Russia's ISS Multipurpose Laboratory Module launches after years sitting on a shelf, immediately runs into issues
- Reference: 1626970445
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/07/22/nauka_problems/
- Source link:
Dubbed "Nauka" (meaning "Science"), the Multipurpose Laboratory Module predates the ISS itself. Construction started in the late 1990s, and continued in stops and starts during the 21st century.
Launch dates for the lab came and went over subsequent decades. The European Space Agency (ESA) provided a robot arm for the module, which sat in storage as the years passed and the delays piled up. Problems with the propulsion system, contamination in the tanks, and expiration of components all contributed to the arrival date at the ISS moving further into the future.
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It was therefore with considerable relief that the hefty module was finally launched into orbit at 14:58 UTC yesterday, 21 July 2021, atop a Proton-M, the first of the year for the heavy-lifter. The Proton-M has been used for the last 20 years. The Proton-K was responsible for launching the Zvezda module of the ISS in 2000.
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Like Zvezda, Nauka is to make its way to the ISS using its thrusters to adjust its orbit. The 23-ton module is set to automatically dock to the ISS port vacated by the Pirs docking module, which was added to the ISS in 2001. The docking is set to take place on 29 July.
However, all does not appear to be well aboard the veteran module. While Roscosmos has yet to comment on the matter, it appears problems with propulsion have continued to dog Nauka.
UPDATE: [4]#Nauka 's main engines (pictured in operation) are currently out of commission. Specialists are troubleshooting the issue and developing a backup rendezvous plan. The module has ~30 stable orbits at current altitude. EXCLUSIVE DETAILS: [5]https://t.co/KZE3WlnXSu [6]pic.twitter.com/uEAP4irjyi — Anatoly Zak (@RussianSpaceWeb) [7]July 22, 2021
Other technical problems bedevilling the spacecraft include issues with the docking sensors, which could make for a sporty manual rendezvous assuming Nauka's propulsion problems can be resolved.
While The Register's queries to Roscosmos have been met with silence, the undocking of the Pirs module from the ISS has [8]reportedly been moved to Saturday, hinting that plans are being reshuffled while engineers work on the fix.
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Options are limited should there indeed only be another 30 or so stable orbits left. It might be possible for the module to reach the ISS using alternative thrusters. More fanciful (and implausible) ideas include somehow bringing forward the next Soyuz launch to dock with and rescue the stricken module.
The alternative would be a possible uncontrolled re-entry of Nauka. With luck, that "backup rendezvous plan" will remove that possibility.
For now we remain hopeful that the issues will be dealt in the coming hours by engineers on the ground and Nauka makes its planned rendezvous with the ISS. ®
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[4] https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nauka?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[5] https://t.co/KZE3WlnXSu
[6] https://t.co/uEAP4irjyi
[7] https://twitter.com/RussianSpaceWeb/status/1418165112410619905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[8] https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive
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[10] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Totally unfair comment!
This made it to space.
Strange
I thought the whole point of hypergolic fuel engines was that they're simple and reliable - no need to worry about ignition etc, just pump the propellants in and off it goes. Seems strange these guys are having so much trouble.
Re: Strange
Simple and reliable - but horrible to handle
Re: Strange
Assuming that the factory remembered to fill them and nobody drained them to drink the stuff
No problem!
” Other technical problems bedevilling the spacecraft include issues with the docking sensors, which could make for a sporty manual rendezvous”
Any Elite vetetans out there?
Re: No problem!
I used to be Elite in Elite!!! Me me! ME!!!!!
Re: No problem!
Dangerous / Deadly in '84 (I can't remember which) and triple Elite in ED... I might need someone to translate the controls from Russian though!
Re: No problem!
Speaking as an Elite vet, you're going to be far better served by asking for a Kerbal space program veteran with 10 year experience in flying rendezvous orbits (usually by planning but mostly by the seat of their pants.)
You see the latest batch of elite pilots have been spoiled by something called 'an autopilot' whereas us true kerbalnauts distain the use of such devices and thus able to calculate orbital mechanics in our heads.
Plus we have a rather nifty universal docking claw...
Re: No problem!
Given the number of times that I, for one, have crashed various rockets in KSP, perhaps what's needed would be elite kerbelnauts...
30 stable orbits before crash landing...
...or about 48 hours. Sounds like a job for Bruce Willis - or possibly Flash Gordon.
Re: 30 stable orbits before crash landing...
"Sounds like a job for Bruce Willis - or possibly Flash Gordon"
Just send up Team Daedalus - Clint will rewire the spare PAM rockets and get it into the right orbit...he's done it before !!
Unless Russia has their own "Space Cowboys" available?
30 orbits
How many hours is that? I would imagine their initial orbital period would be maybe an hour or so. Not much time to come up with a plan B!
Re: 30 orbits
IIRC ISS orbits at about 90mins-2hrs per orbit. The Nauka is lower, so the orbital period is shorter.....
Re: 30 orbits
ISS is a 90 min orbit
Re: 30 orbits
All near-Earth orbits have period near 90 minutes. Much longer and you aren't near Earth. At least not at apogee. Any less and drag will bring you down into the atmosphere within at most a few revolutions.
Having followed the Nauka's issues for the past 20-odd years (sorry - ad coming: http://www.www.russianspaceweb.com/ - not affiliated, but have paid for access & lots of other reading) the reporting by ElReg is very good and seems accurate as far as I can tell. (Well done - tricky topic!) They have a contingency (which involves docking with the ISS) that if the main engine completely fails then they can still proceed with the manoeuvring engines (DPK), but will be much slower. It seems that a software error (oh Spaghetti Monster, how we programmers fail!) caused the premature pressurisation of the propellant tanks which has meant that the over-pressure (not dangerous) has meant they cannot use the main engine (at the moment). This explains the wild pressure readings received regarding the tank pressure. They seem convinced there is no leak. They are performing a test burn early this evening and if that succeeds then they can progress & move to a higher orbit to plan the much slower rendezvous with the ISS. There is apparently enough fuel for two docking attempts (though how much for rendezvous I do not know). The main issue is to get it to a higher orbit I think. Sadly due to the previous contamination of the tanks, refuelling the Nauke is probably off the cards, so sending a Progress to refuel it is most unlikely.
But sending an unmanned Progress, or unmanned Soyuz (recall they can both be controlled remotely, from the ISS or ground) to provide extra propulsion might work, if they can a) stabilise the orbit of Nauka and b) send one up in time. (They may not have a "hot spare" and want about the launcher - that too. The crash programmes of the 60s are long gone. I'd imagine to launch such an rescue would take about 3-4 days if they had everything at hand and worked 24hrs a day in multiple shifts (not unknown) as finessing, placing on the pad & fuelling of either takes time... By which time the Nauka would have long since burnt up: recall 30 orbits at about 2hrs per orbit is 60hrs. The clock is ticking and they are under the hammer (and possibly sickle!)......
BTW: it is standard procedure for the Russians to place items "just-sub-orbital" in case they fail to prevent them lurking around, defunct in orbit, so the orbit will automatically decay and the lost item burn up. (Or more perhaps a hold-over from Cold-War paranoia and fear that the Decadent Capitalists might somehow "steal" their secrets.)
As it's not raining (yet)
There's an ISS pass due over the UK starting just after 22:50* this evening. Watching last night I saw the ISS itself with two objects chasing it, one of those was Nauka and I suspect the other was the second stage of the Proton.
* Use something like [1]Heavens Above to get exact timings for your location.
[1] https://www.heavens-above.com/
Re: As it's not raining (yet)
Or spotthestation.nasa.gov which will email you about sighting opportunities.
"Nauka" = "neukъ" ?
in many eastern-european languages that have words with proto-slavic etymological roots in the term "neukъ" the adopted word usually has some meaning of "ignorant, uneducated, unschooled"
e.g.
in Bulgarian неук (neuk), Macedonian неук (neuk, “ignorant”), Serbo-Croatian neuk (“ignorant”), Serbo-Croatian nieuk (“dunce”).
or in Romanian: năuc (m or n) (feminine singular năucă, masculine plural năuci, feminine and neuter plural năuce) "disoriented", "confused", "bewildered"
So, i think we have the wrong translation for "Nauka" ... instead of "science" it should be "disoriented". It's a very accurate description in this case.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%83%D0%BA
Re: "Nauka" = "neukъ" ?
> instead of "science" it should be "disoriented".
There's a difference ?
Re: "Nauka" = "neukъ" ?
I resemble that! There is a big difference.
Being disoriented means that there is a correct direction, it’s just that you don’t know which one is correct, at least temporarily.
Being a scientist (and I consider myself one), most times it’s not even clear that there is a correct direction out of the predicament.
Re: "Nauka" = "neukъ" ?
“So, i think we have the wrong translation for "Nauka" ... instead of "science" it should be "disoriented".”
Wrong. Nauka == наука == science. Unambiguously.
Re: "Nauka" = "neukъ" ?
Drop that 'neuk' in to google translate , set language to dutch... yeah, that. (warning NSFW!!!)
I didn't know Boeing were eligible for contracts in Russia.