Shuttle had the arm to grab satellites and also for astronauts to use as a platform to work from.
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Mike1080i
Member
I'm just not sure how servicing mission by another crewed vehicle would work. For example, shuttle servicing missions flew with the Flight Support System (the work platform), that also provided power and some data between the two. I'm not sure how something that takes the place of that would work with a Crew Dragon. There was a lot of discussion of a robotic servicing mission after Columbia's demise in 2003 and SM4 was cancelled. So there was thinking that at least some repair tasks could be handled without a shuttle and it's EVA crew.
That would be interesting to know. I'm just an armchair enthusiast level type that probably spent way too much time watching NASA TV in the shuttle days.
Heck, even if all it's science instruments fail, if HST can maintain attitude, maybe a cargo version of Starship would be able to bring HST back home intact.
Russia’s passive-aggressive reaction to SpaceX may mask a deeper truth
Some interesting commentary from “Vadim Lukashevich, a Russian-based space expert. He was fired from an aerospace think tank at Skolkovo in 2015 after writing articles opposing the transformation of Roscosmos from a government agency into a state corporation. On Monday, he gave an interview to Russian television station Moscow 24, which was published on YouTube and translated for Ars by Robinson Mitchell.”
Quotes from Lukashevich (pointing out what we all already know): “With this launch... this private company SpaceX has made Roscosmos null and void...if we compare the ships on a technological level, our Soyuz is in principle unable to compete with the SpaceX’s Crew Dragon...Elon Musk has built the ship of the future. It’s a seven-place spacecraft. It is re-usable. It is new technology. Accordingly, it beats Soyuz according to every parameter, by every technological indicator...”
And the most telling: “...we [Russia] were carrying astronauts, we were getting basically for free $400 million a year at about $90 million per seat for each foreign astronaut. That is more than the entire cost of the rocket and the ship and launch operations taken together. This means as long as we had at least one foreign astronaut on board, we were launching for free. For us this wasn’t just a freebie—it was a narcotic. It allowed us to do absolutely nothing and still earn money. And now, this narcotic is going to be cut off, and we will be forced to do something. Either we will pass into history along with all of our space achievements, like Portugal, with its discovery of America and the voyages of Magellan and so forth, or we will have to seriously do something.’
While Lukashevich acts like Russia has a choice, in fact it does not. Russia simply does not have the money to develop a new, reusable spacecraft and rocket. Putin continues to promise Russians a better standard of living, and constantly hypes a range of incredible new military weapons that are likely mostly just very expensive fantasies. The Russian economy is built on oil and gas sales which is an unsustainable foundation, and they don’t seem to be able to diversify. Russia doesn’t manufacture anything of significance that the rest of the world wants to buy.
The Russian space program is like a zombie, shuffling along looking for customers, but the customers aren’t there.
Some interesting commentary from “Vadim Lukashevich, a Russian-based space expert. He was fired from an aerospace think tank at Skolkovo in 2015 after writing articles opposing the transformation of Roscosmos from a government agency into a state corporation. On Monday, he gave an interview to Russian television station Moscow 24, which was published on YouTube and translated for Ars by Robinson Mitchell.”
Quotes from Lukashevich (pointing out what we all already know): “With this launch... this private company SpaceX has made Roscosmos null and void...if we compare the ships on a technological level, our Soyuz is in principle unable to compete with the SpaceX’s Crew Dragon...Elon Musk has built the ship of the future. It’s a seven-place spacecraft. It is re-usable. It is new technology. Accordingly, it beats Soyuz according to every parameter, by every technological indicator...”
And the most telling: “...we [Russia] were carrying astronauts, we were getting basically for free $400 million a year at about $90 million per seat for each foreign astronaut. That is more than the entire cost of the rocket and the ship and launch operations taken together. This means as long as we had at least one foreign astronaut on board, we were launching for free. For us this wasn’t just a freebie—it was a narcotic. It allowed us to do absolutely nothing and still earn money. And now, this narcotic is going to be cut off, and we will be forced to do something. Either we will pass into history along with all of our space achievements, like Portugal, with its discovery of America and the voyages of Magellan and so forth, or we will have to seriously do something.’
While Lukashevich acts like Russia has a choice, in fact it does not. Russia simply does not have the money to develop a new, reusable spacecraft and rocket. Putin continues to promise Russians a better standard of living, and constantly hypes a range of incredible new military weapons that are likely mostly just very expensive fantasies. The Russian economy is built on oil and gas sales which is an unsustainable foundation, and they don’t seem to be able to diversify. Russia doesn’t manufacture anything of significance that the rest of the world wants to buy.
The Russian space program is like a zombie, shuffling along looking for customers, but the customers aren’t there.
I'm sad to say that his description of Roscosmos is virtually identical to what is happening with SLS and, to a lesser extent, ULA. SLS isn't even launching (which is much worse than Roscosmos) and ULA is seeing the problem and doing their best to move past it while clinging to the older technology.
Fortunately, in America, we have SpaceX and Blue Origin. Russia has no private space companies.
China has become the #2 global space powerhouse, and even has a privately run rocket company. Russia is history...
e-FTW
New electron smell
A little more on Roscosmos which ties it up neatly:
Source: Roscosmos Blames SpaceX For Being Successful (Update) - NASA Watch — NASA Watch
Source: Roscosmos Blames SpaceX For Being Successful (Update) - NASA Watch — NASA Watch
e-FTW
New electron smell
I chuckled at this: Elon Musk on Twitter
Elon putting the pressure on NASA for retro-propulsive landings?
Elon putting the pressure on NASA for retro-propulsive landings?
Eric comments that a delay until August "Is not necessarily a bad thing". Dragon 2 may have delivered astronauts to ISS by August.
How could that not be a bad thing for Boeing?
e-FTW
New electron smell
Boeing is going to fly. They are already contracted to do so. These delays will cost them for sure, but they have a few years of flights lined up. Just like SpaceX.
I tend to agree they will fly. But it's certainly not set in stone.
Given sufficient delays, NASA would cancel their contract. Though it seems unlikely there will be sufficient delays, given the progress thus far.
Boeing's delay is now semi-official.
Boeing delays by months test flights for U.S. human space program: sources | Reuters
Boeing delays by months test flights for U.S. human space program: sources | Reuters
e-FTW
New electron smell
Ouch.
On the other hand, buying those two Soyuz seats (this fall and next spring) avoids pressures that could lead Boeing and SpaceX to fall into a “must launch mode” which could be extremely dangerous.
e-FTW
New electron smell
On the SpaceX end of things, delays are expected before Demo-2: Almost Ready: SpaceX has work to do before Dragon is ready to carry crew - SpaceNews.com — SpaceNews
One part of this is that Demo-2 will have full life support systems and full user interface electronics. Those are changes they need to make, integrate, test, sign-off on, etc.
Another one I was not aware of reveals plenty of interesting details:
Bob Behnken probably has the last word here, fittingly enough:
One part of this is that Demo-2 will have full life support systems and full user interface electronics. Those are changes they need to make, integrate, test, sign-off on, etc.
Another one I was not aware of reveals plenty of interesting details:
Hans did say he was confident that they could adapt quickly like they did for DM-1, if the issues are minor enough.
Bob Behnken probably has the last word here, fittingly enough:
It now looks like Boeing will not make their crewed flight until sometime in 2020.
I am surprised to read about that issue. Since DM-1 was supposed to be a full test of the Crew Dragon, I would have thought an issue like that which showed up in testing would have been required to be resolved before the mission. Whatever changes they make for the crewed mission won’t be able to be tested in orbit on an uncrewed mission based on the current announced mission schedule.
Almost Ready: SpaceX has work to do before Dragon is ready to carry crew - SpaceNews.com — SpaceNews
Quote: One such issue is with the Draco thrusters on Crew Dragon. During thermal vacuum testing of the spacecraft, engineers found that, in some circumstances, temperatures could get low enough to freeze propellant lines. “For the full environment that we were expecting this mission to be operating within, the Dracos didn’t like that environment. They weren’t operating that well in that environment,” Lueders said.
The fix for Demo-1 was to constrain the mission design to make it unlikely the spacecraft could get cold enough for long enough for the lines to freeze. That required launching only on days when Crew Dragon could get to the station within a day of the launch. Had the March 2 launch been scrubbed for weather or technical reasons, the next launch window wasn’t until March 5. The permanent solution, to be implemented on Demo-2 and later Crew Dragon spacecraft, will be to install heaters on the propellant lines.
More fixes may be needed to Crew Dragon depending on the analysis of data collected during the flight. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens,” said Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of build and flight reliability at SpaceX. “This is a test flight, so we will learn things and gather experience with our subsystems.”
Almost Ready: SpaceX has work to do before Dragon is ready to carry crew - SpaceNews.com — SpaceNews
Quote: One such issue is with the Draco thrusters on Crew Dragon. During thermal vacuum testing of the spacecraft, engineers found that, in some circumstances, temperatures could get low enough to freeze propellant lines. “For the full environment that we were expecting this mission to be operating within, the Dracos didn’t like that environment. They weren’t operating that well in that environment,” Lueders said.
The fix for Demo-1 was to constrain the mission design to make it unlikely the spacecraft could get cold enough for long enough for the lines to freeze. That required launching only on days when Crew Dragon could get to the station within a day of the launch. Had the March 2 launch been scrubbed for weather or technical reasons, the next launch window wasn’t until March 5. The permanent solution, to be implemented on Demo-2 and later Crew Dragon spacecraft, will be to install heaters on the propellant lines.
More fixes may be needed to Crew Dragon depending on the analysis of data collected during the flight. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens,” said Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of build and flight reliability at SpaceX. “This is a test flight, so we will learn things and gather experience with our subsystems.”
More from Spaceflightnow:
In curious move, NASA lays blame on ULA for latest Starliner delay – NASASpaceFlight.com
SpaceX has said they are on track for June IFA and July Crewed launch.
In curious move, NASA lays blame on ULA for latest Starliner delay – NASASpaceFlight.com
SpaceX has said they are on track for June IFA and July Crewed launch.
Eric Berger puts a smackdown on Boeing for their historical disparagement of SpaceX.
SpaceX likely to win NASA’s crew competition by months, for billions less
SpaceX likely to win NASA’s crew competition by months, for billions less
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