China launches mission for first spacewalk
Associated Press
“China successfully launched a three-man crew into space Thursday to carry out the country’s first spacewalk, beginning the nation’s most challenging space mission since it first sent a person into space in 2003.
“The Shenzhou 7 spacecraft, China’s third manned mission, blasted off atop a Long March 2F rocket shortly after 9 a.m. EDT under clear night skies in northwestern China.
“The spacewalk by one of the astronauts is expected to take place either on Friday or Saturday.”
The Rocketsandsuch blog has an interesting post about what might be causing re-entry problems with Soyuz spacecraft returning from the International Space Station. The last two missions to return from orbit experienced rough, ballistic re-entries because the pyrotechnic charges designed to separate the crew return module from the rest of the ship failed to fire properly.
Continue reading ‘Is Soyuz Unsafe?’
A Chinese travel agency is charging 15,000 yuan ($2,200) for a tour and tickets to watch the Shenzhou 7 launch on September 25. The four-day package includes accommodations, meals, air travel, and choice viewing seats for the launch of the three-man spacecraft. The crew is set to undertake China’s first spacewalk during the five-day mission.
If you are an average Chinese taxpayer who helped to fund the flight, you are out of luck. The package is only available to the media. Sorry.
China is planning to launch its third human spaceflight on September 25. The three-person crew of Shenzhou VII will conduct the nation’s first spacewalk during the five-day mission.
The flight will demonstrate China’s growing prowess in space technology. On Sunday, the country broadcast greetings and two Taiwanese songs from its Chang’e-1 lunar orbiter to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. On September 6, China also launched its first two two Huanjing disaster monitoring satellites aboard a Long March 2C booster.
Continue reading ‘Shenzhou VII Launch Set for Sept. 25; Griffin, WH Disagree on China Threat as Talks Resume’
NASA says Ares rocket is (mostly) OK
Orlando Sentinel
“The rocket that NASA hopes will replace the space shuttle is on track to fly missions by 2015 — with one exception. It still could shake too much.
“Tonight, NASA officials announced that they had finished a preliminary design review — sort of a rough draft for engineers — aimed at checking whether blueprints for the Ares 1 rocket were technically sound and within budget constraints. Everything more or less checked out.”
NASA’s New Rocket Passes Early Design Review
Space.com
“The rocket slated to launch NASA’s new manned spaceship on missions to Earth orbit and ultimately the moon passed a milestone review late Wednesday, space agency officials said.
“A panel of 24 engineers signed off on the preliminary design review of NASA’s Ares I rocket, the two-stage booster for the agency’s space shuttle replacement - the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. NASA hopes to launch the first manned tests of rocket in 2014, four years after its space shuttle fleet retires.”
Frustrated NASA chief vents about agency’s fate
Orlando Sentinel
“In a remarkably candid internal e-mail to top advisers obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, [Mike] Griffin lashed out last month at the White House for what he called a ‘jihad’ to shut down the space shuttle, expressed frustration at the lack of funding for a new moon rocket — and despaired about the future of America’s human-spaceflight program.
“The tone of the note depicts a man watching as his finely crafted plans for a revitalized space-faring NASA appear to be melting before his eyes.”
‘My own view is about as pessimistic as it is possible to be,’ Griffin wrote on Aug. 18….
Continue reading ‘Griffin Extremely Pessimistic About Own Human Spaceflight Program’
China to launch third manned space flight in September: report
SpaceDaily.com
Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po has reported that China will launch its third crewed mission, Shenzhou VII, between September 17 and October 1. Three “taikonauts” will be aboard, with one of them taking China’s first spacewalk.
Bigelow Aerospace Advances Work on Full-scale Space Habitat
Space News
“Bigelow said he and his team plan to have two Sundancer modules flight-ready by the end of 2011, as well as a docking node and propulsion bus system. By the end of 2012, the firm plans to have its first full BA-300 standard vessel ready for flight as well. ‘That’s regardless of whatever happens transportation-wise,’ he added, referring to the company’s ongoing search for a suitable launcher to get its hardware into orbit…
“‘The crew transportation issue is certainly challenging, and it keeps me up at night more often than my infant son … and that’s saying something,’ said Mike Gold, director of Bigelow Aerospace’s Washington office. However, there is hope, he added.”
The always candid and occasionally bewildering Mike Griffin made an appearance in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin last week at the AirVenture 2008 air show. Despite being overshadowed by Richard Branson’s Super Terrific Happy Hour (a.k.a., WhiteKnightTwo), the NASA administrator still managed to create controversy while giving our nation’s school children a South Park-style lesson in blame shifting.
The comments involved a possible five-year gap between shuttle and Orion flights. Aero-News.net has this account:
“A common thread throughout the hour-plus discussion was the logic, or lack thereof, of discontinuing the Space Shuttle until a replacement vehicle was in operation. According to NASA’s website, the current plan includes phasing out the Space Shuttle in 2010 and using Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft to shuttle astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) until a US replacement is developed. ‘The US and its partners have invested $100 billion in the [ISS],’ said Griffin, ’so it does seem short-sighted to not spend the $3 billion a year to maintain the Shuttle.’
And who does the NASA leader blame for this problem? It ain’t Canada.
“Directing his comments to the children in the audience, ‘Sometimes Washington does silly things.’”
This comment speaks for itself, really.
Manned spaceship design unveiled
BBC News
“It is designed to replace the Soyuz vehicle currently in use by Russia and will allow Europe to participate directly in crew transportation. The reusable ship was conceived to carry four people towards the Moon, rivalling the US Ares/Orion system….
“‘If ESA and the Russian Space Agency reach agreement, Europe will supply the service module of that co-operative spacecraft,’ [Anatoly] Zak told BBC News.
“This service module will use technology - such as the propulsion systems - developed for Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), an unmanned freighter recently sent to re-supply the International Space Station (ISS).”
ESA aims for manned capsule by 2020
Flight International
“A €300 million ($475 million) three-year Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Advanced Return Vehicle (ARV) development project, to be proposed to the European Space Agency’s November ministerial meeting, could become a stepping stone to a human transport system in 2020.
“ESA wants to evolve its expendable 20,000kg (44,000lb) ATV, which docked with the International Space Station for the first time in April, into an EADS Astrium Ariane 5-launched ARV. That cargo vehicle would be the basis for the manned system operating around 2020. ESA will design ARV with a view to man-rating it in future. The cargo version will be about 5,000kg lighter than the Ariane 5’s low-Earth orbit capability to allow for the future addition of a launch abort tower.”