Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) won the endorsement of the House Republican Steering Committee to chair the House Appropriations Committee in the next Congress according to The Hill newspaper. He beat Jerry Lewis (R-CA), the ranking member of the committee, for the top spot. Rep. Lewis would have needed a term-limit waiver to continue on the committee. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) also sought the job, but did not succeed.
NASA has announced that the launch of Falcon 9 is on for tomorrow, Wednesday. The launch window is 9:00 am – 12:22 pm.
The successful flight of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and the Dragon spacecraft today could mean that the next launch would go all the way to the International Space Station (ISS) instead of serving only as another test. At least that’s what SpaceX founder, Chief Executive Office (CEO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Elon Musk hopes.
At a press conference this afternoon, Musk raised the possibility of combining the currently scheduled COTS-2 and COTS-3 demonstration flights into one. NASA’s manager for the Commercial Crew & Cargo Program Office, Alan Lindenmoyer, promised only that NASA would consider such a proposal from SpaceX. He cautioned that NASA had laid out an incremental program with different requirements for each of the next two launches. Musk said the schedule risk for achieving the first operational mission to the ISS in 2011 – part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) effort – would be lower if the company only had to focus its comparatively small workforce on two missions in 2011 rather than three.
Lindenmoyer was exuberant about today’s success, saying that it was 100% successful and leaving no doubt that he was surprised to be able to say that. He was lavish in his praise of Space X, particularly SpaceX’s “skill and agility” in dealing with the engine nozzle cracks discovered on Monday. NASA was involved in all the management meetings about how to resolve that issue, he said: “My team and I kept firing questions” at SpaceX and they “consistently came back” with “full and comprehensive answers.” “As much as this partnership is learning from NASA, I think there are things we can learn from SpaceX,” he added.
The good will extended both ways. Musk stressed repeatedly that SpaceX owed a debt of gratitude to NASA, too. Sounding just as surprised as Lindenmoyer that the mission went so smoothly, he emphasized that “We are only here because we stand on the shoulder of giants” who developed the core technologies used in Falcon 9 and Dragon.
Musk also talked about how his Dragon spacecraft is more capable than Lockheed Martin’s Orion and much less expensive. “Anything Orion can do, Dragon can do, and … some things that Dragon can do, Orion can’t do,” he said. He cited Dragon’s heat shield as an example of where it is better than Orion, notably with regard to Mars missions. He hopes NASA will let Dragon compete with Orion for such missions.
UPDATE 2: SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is in orbit. The plan is for Dragon to make two orbits and then splashdown in the Pacific. Under that scenario, splashdown would be about 2:00 pm EST. NASA and SpaceX plan a press conference 1-2 hours later. A SpaceX press kit provides more detail on the scheduled timeline.
UPDATE: Falcon 9 lifted off at 10:43 am EST.
ORIGINAL STORY:
SpaceX will make a second attempt to launch its Falcon 9 rocket at 10:43 EST this morning. The easiest way to follow the action is on Twitter, where NASA reported that the first attempt was scrubbed 2:48 into the launch sequence, and SpaceX (SpaceXer or SpaceXMissions) later revealed that the cause was a false telemetry reading. A third launch opportunity is available, if needed, just after noon today.
UPDATE 4: SPLASHDOWN! Didn’t even take 140 characters for SpaceX to tweet the news! Congratulations!!
UPDATE 3: And now the main chutes as well.
UPDATE 2: SpaceX tweets that the drogue chutes have deployed.
UPDATE: NASA tweeted three minutes ago that the Dragon’s main parachute should deploy in about 20 minutes.
ORIGINAL STORY:
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft has fired its descent rockets to reenter Earth’s atmosphere and splash down in the Pacific according to Spaceflightnow.com. Splashdown is expected just after 2:00 pm EST, 500 miles west of Mexico’s Pacific Coast. Follow SpaceX on Twitter (SpaceXer or SpaceXMissions) or follow live coverage on Spaceflightnow.com.
SpaceX released the following statement about the rescheduled Falcon 9 launch tomorrow. The message is that there are two cracks in the engine nozzle of the second stage engine (rather than one as reported yesterday) and they are still deciding on the path forward. They will announce tonight whether the launch will take place tomorrow or not.
Here is the text of the SpaceX announcement:
UPDATE: COTS Demo 1 Launch Activities
SpaceX engineers are analyzing two small cracks in the aft end of the 2nd stage engine nozzle extension. These cracks are in a region near the end of the nozzle extension where there is very little stress and so they would not cause a flight failure by themselves. However, further investigation is warranted to ensure that these cracks are not symptomatic of a more serious problem.
A decision on whether or not to attempt launch on Wednesday will be provided this evening [Tuesday].
The bell shaped Merlin Vacuum nozzle extension is made of niobium sheet alloy, measures 9 feet tall and 8 feet at the base diameter, and thins out to about twice the thickness of a soda can at the end. Although made of an exotic refractory alloy metal with a melting temperature high enough to boil steel, this component is geometrically the simplest part of the engine.
It is important to note that the niobium nozzle extension increases the efficiency of the Merlin engine in vacuum and is installed by default on all upper stage Merlin engines, but that efficiency increase is not required for this mission. The nozzle extension is most helpful when launching very heavy satellites or to maximize throw mass to distant destinations like Mars. The most likely path forward is that we will trim off the thinnest portion of the nozzle extension, which is where the cracks are located, perform a thorough systems check and resume launch preparation.
It’s not a rallying cry for the space program, but President Obama invoked the impact that the 1957 launch of Sputnik had on the United States in a speech today about the U.S. economy and workforce.
“In 1957, just before this college opened, the Soviet Union beat us into space by launching a satellite known as Sputnik. And that was a wake-up call that caused the United States to boost our investment in innovation and education — particularly in math and science. And as a result, once we put our minds to it, once we got focused, once we got unified, not only did we surpass the Soviets, we developed new American technologies, industries, and jobs.
“So 50 years later, our generation’s Sputnik moment is back. This is our moment. If the recession has taught us anything, it’s that we cannot go back to an economy that’s driven by too much spending, too much borrowing, running up credit cards, taking out a lot of home equity loans, paper profits that are built on financial speculation. We’ve got to rebuild on a new and stronger foundation for economic growth.
“We need to do what America has always been known for: building, innovating, educating, making things. We don’t want to be a nation that simply buys and consumes products from other countries. We want to create and sell products all over the world that are stamped with three simple words: “Made In America.” That’s our goal.”
He made the speech at the Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The White House said the President chose that venue because Forsyth exemplifies “not just how America came to lead the world in the 20th Century, but how it can regain that status unambiguously,” pointing to the community college’s success in granting degrees in fields needed for 21st Century industries.
The first COTS launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and its Dragon spacecraft will slip to Wednesday at least according to NASA.
The delay is due to discovery of a 3-inch long crack in the engine nozzle on the Falcon 9‘s second stage. The company is considering its options — repairing it or getting a replacement from California — and NASA promised more information about the launch schedule when it‘s available.
On May 25, 2011, the nation will celebrate the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s famous 1961 speech to Congress on Urgent National Needs that included the call to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth before the end of the decade. To commemorate the anniversay of that “Moon speech,” JFK’s nephew, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), is proposing a national commitment to researching “inner space” instead of outer space.
In an interview with The Hill newspaper, outgoing Rep. Kennedy explained his reasoning. Rep. Kennedy has battled with addiction problems throughout his life and announced soon after the death of his father, Sen. Edward Kennedy, that he would not run for reelection. Instead, he wants to focus on mental health issues and told The Hill that he is discussing with his cousin, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, the idea of using the anniversary of her father’s speech committing the nation to exploring the Moon to call for a similar commitment to research on mental health, or “inner space.”
“It’s a scientific endeavor of equal significance, if not greater, and of equal if not greater complexity,” Rep. Kennedy is quoted as saying.
The folllowing events may of interest in the coming week. For more details, see our calendar on the right menu or click the links below.
During the Week
Congress passed a second Continuing Resolution (CR) last week to keep the government operating until December 18, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid reportedly has said that his plan is for the Senate to adjourn by December 17. In these last remaining two weeks of the 111th Congress, it will either pass an omnibus funding bill to keep government agencies operating for the rest of FY2011 or kick the can down the road again with another CR. It is anyone’s guess as to which path it will be, as Congress wrangles with associated issues such as extending unemployment benefits and the “Bush era” tax cuts. Anything can happen in the crazy days at the end of a Congress, especially when the party in power of one of the chambers is about to change. We will try to keep you apprised of any actions that would affect space activities.
Meanwhile, we can all hope that the commercial sector will move a step forward this week with a successful launch of Falcon 9 and the Dragon spacecraft on Tuesday as part of NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.
Monday, December 6
Tuesday, December 7
Wednesday, December 8