SpaceX Dragon SPX-2: ISS resupply (ISS crew wants treats!!)

[Dr Mordrid]

Launch date: March 1, 2013 10:10AM Eastern

Mission: ISS resupply & experiment delivery/return

Falcon 9 v1.0 first stage arrival (last v1.0 flight before v1.1)



Dragon - Trunk (unpressurized cargo) integration

[Dr Mordrid]

Hot-fire engines test in the next week or so. Launch still on for March 1, 2013.

Downmass from ISS will be about 2x the upmass; experiments, biosamples, worn gear for evaluation, etc. etc.

Last flight for the 157 foot Falcon 9 v1.0. It will be replaced by the 227 foot / 50% more powerful Falcon 9 v1.1 which has its maiden flight June 18 from Vandenberg AFB. It also is the core stage of Falcon Heavy, which ships to Vandenberg AFB late this year for its maiden flight.

[Dr Mordrid]

This link is to SpaceX's LiveStream webcast for this mission. It's usually more informative than NASA TV.

The show starts Friday March 1, 2013 at 9:30 AM EST. Launch is scheduled for 10:10 AM EST. Weather report says a 90% chance of good launch conditions.

Be there or be square

http://new.livestream.com/accounts/142499/events/1874414

[Dr Mordrid]

Exciting day - unfortunately I was occupied & couldn't do timely updates.

The Falcon 9 v1.0 lifted off and delivered Dragon CRS-2 to orbit perfectly. Beautiful launch and on time for its instant launch window. This was the last F9 v1.0 to fly as F9 v1.1 takes over with the late June launch of a Canadian satellite from Vandenberg AFB in California.

Once Dragon was in orbit a problem arose; 3 of its 4 thruster packs were not functional. It appears the helium gas used to pressurize the thruster oxidizer tanks may have been contaminated (moisture, CO2 etc), or the NTO oxidizer itself froze in the check valves. Nevertheless, the problem was resolved by cycling the valve actuators, creating a hammer effect that freed the obstructions.

Dragon now has all 4 thruster packs working, the solar arrays are deployed and it has performed a burn to raise and circularize its orbit. ISS rendezvous likely Sunday instead of Saturday.

Safe to assume those valves, the helium tanks, lines & tank residuals will get an anal exam when Dragon returns to Earth.

[Dr Mordrid]

Launch image (large)

http://spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v71/p1457797752.jpg

[Dr Mordrid]

SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

Coming up next: Ground controllers in Canada will take control of the robot arm to align the Dragon spacecraft with the Earth-facing berthing port on the Harmony module.

This will mark the first time a visiting vehicle such as Dragon has been installed under control of the ground.

[Dr Mordrid]

Hatch open, connections made, and the ISS crew has been given the coordinates of the SpaceX "care packages" (read: fresh fruits & other treats.)

They were last seen digging through the racks like moles on meth

[Dr Mordrid]

Missions end tomorrow, with 3 flights scheduled for the mid-June to end of July timeframe.

http://www.spacex.com will have a link to their LiveStream channel for the return & recovery. Usually more informative than NASA TV's coverage.

Next: launching Canada's CASSIOPE from Vandenberg with the new F9 v1.1, and an attempted water soft landing of the first stage off the California coast.

March 22, 2013

MEDIA ADVISORY: M13-051

SPACEX DRAGON SPACECRAFT CARRYING NASA CARGO READY FOR RETURN TO EARTH

WASHINGTON -- More than three weeks after arriving at the
International Space Station, the Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
(SpaceX) Dragon spacecraft is ready for the trip back to Earth, now
scheduled for Tuesday, March 26.

Dragon's originally scheduled March 25 return date was postponed due
to inclement weather developing near its targeted splashdown site in
the Pacific Ocean. The additional day spent attached to the orbiting
laboratory will not affect science samples scheduled to return aboard
the spacecraft.

NASA Television will provide coverage of Dragon's departure beginning
at 4 a.m. EDT.

Dragon is scheduled to be detached from the Earth-facing side of the
station's Harmony module and unberthed by Expedition 35 Flight
Engineer and NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn. Expedition 35 Commander
Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency will back-up Marshburn
and monitor Dragon's systems during the activity.

Marshburn, working from the robotic work station in the space
station's cupola, will maneuver the station's robotic arm for the
release of the spacecraft at 7:06 a.m. Dragon will execute three
thruster firings to move away from the station to a safe distance for
its deorbit burn at 11:40 a.m. Dragon will splash down around 12:36
p.m. in the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California.

Dragon is the only space station resupply spacecraft able to return to
Earth intact. It will return about 2,668 pounds (1,210 kilograms) of
science samples from human research, biology and biotechnology
studies, physical science investigations and education activities.

Experiment samples coming back to Earth will help researchers continue
to assess the impact of long-duration spaceflight on the human body.
Returning plant samples will aid in food production during future
long-duration space missions and enhance crop production on Earth.
Crystals grown aboard and returning from the station could help in
the development of more efficient solar cells and semiconductor-based
electronics.

For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about SpaceX, including ways to connect on social
media, visit:

http://www.spacex.com

For more information about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

[Dr Mordrid]

End of Mission day!!

Coming back with much more cargo than it delivered, the only spacecraft capable of returning tons of it, not just a few tens of kilograms. Dragon also has the largest hatch at 50".

Dragon was bookin' on the way outta there!! (In regular time, not the speed-up in parts of this video)

Deorbit burn ~11:42 AM Eastern.

Splashdown should about 12:36 PM Eastern.

They have 3 ships plus small high speed boats with dive teams deployed. After recovery it goes to the Port of Los Angeles, then it gets trucked to McGregor, Texas for cargo removal.

Speculation: these seem to be more recovery assets than usual. It could be practice for the attempted water soft landing of Falcon 9 v1.1's first stage in June - the first attempt to use techs developed in the Grass-hopper program. (damned filter still trapping an insect name? )