"Inspired by NASA's Constellation Program, iRover is a fun way to tour the Lunar surface and see some of the elements that make up NASA's Lunar architecture.
Description: Drive your Lunar Electric Rover (LER) over the Lunar surface to conduct missions. Rescue stranded crew members, transport crewmembers, and launch and recover other Landers. Avoid being caught on the surface unprotected during Solar Particle Events (SPEs)."
Buy it at the iTunes Apps store
Shelby: Government spending 'out of control', Birmingham Business Journal
"Alabama's senior senator said the Obama administration is on pace to turn a $10 trillion deficit into $20 trillion during a speech before the Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce. Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, reminded the audience he led the charge against federal bank and automaker bailouts. Shelby warned federal entitlements and deficit spending will ultimately hurt the nation's economy. During the question and answer portion of the speech, the four-term senator said he will fight to keep funding for NASA's Constellation program that the Obama administration has cut in its proposed 2011 budget. Huntsville is home to the project that Shelby helped save $600 million for last year."
Shelby Was For The Private Sector Before He Was Against It, Previous Post
"A ribbon-cutting ceremony with Endeavour commander George Zamka and station commander Jeff Williams to celebrate the arrival of Tranquility and its seven-windowed cupola on the International Space Station includes the placement on permanent display in the node of a rock brought back from the moon's Tranquility Base by Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969, and carried by shuttle astronaut Scott Parazynski to the summit of Mt. Everest in 2009."
- Video: Moon Rock and Everest Rock Ready for Trip to the Space Station
- Preview: Confessions of a Moon Rock Courier
- Moon Rock Gains Traveling Companion for Historic Return to Space
- Playing With Moon Rocks and Duct Tape at the Dinner Table
- Photos From Moon and Everest Rock Event at NASA
12 hours before Snowmageddon closed all three Washington DC airports, I bought a seat out on the last plane expected to make it out. My mission: a pilgrimage to KSC to view the last scheduled nighttime Shuttle launch.
It was not my first time seeing a launch. I had driven 14 hours straight with a few carloads of friends from JSC back in the 90’s for my first and I am still moved by the jaw dropping, tear bursting impact it had on me. We were around our cars on the causeway in the heat and when the countdown hit zero we saw the flash of light and the shuttle gracefully clear the tower and begin its ascent into the heavens on a plume of smoke and thousands of human’s combined effort. By the time the sound waves blasted past us three seconds later, I was already in tears, leveled by the extraordinary beauty of what we as a species are capable of.
Working in the Astronaut office I also knew that the crew would not be able to stop and be moved by what was happening. They have simulated this a thousand times and their job was not to make this any different. I felt an extra pang of intensity as if I had to feel enough for all of them-– an emotional surrogate (just like in my favorite Twilight Zone episode).
Coming back to KSC I was worried if this launch would compare to that chest shaking, mind blowing experience. I went to one of the pre-launch parties and caught up with some of my space friends and met a few new ones. We talked about where we would view from and the latest happenings in the space world. Garrett told us he would be working the launch, helping the crew suit up. I quickly told them that one of the last things at NASA that I was really nostalgic to do, was to see the crew walk out, wave to the media one last time and climb into their astrovan. Jenny Scheer quickly offered to take me there and suddenly the game was on.
The next night after a short disco nap, we got up at near midnight to head out to KSC. I met up with Jen and she wisked me away in her jeep outfitted with a wi-fi extender, super-camera, laptop, 3 A/C power outlets, an iPhone and a full wardrobe of Land’s End Space Tweep Society embroidered gear. We made our way over to the out of the way building where the crew suit up for launch. There was a line up of media at the barrier, but surprisingly few people beyond them. We ran into Robert Pearlman of CollectSPACE and he updated us on what was happening from his prime barrier-side perch.
After waiting in the cold-for-Florida air, we saw Garrett and his colleagues emerge to pre-load the astrovan with the crew’s helmets. We went wild. “Garrett!!!!” I screamed, knowing that professionalism would dictate he pretend not to hear. That was all I needed. I felt connected to the mission. Someone I knew was there. Making it happen. I could experience it through him. With NASA TV on Pearlman’s laptop indicating the crew was coming next, he waved me to crouch under his tripod at the barrier to get a better view. Everybody loves to give a first timer a good experience. I think it is for the same reason. They can feel the thrill of the first time through me, just the same way I can feel connected with the mission through Garrett. I gratefully accepted and pressed up against the plastic holes in the barrier to get my camera lens through.
Then they rounded the corner, in orange suits and big smiles, willing to share their fortune and grace with those interested enough to see them off. I was excited for them (and their one rookie!) about to blast off into space to bring the space station its crowning jewel of windows– the cupola. They boarded the iconic silver airstream and headed off to the pad to start working.
After notching my belt, we jumped back into the jeep and drove out to see where the old beenie cap (that usually sits atop the orange tank until just before liftoff) and the old crew entry gantry from the de-commissioned shuttle pad were resting out in a field. It was staggering to wander around them, the pitch black cut only by the jeep’s high beams. It was the kind of darkness that is rarely found in cities but is always accompanied by a rich reward of twinkling stars and even a planet or two that the iPhone was happy to identify for us.
We headed back to the VAB to rejoin the masses of people assembling for the 4 am Shuttle launch…
Safety back in my viewing area, I found my husband and told him of our adventures. Alongside everyone else, we sweated out the ‘go’/'no go’ calls at T-minus 9 minutes. After a disappointing scrub the first night, we were ecstatic to hear everyone give their ‘go’ for flight. Eyes adjusted to the night sky, we stared at the pad and counted down with the announcer, 3…2…1! An explosion of light again, this time much more brilliant against the dark sky and as the shuttle climbed up into the clouds the glow of the engines threw off a huge halo of beautiful blue sky in its wake. The sound wave reverberated off the buildings and still brought a tear to my eye, humanity was once again slipping the surly bonds of Earth. And we were now being written into the same history books that recorded those final momentous Saturn V launches back before I was born. This would be our legacy to pass to our kids. Yes, we were there. Yes, it was a stunning thing to behold…My dearest hope is that they have even more awe inspiring technologies to enable our space future than we do. Either way, this is a moment in time, like Kitty Hawk, that is remarkable just for its audacity to say, “we can.”
In the darkness you could follow the glow of the engines even minutes after launch. We all stood in respectful silence, our thoughts and attention focused on the crew and what it was like to be on the other end of that thousand mile plume. There was a collective sigh of relief and joy when we heard the call for “MECO.”
I was proud. Of my species, of the men and women who collectively can make something that complex work, of an industry that holds open the potential of space for our planet. I am grateful that I have the privilege of being a part of that and of knowing the people who make it all happen. A special thank you to all of them. It is through you that I get to connect into one of the most amazing collective experiences we have. And that is what struck me most about this trip. A lesson I had first learned when wandering the streets of Greece alone in college. That it is not just where you are, it’s who you are with.
Keith's note: I am at the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference in Boulder. My plan is to stream several portions of tomorrow's event live via USTREAMTV. First, between 8:30 and 10:00 am MST, will be keynotes by Lori Garver, Pete Worden, Alan Stern, and George Nield. Then, at 12:15 pm MST, there will be a press conference with Lori Garver, Alan Stern, Pete Worden, Jeff Greason and a representative from Virgin Galactic. The webcast will be available here.
And now Gov. Charlie Crist blasts Obama's NASA policy, Orlando Sentinel
"While it is great that the President is reaching out to those astronauts working on the International Space Station today, phone calls do not make up for the President's disappointing decision to end NASA's Constellation program. By cutting this program, President Obama is putting an end to significant investment in moon exploration and costing Florida's Space Coast thousands of jobs."
Kosmas to Attend Florida Statewide Space Industry Summit
"Congresswoman Kosmas has worked tirelessly to support the space industry in Florida. She recently responded to the President's FY 2011 budget proposal calling his plan for NASA "simply unacceptable."
Bill Nelson: Manned space program isn't dead yet, Florida Today
"I think they made two tactical mistakes that gave everybody the wrong impression," the Florida Democrat said. "The first one is that the president didn't set what the goal is, and everybody knows the goal and that's to go to Mars."
Keith's note: You can watch the NASA Advisory Council's Subcommittee on Education and Public Outreach meeting today live via USTREAMTV here between 10 am and 4 pm EST.
After all the abuse I heap on the agency, I am glad to see that NASA is finally getting the message. Eventually, all NAC meetings - including all NAC subcommittee meetings - need to be made available to the public like this - live and interactive. Right now these meetings are only witnessed by one or two dozen people. The presentations often take a long time to get online - if ever. Transcripts or recordings are never posted. All that emerges are meeting summaries than can take months to produce - and when they do, are bland and devoid of any meaningful content. Hardly what anyone would call "transparent". Murky at best.
President Obama will speak live at 5:15 pm ET with the crew on the space station. Tune in to NASA TV to watch.
Keeping the U.S. in the space race, letter, John P. Holdren and Charles Bolden, Washington Post
"Charles Krauthammer was badly off target in his Feb. 12 op-ed, "Closing the new frontier," on the Obama administration's plans for the U.S. space program. As the blue-ribbon Augustine Committee concluded last year, the Bush plan, not the Obama plan, would have left the United States a loser in space. Despite valiant efforts by NASA and its contractors, President George W. Bush's Constellation program would not have been able to send astronauts to the international space station until two years after the station had crashed into the ocean."
Discussing the new directions contained in the 2011 budget roll-out with employees, Charlie Bolden announced a new Headquarters office called Misson Support, to be lead by Woodrow Whitlow from NASA Glenn Research Center. Mission Support will bring all NASA facilities and their operations under one umbrella, recognizing the important role these groups play in achieving NASA’s mission. This will allow greater insight into operational challenges, and more strategic investments into creating an integrated NASA workforce.
"After the Storm" by Raymond Cassel, 1st place 2009 NSS Art contest
The first Yuri’s Night at NASA Ames Research Center in 2007 was an amazing experience for numerous reasons. Most relevant to this discussion, is that it brought together the Mission Support organizations to do something truly new and innovative at NASA. These guys are amazing – and they can do anything! They understand the facilities, power generators, roads, traffic flow, structures, sound, electricity capacity, safety requirements, machine shops, rules to bend, and rules to not bend. That day/night, we doubled NASA Ames’ normal capacity of 2500 people. In 2008, it was quadrupled.
It takes 2.5 people to operate the International Space Station (ISS), and each person above this makes it possible to perform experiments and other additional construction tasks. A similar thing is true within NASA – it takes quite a bit of effort to run a NASA center and be productive in 70-year-old facilities, complying with all the environmental and safety procedures bestowed from 50 years of processes and regulations. But with these facilities, we can and do, do amazing things.
We may take for granted the amount of infrastructure that is around us to allow us to live and be productive. Think about the infrastructure you need when you are at a NASA Center. Some centers have their own power generators and distribution plants, but there is running water, sewage, large auditoriums for gatherings, heating and air conditioning, Internet, roads, places to eat, places to work. There is NASA security, police service, emergency response, and medical treatment. This is a place of work, but it is also a community and at times acts like a little city.
Kaylee the Mechanic onboard Serenety in television show FireFly
NASA is an aeronautics and space agency, and part of our long-term commitment is to become a multi-planetary species. Government will now invest in creating an industry to support this commitment, while continuing to push the boundaries of knowledge and research to allow colonies/settlements to emerge on other heavenly bodies and space stations. I can imagine a colony on the moon or Mars where there would be 2500 people working productively together, much like the size of NASA Ames. We’ll need the same things in place, and more. We will need electricians, plumbers, technicians, medics, and cooks, in addition to managers, technologists and scientists. In short, our Mission Support teams are probably the first people you’d want to take to space with you.
Perhaps under Dr. Whitlow’s new organization, we can begin to think of Mission Support as more integrated with space missions, and begin to see our NASA Centers through the lens of colonies. We can do some science around the notion of connected cities, put in sensors to measure energy usage, work flow, productivity and happiness. We can track how people use the facilities and feed that back into the planning cycle. All of these things will be necessary when living at a colony on another planet, and it is something that NASA can research with our own workforce and facilities. These studies can feed into current decisions made for our facilities, but also explore requirements for future habitats and colonies.
New vision for NASA - Obama plan resets human spaceflight button, Roger Lanius/Mike Green, Florida Today
"In the 1968 film, "2001: A Space Odyssey," astronauts shuttled from the Earth to an orbiting space station aboard a commercial space plane and private firms carried out many other functions in low-Earth orbit, including the Hilton hotel on the station. Flash forward to 2018, and imagine NASA astronauts boarding a commercial space launcher delivering crews to the International Space Station. This may become reality for space exploration if Congress accepts the recently announced Obama administration's approach. This new direction proposes a major shift in the way NASA accomplishes human spaceflight."
Unlucky Orion crashing out of the space program as drop test fails, NASASpaceflight.com
"Unfortunately, the Orion Project suffered a failure on one of its tests this week, when a boilerplate Orion crashed to Earth after its "parachutes failed to deploy". However, the problem is not believed to be Orion or the parachute system's fault, with the failure memo citing a problem with the rigging associated with the extraction system - although this is yet to be confirmed, as an investigation will be required. "A quick heads up that the Orion test drop failed. Looks like the extraction system failed to release so the Orion chute system never deployed," noted the memo acquired on Tuesday (the day of the failure) by L2. "Still saving the remains but expecting minimal hardware recovery.""
Keith's note: I cannot find any mention whatsoever of this crash at NASA.gov - not at the main exploration page, at the main Constellation page, at the Constellation blog or anywhere else. Why is ESMD PAO refusing to officialy explain what happened? This is not the first time that ESMD has sat on Orion parachute failure information.
- Why Won't ESMD Release Orion Parachute Test Vehicle Crash Photos?, earlier post
- Orion Crash Photos and Videos Online - Finally, earlier post
Organized labor attacks Obama's space plan, Orlando Sentinel
"Add organized labor to the voices angry at President Barack Obama's decision to scrap NASA's moon program. In a letter sent to Obama on Feb. 4, R. Thomas Buffenbarger, international president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said the White House idea to outsource flying astronauts into low Earth orbit would cost jobs, not create them."
IFPTE: A new day at NASA - a rebirth at Ames
"Although for the thousands of dedicated employees who have been working diligently on Constellation, there will naturally be disappointment and concern, in the end, the Administration has chosen a more realistic and pragmatic path towards a more sustainable and ultimately successful overall mission."
NASA plans more outreach to Muslim countries, Orlando Sentinel
"NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said Tuesday that President Barack Obama has asked him to "find ways to reach out to dominantly Muslim countries" as the White House pushes the space agency to become a tool of international diplomacy. "In addition to the nations that most of you usually hear about when you think about the International Space Station, we now have expanded our efforts to reach out to non-traditional partners," said Bolden, speaking to a lecture hall of young engineering students."
What's next for US spaceflight, if not the moon?, Christian Science Monitor
"Why bother with human spaceflight at all? For many people and countries, human spaceflight represents a pinnacle of human technological achievement and prestige. Others point to potential economic and environmental benefits that could come from activities ranging from space tourism and tapping resources on the moon to use as fuel for fusion energy to mining asteroids or producing pharmaceuticals in microgravity conditions."
Obama's budget reshapes the U.S. space agenda, PolitiFact.com
"This change of plans clearly breaks Obama's promise to "endorse the goal of sending human missions to the Moon by 2020, as a precursor in an orderly progression to missions to more distant destinations, including Mars." But the president's budget for NASA does keep five other campaign promises. It proposes working with international allies to extend the life of the International Space Station at least through 2020; it supports access to space for private-sector companies; it supports increased investment in research and development related to space; it supports increased spending to prepare for longer space missions; and it establishes school programs to highlight space and science achievements."
Some Thoughts on the NASA Vision, Jeff Volosin
"I mean no disrespect - but - I am tired of listening to Dr. Spudis, Dr. Griffin and all of the other, whiney, Baby Boomer, Cold Warrior, Manifest Destiny driven individuals who are still trying to live out their 1950's childhood dreams - at taxpayer expense.
Like many of you, for the past 25 years, I have played my own minor role in a vibrant NASA. I have watched as NASA has pushed back the limits of robotic exploration of the solar system with ever more complex and capable probes. In addition, I have seen NASA greatly expanded our view of the Earth - helping us better understand how our environment is changing and how human activities and natural processes contribute to that change. In contrast, human spaceflight has, just during my career, driven off a cliff."
Cancellation at NASA puts Olson to the test
"Former Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford, who had been in line to lead the House panel overseeing NASA before losing his seat to Olson, blames Texas' current predicament squarely on the sweeping congressional redistricting fashioned by then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land. "Texas has suffered greatly," said Lampson, who lost races in two congressional districts as a result. "Without that redistricting, I would have been chairman of the space subcommittee representing JSC and in direct contact with the president and House leadership. That would have made a difference."
Astronauts on Decatur rockets, editorial, Decatur Daily
"While NASA workers are legitimately concerned, there are signs that Decatur could enjoy some benefits in the midst of the hardship of a scaled-down Marshall. The most obvious is the potential growth of United Launch Alliance in Decatur. After massive effort, ULA's Decatur plant will soon be the sole assembly plant for three of the most reliable rockets in the United States: the Delta II, the Delta IV and, most recently, the Atlas V."
NASA's new direction could lift local space assets, Virginia Pilot
"President Obama's proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2011 delivered both good and bad news for space- and NASA-related organizations in Hampton Roads such as NASA Langley, NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport."
Obama's budget boosts NASA Ames, San Jose Mecury News
"Key areas of expertise at NASA Ames that are a priority in the new NASA budget include international partnerships, information technology, space science, earth science, small satellites and exploration technologies, Braxton said. NASA Ames employs 1,250 civil servants and 1,250 contractors, but Braxton believes that number may soon increase, and the agency's new direction could be a boon to local employment, not just for NASA but for companies partnering with NASA in Silicon Valley."
Adding Rocket Man to His Resume, New York Times
"SpaceX doesn't "fully understand the dramatic difference between a crew launcher and a payload launcher," Dr. Fragola said. For example, the capsule designers have to carefully study the conditions following an accident, including the blast heat, fragments of the disintegrating booster and the pressure wave of an explosion. While they do not matter for cargo, "the crew cares tremendously about what the conditions are, because it relates to their survivability," Dr. Fragola said."
Hanley Changes His Story On Ares 1 Safety - Again, previous post
"With regard to Jeff Hanley's current comments, this is not the first time that Hanley's organization has had problems presenting (or admitting) a consistent view of what Ares 1's safety was relative to Shuttle and other launch systems. Indeed, you only have to look at Joseph Fragola's presentation to the Augustine Committee to see what Constellation knew Vs what it said. Specifically, there was a briefing chart that was withheld from the Augustine Committee - see below for that chart."
Keith's note: I find it the height of hypocrisy for Joe Fragola to make these statement that SpaceX "doesn't fully understand" human rated launch vehicles when Fragola himself was incapable of accurately presenting the true safety numbers for Ares 1 to the Augustine Committee. Why should anyone take anything he says seriously?
NSS's Annual ISDC: A good barometer of Society's health, Guest post by Ian Malone
One of the premier space exploration advocacy groups is the National Space Society, (NSS). Formed in 1987, the NSS has established chapters across the country and around the globe. For much of its history the NSS has been a powerful force promoting manned spaceflight. However, much like NASA's Public Affairs Office, the NSS has lost touch with the people it is supposed to represent. The NSS's upper echelons until recently were massively instrumental in guiding the future of manned spaceflight.
Under the leadership of George Whitesides, the National Space Society was a vibrant organization that sponsored many outreach efforts and no member was treated as being "too-small to talk to". With Whitesides' departure for NASA, the NSS seems to be drifting away from its roots, outreach has lessened and members are looked down upon.
To gauge these two periods, one should compare two of its International Space Development Conferences, (ISDC). The ISDC, held annually, gathers together many heads of the space community and allows the space community to direct its efforts and to promote the exchange of ideas.
The 2005 ISDC was held in Washington D.C., had spectacular plenary sessions and a gala in the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center, (right next to the famed SR-71 Blackbird and in sight of the space shuttle Enterprise)! Its guest speakers included NASA Chief Scientist James Garvin, Mars Exploration Rovers Principal Investigator Steven Squyres, Burt Rutan and astronauts Jim Voss and Rusty Schweickart among others. There were tours available, one of these was to see Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith.
ISDC 2009 by comparison was a non-event. Although ISDC 2009 had a few astronauts, it had little of the "star-power" from just four years earlier. A special package to allow guests' entry to Kennedy Space Center was not made available and appears to have been actively suppressed. The rationale to have the '09 conference in Orlando was to allow guests to enjoy the area's rich space history. Plans to allow guests to see the new Star Trek movie on IMAX met a similar fate. Worst of all, initial reports had the gala for the '09 ISDC held at the Saturn V building at Kennedy Space Center. This would have been comparable to the '05 ISDC. Instead? The '09 gala was held in a spare room at the hotel. Guests should have been given more opportunities than the average sunburned tourist fresh out of Disney World - but were not. ISDC '09 was far from the shining success of ISDC '05 and a glaring indictment of those in charge. A person on the committee said the following,
"I knew someone that I thought would make a great speaker, but the folks in charge said he'd never attend, turns out that wasn't the case at all, his company covered his expenses if I hadn't pressed the conference would have even less than it already did."
Some of the problems might have fallen on the committee heads themselves, the public outreach seemed to be done last minute with few press releases to let the general public know what was happening. There was supposed to be an optional tour to see the recent Star Trek film in IMAX, this was squashed by conference organizers as was most everything else of interest. As one person who was initially involved with the conference put it:
"It seemed to me that it was poorly orchestrated and poorly managed, there was a lot of potential with this conference that wasn't allowed to materialize."
The Space Exploration Alliance, (SEA) was announced in 2004, shortly after the Vision for Space Exploration was released. It included the National Space Society and twelve other space and aeronautical groups. It, like the NSS, held great promise to back future manned exploration of the solar system. However, with the current leadership in place, it has not achieved its potential. Under Whitesides the NSS was a powerful force for change, if members had an idea or event to propose they would be helped in any way possible, good luck getting so much as an e-mail out of the current leadership.
The NSS is not a lost cause. Its ranks are filled with loyal spacers that truly believe in the dream of manned spaceflight. The problem seems to reside in the current leadership who have become arrogant and view members as merely a source of revenue. If the NSS can turn itself around, it could excite and lead the other members of the SEA, and resume the course it has spear-headed for so long. More importantly than leading the SEA, the NSS could continue to inspire, direct and support its members. It would not take much, the NSS has been there before, and it can be there again.
2010 Legislative Blitz February 21-23 in Washington DC, Space Exploration Alliance
"... the Commission found that NASA simply can not accomplish the goals with which it has been tasked unless it receives an additional $3 billion in annual funding. In the current economic climate, however, it is uncertain which path our nation's leaders will now take in response to the Augustine Commission's findings. An increase in funding is not necessarily the path that will be chosen."
Keith's note: Gee folks, your "blitz" is a little more than a week away. It might be a good idea to update your website to reflect the actual situation NASA is in.
