Aeronautics and Space Report of the President Fiscal Year 2009 Activities Aeronautics and Space Report of the President Fiscal Year 2009 Activities The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 directed the annual Aeronautics and Space Report to include a “comprehensive description of the programmed activities and the accomplishments of all agencies of the United States in the field of aeronautics and space activities during the preceding calendar year.” In recent years, the reports have been prepared on a fiscal-year basis, consistent with the budgetary period now used in programs of the Federal Government. This year’s report covers Aeronautics and SpaceAeronautics Report of the President activities that took place from October 1, 2008, through September 30, 2009. TABLE OF CONTENTS National Aeronautics and Space Administration . 1. Fiscal Year 2009 Activities Year Fiscal • Exploration Systems Mission Directorate 1 • Space Operations Mission Directorate 10 • Science Mission Directorate 18 • Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate 25 Department of Defense . 41 Federal Aviation Administration . 45 . Department of Commerce . 51. Department of the Interior . 81. Federal Communications Commission . 103 U.S. Department of Agriculture. 107 National Science Foundation . 115 . Department of State. 125 Department of Energy. 129 Smithsonian Institution . 137. Appendices . 149 . • A-1 U S Government Spacecraft Record 150 • A-2 World Record of Space Launches Successful in Attaining Earth Orbit or Beyond 151 • B Successful Launches to Orbit on U S Vehicles 152 • C Human Spaceflights 155 • D-1A Space Activities of the U S Government—Historical Table of Budget Authority in Millions of Real-Year Dollars 156 • D-1B Space Activities of the U S Government—Historical Table of Budget Authority in Millions of Inflation-Adjusted FY 09 Dollars 157 • D-2 Federal Space Activities Budget 158 • D-3 Federal Aeronautics Activities Budget 159 Acronyms . .161 . 1 Fiscal Year 2009 Activities Year Fiscal NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Advanced Capabilities Division Advanced Capabilities In fiscal year 2009 (FY 09), the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate’s (ESMD) Advanced Capabilities Division (ACD) provided critical research and technology products that reduced operational and technical risks for the flight systems being developed by the Constellation Program.1 These products addressed high-priority technology requirements for lunar exploration; risk mitigation related to astronaut health and performance; basic research in life and physical sciences using the International Space Station (ISS), free-flying spacecraft, and ground-based laborato- ries; and lunar robotic missions to gather data relevant to future human lunar missions. Lunar Precursor Robotic Program The Lunar Precursor Robotic Program (LPRP) developed and executed robotic missions to the moon to prepare for future human exploration. Precursor activi- ties included topographical mapping, characterizing the distribution of lunar resources, and measuring the radiation and temperature environments on the 1. President Barack Obama’s FY 11 budget request, announced in February 2010, cancelled the Constellation Program. However, the FY 10 Consolidated Appropriations Act prohibited the cancel- lation of Constellation while the 2010 NASA Authorization Act directed NASA to develop a new approach to human spaceflight. Parts of Constellation were carried into the development of the new program, but please note that this report reflects a historical approach to the data available at the time. 2 lunar surface. Data from Lunar Precursor Robotic Program missions were critical to the Constellation Program’s efforts to return humans to the moon and supported astronaut safety issues, landing site selection, and engineering requirements for lunar surface hardware. The first lunar robotic mission was the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which provided detailed mapping for human landing site selection, valuable infor- mation about the lunar radiation and thermal environments, and the identifica- tion of lunar resource availability. A comanifested mission to LRO, the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), impacted a permanently shadowed crater on the lunar surface to investigate the possible presence of water and other volatiles. During FY 09, LRO was successfully launched and the spacecraft was commis- sioned in lunar orbit. All seven scientific instruments on board the spacecraft were activated and returned data. High-resolution optical and radar images of the lunar surface were acquired, including photos of the Apollo landing sites. The LRO spacecraft also measured extremely low temperatures in polar craters, mapped the distribution of hydrogen on the lunar surface, and determined the elevation of terrain features with its laser altimeter. After commissioning, the spacecraft was maneuvered into its mapping orbit to return data for one year. The Lunar Mapping and Modeling Project (LMMP) completed formulation, sys- tems requirements, and preliminary design audits in FY 09. The Project’s goals were Aeronautics and SpaceAeronautics Report of the President to create a comprehensive data archive and portal for all lunar data, including data from LRO and previous missions, such as Lunar Prospector and the Apollo mis- sions, for use by the Constellation Program mission planners for future human and robotic exploration. The lunar data will be presented via an intuitive, integrated, reliable set of mapping and modeling tools. Human Research Program The Human Research Program (HRP) investigates and mitigates the highest risks to astronaut health and performance in support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) exploration missions. The program’s primary goal is to develop and provide human health and performance countermeasures, knowledge, technologies, and tools that enable safe, reliable, and productive 3 human space exploration. 2009 Activities Year Fiscal During FY 09, HRP recommended potassium citrate as a renal stone counter- measure for ISS astronauts. Flight medical personnel can use potassium citrate as a mitigation strategy for the buildup of calcium in the urine that causes the development of renal stones during long-term exposure to microgravity. The rec- ommendation was reviewed and approved for medical practice by the NASA Chief Health and Medical Officer. HRP also completed two important food system studies in thermostabilized food and nutrient stability. The thermostabilized food study was a three-year accelerated shelf-life test of 13 thermostabilized food items to determine shelf life for extended- duration exploration. Egg products had a shelf life of zero months, indicating that thermostabilized processing cannot be used for egg products. Currently, egg prod- ucts are freeze-dried, with a shelf life of approximately 12 months. Vegetable dishes had a shelf life of 12 to 50 months, while grilled pork chops and salmon were acceptable for 87 to 96 months. Shelf life values were extrapolated for NASA’s 65 thermostabilized items. Results indicated that greater than 50 percent of the current menu items would have a shelf life of less than three years. These analyses suggested that new processing technologies will be needed to improve initial qual- ity and extend the shelf life of food products for use in long-duration missions. The nutrient stability study determined the stability of food and nutritional items, representative of the types and classes typically provided on space missions, after prolonged exposure to the spaceflight environment. Kits were exposed to space for a period of up to 19 months and returned to Earth for nutritional analysis. Results of the study indicated that long-duration storage has a much greater effect on nutrient stability than does spaceflight. This emphasized the need for improved packaging or other means to increase the shelf life of nutrients in the food system and mitigate time-related nutrient degradation. HRP completed the Space Flight Human-System Standard Volume 2 and the Human Integration Design Handbook to support the development of Constellation space vehicles, including the Orion capsule. The handbook contains human- system integration data and lessons learned from previous human programs. Its 4 purpose is to aid interpretation of Volume 2 standards by providing guidance to space vehicle and habitat designers. HRP completed behavioral health and performance studies during the Russian Academy of Sciences’ 105-day Chamber Study, late March through July, in part- nership with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI). The isolation chamber study served as a simulation of a six-person ISS crew. Three studies sponsored by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute were con- ducted: operational evaluation of a photic countermeasure to improve alertness, performance, and mood during night-shift work; objective monitoring of crew neu- robehavioral functions and crew interactions; and autonomy during long-duration isolation and confinement. HRP delivered a new model of the acute risks from solar particle events, devel- oped in collaboration with the Department of Defense Special Weapons Agency (formerly the Nuclear Agency). The acute radiation risks body organ dose model predicts possible early health effects on crews from exposure to some historically large solar events possible on lunar and/or Mars missions. Based on model assump- tions, exposure