Opportunities of a Close Call

The International Space Station has recently been making headlines with the problems of a failed cooling pump. On July 31, 2010 a power surge occurred, causing a pump to fail in one of the two cooling systems onboard the International Space Station. This immediately caused an alarm as the cooling systems are vital to the continued habitability of the station. Should the second cooling system have also failed, the temperatures on the station would begin to drift, eventually varying between +/-250°F from the sun-facing side to the side in shadow and causing the need for evacuation.

The astronauts immediately undertook prescribed measures, shutting down nonessential equipment and rerouting power to ensure the habitability of the station. Despite the fact that this situation was not unexpected and had been part of standard training, the repair took longer than expected and had to be continually reassessed as the astronauts encountered new difficulties. After sixteen days, however, the astronauts prevailed, and the repairs were successfully completed.

Given the prominence of safety and reliability in the national debate surrounding NASA’s future, as well as how private commercial efforts can undertake manned launch missions, this incident is certain to be a key example. However, the real question is should this incident be displayed as an argument for or against private commercial effort, or can it lead us to a new way of approaching manned orbital space flight?

To date, the government’s position has been that private commercial efforts have successfully and admirably supported NASA’s manned orbital operations by fabricating the components used in launch vehicles and orbiting assets. However, it is believed that NASA itself best understands the dangers inherent in manned orbital spaceflight, and should maintain its leading role while commercial companies work to develop a comparable success record and ensure that an equal or improved safety rating is achieved. In this light, the difficulties of repairing the ISS clearly show the inherent dangers of manned orbital space flight and the need for NASA’s experience. Had a younger, less experienced, venture encountered this same difficulty, it might have proven disastrous and led to the loss of the entire asset, if not human life.

The commercial response is that in manufacturing the components for manned orbital spaceflight, it has already demonstrated a capacity to undertake launch responsibilities for manned orbital spaceflight. This path led to the industry’s successes with private satellite launches. Regarding manned orbital space flight launches, several companies have worked to expand into the market through the NASA COTs-D program, and SpaceX has begun to satisfy all the requirements to undertake commercial cargo launches through their Falcon program. Furthermore, the manned suborbital market is beginning to grow completely independently of NASA operations; manned orbital ventures will surely follow.

We have an opportunity to reframe the debate. Space is clearly dangerous, but just as clearly filled with opportunity. Instead of arguing if commercial companies can safely complete manned orbital space flight operations, how can the government (with its vast experience) help to guide their development with regard to safety?

The government has many natural roles relating to industry. Specifically, the government regulates an industry, it performs research and development, and it ensures safety through public services such as fire departments and medical rescue. With regard to manned, orbital space flight, only two roles are fulfilled; the FAA provides regulatory oversight and NASA performs research and development. With this most recent incident on the International Space Station, there is an opportunity to begin to discuss how the government can ensure the safety of private commercial companies seeking to expand into low earth orbit.

That conversation might be more productive than simply claiming that private industry doesn’t know what they’re doing…

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Commercial Spaceflight Federation Commends New Mexico for Passage of Key Liability Legislation

Commercial Spaceflight Federation, March 2, 2010

On Saturday, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson signed into law the “New Mexico Space Flight Informed Consent Act,” following similar legislation already passed in Virginia and Florida.  The legislation marks a key step towards commercial operations of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo at the New Mexico spaceport. Recognizing that commercial suborbital spaceflight is a developing industry, the law provides critical liability protections that will enable spaceflight businesses to operate efficiently and effectively for their customers.

“This legislation secures New Mexico’s investment in Spaceport America and its resulting job creation by ensuring we are competitive with other space states such as Virginia and Florida who have similar legislation in place,” said Gov. Richardson.

The state legislation builds upon the federal Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act, passed by Congress in 2004, which states that “space transportation is inherently risky” and requires space flight participants to sign an informed consent waiver in recognition of this fact.

Steve Landeene, Executive Director of Spaceport America, added, “The passage of the Space Flight Informed Consent Act was critical to the success of Spaceport America and our ability to attract and retain commercial space companies to New Mexico. Any company taking participants into space must obtain a signed waiver where they acknowledge the inherent risks of spaceflight.” Landeene said that this protects New Mexico and operators licensed by the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation such as Virgin Galactic, but still allows legal options in cases of gross negligence.

Spaceport America’s 10,000-foot runway is currently under construction in preparation for flights of SpaceShipTwo.  Since August 2009, Spaceport America has created almost 500 construction jobs in New Mexico, with more to come.

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Astronautics Giant Speaks Out

Astronautics giant Burt Rutan, whose name entered the household lexicon in the 80’s for designing and building Voyager, the first aircraft to fly around the world without refueling and most recently for the revolutionary SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo, the first, private spacecraft, has made a statement regarding what he feels was a misrepresentation by the Wall Street Journal of comments he made concerning the fate of NASA’s Constellation program. Constellation is the agency’s program to return humans to the moon and go beyond. But the President has proposed in his FY2011 budget to cancel it.

Here is Dr. Rutan’s statement followed by his letter to Congressman Wolf.

__________________________

Since the WSJ chose to cherry-pick and miss-quote my comments to Cong Wolf and since the blogs have taken that to further mischaracterized my comments, I am forwarding the Wolf memo in its entirety, in the hopes that some of this gets corrected. Some additional clarification of my thoughts follow:

My basic concern is that the real value of NASA’s contributions that America realized in the 60s and early 70s is now being completely discarded. How can we rationalize a surrender of our preeminence in human spaceflight? In my mind, the important NASA accomplishments are twofold: 1) The technical breakthroughs achieved by basic research (not by Development programs like Constellation) and 2) The Forefront Manned Exploration that provided the inspiration for our youth to plan careers in engineering/science and that established the U.S. as the world leader in technology.

In short, it is a good idea indeed for the commercial community to compete to re-supply the ISS and to bring about space access for the public to enjoy. I applaud the efforts of SpaceX, Virgin and Orbital in that regard and feel these activities should have been done at least two decades ago. However, I do not see the commercial companies taking Americans to Mars or to the moons of Saturn within my lifetime and I doubt if they will take the true Research risks (technical and financial) to fly new concepts that have low confidence of return on investment. Even NASA, regarded as our prime Research agency has not recently shown a willingness to fly true Research concepts.

For years I have stated that a NASA return-to-moon effort must include true Research content, i.e. testing new concepts needed to enable forefront Exploration beyond the moon. The current Ares/Orion does not do that. While I have been critical of Constellation for that reason, I do not think that NASA should ‘give up’ on manned spaceflight, just that they should be doing it while meeting the 1) or 2) criteria above.

Some have guessed that my recent comments are based on my overall displeasure with the Obama Administration. they are not; however it does seem that the best technical minds in U.S. industry are still striving to find HOW America can continue to be “exceptional”, while the Administration does not want America to BE “exceptional”.

Burt Rutan

__________________________

And now in its entirety, here is the letter from Dr. Rutan to Congressman Wolf.

Thomas M. Culligan
Congressional Appropriations Legislative Assistant
The Hon. Frank R. Wolf (VA-10)

Tom,

I occasionally banter with my friend, Mike Griffin on subjects that  include golf, the AGW scare and NASA policy.  After sending him my latest tirade, he shared with me his recent letter to you regarding taxpayer-funded space research.  I promised him that I would send you my thoughts on the debate, which follow:

From my past comments on NASA’s post-mid-70s manned space efficiencies/accomplishments, an observer might think that I would applaud a decision to turn this important responsibility over to commercial developers.  However, he would be wrong.

No question, it would be good to see commercial companies quickly succeed at orbital access and to take that capability beyond low earth orbit.  However, I am fearful that the commercial guys will fail; i.e. they will do little more in my remaining lifetime than NASA accomplished in 3.5 years with Gemini in the mid 1960s.  That would be a very big
mistake for America to make, as we move into an era of real competition in space exploration as well as risk the loss of our leadership in nearly every other technical discipline.

Mike Griffin’s excellent statement says it best; “I too want, in the strongest possible terms, to have government policies which serve to stimulate private development of space. But at the same time, I too am reluctant — with an analogy to instrument flying — to give up an airport where I know I can get in on the approach, for one where I might”.

What I would like to see is a decade or two of overlap – an initial push in the commercial arena of manned spaceflight (Development programs, not Research programs), while NASA flies risky new ideas (read, true Research programs, giving at least a chance of discovering an important new Breakthrough), and at the same time pushes the forefront of Exploration beyond the earth’s moon.

Imagine how much better America could motivate our youth if we were spending the billions of Stimulus Package money on making real progressin our efforts to someday colonize off the planet.

Two years after Neil and Buzz landed on the moon, America led the world in awarding PhDs in science/engineering/math.  Today we are not even on the first or second page and most of our University’s technical graduates take their skills back to their own countries to compete with us. The motivation of our youth is the most important thing we do for our nation’s long-term security and prosperity.  NASA’s role in that can be as critical as it was in the 60s if the taxpayers fund true Research and Exploration.

The attachment is a photo I took at the Shuttle STS-130 launch - Caption: “Reaction when told about the President’s NASA directive to abandon manned spaceflight”.

As always, I am ok with the distribution of my thoughts without limitation.

While I usually offer candid remarks at the drop of the hat, I am not interested in Congressional testimony, since under duress I occasionally have been known to blurt out the truth.  I have no interest in being in the same room with John Holdren….. Taking a line from a very old play: ”I must turn away, least I soil my hands with the blood of a fool”

Burt Rutan

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SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Preparing for Launch at Cape Canaveral

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle is now vertical at Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral. Following its mate to the transporter erector, Falcon 9 was rolled from the integration hangar to the launch pad where final checks of the pad hydraulic and pneumatic systems were completed.

Falcon 9 is undergoing a checkout of the critical flight connections including fuel, liquid oxygen, and gas pressure systems. Once all system interfaces are verified, the SpaceX launch team will execute a full tanking test of both first and second stages (wet dress) followed by a brief ~3.5 static fire of the first stage. SpaceX has not set specific dates for wet dress or static fire as schedule will be driven by the satisfactory completion of all test objectives and a thorough review of the data.

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Changing Horses in Mid Stream

The Obama Administration’s proposed cancellation of NASA’s Constellation program to take astronauts back to the moon and beyond has unleashed a firestorm of emotional debate. Scientists, astronauts, politicians, bloggers and the general public are all weighing in on this unexpected turnabout. If the Administration’s proposed 2011 budget is passed by the Congress, Constellation will be scrapped in favor of funding commercial providers taking astronauts to the International Space Station. The frontier of deep space will be abandoned.

Over the past year, SpaceTalkNOW has argued against NASA’s exclusivity in manned space flight and in favor of a symbiosis between civil and commercial sectors. That message remains unchanged. Private industry can and should take over low earth orbit, thereby leaving NASA to concentrate on deep space beginning with the moon. Obama’s proposed budget for 2011 gives a much-needed and overdue boost to commercial, human space flight, but it does not provide for balance. It makes a radical swing to the opposite end of the spectrum and leaves the country with no long-term goal. Instead of building a bridge to low earth orbit and the International Space Station from which we can launch into the rest of the solar system, the plan is building a bridge to no where. Low earth orbit is merely the foothold with which to propel us to our real destination: deep space. Yet the President’s plan would make it the destination.

What we’ve been presented with by pundits on both sides of the fallacious civil-versus-commercial human space flight argument is a false dichotomy: the assertion that it must be either one or the other when in fact a third option is available. And its an option that is almost painfully obvious.

Our goal as a nation should not be low earth orbit; it should be the frontier, which now begins at the moon. Exploration of our nearest neighbor in space and cultivating its rich and abundant set of natural resources will benefit all of mankind and create incalculable opportunities. That is a worthy goal for our national space program.

In support of that goal, the commercial sector should provide the necessary orbiting infrastructure including transport services, fuel delivery and storage, cargo delivery and warehousing, lodging and food service to name only a few.

It’s a simple concept: NASA serves as pathfinder, continuously pushing back the frontier, and the private sector follows behind, transforming each beachhead and supplying the needed materiel for the conquest of the next.

Some are arguing that the proposed budget supports human space flight to the frontier by creating more robotic, lunar precursor missions. But without the stated goal of sending people there, one can hardly argue that these are precursors at all. Without deep space as the stated and programatic goal of NASA, we’re left like the Spirit Mars Rover, spinning our wheels and going no where.

The President should reconsider his proposed budget. Leave in support for the private sector. Yes, increase spending for commercial crew, but also realize that it is not an either/or proposition. Civil and private sectors must work together, in tandem, and in support of deep space as our destination. Canceling Constellation removes the reason for a build up of commercial capability and makes about as much sense as funding a massive, new buggy whip industry.

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NASA Unveils Commercial Human Spaceflight Development Agreements and Announces $50 Million in Seed Funding for Commercial Crew

Washington, D.C., February 3, 2010 – At a National Press Club event to “introduce new commercial space pioneers,” the President’s Science Advisor John Holdren and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden yesterday praised the seven winning companies of NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) and Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) competitions.  This event followed the announcement on February 1 by the White House that NASA would use commercial spaceflight providers to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.

The President’s Science Advisor praised the “complementary strength between NASA and the private sector in order to make human access both to low-Earth orbit and beyond to deep space faster, safer and more affordable.”  NASA Administrator Bolden added that with regard to commercial spaceflight, “It’s not a new idea, but rather, an idea whose time has come.  The future is unfolding before us now, and it couldn’t be more exciting… Kids will be able to realistically envision a career that involves space, either going there or using it.”

Bretton Alexander, President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, added, “The President’s new commercial crew initiative is on course to accelerate the growth of a vibrant 21st century commercial spaceflight industry, creating thousands of high-tech jobs and inspiring a new generation.”

Executives from Sierra Nevada Corporation, Boeing, United Launch Alliance, Blue Origin, Orbital Sciences, Paragon Space Development Corporation, and SpaceX came to Washington DC to attend the event.  Introducing these seven companies and their executives at the press event, Administrator Bolden stated, “These are the faces of the new frontier… We will certainly be adding to this group in the near future.”

SpaceX and Orbital Sciences are the funded participants in NASA’s ongoing COTS program for commercial resupply of the Space Station, and Sierra Nevada Corporation, Boeing, United Launch Alliance, Blue Origin, and Paragon Space Development Corporation were awarded $50 million in seed money for commercial crew through the CCDev program, intended as the precursor to a full $6 billion Commercial Crew Program proposed by NASA.  Both the CCDev and COTS programs are commercially structured so that NASA pays only when performance milestones are met.

Alexander added, “To have a large and diverse group of companies present at today’s event, including both established contractors and newer entrants, emphasizes that U.S. industry is ready to handle the task of commercial human spaceflight.  Commercial spaceflight means growing an entire industry that will generate returns to our economy and allow America to stop sending billions of dollars to Russia to fly our astronauts.”

In addition to other companies that are developing commercial space vehicles, the seven companies featured in the press conference were:

• Sierra Nevada Corporation, which will receive $20 million in CCDev funds for development milestones for a seven-person spacecraft known as Dreamchaser which will launch on Atlas V.
• The Boeing Company, which will receive $18 million in CCDev funds for development milestones for a seven-person crew capsule for low Earth orbit transportation.  Boeing partnered with Bigelow Aerospace, which is developing a series of habitable orbital complexes with two prototypes already in orbit.
• United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin that operates the Atlas and Delta rockets, which will receive $6.7 million in milestone-based CCDev funds to begin developing an emergency detection system for ULA launch systems.
• Blue Origin, which will receive $3.7 million in milestone-based CCDev funds to develop a composite crew test module and a launch escape system for its commercial spaceflight vehicle.
• Orbital Sciences, which has been awarded $171 million in milestone-based COTS funds and received a follow-on contract for International Space Station missions, and is preparing its Taurus II rocket and Cygnus capsule for initial launches in 2011.
• Paragon Space Development Corporation, which will receive $1.4 million in milestone-based CCDev funds for the development of an air revitalization system for use in crewed spacecraft.
• SpaceX, which has been awarded $278 million in milestone-based COTS funds and received a follow-on contract for International Space Station missions, and is preparing its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule for initial launches this year.

About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation

The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry.  CSF member organizations include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, and spaceports.  The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is governed by a board of directors, composed of the member companies’ CEO-level officers and entrepreneurs. For more information please visit www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Executive Director John Gedmark at john@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.349.1121.

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SpaceX Completes Dragon Spacecraft Cargo Loading Milestone In Preparation For Delivery Services To International Space Station

Hawthorne, CA (February 03, 2010) – Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) recently conducted a three-day long demonstration of cargo loading and unloading procedures for its Dragon spacecraft, which NASA has contracted to provide delivery services to the International Space Station (ISS) starting in 2010.

SpaceX hosted a group of NASA personnel at its corporate headquarters in Hawthorne, CA, including astronauts Marsha Ivins and Megan McArthur, and other key personnel from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The tests covered a range of procedures using actual NASA cargo modules, in a variety of standard sizes, including powered cargo modules that provide temperature control for sensitive items such as medical and biological samples during their journey to the ISS, and return to Earth. Dragon is currently one of the only spacecraft in the world capable of transmitting status on environment-sensitive cargo back to Earth during transit to the ISS.

SpaceX performed the tests in an actual flight Dragon spacecraft outfitted with cargo racks, stowage lockers, as well as interior lighting, telemetry and environmental systems, as will be employed while Dragon is berthed at the ISS.

“SpaceX was honored to host the NASA crew, and pleased by their positive feedback and remarks,” said John Couluris, SpaceX Director of Mission Operations. “We look forward to the day when the first of many Dragons arrive at the ISS delivering actual cargo in support of continued ISS operations.”

Under NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, SpaceX will perform three flights of the Dragon spacecraft to demonstrate delivery of cargo to the ISS as well as returning cargo to Earth. Following those flights, SpaceX will begin the NASA Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract, conducting a minimum of 12 cargo flights between 2010 and 2015 with a guaranteed minimum of 20,000 kg to be carried to the ISS.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is a medium-to-heavy lift, two-stage launch vehicle capable of lifting approximately 11 tons to low Earth orbit (LEO) and in excess of 4.5 tons to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). Designed to the highest levels of reliability and performance, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft were selected by NASA to resupply the ISS when the Space Shuttle retires.

About SpaceX

SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles and spacecraft intended to increase the reliability and reduce the cost of both manned and unmanned space transportation, ultimately by a factor of ten. With the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 vehicles, SpaceX offers highly reliable/cost-efficient launch capabilities for spacecraft insertion into any orbital altitude and inclination. Starting in 2010, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will provide Earth-to-LEO transport of pressurized and unpressurized cargo, including resupply to the International Space Station.

Founded in 2002, SpaceX is a private company owned by management and employees, with minority investments from Founders Fund and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. The SpaceX team now numbers nearly 900, with corporate headquarters in Hawthorne, California. For more information about the Falcon family of vehicles and the Dragon spacecraft, please visit www.spacex.com

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Commercializing the International Space Station

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Director General, Jean-Jacques Dordain made a call last week urging the partners of the International Space Station to extend its life to “at least” 2020. “I am convinced that stopping the station in 2015 would be a mistake because we cannot attract the best scientists if we are telling them today ‘you are welcome on the space station but you’d better be quick, because in 2015 we close the shop’,” he said.

Dordain would like to see the US, Europe, Japan, Russia and Canada start talks aimed at finding ways to fund the station beyond that time frame, saying “The decision must be taken early enough to put the budget in place, to build the hardware necessary and to decide on which transportation policy we shall use between 2015 and 2020. There are lot of aspects to be discussed and if decisions are not taken by the end of this year – beginning of next year – it will become more and more difficult to have the approach under which we will exploit the space station.”

To decommission the International Space Station in 2015, 2020 or any other preset date flies in the face of logic. Anyone paying attention over last 11 years of its construction knows that it has been a very hard road getting the station assembled. More than once, narrow-minded politicians and technocrats have attempted to kill it. Thankfully, clearer heads prevailed and today we see it nearing completion, though in a smaller configuration than was originally envisioned.

But how do we save it if the funding is due to run out by 2015? Dordain suggests ways such as reducing the number of ground support stations that provide 24-hour support from four to two, but in the end, strategies like this will likely fail to produce substantial enough savings to make a real difference. The answer lies in commercialization.

Before going a step further, it’s important to point out that commercialization does not mean painting a huge Coca-Cola or Nike logo on the side of the station. That has not been suggested in any serious discussions.

A two-pronged approach could insure the longevity of the ISS not just beyond 2020 but indefinitely. The first step is to manage the station under a private space port authority. The second is to open it up to the private sector for fee-based use.

These are not new ideas. According to the ESA Commercialization Program (made defunct in 2006 as a result of dubious, internal politics), “The idea of commercialising the ISS was mentioned officially for the first time at the ESA Council meeting held in Brussels in May 1999, when Ministers asked ESA to prepare proposals to encourage the private sector to share in the use of the International Space Station.” This commercialization program was promoting the ideas of “private sector use of the ISS for research and development” and of “using part or all the ISS for sponsorship, merchandising and publicity to maximise revenues.”

In 2001 the Space Frontier Foundation forwarded the idea of turning the International Space Station – or Space Station Alpha as it was called then – into “Alpha Town.” The way they saw it, the station “would become the kernel of the first economically self sustaining town in orbit” and serve as the “financial and institutional hub of a business park.” And they suggested that once established, commercial ventures could be launched such as tug services; refueling depot services; derelict satellite salvage, refurbishment and resales; and hotel modules. All these things would “act to encourage private investment in space.” But still further, such a thriving “town” as they put it would constitute the critical, space-based infrastructure that is so desperately needed to lower the cost of not only getting into space but staying there.

And most recently the idea of turning the International Space Station over to the private sector was embraced by the Review of US Human Space Flight Plans Committee, also known as the Augustine Commission. It’s an idea whose time has come. Government agencies excel at research and development. In them should lie the mission of deep space. They are not suited to or set up for the job of landlord. That task should be left to the commercial sector. It is where they excel.

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A New Decade and Infinite Possibilities

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The outset of the last decade was met by a mixed sense of hope and dread. Some of us were convinced that the world as we knew it, our transportation, our communication, our energy, the bulk of our infrastructure then (as it is now) controlled by computers, would fall victim to the ever-publicized Y2K bug and come crashing down around our ears. The Dot-Com bubble was at its peak as venture capital continued to pour into and feed an explosion of commercial growth in the Internet. That bubble would burst by March, however, with an estimated loss of $5 Trillion in market value. Still, things stabilized after a time of adjustments.

Before the close of 2000, the Human Genome Project produces the first available assembly of the genome, promising quantum leaps in medicine; Expedition 1 moves in as the first resident crew of the International Space Station, a US-lead, international effort in new space-based research and promising advances in medical and materials technology and serving as a beach head for all other points in the solar system; And as California suffers the first of two years of rolling blackouts and the notorious ILOVEYOU computer worm tears its way through millions of computers worldwide, NASA prepares for another series of Mars launches including Mars Odyssey, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Phoenix Mars Lander. Clearly, the emphasis at this point is Mars. Among the policy makers at the agency, it’s taken for granted that our nearest neighbor in space, the moon, is nothing more than a celestial backwater, a dead end not worthy of any serious consideration or funding for human exploration, and lunar robotic space flight is all but completely stymied by a mars-centric culture. In the decade of the aughts, missions to the moon flown by non-US entities outnumber NASA’s by 2 to 1. Within NASA, missions to Mars outnumber those to the moon by 3 to 1. During that entire ten-year period, NASA sent only 2 spacecraft – arguably but a single mission since they flew literally on the same rocket and shared many objectives.

But oh what a difference a single decade makes. The day we entered Y2K America’s only space transportation system was a space shuttle that had proven itself far less capable and safe than the capsule-based system it replaced, leaving humans stranded in the purgatory of low earth orbit; the idea of commercial human spaceflight – the vehicle through which we would finally realize the painfully elusive goal of affordable access to orbit – was barely a dream; and we still operated under the delusive notion that water – critical for making any manned, off-earth venture affordable – found in the lunar rock samples gathered by Apollo astronauts was mere contamination from earth. On that day the machines, infrastructure and vision for establishing a permanent human presence on another world were no nearer our grasp than they were at the outset of the space age four decades earlier. The wheels of progress in space had gotten hopelessly bogged down. But today? Today is a very different day.

We enter this new decade vastly better equipped than the last. The dust of ignorance has been wiped from our eyes, and we can clearly see a fact that, in one fell swoop, brings within our reach the permanent human settlement in space that once evaded us: the moon is not the barren wasteland it was once believed to be. We can indeed live off the land, as it were, because we now know it to harbor the raw materials we need. The lunar surface contains ample amounts of water for drinking and for conversion into air for breathing. This singular and very recent discovery was a game-changing event! It meant that the round-trip travel time between earth and our first outpost could be placed at 6 days rather than the year it would be for Mars; a fact that, in turn, enabled the commercial sector to participate. And it is the commercial sector that is key to sustaining human space flight, because it reduces the cost so dramatically.

Space travel is no longer the one-dimensional construct it was. The emergence of commercial human space flight brings with it the financial and technological agility so desperately needed for the advancement of human exploration as a whole. The civil and commercial human space flight sectors work increasingly in concert to achieve, together, our new goals in space.

And with new goals have come a change in the technology we’ll use to carry them out. In an ironic turn of events, the space shuttle is being supplanted by a much-advanced version of its predecessor, the capsule. Even neglecting the glaring deficiencies in safety suffered by the shuttle, it’s a change that had to occur since the shuttle is unable to travel to the moon or any place else in the solar system. It was never designed for such a flight.

Both NASA and the private sector now have their own designs for a capsule. And despite what you may have read, they are not mutually exclusive nor will they compete with one another. Each has a distinct and important mission.

NASA is building the Orion and Altair spacecraft. Similar in concept to the Apollo Command Module but with greatly advanced systems  and double the crew capacity, Orion is designed as an interplanetary transport. It will carry astronauts from earth orbit  to the moon and beyond. Once it reaches its destination, the crew will transfer to and descend to the lunar surface via Altair, itself conceptually similar to the Apollo Lunar Module but also with pronounced advancements over its predecessor. Together these vehicles comprise the next-generation deep space exploration system. Their point of departure is earth orbit, but how do they get from the surface to orbit? That’s where the commercial sector comes in.

A company based in Hawthorne, California named SpaceX is taking up the task of producing the vehicle that can carry both cargo and crew to orbit. Its Founder and CEO Elon Musk, who also co-founded Paypal, has long carried a deep passion for human space flight and realized the importance of reducing its cost. Using his own money, he began developing the Falcon series of rockets as well as a companion spacecraft called Dragon. After several successful flights of the smaller Falcon 1 rocket, SpaceX is now preparing for the maiden launch of its Falcon 9, which will go on to regularly deliver cargo to the International Space Station and has the ability to carry crew as well when NASA gives its approval to begin development of the additional systems for Dragon necessary to support humans, such as the crew escape system.

Here for the first time we see civil and commercial space working together, providing different but complimentary systems that support the overarching goal of putting people on another world. The private sector provides transport to earth orbit and the logistical support surrounding that leg, and the civil sector provides the advanced systems needed for crew transport to the final planetary destination. It’s a beautiful symmetry.

So now that we’ve turned our sights to the moon, now what? Exactly what regions of the moon are we to explore first? And what will be the basic needs to be met for such an outpost?

Recent discoveries have uncovered water in prodigious amounts both in and around the Cabeus crater at the lunar south pole. Extraction of that water from within the interior of Cabeus and surrounding craters presents technological challenges we’ve not yet faced. First is the simple matter of descending into a crater. It’s never been done, so it will be necessary to develop new — or modify currently-existing, earth-based — technology to perform that task. Second is the extremely cold temperatures to be found inside the craters. At approximately -370 degrees fahrenheit (-223 degrees Celsius), they are the coldest regions we have yet to encounter in the solar system. Fortunately, however, we can get our feet wet (pun intended) on the simpler task of extracting water from the much more accessible and warmer areas near the crater rims.

But there may be an alternative — or additional, depending on how you look at it — source of lunar water. Less than three months ago, the Japanese Kaguya spacecraft took the first picture of what’s been termed a “skylight.” Having long been suspected by lunar scientists as a fairly common structure on the moon, a skylight is an opening to a lava tube. Vulcanism on the moon died out billions of years ago, so these tubes have spent the intervening eons vacant and hollow. In places, their roofs have collapsed, exposing the interior, and it may be possible that the same mechanism that deposits water into the cold traps within craters in the lunar polar regions has also left water here. Possible advantages provided by skylights are that they can be found at much lower latitudes, lending to better line-of-sight communications with earth, and that they could serve as natural shelters against solar storms, which can deliver intense doses of radiation.

As important as water and oxygen to the outpost will be power. Given that a single lunar night lasts for two weeks, solar cells are clearly not a viable source of energy; therefore, nuclear power is a must. Already NASA is working on the development of such a system, along with new building construction techniques, lunar surface vehicles for transporting astronauts between them, and many other technologies that will be necessary for sustaining a lunar outpost leading to a settlement. And here again, the commercial sector will be capable of providing logistical support, thereby reducing cost in much the same way it does with arctic bases on earth. As that commercial presence in space increases, so does the demand for jobs. Speaking in relative terms, we’re headed for a population explosion in space, made possible by a hand full of dreamers, of bold entrepreneurs willing to put their hard-earned fortunes at risk to realize the dream of a multi-world civilization all of us have imagined for so many decades.

As with previous decades, we enter this one with the same mixture of hope and dread. We’ll have our times of difficulties and adjustments, but we also have one thing that previous times failed to produce: a real shot at the final frontier — not just for an elite few, but for the common man. Recent discoveries, unparalleled relationships forming between public and private sectors and a change of destinations would all seem to signal the next chapter in history. We’ve opened a new decade, plotted a new course, and the possibilities are infinite.

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Gateway to the Future

Commercial space flight took yet another leap forward yesterday with the groundbreaking of the world’s first purpose-built, commercial spaceport. The New Mexico Spaceport Authority has begun construction of Spaceport America in Upham, New Mexico near Las Cruces. 

Will Whitehorn, president of our world’s first spaceline Virgin Galactic, was at the ceremony and said,“The groundbreaking is an enormous milestone for Virgin Galactic which is investing over $300 million in developing a new space launch system, which will operate at Spaceport America after it opens. Today’s event clearly signals the birth of a new commercial age in space and is a proud moment for the vision and foresight of both the people and government of the state of New Mexico.”

 

 

What this means for you and I is that we’re a step closer to low-cost access to space. When Spaceport America opens, they’ll become the next element in a growing infrastructure built around the premise of space flight for everyone. From that infrastructure will come commerce and industry. Space and the opportunities it brings are our future, and the facilities they’re building their in the desert are a gateway to that future.

The 300+ people who have already purchased tickets to fly into space will be traveling to Upham where they’ll begin their own, personal journey to a place few humans have seen. They’ll take in a view of our planet once reserved for an elite few. And now, even before the first flight has left the ground, there is talk of reductions in ticket prices up to 75%. Will you be next?

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You Can Almost Taste The Rocket Exhaust, Now

You can almost taste the rocket exhaust now from SpaceShipTwo climbing into black sky. The day when your primary piece of equipment for getting into space as a private citizen was a time machine has passed. Today, the countdown clock ticked once more forward towards blast off, carrying a group of civilians on the grandest of all adventures.

Virgin Galactic announced only hours ago the successful completion of the first phase of tests of the hybrid Nitrous Oxide rocket motor that will make up the main propulsion system for SpaceShipTwo. A fleet of these vehicles is being built for delivery to the company where they’ll soon begin regular service at Spaceport America in Las Cruces, New Mexico as the planet’s premier spaceline. The motor is the largest of its kind and will propel the Ship and its passengers to 2500 mph and heights over 65 miles.

Company founder Sir Richard Branson said, “As Virgin Galactic gets ever closer to the start of commercial operations, we are reaching and passing many important and historic milestones. The Virgin MotherShip (VMS) Eve, the first of our amazing, all carbon composite, high altitude WhiteKnightTwo launch vehicles, is flying superbly. SpaceShipTwo, which will air launch from Eve, is largely constructed and awaiting the start of its own test flight programme later this year.”

The first space ship to role off the assembly line will be named Enterprise after the ship in Star Trek, but that’s where the connection to science fiction ends. Construction is happening today… now! You have a front row seat to the most stupendous historical event ever. We’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s to come. As Branson puts it, “…space is on the cusp of a new industrial revolution.” And the opportunities that are sure to present themselves are limitless. We have reason to be more excited about space now than ever before. When the reality of space travel for the common man settles into our collective consciousness, when we see for ourselves that space is no longer the exclusive domain of an elite few, it will set off a wave of energy to make the enthusiasm of the Apollo era pale in comparison.

You can watch a movie of the test on the Virgin Galactic website: www.virgingalactic.com.

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A Commercial Repair Solution for Hubble

Senior project scientist for the Hubble space telescope, David Leckrone, publicly spoke out against the agency last week for what he feels is a loss of engineering expertise in the servicing of space-based instruments. His sentiment stems from the fact that the shuttle is being retired. He feels that without the shuttle, instruments like Hubble are doomed, having told the Washington Post that, “There is no person out there, there is no leadership out there, there is no vision out there to pick up the baton that we’re about to hand off and to carry it forward.” Given Dr. Leckrones position and his reputation as a “superman” of science, it’s a surprisingly myopic view of the state of affairs and bespeaks of the same ’space equals NASA’ mentality for which this blog was created to dispel. The shuttle was but one engineering solution to repairing and refurbishing Hubble. It is neither the only nor the ideal solution. There are others, which could service Hubble and other spaceborne instruments more efficiently and cost-effectively than a shuttle.

The United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has already demonstrated the technology for autonomous servicing of satellites in space. In 2007, they launched the Orbital Express mission consisting of two satellites: a “servicing” satellite and a “client” satellite. The servicing satellite was able to locate, maneuver around, rendezvous and dock with the client satellite. It performed a visual inspection of the entire client spacecraft using a video camera mounted on a light-weight, robotic arm. It then set about refueling to the client. And as if those two history-making maneuvers weren’t enough, it was also able to replace batteries and computers on the client. And all of this was performed with complete autonomy. Imagine that: One spacecraft docked with and completely repaired another. Of course, the two were designed with common interfaces and any spacecraft attempting to service spaceborne instruments would necessarily have to carry this same design consideration. But this is hardly a show-stopper. In the case of Hubble, we have an instrument that’s already flying. A servicer would have to incorporate into its design those specific interfaces; again, very do-able and likely with a price tag far less than a shuttle mission. With a technology transfer from that program to the private sector, a commercial solution could be made available with great cost savings.

The shuttle’s space-plane design is not a necessary component for servicing Hubble or anything else. A capsule-based architecture like that of the shuttle’s successor Orion can also do the job. NASA spokesman Grey Hautaluoma stated that, “There is nothing about the [Orion] architecture that would preclude satellite rescue work,” and former Administrator Michael Griffin has also said that Orion will be capable of a servicing mission. The problem there is that Orion may not be available for a mission like this for another decade, perhaps more, but there is another solution: a commercial, manned mission. SpaceX is in the advanced stages of flight testing for its Dragon spacecraft that could do the job. Given the opportunity and CEO Elon Musk’s stated desire to become more involved with manned space flight, it is very likely they could deliver a commercial solution with significant economy.

By its very nature, repair work is a natural fit for the private sector. It requires the standardization of all processes, hardware and software, which industry handles with more proficiency and fiscal agility than NASA, which is by its nature is a research and development organization. Make no mistake, there is a broad distinction between operations (which include repair) and R&D. Whereas operations relies upon standardization and repetition, R&D seeks the unique solution to what is at the time a unique problem: getting people to Mars for the first time is a good example. With operations and R&D, each has its place, but if you’re seeking economy, unique solutions and the large-scale development programs that they require, are not your goal. And for the first time, private industry is in the position to offer repair solutions. Organizations like that of Hubble should open their eyes to this fact. 

The bottom line is that shuttle is history. In my view, its retirement can’t come soon enough. It was a white elephant from the beginning, never having delivered on its promises of a quick flight turn-around and cost savings over its expendable predecessors. In the end, it was too expensive both in terms of money and human lives. Add to that the fact that it could never fly higher than low earth orbit — and thus is useless for moon and Mars missions — and it becomes painfully obvious that we desperately need a new system. In both its NASA and commercial forms, the architecture of that new system will be capsule-based. And why not? It proved itself safe and reliable time and again with Apollo. It even served as the basis for the US’s first space station: Skylab. SpaceX was wise to choose it, and once their systems reach even a modest level of maturity, the number of missions of which they are ultimately capable will open many doors to many as yet unforeseen opportunities in space. In the meantime, a commercial repair solution for Hubble and follow-on missions like the James Webb Space Telescope still makes the most sense.

 

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The Last Test Flight of SpaceShipOne

“The next twenty five years is going to be a wild ride” — Burt Rutan

I wrote the following article back in 2004 after watching the final test flight of SpaceShipOne, which led up to the two Ansari X Prize flights. Originally published in the Space Operations Communicator journal, I’m re-posting it here for your enjoyment.

You’ll find the account of this flight to be completely free of the media misinformation and half truths that surrounded the event at the time.

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In the predawn hours of Monday, June 21st, the media begins to assemble by the hundreds along the edge of the taxiway for runway 30. SpaceShipOne, slung underneath the belly of its turbojet carrier aircraft White Night, is being prepared for its historic flight to become the world’s first commercial spacecraft. Less than a week after the FAA formally granted the license to establish the Mojave Airport as a commercial spaceport, throngs of spectators estimated to number near 50,000 watch and wait as the sun slowly begins to peak above the mountains in the distance. There’s an almost palpable feeling of optimism and hope hanging in the desert air soon be broken by jet wash.

The weather on this launch day is “VFR to the moon” in pilots’ jargon. Visibility is unlimited; winds are light and out of the south. On the public address system, Copeland’s Rodeo plays, lending to the feeling that this is the wild west of space history that is unfolding. One could not help but reflect back on the earliest days of aviation – ca 1908 – when there were, as Burt Rutan put it the day before, “…only ten people who had flown. And something phenomenal happened in four years. In just those four years, and in 39 countries, there were now hundreds of new types of airplanes, and there were thousands of pilots. They did barnstorming. Then they had mail planes, warplanes and airliners. But can you imagine that in only four years something had sprung up from nothing, and all of that happened?”

Scanning the faces of the many people who had turned out to witness today’s flight, it’s easy to see the, “…enormous pent up hunger to fly in space” as Burt put it. This may be only the beginning of a more sustained, private effort to include the common man in space travel and exploration. Even now there are companies like Mojave-based XCOR Aerospace who are poised to take up the challenge of developing a “revenue generating” flight program, says its CEO Jeff Greason.

13:47 Zulu and T minus 63 minutes. With a temporary airspace restriction in place, the White Knight-SpaceShipOne mated pair has taxied into position on runway 30. As it passed the media and VIP areas, cheers began to erupt in support. Those cameramen of the press not lucky enough to have secured one of the limited spaces on a riser or bleacher dodge one another in an attempt to get just one more photo before takeoff. Everyone here, including the Civil Air Patrol cadets assigned to crowd control and local law enforcement, is riveted to the scene. With only a short pause, White Knight throttles up and roars down the runway. Now airborne, it begins its hour-long climb to 47,000 feet.

Only minutes before, three chase planes took off and are circling the airport, each waiting its tu

rn as escort for its assigned altitude range. For low altitude chase, pilots Coleman and Bird are flying an Extra. High chase is covered by pilots Karkow and Scherer in a Beechcraft Starship and by pilots Van der Schueren and Johnson in a Dassault Dornier Alpha Jet. When WN-SS1 reaches the altitude of the chase planes, the formation takes up positions around it and the group began its ascent in a slow, upward spiral around the spaceport.

14:33 Zulu and T minus 17 minutes. By now Brian Binnie, pilot for White Knight, is reading off the pre-launch checklist for SpaceShipOne, and Mike is setting his trim. Also around this time, an announcement is made over the public address system that transmissions to and from the space vehicle are being impeded. Apparently someone on the ground is using a portable aviation transceiver, has found and tuned to the unpublished frequency for this mission, and has a stuck mic.

14:43 Zulu and T minus 7 minutes. The announcement has just come that Spaceport Mojave has given clearance to land. Before SpaceShipOne can be launched, it must be known that all is clear for an unobstructed landing to be made. And there comes the word… “Go for light!”

14:50 Zulu and T minus 0. Matt Stinemetze, flight engineer for White Knight, releases the space ship. As Mike drops off, he hits the arm switch and lights his hybrid rocket motor. Immediately he’s experiencing 3 Gs, “eyeballs on” and SpaceShipOne begins to execute a non-commanded snap roll 90 degrees left. In response, Mike stomps on the rudder and regains a wings level attitude. Next stop: space.

Late in the boost phase, Mike has lost the primary pitch trim. In this regime, it’s no longer possible to fly the spacecraft using the stick; trajectory is now controlled by use of the redundant pitch and roll trim mechanisms. With the primary pitch trim inoperable, the backup takes over, but Mike still has no use of it, so he’s flying with the trim settings he has. Now, however, he’s forced to deviate from the planned trajectory. The apogee is going to be lower than expected.

The motor has burned out now at 180,000 feet. Mike is coasting up to apogee. He’s spending the next three and a half minutes weightless, so he’s decided to have a little fun the experience. And why not? Having feathered the wing to maintain alignment of the spacecraft without pilot input and with nothing to do for the next few minutes, he’s taken out a bag of M&Ms and let go of a hand full in front of his face. Sure enough… they float. Now, with the curvature of the earth clearly visible outside the windows, and despite the control system anomaly – the most serious flight test anomaly so far – he’s done it. In what he later describes as an, “…almost religious experience”, he’s passed the threshold by 407 feet and has made it into space. Lacking enough velocity to achieve orbit, gravity take its toll, however, and after what must have seemed an all- too-short space flight, he’s beginning to fall back to earth. Now the pucker factor ramps up in a hurry. He knows he’s got to head back to the spaceport as fast as he can. Already, the control system anomaly on the way up means that he’s going to re-enter south of the intended recovery point. With a little luck, it’ll still be well within his vehicles glide capability.

14:55 Zulu and T plus 5 minutes. Now in the descent phase, the spacecraft has accelerated to Mach 2.9, and Mike is exceeding 5 Gs. At this speed, he’s really, “hauling the mail!” As he descends deeper into the atmosphere and the air becomes thicker, the spacecraft is being buffeted harder. The kinds of sounds coming through the vehicle are a bit unsettling. Then, all of a sudden, a loud bang! But there seems to be no affect on the handling. Whatever it was, it doesn’t look as if it was a critical system. Still, can’t help but be a little worried.

Descending now through 57,000 feet, and Mike de-feathers the wing, converting SpaceShipOne into a glider. It’s going to be a long 20 minutes from this point to reach the spaceport and return to the same runway from which he took off.

15:01 Zulu and T plus 11 minutes. The announcement has come over the public address system that Mike is at 31,000 feet. He reports, “…a good visual on the airport.”

15:06 Zulu and T plus 16 minutes. The word everyone has been waiting for arrives: confirmation that Mike has made it above 100 km. “We did it! Mission accomplished.”

Burt Rutan and Paul Allen have left mission control and are standing on the tarmac shading their eyes from the sun, looking down the approach end of the runway. A few more moments pass as they strain to catch the first glimpse of SpaceShipOne on final approach. And there it is… coming in fast with the Extra off its right wing. Over the numbers and Mike pulls back slightly on the stick to enter the landing flare. First the main gear touch down. Then, slowly, the nose begins to drop until its skid makes contact. Cheers and applause erupt yet again as this newest of space vehicles rolls to a stop.

Meanwhile, it’s taken White Knight slightly longer than its payload to return to the spaceport. As SpaceShipOne is being hooked up behind the tow vehicle, White Knight descends for a low, victory pass over the runway. Before reaching the end, it pulls up sharply and banks left. Without the extra mass hanging below its fuselage, it’s amazingly agile. In seconds, it’s out of sight. A minute or two later, it’s back; this time, with the other two chase planes. The trio flies in formation for a final pass over the spaceport. All around, faces are smiling, and a few heads are shaking in amazement as it begins to sink in. Wow. They actually did it.

Coming up the taxiway is a white, Ford pickup truck, and behind it is SpaceShipOne securely in tow. As he passes, Mike waves out of the open porthole, grinning from ear to ear. Tow vehicle and space ship come to a halt, and with the hatch now open, Mike jumps out to be greeted with hugs and handshakes, and you could swear he’s walking a foot off the ground. Burt later admits that he’s glad he resisted the suggestion to have a mic there to record the first words spoken. The emotion is so strong that the moment is best left private. But we can all imagine the kinds of words being exchanged. It’s taken these brave men of uncommon vision years of hard work and commitment, and of the proverbial “blood, sweat and tears” to reach this moment. From the beginning, it’s been a gamble. Burt told the press on the day before launch, “We stuck our necks out a mile by developing an in-house motor.” Unable to buy one suitable enough for their specifications, they were left with little choice. But the gambles all paid off. Now, in front of the world, Burt, Paul and Mike stand shoulder-to-shoulder and extend their thumbs up.

This was not a nominal test flight, however. Work lies ahead to determine why there was a control system anomaly. Before they can move on to the X-Prize flights, the cause of the anomaly must be found and fixed. Also, the question of whether Mike shut down the motor or it shutdown on its own remains unanswered. Still, there were some spectacular successes today. The apogee is on the record as being 328,491 feet. There’s no question about it. They achieved what they set out to achieve with this test flight. On hand are representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and from the Guinness Book of Records. The FAA awards Mike the world’s first pair of commercial astronaut wings, and to the team, Guinness presents a certificate for the first ever, privately-funded, manned space fight.

The loud bang Mike heard turned out to be thermal buckling in the motor’s nozzle faring. In order to decrease drag by another three to four percent, it was installed the first time for this flight. The buckling (seen as a dent just below the nozzle) was never a risk to the spacecraft. Burt reports that, “The nozzle would not hurt the airplane if it fell off.” And indeed there were, “No issues at all with the motor.” The faring is a minor issue.

There’s little doubt in anyone’s mind that SpaceShipOne is going on to make the X-Prize flights. And if the Scaled-Vulcan team wins, what comes next? Understandably, Burt is very tight lipped about future plans: A sound strategy. But he did manage to drop us a little hint when he said at the pre-flight press conference that, “We’re going to orbit sooner than you think.” If Burt does have his sights set on an orbital vehicle, it’s sure that he will not stop until he realizes that goal.

For now, we can all take great satisfaction in the certainty that a new era has begun. If you doubt that, Administrator Stu Witt has a few words for you: “Mojave Spaceport is now open for business.”

………………………………………….

Update!

In a telephone interview with Wired magazine on July 6, Burt Rutan said that the control system anomaly has been resolved. The source of the problem was an actuator that delayed moving one of the flaps because it “had run against a stop,” limiting its movement. The glitch helped push the spacecraft off course. Burt went on to say that they have new information on the source of another anomaly. Mike Melvill’s initial feeling that it was not his input that caused the spacecraft to roll left after engine light was correct. The unexpected roll was caused by wind sheer.

In interview with US news network MSNBC, Mike revealed new information on the source of the loud bang he heard during the flight. He stated that it was caused when a chunk of solid fuel jammed the rocket nozzle for a split second before the pressure built up and expelled the chunk. “It was something weird we hadn’t seen happen with that rocket motor.” The most exciting news, however, came when he announced that they plan on trying for the X-Prize flights toward the end of September this year!

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