NASA must focus on long-term research and development in general, and low cost access to space in particular, in the coming years, NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin told members of industry and academia Wednesday.
Goldin spoke November 29 at a luncheon on the MIT campus, part of a "Space Forum" sponsored by the Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium.
"We are in very frustrating times because of change," Goldin said, commenting on the vast changes in NASA's bureaucracy, brought on by projected budget cuts over the next several years.
NASA, which was projected to have a budget of nearly $20 billion a year by the turn of the century, will likely have less than $13 billion to work with. Goldin hopes that changes in the way NASA operates, coupled with a new vision for the organization, will make the organization more productive in the future than it is today, despite the budget cuts.
"We are in a new age," Goldin said, referring to the end of the Cold War and U.S.-Russian competition. The large budgets of the Apollo era are gone, he said, and NASA must adapt to the new reality.
The new reality requires NASA to focus on long-term research and development, an area that is being abandoned by corporations but is vital to competition in the global marketplace. "NASA's focus is long-term research and development with industry and universities," Goldin said.
Instead of doing all the research in-house, the agency will work with academia and industry, pooling resources to create a more cost-effective environment for research.
One plan for accomplishing this is through the creation of "Science Institutes." These institutes would be non-federal organizations that combine the resources of NASA centers with those from universities and corporations for research in a specific area. The institutes, which will be directly and competitively funded by NASA, will take advantage of resources at NASA centers but would have a "significant presence" outside NASA centers, according to one NASA official.
The first such institute, a biomedical institute in Houston, will be ready to start up in early 1996, after the release of a report about the institutes and approval of a set of recommendations. Two more institutes, an astrobiology institute associated with the NASA Ames Research Center in California and an institute for the study of fluids and combustion in microgravity, associated with the Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, could be ready to go later next year.
Goldin's plans for the agency were echoes by other NASA officials in attendance at the forum. "NASA's vision is to be the world leader in aerospace R&D," Dr. Harry Holloway, NASA associate administrator, said that morning.
Along with innovative R&D efforts, NASA is concentrating on reforming the contracting process by introducing additional accountability, but giving contractors more freedom to do what is necessary to achieve the desired results.
According to Goldin, since NASA has threatened contract termination for any project that has cost overruns due to fiscal mismanagement, the average cost growth has dropped from 77% to -5%
The changes do not come without a human cost, though. An estimated 6,000 civil servant jobs will be cut by the year 2000, dropping the civil servant workforce to 17,000. Many more contractor positions will also be eliminated during that time.
Goldin acknowledged the cuts, but noted that they were necessary in order to reform the agency. "In a transition time there is always human heartbreak," Goldin said.
When asked after the luncheon which NASA R&D program he though was most important, Goldin said, "Nothing comes before access to space." Without low cost access to space, he explained, none of NASA other plans for rapid, inexpensive spacecraft development can be fully utilized. He expressed support for the X-33 and X-34 reusable launch vehicle projects currently in development.
Goldin's remarks at the luncheon were prefaced by comments from MIT president Charles Vest, who noted that there was, "still an underlying belief in research among the American people," particularly in two areas: medical science and space exploration.
After a nine-day delay caused by a faulty fuel regulator in an Atlas booster, the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft lifted off early Saturday, December 2, on a mission to study various aspects of the Sun.
Launch was scheduled for 2:34 am EST Saturday, but was delayed when an electrical problem was found in the Centaur booster stage 70 seconds before launch. The problem was corrected and the countdown resumed, ending with a successful launch at 3:08 am EST.
The broken regulator was discovered several hours before the scheduled launch time in the early morning hours November 23. Mission controllers originally rescheduled the launch for Tuesday, November 28, but pushed the date back to December 2 when Lockheed Martin engineers decided to rebuild the rocket's other fuel regulator, fearing the flaw found in the first regulator may exist in the other.
SOHO will spend four months traveling to the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange point 1.5 million kilometers away, taking up a halo orbit around it. The spacecraft's twelve instruments will study the Sun from its core to its corona and the solar wind.
SOHO is a joint project of the European Space Agency and NASA. ESA constructed the satellite, which includes European and American experiments. NASA has responsibility for the launch, but ESA retains overall control of the spacecraft and mission operations.
The Russian Space Agency will propose redesigning the International Space Station Alpha (ISSA) to NASA officials this month, but will receive a lukewarm response, according to published reports.
An article by the Russian news agency Interfax on November 22, and since confirmed by Reuters and the Houston Chronicle, states that Russian officials want to use the nearly 10-year-old Mir station as the core of ISSA, and add new American, European, and Japanese modules. The new plan would be cheaper and faster to implement, according to the Russians.
NASA officials, however, plan to reject the proposal when it is presented to them later this month, stating that a redesign of the station would be too expensive. "Frankly, the bottom line is we will not redesign the space station," NASA spokesman Ray Castillo told Reuters Friday, December 1.
Under the current plan, the first element of ISSA, an American-financed Russian propulsion module, will be launched by Russia in Novemer 1997. A space shuttle will attach a docking node to the station the following month.
A moon rock that allegedly had been given to an executive from an astronaut on the Apollo 12 mission was seized by FBI agents one day before it was to be auctioned in New York.
Phillips Auction House had planned to auction the 65-g (0.5-oz) rock as part of a natural history auction Saturday, December 2, but surrendered the rock to FBI authorities Friday when presented with a grand jury subpoena.
According to the auction house, the rock had been given to a "Mr. Trochelmann," an executive at the White-Westinghouse company, after the Apollo 12 mission in appreciation for his work in space food technology. The executive had passed away and his sons were selling it.
The rock is similar to one brought back by Apollo 12 but vanished in 1970, according to the New York Times. NASA, however, backed away from connecting the two events.
Moon rocks are classified as "unique and limited national resources." Private ownership of them is prohibited by federal law.
Dr. Bernard "Barney" Oliver, a pioneer in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), passed away November 23 after a dozen-year battle with heart disease. He was 79.
Oliver was trained as an electrical engineer and worked for Bell Labs and fledgling Hewlett Packard, where he helped turn the calculator into an essential, affordable tool. He held over 50 patents in various areas of electrical engineering, placing him among the top 200 American inventors.
Oliver had been interested in extraterrestrial intelligences since an early age, but waited until after Frank Drake's Project Ozma to start working on the project professionally. He worked on the 1971 report for Project Cyclops, a proposed SETI system that would have used an array of dishes covering an area equivalent to a large city.
A proponent for microwave SETI searches, Oliver ran NASA's short-lived SETI program, the High Resolution Microwave Survey (HRMS), until its cancellation in 1993. After HRMS prematurely ended, Oliver supported the creation of the privately-funded Project Phoenix at the SETI Institute.
While the moon rock wasn't available at Saturday's auction, a number of meteorites were sold. Two meteorites that came from Mars sold for a combined $10,120. According to the seller, music executive Darryl Pitt, "I showed everyone a piece of Mars. What else can one do with a piece of Mars?"...Galileo is now in Jupiter's environment, according to JPL officials. The spacecraft crossed the bowshock of Jupiter's magnetosphere November 26. Galileo encounters the planet itself December 7, when the orbiter makes its close approach to the planet and the probe plunges into the Jovian atmosphere... The main stage of the new Ariane 5 booster successfully completed its final test firing November 23, according to a joint ESA/CNES report. The first launch of the European heavy-lift booster is planned to take place by mid-1996.
While at the Texas Republican convention, I watched the Christian Coalition cajole and persuade the thousands of delegates to vote their way. I watched as they recruited and equipped grassroots lobbyists to take their message back to their precincts, their neighbors. Watching them, I was not at all surprised when their candidates won all the key positions. I was not surprised when candidates for public offices were forced to take positions on their issues. I was not surprised when their support made the difference in the elections because they registered people to vote and got them to the polls.
Space supporters can use these same tactics. Our issues are no less passionate, no less important, than theirs. After all, we are talking about the survival of the human race!
Members will likely continue to argue about the relationship between Spacecause and NSS, but the Presidential primaries aren't going to wait. We need to get our campaign organized, get our workers trained, and get out the vote!
Spacecause is our lobbying organization. Although we can do things as NSS members or simply as individuals, it is better in the long run to (keep the IRS out of our way and) use the organization that was created to be a pro-space lobby. Currently, Spacecause is a small group of NSS members who have paid $25 to join. For that, they get "Spacecause News" every other month and get put on a mailing list to be asked to sign petitions and send money. We can do better than that!
The first thing we can do is leverage our experienced members. (I am currently a Precinct Chairman and Election Judge -- I have a feeling I am not the only one! Let me hear from you if you are, too!) Like I saw the Christian Coalition do, we can assign a few trusted people to key areas as Campaign Managers.
There should be a Campaign Manager for each program or objective (something we'd like to have is an objective, like an SPS demonstration): Space Station, RLV, Lunar Prospector, Mars Sample Return, Rewrite of the Moon Treaty, Tax Incentives, etc. (To avoid burnout, no one should lead more than one campaign!) These managers will draft a "Fact Sheet" on their program or objective (some already exist, but not with the Spacecause or NSS slant). If possible, the Fact Sheets should include quotes of well-known people and site reference materials for more reading.
Based on the Fact Sheets, the managers would then write or get someone to write resolutions in support of these programs, a separate resolution for each program (so they can be voted on separately and so workers can drop any from the package they don't personally support). Spacecause HQ would then have Fact Sheets to use for requests for information, and have a pack of resolutions for volunteers who want to work on "Campaign '96."
[Let me know if you want to volunteer as a Campaign Manager! I will be writing resolutions for introduction to the Republican party platform. I will gladly share these with anyone who is interested.]
The next step is to distribute these Fact Sheets and resolutions. Publishing the originals in NSS and Spacecause publications (and having volunteers copy or download them) or sending them out as a special fund-raiser are things we can do quickly (though it is already too late for Ad Astra). To be effective, we have to get these resolutions into as many precincts in as many states as possible. The Christian Coalition used the existing church networks, conferences, and radio talk shows to get their message out. They recruited key people and used them to recruit more. We can do this, too.
You know the drill: if every person recruits one person, eventually the whole country will be swarming with space activists. But we know it doesn't work quite that way because joining NSS or Spacecause costs money. But we don't need them to join! We just need to have them take our Fact Sheets and resolutions with them to their precinct meetings. Ask only that they read them. If they agree, they will introduce them, discuss them, and vote on them. Because most space issues are not controversial, they are likely to pass if given a chance!
In my article in the July/August Ad Astra, I explained the process of introducing planks to party platforms. This is something every voter can do, and I hope everyone who reads this will give it a try. Pick the party you hate the least, and join it. (Being an independent might be fun, but it will not serve our purpose of promoting space among political activists. Keep in mind that regardless of party affiliation, you can vote however you want, including independent, in the general election.) If you don't know the process, look up your local party headquarters or state representative in the phone book, call, and ask! Be sure you are a registered voter!
In addition to each of us recruiting a few folks at the precinct (grassroots) level, Spacecause (and NSS) leaders can do the same at the top levels, visiting political candidates, party leaders, and political club officers (like the President of the National Federation of Republican Women). Each of these people can make a tremendous difference if recruited to our cause.
If funds are available (and companies with an interest in the programs and legislation we are pushing will want to fund a campaign like this!), HQ could purchase the mailing lists of some of these organizations. These lists would be used to mail to for recruitment, but also to match up local NSS and Spacecause members with these organizations' headquarters and chapters. Our President, Chairman, or Administrator (Spacecause just hired Frank Gilbert as Administrator!) would visit their leadership at the same time our local folks work from the grassroots level. Another tactic HQ could try would be to investigate using the free lists of registered voters to mail to high-population areas like Orlando and Houston that are already space-friendly, or persuading party leaders to let them use the list of precinct chairmen.
Copies of the Fact Sheets and resolutions, reworded as position statements, should be sent to political candidates along with requests for their positions on these programs, preferably from voters in their districts. This activity can be done by local volunteers and coordinated from HQ (who would supply sample letters and position statements for each of the programs). HQ could also track the schedule of each candidate, inform and encourage local folks to attend rallies and conventions armed with signs, position papers, and Fact Sheets.
Having the tools of the political trade is important: a catchy slogan, buttons, bumper stickers, banners, signs, flyers, posters, ads to put in newsletters or papers. All of these things build name recognition and help recruit members. (Why are you wearing that L-5 pin?) I suggest Spacecause order these items created. Distribution could begin ASAP to every subscriber of "Spacecause News", Contributor members of NSS, and be offered for sale (or in appreciation for donations or recruiting a new member) in "Spacecause News",Ad Astra, "SpaceViews", and "Inside NSS." At a minimum, there should be items for loan, like displays, banners, and podium signs.
Headquarters can also train and keep us informed via copies of the Space Activists Handbook and "Spacecause News." [For subscription information, call Spacecause HQ at 202-544-9459.] I recommend the Handbook be sent to every member of Spacecause. It is an excellent publication full of political wisdom that few have seen (it costs a $25 donation to Spacepac). Excerpts of "Spacecause News" will soon be available via a webpage on Internet. I have been distributing extra copies of issues at conventions as well as flyers about Spacecause and Spacepac. I will send these to anyone upon request.
Spacecause (and NSS) should seriously consider purchasing booth space at the state political conventions to pass out literature, and host delegate parties in at least key "space" states. NSS Chapters might volunteer to organize these fun and educational activities. (Do we really need HQ to get started?!) Suggestions for fund-raising to pay for these booths include selling drinks (Snapple or Tang?), snacks (astronaut ice cream?), space trinkets, bumper stickers, T-shirts, etc. to delegates. Some of these items might be donated by aerospace companies (like Boeing 'bees'). HQ could get a quantity discount for items and send some to each convention. Merchandising and member recruitment may not be enough to pay the whole cost, but aren't we willing to pay something just for the publicity?
I have a list of other suggestions to increase the effectiveness of Spacecause, but the most important thing is for Spacecause to embrace the overall goal of building a true pro-space grassroots lobby in every state. However, even if Spacecause doesn't officially adopt this goal, that should not stop us as individuals or chapters from doing what we can. We might not have as much impact as we'd like this Presidential season, but whatever we do, it will be a step in the right direction. The politically savvy people we do recruit will help us write legislation, get bills and budgets passed, help us elect pro-space candidates, and reach the media with our message: I'm pro-space, and I vote!
Marianne J. Dyson is editor of "Spacecause News," a member of the Board of NSS, Treasurer of the Clear Lake Area NSS Chapter, a freelance writer, and a grassroots political lobbyist in Houston, Texas. (713) 486-4747 or T.Dyson2@Genie.com.
Reconnaissance of the solar system, through Earth-based telescopes and robotic spacecraft, has revealed the diversity of planets and moons in our solar system. However, given this diversity, only one body can comfortably support humans or other complex life forms: the Earth. If humankind is to expand throughout the solar system, this is a problem that must be addressed.
One solution is to ignore the other planets and moons entirely, using them only as a source of key resources for space habitats. Another solution is to establish colonies on these worlds, each one small and with its own self-contained life support system that protects the inhabitants from the harsh environment beyond the walls of the base. The third, and most ambitious solution, is to turn these bodies into worlds capable of supporting life without the need for life-support systems. This concept, popularly known as terraforming, is the subject of Martyn Fogg's excellent book.
Fogg begins with some historical background about terraforming and covers some basic science before setting off to look at specific terraforming targets. Mars, considered by many to be the most likely target of terraforming work, is subject to the most detailed analysis. However, many other planets and moons, including Venus, Mercury, the Moon, Jupiter's Galilean satellites and Saturn's moon Titan, are also considered in turn.
Fogg provides a detailed technical analysis of many different terraforming schemes and discusses how viable they are, given current and forseeable limits to human capabilities. It's clear after reading this book that terraforming is not an easy task, and not viable any time in the near future (Fogg explodes the myth that Venus could be terraformed in a matter of few decades using microbes or algae), but terraforming some worlds is certainly not impossible either.
An old publishing rule of thumb states that each equation included in a book reduces sales by one half. If that's true, Terraforming will regrettably have few popular sales, given its technical depth. However, the book is not oriented towards the layman (although the bibliography points to a number of books more accessible to the layman) but to scientists, engineers, space activists and others who don't tremble at the sight of an equation. For those people, Terraforming will become an essential resource for any discussion and research about shaping other worlds in the solar system.
This is quite possibly the most important completely ignored philosophical work to be published this century. Enough hyperbole. The book is devoted to explaining what the authors call "The Weak Anthropic Principle", "The Strong Anthropic Principle", and "The Final Anthropic Principle". If you buy the authors premises of SAP and FAP, you will have an unshakable personal philosophical basis for human expansion into space. If you don't, then Chapter 9 will provide you with one of the best explanations of The Fermi Paradox available. The explanation by itself is a strong reason for space expansion. The entire book should be on your "should read" list. Chapter 9 should be on your "must read" list if you are a serious space activist.
As a note, the weak anthropic principle is almost self evident, though rarely formally stated. In brief, physical laws are what they are, the universe is the way it is, and conditions around us are the way they are, because if they weren't, we wouldn't be here and be able to discuss them. The SAP and FAP go a bit further in stating that intelligence is necessary to the existence of a universe, and even further than that.
The book is full of numbers and statistics, and can be a bit tedious at times. The subject matter is interesting enough to keep a serious reader slogging through. Chapter Nine is an easier read than most of the rest of the book, and conveniently, is the one chapter that should be definitely read.
If this book is listed in your library catalog, but you can't find it, ask. The Schenectady County Public Library had it sitting in the storage stacks, where it had resided for seven years undisturbed. I kept finding references to The Anthropic Cosmological Principle in other works, causing me to actively seek it out. A newer edition is available, probably through special order, at your favorite bookstore. With discount, I was quoted $16.06. It is on my "should have a copy" list.
All 32 members of the Board of Directors voted in this election. In the contested races, Scott Pace was elected Executive Vice President with 17 votes (the minimum needed for election). Bob Zubrin received 15 votes. Mark Hopkins was elected Senior Vice President with 17 votes. Ben Bova received 15 votes. Craig Ward was elected Vice President of Chapter Affairs with 23 votes. David Anderman received 7 votes (there were two abstensions). All other officers were elected with between 26 and 32 votes.
Voting for both Zubrin and Bova were Ahearn, Aldrin, Anderman, Dyson, Hardersen, Ikin, Mackenzie, Muniz, Ordway, Redfield, Rutledge, Schlemm, Walker, and Zubrin. Radley also voted for Bova, and Roddenberry voted for Zubrin. Voting for Anderman were Anderman, Glaser, Muniz, Ordway, Roddenberry, Walker, and Zubrin. Abstaining were Mackenzie and Schlemm. Everyone voted for the uncontested officer positions (and the waiver of prior service on the Board for Divine and Ragosta), except as follows: Bennett abstained on Walker, Aldrin, Downs, Wasser, Wilson, Redfield, Divine, and the waiver for Divine; Drexler voted no on Walker; Dyson voted no on Divine and the waiver for Divine; Glaser abstained on Ragosta and the waivers on both Divine and Ragosta; Hardersen voted no on Downs; Montoure abstained on Walker; Pace voted no on Walker, Aldrin, and Wilson; Peterson voted no on Walker; Reynolds abstained on Walker and Wilson.
[Note: The NSS Bylaws require officers to "have served at least one year as a member of the Board of Directors at any time prior to any elective term of office" unless this requirement is waived by majority vote of the Board of Directors. The Bylaws do not specifically state whether or not serving on the Board of Directors of either precursor organization (NSI or L-5) would qualify. In my opinion, such service would qualify, in which case the waiver for Chuck Divine would not be necessary.]
Elected to the Nominations Committee were Walker (as chair), Ahearn, Mackenzie, Muniz, Ordway, Pace, and Zubrin. All 24 members of the Board voted who were eligible to vote. The enclosed table indicates how votes were cast (except that Bennett voted for Pace as chair of the Nominations Committee). There was a tie for the seventh slot between Pace and Hopkins. The rules call for such a tie to be decided by random lot. This was accomplished with a toin coss by an office staffer, witnessed by Lori Garver and Mark Hopkins. Lauri Rohn was elected chair of the Elections Committee.
All candidates for the Boards of Governors and Advisors were elected unanimously except as follows: Aldrin voted no on Borman, Cousteau, Hope, Shepard, and Van Allen; Bennett voted no on Lichtenberg, Mark, and Liss; Hardersen voted no on Gingrich and Van Allen. David Criswell withdrew from the Board of Advisors because he is currently a Director.
TABLE OF VOTES FOR NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEES:
[-----Nominations Committee------] Nomin Elect
Chair Chair
M
a M R A
H c o u n
A G o k n O t W W Z W W d
h l p e t M r l a a u a a e
e a k n o u d P e l s b l s r R
a s i z u n w a d k s r k s m o
r e n i r i a c g e e i e e a h
n r s e e z y e e r r n r r n n
Ahearn x x x x x x x x x
Anderman x x x x x x x x x
Bennett x x x x
Criswell x x x x x x x x x
Dyson x x x x x x x x x
Glaser x x x x x x x x
Hardersen x x x x x x x x x
Hopkins x x x x x x x x x
Ikin x x x x x x x x x
Mackenzie x x x x x x x x x
Montoure x x x x x x x x
Muniz x x x x x x x x x
Ordway x x x x x x x x x
Pace x x x x x x x x x
Peterson x x x x x x x x x
Radley x x x x x x x x x
Roddenberry x x x x x x x x x
Rohn x x x x x x x x x
Rutledge x x x x x x x x x
Savage x x x x x x x x x
Schlemm x x x x x x x
Walker x x x x x x x x x
Wasser x x x x x x x x x
Zubrin x x x x x x x x x
Total 18 8 12 17 10 13 16 12 11 16 11 16 14 9 6 18
We are not going to migrate to space until we can build habitats from material already in space. That will not happen without cheap transportation, using fuels found in space.
Years ago people thought that we would have to bring everything need from Earth. Gradually, several new ideas have changed the "mindset" of how to develop space: make fuel from water on asteroids, extract oxygen from lunar soil, use an electric mass-driver, use He3 for fusion fuel, make methane on Mars, etc. But all of these plans involve many tons of equipment brought from Earth.
YOU can help with the next change of "mindset." The "Regolith Rocket" is a rocket design which uses lunar or asteroid dust for 99% of its reaction mass. If it works, it will be the simplest and cheapest extraterrestrial-fueled vehicle yet. But, people will not believe it until they see it fly.
Where do YOU and the NSS fit in? LET'S BUILD A ROCKET! Some people do it just for fun. In addition, though, this rocket will be the first of its kind. (That is unusual for an amateur project these days.)
You don't need to be a rocket scientist (I know a few who will help.) But, someone needs to be good with their hands to assemble tanks and pipes. Someone else could make phone calls for parts; or running tests; or video taping; or talking to the press. Even if it doesn't fly, we can still have dandy picnics on would-be-launch days.
Interested? Come to the Boston NSS meeting on Jan 11th, 6:30 pm, or Wed, Jan 10, 12 noon - 2 pm, in the MIT Student Center room W20-445 or contact me, Bruce Mackenzie, (617)258-2828, bmackenzie@draper.com.
1. No, dirt does NOT make a good rocket fuel. But, it is the least expensive reaction mass there is.
2. No, nitrogen does NOT make very good rocket fuel, either. But, when liquid nitrogen or any other liquid gas hits hot dirt, it sure sizzles! The thermal energy of the dirt causes the gas to expand, pushing the dirt out the rocket expansion nozzle. Our rocket could use either water or liquid nitrogen, for safety. The first Lunar Regolith Rocket would use 1% liquid hydrogen from Earth with 99% lunar regolith. The next rocket could use liquid oxygen made from lunar dirt. The specific impulse (Isp, fuel efficiency) would be less than 100 seconds, which is pretty bad for a rocket, but who cares, the dirt is cheap.
3. Yes, you could change the future by demonstrating the cheapest rocket yet, enabling profitable space transportation.
As part of our commitment to space education, we are pleased to have as our speaker Bruce Mattson, Flight Director/Technician at the Christa McAuliffe/Challenger Learning Center at Framingham State College. The Center sponsors many programs to encourage student interest in science, mathematics, and technology. Bruce will present a slide show and discuss the philosophy and goals the of Challenger Learning Centers nationwide.
Their flagship program is a space studies project that spans several weeks of in-school studies and culminates in an interactive role-play at the Center where students become the crew of Mission Control and the Space Station Phoenix in the year 2061. Their mission: launch a probe into the tail of Halley's Comet!
We will also celebrate the holiday season with special refreshments at our December meeting. If you would like to bring your favorite treats to share, they will be most welcome!
David will bring the MITy rover, designed to explore a planetary or Lunar surface. He will describe other Draper autonomous vehicles, including underwater vehicles and an autonomous helicopter designed for an aerial contest. The latest vehicle is Companion, a mini-rover system (36 x 24 x 40 in) with onboard planning capability. Companion has been developed to serve as a unmanned vehicle testbed. Available operational modes range from complete operator control to full vehicle autonomy. The robot is able to sense and map the environment, track and localize its position, and plan and execute guidance commands without external sources. The hardware design strategy achieves good system performance at affordable cost by fusing output from several low-cost sensors. Software capability includes generating occupancy grid maps with probabilistic representations of obstacle likelihood that are built up in time from multiple sensor returns and any a priori knowledge. A search method is used for route planning. Note the new date: the meeting was originally scheduled for January 4.
PASA meets regularly for a business luncheon and formal meeting from 1-3 pm, the third Saturday of every month at Smart Alex Restaurant, Sheraton University City, 35th & Chestnut. 2 hours of free parking with validation.
Scheduled activities: Sat., Dec. 2nd, trip to Franklin Institute. Sat., Dec. 16th, election of officers. Sat., Jan. 20th, formal meeting. Call Michelle for details.
Oct. 27th: Michelle Baker and Earl Bennett participated in a half hour call-in radio show on WDVR. However, it took place a half-hour earlier than expected (and thus was over by the time our people were told it would start). The station apologized, and promised to invite us back. As it was, it proved to be educational to their listeners.
Nov. 8th: Jim Chestek and Don Cox made presentations on cheap access to space and space colonization, respectively, at the Camden Co. Public Library.
Nov. 17-19: Philcon. Jim Chestek presented the talk Cheap Access to Space to about 30 attendess. A lively question-and-answer session followed. The PASA display represented the Artemis Society, ISDC 1996, NSS, Planetary Society, SETI League, Space Camp, and Space Studies Institute.
For the November 13 meeting, Michael Gilbrook will discuss "Cometary & Asteroidal Impacts: Past, Present & Future" using materials from the recently published book Rogue Asteroids and Doomsday Comets by Duncan Steel. Michael will present graphs, tables and illustrations which show the evidence for past impact events, and which demonstrate the threat posed by these objects to our future. Following the presentation, the chapter will discuss the wisdom of developing asteroid deflection technology.
Per our tradition, the December meeting will be dedicated to our "Space Video Extravaganza." We will try to obtain the complete DC-X flight testing video from the Space Access Society for the meeting to supplement videos of recent Shuttle missions, including the Mir rendezvous. If you have space related video of any kind, bring it to the December meeting. Viewing priorities will be set by the membership by acclamation.
ISDC 1997 UPDATE: A meeting of the ISDC '97 Programs Subcommittee was held on October 25. Participants handed in speaker identification forms developed by Susan Turner for use in recording the names of potential speakers from magazines and newspapers. By collecting a large number of suitable speaker names, we hope to avoid the "mad scramble" for speakers suffered by some ISDC committees. If you would like to participate, call or email Susan Turner for a copy of the form. We would like to canvas all the pertinent space literature from 1995 before starting to pick speakers in January '96.
During the October 25 meeting, the Program Subcommittee members also brainstormed ideas for suitable plenary and meal speakers. A large list of names and/or titles was prepared and correlated with the appropriate event (plenary, lunch, dinner, banquet). We'll refine this list with input from NSS HQ and the NSS Conference Coordinating Committee.
We also solicited advice from previous ISDC chairs via email on how to obtain speakers. We got several good suggestions, including a recommendation from ISDC 91 chair Carol Redfield that we publish a "call for papers." If you know of a space related journal or magazine that publishes conference paper-calls, please forward the details to Susan Turner.
We are preparing our October '95 quarterly progress report for submission to NSS HQ. We are on track for most activities. Our registration numbers are ahead of budget, with a total of 46 registrants so far, and our bank balance looks good. Several logo concepts have been transmitted to our volunteer artist, and he will be meeting with Tim Dunlap and Michael Gilbrook soon to develop those ideas into a finished logo. Randy Brown developed draft co-sponsor/supporting organization forms which were reviewed by the ISDC Committee earlier in the quarter. We'll be ready to solicit co-sponsors and supporting organizations soon!
APOLLO 13 UPDATE: NSS HQ recently sent us a list of new Florida members resulting from the Apollo 13 campaign. Of the 78 new members statewide were listed, at least 30 had central Florida ZIP Codes. At $10 each, the NSS rebate for these new members would bring at least $300 into MOSS' treasury. NSS HQ has not provided us any statistics on how many new members registered using forms marked by MOSS. Given that we distributed thousands of flyers at the Pleasure Island Theater, visited by vacation-goers from all over the U.S. (and the world!), MOSS might actually have a much larger share of the overall Apollo 13 campaign credit. President Michael Gilbrook will be working with NSS staff to arrive at a fair and final accounting of our Apollo 13 credit. Thanks again to all who participated!
VIP SHUTTLE LAUNCH VIEWING: Herb Wolfe has obtained a VIP launch pass for use by MOSS members at the launch scheduled for Saturday, 11/12/95. Attendance is limited to 10 people total; under chapter policy, MOSS members are allowed to bring one guest to member-only functions such as VIP launches. Slots will be assigned first-come, first- served. Call Michael Gilbrook to reserve a space. Details will be worked out via phone prior to launch day, but will likely involve a rendezvous for car- pooling at about 5 - 5:30 AM.
The C.I.S. manned space station Mir with Mir-20 (call sign 'Uran') cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko, Sergei Avdeyev and Thomas (DF4TR / DP0MIR) Reiter will be appearing in the midwest morning skies November 19th to December 6th and return to the evening skies December 15th to January 6th.
Amateur radio operators can log into the Mir 'Packet' (R0MIR-1) BBS on 145.550MHz simplex or 435.775MHz uplink / 437.775 downlink MHz. The cosmonauts also use the frequency 145.200MHz, up and 145.800MHz down or 435.725MHz Up /437.925MHz down or 145.550Mhz simplex to talk with amateur radio operators on the ground during their off-hours.
For exact times and locations to see the space station over your backyard call MN MIRWATCH Coordinator Ben Huset at (612) 639-9109. Look for MIRWATCH and other great space stuff on my web page at http://www.skypoint.com/~benhuset/.
"This is an automatic recording from the Crew of the Mir Space Station and the STS-74. The American shuttle Atlantis, the STS-74 has docked on time, around 09:30 onboard time. It was an excellent docking. We almost didn't feel anything on the station, Ken Cameron was piloting the Aircraft excellent and we are now waiting for the hatch opening and to welcome the crew. Bye Bye."
--- DP0MIR Thomas Reiter
My thanks to DAVE, N1PPP for this report.
Thomas has spent some of his time looking for amateur radio parts, connectors, adaptors, manuals and cables aboard Mir. He has soldered some make shift cables after concluding that the cables were not to be found. STS-74 brought up the rest of the 'missing' parts. He hopes to have the 'new' 440 MHz radios working soon.
EXTRA DAYS and EXTRA WALK: An agreement has been reached between ESA and the Russian RSC-Energia, that the EUROMIR 95 mission will now last until February 29, 1996. To make use of this extra time up to 70 kg of payload will be uploaded in the next Progress flight, now scheduled for December 15th, 1995 and Thomas Reiter will conduct a second spacewalk around mid-February 1996.
PROBLEM: Sometime on November 1st, the Mir experienced a leak in an internal cooling loop. This loop is part of the Kvant/Core module core system cooling loop. Approximately 1.8 liters of 37% solution ethylene glycol leaked internal to the Mir volume. Loss of the use of this loop disabled the regenerative CO2 removal system and one of the oxygen replenishing systems. The Mir then used a backup scrubber similar to the shuttle LiOH system for CO2 removal. The leak was found and repaired a few days later with 'a putty like substance'. STS-74 brought up 20 shuttle LiOH canisters and a rapidly developed an adaptor (just like Apollo 13) to convert shuttle canisters to the Mir system. US canisters were used because Russian canisters were 'not available in time i.e., couldn't be brought from the factory, through Russian customs, US customs and be Shuttle-certified in the 9 days before launch.
STS-74 was launched at 6:30:43 CST on 1995 Nov 12. Atlantis left pad 39A on the second attempt; the Nov 11 attempt was scrubbed at T-5 minutes due to bad weather at the transatlantic abort sites. Atlantis docked with Mir at 00:27:39 CST on Nov 15. By 00:36 the latches on the APDS docking system were closed and the Docking Module was firmly attached to Kristall. The hatches to Mir were opened at about 3 am CST.
THEY ALL LOOK ALIKE IN THOSE BLUE JUMPSUITS: The STS-74 welcoming ceremony on Mir was highlighted by NASA HQ representative Wil Trafton (head of the ISS program) congratulating the WRONG Russian cosmonaut! As he greeted them, he gave best wishes to "Ken Cameron, as commander of the Atlantis, and cosmonaut Solovev, as commander of the Mir". Solovev, of course, had returned to Earth two months earlier and the current commander is Gidzenko.
Many gifts were exchanged by the Mir-20 and STS-74 crews but the one I liked the most was the folding electronic guitar from the STS-74 crew to all future Mir and Alpha residents.
MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH or UGLY AMERICAN?: Last month I mentioned that NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski was forced to quit his training for a MIR mission, because he does not fit the 'standard' Soyuz seat.
Now an Izvestiya article Oct 18, '95, pp 1-2 by Sergey Leskov reported Russian space officials 'unofficially' saying , 'the Americans, who are paying for the joint project, have recently started talking to us in a bass voice, in a commandeering tone. We took umbrage, decided to show our character, and punished our partner, who forgot himself, for his disrespectful attitude. If there had been friendship, there would not have been anthropometry'.
NO SIR!: As reported by the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, mission engineer Gennady Strekalov, a veteran of six space flights, refused his young commander's order to take a walk in space earlier this year. Officials at mission control also tried to persuade Mr. Strekalov to make the trip, meant to determine why a solar panel on Spektr was not deploying. The power loss was insignificant (ITN report cited 20% [for that array]). The ITN report said Strekalov's position reportedly was that it was too risky, he had no training, no tools and there was no planning. He was fined $10,000 cited as 30% of his mission pay, and he is thinking of taking the issue to court. The U.S. space agency chimed in, saying a faulty panel could hamper a future docking with the shuttle. (but, it did not.) In desperation, Russian mission control enlisted Mr. Strekalov's wife to appeal to her husband. Still, no walk. Space officials downplayed the report of the cosmic quarrel, saying only interpersonal problems occur in the crowded conditions of space. Later the new crew, who had trained for the repair, freed the stuck array in a few minutes with NASA custom built, pruning shears on a stick.
The STS-74 second Mir docking mission is complete.Atlantis delivered the Docking Module to the Mir complex as well as transferring 324 kg of equipment and 640 kg of supplies to the complex and picking up 370 kg of NASA, Russian and European equipment for return to Earth.
Atlantis undocked from Mir on Nov 18 at 0816 UT. At 0832 UT,Atlantis had backed away to 120 m and began a flyaround. After two loops around Mir,Atlantis fired its engines for a separation burn at 1004 UT. The 316GK docking module remains attached to the Mir complex. Later on Nov 18 Atlantis lowered its orbit from 92.39 min, 388 x 395 km x 51.6 deg to 91.39 min, 337 x 348 km x 51.6 deg for operations with the GLO-4 experiment.
Atlantis landed on Nov 20. The payload bay doors were closed at about 1320 UTC. The OMS engines ignited for the deorbit burn at 1558 UTC and fired for 3 min 52 sec. After entry interface at 1630, the spacecraft header for Florida. The landing gear was lowered at 1701:09 and main gear touchdown was at 1701:27 UT on runway 33 at Kennedy Space Center. The nose gear touched down at 1701:37 and Atlantis came to a stop at 1702:24. Mission duration was 8 days 4 hours 31 min.
The next Shuttle mission is STS-72, which will use orbiter OV-105 (Endeavour). The mission will retrieve the Japanese Space Flyer Unit satellite and the crew will carry out two spacewalks. The payload bay will contain:
EO-20 crew Yuriy Gidzenko, Sergey Avdeev and Thomas Reiter remain aboard the Mir complex. Its current configuration has the Kvant module docked to the base block +X rear port, and three modules docked at the ports on the transfer compartment: Spektr at -Y, Kvant-2 at +Y, and Kristall at -Z, with the 316GK Docking Module attached to the end of Kristall. The Progress M-29 cargo ferry is docked at the rear of Kvant (+X), while the Soyuz TM-22 transport ship is docked at the front of Mir (-X). Launch of the Progress M-30 cargo ferry is expected on December 15; Soyuz TM-23 will be launched on 21 Feb, the 77KSI Priroda module on Mar 10, the Progress M-31 ferry on Apr 1, Progress M-32 on Jun 1, and Soyuz TM-24 on Jul 6.
Readers of JSR may be interested to know that the latest issue of CSPACE PRESS's magazine on the history of spaceflight, QUEST, contains an article by me outlining the history of US reconnaissance satellite programs, with a listing of all known US imaging recon sat flights, as well as an article by Dwayne Day on the origins of the CORONA program. The next issue will contain the second part of my article, covering signals intelligence and early warning satellites. You can get QUEST from CSPACE, PO Box 9331, Grand Rapids, MI 49509-0331, for $19.95 a year ($35.00 overseas air mail).
Meanwhile, following the flight of the final Resurs-F (JSR 258, 262) the Russian magazine Novosti Kosmonavtiki has published a remarkable article by M. Tarasenko and V. Agapov on the Resurs-F program, including a detailed and complete list of launches with spacecraft serial numbers and launch pads, and a discussion of the different Resurs-F variants. (Nov. Kos. 1995 No. 20, from Videocosmos,cosmos@space.accessnet.ru).
The second Gals direct broadcast TV satellite was launched on Nov 17 by a Proton from Baykonur. The Proton probably used the new DM2M (11S861-01) upper stage. According to Ron Baalke's Space Calendar, the satellite has been bought by the Land Group, a Chinese company. Gals satellites are built by NPO Prikladnoi Mekhaniki. On Nov 19, Gals 2 was at 88 deg E drifting 1 deg W per day in a 1441.7 min, 35764 x 36026 km x 0.2 deg orbit. (Does anyone have more details on the Land Group and their purchase of Gals satellites?)
The Kosmos-2291 Geizer-class comsat has reached its new location at 14.7W, presumably backing up Kosmos-2172 at 13.3W. In October Kosmos-2291 was replaced at 80E by the new Kosmos-2319 satellite and began a slow drift to its new location. Geizer satellites relay telecommunications for the Russian Ministry of Defence.
ESA's Infrared Space Observatory raised its perigee in a 111 min burn on Nov 19. The orbit was altered from 500 x 71577 km x 5.2 deg to 1030 x 71606 km x 5.2 deg. A second burn to lower the apogee is expected on Nov 24. Initial checks of the ISOPHOT instrument were successful.
The US Navy's UHF F6 circularized its orbit on Oct 29 and by Nov 6 was on station at 171W over the Pacific. The new SES European commercial television satellite Astra 1E is now at 14.7E.
The European Meteorological Satellite Organization's Meteosat 4 weather satellite appears to have been retired. It raised its orbit on Nov 8 out of the geostationary ring at 10 deg E to a storage orbit of 1482.9 min, 36618 x 36776 km x 1.5 deg.
Hughes Communications' Galaxy 3 satellite may also have been retired (can anyone confirm this?) Orbital data from Space Command indicate it moved 120 km up out of geostationary orbit into a 1442.4 min period drift orbit around Oct 3; an orbit released on Oct 20 showing it still on station is inconsistent with more recent data. In late October SBS 6 was moved from 95W to 74W, joining Galaxy 6.
Between Nov 13 and Nov 20 the Kosmos-2320 recon satellite raised its orbit from 231 x 274 km to 239 x 300 km in a standard orbit maintenance burn.
Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL.
DES.
Oct 6 0323 Kosmos-2321 Kosmos-3M Plesetsk LC132 Navsat 52A
Oct 8 1851 Progress M-29 Soyuz-U Baykonur LC1 Cargo 53A
Oct 11 1626 Luch-1 Proton-K/DM2M Baykonur Data Relay 54A
Oct 19 0038 Astra 1E Ariane 42L Kourou ELA2 Comsat 55A
Oct 20 1353 Columbia ) Shuttle Kennedy LC39B Spaceship 56A
Spacelab USML-2)
Oct 22 0800 UHF F6 Atlas II Canaveral LC36 Comsat 57A
Oct 23 2203 Meteor Conestoga 1620 Wallops LA0 Micrograv FTO
Oct 31 2019 Kosmos-2322 Zenit-2 Baykonur LC45L Sigint 58A
Nov 4 1422 Radarsat ) Delta 7920 Vandenberg SLC2 Rem sensing 59A
SURFSAT ) 59B
Nov 6 0515 Milstar DFS 2 Titan 4 Centaur Canaveral LC40 Comsat 60A
Nov 12 1230 Atlantis ) Shuttle Kennedy LC39A Spaceship 61A
Docking Module )
Nov 17 0120 ISO Ariane 44P Kourou ELA2 Astronomy 62A
Nov 17 1430? Gals-2 Proton-K/DM2M Baykonur Comsat 63A
Oct 26 Resurs-F2 Landed in Russia Nov 5 Columbia Landed at KSC Nov 20 Atlantis Landed at KSC
Orbiters Location Mission Launch Due OV-102 Columbia OPF Bay 2 STS-75 Feb 22 OV-103 Discovery Palmdale OMDP OV-104 Atlantis OPF Bay 1 STS-76 Mar 21 OV-105 Endeavour OPF Bay 3 STS-72 Jan 11 ML/SRB/ET/OV stacks ML1/RSRM-52/ET-75 VAB STS-72 ML2/ ML3/