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Ever wanted to ask a NASA astronaut a question? Here’s your chance!
NASA astronaut Nick Hague will be taking your questions in an Answer Time session on Thursday, January 16 from 12pm - 1pm ET here on NASA’s Tumblr! Find out what it’s like to live and work 254 miles above our planet’s surface. Make sure to ask your question now by visiting http://nasa.tumblr.com/ask!
Nick Hague was selected as one of eight members of the 21st NASA Astronaut class in 2013. Hague was the first astronaut from his class to be assigned to a mission which launched on October 11, 2018. Unfortunately, he and his crewmate Alexey Ovchinin, of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, were forced to abort the mission when a rocket booster experienced a malfunction shortly after the launch of their Soyuz MS-10. The aborted spacecraft landed safely.
His first flight to the International Space Station was from March 2019 through October 2019 as a a part of the Expeditions 59 and 60 crew. Together, the crew conducted hundreds of experiments, including investigations into devices that mimic the structure and function of human organs, free-flying robots and an instrument to measure Earth’s distribution of carbon dioxide. While at the International Space Station, Hague conducted three spacewalks, totaling 19 hours and 56 minutes with a total of 203 days in space.
Nick Hague Fun Facts:
Hague was awarded the Order of Courage from the Russian Federation for his actions during the Expedition 57/58 launch abort.
Hague was selected for the Air Force Fellows program where he was assigned as a member of the personal staff in the U.S. Senate, advising on matters of national defense and foreign policy.
He was a top flight test engineer in the U.S. Air Force.
He deployed five months to Iraq in support of Iraqi Freedom, conducting experimental airborne reconnaissance.
He enjoys exercise, flying, snow skiing and scuba.
Follow Nick Hague on Twitter at @AstroHague and follow NASA on Tumblr for your regular dose of space.
NASA Tech Launching on the Falcon Heavy
Later this month, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will take to the skies for the third time to launch the Department of Defense’s Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission. Several exciting, one-of-a-kind NASA technology and science payloads are among the two-dozen spacecraft aboard.
First, let’s talk about that Falcon Heavy rocket. Its 27 engines generate thrust at liftoff equal to that of approximately 18 airplanes, and it can lift over 140,000 pounds.
Managed by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, STP-2 is the first government-contracted Falcon Heavy launch. It will reuse the two side boosters recovered after the April flight. SpaceX describes it as one of the most challenging launches in the company’s history.
It’s a big deal to us at NASA because we’re launching some pretty cool technologies. The tech will support our future exploration plans by helping improve future spacecraft design and performance. Here’s a bit about each:
Deep Space Atomic Clock
Time is the heartbeat of space navigation. Today, we navigate in deep space by using giant antennas on Earth to send signals to spacecraft, which then send those signals back to Earth. Atomic clocks on Earth measure the time it takes a signal to make this two-way journey. Only then can human navigators on Earth use large antennas to tell the spacecraft where it is and where to go.
Our Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been perfecting an atomic clock fit for exploration missions. The Deep Space Atomic Clock is the first atomic clock designed to fly on a spacecraft destined for beyond Earth's orbit. The timepiece is lighter and smaller—no larger than a toaster oven—than its refrigerator-sized, Earthly counterparts.
This miniaturized clock could enable one-way navigation: a spacecraft receives a signal from Earth and can determine its location immediately using its own, built-in navigation system. Even smaller versions of the clock are being investigated right now that could be used for the growing number of small to mid-size satellites. As we go forward to the Moon with the Artemis program, precise measurements of time are key to mission success.
The Deep Space Atomic Clock is the primary payload onboard the General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems Orbital Test Bed satellite and will perform a year-long demonstration in space.
Enhanced Tandem Beacon Experiment (E-TBEx)
Two tiny satellites will study how signals can be muddled as they travel through hard-to-predict bubbles in the upper atmosphere. Signals sent from satellites down to Earth (and vice versa) can be disrupted by structured bubbles that sometimes form in Earth's upper atmosphere. Because this region is affected both by weather on Earth and conditions in space, it's hard to predict just when these bubbles will form or how they'll mess with signals.
The E-TBEx CubeSats (short for Enhanced Tandem Beacon Experiment) will try to shed some light on that question. As these little satellites fly around Earth, they'll send radio signals (like the ones used by GPS) to receiving stations on the ground. Scientists will be able to look at the signals received and see if they were jumbled as they traveled through the upper atmosphere down to Earth — which will help us track when these bubbles are forming and how much they're interfering with our signals.
Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM)
For decades, we have relied on a highly toxic spacecraft fuel called hydrazine. The Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) will lay the foundation to replace conventional chemical propulsion systems with a safer and more efficient alternative for next-generation spacecraft.
GPIM will demonstrate a new propellant in space for the first time. Concocted by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, this innovative, “green” fuel—which actually has more of a peach hue—is expected to improve overall spacecraft performance due to its higher density, increased thrust and lower freezing point in comparison with hydrazine.
GPIM’s propulsion system, developed by Aerojet Rocketdyne, consists of new compatible tanks, valves and thrusters. During the two-month-long demonstration on a Ball Aerospace spacecraft, engineers will conduct orbital maneuvers to demonstrate the performance of the propellant and propulsion system.
Space Environment Testbeds (SET)
It’s not easy being a spacecraft; invisible, energetic particles zip throughout space — and while there are so few that space is considered a vacuum, what’s there still packs a punch. Tiny particles — like those seen here impacting a detector on a Sun-studying spacecraft — can wreak havoc with the electronics we send up into space.
Space Environment Testbeds — or SET, for short — is a mission to study space radiation and how it affects spacecraft and electronics in orbit. What looks like snow flurries in these animated images, for example, is actually a solar radiation storm of incredibly fast particles, unleashed by a solar eruption. Energetic particles from the Sun or deep space can spark memory damage or computer upsets on spacecraft, and over time, degrade hardware.
By studying radiation effects and different methods to protect satellites, SET will help future missions improve spacecraft design, engineering and operations.
Follow @NASA_Technology and @NASASun on Twitter for news about the STP-2 launch and our missions aboard.
Check out www.nasa.gov/spacex to stay up-to-date on the launch day and time. Don’t forget to tune into our launch coverage, scheduled to start about 30 minutes before liftoff!
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.
GPS: Coming to a Moon Near You!
The next generation of lunar explorers – the Artemis generation – will establish a sustained presence on the Moon, making revolutionary discoveries, prospecting for resources and proving technologies key to future deep space exploration. To support these ambitions, our navigation engineers are developing an architecture that will provide accurate, robust location services all the way out to lunar orbit.
How? We’re teaming up with the U.S. Air Force to extend the use of GPS in space by developing advanced space receivers capable of tracking weak GPS signals far out in space.
Spacecraft near Earth have long relied on GPS signals for navigation data, just as users on the ground might use their phones to maneuver through a highway system. Below approximately 1,860 miles, spacecraft in low-Earth orbit can rely on GPS for near-instantaneous location data. This is an enormous benefit to these missions, allowing many satellites the autonomy to react and respond to unforeseen events without much hands-on oversight.
Beyond this altitude, navigation becomes more challenging. To reliably calculate their position, spacecraft must use signals from the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), the collection of international GPS-like satellite constellations. The region of space that can be serviced by these satellites is called the Space Service Volume, which extends from 1,860 miles to about 22,000 miles, or geosynchronous orbit.
In this area of service, missions don’t rely on GNSS signals in the same way one would on Earth or in low-Earth orbit. They orbit too high to “see” enough signals from GNSS satellites on their side of the globe, so they must rely on signals from GNSS satellite signals spilling over to the opposite side of the globe. This is because the Earth blocks the main signals of these satellites, so the spacecraft must “listen” for the fainter signals that extend out from the sides of their antennas, known as “side-lobes.”
Though 22,000 miles is considered the end of the Space Service Volume, that hasn’t stopped our engineers from reaching higher. In fact, our simulations prove that GNSS signals could even be used for reliable navigation in lunar orbit, far outside the Space Service Volume, over 200,000 miles from Earth. We’re even planning to use GNSS signals in the navigation architecture for the Gateway, an outpost in orbit around the Moon that will enable sustained lunar surface exploration.
It’s amazing that the same systems you might use to navigate the highways are putting us on the path forward to the Moon!
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.
Ever wanted to ask a NASA astronaut a question? Here’s your chance!
NASA astronaut Nick Hague will be taking your questions in an Answer Time session on Wednesday, January 15 from 12pm - 1pm ET here on NASA’s Tumblr! Find out what it’s like to live and work 254 miles above our planet’s surface. Make sure to ask your question now by visiting http://nasa.tumblr.com/ask!
Nick Hague was selected as one of eight members of the 21st NASA Astronaut class in 2013. Hague was the first astronaut from his class to be assigned to a mission which launched on October 11, 2018. Unfortunately, he and his crewmate Alexey Ovchinin, of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, were forced to abort the mission when a rocket booster experienced a malfunction shortly after the launch of their Soyuz MS-10. The aborted spacecraft landed safely.
His first flight to the International Space Station was from March 2019 through October 2019 as a a part of the Expeditions 59 and 60 crew. Together, the crew conducted hundreds of experiments, including investigations into devices that mimic the structure and function of human organs, free-flying robots and an instrument to measure Earth’s distribution of carbon dioxide. While at the International Space Station, Hague conducted three spacewalks, totaling 19 hours and 56 minutes with a total of 203 days in space.
Nick Hague Fun Facts:
Hague was awarded the Order of Courage from the Russian Federation for his actions during the Expedition 57/58 launch abort.
Hague was selected for the Air Force Fellows program where he was assigned as a member of the personal staff in the U.S. Senate, advising on matters of national defense and foreign policy.
He was a top flight test engineer in the U.S. Air Force.
He deployed five months to Iraq in support of Iraqi Freedom, conducting experimental airborne reconnaissance.
He enjoys exercise, flying, snow skiing and scuba.
Follow Nick Hague on Twitter at @AstroHague and follow NASA on Tumblr for your regular dose of space.