FASTA bulletin
Mercury 6 blasts off
At 11:04 local time, the final mission of the Mercury program lifted off from Atlas-Sputnik Launch Pad C, carrying the first female FASTA astronaut to orbit for a four-day flight.
The launch was watched by Nadine Sadler, the first woman to have flown in space ever, native to San Dorado - a valuable contribution to the space program by the tiny Frequesquan nation. The significance of this even is underscored by the fact that Svetlana Savitskaya is a CSR national and a highly renowned fighter ace, having flown in combat action against Astaria.
"Ideology and political convictions matter little in the grand scheme of things", major Sadler was quoted as saying, "What counts is the continued march towards colonization of space."
The Mercury 6 capsule will be used to carry out several scientific experiments, such as radiation measurements, zero-gravity fluid behavior and others.
11K59 booster makes second test flight
The 11K59 booster, the rocket promising interplanetary missions and support of the Soyuz program, has made a second succesful test flight yesterday. Minor problems which arose during the flight did not concern the rocket's designers, and will be fixed for the planned Soyuz 1 and DSP-1 unmanned launches later this year.
Canissian moon probes delivered to the JSC
As mission planning for the first series of Lunar Reconeissance Orbiters nears to a close, the Canissian-made orbital probes have been transferred to the Jerusalem Space Center for testing and modification, before launch some time in early 2012.
The Lunar Reconeissance Orbiters will deliver critical surface maps, necessary for lunar landing planners to chose both safe and scientifically interesting landing sites. Data returned by the unmanned probes will also help design and test equipment for use in the lunar landing.
Last Soyuz astronaut qualifies for the program
Miranda Moonbeam (Shroomania) was the last astronaut to qualify for the Soyuz program. During a special exam last week, Ms. Moonbeam aced all tests and thus earned the right to wear a Soyuz program patch on her right sleeve.
"This is, like, and incredible feeling. All that hard work and dedication, finally paying off! Seriously, this is awesome. You guys should try it...", Ms. Moonbeam commented during an afterparty at her Farbanti dwelling, and offered the Bulletin's reporter a drink.
F-1, J-2 engine tests continue ; Ignition instability problems solved
The F-1 and J-2 engines, planned for use in the Saturn series of rockets, have undergone their second battery of tests last morning. Rocket engineers have come up with an ingenious solution to the earlier ignition instability problems which called into question the use of such large engine bells: by detonating small explosive charges inside the bells and analyzing return waves, the engineers were able to redesign the fuel injectors, resulting in stable and consistent ignition patterns.
While some experts comment that the RD-170 engine in development by Byzantium would provide better bang for the buck, FASTA engineers retort by saying that experience gained in construction of the two "monster engines" will pay off later and help improve the next generation of rocket boosters.
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