The Space Race

[Drone]

Russia's ISS Progress 58 resupply ship rolls out to the launch pad in preparation for its Tuesday launch to the ISS.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Feb. 17 Soyuz • Progress 58P
Launch window: 1100 GMT (6:00 a.m. EST)
Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the 58th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station. Delayed from Feb. 3. [Jan. 4]


Oct 2014 progress 57

http://www.space.com/27581-russian-...ch.html#ooid=FzcnllcTowK9RM5dw_t6exG2JsPBMsN-
this launch vid shows docking with ISS as well.



Progress 1 28th January 1978

a Soviet unmanned Progress cargo spacecraft which was launched in 1978 to resupply the Salyut 6 space station. It was the maiden flight of the Progress spacecraft, and used the Progress 7K-TG configuration.

ts payload of 2,300 kilograms (5,100 lb) consisted of 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) of propellant and oxygen, as well as 1,300 kilograms (2,900 lb) of food, replacement parts, scientific instruments, and other supplies.

 

[Drone]

Progress 43 spacecraft, 2011

Progress 53 Undocks From Zvezda, April 2014 ...

... and separates from the Station

More

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Private Enterprise in Space


LOTS MORE TO ADD......CHECK BACK


Ansari X Prize

The Ansari X Prize was a space competition in which the X Prize Foundation offered a US$10,000,000 prize for the first non-government organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks. It was modeled after early 20th-century aviation prizes, and aimed to spur development of low-cost spaceflight.


SpaceShipOne june 21 2004 first private craft in space

http://www.virgingalactic.com/


16-P

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

MORE SPACEX

OCTAWEB Falcon 9 Merlin 1 D engines

Falcon 9

Falcon 9 static test

1 hr before launch Falcon 9

On March 7, 2013, SpaceX’s Grasshopper doubled its highest leap to date to rise 24 stories or 262.8 feet (80.1 meters), hovering for approximately 34 seconds and landing safely using closed loop thrust vector and throttle control.

A mannequin cowboy dressed in black, nicknamed Johnny, rode SpaceX's Grasshopper reusable rocket during its highest ever test flight on March 7, 2013.The flight in Texas reached a height of 263 feet (80 meters).

The Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, Falcon 9 rocket with Dragon capsule attached on top is lifted into the vertical position during a rollout demonstration test at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This image was taken Oct. 2, 2012.

The SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft makes its relative approach to the International Space Station prior to grapple by the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm, controlled by Expedition 33 crew members. This image was taken Oct. 10, 2012.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stands next to the company's Falcon 9 rocket, which blasted SpaceX's Dragon capsule into orbit in December 2010.

The private Dragon capsule built by SpaceX is seen at the end of the International Space Station's robotic arm during its undocking on Oct. 28, 2012, inthis camera view. The Dragon capsule made the first commercial cargo delivery to the space station for NASA

3rd March 2015
SpaceX rocket lifts off with world's first all-electric satellites: Mission launches 'two for the price of one' thanks to cheaper fuel

• A SpaceX rocket has lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida carrying the world's first all-electric satellites
• The two spacecraft will reach their desired orbit in August of this year and will maintain itusing ion propulsion
• Without chemical fuel their weight was drastically reduced, allowing both to be launched on the same rocket rather than costly separate launches

The satellites are unique in that they are powered solely by ion propulsion, as opposed to chemical propellant that is usually favoured.
he lighter of the two satellites, ABS 3A, will reach its destination by the end of August, while the Eutelsat 115 West B spacecraft will take a few weeks longer.

In space, the two satellites were released one by one in opposite directions, so as to avoid a collision.

Once in their desired orbits, about 22,300 miles (35,800km) above Earth, they will be able to remain operational for at least two decades.

To get there, they will use what is called a ‘supersynchronous transfer orbit’, which involves performing a large elliptical ‘loop’ around Earth to reach this relatively distant location.

Once they reach their orbits, they will remain in one position over a particular part of the world, providing coverage to certain areas.

The two satellites are seen here before launch. ABS 3A is on the top, and the Eutelsat 115 West B is on the bottom of the payload. The latter was slightly heavier to support the weight of the former.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...-one-thanks-cheaper-fuel.html#v-4088021929001

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Antares NASA
FAIL

The Antares rocket was due to launch an unmanned Orbital-3 Cygnus spacecraft to deliver more than 5,000lbs of supplies to the International Space Station on 28 October.

This included science experiments, experiment hardware, spare parts, and crew provisions - as part of a £1.2 billion ($1.9billion) deal with Nasa.

Outfitted with a new, more powerful upper-stage engine, the Antares rocket was packed with 5,055 pounds (2,293 kg) of supplies, science experiments and equipment, a 15 percent increase over previous missions.

But just seconds into the launch a turbopump in one of the engines failed, leading the rocket to experience the catastrophic failure.

Repairs to the launch pad and its facilities are expected to cost between £8.3 million and £12.8 million ($13 million and $20 million).

And in a separate release, Orbital confirmed they would launch a new Antares rocket by the end of 2016.


'Under the new approach and in line with Orbital's existing CRS contract, all remaining cargo will be delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) by the end of 2016,' said the company.

'There will be no cost increase to Nasa and only minor adjustments will be needed to the cargo manifest in the near term.'

Orbital also confirmed they will seek a new propulsion system upgrade for Antares, as it was believed the Russian engines used on the October launch were the reason for the failure.

The company will perform a 'hot fire' test of the new engines next year to ensure they work as planned

The rocket was carrying equipment that would have helped hunt for asteroids to mine and also a number of Earth-observation satellites.

Organisations said more than £125 million ($200 million) worth of equipment was destroyed in the huge explosion.

Launch of Antares Rocket with Cygnus CRS-2 Spacecraft to ISS
Success

Manifest
Total weight of cargo: 3,293 pounds (1,494 kg)

• Crew supplies: 1,684 pounds (764 kg)
  • Crew care packages
  • Crew provisions
  • Food
• Hardware: 783 pounds (355 kg)
  • Crew Health Care System hardware
  • Environment Control and Life Support equipment
  • Electrical Power System hardware
  • Extravehicular Robotics equipment
  • Flight Crew Equipment
  • PL Facility
  • Structural & Mechanical equipment
  • Internal Thermal Control System hardware
• Science and research: 721 pounds (327 kg)
  • CubeSats and deployers
  • Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Dynamic Surf Hardware
  • Human Research Program resupply
• Computer supplies: 18 pounds (8.2 kg)
  • Command and Data Handling
  • Photo and TV equipment
• Spacewalk tools: 87 pounds (39 kg)

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

H-11A JAPAN

Japanese Main Large-scale Launch Vehicle

H-IIA is Japan's primary large-scale launch vehicle equipped with high-performance engines with liquid oxygen and hydrogen as propellants. Its operability is highly flexible as it can launch payloads (mainly satellites) of various weights, and inject them into different orbits in the space. Therefore, it is categorized one of the world top-level launch vehicles both in technology and launch costs.
JAXA (NASDA at that time) successfully launched the H-IIA F1 in Aug. 2001, and full-scale operations for launching practical satellites started with the H-IIA F3. However, the H-IIA F6 failed in Nov. 2003. After a thorough investigation, the cause of the failure was found to be the sold rocket booster (SRB-A).

JAXA performed numerous experiments and tests to modify the troubled parts, including the shape of the injector. H-IIA F7 launched in 26 Feb. 2005 and could carry a satellite into the scheduled orbit.

DesignationMass (tonnes)Payload (tonnes to GTO)Addon modules
H2A2022854.12 SRB-A(SRB)
H2A2022 (discontinued)[4]3164.52 SRB-A (SRB) + 2Castor 4AXL(SSB)
H2A2024 (discontinued)34752 SRB-A (SRB) + 4 Castor 4AXL (SSB)
H2A20444564 SRB-A (SRB)
H2A212 (cancelled)4037.52 SRB-A (SRB) + 1 LRB
H2A222 (cancelled)5209.52 SRB-A (SRB) + 2 LRBs

.

Flight 23

Flight 19

Flight 25 Oct 7 2014

Lots of info

Next scheduled launch March 26 2015 carrying a Japanese spy satellite.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

PSLV India Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

@btarunr

PSLV-C20 (25 Feb 2013)
Delivering 7 satellites in to space

GSLV GSAT-5P 24 th December 2010
FAIL
the second launch failure for India's space programme of 2010

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) exploded in the first stage of flight, leaving a trail of smoke and fire behind it.

It had just lifted off from the Sriharikota space centre on Saturday in Andhra Pradesh state, and was carrying a GSAT-5P communications satellite.
A similar rocket on a developmental flight plunged into the Bay of Bengal in April. The ISRO said that accident was caused by a rotor seizing and a rupture in the turbine casing, probably due to excessive pressure and thermal stresses.

Next scheduled launch March 9 2015
to launch the fourth of a planned series of seven satellites under the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System. Similar to the U.S' GPS and Russian GLONASS spacecraft, these satellites will provide navigational services to India and surrounding countries. The PSLV will place the spacecraft in a geosynchronous orbit.

 

[HammerON]

Sub'd and thanks for the updates

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

North Korea

NADA, North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration, sounds a lot like NASA, America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration. And their logo looks a lot like NASA's too.

"To put into practice the idea and principle of the DPRK government to develop the space for peaceful purpose," is NADA's mission statement according to the state-run Korea Central News Agency. The logo's symbolism is truly North Korean. The "Giant Bear Constellation" on it represents the "will of the space scientists of the DPRK to glorify Kim Il Sung's and Kim Jong Il's Korea as a space power."

this is funny
http://v.theonion.com/onionmedia/videos/videometa/178/zen_mp4.mp4




this isn't funny
Unha-3 rocket

North Korea's first orbital space launch attempt occurred on August 31, 1998 and was unsuccessful. This launch attempt was performed by a Paektusanrocket. The particular vehicle used in the first attempt was named the Taepo Dong 1. It used a solid motor third stage, a Scud-missile-based second stage, and a Rodong-1 based first stage. Rodong-1 was a North Korean-developed stage thought to be a scale-up of the old Soviet Scud missile. TaepoDong 1 stood 22.5 metres tall, was 1.8 metres in diameter, and weighed about 21 tonnes.

The next launch vehicle, the Unha-2, is believed to be a three-stage rocket derived from North Korea's Taepodong-2 ballistic missile - a missile that first flew, unsuccessfully, in 2006. The rocket failed after 40 seconds. TaepoDong 2's new first stage is thought to be powered by four engines, one of which powered the country's earlier Taepo Dong 1 first stage. The four engines may produce 112 tonnes-force (1,100 kN) of liftoff thrust, sufficient to rapidly lift the 78 tonne carrier rocket.[6] According to Japanese reports, the second stage splashed down in the Pacific Ocean approximately 3,200 kilometers from the launch site.[7]

The January 3, 2013 internet edition of the Rodong Sinmun, the Workers' Party official newspaper, quoted a scientist saying there would be six more satellite launch vehicles. Reports say the Unha 4 and 5 are intended to launch earth observation satellites, Unha 6, 7 and 8 would presumably place into orbit communications satellites and Unha 9 would carry a lunar orbiter.

NORTH KOREA COULD HAVE 100 NUCLEAR WEAPONS BY 2020, US RESEARCHERS CLAIM

A self-propelled suface to air missile during a drill shown in a North Korean drill

North Korea appears poised to expand its nuclear program over the next five years and in a worst case scenario could possess 100 atomic arms by 2020, US researchers warned last week.

And cutting-edge European companies could be unwittingly contributing to Pyongyang's suspect nuclear program with their equipment diverted to the isolated country via China, they said.

Unveiling the first results of what will be a 15-month study, Joel Wit, senior fellow at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, said some of their conclusions were very 'disturbing.'

Using satellite imagery, North Korean media reports and their deep knowledge of nuclear programs, Wit, and veteran nuclear non-proliferation expert David Albright, have drawn up three possible scenarios based on the progress that Pyongyang from 2009 to 2014.

In the first scenario, Pyongyang would almost double its stockpile to about 20 weapons, including plutonium-based weapons which have been miniaturized sufficiently to be mounted on its Rodong-class medium-range ballistic missile, capable of reaching Japan.

In the second - and most likely scenario - North Korea continues its current trajectory and manages to produce 50 weapons by 2020. It would also make significant advances in miniaturisation technology enabling it to mount warheads on intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

In what Wit dubbed 'the worst case scenario,' the North Korean stockpile would grow more rapidly to 100 weapons and make 'significant advances' in weapons designs to enable it to potentially deploy battlefield and tactical weapons.

 

[krusha03]

Fan Fact - North Korea also landed a man on the Sun

http://www.tweaktown.com/news/35032/north-korea-confirms-it-has-landed-a-man-on-the-sun/index.html

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Fan Fact - North Korea also landed a man on the Sun

http://www.tweaktown.com/news/35032/north-korea-confirms-it-has-landed-a-man-on-the-sun/index.html

He went at night time.........thats cheating.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

European Space Agency ESA

The European Space Agency (ESA; French: Agence spatiale européenne, ASE) is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, with 21 member states. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris, France, ESA has a staff of more than 2,000 with an annual budget of about €4.28 billion / US$5.51 billion (2013).[3]

ESA's space flight programme includes human spaceflight, mainly through the participation in the International Space Station programme, the launch and operations of unmanned exploration missions to other planets and the Moon, Earth observation, science, telecommunication as well as maintaining a major spaceport, the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana, and designing launch vehicles. The main European launch vehicle Ariane 5 is operated through Arianespace with ESA sharing in the costs of launching and further developing this launch vehicle.


The Ariane Family

Ariane 1 24 December 1979

Ariane 5 As of November 2014, the Ariane 5 commercial launch price for launching a "midsize satellite in the lower position" is approximately US$60 million

Ariane 5 launch
ABS-2 and Athena-Fidus

Ariane 5 launch: onboard camera

Ariane 5 fail 1996

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Stratolaunch
Biggest aircraft in history begins construction:

Microsoft co-founder provides glimpse of his proposed megaplane that will launch rockets into orbit


The world has received its first glimpse of a gigantic airplane that will serve as an airborne launch pad for putting satellites - and eventually people - into orbit.
The aircraft, which has a wingspan of 385 feet (117 metres) and will be powered by six 747-class engines, is currently being assembled at Mojave, California.
Dubbed the Roc, the megaplane is the brainchild Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who is creating it under start-up firm Stratolaunch Systems.

The Roc's 385 feet (117 metres) wingspan compares to 320 feet for the Hughes H-4 Hercules and 225 feet for the Boeing 747-8.
Each of the twin fuselages of the Roc is 238 feet long and, when complete, will be supported by 12 main landing gear wheels and two nose gear wheels.
Stratolaunch has produced computer-generated images and videos of the Roc, but the TV footage is the first time images of the real vehicle have been shown.



Wingspan: 385 feet (117 metres)

Engines: Six 747-class engines

Fuselage length: 238 feet (72 metres)

Weight: 1,200,000 lb (544,311 kg)

Maximum speed: 460 knots, 530 mph (850 km/h)

Maiden launch: Flight testing will begin in 2016. The first launch of the space launch vehicle is likely to take place in 2018.

Satellite delivery: Initially, the system is intended to deliver satellites weighing up to about 13,500lbs (6,124 kg) into orbits between 112 miles and 1,243 miles (180 km and 2000 km) above Earth.

Launch sites: Several sites are under consideration, including Kennedy Space Center, Wallops Island and Vandenberg AFB.

Allen has previously said his Rock project would 'keep America at the forefront of space exploration and give a new generation of children something to dream about'.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

SPACE DEBRIS and Kessler Syndrome.....


laser broom

The Kessler syndrome (also called the Kessler effect, collisional cascading or ablation cascade), proposed by the NASA scientist Donald J. Kessler in 1978, is a scenario in which the density of objects in low Earth orbit (LEO) is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascade—each collision generating space debris which increases the likelihood of further collisions. One implication is that the distribution of debris in orbit could render space exploration, and even the use of satellites, unfeasible for many generations.

A 20-year-old military weather satellite apparently exploded in orbit Feb. 3 2015 following what the U.S. Air Force described as a sudden temperature spike.

The "catastrophic event" produced 43 pieces of space debris, according to Air Force Space Command, which disclosed the loss of the satellite Feb. 27in response to questions from SpaceNews.

The satellite, Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Flight 13, was the oldest continuously operational satellite in the DMSP weather constellation. [Worst Space Debris Events of All Time]

Launched in 1995, DMSP-F13 provided thousands of hours of weather imagery to Air Force and Navy forecasters before transitioning to a backup role in 2006. The Air Force said its sudden loss would have minimal impact.

"Because this satellite was no longer used by the National Weather Service or the Air Force Weather Agency, the impact of the loss of this satellite is minimal," the Air Force said. "We anticipate real-time weather data for tactical users will be slightly reduced without this satellite, but its data was not being used for weather forecast modeling."

The Air Force still has six DMSP satellites in service following the launch last April of DMSP-F19. A seventh satellite, DMSP-F20, was under consideration for a 2016 launch as recently as November.

Air Force Space Command said DMSP-F13's power subsystem experienced "a sudden spike in temperature" followed by "an unrecoverable loss of attitude control." As DMSP operators were deciding to "render the vehicle safe" the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, identified a debris field near the satellite.

The Air Force said it is continuing to track the debris and will issue conjunction warnings if necessary.

"While the initial response is complete, JSpOC personnel will continue to assess this event to learn more about what happened and what it will mean for users within this orbit," said Air Force Col. John Giles, the Joint Space Operations Center’s director.

DMSP-F13 flew in a 800-kilometer sun-synchronous polar orbit popular for weather and spy satellites.

The first public indication of a problem with DMSP-F13 came from T.S. Kelso, a senior research astrodynamicist for Analytical Graphics' Center for Space Standards and Innovation in Colorado Springs, Colorado, who noted Feb. 25 that there had been "another debris event with 26 new pieces" in addition to five previously cataloged DMSP-F13 objects.


Envisat

Envisat ("Environmental Satellite") is an inoperative Earth-observing satellite still in orbit. It was launched on 1 March 2002 aboard an Ariane 5 from the Guyana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, into a Sun synchronous polar orbit at an altitude of 790 km (490 mi) (± 10 km (6.2 mi)). It orbits the Earth in about 101 minutes with a repeat cycle of 35 days. After losing contact with the satellite on 8 April 2012, ESA formally announced the end of Envisat's mission on 9 May 2012

Envisat is the European Space Agency's (ESA) largest civilian Earth observation satellite put into space.


With a mass of 8,211 kg (18,102 lb) that drifts at 785 km (488 mi), an altitude where the debris environment is the greatest—2 catalogued objects can be expected to pass within about 200 meters of Envisat every year—and likely to increase. It could easily become a major debris contributor from a collision during the next 150 years that it will remain in orbit.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Bumping because i have added to previous posts

set your mouse to scroll and let the loveliness slide by




NEIL Armstrong................1st man on the moon,
NEIL A turn it round

ALIEN

 

[krusha03]

Nice going man

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Today is the 50th anniversary of Mans' first steps in space.

I found a fantastic article that the BBC have produced including an interview.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/2014/newsspec_9035/index.html





Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov is a retired Soviet/Russian cosmonaut and Air Force Major General. On 18 March 1965, he became the first human to conduct extra-vehicular activity, exiting the capsule during the Voskhod 2 mission for a 12-minute spacewalk.

It is a remarkable chapter in the Space race..............another first for the USSR.

Vostok spacecraft.

Colour footage

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

First pictures inside huge Siberian cosmodrome from where Russia hopes to beat the US to Mars

• Putin's pet project set to rival Cape Canaveral in fame - and help Russia win the 21st century space race
• Built across 342 square miles, the cosmodrome will have 17 launch pads and a new 'satellite city' for 25,000 people
• Russian president has said he wants it to 'confirm the high scientific and technological status' of the country
• But building works are beset by problems - and the first unmanned launch, planned for December, looks in doubt
• Should it not be ready in time, it will be a huge embarrassment for Putin and his £3.4billion investment in the project

Ankara 5 expected launch 2018

The 551 square kilometre Vostochny - or Eastern - spaceport is being built near Uglegorsk town, in Amur region, close to the Chinese border.
The Russian president described it as one of the 'biggest and most ambitious projects' ever undertaken.
When complete it will largely replace Baikonur in Kazakhstan for which Russia pays an annual rent of around £77.4million.
Crucial to the scheme is the futuristic green field 'space city' of Tsiolkovsky complete with school, kindergarten, theatre and aqua park.
It will house 25,000 elite space workers in Russia's most modern new town.
Behind the new cosmodrome is Putin's aim of a permanent Russian base on the moon, which Russian experts have referred to as the 'seventh continent', eyeing it for economic potential. One timetable in Moscow suggests a lunar 'orbital station' by 2026, capable of housing four cosmonauts.

An initial construction of a Moon 'hotel' will enable two week-long manned visits by a succession of crews by 2030 while the permanent lunar base - five years later - 'will help start using lunar resources and prepare for industrial use of natural treasures of earth's natural satellite'.
A key driving force is obtaining helium-3 to send back to earth, a potentially hugely valuable source of energy.

But Lev Zeleny, director of the Russian Space Research Institute, warned Putin there are limited sites for the first base on the Moon's inhospitable terrain, where night temperatures make Siberia seem warm. Russia is examining sites near the Moon's north pole.
'There are not that many good places for a base. Fingers of one hand are enough to count such good places, and there will be competition for sure,' he said, urging Putin to act ahead of China, the US and Europe.

The Kremlin plans recall a famous Cold War headline from Soviet propaganda mouthpiece Tass following the landing of unmanned Luna 9 in 1966: 'The Moon speaks Russian.'



VIDEO
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...e-Russia-hopes-beat-Mars.html#v-4133273737001

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

United Launch Alliance Wants Your Vote to Name New Rocket

Pluto

Here's your chance to name a rocket.

United Launch Alliance — the rocket company that launched NASA's New Horizons probe to Pluto — is asking people around the world to help name a new kind of booster. People have until April 6 to vote on three names — Eagle, Freedom or GalaxyOne — for the ULA rocket that the company plans to use for most of its future launches.

VOTE HERE
https://www.polleverywhere.com/voteula

full article here
http://www.space.com/28969-united-launch-alliance-rocket-name-vote.html?cmpid=559185

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

NASA Earth Observing Fleet
A full list of the satellites and their missions is available at Nasa’s Scientific Visualisation Studio website.

Nasa scientists in Maryland, US have created a satellite visualisation

• It shows dozens of Earth-observing satellites currently orbiting our planet

• They include Landsat 7 and 8, part of Nasa's long-serving series

• And the ISS can also be seen sweeping diagonally across Earth

• Many Earth-observing satellites orbit pole to pole to see the whole planet

An excellent animation
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov//vis/a000000/a004200/a004274/fleet_withSMAP07_640x360_30fps.m4v


The ISS has a diagonal orbit that keeps it relatively near the equator (shown), which enables various command centres across the world to stay in contact with the crew. As the Earth rotates underneath, the ISS appears to move up and down in curves, although in reality it is always moving in one direction

 

[RealNeil]

I was part of the HRSI & LRSI surface insulation team on the Space Shuttle Program. I began working for Rockwell International Space Division, and I eventually retired from Boeing Aerospace 24 years later. (Boeing bought Rockwell out)
It was my dream job and if you were interested, you could learn something every single day that you went to work. Many of the technologies that we developed are in use worldwide today.
Here is a little fact sheet that our PR guys gave out to visitors back in the day. It gives facts about the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME) and the pumps that injected fuel into them from that huge center fuel tank that was part of the launch stack.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Blue Origin

Blue Origin, the secretive private spaceflight company founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, will begin suborbital flight tests this year of an innovative new spaceship — a milestone made possible by the firm's rocket engine success.

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO
http://www.space.com/13672-blue-ori...op.html#ooid=c2MDB5cDo6ZPtoSah-R-s1fxu2a7rvTS


An engine test as well.
http://www.space.com/23815-secretiv...eo.html#ooid=tyY2J5cDp95PIGU9JLYfW2NtTeMmedJ5


The full article (which isnt very long and is well worth reading)
http://www.space.com/29044-blue-ori...ship-tests.html?cmpid=NL_SP_weekly_2015-04-08

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

SPACEX due for launch.........3 p.m. ET (1900 GMT). link to live stream at the end of this post.

Check post #30 in this thread for lots more Spacex stuff.

The company will launch a Falcon 9 rocket in order to send a Dragon capsule, packed with 4,300 pounds of supplies (including materials for 40 different scientific experiments and an espresso machine for the astronauts), up to the space station — the sixth of 12 resupply missions SpaceX is carrying out for NASA. The capsule will arrive there on Wednesday, and return with waste and other cargo in about five weeks.

The Falcon 9, meanwhile, is made up of two parts: a 138-foot-tall first stage, which burns for the first few minutes of flight, lifting the craft up to an altitude of about 50 miles before separating and falling back to Earth; and a smaller, 49-foot-tall second stage, which burns for another six minutes, carrying the Dragon into orbit before disconnecting and falling back down to Earth, as well.

Normally, both of these stages — as well as the stages that make up other rockets in general — break up into pieces as they plummet downward, eventually sinking into the ocean and becoming unusable. But on Monday, as the first stage falls back to Earth, SpaceX will fire its engines in order to stabilize and guide it in for a controlled landing.

The plan is to land it on an autonomous uncrewed barge, which is being stationed east of Cape Canaveral. As the rocket descends, steerable fins affixed to its outside will help guide it and slow it down. As it nears the barge, a set of legs will unfold from the bottom of the rocket, and if all goes to plan, it'll slow down to a speed of about 4.5 miles per hour before gently landing on them, fully upright.

NASA's webcast of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch will begin at 3 p.m. ET (1900 GMT). SpaceX will also host a webcast of the Falcon 9 launch. The launch video stream will begin at about 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT) and run through 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT). You can view it directly from SpaceX at: http://www.spacex.com/webcast/.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

They got a bit closer this time, a perfect launch and separation but the landing is the trickiest bit.

https://v.cdn.vine.co/r/videos/7A1A...p4?versionId=1t0RwgC6OwOAcJT4TQOd4zOemeP9waxc