President Obama announced plans today to cut or eliminate 121 programs across a range of domestic and military spending totaling some $17 billion in this year's Federal outlays. The President acknowledged the programs targeted are small and that the total cut was also small, but he argued this is a first step in a process to bring Federal spending under control while maintaining necessary government capabilities.
Seventeen billion dollars is an interesting figure. It roughly equals NASA's entire budget for last year, which means it is more than was spent on the entire space program; part of NASA's budget goes for aeronautical programs, the first "A" in NASA. The new Constellation program was designed to require only modest increases in the NASA budget well down the road. If international and/or private partners come into the program, even that increase could be reduced or eliminated.
Of course, Congress may or may not agree to the President's cuts. Because they are so small, the White House might decide not to go to the mat over them if powerful people in Congress threaten to fight to keep one or another of the programs. There's also no guarantee Constellation will come in on budget. Understanding the scale of the space program in relation to total Federal spending is useful, however. We are trying to explore the universe and open space to scientific research and eventual commerce on a shoestring.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Warp Drive
Gene Roddenberry was developing a science fiction television series in the mid-1960s, and he needed a way to get his starship to a different star system each week. Conventional physics of the day said that was impossible. Roddenberry, relying on the traditions of science fiction and some informed speculation, gave the starship Enterprise warp drive.
Forty-odd years later, another STAR TREK feature film is being released, and physicists are arguing about whether warp drive was simply a literary device, or might something like that actually work. A ship can never achieve light speed, according to Einstein, but some physicists speculate that a bubble of spacetime might travel faster than light. Indeed, the entire universe seems to have expanded at faster than light speed shortly after the Big Bang. A ship within such a bubble could then travel faster than light.
Such speculation is interesting, but it brings up a question first asked by Enrico Fermi even before Captain Kirk reported for duty the first tiime. If it is possible for races only a few hundred or a few thousand years ahead of us technologically and scientifically to zip around the galaxy, where are They?
Forty-odd years later, another STAR TREK feature film is being released, and physicists are arguing about whether warp drive was simply a literary device, or might something like that actually work. A ship can never achieve light speed, according to Einstein, but some physicists speculate that a bubble of spacetime might travel faster than light. Indeed, the entire universe seems to have expanded at faster than light speed shortly after the Big Bang. A ship within such a bubble could then travel faster than light.
Such speculation is interesting, but it brings up a question first asked by Enrico Fermi even before Captain Kirk reported for duty the first tiime. If it is possible for races only a few hundred or a few thousand years ahead of us technologically and scientifically to zip around the galaxy, where are They?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
PharmaSat
Scheduled to launch tonight as a secondary payload aboard a U. S. Air Force missile is a ten pound nanosatellite called PharmaSat. It's home to yeast cultures, antifungals, and antibiotics. Scientists will use PharmaSat to study how drugs perform in microgravity by monitoring the interactions of the antifungals and antibiotics with the yeast.
Understanding how drugs behave in microgravity, of course, is key if humanity is going to expand into space. So far, the few people who have traveled into Earth orbit and beyond have been carefully monitored for days or weeks before launch, and there have been only isolated instances of sickness in space. As more people venture out and stay longer, however, there will inevitably be illnesses that will require treatment out there. PharmaSat is a step along the way to see what to use in those treatment situations, and how to use it.
Understanding how drugs behave in microgravity, of course, is key if humanity is going to expand into space. So far, the few people who have traveled into Earth orbit and beyond have been carefully monitored for days or weeks before launch, and there have been only isolated instances of sickness in space. As more people venture out and stay longer, however, there will inevitably be illnesses that will require treatment out there. PharmaSat is a step along the way to see what to use in those treatment situations, and how to use it.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Shuttle Layoffs
Last Friday, NASA sent out the first 160 layoff notices of the shuttle program. A total of 900 jobs are on the line as the shuttle program winds down.
As reported in this blog last week, an effort to extend the program beyond the current 2010 deadline is already moving through Congress. One justification for extending the program is to close the gap between the last shuttle flight and the first Orion mission. The effort is being spearheaded by Florida representatives, however, and they make it clear they also want to save jobs at Kennedy Space Center.
Politicians trying to save their constituents' jobs is nothing new, of course. There's nothing wrong with it, at least not in isolation. The case can be made, however, that the U. S. should have moved beyond the shuttle years ago. The proper final destination for shuttle Columbia after twenty years of service was the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D. C.-- not scattered in bits over central Texas. Congress failed to develop a rational space policy, and at least three presidents failed to lead. Now, Congress might try to squeeze every last ounce out of a thirty year old system, even though the remaining shuttles are not that old, and to do it for a mix of reasons. Hopefully, when the shuttle era is finally over, there will still be three intact shuttles for museum display.
As reported in this blog last week, an effort to extend the program beyond the current 2010 deadline is already moving through Congress. One justification for extending the program is to close the gap between the last shuttle flight and the first Orion mission. The effort is being spearheaded by Florida representatives, however, and they make it clear they also want to save jobs at Kennedy Space Center.
Politicians trying to save their constituents' jobs is nothing new, of course. There's nothing wrong with it, at least not in isolation. The case can be made, however, that the U. S. should have moved beyond the shuttle years ago. The proper final destination for shuttle Columbia after twenty years of service was the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D. C.-- not scattered in bits over central Texas. Congress failed to develop a rational space policy, and at least three presidents failed to lead. Now, Congress might try to squeeze every last ounce out of a thirty year old system, even though the remaining shuttles are not that old, and to do it for a mix of reasons. Hopefully, when the shuttle era is finally over, there will still be three intact shuttles for museum display.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Downsizing Orion
NASA originally sketched out two versions of the new Orion capsule-- a sporty four-seater to take astronauts back to the Moon, and a bigger six-seater to ferry crews to and from the ISS. Starting later this month, the full crew complement of ISS will increase from three to six. In order to keep the Orion program on track and within budget for a 2015 first flight, however, NASA is delaying development of the six person model.
The decision has safety implications for ISS crews. After the shuttle is retired, there will be no single spacecraft capable of evacuating the entire ISS crew. The Russian Soyuz accomodates only three people. Therefore, in an emergency requiring removing the entire crew from the space station, two spacecraft would be needed-- either two Soyuz capsules, or one Soyuz and one Orion. That kind of complication is not good, especially if part of the ISS crew involves scientists, or tourists, who are not thoroughly trained, professional astronauts or cosmonauts.
At some point, the decision to pursue hardware that match objectives in space policy will have to be made. If it's not, resources will be wasted, opportunities will be missed, and lives will be put at more risk than necessary.
The decision has safety implications for ISS crews. After the shuttle is retired, there will be no single spacecraft capable of evacuating the entire ISS crew. The Russian Soyuz accomodates only three people. Therefore, in an emergency requiring removing the entire crew from the space station, two spacecraft would be needed-- either two Soyuz capsules, or one Soyuz and one Orion. That kind of complication is not good, especially if part of the ISS crew involves scientists, or tourists, who are not thoroughly trained, professional astronauts or cosmonauts.
At some point, the decision to pursue hardware that match objectives in space policy will have to be made. If it's not, resources will be wasted, opportunities will be missed, and lives will be put at more risk than necessary.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Putting Off Shuttle's Retirement
Congress, led by members from Florida, is looking at softening the 2010 deadline for the final shuttle flight, adding $2.5 billion to NASA's 2011 budget to allow for possible shuttle missions that year.
Proponents of the approach argue holding NASA to a firm deadline might lead to pressure to launch before the ship is completely ready. Investigations into the 1986 Challenger and the 2003 Columbia accidents found pressure to launch was a factor in both tragedies. Proponents also argue that flying the shuttle beyond 2010 would help close the gap between the shuttle and the Constellation programs, as well as save 3,500 jobs in the shuttle program.
Of course, those jobs wouldn't be saved as much as they would be extended-- perhaps not an insignificant factor in the current economy. The core question, however, might be whether extending an aging spacecraft as long as possble is really a good idea, consistent with crew safety.
Proponents of the approach argue holding NASA to a firm deadline might lead to pressure to launch before the ship is completely ready. Investigations into the 1986 Challenger and the 2003 Columbia accidents found pressure to launch was a factor in both tragedies. Proponents also argue that flying the shuttle beyond 2010 would help close the gap between the shuttle and the Constellation programs, as well as save 3,500 jobs in the shuttle program.
Of course, those jobs wouldn't be saved as much as they would be extended-- perhaps not an insignificant factor in the current economy. The core question, however, might be whether extending an aging spacecraft as long as possble is really a good idea, consistent with crew safety.
Understanding Mercury
Scientists analyzing data sent back from the MESSENGER spacecraft's flyby of Mercury last year are developing a new picture of the tiny planet.
Historically, astronomers have seen Mercury as a dead world, akin to Earth's Moon. The emerging picture, however, is putting Mercury closer to Mars. Volcanism has played a substantial role in shaping the surfaces of both worlds-- a surprise in Mercury's case. Astronomers had assumed impacts would be a dominant factor.
That's not to say there haven't been impacts. MESSENGER, indeed, found a 430 mile wide crater-- that on a world having well less than half the diameter of Earth. Interestingly, at the same time scientists acknowledged volcanism has played a major role on Mercury, they also said the floor of the roughly 3.9 billion year old crater, named Rembrandt, seems to be relatively untouched by volcanism. Clearly, we still have much to learn.
Historically, astronomers have seen Mercury as a dead world, akin to Earth's Moon. The emerging picture, however, is putting Mercury closer to Mars. Volcanism has played a substantial role in shaping the surfaces of both worlds-- a surprise in Mercury's case. Astronomers had assumed impacts would be a dominant factor.
That's not to say there haven't been impacts. MESSENGER, indeed, found a 430 mile wide crater-- that on a world having well less than half the diameter of Earth. Interestingly, at the same time scientists acknowledged volcanism has played a major role on Mercury, they also said the floor of the roughly 3.9 billion year old crater, named Rembrandt, seems to be relatively untouched by volcanism. Clearly, we still have much to learn.
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