Hyperbola

Another Buzz in the Universe

2012-05-28T10:30:12Z

Just the Disney-Pixar Toy Story cartoon character Buzz Lightyear was so named after the Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, so the 55-year-old British comedian and space afficionado, Frank Skinner, has also named his new baby boy Buzz.

Apparently the drily-amusing comedian is a fan of cowboys as well. The baby's second name Cody has been given after the cowboy showman Buffalo Bill Cody.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin (real name Edwin Aldrin) was so named in childhood after his sister kept mispronouncing "brother" as "buzzer". When it came to family names, of course, it was almost as if it was ordained that astronaut Buzz would set foot on Earth's natural satellite. Buzz Aldrin's mother's maiden name was Moon.

Chinasat 2A comsat is launched by Long March 3B/E rocket

2012-05-28T10:20:27Z

A Long March 3B/E launch vehicle successfully launched Chinasat 2A at 1556 GMT from the Xichang launch site in China on 26 May 2011. The communications satellite which is to be placed into Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) has a mass of 5,200kg.

According to a report on Chinadaily.com, there was some falling stage damage done to some houses and to a powerline. Debris from the first stage of the vehicle damaged houses and a 10kV power line in the village of ShuanJiang in Suining County, Hunan Province, China. No casualties were reported.

Don't try this at home!

2012-05-25T15:04:35Z

The European Space Agency carried out a rare test-firing yesterday of its Ariane 5 solid-fuel booster at its French Guiana spaceport. The 135-second test on a specially-designed vertical testing stand was part of the Ariane 5 Research and Technology Accompaniment (ARTA) programme, designed to validate modifications for the next production batch of boosters to be flown. The test simulates the firing time during an Ariane 5 flight and delivered a mean thrust of 700t - the video includes a thrust-to-time chart.

One of the goals was to prove new, thinner thermal protection on the inside of the motor's casing. The reduced pressure oscillations will lower the stress on the vehicle and its valuable passengers.

The nozzle tested a new composite material that is more resistant to combustion, and the motor also used an improved igniter.

These changes improve the vehicle's performance, modify elements that are now obsolete and reduce manufacturing costs.

This was the fifth test of Ariane 5's booster as part of ARTA - the next is expected in about three years.

Dragon docks with ISS

2012-05-25T14:15:18Z

Following a successful launch on 22 May, SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft spent two days chasing the International Space Station and on 25 May was ready to attempt getting into position for capture by the stations robotic arm. The capsule conducted tests of its positioning laser to cautiously approach the station until it was at a distance of 10 metres. Once there astronuat Don Pettit manoeuvered the robotic arm to capture the craft at 1356 GMT. Once captured the robotic arm moved the spacecraft to dock with the Earth facing port of the Harmony module of the station. Docking took place at 1602 GMT. The craft will be opened up on 26 May and the cargo unloaded. Once unloaded the craft will have the results of science experiments loaded into it and will undock on 31 May. Once undocked the Dragon capsule will return to Earth, re-entering Earth's atmosphere and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean to be recovered.

Launch success for Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft

2012-05-22T09:20:23Z

After Saturday's aborted launch attempt of the Falcon 9, a second attempt on 22 May was carried out successfully. The vehicle launched at 0744 GMT from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Now in orbit the Dragon spacecraft will be conducting several tests on its chase to rendezvous with the International Space Station. The biggest test of the craft will be the safe rendezvous, approach and docking with the station. If all goes well the Dragon craft will be captured by the stations robotic arm and dock with the station on 25 May. The craft is carrying non-essential cargo for the station and once successfully docked this will be unloaded. Under the current schedule the Dragon will remain docked with the ISS until 31 May. Once undocked the craft is planned to be deorbited over the Pacific Ocean and conduct a controlled re-entry, parachute descent and then splash down 300 miles of the the western coast of Southern California and then be recovered. If all the tests of the spacecraft are successful this will clear the way for SpaceX to start commercial re-supply missions to the Space Station under a contract with NASA. The first of these missions is currently planned for August this year.

End is nigh for Dnepr rocket

2012-05-22T09:07:36Z

Citing safety and environmental concerns a Russian Defence Ministry report is recommending the end of using old RS-20 (SS-18, Satan missile) ICBM's for space launches. The RS-20's were called the Dnepr when converted for space launches. The first launch of the Dnepr as a space launcher took place in 1999. Since then there have been a further 16 launches of the vehicle with one failure which happened in 2006. Recent launches have suffered from numerous delays due to the failure of the Russian and Kazakhstan governments to agree on the drop zones for the first and second stages of the vehicle.

Proton M launches Nimiq 6 comsat for Telesat

2012-05-18T14:46:39Z

An ILS Proton Breeze M rocket successfully launched the Nimiq 6 commercial communications satellite for the satellite operator Telesat at 1912 GMT on 17 May from the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan. After a 9 hour 14 minute 5-burn mission, the Breeze M upper stage successfully released the satellite into its planned geostationary transfer orbit. The satellite, which uses a version of the Space Systems Loral, SS/L-1300 bus design, will use its on-board propulsion to positition itself into its final geostationary Earth orbit position.

Japan's H2A launches four satellites

2012-05-18T14:33:03Z

The Japanese climate change monitoring satellite GCOM-W1 (Shizuku) was launched successfully at 1639 GMT on 17th May 2012 by a Japanese H-2A202 launch vehicle. The lift off took place at Japan's main launch site at Tanegashima. Also aboard was the South Korean Earth observation satellite Kompsat 3 and two small satellites: the Houryuu 2 (aka Houryuu 2) amateur radio satellite and the experimental satellite SDS 4.

Just crane unlucky: Measat 3A was damaged twice before repairs

2012-05-18T13:08:24Z

As the Malaysian satellite operator Measat sues Intelsat over an alleged breach of contract and for alleged lost earnings due to a damage-related launch delay, Measat has revealed details about exactly how the damage was done to its Measat 3A satellite.

While it was known that the Measat 3A communications satellite was struck by an overhead crane hook duriing its Baikonur launch preparations in August 2008 (for which led a pre-launch insurance claim was paid out), less well known is that in November 2008, as the spacecraft was being loaded into its transport aircraft on its way back to the satellite's maker, Orbital Sciences, for repairs, the Measat 3A satellite was accidently dropped by another crane. In the end Measat 3A was returned and successfully repaired, and was finally launched by a Zenit 3 SLB rocket flying from Baikonur in June 2009.

Elton sends Rocket Man video up to the International Space Station

2012-05-18T11:26:24Z

After Internatioal Space Station Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers played Sir Elton John's famous song Rocket Man to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of the song, so now the 65 year old singer has sent up a video of a live version which he performed in Las Vegas, also to celebrate the 40th anniversary.

Britain should have a spaceport says IoD report

2012-05-18T08:29:20Z

The United Kingdom's Institude of Directors (IoD) has commissioned a report into Britain's Space Industry. The report called Space: Britain's New Space Infrastructure notes how well the space business is doing in the United Kingdom. While it reports that this is mainly on the back of "downstream" activities like satellite television and space insurance, it also states that Britain has found itself a successful niche role in spacecraft manufacturing via Astrium and Surrey Satelltie Technology Limited (both firms are owned by EADS).

As it notes the growth of commercial orbital and suborbital space launch providers in the world, and reports the UK firm Reaction Engines' progress with its Skylon spaceplane technology studies (this writer is a small shareholder in the firm) the report has called for the construction of a spaceport with an extra long runway in the UK to allow it and other reusable launch operators to use.

Comment by David Todd: This spaceport idea is probably a good one but it should be built on UK territory rather than on the UK mainland. While Scotland could be used as a launch site for polar and sun-synchronous missions (northbound flights would not overfly any built up areas) for most other orbits it is important to be as close to the equator as possible (this increases the velocity boost from the Earth's spin - for Eastbound flights - and reduces the amout of orbital inclination needed for removal for those boosted satellite missions heading for geostationary Earth orbit - GEO). As such the UK's territory of Ascension Island in the Atlantic would be ideal for a space port/launch site. And it could also be used for polar/sun-synchronous flights as well.

Russia launches Cosmos 2480 military reconnaissance satellite

2012-05-17T15:56:01Z

The Russian military spacecraft designated Cosmos 2480 was successfully launched at 1405 GMT on 17 May by a Soyuz U launch vehicle flying from the Plesetsk launch site in Northern Russia. The spacecraft is believed to be a Yantar-4K2M (Kobalt M) class military reconnaissance satellite.

Soyuz TMA-04M docks with International Space Station

2012-05-17T15:52:05Z

The Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft carrying the crew of NASA astronaut Joe Acaba and Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin successfully docked with the Poisk module of the International Space Station at 0436 GMT on 17 May 2012.

Ariane 5 successfully launches JCSAT 13 and Vinasat 2

2012-05-16T10:15:11Z

An Ariane 5 ECA launch vehicle successfully launched the Japansese commercial communications satellite JCSAT-13 along with the Vietnamese communications satellite Vinasat 2 at 2213 GMT on 15 May 2012 from the Kourou launch site in French Guiana.

Both satellites, which are to be finally placed in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO), used versions of hte A2100 bus design built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems.

Black-Eyed Peas star Will-i-am is sought by NASA for Mars song

2012-05-15T12:54:25Z

While ratings for the UK TV talent show The Voice continue to decline on BBC television, one of the judges, Will.i.am, still has fans in the space business it seems. For according to the UK-based tabloid newspaper The Sun, NASA has asked the Black Eyed Peas band member to come up with a song to be broadcast back to Earth on a future NASA science mission to Mars. Will-i-am has previously worked with NASA before, on twitter to encourage interest in NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, and as a narrator on a NASA TV documentary.

Will-I-am sitting with former astronaut Leland Melvin, NASA associated administrator for EducatIon, during a twitter broadcast just before the launch of NASA's previous Mars Science Laboratory mission. Courtesy: NASA