Author Topic: LIVE: H-IIB F-6 - HTV-6 - Launch, ISS and EOM - Dec-Feb, 2016/17  (Read 133411 times)

Offline yoichi

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http://iss.jaxa.jp/en/htv/news/htv6_ep_1214.html

Transfer of the Exposed Pallet (EP) begins
Last Updated: December 14, 2016
The Exposed Pallet (EP) with the new ISS battery Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs) onboard was pulled out from the Unpressurized Logistics Carrier (ULC) of KOUNOTORI6 on December 14, at 4:44 p.m.
The EP will be transferred and temporarily placed on the designated location of an ISS truss.
*All times are Japan Standard Time (JST)


Offline Mapperuo

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Timelapse of the above posts operation.

- Aaron

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency will test an early space junk removal tether prototype using its HTV-6 robotic cargo ship, as seen in this artist's illustration. The cargo ship launched to the International Space Station in December 2016.
http://www.space.com/35059-japan-space-junk-tether-tech.html

Offline Comga

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The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency will test an early space junk removal tether prototype using its HTV-6 robotic cargo ship, as seen in this artist's illustration. The cargo ship launched to the International Space Station in December 2016.
http://www.space.com/35059-japan-space-junk-tether-tech.html

The assembly on the end mass surrounded by the gold MLI appears to be a standard seven element laser retroreflector array for tracking by ground based laser rangefinders.  There are also two quarter-sphere arrays below the MLI (as seen in the video) for tracking from below.

My guess is the ones on top will only be used after the end mass is free and tumbling.

It looks like the end mass is pushed out by a spring and tows the cable, rather than it being played out slowly.  There is no spooling mechanism shown.  It will be very interesting to see if they can get this to deploy successfully.

It really would be good to get a translation of the Japanese.   I will check with my source for such.
« Last Edit: 12/20/2016 04:57 am by Comga »
What kind of wastrels would dump a perfectly good booster in the ocean after just one use?

Offline Comga

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So my source, with high school and college Japanese, did some translating of the labels in the video.
They discuss orbital debris, and talk about the KITE experiment being done after the HTV leaves the ISS.
They call the device an electrical "taser".
The tether is 700 meters long.
There is a disclaimer that, for the purposes of easy explanation, the cable is not shown at full length.
The "taser" end mass is ejected by a big spring.
(Opinion: This seems way too simplistic and uncontrolled.  Let's hope there are more cable guides than shown.)
In the end mass there is a brake on the cable to effect a smooth stop. 
There are optical cameras and a lidar, which may be the same one used for rendezvous with the ISS.
(It looks like about a 15-20 degree square field of view in the video.)
The lidar tracks the end mass and the HTV Kounotori changes attitude to keep it pointed at the end mass as it swings around.   
There are boxes for data storage, and electrical power supply, and command and data handling.
There is a diagnostic box with a large D connector.
The electron emitter (literally "electric child launch type") couples to the plasma.
There seem to be two of these of different sizes, one with a cover that opens.
When the current flows up the wire, and the Earth's magnetic field lines cross the velocity direction, the Lorentz force acts as a drag.
They plan to turn the current on and off and sense the creation and cessation of the Lorentz force.
At the end of the experiment the cable is severed.  Kounotori reenters the atmosphere, followed by the end mass a few months later.
JAXA plans on using the KITE method to deorbit large space debris.
« Last Edit: 12/20/2016 04:55 am by Comga »
What kind of wastrels would dump a perfectly good booster in the ocean after just one use?

Offline jacqmans

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Jacques :-)

Offline eeergo

So my source, with high school and college Japanese, did some translating of the labels in the video.
They discuss orbital debris, and talk about the KITE experiment being done after the HTV leaves the ISS.
They call the device an electrical "taser".
The tether is 700 meters long.
There is a disclaimer that, for the purposes of easy explanation, the cable is not shown at full length.
The "taser" end mass is ejected by a big spring.
(Opinion: This seems way too simplistic and uncontrolled.  Let's hope there are more cable guides than shown.)
In the end mass there is a brake on the cable to effect a smooth stop. 
There are optical cameras and a lidar, which may be the same one used for rendezvous with the ISS.
(It looks like about a 15-20 degree square field of view in the video.)
The lidar tracks the end mass and the HTV Kounotori changes attitude to keep it pointed at the end mass as it swings around.   
There are boxes for data storage, and electrical power supply, and command and data handling.
There is a diagnostic box with a large D connector.
The electron emitter (literally "electric child launch type") couples to the plasma.
There seem to be two of these of different sizes, one with a cover that opens.
When the current flows up the wire, and the Earth's magnetic field lines cross the velocity direction, the Lorentz force acts as a drag.
They plan to turn the current on and off and sense the creation and cessation of the Lorentz force.
At the end of the experiment the cable is severed.  Kounotori reenters the atmosphere, followed by the end mass a few months later.
JAXA plans on using the KITE method to deorbit large space debris.

There's a quite detailed overview here too: http://spaceflight101.com/htv-6/htv-kite-experiment/
-DaviD-

Offline Comga

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There's a quite detailed overview here too: http://spaceflight101.com/htv-6/htv-kite-experiment/

Nice
Thanks
There are still pieces missing
Why are there retroreflectors on the "top" of the end mass?  HTV-6 can't see those.
There are a lot of unexplained details about how the tether will play out and the brake engage and function. That would worry me extensively. There is no value to KITE if the tether snaps like many previous tethers.
What kind of wastrels would dump a perfectly good booster in the ocean after just one use?

Offline Comga

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Here is a paper on KITE from last summer and a slide deck on orbital debris with description, near the end, of KITE.

In the paper abstract it states definitively that the end mass will be "deployed from the HTV body toward the zenith" as illustrated.  This confirms that the retroreflectors that will be external to HTV before deployment cannot be seen by the HTV lidar unless the end mass tumbles.

Does anyone know a way to follow progress once the experiment starts after HTV-6 departs the ISS around Jan 20?
What kind of wastrels would dump a perfectly good booster in the ocean after just one use?

Masahiro Arai JN1GKZ reports that six CubeSats delivered to the International Space Station by the HTV-6 will deploy from the ISS using the new JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD) on Monday, January 16.
The six CubeSats are installed as follows:

Case    CubeSats
#1        three 1U CubeSats ITF-2、WASEDA-SAT3、FREEDOM
#2        one 3U CubeSat    EGG
#3        one 2U CubeSat    AOBA-VELOX3
#4        one 3U CubeSat    TuPOD (including Tancredo1 and OSNSAT)

ITF-2、WASEDA-SAT3、AOBA-VELOX3, TuPOD and Tancredo1 have amateur radio downlinks.

#1 and #2 will be deployed at 0900-0930z January 16, #3 and #4 will be 1030-1100z.

https://amsat-uk.org/2017/01/14/six-cubesats-to-deploy-from-iss/

Offline northenarc

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 Video of the CubeSat deployments


Offline jacqmans

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ISS Daily Summary Report – 1/17/2017


H-II Transfer Vehicle 6 (HTV) Cargo Operations: 

Yesterday the crew completed 5 hours and 30 minutes of loading trash onto the HTV vehicle.  Ground specialist estimate the crew will need another 3 hours and 30 minutes of cargo operations to complete the vehicle loading.  HTV is scheduled to unberth from the ISS on Friday 27-January-2017.   
Jacques :-)

the CubeSat deployments

http://www.roscosmos.ru/23143/
« Last Edit: 01/23/2017 11:07 am by wsl2005 »

Offline Olaf

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http://iss.jaxa.jp/en/htv/news/htv6_ep_stowed.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Quote
The Exposed Pallet (EP) of KOUNOTORI6 was reinstalled into KOUNOTORI6's Unpressurized Logistics Carrier (ULC) at 11:20 a.m., January 23.
Meanwhile, station crew continues cargo and trash transfer between the Pressurized Logistics Carrier (PLC) and the ISS.
KOUNOTORI6 will be unberthed from Harmony (Node 2) on January 27 and will be released by the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) on January 28, at 0:30 a.m.
*All times are Japan Standard Time (JST. UTC + 9 hours)

Offline JimO

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In contemplating the tethered system dynamics, this discussion I wrote for NASA in 1986 may be helpful.

http://www.jamesoberg.com/fph-Tethered_ops.PDF



« Last Edit: 01/27/2017 02:55 am by JimO »

Offline Chris Bergin

EOM event with release in 2.5 hours. Entry on Feb 5.
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Offline yoichi

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« Last Edit: 01/27/2017 01:12 pm by yoichi »

Offline yoichi

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JAXA live



Offline Chris Bergin

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