Russians plan to stick with ISS through 2028.
More Russian space news: They plan to stick with ISS through 2028.
Tag: ISS
Space News suggests Congress use the billions for NASA’s heavy-lift rocket to fund JWST
In an editorial yesterday Space News suggested that Congress use the billions it is allocating for NASA’s heavy-lift rocket to fund the James Webb Space Telescope instead.
This is not surprising. Webb already has a strong constiuency (astronomers, the public) while the Space Launch System has little support outside of Congress and the specific aerospace contractors who want the work. With tight budgets as far as the eye can see into the future, and the likelihood that Congress is going to become more fiscal conservative after the next election, it would not shock me in the slightest if SLS gets eliminated and the money is given to Webb. And if the SpaceX and Orbital Sciences cargo missions to ISS go well then cutting SLS would almost be a certainty, as this success would demonstrate that these private companies should be able to replace SLS for a tenth of the cost.
And I also think this would be a much wiser use of the taxpayers money.
Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser to get its first test flight in the summer of 2012
Dream Chaser, Sierra Nevada’s space plane, is to get its first test flight this coming summer.
For the unmanned test flight, it will be carried into the skies by WhiteKnightTwo, the carrier aircraft for the commercial suborbital passenger ship SpaceShipTwo, backed by Virgin Galactic, a U.S. company owned by Richard Branson’s London-based Virgin Group.
If all goes well, 2012 will be a busy year at ISS for both Dragon and Cygnus
If all goes well, 2012 will be a busy year at ISS for both Dragon and Cygnus.
The article outlines the preliminary cargo schedule for both ferries next year, assuming their initial test flights succeed (a big assumption).
Astronauts on ISS conduct eye exams in connection with recent eye problems caused by long term weightlessness
Astronauts on ISS have been conducting regular eye exams in an effort to understand the eye problems caused by long term weightlessness.
More on making the X-37B an ISS supply and crew ferry
More on making the X-37B an ISS supply and crew ferry.
Orbital Sciences has launch success
Orbital Sciences has a launch success, putting an Air Force reconnaissance satellite into orbit from the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska.
For Orbital, this success cleans off some of the stain left on the company from the recent launch failures of its Taurus 1 rocket. What would leave the company stainless, however, will be a successful first launch of its new Taurus 2 rocket, needed to carry its Cygnus capsule to ISS and scheduled for late this year.
Russians still oppose allowing Dragon to berth with ISS on its January test flight
The Russians still oppose allowing Dragon to berth with ISS on its next test flight in January.
Blurred vision a risk for astronauts who spend months in space
Blurred vision is now considered a serious risk for astronauts who spend months in space.
According to one NASA survey of about 300 astronauts, nearly 30 percent of those who have flown on space shuttle missions – which usually lasted two weeks — and 60 percent who’ve completed six-month shifts aboard the station reported a gradual blurring of eyesight.
This story is a followup on information contained in an earlier National Academies report on astronaut staffing.
Soyuz crew returns safely to Earth, despite radio problems
One of the two three-man crews on ISS have returned safely to Earth, despite an unexpected communciations blackout during their descent.
In related news, the Russians have slightly delayed the launch dates for the next manned flights to ISS, which also means that the next test flight of Falcon 9/Dragon will have to be delayed until 2012. Moreover, the Russians are once again balking at allowing Dragon to dock with ISS on this first flight.
Russia announces October and November dates for next Progress and Soyuz launches
Russia has announced October, November, and December dates for the next Progress and Soyuz launches.
More Progress freighter crash investigation results
More Progress freighter crash investigation results: it appears there was something that blocked the fuel supply.
“The exposed production defect was accidental,” [the investigation] said, adding the reason may be qualified as an isolated case only after checking all available engines.
This suggests that the problem was an isolated error and that, once they have cleared the available engines, they can start flying relatively quickly.