Posted on 10/08/2022 5:23:29 AM PDT by BenLurkin
The recovery team traced the problem to a partially opened valve on one of CAPSTONE’s eight thrusters, according to an Advanced Space press release. The requisite fix was transmitted to the spacecraft yesterday and executed this morning to positive results. The probe remains on track as it heads to its operational orbit around the Moon. CAPSTONE, short for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, ran into difficulties following its third course correction maneuver on September 8. The 55-pound (25-kilogram) satellite lost full three-axis control and entered into a troubling tumble. A recovery team led by Advanced Space, which owns and operates CAPSTONE on behalf of NASA, scrambled to regain control of the $33 million cubesat. The probe’s propellant and propulsion system remained in a manageable state, but CAPSTONE couldn’t orient its solar panels to draw the full amount of required energy.
Launched on June 28, the cubesat is on a precursor mission for NASA’s Artemis program, which seeks a sustainable return to the Moon. To support Artemis crews, NASA and its international partners are planning to build a space station, called Gateway, in a gravitationally stable orbit known as a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO). No spacecraft has ever worked in NRHO, hence the need for a scouting mission.
The probe has regained three-axis control and its orientation has been corrected such that its downlink antennas are now in an ideal position for transmitting signals back to Earth. Crucially, the probe’s solar panels are now gathering energy from the Sun. “This is a major accomplishment for the mission team and positions the mission well for upcoming critical activities and arrival at the Moon,” says Advanced Space.
(Excerpt) Read more at gizmodo.com ...
Boy, the space industry is gettin busy.
It doesn’t take three months to get to a moon orbit. So, where did it wander off too, after the third course correction? How and when was the Gee Whiz orbit supposed to be established to begin with and what was the time criteria?And last but not least why do the space folks want to go anywhere that has no atmosphere to support human life????
Seems to me we have sufficient challenges right here on planet earth to utilize their scientific abilities.
From Wiki:
CAPSTONE will use a ballistic transfer to the Moon instead of a more conventional direct Hohmann transfer.[15] While trajectories of this type take much longer to reach their destination (about four months in this case, compared to about three days using a traditional direct transfer) they significantly reduce the propulsion requirements, which can increase the delivered mass (of the order of 10-15% more mass).[16] After being ejected from Earth orbit by a series of burns of the Photon stage, the spacecraft will reach a distance of about 1.5 million kilometers, where perturbations from the Sun become important.[15] It will then fall back towards the Earth, intercepting the Moon’s orbit and finally entering the intended NRHO around the Moon on 13 November 2022.
The thing was probly half way to Jupiter by the time they got the valve closed. Dont worry we brought enough food for 8 or 10 weeks.
“Cislunar”
Do they have to bring sex into EVERYTHING?
Moon bases need to be underground—much lower risk (and ultimately much less expensive) than domes.
Once underground bases were built by robots then it could be supplied with many trips (as long as it takes) until the infrastructure had what humans needed.
The surface of the moon is not our friend.
NASA can learn this the easy way—or the hard way.
Lol, I was think the same thing. The good news is the moon still have it’s birth gender.
“A recovery team led by Advanced Space, which owns and operates CAPSTONE on behalf of NASA”
Always enough money for NASA. :(
There is no planet with such an atmosphere within a lifetime of space travel using current or near-future technology.
Bingo, but those with space budgets have to have something to spend it on.
Pardon the delay, been out of town and out of touch.
Interesting stuff, thanks.
Once underground bases were built by robots then it could be supplied with many trips (as long as it takes) until the infrastructure had what humans needed.
The surface of the moon is not our friend.
NASA can learn this the easy way—or the hard way.
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