Cygnus OA-7 (CRS-7) - Atlas V - Canaveral SLC-41 - 18.04.2017 15:11 UTC

[zandr]

https://ria.ru/science/20170418/1492526520.html

Грузовой корабль Cygnus успешно отделился от ракеты-носителя Atlas V

© AP Photo/ United Launch Alliance
ВАШИНГТОН, 18 апр – РИА Новости. Грузовой космический корабль Cygnus компании Orbital ATK успешно отделился от ракеты-носителя Atlas V и вышел на заданную орбиту, чтобы прибыть на Международную космическую станцию 22 апреля, трансляцию запуска вел сайт НАСА.
Старт ракеты-носителя с грузовым кораблем был дан с космодрома на мысе Канаверал (Флорида) в 11.11 по времени Восточного побереюья США (18.11 мск). Грузовик Cygnus принадлежит компании Orbital ATK, которая выполняет грузовые полеты к МКС по контракту с НАСА. Седьмая грузовая миссия Cygnus к МКС носит имя американского астронавта Джона Гленна, скончавшегося в конце прошлого года.
"Получаемая телеметрия свидетельствует, что Atlas V вывела Cygnus на верную орбиту", — сообщил ведущий трансляции. Успешный запуск также подтвердила компания United Launch Alliance, которой принадлежит ракета-носитель.
Стыковка грузовика с МКС запланирована на 13.05 мск в субботу 22 апреля.
Корабль доставит на орбиту около 3,8 тонн груза: продукты, одежду, предметы первой необходимости и материалы для научных экспериментов. Корабль будет находиться на орбите около трех месяцев.

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Пресс-конференция завершена

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/04/18/atlas-5-rocket-successfully-boosts-cygnus-cargo-ship-on-trek-to-space-station/

Atlas 5 rocket successfully boosts Cygnus cargo ship on trek to space station
 April 18, 2017 Justin Ray

CAPE CANAVERAL — Loaded with supplies to keep the International Space Station's crew fed, clothed and busy with new science projects, a Cygnus cargo vessel sped into orbit today atop an Atlas 5 rocket.

The 194-foot-tall United Launch Alliance rocket was activated and tested during a seven-hour countdown at its Complex 41 pad, leading to cryogenic fueling with 66,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.

With the final status check confirming readiness at T-minus 25 seconds — "Go Atlas," "Go Centaur," "Go OA-7" — the computer-controlled countdown proceeded flawlessly and the main engine roared to life at 11:11:26 a.m. EDT (1511:26 GMT).

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"Go for main engine start, 1, 0 and liftoff of the Atlas 5 rocket with Cygnus and the S.S. John Glenn, extending the research legacy for living and working in space," NASA launch commentator George Diller called fr om the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center, his final liftoff as the voice of launch control before retirement next month. He has worked at the Kennedy Space Center for nearly four decades and served as the commentator for such memorable launches as Hubble, Cassini, Mars Pathfinder, the Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers and the final space shuttle mission.

Aiming Cygnus towards the northeast and the International Space Station's orbit, the booster employed its advanced steering capabilities to glide into the space laboratory's orbital plane.

Liftoff occurred at the opening of a 30-minute window, a full 15 minutes before the plane crossed over the pad when less agile rockets requiring instantaneous launch opportunities would have targeted.

At the time of launch, the station was located 255 miles over the English Channel, southeast of England, and the astronauts received a live feed of the liftoff uplinked from mission control.

 
Official launch portrait. Credit: United Launch Alliance

The first stage burned for just over four minutes, delivering on-target performance, before separating from the Centaur upper stage so it could fire for 14 minutes to heave the 15,928-pound Cygnus into the intended 143-mile-high circular orbit, inclined 51.6 degrees to the equator.

Cygnus was released from the Atlas 5 some 21 minutes after liftoff, while orbiting above the North Atlantic, to begin its four-day transit the station.

It marked the 142nd consecutive successful Atlas program launch spanning more than two decades, the 71st for an Atlas 5 and the 119th in 124 months for United Launch Alliance.

This was the 17th commercial mission for the Atlas 5 and third time the rocket has lofted a Cygnus freighter for Orbital ATK under NASA's station resupply program with private industry.

"Atlas 5 performed beautifully," said Vern Thorpe, United Launch Alliance's program manager for Commercial Missions.

The Centaur, with its job complete, fired its engine for 10 seconds over the Indian Ocean as a de-orbit burn and re-entered south of Australia an hour after liftoff to guard against orbital debris and a future uncontrolled fall from space.

The Cygnus, meanwhile, established contact with controllers at Orbital ATK's hub in Dulles, Virginia, and then unwound its two circular solar arrays — resembling Mickey Mouse ears — to generate electricity.

"The status of the spacecraft is great," said Frank Culbertson, former space shuttle and station astronaut and now Orbital ATK's Space Systems Group president.

 
An artist's concept of Cygnus and the space station. Credit: Orbital ATK

Choreographed maneuvers over the 90-hour trek will propel the vessel toward its rendezvous with the International Space Station, meeting up in close proximity early Saturday. The first two burns are planned for later today, followed by another tomorrow, two on Thursday and three on Friday.

"It is a multi-phase process. The first couple of days we are phasing with the station and raise our orbit from about 250 km launch insertion orbit to the station's 400 km orbit," said Frank DeMauro, Orbital ATK's vice president and general manager of its Advanced Programs Division in the Space Systems Group.

"The real rendezvous work starts off with the Global Positioning System, then as we get closer to the station we use a laser-ranging system."

A final "go" to begin joint operations between Cygnus and the station will come Saturday at 1:15 a.m. EDT. The two craft should be less than four miles (6 km) apart by 2:40 a.m.

Cygnus will approach the station from behind and below, then climb up the radial vector, or R-bar, an imaginary line drawn between the station and the Earth, to reach its grapple point.

It will stop at 820 feet (250 meters) around 4:51 a.m. and 98 feet (30 meters) around 5:38 a.m. for ground-based reviews before receiving authority to resume closing.

The astronauts, floating in the multi-windowed cupola, will be watching the Cygnus rendezvous to ensure nothing is amiss with the craft.

"They are monitoring the whole way. If the crew sees something they don't like, they have the ability to hit the abort button and we fly away," DeMauro said.

 
The modified Cygnus program patch adapted for OA-7 and the Atlas 5 nose cone. Credit: NASA TV

Once the freighter arrives about 40 feet from the station, it will halt its maneuvering and wait for the Canadarm2 to reach out and latch ahold of a grapple fixture on its hull. That is scheduled for 6:05 a.m. EDT (1005 GMT).

Cygnus will be berthed to the underside of the Unity module about two hours later for the start of unloading operations.

** CYGNUS FLIGHT HISTORY **
 Name....Rocket.....Cargo up-mass..Launch date

Demo — Antares — 1,299 pounds — Launched Sept. 18, 2013
 Orb 1 — Antares — 2,780 pounds — Launched Jan. 9, 2014
 Orb 2 — Antares — 3,293 pounds — Launched July 13, 2014
 Orb 3 — Antares — 4,883 pounds — Launched Oct. 28, 2014 *Failure
 OA-4 — Atlas 5 — 7,746 pounds — Launched Dec. 6, 2015
 OA-6 — Atlas 5 — 7,758 pounds — Launched March 22, 2016
 OA-5 — Antares — 5,163 pounds — Launched Oct. 17, 2016
 OA-7 — Atlas 5 — 7,626 pounds — Launched April 18, 2017

While the upmass number for this Cygnus is slightly less than previously enabled by the Atlas 5 launcher, officials say the vessel is completely packed to the lim it.

"The cargo module is full. We've volumed-out, as we call it. It is a fully packed module, just some of it was a little less dense than last time," DeMauro said.

The freighter is scheduled to remain attached to the station for about 85 days, a period that will allow a more-leisurely unloading schedule for the crew.

"By staying that long, we offer the crew the flexibility to unload and then pack around the scientific work. We can stay for a long time," DeMauro said.

With the hatchway open for three months, the astronauts will use the Cygnus as a receptacle for trash and equipment no longer needed on the station. About 3,400 pounds of stuff will be stowed in the ship before it departs to re-enter the atmosphere.

"It's like six people living in a five bedroom house and no one is taking out the trash. It has to go out sometime and so Cygnus, with its big volume, provides a lot of capability for getting that trash off the ISS," DeMauro said.

"While certainly delivering the cargo is the glorious part, I think removing the disposable cargo, in a way, is extremely important."

After departure, Cygnus will climb about 50 miles higher for its free-flight secondary mission. There, the third SAFFIRE space fire experiment will be conducted and four remote-sensing cubesats get deployed.

Once all of the SAFFIRE data and video has been downlinked — roughly eight days are earmarked for that — the craft will execute a de-orbit burn to brake from space to re-enter over the South Pacific.

Three soccer ball-sized probes as part of a flight-test demonstration for new heat shield materials will be released from inside the Cygnus once it breaks apart. Data from the probes will be relayed through the Iridium satellite communications network.

Four more Cygnus missions are scheduled through the end of next year under NASA's original round of commercial resupply flights. At least six more are planned between 2019 and 2024, some potentially on Atlas 5 if NASA orders up any specific mission to carry extra cargo.

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Любителям огня во облацех... 4K UHD

(3:09)

4K UHD: ULA Atlas 5 Cygnus OA-7 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral AFS FL on 18 Apr 17
 
 
 P1K1W1

Опубликовано: 18 апр. 2017 г.

SUBWOOFER ALERT @ 30 seconds!!! New on-camera external microphone catches the thunderous roar of the rocket better than ever! Crank'em if you got'em!

18 Apr 2017 (11:11:26 AM): United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 Cygnus OA-7 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station FL. This 4K UHD video was recorded 4.85 miles from the launch pad (SLC-41) using a Panasonic Lumix FZ-1000 at a max focal length of 1184 mm.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, standing 194 feet tall and and weighing 720,000 pounds, generates 860,000 pounds of thrust from its main engine to launch the Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship on the OA-7 mission to the International Space Station. -Justin Ray, SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Но, ТБМ, хорошо идёт!

[tnt22]

Пассажир Лебедя (один из...)

BG2BHC‏ @bg2bhc 2 ч. назад

#LilacSat-1 now in space! @QB50Mission @AMSAT @AmsatUK

Спойлер

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(27:27)

Post Launch News Conference for Atlas V Cygnus OA-7 Mission
 
 
 Space Videos

Опубликовано: 18 апр. 2017 г.

NASA, ULA and Orbital managers discuss the successful launch of the Atlas V rocket with Cygnus OA-7 spacecraft.

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/orbital/2017/04/18/cargo-resupply-mission-off-to-a-great-start/

Cargo Resupply Mission Off to 'a Great Start'
Posted on April 18, 2017 at 3:04 pm by Anna Heiney.

Спойлер

Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

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Resident crew members aboard the International Space Station are expecting a delivery early Saturday morning following today's successful liftoff of the Orbital ATK CRS-7 cargo resupply mission aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

"It's a great feeling to be back at Kennedy Space Center watching commercial cargo launch to the International Space Station," said Joel Montalbano, deputy manager of the International Space Station Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "This is a great start and I want to thank our Orbital ATK and United Launch Alliance colleagues for where we are today."

The on-time launch at 11:11 a.m. EDT marked the conclusion of a smooth countdown at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

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"We had a pretty smooth count, with a couple of minor issues quickly resolved," said Vern Thorp, United Launch Alliance's program manager for commercial missions. The weather cooperated and the vehicle performance was exactly as expected.

"All the predicted timing of events was right on the money, and the orbit we ins erted the spacecraft in to was very accurate," Thorp said.

The spacecraft is in good health as it starts its three-day chase of the station.

"The status of the spacecraft is great," said Frank Culbertson, president of the Orbital ATK Space Systems Group. "The solar arrays are fully deployed and rotated and generating power; the team is in control and we're beginning our approach to the space station."

The Orbital ATK CRS-7 mission is the Cygnus module's seventh flight to the orbiting outpost under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract, and the third such flight aboard an Atlas V. The delivery of more than 7,600 pounds of cargo will support several new and existing science investigations and will also include crew supplies and station equipment.

Expedition 51 astronauts Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency and Peggy Whitson of NASA will use the station's robotic arm to grapple Cygnus at about 6:05 a.m. Saturday.

Space Station Program managers were able to pipe today's launch video to the station so the crew could watch live, Montalbano said.

"The crew passed their congratulations to the teams down here," he added.

For further updates on the Orbital ATK CRS-7 mission, visit https://www.nasa.gov/orbital.

This entry was posted in Cygnus, Orbital ATK on April 18, 2017 by Anna Heiney.

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[che wi]

Господа модеры, пора поправить название топика? ))

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 vbhttps://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-space-station-cargo-launches-aboard-orbital-atk-resupply-mission

April 18, 2017
 RELEASE 17-029
 
 NASA Space Station Cargo Launches aboard Orbital ATK Resupply Mission

Спойлер

 Orbital ATK's seventh cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station launched at 11:11 a.m. EDT April 18, 2017, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Credits: NASA TV

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The International Space Station will be capable of dozens of new scientific investigations from NASA and around the world when Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft delivers more than 7,600 pounds of cargo Saturday, April 22.

Orbital ATK's seventh cargo delivery flight to the station launched at 11:11 a.m. EDT Tuesday on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Expedition 51 astronauts Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) and Peggy Whitson of NASA will use the space station's robotic arm to grapple Cygnus, about 6:05 a.m. Saturday. The spacecraft will remain at the space station until July before its destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere, disposing of several thousand pounds of trash.

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This is the fourth flight of an enhanced Cygnus spacecraft, and the third using the Atlas V launch system. The spacecraft for this mission is named in honor of John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth. Glenn, who died in December at age 95, was one of NASA's original seven astronauts and a retired U.S. Senator from Ohio.

The mission, which is under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract, will support dozens of new and existing investigations as Expeditions 51 and 52 contribute to approximately 250 science and research studies.

Highlights from the new experiments will include studies on cancer-fighting drugs, crystal growth and atmospheric reentry.

In microgravity, cancer cells grow in 3-D, spheroid structures that closely resemble their form in the human body, enabling better tests for drug the efficacy. The ADCs in Microgravity investigation tests drugs designed as targeted cancer therapies called antibody-drug conjugates, developed by Oncolinx. These conjugates combine an immune-activating drug with antibodies and target only cancer cells, which could potentially increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and reduce side-effects. Results from this investigation could help inform treatments for cancer patients and provide insight into how microgravity affects a drug's performance.

The Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules (SUBSA) investigation originally was operated successfully aboard the station in 2002. Updated software, data acquisition, high definition video and communication interfaces will help advance understanding of the processes involved in semiconductor crystal growth. Investigations such as the CLYC Crystal Growth experiment will be conducted in the SUBSA Furnace and inserts. High-quality crystals are essential to a variety of applications, and a microgravity environment can produce better quality crystals. CLYC crystals grown aboard station can help researchers understand the exact conditions needed to produce the highest-quality, defect-free crystals.

The Thermal Protection Material Flight Test and Reentry Data Collection (RED-Data2) investigation studies a new type of recording device that rides alongside a spacecraft as it reenters Earth's atmosphere, recording data about the extreme conditions it encounters. Scientists, so far, have been unable to monitor those conditions on a large scale, and a better understanding could lead to more accurate spacecraft breakup predictions, better spacecraft designs, and materials capable of better resisting the extreme heat and pressure during the return to Earth.

For more than 16 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A global endeavor, more than 200 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 1,900 research investigations from researchers in more than 95 countries.

Learn more about Orbital ATK's mission at:

 

https://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk

Keep up with the International Space Station, and its research and crews, at:

 

https://www.nasa.gov/station

Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram and Twitter:

 

http://instagram.com/iss

and

http://www.twitter.com/Space_Station

-end-

 
Cheryl Warner
 Headquarters, Washington
 202-358-1100
cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov
 
Dan Huot
 Johnson Space Center, Houston
 281-483-5111
daniel.g.huot@nasa.gov

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Last Updated: April 18, 2017
Editor: Karen Northon

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http://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/release.asp?prid=245

Orbital ATK's Cygnus Successfully Launched on Seventh Cargo Delivery Mission to International Space Station

"S.S. John Glenn" Operating as Planned Early in Mission

Spacecraft to Arrive at Space Station on April 22

Dulles, Virginia 18 April 2017 – Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, successfully launched its Cygnus™ spacecraft to the International Space Station aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V launch vehicle with approximately 7,600 pounds (3,450 kilograms) of cargo as well as 38 cubesats, many built by university students, which will be deployed directly from either the space station or the spacecraft in the coming months. The Atlas V rocket lifted off at 11:11 a.m. (EDT) today from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The launch marks the company's seventh operational cargo resupply mission (OA-7) for NASA under its Commercial Resupply Services-1 (CRS-1) contract. The spacecraft, named the S.S. John Glenn in honor of the late astronaut, will also become the third Cygnus to conduct scientific experiments following its departure from the station.

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"Today's successful launch reflects the remarkable efforts of our Orbital ATK team which has now delivered its fourth Cygnus to the space station in little over a year from two different launch locations," said Frank Culbertson, President of Orbital ATK's Space Systems Group. "We are also pleased that Cygnus will once again display its versatility as an in-orbit science platform for conducting experiments and payload operations for key customers. Finally, congratulations to NASA, ULA and Orbital ATK for their shared teamwork in commemorating a champion of human spaceflight through the S.S. John Glenn. We are proud to dedicate this mission to John and his family."

Following a 21-minute ascent, the S.S. John Glenn was successfully deployed into its intended orbit. Orbital ATK's engineering team confirmed that reliable communications have been established and that the vehicle's solar arrays are fully deployed, providing the necessary electrical power to operate the spacecraft.

Cygnus will be grappled the morning of April 22 and remain attached to the space station for approximately three months before departing with roughly 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms) of disposable cargo for a safe, destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. Cygnus' large-volume and pressurized disposal cargo capability, a critical service to NASA, is unique among America's commercial cargo providers.

For this mission, Cygnus is carrying a variety of essential items including food, clothing, crew supplies, spare parts, laboratory equipment and scientific experiments. Among the cargo that will be delivered are four powered, mid-deck lockers. Resembling freezers, these lockers receive power from Cygnus in order to maintain a constant internal temperature after they are loaded into the pressurized cargo module. Each locker will carry critical science experiments for the crew.

Once Cygnus departs the space station, the spacecraft will execute three secondary OA-7 missions.  Cygnus will carry the Saffire-III payload experiment to study the behavior of a large fire in microgravity onboard the spacecraft. Data from this experiment will be downloaded via telemetry to researchers on the ground. In addition, a NanoRacks deployer will release four cubesats used for weather monitoring and global ship tracking. The final experiment will use three Reentry Data Collection Flight Recorders to provide crucial data about the extreme conditions a spacecraft encounters when reentering the Earth's atmosphere. This specific experiment will also test the performance of different heat shield materials that may be used on future U.S.  space missions.

The Cygnus system consists of a common service module and pressurized cargo module. The service module was built and tested at Orbital ATK's manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia. The enhanced Cygnus also uses Orbital ATK's UltraFlex™ solar arrays, which are the latest in lightweight, space-qualified, electrical power technology. Orbital ATK manufactured the arrays and composite structures at its Goleta and San Diego, California, facilities, and the propellant tanks for the Cygnus spacecraft at its Commerce, California, site.

Orbital ATK's composite structures and retro motors also supported today's launch of the ULA Atlas V rocket. The company manufactured a 10-foot diameter composite heat shield for the launch vehicle, using advanced fiber placement manufacturing techniques at its Iuka, Mississippi facility. The Elkton, Maryland facility contributed eight Orbital ATK retro motors, providing thrust for separation of the spent first stage.

Pending NASA's specific cargo needs, Orbital ATK is prepared to launch two additional CRS missions scheduled this year that will launch aboard the company's Antares rockets from NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Beginning in 2019, Orbital ATK will conduct a minimum of six initial cargo missions under NASA's CRS-2 contract.

B-roll and animation footage for the OA-7 mission can be found here: http://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/bmc/#. Please note that media will be prompted to request a PIN for access.

About Orbital ATK

Orbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies.  The company designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier.  Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs approximately 12,500 people in 18 states across the U.S. and in several international locations.  For more information, visit www.orbitalatk.com.
 

# # #

     [TH] Media Contact[/TH][TH] Investor Contact[/TH]

-------------------------
Vicki Cox  (410) 409-8723  vicki.cox@orbitalatk.com		Barron Beneski  (703) 406-5528  barron.beneski@orbitalatk.com

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Лебедя, наконец, "окольцевали"

CYGNUS OA-7

1 42681U 17019A 17108.83722007 -.00003698 11693-4 00000-0 0 9996
2 42681 51.6493 334.2251 0002401 286.7482 185.0454 16.14048485 36

Эпоха UTC 2017-04-18 20:05:36, орбита 241.3 km × 244.5 km × 51.6°, период 89.2 min

Для справки:
Текущая орбита МКС

1 25544U 98067A 17108.89682041 +.00002831 +00000-0 +50020-4 0 9990
2 25544 051.6438 333.8309 0007185 071.6711 062.5473 15.54124690052531

Эпоха UTC 2017-04-18 21:31:25, орбита 407.0 km × 416.7 km × 51.6°, период 92.7 min

[Max Andriyahov]

"НАСА проведет испытания нового теплозащитного покрытия.

18 апреля в космос был запущен грузовой корабль Cygnus, основная задача которого – доставить на Международную космическую станцию припасы и оборудование c материалами для научных экспериментов. В то же время, при возвращении корабля на Землю запланированы сразу два отдельных эксперимента. Первый из них Saffire, посвящен изучению распространения огня в невесомости.

В ходе второго эксперимента с корабля будут выброшены три сферы с разными типами теплозащитного покрытия. Погружаясь в атмосферу Земли, они будут передавать информацию о своей температуре. Цель инженеров состоит в том, чтобы собрать информацию о характеристиках материалов в реальных условиях спуска в атмосфере. Сопоставление этих данных с теоретическими позволит уточнить методики расчетов характеристик абляционных материалов и параметры наземных экспериментов.

На зондах RED Data2 будет использован новый конформный абляционный материал, разработанный компанией Terminal Velocity Aerospace (TVA). Как отметил представитель НАСА, сотрудничество с малым бизнесом позволяет агентству сильно экономить при ведении разработок.

На первом зонде (слева на фото) будет использовано конмормное теплозащитное покрытие компании TVA, состоящее из двух элементов. Лобовой экран представляет собой материал C-PICA (Конформный углеродный аблятор с заполнением фенолом), а боковые и задние стенки покрыты C-SIRCA (Конформный многоразовый керамический аблятор с заполнением силиконом).

На втором зонде (в центре) использовано покрытие Avcoat, которое также применяется на новом пилотируемом космическом корабле Orion. Третий зонд (справа) защищен плитками, аналогичными тем, что использовались на космических шаттлах.

Каждый зонд представляет собой твердый корпус размером примерно с футбольный мяч, покрытый снаружи теплозащитным материалом. Внутри корпуса и в теплозащитном покрытии установлены датчики для измерения температуры. Зонды оборудованы антенной для передачи информации на Землю через спутники компании Iridium.

Аппараты пробудут внутри корабля Cygnus до июня, когда его миссия завершится. Корабль отстыкуется от МКС и будет сведен с орбиты. При попадании в плотные слои атмосферы он разрушится, и зонды продолжат свободный полет вместе с обломками корабля. Завершив передачу данных, они затонут в Тихом океане."

http://kosmolenta.com/index.php/1046-2017-04-19-heat-..

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Лебедь продолжает маневрировать для сближения с МКС
 
CYGNUS OA-7
 
1 42681U 17019A 17109.46972691 -.00000487 +00000-0 +00000-0 0 9991
2 42681 051.6511 331.0240 0010106 169.9930 268.8149 15.53958196000134 
 
Эпоха UTC 2017-04-19 11:16:24, орбита 405.5 km × 419.2 km × 51.65°, период 92.7 min
 
Для справки:
Текущая орбита МКС
 
1 25544U 98067A 17109.92096824 +.00002787 +00000-0 +49344-4 0 9990
2 25544 051.6434 328.7262 0007243 075.4107 032.5712 15.54131334052697 
 
Эпоха UTC 2017-04-19 22:06:12, орбита 406.9 km × 416.7 km × 51.64°, период 92.7 min

На текуший момент положение МКС и Лебедя (Лебедь догоняет МКС):
(навеяло ассоциацию - Зевс и Леда )

[tnt22]

О трансляции НАСА 2017-04-22
 
https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public
 

[tnt22]

http://spaceflight101.com/cygnus-oa7/cygnus-oa-7-inbound-for-iss-arrival/

Cygnus OA-7 Supply Ship on Course to Space Station for Saturday Arrival
April 21, 2017

...

Cygnus lowered its orbit to 387 by 402 Kilometers, flying roughly ten Kilometers lower than ISS to begin the process of catching up with the Station for Saturday's multi-hour rendezvous sequence. Approaching from behind and below, Cygnus will pass its Joint Targeting Reference Point just before 7 UTC, marking the start of integrated operations between Mission Control Dulles and MCC Houston which holds the overall authority over the day's operation while Dulles is in charge of advising on Cygnus status and sending commands to the spacecraft.


Cygnus Rendezvous Profile – Image: Orbital ATK

Once Cygnus is inside 28 Kilometers, the rendezvous will switch to relative navigation mode in which GPS information from ISS is sent to Cygnus and compared with the spacecraft's own GPS readings to provide an accurate representation of the geometry between the two orbiting craft with much higher precision than using absolute GPS.

Спойлер

Relative GPS data will guide Cygnus through three ADV (Approach Delta-V) maneuvers before the craft's optical navigation sensors take over for Proximity Operations.

The first ADV burn of the BT-4 main engine comes around 7:20 UTC to begin the transition from an orbit four Kilometers below that of ISS. A circularization burn (ADV2) occurs half and orbit later and Cygnus will continue approaching ISS from an orbit 1.4 Kilometers beneath that of the complex.

With Cygnus closing in on the Station, the U.S. Segment crew members will begin preparing for the craft's arrival at ISS. Setting up shop inside the Cupola will be ESA Astronaut Thomas Pesquet who will be the primary robotics operator on Saturday backed up by Peggy Whitson who will handle communications with Mission Control and operate the Hardware Command Panel that allows the ISS to directly send commands to the Cygnus through a space-to-space communications link.


Cupola Robotics Workstation – Photo: NASA

A poll will be completed at Mission Control ahead of the Approach Initiation Burn (ADV3) around 8:40 UTC that will put Cygnus from a position behind ISS on a path toward the R-Bar – an imaginary line connecting ISS and the Center of Earth. Once acquiring the R-Bar, around 350 meters directly below ISS, Cygnus will fire up its TRIDAR optical navigation System.

TRIDAR employs a laser-based 3D sensor to capture the three-dimensional signature of its target that is then put through a software algorithm comparing the data with the known shape of the target spacecraft to calculate the six-degree-of-freedom  geometry between Cygnus and ISS.

Approach Burn 4 takes place when Cygnus arrives at the R-Bar to enable the spacecraft to make a straight-up approach to the Station. Reaching the 250-meter mark around 9 UTC, Cygnus will pause its approach for a checkout of its Proximity Navigation System before teams will be polled for a Go to resume the approach from 250 meters.


Image: Orbital ATK

Gently firing its thrusters, Cygnus will initiate a closing rate and enter the Keep Out Sphere, an imaginary 200-meter zone around ISS in which the highest safety standards have to be met by visiting vehicles. As Cygnus enters the KOS, the Station crew will be instructed to send abort commands in case the vehicle ventures outside its pyramidal approach corridor while ISS is out of contact with Houston.

At a range of 55 meters, good TriDAR navigation is verified and at 30 meters, Cygnus enters its next hold – expected to last ten minutes. When the hold is complete and all teams provide approval, Cygnus begins its final approach to the Capture Point – 10 meters from ISS, within the reach of Canadarm2. The transition to the capture point takes about 20 minutes and Cygnus is expected to enter its Capture Hold at 10 UTC (earliest Capture point arrival).

As soon as Cygnus arrives at the Capture Point, within the SSRMS capture volume, it will zero-out any relative motion between itself and ISS. Final reviews will be conducted on the ground before the GO is given for the capture, allowing the ISS crew to move through their last preparatory steps at their own pace. ISS will enter a fine attitude hold for the capture sequence while Cygnus will be commanded into free drift in the last moments before capture, disabling all thrusters before the robotic arm makes contact with the spacecraft.

The SSRMS Video & Data Grapple Fixture is located on the aft end of Cygnus. The crew will align the End Effector of Canadarm2 with the grapple fixture before starting the capture sequence, placing the End Effector over the grapple fixture and initiating snares to close in order to capture the spacecraft. Because there is some wiggle room in the timeline for Cygnus' rendezvous, an exact time for the capture can not be given.


Photo: NASA (File)

With Cygnus firmly grasped by the robotic arm, the crew will hand robotics off to the team on the ground for the berthing operation that begins with a series of safing steps on the Cygnus spacecraft before the arm will execute a set of maneuvers to bring the spacecraft into its pre-berthing position for a survey of the Common Berthing Mechanism to verify the redundant pressure seals are intact and there are no foreign objects that could interfere with the berthing.

ROBO controllers will rely on the Centerline Berthing Camera System to position Cygnus with millimeter-accuracy before capture latches are closed within the nadir Common Berthing Mechanism of the Unity module. Once first stage capture is achieved, the SSRMS will be transitioned into limp-mode to give Cygnus some wiggle room to be pulled into the CBM when bolts drive. Second stage capture is achieved by driving sixteen bolts in four sets of four, forming a firm structural connection between ISS and Cygnus and tightly pulling the double-redundant pressure seals within the berthing mechanism together.

After each of the bolts is loaded with a specific torque, Mission Control will clear the crew to press into the lengthy vestibule outfitting and hatch opening task. This procedure entails an hour-long pressure check on the vestibule between Cygnus and Unity before the first hatch is opened to give the crew access for the installation of data/power jumpers and ventilation ducts and the removal of the Controller Panel Assemblies that are responsible for driving the CBM bolts. After that, the crew will be ready to open the Cygnus hatch which may occur as early as Saturday evening depending on the overall progress of the day's events.

[свернуть]

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[tnt22]

04/21/2017 17:30



04/21/2017 19:38

The orbital rendezvous of the commercially-operated Cygnus cargo ship with the International Space Station is set for early Saturday morning, completing a four-day trek to the laboratory from the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.

Спойлер

The trip took a bit longer than needed, giving space for the Soyuz crew launch and docking that successfully occurred on Thursday.

Orbital ATK's Cygnus, approaching the station from behind and below, it will use Global Positioning navigation and rendezvous laser sensors to arrive at a point within 40 feet of the lab complex. That's when the vessel will be grappled by the station's robotic arm, expected around 6:05 a.m. EDT (1005 GMT).

The astronauts are responsible for monitoring the Cygnus vehicle's approach, able to abort the rendezvous with the push of a button to make the craft retreat away if they spot something amiss. Expedition 51 flight engineer Thomas Pesquet, a Frenchman from the European Space Agency, will be prime from working the Canadarm2 to capture the ship, while commander Peggy Whitson of NASA serves as backup arm operator.

Ground controllers will remotely-operate the arm to maneuver and then seat the Cygnus into the berthing mechanism on the underside of the station's Unity module. Sixteen electrically-driven bolts will be engage to firmly attach the two craft together, allowing the hatchway to be opened to begin a three-month stay.

We will provide live updates on the Cygnus arrive and webcast the NASA TV video of the rendezvous starting at 4:30 a.m. EDT (0830 GMT) on this page.

[свернуть]

[tnt22]

ISS Updates‏ @ISS101 12 мин. назад

#Cygnus inbound for rendezvous, not working any issues. ISS crew now starting robotics setup. Capture ~10:05 UTC. http://spaceflight101.com/cygnus-oa7/cygnus-oa-7-inbound-for-iss-arrival/ ...

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ISS Updates‏ @ISS101 4 мин. назад

The crew just commanded #Cygnus to activate its navigation lights - testing the direct command link between ISS & the approaching spacecraft

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ISS Updates‏ @ISS101 8 мин. назад

#Cygnus has passed its Approach Initiation point - now on its way to intercept the R-Bar for a straight-up approach to ISS.

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ISS Updates‏ @ISS101 7 мин. назад

Mission Control confirms a good Approach Initiation Burn by the #Cygnus spacecraft.