Cygnus Orb-4 (CRS4) - Atlas V 401 - Canaveral SLC-41 - 06.12.2015 21:45 UTC

[Антон]

Раз уж тут взывают к модераторам, то и я хочу.
А можно грохнуть всю эту ветку с флудом, дабы не засоряла? 

[ОАЯ]

Если раздражает английский, а судьба грузового корабля Cyguns очень интересует, то по-русски коротко там так:
Atlas V вернет Cyguns в игру. (Типа заголовок)
Фирма Orbital основанная в г. Даллес бла-бла-бла надеялась на Antares. Не срослось. Но бабки почти 2 млрд. надо отрабатывать. Приползли в компанию Atlas. Перетерли с нужными парнями вопрос и договорились, что бла-бла-бла следующий Cyugans аккурат влезет в United Launch Alliance-хAtlas V от колорадской фирмы Centennial. 

Фигня разница – там 3500 кг, здесь 3625 кг и без базара полетит во второй половине 2015. Дальше всякая антисоветчина про Кузнецовские двигатели HK-33, бла-бла-бла и буржуйское   министерство обороны бла-бла-бла.
Ну а дальше, как на Западе принято, интервью с тем, кого успели поймать. Как бы мы тоже держим пальцы на пульсе у горла:
Вопросы мистеру Верну Тропу из Atlas-а задает некто МЫ:
М: миссия уникальная?
ВТ: Очень! Например, для Новых Горизонтов мы вклячивали гигантские двери под обтекатель. Туда должна была въехать ядерная батарейка. Для Любопытства еще и жидкостные системы охлаждения, бла-бла-бла.
М: Но Лебедь обычный грузовой корабль. Фиг ли? 
ВТ: Оно конечно так. Только механическая стартовая пуповина хотя и стандартная для МКС и для Швеции (она там делается). Но для нас это, что-то новое. К тому же не будет твердотопливных ускорителей.
М (в ужасе!): Будут трудности при выводе на орбиту?!
ВТ: Ну, не так, что бы у нас был большой опыт в этом. Короче, мы постараемся избежать в данном случае межпланетной траектории. Хотя, бла-бла-бла в отличие от Вандерберга, с мыса Канаверал мы еще не летали.
М: Как будет проходить разделение на орбите?
ВТ: Немного ниже орбиты МКС. Маневры бла-бла-бла, фаза бла-бла-бла.
М: Я слышал, что есть разница в массе груза на 125 кг?
ВТ: Ну, видите ли, конечно, есть разница, гибкость бла-бла-бла, но Канаверал, это в другом месте бла-бла-бла, конечно, если они, то мы тоже бла-бла-бла. Давайте подождем пресс-релиз от Orbital бла-бла-бла.
М: Все ох.. когда Orbital попросил обтекатель не в четыре метра, а в пять... (не уверен, что правильно перевел)
ВТ: «LPF» это четыре (старый размерчик), «EPF» еще четыре (новый для NASA) и «XEPF» для нашего министерства обороны бла-бла-бла. Его и оденем на Лебедя.
М: Когда запуск?
ВТ: Не знаю, могу ли я говорить о конкретных сроках (видимо, еще не все распилили). Расписания все время меняются бла-бла-бла. Дата будет зависеть бла-бла-бла...График с людьми бла-бла-бла. Но за шесть месяцев до того как я скажу дату.
Дальше бла-бла-бла спасибо бла-бла-бла...

[anik]

ОАЯ, спасибо, замечательный перевод!  

[Bizonich]

2 ОАЯ, Просто супер, прочитал с удовольствием.   Аффтар пеши ещё!!!

[Salo]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

Dec. 3 • Atlas 5 • Orb-4
Launch window: TBD
 Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

[Salo]

http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/5-Scimemi-ISS_Status-NAC-July-2015_FINAL.pdf

[Salo]

[Александр Ч.]

Chris B - NSF ‏@NASASpaceflight  24 минуты назад
ARTICLE: Cygnus set for December Atlas V ride ahead of Antares return - http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/08/orb-4-cygnus-set-atlas-v-ride-ahead-antares-return/ ...

Chris B - NSF ‏@NASASpaceflight  23 минуты назад
@NASASpaceflight That amazing render of Cygnus riding with Atlas V is from Nathan Koga - who is our L2 artist and incredibly talented!

[che wi]

The Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Module for the OA-4 mission arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on August 10 for processing in preparation for the upcoming CRS space station resupply mission to be launched from Florida in early December.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/20502899465/

[G_old_Truman]

Взмахнет гадкий утенок крылами в начале децембря и превратится в прекрасного лебедя...

[Apollo13]

"Бойся своих желаний, они могут исполниться". Орбитал очень хотел получить РД-180 и получил его. Вместе с Атласом...

[Salo]

Осталось получить к РД-181 баки от Атласа и будет им счастье.

[Apollo13]

Salo пишет:
Осталось получить к РД-181 баки от Атласа и будет им счастье.

Не. Они хотели только РД-180 и это желание уже исполнилось. Просто не совсем так как им хотелось. Вторым пунктом был РД-0124...

[Александр Ч.]

Apollo13 пишет:

Salo пишет:
Осталось получить к РД-181 баки от Атласа и будет им счастье.

Не. Они хотели только РД-180 и это желание уже исполнилось. Просто не совсем так как им хотелось. Вторым пунктом был РД-0124...

Если желание реализуется так же, то это будет пуск на Союз-2СТ-Б или Союз-2.1б 

[Salo]

http://spacenews.com/orbital-atk-ships-service-module-for-next-cygnus-cargo-mission/

Orbital ATK Ships Service Module for Next Cygnus Cargo Mission
by Dan Leone — October 12, 2015

The Cygnus service module will be mated to the cargo module (above), which arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in August for a planned December launch on an Atlas 5 rocket. Credit: NASA/KSC  
 
WASHINGTON — Orbital ATK shipped the service module for a Cygnus cargo capsule to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the start of final assembly on the first such vehicle bound for the International Space Station since the last one was destroyed in a launch failure nearly one year ago, the company announced Oct. 12.
The Orbital ATK-made service module now will be mated with its pressurized cargo vessel, manufactured by Europe's Thales Alenia Space, in preparation for a scheduled Dec. 3 launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, Orbital ATK said in a press release. The service module provides propulsion, electrical power, avionics and communications for the cargo carrier.
This upgraded Cygnus will be the largest ever launched, carrying about 3.5 metric tons of cargo to ISS — nearly a ton more than the ill-fated Cygnus that was destroyed shortly after liftoff from Virginia last October. The latest Cygnus will also be the first to use Orbital ATK's in-house Ultraflex solar arrays; the craft previously used arrays provided by Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands.
Orbital ATK plans to launch at least two Cygnus capsules aboard Atlas 5 rockets, in December and March, as it recovers from the Oct. 29, 2014, failure of its own Antares rocket, which exploded moments after liftoff from the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia. The mission was supposed to be the company's third paid cargo run to ISS for NASA.
The next Orbital ATK cargo launch from Wallops is slated for "the first half of the year," the company said, aboard an a new Antares variant featuring the Russian-made RD-181 main-stage engine. Previous versions of Antares used the Russian-built, U.S.-refurbished AJ-26, which has been blamed for the October failure.
Orbital ATK's indefinite quantity, indefinite delivery Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA is good through 2018 and has a maximum value of $3.1 billion, meaning NASA may order as many flights under the contract as $3.1 billion will buy.
NASA ordered the equivalent of eight flights from Orbital ATK in 2008, worth $1.9 billion at the time. Earlier this year, the agency ordered two more Orbital ATK deliveries but declined to disclose their value.

[Salo]

http://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/release.asp?prid=86

Orbital ATK Completes Significant Milestone on International Space Station Cargo Delivery Mission for NASA

Cygnus Service Module Shipped to Kennedy Space Center for December Launch

OA-4 Mission on Schedule to Meet Cargo Requirements for NASA


Dulles, Virginia 12 October 2015 – Orbital ATK, Inc. (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, announced it has shipped the Cygnus spacecraft's service module to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for the next International Space Station (ISS) cargo mission, scheduled to launch on Thursday, December 3. Today's OA-4 mission milestone marks a key step forward as Orbital ATK continues its cargo delivery service to the ISS for NASA under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract.

The Cygnus spacecraft will be assembled at Kennedy and launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The mission serves as the first flight of the enhanced variant of the Cygnus spacecraft, capable of delivering more than 7,700 pounds of essential crew supplies, equipment and scientific experiments to astronauts on board the ISS.

The service module, which houses the spacecraft's avionics, electrical, propulsion and communications systems, will integrate with an extended pressurized cargo module (PCM) already in place at the Kennedy Space Center. The PCM's capability to deliver larger volumes of cargo to the station aboard the powerful Atlas V provides even greater support to NASA's continued research and utilization of the International Space Station. The spacecraft will also use the latest in lightweight space-qualified power system technology with the addition of the company's UltraFlex solar arrays. OA-4 marks the first mission to use the UltraFlex solar arrays which were produced by Orbital ATK's Space Components Division.

"These are exciting times for the Cygnus team at Orbital ATK," said Frank Culbertson, President of Orbital ATK's Space Systems Group. "With OA-4 set to launch in December and at least three additional missions to the Space Station planned in 2016, we remain solidly on schedule to meet our CRS cargo requirements for NASA. Our team's performance in meeting milestones on an accelerated timeline demonstrates the company's flexibility and responsiveness to customer needs."

Final assembly, cargo loading and fueling of the Cygnus spacecraft will take place at the Kennedy Space Center prior to its integration with the Atlas V rocket. Like most Orbital ATK spacecraft, Cygnus is designed to be compatible with multiple launch vehicles. This capability supports NASA's requirements for additional cargo and also provides better schedule assurance for future missions.

While preparations continue for OA-4 later this year, three CRS missions are scheduled for 2016 to support NASA's ISS cargo needs, leading off with a second Atlas V launched mission fr om Kennedy Space Center in the spring, followed by the return of operations to the Wallops Flight Facility in the first half of the year wh ere the company will continue CRS missions on an upgraded Antares. The PCMs and Service Modules for the three 2016 Cygnus spacecraft missions are essentially complete and will be shipped to the respective launch sites a couple of months prior to their launch dates.

About Orbital ATK

Orbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies.  The company designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier.  Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs more than 12,000 people in 20 states across the U.S. and in several international locations.  For more information, visit www.orbitalatk.com .

[triage]

 http://ria.ru/space/20151014/1301911123.html
ВАШИНГТОН, 14 окт — РИА Новости.
 Первый после аварии в 2014 году старт космического грузовика Cygnus американской компании Orbital ATK к Международной космической станции (МКС) намечен на 3 декабря, сообщило NASA в среду.

Cygnus, который на орбиту выведет ракета-носитель Atlas V, должен доставить на МКС около 3,5 тонны груза. Старт ракеты с комическим аппаратом предварительно намечен на 18.00 3 декабря (1.00 мск 4 декабря) с космодрома на мысе Канаверал (штат Флорида).

Помимо провианта, воды и предметов первой необходимости грузовик доставит на орбитальную станцию материалы для научных экспериментов и оборудование. В числе прочего экипаж получит микроспутник, который впервые будет выведен на орбиту с МКС.

Orbital ATK осуществляет доставку грузов на МКС на корабле Cygnus по контракту с NASA. Компания прекратила запуски после того, как ракета носитель Antares, также принадлежащая Orbital, взорвалась в момент старта на космодроме Валлопс (США) 28 октября 2014 года. Предстоящий полет Cygnus к МКС станет первым после аварии и, как отмечает NASA, предстоящая миссия станет первым полетом обновленного аппарата Cygnus.

Спойлер

Orbital ранее сообщала, что в 2016 году по контракту с NASA будет осуществлено по меньшей мере три миссии: две при помощи ракеты Antares, еще одна будет выполнена при помощи ракеты Atlas V, принадлежащей альянсу ULA.

[свернуть]

  Это о чем пишут: "В числе прочего экипаж получит микроспутник, который впервые будет выведен на орбиту с МКС." ? Чем он и его запуск отличается от ранее произведенных?

http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/media-accreditation-open-for-orbital-atk-mission-to-resupply-space-station

Artist's concept of Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft in orbit.
Credits: Orbital ATK
NASA has opened media accreditation for the fourth commercial resupply services launch of an Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft filled with cargo for the International Space Station. The launch is currently targeted for Thursday, Dec. 3 during a 30-minute window that opens at approximately 6 p.m. EST.

The Cygnus will lift off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida. The mission will be the first flight of the enhanced variant of Orbital ATK's Cygnus advanced maneuvering spacecraft, capable of delivering more than 7,700 pounds of essential crew supplies, equipment and scientific experiments to the station.

Science payloads include a new life science facility that will support studies on cell cultures, bacteria, and other micro-organisms; a microsatellite deployer and the first microsatellite to be deployed from the space station; experiments that will study the behavior of gases and liquids and clarify the thermo-physical properties of molten steel; and evaluations of flame-resistant textiles.

просто как представляется "Лебедь" в виде птицы

http://www.nasa.gov/feature/cygnus-segment-arrives-to-begin-processing-for-iss-resupply-mission

The Cygnus pressurized cargo module sits in the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy.
Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett

[Salo]

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/10/14/cygnus-service-module-arrives-in-florida-for-station-flight/

Cygnus service module arrives in Florida for station flight      
Posted on October 14, 2015 by Stephen Clark

The Cygnus service module for the OA-4 space station resupply mission arrives at Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday. Credit: Orbital ATK
 
The power and propulsion section of Orbital ATK's next Cygnus supply ship, featuring new solar panel and fuel tank designs, arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday to be joined with a cargo module for a Dec. 3 launch to the International Space Station.
The shipment comes nearly one year after Orbital ATK's last space station supply flight crashed seconds after liftoff fr om Wallops Island, Virginia, aboard the company's own Antares booster. Orbital ATK engineers blame the failure on one of the Antares main engines, and officials purchased two Atlas 5 rockets from United Launch Alliance to keep the Cygnus missions flying while a new engine model is added to the Antares.
The Cygnus service module was trucked from Orbital ATK's headquarters in Dulles, Virginia, wh ere it departed its factory Monday. The spacecraft arrived at Kennedy's Space Station Processing Facility for attachment to a pressurized cargo module made by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy.
The supply section traveled from Italy to Florida by ship, reaching the launch base Aug. 10. The pressurized module will carry up more than 7,700 pounds (3,500 kilograms) of food, provisions and experiments for the space station and its six-person crew.

The Cygnus service module is pictured at Orbital ATK's Dulles, Virginia, headquarters before shipment to the Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations. Credit: Orbital ATK
 
Launch is currently set for Dec. 3 at 6:02 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad. The launch window extends 30 minutes.
The service module for the Dec. 3 launch includes upgrades to its power-producing solar panels and propellant tanks. Beginning with the next mission, future Cygnus spaceships will fly with fan-shaped unfoldable "UltraFlex" solar arrays that are lighter than the conventional wing-like solar panels made by Dutch Space fitted to previous Cygnus cargo craft.
The solar panel switch is an instance of in-sourcing by Orbital ATK. Circular UltraFlex solar arrays, which measure about 12 feet (3.7 meters) in diameter on Cygnus, are made in-house by the company's space components division at a facility in Goleta, California.
The Thales-built pressurized cargo module is also extended about 3 feet (1 meter) in length on all future Cygnus missions, adding more volume for supplies.

The mission patch for Orbital ATK's OA-4 space station resupply flight. Credit: Collectspace.com / Orbital ATK
 
Designated OA-4, the mission is the fourth of 10 flights under a commercial contract between Orbital ATK and NASA. The contract allows the space agency to order as many missions as will fit under a $3.1 billion cost cap, and officials have not disclosed the worth of three extra cargo flights added on top of the deal's original $1.9 billion value.
A fifth Cygnus flight is on track for launch around March 10 aboard another Atlas 5 booster. It will be called OA-6 in Orbital ATK's naming scheme.
Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK's space systems group, told Spaceflight Now last week the Antares rocket is scheduled to return to flight from its Virginia launch site in May 2016 on the OA-5 cargo delivery sortie.
Orbital ATK paid for the two Atlas 5 missions out of its own capital reserves, at no cost to the U.S. government, officials said.
  Spaceflight Now members can read a transcript of our full interview with Frank Culbertson. Become a member today and support our coverage.  
"These are exciting times for the Cygnus team at Orbital ATK," Culbertson said in a statement. "With OA-4 set to launch in December and at least three additional missions to the Space Station planned in 2016, we remain solidly on schedule to meet our CRS cargo requirements for NASA. Our team's performance in meeting milestones on an accelerated timeline demonstrates the company's flexibility and responsiveness to customer needs."
In the coming weeks, technicians will mate the Cygnus service module with its cargo element, then transfer it to a nearby fueling facility for loading of maneuvering propellant, final time-critical cargo items and encapsulation inside the Atlas 5 rocket's nose cone.
Ground crews will transfer the Cygnus inside the Atlas payload fairing to the rocket's Vertical Integration Facility in November to be hoisted atop the Atlas 5 for launch.

[Salo]

anik пишет:
4 декабря 02:03 - запуск Cygnus (OA-4)
6 декабря 14:05 - захват и пристыковка Cygnus (OA-4) к нижнему узлу модуля Unity

[che wi]