Author Topic: ISS RS: Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module-Upgrade (MLM-U) General Updates and Discussion Thread  (Read 804885 times)

Offline Glom

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What's the maintenance workload like? The Russian stuff is practically old enough to vote now. Will 2 still be sufficient with this in mind?

Offline russianhalo117

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What's the maintenance workload like? The Russian stuff is practically old enough to vote now. Will 2 still be sufficient with this in mind?
Well Zvezda dates back to the Mir-1 Days as it was the backup core module and replanned to fly as the CM on Mir-2 which in turn was replanned into SM for ISS-RS.

Offline wbianco

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The pad explosion on 1 September 2016 when SpaceX hot fired the Falcon 9 carrying the Amos-6 communications satellite may persuade NASA that it needs to buy 2-3 more Progresses. This depends on how long it will take to find and fix the Falcon 9 faults.

NASA has bought, and continues to buy, seats on Soyuz crew ferry vehicles, but I was unaware that NASA (or anyone else) was purchasing entire Progress flights.  I can see some USOS cargo being added to a given Progress flight, and possibly paid for, but that would be an exception, not a rule, I would think...

That's a negative - I have a decade's work of Progress manifests in a spreadsheet.  During the Columbia stand-down the % of Progress cargo for the USOS was generally in the 30% range.  Once the shuttle utilization flights resumed and ATV, HTV, Dragon, Cygnus began deliveries, the USOS % went down into the single-digit range, about 100kg or less of of spares and some food. 

Offline Sam Ho

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Article from Jeff Foust about the planned RS crew reduction.  Features a quote from Gerstenmaier that “I don’t think it will be a big impact to us overall.”

http://spacenews.com/russian-crew-reduction-to-have-limited-effect-on-space-station-operations/

Offline brickmack

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That's a negative - I have a decade's work of Progress manifests in a spreadsheet.  During the Columbia stand-down the % of Progress cargo for the USOS was generally in the 30% range.  Once the shuttle utilization flights resumed and ATV, HTV, Dragon, Cygnus began deliveries, the USOS % went down into the single-digit range, about 100kg or less of of spares and some food.

Got a link?

Offline The man in the can

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News from Anatoly Zak:

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/iss_fgb2.html#2016

Quote
However, as of middle of September, all the work on the assembly of the MLM module had stalled again. According to industry sources, most of replacement components for the MLM's faulty propulsion system had already been manufactured, except for the pipelines, which would have to be bent based on their particular situation on the module. Still, military quality control officers, who now certify all space industry manufacturing operations, refused to give the green light for the final assembly of the propulsion system for the MLM.

The flight version of the spacecraft currently remains at Khrunichev factory in the District of Fili in Moscow with only a partially assembled propulsion system. The official schedule still calls for the launch of the spacecraft at the end of 2017, however, in order to meet this deadline, all key systems have to be assembled and the module needs to leave Fili for Baikonur Cosmodrome in April 2017. A processing team in Baikonur will need next eight months to test and fuel the 19-ton spacecraft and prepare it for integration with its Proton rocket.

Offline robertross

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News from Anatoly Zak:

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/iss_fgb2.html#2016

Quote
However, as of middle of September, all the work on the assembly of the MLM module had stalled again. According to industry sources, most of replacement components for the MLM's faulty propulsion system had already been manufactured, except for the pipelines, which would have to be bent based on their particular situation on the module. Still, military quality control officers, who now certify all space industry manufacturing operations, refused to give the green light for the final assembly of the propulsion system for the MLM.

The flight version of the spacecraft currently remains at Khrunichev factory in the District of Fili in Moscow with only a partially assembled propulsion system. The official schedule still calls for the launch of the spacecraft at the end of 2017, however, in order to meet this deadline, all key systems have to be assembled and the module needs to leave Fili for Baikonur Cosmodrome in April 2017. A processing team in Baikonur will need next eight months to test and fuel the 19-ton spacecraft and prepare it for integration with its Proton rocket.

I wonder if the military QC officers haven't been paid in a while?

This whole thing with MLM, Progress, and reduced crew size all point to budget cutbacks (and the fact that their reported government 'contingency funds' are almost zero).

Offline B. Hendrickx

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http://www.interfax.ru/world/535782

Interfax quotes a source at Baikonur as saying that the launch of MLM has been pushed back several more months and is now planned for mid-2018 or the second half of 2018. This also means the Russian segment will be operated by a two-man rather than a three-man crew longer than earlier planned. The last Soyuz to carry just a single Russian crew member is now expected to be Soyuz MS-08, scheduled for launch in March 2018. 

Offline woods170

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http://www.interfax.ru/world/535782

Interfax quotes a source at Baikonur as saying that the launch of MLM has been pushed back several more months and is now planned for mid-2018 or the second half of 2018. This also means the Russian segment will be operated by a two-man rather than a three-man crew longer than earlier planned. The last Soyuz to carry just a single Russian crew member is now expected to be Soyuz MS-08, scheduled for launch in March 2018. 
Why am I not surprised?

Offline rocx

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the second half of 2018

That is two years from now. So we're still perfectly on schedule to launch Nauka in two years, as we have always been.
Any day with a rocket landing is a fantastic day.

Offline russianhalo117

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the second half of 2018

That is two years from now. So we're still perfectly on schedule to launch Nauka in two years, as we have always been.
Russian Ministry of Defence is blocking signing off of fuel and oxidizer lines for a long time now workers cannot proceed on this module however MoD is allowing work on other modules.

Offline woods170

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the second half of 2018

That is two years from now. So we're still perfectly on schedule to launch Nauka in two years, as we have always been.
Russian Ministry of Defence is blocking signing off of fuel and oxidizer lines for a long time now workers cannot proceed on this module however MoD is allowing work on other modules.
There is a reason for that. Allowing the work on Nauka to be finished and have it launched will force Russia to "stay on the ISS" for quite a few years more. There are forces acting inside both the Russian MoD and the Russian government to get back to an independent Russian space station. Nixing MLM alltogether from the ISS RS, due to continued delays, is just the first step. Also: the reduction in Russian crew size of ISS didn't drop out of thin air "for budgetary reasons". That's just the cover story.
« Last Edit: 11/16/2016 03:08 pm by woods170 »

Offline Archibald

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the second half of 2018

That is two years from now. So we're still perfectly on schedule to launch Nauka in two years, as we have always been.

Nauka: Russia own manned Mars mission - always some years in the future :p
Han shot first and Gwynne Shotwell !

Offline B. Hendrickx

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http://tass.ru/opinions/interviews/3788209

Roskosmos manned spaceflight director Sergei Krikalyov says in a TASS interview that the MLM launch is still scheduled for December 2017, with the return to a three-man Russian crew expected in March 2018. They're looking at several options to fill the vacant Soyuz seats in the coming year : tourist flights, another long-duration mission by an astronaut or just extra cargo.

Offline Lars-J

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the second half of 2018

That is two years from now. So we're still perfectly on schedule to launch Nauka in two years, as we have always been.
Russian Ministry of Defence is blocking signing off of fuel and oxidizer lines for a long time now workers cannot proceed on this module however MoD is allowing work on other modules.
There is a reason for that. Allowing the work on Nauka to be finished and have it launched will force Russia to "stay on the ISS" for quite a few years more. There are forces acting inside both the Russian MoD and the Russian government to get back to an independent Russian space station. Nixing MLM alltogether from the ISS RS, due to continued delays, is just the first step. Also: the reduction in Russian crew size of ISS didn't drop out of thin air "for budgetary reasons". That's just the cover story.

But where will the funds come from for an independent Russian space station? It's not going to be cheaper than their current commitment to ISS, I would think.

Offline woods170

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http://tass.ru/opinions/interviews/3788209

Roskosmos manned spaceflight director Sergei Krikalyov says in a TASS interview that the MLM launch is still scheduled for December 2017, with the return to a three-man Russian crew expected in March 2018. They're looking at several options to fill the vacant Soyuz seats in the coming year : tourist flights, another long-duration mission by an astronaut or just extra cargo.
Scheduled for december 2017 is still the official word. But what I hear from ERA sources is that the earlier Interfax report about a three-to-five month delay into 2018 is closer to the truth.
« Last Edit: 11/22/2016 05:23 pm by woods170 »

Offline russianhalo117

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BUMP:
LINK: http://www.russianspaceweb.com/iss_fgb2.html#2017
Quote
2017: Work restarts on the MLM module

In a rare good news for the Russian segment of the ISS, the work on the MLM module had finally restarted by the end of 2016. This time, the MLM team had a goal of launching the spacecraft in December 2017, even though, it could require to cut the time originally allocated for the spacecraft testing.

Offline russianhalo117

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http://www.russianspaceweb.com/iss_fgb2.html#2017
Quote
As of January 2017, the launch of the MLM module was officially scheduled for December 6 of the same year, followed by the docking at the ISS on Dec. 15, 2017. To free the nadir (Earth-facing) docking port on the Zvezda Service Module, SM, for the new arrival, the Progress MS-06 cargo ship will undock from the Russian segment along with the Pirs Docking Compartment, SO1, which has occupied that location since 2001. The Pirs module will then be deorbited and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean along with Progress MS-06.

Following the integration of the MLM module, on Jan. 23, 2018, the Soyuz MS-06 transport spacecraft will undock from the zenith (sky-facing) port of the MIM2 Poisk module, make a quick fly around of the ISS and re-dock at the nadir port of the MLM, becoming the first spacecraft parking at the new module.

Offline B. Hendrickx

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http://www.russianspaceweb.com/iss_fgb2.html#2017
Quote
As of January 2017, the launch of the MLM module was officially scheduled for December 6 of the same year, followed by the docking at the ISS on Dec. 15, 2017. To free the nadir (Earth-facing) docking port on the Zvezda Service Module, SM, for the new arrival, the Progress MS-06 cargo ship will undock from the Russian segment along with the Pirs Docking Compartment, SO1, which has occupied that location since 2001. The Pirs module will then be deorbited and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean along with Progress MS-06.

Following the integration of the MLM module, on Jan. 23, 2018, the Soyuz MS-06 transport spacecraft will undock from the zenith (sky-facing) port of the MIM2 Poisk module, make a quick fly around of the ISS and re-dock at the nadir port of the MLM, becoming the first spacecraft parking at the new module.

http://tass.ru/kosmos/3984271

TASS quotes Roscosmos officials as saying that the MLM is supposed to dock with the ISS just two days after launch. Only if all its systems check out fine after reaching orbit, the go-ahead will be given to undock Pirs from the Zvezda nadir port. The Progress MS-06 cargo ship that will be used to detach Pirs from the ISS and deorbit it is scheduled for launch on June 14.

Offline Nicolas PILLET

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New contract to RKK Energiya to fulfill work on MLM-U.

http://www.zakupki.gov.ru/epz/contract/contractCard/document-info.html?reestrNumber=1770236167416000008

If you look at the documents, you can see that the main part of the money will be spent in 2018... Is the december 2017 launch date really serious ?
Nicolas PILLET
Kosmonavtika : The French site on Russian Space

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