June 2003
MER-B Postponed One Week
Posted Monday, June 30, 2003
Major computer problems haunted SimNASA engineers during equipment and system tests this weekend for the MER-B launch, according to MER project team leaders. The launch of MER-B has been attempted several times over the past weekend, with the hope of its launch to join MER-A in the expedition toward Mars. However, until these problems are repaired, MER-B remains grounded. The launch has been rescheduled for next weekend, which should hopefully give ground crews enough time to prepare and repair MER-B for launch. This is still within the launch window necessary for a successful Mars mission.
The other Mars project, MER-A, is functioning smoothly. Its progress may be observed under the "Current Launch Information" section of the website.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
Computer Problems Stop MER-B Again
Posted Saturday, June 28, 2003
A sensor reading from one of the primary computers has delayed the launch of MER-B yet again. SimNASA officials quickly calculated the next appropriate launch time and determined a 24-hour turn around should provide a primary window of 11:46:14 PM ET and a secondary window 12:28:07 AM ET on June 29.
Reflecting the thoughts of all team members, "Nothing is routine about spaceflight," noted a launch team member. Additional details about the next launch attempt will be announced as they develop.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
MER-B Launch: Stop and Go
Posted Saturday, June 28, 2003
As always, SimNASA launches are publicly viewable. With regards to the MER-B launch, the SimNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which handles the organization's unmanned missions, released the following statement:
Cape Canaveral, Florida
June 28, 2003
UT 00:13:00
RE: Launch of "Opportunity".
The launch of "Opportunity" was postponed today just a mere 50 seconds before launch when a critical communication system shorted out at launch complex 17. Engineers quickly resolved the problem but decided to pass on the second opportunity for the launch of the Delta II carrying the second Mars probe this morning and opted to schedule the launch tomorrow at 23:56:16 EASTERN TIME June 28, 2003.
Pilots of SimNASA are encouraged to participate in the launch of MER-B "Opportunity" tomorrow evening. Those interested in following the launch are encouraged to tune into activities beginning about 2 hours before the schedule launch and lasting until "Opportunity" is on its way to Mars. The launch will be carried on the JPL channel of the IVP software. (You can obtain this software free of charge at SimNASA partner FPI http://www.flightproject.net/)
SimNASA pilots wishing to fly range, provide air traffic control or otherwise actively participate will need a valid FPI pilot number of controller number available at the FPI site. Pilots and controllers should set as their primary channel RANGE with JPL as the secondary channel.
In addition to following launch traffic on the IVP software, SimNASA members will also be allowed to follow traffic from a number of vMC servers which will carry telemetry in real time. Server address will be published over the JPL channel from time to time during the launch so user can follow the flight of the Delta II lifting "Opportunity" toward Mars.
"Opportunity" marks the second launch of two launches to Mars this year by SimNASA. The first launch of "Spirit" occurred on June 16th. Spirit is now some 2.1 million miles away form Earth.
SUMMARY -
"Opportunity" launch tonight at 23:56:16 ET. 22:56:16 CT. 21:56:16 MT. 20:56:16 PT and 03:56:16 UT time.
Pilots and Controllers are needed and all available pilots and controllers should arrive no later than (NLT) two hours before launch.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
SimNASA to Acquire New Aircraft, Scenery
Posted Thursday, June 26, 2003
Over the past several months, the SimNASA Fleet and Facilities Division has been designing, testing, painting new aircraft for SimNASA use. Members of this division have also been working with outside agencies to develop new scenery of increased detail.
All pilots are encouraged to watch for the upcoming issue of the SimNASA Weekly Newsletter for specifics regarding this topic.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
Service Awards Updated
Posted Tuesday, June 24, 2003
Today the SimNASA Staff has updated the Service Award Medals. The following awards were presented:
Public Service Medal - for individuals with no less than one year of membership, while having conducted outstanding service.
Exceptional Service Medal II and III - for individuals with no less than two or three years (respectively) of membership, while having conducted outstanding service.
Pilots who have met the above years of service should be receiving notification of their medal via email. Any questions regarding these medals should be directed to the Public Affairs Officer.
The Staff congratulates all pilots on their Service Award achievements and duty to our great Organization. It is due to the dedication of our pilots that SimNASA continues to be the longest-lasting, highly acclaimed, virtual space agency that others revere.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
SkyLab Passes 100 Day Mark
Posted Friday, June 20, 2003
Today SimNASA reaches another milestone in its continuing progression of its virtual space station. SkyLab, the first virtual space station, has now been in orbit for 100 days.
Although the station is currently unmanned, its two recent one-month long manned missions have already exceeded scientific expectations. The station will soon be expanded with the new "Columbia" Orbital Research Station Module. This new module will allow additional, more complex experimentation, while at the same time setting the ground work for the upcoming highly anticipated SimNASA Shuttle Program.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
New Exec Board Appointment
Posted Wednesday, June 18, 2003
This afternoon Administrator Brad Hodges announced the newest appointment to the SimNASA Executive Board, Bill Mullins. The Executive Board is the highest committee within SimNASA, second to the Administrator himself.
Bill Mullins has been serving our great Organization as the Director of Fleets and Facilities, and now is working for SimNASA as the Associate Direcor of the virtual Kennedy Space Center (vKSC). Bill has always been known within SimNASA for his no-nonsense of direction and guidance - especially to the new cadets.
Please join the SimNASA Staff in congratulating Bill with his new position.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
New Job Position Available
Posted Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Events Director
Posting date: 18 June 2003
Closing date: Until filled
Apply to: administrator@simnasa.org or pao@simnasa.org
Summary: The SimNASA Events Director will have the primary responsibility to coordinate major SimNASA activities with outside organizations. This positions functions to assist the Public Affairs Officer as events arise. HTML experience is a must. Ideal opportunity for someone looking to gain work experience. The SimNASA Events Director will be a member of the SimNASA Staff and report directly to the Public Affairs Officer.
The successful applicant will:
- have experience and knowledge of HTML
- have the ability to work with a team to promote SimNASA
- have excellent organizational skills
Training Division Changes
Posted Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Jeff Parker has stepped down as Training Director and Associate Director of the JSC. This may cause a temporary delay in training material processing. Those pilots in training should continue to contact the Training department via: training@simnasa.org until further notice but that there may be a delay in receiving materials. More information on new training will be posted on the SimNASA site in a few days that should expedite requests.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
MER-A: the Rising "Spirit"
Posted Monday, June 16, 2003
Today at 17:35:21.0 the Mars Exploration Rover-A (MER-A) mission launched successfully with the flawless ascent of the new SimNASA Delta II rocket.
Communication troubled the launch teams early in the countdown phase, but were overcome. A series of threatening thunderstorms broke just before the Go/No Go call from the Mission Control Team leader.
MER-A now begins its long journey to the Red Planet, with the next major mission event will not come until late summer or early fall with the first course correction burn.
The second MER mission, MER-B is scheduled for launch on June 25. Additional details regarding MER-B, named "Opportunity", as well as the current MER-A "Spirit" mission can be found at the "Current Launch Information" section of the SimNASA website.
Mars missions are not a sort of mission that can be hurriedly assembled, planned, and launched. Rather, it is the dedicated team of SimNASA members that make this program the success that it is.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
MER-A in Final Launch Preparations
Posted Friday, June 13, 2003
The SimNASA MER-A mission is now under final preparations for the launch June 16 at 13:35:21 EDT (17:35:21 UTC). Like all SimNASA missions, this mission is publicly viewable.
Public viewing instructions should be soon available under the "Current Launch Information" section of the website.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
Mission Control Teams Openings
Posted Thursday, June 12, 2003
With the rapidly approaching launch dates of the MER-A and MER-B missions approaching, Preston Bartlett, Manager of Flight Logistics, asks for pilots to participate in the few remaining available Mission Control and pilot positions.
Positions are available for:
GC, DPS, as well as a T-38 Range Pilot, C-130 Range Pilot, and P-3 Weather Recon Pilot.
Participating in a launch is an excellent way to learn more about flight logistics and the workings of space flight. Few things prepare a pilot for eventual spaceflight more than participation in as many facets as possible.
Pilots must be qualified to fly the requested aircraft. Those who wish to participate should email Preston Bartlett at: mct@simnasa.org.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
New Staff Appointments
Posted Wednesday, June 11, 2003
The SimNASA Deputy Director Chuck Boudreaux released this afternoon the following new staff appointment press release:
"I am very happy to announce the appointment of Neal Pizik and Marcus Robinson as the new Co-Directors of the SimNASA Manned Space Program. Neal will move into the office effective 15-June, 2003 with Marcus joining him on 30-June, 2003. The staggered appointment is to ensure continuity for the Unmanned Space Flight Mars Exploration Rover program which Marcus has worked hard to set up. The first rover mission will lift-off on 16-June with MER-B lifting off on 25-June. Once these missions are under way, Marcus will hand over the USF reins and move to Manned Space Flight."
"I do not think we could have found any better leadership for the SimNASA Manned Space Flight Division," noted SimNASA Deputy Administrator Chuck Boudreaux, who also is commander of the Johnson Space Center Command that oversees manned space flight. "Both of these gentlemen bring long careers with SimNASA to the table and have shown their commitment and dedication to this organization through a host of staff positions. The Manned Space Program cannot help but grow with leadership like this."
These appointments follow the resignation of the former Director of Manned Space Flight, Shawn Veinot, who left SimNASA to pursue a real-life career with the Canadian Air Force.
We wish good luck to Shawn Veinot in his career path, and congratulate Neal Pizik and Marcus Robinson on their new appointments.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
"Some virtual space agencies operate efficiently by modelling themselves after SimNASA."
New MER Section for SimNASA Website
Posted Monday, June 9, 2003
The Unmanned Spaceflight Division now has a section of the SimNASA website dedicated to the MER or Mars Exploration Rover missions. The new section features pictures of the recently unveiled new SimNASA Delta II rocket, the MER spacecraft, as well as documents and pictures related to the mission.
These new pages are accessible by clicking on the "Current Launch Information" link from the SimNASA menu or by going through the Unmanned Spaceflight Division pages.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org - "Writing in a style copied by other virtual space agencies."
SimNASA Plans for Mars
Posted Sunday, June 8, 2003
Deputy Administrator Chuck Boudreaux publicly announced this morning the plans for the first SimNASA mission to Mars. This project marks over a year of planning. The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission, which consists of part A and B, will launch MER-A at 17:35:21.000 UTC JUNE 16, 2003 (13:35:21 EDT). The launch time for MER-B will be announced shortly.
Boudreaux stated in the morning press conference, "The Mars Exploration Rover missions, like their NASA namesakes, are designed to examine the history of climatic events and specifically water on the surface of Mars. Targeted are those areas that could have been favorable to life if water once flowed across the surface."
Also from Boudreaux's report, the numerous MER missions objectives have been approved:
- Search for and characterize a diversity of rocks and soils that hold clues to past water activity (water-bearing minerals and minerals deposited by precipitation, evaporation, sedimentary sementation, or hydrothermal activity).
- Determine the nature of local surface geologic processes from surface morphology and chemistry.
- Calibrate and validate orbital remote-sensing data and assess the amount and scale of heterogeneity at each landing site.
- Extract clues from the geologic investigation, related to the environmental conditions when liquid water was present and assess whether those environments were conducive for life.
The package of science instruments on the rovers is collectively known as the Athena Science Payload. The package consists of two instruments designed to survey the landing site, as well as three other instruments on an arm designed for close-up study of rocks. Also on the arm is a tool that can scrape away the outer layers of rocks. Those instruments are supplemented by magnets and calibration targets that will enable other studies.
Two instruments will survey the general site:
- A Panoramic Camera will view the surface using two high-resolution color stereo cameras to complement the rover's navigation cameras. Delivering panoramas of the Martian surface with unprecedented detail, the camera's images will help SimNASA scientists decide what rocks and soils to analyze in detail, and will provide information on surface features, the distribution and shape of nearby rocks, and the presence of features carved by ancient waterways.
- A Mini-Thermal Emission Spectrometer is an instrument that sees infrared radiation emitted by objects. It will determine from afar the mineral composition of Martian surface features and allow scientists to select specific rocks and soils to investigate in detail. Observing in the infrared allows SimNASA to see through dust that coats many rocks, allowing the instrument to recognize carbonates, silicates, organic molecules and minerals formed in water. Infrared data will also help scientists assess the capacity of rocks and soils to hold heat over the wide temperature range of a Martian day. Besides studying rocks, the instrument will be pointed upward to make the first-ever high-resolution temperature profiles through the Martian atmosphere's boundary layer. The data from the instrument will be complementing that obtained by the thermal emission spectrometer on the Mars Global Surveyor orbiter.
On the rover arm shall be:
- A Microscopic Imager is a combination of a microscope and a camera. It will produce extreme close-up views (at a scale of hundreds of microns) of rocks and soils examined by other instruments on the rover arm, providing context for the interpretation of data about minerals and elements. The imager will help characterize sedimentary rocks that formed in water, and thus will help scientists understand past watery environments on Mars. This instrument will also yield information on the small-scale features of rocks formed by volcanic and impact activity as well as tiny veins of minerals like the carbonates that may contain microfossils in the famous Mars meteorite, ALH84001. The shape and size of particles in the Martian soil can also be determined by the instrument, which provides valuable clues about how the soil formed.
- Provided by Germany, the M?auer Spectrometer is designed to determine with high accuracy the composition and abundance of iron-bearing minerals that are difficult to detect by other means. Identification of iron-bearing minerals will yield information about early Martian environmental conditions. The spectrometer is also capable of examining the magnetic properties of surface materials and identifying minerals formed in hot, watery environments that could preserve fossil evidence of Martian life. The instrument uses two pieces of radioactive cobalt-57, each about the size of a pencil eraser, as radiation sources.
- Also from Germany, the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer will accurately determine the elements that make up rocks and soils. This information will be used to complement and constrain the analysis of minerals provided by the other science instruments. Through the use of alpha particles and X-rays, the instrument will determine a sample's abundances of all major rock-forming elements except hydrogen. Analyzing the elemental make-up of Martian surface materials will provide scientists with information about crustal formation, weathering processes and water activity on Mars. The instrument uses small amounts of curium-244 for generating radiation.
- The arm-mounted instruments will be aided by a Rock Abrasion Tool that will act as the rover's equivalent of a geologist's rock hammer. Positioned against a rock by the rover's instrument arm, the tool uses a grinding wheel to remove dust and weathered rock, exposing fresh rock underneath. The tool will expose an area 4.5 centimeters (2 inches) in diameter, and grind down to a depth of as much as 5 millimeters (0.2 inch).
SimNASA will hold off on the landing site decision until in Martian orbit. The two primary landing sites: Gusev Crater and the Meridiani Planum shall be attempted first. Secondary sites Elysium Planitia, Isidis Planitia, Athabasca Vallis, or Eos Chasma have been chosen if the primary sites cannot be reached.
SimNASA has chosen these mission plans to historically emulate the similar NASA missions.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
"Other virtual space agencies come to SimNASA with questions or to ask for help."
SimNASA Unveils New Rocket
Posted Tuesday, June 3, 2003
At an unveiling ceremony last night, Administrator Brad Hodges showed the newest medium launch vehicle, the Delta II. Consisting of nine strap-on solid boosters, the 125.9 foot rocket can place payloads into semi-synchronous (3,670 lbs), low earth (11,100 lbs), Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) (3,690 lbs), or related spacelift operations.
The Delta II gives SimNASA the capability to launch surveillance, communications, global positioning, weather, and exploratory satellites from the newly redesigned SimNASA Launch Complex 17.
This rocket is the end-result of the SimNASA engineering team, and will serve the Unmanned Spaceflight Division for years to come. With the Delta II, the Unmanned Spaceflight Division rocket fleet also consists of the Juno II, Atlas-Agena, Atlas-Centaur, and Saturn 1B.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
SkyLab III Crew Returns!
Posted Sunday, June 1, 2003
The crew of SkyLab III successfully splashed down near Hawaii at coordinates: 168.239W 9.080N. The crew of CDR. Shawn Veinot, CSM Troy Wild, and SP K.S. Weber are reportedly safe and anxious to get back to their families. The crew was flow from Hawaii to Ellington Field aboard the NASA1, SimNASA's premier Falcon 50.
The crew now begins a two-week mission debrief and experimental data wrap-up. The month-long mission was more successful than expected due to the surplus of solar, astronautical, and Earth observations.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer, pao@simnasa.org
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