** The Official Space Flight Thread - The Space Station and Beyond **

India successfully carries out a test flight of its most powerful launch vehicle the GSLV Mk. III launcher followed by the CARE Crew Module Re-Entry and Landing demonstration which ended with a splashdown in the ocean:

 
No launch tomorrow :(


NASA and SpaceX announced today the launch of SpaceX's fifth commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station now will occur no earlier than Tuesday, Jan. 6. This will provide SpaceX engineers time to investigate further some of the issues that arose from the static fire test of the Falcon 9 rocket on Dec. 16 and will avoid beta angle constraints for berthing the Dragon cargo ship to the station that exist through the end of the year.

Beta angles are the angles between the space station orbital plane and the sun, resulting in the station being in almost constant sunlight for a 10 day period. During this time, there are thermal and operational constraints that prohibit Dragon from berthing to the station. This high beta period runs from Dec. 28 through Jan. 7.


The new launch date also will allow the teams to enjoy the holidays.

Space station managers will meet on Monday, Jan. 5, for a thorough readiness review in advance of the Jan. 6 launch attempt. The launch postponement has no impact on the station's crew, its complement of food, fuel and supplies and will not impact the science being delivered to the crew once Dragon arrives at the station.

A launch on Tuesday, Jan. 6, is scheduled at approximately 6:18 a.m. EST. NASA TV coverage will begin at 5 a.m.

A backup launch attempt is available on Wednesday, Jan. 7.

A launch on Jan. 6 will result in a rendezvous and grapple of Dragon on Thursday, Jan. 8, at approximately 6 a.m. NASA TV coverage will begin at 4:30 a.m. Installation coverage will begin at 9 a.m.

Prelaunch briefings at NASA's Kennedy Space Center will be rescheduled for Monday, Jan. 5 with the times to be determined.

For an updated schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/1FrjDEO
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So what is it like to return to earth in Orion:


The video begins 10 minutes before Orion's 11:29 a.m. EST splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, just as the spacecraft was beginning to experience Earth's atmosphere. Peak heating from the friction caused by the atmosphere rubbing against Orion's heat shield comes less than two minutes later, and the footage shows the plasma created by the interaction change from white to yellow to lavender to magenta as the temperature increases. The video goes on to show the deployment of Orion’s parachutes and the final splash as it touches down
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Was thinking about escape velocity and didn't realise that rockets go faster leaving earth than the 17, 500mph they travel when orbiting and returning.
Escape velocity is 7 miles per second/25,000 mph. Also, check out the escape velocity needed to leave other massive planets and stars. Sirius B, over 11 million miles per hour. :eek: Even if NASA landed man on some of these bodies, they'd never be able to get home.


http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/space-environment/2-whats-escape-velocity.html


Oh and check out James May's Action Man at the Speed of Sound, with a camera attached to action man. It's pretty interesting as they launch rockets at Mach 1.1.
 
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