Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Orion Spacecraft Assembled,Ready for Fuel
NASA's deep space capsule and service module,the Orion spacecraft,has been attached to its rocket adapter and transported from the Neil Armstrong Checkout and Operations Building to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center.After extensive testing at the checkout building,Orion is ready for the next phase of preparation for its maiden,unmanned voyage in December,Exploration Flight Test-1.
While at the PHSF,Orion will be fueled with high pressure helium,ammonia and hydrazine.Once fueled,it will be mated with the Launch Abort System in October.*
The transfer of the stacked crew module,service module and adapter to PHSF took place last Thursday at a cautious pace on a special transport vehicle-essentially a large,very strong flatbed truck.It was overseen by Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin,United Launch Alliance and security personnel on its brief but deliberate journey.*
Orion's GPS receiver is radiation-hardened and can lock onto a GPS satellite in eight seconds,providing the position,velocity and time information critical for navigation.*
This week,a joint NASA-US Navy team is practicing recovery techniques off the coast of California-first with a crane on the rescue and salvage ship USS Salvor(ARS-52),then with the well deck of amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage(LPD-23) in preparation for EFT-1.*
Orion's deep space missions to an asteroid and Mars will be launched by the new Space Launch System,which will be the world's most powerful rocket,while EFT-1 will be launched by United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy.*
Orion can accommodate a crew for up to 21 days.Longer missions will require an additional habitat for living and working space.Many of the spacecraft's critical safety systems will be evaluated in December's approximately 3600 mile journey into space.*
Lockheed Martin(LMT),Alliant Techsystems(ATK)
While at the PHSF,Orion will be fueled with high pressure helium,ammonia and hydrazine.Once fueled,it will be mated with the Launch Abort System in October.*
The transfer of the stacked crew module,service module and adapter to PHSF took place last Thursday at a cautious pace on a special transport vehicle-essentially a large,very strong flatbed truck.It was overseen by Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin,United Launch Alliance and security personnel on its brief but deliberate journey.*
Orion's GPS receiver is radiation-hardened and can lock onto a GPS satellite in eight seconds,providing the position,velocity and time information critical for navigation.*
This week,a joint NASA-US Navy team is practicing recovery techniques off the coast of California-first with a crane on the rescue and salvage ship USS Salvor(ARS-52),then with the well deck of amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage(LPD-23) in preparation for EFT-1.*
Orion's deep space missions to an asteroid and Mars will be launched by the new Space Launch System,which will be the world's most powerful rocket,while EFT-1 will be launched by United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy.*
Orion can accommodate a crew for up to 21 days.Longer missions will require an additional habitat for living and working space.Many of the spacecraft's critical safety systems will be evaluated in December's approximately 3600 mile journey into space.*
Lockheed Martin(LMT),Alliant Techsystems(ATK)
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Sea Breeze,Steadfast Javelin II Exercises Prove NATO's Commitment
NATO is currently conducting the Sea Breeze 2014 naval exercise in the Northwest region of the Black Sea.It runs from 8-10 September.Three warships from the Standing NATO Maritime Group Two are participating,namely,the frigates HMCS Toronto from Canada;Spain's ESPS Almirante Juan de Borbon;and Romania's ROS Regale Ferdinand.SNMG2 is one of four SNMGs.
On Monday,two Russian Su-24 Fencer fighter jets and a surveillance plane buzzed HMCS Toronto.The move was unnecessarily provocative,Canadian Defence Minister Rob Nicholson said.Russia dismissed the complaint,saying their aircraft were strictly in line with international law.*
The guided-missile destroyer USS Ross(DDG-71) hosted the opening ceremony on Monday.The Ross will actively participate in the entire spectrum of surface,air and sub-surface evolutions during this exercise,said Ross commanding officer Commander Tadd Gorman.These events will challenge the crew of Ross in their capabilities and level of knowledge.Anytime you exercise with other countries,and deal with language barriers,you're going to be challenged.That's the point of this exercise,overcoming these challenges and working together to become a team,CDR Gorman pointed out.
The Ross is forward deployed to Rota,Spain.*
Even as Sea Breeze was starting,Steadfast Javelin II was winding up.These seven-day exercises were underway across Latvia,Estonia,Lithuania,Germany and Poland,conducted by nine countries.About 2,000 troops participated,including the US Army's 173d Airborne Brigade and 2nd Cavalry Regiment with their Stryker armoured personnel carriers.They disembarked from C-17 and C-130 aircraft at Lielvarde Air Base,Latvia.
Steadfast Javelin II showed NATO's commitment to Baltic member states in the face of an assertive Russia.It simulated the deployment of NATO troops and equipment to another country during a crisis.*
At the NATO Wales Summit held last week,the alliance established a spearhead force of 4-5,000 troops capable of deploying across the alliance within 48 hours.The force builds upon intelligence,agility and precision-as opposed to weight of military force.It is an agile,precise,intelligence-led rapidly deployable force,NATO said.It reflects the alliance shifting its emphasis from the Afghan War to defending member nations in a direct way.
On Monday,two Russian Su-24 Fencer fighter jets and a surveillance plane buzzed HMCS Toronto.The move was unnecessarily provocative,Canadian Defence Minister Rob Nicholson said.Russia dismissed the complaint,saying their aircraft were strictly in line with international law.*
The guided-missile destroyer USS Ross(DDG-71) hosted the opening ceremony on Monday.The Ross will actively participate in the entire spectrum of surface,air and sub-surface evolutions during this exercise,said Ross commanding officer Commander Tadd Gorman.These events will challenge the crew of Ross in their capabilities and level of knowledge.Anytime you exercise with other countries,and deal with language barriers,you're going to be challenged.That's the point of this exercise,overcoming these challenges and working together to become a team,CDR Gorman pointed out.
The Ross is forward deployed to Rota,Spain.*
Even as Sea Breeze was starting,Steadfast Javelin II was winding up.These seven-day exercises were underway across Latvia,Estonia,Lithuania,Germany and Poland,conducted by nine countries.About 2,000 troops participated,including the US Army's 173d Airborne Brigade and 2nd Cavalry Regiment with their Stryker armoured personnel carriers.They disembarked from C-17 and C-130 aircraft at Lielvarde Air Base,Latvia.
Steadfast Javelin II showed NATO's commitment to Baltic member states in the face of an assertive Russia.It simulated the deployment of NATO troops and equipment to another country during a crisis.*
At the NATO Wales Summit held last week,the alliance established a spearhead force of 4-5,000 troops capable of deploying across the alliance within 48 hours.The force builds upon intelligence,agility and precision-as opposed to weight of military force.It is an agile,precise,intelligence-led rapidly deployable force,NATO said.It reflects the alliance shifting its emphasis from the Afghan War to defending member nations in a direct way.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
NATO Wales Summit Considers Multiple Security Threats-ISIL,Russia,Afghanistan
Among the topics being discussed at the NATO Summit in Wales on Thursday and Friday are the Islamic State terrorist organisation;Russia's invasion of Ukraine;and the alliance's drawdown in Afghanistan.President Barack Obama;UK Prime Minister David Cameron;and other western leaders are in attendance,including special guest Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.*
According to General Jack Keane,former Vice Chief of Staff,US Army,the Pentagon has put together a comprehensive campaign plan for combating ISIL.This is not containment,GEN Keane said.It's going to take a combination of brute force and ideology.This is going to take at least 50 years.
Military action matters.The US and a coalition should launch an interdiction campaign.I'm absolutely convinced that their assumption is that the US will not attack Syria.What we should be driven by is what this movement portends for our vital interests in the Middle East and our homeland.Our goal should be to degrade and destroy ISIL so that it is no longer a threat.*
Two hundred US troops have been sent to Ukraine to conduct small unit tactics training.At least 1,000 Russian troops have moved in en masse near Donetsk and on the road to Mariupol.There are actually as many as 4,000 of them,a rebel source confided.
A Russian counteroffensive in Donetsk and Luhansk has been launched thirty miles inside Ukraine,with very heavy fighting in two areas to the south of these cities.Separatist forces were backed by Russian troops,and dozens of civilians were killed.In Mariupol,there was another offensive with Russian tanks.*
In Afghanistan,NATO stands ready to provide a post-2014 train,advise and assist mission.The problem is,the Afghans have not so far been able to form a government following the disputed presidential election results.A government is needed to sign an an agreement with NATO allowing such a post-2014 force to operate in the country.
According to General Jack Keane,former Vice Chief of Staff,US Army,the Pentagon has put together a comprehensive campaign plan for combating ISIL.This is not containment,GEN Keane said.It's going to take a combination of brute force and ideology.This is going to take at least 50 years.
Military action matters.The US and a coalition should launch an interdiction campaign.I'm absolutely convinced that their assumption is that the US will not attack Syria.What we should be driven by is what this movement portends for our vital interests in the Middle East and our homeland.Our goal should be to degrade and destroy ISIL so that it is no longer a threat.*
Two hundred US troops have been sent to Ukraine to conduct small unit tactics training.At least 1,000 Russian troops have moved in en masse near Donetsk and on the road to Mariupol.There are actually as many as 4,000 of them,a rebel source confided.
A Russian counteroffensive in Donetsk and Luhansk has been launched thirty miles inside Ukraine,with very heavy fighting in two areas to the south of these cities.Separatist forces were backed by Russian troops,and dozens of civilians were killed.In Mariupol,there was another offensive with Russian tanks.*
In Afghanistan,NATO stands ready to provide a post-2014 train,advise and assist mission.The problem is,the Afghans have not so far been able to form a government following the disputed presidential election results.A government is needed to sign an an agreement with NATO allowing such a post-2014 force to operate in the country.
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