Falcon Heavy on pad for STP-2 showing off scorch marks on reused side booster.
Greg AutryOccasionally sensory overload causes us to miss the real significance of a big event. I’m still processing the impact of one of the most spectacular things I have ever experienced; the sights and sounds of the world’s most powerful rocket really blasting off its pad. Last Tuesday, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy ripped open the black, predawn sky and unleashed a wall of sound that I’ve not heard since Space Shuttles used to fly from the same site. It was a thoroughly exhilarating occasion, but not a complete one. The adrenalin restarted minutes later when the Heavy's re-used side boosters appeared as twin balls of fire that settled gracefully to their landing pads. For an encore, they saluted the thousands of onlookers with double, twin sonic booms (writing “four” just doesn't cover it). My description actually doesn’t do the event justice – you must go see a launch – but the really important things were a lot quieter and happened well before the launch.
Falcon heavy on the pad as seen from the OSB-II shortly before launch.
Greg AutryA spectacular night launch is one of the few things that can get me to stay up until 3AM these days. I also have to admit I was lured in by some agreeable accommodations in the Second Observation Support Building (OSB-II) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Air conditioning, food and convenient restrooms made waiting for this launch a lot more comfortable than sitting on the mosquito-infested patch of grass at the edge of an alligator pond, waiting for Columbia to launch the Chandra X-Ray Observatory back in 1999. Seeing SpaceX’s booster return did not require camping in the high desert of California, as I did to catch shuttle landings at Edward’s Air Force base in the 80s. In this case, I stayed (mostly) awake thanks to endless pots of coffee and great conversation. The OSB-II was filled with an amazing group of dedicated space professionals, many of whom had payloads on this flight, known as Space Test Program-2 (STP-2). Listening to them and the folks that coordinated the event turned out to be the real value in being there.
Major General Nina M. Armagno
Greg AutrySTP-2 was an amazingly challenging operation, requiring the precise integration of 24 very different payloads and necessitating the precise placement of these spacecraft into three different orbits. Doing so required several engine restarts and repositioning of the upper stage in space over several hours, a very uncommon practice. Speaking in the NASA facility, Major General Nina Armagno, former Commander of the 45th Space Wing Air Force, noted that her team had intentionally made this test flight extra difficult for SpaceX. For the Air Force, the mission goal was to quickly ascertain the capabilities of a new heavy lift vehicle without risking an expensive national security payload on a relatively unproven system (though Falcon Heavy’s first two launches were pretty flawless). They might have told SpaceX not to reuse the side booster, but testing that capability was fundamental to the value of engaging with an innovative commercial partner. They could have just flown some inexpensive test satellites without any scientific missions, but Armagno and others saw the flight provided a unique opportunity to fly a number of other assets for NASA, NOAA and several universities. Coordinating all those interests and integrating the payload in a timely manner required significant effort.
Among the cool payloads launched on STP-2 was the Deep Space Atomic Clock, a NASA/JPL demonstrator for a more accurate space navigation. Knowing where you are on Earth or in the heavens has always been about knowing precisely when you are. Many folks don’t realize that the GPS system in their car or phone depends on caclulating of Einsteinian relativistic effects of timing signals from quickly moving satellites. The DSAC takes that to the next level with a miniaturized ultra-precise timing system that will lose just nine seconds in a million years (confirmation on that is not in, just yet) and guide future deep space missions with even higher precision.
Speaking of GPS, NOAA’s COSMIC-2mission launched six satellites designed to turn the regular GPS satellite signals into a powerful tool for investigating weather and climate change. COMSIC-2 will capture these radio waves from the side during the period they are occluded by the Earth’s thin atmosphere. The measurements will provide constant data about the height, density and composition of Earth’s troposphere, a notoriously difficult area to study.
KSC Director Bob Cabana addresses the OSB-II audience before the STP-2 launch.
Greg AutryAnother STP-2 payload with environmental promises was NASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission, which tested a safer alternative to the powerful but highly-toxic rocket fuel, hydrazine. Conducted with Ball Aerospace, the experiment will utlize a new mix, known as AF-M315E, developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base, California. AF-M315E (note: never hire the USAF marketing department) will not only improve things for people and the environment but is also expected to actually improve spacecraft propulsion performance as well. How cool is that?
While each of these achievements were real victories for their teams, STP-2 was far greater than the sum of its parts. The dramatic launch represented an important win/win/win/win for the DoD, a leading commercial space firm, civilian agencies and researchers. This effective coordination across several national interests stands as a powerful testament to the ability of American institutions to overcome divergent parochial, political, technical and economic interests in an effort to achieve something great. I was very pleased to have seen it all come together and I enjoyed a heck of show to boot. I'd even sit with the mosquitos and gators to see that again!
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