New Space Station Crew Docks with Stuck Solar Array - Video

The Soyuz TMA-14M failed to deploy one of its solar arrays en-route to the International Space Station. The power aboard the spacecraft was not interrupted. They docked about 6 hours after launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Russian Soyuz TMA-14M Capsule Reaches Space Station - Solar Array Deployment Issue

A Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft, with only one of its two solar arrays deployed, is seen nearing the International Space Station on Sept. 25, 2014 (Eastern Time) to deliver three new members of the Expedition 41 crew. 

The stuck solar array did not hinder the Soyuz capsule's single-day trip to the space station.

Credit: NASA TV

A Russian-built Soyuz capsule carrying a crew of three reached the International Space Station late Thursday (Sept. 25), despite a stuck solar array that failed to deploy just after its launch six hours earlier.

The Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft linked up with the station at 10:11 p.m. EDT (0211 GMT) as the two spacecraft sailed high over the Pacific Ocean.

The Soyuz arrived at the space station with American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts, including Elena Serova, the first female cosmonaut ever to visit the International Space Station.

Russia's Soyuz vehicles are three-person spacecraft made up of a crew capsule, orbital module and service module powered by two winglike solar arrays.

Initially, Russian engineers were concerned the stuck solar array would block a radiator and lead to hotter temperatures inside the Soyuz, but the capsule's crew reported all was well, NASA officials said.



The Soyuz clearly had enough power for a smooth docking, despite being at half-capacity.

"The port solar array isn't deployed but the power situation is fine. It just doesn't look good from the point of view of photographs," one of the Soyuz crew said during the docking.

"We're eating and drinking, and we're in good spirits. Everything is as it should be."

The docking occurred just hours after a flawless launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, where Serova and her crewmates, NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore and cosmonaut Alexander Samokutyaev, bid farewell to Earth to begin a nearly six-month space mission.

Trio joined three other space travelers already aboard the station: astronaut Reid Wiseman of NASA; Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency; and Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suarev, who commands the station's Expedition 41 crew.

That little red streak hidden behind the SpaceX Dragon solar array is the Soyuz launching.

Origami to solve astronomical space problem - Video

Brigham Young University (BYU) engineers have teamed up with a world-renowned origami expert to solve one of space exploration's greatest (and most ironic) problems: lack of space.

Working with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a team of mechanical engineering students and faculty have designed a solar array that can be tightly compacted for launch and then deployed in space to generate power for space stations or satellites.

Applying origami principles on rigid silicon solar panels – a material considerably thicker than the paper used for the traditional Japanese art – the BYU-conceived solar array would unfold to nearly 10 times its stored size.

"It's expensive and difficult to get things into space; you're very constrained in space," said BYU professor and research team leader Larry Howell.

"With origami you can make it compact for launch and then as you get into space it can deploy and be large."

Mechanical engineering professor Larry Howell and a team of researchers from BYU and NASA are using origami to create space equipment.

The current project, detailed in the November issue of the Journal of Mechanical Design, is propelled by collaboration between BYU, NASA and origami expert Robert Lang.

Howell reached out to Lang as part of landing a $2 million National Science Foundation grant in 2012 to explore the combination of origami and compliant mechanisms. (Joint-less, elastic structures that use flexibility to create movement.)

Space Station Solar Array Damaged by Space debris or Meteoroid

A small object, possibly a meteoroid, has flown through a solar panel on the International Space Station, leaving a "bullet hole," Canadian astronaut and Expedition 35 commander Chris Hadfield has said.

"Bullet hole - a small stone from the universe went through our solar array. Glad it missed the hull," Hadfield wrote in his Twitter blog, revealing a photo of the damage he took during a recent EVA or "space walk" around the ISS.

However, experts believe the hole was probably caused by a random object, possibly space junk, which would not have been able to penetrate the layers of the station's hull.

Jim Scotti, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, said: "It's unlikely this was caused by a meteor, more likely a piece of man-made space debris in low Earth orbit."

ISS Solar Reflections: The solar array attached to the Zvezda Service Module

Credit: NASA

The solar array attached to the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station reflects bright sunlight on April 3, 2013. 

One of the Expedition 35 crew members took the photo as part of a visual inspection, or External Survey, from International Space Station windows.

This inspection has been recently added to the crew's task list because of the risk of space debris and micro-meteorite damage.

Intelsat 19 Satellite Fails To Deploy Solar Array

The Intelsat IS-19 satellite launched May 31 has failed to deploy one of its two solar arrays, Intelsat announced late June 1 – an anomaly that has affected other Space Systems/Loral (SS/L)-built satellites and is likely to have ripple effects on two others preparing for launch in the coming weeks.

Luxembourg- and Washington-based Intelsat, in its statement, said only that there was a “delay” in the deployment of one of the arrays.

“Intelsat and Space Systems/Loral [SS/L], the manufacturer of the satellite, are investigating the cause and are pursuing corrective actions. The spacecraft is secure at this time in geostationary transfer orbit,” the statement said.

IS-19 is scheduled to replace Intelsat’s IS-8 at 166 degrees east, where in addition to taking on IS-8 customers it will play a key role in Intelsat’s planned global network providing broadband communications to aeronautical and maritime customers.

IS-8 has sufficient fuel to continue operating until late 2019, Intelsat said.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based SS/L had made no statement on the IS-19 anomaly as of early June 2.

The manufacturer is in the middle of one of the busiest satellite-delivery periods in its history. The SS/L-built Nimiq 6 satellite was launched May 18 and is in good health, according to its owner, Telesat of Canada.

The first nuclear power plants for settlements on the moon and Mars

"The biggest difference between solar and nuclear reactors is that nuclear reactors can produce power in any environment," Werner explained.

"Fission power technology doesn't rely on sunlight, making it able to produce large, steady amounts of power at night or in harsh environments like those found on the Moon or Mars.

A fission power system on the Moon could generate 40 kilowatts or more of electric power, approximately the same amount of energy needed to power eight houses on Earth."

Stuck Solar Array Threatens Telesats South America Push

The Telstar 14R/Estrela do Sul 2 telecommunications satellite launched May 21 has failed to deploy one of its two solar arrays, a defect that, if permanent, will curtail owner Telesat Canada’s growth plans in South America, Telesat and satellite builder Space Systems/Loral announced May 25.

The satellite’s south array has fully deployed and is providing power, but the north array has not. Ottawa-based Telesat said that if the situation is not corrected, Telstar 14R will be able to provide “at a minimum” the same level of service of the satellite it is replacing, the Telstar 14/Estrela do Sol spacecraft launched in 2004.

Telesat has been counting on Telstar 14R to do much more than replace its predecessor at 63 degrees west. Arriving on station at a time of substantial unmet demand for satellite bandwidth in Latin America, particularly Brazil, the satellite was seen as a source of growth for Telesat. The company is weighing several options for selling its equity, either through an outright purchase by private-equity investors, or through an initial public offering of stock.

In a May 5 conference call with investors, Telesat Chief Executive Daniel S. Goldberg said Telstar 14 is just about filled given the strong demand in Latin America, and that Telstar 14R’s arrival would enable Telesat to pick up new business.

Telstar 14R has the equivalent of 58 Ku-band transponders, compared to 41 on Telstar 14.

The satellite, a Loral 1300 model, weighed about 5,000 kilograms at launch and was expected to operate for at least 15 years in orbit. It was launched aboard an International Launch Services (ILS) Proton rocket from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, a launch that ILS and Telesat said went smoothly.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Space Systems/Loral said in a May 25 statement that it is “analyzing data from the satellite to determine what steps can be taken to maximize the satellite’s lifespan and capability.”

NASA ISS EVA: Astronauts encounter bolt trouble

A spacewalking astronaut ran into trouble Sunday while trying to lubricate a joint in the life-sustaining solar power system of the International Space Station, losing one bolt and getting a washer stuck in a crevice.

Mission Control told veteran spaceflier Mike Fincke that he'd have to settle for a partial lube job, after the bolts holding down covers on the joint started popping off unexpectedly.

The spacewalk — the second of four scheduled duringt the shuttle Endeavour's final space station visit — started out well, with Fincke and partner Andrew Feustel topping off a leaky radiator line.

They successfully added ammonia to the space station's coolant system, after rerouting jumper cables and opening valves. One line leaks slightly, and the astronauts needed to recharge it.

Ammonia is extremely hazardous, and the two did their best to avoid contaminating their spacesuits while replenishing the system with about 5 pounds of the substance.

Some frozen ammonia flakes floated toward Feustel as well as a small icy chunk, but he didn't think any of it got him.

Fincke moved on to preventive maintenance on the massive joint that rotates the space station's solar wings on the left side. He was removing his first cover when a bolt popped out and got away from him.

He caught it, but another bolt ended up floating away, and a washer got stuck between the cover and an attachment.

Mission Control worried that the washer might get into the gear mechanisms of the joint and damage them.

Fincke was advised to use "gentle backhand sweeping motions" to get the washer away from the gears, and the astronaut replied he could try to coax it out.

All this came as a surprise, and Mission Control later told the astronauts that the washers might be bent and flimsy from previous repair efforts.

"Sorry you're having such a hard time with those bolts, buddy," Feustel called out to Fincke.

"Yeah, man, I was being really careful, too," replied Fincke, one of NASA's most experienced spacemen.

NASA Aquarius: SAC-D Solar Panel Array attachment video

Engineers attach and test solar panels to the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft, as it's readied for launch

MARS: Opportunity rover heading for Endeavour Crater via Marquette Island

Opportunity is still heading south before the turn east to head toward Endeavour Crater. The right front wheel is exhibiting elevated motor currents.

So, the plan is to find a place to stop and rest the actuator while conducting some some contact science.

On Sol 2058 (Nov. 7, 2009), the rover began a 15-meter (49-foot) approach to a candidate rock target called "Marquette Island." On Sol 2061 (Nov. 10, 2009), Opportunity bumped about 4 meters (13 feet) to position Marquette Island within the work volume of the rover's robotic arm (instrument deployment device, or IDD).

The rover continues to command the miniature thermal emission spectrometer (Mini-TES) elevation mirror open each sol in an attempt to clear some of the putative dust off the elevation mirror. To date, no improvement in the Mini-TES has been observed.

As of Sol 2062 (Nov. 11, 2009), Opportunity's solar-array energy production was 400 watt-hours, with an atmospheric opacity (tau) of 0.486 and a dust factor of 0.531. Total odometry was 18,905.90 meters (11.75 miles).

Shuttle Endeavour Spavewalks (EVAs)

In a series of spacewalks, astronauts from the space shuttle Endeavour added a front porch to Kibo, the Japanese experiment module aboard the International Space Station.

The exposed facility was fitted with its first suite of experiments – an X-ray telescope that can study the entire sky, a neutron monitor to observe solar flares and space radiation, and a particle collector. (Image: NASA)

The astronauts also replaced batteries on the space station's oldest solar array, but the first battery swap spacewalk on Wednesday had to be cut short when levels of carbon dioxide spiked in the spacesuit of shuttle astronaut Christopher Cassidy (shown here). NASA thinks the problem was triggered when Cassidy "got off to a fast start in his first spacewalk, overtaxing the lithium hydroxide that is used to scrub carbon dioxide from his air supply", reports CBS News. Mission controllers told the crew to take things more slowly on subsequent spacewalks.