Liquid nitrogen shortage delays Landsat 9 launch - SpaceNews:
WASHINGTON — A one-week delay in the launch of the next Landsat satellite on an Atlas 5 is the result of a ripple effect in the supply chain caused by increased demand for liquid oxygen to treat COVID-19 patients.
NASA announced Aug. 27 that the launch of Landsat 9 on an Atlas 5 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California had slipped a week, from Sept. 16 to no earlier than Sept. 23, because "pandemic demands for medical liquid oxygen have impacted the delivery of the needed liquid nitrogen supply." Liquid nitrogen, or LN2, is used to create gaseous nitrogen needed to support launch site activities.
During an Aug. 31 virtual news briefing about the upcoming launch, Del Jenstrom, NASA Landsat 9 project manager, said the issue was not an overall lack of liquid nitrogen but instead a transportation issue.
"There's plenty of liquid nitrogen in the Los Angeles area. The problem is they need some trucks to bring it up to Vandenberg," he said. "Because of the pandemic, from what we understand, liquid oxygen deliveries have been paying much higher premiums than liquid nitrogen deliveries, and LN2 trucks have been converted to carry liquid oxygen."
[...] Airgas, the company that handles the nitrogen supply at Vandenberg, is bringing in "a dozen or so" liquid nitrogen tankers from the Gulf Coast temporarily to increase deliveries. "We're seeing a substantial increase of the number of LN2 deliveries to the base right now," he said, "and as far as we know, based on latest reports, we're on track to support our launch on Sept. 23."
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 01 2021, @01:47AM
Cool
The Muther
Out!
Da-ra Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta
Cool
The Muther
Out!
Da-ra Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta
(Score: 5, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday September 01 2021, @01:59AM (10 children)
TFA has the same title, we can't blame our editors. There is no shortage of nitrogen, there is a shortage of trucks capable of transporting compressed gases. Hospitals are demanding increased supplies of oxygen, so a lot of nitrogen tanks have been repurposed to carry oxygen.
The story says more tanks are on the way from the Gulf Coast - there's no indication how Hurricane Ida might affect that plan.
What I find a little odd is, Vandenburg doesn't have their own nitrogen generator. They aren't terribly complicated, and only modestly expensive. https://www.atlascopco.com/en-us/compressors/nitrogen-generators-landing [atlascopco.com] https://ph.parker.com/us/en/nitrogen-gas-generators [parker.com]
Vandenburg would probably want something much larger than I've operated - ours would probably take 2 to 3 days to fill a tractor-trailer tank.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Wednesday September 01 2021, @02:11AM (2 children)
Imma guess, "Do we have to make this a capital expenditure, going on the books with depreciation, ongoing maintenance and repair costs? Or can we just make them look like one-shot purchases [investopedia.com] every launch?"
Not an "income tax" consideration, but I bet they show up in different categories when it comes to their financial accounting and reporting.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 01 2021, @02:47AM
We have been dealing with this virus bullshit for almost two years now. At this time, all shortages are caused by human incompetence and corruption. We have the means to supply everything we could possibly need, but not the will
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday September 01 2021, @03:43PM
Easily solved. Don't pay for it. Ever. It is no longer an expense. See? Put it on your books as an asset. The directors will be happy.
The anti vax hysteria didn't stop, it just died down.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 01 2021, @02:25AM
The low launch cadence from the west coast means that you don't need cryogenics very often. Unless transportation is an issue then buying it off the market is the most cost effective way to do it. COVID has hit them with a double-whammy because layoffs last year reduced the driver pool and now there is a spike in demand. Hazmat rated drivers take time to hire and train so it will take a while to replace the losses even if enough trucks were available.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 01 2021, @03:03AM (5 children)
The nitrogen generators you linked produce nitrogen gas. TFA notes that Vandenberg needs liquid nitrogen. Not the same product.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday September 01 2021, @04:11AM (2 children)
I didn't exactly link to any generator - I linked to two companies that produce nitrogen generators. So, the first doesn't do liquid gas compression, that I can see. The second does - https://www.atlascopco.com/en-us/compressors/industry-solutions/lng [atlascopco.com] I don't know the difference between LNG and nitrogen compression, maybe their equipment is suitable, maybe it's not. Here's another link, they have the words "liquid" and "nitrogen" right on their landing page - https://www.ulvac-cryo.com/products-en/refrigerator-en/ln2_server-en/?lang=en [ulvac-cryo.com]
And, once again, I'm looking at a relatively small machine that could operate in the bed of a pickup truck, in a pinch, or a server room, or a large closet. Vandenburg would almost certainly want something larger by an order of magnitude, or more. Of course, I already mentioned that I have only ever worked with small nitrogen generators, about the size of what's pictured here.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 02 2021, @12:12AM (1 child)
Nobody does 'liquid gas compression' with nitrogen.
Compressed nitrogen is a pressurized gas stored at room temperature, not a liquid.
LNG means 'liquefied natural gas' which is not the same thing as liquid nitrogen (LN2). Both are cryogenic (cooled to liquid) rather than pressurized.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday September 02 2021, @12:32AM
*yawn*
Meanwhile the same equipment is used to first compress air then dry the air, then filter the air, then extract the nitrogen from the air, then compress the nitrogen further, and finally chill the nitrogen.
LNG, much the same - or did you think natural gas comes out of the ground as a liquid? The equipment is going to be similar, if not the same.
So, you're hung up on semantics, but you're certainly not the person who advanced a reason that Vandenburg doesn't make it's own nitrogen, whether it be gaseous, liquid, or solid.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 02 2021, @12:21AM (1 child)
It contains only relevant and factually correct information.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 02 2021, @03:09AM
It seems my AC post annoyed someone, so they abused the mod system. Not the first or last time, no big deal.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by MIRV888 on Wednesday September 01 2021, @05:23AM (2 children)
Liquid nitrogen will asphyxiate you.
Liquid oxygen will burn anything if ignited.
Both will give you grade 4 frostbite almost instantly if you actually get the liquid on you.
I avoid those vehicles.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by LabRat on Wednesday September 01 2021, @05:23PM (1 child)
I used to handle manual dispensing/pouring LN2 for specific experiments (ie. cold fingers, cryogrinding, older instrument cooling) but haven't needed to do that in a few years due to automated dispensing equipment upgrades.
The Liedenfrost effect [wikipedia.org] will keep loose droplets of LN2 from really contacting your skin/clothing, but contact with something cooled by LN2 (ie. metal) is dangerous.
(Score: 1) by LabRat on Wednesday September 01 2021, @05:25PM
Whoops, mistyped Leidenfrost.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Kitsune008 on Wednesday September 01 2021, @09:38AM (2 children)
one would think that an aerospace outfit could figure out how to produce liquid nitrogen as needed.
Alternate headline: Space Force grounded due to lack of chill.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday September 01 2021, @03:50PM (1 child)
Even if a rocket launch site could produce N2 (and for that matter O2) on site, I shore hope they are not planning on releasing these gasses unfiltered into the atmosphere when they're done with them.
Someone let Jeff Bozos know this might be an environmental impact issue that must be investigated!
The anti vax hysteria didn't stop, it just died down.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 02 2021, @12:18AM
Some launch facilities do produce their own liquid oxygen. Liquid nitrogen is a waste product from that process. Releasing unused nitrogen and oxygen back into the atmosphere is the normal way to dispose of them.
It wasn't until I saw 'Bozos' that I realized that you were joking. Well played.