Archive for the ‘Space News’ Category
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April 24th, 2023
Image credit: SpaceX/Inside Outer Space screengrab
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will oversee a “mishap investigation” of last week’s Starship/Super Heavy test mission.
According to an FAA statement provided to Inside Outer Space, “an anomaly occurred during the ascent and prior to stage separation resulting in a loss of the vehicle. No injuries or public property damage have been reported.”
Image credit: SpaceX
A return to flight of the Starship/Super Heavy vehicle, the statement adds, “is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety. This is standard practice for all mishap investigations.”
The FAA is responsible for protecting the public during commercial space transportation launch and reentry operations.
For a technical dive into the Starship flight, go to: “SpaceX’s Massive Rocket Explodes Due to Rapid Unscheduled Digging by Scott Manley at: https://youtu.be/w8q24QLXixo
Also, go to: “4K – Witnessing the most powerful rocket launch in history (with HQ AUDIO!)” by Trevor Mahlmann at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KLMDZzbvl8&t=2s
Image credit: SpaceX/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Failure modes
Meanwhile, Launchspace, an educational and training organization for space professionals, has posted “Potential Failure Modes of SpaceX’s Starship.”
Launchspace notes that on April 20 the SpaceX’s new Starship system lifted off from the company’s southeast Texas spaceport.
“This was an historic event because the Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. The ship ascended smoothly for the first several minutes, but as the vehicle approached the moment of stage separation an anomaly occurred that resulted in a massive disintegration and a fireball before falling into the Gulf of Mexico.”
Not without risk
The Starship system is still in the development phase, Launchspace adds, “with several potential failure modes that could impact its success,” citing important potential failure modes of the system:
1. Engine Failure: One of the most critical components of the Starship is its rocket engines. The Starship uses Raptor engines, which are powered by liquid methane and liquid oxygen. These engines are designed to provide the necessary thrust to reach orbit and beyond. However, engine failure can occur due to a variety of reasons, including malfunctioning valves, leaks or issues with the fuel supply. An engine failure during takeoff or landing could result in a catastrophic failure.
Image credit: SpaceX/Inside Outer Space screengrab
2. Heat Shield Failure: The Starship must withstand extreme temperatures during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. To protect the spacecraft and its crew, the Starship is equipped with a heat shield made of ceramic tiles. If the heat shield fails, the spacecraft could burn up during re-entry or suffer significant damage, potentially resulting in the loss of the vehicle and its crew.
3. Structural Failure: The Starship is a complex vehicle with many structural components that must work together seamlessly. Any failure in the structure could lead to a catastrophic failure. Structural failure could occur due to manufacturing defects, corrosion or unexpected loads during flight.
4. Software Failure: The Starship relies heavily on software to control its flight and operations. Software failure could occur due to bugs, unexpected inputs or hardware malfunctions. A software failure could lead to a loss of control, potentially resulting in a crash or collision with other objects in space.
5. Communications Failure: Communications are essential for any space vehicle, and the Starship is no exception. Flight systems must communicate with ground control to receive commands and relay critical information back to Earth. A communications failure could occur due to hardware or software issues, interference or other factors. If communications are lost, the vehicle may be unable to complete its mission or return safely to Earth.
Image credit: SpaceX/Inside Outer Space screengrab
6. Propellant Tank Failure: The Starship uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen as fuel. These fuels are highly volatile and require careful handling and storage. A tank failure could occur due to leaks, over-pressurization, or other issues. Such a failure could result in an explosion, causing significant damage to the vehicle and potentially harming its crew.
7. Environmental Hazards: Space is a harsh environment, and the Starship must be able to withstand a range of hazards, including radiation, micrometeoroids and extreme temperatures. If the vehicle is unable to withstand these hazards, it could suffer significant damage or failure.
8. Human Error: Despite the advanced technology of the Starship, human error is always a potential failure mode. Mistakes in design, testing or operations could result in the loss of the vehicle and its crew. To minimize the risk of human error, SpaceX has implemented rigorous testing and safety protocols.
In conclusion, LaunchSpace explains, “the potential failure modes of SpaceX’s Starship are numerous and complex. While the Starship represents a significant advancement in space exploration technology, it is not without risk. To mitigate these risks, SpaceX has invested heavily in testing and safety protocols, but the success of the Starship ultimately depends on its ability to withstand the many hazards of space and its ability to operate reliably in a variety of environments.”
Posted in 
Curiosity’s location as of Sol 3805. Distance driven to that Sol: 18.58 miles/29.9 kilometers.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing Sol 3807 duties.
The robot’s recent drive has been spotlighted by Lucy Thompson, a planetary geologist at the University of New Brunswick; Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.
Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3806, April 21, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“It has been tricky for our intrepid Mars explorer as we have tried to pick our way through this small canyon as we exit marker band valley,” Thompson reports. “There are abundant large blocks that we are trying to avoid and sand patches that are potential slip hazards for the rover.”
Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3806, April 21, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Blocks and sand
Unluckily, as Curiosity attempted to back up from the previous parking spot before driving forward, rover controllers encountered some of these blocks and sand such that the planned drive did not execute any further, Thompson adds.
Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3806, April 21, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“An unforeseen bonus of driving backwards is that we had freshly scuffed sand and rock in our workspace,” Thompson notes. “As a geologist, any time I am in the field here on Earth looking at rocks, one of the first things I do is to use my hammer to expose fresh surfaces, which often reveal different colors and textures than on a weathered surface.”
Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3806, April 21, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Tricky terrain
At Gale crater, the only time researchers can investigate a freshly exposed rock surface is when the Mars machinery scuffs or breaks a rock from driving over it, “and then it is often behind us, so we are lucky to have the fresh surfaces in our workspace today,” Thompson points out.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image acquired on Sol 3806, April 21, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Unfortunately, because of the tricky terrain, Curiosity was not on stable enough ground to safely unstow the arm.
There was disappointment in that the rover science team could not get an Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) compositional measurement and close up Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) images of the fresh rock, which would require arm movement.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image acquired on Sol 3805, April 20, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Workspace science
Instead, a recent plan calls for utilization of the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) and Mastcam to investigate the chemistry and textures of the fresh rock and sand in the workspace.
“Paramaca” and “Pepejoe” are examples of the freshly exposed/scuffed bedrock, Thompson points out, “and we will also capture the wheel tracks in the sand with Mastcam. Looking further afield, researchers are also acquiring Mastcam and ChemCam Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) imaging of a possible channel feature (“Owentiek”) and a large boulder within the Gediz Vallis channel (“Ratunde”) respectively.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image acquired on Sol 3805, April 20, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“Curiosity will hopefully then weave her way through the sand and blocks, taking many steps forward to our next workspace,” Thompson adds.
Bedrock target
After the drive has completed, the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) is slated to image the new terrain beneath the rover, and ChemCam will acquire an Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science (AEGIS) compositional measurement from a bedrock target in the new workspace.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image acquired on Sol 3805, April 20, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
AEGIS is a software suite that permits the rover to autonomously detect and prioritize targets.
“Not to be left out, the environmental science team have also planned a full set of activities to continue monitoring the atmosphere. These include a Mastcam basic tau observation, as well as a Navcam 360 sky survey, line of sight image, large dust devil survey and suprahorizon movie,” Thompson reports.
Meanwhile, standard Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD), Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN), and Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) activities were to round out the plan.
Image credit: IBMP, Sirius-19 mission
Meet a space veteran of the first-things-first department of analog missions.
Analog trial-runs here on Earth can help train individuals primed and pumped for travel to the nearby Moon and distant Mars – with a majority of those taking part having hopes for later achieving the genuine thing.
Mission experiences
Anastasia Stepanova is a PhD student in space resources at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado.
Image credit: IBMP, Dry Immersion experiment
As the first female test subject, Stepanova carried out a “dry immersion” microgravity experiment orchestrated by the famed Institute of Biomedical Problems based in Moscow, Russia.
Stepanova also took part in the “Mars-160” analog mission organized by the Mars Society in the Utah desert, a two-part 14-day and 80-day long duration affair in 2014 and 2016. That was followed the next year by a 30-day long isolation experiment at the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station on Devon Island, also operated by the Mars Society.
Image credit: Mars Society Flashline station in Arctic
In 2019, Stepanova participated in the four-month “SIRIUS-19” lunar flight simulation experiment organized jointly by Russia’s famed Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) and NASA’s human research program.
Space journalism
But for good measure, toss into the mix her passion for space journalism – a keen ability to describe for the public her analog voyages.
In the early 2010s, Stepanova faced skepticism and mockery when she pursued her diploma in space journalism. She now holds a masters degree in journalism from the Moscow State University. She spent four years at the School of Space Journalism with Russian cosmonaut Yuriy Baturin. Together with two other journalists she co-wrote the book about cosmonautics called “I wish you a good flight.”
Book: I Wish You a Good Flight
Image courtesy: Anastasia Stepanova
In stick-to-itness fashion, she successfully highlighted the significance of space reporting and persuaded space organizations to grant journalists access to space experiments as part of the crew.
Public awareness
Moreover, her coverage and in-depth analysis have provided valuable insights and increased public awareness regarding the intricacies of her on-earth analog missions.
Through Stepanova’s keen eye and on-the-scene journalist reports, her reports on Mars 160, Sirius19, and the dry immersion undertakings resulted in significant contributions to the field.
For example, go to “Moon diaries: What is the lunar orbital home in Moscow like?” at:
https://www.rbth.com/science-and-tech/330952-lunar-orbit-moscow
Also, go to this video at:
For more information, go to this Space.com story – “Mars on Earth: What months of simulated astronaut missions taught this scientist” – at:
https://www.space.com/mars-on-earth-simulated-astronaut-missions-anastasia-stepanova
Wait a minute!
Image credit: Barbara David
The cacophony of captions rippling through the various feeding troughs of news regarding the SpaceX Starship’s test launch has been a tad deafening.
While not nearly as loud as the mammoth rocket’s departure, they were as circuitous and apocalyptic as the vehicle’s flight path, such as:
Image credit: SpaceX
“Elon Musk’s prized Starship mega-rocket exploded into a fireball”
“SpaceX giant rocket fails minutes after launching from Texas”
“SpaceX’s Starship breaks apart during test flight”
“SpaceX successfully launches largest ever space rocket – which blows up”
“SpaceX’s uncrewed Starship explodes on launch attempt”
But there have been a few that had punch lines like “Starship Succeeds, in Spite of Failure.”
Image credit: SpaceX/Inside Outer Space screengrab
And then there are those that perhaps offer too much warmth and oomph proclaiming “Why Thursday May Change the World.”
Somewhere in all this, reality will find a true trajectory.
Pre-launch, chief SpaceX rocketeer, Elon Musk, tried to temper high-expectations: “Success is far from certain, but excitement is guaranteed.”
Yep, that heart-stopping excitement was indeed surefire.
From SpaceX: “As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation,” later posting: “With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary.”
Image credit: SpaceX/Inside Outer Space screengrab
There were many milestones met by the Starship/Super Heavy Launch – for one, lumbering skyward off the pad and leaving it mostly intact and useful for another day!
Musk and his fellow rocketeers have surely amassed lots of engines-out and in-flight data.
“We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming,” once said Wernher Von Braun.
So it’s back to paperwork, analysis, and perhaps more ground-testing.
Whatever the case, in reaching for the stars, there’s always the stoop for reality factor.
Small moves…small moves.
Onward Elon…onward!
Image credit: SpaceX/Inside Outer Space screengrab
For a launch replay, go to:
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-test
UFO/UAP Congressional Hearing:
TESTIMONY ON THE MISSION, ACTIVITIES, OVERSIGHT, AND BUDGET OF THE ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE
Date: Wednesday, April 19th, 2023
Testimony by:
Dr. Sean M. Kirkpatrick, Director, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office
Hearing replay, go to:
Image credit: U.S. Senate/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Image credit: U.S. Senate/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Image credit: U.S. Senate/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Image credit: U.S. Senate/Inside Outer Space screengrab
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale crater is now performing Sol 3802 duties.
Here are some newly relayed imagery from the robot of its current surroundings:
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3801, April 16, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3801, April 16, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3801, April 16, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3801, April 16, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3801, April 16, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Image credit: Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies
Coming up is an April 19 Senate hearing on the mission, activities, oversight, and budget of the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office. Senate Subcommittee Hearing on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. Hearing starts at 10:30 AM, Wednesday, April 19th. WITNESSE(S): Dr. Sean M. Kirkpatrick, Director, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office.
To view the hearing, go to: https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/to-receive-testimony-on-the-mission-activities-oversight-and-budget-of-the-all-domain-anomaly-resolution-office?fbclid=IwAR1LAM4_efY0Pu9dPFcl4HXYdduXfOpDz0hcWWRyQ7-b_lSWJVEUDcgnXwk
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
Image credit: Senator Gillibrand
CNN interview
CNN’S State of the Union interview on April 16 between TV reporter Jake Tapper and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY):
TAPPER: According to “The Washington Post,” some of the leaked documents reveal that U.S. intelligence agencies knew of four additional Chinese spy balloons, including one that flew over an American carrier group, and that there are still lingering questions about the true capabilities of the one that crossed the mainland U.S.
Shown at Congressional hearing, Video 1 2021 flyby movie showing a purported UAP.
Credit: Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation Subcommittee/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Do you think the Biden administration is being forthcoming enough when it comes to everything they know about these balloons?
GILLIBRAND: Well, I will be having a hearing on all of the unidentified aerial phenomenon this coming week.
TAPPER: Oh, great.
GILLIBRAND: And one of the things…
TAPPER: Will you come back and talk to us about it afterwards?
GILLIBRAND: Absolutely.
TAPPER: OK.
Balloons, drones, debris or birds
GILLIBRAND: I created, along with Senator Warner and Senator Rubio and Senator Heinrich and some others, an office within the DOD and the Intelligence Committee specifically to review every unidentified aerial phenomenon that the military has access to.
And we have the most intense — intensely specific technology that can video different aerial phenomenon, that can get radar, heat sensing through our aircraft, through other radar detection. And so we set up this office two years ago.
Image credit: Statista
And, during that two years, they have reviewed over 300 different evidence of aerial phenomenon. About half of them were deemed to be weather balloons, this type of balloon technology, perhaps detection devices. About two dozen were deemed to be drones. A handful were debris or birds.
Domain awareness
And there was still 171 that they have not assessed what it is. And so this work has to be done. If we’re going to have domain awareness, if we’re going to have aerial dominance, if we want to make sure that our adversaries aren’t spying on us, or using new technologies, or have aircraft that we don’t even know how it functions or how fast it is or how effective it is, that is a national security risk.
UAP have been reported by Navy pilots unlike anything they have ever witnessed.
Image credit: Enigma Labs/Lt. Cmdr. Alex Dietrich
And so knowing what these aircraft are is essential. And the military, unfortunately, just hasn’t been doing that work. They have just assumed they are nonadversarial because of how they fly or how they function. But I think knowing whether you are being spied on through different kinds of technology is essential to our national security.
So this office is up and running. I’m working with colleagues to make sure it’s fully funded. We’re pushing the Biden administration and the military to ask for full funding this year. And I think it’s vital.
Image credit: SpaceX
SpaceX is targeting as soon as Monday, April 17 for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas.
The 150-minute test window will open at 8:00 a.m. Central Time.
From SpaceX: “Teams are completing final checkouts and reviews ahead of Starship’s first flight test attempt; weather is looking pretty good for tomorrow morning but we’re keeping an eye on wind shear.”
Image credit: SpaceX
SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy missions would include human and cargo missions to the Moon, satellite payload missions, and future human flight to Mars.
FAA evaluations
After completing an evaluation of all applicable Vehicle Operator License requirements, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a commercial Vehicle Operator License to SpaceX for launches of the Starship/Super Heavy Launch Vehicle Program in Cameron County, Texas.
Image credit: FAA
“The affected environment and environmental impacts of Starship/Super Heavy operations at the Boca Chica Launch Site had been analyzed in the 2022 Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment for the SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy Launch Vehicle Program,” according to the FAA SpaceX Boca Chica Project Team.
Image credit: FAA
Since the 2022 Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA), SpaceX provided the FAA with additional information regarding Starship’s planned landing, Super Heavy’s planned soft water landing, and the Launch Pad Detonation Suppression System, adds the project team.
“Based on the Written Re-Evaluation, the FAA concluded that the issuance of a vehicle operator license for Starship/Super Heavy operations conforms to the prior environmental documentation, that the data contained in the 2022 PEA remains substantially valid, that there are no significant environmental changes, and all pertinent conditions and requirements of the prior approval have been met or will be met in the current action. Therefore, preparation of a supplemental or new environmental document is not necessary to support the Proposed Action,” states the project team.
Image credit: SpaceX
Future flights
According to FAA documents, SpaceX is proposing to conduct up to five Starship/Super Heavy orbital launches annually.
Each launch may include a landing of Starship and/or Super Heavy.
From the Boca Chica Launch Site, orbital launches would primarily be to low inclinations with flight trajectories north or south of Cuba that minimize land overflight. Future launches from the site may be to higher, 70‐degree inclination with limited overflight of remotely populated portions of Mexico.
Resources
NewSpaceGlobal’s report, “SpaceX Starship: Design, Development and Commercial Prospects” reviews the progress made so far, existing and new markets that operational Starships can serve, and the many challenges ahead.
For more information on this informative report, go to:
https://starshipreport.com/product/spacex-starship-report/
To view the FAA’s Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) Executive Summary for Starship/Super Heavy, go to:
https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2022-06/Final_PEA_Executive_Summary.pdf
To watch the test flight, go to this live SpaceX link at:
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-test
