In light of the Progress failure is there any chance Orbital could offer NASA any schedule improvement for Cygnus resupply missions in exchange for additional payments to e.g. expedite availability of components?
per flight aware, appears it has arrived:http://flightaware.com/live/flight/VDA1396
ORBITAL'S CYGNUS CARGO MODULE ARRIVES AT NASA'S WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY-- Pressurized Cargo Module Built by Thales Alenia Space to be Flown onCOTS Demonstration Mission in Early 2012 --(Dulles, VA 25 August 2011) - Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), oneof the world's leading space technology companies, today announced that thefirst pressurized cargo module (PCM) for its Cygnus™ cargo logisticsspacecraft has arrived at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in easternVirginia. Following a transatlantic flight from its manufacturing locationin Italy, the PCM was unloaded from the Antonov An-26 transport aircraft inits specialized shipping container and was brought to NASA's H-100 payloadprocessing facility where it will be uncrated later this week and preparedfor integration with the spacecraft service module. Together, the PCM andthe service module will form the first operational Cygnus that will belaunched to the International Space Station (ISS) to carry out ademonstration mission under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services(COTS) joint NASA and Orbital research and development program.
I fully expect a full congressional investigation to why Cygnus is limited to 4km/h Can we put it on Steroids?
CYGNUS HITS THE BRAKES - UNEXPECTED PCM SPEED LIMITATION!!!Upon opening the shipping container for the Thales Alenia Space (Italy) - built Pressurized cargo module, Orbital engineers were dismayed to find a speed placard for the unit. This makes it unlikely that it could reach orbital speeds.
Quote from: antonioe on 09/01/2011 01:17 pmCYGNUS HITS THE BRAKES - UNEXPECTED PCM SPEED LIMITATION!!!Upon opening the shipping container for the Thales Alenia Space (Italy) - built Pressurized cargo module, Orbital engineers were dismayed to find a speed placard for the unit. This makes it unlikely that it could reach orbital speeds.Now that, sir, is one good looking spacecraft. I love that baby CBM hatch.