Feb

2013

6:21pm, EST

With glitches resolved, SpaceX gets Dragon ready for space station trip

SpaceX

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket sits on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during Monday's pre-launch engine test. The rocket is due to loft a Dragon cargo capsule to the International Space Station on Friday.

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

Follow @b0yle

The commercial SpaceX rocket venture says it's resolved the problems that cropped up during last October's cargo run to the International Space Station, and all systems are go for the delivery mission due for launch on Friday.

"We're a launch company," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said during a pre-launch briefing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday. "We love to launch."

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is due to lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 10:10 a.m. ET Friday. Forecasters said there was an 80 percent chance of acceptable weather for an on-time launch, with only a minor concern about the potential for thick cloud cover.

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This will mark the third launch of an unmanned SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule to the space station. It's the second cargo delivery under the terms of a $1.6 billion, 12-flight resupply contract with NASA. And it's the first time that a payload has been carried in the Dragon's unpressurized "trunk."

The trunk is an extra cargo space sitting beneath the Dragon's pressurized main compartment. It's basically been empty for the Dragon's previous two launches, in May and October 2012, but this time there'll be an 822-pound (373-kilogram) package containing a new set of grapple bars to be installed onto the station during a later spacewalk. The package will be put into storage using the station's robotic arm during the three weeks that the Dragon is due to be hooked up to the orbital outpost.

Another 1,493 pounds (677 kilograms) will be riding in the pressurized space, Shotwell said. That cargo will include food, clothing and other crew provisions as well as scientific experiments, two freezers for lab samples and spare parts for the station's air-scrubbing system. Unlike last time, there'll won't be any satellites flying as a secondary payload on the Dragon, Shotwell said.

Anomalies addressed
In October, the previous Dragon mission failed to deploy its secondary payload, an Orbcomm communications satellite, because of an engine problem that occurred during the Falcon 9's ascent. Shotwell said the problem was traced to "a material flaw that went undetected" in the sheathing around one of the nine Merlin engines on the Falcon's first stage. The failure of that material resulted in a breach that caused the engine to lose pressure, signaling the rocket's flight computer to shut down the engine.

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Despite the engine shutdown, the rocket was able to reach the required altitude for the space station delivery. It couldn't deliver the Orbcomm OG2 satellite to its proper orbit, however. Days later, the satellite fell out of the sky.

Shotwell said the engine assembly for the rocket to be launched on Friday has gone through extensive testing, using a procedure called non-destructive evaluation, or NDE. She said half-jokingly that engineers skilled in NDE procedures were more valued in the wake of last October's anomaly. "We're hiring you at SpaceX," she said.

She also discussed another anomaly that came to light after the previous Dragon's splashdown: The spacecraft sat in Pacific waters off the coast of California for hours, and it turned out that the water may have shorted out the power supply for the research freezer shipped down from the space station. NASA space station manager Mike Suffredini told reporters that the freezer was "fine, even with the loss of power." Since then, the Dragon for Friday's mission has been retrofitted to make the power supply more watertight, Shotwell said.

Suffredini said he was satisfied with the way that SpaceX followed up on the anomalies. "There's nothing that we would have done that they have chosen not to do," he said.

NASA has had its own share of problems crop up: Last week, the space station's main communication system went out for several hours during a software upgrade, but Suffredini said the outage "was never really a big concern." The software was eventually upgraded successfully, he said.

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"Over a million lines of code were upgraded, including the software for the [robotic] arm that's going to capture the Dragon," Suffredini said.

A fast flight
The flight plan calls for the Falcon 9 to send the Dragon capsule on an orbital trajectory that will bring it to the station less than 24 hours after launch. That's a significant faster trip than the previous Dragon flights, due to a favorable orbital geometry, Shotwell said. When the Dragon comes within 10 meters (33 feet), astronauts will use the station's robotic arm to latch onto the spacecraft and pull it in for its berthing at a port on the Harmony module. The hatch would be opened on Sunday. Then the astronauts would unload the supplies and fill the Dragon back up with cargo to be returned to Earth.

The Dragon is due to be unberthed on March 25, and will head down to a Pacific splashdown and recovery.

SpaceX's cargo flights are meant to fill the gap left by the retirement of NASA's space shuttle fleet in 2011. Another company, Orbital Science Corp., has a separate NASA contract to begin deliveries to the space station later this year. Cargo can also be delivered to the space station on Russian, Japanese and European transports, but only SpaceX currently has the capability to bring cargo back down.

SpaceX and two other companies, Sierra Nevada Corp. and the Boeing Co., are developing crew-capable spacecraft under a separate NASA program. Those spaceships could be ready for NASA's use as early as 2017. In the meantime, U.S. astronauts have to ride on Russian Soyuz capsules at a cost of about $60 million per seat.

Extra credit:

The previous mission included a shipment of vanilla-chocolate swirl ice cream for the crew, stored inside a research freezer. This time, the Dragon will be bringing snacks that are "a little bit healthier," Shotwell said. She said the goodies would be coming from the orchard of a SpaceX employee's father — but she wasn't more specific.
When Shotwell was asked about millionaire space tourist Dennis Tito's plan to send a married couple to Mars and back in 2018, she replied that SpaceX was not currently participating in the mission. "I think his plan is very ambitious," she said. Shotwell didn't slam he door on Tito, however. "We are a launch service provider, and if he can come up with the funding to execute this mission, I'd be happy to have him as a customer," she said.

More about SpaceX:

Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Explore related topics: space, featured, nasa, iss, spacex, new-space

Steve-777888

Good luck tomorrow SpaceX!

Thanks for another great space article Alan. I appreciate all the details.

5 votes

#1 - Thu Feb 28, 2013 6:47 PM EST

reterry

Indeed, true, on both counts!

What do you think of the as yet weak linkage between SpaceX and the Tito project?

3 votes

#2 - Thu Feb 28, 2013 7:11 PM EST

future space tourist

Can't wait to see the launch. Hope the weather holds up.

3 votes

#3 - Thu Feb 28, 2013 8:28 PM EST

MelJM

When is SpaceX going to launch Falcon Heavy?

#4 - Thu Feb 28, 2013 10:27 PM EST

cjsks

Falcon Heavy Demo Flight 1 still scheduled for this year according to the Launch Manifest.

1 vote

#4.1 - Fri Mar 1, 2013 10:19 AM EST

ray smith

"We are a launch service provider"

How cool is that???

#5 - Fri Mar 1, 2013 12:29 AM EST

Dewdle

I think the news media has it wrong ---or was given disinformation----on the reason the last Falcon 9 was unable to deploy the ORBCOMM secondary satellite payload. Yes, one of the F9's first stage engines did in fact fail. Spectacularly so. yet the other 8 engines compensated nicely , proving the SpaceX redundancy systems work as designed. Just like driving your Cadillac V-8 Coupe deVille on seven cylinders after one piston blows . The Dragon capsule was inserted into its intended orbit splendidly. Falcon 9 was proven to be robust.

It was NOT the engine failure per se that prevented the ORBCOMM from being put in its own intended orbit. Rather , it was NASA-ISS regulations that prohibit rocket engine burns within a certain defined space surrounding ISS. In order for the Falcon second stage to have inserted the ORBCOMM into its proper orbit, it would have had to violate that "box" by hotfiring in the exclusion zone. I believe I heard there were enough fuel reserves to accomplish this, and a whole lot of distance between the ascending Falcon 9 and the space station at the time , but the flight plan /NASA manager directives forbid it anyway.

Say what you will about safety protocols and parameters.... is NASA too risk aversive, and does it treat SpaceX and the other commercial companies with kid gloves ?

#6 - Fri Mar 1, 2013 9:29 AM EST

Brisaber

Can't please everyone it seems. NASA is too "risk aversive" when it comes to firing a rocket in a large exclusion zone around an international space station. But it is too complacent when they don't take the risks seriously enough and a mission turns disasterous.

Somewhere in between is the perfect spot, of course. But until that cherry spot is found, I would rather they err on the side of safety. Especially when it comes to a structure like the space station that is filled with people.

But your point is well made - failure to insert the satellite due to procedures is still a failure, but not necessarily related to the engine problems they had.

1 vote

#6.1 - Fri Mar 1, 2013 10:25 AM EST

Chas-973930

Let's get this capsule "Man-Rated" and let's start flying astronauts again instead of paying somebody else to do it!!

1 vote

#7 - Fri Mar 1, 2013 10:08 AM EST

cjsks

Dragon is orbital... Successful launch!

#8 - Fri Mar 1, 2013 10:21 AM EST

R-738279

Awsome

#9 - Fri Mar 1, 2013 10:22 AM EST

donovanpl123

"... a shipment of vanilla-chocolate swirl ice cream for the crew, stored inside a research freezer.." That's right, use every nook and cranny to get stuff to the astronauts.

#10 - Fri Mar 1, 2013 4:07 PM EST

Ajay Jain

Michelle Rhee - The famous controvertial former Washington DC School District Chancellor

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=215125001967375&set=vb.145530532162873&type=2&theater

Michelle Rhee on OPRAH https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPsqO17f6Lw

Michelle Rhee on abc's ThisWeek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nep1mcaFthU

Michelle Rhee on The DailyShow with Jon Stewart

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-february-4-2013/exclusive---michelle-rhee-extended-interview-pt--2http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-february-4-2013/exclusive---michelle-rhee-extended-interview-pt--3" target="_blank">http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-february-4-2013/michelle-rhee

pbs.org FRONTLINE: The Education of Michelle Rheehttp://video.pbs.org/video/2323979463/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/education-of-michelle-rhee/

Time Magazine: Rhee Tackles Classroom Challengehttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1862444-2,00.html

Michelle Rhee Discusses "Waiting for Superman," Charter Schools And Sch... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLih24QdwH8

Why Teach For America works - Michelle Rhee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUs_hsHaqSA

A Two-Tier Proposal for Teacher Pay - Michelle Rhee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pii96AoTPw

Stanford University: A Conversation on "Waiting for Superman" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzrjo7Fvs1A

"Radical" Fighting to Put Students First should be a must read for all studentsfirst.org members! Michelle Rhee's new book, "RADICAL: Fighting to Put Students First," is now in stores! For more information about where you can find it, to read an excerpt from the book, and to share your story about education in America visit the official site at http://www.edradical.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/edradical.

http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/michelle-rhee/510ff3b02b8c2a138f000747

Michelle Rhee at the ACE 2011 Spring Luncheon https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=mO9F-amHDuw

Michelle Rhee and Kevin Johnson (4/20/11) https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=OCcNzh7C_Tk&feature=endscreen

Michelle A. Rhee 03.17.11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD0g8Jb9l78

Cornell Alumni: Olin Lecture 2012: Michelle Rhee '92 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwFD-wkAEi8

Harvard Public Health: Michelle Rhee, Former Chancellor of Washington D.C. Public Schools https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH0twXcxNUY

http://fora.tv/2013/02/07/Michelle_Rhee_Fighting_to_Put_Students_First

Geoffrey Canada - Conversations at KCTS 9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxP6Ov5PSG8 Geoffrey Canada interviewed by Julian Bond: Explorations in Black Leadership ...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f5MZKf6Uu4

"Waiting for Superman" the documentary and Bloomberg documentary "Risk Takers" Michelle Rhee should a required screening for all studentsfirst.org members. I saw them on Netflix and became an instant member of studentsfirst.org and Michelle Rhee follower.

"Won't Back down" the movie is another example to screen to all studentsfirst.org members.

Share the reasons you fight for education reform. Your story will inspire others to get involved. So tell us: Why are you working to put students first? http://www.studentsfirst.org/facebook-story

Check out today's blog by StudentsFirst staffer Charity Hallman, "One size fits all, or so they said," on The Fordham Institute's "Education Gadfly Daily: FLYPAPER" blog.

To view the Fordham study, "When Teachers Choose Pension Plans: The Florida Story," visit http://www.studentsfirst.org/fordham-study-on-fl-teacher-pension-reform

Watch MAKER videos on StudentFirst Founder Michelle Rhee visit www.makers.com/michelle-rhee

Ajay Jain
ajain31@gmail.com
Twitter: @ajain31
Mobile 214-207-9781

#11 - Sun Mar 24, 2013 8:01 PM EDT

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Ajay Jain

The Voting Rights Act (VRA) must be upheld by the supreme court:

The numerous despicable attempts to restrict voting made during the last election cycle are proof of that. Anyone who truly believes the VRA is obsolete needs to recognize, given last year's voter suppression efforts, the Jim Crowe era is biding its time.

Now even if you are dumb enough to believe that all is OK with the world and there are no reasons to have the voting rights act on the books. Then why are the the parties at opposite end's on this? Why are the Republicans in America trying to keep people from the poles ?

The argument is that VRA is discriminatory against Southern states to require them but not other states to seek pre-clearance for voting laws; I actually agree. The Voting Rights Act should require *ALL* states to seek pre-clearance. After what we've seen the GOP try to pass in states all across the nation prior to the last 2012 election, I see no reason this safeguard against voter suppression should be limited to just Southern states as suggested by VRA of 1965 but now should be expanded to apply to ALL 50 states.

Ajay Jain
ajain31@gmail.com
Twitter @ajain31
Mobile: 214-207-9781