In 2009, NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) failed to reach orbit after the rocket it was riding, a Taurus XL, failed to properly deploy it. Recently, NASA finally released the results from their long and arduous investigation. They found that an aluminum manufacturer, SPI, knowingly produced sub-par aluminum for the manufacture of the fairing. They falsified certificates and test results to slip by, costing the US 700 million dollars. They recently agreed to pay 46 million dollars to settle charges, and the company is facing the possibility of never being allowed to conduct business with the government again. Now, 46 million < 700 million, but some reparation is better than none. Nothing can make up for the years of scientific progress lost to greed; no amount of money can turn back time. Hopefully, NASA will hold greater oversight of their contractors in the future.

Sources:

https://www.space.com/nasa-determines-cause-satellite-launch-failures.html

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon is experiencing some major setbacks. The first test flight of the vehicle went without hitch, but further testing of the recovered spacecraft caused some serious issues. During an April 20th test of the SuperDraco engines, the capsule violently exploded. Obviously, this isn’t a great test result for something designed to carry people to space. Humans have a general adversity to explosions. In a statement by the vice president of Build and Flight Reliability at SpaceX, it was revealed that the engines were fired twice successfully, and the capsule then exploded moments before they were fired for the third time. Ignition and firing of the engines involves a lot of valves opening and closing, so it is highly possible that a failure of one of these systems caused the explosion, although nothing will be certain until the investigation is concluded.

Crew Dragon floating into the ocean on four good parachutes during its first test flight.

However, this isn’t the only failure the program had recently. It was recently revealed before congress that SpaceX had conducted a failed “single-out” parachute test. The test, designed to ensure that the spacecraft could successfully land in event of one of four parachutes failing, ended with the capsule hitting the desert at too high a speed. The test vehicle was reportedly damaged in the incident. These setbacks are bad for the viability of the program as a whole, and will likely mean major setbacks in timing. The first manned spaceflight was scheduled as early as July, but it is no longer likely that this goal will be met. Hopefully, no further setbacks will impede the program’s progress, and the flight vehicle will finally fly with astronauts on-board.

Sources:

https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-explosion-investigation-underway.html

https://spacenews.com/crew-dragon-parachutes-failed-in-recent-test/

Over the past week, engineers and scientists working with the Curiosity rover announced that they had successfully drilled a site on Mars containing clay minerals and a possible gypsum vein. This may seem really trivial, but this is, after all, the entire reason that the rover was sent to this particular location inside Gale Crater. Clay minerals are a big step forward for Curiosity, and this particular data is sure to excite the scientific community.

Raw image data from ChemCam that scientists analyzed to determine a mineral composition.

The minerals were found after Curiosity drilled into a new site, nicknamed “Aberlady.” Drilling revealed that the minerals inside were unusually soft and clumpy, and later chemical analysis allowed a conclusion that these were, in fact, clay. Chemical analysis was conducted with internal instruments such as SAM or CheMin, as well as a camera that can be used to determine chemical composition, termed ChemCam. In the next few days, we should see further analysis that allows broader conclusions about the geological history of the site.

Meteor strikes have been a perpetual danger for modern human society. The most modern detection systems for such meteor strikes are in the form of nuclear test detection systems. During and after the Cold War, stations were set up around the world to listen for signs of massive explosions. Through detection at, at least, three stations, one can determine the location and magnitude of an explosion. Little nuclear testing has happened in the past decades, however, so these stations have mostly been detecting meteorites. Unfortunately, these detection methods mean that the explosions are only disclosed after long periods. Recently, it was revealed that these detection systems had picked up the 2nd largest explosion in the entire 21st century. Oddly enough, nobody noticed this, as the meteor broke up and exploded over the Bering Sea. The meteor, which detonated 16 miles above the Bering Sea, released 173 kilotons of energy. This means that it was likely around 33 feet wide and travelling at an insane 71,600 mph. At that ridiculous speed, one could travel from New York to London in less than three minutes.

MODIS imagery of the Bering Sea fireball. (Click on image to view full animated GIF)

This makes it all the more unfortunate that nobody was around to see this incredible event. Thankfully, some satellites were able to capture some photos of the event from space. The Terra earth-observing satellite, which carries the Moderate Resolution Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MODIS), was able to detect the event with the MODIS. The images it took can be sequenced as a GIF, and are shown here. It’s frankly incredible to see a fireball like this from space, and we’re all lucky to have this opportunity.

Sources:

https://www.space.com/bering-sea-fireball-satellite-photos.html

NASA expected to conduct the first all-female spacewalk tomorrow, March 29th, but one of the women involved was swapped out for a male astronaut. The reasoning was mostly out of safety, with some logistical considerations as well. The astronauts assigned to the spacewalk, Anne McClain and Christina Koch, both wear a medium-sized hard upper torso (HUT, the “shirt” of the spacesuit). While there are two medium-sized HUTs on the space station, only one is in a serviceable condition. The other would require about 12 hours of preparatory work, which is what motivated the decision to swap one of the women out. McClain could have worn a large, but it would’ve come with an increased risk of shoulder injuries and less maneuverability.

McClain on her first spacewalk, March 22nd.

McClain wore a medium on her first spacewalk a week ago, March 22nd, and was planning to move up in sizes to allow Koch, who was a slightly smaller size, to utilize the medium. However, from the experience she gained, she made the ultimate decision not to change sizes.

Ultimately, this points to a larger problem with NASA’s spacesuits. The suits were designed 40 years ago for an all-male (or at least predominantly male) astronaut class. To cut down on costs, they were only made in three sizes: medium, large, and extra large. These sizes tend to fit men relatively well, but do worse when it comes to women. Historically, NASA had custom designed spacesuits for their astronauts. The space shuttle, which was designed in the 1970’s, was designed to carry large amounts of passengers to space in high frequencies. This meant that the old model of custom designed spacesuits was infeasible. The new design of spacesuits was supposed to come in five sizes, ranging from extra-small to extra-large. However, extra-small and small were cut due to budgetary constraints. The suits were also designed to fit male body shapes. Peggy Whitson, who has spent a total of 60 hours on spacewalks, said that “As a woman, doing spacewalks is more challenging mostly because the suits are sized bigger than the average female.” It’s obvious that NASA has failed to rise to the demands of the new era of spaceflight. They simply don’t have the funds to make suits that can fit everyone, so they opted, in the male-dominated environment of the 1970s, to build spacesuits that fit men best. Designing a new set of spacesuits is not in the budget, so it looks like they’re stuck with an awkward system, at least for the foreseeable future.

Sources:

https://www.space.com/why-nasa-scrapped-1st-all-female-spacewalk.html

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/03/nasa-spacesuit-women-spacewalk/585805/

A recent review study has concluded that more than half of space-faring astronauts come back with the reactivated Herpes virus in their blood. A recent CDC study also found that half of the US population from the age of 14-49 has either HSV-1 or HSV-2.

An image taken from the ISS, where the results were taken from.

Herpes normally remains dormant in the bloodstream of anyone who has ever had it, but now it seems like the stresses and rigors of spaceflight can reawaken the dormant viruses of the Herpes family. This is bad news for anyone travelling in space for long periods of time. It’s likely future space missions will need antiviral treatments available on-board.

Sources:

https://www.space.com/spaceflight-herpes-viruses-reactivation.html

https://www.livescience.com/61681-herpes-infections-united-states.html

The Mars InSight lander, as previously discussed on this blog, was designed to investigate the geology and interior of Mars.

The HP3 instrument shortly after being placed on the surface by InSight’s robotic arm.

To do so, it carried an instrument known as HP3 (Heat and Physical Properties Package), which was designed to burrow into the surface and take temperature readings in order to better understand what was beneath the surface layer of Martian dirt. It will also flash with pulses of heat to understand how the soil absorbs heat, which gives a better understanding of the interior of Mars. Although it is designed to eventually burrow down 5 meters (16 feet), it’s currently only a few inches down, and partially still in its housing. The “mole,” the burrowing part of the instrument, has hit a snag just beneath the surface. After being placed on the surface and beginning to hammer down into the soil, the probe had to stop. After a second attempt at hammering yielded no further results, NASA stopped the process for further analysis. They were able to determine that it had hit a large rock or area of gravel and was lying at a 15-degree tilt. Although the probe is designed to break through rocks and other obstacles, NASA has decided to pause drilling for two weeks to conduct further analysis. Hopefully, drilling will resume soon and yield the much sought after scientific data.

Two hours ago, a prototype spacecraft, designed by SpaceX to carry humans to the International Space Station, splashed down in the ocean under four parachutes. It marked the end of a historic test flight, and the first time since 2011 that a spacecraft designed to carry humans has taken off from US soil.

Dragon 1 floating near the ISS on a cargo supply mission.

The origins of the spacecraft, known as Crew Dragon, go back to the days of the space shuttle. When NASA phased the space shuttle out in 2011, they recognized the need for a replacement to take humans to the International Space Station (ISS). Thus, the Commercial Crew Program was created, which essentially contracted out astronaut transport to the ISS to companies. SpaceX began flying the Dragon 1 in 2010, designed to carry cargo and other supplies to the ISS. It was, at the time, the only cargo spacecraft that could return materials to the surface of Earth instead of just being discarded. They announced plans for the Dragon 2, which was to transition from carrying cargo to carrying humans to the ISS.

Crew Dragon docking at the station.

The idea for the Dragon 2 eventually morphed into the Crew Dragon, which is what is currently floating off the Florida coast, being recovered by a specialty team of technicians. After launching into space on March 2nd, the spacecraft rendezvoused and docked with the space station successfully. Because it was riding atop a Falcon 9, the

booster flying it into space was able to return to Earth and land successfully on board a barge. Once the spacecraft was at the ISS, the astronauts already aboard the space station began a check-out procedure of the spacecraft’s systems and vital functions.

Crew Dragon peering ominously over the Japanese laboratory aboard the ISS.

Earlier this morning, March 8th, the spacecraft undocked,  retreated away from its perch at the space station, and fired its engines to bring it back into the atmosphere. After falling through a fiery reentry, it deployed its four parachutes and splashed down successfully in the Atlantic Ocean.

The capsule used here will be cleaned and prepared for a second flight as part of an abort test, where engineers will test the ability for the capsule to escape from a damaged booster in the event of an emergency. The craft will fire its Draco engines to rapidly escape from the booster and likely splash down. Following this, the first flights with crew on board can commence and its service life will start. Boeing is developing a similar craft for the Commercial Crew Program, the Starliner, which will ride atop an Atlas V 512, and is hoped to make its first flight soon.

On February 13th, 2019, NASA officially declared the Mars Opportunity rover to be dead. After losing contact with the rover during a severe dust storm in June, NASA has been listening intently to try and locate a signal from the rover. However, no such signal was found, and after eight months of searching it was finally concluded that the rover was, in fact, gone.

A photo taken from the surface of Mars by Opportunity.

But the story of Opportunity is incredible. As part of a pair of rovers sent to Mars, its mission was to be a “geologist” on the surface. Using a specialized set of cameras, spectrometers, and tools, Opportunity and its twin Spirit roved for far longer than their original 90 sol (Martian day) mission. By the time Opportunity went silent, it had been on the surface for 5,352 sols, working all day long while its batteries were charged by the solar panels mounted to the top of the rover. Unfortunately, its power source was also its key weakness. Dust from the harsh Martian soil would accumulate on the top of the solar panels, blocking the sunlight from charging its feeble batteries. Thankfully, the wind blowing across the surface could also clean the panels, extending the life of the plucky rover far beyond what would normally be expected. However, in May of 2018, a dust storm began to accumulate on Mars, one that was far bigger than anything seen in the past. This was a truly global storm, lowering the surface light levels to that of a cold winter night for weeks on end. Unfortunately, Opportunity needs a constant power supply to keep its heaters on and stop its electronics from freezing. This was probably what caused the end of the rover. NASA shut the rover down to conserve power, and, once the storm had let up, tried to regain contact with it. After failing to hear so much as a ping from the red planet, they finally ceased operations and ended the mission.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/02/13/science/opportunity-rover-mars-map.html

Over New Year’s, the spacecraft known as New Horizons flew past the body Ultima Thule, a small Kuiper-belt object far out in the solar system. This was the farthest flyby ever conducted, and yielded massive amounts of data that’s important to scientists from across the world. Because this body is made of primitive solar system material, the study of its chemical makeup. No doubt that this is an incredible step forward for NASA. The New Horizons spacecraft  will spend the next twenty months sending back data from it’s five watt transmitter. After that period, it’s possible that the spacecraft could target another object to flypast.

Ultima Thule, the body that was the subject of the flyby, is what is referred to as a contact binary. This means that it is actually made up of two smaller objects that had a very low speed collision and merged into a single body. The red colour of the body comes from the organic material that is present on the surface, which is probably a type of chemical known as a tholin, although this won’t be confirmed until the data comes back. Some mysteries are still to be solved, such as the lack of a definite light curve, and the apparent spherical shape of both of the smaller bodies. Overall, this was a successful flyby that will return invaluable data.

Source:

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Ultima/Ultima-Thule.php