Space Stuff and Launch Info

In summary, the SpaceX Dragon launch is upcoming, and it appears to be successful. The article has a lot of good information about the upcoming mission, as well as some interesting observations about the Great Red Spot.
  • #456
davenn said:
look like the typical "hot pixels" on the imaging chip. You will see them on most cameras
I had figured it was just random artifact business going on, I only mentioned it because I'm watching how the hardware fares in the radiation environment. They don't expect the cam to survive most of the orbits so I watch for degradation (Definitely have the "hot pixel" look as opposed to the Cosmic ray streaks one usually notices). :smile:
 
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  • #457
The Sun is Dimming as Solar Minimum Approaches
(e.g. see https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...ther-update-thread.923468/page-3#post-5904218)

+ (quote from Spaceweather.com [a couple of days ago]) "Today (Dec. 15, 2017) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, SpaceX launched a new sensor to the International Space Station named "TSIS-1." Its mission: to measure the dimming of the sun. As the sunspot cycle plunges toward its 11-year minimum, NASA satellites are tracking a slight but significant decline in total solar irradiance (TSI). TSIS-1 will monitor this dimming with better precision than previous satellites as Solar Minimum approaches in the years ahead. Visit today's edition of Spaceweather.com to learn more about TSIS-1 and natural variations in the sun's electromagnetic output."
 
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  • #458
In addition to the successful SpaceX recycling mission (two out of three parts reused!) we also had a successful Soyuz launch with crew. They do a slow approach and will reach the ISS on Tuesday.

The Electron rocket had ignition already, but the attempt was aborted, and after a few more delays the launch was shifted to the first quarter of 2018. We still get the second attempt to get SS-520 in orbit after the failure in January, unless that is shifted as well.

2018 in spaceflight will be very interesting as well. Dragon 2 and maybe CST-100 are planned to launch humans to the ISS, the first manned US launches since 2011. Falcon Heavy will become the largest operational rocket, and we'll see many more and probably much faster reflights of boosters. InSight goes to Mars, BepiColombo goes to Mercury, Hayabusa 2 and OSIRIS-REx arrive at their target asteroids. Some teams might finally launch something to the Moon to win the Google X-prize. China might launch something to the Moon and start their modular space station in Earth orbit.
All that (minus things that shift to 2019) in 12 monthsSpaceX first stage landing. The 16th successful landing in a row (and the second landing for this particular booster) - it is getting routine. Another reuse is planned for December 23.
 
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  • #459
And the list goes on ...
 
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  • #460
SLS/Orion and JWST shifted to 2019 already. SLS/Orion are likely to shift to 2020.
 
  • #461
Seems that postponing is part of the game
 
  • #463
Stavros Kiri said:
(Which one do you think as your favourite, or the most important one?)
The neutron star merger and Tabby's star. I like the others as well, but they mainly confirm things we strongly expected before already. Observing gravitational waves from neutron star mergers is something completely new. And KIC [number] is weird as always.

For spaceflight, my favorite is clearly the re-use of Falcon 9 boosters (another one coming up in precisely 24 hours).
 
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  • #464
mfb said:
I like the others as well, but they mainly confirm things we strongly expected before already. Observing gravitational waves from neutron star mergers is something completely new.
True. My choices are pretty much along the same lines too.
mfb said:
the re-use of Falcon 9 boosters (another one coming up in precisely 24 hours)
SpaceX, Japan Launching Satellites Back to Back Tonight: Watch Live
Here is something interesting:
"The communications company Iridium is therefore poised to become the first SpaceX customer ever to fly multiple missions with the same Falcon 9 first stage.

Today's liftoff will be the last one for this particular first stage, however: SpaceX does not plan to bring it down for a landing, company representatives have said.

To date, SpaceX has landed first stages 20 times during Falcon 9 launches and has reflown four of these landed boosters."
(From the linked source)

See also:
"Watch Live Tonight! SpaceX & Japan Launching Satellite Missions @ 8:26 pm ET"
(https://www.space.com/17933-nasa-television-webcasts-live-space-tv.html)
 
  • #468
If we go by raw number of discoveries, 2016 wins.
Towards the end of 2018 we might get first results from TESS. In 2019 we will probably get first results from JWST and CHEOPS, in the following year we'll get many more results from all three. Around 2022 we get thousands to tens of thousands of exoplanets from Gaia, although they will all be Jupiter-like. Starting 2024-2025 we get results from ELT. From 2027+ on PLATO will find Earth-like exoplanets routinely.

Which year is not an exoplanet year?
 
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  • #469
mfb said:
If we go by raw number of discoveries, 2016 wins.
Towards the end of 2018 we might get first results from TESS. In 2019 we will probably get first results from JWST and CHEOPS, in the following year we'll get many more results from all three. Around 2022 we get thousands to tens of thousands of exoplanets from Gaia, although they will all be Jupiter-like. Starting 2024-2025 we get results from ELT. From 2027+ on PLATO will find Earth-like exoplanets routinely.

Which year is not an exoplanet year?
True. Trappist-1 was in 2017 though! ...
(https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/7-exoplanets-around-trappist-1.904810/)
 
  • #470
Stavros Kiri said:
(Should we renounce 2017 as "Exoplanet year", or something, ... ?)
May be "TRAPPIST-1 [System] year" then. That perhaps was a breakthrough and a turn point in the "exoplanets business" ... [in 2017] and more significant events this year in that era, each one unique in their own way (see quoted re-cap link above). That makes 2017 overall a significant year for those matters, I think.

Note: TRAPPIST alone is a name (acronym as well as backronym) for a pair of telescopes project (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRAPPIST)
 
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  • #471
Full Wolf Moon last night, the first of two Supermoons in 2018, both of them in January. Thus, also, Blue Moon this month. And check this out: the second one (Jan. 31), [blue supermoon] happens during a total lunar eclipse. The first Blue Moon Total Lunar Eclipse in 150 Years!

Full Wolf Moon: New Year's Supermoon Is the Biggest of the Year

The full moon was at 9:24 p.m. EST [Jan 1] (0224 GMT Tuesday Jan. 2). That peak came hours after the moon reached perigee, its closest point to Earth for the month, at 4:54 p.m. EST (2154 GMT).

["At that time, according to EarthSky.org, the moon will be about 221,559 miles (356,565 kilometers) from Earth. [Supermoon Secrets: 7 Surprising Big Moon Facts]" ]But, actually we are talking about a Supermoon Trilogy:

"January's supermoon is actually the second of three back-to-back supermoon full moons to come in the next two months. The full moon also occurred near perigee on Dec. 3 and will again on Jan. 31, according to NASA, which billed the line up as a supermoon trilogy. The Jan. 31 supermoon is also the second full moon of January, making it a blue moon, and also occurs during a total lunar eclipse."
 
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  • #474
mfb said:
The Electron rocket had ignition already, but the attempt was aborted, and after a few more delays the launch was shifted to the first quarter of 2018. We still get the second attempt to get SS-520 in orbit after the failure in January, unless that is shifted as well.
Both launched and reached orbit in the meantime, SS-520 today.

Electron is the first rocket with an electric turbopump to reach orbit, and the first orbital launch from the southern hemisphere in several decades. RocketLab claims they can launch more than one rocket per week, targeting the small satellite and cubesat market with the payload of up to 200 kg. The Electron rocket has a mass of 10.5 tonnes.

SS-520 is the smallest and lightest rocket to ever reach orbit, with a total mass of just 2.6 tonnes, a height of 9.5 meters and a diameter of just 52 cm. You might be able to reach fully around it with your arms (163 cm circumference). It can deliver just 4 kg to orbit - still enough for a cubesat that doesn't find a launch opportunity elsewhere.SpaceX plans to do about half of the planned 30 launches in 2018 with reused boosters.

The planned FH launch is just 3 days 2 hours away.
 
  • #477
This "anniversary" photo popped up in my twitter feed this morning:

shuttle.atomic.oxygen.glow.Sts062-42-026.png

March 6, 1994
STS-62
Atomic oxygen glow around the rear section of the space shuttle.
[refs: wiki Day 3, NASA Day three? see below]

NASA STS-62
Launch March 4, 1994; 8:53:01am EST
On Flight Day Three (Sunday, March 3, 1994)
Flight Day 4 began Monday, March 7, 1994 at 12:53 a.m.​

It would appear, that those rocket scientists, can make typos, also.
Either that, or they've been doing time travel experiments. :oldsurprised:
 

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  • #478
Weird coincidence? This just popped up in my Facebook feed:

AirglowRings_Wang_1080.jpg

APOD, 2016.03.06
Colorful Airglow Bands Surround Milky Way
Image Credit & Copyright: Xiaohan Wang

Is it "Atomic glow day", or something?
 

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  • #479
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk...tealthy-startup-of-launching-rogue-satellites
The only problem is, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had dismissed Swarm’s application for its experimental satellites a month earlier, on safety grounds. The FCC is responsible for regulating commercial satellites, including minimizing the chance of accidents in space. It feared that the four SpaceBees now orbiting the Earth would pose an unacceptable collision risk for other spacecraft .

If confirmed, this would be the first ever unauthorized launch of commercial satellites.

 
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  • #480
mfb said:
The neutron star merger and Tabby's star. I like the others as well, but they mainly confirm things we strongly expected before already. Observing gravitational waves from neutron star mergers is something completely new. And KIC [number] is weird as always.

For spaceflight, my favorite is clearly the re-use of Falcon 9 boosters (another one coming up in precisely 24 hours).
You nailed it, IMO!
 
  • #483
Stavros Kiri said:
Stephen Hawking died today March 14, on Einstein's birthday! ...
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/stephen-hawking-dies-14-03-2018.942073/
Well, there is some evidence that dying people can hang on until some date or event occurs that is especially meaningful to them. E.g., Muslims & Ramadan: Since, over time, Ramadan occurs throughout the year, it's possible to control for seasonal effects. (However, that's a finding of many years ago, so it's possible that it's been disproven since.)
 
  • #484
JMz said:
Well, there is some evidence that dying people can hang on until some date or event occurs that is especially meaningful to them. E.g., Muslims & Ramadan: Since, over time, Ramadan occurs throughout the year, it's possible to control for seasonal effects. (However, that's a finding of many years ago, so it's possible that it's been disproven since.)
What about being born (i.e. Hawking) on Galileo's death date? [Jan 8] (Another Physicist's coincidence, I guess ...)
 
  • #485
Stavros Kiri said:
What about being born (i.e. Hawking) on Galileo's death date? [Jan 8] (Another Physicist's coincidence, I guess ...)
I don't believe he had much choice about that. But it's a nice one, to be sure!
 
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  • #487
That is unfortunate, but not too tragic. It surpassed its goals by a huge margin. Even the K2 mission alone would have been great. In 2013, as the critical reaction wheel failed, someone wanted to put the whole German Wikipedia article into the past ("was a space telescope") and so on. See how much it discovered since then!
Kepler revolutionized our knowledge about exoplanets, and lead the way to the next-generation telescopes.

We don't have to wait long: TESS will be launched April 16th. CHEOPS will be launched towards the end of the year. While TESS should find more planets than Kepler did, the focus is now on measuring their properties instead of just collecting them.
 
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  • #490
:-( (There is no button for "Thanks for the post, but I regret the content of what you posted.")
 

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