Health Care in Space: JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2002 $4.95 to the stars A Special Report Lunar Settlements The All-Purpose Reusable Stage THE OFFICAL PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL SPACE SOCIETY Why do we care June/July/August 2003 $4.95 about space? the challenge of living in space Are we alone? Our mission is to explore, understand and explain the origin, nature, prevalence and distribution of life in the universe... and we can’t do it alone! SETI Institute - 2035 Landings Drive - Mountain View, CA 94043 - phone (650) 961-6633 - fax (650) 961-7099 - www.seti.org JANUARYJANUARY / / FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 2002 2002 $4.95 $4.95 to the stars THE MAGAZINE OFOF THETHE NATIONALNATIONAL SPACESPACE SOCIETYSOCIETY Volume 15, Number 1ii June/July/August 2003 MODULES 4 Launch Pad ON THE COVER: 5 Transmissions The International 8 Mission Control Space Station, Space Beat America’s home in orbit. What’s Up? —Photo Courtesy NASA 17 Countdown 44 Space Community 48 Lifting Off PAYLOAD THE 2002 CHAPTER AWARDS AN AD ASTRA SPECIAL REPORT: Jim Plaxco reports from ISDC 2003 on the remarkable HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE U.S. SPACE PROGRAM achievments of our NSS Chapters. An indepth look at the history, problems, and progress of astronaut healthcare in space. BY JIM PLAXCO 10 BY ELEANOR A. O’RANGERS, PHARM.D. AND LINDA M. PLUSH, MSN, CNS/FNP, FRSH TO WALK OUTSIDE COLUMBIA: AN ASTRONAUTS TALE 28 Reflections on EVA and the Columbia tradgedy from a man who’s been there and done that. REASONS TO BELIEVE A collection of post-Columbia voices tell us their questions BY WINSTON SCOTT 18 and hopes for our space program. BY TAMMY RUGGLES LUNAR TOURISM 38 A potential $600 billion dollar business—David Dietzler maps out how we can get there. THE UNIVERSAL REUSABLE FIRST STAGE (RSF) BY DAVID DIETZLER 20 The next ‘stage’ in space transportation. BY KENNETH SCHWEITZER SPACE: FINAL FRONTIER OR THE NEXT BATTLEZONE? 41 The debate continues: should space only be used for scientific endeavors or does it offers unique opportunity to defend against terror? BY TRAVIS K. KIRCHER 24 Background photo: NASA AD ASTRA, which means “to the stars” in Latin, is the motto of the National Space Society, an international membership group dedicated to furthering the exploration and development of space. The magazine AD ASTRA is only one of many NSS activities aimed at creating a spacefaring civilization. For more information on NSS call 1-202-543-1900 or visit www.nss.org. launch pad MODULESa The NSS family lost one of its own on June 24, 2003, when Lt. Col. F. THANK YOU, Kenneth Schwetje (USAF Ret.), NSS Board Member and General Counsel, KEN passed away. Ken first became associated with NSS in the late 1980s, when he helped organize the Law & Space Symposium for the 1989 ISDC in Chicago, bringing in the Air & Space Law Section of the Federal Bar Association as a co- Sponsor and helping assemble a prestigious group of participants. Ken made himself available to us as an unofficial resource through the years before assum- ing his various official roles. Kirby Ikin A native of New Jersey, Ken started his military career as an attorney in the Chairman of the Board of Directors United States Marine Corps and later transferred to the Air Force, where he had a distinguished military career specializing in air and space law. While in the Air Force, Ken earned a Masters of Laws in Space and Aviation Law from McGill University and became a world-known expert in space law issues. He held a series of challenging positions dealing with Lt.Col.F.Kenneth space law and policy as Chief of Air and Space Law, HQ USAF, at the Pentagon. Ken was respon- Schwetje (USAF Ret.) sible for developing and advocating the Air Force positions on many important space policy issues, such as SDI, space treaty interpretations, commercial uses of government launch facilities, and the use of the International Space Station. After the Air Staff, Ken was assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in the international negotiations and agreements division. Among a number of duties, he participated in the UN study on the military uses of space, evaluated ballistic missile defense programs for compliance with international treaties and domestic law, and was a dele- gate to the Standing Consultative Commission in Geneva. After retiring from the USAF, Ken worked for defense contractors on classified space pro- grams. For the past six years he was engaged in the private practice of law. Most recently he was with the firm of Pierson & Burnett L.L.P. and represented many of the major aerospace compa- nies in both the United States and Europe. In addition to his roles with NSS, Ken also has served as the Committee Chairman for the Space Law Committees of the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, and the president of the U.S. Section of the International Institute of Space Law. Ken was one of the founders of the International Moot Court Space Law Competition and regularly served as a judge at U.S. competitions, and also taught space law and policy at the Columbus School of Law (Catholic University) and the National Law Center (George Washington University). His contributions to the field of space law will be long remembered, but, more importantly, we will miss our friend and colleague. Thank you, Ken. Kirby Ikin http://www.nss.orhttp://www.nss.ordg / 4 june Ⅲ july Ⅲ august 2003 Ad Astra to the stars transmissions NSS DIRECTOR TESTIFIES BEFORE SENATE NSS Executive Director Brian Chase told the U.S. Senate Science, Tech- nology and Space Subcommittee 600 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E. Suite 201 April 2nd that low-cost access to Washington, DC 20003 (202) 543-1900 space is the key to an expansive space program. “In light of the loss http://www.nss.org/ of Columbia, it is more important Brian E. Chase than ever for our nation to address Executive Director NSS Executive Director Brian Chase at his appearance before the the issue of how we transport people U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space to dis- Vivian Silver and cargo to and from space,” Chase cuss the future of space transportation and human space exploration. Membership Database Manager said. The NSS Director called for Sherry Wilson support for the resumption of space International Space Station, and frontier, Chase said. “No society has Direct Marketing / shuttle flights, shuttle improve- investing in the next generation ever gone wrong opening up the Chapter Relations Manager ments, development of a back-up reusable launch vehicle. These steps frontier, and we shouldn’t stop now.” system to launch astronauts to the were key in opening up the space JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2002 $4.95 to the stars THE MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL SPACE SOCIETY Publisher Officers National Space Society Hugh Downs, Chairman of the Board of Governors Ⅲ Kirby Ikin, Chairman of the Board of Directors Ⅲ Christopher M. Pancratz, Chairman of the Executive Committee Ⅲ Greg Allison, Executive Vice President Ⅲ Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Liss, Senior Vice President Ⅲ Greg Rucker, Vice President of Projects Ⅲ Frank Sietzen, Jr. Jay Wittner, Vice President of Membership Ⅲ Frank Braun, Vice President of Public Affairs Ⅲ Senior Contributing Editor Ⅲ Ⅲ Jim Plaxco, Vice President of Chapters Mark Hopkins, Secretary John Kross Joe Redfield, Treasurer Ⅲ David Millman, Assistant Secretary Ⅲ Bob Goetez, Assistant Treasurer Copy Editor Jonathan Aretakis Directors Photographer Ⅲ Ⅲ Ⅲ Ⅲ Laurence Ahearn David Baxter Marianne Dyson Robby Gaines Rich Godwin Joe Marino Francis Govers Ⅲ Dana Johnson Ⅲ Alan Ladwig Ⅲ Ronnie Lajoie Ⅲ Bruce Mackenzie Ⅲ Stewart Nozette Ⅲ Robert Pearlman Ⅲ Seth Potter Ⅲ Harry Reed Ⅲ Peter Vajk Ⅲ Charles Walker Ⅲ Art Direction and Graphic Design Elaine Walker Ⅲ Alan Wasser Ⅲ Wayne White Ⅲ Philip Young Leonard D. Righter Andrew S. Ladson Advisors Production Services C. J. Cherryh Ⅲ David Criswell Ⅲ Jerry Grey Ⅲ Joe Haldeman Ⅲ Eleanor Helin Ⅲ Mercury Publishing Services, Inc. http://www.mercurypubs.com Mark Holthaus Ⅲ Barbara Marx Hubbard Ⅲ Margaret Jordan Ⅲ Florence Nelson Ⅲ Scott Pace Ⅲ Ⅲ Ⅲ Ⅲ Glenn Reynolds Stanley G. Rosen Stanley Schmidt Craig Ward Ad Astra (ISSN 1041-102X) is published by the National Space Society. Editorial offices are locat- Governors ed at 600 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, Suite 201, Washington, DC 20003-4316. No material in this Ⅲ Ⅲ Ⅲ Ⅲ Ⅲ Mark J. Albrecht Buzz Aldrin Norman R. Augustine Majel Barrett-Roddenbery Alan B. Binder magazine may be reproduced without permission. Frank Borman Ⅲ Ben Bova Ⅲ Bruce Boxleitner Ⅲ Gerald P. Carr Ⅲ Sir Arthur C. Clarke Ⅲ Tom Cruise Ⅲ Periodicals postage paid at Washington, DC, and Michael DeBakey Ⅲ Karl Doetsch Ⅲ Hugh Downs Ⅲ K. Eric Drexler Ⅲ Freeman J. Dyson Ⅲ Edward R. Finch Ⅲ additional entry. Membership inquiries ($38/yr, $25/yr for students under 22 and senior citizens 65 Ⅲ Ⅲ Ⅲ Ⅲ Ⅲ Ⅲ Aaron Freeman Don Fuqua Newt Gingrich Peter E. Glaser John H. Glenn Tom Hanks and older, $12.50 of which is for a subscription to Shelley A. Harrison Ⅲ Bob Hope Ⅲ Robert Jastrow Ⅲ John H. Johnson Ⅲ Arthur Kantrowitz Ⅲ John S. Lewis Ⅲ Ad Astra) should be sent to the National Space James A. Lovell Ⅲ Robert T. McCall Ⅲ Marvin Minsky Ⅲ Kenneth Money Ⅲ Nichelle Nichols Ⅲ Society, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, Suite 201, Washington, DC 20003-4316. Postmaster: Send Ⅲ Ⅲ Ⅲ Ⅲ Ⅲ Frederick I. Ordway III William R. Pogue Neil Ruzic Harrison Schmitt Frederick Seitz address changes to Ad Astra, 600 Pennsylvania John B. Slaughter Ⅲ James A. Van Allen Ⅲ Maria von Braun Ⅲ Glen P. Wilson Ⅲ Simon P. Worden Ⅲ James B. Wyeth Ave., SE, Suite 201, Washington, DC 20003-4316. to the stars Ad Astra june Ⅲ july Ⅲ august 2003 5 MODULESa SUN SETS SULTRY SEASON hydrogen gas escape HD 209458b Global warming might have less to do each second. Much of the planet – with hot air than sunburn according known as a “hot Jupiter” – may to new sun-centered research.