Hubble Space Telescope Reaches Orbit (News Release)
On April 24, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was launched aboard space shuttle Discovery on the STS-31 mission. The mission featured the deployment of Hubble, the first of NASA's Great Observatories to reach orbit. STS-31 was the tenth launch of the orbiter Discovery.
On board were astronauts Charles F. Bolden (pilot and former NASA Administrator), Steven A. Hawley (mission specialist), Loren J. Shriver (commander), Bruce McCandless (mission specialist) and Kathryn D. Sullivan (mission specialist and former NOAA Administrator).
In this April 25, 1990 photograph (below) taken with a handheld Hasselblad camera, most of the giant Hubble Space Telescope can be seen as it is suspended in space by Discovery's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) following the deployment of part of its solar panels and antennae. This was among the first photos that NASA released on April 30 from the five-day STS-31 mission.
NASA Administrator Pays Tribute to President Carter (Press Release)
The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Sunday’s passing of President Jimmy Carter:
“President Carter was the pinnacle of a public servant, dedicating his life to making our world a better place. He showed us each and every person has the power to make a difference. From providing for those in need, protecting the environment, and championing civil and human rights, President Carter was a good man who always strove to do what was right. He embodied the very best of humanity and his life and legacy are an example to the United States and the world.
“NASA’s Voyager 1, the most distant human-made object from Earth, carries a message from President Carter that captures his core goodness and grace:
“'If one such civilization intercepts Voyager and can understand these recorded contents, here is our message: This is a present from a small distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts, and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope someday, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination, and our good will in a vast and awesome universe.'
“President Carter understood an important truth: that we find common ground when we look to the stars. His words will forever belong to the heavens, and his legacy has forever bettered our country – and our Earth. The NASA family and I are keeping the Carter family close in our thoughts. May President Carter rest in peace.”
President Jimmy Carter’s legacy lives on among the stars.
In 1977, the then-president penned this three-paragraph letter that was included with my Golden Records, a message cast into the cosmos. pic.twitter.com/ttZjhx4kaT
Boeing-built X-37B Begins Advanced Space Maneuvering (News Release - October 10)
- 10 months into its 7th mission, the Orbital Test Vehicle(OTV-7) continues to set the pace of technology demonstrations in space.
- Upcoming aerobraking will expand the United States Space Force’s knowledge of maneuvering between orbits with minimal fuel usage.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla — The Boeing [NYSE: BA]-built X-37B will soon perform a series of advanced aerobraking maneuvers, taking the dynamic spaceplane from a Highly-Elliptical Orbit (HEO), where it’s been operating since December 2023, and lowering its altitude using minimal fuel.
This will be the first time that Boeing, the United States Space Force (USSF) and the X-37B attempt to accomplish this novel demonstration.
“Space is a vast and unforgiving environment where testing technologies is critical to the success of future endeavors,” said Michelle Parker, vice president of Boeing’s Space Mission Systems. “There is no other space platform as capable, flexible and maneuverable as the X-37B, and its next demonstration will be another proof point that this test vehicle sets the pace of innovation.”
During aerobraking, the X-37B will use the drag of Earth’s atmosphere to slow it down, reducing the vehicle’s energy and changing the orbit while expending minimal fuel. The Service Module disposal will be conducted in accordance with established standards for space debris mitigation, and the X-37B’s orbit change will occur in a safe and responsible manner. Once aerobraking is complete, the X-37B will resume its test and experimentation objectives.
“This first-of-a kind maneuver from the X-37B is an incredibly important milestone for the United States Space Force as we seek to expand our aptitude and ability to perform in this challenging domain,” said Gen. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations.
The program will leverage six successful missions of safely operating the X-37B around Earth during this next demonstration. Boeing brings decades of lessons learned from operating other spacecraft in a variety of orbits, from the Apollo missions, the Space Shuttle Program, and hundreds of government and commercial satellites.
It was 35 years ago today that NASA's Voyager 2 robotic probe—sailing through space since its launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida on August 20, 1977—flew past the ice giant Neptune to complete its Grand Tour of the Outer Planets in our Solar System.
Voyager 2 visited Jupiter on July 9, 1979; Saturn on August 26, 1981; and Uranus on January 24, 1986...just four days before the space shuttle Challenger disaster.
It was the 1989 flyby of Neptune and its enigmatic moon Triton, which may be a captured Kuiper Belt object, that made me the space fanatic I am today! Well this, and the May 4, 1989 launch (which I watched live on TV) of NASA's Magellan probe to Venus aboard space shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-30.
We could've headed back to Neptune and Triton courtesy of the Trident flyby spacecraft, but NASA rejected this proposal back on June 2, 2021...in favor of two missions to Venus instead. Such a huge disappointment.
NASA to Change How It Points Hubble Space Telescope (News Release)
After completing a series of tests and carefully considering the options, NASA announced on Tuesday that work is underway to transition its Hubble Space Telescope to operate using only one gyroscope (gyro). While the telescope went into safe mode on May 24, where it now remains until work is complete, this change will enable Hubble to continue exploring the secrets of the Universe through this decade and into the next, with the majority of its observations unaffected.
Of the six gyros currently on the spacecraft, three remain active. They measure the telescope’s slew rates and are part of the system that determines and controls the direction that the telescope is pointed.
Over the past six months, one particular gyro has increasingly returned faulty readings, causing the spacecraft to enter safe mode multiple times and suspending science observations while the telescope awaits new instructions from the ground.
This one gyro is experiencing “saturation,” where it indicates the maximum slew rate value possible regardless of how quickly the spacecraft is slewing. Although the team has repeatedly been able to reset the gyro’s electronics to return normal readings, the results have only been temporary before the problem reappears as it did again in late May.
To return to consistent science operations, NASA is transitioning the spacecraft to a new operational mode that it had long considered: Hubble will operate with only one gyro, while keeping another gyro available for future use. The spacecraft had six new gyros installed during the fifth and final space shuttle servicing mission in 2009.
To date, three of those gyros remain operational, including the gyro currently experiencing problems, which the team will continue to monitor. Hubble uses three gyros to maximize efficiency but can continue to make science observations with only one gyro.
NASA first developed this plan more than 20 years ago, as the best operational mode to prolong Hubble’s life and allow it to successfully provide consistent science with fewer than three working gyros. Hubble previously operated in two-gyro mode, which is negligibly different from one-gyro mode, from 2005-2009.
One-gyro operations were demonstrated in 2008 for a short time with no impact to science observation quality.
While continuing to make science observations in one-gyro mode, there are some expected minor limitations. The observatory will need more time to slew and lock onto a science target and won't have as much flexibility as to where it can observe at any given time.
It will also not be able to track moving objects closer than Mars, though these are rare targets for Hubble.
The transition involves reconfiguring the spacecraft and ground system as well as assessing the impact to future planned observations. The team expects to resume science operations again by mid-June.
Once in one-gyro mode, NASA anticipates that Hubble will continue making new cosmic discoveries alongside other observatories, such as the agency’s James Webb Space Telescope and future Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, for years to come.
Launched in 1990, Hubble has more than doubled its expected design lifetime, and has been observing the Universe for more than three decades, recently celebrating its 34th anniversary. Read more about some of Hubble’s greatest scientific discoveries.
It was 30 years ago today that space shuttle Endeavour lifted off from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B in Florida to embark on STS-61...the first servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope!
This was an immensely important flight—as it was discovered just weeks after its April 1990 launch that Hubble's primary mirror had a manufacturing defect, causing initial images to be blurry. On STS-61, Endeavour carried new instruments—such as the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 and COSTAR (Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement)—that had built-in adjustable mirrors which compensated for the defect.
Endeavour's flight was hugely successful...with sharp images of spiral galaxies taken by Hubble being unveiled by NASA less than a year after the repair mission.
I was so stoked for STS-61 and how it concluded successfully that I managed to get a page devoted to this historic flight in my elementary school yearbook (as shown below)! I was an 8th grader back in late 1993, and being on the yearbook staff that year, I convinced my yearbook adviser that this "huge space mission" (I believe those were my exact words to her) was worth putting in the publication.
It was 10 years ago today that the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit was opened to the general public at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. I myself didn't see the retired orbiter in person till almost 9 years later...in March of 2022.
You can view more photos from my trip to Cape Canaveral by clicking below.
And back here on the West Coast, I look forward to heading back to the California Science Center in downtown Los Angeles to see the latest progress on the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, space shuttle Endeavour's future and final home! Stay tuned.
Just thought I'd share these photos I took 10 years ago when Endeavour—NASA's youngest retired space shuttle orbiter—began her 3-day move from Los Angeles International Airport to the California Science Center near downtown L.A.!
I didn't go to the science center when Endeavour finally arrived at the museum on Sunday, October 14, 2012...but I was lucky enough to head to the cities of Westchester and Inglewood on October 12 to see the orbiter sitting at a parking lot; while engineers prepared to resume her move down the 12-mile route taking Endeavour to her final retirement home in Exposition Park.
And it was awesome to see Endeavour sitting outside the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza and a nearby Krispy Kreme Doughnuts shop on the night of October 13 a decade ago. A $1.8 billion (in 1987 U.S. dollars) reusable spacecraft parked outside a shopping mall... You'll never witness that again!
Click here to see more photos from Endeavour's parade.
It was 10 years ago today that a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft(SCA)—known as NASA 905—with the retired orbiter Endeavour sitting atop of it ceremoniously landed at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)!
One of my former coworkers and I joined a large throng of people at a residential area overlooking LAX to see the SCA and Endeavour perform a flyover of the airport before touching down on the runway...their escort of two F-18 jets flying away to return to NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert afterwards.
And a few weeks later, Endeavour would begin her much-celebrated parade down the streets of L.A. to her final home at the California Science Center.
The video (below) posted by AFRC's Twitter account nicely sums up what an amazing and emotional day it was a decade ago to see such a historic spacecraft do a victory lap around most of California (San Diego was excluded) before arriving at her last destination in the City of Angels.
This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event.
10 years ago today @NASA's space shuttle Endeavour took its last flight.
On its final flight on September 21,2012 to the California Science Center, Endeavour was escorted by a combination of F/A-18s and an F-15 from NASA Armstrong.
Almost two weeks ago, on August 9, I drove to the California Science Center near downtown Los Angeles to pay this great museum another visit! The last time I was here was back in July of 2019—to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.
My main reason for this month's visit was to check out the construction progress on the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center...space shuttle Endeavour's permanent home once it opens in 2025. You can check out images that I took of the construction site here.
I shot photos of other cool attractions at the Science Center...such as the replica of Cassini(which is on loan from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory around 20 miles away) and a full-scale model of the Pioneer spacecraft above, the retired F/A-18 Hornet below, and my latest pictures of Endeavour, her external fuel tank ET-94 and a Space Shuttle Main Engine at the Samuel Oschin Pavilion.
The Pavilion will permanently close in late 2023 to prepare Endeavour and ET-94 for their move to the construction site of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. They will be placed in their vertical launch configuration (along with the twin solid rocket boosters that are currently in storage at California's Mojave Air and Space Port) before assembly resumes on the Air and Space Center, and the new building permanently enshrouds the shuttle stack!
I plan on going back to the California Science Center sometime next year to capture more photos of the Air and Space Center's construction progress. Carry on!
I'm two days late, but congratulations to Hidilyn Diaz for winning the Women's 55 kg competition at the Tokyo Summer Games!
Diaz became the one Filipina weightlifter to compete in two consecutive Olympics, but last Monday marked the first time that an athlete from the Philippines earned a gold medal...which is also the only medal that the country has currently won in Japan. (There are a total of 19 Filipino athletes taking part in these Games.)
The United States, in contrast, currently ranks third in 11 gold medals and is number one with 31 medals in the 2020 Olympics.
While this is a proud moment for Pinoys everywhere, as a huge space nerd, I'll show more pride in my motherland when the first-ever Filipino astronaut launches into space. NASA's space shuttle was in operation for 30 years, and not once did a Pinoy fly on this vehicle before it was retired in 2011.
Thank God for the Artemis Accords...an international agreement in which 11 nations have currently signed with NASA to explore the Moon's surface as soon as 2024. I'm definitely hoping that the Philippines becomes one of the next signatories.
Back to topic, I'm proud of you, Diaz! I'm obviously rooting for her to win more medals during her promising Olympic career—like the great Simone Biles. Happy Wednesday.
Hubble Returns to Full Science Observations and Releases New Images (News Release)
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is back in business, exploring the universe near and far. The science instruments have returned to full operation, following recovery from a computer anomaly that suspended the telescope’s observations for more than a month.
Science observations restarted the afternoon of Saturday, July 17. The telescope’s targets this past weekend included the unusual galaxies shown in the images above.
“I’m thrilled to see that Hubble has its eye back on the universe, once again capturing the kind of images that have intrigued and inspired us for decades,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “This is a moment to celebrate the success of a team truly dedicated to the mission. Through their efforts, Hubble will continue its 32nd year of discovery, and we will continue to learn from the observatory’s transformational vision.”
These snapshots, from a program led by Julianne Dalcanton of the University of Washington in Seattle, feature a galaxy with unusual extended spiral arms and the first high-resolution glimpse at an intriguing pair of colliding galaxies. Other initial targets for Hubble included globular star clusters and aurorae on the giant planet Jupiter.
Hubble’s payload computer, which controls and coordinates the observatory’s onboard science instruments, halted suddenly on June 13. When the main computer failed to receive a signal from the payload computer, it automatically placed Hubble’s science instruments into safe mode. That meant the telescope would no longer be doing science while mission specialists analyzed the situation.
The Hubble team moved quickly to investigate what ailed the observatory, which orbits about 340 miles (547 kilometers) above Earth. Working from mission control at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, as well as remotely due to COVID-19 restrictions, engineers collaborated to figure out the cause of the problem.
Complicating matters, Hubble was launched in 1990 and has been observing the universe for over 31 years. To fix a telescope built in the 1980s, the team had to draw on the knowledge of staff from across its lengthy history.
Hubble alumni returned to support the current team in the recovery effort, lending decades of mission expertise. Retired staff who helped build the telescope, for example, knew the ins and outs of the Science Instrument and Command & Data Handling unit, where the payload computer resides – critical expertise for determining next steps for recovery. Other former team members lent a hand by scouring Hubble’s original paperwork, surfacing 30- to 40-year-old documents that would help the team chart a path forward.
“That’s one of the benefits of a program that’s been running for over 30 years: the incredible amount of experience and expertise,” said Nzinga Tull, Hubble systems anomaly response manager at Goddard. “It’s been humbling and inspiring to engage with both the current team and those who have moved on to other projects. There’s so much dedication to their fellow Hubble teammates, the observatory, and the science Hubble is famous for.”
Together, team members new and old worked their way through the list of likely culprits, seeking to isolate the issue to ensure they have a full inventory for the future of which hardware is still working.
At first, the team thought the likeliest problem was a degrading memory module, but switching to backup modules failed to resolve the issue. The team then designed and ran tests, which involved turning on Hubble’s backup payload computer for the first time in space, to determine whether two other components could be responsible: the Standard Interface hardware, which bridges communications between the computer’s Central Processing Module and other components, or the Central Processing Module itself. Turning on the backup computer did not work, however, eliminating these possibilities as well.
The team then moved on to explore whether other hardware was at fault, including the Command Unit/Science Data Formatter and the Power Control Unit, which is designed to ensure a steady voltage supply to the payload computer’s hardware. However, it would be more complicated to address either of these issues, and riskier for the telescope in general. Switching to these components’ backup units would require switching several other hardware boxes as well.
“The switch required 15 hours of spacecraft commanding from the ground. The main computer had to be turned off, and a backup safe mode computer temporarily took over the spacecraft. Several boxes also had to be powered on that were never turned on before in space, and other hardware needed their interfaces switched,” said Jim Jeletic, Hubble deputy project manager at Goddard. “There was no reason to believe that all of this wouldn’t work, but it’s the team’s job to be nervous and think of everything that could go wrong and how we might compensate for it. The team meticulously planned and tested every small step on the ground to make sure they got it right.”
The team proceeded carefully and systematically from there. Over the following two weeks, more than 50 people worked to review, update, and vet the procedures to switch to backup hardware, testing them on a high-fidelity simulator and holding a formal review of the proposed plan.
Simultaneously, the team analyzed the data from their earlier tests, and their findings pointed to the Power Control Unit as the possible cause of the issue. On July 15, they made the planned switch to the backup side of the Science Instrument and Command & Data Handling unit, which contains the backup Power Control Unit.
Victory came around 11:30 p.m. EDT July 15, when the team determined the switch was successful. The science instruments were then brought to operational status, and Hubble began taking scientific data once again on July 17. Most observations missed while science operations were suspended will be rescheduled.
This is not the first time Hubble has had to rely on backup hardware. The team performed a similar switch in 2008, returning Hubble to normal operations after another part of the Science Instrument and Command & Data Handling (SI C&DH) unit failed. Hubble’s final servicing mission in 2009 – a much-needed tune-up championed by former U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski – then replaced the entire SI C&DH unit, greatly extending Hubble’s operational lifetime.
Since that servicing mission, Hubble has taken more than 600,000 observations, bringing its lifetime total to more than 1.5 million. Those observations continue to change our understanding of the universe.
“Hubble is in good hands. The Hubble team has once again shown its resiliency and prowess in addressing the inevitable anomalies that arise from operating the world’s most famous telescope in the harshness of space,” said Kenneth Sembach, director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, which conducts Hubble science operations. “I am impressed by the team’s dedication and common purpose over the past month to return Hubble to service. Now that Hubble is once again providing unprecedented views of the universe, I fully expect it will continue to astound us with many more scientific discoveries ahead.”
Hubble has contributed to some of the most significant discoveries of our cosmos, including the accelerating expansion of the universe, the evolution of galaxies over time, and the first atmospheric studies of planets beyond our solar system. Its mission was to spend at least 15 years probing the farthest and faintest reaches of the cosmos, and it continues to far exceed this goal.
“The sheer volume of record-breaking science Hubble has delivered is staggering,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “We have so much to learn from this next chapter of Hubble's life – on its own, and together with the capabilities of other NASA observatories. I couldn’t be more excited about what the Hubble team has achieved over the past few weeks. They’ve met the challenges of this process head on, ensuring that Hubble's days of exploration are far from over."
Today, I read a great article on NASASpaceflight.com about how NASA and Boeing are trying to optimize the space at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in Louisiana to begin building more than two Space Launch System(SLS) core stage boosters per year. As of right now, a pair of SLS boosters are being manufactured at MAF...the core stages for Artemis 2(which is set to launch in 2023) and Artemis 3(which would send astronauts to the Moon for a lunar landing mission as early as 2024). NASA's goal is to maximize the space inside MAF's buildings to make room for at least three core stage boosters—which would obviously increase the construction and launch cadence for SLS rockets embarking on Artemis missions.
So what does this have to do with the Interstellar Probe, you ask? Well, NASA obtaining the ability to fabricate more than one SLS booster at a time (like it was able to do with the space shuttle's external fuel tank before this program ended a decade ago) would allow the agency to not only have core stages available for Artemis flights, but for uncrewed, non-Artemis missions as well. The lack of this ability has led to the U.S. Congress ending the mandate that the SLS launch a very important interplanetary mission—the Europa Clipper—as originally envisioned. With the Interstellar Probe, the mission planners are literally banking on the so-called Big Orange Rocket to send their spacecraft to the outer edge of our solar system next decade.
The SLS presumably has the capability to give the Interstellar Probe the necessary speed to travel at least 8 to 9 Astronomical Units (a single Astronomical Unit, or AU, equates to 93 million miles—or the distance from the Earth to the Sun) a year...which would allow the spacecraft to reach the edge of the Sun's heliosphere at 120+ AU within 15 years. SpaceX fans reading this will probably point out that the Starship/Super Heavy vehicle can probably hurl the Interstellar Probe to much greater velocities than the SLS. However, according to this article, the mission planners don't want the spacecraft to travel too fast nor too slow—as the Interstellar Probe needs to be able to accurately gather data on the solar wind during its eventual voyage into the cosmos. So assuming that its Artemis 1 test flight goes well at the end of this year (or most likely in early 2022), the SLS has a very important payload on its long-term manifest if 1.) construction space is adequately maximized within the buildings at the Michoud Assembly Facility to manufacture SLS boosters at a rapid pace, and 2.) the Interstellar Probe is greenlit by NASA within the next few years! Happy Monday.
NASA and Boeing aim to optimize the areas at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) to ramp up production of multiple SLS Core Stages and Exploration Upper Stages (EUS) for the Block 1B vehicle - set to become the SLS workhorse.
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight (Press Release)
Monday, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter became the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. The Ingenuity team at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California confirmed the flight succeeded after receiving data from the helicopter via NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover at 6:46 a.m. EDT (3:46 a.m. PDT).
“Ingenuity is the latest in a long and storied tradition of NASA projects achieving a space exploration goal once thought impossible,” said acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk. “The X-15 was a pathfinder for the space shuttle. Mars Pathfinder and its Sojourner rover did the same for three generations of Mars rovers. We don’t know exactly where Ingenuity will lead us, but today’s results indicate the sky – at least on Mars – may not be the limit.”
The solar-powered helicopter first became airborne at 3:34 a.m. EDT (12:34 a.m. PDT) – 12:33 Local Mean Solar Time (Mars time) – a time the Ingenuity team determined would have optimal energy and flight conditions. Altimeter data indicate Ingenuity climbed to its prescribed maximum altitude of 10 feet (3 meters) and maintained a stable hover for 30 seconds. It then descended, touching back down on the surface of Mars after logging a total of 39.1 seconds of flight. Additional details on the test are expected in upcoming downlinks.
Ingenuity’s initial flight demonstration was autonomous – piloted by onboard guidance, navigation, and control systems running algorithms developed by the team at JPL. Because data must be sent to and returned from the Red Planet over hundreds of millions of miles using orbiting satellites and NASA’s Deep Space Network, Ingenuity cannot be flown with a joystick, and its flight was not observable from Earth in real time.
NASA Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zurbuchen announced the name for the Martian airfield on which the flight took place.
“Now, 117 years after the Wright brothers succeeded in making the first flight on our planet, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has succeeded in performing this amazing feat on another world,” Zurbuchen said. “While these two iconic moments in aviation history may be separated by time and 173 million miles of space, they now will forever be linked. As an homage to the two innovative bicycle makers from Dayton, this first of many airfields on other worlds will now be known as Wright Brothers Field, in recognition of the ingenuity and innovation that continue to propel exploration.”
Ingenuity’s chief pilot, Håvard Grip, announced that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) – the United Nations’ civil aviation agency – presented NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration with official ICAO designator IGY, call-sign INGENUITY.
These details will be included officially in the next edition of ICAO’s publication Designators for Aircraft Operating Agencies, Aeronautical Authorities and Services. The location of the flight has also been given the ceremonial location designation JZRO for Jezero Crater.
As one of NASA’s technology demonstration projects, the 19.3-inch-tall (49-centimeter-tall) Ingenuity Mars Helicopter contains no science instruments inside its tissue-box-size fuselage. Instead, the 4-pound (1.8-kg) rotorcraft is intended to demonstrate whether future exploration of the Red Planet could include an aerial perspective.
This first flight was full of unknowns. The Red Planet has a significantly lower gravity – one-third that of Earth’s – and an extremely thin atmosphere with only 1% the pressure at the surface compared to our planet. This means there are relatively few air molecules with which Ingenuity’s two 4-foot-wide (1.2-meter-wide) rotor blades can interact to achieve flight. The helicopter contains unique components, as well as off-the-shelf-commercial parts – many from the smartphone industry – that were tested in deep space for the first time with this mission.
“The Mars Helicopter project has gone from ‘blue sky’ feasibility study to workable engineering concept to achieving the first flight on another world in a little over six years,” said Michael Watkins, director of JPL. “That this project has achieved such a historic first is testimony to the innovation and doggedness of our team here at JPL, as well as at NASA’s Langley and Ames Research Centers, and our industry partners. It’s a shining example of the kind of technology push that thrives at JPL and fits well with NASA’s exploration goals.”
Parked about 211 feet (64.3 meters) away at Van Zyl Overlook during Ingenuity’s historic first flight, the Perseverance rover not only acted as a communications relay between the helicopter and Earth, but also chronicled the flight operations with its cameras. The pictures from the rover’s Mastcam-Z and Navcam imagers will provide additional data on the helicopter’s flight.
“We have been thinking for so long about having our Wright brothers moment on Mars, and here it is,” said MiMi Aung, project manager of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at JPL. “We will take a moment to celebrate our success and then take a cue from Orville and Wilbur regarding what to do next. History shows they got back to work – to learn as much as they could about their new aircraft – and so will we.”
Perseverance touched down with Ingenuity attached to its belly on Feb. 18. Deployed to the surface of Jezero Crater on April 3, Ingenuity is currently on the 16th sol, or Martian day, of its 30-sol (31-Earth day) flight test window. Over the next three sols, the helicopter team will receive and analyze all data and imagery from the test and formulate a plan for the second experimental test flight, scheduled for no earlier than April 22. If the helicopter survives the second flight test, the Ingenuity team will consider how best to expand the flight profile.
More About Ingenuity
JPL, which built Ingenuity, also manages the technology demonstration project for NASA. It is supported by NASA’s Science, Aeronautics, and Space Technology mission directorates. The agency’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity’s development.
Dave Lavery is the program executive for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, MiMi Aung is the project manager, and Bob Balaram is chief engineer.
Astrobotic Selects SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket for Griffin-VIPER Moon Mission (Press Release)
Astrobotic announced today its selection of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket in a competitive commercial procurement to launch its Griffin lunar lander to the Moon in late 2023. Griffin will be carrying NASA’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover(VIPER).
“Getting to the Moon isn’t just about building a spacecraft, but having a complete mission solution. SpaceX's Falcon Heavy completes our Griffin Mission 1(GM1) solution by providing a proven launch vehicle to carry us on our trajectory to the Moon. SpaceX has the team, vehicle, and facilities to make this happen,” says Daniel Gillies, GM1 Director for Astrobotic.
Astrobotic was awarded a task order in 2020 from NASA to deliver VIPER to the south pole of the Moon as part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. After Falcon Heavy launches Griffin on a trajectory to the Moon, Griffin will land on the surface and VIPER will disembark from Griffin’s ramps to survey the surface and subsurface for water ice. These surveys could be the first step toward utilizing resources in the space environment – rather than carting them all from Earth – to enable more affordable and sustainable space exploration. Griffin’s delivery of VIPER will be Astrobotic’s second CLPS delivery, following the company’s Peregrine lander delivery later this year.
“Having previously sat on the other side of the table as a former SpaceX Mission Manager, I am fully aware of SpaceX’s capabilities and processes and am excited to be working with SpaceX on a mission once again. My first exposure to Falcon Heavy was as a SpaceX Mission Integrator on the STP-2 mission and I’m proud to be utilizing that same launch vehicle for Griffin,” says Gillies.
“Gaining a better learning of resources on the Moon is critical to advancing humanity’s reach beyond Earth, and we are honored to support this exciting mission and NASA’s CLPS program,” said SpaceX Senior Director of Commercial Sales Stephanie Bednarek.
Griffin Mission One is targeted to launch in 2023 from SpaceX’s facilities at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida – the same launch site employed for the NASA Space Shuttle program, Commercial Crew Program, and Apollo missions. Work on the Griffin lunar lander is ongoing with qualification testing planned to be completed towards the end of this year.
Yesterday, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)tweeted this cool photo of the Ingenuity helicopter finally sitting on the surface at Jezero Crater on Mars! The last milestone to take place after this and before Ingenuity's historic first flight will be in the next Martian sol (a.k.a. a day on Mars, which is 24 hours, 39 minutes-long)...when flight controllers at JPL find out whether or not the diminutive aircraft survived its first cold night alone on the ground at the Red Planet. Ingenuity's first flight attempt is scheduled for April 11—with data from this memorable event set to be transmitted back to Earth via the Perseverance rover on April 12 (which marks the 40th anniversary of space shuttle Columbia's first launch on STS-1). Happy Easter!
Just thought I'd share this image of the Delta 2 rocket that is now on display in the 'Rocket Garden' at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida! This retired launch vehicle was officially unveiled to the public two days ago...and now joins space shuttle Atlantis on my list of historic vehicles that I want to see when I make another trip to NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
I was planning to re-visit KSC this year to see the Space Launch System(SLS) stand tall at Launch Complex 39B, but 1.) The COVID-19 pandemic gave me second thoughts about flying to Florida—a Republican-run coronavirus hotspot—this year (even when I hopefully get vaccinated next month), 2.) The first launch of SLS on Artemis 1 will most likely be postponed to early 2022 after it took two attempts to conduct a successful Green Run hot fire test at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, and 3.) I just put the finishing touches on paying off a major credit card debt using my $1,400 stimulus payment last week. (Thank you, President Biden!) But I might change my mind.
So why am I fond of the Delta 2, you ask? It was responsible for launching Mars Pathfinder, the Phoenix Mars lander, the Kepler telescope and the Dawn spacecraft to the cosmos over the past 25 years. Click on this page to know why these missions—among many, many more—mean so much to me! Happy Thursday.
X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-4 Lands at Kennedy Space Center (Press Release)
WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle mission 4 (OTV-4), the Air Force's unmanned, reusable space plane, landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility May 7, 2017.
“Today marks an incredibly exciting day for the 45th Space Wing as we continue to break barriers,” said Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, the 45th SW commander. “Our team has been preparing for this event for several years, and I am extremely proud to see our hard work and dedication culminate in today’s safe and successful landing of the X-37B.”
The OTV-4 conducted on-orbit experiments for 718 days during its mission, extending the total number of days spent on-orbit for the OTV program to 2,085 days.
"The landing of OTV-4 marks another success for the X-37B program and the nation," said Lt. Col. Ron Fehlen, X-37B program manager. "This mission once again set an on-orbit endurance record and marks the vehicle's first landing in the state of Florida. We are incredibly pleased with the performance of the space vehicle and are excited about the data gathered to support the scientific and space communities. We are extremely proud of the dedication and hard work by the entire team."
The X-37B is the newest and most advanced re-entry spacecraft. Managed by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, the X-37B program performs risk reduction, experimentation and concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies.
"The hard work of the X-37B OTV team and the 45th Space Wing successfully demonstrated the flexibility and resolve necessary to continue the nation's advancement in space," said Randy Walden, the director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office. "The ability to land, refurbish, and launch from the same location further enhances the OTV's ability to rapidly integrate and qualify new space technologies."
The Air Force is preparing to launch the fifth X-37B mission from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, later in 2017.
So yesterday, I visited Griffith Observatory for the first time in almost 23 years! This historic Los Angeles landmark still looks as elegant as it did when I last went here in the summer of 1994...right before I started my first year in high school. The Astronomers Monument out in the front lawn is still a neat sight to see, it was cool to watch the pendulum swing away inside the main lobby again, and it was great to get a glimpse of the 12-inch Zeiss Telescope in the left dome (if you're viewing Griffith from the front lawn) of the observatory.
I was thinking about attending a show inside the Samuel Oschin Planetarium (not to be confused with the Samuel Oschin Pavilion—the temporary home of space shuttle Endeavour at the California Science Center in Exposition Park), but it would've been about a two-hour wait for the next one to begin. So I decided to take a few more pics and bought two fridge magnets at the gift shop before I took a lengthy but quick walk (thank you, gravity!) to my car parked about a mile down the hill.
I'm a huge space geek today...thanks in part to a field trip that my class took to Griffith back in the 4th grade (in April of 1990). The many astronomy exhibits on display throughout the observatory are a thrill to see if you love learning about the cosmos. And if you don't care about learning about the cosmos (damn you), Griffith is still a wonderful place to just hang out and use one of the many spotting scopes placed on and around the building to gaze down at the Los Angeles Basin, or the Hollywood Sign a few miles away.
All-in-all, Griffith Observatory is a must-see if you're a tourist visiting from out of state or out of country, or you're an L.A. native who wants to check out a landmark that makes you appreciate just how amazing the City of Angels really is. Will I visit Griffith again, you ask? You betcha! And this time I'm gonna dish out $7 to catch a cool show inside the planetarium. Happy (rainy) Monday!
NASA Extends Hubble Space Telescope Science Operations Contract (Press Release - June 23)
NASA is contractually extending science operations for its Hubble Space Telescope an additional five years. The agency awarded a sole source contract extension Thursday to the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy for continued Hubble science operations support at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.
This action will extend the period of performance from July 1 through June 30, 2021. The contract value will increase by approximately $196.3 million for a total contract value of $2.03 billion.
This contract extension covers the work necessary to continue the science program of the Hubble mission by the Space Telescope Science Institute. The support includes the products and services required to execute science system engineering, science ground system development, science operations, science research, grants management and public outreach support for Hubble and data archive support for missions in the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes.
After the final space shuttle servicing mission to the telescope in 2009, Hubble is better than ever. Hubble is expected to continue to provide valuable data into the 2020’s, securing its place in history as an outstanding general purpose observatory in areas ranging from our solar system to the distant universe.
In 2018, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will be launched into space as the premier observatory of the next decade, serving astronomers worldwide to build on Hubble’s legacy of discoveries and help unlock some of the biggest mysteries of the universe.
