Space exploration and technology

[H.A.]

Let's celebrate Memorial Day weekend a little bit early with this incredible late afternoon picture of a 14-mile wide crater on Mars that was just beamed back to NASA by the Mars Rover, Opportunity — which has been on Mars for a loooooong time; like, since 2004. That's nearly 3,000 Martian-days, according to NASA. Yes, Martian days. They're officially called sols, FYI.

Here's what NASA has to say:

The rover used the panoramic camera (Pancam) between about 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. local Mars time to record images taken through different filters and combined into this mosaic view.

Most of the component images were recorded during the 2,888th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars (March 9, 2012). At that time, Opportunity was spending low-solar-energy weeks of the Martian winter at the Greeley Haven outcrop on the Cape York segment of Endeavour's western rim. In order to give the mosaic a rectangular aspect, some small parts of the edges of the mosaic and sky were filled in with parts of an image acquired earlier as part of a 360-degree panorama from the same location.

Opportunity has been studying the western rim of Endeavour Crater since arriving there in August 2011. This crater spans 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter, or about the same area as the city of Seattle. This is more than 20 times wider than Victoria Crater, the largest impact crater that Opportunity had previously examined. The interior basin of Endeavour is in the upper half of this view.

The mosaic combines about a dozen images taken through Pancam filters centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). The view is presented in false color to make some differences between materials easier to see, such as the dark sandy ripples and dunes on the crater's distant floor.

 

[asianobserve]

Space X's Dragon capsule splashdown

 

[pmaitra]

Re: Climate scientists reveal new candidate for first habitable exoplanet

Progress cargo ship fails to dock to ISS

AFP Photo / Ho / NASA

Russian cargo ship Progress M-15M has failed to dock to the ISS on Tuesday night as a precaution due to a system warning on approach. The docking has been postponed indefinitely.
The launch control center reports that as the ship was approaching the ISS its automatic systems indicated an emergency situation and the space docking system automatically decided to abort docking. The distance between the ISS and Progress ship at that moment was 161 kilometers.

Russia's Roscosmos space agency has announced that another attempt to dock Progress cargo ship to the ISS will be made after another cargo ship – from Japan – is docked to the station.

Japan's robotic spacecraft called H-2 Transfer Vehicle-3 (HTV-3) was launched to the ISS on July 20. It is expected to dock the ISS on July 27.

Specialists of the Russian space agency are now considering docking performance recommendations and controlling the flight of the spacecraft.

At this stage the unmanned cargo spacecraft is orbiting Earth at 408.1 kilometers. The distance between the station and the spaceship is 484 kilometers.

The next attempt to dock Progress could be made on July 28, given that the spaceship still has enough fuel to perform rendezvous maneuvers.

The Progress M-15M cargo ship undocked from the ISS on July 23 to perform tests of the "Kurs" rendezvous and docking system.

It was expected to be finally undocked from the ISS on July 30 to make a series of scientific experiments in orbit that would last three weeks before the ship was supposed to be de-orbited and sunk in the "spaceship cemetery" of the Pacific Ocean.

Source: Progress cargo ship fails to dock to ISS — RT

 

[pmaitra]

Cross posting:

Happy Independence Day
from the
International Space Station
courtesy
Sunita Williams

​

 

[Free Karma]

Iran's second "astronaut monkey" safely returns from Space - Trend.Az

Iran`s second astronaut monkey named "Fargam" was sent into space and returned safe, Iranian State IRINN TV reported on Dec. 14.
It is the first time that Iran used liquid propellant working carrier for sending living creatures to space. No further details were published on the time of the launch and return of the monkey.
Iranian president Hassan Rouhani congratulated Iranian scientists with the achieved success.
On Dec 10, Iranian media outlets quoted head of Iran's aerospace industries, Mehdi Farahi as saying Iran will launch Kavoshgar-7(Explorer-7) carrier, carrying a living creature into space.
Commenting on Iran's aerospace projects Farahi underlined that the Kavoshgar projects are steps towards sending astronauts into space.
Iran sent its first bio-capsule containing living creatures into the space in February 2010, using the indigenous Kavoshgar-3 (Explorer-3) carrier.
Iran sent a monkey into space aboard an indigenous bio-capsule code-named Pishgam (Pioneer) in January 2013.
The country successfully launched its first indigenous data-processing satellite, Omid (Hope), into orbit in 2009.
As part of a plan to develop its space program, Iran also successfully launched its second satellite, dubbed Rassad (Observation), into the earth's orbit in June 2011.
Rassad's mission was to take images of the earth and transmit them along with telemetry information to ground stations.
Iran also launched its domestically-built Navid-e Elm-o Sanat (Harbinger of Science and Industry) satellite into orbit in February 2012.
The records made by the telecom, measurement and scientific satellite could be used in a wide range of fields.
The country is one of the 24 founding members of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which was set up in 1959.

 

[roma]

magical India datelines

most unlikely to put a man into space by2016 with gslv undone and under-capacity
even if it succeeds ......

it seems the india establishment believe in a magical world
where everything can be done at the last minute ......
many other people doing projects there told me the same

how to complain when the nation accepts such management

 

[Free Karma]

magical India datelines

most unlikely to put a man into space by2016 with gslv undone and under-capacity
even if it succeeds ......

it seems the india establishment believe in a magical world
where everything can be done at the last minute ......
many other people doing projects there told me the same

how to complain when the nation accepts such management

AFAIK Manned space flight is only planned post 2020., after chandrayaan in 2018, and gslv mk3 before that.

I'm trying to find info on the Iran space program, seems quite hard, from wiki I get that their launchers can only carry 60Kgs of payloads...and most of their commercial launches are done through china long marches,...strange. There is also no video of this monkey launch to be found anywhere, an estimate date for their launcher that can be compared to our pslv seems to be 2015-2016, so how are they doing these launches..? Perhaps, launching a monkey with minimal life support systems into space (low orbits) doesnt take as much ?

 

[roma]

AFAIK Manned space flight is only planned post 2020., after chandrayaan in 2018, and gslv mk3 before that.

I'm trying to find info on the Iran space program, seems quite hard, from wiki I get that their launchers can only carry 60Kgs of payloads...and most of their commercial launches are done through china long marches,...strange. There is also no video of this monkey launch to be found anywhere, an estimate date for their launcher that can be compared to our pslv seems to be 2015-2016, so how are they doing these launches..? Perhaps, launching a monkey with minimal life support systems into space (low orbits) doesnt take as much ?

bro ...pls read the first paragraph of the first article in this thread -

it says " India has endorsed an ambitious �1.7bn plan to launch its first astronauts into space by 2015, a move seen by many as an attempt to catch up with its bigger neighbour, China, in an emerging Asian space race."

in fact planning commission went on to say " "Isro has done an expert job and it needs to be supported," said Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission. The Human Space Flight project is to have two phases: an unmanned flight launched in 2013-2014 and a manned mission the following year."

the article was posted by member @pyromaniac on 24 feb 2009

I have seen target datelines in various articles ranging from 2016-2019 and now you are saying after 2020

now perhaps you can appreciate my feeling that india datelines are to be taken in their unique context
when they say "by 2015" what it means is 2015 plus plus plus = maybe 2025 or even later ?

as for iran - i agree with you - their info also has to be taken in their unique context as well !

 

[Free Karma]

bro ...pls read the first paragraph of the first article in this thread - it says " India has endorsed an ambitious �1.7bn plan to launch its first astronauts into space by 2015, a move seen by many as an attempt to catch up with its bigger neighbour, China, in an emerging Asian space race."

the article was posted by member @pyromaniac on 24 feb 2009

I have seen target dateline ranging from 2016-2019 and now you are saying after 2020

now perhaps you can appreciate my feeling that india datelines are to be taken in their unique context
when they say "by 2015" what it means is prepare for margin of 2015 -2025 or more ?

as for iran - i agree with you - their info also has to be taken in their unique context as well !

Well changing datelines are standard in any field , you should manage an IT team, you'd love it

Changes happen all the time, hence nothing is set in stone, gslv failure was obviously not expected.

I think the biggest effect is the change in isro chief. The previous chief and the current one seem to have totally different strategies in mind, the previous one was following the Chinese program, whil the new guy seems to favour interplanetary missions (there is a mission planned within the next 2 years and a sun mission 2 years from there.

The dateline given there also included Russia's cooperation, which has not been very dependable over the last few years, for example Chandrayaan-2 rover was supposed to be done by Russia...but they backed out in the last minute, and now we have to design one ourselves (this is actually a good thing imo...quite some cool stuff in rovers, like radioactive power...but time ) . So now for both the moon rover and space flight we are doing it without nay help.

P.S You still havent told me who that lady in your profile pic is....even google doesnt seem to know

 

[happy]

ISRO to launch Astrosat in 2015 - The Hindu

The Indian Space Research Organisation intends launching Astrosat, an astronomical satellite, in 2015, Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said here on Monday.

To be launched aboard a PSLV rocket, the satellite would have six pieces of equipment built by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, he said addressing the 32nd convocation of Mangalore University on the Mangalagangotri campus.

Dr. Radhakrishnan said India had satellites to study weather, environment and water security and to help in communication. RISAT I, first indigenously built all-weather, radar-imaging satellite launched two years ago, opened up access to the microwave remote sensing system. It could see through cloud cover — for instance, in assessing flooding — and its radar worked in darkness. It was being used to monitor kharif crops such as paddy and jute.

""¦We are moving towards enhanced launch capability through the GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle and even higher powered vehicles in the years to come. We have set ourselves uphill challenges that promise an active, fulfilling and technologically gratifying future for the Indian space programme ..."

Dr. Radhakrishnan later told presspersons that ISRO's entry into social media was to make the younger generation discuss science, especially space programmes. It would help draw young people, particularly those aged 18-34, to science.

 

[cobra commando]

U.S. May Seek License for
Russian Rocket Engines

Even as President Barack Obama debates how to punish Russia for sending troops into Ukraine, the U.S. government is reviewing how it might obtain a license for domestic production of Russia's RD-180 rocket engine, an official said. The U.S. relies on the engines to launch military and spy satellites into space. United Launch Alliance LLC, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co., is the sole provider of medium– and heavy-lift rockets under a program called Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle, or EELV. It uses the RD-180 as the main engine on its Atlas V boosters. While the U.S. has enough of the engines to support launches for the next few years, officials are concerned that future supply could be in jeopardy because of rising tensions between the U.S. and Russia over the deployment of Russian troops and equipment into Crimea amid political and social unrest in southern Ukraine. "The partnership we've had with Russia [for] that engine has been very important, I think, to both of us, but there are number of concerns the Air Force has and others have anytime we're relying on such an important piece of equipment from vendors outside of the United States," Air Force Undersecretary Eric Fanning said during a breakfast with reporters on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. "It's been a solid partnership for years now," he added. "We have enough of those engines to support launches well into 2016 but are monitoring closely any suggestions that are taking place in the current bilateral situation that might impact our supply.


Read more here:
http://defensetech.org/2014/03/12/u-s-may-seek-license-for-russian-rocket-engines/#more-22508

 

[cobra commando]

DARPA Hopes To Build Plug- In Satellites In Space

WASHINGTON: Imagine self- healing satellites built in space. One sensor breaks down and another sensor elsewhere on the satellite takes up the slack. And the satellites are launched in modular pieces, on a series of different rockets, then are assembled by a robot arm in orbit. Parts can be replaced. The satellite can be refueled to prolong its operational life. This isn't yet the space dock servicing the USS Enterprise, but it may mark the first steps toward such a capability. It's the stuff of science fiction and, as often happens, the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Program Agency (DARPA) is the place experimenting with the new technologies and concepts of operations to make it real. Since the program, known as Phoenix, is expected to consume a tiny $40 million to $50 million this year (in its third year), don't expect miracles any time soon. Today, satellites have to be built with the knowledge that once they go into orbit they're on their own. If something goes wrong or they just get old and die, there's little that can be done beyond sending corrective signals to them from Earth and hoping they fix the problem. Phoenix would change that equation. Part of the approach, Phoenix program manager David Barnhart says, relies on what he calls "satlets," small, self-contained pieces of satellites that would be plugged together to create the larger birds. The original Phoenix concept, as its name implies, was to bring old satellites back to life by refueling them or sticking new sensors or other gear such as communications transponders on them.


Read more here:
DARPA Hopes To Build Plug-In Satellites In Space « Breaking Defense - Defense industry news, analysis and commentary

 

[cobra commando]

Kerala students to compete in designing rover for Mars mission


Kerala students to compete in designing rover for Mars mission | NDTV.com

 

[cobra commando]

Nasa to grow plants on ISS by year end

LONDON: Astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) may soon be tasting their first space-grown lettuce, thanks to a portable greenhouse that has been delivered to the orbiting lab. The Veggie "plant pillows" taken to the ISS during last week's supply mission will allow astronauts to grow the plants in space before the end of the year. This will be the first time Nasa astronauts have tasted something grown in orbit, "Observer" reported. Until now, all supplies to the ISS have been taken from Earth. "If you can get the environmental conditions correct, there's no reason why plants won't grow pretty well in space," Dr Gioia Massa, a payload specialist at the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, said. Massa's deployable vegetable production system (Veggie for short), now on board the ISS, is a pop-up greenhouse that collapses to the size of a briefcase for stowage during launch. The main obstacle to growing plants in space is the lack of gravity, since the soil tends to float away. Massa's solution has been to design the equivalent of something familiar to all tomato wranglers: a grow bag. Nasa describes these as "plant pillows". Three plant pillows have been delivered to the ISS and will be sown in succession, the report said. While two of the pillows hold seeds for a variety of red romaine lettuce called Outredgeous, the third contains the flowering plant zinnia, to add a splash of colour to the space station.

Nasa to grow plants on ISS by year end - The Times of India

 

[cobra commando]

Worms Can Form Part of
Astronauts' Diet: Chinese
Study


Worms Can Form Part of Astronauts' Diet: Chinese Study - The New Indian Express

 

[cobra commando]

Mars' third big volcano may have harboured life - The Hindu

 

[cobra commando]

SpaceX Unveils Its New Dragon Spacecraft - Forbes

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yEQrmDoIRO8
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf_-g3UWQ04

 

[cobra commando]

'Godzilla of Earths' planet discovered, weighs 17 times as much as earth - The Times of India

 

[cobra commando]

How the Moon Formed: Lunar Rocks Support Giant Impact Theory

 

[cobra commando]

Nasa to send astronauts one million miles into space to build world's most-powerful telescope in hunt for alien life - Home News - UK - The Independent