50 Years Ago: X-15 Crash

X-15 #2 upside down and in trouble on lake bed.

I found an interesting little incident that happened during the X-15 rocket plane tests back in 1962. On November 9, 1962, pilot Jack McKay was dropped from the B-52 mothership in X-15 #2 over Mud Lake, Nevada. The goal was to reach an altitude of over 120,000 feet. It was the seventh time McKay had flown one of the rocket planes, and it was the 31st mission for the #2 craft. Suddenly engine trouble put the mission in jeopardy. McKay piloted the craft down in a glide to land on the superflat dry lakebed below. Unexpectedly (of course) the nosewheel broke upon touchdown and the craft lost control, sliding nose down and then turning sideways, posing the danger of cartwheeling and breaking up. However, the craft had slowed down, and then flipped over on its back only once, saving the craft and pilot. The picture above shows its final resting position and state after emergency crews had "safed" the X-15. McKay suffered only light injuries, and the X-15 had damage to the nosegear, nose, wings, and tail. Engineers determined the craft could be repaired. That's a very tough vehicle! (and pilot, too!)

Pilot Jack McKay on the right, with a rebuilt X-15 in 1966.

50 Years Ago: Saturn Rocket Testing

Unmanned SA-3 lifts off from Pad 34.

On November 16, 1962,  NASA achieved an important milestone on the path to the Moon when they launched mission SA-3. This unmanned test included the primary mission of launching the SA-1 first stage, which would become the first stage of the Saturn 1 rocket. The second and third stages were dummy stages and included test monitoring sensors. The launch was kept under tight security, as the area had been hit by a tropical depression in September followed by the ongoing Cuban Missile Crisis. As the test reached its successful conclusions, the second and third stages were remotely detonated from mission control, and the first stage crashed into the Atlantic some 270 + miles downrange.

Cutaway diagram of the S-IV stage.

Also on the 16th, a very large package arrived in Alabama. Shipped all the way from Douglas Missile and Space Systems in Santa Monica, California, the S-IV (200) stage of the Saturn rocket arrived at the Huntsville Marshall Space Flight Center. The 23-day journey by barge was made by the first Saturn stage of many more to come. The S-IV stage would become the second stage of the Saturn 1 rocket, and the third stage of the Saturn V. This particular piece would be used in testing at the Center to see how it would react to the stresses of flight.

Barge docks at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.

ISS Expedition 33 Readies for Trip Home

Making a mess in the Destiny Module.

Ever notice how things get a little messy when you get ready for a trip? Looks like that's true off the planet as well as at home. Expedition 33 crew members Sunni WIlliams, Aki Hoshide, and Yuri Malenchenko are preparing everything they need for their upcoming flight home to Earth. 

On Saturday, Commander WIlliams will turn over command to astronaut Kevin Ford in the official Change of Command Ceremony. On Sunday, the three Expedition crew members will undock from the iSS in their Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft for the de-orbit burn and re-entry through the atmosphere. Once they undock, Commander Ford will then officially be leading Expedition 34, along with cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin.

Expedition 34 will receive the second part of their crew in mid-December.

Unmanned Progress Resupply ship approaches ISS.

On November 1, Russia launched a Soyuz rocket lifting the Progress M-17M unmanned supply spacecraft into orbit. The trajectory of this mission enabled the craft to fly the "shortcut" path to dock with the ISS only a few hours later. The success of this mission paves the way to launching manned Soyuz capsules on the same trajectory in the near future, thus saving hours of cramped claustrophobic flight in the Soyuz craft. This Progress capsule brings astronaut supplies, and station life support and fuel supplies. Later the same day, another Progress ship docked at the station used its maneuvering thrusters to boost the ISS orbit in order to dodge some space debris.

The Space Center is Closed...

Not the Houston Space Center, not the Kennedy Space Center... sorry, don't panic completely! Here I'm referring to the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center, formerly of the Alpine School District in Utah. An education center teaching space exploration and astronomy for more than 22 years. The following paragraphs are from an entry I made on my Facebook page this morning. There will be more information to come:

"The Space Center has been closed. For my followers who are supporters of the Space Center, this is not news, but for my family and friends, this seems odd. This post is really for them, as I don’t post often and they need an update. Most of them know I’ve been volunteering and working part time for the Christa McaAuliffe Space Education Center (CMSEC of just the Space Center) for about 22 years now. At the beginning of August The Center was closed by the District Maintenance office for an evaluation and upgrade of the electronics in the simulators, so that they could meet the vast myriad of federal and state government regulations. This occurred at the same time that the department made a sweeping inspection of schools and classrooms through the district, looking for violations of code.

"At the Space Center we were informed that the center was determined now to be unsafe to students (even though we had previously been passed by Fire Marshall inspectors), telling us that there are vast electrical problems and design problems with the Center (these folks had been in the center several times before, why were the designs a problem now?). The district leadership told us that we would not be opened until the problems were fixed, and that outside companies would then bid on the repairs.

"That never happened. Instead, a week ago the District declared the center was permanently closed (no companies had inspected or bid on the repairs).  They told us they would plan for a science and math exploration center to be built in some undetermined future and the space center would be there. Then word got out that the simulators (the heart of what we do in the center) would not be included in that redesign. The center evidently no longer supported the district’s curriculum emphasis on science and math.

"The staff and supporters are, of course, outraged. We all know how we have touched the lives of students throughout the Alpine School District, the state of Utah, and across the country. Volunteers have now gotten together and formed a “Save the Space Center” committee. We are receiving support from the local school community and friends from across the country. Bad timing for the District: they did this right before election time, and many of the Board are up for elections! The District is getting swamped by angry and confused supporters, and the local community is joining with us as we seek to establish a wide network of friends and supporters online. On Saturday our first Save the Space Center Honk and Wave took place in Pleasant Grove.

"How can you help? Visit our Facebook page, “Save the Space Center” at http://www.facebook.com/SaveTheSpaceCenter and receive updates and news on how the network of supporters will put the heat on the district and ensure the survival of the Center and our innovative teaching methods. You can also visit the “Troubador”, the blog of former center director Victor Williamson who keeps the memories of the space center alive and well: http://voyagerslog.blogspot.com/

"We are planning events and keeping everyone informed through the facebook page and getting more and more organized each passing day. We appreciate all the help that has been offered by our loyal fans! Keep tuned for more details…"

Soyuz TMA-06M launches to ISS

Blast-off in Baikonur.

This morning a Soyuz rocket took off from the Russian space center in Baikonur, carrying the second half of the Expedition 33 crew to the ISS. On board were astronaut Kevin Ford, and cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin. They will join Expedition 33 commander Suni Williams, astronaut Aki Hoshide and cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko who have been on the station since July 17.

Nice ascent to orbit.

As usual, the second part of the current expedition 33 will become the next expedition's primary crew once the current commander and crew depart. When Commander Williams and her crew leave in November, then Kevin Ford will become the Expedition 34 commander and his crew will await their second half in December.

The Soyuz is expected to dock with ISS at 8:35 a.m. Thursday.

Expedition 33 prime crew. L-R: Tarelkin, Novitskiy, Ford.  Evgeny Novitskiy commands the Soyuz to the ISS. Picture taken in front of the Soyuz TMA-06M capsule before it was integrated with its launcher. They are expected to remain on ISS for five months.

Recent Satellite Launches from Around the World

Technician works on the Orbcomm satellite. Credit: Sierra Nevada Corp.

The big focus for space enthusiasts lately has been the remarkable mission of SpaceX's Dragon capsule to the ISS. While the station resupply effort went well, the secondary payload on the Falcon 9 rocket ended in failure.  Due to a malfunctioning engine, other engines on the Falcon rocket overcompensated and burned longer than planned, resulting in the wrong orbital placement of the OrbComm satellite. Built by the Sierra Nevada Corporation, Orbcomm was an engineering test vehicle to help establish a new network of communication satellites. This example was a prototype, designed to test how the system would react in its orbital environment. There are 18 small satellites planned for the system, all due to be launched on Falcon 9 rockets. Unfortunately, the wrong orbit placement caused the Orbcomm to fail its mission and it de-orbited. NASA and SpaceX engineers are investigating the failure while company executives plan a way to continue this mission.

Meanwhile, there have been other launches around the world.

Delta 4 launch from pad 37 at Cape Canaveral, October 4. On board was the GPS 2F-3 satellite. This was a replacement satellite for an older one in the GPS system we all rely on.  The satellite reached its intended orbit just fine. Credit: Pat Corkery/ULA.

A Russian Soyuz rocket lifted off from the European Space Agency's French Guiana launch site on October 12. It carried a pair of satellites for the Galileo navigation system, which affects many drivers, airplanes, and ships around the world. Successful placement of satellites. Credit: ESA.

On Sunday October 14, China launched a Long March 2C rocket from the Taiyuan space facility. It carried two Shijuan-9 engineering test satellites into space to study new satellite test equipment. This photo is of a previous Long March launch. Credit from Chinese News Agency.

A Russian Proton blasted off from the Baikonur site in Kazakhstan on Sunday October 14. It carried an Intelsat telecommunications satellite into orbit. Credit: Krunichev.

Man Breaks Sound Barrier - In Freefall!

Moments after leaving the balloon's capsule, Felis begins the descent. Picture from the open door. All photos credit Red Bull Stratos.

Three world records were broken Sunday when Felix Baumgartner of Austria ascended to a record 128,100 feet (highest manned balloon ascent), and then jumped in a free fall descent to land by parachute in Roswell, New Mexico. Yes, THAT Roswell.

Felix leaves the capsule.

The attempt was hit by trouble. Once he had left the capsule, a heating problem with the visor caused fogging, and he immediately began a dangerous spin. Later he reported that he was concerned he could pass out from the spin forces. However, as he encountered thicker atmosphere, he managed to controlled his spin and continue the fall as planned.

On the way down, he broke another record when his speed reached an incredible mach 1.24, becoming the first person to exceed the sound barrier without a jet or rocket. Upon reaching the determined altitude, his chute opened to slow him, and then his parasail was deployed so he could maneuver to the designated landing zone.

Plenty of advertising space on the chute!

When he had safely reached the ground he fell to his knees and triumphantly raised his arms in victory. He was soon joined by his mentor, Col. Joe Kittinger (ret.) who was the previous record holder. Felix had now become the man with the highest parachute jump.

The record making jump occurred exactly 65 years from the day that another man, American Chuck Yeager, made his world record becoming the first to break the sound barrier in the Bell X-1, on October 14, 1947.

65 years ago, Chuck Yeager standing beside the Bell X-1.