5/31 news , space x ldg.
The Explorer Orbiter Tugboat Ross Sea is moored off of Pelican Island. You can probably check Marinetraffic.com now and see it by clicking on the Vehicle tab and searching for the Ross Sea.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
JSC Special: Shuttlebration Traffic Advisories
The full size space shuttle replica will arrive at the JSC dock on NASA Parkway and Space Center Blvd. next to the Hilton the afternoon of Friday, June 1. This requires closure of a parking lot on Fifth Street between buildings 28 and 35 for public parking that day. The lot will re-open Saturday morning. Public access for parking with be through Gate 3.
Additionally, there will be road closures in the surrounding area in support of the event and transporting the shuttle down NASA Parkway to its new home at Space Center Houston. Traffic congestion on NASA Parkway is expected due to lane closures, increased event traffic and spectators. Police officers and DPS will direct and monitor traffic in the area. It is advised that motorists who are not attending the event find an alternate route during this time. In order to keep traffic flowing, motorists are advised to observe and obey all traffic signs and public safety officials. Do not stop or slow down to view or take pictures of the shuttle.
Friday, June 1:
Starting at 11 a.m. 2 westbound right lanes of NASA Parkway will be closed between Upper Bay Road and Space Center Blvd. to allow for a bus lane to shuttle people that are parked on site at JSC back and forth from JSC to the Hilton. After event traffic has subsided the 2 westbound right lanes of NASA Parkway will reopen. Additionally, the eastbound right lane of NASA Parkway will be closed from Lakeside Drive to Space Center Blvd. Seabrook/Kemah Bridge Closure - will take place sometime between 12:30pm and 1:30pm while the orbiter passes underneath the bridge (time is subject to change). It is estimated the bridge will be closed for thirty minutes.
Saturday, June 2:
The eastbound right lane of NASA Parkway will remain closed between Lakeside Drive and Space Center Blvd. This lane will be closed to ensure the safety of NASA personnel while they prepare the shuttle for ground transport to Space Center Houston.
Sunday, June 3:
From 5 to 9 a.m. ALL east and westbound lanes on NASA Parkway between El Camino Real/Egret Bay and Space Center Blvd. will be CLOSED. The NASA 1 Bypass will be closed to all eastbound traffic during this time. Traffic from I-45 will need to find an alternate route. JSC personnel requiring access to JSC during this time should use Bay Area Blvd. to Saturn Lane to access Gate 1. Emergency vehicles will be given priority access. Proper ID will be required to enter the roadblock.
At 3 a.m. on Sunday, June 3 the traffic signals on NASA Parkway at St. John Drive, Upper Bay Road and Saturn Lane will be removed. Officers will be directing traffic at each intersection during this time. Traffic signals will be immediately replaced after the shuttle has passed each intersection.
Once the shuttle has been secured and all traffic signals are properly working, NASA Parkway will reopen to motorists.
For road closure maps and more information, visit: http://www.jscsos.com
For detailed "Shuttlebration Weekend" information and traffic advisories, visit: http://www.spacecenter.org/shuttlebration.html
Questions about parking and traffic information can be directed to Lisa Gurgos, lisa.gurgos@nasa.gov, x48133
________________________________________
________________________________________
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.
Larry Moon 713-689-9510
EA4/Technical Integration Office Asst. Manager
Thursday, May 31, 2012
JSC Special: Shuttlebration Traffic Advisories
The full size space shuttle replica will arrive at the JSC dock on NASA Parkway and Space Center Blvd. next to the Hilton the afternoon of Friday, June 1. This requires closure of a parking lot on Fifth Street between buildings 28 and 35 for public parking that day. The lot will re-open Saturday morning. Public access for parking with be through Gate 3.
Additionally, there will be road closures in the surrounding area in support of the event and transporting the shuttle down NASA Parkway to its new home at Space Center Houston. Traffic congestion on NASA Parkway is expected due to lane closures, increased event traffic and spectators. Police officers and DPS will direct and monitor traffic in the area. It is advised that motorists who are not attending the event find an alternate route during this time. In order to keep traffic flowing, motorists are advised to observe and obey all traffic signs and public safety officials. Do not stop or slow down to view or take pictures of the shuttle.
Friday, June 1:
Starting at 11 a.m. 2 westbound right lanes of NASA Parkway will be closed between Upper Bay Road and Space Center Blvd. to allow for a bus lane to shuttle people that are parked on site at JSC back and forth from JSC to the Hilton. After event traffic has subsided the 2 westbound right lanes of NASA Parkway will reopen. Additionally, the eastbound right lane of NASA Parkway will be closed from Lakeside Drive to Space Center Blvd. Seabrook/Kemah Bridge Closure - will take place sometime between 12:30pm and 1:30pm while the orbiter passes underneath the bridge (time is subject to change). It is estimated the bridge will be closed for thirty minutes.
Saturday, June 2:
The eastbound right lane of NASA Parkway will remain closed between Lakeside Drive and Space Center Blvd. This lane will be closed to ensure the safety of NASA personnel while they prepare the shuttle for ground transport to Space Center Houston.
Sunday, June 3:
From 5 to 9 a.m. ALL east and westbound lanes on NASA Parkway between El Camino Real/Egret Bay and Space Center Blvd. will be CLOSED. The NASA 1 Bypass will be closed to all eastbound traffic during this time. Traffic from I-45 will need to find an alternate route. JSC personnel requiring access to JSC during this time should use Bay Area Blvd. to Saturn Lane to access Gate 1. Emergency vehicles will be given priority access. Proper ID will be required to enter the roadblock.
At 3 a.m. on Sunday, June 3 the traffic signals on NASA Parkway at St. John Drive, Upper Bay Road and Saturn Lane will be removed. Officers will be directing traffic at each intersection during this time. Traffic signals will be immediately replaced after the shuttle has passed each intersection.
Once the shuttle has been secured and all traffic signals are properly working, NASA Parkway will reopen to motorists.
For road closure maps and more information, visit: http://www.jscsos.com
For detailed "Shuttlebration Weekend" information and traffic advisories, visit: http://www.spacecenter.org/shuttlebration.html
Questions about parking and traffic information can be directed to Lisa Gurgos, lisa.gurgos@nasa.gov, x48133
________________________________________
________________________________________
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.
Larry Moon 713-689-9510
EA4/Technical Integration Office Asst. Manager
Space x return
SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule parachuted to a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean today, ending the first-ever commercial mission to the International Space Station.
The 19-foot-long (6-meter-long), gumdrop-shaped Dragon made history last week as the first U.S. craft to reach the orbital station since last year's retirement of the space shuttle fleet, and it made history today as the first commercial craft to return a shipment from orbit.
The billionare founder of California-based SpaceX, Elon Musk, reported the Dragon's return in a Twitter tweet: "Splashdown successful!!"
Meanwhile, the space station's crew members got the word from NASA's Mission Control. "That's great news," NASA astronaut Joseph Acaba said.
The demonstration flight began on May 22 with the Dragon's launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission reached its climax last Friday when astronauts used the space station's robotic arm to pull the Dragon in to its docking port on the the station's Harmony module. On the following day, when station crew members entered the Dragon for the first time, NASA astronaut Don Pettit gushed over its new-car smell.
Over the days that followed, the station's crew unloaded a half-ton of food, equipment, experiments and other supplies — then loaded it back up with about 1,600 pounds (660 kilograms) of non-essential Earth-bound shipments. Today, astronauts reversed the process they went through last week. The robotic arm pulled the Dragon out from its port and positioned it for release at 5:49 a.m. ET. SpaceX's craft then executed a series of engine burns to take itself out of the station's neighborhood and descend from orbit.
The final engine burn slowed the Dragon's orbital velocity by 100 meters per second (224 mph) — enough to drop it into a fiery descent through the atmosphere. The craft's bottom is coated with a layer of protective material called PICA-X, which SpaceX's engineers say is resilient enough to weather a return to Earth from Mars. At its peak, the heat shield had to endure temperatures in excess of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,650 degrees Celsius).
The suspense built during a few minutes of scheduled communication blackout, but eased when infrared imagery from airplanes circling the projected splashdown site showed the Dragon's parachutes opening. For some observers, the sight of three red-and-white main parachutes sprouting from the capsule sparked a flashback to the days of the Apollo moonshots.
At 11:42 a.m. ET, SpaceX's controllers confirmed that the craft made a successful splashdown. NASA mission commentator Josh Byerly observed that the Dragon mission "ended like it began — which is fairly easily."
A pre-positioned flotilla of recovery ships will recover the Dragon and bring it back to Los Angeles, near SpaceX's Mission Control in Hawthorne, Calif. Some high-value experimental payloads will be unloaded in L.A. and delivered to NASA within 48 hours, but the bulk of Dragon's cargo will be taken off after the Dragon is transported to SpaceX's test facility in MacGregor, Texas.
This test mission is expected to open the way for SpaceX to begin orbital cargo deliveries in earnest later this year, with 12 flights scheduled through 2016 under the terms of a $1.6 billion contract with NASA. Another company, Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp., is working on an alternate commercial delivery system, but that system hasn't yet gone through flight testing.
Such deliveries are part of NASA's grand plan in the post-shuttle era to transfer space station resupply operations to commercial companies, at what is expected to be a cost far less expensive than space shuttle operations. Theoretically, that would free up money for NASA to concentrate on developing a more powerful heavy-lift rocket and a more capable Orion spacecraft for missions beyond Earth orbit — heading toward asteroids, the moon and eventually Mars.
SpaceX and three other companies — Blue Origin, the Boeing Co. and Sierra Nevada Corp. — are working on spacecraft capable of transporting astronauts to and from the station, and NASA expects those ships to be available for its use as early as 2017. SpaceX's crew-carrying craft will be an upgraded version of the Dragon that was used for the current cargo mission.
The 19-foot-long (6-meter-long), gumdrop-shaped Dragon made history last week as the first U.S. craft to reach the orbital station since last year's retirement of the space shuttle fleet, and it made history today as the first commercial craft to return a shipment from orbit.
The billionare founder of California-based SpaceX, Elon Musk, reported the Dragon's return in a Twitter tweet: "Splashdown successful!!"
Meanwhile, the space station's crew members got the word from NASA's Mission Control. "That's great news," NASA astronaut Joseph Acaba said.
The demonstration flight began on May 22 with the Dragon's launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission reached its climax last Friday when astronauts used the space station's robotic arm to pull the Dragon in to its docking port on the the station's Harmony module. On the following day, when station crew members entered the Dragon for the first time, NASA astronaut Don Pettit gushed over its new-car smell.
Over the days that followed, the station's crew unloaded a half-ton of food, equipment, experiments and other supplies — then loaded it back up with about 1,600 pounds (660 kilograms) of non-essential Earth-bound shipments. Today, astronauts reversed the process they went through last week. The robotic arm pulled the Dragon out from its port and positioned it for release at 5:49 a.m. ET. SpaceX's craft then executed a series of engine burns to take itself out of the station's neighborhood and descend from orbit.
The final engine burn slowed the Dragon's orbital velocity by 100 meters per second (224 mph) — enough to drop it into a fiery descent through the atmosphere. The craft's bottom is coated with a layer of protective material called PICA-X, which SpaceX's engineers say is resilient enough to weather a return to Earth from Mars. At its peak, the heat shield had to endure temperatures in excess of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,650 degrees Celsius).
The suspense built during a few minutes of scheduled communication blackout, but eased when infrared imagery from airplanes circling the projected splashdown site showed the Dragon's parachutes opening. For some observers, the sight of three red-and-white main parachutes sprouting from the capsule sparked a flashback to the days of the Apollo moonshots.
At 11:42 a.m. ET, SpaceX's controllers confirmed that the craft made a successful splashdown. NASA mission commentator Josh Byerly observed that the Dragon mission "ended like it began — which is fairly easily."
A pre-positioned flotilla of recovery ships will recover the Dragon and bring it back to Los Angeles, near SpaceX's Mission Control in Hawthorne, Calif. Some high-value experimental payloads will be unloaded in L.A. and delivered to NASA within 48 hours, but the bulk of Dragon's cargo will be taken off after the Dragon is transported to SpaceX's test facility in MacGregor, Texas.
This test mission is expected to open the way for SpaceX to begin orbital cargo deliveries in earnest later this year, with 12 flights scheduled through 2016 under the terms of a $1.6 billion contract with NASA. Another company, Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp., is working on an alternate commercial delivery system, but that system hasn't yet gone through flight testing.
Such deliveries are part of NASA's grand plan in the post-shuttle era to transfer space station resupply operations to commercial companies, at what is expected to be a cost far less expensive than space shuttle operations. Theoretically, that would free up money for NASA to concentrate on developing a more powerful heavy-lift rocket and a more capable Orion spacecraft for missions beyond Earth orbit — heading toward asteroids, the moon and eventually Mars.
SpaceX and three other companies — Blue Origin, the Boeing Co. and Sierra Nevada Corp. — are working on spacecraft capable of transporting astronauts to and from the station, and NASA expects those ships to be available for its use as early as 2017. SpaceX's crew-carrying craft will be an upgraded version of the Dragon that was used for the current cargo mission.
Space x return
The Write Stuff
SpaceX, NASA getting ready for Dragon return
Posted: 30 May 2012 11:50 AM PDT
The final tricky step for the first private spacecraft to visit the International Space Station is next: coming back to Earth.
NASA expects the SpaceX Dragon capsule, now fully loaded with return cargo, to disembark from the space station shortly after 4 a.m. ET Friday and splash down in the Pacific Ocean a few hundred miles southwest of Los Angeles at 11:44 a.m. ET.
Dragon launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 22, and on May 25 became the first private spacecraft to dock with the space station. It brought up about a half-ton of supplies, and is returning with about a half-ton of return items.
NASA TVwill broadcast both the disembark and splashdown milestones, and some of the in-between events such as atmosphere reentry, live.
But it’ll be SpaceX’s show.
As soon as the spacecraft has cleared the space station’s vicinity, meaning about a mile away, NASA signs off, SpaceX is fully in control, and “That is the end of the integrated operation portion,” NASA flight director Holly Ridings said in a press briefing Thursday.
That will happen roughly 11 minutes after the station’s robotic arm pulls Dragon off its perch on the Harmony Module.
Dragon will then orbit, re-enter the atmosphere and eventually parachute into the Pacific Ocean.
SpaceX will track it through a variety of means, with three contract ships ready to respond in the recovery zone, which is roughly 490 nautical miles west-southwest of Los Angeles. The ships will launch speedboats to meet and secure Dragon, then the main ship will lift it out of the water with a crane.
It’ll be about a two-day journey from there back to Los Angeles. At that point, SpaceX intends to open the hatch and remove some time-sensitive items — Ridings was unclear exactly what that might entail. Then the Dragon will be flown (by plane) to Texas where SpaceX will finish unloading.
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SpaceX, NASA getting ready for Dragon return
Posted: 30 May 2012 11:50 AM PDT
The final tricky step for the first private spacecraft to visit the International Space Station is next: coming back to Earth.
NASA expects the SpaceX Dragon capsule, now fully loaded with return cargo, to disembark from the space station shortly after 4 a.m. ET Friday and splash down in the Pacific Ocean a few hundred miles southwest of Los Angeles at 11:44 a.m. ET.
Dragon launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 22, and on May 25 became the first private spacecraft to dock with the space station. It brought up about a half-ton of supplies, and is returning with about a half-ton of return items.
NASA TVwill broadcast both the disembark and splashdown milestones, and some of the in-between events such as atmosphere reentry, live.
But it’ll be SpaceX’s show.
As soon as the spacecraft has cleared the space station’s vicinity, meaning about a mile away, NASA signs off, SpaceX is fully in control, and “That is the end of the integrated operation portion,” NASA flight director Holly Ridings said in a press briefing Thursday.
That will happen roughly 11 minutes after the station’s robotic arm pulls Dragon off its perch on the Harmony Module.
Dragon will then orbit, re-enter the atmosphere and eventually parachute into the Pacific Ocean.
SpaceX will track it through a variety of means, with three contract ships ready to respond in the recovery zone, which is roughly 490 nautical miles west-southwest of Los Angeles. The ships will launch speedboats to meet and secure Dragon, then the main ship will lift it out of the water with a crane.
It’ll be about a two-day journey from there back to Los Angeles. At that point, SpaceX intends to open the hatch and remove some time-sensitive items — Ridings was unclear exactly what that might entail. Then the Dragon will be flown (by plane) to Texas where SpaceX will finish unloading.
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Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Shuttle could fly to 2050
← China and the MoonWhat shuttle meant to me—-Restart Shuttle–Americans can do it! →
Shuttle could fly till 2050 says Boeing official—IT IS IN A MUSEUM
Posted on March 10, 2012 by Bob
Boeing Co. officials are even more confident, saying their shuttle vehicles could fly for 30 more years or longer.
When NASA introduced the space shuttle in 1981, the agency envisioned the fleet of four orbiters lasting perhaps a decade before being replaced. But with the 100th shuttle mission blasting off tonight at the Kennedy Space Center, it now looks like the venerable launch system could be operating until 2020.
NASA is preparing for the possibility of flying the shuttles 300 more times, solidifying the outlook for thousands of shuttle workers in Southern California and elsewhere who provide engineering and maintenance for the fleet. But the plan also raises concerns again about the durability of a craft built with 1970s technology.
The space agency has little choice. A replacement for the aging shuttle, the X-33, is several years behind schedule and may not fly at all, while work on the International Space Station has been accelerating.
“For at least 10 to 15 years, NASA won’t have anything else,” said Marshall Kaplan, a Potomac, Md.-based aerospace consultant. The shuttle “is the only vehicle we have to service the space station.”
Although it has been flying for nearly two decades, the shuttle still has more than three-quarters of its design life left, said the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, saying that the vehicles are more than capable of handling increased flights to service the space station.
“There is a tremendous amount of life left in the vehicles, probably 20 years’ worth,” said William Readdy, NASA’s deputy associate administrator overseeing the shuttle program. “The fleet we have continue to get better and better as we mature our process and upgrade the subsystems. I’m totally confident that the space shuttle is up to the task.”
Boeing Co. officials are even more confident, saying their shuttle vehicles could fly for 30 more years or longer.
“They are in terrific shape,” said Stan Albrecht, Boeing’s vice president and program manager for the space shuttle, noting that each of the four shuttles in service were designed to fly 100 missions. Discovery has flown the most missions at 27, followed by Columbia with 26, Atlantis with 22 and Endeavor with 14. The Challenger had flown 10 missions before it exploded shortly after launch in 1986.
“The missions flown so far [have] been relatively few,” he said. NASA had initially envisioned 50 missions a year, far more than the five it has actually averaged.
The outlook for the shuttle’s life is good news for Southern California, where the vehicles were developed and built. The region continues to have a major role in the shuttle program.
As major aerospace projects moved elsewhere and thousands of jobs were lost, shuttle work remained stable and is likely to continue so for the foreseeable future.
Shuttle could fly till 2050 says Boeing official—IT IS IN A MUSEUM
Posted on March 10, 2012 by Bob
Boeing Co. officials are even more confident, saying their shuttle vehicles could fly for 30 more years or longer.
When NASA introduced the space shuttle in 1981, the agency envisioned the fleet of four orbiters lasting perhaps a decade before being replaced. But with the 100th shuttle mission blasting off tonight at the Kennedy Space Center, it now looks like the venerable launch system could be operating until 2020.
NASA is preparing for the possibility of flying the shuttles 300 more times, solidifying the outlook for thousands of shuttle workers in Southern California and elsewhere who provide engineering and maintenance for the fleet. But the plan also raises concerns again about the durability of a craft built with 1970s technology.
The space agency has little choice. A replacement for the aging shuttle, the X-33, is several years behind schedule and may not fly at all, while work on the International Space Station has been accelerating.
“For at least 10 to 15 years, NASA won’t have anything else,” said Marshall Kaplan, a Potomac, Md.-based aerospace consultant. The shuttle “is the only vehicle we have to service the space station.”
Although it has been flying for nearly two decades, the shuttle still has more than three-quarters of its design life left, said the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, saying that the vehicles are more than capable of handling increased flights to service the space station.
“There is a tremendous amount of life left in the vehicles, probably 20 years’ worth,” said William Readdy, NASA’s deputy associate administrator overseeing the shuttle program. “The fleet we have continue to get better and better as we mature our process and upgrade the subsystems. I’m totally confident that the space shuttle is up to the task.”
Boeing Co. officials are even more confident, saying their shuttle vehicles could fly for 30 more years or longer.
“They are in terrific shape,” said Stan Albrecht, Boeing’s vice president and program manager for the space shuttle, noting that each of the four shuttles in service were designed to fly 100 missions. Discovery has flown the most missions at 27, followed by Columbia with 26, Atlantis with 22 and Endeavor with 14. The Challenger had flown 10 missions before it exploded shortly after launch in 1986.
“The missions flown so far [have] been relatively few,” he said. NASA had initially envisioned 50 missions a year, far more than the five it has actually averaged.
The outlook for the shuttle’s life is good news for Southern California, where the vehicles were developed and built. The region continues to have a major role in the shuttle program.
As major aerospace projects moved elsewhere and thousands of jobs were lost, shuttle work remained stable and is likely to continue so for the foreseeable future.
X37 returns in June
NASA TV:
· 1:30 am Central THURSDAY (2:30 EDT) – Dragon unberthing coverage
· 3:05 am Central THURSDAY (4:05 EDT) – Station arm unberths Dragon from Harmony nadir
· 9:15 am Central THURSDAY (10:15 EDT) – Dragon deorbit & splashdown coverage
· 9:51 am Central THURSDAY (10:51 EDT) – Dragon deorbit burn
· 10:44 am Central THURSDAY (11:44 EDT – Dragon Splashdown (West of Baja California)
· 1:00 pm Central THURSDAY (2:00 EDT) – Post-Splashdown News Conference
Human Spaceflight News
Wednesday Afternoon, May 30, 2012
HEADLINES AND LEADS
SpaceX's Private Dragon Capsule Returns to Earth Thursday
Clara Moskowitz - Space.com
After a more than a week in orbit, the private space capsule Dragon is preparing to return to Earth from the International Space Station and cap off its historic mission with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Dragon is due to be released from the station early Thursday and splash down a few hours later. The return to Earth is the last major hurdle for the groundbreaking spacecraft built by Hawthorne, Calif.-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX).
US cargo vessel prepares to leave space station
Kerry Sheridan - Agence France Presse
US company SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship is preparing to make its return journey to Earth after a landmark mission to the International Space Station, NASA and SpaceX representatives said Wednesday. The release of the unmanned Dragon is set for 5:35 am Eastern time (0935 GMT) on Thursday, with an intact splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off California planned for 1444 GMT, NASA said. "We have a lot ahead of us on the SpaceX side," said mission director John Couluris in a briefing with reporters on the eve of the spacecraft's return after a seven-day mission to the orbiting outpost.
SpaceX success boosts NASA's venture with private companies
Ledyard King - Gannett News Service
Almost from the time he took over NASA in 2009, Charles F. Bolden Jr., has urged a skeptical Congress to replace the space shuttle with a rocket developed by a private company with the space agency's help. On Friday, Bolden earned the right to do a little gloating as California-based SpaceX became the first private firm to navigate a spacecraft to the International Space Station. "Today is, and I'm not overstating this, a day that will go down in history," the former shuttle commander told an enthusiastic audience at the International Space Development Conference.
NASA Statement on the untimely death of Dr. Michael Duncan
"The NASA community was saddened by the news of Dr. Michael Duncan's untimely and tragic death. Mike provided invaluable support in the space medicine field for NASA's space shuttle and International Space Station astronauts. He was one of the lead flight surgeons who supported the first landing by American astronauts in a Soyuz vehicle in Kazakhstan for Expedition 6 in May 2003. As the lead for the NASA team that provided assistance to the Chilean government's rescue of 33 trapped miners in a copper and gold mine near Copiapo, Chile, in 2010, Mike exemplified NASA's commitment to bring spaceflight experience back down to the ground and utilize it for people here on Earth. Our condolences go out to his family at this difficult time."
- Michael O'Brien, associate administrator for the International and Interagency Relations
Pilot, passenger identified from Monday's plane collision
David Pierce - Stafford County Sun (Virginia)
Men from Burke, Va. and Bethesda, Md. were killed in Monday's plane collision in Fauquier County. The Medical Examiner's office identified James "Mike" Duncan, 60, of Bethesda, Md. as the pilot and Paul Gardella, Jr., 57, of Burke, Va. as the passenger. Duncan and Gardella both worked for the National Transportation Safety Board.
'Shuttlebration Weekend' to welcome space shuttle replica to JSC
Michelle Homer - KHOU TV's Great Day Houston
A replica of the space shuttle is slowly making its way across the Gulf of Mexico on a journey to the Johnson Space Center. The 123-foot reproduction was loaded on a barge docked at Kennedy Space Center last Thursday for a piggyback ride to Houston. The Explorer will arrive in Galveston Bay on Friday, June 1, kicking off "Shuttlebration Weekend."
Magnus among top influential women in Title IX era
John Kean - Rolla Daily News (Missouri)
Former Missouri S&T women’s soccer player and Miner Athletic Hall of Fame member Sandra Magnus, a member of the crew that went into space on NASA’s final space shuttle mission last summer, was named by the Women’s Sports Foundation among a list of the 40 most influential women in athletics over the last 40 years. The recognition for Magnus comes with the upcoming 40th anniversary of Title IX as part of a “40 for 40” list of women who made a significant impact on society after playing sports at either the high school or collegiate level during the 40 years since Title IX came into effect in 1972.
Air Force spaceplane aims for June landing in CA
Associated Press
An unmanned U.S. Air Force spaceplane that has been in orbit for over a year is coming back to Earth. The Pentagon's experimental craft, which resembles a mini space shuttle, is slated to land at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The exact date depends on weather and other conditions, but the Air Force said Wednesday it expects the landing to occur in early to mid-June.
Air Force's mini space shuttle prepares for landing
Justin Ray - SpaceflightNow.com
After 15 months circling the planet on its clandestine military mission, the Pentagon's miniature space shuttle will be coming back to Earth for a pinpoint touchdown at Vandenberg Air Force Base in the next couple of weeks. The base, located about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles, announced Wednesday that preparations are underway to receive the second reusable spaceplane in the "the early- to mid-June timeframe." The exact landing date and time "will depend on technical and weather considerations," the base said in a statement to reporters.
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COMPLETE STORIES
SpaceX's Private Dragon Capsule Returns to Earth Thursday
Clara Moskowitz - Space.com
After a more than a week in orbit, the private space capsule Dragon is preparing to return to Earth from the International Space Station and cap off its historic mission with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Dragon is due to be released from the station early Thursday and splash down a few hours later. The return to Earth is the last major hurdle for the groundbreaking spacecraft built by Hawthorne, Calif.-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX).
The unmanned Dragon space capsule is the first commercial spacecraft ever to visit the International Space Station. It docked at the space station on Friday (May 25), three days after blasting off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
So far, the landmark test flight has gone smoothly, with Dragon meeting each of its mission milestones with very little deviation from its flight plan, SpaceX officials said.
"The behavior of the vehicle was as expected and that was a big confidence boost," Dragon mission director John Couluris of SpaceX said during a news conference today (May 30).
Now Dragon has one last challenge: the trip home.
SpaceX's Dragon capsule is rare in its ability to survive re-entry to Earth and be recovered. Most automated cargo vehicles that visit the space station, such as those built by Russia, Japan and Europe, are designed for one-way trips only, and are destroyed after their missions as they plunge through the planet's atmosphere.
Dragon is equipped with a heat shield to withstand the fiery temperatures of re-entry, which can reach about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1650 degrees Celsius). That means it can deliver cargo both to and from the space station.
"It's still a very challenging phase of flight," Couluris said. "Only a few countries have done this so far, so we're not taking this lightly."
Dragon is packed with a total of 1,367 pounds (620 kilograms) worth of cargo for the return trip, including crew items, completed science experiments and used station hardware. SpaceX plans to deliver some high-value experiments back to NASA within 48 hours of splashdown, with the rest of the cargo to be sent to the space agency within two weeks.
The mission is a trial run for SpaceX's plan to fly 12 cargo-delivery missions to the orbiting laboratory over the next few years. The company has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA under its Commercial Resupply Services program, which has partnered with private industry to fill the gap left by the retired space shuttles.
SpaceX was founded in 2002 by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who also co-founded internet payment service PayPal.
NASA's Mission Control in Houston has worked closely with the SpaceX team in Hawthorne throughout the flight to coordinate Dragon's approach and operations at the space station.
"We really learned how we worked together as a team and overall that went very well," NASA flight director Holly Ridings said today. "Mostly we learned that to bring in a new partner, the SpaceX team, we were able to communicate and accomplish something very complicated."
Dragon is currently berthed at the station's Earth-facing Harmony node. At 4:05 a.m. EDT (0805 GMT), astronauts onboard are scheduled to use the station's robotic arm to detach Dragon from the outpost, with a plan to release it from the arm at 5:35 a.m. EDT (0935 GMT).
At 10:51 a.m. EDT (1451 GMT), Dragon will fire its engines to exit orbit and begin the fall back to Earth, with a splashdown about 490 nautical miles southwest of Los Angeles targeted for 11:44 a.m. EDT (1544 GMT).
Recovery ships will be waiting in the area to collect the capsule and haul it back to land as soon as possible.
US cargo vessel prepares to leave space station
Kerry Sheridan - Agence France Presse
US company SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship is preparing to make its return journey to Earth after a landmark mission to the International Space Station, NASA and SpaceX representatives said Wednesday.
The release of the unmanned Dragon is set for 5:35 am Eastern time (0935 GMT) on Thursday, with an intact splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off California planned for 1444 GMT, NASA said.
"We have a lot ahead of us on the SpaceX side," said mission director John Couluris in a briefing with reporters on the eve of the spacecraft's return after a seven-day mission to the orbiting outpost.
"We have done it once," he said, referring to the Dragon's test flight in December 2010 when the capsule entered and returned safely from orbit for the first time.
"But it is still a very challenging phase of flight," he added. "We are not taking this lightly at all."
The capsule is supposed to make an ocean landing 490 nautical miles (907 kilometers) southwest of Los Angeles, where three vessels are standing by as recovery boats.
It will then be transported to Texas so that the cargo it is bringing back can be returned to NASA, though the US space agency cautioned that if anything goes wrong, there is nothing crucial on board.
"There is not anything coming home that we couldn't afford to not get back," said Holly Ridings, NASA flight director.
Couluris added that regardless of what happens to the capsule on Thursday, the mission has been "a major success" for both NASA and SpaceX.
The cargo ship launched on May 22 carrying 521 kilograms (1,148 pounds) of gear for the space lab, including food, supplies, computers, utilities and science experiments. It plans to return a 660-kilogram load to Earth.
On May 25, the Dragon became the first privately owned spacecraft to berth with the ISS, an event that NASA and White House officials hailed as the start of a new era in spaceflight in which commercial enterprise will take on a larger role.
The United States retired its space shuttle fleet last year, leaving cargo missions up to the space agencies of Russia, Japan and Europe.
Only Russia can return its cargo capsules intact. The other supply ships burn up on re-entry to Earth's atmosphere.
Until private US ventures come up with a vehicle that can replace the shuttle and carry humans to the $100 billion orbiting lab, the world's astronauts must rely on Russia's Soyuz capsules at $63 million a ticket.
US astronaut Don Pettit, who is part of the six-member crew at the ISS and helped unload and restock the capsule, described the Dragon as "roomier than a Soyuz" and said it boasts about as much space for cargo as his pickup truck.
The white Dragon capsule stands 4.4 meters (14.4 feet) high and is 3.66 meters in diameter, and could carry as much as 3,310 kilograms split between pressurized cargo in the capsule and unpressurized cargo in the trunk.
It was also built to carry up to seven humans to the ISS. The Soyuz carries three at a time.
California-based SpaceX, owned by billionaire Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, says it aims to begin taking people to the space station by 2015.
Using some of their own money and some funds from NASA, SpaceX and its competitor Orbital Sciences Corporation will likely become the chief cargo servicers of the space station, which is set to remain operational until 2020, NASA has said.
SpaceX has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to supply the station over the coming years, and Orbital Sciences has a $1.9 billion contract to do the same. Orbital's first test flight is scheduled for later this year.
SpaceX success boosts NASA's venture with private companies
Ledyard King - Gannett News Service
Almost from the time he took over NASA in 2009, Charles F. Bolden Jr., has urged a skeptical Congress to replace the space shuttle with a rocket developed by a private company with the space agency's help.
On Friday, Bolden earned the right to do a little gloating as California-based SpaceX became the first private firm to navigate a spacecraft to the International Space Station.
"Today is, and I'm not overstating this, a day that will go down in history," the former shuttle commander told an enthusiastic audience at the International Space Development Conference.
On either side of him, two large projection screens displayed a slightly delayed feed of the unmanned SpaceX Dragon vehicle slowly approaching the space station. When Bolden announced around 10 a.m. that the space station's robotic arm had grabbed the Dragon, the crowd inside the Grand Hyatt Hotel ballroom, which included former Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, erupted in cheers.
"The debate about our direction is over and we're moving strongly into implementing some very exciting plans," Bolden said. " If you're still wondering if this new era is real, I think the SpaceX success this week should begin to dispel those notions."
But congressional debate over the Commercial Crew Program, which teams NASA with private companies to develop a new taxi to the space station, is far from over.
Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled House adopted a fiscal 2013 spending bill that would provide $500 million for the program -- more than it's getting this fiscal year but considerably less than the $830 million President Barack Obama asked for.
The Democratic-run Senate has yet to finalize its NASA spending bill but a key committee has endorsed $525 million for the program.
House lawmakers also have told the space agency to hurry up and pick one company from the four (SpaceX, Boeing, Sierra Nevada and Blue Origin) vying for the contract to produce a new rocket. Continuing the competition "presents a significant risk of costly, lengthy delays," according to the House-passed language.
NASA opposes the idea, saying such a move actually would drive up costs in the long run.
In the 10 months since the last shuttle mission ended, the agency has had to answer even larger questions about the direction of the U.S. space program.
Some want NASA to focus its relatively modest resources on "bold" ventures, namely a Mars mission now about two decades from reality. Others question whether it makes sense to spend more than $17 billion a year on space travel, given the government's spiraling debt.
In the short term, the Dragon spacecraft's successful docking on Friday reinvigorated backers of the Commercial Crew program.
"I hope people's doubts have been put to rest," SpaceX CEO and chief designer Elon Musk said at news conference.
Other companies also are moving their plans off the drawing boards and into space.
Next week, Sierra Nevada plans to begin test flights of the Dream Chaser, a smaller version of the space shuttle that is the firm's answer to SpaceX's Dragon, according to company Vice President Mark Sirangelo.
"Right now, real companies are building real hardware," said Paul Damphousse, executive director of the National Space Society. "Not PowerPoint charts. Not animation. Real hardware. It's a really, really cool time to be involved in space and it's only going to get better."
Pilot, passenger identified from Monday's plane collision
David Pierce - Stafford County Sun (Virginia)
Men from Burke, Va. and Bethesda, Md. were killed in Monday's plane collision in Fauquier County.
The Medical Examiner's office identified James "Mike" Duncan, 60, of Bethesda, Md. as the pilot and Paul Gardella, Jr., 57, of Burke, Va. as the passenger. Duncan and Gardella both worked for the National Transportation Safety Board.
A Broad Run man in the other plane is the lone survivor of the collision.
After the collision, which happened about 4 p.m. near Silver Hill Road in the Sumerduck area, the two planes crashed to the ground about a mile apart from each other, said state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller. Plane parts and debris were scattered over the two crash sites.
One of the planes, a Beech Bonanza, caught fire in the collision. Troopers recovered Duncan and Gardella's bodies from the wreckage.
The pilot of the other plane, Thomas R. Proven, 70, survived the crash and was in good condition at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg Tuesday morning. Proven, of Broad Run, was conscious and talked to the troopers first on the scene, Geller said.
Geller said Proven, a crash investigator for the FAA, was flying a 1965 Piper PA28140.
What caused the mid-air collision remain under investigation.
Because NTSB employees were involved, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada will investigate the crash. The TSB is holding a 3 p.m. press conference Wednesday in Warrenton.
'Shuttlebration Weekend' to welcome space shuttle replica to JSC
Michelle Homer - KHOU TV's Great Day Houston
A replica of the space shuttle is slowly making its way across the Gulf of Mexico on a journey to the Johnson Space Center.
The 123-foot reproduction was loaded on a barge docked at Kennedy Space Center last Thursday for a piggyback ride to Houston.
The Explorer will arrive in Galveston Bay on Friday, June 1, kicking off "Shuttlebration Weekend."
The Seabrook-Kemah Bridge will be closed for about 30 minutes around noon Friday until the 54-foot high Explorer passes into the Clear Lake Channel.
Clear Lake will remain open to boaters Friday, but they must avoid the bridge area when the barge arrives. During the move, boaters may anchor on the north side of the channel at least 500 feet from the channel.
The barge will then travel to the Space Center barge dock near the intersection of NASA Parkway and Space Center Boulevard.
It is expected to dock next to the Nassau Bay Hilton between 3 and 4 p.m.
Space Center Houston will hold a free street party to celebrate the shuttle’s arrival from 2 to 10 p.m. Friday and the public is invited.
It will take all day Saturday to lift the replica off the barge and weld it to a transporter.
The transporter will then carry the Explorer about a mile to the Space Center during a parade early Sunday. The trip is expected to take about three hours.
There will be a free party in the Space Center parking lot when the Explorer arrives.
Explorer has been on display at the Kennedy Space Center since 1994. NASA decided to move it to JSC as a consolation prize for not getting a real space shuttle.
Magnus among top influential women in Title IX era
John Kean - Rolla Daily News (Missouri)
Former Missouri S&T women’s soccer player and Miner Athletic Hall of Fame member Sandra Magnus, a member of the crew that went into space on NASA’s final space shuttle mission last summer, was named by the Women’s Sports Foundation among a list of the 40 most influential women in athletics over the last 40 years.
The recognition for Magnus comes with the upcoming 40th anniversary of Title IX as part of a “40 for 40” list of women who made a significant impact on society after playing sports at either the high school or collegiate level during the 40 years since Title IX came into effect in 1972.
Magnus, who was inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003 and was the recipient of the Great Lakes Valley Conference’s Charles Bertram Alumni of Distinction Award in 2009, made her third trip into space in July on Atlantis as one of four astronauts making the final shuttle mission into space. She spent 12 days in space on that mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station as well as to conduct tests such as trying new methods for recycling used water.
She was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1996 and flew in her first mission in 2002 as part of Atlantis’ STS-112 mission, logging over 10 days in space. In 2008, Magnus took part in Endeavor’s STS-126 mission and spent 133 days in space aboard the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 18. During her 2008-09 mission, Magnus also blogged for Missouri S&T-hosted site called spacebook.mst.edu, where she addressed various issues about life in orbit and also answered questions from grade school children.
She has also served for NASA at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., working with the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and was also assigned in 1998 as a “Russian Crusader”, which involved traveling to Russia in support of hardware testing and operational products development.
Magnus has been honored by NASA with its Space Flight Medal in 2002 and 2009 as well as with the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 2009.
While at Missouri S&T, Magnus played in the first four seasons in the history of the women’s soccer program, earning letters each year and helping guide the Lady Miners to a 31-27-2 record during that span. As a defender, she anchored a defensive unit that allowed just over a goal per game during those four years, including just 14 in the 1983 season when the team posted a 10-5 record.
In addition to the Hall of Fame and Bertram Award honors, Magnus was also cited by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America with its honorary All-America award in 2008, which is given to an individual who brings particular distinction to soccer through their efforts within and beyond the boundaries of the sport.
She has made three major speaking appearances since January, delivering the keynote address to the NCAA Division II general session at the NCAA Convention in January, serving as the commencement speaker at Missouri S&T spring ceremonies earlier this month and speaking at the closing ceremonies last week at the NCAA Division II Spring Sports Festival in Louisville, Ky.
Magnus is part of an impressive list of influential women, which includes former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice; Val Ackerman, the first president of the Women’s National Basketball Association; entertainers Ellen DeGeneres, Queen Latifah and Tina Fey; Pat Summitt, the recently retired head women’s basketball coach at the University of Tennessee; professional athletes Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Venus Williams; and fellow astronaut Sally Ride, the first woman to fly into space.
Magnus, who is from Belleville, Ill., graduated from Missouri S&T in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in physics and also received her master’s degree from S&T in electrical engineering in 1990. She would later earn a doctorate from Georgia Tech.
Air Force spaceplane aims for June landing in CA
Associated Press
An unmanned U.S. Air Force spaceplane that has been in orbit for over a year is coming back to Earth.
The Pentagon's experimental craft, which resembles a mini space shuttle, is slated to land at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The exact date depends on weather and other conditions, but the Air Force said Wednesday it expects the landing to occur in early to mid-June.
Officially called the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, it blasted off in March 2011 and was the second of its type to be launched.
The first made an autonomous landing in 2010 at Vandenberg after a 270-day mission.
Measuring 29 feet long with a wing span of 15 feet, the latest X-37B has stayed in orbit longer. Its exact mission is largely a mystery.
Air Force's mini space shuttle prepares for landing
Justin Ray - SpaceflightNow.com
After 15 months circling the planet on its clandestine military mission, the Pentagon's miniature space shuttle will be coming back to Earth for a pinpoint touchdown at Vandenberg Air Force Base in the next couple of weeks.
The base, located about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles, announced Wednesday that preparations are underway to receive the second reusable spaceplane in the "the early- to mid-June timeframe."
The exact landing date and time "will depend on technical and weather considerations," the base said in a statement to reporters.
The Orbital Test Vehicle will use Vandenberg's three-mile-long concrete runway once envisioned to support manned space shuttle landings from polar-orbiting military flights.
"The men and women of Team Vandenberg are ready to execute safe landing operations anytime and at a moment's notice," said Col. Nina Armagno, 30th Space Wing commander.
Operating on a sophisticated autopilot and GPS navigation, the OTV will fire its propulsion system to brake from orbit and plunge through the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean towards the Air Force installation for a tire-smoking touchdown.
"Space professionals from the 30th Space Wing will monitor the de-orbit and landing of the Air Force's X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle mission, called OTV 2," Vandenberg's statement said.
The base said its crews have conducted extensive, periodic training in preparation for landing.
Launched atop an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral on March 5, 2011, the winged craft has been operating in low-Earth-orbit carrying out a mission of unknown purpose. The military considers the payload classified.
Its pickup truck-size payload bay could be filled with experimental equipment being exposed to the harsh environment of space for proof testing or the cargo hold could contain operational instruments for reconnaissance.
"Although I can't talk about mission specifics, suffice it to say this mission has been a spectacular success," General William L. Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, said in a recent speech.
Built by Boeing's Phantom Works division, the spaceplane is 29 feet long with a wing span of 14 feet. It can weigh up to 11,000 pounds fueled for launch. The in-space design life is 270 days, but good performance on this mission enabled ground controllers to keep it aloft significantly longer.
Hobbyist satellite trackers have kept close tabs on the vehicle since its launch, monitoring it in an initial 206-mile (331 km) orbit inclined 42.8 degrees to the equator. Last summer, the orbit was raised slightly to 209 miles (337 km).
"It maintained this altitude against the effects of drag through frequent small orbit maneuvers," said Ted Molczan, a respected hobbyist tracker.
Earlier this month, however, the craft began lowering its altitude, briefly slipping out of the observers' sight until being discovered in the new orbit of 182 miles (293 km) tilted 41.9 degrees relative to the equator.
The new orbit causes its ground track to repeat, almost precisely, every three days; the previous altitude repeated every two days. Molczan said satellites with ground tracks repeating at intervals of two, three or four days have long been favored for U.S. imagery intelligence satellites, potentially offering a clue to the craft's mission.
This is the second of the Orbital Test Vehicles to fly in the X-37B program, following the maiden mission in 2010 that spent 224 days in space, frequently maneuvering in what was considered to be a shakedown cruise to demonstrate the spaceplane's capabilities.
The original vehicle has been refurbished for shipment to Cape Canaveral and a return to space. Another United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will haul the craft to orbit in a liftoff targeted for October.
END
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Space x update 5/30/12
NASA TV:
· 1:30 am Central THURSDAY (2:30 EDT) – Dragon unberthing coverage
· 3:05 am Central THURSDAY (4:05 EDT) – Station arm unberths Dragon from Harmony nadir
· 9:15 am Central THURSDAY (10:15 EDT) – Dragon deorbit & splashdown coverage
· 9:51 am Central THURSDAY (10:51 EDT) – Dragon deorbit burn
· 10:44 am Central THURSDAY (11:44 EDT – Dragon Splashdown (West of Baja California)
· 1:00 pm Central THURSDAY (2:00 EDT) – Post-Splashdown News Conference
Human Spaceflight News
Wednesday Afternoon, May 30, 2012
HEADLINES AND LEADS
SpaceX's Private Dragon Capsule Returns to Earth Thursday
Clara Moskowitz - Space.com
After a more than a week in orbit, the private space capsule Dragon is preparing to return to Earth from the International Space Station and cap off its historic mission with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Dragon is due to be released from the station early Thursday and splash down a few hours later. The return to Earth is the last major hurdle for the groundbreaking spacecraft built by Hawthorne, Calif.-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX).
US cargo vessel prepares to leave space station
Kerry Sheridan - Agence France Presse
US company SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship is preparing to make its return journey to Earth after a landmark mission to the International Space Station, NASA and SpaceX representatives said Wednesday. The release of the unmanned Dragon is set for 5:35 am Eastern time (0935 GMT) on Thursday, with an intact splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off California planned for 1444 GMT, NASA said. "We have a lot ahead of us on the SpaceX side," said mission director John Couluris in a briefing with reporters on the eve of the spacecraft's return after a seven-day mission to the orbiting outpost.
SpaceX success boosts NASA's venture with private companies
Ledyard King - Gannett News Service
Almost from the time he took over NASA in 2009, Charles F. Bolden Jr., has urged a skeptical Congress to replace the space shuttle with a rocket developed by a private company with the space agency's help. On Friday, Bolden earned the right to do a little gloating as California-based SpaceX became the first private firm to navigate a spacecraft to the International Space Station. "Today is, and I'm not overstating this, a day that will go down in history," the former shuttle commander told an enthusiastic audience at the International Space Development Conference.
NASA Statement on the untimely death of Dr. Michael Duncan
"The NASA community was saddened by the news of Dr. Michael Duncan's untimely and tragic death. Mike provided invaluable support in the space medicine field for NASA's space shuttle and International Space Station astronauts. He was one of the lead flight surgeons who supported the first landing by American astronauts in a Soyuz vehicle in Kazakhstan for Expedition 6 in May 2003. As the lead for the NASA team that provided assistance to the Chilean government's rescue of 33 trapped miners in a copper and gold mine near Copiapo, Chile, in 2010, Mike exemplified NASA's commitment to bring spaceflight experience back down to the ground and utilize it for people here on Earth. Our condolences go out to his family at this difficult time."
- Michael O'Brien, associate administrator for the International and Interagency Relations
Pilot, passenger identified from Monday's plane collision
David Pierce - Stafford County Sun (Virginia)
Men from Burke, Va. and Bethesda, Md. were killed in Monday's plane collision in Fauquier County. The Medical Examiner's office identified James "Mike" Duncan, 60, of Bethesda, Md. as the pilot and Paul Gardella, Jr., 57, of Burke, Va. as the passenger. Duncan and Gardella both worked for the National Transportation Safety Board.
'Shuttlebration Weekend' to welcome space shuttle replica to JSC
Michelle Homer - KHOU TV's Great Day Houston
A replica of the space shuttle is slowly making its way across the Gulf of Mexico on a journey to the Johnson Space Center. The 123-foot reproduction was loaded on a barge docked at Kennedy Space Center last Thursday for a piggyback ride to Houston. The Explorer will arrive in Galveston Bay on Friday, June 1, kicking off "Shuttlebration Weekend."
Magnus among top influential women in Title IX era
John Kean - Rolla Daily News (Missouri)
Former Missouri S&T women’s soccer player and Miner Athletic Hall of Fame member Sandra Magnus, a member of the crew that went into space on NASA’s final space shuttle mission last summer, was named by the Women’s Sports Foundation among a list of the 40 most influential women in athletics over the last 40 years. The recognition for Magnus comes with the upcoming 40th anniversary of Title IX as part of a “40 for 40” list of women who made a significant impact on society after playing sports at either the high school or collegiate level during the 40 years since Title IX came into effect in 1972.
Air Force spaceplane aims for June landing in CA
Associated Press
An unmanned U.S. Air Force spaceplane that has been in orbit for over a year is coming back to Earth. The Pentagon's experimental craft, which resembles a mini space shuttle, is slated to land at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The exact date depends on weather and other conditions, but the Air Force said Wednesday it expects the landing to occur in early to mid-June.
Air Force's mini space shuttle prepares for landing
Justin Ray - SpaceflightNow.com
After 15 months circling the planet on its clandestine military mission, the Pentagon's miniature space shuttle will be coming back to Earth for a pinpoint touchdown at Vandenberg Air Force Base in the next couple of weeks. The base, located about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles, announced Wednesday that preparations are underway to receive the second reusable spaceplane in the "the early- to mid-June timeframe." The exact landing date and time "will depend on technical and weather considerations," the base said in a statement to reporters.
__________
COMPLETE STORIES
SpaceX's Private Dragon Capsule Returns to Earth Thursday
Clara Moskowitz - Space.com
After a more than a week in orbit, the private space capsule Dragon is preparing to return to Earth from the International Space Station and cap off its historic mission with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Dragon is due to be released from the station early Thursday and splash down a few hours later. The return to Earth is the last major hurdle for the groundbreaking spacecraft built by Hawthorne, Calif.-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX).
The unmanned Dragon space capsule is the first commercial spacecraft ever to visit the International Space Station. It docked at the space station on Friday (May 25), three days after blasting off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
So far, the landmark test flight has gone smoothly, with Dragon meeting each of its mission milestones with very little deviation from its flight plan, SpaceX officials said.
"The behavior of the vehicle was as expected and that was a big confidence boost," Dragon mission director John Couluris of SpaceX said during a news conference today (May 30).
Now Dragon has one last challenge: the trip home.
SpaceX's Dragon capsule is rare in its ability to survive re-entry to Earth and be recovered. Most automated cargo vehicles that visit the space station, such as those built by Russia, Japan and Europe, are designed for one-way trips only, and are destroyed after their missions as they plunge through the planet's atmosphere.
Dragon is equipped with a heat shield to withstand the fiery temperatures of re-entry, which can reach about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1650 degrees Celsius). That means it can deliver cargo both to and from the space station.
"It's still a very challenging phase of flight," Couluris said. "Only a few countries have done this so far, so we're not taking this lightly."
Dragon is packed with a total of 1,367 pounds (620 kilograms) worth of cargo for the return trip, including crew items, completed science experiments and used station hardware. SpaceX plans to deliver some high-value experiments back to NASA within 48 hours of splashdown, with the rest of the cargo to be sent to the space agency within two weeks.
The mission is a trial run for SpaceX's plan to fly 12 cargo-delivery missions to the orbiting laboratory over the next few years. The company has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA under its Commercial Resupply Services program, which has partnered with private industry to fill the gap left by the retired space shuttles.
SpaceX was founded in 2002 by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who also co-founded internet payment service PayPal.
NASA's Mission Control in Houston has worked closely with the SpaceX team in Hawthorne throughout the flight to coordinate Dragon's approach and operations at the space station.
"We really learned how we worked together as a team and overall that went very well," NASA flight director Holly Ridings said today. "Mostly we learned that to bring in a new partner, the SpaceX team, we were able to communicate and accomplish something very complicated."
Dragon is currently berthed at the station's Earth-facing Harmony node. At 4:05 a.m. EDT (0805 GMT), astronauts onboard are scheduled to use the station's robotic arm to detach Dragon from the outpost, with a plan to release it from the arm at 5:35 a.m. EDT (0935 GMT).
At 10:51 a.m. EDT (1451 GMT), Dragon will fire its engines to exit orbit and begin the fall back to Earth, with a splashdown about 490 nautical miles southwest of Los Angeles targeted for 11:44 a.m. EDT (1544 GMT).
Recovery ships will be waiting in the area to collect the capsule and haul it back to land as soon as possible.
US cargo vessel prepares to leave space station
Kerry Sheridan - Agence France Presse
US company SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship is preparing to make its return journey to Earth after a landmark mission to the International Space Station, NASA and SpaceX representatives said Wednesday.
The release of the unmanned Dragon is set for 5:35 am Eastern time (0935 GMT) on Thursday, with an intact splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off California planned for 1444 GMT, NASA said.
"We have a lot ahead of us on the SpaceX side," said mission director John Couluris in a briefing with reporters on the eve of the spacecraft's return after a seven-day mission to the orbiting outpost.
"We have done it once," he said, referring to the Dragon's test flight in December 2010 when the capsule entered and returned safely from orbit for the first time.
"But it is still a very challenging phase of flight," he added. "We are not taking this lightly at all."
The capsule is supposed to make an ocean landing 490 nautical miles (907 kilometers) southwest of Los Angeles, where three vessels are standing by as recovery boats.
It will then be transported to Texas so that the cargo it is bringing back can be returned to NASA, though the US space agency cautioned that if anything goes wrong, there is nothing crucial on board.
"There is not anything coming home that we couldn't afford to not get back," said Holly Ridings, NASA flight director.
Couluris added that regardless of what happens to the capsule on Thursday, the mission has been "a major success" for both NASA and SpaceX.
The cargo ship launched on May 22 carrying 521 kilograms (1,148 pounds) of gear for the space lab, including food, supplies, computers, utilities and science experiments. It plans to return a 660-kilogram load to Earth.
On May 25, the Dragon became the first privately owned spacecraft to berth with the ISS, an event that NASA and White House officials hailed as the start of a new era in spaceflight in which commercial enterprise will take on a larger role.
The United States retired its space shuttle fleet last year, leaving cargo missions up to the space agencies of Russia, Japan and Europe.
Only Russia can return its cargo capsules intact. The other supply ships burn up on re-entry to Earth's atmosphere.
Until private US ventures come up with a vehicle that can replace the shuttle and carry humans to the $100 billion orbiting lab, the world's astronauts must rely on Russia's Soyuz capsules at $63 million a ticket.
US astronaut Don Pettit, who is part of the six-member crew at the ISS and helped unload and restock the capsule, described the Dragon as "roomier than a Soyuz" and said it boasts about as much space for cargo as his pickup truck.
The white Dragon capsule stands 4.4 meters (14.4 feet) high and is 3.66 meters in diameter, and could carry as much as 3,310 kilograms split between pressurized cargo in the capsule and unpressurized cargo in the trunk.
It was also built to carry up to seven humans to the ISS. The Soyuz carries three at a time.
California-based SpaceX, owned by billionaire Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, says it aims to begin taking people to the space station by 2015.
Using some of their own money and some funds from NASA, SpaceX and its competitor Orbital Sciences Corporation will likely become the chief cargo servicers of the space station, which is set to remain operational until 2020, NASA has said.
SpaceX has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to supply the station over the coming years, and Orbital Sciences has a $1.9 billion contract to do the same. Orbital's first test flight is scheduled for later this year.
SpaceX success boosts NASA's venture with private companies
Ledyard King - Gannett News Service
Almost from the time he took over NASA in 2009, Charles F. Bolden Jr., has urged a skeptical Congress to replace the space shuttle with a rocket developed by a private company with the space agency's help.
On Friday, Bolden earned the right to do a little gloating as California-based SpaceX became the first private firm to navigate a spacecraft to the International Space Station.
"Today is, and I'm not overstating this, a day that will go down in history," the former shuttle commander told an enthusiastic audience at the International Space Development Conference.
On either side of him, two large projection screens displayed a slightly delayed feed of the unmanned SpaceX Dragon vehicle slowly approaching the space station. When Bolden announced around 10 a.m. that the space station's robotic arm had grabbed the Dragon, the crowd inside the Grand Hyatt Hotel ballroom, which included former Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, erupted in cheers.
"The debate about our direction is over and we're moving strongly into implementing some very exciting plans," Bolden said. " If you're still wondering if this new era is real, I think the SpaceX success this week should begin to dispel those notions."
But congressional debate over the Commercial Crew Program, which teams NASA with private companies to develop a new taxi to the space station, is far from over.
Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled House adopted a fiscal 2013 spending bill that would provide $500 million for the program -- more than it's getting this fiscal year but considerably less than the $830 million President Barack Obama asked for.
The Democratic-run Senate has yet to finalize its NASA spending bill but a key committee has endorsed $525 million for the program.
House lawmakers also have told the space agency to hurry up and pick one company from the four (SpaceX, Boeing, Sierra Nevada and Blue Origin) vying for the contract to produce a new rocket. Continuing the competition "presents a significant risk of costly, lengthy delays," according to the House-passed language.
NASA opposes the idea, saying such a move actually would drive up costs in the long run.
In the 10 months since the last shuttle mission ended, the agency has had to answer even larger questions about the direction of the U.S. space program.
Some want NASA to focus its relatively modest resources on "bold" ventures, namely a Mars mission now about two decades from reality. Others question whether it makes sense to spend more than $17 billion a year on space travel, given the government's spiraling debt.
In the short term, the Dragon spacecraft's successful docking on Friday reinvigorated backers of the Commercial Crew program.
"I hope people's doubts have been put to rest," SpaceX CEO and chief designer Elon Musk said at news conference.
Other companies also are moving their plans off the drawing boards and into space.
Next week, Sierra Nevada plans to begin test flights of the Dream Chaser, a smaller version of the space shuttle that is the firm's answer to SpaceX's Dragon, according to company Vice President Mark Sirangelo.
"Right now, real companies are building real hardware," said Paul Damphousse, executive director of the National Space Society. "Not PowerPoint charts. Not animation. Real hardware. It's a really, really cool time to be involved in space and it's only going to get better."
Pilot, passenger identified from Monday's plane collision
David Pierce - Stafford County Sun (Virginia)
Men from Burke, Va. and Bethesda, Md. were killed in Monday's plane collision in Fauquier County.
The Medical Examiner's office identified James "Mike" Duncan, 60, of Bethesda, Md. as the pilot and Paul Gardella, Jr., 57, of Burke, Va. as the passenger. Duncan and Gardella both worked for the National Transportation Safety Board.
A Broad Run man in the other plane is the lone survivor of the collision.
After the collision, which happened about 4 p.m. near Silver Hill Road in the Sumerduck area, the two planes crashed to the ground about a mile apart from each other, said state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller. Plane parts and debris were scattered over the two crash sites.
One of the planes, a Beech Bonanza, caught fire in the collision. Troopers recovered Duncan and Gardella's bodies from the wreckage.
The pilot of the other plane, Thomas R. Proven, 70, survived the crash and was in good condition at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg Tuesday morning. Proven, of Broad Run, was conscious and talked to the troopers first on the scene, Geller said.
Geller said Proven, a crash investigator for the FAA, was flying a 1965 Piper PA28140.
What caused the mid-air collision remain under investigation.
Because NTSB employees were involved, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada will investigate the crash. The TSB is holding a 3 p.m. press conference Wednesday in Warrenton.
'Shuttlebration Weekend' to welcome space shuttle replica to JSC
Michelle Homer - KHOU TV's Great Day Houston
A replica of the space shuttle is slowly making its way across the Gulf of Mexico on a journey to the Johnson Space Center.
The 123-foot reproduction was loaded on a barge docked at Kennedy Space Center last Thursday for a piggyback ride to Houston.
The Explorer will arrive in Galveston Bay on Friday, June 1, kicking off "Shuttlebration Weekend."
The Seabrook-Kemah Bridge will be closed for about 30 minutes around noon Friday until the 54-foot high Explorer passes into the Clear Lake Channel.
Clear Lake will remain open to boaters Friday, but they must avoid the bridge area when the barge arrives. During the move, boaters may anchor on the north side of the channel at least 500 feet from the channel.
The barge will then travel to the Space Center barge dock near the intersection of NASA Parkway and Space Center Boulevard.
It is expected to dock next to the Nassau Bay Hilton between 3 and 4 p.m.
Space Center Houston will hold a free street party to celebrate the shuttle’s arrival from 2 to 10 p.m. Friday and the public is invited.
It will take all day Saturday to lift the replica off the barge and weld it to a transporter.
The transporter will then carry the Explorer about a mile to the Space Center during a parade early Sunday. The trip is expected to take about three hours.
There will be a free party in the Space Center parking lot when the Explorer arrives.
Explorer has been on display at the Kennedy Space Center since 1994. NASA decided to move it to JSC as a consolation prize for not getting a real space shuttle.
Magnus among top influential women in Title IX era
John Kean - Rolla Daily News (Missouri)
Former Missouri S&T women’s soccer player and Miner Athletic Hall of Fame member Sandra Magnus, a member of the crew that went into space on NASA’s final space shuttle mission last summer, was named by the Women’s Sports Foundation among a list of the 40 most influential women in athletics over the last 40 years.
The recognition for Magnus comes with the upcoming 40th anniversary of Title IX as part of a “40 for 40” list of women who made a significant impact on society after playing sports at either the high school or collegiate level during the 40 years since Title IX came into effect in 1972.
Magnus, who was inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003 and was the recipient of the Great Lakes Valley Conference’s Charles Bertram Alumni of Distinction Award in 2009, made her third trip into space in July on Atlantis as one of four astronauts making the final shuttle mission into space. She spent 12 days in space on that mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station as well as to conduct tests such as trying new methods for recycling used water.
She was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1996 and flew in her first mission in 2002 as part of Atlantis’ STS-112 mission, logging over 10 days in space. In 2008, Magnus took part in Endeavor’s STS-126 mission and spent 133 days in space aboard the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 18. During her 2008-09 mission, Magnus also blogged for Missouri S&T-hosted site called spacebook.mst.edu, where she addressed various issues about life in orbit and also answered questions from grade school children.
She has also served for NASA at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., working with the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and was also assigned in 1998 as a “Russian Crusader”, which involved traveling to Russia in support of hardware testing and operational products development.
Magnus has been honored by NASA with its Space Flight Medal in 2002 and 2009 as well as with the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 2009.
While at Missouri S&T, Magnus played in the first four seasons in the history of the women’s soccer program, earning letters each year and helping guide the Lady Miners to a 31-27-2 record during that span. As a defender, she anchored a defensive unit that allowed just over a goal per game during those four years, including just 14 in the 1983 season when the team posted a 10-5 record.
In addition to the Hall of Fame and Bertram Award honors, Magnus was also cited by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America with its honorary All-America award in 2008, which is given to an individual who brings particular distinction to soccer through their efforts within and beyond the boundaries of the sport.
She has made three major speaking appearances since January, delivering the keynote address to the NCAA Division II general session at the NCAA Convention in January, serving as the commencement speaker at Missouri S&T spring ceremonies earlier this month and speaking at the closing ceremonies last week at the NCAA Division II Spring Sports Festival in Louisville, Ky.
Magnus is part of an impressive list of influential women, which includes former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice; Val Ackerman, the first president of the Women’s National Basketball Association; entertainers Ellen DeGeneres, Queen Latifah and Tina Fey; Pat Summitt, the recently retired head women’s basketball coach at the University of Tennessee; professional athletes Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Venus Williams; and fellow astronaut Sally Ride, the first woman to fly into space.
Magnus, who is from Belleville, Ill., graduated from Missouri S&T in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in physics and also received her master’s degree from S&T in electrical engineering in 1990. She would later earn a doctorate from Georgia Tech.
Air Force spaceplane aims for June landing in CA
Associated Press
An unmanned U.S. Air Force spaceplane that has been in orbit for over a year is coming back to Earth.
The Pentagon's experimental craft, which resembles a mini space shuttle, is slated to land at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The exact date depends on weather and other conditions, but the Air Force said Wednesday it expects the landing to occur in early to mid-June.
Officially called the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, it blasted off in March 2011 and was the second of its type to be launched.
The first made an autonomous landing in 2010 at Vandenberg after a 270-day mission.
Measuring 29 feet long with a wing span of 15 feet, the latest X-37B has stayed in orbit longer. Its exact mission is largely a mystery.
Air Force's mini space shuttle prepares for landing
Justin Ray - SpaceflightNow.com
After 15 months circling the planet on its clandestine military mission, the Pentagon's miniature space shuttle will be coming back to Earth for a pinpoint touchdown at Vandenberg Air Force Base in the next couple of weeks.
The base, located about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles, announced Wednesday that preparations are underway to receive the second reusable spaceplane in the "the early- to mid-June timeframe."
The exact landing date and time "will depend on technical and weather considerations," the base said in a statement to reporters.
The Orbital Test Vehicle will use Vandenberg's three-mile-long concrete runway once envisioned to support manned space shuttle landings from polar-orbiting military flights.
"The men and women of Team Vandenberg are ready to execute safe landing operations anytime and at a moment's notice," said Col. Nina Armagno, 30th Space Wing commander.
Operating on a sophisticated autopilot and GPS navigation, the OTV will fire its propulsion system to brake from orbit and plunge through the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean towards the Air Force installation for a tire-smoking touchdown.
"Space professionals from the 30th Space Wing will monitor the de-orbit and landing of the Air Force's X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle mission, called OTV 2," Vandenberg's statement said.
The base said its crews have conducted extensive, periodic training in preparation for landing.
Launched atop an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral on March 5, 2011, the winged craft has been operating in low-Earth-orbit carrying out a mission of unknown purpose. The military considers the payload classified.
Its pickup truck-size payload bay could be filled with experimental equipment being exposed to the harsh environment of space for proof testing or the cargo hold could contain operational instruments for reconnaissance.
"Although I can't talk about mission specifics, suffice it to say this mission has been a spectacular success," General William L. Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, said in a recent speech.
Built by Boeing's Phantom Works division, the spaceplane is 29 feet long with a wing span of 14 feet. It can weigh up to 11,000 pounds fueled for launch. The in-space design life is 270 days, but good performance on this mission enabled ground controllers to keep it aloft significantly longer.
Hobbyist satellite trackers have kept close tabs on the vehicle since its launch, monitoring it in an initial 206-mile (331 km) orbit inclined 42.8 degrees to the equator. Last summer, the orbit was raised slightly to 209 miles (337 km).
"It maintained this altitude against the effects of drag through frequent small orbit maneuvers," said Ted Molczan, a respected hobbyist tracker.
Earlier this month, however, the craft began lowering its altitude, briefly slipping out of the observers' sight until being discovered in the new orbit of 182 miles (293 km) tilted 41.9 degrees relative to the equator.
The new orbit causes its ground track to repeat, almost precisely, every three days; the previous altitude repeated every two days. Molczan said satellites with ground tracks repeating at intervals of two, three or four days have long been favored for U.S. imagery intelligence satellites, potentially offering a clue to the craft's mission.
This is the second of the Orbital Test Vehicles to fly in the X-37B program, following the maiden mission in 2010 that spent 224 days in space, frequently maneuvering in what was considered to be a shakedown cruise to demonstrate the spaceplane's capabilities.
The original vehicle has been refurbished for shipment to Cape Canaveral and a return to space. Another United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will haul the craft to orbit in a liftoff targeted for October.
END
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No Bibles at Walter Reed?
Date: Wed, 30 May Subject: Fwd: Bibles at Walter Reed
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:18:16 PM
Subject: Bibles at Walter Reed
This has been taken care of – eternal vigilance is required of Christians as we seek to proclaim and defend our faith. Go to this link
http://www.christianpost.com/news/bible-ban-at-walter-reed-military-hospital-dropped-64545/
Obama must really want to be a one term president. The soldiers who wake up in Walter Reed Medical Center are in Maryland --not communist China . But under the Navy's new rules, they may not know the difference!
After months of peeling away the military's core values, Obama's army is on the move. And this time, it has a high-value target: the Bible.
In a memo obtained by FRC, Navy officials have announced that "no religious items (including Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit." The new orders are buried in a four-page document about patient care, which an Army officer forwarded to us in disbelief.
Effective immediately, families, friends, and even pastors will have to check their beliefs at the door to visit one of the largest military hospitals in the United States . Last night, after we circulated the memo to leaders on the Hill, an outraged Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) took to the House floor and blasted the policy.
"Mr. Speaker, these military men and women who are recovering at Walter Reed and Bethesda have given their all for America ... They've defended and taken an oath to the Constitution, and here they are. The people that come to visit them can't bring a religious artifact? They can't bring a Bible? ...A priest can't walk in with the Eucharist and offer communion to a patient who might be on their deathbed because it's prohibited in this memo from the Department of the Navy?"
This is Obama's military, where homosexuality is celebrated and Christianity is censored; where witches are financed and crosses are scorned; where bestiality is embraced and Bibles are banned; where same-sex "weddings" are encouraged but international charity is not. After three years of ideological warfare, the administration's intent is clear: to disarm the military of its biggest weapon. Faith.
Regardless of President Obama's agenda, there is absolutely nothing in the Constitution that empowers the government to stop family members from giving Bibles or crosses to their loved ones. And from a PR standpoint, I'm not sure the best way to boost approval ratings is by denying comfort to wounded warriors. Unfortunately for our troops, who have endured so much turmoil under the Obama administration, this is another blow.
Hopefully, with the help of Congressman King and others, it's only a temporary one.
Even liberal Snopes says it’s true.: http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/walterreed.asp
__,_._,___
Space X timeline. 5/30/12
Some minor tweaks, but deorbit and splashdown times are unchanged…
SpaceX Dragon Unberth/Deorbit/Splashdown Timeline
ISS Exp 31 Crew
CDR Oleg Kononenko (29S CDR) 2nd Flt (Exp 17)
FE5 Andre Kuipers (Netherlands) 2nd Flt (TMA-4/3 rotation)
FE6 Don Pettit 3rd Flt (Exp 6 & STS-126)
FE1 Gennady Padalka (E32 CDR/30S CDR - TMA-04M) 4th Flt (TM-26, E9, E19-20)
FE2 Sergei Revin 1st Flt
FE3 Joe Acaba 2nd Flt (STS-119/15A)
Launch occurred at 2:44:38 am Central (3:44:38 EDT) Tuesday, May 22
Wednesday May 30
CDT EDT EVENT MET (day/hr min sec)
7:25 am 8:25 am Crew exits Dragon
8:20 am 9:20 am Dragon hatch closure
9:00 am 10:00 am NASA TV: Mission Status Briefing
11:00 pm Midnight Crew wakeup
11:35 pm Dragon vestibule demate
11:45 pm Dragon vestibule depressurization
11:50 pm Station Power Converter Unit (IPCU) deactivation
Thursday May 31
CDT EDT EVENT MET (day/hr min sec)
12:35 am Dragon vestibule demate
12:45 am Dragon vestibule depressurization
12:50 am Station Power Converter Unit (IPCU) deactivation
2-15 am 3:15 am Common Berthing Mechanism demate initiate
1:30 am 2:30 am NASA TV: Dragon unberthing coverage
3:05 am 4:05 am Station arm unberths Dragon from Harmony nadir
4:35 am 5:35 am Station arm releases Dragon
4:36 am 5:36 am Dragon exits “Keep Out Sphere”
5:11 am 6:11 am Departure burn 1
5;13 am 6:13 am Departure burn 2
5:20 am 6:20 am Departure burn 3
6:06 am 7:06 am Reduce apogee burn
6:07 am 7:07 am Unlatch/close/latch GNC door
9:15 am 10:15 am NASA TV: Dragon deorbit & splashdown coverage
9:51 am 10:51 am Dragon deorbit burn
10:09 am 11:09 am Trunk jettison
10:28 am 11:28 am GPS blackout period
10:35 am 11:35 am Dragon drogue chute deploy
10:36 am 11:36 am Dragon main parachute deploy
10:44 am 11:44 am Dragon Splashdown 09/07:57:02
(West of Baja California)
10:46 am 11:46 am Dragon “safe to approach”
1:00 pm 2:00 pm NASA TV: Post-Splashdown News Conference
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5/30/12 news--lots on space X
Also,,,fyi,,,,I checked marinetraffic.com again this morning and our Barge with the Explorer Orbiter is still out of range of the tracking system…meaning it still way too far away from shore to pick up the signal. Maybe tomorrow sometime it will be closer to the coast line as it approaches Texas and the Clearlake area and the tracker will show her location again.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
JSC TODAY HEADLINES
1. SpaceX Dragon Reentry and Splashdown Happens Tomorrow - Watch It on NASA TV
2. Blood Drive June 19 (EFD) and June 20 to 21 (JSC)
3. Pre-Shuttlebration Specials at Starport this Thursday
4. Win a Prize: JSC Features and 'Roundup' Readership Contest
5. NASA Night at the Houston Dynamo
6. Water-Bots Summer Camps
7. Back by Popular Demand - NASA Night at the Paint Pub
8. Starport Presents: Father-Daughter Dance 2012
9. System Safety Fundamentals Class : July 16 to 20 - Building 226N, Room 174
10. Social Media Summit coming to Space Center Houston
________________________________________ QUOTE OF THE DAY
“ What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself. ”
-- Abraham Lincoln
________________________________________
1. SpaceX Dragon Reentry and Splashdown Happens Tomorrow - Watch It on NASA TV
Tune in to NASA TV on Thursday, May 31, for coverage of the departure of the SpaceX Dragon capsule from the International Space Station before its reentry and splashdown.
NASA TV will begin live coverage of the departure of Dragon at 2:30 a.m. CDT on Thursday. Coverage will continue through the release of Dragon from the station, currently scheduled for 5:10 a.m., and will resume at 9:15 a.m. with deorbit and splashdown coverage. The capsule is currently scheduled to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 10:44 a.m. hundreds of miles off the west coast of California, likely out of range of live television.
NASA TV will air a news briefing that will be held jointly from JSC and SpaceX in Hawthorne, Calif., at 1 p.m. on Thursday.
JSC employees with wired computer network connections can view NASA TV using onsite IPTV on channels 404 (standard definition) or 4541 (HD) at: http://iptv.jsc.nasa.gov/eztv/
For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For up-to-date information about the SpaceX mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/spacex
JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111
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2. Blood Drive June 19 (EFD) and June 20 to 21 (JSC)
Summertime typically brings a decrease in blood donations as donors become busy with activities and vacations. But the need for blood can increase due to these summer activities and the three major holidays--Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day. Your blood donation can help up to three people. Please take an hour of your time to donate at our next blood drive.
You can donate at Ellington Field on June 19. A donor coach will be located between Hangars 276 and 135 for donations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Note time change).
You can donate at JSC on June 20 to 21 at the Teague Auditorium Lobby or at the donor coach located next to the Building 11 Starport Café, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., or at the Gilruth Center at donor coach located in parking lot, June 21, from 7:30 a.m. to noon. (Note time change)
Teresa Gomez x39588 http://jscpeople.jsc.nasa.gov/blooddrv/blooddrv.htm
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3. Pre-Shuttlebration Specials at Starport this Thursday
Thursday, May 31 - Join in the PRE-Shuttlebration events! Stop by the Gift Shops for 10 percent off all shuttle items. Also, pick up your shuttle trivia game for a chance to win a prize! Wear your shuttle T-shirt to show your support!
Plus receive 20 percent off all purchases of $6 or more (before tax)at the Sodexo cafes if you are wearing a shuttle shirt.
Shelly Haralson x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/
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4. Win a Prize: JSC Features and 'Roundup' Readership Contest
The following questions are based on the most recent editions of JSC Features and "Roundup." Answer correctly, and you are automatically entered into each drawing. Prize winners will be announced Monday, June 4. Content writers and Office of Communications and Public Affairs team members are not eligible. Email your answers to Neesha Hosein at: fareena.n.hosein@nasa.gov
JSC Features:
What is the 20-Year Remediation Project about?
"Roundup," May edition:
Finish the sentence:
During shuttle missions, the still and motion imagery captured by crew members was immense, but _____________________________.
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/roundup/online/
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/jscfeatures/
Neesha Hosein x27516
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5. NASA Night at the Houston Dynamo
Calling all soccer fans - invite family and friends to the Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas on Saturday, June 16, at 4 p.m. at the new BBVA Compass Stadium. Make plans to come early to the SoccerFest Fan Zone and visit NASA's exhibit.
To purchase discounted tickets, go to http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Events/ Click the link for the Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas game and follow the remaining instructions to purchase tickets with the pass code: nasa.
JSC team members, family and friends are encouraged to wear NASA shirts to the game.
Shelly Haralson x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Events/
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6. Water-Bots Summer Camps
The Aerospace Academy - San Jacinto College (SJC) offers a week of fun activities including: hands on instruction in robotics, speakers from various fields that use robots, and a tour of NASA JSC and the Sonny Carter Neutral Buoyancy Lab. At the end of camp the participants will compete in an underwater robotics competition.
Dates: July 16 to 20 and July 23 to 27
Age Groups: Students 12 to 13 and 14 to 18
Cost: $250
Time: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (before and after hours available)
Location: SJC Central Campus
For additional information or registration contact- Bridget Kramer, 281-244-6803, bridget.a.kramer@nasa.gov or Angie Hughes, 281-483-7252, angela.m.hughes@nasa.gov
Bridget Kramer x46803
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7. Back by Popular Demand - NASA Night at the Paint Pub
Since our first NASA Night at the Paint Pub filled up to maximum capacity, a second night has been scheduled. So, let your inner artist shine as you paint, drink and be merry as an artist is provided to guide you and the group to create your own piece of art.
Each artist will paint a specially designed NASA-themed portrait and get to take their masterpiece home! No experience necessary, and all art supplies will be provided. Beverages will be available for purchase for your enjoyment.
June 10 at 6 p.m., $30/person. Reserve your spot by June 9: 281-333-2200 or http://www.thepaintpub.com Visit http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Events/ for more information.
Shelly Harlason x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/
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8. Starport Presents: Father-Daughter Dance 2012
Make Father's Day weekend a date your daughter will never forget! Enjoy a night of music, dancing, refreshments, finger foods and dessert, photos and more! Plan to get all dressed up and spend a special evening with the special little lady in your life.
June 15, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the Alamo Ballroom at the Gilruth Center.
Cost is $40 per couple, $15 per additional child. Each couple will receive one free 5x7 photo.
Visit our website at http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Events/ for more information.
Shelly Haralson x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/
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9. System Safety Fundamentals Class : July 16 to 20 - Building 226N, Room 174
This course instructs students in fundamentals of system safety management, hazard analysis of hardware, software and operations. Basic concepts and principles of the analytical process are stressed. Students are introduced to NASA publications that require and guide safety analysis, as well as general reference texts on subject areas covered. Types and techniques of hazard analysis are addressed in enough detail to give the student a working knowledge of their uses and how they're accomplished. Skill in analytical techniques is developed through the use of practical exercises worked by students in class. This course establishes a foundation for the student to pursue more advanced studies of system safety and hazard analysis techniques while allowing students to effectively apply their skills to straightforward analytical assignments. This is a combination of System Safety Workshop and System Safety Special Subjects. Students who've taken those classes shouldn't take this class. SATERN registration required. https://satern.nasa.gov/plateau/user/deeplink.do?linkId=SCHEDULED_OFFERING_DE...
Polly Caison x41279
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10. Social Media Summit coming to Space Center Houston
Are you a great social media communicator? Do you understand the best social media tools to promote your project or ideas? JSC has worked closely with Ragan Communications to develop a great list of social media experts from the Navy, The Red Cross, Unicef, the IRS, the CDC, along with three NASA social media experts and many others to helps us learn the ropes. Discount registration for all NASA and contractor employees is available at this website: http://www.ragan.com/rd/nasa-12-nasa Hurry, registration is limited, and the discount closes in June.
Susan H. Anderson x38630 http://www.ragan.com/rd/nasa-12-nasa
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________________________________________
JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles. To see an archive of previous JSC Today announcements, go to http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/pao/news/jsctoday/archives.
NASA TV:
· 9 am Central (10 EDT) – ISS Mission Status Briefing (Dragon deorbit/splashdown is Thur)
· Noon Central (1 pm EDT) – NuSTAR L-14 Pre-Launch Briefing
· 1:30 am Central THURSDAY (2:30 EDT) – Dragon unberthing coverage
Human Spaceflight News
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
HEADLINES AND LEADS
ISS Team Approves Unberthing Of Dragon Cargo Capsule
Mark Carreau - Aviation Week
The NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) Mission Management Team has approved plans for the scheduled unberthing of the first U.S. commercial resupply mission spacecraft later this week, as the astronauts aboard the orbiting science laboratory wrapped up a fast-paced, 2,400-lb. cargo exchange. The SpaceX Dragon’s unberthing is scheduled for May 31 at 4:05 a.m. EDT. Astronaut Don Pettit, who will carry out the operation using the station’s Canadarm2, will release the freighter below the orbital outpost at 6:10 a.m. After three orbits of the Earth, Dragon will fire its braking rockets at 10:51 a.m. for re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, ending the nine-day NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services test flight with a parachute descent into the Pacific Ocean. A splashdown several hundred miles off Southern California is expected at 11:44 a.m.
SpaceX will bring Dragon home to the Pacific Thursday morning
Lee Roop - Huntsville Times
Think berthing a Dragon is hard? SpaceX says it's not easy bringing one safely home, either. The California space company will attempt to rewind last week's docking Thursday and splash its Dragon capsule in the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX became the first private company to dock a capsule to the station Friday. The original plan was to keep Dragon there for up to 18 days. "(The schedule) was dependent on the astronauts' work schedules," SpaceX spokeswoman Kirstin Brost Grantham said Tuesday. But since the astronauts were able to get right to unloading and reloading Dragon, SpaceX is ready to bring it home.
ISS crew gets SpaceX Dragon ready for return to Earth
James Dean - Florida Today
Crewmembers aboard the International Space Station have finished unloading SpaceX’s Dragon capsule and are packing it for its planned return to Earth on Thursday. Since Monday, the crew has spent about 18 hours unloading a half-ton of food, clothing, experiments and other items hauled up by the first commercial spacecraft to berth at the station.
Lampson a step closer to returning to Congress and other space-related Texas primary news
SpacePolitics.com
A two-time former member of Congress who has been active on space issues won a Democratic primary for another Texas district last night. Nick Lampson won the primary for Texas’s 14th congressional district along the Gulf Coast south of Houston, currently held by Ron Paul, who is retiring. (The Republican nominee will be determined in a July runoff election between Felicia Harris and Randy Weber.) Lampson was active on space issues during his previous tenure in Congress, serving on the House Science Committee and presenting districts that included the Johnson Space Center (now in the 22nd district, which Lampson won in 2006 and lost in 2008.)
Private Space Efforts Get Lift
Andy Pasztor - Wall Street Journal
The linkup last week of a privately built capsule with the international space station boosted the prospects of commercial spacecraft shuttling U.S. astronauts into orbit, though Capitol Hill disputes continued to threaten the possibility. For more than two years, National Aeronautics and Space Administration leaders and congressional critics have disagreed about budgets, timing and safety issues. By 2017, NASA wants to outsource to private companies all cargo and manned trips to the space station, which orbits 240 miles above the Earth. Some of the legislative clashes may be easing. Industry officials and space experts said political support for NASA's strategy seemed to be gaining momentum four days after Space Explorations Technologies Corp.'s unmanned Dragon capsule became the first privately built and operated vehicle to dock at the space station.
Spaceplane prototype seen flying over Broomfield
Jack Miller - KUSA TV (Denver)
Some 9NEWS tippers couldn't quite believe what they were seeing: a spaceplane soaring through the skies over Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. This spaceplane was no UFO. It was the Dream Chaser Orbital Crew Vehicle being developed by the Sierra Nevada Corporation in Louisville. Sierra Nevada engineers were seen checking the spacecraft just moments after testing the vehicle's aerodynamic performance by suspending it under an Erickson Sky Crane helicopter.
Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser spacecraft tested at Broomfield airport
Craft meant to transport crew and supplies to the International Space Station
Megan Quinn - Broomfield Enterprise (Colorado)
Sierra Nevada Corp. Tuesday launched initial flight tests for the Dream Chaser, a spacecraft meant to transport crew and supplies to the International Space Station. The tests took place at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, according to a news release from the company. Sierra Nevada is a private space technology company, which includes a branch in Louisville. The craft could be seen hanging by a tether from a large helicopter.
Colo. Company Tests Spacecraft
Dream Chaser Built By Sierra Nevada Corp.
Deb Stanley - KMGH TV (Denver)
A spacecraft was tested in Jefferson County on Tuesday. The Dream Chaser is a crew space transportation system. It was built by Sierra Nevada Corporation in partnership with NASA. The Dream Chaser was flown in Jefferson County on Tuesday. The crew of AirTracker7 spotted the spacecraft on the grass near Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. Officials told 7NEWS the spacecraft went through what's called a "captive carry" flight test on Tuesday.
SpaceX success brings Pittsburgh space startup closer to mission
Malia Spencer - Pittsburgh Business Times
Watching the historic launch and docking of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and its Dragon capsule was a particularly exciting time for the team at Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology Inc., said the company’s recently named President John Thornton. “Every successful launch they have puts us one step closer to our moon landing,” he said just hours after the Dragon capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station on Friday. Astrobotic is Carnegie Mellon University's spin-out that aims to complete the first privately funded lunar mission. The company’s Polaris vehicle is slated reach the moon aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
SpaceX: Will Elon Musk's triumph be transformative or transient?
Loren Thompson - Forbes (contributor)
Last week’s impressive achievement in docking a private spacecraft at the International Space Station has earned entrepreneur Elon Musk and his SpaceX team a place in the history books. No private company has ever managed to accomplish such a feat before, and SpaceX is now poised to repeat the delicate, demanding mission over and over again under a $1.6 billion NASA contract. The SpaceX saga is an appealing story on many levels. First, it demonstrates the dynamism of private enterprise. Second, it has the potential to save taxpayers and customers alike billions of dollars. Third, it rewards a risk-taker who committed most of his personal fortune and waking hours to making a revolutionary venture work. And fourth, it is underpinned by a vision of mankind’s future in space that renews our sense of human possibilities.
The challenge of mastering one's environment
Patricia Hynes - Las Cruces Sun-News
People who run marathons, scientists who live at the South Pole in winter, and even the firefighters in the Gila, have something in common. They have an innate drive to be autonomous, self-determined and connected to each other. Volunteering to be in a closed, hostile environment for months at a time is something International Space Station (ISS) astronauts and scientists who live at the South Pole have in common. When people are in an environment where they are allowed to be self-directed, they thrive. The environment does not have to be comfortable.
Congress Should Fully Fund Commercial Crew
Aviation Week (Editorial)
The long march of New Space revolutionaries passed a meaningful marker with Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 9/Dragon flight last week (see p. 35). The second for SpaceX's big launcher and its Dragon capsule, it was the first “revenue flight,” carrying cargo in a vehicle intended one day to ferry people as well to and from low Earth orbit. That should start with astronauts to the International Space Station. NASA currently pays about $60 million per seat to fly astronauts to the station on Russia's venerable Soyuz.
Pres. Obama awards John Glenn Medal of Freedom, nation's highest honor
Robert Pearlman - collectSPACE.com
John Glenn, the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth, was honored by President Barack Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony held at the White House on Tuesday. Glenn was present at the event with this year's 12 other medal recipients, including influential musician Bob Dylan, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and Juliette Gordon Low, who founded the Girl Scouts in 1912.
NASA Wanted Astronauts to View Venus Up-Close
Amy Shira Teitel - Discovery News
In a little over a week, we’re all going to be looking skyward and focusing our sights (safely) on Venus as it crosses the disk of the sun. It's going to be a fantastic view, especially since most of us only ever see Venus as a tiny dot of light in the sky. But in 1967, NASA considered giving three astronauts a really rare view of Venus by sending them on a flyby around the second planet from the sun. The mission was developed under the Apollo Applications Program (AAP) that was designed to build on and apply Apollo-era technology to greater goals in space. Out of the AAP NASA hoped to see Earth orbiting laboratories, research stations on the moon, and manned interplanetary missions. In 1967, this was America’s future in space.
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COMPLETE STORIES
ISS Team Approves Unberthing Of Dragon Cargo Capsule
Mark Carreau - Aviation Week
The NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) Mission Management Team has approved plans for the scheduled unberthing of the first U.S. commercial resupply mission spacecraft later this week, as the astronauts aboard the orbiting science laboratory wrapped up a fast-paced, 2,400-lb. cargo exchange.
The SpaceX Dragon’s unberthing is scheduled for May 31 at 4:05 a.m. EDT. Astronaut Don Pettit, who will carry out the operation using the station’s Canadarm2, will release the freighter below the orbital outpost at 6:10 a.m. After three orbits of the Earth, Dragon will fire its braking rockets at 10:51 a.m. for re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, ending the nine-day NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services test flight with a parachute descent into the Pacific Ocean. A splashdown several hundred miles off Southern California is expected at 11:44 a.m.
The Dragon hatch was opened by the six-man ISS crew early May 26, a day after Pettit and European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers grappled the freighter with the 58-ft.-long Canadarm2 and berthed it to the U.S. segment Harmony module.
Slightly more than 1,000 lb. of cargo, food, clothing, computer equipment and a NanoRacks experiment module were off-loaded. The capsule was refilled with nearly 1,400 lb. of station hardware, crew personal items, science equipment and unneeded spacesuit gear. The return items will be extracted from Dragon and turned over to NASA for distribution to scientists or vendors for refurbishment. The exchange of non-essential cargo unfolded over 18 hr. versus the scheduled 25 hr.
“The first time you fly a new vehicle, it’s always challenging. You never know what to expect,” said Paul Brower, NASA’s lead integrated systems engineer for the flight, on May 29. Bower occupies the NASA Mission Control position responsible for the interplay of communications, power and propulsion systems on the two spacecraft.
He praised SpaceX for its operational prowess, as the company flight control team in Hawthorne, Calif., joined with NASA in working through an assortment of computer and propulsion issues, guidance sensor adjustments during the rendezvous, and a prelaunch GPS issue on the station.
“It was definitely an interesting and challenging mission,” Brower says. “But in the end, we won against all the demons.”
Pettit and Joe Acaba, the two NASA astronauts aboard the station, offered a thumbs-up as well at the prospect that a human-rated version of Dragon could one day transport astronauts to and from orbit.
“I spent quite a bit of time in here this morning, just looking at the engineering and the layout,” Pettit reported soon after the hatch opening. “It looks like it carries about as much cargo as I can put in my pickup truck, and it’s roomier than a Soyuz. So, flying up in a human-rated Dragon is not going to be an issue.”
“It was phenomenal to watch the Dragon approach the space station, and see these guys do their job in grappling it and attaching to the space station,” added Acaba, who assisted Pettit with the Canadarm2 capture activities. “I have a lot of confidence in our future. This was a great first step to move us forward. I think we would feel very comfortable in a human-rated vehicle just like this one.”
NASA is currently funding the development of commercial crew transport services through Blue Origin, Boeing, Sierra Nevada and SpaceX. The agency is assessing proposals from funded and unfunded prospective commercial partners for a third round of crew transport development.
SpaceX will bring Dragon home to the Pacific Thursday morning
Lee Roop - Huntsville Times
Think berthing a Dragon is hard? SpaceX says it's not easy bringing one safely home, either. The California space company will attempt to rewind last week's docking Thursday and splash its Dragon capsule in the Pacific Ocean.
SpaceX became the first private company to dock a capsule to the station Friday. The original plan was to keep Dragon there for up to 18 days. "(The schedule) was dependent on the astronauts' work schedules," SpaceX spokeswoman Kirstin Brost Grantham said Tuesday. But since the astronauts were able to get right to unloading and reloading Dragon, SpaceX is ready to bring it home.
A lot of people think that's easy, Grantham said, at least compared to the precision maneuvers executed by Dragon's thrusters to approach the station last week. But firing those thrusters just right to bring Dragon out of orbit where and when SpaceX wants is a challenge, too, Grantham said.
"Not many people have done it," she said. SpaceX is one of those who have done it -- once. The company brought a Dragon safely home in 2010 on its launch system's first demonstration flight.
The plan is to dunk the Dragon in the Pacific within a few miles of a recovery ship that will be in position. Grantham said the company can't guarantee TV footage of the splashdown, but SpaceX is confident Dragon won't land too far from the recovery ship.
On board the Dragon when it returns will be scientific experiments and used equipment no longer needed on the station. Dragon took more than 1,000 pounds of non-essential, but useful, food and supplies up with it.
According to a schedule released Tuesday, which contains approximate times, Dragon will be detached from the space station Thursday at around 3 a.m. CDT and released from the station's robotic arm at about 5:10 a.m. CDT.
Thrusters will fire for the deorbit burn at 9:51 a.m. CDT, and parachutes should open at about 10:30 a.m. Splashdown is tentatively scheduled for 10:44 a.m. CDT.
A successful Dragon return will allow SpaceX to move forward on a series of unmanned supply flights to the station. It has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA for two flights a year over the next six years.
SpaceX will also continue to develop Dragon as a capsule capable of carrying crew to and from the station. The company also announced a contract Tuesday with Intelsat to lift at least one satellite into the space with its heavy-lift Falcon Heavy rocket when it is built and ready.
ISS crew gets SpaceX Dragon ready for return to Earth
James Dean - Florida Today
Crewmembers aboard the International Space Station have finished unloading SpaceX’s Dragon capsule and are packing it for its planned return to Earth on Thursday.
Since Monday, the crew has spent about 18 hours unloading a half-ton of food, clothing, experiments and other items hauled up by the first commercial spacecraft to berth at the station.
Dragon will return to Earth with about 1,400 pounds of cargo. It’s the only spacecraft other than Russia’s Soyuz, which can carry little more than its three-person crew, that can return cargo home.
On Thursday, the station’s robotic arm is expected to pull the Dragon away from its port at 4:15 a.m. EDT Thursday, then release the spacecraft at 6:12 a.m. EDT.
SpaceX plans about five hours of orbital operations before a planned splashdown hundreds of miles off the southern California coast.
Lampson a step closer to returning to Congress and other space-related Texas primary news
SpacePolitics.com
A two-time former member of Congress who has been active on space issues won a Democratic primary for another Texas district last night. Nick Lampson won the primary for Texas’s 14th congressional district along the Gulf Coast south of Houston, currently held by Ron Paul, who is retiring. (The Republican nominee will be determined in a July runoff election between Felicia Harris and Randy Weber.)
Lampson was active on space issues during his previous tenure in Congress, serving on the House Science Committee and presenting districts that included the Johnson Space Center (now in the 22nd district, which Lampson won in 2006 and lost in 2008.)
The man who beat Lampson in the 22nd district in 2008, Rep. Pete Olson, won the Republican primary, putting him on track to win a third term this fall. The general election is shaping up to be a rematch of the 2010 campaign, with Kesha Rogers narrowly winning the Democratic primary.
Rogers, who affiliates herself with Lyndon LaRouche, appears to be running again on the theme “Save NASA, Dump Obama”; her “Space Colonization & Planetary Defense” platform calls for, among other things, restoring full funding for the canceled Constellation program.
Last month, Chuck Meyer, a Republican candidate for the new 36th district, proposed special-purpose “Space Bonds” to fund NASA’s human spaceflight program as part of his candidacy. It apparently didn’t win over many voters: Meyer finished sixth in the GOP primary in that east Texas district.
Private Space Efforts Get Lift
Andy Pasztor - Wall Street Journal
The linkup last week of a privately built capsule with the international space station boosted the prospects of commercial spacecraft shuttling U.S. astronauts into orbit, though Capitol Hill disputes continued to threaten the possibility.
For more than two years, National Aeronautics and Space Administration leaders and congressional critics have disagreed about budgets, timing and safety issues. By 2017, NASA wants to outsource to private companies all cargo and manned trips to the space station, which orbits 240 miles above the Earth.
Some of the legislative clashes may be easing. Industry officials and space experts said political support for NASA's strategy seemed to be gaining momentum four days after Space Explorations Technologies Corp.'s unmanned Dragon capsule became the first privately built and operated vehicle to dock at the space station.
Regular cargo runs to the space station by SpaceX, as the Southern California company is known, may start as soon as the fall.
The SpaceX success strengthens NASA's position because it undermines the arguments of critics who maintain that outsourcing cargo as well as crew transportation to private industry remains too risky, said John Logsdon, professor emeritus of space studies at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Now, Mr. Logsdon said it might be easier politically for some to abandon their long-standing opposition to NASA's priorities.
Howard McCurdy, a space-policy expert who teaches at American University in Washington, D.C., agreed the SpaceX flight's success looked to be political as well as technical.
"There is momentum already" behind commercial options, but such a technical feat "is bound to mean a positive political impact" and "strengthen the position of those who have argued this was the way to go."
SpaceX has competitors for the manned missions, including Alliant Techsystems Inc., ATK +0.66%Sierra Nevada Corp., Boeing Co. BA +0.57%and a start-up called Blue Origin, run by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos.
Still, some of the agency's most outspoken congressional critics remain opposed to private spaceflight, which they fear could threaten jobs and contractors in their home states.
Sen. Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican who has been among those most opposed to NASA's outsourcing drive, said over the Memorial Day weekend that "SpaceX has spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to launch a rocket nearly three years later than planned."
Elon Musk, SpaceX's brash founder and chief executive, has alienated some lawmakers who would prefer to see a rival get the nod instead for future NASA manned missions, according to industry and government experts. But they said last week's successful launch makes it harder to quickly cut SpaceX out of the mix.
A spokeswoman for SpaceX said the company "has been a leader in changing the space industry, and it has definitely ruffled some feathers." She said SpaceX reached its goal "at a fraction of traditional costs under an accelerated timetable" and proved "that those who said it couldn't be done were wrong."
SpaceX and its champions say the company has developed and now tested a new rocket, unmanned capsule and associated systems in space, all for a fraction of what NASA would have ended up paying for similar tasks.
Precise cost comparisons can be tricky between a mature program such as the former space shuttle fleet and a fledgling company such as SpaceX. But in the last few years of shuttle operations, NASA and industry officials figured a single launch could end up costing close to $1 billion including the agency's payroll, overhead costs and other continuing expenses.
By comparison, NASA provided less than $400 million in federal funding for SpaceX's cargo efforts, with the company chipping in at least a further $120 milion. As SpaceX is closely held, its finances aren't public.
NASA previously signed a service contract requiring SpaceX to fly a total of a dozen resupply missions to the space station for an overall fixed price of $1.6 billion over several years.
House and Senate bills already have trimmed about $300 million from the more than $800 million total that NASA requested for 2013 to provide seed money to support a number of commercial crew projects. NASA originally envisioned starting private manned flights by 2015. The agency says expected spending cuts will delay those flights by at least two years, however.
Many House Republican leaders want to go further by barring the agency from supporting multiple projects, arguing that would avoid duplication and end up saving taxpayers money.
As a result of these clashes, government and industry officials said, it isn't clear how many private astronaut-transportation projects will thrive, or when NASA may be able to end its reliance on Russia for such services. U.S. astronauts became dependent on Moscow when America's space shuttles were retired last summer.
Four days before the launch of SpaceX's Dragon's, Lori Garver, NASA's No. 2 official, reiterated arguments urging Congress to approve full funding and allow multiple projects. "We believe that competition is the key to accelerating this program," she told reporters
Mr. McCurdy of American University concurred, saying "NASA was most creative when it had to compete with the Soviet Union." In a similar way, Mr. McCurdy said he believes competition is essential today to control costs and spur innovation.
But over the past few months, Rep. Ralph Hall, the Texas Republican who heads the House Science Committee, and Republican Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia, chairman of a NASA appropriations subcommittee, have balked at NASA's requests.
During debate on the House floor earlier this month, Mr. Wolf said funding multiple competitors "runs a high risk of failure by one or more companies" and is likely to leave the "taxpayer with no tangible benefits in exchange for substantial investment."
But another GOP leader, Rep. Steven Palazzo, of Mississippi, who chairs a space subcommittee, on Tuesday said SpaceX's achievement isn't "an indication that we need to abandon course" and rush to eliminate "all competition."
Mr. Hall previously expressed concerns that NASA's contractual arrangements don't mandate sufficient safety oversight by NASA during design and development of private spacecraft.
A spokesman for Mr. Wolf didn't have any immediate comment. A spokesman for Mr. Hall said "concerns remain regarding how NASA will oversee and ensure safety of any future commercial crew launches."
Spaceplane prototype seen flying over Broomfield
Jack Miller - KUSA TV (Denver)
Some 9NEWS tippers couldn't quite believe what they were seeing: a spaceplane soaring through the skies over Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport.
This spaceplane was no UFO. It was the Dream Chaser Orbital Crew Vehicle being developed by the Sierra Nevada Corporation in Louisville.
Sierra Nevada engineers were seen checking the spacecraft just moments after testing the vehicle's aerodynamic performance by suspending it under an Erickson Sky Crane helicopter.
The Dream Chaser is being developed as part of a NASA program to provide a commercial vehicle for use in low-Earth orbit. Company officials hope to have the Dream Chaser, which began development in 2005, operational in 2014 to ferry crews and cargo to and from the International Space Station.
On Thursday, Sierra Nevada executives are planning to brief reporters on how the aerodynamic testing went at their company headquarters in Louisville.
Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser spacecraft tested at Broomfield airport
Craft meant to transport crew and supplies to the International Space Station
Megan Quinn - Broomfield Enterprise (Colorado)
Sierra Nevada Corp. Tuesday launched initial flight tests for the Dream Chaser, a spacecraft meant to transport crew and supplies to the International Space Station.
The tests took place at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, according to a news release from the company. Sierra Nevada is a private space technology company, which includes a branch in Louisville. The craft could be seen hanging by a tether from a large helicopter.
The Dream Chaser Program is meant to provide spaceflight capability by transporting up to seven crew members and cargo to and from the International Space Station, according to Sierra Nevada's Web site. The craft would be fully reusable.
Rocky Mountain Metro Airport director Kenny Maenpa said the full-scale flight test was conducted by tethering the Dream Chaser to a heavy-lift helicopter. The test was meant to check the craft's aerodynamic performance, he said.
The test is just one step in the Dream Chaser's development. The airport was chosen for the initial test, because of its nearness to Sierra Nevada's Louisville location, but there will not be further tests at the Rocky Mountain Airport site, Maenpa said."We're pleased and happy to make our land available for the test," he said.
Maenpa said the airport hopes to provide facilities for further commercial spaceflight projects.
"The governor has been supportive of this type of activity and dedicating Colorado as a place to go into the commercial space transport business," he said.
The Dream Chaser is the first test of a commercial spacecraft conducted at the airport, he said.
Colo. Company Tests Spacecraft
Dream Chaser Built By Sierra Nevada Corp.
Deb Stanley - KMGH TV (Denver)
A spacecraft was tested in Jefferson County on Tuesday.
The Dream Chaser is a crew space transportation system. It was built by Sierra Nevada Corporation in partnership with NASA.
The Dream Chaser was flown in Jefferson County on Tuesday. The crew of AirTracker7 spotted the spacecraft on the grass near Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport.
Officials told 7NEWS the spacecraft went through what's called a "captive carry" flight test on Tuesday. That means the space craft was carried or attached to another flying aircraft. In this case, the carry craft was a helicopter.
The Dream Chaser's next test will be a high-altitude free flight -- or "drop-test" -- where the spacecraft will ride into the sky on a carrier airplane and then be released to attempt a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California, an official said.
The Sierra Nevada hopes the Dream Chaser will be a fully-reusable spacecraft to transport people and cargo to the International Space Station and return them to Earth with a runway landing.
SpaceX success brings Pittsburgh space startup closer to mission
Malia Spencer - Pittsburgh Business Times
Watching the historic launch and docking of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and its Dragon capsule was a particularly exciting time for the team at Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology Inc., said the company’s recently named President John Thornton.
“Every successful launch they have puts us one step closer to our moon landing,” he said just hours after the Dragon capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station on Friday.
Astrobotic is Carnegie Mellon University's spin-out that aims to complete the first privately funded lunar mission. The company’s Polaris vehicle is slated reach the moon aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
That mission is slated for October 2015.
The company is continuing to develop its vehicle which is scheduled to land on at the lunar pole and drill into the ground in order to find water, Thornton said. By landing the craft the company intends to win the Google Lunar X Prize as well as the $10 million contract with NASA.
The team has been working toward the X Prize for years and over time the mission has shifted to its current lunar mining objective. If the company can find water that can be used for drinking and it also means rocket fuel can be made on the lunar surface and that lead to missions that farther into space, Thornton said.
So far there is strong evidence there is water under the poles, Thornton said. “No one has proven it yet, we will prove it,” he added.
The company currently has seven fulltime employees plus five interns. Another 15 people work on the project through CMU. The company is in the midst of a fundraising round and hiring.
SpaceX: Will Elon Musk's triumph be transformative or transient?
Loren Thompson - Forbes (contributor)
Last week’s impressive achievement in docking a private spacecraft at the International Space Station has earned entrepreneur Elon Musk and his SpaceX team a place in the history books. No private company has ever managed to accomplish such a feat before, and SpaceX is now poised to repeat the delicate, demanding mission over and over again under a $1.6 billion NASA contract.
The SpaceX saga is an appealing story on many levels. First, it demonstrates the dynamism of private enterprise. Second, it has the potential to save taxpayers and customers alike billions of dollars. Third, it rewards a risk-taker who committed most of his personal fortune and waking hours to making a revolutionary venture work. And fourth, it is underpinned by a vision of mankind’s future in space that renews our sense of human possibilities.
No doubt about it, Elon Musk has much to be proud of today. He is well on his way to becoming the latest example of that American icon, the immigrant who works tirelessly and ends up changing the world. People may one day compare him with Nikola Tesla, the famous Serbian inventor and futurist after whom Musk named his other big venture, which makes sleek electrically-powered automobiles.
However, Tesla’s life is a cautionary tale of how fleeting the success of technological entrepreneurs can be. Sometimes the market simply isn’t ready to appreciate the fruits of their genius. Other times, the opportunity to make money is undercut by rivals and imitators. Regulators may interfere with the ability of entrepreneurs to price their services attractively, and beneficiaries of the status quo may deploy lawyers and politicians to defend their franchises.
Elon Musk faces all of these challenges, and in addition has picked a line of work that is intrinsically dangerous. Although traditional launch providers like Boeing and Lockheed Martin have managed to loft scores of rockets into space without a major mishap, they aren’t trying to achieve revolutionary price reductions in their services like Musk is. They also have greater resources to cope with reverses. For instance, Lockheed Martin books more revenues in a day than the $100 million that Musk has personally invested in his venture over the last decade.
So you don’t have to be a critic of SpaceX to see the potential downside for investors. The company made some mis-steps en route to its technological triumph last week, but Edison made literally thousands of mis-steps in developing the incandescent light bulb, and in the end the venture was so successful it was declaring a new dividend every Saturday evening. The real problem resides with Elon Musk’s main customer, the notoriously capricious and arbitrary federal government.
In order for the SpaceX business strategy to work, the company must eventually achieve economies of scale made possible by high rates of launch activity. In the past, Musk has talked about ramping up to 20 launches per year, which would enable SpaceX to leverage its vertically-integrated sourcing strategy for major price reductions. But when you get most of your money from the government as SpaceX does, you do things on Washington’s schedule.
Thus if the federal budget is cut by sequestration or a new president with different priorities is elected or NASA decides to shift its goals in space, the business strategies of space entrepreneurs can be impaired overnight. Just look at what President Obama has done during his relatively brief time on the national stage. In November of 2007 while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, candidate Obama proposed delaying the Bush Administration’s biggest manned spaceflight project by five years to free up money for an education initiative he wanted to pursue. Once in office, he killed the project completely.
Episodes like that one explain why the traditional providers of launch services and spacecraft are really, really big. If you aren’t big, then you may lack the breadth and depth to cope with some unexpected shift in Washington’s plans. It doesn’t have to be a move that is aimed at your enterprise or even at the space sector, because the government is so huge it often implements policies that alter the competitive landscape for whole industries without even realizing what it has done.
The commercial space industry is facing just such a development right now, with some members of Congress proposing to cut funding in half for a crew vehicle that several companies are competing to build. Administration officials say competition is crucial to getting the best price and performance, but key legislators aren’t buying their arguments. These sorts of controversies crop up every year in Congress. If you’re a behemoth like Boeing, you roll with the punches. If you’re a small player like SpaceX, your future may be on the line.
When you add up all the risks — the competitive challenges, the political uncertainties, the technological demands, and the sheer physics of the missions — it is clear that Elon Musk and the SpaceX team will face big threats to their enterprise for years to come. Perhaps we should admire them even more for that fact. But it is too soon to say whether their discipline and courage will ever be rewarded by investors.
The challenge of mastering one's environment
Patricia Hynes - Las Cruces Sun-News
People who run marathons, scientists who live at the South Pole in winter, and even the firefighters in the Gila, have something in common. They have an innate drive to be autonomous, self-determined and connected to each other. Volunteering to be in a closed, hostile environment for months at a time is something International Space Station (ISS) astronauts and scientists who live at the South Pole have in common. When people are in an environment where they are allowed to be self-directed, they thrive. The environment does not have to be comfortable.
Regardless of the difficulty of the task, what is it that motivates us to seek challenge? Daniel H. Pink, in his book "Drive," discusses the importance providing the environment for people to become better at something that matters to them. It also fulfills a natural desire to contribute to a higher purpose. Pink uses the term "Goldilocks tasks" to describe those tasks which are neither overly difficult nor overly simple - these tasks allow us to extend ourselves and to develop skills.
The risk of providing tasks that fall short of our capabilities is boring and tasks that are beyond our capabilities produce anxiety. There is the Goldilocks spot, where the task is neither too easy nor too difficult, it is just right. This spot allows us to develop mastery and it is highly motivating. What is too much for some is just right for others.
Last week, Space Exploration Technologies, SpaceX, accomplished what no other private aerospace company has done. They designed and built their own launcher, the Falcon 9, and docked their own space capsule, The Dragon, with the International Space Station. It is part of NASA's Commercial Cargo Development program started in 2008. As of May 22, 2012, we live in an era where private citizens will be able to live and work in space if they choose.
Over the past few days I have been listening to and watching the news releases from SpaceX and NASA as the launch and docking progressed. Listening to Elon Musk describe the accomplishment I understood, this is a Goldilocks moment for him. Not only has he accomplished what no other aerospace company has, he is looking to increase the challenge for himself and his company.
He will soon begin the process of getting the Dragon capsule certified to carry humans to the ISS and eventually to commercial space stations. He and Robert Bigelow announced last month, they have signed an agreement to launch Bigelow Aerospace inflatable habitats to low earth orbit in 2015.
Why are we going to space? Why do people fight the fire in the Gila, why do people volunteer to keep the scientists alive at the South Pole? Humans are hard to figure out. Some students in our schools are developing mastery at chess, or playing the violin, some are mastering fire fighting.
When the founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, spoke at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight in 2007, he described two things that motivated him. He wanted to re-start the launch industry in our country, and he wanted to impact humanity on the geologic scale.
How hard those tasks seemed to me at the time. How can anyone set those challenges up for himself? He had already co-founded PayPal, sold it and was building his own rocket manufacturing plant. He was 35 at the time. Yet, I know thousands of people in Las Cruces are developing mastery possibly writing plays or perfecting a new chile at NMSU.
Last Saturday, NASA Commercial Crew and Cargo manager Alan Lindenmoyer described his first encounter with Elon. He knew Elon had a conviction, that he and SpaceX were committed to do what it took to deliver access to space for the United States. NASA discovered the Goldilocks tasks working with SpaceX. They did not set too many requirements, nor did they back away from holding the company accountable. NASA paid for results only.
There is great purpose at work here. The U.S. will soon have the ability to once again deliver and return astronauts safely from space. There are many hostile environments right here on earth. We still can't get people who winter off the ice at the Amundesen-Scott South Pole Station, America's scientific research station at the South Pole. Aviation fuel turns to a gel at 60 degrees below zero. Yet, the "Polies" volunteer to return year after year. The work, the connection to each other and the challenge of mastering living in total isolation is just right for them.
Congress Should Fully Fund Commercial Crew
Aviation Week (Editorial)
The long march of New Space revolutionaries passed a meaningful marker with Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 9/Dragon flight last week (see p. 35). The second for SpaceX's big launcher and its Dragon capsule, it was the first “revenue flight,” carrying cargo in a vehicle intended one day to ferry people as well to and from low Earth orbit. That should start with astronauts to the International Space Station. NASA currently pays about $60 million per seat to fly astronauts to the station on Russia's venerable Soyuz.
The Dragon mission is still underway, but SpaceX engineers and controllers had certainly proved their mettle even before a planned berthing at the station. It takes nothing away from their achievement to note the broad range of new commercial space projects in progress. Companies like Bigelow, Boeing, Blue Origin, Orbital Sciences, Sierra Nevada, Virgin Galactic and XCOR Aerospace are not just drawing plans; they are building, testing and flying hardware—and signing customers.
But there are storm clouds on the horizon, at least for those who hope the U.S. government continues to play a constructive anchor-customer role in the development of an industry that could one day make space flight as commonplace as air travel.
The irony is that NASA, after years of ineptitude and broken promises regarding commercial space, finally seems to “get it.” That did not come naturally. Over decades, NASA has made the mistake of thinking it could both enjoy the benefits of a free market and manage the market. It tried to project demand for services that did not exist at price points no one could know. It coerced public-private partnerships that badly meshed its own unique requirements and taste for exotic new technologies together with the private sector's desire for the cheap, the proven and the reliable.
But NASA has learned how to help and stay out of the way. Witness COTS, the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program for cargo, and the follow-on Commercial Crew program. This new thrust began during the administration of President George W. Bush, and Barack Obama's has sought to accelerate it.
Sadly, as bureaucrats place more trust in entrepreneurs and innovators—and the private sector takes bigger risks—powerful members of Congress seem determined to hold fast to the cost-plus, micromanaged procurement models of yesteryear.
Some months ago, the Obama administration sought to slow work on the Space Launch System, a new heavy-lifter for astronauts on exploration missions. The hope was to put more into developing launch technologies that all could use. Yet even though two large launchers are already available, Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) rallied to protect jobs in their states. Congress mandated the continued development of what wags now call the Senate Launch System.
More recently, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee panel responsible for NASA's budget, trotted out a trio of Apollo astronauts to testify that it is best not to spend too much seeding a commercial space industry, given the other work the agency has to do. And now, the full House and appropriators in the Senate have voted to slash the $836 million NASA is requesting for Commercial Crew next fiscal year to $500-525 million. Even worse, the House would direct NASA to abandon plans to fund work by two providers and support just one, or perhaps a “leader” and “follower.” Down-selecting to a sole source at this early stage would throw away one of the key advantages of free enterprise—competition.
While this would cut costs in the short run, it is short-sighted in the extreme. It may not stick, but don't bet on a reversal. Powerful interests seek to keep human spaceflight a federal program, and have little interest in growing a new commercial industry that might challenge the traditional government contractors. And the administration, for its part, has done a pitiful job of promoting its vision of the future of astronautics. Allowing the retirement of the space shuttle to dominate the public conversation, the administration is seen as pulling back from human spaceflight, even as it tries to expand Commercial Crew and space station operations.
Pres. Obama awards John Glenn Medal of Freedom, nation's highest honor
Robert Pearlman - collectSPACE.com
John Glenn, the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth, was honored by President Barack Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony held at the White House on Tuesday.
Glenn was present at the event with this year's 12 other medal recipients, including influential musician Bob Dylan, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and Juliette Gordon Low, who founded the Girl Scouts in 1912.
"This is the highest civilian honor this country can bestow, which is ironic because nobody sets out to win it," Obama said, addressing what he described as a "packed house." "No one picks up a guitar, or fights a disease, or starts a movement thinking, 'You know what? If I keep this up, in 2012 I could get a medal in the White House from a guy named Barack Obama.'"
"But that is precisely what makes this award so special," the president said.
Since 1963, the Presidential Medal of Freedom has been awarded to individuals for "meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors," according to the White House.
Glenn is a former Marine Corps Colonel, NASA astronaut, and Senator. On Feb. 20, 1962, he became the third U.S. astronaut in space and the first to circle the planet.
"On the morning that John Glenn blasted off into space, America stood still," Obama said before presenting Glenn with the Medal of Freedom. "For a half an hour, the phone stopped ringing at Chicago police headquarters. New York subway drivers offered a play-by-play account over the loud speakers. President Kennedy interrupted a breakfast with congressional leaders to join 100 million TV viewers to hear the famous words 'Godspeed John Glenn.'"
Nearly four decades after his first mission and a quarter century after being elected to Congress, Glenn lifted off on board the space shuttle to become the oldest person to fly in space.
"The first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn became a hero in every sense of the word but he didn't stop there serving his country. As a senator, he found new ways to make a difference. And on his second trip into space at age 77, he defied the odds once again," Obama said.
"He reminds everybody don't tell him he's lived a historic life," the president continued. "He says 'are living,' don't put it into the past tense because he still has a lot of stuff going on."
America's dreams personified
The honor came three months after NASA and the nation celebrated the 50th anniversary of Glenn's Mercury-Atlas 6 mission aboard his Friendship 7 spacecraft.
"NASA sends its warmest congratulations to Senator John Glenn," NASA's chief Charles Bolden said in a statement about the Presidential Medal of Freedom. "Both of John's historic missions to space personified America's dreams and what we believed we could be."
"John Glenn helped this nation forge a path to a brighter future with greater capabilities," Bolden said.
In addition to referencing Glenn's spaceflight experiences, the award was also in recognition for the Senator's political achievements. Glenn was an architect and sponsored the 1978 Nonproliferation Act and served as chairman of the Senate Government Affairs committee from 1987 to 1995.
Glenn retired from Congress in 1999 after representing his home state of Ohio for 25 years.
Award-winning astronaut
With this honor, Glenn joins the small group of astronauts who've been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The crew the first manned moon landing, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, were bestowed the honor soon after their return to Earth in 1969. A year later, the Apollo 13 crew, Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert, as well as Apollo 14 lunar module pilot Ed Mitchell, were similarly honored.
The Apollo 13 Mission Control team, led by Sig Sjoberg, Glynn Lunney, Milt Windler, Gerry Griffin and Gene Kranz, as well as former Johnson Space Center director George Abbey were also recognized by President Richard Nixon with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Among his many earlier awards, Glenn was presented with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978. NASA's highest award, it was given to Glenn by President Jimmy Carter.
Last November, Glenn received the Congressional Gold Medal, which with the Presidential Medal of Freedom is considered the highest civilian honors. Together with the Apollo 11 crew, Glenn was among the first astronauts to be awarded the Gold Medal.
NASA Wanted Astronauts to View Venus Up-Close
Amy Shira Teitel - Discovery News
In a little over a week, we’re all going to be looking skyward and focusing our sights (safely) on Venus as it crosses the disk of the sun. It's going to be a fantastic view, especially since most of us only ever see Venus as a tiny dot of light in the sky. But in 1967, NASA considered giving three astronauts a really rare view of Venus by sending them on a flyby around the second planet from the sun.
The mission was developed under the Apollo Applications Program (AAP) that was designed to build on and apply Apollo-era technology to greater goals in space. Out of the AAP NASA hoped to see Earth orbiting laboratories, research stations on the moon, and manned interplanetary missions. In 1967, this was America’s future in space.
One of the interplanetary targets was Venus. After visiting the planet with the unmanned Mariner 2 spacecraft in 1962, NASA learned that the planet lacks a strong magnetic field, has an extremely hot surface generated in the lower atmosphere or surface, and that the cosmic radiation in the interplanetary space was survivable. NASA also learned that it was worth going back. There was undoubtedly more to Venus locked under its thick cloud cover.
To get a crew there, NASA would use a revised Apollo spacecraft. Like the lunar missions, it was a tripartite design composed of a Command and Service Module (CSM), and Environmental Support Module (ESM), and a third habitable section. Here’s how the mission was designed to play out.
A three-man crew, nestled in the CM, would launch on a Saturn V. The CSM would perform the same functions it did during the Apollo lunar missions: its onboard computer would serve as the primary guidance and navigation system, provide the main reaction control, and act as the principle telemetry and communications link with mission control. Really, the mission would be a simple of matter of engineers rewriting the computer’s commands to send the crew to Venus instead of the moon. The hard part is keeping them alive and well during the 400 day mission. This is where the other modules come into play.
With no purpose for a Lunar Module on a Venus flyby, the spidery spacecraft would be swapped out for the larger ESM. Once in Earth orbit, the crew would separate the CSM from the rest of the spacecraft, turn around, and dock with the ESM. Then they could open the hatch and transfer between the vehicles. The ESM was designed as the principle experiment bay on the mission and would provide long term life support and environmental control to the whole spacecraft configuration.
With the CSM and ESM docked, the Saturn V’s upper SIV-B stage would fire and send the whole thing towards Venus. But instead of jettisoning the spent rocket stage, the crew would re-purpose it -- neither of the other two module gave them a comfortable living space. In the ESM the astronauts would have everything they’d need to refurbish the rocket stage and turn it into their main habitable module and recreational space. Solar panels lining the outside would provide power to the whole spacecraft.
The mission planned to launch sometime during the month-long window between Oct. 31 and Nov. 30 1973; the dates offered a quick transit to Venus and the year was expected to be a quiet one for solar activity, minimizing the crew’s exposure to dangerous solar radiation.
The outbound leg of the mission was expected to last 123 days. The crew would arrive at Venus sometime in the month of March 1974 and pass just 3,340 nautical miles -- about 3,834 statute miles -- above the surface as they whipped around to begin the 273 day trip back to Earth. The mission would end in a splashdown sometime in December 1974.
So why didn’t this mission ever launch? Alas, it was a “thought mission,” a plan designed to showcase the durability and flexibility of Apollo hardware. The report was prepared by Bellcom, a division of AT&T established in 1963 to assist NASA in research, development, and overall documentation of systems integration within its spacecraft.
Fortunately for historians, the report was published even if the mission never made it as far as the planning stages. And who knows, maybe it will inspire future mission planners.
Pictures of the next transit of Venus -- in 2117 -- might show a tiny spacecraft near the planet.
END
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Wednesday, May 30, 2012
JSC TODAY HEADLINES
1. SpaceX Dragon Reentry and Splashdown Happens Tomorrow - Watch It on NASA TV
2. Blood Drive June 19 (EFD) and June 20 to 21 (JSC)
3. Pre-Shuttlebration Specials at Starport this Thursday
4. Win a Prize: JSC Features and 'Roundup' Readership Contest
5. NASA Night at the Houston Dynamo
6. Water-Bots Summer Camps
7. Back by Popular Demand - NASA Night at the Paint Pub
8. Starport Presents: Father-Daughter Dance 2012
9. System Safety Fundamentals Class : July 16 to 20 - Building 226N, Room 174
10. Social Media Summit coming to Space Center Houston
________________________________________ QUOTE OF THE DAY
“ What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself. ”
-- Abraham Lincoln
________________________________________
1. SpaceX Dragon Reentry and Splashdown Happens Tomorrow - Watch It on NASA TV
Tune in to NASA TV on Thursday, May 31, for coverage of the departure of the SpaceX Dragon capsule from the International Space Station before its reentry and splashdown.
NASA TV will begin live coverage of the departure of Dragon at 2:30 a.m. CDT on Thursday. Coverage will continue through the release of Dragon from the station, currently scheduled for 5:10 a.m., and will resume at 9:15 a.m. with deorbit and splashdown coverage. The capsule is currently scheduled to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 10:44 a.m. hundreds of miles off the west coast of California, likely out of range of live television.
NASA TV will air a news briefing that will be held jointly from JSC and SpaceX in Hawthorne, Calif., at 1 p.m. on Thursday.
JSC employees with wired computer network connections can view NASA TV using onsite IPTV on channels 404 (standard definition) or 4541 (HD) at: http://iptv.jsc.nasa.gov/eztv/
For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For up-to-date information about the SpaceX mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/spacex
JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111
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2. Blood Drive June 19 (EFD) and June 20 to 21 (JSC)
Summertime typically brings a decrease in blood donations as donors become busy with activities and vacations. But the need for blood can increase due to these summer activities and the three major holidays--Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day. Your blood donation can help up to three people. Please take an hour of your time to donate at our next blood drive.
You can donate at Ellington Field on June 19. A donor coach will be located between Hangars 276 and 135 for donations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Note time change).
You can donate at JSC on June 20 to 21 at the Teague Auditorium Lobby or at the donor coach located next to the Building 11 Starport Café, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., or at the Gilruth Center at donor coach located in parking lot, June 21, from 7:30 a.m. to noon. (Note time change)
Teresa Gomez x39588 http://jscpeople.jsc.nasa.gov/blooddrv/blooddrv.htm
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3. Pre-Shuttlebration Specials at Starport this Thursday
Thursday, May 31 - Join in the PRE-Shuttlebration events! Stop by the Gift Shops for 10 percent off all shuttle items. Also, pick up your shuttle trivia game for a chance to win a prize! Wear your shuttle T-shirt to show your support!
Plus receive 20 percent off all purchases of $6 or more (before tax)at the Sodexo cafes if you are wearing a shuttle shirt.
Shelly Haralson x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/
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4. Win a Prize: JSC Features and 'Roundup' Readership Contest
The following questions are based on the most recent editions of JSC Features and "Roundup." Answer correctly, and you are automatically entered into each drawing. Prize winners will be announced Monday, June 4. Content writers and Office of Communications and Public Affairs team members are not eligible. Email your answers to Neesha Hosein at: fareena.n.hosein@nasa.gov
JSC Features:
What is the 20-Year Remediation Project about?
"Roundup," May edition:
Finish the sentence:
During shuttle missions, the still and motion imagery captured by crew members was immense, but _____________________________.
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/roundup/online/
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/jscfeatures/
Neesha Hosein x27516
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5. NASA Night at the Houston Dynamo
Calling all soccer fans - invite family and friends to the Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas on Saturday, June 16, at 4 p.m. at the new BBVA Compass Stadium. Make plans to come early to the SoccerFest Fan Zone and visit NASA's exhibit.
To purchase discounted tickets, go to http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Events/ Click the link for the Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas game and follow the remaining instructions to purchase tickets with the pass code: nasa.
JSC team members, family and friends are encouraged to wear NASA shirts to the game.
Shelly Haralson x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Events/
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6. Water-Bots Summer Camps
The Aerospace Academy - San Jacinto College (SJC) offers a week of fun activities including: hands on instruction in robotics, speakers from various fields that use robots, and a tour of NASA JSC and the Sonny Carter Neutral Buoyancy Lab. At the end of camp the participants will compete in an underwater robotics competition.
Dates: July 16 to 20 and July 23 to 27
Age Groups: Students 12 to 13 and 14 to 18
Cost: $250
Time: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (before and after hours available)
Location: SJC Central Campus
For additional information or registration contact- Bridget Kramer, 281-244-6803, bridget.a.kramer@nasa.gov or Angie Hughes, 281-483-7252, angela.m.hughes@nasa.gov
Bridget Kramer x46803
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7. Back by Popular Demand - NASA Night at the Paint Pub
Since our first NASA Night at the Paint Pub filled up to maximum capacity, a second night has been scheduled. So, let your inner artist shine as you paint, drink and be merry as an artist is provided to guide you and the group to create your own piece of art.
Each artist will paint a specially designed NASA-themed portrait and get to take their masterpiece home! No experience necessary, and all art supplies will be provided. Beverages will be available for purchase for your enjoyment.
June 10 at 6 p.m., $30/person. Reserve your spot by June 9: 281-333-2200 or http://www.thepaintpub.com Visit http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Events/ for more information.
Shelly Harlason x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/
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8. Starport Presents: Father-Daughter Dance 2012
Make Father's Day weekend a date your daughter will never forget! Enjoy a night of music, dancing, refreshments, finger foods and dessert, photos and more! Plan to get all dressed up and spend a special evening with the special little lady in your life.
June 15, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the Alamo Ballroom at the Gilruth Center.
Cost is $40 per couple, $15 per additional child. Each couple will receive one free 5x7 photo.
Visit our website at http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Events/ for more information.
Shelly Haralson x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/
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9. System Safety Fundamentals Class : July 16 to 20 - Building 226N, Room 174
This course instructs students in fundamentals of system safety management, hazard analysis of hardware, software and operations. Basic concepts and principles of the analytical process are stressed. Students are introduced to NASA publications that require and guide safety analysis, as well as general reference texts on subject areas covered. Types and techniques of hazard analysis are addressed in enough detail to give the student a working knowledge of their uses and how they're accomplished. Skill in analytical techniques is developed through the use of practical exercises worked by students in class. This course establishes a foundation for the student to pursue more advanced studies of system safety and hazard analysis techniques while allowing students to effectively apply their skills to straightforward analytical assignments. This is a combination of System Safety Workshop and System Safety Special Subjects. Students who've taken those classes shouldn't take this class. SATERN registration required. https://satern.nasa.gov/plateau/user/deeplink.do?linkId=SCHEDULED_OFFERING_DE...
Polly Caison x41279
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10. Social Media Summit coming to Space Center Houston
Are you a great social media communicator? Do you understand the best social media tools to promote your project or ideas? JSC has worked closely with Ragan Communications to develop a great list of social media experts from the Navy, The Red Cross, Unicef, the IRS, the CDC, along with three NASA social media experts and many others to helps us learn the ropes. Discount registration for all NASA and contractor employees is available at this website: http://www.ragan.com/rd/nasa-12-nasa Hurry, registration is limited, and the discount closes in June.
Susan H. Anderson x38630 http://www.ragan.com/rd/nasa-12-nasa
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________________________________________
JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles. To see an archive of previous JSC Today announcements, go to http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/pao/news/jsctoday/archives.
NASA TV:
· 9 am Central (10 EDT) – ISS Mission Status Briefing (Dragon deorbit/splashdown is Thur)
· Noon Central (1 pm EDT) – NuSTAR L-14 Pre-Launch Briefing
· 1:30 am Central THURSDAY (2:30 EDT) – Dragon unberthing coverage
Human Spaceflight News
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
HEADLINES AND LEADS
ISS Team Approves Unberthing Of Dragon Cargo Capsule
Mark Carreau - Aviation Week
The NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) Mission Management Team has approved plans for the scheduled unberthing of the first U.S. commercial resupply mission spacecraft later this week, as the astronauts aboard the orbiting science laboratory wrapped up a fast-paced, 2,400-lb. cargo exchange. The SpaceX Dragon’s unberthing is scheduled for May 31 at 4:05 a.m. EDT. Astronaut Don Pettit, who will carry out the operation using the station’s Canadarm2, will release the freighter below the orbital outpost at 6:10 a.m. After three orbits of the Earth, Dragon will fire its braking rockets at 10:51 a.m. for re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, ending the nine-day NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services test flight with a parachute descent into the Pacific Ocean. A splashdown several hundred miles off Southern California is expected at 11:44 a.m.
SpaceX will bring Dragon home to the Pacific Thursday morning
Lee Roop - Huntsville Times
Think berthing a Dragon is hard? SpaceX says it's not easy bringing one safely home, either. The California space company will attempt to rewind last week's docking Thursday and splash its Dragon capsule in the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX became the first private company to dock a capsule to the station Friday. The original plan was to keep Dragon there for up to 18 days. "(The schedule) was dependent on the astronauts' work schedules," SpaceX spokeswoman Kirstin Brost Grantham said Tuesday. But since the astronauts were able to get right to unloading and reloading Dragon, SpaceX is ready to bring it home.
ISS crew gets SpaceX Dragon ready for return to Earth
James Dean - Florida Today
Crewmembers aboard the International Space Station have finished unloading SpaceX’s Dragon capsule and are packing it for its planned return to Earth on Thursday. Since Monday, the crew has spent about 18 hours unloading a half-ton of food, clothing, experiments and other items hauled up by the first commercial spacecraft to berth at the station.
Lampson a step closer to returning to Congress and other space-related Texas primary news
SpacePolitics.com
A two-time former member of Congress who has been active on space issues won a Democratic primary for another Texas district last night. Nick Lampson won the primary for Texas’s 14th congressional district along the Gulf Coast south of Houston, currently held by Ron Paul, who is retiring. (The Republican nominee will be determined in a July runoff election between Felicia Harris and Randy Weber.) Lampson was active on space issues during his previous tenure in Congress, serving on the House Science Committee and presenting districts that included the Johnson Space Center (now in the 22nd district, which Lampson won in 2006 and lost in 2008.)
Private Space Efforts Get Lift
Andy Pasztor - Wall Street Journal
The linkup last week of a privately built capsule with the international space station boosted the prospects of commercial spacecraft shuttling U.S. astronauts into orbit, though Capitol Hill disputes continued to threaten the possibility. For more than two years, National Aeronautics and Space Administration leaders and congressional critics have disagreed about budgets, timing and safety issues. By 2017, NASA wants to outsource to private companies all cargo and manned trips to the space station, which orbits 240 miles above the Earth. Some of the legislative clashes may be easing. Industry officials and space experts said political support for NASA's strategy seemed to be gaining momentum four days after Space Explorations Technologies Corp.'s unmanned Dragon capsule became the first privately built and operated vehicle to dock at the space station.
Spaceplane prototype seen flying over Broomfield
Jack Miller - KUSA TV (Denver)
Some 9NEWS tippers couldn't quite believe what they were seeing: a spaceplane soaring through the skies over Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. This spaceplane was no UFO. It was the Dream Chaser Orbital Crew Vehicle being developed by the Sierra Nevada Corporation in Louisville. Sierra Nevada engineers were seen checking the spacecraft just moments after testing the vehicle's aerodynamic performance by suspending it under an Erickson Sky Crane helicopter.
Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser spacecraft tested at Broomfield airport
Craft meant to transport crew and supplies to the International Space Station
Megan Quinn - Broomfield Enterprise (Colorado)
Sierra Nevada Corp. Tuesday launched initial flight tests for the Dream Chaser, a spacecraft meant to transport crew and supplies to the International Space Station. The tests took place at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, according to a news release from the company. Sierra Nevada is a private space technology company, which includes a branch in Louisville. The craft could be seen hanging by a tether from a large helicopter.
Colo. Company Tests Spacecraft
Dream Chaser Built By Sierra Nevada Corp.
Deb Stanley - KMGH TV (Denver)
A spacecraft was tested in Jefferson County on Tuesday. The Dream Chaser is a crew space transportation system. It was built by Sierra Nevada Corporation in partnership with NASA. The Dream Chaser was flown in Jefferson County on Tuesday. The crew of AirTracker7 spotted the spacecraft on the grass near Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. Officials told 7NEWS the spacecraft went through what's called a "captive carry" flight test on Tuesday.
SpaceX success brings Pittsburgh space startup closer to mission
Malia Spencer - Pittsburgh Business Times
Watching the historic launch and docking of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and its Dragon capsule was a particularly exciting time for the team at Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology Inc., said the company’s recently named President John Thornton. “Every successful launch they have puts us one step closer to our moon landing,” he said just hours after the Dragon capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station on Friday. Astrobotic is Carnegie Mellon University's spin-out that aims to complete the first privately funded lunar mission. The company’s Polaris vehicle is slated reach the moon aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
SpaceX: Will Elon Musk's triumph be transformative or transient?
Loren Thompson - Forbes (contributor)
Last week’s impressive achievement in docking a private spacecraft at the International Space Station has earned entrepreneur Elon Musk and his SpaceX team a place in the history books. No private company has ever managed to accomplish such a feat before, and SpaceX is now poised to repeat the delicate, demanding mission over and over again under a $1.6 billion NASA contract. The SpaceX saga is an appealing story on many levels. First, it demonstrates the dynamism of private enterprise. Second, it has the potential to save taxpayers and customers alike billions of dollars. Third, it rewards a risk-taker who committed most of his personal fortune and waking hours to making a revolutionary venture work. And fourth, it is underpinned by a vision of mankind’s future in space that renews our sense of human possibilities.
The challenge of mastering one's environment
Patricia Hynes - Las Cruces Sun-News
People who run marathons, scientists who live at the South Pole in winter, and even the firefighters in the Gila, have something in common. They have an innate drive to be autonomous, self-determined and connected to each other. Volunteering to be in a closed, hostile environment for months at a time is something International Space Station (ISS) astronauts and scientists who live at the South Pole have in common. When people are in an environment where they are allowed to be self-directed, they thrive. The environment does not have to be comfortable.
Congress Should Fully Fund Commercial Crew
Aviation Week (Editorial)
The long march of New Space revolutionaries passed a meaningful marker with Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 9/Dragon flight last week (see p. 35). The second for SpaceX's big launcher and its Dragon capsule, it was the first “revenue flight,” carrying cargo in a vehicle intended one day to ferry people as well to and from low Earth orbit. That should start with astronauts to the International Space Station. NASA currently pays about $60 million per seat to fly astronauts to the station on Russia's venerable Soyuz.
Pres. Obama awards John Glenn Medal of Freedom, nation's highest honor
Robert Pearlman - collectSPACE.com
John Glenn, the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth, was honored by President Barack Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony held at the White House on Tuesday. Glenn was present at the event with this year's 12 other medal recipients, including influential musician Bob Dylan, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and Juliette Gordon Low, who founded the Girl Scouts in 1912.
NASA Wanted Astronauts to View Venus Up-Close
Amy Shira Teitel - Discovery News
In a little over a week, we’re all going to be looking skyward and focusing our sights (safely) on Venus as it crosses the disk of the sun. It's going to be a fantastic view, especially since most of us only ever see Venus as a tiny dot of light in the sky. But in 1967, NASA considered giving three astronauts a really rare view of Venus by sending them on a flyby around the second planet from the sun. The mission was developed under the Apollo Applications Program (AAP) that was designed to build on and apply Apollo-era technology to greater goals in space. Out of the AAP NASA hoped to see Earth orbiting laboratories, research stations on the moon, and manned interplanetary missions. In 1967, this was America’s future in space.
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COMPLETE STORIES
ISS Team Approves Unberthing Of Dragon Cargo Capsule
Mark Carreau - Aviation Week
The NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) Mission Management Team has approved plans for the scheduled unberthing of the first U.S. commercial resupply mission spacecraft later this week, as the astronauts aboard the orbiting science laboratory wrapped up a fast-paced, 2,400-lb. cargo exchange.
The SpaceX Dragon’s unberthing is scheduled for May 31 at 4:05 a.m. EDT. Astronaut Don Pettit, who will carry out the operation using the station’s Canadarm2, will release the freighter below the orbital outpost at 6:10 a.m. After three orbits of the Earth, Dragon will fire its braking rockets at 10:51 a.m. for re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, ending the nine-day NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services test flight with a parachute descent into the Pacific Ocean. A splashdown several hundred miles off Southern California is expected at 11:44 a.m.
The Dragon hatch was opened by the six-man ISS crew early May 26, a day after Pettit and European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers grappled the freighter with the 58-ft.-long Canadarm2 and berthed it to the U.S. segment Harmony module.
Slightly more than 1,000 lb. of cargo, food, clothing, computer equipment and a NanoRacks experiment module were off-loaded. The capsule was refilled with nearly 1,400 lb. of station hardware, crew personal items, science equipment and unneeded spacesuit gear. The return items will be extracted from Dragon and turned over to NASA for distribution to scientists or vendors for refurbishment. The exchange of non-essential cargo unfolded over 18 hr. versus the scheduled 25 hr.
“The first time you fly a new vehicle, it’s always challenging. You never know what to expect,” said Paul Brower, NASA’s lead integrated systems engineer for the flight, on May 29. Bower occupies the NASA Mission Control position responsible for the interplay of communications, power and propulsion systems on the two spacecraft.
He praised SpaceX for its operational prowess, as the company flight control team in Hawthorne, Calif., joined with NASA in working through an assortment of computer and propulsion issues, guidance sensor adjustments during the rendezvous, and a prelaunch GPS issue on the station.
“It was definitely an interesting and challenging mission,” Brower says. “But in the end, we won against all the demons.”
Pettit and Joe Acaba, the two NASA astronauts aboard the station, offered a thumbs-up as well at the prospect that a human-rated version of Dragon could one day transport astronauts to and from orbit.
“I spent quite a bit of time in here this morning, just looking at the engineering and the layout,” Pettit reported soon after the hatch opening. “It looks like it carries about as much cargo as I can put in my pickup truck, and it’s roomier than a Soyuz. So, flying up in a human-rated Dragon is not going to be an issue.”
“It was phenomenal to watch the Dragon approach the space station, and see these guys do their job in grappling it and attaching to the space station,” added Acaba, who assisted Pettit with the Canadarm2 capture activities. “I have a lot of confidence in our future. This was a great first step to move us forward. I think we would feel very comfortable in a human-rated vehicle just like this one.”
NASA is currently funding the development of commercial crew transport services through Blue Origin, Boeing, Sierra Nevada and SpaceX. The agency is assessing proposals from funded and unfunded prospective commercial partners for a third round of crew transport development.
SpaceX will bring Dragon home to the Pacific Thursday morning
Lee Roop - Huntsville Times
Think berthing a Dragon is hard? SpaceX says it's not easy bringing one safely home, either. The California space company will attempt to rewind last week's docking Thursday and splash its Dragon capsule in the Pacific Ocean.
SpaceX became the first private company to dock a capsule to the station Friday. The original plan was to keep Dragon there for up to 18 days. "(The schedule) was dependent on the astronauts' work schedules," SpaceX spokeswoman Kirstin Brost Grantham said Tuesday. But since the astronauts were able to get right to unloading and reloading Dragon, SpaceX is ready to bring it home.
A lot of people think that's easy, Grantham said, at least compared to the precision maneuvers executed by Dragon's thrusters to approach the station last week. But firing those thrusters just right to bring Dragon out of orbit where and when SpaceX wants is a challenge, too, Grantham said.
"Not many people have done it," she said. SpaceX is one of those who have done it -- once. The company brought a Dragon safely home in 2010 on its launch system's first demonstration flight.
The plan is to dunk the Dragon in the Pacific within a few miles of a recovery ship that will be in position. Grantham said the company can't guarantee TV footage of the splashdown, but SpaceX is confident Dragon won't land too far from the recovery ship.
On board the Dragon when it returns will be scientific experiments and used equipment no longer needed on the station. Dragon took more than 1,000 pounds of non-essential, but useful, food and supplies up with it.
According to a schedule released Tuesday, which contains approximate times, Dragon will be detached from the space station Thursday at around 3 a.m. CDT and released from the station's robotic arm at about 5:10 a.m. CDT.
Thrusters will fire for the deorbit burn at 9:51 a.m. CDT, and parachutes should open at about 10:30 a.m. Splashdown is tentatively scheduled for 10:44 a.m. CDT.
A successful Dragon return will allow SpaceX to move forward on a series of unmanned supply flights to the station. It has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA for two flights a year over the next six years.
SpaceX will also continue to develop Dragon as a capsule capable of carrying crew to and from the station. The company also announced a contract Tuesday with Intelsat to lift at least one satellite into the space with its heavy-lift Falcon Heavy rocket when it is built and ready.
ISS crew gets SpaceX Dragon ready for return to Earth
James Dean - Florida Today
Crewmembers aboard the International Space Station have finished unloading SpaceX’s Dragon capsule and are packing it for its planned return to Earth on Thursday.
Since Monday, the crew has spent about 18 hours unloading a half-ton of food, clothing, experiments and other items hauled up by the first commercial spacecraft to berth at the station.
Dragon will return to Earth with about 1,400 pounds of cargo. It’s the only spacecraft other than Russia’s Soyuz, which can carry little more than its three-person crew, that can return cargo home.
On Thursday, the station’s robotic arm is expected to pull the Dragon away from its port at 4:15 a.m. EDT Thursday, then release the spacecraft at 6:12 a.m. EDT.
SpaceX plans about five hours of orbital operations before a planned splashdown hundreds of miles off the southern California coast.
Lampson a step closer to returning to Congress and other space-related Texas primary news
SpacePolitics.com
A two-time former member of Congress who has been active on space issues won a Democratic primary for another Texas district last night. Nick Lampson won the primary for Texas’s 14th congressional district along the Gulf Coast south of Houston, currently held by Ron Paul, who is retiring. (The Republican nominee will be determined in a July runoff election between Felicia Harris and Randy Weber.)
Lampson was active on space issues during his previous tenure in Congress, serving on the House Science Committee and presenting districts that included the Johnson Space Center (now in the 22nd district, which Lampson won in 2006 and lost in 2008.)
The man who beat Lampson in the 22nd district in 2008, Rep. Pete Olson, won the Republican primary, putting him on track to win a third term this fall. The general election is shaping up to be a rematch of the 2010 campaign, with Kesha Rogers narrowly winning the Democratic primary.
Rogers, who affiliates herself with Lyndon LaRouche, appears to be running again on the theme “Save NASA, Dump Obama”; her “Space Colonization & Planetary Defense” platform calls for, among other things, restoring full funding for the canceled Constellation program.
Last month, Chuck Meyer, a Republican candidate for the new 36th district, proposed special-purpose “Space Bonds” to fund NASA’s human spaceflight program as part of his candidacy. It apparently didn’t win over many voters: Meyer finished sixth in the GOP primary in that east Texas district.
Private Space Efforts Get Lift
Andy Pasztor - Wall Street Journal
The linkup last week of a privately built capsule with the international space station boosted the prospects of commercial spacecraft shuttling U.S. astronauts into orbit, though Capitol Hill disputes continued to threaten the possibility.
For more than two years, National Aeronautics and Space Administration leaders and congressional critics have disagreed about budgets, timing and safety issues. By 2017, NASA wants to outsource to private companies all cargo and manned trips to the space station, which orbits 240 miles above the Earth.
Some of the legislative clashes may be easing. Industry officials and space experts said political support for NASA's strategy seemed to be gaining momentum four days after Space Explorations Technologies Corp.'s unmanned Dragon capsule became the first privately built and operated vehicle to dock at the space station.
Regular cargo runs to the space station by SpaceX, as the Southern California company is known, may start as soon as the fall.
The SpaceX success strengthens NASA's position because it undermines the arguments of critics who maintain that outsourcing cargo as well as crew transportation to private industry remains too risky, said John Logsdon, professor emeritus of space studies at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Now, Mr. Logsdon said it might be easier politically for some to abandon their long-standing opposition to NASA's priorities.
Howard McCurdy, a space-policy expert who teaches at American University in Washington, D.C., agreed the SpaceX flight's success looked to be political as well as technical.
"There is momentum already" behind commercial options, but such a technical feat "is bound to mean a positive political impact" and "strengthen the position of those who have argued this was the way to go."
SpaceX has competitors for the manned missions, including Alliant Techsystems Inc., ATK +0.66%Sierra Nevada Corp., Boeing Co. BA +0.57%and a start-up called Blue Origin, run by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos.
Still, some of the agency's most outspoken congressional critics remain opposed to private spaceflight, which they fear could threaten jobs and contractors in their home states.
Sen. Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican who has been among those most opposed to NASA's outsourcing drive, said over the Memorial Day weekend that "SpaceX has spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to launch a rocket nearly three years later than planned."
Elon Musk, SpaceX's brash founder and chief executive, has alienated some lawmakers who would prefer to see a rival get the nod instead for future NASA manned missions, according to industry and government experts. But they said last week's successful launch makes it harder to quickly cut SpaceX out of the mix.
A spokeswoman for SpaceX said the company "has been a leader in changing the space industry, and it has definitely ruffled some feathers." She said SpaceX reached its goal "at a fraction of traditional costs under an accelerated timetable" and proved "that those who said it couldn't be done were wrong."
SpaceX and its champions say the company has developed and now tested a new rocket, unmanned capsule and associated systems in space, all for a fraction of what NASA would have ended up paying for similar tasks.
Precise cost comparisons can be tricky between a mature program such as the former space shuttle fleet and a fledgling company such as SpaceX. But in the last few years of shuttle operations, NASA and industry officials figured a single launch could end up costing close to $1 billion including the agency's payroll, overhead costs and other continuing expenses.
By comparison, NASA provided less than $400 million in federal funding for SpaceX's cargo efforts, with the company chipping in at least a further $120 milion. As SpaceX is closely held, its finances aren't public.
NASA previously signed a service contract requiring SpaceX to fly a total of a dozen resupply missions to the space station for an overall fixed price of $1.6 billion over several years.
House and Senate bills already have trimmed about $300 million from the more than $800 million total that NASA requested for 2013 to provide seed money to support a number of commercial crew projects. NASA originally envisioned starting private manned flights by 2015. The agency says expected spending cuts will delay those flights by at least two years, however.
Many House Republican leaders want to go further by barring the agency from supporting multiple projects, arguing that would avoid duplication and end up saving taxpayers money.
As a result of these clashes, government and industry officials said, it isn't clear how many private astronaut-transportation projects will thrive, or when NASA may be able to end its reliance on Russia for such services. U.S. astronauts became dependent on Moscow when America's space shuttles were retired last summer.
Four days before the launch of SpaceX's Dragon's, Lori Garver, NASA's No. 2 official, reiterated arguments urging Congress to approve full funding and allow multiple projects. "We believe that competition is the key to accelerating this program," she told reporters
Mr. McCurdy of American University concurred, saying "NASA was most creative when it had to compete with the Soviet Union." In a similar way, Mr. McCurdy said he believes competition is essential today to control costs and spur innovation.
But over the past few months, Rep. Ralph Hall, the Texas Republican who heads the House Science Committee, and Republican Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia, chairman of a NASA appropriations subcommittee, have balked at NASA's requests.
During debate on the House floor earlier this month, Mr. Wolf said funding multiple competitors "runs a high risk of failure by one or more companies" and is likely to leave the "taxpayer with no tangible benefits in exchange for substantial investment."
But another GOP leader, Rep. Steven Palazzo, of Mississippi, who chairs a space subcommittee, on Tuesday said SpaceX's achievement isn't "an indication that we need to abandon course" and rush to eliminate "all competition."
Mr. Hall previously expressed concerns that NASA's contractual arrangements don't mandate sufficient safety oversight by NASA during design and development of private spacecraft.
A spokesman for Mr. Wolf didn't have any immediate comment. A spokesman for Mr. Hall said "concerns remain regarding how NASA will oversee and ensure safety of any future commercial crew launches."
Spaceplane prototype seen flying over Broomfield
Jack Miller - KUSA TV (Denver)
Some 9NEWS tippers couldn't quite believe what they were seeing: a spaceplane soaring through the skies over Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport.
This spaceplane was no UFO. It was the Dream Chaser Orbital Crew Vehicle being developed by the Sierra Nevada Corporation in Louisville.
Sierra Nevada engineers were seen checking the spacecraft just moments after testing the vehicle's aerodynamic performance by suspending it under an Erickson Sky Crane helicopter.
The Dream Chaser is being developed as part of a NASA program to provide a commercial vehicle for use in low-Earth orbit. Company officials hope to have the Dream Chaser, which began development in 2005, operational in 2014 to ferry crews and cargo to and from the International Space Station.
On Thursday, Sierra Nevada executives are planning to brief reporters on how the aerodynamic testing went at their company headquarters in Louisville.
Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser spacecraft tested at Broomfield airport
Craft meant to transport crew and supplies to the International Space Station
Megan Quinn - Broomfield Enterprise (Colorado)
Sierra Nevada Corp. Tuesday launched initial flight tests for the Dream Chaser, a spacecraft meant to transport crew and supplies to the International Space Station.
The tests took place at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, according to a news release from the company. Sierra Nevada is a private space technology company, which includes a branch in Louisville. The craft could be seen hanging by a tether from a large helicopter.
The Dream Chaser Program is meant to provide spaceflight capability by transporting up to seven crew members and cargo to and from the International Space Station, according to Sierra Nevada's Web site. The craft would be fully reusable.
Rocky Mountain Metro Airport director Kenny Maenpa said the full-scale flight test was conducted by tethering the Dream Chaser to a heavy-lift helicopter. The test was meant to check the craft's aerodynamic performance, he said.
The test is just one step in the Dream Chaser's development. The airport was chosen for the initial test, because of its nearness to Sierra Nevada's Louisville location, but there will not be further tests at the Rocky Mountain Airport site, Maenpa said."We're pleased and happy to make our land available for the test," he said.
Maenpa said the airport hopes to provide facilities for further commercial spaceflight projects.
"The governor has been supportive of this type of activity and dedicating Colorado as a place to go into the commercial space transport business," he said.
The Dream Chaser is the first test of a commercial spacecraft conducted at the airport, he said.
Colo. Company Tests Spacecraft
Dream Chaser Built By Sierra Nevada Corp.
Deb Stanley - KMGH TV (Denver)
A spacecraft was tested in Jefferson County on Tuesday.
The Dream Chaser is a crew space transportation system. It was built by Sierra Nevada Corporation in partnership with NASA.
The Dream Chaser was flown in Jefferson County on Tuesday. The crew of AirTracker7 spotted the spacecraft on the grass near Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport.
Officials told 7NEWS the spacecraft went through what's called a "captive carry" flight test on Tuesday. That means the space craft was carried or attached to another flying aircraft. In this case, the carry craft was a helicopter.
The Dream Chaser's next test will be a high-altitude free flight -- or "drop-test" -- where the spacecraft will ride into the sky on a carrier airplane and then be released to attempt a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California, an official said.
The Sierra Nevada hopes the Dream Chaser will be a fully-reusable spacecraft to transport people and cargo to the International Space Station and return them to Earth with a runway landing.
SpaceX success brings Pittsburgh space startup closer to mission
Malia Spencer - Pittsburgh Business Times
Watching the historic launch and docking of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and its Dragon capsule was a particularly exciting time for the team at Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology Inc., said the company’s recently named President John Thornton.
“Every successful launch they have puts us one step closer to our moon landing,” he said just hours after the Dragon capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station on Friday.
Astrobotic is Carnegie Mellon University's spin-out that aims to complete the first privately funded lunar mission. The company’s Polaris vehicle is slated reach the moon aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
That mission is slated for October 2015.
The company is continuing to develop its vehicle which is scheduled to land on at the lunar pole and drill into the ground in order to find water, Thornton said. By landing the craft the company intends to win the Google Lunar X Prize as well as the $10 million contract with NASA.
The team has been working toward the X Prize for years and over time the mission has shifted to its current lunar mining objective. If the company can find water that can be used for drinking and it also means rocket fuel can be made on the lunar surface and that lead to missions that farther into space, Thornton said.
So far there is strong evidence there is water under the poles, Thornton said. “No one has proven it yet, we will prove it,” he added.
The company currently has seven fulltime employees plus five interns. Another 15 people work on the project through CMU. The company is in the midst of a fundraising round and hiring.
SpaceX: Will Elon Musk's triumph be transformative or transient?
Loren Thompson - Forbes (contributor)
Last week’s impressive achievement in docking a private spacecraft at the International Space Station has earned entrepreneur Elon Musk and his SpaceX team a place in the history books. No private company has ever managed to accomplish such a feat before, and SpaceX is now poised to repeat the delicate, demanding mission over and over again under a $1.6 billion NASA contract.
The SpaceX saga is an appealing story on many levels. First, it demonstrates the dynamism of private enterprise. Second, it has the potential to save taxpayers and customers alike billions of dollars. Third, it rewards a risk-taker who committed most of his personal fortune and waking hours to making a revolutionary venture work. And fourth, it is underpinned by a vision of mankind’s future in space that renews our sense of human possibilities.
No doubt about it, Elon Musk has much to be proud of today. He is well on his way to becoming the latest example of that American icon, the immigrant who works tirelessly and ends up changing the world. People may one day compare him with Nikola Tesla, the famous Serbian inventor and futurist after whom Musk named his other big venture, which makes sleek electrically-powered automobiles.
However, Tesla’s life is a cautionary tale of how fleeting the success of technological entrepreneurs can be. Sometimes the market simply isn’t ready to appreciate the fruits of their genius. Other times, the opportunity to make money is undercut by rivals and imitators. Regulators may interfere with the ability of entrepreneurs to price their services attractively, and beneficiaries of the status quo may deploy lawyers and politicians to defend their franchises.
Elon Musk faces all of these challenges, and in addition has picked a line of work that is intrinsically dangerous. Although traditional launch providers like Boeing and Lockheed Martin have managed to loft scores of rockets into space without a major mishap, they aren’t trying to achieve revolutionary price reductions in their services like Musk is. They also have greater resources to cope with reverses. For instance, Lockheed Martin books more revenues in a day than the $100 million that Musk has personally invested in his venture over the last decade.
So you don’t have to be a critic of SpaceX to see the potential downside for investors. The company made some mis-steps en route to its technological triumph last week, but Edison made literally thousands of mis-steps in developing the incandescent light bulb, and in the end the venture was so successful it was declaring a new dividend every Saturday evening. The real problem resides with Elon Musk’s main customer, the notoriously capricious and arbitrary federal government.
In order for the SpaceX business strategy to work, the company must eventually achieve economies of scale made possible by high rates of launch activity. In the past, Musk has talked about ramping up to 20 launches per year, which would enable SpaceX to leverage its vertically-integrated sourcing strategy for major price reductions. But when you get most of your money from the government as SpaceX does, you do things on Washington’s schedule.
Thus if the federal budget is cut by sequestration or a new president with different priorities is elected or NASA decides to shift its goals in space, the business strategies of space entrepreneurs can be impaired overnight. Just look at what President Obama has done during his relatively brief time on the national stage. In November of 2007 while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, candidate Obama proposed delaying the Bush Administration’s biggest manned spaceflight project by five years to free up money for an education initiative he wanted to pursue. Once in office, he killed the project completely.
Episodes like that one explain why the traditional providers of launch services and spacecraft are really, really big. If you aren’t big, then you may lack the breadth and depth to cope with some unexpected shift in Washington’s plans. It doesn’t have to be a move that is aimed at your enterprise or even at the space sector, because the government is so huge it often implements policies that alter the competitive landscape for whole industries without even realizing what it has done.
The commercial space industry is facing just such a development right now, with some members of Congress proposing to cut funding in half for a crew vehicle that several companies are competing to build. Administration officials say competition is crucial to getting the best price and performance, but key legislators aren’t buying their arguments. These sorts of controversies crop up every year in Congress. If you’re a behemoth like Boeing, you roll with the punches. If you’re a small player like SpaceX, your future may be on the line.
When you add up all the risks — the competitive challenges, the political uncertainties, the technological demands, and the sheer physics of the missions — it is clear that Elon Musk and the SpaceX team will face big threats to their enterprise for years to come. Perhaps we should admire them even more for that fact. But it is too soon to say whether their discipline and courage will ever be rewarded by investors.
The challenge of mastering one's environment
Patricia Hynes - Las Cruces Sun-News
People who run marathons, scientists who live at the South Pole in winter, and even the firefighters in the Gila, have something in common. They have an innate drive to be autonomous, self-determined and connected to each other. Volunteering to be in a closed, hostile environment for months at a time is something International Space Station (ISS) astronauts and scientists who live at the South Pole have in common. When people are in an environment where they are allowed to be self-directed, they thrive. The environment does not have to be comfortable.
Regardless of the difficulty of the task, what is it that motivates us to seek challenge? Daniel H. Pink, in his book "Drive," discusses the importance providing the environment for people to become better at something that matters to them. It also fulfills a natural desire to contribute to a higher purpose. Pink uses the term "Goldilocks tasks" to describe those tasks which are neither overly difficult nor overly simple - these tasks allow us to extend ourselves and to develop skills.
The risk of providing tasks that fall short of our capabilities is boring and tasks that are beyond our capabilities produce anxiety. There is the Goldilocks spot, where the task is neither too easy nor too difficult, it is just right. This spot allows us to develop mastery and it is highly motivating. What is too much for some is just right for others.
Last week, Space Exploration Technologies, SpaceX, accomplished what no other private aerospace company has done. They designed and built their own launcher, the Falcon 9, and docked their own space capsule, The Dragon, with the International Space Station. It is part of NASA's Commercial Cargo Development program started in 2008. As of May 22, 2012, we live in an era where private citizens will be able to live and work in space if they choose.
Over the past few days I have been listening to and watching the news releases from SpaceX and NASA as the launch and docking progressed. Listening to Elon Musk describe the accomplishment I understood, this is a Goldilocks moment for him. Not only has he accomplished what no other aerospace company has, he is looking to increase the challenge for himself and his company.
He will soon begin the process of getting the Dragon capsule certified to carry humans to the ISS and eventually to commercial space stations. He and Robert Bigelow announced last month, they have signed an agreement to launch Bigelow Aerospace inflatable habitats to low earth orbit in 2015.
Why are we going to space? Why do people fight the fire in the Gila, why do people volunteer to keep the scientists alive at the South Pole? Humans are hard to figure out. Some students in our schools are developing mastery at chess, or playing the violin, some are mastering fire fighting.
When the founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, spoke at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight in 2007, he described two things that motivated him. He wanted to re-start the launch industry in our country, and he wanted to impact humanity on the geologic scale.
How hard those tasks seemed to me at the time. How can anyone set those challenges up for himself? He had already co-founded PayPal, sold it and was building his own rocket manufacturing plant. He was 35 at the time. Yet, I know thousands of people in Las Cruces are developing mastery possibly writing plays or perfecting a new chile at NMSU.
Last Saturday, NASA Commercial Crew and Cargo manager Alan Lindenmoyer described his first encounter with Elon. He knew Elon had a conviction, that he and SpaceX were committed to do what it took to deliver access to space for the United States. NASA discovered the Goldilocks tasks working with SpaceX. They did not set too many requirements, nor did they back away from holding the company accountable. NASA paid for results only.
There is great purpose at work here. The U.S. will soon have the ability to once again deliver and return astronauts safely from space. There are many hostile environments right here on earth. We still can't get people who winter off the ice at the Amundesen-Scott South Pole Station, America's scientific research station at the South Pole. Aviation fuel turns to a gel at 60 degrees below zero. Yet, the "Polies" volunteer to return year after year. The work, the connection to each other and the challenge of mastering living in total isolation is just right for them.
Congress Should Fully Fund Commercial Crew
Aviation Week (Editorial)
The long march of New Space revolutionaries passed a meaningful marker with Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 9/Dragon flight last week (see p. 35). The second for SpaceX's big launcher and its Dragon capsule, it was the first “revenue flight,” carrying cargo in a vehicle intended one day to ferry people as well to and from low Earth orbit. That should start with astronauts to the International Space Station. NASA currently pays about $60 million per seat to fly astronauts to the station on Russia's venerable Soyuz.
The Dragon mission is still underway, but SpaceX engineers and controllers had certainly proved their mettle even before a planned berthing at the station. It takes nothing away from their achievement to note the broad range of new commercial space projects in progress. Companies like Bigelow, Boeing, Blue Origin, Orbital Sciences, Sierra Nevada, Virgin Galactic and XCOR Aerospace are not just drawing plans; they are building, testing and flying hardware—and signing customers.
But there are storm clouds on the horizon, at least for those who hope the U.S. government continues to play a constructive anchor-customer role in the development of an industry that could one day make space flight as commonplace as air travel.
The irony is that NASA, after years of ineptitude and broken promises regarding commercial space, finally seems to “get it.” That did not come naturally. Over decades, NASA has made the mistake of thinking it could both enjoy the benefits of a free market and manage the market. It tried to project demand for services that did not exist at price points no one could know. It coerced public-private partnerships that badly meshed its own unique requirements and taste for exotic new technologies together with the private sector's desire for the cheap, the proven and the reliable.
But NASA has learned how to help and stay out of the way. Witness COTS, the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program for cargo, and the follow-on Commercial Crew program. This new thrust began during the administration of President George W. Bush, and Barack Obama's has sought to accelerate it.
Sadly, as bureaucrats place more trust in entrepreneurs and innovators—and the private sector takes bigger risks—powerful members of Congress seem determined to hold fast to the cost-plus, micromanaged procurement models of yesteryear.
Some months ago, the Obama administration sought to slow work on the Space Launch System, a new heavy-lifter for astronauts on exploration missions. The hope was to put more into developing launch technologies that all could use. Yet even though two large launchers are already available, Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) rallied to protect jobs in their states. Congress mandated the continued development of what wags now call the Senate Launch System.
More recently, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee panel responsible for NASA's budget, trotted out a trio of Apollo astronauts to testify that it is best not to spend too much seeding a commercial space industry, given the other work the agency has to do. And now, the full House and appropriators in the Senate have voted to slash the $836 million NASA is requesting for Commercial Crew next fiscal year to $500-525 million. Even worse, the House would direct NASA to abandon plans to fund work by two providers and support just one, or perhaps a “leader” and “follower.” Down-selecting to a sole source at this early stage would throw away one of the key advantages of free enterprise—competition.
While this would cut costs in the short run, it is short-sighted in the extreme. It may not stick, but don't bet on a reversal. Powerful interests seek to keep human spaceflight a federal program, and have little interest in growing a new commercial industry that might challenge the traditional government contractors. And the administration, for its part, has done a pitiful job of promoting its vision of the future of astronautics. Allowing the retirement of the space shuttle to dominate the public conversation, the administration is seen as pulling back from human spaceflight, even as it tries to expand Commercial Crew and space station operations.
Pres. Obama awards John Glenn Medal of Freedom, nation's highest honor
Robert Pearlman - collectSPACE.com
John Glenn, the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth, was honored by President Barack Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony held at the White House on Tuesday.
Glenn was present at the event with this year's 12 other medal recipients, including influential musician Bob Dylan, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and Juliette Gordon Low, who founded the Girl Scouts in 1912.
"This is the highest civilian honor this country can bestow, which is ironic because nobody sets out to win it," Obama said, addressing what he described as a "packed house." "No one picks up a guitar, or fights a disease, or starts a movement thinking, 'You know what? If I keep this up, in 2012 I could get a medal in the White House from a guy named Barack Obama.'"
"But that is precisely what makes this award so special," the president said.
Since 1963, the Presidential Medal of Freedom has been awarded to individuals for "meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors," according to the White House.
Glenn is a former Marine Corps Colonel, NASA astronaut, and Senator. On Feb. 20, 1962, he became the third U.S. astronaut in space and the first to circle the planet.
"On the morning that John Glenn blasted off into space, America stood still," Obama said before presenting Glenn with the Medal of Freedom. "For a half an hour, the phone stopped ringing at Chicago police headquarters. New York subway drivers offered a play-by-play account over the loud speakers. President Kennedy interrupted a breakfast with congressional leaders to join 100 million TV viewers to hear the famous words 'Godspeed John Glenn.'"
Nearly four decades after his first mission and a quarter century after being elected to Congress, Glenn lifted off on board the space shuttle to become the oldest person to fly in space.
"The first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn became a hero in every sense of the word but he didn't stop there serving his country. As a senator, he found new ways to make a difference. And on his second trip into space at age 77, he defied the odds once again," Obama said.
"He reminds everybody don't tell him he's lived a historic life," the president continued. "He says 'are living,' don't put it into the past tense because he still has a lot of stuff going on."
America's dreams personified
The honor came three months after NASA and the nation celebrated the 50th anniversary of Glenn's Mercury-Atlas 6 mission aboard his Friendship 7 spacecraft.
"NASA sends its warmest congratulations to Senator John Glenn," NASA's chief Charles Bolden said in a statement about the Presidential Medal of Freedom. "Both of John's historic missions to space personified America's dreams and what we believed we could be."
"John Glenn helped this nation forge a path to a brighter future with greater capabilities," Bolden said.
In addition to referencing Glenn's spaceflight experiences, the award was also in recognition for the Senator's political achievements. Glenn was an architect and sponsored the 1978 Nonproliferation Act and served as chairman of the Senate Government Affairs committee from 1987 to 1995.
Glenn retired from Congress in 1999 after representing his home state of Ohio for 25 years.
Award-winning astronaut
With this honor, Glenn joins the small group of astronauts who've been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The crew the first manned moon landing, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, were bestowed the honor soon after their return to Earth in 1969. A year later, the Apollo 13 crew, Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert, as well as Apollo 14 lunar module pilot Ed Mitchell, were similarly honored.
The Apollo 13 Mission Control team, led by Sig Sjoberg, Glynn Lunney, Milt Windler, Gerry Griffin and Gene Kranz, as well as former Johnson Space Center director George Abbey were also recognized by President Richard Nixon with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Among his many earlier awards, Glenn was presented with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978. NASA's highest award, it was given to Glenn by President Jimmy Carter.
Last November, Glenn received the Congressional Gold Medal, which with the Presidential Medal of Freedom is considered the highest civilian honors. Together with the Apollo 11 crew, Glenn was among the first astronauts to be awarded the Gold Medal.
NASA Wanted Astronauts to View Venus Up-Close
Amy Shira Teitel - Discovery News
In a little over a week, we’re all going to be looking skyward and focusing our sights (safely) on Venus as it crosses the disk of the sun. It's going to be a fantastic view, especially since most of us only ever see Venus as a tiny dot of light in the sky. But in 1967, NASA considered giving three astronauts a really rare view of Venus by sending them on a flyby around the second planet from the sun.
The mission was developed under the Apollo Applications Program (AAP) that was designed to build on and apply Apollo-era technology to greater goals in space. Out of the AAP NASA hoped to see Earth orbiting laboratories, research stations on the moon, and manned interplanetary missions. In 1967, this was America’s future in space.
One of the interplanetary targets was Venus. After visiting the planet with the unmanned Mariner 2 spacecraft in 1962, NASA learned that the planet lacks a strong magnetic field, has an extremely hot surface generated in the lower atmosphere or surface, and that the cosmic radiation in the interplanetary space was survivable. NASA also learned that it was worth going back. There was undoubtedly more to Venus locked under its thick cloud cover.
To get a crew there, NASA would use a revised Apollo spacecraft. Like the lunar missions, it was a tripartite design composed of a Command and Service Module (CSM), and Environmental Support Module (ESM), and a third habitable section. Here’s how the mission was designed to play out.
A three-man crew, nestled in the CM, would launch on a Saturn V. The CSM would perform the same functions it did during the Apollo lunar missions: its onboard computer would serve as the primary guidance and navigation system, provide the main reaction control, and act as the principle telemetry and communications link with mission control. Really, the mission would be a simple of matter of engineers rewriting the computer’s commands to send the crew to Venus instead of the moon. The hard part is keeping them alive and well during the 400 day mission. This is where the other modules come into play.
With no purpose for a Lunar Module on a Venus flyby, the spidery spacecraft would be swapped out for the larger ESM. Once in Earth orbit, the crew would separate the CSM from the rest of the spacecraft, turn around, and dock with the ESM. Then they could open the hatch and transfer between the vehicles. The ESM was designed as the principle experiment bay on the mission and would provide long term life support and environmental control to the whole spacecraft configuration.
With the CSM and ESM docked, the Saturn V’s upper SIV-B stage would fire and send the whole thing towards Venus. But instead of jettisoning the spent rocket stage, the crew would re-purpose it -- neither of the other two module gave them a comfortable living space. In the ESM the astronauts would have everything they’d need to refurbish the rocket stage and turn it into their main habitable module and recreational space. Solar panels lining the outside would provide power to the whole spacecraft.
The mission planned to launch sometime during the month-long window between Oct. 31 and Nov. 30 1973; the dates offered a quick transit to Venus and the year was expected to be a quiet one for solar activity, minimizing the crew’s exposure to dangerous solar radiation.
The outbound leg of the mission was expected to last 123 days. The crew would arrive at Venus sometime in the month of March 1974 and pass just 3,340 nautical miles -- about 3,834 statute miles -- above the surface as they whipped around to begin the 273 day trip back to Earth. The mission would end in a splashdown sometime in December 1974.
So why didn’t this mission ever launch? Alas, it was a “thought mission,” a plan designed to showcase the durability and flexibility of Apollo hardware. The report was prepared by Bellcom, a division of AT&T established in 1963 to assist NASA in research, development, and overall documentation of systems integration within its spacecraft.
Fortunately for historians, the report was published even if the mission never made it as far as the planning stages. And who knows, maybe it will inspire future mission planners.
Pictures of the next transit of Venus -- in 2117 -- might show a tiny spacecraft near the planet.
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