SpaceX's CRS-7 Mission Ends in Failure...

NASA TV

NASA Administrator Statement on the Loss of SpaceX CRS-7 (Press Release)

The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on the loss Sunday of the SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services 7 (CRS-7) mission.

“We are disappointed in the loss of the latest SpaceX cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. However, the astronauts are safe aboard the station and have sufficient supplies for the next several months. We will work closely with SpaceX to understand what happened, fix the problem and return to flight. The commercial cargo program was designed to accommodate loss of cargo vehicles. We will continue operation of the station in a safe and effective way as we continue to use it as our test bed for preparing for longer duration missions farther into the solar system.

“A Progress vehicle is ready to launch July 3, followed in August by a Japanese HTV flight. Orbital ATK, our other commercial cargo partner, is moving ahead with plans for its next launch later this year.

“SpaceX has demonstrated extraordinary capabilities in its first six cargo resupply missions to the station, and we know they can replicate that success. We will work with and support SpaceX to assess what happened, understand the specifics of the failure and correct it to move forward. This is a reminder that spaceflight is an incredible challenge, but we learn from each success and each setback. Today's launch attempt will not deter us from our ambitious human spaceflight program.”
Source: NASA.Gov

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SLS Update: Another Successful Test-Firing for the RS-25...

NASA

Longest SLS Engine Test Yet Heats Up Summer Sky (Press Release)

South Mississippi was hotter than usual on June 25 when the fire and heat produced by the longest test firing yet of a Space Launch System (SLS) RS-25 rocket engine at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center combined with already climbing summer temperatures. Engineers conducted a 650-second test of a RS-25 developmental engine as part of its preparation for a return to deep-space missions aboard the new Space Launch System rocket.

NASA is designing the SLS to carry humans deeper into space than ever before, to such destinations as an asteroid and Mars. The core stage of the new vehicle will be powered by four RS-25 engines, former space shuttles main engines operated at slightly higher power levels to provide the additional thrust needed to power the SLS. The main goal of the series is to test the engine under simulated temperature, pressure and other changes required by the SLS design. The series also supports the development of a new controller, or “brain,” for the engine. The controller monitors the engine status and communicates the programmed performance needs. The first test in the series was in January.

Testing resumed in May after scheduled work was completed on the high-pressure industrial water system that provides the tens of thousands of gallons of water needed during an engine test. Today’s test firing, the fourth in the series, expands on the performance objectives of the first two firings, allowing engineers to better understand the engine under a range of operating conditions. Three additional tests are scheduled in July and August before the initial series is completed. Each test moves NASA a step closer to a new national era of space exploration.

As the SLS evolves, it will provide an unprecedented lift capability of 130 metric tons (143 tons) to enable missions farther into our solar system to places like Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

Earth's Turbulent Weather As Seen from the ISS...

NASA

Tropical Storm Bill From the International Space Station (Press Release)

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly), currently on a one-year mission to the International Space Station, took this photograph of Tropical Storm Bill in the Gulf of Mexico as it approached the coast of Texas, on June 15, 2015. Kelly wrote, "Concerned for all in its path including family, friends & colleagues."

Source: NASA.Gov

Happy Belated Flag Day!

NASA

Stars and Stripes From the International Space Station (Press Release)

Celebrating Flag Day on June 14, 2015, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly took this photograph in the Cupola of the International Space Station. Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) wrote, "Stars and stripes from @Space_Station. Happy #NationalFlagDay! #YearInSpace"

Kelly and Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko launched to the International Space Station on March 27, 2015, beginning their one-year mission in space. Most expeditions to the space station last four to six months. By doubling the length of this mission, researchers hope to better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to long-duration spaceflight. This knowledge is critical as NASA looks toward human journeys deeper into the solar system, including to and from Mars, which could last 500 days or longer.

Source: NASA.Gov

A Great Day for SpaceX's Crew Dragon Capsule...

NASA / Kim Shiflett

NASA Commercial Crew Partner SpaceX Achieves Pad Abort Milestone Approval (Press Release)

NASA has approved a $30 million milestone payment to SpaceX under the agency’s Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) agreement with the company following a recent and successful pad abort test of its Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Data gathered during the test are critical to understanding the safety and performance of the Crew Dragon spacecraft as the company continues on the path to certification for crew missions to the International Space Station, and helping return the ability to launch astronauts from the United States.

The Crew Dragon’s eight SuperDraco engines fired at 9 a.m. EDT on May 6 for about six seconds, each instantly producing about 15,000 pounds of thrust and lifting the spacecraft off a specially built platform at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida. The spacecraft traveled 3,561 feet (1,187 meters) up before jettisoning its trunk and safely splashing down under three main parachutes in the Atlantic Ocean, 3,606 feet (1,202 meters) from the launch pad.

“This test was highly visible and provided volumes of important information, which serves as tangible proof that our team is making significant progress toward launching crews on American rockets from America soon,” said Jon Cowart, partner manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “The reams of data collected provide designers with a real benchmark of how accurate their analyses and models are at predicting reality. As great as our modern computational methods are, they still can’t beat a flight test, like this, for finding out what is going on with the hardware.”

The successful test of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon launch escape capabilities demonstrated the spacecraft’s ability to save astronauts in the unlikely event of a life-threatening situation on the launch pad.

“This is the first major flight test for a vehicle that will bring astronauts to space for the entire Commercial Crew Program," said Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX. "The successful test validated key predictions as it relates to the transport of astronauts to the space station. With NASA’s support, SpaceX continues to make excellent and rapid progress in making the Crew Dragon spacecraft the safest and most reliable vehicle ever flown.”

The approval of the pad abort test milestone payment follows NASA’s authorization for Boeing to begin work toward its first post-certification mission. These steps ensure continued progress in the agency’s effort to return to U.S. soil American crew launches to the International Space Station. SpaceX is expected to receive its authorization to proceed with work on a post-certification mission later this year. The determination of which company will fly the first mission to station will be made at a later time.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Kim Shiflett

Back in the Day: The Florida Straits As Seen from Space 50 Years Ago...

NASA

June 4, 1965, Earth Observations From Gemini IV (Press Release)

This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19, on June 4, 1965, with a Hasselblad camera and a 70mm lens. The Gemini IV crew -- astronauts Jim McDivitt and Ed White -- conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following White's historic first American spacewalk on June 3.

Astronauts have been photographing Earth from space since the early Mercury missions beginning in 1961. Today, they observe the Earth from their unique point of view aboard the International Space Station, providing researchers with key data and recording changes over time from human-caused changes like urban growth and reservoir construction, to natural dynamic events such as hurricanes, floods and volcanic eruptions.

Source: NASA.Gov

Marking A Milestone: Five Decades of Extravehicular Activities...

NASA

NASA Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking (Press Release)

In this Feb. 7, 1984 photograph taken by his fellow crewmembers aboard the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger on the STS-41B mission, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless II approaches his maximum distance from the vehicle. McCandless became the first astronaut to maneuver about in space untethered, during this first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled, hand-controlled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).

For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. The first American to conduct a spacewalk, astronaut Edward H. White II, floated into the vastness of space on the Gemini IV mission on June 3, 1965. For more than 20 minutes, White maneuvered himself around the Gemini spacecraft as it traveled from over Hawaii to the Gulf of Mexico--making his orbital stroll 6,500 miles long. At the end of the 20-minute spacewalk, White was exuberant. "This is the greatest experience," he said. "It's just tremendous."

Since this historic first, NASA astronauts have performed spacewalks, or extravehicular activity (EVA) in NASA-speak, on the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs. Astronauts have explored the lunar surface, completed 82 spacewalks outside of the space shuttle, and 187 spacewalks, to date, outside the International Space Station. A total of 166 hours of spacewalks were carried out to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Today, NASA is developing new advanced spacesuits for use by astronauts as they travel to new deep-space locations on the journey to Mars. The next-generation suit will incorporate a number of technology advances to shorten preparation time, improve safety and boost astronaut capabilities during spacewalks and surface activities.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA