OrbitalHub

Coalition for Deep Space Exploration dixit:

“It is with great sadness and profound gratitude that the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration notes the passing of Apollo Astronaut Captain Eugene “Gene” Cernan on Monday, January 16. He was 82.

Known for his continued support of human space exploration, Capt. Cernan left his mark on history with three historical space missions as the Pilot of Gemini IX, the Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo X and the Commander of Apollo XVII. He holds the distinction of being the second American to walk in space and the last man to walk on the Moon. Cernan received numerous honors throughout his 20 years as a Naval Aviator including the Navy Distinguished Flying Cross, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the FAI International Gold Medal for Space, induction into the U.S. Space Hall of Fame, enshrinement into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, Naval Aviation’s Hall of Honor and the International Aerospace Hall of Fame. Recently, Cernan authored the book, “The Last Man on the Moon” and participated in the 2016 documentary of the same name which detailed his influential role in the space industry.

Reflecting on Gene Cernan’s life, it’s easy to see he was a true American hero and one of our greatest pioneers for human space exploration. Although Capt. Cernan was the last man to walk on the Moon, he certainly didn’t want to be the last as he spent recent years inspiring future generations and encouraging the U.S. government to return America to its prominent role in human deep space exploration, said Dr. Mary Lynne Dittmar, Executive Director of the Coalition. On behalf of the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, I offer our most sincere condolences to Capt. Cernan’s family and pray that his passion for exploration will continue to be an inspiration to us all.“

Video credit: NASA

NASA dixit:

“Outside the International Space Station, Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency conducted a spacewalk in U.S. spacesuits to upgrade the system for the 1A power channel of the orbital laboratory’s starboard 4 (S4) truss solar arrays. Moving adapter plates and batteries, Kimbrough completed the work to hook up electrical connections for the last three of six new lithium-ion batteries recently delivered to the station, and to move the last of the old nickel-hydrogen batteries that will be stored on the station. It was the second spacewalk in a week for Kimbrough and the fourth of his career, and the first for Pesquet in the refurbishment of two of the station’s eight power channels. On Jan. 6, Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA conducted similar work for the 3A power channel of the station’s S4 solar arrays.”

Video credit: NASA

NASA dixit:

“On the International Space Station, Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA floated outside the Quest airlock for a spacewalk to complete half of the work involved to swap out nickel-hydrogen batteries on the station’s truss with new lithium-ion batteries. Kimbrough and Whitson installed adapter plates on the truss and hooked up electrical cables as part of a complex robotics and spacewalk plan to shore up the station’s power supply for the future. It was the third spacewalk of Kimbrough’s career and the seventh for Whitson, who equaled the mark for most spacewalks by a woman previously set by NASA’s Suni Williams. Kimbrough will venture outside the station again on Jan. 13 with Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) to continue and complete the battery work.”

Video credit: NASA

Wikipedia dixit:

“The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990, and remains in operation. Although not the first space telescope, Hubble is one of the largest and most versatile, and is well known as both a vital research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy. The HST is named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble, and is one of NASA’s Great Observatories, along with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope.

With a 2.4-meter (7.9 ft) mirror, Hubble’s four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared spectra. Hubble’s orbit outside the distortion of Earth’s atmosphere allows it to take extremely high-resolution images, with substantially lower background light than ground-based telescopes. Hubble has recorded some of the most detailed visible light images ever, allowing a deep view into space and time. Many Hubble observations have led to breakthroughs in astrophysics, such as accurately determining the rate of expansion of the universe.

The HST was built by the United States space agency NASA, with contributions from the European Space Agency. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) selects Hubble’s targets and processes the resulting data, while the Goddard Space Flight Center controls the spacecraft.

Space telescopes were proposed as early as 1923. Hubble was funded in the 1970s, with a proposed launch in 1983, but the project was beset by technical delays, budget problems, and the Challenger disaster (1986). When finally launched in 1990, Hubble’s main mirror was found to have been ground incorrectly, compromising the telescope’s capabilities. The optics were corrected to their intended quality by a servicing mission in 1993.

Hubble is the only telescope designed to be serviced in space by astronauts. After launch by Space Shuttle Discovery in 1990, four subsequent Space Shuttle missions repaired, upgraded, and replaced systems on the telescope, including all five of the main instruments. A fifth mission was canceled on safety grounds following the Columbia disaster (2003). However, after spirited public discussion, NASA administrator Mike Griffin approved one final servicing mission, completed in 2009. The telescope is operating as of 2016, and could last until 2030–2040. Its scientific successor, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is scheduled for launch in 2018.”

Video credit: NASA Goddard

Wikipedia dixit:

“The lunar phase or phase of the moon is the shape of the illuminated (sunlit) portion of the Moon as seen by an observer on Earth. The lunar phases change cyclically as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing positions of the Moon and Sun relative to the Earth. The Moon’s rotation is tidally locked by the Earth’s gravity, therefore the same lunar surface always faces Earth. This face is variously sunlit depending on the position of the Moon in its orbit. Therefore, the portion of this hemisphere that is visible to an observer on Earth can vary from about 100% (full moon) to 0% (new moon). The lunar terminator is the boundary between the illuminated and darkened hemispheres. Each of the four “intermediate” lunar phases is roughly seven days (~7.4 days) but this varies slightly due to the elliptical shape of the Moon’s orbit. Aside from some craters near the lunar poles such as Shoemaker, all parts of the Moon see around 14.77 days of sunlight, followed by 14.77 days of “night”.”

Video credit: NASA Goddard

Wikipedia dixit:

“The flight [Friendship 7] occurred on February 20, 1962 from Cape Canaveral, later renamed Kennedy Space Center. There were eleven delays during the countdown due to equipment malfunctions, improvements to equipment that was functioning properly, and weather. During Glenn’s first orbit, there was a scheduled 30 minute test to see if Glenn could fly the spacecraft manually. This test became significant once a failure of the automatic control system was detected at the end of the first orbit. This forced Glenn to operate in manual mode for the second and third orbits, as well as re-entry.

Later in the flight, telemetry indicated that the heat shield had become loose. If the telemetry was correct, Glenn’s spacecraft would likely have been destroyed during re-entry due to the intense heat. Flight controllers had Glenn modify his re-entry procedure by keeping his retrorocket pack on over the shield to help retain it during re-entry. Leaving the retrorocket pack on caused large chunks of flaming debris to fly past the window of the capsule during re-entry, although Glenn thought it could have also been the heat shield. He told an interviewer, “Fortunately it was the rocket pack – or I wouldn’t be answering these questions.” After the flight, it was determined that the indicator was faulty.

Friendship 7 made splashdown 800 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral safely after his 4-hour, 55 minute flight. Glenn carried a note with him on the flight that read, “I am a stranger. I come in peace. Take me to your leader and there will be a massive reward for you in eternity,” translated into several different languages, in case he landed near islands in the South Pacific Seas. The original procedure called for Glenn to exit through the top hatch, but he was uncomfortably warm and decided that an egress through the side hatch would be faster. During the flight, he endured 7.8 G’s of acceleration and traveled a total of 75,679 statute miles at about 17,500 mph.

Glenn is honored by President Kennedy at temporary Manned Spacecraft Center facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida, three days after his flight. The flight made Glenn the first American to orbit the Earth. This feat made Glenn the third American in space and the fifth human being in space. For Glenn the day became the “best day of his life,” while it also renewed America’s confidence. His voyage took place while America and the Soviet Union were in the midst of the Cold War and competing in the “Space Race.”

As the first American in orbit, Glenn became a national hero, met President Kennedy, and received a ticker-tape parade in New York City, reminiscent of that given for Charles Lindbergh and other great dignitaries. However, he became “so valuable to the nation as an iconic figure,” said NASA administrator Charles Bolden, that Kennedy would not “risk putting him back in space again.” Glenn’s fame and political attributes were noted by the Kennedys, and he became a personal friend of the Kennedy family. On February 23, 1962, President Kennedy awarded Glenn with the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.”

Video credit: NASA