6979576
submission
DynaSoar writes:
On Friday November 13th, ESA'a Rosetta probe will get its third and final gravity assist slingshot from Earth on its way to it primary targets, the asteroid Lutetia and Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. But the slingshot itself will allow ESA scientists to examine the trajectory for unusual changes seen in several other probes' velocities. An unaccountable variation was first noticed as excess speed in Pioneers 11 and 12, and has since been called the Pioneer Anomaly. More troubling than mere speed increase is the inconsistencies in the variations. While Galileo and NEAR had appreciable speed increases, Cassini and Messenger did not. Rosetta itself gained more speed than expected from its 2005 fly by, but only the expected amount from its 2007 fly by. Several theories have been advanced, from mundane atmospheric drag to exotic variations to special relativity, but none are so far adequate to explain both the unexpected velocity increases and the lack of them in different instances. Armed with tracking hardware and software capable of measuring Rosetta's velocity within a few millimeters per second while it flies past at 45,000 kilometers per hour, ESA will be collecting data which it hopes will help unravel the mystery.
6722603
submission
DynaSoar writes:
From Alan Boyle's Cosmic Log: "Masten Space Systems' Xoie rocket prototype has apparently taken the lead in a nail-biting race for a million-dollar prize from NASA. The Masten team's "try, try again" effort at California's Mojave Air and Space Port was aimed at winning the top prize in the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge's Level 2 contest. Although the official results are still pending, it looks as if today's flight was good enough to best Texas-based Armadillo Aerospace, which qualified for the prize with its Scorpius rocket last month. However, questions were raised about the fairness of giving Masten an extra opportunity to launch beyond the scheduled times on Wednesday and Thursday. [Armadillo's John Carmack writes:] 'The current situation, where Masten was allowed a third active day of competition, after trying and failing on both scheduled days, is different. The rules have given the judges the discretion to do just about anything up to and including awarding prize money for best effort if they felt it necessary, so there may not be any grounds to challenge this, but I do feel that we have been robbed.'"
6636739
submission
DynaSoar writes:
NASA’s new Ares I-X rocket is undergoing final preparations for its planned launch test Tuesday, October 27. Launch time is scheduled for 8 AM EDT (1200 GMT). As of noon Monday it appeared that there was a 60% chance of showers and/or high altitude clouds interfering. However, the launch has a an eight hour window of opportunity through 2000 GMT, and would require only 10 minutes of clear skies within that time to fly. Of interest to engineering types, both those who favor the new vehicle's design and its critics, will be to see whether the predicted linear "pogo stick" oscillation will occur, and whether the dampening design built into it prevents damaging and possibly destructive shaking. Extensive coverage is being presented by Space.com at http://www.space.com/special_reports/1x.html For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv"
6513839
submission
DynaSoar writes:
"20 October 2009, 9:13 a.m. EDT. NASA’s new Ares I-X rocket is settling in atop Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida after a historic seven-hour trek from the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building. The rocket will be secured to the pad for a planned Oct. 27 launch test, set for 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT), NASA’s first-ever test flight for its new Ares I-Orion spacecraft launch system." Of interest to engineering types, both those who favor the new vehilces design and its critics, will be to see whether the predicted linear "pogo stick" oscillation will occur, and whether the dampening design built into it prevents damaging and possibly destructive shaking. Extensive coverage is being presented by Spacfe.com at http://www.space.com/special_reports/1x.html Upcoming Ares Events: Friday October 23 Ares I-X Launch Readiness; Monday October 26 Ares I-X Prelaunch Briefing; Tuesday October 27 Ares I-X Launch from KSC. For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
