The Space Race

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Boeing has announced that the first satellite with all-electric propulsion is now fully operational.

Launched last March, the ABS-3A 702SP (small platform) satellite was formally handed over to its owner, Bermuda-based telecommunications company ABS, on August 31. It will provide communications services to the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

ABS-3A launched on March 1 atop a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX’s Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida along with EUTELSAT 115 West B. The geosynchronous comsat's key technology is its Xenon Ion Propulsion System (XIPS). Previously, hybrid systems that use a mix of chemical and ion propellants have been sent into orbit, but this is the first time a satellite has been deployed with an all-electric drive.

Boeing says that the technology is based on 210,000 hours of ion propulsion flight experience and is 10 times more efficient than liquid-fueled rockets. Four 25-cm (9.8-in) thrusters using xenon as a propellant allow the 702SP satellite to maintain stationkeeping while using only 5 kg (11 lb) of fuel per year. This is a great saving because the satellite needs less fuel and smaller thrusters, which reduces launch costs.

After launch, the XIPS drive allowed ABS-3A to power itself into geosynchronous orbit, where it is stationed at 3° West longitude. A second 702SP satellite (ABS-2A) for ABS is scheduled to launch next year.

"With a successful launch, testing, and execution of orbit operations, we were able to deliver the first 702SP to ABS about one month earlier than planned," says Mark Spiwak, president, Boeing Satellite Systems International. "The 702SP product line was designed to bring the latest technology into the hands of customers seeking adaptable and affordable solutions. In addition, the 702SP’s patented dual-launch capability helps customers share launch costs, which can significantly lower overall expenses for a satellite owner."

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

The second of possibly five orbital launches by China in September, took place at 04:45 UTC on Monday with the launch of another “remote sensing” satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. China used a Long March-2D launch vehicle from the 603 Launch Pad of the LC43 Launch Complex to orbit the Gaofen 9 satellite.

This launch comes two days after the launch of an unknown spacecraft – unofficially claimed to be the Communications Engineering Test Satellite -1 (TJSSW-1), from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

The mission of Gaofen-9 will be similar to the Gaofen-8, with spy sat models being turned over to a semi-civilian role.

As it was mentioned by the Chinese authorities, Gaofen-9 will provide sub-meter class resolution optical images for city planning, road network design, land ownership determination, etc. purposes

This launch was the 222nd Chinese orbital launch and the 209th launch of the Long March launch vehicle family. It was also the 78th orbital launch from the Jiuquan Satellite launch Center, the 1st launch from this space center in 2015 and the 6th orbital launch for China this year.

The Chinese Xinhua News Agency reported that the Gaofen-9 spacecraft is a remote sensing satellite, capable of providing photographs with a resolution of less than 1 meter (3.3 ft.). It will be used in land survey, urban planning, road network design, agriculture, and disaster relief.

“Developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, Gaofen-9 can also serve key national strategies such as the Belt and Road Initiative and national defense,” Xinhua added.

The Gaofen-9 satellite is based on the compact CAST-2000 platform. It is a civilian version of the Yaogan 2 type military reconnaissance satellite.

The satellite was placed into a nearly circular orbit averaging about 397 miles (639 kilometers), at an inclination of some 98 degrees.

 

[Drone]

I'm posting this as if I know what it is

Just kidding. Of course I know what it is. It's Orion spacecraft pressure vessel for Exploration Mission-1

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Atlas V Rocket Launches Successfully With Military Satellite (VIDEO)
After a brief delay caused by techincal issues, the United Lanch Alliance succesfully lauched the Atlas V Rocket into orbit.

An unmanned Atlas V rocket was successfully by United Launch Alliance from Florida on Wednesday to put a next-gen communications satellite belonging to the U.S. military into orbit.

Launching 19 minutes off schedule due to technical issues, the 20-story tall rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 6:18 a.m.

On top of the rocket was the fourth satellite in the U.S. Navy's $7.3 billion Mobile User Objective System, or MUOS, which is utilizes commercial cellphone technology to help troops make secure calls and send texts, videos or other mission data, essentially allowing handheld radios in the field to work much like smartphones.

The U.S. Navy notes the MUOS network will eventually replace the Navy's Ultra High Frequency Follow-On satellite system, providing 16 times more capacity than the current network.

"MUOS is a game-changer in communications for every branch of our military," said Iris Bombelyn, vice president of Narrowband Communications at Lockheed Martin, which built the satellites as part of a joint operation with Boeing Co
Weighing nearly 15,000 pounds, the MUOS satellite needed the most powerful version of the Atlas rocket, which was outfitted with five strap-on solid rocket motors built by GenCorp Inc's Aerojet Rocketdyne.

The MUOS satellite launched on Wednesday completes the operational system. A fifth spacecraft is slated for launch in July 2016, according to the U.S. Navy, which will server as a spare.

The Atlas V rocket's exhaust plume lit up a low deck of clouds, providing spectators with a unique light show

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

The Atlas V rocket has successfully launched the NROL-55 spy satellite and 13 cubesats into orbit.

VID
http://www.space.com/17933-nasa-tel...tv.html#ooid=I2YW4zeDpkIQ9rimulG19mf9lFWgTE0z

An American spy satellite and 13 tiny "cubesats" shared a rocket ride to orbit this morning, lighting up the predawn sky over their California launchpad.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket blasted off today (Oct. 8) from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at 5:49 a.m. EDT (0949 GMT; 8:49 a.m. local California time), lofting the secret NROL-55 payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the agency that operates the United States' spy satellites.

The 13 cubesats tagged along as part of the NRO's GRACE (Government Rideshare Advanced Concepts Experiment) secondary payload. Nine of the tiny spacecraft were sponsored by the NRO, while NASA sponsored the other four. [‪Photos: Atlas V Launches NROL-55 on Secret Mission]


"That was a great launch and I'm very excited," Andres Martinez, program manager for NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology Program, said just after liftoff during NASA's live launch commentary. "Small satellites provide NASA the ability to rapidly develop and launch groundbreaking technology into space."

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying the classified NROL-55 satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, as well as 13 tiny cubesats for the NRO and NASA, during a pre-dawn launch on Oct. 8, 2015.
Credit: United Launch Alliance
the secretive NROL-55 mission, which is classified. But NRO and NASA officials have revealed details about the GRACE cubesats, which are mostly demonstrating new tech in Earth orbit.

For example, two of the NRO cubesats, known as AeroCube-5C and AeroCube-7, will test out tracking and laser-communications technologies. These spacecraft weigh just 3.3 lbs. (1.5 kilograms) apiece, NRO officials said.

AeroCube-7 was developed with NASA funding, via the agency's Optical Communications and Sensor Demonstration project. This cubesat will use a 6-watt laser to beam data from low Earth orbit (LEO) to the ground.

NASA-sponsored cubesats are ARC-1 (Alaska Research CubeSat 1), BisonSat, AMSAT Fox-1 and LMRST-Sat (Low Mass Radio Science Transponder-Satellite).

The 2.2-lb ARC-1, which was developed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, will help test out new cubesat control and communications systems.

BisonSat is the first cubesat to be built by students at a Native American tribal college; it was designed at Salish Kootenai College, which is located on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana. The 2.2-lb. BisonSat will conduct a variety of Earth observations from orbit, but its main mission is educational.

http://www.space.com/30777-us-spy-s...ch.html#ooid=I2eTZydToVx615b7_d38F3UKHTivuBDj

NASA sees big potential in tiny, inexpensive cubesats, the basic building block of which is a cube measuring just 4 inches (10 centimeters) on a side. Indeed, the space agency plans to launch such minuscule craft to the moon, near-Earth asteroids and Mars in the next few years

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Experts reveal hi-tech extra-terrestrial cyberbattles to control surveillance satellites


Space is rapidly becoming an extra-terrestrial battleground for corporate espionage and other types of cyber attack as hackers seek to gain commercial advantage from rival networks operating in the $330-billion space economy.

At the same time, a mounting threat from orbiting junk hurtling through space and threatening spaceships and satellites is pushing up the cost of commercial ventures and could be a brake on future investment.

Industry-watchers say the many and varied challenges are driving up costs that might soon become prohibitive.

But if the challenges are clear, hard solutions from the industry are few.

Three-quarters of investment in the space economy comes from the booming commercial sector that is attracting companies like Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, Facebook and Google, according to the nonprofit Space Foundation.

The amount of data now being beamed between satellites supporting commercial networks on earth is growing rapidly, making them a ripe target for cyber attacks, said Luca del Monte, a senior strategist at the European Space Agency, and one of many experts who attended the annual International Astronautical Congress last week in Israel.

Space presents a double opportunity for hackers - the hardware up in orbit and the information it transmits.

Satellites were becoming 'trophy attacks' for hackers, said one space insurer.

Companies are increasingly having to arm themselves against malware planted inside their hardware before it is sent up - again something that drives up overheads.

With intense competition to get satellite networks up and operational in space, companies are finding themselves shopping in less reliable markets.

'To build so many satellites, you can no longer rely on the usual supplier next door,' del Monte said.

'There will be a big geographical extension, into Asia, countries you don't control.

'So you need to examine each component you get and make sure it has no bugs or a latent virus that will activate in space,' he said.

He speaks from experience.

In one case, his agency received microcircuits made of material whose composition, under the microscope, was found to have been tampered with at a fundamental level

Current policies do not include the risk of data breach by hackers, he said, but coverage is starting to be offered.

'Satellites are becoming trophy attacks for hackers. It's increasingly a cause for concern,' said Bensoussan.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Russia is to send a manned mission to the moon in 2029, meaning it may beat the United States in the race to return to the lunar surface.

The head of Russia's state-controlled Rocket and Space Corporation Energia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energia

which builds all of the country's manned spacecraft, announced it was building a new vehicle designed specifically for moon missions.
The maiden flight for the new lunar spacecraft is scheduled for 2021 and in 2023 it will dock with the International Space Station before making an unmanned mission to the moon in 2025.

Vladimir Solntsev, president of RSC Energia, which is 38 per cent owned by the Russian state, told a space technology conference in Moscow that it would land humans on the moon in 2029. It is the first time a firm date has been set for Russia's plans to land human's on the lunar surface but the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, has previously said it would send a manned mission to the moon before 2030.


According to Russian media, Mr Solntsev said: 'A manned flight to the moon and lunar land is planned for 2029.'

Currently Russia's Soyuz spacecraft, which are built by RSC Energia, are the only vehicles capable of sending humans into space.

TMA-M (manned version)

Nasa has been relying upon the system to send its astronauts to the International Space Station along with regular supplies of cargo. In a statement posted on the RSC Energia website, Mr Solntsev said: 'The high-priority line of activities for Russian manned programs in the next 10 to 20 years is lunar exploration.

'Russia develops a new-generation advanced transportation spacecraft, in the nearest future development of other elements of the lunar program will also begin.'

The new spacecraft is expected to be built using composites specifically designed for lunar missions.

Russia has never landed a human on the moon and plans to do so drawn up in the 1960s were never completed after Nasa's Apollo moon landings.

Instead the country has concentrated on sending a series of unmanned probes to the lunar surface. However, it has not sent a spacecraft to the moon since the sample return mission Luna 24 in 1976.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_24

However, the country's new effort to send cosmonauts to the moon could see it beating US in its attempts to return to the lunar surface. Nasa had been planning to return humans to the lunar surface as part of its long-term plans to send astronauts to Mars. However, the plans were scrapped in 2010 favour of landing on an asteroid in an announcement by US President Barack Obama.





In the 1960s the Soviets began developing their own designs for a manned mission to land on the moon with its N1-L3 Lunar Lander. However, the project never flew and was eventually cancelled.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LK_(spacecraft)



Hit by major funding issues, a mission to the moon was seen as being a low priority although some officials have indicated Nasa may send future missions to orbit the dusty satellite. A recent study funded by Nasa has, however, also suggested Nasa is still hopeful about establishing a human presence on the surface of the moon. The Evolvable Lunar Architecture Plan
http://nextbigfuture.com/2015/07/evolvable-lunar-architecture-is-well.html
outlined a cut price way of building a base on the moon for around $10 billion using private rockets and mining water ice from the poles. The study, conducted by NexGen Space LLC, said it would be possible to land humans on the moon within the next five to seven years and establish a base within 19 years.

A number of former Nasa staff have also suggested that the space agency is quietly planning a mission to the moon as part of its build up to Mars. However, Russia's ambitious plans to return to the moon could now trigger a new race to exploit the minerals and other resources on the lunar surface.

Two weeks ago, the European Space Agency said it was interested in joining Russia's attempts to colonise the moon.

ESA and Roscosmos said they were working together to send a lander to the moon's south pole to look for water.

The Lunar 27 mission will launch in 2020 and its primary mission will be to look for deposits of water ice in craters on the surface, which could be used by future manned colonies on the moon.

Professor Igor Mitrofanov, one of the lead scientists on the project at the Space Research Institute in Moscow, told the BBC: 'We have to go to the Moon.

'The 21st Century will be the century when it will be the permanent outpost of human civilisation, and our country has to participate in this process.'



WILL RUSSIA SEND THE FIRST WOMAN TO THE MOON?
Six Russian women have been sent into a mock spaceship to begin a unique experiment testing how an all-female crew would interact on a trip to the Moon and back.

For eight days, the female volunteers will live inside a wood-panelled suite of rooms at Moscow's Institute of Biomedical Problems, renowned for its wacky research into the psychological and physical effects of space travel.

The institute in 2010 locked six male international volunteers in an isolation experiment lasting 520 days, to simulate a flight to Mars and back.

The volunteers include scientific researchers, a doctor and a psychologist.

The test period simulates a flight to the Moon and back, with the women carrying out 10 experiments covering psychology and human biology.

Russia sent the first woman into space, Valentina Tereshkova, in 1963 but has lagged behind since.

Sergei Ponomaryov, the experiment's supervisor, called the latest experiment an effort to make up for lost time.

He said: 'We consider the future of space belongs equally to men and women and unfortunately we need to catch up a bit after a period when unfortunately there haven't been too many women in space.'



I will be 63

летать летать, как ветер мои российские друзья

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

International Space Station celebrates 15 years of nonstop human presence

• First permanent crew moved in on Nov. 2, 2000, and 220 people have visited representing 17 countries
• Complex has grown from three to 13 rooms since 2000, and Nasa hopes to keep the complex running until 2024

 

[dorsetknob]

летать летать, как ветер мои российские друзья

И тот ветер будет результатом капусты, тушатся

 

[Drone]

little bit sci-fi-esque but optimistic video:

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Residents of Yuanxi village in south China woke up recently to find their electricity supply had been cut off.

Rather unexpectedly, the culprit was debris that had fallen from a rocket launched in Sichuan, south-west China, earlier that day, reported People's Daily Online.

The debris is now awaiting collection by the relevant department. However, local officials are also looking for a second piece of the rocket, which they believe may have fallen in the area.

Lift-off! Debris was part of the CZ-3B rocket used to launch the APSTAR-9 communications satellite

China's CZ-3B rocket was used to launch the APSTAR-9 communications satellite into space in the early hours of October 17.

The rocket was launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan, south-west China.

Initial reports of the operation indicated that the launch was successful and the satellite was fully functioning.

However, moments after take off, part of the launch rocket broke away and landed in Yuanxi, south China, approximately 1,258 miles away.

Local residents reported hearing two loud booms before their electricity cut out.

Around 7am the next morning, a giant piece of rocket debris was found on a small path in the isolated village.

It had severed the electricity cables while falling out of the sky.

The debris has been identified as the fairing, the part of the rocket used to increase streamlining.

It measures approximately 34 feet long and has a radius of close to 15 feet.

Although multi-stage launch rockets generally break apart after launch, it is not clear whether or not this was a fault or as a result of poor planning.



im not sure the chinese bots that watch us will like the link but lets see.

 

[Easy Rhino]

Russia going to the moon or anywhere else is a huge waste of resources for them. Better just stay on the ground and play with the babies.

 

[R-T-B]

Russia going to the moon or anywhere else is a huge waste of resources for them. Better just stay on the ground and play with the babies.

Yeah, if the moon was rich in some rare metal or something you might have a counterarguemnt to your point... as it stands pretty much spot on. Waste of time but a helluva lot of fun (and not on my taxpayers dollars this time. )

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Yeah, if the moon was rich in some rare metal or something you might have a counterarguemnt to your point... as it stands pretty much spot on. Waste of time but a helluva lot of fun (and not on my taxpayers dollars this time. )

They want to go here, The.Pole-Atkin crater.

The existence of a giant far side basin was based on early probe images (namely Luna 3 and Zond 3),

Luna 3 1959

Zond 3 1964

South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, the biggest and most ancient lunar basin. Arrow identifies the location of interesting wrinkled ridges within Aitken crater. Image width is 250 km. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University.

The url for the new South Pole-Aitken Basin Landing Site Database is http://www.lpi.usra.edu/nlsi/SPA_Basin_Landing_Site_DB/

Topographical map of the South Pole–Aitken basin based on Kaguya data. Red represents high elevation, purple low elevation. The purple and grey elliptical rings trace the inner and outer walls of the basin. (The black ring is an old artifact of the image.)

Kaguya

 

[Easy Rhino]

Yeah, if the moon was rich in some rare metal or something you might have a counterarguemnt to your point... as it stands pretty much spot on. Waste of time but a helluva lot of fun (and not on my taxpayers dollars this time. )

I'm not sure where you live but up until recently Russia has received foreign aid from most rich countries!

 

[Drone]

Unfortunately some images and videos links are dead ...


Anywho

Xenon thrusters (sounds sexy doesn't it?)

 

[Easy Rhino]

Time to invest in Xenon futures.

 

[dorsetknob]

Time to invest in Xenon futures.

Oops misread that as ""Time to invest in Xeon cpu's""

 

[Drone]

I agree, Xenon thrusters + magnetic fields = awesome engine. Like Neil deGrasse Tyson said "chemical rockets are so yesterday".
Lasers, plasma, ions all the way!

 

[R-T-B]

I'm not sure where you live but up until recently Russia has received foreign aid from most rich countries!

"Up until recently"

I don't think the USA is sending them money this year.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

The last time the UK govt gave money to Russia they gave Putin £4.5 million to encourage Russian ministries to be more “efficient, effective and transparent” and improve the country’s “business environment”.
2011


Russia tells US: We don't want your aid money
2012

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/...sia-tells-us-we-dont-want-your-aid-money?lite


It may hang heavy with some Americans but it will always remain an historical fact that the Russians won the race to space.

This thread bears testimony to that fact.

wiki gives an excellent summary.....this is just 1957-1969
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_space_exploration_milestones,_1957–1969

A chart of selected space milestones as accomplished by the USSR and the USA.

 

[Easy Rhino]

The last time the UK govt gave money to Russia they gave Putin £4.5 million to encourage Russian ministries to be more “efficient, effective and transparent” and improve the country’s “business environment”.
2011


Russia tells US: We don't want your aid money
2012

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/...sia-tells-us-we-dont-want-your-aid-money?lite


It may hang heavy with some Americans but it will always remain an historical fact that the Russians won the race to space.

Russia stopped accepting US money in 2012 but up until that point they had accepted billion and billions of dollars from the US. Obviously that money is still being used today. Anyway, Russia never put people on the moon so they lost the space race. Also, while Russia was trying to do that they they had millions starving in the streets. And many still starve today. Probably best to get things straight on the ground before spending billions to reach Mars...

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Russia never put people on the moon so they lost the space race

The race to put man on the moon was pretty much fruitless, grossly expensive (and one sided) as was proved by the US missions there, golf, really?

The race to build habitable space stations and do valuable science? well, read the thread and thank the USSR.

Or are you saying the US "won" the Moon at no cost ?

Spoiler

 

[Easy Rhino]

The race to put man on the moon was pretty much fruitless, grossly expensive (and one sided) as was proved by the US missions there, golf, really?

The race to build habitable space stations and do valuable science? well, read the thread and thank the USSR.

Or are you saying the US "won" the Moon at no cost ?

Spoiler

Going to the moon wasn't valuable science? Also, USA is super rich so going on a trip to the moon is like blowing a wad in Vegas to us.

 

[dorsetknob]

USA is super rich

On June 30, 2015, debt held by the public was $13.08 trillion or about 74% of the previous 12 months of GDP.[5][6][7][8] Intragovernmental holdings stood at $5.07 trillion, giving a combined total gross national debt of $18.15 trillion or about 102% of the previous 12 months of GDP.[7] $6.2 trillion or approximately 47% of the debt held by the public was owned by foreign investors, the largest of which were the People's Republic of China and Japan at about $1.3 trillion and $1.2 trillion respectively for the two countries.

from wilki