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SpaceX’s Dragon V2 to Undergo Key Test May 6

Posted by Chris Tobias on May 2, 2015
Posted in: Launches. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
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The Dragon V2 is ready for its pad abort test. (Photo: SpaceX)

by Chris Tobias

SpaceX recently completed its second successful launch of a Falcon 9 rocket in less than two weeks, a record turnaround time for the company.  The first of those launches sent an umanned Dragon to the International Space Station.  It’s still berthed there, and will return to Earth later this month.

But while that unmanned Dragon remains in Low Earth Orbit at the ISS, SpaceX is about to take a major step in the development of their manned Dragon capsule, the very same one that we hope will one day be named Serenity.

On the morning of Wednesday, May 6 at approximately 7am, SpaceX plans to conduct a “pad abort” test of its Dragon V2, the manned version of the Dragon that will carry astronauts to the ISS as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.  The test at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch Complex 40 will simulate a launch pad emergency.  The Dragon will be shot into the air from the launch pad, and will deploy its parachutes and splash down in the Atlantic Ocean.  In the process, the Dragon will also employ its “SuperDraco” thrusters, which are designed to aid the capsule and its crew in escaping from a rocket on the pad or in flight if things get “interesting” in Hoban “Wash” Washburne’s definition of the word.

Following this test, the next step will be this summer, when SpaceX will conduct an “in-flight abort” test, launched from California.  In that test the Dragon will attempt to escape from a Falcon 9 rocket after its launch.

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CRS-6: Falcon/Dragon Launch Scrubbed, but These Dark Clouds Have a Silver Lining

Posted by Chris Tobias on April 13, 2015
Posted in: Launches, Updates. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
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The weather at the launch site was beautiful today, but less than ten miles away dark clouds were looming… (Photo credit: Look in the upper right-hand corner!)

by Chris Tobias

River Tam:  Storm’s getting worse.

Mal Reynolds:  We’ll pass through it soon enough.

— “Serenity”

Today’s attempt by SpaceX to launch a Falcon 9 carrying a Dragon capsule to the International Space Station on the sixth commercial resupply mission to the ISS had to be scrubbed just a few minutes before liftoff because of weather concerns.

Those who watched the launch attempt live online probably scratched their heads at the announcement, given the beautiful blue sky and white, fluffy clouds that served as the backdrop for the rocket as it sat on the launch pad.  The real danger, however, was a front of dark, well-developed cumulonimbus “anvil” clouds that were within ten miles of the launch site.  There were also some reports of distant lightning strikes within the ten-mile limit in the run-up to the launch window, and it is standard procedure to scrub a launch under such conditions.

The next launch attempt will be tomorrow, Tuesday, April 14, just after 4:10pm EDT.  In all fairness, though, tomorrow’s weather currently only looks to be 50% go for launch, whereas today’s was 60% just a short time before the scrub had to be called.

And yet, the way we see it, there was a lot to feel positive about today.

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Launch Day: SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon Ready for Re-Supply Flight to ISS, Historic Booster Recovery

Posted by Chris Tobias on April 13, 2015
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by Chris Tobias

If the forecasted rain showers and thunderstorms around Cape Canaveral hold off long enough to permit it (about a 60% likelihood), SpaceX will launch another Dragon capsule aboard a Falcon 9 rocket just after 4:33pm EDT today.  The mission, which is the sixth commercial re-supply mission to the International Space Station, also has the potential to make history, as SpaceX will once again attempt to recover the first stage of its Falcon 9 booster on a drone-controlled barge stationed offshore in the Atlantic Ocean.

If the launch goes ahead as planned, the Falcon 9 will deploy the Dragon approximately ten minutes after liftoff, and the capsule will rendezvous with the ISS around 7am EDT on Wednesday morning.

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An Educator’s Perspective: Take Me Out to the Black? Why Not?

Posted by Chris Tobias on March 17, 2015
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If someone offered you a free ride into space, would you go?

by Chris Tobias

Like a lot of people who enthusiastically support manned spaceflight, I was a bit dismayed by the results of a recent survey conducted by Monmouth University, in which 1,000 adults were asked at random in a telephone interview whether or not they’d take a free ride into space if it were offered to them.  I was shocked to read that just 28% of Americans surveyed (roughly 1 in 4) said they’d want to take that free ride on a rocket ship.

As a high school teacher who teaches Advanced Placement German courses to juniors and seniors, I’m always looking for thought-provoking essay topics to assign for students’ journals, and this seemed to me like a good opportunity to assign an essay that would challenge my students to develop and express their own opinions (in German) about this very timely and interesting topic, while at the same time conducting my own little survey to gauge their interest in going into the black.

So, I asked my 20 Advanced Placement German students, 11 high school seniors and nine high school juniors, all ages 16-18, the following question (translated from German):  “If someone gave you the chance to travel into space on a rocket free of charge, would you go? Why or why not?” Though it was not part of the prompt for the essay, I explained to the students that this would not be a one-way trip like Mars One, but rather an opportunity to visit space and return to tell the tale, provided that everything about the trip remained nominal from launch to recovery.  Students were required to explain their position on the topic in an essay of two pages or more, which they wrote in their essay journals.  Once again, I would be surprised by the results, though this time for a very different reason. Continue Reading

“Remember…”

Posted by Chris Tobias on March 1, 2015
Posted in: Articles, Tributes. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
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Leonard Nimoy (center, as if you needed to be told) with Gene Roddenberry and the rest of the cast of Star Trek at the unveiling of the Space Shuttle Enterprise. (NASA photo)

by Chris Tobias

If you’re a fan of science-fiction, or one who passionately believes that mankind should continue striving to boldly go into the black, then I’m sure that like me, you’re saddened by the passing of Leonard Nimoy this weekend.  Unlike so many in his profession, Nimoy never became a parody of himself.  He remained relevant throughout his long career– from his early days of guest appearances on shows like The Twilight Zone to his final portrayal of the character that made him a pop culture legend.

The first time I ever walked the floor of a science-fiction and comics convention in costume (at the old Pittsburgh Comicon back in sixth grade), it was as Mr. Spock.  As a kid I loved watching Star Trek re-runs, and I identified with Spock more than any other character.  Sure, as the Science Officer he got to play with all the cool gadgets, and the ears were kind of neat, but I think it was because every young kid can relate to feeling like they’re different from all the other people around them and having to struggle to fit in, much like Spock did as a half-Vulcan living and working among humans.  I don’t think any member of Enterprise’s crew was as complex as Spock, and in Leonard Nimoy, Gene Roddenberry found the perfect actor to show us that.

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Falcon 9 and DISCOVR Break Atmo

Posted by Chris Tobias on February 11, 2015
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by Jeff Cunningham

Less than an hour ago, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 enjoyed a picture-perfect liftoff from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida–so perfect, in fact, that NASA’s own commentator on the live press feed couldn’t help but remark at how quiet everything was in the absense of problems or glitches to chatter about in SpaceX’s launch control room.

I pulled off of the highway in Orlando to watch the show, and was not disappointed. I don’t know if it’s anything to do with the design or their chosen propellant (experts are free to chime in in the comments below, don’t be a stranger), but the Falcon 9 burns a lot whiter than I remember the shuttle doing. Now that I think about it, it was something kind of like the color of its namesake’s engine wash:

Pictured: Early SpaceX concept render.

We’re still waiting for word on whether the first stage’s landing was as successful. Last we heard, SpaceX reported that weather over the oceans off the coast of Jacksonville isn’t as clear as it was at the landing site, so they may have to simply “soft land” it in the ocean. Prior to the launch, Musk tweeted that the barge is due for some upgrades to allow it to withstand stormy seas better:

While we wait for word (and, Buddha willing, video footage) of the landing, now’s a good time to take five minutes to write a letter to Elon to tell him that it’d be friggin’ awesome if he were to name the first manned Dragon spacecraft Serenity. We also have a petition you can write, or, failing all that, his Twitter feed is right there. Tag us if you do at @TakeBacktheSky.

Wind Delays SpaceX Launch, Dragon Coming Home

Posted by Chris Tobias on February 10, 2015
Posted in: Launches, Updates. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment
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photo: NOAA

by Chris Tobias

Today we saw yet another scrub of the scheduled SpaceX launch of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the DSCOVR satellite.  This time it was because of upper altitude winds that were deemed too strong to launch safely.  The next launch attempt has been scheduled for tomorrow, February 11, at 6:03pm EST.

It wasn’t a total “no go” for SpaceX today though.  The unmanned Dragon capsule that had been docked with the International Space Station was un-berthed and released at 2:10pm EST.  Dragon is currently on her way back to Earth and will splash down in the Pacific in just a few hours’ time, where she’ll be recovered by SpaceX engineers who will unpack the cargo and experiments that she’s bringing home with her.

So while it might have been a wind “fail” for the Falcon 9 today, there will still be a windfall of valuable research coming home with Dragon.

And we’ll be ready to look skyward again tomorrow, with coverage of tomorrow’s launch available online at nasa.gov and spacex.com.

Until then, peace, love and rockets…

Now It’s Two for Tuesday: Welcome Back Dragon, Godspeed Falcon 9 and DSCOVR

Posted by Chris Tobias on February 9, 2015
Posted in: Launches, Updates. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
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photo: nasa.gov

by Chris Tobias

Today’s postponement of the SpaceX launch of the DSCOVR satellite until Tuesday, February 10 (weather concerns necessitated a scrub of this evening’s attempt), means tomorrow will be twice as shiny for fans of SpaceX and the work they do out in the black!

That’s because the crew of Expedition 42 on board the International Space Station closed the hatch on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft earlier today after packing away all the essential gear, experiments and data that will be sent back to Earth in her belly.  Dragon will be detached from the ISS’ Harmony module before being released by Canadarm2 on Tuesday afternoon, and she’ll splash down off the Pacific coast of Baja, California for recovery by SpaceX engineers a few hours before sunset.  You can watch the NASA TV coverage of the undocking of Dragon beginning at 1:45 pm EST tomorrow.

And then, if all goes according to plan, the nightcap will be the launch of the Falcon 9 carrying DSCOVR into orbit, with the potentially historic recovery of the booster rocket on board SpaceX’s drone-barge in the Atlantic.  At present the launch is targeted for 6:05pm EST tomorrow, with coverage of the launch live online at spacex.com.  (If there is yet another delay, the back-up launch window would be Wednesday, February 11 at 6:03pm EST.)

Welcome back, Dragon! Godspeed Falcon 9 and DSCOVR!

SpaceX to Attempt Historic Launch on Sunday

Posted by Chris Tobias on February 7, 2015
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by Jeff Cunningham

Tomorrow evening, Sunday, February 8, SpaceX will once again attempt the historic recovery of a Falcon 9 booster rocket on a drone-piloted barge in the Atlantic Ocean shortly after they launch the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite into orbit.

It’s appropriate that SpaceX is aiming high for this launch, because their customer for the DSCOVR mission is the United States Air Force, in conjunction with NOAA and NASA. The probe will station itself at the Lagrange-1 Point, or L-1, a point in space about 1 million miles from Earth where the gravitational pull of our planet and the sun balance each other enough for DSOCVR to remain there indefinitely. Its mission will be to observe solar weather patterns (such as sunspots and solar storms) and how they can affect life on Earth, not to mention your wi-fi reception.

The launch window will open at approximately 6:10pm EST on Sunday, February 8, 2015, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.  If all goes as planned, the DSCOVR satellite will be deployed to a 1,241,000 x 187 km orbit at 37 degrees approximately 35 minutes after liftoff, and that’s when the real fun will begin! Because that’s when, using GPS tracking, the Falcon 9 will guide its way back to the drone ship waiting for it in the Atlantic.  If all goes as planned, it’ll touch down like a downy feather on the deck of the ship, which SpaceX, in their typically cheeky style we’ve come to know and love, has christened “Just Read the Instructions.”

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Courtesy space.com and engineering humor.

If you remember, the last time SpaceX attempted this (after launching an unmanned Dragon to the International Space Station last month), the landing was, as Serenity’s Hoban Washburne would say, “interesting”…

Those who want to watch tomorrow’s potentially historic launch can log on to online coverage beginning at 5:50pm EST tomorrow at livestream.com.

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