Universal Space Regulations Consortium

XCOR LYNX : $95,000 per Suborbital Flight

2008-12-02T17:03:00.000-08:00

RocketShip Tours and XCOR Aerospace have made a competitive offer to give you a ride into sub-orbital space (62 miles) for a period of several minutes as the full 30 minute trip takes off from the Virgin Galactic Spaceport or another runway system in Mojave, California, like a normal plane would, and lands the same way. The design of the XCOR Lynx implies this maneuvering capabililty with the descent-tuned shape of the nose. For a $95,000 per flight cost, the team will bring down the cost of luxury/adventure travel for their system, offering competition from mainly Virgin Galactic and the Spaceship Two concept (double craft - mothership and progenic craft with single rocket motor) with their price tag of $200,000 per ticket for a similar experience - however, Richard Branson must be noted as pioneering this vision into a reality as he has already accepted many pre-paid in full tickets to those of the world with the will, the wallet and the way in front of them to travel inside of new technology to bring new senses to the brain experience.

We at the USRC are proud to announce that during the production of the XCOR Lynx the team was listening to a special album dedicated to space travel and the alliances necessary to do it successfully. This album is from The Crypticon and titled : The Space Lounge Syndicate "Live from the Omega Station 2017" and is a concept about a complete mission from Earth to a hotel-like space station where the music is coming from the lounge on board... Space Lounge Music.
http://cd.baby.com/cd/slsyndicate
As the owner of The Crypticon, this blog is a part of connecting to the space world and through sound & reason at least 10 copies of this album were sold to the HQ of XCOR.
We would like to thank the CEO, Mr. Jeff Greason for commanding his team towards success and completing milestones on the long journey to safe certification and passenger trust, which is the most important element of running a private space firm. He is pictured below with retired U.S. Airforce Col. Rick Searfoss.
Thank you XCOR for your support and we hope that the Omega Station reality can one day come to fruition with an XCOR docking bay ready to go. This is the USRC way - Allegiance Through All.
The other part of the alliance involves a travel entrepreneur who introduced hundreds of thousands of Americans to European travel in the 1960's. Jules Klar, founder of Phoenix, AZ-based RocketShip Tours, has announced that his company will immediately begin selling these rides to the edge of space for $95,000 per flight aboard the XCOR Lynx.
"Years ago, my dream was to introduce the world to new travel opportunities at prices that were consistent with a unique experience," said Klar. "In 1961 I created $5-A-Day Tours in partnership with Arthur Frommer that enabled thousands of Americans to see Europe at affordable prices." After moving to Arizona, Klar created Great American Travel, a high-end boutique operation specializing in luxury cruises and tours. "We've helped thousands of sophisticated adventurous travelers visit exotic destinations all over the world including Antarctica, where they developed a deeper appreciation for its beautiful, pristine and fragile environment. Today, I am very proud to announce this partnership with XCOR Aerospace to offer participants an out of this world experience - a front row seat to the edge of Space."
"The natural evolution of human exploration knows no bounds. RocketShip Tours and XCOR have come together to usher in the private sector's role in space exploration. There is no doubt that a new era of pioneering space enthusiasts is emerging. In fact, prior to signing this agreement with RocketShip Tours, XCOR had already taken paid reservations for approximately 20 flights," said Klar.
XCOR Chief Test Pilot and three-time Space Shuttle Pilot and Commander, Rick Searfoss said the Lynx will carry people or payloads to the edges of space up to four times a day. Seated next to him in the co-pilot seat, participants will undoubtedly experience the thrill of a lifetime. The awe- inspiring view of the curvature of Earth, the thin blue mantle of the atmosphere below, and inky blackness of space above will provide participants with unforgettable memories beyond description.
XCOR officials discussed the technology used on the two-seat, fully reusable launch vehicle that takes off like an airplane, and lands the same way, while Chris Gilman of Orbital Outfitters, a NASA spacesuit contractor, demonstrated the spacesuit technology that will be worn by those flying in the Lynx. Gilman, winner of an Academy Award for special effects, said the suit is both lighter and safer than older NASA spacesuits.
Klar said he was inspired by the revolutionary Lynx suborbital vehicle because it offers participants a unique and intimately personal experience. "You're sitting in a cockpit in the co-pilot's seat beside your astronaut pilot, with a panoramic view of the stars above and Earth below. It is the ride of your life!"
"I am going to fly aboard the Lynx because I want to experience space from a front row seat," said Danish investment banker Per Wimmer, who will take the first commercial flight aboard the Lynx. Wimmer, based in London, has already earned a reputation as a pioneering adventurer. He recently made the first tandem skydive over Mt. Everest, and maintains a website, www.wimmerspace.com. Wimmer, who uses his adventures to promote various charities, says, "My goal is to place the Dannebrog, the Danish flag, on the Moon one day. Flying to the edge of space aboard the Lynx will make me the first Dane to experience suborbital space flight and takes me one step closer to my ultimate goal."

Klar said his company is enlisting innovative and progressive travel professionals to sell seats on the Lynx. "Those who are interested in a suborbital space flight can visit our website, www.rocketshiptours.com, and choose a Space Tourism Specialist who is trained and certified by RocketShip Tours."
The total cost of the Lynx flight experience is $95,000. A deposit of $20,000 begins the process of assigning the participant to the qualification program. Klar said one does not have to be an athlete to fly aboard the Lynx, but the procedure will include a medical questionnaire and a screening performed by qualified aeronautic physicians. Instruction regarding life support systems, flight physiology, and other aspects of the Lynx suborbital flight will also be provided. "We want to ensure the experience is as safe as possible and that people are adequately trained and prepared."

"Since this is a suborbital launch, training will require familiarization with the spacesuit and what will be experienced while sitting in the cockpit." Klar said. "We will provide deluxe accommodations for all those who share in 'The Right Stuff' experience we offer and become part of this historic stage in the evolution of human space flight."
"After the flight is concluded, participants will receive an HD DVD recording of their flight experience as well as other mementos," Klar said.
XCOR COO Andrew Nelson noted that RocketShip Tours' announcement marks an important milestone in space exploration efforts. "American entrepreneurs are succeeding - we are bringing down the cost of space flight and making it affordable," said Nelson. "What is most astonishing is that competition has already reduced prices before a single vehicle has flown. What a fabulous holiday gift this is going to make for many people who thought they had everything.""I've had a long career in travel, and I have found that we are not offering a destination, so much as we are offering an experience that appeals to the pioneering spirit inside all of us," said Klar. "This type of adventure is truly transcendent because it widens our horizons, and teaches us not only about the world we live in, but something about ourselves as well. I believe that the view from space aboard the Lynx will undoubtedly be positively life-changing in ways we can only dream of."

RocketShip Tours, Inc. is the General Sales Agent for XCOR Aerospace and exclusive global provider of participant services for the Lynx suborbital vehicle. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, RocketShip Tours was founded by Jules H. Klar, an innovative travel entrepreneur.
XCOR Aerospace is a California corporation located in Mojave, California. The company is in the business of developing and producing safe, reliable and reusable rocket-powered vehicles and propulsion systems that enable affordable access to space.

Some original source material/all photos: XCOR Aerospace

New NASA CHARIOT ROVER Concept

2008-12-02T00:43:00.000-08:00

Welcome to future of space-trucking... The Chariot. A multi-independent wheel system with standing platform and a larger size to accomodate additional passengers or instrument bays.

The Chariot is a working prototype of what may very well be the future of NASA lunar rovers. It has six double wheels, each with independent steering, and the pedestal the driver stands on can rotate a full 360°. That way the pilot can navigate the Chariot in any direction, and in a sense the vehicle really has no front or rear.

The improved rover is part of NASA's efforts to bolster its space assets as the organization plans to have an outpost on the Moon by 2020.
With it's open design - this new platform type of chassis will allow unobstructed egress from the vehicle during missions.
The design would potentially allow for differnet pods to be loaded on to it for specific missions like rock collecting or specialized machinery placement and use.

The Chariot is a concept truck with no doors, no windows and no seats, and each of its six wheels has independent steering. As an added bonus, it comes in gold. "This rover concept changed the whole paradigm," said Diane Hope, a program element manager at NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program. "It's not something I would have expected."

The pilot's perch, containing both the driver and the steering wheel, can rotate a full 360 degrees, making the Chariot a car with no permanent front or rear. "The Apollo astronauts couldn't back up at all because they couldn't see where they were going in reverse," said Johnson Space Center roboticist Rob Ambrose.

We at the USRC say "Great! But where will my logo go?" - They should make an advertising billboard fin, call it a solar generator and get over that part already.
The Moon - brought to you by NASA, JPL, Virgin Galactic, SpaceX and The Crypticon. Because the logo says so.

INDIA TO THE MOON!

2008-12-02T00:19:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the entire country of India and all your people in the world that bear allegiance to you - for you are now the 6th country ever to make a mission to the moon. To date, only the U.S. Russia, the European Space Agency, Japan and China have sent missions to the moon. Chandrayaan-1 culminates in years of your scientific endeavours and preliminary test to finally - and successfully - land a usable machine on the moon.

Chandrayaan means "moon craft" in ancient Sanskrit.

The two-year mission seeks high-resolution imaging of the moon's surface, especially the permanently shadowed polar regions, according to the Indian Space Research Organization. It will also search for evidence of water or ice and attempt to identify the chemical breakdown of certain lunar rocks, the group said.
The Chandrayaan-1 is carrying payloads from the United States, European Union countries Germany, Britain, Sweden and Bulgaria, and India plans to share the data from the mission with other programs, including NASA.

Most recently India's fellow Asian nations, China and Japan, put lunar orbiters in place. Japan launched the Kaguya orbiter in October 2007, followed by China's launch of the Chang'e mission a few weeks later.

BANGALORE: “Just as we had promised, we have given India the moon,” said G. Madhavan Nair, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, after the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) onboard Chandrayaan-1 successfully ejected and landed on the lunar surface on Friday night. With the tricolour painted on its sides the probe marked India’s presence on the moon and put India in the elite club.

Surrounded by scores of space scientists and with the former President and pre-eminent scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam by his side, a visibly jubilant Mr. Nair told presspersons gathered at the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC): “It was during Jawaharlal Nehru’s time that the nucleus for a space programme started. It is befitting that on children’s day, celebrated in his honour, that India should plant its flag on the lunar surface,” he said.

The MIP, one of Chandrayaan’s most important scientific payloads, and one of undeniable geopolitical importance, had piggy-backed on the lunar craft for nearly 400,000 km, detaching itself successfully from the mother-craft at 8.06 p.m. India has now become the fourth country to have its national flag on the moon.

After a 25-minute flight MIP impacted the moon’s surface at a speed of 1.6 km per second, landing on its target near the Shackleton crater on the south pole of the moon.

This is a picture of the indian launch vehicle history:

ASE : Association of Space Explorers

2008-12-01T23:47:00.000-08:00

We here at the USRC are proud to announce an official alliance with the ASE (Associaction of Space Explorers).

ASTEROIDS - COMETS - METEORS - BEWARE!

The watchful eye into the night sky is expanding as the reality behind earth-bound spaceform debris makes literal light in the sky.
Maybe you recently saw the footage of the Canadian meteor event this past October 2008 where for a brief moment the entire area was lit like daylight. Well relativity is the hindsight we are using now to protect Earth from disasters.

Between 500 and 1,000 massive asteroids cross the Earth's path regularly and any one of them could cause a global catastrophe with space experts urging quick preventive measures.
Some 6,000 cosmic objects circulating around the planet are currently known to experts in the field, the ASE told a press conference at the UN headquarters in Vienna, where it presented its report "Asteroid Threats: A Call for Global Response."

And of these, up to 1,000 had a diameter of 93 miles or more, meaning they could cause major damage to the Earth's surface, prompting fires, tsunamis and ensuing disasters like famine, disease, radiation poisoning, increased violence and a state of survival that may induce an increased level of violence and social unrest.
This could be a path to an apocalyptic future - waters may rise and decimate coastline cities.

These are just a few of the reasons the ASE has been created and currently the organization includes some 320 members from 34 countries, all of whom have already been in space.

A research, information-sharing and defence network was thus urgently needed to coordinate a global response to the problem, under the leadership of the UN, it said.
Although it should be possible to predict a collision up to 15 years before it occurs, the technology needed to divert an incoming asteroid has yet to be developed and this will require international cooperation, they said.
The UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space is due to examine the report.

We at the USRC say it is time to create a vast array of outer limit satellites that use radar imaging to ping all objects in the known sub-verse surrounding our solar system.
This could also be used to monitor incoming actual spacecraft from other civilizations as well as monitor flying man-made space debris and potential space anomalies like random generational wormholes and omni-holes.

SUCCESS for SpaceX!!!

2008-10-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all at the SpaceX Corporation in El Segundo, California and your counterparts in the Kwajalein Atoll.

About nine and a half minutes after launch, the second stage engine shuts down, and the Falcon 1 becomes the first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to orbit the Earth.

Flight 4 Launch Update

Post Launch Statement:

Wow, this is a great day for SpaceX and the culmination of an enormous amount of work by a great team. The data shows we achieved a super precise orbit insertion — middle of the bullseye — and then went on to coast and restart the second stage, which was icing on the cake.

I will have a more complete post launch statement tomorrow, as right now I'm in a bit of a daze and need to go celebrate :)

--Elon-

[back from celebrating...]

While Falcon 1 was the world's first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to reach orbit, I would like to acknowledge and express appreciation for the role of DARPA, the Air Force and the ORS Office of the Department of Defense. They played an important role as early "beta" customers of Falcon 1. There are many individuals in those organizations, as well as in NASA, NRL, FAA, USAKA/RTS, other departments of the US government and the private sector to whom we owe gratitude for their support and advice. You didn't have to help, but you did, often at risk of career and credibility, so you have my deepest thanks.

The next flight of Falcon 1 is tentatively scheduled for March next year and will carry a Malaysian primary satellite, as well as US government secondary satellites, to near equatorial orbit. Flight 6 will probably be a Defense Department satellite in the summer and Flight 7 a commercial satellite mission in the fall. In 2010, I expect the launch cadence for Falcon 1 to step up to a mission every two to three months.

--Elon--

A week spent reviewing data has confirmed that the flight went really well, including the coast and restart. The mood here at SpaceX is just ecstatic! This is the culmination of six years of hard work by a very talented team. It is also a great relief for me, who led the overall design of the rocket (not a role I expected to have when starting the company). I felt a little sheepish receiving the AIAA award for the most outstanding contribution to the field of space transportation two weeks before this flight.

Orbit was achieved with the first burn terminating at 330.5 km altitude and 8.99 degree inclination. The goal for initial insertion was a 330 km altitude and a 9.0 degree inclination, so this was right on target! Accuracy far exceeded our expectations, particularly given that this was the first time Falcon 1 reached orbit.

The primary purpose of the second burn was to test the restart capability and then burn as long as possible. The upper stage coasted for 43.5 minutes and then burned for 6.8 seconds, which is 4 seconds longer than needed to circularize. Most of the burn was actually done sideways to avoid creating a highly elliptical orbit, hence a change in inclination to 9.3 degrees. The final orbit was confirmed by US Space Command.

Japan to build the long theorized Space Elevator

2008-10-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

Breaking through the atmosphere with high-tech high-strength cables and flinging cargo into space using the rotational force force of the earth and a space-based docking station counterweight, the finest scientific minds of Japan are devoting themselves to cracking the greatest sci-fi vision of all: the space elevator. Man has so far conquered space by inefficiently blasting himself and sattelite cargo out of the atmosphere but the 21st century should bring a more leisurely ride, and cheaper cargo transfer to the final frontier.

For chemists, physicists, material scientists, astronauts and dreamers across the globe, the space elevator represents the most tantalising of concepts: cables stronger and lighter than any fibre yet woven, tethered to the ground and disappearing beyond the atmosphere to a satellite docking station in geosynchronous orbit above Earth.

Up and down the 22,000 mile-long (36,000km) cables — or flat ribbons — will run the elevator carriages, themselves requiring huge breakthroughs in engineering to which the biggest Japanese companies and universities have turned their collective attention.
In the carriages, the scientists behind the idea told The Times, could be any number of cargoes. A space elevator could carry people, huge solar-powered generators or even casks of radioactive waste. The point is that breaking free of Earth's gravity will no longer require so much energy — perhaps 100 times less than launching the space shuttle.

“Just like travelling abroad, anyone will be able to ride the elevator into space,” Shuichi Ono, chairman of the Japan Space Elevator Association, said.

The vision has inspired scientists around the world and government organisations including Nasa. Several competing space elevator projects are gathering pace as various groups vie to build practical carriages, tethers and the hundreds of other parts required to carry out the plan. There are prizes offered by space elevator-related scientific organisations for breakthroughs and competitions for the best and fastest design of carriage.

First envisioned by the celebrated master of science fiction, Arthur C. Clarke, in his 1979 work The Fountains of Paradise, the concept has all the best qualities of great science fiction: it is bold, it is a leap of imagination and it would change life as we know it.
Unlike the warp drives in Star Trek, or H.G. Wells's The Time Machine, the idea of the space elevator does not mess with the laws of science; it just presents a series of very, very complex engineering problems.
Japan is increasingly confident that its sprawling academic and industrial base can solve those issues, and has even put the astonishingly low price tag of a trillion yen (£5 billion) on building the elevator. Japan is renowned as a global leader in the precision engineering and high-quality material production without which the idea could never be possible.
The biggest obstacle lies in the cables. To extend the elevator to a stationary satellite from the Earth's surface would require twice that length of cable to reach a counterweight, ensuring that the cable maintains its tension.
The cable must be exceptionally light, staggeringly strong and able to withstand all projectiles thrown at it inside and outside the atmosphere. The answer, according to the groups working on designs, will lie in carbon nanotubes - microscopic particles that can be formed into fibres and whose mass production is now a focus of Japan's big textile companies.

(lasers are theroized to be of use in engaging a space platform and launching cargo pods)

According to Yoshio Aoki, a professor of precision machinery engineering at Nihon University and a director of the Japan Space Elevator Association, the cable would need to be about four times stronger than what is currently the strongest carbon nanotube fibre, or about 180 times stronger than steel. Pioneering work on carbon nanotubes in Cambridge has produced a strength improvement of about 100 times over the last five years.
Equally, there is the issue of powering the carriages as they climb into space. “We are thinking of using the technology employed in our bullet trains,” Professor Aoki said. “Carbon nanotubes are good conductors of electricity, so we are thinking of having a second cable to provide power all along the route.”

Japan is hosting an international conference in November to draw up a timetable for the machine.

FIRSTBORN
“Riding silently into the sky, soon she was 100km high, higher even than the old pioneering rocket planes, the X15s, used to reach. The sky was already all but black above her, with a twinkling of stars right at the zenith, the point to which the ribbon, gold-bright in the sunlight, pointed like an arrow. Looking up that way she could see no sign of structures further up the ribbon, no sign of the counterweight. Nothing but the shining beads of more spiders clambering up this thread to the sky. She suspected she still had not grasped the scale of the elevator, not remotely.”

From Firstborn by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter
Publisher: Del Ray

New European/Russian Manned Space Vehicle

2008-07-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

Russian firm RKK Energia has spent two years designing the vehicle.

The first official image of a Russian-European manned spacecraft has been unveiled.
It is designed to replace the Soyuz vehicle currently in use by Russia and will allow Europe to participate directly in crew transportation.
The reusable ship was conceived to carry four people towards the Moon, rivalling the US Ares/Orion system.
Unlike previous crewed vehicles, it will use thrusters to make a soft landing when it returns to Earth.
Russian aerospace writer and graphic designer Anatoly Zak has produced artist's renderings of the new craft based on a design released by Russian manufacturer RKK Energia at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK last week.

I think the main roadmap is the agreement between the European and Russian space agencies. That is their Plan A
Anatoly Zak
In some respects, the capsule resembles America's next-generation spacecraft Orion. The 18-to-20-tonne Russian-European vehicle is designed to carry six crew into low-Earth orbit and four on missions to lunar orbit.
One of the most unusual features about the capsule appear to be the thrusters and landing gear on its underside. Mr Zak said it would use these engines to soften its landing on Earth after the fiery re-entry through our atmosphere.
The European Space Agency (Esa) has been talking to its Russian counterpart Roscosmos about collaborating on the Crew Space Transportation System (CSTS) since 2006.
Launcher decision
"If Esa and the Russian Space Agency reach agreement, Europe will supply the service module of that co-operative spacecraft," Mr Zak told BBC News.
This service module will use technology - such as the propulsion systems - developed for Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), an unmanned freighter recently sent to re-supply the International Space Station (ISS).
Russia may provide the launcher for the new manned spacecraft. This might be an entirely new vehicle, or a modification of an existing rocket.

Thrusters would cushion the spacecraft's landing:

Mr Zak said Russia was insisting in its negotiations with Europe that all future manned projects be based in Vostochny, the new cosmodrome being developed in Russia's eastern Amur region. The Russian government wants to host its first manned launch from that site in 2018.
At the moment, all manned Soyuz launches take place from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Alternatively, the space agencies could opt to "man-rate" Europe's Ariane 5 launcher, which lifts off from Kourou in French Guiana. This would allow the rocket to carry humans into space.
This would involve making major modifications to Kourou spaceport, including the development of infrastructure to support a crew escape system in the event of an emergency.
It is quite possible that both launch sites would play a role in any collaborative programme, which would necessitate the lofting of cargo as well as human crew.
However, if this collaboration falls apart, Europe has another option for direct manned access to space.
Other option
In May this year, European aerospace company EADS Astrium unveiled its own model of a crewed space vehicle, described as an "evolution" of the ATV, which was built by a consortium of European companies led by Astrium.
It would combine what is essentially the avionics and propulsion end of the ATV with a crew compartment taking the place of the current cargo section.

EADS Astrium has proposed a manned version of the ATV

Berlin unveils 'crewed spaceship'
Mr Zak commented: "I think the main roadmap is the agreement between the European and Russian space agencies. That is their Plan A. Their Plan B is the initiative made by EADS Astrium in Bremen."
But if the agencies want a manned craft capable of reaching the Moon, they will need to develop new, more powerful rockets than those on the drawing board today.
"This is an open question, there are no decisions on how to proceed," said Mr Zak.
The CSTS is also sometimes referred to as the Advanced Crew Transportation System (ACTS). Esa and Roscosmos started talks on the project after some Esa member states rejected further involvement in the development of another manned spacecraft called Kliper.
The proposals will go before a crucial meeting of space ministers from European member states in November this year.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HYPERJACK:
By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News

SPACE-X : A Mission Protocol Update Log

2008-07-13T23:40:00.000-07:00

WE ALL AWAIT THE LATEST EFFORT FROM THE SPACE-X TEAM THAT ELON MUSK IS COMMANDING. FAILURES SHOULD NOT HINDER THIS MACHINE AS IT MERELY SHOWS THE TRUE NATURE OF ACCOMPLISHING SUCH A TASK. AS I PERSONALLY WANT TO SEE THE FALCON 9 A COMPLETE SUCCESS, I BELIEVE A GOOGLE PARTNERSHIP WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT DECISION IN LIEU OF THE GOOGLE $20 MIILION DOLLAR X-PRIZE TO LAND A ROVER ON THE MOON. THE GREATEST PART OF THE ELON MUSK VISION IS A LOWER COST TO LAUNCH MAKING THIS AN ACCEPTABLE OPTION SINCE A PAYLOAD COULD BE DELIVERED FOR UNDER $10 MILLION. IF GOOGLE SPONSORED THE SPACE-X LOW COST PER LAUNCH CONCEPT WITH OFFERING CONTESTANTS A FREE RIDE TO ORBIT THEN THEY GET MORE LAUNCH CAPABILITY AND RESEARCH ACCESS AS WELL AS MAKING THIS DIFFICULT LAUNCH TASK A NON-OPTION SINCE A ROVER WOULD NOT REQUIRE THE WHOLE RE-ENGINEERING OF THE ROCKET SCIENCE PART - AS WELL AS REMOVING THE INITIAL IMMENSE COST OF LAUNCHING A PAYLOAD TODAY (even the Space-X cost would be enormous for a fledgling group of student and corporate Spacecraft and Rover designers).
IT WOULD BE A FEASIBLE OPTION FOR ME AND MY FRIENDS TO START A ROVER CONCEPT BUT THE LAUNCH STAGE CAPITAL WOULD BE REALLY HARD TO ACQUIRE.
SO LET THIS BE A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT TO GOOGLE AND SPACE-X : MAKE A PERMANENT PARTNERSHIP SO WE CAN SEE RESULTS SOONER THAN LATER! WE ARE ALL GETTING OLDER AND OUR SPACE DREAMS SHOULD BE HAPPENING AT A MORE RAPID PACE. LIKE I SAID EARLIER - ACCIDENTS HAPPEN AND WE RECOVER AND LEARN HOW TO ENGINEER AROUND THE PROBLEMS AT HAND. LOOK AT APOLLO 1, CHALLENGER & COLUMBIA - A START-UP IS GUARANTEED TO HAVE FAILURES AS WELL! IT IS A SIMPLE EQUATION BUT WE ALL WORK THROUGH IT AND SUPPORT YOU GUYS UP THERE IN EL SEGUNDO AND WITH YOUR NEW LAUNCH PAD. CONGRATULATIONS AND SHOW US SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF SO WE CAN MAKE A SWEET SATELLITE OR ROVER FOR YOU TO HURL INTO THE REALM OF DARK ENERGY AND BEYOND!
(This has been a preliminary message brought to you by Admiral Arkillian of the USRC and CPT.SLS Federation)

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Dragon Engineering Unit – Aluminum isogrid pressure vessel, heat shield support structure at bottom, Space Station common berthing adapter ring at top, and carbon fiber nose cap at right.

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SpaceX: Why Else Would We Put Windows On A Cargo Vehicle?
By Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides May 16, 2008
All eyes are on SpaceX as they get closer to their end of June test flight of the Falcon 1 rocket. But they are tracking no technical issues as they prep for launch from the Pacific island of Kwajalein. The first two test flights have not achieved orbit, although the second made it high enough to get into space, just not fast enough due to fuel sloshing issues.
The third flight has fixes for those issues and will also debut the new Merlin 1C reusable engine, an upgrade from the Merlin 1A engine used for the previous flights.
This test will have one of three military payloads that the government will select two weeks before the flight to test how fast they can prep and integrate a time sensitive payload. It will also include a Malaysian payload adapter experiment, two nanosats from Cornell, and two CubeSats (typically student engineering design projects).
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is also claiming that the follow up vehicle, Falcon 9 will be able to take crew to the Space Station by 2011, if NASA chooses to fund COTS-D this summer. SpaceX, which already holds a COTS contract for taking cargo to the International Space Station says it will only be an incremental jump to carrying crew, an intentionally small increment.
"You don't really need windows for cargo," Musk added. The Dragon also is also already outfitted with life support systems to support biological cargo such as lab mice. What would really need to be added to upgrade from cargo to crew is a crew escape system.
Musk also added that he should have never said that if they have a third failure he will have to reconsider staying in the space business.
In a worst-case scenario, SpaceX could still weather several more failures even if it didn't sign up any new customers, he said. As long as its customers don't abandon it, "SpaceX will never give up," he said. "I will never give up. Never."

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Launch Pad Demolition Clears Way for SpaceX Rockets
By Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides May 01, 2008
On Monday NASA Kennedy Space Center demolished Space Launch Complex 40, the launch tower of the now-retired Titan IV. The Titan IV lifted some of the heaviest payloads into space, mostly top-secret missions for the military, but also the Cassini mission that is still sending back data from Saturn and its moons.
The demolition of the now obsolete launch complex will make room for the new Falcon 9 launch pad being built there by private company SpaceX. SpaceX plans to launch their Falcon 9 heavy lift vehicle from Kennedy under their contract with NASA to provide Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) to the International Space Station. The first Falcon 9 is expected to arrive at Kennedy by the end of the year for final assembly.
NASA also recently announced that they have awarded SpaceX an additional contract through 2012 that allows SpaceX to compete for any of NASA's other space launches in support of science, space operations or exploration missions. This is also a huge win for SpaceX and the Falcon 9.

The demolition is expected to be self funded as the pieces are hauled off and sold for scrap metal. Much of the pad complex will still be usable by SpaceX. The concrete deck and flame duct, the water deluge system, the site's electrical system, the lightning towers and the instrumentation bay beneath the pad will all be reused.
"It is one of only a few heavy-lift pads at the Cape," said SpaceX VP of Launch Tim Buzza. "SpaceX is very fortunate to have been granted use of Complex 40. We will put it to good use."
Orbital, the other private company funded under the COTS program, is expected to announce soon whether they will launch from Kennedy Space Center or Wallops Island in Virginia.
Now all eyes turn to June when SpaceX plans their third launch of the Falcon 1. Although the last launch was a "successful" test in that they were able to get all of the data they were looking for, the industry is anxious to see SpaceX successfully deliver its first satellite into orbit.

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SpaceX Breaks Ground on Commercial Space Launch Site
By John Borland November 02, 2007
Space startup Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, got out the shovels yesterday for a ground-breaking ceremony at Cape Canaveral, where the company is working with the state of Florida to update old launch facilities for the new space age.
The new facility, to be called Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, will be the site of SpaceX's launch of its Falcon 9 vehicle, with missions beginning in late 2008. Assuming all goes well, which remains a big assumption.
The company, whose last rocket test was partially successful, but didn't quite make orbit, still has to prove it has the technological chops to deliver on its promise of cheap, reliable space transportation. However, it is farther along than most of its competitors, having consistently met design and funding milestones as part of NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, through which it is receiving some federal funding.

According to the company's Web site, it's planning a first few test launches from the Cape Canaveral facility beginning in the last quarter of next year, followed by the launch of a commercial satellite for Canadian company MDA Federal.

-----------------------------------
SpaceX Passes NASA Review of Their Plans to Dock with Space Station
By Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides December 19, 2007
SpaceX just passed the Systems Requirement Review of its docking demonstration flight for the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS) Program. SpaceX is planning three demonstration flights of its cargo vehicle, Dragon. The first launch will take the Dragon capsule to orbit for five hours (possibly fall 2008), the second flight will take it to orbit for five days and the third flight will have Dragon fly empty to the International Space Station (ISS) and dock to it safely.

“Because we connect to the ISS on this mission, NASA applied significant additional scrutiny to ensure the safety of the station and its crew,” said Max Vozoff, SpaceX Mission Manager. The team answered all the concerns NASA had and continued its record of meeting all the COTS program milestones.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX said, "The Falcon 9 / Dragon system will ensure that there is no gap in US space transportation capabilities following retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2010." A big claim, especially in light of Rep. Weldon's (R-Fl) concerns expressed earlier this week about a gap.

Currently the NASA ISS program uses only government vehicles to get to the International Space Station. After the Space Shuttle retires in 2010, there is an expected four or five year gap before the new Ares I rocket will be flying.
The goal of the NASA COTS program is to stimulate the development of commercial spaceflight services, such as ISS resupply, and then to take advantage of these new capabilities. SpaceX's COTS contract is worth $278 million, small potatoes compared with the billions needed to develop the Ares I and the Orion capsule that rides on top of it (SpaceX's Dragon will ride atop its Falcon 9 vehicle). Still there are no guarantees Falcon 9 and Dragon will work. The Falcon I rocket has yet to deliver a payload to orbit.
However, if SpaceX fails to deliver or meet a milestone, NASA can stop paying them. It is a low cost/low risk gamble, and if it works, it will be well worth it.
SpaceX CEO and PayPal founder Elon Musk had this to say about their first review of the docking flight a few months ago:
To date, no other group has passed the Hazard of Collision report the first time through, or completed the overall review in such a short time. The fact that we passed in under a week speaks well of our team’s capabilities.
Although their current COTS contract calls only for the three cargo demonstration flights, the Dragon capsule is also designed to hold seven crew and many systems are common between the crew and cargo versions of the capsule. SpaceX does intend to fly people, maybe even as soon as 2011. When asked if SpaceX would fly NASA astronauts on the Dragon, Musk replied, "Demo flights can't use NASA astronauts, so we will use SpaceX employees that volunteer for the job."
Now we just have to wait for Spring 2008 when SpaceX is expected to launch the Falcon I again. If that rocket can achieve orbit, then the next decade may see a whole lot more spacecraft flying overhead.

-----------------------------------------
SpaceX Completes Merlin Qualification, Slips Falcon 9 Launch
By Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides February 28, 2008
SpaceX's updated Merlin 1C rocket engine (it's now regeneratively cooled instead of ablatively cooled like the Merlin 1A used on Falcon 1's first two launch attempts) has just passed its qualification testing in McGregor, Texas. After a final "marathon run" of four full mission scenarios run in one day, the engine now has 27 minutes of operating time, enough to power ten complete space flights. The engine will now go into full-scale production mode, clearing the way for the Falcon 1 launch scheduled for Spring 2008.
Testing will continue on the Merlin 1C to qualify it for the higher performance and thrust levels required for the Falcon 9 vehicle. The Falcon 9, originally scheduled for its maiden flight at the end of this year, will now launch second quarter 2009. This also pushes out the first demonstration of cargo transfer to the International Space Station, as part of NASA COTS program, to Spring 2010.
(And yes, the Falcon is named after the Millennium Falcon.)
The Falcon 1 uses one Merlin 1C engine for its first stage, while the Falcon 9 uses nine of them for its first stage, and one for its second stage.

When asked why the Falcon 9 launch was slipping six months, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said:
I can't honestly point to any one thing. It is an array of things. Structural qualification, software and hardware testing, we have to complete it all for Dragon and for the Falcon 9, and prove it to the NASA folks.
Still, if SpaceX can demonstrate safe cargo transfer to the International Space Station with their Dragon capsule by the time the Space Shuttle is retired near the end of 2010, they will be in a good position to win the competitively awarded re-supply contracts of the International Space Station that is part of Phase 2 of the NASA COTS program.
With Orbital now is the COTS competition with them however, we will have to see who will get to ISS first, the Cygnus or the Dragon...

CURRENT MOON PHASE MODULE

2007-11-05T23:00:00.001-08:00

CURRENT MOON

MOON PHASE

HABITABLE CAVES ON MARS FOUND?

2007-09-24T01:30:00.000-07:00

Images of the discovered holes, dubbed "Seven Sisters." Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/USGS
One of the three images in this set covers the same patch of Martian ground, centered on a possible cave skylight informally called "Annie," which has a diameter about double the length of a football field. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/USGS

NASA Orbiter Finds Possible Cave Skylights on Mars!
PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has discovered entrances to seven possible caves on the slopes of a Martian volcano. The find is fueling interest in potential underground habitats and sparking searches for caverns elsewhere on the Red Planet.
Very dark, nearly circular features ranging in diameter from about 100 to 250 meters (328 to 820 feet) puzzled researchers who found them in images taken by NASA's Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor orbiters. Using Mars Odyssey's infrared camera to check the daytime and nighttime temperatures of the circles, scientists concluded that they could be windows into underground spaces.
Evidence that the holes may be openings to cavernous spaces comes from the temperature differences detected from infrared images taken in the afternoon and in the pre-dawn morning. From day to night, temperatures of the holes change only about one-third as much as the change in temperature of surrounding ground surface.
"They are cooler than the surrounding surface in the day and warmer at night," said Glen Cushing of the U.S. Geological Survey's Astrogeology Team and of Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Ariz. "Their thermal behavior is not as steady as large caves on Earth that often maintain a fairly constant temperature, but it is consistent with these being deep holes in the ground."
A report of the discovery of the possible cave skylights by Cushing and his co-authors was published online recently by the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
"Whether these are just deep vertical shafts or openings into spacious caverns, they are entries to the subsurface of Mars," said co-author Tim Titus of the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff. "Somewhere on Mars, caves might provide a protected niche for past or current life, or shelter for humans in the future."
The discovered holes, dubbed "Seven Sisters," are at some of the highest altitudes on the planet, on a volcano named Arsia Mons near Mars' tallest mountain.
"These are at such extreme altitude, they are poor candidates either for use as human habitation or for having microbial life," Cushing said. "Even if life has ever existed on Mars, it may not have migrated to this height."
The new report proposes that the deep holes on Arsia Mons probably formed as underground stresses around the volcano caused spreading and faults that opened spaces beneath the surface. Some of the holes are in line with strings of bowl-shaped pits where surface material has apparently collapsed to fill the gap created by a linear fault.
The observations have prompted researchers using Mars Odyssey and NASA's newer Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to examine the Seven Sisters. The goal is to find other openings to underground spaces at lower elevations that are more accessible to future missions to Mars.
"The key to finding these was looking for temperature anomalies at night -- warm spots," said Phil Christensen of Arizona State University, Tempe, principal investigator for the Thermal Emission Imaging System on Mars Odyssey. That instrument produced both visible-light and infrared images researchers used for examining the possible caves.
"No other instrument at Mars could give the thermal information crucial to this research," said the project scientist for Mars Odyssey, Jeffrey Plaut of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "This is a great example of the exciting discoveries Odyssey continues to make." Mars Odyssey reached Mars in 2001, years before any of the other spacecraft currently examining the planet. Its predecessor, Mars Global Surveyor, ended its mission last year.
Mars Odyssey is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The orbiter's Thermal Emission Imaging System was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing, Santa Barbara, Calif., and is operated by Arizona State University. For additional information about Mars Odyssey and the new findings, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/odyssey.

WANT TO REPRESENT THE UNIVERSE AS AN AMBASSADOR?

2007-09-24T01:17:00.000-07:00

Wanted: Ambassadors to the Stars!

NASA's Solar System Ambassadors program is looking for volunteer space enthusiasts to join us in sharing the wonders of space exploration with the public.
Ambassadors come from all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The program is one of the longest-running NASA volunteer outreach projects. It includes volunteers from various career fields and occupations, including teachers, computer software writers, students, firefighters and soldiers.
Each ambassador receives online training from JPL, and educational materials supplied by various space missions, such as Dawn, which is poised to become the first spacecraft to orbit two different celestial bodies after leaving Earth. Dawn is scheduled to launch later this month.

"Volunteers Bringing the Solar System to the Public"

The Solar System Ambassadors Program is a public outreach program designed to work with motivated volunteers across the nation. These volunteers communicate the excitement of JPL's space exploration missions and information about recent discoveries to people in their local communities.
There are now 494 Ambassadors in 50 states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico bringing the excitement of space to the public. Ambassadors are space enthusiasts from various walks of life who are interested in providing greater service and inspiration to the community at large.
The Solar System Ambassadors Program builds on and expands the outstanding efforts undertaken by the Galileo mission since 1997. Because of the success of the original Galileo Ambassadors program, JPL missions exploring Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Asteroids, Comets, Earth, the Sun and the Universe now come together to expand the program's scope to the Solar System and beyond.
The Solar System Ambassadors Program is sponsored by the JET PROPULSION LABORATORY in Pasadena, CA, an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and a lead research and development center for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Ambassadors furnish short biographical statements for the purpose of detailing their areas of interest and expertise. Following the biography is a list of past events conducted by the Ambassador to further aid in decision making. Inquiries about an Ambassador's availability should be made by sending an email directly to the individual.

SSA PROGRAM : PRESS RELEASE

ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY...
Become an Ambassador to your community!
Highly motivated individuals will be given the opportunity to represent JPL as Solar System Ambassadors to the public for a one-year, renewable term beginning January 1, 2008. Applications for the program will be accepted from September 1 through September 30, 2007. Click title link above for more information from JPL direct.
Of course since time is running out you can always apply for the next term after studying the parameters of becoming an official AMBASSADOR OF MAN FOR THE UNIVERSE!

GOOGLE & X-PRIZE FOUNDATION TO OFFER $30 MILLION TO FIRST FIRM ON THE MOON!

2007-09-20T01:18:00.000-07:00

GOOGLE BACKS PRIVATE MOON LANDING!

More cash will be given for snaps of old equipment left on the Moon
Search giant Google is offering a $30m prize pot to private firms that land a robot rover on the Moon.
The competition to send a robot craft to the Moon is being run with the X-Prize Foundation.
To claim the cash, any craft reaching the lunar surface must perform a series of tasks such as shoot video and roam for specific distances.
Firms interested in trying for the prize have until the end of 2012 to mount their Moonshot.

In a statement announcing the competition, Google and the X-Prize Foundation said it had been created in a bid to stimulate research into low-cost robotic exploration of space.
The top prize of $20m will be given to the private firm that soft lands a rover on the Moon which then completes a series of objectives.
These include roaming the lunar surface for at least 500m and gathering a specific set of images, video and data.
A prize of $5m will be given to the second firm that manages to reach the Moon with a rover that roams the surface and shoots some pictures.
Google said it would give bonuses of $5m if the rovers complete other objectives such as travelling further on the Moon, taking pictures of Apollo hardware, finding water-ice and surviving the freezing lunar night.
Rovers taking part must be fitted with high-definition video and still cameras.

"We are confident that teams from around the world will help develop new robotic and virtual presence technology, which will dramatically reduce the cost of space exploration," said Dr Peter Diamandis, chairman of the X-Prize Foundation in a statement.
The prize will be on offer until 2012. After that a smaller sum of $15m will be offered and, if the cash goes unclaimed, the competition will end in 2014.

The rocket plane SpaceShipOne claimed the Ansari X-Prize
Sending a robot rover to the Moon is a formidable task - involving far greater hurdles than the first X-Prize competition. Indeed, sending any sort of craft to the Moon would normally require the funding support of national or international space agencies.
The prize is the third offered and administered by the X-Prize Foundation.
The first was run to encourage private space travel. The $10m (£4.9m) Ansari-sponsored prize was won in October 2005 when the SpaceShipOne rocket plane climbed to an altitude of 100km twice inside seven days.
In October 2006, the X-Prize Foundation created the $10m Archon X-Prize for Genomics, which will be given to the first private research group to sequence 100 human genomes in 10 days.

THE CLASSIC APOLLO MANNED ROVER:

THESE RUSSIAN LUNOKHOD ROVERS WERE ACTUALLY THE FIRST MANMADE MACHINES TO ROAM THE MOON!
The spacecraft which carried Lunokhod 1 was named Luna 17. Lunokhod was the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another world.The spacecraft soft-landed on the Moon in the Sea of Rains on November 17 1970 at 03:47 UTC. The lander had dual ramps from which the payload, Lunokhod 1, could descend to the lunar surface. At 06:28 UT the rover moved onto the moon's surface.

A photo from Lunokhod 1 showing the Luna 17 lander.

THE OMEGA STATION : A CRYPTICON DESIGNED SPACEBASE INSTITUTION

2007-09-20T00:34:00.000-07:00

THIS IS OUR CUSTOM DESIGNED VISION OF A USRC/UN SANCTIONED PRIVATE SPACEBASE FACILITY. MERGING THE PRIVATE SECTORS WITH THE GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTIONS, UNDER NASA GUIDELINES TO FUSE THE MESS OF COMPANIES INTO ONE SYSTEM. A SPACEPORT TO OTHER DESTINATIONS - THE MOON AND OTHER PLANETS - THIS IS A DOCK FOR REFUELING AND SCIENTIFIC STUDY AS WELL AS PRIVATE TOURIST AND RESEARCH HABITATS IN THE BIGELOW SECTIONS.
A SPACE CASINO AND ENTERTAINMENT SECTION IS THE MAIN FOCUS OF SPACE COMMUNAL INTERACTION. THIS IS A TEST OF OUR WILL TO COLONIZE IN SMALL HUMAN BATCHES - FAR AND AWAY FROM EARTH. AS A RESULT, EARTH CLIMATE SIMULATION ROOMS, V.R. SIMULATORS AND SENSORY EXCITERS WILL BE ENGINEERED INTO THE STRUCTURE.
SOOTHING SOUNDTRACKS WILL PERMEATE TO PSYCHOLOGICALLY ENHANCE MORALE AND KEEP THE MIND POSITIVE.
SOUNDWAVE TECHNOLOGY IS A LARGE PART OF OUR RESEARCH BUDGET.

DESIGNED BY ALAN KARALIAN AND RYAN GREEN IN 2007.

JAPANESE 'KAGUYA' LUNAR PROBE LAUNCHES

2007-09-14T01:28:00.000-07:00

Japan's lunar "princess" shoots for the moon.
By Teruaki Ueno

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan launched its first lunar probe on Friday, nicknamed Kaguya after a fairy-tale princess, in the latest move in a new race with China, India and the United States to explore the moon.
The rocket carrying the three-metric ton orbiter took off into blue skies, leaving a huge trail of vapor over the tiny island of Tanegashima, about 1,000 km (620 miles) south of Tokyo, at 10:31 a.m. (9:31 p.m. EDT) as it headed out over the Pacific Ocean.
The long-delayed lunar explorer separated from the rocket in skies near Chile about 45 minutes after lift off. It is to orbit the Earth twice and then travel 380,000 km (237,500 miles) to the moon.
"Kaguya separated from the rocket smoothly," the space agency's launch commentator said in a live broadcast of the launch on the Japanese space agency's Web site (www.jaxa.jp).
"Now the satellites are flying on their own. This is the first step and I am really impressed," said Tatsuaki Okada, a scientist involved in the project.
Japanese scientists say the 55 billion yen ($479 million) Selenological and Engineering Explorer, or SELENE, is the world's most technically complex mission to the moon since the U.S. Apollo program decades ago.
"If we succeed in this program, we will be able to prove that Japan has the technology," Okada said.
The mission consists of a main orbiter and two baby satellites equipped with 14 observation instruments designed to examine surface terrain, gravity and other features for clues on the origin and evolution of the moon.
The rocket itself was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has said it hopes to send astronauts to the moon by 2025, although Japan has not yet attempted manned space flight.
SELENE also carries a high-definition television camera to shoot the Earth "rising" from the Moon's horizon, footage of which will be sent back to Earth. SELENE will orbit the moon for about a year until it runs out of fuel.
The launch is about four years behind schedule due to rocket failures and technical glitches.
China plans to launch a lunar orbiter called Chang'e One in the second half of this year to take 3D images, and it aims to land an unmanned vehicle on the moon by 2010.
India is planning its first unmanned mission to orbit the moon in 2008, powered by a locally built rocket. It is also discussing sending a person to the moon by 2020.
The United States plans to launch a lunar orbiter next year.
Japan's space program was in tatters in the late 1990s after two unsuccessful launches of a previous rocket, the H-2.
Disaster followed in 2003 when Japan had to destroy an H-2A rocket carrying two spy satellites minutes after launch as it veered off course.
($1=114.78 yen)

A RUSSIAN MOON BY 2025

2007-09-01T04:07:00.000-07:00

Russia to send manned mission to the Moon by 2025.

MOSCOW, August 31 (RIA Novosti) - Russia plans to send cosmonauts to the Moon by 2025 and establish a permanent manned base there in 2027-2032, the head of the space agency said Friday.

Anatoly Perminov said that in accordance with Russia's space program through 2040, a manned flight to Mars will be carried out after 2035.
He said that toward the end of this year, Russia will have 103 satellites in orbit, up from the current 95.
There are plans for a new space center in the country, but a site has not yet been selected, he said. Russia currently launches all manned flights from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. Perminov said previously that construction of a new launch facility would only begin after a new type of spacecraft was built.
A major source of revenue for the agency in recent years has been space tourist flights from Baikonur to the International Space Station (ISS), with tickets currently priced at around $30 million. Russia has put five wealthy foreign tourists into space since 2001.
Perminov said the first Russian space tourist, who will fly to the ISS in 2009, is a businessman and politician.
"He asked me not to disclose his name yet. I can only say that he is a serious young Russian businessman and politician. He is currently undergoing medical tests."
The agency chief said that in 2016-25, after the ISS is put out of operation, Russia plans to deploy a platform in a low-earth orbit to assemble spacecraft.
The United States has said the station should be scrapped in 2015, while Russia has proposed using the Russian segment until 2020.
Perminov said: "The ISS will be transformed into a laboratory complex where research will be conducted."

GLASSIFICATION OF THE MOONS SURFACE

2007-08-30T16:36:00.000-07:00

- THE LOCALIZED GLASSIFICATION OF THE MOON'S SURFACE-
(ARK theory 2007)

In order to avoid the dirty, hazardous and powdery regolith that covers the surface of the moon, a mission must be made first to send up giant land-surface melting rods (electrodes - already used on earth to glassify toxic dirt sites 20 feet deep).
Then sections of Moon - an acre at a time - are rigged with these rods, which take several weeks to melt the entire local surface into a glass slab that holds all the toxic, dusty and caustic elements in. After cooling we can have flat landing surfaces that are clean and solid. Human spacesuits won't get dirty, craft parts and sensitive scientific instruments can be placed in these areas free of dust - and the lack of a lunar wind would create zones of regolith-free habitable acreage. The human colonists will be safer and the surface will be easier to work on. Permanent anchors can be fused into the heated glass to hold future Private or Governmental (Bigelow/NASA/Virgin Galactic/Space-X) project habitat modules.

Piece by piece a permanent colony can be created on top of this glassified surface. It makes a lot of sense to eliminate the main problem with moon habitation - the dusty regolith - aside from avoiding meteor impacts. Engineering missions around this solid homebase is the only way to ensure a stable foundation on such an inhospitable terrain.
Another benefit to heat-melting the Moon's surface is that useful oxygen can be extracted from it during this process.
Meteorites already generate enough heat to melt dust particles. This melting and freezing welds particles together into glassy fragments. An indicator of what can be replicated, and similar to the result of a nuclear blast in a dessert - the glassification of earth - but long term heating is used instead to reliably create customized safe work surfaces.
The idea is to replicate nature on a massive scale and use it for infrastructure while eliminating the localized threat of toxic particulate matter.
Toxic-to-human elements radon-222 and polonium-210 have already been detected in lunar orbit. On several Apollo missions, enhanced levels of radon-222 and polonium-210 emissions were observed as part of the regolith.

Glassification of the surface of the moon, like making glass on Earth, is an existing technology that eliminates the greatest hurdles to man operating on the moon. Robots can come and go (permanently), but stability of a communal human nature requires thinking about their lives 100 to 200 years down the road. We can't make mistakes now!

DARPA grant anyone? Let's do this.

- A fully original and custom theory by Alan Karalian 2007.
CONTACT FOR VENTILATION: logixlab@yahoo.com

BIGELOW AEROSPACE SUCCESS WITH GENESIS 2

2007-07-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

GENESIS 2 RENDER

PLANNED BIGELOW MODULES

Genesis II Calls Home, Says It’s Doing Fine.
Bigelow Aerospace Confirms Space Module has Successfully Expanded and Functioning Well.

Las Vegas, NV 06/28/07 – Bigelow Aerospace has established contact with its second pathfinder spacecraft, Genesis II. Launched earlier Thursday from Yasny, Russia, Mission Control in North Las Vegas, Nev., made first contact at 2:20 p.m. PDT.
Initial data suggests sufficient voltage powering up Genesis II’s batteries as well as expected air pressure. While the actual confirmation of solar panel deployment and spacecraft expansion are expected later, the data suggests that deployment and expansion have been successful.
Before contact, successful communication was considered a long shot on Genesis II’s first pass over the ground station in Fairfax, Va. Elevation for the pass was considered low for a successful contact.
“We don’t even talk to Genesis I that low,” Program Manager Eric Haakonstad said.
To the surprise of those gathered in Mission Control and shouts of “We got it” echoing through the room, contact was established and Genesis II immediately began sending data back to Earth on its condition.
After a quick celebration of cheers and hugs, the Bigelow Aerospace Mission Control staff immediately began the work of processing the data being returned from Genesis II.
Genesis II is the second experimental pathfinder spacecraft designed to test and confirm systems for future manned commercial space modules planned by Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace The privately-funded space station module was launched atop a Dnepr rocket at 8:02 a.m. PDT from the ISC Kosmotras Yasny Cosmodrome, located in the Orenburg region of Russia, and was inserted into orbit at 8:16 a.m. PDT at an inclination of 64 degrees.

In addition to the initial communications pass, there will be further passes over the Virginia ground station on Thursday, as well as communication windows with Bigelow Aerospace ground stations in Las Vegas, Hawaii and Alaska. Communications for much of the first day will be devoted to the determination of spacecraft status and health, with the first images from Genesis II’s 22 interior and exterior cameras to arrive in the coming days.
Among those images will be items and pictures sent up by paying participants in the Bigelow Aerospace “Fly your Stuff” program. The general public got a chance last fall to purchase slots to fly their pictures and memorabilia into space. Bigelow Aerospace hopes to photograph the photos and items in orbit and display them on this site.
In the coming weeks, BA also hopes to activate the first-ever Space Bingo game aboard Genesis II as a fun activity for the public.
The new spacecraft follows Genesis I, which was launched from Yasny on July 12, 2006, and continues to successfully return data and images from Earth orbit. Genesis II is identical in size and appearance to Genesis I – approximately 15 feet (4.4 meters) in length and 6.2 feet (1.9 meters) in diameter at launch, expanding to 2.54 meters (eight feet) in diameter after expansion in orbit.
Inside is where the differences can be seen, as Genesis II includes include a suite of additional sensors and avionics that didn’t fly on Genesis I. Moreover, while Genesis I contained 13 video cameras, Genesis II will nearly double that figure to 22 cameras located on both the inside and outside of the spacecraft.
Like other BA spacecraft, Genesis II employs a unique architecture with an expandable outer surface that was wrapped around a central core at launch and expanded through air inflation in orbit. The skin is made of several layers that include proprietary impact-resistant materials.

Testing on the ground has shown that the expandable shells of a Bigelow module are much more resistant to space debris than the modules on the International Space Station.

Bigelow Aerospace founder Robert T. Bigelow was on site in Yasny to witness the launch with other BA employees, while other BA personnel were gathered at Mission Control in North Las Vegas.
Bigelow Aerospace Program Manager Eric Haakonstad says with the experience of Genesis I, they were better primed for the launch of Genesis II. “With Genesis I, it was our first rodeo. We didn’t know exactly what to expect,” Haakonstad says. “This time, we were able to perform rehearsals and were more prepared for the launch phase.”
That said, a brief communications difficulty in Russia increased nerves in Mission Control, as there was a delay in confirming Genesis II’s separation from the Dnepr rocket. “Any deviation from nominal magnifies the anxiety. When it came in four minutes later, it was a big relief,” Haakonstad says.
Bigelow Aerospace has received just the initial data from Genesis II, and expects more extensive data and imagery in the coming days. BA will provide updates and images from Genesis II on this site.

SPACE JUNK DUMP : ATMOSPHERE BURN

2007-07-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

Space station crew prepare to dump space junk.

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Two crewmen aboard the International Space Station on Thursday prepared for a spacewalk during which more than 1,600 pounds (726 kg) of obsolete gear will be tossed overboard and left to burn up in Earth's atmosphere.
Space station commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and flight engineer Clay Anderson were due to begin a 6-1/2-hour spacewalk on Monday to make room and prepare equipment for the arrival of new research modules built by Europe and Japan.
Their tasks include jettisoning a refrigerator-sized device containing ammonia that was part of the station's first cooling system. NASA upgraded the station's power and cooling systems and no longer needs the 1,400-pound (635-kg) tank.
NASA managers initially had planned to return the ammonia tank to Earth on a space shuttle. But with only 14 flights remaining to the outpost before the U.S. shuttle fleet is retired in three years, there was no room for the carrier rack needed to transport the device in the shuttle's cargo bay.
NASA said ditching the tank was the best option available even though the agency dislikes creating more space junk.
"We agonized over this for a very long time before we came to this decision," said deputy space station program manager Kirk Shireman.
Anderson also will release a 212-pound (96-kg) camera stand that is taking up needed space on a storage platform. NASA's immediate concern is that the jettisoned objects do not fly back into the station's orbit.

CRASH AND BURN

The discarded equipment is expected to remain in space for at least 300 days before friction from crashing into atmospheric particles drags them into the atmosphere.
The camera stand is expected to burn up completely, but chunks of the ammonia tank as heavy as 39 pounds (17.5 kg) could survive re-entry and fall to Earth.
NASA said that while the debris is most likely to land in an ocean, there is about a 1 in 5,000 chance it will hit a populated area.
The agency said tracking radars will follow the objects until they are about two hours away from atmospheric re-entry. Warnings would be issued if the debris seems likely to pose a threat.
Also on Thursday, the shuttle Endeavour astronauts dressed in their bright-orange pressurized flight suits and climbed aboard the spaceship for a countdown dress rehearsal ahead of their planned August 7 liftoff.
NASA managers plan to meet next week to confirm the launch date.
Endeavour's crew, which includes teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan, plans to spend seven to 10 days at the space station installing a new structural beam, replacing a steering gyroscope and delivering cargo.

SEARCHING FOR NON-CARBON LIFEFORMS

2007-07-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

A HYPOTHETICAL SILICON BASED LIFEFORM

Scientists call for wider search for alien life.
By Carl Zimmer, International Herald Tribune

NEW YORK: A panel of scientists convened by America's leading scientific advisory group says the hunt for extraterrestrial life should be greatly expanded to include what they call "weird life": organisms that lack DNA or other molecules found in life as we know it.
"The committee's investigation makes clear that life is possible in forms different from those on Earth," the scientists conclude in their report, "The Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems," published by the National Research Council.
Other experts hailed the report as an important rethinking of the search for life. "It's going to help us a lot to make sure we go exploring with our eyes wide open," said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars exploration program.
Starfish, sequoias, salamanders and the rest of Earth's residents may seem very diverse, but they are surprisingly similar on the molecular scale. All species that scientists have studied need liquid water to survive, for example. Further, they all rely on DNA to carry genetic information, and they all use that information to build proteins from the same set of building blocks, known as amino acids.
NASA has long looked to life on Earth to guide its search for life on other worlds. Planets and moons that have hints of liquid water have been ranked high on the list of potential sites for life-detection missions.
But there is good reason to suspect that other kinds of chemistry could support life as well, the authors of the new report argue. Weird life could differ from life as we know it in small or big ways.
For example, while DNA uses phosphorus in its backbone, it might be possible to build a backbone out of arsenic instead. And life might exist in liquids other than water, perhaps ammonia or methane.

The report, which is posted on the Web site of the National Academies, www.nationalacademies.org, even explores the possibility of life based on silicon, not carbon, though Meyer, who had no role in the work, thinks that astrobiologists should limit their search to carbon-based life forms.
"When we look in the universe," he said, "the only compounds we see with more than six atoms are all carbon chemistry. So there's a hint that looking for carbon chemistry may be a better bet. There we have some idea of what to look for."

The report calls for NASA and the National Science Foundation both to support research into weird life. Chemists need to investigate "the chemical possibilities for what forms life might take," said one member of the committee, Steven Benner, a distinguished fellow at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, in Gainesville, Florida.
Scientists should also search Earth for weird life, the authors maintain. "There's much about Earth life we don't understand," said the panel's chairman, John Baross of the University of Washington.
Benner said there was "good evidence that the life we know on Earth was preceded by a weird form of life." Early Earth life may have been based on RNA, a single-stranded form of DNA. Although DNA-based life may have out-competed earlier forms on the surface of the planet, RNA life may still exist in refuges. One potential hiding place is deep below the ocean floor.
"It's an incredibly primordial world down there," Baross said.
"If you're going to look for remnants of an RNA world, those are the environments you want to go to."
To find weird life, however, scientists will have to build new kinds of detectors. "There's no question that the surveys of life on the planet we've done so far would have missed it," Benner said.
The scientists also said the possibility of weird life should prompt NASA to reorder its future missions. They singled out Saturn's moon Titan as particularly promising.

SEARCHING FOR OTHER LIFE

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR MARS TEST

2007-07-06T22:23:00.001-07:00

By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News

The Aurora program envisages Europeans on Mars.
The European Space Agency (Esa) is seeking volunteers for a simulated human trip to Mars, in which six crew spend 17 months in an isolation tank.
They will live and work in a series of interlocked modules at a research institute in Moscow.
Once the hatches are closed, the crew's only contact with the outside world is a radio link to "Earth" with a realistic delay of many minutes.
It sounds like Big Brother, but there are no plans to televise the test.
The modular "spacecraft" measures some 550 cubic metres (19,250 cubic feet), the equivalent of nine truck containers. It is based at the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems in the Russian capital.
The goal is to gain insight into human behaviour and group dynamics under the kinds of conditions astronauts would experience on a journey to Mars.

BIG COMMITMENT
With the exception of weightlessness and radiation, the crew will experience most other aspects of long-haul space travel, such as cramped conditions, a high workload, lack of privacy, and limited supplies.
The volunteers will be put through a number of scenarios, such as a simulated launch, outward journey of up to 250 days, an excursion on the Martian surface, followed by the return home.
The 500-day duration is close to the minimum estimated timescale needed for a human trip to the Red Planet.
The Earthbound astronauts will have to deal with simulated emergencies and perhaps even real ones.
But, while Esa says it will do nothing that puts the lives of the simulation crew at unnecessary risk, officials running the experiment have made it clear they would need a convincing reason to let someone out of the modules once the experiment had begun.
"The idea behind this experiment is simply to put six people in a very close environment and see how they behave," Bruno Gardini, project manager for Esa's Aurora space exploration programme, told BBC News.

TEAM ETHIC
In all, 12 European volunteers will be needed. They must be aged 25-50, be in good health, have "high motivation" and stand up to 185cm tall. Smokers, or those with other addictions, to alcohol or illicit drugs, for example, will be rejected.
Esa is also looking for a working knowledge of both English and Russian.
"We will do pre-selection, medical tests, psychological tests, etc. But at the end, you really have to see how they react in as close to a real situation as possible on Earth," explained Mr Gardini.
He added that the results would help define the selection criteria for a future Mars mission.
"This is the beginning; it will be a long time before we go to Mars," the Esa official said.
"But this is a field which is difficult to quantify. It's human behaviour, so there's no method. The Russians have done lots of study in the past and we will be sharing some data.

"We have to look at the mix of people; at the end of the day, we want a team."

ROBOTS FIRST
Marc Heppener, of Esa's Science and Application Division, said the crewmembers would get paid 120 euros (158 dollars) a day.
Viktor Baranov, of Russia's Institute of Biomedical Problems, said his organisation had received about 150 applications, only 19 of which had come from women.
A precursor 105-day study is scheduled to start by mid-2008, possibly followed by another 105-day study, before the full 520-day project begins in late 2008 or early 2009.
European scientists have been asked to submit proposals for experiments in the areas of psychology, medicine, physiology and mission operations.
Mounting a mission to Mars would face many other hurdles, not least of which would be shielding the crew against the potentially deadly dose of radiation they would receive on the journey.

Esa's Aurora programme has already begun preparations to land a rover - called ExoMars - on the Red Planet. It has the stated aim, however, of trying to get European astronauts to Mars at some time in the future.

THE EXOMARS ROVER

SpaceDev/SpaceHab/Constellation Services Sign NASA "SPACE ACTS AGREEMENTS"

2007-06-20T00:46:00.000-07:00

SpaceDev announced its concept for the SpaceDev Dream Chaser™ vehicle, a six-passenger human space transport system based on the ten-passenger HL-20 Personnel Launch System developed by NASA Langley. SpaceDev believes its SpaceDev Dream Chaser™ can meet the needs of the rapidly emerging commercial space tourism market, and NASA needs for routine, safe and affordable crew access to the International Space Station. SpaceDev believes SpaceDev Dream Chaser™ will be much faster and far less expensive to develop than a new crew launch vehicle as proposed by large aerospace companies.

The design concept for the SpaceDev Dream Chaser™, which is the same size but lighter than the ten-passenger NASA HL-20 vehicle, is also suitable for safe, affordable sub-orbital space tourism applications. The long-term SpaceDev Dream Chaser™ design plan includes a scaled-up version of SpaceDev’s non-explosive, rubber-burning hybrid rocket motors. SpaceDev’s proprietary hybrid rocket motor technology successfully powered Paul Allen’s SpaceShipOne on its historic X Prize winning flights to space last year. To lower risk and cost, the SpaceDev Dream Chaser™ system is anticipated to combine existing and proven designs and technologies.

by Staff Writers, Poway CA

SpaceDev has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to facilitate its development of reliable, safe and affordable transportation of passengers and cargo to and from Earth orbit. Under the Agreement, NASA will provide information about the agency's projected commercial demand for crew and cargo services to the International Space Station (ISS) as well as technical support regarding commercial vehicle requirements for rendezvous and docking with the ISS. NASA will also provide inputs to the development program through regularly scheduled technical exchange.
"We appreciate the leadership and foresight of Michael Griffin, Scott Horowitz, Alan Lindenmoyer and the entire NASA COTS office in their commitment to us and the emerging space industry," said Mark Sirangelo, SpaceDev's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
"This Agreement will allow us to work closely with NASA to share data, concepts and updates on our program's progress. Having a continuous interchange with NASA will help accelerate our ability to make strides to meet our country and industry's near and long term needs for space transport. We are committed to the use of the NASA Langley derived HL-20 as the foundation of our space transport program."
This Agreement builds on SpaceDev's continuing and developing relationship with NASA as a result of the COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation Services) proposal effort, where SpaceDev was one of three finalists in the competition. The SpaceDev vehicle has on-board propulsion utilizing SpaceDev's patented hybrid solid rocket motor technology.

earlier related report:
NASA Signs Commercial Space Transportation Agreements Houston TX (SPX) Jun 19 - Through three new Space Act agreements, NASA is expanding cooperation with companies interested in commercializing access to space. The companies are developing capabilities to transport goods and people to low Earth orbit.
NASA signed nonreimbursable Space Act agreements, which do not provide any government funding to the companies, with SpaceDev of Poway, Calif., SPACEHAB of Houston, and Constellation Services International (CSI) of Laguna Woods, Calif. The pacts establish milestones and objective criteria by which the companies can gauge their progress in developing orbital cargo transportation capabilities.
Under the agreements, NASA will share information that will help the companies understand projected requirements for International Space Station crew and cargo transportation launch vehicles, as well as spacecraft and NASA human rating criteria.
SpaceDev, SPACEHAB and CSI will work to develop and demonstrate the vehicles, systems and operations needed to transport cargo to and from a low Earth orbit destination. SpaceDev also will include crew transport in its development program. NASA will acknowledge the companies' milestone accomplishments.
"This is a significant development," said Scott Horowitz, NASA associate administrator for Exploration Systems. "First there were two, and now there are a total of five private companies cooperating with NASA by dedicating entirely private funding to help establish a robust commercial space transportation industry."
"We're pleased to welcome these entrepreneurs to the growing list of companies willing to invest their own resources as NASA encourages development of a whole new sector of the commercial space industry," said Alan Lindenmoyer, manager of the Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The program's overarching goals are to stimulate commercial enterprises in space, facilitate U.S. private industry development of reliable, cost-effective access to low Earth orbit and create a market environment in which commercial space transportation services are available to government and private customers. By stimulating the growth of commercial space enterprise, NASA plans to free itself to focus on long-range exploration to the moon and Mars.
Last year, NASA signed funded agreements with Space Exploration Technologies of El Segundo, Calif., and Rocketplane Kistler of Oklahoma City under the program's competition for Commercial Orbital Transportation Services demonstrations. In January 2007, NASA signed unfunded agreements with Transformational Space Corp. (t/Space) of Reston, Va., and PlanetSpace, Inc., of Chicago, which are similar to the three signed today.
After industry has demonstrated safe and reliable capabilities, NASA plans to enter the next phase of the Commercial Crew and Cargo Program and may purchase transportation services from commercial providers to supply the International Space Station.

earlier related report:
NASA Signs Agreement with CSI
Laguna Woods, CA, June 18, 2007 Constellation Services International, Inc. (CSI) today announced that NASA has signed a Space Act agreement with CSI to facilitate the development of CSI's low-risk LEO Express space cargo system. Under the agreement, NASA will provide information about the agency's projected demand for cargo services to the International Space Station (ISS), as well as requirements regarding rendezvous and docking with the ISS.
"We are pleased to sign this agreement with NASA as part of our commitment to opening the space frontier to private citizens," said Charles Miller, CSI's Chief Executive Officer. "CSI is moving forward with our plans to provide orbital services to commercial customers and this Space Act Agreement allows us to work with NASA on various challenges."
CSI has invested over six years and several million dollars in private investment developing a commercial space station cargo service that uses 100% proven off-the-shelf technology. CSI also won two NASA Alternate Access to Station program contracts, in 2002 and 2003, totaling $3.1 million.
CSI's patented LEO Express space cargo system completed a NASA system design review in July 2003.
The LEO Express system can use over a dozen existing launch vehicles, plus most of the new launch vehicles being developed by private industry. The CSI system can even deliver space station cargo on very small and cheap launchers like the SpaceX Falcon 1 or AirLaunch QuickReach.
"Studies validate that CSI could deliver cargo to a space station in as short as 19 months, and possibly even quicker" stated Tom Moser, CSI's Vice President for Government Programs and former NASA space station program manager.
Moser continued "The LEO Express system uses U.S. launch vehicles that already meet NASA's most stringent 95% reliability standards, which is critical if you are delivering high value cargo. We allow launch vehicles to deliver 30- 100% more cargo per flight compared to current direct ascent approaches."
CSI was founded in 1998 as a commercial space services company. CSI's LEO Express system uses an orbital space tug, and is modeled after Earth-based intermodal cargo systems that use standardized containers. CSI has offices in Laguna Woods, CA, and Alexandria, VA.

MISSION TO SEEK VULCAN, HOME PLANET OF SPOCK!

2007-06-20T00:29:00.000-07:00

The SIM PlanetQuest mission will be able to detect habitable planets around other stars.

Astronomers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have recently concluded that the upcoming planet-finding mission, SIM PlanetQuest, would be able to detect an Earth-like planet around the star 40 Eridani, a planet familiar to "Star Trek" fans as "Vulcan." 40 Eridani, a triple-star system 16 light-years from Earth, includes a red-orange K dwarf star slightly smaller and cooler than our sun. Vulcan is thought to orbit that dwarf star, called 40 Eridani A.
When pondering the idea that SIM might be able to detect Vulcan, astronomer Dr. Angelle Tanner at Caltech had two questions: Can a planet form around 40 Eridani A? Can SIM detect such a planet?
She consulted a planetary theorist, Dr. Sean Raymond of the University of Colorado, Boulder. "Since the three members of the triple star system are so far away from each other [hundreds of astronomical units - the Earth-Sun distance], I see no reason why an Earth-mass planet would not be able to form around the primary star, 40 Eridani A," he said.
If Vulcan life were to exist on the planet, the orbit of the planet would have to lie in a sweet spot around the star where liquid water could be present on its surface. Water is an essential ingredient for any organism to live long and prosper. For 40 Eridani A, this spot, or "habitable zone," is 0.6 astronomical units from the star. That means Vulcans would get to celebrate a birthday about every six months.

The SIM PlanetQuest instrument will be so accurate, it could measure the thickness of a nickel at a distance from Earth to the moon. Using a set of mathematical models based on Newton's Laws, Tanner was able to conclude that SIM would be able to definitively determine whether there is an Earth-mass planet orbiting in the habitable zone around 40 Eridani A, and could also determine its orbit.
This is quite an exciting prospect, since NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder mission, planned for launch after SIM, would not only be able to take a rudimentary "picture" of the planet, but also could search for signatures of life such as methane and ozone.
When asked what life would be like on Vulcan, Tanner speculated that the inhabitants might be pale. "A K dwarf star emits its light at wavelengths which are a bit redder compared to those from the sun, so I wonder whether it's harder to get a tan there," she said.
The results of Tanner's simulations will be submitted for publication in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

For more information about NASA's search for new worlds, visit the PlanetQuest Web site (CLICK TITLE LINK ABOVE).

EADS ASTRIUM PROJECT BEGINS TO TAKE FLIGHT

2007-06-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

The whole flight would last one-and-a-half hours.
The European aerospace giant EADS is going into the space tourism business.
Its Astrium division says it will build a space plane capable of carrying fare-paying passengers on a sub-orbital ride more than 100km above the planet.
The vehicle, which will take off from a normal airport, will give the tourists a three-to-five-minute experience of weightlessness at the top of its climb.
Tickets are expected to cost up to 200,000 euros (£135,000), with flights likely to begin in 2012.
There must be millions of people who have dreamt about this since they were little kids
Marc Newson, designer
"We believe it is the will of human beings to visit space and we have to give them the possibility to do that," said Francois Auque, the CEO of Astrium.
"Astrium is by far the largest space company in Europe, so we are very knowledgeable in all these matters. We believe our concept is extremely safe, extremely comfortable and cost effective," he told BBC News.
Two in one.
EADS Astrium is the company that builds the Ariane rocket, which lofts most of the world's commercial satellites. Its space jet is a very different concept, however.
The front end of a full-scale model was unveiled at a publicity event in Paris on Wednesday. From a certain angle, the vehicle resembles an ordinary executive aircraft - but its engineers claim it is in fact "revolutionary".
The production model will use normal jet engines to take off and climb to 12km. From there, a rocket engine will kick the vehicle straight up, taking it beyond 60km in just 80 seconds. By the time the rocket shuts down, the craft should have sufficient velocity to carry it above 100km - into space.
As the plane then begins to fall back to Earth, the pilot will use small thrusters to control its altitude, guiding the vehicle into the atmosphere from where it will use its jet engines again to return to the airport.
The total journey time will be about one-and-a-half hours.
World window.
Astrium says there will be room for four passengers on each mission. Towards the top of the climb, these individuals will be
able to float free in the cabin and look through large windows at the planet below.

Astrium is proposing a different technical solution to the one being pursued by airline boss Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Galactic enterprise.
Branson's operation - timed to start about 2009 - is basing its vehicles on the record-breaking SpaceShipOne rocket plane which became the first privately built craft to reach space in 2004.
SpaceShipOne had to be carried to a launch altitude by another vehicle before using rocket propulsion; and on its return from space, glided to its home runway. Astrium says its decision to go with a one-stage concept was driven by safety and economic considerations.
The Australian Marc Newson was employed to design the space plane's interior. He said he had put great emphasis on the seats - which he describes as "hi-tech hammocks" - and the windows to maximise the flight experience.
Child's dream.
"The windows are very similar to a civilian jet airliner but they're about 30% bigger; but more importantly, there're 15 windows and only four passengers, so there're are plenty of opportunities to float around the interior of this cabin and take different views of space, the stars, the Moon, and the Earth," Mr Newson explained.
"It will be amazing. You'll actually be outside the Earth's atmosphere; you'll be able to see Earth as a spherical object and everything else around you will be black. There must be millions of people who have dreamt about this since they were little kids," he told the BBC.
EADS Astrium says its space jet project is likely to cost a billion euros to develop. It will be looking for financial and industrial partners over the next year. It says that if development work starts in 2008, the first commercial flights could be made in 2012.
"The development of a new vehicle able to operate in altitudes between aircraft (20km) and below satellites (200km) could well be a precursor for rapid transport, point-to-point vehicles, or quick access to space," Astrium said in a statement.
"Its development will contribute to maintaining and even enhancing European competencies in core technologies for space transportation."

WIRED MAGAZINE SPACE ADVOCATES

2007-06-02T22:48:00.000-07:00

WIRED MAAGAZINE IS A BIG INFLUENCE ON OUR ORGANIZATION. THIS MONTHS MAIN ARTICLE FOCUSES ON THE PRIVATE SPACE INDUSTRY, BUT FOCUSES ON THE PIONEERING MAVERICK OF THE CURRENT PRIVATE SPACE HAULING ENTERPRISE, SPACE-X. ELON MUSK HAS WAGERED MILLIONS ON THE SPACE INDUSTRY (his huge investment in the new electric car phenom company, Tesla Motorcars, is another achievement to be discussed later!).

THE COVER OF THE MAGAZINE IS A BRILLIANT RENDITION OF COMPETITION WORKING TOGETHER TO MEET GLOBAL GOALS. CLICK THE TITLE LINK ABOVE TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE ARTICLE.
HERE ARE A FEW PARAPHRASES TO GET YOU INTERESTED...
--- The ultimate objective is to make humanity a multiplanet species. Thirty years from now, there'll be a base on the moon and on Mars, and people will be going back and forth on SpaceX rockets."
---We've developed it ourselves, and no other private company has ever done that. Ever. By next year, we'll be building 30 to 40 rocket engines a year, more than any other company in the US, getting economies of scale that have never been achieved before."
---In 30 minutes if everything goes according to plan, the Falcon will be in orbit above Earth — something so difficult that it has always been the province of nations, not entrepreneurs like Musk.
---"Look," Buzza says, "as launch director I'm extremely uncomfortable putting the vehicle, fully fueled, into a safe state." Buzza orders the fuel drained. "Wait a second, Tim," Musk says, pacing. He's a gazillionaire, a master of the universe, the guy who started PayPal and flipped it to eBay for $1.5 billion, the guy who built the first viable electric sports car. He gets stuff done. "Tim? Tim! If we can launch today, why are we scrubbing?" But he's powerless, stuck half a world away from the action. Buzza cancels the launch. Musk plops back into his chair, shakes his head, and begins frantically sending messages on his BlackBerry.
---The space industry was built by huge aerospace companies on government contracts — thousands of people working with hundreds of millions of dollars. Market forces didn't apply. Rockets were launched once and thrown away, high-performance miracles of engineering — race cars. Musk's basic idea was to use his own prodigious fortune to build not touchy Formula One cars but reliable Camrys. Run a company less like Boeing and more like Google — nimble, aggressive, and cheap.
---He had always been interested in space, convinced that humans were destined to be a multiplanet species. But where were the Columbuses and da Gamas of the 21st century?
Still on Earth — because going to space is hard. An object in low Earth orbit stays there, 250 miles up, only when the force that put it up there equals the gravity trying to pull it back down. And that force comes from one thing: massive amounts of kinetic energy, also known as speed. "Look," Musk says, scribbling equations on a notepad, "the energy increases with the square of the velocity. To go 60 miles into suborbital space, like Rutan and the X-Prize, you need to travel at Mach 3. The square of that is 9. But to get to orbit, you need to go Mach 25, and the square of that is 625. So you're looking at something that takes 60 to 70 times more energy. And then, to come back, you need to unwind that energy in a meteoric fireball, and if there's one violation of integrity, you're toast."

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ENJOY THE RACE BOYS!

NASA + PRIVATE SECTOR = MOONBASE

2007-05-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

NASA looks to private sector to help it go lunar...

By Ed Stoddard
DALLAS (Reuters) - NASA is in the market for commercial relationships and private capital as it gears up for its next manned missions to the moon.

"That would make our life a lot easier," said Neil Woodward, acting director of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.
The U.S. space agency is hoping to return to the moon in 2019 or 2020 and has longer range plans to send humans to Mars after that.
"If somebody says 'I have this really great way to be able to extract water ice from lunar regolith (lunar rocks) that I've developed on my own dime' we would be interested," Woodward said.
"If we could be in a commercial relationship with somebody who has the capability that's fine because in many cases they can do it for less money than we can," he told Reuters on the sidelines of a space development conference in Dallas.
Venture capital in space exploration was a key theme at the conference.
NASA's lunar plans envision the building of an outpost on the moon which would be continuously manned like the International Space Station is now.
"Maybe at that point there will be commercial exploitation and we won't be sending missions there but some of the commercial companies here will start sending people there," Woodward said.
Other commercial ventures in space include the possibility of fuel suppliers.
"One thing that keeps getting batted around is a fuel dump in orbit, in low Earth orbit. If someone was to build one of those and said do you want NASA to be a customer we would say yes because if you do the math it turns out that it would be an advantage to us," Woodward said.
"We're trying to help some commercial entities demonstrate that they can do low Earth orbit resupply to say the space station and once they can do that we can contract with them and then we don't have to do it ourselves anymore."
He said such ventures could be applied to other links in the supply chain from Earth to space.
"The space station needs a tremendous amount of food and water and scientific experiments to go up and down -- we're having to pay the Russians to do that after the shuttle retires," Woodward said, referring to the space shuttle fleet which is scheduled to be retired by 2010.
"It would be much better if there was an American company who had that capability and presumably being a private entity they may be able to do it for less expense," he said, adding that such initiatives would also be welcome for the moon missions.
"I could think of a dozen ways just off the top of my head that that would help us for supplying the moon outposts," he said.
-----------------------
THESE ARE VARIOUS RENDITIONS OF POSSIBLE MOONBASE LAYOUTS:

FINDING THE DAWNSTAR : [HE 1523-0901]

2007-05-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

Astronomers date star's birth back to nearly the dawn of time...

Astronomers have used a unique process to determine that a star in our galaxy is nearly as old as the universe itself.
The star is 13.2 billion years old, while the universe dates back 13.7 billion years, according to the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO).
A group of international astronomers used the ESO's powerful VLT telescope to measure radioactive elements thorium and uranium to determine the star's age.
The technique is similar to carbon dating methods used in archaeology to measure time spans of up to a few tens of thousands of years, the ESO said. Astronomers, however, must work with much longer timescales, it said.
"Surprisingly, it is very hard to pin down the age of a star," Anna Frebel, the lead author of a paper on the results, said in a statement.
"This requires measuring very precisely the abundance of the radioactive elements thorium or uranium, a feat only the largest telescopes such as ESO's VLT can achieve," she said.
Age dating of these elements took place along with dating of three other elements: europium, osmium, and iridium.
"Until now, it has not been possible to measure more than a single cosmic clock for a star. Now, however, we have managed to make six measurements in this one star," Dr Frebel added.
The organisation said "this star very clearly formed very early in the life of our own galaxy," which is believed to itself have formed soon after the Big Bang. The star's name is HE 1523-0901.

The group's research was published in the May 10 issue of Astrophysical Journal.

INDEFINITE PROBLEMS WITH CHINA'S ROGUE SPACE PROGRAM

2007-05-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

THE FOLLOWING IS A CULMINATION OF SEVERAL RESOURCES (click title link above) AND DETAILS THE MANY PROBLEMS IN DEALING WITH CHINA IN SPACE. IF IT IS A RACE, THEY ARE THE DETERMINED OPPOSING TEAM. HOWEVER, THE RACE IS A HUMAN ONE AND IT APPEARS THAT CHINA DOES NOT WANT TO COMPLY WITH UNIFIED GLOBAL INTENTION.
THIS BECOMES A PROBLEM WHEN A PLANET IS FRACTURED WHILE TRYING TO EXPLORE OUTSIDE TERRITORIES AT THE SAME TIME. COMPETITION CAN BE GOOD IN CERTAIN MARKETS, BUT THE SPACE INDUSTRY NEEDS UNIFICATION AND RULES WITH PENALTIES AND NON-INCLUSION AS A DETERRENCE. THIS IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THE U.S.R.C. - TO CREATE A SYSTEM OF COHESION AMONGST MANKIND SO WE CAN PROLIFERATE EXPLORATION AND STRAY FROM WAR GAMES.
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"PENTAGON WORRIES ABOUT CHINA SPACE TEST"

WASHINGTON (AP) - China's recent success at destroying a satellite in low-Earth orbit threatens the interests of all space-faring nations and posed dangers to human space flight, the Pentagon said Friday.
In its annual report on Chinese military developments, the Pentagon also said the People's Liberation Army is building a greater capacity to launch preemptive strikes. It cited as examples China's acquisition of long-endurance submarines, unmanned combat aircraft and additional precision-guided air-to-ground missiles.
Chinese military training that focuses on no-notice, long-range air strikes "could also indicate planning for preemptive military options in advance of regional crises," the report said.
The Pentagon highlighted its concern about Beijing's anti-satellite test in which a missile was used to destroy one of China's old weather satellites in low-Earth polar orbit; the January test was China's first.
"The test put at risk the assets of all space-faring nations and posed dangers to human space flight due to the creation of an unprecedented amount of debris," the report said, adding that this is an important expansion of China's pursuit of weaponry and strategies that are designed to deny U.S. forces access to areas in Asia.

The Pentagon's forthcoming annual report on Chinese military power will reveal a growing threat from Beijing's new forms of power projection, including anti-satellite weapons and computer network attack forces.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday that the report, scheduled for release today, shows how China "has steadily devoted increasing resources to their military."
According to defense officials familiar with the report, it also highlights new strategic missile developments, including China's five new Jin-class submarines, and states that Beijing continues to hide the true level of its military spending.
The officials also said that the report will detail how China is developing two new types of strategic forces that go beyond what nations have done traditionally using air, sea and land forces by aiming to knock out modern communications methods on which the U.S. military relies for advanced warfighting techniques.
First, U.S. intelligence officials estimate that by 2010 China's ASAT missiles will be capable of delivering a knockout blow to many U.S. military satellites. Second, China also is training large numbers of military computer hackers to deliver crippling electronic attacks on U.S. military and civilian computer networks.
Mr. Gates described this year's report as an honest assessment devoid of "arm-waving" and said, "I don't think it does any exaggeration of the threat."
"But it paints a picture of a country that is devoting substantial resources to the military and developing ... some very sophisticated capabilities."
Still, the Pentagon chief said keeping threats in perspective is made harder by China's lack of openness and Beijing's communist leaders refusing to talk enough about "what their intentions are, what their strategies are."
"It would be nice to hear firsthand from the Chinese how they view some of these things," he said.
Asked about China's double-digit percent increases in defense spending for more than a decade and advancing weapon technology, Mr. Gates said: "I think some of the capabilities that are being developed are of concern, sure."

CHINA'S ANTI-SATELLITE WEAPONS TEST
Shirley Kan
Specialist in National Security Policy
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division

Summary
On January 11, 2007, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) conducted its first
successful direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons test in destroying one of its own
satellites in space. The test raised international concerns about more space debris.
Longer-term, the test raised questions about China’s capability and intention to attack
U.S. satellites. The purpose of this CRS Report, based on open sources and interviews,
is to discuss that ASAT test by China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA),
and issues about U.S. assessments and policies. This report will not be updated.

China’s Destruction of its Satellite in Space
On January 11, 2007, at 5:28 pm EST, the PRC conducted its first successful directascent
anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons test, launching a ballistic missile armed with a
kinetic kill vehicle (not an exploding conventional or nuclear warhead) to destroy the
PRC’s Fengyun-1C weather satellite at about 530 miles up in low earth orbit (LEO) in
space. The PLA conducted the test near China’s Xichang Space Center in Sichuan
province. The weapon under development was fired from a mobile transporter-erectorlauncher
(TEL). China reportedly used a two-stage, solid-fuel medium-range ballistic
missile that was launched from a TEL. A U.S. intelligence official testified to Congress
that the U.S. designation of this ASAT weapon is SC-19. A National Security Council
spokesman issued the White House’s public response on January 18, stating that “China’s
development and testing of such weapons is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation
that both countries aspire to in the civil space area.” He stated that the PRC used a landbased,
medium-range ballistic missile. He also noted that the United States and other
countries responded with formal protests to China. Australia, Canada, United Kingdom,
South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the European Union reportedly also issued concerns.
Russia downplayed the test. China did not give advance warnings and its Foreign
Ministry did not issue a public statement until January 23, saying that China calls for the
peaceful use of space and that the test was not aimed at any country.

Issues for Congress
What Are the Security Implications of This ASAT Test?
The critical challenge in the short term is posed by the space debris resulting from
the PRC’s intentional destruction of a satellite. It was the first such destruction of a
satellite since the ASAT tests conducted during the Cold War by the United States and
the Soviet Union in the 1980s. Since then, neither the United States nor Russia has
destroyed satellites in space, while many more civilian and military satellites have been
used by countries and companies. In LEO (up to 2,000 km, or 1,242 miles altitude),
reconnaissance and weather satellites, and manned space missions (including the
International Space Station, Space Shuttle, and China’s manned flights) are vulnerable to
the increase in space debris resulting from China’s satellite destruction. This debris cloud
(estimated at 950 pieces 4 inches or bigger plus thousands of smaller pieces) threatens
space assets in LEO, according to the Johnson Space Center. The Director of Space
Operations at the Air Force said that his staff tracked about 14,000 particles before
January 11, and that number increased to about 15,000. The Commander of the Strategic
Command (STRATCOM) testified that the last U.S. kinetic ASAT test occurred in 1985
and at the lower altitude of LEO, and even so, the debris took over 20 years to come down
out of space and burn up in the atmosphere. China’s test was in the upper altitude of LEO
and the resulting debris is seen as a threat to space assets for more than 20 years.
According to the Air Force Space Command, the space debris increased the collision risk
for about 700 spacecraft. China has known about international concerns about space
debris.
Various comments by PLA officers and PRC civilian analysts have justified the ASAT
test as needed to counter perceived U.S. “hegemony” in space and target the vulnerability
of U.S. dependence on satellites. A PLA Air Force colonel wrote in late 2006 that U.S.
military power, including long-range strikes, have relied on superiority in space and that
leveraging space technology can allow a rising power to close the gap with advanced
countries more rapidly than trying to catch up.

Did China’s ASAT Test Surprise U.S. Assessments?
Some news reports speculated that this ASAT test surprised U.S. intelligence.
Although China’s test confirmed long-standing Defense Department reporting about
China’s counter-space program, some warnings seemed inconsistent with China’s January
2007 kinetic kill ASAT test. In the three annual reports on the PLA from 2004 to 2006
(required by the FY2000 National Defense Authorization Act), the Secretary of Defense
reported to Congress that China could destroy or disable satellites in space “only” by
launching a ballistic missile or space launch vehicle “armed with a nuclear weapon.”
However, the Pentagon’s 2003 report warned that China was developing a “direct-ascent
ASAT system” that could be fielded between 2005 and 2010.

Why the Delay in China’s Official Statement About the Test?
Despite foreign protests, China did not issue an official statement until January 23,
12 days after the ASAT test. China’s Foreign Ministry simply stated that its “experiment”
did not target or threaten any country and that China opposes the weaponization of space
or an arms race in space. Beijing’s lack of a prepared explanation and delay in issuing a
statement raised questions about whether the top leaders approved the PLA’s ASAT tests,
coordinated between the Foreign Ministry and the PLA, miscalculated foreign responses,
or approved the ASAT program and anticipated criticisms but decided anyway to test.
Adding to concerns about China’s intentions, the ASAT test did not come at a time of
bilateral tensions. After the U.S.-China summit in April 2006, NASA and the
STRATCOM proposed civilian and military space contacts with China, and NASA’s
Administrator visited China in September 2006. In this debate, National Security Advisor
Stephen Hadley questioned whether China’s leaders knew about the PLA’s ASAT test in
advance, suggesting that U.S. protests sought to compel top ruler Hu Jintao to become
directly involved or responsible. However, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Richard
Lawless called the speculation “farfetched,” since Hu is the Central Military Commission
Chairman (as well as Communist Party General-Secretary and PRC President).

Was China Responding to U.S. National Space Policy of 2006?
Some in China argued that the new U.S. National Space Policy prompted China’s
test, while U.S. officials have contended that, regardless, China has developed a range of
counter-space weapons to challenge U.S. space dominance. News reports stressed a
hardline tone of the policy (signed by President Bush in August 2006, with a public
version issued in October 2006), which stated opposition to new space arms control and
denial of the use of space to adversaries “hostile” to U.S. interests. Under Secretary of
State for Arms Control and International Security Robert Joseph contended that the
United States does not monopolize space or deny access to space for peaceful purposes.
He characterized the space policy as responding to “growing threats” from a number of
countries that “are exploring and acquiring capabilities to counter, attack, and defeat U.S.
space systems,” when the United States is more dependent on space than other nations.
Even before issuance of the U.S. space policy, China conducted three previous tests of
this direct-ascent ASAT weapon and, by September 2006, China had used a ground-based
laser to illuminate a U.S. satellite in several tests of a system to “blind” satellites.
Before and after this latest ASAT test, PRC military and civilian analysts have voiced
concerns about China’s perceived vulnerability against U.S. dominance in military and
space power. After the test, a Senior Colonel of the PLA’s Academy of Military Sciences
said that “outer space is going to be weaponized in our lifetime” and that “if there is a
space superpower, it’s not going to be alone, and China is not going to be the only one.”

Was China Trying to Prod the United States in Arms Control?
In wake of the ASAT weapon test, the PRC’s military and civilian analysts argued
that the PRC’s “peaceful” motive for the test was to prompt the United States to engage
in space arms control. At the United Nations in October and December 2006, the United
States was the only country to vote against a resolution on the “Prevention of an Arms
Race in Outer Space” (PAROS), adopted by the General Assembly. However, PAROS
seeks to prevent the weaponization of outer space, and even if there were such an
agreement, it would not ban the type of land-based ASAT weapon (not space-based
weapon) that China tested.
Indeed, China had already subtly shifted its stance on space arms control at the United
Nations, dropping an original call for not testing, deploying, or using on land, at sea, or
in the atmosphere any weapons for warfighting in outer space.

What are Some Policy Options?
The PRC’s ASAT test raised an issue of whether there are benefits in talking with
China and other countries about an arms control agreement (such as PAROS), a code of
conduct, or other security-building measures. China’s ASAT test did not violate any
existing arms control treaty, although it broke a voluntary moratorium since the 1980s on
such destruction of a satellite. A middle-ground view between seeking and rejecting
sweeping arms control suggested that there could be a narrowly-targeted ban on kinetic
ASAT weapons that create space debris. In contrast, the Bush Administration objected
to the implication that China’s ASAT test was another reason to pursue outer space arms
control, noting that PAROS would not ban China’s ground-launched ASAT activities. There also is an issue about whether to continue or suspend bilateral space cooperation proposed in 2006 by STRATCOM, which could include talks on collision avoidance, signals interference, and station keeping (maneuvering satellites).
For other responses, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic
Forces on March 28, 2007, the STRATCOM Commander urged support for programs for
space situational awareness and Prompt Global Strike.

HUMAN DEGRADATION & MORTALITY IN SPACE EXPLORATION

2007-05-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

On Trip to Mars, NASA Must Rethink Death
By Mike Schneider
Associated Press Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - How do you get rid of the body of a dead astronaut on a three-year mission to Mars and back?

When should the plug be pulled on a critically ill astronaut who is using up precious oxygen and endangering the rest of the crew? Should NASA employ DNA testing to weed out astronauts who might get a disease on a long flight?

With NASA planning to land on Mars 30 years from now, and with the recent discovery of the most ''Earth-like'' planet ever seen outside the solar system, the space agency has begun to ponder some of the thorny practical and ethical questions posed by deep space exploration.

Some of these who-gets-thrown-from-the-lifeboat questions are outlined in a NASA document on crew health obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request.

NASA doctors and scientists, with help from outside bioethicists and medical experts, hope to answer many of these questions over the next several years.

''As you can imagine, it's a thing that people aren't really comfortable talking about,'' said Dr. Richard Williams, NASA's chief health and medical officer. ''We're trying to develop the ethical framework to equip commanders and mission managers to make some of those difficult decisions should they arrive in the future.''

One topic that is evidently too hot to handle: How do you cope with sexual desire among healthy young men and women during a mission years long?

Sex is not mentioned in the document and has long been almost a taboo topic at NASA. Williams said the question of sex in space is not a matter of crew health but a behavioral issue that will have to be taken up by others at NASA.

The agency will have to address the matter sooner or later, said Paul Root Wolpe, a bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania who has advised NASA since 2001.

''There is a decision that is going to have to be made about mixed-sex crews, and there is going to be a lot of debate about it,'' he said.

The document does spell out some health policies in detail, such as how much radiation astronauts can be exposed to from space travel (No more radiation than the amount that would increase the risk of cancer by 3 percent over the astronaut's career) and the number of hours crew members should work each week (No more than 48 hours).

But on other topics - such as steps for disposing of the dead and cutting off an astronaut's medical care if he or she cannot survive - the document merely says these are issues for which NASA needs a policy.

''There may come a time in which a significant risk of death has to be weighed against mission success,'' Wolpe said. ''The idea that we will always choose a person's well-being over mission success, it sounds good, but it doesn't really turn out to be necessarily the way decisions always will be made.''

For now, astronauts and cosmonauts who become critically sick or injured at the international space station - something that has never happened - can leave the orbiting outpost 220 miles above Earth and return home within hours aboard a Russian Soyuz space vehicle.

That wouldn't be possible if a life-and-death situation were to arise on a voyage to Mars, where the nearest hospital is millions of mile away.

Moreover, Mars-bound astronauts will not always be able to rely on instructions from Mission Control, since it would take nearly a half-hour for a question to be asked and an answer to come back via radio.

Astronauts going to the moon and Mars for long periods of time must contend with the basic health risks from space travel, multiplied many times over: radiation, the loss of muscle and bone, and the psychological challenges of isolation.

NASA will consider whether astronauts must undergo preventive surgery, such as an appendectomy, to head off medical emergencies during a mission, and whether astronauts should be required to sign living wills with end-of-life instructions.

The space agency also must decide whether to set age restrictions on the crew, and whether astronauts of reproductive age should be required to bank sperm or eggs because of the risk of genetic mutations from radiation exposure during long trips.

Already, NASA is considering genetic screening in choosing crews on the long-duration missions. That is now prohibited.

''Genetic screening must be approached with caution ... because of limiting employment and career opportunities based on use of genetic information,'' Williams said.

NASA's three major tragedies resulting in 17 deaths - Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia - were caused by technical rather than medical problems. NASA never has had to abort a mission because of health problems, though the Soviet Union had three such episodes.

Some believe the U.S. space agency has not adequately prepared for the possibility of death during a mission.

''I don't think they've been great at dealing with this type of thing in the past,'' said former astronaut Story Musgrave, a six-time space shuttle flier who has a medical degree. ''But it's very nice that they're considering it now.'

METHANE ENGINE TECHNOLOGY

2007-05-16T00:35:00.001-07:00

On January 16, 2007, a dazzling blue flame blasted across the sands of the Mojave desert. In many respects, it looked like an ordinary rocket engine test, but this was different. While most NASA rockets are powered by liquid oxygen and hydrogen or solid chemicals, "we were testing a methane engine," says project manager Terri Tramel of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).

IMAGE: Test firing of a 7,500 pound-thrust LOX/methane engine. Image credit: Mike Massee/XCOR Aerospace.

The main engine, built and fired by the NASA contractor team Alliant Techsystems/XCOR Aerospace, is still in an early stage of development and isn't ready for space. But if the technology proves itself, methane engines like this one could eventually be key to deep space exploration.

Methane (CH4), the principal component of natural gas, is abundant in the outer solar system. It can be harvested from Mars, Titan, Jupiter, and many other planets and moons. With fuel waiting at the destination, a rocket leaving Earth wouldn't have to carry so much propellant, reducing the cost of a mission.

Perhaps surprisingly, this flammable gas has never powered a spacecraft before. But now scientists and engineers at Marshall, the Glenn Research Center and the Johnson Space Center are developing LOX/methane engines as an option for the future. "Several efforts are underway, including a rival LOX/methane main engine design by KT Engineering," notes Tramel.

"This work is funded by NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program and shows how technologies being developed for exploration may one day assist in future science missions," says Mark D. Klem, manager of the Propulsion and Cryogenics Advanced Development Project at the Glenn Research Center.

"Methane has so many advantages," continues Tramel. "The question is, why haven't we done this before?"

Consider the following: Liquid hydrogen fuel used by the space shuttle must be stored at a temperature of -252.9°C—only about 20 degrees above absolute zero! Liquid methane, on the other hand, can be stored at the much warmer and more convenient temperature of -161.6°C. That means methane fuel tanks wouldn't need as much insulation, making them lighter and thus cheaper to launch. The tanks could also be smaller, because liquid methane is denser than liquid hydrogen, again saving money and weight.

Methane also gets high marks for human safety. While some rocket fuels are potentially toxic, "methane is what we call a green propellant," Tramel says. "You don't have to put on a HAZMAT suit to handle it like fuels used on many space vehicles."

But the key attraction for methane is that it exists or can be made on many worlds that NASA might want to visit someday, including Mars.

Although Mars is not rich in methane, methane can be manufactured there via the Sabatier process: Mix some carbon dioxide (CO2) with hydrogen (H), then heat the mixture to produce CH4 and H20--methane and water. The Martian atmosphere is an abundant source of carbon dioxide, and the relatively small amount of hydrogen required for the process may be brought along from Earth or gathered in situ from Martian ice.

Traveling further out in the solar system, methane becomes even easier to come by. On Saturn's moon Titan, it is literally raining liquid methane. Titan is dotted with lakes and rivers of methane and other hydrocarbons that could one day serve as fuel depots. Imagine, a methane-powered rocket could allow a robotic probe to land on the surface of Titan, gather geological samples, refill its tanks, and blast off to return those samples to Earth. Such a sample-return mission from the outer solar system has never been attempted.

Above: This false-color radar image shows what researchers believe are lakes of liquid methane on Titan. Credit: NASA/ESA/Cassini. [More]

The atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all contain methane, and Pluto has frozen methane ice on its surface. New kinds of missions to these worlds may become possible with methane rockets.

This first series of desert test firings of the 7,500 pound-thrust main engine was a success, but challenges remain before methane rockets will be ready for use in a real mission. "One of the big questions with methane is its ability to ignite," Tramel says. Some rocket fuels ignite spontaneously when mixed with the oxidizer, but methane requires an ignition source. Ignition sources can be hard to make in the outer solar system where planetary temperatures drop to hundreds of degrees below zero. Tramel and her colleagues at Marshall and Glenn are currently working to assure that the rocket will ignite reliably in all conditions.

Such challenges will be surmountable through NASA's continued efforts, Tramel says, and she believes LOX-methane engines will be used in rockets of the future. The blue flame in the desert was a beautiful first step.

Author: Patrick Barry | Production Editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

NASA & JAXA TEAM TO SUPPLY I.S.S.

2007-05-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

U.S., Japanese Firms Team Up on ISS Supply Plan
By Tariq Malik

NEW YORK – Two commercial firms in the U.S. and Japan are teaming up with hopes of ferrying experiments and other cargo to a planned Japanese laboratory at the International Space Station (ISS).

The Oklahoma-based Rocketplane Kistler, Inc. and Tokyo’s Japan Manned Space Systems Corp. (JAMSS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop commercial launch support for Japanese users of the space station’s Kibo laboratory. The firms announced the deal Tuesday during a Space Investment Summit held here near Wall Street.

Rocketplane Kistler is developing its K-1 reusable rocket and cargo module as part of NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to spur the development of private cargo and crew delivery systems for the ISS. The firm is sharing a $500 million NASA award with fellow COTS contender Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), which is developing its own Falcon rocket family and Dragon crew capsules.

Charles Lauer, vice president of business development for Rocketplane Kistler, told SPACE.com that the deal will hopefully lead to ISS-bound launches in 2009 once all components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Kibo laboratory have been installed at the space station.

“Having readily available commercial transportation services to the ISS for both upmass and downmass is critical to attracting users for Japanese investment in ISS facilities and resources,” Kazuhide Todome, JAMSS managing director, said in a statement. “The K-1 launch vehicle shall provide key services to JAMSS and the ISS user community.”

Lauer said that about 30 percent of Japan’s Kibo laboratory assets are expected to be available for commercial users, though JAXA officials said Wednesday that they could not comment on the future plans of private firms with an interest in supplying their orbital laboratory. Any commercial supplies are envisioned to be launched inside K-1 cargo compartments that will resemble those found on the middeck of NASA’s space shuttles, he added.

JAXA’s Kibo laboratory consists of several components, but at its heart is the 37-foot (11.2 meter) long Japan Experiment Module (JEM) Pressurized Module. Slated for launch in April 2008 aboard a NASA shuttle, the pressurized laboratory will be the largest science module to be installed at the ISS.

Adding to Kibo’s pressurized laboratory is the Experiment Logistics Module, a pressurized compartment that will serve as an orbital storage area for tools, supplies and other equipment to be used inside Kibo. A dedicated robotic arm and external science platform, designed to expose samples to the space environment, round out the Kibo laboratory.

Kibo’s Experiment Logistics Module is slated to launch in February 2008, and was welcomed into NASA’s Space Station Processing Facility at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday.

NIN BACKING A HYPER-JOURNEY TO MARS

2007-05-01T00:12:00.000-07:00

MYSTERIOUS HEXAGON SPOTTED ON SATURN

2007-04-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

A mysterious giant hexagon lies above Saturn's north pole, captured by cameras on Nasa's Cassini Orbiter.

Spanning 25,000km - equivalent to the width of two planet Earths - the bizarre geometric feature appears to remain virtually still in the atmosphere as clouds swirl around it.

The nighttime view of Saturn's north pole clearly shows the bizarre hexagon

The infra-red images show the hexagon - which contains a smaller six-sided formation - extends about 60km down into the clouds.

The hexagon is similar to Earth's polar vortex, which has winds blowing in a circular pattern around the polar region. On Saturn, the vortex has a hexagonal shape.

The six-sided shape is in stark contrast to the swirling, hurricane-like vortex at Saturn's opposite pole.

The feature was first photographed more than 20 years ago by Nasa's Voyager 1 and 2 probes, but this is the first time the hexagon has been seen in one image.

The latest pictures were taken at nighttime using infra-red because the pole is currently in darkness and the red colour indicates the amount of heat being generated from inside the planet.

Kevin Baines of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said: "This is a very strange feature, lying in a precise geometric fashion with six nearly equally straight sides.

"We've never seen anything like this on any other planet. Indeed, Saturn's thick atmosphere where circularly-shaped waves and convective cells dominate is perhaps the last place you'd expect to see such a six-sided geometric figure, yet there it is."

UNSTABLE ASTRONAUT PROTOCOL

2007-03-10T01:30:00.000-08:00

Duct-Tape, Tranquilizers Part Of NASA's Plan For Mentally Unstable Astronauts In Space

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- What would happen if an astronaut came unglued in space and, say, destroyed the ship's oxygen system or tried to open the hatch and kill everyone aboard?

That was the question on some minds after the apparent breakdown of Lisa Nowak, arrested in Orlando this month on charges she tried to kidnap and kill a woman she regarded as her rival for another astronaut's affections.

It turns out NASA has a detailed set of written procedures for dealing with a suicidal or psychotic astronaut in space. The documents, obtained this week by The Associated Press, say the astronaut's crewmates should bind his wrists and ankles with duct tape, tie him down with a bungee cord and inject him with tranquilizers if necessary.

"Talk with the patient while you are restraining him," the instructions say. "Explain what you are doing, and that you are using a restraint to ensure that he is safe."

The instructions do not spell out what happens after that. But NASA spokesman James Hartsfield said the space agency, a flight surgeon on the ground and the commander in space would decide on a case-by-case basis whether to abort the flight, in the case of the shuttle, or send the unhinged astronaut home, if the episode took place on the international space station.

The crew members might have to rely in large part on brute strength to subdue an out-of-control astronaut, since there are no weapons on the space station or the shuttle. A gun would be out of the question; a bullet could pierce a spaceship and could kill everyone. There are no stun guns on hand either.

"NASA has determined that there is no need for weapons at the space station," Hartsfield said.

NASA and its Russian counterpart drew up the checklist for the space station in 2001. Hartsfield said NASA has a nearly identical set of procedures for the shuttle, but he would not provide a copy Friday, saying its release had not yet been cleared by the space agency's lawyers.

The space-station checklist is part of a 1,051-page document that contains instructions for dealing with every possible medical situation in space, including removing a tooth. Handling behavioral emergencies takes up five pages.

The military has a similar protocol for restraining or confining violent, mentally unstable crew members who pose a threat to themselves or others in nuclear submarines or other dangerous settings.

Although Nowak performed her duties with aplomb during a short visit to the space station via the shuttle last July, and was not scheduled to fly again, her arrest has led NASA to review its psychological screening process.

A mentally unstable astronaut could cause all kinds of havoc that could endanger the three crew members aboard the space station or the six or seven who typically fly aboard the shuttle.

Space station medical kits contain tranquilizers and anti-depression, anti-anxiety and anti-psychotic medications. Shuttle medical kits have anti-psychotic medication but not antidepressants, since they take several weeks to be effective and shuttle flights last less than two weeks.

The checklist says say astronauts who crack up can be restrained and then offered oral Haldol, an anti-psychotic drug used to treat agitation and mania, and Valium. If the astronaut won't cooperate, the drugs can be forcibly given with a shot to the arm. Crew members are instructed to stay with the tied-up astronaut to monitor vital signs.

Space station astronauts talk weekly via long-distance hook-up to a flight surgeon and every two weeks to a psychologist, so any psychiatric disorder would probably be detected before it became so serious that the astronaut had to be brought home, Hartsfield said.

No NASA astronaut at the space station has been treated in orbit with anti-psychotic or antidepressant medications, and no NASA shuttle crew member has required anti-psychotic medications, Hartsfield said.

Depression, feelings of isolation and stress are not unheard of during long stays in space in tight quarters.

A couple of Soviet crews in past decades are believed to have experienced psychological problems, and U.S. astronaut John Blaha admitted feeling depressed at the start of a four-month stay at the Soviets' Mir space station more than a decade ago. Antidepressants were not available.

"I think you have to battle yourself and tell yourself, `Look, this is your new planet ... and you need to enjoy this environment,"' Blaha told the AP last week. "You sort of shift yourself mentally."

During missions in 1985 and 1995, shuttle commanders put padlocks on the spaceships' hatches as a precaution since they didn't know the scientists aboard very well. Some crew members, called payload specialists, are picked to fly for specific scientific or commercial tasks and do not train as extensively with the other astronauts.

Would-be astronauts are carefully tested and screened to eliminate those who are unstable. But unless they are bound for the space station for a monthslong stay in orbit, they are not put through any regular psychological tests after that.

Astronauts selected for the space station get a psychiatric assessment six months and a month before launch.

Dr. Patricia Santy, a former NASA psychiatrist and author of the book "Choosing the Right Stuff," said there are no good studies of astronauts' stress levels or how they adapt psychologically to space.

U.S. astronauts at the space station keep a journal for a study by a Santa Barbara, Calif., researcher. But Santy said the diaries won't help detect mental illness.

"What astronaut is going to tell you they're feeling homicidal?" she asked. "They're very conscious that if they say the wrong thing they could get grounded."

Astronaut James Reilly, who is flying on space shuttle Atlantis next March, said it is unlikely a U.S. astronaut would lose it in space. Space tourists who pay the Russians $20 million to go to the space station are another matter, he said.

"I think we stand a greater chance of someone getting a little nuts with the space tourists that fly occasionally because it's less rigorous," Reilly said.

CHINA MOON PROBE

2007-03-10T01:21:00.000-08:00

China confirms Moon probe in 2007

Reaching the moon has long been a goal of China's space program.
China will launch its first lunar probe this year, and expects to be able to land a man on the Moon within 15 years, a senior space official has confirmed.

The Chang'e-1 lunar probe will be launched later this year aboard a Long March 3A rocket.

The probe will provide 3D images of the Moon, survey the lunar landscape, study lunar microwaves and estimate the thickness of the Moon's soil.

China became the third nation to place a human in space in October 2003.

The Moon exploration programme includes a planned lunar fly-by in 2007, a "soft landing" in 2012, return of lunar samples by 2017, and landing an astronaut on the Moon within 15 years.

'Full confidence'

"The goal to land an astronaut on the Moon can surely be achieved in 15 years," said Huang Chunping, a senior space official, while attending the annual full session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body.

Mr Huang gave no date for the launch of the lunar probe, but confirmed it would be later this year.

For the full Moon exploration programme, he admitted that unexpected difficulties could affect the timetable, but said he had "full confidence" in the development of the country's rocket industry.

Mr Huang said that China's next generation carrier rocket, likely to be named Long March 5, would be ready for launch in "seven or eight years," and the vehicles' engines had already been successfully tested.

The long-awaited new rocket would "use non-toxic fuels" and increase the payload capacity of the Long March series from nine tonnes to 25 tonnes, he said.

Space walk

Mr Huang also said China would launch its third manned spaceflight, Shenzhou VII, next year, with three astronauts on board. They will attempt the Chinese programs first space walk.

The Shenzhou VII launch was planned for this year, but work is still being done on the suits that astronauts will wear during the space walk.

Two of the three astronauts are expected to venture outside the capsule, but no decision has been made on how long the walks would be.

Mr Huang said the timing of the flight will depend on progress on finishing the space suits, and would not be timed for the Summer Olympics, which start in August 2008 in Beijing.

GERMANY MOON MISSION

2007-03-10T01:15:00.000-08:00

Germany preparing for moon mission!

The German space agency is reportedly preparing for a mission to the moon.

The head of the German Space Programme (DLR), Walter Doellinger, told the Financial Times Deutschland that it would be ready by 2013 to send an unmanned space shuttle to orbit the earth's only natural satellite.

"We want to show that Germany has the know-how," he said, after the DLR presented its plans for the mission to the German parliament.

Completing a moon mission would catapult the country into the league of nations which can send spacecraft into orbit.

Doellinger said the federal government was mulling the project.

A high-ranking official in the economy ministry, Helge Engelhard, said Berlin was "not negatively disposed" towards a moon mission.

He added that the mission should have clear scientific or technical goals.

It is estimated that sending a shuttle to orbit the moon would cost Germany between 300 and 400 million euros (396 million to 528 million dollars).

Italy and Britain are also currently looking at sending unmanned shuttles around the moon.

Germany became the first nation to launch a man-made object into space in the 1940s when it tested the V-2 ballistic missile which it used towards the end of World War II.

BLUE ORIGINS : Private Space Company by Jeff Bezos

2007-01-04T23:03:00.000-08:00

Amazon boss shows off spacecraft...
-----------
The Goddard launch took place in Texas in November 2006
Spaceship launch:
The billionaire founder of Amazon.com has released the first images of the launch of a private spacecraft that could bring space travel to the masses.
A video of the cone-shaped Goddard vehicle shows it climbing to about 85m (285ft) before returning back to Earth.
The test launch took place in November 2006 in a remote part of Texas, but details have only now been released.
The images mark the first time Jeff Bezos has broken his silence on the work of his space company, Blue Origin.
Writing on the company's website, Mr Bezos said: "We're working, patiently and step-by-step, to lower the cost of spaceflight so that many people can afford to go; and so that we humans can better continue exploring the Solar System."
"Accomplishing this mission will take a long time, and we're working on it methodically."
Short trip
Mr Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000 with the intention of developing a vertical take-off and landing vehicle, called New Shepard, able to take passengers to the edge of space.
No timescale for commercial trips has been announced but documents released by the US Federal Aviation Administration suggest they could start as early as 2010.
The latest videos show there is still a lot of development work to do before the company reaches that stage.

The footage shot on 13 November 2006 from a site about 200km (120 miles) east of El Paso in Texas shows the first craft to launch under the New Shepard programme.
Called Goddard, the retro-looking development vehicle is shown standing on four legs before blasting off in a cloud of smoke from thrusters on its base. The vehicle continues to ascend for approximately 10 seconds, reaching a height of nearly 300ft (90m).
It then starts to descend before making a controlled landing back on its feet approximately 25 seconds after take-off.
The launch, described by Mr Bezos as "both useful and fun", was watched by friends, family and a team of engineers.
"My only job at the launch was to open the champagne," said Mr Bezos.
The website message does not say whether the vehicle contained any passengers or why there was a delay between the launch and release of the footage.

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Commercial space.
Mr Bezos now hopes to recruit a team of engineers to the New Shepard programme to develop the design and increase the altitude and duration of flights.
Companies like Bigelow Aerospace hope to construct space hotels
In particular, he is looking for "experienced propulsion engineers" and people with "experience on large, modern vehicles such as Delta IV or Atlas V".
Blue Origin is one of several private companies vying to open up space to the public.
US-based Space Adventures has already taken four space tourists to the International Space Station, while in September 2006, Sir Richard Branson unveiled a mock-up of a rocket powered vehicle that will carry six passengers and two pilots to an altitude of about 140km (85 miles).
His Virgin Galactic design is based on SpaceShipOne, the craft designed by Scaled Composites that won the Ansari X-Prize in 2005. The first passengers could take off in 2009.
Other entrepreneurs jostling for their place in space include hotel tycoon Robert Bigelow who launched Genesis 1, an experimental inflatable spacecraft, in July 2006.
Mr Bigelow hopes the water-melon shaped craft could form the basis of a future space hotel.

THE UNIVERSE IS YOURS : TREAT IT WELL...

2006-02-24T02:13:00.000-08:00

THIS COMPILATION OF ACTUAL NASA ARCHIVE FOOTAGE WAS CREATED BY ARKON THE LABMASTER FOR THE CRYPTICON, UNDER PROTOCOLS TO PROMOTE PEACE AND PROSPERITY AMONG THE MANY CHARTED TERRITORIES OF SPACE.

WE ARE NOT ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE WHICH BRINGS A DIRE REALITY TO THE FOREFORNT OF FRONTIER EXPLORATION:

THERE MUST BE INTERNATIONAL, MULTI-CORPORATE, UNITED NATIONS MANDATED LAWS AND REGULATIONS CONTROLLING THE MANY ASPECTS OF THE INFUSION OF HUMANS INTO THE INTERGALACTIC SPACE SYSTEMS ALREADY IN USE.

THE MISSION OF THE U.S.R.C.

2006-02-09T03:33:00.000-08:00

THE UNIVERSAL SPACE REGULATIONS CONSORTIUM HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AS THE SYSTEMS & STANDARDS FOR ALL SPACE VENTURES.

ALL COUNTRIES AND PRIVATE SPACE COMPANIES MUST COMPLY WITH THESE REGULATIONS IN ORDER TO BE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE LOCAL & DISTANT SPACE SYSTEMS AND ENGAGE IN ANY SPACE ACTIVITIES FOR COMMERCIAL OR PRIVATE MEANS.

THE OMEGA STATION IS BEING DESIGNED TO FACILITATE THE MEANS OF MAN IN THE NEXT LEVEL OF SPACE EXPLORATION.
AS A MID-RANGE DOCKING PORT BETWEEN THE MOON AND THE EARTH, THE OMEGA STATION WILL SERVE AS THE SPACE BASE FOR PLANET EARTH, THE STATION RUN BY THE USRC AND UTILIZED BY THE UNIFIED SPACE CORPORATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS OF EARTH.

LAWS AND PROTOCOLS TO FOLLOW IN FURTHER POSTINGS.