SpaceX Capsule Returns to Earth from the ISS

As reported by USA Today: One month after it launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule returned to Earth on Sunday.

The unpiloted Dragon splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, about 300 miles west of Baja California, just five hours after leaving the International Space Station at 9:26 a.m. EDT.

NASA astronaut and station commander Steve Swanson controlled a 58-foot robotic arm that pulled the Dragon from its Harmony node port at 8 a.m., then released the capsule into space 266 miles over the ocean south of Australia.

The spacecraft completed three thruster firings to move a safe distance from the station and its three-person Expedition 40 crew.

"Thanks to everybody who worked this Dragon mission; it went very well," Swanson radioed to the ground. "It's also very nice to have a vehicle that can take your science equipment, and maybe some day even humans, back to Earth."

The Dragon launched April 18 and arrived at the space station April 20 with about 5,000 pounds of supplies. It is returning home with 3,564 pounds of science samples, crew supplies and vehicle hardware.

Dragon is the only cargo vehicle operating today that can return significant amounts of cargo to the ground. Russian, European and Japanese cargo freighters, plus Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Cygnus, all are destroyed during reentry into the atmosphere.

Russia's Soyuz carries three people up and down, but little else. The Dragon is one of several contenders to resume flights of NASA crews on U.S. vehicles in a few years.

Thrusters will fire at 2:08 p.m. EDT to begin the Dragon's fall to Earth. An unpressurized trunk that delivered two experiments to the station will be jettisoned before reentry. The splashdown will not be televised, but SpaceX is expected to report its progress on Twitter.

The mission was SpaceX's third of at least 12 under a $1.6 billion NASA resupply contract. The fourth is tentatively planned in August.

Before then, Orbital is planning its second contracted launch of a Cygnus to the station June 10 from Virginia.

Lithuanian Was Smuggling Cigarettes with a Drone

As reported by Arstechnica:

Russian border guards near Kaliningrad “detained” a low-flying drone entering the country from Lithuania last week. According to a spokesperson for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), it wasn’t on a spy mission—it was smuggling cigarettes.

The autonomous aircraft, which had a four-meter (13-foot) wingspan, flew close to the ground following GPS waypoints and released cigarette cartons from its cargo bay at designated drop zones. When captured, it was carrying 10 kilograms (about 22 pounds) of illicit cargo.

FSB press service chief Oleg Dzhurayev told the ITAR-TASS news service that the drone was built by a criminal organization operating in Russia and Lithuania, and it may have been used for other smuggling operations. Dzhurayev added that this was the first time Russian authorities have captured a foreign drone in the Kaliningrad region, a Russian “exclave” between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic Sea.

Update: According to a report from NewKaliningrad.ru, the members of the smuggling ring operating the drone have been arrested—and while it was built in Lithuania, the cigarettes were actually being smuggled to Lithuania from Russia. A 31-year old Lithuanian man had crossed the border legally, and met with a 51-year old Kaliningrad region resident, who helped him buy cigarettes to smuggle to Lithuania. The drone was essentially a set of wings on a skeleton of a fuselage, to which the boxes of cigarettes were strapped externally, as shown in the photos above and below:

Enlarge / The naked drone—a home-made system with radio and GPS control.

NewKaliningrad.ru

The FSB spokesman said that it was estimated that the body of the drone cost about 300 rubles—about $10 dollars. "The appearance of it is unpresentable, but if the plane was made ​​for criminal activity, so there is no reason to make him some kind of supermodel," said Dzhurayev. "And the main thing here is its filling. Due to the design it can lift up to 10 kilograms of cargo. Additionally, the unit could conduct surveillance, was equipped with a camera and had an automatic flight route which is set in advance."  The 500 packs of contraband cigarettes were worth about 25,000 rubles in Russia—around $700—but cigarettes sell for $4 or more a pack in Lithuania, so the haul could have yielded as much as a $1,300 profit per flight.

 

Air Force Launches New GPS Satellite to Space

As reported by Space.com: A replacement Global Positioning System spacecraft for the world's best-known satellite constellation ascended into orbit Friday (May 16) night aboard a Delta 4 rocket in a spectacular sendoff at sunset.

Igniting its main engine and twin solid rockets at 8:03 p.m. EDT, the 205-foot-tall vehicle lifted off on 1.2 million pounds of chest-thumping thrust. The launch had been delayed a day by inclement weather.

Arcing to the northeast, the Delta 4 accelerated through Mach 1 in less than a minute, jettisoned its strap-on boosters a minute later and cruised out to staging in four minutes. 

The cryogenic upper stage then lit to propel the vehicle into a transfer orbit, reaching the point of engine cutoff over the North Atlantic 15 minutes into flight.

A three-hour coast then began as the rocket flew over Europe, the Middle East and Indian Ocean before restarting the RL10B-2 engine to circularize the orbit at 11,000 nautical miles and tilted 55 degrees to the equator.

"Our team has launched every modern GPS satellite from here at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. We take great pride in our ability to deliver these capabilities to our citizens and warfighters," said Lt. Col. Paul Konyha, 45th Launch Support Squadron commander. "I am always impressed by the amount of dedication and rigor that everyone puts into each launch."

It was a direct insertion ascent, putting the $245 million Global Positioning System 2F-6 payload into the navigation network three hours and 15 minutes after blastoff.



"Today's successful launch demonstrates our combined government and industry team's dedication to mission success, ensuring GPS continues to be the Gold Standard for space based positioning, navigation, and timing," said Col. Bill Cooley, director of the Space and Missile Systems Centers Global Positioning Systems Directorate.

"I want to recognize the tireless efforts of the 45th and 50th Space wings, United Launch Alliance, Boeing, and the GPS 2F and Delta 4 program teams at SMC. I am extremely proud of the team, everyone pulled together to make this day a true success. Users can depend on GPS with confidence today, tomorrow and in the future."

GPS 2F-6 will replace the aging spacecraft known as GPS 2A-23 in Plane D, Slot 4 of the constellation. The GPS 2A-23 satellite was launched aboard Delta 223 in October 1993. It will go into a reserve role in the network for the remainder of its useful life.


"The replacement of our legacy satellites ensures both the sustainment and the modernization of the GPS constellation by providing the increase in signal power, improved accuracy and anti-jamming capabilities for GPS users worldwide," said Col. Steve Steiner, GPS Space Systems Division chief.

This was the sixth of 12 Boeing-built Block 2F spacecraft being manufactured to form the backbone of the GPS fleet for the next 15 years. The full dozen satellites are due to be launched by mid-2016.

"Boeing's dedicated GPS team is proud and excited to reach this half-way point in delivering this new-generation of spacecraft into service," said Munzir Badawi, Boeing's GPS 2F program manager.

It was the second GPS launch since February, with two more planned for the end of July and late October aboard Atlas 5 rockets from the Cape to further bolster the constellation.



"Boeing has continued to maintain a robust tempo of deliveries to meet U.S. Air Force requirements, with the next GPS 2F already on deck in Florida for a third-quarter liftoff," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Space and Intelligence Systems. "As a prime contractor on the GPS program since the first launch in 1978, our experience with these complex and critically important spacecraft spans nearly 40 years and now covers 44 satellites delivered into orbit with continuing mission support."

The current constellation is comprised of seven GPS 2A satellites, a dozen GPS 2Rs, seven 2R-Ms and four GPS 2Fs. The one launched in February is nearing completion of a navigation characterizing testing and will become the 31st member of the constellation by month's end.

GPS 2F-6 will replace its target within a month of launch.

"The GPS constellation is reliably serving global users with the most accurate and robust signals ever, and the navigation, timing accuracy and availability will improve as the GPS modernization efforts continue," said Col. Bill Cooley, director of the Space and Missile Systems Center's Global Positioning Systems Directorate.

The next Delta 4 launch is scheduled for July 23 carrying two satellites for the Air Force's Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program.


The next launch from Cape Canaveral is less than a week away. An Atlas 5 will launch a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload next Thursday morning between 8:45 and 10:15 a.m. EDT.

Airbus E-Fan Electric Aircraft Makes First Flight

As reported by Aerospace Technology: E-Fan, a two-seat experimental electric aircraft developed by Airbus Group and partners, was unveiled and made its first public flight demonstration at Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport in France in April 2014. The training aircraft is intended for flying clubs and schools, and can be used for training professional pilots.

Flight tests on the E-Fan 2.0 prototype are currently underway, while development of the production version is expected to begin in June in a production facility near Bordeaux Airport. BpiFrance Public Investment Bank will partially provide finance for the development. The aircraft is expected to enter into service by 2017.

Airbus plans to introduce a new four-seat E-Fan 4.0 version aircraft in the next two years.

Design features of E-Fan aircraft
The E-Fan aircraft design was initiated in late 2011 and the final go-ahead for the E-Fan demonstrator development was obtained in October 2012. The electric aircraft features an all-composite construction using materials provided by French company Aéro Composite Saintonge (ACS). It also includes a pyrotechnically deployed airframe parachute rescue system.

The aircraft is designed to meet flight training and aeroclub requirements, considering hangar parking space and flight endurance criteria. The design is also aimed to meet the emission standards set in the European Commission report, 'Flightpath 2050 - Europe's Vision for Aviation'. The report set the targets in comparison to the standards of the year 2000, which include reducing the aircraft's carbon dioxide emissions by 75%, nitrous oxide emissions by 90% and noise levels by 65%.

Video cameras are fitted in the aircraft to provide safety, maintain contact with the pilot and monitor flight parameters. The aircraft external dimensions include a length of 6.67m and a wingspan of 9.5m.  

Landing gear
The E-Fan aircraft's landing gear consists of two electrically actuated retractable wheels positioned fore and aft below the fuselage. It also includes two small wheels under the wings. The aft main wheel includes an electric motor with 6kW power, which provides taxiing and acceleration up to 60km/h during take-off. It is designed to provide reduced overall electrical power consumption during the operation.  

Propulsion of the E-Fan electric aircraft
The aircraft is powered by two electric motors with a collective power of 60kW. Two ducted fans enhance the static thrust, reduce the perceived noise and improve the safety on the ground. The electric motors of the aircraft are powered by 250V lithium-ion polymer batteries manufactured by KOKAM.

The aircraft includes 120 cells lithium polymer battery system with a rated capacity of 4V per cell in addition to a backup battery for emergency landing purposes. The battery packs are located in the wings of the aircraft and can be recharged in one hour.

The aircraft is also equipped with a telemetry system, which records all propulsion, battery and engine parameters and transmits them to a ground station.  

Performance
The E-Fan aircraft has a take-off speed of 110km/h, cruise speed of 160km/h and maximum speed of 220km/h. Its endurance ranges between 45 minutes and one hour.  

Partners and suppliers involved with the development of the E-Fan
The E-Fan aircraft was developed by Airbus Group in association with other consortium partners. The core development team consisted of ACS, EADS Innovation Works, Astrium, Eurocopter (now part of Airbus Group). EADS Innovation Works provided the overall project management and overall aircraft energy management system, while ACS provided support in the construction of all composite parts and mechanical assembly of the landing gear and flight controls.

Institut Pprime provided support for the design of the aircraft main spar and the wing. A3IP provided design, routing, prototyping and manufacture support in the production of tailor-made printed circuit boards for electrical networks. RF Tronic Ingénierie provided design and integration of the air-to-ground telemetry system and the flight data recorder, and also developed a software to display the technical flight parameters.

C3 Technologies provided spars and wings, while MAPAERO Aerospace Coatings provided high-quality paint for the aircraft. The propulsion systems were provided by Safran, Snecma, Labinal Power Systems and Aircelle.

Electric Vehicles: New Dual-Carbon Batteries Potentially Better Than Lithium-Ion

As reported by Green Car Reports: In the search for better electric-car batteries, lots of lab research has to happen before anything can be announced.

A company called Power Japan Plus came out of stealth mode to unveil a new battery chemistry, with both electrodes--anode and cathode--made of carbon.

The new cell, known as the Ryden Dual-Carbon Battery, promises energy density equal to today's lithium-ion cells, but less capacity loss over time and far greater safety.

Dual-Carbon Battery vs Lithium-Ion Battery

Same energy, longer life, safer, recyclable
It is also almost entirely recyclable, with less energy input over its lifetime--and none of the rare or heavy metals required in various lithium-ion cell chemistries.

Dual-carbon cells have been described in theory since at least 1978, but years of development were required to make them reliable, cost-effective, and suitable for mass production in high volumes, Power Japan Plus CEO Dou Kani told Green Car Reports.

The breakthroughs in chemistry were achieved by chief technology officer Kaname Takeya and Dr. Tatsumi Ishihara of Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, which partnered with the company to develop the cell for commercial applications.

While they cannot provide details due to multiple pending patents, Takeya said that the chemistry requires specific and proprietary changes to the nanostructure of the carbon crystals.

While Power Japan cannot disclose its first customer today, CEO Kani said, it will announce a partner in August, that will build battery packs and add a battery-management system.

Energy capacity over cycle life: Power Japan Plus

What electric cars need to succeed?
The company isn't holding back the hyperbole.
“The Ryden dual-carbon battery is the energy storage breakthrough needed," said CEO Kani, "to bring green technology like electric vehicles to [the] mass market.”

With energy density comparable to lithium-ion, the company claims that its Ryden dual-carbon chemistry can both recharge up to 20 times as fast and deliver more than 4 Volts of power from a single cell.

In testing, the cell has completed more than 3,000 charge/discharge cycles with virtually no performance degradation, meaning that it could conceivably last the lifetime of a car.

Power Japan says a Ryden cell barely heats up during charge and discharge--it "experiences minimal thermal change"--vastly reducing the risk of thermal runaway that can lead to explosion and fires.

Energy capacity over cycle life: Power Japan Plus

In other words, an electric car's battery would hold its full energy over 10 years or more, and could be discharged right down to 0 percent of capacity without damage.

New chemistry, same production process
And equally important for practicality, the new dual-carbon anode and cathode can both be produced by existing cell manufacturing processes--and require essentially just a single material as input: carbon.

That reduces the number of materials that must be procured for the supply chain, simplifying the entire production process.

Power Japan Plus says it will start production of Ryden cells in the 18650 "commodity cell" format later this year at its small production facility in Okinawa, Japan.

Satellites first
Those cells will be intended for low-volume specialty markets, including satellite and medical-device energy storage--in volumes of 500 to 5,000 cells per month.

For higher-volume production intended for other markets--including plug-in electric cars--the company will license its technology and consult with existing battery makers to enable them to produce the anode and cathode materials in their own facilities.

The next announcement will be a partnership with a "world-renowned company" in the auto racing field, which will build packs and complete battery systems, test them, and offer them in the market.

Comblex carbon made from organic cotton - Power Japan Plus

Separate from the announcement of the Ryden battery, Power Japan Plus is also working on a new form of carbon that is entirely organic.

The material, known as Carbon Complex, which is made using naturally-grown organic cotton that is then processed using special techniques to control the size of the carbon crystals formed during production.

Early test cells are not produced with the organic carbon, but the company's goal is to create a battery cell that is not only competitive with today's lithium-ion cells but uses entirely organic input materials that can be fully recycled at the end of their life.

Meanwhile, Power Japan Plus--which has been internally funded until now--is seeking its first investments of private funds.  And, we suspect, car companies all over the globe will already be making plans to acquire some of the earliest Ryden dual-carbon cells to see if they hold up to the company's claims under independent testing.

Lithium-ion cells are likely to remain the default battery chemistry for electric cars at least through the end of the decade.

But the Power Japan Plus announcement--along with other potentially promising advances in lithium-air cells and other advanced chemistries--show the vital importance of battery technology to the future of transportation.

Known Problem with Certain GPS Devices

As reported by American Surveyor: May 15, 2014 - Recently, many GPS users have reported intermittent GPS outages in their devices. After investigating, the U.S. government has linked the problem to flawed processing of GPS satellite data within certain GPS receiver chipsets. The GPS satellite service continues to function as designed and is fully operational and available worldwide.

The problem affects only user equipment that erroneously ignores the satellite health status information broadcast from every GPS satellite. The problem is not related to the April 28, 2014, activation of civil navigation messages on the GPS L2C and L5 signals.

Since March 15, 2014, the Air Force has been conducting functional checkout on a GPS satellite, designated Space Vehicle Number (SVN) 64. SVN 64 broadcasts a data message that clearly indicates SVN 64 is unusable for navigation. Nevertheless, the U.S. government has confirmed that certain GPS receivers are using data from SVN 64, in violation of GPS interface specifications, resulting in outages or corrupted, inaccurate position calculations.

The Air Force testing is scheduled to end in mid-May 2014 at which time SVN 64 will begin normal operation. At that point, these problems may stop occurring. Meanwhile, the U.S. government urges all GPS device makers to review their products for compliance with the GPS interface specifications, and if necessary, to issue software/firmware updates to users as soon as possible. View specifications http://www.gps.gov/technical/icwg/

Users experiencing GPS outages should check with their device manufacturers for available software/firmware updates. In addition, any civil user seeing unusual behavior in GPS user equipment should report it to the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center (NAVCEN). Aviation users should file reports consistent with FAA-approved procedures. Military users seeing unusual behavior should report it the GPS Operations Center (GPSOC).

Please direct any civil user questions to NAVCEN at (703) 313-5900, http://www.navcen.uscg.gov. Please direct any military user questions to the GPSOC at (719) 567-2541, DSN: 560-2541, gpsoperationscenter@us.af.mil https://gps.afspc.af.mil Military alternate: Joint Space Operations Center, (805) 606-3514, DSN: 276-3514, jspoccombatops@vandenberg.af.mil

See also:
Technical explanation for device makers (PDF) http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/gps/GPSOC_PRN30_Notice.pdf 

Proton-M Rocket Carrying Russia's Most Advanced Satellite Crashes

As reported by RT: A Russian Proton-M rocket with an advanced satellite on board crashed outside of Kazakhstan's territory on Friday, about nine minutes after lift-off. The Express-AM4R would have been Russia’s most advanced and powerful satellite.

The crash was likely caused by a failure in one of the third stage’s steering engines, reported Oleg Ostapenko, the head of the Russian national space agency Roscosmos.

“The exact cause is hard to establish immediately, we will be studying the telemetry. Preliminary information points to an emergency pressure drop in a steering engine of the third stage of the rocket,” he said.

Fragments of the rocket and its cargo have apparently burned in the atmosphere, he added, which means they could not cause any damage on the ground.

The launch went abnormal on the 540th second of the flight, when an emergency engines shutdown kicked in in response to the rocket deviating from its intended trajectory, the Russian Federal Space Agency reported after the crash. The third stage, which is called Briz-M, was approximately 150km above the ground at that moment and had some 40 seconds to go before deploying its payload into the orbit.

Commenting on the failed launch, Vice Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said “the only way to cut down the accident rate is to coherently implement the decision we have taken on the reform of the space industry.”

All other launches of Proton-type rockets will be halted at Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan until the reason for the crash is determined.

A special commission from the Russian Federal Space Agency will be in charge of investigating the causes of the crash. A separate internal probe has been launched by the Voronezh mechanic plant, the producer of the engines for Briz-M third stages.

The launch, including the equipment and possible damage to third parties, had been insured with Ingosstrakh, the company said in a statement. The coverage may amount to up to $225 billion. 

The Proton-M rocket, carrying an advanced Express-AM4R satellite, was launched on schedule from Baikonur on Friday. The Express-AM4R would have been Russia’s most advanced and powerful satellite. Ironically, it was of the same design as the Express-AM4, which was lost in August 2011 in a failed launch.

“The spacecraft was ensured. But the time spent to produce it cannot be reimbursed,” lamented the head of the Russian Telecommunications Agency Oleg Dukhovnitsky. “The satellite was ready to work; it’s the rocket that failed.”

He added that the loss would not result in deterioration of service quality.

The spacecraft weighed 5.8 metric tons and had 63 transponders providing X-band, C-band, S-band, L-band, Ku-band, and Ka-band capacity along with 10 antennas installed.

The satellite was to provide internet access in Russia’s remote regions at affordable prices. This was Russia's third launch of Express series satellites this year. In March, Express-AT1 and Express-AT satellites were put into orbit.

In 2013, Russia carried out 32 of the 82 space launches completed worldwide, only one of which failed, Interfax reported.