Mars Science Lab Delayed; Hubble Repair Mission; James Webb Telescope Sun Shield

NASA made a decision this week to delay the launch of the Mars Science Lab (MSL – wikipedia; MSL – mission page) until 2011, instead of next year (2009).  Problems with the rover’s actuators, which will control every moving piece on the rover, were cited as the cause for delay.

The two year delay comes about as a result of the desire to launch when Mars and Earth are in the best position with respect to one another.  Flights can technically be launched at any time, but additional fuel and time are needed outside of the prime windows.  The delay is expected to add $400 million to the cost of the mission, which unfortunately is likely to mean other probe’s and rovers’ work and launches will be similarly delayed.

It’s for this reason that I wish science was a higher priority for the U.S.  I think there should be secondary missions that can be worked on and launched if primary missions aren’t ready.  Their schedules could be offset from the primary missions’ by approximately one year.  If a primary and secondary missions are both ready, launch them both.  But if one or the other isn’t ready, something should be prepared to take their place.

Longer term, it means human exploration and settlement of Mars could also be delayed.  I want to see humans explore and settle Mars in my lifetime.  ‘This delay frustrates that desire.

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A date has been selected for the next Hubble repair mission, which was supposed to take place back in October.  STS-125 is now scheduled for May 12, 2009.  The mission was delayed due to the failure of a data handling unit days before its original scheduled lift-off.  Missions planners have scheduled 5 spacewalks over 11 days to upgrade the Hubble.

The James Webb Telescope, scheduled for a 2013 launch, will have a revolutionary sun shield.  It will be the size of a tennis court once it is unfolded in space and be membrane-based.  The 21.3 foot diameter shield will have 5 layers of a material called Kapton, which is mylar-like, and aluminum and silicon coatings to reflect heat back into space.  Engineers had to figure out how to fold the coated membranes, which make up the layers of the sun shield, to make sure they didn’t get tangled upon opening and so that the unfolding didn’t rub off any of the coatings.

Science News 9/30/08

NASA’s Phoenix lander detected snow falling from clouds 2 miles high.  While none reached the ground, it confirms water still precipitates from the sky in at least one form.

Folks continue to modify their Toyota Priuses to get even more performance from battery technologies.  At $7500 a pop, it’s not for everyone, but the engineering hurdles to make a car run exclusively off electricity if the driver wants has been jumped over time and time again.  My next car will be a hybrid at a minimum.  If I can convert it to be a plug-in, all the better.

A critical component of the Hubble has failed.  The Control Unit/Science Data Formatter is no longer working, meaning data can’t be sent to the ground.  A backup version is on-board, but scientists need to see if it can be brought online.  Another backup is located at the Hubble operations center.  Engineers will see if it can be made flight ready and if the system can be replaced in-flight.  Astronauts scheduled for the original Hubble repair mission will likely have to do some additional training also.  All this means the Hubble repair mission is likely to be delayed until January or February of next year.  The next International Space Station construction mission would then be moved up to mid-November.

SpaceX has successfully become the first private entity to put a liquid-fueled booster in Earth orbit.  It took four tries, but Falcon1 achieved the mark Sunday.  More Falcon1 launches are scheduled, with one next year to launch a Malaysian satellite.  SpaceX is also planning a mid-2009 launch of Falcon9, which could help deliver supplies to the International Space Station while NASA is without a vehicle between shuttle retirement and Orion coming online.

Has the next solar cycle begun?  After a brief time of no sunspots, one has developed on the sun’s surface.  If more sunspots develop in the relative near future, Solar Cycle 24 will have begun.