Category: Space

the final frontier

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Space

NASA To Use Apollo Era F-1 Rocket Again?

Apparently everything old is new again. NASA is looking at the possibility of once again using the F-1 rocket engine that got the Apollo missions (via the enormous Saturn V) off the ground. It doesn’t say if NASA is interested in the F-1, or the F-1A (which was developed post Apollo). Just goes to show that just because something is old, doesn’t mean it’s irrelevant.

Jeff Bezos and team found the F-1 engines of Apollo 11 a few months ago. Since then NASA has suggested The Smithsonian gets first dibs at an engine (which would still be their property if recovered), but a 2nd if recovered could go to the Museum of Flight.

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Politics Space

Moon Landing Day

Moon Landing Day

Moon Landing Day

There’s a petition going around to make July 20, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing a national holiday. The US has a fair number of holidays, however I don’t think we have anything that recognized a scientific achievement. Not a bad idea. Low chance of this going anywhere, but it’s a nice idea.

Why not a holiday that encourages Americans to literally shoot for the moon.

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Around The Web Space

Builing The USS Enterprise

Someone is very obsessed with building the USS Enterprise. Not the Navy’s carrier USS Enterprise, the Star Trek one.

It’s actually pretty interesting to read. While it seems very improbable given the costs and the uncertainty, it’s interesting since we are at the point where a roadmap technically would make sense. It’s ambitious and who doesn’t love reading about an underdog idea? Especially when it involves making something that was imagination just a generation ago into a plausible reality.

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Audio/Video Space

Shuttle Enterprise Unmated At JFK

Shuttle Enterprise 747 Unmate @ JFK

Shuttle Enterprise 747 Unmate @ JFK

About two weeks ago I got to see Shuttle Enterprise Arrive in NYC. NASA Television has now posted some video of the Shuttle being unmated from the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Unlike most of the times we’ve seen this process it was done by crane.

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Space

Mining In Outer Space

Planetary Resources is a freakishly futuristic company with the intent to mine in outer space.

I’m pretty sure after several mergers and acquisitions it eventually is renamed Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC) sometime shortly before 2145.

Are we really getting this close to being so futuristic?

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Photos Software Space

Shuttle Enterprise Arrives In NYC

Shuttle Enterprise 8

Shuttle Enterprise 8

I got to walk down to the Hudson this morning and watch Shuttle Enterprise arrive in NYC. It was an amazing site to behold. It was cold, and the pier was pretty busy, but I think everyone had a great time regardless.

USS Intrepid
USS Intrepid
Shuttle Enterprise 1
Shuttle Enterprise 2
Shuttle Enterprise 3
Shuttle Enterprise 4
Shuttle Enterprise 5
Shuttle Enterprise 6
Shuttle Enterprise 7
Shuttle Enterprise 8
Shuttle Enterprise 9
Shuttle Enterprise 10
Shuttle Enterprise 11
Shuttle Enterprise 12
Shuttle Enterprise 13
Shuttle Enterprise 14
Shuttle Enterprise 15
Shuttle Enterprise 16
Shuttle Enterprise 17
Shuttle Enterprise 18
Shuttle Enterprise 19
Shuttle Enterprise 20
Shuttle Enterprise 21
Shuttle Enterprise 22
Shuttle Enterprise 23
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Space

Oldest Working Satellites

How old is the oldest working satellite? US’s Vanguard 1 is still in orbit 50+ years later, but it’s long since stopped working. Still pretty impressive considering most orbits decay over time and they meet a fiery death.

The most definitive list of old satellites I could find is this:

  Satellite   Year of Launch    Type       Operator   Status

 (EGRS 7      1966          ITT Secor      US Army    Last report 1980) [not functioning]
  ATS 3       1967          Hughes HS-306  NASA       Still working 1990s [decomissioned]
 (NATO IIA    1970          Ford Skynet    NATO/USAF  At 105W, status unknown)
 (DSCS II F-1 1971          TRW DSCS 2     USAF       At 100-110W since 1979)
  IMP 8       1973          GSFC IMP       NASA       Still OK 1998
  Skynet IIB  1974          Marconi Skynet UK MoD     Still OK 1994
  LES 8       1976          Lincon Labs    USAF       Still OK 1992
  LES 9       1976          Lincon Labs    USAF       Still OK 1992 [decomissioned]
  Marisat 103 1976          Hughes HS-333  INMARSAT   Active
  GOES 2      1977          Ford SMS       NOAA       Active [decomissioned]
  FLTSATCOM 1 1978          TRW FLTSAT     USN        Active  [likely decommissioned]
  GOES 3      1978          Ford SMS       NOAA       Active

I was able to clean up this list a bit. My notes are in [brackets] to the right. For certain GOES 3 is still operational for communications purposes and is certainly one of the oldest if not the oldest working satellites in orbit.

It’s possible IMP 8 is still working as well, the most recent evidence I can find was from 2006 suggesting it was operational. FLTSATCOM 1 is likely decommissioned but I can’t find solid confirmation.

Several of the other ones are of a mystery. I suspect most of them had military elements to them and were quietly disposed of if they are no longer in use. If I had to bet, I’d say GOES 3 is most likely the oldest satellite in operation as of 2012.

GOES 3 is impressive. Who in 1978 would think it would be providing 1-megabit per second data transmission to the South Pole for communications purposes.

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Audio/Video Space

Outer Space

Outer Space

Outer Space

The seemingly simple old NASA photo sequences set to music just amazes me.

[Hat Tip: Chris Cooper]

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Space

Pioneer Anomaly Solved?

According to The Planetary Society the Pioneer Anomaly has been solved:

First of all, because the Pioneer spacecraft were spin-stabilized and almost always pointed their big dishes towards Earth. Second of all, because two sources of thermal radiation (heat) were then on the leading side of the spacecraft. The nuclear power sources, more formally Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTG), emitted heat towards the back side of the dishes. When the dishes reflected or re-radiated this heat, it went in the direction of travel of the spacecraft. Also, the warm electronics box for the spacecraft was on the leading side of the spacecraft, causing more heat to spill that direction. Photon pressure, the same type of thing used in solar sailing, then preferentially pushed against the direction of travel, causing a tiny, but measurable, deceleration of the spacecraft – the Pioneer Anomaly.

Emphasis mine.

Of course this isn’t the first time it has been said to be solved. This isn’t even the first time this theory has surfaced. It’s still interesting regardless. I bet in 20 years scientists will still bet debating.

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Space

Jeff Bezos’s Team Found Apollo 11’s F-1 Engines

Saturn V F-1 Rockets

Saturn V F-1 Rockets

The Saturn V was perhaps the greatest rocket ever built. Quoting Wikipedia:

It remains the tallest, heaviest and most powerful rocket ever brought to operational status and still holds the record for the heaviest launch vehicle payload.

The first stage (S-IC) was made of several F-1 rockets. Check out an old video to get an idea of how powerful they really were. The last launched in 1973, and there are a few (shell’s at least) as museum exhibits. We’ve got little left to remember them by. Unlike the Shuttle SRB’s they weren’t reusable. They just went to the bottom of the ocean. The most famous of them all are the ones that sent Apollo 11 on their way to the moon.

Jeff Bezos announced:

I’m excited to report that, using state-of-the-art deep sea sonar, the team has found the Apollo 11 engines lying 14,000 feet below the surface, and we’re making plans to attempt to raise one or more of them from the ocean floor. We don’t know yet what condition these engines might be in – they hit the ocean at high velocity and have been in salt water for more than 40 years. On the other hand, they’re made of tough stuff, so we’ll see.

They are still property of NASA, so lets hope they are willing to let them go to a museum. If Bezos’s suggestion for The Museum of Flight isn’t suitable, perhaps The Smithsonian would be. They have the Command Module (CM) already in the National Air and Space Museum.