Recently in Exploration Category

Subcommittee Examines Next Steps for U.S. Human Space Exploration

"A human mission to Mars is not attainable without significant scientific, technological, and operational progress and preparation. One or more interim destinations have often been suggested as the logical path for developing and demonstrating those capabilities needed in advance of the more distant and risky venture of sending humans to Mars. An interim destination could also serve as an important focal point and organizing mechanism for the human exploration program, as well as providing a vision and inspiring goal for the nation's future in space. Over past Administrations and the current Administration, the goal for an interim destination has changed."

Witnesses Debate Strategic Stepping Stones to Mars
 
"There are several compelling reasons for using the Moon as a training ground to prepare for more complex missions. Landing on the Moon would develop technical capabilities for landing on and launching from a large celestial body, something NASA has not done for more than four decades. Establishing a semi-permanent or permanent presence on the Moon would give astronauts an opportunity to work and live in an environment radically different from Earth."

Prepared statements:

Douglas Cooke
Steven Squyres
Paul Spudis
Louis Friedman
Rep. Steven Palazzo
Rep. Smith

Keith's note: I'll be a guest on HuffPost Live: What Would A Colony On Mars Look Like? at 2:30 pm EDT

"American astronaut Buzz Aldrin says the U.S. and NASA should focus on establishing a permanent colony on Mars by 2040. How likely is a future that include humans actually living on Mars? Should we be allocating our resources to this endeavor?"

Planetary Scientists Casting Doubt on Feasibility of Plan to Corral Asteroid, Science (paywall - sorry)

"Asteroid scientists are also a bit miffed that NASA left them out of its planning. They had heard presentations on the concept, but "we just couldn't take it seriously," [Mark] Sykes says. By early February, after realizing that NASA was indeed taking it seriously, he offered headquarters the services of its Small Bodies Assessment Group to help evaluate the idea. He got no response. NASA's Green says that "this is just the start. We will get them more involved." Although it falls outside their expertise, asteroid scientists have one more complaint about NASA's latest plan. The whole point of astronauts going to an asteroid had been to gain experience for long-duration missions far from home, such as a trip to Mars. But "if you bring the asteroid to the astronauts instead of the other way around," Harris says, "you really aren't sending humans into deep space, or for that matter cutting any new ground over ... circling the Earth in the [International Space Station]." So other missions would be needed to gain the necessary deep-space expertise."

Meet the thousands of people ready to die on Mars, Ars Technica

"By now, Mars One has proven that there are sufficient number of people who don't need to know any technical details for about the potential chance to live on Mars. Tens of thousands have plunked down cash to throw their would-be astronaut helmets into the ring without needing virtually any concrete information. But should space travel push come to reality entertainment shove, aren't applicants at least a little afraid of--how to put this delicately--either a fiery space death or a frigid Martian death?"

78,000 sign up for one-way mission to Mars

"Just two weeks into the nineteen week application period, more than seventy-eight thousand people have applied to the Mars One astronaut selection program in the hope of becoming a Mars settler in 2023. Mars One has received applications from over 120 countries. Most applications come from USA (17324), followed by China (10241), United Kingdom (3581), Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Argentina and India."

Keith's note: Looks like Mars One has eclipsed both Golden Spike and Inspiration Mars in terms of fundraising: 78,000 applications - ~$2 million in application fees.

Humans to Mars Summit (H2M)

"How can we land humans on Mars by 2030? Join us at the Humans to Mars Summit (H2M) to learn ways in which this can happen. Co-sponsored by Explore Mars and the George Washington University Space Policy Institute, H2M will be held on May 6-8, 2013 at the Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University in Washington, DC. H2M will be a comprehensive Mars exploration conference to address the major technical, scientific, and policy related challenges that need to be overcome to send humans to Mars by 2030."

Agenda

Watch H2M live at Mars.TV

Exploring a possible mission to Mars, Washington post

"The Obama administration's 2010 "National Space Policy of the United States of America" requires the NASA administrator to set "far-reaching exploration milestones," including: "By 2025, begin crewed missions beyond the moon, including sending humans to an asteroid. By the mid-2030s, send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth." So, taken literally, the policy does not call for NASA to put astronauts on the surface of the fourth rock from the sun. They'd go to Mars, take a close look from orbit, perhaps rendezvous with one of the small Martian moons, and come zooming home."

Charlie Bolden Intends To Press President Obama on Mars Mission Mandate for NASA, earlier post

"At one point, Bolden teared up and said that "Mars is the Goal". Bolden claimed that he was intent upon going to the White House, "pounding his shoe on the table", and demanding a commitment from President Obama to direct NASA to send humans to Mars. Bolden said that he needs that commitment to allow him to decide what to do (not do) with regard to extending the ISS."

Is Charlie Bolden's Shoe Pounding Moment Approaching? (Update)

"There is no mention of an Administration committment to a human mission to Mars in the NASA FY 2014 Budget. Either Charlie Bolden never pounded his shoe at the White House - or (more likely) they were not listening when he did."

Suits in space? A North Las Vegas company is working with NASA to recruit executives for space missions, Vegas Inc.

"Just months after reaching a deal with NASA to build an inflatable space room, local entrepreneur Robert Bigelow is working with agency officials to find ways for business executives to take part in human space missions. His company, Bigelow Aerospace, signed a deal with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration last month to explore how the private sector can contribute to missions beyond the area known as "Low Earth Orbit," about 1,200 miles above sea level. That could include missions to the moon, which is about 240,000 miles away, and Mars, which is at least 33.9 million miles from Earth."

Keith's note: So why won't NASA openly admit that it has signed this Space Act Agreement? Where is the press release? I asked for a copy of ths SAA weeks ago and NASA never sent it to me - despite the fact that these agreements are supposed to be made public and are usually provided by NASA PAO upon request. Alas, I obtained it through other means. Baffling PR tactics at work.

- Full Text of the NASA/Bigelow Space Act Agreement, earlier post
- Is NASA Going to Buy a Moon Base From Bob Bigelow?, earlier post

Keith'snote:The following statement was read by NASA Advisory Council member Lars Perkins, as an individual, at today's NAC meeting. Perkins' term is expiring and new nominees/renominations have not been announced - yet.

"The administration's proposed FY '14 budget contains drastic and unprecedented cuts to NASA's education funding. NASA has been uniquely effective in engaging the public in science and exploration, and to cut these important programs at a time when the nation is facing an unprecedented crisis in in its ability to satisfy the nation's need for engineers and scientists. The entire NASA budget, at approximately $17 billion, constitutes only $.005 per tax dollar, and the education budget prior to the proposed cuts represents only about 1% of that, or one two-hundredth of a penny per tax dollar. To cut these programs now is short-sighted and counterproductive.

Why has NASA been able to so compellingly engage the public's imagination? We are part of a species that looks the sky and wonders, "where did we come from?", "Where are we going?", "what's out there?" A species that - so far - we know only to exist on our blue marble. And we are part of a country that cares enough to ask questions, the answers to which have unknown value. And still we ask, and because we do, because the country, NASA does, everyone who toils day-to-day, driving a cab, flipping a burger, teaching a child, are all explorers. All part of a community, a society, a country that dares to ask questions in the same spirit that a child asks "why is the sky blue?"

Text of the NASA/Bigelow Space Act Agreement

"The purpose of this Agreement is to facilitate and explore, in a manner that meets both national and commercial goals and objectives, joint public/private arrangements that would continue to build the ability for humans to live and work in space through the expansion of exploration capabilities beyond low Earth orbit. By conducting this joint effort, the Parties build on their experience and their mutual recognition of the value of a human presence and exploration development in low Earth orbit, ranging outward from Bigelow Aerospace's existing contract with NASA to conduct a technology demonstration of expandable structures on the International Space Station ("ISS") to significant private sector involvement and operations in beyond low Earth orbit including cislunar space and beyond."

Message from the Administrator NASA and the Importance of Risk

"Much of the time, we work in an environment where the consequences of not getting things exactly right are very high. The good news is that our processes and culture are well adapted to doing these things very well. We must not lose that. Human spaceflight and flagship science missions can sometimes be a dangerous business. But, as I have said before, when you do stuff that nobody else has ever done, you have to be willing to accept risk. We have to be willing to do daring things. Put another way, risk intolerance is a guarantee of failure to accomplish anything of significance."

Volunteers Line Up For Tito's Mars Flyaround, Aviation Week

"Doug Cooke, a recently retired top NASA manager who spearheaded exploration-systems development for the agency, has joined the private group's board advisors, MacCallum said. ... MacCallum said work has already started on ground facilities to test the life support hardware, which will be largely crew tended for simplicity, but will be designed effectively to give two-fault-tolerant redundancy comparable to NASA safety standards. Eventually some components and subsystems probably will be tested on the International Space Station."

Keith's note: Not that this is a bad idea (its actually a smart one since ISS is a great testbed), but who is going to pay to fly these systems to the ISS? Flying racks of hardware to the ISS is not exactly cheap.

Keith's update: Out of curiosity, I have checked online sites for the State of California and IRS for non-profits - or regular companies named "Inspiration Mars Foundation" or variations thereof. Nothing results from these searchs. One might conclude that the organization does not yet exist despite what is on their website.

Keith's update: Update: Inspiration Mars was incorporated in Delaware on 25 Jan 2013 as a Non-profit corporation - File #5279943 - but still no evidence of its 501(c)(3) status (probably in application phase).

Earlier posts

Clarifying NASA's Warp Drive Program

"Few people know this but NASA actually has a warp drive program underway at Johnson Space Center. A recent article on the program created some open-ended questions that needed to be answered. The article seemed to imply that Harold White (who heads the project) had signed non-disclosure agreements such that he could not discuss public-funded research. That's a little unusual for NASA. So I sent a series of questions to Harold White and NASA PAO."

NASA's Super Secret Warp Drive Program, earlier post

George Knapp: To infinity -- and beyond!, Las Vegas City Life

"Business deals don't get much bigger than this one. Have you ever read a contract that gives a governmental green light to a program to "place a base on the surface of the moon?" Ever see an agreement signed by the U.S. government that declares a specific goal "to extend and sustain human activities across the solar system?" Me, either. Yet that is essence of an adventurous deal already reached between NASA and Las Vegas space entrepreneur Robert Bigelow. An official announcement is still a few days away and will likely happen during a news conference at NASA headquarters."

Keith's note: Something is in the works. Stay tuned. This will be a rather odd turn of events given that just a week ago Charlie Bolden said "NASA will not take the lead on a human lunar mission ... NASA is not going to the Moon with a human as a primary project probably in my lifetime. And the reason is, we can only do so many things." Then again, Charlie Bolden first said NASA was going to go to an asteroid. Then he wanted to go to L2. Then he said that you did not have to go all the way to an asteroid to visit one. Then he said he'd bring the asteroid back to Earth (L2). Things change quickly in Charlie Bolden's strategy, it would seem.

Bipartisan Legislation Sets NASA's Focus on the Moon

"U.S. Representatives Bill Posey (R-FL), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Chairman Frank Wolf (R-VA), Robert Aderholt (R-AL), John Culberson (R-TX), Steve Stockman (R-TX), Pete Olson (R-TX), Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Ted Poe (R-TX) have once again reintroduced bipartisan legislation directing NASA to develop a plan for returning to the Moon and establishing a human presence there. The RE-asserting American Leadership in Space Act, or REAL Space Act, sets a clear course for NASA toward human space flight while keeping within current budgetary constraints."

Back to the Moon? Not any time soon, says Bolden, Space Politics

"However, [Bolden] made it clear NASA has no plans to lead its own human return to the Moon under his watch. "NASA will not take the lead on a human lunar mission," he said. "NASA is not going to the Moon with a human as a primary project probably in my lifetime. And the reason is, we can only do so many things." Instead, he said the focus would remain on human missions to asteroids and to Mars. "We intend to do that, and we think it can be done."

NASA Budget Priority: Asteroid Defense, Wall Street Journal

"Once again, NASA likely faces a stiff fight over its desire to ramp up funding to $820 million annually to help subsidize work on private taxis to transport astronauts to the orbiting space station. Congress has kept a lid on such appropriations at around $500 million. While seeking to increase investment in cutting-edge spacecraft propulsion and on-orbit refueling, NASA would lose nearly one-third of its current funding to foster interest and education in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. The proposed cuts are part of a governmentwide bid by the White House to consolidate so-called STEM education in three other agencies."

NASA mulls asteroid capture mission, eventual manned visits, CBS

"I hope it goes forward," said Rusty Schweickart, a former Apollo astronaut who helped found the B612 Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to building and launching a privately funded space telescope to search for threatening asteroids. "Asteroids are a very, very interesting area," he told CBS News in a telephone interview. "They're a hell of a resource, and I think the potential for long-term resource development for use in space is going to be a very big thing. And this is sort of step one. It's a baby step in a way, but it should be very interesting."

Senator: NASA to Lasso Asteroid, Bring it Closer, AP

"The ship would capture the 500-ton, 25-foot asteroid in 2019. Then using an Orion space capsule, a crew of about four astronauts would nuzzle up next to the rock in 2021 for spacewalking exploration, according to a government document obtained by The Associated Press."

NASA Asteroid Capture Mission: First Real Step in Utilizing Extraterrestrial Resources, SpaceRef earlier post

"Charlie Bolden made his cryptic comments at the NAS in December 2012: "when the President announced that an asteroid would be the next destination for NASA's human spaceflight program, he did not say NASA had to fly all the way to an asteroid. What matters is the ability to put humans with an asteroid.". Well, Bolden was referring to this idea which was still in flux as part of the budget process."

Senator: NASA to Lasso Asteorid, Bring it Closer, AP

"George Washington University Space Policy Institute Director Scott Pace, a top NASA official during the George W. Bush administration, was critical of the plan, saying it was a bad idea scientifically and for international cooperation. Instead, NASA and other countries should first join forces for a comprehensive survey of all possible dangerous space rocks, Pace said."

Russia may join asteroid retrieval mission, UPI

"Russia says its Roscosmos space agency may join NASA in an ambitious mission to capture an asteroid and bring it to a lunar orbit for exploration. ... [It is] a very interesting project, which NASA proposes to carry out jointly with Roscosmos specialists," Roscosmos head Vladimir Popovkin said."

Keith's note: It certainly seems like Russia is interested in this in contrast to what Scott Pace would have you think. Other countries will soon line up as well. Scott Pace should know that there is no technical or political reason not to do this mission and and asteroid survey in parallel i.e. simultaneously. It comes down to money (there seems to be some) and sources report that this mission will also see an enhancement in a variety of activities associated with NEO detection.

When it comes to Obama space policy and Scott Pace there always seems to be a lingering "what if" bitterness - of the sort often associated with talking about having lost some big game way back in high school. You have to know that if President Romney told Scott Pace to do this mission he'd have been absolutely thrilled at being given the opportunity.

- The Romney Campaign has a Space Policy Etch-A-Sketch, earlier post
- Double Standards and Sour Grapes From the Romney/Griffin Camp

Keith's note: After interaction with/pressure from NASA JSC and MSFC Inspiration Mars is now considering use of single launch of SLS for their mission. Of course, the use of SLS for Inspiration Mars is problematic if a 2018 launch is required. And even if the launch happens would NASA allow it to be used on on of the very first flights for a mission that many inside NASA think is risky - with no real ability to bail out? This is not the same NASA that did Apollo 8 on the third Saturn V flight. As for what this would cost Mr. Tito - that's anyone's guess. What is the commercial price for a SLS launch? I am not certain NASA has even considered that. How do you calculate that price - the same way that the Shuttle commercial launches were priced? We've seen that movie before. Oh yes: there is the pesky little matter of public law that prohibits NASA from offering serrvices on a commercial basis that compete with services that the private sector can offer. Stay Tuned.

Earlier Inspiration Mars posts

Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project: how you can help save historic space data, Boing Boing

"The LOIRP team managed to obtain original tape drives from the 1960s (covered in dust in a farmer's barn) and a full set of original Lunar Orbiter analog data tapes (threatened with erasure) containing all images sent back to Earth by the five spacecraft between 1966-67. None of this had been functional or usable since the late 1960s. From the onset the project has been run on a shoestring budget. The LOIRP effort is housed in an abandoned McDonalds burger joint at Moffett Field, California (also known as "McMoons"). The LOIRP folks used spare parts bought on eBay, discarded government equipment, new hardware reverse-engineered from math equations in 50 year old documentation, modern laptops, the expertise of retired engineers and scientists, and the dedication of young students."

Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project, RocketHub

Keith's earlier note: Only a few hours left. The $50,000 $52,000 $53,000 $56,000 level was just passsed - more than 2/3 70% 76% of the total fundraising goal of $75,000. Over 410 446 468 502 funders have made donations ranging from $10 to $5,000. Proof positive that people are willing to pay for space exploration out of their pockets - even if it is for data recovery from missions that flew almost half a century ago.

Keith's update: The final funding level achieved is $62,560 - 84% of the goal - from 548 donors. A special thanks to Xeni Jardin at BoingBoing for being the project's biggest fan.

Inspiration Mars: Some Thoughts About Our Plan, Mike Loucks, John Carrico and Dennis Tito

"Dennis Wingo provided some comments for us in his article Inspiration Mars: Some Thoughts About Their Plan. Dennis Wingo is a friend of ours. We welcome input from any source, especially visionaries like Dennis. Our IEEE Paper is an attempt to show the feasibility of the simplest possible Mars flyby mission. We chose a simple Mars flyby trajectory (the one from the Patel reference), and will choose a simple ECLSS, heat shield, etc., using existing designs and technologies on a single launch. We may eventually deviate from these assumptions, but only when we have proven that we must."

Inspiration Mars: Some Thoughts About Their Plan, Dennis Wingo, earlier post

Inspiration Mars: Some Thoughts About Their Plan, Dennis Wingo, SpaceRef

"While as of yet the plan is incomplete, it is a baseline from which to build on, and most importantly it does, I think, what Mr. Tito intended, which is to change the conversation about exploring beyond Earth orbit. I am not interested in comparing the Inspiration Mars plan to NASA's plans but to focus on what could be done to improve that mission."

This Is How Dennis Tito Plans To Send People to Mars, SpaceRef

"If Dennis Tito has his way, two people will leave our planet in January 2018 and make a trip to Mars and back. Tito will be footing much of the bill himself. This mission won't stop at Mars, but rather, will do a quick flyby. Unlike the spate of space commerce companies that have flashed on and off the news in recent months, this effort has substantial cash behind it - at the onset. Also, unlike these previously announced efforts, this is not being done by a company that needs to eventually return a profit to its investors. Instead, it is being spearheaded by a non-profit organization, the Inspiration Mars Foundation. Tito's mission will be facilitated by donors - not investors. And no, he will not be part of the crew."

"Inspiration Mars" to pursue human mission to the Red Planet in 2018, Inspiration Mars Foundation

"Inspiration Mars will be funded primarily through private, charitable donations. The foundation will also seek out government partners that can provide unique expertise, access to infrastructure and other technical assistance as part of a public-private partnership."

NASA Statement on Inspiration Mars Mission

"It's a testament to the audacity of America's commercial aerospace industry and the adventurous spirit of America's citizen-explorers. NASA will continue discussions with Inspiration Mars to see how the agency might collaborate on mutually-beneficial activities that could complement NASA's human spaceflight, space technology and Mars exploration plans."

Video: Inspiration Mars News Conference on 27 February 2013

Return to Tradition: 2013 Geographic South Pole Marker Sports Classic Style, The Anarctic Sun

"The marker shows the position of the planets as viewed from the South Pole on Jan 1, 2013. There are seven brass planets displayed on a copper inlay. In the very center is a small copper star that marks the South Pole. "In the center of the marker (in brass) we have the sun, sunset and moon, with the Southern Cross, including the pointers. If you look carefully, the small inscription above the moon reads, 'Accomplishment & Modesty.' This was a reference to honor Neil Armstrong, as he passed away when I was making this section with the moon."

NASA Cooperative Agreement Notice: Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute

"NASA is soliciting the submission of multiinstitutional team-based proposals for research as participating members of the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI). The Institute will succeed the current NASA Lunar Science Institute. Proposals must clearly articulate an innovative, broadly based research program addressing basic and applied scientific questions fundamental to understanding the nature of the Moon, Near Earth Asteroids, the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos, and the near space environments of these target bodies, to enable human exploration of these destinations. Proposals in the areas of astrophysics and heliophysics that are enabled through human and robotic exploration of the Target Bodies are also solicited through this Cooperative Agreement Notice."

Keith's note: It is important to note that this renamed and expanded "virtual institute" based on the existing NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI) will continue to be managed at NASA ARC. ARC pioneered the implementation of virtual institutes back in the late 1990s with the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) and later with the NLSI.

Florida university to take over operations of undersea lab Aquarius, Star News

"A lack of federal support and local funding has forced the University of North Carolina Wilmington to stop operations at Aquarius, the world's only permanent undersea laboratory - a loss that will take away a key component of the school's marine science program, a school official said. "Aquarius is unique. It's the only asset like this in the world," Aquarius director Tom Potts said of the facility in the Florida Keys. "UNCW does lose a little of what makes it unique by losing this program." But the program is not completely lost. It will soon be operated by Miami-based Florida International University."

B612 Foundation Live Facebook Chat

"What are the odds of a devastating asteroid impacting the Earth? How will the privately-funded Sentinel Mission work to map Near Earth Asteroids in the inner solar system? Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder Dr. Ed Lu and Mission Director Dr. Harold Reitsema will be available to answer your questions about the Sentinel Mission and all things asteroid related. Join us!" Wednesday, January 9, 2013 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (PST)

Pre-register

Houston, We Have Another Problem: Study Shows that Space Travel is Harmful to the Brain

"The possibility that radiation exposure in space may give rise to health problems such as cancer has long been recognized. However, this study shows for the first time that exposure to radiation levels equivalent to a mission to Mars could produce cognitive problems and speed up changes in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer's disease."

Galactic Cosmic Radiation Leads to Cognitive Impairment and Increased AB Plaque Accumulation in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease, PLoS (original research paper)

Keith's note: I can't seem to find any mention of this NASA-funded research at NASA.gov. Given the animal rights controversy that surrounded these experiments, and the results of this specific research project (with clear relevance to missions to asteroids, Mars, etc.), you'd think that NASA would want taxpayers, stakeholders, and the media, to know about these findings. Guess not.

NASA produces a regular listing of publications (NASA Spaceline Current Awareness) on the space life science research it funds. However, NASA is unable to find a way to publish it online. As a result no one really gets to see what the agency does - unless they visit SpaceRef, that is. We have a complete archive online stretching back to 1999.

Keith's update: This PLoS research paper made the rounds of various news outlets - all of them asking the question: Does space travel cause/aggravate Alzheimer's? Given than many of us have had our families directly affected by this disease, stories that mention it tend to get our attention. NASA's public response? Nothing. Yet, its not as if they are not concerned about radiation health (they funded this research after all). This was a perfect opportunity for the agency to show how its research not only serves space exploration needs but also has a relevance to issues facing the public.

By coincidence, this solicitation "Development of the Expandable Coil Concept" was issued today by NASA JSC and shows one way that this issue is being addressed in terms of spacecraft design. Yet another golden opportunity for NASA to link up its research and inform the public. Again, nothing but silence. If NASA does care enough to tell people what they are doing, then how can the agency expect people to care enough to be interested?

NASA JSC Solicitation: Development of the Expandable Coil Concept, NASA JSC

"NASA/JSC has a requirement to continue the study of active radiation shielding for crew protection, a key challenge with human exploration of space."

Radiation Protection and Architecture Utilizing High Temperature Superconducting Magnets, NASA

NASA mulls plan to drag asteroid into moon's orbit, New Scientist

"Researchers with the Keck Institute for Space Studies in California have confirmed that NASA is mulling over their plan to build a robotic spacecraft to grab a small asteroid and place it in high lunar orbit. The mission would cost about $2.6 billion - slightly more than NASA's Curiosity Mars rover - and could be completed by the 2020s. .. Robotically bringing an asteroid to the moon instead would be a more attractive first step, the Keck researchers conclude, because an object orbiting the moon would be in easier reach of robotic probes and maybe even humans."

Keith's note: This study has not been released yet so we don't know what is in it. All we hear is how to go get an asteroid and bring it back to Earth - but not why. If the idea is to study an asteroid close up, I would think that you could send a swarm of satellites, large antennas, etc. based on existing hardware to an asteroid and allow high fidelity telepresence capability for the same/less cost and less complexity than using brute force to bring it to Earth. The only possible rationale for bringing an asteroid back to Earth would be to use the materials in it. I have yet to see any mission statement that charters NASA to mine asteroids. Indeed, the White House doesn't even support the more modest L2 station that Charlie Bolden (sometimes) wants to build using traditional engineering.

The last time I checked, one of the main reasons why the White House tasked NASA to send humans to an asteroid in the first place was to test out long duration deep space human capabilities as a prelude to sending humans to Mars. Bringing their asteroidal destination to Earth sort of defeats that initial intent. Who knows: maybe Charlie Bolden wants to bring Mars closer to Earth to cut down on travel time.

Keith's update: the original report has indeed been released previously. But the specific mission proposal that NASA has sent to the White House has not been released - nor will it be any time soon since this is all "predecisional" stuff.

NASA NSPIRES: The Next Generation Plenary: Next Destinations for Human Space Exploration

"Calling U.S. students and U.S. young professionals! If you could choose humanity's next destination in space, where would you choose? We want to hear what you think should be the next destination for humans to explore and why your destination is the best. As today's 21- to 35-year-olds, you will be the senior engineers and mission managers who will be carrying out and leading the next human missions to explore space, and we want your input. Why wait 10 years to be heard?! We invite you to share your ideas with space leaders in government, industry and academia at the International Astronautical Congress in Beijing, China, 23-27 September 2013!"

NASA's Call for Abstracts for the 64th International Astronautical Congress (IAC)

Keith's note: I think it is great that NASA seeks the input of the next generation of space explorers. But its somewhat odd that NASA is asking people what "humanity's next destination in space" should be when (depending who you listen to) the agency has already been given that destination. Is this request seeking the next destination after asteroids/Mars - or is this one instead of asteroids/Mars? Given that NASA Administrator Bolden does/does not want to go to an asteroid - or may want to bring that asteroid back to Earth - or maybe also wants to go to L2 and/or Mars, I guess yet another destination exercise won't really make things that much more confused.

Charlie Bolden's Meandering Strategic Plans, earlier post

Nasa plan to 'lasso' asteroid the size of two buses and turn it into a 'space station' to orbit the moon, Daiy Mail

"Nasa scientists are planning to capture a 500 ton asteroid, relocate it and turn it into a space station for astronauts on their way to Mars. The White House's Office of Science and technology will consider the 1.6bn plan in the coming weeks as it prepares to set its space exploration agenda for the next decade. Nasa declined to comment on the project because it said it was in negotiations with the White House, but it is believed that technology would make it possible within 10-12 years."

Bolden: NASA Does Not Have To Actually Go To An Asteroid

"Bolden also said "on our way to an asteroid or Mars we may find a way to get people to the Moon or a LaGrange point .... some reporter in the back of the room is going to write saying that we are going to a LaGrange Point. I did not say that"

Charlie Bolden Intends To Press President Obama on Mars Mission Mandate for NASA, earlier post

"At one point, Bolden teared up and said that "Mars is the Goal". Bolden claimed that he was intent upon going to the White House, "pounding his shoe on the table", and demanding a commitment from President Obama to direct NASA to send humans to Mars. Bolden said that he needs that commitment to allow him to decide what to do (not do) with regard to extending the ISS."

Is It Time For Charlie Bolden To Pound His Shoe?, earlier post

"When NASA gets its FY 2013 budget passback from OMB they will see that in addition to not approving the L2 station, there is none of the additional, strong Mars commitment that Charlie Bolden declared must be in the budget (other than what the President has already said, that is). No word yet as to whether Bolden has requested a meeting at the White House for his shoe pounding event."

Keith's note: The President directs NASA to send a human mission to an asteroid and prepare for a trip to Mars in the 2030s. NASA responds with plans to build a space station at L2 and Charlie Bolden says he'll bang his shoe on the table if the President does not give NASA a mandate to go to Mars and says that a mission to an asteroid doesn't need to actually go to an asteroid. Now NASA wants to bring an asteroid back to Earth. You can get whiplash if you follow Charlie Bolden's strategic planning too closely. When it comes to having a coherent, consistent, strategic plan, NASA doesn't have one. Instead, it spins around in 10 directions at once - as if it has institutionalized Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Someone needs to hit the reset button.

Bolden: Don't Have to Travel Far to Asteroid to Meet President's Goal, Space PolicyOnline

"Bolden said that when the President announced that an asteroid would be the next destination for NASA's human spaceflight program, he did not say NASA had to fly all the way to an asteroid. What matters is the "ability to put humans with an asteroid," Bolden said. An NRC report released earlier this month concluded that sending people to an asteroid has not won wide support in NASA or the nation. Bolden did not criticize that report directly, but said that NRC committee had only a short time to complete its study and it was done at a time of "relative silence" from NASA because of the election and did not have the benefit of the information he was presenting this morning. The only new material he presented this morning was this information about the asteroid mission and the news that NASA will soon stand up a Space Technology Mission Directorate."

Keith's note: Bolden also said "on our way to an asteroid or Mars we may find a way to get people to the Moon or a LaGrange point .... some reporter in the back of the room is going to write saying that we are going to a LaGrange Point. I did not say that"

NASA Really Doesn't Want to Do That Whole Asteroid Thing, earlier post

S.3661 - Space Exploration Sustainability Act

"SEC. 4. REPORT ON CIS-LUNAR SPACE.

Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall submit to Congress a strategy to achieve the long-term goal of sustainably expanding a human presence beyond low-Earth orbit under section 202(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18312(a)) through robust utilization of cis-lunar space."

IFPTE Letters Opposing S. 3661, the Space Exploration Sustainability Act

"S. 3661 in its current form is a flawed and unbalanced effort to improperly prioritize a few outsourced and offshored activities, while neglecting NASA's internal core capabilities and other critical needs. It is focused on catering to the demands of the Russian government and on preserving Russian aerospace jobs all the way through the end of this decade, while doing absolutely nothing to protect NASA's federal workforce."

Keith's note: IFPTE is obviously interested in protecting government jobs - simply for the sake of protecting government jobs. They are a union, so that is to be expected. Otherwise, the IFPTE seems to be uninterested in what this legislation is trying to do in terms of American space policy. Indeed, where the IFPTE folks get some of this arm waving and scary hyperbole is just baffling.

Coalition for Space Exploration Introduces New Leadership for 2013

"The Coalition for Space Exploration (Coalition) today announced veteran aerospace communicators George Torres of ATK and Mary Engola of Ball Aerospace will lead the Coalition in 2013. Torres will serve as the new chair and Engola will continue her role as the deputy chair. Each will serve a one-year term, effective January through December 2013."

The Vision for Space Exploration: After the Vision, What Next? (Part 5), Paul Spudis

"Many of us working in or with NASA recognized that the 2004 Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) was a breakthrough, the necessary fulcrum needed to change our approach and direction to spaceflight. It was a program that would have opened the door to a wide variety of previously unobtainable missions. In this five-part series to establish and clarify the history and intent of the VSE, I've shared my insider's perspective on why and how it was conceived, executed and eventually terminated - a cautionary tale, if you will, and hopefully, an instructive one. In this last post, I want to examine what lessons should be drawn from this history and how we should move forward in a positive way to have and to build a U.S. space program truly "worthy of a great nation."

Ditch the asteroid mission, Mr President, BBC

"Whatever the truth, I hope that Nasa is aiming big, because its current ambitions are - by its own scientists admissions - somewhat lacking. Although we now have the capability to return humans to the Moon, and travel beyond with manned missions to Mars, the world's leading space-faring nation has another destination in its sights: an asteroid. A small lump of rock."

Almost Being There: Why the Future of Space Exploration Is Not What You Think, Wired

"Congress was all for ditching the moon and Mars plans but decided to keep building the shiny new rocket (maintaining employment in many of their constituent districts). The Space Launch System, which is scheduled to be ready for human crews in 2019, will be the most powerful rocket ever built, capable of bringing astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit, where the space station sits, for the first time since the Apollo days. This puts NASA in a conundrum. "Once you're out there, then what do you do?" said astronomer Jack Burns from the University of Colorado. Within a decade, we may be able to get people in the vicinity of the moon but "there's not enough money in the budget to build a human lander."

A glimpse at a gateway, Space Review

"This is a multi-center team that's been working on trying to figure out what the agency's going to be doing next," [Harold White] said in a presentation that was part of a panel session on advanced concepts at the conference. "In principle, this is an incremental approach to human space exploration. We're trying to take small steps and use as much of the stuff that we have in hand, and incorporate advanced technologies where appropriate to close the architecture."

Charlie Bolden Intends To Press President Obama on Mars Mission Mandate for NASA, earlier post

"At one point, Bolden teared up and said that "Mars is the Goal". Bolden claimed that he was intent upon going to the White House, "pounding his shoe on the table", and demanding a commitment from President Obama to direct NASA to send humans to Mars. Bolden said that he needs that commitment to allow him to decide what to do (not do) with regard to extending the ISS."

Keith's note: The President directed NASA to send humans to an asteroid and eventually (in the 2030's) to Mars. But with talk of L2 or L1 bases, Moon missions, etc. it would seem that some parts of the agency have engaged in mission creep beyond what the White House directed them to do. Then again, the President did say "Mars in the 2030s" and planning for that has to start sooner or later. Regardless of what destination(s) that different parts of NASA think they are aiming for, there is no money for the payloads needed to accomplish any of the missions. With Thanksgiving looming, so is NASA's "passback" on the FY 2014 budget to OMB. Word has it that there will be some of Bolden's Mars shoe pounding included in NASA's budget response. Stay tuned.

NASA may soon unveil new manned moon missions, Space.com

"The new plans have probably already been cleared with the Obama Administration but have been kept under wraps in case Republican candidate Mitt Romney won Tuesday night's (Nov. 6) presidential election, said space policy expert John Logsdon, a professor emeritus at George Washington University. "NASA has been evolving its thinking, and its latest charts have inserted a new element of cislunar/lunar gateway/Earth-moon L2 sort of stuff into the plan," Logsdon told SPACE.com."

Charlie Bolden Intends To Press President Obama on Mars Mission Mandate for NASA

"This long term ISS operations plan did not sit well will NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. Bolden said that he needed to know directly from President Obama whether or not missions to Mars starting in the 2030s was to be NASA's ultimate goal. If this is not the President's goal for NASA, then Bolden wondered why NASA should be expected to continue funding the ISS for another decade and a half. At one point, Bolden teared up and said that "Mars is the Goal". Bolden claimed that he was intent upon going to the White House, "pounding his shoe on the table", and demanding a commitment from President Obama to direct NASA to send humans to Mars. Bolden said that he needs that commitment to allow him to decide what to do (not do) with regard to extending the ISS."

The Vision for Space Exploration: A Brief History (Part 1), Paul Spudis

"Near the end of my recent two hour co-appearance with Dr. Jim Vedda on The Space Show (October 19, 2012), an ongoing misconception emerged about the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) and prompts me to detail some of the history of the VSE and its original intent. Such a review is timely as discussions rage about NASA's current and future direction."

Red Bull Stratos: Mission Accomplished (with photos)

"Austria's Felix Baumgartner earned his place in the history books on Sunday after overcoming concerns with the power for his visor heater that impaired his vision and nearly jeopardized the mission. Baumgartner reached an estimated speed of 1,342.8 km/h (Mach 1.24) jumping from the stratosphere, which when certified will make him the first man to break the speed of sound in freefall and set several other records while delivering valuable data for future space exploration."

Status Reports

Keith's note: The non-proft organization Quest for Stars has simultaneously launched a high altitude balloon that sent back live images of Felix Baumgartner's ascent. More information here.

Weird Facts That You Didn't Know About E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, io9

"6) E.T. was Spielberg's response to the "stalled space program."

That's what Spielberg said in 1981, adding: "If the government won't fund the space program, to allow people's imagination to soar, then all I can do is make movies that bring space down to earth and make it more accessible to the imagination."

Keith's note: Of course, E.T. was also a hacker.

Keith's update: Today's balloon attempt was aborted due to high ground winds. There is a backup ballloon for another attempt. Weather is expected to be questionable tomorrow and then it deteriorates further after that.

Status Reports

LIVE WEBCAST

Discovery: Replica Beagle plans expedition to further Darwin's legacy, Financial Times

"An Anglo-Chilean project aims to further the legacy of the great naturalist by building a replica of the wooden Beagle and retracing the voyage it made to circumnavigate the globe, accompanied around Chile's 4,000 mile coast, and those of other parts of Latin America, by a modern, steel-hulled research vessel tentatively named The Adventure, after the Beagle's own sister ship. The aim, the organisers say, is to ignite minds and bring "the adventure of science to life", with participation from schoolchildren in hands-on projects along the ship's route, as well as groundbreaking research by scientists. A collaboration with Nasa, the US space agency, also aims to bring some modernity to this voyage of exploration and discovery."

Gateway L-2 Mission: Opening Cislunar Space or Dead End?, Paul Spudis

"A recent report by the NASA human architecture team has given us a glimpse of the agency's thinking about future missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). Interest is focused on sending human crews to a "Gateway" outpost stationed at the gravitationally stable Earth-Moon L-2 point. The facility, built with plans and parts derived from the construction of the International Space Station, would slowly circle the L-2 point in a halo orbit. From its "hovering" position over the lunar far side, it would be in direct communication with Earth."

NASA Ready To Announce Deep Space Human Mission (Update), earlier post

Navy Announces Research Vessel to be Named in Honor of Neil Armstrong

"Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today that the first Armstrong-class Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (AGOR) ship will be named Neil Armstrong. Mabus named the future R/V Neil Armstrong (AGOR 27) to honor the memory of Neil Armstrong, best known for being the first man to walk on the moon. Armstrong was an aeronautics pioneer and explorer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) serving as an engineer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator. Armstrong also served as a naval aviator flying nearly 80 combat missions during the Korean War."

NASA Cooperative Agreement Notice Draft Announcement for a Joint SMD and HEOMD Science and Exploration Institute and Request for Comments

"NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) intend to release a Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) for the NEW NASA science and exploration institute (name to be determined) no earlier than October 2012. The new institute will retain the successful structure of the NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI), consisting of new peer-reviewed and competitively selected teams managed by the current small central office located at NASA Ames Research Center. The new institute will be a virtual research organization that leverages knowledge and expertise from the science and exploration communities and supports NASA's goals in lunar and planetary science and human exploration of the solar system. It is anticipated that approximately seven teams will be selected in response to the proposed CAN."

Hearing: The Path from LEO to Mars, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

"The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold a hearing on "The Path From LEO to Mars." This hearing will examine NASA's exploration portfolio -- both robotic and human -- beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO) to the surface of Mars. The hearing will begin with an update from project scientists working on the Mars Science Laboratory mission."

- John Grunsfeld
- Fuk Li
- John Grotzinger
- Steven W. Squyres prepared statement
- Charles F. Kennelprepared statement
- Jim Maserprepared statement

NASA holds G+ hangout today for Neil Armstrong and Kennedy's Moon Speech

"Today, Wednesday 9/12, NASA will pay tribute to Neil Armstrong and the 50th Anniversary of President Kennedy's "Moon Speech" at 12pm PT / 3pm ET, with NASA astronauts, scientists and engineers coming together in a one-hour Google+ hangout to remember historic NASA innovations and discuss the future goals for scientific discovery and human spaceflight."

NASA Highlights 50th Anniversary of Kennedy 'Moon Speech' and Looks Ahead

"NASA is offering a variety of special features to commemorate the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's address at Rice University in Houston on Sept. 12, 1962. In that famous speech, Kennedy proclaimed, "We choose to go to the moon in this decade," which set the United States on a course of space exploration that we continue to build on today. On Wednesday, NASA Television will air in its entirety a high-quality version of the address at 11:15 a.m. EDT, the same time President Kennedy gave the speech 50 years ago."

Editorial: September 12, 1962

"While Kennedy laid out some broader motivations, once we reached the Moon the American human exploration program almost collapsed. It has suffered ever since from a lack of long term purpose beyond maintaining a level of national prestige and technological capability. A long term purpose is not beyond our reach. It is needed to provide necessary focus to our human space efforts. ... I envision President Obama at Rice University on the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's speech, laying out a renewed vision."

NASA To Honor Neil Armstrong at National Cathedral

"NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and other dignitaries will attend a public memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral to honor the life and career of astronaut Neil Armstrong on Thursday, Sept. 13. The memorial will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed online by the agency's and National Cathedral's websites."

Keith's 6 Sep 7:45 am EDT update: Sources are reporting that Neil Armstrong will be buried at sea - the date is still TBD. More to follow.

NASA Announces Asteroid Naming Contest for Students

"Students worldwide have an opportunity to name an asteroid from which an upcoming NASA mission will return the first samples to Earth. Scheduled to launch in 2016, the mission is called the Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx). Samples returned from the primitive surface of the near-Earth asteroid currently called (101955) 1999 RQ36 could hold clues to the origin of the solar system and organic molecules that may have seeded life on Earth. NASA also is planning a crewed mission to an asteroid by 2025. A closer scientific study of asteroids will provide context and help inform this mission."

Neil Armstrong's lasting legacy, Dan Goldin, Washington Post

"This summer I witnessed the landing of Curiosity on Mars from mission control at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. After the "seven minutes of terror" and Curiosity's successful arrival, I knew that NASA still has the right stuff. NASA is filled with future Neil Armstrongs -- outstanding rocket engineers, scientists and dreamers. I can think of no greater testimony to the entire Apollo team than to undertake another audacious activity that, although risky, will raise the American spirit and create opportunities for future generations. This next challenge will be the catalyst for the scientific and engineering breakthroughs central to the future vitality of our nation. We must reach for the stars."

AIAA Foundation to Establish the Neil A. Armstrong Scholarship Endowment Fund

"The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Foundation (AIAA Foundation), at the request of the family of Neil A. Armstrong, who was the first person to set foot on the Moon, and an AIAA Honorary Fellow, has established the Neil A. Armstrong Scholarship Endowment Fund."

An Echo of Neil Armstrong's First Lunar Step at Earth's North Pole

Moki Kokoris: "As he undoubtedly was for many, this photograph proves just how profoundly Neil Armstrong had been a role model to me. Upon reaching the geographic North Pole, my first thought was to double-check my GPS for validation, and the second thought was to recreate my own rendition of his "One small step" moment. Here is my boot-print at degree 90-North, taken in April 2003."

Two 'Wow' Moments In The History Of Space Exploration

"After his historic trip to the moon, Neil Armstrong became close friends with one of the first two humans to summit Mt. Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary. The two historic figures later traveled the world together - including a trip to the North Pole. At one point they both had to sign in at a small lodge in a remote town in the Canadian high arctic ..."

Keith's note:We first sent humans to the Moon for reasons that now seem more romantic and idealistic than than they are relevant to today's world. That said, this achievement transcended the politics of the day to become a moment in human history on a par with some of the greatest accomplishments our species has ever achieved. Whereas we once thought the notion of reaching the Moon was fanciful, we all too quickly made it reality.

Now, more than a generation later, half the world was not even alive when Neil Armstrong first set foot on the Moon. Indeed, a lot of people think it was faked in a TV studio. Those who are trying to send us back to the Moon lament that it may take longer to do it today than it did in the 1960s. Neil Armstrong entered this dialog toward the end of his life - his previous silence making his comments event more poignant. Now he is gone. While others who walked on the Moon will continue to speak out about space exploration, none will come close to evoking Armstrong's humble authority on the subject. It may be another generation before we see someone like Neil Armstrong step once again into history on another world. But regardless of where they step, Neil Armstrong will have symbolically been there before them.

On a personal note: this is my connection to Neil Armstrong. I carried some rocks in my pocket for a month - rocks that he picked up from the surface of the Moon. Ever wake up in the middle of the night to feel a lump under your chest only to realize that it is a Moon rock?

Photo: President Obama Winks at The Moon - For Neil Armstrong

"Neil's spirit of discovery lives on in all the men and women who have devoted their lives to exploring the unknown--including those who are ensuring that we reach higher and go further in space. That legacy will endure--sparked by a man who taught us the enormous power of one small step."

Keith's note: I have been informed that this photo was taken several months ago. It was posted on this Tumblr page the other day with the quote from the President referencing Neil Armstrong's passing. I apologize for the incorrect description.

Column: Manned missions to Mars aren't just sci-fi, opinion, Lou Friedman, USA Today

"Human travel to Mars is inevitable. Human journeys beyond Mars will be virtual. This makes Mars the ultimate destination for humans, in body at least. Once we realize that, the context of robotic missions like Spirit, Opportunity and, now, Curiosity changes. President Obama may actually understand this; he is the first president to announce that human expeditions to Mars (he said by the mid-2030s) is the goal of America's space program. The president may understand it, but his administration doesn't. It has cut out most future Mars plans in NASA. That disconnect needs fixing."

Keith's note: I simply do not agree with Lou Friedman when he suggests that personal, physical human exploration is going to be limited to Mars - with no human venturing beyond in person. This is narrow, defeatist thinking in the extreme. Friedman talks about the potential amazing technological advances in on sentence (electronics) for future robotic spacecraft - right after he says that human life support technology is stuck in the 1960s and apparently is immune to similar technological advances. He's already given up and decided what is hard and what is not.

Alas, Carl Sagan spoke for decades about humans inside starships. Not everyone sees Mars as the "utlimate destination" as Friedman does. Rather, many see Mars as just a first step - one of many steps to be taken by human boots - accompanied by robots.

But I do agree with Friedman on one point: if you are going to set a goal i.e. sending humans to Mars, then the monetary resources to build up to that capability need to be in place to enable the development of that capability - now.

As for being Friedman's statement that Presient Obama "is the first president to announce that human expeditions to Mars (he said by the mid-2030s) is the goal of America's space program." I guess Lou missed this 2004 statement from President Bush: "With the experience and knowledge gained on the moon, we will then be ready to take the next steps of space exploration: human missions to Mars and to worlds beyond.". This was immediately followed by the President's Commission on Moon, Mars and Beyond. In 1989 his father said that America would be "sending humans back to the Moon, and ultimately sending astronauts to Mars". I was at both events and clearly heard the word "Mars" both times.

NASA's 'Mighty Eagle' Robotic Prototype Lander Finds Its Target, NASA

"NASA's "Mighty Eagle" successfully found its target during a 32-second free flight Aug. 16 at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. This small, versatile robotic lander prototype demonstrates technologies applicable for the final descent of an autonomous controlled landing on the moon, asteroids or other celestial bodies."

Masten Video: Xombie 650m Mars EDL Divert Trajectory, Masten,

"Building on the success of the 500 meter downrange flight on July 25, we're excited to announce the completion of a flight that reached 476.5 meters in altitude and translated 650 meters downrange on August 9, 2012."

NASA's Morpheus Lander Crashes During First Free Flight Attempt, Earlier post

"During its first attempt at free flight today at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA's Morpheus lander crashed and caught on fire."

An Interview With Alexander Kumar at Concordia Station, Antarctica

"Dr. Alexander Kumar is currently residing at Concordia station located at Dome C, Antarctica at 75°06'06''S - 123°23'43''E at an elevation of 3,800 meters. Alex is serving as Concordia Station Doctor for the Institut Polaire Francais (IPEV) and as a European Space Agency sponsored research doctor. I recently had a chance to ask Alex a few questions about his experiences in Antarctica - and elsewhere as they related to space exploration - and exploration in general."

NASA Mars Rover Opportunity Update: July 25, 2012 - August 01, 2012

"Opportunity has been roving at the north end of Cape York on the rim of Endeavour Crater."

Preparations for shuttle Endeavour's trip to California near end, Florida Today

"Kennedy Space Center crews this morning attached a tail cone to the orbiter Endeavour, one of the last major preparations for its planned ferry flight to California next month."

Scientist hopes to find wreck of Capt. Cook's Endeavour

"A marine archaeologist is hoping to find and recover the wreck of Capt. James Cook's famous ship the Endeavour in Newport Harbor."

HMS Endeavour, Wikipedia

Failure to Launch, Failure to Lead, Paul Spudis, Air & Space

"Two Presidential announcements on space In the aftermath of a major Space Shuttle accident, an incumbent President decides that our civil space program needs a bold new strategic direction. In a major public speech, he outlines a path to return to the Moon and go to Mars. The space agency responds with full-color sales brochures, committee meetings, community workshops, and a thousand charts outlining the steps they will take to carry out the new direction. A couple of years pass, a new President takes office, and then - promptly cancels the initiative of the previous administration. Sound familiar? This has happened in our space history - twice."

NASA's problem with farmers, the committee, and Tinkerbells, Space Politics

These constituencies are entrenched within NASA and have to become overcome in order to enable real change for the agency. "The longer it goes, the harder it's going to get because those groups--and there are probably more--get stronger and stronger and stronger." It was those constituencies, [Mark Albrecht] suggested, that stymied the Bush Administration's attempts to focus NASA on the Space Exploration Initiative over 20 years ago. "If it didn't work in 1989, it is going to be much, much harder to do that in 2012 or 2013."

ExxonMobil: "The United States ranks 17th in the world in science. It's time to raise the bar and elevate our academic standards. Let's do what's best for our students by investing in our teachers. Find out more at exxonmobil.com/letssolvethis"

Keith's note: This video is playing as an advertisement on the CNN.com homepage right now. Look at all the other nation's flags on the Moon. This is a more subtle - yet still blunt way to send a message about the importance of education and technological preeminence to America - instead of adopting NASA Astronaut Andy Thomas' earlier clumsy and crude method wherein Chinese astronauts are shown to have trampled the American flag left on the lunar surface as they plant their own.

- NASA Astronaut Andy Thomas is Still Bashing China On The Job, earlier post
- NASA Exploration Ideas - With Added China Bashing, earlier post

The Explorers Club Hosts Plasma Rocket Demo With Astronauts Scott Carpenter and Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz

"The demonstration of the VASIMR rocket engine prototype, called the VX-200 (for VASIMR Experimental at 200 kilowatts), will be hosted at the Ad Astra research facility by The Explorers Club, the international exploration organization, at 2 p.m., Friday, June 22, 2012. Also attending will be legendary astronaut Scott Carpenter who flew in 1962 as part of the Mercury program, and Ad Astra's Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz who has flown to space seven separate times, all aboard the Shuttle."

NASA's Undersea Mission Submerges in the Atlantic

"An international crew of aquanauts is settling into its home on the ocean floor, where the team will spend 12 days testing concepts for a potential asteroid mission. The expedition is the 16th excursion of the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO)."

Challenger Center to host Exciting Interactive Webcasts with NASA NEEMO

Lighting a rocket is easy; tough part is controlling it, making parts work together, AP

"Anybody can make something go boom. Controlling it is hard," said former NASA associate administrator Scott Pace, director of space policy at George Washington University. ... "In many ways, the worst enemy of NASA is `Star Trek'," Pace said. "Captain Picard says `engage' and the ship moves. And people think `How hard can this be?'"

Keith's note: This is an odd thing for Scott Pace to say given that he's a very smart guy. If anything, Star Trek is often NASA's best friend. For several generations it has been Star Trek and other popular TV shows and movies that have so totally embedded the value and need to explore space within the minds of the citizens whose taxes keep NASA going. When cuts are proposed for NASA, what memes do supporters and energized taxpayers cite? Of course they use lines and themes about exploration and inspiration that you hear Star Trek characters saying.

When everything goes right, NASA loves to bask in the glowing PR and does not deter people from lofty comparisons to Star Trek. But when something goes wrong (or might go wrong) they like to lower expectations and say "Rocket science is hard". And yet, NASA seems to do it right nearly all the time, leading one to logically ask 'so how hard can this be'? This is the problem with NASA. They want to have it both ways.

U.S. Budget Cuts Threaten to Sink Undersea Research Fleet, Science

"Last week, researchers began to plead their case, asking lawmakers to reject an Obama Administration plan to eliminate the $4 million National Undersea Research Program (NURP), which is run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). ... The program also funds investigators to work at NOAA's Aquarius Reef Base, an underwater laboratory that sits in 18 meters of water 5.5 kilometers off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. ... It is less clear what will happen to NURP-funded assets if the program is defunded, although NOAA officials say they plan to get rid of Aquarius Reef Base, the Pisces V submersible, and other vehicles by the end of fiscal year 2013."

NASA Solicitation: NASA Extreme Environment Missions Operations (NEEMO) Support Vessel

"The ship must be on location for nine calendar days from June 11th, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. EST until June 19th, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. EST. The ship will need to mob/demob the Deep Worker submersibles at a nearby port the day before (on June 10, 2012) and the day after (June 20, 2012)."

Mars can wait. Oceans can't, CNN

"While space travel still gets a lot of attention, not enough attention has been accorded to a major new expedition to the deepest point in the ocean, some 7 miles deep -- the recent journey by James Cameron, on behalf of National Geographic. The cover story of the prestigious journal Foreign Affairs lays out the "Case for Space." "60 Minutes" recently ran a story about the dire effects on Florida's space industry of scaling back our extraterrestrial endeavors. Newt Gingrich gained attention earlier this year by calling for building a permanent base on the moon. And President Obama has talked of preparing to eventually send Americans into orbit around Mars. Actually, there are very good reasons to stop spending billions of dollars on manned space missions, to explore space in ways that are safer and much less costly, and to grant much higher priority to other scientific and engineering mega-projects, the oceans in particular."

Keith's note: Is exploration a zero sum game - one wherein we must do one thing well (Earth) but not another (space)? Or can we do both? Should we do both? If the current (traditional) way of funding exploration via government funding is running out of steam, what other ways (i.e. Jim Cameron's recent private expedition) should be considered?

Proceedings from the NASA Administrator's Symposium: "Risk and Exploration: Earth, Sea and the Stars"

James Cameron Completes Record-Breaking Mariana Trench Dive

"Now "the science team is getting ready for the returned samples," expedition astrobiologist Kevin Hand, of NASA, said in an email. ... Because Cameron had prepared extensively for the dive, he should be in good psychological health, said Walter Sipes, an aeronautics psychologist at NASA's Johnson Space Center."

Keith's note: A former NASA Advisory council member and MSL imaging co-investigator goes to the deepest place on Earth - with a NASA astrobiologist supporting his dive. The media seek out NASA experts for comment. Alas, no mention at NASA's Astrobiology website or anywhere else at NASA. Not surprising since NASA blew off "Avatar" as just another SciFi movie - until it made several billion at the box office. When Felix Baumgartner jumps from the edge of space soon NASA will ignore that too even though there are NASA alumni advising him. Meanwhile, NASA still can't figure out the name of the asteroid they (or might not) might visit in 10 or 15 years. And then the agency complains when people don't pay attention to what they do. Why should they, NASA is becoming boring.

Double the Space Budget?, Paul Spudis, Air & Space

"More funding would enable more activity, but to do what? As we no longer have a reasonable, near-term strategic goal (and I do not count empty promises of human Mars missions 30 years in the future as such), more money might accelerate progress on some programs, but money alone will never establish a healthy and vigorous space program. What has held us back from creating a strong space program? I contend that it is the lack of any strategic direction, by which I mean not simply a goal, but a believable goal, one that combines clear and pressing societal value with attainable, decadal timescales, at costs at or less than their projected budget line. Under the existing operational template, most proposed space goals satisfy one or two, but not all conditions."

Cislunar Space Next

"Develop a space transportation system using existing assets to the extent possible, build new reusable vehicles to transit cislunar space, develop lunar resources with the aim of propellant production, emplace staging nodes in LEO (use existing ISS), geosynchronous orbit (GEO), Earth-Moon L-1, low lunar orbit (LLO) and on the lunar surface."

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen's Field Reports: Lake Untersee, Antarctica (Gigapixel panorama)

"Those early ecosystems resulted in the formation of luxuriant microbial mats with a variety of morphologies which are seen today in the stromatolitic fossil record scattered around the globe. Until recently, there have been no reports of modern microorganisms forming such structures, but in 2008 our research team discovered large conical stromatolites forming beneath the thick perennial ice of Lake Untersee in Antarctica."

Keith's note: SCUBA diving with robots under the antarctic ice in search of life. Good practice for looking for life's signs on Mars, Europa, Enceladus ...

NASA Infographic: The Future of Human Spaceflight, NASA

"NASA has released a new infographic which seeks to collect future space vehicles, destinations, and possible paths of exploration together into one "Big picture".

NASA's Dueling Concept Maps, Road Maps, and Infographics

"As you can see below, there is no shortage of roadmaps and graphical representations of where NASA should be going in the coming years. To be certain, concept maps, roadmaps, and infographics are different things. Done properly, they serve a similar, overlapping function: to contain a series of things you need or intend to do, and present these things in a way that allows others to understand what it is you want to do - and why. A good roadmap or concept map should be easy to make into a good infogrpahic. But if your roadmap is not well thought out, or your concept map has incomplete logic, then your infographic is going to be confusing."

Cislunar is the next destination for America in space, Cislunar Space Next (Paul Spudis)

"Develop a space transportation system using existing assets to the extent possible, build new reusable vehicles to transit cislunar space, develop lunar resources with the aim of propellant production, emplace staging nodes in LEO (use existing ISS), geosynchronous orbit (GEO), Earth-Moon L-1, low lunar orbit (LLO) and on the lunar surface."

Brochure

NASA Internal Memo: Public release of 'We Explore Space' Concept Maps

"We are pleased to notify you that the human space exploration project you graciously offered your time and expertise to support has been completed and is being released to the public at this very moment! You may launch into the "We Explore Space" concept maps from the NASA website."

Keith's note: At first blush there is a blatant omission in this presentation: commercial space - crew and cargo. Given the large amount of money NASA is spending, and the hopes that the agency pins on the private sector for acccess to space, you'd think this would be a prominent theme. Guess not. And the "Previous" and "Next" links do not work on my Mac running OS 10.6.8 in Safari, Firefox, or Chrome browsers.

Keith's update: Well I fiddled with it some more and I found a page that deals with commercial space. But finding it was rather counterintuitive requiring multiple steps where the word "commercial" is not used. Again, given the battles that NASA and the Administration have had with Congress over this issue you'd think they'd want to explain how commerce fits into it. Or maybe they are trying to de-emphasize it so Congress won't complain. Oh yes, you can't print these charts out (easily) on a single sheet of paper. PDF versions would be nice.

That said, I am a fan of mind maps, so this is an interesting approach. The question that really begs an answer is who is the intended audience for this website? The media? Policy wonks? The public? How much this activity cost? How much was the grant? Why is there no press release?

NASA Administrator Meets With Apollo Astronauts - Agency Will Work Cooperatively to Resolve Artifact Ownership Issues

"I believe there have been fundamental misunderstandings and unclear policies regarding items from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Skylab programs, and NASA appreciates the position of the astronauts, museums, learning institutions and others who have these historic artifacts in personal and private collections."

NASA questions Apollo 13 commander's sale of list, AP

"NASA spokesman Bob Jacobs said the lawsuit and Lovell inquiry do not represent an aggressive, broad new agency effort to recover space items. "It's a challenge to continually monitor the growing auctions community, which is usually how these items come to light," he said in an email. "This latest issue demonstrates a need to reach out to former astronauts and other former agency personnel who may have these kind of items."

NASA's Inconsistent Policy Regarding The Sale Of Apollo Era Items

"It should be abundantly clear by now that the NASA IG and General Counsel offices have no consistent policy whatsoever when it comes to selling historic Apollo era artifacts. In some cases you can sell pieces of the Moon, and in other cases you cannot. In some cases you can sell items used during Apollo missions, in other cases, you cannot. And of course, it is also acceptable practice to rough up little old ladies and threaten lawsuits against elderly former astronauts."

- Apollo 13 checklist brings $388,375 at Auction, earlier post
- NASA OIG Admits The Obvious About Moon Rocks, earlier post

America's Deep Space Vision: Settlement of the Moon and Mars versus Asteroid Visits, Harrison Schmitt, The Heartland Institute

"America's eroding geopolitical stature, highlighted by the July 21, 2011, end to flights of the United States Space Shuttle, has reached crisis proportions. Obama Administration officials now spin the nebulous thought of Astronauts flying many months to an undetermined asteroid in 2025 as an actual "National Space Policy". On the other hand, Republican candidates for President have not yet recognized the importance of international civil space competition in the federal government's constitutional function to provide for the nation's "common defence".

Top: The International Space Station flies over the face of the Moon as seen from Houston, Texas on 4 January 2012. Bottom: An Ares-1B spacecraft heads toward the Moon in the film "2001: A Space Odyssey" in 1968. Larger images

Related posts

- Astronauts At The Controls: 2010 Vs 2001, earlier post
- Photos: Fixing Antennas in Space - Today and in a Past Future, earlier post
- Photo: In The Cupola, Gazing Down at Earth From Orbit, earlier post

Annus Horribilis: Space in 2011, Paul Spudis, Air & Space

"In other exciting developments, the agency announced their new "mission statement" - "To reach for new heights and reveal the unknown so that what we do and learn will benefit all humankind." Some noted the new statement says nothing about conducting missions and doesn't mention space. But it is stirring - a mission statement for an agency without a mission."

NASA Needs To Wake Up to Reality, Chris Kraft, Space News

"So come on NASA, wake up! Take the lid off and turn loose the human resources you already have in place. Most of these bright people came to NASA excited about the future, about going back to the Moon to stay and becoming a part of what could be another renaissance in space. Building a great big rocket is not a necessary expenditure at this time. In fact, the budget that will be consumed by this big rocket will prevent NASA from any meaningful human exploration for at least the next decade and probably beyond. We don't have to march in place while we wait for the powers that be to cancel it. Let's be innovative; let's wake up the sleeping giant and have at returning to the Moon right now."

Human Space Exploration Global Exploration Roadmap Materials Online

"NASA conducted the Human Exploration Community Workshop on the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) Global Exploration Roadmap (GER) in San Diego, CA from November 14-16, 2011. There were over 100 people in attendance, and 630 unique participants via the webcast."

A Post-Mission Conversation With NASA NEEMO Aquanaut Steve Squyres

"Cowing: Let's go back to what we were talking about several weeks ago before you began your NEEMO mission - the idea that being there - and doing it as - opposed to intellectualizing things ...

Squyres: ... yea, it is really different when you actually have to do it!"

Guest Blog: Apollo's Spirit Alive and Well, Andrew Chaikin, Space News

"Four decades later the challenge is not just to follow Apollo's trail into deep space, but to do it affordably and sustainably. That's not going to happen if NASA continues to be run as a jobs program as much as a space program. These are the things I think about when I hear people like my manager friend say that commercial companies should be patient and wait for the fruits of NASA's experience to spin off to the private sector. They apparently don't see that this spinoff has already happened, that companies like SpaceX have digested the collected wisdom of NASA's first half-century and are building on it. And they are doing so with a boldness that could be game-changing -- even for heavy-lift launchers. The spirit of Apollo is alive and well, if only NASA and Congress would allow it to flourish."

NASA Is Considering Fuel Depots in the Skies, NY Times

"Although General Bolden promised to provide the information, [Rep. Dana] Rohrabacher said he had obtained the study about propellant depots only through unofficial channels. "I'm shocked that the leadership in NASA would try to keep a report as significant as this away from decision makers of the legislative branch," Mr. Rohrabacher said, adding that the study gave him "the ammunition to make a case" to revisit NASA's plans for human spaceflight."

Propellant depots: the fiscally responsible and feasible alternative to SLS, Space Review

"The information presented here proves that the propellant depot architecture is a viable alternative to the Space Launch System. Just as importantly, the propellant depot strategy fits within the country's need for programs that are in sound monetary policy. NASA needs a strategy that NASA leaders and employees can back in private, as well as in public."

In-orbit Fuel Depots vs. NASA's Heavy Lift Space Launch System (SLS) for Dummies, TMC.net

"In November, NASA engineers will meet in Washington to discuss how to leverage propellant depots to get further into space and enable "more ambitious missions" using the agency's heavy lift Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, according to an October 22, 2011 piece. But apparently NASA officials aren't interested in trying to convince/fight Congress about the time and cost savings a fuel depot architecture would offer deep space missions."

NASA May Create Refueling Stations In Space, MyFox, Houston

"This study highlights some interesting benefits of depots, but it is too singularly focused," NASA official William Gerstenmaier said in a statement. "NASA is actively studying depots and how they can be used with other proposed elements to provide the lowest cost, sustainable exploration plan."

- NASA Studies Show Cheaper Alternatives to SLS, earlier post
- Fuel Depots and Congress, earlier post
- In-Space Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer Demonstration Mission Concept Studies, 2011, NASA GRC, earlier post
- Using Commercial Launchers and Fuel Depots Instead of HLVs, earlier post
- The HLV Cost Information NASA Decided Not To Give To Congress, earlier post

Crowdsourcing Science with Zooniverse and NASA at the NEEMO-15 Underwater Asteroid Mission

"Analyzing the vast amount of data that NASA brings back from its missions is an enormous task. In order to improve collaboration internally, as well as engage citizens in NASA's mission, the Open Government team is experimenting with different ways to process mission data quickly. The NASA OpenGov team has enlisted the help of established NASA partners Zooniverse and Vizzuality, who have pioneered the analysis of large datasets through crowdsourcing, using the power of elegant interfaces, to engage citizen scientists in the NEEMO mission."

A Pre-Mission Conversation With NASA NEEMO Aquanaut Steve Squyres

"I had a chance to chat with NEEMO 15 crew member Steve Squyres today as he waits out some bad weather before his 13 day underwater mission begins. According to Steve its looking like Thursday before they can "splash down" and begin their mission."

NASA Posts Global Exploration Roadmap

"NASA is releasing the initial version of a Global Exploration Roadmap (GER) developed by the International Space Exploration Coordination Group. This roadmap is the culmination of work by 12 space agencies, including NASA, during the past year to advance coordinated space exploration. The GER begins with the International Space Station and expands human presence throughout the solar system, leading ultimately to crewed missions to explore the surface of Mars."

Keith's 16 Sep note: This presentation "Towards Deep Space Exploration: Small Steps versus One Giant Leap" (download) was presented by astronaut Andrew Thomas on 6 September 2011. Inside you will find some interesting stuff regarding the use of existing ISS and Shuttle era plus international and commercial capabilities - all matrixed together allowing us to go to new places. It also mentions problems that occur with the public and Congress when things go over budget or seem to not show any real progress or benefit, and how to use smaller steps to incrementally achieve things in space that are relevant, affordable, and show visible progress within everyone's short attention span.

Of course this is all "notional" i.e. ideas that NASA won't connect officially with any actual project or budget anywhere. But that's OK since it shows that people are thinking outside the box, cognizant of limited budgets, and aren't afraid to use old stuff for new purposes. The ideas and approach contained in this document are summarized as follows: "This is not a Program, it is not a Destination; it is a series of activities that aggregate to a deep space capability with US Leadership".

There is one problem I have with this document - and it has to do with one specific graphic (page 28 - larger view). Had the author noted that China's plans for the Moon should not spur us to do things out of fear or paranoia or something like that, I'd agree. But using an image that shows a Taikonaut on the lunar surface, planting the flag of the PRC while trampling an American flag is troubling. Are there really people inside NASA who think like this - enough that they go out of their way to create and use a provocative image like this? Alas, China-hater Rep. Frank Wolf will just love this chart.

P.S. If some graphics do not work or load it is because the original Powerpoint file's format did not exactly work perfectly for me.

Keith's update: Neither Astronaut Andy Thomas, the Astronaut Office, JSC, or NASA PAO have commented on the use of this image. One would therefore have to assume that they are afraid to comment and/or that there is tacit approval of the use of this image in official NASA presentations. None of these assumptions are remotely acceptable. So much for transparency and openness at NASA. I guess its "Lets say nothing and hope this goes away ...".

It will not go away.

"What's Next?" in space exploration - Coalition for Space Exploration announces video contest

"During this historic time of change within the space industry, the Coalition for Space Exploration (Coalition) wants to hear from the American public about what they envision for the future of space exploration. The Coalition is launching a contest based on a simple question, "What's Next?" Participants are encouraged to share their ideas for the future direction of America's space program in a video. The creator of the winning video entry wins an iPad2."

Space agencies set two courses, MSNBC

"NASA spokesman Michael Braukas told me that the roadmap was not yet available for public release, but space officials agreed that an initial version of the document would be issued sometime in the next few weeks. Based on viewgraph presentations prepared in advance of this week's meeting in Kyoto, both paths would eventually get to the moon as well as asteroids. It's more a question of which destination is targeted first."

Keith's note: "Not yet available". More NASA PAO deflection and answer dodging because no one at the agency wants to take a stance - about anything. This is getting to be pathetic. NASA cannot say what it means - or mean what it says anymore. By the way, has anyone heard Charlie Bolden say anything about this topic - or anything else for that matter - for several months - other than a bland statement in Huntsville the other night (which NASA has yet to post online)NASA leadership, wherefore art thou? Sounds like Charlie is in chronic bunker mode to me.

Oddly enough, while NASA is shy about talking about anything remotely bold these days, DARPA (of all places) is enlightened enough to be looking ahead to interstellar travel - and what technology would be required - and how this could have applications on Earth. Sounds like NASA's job - you know, "spinoffs", etc. Of course, NASA Headquarters is trying to stomp this out behind the scenes.

Why is Charlie Bolden so afraid to stand up and speak out? Is the White House telling him to be silent? Does he not care? Or does he simply not 'get it'?

We've already wasted 10% of the 21st century trying to figure out what we are going to do in space.

NASA is in wander mode - absent a "leader".

Speaking as just one taxpayer, I want more - much more - from my nation's space agency - than this diffuse, 'we'll get back to you - maybe', space "policy".

As the Gen Y kids say , "FAIL"

NASA'S Exploration Associate Administrator Doug Cooke To Retire

"Doug Cooke, who worked for nearly 38 years in NASA's space shuttle, International Space Station and exploration systems programs, will retire from the agency effective Oct. 3. Cooke most recently served as NASA's associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD), which is responsible for developing capabilities for sending humans deeper into space. Before retiring, Cooke will serve as deputy associate administrator for the agency's new Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate."

Keith's note: SOMD AA Bill Gerstenmaier made a presentation to the 16 June Space Council meeting. The last slide (larger image) from his presentation (the rest of it is just pretty pictures) titled "Capability Driven Exploration" offers some insight into where a combined SOMD/ESMD exploration plan might be headed. Alas, this chart (and the path it suggests) is "notional" - like just about everything NASA says about its future plans these days. You have to wonder how long the agency can limp along with all this "notional" stuff taking the place of real, concrete, executable plans for exploration.

Keith's note: The Morpheus Lander guys are looking to do live firing tests today. You can check their progress via @MorpheusLander on Twitter and watch live here.

New lunar lander test sparks grass fire at NASA, Houston Chronicle

"A new lunar lander that NASA workers were testing apparently sparked a grass fire this afternoon on the grounds at the Johnson Space Center, officials said. The fire erupted about 2:40 p.m. in an empty field near Saturn and 2nd Street at the space center, officials said."

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Calls for Continuing JFK Vision on 50th Anniversary of "Moon" Speech

"We should employ a 'flexible path' that utilizes the capabilities we develop for our longer-term goal to accomplish intermediate objectives along the way, such as: expanding our reach beyond low Earth orbit to provide access to our entire Earth-Moon system, as well as to special stable Sun-Earth orbital locations where orbiting science observatories will peer back in time to the very origins of the universe. We will also conduct missions to asteroids, comets and near-Earth Crossing Objects, that may one day pose a threat to Earth - perhaps exploiting their resources to sustain our presence in space, as we seek to understand their origins and the history of our solar system, and develop the ability to counter their potential threat to Earth. ... With regard to returning to the moon, we should not reengage in a second 'Moon Race'. We won that race more than forty-years ago, and there is no compelling reason to forgo our longer-term goal of permanent human presence on Mars by 2035, by diverting the resources needed to accomplish this important goal."

NASA Commemorates Moonshot Moment's Golden Anniversary Agency Looks to the Future and Beyond Low-Earth Orbit

"Fifty years ago, a young president struggling with deepening international issues set a fledgling space agency on a course that would change the history of human exploration. NASA commemorates President John F. Kennedy's historic speech that sent humans safely to the moon with a series of activities and a commitment to continue the journey of discovery and exploration that started with a desperate race into space."

Message from the NASA Administrator: Reaching for New Heights

"It is hard to imagine that just 50 years ago, a young and vibrant President challenged a worried nation to reach for the seemingly impossible goal of landing humans on the moon and returning them safely to Earth. I was a teenager when President John F. Kennedy delivered his charge to Congress and the American people, but those words sparked my imagination, as they did for the millions of others who watched."

Did Kennedy Privately Denigrate the Moon Shot?, Science

"But this looks like a hell of a lot of dough to go to the moon when you can go -- you can learn most of that you want scientifically through instruments and putting a man on the moon really is a stunt and it isn't worth that many billions," Kennedy told James Webb, the head of NASA, on Sept. 18, 1963, just over two months before the president was assassinated in Dallas."

Apollo plus 50 - The meaning of the race to the moon, half a century after the starting gun, The Economist

"As to whether it is was worthwhile, there is no accountant's answer even 50 years on. The Apollo project cost about $150 billion in 2010 dollars, five times as much as the Manhattan Project and 18 times the cost of digging the Panama Canal. It is not easy today to remember how imperative it seemed back then for the free world to show that it could outperform its totalitarian rival. But the moon landing was more than a win in the cold war. It also changed the way people of all nations thought about themselves and the planet they share. It showed that it really was possible for man to step out of this world into another. Apollo 8's photographs of a little Earth, shining vulnerably in a great black emptiness, made people aware of the planet's fragility and helped to spur the green movement."

H.R.1641 -- REAL Space Act (Introduced in House - IH), introduced by Rep. Posey

"In accordance with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005, which established as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's priority goal: `To develop a sustained human presence on the Moon . . . to promote exploration, commerce, science, and United States preeminence in space as a stepping stone for the future exploration of Mars and other destinations.', and in accordance with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2008, which endorsed `the broad goals of the space exploration policy of the United States, including the eventual return to and exploration of the Moon and other destinations in the solar system and the important national imperative of independent access to space', the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall plan to return to the Moon by 2022 and develop a sustained human presence on the Moon, in order to promote exploration, commerce, science, and United States preeminence in space as a stepping stone for the future exploration of Mars and other destinations. The budget requests and expenditures of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall be consistent with achieving this goal."

A Rationale for Cislunar Space

"At a recent workshop on lunar return, a critical part of the discussion focused on the need for a statement of purpose - a value proposition for the Moon. Over the years I've attempted to distill my rationale for lunar return (my "elevator speech" if you will) into a clearly stated and persuasive argument about the need for enabling human reach beyond low Earth orbit - into all the areas between Earth and Moon (cislunar space) where all of our satellite assets reside. So, as the elevator doors are closing, I will state my Rationale for Cislunar Space:"

Project Morpheus To Begin Testing at NASA's Johnson Space Center

"Neighbors of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston may notice some loud noises coming from the 1,600-acre site in the coming weeks. Johnson's Engineering Directorate is ready to begin testing its prototype lander as part of - Project Morpheus - a vertical test bed designed to integrate technologies that could be used to build future spacecraft intended to land on the moon, Mars, asteroids or any other foreign surface."

Keith's note: I am baffled. JSC is doing cool stuff like this - but in this press release they offer no pictures of the lander, the test site, not even a website for it? No streaming video is offered, nothing on YouTube? Why do you hide cool things, JSC? FAIL.

Keith's 2:15 pm EDT update: According to a NASA Watch reader, here are NASA JSC's Stealth Social Media sites (awaiting some sort of approval): Twitter.com/morpheuslander, Flickr.com/morpheuslander, Youtube.com/morpheuslander, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Morpheus/156555054405321?ref=sgm. Their Facebook page also lists http://morpheus.jsc.nasa.gov and another Project Morpheus page as well.

Keith's 3:05 pm EDT update: When I first posted these links, with the exception of the Facebook page, they were devoid of content. Suddenly things are being posted. Too bad JSC PAO needs to be kicked in the butt to do this stuff - stuff they should just do naturally as a standard part of their job.

Renewal of a Life and Physical Sciences Research Program at NASA Could Facilitate Longer, Farther Human Space Missions

"By elevating its life and physical sciences research program, NASA could achieve the biological understanding and technical breakthroughs needed to allow humans to be sent deeper into space, including to Mars, says a new National Research Council report. In addition, access to the space environment -- for example, on the International Space Station -- will open up further opportunities for groundbreaking research in the physical and life sciences. The report, one of a series of decadal surveys that the Research Council has completed for NASA and the first on interdisciplinary life and physical sciences for exploration missions, lays out a research agenda for the next decade that could bring about developments with substantial payoffs for human exploration of space."

Nautilus-X - NASA's Multi-mission Space Exploration Vehicle Concept With video

- Long-duration space journey vehicle for crew of 6 for periods of 1 -24 months
- CIS-lunar would be initial Operations Zone [shakedown phase]
- Exo-atmospheric, Space-only vehicle
- Integrated Centrifuge for Crew Health
- Life Support in deployed Large Volume with shirt-sleeve servicing
- Truss & Stringer thrust-load distribution concept (non-orthogird)
- Capable of utilizing variety of Mission-Specific
- Propulsion Units [integrated in LEO, semi-autonomously
- Utilizes Inflatable & Deployed structures
- Incorporates Industrial Airlock for construction/maintenance
- Integrated RMS
- Supports Crewed Celestial-body Descent/Return Exploration vehicle(s)
- Utilizes Orion/Commercial vehicles for crew rotation & Earth return from LEO

Applied Knowledge: NASA Aids the Chilean Rescue Effort

"In the summer and fall of 2010, the world followed the story of thirty-three Chilean miners trapped nearly half a mile underground and celebrated their successful rescue in October. A team from NASA that included physicians, a psychologist, and engineers contributed to that success, providing knowledge gained from spaceflight programs to the government and experts dealing with this down-to-earth emergency. Traveling to the mine site in Copiapo, Chile, they developed a cooperative relationship with Chilean officials and specialists that made it possible to share their knowledge effectively."

Alabama space museum reducing workforce again, WHNT

"Alabama's space museum is cutting more than 10 percent of its work force to reduce costs. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville is slashing its full-time payroll from 129 to 113 people at the end of this month. The new CEO of the state-owned attraction, Deborah Barnhart, announced the job cuts to managers on Thursday."

Employee cuts at U.S. Space and Rocket Center have historian concerned about future of 'exceptional' archives, Huntsville Times

"Irene Wilhite, longtime curator of the archives, and her assistant, her son Jamie, learned Thursday they are among 16 full-time Space Center employees being dropped from the payroll."

Previous stories

Interview with the Challenger Center's Scott Parazynski, Space News

"Some 4 million students have been through the program since 1986, and in recent years the annual average has been about 400,000. Scott Parazynski, a NASA astronaut and medical doctor who took over in November as chairman of the center's board of directors, wants to increase that number to 4 million per year by 2015. ...

Parazynski: "One of the things we're aspiring to do is reduce the barriers to entry. So to help communities that might otherwise not have access to a learning center, we will develop virtual missions led by Challenger Center flight directors remotely, using a school's computer laboratory as an example. Alternatively, we also hope to bring in portable learning centers that we would truck in from a distant location."

NASA JSC Presentation: Cross Cutting Themes January 2011

Improvements are needed in the following for BEO Human Exploration:

MacGyver Projects provide opportunities to test new operational concepts

NASA JSC Presentation: Human Spaceflight Affordability: Advanced In-house Development Portfolio January 2011

Center Retreat Discussion
-What are the ideas/innovations we can explore/push forward as we wait for clear direction?

Goal: To become a "catalyst for change" demonstrating best practices for the Agency With the ultimate goal of building a more sustainable Human Spaceflight Enterprise

Exploration Program Status Presentation to the NASA Advisory Council, Doug Cooke

* Key Auth Act Direction

- The Administrator shall, to the extent practicable, extend or modify existing vehicle development and associated contracts
- The initial capability of the core elements, without an upper stage, of lifting payloads weighing between 70 tons and 100 tons into low-Earth orbit
- The capability to lift the multipurpose crew vehicle
- The capability to serve as a backup system for supplying and supporting ISS cargo requirements or crew delivery requirements not otherwise met by available commercial or partner-supplied vehicles

* SLS Reference Vehicle Design

- 27.5' Diameter LOX/LH2 Core Stage
- Five RS25 based engines using Shuttle assets then RS25E expendable derivative
- Two 5-Segment Ares derived SRBs
- Delivers 108.6t to 30x130 nmi

* Evolved System to 130mT

- Upper stage with one or two J-2X upper stage engines (trades pending)
- Draft FY11 CR language dictates concurrent development of upper stage with core vehicle

"This piece contains readings from Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot". I have edited his words to tell this short narrative. The Time lapse images were taken in Mexico and Utah. The piano is self-composed. I hope you enjoy this piece, it has given me hope once again."

Keith's update: As "damewse", the guy who created the video that everyone is watching notes, the original video, music etc., which served as his inspiration, was created by Michael Marantz. This is his video.

Welsh donors praised for helping preserve Scott hut, BBC

"In 1910 Scott relied heavily on school children to fund his expedition, with schools sponsoring a sledge dog or set of skis, in return for the honour of having their name transported to the very bottom of the world. A century later and Mr Stuart Smith says youngsters have once again been among the campaign's most generous and enthusiastic supporters, though ecology rather than exploration now seems to be their main motivation. "I think now as then, children can identify with Scott's sense of adventure," he said."

Keith's note: We have used up 10% of the 21st Century.

When I was growing up in the 1960s and 70s, this was supposed to be a magical time - one where all manner of incredible things would be possible - even routine - in "outer space". In some ways NASA has been wildly successful: witness the extrasolar planet discoveries of late. Yet in other areas, NASA still flies a space shuttle that was designed more than a generation ago - and is now struggling to replace it - or to find alternate, non-NASA ways to put Americans into space.

With regard to space exploration and utilization, have we wasted this decade? What has been done right? What has been done wrong? While NASA is not (and should not be) the only game in town when it comes to space, what should the President and Congress direct NASA to do in the decade ahead? Moreover, what should they direct NASA *NOT* to do? (Note: this post first appeared on NASA Watch last year).

Video: "Man Conquers Space" Sizzle Reel - Werner von Braun's Alternate Space Program

Keith's note: What would have happened if Werhner von Braun's spacecraft designs - as popularized in Disney films, Colliers magazine, and other publications - were actually built ...

Can we afford to return to the Moon?, Paul Spudis

"One of the biggest problems with NASA's implementation of the VSE was that they never understood why we were going to the Moon. I base this assertion on their own statements, actions and publications. Early workshops were held by the agency to develop a rationale for lunar return. The Exploration Directorate issued a poster showing six "themes" for lunar return, but no one at the agency could state their mission in one sentence. At a Congressional hearing in 2009, the acting administrator of NASA said the he did not understand what "return to the Moon" meant in terms of mission objectives and activities."

Keith's note: According to a Tweet by @KevinDJones, a NASA MSFC-associated social networking consultant, "Recording videos for NASA's soon-to-be ExplorNet. I love this!"

I'll be willing to bet that most of NASA knows nothing about "NASA's soon-to-be ExplorNet". Expect some confusion, though: the name is already is use elsewhere. But this domain is for sale.

Mission would send astronauts to moon's far side, Space.com via MSNBC

"While NASA has officially given up its plans to send humans back to the surface of the moon anytime soon, a contractor is proposing a mission to send a crew to a stationary spot in orbit over the far side of Earth's neighbor. Lockheed Martin has begun pitching an L2-Farside Mission using its Orion spacecraft under development."

Lockheed Martin Sees 2013 Space Capsule Test Flight, WS Journal

"At least some of the incoming Republican panel chairmen and other senior GOP lawmakers, these officials said, may view the proposed test flight as circumventing congressional language to quickly develop a new heavy-lift NASA rocket able to transport astronauts past low-earth orbit. Congress has adopted language strongly favoring space-shuttle derived rockets for this purpose, rather than a version of the Delta IV. The Delta IV is operated by a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing Co."

Keith's note: Bravo Lockheed Martin. A near-term, private sector solution to human space flight, using a commercially available rocket and Orion - much sooner than Ares 1 could have ever done so. Now, sit back and watch as the (otherwise) pro-business Republicans in Congress - especially ATK's congressional delegation - try and stop it.

NASA Selects Companies For Heavy-Lift Launch Vehicle Studies

"NASA has selected 13 companies for negotiations leading to potential contract awards to conduct systems analysis and trade studies for evaluating heavy-lift launch vehicle system concepts, propulsion technologies, and affordability. The awards total approximately $7.5 million with a maximum individual contract award of $625,000. Each company will provide a final report to help lay the groundwork for the transportation system that could launch humans to multiple destinations, including asteroids, Lagrange points, the moon and Mars."

At NASA, a Quiet Quest to Send a Humanoid Robot to the Moon, NY Times

"Project M slipped under the radar of everyone else in NASA, including the administrator, Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr. In February, in response to a question about projects that NASA might undertake with other nations, General Bolden cited a two-legged robot that the Japanese space agency wants to send to the Moon by 2020. "Do I think I can do that?" General Bolden said. "Probably not." At that time, the Project M team was hoping to get a go-ahead to start in March and accomplish the robotic Moon landing by the end of 2012."

Why Aren't We Hearing More About JSC's Project-M?, earlier post
Video: JSC's Project M, earlier post

Keith's Note: Then again, who's to blame Bolden? Mike Coats has openly supported and encouraged activities at JSC that have been in direct contrast to official policy issued to NASA by the President. In addition, Coats does things like this (Project M) and does not tell his boss, Charlie Bolden, what is going on. Coats is supposed to do what his boss tells him to do and so does Bolden. That's how all Federal agencies are supposed to work. In response Bolden's staff is supposed to do what he tells them to do based upon his direction from his boss, the President. Otherwise you have anarchy where everyone is in charge - and no one is in charge. Small wonder the agency is as fractionated as it is right now.

Minimal leadership + lack of workforce discipline = gridlock.

Keith's further comments: Sure this would be cool - and the potential uses for humanoid form factor robots has great potential. But Bolden has a point: can NASA really field a bipedal robot - on the Moon? Can they do so on Earth? With regard to the current state of the art of robot design, are there any bipedal robots - anywhere - that can operate autonomously or teleroboticaly that can traverse the terrain one would expect on the Moon (in 0.18G)? Can they do so and also perform meaningful tasks - task that could not be performed better (and more cheaply) by a robot with another form factor - perhaps a rover with arms? Can this JSC bipedal robot pick itself up after a fall? To be certain, the Soviets demonstrated that you can drive things around the Moon by remote control in the 1970s. But to have a bipedal robot walk around - regardless of how it is controlled - is an order of magnitude beyond that. Indeed, JSC has yet to demonstrate that anyone, anywhere, can do this. And yet they claim that they can do this from zero to flight in 2 years has yet to be demonstrated - to anyone.

NASA Human Exploration Framework Team Industry Affordability Meetings

"A few members of HEFT and its designees (Exploration Systems and/or Space Operations Mission Directorate employees) will meet with company representatives individually on October 21 and Nov. 3-5, 2010 and listen to the company inputs. Industry representatives are encouraged to bring hard-copy materials of their input to accompany their discussion/briefing. We will meet with as many companies as possible during the stated timeframe. The meeting duration is anticipated to be approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour. We will schedule meetings as requests are received in the order of receipt."

Strange Lunar Brew, Paul Spudis

"Just after it has been relegated to a "been there, done that" status, the Moon again shows us we have a lot to learn about its history, physical state and the potential value of its resources. We must take the initiative to learn more as the Moon is crucial in developing and advancing a sustainable space faring infrastructure."

An Overview of the Canadian Space Agency Exploration Core Program, SpaceRef

"At the recent 61st International Astronautical Congress in Prague, Jean-Claude Piedboeuf, Head of Exploration Planning at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), provided an overview of Canada's preparatory exploration activities. While Canada has been involved in exploration activities for 25 years with its contributions in robotics, science and astronaut core, it wasn't until 2007 that the CSA created the Exploration Core Program to unify the activities within the agency."

Building Europe's vision for space exploration

"Europe's vision for launching astronauts and robot explorers out into the Solar System will come into sharper focus on 21 October when the ministers responsible for space activities meet in Brussels to discuss Europe's goals for space exploration. Events can be followed live on the web. Ministers from the 29 ESA and EU states will rendezvous in Brussels this week for their second International Conference on Space Exploration as the next step towards creating a future European exploration strategy. The ministers will build on the debate begun a year ago in Prague during the first high-level conference dedicated to the topic."

Statement from Buzz Aldrin On The White House Space Policy (April 2010)

"As an Apollo astronaut, I know full well the importance of always exploring new frontiers and tackling new challenges as we explore space. The simple truth is that we have already been to the Moon - some 40 years ago. What this nation needs in order to maintain its position as the 21st century leader in space exploration is a near-term focus on lowering the cost of access to space and on developing key, cutting-edge technologies that will take us further and faster - while expanding our opportunities for exploration along the way."

Why Mars? Buzz Aldrin Wants a Lunar Base First (October 2010)

"President Obama recently green-lighted a brand new mission and a new budget for NASA, including a grand long-term goal: a manned mission to Mars. But Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, says the moon is much more essential to American space efforts. In its haste to make new policy, Aldrin and other experts say, NASA is overlooking a critical component of space travel: a permanent, manned base on the moon that would make reaching Mars a much easier task. Establishing a lunar base could provide a safe source of water and a site for fuel depots, which would reduce the cost of transporting fuel from Earth for an eventual Mars mission, Aldrin told Fox News.com."

Keith's note: I'm a little confused. Back when the President's space policy was released, Buzz had his sights set on Mars, and didn't think that we shoud be going back to the Moon to any great extent - if at all. Now he has done a 180 and says we need to build a Moon base. Which is it Buzz? Moon base or Mars base - or both?

The Rough Guide to Solar System Mountaineering, io9.com

"Let's take a look at the extraterrestrial mountains just waiting to be summited. To do that, we spoke to three experts on this rather unusual subject. Joe Romig is a space scientist and the coauthor of the lecture "Seven Summits Of The Solar System", along with renowned climber Glen Porzak. Keith Cowing is a former NASA scientist and the current writer of NASA Watch, OnOrbit, and SpaceRef, as well as an amateur mountaineer. William Hartmann is a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute and the author, along with Ron Miller, of The Grand Tour: A Traveler's Guide to the Solar System."

Mountaineering and Climbing on Mars, earlier post

Moon Exploration Is Not Dead, NASA Official Says, Space.com

"But Garver said the moon is a symbol of inspiration for many people on Earth, in part because of NASA's manned lunar landings of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The moon is also the most visible of off-world destinations to the public, she added. "I just won't agree that this ends the moon as a destination," Garver said. "We look up in the night sky and see the moon and it is an inspiration to us all. My first son's first word was 'moon.'" In the nearly 49 years of human spaceflight, only a handful of missions - the six successful Apollo moon landings - have sent humans to walk on the moon's surface. "Of course, we have been there with 12 humans. We will be going back with humans. We will be going back with robots," Garver said. "And the fact that we are charting the next destination as an asteroid is nothing against the moon."

KillingConstellation, Wayne Hale

"There are probably any number of factors which have wounded the Constellation program, perhaps mortally. But taking longer to return the shuttle to flight, costing more to return the shuttle to flight, and delaying the completion of the ISS and the retirement of the shuttle; those were major causes too. Coupled with the top-level decisions not to ask the Congress for more money, the squeeze was well-nigh intolerable. From my standpoint the consequences were unintentional. But unintentional or more precisely with the best of intentions, the result was severe. So yes, I had a role in the killing of Constellation; a long time before February 1, 2010."

A Pledge to America (Draft), full text, MSNBC

"- Cut Government Spending to Pre-Stimulus, Pre-Bailout Levels: With common-sense exceptions for seniors, veterans, and our troops, we will roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels, saving us at least $100 billion in the first year alone and putting us on a path to begin paying down the debt, balancing the budget, and ending the spending spree in Washington that threatens our children's future.

- Establish a Hard Cap on New Discretionary Spending: We must put common-sense limits on the growth of government and stop the endless increases. Only in Washington is there an expectation that whatever your budget was last year, it will be more this year and even more the next. We will set strict budget caps to limit federal spending on an annual basis. Budget caps were used in the 1990s, when a Republican Congress was able to bring the budget into balance and eventual surplus. By cutting discretionary spending from current levels and imposing a hard cap on future growth, we will save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars."

Keith's note: So much for the Obama Administration's plans to increase NASA's budget ...

Keith's note: NASA Edge and Challenger Center will host one last live webcast from Desert RATS on Thursday from 9:00 am PDT (12:00 PM EDT) until 11:00 am PDT (2:00 pm EDT) at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nelivedrats2010. You can follow us at http://onorbit.com/DesertRats. You can also follow on Twitter.

NASA Team's Space Exploration Proposal Aligns with Senate Bill, Space.com

In outlining a human asteroid mission that would launch several years past Obama's 2025 deadline, the HEFT recommended NASA begin work immediately on a space shuttle-derived heavy-lift rocket, skipping the five years of exploratory research Obama proposed. A set of the HEFT's charts, dated Sept. 2, were posted on the NASA Watch website. "There is no benefit to delaying work" on the heavy-lifter, the charts say, adding that waiting until 2015 to select a basic design would limit NASA's options and hamper exploration planning. NASA spokesman Michael Braukus said Sept. 10 that Bolden, NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and Doug Cooke, NASA associate administrator for exploration systems, have been briefed on the HEFT's findings. He said no decisions have been made.

Human Exploration Framework Team Presentation Online, earlier post

Arid Arizona Home to NASA's RATS, OSTP

"For the past week, hoards of NASA human space exploration study teams have been gallivanting around the Arizona desert as part of NASA's Desert Research And Technology Studies, or Desert RATS. The Desert RATS demonstrations--held in the Arizona desert because it is a prime location here on earth for simulating future exploration destinations--offer engineers, astronauts, and scientists a unique opportunity to test new mission concepts and learn how to work with robotic helpers. ... But this year, not wanting to leave anyone's ideas out of the excitement of exploration, NASA has made great strides in bringing Desert RATS to the public."

Keith's note: Today's NASA Edge/Challenger Center live webcast from Desert RATS will be at 10:00 am PDT / 1:00 PM EDT at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nelivedrats2010. Guests: Jim Rice and Keith Cowing. You can follow us at http://onorbit.com/DesertRats

NASA Edge/Challenger Center Webcast 8 September 2010

Human Exploration Framework Team (HEFT) DRM Review - Phase 1 Closeout - Steering Council September 2 2010 (download 6.6 mb PDF)

"Summary of Phase I

- Developed an investment portfolio that strikes a balance of new developments, technology, and operational programs with an eye towards a new way of exploring.
- Created a point of departure DRM that is flexible and can evolve over time to support multiple destinations with the identified systems.
- Identified a minimum subset of elements needed to conduct earlier beyond LEO missions.
- Infused key technology developments that should begin in earnest and identified gaps which should help inform additional technology prioritization over and above the NEO focused DRM.
- Costed the DRM using traditional costing methodologies.
- Determined alternative development options are required to address the cost and schedule shortfalls."

'Plymouth Rock' Human Asteroid Trek Proposed for 2019, Ken Kremer

"'Plymouth Rock' is the name of an ambitious new concept for an early human mission to explore a Near Earth Asteroid using dual Orion manned spacecraft. Two astronauts would embark on a six month round trip Asteroid Trek as soon as 2019 - before the end of this decade. The recent discovery of a new class of many small asteroids - 5 to 75 meters wide - has enabled the formulation of this potential new destination for deep space human exploration in the near term. Favorable orbital alignments occur only a few times per decade."

Keith's note: a white paper describing this Lockheed Martin mission concept is online here.

Buzz Aldrin calls for NZ to help in Mars exploration, Stuff.co.nz

"Moonwalk pioneer Buzz Aldrin says Australia and New Zealand should be part of an international coalition to explore and colonise Mars. International co-operation in space was very difficult and in many ways inefficient, the second man to walk on the moon said. "But I think if we can take the English-speaking people ... we can have American science, technology and bring together the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa ... and have a togetherness organisation," he told AAP in Sydney on Thursday."

Keith's note: Well Buzz, if you want to be accurate, this is the so-called "anglosphere". It includes Canada, eh?

Summoning the Future By Remembering the Past, Dennis Wingo

"Almost exactly 100 years and nine weeks before the famous speech by President Kennedy at Rice University calling for what would be known as the Apollo program, the U.S. Congress, in the middle of a war for the life of the nation, passed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. The "national" railroad as it was called was chartered by the government had as its core purpose to bind the nation together in commerce and open up the frontier to economic development. The government picked the route, set standards for its construction, and paid milestone payments to each of the two railroads (Union Pacific in the east and Central Pacific in the west). The government provided further incentives in the form of huge land grants on either side of the tracks that could be resold by the railroads at a profit. Another note is that the railroad paid back the government at a six percent interest over 30 years, resulting in a direct profit to the treasury."

The Moon: Creating Capability in Space and Getting Value for our Money, Paul Spudis

"Of all the possible destinations in space, the Moon offers the proximity, accessibility, and materials necessary to learn how to use what we find in space to create new capabilities. Harvesting the resources of the Moon will allow us to make what we need in space, rather than carrying it with us from the Earth's surface. The model currently used to pursue our national interests in space - design-launch-use-discard - restrains opportunity, affordability and capability. We can break the limits imposed on all of these factors by learning how to use the resources of space."

Exploding the Myth of Popular Support for Project Apollo, Roger Lanius

"Because of the on-going dispute over the future of human space exploration, I have been reminded of the longstanding perception that in the 1960s NASA's Apollo program enjoyed great public support. That is a misconception. The belief that Apollo enjoyed enthusiastic support during the 1960s and that somehow NASA has lost its compass thereafter still enjoys broad appeal . This is an important conception, for without the active agreement of political leaders and at least public acquiescence no exploration effort may be sustained for any length of time."

What's missing from the bold plans for human spaceflight, editorial, Washington Post

"But with the funding for NASA set around $19 billion and not likely to change, bold plans for humans in space are simply not feasible. Something must give. If the administration and Congress truly want human spaceflight, they need to fund it adequately. Piecemeal funding that dooms programs to failure is a waste of money -- especially when so many truly vital space functions, from the satellites that supply maps and communications to the telescopes that allow us to glimpse distant worlds, could benefit from such support."

Desert RATS 2010: NASA and Challenger Center Hardware Interface Tests (photos)

"Two power interface tests were conducted today at NASA JSC between the GSW7000 solar/wind generator system and NASA's Habitat Development Unit (HDU) and Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV). The SEV and the HDU, along with the GSW7000 will all participate in the Desert RATS 2010 activities later this month and into September."

NASA Desert RATS 2010: Challenger Center Hardware Arrives at JSC (photos), earlier post

NASA Desert RATS 2010: Challenger Center Hardware Arrives at JSC

"As was the case in 2009, Green Trail Energy has partnered with the Challenger Center for Space Science Education to provide logistical and technical support for Education and Public Outreach to be done at NASA's annual Desert RATS activity. The GSW7000, whose utilization is being donated to this activity by Green Trail Energy, can provide 2.4 KW of wind power and 4.4 KW of solar power. With its extendable 110 foot tower, it can also serve as a cell phone node and provide WiFi and WiMAX connectivity. This unit can be deployed by one person and be operational 30 minutes after arrival at a remote location. The entire unit compacts into the volume of a standard shipping container and can be pulled by a 1 ton pick up truck."

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 2 August 2010

"Time again for Skvortsov & Yurchikhin for recharging the Motorola Iridium-9505A satellite phones located in Soyuz TMA-18/22S (at MRM2) & Soyuz TMA-19/23S (docked at MRM1), a monthly routine job and Fyodor's 2nd, Sasha's 4th. [After retrieving the phones from their location in the spacecraft Descent Modules (BO), the crewmembers initiated the recharge of the lithium-ion batteries, monitoring the process every 10-15 minutes as it took place. Upon completion, the phones were returned inside their SSSP Iridium kits and stowed back in the BO's ODF (operational data files) container. The satphone accompanies returning ISS crews on Soyuz reentry & landing for contingency communications with SAR (Search-and-Rescue) personnel after touchdown (e.g., after an "undershoot" ballistic reentry, as happened during the 15S return)."

Keith's note: I hope these phones work better on the steppes of Kazakhstan than they did at Everest Base Camp (lots of big mountains in your face). Scott Parazynski and I used to have phone conversations with our families back home via our Iridium phone (that I smuggled into Nepal since no one knew how to give me a formal permit) albeit in 2 minute increments interspersed with 5 minute intervals of silence while another satellite popped into (and then out of) view. That said, Scott and the Singing Sherpas did manage to sing Happy Birthday to Mike Barratt on the ISS via an Iridium phone at 21,500 feet on Mt. Everest.

Keith's note: I feel compelled to feature this masterful video by Karen Lau and David Sanders at least once a year. This was done when Craig Steidle ran ESMD. For a brief moment, they "got it".

So folks, drop the petty internal and external politics, and think big picture - just for a moment.

I don't see this sort of thinking at NASA any more. NASA will go nowhere unless it finds its mojo again.

NASA Opens Online Voting For Next Desert RATS Exploration Site

NASA is inviting the public to choose an area in northern Arizona where explorers will conduct part of the annual Desert Research and Technology Studies, known as Desert RATS. "Desert RATS is an annual test where NASA takes equipment and crews into the field to simulate future planetary exploration missions," said Joe Kosmo, Desert RATS manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "We want the public to be a part of this."

Challenger Center Is Ready To Return to NASA Desert RATS

"In 2009, Challenger Center, in partnership with Green Trail Energy, Inc., brought a large solar and wind power system to Desert RATS. Formally known as the GSW-7000, this device is a self-contained portable trailer that is capable of generating up to 4.4 kilowatts of power from the sun and 2.4 kilowatts of power from wind energy. As was the case last year, the GSW-7000 will be used to power education and public outreach activities that the Challenger Center will conduct at Desert RATS under its educational Space Act Agreement with NASA. Last year, the GSW-7000 was used on a trial basis to recharge batteries on several of NASA's robotic vehicles. That activity will continue this year as well."

Frank Sietzen, Jr.: Seemingly lost among the noise following last week's actions of the House Commerce and Science Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee on marking up a NASA budget is the issue of the agency's proposed new technology programs. Both the House and Senate sharply cut the Obama Administration's original request.

As of this writing no dissent has been heard from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, so the cuts might stick. It might be useful to review what the Obama Administration originally asked for - and why.

"This video is of NASA Project M Lander free flight test at Armadillo Aerospace outside of Dallas. The lander launched on June 23rd 2010. This is the prototype of the lander that will launch a version of Robonaut on future exploratory missions."

Keith's note: This is an interesting project, to be certain - and Armadillo's involvement is innovative and is to be commended. But I am wondering how or why this project is being funded (and is building hardware) at a time when other ESMD lunar surface activities are grinding to halt (Altair etc.). Given that NASA has yet to decide what places it is (or is not) going to - with the Moon no longer being the core focus, it is a bit curious that JSC is planning to land something on the Moon in 2013 and refers to this hardware as something that "will launch" Robonaut. Not "might launch" or "could launch" or "if approved ..."

Also, it is a little weird that it is rather difficult to find anything detailed on this project at NASA.gov unless you happen to look at the Robonaut page at NASA JSC which has a link to a document titled "Landing a Humanoid Robot on the Moon in a 1000 Days "ProjectM". Curiously, this white paper is not even hosted at NASA.gov but rather is posted here at Scribd.com. You can also download it as a PDF here at SpaceRef.

It is also a little unusual that the NASAProjectM YouTube page is not listed as a channel on NASA's Official YouTube page. This is cool stuff - and you would think that the NASA.gov home page would be featuring it and that press releases would be issued each time that a successful test launch is completed.

NASA and International Space Agencies Meet to Discuss Human and Robotic Space Exploration

"NASA senior managers met with their counterparts representing other space agencies at the National Harbor, Md., on June 23, to discuss globally-coordinated human and robotic space exploration. The meeting participants agreed that significant progress has been made since the joint release of The Global Exploration Strategy (GES) in May 2007. They agreed steps should be taken to coordinate a long-term space exploration vision that is sustainable and affordable."

New National Space Policy Conciliatory, not Confrontational, Spacepolicyonline.com

"Whenever it is formally released, President Obama's new national space policy will have a very different tone than his predecessor's. Rumors remain rampant that the new policy will be released on Monday, but some of those in the know say that it more likely will be later in the week. Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley intimated on Wednesday that it might even be longer than that. Nevertheless, a one page summary of the policy's "Top Level Messages," dated June 25, is making the rounds. It says that the two major principles of the policy are "responsible use of space" and "nurturing the U.S. space industry."

New Space Policy Calls for Global Cooperation, Wall Street Journal

"The Obama administration as early as Monday is expected to call for significantly greater international cooperation than ever before in outer space, covering a wide range of civilian and national-security programs. The new policy, according to industry and government officials familiar with the details, also endorses the pursuit of verifiable arms-control proposals for space. And it envisions stepped-up U.S. government efforts to bolster domestic rocket and satellite manufacturers, making them more economically viable and competitive overseas."

Keith's note: OK, so the White House makes all sorts of budgetary and contractual changes to NASA programs with little or no advanced warning, questionable pre-coordination, bad rollout - all with no cogent space policy in evidence. Chaos ensues. And then they fiddle with it. Now they are going to actually release a space policy - but only after all of their earlier efforts at NASA have run into brick walls (Congress). Is this going to clarify things - or just make things even more confusing? Stay tuned.

Malice, Mischief and Misconceptions, Paul Spudis, Air & Space

"The space community has fractured since the disastrous roll out of NASA's "new direction." Preceding the administration's budget announcement, endless delays and rampant speculation about administrators, rockets, and program design and direction kept people guessing. The current trench warfare is not a pretty sight, but it is not unexpected given the lack of a clear direction. Word has it that more detail will come out early next week, adding yet another layer to this growing space onion. The undirected, unfocused, unproductive spin cycle NASA (and the entire space community) has twirled around in for the last 18 months is instructive. It is real time, 20/20 insight on how the new direction will play out during the proposed five-year study hall being scheduled for NASA to find their "right stuff."

Live Webcams On Devon Island, 1 June 2010

"There are several webcams currently in operation on Devon Island in Support of the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse located at the HMP Research Station. The greenhouse was installed on Devon Island in the summer of 2002. These webcams update once a day, conditions permitting, through the greenhouse's autonomous systems using an MSAT satellite connection. One webcam is pointed north at the greenhouse itself. The other webcam is located inside the greenhouse and is pointing south, showing the automated plant growing system."

Timelapse Video: Growing Season Begins on Devon Island, 18 June 2010

"If you watch closely you will see that the plants inside the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse located at the HMP Research Station on Devon Island have started growing."

Destinations in Rhetoric, Eric Sterner, Space News

"The Administrator attempted to put a finer point on the administration's purposes during his Congressional testimony in March, asserting that Mars was the ultimate goal. But, his comments came largely in response to continued Congressional prodding and still were not reflected in the prepared budget material. As such, they had the feel of someone throwing out destinations in order to fend off pointed political attacks. It was not clear that they reflected anything more than the Administrator's personal preference."

Next Steps for the 2011 NASA Budget Proposal, Planetary Society

"The administration continues to do a poor job of making a case for the new program. President Obama's proclamation that more American astronauts will fly to the space station and Earth orbit in the next decade under this new plan does not seem to be understood by many in Congress and in the media. The goal of sending humans into the solar system, and landing on an asteroid by 2025, has aroused some interest and even excitement, but the steps to reach this goal also have not been communicated effectively. The administration sorely needs a spokesperson for the new plan who can clarify the message and inspire public and Congressional support."

The importance of risk for Nasa, Esther Dyson, LiveMint

"Obama did not, however, define the goals tightly, leaving that to Nasa--a sensible and modest approach, but a political mistake. It is never a good idea to replace something with vagueness. Politicians and lobbyists who care only about this year's jobs and next year's votes jumped all over this lack of a plan."

For Mission to Mars, a New Road Map, NY Times

"At a workshop last month in Galveston, members of NASA study teams looking at how to put in effect the Obama policy presented their current thinking to 450 attendees from industry and academia. The NASA presenters, in describing how the space agency could make it to Mars on a limited budget, said their ideas represented "a point of departure" that would be revised with feedback. The new plans place a heavy emphasis on in-orbit refueling stations, which would reduce the size of rockets needed. For propulsion to Mars, the road map envisions a nuclear-powered ion engine."

In New Space Race, Enter the Entrepreneurs, NY Times

"If this business plan unfolds as it is written -- the company has two fully inflated test modules in orbit already -- Bigelow will be buying 15 to 20 rocket launchings in 2017 and in each year after, providing ample business for the private companies that the Obama administration would like to finance for the transportation of astronauts into orbit -- the so-called commercial crew initiative."

Human Missions Throughout the Outer Solar System: Requirements and Implementations, APL

"Distance scales and mission times set the top-level engineering requirements for in situ space exploration. To date, the implementation of various planetary gravity assists and long-term mission operations has made for a better cost-trade than technology development to decrease flight times. Similarly, crewed missions to date have not had mission time limits per se as drivers to implementation. However, unconstrained cruise times to the outer solar system are not acceptable for either robotic sample returns or human crews. Galactic cosmic ray fluxes likely provide a human limit for total mission times of ~5 years, and more restrictive limits may be driven by lack of gravity. We consider the implications for taking humans to the Neptune system and back, and, using this example, we deduce the minimum-cost path to realizing human exploration of the entire solar system by 2100."

Something Old, Something New, and If We do it Right, Maybe Even Something Bold! , Dennis Wingo

"As a long time space advocate, I have found recent events to be extremely disheartening. Before my eyes, I am seeing the battle between the old exploration plan (Constellation), and the new plan put forth recently by NASA and the White House. This is battle is compounded by the fact that it is forcing a Congress unwilling to take on more fights before the election to allow NASA to operate for months under a continuing resolution (CR) for its next budget year.

The effect of this CR will be that NASA will have two zombie programs. By "zombie" I mean programs that were supposed to go away in FY 2011 but will be in a limbo state under a threatened Continuing Resolution - funded with their end dates no longer certain, but unable to truly move forward as they await their fate."

NASA's mission to nowhere: Big, fat, pointless and expensive describes plan to twiddle our fingers, Paul Spudis and Bob Zubrin, Washington Times

"Although we are known for holding different opinions on the order and importance of specific objectives in space, we are united in our concern over this move to turn away from the Vision for Space Exploration (hereafter referred to as Vision). Vision gave NASA's human spaceflight program a clear direction: to reach the moon and Mars. Congressional authorization bills in 2005 (under Republican leadership) and 2008 (under Democratic leadership) endorsed this goal."

NASA Announces Posting of Space Exploration Workshop Charts

"Presentation charts for the opening-day briefings of NASA's Exploration Enterprise Workshop in Galveston, Texas, will be posted online at noon EDT, Monday, May 24. The two-day workshop brings together a broad community of space exploration stakeholders from government, industry and academia. The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate's plans for human and robotic space exploration and the administration's fiscal year 2011 budget request for the agency will be discussed."

Keith's note: Exactly one year ago I had the profound and life-altering privilege to live at Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 17,500 feet for a month so as to watch - and listen - and report - as my friend Scott Parazynski walked up into the Jet Stream to the summit of Mt. Everest. In the ensuing year, not a week goes by without one of us sending an email to the other noting that we still think about this epic part of our lives every day. Together with our friends Miles O'Brien and Bob Jacobs and the good folks at NASA HQ PAO, we sought to bring this experience to as many people as we possibly could using all manner of Internet, social media, and satellite toys - er tools.

Yes, if you look at the photo closely (larger view) you will see that Scott carried my first NASA badge from 1990 and a picture of astronaut Suni Williams' famous space dog Gorbie to the summit - all held together with authentic NASA duct tape.

The video below captures a moment in time shortly after Scott reached the summit. Our fervent hope in this era of "participatory exploration" and "citizen science" is that we helped to set the standard for how NASA will document and relay its future accomplishments to the world.

FWIW Charlie Bolden, you are not the only person who gets misty-eyed.

More information on the summit bid is online here. For those of you in the Houston area, Scott will be making a presentation on his climb at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on Thursday, 20 May. Please try and stop by. No doubt he will continue to spread utter lies about my experiences with the yaks of Nepal.

I carried an Apollo 11 Moon rock with me from America to Nepal and then to Everest Base Camp. Scott then carried it to the summit of Mt. Everest. We're still arguing as to which one of us has a world record for the amount of time that a Moon rock was in intimate proximity to our body. In either case, this year the Moon rock and a piece of the summit of Everest was carried into orbit on STS-130 to the ISS where it resides now.

Multiple historic and exploration resonances abound - just as they should since Neil Armstrong and Edmund Hillary were friends.

Ad astra y'all.

Exclusive Video: Scott Parazynski on Summit of Mt. Everest