Cygnus Rendezvous, Capture, and Berth: On Saturday, Cygnus successfully completed an early Relative Global Positioning System (RGPS) PROX checkout and demonstrated the vehicle’s ability to rely on RGPS for targeting of the coelliptic transfer and approach initiation maneuvers. Phasing burns ADV1-3 were all completed nominally enabling successful demonstration of the Autonomous REA Maneuver objective, which …
These key science points were published on September 27, 2013, as “headline statements” by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as part of the organization’s fifth assessment report. Background links provided by Earth Observatory. +Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades […]
Soyuz (36S): Launch and Docking: Flight Engineer (FE)-1 Kotov, FE-2 Ryazanskiy, and FE-3 Hopkins launched on 36S from the Baikonur, Kazahkstan Cosmodrome at 3:58pm CDT, 25 September. 36S performed a nominal four-orbit rendezvous then docked to the Mini-Research Module (MRM)-2 port at 9:45pm CDT, returning the ISS to a full 6-crew complement. Following hatch opening …
Cygnus Status: After discontinuing rendezvous attempts on Monday, Cygnus continues to phase away from ISS on a coelliptic trajectory. As of 10:00 a.m. CDT, Cygnus was trailing ISS 4 km above and 850 km behind. Uplink of the Relative Global Positioning System (RGPS) Software Patch and associated re-integration of the Cygnus Flight Computers is scheduled …
As category 4 Super Typhoon Usagi churned toward Taiwan on September 19, 2013, a satellite orbiting hundreds of miles above used a radar instrument to map the storm’s inner structure. The instrument on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) observed two tall complexes of rain clouds called hot towers in the inner eyewall, a sign that Usagi was a […]
Cygnus Status: On Sunday, the joint operations teams discontinued the nominal rendezvous attempt with ISS when Cygnus’s Relative GPS (RGPS) System was unable to initialize. The problem stems from Cygnus GPS time reference not matching that of the JEM’s GPS time. The A3 DV burn which was scheduled to occur this morning at 7:29 a.m. CDT …
Congratulations to Felix Bossert for being the quickest to solve the September puzzler. The answer is the Chara Sands. See the Image of the Day that published on September 21, 2013, for a second image and details about the area. Also congratulations to Robert Emberson for providing interesting details about the geologic history of the […]
Cygnus Status: In preparation for Cygnus operations this weekend, the crew was scheduled for a half-duty day today. Cygnus systems continue to function nominally. The spacecraft performed its 4th planned phasing burn (DV-4) today at 1:11 p.m. CDT. NASA teams are reviewing the Demo 1 results this afternoon in preparation for Saturday’s ISS Mission Management …
Cygnus Status: Cygnus completed its far-field demonstrations today. Delivery of the data package for Demo 1 (Position and Attitude Control) to NASA has been delayed due to TDRS communications issues. However, is expected to be delivered to NASA this evening. Data packages for Demo 2a & 2b (Free Drift & Active Abort) were delivered to …
Cygnus Orbital Demo 1 (Orb-D1) Launch: Orbital’s Antares rocket successfully launched today from Launch Pad 0A at Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, at 9:58 CDT. The Cygnus spacecraft was successfully injected into orbit. The vehicle’s solar arrays deployed as expected. One issue ground teams are actively working is associated with the Cygnus communications system experiencing problems …
