Finally some news:QuoteStephen Clark @StephenClark1 8m8 minutes agoBlue Origin's Mowry: Next version of New Shepard suborbital booster shipped to West Texas launch site to fly before end of this year.https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/907528860568313858
Stephen Clark @StephenClark1 8m8 minutes agoBlue Origin's Mowry: Next version of New Shepard suborbital booster shipped to West Texas launch site to fly before end of this year.
An update:http://spacenews.com/blue-origin-enlarges-new-glenns-payload-fairing-preparing-to-debut-upgraded-new-shepard/
The third New Shepard has modifications for improved reusability, he said, such as access panels that enable more rapid servicing in between flights. Blue Origin is also trying to improve New Shepard’s thermal protection.
Another major difference between the second and third versions include real capsule windows, Mowry said — the ones on version two were painted.
Gunderson: we’ll be launching the human-rated version of New Shepard starting later this year. Intend to be flying people next yr. #vonbraun
If New Shepard flight 7 is truly going to fly by the end of the year they’ve got 25 days to do it. Any indications or rumors of a flight being prepped? I just checked the NOTAMS page and found nothing from Albuquerque put out regarding spaceflight activity yet.
This is another unmanned test flight?
Quote from: MATTBLAK on 12/10/2017 02:46 amThis is another unmanned test flight?Given it is first flight of this capsule most likely unmanned.
Wrong.Parabolicarc.com @spacecom 51s51 seconds agoMore#NewShepard just took off....
Just saw that, the Twitter source was wrong. Hope New Shepard went well!
"What's new about this one?""Really big windows.""Cool, where's the picture from the inside?""We didn't get one of those."
.@blueorigin #NewShepard Mission 7 (M7) with first flight of Crew Capsule 2.0 included 12 suborbital research payloads: Crew Capsule reached apogee of 98.27 km AGL/99.37 km MSL, next generation booster reached apogee of 98.16 km AGL/99.27 km MSL
.@BlueOrigin's rocket test dummy was nicknamed "Mannequin Skywalker." Well played, @JeffBezos ... well played: https://www.geekwire.com/2017/blue-origin-launches-updated-version-new-shepard-suborbital-spaceship-test-flight/ #StarWarsTheLastJedi
1/ Details on @blueorigin #NewShepard Mission 7 (M7) via fact sheet: carried 12 payloads & instrumented dummy named "Mannequin Skywalker"; Flight of 10 minutes 6 seconds, started 10:59 a.m. CT (8:59 a.m. PT) on 12 Dec 2017; booster went Mach 2.94 on ascent & Mach 3.74 on descent
2/ Details on @blueorigin #NewShepard Mission 7 (M7) via fact sheet: carried 12 payloads & instrumented dummy named "Mannequin Skywalker"; Flight of 10 minutes 6 seconds, started 10:59 a.m. CT (8:59 a.m. PT) on 12 Dec 2017; booster went Mach 2.94 on ascent & Mach 3.74 on descent
New Shepard flew again for the seventh time today from Blue Origin’s West Texas Launch Site. Known as Mission 7 (M7), the mission featured the next-generation booster and the first flight of Crew Capsule 2.0. Watch the mission highlights here. -Gradatim Ferociter![image here]Crew Capsule 2.0 features large windows, measuring 2.4 feet wide, 3.6 feet tall.
Capsule apogee is a few km less than on some previous flights, though given the payloads - and windows - I imagine somewhat heavier than previous flights. Or have Blue used ballast previously?I wonder how much margin they have to push things further. It seems to be a long hold down after ignition and a notable hover before landing.I assume they want to break 100 km with a full complement of passengers. Especially if that's better than SpaceShipTwo can manage ...
Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 12/13/2017 10:33 amCapsule apogee is a few km less than on some previous flights, though given the payloads - and windows - I imagine somewhat heavier than previous flights. Or have Blue used ballast previously?I wonder how much margin they have to push things further. It seems to be a long hold down after ignition and a notable hover before landing.I assume they want to break 100 km with a full complement of passengers. Especially if that's better than SpaceShipTwo can manage ...I'm not sure that both companies will want to break the 100km barrier. It seems to me that they're comfortable with the 80km boundary used in the USA.
Which would restrict bragging rights of their customers to the USA
Great to see New Sheppard back in action. Previous flights have had turn-around times as short as 6 weeks. I wonder how quickly this new improved system will be reflown.
NanoRacks Integrates Largest New Shepard Payload Manifest to DateSuborbitalDecember 13, 2017 //Van Horn, Texas – December 8, 2017 – NanoRacks is pleased to have taken part in yet another successful Blue Origin New Shepard space vehicle mission. This morning marked New Shepard’s 7th flight, and the third flight in which NanoRacks has managed customer payload integration.As a part of the NanoRacks teaming agreement with Blue Origin, the Company partakes in both business development and payload integration. Payload integration begins with customer service through the NanoRacks Mission Management team, and ends with final on-site integration with the customer at Blue Origin’s West Texas Launch Site (WTLS). Payloads range from small student NanoLabs flying in the NanoRacks Feather Frame to larger professional-grade payload lockers.“It is exhilarating to be a part of the NanoRacks payload program, providing all types of researchers a unique microgravity opportunity,” says NanoRacks Payload Engineer Mariel Rico. Experiments that long for both a cost effective and quick turnaround for technology demonstration in a microgravity environment finally have a place to call their own. It is truly a privilege to work with both our friends at Blue Origin and our incredible team at NanoRacks, to make this opportunity possible.”NanoRacks looks forward to growing the Company’s payload capacity on New Shepard, and is currently manufacturing a second Feather Frame for flight, doubling the total payload volume available for smaller educational customers.“Educator interest in engaging their students with hands on space research has brought us to developing a second Feather Frame,” continues Rico. “This is just one more step in the growing in-space services that NanoRacks is able to offer, and of course, suborbital flights with Blue Origin offer the perfect testbed before committing to an International Space Station microgravity mission.”To book a spot for your research on a Blue Origin flight, contact NanoRacks at [email protected].
Just watched the YT video that BO emailed me. "The largest windows on a spacecraft to date". Yet they can't put a camera in the 2.0 capsule???
How do they compare to the ISS Cupola ?
Quote from: LaunchedIn68 on 12/13/2017 02:03 pmJust watched the YT video that BO emailed me. "The largest windows on a spacecraft to date". Yet they can't put a camera in the 2.0 capsule??? How do they compare to the ISS Cupola ?
Landing seems one or more iterations behind SpaceX. Very slow, lots of fuel burn and a slight jump after landing.Good enough for suborbital space tourism (they seem to have excess fuel), but a waste of fuel for orbital missions.
Quote from: IRobot on 12/13/2017 03:18 pmLanding seems one or more iterations behind SpaceX. Very slow, lots of fuel burn and a slight jump after landing.Good enough for suborbital space tourism (they seem to have excess fuel), but a waste of fuel for orbital missions.Or they have healthy margins built into the system, using a more efficient fuel and far better throttle capabilties. Their methodology so far seems to be to overbuild systems with redundancy so that they are robust
and won't be destroyed in some of the hillarious ways featured in SpaceX's recent blooper reel. As enjoyable a spectacle as it is to watch, it doesn't pay the bills to explode or pancake boosters on the pad.
I still maintain that it's quite irrelevant whether I'll fly to 80km, 90 km, 99 km or just above 100 km. For the sake of experience and enterntainment, it doesn't matter too much.
Quote from: Darkseraph on 12/13/2017 03:40 pmQuote from: IRobot on 12/13/2017 03:18 pmLanding seems one or more iterations behind SpaceX. Very slow, lots of fuel burn and a slight jump after landing.Good enough for suborbital space tourism (they seem to have excess fuel), but a waste of fuel for orbital missions.Or they have healthy margins built into the system, using a more efficient fuel and far better throttle capabilties. Their methodology so far seems to be to overbuild systems with redundancy so that they are robust You can have healthy margins built into Falcon 9. But then you don't launch those big birds into GTO.Quote from: Darkseraph on 12/13/2017 03:40 pmand won't be destroyed in some of the hillarious ways featured in SpaceX's recent blooper reel. As enjoyable a spectacle as it is to watch, it doesn't pay the bills to explode or pancake boosters on the pad. My comment is that BE algorithm/mechanics looks grasshopper-like. Falcon 9 goes for a suicidal burn and quite successfully. I don't understand your comment regarding "SpaceX's recent blooper reel". They have been extremely successful this past 1.5 years, beyond expectations. If not mistaken, 15 landings in a row!
Was it just me or was the rocket take off surprisingly slow?It really surprised me because I have {never?} seen a rocket take off with such low acceleration.
I understand that they are aiming for a good passenger experience, so they would want to keep the G forces to a minimum. Slow acceleration would explain why the capsule did not reach the altitude that it did before. Personally I would think that moderate G-forces would give the system greater attraction. I would think that the acceleration of the Shuttle which experienced a max G force of 3 would be acceptable.
Congratulations @JeffBezos and @blueorigin team from all at Virgin Galactic. A great flight and another good day for the commercial space industry
SpaceX released a video not so long ago catalogueing their early attempts to achieve and refine landing of stages, with lots of explosions and mishaps. The Falcon 9 lands how it does by necessity. It has to come down immediately or run out of propellant and spectacularly crash. New Shepard can perform its designed mission with extra propellant to hover and adjust on landing. That capability to make small refinements in position will also be important for Blue Moon where craft have to land on unprepared surfaces.
The Falcon 9 lands how it does by necessity. It has to come down immediately or run out of propellant and spectacularly crash. New Shepard can perform its designed mission with extra propellant to hover and adjust on landing. That capability to make small refinements in position will also be important for Blue Moon where craft have to land on unprepared surfaces.
Quote from: DarkenedOne on 12/13/2017 03:02 pmWas it just me or was the rocket take off surprisingly slow?It really surprised me because I have {never?} seen a rocket take off with such low acceleration. Go watch a video of a Saturn V liftoff..QuoteI understand that they are aiming for a good passenger experience, so they would want to keep the G forces to a minimum. Slow acceleration would explain why the capsule did not reach the altitude that it did before. Personally I would think that moderate G-forces would give the system greater attraction. I would think that the acceleration of the Shuttle which experienced a max G force of 3 would be acceptable. Acceleration increases as you burn off fuel; the initial acceleration off the pad when tanks are full doesn't constrain the final acceleration when tanks are almost empty. The Saturn V is notable for having a relatively low thrust-to-weight ratio at liftoff and thus low initial acceleration.
Just out of curiosity, at what point would it matter to you? 50 km? 25 km? 10 km? Lower yet?
Quote from: Svetoslav on 12/13/2017 11:27 amQuote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 12/13/2017 10:33 amCapsule apogee is a few km less than on some previous flights, though given the payloads - and windows - I imagine somewhat heavier than previous flights. Or have Blue used ballast previously?I wonder how much margin they have to push things further. It seems to be a long hold down after ignition and a notable hover before landing.I assume they want to break 100 km with a full complement of passengers. Especially if that's better than SpaceShipTwo can manage ...I'm not sure that both companies will want to break the 100km barrier. It seems to me that they're comfortable with the 80km boundary used in the USA. Which would restrict bragging rights of their customers to the USA given that the rest of the world recognizes the Karman line as the boundary of space.
Dec. 13, 2017NASA Funds Flight for Space Medical Technology on Blue OriginBlue Origin successfully launched its New Shepard reusable space vehicle on Dec. 12 carrying a medical technology that could potentially treat chest trauma in a space environment.The New Shepard reusable vertical takeoff and vertical landing space vehicle was launched with the experimental technology from Blue Origin’s West Texas launch site. In addition to NASA funding non-government researchers to fly payloads, Blue Origin is a Flight Opportunities program launch provider for government payloads. The Flight Opportunities program, is managed under NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD).“This flight marks the first of many Flight Opportunities’ flights of payloads with Blue Origin,” said Ryan Dibley, NASA Flight Opportunities campaign manager for Blue Origin. “New Shepard brings new capabilities to the program. This launch platform allows for larger payloads, provides lower launch accelerations, and maintains a sealed pressure environment.”With NASA funding to support the flight cost, the Evolved Medical Microgravity Suction Device technology was developed by Charles Marsh Cuttino and his team at Orbital Medicine, Inc. in Richmond, Virginia.The device could potentially assist in treating accidents such as a collapsed lung where air and blood enter the pleural cavity. The payload was constructed in collaboration with the Purdue University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Indiana.Currently astronauts and cosmonauts have to return to Earth quickly for medical treatment should an incident arise with chest trauma on the International Space Station. Collapsed lungs are treated on Earth with gravity dependent collectors that will not work in space. “My hope is that in the future, this type of medical device will be able to save the life of an astronaut, to continue their mission of exploration,” said Dr. Cuttino. “These types of medical treatment options could be required to explore the Moon and Mars.”The new technology has a suction system that collects the blood in microgravity and allows for the lungs to continuously inflate as well as store blood for transfusion. The device also has a pneumothorax simulator, which simulates an injured person and shows how the device removes the air and blood to promote healing. Orbital Medicine’s suction device technology was selected in Nov. 2015 under a NASA Research Announcement: Space Technology Research and Development, Demonstration and Infusion, or Space Technology REDDI-2015. The device has already flown on parabolic flights with past program funding. Through the Flight Opportunities program, STMD selects promising technologies from industry, academia and government for testing on commercial launch vehicles. The Flight Opportunities program is funded by STMD, and managed at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.STMD is responsible for developing the crosscutting, pioneering, new technologies and capabilities needed by the agency to achieve its current and future missions.For more information about the Flight Opportunities Program, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flight_opportunities/index.htmlFor more information about the Space Technology Mission Directorate, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/spacetechLeslie WilliamsNASA Armstrong Flight Research Center
Quote from: Svetoslav on 12/13/2017 07:24 pmQuote from: Jim Davis on 12/13/2017 04:01 pmJust out of curiosity, at what point would it matter to you? 50 km? 25 km? 10 km? Lower yet?I said, when it comes to tourism, the achieved height is secondary to the overall experience.I had more joy flying with a motorized deltatrike just about 1 km above the surface, compared to a commercial airliner at 10 km above the Earth. Same goes to suborbital spaceflight. I'll gladly fly in a BO spaceship close to the Karman line with huge windows even if it's 500 meters short to space, rather than in a similar vehicle with lesser luxuries.I don't know man. I think it would be pretty cool to officially be an astronaut. I would not be happy to get up to 98 km. Honestly if you going to go > 98% of the way there why not go all the way.
Quote from: Jim Davis on 12/13/2017 04:01 pmJust out of curiosity, at what point would it matter to you? 50 km? 25 km? 10 km? Lower yet?I said, when it comes to tourism, the achieved height is secondary to the overall experience.I had more joy flying with a motorized deltatrike just about 1 km above the surface, compared to a commercial airliner at 10 km above the Earth. Same goes to suborbital spaceflight. I'll gladly fly in a BO spaceship close to the Karman line with huge windows even if it's 500 meters short to space, rather than in a similar vehicle with lesser luxuries.
Is this capsule ready to fly crew? Or is it still a prototype with missing systems?
Quote.@blueorigin #NewShepard Mission 7 (M7) with first flight of Crew Capsule 2.0 included 12 suborbital research payloads: Crew Capsule reached apogee of 98.27 km AGL/99.37 km MSL, next generation booster reached apogee of 98.16 km AGL/99.27 km MSLhttps://twitter.com/ac_charania/status/940805217439965186
NEWS ADVISORYDec. 13, 2017Two Embry-Riddle Research Payloads Traveled to Suborbital Space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard RocketEmbry-Riddle experiments in space could help with cancer treatment(snip) The payload of 12 tubes of T-cells, isolated from mice and grown in a laboratory, were exposed to microgravity, with different markers or cytokines added, for about 3.5 minutes. Cytokines are small proteins that are important in cell signaling.(snip)
Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 12/13/2017 04:36 amQuote.@blueorigin #NewShepard Mission 7 (M7) with first flight of Crew Capsule 2.0 included 12 suborbital research payloads: Crew Capsule reached apogee of 98.27 km AGL/99.37 km MSL, next generation booster reached apogee of 98.16 km AGL/99.27 km MSLhttps://twitter.com/ac_charania/status/940805217439965186OK, surprised to see two altitudes given. One is AGL (Above Ground Level) or the height above the ground and MSL (Mean Sea Level). At the launch site AGL is 1.1 km above MSL. We have that the Karman Line is defined as 100 km above MSL. However, as the Earth is not spherical, being 21.385 km flatter at the poles, this means that the Karman line is also not a uniform sphere, since the MSL follows the Earth's surface. So, someone who launches 100 km above MSL at the equator, travels 21.385 km further into space then someone who launches 100 km above sea level from the poles, thanks to the Earth's equatorial bulge.
Jeff Bezos @JeffBezosFull video of Mannequin Skywalker’s ride to space. Unlike him, you’ll be able to get out of your seat during the zero gee part of the flight. And ignore the pinging sound – it’s just from one of the experiments on this flight. #NewShepard @blueorigin
Also their landing pad bot "Blue2D2".https://twitter.com/JeffBezos/status/941467037905272833This additional media release is much better! Agreed about that view, incredible.
So at touchdown at about 10:05 in the inside view video I didn’t detect any retro firing to cushion the landing. Was this landing just on parachutes? Or maybe my hearing’s not too good ...
Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 12/15/2017 06:50 amSo at touchdown at about 10:05 in the inside view video I didn’t detect any retro firing to cushion the landing. Was this landing just on parachutes? Or maybe my hearing’s not too good ...Oh there certainly was retro fire (that’s what primarily kicks up the dust), otherwise it would have been a rough impact. But it appears to be tuned very well.
https://twitter.com/JeffBezos/status/941465587049406464QuoteJeff Bezos @JeffBezosFull video of Mannequin Skywalker’s ride to space. Unlike him, you’ll be able to get out of your seat during the zero gee part of the flight. And ignore the pinging sound – it’s just from one of the experiments on this flight. #NewShepard @blueorigin
Quote from: GWH on 12/15/2017 03:58 amAlso their landing pad bot "Blue2D2".https://twitter.com/JeffBezos/status/941467037905272833This additional media release is much better! Agreed about that view, incredible.It looks confused.
Needs the following, at least:(1) Better FOD cleaning beforehand. While it was good (for this video) to see flakes of stuff floating around in the air in zero-G, I wouldn't want that stuff going up my nose.(2) An altimeter and a velocimeter visible to the passenger.
Quote from: rpapo on 12/15/2017 09:25 amNeeds the following, at least:(1) Better FOD cleaning beforehand. While it was good (for this video) to see flakes of stuff floating around in the air in zero-G, I wouldn't want that stuff going up my nose.(2) An altimeter and a velocimeter visible to the passenger.Yeah, I refuse to go until these critical items are addressed! Unacceptable! :p
Quote from: Lars-J on 12/15/2017 05:44 pmQuote from: rpapo on 12/15/2017 09:25 amNeeds the following, at least:(1) Better FOD cleaning beforehand. While it was good (for this video) to see flakes of stuff floating around in the air in zero-G, I wouldn't want that stuff going up my nose.(2) An altimeter and a velocimeter visible to the passenger.Yeah, I refuse to go until these critical items are addressed! Unacceptable! :pOh, and I forgot. An accelerometer for g-forces. We could tell when zero-g started and when it ended from the floating motes, but we go no sense of the accelerations from the video.Of course, a real nerd could take the derivative of the velocimeter readings...
Quote from: rpapo on 12/15/2017 09:25 amNeeds the following, at least:(1) Better FOD cleaning beforehand. While it was good (for this video) to see flakes of stuff floating around in the air in zero-G, I wouldn't want that stuff going up my nose.(2) An altimeter and a velocimeter visible to the passenger.As Trevor mentioned, this capsule appears to have an unfinished interior, especially with all those open bolts around the windows (I almost wonder if 10 minutes is enough time to undo them all).Here's a concept design Blue released a while back, which shows full interior finish and screens visible to each passenger, which would presumably have altitude and velocity. Hopefully the FOD issues will also be helped by a better finish, but that's not a guarantee.
Speaking of which, I was hearing soft beeping throughout flight. Maybe that was encoded telemetry, as is available on amateur rocketry avionics packages. Anyone recognize any of the beep patterns?
Here are some of the stats displayed on the passenger screen at the Demo displayed at OshKosh 2017
Agreed about that view, incredible.
Interesting way to use social media:Put out mandatory NOTAM, knowing notice of your intent to fly will get out & be discussed. Fly and land rocket & capsule, say nothing. As rumours and speculation about whether or not there were issues say absolutely nothing.Then, late in the evening when social media is in the middle of a frenzy about Alabama release a short video declaring mission success & brag about big windows. Don't show a view from the windows.
Disingenuously dub in a voice over "live from west Texas". Don't say or show anything that differentiates this test and video from the previous tests other than "next generation". Done.Bold strategy.
Ashby: Capsule has full ECLSS (life support) and triple redundancy. All-envelope pusher escape system. Flawless flight last week. #NSRC2017
Ashby showing sensed acceleration, max 5G at about 400 seconds into flight. A little over three minutes of microgravity. #NSRC2017
But the best thing about this video are the amazing sounds! - Makes it feel like being there.
...the best thing about this video are the amazing sounds! - Makes it feel like being there.
Had I been there, I would have unstrapped and ripped the power cord off of whatever was doing that incessant, constant, infernal beeping.I want to feel like I'm going into space, not like I'm working a submarine sonar by ear...
Quote from: Oersted on 12/16/2017 09:23 pm...the best thing about this video are the amazing sounds! - Makes it feel like being there. Had I been there, I would have unstrapped and ripped the power cord off of whatever was doing that incessant, constant, infernal beeping.I want to feel like I'm going into space, not like I'm working a submarine sonar by ear...
I guess they cannot do much damage to the mission. I assuming you cannot interact with the GNC or the access hatch in flight. They could just do damage to the payload or to each other.
Any idea why the acceleration peaks out at highish 5 Gs? I'd have imagined they'd prefer something like 3 Gs for tourist flights.
Quote from: ugordan on 12/21/2017 01:38 pmAny idea why the acceleration peaks out at highish 5 Gs? I'd have imagined they'd prefer something like 3 Gs for tourist flights.Practicality and the laws of physics? With a mass efficient capsule (no wings) and an straight up/down trajectory, they are limited in what they can do.
The booster's hover landing has nothing to do with the forces on the capsule since they separate long before that.
Quote from: zlynn1990 on 12/21/2017 02:59 pmThe booster's hover landing has nothing to do with the forces on the capsule since they separate long before that. Lars was alluding at total performance available from the booster so it would have something to do with it. I will grant that the delta-V cost of that hover landing might be lower than any gravity loss hit if limiting ascent to say 3 Gs, but haven't done any BOTE calc myself.
Quote from: Lars-J on 12/21/2017 02:39 pmQuote from: ugordan on 12/21/2017 01:38 pmAny idea why the acceleration peaks out at highish 5 Gs? I'd have imagined they'd prefer something like 3 Gs for tourist flights.Practicality and the laws of physics? With a mass efficient capsule (no wings) and an straight up/down trajectory, they are limited in what they can do. Perhaps, but then they are "wasting" propellant for that hover landing. Seems like a weird trade to make for me especially since they're not aiming at specially trained people for flights. 5 Gs might be more than Starliner and Dragon 2 will experience on ascent and they're going to orbit!
First Commercial Payloads Onboard New ShepardOn Dec. 12, 2017, New Shepard flew again for the seventh time. Known as Mission 7 (M7), the flight featured our next-generation booster and the first flight of Crew Capsule 2.0. While our primary objective was to progress testing this new system for human spaceflight, we also achieved an exciting milestone with suborbital research in space by sending 12 commercial, research and education payloads under full FAA license for the first time. Payloads flying on New Shepard are doing important science and research onboard the 11-minute flight to space and back. During this flight, our customers get approximately three minutes in a high-quality microgravity environment, at an apogee around 100 kilometers, making New Shepard ideal for microgravity physics, gravitational biology, technology demonstrations, and educational programs.The combination of high altitude and low-gravity exposure provides an environment for a wide range of payloads ranging from basic and applied microgravity sciences to Earth and space science. Each of these domains has the opportunity to engage users ranging from universities to corporations. The rapid timelines and low costs of flight are also increasingly attracting educators and students of all ages.Below are a few highlights of investigations that were a part of the New Shepard M7 flight:Zero-Gravity Glow Experiment (ZGGE)Purdue University & Cumberland Elementary School (West Lafayette, Indiana) in partnership with Arete STEMThe Zero-Gravity Glow Experiment, or ZGGE for short, was inspired by a second grade classroom’s question: “Can fireflies light up in space?” The payload operates by mixing the appropriate chemicals during the weightless coast period of the vehicle’s mission and observing the response with a miniature video camera.DCS Montessori Middle School (Castle Pines, Colorado)In Partnership with DreamUpThis payload was a collaboration across nearly 500 K-8 students and consisted of two parts. The first included an Arduino Nano microcontroller with a sensor package, designed and programed by the students to learn more about the environment inside the Crew Capsule. The second part contained a school-wide art project that all DCS Montessori students participated in. Upon landing, the data from the experiment will be analyzed and the art will be returned to the students and shared with the community.Cell Research Experiment in Microgravity (CRExIM)Embry-Riddle University-Daytona Beach, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio & Medical University of South Carolina (Daytona Beach, Florida) in partnership with Arete STEMThe CRExIM (Cell Research Experiment In Microgravity) NanoLab was a multidisciplinary effort between students and faculty in Embry-Riddle’s Spaceflight Operations degree program and Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering departments, who partnered with other teams from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and the Medical University of South Carolina. The experiment studied how microgravity impacts the cellular processes of T-cells, which develop from stem cells in the bone marrow and are key to immune system function.Expression of Genes in Tumor GrowthEmbry-Riddle University-Daytona Beach, Grand Canyon University & Thermo Fisher Scientific (Daytona Beach, Florida) in partnership with Arete STEMThis payload focused on studying the effect of microgravity exposure on the expression of genes that play a role in tumor growth. Two modified flasks were seeded with osteosarcoma cells. Syringes containing RNAlater for cell fixation were attached to each flask and their contents were deployed just before the onset of microgravity (in the case of the experimental control flask) and just after its completion (in the case of the experimental test flask). Now that the mission is complete, the samples will be analyzed via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to determine how the expression of the genes has changed.JANUS Research PlatformJohns Hopkins University-Applied Physics Laboratory (Baltimore, Maryland)The JANUS integration and monitoring platform, about the size of a car battery, provides researchers with a look at suborbital flight conditions. While this flight deployed JANUS in the shirtsleeve environment of the New Shepard cabin, future iterations will also look at the environment outside the vehicle.Evolved Medical Microgravity Suction DeviceOrbital Medicine (Richmond, Virginia) with Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana), with funding from NASA’s Flight Opportunities ProgramThe Evolved Medical Microgravity Suction Device could assist in treatment of a collapsed lung where air and blood enter the pleural cavity. The payload – which included the device along with a hemothorax simulator – was constructed in collaboration with the Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The device is able to collect blood in microgravity, and still allows for the suction to continuously inflate the lung and allow it to heal. The payload marked Blue Origin’s first flight under NASA’s Flight Opportunities program.Our frequent flight schedule will allow you to launch your experiment multiple times to iterate on findings, improve statistics, or rapidly collect data. As human flights begin, you’ll also be able to fly with your payloads for hands-on experimentation.To learn more and fly your payload with us, please visit: https://www.blueorigin.com/payloadsGradatim Ferociter!
The 5G is during DESCENT. It has nothing to do with booster performance and trading propellant for accelration, since the capsule has separated by then.If you drop straight down into the thicker atmosphere, you will decelerate hard. That’s why I mentioned the laws of physics. Entering with a significant horizontal velocity would help, but this is a straight up/down ride.