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

[A_M_Swallow]

They could always put a bottle of orange juice in.

[StephenB]

Cheese has been sent into space before. But the same cheese has never been sent into space twice. Hm.

[manboy]

Cheese has been sent into space before. But the same cheese has never been sent into space twice. Hm.

[corrodedNut]

"Working with the real robotic arm again today. Practicing to grapple and dock the Dragon spacecraft."

http://www.flickr.com/photos/astro_andre/7089725005/

PS: Is that CUCU at the bottom of the frame?

[billh]

"Working with the real robotic arm again today. Practicing to grapple and dock the Dragon spacecraft."

http://www.flickr.com/photos/astro_andre/7089725005/

PS: Is that CUCU at the bottom of the frame?

Looks like part of the controls for the arm. (You can read the text in the larger resolution image.)

[Space Pete]

PS: Is that CUCU at the bottom of the frame?

Nope, that's part of the RWS. The CUCU is located in an ExPrESS rack in the Lab.

[corrodedNut]

PS: Is that CUCU at the bottom of the frame?

Nope, that's part of the RWS. The CUCU is located in an ExPrESS rack in the Lab.

Does it have to stay there? What will they do, relay verbal commands?

[Space Pete]

PS: Is that CUCU at the bottom of the frame?

Nope, that's part of the RWS. The CUCU is located in an ExPrESS rack in the Lab.

Does it have to stay there? What will they do, relay verbal commands?

In the Cupola, there will be a Crew Command Panel (CCP) which is the device the crew actually use to send commands to the Dragon. The CCP is connected to the CUCU via intra-module jumpers, and the CUCU is in turn connected to one of the ISS' UHF antennas. But the crew don't directly interact with the CUCU during the capture (think of the CUCU as a relay box between Dragon and ISS signals).

So, it goes CCP > CUCU > UHF antenna > Dragon.

[Space Pete]

Dragon capture training (so wish they would publicly release that simulation).

Hi-res available here: http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-30/html/iss030e235592.html

[corrodedNut]

In the Cupola, there will be a Crew Command Panel (CCP) which is the device the crew actually use to send commands to the Dragon. The CCP is connected to the CUCU via intra-module jumpers, and the CUCU is in turn connected to one of the ISS' UHF antennas. But the crew don't directly interact with the CUCU during the capture (think of the CUCU as a relay box between Dragon and ISS signals).

So, it goes CCP > CUCU > UHF antenna > Dragon.

Thanks for the explanation.

I found this picture, so the CUCU (on the left) stays in the Lab rack, the controller (right) is hand-held in the Cupola. I was confusing CUCU with the controller.

[Chris Bergin]

About to start a SpaceX article shortly. Will be about the manifest details and I think we've got the mission patch before anyone else via L2 via one of the presentations we got this week (not sure, I don't "do" patches ), but I'll add it to the article.

[Space Pete]

I found this picture, so the CUCU (on the left) stays in the Lab rack, the controller (right) is hand-held in the Cupola. I was confusing CUCU with the controller.

Yup, you've got it.

[dragon44]

New pictures of Dragon cargo loading from NASA.

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=225

[Jim]

New pictures of Dragon cargo loading from NASA.

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=225

That makes me nostalgic from my Spacehab days

[Lee Jay]

SpaceX isn't obeying the labels. 

http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/medium/2012-2518-m.jpg

[oiorionsbelt]

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/imageviewer.cfm?mediaid=59151&mr=l&w=0&h=0&fn=2012-2518&sn=KSC-2012-2518

What's a "Dragon IMV Door"?
On the port side is that a 'blocked' window?
Also what's the clear glass bubble just below the port sign?

[manboy]

Some new docs added to the NASA page

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/641019main_pk_overview.pdf

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/641018main_pk_objectives.pdf

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/640968main_spacex_manifest_042012.pdf

[iamlucky13]

Some new docs added to the NASA page

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/641019main_pk_overview.pdf

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/641018main_pk_objectives.pdf

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/640968main_spacex_manifest_042012.pdf

Excellent. The manifest!

Going up:
- 117 standard meals. 45 low sodium meals
- Crew clothing
- "Pantry items"
- Module 9 nano-racks with student experiments
- Spare cargo bags
- Laptop, batteries, related supplies
- "Official flight kit" (Is this just the cargo manifest, or might it contain wensleydale?)

Going down:
- "Crew preference items"
- Hardware from several past experiments
- Some ISS hardware bits
- Some EVA-gear sized for previous crew members

[Lee Jay]

No cheese?  Some will be outraged.

[Chris Bergin]

Article on the cargo manifest, the importance of the downmass element and includes the mission patch that's on one L2 document, but we don't know if it's the official one.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/04/cargo-up-down-spacexs-dragon-demonstrate-importance-downmass/

Will give the article a standalone thread.