NASA and JAXA Announce Launch Date for Global Precipitation Satellite

NASA and JAXA Announce Launch Date for Global Precipitation Satellite

Artist concept of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory satellite.

Image Credit: 

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Environmental research and weather forecasting are about to get a significant technology boost as NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) prepare to launch a new satellite in February.

NASA and JAXA selected 1:07 p.m. to 3:07 p.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 27 (3:07 a.m. to 5:07 a.m. JST Friday, Feb. 28) as the launch date and launch window for a Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory satellite from JAXA's Tanegashima Space Center.

GPM is an international satellite mission that will provide advanced observations of rain and snowfall worldwide, several times a day to enhance our understanding of the water and energy cycles that drive Earth's climate. The data provided by the Core Observatory will be used to calibrate precipitation measurements made by an international network of partner satellites to quantify when, where, and how much it rains or snows around the world.

"Launching this core observatory and establishing the Global Precipitation Measurement mission is vitally important for environmental research and weather forecasting," said Michael Freilich, director of NASA's Earth Science Division in Washington. "Knowing rain and snow amounts accurately over the whole globe is critical to understanding how weather and climate impact agriculture, fresh water availability, and responses to natural disasters."

With the addition of the new Core Observatory, the satellites in the GPM constellation will include the NASA-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership mission, launched in 2012; the NASA-JAXA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), launched in 1997; and several other satellites managed by JAXA, NOAA, the U.S. Department of Defense, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, the Centre National D'Etudies Spatiales of France and the Indian Space Research Organisation.

"We will use data from the GPM mission not only for Earth science research but to improve weather forecasting and respond to meteorological disasters," said Shizuo Yamamoto, executive director of JAXA. "We would also like to aid other countries in the Asian region suffering from flood disasters by providing data for flood alert systems. Our dual-frequency precipitation radar, developed with unique Japanese technologies, plays a central role in the GPM mission."

The GPM Core Observatory builds on the sensor technology developed for the TRMM mission, with two innovative new instruments. The GPM Microwave Imager, built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo., will observe rainfall and snowfall at 13 different frequencies. The Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar, developed by JAXA with the National Institute of Information and Communication Technology in Tokyo, transmits radar frequencies that will detect ice and light rain, as well as heavier rainfall. It also will be able to measure the size and distribution of raindrops, snowflakes and ice particles.

For more information on the Global Precipitation Measurement mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/gpm

and

http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/gpm/index_e.html

-end-

Steve Cole
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0918
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov

Rani Gran
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-2483
rani.c.gran@nasa.gov

Takayuki Kawai
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Tokyo
+81-80-1378-4383
kawai.takayuki@jaxa.jp

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International Space Station

Expedition 38

International Space Station

Image above: Expedition 38 crew members take a break from training at NASA's Johnson Space Center to pose for a crew portrait. Pictured on the front row are Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata (left), flight engineer; and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, commander. Pictured from the left (back row) are Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy and NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, all flight engineers. Photo credit: NASA
Meet the three Expedition 38 crew members who will launch to the International Space Station in November. NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin and JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata are set to launch Nov. 6 (Nov. 7, Kazakh time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station.

Space Station Time In Orbit

5520

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HOURS59

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MIN41

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Cumulative Crew Time

4806

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HOURS56

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MIN41

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Expedition 38

Space Station Crew Removes Ammonia Pump; Next Spacewalk Set for Tuesday

Expedition 38 Flight Engineers Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins wrapped up a 5-hour, 28-minute spacewalk outside the International Space Station at 12:29 p.m. EST Saturday, completing the first in a series of excursions aimed at replacing a degraded ammonia pump module associated with one of the station's two external cooling loops that keeps both internal and external equipment cool.

› View video of spacewalk highlights

A second spacewalk to install a replacement pump module, originally planned for Monday, is now scheduled for Tuesday.

The extra day will allow time for the crew to resize a spare spacesuit on the space station for use by Mastracchio. During repressurization of the station's airlock following the spacewalk, a spacesuit configuration issue put the suit Mastracchio was wearing in question for the next excursion.-- specifically whether water entered into the suit's sublimator inside the airlock. The flight control team at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston decided to switch to a backup suit for the next spacewalk.

This issue is not related to the spacesuit water leak that was seen during a July spacewalk by European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano and NASA's Chris Cassidy. Both Mastracchio and Hopkins reported dry conditions repeatedly throughout Saturday's activities and the two were never in danger.

NASA Television coverage of Tuesday's spacewalk will begin at 6:15 a.m. EST. The spacewalk scheduled to begin at 7:10 a.m.

Astronaut Rick Mastracchio holds the degraded pump module while the International Space Station's robotic arm guides the module to a grapple fixture.

Image Credit: 

NASA TV

During Saturday’s spacewalk, the two astronauts focused on removing a degraded pump module from Loop A of the station’s external Active Thermal Control System. That pump module encountered a problem Dec. 11 when an internal valve stuck in an incorrect position, causing temperatures in the station’s cooling lines to drop.

After exiting the Quest airlock Saturday, Hopkins made his way out to the worksite at center of the Starboard 1 truss segment. Mastracchio meanwhile attached himself to a foot restraint at the end of the station’s 57-foot robotic arm so that Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata, the robotics operator for the spacewalks, could fly Mastracchio to the worksite and position him for his various tasks.

The two spacewalkers first spent some time demating four ammonia fluid line “quick disconnects” from the pump module.

Once the four fluid lines were disconnected, Mastracchio and Hopkins worked to attach the fluid lines to a pump module jumper box, which allows the ammonia to reach the system’s plumbing in the ammonia and nitrogen tanks to keep it in a liquid state.

Afterward the spacewalkers installed a generic thermal cover over the pump module jumper and ammonia fluid lines.

With the spacewalk proceeding well ahead of schedule, Mission Control in Houston informed Mastracchio and Hopkins that they could press ahead with the first task originally planned for Monday’s spacewalk –removing the degraded pump module from the starboard truss and attaching it to a stowage location on the Payload Orbital Replacement Unit Accommodation (POA) on the station’s railcar, or Mobile Base System.

While Hopkins set up the POA and an adjustable grapple fixture, Mastracchio removed the five electrical connectors from the pump module and unfastened the module from the truss.   

With Mastracchio holding the 780-pound pump while he was attached to the end of the robotic arm, Wakata guided the arm to attach the module to the grapple fixture and activated the snares to hold it in place.

Mastracchio now holds 43 hours and 58 minutes of spacewalking time during seven spacewalks, and Hopkins now holds 5 hours and 28 minutes during one spacewalk.

Saturday’s spacewalk was the 175th in support of space station assembly and maintenance.

Spacewalkers Complete Installation of Ammonia Pump Module

Spacewalkers Complete Installation of Ammonia Pump Module

Spacewalkers Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins completed a second spacewalk to install a spare ammonia pump module. The U.S. Quest airlock began repressurization at 2:23 p.m. EDT Tuesday signaling the official end of their spacewalk.

Tuesday’s main tasks included the removal and installation of a spare pump module. The first task was to remove the spare pump module from the space station’s External Stowage Platform-3. After that was completed, the module was bolted to the S1 truss and connected to Loop A of the station’s external Active Thermal Control System.

Hopkins attached himself to the Canadarm2 and took a ride to the worksite. Mastracchio tethered himself to the station and translated to the S1 truss to assist his partner. Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata operated the Canadarm2 from inside the Destiny laboratory.

While doing the connection work, the duo demated ammonia fluid lines from a jumper box that enabled ammonia flow during the repair spacewalks. After experiencing some difficulty disconnecting a fluid line the spacewalkers reported seeing ammonia flakes escaping a valve. As a precaution, mission controllers asked the spacewalkers to inspect their spacesuits for possible ammonia contamination. Once they were back in the Quest airlock the duo conducted more ammonia decontamination procedures on their spacesuits. All four fluid lines were successfully reconnected to the newly installed pump module restoring ammonia flow.

Afterward, Hopkins and Mastracchio completed electrical connections to the pump module. Power was successfully restored to the ammonia pump module. However, flight controllers will perform more tests before restarting the pump and returning it to full functionality.

The duo was originally scheduled to finish the installation work on Monday before mission controllers detected a spacesuit configuration issue at the end of Saturday’s spacewalk, in which the spacewalkers removed a faulty pump that experienced a problem with its internal flow control valve Dec. 11.

The suspect pump was removed from the starboard truss and parked in a temporary location on the station’s Mobile Base System rail car where it can stay until at least next June. Managers decided an extra day of preparation was necessary to get a backup spacesuit ready for Mastracchio.

› Read more about the spacesuit configuration issue
› Read more about Saturday’s spacewalk

The Christmas Eve spacewalk lasted seven hours and 30 minutes. This was the 176th spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance. Mastracchio holds 51 hours and 28 minutes spacewalking time over eight spacewalks. Hopkins holds 12 hours and 58 minutes over two spacewalks.

Station Cosmonauts Complete Spacewalk to Deploy Cameras

Two Russian cosmonauts in Orlan spacesuits wrapped up a 8-hour, 7-minute spacewalk to attempt the installation of photographic equipment on the exterior of the International Space Station at 4:07 p.m. EST Friday.  

Commander Oleg Kotov and Flight Engineer Sergey Ryazanskiy promptly completed the main objective of Friday’s spacewalk -- the installation of a pair of high-fidelity cameras as part of a Canadian commercial endeavor designed to downlink Earth observation imagery – but had to remove them later due to an unspecified problem that prevented telemetry from being received on the ground by Russian flight controllers.

As planned, Kotov and Ryazanskiy attached the two cameras on a combination biaxial pointing platform and spacewalk workstation that was installed on the Zvezda service module during a spacewalk on Nov. 9. Kotov and Ryazanskiy also installed a foot restraint to the workstation.

After routing data and telemetry cables for the medium resolution camera, Kotov jettisoned the cable reel opposite of the station’s direction of travel for disposal.

When the flight control team at the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow did not see the expected telemetry and electrical connectivity from the medium and high resolution cameras, Kotov and Ryazanskiy were directed to remove the cameras and return them to the airlock for further analysis.  The spacewalkers also were instructed to take detailed photographs of the electrical connectors mated earlier for additional review.

In addition to their work with the two cameras, the spacewalkers also removed the Vsplesk experiment package and jettisoned it. Vsplesk, installed during an Expedition 17 spacewalk in July 2008, was designed to monitor seismic effects using high-energy particle streams in the near-Earth environment. Kotov and Ryazanskiy replaced it with  hardware for a more sophisticated earthquake-monitoring experiment, Seismoprognoz, which they attached to a Zvezda handrail.

Because of the issue in activating the cameras, Kotov and Ryazanskiy did not have time to complete the all of their planned tasks, which included the jettisoning of a frame that once held three Micro-Particles Capturer and Space Environment Exposure Device (MPAC & SEED) units for a Japanese space exposure study and the installation of a payload boom.

Friday's spacewalk eclipsed the record for the longest Russian spacewalk set by Expedition 36 Flight Engineers Fyodor Yurchikhin and Alexander Misurkin, who conducted a 7-hour, 29 minute excursion on Aug. 16. 

With the completion of his fifth spacewalk, Kotov now has 30 hours and 43 minutes of total spacewalking time.  Ryazanskiy has a total of 13 hours and 57 minutes over his two spacewalks.

This was the 177th spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance, totaling 1,115 hours, 44 minutes, and the 11th spacewalk this year.

This graphic shows the locations of the six Expedition 38 crew members during Friday's Russian spacewalk.

Image Credit: 

NASA TV

During the spacewalk, Flight Engineer Mike Hopkins was restricted to the Poisk module and the Soyuz TMA-10M craft that brought him, Kotov and Ryazanskiy to the complex in September. The remaining three crew members – Flight Engineers Rick Mastracchio, Koichi Wakata and Mikhail Tyurin – had access to the Zarya module and the entirety of the U.S. segment of the station.

Friday’s Russian spacewalk was not related to a recent pair of U.S. spacewalks to replace a faulty ammonia coolant pump module.  Flight controllers in Houston’s Mission Control successfully restarted the new pump Tuesday night following two spacewalks – including a 7-hour, 30-minute excursion Tuesday -- by Mastracchio and Hopkins to replace a degraded pump module on the station’s starboard truss. That pump module continues to operate well.

Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD)

Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) 

ISS Science for Everyone

Science Objectives for Everyone
The Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) follows Newton's Second Law of Motion by having two springs generate a known force against a crewmember mounted on an extension arm, the resulting acceleration being used to calculate the subject's mass. The device is accurate to 0.5 pounds over a range from 90 pounds to 240 pounds.

Science Results for Everyone
Information Pending

This content was provided by Cynthia P. Haven, and is maintained in a database by the ISS Program Science Office.

Facility Details

OpNom:

Facility Manager(s)

Cynthia P. Haven, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, United States

Facility Representative(s)

Information Pending

Developer(s) Information Pending

Sponsoring Space Agency

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Sponsoring Organization

Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD)

ISS Expedition Duration

April 2005 - March 2010

Expeditions Assigned

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19/20,21/22

Previous ISS Missions

Information Pending

Availability

Onboard

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Facility Overview

• The SLAMMD (Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device) was installed in the HRF-1 rack during Expedition 11. SLAMMD measures the on-orbit mass of crewmembers by applying Newton's Second Law of Motion (force is equal to mass times acceleration).



• This device can measure mass from 95 to 240 pounds by using the known force generated by two springs located inside of the SLAMMD drawer. The resultant acceleration of the attached crewmember is measured and the mass then calculated.

The Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) is intended to provide an accurate means of determining the on-orbit mass of humans between the 5th percentile Japanese female and the 95th percentile American male. SLAMMD will be rack mounted in a 4 panel unit (PU) drawer and will utilize an 8 PU drawer for stowage.

The guiding principle of SLAMMD is Sir Isaac Newton's Second Law of Motion, F=ma (force is equal to mass times acceleration). Therefore, to find mass, the acceleration is divided into the force: m=F/a. For the HRF SLAMMD, the force is generated by two springs inside the SLAMMD 4 PU drawer. The acceleration used in calculating the mass is actually a calculated average acceleration with regression analysis. The acceleration is measured by a precise optical instrument which detects the position versus time trajectory of the SLAMMD guide arm and a micro controller which collects the raw data and provides the precise timing. The final computation is done via a portable laptop computer with SLAMMD unique software.

The force is generated by two springs inside the 4 PU SLAMMD drawer. Each spring has Vectran (strong fiber) attached to one end which is fed around a separate pulley and back towards a central cam. The cam is attached to a centrally-located shaft which also has a flywheel and an encoder disk attached to it. The cam is designed such that, throughout the distance the springs stretch, a constant force is applied to the central shaft. This is an important design feature, so that the mass can be calculated using the m=F/a equation. The large flywheel has a lanyard attached to it that is fed through a small slit on the SLAMMD front panel and is attached to a connector. During SLAMMD operation, the latch connector is connected to a latch assembly on the SLAMMD guiding arm. With the cam design and presently selected springs, the force pulling the guide arm assembly inward is constant at 5.25 lbs (23.3 N). For human mass calculations, the crewmember wraps the legs around the leg support assembly like one would for a leg curl machine, aligns the stomach against the belly pad and rests either the head or chin on the head rest.

For calibration and control calculations, a calibration arm assembly is attached to the SLAMMD guide arm. Using an 18-pound calibration mass at different lengths from the pivot point, different mass values can be simulated. The range will be from 90 pounds to 240 pounds.

Operations

Facility Operations

• SLAMMD is a rack-mounted device. The crewmember mounts the guide assembly and pushes away from the drawer to a predetermined locking position.



• An electromagnet is activated to stabilize the crewmember in the ready position. The electromagnet comes into contact with the latch attachment plate located on the guiding arm assembly.



• When the magnet is released the test subject is pulled forward with low-level, constant force.