TO THE MOON, MARS, AND BEYOND

Many folks would like to see us back on the Moon and developing its resources.

Showing posts with label HTV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HTV. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

NOW REPLAYING: Webcast – ATV Johannes Kepler docking to ISS - Start: 24 February ~16:15 CET

Soon no more shuttles to the ISS.  

If you want to get more supplies sent to the ISS you may use the Russian Progress.

Or now the ESA ATV Johannes Kepler cargo module launched with an Ariane 5 ES rocket and the Japan HTV launched with their H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 2 can help fill in.

I watched the replay of the ATV docking which is about an hour and three minutes.
- LRK -
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NOW REPLAYING: Webcast – ATV Johannes Kepler docking to ISS

Replay of ATV Docking webcast recorded 24 February 20111
Start: 24 February ~16:15 CET
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The ATV had fuel for the ISS and more for its own use in boosting the ISS or helping in maneuvers.
- LRK -

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ATV rotates the ISS for Progress docking

A quick note from ESA’s Charlotte Beskow, watching today’s Progress 42P docking to the ISS:

We are in the control room watching our screens, and on the main screen above us we see the black and white image of the ISS seen through the Progress camera. We can clearly see ATV with its solar arrays facing towards us – showing the classic ‘X’ configuration. Earlier today, ATV was used to turn the ISS around so that we are now flying at the ‘head of the stack’ – i.e. the ISS is flying backwards compared with its normal attitude. Docking is planned for 14:29.
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Just reach out and grab your suit case off of the conveyor belt.
- LRK -
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January 28, 2011 Updated

KOUNOTORI2 berthing at ISS

The KOUNOTORI2, or the HTV2, a cargo transporter to the International Space Station (ISS) launched by the H-IIB Launch Vehicle No.2, was captured by the ISS robotic arm at around 8:41 p.m. on January 27 (Japan Standard Time,) and, at around 3:34 a.m. on the 28th (JST,) the KOUNOTORI berthed at the ISS. Cargo in the Pressurized Section will be transported to the ISS by the ISS astronauts followed by cargo in unpressurized areas.

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Now HTV departed the ISS.
- LRK -

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March 30, 2011 Updated

KOUNOTORI2 re-entered the atmosphere to complete its mission!

The KOUNOTORI2 (HTV2, a cargo transporter to the International Space Station,) which left the ISS at around 0:46 a.m. on March 29 (Japan Standard Time,) re-entered the atmosphere at around 12:09 p.m. on March 30 (JST.)
The KOUNOTORI2 successfully completed its role to transport materials to the ISS, then re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere to complete its mission of approximately 67 days.
Thank you very much for supporting the KOUNOTORI2 and H-IIB Launch Vehicle No.2 missions.
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The new kid on the block wants to be able to talk to his cargo carrier to the ISS.
- LRK -

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Hawthorne, CA – March 29, 2010 – Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) announces the successful activation of its new Dragonspacecraft communication hardware aboard the International Space Station (ISS) during a series of operations conducted in January
and March.
Dubbed the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Communication Unit, the new system will
allow ISS crewmembers to monitor and command approaching or departing Dragon spacecraft during cargo delivery missions to the
orbiting laboratory.
Space Shuttle Atlantis delivered the system hardware to the ISS during mission STS-129 in November 2009. The on-orbit checkout began January 25, 2010, when astronaut Jeff Williams, ISS Expedition 22 Commander, worked with ground-based team members at SpaceX headquarters and ISS mission control in Houston to power-up and check out the new system.
On March 11, SpaceX and NASA Houston performed an additional series of tests, using the new system to send communications between the ISS and the NASA Dryden ground station. This provided a baseline of the radio frequency performance and confirmed the first set of antennas performed as expected and is ready for mission operations. Additional testing is expected for a second set of antennas as well as ongoing verification of the overall system.
The tests employed live video and telemetry links from the ISS to verify the hardware's functionality, broadcast and reception signal strengths, and the system's stability over long-duration operations.
“The success of this series of tests speaks to our close collaboration with NASA as well as the SpaceX process that allowed the rapid development of this new hardware,” said Marco Villa, SpaceX Mission Operations Manager. “Furthermore, the January tests marked the first official joint operations between SpaceX Mission Control in California, and NASA Mission Control in Houston. Everything went smoothly, and we eagerly anticipate the upcoming Dragon visits to the ISS.”
Developed by SpaceX under a NASA Space Act Agreement, the new system allows for communication between the ISS and SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft while in the vicinity of the ISS. Its design leverages the abilities of the ISS communication systems, providing data exchange with ground-based mission control.
Designed from the beginning to transport crew, SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft were selected by NASA to transport cargo to and from the ISS starting in 2011. The $1.6B contract represents 12 flights for a minimum of 20 tons to and from the ISS. The first demonstration flights under the COTS program are scheduled for 2010, following the inaugural launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.

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Part of the cost of going to space is what you need to do to certify that everything will work as planned when you get to your destination.
There is that new testing facility to prove that your docking hardware and software will allow for the gentle touch needed when you dock with the ISS.
Then the overhead cost of training personnel on how to monitor the docking.
The list goes on and soon the cost of fuel is just a small part of the whole cost for a flight to space.

Add humans to the equation and you need to add in the cost of room and board and some time for entertainment and reflection.
Wake me on the next orbit please.

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/
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Resupply from Four Corners of Globe
01.18.11
 
iss021e017065 -- Canadarm2 grapples the H-II Transfer Vehicle
Image above: Canadarm2 grapples the first Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency cargo ship, the H-II Transfer Vehicle. Credit: NASA
A quick succession of international space supply trucks will arrive on the International Space Station’s loading docks early in 2011, dropping off more than 11 tons (10,000 kilograms) of food, computers, medical equipment and supplies, spare parts and experiment gear – not to mention the necessities of everyday human life in orbit.

Demonstrating a multinational commitment to supporting life, work and research on the station at the start of its second decade, space trucks from Japan, Europe and Russia will launch to the station in January and February, followed quickly by the space shuttle Discovery. 

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http://iss.jaxa.jp/en/htv/operation/

HTV Operations

The profile for the HTV operations is as follows.
  1. Launch
  2. Rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS)
  3. Berthing with the ISS
  4. Operations while berthed with the ISS
  5. Undock/Departure from the ISS / Reentry

Launch

The HTV will be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center aboard an H-IIB launch vehicle.
After separating from the H-IIB launch vehicle, the HTV will automatically start-up the HTV subsystems and initiate communications with the HTV Mission Control Room (HTVMCR) at Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC).
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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Thursday, September 17, 2009

Successful Berthing of the Demonstration Flight HTV at the ISS

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http://iss.jaxa.jp/en/

The HTV-1’s berthing was complete at 10:49 a.m. September 18, as the
HTV FCT confirmed the power and data transmission between the HTV-1
and the ISS. The hatch opening of the HTV's Pressurized Logistics
Carrier (PLC) is expected in the early morning of September 19. The
next HTV-1 Mission update will be posted on September 19.
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So Japan is happy that flying to the ISS was successful and then it
looks like China is happy about what they are doing in space.
- LRK -

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http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.d250ad11b26dc10b20fcd37105b9e552.71&show_article=1
China says will push space programme to catch up West
Sep 17 04:27 AM US/Eastern

China said Thursday its rapidly growing space programme was the
crowning achievement of the nation's high-tech transformation and
pledged to continue to develop it to close the gap with Western
countries.
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Copyright AFP 2008, AFP stories and photos shall not be published,
broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed
directly or indirectly in any medium
[So go read the article, especially the part where it says, "I
believe...." - LRK -]
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/China_says_will_push_space_programme_to_catch_up_West_999.html
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Alright, I am waiting to hear how happy our Congress is with what we
are doing in space.
OK, we are getting ready to make a big splash (hopefully) at a lunar
pole and mapping is started with LRO.

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http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/sep/HQ_09-215_LRO_First_Light.html
RELEASE : 09-215
Sept. 17, 2009

NASA Lunar Satellite Begins Detailed Mapping of Moon's South Pole

GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA reported Thursday that its Lunar Reconnaissance
Orbiter, or LRO, has successfully completed its testing and
calibration phase and entered its mapping orbit of the moon. The
spacecraft already has made significant progress toward creating the
most detailed atlas of the moon's south pole to date. Scientists
released preliminary images and data from LRO's seven instruments.

"The LRO mission already has begun to give us new data that will lead
to a vastly improved atlas of the lunar south pole and advance our
capability for human exploration and scientific benefit," said Richard
Vondrak, LRO project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
in Greenbelt, Md.

LRO is scheduled for a one-year exploration mission in a polar orbit
of about 31 miles above the lunar surface, the closest any spacecraft
has orbited the moon. During the next year, LRO will produce a
complete map of the lunar surface in unprecedented detail, search for
resources and safe landing sites for human explorers, and measure
lunar temperatures and radiation levels.
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Is that enough to cheer about or do you want someone to say, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
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[JAXA:0209] Successful Berthing of the Demonstration Flight HTV at the ISS
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*** JAXA MAIL SERVICE ***
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
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Successful Berthing of the Demonstration Flight HTV at the ISS

September 18, 2009 (JST)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

The Demonstration Flight H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) was successfully
berthed at the International Space Station (ISS) at 10:49 a.m. on
September 18 (Japan Standard Time, JST.)

The HTV started its final approach to the ISS, and was captured by the
ISS robotic arm at 4:51 a.m. on September 18 (JST.) Then at 10:49 a.m.
on September 18 (JST,) the HTV was berthed at the ISS after being
maneuvered by the ISS robotic arm.

The ISS onboard crew will transfer the cargo shipped in the
Pressurized Carrier of the HTV to ISS. Cargo in the unpressurized
carrier will be lifted out by the ISS and Kibo robotic arms to be
installed onto the Kibo's Exposed Facility. More details of the cargo
transfer operation will be advised as they become available.

Reference Link:
You can find out more detailed information on the following Web site.
http://iss.jaxa.jp/htv/

Successful Berthing of the Demonstration Flight HTV at the ISS

The Demonstration Flight H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), launched by the
H-IIB Test Flight Launch Vehicle on September 11, 2009 from the
Tanegashima Space Center, was successfully berthed at the
International Space Station (ISS) at 10:49 p.m. today, on September 18
(Japan Standard Time, JST.)
The Demonstration Flight HTV was docked at the ISS through the unique
Japanese method of being maneuvered by the ISS robotic arm. The HTV
onboard cargo is now ready to be unloaded at the ISS.
With the successful berthing at the ISS, the HTV mission overcame the
most critical point of the mission. However, the important operations
of cargo transfer, departure from the ISS, and re-entry to the
atmosphere still remain. We will do our utmost to successfully
complete all the tasks of the mission.

September 18, 2009
Keiji Tachikawa
President, JAXA

This page URL:
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/09/20090918_htv_e.html
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Publisher : Public Affairs Department
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Marunouchi Kitaguchi Building,
1-6-5, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8260
Japan
TEL:+81-3-6266-6400

JAXA WEB SITE :
http://www.jaxa.jp/index_e.html
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http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_articles/shining_lamp_dark_side_moon
Shining A LAMP On The Dark Side Of The Moon

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), launched on June 18th,
2009, will return more data about the Moon than any previous mission.
The Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP), developed by Southwest
Research Institute, uses a novel method to peer into the perpetual
darkness of the Moon's so-called permanently shadowed regions - the
dark side of the moon.

LAMP is nearly identical to the successful Alice instruments developed
by SwRI, already flying aboard the joint NASA/ESA Rosetta spacecraft,
which is targeting the ancient comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and NASA's
New Horizons spacecraft, which will probe the atmospheric composition
of Pluto and search for an atmosphere over its large moon Charon. LAMP
weighs only 6.1 kilograms and uses only 4.5 watts of power.

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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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