Welcome to NASA in the Bermuda Triangle
Bermuda Station on Cooper’s Island - summary
In 1961, NASA opened a tracking station in Bermuda to support Project Mercury. The Bermuda station on Cooper’s Island once supported Project Mercury through the Space Shuttle Program. Closed in 1999, the facility was later refurbished and reopened in 2018 to support missions.
HISTORY
1961 – 1999 - Video History of NASA Bermuda (the early years)
The Bermuda station was part of the Manned Space Flight Network (MSFN) with the secondary computer that decided on the “go-no go” of the mission. Bermuda started tracking a spacecraft about three minutes after takeoff from Florida.
March 1, 1999 - Bermuda Island Station Closed
After 38 years of service to NASA, the Bermuda station on Cooper’s Island was closed due to technology developments with the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) and the Space Shuttle. Announcement.
In 2008, Cooper's Island became a nature reserve with large sections of the Island opened to the public.
March 7, 2012 - NASA signs agreement with Bermuda for a mobile tracking station
NASA and the Government of Bermuda signed an agreement to establish a temporary mobile tracking station on Cooper's Island. The station will support launches from the agency's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, including future commercial missions. Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Derrick Burgess and NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver signed the agreement. Announcement.
October 23, 2012 - Bermuda Tracking Site Provides Big Boost for Wallops Expendable Launch Vehicle Operations
NASA’s mobile tracking station in Bermuda provides telemetry, radar, and command and control services. It will support the launch of rockets carrying supplies to the International Space Station or satellites to low-Earth orbit. Announcement.
November 5, 2018 - NASA Renovates, Dedicates Bermuda Tracking Station
Showcasing NASA’s long-standing partnership with Bermuda in support of human spaceflight and space exploration, NASA formally dedicates its upgraded Bermuda Tracking Station during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the station’s site on Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve. Announcement.
February 19, 2021 - Acting U.S. Consul Visits NASA Tracking Station
Acting U.S. Consul General Alan Purcell visited the NASA Tracking Station in Bermuda in advance of Saturday’s [Feb 20] scheduled rocket launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
August 13, 2021 - US Consul & Deputy Premier Observe Launch
On August 10, U.S. Consul General Karen Grissette and Deputy Premier Walter Roban visited the NASA Tracking Station on Cooper’s Island to observe launch operations of an Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft as it passed over Bermuda.
NASA Tracking Station
NASA SPACE PROGRAMS
ARTEMIS I
Artemis I will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a long-term human presence on the Moon for decades to come.
The primary goals for Artemis I are to demonstrate Orion’s systems in a spaceflight environment and ensure a safe re-entry, descent, splashdown, and recovery prior to the first flight with crew on Artemis II.
- Artemis I - NASA
- Artemis I: The first step in returning astronauts to the moon - Space.com
- Around the Moon with NASA’s First Launch of SLS with Orion - NASA
- August 29, 2022 - Engine problem leads NASA to scrub launch of new moon rocket - AP
- September 6, 2022 - NASA's problem-plagued Artemis 1 rocket now faces SIX WEEK delay until its first flight finally takes place - UK DailyMail
- September 3, 2022 - NASA now projects Artemis moon project to cost 'unsustainable' $93B - FoxNews
- November 16, 2022 - Liftoff! NASA’s Artemis I Mega Rocket Launches Orion to Moon - NASA
- November 22, 2022 - What exactly IS Artemis doing? - UK Daily Mail
Project Mercury
Initiated in 1958, and completed in 1963, Project Mercury was the United States' first man-in-space program using a single astronaut craft. Six manned flights were made from 1961 to 1963. The specific objectives of the program were as follows:
- To orbit a manned spacecraft around Earth
- To investigate man's ability to function in space
- To recover both man and spacecraft safely
Project Gemini
Project Gemini was a two-astronaut manned launch that operated from 1961 to 1966. The Gemini Program ran concurrently with Mercury and Apollo. Gemini's main objective was being a bridge program between a one astronaut Mercury launch and the three-astronaut Apollo mission to the Moon.
Gemini had four key goals:
- To test an astronaut's ability to fly long-duration missions (up to two weeks in space)
- To understand how spacecraft could rendezvous and dock in orbit around the Earth and the moon
- To perfect re-entry and landing methods
- To further understand the effects of longer space flights on astronauts
Project Apollo
Officially running from 1961 to 1972, Project Apollo was a three astronaut per manned launch program designed to land two astronauts on the Moon. Each Apollo consisted of a three-part spacecraft:
- The command module (CM) that contained the crew's quarters and flight control section
- The service module (SM) for the propulsion and spacecraft support systems (when together, the two modules are called CSM)
- The lunar module (LM), to take two of the crew to the lunar surface, support them on the Moon, and return them to the CSM in lunar orbit
Project Apollo's goals went beyond landing Americans on the moon and returning them safely to Earth. They included:
- Establishing the technology to meet other national interests in space
- Achieving preeminence in space for the United States
- Carrying out a program of scientific exploration of the Moon
- Developing human capability to work in the lunar environment
Space Shuttle Program
Designed as the world’s first reusable spacecraft, the space shuttle was first launched on April 12, 1981, and the final ship landed on July 21, 2011. A Space Shuttle crew typically had seven astronauts. Shuttles Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour flew a total of 135 missions, and facilitated the construction of the International Space Station.
The Shuttle Program:
- Launched, recovered, and repaired satellites
- Conducted research in space
- Built the largest structure in space, the International Space Station
International Space Station (ISS)
From 1998 to 2011, the International Space Station (ISS) was assembled in low Earth orbit largely by the United States and Russia, with assistance and components from a multinational consortium. The ISS has been continuously occupied since November 2, 2000. Crew sizes have varied over the years. However, the station has housed as many as thirteen people several times, but only for a few days during crew changeovers or space shuttle visits.
Astronauts' time on the ISS is spent:
- Conducting biological experiments on rodents and plants
- Conducting media/school events for outreach
- Exercising and personal care (two hours per day)
- Performing experiments and station maintenance
- Performing spacewalks
- Posting updates to social media
- Researching the long-term health effects of being in space
- Testing out commercial products
Current plans call for the space station to operate through at least 2024, with the ISS partners discussing a possible extension until 2028. Future plans for the ISS after 2028 are not defined. Options include deorbiting and crashing into an ocean, mostly burning up upon entry (hopefully), or recycling for future space stations in orbit.
Other
Non-NASA
- Cooper's Island Nature Reserve - YouTube
- Documentary Reveals How Star Trek Changed NASA Forever - INVERSE
- Space Daily
NASA
NASA Apps For Smartphones, Tablets, and Digital Media Players. Awesome free stuff that you must see.