Space Stories: Martian Contract Questions, French Spacesuit Travels to ISS, and China Readies Next Space Station Mission

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): View of Mars from the NASA Mars Global Surveyor MOC wide angle cameras. (NASA)

Here are some recent space-related stories.

—Ars Technica: “One Mars Spacecraft, Two Senators, and a Cloud of Questions“

NASA released a much-anticipated contract solicitation for a Mars-orbiting spacecraft late last week, kicking off what is sure to be a hotly contested and potentially controversial procurement. At issue is $700 million, already appropriated by Congress, to build a spacecraft, launch it to Mars, and once there to serve as a vehicle to relay communications between the red planet and Earth. But the stakes may be even bigger than this, including the possible resurrection of the recently canceled Mars Sample Return mission. As part of the new solicitation, NASA says it will conduct the acquisition “as a full and open competition.” But will it? That’s the question that several people involved with this procurement process are asking. And it could turn messy, quickly.

—European Spaceflight: “French Spacesuit Prototype Delivered to the International Space Station“

A European intravehicular activity (IVA) spacesuit prototype developed under a CNES-initiated programme was transported to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The spacesuit will be tested aboard the station by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot. The EuroSuit project was initiated by CNES in December 2023 as part of the agency’s Spaceship FR programme, which aims to foster the development of core technologies required for future crewed missions beyond low Earth orbit.

—China Global Television Network: “China to Launch Shenzhou-23 Crewed Mission to Space Station in Coming Days“

The combination of the Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft and the Long March-2F Y23 carrier rocket was transferred to the launchpad at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Saturday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. All facilities and equipment at the launch site are in good condition. Various pre-launch functional inspections and joint tests will be carried out as scheduled in the coming days. The launch is planned to take place in the coming days.

Update: Here is a podcast version of this story if you sometimes prefer to digest the news in this way. It is created by AI. To note, it’s not replacing anything or anyone. It’s simply offering an option if listening while driving is preferable to you. I do not use AI in the written articles. I will also start posting the latest podcasts in the sidebar.

House Budget Looking Better for NASA

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: ABC’s Schoolhouse Rock

The Planetary Society has provided a nice summary of where the NASA funding battle is at this moment. Here is its latest summary of events:

  • The House budget bill that includes NASA funding just cleared a key hurdle, advancing out of the Appropriations Committee. This is the first funding bill for FY 2027 to be released and reach this stage, establishing congressional intent and rejecting the worst of the Office of Management and Budget’s proposed cuts to NASA.
  • The bill keeps NASA funding flat with the currently enacted budget, but reprioritizes funding levels across the agency, including a 17% cut to Science to offset increases elsewhere.
  • A number of science missions proposed for cancellation by the OMB see their funding protected by this bill, including OSIRIS-APEX, New Horizons, and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. New programs initiated by Administrator Isaacman that were absent from the OMB proposal, like Space Reactor-1 Freedom, also see their first dedicated mention in the proposal.
  • The full House still needs to vote on this, and the Senate is expected to release its own proposal within weeks. Congress will then work to develop full-year funding, in anticipation of the start of FY 2027 on Oct. 1, but will likely require a short-term funding patch, which comes with its own hurdles.

I recommend you read the entire statement, House Appropriators Advance Key NASA Funding Bill, to fully understand the rigors of this Hill battle. Fortunately, both the House and Senate continue to be supportive of NASA’s work and Administrator Isaacman’s new direction for Artemis. It helps to have someone full time at the helm of the agency.

I was especially pleased to read that missions such as New Horizons and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory are being saved and key programs like the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope are no longer facing drastic cuts. It is unfortunate that the White House was so willing to destroy generations of space-related work – what have been called the crown jewels of our space program.

The budget battle is not over, but we are seeing that when good legislators push back, good things can happen.

ISS Mission Launched, Starship Launch Delayed

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The CRS-34 mission launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. (NASA)

Delays abound, but at least one space mission successfully launched this week. After delays earlier this week, today the CRS-34 mission successfully launched towards the International Space Station (ISS). The Dragon capsule, carrying supplies for the Expedition 74 Crew on the station, is expected to dock with the ISS Sunday morning.

The first launch this year of the SpaceX Starship was not so lucky. While is was scheduled to launch today as well, it was delayed until Tuesday, May 19th. This will be the 12th test of the new rocket.

SpaceX has planned a long list of objectives related to the booster and rocket on this flight:

The booster’s primary test objective will be executing a successful launch, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn, and landing burn at an offshore landing point in the Gulf of America. As this is the first flight test of a significantly redesigned vehicle, the booster will not attempt a return to the launch site for catch.

The Starship upper stage will target multiple in-space and reentry objectives, including a payload deployment of 20 Starlink simulators, similar in size to next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, and two specially modified Starlink satellites. The two modified satellites will test hardware planned for Starlink V3 and will attempt to scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit imagery down to operators to test methods of analyzing Starship’s heat shield readiness for return to launch site on future missions. Several tiles on Starship have been painted white to simulate missing tiles and serve as imaging targets in the test. All of the deployed payloads will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship. A relight of a single Raptor engine while in space is also planned.

For Starship entry, a single heat shield tile has been intentionally removed to measure the aerodynamic load differences on adjacent tiles when there is a tile missing. Finally, the ship will perform experimental actions tested on previous flight tests, including a maneuver to intentionally stress the structural limits of the vehicle’s rear flaps and a dynamic banking maneuver to mimic the trajectory that future missions returning to Starbase will fly.

It appears SpaceX is trying to make up for numerous delays with a single mission – a mission that is critical to the success of NASA’s Artemis program as well as SpaceX’s upcoming IPO.

The ISS Will Need to Wait a Little Longer for Supplies

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: NASA

Everything was set for a cargo mission to the International Space Station earlier today until the weather decided to mess things up.

As a result, the CRS-34 mission with its 6,500 pounds of supplies will be delayed for another day.

Here is a summary of some of the cargo going up to the station tomorrow:

  • ODYSSEY: Evaluating how well Earth-based microgravity simulators recreate space conditions.
  • STORIE: Monitoring charged particles in orbit around the Earth, which respond to space weather and can affect assets like power grids and satellites. 
  • Laplace: Studying the movement and collision of dust particles in microgravity to understand particle motion in space.
  • Green Bone: Observing how bone cells grow and develop in space on a bone scaffold made from wood.
  • SPARK: Evaluating how red blood cells and the spleen change in space for future astronauts.

Fingers crossed for better weather tomorrow.

Update: The CRS-34 launch has now been moved to Friday, May 15th.

Martian Rover Worksite Problems

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Curiosity Mars rover arm with a piece of rock attached. (NASA)

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover had some issues two weeks ago while drilling on the Martian surface. On April 25th, the drill became stuck on a piece of rock that would not drop off of the robotic arm. The 28.6 pound rock, nicknamed “Atacama,” was fully attached to the rover. NASA stated this is the first time this has happened.

NASA scientists did not panic, yet this was not an easy issue to resolve. The rock remained attached to the arm after several days of attempts to dislodge it. Remember, it takes 40 minutes for a round trip message to go from the rover to the scientists and then back to the rover. It was not until May 1 that the rock was safely removed from the arm after a lot of rotating, vibrating, and spinning.

The rover has been busy on the Martian surface since 2012, so it has already had plenty of time to become entangled with the rocks on the surface. Fortunately, patience prevailed and the search for water and life on Mars continues.