UPDATE: Web & Cablecasts: Historic SpaceX Astronaut Launch Sat. Afternoon

     
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule is shown as it is lifted onto the top of the Falcon 9 rocket, on Thursday, 2020 May 21, for the historic Demo-2 mission which is scheduled to launch two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station mid-day Saturday Afternoon, 2020 May 30.
(Image Sources: NASA, Wikipedia.org, By NASA/Bill Ingalls - https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahqphoto/49919954072/in/photostream/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90584767)

By Glenn A. Walsh

Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

UPDATE: This blog-post, originally posted Wednesday, 2020 May 27, has been updated as of Thursday, 2020 May 28, regarding the delay of the historic launch of the Crew Dragon capsule.

Web-casts and cable-casts, as well as traditional radio and television broadcasts, are set for coverage of the historic launch, rescheduled to Saturday afternoon, of two NASA astronauts bound for the International Space Station (ISS), using the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

SpaceX, founded in 2002 by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, plans to launch two astronauts toward the International Space Station on Saturday Afternoon, 2020 May 30 (the original Decoration Day) at 3:22 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / 19:22 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

The launch had been originally scheduled for Wednesday Afternoon, 2020 May 27 at 4:33:33 p.m. EDT / 20:33:33 UTC. However, the launch was scrubbed 16 minutes before the launch time, due inclement weather.

According to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, there was "too much electricity in the atmosphere." He added, "There wasn't really a lightning storm or anything like that, but there was a concern that if we did launch it could trigger lightning."

The rescheduled Saturday afternoon launch will be the first launch of astronauts, from American soil, since the end of NASA's Space Shuttle program in July of 2011. Since 2011, NASA has been leasing seats on Russian Soyuz flights, for sending American astronauts to the ISS.

If the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission launch, on May 30, is delayed again due to poor weather or technical problems, the next launch window opens the next day, May 31 at 3:00 p.m. EDT / 19:00 UTC.

The Saturday afternoon launch will also be the first launch of astronauts into Earth orbit using a non-government space program. NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, who will be the crew of this historic flight, may stay on the ISS for 100 days or more.

SpaceX's Cargo Dragon or Dragon 1 spacecraft has flown 19 successful operational missions. These missions have flown supplies, only, to the International Space Station.

The May 30 launch will occur at the historic Launch Pad 39A at the John F. Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida. Launch Pad 39A was originally built by NASA for the Apollo space program which launched 12 astronauts who walked on the Moon between 1969 and 1972, as well as the historic Apollo 8 flight when, for the first time, three astronauts went into orbit of a planetary body other than the Earth (the Earth's Moon) on Christmas Eve in 1968.

Launch Pad 39A was modified in the late 1970s for use in the Space Shuttle program. SpaceX leases Launch Pad 39A from NASA for the launch of the company's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. The Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission with astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley on May 30.

In a rather unique collaboration, ABC-TV is partnering with the National Geographic Channel for comprehensive coverage of this historic launch on cable television, as well as Internet coverage on ABC News Live, the ABC News streaming-video web-cast. The National Geographic Channel (a.k.a. National Geographic, Nat Geo, and Nat Geo TV) is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns the ABC radio and television networks) at 73 per-cent ownership and the National Geographic Society at 27 per-cent ownership; Walt Disney Television controls operational management of the National Geographic Channel.

The National Geographic Channel / ABC News Live streaming service begins a two-hour coverage block of the launch on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. EDT / 18:00 UTC; this cable-cast will also be simulcast on the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel. Traditional cable television news channels, such as CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, will likely provide comprehensive coverage for much of Saturday, as would the CBSN Internet streaming service.

Moments before the actual launch, the ABC television network will break into normal programming to cover the launch. Likely, the CBS and NBC television networks will do the same.

Also likely, some of the major radio networks, particularly the legacy networks ABC (which began in 1927 as the NBC Blue Network, known for news and public affairs programming) and CBS (which also began in 1927 and has became prominently recognized for news broadcasting since World War II) will cover the launch moments before lift-off.

On the Internet, in addition to the ABC News Live (also simulcast on the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel) and CBSN streaming services, both NASA and SpaceX will provide live streams of the launch.

Since the 1960s, the three traditional radio and television broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) have provided extensive coverage of the launches of American astronauts. Today, the Internet provides even greater coverage of historic launches, such as the one scheduled for Saturday afternoon, in addition to coverage on the more traditional radio and television networks.

Internet Links to Additional Information ---

Live, Launch Coverage Internet Streams:
NASA: Link >>> https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive
SpaceX: Link >>> https://www.spacex.com/launches/
ABC News Live: Link >>> https://abcnews.go.com/Live/ 
CBSN: Link >>> https://www.cbsnews.com/live/
Discovery Channel: Link >>> https://www.discovery.com/
Science Channel: Link >>> https://www.sciencechannel.com/ 

SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 Mission:
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium4.tripod.com/astrocalendar/2020.html#spacexlaunch

Photograph: Close-up of SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule:
Link >>> https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2020/05/astro-calendar-2020-may-1st-private.html

SpaceX:
Link 1 >>> https://www.spacex.com/
Link 2 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX

International Space Station (ISS):
Link 1 >>> https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Link 2 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station

Kennedy Space Center Historic Launch Pad 39A:
Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Space_Center_Launch_Complex_39#Launch_Pad_39A

Related Blog Posts ----

SpaceX Public, On-Line Simulator: Docking w/ Space Station." Tue., 2020 May 19.

Link >>> https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2020/05/spacex-public-on-line-simulator-docking.html

 

"Astro-Calendar: 2020 May / 1st Private, Crewed Space Launch May 27." Fri., 2020 May 1.

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2020/05/astro-calendar-2020-may-1st-private.html

 

"Web-Cast: 1st Test Launch of SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Tue. Afternoon." Tue., 2018 Feb. 6.

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/02/web-cast-1st-test-launch-of-spacex.html

 

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
              Wednesday, 2020 May 27.
              UPDATED: Thursday, 2020 May 28.

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gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator:
< http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
Electronic Mail: < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.
Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania.
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >

SpaceX Public, On-Line Simulator: Docking w/ Space Station

Image of the International Space Station (ISS), by an STS-132 crew member on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis, after leaving the station on 2010 May 23.
(Image Sources: NASA, Wikipedia.org, By NASA/Crew of STS-132 - http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-132/hires/s132e012208.jpg(http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-132/html/s132e012208.html), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10561008)

By Glenn A. Walsh

Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

In anticipation of the first SpaceX astronaut crew to be launched toward the International Space Station (ISS) on May 27, SpaceX has created an on-line, docking simulator the public can use, free-of-charge. Although such ISS dockings are usually done automatically by computer, this simulator shows what astronauts would do if they needed to dock manually.

The “ISS Docking Simulator” program (Internet link to on-line simulator near end of this blog-post) is based on a real touchscreen-panel interface (although the on-line version is not a touchscreen-interface) software that the SpaceX Company, founded in 2002 by billionaire tech wizard Elon Musk, created to train the NASA astronauts to fly the new Crew Dragon spacecraft. The actual SpaceX docking simulator is located at the company's plant in Hawthorne, California.

SpaceX plans to launch two astronauts toward the International Space Station on Wednesday, 2020 May 27 at 4:32 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / 20:32 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This will be the first launch of astronauts, from American soil, since the end of NASA's Space Shuttle program in July of 2011. Since 2011, NASA ,has been leasing seats on Russian Soyuz flights, for sending American astronauts to the ISS.

If the May 27 launch is delayed by poor weather or technical problems, the next launch window opens on the original Decoration Day, May 30.

This launch will also be the first launch of astronauts into Earth orbit using a non-government space program. NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, who will be the crew of this historic flight, may stay on the ISS for 100 days or more.

SpaceX's Cargo Dragon or Dragon 1 spacecraft has flown 19 successful operational missions. These missions have flown supplies, only, to the International Space Station.

The May 27 launch will occur at the historic Launch Pad 39A at the John F. Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida. Launch Pad 39A was originally built by NASA for the Apollo space program which launched 12 astronauts who walked on the Moon between 1969 and 1972, as well as the historic Apollo 8 flight when, for the first time, three astronauts went into orbit of a planetary body other than the Earth (the Earth's Moon) in December of 1968.

Launch Pad 39A was modified in the late 1970s for use in the Space Shuttle program. SpaceX leases Launch Pad 39A from NASA for the launch of the company's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. The Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission with astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley on May 27.

Although many video games are action-packed, with objectives being achieved quickly, this is not true for the SpaceX simulator. This simulator shows that docking a spacecraft with the ISS is painstakingly slow and precise.

The simulator teaches the user to control the spacecraft, attempting to dock with the ISS, using the spacecraft's pitch, yaw, roll, and approach speed.

To be successful with this simulator, you have to carefully manipulate the controls. Although it is not real easy, the simulator includes some instructions to help the “virtual astronaut.”

SpaceX's “ISS Docking Simulator”: Link >>> https://iss-sim.spacex.com/

Internet Links to Additional Information ---

SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 Mission:
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium4.tripod.com/astrocalendar/2020.html#spacexlaunch

Photograph of SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule:
Link >>> https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2020/05/astro-calendar-2020-may-1st-private.html

SpaceX:
Link 1 >>> https://www.spacex.com/
Link 2 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX

International Space Station (ISS):
Link 1 >>> https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Link 2 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station

Kennedy Space Center Historic Launch Pad 39A:
Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Space_Center_Launch_Complex_39#Launch_Pad_39A

Related Blog Posts ----

"Astro-Calendar: 2020 May / 1st Private, Crewed Space Launch May 27." Fri., 2020 May 1.

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2020/05/astro-calendar-2020-may-1st-private.html

 

"Web-Cast: 1st Test Launch of SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Tue. Afternoon." Tue., 2018 Feb. 6.

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/02/web-cast-1st-test-launch-of-spacex.html

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
              Tuesday, 2020 May 19.

                             Like This Post?  Please Share!

           More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:
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                Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your in-box ?
                Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >.

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator:
< http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
Electronic Mail: < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.
Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania.
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >

NASA Contest: Help Design Mini Moon Rovers By June 8

                             
This is an image of the waxing crescent Moon taken in the 1980s by Francis G. Graham using the rather unique 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at the original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center - Pittsburgh's science and technology museum from 1939 to 1991). Francis Graham, who founded the American Lunar Society, is now Professor Emeritus of Physics, Kent State University. (Image Source: Friends of the Zeiss)

By Glenn A. Walsh

Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

Help provide ideas and suggestions for future Moon missions, in a NASA public prize competition. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is seeking suggestions for advancing science on the Moon through miniature payloads, possibly including mini-rovers (perhaps as small as a home Roomba^® vacuum cleaner) that could explore the lunar surface. There are $160,000 in monetary prizes being offered.

The NASA news release states:

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, is running a public prize competition to design miniaturized payloads for future Moon missions. The “Honey, I Shrunk the NASA Payload” challenge is seeking instrument designs that could help support a sustained human lunar presence, demonstrate and advance the use of resources found on the Moon, and enable new science. Future exploration of the Moon and beyond will require tools of all shapes and sizes – from sweeping orbiters to the tiniest of rovers. In addition to current planned scientific rovers, NASA could one day send even smaller rovers to help scout the Moon’s surface. These tiny robots would provide mission flexibility and collect key information about the lunar surface, its resources and the environment. The data collected by these rovers would be helpful for future lunar endeavors and NASA’s Artemis program.

NASA is looking for ways to create a sustained presence on the Moon for astronauts. To do so, NASA needs to find the resources on the Moon that can be transformed to help keep people alive and help them perform their scientific mission, as re-supply missions from Earth would be very expensive. Needed resources, that could possibly be found and transformed from lunar resources, include breathable air, water for drinking and food production, building materials for shelter, rocket propellants, among other necessities.

NASA needs to find new ways to prospect, map, and determine the resources available on the Moon that can supply a small lunar base. NASA and JPL are seeking the public's help in creating new, miniaturized technologies to carry-out this project, which would support NASA's Artemis Program for exploration of the Moon by male and female astronauts.

Deadline for submissions: Monday, 2020 June 8 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / 21:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

Internet Links to Additional Information ---

More information on NASA / JPL “Honey, I Shrunk the NASA Payload” challenge:
Link >>> https://www.herox.com/NASApayload

Challenge Guidelines: Link >>> https://www.herox.com/NASApayload/guidelines

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
              Tuesday, 2020 May 12.

                             Like This Post?  Please Share!

           More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:
            Link >>> https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower

        Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks

                Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your in-box ?
                Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >.

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator:
< http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
Electronic Mail: < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.
Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania.
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >

Astro-Calendar: 2020 May / 1st Private, Crewed Space Launch May 27

SpaceX Crew Dragon Spacecraft, as it undergoes final processing at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida for the Demo-2 launch on May 27, with two astronauts. This will be the first launch of astronauts from American soil since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, as well as the first launch, ever, of astronauts on a private space vehicle into Earth orbit.
More information: Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium4.tripod.com/astrocalendar/2020.html#spacexlaunch
(Image Sources: SpaceX, NASA, Wikipedia.org, By SpaceX - https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20200411-PH-SPX01_0003 (direct link), CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89261776)

Astronomical Calendar for 2020 May ---
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium4.tripod.com/astrocalendar/2020.html#may

 Related Blog Post ---

"Astro-Calendar: 2020 April / 175th Anniversary (April 10): Great Pittsburgh Fire."

Wednesday, 2020 April 1.

Link >>> https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2020/04/astro-calendar-2020-april-175th.html

Source: Friends of the Zeiss.
              Friday, 2020 May 1.

                             Like This Post?  Please Share!

            More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:
            Link >>> https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower

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                Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your in-box ?
                Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >.

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator:
< http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
Electronic Mail: < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.
Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania.
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >