June 2005
AESC-3 moved - STS-11 Ready to go
Posted Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Today the crew SCSS-7 move the Apollo Escape System Capsule #3 (AESC-3) from its current location docked at port #2 of SCSS to port #1 in preparation for the arrival of STS-11 which is due to launch tomorrow afternoon.
During the brief manuver the crew reported that AESC-3 system seemed to handle properly and appeared to be in fine working order as it neared its six month service life in space.
CDR Jason Hyatt and Pilot Jose Rodriquez, the crew of STS-11, held a brief new conference prior their last night at Kennedy Space Center for the schedule launch. Hyatt and Rodriquez informed reporters that they where very ready to get back into space and see SCSS again.
The crew of STS-11 is scheduled to bring up a new cargo container called "Rafaello" and return with "Leonardo" which has been in place for about two years. The long emptied "Leonardo" multi-purpose container system is now full of trash, waste, and used equipment.
STS-11 is scheduled to return to Kennedy Space Center on Monday, June 27th.
MARS-E Pulled from Pad for Retrofitting
Posted Wednesday, June 15, 2005
The MARS-E stack was pulled from Launch Complex 39B today and brought back to the SimNASA Vehicle Assembly Building. MARS-E was to launch the Mars HAB module.
Instead, the Mars HAB module shall be launched along with the Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) as well as the first Mars crew, MARS-1. To accomplish this, SimNASA shall debut its newest rocket, the Saturn VB. This rocket consists of four solid rocket boosters (SRB) attached to the SC-1 stage. This would be by far the largest thrust producing launch vehicle that SimNASA would ever launch, consisting of approximately 13,881,000 pounds of thrust.
Disassembly and reassembly is expected to take a month and a half.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer,
MARS-1 in Final Development, But Delayed"
Posted Wednesday, June 8, 2005
The SimNASA Staff announced today that the manned mission to Mars is in its final stages of development, but the projected launch date of the first crew will not make the June 15 launch deadline.
Equipment, mission profiles, testing, and training are all in progress. However, some of the modules necessary for this mission are still under construction. Already in place at the SimNASA SkyLab-Columbia Space Station (SCSS) are the REPO, booster, and core modules. The Mars HAB and Earth Return Vehicle (ERV), however, are not yet completed. A new launch timeframe for the MARS-1 crew is predicted for July or August.
Mission planners state that the two outboard docking ports of SCSS are now occupied, thus Tug "Armstrong" will need to stay on station at the Lunar Orbiting Logistical Station (LOLS) for at least the summer. Due to this, Brian Lang and Chris Keever may be required to extend their stay at the temporary lunar base.
The Mars mission is still a committed project. This is only a partial setback, but shall not deter our focus from reaching the Red Planet. SimNASA engineers are working very hard to complete the necessry tasks. All SimNASA members are encouraged to provide their input on the Mars mission in the SimNASA forum under the "MARS-1 Development - We want your input" thread of the "Development" section.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer,
MARS-D Docks with SCSS
Posted Thursday, June 2, 2005
SimNASA Mission Control has confirmed that the unmanned MARS-D docked with the SkyLab-Columbia Space Station (SCSS) today at 04:04:35 UT. The mission ran smoothly and all systems are reported nominal.
The REPO module docked to SCSS, with "PAK" thruster set:
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer,
MARS-D: An Exact Launch
Posted Wednesday, June 1, 2005
With the undocking and successful landing of STS-9 "Freedom", the MARS-D launch clock was started. The launch occurred today at 16:46:10 UT, exactly as planned.
The MARS-D stack contains the Re-supply and Prepositioned Orbital Module (REPO). REPO is another required component which shall function as a resupply module for the Mars crew. If necessary, the REPO module can also function as an evacuation module for the Mars crew.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer,
MARS-E to Roll-Out Soon
Posted Wednesday, June 1, 2005
MARS-E, the next launch of a required component for the future SimNASA manned Mars missions, should roll-out from the Vehicle Assembly Building on Friday morning. The Saturn V stack, scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 39B, shall deliver the Mars habitat lander, HAB, for use by the crew on the Martian surface.
- Reporting for SimNASA: Mike Caruso, Public Affairs Officer,
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