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#180
by
edkyle99
on 18 Apr, 2019 04:18
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At wiralliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Antares-Status-8-Aug-2018.pptx
I found the following document which I haven't seen posted here - apologies if it is a duplicate
It gives the planned OA-11 Cygnus launch mass as 7300 kg, an increase over the OA-10 mass of 7150 kg,
and confirms the launch used the standard Antares 230 (also confirmed by the callout during launch of interstage separation - I belive the 230+ doesn't have the interstage?)
Not sure what's going on here. Look at the delta between OA-5 and OA-8. Cargo upmass increased by 150 kg, but "total Cygnus payload mass" increased by 987 kg.
- Ed Kyle
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#181
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 18 Apr, 2019 06:25
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The above document also describes the plans for ThinSats as they were on NG-10 (delayed to NG-11 at the last minute). It confirms there were three, not 12, CSD 3U dispensers.
Each dispenser can carry 21 thinsat segments.
If each 3U dispenser has three 6T strings and one 3T string, that would make 12 strings (satellites)
totalling 63T, but apparently there are ony 60T - perhaps one dispenser is 2 x 6T and 2 x 3T.
Gunter lists the strings as
Type 1: 3 connected units (ThinSat 3T)
Type 2: 6 connected units (ThinSat 6T)
Type 3: 5 connected double units (ThinSat Double Plus 4T)
There are three Type 1's, six Type 2's and three Type 3's. That gives a total of 3x3 + 6x6 + 3x5 = 60 Thinsats.
https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/thinsat-1.htm
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#182
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 18 Apr, 2019 06:40
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Please note: I say this because the two companies in direct position to know - who have both said 61 - are being called out as inaccurate. I didn't think we were a site that did that. Maybe all 61 are in bundles that make 13 deployments. But deployments are not satellites. There are 61 satellites.
PAO's are human beings and are therefore prone to error. Although usually reliable, PAO's can and do make mistakes due to misunderstandings, misremembering, etc. Journalists can also make mistakes for the same reasons. Myself and others can mistakes as well. Together though, we can correct each other so as to provide the most accurate information possible.
So if we are going to assert that NASA and NGIS are wrong on their counts (in NGIS's case, wrong in what they put on their rocket), then we need to link proof from NGIS and NASA.
NASA and NGIS are secondary sources of information on Thinsat. The direct source is Virginia Space, where I have given several references showing that the plan is to launch the Thinsats in groups. Here's just one of the many drawings showing this.
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#183
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 18 Apr, 2019 12:13
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https://twitter.com/johnkrausphotos/status/1118845836979519489I’m thrilled to share my first remote camera video — also featuring rocket tracking! 🎥 🚀
Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket launches the Cygnus resupply capsule to the International Space Station, as seen in this video taken from a few hundred feet away.
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#184
by
jcm
on 18 Apr, 2019 14:06
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At wiralliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Antares-Status-8-Aug-2018.pptx
I found the following document which I haven't seen posted here - apologies if it is a duplicate
It gives the planned OA-11 Cygnus launch mass as 7300 kg, an increase over the OA-10 mass of 7150 kg,
and confirms the launch used the standard Antares 230 (also confirmed by the callout during launch of interstage separation - I belive the 230+ doesn't have the interstage?)
Not sure what's going on here. Look at the delta between OA-5 and OA-8. Cargo upmass increased by 150 kg, but "total Cygnus payload mass" increased by 987 kg.
- Ed Kyle
Here, "Total Cygnus payload mass" should be read as "Total payload mass orbited by Antares, i.e. the Cygnus considered as a payload" (as opposed to "user payload carried by the Cygnus").
So the 987 kg is 150 kg cargo and 837 kg increase in Cygnus itself, presumably systems supporting the new post-undock long term operations capability, including extra propellant perhaps?
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#185
by
ChrisGebhardt
on 18 Apr, 2019 16:27
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NASA and NGIS folks (in the interview on L2 and in the launch article) both said 60 ThinSats and 1 NASA-sponsored CubeSat. I even called NGIS afterward to make sure. It's 61.
Yes, there are 60 Thinsats, but these are tied together in groups of 3, 6 or 5, making up a total of 12 satellites. I incorrectly stated that each satellite was a Thinsat carrying several payloads, when it was in fact each satellite being several Thinsats tied together. Sorry for the confusion! Nevertheless, it is still a total of 13 satellites that are being deployed.
See Gunter's web page and attached documents for the details.
https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/thinsat-1.htm
Ok. I mean, NASA and NGIS both said 61. But cool. 13.
Please note: I say this because the two companies in direct position to know - who have both said 61 - are being called out as inaccurate. I didn't think we were a site that did that. Maybe all 61 are in bundles that make 13 deployments. But deployments are not satellites. There are 61 satellites. So if we are going to assert that NASA and NGIS are wrong on their counts (in NGIS's case, wrong in what they put on their rocket), then we need to link proof from NGIS and NASA.
I hear you, but I am confident that Steven is right and NGIS/NASA are wrong in this particular case.
(for values of 'wrong' meaning 'using a stupid definition of "satellite" that isn't what anyone else uses')
OK. Then I need something I can go back to NASA and NGIS with to have a talk with them about giving out false information. If others outside of their orgs are correct and NGIS and NASA are purposefully giving out wrong information (note, it wasn't just PAOs who said this to me in recorded interviews and on double checks afterward), they need to made aware of this and complaints filed. And I am very serious about this. It's not an overreaction either. If media are purposeful fed wrong information, that's a big deal and we need to take steps to correct this.
So my request stands... I need NASA and NGIS documents that officially says 13 instead of 61. If we don't have that, then those in positions to know what is on their rocket is what we should go with. Bundles/Deployments aren't satellites.
Please note: I say this because the two companies in direct position to know - who have both said 61 - are being called out as inaccurate. I didn't think we were a site that did that. Maybe all 61 are in bundles that make 13 deployments. But deployments are not satellites. There are 61 satellites.
PAO's are human beings and are therefore prone to error. Although usually reliable, PAO's can and do make mistakes due to misunderstandings, misremembering, etc. Journalists can also make mistakes for the same reasons. Myself and others can mistakes as well. Together though, we can correct each other so as to provide the most accurate information possible.
So if we are going to assert that NASA and NGIS are wrong on their counts (in NGIS's case, wrong in what they put on their rocket), then we need to link proof from NGIS and NASA.
NASA and NGIS are secondary sources of information on Thinsat. The direct source is Virginia Space, where I have given several references showing that the plan is to launch the Thinsats in groups. Here's just one of the many drawings showing this.
So ThinStats say 21 (from a screengrab that is 2 years out of date). NGIS and NASA (mangers and engineers and PAOs) say 60 ThinSats and 1 NASA CubeSats. So far, not seeing an official "13 satellites, not 61".
The above document also describes the plans for ThinSats as they were on NG-10 (delayed to NG-11 at the last minute). It confirms there were three, not 12, CSD 3U dispensers.
Each dispenser can carry 21 thinsat segments.
If each 3U dispenser has three 6T strings and one 3T string, that would make 12 strings (satellites)
totalling 63T, but apparently there are ony 60T - perhaps one dispenser is 2 x 6T and 2 x 3T.
Gunter lists the strings as
Type 1: 3 connected units (ThinSat 3T)
Type 2: 6 connected units (ThinSat 6T)
Type 3: 5 connected double units (ThinSat Double Plus 4T)
There are three Type 1's, six Type 2's and three Type 3's. That gives a total of 3x3 + 6x6 + 3x5 = 60 Thinsats.
https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/thinsat-1.htm
OK. So there are 60 ThinSats plus the NASA-sponsored CubeSat. So 61 -- as NGIS and NASA have said.
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#186
by
gongora
on 18 Apr, 2019 18:18
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#187
by
Sam Ho
on 18 Apr, 2019 18:35
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The SSC18 paper describing the ThinSat Program sidesteps the question of whether a ThinSat is a satellite. It refers to ThinSats, and the ThinSat bus, of which we all agree there are 60 aboard NG-11.
ThinSats can be grouped in multiples of 3 to form Strings. The ThinSat bus has two configurations: Mothership and Daughtership. A String must have at least one Mothership (which has a GPS and camera). A Daughtership ThinSat cannot fly independently; it must be part of a String with a Mothership.
Strings can then be grouped into Stacks. Stacks fit into CSDs at 3U for every 21T.
From an attitude and orbit perspective, a String is the unit. From a commanding perspective, the ThinSat is the unit.
To add one further wrinkle, the connections between ThinSats in a String can be articulating fanfolds with additional solar cells on them, so they may be more than just passive wires.
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#188
by
Rondaz
on 18 Apr, 2019 21:20
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NASA TV Broadcasts Friday Arrival of U.S. Resupply Ship to Station
Mark Garcia Posted on April 18, 2019
A Northrop Grumman cargo ship carrying about 7,600 pounds of science and research investigations, supplies, and hardware is set to arrive to the International Space Station early Friday morning. The uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft launched at 4:46 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 17 on an Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
When Cygnus, dubbed the S.S. Roger Chaffee, arrives to the space station on Friday, April 19, Expedition 59 Flight Engineer Anne McClain will use the space station’s robotic arm to take hold of the spacecraft at about 5:30 a.m. Fellow crew member David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency will assist McClain. NASA astronaut Nick Hague will monitor Cygnus systems during its approach for capture. After Cygnus’ capture, ground controllers will command the station’s arm to rotate and install it on the bottom of the station’s Unity module for a three-month stay.
Live coverage will begin on NASA TV at 4 a.m. and return to the air at 7 a.m. for installation coverage. Watch at
www.nasa.gov/livehttps://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/04/18/nasa-tv-broadcasts-friday-arrival-of-u-s-resupply-ship-to-station/
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#189
by
catdlr
on 18 Apr, 2019 23:31
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Northrop Grumman Cygnus CRS 11 Launch April 17, 2019
NASA Video
Published on Apr 18, 2019
U.S. COMMERCIAL CARGO SHIP HEADS TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket launched April 17 from Pad 0A at the Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, carrying the unpiloted Cygnus cargo craft to orbit for its journey to deliver several tons of supplies and scientific experiments to the International Space Station. Dubbed the “SS Roger Chaffee” in honor of the NASA astronaut who died in the Apollo 1 launch pad fire in January 1967, Cygnus is scheduled to arrive at the station on April 19, where it will be captured by Expedition 59 Flight Engineers Anne McClain of NASA and David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency using the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Robotic flight controllers will then maneuver Cygnus for its installation to the Earth-facing port of the Unity module where it will spend three months.
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#190
by
ChrisGebhardt
on 19 Apr, 2019 00:01
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Northrop Grumman confirms all 60 ThinSats and 1 NASA-sponsored 3U CubeSat (SAFFI2) deployed as planned from the Castor 30XL upper stage of Antares
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#191
by
theonlyspace
on 19 Apr, 2019 08:36
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436 AM April 19 2019
Cynus is currently holding at the 250 meter Hold Point until given Go for the next milestone
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#192
by
Chris Bergin
on 19 Apr, 2019 08:38
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#193
by
Chris Bergin
on 19 Apr, 2019 08:40
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#194
by
Chris Bergin
on 19 Apr, 2019 09:04
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#195
by
theonlyspace
on 19 Apr, 2019 09:05
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At 30 meter hold point
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#196
by
theonlyspace
on 19 Apr, 2019 09:14
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nice view of the vehicile as it in daytime heading into capture point
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#197
by
theonlyspace
on 19 Apr, 2019 09:16
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Can anyone get some good screen shots?
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#198
by
Chris Bergin
on 19 Apr, 2019 09:20
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#199
by
theonlyspace
on 19 Apr, 2019 09:21
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Stand by for capture go for capture