Fwd: Human Spaceflight (and Military Space) News - December 12, 2012 and JSC Today

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From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: December 12, 2012 7:21:30 AM GMT-06:00
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: Human Spaceflight (and Military Space) News - December 12, 2012 and JSC Today

 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

 

JSC TODAY HEADLINES

1.            Only Three Days Left to Contribute to the CFC! Deadline Dec. 15

2.            Reduce-Reuse-Recycle: Find Out More About Reuse in Building 3 Today

3.            Update: A Celebration of 'Coats!' Don't Be the One Without a Ticket

4.            Submit Early for the JSC Today Holiday Hiatus

5.            Latest International Space Station Research

6.            Starport Winter Break Camp -- Register Now

7.            WISH: Women in STEM High School Aerospace Scholars

8.            Control Team/Crew Resource Management: Jan. 29 to 31

9.            Shuttle Knowledge Console v3.0

10.          Does Science Make You Smile? Take the UHCL Physics Program Survey Today

________________________________________     QUOTE OF THE DAY

" I am not a has-been. I am a will be."

 

-- Lauren Bacall

________________________________________

1.            Only Three Days Left to Contribute to the CFC! Deadline Dec. 15

The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the only federal workplace giving program for federal employees -- and as such, you can choose to give to thousands of deserving organizations at the local, national and global levels. They include organizations to educate, shelter, feed, protect, volunteer, or any other number of charities and programs.

This year our center's monetary goal is $675,000. With your help, we can reach it. There are only three days left to donate!

1. Simply find the charity or charities you want to give to (online or in this book).

2. Federal employees can donate via payroll deductions at EmployeeExpress (EEx). (EEx instructions.)

3. All JSC team members can make cash/check donations by using the paper pledge form. (Paper pledge forms may be dropped off with Philip Harris in Building 4N, Room 336, or with an organization coordinator near you.)

Donations of any amount are welcome, starting from $1 per pay period. Give a little. HELP A LOT. (Giving is strictly on a voluntary basis.)

Mirella Lanmon x49796

 

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2.            Reduce-Reuse-Recycle: Find Out More About Reuse in Building 3 Today

Do you need to find ways to make the budget stretch? Do you have extra office supplies that you don't need anymore? Find out more about more about JSC's reuse programs in the Building 3 Collaboration Center today, Dec. 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Ask questions about how to excess property, where to get extra office supplies, how to use the Freecycle@work program and more! Whether you need something or have too much, these programs help people get what they need and reduce the amount of waste JSC generates each year. Remember, every effort makes a difference!

Laurie Peterson x39845 http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/ja/ja13/recycling.cfm

 

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3.            Update: A Celebration of 'Coats!' Don't Be the One Without a Ticket

Mr. Coats will retire at the end of this month; however, he wants to enjoy one last event with you! Please join him for a retirement celebration at Space Center Houston on Friday, Jan. 11. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with a program beginning at 6 p.m. Hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar are part of the evening festivities. Tickets are $10 until Dec. 31, then $15 until Jan. 8. Tickets are available at many locations starting today, 12/12/12:

o             The Starport Gift Shops (in the Buildings 3 and 11 cafés)

o             The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership office (18045 Saturn Lane -- hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday)

Diana Norman x32646

 

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4.            Submit Early for the JSC Today Holiday Hiatus

As many JSC team members take time off to be with their families during the holidays and the center limits operations, so will JSC Today from Dec. 24 to Jan. 1. During that time, the regular edition of JSC Today will not be delivered to your inbox. If any special announcements are warranted, those will be sent out on an as-needed basis. JSC Today will resume normal distribution Wednesday, Jan. 2.

Plan accordingly so you can get your submission in for Friday, Dec. 21 (submit by noon on Thursday, Dec. 20). Or, submit your announcement in time for Wednesday, Jan. 2 (deadline is noon Friday, Dec. 21).

To submit an announcement, click here.

We thank you for your understanding.

JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111

 

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5.            Latest International Space Station Research

A major finding was published in this month's BMC Plant Biology journal that boosts the prospect of cultivating food plants in space and, eventually, on other planets.

Seeds of small, white flowers--called Arabidopsis thaliana--were the subject of this experiment to study how plant roots developed in a weightless environment.

Seeds germinated on the International Space Station sprouted roots that behaved like they would on Earth--growing away from the seed to seek nutrients and water in exactly the same pattern observed with gravity.

The investigators suspect that in the absence of gravity, other cues take over that enable the plant to direct its roots away from the seed and light-seeking shoot. Those cues could include moisture, nutrients and light avoidance.

Read more here.

Liz Warren x35548

 

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6.            Starport Winter Break Camp -- Register Now

Starport will once again be holding a youth day camp during the school break for the holidays. We plan to keep your children active and entertained with games, crafts, sports and all types of fun activities! Camp runs Dec. 26-28, Jan. 2-4, and Jan. 7 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for ages 6 to 12. You can register your child for just certain weeks, certain days or the whole session. Registration is now open at the Gilruth Center.

Shericka Phillips x35563 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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7.            WISH: Women in STEM High School Aerospace Scholars

The Women in STEM High School Aerospace Scholars, or WISH, project offers a unique experience for female high school juniors to jumpstart their future by engaging in opportunities related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Participants will complete online activities, design unique projects, work with NASA personnel and present accomplishments. The application deadline has been extended to Jan. 3. Click here to apply.

Dynae Fullwood x47426 http://wish.aerospacescholars.org

 

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8.            Control Team/Crew Resource Management: Jan. 29 to 31

Two-and-a-half days. This training directly addresses human factors issues that most often cause problems in team and crew interaction. No one working on a team or a crew, especially in high-stress activities, is immune to these effects. The Control Team/Crew Resource Management course deals with interpersonal relations, but doesn't advocate democratic rule or hugging fellow team members to improve personal relations. Rather, this course provides awareness of human factors problems that too often result in mishaps and offers recommendations and procedures for eliminating these problems. It emphasizes safety risk assessment, crew/team coordination and decision-making in crisis situations. This course is applicable both to those in aircrew-type operations and also to personnel operating consoles for hazardous testing or on-orbit mission operations, or any operation involving teamwork and critical communication. It is preferable that "teams" experience course as a group, if possible. SATERN Registration Required. https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Polly Caison x41279

 

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9.            Shuttle Knowledge Console v3.0

The JSC Chief Knowledge Officer and the JSC Engineering Directorate are pleased to announce the third release of the Shuttle Knowledge Console. New content added:

o             Columbia Debris Assessment Working Group Reconstruction Report

o             Shuttle records scanned in Fiscal Year 2012

o             Technical panels, including the Aero Panel, Loads Panel, Propulsion Systems Integration Group, Systems Engineering and Integration Debris Central, and Thermal Panel

o             Shuttle-related knowledge-based risks

o             Shuttle document capture files have been reorganized for ease in searching

o             Shuttle Mission Reports and Shuttle Operation Data Book

o             A new image rotator, with hundreds of shuttle images spanning the life of the program, has been added

o             File browsing for the site has been enhanced to allow sorting by name, type, date and size

Questions about the new website can be directed to Howard Wagner or Brent Fontenot. Click the "Submit Feedback" button located on the top of the site navigation and give us your comments and thoughts.

Brent J. Fontenot x36456 https://skc.jsc.nasa.gov

 

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10.          Does Science Make You Smile? Take the UHCL Physics Program Survey Today

Plasma physics! Astrodynamics! Planetary science!

If these subjects get your blood flowing, then you are in luck. The University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) Physics Department is preparing to offer a joint Ph.D. in conjunction with the University of Houston. UHCL is seeking feedback from prospective, current and former students. Your input is crucial to proposal development, so please take five minutes and complete this survey by Dec. 31.

Holly Vavrin x42335 http://www.uhcl.edu/physics

 

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JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles. To see an archive of previous JSC Today announcements, go to http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/pao/news/jsctoday/archives.

 

 

 

 

 

WEBCAST (Audio Only) - 9 am Central (10 EST) – House Science, Space & Technology Cmte

 

http://science.house.gov/hearing/full-committee-hearing-future-nasa-perspectives-strategic-vision-americas-space-program

 

Future of NASA: Perspectives on Strategic Vision for America's Space Program

·         The Honorable Robert Walker – Wexler & Walker

·         Maj. Gen. Ronald Sega, USAF (Ret) – Vice Chair, National Research Council Committee on NASA's Strategic Direction

·         The Honorable Marion C. Blakey – President & CEO, Aerospace Industries Association

·         Thomas Zurbuchen Ph.D – Professor for Space Science and Aerospace Engineering, Associate Dean for Entrepreneurial Programs, University of Michigan

·         Scott Pace, Ph.D – Director, Space Policy Institute, The George Washington University

 

Human Spaceflight News

Wednesday – 12/12/12

 

HEADLINES AND LEADS

 

Long odds for a Senate space bill

 

Jeff Foust – SpacePolitics.com

 

Last week the Senate passed a defense authorization bill that included none of the space-related amendments that had been proposed, including export control reform language and provisions to extend commercial launch indemnification and NASA's waiver from the Iran North Korea Syria Non-Proliferation Act (INKSNA) so it can continue to purchase ISS-related goods and services from Russia. Fo export control reform, the lack of an amendment in the Senate bill is less of a concern, since export control language is in the House version of the defense authorization bill and thus may remain in the final version of the bill. However, the other amendments do not have counterparts in the House bill (the House passed a two-year launch indemnification extension as a standalone bill last month.)

 

Nye says don't forget the 'Final Frontier'

 

Patrick Gavin - Politico.com

 

For some of planetary science's biggest fans, NASA has no substitute. "No other agency can do what those guys do," said Bill Nye, known as "The Science Guy" from his PBS show of the same name. "No other space agency can land sophisticated instruments on Mars with the ability to look for signs of water and life. Nobody else can do that. So to lose that ability would be a tragedy, not just for the United States, but for mankind. If those people are compelled to find other jobs in other industries, you'll never find them again." Budget negotiations taking place on Capitol Hill will most likely have a financial impact on a myriad of sectors of American life, and Nye is imploring Congress to spare the world of scientific research.

 

What does space travel do to your mind?

NASA's resident psychiatrist reveals all

 

Esther Inglis-Arkell - io9.com

 

Space travel is tough on the human body. But what does it do to the human mind? Gary Beven, a space psychiatrist at NASA, answers our questions about how humans adapt to space, and what we have to do to go to Mars. Doctor Gary Beven has to have one of the most surprising careers in science. As he puts it, he's "the fifth full-time NASA civil servant psychiatrist since the beginning of the human space program, the first being hired in the 1980s at the onset of the Space Shuttle Program." Becoming an astronaut is a mentally, emotionally, and physically demanding job that's done at high risk around insanely expensive equipment. It pays to see how this job can be made psychologically easier for everyone involved. But how does one even start out as a space psychiatrist? I asked Doctor Beven…

 

SpaceX's Dragon: First Private Spacecraft to Reach Space Station

 

Elizabeth Howell - Space.com

 

The Dragon spacecraft, operated by California-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), is the first private spacecraft to berth with the International Space Station. It ships cargo to the station under commercial agreements the company has with NASA. The company made its first demonstration flight to the station in May 2012, and then began commercial fights that fall. SpaceX is currently contracted with NASA to do 12 robotic supply flights to the station for a minimum of $1.6 billion. While SpaceX is busy ferrying cargo to and from the station, the company is also working on a plan to put astronauts on the Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX officials are hoping to bring astronauts into space as early as 2015.

 

Hadfield calls command of space station a 'thrill,' 'challenge'

 

Paul Taylor - Globe and Mail

 

License AA   Next week, on his way to a Russian launch pad, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield will pause briefly to relieve himself on the tire of the transport bus. He will be following a long-established Russian practice that dates back to the historic flight of Yuri Gagarin, the first human to fly in space. "You could call it a tradition, or superstition, but it serves a purpose … you are about to get into a rocket ship and you don't want to have a full bladder," an exuberant Mr. Hadfield said in his final media teleconference before he blasts off for the International Space Station.

 

Austrian Space Forum plans Mars mission simulation in Morocco

 

Xinhua News Service

 

A one-month Mars simulation is planned to be carried out in the Moroccan desert in February 2013, the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) said in Innsbruck Tuesday. The mission will be the largest, most elaborate Mars simulation of the year with 17 experiments to be carried out, the OeWF board said, adding that they were collaborating with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).

 

MEANWHILE IN MILITARY SPACE NEWS...

 

Military spaceplane launched

 

William Harwood - CBS News

 

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Tuesday, boosting an unmanned military spaceplane into orbit for the program's third classified mission. Despite an initially gloomy forecast calling for a 70 percent chance of bad weather, conditions were well within acceptable limits as the countdown ticked toward zero and the rocket's Russian-designed RD-180 first-stage engine roared to life on time at 1:03 p.m. EST (GMT-5). The weight and requirements of the X-37B spaceplane did not require the use of strap-on solid-fuel boosters and as a result, the Atlas 5's climb out from Space Launch Complex 41 appeared relatively sedate. But the rocket quickly accelerated as it consumed propellant and shed weight, disappearing from view to the east a few minutes after liftoff.

 

Air Force sends mystery mini-shuttle back to space

 

Marcia Dunn - Associated Press

 

The military's small, top-secret version of the space shuttle rocketed into orbit Tuesday for a repeat mystery mission, two years after making the first flight of its kind. The Air Force launched the unmanned spacecraft Tuesday hidden on top of an Atlas V rocket. As if on cue, clouds quickly swallowed up the rocket as it disappeared out over the ocean. It is the second flight for this original X-37B spaceplane. The craft circled the planet for seven months in 2010. A second X-37B spacecraft spent more than a year in orbit.

 

Top-secret X-37B mini-shuttle returns to orbit

Air Force's X-37B begins mystery mission

 

Todd Halvorson – Florida Today

 

The U.S. military's mysterious mini-­shuttle is off on another top-secret sojourn today after launching Tuesday aboard a powerful Atlas V rocket. Mounted nose-up on the 19-story United Launch Alliance rocket, the unmanned X-37B spacecraft blasted off as scheduled at 1:03 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The exact nature of the ongoing X-37B mission is classified. A public information blackout was put in place 17 minutes and 34 seconds after launch.

 

ULA Lofts Air Force X-37B Spaceplane in First Launch since Delta 4 Anomaly

 

Brian Berger - Space News

 

An unmanned military spaceplane was returned to orbit Dec. 11 atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5. The launch of the U.S. Air Force's X-37B spaceplane was ULA's first flight since early October, when a performance issue with the upper stage of the company's Delta 4 rocket marred the otherwise successful launch of an Air Force GPS satellite. X-37B, a reusable spaceplane that resembles a miniature space shuttle, had been scheduled to launch Oct. 25. Because the Atlas 5 uses a variant of the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL-10 engine that powers the Delta 4 upper stage, both vehicles were grounded while ULA and the Air Force investigated the Oct. 4 anomaly, which involved a fuel leak in the interior of the engine's thrust chamber.

 

Atlas 5 serves as mini space shuttle's booster rocket

 

Justin Ray - SpaceflightNow.com

 

A miniature military space shuttle that circled the world for 224 days on a shakedown cruise in 2010 rocketed back into orbit Tuesday to demonstrate the reusability of the X-37B spaceplane. Mounted atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 booster, the shuttle was tucked inside the voluminous nose cone and simply along for the ride as it left Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 on a flight whose objectives and duration are not public knowledge.

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COMPLETE STORIES

 

Long odds for a Senate space bill

 

Jeff Foust – SpacePolitics.com

 

Last week the Senate passed a defense authorization bill that included none of the space-related amendments that had been proposed, including export control reform language and provisions to extend commercial launch indemnification and NASA's waiver from the Iran North Korea Syria Non-Proliferation Act (INKSNA) so it can continue to purchase ISS-related goods and services from Russia.

 

Fo export control reform, the lack of an amendment in the Senate bill is less of a concern, since export control language is in the House version of the defense authorization bill and thus may remain in the final version of the bill. However, the other amendments do not have counterparts in the House bill (the House passed a two-year launch indemnification extension as a standalone bill last month.)

 

To address those other issues, Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) introduced late last week S.3661, "A bill to reaffirm and amend the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010."

 

The text of the legislation isn't yet posted, but according to Space News, the bill offers a combination of provisions that the two senators had sought to include as amendments to the defense authorization bill. They include a two-year extension of commercial launch indemnification; a permanent extension of NASA's INKSNA waiver; "language meant to ensure that NASA adequately funds" the SLS, Orion, and commercial crew programs; and a report to Congress on how NASA's human spaceflight program could establish a presence beyond Earth orbit "through the robust utilization of cis-lunar space."

 

Not surprisingly, prospects for the bill aren't too great. Introduced less than a month before the new Congress convenes, and with many other issues to deal with, including the infamous "fiscal cliff," the chances that the bill will even be taken up, let alone make it through the Senate and House, are low.

 

Space News notes that the INKSNA provision in particular might generate opposition by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In that case, the best scenario might be for the Senate to pass the House's commercial launch indemnification bill (perhaps through unanimous consent since it is not a particularly controversial bill), as indemnification is set to expire at the end of the calendar year unless Congress acts, and take up an INKSNA extension and other provisions in the next Congress.

 

Nye says don't forget the 'Final Frontier'

 

Patrick Gavin - Politico.com

 

For some of planetary science's biggest fans, NASA has no substitute.

 

"No other agency can do what those guys do," said Bill Nye, known as "The Science Guy" from his PBS show of the same name. "No other space agency can land sophisticated instruments on Mars with the ability to look for signs of water and life. Nobody else can do that. So to lose that ability would be a tragedy, not just for the United States, but for mankind. If those people are compelled to find other jobs in other industries, you'll never find them again."

 

Budget negotiations taking place on Capitol Hill will most likely have a financial impact on a myriad of sectors of American life, and Nye is imploring Congress to spare the world of scientific research.

 

Nye, who serves as chief executive officer of The Planetary Society, told POLITICO, "It's not clear that space exploration, especially planetary exploration, is as high a priority as I feel it should be." Nye says last week's news from space — namely the quality of data, information and images from NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars — should remind people of the importance of space.

 

"I understand that planetary science is, for most congressmen and senators, a small thing way in the background, but I would argue strongly that investment in science, especially planetary science, is what NASA does best. … We would not have the Internet; we would not have smartphones; we would not have Skype without the space program. So space brings out the best in us, and although I'm optimistic that funding will be restored, I'm concerned that it won't be restored at a sufficient level."

 

Nye has been a backer of President Barack Obama's and excuses, in part, what could be seen as the administration's lack of focus on space exploration to the fact that "they've had so many other fish to fry."

 

"They haven't had the energy to address NASA," said Nye, who when asked if he was happy with the administration's performance added, "Not quite."

 

"These guys have had to fight so many other battles over the last four years, that they haven't been able to pull it off," Nye said. "When it comes down to it, $300 million a year isn't that much money. It's a lot of money, but it's not that much money. It just takes leadership." Nye was referencing a $300 million cut the Obama administration proposed in its 2013 budget.

 

Nye's solution to avoiding the fiscal cliff? Don't do what Grover Norquist has suggested and broadcast the negotiations on C-SPAN.

 

"I think you want these guys in private where they can yell at each other and swear and express their emotions and reach an agreement," Nye said.

 

When the fiscal cliff is — hopefully — averted, Nye hopes the administration will turn its attention to another pressing concern that sparks his passion: preventing climate change.

 

"Hurricane Sandy, I hope, shakes everybody up," Nye said. "The financial capital of the world was shut down by this Category 1 storm. You want to be ready for that in the future. … Hurricane Sandy was, in every way, consistent with every reasonable climate model that exists. So you want to make changes."

 

What does space travel do to your mind?

NASA's resident psychiatrist reveals all

 

Esther Inglis-Arkell - io9.com

 

Space travel is tough on the human body. But what does it do to the human mind? Gary Beven, a space psychiatrist at NASA, answers our questions about how humans adapt to space, and what we have to do to go to Mars.

 

Doctor Gary Beven has to have one of the most surprising careers in science. As he puts it, he's "the fifth full-time NASA civil servant psychiatrist since the beginning of the human space program, the first being hired in the 1980s at the onset of the Space Shuttle Program." Becoming an astronaut is a mentally, emotionally, and physically demanding job that's done at high risk around insanely expensive equipment. It pays to see how this job can be made psychologically easier for everyone involved. But how does one even start out as a space psychiatrist? I asked Doctor Beven.

 

He said:

 

Prior to the 1980s psychiatrists involved with the space program were primarily consultants from the military. Almost all of my NASA predecessors were US Air Force flight surgeons and experts in aviation and aerospace psychiatry before working at Johnson Space Center. Similarly, my experience as a military flight surgeon naturally led to an interest in human spaceflight and then led to my current job which began at JSC in 2005. I work at JSC with another psychiatrist, Dr. Ronald Moomaw, a NASA contractor and medical school faculty member from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston who is also a former US Air Force flight surgeon.

 

So to start out, you have to be a medical professional for people who get their feet off the ground, even when they're keeping them well within Earth's atmosphere. But while NASA was operating since 1958, it took them twenty-odd years to get a full-time staff with a focus on space psychiatry in particular. I looked for the reason for this long delay, and found an article from 1971, which stated that many inside the space program were skeptical about the need for psychiatry in space. It states that "The vast majority of aerospace doctors see no reason for a specialist in psychological medicine during a flight. They argue that astronauts are essentially self-selecting individuals whose experience and skill in aviation fit them for their role and whose ability to complete the training program excludes the possibility that they may not be able to cope under pressure." What changed in the 1980s that caused NASA to bring in a full-time psychiatrist? According to Beven, experience in aviation wasn't enough when missions kept getting longer and longer.

 

He continued:

 

The first space station mission in history, on Salyut 1, was launched by the Soviet Union in 1971. NASA's three Skylab missions in the early 1970's, lasting up two months, did not appear to produce any significant behavioral health deterioration in the crews. So at that time, space psychiatry as a field did not appear to be needed.

 

It was not until Russian cosmonauts began experiencing significant psychological health decrements during missions spanning six months or more on Salyut 6 and Salyut 7 that it became clear that spaceflight mission specific behavioral health expertise was needed. The Russians developed the first (albeit rudimentary by today's standards) psychological support monitoring and countermeasures program for long duration spaceflight missions. This produced a group of experienced Russian personnel, primarily psychologists, dedicated to monitoring the behavioral health of cosmonauts during spaceflight. At that time, NASA had no counterpart because it was not needed for supporting Space Shuttle flights of up to two weeks.

 

While the US and Russia started as competitors in the space race, and while competition and national pride are still a part of any national space program, concern for astronaut health crossed national barriers. According to Beven, it was the reports of the experiences of the Russian cosmonauts that inspired NASA to start a similar program for US astronauts going on ever-lengthening missions.

 

He said:

 

When NASA began the Shuttle-Mir Program in the mid 1990s (seven astronauts flew long duration missions on Mir) the Johnson Space Center Behavioral Health and Performance program was founded, based on awareness of the Russian psychological support program and the anecdotally reported problems experienced by cosmonauts on Salyut and earlier Mir missions. Several of the NASA astronauts on Mir described adverse psychological impact, particularly feelings of isolation and depression. These initial experiences were used to further develop the JSC BHP program and have helped it evolve into what it has become today.

 

Today, the Behavioral Health and Performance program, which includes Dr. Moomaw, two NASA psychologists, and dedicated contract employees, works with anyone involved in the space program. They help members of the crew who, despite being on the ground, are in a demanding job. They also reach out to the families of astronauts, helping them cope with any stresses that might come up. Primarily, though, Beven's group works with the astronauts out on the International Space Station.

 

Says Beven:

 

I am involved in the medical and psychiatric screening of astronaut candidates, the training of assigned ISS crew members, and evaluating ISS astronauts pre-flight, inflight, and post-flight. During each six month ISS mission a NASA psychologist colleague and I meet with each crew member every two weeks via a private video conference called a Private Psychological Conference. Speaking to the crew on orbit is always a unique privilege. We use the brief time allotted for the conferences to check on the behavioral health and well being of the crew, learn from their experience, and impart any lessons learned from prior crew members we have worked with. I am currently working on my 20th ISS mission.

 

With twenty missions under his belt, he has a lot of practical experience with astronauts. Since space travel and psychiatry are two areas that are mined, often incorrectly, for drama, I ask what he has found to be the biggest misconceptions of psychiatry and space travel. Generally, it is the drama that's the problem. Even in the 1990s, when the first NASA astronauts went up on Mir, their main problems were isolation and depression, not dramatic behavioral issues or space-based illness.

 

Beven explained:

 

One misconception is a concern or theory that the spaceflight environment may be inherently harmful or hazardous, from a psychological standpoint. Sustained life in microgravity on board a space vehicle does not appear to cause psychological decrement or psychiatric symptoms unique to that environment.

 

Any previously reported behavioral health problems have appeared to occur because of common earth bound issues. For instance, placing crews that have potential personality conflicts in a smaller space station environment, with few recreational outlets, and then overwork them or not provide enough meaningful work to do. This type of scenario may have led to the some of the difficulties reported on the Salyut stations by the cosmonaut pioneers in long duration spaceflight beyond six months.

 

The problem was, primarily, that people were housed in conditions that would make them depressed if they were on Earth. The environment needed to be adjusted. As soon as it was, morale improved. Beven is confident that the ISS can currently provide "adequate sleep, healthy and good tasting food, exercise, meaningful work, leisure time, the availability of social and recreational events - music, movies, contact with family and friends - privacy, adequate space, and a supportive ground team." In fact, when I asked him what surprised him most about his studies in space psychiatry it was that, "with six properly selected and well trained crew members in a relatively large living and working space, astronauts and cosmonauts truly thrive in such a spaceflight environment." He says that after about six weeks, people aboard the space station have adjusted to their environment and wish that they could stay longer. Twelve month missions are being planned because people aren't eager to go home.

 

Staying longer, though, may give the public a level of confidence in long-haul space travel that isn't deserved. Beven cautioned:

 

Ironically, the ISS may not be a true analog for deep space exploration in which a crew may be in a smaller vehicle for up to 2.5 years - a Mars mission - at least in its current configuration and operational use. We may see some surprises that are yet unanticipated during 12 month missions as very few individuals have experienced spaceflight for such duration. At present, just four men, all cosmonauts, have lived in space for more than one year-the longest mission being 437 days on Mir.

 

And a long haul flight will not be like the International Space Station, as Beven says it would be a "supreme challenge" to outfit a deep-space mission with the same comforts.

 

The most recent simulation involving such a long-term journey is the Mars 500. The European Space Agency and the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems put a group of astronauts in a trailer for 520 days, to simulate the length of a mission to Mars. The project was simultaneously understandable and a little funny. Obviously, the international team of astronauts did an admirable thing, participating in an informative study at some sacrifice to themselves. At the same time, there's some absurdity in a group of highly dedicated people, shut up in a little room, pretending to go to Mars. There's been a long debate about such long-term simulations, how necessary they are and how accurate their results will be.

 

Dr Beven points out the practical advantages of the project, mentioning, "the Mars 500 study included closely monitoring the sleep/wake cycle of each crew member using a device called an Actiwatch (worn like a wrist watch) and also measured how concentration and reaction time varied during the mission using a test called the Psychomotor Vigilance Task." He also points out that there are a lot of different "simulators," out there, including isolation chambers, submarines, and polar expeditions. All different types of simulations, he thinks, "have their place."

 

In the end, there's no science that isn't about looking towards the future. Space science has to peer further than most. I ask him what he thinks the future of space psychiatry is. Like many people today, he's looking to Mars, and talks about a Mars crew that would spend six months in a space craft, and one and a half years on the planet itself. "Such a crew," he said, "would have to be substantially autonomous and independent, especially due to the up to 40 minute time delay for communications because of the extreme distance."

 

Beven also mentioned the necessity testing for "cognitive decline" — both by the medical officer and as an autonomous "suite of countermeasures" built into the IT system so that each of the crew can privately check. He noted that we'd need stock up this space craft with "optimal pharmacological agents to treat the development of potential psychiatric symptoms in the crew medical kit." Still, he's optimistic that all this can be done. "Our team is currently working with researchers in these areas looking toward the future of human spaceflight," he enthused. I think we're all looking forward to that.

 

SpaceX's Dragon: First Private Spacecraft to Reach Space Station

 

Elizabeth Howell - Space.com

 

The Dragon spacecraft, operated by California-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), is the first private spacecraft to berth with the International Space Station. It ships cargo to the station under commercial agreements the company has with NASA.

 

The company made its first demonstration flight to the station in May 2012, and then began commercial fights that fall. SpaceX is currently contracted with NASA to do 12 robotic supply flights to the station for a minimum of $1.6 billion.

 

While SpaceX is busy ferrying cargo to and from the station, the company is also working on a plan to put astronauts on the Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX officials are hoping to bring astronauts into space as early as 2015.

 

Dragon development

 

Roll the clock back to 2002, when SpaceX was founded, and you can see how much perceptions of private spaceflight have changed. SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said he named the Dragon spacecraft after the song "Puff, the Magic Dragon", a 1960s tune from folk group Peter, Paul and Mary.

 

Musk chose the name, he said, because critics considered his business plan impossible when he founded SpaceX. In fact, Musk and SpaceX kept Dragon's first 18 months of development secret as the company publicly developed its light Falcon 1 and heavy-lift Falcon 9 rockets.

 

The news became public in March 2006 after SpaceX and several teammates submitted a proposal for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demonstration program. NASA accepted the SpaceX's proposal, and that of another company, in August 2006.

 

What SpaceX proposed to do was fly the Dragon spacecraft on three Falcon 9 rocket flights — a rocket that was still under development. At the time, SpaceX planned to fly those flights in the 2008-09 timeframe, but the design, approval and milestone process took years longer than anticipated.

 

Dragon passed a NASA critical design review in October 2007, marking a key milestone as this is when the shape of the spacecraft is determined. The next month, SpaceX broke ground for a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This would be the launching pad for Falcon 9 and Dragon, when the time was right.

 

Flurry of flight activity

 

As Dragon development moved forward, NASA offered more funding in several forms. In April 2008, NASA awarded SpaceX a launch services contract.

 

Dubbed "indefinite delivery/indefinite quality," the pact allowed for NASA to order anywhere between $20,000 and $1 billion worth of launches from SpaceX through December 2012. "[SpaceX] can compete for NASA missions using the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles," the firm stated.

 

Then came a large breakthrough. In December 2008, NASA selected Space X's Falcon 9/Dragon combination for cargo resupply to the International Space Station. The contract was for a minimum of $1.6 billion, with the option to extend services to up to $3.1 billion. Musk stated it was a "tremendous responsibility" for SpaceX, given the approaching retirement of the shuttle program.

 

The firm placed some communications hardware on the STS-129 shuttle flight in November 2009 to assist with future SpaceX flights to the station. SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 rocket for the first time in June 2010. This flight included a "qualification unit" of the Dragon spacecraft that was primarily supposed to transmit data during its ride into space.

 

With the test unit successfully flown, SpaceX turned its attention to sending up the real thing. The first full-up test of the Dragon spacecraft came on Dec. 8, 2010. The mission was a success. It marked the first time a private unmanned space capsule was recovered safely back on Earth.

 

Achieving berthing

 

With the world watching, SpaceX prepared to send the first cargo demonstration flight to the station in May 2012. An abort took place after a problem was detected in one of the engines,  pushing back the launch a few days. The spacecraft made it into orbit on May 22.

 

Three days later, Dragon made its final approach to the station. The spacecraft experienced some problems with its laser distance-judging system when the laser got "distracted" and began bouncing signals off the wrong part of the station. SpaceX controllers then narrowed Dragon's view, and the approach proceeded.

 

Don Pettit, an astronaut on the orbiting outpost, manipulated the station's robotic arm to grab Dragon. He carefully reached out to the spacecraft and finally captured it, as footage played live from space on NASA Television and other webcasts.

 

"Houston, Station, it looks like we've got us a dragon by the tail," Pettit said at the time, as mission controllers at NASA applauded the feat.

 

NASA administrator Charles Bolden called the milestone a significant step forward for the agency. "By handing off space station transportation to the private sector, NASA is freed up to carry out the really hard work of sending astronauts farther into the solar system than ever before," he stated.

 

Dragon's first official supply run took place in October 2012. While the spacecraft made it into orbit safely, Falcon 9 experienced a problem with one of its rocket engines during flight. SpaceX adjusted the trajectory of the rocket to put Dragon on the right path. Dragon berthed with the station, and then splashed down successfully weeks later in the Pacific Ocean near California.

 

SpaceX's focus in the next few years will be safely running cargo transportation to and from the International Space Station. The early flights have mostly been successful, but the company will need to continue proving its worth to earn more contracts from NASA.

 

Early indications are looking good, though. In April 2011, SpaceX received $75 million from NASA for creating a launch escape system for Dragon, under the Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program.

 

The company first announced 2014 as its target launch date for human spaceflight, but that has now been pushed back to at least 2015. SpaceX has said it is making great strides to getting people on board the spacecraft.

 

"We're going great guns, we're working very hard, and we hope to have people flying very soon inside the Dragon," SpaceX's commercial crew project manager, Garrett Reisman, said in October 2012.

 

Hadfield calls command of space station a 'thrill,' 'challenge'

 

Paul Taylor - Globe and Mail

 

License AA   Next week, on his way to a Russian launch pad, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield will pause briefly to relieve himself on the tire of the transport bus. He will be following a long-established Russian practice that dates back to the historic flight of Yuri Gagarin, the first human to fly in space.

 

"You could call it a tradition, or superstition, but it serves a purpose … you are about to get into a rocket ship and you don't want to have a full bladder," an exuberant Mr. Hadfield said in his final media teleconference before he blasts off for the International Space Station.

 

Mr. Hadfield, along with American astronaut Thomas Marshburn and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, are now undergoing final preparations at the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch complex in remote Kazakhstan. They are currently in quarantine so they don't catch a cold or flu.

 

If everything goes according to plan, they will climb aboard a Soyuz rocket on Dec. 19 and within two days rendezvous with the space station.

 

The mission represents a major milestone for Canada's space efforts and a personal triumph for Mr. Hadfield. For the latter half of his five months in space, he will be the commander of the $150-billion orbiting laboratory. That will make him the first Canadian to hold the top space job.

 

"I have devoted pretty much my whole adult life … to getting to this position where someone would trust me to command what is, in effect, the world's space ship," Mr. Hadfield said in a recent Skype interview with The Globe and Mail. "It is both an enormous thrill and a great challenge to be asked to do this."

 

The coveted post usually goes to either an American or a Russian. Mr. Hadfield takes over in March when the current commander, American astronaut Kevin Ford, is scheduled to return to Earth.

 

The 53-year-old Mr. Hadfield is a veteran of two space-shuttle missions. The trail-blazing astronaut was the first Canadian to walk in space and first Canadian to operate the space shuttle's robotic Canadarm in orbit. He has also held a string of positions in which he has worked closely with the U.S. and Russian space agencies, gaining a solid understanding of their equipment and procedures. He has been involved in astronaut-training operations at both the Johnson Space Center in Houston and Star City in Russia.

 

The duties of the commander are many and start with team building and training years before the launch. But the job becomes critically important when there is an emergency, such as a major technical malfunction, a puncture in the hull of the station or a fire.

 

"If things go wrong, then my job as commander really comes to the fore," he explained. "I am in charge. My decisions are life and death. And what we do in the first five minutes is going to save our lives and save the space ship," Mr. Hadfield said.

 

Aside from the physical dangers, the commander must also be concerned about the crew's mental well-being.

 

"What I fear most is one of us has a family member that gets sick or hurt or dies while we are in space," Mr. Hadfield said. "That would be extremely difficult to deal with psychologically for the whole crew, specifically for the astronaut or cosmonaut that that happened to." Mr. Hadfield said he has already discussed such a possibility with the other crew members.

 

Daily activities will be packed with work duties, focused on maintaining the station and running about 130 scientific experiments, including five from Canada. Mr. Hadfield will be drawing samples of his own blood and taking ultrasound heart measurements of the other crew members as part of a Canadian study investigating the effects of weightlessness on the cardiovascular system. "I want to get as much science done as possible," he said.

 

Every day in orbit, each member of the crew must exercise for two hours to prevent bone and muscle loss in the weightless environment of space.

 

With station housekeeping duties, minding the science experiments and daily exercise, there are not a lot of free moments.

 

Even for his limited amount of leisure time, Mr. Hadfield plans a busy schedule.

 

"This experience is way too rich to keep to myself," Mr. Hadfield said. "I am planning to record and share this experience as many ways as I can. Take pictures, write music, write e-mails, use the phone on board, call people that I know, talk to the media, but also send a [tweet] as often as I can. I think as many people should see what is going on as humanly possible." (His Twitter address is @Cmdr_Hadfield)

 

"My hobby is music," noted Mr. Hadfield, who plays the guitar. For this mission, he has composed a song with Ed Robertson, a singer and guitarist in the Barenaked Ladies. While in space, Mr. Hadfield will record his part. "It's a very catchy tune," he said. "I hope people will like it."

 

And should Mr. Hadfield feel the least bit homesick during his five months in space, he has brought along tubes of maple syrup to provide a flavourful reminder of home.

 

Austrian Space Forum plans Mars mission simulation in Morocco

 

Xinhua News Service

 

A one-month Mars simulation is planned to be carried out in the Moroccan desert in February 2013, the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) said in Innsbruck Tuesday.

 

The mission will be the largest, most elaborate Mars simulation of the year with 17 experiments to be carried out, the OeWF board said, adding that they were collaborating with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).

 

OeWF CEO Gernot Groemer said the simulation known as "MARS 2013" would be controlled from Innsbruck in western Austria, and would involve among other things the testing of two space suits and four Mars rovers.

 

"The Mars analog field test will contribute to the preparations for a manned expedition to Mars in 20 to 30 years," said Groemer, according to an APA report.

 

Three "astronauts" will carry out tasks in the space suits as they later would on a Mars mission, such as taking rock samples.

 

Medical data will also be collected during the simulation, which will be added to a database being created by the Innsbruck Medical University to be used in future for emergency medical missions on Mars.

 

"We will measure the environmental conditions in the suits and measure amongst other things the blood pressure and ECG (electrocardiogram) of the astronauts," said Thomas Luger of the Innsbruck Medical University.

 

MEANWHILE IN MILITARY SPACE NEWS...

 

Military spaceplane launched

 

William Harwood - CBS News

 

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Tuesday, boosting an unmanned military spaceplane into orbit for the program's third classified mission.

 

Despite an initially gloomy forecast calling for a 70 percent chance of bad weather, conditions were well within acceptable limits as the countdown ticked toward zero and the rocket's Russian-designed RD-180 first-stage engine roared to life on time at 1:03 p.m. EST (GMT-5).

 

The weight and requirements of the X-37B spaceplane did not require the use of strap-on solid-fuel boosters and as a result, the Atlas 5's climb out from Space Launch Complex 41 appeared relatively sedate. But the rocket quickly accelerated as it consumed propellant and shed weight, disappearing from view to the east a few minutes after liftoff.

 

United Launch Alliance mission control commentary ended a few moments after shutdown of the Centaur second stage engine, before the 29-foot-long winged orbiter was released to fly on its own.

 

The unmanned X-37B, one of two Orbital Test Vehicles, or OTVs, is equipped with its own maneuvering engines, a small payload bay and a solar power boom. Like the now-retired space shuttle, the OTV uses ceramic tiles to protect the craft from the intense heat of re-entry.

 

While no details were provided, United Launch Alliance said the ascent was successful.

 

"A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket successfully launched the third Orbital Test Vehicle for the Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office at 1:03 p.m. EST," the company said. "The OTV, also known as the X-37B, supports space experimentation, risk reduction and concept of operations development for long duration and reusable space vehicle technologies."

 

NASA developed the original idea of a small unmanned orbiter, which was built by Boeing Corp.'s Phantom Works division. But the program was turned over to the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, in 2004.

 

The Air Force then took over in 2006. The first X-37B, the same one launched Tuesday, took off on the program's initial orbital test flight April 22, 2010. The spacecraft spent nearly 225 days in orbit before gliding to a computer-controlled touchdown at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

 

A second X-37B was launched on March 5, 2011. It spent 469 days in space, landing June 16, 2012, at Vandenberg.

 

"We couldn't be more pleased with the strides we've made in this program and the success of the X-37B vehicle on the first two flights," Richard McKinney, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space, said in a statement after Tuesday's launching.

 

"However, it is important to keep in mind that this is an experimental vehicle and a third mission is still relatively young for a test program. This is the first re-flight of a vehicle so that is certainly a key objective for us. We have only just begun what is a very systematic checkout of the system."

 

The unmanned orbiter is based on the same lifting body design used for the space shuttle and flies a similar re-entry trajectory. But the X-37B features more lightweight composite materials, improved wing insulation and tougher heat-shield tiles that "are significantly more durable than the first generation tiles used by the space shuttle," according to a Boeing website description. "All avionics on the X-37B are designed to automate all de-orbit and landing functions."

 

The X-37B features a scaled-down 4-foot by 7-foot payload bay. But unlike NASA's manned orbiter, which relied on fuel cells for electrical power, the Air Force spaceplane is equipped with a deployable solar array that permits it to remain in orbit for long-duration missions.

 

But exactly what the X-37B does in orbit is a mystery.

 

"As with many other advanced technology test programs, some details of the mission and test requirements are classified or sensitive," an Air Force spokeswoman told SpaceflightNow.com. "The focus of the program remains on vehicle capabilities and proving the utility and cost effectiveness of a reusable spacecraft.

 

"One of the most promising aspects of the X-37B OTV is it enables us to examine a payload system or technology in the environment in which it will perform its mission and inspect them when we bring them back to Earth."

 

Getting the hardware back for detailed analysis enables "significantly better learning than can be achieved by remote telemetry alone," she said. "Experiments can then be modified and reflown, allowing us to mature technology faster."

 

The first two X-37B missions ended at Vandenberg, but officials did not rule out the possibility that the third mission might end on the Kennedy Space Center's 3-mile-long shuttle runway.

 

"We're seeking to leverage previous space shuttle investments and are investigating the possibility of using the former shuttle infrastructure for X-37B OTV landing operations, potentially as early as for the landing of OTV 3," the Air Force spokeswoman said. "Those investigations are in an early state, and any specifics will not be known for some time."

 

Air Force sends mystery mini-shuttle back to space

 

Marcia Dunn - Associated Press

 

The military's small, top-secret version of the space shuttle rocketed into orbit Tuesday for a repeat mystery mission, two years after making the first flight of its kind.

 

The Air Force launched the unmanned spacecraft Tuesday hidden on top of an Atlas V rocket. As if on cue, clouds quickly swallowed up the rocket as it disappeared out over the ocean.

 

It is the second flight for this original X-37B spaceplane. The craft circled the planet for seven months in 2010. A second X-37B spacecraft spent more than a year in orbit.

 

These high-tech mystery machines — 29 feet long — are about one-quarter the size of NASA's old space shuttles and can land automatically on a runway. The two previous touchdowns occurred in Southern California; this one might end on NASA's three-mile-long runway once reserved for the space agency's shuttles.

 

The military isn't saying much if anything about this new secret mission known as OTV-3, or Orbital Test Vehicle, flight No. 3. In fact, launch commentary ended 17 minutes into the flight and a news blackout followed.

 

But one scientific observer, Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, speculates the spaceplane is carrying sensors designed for spying and likely is serving as a testbed for future satellites. He dismisses rumors of "exotic ideas" for the X-37B as weaponry or shadowing a Chinese satellite.

 

While acknowledging he does not know what the spaceplane is carrying, McDowell said on-board sensors could be capable of imaging or intercepting transmissions of electronic emissions from terrorist training sites in Afghanistan or other hot spots. "All the sorts of things that spy satellites generally do," he said.

 

The beauty of a reusable spaceplane is that it can be launched on short notice based on need, McDowell said.

 

What's important about this flight is that it is the first reflight.

 

"That is pretty cool," McDowell said, "reusing your spacecraft after a runway landing. That's something that has only really been done with the shuttle."

 

Now retired museum pieces, NASA's space shuttles stretch 122 feet long, and have 78-foot wingspans and weights of more than 170,000 pounds. They were launched, from 1981 to 2011, with two strap-on booster rockets and an external fuel tank feeding three main engines. The X-37B wingspan is 15 feet, and the 11,000-pound, Boeing-built vessel requires the United Launch Alliance's hefty Atlas V for hoisting. It is solar powered.

 

The two previous secret X-37B flights were in 200-plus-mile-high orbits, circling at roughly 40-degree angles to the equator, as calculated by amateur satellite trackers. That means the craft flew over the swatch between 40 degrees or so north latitude and 40 degrees or so south latitude.

 

That puts Russia's far north out of the spaceplane's observing realm, McDowell noted.

 

"It might be studying Middle Eastern latitudes or it might just be being used for sensor tests over the United States," he said.

 

McDowell speculates that this newest flight will follow suit.

 

The International Space Station, by comparison, orbits about 250 miles high but at a much steeper 51.6-degree inclination, or angle to the equator, that covers more territory.

 

The X-37B program, which dates back to 1999, is operated by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and geared toward space experimentation.

 

Some scientists — like Laura Grego of the Union of Concerned Scientists — argue the Air Force could accomplish the same objectives by using cheaper, more efficient spacecraft that either burn up on entry or parachute down.

 

"The ability to return to Earth carries a high price," Grego said in a statement.

 

Top-secret X-37B mini-shuttle returns to orbit

Air Force's X-37B begins mystery mission

 

Todd Halvorson – Florida Today

 

The U.S. military's mysterious mini-­shuttle is off on another top-secret sojourn today after launching Tuesday aboard a powerful Atlas V rocket.

 

Mounted nose-up on the 19-story United Launch Alliance rocket, the unmanned X-37B spacecraft blasted off as scheduled at 1:03 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

 

The exact nature of the ongoing X-37B mission is classified. A public information blackout was put in place 17 minutes and 34 seconds after launch.

 

Officials with the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, which operates a two-ship X-37B fleet, say the spacecraft are technology demonstrators. But others have speculated the mini-shuttles could be anything from satellite killers to a testbed for satellite sensors or even a space bomber.

 

Brian Weeden, technical adviser to Secure World Foundation, which promotes peaceful uses of outer space, said the primary mission might be to test advanced radar, hyperspectral or infrared sensors.

 

"Now it is possible that the X-37B could be using whatever sensors it carries to try to collect intelligence on other satellites," said Weeden, a former Air Force officer with experience in space and ballistic missile operations.

 

"But it could be that the X-37B is testing out new sensors, or more advanced sensors than just visible, optical sensors," he said.

 

The public information blackout probably will remain in place until the spacecraft is ready for an autonomous atmospheric re-entry and landing. The landing date is now classified, and likely TBD.

 

The first two X-37B flights culminated at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. But Air Force officials say the ongoing mission might conclude with a landing on the three-mile shuttle runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

 

The Air Force also is thinking about consolidating X-37B launch, landing and turn-around operations on Florida's Space Coast.

 

Still no official word on that, but two former shuttle hangars are available for spacecraft processing operations.

 

The hangars would be more than adequate for the 29-foot-long, solar-powered mini-shuttles, which are equipped with two wings, two tailfins and a payload bay the size of a pick-up truck bed.

 

The launch Tuesday was the 10th and last this year for United Launch Alliance, a joint venture partnership of Boeing and Lockheed Martin that merges the Atlas V and Delta IV rocket families.

 

Eight of those launches took place at Cape Canaveral; two at Vandenberg.

 

Next up for ULA: the planned Jan. 29 launch of an Atlas V rocket with a NASA Tracking and Data Relay System (TDRS) satellite.

 

The spacecraft enable ground controllers to maintain near constant contact with crews aboard the International Space Station.

 

ULA Lofts Air Force X-37B Spaceplane in First Launch since Delta 4 Anomaly

 

Brian Berger - Space News

 

An unmanned military spaceplane was returned to orbit Dec. 11 atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5.

 

The launch of the U.S. Air Force's X-37B spaceplane was ULA's first flight since early October, when a performance issue with the upper stage of the company's Delta 4 rocket marred the otherwise successful launch of an Air Force GPS satellite. X-37B, a reusable spaceplane that resembles a miniature space shuttle, had been scheduled to launch Oct. 25.

 

Because the Atlas 5 uses a variant of the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL-10 engine that powers the Delta 4 upper stage, both vehicles were grounded while ULA and the Air Force investigated the Oct. 4 anomaly, which involved a fuel leak in the interior of the engine's thrust chamber.

 

ULA said Dec. 7 that although the investigation continues, the company had assured itself and the Air Force that Atlas 5 was not at risk of experiencing the same problem.

 

Liftoff occurred at 1:03 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. ULA and X-37 prime contractor Boeing announced about an hour later that the spaceplane had been successfully returned to orbit. The launch was ULA's 10th and final mission of 2012.

 

"The ULA team is proud to have played a critical role in successfully launching these three [X-37B] missions for the Air Force [Rapid Capabilities Office]," Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president of mission operations, said in a statement. "This is a unique spacecraft since it is the first to launch on an Atlas 5, return to Earth landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, then fly again on this mission."

 

The reusable X-37B spaceplane that returned to orbit Dec. 11 was first launched in April 2010 and returned to Earth that December. A second X-37B, dubbed Orbital Test Vehicle-2, launched in March 2011 and completed its 496-day classified mission in June.

 

ULA's next launch, an Atlas 5 launch from Florida of NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-K, is scheduled for Jan. 29. The next spacecraft slated to fly on a Delta 4 is the Wideband Global Satcom 5, a military communications satellite that will launch from Cape Canaveral. No date has been set for that mission, which had been scheduled for early 2013.

 

Atlas 5 serves as mini space shuttle's booster rocket

 

Justin Ray - SpaceflightNow.com

 

A miniature military space shuttle that circled the world for 224 days on a shakedown cruise in 2010 rocketed back into orbit Tuesday to demonstrate the reusability of the X-37B spaceplane.

 

Mounted atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 booster, the shuttle was tucked inside the voluminous nose cone and simply along for the ride as it left Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 on a flight whose objectives and duration are not public knowledge.

 

"As the X-37B program is examining the affordability and reusability of space vehicles, validation through testing is vital to the process. We are excited to see how this vehicle performs on a second flight," said Lt. Col. Tom McIntyre, X-37B program manager for the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office.

 

Standing 196 feet tall and weighing 757,380 pounds at launch, the Atlas 5 headed eastward off the pad at 1:03 p.m. EST (1803 GMT), exactly as planned despite a bleak weather forecast.

 

The dual-nozzle RD-180 main engine gulped kerosene fuel and liquid oxygen to generate nearly a million pounds of thrust that shook Florida's Space Coast during the mid-day departure.

 

Less than four minutes into the ascent, Atlas crossed the threshold to space and jettisoned its payload shroud to uncover the mysterious X-37B that had been hidden from sight throughout the entire pre-launch preparation process.

 

The first stage finished its burn four-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, separating away to reveal the RL10 engine on the Centaur upper stage. The launch had been delayed a-month-and-a-half to examine the low-thrust condition experienced by a similar powerplant of a Delta 4 rocket.

 

The Centaur appeared to function flawlessly, firing for 13 minutes to heave the winged cargo into the desired low-Earth-orbit around the planet, although the actual altitude target was kept quiet.

 

Just minutes later, the separated payload and bright rocket body, flying in formation, passed within view of a respected skywatcher in South Africa who spotted the newest objects orbiting Earth.

 

"What a fantastic sight!" Greg Roberts exclaimed. "Absolutely beautiful! Now people might understand why I am so daft and mad about satellites -- it is moments like this that make it so rewarding!"

 

Roberts and others correspond on the Internet about their hobby of tracking all sorts of satellites, keeping highly precise information about spacecraft orbits.

 

ULA and Air Force officials hailed Tuesday's launch as a success, beginning the third mission for the X-37B program and the second for this particular spaceplane that had flown the maiden voyage from April through December 2010.

 

"This mission will incorporate the lessons learned during the refurbishment process on OTV-1," McIntyre said.

 

A second vehicle spent 469 days in orbit from March 2011 until this past June.

 

"We couldn't be more pleased with the strides we've made in this program and the success of the X-37B vehicle on the first two flights," said Richard McKinney, deputy under secretary of the Air Force for space. "However, it is important to keep in mind that this is an experimental vehicle and a third mission is still relatively young for a test program. This is the first re-flight of a vehicle so that is certainly a key objective for us. We have only just begun what is a very systematic checkout of the system."

 

One-quarter the size of NASA's now-retired space shuttle, the unmanned X-37B conducts its mission and then autonomously returns to Earth, braking from orbit, plunging through the atmosphere and gliding to a pinpoint touchdown on a conventional runway to be refurbished and reused.

 

It harkens back to the civilian space shuttle era, taking payloads up and down, and flying the same orbital trucks over and over again.

 

"The second mission for OTV-1 demonstrates the vehicle is capable of multiple missions and affordable access to space," said Paul Rusnock, vice president of Boeing Government Space Systems.

 

While the first two X-37B missions touched down at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Air Force acknowledges it is looking at the potential of landing this latest flight at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

 

"We're seeking to leverage previous space shuttle investments and are investigating the possibility of using the former shuttle infrastructure for X-37B OTV landing operations, potentially as early as for the landing of OTV 3. Those investigations are in an early state, and any specifics will not be known for some time," the spokesperson said this autumn.

 

That infrastructure includes the former space shuttle hangars, known as Orbiter Processing Facility bays, where the ships underwent post-flight deservicing and were readied for the next mission. Boeing has taken OPF bay 3 for use in preparing its commercial crew capsules for launches, but the interconnected OPF bays 1 and 2 are available for a customer like the Air Force.

 

KSC has a three-mile-long concrete landing strip where space shuttles landed for three decades. It is the same length as the Vandenberg runway that X-37B has used.

 

When this spaceplane will be coming back, however, is not known.

 

"As with many other advanced technology test programs, some details of the mission and test requirements are classified or sensitive. The focus of the program remains on vehicle capabilities and proving the utility and cost effectiveness of a reusable spacecraft," an Air Force spokesperson says about the X-37B flights.

 

"One of the most promising aspects of the X-37B OTV is it enables us to examine a payload system or technology in the environment in which it will perform its mission and inspect them when we bring them back to Earth. Returning an experiment via the X-37B OTV enables detailed inspection and significantly better learning than can be achieved by remote telemetry alone. Experiments can then be modified and reflown, allowing us to mature technology faster," the Pentagon spokesperson added.

 

X-37B features a pickup truck-size cargo bay, seven feet long and four feet wide, that could be filled with equipment being exposed to the harsh environment of space for proof testing or could contain experimental instruments intended for use by future military and reconnaissance satellites. The craft's unique capability to drop from orbit and land on a runway allows technicians to get their hands on the hardware after it spent more than a year in space.

 

Wild speculation about the spaceplanes and their missions has ranged from secret flyby surveillance of China's orbital station to the weaponization of space. But the Air Force stresses that the X-37B is a test bed to carry experiments into space.

 

"We want to be able to put an object up into space, materials and technology and so forth, test them out, bring them back and examine them," McKinney has said previously. "That's what it is, pure and simple."

 

Built by Boeing's Phantom Works division, the spaceplane is 29 feet long with a wing span of 15 feet, made of light-weight composite structures instead of aluminum and shielded with improved leading-edge ceramic insulation panels on its wings and tougher silica tiles affixed to its belly that are designed to be more durable than first-generation tiles used on the space shuttle. It can weigh up to 11,000 pounds fueled for launch. The in-space design life is 270 days, but good performance on this past mission enabled ground controllers to keep it aloft significantly longer.

 

"The X-37B OTV is designed for an on-orbit duration of approximately 9 months," said McIntyre. "As with previous missions, actual duration will depend on the execution of test objectives, on-orbit vehicle performance and conditions at the landing site."

 

Unlike the space shuttles that used cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen reactants to generate electricity through onboard fuel cells, limiting the mission lengths by the amount of consumables that could be carried, the OTV is powered by a deployable solar array. The longest shuttle flight was 18 days.

 

The cost of the OTV program is classified.

 

END