Happy Monday everyone. Bring on some rain.---we can use some cooling off.
| | JSC TODAY CATEGORIES - Headlines
- In Space, Can They Hear You Yell G-O-O-O-O-A-L?
- ARMD Seedling Fund Solicitation Opens Today
- Managed Elevated Privileges Continues - Organizations/Social
- Jump on the Digital Bandwagon with Social Media
- HSI ERG Mtg: SE Handbook Updates & Outbriefs
- JSC Systems Engineering Forum - Jobs and Training
- What Would You Do in a Medical Emergency on TDY?
- Upcoming I&I Classes - Register Today
- Job Opportunities |  |
| Headlines - In Space, Can They Hear You Yell G-O-O-O-O-A-L?
Expedition 40 Commander Steve Swanson and Flight Engineers Reid Wiseman and Alexander Gerst are having "a ball" in orbit on the International Space Station with a little friendly rivalry over the World Cup. For them, the big soccer match is the U.S. vs. Germany game (Gerst is a native of Germany) that starts at 11 a.m. CDT June 26. They've been tweeting and sent a fun downlink video wishing all the competitors a great tournament. Before that big match, NASA TV will host live interviews with Univision and ESPN's "SportsCenter," in that order, from 8:25 to 8:45 a.m. CDT tomorrow, June 24. Both networks are doing extensive coverage of the World Cup throughout the tournament. In the meantime, if you'd like to keep up with all the NASA activity related to the World Cup, click here. And, don't forget to follow and retweet Reid and Alexander: @Astro_Reid @Astro_Alex Tweeters, be sure to use hashtags #WorldCup or #USMNT (for the U.S. games), or to reference the @FIFAWorldCup handle in your social media sharing. First-time users will need to install the EZTV Monitor and Player client applications: - For those WITH admin rights (Elevated Privileges), you'll be prompted to download and install the clients when you first visit the IPTV website
- For those WITHOUT admin rights (Elevated Privileges), you can download the EZTV client applications from the ACES Software Refresh Portal (SRP)
If you are having problems viewing the video using these systems, contact the Information Resources Directorate Customer Support Center at x46367 or visit the FAQ site. Event Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2014 Event Start Time:8:25 AM Event End Time:8:45 AM
Event Location: JSC EZTV IP Network TV System, NASA TV
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JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111
[top] - ARMD Seedling Fund Solicitation Opens Today
The NASA Aeronautics Research Institute (NARI) is accepting proposals from multidisciplinary, multi-center teams for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) Seedling Fund. Proposals must clearly articulate an innovative, broadly based research concept addressing one or more of the six ARMD strategic thrusts and have the potential to mature into technologies of interest to ARMD or commercial aerospace companies. ARMD will consider proposals for up to four team awards for $750,000 each for a one-year period of performance, and will down select to two of the teams showing the most promise to continue research for approximately $1M for an additional 18 months. Three-page proposals are due July 14. - Managed Elevated Privileges Continues
On Tuesday, June 24, Managed Elevated Privileges (MEP) continues with the EG, EP and ES org codes. MEP controls admin rights (Elevated Privileges, or EP) on NASA computers and allows users to request EP when needed. Users must complete SATERN training before submitting any requests for EP. All users, especially those scheduled for MEP deployment, are strongly urged to complete the SATERN training for "Basic Users" (Elevated Privileges on NASA Information System - ITS-002-09). Users can coordinate with their supervisor, OCSO or organization's IT point of contact to determine the level of EP they may need beyond "Basic User" and any additional training required. The last scheduled deployment date is July 1, which will complete EA with the EG, EP, ES and EV org codes. For more information, go to the MEP website or contact Heather Thomas at x30901. Organizations/Social - Jump on the Digital Bandwagon with Social Media
Not on the digital bandwagon that is social media? Don't fret—because we've got a great presenter that will enhance your knowledge on social media trends, do's and don'ts and more this Wednesday, June 26! The JSC External Relations Office and SAIC/S&MA invite you to come hear social media expert and CEO of the Marketing Zen Group Shama Kabani talk about "Seven Digital Trends Every Leader Must Know to Grow Your Organization." When and where: Wednesday, June 26, from 11 a.m. to noon in the Teague Auditorium Kabani authored the bestselling book "The Zen of Social Marketing" and is often quoted about social media topics. She's also been highlighted in Business Week, Dallas Morning News, Entrepreneur, Fast company, Inc. Magazine, The New York Times, The Huffington Post and The Wall Street Journal. - HSI ERG Mtg: SE Handbook Updates & Outbriefs
The Human Systems Integration (HSI) Employee Resource Group (ERG) invites you to our June meeting, where David Fitts will discuss HSI updates to the NASA Systems Engineering Handbook, and Mihriban Whitmore will outbrief on the recent Department of Defense Human Factor Engineering Technical Advisory Group meeting and the Southwest Regional Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Symposium. This meeting will be packed with info on how NASA, other government agencies and the local HFES community are embracing HSI. Bring your lunch and check it out! - JSC Systems Engineering Forum
NASA Systems Engineering Handbook Update Discussion The next JSC Systems Engineering (SE) Forum meeting will be an overview and discussion of the changes being proposed to the NASA Systems Engineering Handbook. The meeting will be Thursday, June 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in Building 1, Room 966. Synopsis: A draft of the next version of the SE Handbook has been posted under the Shared Documents/SE Forum site on EASE (Oasis). Britt Walters will provide an overview and solicit comments and feedback to take to the agency working group. For more information, please contact Britt Walters at x37334. Event Date: Thursday, June 26, 2014 Event Start Time:11:30 AM Event End Time:1:00 PM
Event Location: Building 1 Room 966
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Robert Bayt x40055
[top] Jobs and Training - What Would You Do in a Medical Emergency on TDY?
This question-and-answer session is for JSC civil servants to learn more about the Global Rescue Emergency Medical services available on international TDY. Please bring your co-workers. Event Date: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 Event Start Time:11:00 AM Event End Time:12:00 PM
Event Location: Bldg 30A Auditorium
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Sabrina Gilmore x32773
[top] - Upcoming I&I Classes – Register Today
Join Dr. Steve Robbins at the Gilruth Center for an upcoming Inclusion & Innovation (I&I) session. Behind the science of unintentional intolerance is something called "cognitive dissonance." Robbins explains this scientific term with memorable stories and insightful commentary. Target Audience: Civil service employees Dates: (Please choose one session) AUGUST 2014 Advanced I&I (supervisors and leads) Aug. 13 to 14 Gilruth Lone Star Room (216) 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. SEPTEMBER 2014 Intro to I&I Sept. 5 Gilruth Alamo Ballroom 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Registration begins at 8 a.m.) OCTOBER 2014 Intro to I&I Oct. 7 Gilruth Alamo Ballroom 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Registration begins at 8 a.m.) - Job Opportunities
Where do I find job opportunities? To help you navigate to JSC vacancies, use the filter drop-down menu and select "JSC HR." The "Jobs" link will direct you to the USAJOBS website for the complete announcement and the ability to apply online. Lateral reassignment and rotation opportunities are posted in the Workforce Transition Tool. To access: HR Portal > Employees > Workforce Transition > Workforce Transition Tool. These opportunities do not possess known promotion potential; therefore, employees can only see positions at or below their current grade level. If you have questions about any JSC job vacancies or reassignment opportunities, please call your HR representative. | |
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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. Disclaimer: Accuracy and content of these notes are the responsibility of the submitters. |
NASA and Human Spaceflight News
Monday – June 23, 2014
HEADLINES AND LEADS
SpaceX satellite launch off until Tuesday
Irene Klotz – Sen
A Space Exploration Technologies Falcon 9 rocket and its clutch of Orbcomm communication satellites will remain on the launch pad until at least Tuesday, the company said Sunday.
SpaceX satellite launch postponed for third time, until Tuesday
Irene Klotz – Reuters
Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, postponed for a third time the launch of six commercial communication satellites from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, officials said on Sunday.
SpaceX scrubs launch of Falcon 9 rocket again
Mark Schlueb – Orlando Sentinel
SpaceX postponed the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket this afternoon, the third attempt to be scrubbed in as many days.
SpaceX Delays Commercial Satellite Launch Until Tuesday
SpaceX has pushed a planned commercial satellite launch back again, this time to Tuesday (June 24) at the earliest.
McCain presses Air Force for information on RD-180 costs
Jeff Foust – Space Politics
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) opened on Friday a new front in the ongoing debate about the availability of the RD-180 engine and proposals to develop a domestic replacement. McCain's office announced that the senator sent a letter to Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense fo acquisition, asking questions about how much the RD-180 engines cost and who profits from sales of those engines.
Why Does the USA Depend on Russian Rockets to Get Us Into Space?
P. J. O'Rourke – Daily Beast
The Kremlin won't sell us more of the rockets we use to power our satellites? No problem—Congress is about to prohibit us from buying them. But both sides need to keep playing the game.
House Approves RD-180 Replacement Appropriation As U.S. Readies More Russia Sanctions
Marcia S. Smith – Space Policy Online
The House passed the FY2015 defense appropriations bill today (June 20) with the $220 million added to begin building a replacement for Russia's RD-180 rocket engines intact. Also today, the Obama Administration imposed sanctions against seven Ukrainians and, along with Europe, is readying other sanctions aimed at specific Russian economic sectors including defense.
Human Space Exploration Stalled In LEO
Mars is the near-term exploration goal; here are some of the hurdles in the way
Frank Morring, Jr. | Aviation Week & Space Technology
Kent Rominger has spent more than 1,600 hr. in space, all in low Earth orbit. The two-time shuttle commander has a host of memories on which to reflect, including how unbelievably fast the coast of Florida receded as he soared aloft on his first launch. But it was his first look in the other direction that really sticks in his mind.
Nasa's Ellen Stofan interview: 'Our plan is to colonise Mars'
Nicola Davis – The Observer
Dr Ellen Stofan says that missions to the red planet are a priority of the US space agency – and that the best way to search for extraterrestrial life is by setting up a permanent presence
Scientists plan massive new space telescope
Paul Sutherland - Sen
The James Webb Space Telescope is still years away from launch in 2018. But space scientists are already planning its successor. And they envisage a huge new instrument that will dwarf the JWST.
These Inflatable Modules Could Change Space Exploration
The International Space Station's upcoming non-rigid BEAM module may be the key to making the future of space more roomy and affordable.
Life aboard the International Space Station may soon be decidedly more enjoyable. Astronauts are about to harvest their first small crop of lettuce, and an Italian-made espresso machine is scheduled for delivery in November. And if all goes according to plan, the space station may even get a lot less cramped by next summer thanks to an add-on module built by Bigelow Aerospace.
ULA Set to Upgrade Atlas V Pad for Human Launches of Boeing CST-100 Space Taxi—ULA and Boeing Speak With AmericaSpace
Ken Kremer – AmericaSpace
United Launch Alliance (ULA) is nearly set to upgrade their Atlas V pad to support human launches from the Florida Space Coast "starting in September" as part of an exhaustive integrated effort with Boeing to launch the firm's CST-100 "space taxi" and thereby restore U.S. ability to transport our astronauts to the space station under the auspices of NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), according to exclusive new AmericaSpace interviews with top ULA and Boeing space managers at the pad.
Preparations for Angara Test Flights Start at Russia's Plesetsk Space Center
RIA Novosti
Test flights of the Angara carrier rocket are due to start at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia's Arkhangelsk Region, where the new carrier rocket is due to be launched in late June, Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin, a spokesman for Russia's Aerospace Defense Forces, told RIA Novosti Friday.
COMPLETE STORIES
SpaceX satellite launch off until Tuesday
Irene Klotz – Sen
A Space Exploration Technologies Falcon 9 rocket and its clutch of Orbcomm communication satellites will remain on the launch pad until at least Tuesday, the company said Sunday.
Privately owned SpaceX had planned to make a third launch try Sunday, but called off the countdown "to address a potential concern identified during pre-flight checks," the company wrote in a statement on its website.
No other information about the problem was provided, nor if the issue was related to a technical glitch that scuttled a launch attempt on Friday.
A second launch try Saturday was canceled after a lightning strike near the company's launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
"The vehicle and payload are in good condition, and engineering teams will take the extra time to ensure the highest possible level of mission assurance prior to flight," SpaceX said in the statement.
The rocket will remain on its launch pad while the launch team works toward its next launch opportunity on Tuesday, it added.
After imposing a media blackout during Saturday's launch attempt, SpaceX said earlier Sunday it would restore its launch webcast and commentary.
The blackout sparked a wave of protest on Twitter. SpaceX did not say why it imposed the blackout, nor why it planned to restore it for Sunday's launch attempt.
So far, SpaceX has flown its Falcon 9 rocket nine times, all successfully.
SpaceX satellite launch postponed for third time, until Tuesday
Irene Klotz – Reuters
Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, postponed for a third time the launch of six commercial communication satellites from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, officials said on Sunday.
Liftoff of the privately owned company's Falcon 9 rocket had been slated for 5:30 p.m. EDT/2130 GMT. Aboard the rocket are six small satellites owned by Orbcomm Inc, which provides machine-to-machine data and messaging services worldwide.
SpaceX, which is owned and operated by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, has been trying since Friday to launch what would be its 10th Falcon 9 rocket, a medium-lift booster that also flies cargo capsules to the International Space Station for NASA. SpaceX is pursuing U.S. military launch contracts as well, hoping to break a monopoly by United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Boeing and Lockheed Martin .
Friday's launch attempt was called off due to a potential technical problem with the rocket's upper-stage engine. No other information about the issue was provided by SpaceX, though the glitch apparently was cleared in time for a second launch attempt on Saturday. That attempt was canceled because of poor weather at the launch site.
SpaceX rescheduled a launch for Sunday but encountered another technical issue. It was not known if the glitch was related to the upper-stage engine issue that surfaced on Friday. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"The ... launch attempt has been scrubbed to address a potential concern identified during pre-flight checks," SpaceX wrote on its website.
"The vehicle and payload are in good condition, and engineering teams will take the extra time to ensure the highest possible level of mission assurance prior to flight," it said.
The next launch opportunity is on Tuesday.
SpaceX said it had planned to restore a webcast and commentary for Sunday's launch attempt after imposing an unprecedented media blackout for Saturday's launch try.
"For the first time since the end of the Cold War, a space launch from Cape Canaveral will not be broadcast to the press and the public," Spaceflightnow.com, which provides live launch coverage, wrote on its website on Saturday. The blackout spurred an angry backlash on Twitter. The company did not respond to questions about why it canceled Saturday's launch commentary and webcast or why it planned to reverse itself for Sunday's launch attempt.
SpaceX scrubs launch of Falcon 9 rocket again
Mark Schlueb – Orlando Sentinel
SpaceX postponed the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket this afternoon, the third attempt to be scrubbed in as many days.
The rocket was set to take off at 5:30 p.m. carrying a half-dozen satellites into orbit. But SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force's 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base both announced that the launch was being postponed.
"Today's ORBCOMM launch attempt has been scrubbed to address a potential concern identified during pre-flight checks," SpaceX said in a written statement. "The vehicle and payload are in good condition, and engineering teams will take the extra time to ensure the highest possible level of mission assurance prior to flight."
SpaceX said it would try again on Tuesday, and the Falcon 9 rocket would remain on the launch pad in the meantime.
SpaceX tried to launch its Falcon 9 rocket on Friday, but that launch was aborted when a pressure reading indicated a possible leak. They tried again Saturday but that attempt was scrubbed by poor weather.
But the weather forecast didn't look good for Sunday's launch window, between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. U.S. Air Force meteorologists said there was an 80 percent chance that conditions would be bad enough to prevent a launch.
"The primary concerns are cumulus clouds, lightning, anvil clouds and high electric fields within the window. With conditions not appearing to change through mid-week, similar weather concerns will persist for a few days," according to the 45th Weather Squadron's launch operations forecast Sunday morning.
The Falcon 9 rocket is attempting to put six, 375-pound Orbcomm OG2 satellites into orbit.
The launch would be the 10th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since debuting in June 2010.
SpaceX Delays Commercial Satellite Launch Until Tuesday
SpaceX has pushed a planned commercial satellite launch back again, this time to Tuesday (June 24) at the earliest.
The launch of six spacecraft for satellite-communictations firm ORBCOMM was originally scheduled for Friday (June 20) from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. An unexpected pressure decrease in the second stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket nixed that attempt, and bad weather foiled an opportunity on Saturday (June 21). SpaceX called off Sunday's launch try as well, apparently because of a glitch of some sort.
"Today's ORBCOMM launch attempt has been scrubbed to address a potential concern identified during pre-flight checks," SpaceX representatives said in an update Sunday. "The vehicle and payload are in good condition, and engineering teams will take the extra time to ensure the highest possible level of mission assurance prior to flight."
The satellites, which will be the first members of ORBCOMM's OG2 (short for "ORBCOMM Generation 2") constellation, are destined for low-Earth orbit.
During the launch, SpaceX will also attempt to bring the Falcon 9's first stage back to Earth in a soft ocean landing, as it did during an April liftoff that sent the robotic Dragon cargo craft toward the International Space station. These efforts are part of SpaceX's plan to develop a fully and rapidly reusable rocket, which company founder Elon Musk says could revolutionize spaceflight and exploration.
McCain presses Air Force for information on RD-180 costs
Jeff Foust – Space Politics
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) opened on Friday a new front in the ongoing debate about the availability of the RD-180 engine and proposals to develop a domestic replacement. McCain's office announced that the senator sent a letter to Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense fo acquisition, asking questions about how much the RD-180 engines cost and who profits from sales of those engines.
McCain in particular appears concerned in the letter that RD AMROSS, the US-Russian joint venture that imports the RD-180 engines from NPO Energomash and sells them to United Launch Alliance (ULA), may be marking up the price of those engines significantly. "I am aware of claims that the engines have been sold by NPO Energomash to RD Amross at a much lower price than RD Amross charges ULA for them," McCain notes in his letter to Kendall.
McCain's letter included a list of nine questions for Kendall about RD-180 procurement and related issues. McCain even asks what role RD AMROSS plays in the process: "what do you understand RD Amross's business purpose to be and what value, if any, does it provide in connection with the manufacture of the RD-180?" He also asks Kendall about the department's cost estimates to both produce the RD-180 domestically and to develop an entirely new engine to replace it.
McCain's letter comes as another American company is showing interest in the RD-180. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Orbital Sciences Corporation is in discussions to acquire RD-180s to use on its Antares launch vehicle, replacing the Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ26 engines ("Americanized" versions of the Soviet-era NK-33 engine) that Antares currently uses. A decision on whether to use the RD-180, a solid motor provided by ATK (which is merging with Orbital), or continue to use the AJ26 is expected in the next two months.
Orbital has shown interest in the RD-180 in the past, and clashed with ULA regarding access to it. Orbital filed a suit against ULA and RD AMROSS in federal court a year ago, alleging that the two companies monopolized supply of the engine. Orbital dropped the suit in March but left open the option to refile. (The WSJ article notes that Orbital appears to be in discussions now directly with NPO Energomash, and not RD AMROSS, about acquiring RD-180s.) Last month, the Russian news service Itar-Tass reported that Orbital was in negotiations with Energomash to buy not the RD-180 but a variant, the RD-181.
Why Does the USA Depend on Russian Rockets to Get Us Into Space?
P. J. O'Rourke – Daily Beast
The Kremlin won't sell us more of the rockets we use to power our satellites? No problem—Congress is about to prohibit us from buying them. But both sides need to keep playing the game.
"After analyzing the sanctions against our space industry, I suggest to the USA to bring their astronauts to the International Space Station using a trampoline."
That was an April 29 tweet from Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who is head of Russia's space program and who is also individually targeted by U.S. sanctions imposed due to the Ukraine unpleasantness.
He sounds irked. Possibly Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed Rogozin to be irked. Possibly Rogozin is irked that he's individually targeted by U.S. sanctions because the U.S. didn't have the guts to target individuals of real importance at the Kremlin, and Rogozin's feelings are hurt.
Here is an April 3 tweet from Rogozin about Russian-made rocket engines used to launch U.S. satellites: "A Russian broom for an American witch."
We're Glinda, the Good Witch of the Free World. And we're embarrassed about needing Russian flying monkeys to get us into space.
It didn't have to be this way. United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing, puts U.S. satellites into orbit aboard all-American Delta IV rockets. ULA presented a paper to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics detailing how quickly the Delta IV-Heavy could be "human-rated" (Washington politician-speak for "safer than sending Christa McAuliffe up in the Space Shuttle Challenger"). ULA said 4 1/2 years. The paper was published in 2009.
But leadership of the U.S. space program has been lacking. Don't blame NASA. Every NASA official I've talked to, including its present chief, Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden Jr., and the head of NASA under George W. Bush, Dr. Michael Griffin, is eager to put the astro back in astronaut.
However, President Bush said we were going to Mars, and we went to Iraq instead. And U.S. lack of space capabilities took President Obama by surprise, like everything else has—opposition to Obamacare, Tea Party, NSA snooping, IRS targeting of conservative nonprofits, Crimea, VA screw-ups, ISIS fanatics pushing toward Baghdad.
And we're a democracy. So we the people share blame for Russia finally winning the space race. (Tortoise disqualified for technical reasons, first place awarded to Sputnik hare.)
Just at a moment when we're all making telephone calls to remote places, getting weather forecasts for July 4 weekend, looking at Google Earth to see if our neighbor's new addition violates zoning ordinances, watching DirecTV, listening to SiriusXM radio, and unable to find our way home from our local bar without GPS, we've lost interest in space.
That we're unable, for the time being, get to space personally is one thing. The more important thing is our ability to get stuff into space—stuff that keeps the CIA informed, connects and positions our defense forces, and helps us get home from the bar. Much of our ability is dependent on two rocket engines, the RD-180 and the NK-33/AJ26. These are made in Russia.
On April 11, the Space Foundation issued a "Fact Sheet: Russian Rocket Engines Used by the United States." The Space Foundation is a non-profit international organization that has, for more than 30 years, been the foremost "advocate for all sectors of space." Its mission is "to advance space-related endeavors to inspire, enable, and propel humanity." Its Fact Sheet, released nearly a month after The Daily Beast's Christopher Dickey reported on U.S. satellites using Russian rocket engines, is just the facts.
(I'm a member of SF's board. Because, I guess, every institution needs a class clown—in which capacity I got to talk to Charles Bolden and Michael Griffin. But I do not speak here, in any way, officially or unofficially, for the Space Foundation. I don't speak for anyone, not even, sometimes, as my wife and children have pointed out, for myself.)
The factual situation is that ULA's workhorse Atlas V rocket (more than three dozen launches vs. Delta IV-Heavy's seven) was built around the RD-180 engine. Atlas V missions include, per the SF Fact Sheet, "military communications, intelligence collection, missile warning, planetary exploration…earth science payloads, a few commercial satellites, and possible human spaceflights in the future."
The NK-33 engine, designated AJ26 after modification by America's Aerojet Rocketdyne company, is key to the design of Orbital Sciences Corporation's Antares rocket. Fact Sheet: "The primary mission of the Antares…[is] to service the International Space Station. Orbital is pursuing future commercial satellite launches and possible military satellite launches using Antares."
A month after the Space Foundation published the Fact Sheet, the ever-twittering Dmitry Rogozin tweeted: "Russia is ready to continue deliveries of RD-180 engines to the US only under the guarantee that they won't be used in the interests of the Pentagon."
Rogozin also announced that Russia will call it quits with the International Space Station in 2020. That is four years before the U.S. plans to leave.
The ISS, launched in 1998, is the most expensive thing ever built—$150 billion and counting. The U.S. has provided more than $100 billion of that. There's no astronomic reason the ISS can't stay in use for another 10 to 14 years or longer. But it needs to be "reboosted" from time to time to lift it back into proper low earth orbit. Otherwise the ISS becomes a 357-foot million-pound surprise for earthlings. (Don't worry too much. While the meteor that injured 1,000 people in Chelyabinsk last year was only 55 feet wide, it was 20 times as heavy.) Currently only Russian rocket engines, fitted with the Russian ISS docking system, can reboost the Space Station.
To these Russian nose-thumbings, one finger salutes, and social media bullyings, we do have alternatives.
The Delta IV can carry a larger payload into low earth orbit than the Atlas V, 60,779 lbs. vs. 41,478 lbs. But a Delta launch is much more expensive.
Plus, the Delta IV is—strange thing to say about an enormous rocket—very fast and noisy. According to Aviation Week, "There is some concern that the acoustic environment and acceleration profiles in the Delta IV nosecone could be too violent [for some Air Force and Navy satellite payloads]." Getting payloads "dual manifested" so that they can fly on either the Atlas or the Delta "requires detailed engineering work," says AV, meaning "is slow as hell."
Also Made in the U.S.A. is Orbital Science Corporation's air-launched Pegasus. But it can carry a payload of only 977 lbs. The company's Minotaur V can carry 1,390 lbs. but has flown just once. And its Taurus XL, now designated Minotaur-C, has been trouble-plagued, with three of nine launches ending in failure and the loss of $700 million worth of items supposed to go into orbit.
The SpaceX Falcon 9v1.1, all privately funded, all domestically sourced, can carry 28,990 lbs. It's made three cargo deliveries to the International Space Station. But the Falcon is not yet Air Force certified for military and intelligence payloads. SpaceX is suing the Air Force over the slowness of this certification, although going to the U.S. court system is not a famous way of speeding things up.
U.S. Air Force four-star Gen. William Shelton, commandeer of Air Force Space Command and a guy who knows about these matters, said during a keynote address at the Space Foundation's May 2014 Space Symposium that he would prefer the U.S. to develop its own equivalent to the RD-180. But he noted that would cost more than $1 billion and take between five and eight years.
So we have alternatives, sort of like the veggie burger alternatives we have on the backyard grill.
We're dependent on the RD-180, which has flown 50 times on U.S. missions with 100 percent success. And to a lesser extent, we're dependent on the NK33/AJ26 engine, which we've used six times with 100 percent success.
Plus, of course, there are U.S. political as well as U.S. technological headaches. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2015, passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee and now going to the full Senate, contains an amendment from Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) forbidding purchase of Russian RD-180 engines for national security missions after fiscal year 2017. The amendment is expected to survive the House-Senate conference and be in the bill signed by the president.
As Marcia Smith of SpacePolicyOnline.com put it, "While one part of official Washington worries that Russia will follow through on a recent threat to prohibit use of RD-180 engines for U.S. national security space launches, another part is working to ensure exactly that outcome."
International diplomacy is a big bordello. "I won't sell it!" "I won't buy it!" Is this any way to run a whorehouse?
What's interesting is how we got into the red light district with Russia. It was the result of a chain of good decisions—wise, prudent, long-sighted, or, at the least, expedient choices.
When the Soviet Union fell apart, President George H.W. Bush was anxious that the USSR rocket expertise, especially the nuke-tipped ICBM kind, didn't get sold to the highest bidder—China, Iran, North Korea, Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry. President Bush and, after him, President Clinton urged U.S. aerospace executives to look for Russian rocket business partnerships that made sense.
They did make sense. The Russians had developed a very powerful, very reliable, and relatively simple liquid oxygen/kerosene engine. The U.S. had stopped most research and development on this kind of engine after the Saturn V moon rocket was retired.
The RD-171, which would become the RD-180, was a more advanced liquid fuel rocket engine than anything we had.
That was a surprise. I talked to several U.S. aerospace engineers who were involved with Russia from the beginning. "There were cats all over the factory," said one. "I asked, 'What's with the cats?' The Russians said, 'The mice.' I asked, 'What's with the mice?' 'They gnaw the wiring harnesses.'"
This engineer told me about the Soyuz booster engines, similar in design to the RD-180, and how, when it was time for the four boosters to be attached to the rocket, an old man would arrive carrying his own toolbox. He was the original expert on booster attachment. He was retired, but came in, unpaid, to make sure the boosters were attached right.
"The Soviet-era factories look like hell," said another engineer. The Russian attitude is, 'Why wash factory walls? They just get dirty again.' But you go look at their machine tools and everything's pristine."
Part of the reason for the RD-180's superiority is Russian skill with titanium. They have a lot of titanium in Russia. They're adept at making titanium alloys. A third engineer I talked to called the alloys "unobtainium."
We had trouble reverse engineering the alloys. "The Russians are amazing metallurgists," said the third engineer. "But it's an artisanal process. The Russians themselves may not know how it works."
"Extraordinary what you can do when OSHA's not around," said yet another American engineer.
In 1995 Lockheed Martin conducted an open competition for the next generation Atlas rocket's first stage engine. The RD-180 won on both performance and cost.
The idea was that the RD-180 would be co-produced, built in Russia for commercial satellite launches and built in America for U.S. government launches.
Lockheed Martin and ULA spent more than $120 million on the American part of the RD-180 co-production program. But budget constrictions trumped expansion of the U.S. industrial base. Russian-built RD-180s cost only about $10 million apiece.
With all due respect, the American aerospace industry can't build a rider mower for $10 million. (Though it would mow your lawn at International Space Station orbital speed—17,000 mph.) Every RD-180 engine has been imported from Russia.
Given All of the Above, the Conclusion Is That We Should Go Ahead and Keep Using the Damned Russian Rocket Engines. Screw Russia.
We have a stockpile of RD-180s and AJ26s that will last two years. If the Russians don't want their engines "used in the interests of the Pentagon," we should employ the time-honored technique of international diplomacy and lie about it.
Will the Russians let the ISS fall out of the sky? That would move them from being the fourth least popular nation on earth—behind North Korea, Iran, and Syria—right to the top of the list.
Do we really need $1 billion and five to eight years, as Gen. Shelton says, to replace the RD-180? I asked a senior executive in a private sector space company. He said, "Only if you insist on doing the Air Force way."
We possess all the RD-180 blueprints and specifications. We have, I've been told by a metallurgist, figured out the metallurgy. What's Russia going to do? Haul us into International Patent Court in The Hague?
No nation was ever destroyed by embarrassment. And the RD-180 can assist the U.S. military in destroying all sorts of things, including Russians if necessary.
The McCain amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act contains exceptions for crisis situations—holes you could fly a Delta IV through.
And Russia, with its economy in recession and energy prices falling, needs the money and the continued production to keep its own space program going.
I've been told on deep background by a highly placed source (I've been waiting all my journalistic life to use the phrase "told on deep background by a highly placed source") that Putin said Rogozin should put a sock in it.
And on-the-record in the foreground there is Gen. Shelton, quoted in the May 21 issue of SpaceNews, "Speaking to reporters here at the 30th Space Symposium, Shelton said that there are 'indications' that the [RD-180] will remain available on a 'business as usual' basis, though he declined to be specific."
Russia can claim it's taking its ball home, but Russia can't quit playing.
House Approves RD-180 Replacement Appropriation As U.S. Readies More Russia Sanctions
Marcia S. Smith – Space Policy Online
The House passed the FY2015 defense appropriations bill today (June 20) with the $220 million added to begin building a replacement for Russia's RD-180 rocket engines intact. Also today, the Obama Administration imposed sanctions against seven Ukrainians and, along with Europe, is readying other sanctions aimed at specific Russian economic sectors including defense.
The availability of RD-180 engines for the United Launch Alliance's (ULA's) Atlas V rocket has come into question since the deterioration of relationships with Russia because of its actions in Ukraine. The House now has passed both a FY2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA, H.R. 4435) and a companion FY2015 defense appropriations bill (H.R. 4870) that provide $220 million for the Air Force to begin a program to develop a U.S. liquid rocket engine to replace the RD-180. The White House disapproves of the additional funding, arguing that it is premature to commit that much money while options on how best to obtain a new U.S. engine are still being evaluated, but there seems to be agreement that a new U.S engine is needed to end America's reliance on Russia. The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) also wants a U.S.-built engine and recommended $100 million in its version of the FY2015 NDAA (S. 2410). SASC also adopted a McCain amendment that prohibits the purchase of additional RD-180 engines after the current contract expires.
U.S. national space policy requires that the government support two families of launch vehicles to ensure access to space, especially for national security satellites, in case one experiences a long hiatus because of a failure. The Atlas V is one of the two (Delta IV is the other). NASA and NOAA also use Atlas V and two of the three competitors for NASA's commercial crew program (Boeing and Sierra Nevada) plan to launch their spacecraft using the Atlas V.
ULA insists that it is "business as usual" with Energomash, the Russian company that manufactures the RD-180s. The question is whether the evolving situation in Ukraine and potential sanctions against Russia's defense sector could disrupt that relationship. ULA President Michael Gass said on Wednesday that the company is positioning itself to be able to respond to any eventuality.
Major media outlets including the New York Times report that a "senior administration official" briefed them today that the United States and Europe are readying tougher sanctions targeted against Russia's finance, energy and defense sectors because of continued Russian involvement in Ukraine. According to the reports, the administration is accusing Russia of covertly arming Ukrainian separatists and redeploying "significant' Russian troops along the Ukrainian border despite a cease-fire declared by Ukraine today and ongoing negotiations between Moscow and Kiev on a peace plan. The U.S. Treasury Department today imposed sanctions against seven Ukrainians who are viewed as separatist leaders.
Details of the potential sanctions against Russia's economic sectors have not been made public. President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Russian President Putin earlier this month that he risked tougher sanctions if Russia did not withdraw Russian troops from the Ukrainian border and end its support for Ukrainian separatists. Although Russia initially withdrew some of it troops, they reportedly now are redeploying.
Human Space Exploration Stalled In LEO
Mars is the near-term exploration goal; here are some of the hurdles in the way
Frank Morring, Jr. | Aviation Week & Space Technology
Kent Rominger has spent more than 1,600 hr. in space, all in low Earth orbit. The two-time shuttle commander has a host of memories on which to reflect, including how unbelievably fast the coast of Florida receded as he soared aloft on his first launch. But it was his first look in the other direction that really sticks in his mind.
The most incredible thing I've ever seen is the color looking out into space—and that color is black—a black so dark, so stark, so vast, I'd never seen anything like it before," he recalls. "And then it dawned on me, well, it is not the color, it is not the black that is so captivating. What I was really appreciating was the vastness of space. Without the atmosphere, I could tell I was looking trillions and trillions of miles into the depths of space, and it really struck me."
That vastness, that sense of possibility that has drawn explorers like Rominger since the first protohumans wandered out of Africa an instant ago in cosmic time—or millions of Earth orbits around the Sun—is the backdrop to the push to go beyond this planet that began with Yuri Gagarin's launch in 1961.
It continued last month when an American, a Russian and a German lifted off from that same pad in Kazakhstan for the International Space Station.
Maxim Suraev, Alexander Gerst and Reid Wiseman reached their destination 6 hr. later. That is as deep into space as humans have gone—with the exception of a few flights to the Hubble Space Telescope and other slightly higher targets in low Earth orbit—since Apollo 17 started its return trip from the Moon Dec. 14, 1972.
The space station is the engineering marvel of our age—a spaceship the length of a football field where six people conduct cutting-edge scientific research while refining our collective skill at operating above the atmosphere. But the space agencies of the world do not agree on where we should go next with that hard-won expertise. There are not that many choices, and the few that there are will not be easy. Mars, it seems, is as far as humankind can practicably expect to go, for now.
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"Based on limitations to human physiology, based on reasonable technical limitations to the ability to shield humans during long voyages in interplanetary space, the horizon goal for human space exploration is Mars," says Jonathan Lunine, a top planetary scientist at Cornell University, who co-chaired the recent U.S. National Research Council (NRC) human-spaceflight study. "Now, horizon in this case essentially means the farthest goal. It is not the only goal."
Nor will it be cheap. Ultimately, the NRC panel found, the human exploration of Mars will take "decades" of work, and cost "hundreds of billions" of dollars. No one has that kind of money—not the U.S., not China and not, in the foreseeable future, all of the spacefaring nations and wannabees put together.
"I would not want to indulge in specious precision to say whether it was $300 billion or $500 billion, but it is a lot of money," says John C. Sommerer, a retired Applied Physics Laboratory engineer who headed the subcommittee that drafted the technical portion of the NRC report. "Given that we currently spend on the order of $8 billion [annually in the U.S.] on human spaceflight, you immediately understand why it is a long-term program."
Although humans are getting a robot's-eye view of the Martian surface every day, courtesy of the Curiosity rover (see page 40), no one even pretends there will be a human landing there until the 2030s at the earliest. Most of the world's space agencies include Mars in their exploration plans, but only NASA treats it as a viable goal toward which work is ongoing now that is designed to make it happen.
Like the U.S. space program from its earliest days, NASA's latest plan is a product of pragmatism, pork-barrel politics and some brilliant engineering. There is also an element of blarney—Administrator Charles Bolden says it will take only "a modest increase" in funding to land humans on Mars in 20 years or so, following the path NASA has cobbled together since the Obama administration ordered a course change five years ago (AW&ST April 28, p. 20).
That has since been amended to funding "consistent with economic growth." The NRC panel, and many other skeptics, would beg to differ. But Bolden—who commanded the shuttle mission that went deeper into space than any other to put the Hubble Space Telescope in orbit—is right on target when he says Congress isn't going to give the space program almost 4% of the federal budget, as it did during the Cold War race to the Moon. He is also right when he says "we are farther down the road [to deep space] than we have been for a long, long, long time."
Nasa's Ellen Stofan interview: 'Our plan is to colonise Mars'
Dr Ellen Stofan says that missions to the red planet are a priority of the US space agency – and that the best way to search for extraterrestrial life is by setting up a permanent presence
Nicola Davis – The Observer
Is Nasa looking for intelligent life?
Nasa, right now, is really taking a step-wise approach: let's look at our own solar system and the most likely places where we might find life. That's why we are so focused on Mars, because we know Mars had liquid water on the surface and we think that is essential to life. What we expect to find, certainly in our own solar system, are probably simple single or multiple-cell forms of life. To get to intelligent life takes stability of conditions over huge long periods of time. [We're] not sure that condition exists anywhere else in our solar system. But certainly when we go out and look for habitable planets around other stars it's something that we can start thinking about.
The Kepler mission has found planets orbiting stars other than our sun. What is the impact?
It's turned around our understanding of how our own solar system formed, because when you only have one solar system to study you make assumptions that are based on that information. [When] you have many solar systems to study, many planets to study, it is really making us rewrite textbooks. We're launching the James Webb space telescope in 2018 that is going to study the atmospheres of those planets around other stars.
Some might argue that it's a luxury to be spending money investigating other planets instead of solving Earth's problems …
I always like to say just think you were a doctor with only one patient. You might understand how that person gets sick, how they get better, but you understand nothing about the progression of disease or how humans in general get ill. Now take an Earth scientist: you only have one planet to study. Our studies of other planets are really what we call comparative planetology. Think of the other planets as being simpler versions of the Earth where you've tweaked the physical conditions, maybe the composition, the density of the atmosphere. It allows us to rip apart the physics of some of these problems and give us a better comparison.
Mars doesn't seem to be teeming with life. Aren't we better looking at planets where there might be something alive and kicking?
On Mars we are not totally sure – there could be something still living under the surface. Mars is close by, humans can operate and work on the surface – that's part of why we are so focused on [it]. Over the last few years we have started to formulate the next mission to [Jupiter's moon] Europa – we know there is an ocean under that icy crust. There are plumes of water coming out of the cracks in the south polar region. There's orange gunk all over the surface – what the heck is that stuff? Huge questions about Europa – it is clearly our next step. We have [also] flown the Cassini spacecraft through the geysers erupting off [Saturn's moon] Enceladus – we know there are organics in those water plumes but we don't know how complex those organics are. So here we have three really rich targets.
Is Nasa going to send humans to Mars just to show that it can?
Well, I'm biased because I'm a field geologist. Humans can actually read a landscape, go through a lot of rocks – crack them open, throw them, pick up the next one. Rovers are great, they do amazing science, but it is a lot more tedious process – they go much less far than a human can cover in a day. Having humans on the surface is how I think we are going to be able to demonstrate totally conclusively that life did evolve on Mars.
There is a lot of talk about settling Mars. Will Nasa be bringing its astronauts back?
We would definitely plan on bringing them back. We like to talk about pioneering Mars rather than just exploring Mars, because once we get to Mars we will set up some sort of permanent presence.
Given Nasa's shuttle programme ended in 2011, are the astronauts going to have to hitch a ride?
We are working right now to return our capability of launching astronauts from the US through a programme we call "commercial crew". Right now there are three companies that are still interested in developing the capability to launch humans from US soil. We are also, at the same time, developing our own rocket called the "space launch system", which is a new Nasa rocket that will be a heavy lift vehicle that will be able to get humans out to the lunar vicinity to do this asteroid work, and then it will eventually have the capability to get humans on the path to Mars.
I heard there are plans to send humans to an asteroid that has been kidnapped and put in orbit around the moon. Seems pretty radical …
We are actually looking at two different mission concepts and trying to decide between them. One would be to find a small asteroid – so less than 10 metres across – basically encase it in a bag and bring it back with us. That enables us to test a type of propulsion system called solar-electric propulsion that we would need to use to take large amounts of cargo to Mars. The other option is to go to a larger asteroid and grab a boulder and bring the boulder back. All of the asteroid mission is actually testing capabilities and technologies that we need for the Mars mission.
Isn't there a risk that we will contaminate Mars?
It's a huge concern. First, of all you wouldn't want to bring any weird microbes from Mars to the Earth that could potentially be harmful to people here. In the future when we have Mars samples come back, they will go through an incredible procedure basically equivalent to an ebola level quarantine facility to make sure they are not going to contaminate Earth. Then there is contamination of Mars. We are looking for life on Mars so we don't want to carry microbes with us, "discover them" and declare victory. All spacecraft that go to Mars go through an incredible level of decontamination, they get swabbed all the time for microbes before they leave – also for spacecraft that go anywhere near Europa, anywhere near Enceladus, because we are really concerned about contaminating these watery worlds. Obviously when we send people, it's going to be a huge concern. We're kind of dirty things so keeping Mars uncontaminated at that point is going to take some work.
You were principal investigator on Titan Mare Explorer (TiME), a "boat" designed to land on the hydrocarbon seas of Saturn's moon, Titan. Has that idea been sunk?
It was like a little floating buoy that would make measurements, not that different from what ocean buoys here on Earth make. We made it through the final round of a competition and then got defeated [in 2012] by a mission to Mars called "InSight" that's going to measure seismic activity on Mars. The [TiME] has now been turned over to one of my colleagues – a guy named Ralph Lorenz at Applied Physics Lab – so what happens to the mission in the future will be up to Ralph.
Is a tight budget compromising Nasa's position as a leading space agency?
We have a really vigorous space programme with the budget that we have, and we've actually gotten extremely favourable budgets in the last few years. So I feel like we are in great shape.
So having a tight budget focuses the mind?
I think it focuses your mind on priorities and, frankly, I also think it fosters innovation. I'm not out there asking for budget cuts to create innovation, but on the other hand Nasa's budget is always going to be limited – it is one of many priorities of the US federal government. In that limited-budget situation we want to do amazing things so what we need are innovations – using technology in creative ways, approaching problems sideways. That's why we need [a] diverse workforce – you need people coming in with all kinds of backgrounds, multiple points of view, to look at problems sideways.
How does Nasa view the space race between India and China?
I think it is really exciting when we see how many countries are coming into space programmes. When you look at the global exploration roadmap – this path to Mars – we have 12 countries involved in that. These things we are trying to do are hard, going to Mars is hard. It's not a US thing, it's not a US and Europe thing, it's a worldwide effort to try and accomplish these things.
All these missions create space junk – is that a problem?
We move the international space station (ISS) every year, several times a year, to have it avoid debris in space so it's certainly something we keep an eye on.
Is there any doubt about the future of the ISS given tensions between Russia and America over the Ukraine situation?
We have excellent relationships on the working level with the Russians. We have not received any official notification that anything other than what is occurring now is going to occur. Our feeling is Russia has been a great partner on the ISS, and we hope that will continue.
Do you have a Nasa space pen?
I don't, actually. We get little badges, that's about it.
Scientists plan massive new space telescope
Paul Sutherland - Sen
The James Webb Space Telescope is still years away from launch in 2018. But space scientists are already planning its successor. And they envisage a huge new instrument that will dwarf the JWST.
No final design has yet been agreed for the new Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST). But it could have a light-collecting main mirror 20 metres in diameter, making it powerful enough to image exoplanets orbiting nearby stars and to check their atmospheres for signs of life.
Its great size means that it will probably have to be assembled by astronauts in space before it is deployed rather than launching on a single rocket.
US and European astronomers and engineers are collaborating on this exciting concept mission. Sen spoke to one of them, Professor Martin Barstow, of the University of Leicester, which is one of the UK's leading space science facilities.
Professor Barstow is current President of the Royal Astronomical Society and will call tomorrow, at the National Astronomy Meeting in Portsmouth, for governments and space agencies around the world to back the project.
Professor Barstow argues that the new telescope will be a vital successor to Hubble, with its 2.5-metre mirror, and the JWST, which will have a segmented mirror 6.5 metres across. It is nearly 25 years since Hubble's launch and it has brought a wealth of discoveries as well as stunning views of the Universe.
The JWST, due for launch in 2018, is currently being assembled after surviving attempts in the US to kill it off because of the $8.7 billion cost. It will employ a revolutionary new segmented mirror that unfolds once it is in space.
Professor Barstow told Sen that ATLAST was important because, launching in around 2030, it would follow on from the work of the JWST at the end of that instrument's projected mission life. It will allow astronomers to observe in visible light as well as the ultraviolet and infrared ends of the spectrum.
He said: "We can't make ultraviolet observations from the ground and infrared is a bit of a struggle too. So it's about getting wavelength coverage and the main point about a big optical telescope like this is it's going to be the one thing that we can build that will be capable of looking at and doing diagnostic measurements of earthlike planets around other stars.
"You need the big area to get enough light because these objects will be very very faint. It depends on getting the technology right, but the principle is that you'll be able to image the planets orbiting nearby stars and then to take spectra of the planets individually and study the atmospheres. It is looking at those atmospheres for biological signatures that is a really exciting thing.
"I should be retired by the time it operates. So this is really about the next generation of scientists, and we're putting in the ground work now. If you don't start now planning something like this, it won't be ready for launch in 15 years time. If you don't start now, you push the launch ever more distant."
Asked why cash-stretched governments should contribute to another huge space project when they were already finding huge sums for instruments such as the ground-based Square Kilometre Array (SKA), Professor Barstow said: "Having ATLAST at the same time as the SKA is extremely important because the SKA will be a radio telescope and looking at a quite a lot of different stuff. The two telescopes will complement each other."
He added: "ATLAST is going to cost several billion dollars but not necessarily as much as you think because you learn lessons from building the JWST. Some of the technologies from that will be important for building and developing this telescope, such as unfolding the mirrors.
"But there is also the justification that pushing the boundaries like this produces an awful lot of exciting technology that also finds applications elsewhere, so just being on board a big project has benefits. But the ultimate question—are we alone?—is a pretty fundamental one and this is the way we will answer it."
As well as checking nearby exoplanets, ATLAST would study star and galaxy formation in high definition, constructing the history of star birth in detail and establishing how intergalactic matter was and is assembled into galaxies over billions of years.
These Inflatable Modules Could Change Space Exploration
The International Space Station's upcoming non-rigid BEAM module may be the key to making the future of space more roomy and affordable.
Life aboard the International Space Station may soon be decidedly more enjoyable. Astronauts are about to harvest their first small crop of lettuce, and an Italian-made espresso machine is scheduled for delivery in November. And if all goes according to plan, the space station may even get a lot less cramped by next summer thanks to an add-on module built by Bigelow Aerospace.
The addition won't look like the rest of the station, though: It's a (highly sophisticated) inflatable module with a flexible shell.
The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) will be the first non-rigid, expandable space module to house human occupants. BEAM is scheduled to arrive, deflated and compact, aboard the eighth SpaceX ISS cargo resupply mission in 2015. Once affixed to the ISS by the robotic Canadaarm2, BEAM will inflate to a 13-by-11-foot room, and astronauts will begin a planned two-year, NASA-backed test. In particular, NASA is interested in how the structure stands up to things like hits from micro meteors and radiation compared to more traditional rigid, primarily metal structures, like the ISS itself.
Without a rigid frame, fragility and air leaks are, of course, a concern. But the shell of BEAM is built less like a balloon and more like a thick tire wrapped in a Kevlar-like vest. Michael Gold, the director of D.C. operations and business growth at Bigelow Aerospace, says BEAM's flexible nature is part of the reason it could offer big advantages.
Unlike rigid structures like the ISS, BEAM is better suited to serve many of NASA's next-generation needs: It can be tailored to specialized activities or missions—say, as exercise space, or a place for astronatus to conduct experiments—and can be connected together to form even larger structures. More internal volume also means more room for supplies.
Perhaps the most important benefit of BEAM and Bigelow Aerospace's other designs, though, is that that their launch footprint is fairly small and light at just 3,000 pounds, which makes it much less costly to launch than similarly sized rigid structures.
By comparison, the total weight of the ISS is 925,000 pounds--or it would be, if it was sitting on earth, rather than in orbit.
"Not only will we protect you against asteroids and radiation," Gold says, "but [also] from a much greater threat, which are budget cuts. Our technology can be implemented for a fraction of the cost of traditional systems."
As NASA and international space agencies strive to move astronauts toward Mars and beyond, while facing budget battles back on Earth, figuring out how to do more with less is one of the most needed innovations in modern space exploration.
The company has tested BEAM's concepts in orbit already, with earlier (and somewhat smaller) Genesis I and Genesis II crafts, which were launched and tested in 2006 and 2007 aboard converted Soviet-era nuclear rockets.
This new round of BEAM testing will be the first with human astronauts inside, however. NASA is currently testing the BEAM module on the ground, both with Bigelow and with independent materials testers, to understand how its materials stretch and retain shape over time, as well as exactly how the structures fail when pushed past their limits.
The idea of using non-rigid materials for structures in space has been around for decades. NASA has designed and tested the concept on the ground, but the BEAM module will be the first non-metalic, flexible structure to be tested in space by astronauts. Human testingis finally happening now, because NASA is looking at ways to get people to Mars and other far-off destinations, which will require larger spacecraft and a larger crew capacity.
Jason Crusan, director of advanced exploration systems at NASA, says once the BEAM module is installed on the ISS next summer, measuring how module leaks will be one of the primary concerns.
"Everything leaks at some point, even our solid, rigid structures," Crusan says. "There are points and seals and such, and understanding how those may or may not leak over time and [with BEAM] will be really important for us."
Crusan also says the inside of BEAM will be fitted with sensors for temperature, micro-meteor impacts, and radiation, which should help NASA better understand in what ways non-rigid spacecraft are more, or less, dangerous to astronauts over long periods of time.
How the soft-shelled module reacts to radiation is also a concern for NASA. But this might be another area in which using a non-rigid, mostly non-metal structure offers a substantial benefit.
"When [metallic structures are] hit by a radiation particle, the one particle gets split into many," Crusan says. "Soft-good structures [like BEAM] don't have metallics in them, so your one particle stays one high-energy particle and passes right through."
In theory, then, BEAM's small, inflatable structure should mean fewer, more concentrated radiation strikes passing through the module, rather than a spray of many more less-powerful, though still potentially damaging particles like those that astronauts are subjected to on ISS and other metal-shelled spacecraft.
The BEAM module and its successors (the company is also working on more advanced, larger structures, like the 330-cubic-meter BA 330) may be critical to NASA's future plans as humans venture further into space.
NASA is far along in development of a next-generation launch vehicle, the Space Launch System or SLS, as well as a new capsule, Orion. Both are expected to make their first launch in 2017 and, like the BEAM, should help make greater strides in space.
"The next component that we need in orbit is something that extends Orion's duration beyond its less-than-30 day duration and four-person crew to longer and longer periods of time," says Crusan, "and that will be some kind of limited habitat."
If the tests go as planned, the flexible, modular, low-cost nature of BEAM and other future modules like it could could form the limited habitats astronauts will need on the long trip to Mars, and beyond.
ULA Set to Upgrade Atlas V Pad for Human Launches of Boeing CST-100 Space Taxi—ULA and Boeing Speak With AmericaSpace
Ken Kremer – AmericaSpace
United Launch Alliance (ULA) is nearly set to upgrade their Atlas V pad to support human launches from the Florida Space Coast "starting in September" as part of an exhaustive integrated effort with Boeing to launch the firm's CST-100 "space taxi" and thereby restore U.S. ability to transport our astronauts to the space station under the auspices of NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), according to exclusive new AmericaSpace interviews with top ULA and Boeing space managers at the pad.
ULA is literally gearing up to break ground on the modifications required to the existing pad at Space Launch Complex 41 needed to initiate launches of the human-rated version of their extremely reliable 20-story-tall Atlas V rocket, including construction of a huge new crew access tower.
"We [ULA] start work in September [2014] with about a 30 day mobilization plan with the contractors office," Howard Biegler, ULA's Human Launch Services Lead, told AmericaSpace during an onsite interview atop the pad of their Atlas V Launch Complex 41 facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
"The foundation work is about a three month process for all the excavating and getting the foundation established."
Of course, ULA has already expended an extensive effort in designing the required Atlas V pad and rocket modifications so they can hit the ground running when given the go-ahead. There is just no time to waste if we seriously want to get our astronauts back to space from U.S. soil as soon as possible.
"From start to finish its roughly about 18 months of work," Biegler told me.
The CST-100 is Boeing's entry into NASA's high priority Commercial Crew effort aimed at fostering the development of a safe and reliable, next-generation crewed vehicle to replace the space shuttle after its forced retirement following the final mission in July 2011.
Since that day, American astronauts have been totally dependent on the Russian Soyuz capsule for rides to the International Space Station (ISS) and back, at a cost now exceeding $70 million per seat.
Three American aerospace firms—Boeing, SpaceX, and Sierra Nevada—are all vying for NASA contracts to fly astronauts to the space station by late 2017, using seed money from NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) in a public/private partnership.
Sierra Nevada also plans to use the venerable Atlas V to launch their Dream Chaser mini-shuttle. Both Boeing and Sierra Nevada selected the two stage Atlas V as their crew launcher back in 2011. The SpaceX Dragon crew vehicle will fly atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from adjacent Pad 40 at the Cape.
NASA expects to announce the crew vehicle contract winners for the next round of funding known as Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) around the August/September timeframe.
I asked Biegler to describe the pad work and tower construction in detail and how long it will take to complete.
"It's about a three month process for all the excavating. Then we have about twelve months of actual heavy construction," Biegler told me.
"Our plan is we will have to excavate about 30 feet of concrete away from the area here [on top on the pad and beside the auto coupler bolt]."
"It's very fortunate that we are repurposing the old Titan-Centaur pad. Because as a result of all their hard work we are able to take advantage of all their foundation work. So we will excavate a hole about 30 feet deep from where we are standing [atop the pad]. Then drive some pillars down into the bedrock. They are about 30 inches in diameter and will be driven about 105 feet down. Then we fill the area up with concrete. That will be the foundation that we will build on top of."
Survey marks were painted on the pad about three months ago at the four corners where the tower will be structured.
"The crew tower has roughly a 20' x 20' footprint. We have great access [for the crew access arm] that will reach around to the East."
Next comes the crew access tower construction and installation.
"The center part of the tower, which is comprised of seven major segments, will be constructed off site. We are working with the US Air Force to obtain a good construction location by the old ITL area where the Titans used to stand by the old vertical integration building and use its slab to build up these major segments. It's about 3.5 miles down the road," Biegler explained.
"Then they will come in here in between launches. So we will have a crane out here. If things go remarkably well we believe we can get the tower constructed in between two mission launches. Otherwise, schedule wise we plan for three."
"Then we have all the external steel. What we call 'loose steel' work. There are another 300 pieces of steel after the super structure that then have to make up the outer part of the top of the tower."
"So all of our major steel work is probably going to be in the 12 month period of time."
Concurrently, ULA starts assembly of the crew access arm which the astronauts will walk down to enter the capsule on launch day, serving the same function as the arm and White Room for the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs at Kennedy's Launch Complex 39.
"While the tower is being built we will also build the crew access arm. It's being built completely off site," Biegler explained.
"Once its fabricated, we have about three or four months of functional testing. We have partnered with Boeing to bring in a mockup of the CST-100. Then we'll spend several weeks going through all the timing sequences and making sure it supports our needs from an operability perspective."
"The access arm will be the last major component to come out here. Once that's installed here we basically have about another four months work out here of running all the cables, getting the hydraulic drive system wired up and all the instrumentation wired up into the tower."
The access road platform around the pad and new tower will also be widened to accommodate the additional traffic.
"We will also extend the driveway [immediately adjoining next to the pad] so that we will still be able to get vehicle traffic around the crew access tower curb. That's for in the event we need emergency access as well as for transporting [normal] personnel [and equipment] all around the tower."
Will the presence of the new crew access tower have any effect on the unmanned Atlas launches?
"We have done all the analysis and looked at launch availability and it doesn't diminish any of that so we're satisfied."
Any reverberations or acoustics issues from the tower?
"No."
"We have also looked at another big task related to any effects of tower wash down, especially considering the solids [solid rocket motors]. That's when we spray down the structure [post launch] to remove any contaminants off the metal. So we are designing in a wash down system on the tower to accommodate that in because there will be multiple launches in between the manned launches."
"The tower needs to be kept corrosion free," Biegler stated.
How far along is ULA in the actual design work on the crew access tower? I asked.
"We are about 96% done on the crew access tower," Beigler responded.
"We will have the tower drawings 100% completed before the time of the award. So that gives us a significant advantage in being successful during the construction and keeping our costs down."
So the tower design completion is really imminent?
"Yes its imminent and it will be done. In fact I'm meeting shortly with the designers in Seattle on the last component – the torque tube."
But I presume you will not start any of this work until either Boeing and/or Sierra Nevada is actually awarded the NASA CCtCAP contract, is that right?
"Yes that's absolutely right."
Nevertheless some pad related procurements are already in progress.
"ULA is however procuring some steel from the steel mill," John Mulholland, Boeing Vice President for Commercial Space Exploration, responded to my query.
"Yes we just did a procurement and are ordering some long lead time items," Beiglar quickly added. "For example some of the steel that is long lead. We just went on contract and bought some steel."
"But the actual construction we will not start until the CCtCAP award. That was not part of NASA's current CCiCAP phase of the commercial crew effort."
What is the funding source for all of ULA's Atlas work?
"It will all be funded out of the CCtCAP award," Beigler stated.
Can you discuss how Sierra Nevada fits into this pad modification plan since they have also selected ULA's Atlas as the launcher for their Dream Chaser? I asked.
"All of our design effort has been focused on Boeing's CST-100. You can see that in the models [and artwork] we have on display to show the work and also in the Boeing partnership here today. To date we haven't really done a lot of design effort to support them," replied Biegler.
"Boeing is the customer that has moved forward with us and that's why the design is focused on the CST-100," added Dan Collins, ULA's Chief Operating Officer.
The Atlas V rocket will be assembled some 1800 feet to the south of the planned tower at the same place as for current launches—namely at the VIF, or Vertical Integration Facility.
Any changes needed to the VIF to accommodate the CST-100 bolted atop the Atlas vs. all the unmanned NASA, DOD and commercial payloads launched to date?
"We will be making some small changes. A lot of that is just the [access] decks themselves. The good thing is we don't have to cut a lot of steel. Basically we just have to provide some inserts to get a little bit better access for the CST-100. The VIF mods are really very benign. Mostly at the top [for the capsule]."
"Just very minor mods to the VIF."
"Right now the anticipated start date is about September 1, 2014. That's when Boeing believes they will get an award on the contract."
"So from start to finish its roughly about 18 months of work and a little over 20 months on our calendar."
"We are looking at about an 18 month process from the point that we mobilize our construction team until we have this task completely finished."
"So by September 2016 is when I will have everything built and ready to support commercial crew," Biegler stated.
Between now and the completion of all Pad 41 construction activities ULA has an extremely busy launch manifest.
"We will launch 14 times from here between now and then," stated Dan Collins, ULA's Chief Operating Officer.
"From the ULA point of view, one of the real distinguishing factors in our business is that we launch when our customers are ready to launch. We have a very well integrated plan to build the tower while we are continuing Atlas operations at the current pace – which is 14 launches in 18 months."
"That's what we do and it's what our customers count on us to do," Collins emphasized in a seeming reference to the numerous delays encountered by competitor SpaceX.
And ULA must meet its construction timeline in order to support the planned early 2017 inaugural blastoff of the CST-100.
"The first unmanned orbital test flight is planned in January 2017," Chris Ferguson, NASA's last shuttle commander, told me. Ferguson now leads Boeing's human spaceflight capsule project as Director of Crew and Mission Operations.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has openly said that the Atlas V rocket should be terminated because of its dependence on the Russian-built RD-180 first stage engines and the entire controversy swirling over Russia's actions in Ukraine.
ULA remains in regular contact with Boeing throughout the pad design and implementation process.
"The teams [ULA and Boeing] are working incredible well together. We tag up with ULA once a week by phone to make sure things are moving along. It's been a great partnership," said John Elbon, Boeing Vice President for Space Exploration.
Watch for the next chapter in my ULA/Boeing discussions dealing with the Atlas V rocket.
For further details, be sure to read my prior articles outlining the CST-100 initiative in my exclusive interview with Chris Ferguson, commander of NASA's final shuttle flight and now director of Boeing's Crew and Mission Operations, here and here.
Stay tuned here for continuing developments.
Preparations for Angara Test Flights Start at Russia's Plesetsk Space Center
RIA Novosti
Test flights of the Angara carrier rocket are due to start at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia's Arkhangelsk Region, where the new carrier rocket is due to be launched in late June, Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin, a spokesman for Russia's Aerospace Defense Forces, told RIA Novosti Friday.
"The decision on the start of test flights was made at a session of the state committee today, on June 20, at the headquarters of the Aerospace Defense Forces," Zolotukhin said.
The committee members have assessed the readiness of the Angara-1.2PP rocket and the surface facilities to launch the test flights and set the expected date for the rocket delivery to the Plesetsk launch site for June 25. The final decision is to be announced June 24.
The first launch of the new Angara carrier rocket has been delayed from June 25 to June 27, Alexei Zolotukhin confirmed to RIA Novosti. On Thursday, a source in the space industry reported the delay.
"The first test launch of the Angara-1.2PP light rocket to be made from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome is due on June 27," Zolotukhin said.
The Angara family of rockets, in development since 1995, is planned to be built in light, semi-heavy and heavy versions to lift a variety of payloads between two and 40 metric tons into low orbit around the Earth.
The rocket has a liquid-oxygen and kerosene powered first stage and hydrogen-oxygen fueled second stage, so-called green fuels that will make the rocket both more ecologically friendly and safer for support personnel than the country's current largest rocket, the Proton.
Angara is designed to complement the country's venerable Soyuz rocket, currently the only vehicle in the world capable of launching astronauts to the International Space Station.
END
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