Keep the shuttle flying: Fwd: Human Spaceflight News

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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: February 1, 2013 7:34:48 AM GMT-06:00
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: Human Spaceflight News - February 1, 2013 and JSC Today

Happy Friday everyone.   Have a grea weekend.

Mark your calendars to join us next Thursday at Hibachi Grill on Bay Area Blvd for our monthly NASA retirees Luncheon a 11:30.

Friday, February 1, 2013

JSC TODAY HEADLINES
1.            Mark Your Calendar for the All Hands on Feb. 6
2.            Jesco von Puttkamer Memorial
3.            January 2013 Tech Briefs Published More JSC Technologies
4.            WSTF Remote Access/VPN Service Outage - Feb. 2
5.            Are You a Networking Newbie? Never Fear -- the JSC NMA Can Help
6.            Starport February Special -- Yoga, Pilates and Massage
7.            Time to Renew Your Gilruth Center Fitness Membership
8.            2013 Career and Education Day at the GRB Convention Center
9.            AIAA Honors and Awards Nominations -- Deadline Today, Feb. 1
10.          Call For Abstracts: 2013 AIAA Houston Section Annual Technical Symposium
11.          Applications Being Accepted for Scholarship
12.          Electronic Manufacturing Facility (EMF) Customer Forum
13.          ISS Program Documents -- SSP Document Master List Available
14.          The JSC Safety Action Team (JSAT) Says ...
15.          Eating Disorders Awareness and Interventions Presentation
16.          Russian Phase One Language Course -- For Beginners
17.          RLLS Translation Request WebEx Training: Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. and Feb. 7 at 10 a.m.
18.          Situational Awareness Class: April 30 to May 2 - Building 20, Room 205/206
________________________________________     QUOTE OF THE DAY
" Joy is not in things; it is in us. "

-- Richard Wagner
________________________________________
1.            Mark Your Calendar for the All Hands on Feb. 6
JSC Director Ellen Ochoa, together with JSC Deputy Director Steve Altemus, will hold an all-hands event for JSC team members from 9 to 10:30 AM on Wednesday, Feb. 6, in the Building 2S Teague Auditorium.
Those unable to attend are encouraged to view the broadcast live on RF Channel 2 or Omni Channel 45. JSC team members with wired computer network connections can view the event using onsite IPTV on General Channel 402 - "JSC Events."
The event will also be recorded for playback the following Thursday, Feb. 7, and Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 10 AM and 2 PM.
Those interested in sending questions for Ochoa and Altemus to address during the All Hands may send their inquiries directly to the JSC-Ask-the-Director email box in the Global Address Book.
All JSC team members are invited to attend.
Event Date: Wednesday, February 6, 2013   Event Start Time:9:00 AM   Event End Time:10:30 AM
Event Location: Teague Auditorium

Add to Calendar

JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111

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2.            Jesco von Puttkamer Memorial
On Monday, Feb. 4, at 10:30 a.m. in the NASA Headquarters Auditorium, a memorial will be held to honor the life and career of Jesco von Puttkamer. His career began with the Apollo program, and his most recent assignment was documenting in-orbit activities of the International Space Station in the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
JSC team members who wish to view the broadcast live from NASA Headquarters may do so on RF Channel 2 or Omni Channel 45. Those with wired computer network connections can view the event using onsite IPTV on General Channel 402 - "JSC Events."
Von Puttkamer was an expert on the Russian space program, and he was instrumental in advancing U.S. and Russian cooperation in human spaceflight. His personal relationships in Russia allowed him to bring both communities together in dialogue and activities. He also received numerous awards during his 50 years at NASA. Among those honors was NASA's prestigious Exceptional Service Medal in 2004. In 2007, he received a NASA Honor Award for successful initiatives of advancing American-Russian cooperation in spaceflight. He authored more than a dozen books on spaceflight as well as many science fiction novels.
Joshua Buck 202-358-1000

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3.            January 2013 Tech Briefs Published More JSC Technologies
Five new innovative technologies from JSC have been recognized in the January 2013 issue of NASA Tech Briefs.
NASA Tech Briefs magazine introduces details about new innovations and technologies that stem from advanced research and technology programs conducted by NASA and its industry partners/contractors.
The January JSC briefs include: Ultra-Compact Transputer-Based Controller for High-Level, Multi-Axis Coordination; Artificial Intelligence Software for Assessing Postural Stability; Advanced Materials and Manufacturing for Low-Cost, High-Performance Liquid Rocket Combustion Chambers; Sheet Membrane Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporator; and Basic Operational Robotics Instructional System.
To read and learn more about these JSC innovations and the inventors, please go to the following Strategic Opportunities & Partnership Development Office website.
To review all of the current NASA Tech Briefs, click here.
Holly Kurth x32951

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4.            WSTF Remote Access/VPN Service Outage - Feb. 2
The White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) Remote Access/VPN system will undergo maintenance on Saturday, Feb. 2, from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. (MST). This outage will only affect WSTF team members. The WSTF VPN service (https://vpn.wstf.jsc.nasa.gov) will be unavailable while being upgraded to new equipment. Although the WSTF VPN will be unavailable, the JSC VPN (https://vpn.jsc.nasa.gov) service will be available as an alternate means of remote access to WSTFNet resources.
We apologize for the inconvenience and are working diligently to improve your VPN experience.
For questions regarding this activity, please contact Jim Krupovage - jim.krupovage@nasa.gov
JSC IRD Outreach x41334 http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/default.aspx

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5.            Are You a Networking Newbie? Never Fear -- the JSC NMA Can Help
Ever feel like a lost little lamb at networking events or mixers? Take the first step to successfully navigating a mixer by joining the JSC National Management Association (NMA) chapter luncheon presentation on "The 10 Commandments of Networking a Mixer" with guest speaker Bertrand N. McHenry.
McHenry, a self-described "ninja referral strategist," will teach attendees how to use mixers to their ultimate advantage in the business environment.
When: Tuesday, Feb. 5
Time: 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Location: Gilruth Alamo Ballroom
Cost for members: $0
Cost for non-members: $20
You have until NOON TODAY to let us know if you're coming and your menu choice. RSVP here. For RSVP technical assistance, please contact Amy Kitchen via email or at x35569.
There are three great menu options to choose from:
- Tortellini and Roasted Portobello in a Blush Sauce
- Pastrami Style Salmon
- Turkey Scaloppine and Bruschetta Topping
Desserts: Italian cream cake or double chocolate mousse cake
Catherine E. Williams x33317 http://www.jscnma.com/Events/

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6.            Starport February Special -- Yoga, Pilates and Massage
Starport's brand-new yoga, pilates and massage website is now online:
http://www.InnerSpaceClearLake.com
To mark this occasion, Starport has created the following discounts and promotions ONLY for February.
The Inner Space will have FREE PROMOTIONAL CLASSES!
o             Sunday, Feb. 10, through Friday, Feb. 15
Come try out a free class and purchase a package with Inner Space - Yoga/Pilates Packages:
o             Purchase of a 12-week package comes with $30 off a massage (60 or 90 minutes)
o             Purchase of a six-week package comes with $15 off a massage (60 or 90 minutes)
o             Purchase of a four-week package comes with $10 off a massage (60 or 90 minutes)
These promotions and discounts are only for the month of February, so don't delay! Hurry over to the Gilruth TODAY.
Steve Schade x30304 http://www.innerspaceclearlake.com

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7.            Time to Renew Your Gilruth Center Fitness Membership
With the new year comes renewals for fitness memberships at the Gilruth Center. If you received a free membership as a NASA civil servant or contract employee working for a company that is a Starport Partner, you must renew your membership each January. Current memberships will expire at the end of January, so don't be left with an expired badge or trying to renew at the last minute.
If you do not have a fitness membership at the Gilruth Center, now is a great time to join! NASA civil servants and Starport Partner contractors are eligible to receive access to our state-of-the-art strength and cardio center, basketball gym and group fitness classes at no cost. We also offer sports leagues, personal training, recreation classes and much more at nominal fees. Visit our website for information on renewing or joining for the first time.
Shelly Haralson x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/

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8.            2013 Career and Education Day at the GRB Convention Center
The 27th Annual Career and Education Day is Saturday, Feb. 9, from 8 AM to 3 PM at the George R. Brown (GRB) Convention Center. JSC hosts a booth at the event where JSC folks interact with students from ALL backgrounds about NASA careers and the great work that NASA performs.
The JSC Hispanic Employee Resource Group is inviting ALL JSC team members to participate in this event, which is one of the largest of its kind with over 20,000 students (grades 6-12) and parents participating. This is a FREE event for everyone! So, please share with family and friends the Career and Education Day flyer.
If you are interested in volunteering your time in one-hour shifts, please contact Mike Ruiz.
Event Date: Saturday, February 9, 2013   Event Start Time:8:00 AM   Event End Time:3:00 PM
Event Location: George R Brown Convention Center

Add to Calendar

Baraquiel Reyna x46297

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9.            AIAA Honors and Awards Nominations -- Deadline Today, Feb. 1
The following awards have a nomination deadline of TODAY, Feb. 1:
o             Daniel Guggenheim Medal
o             Aerospace Guidance, Navigation and Control Award
o             Aerospace Power Systems Award
o             Aircraft Design Award
o             de Florez Award for Flight Simulation
o             Energy Systems Award
o             F. E. Newbold V/STOL Award
o             George M. Low Space Transportation Award
o             Haley Space Flight Award
o             Hap Arnold Award for Excellence in Aeronautical Program Management
o             Hypersonic Systems and Technologies
o             Mechanics & Control of Flight Award
o             Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Award
o             Otto C. Winzen Lifetime Achievement Award
o             Piper General Aviation Award
o             Space Operations & Support Award
o             Space Science Award
o             Space Systems Award
o             von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management
For detailed award information and nomination forms, please visit the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) website or contact me at: honors2012@aiaahouston.org
Jennifer Wells 281-336-6302

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10.          Call For Abstracts: 2013 AIAA Houston Section Annual Technical Symposium
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Houston Section is now soliciting abstracts for the 2013 Annual Technical Symposium (ATS)! The ATS is a great opportunity to present research on a wide variety of aerospace topics.
Sixteen topics are listed for ATS 2013. Please visit the AIAA Houston website for details. All abstracts will be published, and no paper is required. Please note that ALL abstracts, posters and presentations must be cleared by individual authors for export compliance.
ATS registration is a separate process from the abstract submission process.
Abstracts are due Monday, April 29, and authors will be notified of abstract acceptance on Monday, May 6.
Please submit abstracts with short author biographies electronically at the AIAA Houston Section website. For more information, contact ATS General Chair Ellen Gillespie.
Additional information about this year's ATS can be found by visiting the event page.
Ryan Miller 281-226-4430 http://www.aiaahouston.org/2013-annual-technical-symposium/

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11.          Applications Being Accepted for Scholarship
The NASA College Scholarship Program will award multiple scholarships agencywide to qualified dependents of NASA civil servant employees. The scholarship recipients must pursue a course of study leading to an undergraduate degree in science or engineering from an accredited college or university in the United States. Applications are available online here.
The application deadline is March 31.
Amanda Gaspard x31387

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12.          Electronic Manufacturing Facility (EMF) Customer Forum
The Engineering Directorate's Electronic Manufacturing Facility (EMF) recently established in Building 29 provides JSC electronic manufacturing services in support of flight and non-flight projects/programs across the Center. Starting Thursday, February 7th, the EMF will be conducting a monthly Customer Forum meeting with the meeting occurring on the first Thursday of every month. Please join us if you currently have work (or plan to have work) in the EMF.
This meeting will be supported by the EMF Lab Manager and the NASA Branch Manager and is intended to facilitate general discussion regarding working with the Electronic Manufacturing Facility. As we transition to a new model for funding work in the EMF, we are also prepared to discuss processes and funding topics.
Event Date: Thursday, February 7, 2013   Event Start Time:1:00 PM   Event End Time:2:00 PM
Event Location: Building 16 Room 253

Add to Calendar

Darilyn Peddie 281-483-8279

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13.          ISS Program Documents -- SSP Document Master List Available
An SSP Document Master List is now available from the ISS home page (databases and libraries) and from the ISS CM home page (applications/databases). The spreadsheet includes links to view the most current version of an SSP document that has been program approved and released in the Electronic Document Management System (EDMS).
Access to the EDMS application is required to view documents. (Some documents are restricted and require the document owner's approval for access.) Users can also enter EDMS and search for documents.
For assistance locating ISS data, contact the JSC ISS DMI data help desk.
Desiree M. Thompson@nasa.gov x36722

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14.          The JSC Safety Action Team (JSAT) Says ...
"Report a close call. Prevent someone else's fall!"
Congratulations to February 2013 "JSAT Says ..." winner Sharon Kemp, Barrios Technology. Any JSAT member (all JSC contractor and civil servant employees) may submit a slogan for consideration to JSAT Secretary Reese Squires. Submissions for March are due by Friday, Feb. 8. Keep those great submissions coming -- you may be the next "JSAT Says ..." winner!
Reese Squires x37776 \\jsc-ia-na01b\JIMMS_Share\Share\JSAT\JSAT Says\JSAT Says 02-2013.pptx

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15.          Eating Disorders Awareness and Interventions Presentation
In observance of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, please join Takis Bogdanos, MA, LPC-S, CGP, of the JSC Employee Assistance Program, on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 12 noon in the Building 30 Auditorium as he presents an overview on eating disorders, prevalence, latest treatments, support, and the steps to take to get help for a person who is afflicted by one.
Event Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2013   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:1:00 PM
Event Location: Building 30 Auditorium

Add to Calendar

Lorrie Bennett x36130

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16.          Russian Phase One Language Course -- For Beginners
Russian Phase One is an introductory course designed to acquaint the novice student with certain elementary aspects of the Russian language and provide a brief outline of Russian history and culture. Our goal is to introduce students to skills and strategies necessary for successful foreign language study that they can apply immediately in the classroom. The linguistic component of this class consists of learning the Cyrillic alphabet and a very limited number of simple words and phrases, which will serve as a foundation for further language study.
Who: All JSC-badged civil servants and contractors with a work-related justification
Dates: Feb. 25 to March 22
When: Monday through Friday, 9:15 to 10:15 AM or 4 to 5 PM.
Where: Building 12, Room 158A
Please register through SATERN. The registration deadline is Feb. 19.
Natalia Rostova 281-851-3745

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17.          RLLS Translation Request WebEx Training: Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. and Feb. 7 at 10 a.m.
TechTrans International (TTI) will provide a 30-minute Translation Request WebEx training on Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. and Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. for the RLLS portal Translation support request module. This training will include the following elements:
•         Locating Translation support request module
•         Quick view of Translation support request
•         Create a new Translation support request
•         Translation submittal requirements
•         Adding an attachment and reference documents
•         Selecting document restrictions (export control, PII, confidential)
•         Adding additional email addresses distribution notices
•        Submitting Translation request
•         Status of Translation request records
•         View a Translation request record
•         Searching for documents in the archive
•         Contact RLLS support for additional help
Please send an email to James.E.Welty@nasa.gov or call 281-335-8565 to sign up for these RLLS Translation Support WebEx Training courses. Classes will be limited to the first 20 individuals registered.
James Welty 281-335-8565 https://www.tti-portal.com

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18.          Situational Awareness Class: April 30 to May 2 - Building 20, Room 205/206
NASA is involved in operations where there is always a potential for human error and undesirable outcomes. As part of a team, how we communicate, process information and react in various situations determines our level of success. In our efforts, we often run into glitches and the potential for human error. Situational Awareness is a course that addresses these issues. It involves combining our awareness of what's going on in the operations environment, a knowledge of system failure design criteria and an understanding of expected outcomes from system failures to avoid hazardous situations and develop safe responses to unsafe conditions that may realistically be expected to arise. This course instructs students in the basic tenets and practices of situational awareness and how they apply to hazardous operations in NASA to promote the best proactive safety techniques in practice. Two-and-a-half days. SATERN Registration Required. (Contractors: Update Profile.) https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...
Polly Caison x41279

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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.

NASA TV: 9 am Central (10 EST) – Kennedy Space Center's Day of Remembrance Ceremony

Human Spaceflight News
Friday – February 1, 2013

"Hail Columbia" & crew (in memory 10 years ago today)

HEADLINES AND LEADS

NASA makes progress on Shuttle successor; Orion will return Americans to space

Alex Sanz - WPTV TV (West Palm Beach)

Small steps being taken at the Kennedy Space Center have positioned NASA for another major milestone with measurable progress being made to return Americans to space. "We are moving forward. We have direction from the President. We have direction from Congress. And, we are executing the plan," Bob Cabana, Kennedy Space Center director, told reporters on Wednesday.

Bigelow's Fares Show SpaceX Trumps Boeing on Price

Irene Klotz - Space News

Visitors to Bigelow Aerospace's planned orbital outpost can save more than $10 million by choosing to fly aboard a Space Exploration Technologies' (SpaceX) Dragon capsule instead of a Boeing CST-100 space taxi, a price difference that may foreshadow what NASA would be charged to fly astronauts to the international space station by the commercial providers. Both companies' capsules are being developed under NASA's Commercial Crew Development program, which is aimed at finding a U.S. alternative to flying astronauts on Russian Soyuz spacecraft, a service that costs about $63 million per person and which currently is the only transportation to the station available since the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011.

NASA returns to origins for manned flights

Karen Smith Welch - Amarillo Globe-News

NASA finds itself at the manned space flight drawing board again, a former astronaut from Amarillo said. "We're back where we were at the beginning of the Apollo program," said Paul Lockhart, who left the NASA program after the 2003 space shuttle Columbia tragedy and now works for a Washington, D.C.-area private contractor for the agency. Although NASA has put its resources behind a new Orion crew capsule, the future of manned space flight lacks definition, Lockhart said.

What's happening on the space station?

Zaina Adamu - CNN

High above us, beyond the skies, is the International Space Station, which weighs nearly 1 million pounds and has a wingspan the length of a football field. It has nine rooms, two bathrooms, two kitchens and two mini-gyms, and it is the largest spacecraft orbiting the Earth. NASA announced this week that an instrument called ISS-RapidScat will be launched to the station in 2014 to improve weather forecasts, by doing things like monitoring hurricanes. It will also help scientists explore the Earth's global wind field; tropical clouds and tropical systems are affected by wind variations caused by the sun.

SpaceX CEO extends help to Boeing on battery issue

Deepa Seetharaman - Reuters

Elon Musk has long considered Tesla Motors Inc the bold, nimble answer to the auto industry's cautious culture. Now the electric car maker's top executive has extended his help to another industrial giant: Boeing Co. In a Jan. 26 message on Twitter, Musk said he was in talks with the chief engineer of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner plane, which regulators have grounded indefinitely after a string of malfunctions ranging from fuel leaks to battery meltdowns. "Desire to help Boeing is real & am corresponding w 787 chief engineer," Musk wrote on the social media website. Musk, who is also the CEO of space transport company SpaceX, told Reuters in an email late on Monday that SpaceX battery packs could be helpful for Boeing.

Anderson hangs up space suit

Suzi Nelson - Ashland Gazette

Clay Anderson has been to space and back twice. How do you top that? The Ashland native will attempt to answer that as he enters a new phase of his life. On Thursday, he will retire after 30 years working at NASA – 15 as an engineer and 15 as an astronaut – a milestone he recently saw in a new way. "Symmetry is kinda cool," he posted on his Twitter account last week. Anderson has been contemplating his future at NASA since he last flew in space three years ago. The retirement of the shuttle program in 2011 downsized the astronaut program, which also forced Anderson to think about his future at NASA. Back then, he had a feeling he would not be returning to space.

Skylab astronauts tell tales of America's first space station

Lee Roop - Huntsville Times

Eight surviving astronauts from Skylab - America's first space station - helped dedicate a new exhibit to the 40-year-old orbiting laboratory in Huntsville Thursday night with stories of NASA's glory days, when can-do improvisation became the space agency's calling card. A full-sized mockup of Skylab, built from a Saturn V third stage just like the original to train mission control operators, became a permanent exhibit this week at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center here. It is housed in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration under one of the nation's last remaining Saturn V's.

Celebrating 40 Years Since Launch of America's First Space Station

WHNT TV (Huntsville)

It's been 40 years since nine men bravely chose to live aboard Skylab, the United States' first space station. Thursday, astronauts Paul Weitz, Joseph Kerwin, Alan Bean, Jack Lousma, Own Garriott, Gerald Carr, William Pogue, and Edward Gibson returned to Huntsville, where the project was first conceptualized by Wernher Von Braun.

Book Review
'Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA's Record-Setting Frequent Flyer'

Jason Rhian - AmericaSpace.org

One would think that reading about the adventures of astronauts would never get repetitive. This, however, is not true. There are a lot of similarities that these brave men and women share, and sometimes this is reflected in their accounts. Therefore, when AmericaSpace read Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA's Record-Setting Frequent Flyer by the most-flown astronaut in NASA history, Jerry Ross, we were pleasantly surprised to see that it was a fresh look at the life of an astronaut. Ross penned the piece along with author John Norberg for the Purdue University Press. In it, Ross details the experiences that guided him on the path to becoming an astronaut. This book is unique in that his wife, Karen, as well as their children, Scott and Amy, share their experiences as well. AmericaSpace had the good fortune of sitting down with Ross and discussing both his new book and his experiences as an astronaut. Ross shared his reflections on his accomplishments, as well as his thoughts on NASA's current efforts.

NASA's mission is not safety

Rand Simberg - USA Today (Commentary)

(Simberg, a consultant in commercial space business and technology, is an adjunct scholar at the Competitive Enterprise Institute)

It has been a century since the Panama Canal was completed. It was the greatest transportation project of its time, made possible only by new technologies such as dynamite. After Americans took over its construction, more than 5,000 died building the canal. That's more fatalities than we had in the Iraq War. Why was the project deemed worthy of expending so many lives? It is not because we didn't value them. Casualties under American leadership of the project were a fraction of the deaths in previous efforts. It is because monumental achievements are at the edge of our human abilities and our best technologies. Nevertheless, such efforts are worth the cost.

Is U.S. space program on track?

Paul Owens - Orlando Sentinel (Editorial)

The 10-year anniversary of the loss of the space shuttle Columbia is a time to remember and honor its seven heroes. It's also an occasion to ponder the future of the U.S. space program. Shuttles went back to flying in 2005, but were grounded for good in 2011 — the year after Congress and President Obama canceled NASA's next manned program, Constellation. They agreed that the agency would develop a new rocket for destinations beyond low Earth orbit, but its first test launch isn't scheduled until 2017. Meanwhile, lawmakers and the White House also decided that NASA would turn over to the private sector the job of flying cargo, and eventually people, to the International Space Station.

Learning from tragedies, NASA will meet challenges

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson - Orlando Sentinel (Opinion)

(Nelson, the senior U.S. senator from Florida, flew as a Payload Specialist on Columbia's STS-61C mission in January 1986)

Ten years ago, the space shuttle Columbia broke up over the Southern United States. As we remember the astronauts who died, let us reaffirm our commitment to the nation's tradition of exploration. In preparing for the unknown, we push the limits of our imagination. We solve problems never faced before. We explore destinations never seen before. We advance science and technology. We grow our economy. We have a better understanding of our universe and our place in it.

Agency must regain edge to explore celestial frontier

U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher - Orlando Sentinel (Opinion)

(Rohrabacher, R-Calif., is the vice chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology)

NASA's most important mission is exploring the solar system. Near-term human exploration missions are possible, and they should start soon. Yet our current plan seems to be waiting a decade or more developing the perfect launch vehicle while we delay work on a deep-space habitat and lunar lander. In the 40 years since the last Apollo crew visited the moon, we have developed new technology, and learned how to live and operate in space, but we are no longer willing to take the necessary risks to achieve great accomplishments.
__________

COMPLETE STORIES

NASA makes progress on Shuttle successor; Orion will return Americans to space

Alex Sanz - WPTV TV (West Palm Beach)

Small steps being taken at the Kennedy Space Center have positioned NASA for another major milestone with measurable progress being made to return Americans to space.

"We are moving forward. We have direction from the President. We have direction from Congress. And, we are executing the plan," Bob Cabana, Kennedy Space Center director, told reporters on Wednesday.

During a tour of the Operations and Checkout building, Cabana showed reporters the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle -- the successor to the space shuttle -- and the work that had been done in advance of its first test flight next year.

Engineers also showcased the work being done at the Swamp Works research laboratories.

It will take Orion, which will carry a crew of astronauts into deep space, six months to reach Mars.

At Swamp Works, engineers have started to test new concepts -- next-generation landers and rovers -- to make space travel self-sustaining.

"It's all about, how do we explore space without having to take everything into space with us?," said Mason Peck, NASA Chief Technologist. "It saves money. It saves time. It also can change how we approach exploration."

Since the retirement of the space shuttle, NASA has had to depend on Russia to ferry Americans to the International Space Station.

It is an expensive proposition tempered by uncertainty in Congress and the threat of spending cuts.

"We know this is a very tough fiscal time for our country. And, we don't have all the resources that we may or may not like to have to do what needs to get done," Cabana said. "We're going to take what we are given and we are going figure out how to do it in the best possible way."

Bigelow's Fares Show SpaceX Trumps Boeing on Price

Irene Klotz - Space News

Visitors to Bigelow Aerospace's planned orbital outpost can save more than $10 million by choosing to fly aboard a Space Exploration Technologies' (SpaceX) Dragon capsule instead of a Boeing CST-100 space taxi, a price difference that may foreshadow what NASA would be charged to fly astronauts to the international space station by the commercial providers.

Both companies' capsules are being developed under NASA's Commercial Crew Development program, which is aimed at finding a U.S. alternative to flying astronauts on Russian Soyuz spacecraft, a service that costs about $63 million per person and which currently is the only transportation to the station available since the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011.

A third commercial space taxi backed by NASA, Sierra Nevada Corp.'s winged Dream Chaser, is not suited for flights to Bigelow's planned habitats, which require crew and cargo on the same mission, company founder and president Robert Bigelow told SpaceNews.

A round-trip ride and 60-day stay aboard Bigelow's planned Alpha Station, an inflatable habitat based on technology originally developed by NASA, would cost between $26.25 million and $36.75 million depending on which transportation provider a client chooses.

"For countries, companies, or even visiting individuals that wish to utilize SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule, Bigelow Aerospace will be able to transport an astronaut to the Alpha Station for only $26.25 million," Bigelow Aerospace wrote in newly released marketing materials.

"Using Boeing's CST-100 capsule and the Atlas V rocket, astronauts can be launched to the Alpha Station for $36.75 million per seat," the company said.

A third option is for Boeing to launch its capsule on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Robert Bigelow added in an interview with SpaceNews.

"We expect those figures to be maintained, if they are not going to be reduced, which they may, through the rest of the decade — 2019 or 2020," he said.

Any of those alternatives would be less than the price Russia and its U.S. partner Space Adventures charge to fly privately paying passengers to the space station. The last adventure traveler to make the trip, Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, reportedly paid about $40 million for an 11-day spaceflight in 2009.

NASA and Boeing have declined to disclose what rides on CST-100 capsules will eventually cost. SpaceX has said its target price for crewed Dragon flights is $140 million, which breaks down to $20 million per seat if the maximum number of seven crewmembers are aboard.

In addition to transportation costs, Bigelow Aerospace unveiled fees to lease space aboard its planned BA-330 modules. A two-month block of time for one-third of a habitat, which is about the equivalent volume of one space station laboratory, will cost $25 million.

The company is targeting countries, space agencies and research institutes not currently involved in human spaceflight. It has preliminary agreements with organizations in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Sweden and the United Arab Emirate of Dubai.

Clients can use Bigelow habitats for autonomous or remotely controlled experiments, or they could fly company astronauts or private individuals to operate them. Customers also can sublease their space and resell their seats, Bigelow said.

Other revenue could come from promotions, marketing, advertising and naming rights to the station. For example, Bigelow wants $25 million for naming rights to the full station or $12.5 million for half the station per year.

That part of the business is in its early stages.

"Our first thing was to gear up leasing-purchasing agreements and we just finished that," Bigelow said.

"This (transportation costs) has been a moving target. Only late last year did we get the definitive numbers that we've been satisfied will hold still, that we think are going to be good, from these companies," he said.

In addition to two prototypes already in orbit, Bigelow has an agreement with NASA to attach a third test module to the international space station. Launch of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, is targeted for 2015.

Depending on funding, SpaceX and Boeing plan to have their spaceships certified and ready to be put into service before the end of 2017. By then, NASA may not be their only customer. Bigelow is hoping to launch its first operational module in 2016.

NASA returns to origins for manned flights

Karen Smith Welch - Amarillo Globe-News

NASA finds itself at the manned space flight drawing board again, a former astronaut from Amarillo said.

"We're back where we were at the beginning of the Apollo program," said Paul Lockhart, who left the NASA program after the 2003 space shuttle Columbia tragedy and now works for a Washington, D.C.-area private contractor for the agency.

Although NASA has put its resources behind a new Orion crew capsule, the future of manned space flight lacks definition, Lockhart said.

"I think there are a lot of folks who believe they know where we're going, and they may," he said. "But there sure is a large gap between the position papers and the PowerPoint slides and reality — meaning hardware and tests and things of that nature."

NASA ended the space shuttle program in 2011, closing an era instrumental in the construction and 24/7 occupation of the International Space Station, as well as in-space research.

The agency flew 22 space shuttle missions in the time between the Columbia tragedy in 2003 and the program's closure, Johnson Space Center Public Affairs Officer Brandi Dean said.

"We had such great support from all over the country for the last three flights," Dean said. "People were really invested in it and keeping an eye on it.

"It was sad to see them go, but the shuttle accomplished all that it intended to and more."

Since the shuttle program shutdown, NASA has sent American astronauts to the space station aboard Russian spaceships, a decision disheartening to several associated with the Columbia crew.

"It would be much better if we were the leaders and not the tagalongs," said Lubbock resident Audrey McCool, the mother of astronaut William C. "Willie" McCool, who died aboard Columbia.

Orion — aptly named for the celestial hunter — is being prepared as the vehicle that will get the U.S. back to the moon, or to an asteroid or Mars, Dean said.

"The ultimate goal, everybody agrees, is definitely Mars," she said, acknowledging politics will play into the destination. "Science-wise, we can find out interesting things wherever we go."

Though Orion resembles its Apollo-era ancestors, their technologies "are light-years apart" so the new craft can support deep-space missions of as long as six months, according to NASA.

The vehicle also is capable of supporting low-Earth orbit missions, such as carrying astronauts and delivering cargo, a NASA report said.

The Orion Project Office at Johnson Space Center is leading development of the Orion crew module, as well as crew training and mock-up facilities, the report said.

Langley Research Center at Hampton, Va., and Marshall Space Flight Center at Huntsville, Ala., are working on the Orion launch abort system, which had a successful in-flight demonstration in a May 2010 flight test at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, according to NASA.

Orion will be assembled at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, which will handle pre-flight processing and launch operations.

NASA won't launch an unmanned Orion capsule from atop its own rocket propulsion system until 2017, Dean said.

This month, NASA announced it would partner with private company Bigelow Aerospace in a $17.8 million project to send to the International Space Station an inflatable room — a home for astronauts in space — that can be compressed into a 7-foot tube for delivery. If the module proves durable during two years on the space station, it could be used for moon and Mars missions, according to The Associated Press.

The partnership is another step toward outsourcing for NASA, which no longer enjoys the budget and public profile of its heyday, AP said.

Americans need a space goal to grasp, Lockhart said.

"We Americans love races, we love to have contests," he said. "But as soon as we've had that 50-yard dash, we want to say, 'What's next?'

"So until we actually have a clear finish line that the American public can understand and recognize, and until there is something that is going to stir the competitive juices in the American spirit, it may be a while before you find the broad-based support like you saw during the Apollo program and different parts of the shuttle program."

What's happening on the space station?

Zaina Adamu - CNN

High above us, beyond the skies, is the International Space Station, which weighs nearly 1 million pounds and has a wingspan the length of a football field. It has nine rooms, two bathrooms, two kitchens and two mini-gyms, and it is the largest spacecraft orbiting the Earth.

NASA announced this week that an instrument called ISS-RapidScat will be launched to the station in 2014 to improve weather forecasts, by doing things like monitoring hurricanes. It will also help scientists explore the Earth's global wind field; tropical clouds and tropical systems are affected by wind variations caused by the sun.

Another experiment on board is called InSPACE, which stands for "Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates From Colloidal Emulsions." All that means that scientists are studying magnetorheological fluids, which are complex substances that change form or harden when exposed to magnetic fields. These substances could one day be useful in robots, NASA says, acting as a "blood" to make the movement of joints and limbs like that of a living creature.

Its mission is multifaceted. One of the space station's main goals is to find ways to extend the length of time a human can survive in space. Other experiments include growing cells where there is no gravity and observing bodily fluid changes in different atmospheres. In 2003, scientists aboard the station studied the behavior, mating activity and irregular motility responses of young flies they brought with them from Earth.

"The International Space Station is the most complex scientific and technological endeavor ever undertaken," according to a NASA statement.

To lighten things up a bit (let's not forget the ISS is the astronauts' workplace and their home), astronauts periodically capture breathtaking aerial views of the Earth, which they send back down to earthlings via Twitter. Recently, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield did a video while on the space station about cutting your nails when there's no gravity.

It was former President Ronald Reagan who pushed the idea of a manned space station in Earth's orbit. In what he called a "new frontier" at his 1984 State of the Union address, he acknowledged that "(t)he Space Age is barely a quarter of a century old. But already we've pushed civilization forward with our advances and technology. Opportunities and jobs will multiply as we cross new thresholds of knowledge and reach deeper into the unknown."

Sixteen years later, the U.S. partnered with Russia, Canada, Japan and several European countries to launch the space station. Since it arrived in orbit, over 200 humans have visited the station.

None of the space agencies involved with the space station has confirmed exactly when it will deorbit, though some agencies hint that it may end some time after 2020. When the space station is decommissioned, it will likely drop from space into its new home – the Pacific Ocean.

SpaceX CEO extends help to Boeing on battery issue

Deepa Seetharaman - Reuters

Elon Musk has long considered Tesla Motors Inc the bold, nimble answer to the auto industry's cautious culture. Now the electric car maker's top executive has extended his help to another industrial giant: Boeing Co.

In a Jan. 26 message on Twitter, Musk said he was in talks with the chief engineer of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner plane, which regulators have grounded indefinitely after a string of malfunctions ranging from fuel leaks to battery meltdowns.

"Desire to help Boeing is real & am corresponding w 787 chief engineer," Musk wrote on the social media website.

Musk, who is also the CEO of space transport company SpaceX, told Reuters in an email late on Monday that SpaceX battery packs could be helpful for Boeing.

"We fly high capacity lithium ion battery packs in our rockets and spacecraft, which are subject to much higher loads than commercial aircraft and have to function all the way from sea level air pressure to vacuum. We have never had a fire in any production battery pack at either Tesla or SpaceX," Musk said in the email.

Boeing declined to comment or confirm if such discussions were taking place.

Boeing's chief 787 engineer, Mike Sinnett, has recently made presentations about the plane and its battery technology to reporters and industry leaders.

Musk's post came a week after his first dispatch to Boeing on Jan. 18: "Maybe already under control, but Tesla & SpaceX are happy to help with the 787 lithium ion batteries."

U.S. and Japanese authorities are investigating a fire and a smoke incident with lithium-ion batteries on two separate Dreamliners in recent weeks. The 50 Dreamliners in service cannot be flown until the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is satisfied that the problem with the batteries has been fixed. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating what caused the first battery to catch fire.

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in phones and hybrid cars because they are lighter and more powerful than traditional batteries. But if managed improperly, lithium-ion batteries can explode or catch fire, and some pose a greater risk than others depending on their chemical make-up.

The 787 is the first passenger jet to use lithium-ion batteries for back-up and auxiliary power. Tesla began using lithium-ion batteries in its Roadster, a two-door sports car that Tesla said could go from 0 to 60 miles (100 km) per hour in about 4 seconds.

In its Dreamliner, Boeing adopted a lithium cobalt oxide chemistry similar to that used in the Roadster, which Tesla produced from 2008 until last year.

Musk, a serial entrepreneur who gained fame after selling his Internet payment company PayPal to eBay Inc in 2002, has been quick to criticize the cultures of major car makers like General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co.

In a magazine interview with Esquire late last year, Musk was similarly critical of Boeing. He was quoted as saying, "You know the joke about Boeing: It puts the zero in being."

Musk later took pains to dismiss the story, written by reporter Tom Junod. "Junod's Esquire article had high fiction content," Musk wrote his Jan. 26 tweet.

Junod said Musk's dig at Boeing was on tape and his story was "more extensively reported than any story on Elon that preceded it."

Anderson hangs up space suit

Suzi Nelson - Ashland Gazette

Clay Anderson has been to space and back twice. How do you top that?

The Ashland native will attempt to answer that as he enters a new phase of his life. On Thursday, he will retire after 30 years working at NASA – 15 as an engineer and 15 as an astronaut – a milestone he recently saw in a new way.

"Symmetry is kinda cool," he posted on his Twitter account last week.

Anderson has been contemplating his future at NASA since he last flew in space three years ago. The retirement of the shuttle program in 2011 downsized the astronaut program, which also forced Anderson to think about his future at NASA. Back then, he had a feeling he would not be returning to space.

"It is highly probably that I've taken my last space flight," he said in an interview with the Gazette two years ago.

Recently, he asked officials if he would return to space. They said no.

With the idea of future space travel for Anderson now out of the picture, he took a new look at the option of leaving the space agency earlier than he had originally planned. Due to new federal budget constraints, NASA is hoping astronauts like Anderson seek early retirement to help save money.

With all those pieces in place, Anderson felt the time was right to hang up his space suit.

Anderson spent the first half of his career at NASA as an engineer. He moved through the ranks, into different departments, for several years. During that time, he was also applying to be an astronaut, his goal since he was eight years old.

"When I was a kid, I dreamed of being an astronaut," Anderson told a group of students at Ashland-Greenwood Elementary School a few years ago.

Anderson credits a specific night when his mother, Alice Anderson, woke him and his siblings up to watch coverage of the Apollo 8 mission around the moon on Christmas Eve 1968. He remembers waiting desperately for the astronauts to radio back after orbiting around the dark side of the moon. It was then that he set his heart on becoming an astronaut.

The pursuit was fostered by Anderson mother. She bought her son a telescope when he was 11 because he was so interested in the stars and sky, she said in an interview prior to her son's first space mission in 2007. She also dressed him up as a Mercury astronaut for the Stir-Up kiddie parade when he was four or five, at his request, according to her.

In college, Anderson studied physics and continued sports, another one of his passions. He ran track and played football at Hastings College.

During his time at Hastings College, the stars began to align, creating the opportunities Anderson needed to become an astronaut. After a Hastings College guidance counselor casually mentioned Anderson's aspirations to be an astronaut to an alum who worked at NASA, Anderson spent the summer as an intern at NASA before heading to Iowa State University to study aerospace engineering. He returned to NASA for a second internship before he finished his masters degree in aerospace engineering at ISU, after which he returned to NASA with a full-time job as an engineer.

The stars moved slightly out of alignment, however, when Anderson put his name on the astronaut application form. He applied every year for 14 years to no avail. There were many times when he thought about giving up. But the persistence he learned from growing up in a small town kept him going. He continued to work hard, earned promotions and made the right moves through the space agency in the supervisory and management ranks. He got an interview in 1996 and finally, in 1998, he got the good news. On his 15th try, he was chosen for the astronaut corps. His dream was finally realized.

Again, it took many years to achieve Anderson's next goal – to go into space. Many years of training ensued, including underwater training in Florida, where space walks are simulated at the bottom of the ocean, and months spent in Russia, where training included wilderness survival exercises in the snow-covered forests and lessons in the Russian language.

In the meantime, tragedy struck the space program when the shuttle Columbia exploded. Anderson was working as a family liaison during the mission. The incident was difficult for him and the entire NASA family.

It took a few years for the space program to get back on track. Anderson continued to train and work hard in preparation. Finally, he was scheduled for his first mission.

Then, a career that had moved much slower than the average astronaut's was suddenly blasted into high gear. Anderson had trained with the STS-118 crew and was scheduled to launch in June 2007 but the date was moved to August. When NASA determined astronaut Sunita Williams needed to come back from the ISS earlier than scheduled, they bumped Anderson to the STS-117 mission, which was then re-scheduled to leave in early June.

The space shuttle Atlantis lifted off with Anderson and his new crew onboard while his hometown watched and cheered the launch. Classmates and former teachers from the Ashland-Greenwood High School class of 1977 gathered at a local tavern to watch together as the shuttle lifted off from earth. Members of First Christian Church, where Anderson attended while growing up, had also gathered in the church basement to see the launch.

The extended Anderson family was together in Florida to watch the launch first-hand on June 8, a day that happened to also be the birthday of Anderson's late father, Jack. Anderson's mother, sister Lorie Hartzell, his brother Kirby and their spouses and children and his uncle Jim Anderson of Ashland were there.

Anderson shifted from a member of the shuttle crew to become a member of the International Space Station crew. He remained on the ISS for five months, returning in November.

The family was also there when he returned in November on the shuttle Discovery. Alice Anderson made both trips, even though she was not well. She died just over a month after her son safely landed back on Earth. She had gotten to see him fulfill his dream of flying in space.

The Anderson family gathered again in Florida in April 2010, when Anderson made his second trip to space. On board Discovery again, Anderson and the STS-131 crew flew to the ISS to deliver supplies and equipment. The mission was much shorter than Anderson's first, this time lasting 15 days.

During the two missions, Anderson accumulated 162 days in space and spent 38-plus hours in spacewalks. His legacy at NASA will stand – a story of perseverance, hard work and setting and accomplishing goals that has roots in the Nebraska town that nurtured him.

Skylab astronauts tell tales of America's first space station

Lee Roop - Huntsville Times

Eight surviving astronauts from Skylab - America's first space station - helped dedicate a new exhibit to the 40-year-old orbiting laboratory in Huntsville Thursday night with stories of NASA's glory days, when can-do improvisation became the space agency's calling card.

A full-sized mockup of Skylab, built from a Saturn V third stage just like the original to train mission control operators, became a permanent exhibit this week at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center here. It is housed in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration under one of the nation's last remaining Saturn V's.

When Skylab was first launched atop a Saturn V in 1973, the program nearly ended before it began. A micrometeoroid shield ripped away during launch, and along with it went one of the laboratory's two solar arrays. Worse, the damage exposed the laboratory to dangerous solar radiation.

Astronaut Joseph Kerwin, who flew on the rescue mission to repair Skylab, told the audience of more than 400 people that Skylab "was an engineer's mission to save, and the action was right here in Huntsville."

Engineers in Huntsville sent a folding heat shield up in an Apollo capsule, and Pete Conrad and Paul Weitz were able to attach it and free the remaining solar array. The spacewalk that made that repair proved to NASA that it could send astronauts into space on working missions, an approach the agency would use to assemble the International Space Station.

Skylab's three science missions - 28, 59 and 84 days, respectively -- focused on solar, earth and biological research. Skylab astronauts were the first to give NASA a glimpse at the effect of long-duration space flight on the human body.

What was their favorite thing about space flight? Astronaut Owen Garriott said most astronauts agree: It's seeing the view of Earth.

But Earth isn't humanity's ultimate destiny, most in NASA believe, and Skylab was the first step toward living and working in space. Astronaut Gerald Carr, commander of the third Skylab mission, said Wernher von Braun told him that, if he had a choice, he would have flown on a Skylab mission.

The astronauts told their stories in a panel discussion after a celebratory dinner and to an auditorium full of space campers earlier Thursday afternoon. Students wanted to know what the astronauts think of NASA's direction today.

Astronaut Alan Bean told the students the Skylab astronauts did what they could do in the time they lived to advance human knowledge. "The real question," Bean said, "is what will you do?"

Celebrating 40 Years Since Launch of America's First Space Station

WHNT TV (Huntsville)

It's been 40 years since nine men bravely chose to live aboard Skylab, the United States' first space station.

Thursday, astronauts Paul Weitz, Joseph Kerwin, Alan Bean, Jack Lousma, Own Garriott, Gerald Carr, William Pogue, and Edward Gibson returned to Huntsville, where the project was first conceptualized by Wernher Von Braun.

"You look back on it and of course you're enthused, but the same time I just felt lucky to be there at the right time," said Edward Gibson, a science pilot on the last manned Skylab mission.

Skylab was launched in 1973 and orbited the Earth until 1979. Three manned missions were launched in the first year, each manned by three-person teams.

In the 171 days the astronauts lived in space , they conducted 10 spacewalks, logged hours of scientific and medical experiments, and led the way for further breakthroughs in space exploration.

"I'm very proud the work we did on Skylab that eventually led to the development of the International Space Station and helped us learn to do space walks where we repaired the Hubble space telescope and a number of other things that wouldn't be possible w/out the groundwork that was laid with Skylab," said Bob Crippen, a retired astronaut who worked on the development of Skylab.

As part of the celebration, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center is now the home to a refurbished training module, used during the Skylab missions.

You can see the training module in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration.

Book Review
'Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA's Record-Setting Frequent Flyer'

Jason Rhian - AmericaSpace.org

One would think that reading about the adventures of astronauts would never get repetitive. This, however, is not true. There are a lot of similarities that these brave men and women share, and sometimes this is reflected in their accounts. Therefore, when AmericaSpace read Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA's Record-Setting Frequent Flyer by the most-flown astronaut in NASA history, Jerry Ross, we were pleasantly surprised to see that it was a fresh look at the life of an astronaut. Ross penned the piece along with author John Norberg for the Purdue University Press.

In it, Ross details the experiences that guided him on the path to becoming an astronaut. This book is unique in that his wife, Karen, as well as their children, Scott and Amy, share their experiences as well.

Spacewalker details Ross' experiences as a child, which set him on the path to becoming an astronaut, as well as his service in the U.S. Air Force working on ramjet designs and testing the B-1 Lancer bomber. The book progresses into his time at NASA smoothly, making for a very good read.

One trap that some writers fall into is writing what is, in essence, a technical dissertation and then expecting John Q. Public to gain a master's degree in astronautical engineering just to understand what the writer penned. Thankfully Ross avoids this trap—his writing is neither hyper-technical nor is it "dumbed down." The book is an excellent read and will make for a welcome addition to any space enthusiast's library.

AmericaSpace had the good fortune of sitting down with Ross and discussing both his new book and his experiences as an astronaut. Ross shared his reflections on his accomplishments, as well as his thoughts on NASA's current efforts.

AmericaSpace: Hi, Jerry. We would like to thank you for taking the time to speak with us today.

Ross: "No problem. I appreciate the opportunity."

AmericaSpace: So, let's ask you a quick question, right off the bat: you never learned how to swim?

Ross: "Never. I make a good rock." (Laughs)

AmericaSpace: One of the things we noted that set your book apart from other astronaut accounts is that every so often, Karen, your wife, and Amy and Scott, your children, share their experiences as well. What prompted that?

Ross: "That was mostly the idea of John Norberg, my co-author on Spacewalker. He had come down and conducted a series of interviews with me and my family members, and then he took it back and transcribed it. I think folks will enjoy reading some of my family's insights."

AmericaSpace: Where did the idea to write this book come from?

Ross: "Being an engineer, writing a book was actually the last thing on my mind. During my time as an astronaut, there were numerous times that things would happen that after my fellow astronauts heard them they kept saying, 'You should write a book!' During the last two years of my career, I started to think that this probably wasn't a bad idea and started to jot things down."

AmericaSpace: In your book you highlight the complex and risky nature of space flight. How do you feel about NASA's plans to use smaller firms to launch crews into orbit?

Ross: "It makes me quite concerned that we're turning over that responsibility to other organizations. I think eventually they will be able to do it. It is this myth that these guys are doing it mostly on their own nickel. If you were to take a closer look at what is going on, NASA is providing probably at least 80 percent—if not more—of the money that is going to these different organizations that are attempting to design these to take crew members to low-Earth orbit. The thing that concerns me is that we aren't going to have nearly as much insight or control over the design of the vehicles, the amount of safety and testing that's built into them, and it's still not intuitively obvious who will control them during launch and as they are in orbit. That makes me really nervous, having the United States of America strapping in U.S. citizens, employees of the government, into a vehicle that we have less control over."

AmericaSpace: Few know as much about strapping into a spacecraft as you do, given that you have flown into space seven times. Do you have that 'one' special moment from your time traveling into the black?

Ross: "Well, there are a whole bunch of them and it is hard to pick just one. I've been asked repeatedly which was my best flight, and I always tell people that's like trying to have a mother choose which one of her seven kids is her favorite. That's very hard to do. I can recall many moments: obviously the first time I stepped out of the hatch on my very first spacewalk on that first flight, repairing the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory which otherwise would have been a $680 million dollar piece of space junk … but I think that if I had to go back to one it would be that very first launch experience, which was far beyond what I had ever daydreamed or believed it would be like. It was much more dramatic, much more … scary isn't quite the right word, but it comes pretty close! It was a very dramatic experience. It was just an overwhelming sense of awesome power being released and the air noise on the outside of the vehicle as we went through the lower atmosphere was incredible. It was a screeching sound like the paint and the tiles were going to be ripped right off the outside of the vehicle. That, along with all the vibration and noise of the launch event itself, was very, very impressive."

AmericaSpace: A lot of other astronauts have stated that they had to apply multiple times. If memory serves, you were accepted on your second attempt, correct?

Ross: "That's correct. When I was in the fourth grade, when I was 10 years old, I decided to go to Purdue to become an engineer and get into the space program. I really didn't … astronaut wasn't even really a term that had been coined at that point, and so the realization that I might have a chance to fly into space at some point didn't come until quite a bit further along, and my goals kind of altered or were refined as time went on. I initially just wanted to get into the space business and help build rockets and satellites and help launch them and things like that. But, ultimately, I knew that if you're going to be in the space business, the best place to be is at the top of the rocket, so that's ultimately where my dream evolved to. As far as getting into the astronaut office on my second try, it wasn't so much a surprise as it was the satisfaction of having achieved that long-sought goal since the fourth grade, or even before that actually, of flying in space. I had made scrapbooks and daydreamed about what it would be like, and now I had the opportunity to find out what it would be like."

AmericaSpace: Some astronauts have been at a loss after having achieved the goal of flying in space. Buzz Aldrin has stated that after he went to the Moon he didn't quite know what to do with himself. Did you experience that at all?

Ross: "My first flight was the twenty-third shuttle flight, and I listened to each of those crews—those first twenty-two crews that came back. In the early days of the shuttle program, we had a very detailed debriefing process in which all of the rest of the members of the astronaut office got to hear in a very detailed fashion everything that happened during those flights, what the crew members felt, what they saw, what they recommended for future crews as to what they should try to do or use or train for, and so I had a very good understanding from what other crew members had told me. So, I had all of that in my 'database' when I was out running or lifting weights in the gym. I would frequently daydream as to what it would be like for me. What was the experience going to be like? And yet, I can tell you that—I think that this is in the book—ten or fifteen seconds into my first launch, and despite the fact that I have a very vivid imagination, I literally caught myself thinking, 'Ross, what are you doing here?' It was so much more dynamic, so much more powerful than anything I had ever anticipated or daydreamed about. It caught me by surprise. Per your question, right after STS-61B touched down, the first thing on my mind was, 'I want to go do that again!'"

AmericaSpace: So you had a lot of fun on orbit?

Ross: "Oh certainly! A lot of other astronauts would go to bed right when the timeline stated they should, but not me. I tried to maximize the experience. I would stay up and stare out the windows and take pictures if I could do so quietly. I seldom, if ever, got more than five hours of sleep per night during those early missions. My thinking was I didn't know if I would ever get another opportunity to fly in space or not, and those early flights were fairly short, you know, five, six, seven days. My second one was only four days and nine hours, and you really want to maximize the experience because you didn't know if you were going to get another chance to do it. Once I got selected for the astronaut office, I knew that was where I wanted to stay for as long as they would let me. I was asked many times if I was ready to stop flying and take some management position or something like that, and I respectfully declined all of those inquiries. I told them that I came to NASA to fly, and as long as I could do that, that's what I wanted to do. Bottom line is that I never wanted to grow up and earn a living I guess."

AmericaSpace: There are some folks out at KSC that when one of NASA's Crawler-Transporters would be rolling by with the shuttle on it, they wouldn't look up—they had gotten so accustomed to it. Did you ever get that way?

Ross: "No, I never did. I would see one of my friends that would grumble that they had to go do a suited run in the water tank (NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory), or they had to go fly in the T-38 to get the number of hours that were required for the month, or they had to go into the simulator again and that was getting boring to them, or something like that. I never got that way, thank God. I always felt like I was a kid in a candy store—every time that I went to work! What better way to earn a living than by doing what you love, and if you had the money you would pay people to let you do what you're doing? So, I loved it all. In fact, on my seventh flight I still felt like a kid in a candy shop. I had that anticipation and that glee about what I was about to go do, and if some of the other guys were getting ground down by the training profile and everything else, I still was energetic and looking forward to every day. So, I feel very blessed that I came through the experience that way and that I was able to enjoy every aspect of it. I thoroughly enjoyed the people that I got to work with; they are a tremendous bunch of talented and dedicated people. That's the part that I miss the most now: I miss the people. When I departed NASA in January, I was at the point where I frankly didn't miss the work anymore, but I did miss the people."

AmericaSpace: Astronauts are sometimes limited to the amount of flights that they can do because they are exposed to too much radiation. Did this ever present an issue for you?

Ross: "NASA analyzes that, and every year they give us a running total of what our exposure was. I never got anywhere close to the radiation limits. The folks that conduct the long duration flights—you know, six months or more—they're the ones that start to add up the radiation exposure. I could have flown many, many shorter missions and never come close to the limits that were established by law and by NASA's practice."

AmericaSpace: We always like to ask astronauts that we interview which of the orbiters is their favorite. Do you have a favorite?

Ross: "By far, Atlantis is my favorite. I flew five of my seven missions on her, so I got no problem identifying which shuttle I prefer. There's no doubt about that. I am definitely looking forward to seeing Atlantis at its new facility; I will be down at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in the last week of March."

AmericaSpace: If there is one thing you could share with the public about this book, what would it be?

Ross: "Simple: if one child reads this book and realizes that a kid from Indiana can pursue his dreams and fly in space, and that means that he or she can too, that would be worth the effort!"

AmericaSpace: Thanks so much for chatting with us today, and good luck with your book!

Ross: "Thanks! It was fun."

Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA's Record-Setting Frequent Flyer will be released on Jan. 31, 2013, at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., and at the Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum, located in New York, on Feb. 1, 2013. Spacewalker retails for the following: Hardback, $29.95; ePDF, $14.99; and EPUB, $14.99.

NASA's mission is not safety

Rand Simberg - USA Today (Commentary)

(Simberg, a consultant in commercial space business and technology, is an adjunct scholar at the Competitive Enterprise Institute)

It has been a century since the Panama Canal was completed. It was the greatest transportation project of its time, made possible only by new technologies such as dynamite. After Americans took over its construction, more than 5,000 died building the canal. That's more fatalities than we had in the Iraq War.

Why was the project deemed worthy of expending so many lives? It is not because we didn't value them. Casualties under American leadership of the project were a fraction of the deaths in previous efforts. It is because monumental achievements are at the edge of our human abilities and our best technologies. Nevertheless, such efforts are worth the cost.

In Panama, the sacrifice paid off, as travel distance (and time) for freight between the East and West Coasts fell from 14,000 to 6,000 miles. It also slashed the cost of shipping to Europe and Asia, resulting in rising economic growth and helping usher in a new age of globalization.

It's just one example of the benefits of opening up new frontiers and trade routes; thousands died exploring and settling the New World half a millennium ago. Even at the time of the Panama Canal's completion, crossing the Atlantic from Europe to America wasn't yet "safe." Fifteen hundred people died on the Titanic just the year before the Pacific and Atlantic oceans mingled in Panama in 1913.

At times, we seem to have forgotten. In the 21st century, do we still see exploring and opening up new territory as worth the expenditure of, or even the risk to, human life?

This week sees a somber anniversary for NASA and the nation. Three, actually. Sunday was the 46th anniversary of the loss of three astronauts on the launch pad in the Apollo 1 fire, and Monday was the 27th anniversary of the loss of the space shuttle Challenger with its crew of seven. Today marks 10 years since the Columbia was torn apart in the skies over northern Texas, scattering debris and the charred remains of seven astronauts over the plains of the Lone Star state.

Our shocked nation mourned the loss. As with the Challenger event 17 years earlier, the shuttle program was shut down, for two-and-a-half years, because it wasn't "safe" enough. The program was ended in large part for that reason, with the last flight a year-and-a-half ago.

In the wake of the Columbia disaster, NASA started Ares 1, a new launcher program whose primary requirement was safety, spending billions until it was canceled in 2009. NASA was spending so much, in fact, that even though it was supposed to be a rocket to return to the moon, there was no money left for the landers and other hardware to actually land there, the part of the mission that happened to be the most dangerous. Not long ago, NASA considered abandoning the $100 billion International Space Station because its leaders were unwilling to risk a life.

"Safety" has, in fact, become NASA's new watch word, encouraged by Congress. During testimony after the penultimate shuttle flight in 2011, Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa., the ranking member on a House committee that funds NASA, congratulated the agency's administrator for making safety his "No. 1 priority."

But should safety be NASA's highest priority? If it is, then that means other things, such as actually accomplishing things in space, are a lower one. The surest way to make sure our astronauts don't die in space is to keep them on the ground. And indeed, that is more and more what we do, choosing robotic exploration over opening the frontier to humanity.

The obsession with safety is sincere, if unspoken, testimony to just how unimportant we consider the opening of that final and harshest of frontiers. The last time space was important was when we were racing the Soviets to the moon more than four decades ago. Now, we no longer consider it worth the risk. Had we taken such an attitude in Panama, no one would have turned the first shovel of dirt.

As NASA has dithered, private investors who understand the true scope of opportunity in space as well as the dangers are stepping up by investing in new ships, technologies and commercial ventures.

This sad week, perhaps the best way to honor the men and women who gave their lives would be to recognize that they did so willingly, and set forth a bold national frontier-opening policy, including recognizing that it has never happened without human bloodshed. As John Shedd wrote last century, "A ship in a harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are for."

Is U.S. space program on track?

Paul Owens - Orlando Sentinel (Editorial)

The 10-year anniversary of the loss of the space shuttle Columbia is a time to remember and honor its seven heroes. It's also an occasion to ponder the future of the U.S. space program.

Shuttles went back to flying in 2005, but were grounded for good in 2011 — the year after Congress and President Obama canceled NASA's next manned program, Constellation. They agreed that the agency would develop a new rocket for destinations beyond low Earth orbit, but its first test launch isn't scheduled until 2017.

Meanwhile, lawmakers and the White House also decided that NASA would turn over to the private sector the job of flying cargo, and eventually people, to the International Space Station.

SpaceX successfully launched a cargo mission from Kennedy Space Center last year, and this month a company official said it hopes to send people into space as soon as 2015. Other companies are hot on its heels.

But NASA's long-term effort to send its astronauts to the moon or Mars could be crippled by the federal government's budget woes. Few agencies are likely to escape spending cuts.

In today's Front Burner, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, an advocate for NASA, is upbeat on the future of the space program despite its challenges. But U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of California, a critic of the space agency, argues that it needs to sharpen its focus and accelerate its development of new technologies to achieve its exploration goals.

Since Columbia's loss …

·         2004: President Bush unveils plan to ground shuttles by 2010 and begin new moon-Mars program, Constellation.
·         2005: Shuttle flights resume.
·         2010: Congress and President Obama cancel Constellation, commit to private sector for trips to International Space Station, authorize new NASA rocket program.
·         2011: NASA finishes space station; shuttle program ends.
·         2012: SpaceX completes first private cargo mission to space station.

Learning from tragedies, NASA will meet challenges

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson - Orlando Sentinel (Opinion)

(Nelson, the senior U.S. senator from Florida, flew as a Payload Specialist on Columbia's STS-61C mission in January 1986)

Ten years ago, the space shuttle Columbia broke up over the Southern United States. As we remember the astronauts who died, let us reaffirm our commitment to the nation's tradition of exploration.

In preparing for the unknown, we push the limits of our imagination. We solve problems never faced before. We explore destinations never seen before. We advance science and technology. We grow our economy. We have a better understanding of our universe and our place in it.

Those we lost on Columbia knew this.

They knew, too, that what President Kennedy said about exploring was unassailably true. He said space "is one of the great adventures of all time" but "opening vistas of space promise high costs and hardships, as well as high rewards."

As we move beyond the shuttle program, NASA is using the lessons learned from Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia to build the country's new capabilities. The Orion capsule — under assembly at the Kennedy Space Center — and the new heavy-lift rocket will send humans to explore deeper into space than ever before, with the first launch of Orion atop a Delta IV in 2014, and then the heavy-lift test launch in 2017.

At first, we may journey to a deep-space outpost beyond the moon or to an asteroid. But one day we'll set our sights — and footprints — on Mars.

NASA increased our presence on the Red Planet last year with its most ambitious Mars mission yet: landing a car-sized, scientific powerhouse of a rover named Curiosity. The rover launched from Florida's Space Coast.

Additionally, NASA's numerous scientific missions continue to make discoveries. The Kepler space observatory, for example, continues its planet-hunting work, having confirmed more than 100 new planets. The Messenger spacecraft, in orbit around Mercury since 2011, recently found evidence of ice on the north pole of the searing-hot planet.

At the same time, NASA is overseeing the commercial competition for delivery of cargo and crew to the International Space Station. Last year, SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft successfully completed the first commercial cargo delivery.

And since 2010, the agency has committed about $1.5 billion to develop commercial crew systems. Crew test flights could launch by 2015. As the Orlando Sentinel has reported, SpaceX documents filed with NASA indicate that the company's first manned mission would be an "orbital-demonstration flight" of at least three days.

I'd say NASA's future is bright, as is the diversification of the space industry in Florida. Our program is guided by a solid plan Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and I set forth in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010. While Congress seeks to advance NASA's priorities in a new reauthorization this year, the road map from the 2010 plan will continue guiding the agency.

I also intend this year to lead an update of space legislation to further enable private companies to meet our nation's needs.

The coming years will bring challenges as the space agency opens the vistas of outer space in constrained fiscal times. But I'm confident NASA will meet the challenges.

We are reminded that all of the brave men and women who have given their lives to space exploration did so for the enrichment of life here on Earth. So, with the enduring support of the American people and my colleagues in both major political parties, NASA will remain a source of pride for Floridians and for all Americans, and also a source of inspiration for the world.

And, with a vibrant space agency, we will retain our leadership in science and technology, thus honoring the legacy of fallen explorers.

Agency must regain edge to explore celestial frontier

U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher - Orlando Sentinel (Opinion)

(Rohrabacher, R-Calif., is the vice chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology)

NASA's most important mission is exploring the solar system. Near-term human exploration missions are possible, and they should start soon. Yet our current plan seems to be waiting a decade or more developing the perfect launch vehicle while we delay work on a deep-space habitat and lunar lander.

In the 40 years since the last Apollo crew visited the moon, we have developed new technology, and learned how to live and operate in space, but we are no longer willing to take the necessary risks to achieve great accomplishments.

NASA should focus on its core and unique missions by divesting itself of anything that can reasonably be placed in another agency. For example, the Earth science programs, more than 10 percent of NASA's annual budget, can find more appropriate homes elsewhere.

NASA is pursuing nearly a dozen technology "priorities" with only enough funding to support three appropriately. We should prioritize technologies that give us the biggest bang for our buck, including solar-electric propulsion and cryogenic propellant storage and transfer. The systems that follow from these technologies, such as in-space refueling depots, can truly revolutionize how we operate in space, leading to widespread human settlement of the space frontier.

NASA must pursue the difficult endeavor of cutting-edge science, but the agency must properly define its needs. The James Webb Space Telescope provides a clear example — NASA seemed unprepared for its difficulties, and repeatedly surprised that it would take additional time and funding to accomplish the mission.

I have never seen NASA accomplish a large mission on budget and on schedule. NASA should work on these projects, but it needs better cost estimates, and better program management.

NASA should lead an international cooperative effort to protect our people and our assets by clearing away space debris. NASA also needs to assume the critical role of deflecting near-Earth objects, which pose a fundamental threat to life and property on the Earth. This is the only preventable natural disaster, and it is worth the cost to provide an insurance policy against potential planetary destruction.

In keeping with one of the long-standing functions of NASA, the agency should use commercially provided space services and hardware. In other words, NASA should not design and build something, such as crew and cargo transportation to low Earth orbit, if it reasonably believes it can buy it from an American commercial entity.

Unfortunately, NASA is pursuing NASA-built cryogenic technology, instead of leveraging the expertise and capabilities at Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Ball Aerospace, and other well-respected aerospace companies that are well positioned and have great expertise on this technology.

When President Kennedy announced the moon mission, the entire program was based upon technologies that did not yet exist. Now NASA is incapable and unwilling to include technologies that have not yet been proved in space. NASA has lost its edge.

We will never re-create Apollo, the product of many complex variables, but the truth is we don't really want to re-create Apollo. This time we want to colonize the solar system, building settlements on the moon, in deep space, and on Mars.

We can create this future if we understand what the data tell us, and have the courage to act on them. Unfortunately, fundamental misunderstandings of our capabilities, as well as the usual political and parochial interests, have gotten in the way.

In 1893 Frederick Jackson Turner announced that the Western frontier, which defined the American experience and character, had been closed. In the 1960s, through the moon program, America rediscovered the power of the frontier, but only for a decade. Do we have the courage to find it once more?

END

Keep the shuttle flying

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Friday, February 1, 2013

Fwd: Human Spaceflight News - February 1, 2013 and JSC Today

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