Ever hear of Advent Launch Services? It's a tiny, Texas-based company trying to develop the launch strategy that will finally deliver cheap and reliable access to low Earth orbit, one of several companies in the hunt for that lucrative but elusive solution.
Recently, on a Texas ranch, a supply of ASL rocket fuel exploded. It happily turned out to be a harmless explosion-- no damage to life or property-- but it is a reminder that establishing ourselves in space is not without danger. Everything will not go as computer simulations say it should. Accidents will happen. Lives will be lost. If our society is not ready to accept the bad stuiff on the way out, perhaps we should stay home.
The system ASL is trying to develop, by the way, involves a vertical rocket launch and a winged vehicle that will glide back to Earth and land in water. Obviously that's not the ultimate solution, bit it might be a step forward.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Nailing Down Water On Mars
Scientists working with the Phoenix Mars Lander are working to understand the water cycle on Mars. We have solid evidence that water exists well below the surface. We know water ice exists in the polar ice caps of the planet. Phoenix' robot arm dug into the soil and found water ice inches below the surface. Yet, as measured by a probe on Phoenix, the air above it is extremely dry.
Water vapor would be expected to be in the atmosphere, especially in the polar regions where Phoenix is, as molecules sublimate from the cap, for example, into the air, but Phoenix hasn't found it.
Scientists intend to dig deeper into the soil to determine how much water ice is there.
Water vapor would be expected to be in the atmosphere, especially in the polar regions where Phoenix is, as molecules sublimate from the cap, for example, into the air, but Phoenix hasn't found it.
Scientists intend to dig deeper into the soil to determine how much water ice is there.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Storms Delay Shuttle Flights
Having your launch site in the low lattitudes has its plusses and minusses. On the plus side, launching east from such a site takes advantage of the speed of the Earth's daily rotation. On the minus side, such locations have to deal with the weather patterns of the regions. In Florida, that includes tropical storms and hurricanes. NASA is delaying, for at least two days, the next two shuttle flights because of interruptions in preparations caused by Fay and Hannah. Depending on the course of Hurricane Ike, not to mention possible future storms, the delays could be longer.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Virus Battle On ISS
As noted recently in this blog, NASA announced last month that a computer virus somehow got into some laptops aboard ISS in July. That virus did not get into the command programs of ISS software and caused no harm.
In response to the incident, however, a cosmonaut currently serving aboard ISS has been assigned to update the antivirus software used in many ISS computers. Clearly, NASA and its partners in the station project don't want to take the risk that the next virus might not be so harmless.
In response to the incident, however, a cosmonaut currently serving aboard ISS has been assigned to update the antivirus software used in many ISS computers. Clearly, NASA and its partners in the station project don't want to take the risk that the next virus might not be so harmless.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Home Sweet Lunar Home
Settlers of new areas have always built homes using whatever was available. In the American experience, for example, that has meant log cabins in wooded areas, soddies on the Great Plains, and adobe structures in the Southwest. Homes on the Moon will follow that pattern.
Preparation for establishing a base on the Moon is already moving ahead. Scientists are looking at how to build lunar habitats using lunar resources. One group has come up with a way to "dig" lunar regolith by forcing gas into the ground, thus lifting dirt out. That dirt could be turned into building material, but there's a simpler way to use it.
Perhaps the single biggest obstacle to settling the Moon is the danger to humans posed by radiation. Fortunately, simple dirt is a good shield; the more dirt, the better the protection against radiation. So, imagine a Bigelow Aerospace inflatable module on the lunar surface-- or several connected together and fully deployed. Using the above digging technique, copious amounts of regolith from the area immediately around the modules could be thrown onto the habitat, creating radiation shielding feet thck, if needed. Dig out the doorways, and we'd be well on the way to establishing a lunar outpost.
Preparation for establishing a base on the Moon is already moving ahead. Scientists are looking at how to build lunar habitats using lunar resources. One group has come up with a way to "dig" lunar regolith by forcing gas into the ground, thus lifting dirt out. That dirt could be turned into building material, but there's a simpler way to use it.
Perhaps the single biggest obstacle to settling the Moon is the danger to humans posed by radiation. Fortunately, simple dirt is a good shield; the more dirt, the better the protection against radiation. So, imagine a Bigelow Aerospace inflatable module on the lunar surface-- or several connected together and fully deployed. Using the above digging technique, copious amounts of regolith from the area immediately around the modules could be thrown onto the habitat, creating radiation shielding feet thck, if needed. Dig out the doorways, and we'd be well on the way to establishing a lunar outpost.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Itchy Chinese Feet?
According to reports in the Chinese media, that nation's next manned spaceflight may launch later this month rather than early next. The mission, Shengzhou 7, is scheduled to feature China's first spacewalk.
A Hong Kong newspaper has set the launch date somewhere between September 27 and October 1.
A September 27 launch could mean the mission would be over by October. An early October launch could get the Chinese out and back to Earth before the next shuttle launch, scheduled tentatively for October 8. Why that would matter to China is unclear. Perhaps it simply doesn't want a direct comparison between the Chinese capsule and the American shuttle.
A Hong Kong newspaper has set the launch date somewhere between September 27 and October 1.
A September 27 launch could mean the mission would be over by October. An early October launch could get the Chinese out and back to Earth before the next shuttle launch, scheduled tentatively for October 8. Why that would matter to China is unclear. Perhaps it simply doesn't want a direct comparison between the Chinese capsule and the American shuttle.
Monday, September 1, 2008
ISS Dodges Space Junk
Last Wednesday, NASA fired the engine of the European-built cargo ship Jules Verne, which was docked at ISS, to move ISS away from a possible collision with a piece of space junk. The rocket burn required lasted over five minutes, and was the first such maneuver in nearly five years.
The space junk being dodged in this instance was a piece of an old Russian surveillance satellite, but Russia is by no means the only culprit in junking up low Earth orbit. Other countries, including the U. S., bear responsibility, as do private space efforts.
Studies by NASA and others have argued junk could destroy the usefulness of low Earth orbit in the years ahead, as well as make manned spaceflight even more dangerous than it already is. That situation has led to an interesting idea for a business-- the space junk collector. Such a company would develop vehicles and techniques to capture old satellites and other pieces of useless hardware, and literally take it out of circulation. The company could not only charge for the service. but could also reclaim the precious metals used in high tech electronics, for example.
Exactly who would pay for the service, unfortunately, is not clear. Ownership of the particular pieces of junk could also pose thorny legal problens; a clear definition of "abandoned spacecraft" would need to be accepted by all parties. No doubt the biggest problem with such a service, however, is that if the company could capture and deorbit old, inactive satellites, it could presumably do the same to active ones. Still, at some point, the problem of space junk will need to be solved in some way.
The space junk being dodged in this instance was a piece of an old Russian surveillance satellite, but Russia is by no means the only culprit in junking up low Earth orbit. Other countries, including the U. S., bear responsibility, as do private space efforts.
Studies by NASA and others have argued junk could destroy the usefulness of low Earth orbit in the years ahead, as well as make manned spaceflight even more dangerous than it already is. That situation has led to an interesting idea for a business-- the space junk collector. Such a company would develop vehicles and techniques to capture old satellites and other pieces of useless hardware, and literally take it out of circulation. The company could not only charge for the service. but could also reclaim the precious metals used in high tech electronics, for example.
Exactly who would pay for the service, unfortunately, is not clear. Ownership of the particular pieces of junk could also pose thorny legal problens; a clear definition of "abandoned spacecraft" would need to be accepted by all parties. No doubt the biggest problem with such a service, however, is that if the company could capture and deorbit old, inactive satellites, it could presumably do the same to active ones. Still, at some point, the problem of space junk will need to be solved in some way.
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