'SPACE' in News

Modifications planned for Atlas V SLC-41 Pad and SLS Mobile Launcher

United Launch Alliance (ULA) have recruited Hensel Phelps to design the modifications to their Atlas V pad at Space Launch Complete 41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral ahead of hosting human rated vehicles. The Orlando company previously constructed the Ares Mobile Launcher (ML), which is also set to be modified to host the Space Launch System (SLS).

Atlas V Pad Modifications:

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) are currently planning to launch two commercial spacecraft to destinations such as the International Space Station via their reliable Atlas V rocket – namely Boeing’s CST-100 and SNC’s Dream Chaser, both of which are currently under development within NASA’s Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) program.

The challenge with the pad at SLC-41 mainly relates to crew access and the Emergency Egress System (EES)for both the astronauts and the pad workers.

To meet these challenges, ULA have selected Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando to provide program management contractor support to the efforts, resulting in a 21-month effort to work on the the management of the design, requirements development, cost and schedule projections, and risk mitigation for modifications to the launch facilities for commercial crew operations.

“Hensel Phelps brings significant experience working major construction projects including the original construction for Atlas V at SLC-41, as well as Atlas modifications at SLC-3 in California,” said Dr. George Sowers, ULA vice president of Human Launch Services.

“We look forward to working with Hensel Phelps to take the next steps in launching crew from SLC-41 and providing safe and reliable crew launch services as early as 2015.”

                                                           More ...       Also see

South Korean launch further delayed

The launch of a South Korean rocket, already delayed because of a technical problem, has been pushed back again, officials said on Nov. 14, 2012. South Korea planned to launch the KSLV-1 rocket, also known as Naro-1, no later than November 24, but said that launch date would likely slip after the delayed shipment of a replacement part from Russia. Export control issues delayed the arrival of the part until at least Saturday; officials said they would need about 10 days to install the replacement part and prepare the vehicle for launch. The part, a connector between ground fueling systems and the rocket's Russian-built first stage, malfunctioned during an earlier launch attempt in late October, scrubbing that launch. This launch will be the third for the KSLV-1, after two previous ones failed.

Curiosity's mini-laboratory tastes first Martian soil 

Curiosity's robotic arm scooped up a sample of
powdery soil and deposited the material into
the SAM instrument on Nov. 9. 

For the first time since landing on Mars in August, NASA's Curiosity rover has used its most powerful instrument to analyze soil, sifting for life-supporting chemicals with a labyrinth of ovens and spectrometers, scientists announced on Nov. 13, 2012.

Curiosity's robotic arm poured a pinch of fine sand and dust into the Sample Analysis at Mars, or SAM, instrument on Friday, and the on-board laboratory studied the soil's chemical make-up over the following two days, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

SAM is the largest scientific payload on the Curiosity rover, and researchers say it will provide the most thorough examination ever conducted on Martian soil. Curiosity scooped soil for the sample from a sandy patch called "Rocknest" and deposited the powdery material into SAM and the adjacent CheMin instrument, which uses X-ray diffraction to identify minerals in the soil. CheMin previously scrutinized a soil sample from Rocknest, but the analysis marked the first time scientists have used the SAM instrument on soil. Solid samples pass through two spectrometers and a gas chromatograph housed inside the microwave-sized SAM payload. "We received good data from this first solid sample," said Paul Mahaffy, SAM principal investigator from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "We have a lot of data analysis to do, and we are planning to get additional samples of Rocknest material to add confidence about what we learn."

The sensors inside SAM examine gases and solvents extracted from powdered soil samples. SAM can detect smaller abundances of organics and identify a wider variety of them than any instrument before, according to the mission's press kit. A mass spectrometer inside SAM identifies gases by molecular weight and electrical charge, looking for elements important for life, including nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur, oxygen, hydrogen and carbon, according to the press kit.

The instrument's laser spectrometer uses light to measure methane, carbon dioxide and water vapor. Another of SAM's tools, a gas chromatograph, detects organic compounds by separating different gases from a mixture, according to the press kit. SAM previously ingested Martian air to search for methane and other elements in the atmosphere, but analyses of four atmospheric samples turned up no definitive detection of methane, a signature of possible life.

Source: http://spaceflightnow.com

Climate change could heighten space junk threat

Manmade greenhouse gas emissions aren't just causing global warming, according to a new research report, but they might aggravate dangers from a growing population of space junk.

A team of U.S. and Canadian scientists found carbon dioxide caused by human activity reaches the upper atmosphere, according to findings published in the journal Nature Geoscience on Nov. 11. Unlike the warming effect caused at the surface, higher carbon dioxide levels in the upper atmosphere lead to cooler temperatures, which contract the thermosphere, a rarefied layer of gas at the edge of space.

Many satellites, including the International Space Station, fly through the thermosphere, along with thousands of chunks of space debris. The thermosphere always cools and contracts when the solar activity reaches the low point of its 11-year cycle, but the rise in carbon dioxide levels could reduce the average density of the atmosphere in regions where satellites operate. Atmospheric drag is the only current way to get rid of space junk. Slight pressure from the thin upper atmosphere gradually pushes against objects in low Earth orbit, causing satellites and debris to lose altitude and eventually drop from orbit and burn up during re-entry.

But if the atmosphere shrinks, as postulated by scientists studying greenhouse gas emissions, there might be less drag to push against objects in space, meaning space junk could stay in orbit longer. Experts and satellite operators are concerned the number of pieces of space junk could skyrocket as collisions between objects beget more debris.

The same properties of carbon dioxide that cause it to trap heat in the dense lower atmosphere cause cooler conditions at high altitudes, according to scientists.

"In the upper atmosphere, thermal energy is transferred via collisions from other atmospheric constituents to carbon dioxide, which then emits the energy as heat that escapes to outer space," said John Emmert of the Naval Research Laboratory.

In the lower atmosphere, the heat emitted in particle collisions is trapped, causing rising temperatures. Scientists used a spectrometer on the Canadian SciSat satellite to measure abundances of carbon dioxide and other gases as sunlight passes through the atmosphere. The measurements show a steady upward trend in carbon dioxide concentrations in the upper atmosphere since the satellite's launch in 2003. The findings support other evidence showing the thermosphere is contracting, according to scientists. Data from satellites indicate they are experiencing less drag. Emmert was joined in the research by other scientists from NRL, Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., and the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

                                                                   Source:http://spaceflightnow.com         Related article

Vostochny cosmodrome & Angara rocket: 2 keystones of Russia’s space programme

The Vostochny cosmodrome, which just underwent active construction last year, should be ready for the first launch in 2015. As the head of the Dalspetsstroy, Pavel Buyanovsky has informed Vladimir Popovkin that construction and assembling of the main buildings, facilities, networks and communications will be completed in 2013, and launch and technical areas should be in commission in 2014.

It is expected that the first launch from the cosmodrome should take place in 2015, and it will be the launch of the Soyuz-2 carrier rocket, which will undergo tests in Plesetsk later. After that, the Angara is to be launched from Vostochny. And it is here that we have some difficulties.

The family of the Angara carrier rockets, which includes several modifications designed for various cargoes, has been under development since 1995. Its main developer and manufacturer is the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center. The first launch of the Angara carrier rocket from the Plesetsk cosmodrome is expected to be held next year.

But a few weeks ago, at the end of October, the launch of the Korean KSLV-1 carrier rocket (whose first stage was created at the Khrunichev Center and represents a variation of the Angara’s first stage) was temporarily canceled. According to the message of the Roscosmos press-service, during the preparation of the carrier rocket for the launch, some observations were made concerning the on-board systems of the first stage. The KSLV-1 was taken off the launch area and returned to the assembly-test facility for additional tests. Since then, there has been no information about the new launch date.

The South Korean KSLV-1 was launched two times before this, in 2009 and 2010, and both launches ended in failure. According to the results of the investigation, it happened due to malfunctions in the work of the South Korean elements of the rocket.

Skeptics express doubts, that the developers will not be able to stick to the date of the first launch in 2013, after the Koreans postponed their launch. However, there is an opinion that once the malfunction is identified, it will help the developers avoid failures during the domestic launch, and thus, it may even benefit Russia.

Meanwhile, in theory, the highest hopes are assigned to the Angara: being a safer carrier rocket (the Angara runs on oxygen and kerosene), it should not only replace the heavy Proton, but, in the long term, become the basis for the lunar programme. The thing is that at the beginning of September the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center won the tender for designing sketches of a new heavy carrier rocket, which can be used for manned flights to the Moon, as well as to near-earth space stations. It is very likely that the Khrunichev Center will become the developer of the whole project. Thus, the Vostochny cosmodrome and the Angara carrier rocket may become new key elements of the future Russian space program.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is very seriously concerned about the construction of Vostochny. Earlier it was planned that the rocket launch facility Bayterek in Baikonur, a joint Russian-Kazakh initiative, will be Angara’s principal launch pad. However, its construction terms are constantly being postponed, and against the background of Vostochny’s active construction it looks like a loss of interest in Bayterek - and in the future in Baikonur, as well.

In general, it is clear why Baikonur is not the most convenient cosmodrome for Russia: it is located on the territory of another state; the cost of rent is constantly rising; and too many things depend on the current political situation.

But space exploration is not only about cosmodromes. Baikonur was taken into account in the previous space program, and in many respects it played a crucial role in it. Vostochny and the Angara are new “bricks” in this construction set. Only time will tell what can be built with these new “bricks”.  

Source

'SPACE' in News

United Launch Alliance (ULA) taps company
to modify pad 41

Launch Complex 41 modifications would
allow commercial crew missions.

Work to redesign a launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to support human flights could create 250 to 300 aerospace and construction jobs in Brevard County, United Launch Alliance says.

ULA is expected today to announce it has selected Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando to help plan modifications to Space Launch Complex 41 that would enable commercial crew missions on Atlas V rockets.

“We look forward to working with Hensel Phelps to take the next steps in launching crew from SLC-41 and providing safe and reliable crew launch services as early as 2015,” said George Sowers, ULA vice president of Human Launch Services, in a statement obtained by FLORIDA TODAY. ULA confirmed the statement.

During 21 months, Hensel Phelps will assist Denver, Colo.-based ULA with the design and development of an access tower and an access arm astronauts would use to enter a spacecraft sitting atop the Atlas V.

The firm also will work on the system astronauts and support personnel would use to escape the rocket in an emergency and a safe haven where they could take shelter before fully evacuating the pad area.

The work is being performed in partnership with The Boeing Co., whose CST-100 capsule is one of three private space taxis being developed with support from NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The CST-100 would launch atop an Atlas V.

In August, the Kennedy Space Center-based program awarded Boeing $460 million, SpaceX $440 million and Sierra Nevada Corp. $212.5 million to complete system designs — including the rocket, ground and mission systems — by May 2014.  Related story

NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building Prepared for Multiple Rockets

A large space shuttle-era work platform is being lowered   by crane for removal from high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building.  In order for platforms to be safely lowered to the floor,  the center of gravity had to precisely determine for each of the  seven sections. The work is part of a center-wide modernization   and refurbishment initiative to accommodate NASA's Space  Launch System and a variety of other spacecraft instead of  the whole building supporting one design.

The Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's KennedySpace Center in Florida is undergoing renovations to accommodate future launch vehicles. A project of Ground Systems Development and Operations, or GSDO, space shuttle-era work platforms have been removed from the VAB's High Bay 3 and accommodations are being made to support a variety of future spacecraft, including NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rocket.

The changes are part of a centerwide modernization and refurbishment initiative in preparation for the next generation of human spaceflight. One of the largest buildings in the world, the VAB was constructed in the mid-1960s to support stacking of the Apollo Saturn V rockets that took American astronauts to the moon.  In the late 1970s, the facility was refurbished to accommodate the space shuttle. Following three decades of flight, the space shuttle was retired in 2011. Plans now call for the VAB to be able to support multiple types of space vehicles, including the SLS, Orion spacecraft and commercial rockets. NASA is partnering with private industry on rockets and spacecraft to take astronauts to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station. SLS will be an advanced heavy-lift launch vehicle providing a new capability for human exploration beyond Earth orbit.

The VAB is 526 feet tall, 716 feet long and 518 feet wide. It covers eight acres and encloses more than 129 million cubic feet of space. The building was constructed to withstand hurricanes and tropical storms with a foundation consisting of 30,000 cubic yards of concrete and 4,225 steel pilings driven 160 feet into bedrock.

The first step in the plan was to remove space shuttle work platforms, a project that presented numerous challenges.  There were eight box-like support structures surrounding the shuttles during stacking in the VAB. One box platform structure had been removed in 2009 in preparation for the launch of the Ares I-X test vehicle in October 2009. Each platform structure had work stands, connections for electricity, water, pneumatic and other commodities.

Ivey's Construction Inc. of Merritt Island, Fla., began the task in early September. Working closely with NASA and other Kennedy contractors such as United Space Alliance and URS, as well as an on-call architectural and engineering firm BRPH, they helped ensure all systems in the VAB were disconnected from the platforms.

The next major project will be to install a new fire suppression system. This will modernize the fire suppression water supply system and bring it up to modern codes.

Other major renovation includes code upgrades and safety improvements to the VAB. Some of the utilities and systems slated for replacement have been used since the VAB was completed in 1966. This initial work will be required to support any launch vehicle operated from Launch Complex 39 and will allow NASA to begin modernizing the facilities while vehicle specific requirements are being developed. Plans for 2014 include awarding the constitution contract for the new access platforms, including related structures and systems required for the SLS.

Some of the current work has included removal of over 150 miles of obsolete Apollo- and shuttle-era cabling. This will make room for installation of more efficient, state-of-the-art command, communication, control and power systems needed to perform testing and verification prior to the SLS and other rockets being rolled out to the launch pad.

The launch of Atlas V / OTV-3 payload delayed by
two more weeks

The launch date is now tentatively set for no earlier than 27 November, pending range availability at Cape Canaveral. The delay is still related to the recent GPS IIF-3 launch aboard a Delta IV. While the mission successfully placed the GPS satellite in orbit, a lower than normal chamber pressure was observed on the Delta IV RL10 upper stage engine. A similar type of engine is used on the Atlas V's upper stage. Engineers are still reviewing Delta IV flight data in order to assess whether the same problem could occur during the upcoming Atlas V flight, 'America Space' reported.

Propellentless Space Propulsion Research Continues 

Chinese scientists appear to have validated a propellentless space propulsion technology previously branded as impossible. Based on earlier British research, it is averred that the EmDrive concept provides sustained thrust at low cost and weight, but this has yet to be accepted even as a workable theory by the wider propulsion community. 

The EmDrive story started in 2001 when engineer Roger Shawyer set up Satellite Propulsion Research (SPR) to exploit his new concept in electrical propulsion. He was helped by a modest grant from the U.K.'s now defunct Trade and Industry Department. 

Space propulsion relies on Newton's laws of motion: propellant is ejected backward at high velocity, and the craft is pushed forward with equal and opposite momentum. Even with high exhaust velocity, such as ion drives ejecting particles at 30 km per second (more than 62,000 mph), the mass of propellant is a limiting factor. Shawyer's EmDrive does not have any exhaust. It consists of a tuned cavity shaped like a truncated cone into which resonating microwaves are channeled. Like other radiation, these exert a tiny pressure when reflected off a surface. According to Shawyer, the pressure exerted on the large end of the cavity is greater than the pressure on the small end, producing a net thrust. This appears to be a violation the law of conservation of momentum. However, Shawyer says net thrust occurs because the microwaves have a group velocity (the velocity of a collection of electromagnetic waves) greater in one direction than the other and relativistic effects to modify the Newtonian mechanics. Shawyer compares the EmDrive to a laser gyroscope, which also looks like a closed system but is actually open and works thanks to relativistic effects. 

Meanwhile, China's Yang Juan and her team set out to explore the EmDrive independently. A 2008 theory paper by Yang and colleagues describes the EmDrive in terms of quantum theory and indicates net thrust is possible. A 2010 follow-up paper calculates a possible thrust of 456 mN from a 1-kw input, and states that the team was getting positive experimental results. 

The latest paper, “Net Thrust Measurement of Propellentless Microwave Thruster,” is in the June edition of the journal Acta Physica Sinica published by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Yang's team used a magnetron as a 2.45 GHz microwave source and produced a measured thrust of up to 720 mN from 2.5 kw of input power. On the surface, this appears to be a peer-reviewed validation of the science. “The new paper independently proves the EmDrive theory by publishing thrust levels five times higher than SPR results, but with a similar specific thrust,” Shawyer tells. The result, 720 mN, is just 2.5 oz. of thrust, but satellites often work with less. Boeing's advanced XIPS thruster, which fires out Xenon ions at high speed, achieves 165 mN of thrust from 4.5 lb. It weighs 35 lb., more than an equivalent EmDrive, and the propellant for prolonged operation can weigh much more. 

XIPS and EmDrive can both run off solar electricity, but the EmDrive never runs out of propellant. Propellant to maintain satellite position is a major weight contribution; and the EmDrive could halve the cost of geostationary satellites. There has been little interest in the EmDrive in the West so far. Boeing's Phantom Works, which has previously explored exotic forms of space propulsion, was said to be looking into it some years ago. Such work has evidently ceased. Still, the latest Chinese work may revive Western interest in the EmDrive as a viable, revolutionary technology.

Source: Aviation Week & Space Technology

Japan schedules launch of innovative Epsilon rocket

Artist's concept of the Epsilon rocket

Japan is scheduled to launch its first Epsilon solid-fueled rocket next year, deploying a planetary telescope in orbit while demonstrating new low-cost rocket assembly and control techniques, the Japanese space agency announced.

The three-stage rocket will launch from the Uchinoura Space Center on the south shore of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's main islands. The Epsilon program is designed to cut in half the cost of Japanese small satellite launches. Japan's M-5 rocket, which launched seven times before retiring in 2006, cost $94 million per flight. Each Epsilon launch is pegged to cost $47 million, according to Yasuhiro Morita, the rocket's program manager at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA.

The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported last week the first launch of an Epsilon rocket is scheduled for August or September of 2013.

Engineers designed the Epsilon rocket with a simplified control system, and the vehicle's own computers will autonomously monitor the status of its systems during a countdown. Only a handful of engineers with laptop computers are required on the launch control team, according to JAXA. The Epsilon is also designed to launch after only seven days of assembly on the launch pad, reducing labor and overhead costs.

The M-5 rocket, which the Epsilon will replace, took several weeks of processing and dozens of controllers for each mission. 

JAXA has worked on the Epsilon rocket since 2007, and the development is expected to cost 20.5 billion yen, or about $255 million, Morita told Spaceflight Now. Workers are modifying the M-5 launch pad at Uchinoura to accommodate the Epsilon rocket. JAXA is installing a 30-foot-high pedestal and a new flame trench underneath the oceanfront complex, according to Morita.

The 78-foot, 100-ton booster can lift up to 2,600 pounds into low Earth orbit. The Epsilon's first stage is based on the H-2A rocket's strap-on booster, while the second and third stages will use heritage solid-fueled motors from the M-5's upper stages.

IHI Aerospace Co. is the Epsilon rocket's prime contractor. The company builds the H-2A solid rocket boosters and previously held the lead contract for the M-5 rocket. 

Epsilon's first launch will orbit the SPRINT-A satellite with a small telescope to observe Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter. The approximately 700-pound spacecraft will carry an extreme ultraviolet spectrometer to study the interaction between planetary atmospheres and the solar wind. The second Epsilon flight in 2015 will launch Japan's Energization and Radiation in Geospace, or ERG, satellite, Morita said. According to Morita, officials have not selected a payload for the third Epsilon launch in 2016.

Source: www.spaceflightnow.com     Related story

Flight Tests For Vortex Rocket Combustion

Add caption

An innovative combustion-chamber setup that was flight-tested last month could cut the cost of rocket engines by eliminating the need for regenerative cooling. Orbital Technologies Corp. (Orbitec), a Madison, Wis.-based space-technology company, flight-tested a version of the 30,000-lb.-thrust liquid-propellant rocket engine it is developing for the U.S. Air Force's Advanced Upper Stage Engine Program (Ausep) and other in-space applications.

Results of the Oct. 20 sounding rocket test at Mojave, Calif., validated the company's “vortex” engine technology, which injects fuel and liquid oxygen so that the burning mixture does not touch the walls of the combustion chamber, allowing them to be thinner, lighter and lower cost, says Paul Zamprelli, business development director.

By carefully tweaking the propellant-injection parameters, the company hopes to eliminate the need for costly cooling tubes or channels that circulate unburned fuel through the combustion chamber walls to prevent them from overheating. The flight test also demonstrated Orbitec's acoustic igniter and a lightweight carbon-carbon nozzle extension developed for the flight by ATK.

“The next step is to demonstrate the performance at a larger scale and ensure that future launch vehicle requirements are captured in our design,” Zamprelli says. “Orbitec is ready and excited to compete for any future rocket engine and propulsion applications.”

In the vortex approach, oxidizer is injected into the combustion chamber at an angle that sets up a pair of coaxial vortices. The swirling motion provides better mixing with the fuel, with combustion occurring in the innermost vortex. The outer vortex protects the chamber walls and other surfaces from the heat of the combustion.

During the past 15 years, Orbitec has upgraded its test facilities to accommodate more powerful vortex engine ground-testing, working with both the Air Force and NASA on advancing the technology.

The flight test was preceded by a Sept. 20 ground test with a 3,000-lb.-thrust setup that demonstrated the chamber-wall vortex cooling, acoustic igniter and the ATK lightweight nozzle extension, which uses that company's technology to join hot carbon-carbon components to an actively cooled metal housing (AW&ST Oct. 1, p. 15.)   More

Curiosity fails to detect methane in Martian atmosphere

Scientists working on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover said Friday that initial measurements of the Martian atmosphere failed to turn up any evidence of methane, a constituent detected in some previous observations that could be linked to life. a laser spectrometer on Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars instrument measured the composition of the atmosphere at the Gale Crater landing site, putting an upper limit of just a few parts per billion on any methane in the atmosphere there. Methane, which has been seen in some previous observations of the Martian atmosphere, is of interest since its lifetime in the atmosphere would be very short, implying it must have been produced recently. Methane can be produced by lifeforms, or through geological activity. Additional measurements are planned throughout the rover's multiyear mission to look for any changes in the atmosphere's composition and to improve the accuracy of those measurements.

Related Links:

•  Nature News article
•  ScienceNow article
•  SPACE.com article
•  CBS News article
•  NASA press release

'SPACE' in News

Spacewalkers Troubleshoot Ammonia Leak

Commander Suni Williams (right) and Flight Engineer
Aki Hoshide participate in Thursday's spacewalk
outside the International Space Station

Expedition 33 Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Aki Hoshide wrapped up a 6-hour, 38-minute spacewalk at 3:07 p.m. EDT, yesterday i.e. on Nov. 1, 2012. 

During the spacewalk which began at 8:29 a.m., Williams and Hoshide ventured out to the port side of the International Space Station’s truss to configure the 2B solar array power channel’s photovoltaic thermal control system (PVTCS) to support ground-based troubleshooting of an ammonia leak. 

The spacewalking duo isolated the photovoltaic radiator on the P6 truss from the PVTCS, shutting off the flow of ammonia in and out of it and rerouting the ammonia flow through a spare radiator so the PVTCS can continue operation. Over the following weeks and months, flight controllers at Mission Control Houston will monitor telemetry to see if the leak continues. 

If rerouting the ammonia through the spare radiator stops the leak, mission managers will evaluate whether to leave the fix as-is or replace the photovoltaic radiator on a future spacewalk. If the leak continues, additional troubleshooting will be required. 

Williams now has a total of 50 hours, 40 minutes of spacewalking time over seven spacewalks. Thursday's spacewalk puts her fifth on the all time list of cumulative spacewalking time. She holds the record for total cumulative spacewalk time by a female astronaut. This was the third spacewalk for Hoshide, who now totals 21 hours and 23 minutes. He holds the record for total cumulative spacewalk time by a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut. 

This was the 166th spacewalk in support of station assembly, totaling 1,049 hours and 1 minute -- the equivalent of 44 days.

Protective Paint Tested on Space Station Makes for 'Curious' Ride to Mars

This photo shows the coated fins, center, on Curiosity's
Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator.
The protective coating on the fins was tested as part
of the MISSE-2 investigation aboard the International
Space Station. (NASA)

A coating that survived long-term exposure on the International Space Station took an even longer journey on the Mars Curiosity Rover and is protecting the craft's critical power unit as it collects data on Mars. Not all space environments are the same, but if a material can survive for a long time in one space environment, it may prove useful for longer exploration missions. 

Curiosity's paint-like spray coating, AZ-2100-IECW, was exposed to the harsh space environment for four years as part of the Materials on International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) investigation. The coating, tested and developed by AZ Technology in Huntsville, Ala., met stringent outgassing requirements and withstood temperature extremes and thousands of hours of ultraviolet radiation from the sun, making it an ideal candidate for the cooling fins on Curiosity's power unit. 

"It's exciting to be part of the Mars Science Laboratory mission and see our work on the surface of Mars," said Lynn Leeper, AZ Technology president and chief executive officer. AZ Technology has been developing spacecraft paint and coatings for more than 20 years and has been involved in a number of successful spacecraft and space materials experiments. The company provided 19 different paints, including the AZ-2100-IECW, for the MISSE-2investigation, which flew from August 2001 to July 2005. 

The MISSE materials test bed has provided data on the durability of materials that have helped spacecraft designers shorten the development time for satellite hardware components by 50%. Shorter development times result in more affordable spacecraft and ensure materials perform as expected in challenging space environments. 

The EC in the coating used for Curiosity stands for electrically conductive. Static electricity can build up on a spacecraft as it is exposed to proton and electron radiation. Electrically conductive or static-dissipative coatings can help protect the electronics from getting zapped. AZ Technology's coating was applied on the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, or MMRTG. This power unit converts the heat from decaying plutonium-238 into electricity that the Curiosity rover needs to survive. 

"Our company has coated parts for many satellites, the International Space Station, and extra-orbital missions, but typically we do not get to see pictures of our work in such an amazing setting," added Leeper. "It makes us feel much closer to the adventure." 

The potential for future exploration projects to benefit from space station technology continues to expand, thanks to ongoing use of the orbiting laboratory as a technology test bed. Currently MISSE-8 operates externally aboard the space station, continuing to aid in developing advanced materials to Mars and beyond.

Kennedy Supporting Effort to Develop Satellite Servicing Capabilities

artist's concept shows a servicing spacecraft, left,
approaching satellite needing assistance. NASA is
developing technology needed to bring a high-
technology "gas pump, robotic mechanic and
tow truck" to satellites in orbit.

With satellites playing increasingly important roles in everyday life, NASA is developing the technology to build Earth-orbiting, roving "service stations" capable of extending the life of these spacecraft. Engineers at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida are assisting the space agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., in developing the concept for bringing a high-technology gas pump, robotic mechanic and tow truck to satellites in space. 

There are 149 government-owned spacecraft and 275 commercial satellites currently in geosynchronous Earth orbit, or GEO, around the Earth. Placed 22,300 miles above the Earth, these satellites play key roles in communications, science, defense and weather monitoring. GEO permits these spacecraft essentially to stay over the same point, allowing for constant coverage of a designated position. This is crucial for satellites relaying meteorology and television signals covering specific portions of the globe. 

According to Tom Aranyos, technical integration manager in NASA's Fluids and Propulsion Division at Kennedy, engineers at the Florida spaceport are supporting the hypergolic propellant refueling portion of the Goddard-led study examining how free-flying servicing spacecraft could expand options in orbit for government and commercial satellite owners. 

"America depends on satellites in geosynchronous orbit," said Aranyos. "These expensive spacecraft eventually develop systems failures or run out of propellant. Servicing and refueling these satellites can keep them operating longer and in the correct orbit, giving the nation and their owners more value for their investment." 

With his feet secured on a restraint on the space station 

remote manipulator system's robotic arm, NASA astronaut 

Mike Fossum holds the Robotics Refueling Mission payload. 

The four tools on the test device cut and manipulated wires, 

unscrewed caps, opened and closed valves and transferred 

fluid demonstrating that a remote-controlled robot can 

service and refuel a satellite.

Preliminary work with a technology demonstrator is underway on the International Space Station. The crew of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 flight delivered the Robotic Refueling Mission, or RRM, hardware to the station in July 2011. 

During a spacewalk, astronauts Mike Fossum and Ron Garan transferred the RRM onto a temporary platform on the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, also known as Dextre, a two-armed robot developed by the Canadian Space Agency that serves as part of the station's Mobile Servicing System. RRM now resides on the Express Logistics Carrier 4 platform outside the station.  More

Mars Longevity Champ Switching Computers

NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter, already the longest-working spacecraft ever sent to Mars, will switch to some fresh, redundant equipment next week that has not been used since before launch in 2001.

Like many spacecraft, this orbiter carries a pair of redundant main computers, so that a backup is available if one fails. Odyssey's "A-side" computer and "B-side" computer each have several other redundant subsystems linked to just that computer. The Odyssey team has decided to switch to the B-side computer to begin using the B-side's inertial measurement unit. This gyroscope-containing mechanism senses changes in the spacecraft's orientation, providing important information for control of pointing the antenna, solar arrays and instruments.

"We have been on the A side for more than 11 years. Everything on the A side still works, but the inertial measurement unit on that side has been showing signs of wearing out," said Odyssey Mission Manager Chris Potts at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "We will swap to the B side on Nov. 5 so that we still have some life available in reserve on the A side."

In many potential problem situations, the Odyssey's autonomous fault-protection response would switch the spacecraft from the active side to the other side. By preserving the capability of switching back to a fully functional A side, the mission continues to have the available protection of switching sides temporarily and correcting any fixable anomaly on the B side.

"The spare inertial measurement unit is factory new, last operated on the day before launch," Potts said.

Odyssey launched April 7, 2001, began orbiting Mars on Oct. 24 of that year, began systematic science observations of Mars in early 2002, and broke the previous record for longest-working Mars spacecraft in December 2010.

The side swap on Nov. 5 will intentionally put Odyssey into a reduced-activity status called "safe mode." As the team and the spacecraft verify all systems can operate well over the following several days, the orbiter will return to full operations, conducting its own science observations, as well as serving as a communications relay for NASA's active Mars rovers Opportunity and Curiosity.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which shares the data relay return responsibility for the rovers at Mars, will carry the full burden of relay support for both rovers -- Opportunity and Curiosity -- during Odyssey's side-swap period. There will be a reduction in the total amount of relay data returned from Mars. The rover teams will reduce the amount of data planned for downlinking until Odyssey returns to full capacity after the side swap is complete, and will maintain near-normal tactical operations in the interim.

Odyssey's longevity enables continued science, including the monitoring of seasonal changes on Mars from year to year, and continued communication-relay service.

Odyssey is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft. JPL and Lockheed Martin collaborate on operating the spacecraft. For more about the Mars Odyssey mission, visit: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey.