ISS assembly

What happens when the space shuttle flights are over?

2010-04-06T17:14:00.000+08:00

NASA space shuttle Discovery rocketed into orbit this morning and despite some communications problems, is slated to dock with the International Space Station in the wee hours of Wednesday, April 7. After this mission NASA has only 3 shuttles scheduled to launch though speculation is that the program may be extended.

NEWS: NASA Discovery has communications problems

NASA said that shortly after its space shuttle Discovery hit orbit today, the shuttle's Ku-Band antenna did not activate and it not working.

The dish-shaped antenna is used for high data rate communications with the ground, including television, and for the shuttle's radar system that is used during rendezvous with the International Space Station. Discovery can safely rendezvous and dock with the station and successfully complete all of its planned mission objectives without use of the Ku-Band antenna, if needed, NASA said.

The Ku-Band system is one of several shuttle communications systems that can be used for transmission of voice and data to and from the ground. The Ku antenna is typically used by the crew and the ground teams during the exterior inspection of the shuttle once in orbit. If the Ku still is not working tomorrow, the crew will record all of the inspection video and play it back after docking with the station, using the space station's Ku antenna. The crew will monitor the video in real time tomorrow and will note the time stamps of any areas of concern. The shuttle's other systems -- S-band and UHF -- are working.

Meanwhile on this mission, Discovery will carry a multi-purpose logistics module which is basically a big storage unit that in this case will be filled with science racks for ISS laboratories. The mission has three planned spacewalks, with work to include replacing an ammonia tank, retrieving a Japanese experiment from the station's exterior and switching out a gyro, NASA stated.

Hot space projects produce cool cosmic discoveries

Inside Discovery's cargo bay is the flying moving van known as the Leonardo multi-purpose logistics module that will be attached to the station temporarily on April 7 and returned to the shuttle's cargo bay Thursday, April 15 - the shuttle is schedule to land back in Florida on the 17th. Leonardo is filled with supplies, new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the station's laboratories. This is the final compliment of laboratory facilities that will complete the station's overall research capabilities, NASA stated.

The fact that the ISS is nearly complete has generated excitement and concern from experts. Detractors say the ISS is a costly lab that may never see a great return on investment, building the ISS has cost NASA $48.5 billion. But leaders of ISS agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia, and the United States recently reaffirmed the importance of full exploitation of the station's scientific, engineering, utilization, and education potential.

The group says now that the ISS is mostly complete, the station's crew and its US, European, Japanese and Russian labs will expand the pace of space-based research to unprecedented levels. Nearly 150 experiments are currently under way on the station, and more than 400 experiments have been conducted since research began nine years ago. These experiments already are leading to advances in the fight against food poisoning, new methods for delivering medicine to cancer cells and the development of more capable engines and materials for use on Earth and in space.

NASA has identified 197 US-integrated investigations that have been conducted on orbit as of April 2009, though 55 of these investigations were conducted on the Space Shuttle missions to the ISS instead of on the ISS. According to NASA, as of February 2009, US ISS and research have resulted in over 160 publications, including articles on topics such as protein crystallization, plant growth, and human research. According to NASA, there have also been approximately 25 technology demonstration experiments flown on the ISS.

The ISS now houses a multicultural crew of six and has a mass of almost 800,000 pounds and a habitable volume of more than 12,000 cubic feet - approximately the size of a five-bedroom home, and uses state-of-the-art systems to generate solar electricity, recycle nearly 85% of its water and generate much of own oxygen supply. Nearly 190 astronauts have visited the space station, which is currently supporting its 22nd resident crew.

The group noted "there are no identified technical constraints to continuing ISS operations beyond the current planning horizon of 2015 to at least 2020, and that the partnership is currently working to certify on-orbit elements through 2028."

NASA's budget currently reflects plans for retirement of the ISS at the end of 2015. The Review of Human Space Flight Plans Committee has proposed extension of the ISS until 2020 in three of its five possible scenarios and Congress has directed NASA to take steps to ensure that it remains capable of remaining a viable and productive facility for the United States through at least 2020, but there has not been a commitment yet to continue operations.

As for the future shuttle missions, in May, shuttle Atlantis will use a 12 day mission to deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and a Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station. The Russian Mini Research Module will be attached to the bottom port of the ISS's Zarya module. The module also will carry US cargo.

Three spacewalks are planned to stage spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, a boom assembly for the Ku-band antenna and spares for the Canadian robotic arm extension. Other parts such as a radiator, airlock and European robotic arm for the Russian Multi-purpose Laboratory Module also expected top be on this flight, according to NASA.

In July shuttle Endeavor will return to space for a 10 day mission that will have it delivering a variety of spare parts to the ISS, including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Canadian robotic arm and micrometeoroid debris shields. Such shields are considered to be ever more important and the amount of space junk flying around or near the ISS has been increasing.

In September Discovery is set to be the final shuttle launched into space. Its nine day mission will bring the Express Logistics Carrier 4 and other spare components to the ISS. This will be the 134th and final shuttle flight and the 36th shuttle mission to the station. The logistics carriers add cargo space to the ISS.

The space shuttles' retirement follows almost 30 years of service and will after September leave the US without any major way of launching astronauts into space (NASA has plans to fly astronauts onboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft after 2011). NASA says it could ramp the program back up if it were instructed to do so at a cost of about $200 million a month.

On April 15, President Barack Obama will host a White House Conference on the Administration's new vision for America's future in space. The President and space experts will further outline the controversial course the Administration is charting for NASA

The International Space Station to become the second brightest object in the night sky with help from Canadarm2

2009-03-10T06:35:00.000+08:00

(CSA) - Move over, Morning Star. Once Canadarm2 helps install the fourth and final set of solar array wings to the International Space Station later this month, the Station will surpass Venus as the brightest object in the night sky, second only to the Moon.

The Space Shuttle Discovery is set to deliver the power-generating solar panels and Starboard 6 (S6) truss segment to the ISS on the 125th mission in the Shuttle program, known as STS-119/15A (slated for launch on March 11, 2009 at 9:20 p.m. Eastern). This final piece of the Station’s backbone will bring the ISS to its full length of 102 metres (roughly the size of a Canadian football field), and will increase the quantity of electricity available for science experiments by 50%. This additional power also means that the Station will be closer to being ready to house a crew of 6 astronauts instead of the current 3. Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk will be a member of Expedition 20/21-the first 6-person Station crew set to launch in late May 2009.

Weighing in at 14 metric tons, the S6 truss segment containing the solar array wings takes up the Shuttle’s entire payload bay. On Flight Day 4, astronauts Sandra Magnus and John Phillips will use Canadarm2 to lift the S6 segment from the payload bay and hand it to the Shuttle’s Canadarm, controlled by astronauts Tony Antonelli and Joseph Acaba from inside Discovery’s aft flight deck. As Canadarm holds the truss segment, Canadarm2 will move to the worksite where it will install the S6, then reach back to grasp the truss segment from the Shuttle’s robotic arm, where it will remain parked overnight. It will take a full day to move the S6 from the Shuttle bay to its overnight position, and will require Canadarm2 to stretch out to its full length of 17 metres-a delicate maneuver with such a heavy payload. As always, Canadarm2’s operations will be monitored closely by American and Canadian flight controllers on the ground in Houston and at the Canadian Space Agency’s headquarters in Quebec.

The first of the mission’s four spacewalks will take place on Flight Day 5 to install the S6 truss segment. Spacewalkers Steve Swanson and Richard Arnold will work outside to assist John Phillips as he operates Canadarm2 from inside the Station to manoeuvre the S6 truss into place. The spacewalkers will then complete the installation of the truss segment and prepare the solar arrays for deployment. After more preparatory work during a second spacewalk on Flight Day 7, the solar panels will be deployed on Flight Day 8, which will make the Station look even brighter to stargazers around the world.

Canadarm2 and Dextre get a tune-up
Astronauts Acaba and Arnold will conduct the mission’s third spacewalk on Flight Day 9, during which time they will reposition a Crew and Equipment Translation Aid for use during STS-127, which will see Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Julie Payette return to the ISS in June 2009. Acaba and Arnold will also perform some maintenance on Dextre, the Station’s Canadian robotic “handyman,” by reconfiguring some of the thermal blankets covering one of its arms and “hand” (the Orbit Replaceable Unit & Tool Changeout Mechanism) and removing a temporary thermal cover from an electronic platform on Dextre’s torso. The spacewalkers will then lubricate one of Canadarm2’s end effectors (its “hand”) to prepare the robotic arm for an unprecedented operation in September 2009, when Canadarm2 will reach out and capture the free-flying H-II Transfer Vehicle (an unmanned cargo transport system built by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and dock it to the International Space Station-a move that has never been attempted.

Discovery’s crew will round out the final two days of the planned 14-day mission by using the Shuttle’s Canadarm and Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System to inspect the Shuttle’s tiles. Discovery should also provide us with our first glimpse of the new configuration of the Station with its full backbone when it undocks on Flight Day 13 and flies a full lap around the Station.

Current position of the ISS

2008-10-31T19:26:00.000+08:00

Current position of the ISS

Reload this page for a updates... As the image doesnt auto update on its own.

Space Station Tracker

2008-09-30T04:22:00.000+08:00

The tracker may be unavailable at times due to heavy traffic on the site.

km = kilometer mps = meters per second

Crew Does Science, Maintenance; Jules Verne Deorbits

2008-09-30T04:19:00.000+08:00

Crew Does Science, Maintenance; Jules Verne Deorbits

Image above: Expedition 17 Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff worked with SPHERES, a small satellite experiment, on Saturday. Credit: NASA TV

Aboard the International Space Station Monday, the Expedition 17 crew members continued their science and maintenance duties. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) re-entered the atmosphere.

Commander Sergei Volkov inspected and cleaned smoke detectors and bacteria filters associated with the station’s Fire Detection and Suppression system.

Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko performed maintenance on the cycle ergometer, which is part of the crew’s exercise equipment. He also worked with a Russian experiment known as Relaxation, which studies radiation patterns from Earth’s ionosphere and the Earth limb.

Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff made adjustments to the station’s Internal Thermal Control Systems Moderate Temperature Loop, which controls temperatures aboard the orbital outpost.

After completing its six-month mission to deliver supplies and provide reboost capability to the space station, the Jules Verne ATV, the first ESA cargo craft to visit the complex, performed two deorbit burns Monday morning and burned over the Pacific Ocean during re-entry.

24/7 Live Nasa TV in Real Video format for RealPlayer

2008-05-05T19:55:00.000+08:00

NASA TV in RealVideo format for RealPlayer

24/7 Live Nasa TV in Windows Media format

2008-05-05T19:44:00.000+08:00

Live 24/7 NASA TV in Windows Media format for Windows Media Player

Consolidated Launch Manifest Space Shuttle Flights and ISS Assembly Sequence

2008-05-05T18:50:00.000+08:00

Consolidated Launch Manifest

Space Shuttle Flights and ISS Assembly Sequence

Find out how you can visit Kennedy Space Center to watch a future space shuttle launch and/or landing.
Launch Target	Assembly Flight	Launch Vehicle	Element(s)
May 31, 2008	1J	Discovery STS-124	Kibo Japanese Experiment Module Pressurized Module (JEM-PM) Japanese Remote Manipulator System (JEM RMS)
Aug. 28, 2008	N/A	Atlantis STS-125 (HST-SM4)	N/A
Oct. 16, 2008	ULF2	Endeavour STS-126	Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM)
Dec. 4, 2008	15A	Discovery STS-119	Fourth starboard truss segment (ITS S6) Fourth set of solar arrays and batteries
Under review	3R	Russian Proton	Multipurpose Laboratory Module with European Robotic Arm (ERA)
Under review	2J/A	Endeavour STS-127	Kibo Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility (JEM EF) Kibo Japanese Experiment Logistics Module - Exposed Section (ELM-ES) Spacelab Pallet - Deployable 2 (SLP-D2)
Under review	HTV-1	H-IIB	Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle
Under review	17A	Discovery STS-128	Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC) Three crew quarters, galley, second treadmill (TVIS2), Crew Health Care System 2 (CHeCS 2)
Establish Six Person Crew Capability
Under review	ULF3	Endeavour STS-129	EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 (ELC1) EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 2 (ELC2)
Under review	19A	Discovery STS-130	Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC)
Under review	*ULF4	Endeavour STS-131	EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 3 (ELC3) EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC4)
Under review	20A	Discovery STS-132	Node 3 with Cupola
Under review	*ULF5	Endeavour STS-133	EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 5 (ELC5) EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 (ELC1)
ISS Assembly Complete
Under review	9R	Russian Proton	Research Module
* Two shuttle-equivalent flights for contingency
Notes: Additional Progress and Soyuz flights for crew transport, logistics and resupply are not listed.

Astronauts Open ISS Station Room

2007-10-28T18:56:00.000+08:00

Astronauts aboard the international space station readied for a second spacewalk Sunday, preparing to work on the outside of the new Harmony addition and inspect a couple areas of concern on the orbiting outpost. Spacewalkers Scott Parazynski and Daniel Tani also planned to detach a nearly 35,000-pound space station girder so it can be relocated later in the mission. Once the pair detaches the bolts and cables that hold the girder in place, astronauts inside the station plan to use a robotic arm to move the truss to a location where it can be temporarily parked. Installation is set for Tuesday during the mission's third spacewalk.

Once the girder has been detached, Parazynski is set to install spacewalking handrails and other equipment to the outside of Harmony, a school bus-sized chamber that was delivered by the shuttle Discovery and installed during the mission's first spacewalk. The crew entered the room for the first time on Saturday. Meanwhile, Tani is scheduled to inspect a rotary joint for the station's solar wings that is acting up and check for possible sharp edges on a rail for the robot arm.

NASA had to cut a spacewalk short during Endeavour's August mission after one of the astronauts noticed a quarter-inch-long rip in the thumb of his glove. Another glove was damaged during an earlier flight, and Mission Control said sharp edges on the rail may be to blame in both cases. Tani later plans to help Parazynski install a fixture on Harmony that will allow the station's robotic arm to move the compartment from its current temporary location to its permanent home. The space station's crew will relocate Harmony after Discovery leaves in another week.

The European Space Agency's science laboratory, named Columbus, will hook onto Harmony as early as December. The Japanese Space Agency's lab called Kibo or in English, Hope will latch onto Harmony early next year.

Harmony also will function as a nerve center, providing air, electricity and water for the space station. It was launched with racks of computer and electronic equipment pre-installed. All this gear had to be locked down for the jarring rocket ride to orbit, leaving the astronauts to undo more than 700 bolts to free up the equipment.

The full article is here.

NASA spaceship scouts out prime Mars landing options

2007-10-13T20:17:00.000+08:00

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter this week sent back high-resolution images of about 30 proposed landing sites for the Mars Science Laboratory, a mission launching in 2009 to deploy a long-distance rover carrying sophisticated science instruments on Mars.

The orbiter's high-resolution camera has taken more than 3,500 huge, sharp images released in black-and-white since it began science operations in November 2006. The images reveal features as small as a desk. The orbiter has sent back some 26 terabytes of data, equivalent to about 5,000 CD-ROMs. The camera carries 10 red filter detectors, two blue-green filter detectors and 10 infrared detectors.

The full article is here.

Self-sufficient space habitat designed

2007-10-10T17:17:00.000+08:00

SYDNEY: Australian-led scientists have designed a new space habitat that might one day allow astronauts on the Moon or Mars to be 90 to 95 per cent self-sufficient.

The development of such as system could save billions of dollars in shuttle trips to re-supply lunar or space colonies and brings closer the vision of a human habitat on Mars.

The technology could also have applications on Earth to develop more sustainable farming techniques and improve recycling processes.

Luna Gaia

Some systems to recycle water and air have already been developed and rudimentary versions are presently used in the International Space Station (ISS). However, the proposed new lunar habitat "combines our existing knowledge" of physical, chemical and biological processes to provide an "overall picture of how a minibiosphere would work," said James Chartres aerospace engineer at the University of Adelaide in South Australia. He gave a talk detailing the design at the Australian Space Science Conference held in Sydney last month.

The project is in some ways similar to the failed Biosphere 2 experiment, built in Arizona, U.S., in the late 1980s. Over an area of 12,000 m², Biosphere housed a closed ecological system, incorporating a mini 'ocean' with coral reefs, as well as a grassland, desert, mangrove, rainforest and agricultural areas. Eight people survived in the habitat for two years, but a lack of food and low levels of oxygen hampered the experiment. Chartres detailed plans for a smaller, space-bound concept, dubbed Luna Gaia.

Devised by an international team of 30 space scientists, Luna Gaia would be a 'closed-loop' environment, meaning that almost all material within the system is recycled with very little need for input from outside sources. The current design caters for a team of 12 astronauts under isolation for up to three years.

Currently, recycling that occurs on the ISS is driven by chemical reactions. A big challenge to developing a totally integrated system is developing a biological recycling system said Chartres. He argues that for efficient recycling, microorganisms are required.

Crops in space

His team devised a new system that takes into account all details of living in an enclosed system in space, even down to the materials that supplies are packed in.

The Luna Gaia concept integrates technologies such as the Closed Equilibrated Biological Aquatic System (CEBAS), an enclosed aquarium designed by the German Aerospace Centre and the Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELIiSSA) developed by the European Space Agency. MELIiSSA uses microbes to purify water, recycle carbon dioxide and derive edible material from waste products.

Algae – which generates oxygen from carbon dioxide via photosynthesis, and doesn't require pollinating – is the key to the proposed design.

The food required for astronauts would come from a mixture of tending small crops and from pre-packed supplies. Such crops would include peanuts, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and wheat. In addition, certain types of algae, such as Spirulina or Chlorella would provide other vitamins, minerals and trace elements.

The diet would be largely vegetarian, said Chartres, but protein could potentially come from small-scale farming of fast-growing fish such tilapia.

A lunar base is unlikely to ever be 100 per cent self-sufficient, said Chartres, because no atmosphere is completely safe from leaks and it could not provide humans with all the nutrients that they need to survive.

Moreover, astronauts need the occasional break to the routine of standard food, so the odd "luxury item such as fruit salad, spices or chocolate," would ward off any doldrums, he said.

Significant hurdles

Pathogens introduced to the system by plants, as well as difficulties of pollination for crops still pose significant hurdles to the design. In addition, as much as 20 m² of plants would be required to feed a single astronaut.

The proposed system, is unlikely to be up and running any time soon. Chartres estimates it will be another 20 to 30 years before the funding for the set-up and the practicality of providing the space for plant growth in a spacecraft is realised.

Mark Kliss a bioengineer with the NASA Space Biosciences Division in Moffett Field, California, said he found the project interesting.

"Certain subsystems could be, and in some cases are currently being used on Earth to provide improved water reclamation techniques, better contamination control methods, superior solid waste management technologies, advanced crop productivity techniques, as well as application to carbon credit and green building technologies," said Kliss of the wider applications.

He added that any knowledge gained from attempts to develop and operate "relatively closed, regenerable life support systems" is useful because it helps us understand how to utilise limited resources as efficiently as possible.

"This is an issue that is not only important for future long duration human space missions, but for humans on Earth as well," he said

Full PDF download

To the Moon and Beyond

2007-09-24T22:04:00.001+08:00

The moon, a luminous disk in the inky sky, appears suddenly above the broad crescent of Earth’s horizon. The four astronauts in the Orion crew exploration vehicle have witnessed several such spectacular moonrises since their spacecraft reached orbit some 300 kilometers above the vast expanse of our home planet. But now, with a well-timed rocket boost, the pilot is ready to accelerate their vessel toward the distant target ahead. “Translunar injection burn in 10 seconds ... ” comes the call over the headset. “Five, four, three, two, one, mark ... ignition....” White-hot flames erupt from a rocket nozzle far astern, and the entire ship—a stack of functional modules—vibrates as the crew starts the voyage to our nearest celestial neighbor, a still mysterious place that humans have not visited in nearly half a century. The year is 2020, and Americans are returning to the moon. This time, however, the goal is not just to come and go but to establish an outpost for a new generation of space explorers.

The Orion vehicle is a key component of the Constellation program, NASA’s ambitious, multibillion-dollar effort to build a space transportation system that can not only bring humans to the moon and back but also resupply the International Space Station (ISS) and eventually place people on the planet Mars. Since the program was established in mid-2006, engineers and researchers at NASA, as well as at Lockheed Martin, Orion’s prime contractor, have been working to develop the rocket launchers, crew and service modules, upper stages and landing systems necessary for the U.S. to mount a robust and affordable human spaceflight effort after its current launch workhorse, the space shuttle, retires in 2010.

To minimize development risks and costs, NASA planners based the Constellation program on many of the tried-and-true technical principles and know-how established during the Apollo program, an engineering feat that put men safely on the moon in the late 1960s and early 1970s. At the same time, NASA engineers are redesigning many systems and components using updated technology.

Orion starts with much the same general functionality as the Apollo spacecraft, and its crew capsule has a similar shape, but the resemblance is only skin-deep. Orion will, for example, accommodate larger crews than Apollo did. Four people will ride in a pressurized cabin with a volume of approximately 20 cubic meters for lunar missions (six will ride for visits to the space station starting around 2015), compared with Apollo’s three astronauts (plus equipment) in a cramped volume of about 10 cubic meters.

The latest structural designs, electronics, and computing and communications technologies will help project designers expand the new spacecraft’s operational flexibility beyond that of Apollo. Orion, for instance, will be able to dock with other craft automatically and to loiter in lunar orbit for six months with no one onboard. Engineers are widening safety margins as well. In the event of an emergency during launch, for example, a powerful escape rocket will quickly remove the crew from danger, a benefit space shuttle astronauts do not enjoy. But to give you a better feel for what the program involves, let us start on the ground, before the Orion crew leaves Earth. From there, we will trace the progress of a prototypical lunar mission and the technologies planned to accomplish each stage.

The full article can be read here.

Renders of future Nasa Moon Base

2007-09-15T08:49:00.001+08:00

MOON TIMELINE

2008: Launch Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
2010: Last Space Shuttle missions
2014: Deadline for Crew Exploration Vehicle
2020: Return to Moon

(1) The heavy-lift Ares 5 rocket blasts off from Earth carrying a lunar lander and a "departure stage"

(2) Several days later, astronauts launch on an Ares 1 rocket inside their Orion vehicle (CEV)

(3) The Orion docks with the lander and departure stage in Earth orbit and then heads to the Moon

(4) Having done its job of boosting the Orion and lunar lander on their way, the departure stage is jettisoned

(5) At the Moon, the astronauts leave the Orion and enter the lander for the trip to the lunar surface

(6) After exploring the lunar landscape for seven days, the crew blasts off in a portion of the lander

(7) In Moon orbit, they re-join the waiting robot-minded Orion and begin the journey back to Earth

(8) On the way, the service component of the Orion is jettisoned. This leaves just the crew capsule to enter the atmosphere

(9) A heatshield protects the capsule; parachutes bring it down on dry land, probably in California

Google's $30,000,000 Lunar X PRIZE

2007-09-14T12:17:00.000+08:00

Google Lunar X PRIZE Competition Guidelines

COMPETITION GUIDELINES: To win the Google Lunar X PRIZE, a team must successfully land a privately funded craft on the lunar surface and survive long enough to complete the mission goals of roaming about the lunar surface for at least 500 meters and sending a defined data package, called a “Mooncast”, back to Earth.

PRIZES: The total purse of the Google Lunar X PRIZE is $30 million (USD).
• GRAND PRIZE: A $20 million Grand Prize will be awarded to the team that can soft land a craft on the Moon that roams for at least 500 meters and transmits a Mooncast back to Earth. The Grand Prize is $20M until December 31st 2012; thereafter it will drop to $15M until December 31st 2014 at which point the competition will be terminated unless extended by Google and the X PRIZE Foundation
• SECOND PRIZE: A $5 million Second Prize will be offered as well, providing an extra incentive for teams to continue to compete, and increasing the possibility that multiple teams will succeed. Second place will be available until December 31st 2014 at which point the competition will be terminated unless extended by Google and the X PRIZE Foundation
• BONUSES: An additional $5 million in bonus prizes can be won by successfully completing additional mission tasks such as roving longer distances (> 5,000 meters), imaging man made artifacts (e.g. Apollo hardware), discovering water ice, and/or surviving through a frigid lunar night (approximately 14.5 Earth days). The competing lunar spacecraft will be equipped with high-definition video and still cameras, and will send images and data to Earth, which the public will be able to view on the Google Lunar X PRIZE website.

MOONCAST: The Mooncast consists of digital data that must be collected and transmitted to the Earth composed of the following:
• High resolution 360º panoramic photographs taken on the surface of the Moon;
• Self portraits of the rover taken on the surface of the Moon;
• Near-real time videos showing the craft’s journey along the lunar surface;
• High Definition (HD) video;
• Transmission of a cached set of data, loaded on the craft before launch (e.g. first email from the Moon).
Teams will be required to send a Mooncast detailing their arrival on the lunar surface, and a second Mooncast that provides imagery and video of their journey roaming the lunar surface. All told, the Mooncasts will represent approximately a Gigabyte of stunning content returned to the Earth.
The complete Google Lunar X PRIZE Competition Guidelines are available in English, the official language of the prize, on the Google Lunar X PRIZE homepage.

Here is the link to the Google Lunar X PRIZE Competition Site.

Computer generated artist's renderings of ISS assembly flights

2007-09-09T20:41:00.000+08:00

Future International Space Station Assembly Sequence

09.14.07

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight STS-116/12A.1. Space Shuttle Discovery crew delivers and installs the third port truss segment (P5). P6 port solar array wing and two radiators are retracted. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight STS-117/13A. Second starboard truss segment (S3/S4) is delivered and installed. The third set of solar arrays is deployed. P6 starboard solar array wing and one radiator are retracted. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight ATV1. Ariane 5 Rocket delivers a European Automated Transfer Vehicle, which docks to the Zvezda Service Module. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight STS-118/13A.1. Third starboard truss segment (S5) is delivered and installed. External Stowage Platform 3 (ESP3) is installed on top of the P3 truss segment. Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3) moves to Unity node nadir port. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight STS-120/10A. Node 2 is installed on Unity node port side temporarily; P6 truss is attached to P5 truss and arrays are deployed. Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 (PMA-2) is moved to Node 2; then both Node 2 with PMA-2 are attached to the front of the Destiny laboratory. Zarya arrays are retracted to allow room for the deployment of all Thermal Control System (TCS) radiators. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight STS-122/1E. Columbus European laboratory module with Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure - Non-Deployable (MPESS-ND) is delivered and installed. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight 1J/A. Kibo Japanese Experiment Logistics Module - Pressurized Section (ELM-PS) is installed on top of Node 2. Canadian Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) - Dextre - is installed. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight 1J. Kibo Japanese Experiment Module Pressurized Module (JEM-PM) and Japanese Remote Manipulator System (JEM-RMS) are installed. JEM Pressurized Section is moved from Node 2 onto the JEM Pressurized Module. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight STS-119/15A. Fourth starboard truss segment (S6) is delivered and installed. Fourth set of solar arrays is deployed. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight ULF2. U.S. Orbiter brings Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM). (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight 2J/A. U.S. Orbiter delivers Kibo Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility (JEM-EF); Kibo Japanese Experiment Logistics Module - Exposed Section (ELM-ES); and Spacelab Pallet - Deployable 2 (SLP-D2). (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight 3R. Russian Proton rocket delivers Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) with European Robotic Arm (ERA) - docked to Zarya nadir port. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight 17A. U.S. Orbiter brings Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM); Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC); three crew quarters; galley; second Treadmill Vibration Isolation System (TVIS); Crew Health Care System 2 (CHeCS 2). (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight HTV1, Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight ULF3. U.S. Orbiter delivers EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 (ELC1) and EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 2 (ELC2). (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight 19A. U.S. Orbiter brings Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) and Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC). (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight ULF4. U.S. Orbiter delivers EXPRESS Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) and EXPRESS Logistics Carrier-4 (ELC-4). Micrometeoroid Debris panels are installed on Zvezda Service Module and the Zvezda solar arrays are feathered. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight 20A. U.S. Orbiter delivers and installs Node 3 with Cupola. Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3) is relocated from Unity node nadir to Node 2 nadir beforehand. The Cupola is relocated to the forward port of Node 3 after the flight; and PMA- 3 is relocated to the axial port of Node 3 after the flight. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight ULF5. U.S. Orbiter delivers EXPRESS Logistics Carrier-5 (ELC-5). Pirs Docking Compartment moves to zenith (top) port of Zvezda Service Module. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the International Space Station after flight 9R. Russian Proton rocket delivers Research Module which docks to Zvezda Service Module nadir port. (Credit: NASA)

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Computer-generated artist’s rendering of the completed International Space Station. (Credit: NASA)

First Look at a New Space Terminal

2007-09-05T19:55:00.000+08:00

GOLDEN, Colorado -- Architectural and engineering teams have begun shaping the look and feel of New Mexico's Spaceport America, taking the wraps off new images today that showcase the curb appeal of the sprawling main terminal and hangar at the futuristic facility.

Last month, a team of U.S. and British architects and designers had been recommended for award to design the primary terminal and hangar facility at Spaceport America - structures that symbolize the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport.

Selected from an international field of eleven firms, the winning design is the work of URS Corporation - a large design and engineering enterprise - teamed with Foster + Partners of the United Kingdom, a group with extensive experience in crafting airport buildings.

When the 100,000 square-foot (9,290 square-meter) facility is completed -- the centerpiece of the world's first, purpose-built, commercial spaceport -- the structures will serve as the primary operating base for Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic suborbital spaceliner, and also as the headquarters for the New Mexico Spaceport Authority.

The terminal and hangar facility will also provide room for aircraft and spacecraft, and Virgin Galactic's operations facilities, including pre-flight and post-flight facilities, administrative offices, and lounges. The spacious maintenance hangar can hold two White Knight Two carrier aircraft and five SpaceShipTwo spaceliners - vessels now under construction at Scaled Composites in Mojave, California.

Here is the link to the full article.

Shuttle Missions

2007-09-03T22:01:00.000+08:00

STS-120 Discovery (ISS-23) Pad A Oct 23, 2007 (ISS-23-10A: Node 2, PDGF)
STS-122 Atlantis (ISS-24) Pad A Dec 6, 2007 (ISS-24-1E: Columbus-COF, PRESS-ND)
STS-123 Endeavour (ISS-25) Pad A Feb 14, 2008 (ISS-25-1J/A: JEM ELM PS, Express Pallet)
STS-124 Discovery (ISS-26) Pad A Apr 24, 2008 (ISS-26-1J: JEM PM, JEM RMS)
STS-119 Endeavour (ISS-27) Pad A Jul , 2008 (ISS-27-15A: PM S6, Solar Arrays/Batteries)
STS-125 Atlantis (HST-SM-4) Pad A Sep 10, 2008 (HST Servicing Mission 4)
STS-126 Discovery (ISS-28) Oct , 2008 (ISS-28-ULF2: MPLM)
STS-127 Endeavour (ISS-29) Jan 15, 2009 (ISS-29-2J/A: JEM EF, ELM ES, SLP-D2)
STS-128 Discovery (ISS-30) Apr 9, 2009 (ISS-30-17A: MPLM, LMC, TVIS2, CHeCS 2)
STS-129 Endeavour (ISS-31) Jul 9, 2009 (ISS-31-ULF3: MPLM, ELC1, ELC2)
STS-130 Discovery (ISS-32) Sep 30, 2009 (ISS-32-19A: MPLM, LMC)
STS-131 Endeavour (ISS-33) Jan , 2010 (ISS-33-ULF4: MPLM, ELC3, ELC4)
STS-132 Discovery (ISS-34) Apr 1, 2010 (ISS-34-20A: Node 3)
STS-133 Endeavour (ISS-35) Jul 15, 2010 (ISS-35-ULF5: MPLM, ELC5, ELC1)
STS-134 Endeavour (ISS-36) , 2011 (ISS-36-ULF6: MPLM)

Russian Soyuz/Progress and ESA ATV

2007-09-03T21:49:00.000+08:00

Oct 10, 2007 15S Soyuz TMA-11/Soyuz FG Crew Rotation, Expedition 16 Crew
Oct 23, 2007 10A STS-120 Discovery ISS-23, Node 2, PDGF
Dec 6, 2007 1E STS-122 Atlantis ISS-24, European COF (Columbus), PRESS-ND
Dec 23, 2007 27P Progress M-62 Soyuz U ISS Logistics Supply
Jan 15, 2008 ATV-01 ATV1/Ariane 5ESV Automated Transfer Vehicle "Jules Verne"
Feb 12, 2008 28P Progress M-63 Soyuz U ISS Logistics Supply
Feb 14, 2007 1J/A STS-123 Endeavour ISS-25, JEM ELM PS, Express Pallet
Apr 8, 2008 16S Soyuz TMA-12/Soyuz FG Crew Rotation, Expedition 17 Crew
Apr 24, 2008 1J STS-124 Discovery ISS-26, JEM PM (Kibo), JEM RMS
May 8, 2008 29P Progress M-64 Soyuz U ISS Logistics Supply
Jul 8, 2008 30P Progress M-65 Soyuz U ISS Logistics Supply
Sep 26, 2008 ULF2 STS-126 Discovery ISS-28, MPLM
Oct , 2008 17S Soyuz TMA-13/Soyuz FG Crew Rotation, Expedition 18 Crew
Nov 6, 2008 15A STS-119 Endeavour ISS-27, PM S6, Solar Array
Dec , 2008 3R Soyuz Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM)
Jan 15, 2009 2J/A STS-127 Endeavour ISS-29, JEM EF, ELM ES, SLP-D2
Feb , 2009 HTV1 H-II A, JAXA Tanegashima HTV-Demo
Apr , 2009 18S Soyuz TMA-14/Soyuz FG Crew Rotation, Expedition 19 Crew
Apr 9, 2009 17A STS-128 Discovery ISS-30, MPLM, LMC, TVIS2, CHeCS 2
Jul 9, 2009 ULF3 STS-129 Endeavour ISS-31, MPLM, ELC1, ELC2
Sep 30, 2009 19A STS-130 Discovery ISS-32, MPLM, LMC
Oct , 2009 19S Soyuz TMA-15/Soyuz FG Crew Rotation, Expedition 20 Crew
Jan , 2010 ULF4 STS-131 Endeavour ISS-33, MPLM, ELC3, ELC4
Apr , 2010 20A STS-132 Discovery ISS-34, Node 3
Apr , 2010 20S Soyuz TMA-16/Soyuz FG Crew Rotation, Expedition 21 Crew
Jul 15, 2010 ULF5 STS-133 Endeavour ISS-35, MPLM, ELC5, ELC1
, 2010 9R Proton Research Module
, 2011 ULF6 STS-134 Endeavour ISS-36, Contingency Flight
2014 CEV (Crew Exploration Vehicle)

ISS Assembly Flight Sequence

2007-09-03T21:02:00.000+08:00

Aug 2007 13A.1 STS-118 Spacehab Single Cargo Module,
Third starboard truss segment (ITS S5), ESP3, Logistic and Supplies

...........We are now here..........

Oct 2007 10A STS-120 U.S. Node 2, PDGF

ISS U.S. Core Complete

Dec 2007 1E STS-122 European Laboratory - Columbus Orbital Facility (COF)
Jan 2008 ATV1 European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) "Jules Verne"
Feb 2008 1J/A STS-123 Japanese Experiment Module Experiment Logistics Module (JEM ELM PS) Express Pallet.
Apr 2008 1J STS-124 Kibo Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Japanese Remote Manipulator System (JEM RMS)
Jul 2008 15A STS-119 Fourth starboard truss segment (ITS S6), Solar Arrays and Batteries (Photovoltaic Module S6)
Oct 2008 ULF2 STS-126 Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), Utilization and Logistics Flight
Dec 2008 3R Soyuz Universal Docking Module (UDM)
Jan 2009 2J/A STS-127 Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility (JEM EF), Japanese Experiment Logistics Module - Exposed Section (ELM-ES), additional Science Power Platform (SPP) solar arrays.
Feb 2009 HTV-1 H-IIB Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle
Apr 2009 17A STS-128 Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), U.S. Lab racks for Node 3

Established Six Person Crew Capability

Jul 2009 ULF3 STS-129 Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), Utilization and Logistics Flight
Sep 2009 19A STS-130 Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM)
Jan 2010 ULF4 STS-131 Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), Utilization and Logistics Flight
Apr 2010 20A STS-132 Node 3
Jul 2010 ULF5 STS-133 Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), Utilization and Logistics Flight
2010 9R Proton Research Module

ISS Assembly Complete

2011 ULF6 STS-134 Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), Utilization and Logistics Flight
Jun 2014 Orion 4 Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) Orion, uncrewed test - CEV-ISS 1
Sep 2014 Orion 5 First crewed CEV flight, CEV-ISS 2
Dec 2014 Orion 6 First uncrewed CEV cargo flight, CEV-ISS 3
Mar 2015 Orion 7 First operational crewed CEV flight, crew rotation, CEV-ISS 4
Mar 2015 Orion 8 Uncrewed CEV cargo flight, CEV-ISS 5
Jul 2015 Orion 9 Uncrewed CEV cargo flight, CEV-ISS 6
Sep 2015 Orion 10 Final crewed CEV flight to ISS, CEV-ISS 7
Dec 2015 Orion 11 Final CEV cargo flight to ISS, CEV-ISS 8

Formerly scheduled additional flights:

Oct 2003 5R Soyuz Docking Compartment 2 (DC2)
2005 8R Soyuz Research Module 1
Mar 2006 10R Soyuz Research Module 2
2006 10A.1 STS-139 Propulsion Module
Jan 2005 UF-3 STS-124 Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM),
Apr 2005 UF-4 STS-125 Spacelab Pallet carrying "Canada Hand" (Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator) Extended Duration Orbiter Pallet
Jul 2005 UF-5 STS-126 Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM)
Oct 2005 UF-4.1 STS-127 Express Pallet, S3 Attached P/L
Jan 2006 UF-6 STS-128 Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), Batteries
Jan 2007 9A.1 STS-132 Science Power Platform (SSP) solar arrays Multi Purpose Module (MTsM)
Apr 2007 UF-7 STS-133 Centrifuge Accommodations Module (CAM)
Nov 2007 HTV-1 Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle
Jan 2008 14A STS-136 Cupola, Express Pallet, Extended Duration Orbiter Pallet
2008 16A ? STS-138 US Habitation Module
2009 18A ? STS-140 U.S. Crew Return Vehicle (CRV)