Posted on by Ken Kremer

Revolutionary Robotic Refueling Experiment Opens New Research Avenues at Space Station

Astronuats Install Robotic Refueling Mission experiment during Shuttle Era's Final Spacewalk. Spacewalker Mike Fossum rides on the International Space Station's robotic arm as he carries the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment. This was the final scheduled spacewalk during a shuttle mission. Credit: NASA

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NASA’s new Robotic Refueling Experiment (RRM) is a revolutionary technology demonstration device – brought aloft by the final shuttle mission – that will test out and prove whether existing Earth orbiting spacecraft that were never intended to be serviced can be successfully refueled and repaired robotically.

The RRM payload is a state of the art path finding experiment that promises to open exciting new avenues of station science research that potentially could save and extend the lifetime of orbiting commercial, government and military satellites valued at billions of dollars.

RRM was delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) by the four person crew of STS-135, the shuttles grand finale. The project is a joint effort between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

During the very final spacewalk of the Space Shuttle Era, RRM was temporarily installed by US astronauts Mike Fossum and Ron Garan onto a platform on the Dextre robot – the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator – which functions as a “handyman” in space.

Dextre is a two armed robot provided by CSA which is also a key component of the experiment because it enables the performance of repair and maintenance tasks at the heart of the RRM experiment.

RRM wire cutter experiment tool equipped with integral camera and LED lights on display at Kennedy Space Center Press Site: Credit: Ken Kremer

The washing machine sized unit weighs 500 pounds and was tucked inside the payload bay of Space Shuttle Atlantis and attached to the Lightweight Multipurpose Carrier (LMC) for the one way trip to space.

After Atlantis departs, RRM will be transferred to a permanent attach point on the stations truss and mounted on the Exterior Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC-4) of the million pound orbiting outpost.

RRM is NASA’s first ever such technology demonstration intended to test the feasibility of on orbit servicing operations on satellites that were not built to ever be worked upon and maintained after blasting off to space, according to Justin Cassidy, RRM Hardware Manager at the NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The RRM box will simulate both the satellite to be serviced and the maintenance techniques required to perform both robotic refueling and repair work.

Full size Mock up of RRM box and experiment tool at KSC Press Site
Equipment Tool movements and manipulations by Dextre robot are simulated by NASA Goddard RRM manager Justin Cassidy. Credit: Ken Kremer

“The Dextre robot will manipulate four specially designed ‘Tools’ stored in bays inside the RRM,” said Cassidy in an interview at the Kennedy Space Center.

Using a high fidelity RRM mockup – nicknamed ‘Rosie’ – on display at the Kennedy Space Center Press Site, Cassidy spoke to me in detail about the RRM mission and objectives.

The four unique RRM tools have heritage in the Hubble Servicing Missions and were developed at NASA Goddard; The Wire Cutter and Blanket Manipulation Tool, The Multifunction Tool, the Safety Cap Removal Tool, and the Nozzle Tool.

“Dextre will grapple the tools and move them around with its ‘hands’ to perform refueling and maintenance tasks on activity boards and simulated satellite components mounted on the exterior walls of the RRM,” Cassidy told me. “The activity boards can be swapped in the future to carry out new experiments.”

High Fidelity Mock up of RRM experiment box at KSC Press Site. RRM was delivered to ISS during STS-135 mission. Credit: Ken Kremer

The RRM assignment marks the first use of Dextre beyond routine maintenance chores aboard the ISS. Indeed, the research project working with RRM is actually a new R & D function beyond what was originally planned and envisioned for Dextre, said Mathieu Caron, CSA Mission Operations manager.

Tasks planned for RRM include working on and manipulating caps, valves and screws of assorted shapes and sizes, cutting wires, adjusting thermal blankets and transferring fluids around fuel reservoirs. Ethanol will be used to simulate the flow of hydrazine fuel, said Cassidy.

“RRM will be operated by controllers on the ground at NASA Goddard, the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., and also in Canada by the Canadian Space Agency,” explained Cassidy.

Each RRM tool is equipped with integral cameras housing six built in LED’s to aid ground controllers precisely guide the tools.

“The RRM experiment phase to demonstrate robotic refueling and maintenance operations at the ISS is set to last two years and could continue for perhaps ten or more years,” said Cassidy.

President Obama asked the STS-135 crew about the RRM experiment during an Oval Office phone call from the White House to the ISS. Watch Obama’s phone call on YouTube

NASA hopes that the small investment in RRM technology demonstration will pave the way for advanced follow missions and private development of commercial robotic refueling and maintenance vehicles – in the not too distant future – that will reap billions of dollars in cost savings and dividends.

Artist concept of Robotic Refueling Mission experiment and Dextre robot (right) at work testing feasibility of satellite refueling at ISS. Credit: NASA
Demonstration of wire cutter tool snipping wires and multilayer insulation (MLI). Credit: Ken Kremer
RRM flight unit undergoes final pre-launch preparations inside the Space Station Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. RRM is attached to the Lightweight Multipurpose Carrier (LMC) for eventual loading inside the shuttle payload bay. Credit: Ken Kremer
NASA Goddard RRM manager Justin Cassidy (right) and Ken Kremer manipulate RRM experiment tools. Credit: Chase Clark
Ken simulates manipulation of RRM experiment tool. Credit: Ken Kremer

Read my features about the Final Shuttle mission, STS-135:
Water Cannon Salute trumpets recovery of Last Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters – Photo Album
Shuttle Atlantis Soars to Space One Last time: Photo Album
Atlantis Unveiled for Historic Final Flight amidst Stormy Weather
Counting down to the Last Shuttle; Stormy weather projected
Atlantis Crew Jets to Florida on Independence Day for Final Shuttle Blastoff
NASA Sets July 8 for Mandatory Space Shuttle Grand Finale
Final Shuttle Voyagers Conduct Countdown Practice at Florida Launch Pad
Final Payload for Final Shuttle Flight Delivered to the Launch Pad
Last Ever Shuttle Journeys out to the Launch Pad; Photo Gallery
Atlantis Goes Vertical for the Last Time
Atlantis Rolls to Vehicle Assembly Building with Final Space Shuttle Crew for July 8 Blastoff

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Podcasts: Our Favorite Space Shuttle Missions

UT writer Steve Nerlich and I have collaborated for a couple of podcasts on the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast series where we talk about our favorite space shuttle missions. We actually did the first one last year, and decided to do an encore this year with the end of the space shuttle program upon us. Give us some love and have a listen:

My Favorite Space Shuttle Missions, Part 1

My Favorite Space Shuttle Missions — Part 2

And if anyone is interested in doing their own podcast on 365 Days of Astronomy and sharing your interests in space and astronomy, there are plenty of days available throughout the rest of the year. Find out more at this link.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Awesome Aurora Photographed by Shuttle/ISS Crews

A panoramic view of Earth taken from the ISS, with shuttle Atlantis docked to the station. Aurora Australis or the Southern Lights can be seen on Earth's horizon and a number of stars also are visible. Credit: NASA

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The STS-135 crew of space shuttle Atlantis and the Expedition 28 crew of the International Space Station were treated with great views of the Aurora Australis. Here’s one shot the crews photographed, showing a panoramic view of the station/shuttle complex along with several different astronomical beauties! The aurora shows up brightly, but what else is in the image? Looking closely –and southern hemisphere observers might recognize some objects better — but do you see the globular cluster Omega Centauri, the Coalsack Nebula and the Southern Cross? Anyone see anything else?

See below for another great aurora shot from the ISS, where the green glow shows up even better:

The Southern Lights or Aurora Australis as seen from the space station and space shuttle. Credit: NASA

These images were taken on Thursday during one of the “night” passes for the station/shuttle. The astronauts mentioned the aurora during media interviews on Friday. “We saw an incredible Southern Lights aurora,” said STS-135 pilot Doug Hurley. “It was the best one I’ve seen in my two spaceflights. It was just unbelievable, the view out the cupola.”

See larger views on NASA’s mission gallery page.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Obama: This is a ‘Capture the Flag’ Moment for Commercial Spaceflight

President Barack Obama called out for pizza today and ending up talking with the crews of STS-135 and Expedition 28 on the International Space Station. Well, that was his story anyway, but he did talk with the crews, offering a challenge for commercial space companies, as well as remembering the first flight of cooperation between the US and the Soviet Union – the Apollo-Soyuz test project which launched 36 years ago today — and reiterating the challenge of sending humans to Mars.

The STS-135 crew brought a flag that was flown on STS-1, the first shuttle mission, up to the ISS. “We’ll present the flag to the space station crew and it will hopefully maintain a position of honor until the next vehicle launched from US soil brings US astronauts up to dock with the space station,” STS-135 commander Chris Ferguson told the president.

“And I understand this is going to be sort of like a capture the flag moment for commercial space flight, so good luck to whoever grabs that flag,” Obama said.
Continue reading “Obama: This is a ‘Capture the Flag’ Moment for Commercial Spaceflight”

Posted on by Ken Kremer

Stripped Down Discovery rolls towards Retirement at Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle Discovery moving to Vehicle Assembly Building Discovery is being processed for retirement and placed in storage on July 13 in the VAB before transport to permanent home at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. Credit: Ken Kremer

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Space Shuttle Discovery was briefly on public display on Wednesday July 13 as she emerged from the hanger at the Kennedy Space Center where she has been undergoing processing for retirement since her final landing on the STS-133 mission.

It was a rather stark and sad moment because Discovery looked almost naked and downtrodden – and there was no doubt that she would never again fly majestically to space because huge parts of the orbiter were totally absent.

Discovery was stripped bare of her three main engines and orbital maneuvering pods at the rear and she had a giant hole in the front, just behind the nose, that was covered in see through plastic sheeting that formerly housed her now missing forward thrusters. Without these essential components, Discovery cannot move 1 nanometer.

When the Space Shuttle is forcibly retired in about a week, America will have no capability to launch astronauts into space and to the International Space Station for many many years to come.

Discovery was pulled a quarter mile from the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to make room for Space Shuttle Atlantis when she returns next week from the STS-135 mission, according to Stephanie Stilson, the flow manager for Discovery, in an interview with Universe Today.

Stephanie Stilson,NASA KSC flow manager for Discovery. Credit: Ken Kremer

STS-135 is the 135th and final mission of NASA’s 30 year long Space Shuttle Program.

NASA now only has control of two of the three shuttle OPF’s since one OPF has been handed over to an unnamed client, Stilson said.

Stilson is leading the NASA team responsible for safing all three Space Shuttle Orbiters. “We are removing the hypergolic fuel and other toxic residues to prepare the orbiters for display in the museums where they will be permanently housed.”

“The safing work on Discovery should be complete by February 2012,” Stilson told me. “NASA plans to transport Discovery to her permanent home at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on April 12, 2012, which coincides with the anniversary of the first shuttle launch on April 12, 1981.”

Discovery Photo Album by Ken Kremer

Discovery emerges from OPF 2 processing hanger. Credit: Ken Kremer
Discovery exits OPF 2 minus main engines. Credit: Ken Kremer
Discovery moves from OPF 2 to VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer
Discovery moves from OPF 2 to VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer
Discovery on public display on Wednesday July 13. Credit: Ken Kremer
Below Discovery’s wing. Credit: Ken Kremer
Gaping hole in Discovery - minus forward reaction control thruster. Credit: Ken Kremer
Rear view of Discovery beside VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer
Discovery entering the VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer
Discovery enters the VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer
Viewing Discovery from the 5th Floor of the VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer
Discovery parked on the ground floor of the VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer
Posted on by Jason Rhian

Return of the Capsule

SpaceX's Dragon Spacecraft was placed on display just outside of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at the Space & Missile History Center. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

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CAPE CANAVERAL Fla. – As Florida’s Space Coast braces for the end of the shuttle program this month, signs of life after shuttle are starting to emerge. Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) returned the Dragon Spacecraft that launched this past December to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Dragon however, was not alone. Two more capsules, one a test article, the other a mock-up were on display at Kennedy Space Center’s press site, signaling the coming way of the future for human spaceflight.

The Dragon Spacecraft was on display outside of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Placed between SpaceX’s Launch Control Center (LCC) and the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile History Center, the Dragon’s scorched hull was displayed to remind Space Coast residents that the space program was not retiring along with the shuttles.

Spce Exploraton Technologies Vice-President of Communiatons, Bobby Block explains the reason the Dragon Spacecaft was returned to Cape Canaveral. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

“A lot of people are sad that the shuttle program is ending, it has been such an integral part of the area for three decades that they have a right to feel this way,” said SpaceX’s Vice President of Communications, Bobby Block. “Just because the shuttles are retiring however, does not mean that the entire space program is ending – it’s not over – it is the ending of one program, but it also is the start of another.”

That sentiment was shared by Lockheed Martin who brought their Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle to sit near the iconic Countdown Clock, a mere 3.5 miles away from shuttle Atlantis out at Launch Complex 39A. At first glance the fact that the capsule was still chained to the back of a trailer appeared to suggest that its appearance was rushed but in fact it highlighted a campaign by Lockheed Martin to let the public view Orion.

In conjunction with the final launch of the shuttle program, Lockheed-Martin had the Orion MPCV on display at the Kennedy Space Center press site. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

“We were taking the Orion to Kennedy Space Center so we took the opportunity to stop along the way,” said Lockheed Martin’s Communications Manager for the Orion Project Linda Singleton. “This way we could tell the public about the Orion Program, let them see the spacecraft first hand. We stopped at Tucson, Austin and Tallahassee and met with 20,000 people in person across the country and talked to them about Orion.”

Not to be outdone, the Boeing Company had a replica of its CST-100 Space Taxi – split down the middle allowing guests to get an up close and in-depth look at the capsule-concept that it is submitting, in collaboration with Bigelow Aerospace, as their entry for NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program. If chosen, it would be used to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station. Boeing also had a structural article on display nearby.

The interior of the mock up for the CST-100 highlights the relatively simple design planned for the spacecraft. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

“The reason we selected a capsule is that it is a simple system, we’ve been flown since John Glenn did his first flight on Mercury,” said Boeing’s Vice-President and Program Manager of Commercial Crew Programs John Elbon. “The purpose of this transportation system is just to take passengers to the space station, so our design is focused on that mission.”

Boeing had not only a mock up, but a structural test article of the CST-100 on display as well. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

The numerous capsules on display as well as other “Space-Taxi” systems such as the one proposed by Sierra Nevada highlight efforts to shrink the human space flight gap that will start on July 21, when Atlantis conducts its final wheel stop. With the number of spacecraft that have flown, are being tested or just now emerging off the drawing boards it is possible that the U.S. might have a variety of craft for a wide range of missions. For now however, NASA will have to rely on Russia’s Soyuz Spacecraft.

Posted on by David Gonzales

Bringing You There: Atlantis Roars into Orbit One Final Time

Videographers David Gonzales, Kurt Johnson and Mike Deep filmed the final launch of the Space Shuttle from the Kennedy Space Center Press Site.  The team used multiple cameras along with a high definition stereo audio recording device to capture the sights and sounds as Atlantis thundered into orbit. The goal was to provide the closest launch experience for the viewer without actually being there.

A Space Shuttle launch is a spectacle that will never again be seen.  The sequence begins with a tight shot of the pad in the final seconds of the count.  As the 3 Space Shuttle Main Engines ignite they flash water from the sound suppression water system into steam, sending a plume billowing away.   The entire stack rocks a couple of feet before settling back vertical. The Solid Rocket boosters ignite, launching out a second plume and lifting the 4.5 million pound stack off the ground. Spectators erupt into cheers and the shutters of thousands of press cameras click away.

Continue reading “Bringing You There: Atlantis Roars into Orbit One Final Time”

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Share a Meal With Astronauts in Space on July 14

NASA's All American Meal the astronauts will eat on July 14, 2011. Credit: NASA

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I’m just making out my shopping list for going to the grocery store tomorrow, and it includes everything I need to share a virtual dinner with the astronauts in space on Thursday, July 14. And no, unfortunately, I’m not launching to the ISS to join them. Food scientists at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston thought it would be fun to give the crew an “All American Meal” — a typical American meal for the final mission of the shuttle and invite the public to join in by preparing the same food. Whatever you prepare it will be more aesthetically pleasing than the rehydrated food in plastic bags the shuttle and ISS crews will eat. Here’s the menu:

An appetizer of brie cheese, crackers and sausage; your choice of grilled chicken (which the shuttle crew will eat) or beef brisket (which will be enjoyed by the ISS crew), Southwestern corn and baked beans. The ISS crew will have beef brisket instead of chicken, but will enjoy the same side dishes as the shuttle crew. Desert for both crews consists of apple pie. The meal concludes with the quintessential American dessert, apple pie.

“Since the mission is in July, we thought it would be fun to have a typical summer meal often enjoyed in our backyards with friends and family,” said Michele Perchonok, NASA food scientist and manager of the shuttle food system.

For the special space recipes or “formulations” as they are called by NASA food scientists, plus more information, video and imagery, visit this NASA webpage.

The crackers, brie, sausage and apple pie are commercial off-the-shelf products repackaged for spaceflight. NASA food scientists prepared the chicken, brisket, corn and beans in a laboratory at Johnson before the mission.

NASA didn’t specify what time the astronauts will be eating their All American Meal, so you can eat at any time during the day and know you’re eating the same thing as the astronauts in space did. Well, pretty close to the same thing anyway. Hopefully those of us sitting on Earth don’t have to rehydrate our food and eat out of plastic bags.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Historic Images of Final Spacewalk of Shuttle Era

With space shuttle Atlantis docked to the space station for the STS-135 mission, the final EVA of the shuttle era took place on July 12, 2011. Here, Ron Garan is secured on a restraint on the space station remote manipulator system's robotic arm or Canadarm2, carrying a faulty pump module will be retuned to Earth by the shuttle. Credit: NASA

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It’s the end of an era: the final spacewalk during the space shuttle era was conducted by astronauts on July 12, 2011 during the final shuttle mission, STS-135. This is the 160th spacewalk supporting assembly and maintenance of the space station and the 249th EVA conducted by U.S. astronauts. The two spacwalkers were actually from the International Space Station crew, Expedition 28’s Mike Fossum and Ron Garan, but were assisted by the shuttle crew. Shuttle Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus operated operate the station’s 58-foot-long Canadarm 2 to maneuver the spacewalkers around during the spacewalk.

Here are more images from the EVA:


Astronaut Ron Garan egresses the Quest airlock on the International Space Station as he prepares to join crewmate Mike Fossum for the spacewalk. Credit: NASA

Mike Fossum works outside the ISS during the six and a half hour spacewalk, the final of the shuttle era. Credit: NASA.
No, this isn't a picture of an astronaut carrying a freezer outside the space station. With his feet secured on a restraint on the space station remote manipulator system's robotic arm Canadarm2, Mike Fossum holds the Robotics Refueling Mission payload, an experiment which will test in-flight refueling with the DEXTRE robot. Fossum and Ron Garan installed the experiment during the July 12 EVA. Credit: NASA
Suspended in a very unique position on the end of Canadarm2, Mike Fossum takes a picture during a July 12 spacewalk. Credit: NASA
Space shuttle Atlantis makes a cameo in this image as Mike Fossum takes a picture during the spacewalk while on a foot restraint on the Canadarm 2. Credit: NASA
Ron Garan during the spacewalk: "I almost had 1 foot in day and 1 foot in night Orbital sunset," said Garan via Twitter of this picture. Credit: NASA
A view of the Cupola on the ISS, and if you look closely, you can see faces of several of the Atlantis STS-135 and Expediton 28 crewmembers looking out the windows. Credit: NASA
Another view of Mike Fossum during the spacewalk. Credit: NASA
A close-up view of Mike Fossum during the final EVA of the shuttle era. Credit: NASA
With his feet secured on a restraint on Canadarm2, Mike Fossum holds the Robotics Refueling Mission payload. The failed pump module is with DEXTRE in the upper left corner of the photo. The blue color on the space station module is a reflection from the blue of planet Earth. Credit: NASA
"Knocking on the door to come back in from space after yesterday's spacewalk," said Ron Garan via Twitter. Credit: NASA
Following the six-hour, 31-minute EVA, spacewalkers Ron Garan (top left) and Mike Fossum (top right), pose in the ISS’s Quest airlock with Chris Ferguson, STS-135 commander, Doug Hurley, pilot, and Rex Walheim, mission specialist. Credit: NASA
Here’s how astronauts train for their EVAs, in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center. Here astronauts Rex Walheim and Sandy Magnus (mostly obscured), are raised from the waters of the N as a spacewalk training session comes to a close. Divers were in the water to assist Magnus and Walheim in their rehearsal. Credit: NASA

For larger versions of any of these images, and to see more images from the STS-135 mission, see NASA’s Human Spaceflight website’s mission gallery.