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Kennedy space center

NASA Prepares to Return Humans to the Moon

January 22, 2021 by theCrimson Leave a Comment

Alexander Polimeni | Staff Writer

For the first time in 48 years, a human-capable spacecraft destined for the Moon rolled out of NASA’s Armstrong Operations & Checkout Facility, in preparation for a launch in late 2021. 

On Jan. 16, the Orion spacecraft emerged from its assembly hangar at a crawling speed, bound for the Multi-Purpose Processing Facility, the vehicle’s final stop before it is mated to its rocket. At the MMPF, the spacecraft will be fueled prior to launch. This particular propellant is used to maneuver Orion while in space, along with returning the capsule to Earth.

“I’m incredibly excited to service Orion at our rocket fuel gas station,” said Marcos Pena, a NASA manager based out of the MMPF, in a NASA press release.

Orion rolls from the Operations and Checkout Facility on Saturday. The spacecraft is protected by a tarp. Photo: Alexander Polimeni

Later that day, the core stage, the largest component of the 321-foot tall Space Launch System rocket, completed an engine firing test in the swamps of Mississippi. A whopping 1,670,000 pounds of thrust was unleashed on the test stand for approximately one minute, marking the first ignition of the most powerful rocket in the world, according to Boeing, the manufacturer of the core stage. While the test ended earlier than planned, it was designed to iron out any issues with the rocket before shipping to the Kennedy Space Center. 

“Seeing all four engines ignite for the first time during the core stage hot fire test was a big milestone for the Space Launch System team,” said John Honeycutt, the SLS program manager, in a NASA press release.

When SLS arrives in Florida, the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage will be lifted atop the 212-foot tall core stage. After launching atop the core stage, the United Launch Alliance-built ICPS will separate in space, and boost the Orion spacecraft to the Moon. Already complete, ICPS underwent periodic maintenance at the Delta Operations Center, at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, in December, according to ULA.

Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) sits inside the International Space Station Processing Facility, awaiting launch. The silo-like structure protects its delicate engine. Photo: Alexander Polimeni

The Exploration Ground Systems team at the Kennedy Space Center has been preparing to receive components and assemble the first SLS rocket. EGS has begun stacking the massive 12-foot wide solid rocket booster segments according to NASA, each producing 3,280,000 pounds of thrust at launch. Two of these solid rocket boosters will be strapped to the side of the core stage. 

A series of rollout tests have been completed with the rocket’s Mobile Launch Platform, a steel skyscraper used to transport the rocket to the launch pad vertically. The MLP will endure the brunt of the weight; 5.75 million pounds when SLS is fully fueled. 

“Stacking the first piece of the SLS rocket on the mobile launcher marks a major milestone for the Artemis Program,” said Andrew Shroble, a manager with NASA contractor Jacobs. “It shows the mission is truly taking shape and will soon head to the launch pad.”

Mobile Launch Platform rolls back inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, after undergoing testing at the launch pad in 2018. Photo: Alexander Polimeni

The mission is named Artemis I, after the sister of Apollo, an apt allusion to the program that landed humans on the Moon in the 1960s. This uncrewed shakedown test of the launch vehicle and spacecraft will involve the insertion of Orion in lunar orbit, and spending three weeks in space, according to a Lockheed Martin press release. The launch is currently planned for late 2021.

Shortly after, Artemis II will propel humans around the Moon, the first time since the end of the Apollo Program. The pinnacle of this program is Artemis III – landing humans back on the surface of the Moon, a feat not accomplished since 1972. 

Before Artemis can make history and return humans back on the Moon, the transport of Orion was the culmination of a decade of work to make the first test flight of SLS reality. 

“It will blaze a trail that people will follow on the next Orion flight, pushing the edges of the envelope to prepare for that mission,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager, in a NASA fact sheet.

Filed Under: All-Stories, Local, News, Technology, World Tagged With: Kennedy space center, NASA, orion, space, space center, space coast

Op-Ed: What really is the U.S. Space Force?

March 23, 2020 by theCrimson 2 Comments

by Alex Polimeni

Missile warning, GPS navigation, secured communications, and intelligence gathering; all of these share one commonality— they are essential to America’s national security.

The United States Space Force was formed late last year following increased hostility from other nations in space including China and Russia. 

Space has become an increasingly contested environment. The United States relies on a plethora of defense satellites, spanning through multiple orbits. Orbits thought to be safe and out of reach. However,  anti-satellite weapons have rapidly advanced, and pose an extreme danger to American assets.

According to an NPR report, countries including China, Russia, and India all have demonstrated anti-satellite capabilities through test launches.

The classified NROL-42 mission departed the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on Sept. 23, 2017. Photo//Alexander Polimeni

Yet, as most Americans are not aware of these critical space-based assets, they could not even picture life without these unique capabilities. These satellites orbit overhead, in the shadow of the public eye. The satellites of the United States Space Force support every warfighting domain; including land, sea, air and space. 

Daily life is intertwined around satellites owned by the Space Force. All GPS navigation satellites are controlled by the United States Space Force. If GPS satellites were to go offline, the financial system would crash, public navigation would be hindered, the power grid would be affected, military aircraft would have no sense of navigation, and more, according to an article from The Atlantic. Furthermore, GPS guided bombs and missiles would be rendered useless, according to a 60 Minutes interview with Bridger General Bill Cooley, the Commander at the Air Force Research Laboratory located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

In addition to the well-known GPS satellites, America relies on several other constellations, or groups of satellites, to monitor the globe for missile launches, provide secured communications, and more. 

“Our Military Services have created the world’s best space capabilities,”  said Mark Esper, secretary of defense, at a signing in the Pentagon. “Now is the time for the U.S. Space Force to lead our Nation in preparing for emerging threats in an evolving space environment.”  

He added that this new service will help guarantee we are in a position to defend our national interests and outpace potential adversaries. 

Before the United States Space Force, a command within the U.S. Air Force was responsible for the defense of military assets in space. Referred to as “the Air Force Space Command,” in the earliest days, there was no need to defend these satellites, they were safe, and out of reach in orbit. 

As America continued to keep the pace, Russia and China increased aggression in space. The Russians have closely maneuvered military satellites near U.S. commercial satellites. Anti-satellite weapons are within range of nearly all Earth orbits. Space is now a warfighting domain. 

The classified NROL-37 mission departed the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, on Jun. 11, 2016. Photo// Alexander Polimeni

“Let me be very clear, we do not want a conflict that extends into space, but one way to keep that from happening is to make sure that we’re prepared for it and [can] fight and win that conflict if it were to occur,” said John Raymond, general of the U.S. Space Force, to the House Armed Services Committee.

A drastic reorganization is underway in the United States space Force, as resources and airmen are moved from AFSPC.

Air Force bases that have had a large space mission will be transferred to the USSF, and be renamed accordingly. The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is planned to be renamed to the “Cape Canaveral Space Force Station” sometime at the end of the month. The Vandenberg Air Force Base, America’s west-coast launch site, will also be renamed, according to an article by Spaceflight Now. 

The USSF will still be under the supervision of the Department of the Air Force, but will be funded separately, and will have a Joint-Chief of Staff directly advising the President, significantly elevating the space mission. 

Space is the next frontier – but also the next battlefield. With America’s reliance on space-based assets, it is paramount that we are ready and willing to counter aggression on orbit. Life would not be the same without these satellites. Without space, it would be akin to going back to pre-industrial warfare. These missions absolutely save lives, so we must be ready to protect our spacecraft at all costs. America’s military-might depends on space. 

Filed Under: Local Tagged With: Cape Canaveral, Kennedy space center, launches, NASA, national defense, opinion, security, space, space force

NASA’s next Mars Rover arrives in Florida

March 4, 2020 by theCrimson Leave a Comment

By Alex Polimeni

Following in the footsteps of NASA’s past rovers —Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity — NASA’s fifth Mars rover has been delivered to its seaside launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida. 

On Feb. 12, the Mars 2020 rover and associated hardware arrived at the Kennedy Space Center. 

The Mars 2020 rover is a $2.4 billion astrobiology laboratory on wheels, whose stated goal is to discover the building blocks of life and search for signs of prehistoric life on the Red Planet. 

Mars 2020 Rover at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Photo// Alex Polimeni

The mission hardware was largely built at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, California, inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility. The SAF has housed the construction of every previous Mars rover and a multitude of groundbreaking planetary exploration missions, like Voyager 1 and 2, the first two spacecraft to leave the Solar System. 

“Our rover has left the only home it has ever known,” said John McNamee, project manager of Mars 2020 ina press release. “The 2020 family here at JPL is a little sad to see it go, but we’re even more proud knowing that the next time our rover takes to the skies, it will be headed to Mars.”

The currently unnamed Mars rover will continue a legacy that began with NASA’s first Mars rover – Sojourner – turning to school-children from the United States to name the rover. An essay competition, open to all students from K through 12, is underway, with an announcement expected in the next few months.

The rover is also the host to the first powered aircraft to fly on another planet. The Mars Helicopter Scout is a twin-blade miniature technology demonstrator, to validate flying an aircraft on another planet. The MHS is mounted below the rear of the rover. 

As Bob Balaram, chief engineer of the MHS stated in a JPL video, “the system is designed to fly for 2 to 3 minutes every day.” He added that the short duration flights can reach an altitude of around 15 feet and will support a 13-megapixel high-resolution camera. 

Additionally, the first of its kind sample-return payload will be included within the rover. The rover will use its drill to collect samples of interest and store the contents inside various tubes. The sample “package” will be deposited at a location on the surface, determined by the JPL team. Eventually, a joint NASA and European Space Agency mission will retrieve the samples and return them to Earth, allowing thorough analysis according to JPL. These will be the first samples ever retrieved from Mars, using laboratories on Earth for dissection.

The Mars 2020 mission has a method of Entry, Descent, and Landing, known to JPL officials as “seven minutes of terror.” Once the Mars 2020 payload is within the atmosphere of Mars, a rocket-propelled sky crane will be deployed. The sky crane will act as a hovering platform, as the rover descends on a cable to the surface of Mars. 

Due to the distance from Mars, there is about a 14-minute delay for signals to reach Earth.

“From the top of the atmosphere, down to the surface, it takes us 7 minutes,” said Adam Steltzner, EDL Engineer, in a JPL video. “So when we first get word we touched the top of the atmosphere, the vehicle is either alive or dead on the surface, for at least 7 minutes.” 

However, before this mission can begin its journey to Mars, it must first leave Earth’s atmosphere. NASA has selected United Launch Alliance to lift this flagship science mission, utilizing the Atlas V rocket. The Atlas V is the workhorse for NASA’s most costly missions, having successfully delivered many spacecraft to Mars in the past. At liftoff, the Atlas V for Mars 2020 will generate 2,254,000 lbs. of thrust; all this power required to lift the car-sized, 2,300 lb rover and associated hardware to Mars.  

The launch is currently scheduled for July 17 from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Complex 41 has supported a multitude of Mars explorers, including the Curiosity rover, in 2012. 

Filed Under: Local Tagged With: aerospace, florida, jet propulsion laboratory, Kennedy space center, mars rover, NASA

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