Spaceflight A British Interplanetary Society Publication Also in this issue GEOsats in peril th 50anniversary of Falcon HEAVY SATURN V Charles First in a Kohlhase new series space Milestones to explorer the Moon Vol 59 No 11 November 2017 £4.50 www.bis-space.com CONTENTS Editor: Published by the British Interplanetary Society David Baker, PhD, BSc, FBIS, FRHS Sub-editor: Volume 59 No. 11 November 2017 Ann Page Production Assistant: 411 Sizing launch vehicles Ben Jones Superlatives reign supreme when manufacturers and launch vehicle providers speak of their rockets but just what are the parameters that Spaceflight Promotion: define, small, medium, heavy or super-heavy rockets? FACTCHECKER Gillian Norman answers that question and asks just how do the claims add up? Spaceflight Arthur C. Clarke House, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, 412-415 Countdown to Falcon Heavy London, SW8 1SZ, England. SpaceX is getting set to fly its super-heavy rocket, as audacious in its Tel: +44 (0)20 7735 3160 goal as anything launched to date by this entrepreneurial company. We Fax: +44 (0)20 7582 7167 assess the challenge and the risk and rate it against competitors as Elon Email: [email protected] Musk boasts bold new objectives. www.bis-space.com ADVERTISING 416-423 Thunder at the Cape Tel: +44 (0)1424 883401 Fifty years ago, in November 1967, Email: [email protected] NASA took a giant leap forward with DISTRIBUTION the launch of the world’s biggest Spaceflight may be received worldwide by mail through membership of the British rocket, the Saturn V. Spaceflight Interplanetary Society. Details including Library begins its “Apollo at 50” coverage subscriptions are available from the above with a report on this remarkable address. event and provides detailed * * * parametric information about the Spaceflight is obtainable from UK newsagents flight itself. and other retail outlets in many countries. In the event of difficulty contact: Warners Group Distribution, The Maltings, Manor Lane, 424-429 Navigating the Solar System Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH, England. Charley Kohlhase reflects on a life supporting deep-space navigation. Tel: +44 (0)1778 391 000 Kohlhase was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 2003 Fax: +44 (0)1778 393 668 for an outstanding career of mission design achievements from the * * * Mariner, Viking, Voyager, and Cassini planetary exploration programmes. Spaceflight is a publication which promotes the mission of The British Interplanetary Society. Opinions in signed articles are those of the 430-431 Saving the Geostationary Orbit contributors and do not necessarily reflect the Stuart Eves, the lead mission concepts engineer at Surrey Satellite views of the Editor or the Council of the British Technology Ltd, presents a disturbing view of physical forces first Interplanetary Society. observed in the behaviour of asteroids to the life – and death – of * * * geostationary satellites, posing explanations for their demise. Back issues of Spaceflight are available from the Society. For details of issues and prices go to www.bis-space.com or send an sae to the address at top. * * * Regular Features Published monthly by the British Interplanetary 404-405 News Analysis – Back to the Moon: Back to the Future? Society. Registered Company No: 402498. Registered Charity No: 250556. Printed in the UK by Latimer Trend & Company Ltd. 405 A Letter from the Editor * * * Copyright © British Interplanetary Society 407 Briefing notes – news shorts from around the world 2017 ISSN 0038-6340. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced 408-410 ISS Report – 9 August - 8 September 2017 or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo- copying or recording by any information storage 432-433 Satellite Digest – 538 August 2017 or retrieval system without written permission from the Publishers. Photocopying permitted by license only. 435-437 Society News – World Space Week is here again! – NLV study’s fifth * * * ”working day” – Skyfarm: Agriculture in space The British Interplanetary Society is a company limited by guarantee. 438 What’s On Mission The British Interplanetary Society promotes the exploration and use of space for the benefit of humanity, by connecting people to create, educate and inspire, and advance knowledge in Cover image: Apollo 4 in place on LC-39A the night before launch. Note the raised flame trench 13 m all aspects of astronautics. above the surface, which could not be sunk below ground level due to the high water table. NASA-KSC Spaceflight Vol 59 November 2017 403 NEWS ANALYSIS BACK TO THE MOON Back to the Future? Private companies such as Moon Express are paving the way for a much bigger involvement from commercial entrepreneurs in putting humans back on the Moon. Moon Express uture goals and objectives for human “scout” class vehicle capable of orbit, landing or Astrobotic plans to launch as a secondary space flight are at a crossroads, with deep-space missions. payload on an Atlas 5 in 2019. As an outsider, candidates including Moon-first, Mars- Currently in the design stage, MX-9 would Blue Origin is working up its own, much Ffirst or deep-space ventures such as asteroid weigh 2,350 kg fuelled, provide a payload larger, lunar lander for placing several tonnes retrieval – even extended and expanded capability of 500 kg with a 200 W power supply of logistical supplies on the Moon on its Blue commercial space stations. But two recent and engage sample-return missions to the Moon vehicle, launched either by NASA’s events have contrived to give an indication Moon. It is an outgrowth of MX-5, a 1,300 kg Space Launch System or Blue Origin’s own about the direction Old Space government soft-lander with a 150 kg payload capacity New Glenn vehicle. programmes might take. In considering how designed as a workhorse for a wide variety of These moves to engage New Space in those events might pair and point the way configurations and missions. sending small-scale landers to the Moon forward we find that the conclusion is a unique In a related and parallel move, NASA is in has found a resonance with a second set of mix of Old and New Space. the final throes of commercial solicitation for decisions which emerged within the last several In July an agreement was reached between a transportation system to deliver scientific weeks. the International Lunar Observatory Association payloads to the lunar surface and this comes (ILOA) and Moon Express to deliver the first at the tip of a broader plan to engage in the New broom? scientific observatory to the lunar South Pole commercial development of lunar landers. Earlier than Capitol Hill-watchers had in 2019. Designated ILO-1, this spacecraft The work was described on 7 September by anticipated, on 7 September the White House will benefit from the expertise advanced by NASA’s Jason Crusan, the director of advanced announced that it was to put Jim Bridenstine Moon Express which was founded in 2010 and explorations systems, at a hearing before a forward for the top job at NASA. Born in 1975, partnered with NASA as it entered the Google Senate space subcommittee: this former naval aviator, proficient in the E-2C LunarXPRIZE. “What we are now looking at doing is Hawkeye, and a Republican Congressman Moon Express expanded its declared goals actually buying landed delivery services in since 2012, is a passionate enthusiast for and this year announced a lunar prospecting the next fiscal year, of actually buying the first space and has engaged politically in trying to mission to the Moon by 2020, with Lunar Scout ability to land small payloads,” he said. “We’re raise the profile of the national space agency. MX-1, which has a mass of 250 kg and provides preparing for the solicitation as we speak.” But he has courted with equal passion New a payload capability of 30 kg supported by a Quietly, this effort has been under way for Space bodies, entrepreneurs and companies power supply of 200 W. It plans to land MX-2 the last three years, slowly advancing with and it is this mix of Old with New that has found in 2018 at the South Pole and to support the three companies developing lunar landers. support within NASA itself. ILO-1 expedition a year after that. MX-2 has a Two are now ready to start launching missions However, despite supporting Ted Cruz in similar payload and power capability but comes for NASA, one of whom is Moon Express, the the nomination for Republican Presidential as dual-stage spacecraft weighing 500 kg as a other being Astrobotic with its Peregrine lander. candidate, Bridenstine’s political base, his 404 Spaceflight Vol 59 November 2017 NEWS ANALYSIS current partisan support for the President has raised some eyebrows and attracted not a little opposition. Several members of Congress, in both Houses, have raised concerns about a n July 2019 we celebrate the 50th the January 2018 issue for that) followed by working politician taking up the post of NASA anniversary of the day men first landed the second launch of a Saturn V (April 2018 Administrator at a time when bipartisan support on the Moon, an event which stands as a issue), a mission which failed to mirror the was an essential prerequisite for achieving Ilandmark on the long road to the stars. For almost flawless performance of Apollo 4 just some level of conciliation. the first time, humans broke free of Earth’s 50 years ago. The universal surprise stems from gravitational field and stood on the surface Toward the end of next year, in the Bridenstine’s lack of professional or career of another world in space.