Updates Orbital Sciences' Cygnus CRS Flight 1 through Flight 8 updates.

[Thunder Chicken]

anyone have a manifest for the cargo?

I hope NASA had one! :lol:

For some reason this made me imagine some happy engineer, watching this rocket take off for its delivery mission, and then walking back to the clean room and seeing <CRITICAL ITEM NEEDED AT ISS> still sitting on the bench. :facepalm:

My brain is weird like that.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

And the swan has arrived at the ISS at 11:18 UTC! Welcome back! :bananadance:

 

[dman]

ATK Antares return to flight in 2016

ATK Antares rocket is scheduled for flight testing in March 2016

An unmanned Antares rocket failed during launch attempt in October 2014
The failure was traced to 40 year old refurbished Russian NK-33 engine

The Anatres is using newly build RD -181 motors which will give 25%
payload capacity

See article

http://www.universetoday.com/123949/antares-at-wallops/

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Well, we knew that the engine failed. It was kinda obvious! :lol:
That said, they ever come up with enough wreckage to pinpoint the blame for the failure? I'd heard something about FOD from debris in one of the tanks...

 

[boogabooga]

Heads up that another one is due to launch tonight.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Heads up that another one is due to launch tonight.

Relevant launch info from Space.com

The robotic cargo spacecraft is set to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 41 at 11:05 p.m. EDT (0305 GMT on March 23). Currently, NASA's current weather forecast predicts a 90% chance of good weather for the launch. You can watch the launch live here on Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV. Launch coverage will begin at 10 p.m. EDT (0200 GMT). The launch may even be visible to observers along the U.S. East Coast, depending on weather conditions.

Space.com Webcast: http://www.space.com/17933-nasa-television-webcasts-live-space-tv.html

 

[boogabooga]

Live coverage has started.

 

[llarian]

Always did love a nighttime launch.

 

[GLS]

T0, liftoff!!!!

 

[llarian]

And away we go!!

 

[GLS]

RL-10 ignition!

---------- Post added at 03:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:10 AM ----------

Orbit achieved!!!

---------- Post added at 03:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:25 AM ----------

Cygnus separation!!!

 

[llarian]

Just plain perfect ... just as it should be.

 

[Messierhunter]

Here's my video of the launch, tracked automatically with some software I'm writing.

 

[Ripley]

So, this was the OA-6 mission according to
https://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/feature-stories/OA6-Mission-Page/default.aspx

The OA-4 flew last December. Err...where's OA-5?
Aren't they sequentially numbered?

 

[STS]

So, this was the OA-6 mission according to
https://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/feature-stories/OA6-Mission-Page/default.aspx

The OA-4 flew last December. Err...where's OA-5?
Aren't they sequentially numbered?

It is not needed to be sequentially numbered, this happened during STS. Looks like OA-5 will launch on june 24 with an Antares launcher, and OA-7 on december 30, also with an Antares.

https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

 

[GLS]

Just plain perfect ... just as it should be.

Well, not perfect but just good enough....

Atlas 5 rocket forced to improvise during Tuesday’s climb to orbit

CAPE CANAVERAL — The Centaur upper stage launching the Cygnus space freighter Tuesday persevered through a velocity shortfall from the first stage of the Atlas 5 rocket, improvising with a longer firing to reach the correct orbit.

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/03/24/atlas-5-rocket-forced-to-improvise-during-tuesdays-climb-to-orbit/


To quote that famous russian cosmonaut Lev Andropov: "Components. American components, Russian Components, ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!" :facepalm:

 

[Kyle]

IMO, we almost lost this Cygnus. The perigee was still negative up until about 11-15 seconds before SECO-2. Had the Atlas V engine cut off a few seconds earlier or so the Centaur may have failed to reach orbit.

 

[boogabooga]

The perigee was still negative up until about 11-15 seconds before SECO-2.

That is always the case.

 

[orb]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8e-OGgzLww"]Cygnus Cargo Supply Spacecraft Mated to the ISS - YouTube[/ame]

 

[mike-c]

That is always the case.

Sure, but not -656nm with 165m/s left, this one was different:

http://spaceflight101.com/potential-performance-hit-suffered-by-atlas-v-a-closer-look-at-the-data/