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NASA To Send SpaceX Resupply Capsule To ISS Despite Technical Problems
An anonymous reader writes "Despite a critical backup computer failing on the ISS Friday, an unmanned SpaceX rocket will launch from Cape Canaveral at 4:58 p.m. Monday with more than 2 tons of supplies for the space station. From the article: 'The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration decided to proceed with its resupply mission, despite technical problems with its computer in the International Space Station (ISS), as it needed to deliver necessary supplies.'"
There's some risk involved but missing the launch window for supplies could be a greater risk (and spoilage time, etc;)
Apparently the Dude has taken over NASA...
despite technical problems
Well... there are "technical problems." and there are "TECHNICAL PROBLEMS!!!! RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"
I wonder how confident they are of a successful launch, given that they've never launched with the 'production' landing legs attached (albeit, stowed for the ride uphill). NASA probably doesn't care if the first stage shreds itself upon reentry, but they'll care all right, if the landing leg interferes with the launch somehow...
It's almost as if the problem doesn't prevent them from taking remedial actions!
Should we suppose they are sophisticated enough at this stage in the game to have already assigned the mission task for designated scapegoat?
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
"Wel'll just pay Russa for flights and save money. What could possibly go wrong?"
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
please note, the technical problems are on the ISS and have noting to do with any Space X equipment.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
If there are no signals from NASA that it can financially support the ISS past 202* SpaceX (and others?) may bail because of the unsecure business future.
Another? The DMZ for New Jersey has been 500% better ever since privatization. Depends on what the service is, and who gets the bid.
And isn't SpaceX a prime example of how a private company can further or carry on space travel? They're just getting started. Hold off on the gloom and doom, as well as the finger pointing.
So many potential jokes... where to begin?
"The NJ DMZ: blocking border crossings at 1/5th the price since 1995!"
"The NJ DMZ: we'll blow you up, but won't break the bank!"
"I thought all of NJ was a demilitarized zone!"
Anyone else?
Just keep in mind that you're considering a very unusual scenario: New Jersey. The state where cronyism is the norm from the highest to lowest positions. The benefits of privatization in more, shall we say, normal governments is not so clear to me.
this is NASA (government) hardware failing on the ISS, not SpaceX (private) hardware failing on their equipment.
I know of no other interpretation. It is the only one that came to mind.
I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
How can a problem with a backup computer on the ISS impact supply delivery by a SpaceX capsule from Earth?
your thin skin doesn't make me a troll
Prolly cause Obama doesn't want NASA to play with the Ruskies anymore.
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
I think you mean a 'Democrat privatization disaster', because the Republicans are pushing for NASA to build a shuttle-derived monster booster that will fly every few years at about a bazillion dollars a time, while Democrats want to buy cargo delivery from private contractors. It's one of the few sensible policies Obama ever came up with.
Besides which, having multiple options for launching cargo to ISS is about the direct opposite of 'disaster'.
I don't know the exact problem here, but ISS has to manually grab the Dragon and berth it on an airlock, so if that doesn't work it will have to sit there and wait until they can fix the computer.
I really wish BEAM had been a little closer to a BA330 module in size. BEAM only has a volume of 16 m3, basically a walk in closet in size. Its a start I suppose, but not much of one. I hope I'll be able to see a BA 2100 (or equivalent) in orbit within my lifetime, 2.5 times greater than ISS in volume in a single launch.
I want more stories about critical backup units. I don't like plain non-critical backups, or redundant systems, or backups of critical systems, just critical backups.
What are back ups?
'I don't know what it's called. I just know the sound it makes, when it takes a man's life.' ~ Four Leaf Tayback
"Somebody remind me - why did we stop funding shuttle missions before getting a replacement technology in place?"
Because they broke up and killed their crew one time in sixty, were getting on for forty years old, and required major overhauls if they were to continue flying. Not to mention that the engineers who actually designed them had mostly retired.
If I remember correctly, Soyuz hasn't killed anyone for longer than the shuttle was flying. They're also cheap to replace, whereas any more shuttle losses would have made the program impossible to continue; one shuttle was usually undergoing planned maintenance, so that would only have left one to actually fly.
There was a helium leak in the first stage. Next launch opportunity is Friday afternoon. I've been wanting to see this thing go up for weeks. First it was sewing machine oil on some cloth around the cargo, then it was the ground radar on fire, now it's a leak. The only good thing about this is that Friday is a holiday day for me, so I can actually watch the launch live. (or watch it get scrubbed again live)
#naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
FYI they wanted to recover but had difficulty getting permits to do so seeing as this is the first time ever. The agreement reached was if they can do it over water first, then allowed to do land next.
It's important to realize they're attempting to land a rocket backwards, which requires carrying extra fuel, which means if something went wrong on landing, there would be a rocket full of propulsives out of control landing somewhere in FL or CA.