Forget Pluto, Mickey Mouse lives on Mercury. A NASA spacecraft has captured a spectacular photo of Mercury craters arranged in a shape that looks just like Disney's iconic cartoon mouse.
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Category Archives: NASA
NASA and FAA work out spaceship rules
SNC via NASA
Sierra Nevada Corp.'s Dream Chaser space plane prototype is lifted into the air by a helicopter for a captive-carry flight test in May. The Dream Chaser is one of several proposed spacecraft that could be cleared for liftoff by the FAA and NASA in the coming years.
By Alan Boyle
NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration have worked out their division of labor for clearing a new generation of private-sector spaceships for liftoff putting the aviation agency in charge of any crew-carrying spacecraft that launches and lands, but requiring the space agency's additional signoff on any missions it's paying for.
The arrangement was set out under the terms of a memo signed this month. It's in line with Congress' mandate that the FAA regulate spacecraft to protect public safety, while letting spaceship companies fly private passengers at their own risk.
"As it stands today, our regulatory authority is associated with the launch and re-entry itself," acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta explained today during a media teleconference. "We don't have any charter or authority to do anything beyond that, at least until 2015."
That's when the "fly at your own risk" mandate runs out, and it's also just about the earliest time that any of the companies developing crew-carrying spaceships will be ready to fly passengers.
NASA has been paying four companies Blue Origin, the Boeing Co., Sierra Nevada Corp. and SpaceXmore than $400 million to develop spaceships for flying U.S. astronauts. Today, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said NASA expected to announce which companies will be involved in the next phase of the commercial crew program by mid-July. Under the terms of a compromise worked out with congressional leaders, the program will give its full support to two spaceship teams, and roughly half that level of support to a third team.
The companies involved in the program have generally said they'd be ready to fly their craft as early as 2015, assuming that they receive adequate support from NASA. Bolden, however, is focusing on 2017 for the resumption of U.S.-based crew launches to the International Space Station.
The White House requested $830 million to support the program in the next fiscal year, but during its budget deliberations, Congress has been setting aside no more than $525 million."We will ask for a significant increase in 2014 and the other years if we are to hold to the 2017 first-flight date for commercial crew to the International Space Station," Bolden told reporters.
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Huge NASA Pic of North Pole Will Give You Shivers
Remember that NASA satellite photo of the Earth at super-high resolution? The space agency just posted the sequel, this time capturing the Northern Hemisphere at even higher clarity -- 121 megapixels.
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NASA Voyager 1 Spacecraft Nears Interstellar Space
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has encountered a new environment more than 11 billion miles from Earth, suggesting that the venerable probe is on the cusp of leaving the solar system.
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NASA to test IRVE-3 inflatable reentry system
Your spacecraft is falling from the skies at an initial speed of Mach 25. Your reentry heat shield, that has to survive a 7,800 degrees Celsius (14,072° F) plasma shock, is a finely tuned hi-tech amalgam of refractory metals and carbides and reinforced carbon-carbon ablation materials. Care to replace your mighty heat shield with a balloon? Not likely! But that is exactly what NASA is ...
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NASA satellite images capture commercial jet engine trails from space
By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 21:13 EST, 17 June 2012 | UPDATED: 03:11 EST, 18 June 2012
Like a giant game of crosses without the naughts, these incredible jet engine trails can be seen criss-crossing the Atlantic from space.
NASA's Terra satellite captured these two amazing images of aircraft trails, or 'contrails' as they are known, spreading across the sky off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
The spectacular effect forms in the wake of passing aircraft due to the extra particles and water vapor contained in their exhaust.
NASA said these it has observed these clusters of contrails lasting as long as 14 hours, though most get a shorter lifespan of four to six hours.
Jet trails: NASA's satellite captured the jet trails, pictured, criss-crossing the Atlantic on May 26
These photographs, taken over two hours on May 26, capture contrails that were likely caused by commercial aircraft flying west to North America from the UK and Europe.
The contrails are arrayed in X-shaped patterns and a cirrus cloud is visible to the left of both images.
The airplane signatures with distinct edges are visible in the first, older image, but two hours later have grown wispier and spread outward as winds have blown them south and east.
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NASA satellite images capture commercial jet engine trails from space
Bolden’s Two Stops at SpaceX on This Week @NASA – Video
16-06-2012 14:45 NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden pays congratulatory visits to the facilities Space Exploration Technologies in Texas and California following the company's teams for the successful round-trip of the company's Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. Dragon demonstrated its ability to maneuver and berth to the ISS, then make its safe return to Earth. Also, Garver opens robotics challenge; chasing dreams at Langley; record-breaking engine test; networking for the future; new site for Curiosity; NuSTAR makes orbit; and more.
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NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 16 June 2012
ISS On-Orbit Status 06/16/12
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Saturday - Crew off duty.
After wakeup, Sergei Revin performed the routine inspection of the SM (Service Module) PSS Caution & Warning panel as part of regular Daily Morning Inspection.
FE-5 Andr Kuipers conducted the regular (~weekly) inspection & maintenance, as required, of the CGBA-4 (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 4) and CGBA-5 payloads in their ERs (EXPRESS Racks) at Lab O2 & O1, focusing on cleaning the muffler air intakes.
The six Exp-31 crewmembers joined in conducting the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough cleaning of their home, including COL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory) and Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module). ["Uborka", usually done on Saturdays, includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, damp cleaning of the SM dining table, other frequently touched surfaces and surfaces where trash is collected, as well as the sleep stations with a standard cleaning solution; also, fan screens and grilles are cleaned to avoid temperature rises. Special cleaning is also done every 90 days on the HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) bacteria filters in the Lab.]
As part of Uborka house cleaning, Oleg completed regular weekly maintenance inspection & cleaning of fan screens in the FGB (TsV2) plus Group E fan grilles in the SM (VPkhO, FS5, FS6, VP).
FE-2 Revin handled the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM. [Regular daily SOZh maintenance consists, among else, of checking the ASU toilet facilities, replacement of the KTO & KBO solid waste containers, replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers and filling EDV-SV, KOV (for Elektron), EDV-ZV & EDV on RP flow regulator.]
In the JAXA JPM (JEM Pressurized Module) at F5, Andr Kuipers terminated the loading of the ER-4 RIC (EXPRESS Rack 4 Rack Interface Controller) with new software, shutting off and breaking down the A31p & ER-4 T61p laptop computers, reconfiguring the T61p and reactivating it.
After closing the window shutters in the Cupola to establish good thermal control environment for IR (Infrared) operations, Don Pettit used the EVA IR camera to take thermal imagery of the Cupola windows. Window heater on/off switching was performed by MCC-H ground control.
In the MRM2 Poisk module, Gennady Padalka continued the twice-daily checking of vacuum/pressure conditions in the Plasma Chamber of the KPT-21 PK-3+ Plasma Crystal-3+ (Plazmennyi-Kristall-3 plus) Telescience payload. [The PK-3+ equipment comprises the EB (Eksperimental'nyj Blok) Experiment Module with a turbopump for evacuation, Ts laptop, video monitor, vacuum hoses, electrical circuitry, four hard storage disks for video, and one USB stick with the control application. The experiment is performed on plasma, i.e., fine particles charged and excited by HF (high frequency) radio power inside the evacuated work chamber. Main objective is to obtain a homogeneous plasma dust cloud at various pressures and particle quantities with or without superimposition of an LF (low frequency) harmonic electrical field. The experiment is conducted in automated mode. PK-3+ has more advanced hardware and software than the previously used Russian PKE-Nefedov payload.]
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Bolden Visits SpaceX on This Week @NASA – Video
15-06-2012 15:49 NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden visited the facilities of Space Exploration Technologies in Texas and California following the successful round-trip of the company's Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. Dragon demonstrated its ability to maneuver and berth to the ISS, then make its safe return to Earth. Also, chasing dreams at Langley; record-breaking engine test; networking for the future; new site for Curiosity; NuSTAR makes orbit; and more.
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NASA: What to do with gift spy telescopes?
ANCHORAGE, Alaska A pair of space telescopes that were donated to NASA from the secretive National Reconnaissance Office could be repurposed for a wide variety of science missions, NASA officials say, but it will likely be years before the agency's budget can accommodate them.
The two spy satellite telescopes were originally built for planned NRO space-based surveillance missions, but they were never used. Earlier this month, on June 4, NASA announced its acquisition of the telescopes, and the agency's intention to use them for future astronomical research.
"About a year ago, NASA was contacted this was long before I came onboard saying they had some residual hardware that might be interesting to NASA," said John Grunsfeld, the associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "Folks did take a look at it. Unfortunately, it was classified at that time, so it took a while for the National Reconnaissance Office to declassify it and figure out what the right approach is."
Grunsfeld co-hosted a town hall-style gathering Tuesday to discuss NASA's budget and plans here at the 220th meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
The two telescopes have main mirrors that measure nearly 8 feet wide (2.4 meters), making them comparable to the veteran Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched into orbit 22 years ago. Grunsfeld called the donated optical hardware "very high quality."
"From the preliminary looks, this is a gift that, I think, we're going to really appreciate in the future," he added.
More space news from msnbc.com
Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Wanna do some space science? You no longer have to be a professional researcher, or even a grown-up, to get your experiment into orbit.
The telescopes are currently being stored in Rochester, N.Y., in facilities belonging to the hardware's manufacturer, ITT Exelis Geospatial Systems. The cost to keep them in storage is about $70,000 a year, Grunsfeld said. [ Photos: Declassified U.S. Spy Satellites ]
"It's not insignificant, but it's not something that's unmanageable," he said.
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Oddball NASA craft is perfect for hauling shuttle trainer to Seattle
Look to the sky at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 30, and you may see NASA's bubbleheaded Super Guppy essentially a supersized flying aluminum can.
If weather permits, the cargo plane carrying a piece of a space shuttle mock-up from Houston will signal its arrival in Seattle with two passes around Lake Washington before landing at Boeing Field for an 11 a.m. ceremony.
The turboprop Super Guppy may be old, slow and odd-looking, but it gets the job done, said David Elliott, NASA's Super Guppy project manager.
"It's ideal for this kind of work. With its 25-foot diameter, we can fit just about anything in it."
Besides its swollen shape, the Super Guppy's most distinctive feature is the way it's loaded.
The front ends swings away, allowing unobstructed access to a cargo compartment that can swallow objects 25 feet high, 25 feet wide and 111 feet long.
The plane bound for Seattle is the last flying member of a family of eight Guppy aircraft that dates to the early 1960s.
The aircraft were created to carry outsized cargo by expanding the fuselage of Boeing Stratocruisers or related aircraft planes readily available as airlines switched from propeller-driven planes to jetliners.
When the first such plane was created, one observer said it looked like a Pregnant Guppy, and the name stuck.
Early on, its work included carrying Saturn IV rocket parts to Florida's Cape Canaveral, replacing a two-week barge trip that sometimes damaged the rockets.
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Oddball NASA craft is perfect for hauling shuttle trainer to Seattle
NASA | Goddard’s Innovation – Video
14-06-2012 12:19 For more than half a century, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has been at the forefront of discovery, creating new instruments and managing high-profile missions that have expanded our understanding of the world around us. Perhaps less well known is its enviable culture of innovation. Through its Internal Research and Development Program, Goddard technologists are pursuing new cutting-edge technologies — everything from nanotech coatings and miniaturized electronic components to lighter, more capable telescope mirrors — that will enable discovery in the future.
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NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Kicks Off 2012 Summer of Innovation At Columbia Middle School
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will return to his hometown of Columbia, S.C., June 18 to participate in a NASA Summer of Innovation (SOI) celebration at W. A. Perry Middle School and the nearby Challenger Center. Bolden attended Perry as a youth.
The SOI program begins at 9 a.m. at the school with a keynote speech by Cheryl McNair, the wife of fallen space shuttle Challenger astronaut, Ronald McNair. Administrator Bolden will address the students at noon and visit the Challenger Center at approximately 12:45 p.m.
Members of the media interested in attending the SOI events should contact Edith Caudle, Richland One School District public information manager at (803) 231-7510 by 4 p.m. Friday, June 15.
This is the third year for the SOI project that provides hands-on learning opportunities for underrepresented middle school students and professional development workshops for educators through NASA-unique science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educational activities during the summer school break.
The two Monday events feature hands-on STEM activities for over 400 middle school students and 40 educators and will include NASA Digital Learning Network programs, the Greenwood Genetic Center Gene Machine Mobile Science Laboratory, a portable planetarium and other educational programs. STEM activities will also be held at the Richland One District Challenger Center in Columbia. Bolden, a Columbia native, graduated from C. A. Johnson High School there in 1964 and received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. His 34-year career with the Marine Corps included 14 years as a member of NASA's Astronaut Office. He flew four times aboard the space shuttle between 1986 and 1994, commanding two of the missions.
NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., manages the SOI program in South Carolina. NASA's SOI is a key component of the agency's broader education program to increase student interest in STEM courses, particularly among those in underserved sectors of the academic community.
For more information about the SOI project, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/soi
For more information about NASA's broader education program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/education
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NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Kicks Off 2012 Summer of Innovation At Columbia Middle School
NASA Embraces AWS, Windows Azure Clouds After OpenStack Departure
June 15, 2012 -- Less than a month after NASA announced its withdrawal from OpenStack, NASA chief information officer Linda Cureton says the space organization has embraced the AWS cloud infrastructure for a variety of web applications.
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NASA Embraces AWS, Windows Azure Clouds After OpenStack Departure
NASA's NEEMO: Bringing Space to the Deep
The OpenROV (in blue) Moving Over Aquarius. Image: OpenROV
The name Nemo automatically brings to mind visions of the deep for many people. From the infamous anti-hero captain in Jules Vernes Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea to the lovable lost clown fish in Pixars Finding Nemo, the name has become linked to life in the ocean. For a dedicated team from a number of backgrounds, interests, and organizations, the name is linked to both the ocean and space exploration.
There is a project, coordinated by NASA, called the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations, or NEEMO. I have spent the past week working in the NEEMO environment and it has been amazing. My work here was related to capturing part of the link NASA provides to monitoring the oceans along with the satellite program I am working on now called the Joint Polar Satellite System. I captured a great deal of incredible information and footage for my project but I want to take the time to educate our readers on NEEMO, the incredible work being done on the project, and the other amazing teams I was working alongside.
NEEMO is what NASA calls an Analog Mission. During an Analog Mission, a crew is put into a simulated mission under an environment simulating some of the conditions of a space mission while a Mission Control team works with the crew in a Mission Control Center, or MCC. The fact that this is an Analog Mission is an important distinction. There are a number of ways to test in conditions specifically analogous to spaceflight such as g-forces in a centrifuge or different pressure conditions in test chambers. The Analog Missions are important in that they are a simulation of the full end-to-end space mission. The crew is working for multiple days in an extreme environment and communicating with Mission Control in a way that is very similar to working on flying mission.
The Aquarius Reef Base during the NEEMO 14 Mission Image: NASA
The NEEMO Analog Missions are centered around the Aquarius Reef Base off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. The Aquarius Reef Base is owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operated by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The Aquarius Base is an 85-ton habitat that supports a crew of up to six Aquanauts. Aquarius sits in about 62 feet of water in a sandy section of Conch Reef in the protected Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The habitat is pressurized to over twice normal atmospheric pressure both to keep the Aquanauts equalized to the water pressure at that depth and to allow for a moon pool where the Aquanauts can enter and leave the habitat without airlocks or hatches. Remember The Abyss? It is kind of like that but at 62 feet. On the surface, there is a large buoy called the Life Support Buoy, or LSB, which provides power generation, air compressors, communications, and other support equipment. At the end of a stay on Aquarius, since the Aquanauts are saturated at the pressure of 2.5 atmospheres, they undergo an almost 16 hour decompression process to bring them safely back to normal atmospheric conditions.
The Aquarius Life Support Buoy & Support Ships Image: Brian McLaughlin
When the NASA NEEMO team uses Aquarius for a mission they send a crew down consisting of astronauts and other personnel to work in the extreme environment and simulate a space mission. The extreme environment provides conditions where the crew lives in isolation and have to appropriately equip themselves for work outside the habitat. NEEMO places additional equipment around Aquarius to aid in the mission simulation. Back in Key Largo, a large, well-equipped trailer is brought in for the Mission Control end of the simulation. Called the Mobile Mission Control Center, or MMCC, the trailer provides an amazingly accurate Mission Control atmosphere. During mission operations, additional divers also go down to support different aspects of the mission, making for an amazing sight with the support divers and Aquanauts all working together in an well-choreographed dance.
NASA Mobile Mission Command Center Image: Brian McLaughlin
The current mission is NEEMO 16 and runs from this past Monday till the end of next week. During NEEMO 16, the team is simulating a mission to land on an asteroid. They are practicing a number of techniques for moving around the asteroid environment, such as moving from workstation to workstation, testing tools for different uses, and other activities. The communications loop with the MMCC is delayed to simulate the communications lag due to the speed of light a mission will encounter working on an asteroid. What makes NEEMO such a great place to run tests described above is the ability to provide feedback on a particular tool or procedure to the surface team, make modifications, and try the modifications the next day. It is an amazing rapid prototyping environment that is like a Hackathon on the ocean floor.
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Spy Satellite Telescopes Donated to NASA 'Came Out of the Blue'
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A pair of space telescopes that were donated to NASA from the secretive National Reconnaissance Office could be repurposed for a wide variety of science missions, NASA officials say, but it will likely be years before the agency's budget can accommodate them. Â
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Spy Satellite Telescopes Donated to NASA 'Came Out of the Blue'
NASA | Five Teachers, 500 Meters Above Greenland – Video
13-06-2012 09:48 This year five teachers were invited on board NASA's P-3B aircraft to fly at 500 meters above the glaciers of Greenland with Operation IceBridge, a six-year mission to study Arctic and Antarctic ice. Two teachers from Greenland, two from Denmark, and one from the United States were given the opportunity to see polar research first hand, and then take that experience back to their classrooms. This video is public domain and can be downloaded at: Like our videos? Subscribe to NASA's Goddard Shorts HD podcast: Or find NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on facebook: Or find us on Twitter:
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NASA's NuSTAR mission lifts off
ScienceDaily (June 13, 2012) NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) launched into the morning skies over the central Pacific Ocean at 9 a.m. PDT (noon EDT) Wednesday, beginning its mission to unveil secrets of buried black holes and other exotic objects.
"We all eagerly await the launch of this novel X-ray observatory," said Paul Hertz, NASA's Astrophysics Division Director. "With its unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution to the previously poorly explored hard X-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum, NuSTAR will open a new window on the universe and will provide complementary data to NASA's larger missions, including Fermi, Chandra, Hubble and Spitzer."
NuSTAR will use a unique set of eyes to see the highest energy X-ray light from the cosmos. The observatory can see through gas and dust to reveal black holes lurking in our Milky Way galaxy, as well as those hidden in the hearts of faraway galaxies.
"NuSTAR will help us find the most elusive and most energetic black holes, to help us understand the structure of the universe," said Fiona Harrison, the mission's principal investigator at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
The observatory began its journey aboard a L-1011 "Stargazer" aircraft, operated by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Va. NuSTAR was perched atop Orbital's Pegasus XL rocket, both of which were strapped to the belly of the Stargazer plane. The plane left Kwajalein Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean one hour before launch. At 9:00:35 a.m. PDT (12:00:35 p.m. EDT), the rocket dropped, free-falling for five seconds before firing its first-stage motor.
About 13 minutes after the rocket dropped, NuSTAR separated from the rocket, reaching its final low Earth orbit. The first signal from the spacecraft was received at 9:14 a.m. PDT (12:14 p.m. EDT) via NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System.
"NuSTAR spread its solar panels to charge the spacecraft battery and then reported back to Earth of its good health," said Yunjin Kim, the mission's project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "We are checking out the spacecraft now and are excited to tune into the high-energy X-ray sky."
The mission's unique telescope design includes a 33-foot (10-meter) mast, which was folded up in a small canister during launch. In about seven days, engineers will command the mast to extend, enabling the telescope to focus properly. About 23 days later, science operations are scheduled to begin.
In addition to black holes and their powerful jets, NuSTAR will study a host of high-energy objects in our universe, including the remains of exploded stars; compact, dead stars; and clusters of galaxies. The mission's observations, in coordination with other telescopes such as NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, which detects lower-energy X-rays, will help solve fundamental cosmic mysteries. NuSTAR also will study our sun's fiery atmosphere, looking for clues as to how it is heated.
NuSTAR is a Small Explorer mission led by the Caltech and managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The spacecraft was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation. Its instrument was built by a consortium including Caltech; JPL; the University of California, Berkeley; Columbia University, New York; NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.; the Danish Technical University in Denmark; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, Calif.; and ATK Aerospace Systems, Goleta, Calif. NuSTAR will be operated by UC Berkeley, with the Italian Space Agency providing its equatorial ground station located at Malindi, Kenya. The mission's outreach program is based at Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, Calif. NASA's Explorer Program is managed by Goddard. JPL is managed by Caltech for NASA.
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NASA's Bolden Visits SpaceX To View Dragon Capsule
June 14, 2012
Image Caption: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, congratulates SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk in front of the historic Dragon capsule that returned to Earth on May 31 following the first successful mission by a private company to carry supplies to the International Space Station. Bolden and Musk also thanked the more than 150 SpaceX employees working at the McGregor facility for their role in the historic mission. This image was taken on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at the SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas. Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden joined SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk at the SpaceX Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas, Wednesday to see the first commercial space capsule to complete a mission to the International Space Station.
Bolden and Musk also thanked the more than 150 SpaceX employees working at the McGregor facility for their role in the historic mission. SpaceXs Dragon capsule made history May 31 when it returned to Earth after delivering supplies to the space station.
The Dragon capsule is a tangible example of the new era of exploration unfolding right now, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. Commercial space is becoming a reality as SpaceX and our other commercial partners look ahead to future missions to the space station and other destinations. I congratulate Elon Musk and the entire SpaceX team again for this historic milestone.
While on-site, Bolden had the opportunity to view some of the 1,367 pounds of cargo the spacecraft returned to Earth from the space station. Dragon is the only spacecraft capable of returning a significant quantity of science experiments and cargo from the station. Experiments will be given back to researchers hoping to gain new insights provided by the stations unique microgravity environment. The cargo was transferred to NASA June 13 and will be taken to the agencys Johnson Space Center in Houston for further processing.
Dragons journey to the station was SpaceXs second demonstration mission under NASAs Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program (COTS), which provides investments intended to lead to regular resupply missions to the International Space Station and stimulate the commercial space industry in the United States. The mission began May 22 as the capsule launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. After its maneuverability and abort systems were tested, crew members of Expedition 31 aboard the station grappled the capsule and berthed it to the orbiting laboratory.
Dragon, its exterior scorched by the heat of re-entry, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean May 31. SpaceX recovered the capsule immediately and transported it to McGregor, where engineers unloaded cargo and removed hazardous materials. Dragon will be shipped to SpaceX Headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., later this year.
On Thursday, Bolden and Musk will be at SpaceX Headquarters to see the Dragon spacecraft that flew the first COTS demonstration mission in December 2010, during which SpaceX became the first private company to recover a spacecraft after it orbited Earth. They also will see a prototype Dragon spacecraft being designed to carry astronauts to the space station as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program.
For more information about NASAs COTS Program and SpaceX, visit: http://www.spacex.com
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NASA's chief visits the Dragon's lair
Bill Ingalls / NASA
SpaceX's billionaire founder, Elon Musk, makes remarks at the microphone while NASA Administrator Charles Bolden sizes up the company's Dragon capsule on Wednesday at the SpaceX rocket test facility in McGregor, Texas. Wednesday's gathering marked the handover of the Dragon's cargo to NASA after last month's historic commercial mission to the International Space Station.
By Alan Boyle
In the wake of a history-making commercial space mission, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and SpaceX's billionaire founder, Elon Musk, met up in Texas today for a close-up look at the company's recently returned Dragon space capsule and the official handover of more than a half-ton of cargo that came back to Earth on the craft. Musk also got in a little Texas-style politicking on the side.
The SpaceX Dragon's trip to the International Space Station last month marked the first time a privately built craft made an orbital stopover. The Dragon is currently the only type of spaceship on the planet capable of bringing significant amounts of cargo back from the station up to 3 tons' worth. This time around, it returned 1,367 pounds (621 kilograms) of non-critical cargo, including scientific experiments as well as equipment and spacewalk gear that was no longer needed.
The handover at SpaceX's rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas, meant that the space agency and the 10-year-old company could check off the last major milestone on their list for the demonstration mission. And that, in turn, opens the way for SpaceX to start ferrying cargo to the station on a regular basis under the terms of a $1.6 billion contract with NASA. The first of 12 missions is tentatively planned for September.
Today's meeting gave Bolden and Musk an opportunity to thank the more than 150 SpaceX employees working at the McGregor facility and get a good look at the Dragon. The Associated Press quoted Musk as saying the craft looked "almost untouched," while Bolden said the capsule was "beaten up" during re-entry.
"The Dragon capsule is a tangible example of the new era of exploration unfolding right now," Bolden was quoted as saying in a NASA report about the Texas meet-up. "Commercial space is becoming a reality as SpaceX looks ahead to future missions to the space station and other destinations. All of NASA's partners in the commercial crew and cargo programs continue to meet milestones designing the next generation of innovative U.S.spacecraft destined for low Earth orbit. In addition, NASA centers across the country are making exciting progress on the vehicles that will take astronauts to farther destinations like an asteroid and Mars. I congratulate Elon Musk and the SpaceX team again for this historic milestone."
Bill Ingalls / NASA
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, congratulates SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk in front of the Dragon capsule during Wednesday's meeting at the SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas.
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