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Inspection Microsat Tested In Orbit

Posted by timothy on from the but-does-it-have-a-micro-microsat dept.

727scotty writes " Aviation Week magazine reports (Feb 3, page 39) that a 70 lb microsatelite designed to inspect its "mother ship" was successfully tested in orbit on January 29. The XXS-10 was launched on a Boeing Delta II , piggybacked on a GPS IIR-8 payload. The Microsat was maneuvered around the orbiting Delta upper stage, using video cameras to inspect it from all angles and various distances. Would have been nice to have on the Columbia mission."

4 of 89 comments (clear)

  1. No, it wouldn't... by docbrown42 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Would have been nice to have on the Columbia mission.

    No, it wouldn't. Even if the astronauts had found the problem before they re-entered the atmosphere, there wasn't anything they could have done about it. They weren't set up for extended space walks, and they didn't have the equipment to repair the tiles anyway. And, they weren't in the right orbit to make it to the space station.

    It wouldn't have made much of a difference.

    --
    Ed Wedig
    Graphic design services
    docbrown.net
    1. Re:No, it wouldn't... by 727scotty · · Score: 4, Insightful
      It wouldn't have made much of a difference.

      Not to Columbia, but I bet the investigators would love to have detailed pictures...

    2. Re:No, it wouldn't... by MonopolyNews · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Apollo 13 didn't have the right materials to survive either.

      --

      Slashdot Journal on Monopoly News
  2. It's about increasing options. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The Progress cargo vessel that docked with the ISS was sent up 1 day after the Shuttle crash with supplies.

    If they had known a *week* beforehand that the shuttle was not going to survive re-entry, is there not a *POSSIBILITY* that an emergency cargo / docking ring change could have taken place, the launch recalculated and sent into a Columbia-compatible orbit? Bring at least some of the shuttle crew down in Progress (maybe all if possible) then attempt to bring the Shuttle in on autopilot?

    The shuttle would have had enough supplies to last for another couple of days for this rendezvous to take place - landing delays are frequent events anyway because of bad weather.

    Anyway, it's something to think about for the future - it's obvious that there is a need for emergency response options with any future space travel.

    Also: WHY are all docking rings on manned spacecraft not compatible? Standards like that will save lives in future, dammit.