Fwd: Human Spaceflight News - April 18, 2013 and JSC Today

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From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: April 18, 2013 6:08:26 AM GMT-06:00
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: Human Spaceflight News - April 18, 2013 and JSC Today

 

 

 

Thursday, April 18, 2013

 

JSC TODAY HEADLINES

1.            Joint Leadership Team Web Poll

2.            Yuri's Night Houston 5K -- Final Reminder

3.            Do You Have the Right Stuff When Dealing With Leadership?

4.            ISS EDMS Extended Outage

5.            Escape Your Silo to the Systems Engineering Simulator

6.            Training Offering for NASA@work: Learn How to Use This Platform

7.            Starport (JSC Exchange) Scholarship Deadline Extended

8.            Starport Summer Camp at the Gilruth Center

9.            Parent's Night Out at Starport -- April 26

10.          EWB-JSC in Need of Spare Scrap Metal

11.          'Space Warriors' Movie Premiere at Space Center Houston

________________________________________     NASA FACT

" A fortuitous orbit of the International Space Station allowed the astronauts a striking view of Sarychev Volcano (Kuril Islands, northeast of Japan) in an early stage of eruption on June 12, 2009."

________________________________________

1.            Joint Leadership Team Web Poll

The bell curve for how green we are is leaning in the right direction. I think we are a little more environmentally conscious than your average company. This week we rolled out a new program for asteroid retrieval in the budget proposal. How much do you know about asteroid capture and retrieval? A lot? Nothing? Your favorite movie/food combo turned out to be "Lord of the Onion Rings," a tasty and medieval kind of flick. This week I want us all to explore the inner hipster in each of us. I play the ukulele, for goodness sakes, so I know each of you contain a little hipster just squirming to get out. What is it for you? Skinny jeans? Messenger bag? Vintage clothes?

Timbuk your Two on over to get this week's poll.

Joel Walker x30541 http://jlt.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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2.            Yuri's Night Houston 5K -- Final Reminder

Come join us this Saturday, April 20, in Nassau Bay to celebrate 52 years of human spaceflight and the 10th anniversary of the Yuri's Night Houston 5K Fun Run.

Reasons to attend:

o             See where many of the men who flew to the moon used to live

o             Meet characters from Star Wars

o             Win gift cards to restaurants, museums, the symphony and bowling

o             Win a weekend stay at a local hotel

o             Win a roundtrip airfare to Russia

o             The race supports space science education

But hurry! Online registration ends tonight. Sign up now.

Event Date: Saturday, April 20, 2013   Event Start Time:8:00 AM   Event End Time:10:00 AM

Event Location: 18300 Upper Bay Rd. Houston, TX

 

Add to Calendar

 

Mana Vautier 832-422-5494 http://www.yuris5khouston.com

 

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3.            Do You Have the Right Stuff When Dealing With Leadership?

Whether you do (or just think you do), you won't want to miss this enlightening May JSC National Management Association (NMA) chapter luncheon presentation with Natalie Saiz, director, JSC Human Resources. She will speak on "Dealing with the Human Element of Leadership."

When: Tuesday, May 7

Time: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Location: Gilruth Alamo Ballroom

o             Cost for members: $0

o             Cost for non-members: $20

There are three great menu options to choose from:

o             Turkey Scaloppine and Bruschetta Topping

o             Flounder Piccata

o             Cheese Manicotti with Two Sauces

Desserts: Carrot cake and double chocolate mousse cake

Please RSVP here by close of business Wednesday, May 1, with your menu selection. For RSVP technical assistance, please contact Amy Kitchen via email or at x35569.

Catherine Williams x33317 http://www.jscnma.com/Events

 

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4.            ISS EDMS Extended Outage

On Friday, April 19, there will be an extended International Space Station Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) outage. We expect the outage to begin at 6 p.m. CDT. The ISS EDMS is to be available again by Saturday, April 20, at 6 p.m. CDT. Please plan your work accordingly.

As always, for assistance with ISS EDMS, please contact MAPI IT Customer Service via email or at 281-244-8999.

LaNell Cobarruvias x41306 https://iss-www.jsc.nasa.gov/nwo/apps/edms/web/

 

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5.            Escape Your Silo to the Systems Engineering Simulator

The Systems Engineering Simulator (SES) is a real-time, crew-in-the-loop engineering simulator for the International Space Station (ISS), Orion/Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and advanced concepts. It provides the ability to test changes to existing space vehicles and flight software, test the interaction of a new vehicle system with existing systems, develop models of new vehicles (that may or may not yet exist) for engineering analysis and evaluate displays and controls concepts and modifications. In addition to engineering analysis work, the SES supports crew training for ISS robotic operations, including the tracking, capture and berthing of visiting resupply vehicles (HTV, Dragon, Cygnus, etc.). Space is limited, so register today!

Two tours will take place on April 24 at 10 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Please see our website for details and registration.

Cynthia Rando 281-461-2620 http://sa.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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6.            Training Offering for NASA@work: Learn How to Use This Platform

If you are interested in learning more about NASA@work and how you can participate on this internal, collaborative platform, join us for NASA@work Training 101 on Thursday, May 2. We will offer two sessions, each 30 minutes long (11 a.m. CDT and 2 p.m. CDT). Sign up here to learn how you can take advantage of this platform. Space is limited!

Make sure you check out our active challenges and participate today: Group On-Call Notification Alternatives (deadline: May 3); and Lab Equipment Obsolescencee: Cytometer (deadline: April 19). Check them out and submit your solution today!

Kathryn Keeton 281-204-1519 http://nasa.innocentive.com

 

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7.            Starport (JSC Exchange) Scholarship Deadline Extended

The deadline for applications to the Starport Scholarship Program has been extended to May 3.

Starport is proud to offer two scholarships this year to provide financial assistance for dependents (children) of JSC civil servants or reimbursable detailees and dependents (children) of JSC Starport Partners to attend college.

Applicants are evaluated on the basis of academic achievement, financial need and involvement in school or community activities. The scholarship winners may pursue any course of study leading to a recognized degree at any accredited college in the country.

Additional information regarding Starport Partners and the Starport Scholarship Program and applications are available online.

Dottie R. Smith x39028

 

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8.            Starport Summer Camp at the Gilruth Center

Summer is fast approaching, and Starport will again be offering summer camp for youth at the Gilruth Center all summer long. We have tons of fun planned, and we expect each session to fill up, so get your registrations in early. Weekly themes are listed on our website, as well as information regarding registration and all the necessary forms.

Ages: 6 to 12

Times: 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Dates: June 10 to Aug. 16 in one-week sessions

Registration: March 18 for NASA dependents | May 6 for non-dependents

Fee per session: $140 per child for dependents | $160 per child for non-dependents

Ask about out sibling discounts and discounts for registering for all sessions.

Plus, receive a coupon for 25 percent off a four-, six- or 12-week membership package to our Inner Space Yoga and Pilates Studio when you register for camp by April 30.

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

 

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9.            Parent's Night Out at Starport -- April 26

Enjoy a night out on the town while your kids enjoy a night with Starport. We will entertain your children with a night of games, crafts, a bounce house, pizza, a movie, dessert and loads of fun!

When: Friday, April 26, from 6 to 10 p.m.

Where: Gilruth Center

Ages: 5 to 12

Cost: $20/first child and $10/each additional sibling if registered by the Wednesday prior to event. If registered after Wednesday, the fee is $25/first child and $15/additional sibling.

Register at the Gilruth Center front desk.

Event Date: Friday, April 26, 2013   Event Start Time:6:00 PM   Event End Time:10:00 PM

Event Location: Gilruth Center

 

Add to Calendar

 

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

 

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10.          EWB-JSC in Need of Spare Scrap Metal

Save the planet and help Engineers Without Borders (EWB)-JSC save an orphanage at the same time by bringing your scrap metal on Saturday, April 20. Look around your home for unwanted metal items such as copper pipe or wire, aluminum chairs or cans, stainless steel, brass, steel, etc., and bring them to the JSC Sandbox (Building 348) between 9 and 11 a.m. this Saturday. While there, you can see the prototype fruit dryer we are building to help the orphanage in Rwanda start an organic fruit-drying export business to support the orphans through school. If you have more than a quarter truckload of metal, please notify us ahead of time. Thank you for your support.

Mike Ewert x39134

 

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11.          'Space Warriors' Movie Premiere at Space Center Houston

The JSC community is invited to a special premiere screening of "Space Warriors," the new movie directed by Sean McNama ("Soul Surfer") and starring Thomas Horn ("Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"), Josh Lucas ("A Beautiful Mind"), Dermot Mulroney ("The Grey") and acting veteran Danny Glover. Filmed on location at U.S. Space Camp and at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., "Space Warriors" follows a group of kids attending Space Camp who suddenly find themselves at the center of a real-life space mission. Tickets to the April 25 event are FREE, but registration is required.

Event Date: Thursday, April 25, 2013   Event Start Time:6:00 PM   Event End Time:8:00 PM

Event Location: Space Center Houston

 

Add to Calendar

 

Valerie Meyers x34989 http://www.spacecenter.org/spacewarriors.html

 

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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: 1 pm Central (2 EDT) – NASA Kepler Science Update - Ames (All Channels)

 

Human Spaceflight News

Thursday, April 18, 2013

 

HEADLINES AND LEADS

 

Space Policy Vets: U.S. Interests Best Served By Global Moon Initiative

 

Mark Carreau - Aerospace Daily

 

A wavering U.S. space policy, now loosely focused on the human exploration of Near Earth Objects and Mars, is failing to serve traditional U.S. national security interests, two longtime Washington policymakers asserted in remarks before a Washington Council on Foreign Relations forum. The Moon is a more suitable focus, one that does not come at too high a price for NASA's traditional international partners, nor too great a technical challenge for those who may wish to engage it over the long term — Asia's rising space powers, China and India, according to Robert Walker, former chair of what is now the House Science, Space and Technology Committee; and Scott Pace, director of George Washington University's Space Policy Institute. Those interests include security for U.S. military space assets through an absence of anti-satellite weaponry and mitigation of space debris; opportunities for an emerging U.S. commercial space sector and scientific advancement; as well as a revived youthful interest in the science and engineering fields.

 

Faulty umbilical connection forces Antares launch delay

 

Stephen Clark – SpaceflightNow.com

 

The countdown for the first launch of the Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket was halted 12 minutes before liftoff Wednesday after an Ethernet umbilical cable prematurely disconnected from the booster. Engineers will have to troubleshoot the umbilical before proceeding with another try, and Orbital Sciences officials said Wednesday that Friday is the earliest the rocket would be ready for a second launch attempt. The abort occurred after a smooth countdown with no major problems. Worries over an iffy weather forecast proved unfounded as sunny skies and light winds swept over the Antares launch site at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

 

Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket launch delayed until Friday

Cable disconnects as countdown nears its 12-minute mark

 

James Dean – Florida Today

 

Orbital Sciences Corp. hopes to try again Friday to launch an Antares rocket on its inaugural flight after a loose launch pad line thwarted Wednesday's first attempt in Virginia. The weather forecast Friday is iffy, however. Wednesday's countdown was cut short 12 minutes before the targeted 5 p.m. blastoff of the Antares from a new, $120 million launch pad at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Va.

 

Antares test flight delayed by technical glitch

 

William Harwood - CBS News

 

The maiden flight of a powerful new rocket designed to loft space station cargo ships into orbit was called off 12 minutes before liftoff Wednesday from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on the Virginia coast when an umbilical attached to the booster's second stage pulled away earlier than planned. After assessing the problem, Orbital Sciences Corp. managers tentatively rescheduled launch for 5 p.m. EDT (GMT-4) Friday, repairs and weather permitting. Forecasters are predicting high winds and possible thunderstorms in the Wallops Island, Va., area Friday afternoon.

 

East Coast test rocket launch scrubbed

 

Brock Vergakis - Associated Press

 

A private company hired by NASA to make supply runs to the International Space Station scrubbed a Wednesday test launch of an unmanned rocket, saying an important data cord linked to the rocket's second stage detached too soon. The towering Antares rocket had been scheduled to blast off Wednesday afternoon from Wallops Island on Virginia's Eastern Shore when the countdown clock was halted at the 12-minute mark. Barron Beneski, a spokesman for Dulles-based Orbital Sciences Corp., said another launch attempt would be tried no sooner than Friday afternoon.

 

Last-minute glitch postpones debut of new U.S. rocket

 

Irene Klotz - Reuters

 

A U.S. company hired by NASA to fly cargo to the International Space Station canceled plans to launch its new Antares rocket on a demonstration mission on Wednesday after a last-minute technical glitch, officials said. The 13-story rocket developed by Orbital Sciences Corp had been slated to lift off from a new commercial spaceport in Virginia at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) and place a dummy cargo capsule into orbit. The test flight is expected to clear the way for the company's trial cargo run to the International Space Station later this year.

 

Orbital Sciences Antares test launch scrubbed after malfunction

 

Pete Spotts - Christian Science Monitor

 

The launch of Orbital Sciences Corporation's Antares rocket was scrubbed Wednesday afternoon after an umbilical cord to the rocket's second stage detached prematurely. The rocket is one of two commercial rockets NASA is relying on to resupply the International Space Station in the post-space-shuttle era. Umbilical cords typically supply power and allow flight controllers to monitor a rocket's systems until shortly before launch, when these functions are transferred to the rocket's internal control systems.

 

New Private Rocket May Launch Friday After Delay

 

Tariq Malik - Space.com

 

An American company hired by NASA to fly robotic cargo ships to the International Space Station may try to launch the maiden test flight of its new rocket on Friday, two days after a last-minute glitch thwarted a first attempt. The Dulles-based company Orbital Sciences Corp. initially tried to launch the new Antares rocket from a seaside pad here at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wednesday, but called off the attempt when a data cable that relays commands to the rocket's onboard computer popped loose from the booster 10 minutes before liftoff.

 

Early Umbilical Separation Prompts Antares Launch Scrub

 

Ben Evans - AmericaSpace.com

 

Despite fluctuating worries about cloudy weather conditions, it was the premature separation of a loose second-stage umbilical which ended today's attempt to get Orbital Sciences' new Antares rocket into orbit on its "A-ONE" maiden voyage. The countdown to launch from Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Va., proceeded normally until less than 30 minutes before the scheduled 5:00 p.m. EDT liftoff time, when "an anomaly" was noted and the long-awaited launch was called off. Early indications are that a delay of perhaps 48 hours will be necessary to ready Antares for another attempt, although this has yet to be officially confirmed.

 

Retired Astronaut Talks Wallops Launch

 

Michael Chesney - WBOC TV (Dover)

 

Retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly was at Legislative Hall in Dover Wednesday, testifying on gun control. WBOC had the chance to speak with Kelly about the now-postponed Antares launch. Ret. Capt. Kelly left NASA in 2011. As a veteran of four shuttle flights, he still keeps abreast of what is happening in missions to space. Kelly was the pilot on Discovery's first mission after the space shuttle Columbia disaster. It was in the wake of the Columbia accident that NASA began shifting its focus, eventually ending the shuttle program and starting programs like the one involved in the Antares launch. Kelly was optimistic about the mission. "Space X has been very successful doing this to date," he said. "I think Orbital Sciences will be successful at it. It's a good first step for them. They need to demonstrate that capability."

 

Wallops Launch

Officials disappointed in Wednesday delay; re-launch not yet set

 

Salisbury Daily Times

 

Richard Gillcrist always had wanted to view a rocket launch from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. He made the three-hour drive Wednesday from his Rockville, Md., home with snacks, camp chairs and a change of clothes to see Wallops' biggest launch ever — a 130-foot-tall rocket being tested as part of a program to supply the International Space Station. "It's been on my bucket list," said Gillcrist, who gathered with several hundred others on the lawn of the Wallops' visitors center for an unobstructed view of the launch site five miles away.

 

Sex in Space Could Be Out of this World ... Or Not

 

Miriam Kramer - Space.com

 

Getting busy might sound like a good way to pass the time on long space journeys, but it may not be the best idea, experts say. If humans attempt to push the boundaries of exploration, space-based procreation will be an essential part of keeping a crew alive for the lifetime of a mission to a distant star. However, scientists don't know how safe sex in space and childbirth may be. NASA officials have long maintained that there has never been any hanky-panky between the space agency's astronauts on the International Space Station or during space shuttle missions, which ended in 2011.

 

Icons: Elon Musk doesn't let up at Tesla, SpaceX

 

Chris Woodyard - USA Today

 

If endless hours are a requirement to become a business icon, Elon Musk has put in his share. Nearly every week, he shuttles 400 miles between electric-car maker Tesla Motors in the San Francisco Bay Area and rocket maker Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) in this Los Angeles suburb. He is CEO of both. His bruising seven-days-a-week schedule means heading for Tesla on Monday nights, returning on Thursdays to run SpaceX — as the rocket business is commonly called — then often spending the weekends at Tesla. All the while, he juggles responsibilities that go with being father to five young boys. Musk looks the part of a jet-setter — he showed up to the interview at SpaceX in a sleek black leather jacket — but he talks like the lifestyle is grinding him down. "I definitely would not recommend it. It is not the path to a happier life," he says.

 

U.S. needs vision, plan to reignite space program

Program represents investment in future innovation, discovery

 

Lamar Smith - Houston Chronicle (Opinion)

 

(Smith, R-San Antonio, is chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology)

 

Throughout history, great civilizations have always explored. Hundreds of years ago it was countries exploring new continents. Two hundred years ago, it was America expanding our borders farther west. I don't know if space is the final frontier, but I believe it is the next frontier. Space exploration encourages innovation and improves Americans' quality of life. But we need vision, leadership and resolve to overcome stagnation and once again recognize the importance of our nation's space program.

__________

 

COMPLETE STORIES

 

Space Policy Vets: U.S. Interests Best Served By Global Moon Initiative

 

Mark Carreau - Aerospace Daily

 

A wavering U.S. space policy, now loosely focused on the human exploration of Near Earth Objects and Mars, is failing to serve traditional U.S. national security interests, two longtime Washington policymakers asserted in remarks before a Washington Council on Foreign Relations forum.

 

The Moon is a more suitable focus, one that does not come at too high a price for NASA's traditional international partners, nor too great a technical challenge for those who may wish to engage it over the long term — Asia's rising space powers, China and India, according to Robert Walker, former chair of what is now the House Science, Space and Technology Committee; and Scott Pace, director of George Washington University's Space Policy Institute.

 

Those interests include security for U.S. military space assets through an absence of anti-satellite weaponry and mitigation of space debris; opportunities for an emerging U.S. commercial space sector and scientific advancement; as well as a revived youthful interest in the science and engineering fields.

 

NASA is devolving into a jobs program as a result of a wavering focus, charged Walker, a former Republican lawmaker who leads Wexler and Walker, a Washington lobbying firm, and served as chair of the George W. Bush administration-era Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry.

 

"A lot of the people in Congress who take an interest  in space do so because they have a facility in their district, or they have some particular reason to be involved with it," said Walker as part of an April 15 CFR presentation, The Future of U.S. Space Policy. "That has been a trend that has come along over a period of time. As a result, the ability to get a sense of direction is limited by people who say, 'I'm all for doing a new program. What is my center going to get out of this?'"

 

President Barack Obama's 2014 budget request, presented to Congress on April 10, features a $105 million down payment on a yet-to-be-priced initiative to identify and robotically corral a small asteroid close to the Moon, where U.S. astronauts launched aboard NASA's Space Launch System/Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle could begin explorations as soon as 2021. The revision to a three-year-old directive from Obama that NASA reach a more distant asteroid with astronauts by 2025 as a stepping stone to the eventual human exploration of Mars folds in new strategies for dealing with the collision threat posed by asteroids and comets.

 

However, the veer away from the Bush administration's Moon/Mars focus, forged with Congress in the wake of the 2003 shuttle Columbia tragedy, has left NASA seemingly dysfunctional, many on Capitol Hill confused and the international community alienated, argued Pace, who served in a key NASA administrative role prior during the Bush presidency.

 

"No one thinks we will go beyond the International Space Station without international partners. The U.S. is not going to repeat Apollo anytime soon," argued Pace. "But if one is to go beyond low Earth orbit with partners, one should talk to those potential partners. You should ask them what they want to do, what they are interested in doing, what are they willing to do. When you do that, you don't hear we want to go to Mars next week. You will not hear asteroids. You will see a willingness to work with the United States. But the one thing they could do, which is return to the Moon with the United States, has really been left on the cutting room floor."

 

Walker emphasized the notion, pointing to the recent interest in the Moon generated by U.S. companies Golden Spike and Space Adventures.

 

Golden Spike is looking to a customer base that includes foreign powers in plans to mount commercial expeditions to the lunar surface. Space Adventures intends to transport space tourists on Apollo 8 style missions that circle the Moon.

 

As part of a U.S.-led global lunar engagement, NASA should establish an international framework to develop key technologies for future missions to the asteroids and Mars, including nuclear propulsion to dramatically cut travel times and radiation protection, according to Walker.

 

"We've worked them preliminarily. They are there to be created," said Walker. "That makes it politically saleable."

 

Faulty umbilical connection forces Antares launch delay

 

Stephen Clark – SpaceflightNow.com

 

The countdown for the first launch of the Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket was halted 12 minutes before liftoff Wednesday after an Ethernet umbilical cable prematurely disconnected from the booster.

 

Engineers will have to troubleshoot the umbilical before proceeding with another try, and Orbital Sciences officials said Wednesday that Friday is the earliest the rocket would be ready for a second launch attempt.

 

The abort occurred after a smooth countdown with no major problems. Worries over an iffy weather forecast proved unfounded as sunny skies and light winds swept over the Antares launch site at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

 

"LC, we've had a premature separation of the umbilical on stage two so we're going to have to abort for the day," a launch controller said on the countdown communications loop.

 

"OK, copy that," the launch conductor said. "This is LC on countdown one, abort, abort, abort. This is LC on countdown one, abort, abort, abort, proceed to abort safing procedures."

 

With a brief launch window limited to 10 minutes by constraints on the temperature of liquid propellant, officials immediately declared a scrub for the day.

 

"You learn a little bit from every launch attempt," said John Steinmeyer, an Orbital project manager. "We'll take the lessons learned today and move into another launch attempt as soon as it's safe to do so."

 

Frank Culbertson, executive vice president and general manager of Orbital's advanced programs group, said launch controllers noticed a data dropout in a link with the rocket's flight computer at 4:44 p.m. EDT, about 16 minutes before the target launch time.

 

Launch officials decided to postpone the launch once it became clear the umbilical was disconnected.

 

Culbertson, a former NASA astronaut, said the Ethernet cable is one of several power and data connections in a bundle running between the launch pad's servicing mast and the Antares rocket. All of the other connections appeared to remain in place, he said.

 

The Ethernet connection allows the launch team to communicate with the flight computer mounted on the Antares second stage, Culbertson said.

 

"There is a set of umbilical cables that go into the second stage that provide communications between the ground and the flight computer that's on the second stage," Culbertson told reporters after the scrub. "There's two-way communications sending information to the vehicle about where we are in the count, and then the vehicle actually is controlling some aspects of the countdown itself."

 

The cables attach to the rocket in a matrix similar to the way audio and video wires connect to the back of a television. Culbertson said engineers aren't sure what made the umbilical come loose.

 

"We're not sure exactly what caused that," Culbertson said. "We're going to go in as soon as we can get to the pad and look at the connector. The connector is a collar-type connector that has a lanyard that pulls the collar at the right time so that it releases, kind of like what you have on a TV connection."

 

The cable is supposed to disconnect at liftoff.

 

The weather forecast for Friday was bleak, predicting gusty winds, thunderstorms and cloudy conditions. The weather rules for the Antares rocket call for winds of less than 20 knots, no cloud ceiling below 6,000 feet, and no chance of lightning.

 

"The weather forecast is not good for Friday, but we're going to march down the road as if we're going to make a launch attempt on Friday," said Barry Beneski, an Orbital Sciences spokesperson.

 

Beneski said engineers will meet at 8 a.m. EDT Thursday to assess the technical status of the umbilical repair. A weather briefing later Thursday will give managers an updated forecast for Friday before officials make a decision on when to make another attempt.

 

Crowds of onlookers gathered at the eastern Virginia launch site. The Antares rocket is the largest vehicle to ever launch from Wallops in its 68-year history.

 

Wallops Flight Facility has launched more than 16,000 rockets, mostly missiles and sounding rockets for military and engineering research.

 

Orbital's Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo freighter are designed for resupply flights to the International Space Station. The first Antares test launch will only demonstrate the rocket, while another mission this summer will rendezvous with the space station to prove out the Cygnus spacecraft.

 

NASA is paying Orbital Sciences up to $288 million in an agreement under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, program. The COTS agreement covers development and testing of the Antares and Cygnus vehicles, and a separate contract with NASA worth $1.9 billion covers at least eight operational resupply flights to the space station.

 

Culbertson said he was pleased with the performance of the launch team Wednesday.

 

"The whole team was working together superbly," Culbertson said. "For our first launch attempt, I thought it was as good as I have seen."

 

"Not only is this a test of the vehicle, this is a test of the team," said Alan Lindenmoyer, NASA's COTS program manager. "This was their first time for a launch attempt, and observing this team in action was very impressive."

 

Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket launch delayed until Friday

Cable disconnects as countdown nears its 12-minute mark

 

James Dean – Florida Today

 

Orbital Sciences Corp. hopes to try again Friday to launch an Antares rocket on its inaugural flight after a loose launch pad line thwarted Wednesday's first attempt in Virginia.

 

The weather forecast Friday is iffy, however.

 

Wednesday's countdown was cut short 12 minutes before the targeted 5 p.m. blastoff of the Antares from a new, $120 million launch pad at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Va.

 

The launch team was about to confirm its readiness to start the countdown's final phase, and weather conditions were improving.

 

Then, a data communications cable disconnected from the 130-foot rocket's upper stage.

 

"Abort, abort, abort," the launch conductor ordered the team at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.

 

It was not immediately clear if pad or rocket equipment caused the cable to come loose.

 

The problem isn't believed difficult to fix, and the next launch attempt will likely be 5 p.m. Friday, weather permitting.

 

"We are still examining all of the data, but it appears that the issue is fairly straightforward," said Frank Culbertson, Orbital's executive vice president and mission director for the Antares test flight.

 

Mission managers will meet at 8 a.m. today to review technical issues, and a new launch time will be confirmed after a 4 p.m. weather briefing.

 

The 10-minute mission aims to deliver a dummy payload to orbit that mimics the size and weight of a Cygnus cargo craft, testing ground and rocket systems in the process.

 

"With this being the first launch of the new system from a new launch facility we have taken prudent steps to ensure a safe and successful outcome," Culbertson said Wednesday.

 

If the Antares performs well, Orbital will launch a real Cygnus on a demonstration flight to the station this summer.

 

Antares test flight delayed by technical glitch

 

William Harwood - CBS News

 

The maiden flight of a powerful new rocket designed to loft space station cargo ships into orbit was called off 12 minutes before liftoff Wednesday from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on the Virginia coast when an umbilical attached to the booster's second stage pulled away earlier than planned.

 

After assessing the problem, Orbital Sciences Corp. managers tentatively rescheduled launch for 5 p.m. EDT (GMT-4) Friday, repairs and weather permitting. Forecasters are predicting high winds and possible thunderstorms in the Wallops Island, Va., area Friday afternoon.

 

The countdown had proceeded smoothly throughout the day Wednesday with no technical problems of any significance. An initially gloomy weather forecast improved dramatically as the day wore on and the rocket was on track for launch.

 

But the unexpected umbilical separation at the T-minus 12-minute mark interrupted the countdown.

 

"LC, we've had a premature separation of the umbilical on stage two so we're going to have to abort for the day," an engineer said on the countdown audio loop.

 

"OK, copy that," the launch conductor replied. "This is LC on countdown one, abort, abort, abort. This is LC on countdown one, abort, abort, abort, proceed to abort safing procedures."

 

The scrub was a disappointment to Orbital Sciences engineers who have spent the past six years designing, assembling and testing the two-stage Antares rocket. But company managers took the delay in stride.

 

"You learn a little bit from every launch attempt," said John Steinmeyer, an Orbital project manager. "We'll take the lessons learned today and move into another launch attempt as soon as it's safe to do so."

 

The Antares is the most powerful booster in Orbital's inventory and the largest rocket ever built for launch from the MARS/Wallops complex. NASA is counting on the new rocket to help ensure steady delivery of supplies and components to the International Space Station in the wake of the shuttle's retirement.

 

For the rocket's initial test flight, a heavily instrumented mockup of the company's Cygnus cargo ship was mounted in a protective nose cone. Assuming the test flight goes well, Orbital plans to launch a real Cygnus atop an Antares in mid June to deliver about a ton of supplies and equipment to the space station.

 

The test flight and the upcoming Cygnus demonstration mission are part of a $288 million contract with NASA to help develop the new launch system. The first of at least eight operational station resupply flights conducted under a separate $1.9 billion contract with NASA, is targeted for mid September.

 

East Coast test rocket launch scrubbed

 

Brock Vergakis - Associated Press

 

A private company hired by NASA to make supply runs to the International Space Station scrubbed a Wednesday test launch of an unmanned rocket, saying an important data cord linked to the rocket's second stage detached too soon.

 

The towering Antares rocket had been scheduled to blast off Wednesday afternoon from Wallops Island on Virginia's Eastern Shore when the countdown clock was halted at the 12-minute mark.

 

Barron Beneski, a spokesman for Dulles-based Orbital Sciences Corp., said another launch attempt would be tried no sooner than Friday afternoon.

 

Orbital crews were expected to examine the rocket through the night to determine how the ethernet cable came loose. Several other cables in the same area all remained attached to the rocket. Orbital officials had said initially they suspected high winds.

 

The launch director for NASA's Wallops Flight Facility granted Orbital permission to proceed with a launch as long as winds didn't exceed 23 mph, up from a 17-mph cap originally in place. At the time the cable separated, the winds were blowing less than 7 mph, said Frank Culbertson, executive vice president and general manager of Orbital's Advanced Programs.

 

"They were really light," he said. "You know, we don't know if it was something blowing in the wind or a big sea gull."

 

Orbital officials had said low-hanging cloud cover was a concern Wednesday as a possible launch window of several hours was shortened to just 10 minutes.

 

Culbertson said the initial weather forecast didn't look good for another try Friday but a decision was expected to be made Thursday on the next attempt.

 

The planned launch by the Washington area commercial firm was designed to test whether a practice payload could reach orbit and safely separate from the rocket. Orbital executives have said the tests would prove their capability to carry out several supply runs they contracted for with NASA.

 

Orbital was one of two commercial companies, along with California-based competitor SpaceX, chosen to supply the space station by NASA, which ended its three-decade-old shuttle program in 2011.

 

SpaceX, based in Hawthorne, Calif., was awarded a $1.6 billion contract by NASA in 2006 to make a dozen restocking missions. SpaceX has linked up with the space station three times. In 2008, Orbital jumped in and was awarded a $1.9 billion contract for eight deliveries.

 

"We've been playing catch up, but we're about caught up," Culbertson had said recently as test plans loomed. "By the end of next year we should have an additional four or five cargo missions under our belt, so we're going to be moving fast."

 

If ultimately successful in testing Antares, Orbital executives have said they hoped to launch a rocket this summer carrying its Cygnus cargo ship aloft to see whether it could safely dock with the space station.

 

Orbital is under contract to eventually deliver about 44,000 pounds of supplies to the space station and envisions making about two deliveries per year. Its cargo ship would carry about 4,400 pounds worth of supplies on its first three missions and 5,600 pounds on its last five.

 

Unlike the SpaceX's Dragon capsule, which is capable of two-way deliveries, the Orbital cargo ship is not designed to return with experiments or other items from the space station. Instead, Orbital's plans call for filling its Cygnus ship with garbage to be incinerated with the craft upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere. That's also what Russian, European and Japanese cargo ships do.

 

Last-minute glitch postpones debut of new U.S. rocket

 

Irene Klotz - Reuters

 

A U.S. company hired by NASA to fly cargo to the International Space Station canceled plans to launch its new Antares rocket on a demonstration mission on Wednesday after a last-minute technical glitch, officials said.

 

The 13-story rocket developed by Orbital Sciences Corp had been slated to lift off from a new commercial spaceport in Virginia at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) and place a dummy cargo capsule into orbit.

 

The test flight is expected to clear the way for the company's trial cargo run to the International Space Station later this year.

 

If successful, Orbital Sciences would then start working on an eight-flight, $1.9 billion contract to fly supplies to the station for NASA.

 

About 12 minutes before launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, an umbilical line on the rocket's upper-stage fell away prematurely, prompting a cancellation, said NASA launch commentator Kyle Herring.

 

The next launch attempt is targeted for no earlier than Friday, although weather at the Wallops Island Flight Facility could be a problem. Meteorologists are forecasting high winds and possible thunderstorms.

 

"You learn a little bit from every launch attempt," John Steinmeyer, a senior project manager with Dulles, Virginia-based Orbital Sciences, said during a NASA TV broadcast. "We'll take the lessons learned from today and move into another attempt as soon as it's safe to do so."

 

The company is one of two hired by NASA after the space shuttles were retired to fly cargo to the station, a $100 billion project of 15 nations that flies about 250 miles above the Earth.

 

Privately owned Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, completed its test flights in 2010 and has successfully carried out two of 12 planned cargo runs to the station for NASA under a $1.6 billion contract.

 

Orbital Sciences Antares test launch scrubbed after malfunction

 

Pete Spotts - Christian Science Monitor

 

The launch of Orbital Sciences Corporation's Antares rocket was scrubbed Wednesday afternoon after an umbilical cord to the rocket's second stage detached prematurely.

 

The rocket is one of two commercial rockets NASA is relying on to resupply the International Space Station in the post-space-shuttle era.

 

Umbilical cords typically supply power and allow flight controllers to monitor a rocket's systems until shortly before launch, when these functions are transferred to the rocket's internal control systems.

 

The cord dropped from its connector about 12 minutes before the main engines were to ignite. The ground team must drain the fuel tanks before technicians can reach the rocket and pinpoint the cause of the failure.

 

The mission has been billed as a test flight. It aims to iron out any wrinkles in the processes and hardware used at the pad, in addition to demonstrating that the rocket can deliver a payload to orbit. In this case, the payload is a full-size, full-weight mock-up of the cargo carrier Orbital Sciences has designed to carry cargo.

 

"You learn a little bit form every launch attempt. So we'll take the lessons learned today and move into another

 

launch attempt as soon as it's safe to do so," said John Steinmeyer, a senior project manager at Orbital Sciences.

 

The test represents a milestone Orbital Science must clear under its $1.9 billion contract with NASA for eight cargo missions through 2015. Successful completion of this mission represents an immediate check for $4 million from the agency, whose payouts to this point depend on the company passing specified milestones.

 

In all, Mr. Steinmeyer says, the contract with NASA represents "the most ambitious collaboration to date" for the company, which has been building and launching satellites and smaller rockets for more than 30 years.

 

The launch site, dubbed the the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport, is run by the Virginia Commonwealth Spaceflight Authority, a collaboration between Virginia and Maryland.

 

The spaceport was established in 1997 at the southern end of NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility. Participants broke ground on Antares's launch pad in June 2009.

 

Until now, rockets launched from Wallops Island have tended to be suborbital sounding rockets, whose motors burn solid fuel. Antares' installation required pumps, plumbing, and tank farm needed to store and deliver the chilled liquid fuel that Antares's main engines require.

 

The launch window for this test extends through April 21. If troubleshooting goes well, Orbital Sciences could try again as soon as Friday.

 

New Private Rocket May Launch Friday After Delay

 

Tariq Malik - Space.com

 

An American company hired by NASA to fly robotic cargo ships to the International Space Station may try to launch the maiden test flight of its new rocket on Friday, two days after a last-minute glitch thwarted a first attempt.

 

The Dulles-based company Orbital Sciences Corp. initially tried to launch the new Antares rocket from a seaside pad here at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wednesday, but called off the attempt when a data cable that relays commands to the rocket's onboard computer popped loose from the booster 10 minutes before liftoff.

 

"We are still examining all of the data, but it appears that the issue is fairly straightforward," Orbital executive vice president Frank Culbertson, a former astronaut and head of Orbital's advanced programs group, said in a statement Wednesday. "With this being the first launch of the new system from a new launch facility we have taken prudent steps to ensure a safe and successful outcome. Today, our scrub procedures were exercised and worked as planned. We are looking forward to a successful launch on Friday."

 

Culbertson said Orbital engineers and NASA officials will spend all day today (April 18) inspecting the Antares rocket and evaluating weather concerns for a potential Friday launch try. An initially planning meeting is scheduled for 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT), with a weather briefing set for 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT).

 

"If the weather is cooperating and we've resolved all the problems, then we're going to go ahead and try to launch on Friday," Culbertson told reporters after Wednesday's launch attempt. The company would target a 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) launch on Friday, if all goes well, he added.

 

Orbital's 13-story Antares rocket is the go-to booster for the company's new Cygnus spacecraft, an unmanned cargo carrier that the company will use to fly at least eight delivery missions to the International Space Station under a $1.9 billion deal with NASA. Orbital Sciences is one of two companies with a commercial cargo delivery contract with NASA.

 

The other firm is the Hawthorne, Calif.-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), which has launched one test flight and two cargo trips to the station since 2012 using its Falcon 9 rockets and  Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX has a $1.6 billion deal with NASA to provide 12 cargo missions with its Falcon and Dragon vehicles.

 

During Wednesday's launch attempt , the umbilical data cable prematurely separated from its housing on the Antares rocket's second stage, severing a vital data link between Orbital's launch control center and the rocket's computer brain, which is housed in the second stage, Culbertson said. The Ethernet cable is one of several umbilical lines that provide external power and connect the rocket's systems with ground controllers to monitor the health of the booster.

 

"Like the back of your stereo, it has all these cords coming out," Culbertson said

 

Orbital's launch control team  had already worked a series of issues, including a dicey weather forecast, before the Ethernet cable glitch popped up. Before the launch try, the company and NASA officials stressed that this was a test flight and things could go wrong.

 

"If anybody things rocket science is not hard, they are dead wrong. So many thousands of things have to work right, " Alan Lindenmoyer, NASA's commercial crew and cargo program manager, told reporters.  "Not only is this a test of the vehicle, this is  a test of the team."

 

It is also a test of the launch pad. Orbital'sAntares rocket is launching from the new Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, a commercial launch site based at the Wallops Flight Facility that is overseen by the Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority. The launch pad is a brand-new launching site and was turned over to Orbital Sciences by spaceport officials in October.

 

The Antares rocket is the largest booster ever to launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The facility was first established in 1945 as an aeronautical research center and has long served as NASA's base for small sounding rocket launches and balloon research programs.

 

If Orbital's Antares rocket does launch on Friday, there is a possibility that observers could see the space shot from locations all along the U.S. East Coast. Viewing maps released by NASA and Orbital Sciences suggest that the rocket's launch could be visible from points as far north as Portland, Maine, and as far south as Charleston, S.C.

 

Early Umbilical Separation Prompts Antares Launch Scrub

 

Ben Evans - AmericaSpace.com

 

Despite fluctuating worries about cloudy weather conditions, it was the premature separation of a loose second-stage umbilical which ended today's attempt to get Orbital Sciences' new Antares rocket into orbit on its "A-ONE" maiden voyage. The countdown to launch from Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Va., proceeded normally until less than 30 minutes before the scheduled 5:00 p.m. EDT liftoff time, when "an anomaly" was noted and the long-awaited launch was called off. Early indications are that a delay of perhaps 48 hours will be necessary to ready Antares for another attempt, although this has yet to be officially confirmed.

 

Following a successful hot-fire test of A-ONE's AJ-26 engines on 22 February, and the rollout of the two-stage rocket to Pad 0A, on 6 April, preparations for the launch proceeded with exceptional smoothness. Late last night, the Antares vehicle team completed their final arming and closeout activities and the 'call to stations' of all personnel was performed at 8:45 a.m. EDT Wednesday. Right from the outset, however, there were doubts about the weather, with broken cloud ceilings at low altitude and only a 45-percent probability of acceptable conditions by the scheduled opening of the launch window at 5:00 p.m. Even tomorrow's forecast does not look much better and is presently estimated to be only 50-percent acceptable for Antares to fly.

 

"We are of course disappointed, we weren't working any issues on the pad and we were very much looking forward to launch and then we had the issue on the umbilical occur," said Orbital Spokesperson Barry Beneski. "This is as much information as we know right now, and again, this is not overly surprising,  I don't think we should be shocked that this happened, first time for the rocket, first time for the pad. So, while its disappointing, we're going to try again."

 

As the morning wore into the afternoon, the situation remained balanced on a knife-edge, although Orbital managers elected to proceed and the vehicle and payload avionics were powered-up and transferred to internal power. At 3:30 p.m. final polling led to a decision to press on with fueling the giant rocket's first stage with a rocket-grade form of kerosene (known as 'RP-1'), followed shortly afterwards by the loading of liquid oxygen. The launch window, which had already been adjusted to 5:00-7:00 p.m., was shortened to occur within a 15-minute block at the start of this period. By 4:00 p.m., the propellant tanks for Antares' twin AJ-26 first-stage engines were fully-fueled and weather conditions had improved slightly to 60 percent. The premature separation of an umbilical from the rocket appears to have occurred within the final stages of the countdown.

 

The "A-ONE" mission is a test of the 133-foot-tall booster, whose most high-profile future role will be to support eight voyages of the Cygnus cargo craft to the International Space Station. Aboard Antares are a quartet of tiny 'picosatellites' in a dispenser, as well as a full-size, 8,400-pound mass simulator of Cygnus itself. Orbital Sciences – which won a $1.9 billion share of NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract, back in December 2008 – has much to prove and is faced with the daunting challenge of regaining ground already lost to its CRS competitor, SpaceX.

 

Although A-ONE is a bare-bones evaluation of the new system, it is hugely significant for Orbital, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, and Antares represents its first cryogenically-propelled rocket. Its first stage is fed by a pair of Aerojet-built AJ-26 engines, developed from Soviet-era NK-33 powerplants, whose own heritage extends back to the ill-fated N-1 lunar booster of the 1960s. Fueled by rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen, a total of 36 of these engines were purchased by Aerojet from Russia in the mid-1990s, at a cost of $1.1 million per unit. Each engine produces a sea-level thrust of 338,000 pounds and their performance on the test stand has been generally good, with the exception of a June 2011 kerosene fire, caused by stress-corrosion cracks in the 40-year-old metal.

 

If Antares' development has been problematic, then so too has the process to build the MARS site, which Orbital's President and CEO David Thompson described as "the first all-new, large-scale liquid-fuel launch site to be built in the U.S. for decades". As part of the redevelopment of the site, Pad 0A was completely demolished, to make way for an entirely new facility with sophisticated kerosene and liquid oxygen tankage, but difficulties were experienced along the way, most notably with the propellant-handling equipment. This has conspired to push back the maiden voyage of Antares, and the first flight of Cygnus, by well over a year.

 

In the meantime, SpaceX – which won a $1.6 billion slice of the CRS pie – has tested its Falcon 9 booster, flown an inaugural demo mission of its Dragon craft to the International Space Station and staged two further operational cargo flights. Today's scrub will come as a bitter disappointment for Orbital, although if the company achieves success in the next few days its hope – published on its website – to stage a Cygnus test flight to the space station "around mid-year", may still be a realistic possibility.

 

"We are still examining all of the data, but it appears that the issue is fairly straightforward," said Orbital's Executive Vice President and Mission Director for the Antares Test Flight, Frank Culbertson, "With this being the first launch of the new system from a new launch facility we have taken prudent steps to ensure a safe and successful outcome. Today, our scrub procedures were exercised and worked as planned. We are looking forward to a successful launch on Friday."

 

Retired Astronaut Talks Wallops Launch

 

Michael Chesney - WBOC TV (Dover)

 

Retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly was at Legislative Hall in Dover Wednesday, testifying on gun control. WBOC had the chance to speak with Kelly about the now-postponed Antares launch.

 

Ret. Capt. Kelly left NASA in 2011. As a veteran of four shuttle flights, he still keeps abreast of what is happening in missions to space.

 

Kelly was the pilot on Discovery's first mission after the space shuttle Columbia disaster. It was in the wake of the Columbia accident that NASA began shifting its focus, eventually ending the shuttle program and starting programs like the one involved in the Antares launch.

Kelly was optimistic about the mission.

 

"Space X has been very successful doing this to date," he said. "I think Orbital Sciences will be successful at it. It's a good first step for them. They need to demonstrate that capability."

 

He discussed what may be in store for NASA manned missions.

 

"When I was a kid I hoped to go to the planet Mars - be the first person to walk on Mars. Ain't going to happen - for me anyway. I think the United States will still lead in space and be the first to do that."

 

However, Kelly acknowledged there are issues closer to home with manned flights to tackle first.

 

"We still have to get people to the space station," he said. "We haven't solved that problem yet. We're on the road to doing that though."

 

Wallops Launch

Officials disappointed in Wednesday delay; re-launch not yet set

 

Salisbury Daily Times

 

Richard Gillcrist always had wanted to view a rocket launch from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility.

 

He made the three-hour drive Wednesday from his Rockville, Md., home with snacks, camp chairs and a change of clothes to see Wallops' biggest launch ever — a 130-foot-tall rocket being tested as part of a program to supply the International Space Station.

 

"It's been on my bucket list," said Gillcrist, who gathered with several hundred others on the lawn of the Wallops' visitors center for an unobstructed view of the launch site five miles away.

 

Gillcrist never saw it. Officials did not immediately know when he and others will get another chance.

 

The launch of Orbital Science Corporation's Antares rocket was postponed 12 minutes before its scheduled 5 p.m. liftoff after connections between the rocket and control tower were severed, possibly by gusty winds, officials said.

 

"This is not overly surprising," said Orbital spokesman Barron Beneski, citing the new rocket and new launch pad. "We're going to do it again."

 

NASA announced that the launch would not take place Thursday. Beneski, addressing reporters about two miles away from the launch pad, said it was too early to tell when a relaunch would be rescheduled.

 

The vehicle will carry a simulated payload 158 miles from Earth less than 10 minutes after takeoff.

 

Wallops has conducted more than 16,000 rocket launches since 1945, and this one created interest around the region — more than 100 journalists were in attendance.

 

Beneski said he felt "a little bit of disappointment" that it didn't launch.

 

Back at the visitor center, Gillcrist felt the same way.

 

"I had high expectations," he said, but if a weekend launch is scheduled, he would be able to bring his whole family to watch it.

 

Other viewers he met might not be as fortunate.

 

"Some people came even farther than us," he said.

 

Sex in Space Could Be Out of this World ... Or Not

 

Miriam Kramer - Space.com

 

Getting busy might sound like a good way to pass the time on long space journeys, but it may not be the best idea, experts say.

 

If humans attempt to push the boundaries of exploration, space-based procreation will be an essential part of keeping a crew alive for the lifetime of a mission to a distant star. However, scientists don't know how safe sex in space and childbirth may be.

 

NASA officials have long maintained that there has never been any hanky-panky between the space agency's astronauts on the International Space Station or during space shuttle missions, which ended in 2011.

 

In light of the nonprofit Inspiration Mars Foundation's recent plan to send a married couple on a 501-day manned mission around Mars in 2018, however, the first documented case of human sex in space might be on the horizon.

 

"Well, I'm sure that the couple chosen for the Inspiration Mars plan will have sex in space," Laura Woodmansee, author of the book "Sex in Space," told SPACE.com in an email. "No doubt there! I think that's kind of an unwritten requirement. That's why, I suppose, the foundation is planning to send a married couple."

 

But doing the deed in microgravity might be a tall order.

 

"Sex is very difficult in zero gravity, apparently, because you have no traction and you keep bumping against the walls," biologist Athena Andreadis of the University of Massachusetts Medical School told SPACE.com in 2011. "Think about it: you have no friction, you have no resistance."

 

In spite of the challenges sex in microgravity poses, Woodmansee thinks that the Inspiration Mars journey could motivate other couples to take advantage of less ambitious cosmic destinations, such as low-Earth orbit, should they become commercially available.

 

"If how-to stories return to Earth with the Inspiration Mars couple, it really could inspire a true space tourism industry," Woodmansee said. "Hopefully the couple will keep a diary and feel comfortable enough to clue the rest of us in on what to expect."

 

While sex in space could present some mechanical problems, conceiving a child in the final frontier might be downright dangerous.

 

"There are many risks to conception in low or microgravity, such as ectopic pregnancy," Woodmansee said. "And, without the protection of the Earth's atmosphere, the higher radiation levels raise the probability of birth defects."

 

Microgravity does strange things to the body. From bone density loss to odd fluid distribution, the human body was not built to live in low-gravity conditions. Astronauts combat these less-than-ideal conditions through exercise and other methods, but scientists are not sure how they will affect a mother and child.

 

"The thing is, a baby created and born in space could be perfectly fine," Woodmansee said. "We just don't know enough about the subject. We've evolved here on the Earth, so moving to outer space is moving evolution in a different direction."

 

Icons: Elon Musk doesn't let up at Tesla, SpaceX

 

Chris Woodyard - USA Today

 

If endless hours are a requirement to become a business icon, Elon Musk has put in his share.

 

Nearly every week, he shuttles 400 miles between electric-car maker Tesla Motors in the San Francisco Bay Area and rocket maker Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) in this Los Angeles suburb. He is CEO of both.

 

His bruising seven-days-a-week schedule means heading for Tesla on Monday nights, returning on Thursdays to run SpaceX — as the rocket business is commonly called — then often spending the weekends at Tesla. All the while, he juggles responsibilities that go with being father to five young boys.

 

Musk looks the part of a jet-setter — he showed up to the interview at SpaceX in a sleek black leather jacket — but he talks like the lifestyle is grinding him down.

 

"I definitely would not recommend it. It is not the path to a happier life," he says.

 

As fatiguing as his life may be, Musk is establishing himself as one of America's pre-eminent high-tech entrepreneurs. Sure, Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook and Sergey Brin and Larry Page introduced the world to Google. But Musk not only co-founded online payment service PayPal, he doubled, then tripled down by taking on two entirely unrelated, high-risk tech businesses.

 

His bet is starting to pay off. SpaceX grabbed the nation's attention last year when its Dragon spacecraft became the flying delivery van to the International Space Station. It dropped off 1,673 pounds of supplies then splashed down in the Pacific. A second mission last month proved just as successful.

 

Musk says SpaceX has been profitable for five years, serving not only the government but myriad businesses that need its Falcon 9 rocket to deliver satellites into orbit.

 

Then there is Tesla. Musk is one of five co-founders in the company and later took control as it developed a small plug-in sports car. He ordered a raft of changes to the Tesla Roadster that slowed the path to market. But the company ended up selling 2,500, making it one of the first big sellers of plug-in cars.

 

The company's next and only current product, the Model S luxury sedan, marked a huge step up in size and sophistication when it hit the market last year. The performance version can jet from zero to 60 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds and is EPA-rated for a range of up to 265 miles per charge, the most of any plug-in electric. Motor Trend made the Model S its coveted Car of the Year, lauding its quickness with looks that will wow valets at swanky hotels "like a supermodel working a Paris catwalk."

 

Despite a starting price of $70,890 for the cheapest version with shipping, Tesla has boosted production. It made more than 4,750 of the sedans at the former Toyota-General Motors factory in Fremont, Calif., in the first quarter, and Musk is predicting Tesla's first quarterly profit. The company says it plans to repay its $465 million federal loan early.

 

If you're expecting Musk, 41, to take a bow, think again.

 

SpaceX is "doing pretty well these days," but Tesla is "a couple of years behind that," with the goal of making it profitable as a top priority, he says. A gull-winged electric SUV called the Model X is next up and a smaller, cheaper sedan is another three or four years out. So it's easy to see why he might seem distracted.

 

Just keeping the issues he needs to track — he calls them "mental balls in the air" — with both companies would be enough to overwhelm many executives. But Musk says he is able to keep the two separate, although he occasionally needs to be reminded what company he will be talking about at a meeting. He says he can manage the occasional crisis at one of his companies, but when it is two at the same time, "then it is really difficult."

 

It has happened. No year will beat 2008 for sheer difficulty, Musk says. SpaceX had seen three failed rocket launches. "If there had been a fourth failure, the company would have died," he says. (It succeeded.) At Tesla, a round of financing fell apart as lenders scattered as the nation's financial crisis heightened. Unable to pay the rent or make payroll without the new financing, Tesla's future came down to the wire. Musk says at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve — "the last hour of the last day" when it could close — the money came through.

 

Now, having developed what he terms "a high pain threshold" when it comes to business, Musk is able to once again look longer term. He not only makes electric cars but crusades for their place on the highway. The nation, he believes, needs to stop denying that global warming exists and develop more sustainable transportation.

 

"We're running the most dangerous experiment in history right now, which is to see how much carbon dioxide the atmosphere ... can handle before there is an environmental catastrophe," Musk says.

 

Besides running the two companies, Musk is chairman of Solar City, a solar-power provider to residential and business customers.

 

Musk, born in South Africa and educated at the University of Pennsylvania, cares as well about immigration reform. Preventing talented immigrants from taking a chance in America only means more of them will set up shop in their home countries, he says.

 

Musk is living proof of the value of immigration. Despite finding multiple ways to invest the fortune he made out of PayPal, Musk still is worth $2.7 billion, according to Forbes magazine. He's wealthy enough that he held a press conference this month and personally vowed to back the resale value of Tesla cars — even if the company fails.

 

He doesn't seem to mind putting his own money at risk. He says he would feel terrible if one of his companies died — and he still had cash in the bank that could have saved it.

 

These days, he allows that he occasionally thinks about creating new companies, but that he knows his limits. In fact, he set a goal for himself this year: to have more fun and less stress. "I'd like to dial it back 5% or 10% and try to have a vacation that's not just e-mail with a view," Musk says.

 

Asked what he has left to accomplish in life, the answer certainly is fun: He'd like to visit Mars.

 

"I think it would be a great adventure," he says.

 

Then again, at least when it comes to business, Musk has had no shortage of adventures.

 

U.S. needs vision, plan to reignite space program

Program represents investment in future innovation, discovery

 

Lamar Smith - Houston Chronicle (Opinion)

 

(Smith, R-San Antonio, is chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology)

 

Throughout history, great civilizations have always explored. Hundreds of years ago it was countries exploring new continents. Two hundred years ago, it was America expanding our borders farther west. I don't know if space is the final frontier, but I believe it is the next frontier.

 

Space exploration encourages innovation and improves Americans' quality of life. But we need vision, leadership and resolve to overcome stagnation and once again recognize the importance of our nation's space program.

 

When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 in 1957, it began an era of competition with the U.S. for pre-eminence in space. President John F. Kennedy pledged to work with Congress to secure American leadership in human space exploration.

 

He famously stated, "For while we cannot guarantee that we shall one day be first, we can guarantee that any failure to make this effort will make us last."

 

Space exploration became a national priority. We beat the Russians to the moon and became the undisputed global leader in space.

 

But now other nations are again accelerating investments in space, while our own human space program is without a clear mission.

 

The stakes are high. Leading in space exploration means also leading in technological innovation and scientific discovery.

 

If China lands a man on Mars before the U.S., it would be devastating to our standing in the global community. We already know that China has plans to go to the moon. America must be committed to investing in the future, even in challenging economic times.

 

Unfortunately, our vision for the future has been obscured by the present troubles facing our nation and our economy.

 

The attacks of 9/11 shifted the nation's attention and resources to terrorism at the beginning of the 21st century. Then, just as Americans were beginning to feel a sense of security, the subprime mortgage crisis caused the economy to collapse in late 2008. In challenging times, it can be difficult for Americans to view our nation's space program as a priority.

 

But space exploration is an investment in our future, sometimes the distant future. It captures the minds of Americans and encourages future generations to dream big, work hard and shoot for the stars.

 

It not only expands our horizons, but also has practical benefits here on Earth. Technological advancements that are the result of space exploration have improved our quality of life and continue to save lives. Technologies that were originally developed by NASA include GPS, high-definition TV, laser surgery and Doppler weather radar.

 

Space initiatives are also important to our national security. Nearly half of all launches of space satellites are defense-related.

 

Ensuring a robust space program requires two things: a mission and money. But it's unreasonable to think NASA is going to defy budget gravity and somehow get an increase when everyone else is getting cut.

 

We are operating in an era of tightening budgets. So we need to play smarter and squeeze as much productivity as we can out of the money we have.

 

President Obama should work with Congress to provide a vision for the agency. In order to succeed, NASA needs continuity of vision and consistency in its budget.

 

A picture of the future hangs in my office. It's a time-lapse photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of a speck of sky where nothing was thought to exist. When the film was developed, there were 3,000 points of light in that tiny area - and each point of light was not a star, but a galaxy.

 

The future is bright for discovery. But failure to invest in innovation and space exploration could leave America in the dark.

 

END