Despite facing down solar panel woes and a spacewalk delay aboard the International Space Station, astronauts took some time to celebrate Halloween today in Earth orbit.

With a long, dark cape flowing behind him, NASA astronaut “Count” Clay Anderson gave a vampiric touch to life aboard the ISS, where he has lived and worked for nearly five months. While he’s returning home next week aboard the space shuttle Discovery, his replace Daniel Tani joined in the fun: He donned a beanie cap and pirate eye patch while working in the station’s new Harmony node.

It may seem irrelevant, or even downright childish, for grown men to don Halloween costumes while flying 220 miles (354 kilometers) above Earth. And it would seem even more so with the 10 astronauts aboard the space station embroiled in a busy, complicated construction mission that has only grown more challenging with Tuesday’s tear in an ISS solar wing, which spacewalkers will now have to repair during a Friday excursion.

But it’s heartening that despite those challenges, these professional spaceflyers can have a bit of fun to lighten the stress load of what is almost certainly a busy time in orbit.

As Discovery’s shuttle commander Pamela Melroy told Mission Control today:

“We’re not sure if today’s was a trick or a treat, but we sure enjoy working with you,” Melroy said, warning folks not to stay up too late. “Happy Halloween.”

It has been a bad day for Armadillo Aerospace. A late afternoon attempt to fly their MOD Lunar Lander vehicle on the first hop of a two-part hop ended in flames.

Using a new engine from the group’s Pixel vessel, Armadillo Aerospace engineers raced to prepare the craft for yet another attempt at Level 1 of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. At countdown’s end, the vehicle ignited, but flames started to engulf the vehicle. That fire seemed to go out, but the vehicle was declared non-operational.

Carmack has reportedly called it quits for the day - so the $2 million in the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge reverts to the 2008 X Prize Cup.

Armadillo Aerospace experienced a rough engine liftoff of their MOD Lunar Lander craft - lifting off the ground - but then plopping back down on the pad. 

It was the second part of pad-to-pad hops of the vehicle to win $350,000 in prize money. The decision was later made that the craft was not ready for re-launch, with the attempt this morning scrubbed.

According to X Prize officials here, it appears that another attempt at the Level One Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander challenge is likely later this afternoon.

From a distance, this morning’s successful liftoff and landing (the first part of the two-part flight) also ran rough - with the motor sputtering as it flew across the desert landscape. The second liftoff for the return flight also seemed to feature bangs and pops. Early word is that there may have been a fuel leak, according to some observers.

Word from the launch site is that the craft is actually flight-worthy, but the engine did not pass a visual inspection. Armadillo technicians were attempting to work on the rocket at the site - but are hauling the craft back for more work.

“This is a real competition…and it is very challenging to do what Armadillo is trying to do,” said Ken Davidian, head of the NASA Centennial Challenges that is putting up the $2 million for the Lunar Lander challenge.

Late word is that the Armadillo team is swapping out the troubled engine with the Pixel motor. It appears certain that the team will re-attempt — for the third time — trying to win the $350,000 Level One money.

  

Early Sunday morning, Armadillo Aerospace has again showed its rocket muscle - flying the first part of a two-part pad to pad hop here at the X Prize Cup.

“It looks good” cried a voice over the loud speakers as the multi-legged craft roared through the sky.

Jumping off its starting launch pad, the craft edged its way through the sky, hovered over another landing spot - then lowered down to touchdown.

Armadillo is now recycling their vehicle for the return-leg, and if successful, snag $350,000 in a Level One part of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge.

Yesterday, Armadillo also few the first leg of the Level One flight - but failed to achieve a second touchdown.

John Herrington of Rocketplane XP — a judge for the competition — said all looked well in today’s flight. Yesterday, he explained, they had a hard start that cracked the vehicle’s motor. That problem caused a thrust vectoring problem, causing the craft to go into a soft abort. And that step led to a hard abort, with the vehicle coming down and falling over.

Overnight, the engine was replaced and some related hardware. “Look what they’ve done,” Herrington noted. “This is great!”

The early morning flight was a surprise to many - while the gates are open here for the Air and Space Expo - there was very little public audience.

 

On the second leg of a two-part pad to pad hop, Armadillo Aerospace failed in its bid to snag money here at the X Prize Cup at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.

The rocket roared off its landing pad in a return-leg attempt to grab Level One prize money as part of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge.

All was going well, and the team appeared ready to win a $350,000 purse.

Trouble took over, however, as the multi-legged lander hovered over its pad, kicking up clouds of dust in the process. The dust cleared revealing that the craft had tipped over from its landing zone.

No word yet on overall cause of the mishap. Some speculation suggested that a gust of wind appeared to have created some last-second control issues.

Also, no immediate idea of any damage to the craft. The team has brought a trio of lunar lander vehicles to fly at the X Prize Cup…so it’s anticipated Armadillo will be again ready to roar on Sunday.

 

Crowds are flooding through the gates here at Holloman Air Force Base for the Air and Space Expo/X Prize Cup.

Weather is wonderful…surely to get hot a little bit later today.

Early news right off the bat is that Armadillo’s first shot at the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge has been delayed this morning. Looks like a later in the day type delay. Word is that the team is experiencing an igniter problem and will require a bit more time to fix the issue.

Fuel was already onboard the vehicle, with venting of the propellant visible once a delay was called.

Meanwhile, Orbital Outfitters unveiled their first commercial spacesuit - an Industrial Suborbital Space Suit-Crew (IS3C). The group’s first customer for the suit is XCOR Aerospace of Mojave, Calif.

Said one astronaut wannabe in waiting in looking at the suit: “It’ll make me look too big.”

The air is full of new factoids here at the Holloman Air & Space Expo/X Prize Cup in New Mexico.

First of all, the Mojave Air and Space Port in California was a hopping place on Thursday. The big news is that the first piloted pump-fed rocket engine since the space shuttle has taken to the air.

Mojave-based XCOR Aerospace has given real oomph to the Rocket Racing League. Under the controls of former astronaut, Rick Searfoss, a rocket racer flew making three progressive hops using XCOR’s liquid oxygen/kerosene engine.

A delighted Granger Whitelaw, co-founder, President and CEO of the League announced the successful test hops at the X Prize Foundation’s Executive Summit. The flights have shown that everything was “tightened up and buttoned down,” he told me.

Now look for long duration flight in the near future. More than 30 shakeout flights are on the books, Whitelaw said, to evaluate everything from the plane’s tires to airframe, engines to and avionics.

Another bit of news is that by agreement with the International Space University, the Isle of Man — in the heart of the British Isles — has made a five-year commitment to establish and host the International Institute of Space Commerce - conceived of as the world’s leading authority on space commerce.

Also, there’s entry of a new “virtual angel investor group” that focuses on seed-and early-stage funding for space ventures. This virtual network of angel investors announced Friday the launch of its operations in the U.S. and Canada. The company’s online platform is designed to connect individual accredited investors to connect with space entrepreneurs for financing their ventures, noted Burton Lee, CEO of Space Angels Investments. Check it out via www.spaceangelsnetwork.com

Meanwhile, John Carmack and his Armadillo Aerospace Team are all thumbs up - ready to let their lunar lander designs roar skyward this weekend. If Armadillo succeeds, they’ll be snagging major prize money from NASA.

 

With two female spacecraft commanders set to meet Thursday in Earth orbit for the first time in history, one NASA astronaut sent out a cosmic dedication to commemorate the event.

U.S. astronaut Clayton Anderson, an Expedition 16 flight engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS), dedicated the ‘80s hit “Whip it!” by Devo to ISS commander Peggy Whitson and shuttle Discovery commander Pamela Melroy.

“Today’s long distance dedication from KISS radio goes out to the first two female commanders in the history of the space program, “Pambo” Pam Melroy and Peggy “The Boss” Whitson,” Anderson said. “Peggy with her whip, and Pambo with her lightsaber, I’m getting pretty darn worried up here.”

Melroy is NASA’s second female space shuttle commander and is flying, by chance, at the same time as Expedition 16 commander Peggy Whitson - the first female commander of the ISS. Whitson was presented with a ceremonial whip before launching to the ISS from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on Oct. 10.

Aboard Melroy’s Discovery shuttle, a prop lightsaber is tucked away. It was used in the “Star Wars” science fiction film series by Luke Skywalker (portrayed by actor Mark Hamill) and is flying as part of the 30th anniversary of the 1977 debut of the first “Star Wars” movie.

“Can I trade my Flight Engineer 2?” Whitson asked jokingly, referring to Anderson. “At least he’s entertaining to be around.”

Word from X Prize Cup central here in New Mexico is that John Carmack’s Armadillo Aerospace team will be the only group to competitively fly their lunar lander challenge hardware at this weekend’s X Prize Cup.

Armadillo has gotten FAA approval to fly two vehicles - with Carmack and his team eager to walk away with X Prize Cup money this year.

“They are good to go,” said Brett Alexander, Executive Director of Space Prizes and the X Prize Cup.

The field of Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge teams has narrowed down from an original nine, down to Carmack’s group as the sole competitor vying for the prize money.

The competition involves $2 million in prize money for the launch of a craft into the sky and return safely to a simulated lunar surface within the allotted time.

Both this Saturday and Sunday, the X Prize Cup and Holloman Air and Space Expo will feature top flight air and space hardware.

 

 

While all the banners still say Wirefly X Prize Cup ‘07, word is that the Internet seller of cell phones and wireless plans is decreasing its financial support for the upcoming X Prize Cup festivities at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.

According to X Prize Foundation spokeswoman, Sarah Evans, Wirefly is reducing the cash — an unspecified amount — it will make available as lead sponsor of the October 26-28 rocket festival.

“Wirefly has been a tremendous partner for the X Prize Cup,” Evans told me. “With their assistance they have allowed us to achieve our goal of bringing live launches and education outreach to tens of thousands.”

Wirefly supported the X Prize Cup last year. But this year, things have turned sour.

“Wirefly and the X Prize Cup have agreed to reduce the financial commitment to this year’s show,” Evans said. “The X Prize Cup can assure our fans and participants that this will not affect the event in a significant manner. Our partnership with the Air Force has allowed us to expand our entertainment and education options at this year’s event,” she added.

All of the X Prize Cup partners are responsible for making the event a success, Evans said.

There’s likely more to come on this…so stay tuned.