15°c A few clouds
6°c Clear
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Cargo for space station delayed
Thruster glitch on supply capsule postpones delicate rendezvous
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches Friday at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. (RED HUBER / ORLANDO SENTINEL)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A scheduled rendezvous between the privately launched SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule and the International Space Station was postponed Friday when thruster pods on the capsule failed for several hours. But NASA and SpaceX officials expressed confidence the resupply mission would be completed.
After a flawless launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station put the capsule in orbit Friday morning, ground control detected low pressure in oxidizer tanks for three of the Dragon's four thruster pods. The thrusters allow for precision manoeuvring of the spacecraft, and NASA requires at least three to be operating before the capsule approaches the space station.
But by late afternoon, SpaceX founder Elon Musk tweeted that all four thrusters were working. "Preparing to raise orbit. All systems green," he wrote.
Still, it was unclear when the Dragon capsule, carrying nearly 590 kilograms of supplies, would get permission to dock with the $100-billion station. Earlier, Musk had said he would be confident after an hour or two of test firings, but NASA officials were noncommittal.
Berthing opportunities with the space station come only about once a day and require a lengthy, careful dance between spacecraft, since both are flying at 27,360 km/h. Michael Suffredini, NASA's space station program manager, said a Sunday berthing was possible, but he was not ready to commit.
"We'll plan for the next opportunity," Suffredini said. But he added, "It is not our intention to waive safety requirements."
The exact cause of Friday's problem was unclear. Musk said his team's "preliminary guess" was that blockage, perhaps something frozen, formed in a line from a helium tank used to pressurize all four thruster oxidizing tanks. NASA officials concurred that seemed the likely cause.
"It was a little frightening there," Musk acknowledged. But he said the Falcon 9 rocket performed "super well" and praised SpaceX mission control in Hawthorne, Calif., for diagnosing and apparently fixing the problem.
None of Dragon's cargo is critical to life support on the station, though there are research packages to support 160 experiments, including 50 new ones. A NASA official said he does not expect any materials on board the Dragon to "go bad" if berthing is delayed a day or so, but he did not speculate on what would happen with a longer delay.
This was the second SpaceX flight to experience problems. Last October, one of the Falcon 9's engines cut off prematurely, though the capsule made it safely to the station. Hundreds of millions of dollars and NASA's long-term lower-Earth-orbit plans are dependent on the success of SpaceX, the only private company to successfully launch to the station and has a $1.2-billion contract for 12 supply flights.
-- Orlando Sentinel
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 2, 2013 A19
Fact Check
Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.
More World
- Back to Top
- Return to World
More World
(1 of 30 articles for today)
After racial slurs become public fodder, transgressors have a common response: I'm not racist
4:07 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular World
- Brave woman tried to calm London attackers and reasoned with them before police came
- Youths in Stockholm burn down restaurant, torch more than 30 cars in 4th night of rioting
- Muslim hardliners ID suspect seen after British soldier butchered in broad daylight
- Man shot to death in Fla. while being questioned in Boston Marathon bombing investigation
- Gay teen charged for having younger girlfriend
- 'An eye for an eye'
- Bangladesh probe faults swampy land, poor building materials, heavy equipment for collapse
- $2 billion tornado damage estimate illustrates daunting recovery for Oklahoma City suburb
- Polish man gets quick face transplant in what doctors say was life-saving decision
- At Cannes Film Festival, Jerry Lewis still not laughing at female comedians
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Brave woman tried to calm London attackers and reasoned with them before police came
- Search for survivors of Oklahoma tornado nearly complete, as homeowners confront devastation
- Man shot to death in Fla. while being questioned in Boston Marathon bombing investigation
- Phone cracked? Cool
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Polish man gets quick face transplant in what doctors say was life-saving decision
- Muslim hardliners ID suspect seen after British soldier butchered in broad daylight
- Umbrella-gate stirs outrage
- US zoo looking into conception mystery after birth of anteater; no male in pen
- Amanda Berry, 1 of 3 women freed after held captive in Ohio home, arrives at sister's home
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
- Police vow to solve shooting that wounded 19 people during Mother's Day parade in New Orleans
- Missing Pa. woman, last seen dropping off kids for school in 2002, surfaces in Fla.
- Cleveland police: Ohio captive suffered 5 miscarriages after being beaten and starved
- Jodi Arias convicted of first-degree murder, says she prefers death penalty
- Neighbours: Man in custody comforted missing girl's mom, helped search for missing US women
- Brave woman tried to calm London attackers and reasoned with them before police came
- Search for survivors of Oklahoma tornado nearly complete, as homeowners confront devastation
- Phone cracked? Cool
- The pope and the devil: Francis' obsession with Satan leads to suspicion he performed exorcism
- FBI: Man killed had become violent during questioning on Boston bombing
- Brave woman tried to calm London attackers and reasoned with them before police came
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of rock group The Doors, dies at 74 from cancer
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- Argentina's 'dirty war' dictator dies
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Shady characters: Cookie Monster, Elmo accused of aggressive behaviour in Times Square
- Hatchet-wielding hitchhiker who intervened in California attack arrested in NJ homicide
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Up to 60 people injured when car drives into Va. parade; medical emergency possible cause
- Officials announce 1 winning ticket sold in Fla. on record Powerball jackpot topping $590M
- 'Coronation Street' actor William Roache charged in UK over alleged rapes in 1967
- Coroner: 5-year-old boy shoots 2-year-old sister in US with rifle he got as a gift
- Hitler ate well, his food taster recalls
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- Female guards, rapidly growing in numbers, at heart of U.S. prison scandal
- Phone cracked? Cool
- US tourists swim for nearly 14 hours after boat sinks near St. Lucia
- IBM makes movie about a little boy - a very little boy - by pushing molecules around
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
- Missing Pa. woman, last seen dropping off kids for school in 2002, surfaces in Fla.
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.