Cygnus successfully berthed at ISS
Despite on of its two solar panels only partly deployed, astronaut Nicole Mann was able to use the robot arm on ISS to grab Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus freighter and bring it into its port, where ground engineers successfully berthed it.
The image to the right is a screen capture from NASA TV as Cygnus approached. You can see the problematic panel at the bottom. Though it has folded out from its initial stored position, it has not opened up fully.
The freighter will stay docked to ISS until late January, during which the crew will unload about four tons of cargo and then fill it with garbage before sending it to burn up over the ocean. We should expect NASA and Northrop Grumman to also plan a spacewalk to not only inspect the panel to figure out what failed, but to see if it can still be deployed.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Despite on of its two solar panels only partly deployed, astronaut Nicole Mann was able to use the robot arm on ISS to grab Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus freighter and bring it into its port, where ground engineers successfully berthed it.
The image to the right is a screen capture from NASA TV as Cygnus approached. You can see the problematic panel at the bottom. Though it has folded out from its initial stored position, it has not opened up fully.
The freighter will stay docked to ISS until late January, during which the crew will unload about four tons of cargo and then fill it with garbage before sending it to burn up over the ocean. We should expect NASA and Northrop Grumman to also plan a spacewalk to not only inspect the panel to figure out what failed, but to see if it can still be deployed.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Curious if there are any contingencies for a spacewalk to evaluate, and possibly fix, the problem. I would be a little surprised if NASA hasn’t at least entertained the idea for these situation. You have crew, you have suits. As this blog has pointed out many times, the primary advantage of people on site is the flexibility to handle unplanned-for events.
Well they did fix one of Skylab’s solar panels back in the 70’s. And they did have someone outside poking the ISS’s panels with a stick a few years back. Perhaps this won’t require quite so much innovations as a tree trimmer on a pole (in the case of Skylab) or a stick. A bit of wiggling and or tugging on the stuck leaf might be all that’s needed to free it.
When can we start building our first Star Base and start work on USS Star Gazer
It occurs that a spacecraft docking at a private station with the same problem, might present an income opportunity.
“Hey, we’ll have a look at it, for [some money]. If we can fix it, that’ll be [more money].
“It was an over-worked, under-powered vessel, always on the verge of flying apart at the seams. In every measurable sense, my Enterprise is far superior. But there are times where I would do almost anything to command the Stargazer again.”
If they are just going to throw the thing away why not make it modular?
That way it can be broke down in space and salvaged. Engines and tanks come off, solar panels come off, The can can then be strapped to the outside of the station and just thrown back to earth later. Or stack two or three cans together and only use one engine assembly to send it back to Earth to burn up.
And why have two solar panels that fold out. Just mount one flat to the side and use more batteries. Seriously just how much power do these things need?