New Unmanned Japanese Re-Supply Vessel For the ISS 93
Joshua writes "JAXA, Japan's version of NASA, has scheduled the launch of its new rocket, the H-IIB, for September 11th, 2009. The rocket will be carrying up the first in a series of unmanned supply vessels for the ISS called the HTV. The new Japanese addition to the international space fleet comes as a huge welcome sign to NASA, who has scheduled the space shuttle to retire in 2010. The HTV will be able to transport vital supplies, equipment, and experiments to the ISS, a job that the US space shuttle has been doing largely up until now. Yearly launches for the H-II2 and HTV are scheduled between now and 2015. Until NASA can finish the next generation Ares I rocket, which isn't likely to be finished before 2017, taking astronauts into space and to the ISS will likely become the job of Russia."
Yes; But Can It (Score:2, Interesting)
make sushi for the ISS?
Yours In Akademgorodok,
K. Trout
Re:Spacecraft visiting the ISS (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Spacecraft visiting the ISS (Score:4, Interesting)
I think the ATV is somewhat larger than the Dragon. The Dragon shares the larger door with the Japanese H-II and should be able to carry larger loads. It's interesting that the ATV, although much larger than a Progress, docks to the same hatch (a small one) and is thus unable to carry anything that does not pass through the smaller hatch. At least, not in one piece.
As for the H-II, return capabilities are being planned. IIRC, so are the ATV folks.
Re:Spacecraft visiting the ISS (Score:3, Interesting)
There seems to be a great deal of attention being paid to the ISS by various countries around the world. As another posted points out, the Dragon may be ready soon, and after the shuttle's retirement, this would make at least four systems that can provide resupply. Construction may come to a halt (at least temporarily), but it doesn't seem that the crews will be short of things to do while there. If construction continues at some point, the ability of multiple agencies to launch could provide for a fairly rapid rotation of equipment and experiments, and eventually crew.
I wonder if India, China, Ukraine, and perhaps even lesser-known space-capable nations like Brazil will begin working on craft capable of docking with the ISS. Much of the groundwork has been laid; it makes sense to take advantage of it.
NASA contract with SpaceX (Score:1, Interesting)
Say what? (Score:3, Interesting)
Until NASA can finish the next generation Ares I rocket, which isn't likely to be finished before 2017...
What the heck is taking so long? 7 and 1/2 more years for a modified spam can? WTF? It's not like we have no experience with ballistic re-entry vehicles and the lift vehicle design is based on components already in operation. Why is it going to take almost another decade to field a working booster? Okay, it's got problems. Anything that has to go 17,000 mph in space is going to take some work, but come on. We have solved those problems before. We're not reinventing the wheel. That just seems totally ridiculous.
Is it really that hard, are the contractors trying to milk the project, or has NASA become such a bloated bureaucracy that it takes 10 years to field lobster claw technology? Hell, bring the Russian engineers in. They'll weld the doors closed, kick it the butt and boost it up there.
Decline of a Superpower? (Score:1, Interesting)
What could explain the phenomenon?
Re:Russian Progress, not Shuttle, supplying ISS (Score:4, Interesting)
Thanks - interesting.
So that would be a resounding yes to Progress being the primary ISS supply vessel!
It's interesting to note the docked/undocked dates - each Progress basically stays docked with the ISS until it has to move to make way for the new one. They use the empty ones for garbage disposal - they stuff it with full with whatever they don't want and it all burns up together on re-entry.
Re:Spacecraft visiting the ISS (Score:3, Interesting)
Actually, it appears that Construction will not stop. For starters, Italy just paid a bit of money to NASA to leave one of the modules on there. Now, NASA is FINALLY studying the idea of buying one or more Bigelow units and adding it to the ISS. To get it there, they will need to either use the shuttle, OR a tug. If done right, this could fire up the private industry and jump start Bigelow with private space stations, as well as a tug company or two along with the required Fuel depot.
Re:Say what? (Score:3, Interesting)
Hopefully, NASA gets smart and pushes Obama to release funds for private space. With a little bit of INTELLIGENT spending, we can get private space to develop new business in space and create a business boom. I saw that NASA is looking to buy Bigelow's modules and attach them to the ISS. If they do that, AND have a tug/fuel depot contract to haul them, then we will still go for the moon before 2020.
Which agency.... (Score:2, Interesting)
Which one is it again, which federal agency claims they just slap get too much money? So much that they give a lot of it back and tell congress "please, stop giving us so much money, we have more than enough to do this job"?
Just wondering, because I never heard of any agency claiming they had enough loot. All of them to the best of my recollection have always wanted more money saying they *need* it to "do their jobs".