Category Archives: Space Systems

Living in Space, Space Systems, Space TV

Videos: ISS astronauts on spacewalk to work on robotic arms

February 16, 2018 TopSpacer

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai are currently on an EVA outside the International Space Station. They are re-positioning two robotic arm grappling mechanisms, which were repaired during spacewalks late last year. The astronauts can be watched live on NASA TV:

This animation shows the tasks they are undertaking:

From the caption:

The first task for spacewalkers Mark Vande Hei and Norishige Kanai is to move a Latching End Effector (LEE), or hand, for the Canadian-built robotic arm, Canadarm2, from a payload attachment on the station’s Mobile Base System rail car to the Quest airlock. This LEE was replaced during an Expedition 53 spacewalk in October 2017 and will be returned to Earth to be refurbished and relaunched to the orbiting laboratory as a spare.

Once they have completed that activity, they will move an aging, but functional, LEE that was detached from the arm during a Jan. 23 spacewalk and move it from its temporary storage outside the airlock to a long-term storage location on the Mobile Base System, which is used to move the arm and astronauts along the station’s truss structure.

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Living in Space, Space Systems, SpaceCasts

Videos: “Space to Ground” ISS report + Feb.9.2018

February 9, 2018 TopSpacer

The latest “Space to Ground” report from NASA on activities related the ISS:

This short video from NASA Kennedy Space Center illustrates the huge size of the Vehicle Assembly Building :

Rockets, Space Systems

Video: Falcon Heavy launch a success. Two side boosters land in parallel

February 6, 2018 TopSpacer 2 Comments

The Falcon Heavy launch was a major success today. The rocket, which was developed by SpaceX with its own private money, is not only the most powerful launch system in operation in the world today, it is the most cost effective.

The two side boosters came back for a successful landings at Cape Canavera:

*Two Falcon Heavy side boosters land simultaneously.*

It appears the central core did not land successfully at sea but waiting word from SpaceX on exactly what happened with it.

In a few hours, the upper stage is to fire again and send the Tesla Roadster into its long orbit that will reach as far out as the Mars orbit. In the meantime, here are live views from the Roadster:

Yes, this is a screen capture of an actual Tesla Roadster in orbit with the earth in the background taken by a camera on the Falcon second stage:

A screen capture of the Tesla with the earth in the background.

Here is a video of the complete SpaceX webcast of the launch:

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Events, Rockets, Space Systems

Videos: SpaceX to attempt first launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket

February 6, 2018 TopSpacer 1 Comment

SpaceX hopes to launch its Falcon Heavy rocket today from Kennedy Space Center. The 3 hour window for the launch opens at 1:30 pm EST (1830 GMT). There are large crowds reported gathering in the Cape Canaveral area to watch the launch.

*Falcon Heavy on Pad 39A on Monday evening, Feb.5, 2018*

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk gives this test a 50/50 chance of success. Problems could range from an explosion on the pad due violent interactions of the exhausts of 27 engines firing simultaneously to problems with the two side boosters separating from the core. Here is a recording of a press briefing given by ELon yesterday:

With the high risks for the first launch of a new rocket, usually a boilerplate mock-up of a spacecraft or just plain ballast is used as a payload. Elon instead chose to fly his red Tesla Roadster.

*Elon’s red Tesla Roadster set on an adapter before placement in the Falcon Heavy nosecone.*

If the flight is a success, the roadster will be sent into an orbit that will see the roadster cycling out to the orbit of Mars and back near earth for the next billion years or so.

Here is a SpaceX animation of the mission. Note that the two side boosters are to return to the Cape for landing on ground pads while the center core will attempt to land on a platform at sea:

About 15-20 minutes before lift off, the SpaceX webcast will go live. You can also watch it here:

As of 12:10 pm EST, the target liftoff time is 2:20 pm EST (1920 UTC) . If the rocket does not get off the ground today, there will be another opportunity on Wednesday afternoon.

Updates and background info on the launch:

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