Daily Archives: August 11, 2017

By Leah Mishkin Correspondent

Its 5,500 pounds and close to 11 feet tall. Its no surprise that this Mars rover, commissioned by the Kennedy Space Center, caught eyes at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City when it made a stop there on its tour around the country last month.

Its a prototype of what people could be driving when they live on Mars. Right now, there are rovers on Mars surface, but this vehicle would allow people to one day travel the planet and have a habitat and laboratory.

Theres a laboratory in the back, theres four seats up there so there are all kinds of monitors so they could be determining the terrain and what the temperature is like and the elements outside, said tour guide Dana Jondahl with Kennedy Space Centers Summer of Mars traveling exhibit.

As we head inside the Mars rover to get a closer look, former NASA astronaut Jon McBride showed us around. He told us about his mission in 1984 on the space shuttle Challenger.

I was very fortunate to be in the first class of space shuttle astronauts to join NASA in 1978, the first American woman Sally Ride was in my class, first African-American Guy Bluford, so it was a very unique group of highly skilled individuals, said McBride.

He said before you ever get on a space ship for takeoff, you have about two years of specific training for the particular mission, followed by two to three years of basic training. But once you lift off, he said, its a rush.

When the actual shuttle lifts off, were going 100 miles an hour by the time the tail gets to the top of the tower, and after about two to three minutes Im being pushed into my seat three times the force of gravity, McBride said.

McBride said he was lucky to live out his dream to fly the space shuttle. Now, hes hoping the next generation is inspired to find a way to Mars to do further research.

We know there was water on Mars at one time in its history, lots of it, said McBride. They have a Grand Canyon thats essentially from San Diego to New York City, and deeper and wider.

McBride said that indicates there could have been life at one time. So what happened to it? he asks.

By going there we might find the answer to that question and in turn find out more about Earth. With the support of Congress and the president, McBride said we could be on Mars in the next 10 to 15 years.

The first human to go to Mars is likely already born, said McBride. Do you know that that means you can be the first human to go to Mars?

Liberty Science Center President and CEO Paul Hoffman said the Mars concept car shows off the future of space research and technology, but it also gives kids a chance to consider becoming the next space scientists and technologists.

When I was seven, my neighbor let me look through a telescope and see the rings of Saturn and I was hooked on science and space science, Hoffman said.

Hoffman hopes the Mars rover will do the same. And sitting with an astronaut, its easy to feel excited about the possibility of going to Mars.

Continued here:

Mars concept vehicle offers glimpse into future of space exploration - NJTV News

LARAMIE, Wyo. (KGWN) - A University of Wyoming masters degree student is an astronaut candidate with NASAs Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA). HERA is a unique, three-story habitat designed to serve as an analog for isolation, confinement and remote conditions in space exploration scenarios, according to the NASA website.

My interest in this came as an extension of my longtime fascination with all things space science. I got an early start on Star Trek and other science fiction, and the idea of humans going to the stars has always been one that resonated and inspired me, says Matthew Lehmitz, a UW graduate student in botany from Laramie. As a result of this, I am engaged with a number of space science groups, and these have a tendency to note when NASA is doing interesting things.

During June, Lehmitz traveled to the Johnson Space Center in Houston to go through a two-day testing segment, which he passed. Some of the basic requirements include basic physical health with a height equal to or less than 74 inches; some level of postgraduate education; a demonstration of interest and skills beyond ones discipline; and a healthy psychological profile. Lehmitz originally sent his application to NASA for the HERA 15 and 16 missions.

The qualifications are essentially that you have a background and skills similar to those that would be found in an astronaut candidate, or test subject, says Lehmitz, who received his undergraduate degree in math and science from UW. Since the idea is to use the research to improve the success of future space missions that will involve astronauts, the ideal is to run their tests on people as similar as possible to those who will eventually go on these long-term space missions.

The two days of testing Lehmitz experienced were to determine whether he qualified for the Series 4, or full six weeks, in the simulator.

Analog missions are field tests in locations that have physical similarities to extreme space environments. NASA engineers and scientists work with government agencies, academia and industry to gather requirements for testing in harsh environments before they are used in space. Tests include: new technologies, robotic equipment, vehicles, habitats, communications, power generation, mobility, infrastructure and storage. Behavioral effects -- such as isolation and confinement, team dynamics and mental fatigue -- also are observed. Analogs play a significant role in problem solving for space flight research.

The HERA, itself, is a space of only 636 square feet in which four individuals are tested on a variety of simulated conditions for varying periods, Lehmitz says. A variety of tests -- ranging from dietary responses to team coordination on technical projects -- are run on the volunteers. Everything is recorded, and the numerous scientists working on the project use all of the data that is gathered, Lehmitz says.

Not only is it entirely ground based; it is wholly enclosed. During the period of testing, the volunteers do not leave the 636 square feet of the capsule, says Lehmitz, who was among the first class of Wyoming Research Scholars. The idea is to simulate a long-term mission in a small capsule similar to those which are currently in development and used for traveling to and from the International Space Station or those which took us to the moon.

It is unlikely that any vehicle -- which would take humans to Mars or other long-range destinations -- will have much room. So, learning how to allow humans to interact in a healthy manner in tight quarters for extended periods is vitally important. HERAs primary focus, as the name suggests, is specifically human factors.

Analogs play a significant role in problem solving for space flight research. Past generations used analog missions to prepare for leaving Earths atmosphere, landing on the moon and permanently orbiting the planet. In keeping with this concept, NASA is using analog missions to actively prepare for deep space destinations, such as an asteroid or Mars.

Botany has some relevance to the HERA mission, as it is highly likely that any long-term mission will involve producing food and managing various biotic needs, Lehmitz says.

I believe there are some plants in the simulator, that having a botany background might be helpful to manage, he says. However, the specific degree is less important than the dedication and skills they represent.

Lehmitz says he applied to HERA a couple of years ago, but was informed NASA was looking for people who had advanced degrees or at least graduate coursework behind them. With this in mind, when the call for volunteers for HERA occurred again, Lehmitz says he was in a much better position after having his first year of graduate school nearly completed.

So, I put in my application again and was pleased that I passed the phone interview, and was invited to travel to Houston for a more complete evaluation, he says.

Greg Brown, a UW professor of botany and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, says when he heard Lehmitz was going to NASA this summer, he put two and two together. Around that same time, Brown had recently finished talking with former student Tim Evans, who told Brown he was a member of the HERA 13 team and had completed his training June 19.

Evans, now a biology professor at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, is originally from Cheyenne. He received both his bachelors degree (1989) and masters degree (1991) in botany from UW.

This is totally crazy, that I would have a former student and a current student apply (to HERA) and see what happened, Brown says. It was quite a coincidence.

Read more from the original source:

UW grad an astronaut candidate - KGWN

In just two years, the United States will celebrate the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, an event that perhaps more than any other represents the American will and capacity to achieve the seemingly impossible. This year, however, we will celebrate a less auspicious anniversary in December it will have been 45 years since the last man set foot on the Moon, ushering in a long era of diminished American ambitions in space. In recent years, presidential administrations have debated whether Americans should return to the Moon or set their sights on Mars.

But as President Donald Trump devises his strategy for space exploration which he has described as essential to our character as a nationour economy, and our great nations security he should reject this choice as a false one. To sustainably reinvigorate our human spaceflight program, we should use the Moon as a stepping stone to Mars and beyond, while spreading costs and spurring innovation by maximizing opportunities for commercial and international involvement.

While most U.S. government activities in space, and the lions share of the space budget, are focused on military programs, human spaceflight remains the programs lodestone. Every president in recent memory has sought to stir the popular imagination and hoping to channel JFK associate himself with big, bold thinking by announcing ambitious goals for manned spaceflight.

For President Barack Obama, that goal was sending men to Mars by the 2030s.He dismissed President George W. Bushs goal of returning Americans to the Moon, stating that we had been there (and presumably done that).He cancelled Bushs Constellation spacecraft program, replacing it with the Space Launch System (SLS).The SLS would be the United States heaviest-ever rocket, meant to send humans farther than ever before.

Yet the reality of Americas manned space program has been more pedestrian than presidential rhetoric would suggest. NASAs budget has been essentially flat since the 1990s. The United States has lacked the capability of putting an astronaut in orbit since the last Space Shuttle flight in 2011, instead buying seats on Russian Soyuz flights. And while we are quietly living through a golden age of space science our unmanned probes have returned spectacular images and invaluable data our manned missions have been limited to flights back and forth to the International Space Station, due to be decommissioned in three years.

Obama wasnt the first to call for manned flights to Mars.President George H.W. Bush articulated a similar plan, which envisioned placing an American astronaut on the Red Planet by 2019. But Congress blanched at the price tag, and the plan was shelved. Today, just as then, the technical challenges of reaching Mars might be less daunting than the challenge of devising a political and budgetary path for reaching new frontiers in space.

Achieving our next big human spaceflight breakthroughs will require more than a stirring speech; it will require a plan designed to be sustainable over the long term by maximizing public support while minimizing the burden on NASA. Today, funding for NASA represents just 0.5 percent of the federal budget, compared to over 4 percent at the height of the Apollo program; there will be no return to those levels.

A realistic plan would not abandon the idea of a manned mission to Mars, but would aim first to return humans to the Moon for prolonged periods. A return to the Moon offers several advantages.Most obviously, it can be accomplished faster and at less cost than a straight shot to Mars.And while it involves considerable risk, the shorter distance and our own prior experience means that risk will be lower than with a Martian voyage.

Whats more, the costs and risks of a mission to the Moon can be shared with international partners. Even as we have turned our focus to Mars, the European Space Agency, Japan, and others have taken an increased interest in manned lunar missions. A renewed focus on the Moon would significantly enhance our opportunities for international collaboration and burden-sharing, and would also prevent Russia or China both of which have their own lunar aspirations from supplanting us.

A shift in NASAs focus to the Moon could also be accompanied by a greater role for private firms in low-earth orbit.The commercial space industry has developed at a rapid pace since the United States last penned a vision for space exploration. Any new space strategy should seek to capitalize on these developments by shifting more routine tasks (a relative term in space operations, to be sure) to private operators while freeing NASA to focus on higher-end activities focused on the Moon and deep space.

If we were successful in returning humans to the Moon, it could serve as a stepping stone for a manned mission to Mars or even more ambitious goals.Practically speaking, lunar missions would provide astronauts with experience in extended habitation of an alien world. The Moon even holds the potential for eventually serving as a staging ground for missions further out. Just as importantly, successful lunar missions would likely invigorate public and political support in the United States and overseas for space exploration, helping to sustain the attention and funding required for future steps into space.

President Trump has promised to restore Americas proud legacy of leadership in space. If he is to make good on that pledge, he must address not only where we are going but map out how, amid declining budgets and competing priorities, we plan to get there.

Photo credit: Getty Images/Foreign Policy illustration

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President Trump Needs to Go to the Moon - Foreign Policy (blog)