Space UpClose

Monday, August 20, 2018

Astronaut Walkway for SpaceX Crew Dragon Installed at Florida Launch Pad: Photos

SpaceX Crew Access Arm walkway for NASA astronauts boarding commercial Crew Dragon capsule for missions to the International Space Station is lifted with cranes and installed into position to the top of Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center- as seen on Aug. 20, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com -- 20 Aug 2018

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – The sleek, futuristic looking walkway that NASA astronauts will soon use to board the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for flights to the International Space Station (ISS) emanating once more from American soil - after a more than 7 year long hiatus – was lifted by a huge crane this morning, Aug. 20 and installed into place high up the gantry at NASA’s historic Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Work crews raised the black and white colored, harnessed Crew Access Walkway and White Room from a cradle perched on top of pad 39A starting at about 9 a.m. today, Monday, Aug. 20.

The walkway installation marks a major milestone towards reactivating KSC as the launch base for American astronaut missions to the High Frontier and the International Space Station (ISS).

Its super exciting!!

It took about 30 minutes to reach the installation position near the top of the shuttle era gantry at pad 39A.

Check out our expanding gallery of Space Up Close photos here with men and women actively at work - taken today, Monday, Aug. 20, as a follow up to my photos from the past few days after the arm was slung in the hoisting harness and after it arrived a few days earlier.

2 Men and an Arm!
SpaceX Crew Access Arm walkway for NASA astronauts boarding commercial Crew Dragon capsule for missions to the International Space Station is lifted with cranes and installed into position to the top of Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center- as seen on Aug. 20, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Today I watched in awe the breathtaking spectacle of the windowed astronaut walkway as it reached the point of installation to the gantry – as workers were stationed at varying points all around the gantry’s top levels.

SpaceX astronaut walkway called the Crew Access Arm is lifted at Launch Complex 39A in view of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket processing hangar in foreground at left at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for NASA astronaut launches of Crew Dragon capsule to the ISS - as seen on Aug. 20, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

They utilized the giant yellow crane prevalent at the pad for months to pick it up and another giant cherry picker holding another team of technicians who guided the arm to its attached point and bolted the arm in place.

It was so surreal.

I even saw two guys standing on top of the outside roof of the arm – standing tall while hanging on from over 200 feet up from the base of the pad

Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

And it’s awesome to realize that restoring US human spaceflight is now visibly just around the corner!

You can't fly to space until the walkway is there, and today they put the walkway up!

Today’s photos include more views with an apparent peek inside a portion of the White Room which appears to be open - whereas it appeared to be sealed off last week.

Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

NASA’s shuttle era gantry is named the Fixed Service Structure (FSS). Pad 39A has been leased by SpaceX for 20 years from NASA.

Historic Pad 39A was used by NASA to launch Apollo Missions to the Moon – include the first human lunar landing on Apollo 11 – as well as numerous Space Shuttle missions.

The White Room is located at the terminus of the crew access arm that serves essentially as the “Walkway to the Stars’ that NASA astronauts will soon stride along to board the SpaceX Crew Dragon for its maiden commercial crew flight to the International Space Station (ISS) - as soon as 2019.

KSC and the US haven’t seen astronauts boarding a spaceship for launch since 2011 with the blastoff of NASA’s Space Shuttle Atlantis in July 2011 on the STS-135 mission to the ISS. Two of the astronauts on that flight have been assigned to the first SpaceX Dragon and Boeing Starliner crewed launches.

The maiden unpiloted Crew Dragon mission known as SpaceX Demo-1 is currently slated for Nov. 2018 blastoff from seaside pad 39A.

The White Room is designed to swing out and fit snugly against the exterior side of Crew Dragon and the opened crew hatch, Dragon is bolted in place on top of the SpaceX Falcon 9 carrier rocket at pad 39A.

It provides a clean room, climate-controlled environment for space suited astronauts climbing aboard the spacecraft and taking their designated seats aided by ground technicians to assist them comfortably.

The Shutte era Crew Access Arm was located at the 195 foot level and removed several years ago. Its now on display at KSC.

SpaceX’s walkway was installed more than 20 feet higher by the former Shuttle Gaseous oxygen vent near the top of the tower.

Also be sure to check out my earlier views from Saturday, Aug 18 and Friday, Aug. 17, in an accompanying stories – before and after the walkway was slung up. Several have been featured as well at Spaceflight Now as well as at Fox 35 Orlando and CBS News 6 Orlando.

Both set of photos were taken from multiple vantage points around pad 39A after its arrival atop the ramp at pad 39A a few days ago.

It will be in place for the first unpiloted SpaceX Crew Dragon mission slated for later this year – as soon as November 2018.

In the final hours prior to launch, astronauts will walk down the walkway to enter the Dragon.

So pad 39A will make history again when the first commercial crew mission blasts off as soon as Spring 2019 – and thereby restore America’s access to space for American astronauts flying on American rockets from American soil. And – end US sole reliance on the Russian Soyuz capsule for rides to space.

The Crew Access Arm for the Boeing Starliner was installed a few years ago at Space Launch Complex -41 for launches on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V.

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital ATK and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com

………….

Ken’s upcoming outreach events/photos for sale:

Learn more about the upcoming upcoming/recent NASA/ULA Parker Solar Probe, SpaceX Merah Putih & Telstar 18 & 19 launches, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-15 launch to ISS, SES-12 comsat launch, Falcon Heavy, TESS, GOES-S, Bangabandhu-1, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, SpySats and more at Ken’s upcoming outreach events at Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings.

Aug 24: “NASA/ULA Parker Solar Probe launch, SpaceX Merah Putih & Telstar 18v & 19v Launches, SpaceX Dragon CRS-15 resupply launch to ISS, SpaceX Falcon Heavy & Falcon 9 launches, SpaceX SES-12 comsat. ULA Atlas USAF SBIRS GEO 4 missile warning satellite, SpaceX GovSat-1, CRS-14 resupply launches to the ISS, NRO & USAF Spysats, SLS, Orion, Boeing and SpaceX Commercial crew capsules, OSIRIS-Rex, Juno at Jupiter, InSight Mars lander, Curiosity and Opportunity explore Mars, NH at Pluto and more,” Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings. Photos for sale

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Photos: SpaceX Crew Access Arm & White Room Harnessed for Hoisting at Florida Spaceport for Dragon’s NASA Astronaut Flights to ISS

Crew Access Arm walkway and White Room for NASA astronauts boarding commercial SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for flights to the International Space Station is harnessed for hoisting with work crews and cranes atop Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center- as seen on Aug. 18, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com -- 18 Aug 2018

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – Work crews are forging ahead rapidly with efforts to install the recently arrived Crew Access Arm and White Room high up the gantry on Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida from which NASA astronauts will soon embark on SpaceX Crew Dragon flights to the International Space Station (ISS). Its awesome to realize that restoring US human spaceflight is now visibly just around the corner!

Today I observed the truly futuristic looking SpaceX Crew Access Arm and White Room harnessed for hoisting at Florida’s Spaceport - surrounded by multiple cranes with multiple teams of work crews toiling - busily preparing the astronaut walkway for craning to nearly the top of the shuttle era gantry at pad 39A.

SpaceX Crew Access Arm walkway for NASA astronauts boarding commercial Crew Dragon capsule for missions to the International Space Station is harnessed for hoisting with work crews and cranes atop Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center- as seen on Aug. 18, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Check out our expanding gallery of Space Up Close photos here with men and women actively at work - taken today, Saturday, Aug. 18, as a follow up to my photos from yesterday.

Today’s photos include views with an apparent peek inside a portion of the White Room which appears to be open - whereas it appeared to be sealed off yesterday.

The lengthy black and white, windowed walkway was surrounded by multiple smaller cranes and another towering one that dwarfs all the others and that will be used soon to hoist it in place near the top of NASA’s shuttle era gantry - named the Fixed Service Structure (FSS). Pad 39A has been leased by SpaceX for 20 years from NASA.

The White Room is located at the terminus of the crew access arm that serves essential as the “Walkway to the Stars’ that NASA astronauts will soon stride along to board the SpaceX Crew Dragon for its maiden commercial crew flight to the International Space Station (ISS) - as soon as 2019.

Harnessed SpaceX Crew Access Arm walkway for NASA astronauts boarding commercial Crew Dragon capsule for missions to the International Space Station and Transporter Erector with work crews and cranes atop Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center- as seen on Aug. 18, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

The maiden unpiloted Crew Dragon mission known as SpaceX Demo-1 is currently slated for Nov. 2018 blastoff from seaside pad 39A.

The White Room is designed to swing out and fit snugly against the exterior side of Crew Dragon and the opened crew hatch, Dragon is bolted in place on top of the SpaceX Falcon 9 carrier rocket at pad 39A.

It provides a clean room, climate-controlled environment for space suited astronauts climbing aboard the spacecraft and taking their designated seats aided by ground technicians to assist them comfortably.

Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Also be sure to check out my earlier views from yesterday, Friday, Aug. 17, in an accompanying story - before the walkway was slung up. Several have been featured as well at Spaceflight Now.

Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Both set of photos were taken from multiple vantage points around pad 39A after its arrival atop the ramp at pad 39A a few days ago.

It will be in place for the first unpiloted SpaceX Crew Dragon mission slated for later this year – as soon as November 2018.

In the final hours prior to launch, astronauts will walk down the walkway to enter the Dragon.

So pad 39A will make history again when the first commercial crew mission blasts off as soon as Spring 2019 – and thereby restore America’s access to space for American astronauts flying on American rockets from American soil. And – end US sole reliance on the Russian Soyuz capsule for rides to space.

The Crew Access Arm for the Boeing Starliner was installed a few years ago at Space Launch Complex -41 for launches on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V.

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital ATK and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com

………….

Ken’s upcoming outreach events/photos for sale:

Learn more about the upcoming upcoming/recent NASA/ULA Parker Solar Probe, SpaceX Merah Putih & Telstar 18 & 19 launches, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-15 launch to ISS, SES-12 comsat launch, Falcon Heavy, TESS, GOES-S, Bangabandhu-1, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, SpySats and more at Ken’s upcoming outreach events at Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings.

Aug 24/25: “NASA/ULA Parker Solar Probe launch, SpaceX Merah Putih & Telstar 18v & 19v Launches, SpaceX Dragon CRS-15 resupply launch to ISS, SpaceX Falcon Heavy & Falcon 9 launches, SpaceX SES-12 comsat. ULA Atlas USAF SBIRS GEO 4 missile warning satellite, SpaceX GovSat-1, CRS-14 resupply launches to the ISS, NRO & USAF Spysats, SLS, Orion, Boeing and SpaceX Commercial crew capsules, OSIRIS-Rex, Juno at Jupiter, InSight Mars lander, Curiosity and Opportunity explore Mars, NH at Pluto and more,” Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings. Photos for sale

Saturday, August 18, 2018

NASA’s TESS Exoplanet Hunter Starts Science Operations, Catches Comet Imagery: Interview

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on April 18, 2018. Now in orbit, TESS will spend about two years surveying 200,000 of the brightest stars near the sun to search for planets outside our solar system. Credits: NASA

Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com -- 15 August 2018

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – NASA’s groundbreaking exoplanet hunting mission, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), has begun science operations after reaching its final orbit and completing the spacecraft commissioning phase in late July. “All hardware is fabulous” and its quartet of “cameras are working great” said spacecraft builder Northrop Grumman’s Robert Lockwood in an exclusive interview with Space UpClose.

And to top it all off, TESS science ops should be long lived because the ship is fuel rich ! - with “multiple decades of fuel remaining,” Lockwood told Space UpClose.

“NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has started its search for planets around nearby stars, officially beginning science operations on July 25, 2018,” NASA officials announced in a statement.

Coincidentally, TESS also caught a “stunning sequence of serendipitous images showing the motion of a comet. Taken over the course of 17 hours on July 25, these TESS images helped demonstrate the satellite’s ability to collect a prolonged set of stable periodic images covering a broad region of the sky — all critical factors in finding transiting planets orbiting nearby stars” said NASA.

“TESS took images of comet C/2018 N1, recently discovered by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) satellite on June 29. The comet is located about 29 million miles (48 million kilometers) from Earth in the southern constellation Piscis Austrinus.”

Video Caption: This video is compiled from a series of images taken on July 25, 2018 by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. The angular extent of the widest field of view is six degrees. Visible in the images are the comet C/2018 N1, asteroids, variable stars, asteroids and reflected light from Mars. TESS is expected to find thousands of planets around other nearby stars. Credits: Massachusetts Institute of Technology/NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

But before it could start its planet hunting science TESS first had to reach its desired final P/2 resonant science orbit – and the MIT/Northrop Grumman team completed a thorough test and check out of all spacecraft systems, subsystems and instruments.

TESS arrived at the P/2 resonant science orbit, which is stable and highly elliptical, after completing a lunar gravity assist flyby in mid-May and its final thruster firing maneuver at the end of May.

“Post launch we did all the check-out operations, did three orbit raisings and then a fly-by of the Moon on May 17 - which was super exciting!” Northrop Grumman (formerly Orbital ATK) TESS program manager Robert Lockwood told SpaceUpClose.com in an exclusive interview. Lockwood is based at the TESS mission operations center at Northrop Grumman’s (Orbital ATK) facility in Dulles, VA.

“Then we did the final period-adjust maneuver (PAM) on May 30. It lasted 923 seconds and was our largest maneuver.”

“We checked out all the instruments and completed the entire commissioning procedure of some 152 steps. All the cameras are healthy!

“We entered our first science orbit on July 25.”

Graphic of NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite orbit raising maneuvers. Credit: NASA

Describe the current health of the spacecraft?

“The TESS spacecraft is healthy!” Lockwood told me. "And all the hardware is fabulous."

"The power and thermal margins are good. It’s been a real pleasure to work with NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) [ to get all the data back]."

“All systems are really GO!”

NASA’s TESS Exoplanet hunter being processed by technicians inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility clean room on Feb 20, 2018 at the Kennedy Space Center. Launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 occurred on April 18, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/kenkremer.com

How are the 4 wide field cameras operating that will detect the exoplanets?

“The cameras are great!”

“Everything that the science team wanted has been running really well with the four cameras,” Lockwood replied.

The principal goal of TESS is to carry out an all sky survey using its four wide-field cameras to detect and discover dozens of new Earth and Super Earth sized exoplanets beyond our Solar System around nearby bright host stars in the solar neighborhood that may be capable of supporting life, and possibly answer one of humanities most profound questions – “Are We Alone?”

After finding the new planets, scientists will conduct follow-up observations with telescopes on Earth and in space like NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope - to confirm their nature and characterize their composition and atmospheres.

And the TESS science team will have plenty of time to search for those ‘New Earths and Super Earths’ – because its got a tremendous fuel margin!

How much hydrazine maneuvering fuel remains?

“After all our maneuvers, we now have 2/3 of the tank of fuel remaining,”Lockwood explained. “We have so much fuel leftover.”

"We have multiple decades of fuel remaining.”

“It’s enough for at least two decades. We will refine that further as the mission goes on.”

“The only thing we need fuel for now is momentum unloading. And they only take grams of fuel."

“We have 30 kg of hydrazine fuel remaining out of an original load of 45 kg.”

The first actual data is expected back soon.

“TESS is expected to transmit its first series of science data back to Earth in August, and thereafter periodically every 13.5 days, once per orbit, as the spacecraft makes its closest approach to Earth. The TESS Science Team will begin searching the data for new planets immediately after the first series arrives,” said NASA officials.

“I’m thrilled that our new planet hunter mission is ready to start scouring our solar system’s neighborhood for new worlds,” said Paul Hertz, NASA Astrophysics division director at Headquarters, Washington.

“Now that we know there are more planets than stars in our universe, I look forward to the strange, fantastic worlds we’re bound to discover.”

The $337 million spacecraft was built by prime contractor Orbital ATK – now Northrop Grumman.

The kitchen table sized probe weighs 770 pounds (350 kg) and measures 12 x 4 x 5 ft (3.7 x 1.2 x 1.5 m).

P/2 is the name of the TESS mission's final science orbit.

TESS is NASA’s second exoplanet mission and a follow up to the hugely successful Kepler probe which discovered over 2300 exoplanets of all sizes.

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) successfully blasted off on a two stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 6:51 p.m. EDT, April 18, from seaside Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

NASA’s next planet-hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), successfully launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on April 18, 2018 from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL - in this view from a pad camera. TESS will search for new worlds outside our solar system for further study. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Prior to launch I visited TESS in the clean room processing facility for an up close look and media briefing about the small sized but scientifically powerful observatory during a visit with the spacecraft and team inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility clean room at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Check out our Space UpClose gallery of up close clean room, prelaunch and launch photos here and earlier.

TESS is charged with searching for and discovering new Earth and Super Earth sized planets beyond our Solar System that orbit their host stars inside the habitable zones that offer conditions conducive to the origin and evolution of life.

During an initial 2-year long mission, TESS will gradually sweep across the entire sky and conduct a full sky survey by monitoring and investigating over 200,000 of the nearest and brightest stars to search for planets outside our solar system.

“One of the biggest questions in exoplanet exploration is: If an astronomer finds a planet in a star’s habitable zone, will it be interesting from a biologist's point of view?” said George Ricker, TESS principal investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research in Cambridge, which is leading the mission.

“We expect TESS will discover a number of planets whose atmospheric compositions, which hold potential clues to the presence of life, could be precisely measured by future observers.”

This test image from one of the four cameras aboard the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) captures a swath of the southern sky along the plane of our galaxy. TESS is expected to cover more than 400 times the amount of sky shown in this image when using all four of its cameras during science operations. Credits: NASA/MIT/TESS

TESS is NASA’s second exoplanet mission and a follow up to the hugely successful Kepler probe which discovered over 2300 exoplanets of all sizes.

To carry out its daunting task, the spacecraft is equipped with 4 identical wide-field science cameras. Their combined field of view will enable the spacecraft to image some 85% of the entire sky during the full sky survey over the first two years.

Scientists plumbing the data gathered by TESS hope to discover on the order of 300 to 500 Earths and Super Earths alone, orbiting in their habitable zones compared to a dozen or so by Kepler.

TESS observations will yield the orbits and sizes of these exoplanets. They will also provide the specific targets for follow up high resolution investigations by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and other telescopes to determine the exoplanets masses, compositions and atmospheric constituents.

In turn researchers will use these observations to determine if any of the newly discovered Earths and Super earths and actually Earth like possessing water, oxygen and carbon based molecules for example that can potentially support life.

How will TESS conduct the full sky survey? The sky has been subdivided into 26 observing sectors that basically equate to tileing the sky piece by piece - much like covering your kitchen floor with tiles.

TESS will map the sky one tile at a time by pointing the four cameras to discrete sectors of the sky and then combining them into an overarching panorama of the Universe encircling Earth.

The sky has been divided into 2 hemispheres – southern and northern.

Each hemisphere has been divided into 13 sectors that will be observed one by one. The southern sky of 13 sectors will be imaged initially over the first year, followed by the northern sky of 13 sectors over the second year.

Each of the cameras is equipped with four 16.8 megapixel CCD’s and a seven element optical system.

The cameras are located on the top of the spacecraft inside a protective sunshade to shield the instruments.

TESS will observe each sky sector tile for approximately 28 days of continuous observations.

Each sky tile from a single camera measures 24 degrees by 24 degrees. The 4 cameras combine to simultaneously cover a sector of 24 x 96 degrees.

TESS is the first space science mission launched by SpaceX for NASA.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 delivered TESS to a highly elliptical Earth orbit - never used before by a science mission, Ricker said at the prelaunch media briefing.

The elliptical orbit ranges from 67,000 miles (108,000 kilometers) at perigee to 233,000 miles (376,000 kilometers) at apogee from Earth.

TESS will orbit Earth in 13.7 days in a 2:1 resonance orbit with the moon named P/2. The moon orbits earth every 28 days.

The TESS science orbit is extremely stable as a result, thus requiring minimal fuel to maintain. The spacecraft is loaded with enough propellants to continue its observations for 20 years if all goes well with the spacecraft systems.

“TESS is opening a door for a whole new kind of study,” said Stephen Rinehart, TESS project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, which manages the mission. “We’re going to be able study individual planets and start talking about the differences between planets. The targets TESS finds are going to be fantastic subjects for research for decades to come. It’s the beginning of a new era of exoplanet research.”

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT and managed by Goddard. George Ricker, of MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, serves as principal investigator for the mission. TESS’s four wide-field cameras were developed by MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory. Additional partners include Orbital ATK, NASA’s Ames Research Center, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA’s TESS, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital ATK and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer - ken at kenkremer.com

Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose with the TESS spacecraft inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility clean room on Feb 20, 2018 at the Kennedy Space Center. Launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 occurred on April 18, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/kenkremer.com

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Ken’s upcoming outreach events/photos for sale:

Learn more about the upcoming upcoming/recent NASA/ULA Parker Solar Probe, SpaceX Merah Putih & Telstar 18 & 19 launches, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-15 launch to ISS, SES-12 comsat launch, Falcon Heavy, TESS, GOES-S, Bangabandhu-1, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, SpySats and more at Ken’s upcoming outreach events at Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings:

Aug 24/25: “NASA/ULA Parker Solar Probe launch, SpaceX Merah Putih & Telstar 18v & 19v Launches, SpaceX Dragon CRS-15 resupply launch to ISS, SpaceX Falcon Heavy & Falcon 9 launches, SpaceX SES-12 comsat. ULA Atlas USAF SBIRS GEO 4 missile warning satellite, SpaceX GovSat-1, CRS-14 resupply launches to the ISS, NRO & USAF Spysats, SLS, Orion, Boeing and SpaceX Commercial crew capsules, OSIRIS-Rex, Juno at Jupiter, InSight Mars lander, Curiosity and Opportunity explore Mars, NH at Pluto and more,” Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings. Photos for sale