SSI News
ANALYSIS: NASA Manned lunar return is probably a better choice than asteroid capture say space experts – and they are probably right
The U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee received expert evidence as they discussed which destination man should make its first port of call on its way to the planets. Currently NASA and the Obama Administration is promoting a plan to capture a small asteriod which would be brought back to the Earth/Moon system using an unmanned spacecraft. Once there a manned mission would be sent to it to take samples. NASA has allocated $105 million to examine the technologies needed. But detractors of this idea say that the Moon would be a much better interim choice for manned exploration.
Bion M1 biological test capsule lands but many of the animals did not make it
After a one month mission in orbit, the Russian Bion M1 mission’s capsule carrying animals and plants separated from the equipment module of the Bion-M spacecraft at 0232 GMT on 19 May and initiated re-entry. The capsule landed at 0312 GMT. circa 100 km northeast of Orenburg in Russia, near the Kazakh border. The mission involved experimenetal tests were conducted to examine the effect of microgravity and space radiation on space biological samples. Bion-M1 carried eight Mongolian gerbils, 45 mice, 15 geckos, snails, tilapia fish and containers with various microorganisms and plants. Most of the animals died on the flight due to a technical malfunctions with the gerbils being killed by oxygen starvation, while the fish died when the aquarium malfunction. Only 6 of the mice survived.
Dr Sally Ride is given posthumous award of Presidential Medal of Freedom
President Barack Obama has posthumously awarded fomer astronaut and first US female in orbit, Dr. Sally Ride, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The award is the highest US civilian honour that can been bestowed.
So how does a British kid get to space as an astronaut?
In all the enthusiasm about Tim Peake’s planned spaceflight to the International Space Station in November 2015 (which might be thought of as a de facto “thank you” for the UK’s extra funding to ESA), and how it might promote the so called STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects in education, the question many schoolchildren and students will be asking is: which subjects and which career path do I need to do to get into space?
Lockheed Martin gets options converted to orders for GOES T and GOES U
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has formally converted two optons to construction orders for two weather satellites GOES T and GOES U from Lockheed Martin. The satellites were originally ordered as options in 2010 of the batch deal for GOES R and GOES S (delayed after a contract appeal from 2008). According to space news, the new deal is GOES T option/order is worth $175.9 million, and the GOES-U option/order is worth $139.7 million,
Boeing is selected to build Viasat-2 broadband comsat
On 17 May, Boeing’s spacecraft manufacturing arm, Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems,announced that it had been selected to build the new ViaSat-2 satellite for ViaSat Inc. Taking its lead from its European manufacturing counterparts, as part of the deal, Boeing is moving into sateliltes services by agreeing to partner Viasat in offering ViaSat-2’s Ka-band broadband services..The spacecraft will use a version of Boeing’s 702HP bus design and will be launched in 2016. Boeing beat out competition from Lockheed Martin to build the satellite. Its other US competitor Space Systems/Loral was effectvely ruled out as it is in legal dispute over patent infringements with Viasat.
Was extreme altitude suborbital launch by China an anti-satellite weapon? UPDATED
China has made an extreme alititude suborbital rocket launch which may be an anti-satellite weapon. The launch of the rocket, which was officially investigating Earth’s magnetic fields, took place on 13 May from the Xichang launch site, elements of which are estimated to have reached close to the 36,000km altititude used by satellites in Geosynchronous Earth, is thought by US government experts to be a possible test of a new anti-satellite missile. The remnants of the test fell into the Indian Ocean. The altitide achieved was the highest ever achieved by a non-orbiting object since 1976.
GPS II-F4 is sent into orbit by an Atlas V 401 rocket
At 2138 GMT on 15 May 2013, an Atlas V 401 launch vehicle successfully lifted off from its Cape Canaveral Air Station launch pad in Florida, USA, to deliver the latest GPS spacecraft, GPS IIF-4 into orbit. Built by Boeing, the satellite will be operated by the US Air Force as part of its GPS navigation constelllation in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). GPS signals are also used by civilian and commercial users.
Reaction wheel failure means only two left on Kepler and it may be the end for the mission
During a routine call up of NASA’s planet-hunting Kepler mission on 14 May, the spacecraft was found to have fallen into a safe mode with an attitude error. During an attempt to return to reaction wheel control as the spacecraft rotated into communication, and commanded a stop rotation, it appeared that all three wheels responded and that rotation had been successfully stopped. However reaction wheel 4 remained at full torque while the spin rate dropped to zero. According to NASA, this is a clear indication that there has been an internal failure within the reaction wheel, likely a structural failure of the wheel bearing. The spacecraft was then transitioned back to Thruster-Controlled Safe Mode. NASA may now elect to retire the spacecraft which has exceeded its three year old design life by over a year. During its service the spacecraft has discovered hundreds of planets orbiting distant stars.
Astrium gets construction contract for Express-AMU1/Eutelsat 36C
Astrium has been awarded a contract by the Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) to build the Express-AMU1/Eutelsat 36C satellite. The Eurostar E3000 bus spacecraft will be placed into orbit by the Russian launcher Proton in 2015 and will be operated over 36 degrees East.The Express-AMU1/Eutelsat 36C will have 70 transponders to provide broadcast services in the European part of the Russian Federation in Ku and Ka bands and for broadcast markets developed by Eutelsat in sub-Saharan Africa. The multibeam Ka-band antennas feature a highly innovative array fed reflector antenna technology developed by Astrium. Express-AMU1/Eutelsat 36C will have a launch mass of 5,700 kg and a spacecraft power in excess of 15 kW. Its design lifetime is 15 years in orbit.
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