define space power? What are the “levers and dials”? What does “winning” mean in this environment?
– What is ‘space warfare’? Why do you believe Clausewitz remains relevant today and in the space domain?
– How does geopolitics apply to space? Are there equalizing forces?
– What international issues should we be paying attention to that could impact space warfare?
– When it comes to the actualities of space warfare, what are the critical elements?
– What is the significance of the new US Space Force?
– Why did you write and publish a book on the topic (War In Space: Strategy, Space Power, Geopolitics)?
In this week’s Space Cafè WebTalk, Martin Coleman, Member of the Advisory Board at Satcoms Innovation Group, United Kingdom talked about 2020 vision on Space Debris.
Martin Colman talked about the importance of data sharing in the Space Situational Awareness context. He addressed the Space Debris issue from the data site and will share his vision on the current situation in space 2020.
Martin Colman also answered relevant questions from the audience.
This Space Cafè WebTalk, held on 15 Dezember 2020, was hosted by Torsten Kriening, publisher of SpaceWatch.Global.
1. Monday, Jan. 18, 2021; 7 pm PDT (9 pm CDT, 10 pm EDT: No program today.
2. Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021; 7 pm PDT (9 pm CDT, 10 pm EDT): We welcome back Dr. Deana Weibel to discuss her latest work on space tourism, space development and faith.
4. Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021; 7-8:30 pm PDT (9-10:30 pm CDT, 10-11:30 pm EDT): No program today.
5. Friday, Jan.22, 2021; 9:30-11 am PDT (11:30 am-1 pm CDT, 12:30-2 pm EDT): We welcome back Dr. Namrata Goswami to discuss national security space, China and space, and space policy in the new administration.
Here is the latest episode in NASA’s Space to Ground weekly report on activities related to the International Space Station:
** Expedition 64 Inflight with Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Josh Dobbs – January 15, 2021
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 64 Flight Engineer Victor Glover of NASA discussed life and work aboard the complex with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Josh Dobbs during an in-flight event Jan. 15. Dobbs, who majored in aeronautical engineering at the University of Tennessee, and Glover answered questions provided by Pittsburgh-area students involved in local STEM activities. Glover, who arrived at the station in November aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon “Resilience”, is in the midst of a six-month mission on the complex.
The men and women who live and work on the International Space Station take thousands of photographs of their home planet every year, and we asked the folks at the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit at NASA’s Johnson Space Center for a few of their favorites from 2020. Here are the top 20 from ’20, and you can check out the images for yourself at the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth(https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/):
** International Space Station NASA View With Map – 1505 – 2021-01-14 – Julian Danzer – YouTube
** SpaceX CRS-21 Dragon undocking and departure
The SpaceX Dragon CRS-21 cargo spacecraft autonomously undocked from the International Space Station, on 12 January 2021, 14:05 UTC (09:05 EST). The CRS-21 Dragon is loaded with about 2360 kg of scientific experiments and other cargo; and is expected to make its parachute-assisted splashdown around 01:14 UTC, on 13 January 2021 (12 January, 20:14 EST). The audio commentary is provided by NASA’s Public Affairs Officer Shaneequa Vereen. Credit: NASA/SpaceX
** Expedition 64 Inflight with CNBC – January 15, 2021 – NASA Video
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 64 Flight Engineers Kate Rubins and Mike Hopkins of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight event Jan. 15 with CNBC’s Shepard Smith. Rubins, who arrived on the station last October on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, and Hopkins, who few to the station last November on the SpaceX Crew Dragon “Resilience”, are in the midst of their respective six-month missions on the complex.
A sampling of recent articles, press releases, etc. related to student and amateur CubeSat / SmallSat projects and programs (find previous smallsat roundups here):
9 CubeSat missions comprising 10 total spacecraft are set to fly on LauncherOne during Launch Demo 2, which will also mark the 20th mission in NASA’s Educational Launch of NanoSatellites (ELaNa XX) series. NASA is using small satellites, including CubeSats, to advance exploration, demonstrate emerging technologies, and conduct scientific research and educational investigations. Nearly each payload on this flight was fully designed and built by universities across the US.
** Cal Poly’s ExoCube-2 on LauncherOne. The 3U CubeSat built by students carries a
… spectrometer as its payload, made to analyze particle densities in the exosphere which can, in turn, show how geomagnetic storms affect the atmosphere. This data is then used to improve atmospheric models.
ExoCube-2 at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Credits: Cal Poly
The team is studying the idea of tethering two cell phone-sized small satellites with a wire 10 to 30 meters long that is able to drive current in either direction using power from solar panels and closing the electrical circuit through the Earth’s ionosphere. When a wire conducts a current in a magnetic field, that magnetic field exerts a force on the wire. The team plans to use the force from the Earth’s magnetic field to climb higher in orbit, compensating for the drag of the atmosphere.
The first experiments to test the idea will be on a CubeSat satellite called MiTEE-1: The Miniature Tether Electrodynamics Experiment-1. The version being launched was designed and built by more than 250 students, over a course of six years. They were mentored by engineers and technicians of the U-M Space Physics Research Laboratory. The version launching now will have a deployable rigid boom, one meter long, between one satellite the size of a bread box and another the size of a large smartphone. It will measure how much current can be drawn from the ionosphere under different conditions.
The Passive Inspection CubeSat is a 10 cm cube with cell phone-like cameras on all six faces. After the vehicle launches and reaches space, the two CubeSats are deployed in a Pez-dispenser fashion. Each CubeSat then immediately starts taking pictures of the spacecraft, the other CubeSat, earth and anything else near the satellite. Because there are cameras on each face of the cube, the data will provide a virtual environment, as if those viewing it are in space themselves.
Mauritius was the winner of the 3rd round UNOOSA/JAXA KiboCube Programme in 2018 whereby Mauritius was awarded (by JAXA) the opportunity to build and deploy, for the first time in its history, a 1U Cube Satellite through the International Space Station (ISS). The MIR-SAT1 will be sent by JAXA to the International Space Station (ISS) and deployed from the Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo) “KiboCUBE”.
The first 1U Mauritian nanosatellite, MIR-SAT1 (Mauritius Imagery and Radio – Satellite 1) was designed by a team of Mauritian Engineers and an experienced Radio Amateur from the Mauritius Amateur Radio Society in collaboration with experts from AAC-Clyde Space UK.
…
The testing and building of the satellite (MIR-SAT1) was carried out by the MRIC’s collaborating partner, AAC-ClydeSpace in Glasgow and was completed in November 2020. JAXA started the 3rd Safety Assessment review, which will ensure that the cubesat is compliant with all the requirements of KiboCube Program. Further to the successful completion of this review, the MIR-SAT1 will be shipped to JAXA from Glasgow. It is expected that the Satellite will be at JAXA in January 2021. JAXA will then launch the satellite to the ISS via the launcher SpaceX-22 and eventually deploy it space by May/June 2021. The MRIC will be the operator of the satellite, and a state-of-the-art ground control station is currently being set up for this purpose.
Students and faculty from the University of Georgia, Athens, were thrilled to see their hard work on the CubeSat Spectral Ocean Color (SPOC) pay off when it deployed from the International Space Station recently.
SPOC, developed through the NASA Undergraduate Student Instrument Project, launched to the space station aboard a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket October 2, 2020, from Wallops along with nearly 8,000 pounds of cargo and science investigations. The goal of SPOC is to monitor the health of coastal ecosystem from space. The cubesat, about the size of a loaf of bread, includes an advanced optic system that can zoom in on coastal areas to detect chemical composition and physical characteristics on ocean and wetland surfaces.
The satellite was originally expected to stay in orbit for a maximum of two years, but a particularly mild solar cycle kept it aloft a bit longer. Rick Fleeter, an adjunct professor of engineering who is adviser to BSE, says the fact that EQUiSat’s systems kept functioning for its entire flight is a tribute to the students who designed, built and operated it.
“EQUiSat is just an assembly of parts — the success and the learning were accomplished by the ingenuity, hard work and dedication of a diverse team of Brown students past and present,” Fleeter said. “That’s what I will remember about it — the great satisfaction of having been a part of their team.”
To keep its systems running, the satellite’s custom-made solar array powered a set of LiFePO batteries, which were part of its mission objective. This type of battery had never flown in space before, so NASA was interested to see how they’d perform in an environment that goes from -250 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade to 250 degrees in the sun. Those batteries, along with the rest of the EQUiSat’s systems, performed about as well as anyone could have expected.
** History of the Wolverine CubeSat Team – Simmons COSPAR-K 2021 (Sydney, Australia)
** Understanding Radio Communications – Lecture 11: Receiving a satellite – Tutorial for teacher
This is the last in a series of 6 videos designed to accompany the “Understanding Radio Communications – using SDRs” teaching materials. It supports the lecture/lab work presented in lecture 11 of the 11 one hour sessions (Receiving a satellite) You can find out more and register to download the materials free of charge at this link: https://sdrplay.com/understandingradio
** Getting Started with Amateur Radio Satellites – Tom Schuessler N5HYP
** Q&A – Getting Started with Amateur Radio Satellites – Tom Schuessler N5HYP
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