From MLive: Letter: We should not punish U.S. space program for its successes
"Where's Spring Arbor?" a stranger will ask me. I'll reply, "It's a friendly small town with a big church in southern Michigan," and I might add it's in Jackson County. As a native Spring Arborite, I'm accustomed to community.
As I write this, I find myself in a the very different community of planetary scientists gathered at the weeklong 43rd annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston. "Exhaustingly thrilling" summarizes my feelings of attending talks and rubbing shoulders with high-ranking NASA officials and high-powered scientists who control spacecraft scattered over tens of millions of miles in the solar system. I'm still a peon with my hot-off-the-press master's degree in the geology of Mars from Temple University in Philadelphia, though I'm about to start a Ph.D on the same topic at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
The atmosphere here this year is rather tense as President Obama's budget for NASA for next year contains a 20 percent cut to planetary science in general and Mars exploration in particular, even though NASA's budget is about flat from last year. The proposed 20 percent cut represents about $300 million, but it's so strange that it's targeted at planetary science, which is the most productive and successful of all NASA's programs in light of discoveries such as water currently flowing on Mars, colder-than-the-Upper-Peninsula lakes of liquid methane on Saturn's moon Titan, and the launch of spacecraft like the new Mars rover Curiosity (landing Aug. 6) and the new Jupiter orbiter Juno. Are we being punished for our success?
Michigan's economic ties to the space program are only slight, but we native Michiganders have more to gain than jobs. In fact, all citizens of Earth have intellectual, artistic, and even spiritual wealth to gain from a robust program of affordable space exploration, even in this austere budgetary climate. Doing or not doing exciting science isn't like flipping a light switch: It takes years to build up intellectual and technological capability, often in the form of investing in graduate students such as myself. Losing such capability, unfortunately, can be a much more speedy processes.
Candidly, I hope this will inspire some of you to write or visit Rep. Tim Walberg as well as senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, regardless of your political party. You can visit with Walberg's staff at 800 W. Ganson St. in Jackson; Levin's staff at 124 W Allegan St # 1810, Lansing; and Stabenow's staff at 221 W Lake Lansing Road #100, East Lansing.
The message to deliver? Fund the 2013 planetary science budget at 2012 levels! Learn more at planetary.org.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
In space, everyone can hear you innovate: Neil deGrasse Tyson on the benefits of space exploration
From CBC Books: In space, everyone can hear you innovate: Neil deGrasse Tyson on the benefits of space exploration
If asked to name a famous scientist, most people would be hard-pressed to come up with anyone besides Stephen Hawking. But astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson might be giving him a run for his money. After all, how many scientists are regular guests on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show? How many astrophysicists guest star on sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory? Or dramas like Stargate Atlantis? Or tour the TV talk show circuit? In fact, Dr. Tyson, who is the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History in New York, has become the "face of space" in a way that has probably only been equalled by the much-missed Carl Sagan.
Tyson spoke with Quirks & Quarks host Bob McDonald over the weekend about his new book Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier in which he makes the case for a new age of space exploration.
So why (aside from his job) does Tyson think that space exploration is so important? "I wouldn't have known what to say about how important space exploration is if we didn't already have evidence of how important it once was," said Tyson. He cites the golden age of space exploration in the 1960s, in which the Apollo race to the moon took place amid one of the most turbulent decades the United States has ever faced. "We were fighting a Cold War with the Soviet Union, and a hot war in Southeast Asia. That was a bleak decade.
Meanwhile, people are still dreaming about tomorrow, they're thinking about what a new world might be," he said. "All this is going on while we're going to the moon, a historically unreachable goal...if you can go to the moon, you can probably do anything. Well, we went to the moon and all of the science and technology trappings that accomplishing that feat could bring became part of our expectations of the future of our nation."
But what is space travel good for, other than inspiration regarding what the human race can accomplish? "When you innovate, you pump an ecomony like no other force of nature can," Tyson said. In the '60s, the American space program was driven almost entirely by competition with the Soviet Union. "War is the number one driver of the expenditure of human capital in the history of the world. Once you understand that about the Apollo program, it's obvious why we didn't continue on to Mars."
But Tyson doesn't want an international threat or conflict to be the driver for going back into space. "The way to do it is to recognize how it can pump and stoke an economy. And if you're not seduced by the urge to discover, I'm not going to twist your arm," he said. "But I will tell you that if you don't discover, you are mortgaging the future of your country and its financial health. Because you're not embracing the force that innovations bring to the economy."
In his book, Tyson talks about a trickle-down effect of investing in space exploration - all the designers and scientists and engineers and manufacturers whose abilities would be called upon. But there are many areas of research that arguably could be more beneficial to life on this planet: sustainable technologies or medicine, for example. But Tyson doesn't see space exploration as taking away from those other industries. "That's a common reaction that people have who aren't enamoured with space travel and want to keep that innovative money here on Earth," he said. "But that assumes that the most innovative solutions to problems happen when you throw money at them, which is almost never the case. I assert that if our nation goes to space in a big way, and innovates in a big way, we create a culture of innovation."
If asked to name a famous scientist, most people would be hard-pressed to come up with anyone besides Stephen Hawking. But astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson might be giving him a run for his money. After all, how many scientists are regular guests on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show? How many astrophysicists guest star on sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory? Or dramas like Stargate Atlantis? Or tour the TV talk show circuit? In fact, Dr. Tyson, who is the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History in New York, has become the "face of space" in a way that has probably only been equalled by the much-missed Carl Sagan.
Tyson spoke with Quirks & Quarks host Bob McDonald over the weekend about his new book Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier in which he makes the case for a new age of space exploration.
So why (aside from his job) does Tyson think that space exploration is so important? "I wouldn't have known what to say about how important space exploration is if we didn't already have evidence of how important it once was," said Tyson. He cites the golden age of space exploration in the 1960s, in which the Apollo race to the moon took place amid one of the most turbulent decades the United States has ever faced. "We were fighting a Cold War with the Soviet Union, and a hot war in Southeast Asia. That was a bleak decade.
Meanwhile, people are still dreaming about tomorrow, they're thinking about what a new world might be," he said. "All this is going on while we're going to the moon, a historically unreachable goal...if you can go to the moon, you can probably do anything. Well, we went to the moon and all of the science and technology trappings that accomplishing that feat could bring became part of our expectations of the future of our nation."
But what is space travel good for, other than inspiration regarding what the human race can accomplish? "When you innovate, you pump an ecomony like no other force of nature can," Tyson said. In the '60s, the American space program was driven almost entirely by competition with the Soviet Union. "War is the number one driver of the expenditure of human capital in the history of the world. Once you understand that about the Apollo program, it's obvious why we didn't continue on to Mars."
But Tyson doesn't want an international threat or conflict to be the driver for going back into space. "The way to do it is to recognize how it can pump and stoke an economy. And if you're not seduced by the urge to discover, I'm not going to twist your arm," he said. "But I will tell you that if you don't discover, you are mortgaging the future of your country and its financial health. Because you're not embracing the force that innovations bring to the economy."
In his book, Tyson talks about a trickle-down effect of investing in space exploration - all the designers and scientists and engineers and manufacturers whose abilities would be called upon. But there are many areas of research that arguably could be more beneficial to life on this planet: sustainable technologies or medicine, for example. But Tyson doesn't see space exploration as taking away from those other industries. "That's a common reaction that people have who aren't enamoured with space travel and want to keep that innovative money here on Earth," he said. "But that assumes that the most innovative solutions to problems happen when you throw money at them, which is almost never the case. I assert that if our nation goes to space in a big way, and innovates in a big way, we create a culture of innovation."
Monday, March 26, 2012
Indiana: Purdue to explore future of human spaceflight and exploration at annual conference
From the Daily Reporter: Purdue to explore future of human spaceflight and exploration at annual conference
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A Purdue student group will explore the future of human spaceflight and exploration with experts from private aerospace companies at its annual conference.
The Spring Space Forum on Thursday (March 29) will include the director of Lockheed Martin's human spaceflight programs, the director of ATK's advanced launch systems and two retired astronauts now involved with aerospace missions operations. The school's Students for the Exploration and Development of Space chapter sponsors the annual event. This year, they paired with NASA to attract speakers.
After each speaker, a panel of space experts will lead audience members in a question-and-answer session.
The forum will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Purdue's campus and is free and open to the public. A live stream will also be made available.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A Purdue student group will explore the future of human spaceflight and exploration with experts from private aerospace companies at its annual conference.
The Spring Space Forum on Thursday (March 29) will include the director of Lockheed Martin's human spaceflight programs, the director of ATK's advanced launch systems and two retired astronauts now involved with aerospace missions operations. The school's Students for the Exploration and Development of Space chapter sponsors the annual event. This year, they paired with NASA to attract speakers.
After each speaker, a panel of space experts will lead audience members in a question-and-answer session.
The forum will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Purdue's campus and is free and open to the public. A live stream will also be made available.
UW's Tony Irving is the go-to man in the red-hot world of meteorites
From the Seattle Times: UW's Tony Irving is the go-to man in the red-hot world of meteorites
A chance meeting between a pair of treasure-hunting brothers and a geology professor affiliated with University of Washington has led to the discovery of some the most extraordinary and valuable meteorites in history.
Long before he met the wealthy brothers, before he traveled to Morocco and received extraterrestrial nuggets in FedEx packages, Tony Irving got to touch the moon.
The Australian-born geochemist affiliated with the University of Washington spent his early career working with lunar fragments from the Apollo missions. Then, life being what it is, he returned to studying earthly matters — rocks that rise from the planet's mantle during volcanic eruptions. But a chance meeting brought him full-circle.
In the late 1990s, two adventurous computer entrepreneurs with a passion for metal-detecting and gold-panning brought Irving a strange rock. They thought they'd stumbled upon material from space.
They hadn't, but Irving and brothers Adam and Greg Hupé, of Everett, hit it off. The trio grew into an unorthodox team, becoming central players in a thriving international subculture — an obscure band of treasure hunters who scour the planet collecting, buying, selling and studying meteorites.
In this Byzantine world, geology is king. The brothers travel and barter to obtain uber-valuable celestial rocks. They mail pieces of the cosmos to Irving, who is now a leading expert at distinguishing real meteorites from their mundane terrestrial cousins, what he calls "meteor-wrongs."
"None of us realized what a bonanza it would be," Irving said.
It's a marriage that has given Irving a rare glimpse of far-flung corners of the universe, especially Mars.
"He's probably looked at more Martian meteorites than anyone in the world," said Irving's colleague, UW astronomer Don Brownlee, lead investigator for NASA's recent $212 million mission to study comet dust.
Lately such skills have been in high demand.
The market for meteorites exploded in the past dozen years, leading to ever more amazing discoveries — and some shenanigans. In January, a meteorite trader returned a 4.6 billion-year-old asteroid fragment he purchased from a thief who'd stolen it from a New Mexico museum. A dealer in Colorado was recently arrested, accused of selling lunar fakes.
But the number of documented meteorites from Mars also has doubled in less than a decade. This year, Irving helped confirm a fireball that streaked across the North African sky last July was a Mars meteorite. He did so by analyzing pieces of the rock gathered and sold by nomads in Morocco.
The find is only the 61st documented meteorite from the red planet, the first witnessed Martian meteorite to fall in 50 years, and the fifth such fall ever recorded. "Tissint," named for a village near where it landed, enthralled geologists around the world.
"This is actually the most exciting meteorite that I've come across so far in my career," the curator of London's Museum of Natural History told the BBC after examining a fist-size chunk. "Possibly it will be the most exciting meteorite that I will ever come across."
But for Irving and the Hupés, Tissint is one of many extraordinary finds.
Bonding over treasures
In fact, the brothers and Irving meeting each other may be their top discovery.
Adam and Greg, now both in their late 40s, ran a company called Computer Performance, but had bonded over their love of treasure hunting. They'd received a metal detector as a gift from their father in 1976. Over time it got so easy to find lost jewelry that they started panning for gold instead.
After stumbling on their weird fragment while prospecting — it turned out to be chromite — they talked to Irving about meteorites.
"I was just fascinated," said Adam Hupé, who now lives in Nevada. "This was a form of treasure-hunting, but a lot more rewarding than just going after gold. We could hunt for something with scientific value."
Tens of thousands of meteorites have been found on Earth. Most are fragments of asteroids, but a few are the result of "ejection by impact" — when an asteroid hits a moon or a planet hard enough to blast rocky specimens into space. The atmospheric gases trapped in rocks from the moon or Mars are unique and can be compared with gas samples gathered by NASA.
By the late 1990s, rising wealth and the Internet made it easier for people around the world to buy and sell obscure merchandise, including meteorites. While governments in Antarctica scoured the white snow for celestial rocks, a booming private market developed for rocks discovered in North Africa, where gray-black fragments stood out against hot-orange sand.
After decades of working 14-hour days, the Hupés sold their business and used their proceeds to buy meteorites online. Eventually, they financially backed meteorite-hunting trips. Irving evaluated their finds.
"We've got many different objects in the solar system, and there are only two ways to find them," Irving said. "Either you go there, or they come here. Luckily, with meteorites, you've got a delivery service."
For Irving, who had worked decades earlier with moon rocks at the University of Chicago and NASA's Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, the brothers' enthusiasm was infectious. The brothers liked the hunt — the thrill of collecting something unique with scientific value. Irving liked applying forensic expertise to understanding exotic pieces.
"I'm not saying it's not cool to hold in your hand a piece of something that is from Mars — it is," Irving said. "But ... I don't collect things, I document them. But I can't document them without someone else collecting them."
The Hupés introduced Irving to more collectors, but it didn't hurt that the Hupés also were very good at collecting.
"Planetary pieces"
"As a team, I'd say we've put together more planetary pieces than anybody else on Earth," Adam Hupé said.
Greg, the more adventurous of the two, splits his time between meteorites, diving in Florida rivers for fossils or hunting gold doubloons from Spanish shipwrecks. The brothers, especially Greg, began making dozens of trips to Morocco, primarily to buy meteorites from nomads and villagers. Some of the fragments were worth thousands of dollars a gram.
"I'd receive samples from Moroccan partners and make a judgment call," Greg Hupé said from Florida, where he now lives. "That graduated, in time, to sending the samples directly to the UW and paying for them to analyze them for us. Over the years we got to know exactly what to look for."
In late 2000, an expedition they helped finance purchased a large lunar chunk, known as NWA 482. Irving believes the rock is at least 4.4 billion years old.
"It was one of the crown jewels," Greg Hupé said. "It was just like, 'Wow.' "
A few years later, the brothers tracked down a Mars meteorite and, in 2007, pulled out their ultimate treasure — NWA 5000, a 26-pound lunar piece so precious Adam Hupé constantly moves it around to keep it safe.
"It appraised at $14.5 million," Adam Hupé said, adding that he's not in it for the money. He'd like to keep the rock intact and someday sell it to a museum.
"Hundreds of years from now, I don't want to be remembered as the jerk who cut the thing up into a million pieces for money," he said.
Figuring out what to do with that piece has put Adam's adventures on hold, but just last week Greg announced the discovery of another new meteorite type.
Meanwhile, Irving this week is scheduled to give a talk in Houston about Tissint. But he's also hoping to confirm soon that existence of two more meteorites from Mars.
A chance meeting between a pair of treasure-hunting brothers and a geology professor affiliated with University of Washington has led to the discovery of some the most extraordinary and valuable meteorites in history.
Long before he met the wealthy brothers, before he traveled to Morocco and received extraterrestrial nuggets in FedEx packages, Tony Irving got to touch the moon.
The Australian-born geochemist affiliated with the University of Washington spent his early career working with lunar fragments from the Apollo missions. Then, life being what it is, he returned to studying earthly matters — rocks that rise from the planet's mantle during volcanic eruptions. But a chance meeting brought him full-circle.
In the late 1990s, two adventurous computer entrepreneurs with a passion for metal-detecting and gold-panning brought Irving a strange rock. They thought they'd stumbled upon material from space.
They hadn't, but Irving and brothers Adam and Greg Hupé, of Everett, hit it off. The trio grew into an unorthodox team, becoming central players in a thriving international subculture — an obscure band of treasure hunters who scour the planet collecting, buying, selling and studying meteorites.
In this Byzantine world, geology is king. The brothers travel and barter to obtain uber-valuable celestial rocks. They mail pieces of the cosmos to Irving, who is now a leading expert at distinguishing real meteorites from their mundane terrestrial cousins, what he calls "meteor-wrongs."
"None of us realized what a bonanza it would be," Irving said.
It's a marriage that has given Irving a rare glimpse of far-flung corners of the universe, especially Mars.
"He's probably looked at more Martian meteorites than anyone in the world," said Irving's colleague, UW astronomer Don Brownlee, lead investigator for NASA's recent $212 million mission to study comet dust.
Lately such skills have been in high demand.
The market for meteorites exploded in the past dozen years, leading to ever more amazing discoveries — and some shenanigans. In January, a meteorite trader returned a 4.6 billion-year-old asteroid fragment he purchased from a thief who'd stolen it from a New Mexico museum. A dealer in Colorado was recently arrested, accused of selling lunar fakes.
But the number of documented meteorites from Mars also has doubled in less than a decade. This year, Irving helped confirm a fireball that streaked across the North African sky last July was a Mars meteorite. He did so by analyzing pieces of the rock gathered and sold by nomads in Morocco.
The find is only the 61st documented meteorite from the red planet, the first witnessed Martian meteorite to fall in 50 years, and the fifth such fall ever recorded. "Tissint," named for a village near where it landed, enthralled geologists around the world.
"This is actually the most exciting meteorite that I've come across so far in my career," the curator of London's Museum of Natural History told the BBC after examining a fist-size chunk. "Possibly it will be the most exciting meteorite that I will ever come across."
But for Irving and the Hupés, Tissint is one of many extraordinary finds.
Bonding over treasures
In fact, the brothers and Irving meeting each other may be their top discovery.
Adam and Greg, now both in their late 40s, ran a company called Computer Performance, but had bonded over their love of treasure hunting. They'd received a metal detector as a gift from their father in 1976. Over time it got so easy to find lost jewelry that they started panning for gold instead.
After stumbling on their weird fragment while prospecting — it turned out to be chromite — they talked to Irving about meteorites.
"I was just fascinated," said Adam Hupé, who now lives in Nevada. "This was a form of treasure-hunting, but a lot more rewarding than just going after gold. We could hunt for something with scientific value."
Tens of thousands of meteorites have been found on Earth. Most are fragments of asteroids, but a few are the result of "ejection by impact" — when an asteroid hits a moon or a planet hard enough to blast rocky specimens into space. The atmospheric gases trapped in rocks from the moon or Mars are unique and can be compared with gas samples gathered by NASA.
By the late 1990s, rising wealth and the Internet made it easier for people around the world to buy and sell obscure merchandise, including meteorites. While governments in Antarctica scoured the white snow for celestial rocks, a booming private market developed for rocks discovered in North Africa, where gray-black fragments stood out against hot-orange sand.
After decades of working 14-hour days, the Hupés sold their business and used their proceeds to buy meteorites online. Eventually, they financially backed meteorite-hunting trips. Irving evaluated their finds.
"We've got many different objects in the solar system, and there are only two ways to find them," Irving said. "Either you go there, or they come here. Luckily, with meteorites, you've got a delivery service."
For Irving, who had worked decades earlier with moon rocks at the University of Chicago and NASA's Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, the brothers' enthusiasm was infectious. The brothers liked the hunt — the thrill of collecting something unique with scientific value. Irving liked applying forensic expertise to understanding exotic pieces.
"I'm not saying it's not cool to hold in your hand a piece of something that is from Mars — it is," Irving said. "But ... I don't collect things, I document them. But I can't document them without someone else collecting them."
The Hupés introduced Irving to more collectors, but it didn't hurt that the Hupés also were very good at collecting.
"Planetary pieces"
"As a team, I'd say we've put together more planetary pieces than anybody else on Earth," Adam Hupé said.
Greg, the more adventurous of the two, splits his time between meteorites, diving in Florida rivers for fossils or hunting gold doubloons from Spanish shipwrecks. The brothers, especially Greg, began making dozens of trips to Morocco, primarily to buy meteorites from nomads and villagers. Some of the fragments were worth thousands of dollars a gram.
"I'd receive samples from Moroccan partners and make a judgment call," Greg Hupé said from Florida, where he now lives. "That graduated, in time, to sending the samples directly to the UW and paying for them to analyze them for us. Over the years we got to know exactly what to look for."
In late 2000, an expedition they helped finance purchased a large lunar chunk, known as NWA 482. Irving believes the rock is at least 4.4 billion years old.
"It was one of the crown jewels," Greg Hupé said. "It was just like, 'Wow.' "
A few years later, the brothers tracked down a Mars meteorite and, in 2007, pulled out their ultimate treasure — NWA 5000, a 26-pound lunar piece so precious Adam Hupé constantly moves it around to keep it safe.
"It appraised at $14.5 million," Adam Hupé said, adding that he's not in it for the money. He'd like to keep the rock intact and someday sell it to a museum.
"Hundreds of years from now, I don't want to be remembered as the jerk who cut the thing up into a million pieces for money," he said.
Figuring out what to do with that piece has put Adam's adventures on hold, but just last week Greg announced the discovery of another new meteorite type.
Meanwhile, Irving this week is scheduled to give a talk in Houston about Tissint. But he's also hoping to confirm soon that existence of two more meteorites from Mars.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
May says SLS program on schedule
From al.com: May says SLS program on schedule
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Space Launch System (SLS) Program Manager Todd May said the massive effort to design and build the next U.S. heavy lift rocket, NASA's largest development program, is on schedule and on track to meet the 2017 first mission launch.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Space Launch System (SLS) Program Manager Todd May said the massive effort to design and build the next U.S. heavy lift rocket, NASA's largest development program, is on schedule and on track to meet the 2017 first mission launch.
Speaking to the Marshall Association Tuesday, May said that despite the debate on the U.S. space program, NASA has a strategy and a program to carry it out.
"Some say there is no plan. But there is a strategy and a mission," he said.
May sees that mission on several levels, viewing it in both space exploration leadership as well as national security. "We're losing the market, taking it on the chin from the Chinese and the Russians," he commented. "But as a nation we don't want to retreat from space exploration. We're focusing on beyond Earth orbit so what we learn will benefit all mankind."
He cautioned against buying into the notion that NASA has lost its relevance. "NASA has taken blows to its image, but don't you believe it," he said. "We're about to land a Mini-Cooper on Mars. The Russians tried and they couldn't do it."
May repeated a key NASA talking point - SLS has to be affordable in a time of budget constraints. He said NASA's budget, projected to decrease slightly in FY 2013, does not allow for development to proceed on the lines of the Shuttle program. "We won't be able to nail every problem flat," he said. "If you're used to Space Shuttle, this will be tough for you," he challenged his listeners.
He pointed to cost projections showing a flat cost curve after initial program startup, rather than the spiked curve with costs leveling out afterwards.
"The budget environment made the difference. We had to start with what we had."
The necessity to use largely existing hardware prompted a review of nearly 2000 rocket designs from around the world, he said. NASA at one time considered a design that would have used solid boosters and two different types of liquid-fueled boosters.
"You'd have to fire 13 different engines at simutaneously at launch. That just wasn't feasible," he said.
Use of existing engine designs for the first stage - the RS-25 liguid engines being recycled from Shuttle as well as modified versions of the solid rocket boosters - is one way the program is saving money and staying on its development schedule.
The upper stage will be powered by a new J2-X engine now under development, and being tested at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
The first phase of the SLS program will produce a rocket capable of carrying a 70 ton payload by the year 2017, with payload capacity of later versions slated to rise to 130 tons by 2021.
May said two primary missions are planned. The first, dubbed EM-1, will be an uncrewed flight around the Moon planned for 2017. The EM-2 mission will carry U.S. astronauts back to the Moon in 2021.
A major challenge, he said, has been combining Shuttle and Ares personnel, who together make up nearly 90% of the SLS development workforce, and their cultures they bring with them. Shuttle personnel, he said, bring a more operationally-focused mentality, which has clashed at times with Ares more development-oriented culture.
"Managing these cultures has been a big part of the dynamic," he admitted.
May said the program is now in the middle of its System Requirements Review, and heading towards the first of two board reviews on March 29.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
NASA's Planetary Science Future Rides on Huge Mars Rover's Success
From Space.com: NASA's Planetary Science Future Rides on Huge Mars Rover's Success
A huge NASA rover streaking toward Mars to investigate the Red Planet's potential to host life has picked up a new mission objective — help save the space agency's planetary science program.
In the Obama Administration's budget request for next year, which was unveiled last month, NASA planetary science suffered a 21 percent cut, compelling the agency to scale back its robotic exploration efforts and drop out of two future European-led Mars missions entirely.
But top NASA officials are holding out hope that some funding may be restored in the future if the 1-ton Curiosity rover, which is due to arrive at the Red Planet this August, lands safely and performs as advertised.
"What a tremendous opportunity it is for us," Jim Green, head of NASA's planetary science division, said Monday (March 19) at the 43rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) in The Woodlands, Texas. "I believe [Curiosity] will open up that new era of discovery that will compel this nation to invest more in planetary science."
A huge NASA rover streaking toward Mars to investigate the Red Planet's potential to host life has picked up a new mission objective — help save the space agency's planetary science program.
In the Obama Administration's budget request for next year, which was unveiled last month, NASA planetary science suffered a 21 percent cut, compelling the agency to scale back its robotic exploration efforts and drop out of two future European-led Mars missions entirely.
But top NASA officials are holding out hope that some funding may be restored in the future if the 1-ton Curiosity rover, which is due to arrive at the Red Planet this August, lands safely and performs as advertised.
"What a tremendous opportunity it is for us," Jim Green, head of NASA's planetary science division, said Monday (March 19) at the 43rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) in The Woodlands, Texas. "I believe [Curiosity] will open up that new era of discovery that will compel this nation to invest more in planetary science."
Galaxy Four: Space Exploration Core, Pt 1: Rocketry
The origins of rocketry
It is unclear who first invented the rocket. It is believed that, as a people, the Chinese were probably the first, as they had been using gunpowder for over 1,800 years before other countries developed its use. The Chinese were using rockets in warfare at least by the time of Genghis Khan (ca. 1155-1227).
It is unclear who first invented the rocket. It is believed that, as a people, the Chinese were probably the first, as they had been using gunpowder for over 1,800 years before other countries developed its use. The Chinese were using rockets in warfare at least by the time of Genghis Khan (ca. 1155-1227).
Not long thereafter, the use of rockets spread to the west. A German named Konrad Kyster von Eichstadt, author of Bellifortis (1405) described the use of war rockets in his day.
During these decades rocketry was only used for the purpose of weapons. Sir William Congreve (1772-1828) developed incendiary barrage missiles for the British military that could be fired from either land or sea. These were used with effect against the United States in the War of 1812; it was probably Congreve’s weapons that Francis Scott Key wrote about in the "Star Spangled Banner" while imprisoned on a British warship during the bombardment of Fort McHenry at Baltimore.
The military use of rockets became outmoded later on in the 19th century (late 1800s) because of improvements in artillery which made it more accurate and destructive than rockets.
New uses for rockets were found in other industries such as whaling and for sea-going shipping where rocket-powered harpoons and rescue lines began to be employed.
How do rockets work?
From Wikipedia:
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction. Rocket engines push rockets forwards simply by throwing their exhaust backwards extremely fast.
While comparatively inefficient for low speed use, they are very lightweight and powerful, capable of generating large accelerations and of attaining extremely high speeds with reasonable efficiency, and are not reliant on the atmosphere, and so work very well in space.
Rockets for military and recreational uses were invented by the Han Chinese prior to the 13th century China. Significant scientific, interplanetary and industrial use did not occur until the 20th century, when rocketry was the enabling technology of the Space Age, including setting foot on the moon. Rockets are now used for fireworks, weaponry, ejection seats, launch vehicles for artificial satellites, human spaceflight and space exploration.
Chemical rockets are the most common type of rocket and they typically create their exhaust by the combustion of rocket propellant. Chemical rockets store a large amount of energy in an easily released form, and can be very dangerous. However, careful design, testing, construction and use minimizes risks.
Rocket Engines
A rocket engine, or simply "rocket", is a jet engine that uses only propellant mass for forming its high speed propulsive jet. Rocket engines are reaction engines and obtain thrust in accordance with Newton's third law. Since they need no external material to form their jet, rocket engines can be used for spacecraft propulsion as well as terrestrial uses, such as missiles. Most rocket engines are internal combustion engines, although non-combusting forms also exist.
Rocket engines as a group have the highest exhaust velocities, are by far the lightest, but are the least propellant efficient of all types of jet engines.
Terminology
Chemical rockets are rockets powered by exothermic chemical reactions of the propellant.
Rocket motor (or solid-propellant rocket motor) is a synonymous term with rocket engine that usually refers to solid rocket engines.
Liquid rockets (or liquid-propellant rocket engine) use one or more liquid propellants that are held in tanks prior to burning.
Hybrid rockets have a solid propellant in the combustion chamber and a second liquid or gas propellant is added to permit it to burn.
Thermal rockets are rockets where the propellant is inert, but is heated by a power source such as solar or nuclear power or beamed energy.
Monopropellant rockets are rockets that use only one propellant, decomposed by a catalyst. The most common monopropellants are hydrazine and hydrogen peroxide.
Principle of operation
How rocket engines work
Rocket engines give part of their thrust due to unopposed pressure on the combustion chamber.
Rocket engines produce thrust by the expulsion of a high-speed fluid exhaust. This fluid is nearly always a gas which is created by high pressure (10-200 bar) combustion of solid or liquid propellants, consisting of fuel and oxidiser components, within a combustion chamber.
The fluid exhaust is then passed through a supersonic propelling nozzle which uses heat energy of the gas to accelerate the exhaust to very high speed, and the reaction to this pushes the engine in the opposite direction.
In rocket engines, high temperatures and pressures are highly desirable for good performance as this permits a longer nozzle to be fitted to the engine, which gives higher exhaust speeds, as well as giving better thermodynamic efficiency.
Introducing propellant into a combustion chamber
Rocket propellant is mass that is stored, usually in some form of propellant tank, prior to being ejected from a rocket engine in the form of a fluid jet to produce thrust.
Chemical rocket propellants are most commonly used, which undergo exothermic chemical reactions which produce hot gas which is used by a rocket for propulsive purposes. Alternatively, a chemically inert reaction mass can be heated using a high-energy power source via a heat exchanger, and then no combustion chamber is used.
Solid rocket propellants are prepared as a mixture of fuel and oxidizing components called 'grain' and the propellant storage casing effectively becomes the combustion chamber. Liquid-fueled rockets typically pump separate fuel and oxidiser components into the combustion chamber, where they mix and burn. Hybrid rocket engines use a combination of solid and liquid or gaseous propellants. Both liquid and hybrid rockets use injectors to introduce the propellant into the chamber. These are often an array of simple jets- holes through which the propellant escapes under pressure; but sometimes may be more complex spray nozzles. When two or more propellants are injected the jets usually deliberately collide the propellants as this breaks up the flow into smaller droplets that burn more easily.
Rocket nozzles
The large bell or cone shaped expansion nozzle gives a rocket engine its characteristic shape.
In rockets the hot gas produced in the combustion chamber is permitted to escape from the combustion chamber through an opening (the "throat"), within a high expansion-ratio 'de Laval' nozzle.
Provided sufficient pressure is provided to the nozzle (about 2.5-3x above ambient pressure) the nozzle chokes and a supersonic jet is formed, dramatically accelerating the gas, converting most of the thermal energy into kinetic energy.
The exhaust speeds vary, depending on the expansion ratio the nozzle is designed to give, but exhaust speeds as high as ten times the speed of sound of sea level air are not uncommon.
Rocket thrust is caused by pressures acting in the combustion chamber and nozzle. From Newton's third law, equal and opposite pressures act on the exhaust, and this accelerates it to high speeds.
About half of the rocket engine's thrust comes from the unbalanced pressures inside the combustion chamber and the rest comes from the pressures acting against the inside of the nozzle. As the gas expands (adiabatically) the pressure against the nozzle's walls forces the rocket engine in one direction while accelerating the gas in the other.
Bibliography
Atlas of Space Exploration, Roger Launius and Andrew Johnston, Bunker Hill 2009 (Check out our local Barnes & Noble for a $9.99 copy)
Monday, March 19, 2012
Sunburst Six: The 88 Constellations - Introduction
Introducing a new series, Sunburst Six. A new astronomy lesson will be posted every Monday.
Sunburst Six: Astronomy Core
Section One: The 88 Constellations
Introduction
Up until the 1700s, it was commonly believed that the earth was the center of creation and that the sun, planets and other heavenly bodies revolved around us. A few natural philosophers (what we now call scientists) proposed that it was the sun that was actually the center of the “solar system” – but those theories were either scoffed at by other scientists, or declared heresy by religious authorities.
Whether the earth revolved around the sun or the sun around the earth made no difference to Sherlock Holmes, and it made no difference to those folks who gazed up at the stars and saw in them patterns – groupings that we now call constellations. Folks on every continent saw different patterns and attributed different legends to how they came to be. (They also used them as a guide to the seasons, and those in the Northern hemisphere used Polaris, the North Star, as a navigation tool.)
Claudius Ptolemy, a Greek-Roman citizen of Egypt who lived and died in the city of Alexandria (circa 90 AD - circa 168 AD), was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer and astrologer. He wrote a book, which we now call the Almagest, in which he discussed all of the Greek astronomical knowledge of the day. Among several other sections in the book was a section that discussed the 48 constellations that Greek star-gazers had observed.
In the 1600s and 1700s, as Old World explorers sailed from the Northern hemisphere to the Southern hemisphere, stars were seen that had never been seen before, and in the mind’s eye of these explorers, 40 more constellations were seen.
In 1922, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially divided the night skies of the world into 88 sections, and all of the (visible) stars in each section were assigned to one or another of 88 constellations.
There are 3,000 visible stars in the sky (different ones in each hemisphere – depending upon where one is in that hemisphere). Not all of them have names – but the most prominent of them do.
In this section, you will learn the name of and information about each of the prominent stars in these constellations.
(Never forget that each of these stars is a sun, the center of a solar system (albeit with a planet or planets that very likely do not possess intelligent life)). In Section Two, we will study our sun, Sol, and from it, extrapolate information about other suns.)
Sunburst Six: Astronomy Core
Section One: The 88 Constellations
Introduction
Up until the 1700s, it was commonly believed that the earth was the center of creation and that the sun, planets and other heavenly bodies revolved around us. A few natural philosophers (what we now call scientists) proposed that it was the sun that was actually the center of the “solar system” – but those theories were either scoffed at by other scientists, or declared heresy by religious authorities.
Whether the earth revolved around the sun or the sun around the earth made no difference to Sherlock Holmes, and it made no difference to those folks who gazed up at the stars and saw in them patterns – groupings that we now call constellations. Folks on every continent saw different patterns and attributed different legends to how they came to be. (They also used them as a guide to the seasons, and those in the Northern hemisphere used Polaris, the North Star, as a navigation tool.)
Claudius Ptolemy, a Greek-Roman citizen of Egypt who lived and died in the city of Alexandria (circa 90 AD - circa 168 AD), was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer and astrologer. He wrote a book, which we now call the Almagest, in which he discussed all of the Greek astronomical knowledge of the day. Among several other sections in the book was a section that discussed the 48 constellations that Greek star-gazers had observed.
In the 1600s and 1700s, as Old World explorers sailed from the Northern hemisphere to the Southern hemisphere, stars were seen that had never been seen before, and in the mind’s eye of these explorers, 40 more constellations were seen.
In 1922, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially divided the night skies of the world into 88 sections, and all of the (visible) stars in each section were assigned to one or another of 88 constellations.
There are 3,000 visible stars in the sky (different ones in each hemisphere – depending upon where one is in that hemisphere). Not all of them have names – but the most prominent of them do.
In this section, you will learn the name of and information about each of the prominent stars in these constellations.
(Never forget that each of these stars is a sun, the center of a solar system (albeit with a planet or planets that very likely do not possess intelligent life)). In Section Two, we will study our sun, Sol, and from it, extrapolate information about other suns.)
60 MINUTES" TALKS TO THE MAN WHO BELIEVES HE WILL BE THE FIRST ENTREPRENEUR TO PUT A MAN IN ORBIT - SUNDAY
Press Release from 60 Minutes: "60 MINUTES" TALKS TO THE MAN WHO BELIEVES HE WILL BE THE FIRST ENTREPRENEUR TO PUT A MAN IN ORBIT - SUNDAY
Space X Founder Elon Musk is Saddened by Criticism of Commercial Space Flight by American Space Heroes Like Neil Armstrong, but Invites them to Tour His Facilities
He's already the first private citizen to launch a spaceship into orbit and bring it back to Earth, so it's no surprise Elon Musk believes he will be the first entrepreneur to put a man into space, too. But as he vies with other, larger private sector companies to do so, he tells Scott Pelley the criticism of the commercialization of space travel from the very astronauts who inspired his quest is difficult to take. In an extensive interview, Musk talks to Pelley and allows cameras into his Space X factory for a 60 MINUTES story to be broadcast Sunday, March 18 (7:00-8:00PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
With the Space Shuttle program now retired, NASA does not have a vehicle to put Americans into space. The Obama administration has decided to farm out the next manned spacecraft to the private sector. Musk, the Internet billionaire who co-founded Pay-Pal, has invested $100 million into his company, known as Space X, to compete for the contract. "I think we are at the dawn of a new era," he tells Pelley, about the government handoff of the manned orbital space program to the private sector. Does he believe his rocket will be the next American craft to put an astronaut into space? "I believe that is the most likely outcome," says Musk.
But two of the people who inspired Musk - Apollo Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Gene Cerna, who walked on the Moon - were early critics of the president's plan to commercialize space. They went before Congress to protest the government's reliance on the private sector as a mistake that could erode America's preeminent role in space exploration. "I was very sad to see that," says Musk, who said he was hoping men like them would cheer him on. "Those guys are heroes of mine, so it's really tough- I wish they would come and visit-see the hard work that we're doing here and I think that it would change their mind," Musk tells Pelley. Watch a clip.
Musk shows Pelley around the main headquarters of SpaceX in Hawthorne, Calif., where more than 1,000 staffers do most of the work to produce rockets, engines, capsules and the flight software needed to operate them. He knows he is up against long-entrenched aeronautical companies much larger than his. "It's like a little kid fighting a bunch of sumo wrestlers. Usually, the sumo wrestlers win," he says. "[But] every now and then, the little scrappy company wins and I think this will be one of those times," says Musk.
A critical factor in the move to private companies like his is the cost savings. At the heart of Musk's goal is the idea of less costly space exploration so mankind can expand beyond Earth, perhaps to insure its survival. "I think it's important that humanity become a multi-planet species- compared with one where we are forever confined to Earth until some eventual extinction event," he tells Pelley. "That's really why I started Space X."
Space X Founder Elon Musk is Saddened by Criticism of Commercial Space Flight by American Space Heroes Like Neil Armstrong, but Invites them to Tour His Facilities
He's already the first private citizen to launch a spaceship into orbit and bring it back to Earth, so it's no surprise Elon Musk believes he will be the first entrepreneur to put a man into space, too. But as he vies with other, larger private sector companies to do so, he tells Scott Pelley the criticism of the commercialization of space travel from the very astronauts who inspired his quest is difficult to take. In an extensive interview, Musk talks to Pelley and allows cameras into his Space X factory for a 60 MINUTES story to be broadcast Sunday, March 18 (7:00-8:00PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
With the Space Shuttle program now retired, NASA does not have a vehicle to put Americans into space. The Obama administration has decided to farm out the next manned spacecraft to the private sector. Musk, the Internet billionaire who co-founded Pay-Pal, has invested $100 million into his company, known as Space X, to compete for the contract. "I think we are at the dawn of a new era," he tells Pelley, about the government handoff of the manned orbital space program to the private sector. Does he believe his rocket will be the next American craft to put an astronaut into space? "I believe that is the most likely outcome," says Musk.
But two of the people who inspired Musk - Apollo Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Gene Cerna, who walked on the Moon - were early critics of the president's plan to commercialize space. They went before Congress to protest the government's reliance on the private sector as a mistake that could erode America's preeminent role in space exploration. "I was very sad to see that," says Musk, who said he was hoping men like them would cheer him on. "Those guys are heroes of mine, so it's really tough- I wish they would come and visit-see the hard work that we're doing here and I think that it would change their mind," Musk tells Pelley. Watch a clip.
Musk shows Pelley around the main headquarters of SpaceX in Hawthorne, Calif., where more than 1,000 staffers do most of the work to produce rockets, engines, capsules and the flight software needed to operate them. He knows he is up against long-entrenched aeronautical companies much larger than his. "It's like a little kid fighting a bunch of sumo wrestlers. Usually, the sumo wrestlers win," he says. "[But] every now and then, the little scrappy company wins and I think this will be one of those times," says Musk.
A critical factor in the move to private companies like his is the cost savings. At the heart of Musk's goal is the idea of less costly space exploration so mankind can expand beyond Earth, perhaps to insure its survival. "I think it's important that humanity become a multi-planet species- compared with one where we are forever confined to Earth until some eventual extinction event," he tells Pelley. "That's really why I started Space X."
SpaceX Prepares Dragon Spacecraft for Human Flight
From Mashable: SpaceX Prepares Dragon Spacecraft for Human Flight
SpaceX is preparing a spacecraft to accommodate seven astronauts on its first flight. With the goal of sending a manned Dragon spacecraft first to the International Space Station, the company’s built a prototype of the capsule, including seven comfy seats for those lucky voyageurs.
SpaceX, a company run by PayPal cofounder and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, hopes to soon pick up where NASA’s 30-year shuttle program left off last July. With a little help from NASA, the company’s designing the spacecraft’s seating, lighting, storage spaces and environmental controls for the comfort and safety of its crew.
As you can see in the gallery below, this is not a tiny tin can where astronauts are crammed in like sardines — the company says Dragon’s big enough for seven adults that are up to 6’5″ tall and weigh 250 pounds. There’s enough room in the capsule for three others to stand and help the astronauts get comfortable in preparation for their mission.
Brags SpaceX on its website, “In fact, Dragon has so much interior volume, that we could place an entire three-person Russian Soyuz capsule descent module inside Dragon’s pressure vessel.”
How long will it be until this relatively large spacecraft — atop its mighty Falcon 9 booster rocket — makes it to the International Space Station? The company’s not ready for human spaceflight just yet — the first step is to send an unmanned cargo version of the Dragon spacecraft filled with supplies to the International Space Station, a mission that was originally scheduled for February 7 of this year.
The company announced Friday it is aiming for a April 30 launch with plans for docking with the space station on May 3, according Aero News. Although this upcoming mission will test maneuverability and docking, a first for a privately developed spacecraft. SpaceX has contracted two cargo missions for this year, the first of which is tentatively scheduled for July. In all, SpaceX has 16 flights on its manifest through 2015.
So far, SpaceX has successfully flown the Falcon 9 rocket with the SpaceX Dragon capsule on top, in a mission on December 8, 2010. The spacecraft orbited the earth at an altitude of around 190 miles for three hours, and the company was able to test its maneuverability before it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. Earlier this month, the Dragon spacecraft and its Falcon booster passed a crucial test, a dress rehearsal for its unmanned first voyage to the International Space Station.
Do you think private space exploration will be as successful as NASA’s exploits?
SpaceX is preparing a spacecraft to accommodate seven astronauts on its first flight. With the goal of sending a manned Dragon spacecraft first to the International Space Station, the company’s built a prototype of the capsule, including seven comfy seats for those lucky voyageurs.
SpaceX, a company run by PayPal cofounder and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, hopes to soon pick up where NASA’s 30-year shuttle program left off last July. With a little help from NASA, the company’s designing the spacecraft’s seating, lighting, storage spaces and environmental controls for the comfort and safety of its crew.
As you can see in the gallery below, this is not a tiny tin can where astronauts are crammed in like sardines — the company says Dragon’s big enough for seven adults that are up to 6’5″ tall and weigh 250 pounds. There’s enough room in the capsule for three others to stand and help the astronauts get comfortable in preparation for their mission.
Brags SpaceX on its website, “In fact, Dragon has so much interior volume, that we could place an entire three-person Russian Soyuz capsule descent module inside Dragon’s pressure vessel.”
How long will it be until this relatively large spacecraft — atop its mighty Falcon 9 booster rocket — makes it to the International Space Station? The company’s not ready for human spaceflight just yet — the first step is to send an unmanned cargo version of the Dragon spacecraft filled with supplies to the International Space Station, a mission that was originally scheduled for February 7 of this year.
The company announced Friday it is aiming for a April 30 launch with plans for docking with the space station on May 3, according Aero News. Although this upcoming mission will test maneuverability and docking, a first for a privately developed spacecraft. SpaceX has contracted two cargo missions for this year, the first of which is tentatively scheduled for July. In all, SpaceX has 16 flights on its manifest through 2015.
So far, SpaceX has successfully flown the Falcon 9 rocket with the SpaceX Dragon capsule on top, in a mission on December 8, 2010. The spacecraft orbited the earth at an altitude of around 190 miles for three hours, and the company was able to test its maneuverability before it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. Earlier this month, the Dragon spacecraft and its Falcon booster passed a crucial test, a dress rehearsal for its unmanned first voyage to the International Space Station.
Do you think private space exploration will be as successful as NASA’s exploits?
Friday, March 16, 2012
Leaked documents reveal Russia’s ambitious new space exploration strategy
from I09: Leaked documents reveal Russia’s ambitious new space exploration strategy
When it comes to space exploration, the last couple decades have been pretty tough going for Russia. Now, leaked documents have revealed the country's plan for getting back on the path to deep space success — and holy crap, is it ambitious.
RIA Novosti reports that the plans were submitted to the Russian government earlier this week by the country's space agency, Roscosmos. The strategic document reportedly provides a step-by-step, 18-year plan for rebooting the country's space industry, a task that will involve the design of brand new spacecraft, and launching numerous missions to destinations throughout the solar system.
According to the proposal, mission objectives include sending probes to Jupiter and Venus, deploying a permanent network of research stations on the surface of Mars, and conducting "a demonstrative manned circumlunar test flight, with the subsequent landing of cosmonauts on [the Moon's] surface."
And remember: this is all scheduled to take place before 2030.
If it sounds to you like Roscosmos is aiming high with this strategy, that's because it is (Russia has announced lofty plans for space exploration in the past, but this is evidently the first time the country has set an actual deadline on something as ambitious as a manned lunar mission); but this is precisely the kind of determination that Russia will need if it wants to "solidify its position" among the world's top space powers, as the document claims.
Russia's had a pretty abysmal string of luck in the way of deep space exploration missions, and Vladimir Putin has made it clear that the country does not aim to play the role of "international space ferryman" forever (in reference to the country's assistance to shutting astronauts to and from the ISS). Finally succeeding at not just one, but several, deep space missions would be an enormous boon — not just to Russia's status as a space-faring nation, but to the country's morale in general. [RIA Novosti; The Guardian]
When it comes to space exploration, the last couple decades have been pretty tough going for Russia. Now, leaked documents have revealed the country's plan for getting back on the path to deep space success — and holy crap, is it ambitious.
RIA Novosti reports that the plans were submitted to the Russian government earlier this week by the country's space agency, Roscosmos. The strategic document reportedly provides a step-by-step, 18-year plan for rebooting the country's space industry, a task that will involve the design of brand new spacecraft, and launching numerous missions to destinations throughout the solar system.
According to the proposal, mission objectives include sending probes to Jupiter and Venus, deploying a permanent network of research stations on the surface of Mars, and conducting "a demonstrative manned circumlunar test flight, with the subsequent landing of cosmonauts on [the Moon's] surface."
And remember: this is all scheduled to take place before 2030.
If it sounds to you like Roscosmos is aiming high with this strategy, that's because it is (Russia has announced lofty plans for space exploration in the past, but this is evidently the first time the country has set an actual deadline on something as ambitious as a manned lunar mission); but this is precisely the kind of determination that Russia will need if it wants to "solidify its position" among the world's top space powers, as the document claims.
Russia's had a pretty abysmal string of luck in the way of deep space exploration missions, and Vladimir Putin has made it clear that the country does not aim to play the role of "international space ferryman" forever (in reference to the country's assistance to shutting astronauts to and from the ISS). Finally succeeding at not just one, but several, deep space missions would be an enormous boon — not just to Russia's status as a space-faring nation, but to the country's morale in general. [RIA Novosti; The Guardian]
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Space scientist at NASA helped get the U.S. back on the road to Mars
From the Washington Post: Space scientist at NASA helped get the U.S. back on the road to Mars
"Exploring Mars,” University of Arizona Press
Mars is hard. Getting there is hard, landing there is hard — and negotiating the corridors of power in Washington to fund a long-term exploration program is even harder.
In 1999, NASA lost two Mars-bound spacecraft; one due to a math error, the other because the spacecraft had not been properly tested. With the Mars program in tatters, Dan Golding, the agency’s administrator at the time, summoned a technical wizard and longtime space scientist, Scott Hubbard, to save it.
Over six months, “Mars czar” Hubbard and his crew designed an ambitious 10-year program to “follow the water,” search for past or present life, and prepare for an eventual mission to haul Mars rocks back to Earth.
The plan was a radical departure for NASA: Instead of one-off missions, the agency would launch a sustained campaign, flying spacecraft every two years when Earth and Mars were properly aligned. The plan alternated orbiters, to scout the planet, and landers, to scour its surface.
Hubbard called it the “ladder to Mars.” And it worked, with five successful missions. A sixth, the two-ton Curiosity rover, is now in transit for an August arrival.
The campaign revealed an unknown Mars where water once flowed — and still might — and ice lies buried near the poles, a place where conditions favorable for life likely existed for a billion years or more. While life on Mars has not been found, the string of discoveries has edged the needle closer and closer. And each mission took the public along for the ride, beaming every rock and crater onto the screens of space fans everywhere.
Hubbard’s new book, “Exploring Mars: Chronicles From a Decade of Discovery,” details NASA’s Mars renaissance as Hubbard organizes scientists, whips engineering teams into shape and gamely dives into policy battles with congressional staffers and White House budget-cutters.
By the end of 2000, after nearly a year of trying to launch the campaign, Hubbard writes, “I was beginning to feel like I had been sucked into a nightmare version of Risk or Stratego . . . where we moved cool game pieces around a board trying to feel powerful and grown up.” But Hubbard played this game expertly, securing sustained funding for the effort.
Now retired from NASA, Hubbard is working as a professor at Stanford University. With budget pressure squeezing the agency’s Mars plans once again — after an orbiter named Maven launches in 2013, no more missions are in the works — space fans who read “Exploring Mars” might just launch their own campaign: Maybe they can bring the first Mars czar back for a second tour of duty.
"Exploring Mars,” University of Arizona Press
Mars is hard. Getting there is hard, landing there is hard — and negotiating the corridors of power in Washington to fund a long-term exploration program is even harder.
In 1999, NASA lost two Mars-bound spacecraft; one due to a math error, the other because the spacecraft had not been properly tested. With the Mars program in tatters, Dan Golding, the agency’s administrator at the time, summoned a technical wizard and longtime space scientist, Scott Hubbard, to save it.
Over six months, “Mars czar” Hubbard and his crew designed an ambitious 10-year program to “follow the water,” search for past or present life, and prepare for an eventual mission to haul Mars rocks back to Earth.
The plan was a radical departure for NASA: Instead of one-off missions, the agency would launch a sustained campaign, flying spacecraft every two years when Earth and Mars were properly aligned. The plan alternated orbiters, to scout the planet, and landers, to scour its surface.
Hubbard called it the “ladder to Mars.” And it worked, with five successful missions. A sixth, the two-ton Curiosity rover, is now in transit for an August arrival.
The campaign revealed an unknown Mars where water once flowed — and still might — and ice lies buried near the poles, a place where conditions favorable for life likely existed for a billion years or more. While life on Mars has not been found, the string of discoveries has edged the needle closer and closer. And each mission took the public along for the ride, beaming every rock and crater onto the screens of space fans everywhere.
Hubbard’s new book, “Exploring Mars: Chronicles From a Decade of Discovery,” details NASA’s Mars renaissance as Hubbard organizes scientists, whips engineering teams into shape and gamely dives into policy battles with congressional staffers and White House budget-cutters.
By the end of 2000, after nearly a year of trying to launch the campaign, Hubbard writes, “I was beginning to feel like I had been sucked into a nightmare version of Risk or Stratego . . . where we moved cool game pieces around a board trying to feel powerful and grown up.” But Hubbard played this game expertly, securing sustained funding for the effort.
Now retired from NASA, Hubbard is working as a professor at Stanford University. With budget pressure squeezing the agency’s Mars plans once again — after an orbiter named Maven launches in 2013, no more missions are in the works — space fans who read “Exploring Mars” might just launch their own campaign: Maybe they can bring the first Mars czar back for a second tour of duty.
Russia Drafts New Space Exploration Strategy
From Ria Novosti: Russia Drafts New Space Exploration Strategy
Russia’s Federal Space Agency Roscosmos has submitted to the government a draft of a space exploration strategy until 2030, Kommersant business daily reported on Tuesday.
The ambitious program prioritizes a step-by-step modernization of the space industry, development of new spacecraft including space shuttles, and active exploration of solar planets.
“The goal of the strategy is to ensure that the Russian space industry maintains its world-level standards and solidifies its position among the top three space powers,” Kommersant cited the text of the document.
According to the draft, Russia must increase its share of the global space market to 10 percent by 2030, compared to only 0.5 percent in 2011.
The Russian space industry must be able to build satellites and spacecraft using only domestically-manufactured components, especially electronics, by 2020.
By 2030, the Russian orbital satellite clusters must meet up to 95 percent of the domestic demand for services in civilian and defense sectors.
Russia is planning to carry out several space exploration missions, including a piloted flight to the Moon with landing on its surface and sending probes to Venus and Jupiter.
“In cooperation with foreign partners Roscosmos plans to deploy a network of permanent research stations on Mars,” the document says.
Russia will also intensify its efforts to remove “space junk” orbiting Earth and to protect our planet from asteroids and comets.
The future of the Russian space program
The ambitious program will be financed from the federal budget and private investments.
A special independent agency may be created under the Russian president to coordinate the country’s space policy, Kommersant said.
The Russian aerospace industry has faced a series of misfortunes over the past year, including the loss of three Glonass navigation satellites and the Phobos-Grunt Mars probe. Both officials and independent experts agree that the industry needs deep reforms.
Russia’s Federal Space Agency Roscosmos has submitted to the government a draft of a space exploration strategy until 2030, Kommersant business daily reported on Tuesday.
The ambitious program prioritizes a step-by-step modernization of the space industry, development of new spacecraft including space shuttles, and active exploration of solar planets.
“The goal of the strategy is to ensure that the Russian space industry maintains its world-level standards and solidifies its position among the top three space powers,” Kommersant cited the text of the document.
According to the draft, Russia must increase its share of the global space market to 10 percent by 2030, compared to only 0.5 percent in 2011.
The Russian space industry must be able to build satellites and spacecraft using only domestically-manufactured components, especially electronics, by 2020.
By 2030, the Russian orbital satellite clusters must meet up to 95 percent of the domestic demand for services in civilian and defense sectors.
Russia is planning to carry out several space exploration missions, including a piloted flight to the Moon with landing on its surface and sending probes to Venus and Jupiter.
“In cooperation with foreign partners Roscosmos plans to deploy a network of permanent research stations on Mars,” the document says.
Russia will also intensify its efforts to remove “space junk” orbiting Earth and to protect our planet from asteroids and comets.
The future of the Russian space program
The ambitious program will be financed from the federal budget and private investments.
A special independent agency may be created under the Russian president to coordinate the country’s space policy, Kommersant said.
The Russian aerospace industry has faced a series of misfortunes over the past year, including the loss of three Glonass navigation satellites and the Phobos-Grunt Mars probe. Both officials and independent experts agree that the industry needs deep reforms.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
For Russia's Troubled Space Program, Mishaps Mount
From NPR: For Russia's Troubled Space Program, Mishaps Mount
Russia was once the world leader in space exploration, but its space program has suffered a string of costly and embarrassing mishaps over the past year.
NASA says Russia is still a trustworthy partner, but critics say the once-proud program is corrupt and mismanaged — good at producing excuses, but not results.
The Memorial Space Museum in Moscow showcases the achievements of the Soviet Union's space program.
A model of Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, is on display, as well as the stuffed remains of the dogs who became the first earthlings to orbit the planet and return.
There's a section on Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, and videos of many famous launches.
But since December 2010, Russia has experienced at least six mission failures, including the loss of a $163 million Mars probe.
Mismanagement, Theft, Brain Drain
The most recent loss came when builders damaged a Soyuz space capsule that was scheduled to take a new crew to the International Space Station at the end of this month.
Yuri Karash, a member of the Russian Space Academy, says some of the problems with Russian missions stem from mismanagement and outright theft.
Karash cites a report from the head of Russia's government auditing agency.
"He said that a significant amount of the Roscosmos (Russian Federal Space Agency) budget was 'misallocated,' " says Karash. "It's a very diplomatic way to put it. It was just stolen."
Igor Lisov, a reporter at Space News, says the agency has also suffered a brain drain, with many of the most active and knowledgeable people leaving. The good ones who stayed on, he says, did so mostly out of patriotism.
Lisov says some projects, like the failed Mars probe, took so long to complete that parts of them were obsolete before they were launched. In the end, he says, the only option was to launch it, or give it to a museum.
Karash says recent Russian budgets have allocated plenty of money for the space agency, but the organization lacks the vision and energy to innovate. He says they're just building new versions of the same old Soviet hardware.
He illustrates his point with the example of a steam locomotive.
"You equip it with a computer. ... You equip it with air conditioning. You put a locomotive driver with a university degree in the cabin, and it will still be the same steam locomotive," he says.
Dreamers Needed
Back at the museum, school groups and tourists clamber over some of that famous Soviet hardware.
A children's choir performs next to the mock-up of a module from the International Space Station.
In the midst of it all, a vigorous old man stands shaking hands with admirers.
He wears a blue suit with two medals, gold stars hanging from red ribbons — Hero of the Soviet Union, the highest honor of the Soviet era.
His name is Vladimir Dzhanibekov; he's a 69-year-old cosmonaut who flew five missions in space.
He describes the state of the Russian space program today as stable. But stability is not something he strove for, and it's not something he hopes for the future.
"It depends on those kids," he says. "They have to think and to dream about and to plan future activity."
Dzhanibekov's blue eyes twinkle as he talks about the trip to Mars that Russia's cosmonauts dreamed about.
"I was one of those dreamers," says Dzhanibekov, who was such a prominent figure during his career that he appeared on a Soviet postage stamp in 1978.
Since the end of the U.S. space shuttle program, Russia's Soyuz space capsules are the only way to get people and supplies to the International Space Station.
When the newest Soyuz capsule was damaged during testing in January, the mission to send a relief crew to the space station was delayed for at least 45 days.
The next test for the Russian space program will come when that mission is launched, on May 15.
Russia was once the world leader in space exploration, but its space program has suffered a string of costly and embarrassing mishaps over the past year.
NASA says Russia is still a trustworthy partner, but critics say the once-proud program is corrupt and mismanaged — good at producing excuses, but not results.
The Memorial Space Museum in Moscow showcases the achievements of the Soviet Union's space program.
A model of Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, is on display, as well as the stuffed remains of the dogs who became the first earthlings to orbit the planet and return.
There's a section on Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, and videos of many famous launches.
But since December 2010, Russia has experienced at least six mission failures, including the loss of a $163 million Mars probe.
Mismanagement, Theft, Brain Drain
The most recent loss came when builders damaged a Soyuz space capsule that was scheduled to take a new crew to the International Space Station at the end of this month.
Yuri Karash, a member of the Russian Space Academy, says some of the problems with Russian missions stem from mismanagement and outright theft.
Karash cites a report from the head of Russia's government auditing agency.
"He said that a significant amount of the Roscosmos (Russian Federal Space Agency) budget was 'misallocated,' " says Karash. "It's a very diplomatic way to put it. It was just stolen."
Igor Lisov, a reporter at Space News, says the agency has also suffered a brain drain, with many of the most active and knowledgeable people leaving. The good ones who stayed on, he says, did so mostly out of patriotism.
Lisov says some projects, like the failed Mars probe, took so long to complete that parts of them were obsolete before they were launched. In the end, he says, the only option was to launch it, or give it to a museum.
Karash says recent Russian budgets have allocated plenty of money for the space agency, but the organization lacks the vision and energy to innovate. He says they're just building new versions of the same old Soviet hardware.
He illustrates his point with the example of a steam locomotive.
"You equip it with a computer. ... You equip it with air conditioning. You put a locomotive driver with a university degree in the cabin, and it will still be the same steam locomotive," he says.
Dreamers Needed
Back at the museum, school groups and tourists clamber over some of that famous Soviet hardware.
A children's choir performs next to the mock-up of a module from the International Space Station.
In the midst of it all, a vigorous old man stands shaking hands with admirers.
He wears a blue suit with two medals, gold stars hanging from red ribbons — Hero of the Soviet Union, the highest honor of the Soviet era.
His name is Vladimir Dzhanibekov; he's a 69-year-old cosmonaut who flew five missions in space.
He describes the state of the Russian space program today as stable. But stability is not something he strove for, and it's not something he hopes for the future.
"It depends on those kids," he says. "They have to think and to dream about and to plan future activity."
Dzhanibekov's blue eyes twinkle as he talks about the trip to Mars that Russia's cosmonauts dreamed about.
"I was one of those dreamers," says Dzhanibekov, who was such a prominent figure during his career that he appeared on a Soviet postage stamp in 1978.
Since the end of the U.S. space shuttle program, Russia's Soyuz space capsules are the only way to get people and supplies to the International Space Station.
When the newest Soyuz capsule was damaged during testing in January, the mission to send a relief crew to the space station was delayed for at least 45 days.
The next test for the Russian space program will come when that mission is launched, on May 15.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Virginia: Students reaching for the stars in Russell County
From TriCities.com: Students reaching for the stars in Russell County
Reaching for the stars has a whole new meaning for students in Russell County.
The county has been selected as one of 11 communities in the country – and the first in Virginia – to participate in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program Mission 2, and send an experiment into space.
Students will compete to design the experiment, which will be conducted on the International Space Station later this year.
“It’ll be a challenge to students,” said Jane Carter, a Lebanon High School chemistry and physics teacher who is co-directing the program with Scotty Fletcher, secondary supervisor for Russell County Public Schools. “It’s a microgravity environment -- no up, no down. What would intrigue you [students] about that type of environment?”
Students between fifth and 12th grades can submit experiment ideas, either individually or in a team of six, she said. Three projects will be chosen from the applicants locally, and then a national panel will choose one project that will be sent into space, Carter said.
“It’s like real-world science in that there’s a proposal process,” she said.
The experiment will be designed by the winning team of students, who will be called principal investigators, like real scientists are, Carter said. The school system received five mini-labs, and one of those labs, with the student experiment, will be sent into space to conduct the experiment while the other four will carry out the same experiment here on earth. That will give the student experimenters an opportunity to see if their experiment was affected by the microgravity environment on the space station.
“It’s a whole different ballgame for them to look at science like this,” Carter said. “You just never know – if [you] can eliminate gravity, can that answer some problem here on earth that we need an answer to?”
The project is a costly one, as the county had to get sponsors to pay for the experiment material, as well as to figure out how to get the experiments to the space station, now that the NASA shuttle program has ended, Carter said. She said likely, a private company’s space vehicle will ferry the project into orbit to dock at the International Space Station.
In addition to designing experiments, students who are in prekindergarten through 12th grade can design paper patches to be sent into space along with their projects, Carter said.
“It will try to convey the community,” she said of the patches’ designs. “Hopefully, we’ll make it into something students can keep.”
Fletcher said he thinks the opportunity to participate in the nationwide project is a practical chance for students to dig into science.
“It should inject some interest into science and the classroom in general,” he said. “There’s been an end of an era with space exploration, but space is always that frontier to a child – the great beyond. It doesn’t matter what my generation has done.”
Carter said the experiments will encourage the students to think about what’s in space.
“From the standpoint of those areas we have left to go and explore, that’s the big one – space,” Carter said. “I think it’s exciting to [students] because we don’t know all the answers – there are things for them to wonder about. [There is a] frontier that’s still there to be explored.”
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Your 10 Questions with Prof Datuk Mazlan Othman
From TheStarOnline: Your 10 Questions with Prof Datuk Mazlan Othman
What is your role as the director of UN office for outer space affairs in Vienna? Frankie Chia, Selangor
The office's responsibilities as mandated by the UN General Assembly include servicing the intergovernmental process; discharging the responsibilities of the UN secretary-general under the UN treaties and principles of outer space; implementing the UN Programme on Space Applications (PSA), UN Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-Spider), and coordinating space-related activities within the UN system.
In this context, I provide substantive support to the UN secretary-general and the director-general of UN office at Vienna (UNOV) in the discharge of the responsibilities of the secretary-general under the treaties and principles on outer space and act as adviser on outer space matters.
I direct the preparations and servicing of the sessions of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and its Legal Subcommittee. I also supervise the preparations and substantive servicing of the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (Fourth Committee) of the General Assembly when it takes up the item on outer space. I direct and supervise the coordination of activities under the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities mechanism, with emphasis on seeking greater cooperation among UN entities and implementing the UN reform process. Additionally, I direct and monitor the effective implementation of the PSA, UN-Spider and the executive secretariat work of the International Committee on GNSS (ICG). Very importantly, I formulate the office's overall strategies and policies, advocate the work of the office and COPUOS, oversee all administrative aspects, and manage the resources of the office.
What prompted you to study the stars, galaxies and celestial objects suspended in space? Tan Li Li, Petaling Jaya
When I was young, I wanted to study English literature and art. I was also very interested in philosophy. However, my teachers placed me in the pure science field as about 50 years ago the country was very much in need of scientists. Of all the scientific fields, I enjoyed physics the best because in physics you could apply basic principles to all the sub-fields and the same basic principles also apply from the smallest (namely the sub-atomic level) to the largest (namely the universe). When I did physics in the university, I discovered astrophysics and astronomy, which encompass philosophy and the arts in terms of the beauty of the planets and the universe. I was convinced that astrophysics was the field best suited to my hopes and dreams.
What are your hopes and aspiration for Malaysia in the field of astrophysics? Bernard Gideon Lim, Penang
My hope for Malaysia is that the young people will be excited by the mysteries of the universe and endeavour to answer them. Indeed, Malaysia does not need many astrophysicists, but since it is a very dynamic ever-changing field, the chances of nurturing a Malaysian who will contribute meaningfully to the field are great.
In what way does space exploration help to better the human conditions on planet earth? David Tih, Malacca
By definition, space exploration includes exploring by harnessing technology and by human expedition. Space technology has brought untold benefit to life on Earth. Since the first satellite was successfully launched into space in 1957, space technology has transformed human lives in unprecedented ways. A day without satellites will have a profound impact on many services that are taken for granted on a daily basis weather forecasting, credit card transactions, navigation and positioning, mobile telephony, access to data and information, live television telecasts, and many more. A disruption in these services could cause merely an inconvenience to a lifestyle (as in watching live football), but in some instances it could mean the difference between life and death (when emergency warnings cannot be transmitted and received), and in some could lead to economic chaos when it affects international monetary transactions.
Aside from being a necessary part of the daily lives of an increasingly large portion of the world's population, satellites have become an indispensable facet of our scientific undertakings.
And while the loss of space-based data may not be critical to all users on a daily basis, some urgent or real-time applications in agriculture, disaster management, and emergency and humanitarian responses would be severely curtailed. In addition, the use of satellites for intelligence, surveillance, safety and security has in many ways contributed to transparency and confidence-building measures.
The economic benefit of satellite services is also well-known. As an example, in a typical hurricane season in the US, forecasts, warnings and associated emergency responses derived from space assets result in US$3bil savings of lives and property. The economic value of the space industry is also clear: according to industry analysts, satellite services revenue surpassed the US$100bil mark for the first time in 2010.
As for space exploration by humans, there are many benefits to all humans, directly and indirectly. The first relates to perspective. Our telescopes, invented, designed and developed through ingenuity, technological prowess and creativity, probe the depths of space and time, and our spacecraft missions reveal the scale and diversity of worlds even within our own solar system. We are humbled by the sense of how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of the universe. The next benefit is the role of exploration in the protection and understanding of our own planet as highlighted previously. Space technology helps us understand the complex world we live on, but in addition, studying other worlds, like Venus and Mars, teaches us how special our planet is and provides examples of how the climates of planets can change.
While the criticism against space exploration is the huge amount of funding required, economics is actually a great incentive for human space exploration. The spin-offs from space exploration, from healthier baby food to technology to better diagnose cancer, to driving golf balls further, generate billions of dollars in revenue. But, in the final analysis, space exploration is about being human. And, to be human is to be an explorer. We have the innate desire to explore the unknown and space is the final frontier of the unknown which appeals to the explorer in all of us.
Which aspect of Vienna do you find most enchanting? Mahendran, Kuala Lumpur
Vienna is a city with lots of culture and history. But practically from the point of living, I love the River Danube and the many lakes scattered around the city. Within a few minutes from where I live, I can access several lakes where one can ice-skate in the winter or swim in the summer. I can decide to take one-hour or 3-hour walks or more around them. I see swans, ducks and people walking gorgeous dogs. And I can usually stop at a cafe to have freshly brewed coffee and a freshly-baked croissant. I feel very lucky as people aspire to visit Vienna but I actually get to live and work in this beautiful city.
Has this chosen field of study impart any spiritual perspective for you? Ganesha Mohindran, Puchong
Part of the attraction of astrophysics is the cultural, aesthetic, philosophical and religious perspectives that it carries. Indeed, when one looks at the infinite variety of the beauty in the universe, one can't help wondering where this great creativity comes from. And, it is a proven fact that many of the conditions that exist in the universe right now, such as the characteristics of carbon, the strength of the gravitational field and the structure of elementary particles, reaffirm the uniqueness of our universe.
Is there room for astrophysics as a field of study in Malaysia? We are still grappling whether to teach science and maths in English. Mohd Fairuz Ali, Penang
A comprehensive basis of science in Malaysia must include basic space science, which covers astronomy and astrophysics. If we do not embrace space science, we will be missing a very large part of knowledge. In fact, space science can be used very effectively to inspire students to learn science and maths as it contains many exciting examples of physics, chemistry, biology and geology that, individually or collectively when applied to space science, advance human knowledge. Astrophysics is a specialised field that the students can undertake at the university level.
What are the top three greatest setbacks for this country's education system and what steps should we, as parents, take to improve the current situation? Chong Min Sin, Kuala Lumpur
The first weakness of our education system is the lack of focus on writing skills in the early part of education. The second is the over-emphasis on examinations. The third is the lack of real life experiences in the learning process. To overcome the first, the education system must not only improve the writing skills, but must also inculcate the necessity for creative thinking that goes into the writing. Secondly, the focus on examinations means that students only learn to score marks at the end of the year and do not participate fully and effectively in the education process, which should include all-year-round guidance and activities which are assessed and graded. This will also help in improving the skills set of children who are not good at learning by rote and will particularly help boys who, at the young age, lack the discipline to study and score in exams. The lack of real life experiences can be overcome by making students learn and discover through activities such as excursions, visit to museums, sports and other co-curricular activities.
There was a bit of flak for the RM142mil RazakSAT remote sensing satellite. The images it captured were 37km off target. How can such a costly mistake happen? Marcus Ho, Penang
I have no definitive answer on why the images were off-target. I cannot speculate on this and I believe the Auditor-General's report can be used to get the answer to this.
What do you consider to be your greatest learning experience? Nga Kok Keong, Kuantan
My greatest learning experience is that in order to make a difference, you have to be different. In this regard, I refer to being different in the way of thinking and doing and it helps to have dreams different from others and unique skills to achieve those dreams.
What is your role as the director of UN office for outer space affairs in Vienna? Frankie Chia, Selangor
The office's responsibilities as mandated by the UN General Assembly include servicing the intergovernmental process; discharging the responsibilities of the UN secretary-general under the UN treaties and principles of outer space; implementing the UN Programme on Space Applications (PSA), UN Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-Spider), and coordinating space-related activities within the UN system.
In this context, I provide substantive support to the UN secretary-general and the director-general of UN office at Vienna (UNOV) in the discharge of the responsibilities of the secretary-general under the treaties and principles on outer space and act as adviser on outer space matters.
I direct the preparations and servicing of the sessions of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and its Legal Subcommittee. I also supervise the preparations and substantive servicing of the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (Fourth Committee) of the General Assembly when it takes up the item on outer space. I direct and supervise the coordination of activities under the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities mechanism, with emphasis on seeking greater cooperation among UN entities and implementing the UN reform process. Additionally, I direct and monitor the effective implementation of the PSA, UN-Spider and the executive secretariat work of the International Committee on GNSS (ICG). Very importantly, I formulate the office's overall strategies and policies, advocate the work of the office and COPUOS, oversee all administrative aspects, and manage the resources of the office.
What prompted you to study the stars, galaxies and celestial objects suspended in space? Tan Li Li, Petaling Jaya
When I was young, I wanted to study English literature and art. I was also very interested in philosophy. However, my teachers placed me in the pure science field as about 50 years ago the country was very much in need of scientists. Of all the scientific fields, I enjoyed physics the best because in physics you could apply basic principles to all the sub-fields and the same basic principles also apply from the smallest (namely the sub-atomic level) to the largest (namely the universe). When I did physics in the university, I discovered astrophysics and astronomy, which encompass philosophy and the arts in terms of the beauty of the planets and the universe. I was convinced that astrophysics was the field best suited to my hopes and dreams.
What are your hopes and aspiration for Malaysia in the field of astrophysics? Bernard Gideon Lim, Penang
My hope for Malaysia is that the young people will be excited by the mysteries of the universe and endeavour to answer them. Indeed, Malaysia does not need many astrophysicists, but since it is a very dynamic ever-changing field, the chances of nurturing a Malaysian who will contribute meaningfully to the field are great.
In what way does space exploration help to better the human conditions on planet earth? David Tih, Malacca
By definition, space exploration includes exploring by harnessing technology and by human expedition. Space technology has brought untold benefit to life on Earth. Since the first satellite was successfully launched into space in 1957, space technology has transformed human lives in unprecedented ways. A day without satellites will have a profound impact on many services that are taken for granted on a daily basis weather forecasting, credit card transactions, navigation and positioning, mobile telephony, access to data and information, live television telecasts, and many more. A disruption in these services could cause merely an inconvenience to a lifestyle (as in watching live football), but in some instances it could mean the difference between life and death (when emergency warnings cannot be transmitted and received), and in some could lead to economic chaos when it affects international monetary transactions.
Aside from being a necessary part of the daily lives of an increasingly large portion of the world's population, satellites have become an indispensable facet of our scientific undertakings.
And while the loss of space-based data may not be critical to all users on a daily basis, some urgent or real-time applications in agriculture, disaster management, and emergency and humanitarian responses would be severely curtailed. In addition, the use of satellites for intelligence, surveillance, safety and security has in many ways contributed to transparency and confidence-building measures.
The economic benefit of satellite services is also well-known. As an example, in a typical hurricane season in the US, forecasts, warnings and associated emergency responses derived from space assets result in US$3bil savings of lives and property. The economic value of the space industry is also clear: according to industry analysts, satellite services revenue surpassed the US$100bil mark for the first time in 2010.
As for space exploration by humans, there are many benefits to all humans, directly and indirectly. The first relates to perspective. Our telescopes, invented, designed and developed through ingenuity, technological prowess and creativity, probe the depths of space and time, and our spacecraft missions reveal the scale and diversity of worlds even within our own solar system. We are humbled by the sense of how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of the universe. The next benefit is the role of exploration in the protection and understanding of our own planet as highlighted previously. Space technology helps us understand the complex world we live on, but in addition, studying other worlds, like Venus and Mars, teaches us how special our planet is and provides examples of how the climates of planets can change.
While the criticism against space exploration is the huge amount of funding required, economics is actually a great incentive for human space exploration. The spin-offs from space exploration, from healthier baby food to technology to better diagnose cancer, to driving golf balls further, generate billions of dollars in revenue. But, in the final analysis, space exploration is about being human. And, to be human is to be an explorer. We have the innate desire to explore the unknown and space is the final frontier of the unknown which appeals to the explorer in all of us.
Which aspect of Vienna do you find most enchanting? Mahendran, Kuala Lumpur
Vienna is a city with lots of culture and history. But practically from the point of living, I love the River Danube and the many lakes scattered around the city. Within a few minutes from where I live, I can access several lakes where one can ice-skate in the winter or swim in the summer. I can decide to take one-hour or 3-hour walks or more around them. I see swans, ducks and people walking gorgeous dogs. And I can usually stop at a cafe to have freshly brewed coffee and a freshly-baked croissant. I feel very lucky as people aspire to visit Vienna but I actually get to live and work in this beautiful city.
Has this chosen field of study impart any spiritual perspective for you? Ganesha Mohindran, Puchong
Part of the attraction of astrophysics is the cultural, aesthetic, philosophical and religious perspectives that it carries. Indeed, when one looks at the infinite variety of the beauty in the universe, one can't help wondering where this great creativity comes from. And, it is a proven fact that many of the conditions that exist in the universe right now, such as the characteristics of carbon, the strength of the gravitational field and the structure of elementary particles, reaffirm the uniqueness of our universe.
Is there room for astrophysics as a field of study in Malaysia? We are still grappling whether to teach science and maths in English. Mohd Fairuz Ali, Penang
A comprehensive basis of science in Malaysia must include basic space science, which covers astronomy and astrophysics. If we do not embrace space science, we will be missing a very large part of knowledge. In fact, space science can be used very effectively to inspire students to learn science and maths as it contains many exciting examples of physics, chemistry, biology and geology that, individually or collectively when applied to space science, advance human knowledge. Astrophysics is a specialised field that the students can undertake at the university level.
What are the top three greatest setbacks for this country's education system and what steps should we, as parents, take to improve the current situation? Chong Min Sin, Kuala Lumpur
The first weakness of our education system is the lack of focus on writing skills in the early part of education. The second is the over-emphasis on examinations. The third is the lack of real life experiences in the learning process. To overcome the first, the education system must not only improve the writing skills, but must also inculcate the necessity for creative thinking that goes into the writing. Secondly, the focus on examinations means that students only learn to score marks at the end of the year and do not participate fully and effectively in the education process, which should include all-year-round guidance and activities which are assessed and graded. This will also help in improving the skills set of children who are not good at learning by rote and will particularly help boys who, at the young age, lack the discipline to study and score in exams. The lack of real life experiences can be overcome by making students learn and discover through activities such as excursions, visit to museums, sports and other co-curricular activities.
There was a bit of flak for the RM142mil RazakSAT remote sensing satellite. The images it captured were 37km off target. How can such a costly mistake happen? Marcus Ho, Penang
I have no definitive answer on why the images were off-target. I cannot speculate on this and I believe the Auditor-General's report can be used to get the answer to this.
What do you consider to be your greatest learning experience? Nga Kok Keong, Kuantan
My greatest learning experience is that in order to make a difference, you have to be different. In this regard, I refer to being different in the way of thinking and doing and it helps to have dreams different from others and unique skills to achieve those dreams.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Goodyear develops new 'Spring Tire' for space exploration
From Autoblog: Goodyear develops new 'Spring Tire' for space exploration
Goodyear is getting closer to the next generation "tire" that could be used on wheeled rovers for space exploration. We highlight the word tire because those on the original lunar rover were made of piano wire with treads made of titanium cleats – no rubber, no air. A few years ago NASA began work on a new tire, the project another co-development with Goodyear, which made the originals.
The modern version is called the Spring Tire, so-called for the 800 load-bearing springs that make up its bulk, mounted to a six-spoke metal hub. The springs can conform to the varying terrain of other planets and satellites without transferring undue shock to the vehicle, and a malfunction is likely to damage only a few of them, leaving the tire operable.
See below for more info from Goodyear on the tire, and check it out in the gallery of high-res photos. When it's time for another group of astronauts to go "ridin' dirty," this is likely how they'll do it.
Goodyear is getting closer to the next generation "tire" that could be used on wheeled rovers for space exploration. We highlight the word tire because those on the original lunar rover were made of piano wire with treads made of titanium cleats – no rubber, no air. A few years ago NASA began work on a new tire, the project another co-development with Goodyear, which made the originals.
The modern version is called the Spring Tire, so-called for the 800 load-bearing springs that make up its bulk, mounted to a six-spoke metal hub. The springs can conform to the varying terrain of other planets and satellites without transferring undue shock to the vehicle, and a malfunction is likely to damage only a few of them, leaving the tire operable.
See below for more info from Goodyear on the tire, and check it out in the gallery of high-res photos. When it's time for another group of astronauts to go "ridin' dirty," this is likely how they'll do it.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
How NASA Technology Affects The Consumer
From RedOrbit: How NASA Technology Affects The Consumer
On July 29, 1958, the U.S. government formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the midst of a growing concern over the Soviet Union’s advancement in space exploration.
On July 29, 1958, the U.S. government formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the midst of a growing concern over the Soviet Union’s advancement in space exploration.
Now, 53 years later, the Cold War is over and about $525 billion has been poured into the program designed to take man beyond Earth’s atmosphere, and explore the depths of the night sky.
To any space enthusiast, $525 billion may sound like a small price to pay for the output of projects like the Hubble Space Telescope. However, to those who are unimpressed with images taken of our celestial neighbors, it sounds like a phenomenal amount of money to spend on reaching goals and establishing space boundaries.
So let’s look beyond press releases and images, and take a more in depth look at how the 53-year-old space agency has changed the lives of consumers today.
For Those Who Travel
NASA has spent a large portion of its budget in developing vehicles that can take humanity to new heights in space vehicles, but developments in this specialized industry have leaked into other forms of transportation.
Heinz Erzberger helped lead a NASA team to develop software that was adopted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), saving time and improving fuel economy.
The “Direct Routes” software has been implemented at traffic control centers across the U.S., and Boeing claims it saves tens of thousands of minutes per year for a medium-sized U.S. Operator, as well as about 20 million gallons of fuel per year, or $50 million per year, for commercial airlines.
For The Electronics Consumer
One of NASA’s biggest impacts in the electronic industry is its development into how batteries are charged.
The space agency partnered with Advanced Power Electronics Corporation to develop an advanced solar power converter for space systems.
Through this project, they were able to develop algorithms to create a solar charger that charges batteries 30 percent faster than other devices.
For The Environmentally Conscience
Perhaps one of NASA’s biggest contributions beyond space exploration may be to the environmentalist.
NASA’s Space Shuttle Main Engine, which flew during the shuttle program, helped influence Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne’s clean energy gasification technology.
The capital cost to build a commercial plant using this technology is estimated to be 10 to 20 percent less, and is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 10 percent more.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has also helped improve weather forecasts, monitor climate change, and enhance space weather research through receivers built for Earth science.
For The Electronic Consumer
NASA’s work with Colorado-based TerreMetrics Inc. Helped develop a satellite imagery and terrain data software featured in Google Earth, as well as a 3D terrain-rendering engine that enables synthetic vision solutions for aircraft.
Space Micro Inc. Was funded by NASA to develop a series of high-performance, radiation-hardened computers for space.
Today, the company has grown from 4 employees to 43 and become an $8 million company, providing computer chips for satellites and electronic devices in space.
It is computer chips like this that help power satellites to allow smartphones, cars and other devices to use location services like Google Maps and FourSquare.
Cloud computing has also felt the effects of the U.S. space program. Hitachi Data Systems now offers NASA-derived technology to provide cloud computing for multiple businesses and healthcare providers.
NASA has also worked with Mainstream Engineering Corporation to develop an advanced thermal control technology, which resulted in products being created that improve air conditioner performance and filtration.
For Those Who Hope To Stay Healthy
Dan Carter and colleagues mapped the atomic structure of albumin, an important blood protein, for the first time while working at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
Mapping albumin’s atomic structure enabled Carter to create a company that has helped open up new possibilities for fine-tuning cancer treatments, reducing the amount of drugs required for an effective dose of chemotherapy.
A bioreactor built by NASA allows for healthier, more natural-forming cell cultures. This advancement enables drug development and medical research into treatment for conditions like diabetes and cancer.
Impact Instrumentation Inc. was influenced by NASA to make advances in medical ventilator technology that is now incorporated into emergency medical solutions for soldiers and civilians.
Through many avenues of research and development, NASA has made huge strides of advancements in many fields of technology. Though the impacts may not be directly labeled with that blue circle logo, the U.S. space agency has had effects that have been and will continue to be incorporated into everyone’s life.
Source: redOrbit (http://s.tt/16B9N)
Neil deGrasse Tyson: How Space Exploration Can Make America Great Again
From The Atlantic: Neil deGrasse Tyson: How Space Exploration Can Make America Great Again
Neil deGrasse Tyson is not pleased with the plight of NASA. After the agency's decades-old space shuttle program was shuttered last year -- ending the kind of low-Earth orbit exploration that the astrophysicist and Hayden Planetarium director jokes "boldly went where man had gone hundreds of times before" -- Tyson believes America is at a critical moment for future space exploration.
Maybe that's why he originally wanted to call his new book Failure to Launch: The Dreams and Delusions of Space Enthusiasts. (After publishers balked at the depressing title, it was renamed Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier.) Over the last few decades, Tyson writes, Americans deluded themselves into believing misconceptions about space travel, and, as a result, the purpose and necessities of a space program are now misunderstood.
Give NASA the money it needs, he argues, and the agency will stimulate the economy and inspire students to pursue innovative, ambitious projects. (Say, for example, a way to thwart a wayward asteroid that could threaten to wipe out humanity.) Continue to fund NASA at its current rate -- a shade more than $18.7 billion in 2011, or as Tyson often reminds, six-tenths of a percent of the federal budget -- and the country will lose an ongoing space race to the Chinese and European space agencies of the world.
In a conversation last week, I asked Tyson about American curiosity toward space, what needs to be done to save NASA, and how he's been able to make science accessible to the general public.
Space Chronicles focuses on the future of space exploration and America's interest in it. What do you think inspires children and students to want to learn about science and technology?
What I have found is that people who really need the science education are the adults. Adults outnumber children. They're in charge. They wield resources. They vote. All of the things that shape the society in which we live are conducted by adults.
Kids are born curious about the world. What adults primarily do in the presence of kids is unwittingly thwart the curiosity of children. Let's say, for example, a kid wants to jump into a muddy puddle. What does the parent say? "No, don't do that. You'll get your clothing dirty." Well, that's how craters are formed on the Moon! This experiment has now been halted on the premise that it would get something dirty, when it otherwise it would've been a science experiment with interesting, illuminating consequences.
The challenge has never been children. The challenge has been adults. I don't think you have to do anything special to get kids interested in science, other than to get out of their way when they're expressing that curiosity.
All the adults are saying, "We need to improve science in the world. Let's train the kids." I've never heard an adult say, "We need more science in the world. Train me." I've never heard an adult say that. It's the adults that need the science literacy, the kind of literacy that can transform the nation practically overnight.
In your book, though, you mention the difficulties of keeping students interested in science -- that it doesn't work to stand in front of a high school class and ask, "Who wants to design a vehicle that's 20 percent more fuel-efficient than they one your parents built?" If that's the case, what needs to be done to attract their curiosity?
While all kids are scientists, they reach a point, a benchmark, when puberty sets in and social life starts getting complicated. Then it's time to consider how their interests will manifest through the transition. At that point, I would step in and offer an ambitious goal for them to reach for, so that while they're continuing (or initiating) their studies of science, they know they have a place to land when they get out of the pipeline.
You're right. If I say, "Design me a plane that's more fuel-efficient, because the country needs that now," you're not going to get any truly transformative, innovative solutions. Instead, if I say, "Who wants to build an air foil that'll navigate the rarified atmosphere of Mars?" or "We're about to go to Mars. Who wants to study life forms that are yet to be understood that we may discover?" I'm going to get the best engineers, I'm going to get the best biologists. I'm going to get the best of those categories because it's a goal befitting the depth of ambitions of students.
You've made yourself incredibly open to the general public - on Reddit, Twitter, through email, and your podcast, Star Talk. What have those interactions revealed to you about adults' curiosity towards space?
Thanks for asking that question. Not everyone puts it together that way - there are many different dimensions of reaching the public, particularly with the many media today, social media in particular, which parcel what audience you might reach from one medium to another.
For me, the most fascinating interface is Twitter. I have odd cosmic thoughts every day and I realized I could hold them to myself or share them with people who might be interested. These are thoughts that are unique to the perspective of someone who is an educator and is scientifically literate. For people who are not one or both of those, these observations become intriguing.
I remember once, just reflecting when I was driving down the street after I saw a streetlight, "When that turns red, I stop. But suppose our blood was based on copper instead of iron? It would be green instead of red, so green would be a color of warning. What would stop lights look like if we had green blood?" I put that out there and it was heavily forwarded, heavily re-tweeted. People enjoy thinking along with me with these thoughts.
Is that why you included "space tweets" in your book?
Yes! I couldn't let these tweets go uncaptured for this book. I tried to treat them like little biscuits -- you earned your way to that point in the book, so have a little tasty biscuit. All tweets are tasty. Any tweet anybody writes is tasty. So, I try to have each tweet not simply be informative, but have some outlook, some perspective that you might not otherwise had.
I always try to get people a different outlook. When you do that, people take ownership of the information. They don't ever have to reference me because, I'd like to believe as an educator, I'm empowering them to have those thoughts themselves. When a person has those thoughts themselves, the embrace the information, they take ownership of it, and it becomes relevant to their lives. That's why in every tweet, I try to put in something people want to capture and keep. Otherwise, people will say, "That's true because Tyson said it." If that's how you're getting through your argument, I'm failing as an educator.
You write that space exploration is a "necessity." Why do you think others don't agree?
I don't think they've thought it through. Most people who don't agree say, "We have problems here on Earth. Let's focus on them." Well, we are focusing on them. The budget of social programs in the federal tax base is 50 times greater for social programs than it is for NASA. We're already focused in ways that many people who are NASA naysayers would rather it become. NASA is getting half a penny on a dollar -- I'm saying let's double it. A penny on a dollar would be enough to have a real Mars mission in the near future.
Can the United States catch up in the 21st-century space race?
When everyone agrees to a single solution and a single plan, there's nothing more efficient in the world than an efficient democracy. But unfortunately the opposite is also true, there's nothing less efficient in the world than an inefficient democracy. That's when dictatorships and other sort of autocratic societies can pass you by while you're bickering over one thing or another.
But, I can tell you that when everything aligns, this is a nation where people are inventing the future every day. And that future is brought to you by scientists, engineers, and technologists. That's how I've always viewed it. Once people understand that, I don't see why they wouldn't say, "Sure, let's double NASA's budget to an entire penny on a dollar! And by the way, here's my other 25 pennies for social programs." I think it's possible and I think it can happen, but people need to stop thinking that NASA is some kind of luxury project that can be done on disposable income that we happen to have left over. That's like letting your seed corn rot in the storage basin.
So, is NASA's current funding situation not enough?
President Obama says we're going back to Mars, that we'll get there sometimes in the 2030s. Is he going to oversee that? No, it's a president to be named later. On what budget? On a budget acquired by a president to be named later. This is not an audacious statement to make. It's a pretty safe comment for a politician to make, and I was disappointed in that.
The problem is that many people operate on the assumption that NASA should go to Congress every year with hat in hand and justify it every year. Well, I see it as the greatest economic driver that there ever was. Economic drivers don't need justification.
Of the drivers you mention in Space Chronicles that increase NASA funding -- war and economic interests -- which do you think is more likely to be adopted by politicians in the coming decades?
No one wants to die, and no one wants to die poor. These are the two fundamental truths that transcend culture, they transcend politics, they transcend economic cycles. So, once you recognize that a healthy moving frontier in space stimulates the kind of mindset that fosters innovations in science and technology, then you'll realize that of course we need to go in space because that's just the kind of society you'll want to live in.
While war is always the easiest solution to anybody's funding problem, you don't want war to be the modern day driver of space -- even though that's what got us to the moon, in spite of our memory cleansing that into "We're Americans, we're explorers, we're discoverers, that's why we went to the moon." So going forward, the economic argument is a strong one, but it's not a simple "A goes to B". It's not "We need more innovation, so let's fund innovation companies."
My favorite quote, I think it was Antoine Saint-Exupery who said, "If you want to teach someone to sail, you don't train them how to build a boat. You compel them to long for the open seas." That longing drives our urge to innovate, and space exploration has the power to do that, especially when it's a moving frontier because all traditional sciences are there. And so you'll get the best students, they'll have a place to land, and you'll change the attitude that our culture has to the role of science, engineering, technology, and math on our future.
To make any future that we dreamt up real requires creative scientists, engineers, and technologists to make it happen. If people are not within your midst who dream about tomorrow -- with the capacity to bring tomorrow into the present -- then the country might as well just recede back into the cave because that's where we're headed.
Neil deGrasse Tyson is not pleased with the plight of NASA. After the agency's decades-old space shuttle program was shuttered last year -- ending the kind of low-Earth orbit exploration that the astrophysicist and Hayden Planetarium director jokes "boldly went where man had gone hundreds of times before" -- Tyson believes America is at a critical moment for future space exploration.
Maybe that's why he originally wanted to call his new book Failure to Launch: The Dreams and Delusions of Space Enthusiasts. (After publishers balked at the depressing title, it was renamed Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier.) Over the last few decades, Tyson writes, Americans deluded themselves into believing misconceptions about space travel, and, as a result, the purpose and necessities of a space program are now misunderstood.
Give NASA the money it needs, he argues, and the agency will stimulate the economy and inspire students to pursue innovative, ambitious projects. (Say, for example, a way to thwart a wayward asteroid that could threaten to wipe out humanity.) Continue to fund NASA at its current rate -- a shade more than $18.7 billion in 2011, or as Tyson often reminds, six-tenths of a percent of the federal budget -- and the country will lose an ongoing space race to the Chinese and European space agencies of the world.
In a conversation last week, I asked Tyson about American curiosity toward space, what needs to be done to save NASA, and how he's been able to make science accessible to the general public.
Space Chronicles focuses on the future of space exploration and America's interest in it. What do you think inspires children and students to want to learn about science and technology?
What I have found is that people who really need the science education are the adults. Adults outnumber children. They're in charge. They wield resources. They vote. All of the things that shape the society in which we live are conducted by adults.
Kids are born curious about the world. What adults primarily do in the presence of kids is unwittingly thwart the curiosity of children. Let's say, for example, a kid wants to jump into a muddy puddle. What does the parent say? "No, don't do that. You'll get your clothing dirty." Well, that's how craters are formed on the Moon! This experiment has now been halted on the premise that it would get something dirty, when it otherwise it would've been a science experiment with interesting, illuminating consequences.
The challenge has never been children. The challenge has been adults. I don't think you have to do anything special to get kids interested in science, other than to get out of their way when they're expressing that curiosity.
All the adults are saying, "We need to improve science in the world. Let's train the kids." I've never heard an adult say, "We need more science in the world. Train me." I've never heard an adult say that. It's the adults that need the science literacy, the kind of literacy that can transform the nation practically overnight.
In your book, though, you mention the difficulties of keeping students interested in science -- that it doesn't work to stand in front of a high school class and ask, "Who wants to design a vehicle that's 20 percent more fuel-efficient than they one your parents built?" If that's the case, what needs to be done to attract their curiosity?
While all kids are scientists, they reach a point, a benchmark, when puberty sets in and social life starts getting complicated. Then it's time to consider how their interests will manifest through the transition. At that point, I would step in and offer an ambitious goal for them to reach for, so that while they're continuing (or initiating) their studies of science, they know they have a place to land when they get out of the pipeline.
You're right. If I say, "Design me a plane that's more fuel-efficient, because the country needs that now," you're not going to get any truly transformative, innovative solutions. Instead, if I say, "Who wants to build an air foil that'll navigate the rarified atmosphere of Mars?" or "We're about to go to Mars. Who wants to study life forms that are yet to be understood that we may discover?" I'm going to get the best engineers, I'm going to get the best biologists. I'm going to get the best of those categories because it's a goal befitting the depth of ambitions of students.
You've made yourself incredibly open to the general public - on Reddit, Twitter, through email, and your podcast, Star Talk. What have those interactions revealed to you about adults' curiosity towards space?
Thanks for asking that question. Not everyone puts it together that way - there are many different dimensions of reaching the public, particularly with the many media today, social media in particular, which parcel what audience you might reach from one medium to another.
For me, the most fascinating interface is Twitter. I have odd cosmic thoughts every day and I realized I could hold them to myself or share them with people who might be interested. These are thoughts that are unique to the perspective of someone who is an educator and is scientifically literate. For people who are not one or both of those, these observations become intriguing.
I remember once, just reflecting when I was driving down the street after I saw a streetlight, "When that turns red, I stop. But suppose our blood was based on copper instead of iron? It would be green instead of red, so green would be a color of warning. What would stop lights look like if we had green blood?" I put that out there and it was heavily forwarded, heavily re-tweeted. People enjoy thinking along with me with these thoughts.
Is that why you included "space tweets" in your book?
Yes! I couldn't let these tweets go uncaptured for this book. I tried to treat them like little biscuits -- you earned your way to that point in the book, so have a little tasty biscuit. All tweets are tasty. Any tweet anybody writes is tasty. So, I try to have each tweet not simply be informative, but have some outlook, some perspective that you might not otherwise had.
I always try to get people a different outlook. When you do that, people take ownership of the information. They don't ever have to reference me because, I'd like to believe as an educator, I'm empowering them to have those thoughts themselves. When a person has those thoughts themselves, the embrace the information, they take ownership of it, and it becomes relevant to their lives. That's why in every tweet, I try to put in something people want to capture and keep. Otherwise, people will say, "That's true because Tyson said it." If that's how you're getting through your argument, I'm failing as an educator.
You write that space exploration is a "necessity." Why do you think others don't agree?
I don't think they've thought it through. Most people who don't agree say, "We have problems here on Earth. Let's focus on them." Well, we are focusing on them. The budget of social programs in the federal tax base is 50 times greater for social programs than it is for NASA. We're already focused in ways that many people who are NASA naysayers would rather it become. NASA is getting half a penny on a dollar -- I'm saying let's double it. A penny on a dollar would be enough to have a real Mars mission in the near future.
Can the United States catch up in the 21st-century space race?
When everyone agrees to a single solution and a single plan, there's nothing more efficient in the world than an efficient democracy. But unfortunately the opposite is also true, there's nothing less efficient in the world than an inefficient democracy. That's when dictatorships and other sort of autocratic societies can pass you by while you're bickering over one thing or another.
But, I can tell you that when everything aligns, this is a nation where people are inventing the future every day. And that future is brought to you by scientists, engineers, and technologists. That's how I've always viewed it. Once people understand that, I don't see why they wouldn't say, "Sure, let's double NASA's budget to an entire penny on a dollar! And by the way, here's my other 25 pennies for social programs." I think it's possible and I think it can happen, but people need to stop thinking that NASA is some kind of luxury project that can be done on disposable income that we happen to have left over. That's like letting your seed corn rot in the storage basin.
So, is NASA's current funding situation not enough?
President Obama says we're going back to Mars, that we'll get there sometimes in the 2030s. Is he going to oversee that? No, it's a president to be named later. On what budget? On a budget acquired by a president to be named later. This is not an audacious statement to make. It's a pretty safe comment for a politician to make, and I was disappointed in that.
The problem is that many people operate on the assumption that NASA should go to Congress every year with hat in hand and justify it every year. Well, I see it as the greatest economic driver that there ever was. Economic drivers don't need justification.
Of the drivers you mention in Space Chronicles that increase NASA funding -- war and economic interests -- which do you think is more likely to be adopted by politicians in the coming decades?
No one wants to die, and no one wants to die poor. These are the two fundamental truths that transcend culture, they transcend politics, they transcend economic cycles. So, once you recognize that a healthy moving frontier in space stimulates the kind of mindset that fosters innovations in science and technology, then you'll realize that of course we need to go in space because that's just the kind of society you'll want to live in.
While war is always the easiest solution to anybody's funding problem, you don't want war to be the modern day driver of space -- even though that's what got us to the moon, in spite of our memory cleansing that into "We're Americans, we're explorers, we're discoverers, that's why we went to the moon." So going forward, the economic argument is a strong one, but it's not a simple "A goes to B". It's not "We need more innovation, so let's fund innovation companies."
My favorite quote, I think it was Antoine Saint-Exupery who said, "If you want to teach someone to sail, you don't train them how to build a boat. You compel them to long for the open seas." That longing drives our urge to innovate, and space exploration has the power to do that, especially when it's a moving frontier because all traditional sciences are there. And so you'll get the best students, they'll have a place to land, and you'll change the attitude that our culture has to the role of science, engineering, technology, and math on our future.
To make any future that we dreamt up real requires creative scientists, engineers, and technologists to make it happen. If people are not within your midst who dream about tomorrow -- with the capacity to bring tomorrow into the present -- then the country might as well just recede back into the cave because that's where we're headed.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Wednesday!
I know I keep promising that I'm going to get back to a daily schedule of posts, and I know that weeks have gone by and there's been nothing regular about my schedule!
And I apologize! Stuff happens, abetted, I admit, by procrastination. There was a helluva lot of scanning of material I needed to do which I never did, and now I've got to get all that material back where it came from, so I've got 2 days of probably 12 hours a day spending my time scanning, and double checking to make sure I havne't missed any pages, etc.
So I'm going to spend the next 2 days doing that, will be all caught up on Wednesday, and will resume daily posts here.
And will finally have learned my lesson about procrastination - don't do it!
And I apologize! Stuff happens, abetted, I admit, by procrastination. There was a helluva lot of scanning of material I needed to do which I never did, and now I've got to get all that material back where it came from, so I've got 2 days of probably 12 hours a day spending my time scanning, and double checking to make sure I havne't missed any pages, etc.
So I'm going to spend the next 2 days doing that, will be all caught up on Wednesday, and will resume daily posts here.
And will finally have learned my lesson about procrastination - don't do it!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Tom Corbett, Space Cadet: Chapter 2
Tom Corbett's first day at Space Academy began at 0530 hours with the blaring of the Cadet Corps Song over the central communicators:
"From the rocket fields of the Academy
To the far-flung stars of outer space,
We're Space Cadets training to be
Ready for dangers we may face.
Up in the sky, rocketing past
Higher than high, faster than fast,
Out into space, into the sun
Look at her go when we give her the gun.
From the rocket fields of the...."
Within sixty seconds, the buildings of the Academy rocked with the impact of three thousand voices singing the last stanza. Lights flashed on in every window. Cadets raced through the halls and across the quadrangle. The central communicator began the incessant mustering of cadets, and the never-ending orders of the day.
" ... Unit 38-Z report to Captain Edwards for astrogation. Unit 68-E report to Commander Walters for special assignments."
On and on, down the list of senior cadets, watch officers, and the newly arrived Earthworms. Units and individuals to report for training or study in everything from ground assembly of an atomic rocket motor, to the history of the founding of the Solar Alliance, the governing body of the tri-planet civilization.
Tom Corbett stepped out of the shower in Section 42-D and bellowed at the top of his voice.
"Hit the deck, Astro! Make use of the gravity!" He tugged at an outsized foot dangling over the side of an upper bunk.
"Uhhhh-ahhhh-hummmmm," groaned the cadet from Venus and tried to go back to sleep.
Philip Morgan stepped into the shower, turned on the cold water, screeched at the top of his voice, gradually trailing off into countless repetitions of the last verse of the Academy song.
"Damp your tubes, you blasted space monkey," roared Astro, sitting up bleary-eyed.
"What time do we eat?" asked Tom, pulling on the green one-piece coverall of the Earthworm cadet candidates.
"I don't know," replied Astro, opening his mouth in a cavernous yawn. "But it'd better be soon. I like space, but not between my backbone and my stomach!"
Warrant Officer McKenny burst into the room and began to compete with the rest of the noise outside the buildings.
"Five minutes to the dining hall and you'd better not be late! Take the slidestairs down to the twenty-eighth floor. Tell the mess cadet in charge of the hall your unit number and he'll show you to the right table. Remember where it is, because you'll have to find it yourself after that, or not eat. Finish your breakfast and report to the ninety-ninth floor to Dr. Dale at seven hundred hours!"
And as fast as he had arrived, he was gone, a flash of red color with rasping voice trailing behind.
Exactly one hour and ten minutes later, promptly at seven o'clock, the three members of Unit 42-D stood at attention in front of Dr. Joan Dale, along with the rest of the green-clad cadets.
When the catcalls and wolf whistles had died away, Dr. Dale, pretty, trim, and dressed in the gold and black uniform of the Solar Guard, held up her hand and motioned for the cadets to sit down.
"My answer to your—" she paused, smiled and continued, "your enthusiastic welcome is simply—thank you. But we'll have no further repetitions. This is Space Academy—not a primary school!"
Turning abruptly, she stood beside a round desk in the well of an amphitheater, and held up a thin tube about an inch in diameter and twelve inches long.
"We will now begin your classification tests," she said. "You will receive one of these tubes. Inside, you will find four sheets of paper. You are to answer all the questions on each paper and place them back in the tube. Take the tube and drop it in the green outline slot in this wall."
She indicated a four-inch-round hole to her left, outlined with green paint. Beside it, was another slot outlined with red paint. "Remain there until the tube is returned to you in the red slot. Take it back to your desk." She paused and glanced down at her desk.
"Now, there are four possible classifications for a cadet. Control-deck officer, which includes leadership and command. Astrogation officer, which includes radar and communications. And power-deck officer for engine-room operations. The fourth classification is for advanced scientific study here at the Academy. Your papers are studied by an electronic calculator that has proven infallible. You must make at least a passing grade on each of the four classifications."
Dr. Dale looked up at the rows of upturned, unsmiling faces and stepped from the dais, coming to a halt near the first desk.
"I know that all of you here have your hearts set on becoming spacemen, officers in the Solar Guard. Most of you want to be space pilots. But there must be astrogators, radar engineers, communication officers and power-deck operators on each ship, and," she paused, braced her shoulders and added, "some of you will not be accepted for any of these. Some of you will wash out."
Dr. Dale turned her back on the cadets, not wanting to look at the sudden pallor that washed over their faces. It was brutal, she thought, this test. Why bring them all the way to the Academy and then give the tests? Why not start the entrance exams at the beginning with the classification and aptitude? But she knew the answer even before the thoughtful question was completed. Under the fear of being washed out, the weaker ones would not pass. The Solar Guard could not afford to have cadets and later Solar Guard officers who could not function under pressure.
She began handing out the tubes and, one by one, the green-clad candidates stepped to the front of the room to receive them.
"Excuse me, Ma'am," said one cadet falteringly. "If—if—I wash out as a cadet—as a Solar Guard officer cadet"—he gulped several times—"does that mean there isn't any chance of becoming a spaceman?"
"No," she answered kindly. "You can become a member of the enlisted Solar Guard, if you can pass the acceleration tests."
"Thank you, Ma'am," replied the boy and turned away nervously.
Tom Corbett accepted the tube and hurried back to his seat. He knew that this was the last hurdle. He did not know that the papers had been prepared individually, the tests given on the basis of the entrance exams he had taken back at New Chicago Primary Space School.
He opened the tube, pulling out the four sheets, printed on both sides of the paper, and read the heading on the first: ASTROGATION, COMMUNICATIONS, SIGNALS (Radar)
He studied the first question.
" ... What is the range of the Mark Nine radar-scope, and how far can a spaceship be successfully distinguished from other objects in space?..."
He read the question four times, then pulled out a pencil and began to write.
Only the rustle of the papers, or the occasional sigh of a cadet over a problem, disturbed the silence in the high-ceilinged room, as the hundred-odd cadets fought the questions.
There was a sudden stir in the room and Tom looked up to see Roger Manning walk to the slot and casually deposit his tube in the green-bordered slot. Then he leaned idly against the wall waiting for it to be returned. As he stood there, he spoke to Dr. Dale, who smiled and replied. There was something about his attitude that made Tom boil. So fast? He glanced at his own papers. He had hardly finished two sheets and thought he was doing fine. He clenched his teeth and bent over the paper again, redoubling his efforts to triangulate a fix on Regulus by using dead reckoning as a basis for his computations.
Suddenly a tall man, wearing the uniform of a Solar Guard officer, appeared in the back of the room. As Dr. Dale looked up and smiled a greeting, he placed his finger on his lips. Steve Strong, Captain in the Solar Guard, gazed around the room at the backs bent over busy pencils. He did not smile, remembering how, only fifteen years before, he had gone through the same torture, racking his brains trying to adjust the measurements of a magnascope prism. He was joined by a thin handsome young man, Lieutenant Judson Saminsky, and finally, Warrant Officer McKenny. They nodded silently in greeting. It would be over soon. Strong glanced at the clock over the desk. Another ten minutes to go.
The line of boys at the slots grew until more than twenty stood there, each waiting patiently, nervously, for his turn to drop the tube in the slot and receive in return the sealed cylinder that held his fate.
Still at his desk, his face wet with sweat, Astro looked at the question in front of him for the fifteenth time.
" ... Estimate the time it would take a 300-ton rocket ship with half-filled tanks, cruising at the most economical speed to make a trip from Titan to Venusport. (a) Estimate size and maximum capacity of fuel tanks. (b) Give estimate of speed ship would utilize...."
He thought. He slumped in his chair. He stared at the ceiling. He chewed his pencil....
Five seats away, Tom stacked his examination sheets neatly, twisted them into a cylinder and inserted them in the tube. As he passed the line of desks and headed for the slot, a hand caught his arm. Tom turned to see Roger Manning grinning at him.
"Worried, spaceboy?" asked Roger easily. Tom didn't answer. He simply withdrew his arm.
"You know," said Roger, "you're really a nice kid. It's a shame you won't make it. But the rules specifically say 'no cabbageheads.'"
"No talking!" Dr. Dale called sharply from her desk.
Tom walked away and stood in the line at the slots. He found himself wanting to pass more than anything in the world. "Please," he breathed, "please, just let me pass—"
A soft gong began to sound. Dr. Dale stood up.
"Time's up," she announced. "Please put your papers in the tubes and drop them in the slot."
Tom turned to see Astro stuffing his papers in the thin cylinder disgustedly. Phil Morgan came up and stood in back of Tom. His face was flushed.
"Everything O.K., Phil?" inquired Tom.
"Easy as free falling in space," replied the other cadet, his soft Georgian drawl full of confidence. "How about you?"
"I'm just hoping against hope."
The few remaining stragglers hurried up to the line.
"Think Astro'll make it?" asked Phil.
"I don't know," answered Tom, "I saw him sweating over there like a man facing death."
"I guess he is—in a way."
Astro took his place in line and shrugged his shoulders when Tom leaned forward to give him a questioning look.
"Go ahead, Tom," urged Phil. Tom turned and dropped his tube into the green-bordered slot and waited. He stared straight at the wall in front of him, hardly daring to breathe. Presently, the tube was returned in the red slot. He took it, turned it over in his hands and walked slowly back to his desk.
"You're washed out, cabbagehead!" Manning's whisper followed him. "Let's see if you can take it without bawling!"
Tom's face burned and he fought an impulse to answer Manning with a stiff belt in the jaw. But he kept walking, reached his desk and sat down.
Astro, the last to return to his desk, held the tube out in front of him as if it were alive. The room was silent as Dr. Dale rose from her desk.
"All right now, boys," she announced. "Inside the tubes you will find colored slips of paper. Those of you who have red slips will remain here. Those who find green slips will return to their quarters. Blue will go with Captain Strong, orange with Lieutenant Saminsky, and purple with Warrant Officer McKenny. Now—please open the tubes."
There was a tinkling of metal caps and then the slight rustle of paper as each boy withdrew the contents of the tube before him.
Tom took a deep breath and felt inside for the paper. He held his breath and pulled it out. It was green. He didn't know what it meant. He looked around. Phil was signaling to him, holding up a blue slip. Tom's heart skipped a beat. Whatever the colors meant, he and Phil were apart. He quickly turned around and caught Astro's eye. The big Venusian held up a green slip. Tom's heart then nearly stopped beating. Phil, who had breezed through with such confidence, held a blue slip, and Astro, who hadn't even finished the test, held up the same color that he had. It could only mean one thing. Failure. He felt the tears welling in his eyes, but had no strength left to fight them back.
He looked up, his eyes meeting the insolent stare of Roger Manning who was half turned in his seat. Remembering the caustic warning of the confident cadet, Tom fought back the flood in his eyes and glared back.
What would he tell his mother? And his father? And Billy, his brother, five years younger than himself, whom he had promised to bring a flask of water from the Grand Canal on Mars. And his sister! Tom remembered the shining pride in her eyes when she kissed him good-bye at the Stratoport as he left for Atom City.
From the front of the room, McKenny's rasping voice jarred him back to the present.
"Cadets—staaaaaaaand to!"
There was a shuffle of feet as the boys rose as one.
"All the purple slips follow me," he roared and turned toward the door. The cadets with purple slips marched after him.
Lieutenant Saminsky stepped briskly to the front of the room.
"Cadets with orange slips will please come with me," he said casually, and another group of cadets left the room.
From the rear of the room Captain Strong snapped out an order.
"Blue slips will come with me!"
He turned smartly and followed the last of Lieutenant Saminsky's cadets out of the room.
Tom looked around. The room was nearly empty now. He looked over at Astro and saw his big friend slumped moodily over against his desk. Then, suddenly, he noticed Roger Manning. The arrogant cadet was not smiling any longer. He was staring straight ahead. Before him on the desk, Tom could see a green slip. So he had failed too, thought Tom grimly. It was poor solace for the misery he felt.
Dr. Dale stepped forward again.
"Will the cadets holding green slips return to their quarters. Those with red slips will remain in their seats," she announced.
Tom found himself moving with difficulty. As he walked through the door, Astro joined him. A look more eloquent than words passed between them and they made their way silently up the slidestairs back to their quarters.
Lying in his bunk, hands under his head, eyes staring into space, Tom asked, "What happens now?"
Sprawled on his bunk, Astro didn't answer right away. He merely gulped and swallowed hard.
"I—I don't know," he finally stammered. "I just don't know."
"What'll you do?"
"It's back to the hold of a Venusport freighter, I guess. I don't know." Astro paused and looked at Tom. "What'll you do?"
"Go home," said Tom simply. "Go home and—and find a job."
"Ever think about the enlisted Solar Guard? Look at McKenny—"
"Yeah—but—"
"I know how you feel," sighed Astro. "Being in the enlisted section—is like—well, being a passenger—almost."
The door was suddenly flung open.
"Haul off them bunks, you blasted Earthworms!"
McKenny stood in the doorway in his usual aggressive pose, and Tom and Astro hit the floor together to stand at attention.
"Where's the other cadet?"
"He went with Captain Strong, sir." answered Tom.
"Oh?" said Mike. And in a surprisingly soft tone he added, "You two pulled green slips, eh?"
"Yes, sir," they replied together.
"Well, I don't know how you did it, but congratulations. You passed the classification tests. Both of you."
Tom just looked at the scarlet-clad, stumpy warrant officer. He couldn't believe his ears. Suddenly he felt as if he had been lifted off his feet. And then he realized that he was off his feet. Astro was holding him over his head. Then he dumped him in his bunk as easily as if he had been a child. And at the same time, the big Venusian let out a loud, long, earsplitting yell.
McKenny matched him with his bull-like roar.
"Plug that foghorn, you blasted Earthworm. You'll have the whole Academy in here thinking there's a murder."
By this time Tom was on his feet again, standing in front of McKenny.
"You mean, we made it? We're really in? We're cadets?"
"That's right." McKenny looked at a clip board in his hand and read, "Cadet Corbett, Tom. Qualified for control deck. Cadet Astro. Power deck."
Astro took a deep breath and started another yell, but before he could let go, McKenny clamped a big hand over his mouth.
"You bellow like that again and I'll make meteor dust out of you!"
Astro gulped and then matched Tom's grin with one that spread from ear to ear.
"What happened to Philip Morgan?" asked Tom.
"What color slip did he have?"
"Blue."
"Anything besides green washed out," replied Mike quickly. "Now let's see, you have a replacement for Morgan in this unit. An astrogator."
"Greetings, gentlemen," drawled a voice that Tom recognized without even looking. "Allow me to introduce myself to my new unit-mates. My name is Manning—Roger Manning. But then, we're old friends, aren't we?"
"Stow that rocket wash, Manning," snapped Mike. He glanced at the clock over the door. "You have an hour and forty-five minutes until lunch time. I suggest you take a walk around the Academy and familiarize yourselves with the arrangement of the buildings."
And then, for the first time, Tom saw the hard little spaceman smile.
"I'm glad you made it, boys. All three of you." He paused and looked at each of them in turn. "And I can honestly say I'm looking forward to the day when I can serve under you!"
He snapped his back straight, gave the three startled boys a crisp salute, executed a perfect about-face and marched out of the room.
"And that," drawled Roger, strolling to the bunk nearest the window, "is the corniest bit of space gas I've ever heard."
"Listen, Manning!" growled Astro, spinning around quickly to face him.
"Yeah," purred Roger, his eyes drawn to fine points, hands hanging loosely at his sides. "What would you like me to listen to, Cadet Astro?"
The hulking cadet lunged at Manning, but Tom quickly stepped between them.
"Stow it, both of you!" he shouted. "We're in this room together, so we might as well make the best of it."
"Of course, Corbett—of course," replied Manning easily. He turned his back on Astro, who stood, feet wide apart, neck muscles tight and hands clenched in hamlike fists.
"One of these days I'll break you in two, Manning. I'll close that fast-talking mouth of yours for good!"
Astro's voice was a low growl. Roger stood near the window port and appeared to have forgotten the incident.
The light shining in from the hallway darkened, and Tom turned to see three blue-clad senior cadets arranged in a row just inside the door.
"Congratulations, gentlemen. You're now qualified cadets of Space Academy," said a redheaded lad about twenty-one. "My name is Al Dixon," he turned to his left and right, "and these are cadets Bill Houseman and Rodney Withrop."
"Hiya," replied Tom. "Glad to know you. I'm Tom Corbett. This is Astro—and Roger Manning."
Astro shook hands, the three senior cadets giving a long glance at the size of the hand he offered. Roger came forward smartly and shook hands with a smile.
"We're sorta like a committee," began Dixon. "We've come to sign you up for the Academy sports program."
They made themselves comfortable in the room.
"You have a chance to take part in three sports. Free-fall wrestling, mercuryball and space chess." Dixon glanced at Houseman and Withrop. "From the looks of Cadet Astro, free-fall wrestling should be child's play for him!"
Astro merely grinned.
"Mercuryball is pretty much like the old game of soccer," explained Houseman. "But inside the ball is a smaller ball filled with mercury, making it take crazy dips and turns. You have to be pretty fast even to touch it."
"Sounds like you have to be a little Mercurian yourself," smiled Tom.
"You do," replied Dixon. "Oh, yes, you three play as a unit. Competition starts in a few days. So if you've never played before, you might go down to the gym and start practicing."
"You mentioned space chess," asked Roger. "What's that?"
"It's really nothing more than maneuvers. Space maneuvers," said Dixon. "A glass case, a seven-foot cube, is divided by light shafts into smaller cubes of equal shape and size. Each man has a complete space squadron. Three model rocket cruisers, six destroyers and ten scouts. The ships are filled with gas to make them float, and your power is derived from magnetic force. The problem is to get a combination of cruisers and destroyers and scouts into a space section where it could knock out your opponent's ships."
"You mean," interrupted Astro, "you've got to keep track of all those ships at once?"
"Don't worry, Astro," commented Roger quickly. "You use your muscles to win for dear old 42-D in free-fall wrestling. Corbett here can pound down the grassy field for a goal in mercuryball, and I'll do the brainwork of space chess."
The three visiting cadets exchanged sharp glances.
"Everybody plays together, Manning," said Dixon. "You three take part in each sport as a unit."
"Of course," nodded Roger. "Of course—as a unit."
The three cadets stood up, shook hands all around and left. Tom immediately turned to Manning.
"What was the idea of that crack about brains?"
Manning slouched over to the window port and said over his shoulder, "I don't know how you and your king-sized friend here passed the classifications test, Corbett, and I don't care. But, as you say, we're a unit. So we might as well make adjustments."
He turned to face them with a cold stare.
"I know this Academy like the palm of my hand," he went on. "Never mind how, just take it for granted. I know it. I'm here for the ride. For a special reason I wouldn't care to have you know. I'll get my training and then pull out."
He took a step forward, his face a mask of bitterness.
"So from now on, you two guys leave me alone. You bore me to death with your emotional childish allegiance to this—this"—he paused and spit the last out cynically—"space kindergarten!"
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