Thursday, January 31, 2013

NASA sends new tracking and data relay satellite into space

On Wednesday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched yet another Tracking and Data Relay Satellite -- the agency’s 11th TDRS. The new satellite will be used for communications with the International Space Station and to transmit more images from the Hubble Telescope.

Presently, the new TDRS has the letter K designation (TDRS-K), but once its commences operations it will be named TDRS-11. The satellite, which was sent into orbit by ULA’s Atlas V rocket, will reach its intended 22,300-mile-high orbit in around two weeks. Once the satellite is in place, testing will begin and continue for the next few months.

NASA expects to have at least seven TDRS satellites all working simultaneously in orbit at all times. The TDRS-K makes the eighth satellite at the current time. The agency also scheduled the launch of TDRS-L next year. The very first TRDS was sent into orbit in 1983 and was recently retired along with the fourth.

Recommended additional reading: 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

NASA’s satellite launch postponed due to an Atlas V rocket defect

The launch of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-K) of NASA has been suspended because the technicians need to replace a faulty rocket component. The launch, initially scheduled on the 29th of January at Cape Canaveral, is now set next Wednesday, January 30th at 8:48 PM.

NASA said that during tests, the Ordnance Remote Control of the Atlas V produced faulty signals before connections were made to the explosive devices used to detach the booster from the rocket’s upper stage, Centaur. Now, ULA is shipping a replacement from its manufacturing facility in Decatur, Alabama, and once the new rocket part is installed, new tests will be conducted in the rocket’s vertical processing tower.

The TDRS-K satellite constellation of NASA will promote continuous communication between the ground and spacecraft in low Earth orbit, which includes the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. The new satellite is the first of three in an upgraded fleet built by The Boeing Co. NASA said that the first two missions will cost $715 million, including modifications to ground networks.

Recommended additional reading: 

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Foursquare, NASA team up again to deliver Curiosity Explorer Badge to users

NASA and location-based social networking website Foursquare have once again collaborated to provide users with a special, rover-themed badge. The new Curiosity Explorer Badge will be made available for users who like NASA on Foursquare, and check-in at any NASA science museum, visitor center or planetarium.

This is not the first time NASA created a badge for its users. In 2010, when Foursquare and NASA first teamed up, users were provided with the NASA Explorer Badge as a way of honoring the first check-in of astronaut Doug Wheelock from the International Space Station. Wheelock then became the first one ever to check-in from space using Foursquare. The NASA Explorer Badge marked the launch of NASA and Foursquare partnership, together with NASA’s Foursquare page. However, the badge has since expired.

The Curiosity Explorer badge celebrates the check-in of the Curiosity rover from Mars back in October. The new badge exhibits a cartoonish interpretation of the Curiosity rover on the Red Planet, with a number of stars sparkling in the background.

As of the moment, the Curiosity rover is just a couple of months into its planned 23-month mission on Mars. The rover is expected to survey some of the Red Planet’s most riveting locations, including Mount Sharp, which will be Curiosity’s chief focus

With the new Curiosity Explorer badge, users can keep track of the rover as it checks in at specific locations, all while beaming tips and photos back down to Earth. NASA said that the badge will also come with a special message:

“Get out your rock-vaporizing laser! You’ve explored your scientific curiosities just like NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars. Stay curious and keep exploring. You never know what you’ll find.”

Since its collaboration with Foursquare, NASA has been giving users the chance to explore the universe. NASA also provides tips and official national space program information to its users on a regular basis.

Recommended additional reading: 

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Russia plans on investing 2.1 trillion rubles for space industry until 2020

Russia is currently preparing to allocate 2.1 trillion rubles (about $70 billion) under a state program for the development of the country’s space industry from 2013 until 2020, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said during a government meeting on Thursday.

“The total volume of funding is quite significant: 2.1 trillion rubles, including extrabudgetary sources,” the Prime Minister added.

The new program is designed to guarantee that Russia retains its position as the top global space power, while also supporting it defense capability and boosting social and economic development.

“The program will enable our country to effectively participate in forward-looking projects, such the ISS [International Space Station], the study of the Moon, Mars and other celestial bodies in the solar system,” Medvedev said.

Skolkovo space cluster Director for Development Dmitry Paison told the RIA Novosti that the program provides the foundation for other space-related programs in Russia.

“It comprises the Federal Space Program, the Federal Special Program for the Development of the Glonass System, the program for the development of space launch centers and the non-classified part of the program for the technical modernization of the industry,” Paison added.

Recommended additional reading: