Challenger passes her 31st Anniversary.

01/29/2017

On a cold day 31 years ago on January 28, 1986, at 4 months and 5 days into being 10 years old as I sat in my classroom at St. Vincent's Home for Children, watching with the rest of my class the Orbiter Challenger (OV-99) lift-off for the last time with the first Teacher in Space.

(Photo credit: NASA) Challenger Liftoff Jan 28, 1986

(photo credit: NASA) Christa McAuliffe

 Christa McAuliffe and the rest of her crew Commander Francis "Dick" Scobee, Pilot Michael Smith Missions Specialists Ronald McNair, Judith Resnick and Ellison Onizuka and Gregory Jarvis lifted off with a beautiful launch when at 11:39 Am EST (1639 GMT) right as Commander Dick Scobee was given the command for " Go at Throttle Up " and throttle up was initiated. An O-ring on the Starboard side SRB (Solid Rocket Booster-segment number 1) failed. And caused a blowtorch like a flame to rupture the external tank. And flying at Mach 1.9 which is almost twice the speed of sound, Challenger breaks apart from shear Dynamic Forces exuded on the fuselage. 

 After a lengthy investigation into the accident known as the Rogers Commission who's members included Apollo 11 Commander and first Man on the Moon Neil Armstrong, as well as First US Woman in Space Dr. Sally Ride and Gen. (USAF Ret.) Chuck Yeager, the First Man to break the sound Barrier and Dr. Richard Feynman Theoretical Physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project and who was the driving force behind finding the cause of the accident Who had an undisclosed inside source at the time feeding Feynman hints of where to look this inside source turned out to be Dr. Sally Ride. Due to the unseasonably excessive cold temperatures that severely and structurally compromised the integrity of the O-Rings that morning and from failed planning and cooperation from NASA Engineers and Mission Leadership. We lost a crew and an Orbiter. 

God's speed crew of Challenger may the wings of Angels continue to carry you on your journey into the hereafter.

Photo Credits: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Michael J. McCabe January 28, 2019

NASA Administrator Resigns.

 01/25/2017

(Photo Credit: NASA) Charles Bolden NASA Profile

 On January 20, 2016, Charles Frank Bolden, Jr., (Maj. Gen. USMC-Ret.) resigned his position as NASA Administrator. There has been no further comment or news other than his bio https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/bolden_bio.html or his NASA Blog page http://blogs.nasa.gov/bolden/. No report on his successor at this time. Former Marshal Space Flight Center Director Robert M. Lightfoot Jr. has stepped in as Acting Administrator for NASA till a successor can be named and appointed.

(Photo Credit: NASA - STS-61-C Pilot Charles Bolden

  Administrator Charles Bolden has been a strong advocate of the NASA Commercial Cargo and Crew programs as well as the new NASA Deep Space Exploration program the Orion MPCV/ Space Launch System.

 Bolden is a former Space Shuttle Commander and Pilot. He piloted his first mission on the Orbiter Columbia during STS-61-C and returned to earth 10 days before the fateful loss the Orbiter Challenger during the liftoff of STS-51-L on January 28, 1986. He was a part of the He then Piloted Discovery on STS-31 which lifted off on April 24, 1990, for a 5-day mission where he and this crew deployed the famed Hubble Space Telescope. On STS-45 Bolden Commanded the Orbiter Atlantis on the first SpaceHab mission dedicated to ATLAS - 1 the (Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science).


During this mission, the crew created the first auroral discharge in orbit by beaming electrons into the atmosphere. Commander Bolden finished out his shuttle career in the orbiter Discovery February 3, 1994, for STS-60 as Commander of the first joint US/Russian Shuttle Science mission where a Russian Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev who was a Mission Specialist on the flight. Onboard Discovery was the SPACEHAB-2 and the Wake Shield Facility-1.

(Photo Credit: NASA) - Commander Bolden during STS-60

 Commander Bolden's NASA career included many technical assignments. One of them being the Astronaut Office Safety Officer another being the Technical Assistant to the Director of Flight Crew Operations as well as Special Assistant to the Director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston. One of his most important roles in NASA was Chief of the Safety Division at Johnson (where he oversaw efforts to return the shuttle to flight safely after the 1986 Challenger accident) and as the Assistant Deputy Administrator at NASA Headquarters. After his final shuttle flight in 1994, he left NASA and returned to active duty with U.S. Marine Corps until 2003 retiring as a Major General.  In 2009 Then-President Barack Obama tapped Bolden to serve as Administrator of NASA under the conditions to inspire children around the world into learning about Manned and Unmanned Space flight as well as Space Science and exploration. And to inspire people of Muslim faith to show pride in their scientific and mathematical contributions.

 A career of utterly astounding achievements. From being one of the 14 of NASA's African American Astronauts to have flown in space and has accumulated 680 hours in space. Serving in NASA for 30+ years. To being an all-around inspiration to many from people of color as well as every other American and people around the world to further the human dream of exploring our galaxy and beyond. And to boot, he was inducted into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2006.

 "Ad Aspera Per Astra " Commander Bolden, Thank You for all you have done, We Salute You!

(Credit: NASA - Charlie Bolden at STS-135 Atlantis Wheels Stop ceremony.

Liftoff of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 carrying the NOAA GOES-R satellite.

November 19, 2016

 On November 19th at 6:42 p.m. EDT ( 11:42 p.m. UTC ) United launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V - 541 configuration rocket lifted off at the end of the launch window which started at 5:42 p.m. EDT ( 10:42 p.m. UTC ) from SLC- 41 Cape Canaveral Airforce Station carrying the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R series or GOES-R, since the successful launch and deployment has been renamed to GOES-16.

 What was initially slated as a pre-dusk launch turned into a night launch due to unspecified reasons on officially reported as booster anomaly that was fixed and then in succession  an unspecified range anomaly. Now these were never confirmed by United launch Alliance. But The Weather Channel reported that it was an errant boat that drifted into the red zone or no-go Zone off the coast which is the flight path of the Atlas V booster after liftoff.

(Credit: Lockheed Martin) GOES-R rendering

 The GOES-R satellite built by Lockheed Martin and this satellite has six instruments that fit into three different classifications. The first being Earth pointing, the second is Solar Pointing and the third In-SITU (near environment). Lockheed Martin is providing three instruments which are the Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUI) the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) and the Magnetometer.

Three additional instruments including will be Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) developed by the Harris Corporation, the Extreme Ultraviolet X-ray Irradiance Sensors (EXISS) from the University of Colorado's laboratory for Atmospheric and Space physics and finally the Space Environmental In-SITU Suite (SEISS) from the Assurance Technology Corporation. 

The GOES-R series of satellites is a joint effort between NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration to develop, launch and successfully operate the GOES series of satellites. These satellites have played a pivotal role in weather forecasting, severe storm tracking and important meteorological research since the first GOES was launched on a Delta rocket in 1975 some 41 years ago. United Launch Alliance's Atlas and Delta series of rockets have launched every spacecraft in the GOES series.

(Credit: NOAA) GOES-R Info-graphic

The rocket is the second most powerful in the Atlas V 500 series the first being the Atlas V 551. This launch vehicle will have the common core booster powered by two RD-180 engines provided by NPO Energomash. And the Centaur upper stage powered by Aerojet / Rocketdyne's RL-10A and will have 4 Solid Rocket Boosters for extra lift power. Below are photos taken by me during the last 2 days events from the Media Viewing for Roll Out to SLC-41 to the launch on the 18th and then the spectacular launch on the 19 of November at 6:42 p.m. EDT (11:42 p.m. UTC).

(Credit: 2016 Keltisch Wolf Media) ULA Atlas V - 541 GOES-R SLC-41 Rollout

(Credit: 2016 Keltisch Wolf Media) ULA Atlas V - 541 GOES-R SLC-41 T-22 hours+

(Credit: 2016 Keltisch Wolf Media) ULA Atlas V - 541 GOES-R SLC-41 T-22 hours+ @ 50 yards

(Credit: 2016 Keltisch Wolf Media) ULA Atlas V - 541 GOES-R SLC-41 Off Gassing

(Credit: 2016 Keltisch Wolf Media) ULA Atlas V - 541 SLC-41 RD-180 ignition GOES-R T-0

(Credit: 2016 Keltisch Wolf Media) ULA Atlas V - 541 GOES-R T+5

(Credit: 2016 Keltisch Wolf Media) ULA Atlas V - 541 GOES-R T+8

(Credit: 2016 Keltisch Wolf Media) ULA Atlas V - 541 GOES-R T+1:00

  

Introducing Heroes and Legends - Featuring the US Astronaut Hall of Fame.

 On November 11, 2016, the DNC ( Delaware North Corporation) unveiled the Heroes and Legends featuring the US Astronaut Hall of Fame sponsored by Boeing to the public. A fitting tribute to all the Men and Women that have made Space Exploration their calling and have achieved feats many have experienced but have not had the honor of being inducted. You will find a few factual errors even with that it is still a beautiful moving exhibit to all those who have and will dedicate their lives to human space exploration.

Once you enter the doors through an elevated ramp, you will be greeted by a 360-degree display featuring NASA's early space exploration up to the Apollo Moon program. Then a presentation will start where you will learn " What it is and What does it take to be a hero? ", from the people who actually became Heroes for the betterment of mankind. 

(Photo Credit: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex)  HAL Entrance 

 After you grab your 3-D glasses the doors will open and enter into the theater where you are treated to a 360° 3-D experience which will take you on a trip down memory lane through the eyes of the Astronauts that committed these most righteous acts of human space exploration. From the Soviet cold-war era and Project Mercury's heyday all the way up to Apollo. Following the exciting 3-D presentation you exit the theater where you're greeted by the Sigma 7 spacecraft which was flown by Wally Schirra on MA-8 ( Mercury-Atlas 8) one of the Mercury 7 Astronauts, as well as the Apollo 7 Commander. MA-8 was the second to last Mercury mission to lift off, which was MA-9 commanded by L. Gordon Cooper in Faith 7 before the Gemini program kicked into full swing. It is attached to one of the 3 surviving Mercury Redstone Rockets that were manufactured for the Manned Mercury Program. This one is MR-6 which was originally slated for Alan Sheppard's historic flight as the First American in Space. Now hardcore Space enthusiasts will know that Sigma 7 was attached to an Atlas launch vehicle, not a Mercury Redstone. 

(Photo Credit: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex) Mercury 7 Astronaut Wally Schirra's Sigma 7 attached to MR-6

As you make your way down to the first floor following the walkway you will be greeted with displays modeled in the likeness of the interiors of the Mercury and Gemini Spacecraft. Filled with artifacts from Individual astronaut you will see contributions from Dr. Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Alan B. Shepard, and Virgil "Gus" Grissom's actual flight suit from Mercury-Redstone - 4  / Liberty Bell 7 and numerous other artifacts contributed by other AHOF inductees. Follow around and you will come face-to-face with the real Mercury Mission Control, which was originally in the Blockhouse out in Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This was not too far away from the Mercury launch pads. It was faithfully restored to the resemblance of operation standards as the day that Alan B. Shepard lifted off in the Mercury Spacecraft Freedom 7 as America's first Astronaut. Then make your way a little further and you will come face-to-face with the Gemini IX spacecraft that was commanded by Thomas P. Stafford who went on to become the Apollo 10 Commander and was the warm-up mission for the Historic Apollo 11 landing with Niel Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Gemini IX was piloted by Apollo 17 Commander Eugene "Gene" Cernan the " Last Man on the Moon".

(Photo Credit: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex)  Original NASA Meatball that was attached to the Mercury Mission Control Building

(Photo Credit: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex) Interactive Display in the AHOF section

 As you exit the display's you will enter the prestigious United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, there you will see the likenesses carved into plexiglass along with the mission patches and name of every Astronaut that has been entered into Astronaut Hall of Fame there is a 360 display with interactive display panels where you can look up each individual astronaut and their HOF worthy exploits. Finally, as you exit, you will be dispatched on your way to future space exploration adventures by the original Alan B. Shepard bronze statue which used to sit at the entrance of the original US Astronaut Hall of Fame formerly located across the river at the entrance to Kennedy Space Center property line located right next to the beautiful Indian River Inter-coastal waterway.

 Here at Intergalactic Righteousness, we hope that you can visit the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and see these awesome display's for yourself. 

NASA celebrated its 58th Birthday

Photo Credit: NASA - NASA Original Logo from 1958

 On July 29th, 2016 NASA or the NASA celebrated its 58th Birthday. On this day in 1958 then President Dwight D Eisenhower signed into existence the National Aeronautics and Space Administration close the door of it predecessor the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. 

 Since 1958 NASA has lead the globe in Space research and Low Earth Orbit and Deep Space science missions, including Project Mercury (Merc), Project Gemini (PG) America's first 2 man Spacecraft missions, the Apollo Moon Landing Missions as well as the follow up Skylab space station missions using remaining Apollo hardware for LEO as the Last official Apollo Mission the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). The revered Space Shuttle (STS) took the reigns. At this time NASA is supporting the International Space Station (ISS) and is overseeing the development of the Orion (MPCV) Multi purpose crew vehicle, the Space Launch System (SLS) and Commercial Crew vehicles like the SpaceX Dragon 2 and the Boeing CST 100 Starliner. 

 The agency is also responsible for the Launch Services Program (LSP) that provides protocols of launch operations and countdown management for unmanned NASA launches. As well as the Ground Service Development Operations (GSDO) who are currently refurbishing the Vehicle Assembly Building and the Mobile Launch Tower, and the newly refurbished Crawler Transporter 2. They will carry our first SLS Rocket to LC-39B that will travel to the Moon unmanned in Fall of 2018.

Photo Credit: NASA - NASA Worm Logo 

NASA is continually doing science and research experiment's in Low Earth Orbit or LEO to better understand our own planet as well as learning the secrets of the Solar System and the Universe and even further. Diligently toiling while we sleep to make our own planet a better place. The their Science Mission Directorate. Like the upcoming Osris - Rex mission which will travel to Bennu a near Earth asteroid and retrieve a sample and return it to earth for analysis. The Dawn spacecraft which went out to the dwarf planet Ceres as well as giant proto-planet Vesta. The Mars Curiosity Rover which was the first mission a rover the size of a family Sedan was landed successfully on the red planet. Curiosity is still making giant discoveries like water in the surface soil and much more about Mars geological past. New Horizons was the first satellite to take detailed photographs and scientific spectrographic imaging of our most known distant neighbor. 

Two upcoming Mars missions will help further our understanding of the Red Planet. 

Insight in May of 2018 which will drill below the surface to see what Mars's crust is composed of, and the Mars 2020 Rover will launch in you guessed it 2020. 

 And in 2018 the Hubble Space Telescope with get a successor by the name of the James Webb Space Telescope which will lift off on an ESA Ariane V rocket, initially slated for lift-off aboard an SLS Heavy variant. but due to budget problems the Ariane V has be selected as the launch vehicle. here is to another 58 years of Space Exploration and Earth understanding!!!!!

Phot Credit: NASA - Current NASA Logo

And that makes 5 as SpaceX CRS- 9 Launches and lands at LZ-1 Flawlessly.

July 18, 2016
12:45 AM EDT ( 4:45am UTC)

SpaceX started the 9th Commercial Resupply Mission with the successful liftoff of the Falcon 9 v1.2 FT carrying the CRS-9 Dragon cargo spacecraft. On board were 5000 lbs of equipment, experiments, and the International Docking Adapter 2 (IDA-2)

There are numerous science experiments on board the dragon as well. A DNA Sequencer that could identify microbes, diagnose diseases with the main outcome to increase our understanding of crew health. Also on board is a Phase Change Heat Exchanger which is a device that could help maintain critical temperatures inside the crew compartment aboard Deep Space or LEO bound Spacecraft by freezing or thawing a material.

 Also on board are cultured live Human Heart Cells, for studying how micro-gravity changes the human heart cells, as well as what could be the possible effects of long term deep space travel's effects on the Human Heart.

(Above) SpaceX Falcon 9 CRS-9 being raised into launch position at SLC-40. Credit: Space Science

 This was my first launch viewing as a professional budding Photo Journalist for SpaceFlight Insider . In my eyes the premier Spaceflight news authority. As a tour guide out at Kennedy for a private tour company. SFI was my go to for all the haps and updates in the NASA, ESA, CSA, JAXA, Roscosmos -  Human and Non-human rated spacecraft, Space Programs and launch info.

 Truly humbled as I have worked for almost 6 years to get to this point to stand beneath the Falcon 9 and the Dragon and thanks to SFI my dream has come true. Onward and Upward my friends. stay tuned for more righteousness!!! 

" Per Aspera Ad Astra "

(Above) SpaceX - Falcon 9 / CRS-9 raised into launch position at SLC-40. Credit: Space Science

(Above) SpaceX - Falcon 9 / CRS-9  in launch position at SLC-40. Credit Space Science

(Above) SpaceX - Falcon 9 / CRS-9 Emblem and American Flag at SLC-40. Credit: Space Science.

(Above) SpaceX Falcon 9 / CRS-9 in launch position at SLC-40. Credit: Space Science

(Above) SpaceX Falcon 9 / CRS-9 lifting off from SLC-40. Credit: SpaceX

(Above) SpaceX - Falcon 9 - F9-027 laniding at LZ-1 Cape Canaveral, 2nd Successful LZ-1 attempt. Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX Launches and lands its fourth Falcon 9 first stage.

 On Friday May 27, 2016 SpaceX performed the trifecta with its successful landing of the Thaicom 8 Falcon 9 -0025 S1 Booster on the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship " Of Course I still Love you ". Lifting off from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Airforce Station at 5:39 p.m. (9:39 UTC) and lofting its payload the THAICOM 8 satellite, a commercial communications satellite built by Orbital ATK into a transfer orbit.

 Its mission is to provide Ku-band communications coverage for South Asia and Southeast Asia. The satellite will be delivered to a supersynchronous transfer orbit that will later be reduced by the satellite to an approximately 35,800 kilometers circular geostationary orbit. THAICOM 8 will be the fifth operational satellite for Thaicom. When THAICOM 8 launches, it will strengthen Thaicom's broadcast platform at 78.5 degrees east longitude – providing South Asia and Southeast Asia with broadcast and data services. The spacecraft is about 3,000 kg and has an operational design life of 15 years.

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Upon the successful landing aboard the ASDS, the F9-025-S1 Booster sustained the close to the design max threshold for landing. The contingency crush core is aluminum honeycomb for energy absorption in the telescoping actuator. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated that this is easy to replace (if Falcon makes it back to port). According to SpaceX sources this was a experimental 1-3-1 hot fire re-entry burn. Where the S1 initial re-entry burn starts with 1 Merlin D engine, then the 2nd burn uses 3 Merlin D engines like used on the JCSAT-14. then the final landing burn is back to 1 Merlin D engine. (Has not been confirmed by SpaceX.) You can see the sped up video of the Thaicom 8 S1 landing taken from the onboard camera below from the official SpaceX Youtube channel.

As you can see with the pictures below that the F9-025-S1 moved across the surface of the ASDS. This was not where she landed on May 27, 2016. 2 days prior to her return the ships all stopped without given reason. and In my humble educated opinion this is where they stopped to secure her so they did not lose the Thaicom 8 S1. And you can see in the photos I have taken the F9-025-S1 is at a 5.5 degree lean towards the west. Can't wait to hear all the data that comes from the follow up. Stay tuned.

Photo Credits: 2016 Keltisch Wolf Services LLC

SpaceX JCSAT-14 Booster back at LC-39A in the Horizontal Integration Facility.

(Photo Credit: SpaceX) Above: SpaceX JCSAT-14 Mission Patch

05/14/2016

 Yesterday at around 11:00 AM ET (15:00 UTC) SpaceX moved their JCSAT-14 Falcon 9 Booster F9-0024-S1 to the horizontal integration facility at Kennedy's LC-39A to join the 2 other successfully landed Falcon 9 Boosters. Where the statement " One by land, Two if by Sea" rings true. SpaceX has made history by landing their first stage booster after delivering 2 satellites and a Dragon spacecraft to the ISS. The first successful landing came December 21, 2015 20:29 ET (01:29 UTC) at the newly finished SpaceX Landing Zone 1 or LZ-1 formerly known as SLC-13 with the Orbcomm OG2-M2 Falcon 9 Booster F9-0020-S1. The First successful Falcon 9 Booster landing and the first Terra Firma landing. This is also where in 1958 they launched and tested the Convair/General Dynamics Atlas B, D, E and F missiles from this complex. As well as from 1962 - 1978 NASA launched the Atlas Agena Rockets for the Gemini Program as well as Lunar Orbiter - 1 which mapped landing sites for the Apollo Missions.

(Photo Credit: SpaceX) Above: SpaceX Orbcomm OG2 M2 Mission Patch

The 2nd landing came on April 8, 2016, 4:43 PM EST (20:43 UTC) with CRS-8 Falcon 9 Booster F9-0023-S1 with the Return to Flight of the Dragon on the NASA Commercial Cargo launch to the ISS of the Falcon 9 v1.2 FT. The Dragon Spacecraft came home at 2:54 PM ET (11:54 AM PT), it parachuted into the waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California, carrying around 3,700 pounds (1,700 kg) of hardware and experiment samples. Of the samples were the Biological samples from Astronaut Scott Kelly taken during his year in space Mission to further the study of Astronauts and the long term effects on their bodies in preparation for the upcoming and planned Deep Space Missions NASA is working on.

(Photo Credit: SpaceX) Above: SpaceX CRS-8 Mission Patch

 Elon Musk Tweeted today that the JCSAT-14 Booster took the Maximum damage allowed for a landing. Would love to see the data on this. Still a truly remarkable feat done by SpaceX and the entire launch team!

(Photo Credit: SpaceX) Above: SpaceX CRS-8 Dragon Spacecraft Splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

(Photo Credit: SpaceX) Above: SpaceX JCSAT-14 taken from SpaceX live feed.

(Photo Credit: Michael McCabe/ SSIR ) Above: SpaceX JCSAT-14 Booster F9-0024-S1 on the ASDS first photo. The remaining photo's of the booster as she was lifted from the ASDS and placed on the cradle adjacent to the ASDS. If you study the pictures you can see some of the damage done and the melting of the paint and evidence of the extreme stress that she went through on reentry.