CST-100 Starliner (Orbital Flight Test) - Atlas V N22 (AV-080) - CCAFS SLC-41 - 20.12.2019, 11:36 UTC.

Автор tnt22, 26.10.2019 23:55:23

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тавот

ЦитироватьЧебурашка написал:
А баньку до пуска ещё сходить успеют.
А на заднем плане кто - баньщицы ?  ;) 
Three, two, one, ignition, and liftoff !

Охотник утки, пьющий водки !

Это ещё не сверхтяж, но уже и не супертяж.© Д.О.Р.


tnt22

Цитировать Trevor Mahlmann‏ @TrevorMahlmann 22 ч. назад

104 megapixel panorama of the Boeing CST-100 #Starliner control panel
(with a few peeks at the level of detail)
Soooo many buttons and switches!

full-res download //: https://www.tmahlmann.com/photos/Rockets/United-Launch-Alliance/OFT/i-rLPqSSz/ ...




tnt22

Цитировать Flight Club‏ @flightclubio 16 ч. назад

There are a _lot_ of differences between DM-1 (blue) and OFT (green). Falcon 9 and Atlas V are just such drastically different vehicles. Check out the velocity curve for example. Look how little the Falcon 9 S1 contributes to the payload velocity compared to Atlas V!




tnt22

ЦитироватьDec 20 03:00
Welcome to the OFT Countdown

From the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, this is Atlas Launch Control.

The countdown is about to begin for liftoff of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to send Boeing's CST-100 Starliner capsule on its maiden voyage into space. Starliner is headed to the International Space Station for its uncrewed Orbital Flight Test in NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Activities are on schedule for liftoff from Space Launch Complex-41 at 6:36:43 a.m. EST (1136:43 UTC). The launch window is instantaneous, meaning there is only a moment in time available each day for liftoff to occur when the orbital plane of the space station passes over the pad.

We will be starting the countdown at 7:16 p.m.

tnt22

ЦитироватьDec 20 03:18
Countdown begins

This is Atlas Launch Control at L-11 hours, 20 minutes (T-minus 6 hours, 20 minutes) and counting!

The countdown has been initiated for liftoff of the Atlas V rocket carrying the first Starliner spacecraft.

Today's countdown lasts more than 11 hours from now through liftoff, which is longer than previous Atlas V flights.

There are two pre-planned, built-in holds scheduled in the count. The first is reserved prior to fueling at T-minus 2 hours and lasts 60 minutes.

The second is a long-duration, four-hour hold that will be inserted into the countdown after the completion of fueling operations at the T-minus 4 minute mark.

That block of time allows the Blue Team to enter the launch pad with the rocket is in a quiescent state to perform all of the necessary work to prepare the Starliner crew module for flight.

On future crewed missions, this will be the time in which the astronauts board the capsule and get strapped into their seats.

For the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test, however, this will be a simulation of crew ingress into Starliner.

The Atlas V rocket, designated AV-080, will launch Starliner on its Orbital Flight Test uses a launch vehicle configuration unique for this and future Commercial Crew missions.

The common core booster first stage is powered by the RD-180 main engine and is augmented in liftoff thrust by a pair of AJ-60A solid-fuel rockets.

The Dual Engine Centaur returns to the Atlas program after a 15-year hiatus, providing the necessary thrust to fly a trajectory that enhances safety for the astronauts.

The vehicle does not have a payload fairing, instead features a Launch Vehicle Adapter (LVA) with its special aeroskirt that supports the Starliner capsule atop the rocket and ensures aerodynamic stability.

The Atlas V with Starliner stands 172 feet tall and will weigh nearly a million pounds when fully fueled. Liftoff thrust will be almost 1.6 million pounds.

It takes 15 minutes to perform this Atlas V mission, from liftoff until deployment of the spacecraft.

tnt22

ЦитироватьDec 20 04:06

The Atlas-Centaur rocket has been powered up for its launch of Starliner.

The flight control operator in the Launch Control Center performed the power up. Soon, he will begin avionics testing while the rocket's Inertial Guidance and Control Assembly (INCA) flight computer is allowed to warm up. Later, the operator will conduct guidance system testing and steering checks of the engine nozzles prior to cryogenic fueling.

The countdown continues to track on schedule for liftoff at 6:36:43 a.m. EST (1136:43 UTC). At L-10 hours, 30 minutes (T-minus 5 hours 30 minutes) and counting, this is Atlas Launch Control.

tnt22

ЦитироватьDec 20 04:26
The EDS

The Emergency Detection System (EDS) aboard the Atlas V rocket is going into its test mode. EDS will transition to its ascent mode at T-minus 80 seconds.

EDS has been added to Atlas V to protect astronauts flying aboard future Starliners by monitoring for critical hazards, failures and imminent or occurring anomalies. The system would trigger an abort for the capsule to safely leave the launch vehicle and return to Earth.

tnt22

ЦитироватьDec 20 04:45
Weather 80% GO

This is Atlas Launch Control at L-9 hours, 51 minutes (T-minus 4 hours, 51 minutes) and counting. Launch Weather Officer Jessica Williams from the Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron reports that conditions at Cape Canaveral are looking favorable for the flight of Atlas V and Starliner in the morning, forecasting an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions at liftoff time.

The outlook calls for some scattered low clouds, good visibility, east-northeasterly winds of 22 gusting to 26 knots and a temperature near 65 degrees F.

The main concern will be the ground winds exceeding limits for launch.

tnt22

Ждут, готовятся...
Цитировать Jessica Meir‏ @Astro_Jessica 3 ч. назад

Today I opened the @Space_Station forward facing hatch, in prep for docking of the @BoeingSpace #Starliner this weekend! This test flight marks the final step before @Commercial_Crew @NASA_Astronauts will fly on this vehicle. Tune in to watch tomorrow's launch from @NASAKennedy!

https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1207792703649415172/pu/vid/720x406/Wt-pKeIVYcnGGMbP.mp4 (0:13)

tnt22

Цитировать Spaceflight Now‏ @SpaceflightNow 4 мин. назад

The US Air Force weather team predicts an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions for launch of the Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral at 6:36am EST (1136 GMT). The primary concern is with gusty ground winds. LIVE COVERAGE: https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/12/18/atlas-5-av-080-starliner-oft-mission-status-center/ ...


tnt22

https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/12/19/starliner-test-flight-to-use-special-atlas-5-configuration-unusual-launch-trajectory/
ЦитироватьStarliner test flight to use special Atlas 5 configuration, unusual launch trajectory
December 19, 2019 | Stephen Clark


A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket with Boeing's Starliner crew capsule rolls out of the Vertical Integration Facility Wednesday at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Credit: United Launch Alliance

The 81st flight of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, set for liftoff Friday fr om Cape Canaveral, will come with its share of firsts when it sends Boeing's Starliner crew capsule toward the International Space Station on an unpiloted test flight.

The launcher will fly without a payload shroud, which typically envelopes satellites during liftoff, and it will debut an uprated dual-engine Centaur upper stage that will power the Starliner on a unique suborbital trajectory optimized for astronaut comfort.

The new version of the Atlas 5 stands 172 feet (52.4 meters) tall. ULA even has a new designation for the Atlas 5 version designed for Starliner missions: N22, meaning no payload fairing, two solid rocket boosters, and a two-engine Centaur upper stage.

On top of the rocket sits Boeing's Starliner capsule, which measures 15 feet (nearly 4.6 meters), slightly wider than the Apollo command module. The Starliner's Orbital Flight Test set for launch Friday will be a demonstration of the capsule's performance before NASA and Boeing put astronauts on the next mission to the space station.

A test dummy named "Rosie" is seated inside the Starliner crew cabin to collect data on the environments future astronauts will see in flight.

NASA has signed agreements with Boeing since 2010, valued at near $5 billion, to fund development of the Starliner spacecraft. The space agency has similar contracts with SpaceX to develop the Crew Dragon spacecraft, which completed its first unpiloted trip to the space station in March, and is due to begin flights with astronauts in early 2020.

"One of the first strategic decisions that we made in the commercial crew program was the selection of the Atlas 5 as our launch vehicle for its unprecedented safety and mission success record," said John Mulholland, vice president and manager for Boeing's commercial crew program.

ULA ground crews transferred the rocket to Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad Wednesday to begin final countdown preparations.

The Atlas 5 launch countdown is expected to begin at 7:16 p.m. EST Thursday (0016 GMT Friday), leading to an instantaneous launch opportunity at 6:36:43 a.m. EST (1136:43 GMT), roughly the moment Earth's rotation brings the launch pad under the International Space Station's orbital plane.

After filling the Atlas 5 with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants — kerosene for the first stage is already loaded on-board — ULA's launch team will be polled in the final minutes before liftoff. If all systems are go, the countdown clock will resume at T-minus 4 minutes and tick down down to liftoff.

The Atlas 5's Russian-made RD-180 main engine will ignite and throttle up to full power to produce 860,000 pounds of thrust, then the rocket's two solid-fueled will fire to propel the launcher off pad 41.

Turning northeast to align itself with the space station's orbital pathway, the Atlas 5 will surpass the speed of sound in 66 seconds. The twin solid rocket boosters, produced by Aerojet Rocketdyne, will burn for more than 90 seconds to give extra burst of energy during the Atlas 5's initial climb away fr om Cape Canaveral. The booster casings will jettison at T+plus 2 minutes, 22 seconds, to fall into the Atlantic Ocean.


The Starliner spacecraft is seen at pad 41 with the crew access arm extended. Credit: United Launch Alliance

The RD-180 engine, responding to commands fr om the Atlas 5's guidance computer, will throttle down to lim it acceleration on the Starliner spacecraft to around 3.5Gs as the rocket becomes lighter from the consumption of liquid propellants.

The Atlas 5's bronze first stage will shut down at T+plus 4 minutes, 29 seconds, and separate from the rocket's Centaur upper stage six seconds later. An ascent cover over the Starliner spacecraft's forward docking mechanism will jettison in two pieces at T+plus 4 minutes, 41 seconds, followed ignition of the Centaur's two Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10A-4-2 engines at T+plus 4 minutes, 45 seconds.

The launch of the Starliner spacecraft is the first Atlas 5 mission to use a dual-engine Centaur upper stage. All 80 previous Atlas 5s flew with single-engine Centaur variants.

The dual-engine Centaur stage previously flew more than 100 times on earlier Atlas rocket variants, most recently in 2004. Of the 251 missions flown with Centaur stages since 1962, 166 utilized the Centaur's dual-engine configuration.

The RL10 engines on the Centaur will consume super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, cumulatively generating nearly 45,000 pounds of thrust.

"That extra engine does provide the additional thrust to lift that heavy payload to LEO (low Earth orbit)," said Caleb Weiss, ULA's mission manager for the Starliner program. "It also lets us also let this fly as shallower trajectory, which is more favorable if we had to ever have an abort with the crew on there. So that additional trust lets us design the trajectory in a way that is that optimizes the safety of the crew."

The shallow trajectory will reduce g-forces on Starliner astronauts on future missions, and helps ensure the crew capsule can safely abort at any point in the launch sequence. The flattened ascent profile also would keep the Starliner spacecraft from splashing down in "blackout zones" in the North Atlantic Ocean, enabling aborts closer to shore near Canada or Ireland.

But the Starliner's launch abort engines will not be active on the unpiloted Orbital Flight Test. Engineers want to be sure they have appropriately set abort "triggers" in the Emergency Detection System, a computer on the Atlas 5 that will monitor key parameters during launch and command an abort to push the Starliner away from the rocket in the event of a dangerous condition.

For more details on the Emergency Detection System and the Starliner abort system, read our earlier story.

Ground test abort engine units are flying on the Starliner for Friday's launch.


Artist's concept of the Starliner spacecraft and dual-engine Centaur stage separating from the Atlas 5's first stage booster. Credit: United Launch Alliance

Early in the Centaur's burn Friday, at T+plus 5 minutes, 5 seconds, an aerodynamic skirt at the base of the Starliner spacecraft will release and fall away.

ULA and Boeing developed a design fix in 2016 to address aerodynamic problems discovered during wind tunnel testing. The 70-inch-long (1.8-meter) aeroskirt extension is installed on top of the Centaur upper stage, wh ere it will be positioned against the bottom of the Starliner spacecraft during launch.

"We did have quite a bit of analysis that was done early on in the program, wind tunnel testing, and what that showed us was that really get optimal stability on the vehicle, we wanted to extend the aerodynamic surface of the spacecraft further aft and that's wh ere we came up with the 70-inch aeroskirt, "Weiss said in an interview with Spaceflight Now.

John Elbon, ULA's chief operating officer and a former Starliner manager at Boeing, said the wind tunnel testing indicated that aerodynamic shock waves from the Starliner spacecraft as it plows through the atmosphere would attach near the base of the Centaur upper stage. That would have created "quite a bit of aero-acoustic noise there," he said.

"The environments that existed were beyond what the hardware was qualified for, so by adding the aeroskirt, it smoothed that flow," Elbon said. "We don't get that acoustic noise, and we're in good shape."

"So once we incorporated that change, we went back and did additional wind tunnel testing, and all that came back with an improvement — you can improve the aerodynamics and improve the stability, overall stability of the vehicle," Weiss said.

The Centaur upper stage's propellant tanks have to be kept pressurized to maintain their shape, with ultra-thin stainless steel skin just 0.02 inches — half a millimeter — thick. The thin tank walls allow the Centaur to achieve great efficiencies in flight, thanks to its low weight.

The Atlas 5's new aeroskirt is no longer needed once the rocket climbs above the thick, lower layers of the atmosphere, and is jettisoned in two halves.

The Centaur upper stage's RL10 engines will fire more than seven minutes to propel the Starliner spacecraft to a velocity just shy of that needed to enter a stable orbit around Earth. The suborbital trajectory is a consequence of the shallow, crew-friendly launch profile.

The Centaur guidance system will target a trajectory ranging between 112 miles (181 kilometers) and 44 miles (72 kilometers) in altitude, at an inclination of 51.6 degrees to the equator. The 44-mile-high perigee, or low point, of the suborbital trajectory is inside Earth's atmosphere, meaning the Starliner would re-enter the atmosphere and come back to Earth without an additional propulsive maneuver.

After separating from the rocket, the Starliner's own orbital maneuver and attitude control engines, mounted on the ship's service module, will boost the spacecraft into orbit to begin the trek to the International Space Station. The burn is expected to last around 40 seconds, and will begin around 31 minutes after liftoff.

Meanwhile, the Centaur upper stage will continue on an arcing suborbital path before a destructive re-entry over the Indian Ocean southwest of Australia.

The suborbital trajectory is unusual for a satellite launch, but it is similar to the technique used by the space shuttle. The shuttle's three main engines, fed by cryogenic propellants from an external fuel tank, accelerated the orbiter into space, reaching a velocity just short of that required to enter orbit.

After jettisoning the expendable external tank, the shuttles fired their in-space maneuvering engines around a half-hour after launch to enter orbit. Otherwise, the shuttles would have cut short their missions and re-entered the atmosphere.

The Starliner will follow a similar launch profile on the OFT mission, and on the subsequent crewed flights.


Artist's illustration of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft docking with the International Space Station, as visualized in the reflection of an astronaut's spacesuit visor. Credit: Boeing

Flight controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will take over oversight of the Starliner mission for the capsule's trek to the space station.

The Starliner will perform a series of demonstration burns on the way to the space station to verify the ship's thrusters, computers, and navigation and control systems are ready to approach the orbiting research complex with its six-person crew.

Engineers also want to ensure thermal imaging cameras — part of the Starliner's Vision-based, Electro-Optical Sensor Tracking Assembly, or VESTA — are operating correctly. The vision-based navigation sensors will help the spaceship automatically dock to the space station.

Cargo vehicles flying to the space station are typically captured by the research lab's robotic arm once they move within range. But the Starliner, and SpaceX's Crew Dragon, are designed to dock, similar to the way space shuttles linked up to the space station.

Docking with the station's Harmony module is scheduled for 8:27 a.m. EST (1327 GMT) Saturday.

The space station crew will open hatches leading to the Starliner spacecraft and enter the capsule to collect data. They will also unload 595 pounds (270 kilograms) of cargo to be delivered by the Starliner spacecraft, mostly food and clothing, according to NASA.

The Starliner will remain attached to the station until late Dec. 27, when it will undock and begin maneuvers to head for an parachute-assisted, airbag-cushioned predawn landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

The reusable capsule is scheduled to land at White Stands at 5:48 a.m. EST (3:48 a.m. MST; 1048 GMT) on Dec. 28. Boeing teams will return the spaceship to the Kennedy Space Center for refurbishment ahead of its next flight — the second crewed mission to the International Space Station.

A different Starliner spacecraft is undergoing final assembly at the Kennedy Space Center for Boeing's Crew Flight Test next year. Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson, a former NASA space shuttle commander, and NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Nicole Mann will fly the Starliner's first piloted mission to the space station.

Regular crew rotation missions to the station will begin after the Crew Flight Test. Boeing has a contract for at least six crew ferry flights through 2024.

tnt22

https://ria.ru/20191220/1562617079.html
ЦитироватьКосмический корабль Starliner совершит первый беспилотный полет к МКС
00:12 20.12.2019

ВАШИНГТОН, 20 дек – РИА Новости. Новейший космический корабль Starliner, созданный компанией Boeing по контракту с НАСА, отправится в пятницу в первый испытательный полет на Международную космическую станцию (МКС) с манекеном Роузи и подарками к Рождеству.

Запуск корабля с космодрома на мысе Канаверал (Флорида) на ракете-носителе Atlas V компании United Launch Alliance (ULA) запланирован на 6.36 по времени Восточного побережья США (14.36 мск). НАСА будет вести прямую трансляцию запуска на своем сайте.

В первый полет корабль отправляется без экипажа – на борту находится лишь манекен Роузи (Rosie), названная в честь героини известного пропагандистского плаката времен Второй мировой войны: женщины в синем рабочем комбинезоне и красной бандане в белый горошек, которая демонстрирует бицепс на фоне надписи "Мы можем это сделать!".

Помимо манекена, оснащенного всевозможными датчиками, чтобы зафиксировать ее "ощущения" во время полета, на борту новейшего корабля на МКС доставят около 270 килограммов груза, в том числе продукты питания, одежду и подарки к Рождеству и Новому году.

"Это большой день для нас. Это первый шаг в новом пути по возобновлению пилотируемых полетов. Я жду успешного запуска", - заявил накануне старта глава НАСА Джим Брайденстайн. Как пояснили в НАСА, тестовый запуск необходим для испытания работы всех систем корабля в ходе старта, стыковки и возвращения на Землю, а также проверки готовности наземных специалистов на всех этапах миссии. Успешный полет необходим для сертификации корабля к тестовому пилотируемому полету и началу его эксплуатации.

В случае успешного старта в пятницу, корабль прибудет на МКС в субботу. Starliner будет оставаться на орбите неделю, после чего вернется на Землю и совершит посадку в штате Нью-Мексико. Его возвращение запланировано на 28 декабря.
Корабль Starliner создан Boeing по контракту с НАСА стоимостью 4,2 миллиардов долларов. Он предназначен для отправки астронавтов на МКС и в будущие миссии к Луне и Марсу. Ранее в декабре компания осуществила испытание системы эвакуации экипажа в случае аварийного старта. В США рассчитывают, что первый испытательный пилотируемый полет Starliner состоится в первой половине 2020 года, но сроки его не определены.

В 2011 году по завершении работы многоразовой пилотируемой транспортной системы Space Shuttle США лишились возможности самостоятельных пилотируемых полетов, американских астронавтов на МКС доставляют российские корабли "Союз". С 2014 года замену Space Shuttle разрабатывают коммерческие компании Boeing и SpaceX, но ввод в эксплуатацию созданных ими кораблей Starliner и Crew Dragon многократно задерживался. В настоящее время последний предусмотренный контрактом между НАСА и "Роскосмосом" рейс американского астронавта на МКС должен состояться в апреле будущего года. Как подтвердил представитель НАСА в среду, космические ведомства двух стран ведут переговоры о предоставлении НАСА одного-двух дополнительных мест на случай задержки начала пилотируемых полетов американских кораблей.
[свернуть]

tnt22

ЦитироватьDec 20 05:19

An open-loop test of the S-band system used to relay telemetry from the launch vehicle during flight is underway. Also, antenna checks will be performed shortly to verify functionality of the GPS Metric Tracking system. GPS MT is the system that uses the orbiting Global Positioning System navigation satellite constellation to track the rocket's flight downrange with position, velocity and timing information.

Astro Cat

Цитироватьtnt22 написал:
Это первый шаг в новом пути по возобновлению пилотируемых полетов. Я жду успешного запуска", - заявил накануне старта глава НАСА Джим Брайденстайн.
То есть Драгон он вообще как шаг не рассматривает? Неприкрытый лоббизм Боинга. )))

tnt22

ЦитироватьDec 20 06:24

The Blue Team has closed the Starliner capsule's hatch and configured the White Room in preparation for personnel to clear Space Launch Complex-41 for a few hours while the Atlas V rocket is fueled.

The Blue Team will return to the pad during the T-minus 4-minute hold to rehearse procedures for loading astronauts into the capsule on future Starliner launches.

tnt22

ЦитироватьDec 20 06:51

The first weather balloon of the countdown has been launched. A series of balloons will be set aloft over the next few hours to measure the speed and direction of upper level winds that the Atlas V will experience during flight.

tnt22

ЦитироватьDec 20 06:56

This is Atlas Launch Control at L-7 hours, 40 minutes (T-minus 2 hours, 40 minutes) and counting. The initiation of gaseous nitrogen flow to the launch vehicle has started. This changes the Environmental Control System (ECS) to supply nitrogen gas rather than conditioned air to the internal compartments of the Atlas V in preparation for fueling and launch.

tnt22

ЦитироватьDec 20 07:08

The Crew Access Tower at the Atlas V launch pad is being cleared of all workers as the launch pad is slowly closed to all personnel in advance of hazardous fueling operations.

tnt22

ЦитироватьDec 20 07:27
Weather remains 80% GO

In the pre-fueling weather briefing to mission management, Air Force Launch Weather Officer Jessica Williams reports that conditions remain favorable at Cape Canaveral for a rocket countdown. Skies are clear, winds are within limits and there are no weather constraints against proceeding into Atlas V fueling operations as scheduled.

The launch time forecast remains 80 percent favorable, with the areas of concern now being cumulus clouds and flight through precipitation.

The outlook calls for scattered clouds, easterly winds 20 peaking to 24 knots and a temperature near 67 degrees F.