NASASpaceFlight.com Forum
SpaceX Vehicles and Missions => SpaceX Falcon Missions Section => Topic started by: gongora on 08/21/2020 03:08 am
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CRS-21 Discussion thread.
NSF Threads for CRS-21 : Discussion (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=51769.0)
NSF Articles for SpaceX CRS : https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=CRS%2BSpaceX (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=CRS%2BSpaceX)
NSF Articles for CRS missions : https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=CRS (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=CRS)
Successful launch December 6, 2020 at 11:17am EST (16:17 UTC) on Falcon 9 (booster 1058.4) from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. ASDS booster landing on OCISLY (towed by Hawk) was successful. First flight of the cargo variant of Dragon 2. First SpaceX flight under the CRS-2 contract.
External cargo: Nanoracks Bishop Airlock (Nanoracks Discussion Thread (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=32156.0) / Bishop on Nanoracks site (https://nanoracks.com/bishop-airlock/))
Other SpaceX resources on NASASpaceflight:
SpaceX News Articles (Recent) (http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/spacex/) / SpaceX News Articles from 2006 (Including numerous exclusive Elon interviews) (http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=21862.0)
SpaceX Dragon Articles (http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/dragon/) / SpaceX Missions Section (with Launch Manifest and info on past and future missions) (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?board=55.0)
L2 SpaceX Section (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?board=60.0)
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With the new date for Crew 1 I would guess this slips a little, but there hasn't been any announcement of a change. The countdown on the Nanoracks site hasn't changed. There are a lot of details that I don't know for this mission. How does the mass of cargo Dragon 2 compare to cargo Dragon? Will it still RTLS?
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Are there any images of the new cargo Dragon yet?
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I had the impression that both current Dragon variants are externally identical, and that the only real differences are internal to the cabin. Those differences being the removal of crew-centric features like seats, food, toilet etc and their replacement with standardised cargo bags.
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I had the impression that both current Dragon variants are externally identical, and that the only real differences are internal to the cabin. Those differences being the removal of crew-centric features like seats, food, toilet etc and their replacement with standardised cargo bags.
I thought Cargo Dragon 2 used CBM and thus needs a grapple fixture for Canadarm. Crew Dragon 2 docks with the NDS, obviously. Using CBM has several advantages for cargo: Berthing frees a docking port for a second crew vehicle, should one be needed. CBM also has a larger portal for cargo transfer.
Can someone answer whether the CBM port forms a structurally stronger latch than NDS? Also does a CBM connection form a stronger seal as well than a NDS connection?
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All new Dragons will dock. Cargo Dragon-2 doesn't have the Super Draco engines.
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As I recall, one of the options for CRS-2 was that Cargo Dragon 2 would be able to fly with either an IDS docking system installed, or a CBM berthing system like the earlier cargo craft. And that this was sort of refined later to a "hey, tell us when and if you want a Dragon 2 rebuilt with a CBM for berthing, and we'll do it, otherwise for most flights we'll just dock normally."
Since at least one other cargo option berths using the CBM hardware, I sort of get the feeling we won't ever see a berthing version of the Dragon 2 during the upcoming CRS2 flights. Things too big to come through the IDS hatches will go up on the HTV-X, as of now. And hey, when it's a pain in the butt to have to fly a special config to get a whole new rack up there, planners will start breaking down the rack contents so they can fit through the available docking hatches and get it up there more easily... ;)
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Cygus will continue berthing, Dream Chaser will also berth. Right now Dragon is the only cargo vehicle that will be docking on the USOS side.
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That's the nice thing about having different logistics configurations at your disposal. Smaller things can be bagged and passed through the smallest hatches, in the Russian segment. Next largest things can go in a Dragon or a Starliner, through the somewhat larger IDS hatches, and finally Cygnus, HTV-X and Dream Chaser can berth with the largest available hatches. And, of course, Dragon can still carry unpressurized equipment in the trunk, like always.
It's far easier to support ISS when you can plan your various logistics and resupply needs, both upmass and downmass, pressurized and not, through a rich variety of vehicles. Much better than being stuck with just one or two.
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Too many people repeat the thing about large items but there aren't really that many large items that need to be transfered either in or out of the station.
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Cygus will continue berthing, Dream Chaser will also berth. Right now Dragon is the only cargo vehicle that will be docking on the USOS side.
You know, that's probably why they can charge a little more than Dragon 1. Look, no hands :)
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Too many people repeat the thing about large items but there aren't really that many large items that need to be transfered either in or out of the station.
As I recall, the only thing that was an issue was a packed spacesuit. And even then, they decided that they would just pack the spacesuit inside the Dragon itself.*
* The suit could fit through the hatch, and so could the disassembled packing assembly/enclosure, but the entire packed suit+assembly could not fit.
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SFN schedule (https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/) is showing this launch slipped to November.
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http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum18/HTML/001608.html
AB Emblem's embroidered version of NASA's patch for the SpaceX CRS-21 resupply mission to the International Space Station. The flight marks the first use of Dragon 2 in its cargo configuration.
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This is now shown as November 15 on the latest SMSR schedule.
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This is now shown as November 15 on the latest SMSR schedule.
Expected due to the movement of a crew docking moving to late October. The crew mission has to dock and then after the crew is "settled" then a Cargo can be done. VV events close together is usually avoided.
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Is this flight going to dock at IDA-1 or 3?
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Is it 1 & 3 or 2 & 3 for the IDA locations?
The Cargo Dragons should be on Node 2 Zenith/IDA-3. Crew Dragons can use either docking port.
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Is it 1 & 3 or 2 & 3 for the IDA locations?
The Cargo Dragons should be on Node 2 Zenith/IDA-3. Crew Dragons can use either docking port.
According to Gunter's (https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/ida.htm) IDA-1 was lost on CRS-7,
IDA-2 is on Node-2 Forward (https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/08/18/long-awaited-station-spacewalk-on-tap-friday/), and
IDA-3 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Docking_Adapter) is on Node-2 Zenith (https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/08/21/eva-55/)
edit: IDA not PMA! Thanks Sesq!
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IDA-2 is on PMA-2, and IDA-3 is on PMA-3. The numbers are nicely consistent.
In one sense I'm glad this happened, otherwise we'd be talking about IDA-2 on PMA-3 and confusing ourselves on a regular basis.
According to Gunter's (https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/ida.htm) PMA-1 was lost on CRS-7,
PMA-2 is on Node-2 Forward (https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/08/18/long-awaited-station-spacewalk-on-tap-friday/), and
PMA-3 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Docking_Adapter) is on Node-2 Zenith (https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/08/21/eva-55/)
On the other hand that doesn't prevent us from confusing ourselves in other ways. You linked to Gunter's page on the IDAs but your post mentions the PMAs. It was IDA-1 that was lost, not PMA-1. PMA-1 links the US segment with the Russian segment.
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IDA-2 is on PMA-2, and IDA-3 is on PMA-3. The numbers are nicely consistent.
In one sense I'm glad this happened, otherwise we'd be talking about IDA-2 on PMA-3 and confusing ourselves on a regular basis.
According to Gunter's (https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/ida.htm) PMA-1 was lost on CRS-7,
PMA-2 is on Node-2 Forward (https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/08/18/long-awaited-station-spacewalk-on-tap-friday/), and
PMA-3 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Docking_Adapter) is on Node-2 Zenith (https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/08/21/eva-55/)
On the other hand that doesn't prevent us from confusing ourselves in other ways. You linked to Gunter's page on the IDAs but your post mentions the PMAs. It was IDA-1 that was lost, not PMA-1. PMA-1 links the US segment with the Russian segment.
Sorry
Careful hypertext and sloppy typing. ::)
I did mean IDA's, not PMA's
You are so right about other ways to confuse ourselves. :-[
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https://twitter.com/jeffmanber/status/1306218789546135552
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From the Crew-1 pre-launch press update today, CRS-21 under construction. Will use the LC-39A CAA to load cargo.
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https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1310962850601545728
After launch of Crew Dragon’s first operational mission with astronauts on board, SpaceX will launch its 21st cargo resupply mission to the ISS – the first to use the upgraded version of Dragon outfitted for cargo missions
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Anybody thinks it is bigger than Crew Dragon? Some extension in the upper part? Or am I confusing the image because of the crane?
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Anybody thinks it is bigger than Crew Dragon? Some extension in the upper part? Or am I confusing the image because of the crane?
The pressure vessel stops at the red latch.
The top portion houses the NDS / the vestibule (https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Crew-Dragon-Demo-1-C204-101019-Teslarati-Pauline-Acalin-7-c.jpg) and the large nozzles (https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasakennedy/49842592297/) for the forward bulkhead dracos + a host of sensors / instruments.
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Anybody thinks it is bigger than Crew Dragon? Some extension in the upper part? Or am I confusing the image because of the crane?
That part on Crew Dragon is full with hardware for the pressurization system of the Super Dracos on each pod and on the front side of this image is where the parachutes are stored so without all the hardware for that it looks more visible than on Crew Dragon and the feeling there's more capsule on the top
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Thanks to all, it was only a wrong impression.
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Pochimax's impression was bugging me because it DID look like something was different. I compared images of the two versions of Dragon and no, they haven't stretched anything. Then I realized that we're seeing the new Cargo Dragon without its "skin". That makes it appear skinnier and stretched out. It's kind of like seeing a furry dog in the bath for the first time!
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This might be too early to ask, but do we know what booster will be used for this flight?
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This might be too early to ask, but do we know what booster will be used for this flight?
If we did, it would be in the first post of the SpaceX Manifest thread. (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=43418.msg1702572#msg1702572)
It's not so we probably don't.
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SFN Launch Schedule (https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/), updated October 6:
Launch delayed from November 15 to November 22, 2020.
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https://twitter.com/nanoracks/status/1314595191039438854
The #BishopAirlock is....READY. We're packed up (again) and moving down the road for delivery to @SpaceX tomorrow. Next week, we begin procedures for installation in the #Dragon trunk!
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More from https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/10/10/nasa-spacex-crew-1-launch-update/ :
Additional upcoming NASA missions rely on the Falcon 9 for launch. The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich launch still is targeted for Tuesday, Nov. 10, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and NASA's SpaceX CRS-21, is targeted for launch in late November or early December, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NASA and SpaceX will use the data from the company's hardware testing and reviews to ensure these critical missions are carried out with the highest level of safety.
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https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1315743645845254145
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1315743656716853253
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I don't see any more vestigial window features in either photo.
That speaks to a thorough design upgrade from both the COTS Dragon 1 and the Crew Dragon.
(I apologise if this is not strictly specific to the CRS-21 flight.)
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I don't see any more vestigial window features in either photo.
That speaks to a thorough design upgrade from both the COTS Dragon 1 and the Crew Dragon.
(I apologise if this is not strictly specific to the CRS-21 flight.)
Look upthread, they're covered now by the TPS
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I don't see any more vestigial window features in either photo.
That speaks to a thorough design upgrade from both the COTS Dragon 1 and the Crew Dragon.
(I apologise if this is not strictly specific to the CRS-21 flight.)
Look upthread, they're covered now by the TPS
Yes, the holes are still in the pressure shell, but they used to be covered with plugs in the white (SPAM?) material and visible on the far wall. This is much cleaner and looks more thought out.
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I don't see any more vestigial window features in either photo.
That speaks to a thorough design upgrade from both the COTS Dragon 1 and the Crew Dragon.
(I apologise if this is not strictly specific to the CRS-21 flight.)
Look upthread, they're covered now by the TPS
Yes, the holes are still in the pressure shell, but they used to be covered with plugs in the white (SPAM?) material and visible on the far wall. This is much cleaner and looks more thought out.
Agree, its clearly a different aeroshell (new door panel, new panel for areas next to door (to cover the windows), 4x panels for each of the pods) which most were not predicting. Why make them still with the superdraco humps / pods?
This engineer choice has to be due to not wanting to develop a 2nd set of CFD models for takeoff. I can't imagine the reentry model still holds with the additional streamlining for the SD pods.
Common aerodynamics, thermodynamics, plumbing et cetera. Majority commonality versus two separate designs makes the certification process easier.
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I don't see any more vestigial window features in either photo.
That speaks to a thorough design upgrade from both the COTS Dragon 1 and the Crew Dragon.
(I apologise if this is not strictly specific to the CRS-21 flight.)
Look upthread, they're covered now by the TPS
Yes, the holes are still in the pressure shell, but they used to be covered with plugs in the white (SPAM?) material and visible on the far wall. This is much cleaner and looks more thought out.
My guess is that NASA asked SpaceX to remove the windows between the SuperDracos on the Crew Dragon after the outer aeroshell had already been fabricated, necessitating a cover. Presumably, subsequent Crew Dragons will have a smooth aeroshell where the windows used to be, and not a visible cover. I also guess that SpaceX wants the pressure vessel to be close to 100% the same as possible between Crew and Cargo Dragon, so I'd figure the front two windows by the hatch to remain plugged for Cargo Dragons in the future.
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According to Next Spaceflight, booster 1058.4 is going to be used for this mission.
It previously supported three missions:
Crew Demo-2 (May 2020)
ANASIS-II (July 2020)
Starlink-13 (October 2020)
Source: https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/108
It's a bit surprising for me, as the booster is apparently still in the Port Canaveral and to date there has been no flight for NASA with any booster used more than once.
If a date of November 22 holds, it would be a new booster turnaround record of around 47 days. The record is currently held by the same booster (51d 02h 08m, Crew Demo-2 -> ANASIS-II).
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I think that it is just a false assumption.
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If a date of November 22 holds
this one is scheduled late November or early December in the last NASA update.
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I think that it is just a false assumption.
Maybe, I don’t know what Michael’s sources are. But I don’t remember a single launch when his website was wrong about the booster assignments.
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I think that it is just a false assumption.
Maybe, I don’t know what Michael’s sources are. But I don’t remember a single launch when his website was wrong about the booster assignments.
All previous launches for NASA on used boosters were on new boosters from their LV. Only once for IFA SpaceX used different booster. And now we have situation were NASA would allow them to use booster for 4th flight and in a record turnaround time. I have some doubs that NASA are willing to do experiments on such launches. But I would be glad if I am wrong.
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I think that it is just a false assumption.
Maybe, I don’t know what Michael’s sources are. But I don’t remember a single launch when his website was wrong about the booster assignments.
All previous launches for NASA on used boosters were on new boosters from their LV. Only once for IFA SpaceX used different booster. And now we have situation were NASA would allow them to use booster for 4th flight and in a record turnaround time. I have some doubs that NASA are willing to do experiments on such launches. But I would be glad if I am wrong.
You're missing a few things. The reason NASA only used NASA boosters is because the original CRS1 contract forbade reusing capsules or boosters. It just adjusted due to booster availability issues under the condition it was NASA boosters. NASA has used non-NASA boosters such as on Grace-FO in 2018.
And all in all, it's hardly related to CRS-21. And I can't remember a time Michale Baylor got the booster assignment wrong, there is no reason to think he got it wrong this time.
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NASA has used non-NASA boosters such as on Grace-FO in 2018.
The GRACE-FO launch was purchased by the German partner. So that's not strictly NASA using a non-NASA booster.
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Next-Generation Airlock Prepped for SpaceX CRS-21 Launch
The first commercially funded airlock for the International Space Station is ready for its journey to space. On Saturday, Oct. 10, teams moved the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock to SpaceX’s processing facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Two days later, it was packed in the Dragon spacecraft’s trunk for its ride to the orbiting laboratory.
The airlock will provide payload hosting, robotics testing, and satellite deployment, and also will serve as an outside toolbox for crew members conducting spacewalks.
The Bishop Airlock is launching on SpaceX’s 21st commercial resupply services (CRS-21) mission to the space station. This will be the first flight of SpaceX’s upgraded cargo version of Dragon, which can carry more science payloads to and from the space station.
The pressurized capsule will carry a variety of research including studies on the effects of microgravity on cardiovascular cells, how space conditions affect the interaction between microbes and minerals, and a technology demonstration of a blood analysis tool in space. CRS-21 is scheduled to launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. Teams are targeting late November or early December for liftoff.
Author James Cawley Posted on October 16, 2020
https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2020/10/16/next-generation-airlock-prepped-for-spacex-crs-21-launch/
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https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1319696284631093248
The first launch of SpaceX's upgraded Cargo Dragon spacecraft, the CRS-21 mission to the ISS for @NASA, is scheduled for no earlier than December.
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https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1319707917885595648
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I was looking up the mass of Bishop Airlock and while Gunter's Page (https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/bishop.htm) says the mass is 325 kg, Houston Chronicle (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/NanoRacks-commercial-space-industry-march-ahead-14383146.php) says 2,491 pounds (1,129 kg) and ESA website (https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/content/-/article/iss-utilisation-nanoracks-airlock) says 1,060 kg.
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A data point for 1059kg for Bishop
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That's interesting as the NASA OIG noted a reduction in external trunk payload capability (800kg on page 12) for D2
Don't believe every number you see in those reports.
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Don't believe every number you see in those reports.
If Bishop is indeed ~1059kg, I agree that mass is clearly that is in excess of 800kg and would invalidate that particular statement in the report.
Do you have other data points where the OIG was factually incorrect? Would kinda defeat the purpose an org that is supposed to independently fact find.
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I have seen other instances of incorrect details in various government documents, but I really don't feel like looking back for them today.
I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing they may have gotten a target number for pressurized upmass and a target number for total upmass, and just subtracted one from the other, when in reality you can trade off between pressurized and unpressurized upmass. I'm also a little suspicious of those numbers because the upmass and downmass numbers are the same. The downmass numbers are limited by the parachutes, I think there is probably more wiggle room on the upmass numbers.
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Don't believe every number you see in those reports.
If Bishop is indeed ~1059kg, I agree that mass is clearly that is in excess of 800kg and would invalidate that particular statement in the report.
Do you have other data points where the OIG was factually incorrect? Would kinda defeat the purpose an org that is supposed to independently fact find.
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"Nobody's perfect", "everybody can make mistakes, especially with numbers" - these are Laws of Nature.
OIG is not exempt from these laws.
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Any textbook of reference database contain some amount of mistakes. And using your kind of logic one can say that "it defeats the purpose".
Nevertheless, textbooks do exist - and they do their job - with all the errors within :)
On your request:
if memory serves me right, some OIG report concerning Crew Dragon had something like 230 ft as height of DRAGON spacecraft. Which is obviously a mistake, 230 ft is height of Falcon 9 WITH Dragon on top.
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Our manifest thread (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=43418.msg1702572#msg1702572) states Sea recovery for this mission's booster, B1058.4. Do we know that to be the case -- that these Cargo Dragon 2 flights will not be RTLS?
If so, is that due to an increased payload (capsule + cargo) mass? Or is it due to a desire to fly the same flattened trajectory as with Crew Dragon 2 since the more a cargo mission resembles a crew mission the more each cargo flight experience contributes to crew mission assurance?
Edited to add:
I see we had this from last month over in the Mission Paperwork thread:
Mission 1410, NET Nov. 8 from Florida, ASDS landing around the Starlink area 32° 35' 34" N 76° 2' 21" W
https://fcc.report/ELS/Space-Exploration-Technologies/1441-EX-ST-2020
The new application 1489-EX-ST-2020 (https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/els/reports/STA_Print.cfm?mode=current&application_seq=102959&RequestTimeout=1000) for SpX CRS-21 Dragon comms and recovery ops shares the same mission number, 1410.
So ASDS.
(Though as far as I know, neither NASA nor SpaceX have publicly confirmed that SpX/CRS2 missions will be ASDS.)
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Our manifest thread (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=43418.msg1702572#msg1702572) states Sea recovery for this mission's booster, B1058.4. Do we know that to be the case -- that these Cargo Dragon 2 flights will not be RTLS?
If so, is that due to an increased payload (capsule + cargo) mass? Or is it due to a desire to fly the same flattened trajectory as with Crew Dragon 2 since the more a cargo mission resembles a crew mission the more each cargo flight experience contributes to crew mission assurance.
Mass. Dragon 2 is a heavy capsule
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Our manifest thread (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=43418.msg1702572#msg1702572) states Sea recovery for this mission's booster, B1058.4. Do we know that to be the case -- that these Cargo Dragon 2 flights will not be RTLS?
If so, is that due to an increased payload (capsule + cargo) mass? Or is it due to a desire to fly the same flattened trajectory as with Crew Dragon 2 since the more a cargo mission resembles a crew mission the more each cargo flight experience contributes to crew mission assurance.
Mass. Dragon 2 is a heavy capsule
Around 12.5 tons.
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Per an earlier post I made in the "SpaceX launches most mass to orbit Q1 2020" thread, I attached a document file from Orbiter 2016 that gave the Dragon 1 spacecraft mass (5,902 kilograms without cargo).
However, on that same simulator, the mass figures for the Cargo Dragon addon are way off given the official numbers stated by NASA.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/top-10-things-to-know-for-nasa-s-spacex-demo-2-return
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It seems more likely that the loaded Dragon weighs that much because they're going with the ASDS, not the other way around.
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Mass. Dragon 2 is a heavy capsule
Around 12.5 tons.
12.5 tonnes is for Crew Dragon, which includes quite a bit of unburned launch abort propellant. Do we know roughly how much a Cargo Dragon 2 clocks in at? I'm sure it has more cargo mass onboard (both pressurized and unpressurized) than what the crew + consumables + additional ECLSS hardware on the crew version weigh, but my hunch is the removal of the abort propellant more than makes up for that.
The Iridium launches were just under 11 tonnes (to polar LEO, which is slightly more challenging) and were on the borderline of RTLS vs. ASDS, so at 12.5 tonnes, Crew Dragon seems pretty close. It seems strange for Cargo Dragon 2 to be over the line despite shedding the abort propellant, which (IIRC) adds up to several tonnes.
I could be misremembering, but I think I heard somewhere that the thing about Crew Dragon requiring a more flattened trajectory is actually a myth (or at least, ended up being untrue in the end - it may have been a consideration earlier in the design process). IIRC people examined the trajectory after Demo-1 and Demo-2 and concluded that it wasn't that different from a Dragon 1 launch. I know Starliner definitely requires a more flattened trajectory than usual (hence the need for a two-engine Centaur, plus two SRBs), and that may have caused some confusion to spread regarding Dragon. Perhaps others with sourceable knowledge can confirm one way or the other.
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Mass. Dragon 2 is a heavy capsule
Around 12.5 tons.
12.5 tonnes is for Crew Dragon, which includes quite a bit of unburned launch abort propellant. Do we know roughly how much a Cargo Dragon 2 clocks in at? I'm sure it has more cargo mass onboard (both pressurized and unpressurized) than what the crew + consumables + additional ECLSS hardware on the crew version weigh, but my hunch is the removal of the abort propellant more than makes up for that.
The Iridium launches were just under 11 tonnes (to polar LEO, which is slightly more challenging) and were on the borderline of RTLS vs. ASDS, so at 12.5 tonnes, Crew Dragon seems pretty close. It seems strange for Cargo Dragon 2 to be over the line despite shedding the abort propellant, which (IIRC) adds up to several tonnes.
I could be misremembering, but I think I heard somewhere that the thing about Crew Dragon requiring a more flattened trajectory is actually a myth (or at least, ended up being untrue in the end - it may have been a consideration earlier in the design process). IIRC people examined the trajectory after Demo-1 and Demo-2 and concluded that it wasn't that different from a Dragon 1 launch. I know Starliner definitely requires a more flattened trajectory than usual (hence the need for a two-engine Centaur, plus two SRBs), and that may have caused some confusion to spread regarding Dragon. Perhaps others with sourceable knowledge can confirm one way or the other.
The Iridium-NEXT missions weighed in at 9.6 tons.
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The Nanoracks Bishop Airlock is packed in the Dragon spacecraft’s trunk on Oct. 12, 2020, inside SpaceX’s processing facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for its ride to the International Space Station aboard the company’s 21st Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-21) mission. The first commercially funded airlock for the orbiting laboratory, it will provide payload hosting, robotics testing, satellite deployment, serve as an outside toolbox for station crew spacewalks, and more. CRS-21 is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.
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<snip>
The Iridium-NEXT missions weighed in at 9.6 tons.
Does that included the payload adapter hardware or just the satellites?
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<snip>
The Iridium-NEXT missions weighed in at 9.6 tons.
Does that included the payload adapter hardware or just the satellites?
Includes the payload adapter, which weighed 1 ton.
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NASA and SpaceX Target Dec. 2 for Next Resupply Launch (https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacex/2020/11/06/nasa-and-spacex-target-dec-2-for-next-resupply-launch/)
While SpaceX continues preparations for the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station as part of the Commercial Crew Program, the company also is getting ready for the agency’s next cargo resupply mission to the orbiting laboratory.
SpaceX’s 21st resupply mission for NASA, its first under the second-generation Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract, will be the first resupply mission to use the upgraded version of the Dragon spacecraft. The flight will bring science and supplies to the newly expanded Expedition 64 crew beginning with liftoff on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA and SpaceX currently are targeting no earlier than 12:50 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 2, for the CRS-21 launch, pending Eastern Range acceptance and successful preparations and an on-time liftoff of Crew-1, also from Launch Complex 39A.
The science to be delivered on this mission includes a study aimed at better understanding heart disease to support development of treatments for patients on Earth, research into how microbes can be used for biomining on asteroids, and a tool being tested for quick and accurate blood analysis in microgravity. The first commercially owned and operated airlock on the space station, the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock, will arrive in the unpressurized trunk of the Dragon spacecraft. Bishop will provide a variety of capabilities to the orbiting laboratory, including CubeSat deployment and support of external payloads.
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I am curious about the IDA dance that will happen since there are only 2 currently. It seems like it will be
1. Crew-1 arrives Nov 2020
2. CRS2 Spx-21 arrives Dec 2020
3. CRS2 Spx-21 leaves ??
4. Crew-2 arrives March 2020
5. Crew-1 leaves April 2020
There seems to be no IDA available for Starliner until May 2020 at least.
Am I correct?
Carlos
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SpX-21 will only be there a month. Almost the entire first quarter would be available for OFT-2.
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1. Crew-1 arrives Nov 2020
2. CRS2 Spx-21 arrives Dec 2020
3. CRS2 Spx-21 leaves ??
4. Crew-2 arrives March 2020
5. Crew-1 leaves April 2020
There will also be the port relocation between 3-4. Resilience is going to move from Node 2 Fwd (IDA 2) to Node 2 Zenith (IDA 3). Starliner needs to dock at Node 2 Fwd (likely due to the software not being ready for the zenith port like DM2) + iss flight planning documents have the vehicles doing that normally as CRS missions always need to go to the Zenith port due to unpressurized cargo.
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1. Crew-1 arrives Nov 2020
2. CRS2 Spx-21 arrives Dec 2020
3. CRS2 Spx-21 leaves ??
4. Crew-2 arrives March 2020
5. Crew-1 leaves April 2020
There will also be the port relocation between 3-4. Resilience is going to move from Node 2 Fwd (IDA 2) to Node 2 Zenith (IDA 3). Starliner needs to dock at Node 2 Fwd (likely due to the software not being ready for the zenith port like DM2) + iss flight planning documents have the vehicles doing that normally as CRS missions always need to go to the Zenith port.
This is due to the limitations of the Canada Arm as it would not be able to take cargo out of the trunk if Cargo Dragon is docked to PMA-2 thus PMA-3 will see only it's third docking, the first since STS-98 in February 2001. I'm not sure if Crew-1 will relocate from PMA-2 to PMA-3 following the Starliner test flight in anticipation for Crew-2. If Crew-2 ends up docking to PMA-3 then it would have to relocate to PMA-2 not that long into the mission for the CRS-22 mission in May.
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1. Crew-1 arrives Nov 2020
2. CRS2 Spx-21 arrives Dec 2020
3. CRS2 Spx-21 leaves ??
4. Crew-2 arrives March 2020
5. Crew-1 leaves April 2020
There will also be the port relocation between 3-4. Resilience is going to move from Node 2 Fwd (IDA 2) to Node 2 Zenith (IDA 3). Starliner needs to dock at Node 2 Fwd (likely due to the software not being ready for the zenith port like DM2) + iss flight planning documents have the vehicles doing that normally as CRS missions always need to go to the Zenith port due to unpressurized cargo.
Do all 4 astronauts have to be on board for the relocation? I am thinking that in an emergency they might have to abort to earth and they can't leave anyone stranded on the ISS.
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Yes, all four will have to be aboard in case of docking issues and they have to do an emergency return to earth.
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Yes, all four will have to be aboard in case of docking issues and they have to do an emergency return to earth.
I wonder if this means they need to plan the schedule for docking port relocations based on landing zone weather suitability and have recovery craft in place at the notional splashdown site, as they would for a nominal return?
I would imagine that, in the event of problems with re-docking, they'd want to keep the crew and Dragon in free flight for a while (potentially several days, consumables permitting) pending hopes of a resolution of the docking issue so they can return to the station. That would give time for SpaceX and NASA to select a splashdown site and reentry window during that time and scramble recovery vessels in case they can't resolve the docking issues and actually have to return home (a scenario that they'd surely prefer to avoid if at all possible, seeing how it would abruptly cut short a long-duration ISS expedition and, especially with the Russians not doing seat exchanges right now, potentially leave the station without any USOS crew members). But that's just my speculation...I'd be curious if anyone knows what their actual procedures are for this.
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November 17, 2020
MEDIA ADVISORY M20-128
NASA Highlights Science, New Airlock on Next Space Station Resupply Mission
NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EST Friday, Nov. 20, to discuss science investigations and a new privately funded airlock launching on SpaceX’s 21st commercial cargo resupply mission for the agency to the International Space Station. It is SpaceX’s first launch on its second Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA and the company will use the upgraded version of the cargo Dragon spacecraft.
Audio of the teleconference will stream live online at:
http://www.nasa.gov/live
SpaceX is targeting 12:50 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2, for the launch of the Dragon on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
To participate in the teleconference, media must contact Stephanie Schierholz at 202-358-4997 or [email protected] by 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 20, for dial-in information.
David Brady, associate program scientist for the International Space Station Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, will provide an introduction to the research and technology aboard the Dragon spacecraft.
Also participating in the briefing are:
Charles Cockell, professor of astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh and principal investigator for the BioAsteroid experiment, and Rosa Santomartino, postdoctoral research associate. BioAsteroid aims to better understand how microbes interact with and change asteroids, information that could be used for future mining on asteroids.
Joseph Wu, professor and director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute and principal investigator, and Dilip Thomas, postdoctoral research fellow for Cardinal Heart, which studies the effects of microgravity on heart tissue using tissue chips, in an effort to develop therapies on Earth and countermeasures for future space exploration.
Benjamin Easter, deputy element scientist for exploration medical capability in the NASA Human Research Program, who will discuss HemoCue, a commercial off-the-shelf device that will be tested as a tool to provide autonomous blood analysis as an important step toward meeting the heath care needs of crew members on future missions, including for NASA’s Artemis program to the Moon.
Brock Howe, program manager for the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock, the first privately funded module to be delivered to the space station. The Bishop Airlock will support science experiments, satellite deployment, and spacewalks.
Dusan Sekulic, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Kentucky and principal investigator, and Sinisa Mesarovic, professor of mechanical and materials engineering at Washington State University, for SUBSA-BRAINS. This experiment looks at how liquid metals behave in microgravity as a first step toward developing techniques that could be used for construction of human space habitats, as well as to repair damage from micrometeoroids or space debris.
Pinar Mesci, project scientist for Space Tango-Human Brain Organoids, an experiment that studies how microgravity affects small, living masses of cells as a way to understand the effects of spaceflight on the brain. This investigation could pave the way for additional exploration of changes to neurons during spaceflight, including studies of pharmacology, disease, aging, and more.
Cargo resupply from U.S. companies ensures a national capability to deliver critical science research to the space station, significantly increasing NASA's ability to conduct new investigations at the only laboratory in space. The upgraded Dragon spacecraft has double the capacity for powered lockers that preserve science and research samples during transport to or from Earth.
The cargo Dragon will be the second SpaceX spacecraft parked at the orbiting laboratory, following the arrival Nov. 16 of the Crew Dragon that carried four new Expedition 64 astronauts, who will support these and other investigations as part of their six-month science mission.
The space station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and enables research not possible on Earth. NASA recently celebrated 20 years of continuous human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, which has hosted 242 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future human missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.
For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
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https://youtu.be/Dcy4yZb13fE
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Question for the experts: does the Bishop Airlock take up the entire trunk, or is it smaller than the trunk space?
I figure that Bishop’s length is determined by the available space at the end of Node 3, not the trunk size of Dragon. It would be a minor miracle if the space at the end of Node 3 were the same length as the Dragon trunk.
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Question for the experts: does the Bishop Airlock take up the entire trunk, or is it smaller than the trunk space?
I figure that Bishop’s length is determined by the available space at the end of Node 3, not the trunk size of Dragon. It would be a minor miracle if the space at the end of Node 3 were the same length as the Dragon trunk.
A dozen or so posts up:
Next-Generation Airlock Prepped for SpaceX CRS-21 Launch
The first commercially funded airlock for the International Space Station is ready for its journey to space. On Saturday, Oct. 10, teams moved the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock to SpaceX’s processing facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Two days later, it was packed in the Dragon spacecraft’s trunk for its ride to the orbiting laboratory.
The airlock will provide payload hosting, robotics testing, and satellite deployment, and also will serve as an outside toolbox for crew members conducting spacewalks.
The Bishop Airlock is launching on SpaceX’s 21st commercial resupply services (CRS-21) mission to the space station. This will be the first flight of SpaceX’s upgraded cargo version of Dragon, which can carry more science payloads to and from the space station.
The pressurized capsule will carry a variety of research including studies on the effects of microgravity on cardiovascular cells, how space conditions affect the interaction between microbes and minerals, and a technology demonstration of a blood analysis tool in space. CRS-21 is scheduled to launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. Teams are targeting late November or early December for liftoff.
Author James Cawley Posted on October 16, 2020
https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2020/10/16/next-generation-airlock-prepped-for-spacex-crs-21-launch/
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Question for the experts: does the Bishop Airlock take up the entire trunk, or is it smaller than the trunk space?
I figure that Bishop’s length is determined by the available space at the end of Node 3, not the trunk size of Dragon. It would be a minor miracle if the space at the end of Node 3 were the same length as the Dragon trunk.
Bishop Airlock:
Length 6.706 metres (22.00 ft)
Height 1.507 metres (4 ft 11.3 in)
Diameter 2.014 metres (6 ft 7.3 in)
Volume ~24.12 m³
Dragon 2 trunk:
37 m³ / 1300 ft³
Seems like there is plenty of room
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Question for the experts: does the Bishop Airlock take up the entire trunk, or is it smaller than the trunk space?
I figure that Bishop’s length is determined by the available space at the end of Node 3, not the trunk size of Dragon. It would be a minor miracle if the space at the end of Node 3 were the same length as the Dragon trunk.
Bishop Airlock:
Length 6.706 metres (22.00 ft)
Height 1.507 metres (4 ft 11.3 in)
Diameter 2.014 metres (6 ft 7.3 in)
Volume ~24.12 m³
Dragon 2 trunk:
37 m³ / 1300 ft³
Seems like there is plenty of room
I have to quibble with the number cited for length. I can't find a source for it other than Wikipedia, and I strongly suspect that Wikipedia has it wrong.
Nanoracks, the manufacturer, shows Bishop to be less in length than diameter.
https://nanoracks.com/bishop-airlock/
Edit to add: per the photos of the airlock on the nanoracks page linked above, either Nanoracks employees pictured in the shots with the airlock are in excess of 6 meters (22feet) tall, or Wikipedia is wrong on the length of the airlock. My guess is that Wikipidia used the length in feet and called them meters.
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NASA Live: What’s on Board SpaceX CRS-21 (Nov. 20, 2020)
https://youtu.be/XJabfFLbHgk
-
NASA Live: What’s on Board SpaceX CRS-21 (Nov. 20, 2020)
[unlisted Youtube link]
Come on, NASA, make this publicly viewable! All the public got was a little 10 minute highlight video.
[zubenelgenubi: It's playable now.]
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https://twitter.com/nasakennedy/status/1330972900468383749
Launch Update 🚀 @NASA and @SpaceX are now targeting 11:39 a.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 5 for the launch of the 21st Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-21) mission to the @Space_Station.
🗓️ Mark your calendar: go.nasa.gov/35VFGcg
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November 24, 2020
MEDIA ADVISORY M20-130
NASA TV Coverage Set for Next Space Station Resupply Mission with SpaceX
NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting 11:39 a.m. EST Saturday, Dec. 5, for the launch of its 21st commercial resupply services (CRS-21) mission to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CRS-21 will deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment for NASA and is the first mission under the company’s second Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. Live coverage will air on NASA Television and the agency’s website, with prelaunch events Friday, Dec. 4, and Saturday, Dec. 5.
The upgraded Dragon spacecraft will be filled with supplies and payloads, including critical materials to directly support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 64 and 65. In addition to bringing research to the station, the Dragon’s unpressurized trunk will transport the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock. The first commercially funded space station airlock, the Bishop Airlock is an airtight segment used for transfer of payloads between the inside and outside of the station. It provides payload hosting, robotics testing, and satellite deployment while also serving as an outside toolbox for astronauts conducting spacewalks.
About 12 minutes after launch, Dragon will separate from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the space station. Arrival to the space station is planned for Sunday, Dec. 6. Dragon will autonomously dock to the station’s Harmony module with Expedition 64 Flight Engineers Kate Rubins and Victor Glover of NASA monitoring operations.
The Dragon spacecraft will spend about one month attached to the space station before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, with splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.
Full mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):
Friday, Dec. 4
2 p.m. – One-on-one media opportunities with principal investigators for payloads on CRS-21 at the Kennedy Press Site (compliant with COVID-19 safety protocols).
TBD – Prelaunch news conference from Kennedy with representatives from NASA’s International Space Station Program, SpaceX, and the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Space Wing. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom at [email protected] no later than 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4.
Saturday, Dec. 5
11:15 a.m. – NASA TV launch coverage begins for the 11:39 a.m. launch.
Sunday, Dec. 6
9:30 a.m. – NASA TV coverage begins for Dragon docking to space station
11:30 a.m. – Docking
The deadline for media to apply for accreditation for this launch has passed, but general information about media accreditation is available by emailing [email protected].
Members of the public can attend the launch virtually, receiving mission updates and opportunities normally reserved for on-site guests. NASA’s virtual launch experience for CRS-21 includes curated launch resources, a behind-the-scenes look at the mission, notifications about NASA social interactions, and the opportunity for a virtual launch passport stamp following a successful launch.
To participate, members of the public can register for email updates or RSVP to the Facebook event for social media updates to stay up-to-date on mission information, mission highlights, and interaction opportunities. To find out more, visit:
https://go.nasa.gov/3kaJKJz
Engage kids and students in the science, technology, engineering and math aboard the space station through NASA’s STEM on Station.
Members of the public also can share in the journey through a variety of activities, including:
Virtual Launch Passport
Print, fold, and get ready to fill your virtual launch passport. Stamps will be emailed following launches to all registrants (who are registered via email through Eventbrite). Passports available now:
https://go.nasa.gov/364lPIt
Watch and Engage on Social Media
Stay connected with the mission on social media, and let people know you're following it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtags #Dragon, #NASASocial, #BishopAirlock. Follow and tag these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, ISS National Lab, @SpaceX
Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab, @SpaceX
Learn more about the SpaceX resupply mission at:
https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
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This flight is now the next SpaceX launch campaign. Current state of play on the Space Coast:
Scheduled:
Date - Satellite(s) - Rocket - Launch Site - Time (UTC)
2020
December 6 5 - Dragon v2 SpX-21 (CRS-21), Bishop (NanoRacks Airlock Module) - Falcon 9-101 (B1058.4 S) - Kennedy LC-39A - 16:17 39
(launch 22-26 minutes earlier/day)
NET December 10 - SiriusXM SXM-7 - Falcon 9-102 (1051.7 S) - Canaveral SLC-40 - 16:19-18:19
(launch window about 4 minutes earlier/day)
November- NET December 10 - NROL-44: Orion 10 (RIO 10, Mission 8306, Mentor 8 ) (TBD) - Delta IV-H [D-385] - Canaveral SLC-37B - 22:50-03:30
(launch window about 4 minutes earlier/day)
NET December 17 - NROL-108 - Falcon 9-103 (B1059.5 L) - Kennedy LC-39A / Canaveral SLC-40
December? - Starlink flight 17 (x60) [v1.0 L16] - Falcon 9 (S) - Canaveral SLC-40 / Kennedy LC-39A
(launch 21-22 minutes earlier/day)
NET January 2021 December - Turksat 5A - Falcon 9 - Canaveral SLC-40 / Kennedy LC-39A
(launch window about 4 minutes earlier/day)
Changes on December 1st
Changes on December 4th
Changes on December 5th
zubenelgenubi
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https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2020/11/25/december-build-on-space-coast-florida-rapid-rocket-launch-cadence/6405521002/
After liftoff, the rocket's first stage will return to the Cape's Landing Zone 1 and generate three sonic booms just before touchdown.
Emre Kelly says CRS-21 will be a RTLS launch. I’m not so sure about this.
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https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2020/11/25/december-build-on-space-coast-florida-rapid-rocket-launch-cadence/6405521002/
After liftoff, the rocket's first stage will return to the Cape's Landing Zone 1 and generate three sonic booms just before touchdown.
Emre Kelly says CRS-21 will be a RTLS launch. I’m not so sure about this.
I don't see why it can't.
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https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2020/11/25/december-build-on-space-coast-florida-rapid-rocket-launch-cadence/6405521002/
After liftoff, the rocket's first stage will return to the Cape's Landing Zone 1 and generate three sonic booms just before touchdown.
Emre Kelly says CRS-21 will be a RTLS launch. I’m not so sure about this.
I don't see why it can't.
Previous discussions in this thread have focused on mass being a factor and filings indicating ASDS.
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... and filings indicating ASDS.
Specifically here (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=45440.msg2136787#msg2136787) on the Paperwork thread, where strawwalker and gongora link two FCC applications for "Mission 1410", one listing ASDS operation and the other describing it as a CRS mission.
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We're getting close. Counting down to December 5! #BishopAirlock
https://twitter.com/Nanoracks/status/1331655239431294976
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Question for the experts: does the Bishop Airlock take up the entire trunk, or is it smaller than the trunk space?
I figure that Bishop’s length is determined by the available space at the end of Node 3, not the trunk size of Dragon. It would be a minor miracle if the space at the end of Node 3 were the same length as the Dragon trunk.
I found some slides showing how it fits into the trunk. Plenty of room.
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Do we have a confirmed mass for Bishop yet?
It's been discussed here (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=51769.msg2146214#msg2146214).
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Do we have a confirmed mass for Bishop yet?
You’ve cited 1,059kg before and I tend to believe figures from the manufacturer on this.
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Question for the experts: does the Bishop Airlock take up the entire trunk, or is it smaller than the trunk space?
I figure that Bishop’s length is determined by the available space at the end of Node 3, not the trunk size of Dragon. It would be a minor miracle if the space at the end of Node 3 were the same length as the Dragon trunk.
I found some slides showing how it fits into the trunk. Plenty of room.
Note that the slides are out of date and still show the D1 trunk. D2's Trunk does not have the narrowing for the solar panels / the intrusions for the joints so there is actually additional X + Y axis room. Much more clearance for Dextre to reach in and grab it.
However, for Z axis, there are 2 restrictions: Dragon's trunk (the ample visual clearance to the end of Dragon's trunk is actually pretty tight on the keep out envelope for F9's 2nd stage) and Node 3's clearance to the radiator (18" at the closest point per NanoRack).
Brickmack also found an interesting patent (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=36955.msg2149808#msg2149808) where NanoRacks is considering an add on the airlock with a cylindrical extension.
This to me denotes that Nanoracks wanted a larger monolithic Bishop but needed to break the airlock into 2 payloads due to launch vehicle constraints (and I'm sure for a variety of other reasons as well).
Do we have a confirmed mass for Bishop yet?
You’ve cited 1,059kg before and I tend to believe figures from the manufacturer on this.
I actually reached out to NanoRacks directly, but after some back and forth they declined to comment on the mass of the airlock. I guess we will have to wait for NASA to publish (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/spacex_crs-21_mission_overview.pdf) the official unpressurized mass like they normally do a couple days before flight. Still mainly interested from the perspective of the new max unpressurized payload mass of D2 and if it changed between D1 and D2.
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Visualization of issued Launch Hazard Areas for Mission 1410 CRS-21 Cargo Dragon2 mission (https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?hl=en&mid=132PVWIAvWljfEbbZIrkS5a2qqfVhsZM_&ll=30.741618621676135%2C-77.34160913224625&z=8) from KSC LC-39A planned for Dec 05 16:39 UTC, alternatively Dec 06, based on NGA-NOTMAR and FAA-NOTAM messages.
Droneship landing 623km downrange for booster 1058.4.
Planned Stage2 debris reentry in Indian Ocean in window corresponds to the first orbit.
Source messages.
300911Z NOV 20
NAVAREA IV 1163/20(11,26).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
051629Z TO 051715Z DEC, ALTERNATE
061607Z TO 061653Z DEC
IN AREAS BOUND BY:
A. 28-39-01N 080-37-42W, 29-02-00N 080-09-00W, 28-59-00N 080-05-00W, 28-38-00N 080-24-00W, 28-33-02N 080-33-55W.
B. 32-12-00N 076-43-00W, 32-55-00N 075-49-00W, 32-41-00N 075-36-00W, 31-57-00N 076-27-00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 061753Z DEC 20.
300925Z NOV 20
HYDROPAC 3535/20(61,74,75).
INDIAN OCEAN.
SOUTHEASTERN INDIAN OCEAN.
DNC 03, DNC 04.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
051708Z TO 051749Z DEC, ALTERNATE
061646Z TO 061727Z DEC
IN AREA BOUND BY
20-47S 079-46E, 20-12S 081-13E, 25-34S 088-19E, 36-18S 101-47E, 47-20S 119-50E, 48-34S 119-08E, 48-10S 115-48E, 43-51S 104-04E, 37-44S 093-56E, 28-42S 084-39E,
24-10S 081-13E.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 061827Z DEC 20.
MELBOURNE (FIR/FIC/ACC/COM/MET)
NOTAM #: F3464/20 Class: International Status: Active Issue Date UTC: 11/23/2020 2034 Start Date UTC: 12/05/2020 1708 End Date UTC: 12/06/2020 1727
F3464/20 NOTAMN
Q) YMMM/QWMLW/IV/BO/W/000/999/3616S09816E999
A) YMMM
B) 2012051708 C) 2012061727
D) 2012051708 TO 2012051749
2012061646 TO 2012061727
PRI RE-ENTRY 051708-051749
BACKUP RE-ENTRY 061646-061727
E) ROCKET LAUNCH WILL TAKE PLACE
FLW RECEIVED FROM GOVERNMENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:
HAZARDOUS OPS WILL BE CONDUCTED FOR ATMOSPHERIC RE-ENTRY AND
SPLASHDOWN OF LAUNCH VEHICLE FALCON 9 CRS-21 AND PARTICIPATING
SUPPORT ACFT WI THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
FROM 2047S 07946E TO 2012S 08113E TO 2534S 08819E TO 3618S 10147E TO 4720S 11950E TO 4834S 11908E TO 4810S 11548E TO 4351S 10404E TO 3744S 09356E TO 2842S 08439E TO 2410S 08113E TO BEGINNING
F) SFC G) UNL
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Do we have a Space X or NASA Press Kit for SpX 21 Cargo Dragon ?
-
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Well that seems pretty official
Bishop airlock 1090 kg
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Well that seems pretty official
Bishop airlock 1090 kg
Speculation time: is the extra 30kg (from NR's original 1060kg figure) explained away by the cbm passive target or is it just the newly reported mass of the airlock?
It also looks like the OIGs reporting of D2 unpressurized capabilities are now proven to be factually incorrect based on these numbers.
Maybe that's why they chopped off 2 of the fins from the trunk to make it uphill this time. /s
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Well that seems pretty official
Bishop airlock 1090 kg
Speculation time: is the extra 30kg (from NR's original 1060kg figure) explained away by the cbm passive target or is it just the newly reported mass of the airlock?
It also looks like the OIGs reporting of D2 unpressurized capabilities are now proven to be factually incorrect based on these numbers. Maybe that's why they chopped off 2 of the fins from the trunk to make it uphill this time.
Note that the actual document (not all pages shown) list the 1090 figure as including the installation hardware (not included is the internal outfitting hardware that is installed after berthing). 1090 is the total combined mass.
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Well that seems pretty official
Bishop airlock 1090 kg
Speculation time: is the extra 30kg (from NR's original 1060kg figure) explained away by the cbm passive target or is it just the newly reported mass of the airlock?
It also looks like the OIGs reporting of D2 unpressurized capabilities are now proven to be factually incorrect based on these numbers. Maybe that's why they chopped off 2 of the fins from the trunk to make it uphill this time.
Note that the actual document (not all pages shown) list the 1090 figure as including the installation hardware (not included is the internal outfitting hardware that is installed after berthing). 1090 is the total combined mass.
I think 1090kg includes all the support straps and other hardware to hold it in the trunk. The additional installation hardware is in the capsule.
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https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1333758194456420354
OCISLY is outbound for the CRS-21 mission. You can see the droneship passing by B1049.7 - which returned on Saturday.
JRTI seems to be out of service for maintenance/repair post-Crew1. Technicians were spotted working 24/7 shifts last week onboard.
📸@NASAspaceflight Fleetcam
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Note that the actual document (not all pages shown) list the 1090 figure as including the installation hardware (not included is the internal outfitting hardware that is installed after berthing). 1090 is the total combined mass.
I think 1090kg includes all the support straps and other hardware to hold it in the trunk. The additional installation hardware is in the capsule.
Minor nitpick. The Centerline Berthing Camera System (CBCS) target needs to be preinstalled for the SSRMS to berth Bishop to node 3. It is flown up unpressurized and has been already been shown installed in the trunk.
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https://twitter.com/emrekelly/status/1333886893637898245
Hazard area for SpaceX #CRS21 out ahead of tomorrow's weather forecast. Still go for 1139 ET Sat.
Booster (1058) previously launched Demo-2, Anasis-II, and 13th Starlink. Drone ship.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in expedition-grade parkas since it'll be under 75 here.
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40% chance of a GO on primary, increases to 80% on secondary.
Combined with high booster recovery risk, a delay seems probable unless things clear up.
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https://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/status/1334154986763276288
At launch complex 39A the Falcon 9 and Cargo Dragon are rolling to the launch pad for a routine engine test firing ahead of Saturday's planned launch to the International Space Station.
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https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1334187755878969345
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Nice rollout photo
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1334226772485939211
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Different photo from SpaceX:
https://twitter.com/AuDelaDeLOrbite/status/1334235695079170050
Is it official this capsule has C208 number?
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Different photo from SpaceX:
*snip tweet*
Remarkable - the trunk only has two fins.
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https://twitter.com/nanoracks/status/1334266243373801473
Sunset over our ride ☀️ #BishopAirlock #CRS21
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Is it official this capsule has C208 number?
That’s an interesting point. I haven’t been able to find anything official from NASA or SpaceX.
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https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/12/03/falcon-9-crs-21-mission-status-center/
The Falcon 9 emerged from its hangar Wednesday for the quarter-mile trip up the ramp to pad 39A. Riding a transporter-erector, the rocket arrived at the pad deck Wednesday morning and was raised vertical a short time ago.
SpaceX plans to test-fire the previously-flown booster's nine Merlin main engines Thursday morning ahead of a launch scheduled for 11:39 a.m. EST (1639 GMT) Saturday.
Static fire Thursday morning ET
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Does Space X has it own emblem for the mission?
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Does Space X has it own emblem for the mission?
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The Falcon 9 and an upgraded Cargo Dragon capsule are now upright at launch complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.
https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/1334316033788743682
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Is it official this capsule has C208 number?
Serial no. C208 has been on the list on Wikipedia for at least the last few months but I don't know the source.
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Does Space X has it own emblem for the mission?
That is the NASA patch, not the SpaceX one.
The SpaceX one will be available once they update their https://www.spacex.com/launches/ page for CRS-21.
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https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/12/03/falcon-9-crs-21-mission-status-center/
The crew access arm was retracted this morning as SpaceX continues with prelaunch preparations for the flight of the first upgraded Cargo Dragon which will include a static fire of the Falcon 9 first stage engines.
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TE is venting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huc-sdf38YY
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https://twitter.com/tylerg1998/status/1334494138604122112
#SpaceX has just conducted a static fire test with #Falcon9 booster B1058.4 at KSC LC-39A in preparation for the launch of the #CRS21 mission. Now waiting for confirmation of a good test.
Via @EmreKelly/@Florida_Today stream: youtu.be/huc-sdf38YY
https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1334493791785521153
F9/CRS-21: And here's a picture of today's test
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https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1334502616374550529
Static fire test complete — targeting December 5 for Falcon 9 launch of Dragon’s 21st resupply mission to the @space_station; team is keeping an eye on weather conditions as the forecast is currently 40% favorable for liftoff
twitter.com/spacex/status/1334502617465069575
First launch of the upgraded cargo version of Dragon, which can carry 50% more science payloads than the previous version
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1334502622649192448
The Falcon 9 booster supporting this mission previously launched @NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the @space_station, the ANASIS-II mission, and a Starlink mission
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No major changes to L-2 Launch Mission Execution Forecast
40% GO on primary, 80% on secondary
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NASA TV Coverage Set for Next Space Station Resupply Mission with SpaceX:
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-tv-coverage-set-for-next-space-station-resupply-mission-with-spacex
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https://youtu.be/21X5lGlDOfg
NASA TV coverage of the Falcon 9 launch begins at 11:15 a.m. EST (1615 GMT) Saturday.
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NASA, SpaceX on Track for Dec. 5 Cargo Resupply Launch
Danielle Sempsrott Posted on December 3, 2020
NASA and SpaceX are targeting Saturday, Dec. 5, for SpaceX’s 21st Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-21) mission to the International Space Station. Weather officials with the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing are predicting a 40% chance of favorable weather conditions for liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Cargo Dragon spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida.
Primary weather concerns are the cumulus cloud rule, thick cloud layer rule, and flight through precipitation.
CRS-21 is the first mission under the company’s second Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA and the first flight of the upgraded cargo version of Dragon 2. The mission will deliver supplies, equipment, and critical materials to support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur aboard the orbiting laboratory during Expeditions 64 and 65.
Liftoff of the Falcon 9 is scheduled for 11:39 a.m. EST, and Dragon is slated to autonomously dock at the space station at approximately 11:30 a.m. EST on Sunday, Dec. 6. NASA astronauts and Expedition 64 Flight Engineers Kate Rubins and Victor Glover will monitor docking operations.
Follow live coverage of the CRS-21 mission and prelaunch events here on the blog, NASA TV, and the agency’s website:
1 p.m. EST Friday, Dec. 4 – Virtual #NASASocial Science and Station Q&A
TBD Friday, Dec. 4 – Prelaunch news conference from Kennedy with representatives from the International Space Station Program Office, SpaceX, and the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing
11:15 a.m. EST Saturday, Dec. 5 – Live launch countdown coverage begins
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacexcrs21/2020/12/03/nasa-spacex-on-track-for-dec-5-cargo-resupply-launch/
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https://twitter.com/Nanoracks/status/1334520268430200837
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Is this the first static fire with a cargo Dragon attached?
SpX-20 appears to have been booster only. See https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=50280.msg2052977#msg2052977 (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=50280.msg2052977#msg2052977)
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Join our virtual CRS-21 @NASASocial tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET to chat with representatives from @ISS_Research, @Nanoracks & Brain Organoids in real time!
Have a question, Submit yours by using #AskNASA & it may be answered live during the show.
https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy/status/1334525862067150849
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https://twitter.com/emrekelly/status/1334546747067150336
Pad 39A's crew access arm just moved into position with Cargo Dragon. #CRS21 marks the first time SpaceX uses the walkway for cargo loading.
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https://youtu.be/0QXnuX8wQLk
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasakennedy/albums/72157716406499828 (8 photos so far)
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Is this the first static fire with a cargo Dragon attached?
SpX-20 appears to have been booster only. See https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=50280.msg2052977#msg2052977 (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=50280.msg2052977#msg2052977)
SPX-21 is the first Dragon 2 capsule - first time with superdraco pad escape capability. I've not seen other static fires closeup, but I distinctly saw the TEL tilt away from the second stage and Dragon prior to the static fire, clearing the way for a pad abort.
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Is this the first static fire with a cargo Dragon attached?
SpX-20 appears to have been booster only. See https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=50280.msg2052977#msg2052977 (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=50280.msg2052977#msg2052977)
SPX-21 is the first Dragon 2 capsule - first time with superdraco pad escape capability. I've not seen other static fires closeup, but I distinctly saw the TEL tilt away from the second stage and Dragon prior to the static fire, clearing the way for a pad abort.
Superdraco's were not installed. TEL tilt away is standard on that pad.
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SPX-21 is the first Dragon 2 capsule - first time with superdraco pad escape capability. I've not seen other static fires closeup, but I distinctly saw the TEL tilt away from the second stage and Dragon prior to the static fire, clearing the way for a pad abort.
Superdracos were not installed. TEL tilt away is standard on that pad.
Correct. It's still intriguing that Dragon was attached for the static fire, that seems like an uncharacteristically unnecessary risk for NASA unless it's providing something of value. Given that SpaceX decided to retain two trunk fins for some reason, my guess is that Cargo Dragon 2 retains some kind of autonomous in-flight abort capability - albeit passive without SuperDracos. To safely fly with that enabled, Dragon would need to be kept in the loop during static fires to verify that the software responsible for detecting and commanding an abort isn't exhibiting false-positives, much like Crew Dragon.
LOV would still be guaranteed in the event of a catastrophic pad or in-flight explosion, but a passive abort capability would likely ensure spacecraft survival in the event of a seemingly more likely CRS-7 or Starlink-5 style launch vehicle failure.
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https://youtu.be/IKmfXw2IRLQ
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Correct. It's still intriguing that Dragon was attached for the static fire, that seems like an uncharacteristically unnecessary risk for NASA unless it's providing something of value. Given that SpaceX decided to retain two trunk fins for some reason, my guess is that Cargo Dragon 2 retains some kind of autonomous in-flight abort capability - albeit passive without SuperDracos. To safely fly with that enabled, Dragon would need to be kept in the loop during static fires to verify that the software responsible for detecting and commanding an abort isn't exhibiting false-positives, much like Crew Dragon.
LOV would still be guaranteed in the event of a catastrophic pad or in-flight explosion, but a passive abort capability would likely ensure spacecraft survival in the event of a seemingly more likely CRS-7 or Starlink-5 style launch vehicle failure.
They static fire Crew Dragon attached as well, and that's arguably a much more expensive and important bit of hardware than CRS2. At a guess, it could be something as simple as keeping consistency in their processes for both crew and cargo. Static firing with all flight hardware attached could also provide useful data on launch conditions for a brand new spacecraft since this is the first CRS2 hardware. Test as you fly and fly as you test and all that.
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SPX-21 is the first Dragon 2 capsule - first time with superdraco pad escape capability.
Crew-1 was the first for both. Cargo Dragons don’t have SuperDracos in order to save mass. It’s also why seats, consoles, and toilets aren’t installed like on Crew Dragon.
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Don’t the trunk fins serve as radiators?
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Given that SpaceX decided to retain two trunk fins for some reason
Don’t the trunk fins serve as radiators?
The 2 fins are retained as there are solar cells on them.
There are no radiator panels on the fins and you can actually see the blank area (where the fin was) on the radiator side of the trunk.
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The 2 fins are retained as there are solar cells on them.
What about the deleted zenith-side fin in the middle of Crew Dragon's solar array - does that not carry any PV cells? I'd thought it did, just based on appearance, perhaps to compensate a little for shadowing losses when not pointed perfectly toward the sun, but they probably wouldn't have wanted to remove it if so.
Was this Dragon 2 build specifically for cargo use from the start? No plans to re-use returned Crew Dragon capsules for cargo?
Sorry if I missed any discussion upthread.
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The 2 fins are retained as there are solar cells on them.
Was this Dragon 2 build specifically for cargo use from the start? No plans to re-use returned Crew Dragon capsules for cargo?
Yes for the first question, Cargo Dragons 2 are built specifically for that purpose.
Right for the second, Crew capsules will be reused for crews. The plan to reuse them for Cargo was abandoned a few years ago.
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Great explanatory video, @OrbitalVel!
https://twitter.com/Nanoracks/status/1334855208871014402
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We couldn’t have done it without our friends at @Thales_Alenia_S!
https://twitter.com/Nanoracks/status/1334855751601442816
[FST Edit: attached photo]
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L-1 weather forecast has improved to 50% GO tomorrow, but booster recovery still not good
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https://twitter.com/nasakennedy/status/1334889811065274368
We are one day away from @SpaceX's 21st Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-21) mission! 🚀 Join us today for our prelaunch events:
1⃣ 1pm ET: Virtual @NASASocial Science & Station Q&A
2⃣ TBD: Prelaunch News Conference
Both will air live on @NASA TV: nasa.gov/nasalive
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What about the deleted zenith-side fin in the middle of Crew Dragon's solar array - does that not carry any PV cells? I'd thought it did, just based on appearance, perhaps to compensate a little for shadowing losses when not pointed perfectly toward the sun, but they probably wouldn't have wanted to remove it if so.
There are no solar cells on the vertical faces of the zenith fin.
There are some cells on the non-vertical flared base of the fin which is all accounted for and more when the fin is replaced with a vertical "column" of replacement solar cells.
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Tune in for SpaceX CRS-21 Prelaunch Events
Danielle Sempsrott Posted on December 4, 2020
Beginning at 1 p.m. EST today, Dec. 4, tune in for the CRS-21 Virtual #NASASocial Science and Station Q&A, airing live on NASA TV and the agency’s website. Following this, later in the afternoon, there will be a prelaunch news conference (this will occur approximately one hour after the conclusion of the launch readiness review.) Participants include:
Kenny Todd, deputy program manager, International Space Station Program Office
Kirt Costello, chief scientist, International Space Station Program Office
Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
Melody Lovin, launch weather officer, U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing
SpaceX’s 21st Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled for tomorrow, Dec. 5. Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and cargo Dragon spacecraft is targeted for 11:39 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Live launch coverage begins at 11:15 a.m. EST here on the blog, NASA TV, and the agency’s website.
Weather officials with the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing are now predicting a 50% chance of favorable weather conditions for liftoff. Primary weather concerns continue to revolve around the cumulus cloud rule and thick cloud layer rule.
Packed inside Dragon are critical science investigations, supplies, and equipment bound for the orbiting laboratory. One item for delivery is the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock – the first commercially owned and operated airlock that, once installed, will provide a variety of capabilities to the space station, such as payload hosting, robotics testing, and satellite deployment.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacexcrs21/2020/12/04/tune-in-for-spacex-crs-21-prelaunch-events/
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Does Space X has it own emblem for the mission?
That is the NASA patch, not the SpaceX one.
The SpaceX one will be available once they update their https://www.spacex.com/launches/ page for CRS-21.
Is it available already?
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To what ASDS booster will land?
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SpaceX is targeting Saturday, December 5 for launch of its twenty-first Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-21), which will launch from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Launch is targeted for 11:39 a.m. EST, or 16:39 UTC. Dragon will separate from Falcon 9’s second stage about eleven minutes after liftoff and autonomously dock to the space station on Sunday, December 6. A backup launch opportunity is available on Sunday, December 6 at 11:17 a.m. EST, or 16:17 UTC.
This is the first flight of the updated cargo version of Dragon, which is capable of carrying about 20 percent more volume than the previous version of Dragon and has double the amount of powered locker cargo capability. Dragon is now designed for up to five flights to and from the space station, and this cargo version of the spacecraft can stay on station more than twice as long as the previous version of Dragon.
The Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster supporting this launch previously supported launch of Dragon’s first flight with NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (Demo-2), the ANASIS-II mission, and a Starlink mission. Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which will be located in the Atlantic Ocean.
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https://youtu.be/4xJAGFR_N-c
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To what ASDS booster will land?
The answer (OCISLY) was posted above (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=51769.msg2160502#msg2160502).
There are a lot of questions being asked here that are easily answered by reading through the thread or the relevant background threads.
Let's all do our homework.
In contrast, cohberg's post above (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=51769.msg2162138#msg2162138) is one of the best examples of documenting the answer to a question.
That's terrific and definitive set of images, some of which I don't recall seeing. Thanks cohberg!
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https://youtu.be/foVtBz3RA0I
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SpaceX’s CRS-21: A Mission of Many Firsts
Danielle Sempsrott Posted on December 4, 2020
While this launch marks the first under SpaceX’s second Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA, the mission also brings many other firsts to the table:
CRS-21 will be the first to splash down in the Atlantic Ocean upon the uncrewed cargo Dragon’s return to Earth
First time the crew access arm was used to load a cargo resupply mission
The first time there will be two Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station (uncrewed cargo Dragon and the Crew-1 Dragon)
First automated docking to station for a SpaceX cargo resupply mission
First flight of SpaceX’s upgraded cargo version of Dragon, which can carry more science payloads to and from the space station
With the upgraded Dragon spacecraft comes double the capacity for powered lockers that preserve science and research samples during transport to or from Earth. The CRS-1 Dragon had six lockers available, whereas the upgraded version of Dragon has 12.
The upgraded Dragon also provides the capability for science payloads to remain in the spacecraft for the full duration of the mission. While the spacecraft is docked at the orbiting laboratory during CRS-21, four powered payloads will reside in Dragon.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacexcrs21/2020/12/04/spacexs-crs-21-a-mission-of-many-firsts/
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Capture "Press Kit" with OCR
Unfortunately no Patch this time on the website...
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https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1334932099833458689
Of Course I Still Love You droneship has arrived at the landing zone for the CRS-21 mission!
OCISLY is 623 km downrange 🚀
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Like what @B_Rock_Howe is talking about with commercial robotics in the #BishopAirlock? Learn more about the @GITAI64818084 robotic arm here: https://nanoracks.com/gitai-nanoracks-bishop-airlock/ #NASASocial
https://twitter.com/Nanoracks/status/1334928096827498496
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Visual mission profile
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The launch readiness review for the 21st Commercial Resupply Services mission to the
@Space_Station has concluded!
@NASA and @SpaceX are proceeding toward launch at 11:39 a.m. ET on Dec. 5. Tune in today at 4 p.m. ET for the prelaunch news conference: https://nasa.gov/nasalive
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Mission patch taken from the board shown before the pre-launch conference. Yeah, the quality isn't great, but I think it's the best we have for now.
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#NASA #SpaceX #CRS21 - Q: On Abort Modes to Orbit A: Abort capability for the crew mission is not available on the cargo missions but it is a capability to protect our astronauts.
https://twitter.com/genejm29/status/1334976061730328578
#NASA #SpaceX #CRS21 - When this Dragon arrives it will be the 1st time 2 Dragons will be on the ISS at the same time The new version of the Cargo Dragon can stay on station for 75 days and be reflown 5 times. Countdown is fairly similar Thx to .@NASA & .@45thSpaceWing
Interior of cargo Dragon:
https://twitter.com/genejm29/status/1334973148723376128
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https://twitter.com/genejm29/status/1334975715826159617
https://twitter.com/genejm29/status/1334977168175194116
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https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/1335005128483610630
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Which is it then? SpaceX's Sarah Walker said 11:40:19 EST during the conference while Stephen Clark later tweeted 11:39:41 EST.
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As far as I remember, it was Stephen's question about the exact launch time during the conference and the answer was strange considering that both NASA and SpaceX still give 16:39 UTC as a launch time on their websites. So maybe there was some follow-up with a correction.
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NASA, SpaceX ‘Go’ for Tomorrow’s CRS-21 Launch
Danielle Sempsrott Posted on December 4, 2020
Following a prelaunch news conference at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA and SpaceX remain “go” for tomorrow’s launch of SpaceX’s 21st Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station.
“This morning, we did a mission management team meeting, and we had a unanimous go for this launch and docking,” said Kenny Todd, deputy program manager of NASA’s International Space Station Program Office. “We’re excited to get on with it; we’ll see how things play out over the next couple of days, but hopefully by the middle of the week, we’ll have a Dragon on the way, if not already attached (to station).”
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the upgraded cargo Dragon spacecraft atop, stands poised for launch at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A, and weather officials are now predicting a 50% chance of favorable weather conditions for liftoff. While that’s a slight increase over previous launch forecasts, a cold front moving across the state of Florida will have teams keeping a close eye on the weather.
“Previously, it looked like that cold front would be passing right during the launch window, but the trend is now our friend – the models are now bringing that cold front through prior to the launch window,” said Melody Lovin, U.S. Space Force launch and weather officer for the 45th Space Wing.
“Because of that, we’re expecting most of the rain associated with the cold front to be pretty much done before the launch window opens up. We’re not exactly sure when the clouds are going to clear out of the way for us. We’re hoping the earlier the cold front will pass, the more clearing we’ll get.”
The first mission for SpaceX under NASA’s second Commercial Resupply Services contract, CRS-21 will deliver more than 6,400 pounds of supplies, equipment, and critical materials needed to support a variety of science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 64 and 65. With SpaceX’s Crew Dragon carrying a crew of four to the orbiting laboratory last month, the mission will also mark the first time two Dragon spacecraft will be attached to the space station simultaneously.
“It really ushers in a season of continuous Dragon presence for the near future,” said Sarah Walker, director of SpaceX Dragon Mission Management. “We’re excited about all of the missions that we’ll be flying for NASA and the International Space Station program, both cargo and crew, and it’s really just an honor to be a part of that.”
Dragon will spend about one month attached to the orbiting laboratory before autonomously undocking and returning to Earth with 5,200 pounds research and return cargo. The spacecraft is slated to splash down in the Atlantic Ocean upon its arrival.
Liftoff is targeted for 11:39 a.m. EST tomorrow, Dec. 5, with live launch countdown coverage beginning at 11:15 a.m. EST. Follow along here on the blog, NASA TV, or the agency’s website. Learn more about the mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/spacex_crs-21_mision_overview_high_res_0.pdf
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacexcrs21/2020/12/04/nasa-spacex-go-for-tomorrows-crs-21-launch/
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The pre-launch conference is at 1h44m of this video:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/128777378
See also this link:
https://youtu.be/Snqp2VXwm4E
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https://youtu.be/XyUJIn1PTU8
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Projected docked to ISS Crew and Cargo Dragons configuration:
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Due to poor weather in the recovery area for today’s attempt, now targeting Sunday, December 6 at 11:17 a.m. EST for launch of CRS-21
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1335198069759995905
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NASA, SpaceX Now Targeting Dec. 6 for CRS-21 Launch
Danielle Sempsrott Posted on December 5, 2020
Because of poor weather conditions in the recovery area for today’s planned launch of SpaceX’s 21st commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station, SpaceX and NASA are now targeting lift off for Sunday, Dec. 6, at 11:17 a.m. EST. Launch coverage will begin at 10:45 a.m. on NASA TV and the agency’s website.
A launch Sunday would lead to docking Monday, Dec. 7, for the Dragon to deliver about 6,400 pounds of important science and research, cargo supplies, and the first privately funded commercial airlock to the Expedition 64 crew aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Follow launch activities at the launch blog and @NASAKennedy and learn more about space station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacexcrs21/2020/12/05/nasa-spacex-now-targeting-dec-6-for-crs-21-launch/
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New L-1 Launch Mission Execution Forecast
60% GO on primary with low risk on recovery weather
70% on secondary (Dec 8th)
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https://twitter.com/trevormahlmann/status/1335244139831709701
511.9 megapixel panorama of b1058.4 ready to launch the crs-21 mission for nasa🚀 (+ a sneak peek at the level of detail)
full-res⚙️/⬇️/🖼: tmahlmann.com/photos/Rockets…
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Projected docked to ISS Crew and Cargo Dragons configuration:
What software is used to generate these VV configs?
That's a NASA image, so probably DOUG.
https://software.nasa.gov/software/MSC-23586-1
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Projected docked to ISS Crew and Cargo Dragons configuration:
What software is used to generate these VV configs?
That's a NASA image, so probably DOUG.
https://software.nasa.gov/software/MSC-23586-1
I have a copy of DOUG / EDGE and the models for D2 crew / cargo and many other modules are different.
Yes, and it looks like you've got the alpha/beta/gamma joints at different angles, etc. Plus some other rendering settings (LOD, lighting/specular reflection, etc) set differently. Old news to anyone who ran DOUG/EDGE at NASA/JSC... the VRL, SSTF, SMS, SES, DST, etc all used DOUG/EDGE but with different models/settings and so the renderings looked different, sometimes subtly, sometimes not. It's the same rendering software.
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Updated CRS-21 capture "Press kit" with OCR.
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New notices from the NGA.
Backup Day = Tuesday, December 8 at ~15:28 UTC.
New:
051456Z DEC 20
NAVAREA IV 1176/20(11,26).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
061607Z TO 061653Z DEC, ALTERNATE
081518Z TO 081603Z DEC
IN AREAS BOUND BY:
A. 28-39-01N 080-37-42W, 29-02-00N 080-09-00W,
28-59-00N 080-05-00W, 28-38-00N 080-24-00W,
28-33-02N 080-33-55W.
B. 32-12-00N 076-43-00W, 32-55-00N 075-49-00W,
32-41-00N 075-36-00W, 31-57-00N 076-27-00W.
2. CANCEL NAVAREA IV 1163/20.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 081703Z DEC 20.
051513Z DEC 20
HYDROPAC 3601/20(61,74,75).
INDIAN OCEAN.
SOUTHEASTERN INDIAN OCEAN.
DNC 03, DNC 04.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
061646Z TO 061727Z DEC, ALTERNATE
081557Z TO 081637Z DEC
IN AREA BOUND BY
20-47S 079-46E, 20-12S 081-13E,
25-34S 088-19E, 36-18S 101-47E,
47-20S 119-50E, 48-34S 119-08E,
48-10S 115-48E, 43-51S 104-04E,
37-44S 093-56E, 28-42S 084-39E,
24-10S 081-13E.
2. CANCEL HYDROPAC 3535/20.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 081737Z DEC 20.
Canceled:
300911Z NOV 20
NAVAREA IV 1163/20(11,26).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
051629Z TO 051715Z DEC, ALTERNATE
061607Z TO 061653Z DEC
IN AREAS BOUND BY:
A. 28-39-01N 080-37-42W, 29-02-00N 080-09-00W,
28-59-00N 080-05-00W, 28-38-00N 080-24-00W,
28-33-02N 080-33-55W.
B. 32-12-00N 076-43-00W, 32-55-00N 075-49-00W,
32-41-00N 075-36-00W, 31-57-00N 076-27-00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 061753Z DEC 20.
300925Z NOV 20
HYDROPAC 3535/20(61,74,75).
INDIAN OCEAN.
SOUTHEASTERN INDIAN OCEAN.
DNC 03, DNC 04.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
051708Z TO 051749Z DEC, ALTERNATE
061646Z TO 061727Z DEC
IN AREA BOUND BY
20-47S 079-46E, 20-12S 081-13E,
25-34S 088-19E, 36-18S 101-47E,
47-20S 119-50E, 48-34S 119-08E,
48-10S 115-48E, 43-51S 104-04E,
37-44S 093-56E, 28-42S 084-39E,
24-10S 081-13E.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 061827Z DEC 20.
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Well that seems pretty official
Bishop airlock 1090 kg
If total cargo is 3000 kg, why does the launch of a 22,000 kg capability Falcon 5 require a downrange recovery of the first stage? Unless the Cargo Dragon dry mass is well over 10,000 kg, there should be plenty of mass available for a RTLS recovery of the first stage.
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Well that seems pretty official
Bishop airlock 1090 kg
If total cargo is 3000 kg, why does the launch of a 22,000 kg capability Falcon 5 require a downrange recovery of the first stage? Unless the Cargo Dragon dry mass is well over 10,000 kg, there should be plenty of mass available for a RTLS recovery of the first stage.
The payload to the ISS orbit with RTLS is 10,860Kg, ASDS is 14,460Kg. - NASA's performance website.
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https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/12/03/falcon-9-crs-21-mission-status-center/
As the countdown clocks tick down, the crew access arm at pad 39A has retracted from the Cargo Dragon capsule. For this cargo-only mission it was used to stow last-minute cargo aboard the spacecraft. For crew missions the arm remains partially extended in case it needs to be quickly moved into position for an evacuation of the astronauts, but for Cargo Dragon it has been tucked away against the side of the launch pad gantry.
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Well that seems pretty official
Bishop airlock 1090 kg
If total cargo is 3000 kg, why does the launch of a 22,000 kg capability Falcon 5 require a downrange recovery of the first stage? Unless the Cargo Dragon dry mass is well over 10,000 kg, there should be plenty of mass available for a RTLS recovery of the first stage.
Cargo Dragon dry mass - 9,525 kg
Cargo mass - 2,973 kg
Total mass = 12,498 kg
Max mass to ISS with RTLS - 10,860 kg
Source: NASA Launch Services Program
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https://twitter.com/astronaut_87/status/1335564165180698628
Let's try this again. Beautiful weather is now is 50° degrees. Let's launch this bad boy CRS-21 which is taking cargo and science experiments to the @Space_Station
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Official SpaceX CRS-21 patch - Hi Res
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyUJIn1PTU8
NSF livestream coverage starts at 1010 ET (1510 GMT)
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...
Cargo Dragon dry mass - 9,525 kg
Cargo mass - 2,973 kg
Total mass = 12,498 kg
Max mass to ISS with RTLS - 10,860 kg
Source: NASA Launch Services Program
That "9,525 kg" comes from a statement prior to the 2015 Pad Abort Test that the stack (Prototype Crew Dragon and Trunk) was in excess of 21,000 pounds dry, plus around 3,500 pounds of propellant. I don't believe we know what the dry mass of an operational Cargo Dragon 2 is, nor how much propellant is onboard. That 9,525 kg might be the best we have, but it's unlikely to be accurate.
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https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1335592227251212292
All systems are go for the updated cargo version of Dragon’s first flight to the @space_station. Weather is 60% favorable for launch, and the webcast will begin ~15 minutes ahead of liftoff → http://spacex.com/launches
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NASA TV coverage of the Falcon 9 launch begins at 10:45 a.m. EST (1545 GMT)
https://youtu.be/21X5lGlDOfg
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https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/12/03/falcon-9-crs-21-mission-status-center/
The countdown clock at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is timed for liftoff of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Cargo Dragon spaceship at 11:17:08 a.m. EST (1617:08 GMT).
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SpaceX Falcon 9 and Cargo Dragon Stand Ready for CRS-21 Launch
Danielle Sempsrott Posted on December 6, 2020
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and cargo Dragon spacecraft stand ready for liftoff at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida for the company’s 21st Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-21) mission to the International Space Station. Launch is scheduled for today, Dec. 6, at 11:17 a.m. EST.
Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing are predicting a 60% chance of favorable weather conditions for today’s launch, with the primary concern revolving around the thick cloud layer rule.
Some of the science that will be delivered on this mission includes 3D engineered heart tissues for a study that will examine how prolonged exposure to microgravity affects the human heart, meteorite samples and microbes to research the formation and biomining of asteroid material in space, and a study that will observe how brain organoids respond to microgravity. More information on these and additional payloads can be found at: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/spacex-21-research-highlights..
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacexcrs21/2020/12/06/spacex-falcon-9-and-cargo-dragon-stand-ready-for-crs-21-launch/
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NSF live has started
https://youtu.be/XyUJIn1PTU8
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https://twitter.com/superclusterhq/status/1335604754442039296
The #SpaceX Dragon 2
Crew variant (Crew-1) // Cargo variant (CRS-21)
Captured by @johnkrausphotos for Supercluster
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https://youtu.be/w7UDu6f-CwE
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NSF coverage has started.
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T-38 minutes. The SpaceX Launch Director should be verifying go for propellant load about now.
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T-35 minutes. First and second stage RP-1 and first stage LOX loading should be starting about now.
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NASA coverage starting in two minutes.
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NASA coverage has started.
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F9 B1058.4
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T-30 minutes.
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NASA tv reporting weather is 70% GO
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The Nasa Media channel feed sounds like it has audio from the pad. You can hear the loading and venting etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA9UZF-SZoQ
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Weather is looking good. 5-7.7 m/s winds and 16.7 C temperature.
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T-25 minutes.
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Funky music time!
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T-20 minute vent.
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https://twitter.com/astro_soichi/status/1335614239042490373
20 min to #Spacex cargo #Dragon,
and we all are watching #NASA
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https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1335614328351973379
The big T-20 minute vent.
➡️youtube.com/watch?v=XyUJIn…
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From NASA media channel. No talk, just rocket.
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T-16 minutes. Second stage LOX loading should be starting about now.
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https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1335615466283302913
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SpaceX coverage has started.
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T-12 minutes.
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https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1335616271732240385
The first version of Dragon was certified for three flights to and from the @space_station, but this upgraded version of Dragon is designed to be capable of five flights
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Droneship OCISLY.
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T-10 minutes. Also loading helium gas.
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T-9 minutes. All systems are go.
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T-8 minutes. CASIS overview of mission.
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T-7 minutes. Engine chill should be starting about now.
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T-6 minutes.
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T-5 minutes.
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T-4 minutes.
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T-3 minutes.
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T-2 minutes.
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T-1 minute.
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Liftoff!
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https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1335619532283637761
LAUNCH! Falcon 9 B1058.4 launches with the CRS-21 Dragon (first Dragon 2 cargo variant).
NSF Live:
youtube.com/watch?v=XyUJIn…
SpaceX Live:
youtube.com/watch?v=4xJAGF…
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T+1 minute.
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T+2 minutes.
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First stage separation.
T+3 minutes.
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Cargo Dragon Flies solar array up but crew dragon flies solar array down on launch interesting.
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https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1335620268073611264
Staging 1-2.
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T+4 minutes.
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T+5 minutes.
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T+6 minutes. Trajectory nominal.
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Entry burn.
T+7 minutes.
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T+8 minutes.
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SECO and touchdown!
T+9 minutes.
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https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1335621702798204932
Falcon 9 B1058.4 nails a fourth landing.
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T+10 minutes. Upcoming events.
00:11:49 Dragon separates from 2nd stage
00:12:35 Dragon nosecone open sequence begins
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T+11 minutes.
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Separation!
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https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1335622596365316096
CRS-21 Dragon S/C Sep - heading to the ISS to meet Dragon Resilience.
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T+13 minutes.
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Confirmation of nose cone deploy.
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T+14 minutes. Wrapping up coverage. 100th successful flight of Falcon 9!
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https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1335622715013701632
Dragon separation confirmed; the spacecraft is on its way to the @space_station. Autonomous docking tomorrow at approximately 1:30 p.m. EST
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End of SpaceX coverage.
Congratulations to SpaceX and NASA for the successful launch!
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Some pretty decent roll on the droneship!
Has any footage (or photos) been released of the internals of Cargo Dragon?
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Some catch-up media-channel images. Coverage continuing there, BTW.
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Some curious discrepancies from what we've seen in the past:
1) Hosted Webcast didn't have pre-launch and some post-launch audio callouts as usual. Hope that is just a one-off.
2) The OCISLY Camera angle doesn't seem to match the normal one where you can get a decent sense of the landing against the "landing circle"
3) The Stage 1 seems to have landing very far toward the near end of the droneship pretty. Will be interesting to see if that's right and how close to bad it might have been.
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Thanks to NASASpaceflight team for great reporting! Imho best of all the livestreams today.
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Media channel coverage continuing.
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https://twitter.com/trevormahlmann/status/1335622705643745282
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Some curious discrepancies from what we've seen in the past:
1) Hosted Webcast didn't have pre-launch and some post-launch audio callouts as usual. Hope that is just a one-off.
2) The OCISLY Camera angle doesn't seem to match the normal one where you can get a decent sense of the landing against the "landing circle"
3) The Stage 1 seems to have landing very far toward the near end of the droneship pretty. Will be interesting to see if that's right and how close to bad it might have been.
I noticed that as well - the view looks like it landed a lot closer to the camera position than usual.
Still "On the ship and upright" is a good landing. That's why they made the ship bigger than just the target circle ...
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Right before the downlink cut out, Stage 2 was pitching up over Eastern Europe, probably preparing for its deorbit maneuvers, etc. Dragon 2 was still in view from the front end of the stage until the pitch up.
- Ed Kyle
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Some pretty decent roll on the droneship!
Has any footage (or photos) been released of the internals of Cargo Dragon?
Yes, see the image in this tweet:
https://twitter.com/genejm29/status/1334973148723376128
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https://twitter.com/WordsmithFL/status/1335629303443288064
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Some curious discrepancies from what we've seen in the past:
1) Hosted Webcast didn't have pre-launch and some post-launch audio callouts as usual. Hope that is just a one-off.
2) The OCISLY Camera angle doesn't seem to match the normal one where you can get a decent sense of the landing against the "landing circle"
3) The Stage 1 seems to have landing very far toward the near end of the droneship pretty. Will be interesting to see if that's right and how close to bad it might have been.
The mission control audio stream was silent too. I suspect technical issues.
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twitter.com/spacecoast_stve/status/1335634333806292993
Liftoff! The #CRS21 mission is underway with the new Cargo Dragon carrying science and supplies for the astronauts living aboard the ISS.
Article by @tobycorbett01 for @NASASpaceflight:
nasaspaceflight.com/2020/12/spacex…
https://twitter.com/spacecoast_stve/status/1335634342060634113
#Falcon9 booster B1058 getting the work done during the first few minutes of flight. This is the 4th flight for this booster, the first of which launch Bob and Doug on #DM2 back in May. She’s a busy booster!
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main events of the launch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKFQ-y-Hb7Y
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Some curious discrepancies from what we've seen in the past:
1) Hosted Webcast didn't have pre-launch and some post-launch audio callouts as usual. Hope that is just a one-off.
2) The OCISLY Camera angle doesn't seem to match the normal one where you can get a decent sense of the landing against the "landing circle"
3) The Stage 1 seems to have landing very far toward the near end of the droneship pretty. Will be interesting to see if that's right and how close to bad it might have been.
I noticed that as well - the view looks like it landed a lot closer to the camera position than usual.
It's really hard to tell much from that droneship cam except that "Landed intact" seems to be accurate. If you go back and re-watch, that was a REALLY strong fisheye lens. Notice the artificial curvature of the sea level in the background. So with that kind of distortion, it's just really difficult to tell how accurate the landing was as measured from the X in the target ring.
That said, another discrepancy compared to prior missions was that they switched to the interstage view for MECO and stage separation sooner than usual - I don't know if there was some kind of delay in the video feed, but combined with the near-silent and rather more awkward than usual launch commentary, I was beginning to fear some kind of failure of the stages to separate there. I wonder if there was some kind of first stage over-performance that led to MECO a couple seconds early and consequently delayed stage sep until a specified altitude or downrange point?
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SpaceX (Ben Cooper) launch image attached.
Also:
https://twitter.com/johnkrausphotos/status/1335648086719401984
From the pad: Falcon 9 B1058 lifts off on its fourth mission, launching SpaceX’s Dragon resupply spacecraft en route to the International Space Station with thousands of pounds of cargo and science for the station’s seven-person crew.
📷: Me for @SuperclusterHQ
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Some curious discrepancies from what we've seen in the past:
1) Hosted Webcast didn't have pre-launch and some post-launch audio callouts as usual. Hope that is just a one-off.
2) The OCISLY Camera angle doesn't seem to match the normal one where you can get a decent sense of the landing against the "landing circle"
3) The Stage 1 seems to have landing very far toward the near end of the droneship pretty. Will be interesting to see if that's right and how close to bad it might have been.
The mission control audio stream was silent too. I suspect technical issues.
Yeah the webcast eventually reconnected with the mission callouts at about T+5:50
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https://twitter.com/TSKelso/status/1335657185909432321
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And... it was interesting to see only two fins on the trunk rather than the four that I expected.
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And... it was interesting to see only two fins on the trunk rather than the four that I expected.
They didn’t need two extra for Cargo Dragon mainly because it doesn’t have abort capability.
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And... it was interesting to see only two fins on the trunk rather than the four that I expected.
Four fins help stablise it during launch abort on crew version. Cargo version doesn't support LAS, mass savings can be used to carry more cargo.
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SpaceX’s CRS-21 Underway; Upgraded Cargo Dragon En Route to Space Station
Danielle Sempsrott Posted on December 6, 2020
SpaceX’s upgraded cargo Dragon spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station after launching atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 11:17 a.m. EST.
The first launch for SpaceX under NASA’s second Commercial Resupply Services contract, CRS-21 will deliver supplies, equipment, and materials to directly support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur aboard the orbiting laboratory during Expeditions 64 and 65.
Included in this delivery is the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock, the first commercially owned and operated airlock that, once installed, will provide a variety of capabilities to the space station, such as payload hosting, robotics testing, and satellite deployment. It also will serve as an outside toolbox for crew members conducting spacewalks.
Dragon is scheduled to arrive at the space station tomorrow, Dec. 7. At approximately 1:30 p.m. EST, the spacecraft will autonomously dock to the station’s Harmony module – the first automated docking for a SpaceX cargo resupply mission. Live coverage will begin at 11:30 a.m. EST on NASA TV and the agency’s website. NASA astronauts and Expedition 64 Flight Engineers Kate Rubins and Victor Glover will monitor docking operations.
Cargo Dragon’s arrival at the space station will mark the first time two Dragon spacecraft will be docked to the orbiting laboratory at the same time. The Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Resilience, that brought the Crew-1 astronauts has been docked since its arrival on Nov. 16.
The cargo Dragon spacecraft will remain attached to the space station for about one month, after which it will return to Earth with 5,200 pounds of research and return cargo, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacexcrs21/2020/12/06/spacexs-crs-21-underway-upgraded-cargo-dragon-en-route-to-space-station/
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Four fins help stablise it during launch abort on crew version. Cargo version doesn't support LAS, mass savings can be used to carry more cargo.
So why does it still have two?
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Four fins help stablise it during launch abort on crew version. Cargo version doesn't support LAS, mass savings can be used to carry more cargo.
So why does it still have two?
Solar cells are mounted on the other two and the benefits outweighed taking them off.
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Interestingly Crew dragon rolls solar array down during launch but cargo dragon rolls solar array up during launch.
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And... it was interesting to see only two fins on the trunk rather than the four that I expected.
They didn’t need two extra for Cargo Dragon mainly because it doesn’t have abort capability.
I think you mean boosted abort. If the rocket has a bad day at altitude, the Dragon can still pop out parachutes and land in the water.
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My shots today from Playalinda Beach with a 6" F/5 Reflector telescope.
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https://twitter.com/senmarkkelly/status/1335702540827029505
In the last three weeks, @SpaceX has launched both crewed and cargo missions to the @Space_Station. This is an impressive achievement which Americans should be proud of.
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Rather conspicuously absent are any plans for a post-launch press conference, which routinely followed all CRS1 missions for as long as I can remember. Super odd given that CRS-21 was essentially the first launch of a new spacecraft, among many other significant NASA-SpaceX firsts.
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Here is a comparison between the CRS2/SPX21 and Crew-1 mission telemetry.
In general, the cargo mission had a more aggressive profile, and some of the differences are:
1. The SPX21 initial throttle up to full thrust off the pad was quicker, and similar to Starlink.
2. The SPX21 throttle bucket was much narrower, with throttle up occurring much earlier than Crew-1.
3. Although SPX21 S1 did use some terminal guidance, there was not the marked throttle down before MECO seen on Crew-1.
4. The SPX21 S2 burn was shorter, but never reached the 4.3g peak experienced by Crew-1.
5. SPX21 had a little more loft in the S1 burn, but a lot less during S2.
Edit: added point 5.
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https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1335744823391887366
B1058.4 has been secured onboard OCISLY droneship and departed from the CRS-21 LZ!
Elsewhere, JRTI droneship is well underway towards the SXM-7 LZ.
Support ship GO Quest will soon peel away from OCISLY and head straight to the SXM-7 LZ. Busy times. 💪
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https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1335767256526045186
Tracking footage from a helicopter of today’s Falcon 9 launch off LC-39A
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SpaceX launch photos
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December 06, 2020
RELEASE 20-122
NASA Science, New Airlock Heads to Space Station on SpaceX Cargo Spacecraft
The latest SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station with more than 6,400 pounds of science investigations, a new airlock, and other cargo after launching at 11:17 a.m. EST Sunday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy and is scheduled to arrive at the space station around 1:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, performing the first autonomous docking for SpaceX and remaining at the station for about a month. Coverage of arrival will begin at 11:30 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
This 21st contracted resupply mission for SpaceX is the first flight of an upgraded Dragon design, similar to that of the Crew Dragon used to transport astronauts to and from the station. The upgraded spacecraft has double the capacity for powered lockers, with 12, which preserve science and research samples during transport to and from Earth. Science payloads now also can remain in the upgraded Dragon through the duration of the mission as an extension to the station’s lab space. Four powered payloads will reside in Dragon during this docked mission.
Among the scientific investigations Dragon is delivering to the space station are:
Microbial meteorite miners
A mixture of meteorite samples and microbes are headed to the space station. Certain microbes form layers on the surface of rock that can release metals and minerals, a process known as biomining. A previous investigation from ESA (European Space Agency), BioRock, examined how microgravity affects the processes involved in biomining. ESA follows up on that work with BioAsteroid, which examines biofilm formation and biomining of asteroid or meteorite material in microgravity. Researchers are seeking a better understanding of the basic physical processes that control these mixtures, such as gravity, convection, and mixing. Microbe-rock interactions have many potential uses in space exploration and off-Earth construction. Microbes could break down rocks into soils for plant growth, for example, or extract elements useful for life support systems and production of medicines.
Examining changes in hearts using tissue chips
Microgravity causes changes in the workload and shape of the human heart, and it’s still unknown whether these changes could become permanent if a person lives in space more than a year. Cardinal Heart studies how changes in gravity affect the heart at the cellular and tissue level. The investigation uses 3D-engineered heart tissues, a type of tissue chip. Results could provide a new understanding of heart problems in patients on Earth, help identify new treatments, and support the development of screening measures to predict cardiovascular risk before spaceflight.
Counting white blood cells in space
HemoCue tests the ability of a commercially available device to provide quick and accurate counts of total and differentiated white blood cells in microgravity. Doctors commonly use the total number of white blood cells and five different types of white blood cells to diagnose illnesses and monitor a variety of heath conditions. Verification of an autonomous blood analysis capability on the space station could enhance health care on Earth and is an important step toward meeting the health care needs of crew members on future missions.
Building with brazing
SUBSA-BRAINS examines differences in capillary flow, interface reactions, and bubble formation during the solidification of brazing alloys in microgravity. Brazing is a type of soldering used to bond materials, such as an aluminum alloy to aluminum or aluminum alloy to ceramics, at high temperatures. The technology could serve as a tool for in-space construction of human habitats and vehicles on future space missions, as well as for repairing damage caused by micrometeoroids or space debris.
A new and improved door to space
Launching in the trunk of the Dragon capsule, the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock is a commercial platform that can support a range of scientific work on the space station. Its capabilities include deployment of free-flying payloads such as CubeSats and externally mounted payloads, housing small external payloads, jettisoning trash, and recovering external Orbital Replacement Units. ORUs are modular components of the station that can be replaced when needed, such as pumps and other hardware. Roughly five times larger than the airlock on the Japanese Experiment Module already in use on the station, the Bishop Airlock allows robotic movement of more and larger packages to the exterior of the space station, including hardware to support spacewalks. It also provides capabilities such as power and ethernet required for internal and external payloads.
Your brain on microgravity
The Effect of Microgravity on Human Brain Organoids study observes the response of brain organoids to microgravity. Small living masses of cells that interact and grow, organoids can survive for months, providing a model for understanding how cells and tissues adapt to environmental changes. Organoids grown from neurons or nerve cells exhibit normal processes such as responding to stimuli and stress. Therefore, organoids can be used to look at how microgravity affects survival, metabolism, and features of brain cells, including rudimentary cognitive function.
These are just a few of the hundreds of investigations currently being conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. Advances in these areas will help keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars through NASA’s Artemis program.
Learn more about SpaceX’s mission at:
https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
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https://twitter.com/spacecoast_stve/status/1335780883782111235
It's gonna take a lot of power to lift Dragon AND 6,400 pounds of science and supplies to the Space Station. How about nine Merlin 1D engines? Yeah...that'll do the trick!
Dragon is scheduled to dock autonomously around 1:30pm EST Monday.
Read more: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/12/spacex-next-gen-cargo-dragon-crs21/
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https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1335805659946881024
100
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I haven't seen this posted yet, but the NASA webcast showed footage from the Dragon as it opened the nosecone starting at 50:25 into the webcast:
https://youtu.be/IKmfXw2IRLQ?t=3025
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https://twitter.com/nasakennedy/status/1335949542521376768
Today, @SpaceX’s cargo Dragon spacecraft will autonomously dock to the @Space_Station's Harmony module – the first automated docking for a SpaceX cargo resupply mission! Live coverage will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET on @NASA TV. 🐉
📺: nasa.gov/live
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New Dragon Spaceship Arriving at Station Today
Mark Garcia Posted on December 7, 2020
SpaceX Dragon is on track to arrive at the International Space Station, with an expected docking of the cargo spacecraft around 1:30 p.m. EST. NASA Television coverage will begin at 11:30 a.m. Watch live at http://www.nasa.gov/live.
When it arrives to the space station, Dragon will automatically dock to the space-facing side (zenith) of the station’s Harmony module with NASA astronauts Kate Rubins and Victor Glover monitoring operations. Dragon lifted off Sunday, Dec. 6 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The cargo spacecraft with more than 6,400 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware will support dozens of investigations aboard the orbiting laboratory. It will be the first time a cargo Dragon autonomously docks to the station and will join the Dragon Resilience that brought the Crew-1 astronauts to orbit as the second Dragon spacecraft parked at the space station.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacexcrs21/2020/12/07/new-dragon-spaceship-arriving-at-station-today/
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I haven't seen this posted yet, but the NASA webcast showed footage from the Dragon as it opened the nosecone starting at 50:25 into the webcast:
https://youtu.be/IKmfXw2IRLQ?t=3025
Very interesting. They said in the video the NASA and SpaceX team has to prepare to talk about 2 dragons in orbit. They need to be sure about which Dragon they're talking about and working.
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https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1335997539632427013
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https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1335998402157539333
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About to break post-Shuttle ISS mass record
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About to break post-Shuttle ISS mass record
Who keeps mass records in pounds? This is an embarrassment to all engineers and scientists.
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Great views from Dragon
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Breathtaking views of the ISS, complete with Resilience at the end of Harmony.
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https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1336007980131758080
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About to break post-Shuttle ISS mass record
Who keeps mass records in pounds? This is an embarrassment to all engineers and scientists.
NASA PAO does, to communicate with the US general public, which uses pounds.
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I think that the Dragon is not using TDRS for the live video as we are seeing the dropouts from TDRS but not from Dragon, which make me wonder if it's Starlink.
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Couple more ISS shots in sunlight - hello Resilience!
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There was a C7.4 solar flare at 16:30UT. Not really dangerous to the crew on the station but could that be the source of the sub-nominal comms?
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Contact and soft capture complete.
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https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1336018115830878209
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Confirm contact and soft capture at 12:40 Central Time (18:40 UTC) 268 statute miles over the Southern Indian Ocean
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Just curious about some things from the NASA livestream of the CRS-21 docking. Since this does not seem to be an UPDATE thread, I will ask. At some points, the stream displayed what looks like the shared full-screen of a NASA monitoring computer. Image file attached. Here are the parts I am curious about. A) I see the old version (noted as unsecure?) of Internet Explorer available. B) I see the Outlook email program available. For some reason, the availability of both of these on a NASA monitoring computer ring alarm bells in my mind. So, programs that have been routinely identified as cyber-security risks seem to be in use on a NASA monitoring computer. Those who are involved in industrial cyber-security tend to consider things like this as a risk. And finally, C) the individual who shared their screen shared the “full” screen, allowing potential bad guys to do what I just did; examine the system for vulnerabilities. I am not familiar with the other Windows system-tray and Windows toolbar icons shared by that user screen, but my point is that someone else might be, and could leverage known vulnerabilities. I am certainly no expert, but it did surprise me to see a NASA computer share the full screen like this, with all the operating system indications.
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https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1336019551839006723
Docking confirmed – Dragon has arrived at the @space_station!
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First pair of Dragons at the ISS!
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Hard capture complete.
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New SpaceX Cargo Dragon Docks to Station
Mark Garcia Posted on December 7, 2020
While the International Space Station was traveling 268 miles over the southern Indian Ocean, a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft autonomously docked to the space-facing side of the orbiting laboratory’s Harmony module for the first time at 1:40 p.m. EST, Monday, Dec. 7. NASA astronauts Kate Rubins and Victor Glover monitored docking operations for Dragon.
Some of the science being delivered on this mission includes a study aimed at better understanding heart disease to support development of treatments for patients on Earth, research into how microbes can be used for biomining on asteroids, and a tool being tested for quick and accurate blood analysis in microgravity. The first commercially owned and operated airlock on the space station, the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock, arrives in the unpressurized trunk of the Dragon cargo spacecraft. Bishop will provide a variety of capabilities to the orbiting laboratory, including CubeSat deployment, and support of external payloads.
The Dragon launched on SpaceX’s 21st contracted commercial resupply mission at 11:17 a.m. EST Sunday, Dec. 6 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After Dragon spends approximately one month attached to the space station, the spacecraft will return to Earth with cargo and research.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2020/12/07/new-spacex-cargo-dragon-docks-to-station/
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Congratulations to SpaceX and NASA, another major achievement.
From a former SpaceX director:
https://twitter.com/spaceabhi/status/1336018203772776448
@SpaceX now offers @NASA and the ISS simultaneous crew and cargo services as well as lifeboat capability. All NASA objectives for so long. What a moment.👏 Now let's do some science.
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Just curious about some things from the NASA livestream of the CRS-21 docking.
You make some interesting assumptions, mainly that the windows that are monitoring the docking progress can do anything more than just that, monitor. You also assume that this isn't just a mirror workstation that is sending a full screen share from a control room monitor.
In either case, why would you be concerned about someone getting some kind of sensitive information from a public access livestream? I'm pretty confident neither SpaceX nor NASA are concerned about security breaches nor ITAR releases from a public access event.
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The total mass of the ISS now is reportedly at 996,828 lbs; do we have the on-orbit weight of the Cargo Dragon before docking?
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Vestibule pressurization started 1729Z. I am surprised the crew didn't have a later wake up call today. All the Dragon ingress activities are occurring after the evening DPC, the normal end of their crew duty day...
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About to break post-Shuttle ISS mass record
Who keeps mass records in pounds? This is an embarrassment to all engineers and scientists.
NASA PAO does, to communicate with the US general public, which uses pounds.
One of NASA's jobs, in my opinion, should be to help educate the interested, not to talk only to most parochial among them. How hard would it be to say ISS set a new mass record of 452,154 kg (996,828 lbs)?
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Just released NASA pre-launch photos of Dragon trunk and internal payload
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Just released NASA pre-launch photos of Dragon trunk and internal payload
Looks like all powered lockers are up top unlike D1. The 4 that are staying onboard are tucked into the shelf on the left and right I'd imagine.
We can also see part of the white "shelf" that spans the central aisle.
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About to break post-Shuttle ISS mass record
Who keeps mass records in pounds? This is an embarrassment to all engineers and scientists.
NASA PAO does, to communicate with the US general public, which uses pounds.
One of NASA's jobs, in my opinion, should be to help educate the interested, not to talk only to most parochial among them. How hard would it be to say ISS set a new mass record of 452,154 kg (996,828 lbs)?
Your opinion is noted.
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About to break post-Shuttle ISS mass record
Who keeps mass records in pounds? This is an embarrassment to all engineers and scientists.
NASA PAO does, to communicate with the US general public, which uses pounds.
One of NASA's jobs, in my opinion, should be to help educate the interested, not to talk only to most parochial among them. How hard would it be to say ISS set a new mass record of 452,154 kg (996,828 lbs)?
They're both meaningless numbers for most readers anyway. They might have just put up a graphic that said "Old record: Some Really Big Number | New Record: Some Slightly Bigger Number"
There's no education to be had from using kilograms here. We don't have a good intuitive grasp of the relative sizes of numbers larger than a couple hundred. People aren't going to think of this graphic when buying a bag of rice and say "yup - I want the one that's 1/50,000th the mass of ISS - so I should get the 10kg one."
As silly as it is. If you want someone to actually have a sense of how massive ISS is, you'd want the graphic to say it's the same as ~300 midsized cars.
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About to break post-Shuttle ISS mass record
Who keeps mass records in pounds? This is an embarrassment to all engineers and scientists.
NASA PAO does, to communicate with the US general public, which uses pounds.
One of NASA's jobs, in my opinion, should be to help educate the interested, not to talk only to most parochial among them. How hard would it be to say ISS set a new mass record of 452,154 kg (996,828 lbs)?
They're both meaningless numbers for most readers anyway. They might have just put up a graphic that said "Old record: Some Really Big Number | New Record: Some Slightly Bigger Number"
There's no education to be had from using kilograms here. We don't have a good intuitive grasp of the relative sizes of numbers larger than a couple hundred. People aren't going to think of this graphic when buying a bag of rice and say "yup - I want the one that's 1/50,000th the mass of ISS - so I should get the 10kg one."
As silly as it is. If you want someone to actually have a sense of how massive ISS is, you'd want the graphic to say it's the same as ~300 midsized cars.
I'm sure you know that 'midsized car' has very different meanings in the US and Europe ;)
And maybe now I should run and hide somewhere far away from the mods.
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I labeled everything that I noticed. Anything new that is revealed by this 2nd interior shot?
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The 4K source of that spectacular aerial video SpaceX posted, captured by NASA's Jamie Peer.
https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20201206-MH-JBP01-SpaceX_CRS_21_GSS_Helicopter_Launch_4K-3264463
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Just curious about some things from the NASA livestream of the CRS-21 docking.
You make some interesting assumptions, mainly that the windows that are monitoring the docking progress can do anything more than just that, monitor. You also assume that this isn't just a mirror workstation that is sending a full screen share from a control room monitor.
In either case, why would you be concerned about someone getting some kind of sensitive information from a public access livestream? I'm pretty confident neither SpaceX nor NASA are concerned about security breaches nor ITAR releases from a public access event.
As someone whose day job involves advanced operating systems security work - this is exactly right. ☝ Good security should not rely on obscurity (i.e. hoping people can't hack you because they don't know/can't guess your setup) for protection. It should rely on principles such as defense-in-depth and compartmentalization of sensitive information and functions to ensure security even against an adversary who knows exactly what he's attacking.
The workstation being livestreamed is almost certainly not the actual mission control workstation, but rather a low-security PAO workstation that's mirroring the live telemetry. We've seen evidence of such an arrangement in the past when (IIRC on the Demo-1 mission) the webcast hosts have said things like "the camera view we're showing you on our screen here isn't perfectly aligned with the docking port, but don't worry, the real one in mission control is".
In high-security setups like what NASA uses for mission control, the workstations that actually have access to and control of sensitive systems are typically connected only to internal networks that are firewalled off from the Internet and from less-secure internal networks. (Ideally they would be "airgapped", i.e. have no physical connection at all between them, but in practice there are probably a few careful, well-firewalled cross-links to allow one-directional flow of information such as live camera views and telemetry for broadcast.)
The ISS, for instance, has two separate computer networks on station: a "high-security" one for the computers that actually control things that matter, and a "low-security" one with Internet access for the astronauts to use for personal communication and downtime. This is why they can get away with critical station support computers still running old, out-of-date operating systems like Windows XP, because they are protected at a much higher level. (Frankly, if they were relying on keeping up on Windows updates to protect their critical computers from attack, they'd have already lost the battle, because well-resourced attackers have access to "zero-day" attacks which are unknown to the manufacturer and therefore not patched yet.) For this reason, you may notice that (counterintuitively) it's the high-security computers on the station that are running the oldest and most out-of-date software. Having a channel in place to allow rapid updating could, in some respects, be itself a bigger attack vector than having their networks strongly compartmentalized. (It would also introduce the bigger problem of potentially breaking mission-critical control software due to its operating system changing out from under it; better to keep such things in a well-tested, known-stable configuration.)
So, if NASA's security team is doing their job right (which they probably are, otherwise the ISS would have been hacked many times over by now - it's too high-profile a target to not have people knocking on its door), it shouldn't matter if they have "insecure" programs such as Internet Explorer or Outlook on their mission control computers. The known insecurity of those computers' software goes far beyond a few "notorious" programs; a quick look at each month's update roster from any major software vendor makes it abundantly clear that no commonly deployed operating system is trustworthy enough for protecting a system like this. That known insecurity, therefore, has to be mitigated at a higher level through strategies like compartmentalization and defense-in-depth. As much as it makes many of us "tech folks" cringe, I would in fact expect such computers to be using Internet Explorer internally (for accessing local sites on the firewalled intranet) for a long time to come - for the simple reason that they don't have access to the Internet to maintain an up-to-date installation of a newer browser.
I don't want to sound like I'm coming down too hard on the OP, because this can be quite counterintuitive and contrary to popular advice (especially if one's exposure to the cybersecurity world is limited to personal computing and lower-security workplaces who are more concerned with liability and "best practices" than actual protection). Sadly, a lot of the "rules of thumb" people are told about how to "stay safe online" are vastly oversimplified and sometimes even counterproductive, and they break down most acutely in situations where high security is genuinely necessary.
(Apologies if this takes things off-topic; I often see these sorts of questions come up around space webcasts and wanted to chime in with some detailed answers. If this is too far afield for this thread, perhaps this sub-discussion could be moved to the "General ISS Q&A" thread.)
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About to break post-Shuttle ISS mass record
Who keeps mass records in pounds? This is an embarrassment to all engineers and scientists.
NASA PAO does, to communicate with the US general public, which uses pounds.
One of NASA's jobs, in my opinion, should be to help educate the interested, not to talk only to most parochial among them. How hard would it be to say ISS set a new mass record of 452,154 kg (996,828 lbs)?
How hard is it for someone to wrapped around the axle about using pounds vice kilos... what difference, really, does it make?
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They're both meaningless numbers for most readers anyway. They might have just put up a graphic that said "Old record: Some Really Big Number | New Record: Some Slightly Bigger Number"
There's no education to be had from using kilograms here.
I agree 100% about the actual number being meaningless to most people, either in pounds or kg.
I disagree 100% about the "no education" part. The education is, if you're a kid and want the be a part of this excitement, you should work in kilos, as all engineers do. And by doing it in pounds, and only in pounds, NASA is educating the rest of the world that they are a nationalist-in-a-bad-way organization that has no consideration for the rest of the world, including ALL of their partners. It's an education, all right, and not a good one.
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Got my first (almost directly overhead) view of the heaviest (post shuttle) ISS configuration from Long Island this evening.
Time: Mon Dec 07 5:46 PM, Visible: 5 min, Max Height: 87°, Appears: 10° above NW, Disappears: 22° above SE
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Just curious about some things from the NASA livestream of the CRS-21 docking.
You make some interesting assumptions, mainly that the windows that are monitoring the docking progress can do anything more than just that, monitor. You also assume that this isn't just a mirror workstation that is sending a full screen share from a control room monitor.
In either case, why would you be concerned about someone getting some kind of sensitive information from a public access livestream? I'm pretty confident neither SpaceX nor NASA are concerned about security breaches nor ITAR releases from a public access event.
I understand what you are saying.
Actually, this caught my eye not due to any ITAR or sensitive information issue. This caught my eye because of lack of fundamental, cyber-security practices.
I read in 2018 or 2019 that NASA/JPL was hacked into by a “bad actor” getting access to their internal network, and spreading malware out to other NASA centers, due to one NASA/JPL employee plugging a webcam or some other device into the internal secure network. Couple that with the fact that apparently NASA (and essentially all government agencies) are constantly being probed by bad guys, and you can see that once a vulnerability is available (or even hinted), it will quickly become known by those bad guys, and exploited. By the user sharing their entire screen, that same bad guy was provided hints that could be exploited.
The computer hosting the screen-share today was apparently “inside” the NASA firewall (hopefully not inside the mission control segment, and double-hopefully provided with read-only permission), because there were two different programs running in two different windows on the screen that have access to internal video feeds and data. Just a casual observer like myself could immediately see two odd things; 1) that this internal computer with direct access to mission data feeds also had user-email installed, and 2) that this computer also had an old version of Internet Explorer installed. If I recall, user-email availability in an internal computer that has access to critical data like this is a known, top vulnerability point. Add to that the fact that this internal computer (and broader NASA?) still seems to be using the old (less secure) Internet Explorer. And finally, that the employee-user shared their entire screen (exposing all the system indications and additional system tray programs), rather than only sharing the one program they desired to share.
Would you share your entire screen in a meeting, if doing so would show all attendees not only that the computer you are on has direct access to attractive internal data, and also showed at least two potentials for vulnerabilities? Do you or your organization use the old Internet Explorer? If you work in an industrial or manufacturing environment, can devices on your control system or data system network access email? I would hope all of these would be “no”.
And look at the numerous icons in the system tray. A knowledgeable bad guy might recognize those. If any of those many programs have vulnerabilities (what app doesn’t these days?), the bad guy would have some good hints about where to begin probing (if you use VNC or LastPass or any IoT device or most PDF-creators or any number of other programs, you might be surprised how much continuous up/down network traffic results that can be exploited).
To clarify, I’m not really saying this would expose vulnerabilities to disrupt control of ISS or a spacecraft; but am saying it would (like the 2018 incident) expose vulnerabilities to the internal NASA network that the bad guy could in turn leverage. If a bad guy was watching the stream today, they would have some hints because the internal user shared their entire screen, instead of just sharing the window with the video in it.
Yep, I am probably over-doing my curiosity, and am possibly not explaining well. Oh well… my brain has now reached the limit of my knowledge on this subject. The good news is that I’m not going to push the point. All I can say is I was surprised.
Very sorry for the too-long reply.
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How hard is it for someone to wrapped around the axle about using pounds vice kilos... what difference, really, does it make?
Agree that in this particular case, it makes little difference.
But in general it can make a huge difference. Remember, for example, that NASA lost the $125 million Mars Climate Orbiter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter) because one group used pounds-force while the other thought they were Newtons. If there had been a simple conceptual understanding that NASA always uses metric, someone might have thought twice about providing forces in pounds, and we'd have one more spacecraft in orbit around Mars.
EDIT: For example, suppose you were delivering a file of small forces to the ESA for an ESA Mars orbiter. Would it even ever occur to you to send the forces in pounds? If the ESA had been running the exact same mission, it would likely have succeeded, where it failed due to NASA's tolerance for units not commonly used in science.
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https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1336106034776190976
Meanwhile, in the Atlantic Ocean...
The recovery forces are repositioning for the SXM-7 mission whilst OCISLY and B1058.4 return to Florida.
OCISLY arrival at Port Canaveral looking to be NET Thursday 10th.
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How hard is it for someone to wrapped around the axle about using pounds vice kilos... what difference, really, does it make?
Agree that in this particular case, it makes little difference.
But in general it can make a huge difference. Remember, for example, that NASA lost the $125 million Mars Climate Orbiter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter) because one group used pounds-force while the other thought they were Newtons. If there had been a simple conceptual understanding that NASA always uses metric, someone might have thought twice about providing forces in pounds, and we'd have one more spacecraft in orbit around Mars.
Chill... you’re spending a ton of emotional energy that could best be spent elsewhere where it matters more
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[snipped a lot of thoughts about security]
Very sorry for the too-long reply.
No, you’re not. You are clearly very passionate about it, but it is a discussion that IMO does not belong in this thread.
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Screen grabs of the nose cone opening and docking.
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https://twitter.com/MatthewCable6/status/1336018671324508168
Contact confirmed!
Welcome CRS-21 to the ISS
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Some wonderful views of arrival from Roscosmos astronaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.
https://twitter.com/KudSverchkov/status/1336187307288899584
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https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1336349048534528001
Time-lapse of Dragon on approach – two Dragons now docked to the @space_station
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About to break post-Shuttle ISS mass record
Who keeps mass records in pounds? This is an embarrassment to all engineers and scientists.
NASA PAO does, to communicate with the US general public, which uses pounds.
One of NASA's jobs, in my opinion, should be to help educate the interested, not to talk only to most parochial among them. How hard would it be to say ISS set a new mass record of 452,154 kg (996,828 lbs)?
Pounds are used by engineers all across the United States.
Educating them in units they understand is better than educating them in units they don't understand. Kilograms are practically unknown in the US for the general populace. You may not like that, but that's how things are. My engineering schooling in the US also used a mix of metric and imperial units. (Homework problems for example would generally alternate every-other problem switching between imperial and metric units and you were expected to get the answer using the imperial units rather than converting to metric and then converting back.) Using imperial units does not make you less intelligent nor does it say anything about someone's intelligence.
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Pounds are used by engineers all across the United States.
Educating them in units they understand is better than educating them in units they don't understand. Kilograms are practically unknown in the US for the general populace. You may not like that, but that's how things are. My engineering schooling in the US also used a mix of metric and imperial units. (Homework problems for example would generally alternate every-other problem switching between imperial and metric units and you were expected to get the answer using the imperial units rather than converting to metric and then converting back.) Using imperial units does not make you less intelligent nor does it say anything about someone's intelligence.
+1 I teach engineering to high school kids, and they're taught that metric is fundamentally better, although absolutely zero of them can tell why. I tell them that US engineers are "bi-lingual" when it comes to measuring things, and that they have to be conversant in both.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled SpX-21 coverage!
Have a good one,
Mike
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Moderator: The units discussion has run its course, and it's only tangentially relevant to the thread topic. Stop.
The IT security/hacking discussion is off-topic. Stop.
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/50695843192/
NASA Johnson Follow
The upgraded SpaceX Cargo Dragon vehicle approaches the International Space Station
iss064e010904 (Dec. 7, 2020) --- The upgraded SpaceX Cargo Dragon vehicle approaches the International Space Station as both vehicles were orbiting above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico. Near the top right of the photograph is a portion of the SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle docked to the forward port of the Harmony module. The Cargo Dragon would dock about an hour later to Harmony's space-facing port marking the first time two Dragon spaceships would be docked to the station at the same time.
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https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1336627888309800965
OCISLY droneship is about 2 - 4 hours away from arriving at Port Canaveral.
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https://twitter.com/johnpisaniphoto/status/1336663071406878723
It’s chilly this morning on the Space Coast of Florida, a crispy 43°F
Falcon 9 B1058.4 can be seen just edging over the horizon as it and OCISLY continue their voyage back to Port Canaveral.
@SpaceX #falcon9 #OCISLY
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https://twitter.com/kyle_m_photo/status/1336683303630475265
There is still heat distortion, but it's closer. #SpaceXFleet #SpaceX
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https://twitter.com/kyle_m_photo/status/1336689152683896833
OCISLY and B1058.4 are in the jetty. #SpaceXFleet #SpaceX
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https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1336691820705820673
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Falcon 9 returning to Port Canaveral this morning.
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Base of Falcon 9.
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3 tugs full.
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Starlink dish on OCISLY.
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https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1336695785170165765
Falcon 9 B1058.4 Port Canaveral arrival.
SpaceX returning another booster for reuse, while testing Starship at Boca Chica - the latter will mark the evolution to returning the entire vehicle (both the Super Heavy and Starship = Full Reusability).
youtube.com/watch?v=D8bZkT…
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https://twitter.com/gregscott_photo/status/1336698689763618819
#SpaceX's OCISLY & B1058.4 return to Port Canaveral this cold FL morning. Fresh off the #CRS21 mission of delivering supplies & experiments to the ISS using the new Cargo Dragon2. This is the 1st time with 2 Dragon spacecrafts are at the ISS together. #NASA #Science #spacexfleet
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JAXA astronaut Sochi Noguchi in the SpaceX Cargo Dragon
(Dec. 7, 2020) --- JAXA astronaut Sochi Noguchi is pictured inside the newly arrived SpaceX Cargo Dragon vehicle wearing personal protective equipment. Safety goggles and masks are required when a crew member opens the hatch and enters a new spacecraft for the first time due to dust and debris that may have been dislodged during the ascent to space.
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/50698363418/in/photostream/ (https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/50698363418/in/photostream/)
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twitter.com/johnpisaniphoto/status/1336741808555106304
Not sure if anyone else has observed this previously, but what I thought was vapor from possible venting seems to be smoke coming from around the engines of B1058.4 around 1:55pm EST
Zooming in there appears to be fire.
@elonmusk @SpaceX @SpaceXFleet
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1336748516966850562
It appears that there was a bizarre - and very short - electrical fire involving Octagraber earlier on.
Was completely out within 30 seconds but still interesting to see.
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https://twitter.com/trevormahlmann/status/1337128843648393218
394.1 megapixel panorama of @spacex falcon 9 b1058.4 in port canaveral on a beautiful clear day! Take a peek at the level of detail on this one. Shot near midday, and almost no heat distortion to be seen!
⚙️/⬇️/🖼: tmahlmann.com/photos/Rockets…
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NSF SXM 7 stream showing leg lifting being performed.
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Second leg going up.
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B1058 has taken off again
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45 degrees
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Horizontal
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The ISS On Orbit Status Report mentioned the following for the 10th:
Short Extravehicular Mobility Unit (SEMU) Swap: Following yesterday’s briefing with ground teams, today FE-10 and FE-12 prepared EMU 3008 for return, removed EMU 3015 from the SLE and installed EMU 3008 into the SLE in the Dragon cabin.
Source: https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2020/12/10/iss-daily-summary-report-12-10-2020/ (https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2020/12/10/iss-daily-summary-report-12-10-2020/)
which brought me back to the following points upthread:
Too many people repeat the thing about large items but there aren't really that many large items that need to be transfered either in or out of the station.
As I recall, the only thing that was an issue was a packed spacesuit. And even then, they decided that they would just pack the spacesuit inside the Dragon itself.*
* The suit could fit through the hatch, and so could the disassembled packing assembly/enclosure, but the entire packed suit+assembly could not fit.
Lets get some citations on this as most previous discussions that I could find stalled out on how the EMU was going to fly on D2.
What is an SLE?
Some quick acronyms
"SEMU" = Short EMU (emu torso)
"SEMU Launch Enclosure" = SLE
"The Launch Package is the top level assembly of the SEMU, the SEMU Launch Enclosure (SLE) and the Ancillary Hardware assembled together for launch or landing. This assembly includes an M03 soft stowage bag and an external Nomex covered foam clamshell."
Source: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/constellation/NASA-EMU-Data-Book-JSC-E-DAA-TN55224.pdf (https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/constellation/NASA-EMU-Data-Book-JSC-E-DAA-TN55224.pdf)
This is a super interesting read and describes in detail why the suit needs to fly in the SLE.
Short EMU (emu torso) -> SEMU Launch Enclosure (SLE) -> M03 Bag
Ok, how big is an M03 bag?
The external dimensions are: 35.3" (W) x 21" (D) x 52.5" (L)
Source: https://spacecraft.ssl.umd.edu/academics/697S15/697S15L09.habitability2x.pdf
Ok cool, part of the original question is answered (what is a packed spacesuit). The packed EMU torso needs to go inside a M03 bag. The M03 bag has a 41" hypotenuse and doesn't fit through the NDS hatch.
How does this even fit in the dragon?
Side hatch is (very approximately) 25" W x 40" H. A M03 Bag comfortably fits through.
How wide is the isle? Can the bag fit below the white tray?
We can use the 2 double cold bags on their sides for reference as they fit between the 2 black supports.
I couldn't find dimensions for the outside of a cold bag. However a cold bag fits into a shuttle middeck locker
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/478102main_Day2_P11m_IP_JSC_ColdStow_Hutchison.pdf (https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/478102main_Day2_P11m_IP_JSC_ColdStow_Hutchison.pdf)
The middeck locker has an inside length of 20.320"
Source: https://snebulos.mit.edu/projects/reference/NASA-Generic/NSTS_21000-IDD-MDK-RevB.pdf (https://snebulos.mit.edu/projects/reference/NASA-Generic/NSTS_21000-IDD-MDK-RevB.pdf)
So the aisle 40.64". Not wide enough for an M03 "horizontally" but has plenty of room vertically or with part of the bag under one of the shelves.
The EMU M03 bag is likely below the white tray near the hatch. The bag likely needs to be in the center isle (at least partially) as it is one of the first items stowed and the SLE needs to be able to taken in and out. It is likely (per the on orbit report) that the torsos were brought through the NDS not the SLE.
TLDR: Much to do about nothing (for the people concerned about the EMU logistics). Likely minimal impact to crew / cargo ops. All the normal packing materials / suit can fit through the side hatch. Suits are packed normally and are flown / need to be flown in a packed configuration. Only torsos were exchanged through the NDS. Nothing custom was needed from Dragon.
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https://twitter.com/ken_kremer/status/1337532600861282304
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https://twitter.com/spacecoast_stve/status/1337501402097127424
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The ISS On Orbit Status Report mentioned the following for the 10th:
Short Extravehicular Mobility Unit (SEMU) Swap: Following yesterday’s briefing with ground teams, today FE-10 and FE-12 prepared EMU 3008 for return, removed EMU 3015 from the SLE and installed EMU 3008 into the SLE in the Dragon cabin.
Source: https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2020/12/10/iss-daily-summary-report-12-10-2020/ (https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2020/12/10/iss-daily-summary-report-12-10-2020/)
Thanks for sharing all these great details!
I was wondering if they'd be swapping an EMU on this flight. 3008 has by far the most uses on its odometer (26!) since it was last refurbished and seems to have been placed on the "back burner" at this ISS nearly a year ago (with other suits rotating out of on-orbit storage for subsequent EVAs). It stood to reason that 3008 should be heading home soon and replaced by a freshly refurbished one.
With the newly-refurbished 3015 being delivered to the station by SpX-21, there are now two "brand new" refurbished EMUs on station, 3009 and 3015. 3009 is scheduled to be used (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=52377.msg2162326#msg2162326) alongside 3006 on the upcoming Hopkins/Glover EVAs in January.
According to the excellently detailed spacefacts.de EMU log page (http://www.spacefacts.de/eva/e_emu.htm), EMU 3006 has seen 16 EVAs since its last refurb and 3004 has seen 14. Both have seen recent use on all four of the Cassidy/Behnken EVA sequence during Expedition 63, and didn't seem to encounter problems during those spacewalks, so they're both likely good for more (although, historically, how many more can be quite variable; 3003, for instance, went home after just 18 uses, compared to 3008's 26). They seem to like to "rotate" periodically which suits are used even when they're not yet ready to send them home for refurb, so my guess is that 3004 may see more use even though they're rotating it with 3009 for the January EVAs. With two nearly "brand-new" (refurbished) EMUs on station now I wonder if we might not see another EMU swap for a while.
-
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/50718745168/
Expedition 64 Flight Engineers Shannon Walker (background) and Victor Glover participate in cargo transfer activities
iss064e010968 (Dec. 8, 2020) --- Expedition 64 Flight Engineers Shannon Walker (background) and Victor Glover participate in cargo transfer activities the day after the arrival of the upgraded SpaceX Cargo Dragon resupply ship with over 6,400 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies and International Space Station hardware.
-
https://twitter.com/B_Rock_Howe/status/1337937913527590912
-
CAPCOM passes word that the ground the preparing to mate the nano-racks air lock so they may hear bolts if they are near node 3
-
No live pictures of it being extracted from Dragon and mated to the ISS?? Seems the astronauts be watching from the cupola
-
https://twitter.com/nanoracks/status/1340410668634288130
Happening tonight: The #BishopAirlock will removed from the @SpaceX #Dragon trunk & installed on Node 3 of the @Space_Station. This will be a “cold” install - no power until after the new year. There are a lot of Ops happening on #ISS in the next 2 weeks keeping @NASA very busy!
-
https://twitter.com/B_Rock_Howe/status/1340395070189678593
-
https://twitter.com/B_Rock_Howe/status/1340424577437081601
-
Jan. 11, Monday
9 a.m. – Coverage of the Undocking of the SpaceX CRS-21 Cargo Dragon Craft from the ISS (Undocking scheduled at 9:25 a.m. EST) – Johnson Space Center (All Channels)
-
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-air-departure-of-upgraded-spacex-cargo-dragon-from-space-station
Jan. 4, 2021
MEDIA ADVISORY M21-003
NASA to Air Departure of Upgraded SpaceX Cargo Dragon from Space Station
The SpaceX Dragon that arrived to the International Space Station on the company’s 21st resupply services mission for NASA is scheduled to depart on Monday, Jan. 11, loaded with 5,200 pounds of scientific experiments and other cargo. NASA Television and the agency’s website will broadcast its departure live beginning at 9 a.m. EST.
The upgraded Dragon spacecraft will execute the first undocking of a U.S. commercial cargo craft from the International Docking Adapter at 9:25 a.m., with NASA astronaut Victor Glover monitoring aboard the station.
Dragon will fire its thrusters to move a safe distance from the station’s space-facing port of the Harmony module, then initiate a deorbit burn to begin its re-entry sequence into Earth’s atmosphere. Dragon is expected to make its parachute-assisted splashdown around 9 p.m. – the first return of a cargo resupply spacecraft in the Atlantic Ocean. The deorbit burn and splashdown will not air on NASA TV.
Splashing down off the coast of Florida enables quick transportation of the science aboard the capsule to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center’s Space Station Processing Facility, and back into the hands of the researchers. This shorter transportation timeframe allows researchers to collect data with minimal loss of microgravity effects. For splashdowns in the Pacific Ocean, quick-return science cargo is processed at SpaceX’s facility in McGregor, Texas, and delivered to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Dragon launched Dec. 6 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, arriving at the station just over 24 hours later and achieving the first autonomous docking of a U.S. commercial cargo resupply spacecraft. Previous arriving cargo Dragon spacecraft were captured and attached to the space station by astronauts operating the station’s robotic Canadarm2. The spacecraft delivered more than 6,400 pounds of hardware, research investigations and crew supplies.
The upgraded cargo Dragon capsule used for this mission contains double the powered locker availability of previous capsules, allowing for a significant increase in the research that can be carried back to Earth.
Some of the scientific investigations Dragon will return to Earth include:
Cardinal Heart
Microgravity causes changes in the workload and shape of the human heart, and it is still unknown whether these changes could become permanent if a person lived more than a year in space. Cardinal Heart studies how changes in gravity affect cardiovascular cells at the cellular and tissue level using 3D-engineered heart tissues, a type of tissue chip. Results could provide new understanding of heart problems on Earth, help identify new treatments, and support development of screening measures to predict cardiovascular risk prior to spaceflight.
Space Organogenesis
This investigation from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) demonstrates the growth of 3D organ buds from human stem cells to analyze changes in gene expression. Cell cultures on Earth need supportive materials or forces to achieve 3D growth, but in microgravity, cell cultures can expand into three dimensions without those devices. Results from this investigation could demonstrate advantages of using microgravity for cutting-edge developments in regenerative medicine and may contribute to the establishment of technologies needed to create artificial organs.
Sextant Navigation
The sextant used in the Sextant Navigation experiment will be returning to Earth. Sextants have a small telescope-like optical sight to take precise angle measurements between pairs of stars from land or sea, enabling navigation without computer assistance. Sailors have navigated via sextants for centuries, and NASA’s Gemini missions conducted the first sextant sightings from a spacecraft. This investigation tested specific techniques for using a sextant for emergency navigation on spacecraft such as NASA’s Orion, which will carry humans on deep-space missions.
Rodent Research-23
This experiment studies the function of arteries, veins, and lymphatic structures in the eye and changes in the retina of mice before and after spaceflight. The aim is to clarify whether these changes impair visual function. At least 40 percent of astronauts experience vision impairment known as Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) on long-duration spaceflights, which could adversely affect mission success.
Thermal Amine Scrubber
This technology demonstration tested a method to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from air aboard the International Space Station, using actively heated and cooled amine beds. Controlling CO2 levels on the station reduces the likelihood of crew members experiencing symptoms of CO2 buildup, which include fatigue, headache, breathing difficulties, strained eyes, and itchy skin.
Bacterial Adhesion and Corrosion
Bacteria and other microorganisms have been shown to grow as biofilm communities in microgravity. This experiment identifies the bacterial genes used during biofilm growth, examines whether these biofilms can corrode stainless steel, and evaluates the effectiveness of a silver-based disinfectant. This investigation could provide insight into better ways to control and remove resistant biofilms, contributing to the success of future long-duration spaceflights.
Learn more about SpaceX missions for NASA at:
https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
-end-
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Astronaut Shannon Walker works in the Columbus laboratory module
iss064e019119 (Jan. 4, 2021) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 64 Flight Engineer Shannon Walker works in the European Columbus laboratory module to set up a unique device that calculates the mass of cargo aboard the International Space Station. Known as SLAMMD, or Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device, it uses a form of Newton's Second Law of Motion and applies a known force to an object or an astronaut with the resulting acceleration used to calculate mass in microgravity
The CTB adapter for SLAMMD (built by SpaceX) is being used to weigh cargo bags as CRS-21 continues to be loaded with downmass. The adapter was first tested in May 2020 end of 2019 (https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2019/12/31).
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Four issued NOTMAR Hazard Areas (https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?hl=en&mid=132PVWIAvWljfEbbZIrkS5a2qqfVhsZM_&ll=30.114519214143357%2C-81.06626072102893&z=7) (pink colored) for #SpaceX CRS-21 Dragon2 C208.1 reentry/landing for Jan 12 in window between 01:50-02:30 UTC, alternatively for Jan 14 01:00-01:40 UTC, or Jan 15 00:35-01:20 UTC.
Relevant four Recovery Locations in Port Canaveral, Daytona, Jacksonville and Tampa areas.
080821Z JAN 21
NAVAREA IV 26/21(11).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
GULF OF MEXICO.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
IN AREAS BOUND BY:
A. 120150Z TO 120220Z JAN, ALTERNATE
140100Z TO 140130Z AND
150035Z TO 150105Z JAN
29-20-45N 080-13-48W, 28-50-56N 079-43-04W,
28-21-14N 080-13-48W, 28-50-56N 080-44-31W.
B. 120155Z TO 120225Z JAN, ALTERNATE
140105Z TO 140135Z AND
150045Z TO 150115Z JAN
30-17-45N 080-35-59W, 29-47-56N 080-04-58W,
29-18-14N 080-35-59W, 29-47-56N 081-07-01W.
C. 120200Z TO 120230Z JAN, ALTERNATE
140110Z TO 140140Z AND
150045Z TO 150115Z JAN
31-24-45N 080-15-00W, 30-54-56N 079-43-36W,
30-25-14N 080-15-00W, 30-54-56N 080-46-23W.
D. 120200Z TO 120230Z JAN, ALTERNATE
140110Z TO 140140Z AND
150050Z TO 150120Z JAN
28-59-45N 083-45-00W, 28-29-56N 083-14-20W,
28-00-14N 083-45-00W, 28-29-56N 084-15-39W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 150220Z JAN 21.
-
https://twitter.com/ISS_Research/status/1347651654632394752
-
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1347670825478938624
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1347683228069494784
January 12, 2021 at 0150 UTC-0220 UTC
-
According to https://www.n2yo.com/, the ISS pass on Monday night just after 9pm is from south-west gulf to north-east off the coast from Jacksonville. I assume the Dragon will be on a similar ground track. I live just south of the space center. If it splashes in the Atlantic at any of the recovery zones, I'm wondering what the possibility is of seeing the re-entry fireball? Or is is already cooled enough by the time it gets over Florida that it will be invisible?
-
I apologize for this noob question as I am almost certain this has been answered before, but somehow I screwed myself with the search engine.
Can someone clarify why Dragon 1 wasn't able to return to East Coast for fast science?
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I apologize for this noob question as I am almost certain this has been answered before, but somehow I screwed myself with the search engine.
Can someone clarify why Dragon 1 wasn't able to return to East Coast for fast science?
Overflight permission to cross Florida west-to-east en route to recovery zone took a while to earn. Had to demonstrate precision targeting.
That's as much as I know. Perhaps others here can fill in more details.
-
https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1348298195609247748
-
An updated notice from the NGA:
New:
101741Z JAN 21
NAVAREA IV 32/21(11).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
GULF OF MEXICO.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
IN AREAS BOUND BY:
A. ALTERNATE 140100Z TO 140130Z AND
150035Z TO 150105Z JAN
29-20-45N 080-13-48W, 28-50-56N 079-43-04W,
28-21-14N 080-13-48W, 28-50-56N 080-44-31W.
B. 120155Z TO 120225Z JAN, ALTERNATE
140105Z TO 140135Z AND
150045Z TO 150115Z JAN
30-17-45N 080-35-59W, 29-47-56N 080-04-58W,
29-18-14N 080-35-59W, 29-47-56N 081-07-01W.
C. ALTERNATE 140110Z TO 140140Z AND
150045Z TO 150115Z JAN
31-24-45N 080-15-00W, 30-54-56N 079-43-36W,
30-25-14N 080-15-00W, 30-54-56N 080-46-23W.
D. ALTERNATE 140110Z TO 140140Z AND
150050Z TO 150120Z JAN
28-59-45N 083-45-00W, 28-29-56N 083-14-20W,
28-00-14N 083-45-00W, 28-29-56N 084-15-39W.
2. CANCEL NAVAREA IV 26/21.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 150220Z JAN 21.
Cancelled:
080821Z JAN 21
NAVAREA IV 26/21(11).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
GULF OF MEXICO.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
IN AREAS BOUND BY:
A. 120150Z TO 120220Z JAN, ALTERNATE
140100Z TO 140130Z AND
150035Z TO 150105Z JAN
29-20-45N 080-13-48W, 28-50-56N 079-43-04W,
28-21-14N 080-13-48W, 28-50-56N 080-44-31W.
B. 120155Z TO 120225Z JAN, ALTERNATE
140105Z TO 140135Z AND
150045Z TO 150115Z JAN
30-17-45N 080-35-59W, 29-47-56N 080-04-58W,
29-18-14N 080-35-59W, 29-47-56N 081-07-01W.
C. 120200Z TO 120230Z JAN, ALTERNATE
140110Z TO 140140Z AND
150045Z TO 150115Z JAN
31-24-45N 080-15-00W, 30-54-56N 079-43-36W,
30-25-14N 080-15-00W, 30-54-56N 080-46-23W.
D. 120200Z TO 120230Z JAN, ALTERNATE
140110Z TO 140140Z AND
150050Z TO 150120Z JAN
28-59-45N 083-45-00W, 28-29-56N 083-14-20W,
28-00-14N 083-45-00W, 28-29-56N 084-15-39W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 150220Z JAN 21.
-
https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1348342964741951488
-
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1348430852896792577
Departure!
Dragon recovery ship GO Searcher is outbound from Port Canaveral for the CRS-21 splashdown!
Dragon is set to splashdown at approx 9pm ET tommorow, Jan 11th.
-
CAPCOM reported during the DPC that Space X and the orbit 1 team are on duty to support Dragon final pack, undock, and landing.
-
A very interesting exchange on the voice loop. The crew is currently working to pack cold storage items for placement in Dragon. There are apparently multiple lists, instructions, and notes for the same task. CAPCOM passed many of the pictures and text in one document do not match the ground versions and are flat wrong, and Houston has no clue why. After explaining that to the crew, Kate came on very forcefully told the ground that they will not concurrently work filling double cold bags and stowing them in Dragon. The multiple, contradictory sources of instructions with numerous corrections force them to focus on one task at a time. Her last statement, again forceful, to Houston was "Does everyone understand?" The somewhat tepid response was "Houston copies and agrees." This is not the first time the crew has voiced displeasure with the grounds efforts to micromanage tasks with multiple documents..
-
A very interesting exchange on the voice loop. The crew is currently working to pack cold storage items for placement in Dragon. There are apparently multiple lists, instructions, and notes for the same task. CAPCOM passed many of the pictures and text in one document do not match the ground versions and are flat wrong, and Houston has no clue why. After explaining that to the crew, Kate came on very forcefully told the ground that they will not concurrently work filling double cold bags and stowing them in Dragon. The multiple, contradictory sources of instructions with numerous corrections force them to focus on one task at a time. Her last statement, again forceful, to Houston was "Does everyone understand?" The somewhat tepid response was "Houston copies and agrees." This is not the first time the crew has voiced displeasure with the grounds efforts to micromanage tasks with multiple documents..
Would these confusing lists and instructions be coming from SpaceX or from NASA? NASA would of course be the ones deciding what is going into Dragon, but SpaceX maybe has a say in where it goes due to weight distribution?
-
Is there any sort of timeline out of when entry interface begins? Wanted to go outside my house in Tampa and look up tonight!
-
Would these confusing lists and instructions be coming from SpaceX or from NASA? NASA would of course be the ones deciding what is going into Dragon, but SpaceX maybe has a say in where it goes due to weight distribution?
I can't see how it would be anyone BUT NASA. SpaceX is a supplier, and while they provide weight and balance info to NASA for Dragon, only NASA manages ISS, and this is an ISS tasking. You can also tell that by the fact that the communications are from Houston, not Hawthorne.
-
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1348617813980811265
Dragon recovery ship GO Searcher is now arriving at the CRS-21 Daytona Beach splashdown site, following a 12 hour voyage.
-
https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1348631751992741888
-
Some nice views of Dragon Cargo docked
Any screen grabs?
-
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1348640588527063041
GO for undocking at the top of the hour for Dragon CRS-21.
-
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1348644408720318468
DELAYED. No undocking for Dragon CRS-21 today due to splashdown weather! The call came two minutes before undocking commands.
-
I apologize for this noob question as I am almost certain this has been answered before, but somehow I screwed myself with the search engine.
Can someone clarify why Dragon 1 wasn't able to return to East Coast for fast science?
"Dragon 1" jettisoned its trunk after deorbit burn, so the trunk came down with the capsule, more or less. That dictated a West Coast splashdown. "Dragon 2" jettisons its trunk before the deorbit burn, so no deorbiting trunk to worry about - at least during spacecraft reentry.
- Ed Kyle
-
Center of gravity limits are apparently tight. Huntsville and Houston stressed that multiple times during the late stowage. The fabric transfer bags, CTBs (contingency transfer bags?) not only had to be placed in the correct location, but the correct orientation. They have a zipper on 3 edges and hinge on the other end on one side. All CTBs had to be placed with the hinged side facing a certain direction (dragon starboard) and the end the the zipper dragon forward. Hard to believe the weight of a zipper on one end or lack of one on an edge (making that side lighter) could be that critical.
-
Hard to believe the weight of a zipper on one end or lack of one on an edge (making that side lighter) could be that critical.
Possibly the zipper is a visual indicator of where the weight is distributed, since the bags are opaque.
-
Updated NGA notice removing the splashdown hazard warning associated with today's postponed departure. All four areas are currently in play for the next attempt.
New:
111836Z JAN 21
NAVAREA IV 35/21(11).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
GULF OF MEXICO.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
IN AREAS BOUND BY:
A. 140100Z TO 140130Z, ALTERNATE
150035Z TO 150105Z JAN
29-20-45N 080-13-48W, 28-50-56N 079-43-04W,
28-21-14N 080-13-48W, 28-50-56N 080-44-31W.
B. 140105Z TO 140135Z, ALTERNATE
150045Z TO 150115Z JAN
30-17-45N 080-35-59W, 29-47-56N 080-04-58W,
29-18-14N 080-35-59W, 29-47-56N 081-07-01W.
C. 140110Z TO 140140Z, ALTERNATE
150045Z TO 150115Z JAN
31-24-45N 080-15-00W, 30-54-56N 079-43-36W,
30-25-14N 080-15-00W, 30-54-56N 080-46-23W.
D. 140110Z TO 140140Z, ALTERNATE
150050Z TO 150120Z JAN
28-59-45N 083-45-00W, 28-29-56N 083-14-20W,
28-00-14N 083-45-00W, 28-29-56N 084-15-39W.
2. CANCEL NAVAREA IV 32/21.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 150220Z JAN 21.
Cancelled:
101741Z JAN 21
NAVAREA IV 32/21(11).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
GULF OF MEXICO.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
IN AREAS BOUND BY:
A. ALTERNATE 140100Z TO 140130Z AND
150035Z TO 150105Z JAN
29-20-45N 080-13-48W, 28-50-56N 079-43-04W,
28-21-14N 080-13-48W, 28-50-56N 080-44-31W.
B. 120155Z TO 120225Z JAN, ALTERNATE
140105Z TO 140135Z AND
150045Z TO 150115Z JAN
30-17-45N 080-35-59W, 29-47-56N 080-04-58W,
29-18-14N 080-35-59W, 29-47-56N 081-07-01W.
C. ALTERNATE 140110Z TO 140140Z AND
150045Z TO 150115Z JAN
31-24-45N 080-15-00W, 30-54-56N 079-43-36W,
30-25-14N 080-15-00W, 30-54-56N 080-46-23W.
D. ALTERNATE 140110Z TO 140140Z AND
150050Z TO 150120Z JAN
28-59-45N 083-45-00W, 28-29-56N 083-14-20W,
28-00-14N 083-45-00W, 28-29-56N 084-15-39W.
2. CANCEL NAVAREA IV 26/21.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 150220Z JAN 21.
-
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/01/dragon-departs-iss-with-science/
SpaceX calls-off CRS-21 Dragon return due to recovery weather off Florida
-
NASA TV
Jan. 12, Tuesday
8 a.m. -- Coverage of the undocking of the SpaceX CRS-21 Cargo Dragon spacecraft from the International Space Station. (Undocking scheduled at appx. 8:40 a.m. EST) – Johnson Space Center (All Channels)
-
We and @SpaceX are targeting 8:40 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 12, for undocking from @Space_Station of an upgraded SpaceX Dragon spacecraft filled with more than 4,400 pounds of experiments and other cargo. Watch live beginning at 8 a.m. EST on https://nasa.gov/live.
https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1348856471509938177
-
CAPCOM updated the crew on results of the U-6 weather brief which predicts Tampa weather as go. Another brief will be at undock-3 hours... and they switched to a pink toned external feed...
-
Great view on the iSS Ustream of the hatches opened again into Dragon to refresh time sensitive samples and check on the rodents...
-
https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1348972374448738309
-
https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1348979592485339139
-
Edit: misread that docking was now 9:05
-
Can see Dragon very good now
-
Why is Dragon waiting a day and half before it splashes down tomorrow night?
-
https://twitter.com/nasa/status/1348991526865494021
The @SpaceX cargo Dragon is "go" for undocking. @AstroVicGlover is monitoring the spacecraft's departure from the @Space_Station.
-
Sunset :)
6 minutes to undocking
-
Undocking confirmed!
-
Separaation confirmed 805 CST
-
https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1348994882694770688
-
-
HD view
Draco party!
-
https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1348997052945076224
-
https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1348998748911726592
-
As expected, a new notice from NGA with just the Gulf, cancelling everything else.
New:
121806Z JAN 21
NAVAREA IV 37/21(11).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
GULF OF MEXICO.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
140110Z TO 140140Z IN AREA BOUND BY
28-59-45N 083-45-00W, 28-29-56N 083-14-20W,
28-00-14N 083-45-00W, 28-29-56N 084-15-39W.
2. CANCEL NAVAREA IV 35/21.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 140240Z JAN 21.
Cancelled:
111836Z JAN 21
NAVAREA IV 35/21(11).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
GULF OF MEXICO.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
IN AREAS BOUND BY:
A. 140100Z TO 140130Z, ALTERNATE
150035Z TO 150105Z JAN
29-20-45N 080-13-48W, 28-50-56N 079-43-04W,
28-21-14N 080-13-48W, 28-50-56N 080-44-31W.
B. 140105Z TO 140135Z, ALTERNATE
150045Z TO 150115Z JAN
30-17-45N 080-35-59W, 29-47-56N 080-04-58W,
29-18-14N 080-35-59W, 29-47-56N 081-07-01W.
C. 140110Z TO 140140Z, ALTERNATE
150045Z TO 150115Z JAN
31-24-45N 080-15-00W, 30-54-56N 079-43-36W,
30-25-14N 080-15-00W, 30-54-56N 080-46-23W.
D. 140110Z TO 140140Z, ALTERNATE
150050Z TO 150120Z JAN
28-59-45N 083-45-00W, 28-29-56N 083-14-20W,
28-00-14N 083-45-00W, 28-29-56N 084-15-39W.
2. CANCEL NAVAREA IV 32/21.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 150220Z JAN 21.
-
Why is Dragon waiting a day and half before it splashes down tomorrow night?
It is the phasing and orbital mechanics with SpaceX’s deorbit burn to bring Dragon home to the prime splashdown site.
-
From Space Station Images (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/images/index.html) / NASA Johnson Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/)
-
https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1349163675052101636
-
https://twitter.com/nerdykowboy/status/1349456418819158018
Guess the news is out now that we filed the flight plan. NASA‘a WB 57 will be filming the CRS21 dragon capsule return. Might even get to see some live feed on NASA or SpaceX YouTube. I’ll be flying in the back seat. #OneShot
-
https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1349481439637745666
-
I'm a little surprised (annoyed) that NASA TV has not published their coverage schedule. When does it start?
https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/schedule.html
The PDF there shows old info on Monday undocking and nothing about splashdown.
EDIT: thanks SMS for providing that statement, but next time please do provide a source, or use the forum's quoting function if it came from another post. At first it read to me as just your opinion.
I know neither NASA nor SpaceX have provided live coverage of cargo Dragon returns in the past, but this was the first of a whole new series, if not a completely new design. I'm just disappointed at the missed opportunity. Even at night! If the splashdown target had been east of the Florida peninsula, locals could have been using the live coverage to know when to look outside and try to spot the entry.
(editing this in so as not to needlessly spam the thread any further)
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On Wednesday, Jan. 13, Dragon will conduct a deorbit burn at 7:37 p.m. to begin its re-entry sequence into Earth’s atmosphere. Dragon is expected to splash down west of Tampa off the Florida coast about 8:27 p.m. The splashdown will not be broadcast.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2021/01/12/cargo-dragon-undocks-from-station-and-heads-for-splashdown/
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https://twitter.com/USCGSoutheast/status/1349469839644098561
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https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1349519157826502657
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SpaceX
@SpaceX
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1m
Splashdown of Dragon confirmed, completing SpaceX’s 21st
@Space_Station
resupply mission and the first return of a cargo resupply spacecraft off the coast of Florida
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Some thread catch-up (not catsup or ketchup)...
NSF article:
https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1349517032581169153
Parachutes unfurled:
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1349527776148144129
Chris B with splashdown:
https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1349529142556041218
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I'm a little surprised (annoyed) that NASA TV has not published their coverage schedule.
See SMS' reply immediately following your post.
Also, neither NASA nor SpaceX present live coverage of Cargo Dragon returns.
(Or at least it's been a long time since either did.)
So, not a surprise.
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https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1349566749491027972
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https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/1349583678490480641
Time sensitive cargo from the #CRS21 Cargo Dragon arrived at approximately 11:30 pm ET to Kennedy Space Center for processing. This cargo was brought directly from the deck of GO Navigator which was stationed at the Tampa splashdown zone. #SpaceX #NASA
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https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy/status/1349579187615535104
https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy/status/1349613633433694208
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https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1349531591232548864
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1349528716951474177
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https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1349685803543310337
Dragon recovery ship GO Navigator is now sailing away from the splashdown site.
Waiting to see if they are going to dock in Tampa for additional cargo unload or sail straight to Port Canaveral.
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Here's a shot of Dragon deorbiting last night, took this from the Florida panhandle
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C208 on GO Navigator post splashdown
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https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1349903463325593600
The Dragon Trunk ejected from cargo Dragon CRS-21 prior to deorbit has been cataloged as 47308 in a 201 x 400 km x 51.7 deg orbit.
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https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1349871418465538048
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JANUARY 13, 2021
UPGRADED DRAGON RETURNS TO EARTH
SpaceX’s upgraded Dragon spacecraft completed its first cargo resupply mission to and from the International Space Station, and SpaceX’s 21st Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-21) mission for NASA to-date, after successfully returning to Earth on Wednesday, January 13 at 8:36 p.m. EST and becoming the first cargo spacecraft to splash down off the coast of Florida. Returning closer to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida enables a quick handover of the scientific research on board the spacecraft to the agency’s processing facility and into the hands of researchers.
This was the first flight of the updated cargo version of Dragon, which is capable of carrying about 20 percent more volume than the previous version of Dragon and double the amount of powered locker cargo. It has the capability to allow science payloads to remain inside the spacecraft during the full mission’s duration as an extension to the space station lab space, also known as extend-the-lab. Dragon’s new design also permits for up to five flights to and from the space station, and this cargo version of the spacecraft can stay on station more than twice as long as the previous version.
After a five-week stay at the International Space Station, Dragon completed the first autonomous undocking of a commercial cargo spacecraft from the International Docking Adapter on Tuesday, January 12 at 9:05 a.m. EST. Dragon then performed three burns of its Draco thrusters to move away from the orbiting laboratory. After approximately 36 hours of phasing, the spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, deployed its two drogue and four main parachutes for a soft water landing in the Gulf of Mexico, and returned 4,420 pounds of critical scientific research and other cargo.
https://www.spacex.com/updates/crs-21-splashdown/index.html
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First (very brief) clips of cargo dragon's interior
https://youtu.be/OCaviw4a5pk
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https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1350515314275082240
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https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1350718952511455232
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https://twitter.com/Kyle_M_Photo/status/1350727649166036994
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https://twitter.com/derekiswise/status/1350728438584381441
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twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1350724419904106498
Update: GO Navigator is not going to East Basin like they have taken the Crew Dragons. It is coming straight towards Fleetcam!
Watch live: youtube.com/watch?v=gnt2wZ…
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1350726300109967360
Hello beautiful!
The first Cargo Dragon 2 vehicle has been successfully recovered and delivered to Port Canaveral, 80 hours after splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
Via @NASASpaceflight Fleetcam
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twitter.com/gregscott_photo/status/1350842682789265409
GO Navigator unloaded the #CRS21 cargo capsule at the Navy dock around 10am this morning. It was promptly placed on a trailer & returned to CCAFS & a #SpaceX hanger for inspection. Reentry scars are prevalent but the capsule appears in good physical shape. #NASA @elonmusk
https://twitter.com/gregscott_photo/status/1350843021705830404
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In the second photo there is also the machined box that Shannon is holding ... looks like it fits into the gap on the NORS FSE.
Researching further, the machined enclosure is actually a 9U Space Tango Cube Lab [1 (https://spacetango.com/cubelab/)][2 (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/b4h-3rd/eds-research-in-a-box)][3 (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/space-tango-lab-brain-organoids-cells-space-station-iss)] and is not part of / affiliated with the NORS system
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Some photos of Dragon C208's interior after it was recovered on GO Navigator.
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A tour of both Dragon's from Soichi's youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ3QatYFWLw
I would love to get a transcription from a Japanese speaker as even the auto translated captions have some interesting insights.
Of note you can see the SLE (for EMUs) on the basement level.