SpaceX Delays Space Station Cargo Launch to January

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SpaceX is delaying the planned launch on Friday of an unmanned Falcon 9 rocket, which will carry a cargo ship to the International Space Station for NASA, to early January, officials said on Thursday. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida had been planned for 1:22 p.m. EST, but an undisclosed technical issue with the rocket prompted SpaceX, as the company is known, to postpone the flight until Jan 6. The problem surfaced during routine prelaunch test firing of the rocket's engines, SpaceX spokesman John Taylor said. "The test did not run the full duration," he said. "The data suggests we could push forward without a second attempt, but out of an abundance of caution, we are opting to execute a second static fire test prior to launch." SpaceX, founded and run by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, is one of two companies hired by NASA to fly cargo to the space station following NASA's retirement of its space shuttle fleet in 2011. The other company, Orbital Sciences, has been temporarily grounded after its Antares rocket exploded seconds after liftoff Oct. 28 from Wallops Island, Virginia, destroying a Cygnus cargo ship. The space station, a $100 billion research laboratory that flies about 260 miles (418 km) above Earth, is in no danger of running out of food or supplies for its six-member crew, NASA said.

--- Reuters

First published December 18 2014, 7:50 AM

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SpaceX Delays Space Station Cargo Launch to January

US, Russian space travellers: 'There is no borders in space between us'

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Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, left, shakes hands with US astronaut Scott Kelly after a press conference at Unesco on Thursday. Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images

A US astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut gearing up for the longest-ever flight on the International Space Station (ISS) said Thursday they were unfazed by any turbulence in their countries political ties.

Nasa spacefarer Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko of the Russian space agency Roscosmos are to launch to the ISS in 2015 for a year-long stay designed to be a test-bed for a future trip to Mars.

The ISS is a rare area of US-Russian cooperation that has not been hit by the Ukrainian crisis, which has prompted Washington to impose sanctions on Moscow.

In space, we rely on each other implicitly for our lives, Kelly, 50, said at a press conference in Paris to showcase the mission.

Any political issues that exist between our countries is something we dont even discuss. Were great friends, were colleagues, were professionals. Thats the way it has to be.

Kornienko, 54, added: There is no borders in space between us.

Its a great example of ... working together, especially for politics on the ground.

Their spell will be the longest stay aboard the ISS since the orbital outpost in space was manned in 2000.

The longest-ever space trip was by cosmonaut Valeriy Polyakov, who in 1994 and 1995 spent 437 days in the Russian-Soviet station Mir.

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US, Russian space travellers: 'There is no borders in space between us'

SpaceX delays space station resupply flight

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Launch of a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship like this one, shown during final approach to the International Space Station last September, has been delayed from Friday to Jan. 6 because of technical issues, holiday launch opportunities and orbital temperature constraints. SpaceX

SpaceX has delayed the launch of its fifth operational space station resupply mission from Friday to Jan. 6 because of problems encountered during an engine test firing Tuesday, limited options for additional launch attempts over the holidays and unrelated issues concerning the space station's orbit, the company and NASA confirmed Thursday.

SpaceX spokesman John Taylor said the hot fire test, in which the nine Merlin 1D engines in the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage were briefly ignited Tuesday evening to make sure ground and flight systems were ready for launch, was cut short, but he did not provide any details.

He said it would have been possible to press ahead for launch either Friday or Saturday, but mission managers decided to err on the side of caution and to delay the flight to early January.

"While the recent static fire test accomplished nearly all of our goals, the test did not run the full duration," he said via email. "The data suggests we could push forward without a second attempt, but out of an abundance of caution, we are opting to execute a second static fire test prior to launch."

"Given the extra time needed for data review and testing, coupled with the limited launch date availability due to the holidays and other restrictions, our earliest launch opportunity is now Jan. 6 with Jan. 7 as a backup."

The "other restrictions" refer to so-called "beta angle cutouts," periods when the angle between the sun and the plane of the space station's orbit results in near continuous sunlight and higher-than-normal temperatures that increase the demand on the lab's cooling systems.

The next cutout, extending from Dec. 28 to Jan. 7, would not have any impact on the Falcon 9's launch, but the arrival of the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship could cause problems. For a launch on Jan. 6, the Dragon would reach the station on Jan. 8, after the beta constraint eases.

The upcoming launch will kick off the first U.S. station resupply flight since an Orbital Sciences Antares rocket carrying a station-bound Cygnus cargo ship exploded seconds after liftoff Oct. 28.

In the wake of the space shuttle's retirement, NASA is relying on Orbital and SpaceX to deliver critical U.S. supplies and equipment to the lab complex, augmenting cargo carried up aboard Russian Progress supply ships and occasional Japanese freighters.

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SpaceX delays space station resupply flight

Space station team eager for yearlong flight

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NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are gearing up for launch March 27 to kick off a record one-year stay aboard the International Space Station, an orbital marathon both men say is crucial for planning future flights beyond Earth orbit and, eventually, to Mars.

While four cosmonauts logged flights longer than one year between 1987 and 1999, the upcoming flight will be a first for the international lab complex and the first to focus on the long-term biological effects of the space environment using state-of-the-art medical and scientific research equipment and procedures.

"If we're ever going to go beyond low-Earth orbit for longer periods of time, spaceflight presents a lot of challenges to the human body with regard to bone loss, muscle loss, vision issues that we've recently realized people are having, the effect on your immune system, the effect of radiation on our bodies," Kelly said Thursday during a news conference in Paris. "Understanding those effects are very important.

"If a mission to Mars is going to take a three-year round trip, we need to know better how our body and our physiology performs over durations longer than what we've previously on the space station investigated, which is six months. Perhaps there's a cliff out there with regards to some of these issues that we experience and perhaps there aren't. But we won't know unless we investigate it."

A veteran of three previous space flights, including a shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope and a 159-day stay aboard the station in 2010-11, Kelly is the twin brother of Mark Kelly, a retired astronaut who flew four shuttle missions and who is married to former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Kornienko also is a station veteran, logging 176 days aboard the outpost in 2010.

Astronaut Scott Kelly, left, and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko strike a pose during training for launch next year on a record year-long mission aboard the International Space Station.

NASA

"The last long-time space mission was on the Mir (space) station and it brought major data for investigations and research about how humans will feel during long-term flights into space," he said. "I hope that our mission will be an opportunity for others who will follow in our footsteps and take space exploration further."

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Astronaut Hansen proud Canada playing role in year-long ISS mission

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CTVNews.ca Staff Published Thursday, December 18, 2014 11:24AM EST Last Updated Thursday, December 18, 2014 1:50PM EST

One of Canada's new astronauts is proud Canada is playing a role in an upcoming year-long expedition aboard the International Space Station, saying he hopes it adds to our knowledge about long-duration space flight..

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos (the Russian Federal Space Agency) are due to blast off to the ISS in March, 2015, to begin a years stay aboard the orbiting laboratory. It will be the longest time astronauts have spent on the Station in a single mission.

The Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen says Canada will be playing a supporting role in the mission, with the Canadarm robotics team helping with station maintenance and spacewalks, as well as capturing visiting vehicles bringing supplies to and from the ISS.

Hansen says it is his hope that the mission will provide valuable information about long-term space travel information that he himself might one day be able to use.

"I personally hope to someday be part of some missions that takes me beyond low-earth orbit," Hansen said at a European Space Agency news conference Thursday in Paris.

That may not happen for a while. NASA has said that no Canadians will be travelling to the ISS anytime soon, as all flights are booked to the end of 2016, but an opportunity could open up in 2019-2020.

Hansen has been working to be sure he'll be ready and said Thursday he welcomed the chance to speak with Scott Kelly to find out what it's like to prepare mentally for a long stay in space.

"Some of these missions will require significant periods of time in space. And I'm very interested in how one prepares for that," he said.

Understanding the effects of long-term space travel will also be crucial to any future trips to Mars, Hansen said a dream he fully expects will be realized in his lifetime.

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Hurst Chapel's Youth Explosion Today, Saturday

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Published: Friday, December 19, 2014 at 1:06 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, December 19, 2014 at 1:06 a.m.

WINTER HAVEN | You can have a red Mohawk and still love God.

That's one of the messages Katina Campbell said Hurst Chapel AME is trying to get across at its Youth Explosion event today and Saturday.

"We want to show our youth that you don't have to change who you are or what you look like to love God," said Campbell, event coordinator.

The event starts at 7 p.m. today with minister and singer Alexis Spight. The 21-year-old was runner-up on Black Entertainment Television's fifth season of "Sunday Best" a national gospel singing competition. She's the one sporting the red Mohawk and red eyebrows to match.

Evangelist and gospel singer Jekalyn Carr is Saturday's special guest. The 17-year-old is a Stellar-Award winner and her song "Greater Is Coming" debuted third on Billboard's gospel music chart. EBONY magazine lists her alongside Oprah and Beyonc on its Power 100 list for 2014.

"We're trying to motivate our young people by showing them these young women who are in their age group, have a good spiritual foundation and are using their special talents to live their lives as people of God," Pastor Ronnie L. Clark said.

The idea for an event catered to young people came from a strategic planning meeting, Campbell said, which included church heads and the youth group. The youth group is made up of about 150 young people from 6 weeks old to 18 years old.

The church has hosted gospel concerts before, but feedback from the youth told Campbell that they had a tough time relating because the artists were not from their generation or genre of music.

"We decided to showcase Alexis and Jekalyn because they're both dynamic in that they'll preach the word of God in their blue jeans," Campbell said.

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Hurst Chapel's Youth Explosion Today, Saturday

Heads up, Pittsburgh: TWO Andy Reids are comin' to town Sunday

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Updated DEC 18, 2014 4:45p ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Heads up, Pittsburgh: You're about to get two Andy Reids on your hands.

Fake Andy Reid -- or rather, his alter ego, Kansas City Chiefs fan Chris Wilhelm, whose appearances in Buffalo the last two years have caught the eyes of national television cameras -- tweeted out that he's bringing his Big Red tribute act to Steelers-Chiefs on Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field:

Besides being a dead ringer for the real Andy Reid, Fake Andy, who makes his home in Neola, Pa., brings a little good karma to the party as well. Kansas City is 4-0 over the last two seasons whenever he is in attendance and in costume as Reid, with victories at Philadelphia, Buffalo and Washington in 2013 and another at Ralph Wilson Stadium earlier this fall.

And the Chiefs (8-6) could use all the mojo they can get right now. Kansas City is a three-point underdog at Heinz Field, hasn't won in Pittsburgh (9-5) since 1986, and has dropped the teams' only two meetings at Heinz by a combined margin of 61-20. It's a big one as far as the AFC postseason picture goes, too; a win would launch Kansas City back into the wild-card picture (and provide a huge head-to-head tiebreaker over Pittsburgh), while a loss in the Steel City likely eliminates the real Andy Reid from playoff consideration.

You can follow Sean Keeler on Twitter at @SeanKeeler or email him at seanmkeeler@gmail.com.

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Heads up, Pittsburgh: TWO Andy Reids are comin' to town Sunday

NASA Voyager: ‘Tsunami wave’ still flies through interstellar space. – Video

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NASA Voyager: #39;Tsunami wave #39; still flies through interstellar space.
NASA Voyager: #39;Tsunami wave #39; still flies through interstellar space. The "tsunami wave" that NASA #39;s Voyager 1 spacecraft began experiencing earlier this year is still propagating outward, according...

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The Crew PS4 gameplay NASA shuttle launch NASA rocket earn money fast the crew by visiting landmarks – Video

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The Crew PS4 gameplay NASA shuttle launch NASA rocket earn money fast the crew by visiting landmarks
Visit landmark on the crew and get $2000 per landmark earn 1000s in minutes, quick cash fast the crew PS4 The Crew PS4 gameplay NASA shuttle launch NASA rocket earn money fast the crew by...

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NASA HEADLINE: Curiosity Rover Finds Active, Ancient Organic Chemistry on Mars – WUITS Space News – Video

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NASA HEADLINE: Curiosity Rover Finds Active, Ancient Organic Chemistry on Mars - WUITS Space News
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NASA Discovers Life in Mars – Need To Know: Sample Analysis at Mars Findings – Video

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NASA Discovers Life in Mars - Need To Know: Sample Analysis at Mars Findings
There #39;s big news coming out of the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite (SAM) on NASA #39;s Curiosity rover. For the first time, organic matter has definitively been detected on Mars. In...

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NASA's Orion is back at Kennedy Space Center

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NASA's Orion spacecraft returned to Kennedy Space Center in Florida Dec. 18, 2014. The spacecraft flew to an altitude of 3,604 miles in space during a Dec. 5 flight test designed to stress many of the riskiest events Orion will see when it sends astronauts on future missions to an asteroid and eventually on to Mars. (The Denver Post | NASA)

NASA's Orion spacecraft has arrived safely back at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Orion traveled more than 3,600 miles above Earth on Dec. 5 during the four-hour, 24-minute Experimental Test Flight-1, after which it splashed down about 630 miles southwest of San Diego.

Navy divers then recovered the capsule for transport back to San Diego aboard the USS Anchorage. Then Orion began the trip back across the country, hauled in a custom case mounted on the back of a semi.

The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., early Friday. On a "picture-perfect day," the Colorado-built spacecraft hurtled into space, orbited Earth twice and splashed down four hours later in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego. (Brent Lewis, The Denver Post)

"Despite traveling a bit slower than what we're used to, Orion made pretty good time," said Michael Hawes, Lockheed Martin's Orion program manager. "Most of the team hasn't had eyes on the spacecraft since November, when we rolled to the launch pad, so we're excited to take a look."

Lockheed Martin Space Systems is Orion's prime contractor. The spacecraft and heat shield were designed and built at the company's Waterton Canyon campus.

The heat shield's performance is of prime concern for NASA and Lockheed Martin. Upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, Orion reached speeds of 20,000 mph and temperatures of 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat shield is designed to keep Orion's crew cabin a comfortable 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

When Orion was in port in San Diego, engineers took samples from the spacecraft's heat shield to evaluate its performance. These samples, along with other data, were taken to San Diego Lockheed Martin facilities for analysis.

At Kennedy Space Center, the Orion team will remove the spacecraft's back panels, analyze flight data and perform visual inspections of propulsion systems, fluid lines and more. There also will be work to remove hazardous substances from the spacecraft.

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NASA's Orion is back at Kennedy Space Center

NASA's reborn Kepler mission makes first exoplanet discovery

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- After a year on the proverbial bench, Kepler is back in the game seeking out alien worlds; and for the first time since it was sidelined, scientists confirmed a new exoplanet located by the probe.

In the spring of 2013, NASA's Kepler probe began spinning out of control after its wheeled image-stabilization mechanism broke. With only two of its four wheels in working condition, its mission was retired.

Without the ability to fix its gaze on specific points in space, Kepler was pretty useless as a recorder of optical data and searcher of exoplanets.

But earlier this year, engineers at NASA figured out a way to rig the probing observatory so that the pressure of the sun's rays pinned it into a stable position. After testing proved their troubleshooting had worked, NASA approved funding for another Kepler mission -- K2.

"Last summer, the possibility of a scientifically productive mission for Kepler after its reaction wheel failure in its extended mission was not part of the conversation," Paul Hertz, NASA's astrophysics division director, said in a recent press release. "Today, thanks to an innovative idea and lots of hard work by the NASA and Ball Aerospace team, Kepler may well deliver the first candidates for follow-up study by the James Webb Space Telescope to characterize the atmospheres of distant worlds and search for signatures of life."

The handicapped probe can only work for 80 days at a time, but it has since completed two scientific campaigns. Scientists are just now parsing the data returned from the first campaign, as Kepler begins its third K2 campaign.

While being tested, Kepler collected data that revealed the existence of an exoplanet more than twice the size of Earth. Planet HIP 116454b orbits a small, cool star found 180 light-years away in the constellation Pisces. Planet HIP 116454b is likely much too cold to support life.

"The Kepler mission showed us that planets larger in size than Earth and smaller than Neptune are common in the galaxy, yet they are absent in our solar system," said Steve Howell, lead scientist on the Kepler/K2 mission. "K2 is uniquely positioned to dramatically refine our understanding of these alien worlds and further define the boundary between rocky worlds like Earth and ice giants like Neptune."

Keppler has helped discover more than 1,700 new alien worlds since it was launched in 2009.

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NASA's reborn Kepler mission makes first exoplanet discovery