India's first foray into planetary exploration seems to be over. Radio contact with its lunar orbiter, Chandrayaan-1, was lost Saturday, and ground control holds out little hope that the link can be reestablished. More likely, the probe will soon crash into the lunar surface.
The mission lasted 14 months out of a planned 24, however, and most of the science objectives were met. Perhaps the most intriguing contribution made by the probe was its discovery of lunar uranium. Depending on various factors, uranium on the Moon could be key to eventual lunar colonization.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Discovery Flying
The STS-128 mission got off to a spectacular start Friday night, burning brightly into a black Florida sky. Discovery is scheduled to dock with ISS later today.
STS-128 is an ISS resupply mission, and is scheduled to last thirteen days.
STS-128 is an ISS resupply mission, and is scheduled to last thirteen days.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Ares Test Canceled
The first test firing of NASA's new Ares rocket was canceled yesterday, apparently due to a problem with a fuel valve. Sound familiar? Of course, complex rocket engines are chock full of fuel valves, so they might fail more than other parts do. The next attempt at a test firing will likely come next Tuesday.
Such problems are common in the development of any new technological system, but NASA and its Ares program definitely could have used a smooth, successful test firing at this point. The Augustine committee is due to present its recommendations on the future of NASA's manned spaceflight program to President Obama soon, and reports say Ares is hanging by a thread. A successful test firing just before the recommendations are made public might have been politically useful. As it stands, the committee's report will be viewed against a program seemingly still struggling to find itself.
Such problems are common in the development of any new technological system, but NASA and its Ares program definitely could have used a smooth, successful test firing at this point. The Augustine committee is due to present its recommendations on the future of NASA's manned spaceflight program to President Obama soon, and reports say Ares is hanging by a thread. A successful test firing just before the recommendations are made public might have been politically useful. As it stands, the committee's report will be viewed against a program seemingly still struggling to find itself.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
MRO At It Once More
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has shut down its main computer for the fourth time this year, putting itself in protective mode.
Engineers are trying to understand why the probe's main computer keeps turning itself off before they activate it again-- obviously, they haven't fully understood it to date-- but they expect to be doing science with MRO again by next week.
Engineers are trying to understand why the probe's main computer keeps turning itself off before they activate it again-- obviously, they haven't fully understood it to date-- but they expect to be doing science with MRO again by next week.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Again With The Valves
The launch of space shuttle Discovery was delayed again last night, this time because of a problem with the fuel valves.
NASA likes to remind us that the space shuttle is one of the most complex machines ever built by man. That's no doubt true, but complexity is a double-edged sword. It allows formidable capabilities, but it also means literally millions of things can go wrong. That weakness of complexity has been shown time and again during the thirty years NASA has flown shuttles. The fact that NASA plans to go back to a capsule for its new manned spacecraft can be seen as evidence that, at least for now, the agency sees the shuttle as a technological dead end.
Long term, however, space capsules are the dead end. We are not going to make Mars our own-- let alone go beyond that-- in capsules. Expanding into the cosmos will require huge, true spaceships, with lots of room to allow people to live active, interesting, even private lives during long voyages Those ships will never touch a planetary surface. People will come and go from them using shuttles. Those shuttles will almost certainly have more in common with Discovery and her sisters than with Mercury, Gemini, Soyuz, Apollo, and Orion.
NASA likes to remind us that the space shuttle is one of the most complex machines ever built by man. That's no doubt true, but complexity is a double-edged sword. It allows formidable capabilities, but it also means literally millions of things can go wrong. That weakness of complexity has been shown time and again during the thirty years NASA has flown shuttles. The fact that NASA plans to go back to a capsule for its new manned spacecraft can be seen as evidence that, at least for now, the agency sees the shuttle as a technological dead end.
Long term, however, space capsules are the dead end. We are not going to make Mars our own-- let alone go beyond that-- in capsules. Expanding into the cosmos will require huge, true spaceships, with lots of room to allow people to live active, interesting, even private lives during long voyages Those ships will never touch a planetary surface. People will come and go from them using shuttles. Those shuttles will almost certainly have more in common with Discovery and her sisters than with Mercury, Gemini, Soyuz, Apollo, and Orion.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Florida Storms
Florida thunderstorms once more intervened last night, delaying the launch of yet another shuttle mission. This time, however, the culprit wasn't the usual late afternoon storms, but one that went through Cape Kennedy in the middle of the night.
STS-128 will attempt to launch again tonight.
STS-128 will attempt to launch again tonight.
Monday, August 24, 2009
STS-128
Shuttle Discovery is still scheduled to lift off in the wee hours tonight on STS-128. The mission is a resupply trip to ISS.
After STS-128. there are only six more scheduled shuttle flights, but the pace of the launches slows significantly. To fly all of them will likely mean extending the shuttle program into 2011.
After STS-128. there are only six more scheduled shuttle flights, but the pace of the launches slows significantly. To fly all of them will likely mean extending the shuttle program into 2011.
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