Good luck to ULA with this mission, ISS missions seem to be poison for LVs recently.
Quote from: TrevorMonty on 06/28/2015 09:22 pmGood luck to ULA with this mission, ISS missions seem to be poison for LVs recently. As with the string of launch mishaps in 1986, this is just coincidence. Every launch vehicle will eventually have a bad day. A good opportunity to learn (once again) that space is hard.
AFAIK only SpaceX got a rack to both go up to and come down from the ISS for NASA space suits.
Updating things....http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/08/orb-4-cygnus-set-atlas-v-ride-ahead-antares-return/Nathan Koga with the stunning render out of L2
ORB-4 won't use an Expanded Cygnus, correct? I couldn't find any mention of that in this thread. I presume the Extended modules are to come when Antares is on RTF.Rockets are hard. Hindsight about a Falcon lifting a Cygnus shortly after ORB-3 but before CRS-7 makes me happy that space officials don't always listen to all of our "bright ideas."
Will an Atlas launch to ISS use a single Centaur burn, or two? Either seems plausible given the attached performance chart.
Quote from: sdsds on 08/08/2015 08:24 pmWill an Atlas launch to ISS use a single Centaur burn, or two? Either seems plausible given the attached performance chart.Since the ISS altitude is ~400 km, I would think there is no benefit to doing a 2 burn mission profile.
4 tons is quite significant. ORB-2 carried 3,600lbs up, the ORB-3 attempted 5,000lbs. This flight will be 8,000lbs.
a Few pictures from here:http://www.nasa.gov/feature/cygnus-segment-arrives-to-begin-processing-for-iss-resupply-missionFunny that they could use the SSPF, thought they had to use a commercial facility as it is a commercial flight (maybe astrotech doesnt handle the ISS cargo loading?)Anyhow, while the graphic shows a "regular" PCM, still know that it will be the first extended one
Funny that they could use the SSPF, thought they had to use a commercial facility as it is a commercial flight (maybe astrotech doesnt handle the ISS cargo loading?)