FASTSAT, FASTRAC-A, FASTRAC-B, FalconSat-4, OREOS, RAX (STP-S26) - Minotaur IV - Kodiak LP-1 - 20.11.10 01:25 UTC

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http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

Sept. 1      Minotaur 4  •  STP S26
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Kodiak Island, Alaska

The Air Force Minotaur 4 rocket will launch a group of satellites in a launch opportunity sponsored by the Air Force's Space Test Program. The payloads include the Air Force's STPSat 2 satellite, NASA's FASTSAT (Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite), two FASTRAC spacecraft from the University of Texas, the Air Force Academy's FalconSat 5 satellite, and NASA's O/OREOS CubeSat mission. Delayed from May 28. Moved up from Sept. 5. [May 24]

http://msdb.gsfc.nasa.gov/MissionData.php?mission=FASTSAT-HSV01%20%28STP-S26%20mission%29

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http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

Oct. 1    Minotaur 4  •  STP S26
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Kodiak Island, Alaska

The Air Force Minotaur 4 rocket will launch a group of satellites in a launch opportunity sponsored by the Air Force's Space Test Program. The payloads include the Air Force's STPSat 2 satellite, NASA's FASTSAT (Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite), two FASTRAC spacecraft from the University of Texas, the Air Force Academy's FalconSat 5 satellite, and NASA's O/OREOS CubeSat mission. Delayed from May 28. Moved up from Sept. 5. Delayed from Sept. 1. [July 22]

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http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

November    Minotaur 4  •  STP S26
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: LP-1, Kodiak Launch Complex, Alaska

The Air Force Minotaur 4 rocket will launch a group of satellites in a launch opportunity sponsored by the Air Force's Space Test Program. The payloads include the Air Force's STPSat 2 satellite, NASA's FASTSAT (Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite), two FASTRAC spacecraft from the University of Texas, the Air Force Academy's FalconSat 5 satellite, and NASA's O/OREOS CubeSat mission. Delayed from May 28. Moved up from Sept. 5. Delayed from Sept. 1 and October. [Aug. 28]

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Спутник развернет в космосе солнечные паруса

31.08.10, Вт, 10:40, Мск
 
Астрофизики и инженеры из Marshall Space Flight Center и Ames Research Center спроектировали и построили NanoSail-D – миниатюрный спутник с солнечным парусом.

Солнечный парус обеспечивает дешевый движитель с очень долгим временем работы, поэтому американские инженеры сделали ставку именно на него и первый полет NanoSail-D на околоземную орбиту будет исключительно испытанием нового уникального солнечного паруса.


Так выглядит спутник NanoSail-D с солнечным парусом на рисунке

Одна из наиболее сложных конструкторских задач – создать для гигантского (в сравнении с объемом корпуса аппарата) солнечного паруса компактную упаковку, а потом развернуть в космосе тонкую пленку так, чтобы она не разорвалась. NanoSail-D оснащен новой сверхплотной "упаковкой", которая позволит развернуть парус площадью более 9 м2, сделанный из полимера CP1 не толще папиросной бумаги. Конструкторам удалось поместить этот парус в контейнер размером с буханку хлеба, который, как они надеются, сможет развернуть тончайшую пленку, не порвав ее.

Запуск планируется на начало осени с помощью ракеты-носителя Minotaur IV. NanoSail-D установят как часть полезной нагрузки на микроспутник FASTSAT. Его выведут на высоту 643 км, после чего NanoSail-D отделится, его таймер начнет обратный отсчет и в точно выверенный момент 4 штанги начнут быстро разворачивать солнечный парус. Весь процесс займет не более 5 секунд.

В настоящее время солнечный парус остается, пожалуй, единственным движителем, способным обеспечить тягой продолжительные космические миссии. Небольшие и относительно недорогие парусники "рассыпанные" по Солнечной системе могут стать разведчиками для последующих специализированных миссий и даже разумной альтернативой дорогим и сложным зондам.

Также новая технология НАСА может оказаться полезной для разворачивания на орбите антенн, зеркал, солнечных батарей большой площади для различных сенсоров и систем. Не случайно работа ведется в тесном сотрудничестве с ВВС и космическим и противоракетным командованием США.

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http://msdb.gsfc.nasa.gov/launches.php

11/20/2010   FASTSAT-HSV01 (STP-S26 mission)

[Космос-3794]

Некоторые подробности по основной миссии.[/size]

Из интервью полковника  Michael Moran, командующего Air Force Space Development and Test Wing:



Согласно Ball Aerospace - главного разработчика проекта:

STP-SIV
Space Test Program's Standard Interface Vehicle

Overview
The Space Test Program's Standard Interface Vehicle (STP-SIV) project has developed a common spacecraft bus with a standard payload interface to accelerate Department of Defense space technology and ensure future U.S. space superiority.

Payload teams are able to design payloads and specific experiments to be compatible with the flexible standardized vehicle, resulting in lower spacecraft non-recurring costs and increased spaceflight opportunities. By providing such a vehicle, the Space Test Program can shorten acquisition timelines and decrease spacecraft build costs for its defense industry customers.

Our Role
As the prime contractor on the program, Ball Aerospace is responsible for the overall system including the spacecraft and standard payload interface design and build, payload integration, space vehicle environmental testing, and launch and mission support.

Ball Aerospace was awarded the contract in 2006 for up to six vehicle delivery orders for the Air Force Space Development & Test Wing's (SDTW) Space Development Group at Kirtland Air Force Base.

Ball Aerospace's STP-SIV product line is ideal for a variety of science, technology development and risk reduction missions.

The STP-SIV:

Spacecraft is approximately 24" x 28" x 28" high and weighs less than 110kg
Accommodates up to four separate instruments
Operates in any low earth orbit from 400 and 850 km altitude
Remains easily adaptable for future missions – no design changes necessary for payloads that conform to the standard interface
Maintains flexibility to launch on a large variety of vehicles, including the EELV Secondary Payload Adapter  
The first STP-SIV spacecraft, STPSat 2 is expected to launch in 2010 aboard a Minotaur IV from Kodiak, AK. STPSat-3, the second STP-SIV spacecraft, is in its production phase and will be ready for payload integration by Fall 2010.

http://www.ballaerospace.com/page.jsp?page=126

Технические характеристики и концепция:


Table 1: STP-SIV Capabilities


Figure 1: STP-SIV Design is Flexible and Capable


Figure 2: The STP-SIV Spacecraft Bus and Payload
Module Accommodate a Range of Payloads

http://www.responsivespace.com/Papers/RS6/SESSIONS/SESSION%20VI/5006_MARLOW/5006P.pdf

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http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-10-microbes-molecules-space-stress.html

Microbes and molecules get a space-stress test[/size]
October 25, 2010 By Dauna Coulter


Bacillus subtilis holds the record for surviving in space for the longest duration, 6 years on a NASA satellite.

Astrobiologists searching for life beyond Earth need to know how well life and its building blocks fare in space. To find out, NASA will monitor a miniature "crew" of organic molecules and microbes orbiting Earth for 6 months.

ID over 2200 species - Fast I.D. of over 2200 species of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. - www.biolog.com

"This will be the first mission since the early 1970s to test a life form's mettle outside the protection of Earth's magnetic field," says science team member Wayne Nicholson of NASA's Kennedy Space Center. "The conditions are harsh 'out there' – extreme vacuum and cosmic radiation are tough on life."

The shoebox-sized O/OREOS (Organism/ORganic Exposure to Orbital Stresses) satellite will venture outside our planet's magnetic shield twice during each of its polar orbits – as it passes over the poles. Over 6 months, there will be significant cumulative exposure to cosmic radiation.

O/OREOS will host two separate experiments simultaneously. In one experiment, called SEVO (Space Environment Viability of Organics), samples of various organic molecules on a rotating wheel outside the satellite will be exposed to solar radiation—the kind of radiation a molecule might experience when it hitches a ride on a comet.

There are many interstellar clouds of gas in our galaxy chock-full of carbon-containing compounds. Some of these molecules adhere to dust particles and are swept up in comets.

Could comets have express-delivered some of life's precursors to our planet and other worlds? To help answer that question, SEVO will reveal how stable organic compounds are in space and how they're altered.

"When our wheel of organic compounds points at the sun, sunlight will pass through the thin film of molecules," explains science team member Richard Quinn of NASA Ames Research Center. "A spectrometer will record the molecules' absorption of ultraviolet and visible light, and a radio will send the data to Earth for analysis. We'll be able to see how the spectra change – and therefore how the compounds themselves change."


A computer-generated image of the complete O/OREOS nanosatellite. The wheel near the left end of the satellite is the SEVO sample carousel with 24 cells (that appear as round holes) for thin-film organic sample reaction cells.
The second experiment, called SESLO (Space Environment Survivability of Live Organisms), will check to see how microbes hold up to long duration space flight.

Four strains of dormant, dried microbes inside the spacecraft will be revived at 1 week, 3 months, and 6 months with a dousing of their favorite medium (food). A three-color LED and detector will monitor the organisms' growth and metabolism by detecting changes in color of a dye that responds to metabolic activity.

Astrobiologist Chris McKay also of Ames is not directly associated with the mission, but he eagerly anticipates the results: "We study microbes because, compared to other living things, including us, bacteria are very resilient. They are known to have survived tremendously inhospitable conditions here on Earth."


Assembly of GeneSat, a previous nano-satellite with roughly the same dimensions as O/OREOS. Credit: NASA Ames
Some microbes have developed a unique survival strategy for enduring extremes. When the going gets tough, they spontaneously replicate their own genetic material and form layers of protective coatings around it, fashioned from their own proteins. The resulting spores are encapsulated and equipped to face extreme temperatures, radiation, and even lack of water, air, and nutrients.
"It's as if they form their own tiny space capsules – spores," says McKay. "In fact, we scientists store them as spores."

The hardiness of bacteria creates what Nicholson calls "a very sticky wicket" – especially if their "space capsules" are tough enough to withstand the extremes of space.

"If we do ever isolate a 'bug' from Mars or anywhere else, we'll have to prove we didn't inadvertently bring a microbial hitchhiker from Earth on our spacecraft, contaminating the extraterrestrial sample," he explains.

Neither, he says, do we want to contaminate a pristine alien world with our microbes.

"Since the O/OREOS mission length will be [almost as long as] an Earth-to-Mars trip, the results will tell us something about how microorganisms would react on such a voyage. We're looking at some very resilient microbes that could serve as proxies for actual spacecraft contaminants."

"The first explorers on Earth simply sailed across the ocean and infected the western hemisphere with all sorts of problems – small pox for example," notes Nicholson. "Now we are taking the time to plan and prepare, with experiments like ours, and we're moving forward cautiously."

O/OREOS is tentatively scheduled for launch in November of 2010.

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http://www.utro.ru/articles/2010/10/26/932291.shtml

Экипаж микробов расскажет о вечной жизни

26 октября, 14:59 | Борис ОРЛОВИЧ

Ради безопасности полета Гагарина советские ученые жертвовали обезьянами и собаками. А для изучения возможных проблем со здоровьем будущих путешественников к отдаленным планетам специалисты NASA собрали экипаж самых смелых бактерий.

В ближайшее время на орбиту будет выведен уникальный спутник размером с обувную коробку. Внутри "кабины" поселят бактерий рода Bacilus Subtilis, и изменения, которые будут происходить с ними в космосе, должны послужить основой биоисследований в области дальних перелетов. В первую очередь, ученых интересуют потенциальные мутации и нарушения белковой структуры, которые могут происходить со временем в организме бактерий. На "экипаж" будут воздействовать магнитное поле, солнечная радиация и другие излучения, интересует биологов и реакция микробов на пожизненное пребывание в вакууме.

Дело в том, что вернуться на землю бактериям не суждено. Эксперимент продлится около шести месяцев, за это время ученые успеют собрать все необходимые данные. Для этого в кабине спутника установлены датчики спектрографа, информация с которых будет отправляться в командный центр NASA. Член исследовательской группы, астробиолог Ричард Куинн рассказал: "Датчики улавливают изменения в структуре световых волн, а спектрометр фиксирует степень их поглощения молекулами организмов бактерий. Анализ результатов позволит нам на Земле вести детальный мониторинг состояния экипажа".

Ученые рассчитывают, что космическая миссия расскажет и о том, как живется микроорганизмам с других планет. "Если когда-нибудь человек доберется до Марса и вернется оттуда, мы должны быть уверены, что экипаж не принесет на Землю бактерий с Красной планеты", - говорит член команды NASA Уэйн Николсон. Астробиологи всерьез обеспокоены возможностью инфицирования инопланетными микробами, потому они и жертвуют сегодня

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http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/stps26/101112launchpreps/

Minotaur rocket readied for liftoff from Alaska next week[/size]
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: November 12, 2010

Seven satellites will share a ride to space on a Minotaur rocket next Friday, launching from the southern shore of Alaska to an orbital perch more than 400 miles above Earth with a legion of U.S. military, NASA and university experiments.



Payloads of the STP-S26 mission are stacked for launch on a Minotaur 4 rocket. Credit: U.S. Air Force/Lou Hernandez
 

The Minotaur 4 rocket is scheduled for blastoff in a 90-minute launch window opening at 8:24 p.m. EST (4:24 p.m. Alaska time) next Friday, or 0124 GMT on Nov. 20.

The 78-foot-tall launcher, powered by surplus military and commercial rocket motors, is in the final stages of preparations at Launch Pad No. 1 at Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska.

It will be the second orbital mission from the state-owned facility, which is managed by Alaska Aerospace Corp. and situated on the southeast coast of Kodiak Island.

"Over the past 18 months, our combined government and industry team has done an absolutely phenomenal job overcoming challenges from the logistics of transporting rocket motors to Kodiak Island, to the integration of seven payloads and their 16 experiments onto the rocket, to the numerous launch vehicle and range activities necessary to achieve a successful mission," said Air Force Col. Michael Moran, commander of the Air Force Space Development and Test Wing.

The launch customer is the U.S. Air Force Space Test Program, a unit devoted to demonstrating enabling technologies that could be incorporated on more costly and critical spacecraft in the future.

The mission is codenamed STP-S26, signifying the 26th small launch vehicle mission since the Space Test Program began flight testing in 1967.

"On this single rocket, we will launch seven satellites carrying 16 science and technology experiments from the Air Force, Army, Navy, NASA and the National Science Foundation," said Air Force Col. Carol Welsch, director of the Space Test Program.

The satellite cluster, totaling nearly 1,300 pounds, is already attached to the Minotaur's upper stage.

"Right now, we have the entire vehicle stacked with the encapsulated payload on the rocket," said Air Force Lt. Col. Tim Cole, the launch vehicle program manager. "We have done one rehearsal with the team. From here to the 19th, we will continue to check the systems, the avionics systems, the hydraulic systems, to make sure they are performing to what we expect."



Payloads of the STP-S26 mission are stacked for launch on a Minotaur 4 rocket. Credit: Alaska Aerospace Corp.

Another countdown rehearsal is planned Monday for a final exercise before launch day.

"Getting down to the last couple of days, we will test the flight termination system on the vehicle," Cole said. "We will test the range connection to the vehicle, so that we can get telemetry. We will do a system test. And then on the last day, we will remove the pins for the ordnance devices and be ready to launch."

The launch pad's clamshell-like service tower will be retracted next Friday.

The launch will be the third flight of the Minotaur 4, which is made of three solid rocket motors from stockpiles of retired Peacekeeper missile stages. A commercial Orion 38 fourth stage will inject the payloads into an orbit about 400 miles high with an inclination of 72 degrees.

After deploying the satellites, a liquid-fueled fifth stage will be tested for use on future Minotaur 4 flights. It carries ballast weights to be released in a higher orbit with an altitude of about 715 miles.

The Hydrazine Auxiliary Propulsion System, or HAPS, is designed for missions placing multiple satellites destined for different orbits. All of the operational payloads on this Minotaur mission are going to the same altitude, but future missions could require in-flight orbit changes.

The restartable HAPS thrusters have previously flown on air-launched Pegasus rockets, but not on the Minotaur.

"Although this is our third launch, we treat it like our first since we have several first items on-board, like the HAPS system," Cole said.

[Брабонт]

Обращает на себя внимание такой момент:

After deploying the satellites, a liquid-fueled fifth stage will be tested for use on future Minotaur 4 flights. It carries ballast weights to be released in a higher orbit with an altitude of about 715 miles.

Air Force's STP-S26 Mission Loaded with New Technologies

Then its Hydrazine Auxiliary Propulsion System will propel a dummy payload to an altitude of about 1,100 kilometers, where a new Boeing-developed payload separation system will deploy the ballast, Cole said.

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http://www.spacenews.com/military/101112-stps26-mission-loaded-new-technologies.html

Fri, 12 November, 2010
Air Force's STP-S26 Mission Loaded with New Technologies[/size]
By Turner Brinton

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force's experimental STP-S26 mission is slated to launch Nov. 19 in an effort to demonstrate a myriad of new space technologies, including a command and control system, atmospheric sensors, and satellite deployment and propulsion systems.

The mission will be the 26th launched by the Air Force's Space Test Program, which coordinates launches for experimental payloads from across the U.S. government. Seven satellites encompassing 16 experiments are now fully integrated and encapsulated atop a Minotaur 4 launch vehicle counting down the final days until launch from Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska, said Air Force Lt. Col. Tim Cole, the mission's launch vehicle program manager.

Four of the satellites are in the 180-kilogram class, about the size of small refrigerators, and three are cubesats weighing just a couple of kilograms each.

The Minotaur 4 launch vehicle, built by Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., is based on three repurposed U.S. Peacekeeper ICBM solid rocket motors and a fourth stage powered by Alliant Techsystems' Orion 38 solid rocket motor. The rocket made its suborbital debut in April, followed by its first orbital mission in September.

The third Minotaur 4 flight will mark a number of firsts for the rocket, Cole said in a Nov. 9 media briefing. This will be the first Minotaur 4 launch from Alaska, and it will be the first to use a new multi-payload adapter plate, upon which the four larger satellites are mounted.

The STP-S26 mission also will be the first Minotaur 4 vehicle to deploy payloads into two different orbits. The rocket's four conventional stages will carry it to a 72 degree inclined orbit 650 kilometers above the Earth, where all seven satellites will be deployed. Then its Hydrazine Auxiliary Propulsion System will propel a dummy payload to an altitude of about 1,100 kilometers, where a new Boeing-developed payload separation system will deploy the ballast, Cole said.

The primary payload for the STP-S26 mission is the STPSat-2 spacecraft, built for the Air Force by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo. STPSat-2 uses the first production version of the Space Test Program-Standard Interface Vehicle, a 110-kilogram satellite platform designed to host the majority of the experiments considered for launch by the Space Test Program, said Ken Reese, the Air Force's STPSat-2 program manager.

"The [Standard Interface Vehicle] is ideal for science and technology development missions," Reese said. "We can accommodate up to four independent payloads and launch on a variety of launch vehicles."

The satellite will carry two payloads: the Ocean Data Telemetry Microsat Link, which will relay data from ocean and terrestrial sensors, and the Space Phenomenology Experiment, which will evaluate sensor compatibility in the space environment, Reese said.

STPSat-2 will be the first satellite operated by a new command and control system called the Multi-Mission Space Operations Center at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo. The ground system is designed to fly multiple constellations of spacecraft with various missions.

Also on board the STP-S26 mission is the first Fast, Affordable Science and Technology Satellite — or FASTSat — built by 13 Huntsville, Ala.-based organizations, including Dynetics Corp., the Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation, Marshall Space Flight Center and the University of Alabama. The satellite was designed and built in less than 15 months and hosts six atmospheric experiments, said FASTSat mission manager Mark Boudreaux.

FASTSat is unique because it will be the first free-flying satellite to deploy a separate free-flying cubesat, Boudreaux said. Once on orbit, FASTSat will eject NASA's Nanosail D experiment, which aims to be the first satellite to deploy a solar sail for propulsion in low Earth orbit. Developed by Marshall and NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., the 10-centimeter cube will unfurl a bed sheet-sized sail about as thin as a tissue that will propel the satellite as it catches photons from the sun. Nanosail D will use its solar sail to deorbit itself, potentially demonstrating a new way to bring satellites and debris back to Earth without any chemical propellant, Boudreaux said.

The other two larger satellites on the STP-S26 mission are the University of Texas's Formation Autonomy Spacecraft with Thrust, Relnav, Attitude and Crosslink satellite and the U.S. Air Force Academy's FalconSat-5 spacecraft.

The mission's two other small satellites, which measure about 30 centimeters by 10 centimeters, are NASA's Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses craft and the National Science Foundation's Radio Aurora Explorer craft.

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http://spaceflightnow.com/

Minotaur team completes countdown simulation[/size]

The Minotaur launch team practiced countdown procedures Monday at the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska. Check out photos from tower rollback at the picturesque facility on the Pacific Ocean.

http://spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/stps26/101115retract/

Minotaur put through countdown rehearsal

The service structure at the Kodiak Launch Complex retracted away from the Minotaur 4 rocket Monday, exposing the booster during a simulated countdown to practice procedures for Friday's scheduled liftoff with seven small satellites for the U.S. Air Force, NASA and university students.

Photo credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now

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http://spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/stps26/101116nanosail/

Solar sail demo packed up to prove new technologies[/size]
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: November 16, 2010

KODIAK, Alaska -- For less than $1 million, scientists are planning to show off an innovative solar sail experiment beginning with a blastoff from the Alaska frontier Friday, proving new propulsion technologies that could help rid space of unnecessary debris.


Artist's concept of NanoSail-D in orbit. Credit: NASA

The NanoSail-D mission will unfurl a 100 square foot polymer sail from a satellite the size of a loaf of bread. Researchers say the sail will harness light pressure from the sun to change its orbit, eventually slowing the craft's speed enough to drop from orbit and burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

Solar sails don't generate much thrust, but they can propel lightweight spacecraft long distances into the solar system on timescales of months and years. A Japanese solar sail mission, named Ikaros, successfully demonstrated solar sailing on the way from Earth to Venus this summer.

NanoSail-D's potential applications are closer to home.

NASA and the U.S. military are interested in inexpensive methods of removing retired satellites from clogged traffic lanes in orbit. The military tracks nearly 16,000 objects larger than 4 inches circling Earth, and even small debris moving at high speeds pose serious threats to active spacecraft.

DARPA, the Pentagon's research and development agency, is studying concepts to pull debris and old satellites out of operational orbits. Such a job is technically challenging, but legal and political hurdles loom even taller, according to experts.

Low-cost CubeSat spacecraft like NanoSail-D could prove solar sails can be packed inside canisters like parachutes, providing a disposal system when satellites are finished with their missions. Over time, sails could slow satellite velocities enough to move the craft to graveyard orbits or into the atmosphere for a destructive reentry.

NanoSail-D's will stay in space between 70 and 120 days, depending on atmospheric conditions.

"Many satellites remain in orbit much longer, and thus NanoSail-D becomes a method for preventing satellites from remaining on orbit much longer and remaining there as space junk," said Dean Alhorn, NanoSail-D's project manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The experiment begins Friday with the launch of a Minotaur 4 rocket from Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska. For liftoff, the 8.5-pound NanoSail-D spacecraft will be snugly packed inside a larger NASA mothership called FASTSAT.

FASTSAT stands for Fast, Affordable Science and Technology Satellite. NanoSail-D and the FASTSAT microsatellite are both managed from Marshall.

NanoSail-D will be spring-ejected from FASTSAT between seven and nine days after launch, when the satellite is in an acceptable attitude to ensure the two spacecraft do not collide, according to Mark Boudreaux, FASTSAT project manager at Marshall.

Officials say the primary objective of NanoSail-D is to release the satellite from FASTSAT, then deploy the ultra-thin sail membrane.

"Our goal on the NanoSail-D mission is to be the first nanosatellite ejected from a microsatellite, FASTSAT," Alhorn said.
 
   
File photo of FASTSAT under construction. Credit: NASA/MSFC
 

Weighing more than 300 pounds, FASTSAT will continue its mission for more than nine months, hosting five other experiments to probe space weather and test new spacecraft sensors waiting for a ride into space.

"Sometimes it can take years to get just the smallest scientific or technology experiment manifested for flight," said Joe Casas, FASTSAT science operations director. "That means delaying the return of scientific knowledge and the technology validation research that could actually advance a number of solutions to the future spaceflight missions, and sometimes even to our real-world problems. FASTSAT is meant to address some of that deficit in our portfolio."

Shaped like a rectangular prism, the NanoSail-D spacecraft will be orbiting about 400 miles above Earth, too low to measure significant changes its trajectory on sunlight alone. Atmospheric drag will be the largest force on the satellite at that altitude.

The mission timeline calls for unfurling the sail about three days after NanoSail-D ejects from FASTSAT, or between 10 and 12 days after liftoff, according to Casas.

Four spring-loaded guide booms will pop out of the compact spacecraft, then the polymer membrane will stretch tight in a diamond shape within about five seconds.

"The sail will deploy in only about five seconds, similar to how you push a button and a jack-in-the-box opens," Alhorn told reporters last week.

The sail is made of a material called CP1, which launches wrapped on a spindle inside the NanoSail-D spacecraft. The CP1 polymer is about 3 microns thick, tens of times thinner than a human hair, according to Alhorn, who described it as similar to plastic food wrap with aluminum coating on one side.

The satellite's low mass and large sail area mean it will most likely naturally decay from orbit within 17 weeks. The short duration will limit viewing opportunities, but Alhorn said amateur astronomers and backyard satellite observers have a chance to catch a glimpse of NanoSail-D passing overhead.


Doug Hule from the University of Alabama in Huntsville prepares one of the two NanoSail-D spacecraft in 2008. Credit: NASA/MSFC/D. Higginbotham

Officials are launching an imaging contest to capture pictures of NanoSail-D. Its solar sail is six times larger than an antenna on Iridium satellites, a mobile communications constellation famous for brief bursts in brightness easily visible from the ground.

Alhorn expects the spacecraft end up in a spin, and the sail membrane could reflect sunlight to the ground at times, making it visible to observers.

On a budget of $500,000, Alhorn's team built two NanoSail spacecraft in four months in early 2008.

The first unit was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 1 booster in 2008, but a rocket failure caused the satellite to not reach orbit.

Technicians spent the last two years tweaking the backup spacecraft and waiting for a launch opportunity.

[Брабонт]

Классная у них башня, на Кодьяке. Видео.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/

Minotaur 4 poised to send research to new heights[/size]

In a business where mission costs are often measured in billions of dollars, the $170 million value of Friday's rideshare rocket launch from Alaska seems like a bargain. Seven satellites are due for launch on a Minotaur 4 rocket at 4:24 p.m. Alaska time (8:24 p.m. EST; 0124 GMT Saturday).

[Чебурашка]

Пошла прямая трнсляция: http://spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/stps26/status.html

P.S. Хоть одно из них (Минотавр или Дельта) улетит сегодня  :?:

[SpaceR]

Классная у них башня, на Кодьяке. Видео.

Классная, да.
Кстати, первый же коммент к этому ролику:
rnech, 12 ч. назад
Is this Orbital Science Corp.'s Minotaur 4 rocket or an Athena?
Меня при виде РН та же мысль сразу посетила...  :roll:
А вообще производитель РДТТ у обеих ракет один и тот же, так?
И диаметр одинаковый?

[Liss]

Пошла прямая трнсляция: http://spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/stps26/status.html

P.S. Хоть одно из них (Минотавр или Дельта) улетит сегодня  :?:

"Дельта" уже не улетела :-)

[Sharicoff]

Улетело. Сейчас разбрасывает элементы ПН.

[Salo]

Видео:
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/stps26/status.html

0345 GMT Sat. (10:45 p.m. EST; 6:45 p.m. AST Fri.)
The primary payload for tonight's launch has radioed back to Earth through a ground station in Hawaii, according to Ken Reese, the Air Force STPSat 2 program manager.

STPSat 2 extended its solar panels and is operating normally, Reese said.


0315 GMT Sat. (10:15 p.m. EST; 6:15 p.m. AST Fri.)
Today's Minotaur 4 rocket launch from Alaska has reached a successful conclusion, releasing six satellites 400 miles above Earth, then firing a liquid-fueled thruster to boost its orbit another 300 miles higher.

The $170 million flight took off just before sunset from Launch Pad No. 1 at Kodiak Launch Complex. It pitched southeast from the Narrow Cape launch site, traversing the Pacific Ocean as it soared into the upper atmosphere within a handful of minutes.

A crystal clear moon-soaked sky greeted the gleaming white rocket, which was powered by leftover Peacekeeper missile stages to provide a low-cost launch option for its payload of military, NASA and university experiments.

All six payloads separated as scheduled within 32 minutes of liftoff.


0255 GMT Sat. (9:55 p.m. EST; 5:55 p.m. AST Fri.)
T+plus 1 hour, 30 minutes. HAPS cutoff! Applause just broke out in the control center as the hydrazine-fueled auxiliary propulsion system finished its second burn.

The HAPS burns placed the rocket in a circular orbit 746 miles above Earth with an inclination of 72 degrees, almost exactly the preflight target. The rocket was expected to release ballast weights before ending its mission.


0252 GMT Sat. (9:52 p.m. EST; 5:52 p.m. AST Fri.)
T+plus 1 hour, 27 minutes. The hydrazine kick engine is firing a second time to prove a new multi-orbit capability for the Minotaur 4 rocket.


0204 GMT Sat. (9:04 p.m. EST; 5:04 p.m. AST Fri.)
T+plus 39 minutes, 30 seconds. The first of two HAPS burns should be completed, but there is no confirmation of that milestone.

A second HAPS firing is planned to begin at T+plus 1 hour, 27 minutes to raise the orbital altitude from 400 miles to more than 700 miles.


0201 GMT Sat. (9:01 p.m. EST; 5:01 p.m. AST Fri.)
T+plus 36 minutes. The fourth stage has separated from the HAPS thruster system and the liquid-fueled engine has ignited for a demonstration of a new capability on Minotaur 4 rockets.


0156 GMT Sat. (8:56 p.m. EST; 4:56 p.m. AST Fri.)
T+plus 31 minutes, 50 seconds. The FASTRAC satellites have separated, ending the choreographed deployment sequence.

That completes the Minotaur's mission of delivering seven satellites to orbit, but engineers still plan a test of a hydrazine auxiliary propulsion system, or HAPS, that could enable future launches of spacecraft to multiple altitudes on a single flight.


0153 GMT Sat. (8:53 p.m. EST; 4:53 p.m. AST Fri.)
T+plus 28 minutes. One more payload, the University of Texas FASTRAC satellite pair, remains to be released from the Minotaur fourth stage. That milestone is scheduled for T+plus 31 minutes, 39 seconds.


0152 GMT Sat. (8:52 p.m. EST; 4:52 p.m. AST Fri.)
T+plus 27 minutes. FalconSat 5 separation confirmed.


0149 GMT Sat. (8:49 p.m. EST; 4:49 p.m. AST Fri.)
T+plus 24 minutes. All systems reported in good shape and the rocket is close to the predicted orbit.


0146 GMT Sat. (8:46 p.m. EST; 4:46 p.m. AST Fri.)
T+plus 21 minutes, 45 seconds. FASTSAT separation confirmed.


0145 GMT Sat. (8:45 p.m. EST; 4:45 p.m. AST Fri.)
T+plus 20 minutes. Officials now have positive confirmation of payload deployments so far. The rocket is now re-orienting for FASTSAT separation.

The STPSat 2, Radio Aurora Explorer and NASA's O/OREOS CubeSat were the first three payloads scheduled to be deployed.


0143 GMT Sat. (8:43 p.m. EST; 4:43 p.m. AST Fri.)
As expected, the rocket flew out of range of ground stations as it tracked downrange. Officials are working to restore communications through NASA's tracking satellites.


0141 GMT Sat. (8:41 p.m. EST; 4:41 p.m. AST Fri.)
T+plus 16 minutes. The rocket is out of communications range with ground stations and there is no communications with NASA's network of tracking satellites. So there is no insight into the fourth stage burn and payload separation milestones, which should be occuring now.

[Salo]

[Salo]

[Salo]

[Liss]

В упорной борьбе американская сборная сравнивает счет -- 13:13! Какой матч, какое стремление к победе!

[Дмитрий В.]

Классная у них башня, на Кодьяке. Видео.

Классная, да.
Кстати, первый же коммент к этому ролику:
rnech, 12 ч. назад
Is this Orbital Science Corp.'s Minotaur 4 rocket or an Athena?
Меня при виде РН та же мысль сразу посетила...  :roll:
А вообще производитель РДТТ у обеих ракет один и тот же, так?
И диаметр одинаковый?

Диаметр должен быть одинаковым, поскольку Кастор-120 для Афины (и Таурус-1) создан на основе РДТТ MX.

[Salo]

В пору делать ставки: раньше полетит Delta-IVH или CZ-3A.

[Sharicoff]

Однако элементов орбит пока в упор не вижу.  :roll:

[Брабонт]

00:28-00:30
 и

01:45-01:48

 Просьба к знающим людям объяснить видимую разницу в процессе зажигания между M55A1 и SR118.

[Liss]

Однако элементов орбит пока в упор не вижу.  :roll:

Да, пока последний 37221, мусор от МКС.

[Sharicoff]

Опять барьер на профилактике что ли?

upd: хотя... они же как раз ОТ барьера идут получается...

[SpaceR]

Классная у них башня, на Кодьяке. Видео.

Классная, да.
Кстати, первый же коммент к этому ролику:
rnech, 12 ч. назад
Is this Orbital Science Corp.'s Minotaur 4 rocket or an Athena?
Меня при виде РН та же мысль сразу посетила...  :roll:
А вообще производитель РДТТ у обеих ракет один и тот же, так?
И диаметр одинаковый?

Диаметр должен быть одинаковым, поскольку Кастор-120 для Афины (и Таурус-1) создан на основе РДТТ MX.

В общем, как я понял, Castor-120 - это "гражданская" версия первой ступени МХ. И по-крупному говоря, улетевший Минотавр - тоже "гражданская" версия МХ-ов, снятых с дежурства.

"Афина" умерла из-за финансовой неконкурентоспособности, её место на Кодьяке заняла уже ракета другой фирмы с другим названием, а летит тот же самый Кастор-120.
"От перемены мест слагаемых сумма не меняется."

[Sharicoff]

Так, прорезалось.

37222     STPSAT 2 (USA 217)     2010-062A
37223    RAX (USA 218)    2010-062B
37224    O/OREOS (USA 219)    2010-062C
37225    FASTSAT-HSV01 (USA 220)    2010-062D
37226    FALCONSAT 5 (USA 221)    2010-062E
37227    FAST 1 (USA 222)    2010-062F
37228    MINOTAUR IV R/B    2010-062G
37229    HAPS R/B    2010-062H
37230    BALLAST A    2010-062J
37231    BALLAST B    2010-062K

6 спутников, две ступени, 2 макета ПН. Не хватает Наносейла - очевидно еще не отделился. Объект F тоже пока не располовинился.
Параметров орбит нет - все идут под "USA-ххх".

[Дмитрий В.]

"Афина" умерла из-за финансовой неконкурентоспособности, её место на Кодьяке заняла уже ракета другой фирмы с другим названием, а летит тот же самый Кастор-120.
"От перемены мест слагаемых сумма не меняется."

Афину, вроде как, ЛМ собирается возрождать.

[Старый]

Афина умерла из-за конкуренции с Таурусом-1.

[Sharicoff]

Насчет ЮСЭй'ев вообще любопытно. Мало-мальски военных аппаратов в этой пригоршне я насчитал 2: STPSat-2 и FalconSat-5. Остальные - университетские и НАСАвские. С какого перепугу они стали ЮСЭй'ями? Особенно - O/OREOS с какими-то там вивисектируемыми глистами или вообще плесенью. Не иначе каждый подопытный микроб на борту в звании не меньше полковничего...

[Дмитрий В.]

Афина умерла из-за конкуренции с Таурусом-1.

Та ще Польска ... тьфу!... Еще не умерла Афина:
25 марта корпорации Lockheed Martin и ATK объявили о планах модернизации к 2012 году твердотопливных РН легкого класса Athena («Афина»). В семейство войдут двухступенчатая Athena 1c и трехступенчатая Athena 2c. На первой будет использоваться «старый» РДТТ Castor 120*, а вместо двигателя Orbus 21D на второй ступени будет установлен Castor 30, разработанный ATK для второй ступени ракеты Taurus 2 фирмы Orbital Science Corporation (OSC). Более мощная Athena 2c использует Castor 30 на третьей ступени, тогда как на второй будет стоять Castor 120. Модернизированные таким образом ракеты смогут выводить на орбиту высотой 185 км с наклонением 28.5 град ПГ массой 740 кг и 1712 кг соответственно. Это позволит им конкурировать с носителями Pegasus, Taurus, Minotaur (все — производства фирмы OSC) и Falcon 1E (SpaceX).

[Чебурашка]

Какой-то зоопарк лёгких ракет у американцев. Вместо 1-ого 2-х унифицированных типов.

[Брабонт]

Параметров орбит нет - все идут под "USA-ххх".

Как чувствовал...

[Sharicoff]

Как чувствовал...

1. Там есть действительно серьезный аппарат (один из, остальные стали USA чтоб не палить).
2. У Космического командования ВВС началась паранойя.
3. Курсант ошибся с вводом данных.

upd: а, еще 4. На O/OREOS не плесень, а микробы бубонной чумы...

Короче - "удивительное рядом"...

[Брабонт]

1. Там есть действительно серьезный аппарат (один из, остальные стали USA чтоб не палить).

Перед радийщиками уровня Боба Кристи? Если любители найдут и идентифицируют не все КА - что вполне возможно, с учётом более чем скромных размеров - тогда да, имеет смысл.

[Sharicoff]

Если любители (...)

Не-не. Один из тех, которым номер присвоен. Объект A например... Впрочем, это хохма конечно. Я колеблюсь (колебаюсь?) между вторым и третьим вариантами.

[Брабонт]

Тогда ставлю на пункт 2. C учётом того факта, что на STPSAT 1 и его попутчиков по сей день выдаются вполне честные тулайны.

Интересно, а как операторы гражданских микроспутников будут управлять своими подопечными, хотя бы планировать сеансы связи? Получат доступ в spacedatasource.org под расписку ФБР?

[Sharicoff]

хотя бы планировать сеансы связи?

(фантазировать - так фантазировать): а там ниже S-band ничего не будет. Не знаю, как это можно в три-кубики упрятать - но это мое личное персональное мнение, и никто не может на него наезжать, иначе всудподам.

ps: в международный!

[Tiger]

4. Чтоб никто не догадался про енергетические возможности MX-а.  :lol:

[Sharicoff]

NanoSail было обещано отделить через 7 дней после запуска. Неделя между прочим уже прошла.

[Pol]

Старенькое. но:

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=508631648


NASA... How To Pack With Aplomb (Satellite)

[SatNews] The Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses, or O/OREOS, nanosatellite managed by NASA's Ames Research Center, successfully launched at 5:25 p.m. PST on Friday, Nov. 19, 2010, from Alaska Aerospace Corporation's Kodiak Launch Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska.


Photo credit: Charlie Friedericks/NASA — The O/OREOS chemistry cube contains 24 sample compartments and a spectrometer, all packed into a 10-cm3 box.O/OREOS rode into orbit aboard a four-stage Air Force Minotaur IV rocket. Also aboard were the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Test ProgramSat-2 (STPSat-2), NASA's Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite, or FASTSAT, payload bus which carried the NanoSail-Demonstration, NASA's first solar sail, as well as other satellites developed by universities and industry. The goal of the O/OREOS mission is to demonstrate the capability to conduct low-cost astrobiology science experiments on autonomous nanosatellites in space.

Scientists will apply the knowledge they gain from O/OREOS to plan future experiments in the space environment to study how exposure to space changes organic molecules and biology. These experiments will help answer astrobiologys fundamental questions about the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the universe. Approximately 19 minutes after launch, O/OREOS separated from the Minotaur IV rocket and entered low Earth orbit at an altitude of approximately 400 miles. About three hours after launch, amateur radio operator, Marco Bruno, in Torino, Italy received the first signals from O/OREOS.

After a spacecraft checkout period, O/OREOS autonomously initiated the first of two experiments, which will last approximately six months and transmit data for as long as a year. The second experiment will start on Friday, Nov. 26, 2010. Now that O/OREOS is activated and has begun transmitting radio signals to ground control stations at Santa Clara University, the nanosatellite will send mission data to the NASA Mission Management and science teams at Ames for analysis.

The STPSat-2 launch was the STP's 26th small launch vehicle mission. The Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Systems Center's Space Development and Test Wing at Kirtland AFB, N.M., has overall management of the STPSat-2 mission. The Small Spacecraft Division at Ames manages the O/OREOS payload and mission operations with the professional support of staff and students from Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, Calif., in support of the Astrobiology Small Payloads program under the Planetary Science Division of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA's Headquarters in Washington.


Photo credit: Charlie Friedericks/NASA — The O/OREOS chemistry cube contains 24 sample compartments and a spectrometer, all packed into a 10-cm3 box.

[Pol]

Вах!

Вставлял вроде на инглише, а получился перевод?

[instml]

NASA впервые запустило спутник со спутника

Американскому космическому агентству (NASA) впервые удалось запустить один спутник с борта другого, сообщается в официальном пресс-релизе агентства. По мнению исследователей NASA, подобная схема запуска аппаратов в будущем может применяться достаточно широко.

Основной спутник (относящийся к классу микроспутников) FASTSAT был запущен 19 ноября 2010 года с космодрома на Аляске. На борту аппарата была установлена система P-POD, предназначенная для вывода на орбиту миниатюрных космических аппаратов (наноспутников).

Подобные системы, напоминающие по своему устройству катапульты, ранее размещались только на головных блоках ракет, откуда и осуществлялся пуск космических аппаратов. При помощи P-POD на орбиту был выведен наноспутник NanoSail-D. Линейные размеры аппарата составляют примерно 10 на 10 и на 39 сантиметров.

По словам исследователей, несмотря на небольшие размеры новый спутник позволит испытать ряд совершенно новых технологий. Так, например, NanoSail-D снабжен солнечным парусом площадью около 10 квадратных метров. Этот парус служит для торможения и должен помочь свести аппарат с орбиты.

http://lenta.ru/news/2010/12/07/sats/

[Старый]

Лента.вру жжот напалмом. Этому П-ПОДу в обед сто лет.

[Leroy]

Лента.вру жжот напалмом. Этому П-ПОДу в обед сто лет.

А где там написано, что это новый девайс?

[pkl]

Старый прав. Спутник со спутника уже запускали. В т.ч. при помощи "Минотавра". А первым был "Магион" с "Интеркосмоса".

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1012/11nanosaild/

NASA solar sail lost in space[/size]
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: December 11, 2010

NASA has not heard from the experimental NanoSail-D miniature solar sail in nearly a week, prompting officials to wonder if the craft actually deployed from a larger mother satellite despite initial indications it ejected as designed.


Artist's concept of NanoSail-D. Credit: NASA
 
The agency announced Monday the NanoSail-D ejected from the its mothership, the Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite, or FASTSAT. The deployment was supposed to trigger a three-day timer before issuing an automatic command to unfurl a 100 square foot ultra-thin polymer sail from NanoSail-D, which is about the size of a loaf of bread.

NanoSail-D's spring-ejection was indicated at 1:31 a.m. EST Monday, leading to a predicted release of the spacecraft's sail membrane around 1:30 a.m. EST Thursday.

But officials fear something went wrong with NanoSail-D.

Engineers have been unable to contact the spacecraft since its suspected release early Monday, according to Kim Newton, a spokesperson at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

NASA posted an update on the mission website late Friday saying "it is not clear" that the small spacecraft was deployed from FASTSAT.

"At the time of ejection, spacecraft telemetry data showed a positive ejection as reflected by confirmation of several of the planned on orbit ejection sequence events," the statement said. "The FASTSAT spacecraft ejection system data was also indicative of an ejection event."

NanoSail-D was mounted in a P-POD ejection apparatus inside FASTSAT. P-PODs are typically positioned to release CubeSat spacecraft from launch vehicles, but NanoSail-D was expected to become the first CubeSat to separate from a microsatellite.

Containing the small solar sail experiment and five other technology investigations, the 300-pound FASTSAT spacecraft launched Nov. 19 on a Minotaur 4 rocket from the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska.

NASA still has not confirmed the sail deployment event, which was programmed to occur this week. Four spring-loaded guide booms were expected to pop out of the compact spacecraft, then the polymer membrane was designed to stretch tight in a diamond shape within about five seconds.

"The FASTSAT team is continuing to troubleshoot the inability to make contact with NanoSail-D," NASA's statement said. "The FASTSAT microsatellite and all remaining five onboard experiments continue to operate as planned."


Artist's concept of FASTSAT. Credit: NASA
 
NanoSail-D's primary objectives were to eject the 8.5-pound satellite from FASTSAT and deploy the solar sail.

NASA launched an identical NanoSail-D spacecraft in 2008, but the satellite was destroyed in a rocket mishap. Engineers spent the last two years preparing a backup spacecraft for blastoff.

Both NanoSail-D vehicles were assembled on a budget of $500,000, according to Dean Alhorn, the NanoSail-D project manager at Marshall.

The craft's solar sail is designed to harness light pressure from the sun to change its orbit, eventually slowing the craft's speed enough to drop from orbit and burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

Solar sails don't generate much thrust, but they can propel lightweight spacecraft long distances into the solar system on timescales of months and years. A Japanese solar sail mission, named Ikaros, successfully demonstrated solar sailing on the way from Earth to Venus this summer.

NanoSail-D's potential applications are closer to home.

NASA and the U.S. military are interested in inexpensive methods of removing retired satellites from clogged traffic lanes in orbit. The military tracks nearly 16,000 objects larger than 4 inches circling Earth, and even small debris moving at high speeds pose serious threats to active spacecraft.

DARPA, the Pentagon's research and development agency, is studying concepts to pull debris and old satellites out of operational orbits. Such a job is technically challenging, but legal and political hurdles loom even taller, according to experts.

Low-cost CubeSat spacecraft like NanoSail-D could prove solar sails can be packed inside canisters like parachutes, providing a disposal system when satellites are finished with their missions. Over time, sails could slow satellite velocities enough to move the craft to graveyard orbits or into the atmosphere for a destructive reentry.

NanoSail-D was designed to stay in orbit between 70 and 120 days, depending on atmospheric conditions.

[Salo]

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/nasa-solar-sail-maybe-not-eject-101210.html

NASA Solar Sail Satellite May Not Have Ejected from Mothership After All[/size]
By SPACE.com Staff

posted: 11 December 2010
09:21 am ET

A small NASA satellite carrying a folded-up solar sail may not have ejected from its mothership earlier this week after all, the space agency announced late Friday (Dec. 10).

NASA had reported that NanoSail-D, which is about the size of a loaf of bread, successfully ejected from the FASTSAT satellite in low-Earth orbit in the early hours of Dec. 6. But the space agency released a status update today (Dec. 10) saying that now they're not so sure.

"At this time, it is not clear that NanoSail-D ejected from the Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite (FASTSAT) as originally stated on Monday, Dec. 6," the statement reads. "At the time of ejection, spacecraft telemetry data showed a positive ejection as reflected by confirmation of several of the planned on orbit ejection sequence events. The FASTSAT spacecraft ejection system data was also indicative of an ejection event."

However, NanoSail-D was supposed to unfurl its 100-square-foot solar sail three days after ejection, and mission scientists can't confirm that this has happened. They're having trouble communicating with the tiny satellite, officials said.

"NanoSail-D was scheduled to unfurl on Dec. 9 at 12:30 a.m., and deployment hasn't been confirmed," the statement continues. "The FASTSAT team is continuing to troubleshoot the inability to make contact with NanoSail-D. The FASTSAT microsatellite and all remaining five onboard experiments continue to operate as planned."

FASTSAT launched Nov. 19 from Kodiak Island, Alaska, bearing six different science and technology demonstration payloads, including NanoSail-D.

NanoSail-D is intended to demonstrate a technology that NASA hopes will help bring decommissioned satellites down from Earth's orbit without using up valuable propellant. The idea is to use radiation from the sun as a sort of wind pushing against a thin sail to propel craft through space. [How Do Solar Sails Work?]

Solar sails could help de-orbit larger satellites, the idea goes, thus helping free Earth orbit of dangerous, cluttering space junk, NASA officials have said.

Once its sail deploys, NanoSail-D is supposed to stay in low-Earth orbit from 70 to 120 days, according to NASA officials. Over time, the satellite will use the sail to de-orbit, spiraling lower and lower without using costly propellants like traditional satellites do.

NanoSail-D is not the first spacecraft to attempt to demonstrate solar-sail technology. In June, Japan's Ikaros probe deployed its solar sail, becoming the first craft to cruise through space propelled only by sunlight.

Nanosatellites like NanoSail-D, also known as cubesats, are typically launched and deployed from a mechanism that mounts directly on a launch vehicle. This is the first time NASA has mounted this mechanism on a microsatellite to eject a cubesat, agency officials said.

[instml]

Так что с NanoSail-D? То ли не отделился, то ли не раскрылся, то ли связи нет :?

[Кир]

Логика подсказывает, что не отделился...

[Salo]

http://lenta.ru/news/2010/12/14/nanosail/

NASA потеряло на орбите наноспутник на солнечном парусе[/size]


NASA потеряло связь с так называемым наноспутником NanoSail-D, оснащенным солнечным парусом. Пока специалисты не знают, что именно пошло не так, сообщает портал ScienceNOW.

Сообщалось, что аппарат был выброшен на орбиту с другого спутника FASTSAT (Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite - Быстрый и доступный научный и технологический спутник) 6 декабря. 9 декабря NanoSail-D должен был передать на Землю сигнал о развертывании паруса, однако этого не произошло.

В NASA рассматривают три возможные версии произошедшего. Первая предполагает, что емкость аккумулятора NanoSail-D оказалась недостаточной для работы на орбите при очень низких температурах. Согласно второму варианту, аппарат не был выброшен на орбиту несмотря на поступивший на Землю сигнал. Третья версия состоит в том, что NanoSail-D не смог развернуть свой парус.

Аппарат NanoSail-D является прототипом малобюджетных спутников, которые, теоретически, могли бы использоваться космическими агентствами. Размер наноспутника сравним с размером батона хлеба, а площадь его солнечного паруса составляет около десяти квадратных метров. Помимо NanoSail-D "материнский" спутник FASTSAT несет еще пять устройств (также малобюджетных), которые пока работают нормально.

Если выброс NanoSail-D все же прошел успешно, то аппарат станет первым спутником, запущенном NASA на орбиту с другого спутника. Предполагается, что в будущем такая технология вывода в космос небольших аппаратов может применяться довольно широко.

[Sharicoff]

Так что с NanoSail-D? То ли не отделился, то ли не раскрылся, то ли связи нет :?

Связи нет - это точно. Раскрытие не произошло - тоже точно.
http://nanosaild.engr.scu.edu/dashboard.htm

[Sharicoff]

Упс... А Nanosail D2 - отделился и передает.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NASA_Seeks_Amateur_Radio_Operators_Aid_to_Listen_for_NanoSailD_999.html

[Sharicoff]

Бггг. А спейстрак его не видит!

[Sharicoff]

NanoSail-D Ejects: NASA Seeks Amateur Radio Operators' Aid to Listen for Beacon Signal

On Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 11:30 a.m. EST, engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., confirmed that the NanoSail-D nanosatellite ejected from Fast Affordable Scientific and Technology Satellite, FASTSAT. The ejection event occurred spontaneously and was identified this morning when engineers at the center analyzed onboard FASTSAT telemetry. The ejection of NanoSail-D also has been confirmed by ground-based satellite tracking assets. Amateur ham operators are asked to listen for the signal to verify NanoSail-D is operating. This information should be sent to the NanoSail-D dashboard at: http://nanosaild.engr.scu.edu/dashboard.htm. The NanoSail-D beacon signal can be found at 437.270 MHz.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/nanosaild.html

Твиттер: http://twitter.com/nanosaild

# @rickyjordan Thanks Ricky. I am still trying to figure out why FASTSAT finally let me go. Maybe it was tired of me hanging around? about 4 hours ago via web in reply to rickyjordan

# Just found out that n2yo.com is tracking me. Check out http://www.n2yo.com/?s=90027 about 4 hours ago via web

# @cherryyamyam I am about as happy as a satellite can be. Look I'm smiling. about 5 hours ago via web in reply to cherryyamyam

# @mike_wood I am surprised that my internet connection still works. There must be some wifi signal here. Live tweets if possible! about 6 hours ago via web in reply to mike_wood

# Big day tomorrow. Just about 24hrs before I open up my sail around 10pm EST. Stay tuned ... about 6 hours ago via web

# After being cramped in that box for so long my arms are getting tired. I need to stretch them soon. Looking forward to tomorrow night! about 7 hours ago via web

# Captain FASTSAT, I think that I might have forgotten my sunglasses. It sure is bright out here!!!! about 9 hours ago via web

# @NASA_OOREOS Thank you and did you bring your football? I am going long. about 9 hours ago via web in reply to NASA_OOREOS

# Thank you for your patience. I am sending my beacon and heard that radio operators in both Huntsville and PA have heard me. Anybody else? about 9 hours ago via web

# Here is the official announcement. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/fastsat/11-009.html Anybody want to listen? Can you hear me? about 11 hours ago via web

# My TLE's. 1 90027U 0 11019.40613897 +.00003325 +00000-0 +47680-3 0 0001 2 90027 071.9739 007.2360 0021785 203.3337 159.2085 14.7703891000001 about 11 hours ago via web

# Surprise, surprise. I am back and what do you know. I am flying free. Bye Bye captain FASTSAT. Thanks for the ride! about 11 hours ago via web

http://nanosaild.engr.scu.edu/dashboard.htm

NANOSAILD
  1 90027U 0        11019.40613897 +.00003325 +00000-0 +47680-3 0 00013
  2 90027 071.9739 007.2360 0021785 203.3337 159.2085 14.77038910000019

Пишут, что идет передача на УКВ. Передатчик S-диапазона пока молчит. Парус тоже еще не развернут. Отделение якобы произошло 17 января.

[instml]

Т.е. парус вот-вот может развернуться (20 числа)?

[Sharicoff]

По плану - да, через три дня после отделения.  :roll:

Следим тут
http://nanosaild.engr.scu.edu/dashboard.htm
и тут
http://twitter.com/nanosaild

[Sharicoff]

Парус развернут завтра, 21-го.

# Big day tomorrow. Just about 24hrs before I open up my sail around 10pm EST. Stay tuned ... about 6 hours ago via web

[Sharicoff]

По предварительным данным от радиолюбителей - парус вроде бы развернулся. Ожидается подтверждение.

# Dashboard waiting upon operator to input data set. Must be asleep for 3am PST pass over SCU. Let him sleep. My turn to sleep. Goodnight! about 1 hour ago via web

# Deployment time is based upon estimates. @PA3GUO just missed it. The drunken sailor is on the ship solar sailing. about 1 hour ago via web

# NanoSail-D has sent data that it deployed the sail. Will wait until tomorrow morning for ground based tracking to confirm. Patience ..... about 1 hour ago via web

# John @naeisel has done it! I have two valid data seta and both have the correct signatures. about 1 hour ago via web

# Evaluation is done of @naeisel data sets! about 1 hour ago via web

# @kyhwana 1 second every 10 seconds. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to kyhwana

# I have data from @naeisel and am checking. First look is promising. Sorry that I have to verify and confirm. Will let everyone know soon. about 2 hours ago via web

# @naeisel Thanks. about 2 hours ago via web in reply to naeisel

# @naeisel If you do not want to go to that trouble, just paste the packet data starting at the 8C in a reply tweet and we will get it. Thx! about 2 hours ago via web in reply to naeisel

# @Znapel Thanks for trying! about 2 hours ago via web in reply to Znapel

# @naeisel Can you send the data to MSFC-nanosaild@mail.nasa.gov & http://beacon.engr.scu.edu/Submission.aspx so we can verify. Please? about 2 hours ago via web in reply to naeisel

# @kyhwana Do you know anyone one the east coast of Australia that might be able to listen in about 40-45 minutes? about 2 hours ago via web in reply to kyhwana

# @kyhwana You should check the tracking sites, n2yo.com and heavens-above.com to verify my estimates. about 3 hours ago via web in reply to kyhwana

# @kyhwana Just missed the pass. It was about 30 minutes ago. Next pass for at least 10+ hrs? Maybe? about 3 hours ago via web in reply to kyhwana

# I almost missed it. Hawaii! Anybody have a ham radio in Hawaii? Tune to 437.270MHz and please send me data? MSFC-nanosaild@mail.nasa.gov about 3 hours ago via web

# Anybody in Kodiak or Anchorage listening to me? I will have a good pass over you in about the next 10-20 minutes. about 3 hours ago via web

# To everyone who is still awake. Thank you for watching. If you need to sleep then sleep. I still have power onboard. about 3 hours ago via web

# If anyone gets some data in the next 6 hours, please send it to my email as well as the dashboard: MSFC-nanosaild@mail.nasa.gov about 3 hours ago via web

# @dennyzen That is right. about 3 hours ago via web in reply to dennyzen

# dennyzen @NanoSailD so the news still good. The great news is still to be known, next orbit mostly h20 and few ppl. Might not know for a while,yet? about 3 hours ago via web in reply to NanoSailD Retweeted by NanoSailD

# Heading up towards New Zealand now! Hopefully with sail unfurled but cannot confirm that. about 3 hours ago via web

# I did not mean to make everyone wait. I want to know as much as you. I still need someone to listen and get more data. Need more input! about 3 hours ago via web

# @PA3GUO unfortunately missed the "holy grail" packet by 1 minute. He is to be praised for his effort and staying up till 3am for the event! about 3 hours ago via web

# My battery voltage is at 7.36V and everything is nominal right before deployment. Need more data. Anybody else in the track listening? about 3 hours ago via web

# @PA3GUO last packet had phase number 8650. We open at 8652. 1 minute later. He did hear me for another 4 min so I am still going strong! about 3 hours ago via web

# I have the answer is everyone ready? about 3 hours ago via web

# @PA3GUO Thanks Henk. Have a good night. You deserve the sleep. about 4 hours ago via web in reply to PA3GUO

# PA3GUO @NanoSailD data send to you, satellite alive until the end of my pass, 03.03utc about 4 hours ago via Mobile Web in reply to NanoSailD Retweeted by NanoSailD and 2 others

# Still no bit flip yet. @PA3GUO Got the data. Analyzing right now. Patience. about 4 hours ago via web

# @doug_ellison @PA3GUO You have another fan. I would give you mine but I am a little far away. about 4 hours ago via web in reply to doug_ellison

# doug_ellison GO @PA3GUO !!! Looks like he might have a chance to see that bit-flip in action to confirm @NanoSailD sail deployment about 4 hours ago via web in reply to PA3GUO Retweeted by NanoSailD and 1 other

# @DarkSapiens Can you hear me? about 4 hours ago via web in reply to DarkSapiens

# Out over the Mediterranean Sea, going toward Africa. about 4 hours ago via web

# @SpaceKnit If you get my data please send to my ground controllers at the dashboard. about 4 hours ago via web in reply to SpaceKnit

# SpaceKnit RT @NanoSailD: RT @PA3GUO: @NanoSailD Hearing you NOW about 4 hours ago via

[Sharicoff]

Пишут, что подтверждено раскрытие паруса.

STATUS: NanoSail-D ejected on 1/17/11 at approximately 1900 PST.  Beacon data is being routinely received by the public throughout the world.  Telemetry now indicates that the sail has deployed.

Mission Time

Launch at 5:25 pm PST 11/19/2010
 
Mission Phase
   Pre-Launch
~ 5:25 pm PST 11/19/10    Launch
   Inside FASTSAT
2215 PST 12/5/10    Ejection Window Open
1900 PST 1/17/11    NanoSail Ejected
Eject + 3 days    Sail deployed - full comms
Eject + 5 days    Sail deployed - no power
L + ~100 days    De-orbit

Satellite Status
Sail Deployment
   Panels    Deployed
   Sail    Deployed
Bus Status
   Beacon 437.270 MHz    Operational
   S-Band    ON
   Battery Voltage    7.1 V

Ground Segment Status
S-Band Stations
   SCU-A    O/OREOS Ops
   SCU-B    Operational
Amateur Radio Stations
   SCU-OSCAR    Operational
Auto Beacon Receive Network
   SCU    Operational
   SLU    Operational
   PA    Operational

[Sharicoff]

Спейском Наносейла по-прежнему в упор не видит...

[Sharicoff]

NASA официально подтвердило развертывание паруса:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/11-010.html

Спейском упорно продолжает его не видеть. Два фрагмента МКС, выброшенные в ходе ВКД, уже пронуменовали - а парусник игнорируют.

[instml]

Зато на http://www.heavens-above.com/ сабж отдельным пунктом наряду с МКС

Где-нибудь есть прикидки, какова вероятность "иридиумовских" вспышек этого паруса?

[Sharicoff]

Где-нибудь есть прикидки, какова вероятность "иридиумовских" вспышек этого паруса?

Народ (Канада, США) вчера смотрел - ничего не увидели.

[Sharicoff]

21 января в 13:54 UTC на Nanosail D2 села батарея (передатчик S-диапазона посадил). Связи больше нет - как и планировалось.

Mission Time

Launch at 5:25 pm PST 11/19/2010
 
Mission Phase
   Pre-Launch
~ 5:25 pm PST 11/19/10    Launch
   Inside FASTSAT
2215 PST 12/5/10    Ejection Window Open
1900 PST 1/17/11    NanoSail Ejected
1900 PST 1/20/11    Sail deployed - full comms
0554 PST 1/21/11    Sail deployed - no power
L + ~100 days    De-orbit
   
Satellite Status
Sail Deployment
   Panels    Deployed
   Sail    Deployed
Bus Status
   Beacon 437.270 MHz    Latest contact
        0554 PST 1/21/11
   Battery Voltage    PLOT
      
Ground Segment Status
S-Band Stations
   SCU-A    O/OREOS Ops
   SCU-B    Operational
Amateur Radio Stations
   SCU-OSCAR    Operational
Auto Beacon Receive Network
   SCU    O/OREOS Ops
   SLU    O/OREOS Ops
   PA    O/OREOS Ops

http://nanosaild.engr.scu.edu/dashboard.htm

[X]

21 января в 13:54 UTC на Nanosail D2 села батарея (передатчик S-диапазона посадил). Связи больше нет - как и планировалось.

Как же они собираются мониторить его торможение в атмосфере, не имея элементарного маячка? NORAD, как видим, самоустранился, а любители не смогут отслеживать быстроменяющуюся орбиту.
Как я понял, смысл эксперимента был именно в слежении за скоростью торможения в атмосфере.

[Sharicoff]

Так изначально и предполагалось, что батарейки хватит максимум дней на пять:

Eject + 3 days Sail deployed - full comms
Eject + 5 days Sail deployed - no power
L + ~100 days De-orbit

[X]

Так изначально и предполагалось, что батарейки хватит максимум дней на пятьt

Вопрос скорее в том, почему они поставили именно батарейку, а не обклеили кубмк СБ? Денег не хватило?

[Salo]

SFN: NASA's first solar sail makes unlikely comeback in orbit[/size]

[pkl]

NASA развернуло свой первый парус в космосе[/size]
Леонид Попов, 25 января 2011

Американский солнечный парус обладает площадью около 10 квадратных метров. Он выполнен из полимера CP-1 толщиной 7,5 микрометра, покрытого металлом для хорошего отражения света (иллюстрация NASA).

С большим опозданием первый экспериментальный солнечный парусник США всё же раскрыл своё полотнище на околоземной орбите. Технология перемещения космических аппаратов за счёт света сделала ещё один шаг к практическому применению. Правда, сделала, загадочно споткнувшись.

Приключения американского аппарата начались 19 ноября 2010 года, когда ракета Minotaur IV, стартовавшая с космодрома на острове Кадьяк (Kodiak Launch Complex), вывела в космос сразу семь небольших спутников. Они были подняты на орбиту высотой 653 км и наклонением 72 градуса.

Одной из главных нагрузок в том старте был экспериментальный микроспутник FASTSAT, предназначенный для испытания целого ряда технологий, разработанных для лёгких и недорогих космических аппаратов. В частности, FASTSAT оснащён адаптером для выпуска дополнительных нано- и пикоспутников — Poly-PicoSatellite Orbital Deployer.

В данном запуске начинкой этого адаптера выступал солнечный парусник NanoSail-D. Его FASTSAT должен был отправить в свободное плавание вскоре после своего выхода на орбиту.


Этапы миссии NanoSail-D: старт носителя, отделение от спутника FASTSAT, свободный полёт, раскрытие паруса, сход с орбиты (иллюстрация NASA).[/size]

Но ни в ноябре, ни в декабре запланированного выброса не случилось и причины сбоя ещё предстоит выяснить.

Американцы совсем было упали духом. Как тут не вспомнить, что первый экземпляр NanoSail-D был уничтожен при неудачном запуске частной ракеты SpaceX Falcon 1 два с половиной года назад.

Однако, совсем неожиданно, 18 января 2011 года в три часа утра по Гринвичу механизм выброса NanoSail-D всё же сработал, о чём просигнализировала телеметрия FASTSAT и что было позднее подтверждено наземными системами слежения за космическими объектами.

Как только крошечный аппарат освободился, таймер парусника запустил трёхдневный обратный отсчёт в полном соответствии с программой. NASA тут же попросило радиолюбителей помочь в отслеживании радиомаяка парусника (в надежде, что NanoSail-D заработает), указав радиочастоту (437,270 МГц) и адрес, по которому следует отправить информацию. Именно радиолюбители первыми поймали голос маяка.


Размеры NanoSail-D составляют 10 х 10 х 33 сантиметра, а вес – 4 килограмма. На снимке спутник находится в руках инженера во время подготовки к наземному тесту на развёртывание паруса (фото NASA/MSFC/D. Higginbotham ).[/size]

NASA сообщает, что 21 января спутник успешно развернул свой парус. Миссия NanoSail-D, казалось, полностью провалившаяся, к радости создателей аппарата, чудом реанимировала сама себя.

На развёртывание ультратонкого серебристого полотна, кстати, у парусника ушло всего примерно пять секунд. Столь быстрый процесс обеспечили четыре упругие ленты, выдвигающиеся из центра аппарата наподобие стальной линейки-рулетки. Апробация механизма, позволяющего развернуть тонкий парус большой площади из крошечного контейнера, при этом не повредив плёнку, и была главной задачей полёта NanoSail-D.


NanoSail-D во время теста. Боковые дверцы приоткрыты и готовы выпустить тонкую плёнку на волю (фото NASA/MSFC/D. Higginbotham).[/size]

Об удачном развёртывании говорят и изменения в орбитальных параметрах NanoSail-D – парус действительно создаёт слабенькую, но измеримую тягу. Это второе практические подтверждение теории работы солнечного паруса (первыми тут отличились японцы с аппаратом IKAROS).

Заметим, в истории солнечных парусов было несколько успехов и провалов. Но после развёртывания и получения занятного автопортрета японского зонда, похоже, дела в этой сфере пошли на поправку.

NASA полагает, что паруса, подобные NanoSail-D, однажды не только помогут космическим аппаратам передвигаться по Солнечной системе, но и будут работать в качестве средства сведения старых спутников с орбиты. В последнем случае главная роль отведена аэродинамическому сопротивлению большой лёгкой плёнки, способной «чувствовать» остатки атмосферы даже на высотах в сотни километров (аналогичную идею солнечного уборщика космического мусора развивают британцы).

Именно из-за слабого торможения в воздухе NanoSail-D должен сойти с орбиты через 70-120 дней и сгореть в атмосфере.

Впрочем, до этого финала, и до тех пор, пока аккумуляторы аппарата не сядут, его сигнал можно попробовать поймать. Радиолюбителям стоит поспешить, ведь судя по телеметрии, заряд в батареях падает довольно быстро. (Положение парусника и параметры его работы можно отслеживать на специальной странице.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW1Pf0uMSug&feature=player_embedded

http://www.membrana.ru/particle/15630

Ну что ж... лиха беда начало!

[Имxотеп]

Где-нибудь есть прикидки, какова вероятность "иридиумовских" вспышек этого паруса?

Народ (Канада, США) вчера смотрел - ничего не увидели.

Присоединяюсь к народу Канады и США. Пытался наблюдать вечерний проход КА - не увидел не только вспышек, но даже самого спутника. Подозреваю, что он очень тусклый, не более 4-5m. Скорее всего парус либо неполностью раскрылся, либо раскрылся и смялся непонятно как. Думаю, вспышек мы не увидим.

[Sharicoff]

Подозреваю, что он очень тусклый, не более 4-5m.

В России его видели блеском 2m.
http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Jan-2011/0214.html
В Англии - слабее 7m.
http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Jan-2011/0244.html

Почему такая разница? Имхо дело в разных фазовых углах.

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NanoSail-D Over Rautalampi, Finland (NASA, Solar Sails, 01/30/11)



NanoSail-D Over Rautalampi, Finland (NASA, Solar Sails, 01/30/11)

[Александр Репной]

Подозреваю, что он очень тусклый, не более 4-5m.

В России его видели блеском 2m.
http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Jan-2011/0214.html
В Англии - слабее 7m.
http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Jan-2011/0244.html

Почему такая разница? Имхо дело в разных фазовых углах.

Из Украины я наблюдал NanoSail-D вечером 29.01.2011 г.
"В сумерках, в 15:25-26 UTC-17:25-26 местного времени, в Лире, в нескольких угловых минутах южнее Веги заметил в ЗРТ NanoSail-D. Высота паруса в ВК была 15° над северо-западом. Яркость оценил в стабильную 4m."
FASTSAT-HSV01 (USA 220) пытался наблюдать, но пока не видел его. Остальные: 37222 STPSAT 2 (USA 217) 2010-062A, 37223 RAX (USA 218) 2010-062B, 37224 O/OREOS (USA 219) 2010-062C, 37226 FALCONSAT 5 (USA 221) 2010-062E, 37227 FAST 1 (USA 222) 2010-062F, 37228 MINOTAUR IV R/B 2010-062G, 37229 HAPS R/B 2010-062H, 37230 BALLAST A 2010-062J, 37231 BALLAST B 2010-062K тоже не видел.

[Sharicoff]

Fastrac (USA-222) в процессе митоза.

FASTRAC is Separating!!

March 9, 2011
Sebastian Mu

[Sharicoff]

Однако пока непонятно, прошло разделение или нет.

Подробности:
http://www.facebook.com/fastracsats
http://twitter.com/fastracsats

[Sharicoff]

Судя по-всему, FASTRAC разделился 22 марта около 11:35 UTC.

Sara Lily and Emma were separated this morning at around 6:35 AM CDT, a new and exciting phase of the mission now begins!!!

Roland Zurmely
Heard FAST1 at 18:47:33 and FAST2 at 18:49:31 UTC in Sete Lagoas Brasil
GH70un

Космическое командование с раздачей номеров пока не торопится.

[Sharicoff]

Космическое командование с раздачей номеров пока не торопится.

Выдали номерок: FAST 2 (USA 228)    2010-062M    37380

[Александр Репной]

Вчера, незадолго до полуночи нашел парус. Объект был яркий, но в реальности он пролетал с небольшим запозданием по расчетным тле, на эпоху от 16 апреля на него. А сегодня уже не видел его.
http://satobs.org/seesat/Apr-2011/0265.html

[Имxотеп]

Наблюдал проход паруса почти через зенит, неяркий объект 3-4m, с высокой точностью следует предсказаниям последних тле.



Похоже обещанный deorbit в течении 70-120 дней после раскрытия серьезно откладывается. За 3 месяца парус потерял лишь 40 км высоты и к  плотным слоям дойдет не раньше осени.
Инттересно было бы оценить эффективный баллистический коэффициент паруса.  Как пересчитать  B*=0.010263 из тле в человеческое соотношение площадь/масса?

[Брабонт]

Видимо, как-то так. Чему в данном случае равен Cd, вычислительная гидродинамика скромно умалчивает. Возможно, близкие российской душе 0.5 (сфера, конус) были бы допустимым приближением.

[Александр Репной]

Ральф отснял парусник.
http://freeimagehosting.nl/pics/7775d2c29d723df5a1a4e9ece044519a.jpg
http://freeimagehosting.nl/pics/44200650b3b54feb6cc8402117d65aaf.jpg
http://freeimagehosting.nl/pics/0be846249c061cb50d60eff23638c30f.jpg

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NASA's Nanosail-D 'Sails' Home -- Mission Complete



http://www.flickr.com/photos/28634332@N05/sets/72157607379989937/with/5793295459/

After spending more than 240 days "sailing" around the Earth, NASA's NanoSail-D -- a nanosatellite that deployed NASA's first-ever solar sail in low-Earth orbit -- has successfully completed its Earth orbiting mission.

Launched to space Nov. 19, 2010 as a payload on NASA's FASTSAT, a small satellite, NanoSail-D's sail deployed on Jan. 20.

The flight phase of the mission successfully demonstrated a deorbit capability that could potentially be used to bring down decommissioned satellites and space debris by re-entering and totally burning up in the Earth's atmosphere. The team continues to analyze the orbital data to determine how future satellites can use this new technology.

A main objective of the NanoSail-D mission was to demonstrate and test the deorbiting capabilities of a large low mass high surface area sail.

"The NanoSail-D mission produced a wealth of data that will be useful in understanding how these types of passive deorbit devices react to the upper atmosphere," said Joe Casas, FASTSAT project scientist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

"The data collected from the mission is being evaluated, said Casas, in conjunction with data from FASTSAT science experiments intended to study and better understand the drag influences of Earth's upper atmosphere on satellite orbital re-entry."

The FASTSAT science experiments are led by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. and sponsored by the Department of Defense Space Experiments Review Board which is supported by the Department of Defense Space Test Program.

Initial assessment indicates NanoSail-D exhibited the predicted cyclical deorbit rate behavior that was only previously theorized by researchers.

"The final rate of descent depended on the nature of solar activity, the density of the atmosphere surrounding NanoSail-D and the angle of the sail to the orbital track," said Dean Alhorn, principal investigator for NanoSail-D at Marshall Space Flight Center. "It is astounding to see how the satellite reacted to the sun's solar pressure. The recent solar flares increased the drag and brought the nanosatellite back home quickly."

NanoSail-D orbited the Earth for 240 days performing well beyond expectations and burned up during reentry to Earth's atmosphere on Sept. 17.

NASA formed a partnership with Spaceweather.com to engage the amateur astronomy community to submit images of the orbiting NanoSail-D solar sail during the flight phase of the mission. NanoSail-D was a very elusive target to spot in the night sky -- at times very bright and other times difficult to see at all. Many ground observations were made over the course of the mission. The imaging challenge concluded with NanoSail-D's deorbit. Winners will be announced in early 2012.

For more information, visit: http://www.nanosail.org/

The NanoSail-D experiment was managed at the Marshall Center, and designed and built by engineers in Huntsville. Additional design, testing, integration and execution of key spacecraft bus development and deployment support operation activities were conducted by engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. The experiment is the result of a collaborative partnership between NASA; the Department of Defense Space Test Program, and the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, the Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation, Dynetics Inc. and Mantech Nexolve Corp.

For more information about NanoSail-D visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/nanosaild.html

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/11-148.html

[Salo]

http://spaceref.com/commercial-space/ball-aerospaces-stpsat-2-completes-experimental-mission.html

Ball Aerospace's STPSat-2 Completes Experimental Mission

 By Keith Cowing
 Posted April 13, 2012 11:35 AM



Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. will provide an additional year of support for the STPSat-2 spacecraft, following completion of the initial experimental mission requirements that ended successfully on Jan. 31, 2012.

The STPSat series of satellites successfully prove the concept of standard interface vehicles for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Space Development & Test Directorate (SMC/SD). The operational mission for STPSat-2, which launched on Nov. 19, 2010, has been extended for an additional year. Under contract to the SD at Kirtland Air Force Base, Ball Aerospace will continue to provide space vehicle support to the satellite through Feb. 1, 2013.

The STPSat-2 spacecraft provides a standard interface, which is able to support a variety of experimental and risk reduction payloads at different low-Earth orbits and is compatible with multiple launch vehicles. The flight-proven Ball Configurable Platform 100 (BCP-100) standard interface bus can accommodate up to four independent payloads with separate power and data interfaces.

"The STPSat-2 provides the affordable and resilient space capability the Air Force is looking for," said David L. Taylor, Ball Aerospace president and CEO. "Following a flawless first year on-orbit, this game-changing spacecraft has proven to be an outstanding collaboration between Ball and the Air Force."

The three payloads aboard STPSat-2 continue to operate nominally. STPSat-3, an identical spacecraft to STPSat-2 Ball Aerospace is now complete. STPSat-3 is expected to launch in 2013 aboard a Minotaur I.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions for national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities. The company develops and manufactures spacecraft, advanced instruments and sensors, components, data exploitation systems and RF solutions for strategic, tactical and scientific applications. For more information visit www.ballaerospace.com.

Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) is a supplier of high quality packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2011 sales of more than $8.6 billion. For the latest Ball news and for other company information, please visit http://www.ball.com.

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NASA's First Minisatellite Mission Comes to Successful End



After two successful years of on-orbit operations, NASA's Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite, or FASTSAT, mission is coming to an end. FASTSAT successfully demonstrated a capability to build, deploy and operate a science and technology flight mission at lower costs than previously possible.
 
 The satellite was designed, developed and tested over a period of 14 months at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., in partnership with the Von Braun Center for Science & Innovation and Dynetics, both of Huntsville, and the Department of Defense's Space Test Program.
 
 FASTSAT used off-the-shelf commercial hardware provided by NASA and a group of industry partners. Weighing slightly less than 400 pounds and carrying six technology and atmospheric science experiments, FASTSAT provided an opportunity to conduct innovative research and mature the readiness of new technologies for future missions.
 
 "FASTSAT demonstrated that an 'outside the box' solution afforded a highly synergistic concept which satisfied experiment, payload and launch schedule requirements," said Mark Boudreaux, FASTSAT project manager at the Marshall Center. "This successful mission brings us closer to realizing a unique, small-satellite platform and the environment needed to perform low-cost research in space."
 
 FASTSAT was launched by the DoD Space Test Program from Kodiak, Alaska, in November 2010, and completed two years on orbit. It served as an autonomous research laboratory in low-Earth orbit, containing all the necessary resources to conduct scientific and technology research operations for all onboard experiments.
 
 "This project has validated the effectiveness of a commercial/government partnership, leveraging the resources and capabilities of Dynetics and the expertise of the Marshall Space Flight Center," said Steve Cook, Dynetics' director of Space Technologies.
 
 Marty Kress, executive director of the Von Braun Center for Science & Innovation, agreed. "FASTSAT provided a comprehensive and cost-effective capability, which resulted in affordable and flexible access to space for a diverse set of users," he said. "Such a minisatellite capability is an invaluable asset, making future partnerships between government, industry and academia more viable and mutually beneficial than ever before."
 
 Among the NASA innovations enabled by FASTSAT during its mission to test low-technology-readiness experiments were: the Miniature Imager for Neutral Ionospheric Atoms and Magnetospheric Electrons, or MINI-ME; the Plasma Impedance Spectrum Analyzer, or PISA; and FASTSAT's ability to eject a nanosatellite, NanoSail-D, from a minisatellite.
 
 MINI-ME, managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., continues to collect data on neutral atoms and electrons from Earth's magnetosphere in a variety of conditions. The data collected from MINI-ME is helping NASA scientists and engineers design two similar instruments for a sounding rocket mission planned for early 2013. That mission, dubbed VISIONS for "visualizing ion outflow via neutral atom imaging during a substorm," will aid researchers in better understanding space weather.
 
 "Among the MINI-ME science results are the first observations of neutral molecular outflow," said Mike Collier, principal investigator for MINI-ME. "Data from MINI-ME are helping the VISIONS investigators optimize the mission science return."
 
 PISA, also managed by Goddard, has completed 15,000 hours of observations and gathered more than 15 gigabytes of raw data captured in a variety of locations and environments during the mission.
 
 "FASTSAT has been a great opportunity to test the PISA instrument concept, while gathering valuable data about how the ionosphere changes over time as the sun gets closer to its 11-year peak of activity," said Doug Rowland, principal investigator for PISA. "We've seen the ionosphere go from being 'depressed' close to launch, to a more 'inflated' state over the last two years.
 
 "With the strong need for improved understanding of our space environment, platforms such as FASTSAT and instruments such as PISA are going to become more important, providing low-cost, flexible platforms for space environment monitoring and scientific measurements," Rowland added.
 
 The NanoSail-D satellite was jointly designed and built by NASA engineers from the Marshall Center and NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. Key sail design support was provided by ManTech/NeXolve Corp. of Huntsville. The NanoSail-D experiment was managed by Marshall and was jointly sponsored as a DoD Space Test Program payload by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and the Von Braun Center for Science & Innovation.
 
 The deployment of Nanosail-D from FASTSAT was the first time NASA deployed a solar sail in low-Earth orbit. "The NanoSail-D mission produced a wealth of data that will be useful in understanding how these types of passive deorbit devices react to the upper atmosphere," said Joe Casas, FASTSAT project scientist at the Marshall Center.
 
 "The data collected from the mission is intended to study and better understand the drag influences of Earth's upper atmosphere on satellite orbital re-entry," Casas said.
 
 Thirteen Huntsville-area firms and the University of Alabama in Huntsville were part of the project team.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/fastsat/12-123.html

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/fastsat/
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/pdf/709025main_FASTSAT_Facts_11_2012.pdf