SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon COTS Demo (C2+) PRE LAUNCH UPDATES

[baldusi]

The official answer was that on standard case, the opportunities will be daily instead of three days. I think that's more significant. No matter what the LV performance using instantaneous windows only mean that they are maximizing the cargo. If they get daily opportunities, it doesn't seems like a bad trade off.

[renclod]

noticed yesterday, in the COTS Status Report for Feb 23:

Demo C2+ Key Mission Objectives
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/627984main_4-Status%20of%20COTS_508.pdf


Godspeed Falcon & Dragon!

So is that the "brain-in-a-tub" at the bottom of page 5?

Yes, the photo insert is tagged, HITL. 

[northanger]

I would say yes.  That looks like a system/avionics integration laboratory

Yes, the photo insert is tagged, HITL. 

Thanks!

Btw, this is, imo, a very strong statement of SpaceX's preflight preparation by Gerstenmaier @ {1:35:51}, responding to "how would you characterize the mood inside the space program leading up to the launch?" (Suffredini answered the "mood" question):

I think I'd add, just a little bit. This is absolutely critical to the space station. We really need this cargo capability to be able to get to Station and the return capability the Dragon provides is truly unique of any one of the cargo providers, including the Russians and Soyuz. The amount of cargo we can get back with Dragon is just phenomenal from a return standpoint. So, we absolutely need this capability for ISS and we're really rooting for the teams to come through. I think it's also been encouraging to see SpaceX to work hard issues.

You know they had some EMI -- electromagnetic interference -- issues that they worked, and they spent some really good engineering time to resolve those issues and get them resolved. They had some engine delamination concerns and again they were very rigorous. They tested some things that maybe you didn't absolutely have to go test but they wanted to go test them to make sure they were right. That's really encouraging. So I can really get behind somebody's that's doing that extra work to get ready to go fly.

But as Elon said, this is really a tough flight. What we're asking them to go do on this demonstration flight is amazing. When you look at all those things that Holly talked about on her charts, and the many hours that all this hardware has to work, and all the software has to interact, and the six computers, and the eighteen thrusters -- and all of this has to work as a nice combined set to get into this precise box to be picked up by the SS arm. That is no easy task.

So this will be a very demanding mission, and we need to look at it as a test flight -- it's what it should be. We'll see how well that the test works out. But they've really done a great job getting ready for this test. As a NASA team we're ready to watch, participate and help. We truly need this capability for ISS.

[rsnellenberger]

If NASA says that they are ready to carry out the mission plus the COTS 3 objectives, they are.

NASA hasn't said that *yet*, and won't say it until the GO/NO-GO poll after the successful completion of C2. What NASA says *now* is that SpaceX will be given a GO for C3 pending completion of C2.

I haven't seen any mention of whether they will proceed with any of the C3 tasks if the full objectives can't be met for some reason (consistent with ISS safety, of course). 

For example, does ISS MOD still plan to perform the C3 tasks through the attitude hold at 30m if the Dragon PGDF doesn't deploy for some reason?

[Jorge]

If NASA says that they are ready to carry out the mission plus the COTS 3 objectives, they are.

NASA hasn't said that *yet*, and won't say it until the GO/NO-GO poll after the successful completion of C2. What NASA says *now* is that SpaceX will be given a GO for C3 pending completion of C2.

I haven't seen any mention of whether they will proceed with any of the C3 tasks if the full objectives can't be met for some reason (consistent with ISS safety, of course). 

For example, does ISS MOD still plan to perform the C3 tasks through the attitude hold at 30m if the Dragon PGDF doesn't deploy for some reason?

I would guess not. The Dragon LIDARs are behind the PGDF door so if the PGDF cannot be confirmed deployed, there is no guarantee the LIDARs will lock on and therefore NO-GO within 250 m.

(and it's an FRGF, not a PGDF).

[rsnellenberger]

Thanks, Jorge!

[mr. mark]

New NASA article

'California-based Space Exploration Technologies, known as SpaceX, is preparing to launch an ambitious mission to dock its Dragon spacecraft to the space station and return it to Earth. The spacecraft will not have a crew, but will carry about 1,200 pounds of cargo that the astronauts and cosmonauts living on the station will be able to use. The capsule will go into space atop a Falcon 9 rocket also built by SpaceX".

 http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/cargo/spacex_launchpreview.html

[Space Pete]

From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 18/04/2012.

In Node 3, Don installed the CCR (Cupola Crew Restraint) at the Cup RWS (Robotic Workstation) in preparation for the subsequent SSRMS OBT (Space Station Remote Manipulator System Onboard Training) session (later removing it again), and also set up the SSRMS DOUG (Dynamic Onboard Ubiquitous Graphics) application. [DOUG is a special application running on the MSS (Mobile Service System) RWS (Robotics Workstation) laptops that provides a graphical birdseye-view image of the external station configuration and the SSRMS arm, showing its real-time location and configuration on a laptop during its operation. CCR serves to stabilize an SSRMS operator at the worksite in micro-g, acting similar to a “seat belt”.]

Kuipers & Pettit then spent ~2hrs on the first (of three) Space-X Demo Offset Grapple OBT (Onboard Training) sessions, practicing SSRMS misaligned grapple approaches in preparation for the Dragon capture. [Objectives of the OBT are: Familiarization with robotic operations from the Cupola RWS, practice good hand controller techniques and successful grapple approaches, and execute a Hot Backup transition and CCP (Crew Command Panel) relocation to the Lab RWS. There are a total of three SSRMS Offset Grapples sessions in the OBT plan for Dragon capture. For the sessions, the robotarm is pre-positioned at the PMM FRGF (Permanent Multipurpose Module Flight Releasable Grapple Fixture) High Hover Position, and the crew is free to complete misaligned grapple approaches to the PMM FRGF in order to familiarize themselves with operations from the Cupola RWS (volumetric constraints, stabilization, camera lighting, CCP lighting, etc.). During the final session, Don & André have the opportunity to practice a full Hot Backup transition, including the CCP relocation to the Lab RWS in the 3rd session.]

[JBF]

New NASA article

'California-based Space Exploration Technologies, known as SpaceX, is preparing to launch an ambitious mission to dock its Dragon spacecraft to the space station and return it to Earth. The spacecraft will not have a crew, but will carry about 1,200 pounds of cargo that the astronauts and cosmonauts living on the station will be able to use. The capsule will go into space atop a Falcon 9 rocket also built by SpaceX".

 http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/cargo/spacex_launchpreview.html

Here is another interesting quote from that release.

"Every big project is going to have various technical challenges," Horkachuck said. "One of the refreshing things has been, once you convince SpaceX they need to make a change and it's the right thing to do from a technical perspective, they just go off and do it. There's not a lot of wrangling."

[Antares]

Word to the wise: not taking NASA government any managers at face value in public statements generally results in a more accurate view of the future.  "In God we Trust.  All others bring data."

[dcporter]

Word to the wise: not taking NASA government any managers at face value in public statements generally results in a more accurate view of the future.  "In God we Trust.  All others bring data."

True, but, if you assume an environment in which only positive-sounding things are sayable, you can learn a lot by paying attention to *which* positive-sounding things get said. See for example: Job recommendations, DVD making-of featurettes. SpaceX is getting paid a narrow, specific complement here.

[Kabloona]

Word to the wise: not taking NASA government any managers at face value in public statements generally results in a more accurate view of the future.  "In God we Trust.  All others bring data."

True, but, if you assume an environment in which only positive-sounding things are sayable, you can learn a lot by paying attention to *which* positive-sounding things get said. See for example: Job recommendations, DVD making-of featurettes. SpaceX is getting paid a narrow, specific complement here.

Yes, and no one forced Horkachuck to utter the phrases " very good experience...much more cooperative than typical government contract...good relationship with partner...outstanding way of doing business..."

I've worked at least one major NASA program on the contractor side where the relationship was quite tense, and the NASA PM wouldn't have uttered those words if a gun had been put to his head.

[oldAtlas_Eguy]

New NASA article

'California-based Space Exploration Technologies, known as SpaceX, is preparing to launch an ambitious mission to dock its Dragon spacecraft to the space station and return it to Earth. The spacecraft will not have a crew, but will carry about 1,200 pounds of cargo that the astronauts and cosmonauts living on the station will be able to use. The capsule will go into space atop a Falcon 9 rocket also built by SpaceX".

 http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/cargo/spacex_launchpreview.html

Here is another interesting quote from that release.

"Every big project is going to have various technical challenges," Horkachuck said. "One of the refreshing things has been, once you convince SpaceX they need to make a change and it's the right thing to do from a technical perspective, they just go off and do it. There's not a lot of wrangling."

So very true. No contract mods required and the inherint delays associated with it.

[Jim]

So very true. No contract mods required and the inherint delays associated with it.

not unique to spacex

[oldAtlas_Eguy]

So very true. No contract mods required and the inherint delays associated with it.

not unique to spacex

Yes, any service oriented contract where the contractor owned the hardware design and is responsible for it has similar contractual situation. The EELV contracts come to mind, since ULA is responsible for the design and has co-ownership of designs with the parent companies. But I could be mistaken as to how much liberty ULA has to make design changes without Air Force approval.

added - OOPS! Any further discusion of this should move the the General Discussion and not be in this thread.

[ChefPat]

Updates in the update thread please.

[mr. mark]

Here's a great update from astronaut Don Pettit on the ISS. A brief explanation of berthing activities from a crew perspective.

!

[Robotbeat]

I love how eager he is to get some "goodies" like fresh fruit.

Might have to make do with cheese.

[Kabloona]

I love how eager he is to get some "goodies" like fresh fruit.

Might have to make do with cheese.

Fresh fruit and cheese go well together...and maybe a surreptitious bottle of naturally carbonated and aged grape juice to celebrate?

(OK, sorry, back to updates only...)

[ChefPat]

I think he may have been dropping a not so subtle hint.