AUT University is proud to be playing an integral role in the first private space flight to the International Space Station (ISS).

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AUT University takes crucial role in private space mission

HARTFORD

The rat cells have been launched into space.

SpaceX's Dragon blasted off early Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Fla., carrying aboard roughly 1,200 pounds of cargo and a Hartford science project in the first commercial flight aiming to dock on the International Space Station.

The private cargo includes 15 student experiments from around the country. One is from Annie Fisher STEM Magnet School and the University High School of Science and Engineering in the city's North End.

"Finally," said Aime Levesque, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Hartford who mentored the team of students on their project involving osteoporosis.

"There's been delay after delay," Levesque said Tuesday afternoon, "so I'm happy it finally launched."

So are government and SpaceX officials. Under President Barack Obama's direction, NASA is now relying on private companies to resupply the space station, a new era following last year's retirement of the space shuttle program.

Enter the Dragon, a thimble-shaped capsule from Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, the California-based space transportation firm that has a contract with NASA.

"The significance of this day cannot be overstated," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement released Tuesday after Dragon's launch.

Hartford's participation is through the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program, an initiative of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education in Washington, D.C., and NanoRacks, a company that operates a research lab on the space station.

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Local Experiment Aboard Commercial Flight To Space Station

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Enter The 'Dragon': Hartford Science Experiment Aboard First Commercial Flight To Space Station

By The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Opening a new, entrepreneurial era in spaceflight, a ship built by a billionaire businessman sped toward the International Space Station with a load of groceries and other supplies Tuesday after a spectacular, middle-of-the-night blastoff.

The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket and its unmanned Dragon capsule marked the first time a commercial spacecraft has been sent to the orbiting outpost.

Cutting a brilliant, fiery arc through the darkness, the rocket lifted off just before 4 a.m. and smoothly boosted the capsule into orbit. The capsule is expected to rendezvous with the space station within days, delivering a half-ton of provisions for its six crew members.

It is considered just a test flight. The capsule was packed with only nonessential items, in case something went disastrously wrong.

But if all goes well with this mission and others like it, commercial spaceships could be carrying astronauts to and from the space station in three to five years.

Falcon flew perfectly!! billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, founder of the SpaceX company, said via Twitter. Feels like a giant weight just came off my back.

Musk later told reporters: For us, its like winning the Super Bowl.

Up to now, flights to the space station were something only major governments had done.

The White House offered congratulations.

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Private space flight to International Space Station a historic 1st

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.

A first-of-its-kind commercial supply ship rocketed toward the International Space Station following a successful liftoff early Tuesday, opening a new era of dollar-driven space flight. The SpaceX company made history as its Falcon 9 rocket rose from its seaside launch pad and pierced the pre-dawn sky, aiming for a rendezvous in a few days with the space station. The unmanned rocket carried into orbit a capsule named Dragon that is packed with 1,000 pounds of space station provisions. It is the first time a private company has launched a vessel to the space station. Before, that was something only major governments had done. "Falcon flew perfectly!!" SpaceX's billionaire founder, Elon Musk, said via Twitter. "Dragon in orbit ... Feels like a giant weight just came off my back." Musk later told reporters: "I feel very lucky ... For us, it's like winning the Super Bowl." This time, the Falcon's nine engines kept firing all the way through liftoff. On Saturday, flight computers aborted the launch with a half-second remaining in the countdown; a bad engine valve was replaced. The White House quickly offered congratulations. "Every launch into space is a thrilling event, but this one is especially exciting," said John Holdren, President Barack Obama's chief science adviser. "This expanded role for the private sector will free up more of NASA's resources to do what NASA does best -- tackle the most demanding technological challenges in space, including those of human space flight beyond low Earth orbit." Flight controllers applauded when the Dragon reached orbit nine minutes into the flight, then embraced one another once the solar panels on the spacecraft popped open. Many of the SpaceX controllers wore untucked T-shirts and jeans or even shorts, a stark contrast to NASA's old suit-and-tie shuttle crowd. The hopes of SpaceX employees were riding on that rocket, Musk noted, and everyone felt "tremendous elation." So did NASA. The space agency is banking on the switch from government to commercial cargo providers in the U.S., now that the shuttles no longer are flying. Astronauts could begin taking commercial rides to the space station in three to five years, if all goes well. "The significance of this day cannot be overstated," said a beaming NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "It's a great day for America. It's actually a great day for the world because there are people who thought that we had gone away, and today says, `No, we're not going away at all."' The real test comes Thursday when the Dragon reaches the vicinity of the space station. It will undergo practice maneuvers from more than a mile out. If all goes well, the docking will occur Friday. Musk will preside over the operation from the company's Mission Control in Hawthorne, Calif., where he monitored the liftoff. The space station was zooming over the North Atlantic, just east of Newfoundland, when the Falcon took flight. NASA is looking to the private sector to take over orbital trips in this post-shuttle period and several U.S. companies are vying for the opportunity. The goal is to get American astronauts launching again from U.S. soil -- creating jobs at home and halting the outsourcing, as Bolden put it. Until their retirement last summer to museums, NASA's shuttles provided the bulk of space station equipment and even the occasional crew member. American astronauts are riding Russian rockets to orbit until SpaceX or one of its competitors takes over the job. Russia also is making periodic cargo hauls, along with Europe and Japan. Musk, a co-creator of PayPal, founded SpaceX a decade ago. He's poured millions of his own money into the company, and NASA has contributed $381 million as seed money. In all, the company has spent more than $1 billion on the effort. Hundreds of SpaceX and NASA guests poured into the launching area in the early morning hours Tuesday, eager to see firsthand the start of this new commercial era. The company had a single second to get its rocket flying, and that's all it needed. Everyone, it seemed, was rooting for a successful flight -- even Musk's rivals. "The shuttle may be retired, but the American dream of space exploration is alive and well," said Mark Sirangelo, chairman of Sierra Nevada Corp.'s space systems, which is developing a mini-shuttle to carry space station crews in another few years. The six space station astronauts were especially enthusiastic. The crew beamed down a picture on the eve of the launch, showing the two who will use a robot arm to snare the Dragon. In December 2010, SpaceX became the first private company to launch a spacecraft into orbit and retrieve it. That test flight of a Dragon capsule paved the way for this mission, which also is meant to culminate with a splashdown of the capsule in the Pacific. This newest capsule is supposed to remain at the space station for a week before bringing back experiments and equipment. None of the other types of current cargo ships can return safely; they burn up on the way down. SpaceX and NASA officials stress this is a demonstration flight and that even if something goes wrong, much can be learned. Two more Dragon supply missions are planned this year, regardless of what happens during this week's rendezvous. While acknowledging the difficult course ahead in the next few days, Musk and NASA officials savored Tuesday's triumph. "I would really count today as a success, no matter what happens the rest of the mission," Musk said. Musk, 40, is the chief executive officer and chief designer for SpaceX. He also runs Tesla Motors, his electric car company. Hitching a ride into space, aboard the discarded second stage of the rocket, were the ashes of more than 300 people, including Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper and "Star Trek" actor James Doohan, who played Scotty. It's a redo flight for a paying customer, Houston-based Celestis Inc. The Falcon 1 that carried the first batch of their ashes failed in 2008.

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Falcon 9 rockets toward International Space Station

This story originally appeared on CNET.com

(CNET) KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Three days after a last-second launch abort, an unmanned cargo ship designed and built as a private venture blasted off early Tuesday and streaked into orbit, kicking off a complex test flight to pave the way for commercial resupply missions to the International Space Station.

With a replacement valve installed in the engine that derailed a launch try Saturday, all nine of the booster's first stage powerplants roared to life on time at 3:44:38 a.m. EDT, throttling up to full thrust with a rush of fiery exhaust.

An instant later, after lightning-fast computer checks to verify the performance of the SpaceX-designed Merlin engines, the rocket was released from its firing stand and quickly climbed away from launch complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

To reach the International Space Station, the Falcon 9 and the solar-powered Dragon cargo ship had to take off at roughly the moment Earth's rotation carried the launch pad into the plane of the space station's orbit. Any hiccups in the countdown would have triggered another frustrating three-day launch delay for a flight already running months behind schedule.

But as it turned out, the company did not need an extended window. There were no technical problems of any significance the second time around, the weather cooperated and a few minutes after the space station passed over the launch site, the 157-foot-tall rocket took off on a northeasterly trajectory and set off after its quarry.

"Every bit of adrenalin in my body released at that point," said SpaceX founder Elon Musk. "It's obviously an extremely intense moment. The main thing I was wondering was would we have a valve-related issue on launch, would the first stage perform nominally? But it worked perfectly. I was really glad to see that."

The first stage engines burned for three minutes, shutting down in sequence as their propellants were exhausted. The first stage then fell away and the single Merlin engine powering the rocket's second stage ignited to continue the push to orbit.

Live video from cameras mounted on the Falcon 9 showed the launch site falling away from the rapidly accelerating rocket and later, the nozzle of the second stage engine, glowing red with the heat of combustion.

The second stage engine shut down as planned 9 minutes and 14 seconds after liftoff. About 35 seconds later, the Dragon capsule separated from the second stage, visible in a forward-pointing camera as it floated away into space.

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SpaceX cargo ship blasts off to International Space Station in NASA's first commercial flight

The Irish Times - Wednesday, May 23, 2012

AN UNMANNED rocket owned by privately held Space Exploration Technologies blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station yesterday for a mission designed to be the first commercial flight to the International Space Station.

The 54m tall Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 3.44am from a refurbished launch pad just south of where Nasa launched its now-retired space shuttles. Less than 10 minutes later, the rocket delivered its cargo a Dragon capsule with 544kg of supplies for the station crew into orbit.

Feels like a giant weight just came off my back, company founder and chief executive Elon Musk posted on Twitter after Dragon deployed its solar panels, the first of several key milestones that must be met before the spacecraft is cleared to dock at the station.

Every launch into space is a thrilling event, but this one is especially exciting because it represents the potential of a new era in American spaceflight, John Holdren, President Barack Obamas chief science adviser, said in a statement.

Nasa is counting on companies like Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, to take over the task of flying cargo and eventually astronauts to the $100 billion space station, which orbits about 390km above Earth.

Currently, Nasa is dependent on Russia to fly crew to the station, at a cost of more than $60 million per person. Russia, Europe and Japan also fly cargo to the station. If its test flight is successful, SpaceX would become the first private company to reach the space station, a microgravity research complex for biological, materials, fluid physics and other science experiments and technology demonstrations.

SpaceX and a second company, Orbital Sciences Corp, already hold contracts worth a combined $3.5 billion to fly cargo to the station. SpaceX also is among four firms vying to build space taxis to fly astronauts, tourists and non-Nasa researchers.

Separately, Nasa contributed nearly $400 million to SpaceXs $1.2 billion commercial space programme, which includes development and up to three test flights of Falcon 9 rockets and Dragon capsules. An analysis by the US government accountability office shows that a similar programme under traditional Nasa procurement would have cost four to 10 times as much, said Nasas Alan Lindenmoyer, who manages the agencys commercial spaceflight initiatives.

Yesterdays launch followed a last-second cutoff of Falcons planned liftoff on Saturday.

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First commercial flight to space station launched

Opening a new era in private space flight, the US company SpaceX on Tuesday became the first commercial outfit to launch its own craft toward the International Space Station.

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SpaceX blasts off to space station in historic first

18-05-2012 15:56 Now that NASA's shuttle program is no longer running, how will the US get astronauts into space? CNN explains.

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CNN Explains: Commercial space flight - Video

19-05-2012 00:05 For the first time, a private company will launch a rocket to the International Space Station, sending it on a grocery run this weekend that could be the shape of things to come for America's space program. If this unmanned flight and others like it succeed, commercial spacecraft could be ferrying astronauts to the orbiting outpost within five years. It's a transition that has been in the works since the middle of the last decade, when President George W. Bush decided to retire the space shuttle and devote more of NASA's energies to venturing deeper into space. Saturday's flight by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is "a thoroughly exciting moment in the history of spaceflight, but is just the beginning of a new way of doing business for NASA," said President Barack Obama's chief science adviser, John Holdren. By handing off space station launches to private business, "NASA is freeing itself up to focus on exploring beyond low Earth orbit for the first time in 40 years." California-based Space Exploration, or SpaceX, is the first of several companies hoping to take over the space station delivery business for the US The company's billionaire mastermind, Elon Musk, puts the odds of success in his favor while acknowledging the chance for mishaps. NASA likewise cautions: This is only a test.

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SpaceX Launches New Era in Space Travel - Video

19-05-2012 00:45 SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral ends NASA's decades-long dominance and marks debut for commercial space operators. For the first time in history, a private company plans to launch an unmanned rocket into orbit. People working near the Cape Canaveral on Florida's "Space Coast" are keenly awaiting Saturday's scheduled launch of the SpaceX mission. For some it holds a promise of employment in a region which has lost thousands of jobs since the shutdown of NASA's multi-billion dollar space shuttle programme last year. If all goes well, the Falcon 9 rocket's dragon capsule will become the first private spacecraft to rendezvous with the International Space Station. Space X says they hope to send astronauts into low orbit by 2015. But some say space flight should remain a government-run endeavour. "There is one thing that everyone knows and that is that we are not launching manned flights at this moment and we can't," said former NASA employee Chris Milner. "And that's not good for our country and for the local area because that means there's still people out there looking for jobs." Al Jazeera's Andy Gallacher reports from Cape Canaveral.

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Private rocket set for first space mission - Video

19-05-2012 13:39 Live interview with the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia, 4th of july 1997 - CNN Q&A Mission name: STS-94 Space shuttle: Columbia Launch pad: 39-A Launch date: 1 July 1997, 2:02:02 pm EDT Landing: 17 July 1997, 6:47:29 am EDT, KSC, Runway 33 Mission duration: 15 days, 16 hours, 45 minutes, 29 seconds Orbital altitude: 184 statute miles Orbital inclination: 28.45 degrees Distance traveled: 6.2 million miles Commander: James D. Halsell Fourth spaceflight Pilot: Susan L. Still Second spaceflight Payload Commander: Janice E. Voss Fourth spaceflight Mission Specialist 2: Michael L. Gernhardt Third spaceflight Mission Specialist 3: Donald A. Thomas Fourth spaceflight Payload Specialist 1: Roger Crouch Second spaceflight Payload Specialist 2: Greg Linteris Second spaceflight STS-94 was flown by the same crew that flew STS-83 Mass: Orbiter Landing with payload: 117802 kilograms (259710 lb) MSL-1 Spacelab Module: 10169 kilograms (22420 lb) Perigee: 296 kilometres (184 mi) Apogee: 300 kilometres (190 mi) Inclination: 28.5° Period: 90.5 min

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Space Shuttle Columbia - 1997 - live crew interview - Video

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12:33pm UK, Saturday May 19, 2012

Space Exploration Technologies Corp, also known as SpaceX, had been hoping to be the first private company to fly a spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS).

But the Cape Canaveral launch of its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule was aborted in the final seconds before lift-off due to technical problems.

A Nasa spokesman said the engine ignition sequence started, but there was an automatic shutdown by on-board computers.

The announcer counted down to lift-off but his voice faultered at the crucial moment.

Sounding puzzled, he said: "Five, four, three, two, one and... lift... off... we've had a cut-off. Lift-off did not occur."

As the moment passed, the rocket remained on its launch pad amid a cloud of engine exhaust.

The next attempt will happen on Tuesday, if the problem can be resolved in time.

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Private Space Flight Lift-Off 'Aborted'

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off at Cape Canaveral for a test flight in 2010. SpaceX is set to make a key launch on Saturday.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Editor's note: Meg Urry is the Israel Munson professor of physics and astronomy and chairwoman of the department of physics at Yale University, where she is the director of the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics. This article was written in association with The Op-Ed Project.

(CNN) -- On Saturday, a company called SpaceX was scheduled to launch the first private mission to the International Space Station, demonstrating a freight-carrying capability NASA gave up when it retired its fleet of space shuttles in July. (The flight was aborted at the last second after a faulty valve was discovered; SpaceX officials said the launch was postponed till Tuesday or Wednesday.)

Some NASA supporters are mourning what they see as the decline of U.S. leadership in space. But they should really be celebrating the dawn of a new era.

After all, we've been stuck in low Earth orbit for several decades now, at considerable cost. Visionary plans for genuine space exploration have gathered dust at NASA, the National Research Council and other space-savvy places. They advocate relearning how to land on the moon or figuring out how to travel to Mars, an asteroid or the special orbital location where the James Webb Space Telescope will eventually operate. But after more than two decades of talking that talk, the U.S. has yet to walk that walk.

Turning over routine space trucking to private industry has important benefits. It frees NASA to innovate and to develop a new heavy-lift capability commensurate with real space exploration. At the same time, it empowers private industry to play a significant role in the nation's space future.

Meg Urry

Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket, its Dragon capsule filled with food, supplies and science experiments, had been scheduled for 4:55 a.m. ET from the SpaceX launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. When it launches, three days later, astronauts will use a robotic arm to attach the Dragon capsule to the station. Cargo will be unloaded, return cargo loaded in, and the capsule will return to splash down in the Pacific.

Light Years: SpaceX Dragon to launch Saturday

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Private space travel: A new era begins?

This story was updated on May 19 at 5:32 a.m. ET.

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Not-So-Secret Souvenirs Riding Historic SpaceX Capsule Flight to Space Station

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 01:15 EST, 18 May 2012 | UPDATED: 03:29 EST, 18 May 2012

On Saturday at 4.55 a.m (EST) a Falcon 9 rocket will launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida and hopefully become the first private commercial flight to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS).

Ferrying the Dragon capsule into space, the mission to the ISS will be to deliver 1,000 pounds of non-essential cargo after passing a series of test maneuvers over the course of three days.

If successful in its first-of-a kind mission, the company behind the venture SpaceX would collect the remaining payments on the $396 million contract it has with NASA and then enter into a $1.6 billion agreement for 11 more flights to the ISS.

Launch of Falcon 9 Flight 1 from the SpaceX launch pad at Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2010

The full flight-ready Falcon 9 (left and right) with Dragon capsule onboard stands on the launch pad at SLC-40, Cape Canaveral, Florida

The first step in the commercialisation of space to non-governmental firms, SpaceX are hoping one day to deliver up to seven passengers to the ISS and other destinations in low-Earth orbit.

The Falcon 9 rocket suffers from an 'instantaneous launch window' which means that if they don't take off at the exact scheduled moment they will have to wait till 3.44 a.m on Tuesday for the pad and the ISS to line up again.

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Falcon 9: History to be made with first commercial space flight to International Space Station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - An Obama administration plan to cut the cost of space flights faces a key test on Saturday when a privately owned rocket lifts off for a practice run aimed at the first private docking at the International Space Station. Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule are scheduled for launch at 4:55 a.m. EDT (0855 GMT) from Cape Canaveral ...

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SpaceX test flight to space station seen as milestone

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket remains on the launch pad as engineers check the main engine section. Photo: AFP

A new private supply ship for the International Space Station (ISS) remains stuck on the ground after rocket engine trouble led to a last-second abort of the historic flight.

All nine engines for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket roared to life on Saturday morning. But with a mere half-second remaining before lift-off, the onboard computers automatically shut everything down. So instead of blasting off on a delivery mission to the space station, the rocket stayed on its launch-pad amid a plume of engine exhaust.

Even NASA's most seasoned launch commentator was taken offguard.

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The engines of the SpaceX Falcon 9 light but fail to launch from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at Titusville, Florida. Photo: Getty Images

"Three, two, one, zero and liftoff," announced commentator George Diller, his voice trailing as the rocket failed to budge. "We've had a cutoff. Liftoff did not occur."

SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said that high-combustion chamber pressure in engine No 5 was to blame.

During an inspection later in the day, engineers discovered a faulty valve and worked into the evening to replace it.

Tuesday is the earliest that SpaceX can try again to send its cargo-laden Dragon capsule to the space station.

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Historic space flight turns into a fizzer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has begun fueling for the planned launch today (May 19) of the first commercial spacecraft bound for the International Space Station.

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SpaceX Fuels Rocket for Historic Test Flight to Space Station

Today is International Fascination of Plants Day, so I wanted to share some plant science that I have recently been fascinated by. Ive become a bit obsessed with research on growing plants in space, how plants respond to microgravity, and the potential for space agriculture. Plant research in space focuses on growing plants for long-term space flight, where the plants can not only feed the astronauts but also scrub the air of carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, and recycle water. The exchange of nutrients and wastes between plants and astronauts can form the cornerstone of a bioregenerative life support system (BLSS) for orbiting space stations and perhaps even future space colonies.

Figure from "Seeds in Space" by Mary Musgrave, Seed Science Research, 2002.

Plants have travelled to space since some of the earliest orbital missions, and experiments on how seeds sprout and grow in space have been used to study how plants move in response to light, water, and oxygen without the confounding variable of how plants respond to gravity. While plants can be grown from seeds inside specially designed growth chambers in space and seeds flown in orbit can grow when brought back to Earth (like the moon trees that orbited the moon during the Apollo 14 mission), it took nearly 40 years of research before plants grown in space could form fertile seeds and reproduce to create self-sustaining agriculture.

Microgravity affects plants in many ways, changing how water diffuses through the soil to the roots and travels up the stems, and importantly, changing how air moves around the plant and how gasses like oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged. The composition of the cabin air onboard the spacecraft as well as ventilation around the plant to promote air exchange have to be very precisely controlled in order to allow for reproduction on board. Even after conditions were optimized and plants could produce fertile seeds, the peculiarities of microgravity can affect the metabolism of the plant, often limiting the plant robustness and nutritional properties.

Figure from Tuominen et. al. "Plant secondary metabolism in altered gravity."

Adapted from a figure from "Seeds in Space" by Mary Musgrave

The alteration of airflow as well as changes in plant metabolism in space can have an effect on other plant characteristics as well, including their scent. The Overnight Scentsation, a miniature breed of rose, was sent into orbit on the 1998 Space Shuttle Discovery mission STS-95 to identify the smell of the flower in space. John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth also became the oldest person to fly in space during this mission, where he performed headspace analysis to capture the scent of the space rose. The overall aroma was pleasant but much reduced compared to the smell of the rose grown on Earth. Analyzing the components of the rose volatiles showed that while the smell was decreased overall, the production of the main rose-smell constituents, phenyl ethyl alcohol, citronellol, geraniol, and methyl geranate actually increased in space. This ultra-rosey space rose smell was resynthesized based on the headspace trace, and is a primary note in the Shiseido fragrance Zen [PDF].

Plants in space can tell us about the potential for life in orbit and homesteading on the final frontier, but also about the amazing biology and chemistry of plants that make life possible on Earth. Im fascinated by the moon tree and the space rose, as well as the motion of growing plant roots uncontrolled by the pull of gravity. Plants are fascinating, on Earth and in space.

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Plants! In! Space!