SpaceX Falcon 9 : CRS-15 : June 29, 2018 : Updates

[ChrisGebhardt]

Post-launch news conference:

Kirk: Work we do pushes the frontiers of knowledge. Microgravity is the key to unlocking so much fo us.  103 countries around the world, over half the countries recognized by the United Nations, have done or had research on Station.

[ChrisGebhardt]

Kirk: A generation, today, doesn't know a time when humans weren't living and working in space.

[ChrisGebhardt]

Jessica:  Beautiful launch. Dragon in good orbit.  Arrays deployed on time.

GNC bay door opening is next up.

Dragon will return after about 30days at ISS.

[ChrisGebhardt]

Food items: Super-caffeinated coffee headed to Station.  Kirk tried it.  Fresh fruit going up, too.  All welcomed and help keep astros feeling connected.

Frozen treats going up too.

[ChrisGebhardt]

Thermal panels cleared by models.  No issues.

Rodent research samples will come home, AngieX (sp?) is coming back, as well as experiments that have been up there for months await space to come home.  DNA samples from BEST experiment are coming home, too --> related article: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/06/best-experiment-situ-bacterial-identification-rna-first-space/

Dragon will be packed full for return journey.

(Chris Edit with screenshots of our guys).

[ChrisGebhardt]

When this Dragon comes back, if it hasn't breached life-time cycles, it could be used again.

[jacqmans]

Press release, 29 June 2018

CIMON – a 'cyber colleague' for Alexander Gerst - New astronaut assistance system launches to the ISS along with additional experiments

A new 'cyber colleague' is on its way to the International Space Station (ISS) to join German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst. CIMON and six other experiments for the 'horizons' mission lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Friday,
29 June 2018 at 11:42 CEST (05:42 local time) on board a US Dragon capsule with a Falcon 9 launcher. In addition to the astronaut assistance system, a new Earth observation instrument, experiments for cell and materials research and two student experiments
will reach the ISS on 2 July.

CIMON – a new 'cyber colleague' on the ISS

Alexander Gerst and the rest of the crew on the ISS will soon welcome a new colleague. The Crew Interactive MObile companioN (CIMON) is an innovative assistance system for astronauts, which is equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) and can act
autonomously. Not only can CIMON 'see', 'hear', 'understand' and 'speak' with its cameras, sensors, microphones and processors, but it can also present and explain a wide range of information, as well as experiment and repair instructions. CIMON can
even perform simple routine tasks such as documenting experiments or searching for objects. 

Since the assistant is voice-controlled, the astronauts can perform tasks using both their hands while accessing the services of the 'cyber colleague'. Twelve internal fans provide mobility in all directions, allowing CIMON to move freely and perform
rotational movements such as nodding or shaking its head. The system will be used and tested for the first time during the 'horizons' mission. In the long term, however, CIMON and its successors will not only be able to assist astronauts in space,
but also in the areas of medicine and nursing, education and human-machine interaction. CIMON was built by Airbus under a contract awarded by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Space Administration in Bonn
with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Energie; BMWi) for use in the European Columbus laboratory on the ISS. At the heart of the CIMON AI language comprehension system is
IBM's Watson technology.

DESIS – keeping an eye on Earth’s ecosystems

The DLR Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer (DESIS) instrument, a spectrometer built for environmental monitoring and precision farming, will send a wide range of data to Earth from the ISS. This data will allow scientists to observe changes in Earth's
surface ecosystems. Based on the information obtained, they can assess the status of forests or agricultural areas and make yield forecasts. Another purpose of DESIS is to safeguard and improve global food production. DESIS will be the first instrument
on board the ISS to be integrated into the Multiple User System for Earth Sensing (MUSES) platform. 

The 235 DESIS sensor channels will focus particularly on light in the visible and near-infrared portions of the spectrum, in the wavelength range of 400 to 1000 nanometres. The resolution of the instrument is 30 metres per pixel. Unlike conventional
instruments, the special DESIS technology also allows observation of Earth's surface from different angles. DESIS was developed jointly by the DLR Institute of Optical Sensor Systems and the US company Teledyne Brown Engineering.

Living cells in 3D – the FLUMIAS experiment

For the FLUMIAS experiment, a fluorescence microscope is being launched to the ISS that is capable of producing high-resolution images of living cells. This will enable such long-term observations to be carried out in space for the first time. During
the 'horizons' mission, the cytoskeleton and nuclei of living macrophages – that is, human immune cells, will be examined. Scientists from the University of Magdeburg will use the live cell imaging method, in which special dyes or fluorescent proteins
are used to illuminate particular cell structures. 

The extremely precise FLUMIAS images also allow researchers to create 3D models or short videos of the observations. The aim of the research is to gain new insights in the fields of cell and molecular biology as well as biomedicine. In the long term,
these should help to keep astronauts healthy during their stay in space, but also be used more generally in therapy for neurodegenerative and immune diseases or cancer.

Gene Control Prime – gene regulation of immune cells

What influence does gravity have on gene regulation and the functioning of immune cells? This is the question that will be answered by the Gene Control Prime experiment, which will investigate the genetic causes of immunodeficiency in microgravity.
Two of the focal points of the experiment are the activation and functioning of the phagocytes of the immune system, macrophages. On the ISS, the scientists want to investigate the effect of space conditions on the human immune system and bone metabolism.
The study of the molecular mechanisms regulating the immune system is not only relevant to future long-term astronaut missions, but in addition the results should help to understand the general causes of immunodeficiency and assist with the development
of new therapies. On board SpaceX CRS-15, there are 24 experiment containers, each the size of a smartphone.

CompGran investigates the dynamics of granular materials

Matter that is made up of granules, such as sand or grain, can behave very differently depending on the circumstances. If the material is compacted, it behaves like a solid. For example, compacted layers of sand are used as a substrate in road construction.
If it is not compressed, the matter can be poured like a liquid. The dynamics and physical properties of granular matter are highly complex. They are easier to investigate if the processes are not affected by gravity. 

For the CompGran experiment, Airbus Defence and Space has developed a total of four experimental cells on behalf of the DLR Space Administration. The volume of these experimental cells can be changed by a piston to vary the compactness of the granules.
CompGran is being installed in the Fluid Science Laboratory of the Columbus module as part of the new ESA Soft Matter Dynamics experimental facility. The researchers are hoping that the experiments will provide new insights into the dynamics of granular
matter, which in the medium to long term will contribute to the improvement of industrial processes involving bulk solids such as coal dust, flour or grain.

Pumps and planets – student experiments PAPELL and ARISE

Also on board SpaceX CRS-15 are two experiments from the 'High-flyers' competition organised by DLR and the German Physical Society (Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft; DPG). Of the numerous ideas that students from German universities submitted for
ISS experiment, an expert jury selected the best three. In the 'Pump Application using Pulsed Electromagnets for Liquid Relocation' (PAPELL) experiment, students from the University of Stuttgart are investigating a novel pump technology. This moves
a ferrofluid, a colloidal liquid with very small magnetic particles held in suspension, with the help of electromagnets. This pump has no moving mechanical components. This means that wear, susceptibility to errors and noise are minimised. In two sub-experiments,
the team will investigate the transport of the liquid and small solid globules in it. There are numerous applications for such a pump in space, such as for the fuel supply to the engines of launchers and spacecraft.

The ARISE experiment, designed by students from the University of Duisburg-Essen, deals with the formation of planets. According to current theory, in the early phase of planet formation, micrometre-sized particles collide, adhere to one another and
thus form larger aggregates. If these grow to a size of several millimetres, they would theoretically have to bounce off each other like billiard balls. So how can it be that planets still emerge? ARISE examines the electrostatic charge of particles.

Millimetre-sized glass beads are placed in a transparent container and shaken so that they collide against each other. The resulting electrostatic charges and their interactions are monitored by cameras. The scientists suspect that the alternating
forces will lead to an overall attractive force that helps glass beads to accumulate and form agglomerations. This theory will be tested in the long-term microgravity on the ISS.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

#SpaceX’s #Falcon9 rocket launches #CRS15 at 5:42am this morning, as seen from my sound-activated camera placed at Space Launch Complex 40.

https://twitter.com/johnkrausphotos/status/1012682764007739392

[Raul]

Dragon CRS-15 cataloged as object 2018-055A

2018-06-29 11:28:11 UTC - 227/387km/51.64°

[mdeep]

And now remotes.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Pad shots are in! And out of this world. 😛 @Teslarati @MiopsTrigger #spacex #crs15

https://twitter.com/_tomcross_/status/1012694524987092992

[JimO]

Any word on the S2 reentry?

[envy887]

Any word on the S2 reentry?

I watched to the northwest from central Michigan from 12:05 to 12:20 local time and didn't see anything. Clear skies, but it was a long shot since the ground track should be ~500 km away and the stage would be ~2,000 km from the impact point so probably not on fire yet.

Anyone along the eastern seaboard see it coming down?

[FutureSpaceTourist]

More SpaceX launch photos

[FutureSpaceTourist]

As usual the SpaceX shots (as in previous post) were by Ben Cooper. Has another shot posted by Ben:

https://twitter.com/launchphoto/status/1012797315613110272

[yg1968]

The post-launch news conference is at 42 minutes of this video:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/115848225

NASA Webcast of the launch starts at 57m of this video:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/115845223

Pre-launch conference starts at 1h12m:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/115831159

What's on board (starts at 2h42m of the first video and continues on the second video):
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/115827138
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/115831159

[yg1968]

A couple of videos on the Cimon AI robot being transported on CRS-15:

[catdlr]

SpaceX - Early Morning Light Show - CRS-15 - 06-29-2018

USLaunchReport
Published on Jun 29, 2018

Thanks again to our friend Ed Geiger for the use of his Optical Tracker.

[Solar_OPS]

ESA article about commercial experiments:

DRAGON DELIVERS SOME ICE

29 June 2018

The newly installed International Commercial Experiments service – ICE Cubes for short – facility providing commercial access to microgravity will soon receive the first experiment cubes after today’s successful SpaceX Dragon resupply launch.

The 15th resupply mission lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 5:42 ET (11:42 CEST) with standard cargo for the International Space Station as well as the first 10 x 10 x 10 cm experiment cubes. 

[snip]

 The International Space University is the first to run experiments in ICE Cubes. Once on board the Space Station, the plug-and-play cubes need only to be slotted into the facility by an astronaut. And the data collection begins.

One cube will house an experiment that is continuing research on methane-producing microorganisms to see how they survive in space conditions. In the longer term, the knowledge gained could lead to these microorganisms for bio-mining of asteroids to produce methane to fuel future space missions.

The second ISU experiment is an interactive art installation that brings space to Earth and back again, highlighting the versatility of the ICE Cubes facility. The cube contains a kaleidoscope linked to a ground installation that is activated by the pulse of participants. The images are then beamed down to the installation to Earth, thanks to ICE Cubes’ unique 24-hour accessibility.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Research/Dragon_delivers_some_ICE

[Solar_OPS]

Blog post on Alex Gerst's blog mentioning MAGVECTOR and Soft Matter Dynamics:

http://blogs.esa.int/alexander-gerst/2018/06/28/science-and-art-on-a-dragon/