Computer glitch won't stop SpaceX's launch to space station Monday

[Buster's Uncle]

Computer glitch won't stop SpaceX's launch to space station Monday
latimes.com
By W.J. Hennigan  April 14, 2014, 10:29 a.m.



SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft were lifted into launch position at Cape Canaveral. (NASA / April 13, 2014)



SpaceX, the upstart rocket manufacturer, plans on launching a cargo mission to the International Space Station despite a computer glitch that threatened to delay the mission.

The Hawthorne company will go ahead with its 1:58 p.m. PT blast off from Cape Canaveral on Monday despite the failure of one of the space station’s backup computers that helps bring a space capsule for docking.

On Sunday, NASA officials determined that the station possesses enough redundancy to allow the SpaceX mission to launch.

While the primary computer is running “flawlessly,” there’s an issue with a 50-pound box that runs computer commands to help move the space station’s robotic arm along a truss.

The problem with the box occurred during a routine health check of the device. To fix it, two astronauts need to conduct a spacewalk and replace it with a spare.

The issue posed another hurdle for SpaceX, short for Space Exploration Technologies Corp., and its third contracted cargo mission for NASA.

The company initially planned on launching its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon space capsule in March, but several nagging delays repeatedly pushed it back.

The 224-foot rocket is set to carry the capsule, packed with 5,000 pounds of supplies for the two Americans, one Japanese and three Russians aboard the space station.

There is an array of cargo onboard, including food, science experiments, and even a set of legs for Robonaut 2, NASA's humanoid robot aboard the space station, designed to help astronauts with tasks in space.

This is SpaceX’s third mission on its $1.6-billion contract to transport cargo in 12 flights to the space station for NASA.

But this is the first time that SpaceX will attempt to recover the first stage of its rocket. The Falcon 9 will blast off into orbit then fall back to earth, before relighting its rocket engines to cushion its attempted landing.

SpaceX has practiced this before in Texas with the company's 10-story Grasshopper test vehicle, but officials put the odds of success at around 40%.

You can watch SpaceX's launch Monday on NASA TV or the company's website.


http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-spacex-nasa-launch-20140414,0,6454790.story#ixzz2ytArfOcY

[Buster's Uncle]

SpaceX poised for space station cargo run Monday
Reuters
By Irene Klotz  5 hours ago



A crescent moon rises over the cusp of the Earth's atmosphere in this picture by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata onboard the International Space Station taken February 1, 2014. REUTERS/NASA/Handout



CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Privately owned Space Exploration Technologies is preparing for a cargo run to the International Space Station, with launch of its unmanned Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule set for Monday.

Liftoff from the firm's leased launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida is scheduled for 4:58 p.m. EDT.

If launch occurs on time, the Dragon capsule should reach the station, a $100 billion research laboratory that flies about 250 miles above Earth, on Wednesday.

The flight, the third of 12 under the firm's 1.6 billion contract with NASA, has been delayed several times for technical issues, including a potential contamination concern with the rocket and damage to an Air Force ground tracking radar needed to monitor the Falcon's flight.

Another postponement loomed over the weekend after one of two computers that control key space stations systems, including the solar wing panels and a moveable base for the robot arm, failed. A spacewalk is needed to replace the unit, which is located in the station's external framework.

NASA managers decided on Sunday to let SpaceX proceed with launch and scheduled the repair spacewalk for later in the month.

SpaceX plans to use Monday's launch to test technology it has been developing to recover and reuse its rockets.

The Falcon 9's first stage holds extra fuel and four landing legs. After it separates from the upper stage and Dragon capsule, the rocket is expected to reignite its engines to slow its descent and position itself for a vertical touchdown on the ocean before toppling over on its side.

"This is a really difficult maneuver," SpaceX Vice President Hans Koenigsmann told reporters during a news conference on Sunday.

Overall, the company considers the test has less than a 40 percent chance of success.

Eventually, SpaceX hopes to fly its Falcon rockets back to land for refurbishment and reuse.

SpaceX is one of two firms hired by NASA to fly cargo to the station after the space shuttles were retired in 2011. So far, SpaceX has made one test flight and two cargo runs to the station, a project of 15 nations.

Orbital Sciences Corp, which holds a separate $1.9 billion NASA contract, has made one test flight and is preparing for its second resupply mission in June.


http://news.yahoo.com/spacex-poised-space-station-cargo-run-monday-142031909--sector.html