Volume 39 The Newsletter of AIAA Houston Section September / October 2013 Issue 2 The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics www.aiaahouston.org Hubble Revisited on NASA’s 50th Anniversary 100 Year Starship Public Symposium

Pathway to the Stars, Footprints on Earth

Hyatt Regency Houston September 19-22, 2013

Also, Continuing in this Issue! Part 8 of 8: Man Will Conquer Space Soon! (Collier’s 1952-54) AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 1 Near the top of every page is an invisible link to return to this page. The link is in located here (the blue bar), but not all pages display this bar.

September / October 2013 Horizons, Newsletter of AIAA Houston Section

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Chair’s Corner, by Michael Frostad 3 From the Editor, EAA Chapter 12 at WOH airshow, by Douglas Yazell 4 Cover Story: 100 Year Starship Public Symposium, Wes Kelly & Shen Ge 5 Staying Informed: Orion Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) 13 The 1940 Air Terminal Museum at Hobby Airport 14

Horizons is a bimonthly publication of the Houston Section Climate Change and Local Responses, IPCC AR5 AGU Press Release 16 of The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society (JSCAS) 17 Douglas Yazell, Editor Editing team: Dr. Steven E. Everett, Ellen Gillespie, Shen Space: Drawings, Fears & the Dreams of Children, Philippe Mairet, 3AF 21 Ge, Don Kulba, Alan Simon Regular contributors: Dr. Steven E. Everett, Douglas Comet ISON: Bang or Bust? By Dr. Patrick Rodi 22 Yazell, Scott Lowther, Philippe Mairet Contributors this issue: James C. McLane III, Jim Wes- The Late James C. McLane, Jr. (Part 2 of 6, Dinner Meeting Presentation) 23 sel, Michael Frostad, Dr. Patrick E. Rodi, Dr. A. A. Jackson, Professor Larry Bell (UH SICSA) Section News: Calendar 24

AIAA Houston Section Section News 3AF MP: Automated Transfer Vehicle Control Center 25 Executive Council Section News: 3AF MP Organization Chart & ATV-4 Albert Einstein 26 Michael Frostad Chair Section News: Section Organization Chart and Boeing CST-100 27

Dr. Michael Martin Shen Ge Student Section News: Rice University 28 Chair-Elect Secretary Student Section News: Texas A&M University 29 Daniel Nobles Jennifer Wells Past Chair Treasurer The Collier’s 1952-54 Series, Man Will Conquer Space Soon! 30

Eryn Beisner Clay Stangle Collier’s of April 30, 1954, Man Will Conquer Space Soon! 33 Vice-Chair, Operations Vice-Chair, Technical Afterword for the Collier’s Space Series, Dr. A. A. Jackson 36

Operations Technical The Back Cover: Professor Larry Bell (UH SICSA) & Houston Spaceport 52 Dr. Gary Turner Dr. Albert A. Jackson IV Laura Sarmiento Bebe Kelly-Serrato Eetion Narcisse Dr. Zafar Taqvi Rafael Munoz Liz Warren Horizons and AIAA Houston Section Web Site Svetlana Hanson Dr. Satya Pilla AIAA 2013 National Communications Third Place Award Winner: Section Chair Daniel Nobles Victoria Wills Sheikh Ahsan Douglas Yazell Roger Kleinhammer Ryan Miller Dr. Steven E. Everett Kathleen Coderre Gary Brown Irene Chan (acting) Ted Kenny Dr. Kamlesh Lulla Ludmila Dmitriev-Odier Evelyn Mirellas

This newsletter is created by members of AIAA Houston Section. Opinions expressed herein other Councilors than by elected Houston Section officers belong solely to the authors and do not necessarily repre- Alan Sisson sent the position of AIAA or the Houston Section. Unless explicitly stated, in no way are the com- Christopher Davila ments of individual contributors to Horizons to be construed as necessarily the opinion or position Dr. Larry Friesen of AIAA, NASA, its contractors, or any other organization. All articles in Horizons, unless other- Shirley Brandt wise noted, are the property of the individual contributors. Reproduction/republishing in any form Sarah Shull except limited excerpts with attribution to the source, will require the express approval of the indi- Irene Chan vidual authors. Please address all newsletter correspondence to editor2012[at]aiaahouston.org. Robert Plunkett Ellen Gillespie Cover: The interior of the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Houston looking up Michael Kezirian Douglas Yazell from the lobby. This hotel was the site for the 100 Year Starship 2013 public symposium. Image credit: Wes Kelly. www.aiaahouston.org This page: part of Vincent van Gogh’s 1889 painting The Starry Night.

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 2 Page 3 Collaboration for Success in Human Spaceflight Chair’s Corner MICHAEL FROSTAD, CHAIR

A business buzzword with real mean- landing gear, the left main gear did not ing, collaboration is important whether deploy. This resulted in a rough landing. you are farming in the Midwest, develop- Damage was sustained to the vehicle. Image credits: NASA. ing new software in Silicon Valley, or However, Sierra Nevada says that it is working in aerospace at the Johnson repairable. The landing gear on the vehi- Space Center. Since the last Chair's Cor- cle tested is not the final design to be ner, collaboration has been on full display used on the vehicle. Flight data before Further fruits of collaboration will soon in human spaceflight. the landing will be used to refine the include the launch of ISS Expedition 38 A collaboration between Orbital and vehicle. This collaboration allowed good aboard a Soyuz launched from Baikonur NASA with the Cygnus vehicle that flight data to be obtained and it found Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, continuing a launched September 18th saw to it that the issues prior to a real flight, exactly the partnership with Roscosmos. This launch vehicle safely docked to the International results one desires from a test. will be a special one as it will be the first Space Station (ISS). After testing out The second collaboration was at Ken- nedy Space Center on October 28th, with Lockheed Martin and the Orion vehicle's avionics. The avionics systems were installed on the Orion Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) vehicle and powered on for the first time. The systems worked as expected, completing another step to- wards the actual flight test mission, tar- many functionalities for the first time in geted for the fall of 2014. The upcoming space, Cygnus attempted its first approach test will stress avionics, sensors, reaction to ISS. The spacecraft made it to within control jets, and the thermal protection about 15 kilometers, but encountered an system at higher velocities than any oth- issue with GPS readings between it and er vehicle designed to carry humans ISS. Cygnus safely backed off and the since Apollo. This collaboration contin- time there have been nine humans in orbit Orbital & NASA team went to work to fix ues to build capabilities and the data since 2009 without a Space Shuttle docked the problem. After analysis and investiga- from the flight test will be very valuable. to the ISS. In addition to rotating the crew of tive work, a GPS timing issue was found It is not just collaboration between the ISS and maintaining six people aboard and overcome. This led to a second ap- NASA and companies but also between the space station, the crew of this Soyuz will proach to ISS, which successfully com- have one American astronaut, one Russian pleted further test objectives before cap- Cosmonaut, and one Japanese astronaut – ture by the ISS Space Station Remote stressing the point of international collabora- Manipulator System (SSRMS) and berth- tion and cooperation to push humanity far- ing to the ISS. ther than it has ever gone before. The ISS is Further collaboration between NASA a laboratory for learning how the body func- and other aerospace businesses culminat- tions in space and how to work in space, and ed in two major project milestones. The it is more than that. It is a beacon pointing to first was with Sierra Nevada Corporation's the future for all of humanity. It is a wonder Dream Chaser vehicle at Dryden Flight NASA and other national space pro- built by dedication and collaboration. Research Center. They completed the first grams that continues to support human This list of successful collaborations does free flight test of Dream Chaser on Octo- spaceflight activities, specifically the not go into detail about the hard work and ISS. ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle dedication that comes with any collaborative (ATV-4), named Albert Einstein, effort, but it shows the results of collabora- launched and docked with ISS in June tion. It shows that if we harness each other’s 2013. Over the course of its mission it strengths, push through issues, and over- gave two delta-V boosts to the station come obstacles that lie in our path, then to- (1.0 m/s and 1.45 m/s), provided sup- gether we can accomplish amazing feats. plies to those on board ISS, provided The challenge that is left to us is to continue propellant to the Russian segment of the collaborations, to grow them, and to im- ISS, and when the Albert Einstein left prove them. The next time you hear the ber 26th. During the flight test glide por- ISS it took out the trash. This was a good word collaboration, take a moment to reflect tion, performance was nominal and the mission to sustain the ISS and the people on its meaning, its past successes, and how craft approached the runway right on tar- carrying out the science aboard it – ac- might you harness it for a future success. A get. However, as the craft lowered its complished through collaboration. word that gets is done is collaboration.

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 3 Page 4 From the Editor The Experimental Aviation Association (EAA)

Chapter 12 (Houston) DOUGLAS YAZELL, EDITOR We omitted the EAA Chapter 12 page in this issue. Since we have some snapshots (from Saturday, October 26, 2013) of EAA airplanes from the Wings Over Hou- ston airshow, we include some of those pictures here. For our usual EAA one- page article with meeting information for EAA chapters, please see our previous issue of Horizons and our next issue.

Shen Ge presents the E-mail: solution to the chess editor2012[at]aiaahouston.org puzzle on page 37 of our previous issue of www.aiaahouston.org Horizons: An archive for Horizons on a na- 1. Bb1 b2 tional AIAA website is here. 2. Ra2 b3 3. Ra3 b4 Submissions deadline: 4. Ra4 b5 November 20, 2013, for the 5. Ra5 b6 November/December 2013 issue 6. Be4 mate (online by December 10, 2013). Notation: On each line, white moves first. An We are late but we aim to get upper case letter is a back on our usual piece (B for bishop and bimonthly schedule by early 2014. R for rook). A lower case letter followed by a Advertising number shows the desti- Please contact us about rates. nation. The upper case letter is omitted for pawns. Image credits: Douglas Yazell.

Above: Left to right are Section members Ellen Gillespie, Michael Frostad, and Clay Stangle. Our Section’s new Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) technical committee chair Evelyn Miralles was there, too. See our Section’s organi- zation chart on a later page. They are standing under our Section’s new shade-providing canopy. Next to that is the EAA canopy with their flag.

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 4 Page 5

Second Public Symposium of the 100 Year Starship Cover Sponsored by DARPA and NASA Story WES KELLY, TRITON SYSTEMS, LLC, AND SHEN GE

For some of us, starships did not begin stressed since there actually were other we to make of a century’s flight duration? with Star Trek. A decade before, for ex- interstellar flight conferences this year, Thinkers with Ph. D.s or experience in ample, Robert Heinlein’s 1956 science sponsored by the California Space Insti- diverse fields, some known widely and fiction novel for youngsters, Time for the tute in San Diego (“Starship Century” in some known only to colleagues, applied Stars, transposed to space a going-to-sea May) and the Starship ICARUS group of themselves to this whole panorama. They story lacking a “call me Ishmael” first the British Interplanetary Society in Dal- were both imaginative - and stretched and line, but its style struck a Sinclair Lewis - las back in August. In fact, this overseas open to more critical comment or reflec- Robert Lewis Stevenson mix. Originally cousin of the AIAA has for decades de- tion than we have space to provide here. the mission alternate for his brother, nar- voted its technical journal at least annual- Presenters at Houston have been featured rator Tom Bartlett becomes the space- ly to “Interstellar Studies.” Tau Zero at several events, sure enough, owing now faring communications link of an identical Foundation and Centauri Dreams (the on- to a world-wide, yet close-knit community twin set; he provides telepathic communi- line link) also add to this effort. concerned with interstellar transport. They cations to Earth-based brother Patrick. arrived from all over the country and Pages into chapter one, before signing on Since the first DARPA sponsored Starship overseas, but Houston provided a signifi- to the interstellar torch ship Lewis and conference in Orlando in 2011, the down- cant segment of interstellar researchers Clark, Tom relates how, when doing a town Houston Hyatt Regency hotel has and philosophers as well at 100YSS 2013. school term paper, “…We got interested hosted two more of the 100 Year Starship in the purposes of the Long Range Foun- public symposia. Former astronaut Dr. Welcome dation. Its coat of arms reads, ‘Bread Cast Mae Jemison, the director of the non- Upon the Waters’ and its charter reads, profit 100 Year Starship (100YSS) foun- “No one shows a child the sky,” Dr. ‘Dedicated to the Welfare of Our De- dation chaired ceremonies for this 19-22 Jemison observed, referring in opening to scendants.’ …It wasn’t enough for a pro- September event which left the Earth be- an old African proverb displayed promi- ject to be interesting to science or socially hind in many ways, if not physically. nently in the main auditorium. And, “Not desirable; it also had to be so horribly everyone wants to go into space; but no expensive that no government and no oth- While all three conferences cited provide one says we don’t want to know what’s er corporation would touch it.” papers on transport solutions to star flight out there. They don’t say, just keep it to (in 100YSS program parlance, “Factors in yourself. …Pursuing an extraordinary Decades after first reading of torch ships Time and Distance Solutions”), the social world tomorrow creates a better world headed out to the stars with twins page by science (“Becoming an Interstellar Civili- today.” page illustrating time dilation and Special zation: Governing, Culture and Ethics”), Relativity, one can still wonder how much biological aspects (“Life in Vivo and Coming to the 100YSS mission statement, substance there was to the engineer- Vitro”) and educational outreach possibil- Jemison said the foundation wants to fos- author’s vehicular invention. Was it a ities of the starship mission were given ter innovation. Its purpose was not to dream he quickly transcribed to paper to more weight at the Houston event. As its build the starship itself but to pursue revo- sew into adolescent heads so they could subtitle suggests, “Pathways to the Stars, lutionary knowledge and technology ap- be plagued by it as well and become engi- Footprints on Earth,” stellar reach should plicable to both Earth and space. To keep neers or scientists to follow it? What a make impressions where our feet are 100YSS going, Dr. Jemison used a favor- STEM story success! Was the scenario the placed. ite word: “We have to be audacious.” former naval officer described within the Consequently the term showed up fre- realm of possible: crewed ships heading Yet since Horizons reports primarily quently in subsequent sessions, keeping out in all directions of the celestial sphere “aeronautics and astronautics” and confer- faith with the organizer’s goal. at 1-g acceleration up to near-light speed ence breadth is so wide and speculative, to search out and explore extra-solar plan- even metaphysical, a full relief map is Loretta Whitesides, co-founder with ets? And do events now unfolding place difficult to provide, especially when it George Whitesides of the annual April another feather in the cap of a 20th centu- comes to the personal background of the “Yuri’s Night” since 2001, followed ry science fiction writer? many innovative thinkers in attendance. Jemison as keynote speaker. While But prolonged interstellar flight no doubt George currently heads Virgin Galactic, We probably know more about extra solar demands design integration to include the space tourism concern, biologist planets now than Heinlein knew about beside physical sciences and engineering, Loretta. Whitesides’ explorations include even Pluto back then; and we do have social and life sciences. If passenger five dives to the Titanic with James Cam- societal institutions actually examining frame of mind is crucial on a delayed or the prospect of the flight. Plural should be turbulent airline hub feeder hop, what are (Continued on page 6)

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 5 Page 6

Judging from 2013 and 2012 100YSS, NASA Johnson Space Center engineer Cover Story Time for the Stars represents a band in and General Relativity researcher Dr. the spectrum of interstellar study or spec- Sonny White presented more details of ulation and the torch ship serves as a continuing work at the JSC Eagle Labora- (Continued from page 5) transport straw man. If a torch ship could tory (“Warp Field Physics: an Update”), draw sufficient energy from stores of wa- reported on previously in Horizons. This eron’s crew and over 75 parabolic micro-g ter or liquid ammonia to accelerate off to type approach side steps rocket derived flights. She had also worked as a life sci- Tau Ceti or Beta Hydrae like a long lived technologies with space warp effects. ence contractor to NASA and the JPL. rocket, then was it a nuclear fusion pow- Connections to earlier work by Miguel Ms. Whiteside and Dr. Jemison first be- ered rocket? Walking in on a presentation Alcubierre were reviewed and how econo- came acquainted when the Stanford astro- by well known Michigan-based nuclear mies of scale were achieved by shaping naut-alumna gave a commencement ad- fusion expert Terry Kammash, the field. Allowing that very exotic dress at her alma mater and Loretta’s “Propulsion For Rapid Interstellar Trav- (negative) matter can be obtained, orders graduation, an interesting example of how el” (would we select any other?), the an- of magnitude less were now required, many 100YSS working relationships orig- swer was not readily apparent – save for assuming negative matter “diminished” in inated. Amid other hopes, Ms. Whitesides what would happen when power densities absolute terms. Still, the layout of a warp- wished that 100YSS increased the influ- were increased by orders of magnitude drive interstellar spacecraft was justified ence of the Overview Effect experienced from the 10 watts/kilogram electric pro- by field geometries and intensities plus by many astronauts as they looked back pulsion systems readily achieve today. mechanisms, inviting comparisons with on their home world Earth. In remarks Realms ~550 astronomical units (AUs) Starship Enterprise layout. There were following, Dr. Jemison confessed that her from the sun, he concluded, “would be- differences. OE experience was sensed outward, an come accessible in a matter of decades increased wonder at and curiosity about with nuclear fission or fusion.” Hun- Dr. White’s presentation, about double deeper space and the stars. dredths of a parsec? More about this dis- conference length, actually examined two tance milestone below. types of drive systems: Alcubierre derived “Factors in Time and Distance and the laboratory’s quantum vacuum or Solutions” – Then perhaps to attain torch ship perfor- Q-thruster. This is a device that has less in Propulsion and Flight mance we need breakthrough propulsion common with the Alcubierre theory than efficiency attained from annihilation of other experimental devices testing other The British Interplanetary Society pio- matter and anti-matter? The next speaker, physical hypotheses. Similar performance neered lunar mission planning studies just Pauli Laine from a Finland university arguments could be made for a device as it has with interstellar flights. It shifted answers his talk title question, “To the known as a Mach thruster, often charac- to the stars after the 1969 Apollo lunar Stars with Current Technology?” with a terized as the Woodward Effect named for landing. But regarding “time and distance review of two interstellar propulsion sys- U of California - physicist James Wood- factors,” we note that for every nautical tems: 1), a combination of nuclear thermal ward. While Woodward explains similar mile between Earth and Moon (~206,815) rocket and nuclear electric propulsion small observed forces with a GR deriva- there are as many astronomical units assisted by a flyby of a giant planet; 2), a tion and the arguments of Ernst Mach on (AUs) to the parsec parallax distance fission fragment rocket in combination the origins of inertia, others, including Dr. (180/ * 3600 = 206,265 ). This is 3.26 with a solar sail, selecting the second as White, seek to tap Zero Point Energy sug- light years or ~1 light year (63,115 AUs) adequate “in principle” if “some suspend- gested by the Casimir Effect. In either short of Alpha Centauri. An AU is ~150 ed animation is employed.” In which case case, if it can be scaled beyond trace ef- million kilometers or 80 million nautical neither is a torch ship solution. Amid the fects in the laboratory, significance to star (93 million statute) miles, making the presentation the audience could hear a flight would be great. This type drive does nearest star ~100 million times further pleasant aria piercing through the screen not require exotic matter or even expelled from Earth than the Moon and the Apollo wall separating conference rooms. More mass (!), but sophisticated circuitry and landing site. below about that as well. capacitors to exploit a power supply. If the power gain is as projected, then trajec- Dr. Eric Davis, an Austin-based astro- Since even laser beams diverge over inter- tories for near term missions might in- physicist, served as session moderator stellar distances, Panamanian researcher clude fast Mars missions. Dr. White sup- throughout. He and fellow speaker Marc C.J. Q. Cappiello in “The Laser Star Way: plied recent sample trajectories (Figure 1 Millis co-authored the AIAA survey text A Light Bridge to the Closest Stars,” ex- and Table 1) for quick missions to Mars Frontiers of Propulsion Science. Millis amines power relays systems between unimpeded by loads hundreds of tons of would speak Saturday on “From Sci-fi to stars, plus the dynamics of station keep- propellant. At last we see comparable Scientific Method - A Case Study with ing. At least one advantage of transpond- performance to the torch ships of Time for Space Drives.” Should there be a second ers was clearing interstellar dust with the Stars. Propulsion Science edition, one could which impact at near light speeds would imagine the authors culling through pro- be disastrous. Depending on how many After a lunch break, presentations took a ceedings such as what follows. way stations are needed, that’s probably different tack, starting with Marshall the good news. (Continued on page 7)

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 6 Page 7

(Continued from page 6) of condensed superconducting quark ma- terial, admittedly a speculative matter, Cover Story Barnes’, “Challenges Outside of Proposed perhaps very ancient, rapidly rotating as- Models Based on General Relativity.” teroids were locations to seek such depos- Suffice to say that Mr. Barnes regretted a its as sources of energy for the 100YSS or boils down to which coordinate transfor- reluctance to pursue warp drive solutions the proverbial torch ship. Examining the mations are valid or should be invoked outside the bounds of General Relativity asteroid data set, the language and presen- when intensities are calculated. General theory; he was convinced that was the tation was reminds us of papers presented Relativity appears to be a mine field full trail of the Holy Grail; though why Barnes to the Lunar and Planetary Science con- of such, judging from GR correspondence prefers Kozyrev's explanation of gravity's ference last March covered by Horizons groups’ deliberations we have monitored. effect on time without experimental earlier. When asked, the author reported Just as with spacecraft re-entry, where proofs eludes us. Alvin Cantrell from the he sometimes attended or contributed on surface or internal structures are at risk, Marshall Spaceflight Center followed. He asteroid studies. Lee recommended speed limits at small reported on gravitational sensors similar fractions short of light velocity [c] before to the Cavendish device that established a Less speculative, but still a controversy, titanium structures would melt. Surface measure of the gravitational constant. Jeff Lee’s paper, “Temperature Inflation temperatures rise acutely in the region Could these devices be used for long Considerations for Ultra-relativistic Sub- 0.9c< V< 0.9999c - even during coast. range communication when gains sensed luminal Starships” adds another caveat And we had thought interstellar transit variations in their attraction? against pressing too close to the speed of would be extremely cold! light. We were generally aware of the If the last two papers sounded somewhat problems of collision with even dust Michael Lammertin’s paper on “Quantum general in their reach for the stars, the motes at relativistic velocities in near in- Communications for Interstellar Travel,” next three were more particular. terstellar vacuum. Cosmic background closed the Friday time and distance ses- radiation is also blue shifted and more sions. Examining “quantum entangle- Marshall Eubanks suggested asteroid re- intense. Lee, a Canadian member of the ment” and teleportation, Lammertin pro- source search include search for exotic ICARUS interstellar study group, provid- vided a state of the art survey. Like the starship fuel sources in “Powering Star- ed estimates for leading edge tempera- audience, Lammertin was intrigued by ships with Compact Condensed Quark tures. As the author himself noted, like circumventing luminal velocities and sig- Matter.” Should dark matter be composed many engineering controversies, this one nal attenuation, but viewed the prospects soberly.

“Factors in Time and Distance Solutions” – Intermediate Milestones and Devices

Einstein’s 1916 GR Theory was first ex- perimentally tested by the degree of light’s bending by the sun for a near stel- lar occultation in May of 1919. The angle observed was about twice the classical prediction. More examples of bent light from deep space objects passing large gravitational fields have been observed since, but only recently has much consid- eration been given to the idea of exploit- ing gravitational lenses to create signal collecting or transmitting devices, e.g., dish antennas for signal reception or broadcast.

For one of us reporting (WK), one of the most remarkable featured devices of the 2013 100YSS was the solar gravitational lens observatory, receiver or transmitter. The idea’s history stretches back several decades, but Italian astrophysicist Claudio Maccone probably dedicated more time

Figure 1. Two Q-thruster scenarios for a 90-ton spacecraft and 2 megawatts of power. (Continued on page 8)

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 7 Page 8

that Voyager 1 had finally exited the heli- artificial intelligence. Orkuzal predicts, Cover Story osphere boundary shock region of the “around 2025, a laptop computer will solar wind’s projection into interstellar have enough processing speed to simulate space. Of course, this was a fluid medium a human brain in real-time.” With this (Continued from page 7) of a very diffuse but charged nature. The expectation his paper outlined a mission extent and dynamic stability of this design for a robotic expedition to Tau Ceti and study than anyone else to the poten- boundary has been a subject of continued around 2040 - the Lewis and Clark torch tials of a focal lengths extending at least debate. Jeffrey Nosanov in “Solar System ship first stop in Heinlein’s Time for the 551 astronomical units from the sun (see Escape Architecture for Revolutionary Stars. Figure 2) – or similar measurements from Science: A NIAC Study” spoke of this other stars. There is still much to be deter- development and pressed for wider explo- A Friday Night Science Fiction Evening mined about light gathering, resolution ration of this region with 150-kg space- and focal length as a function of wave- craft attached to 250 x 250 meter solar Robert Heinlein’s or Poul Anderson’s length, which would all affect spacecraft sails, transit time about 15 years. To place stories were typical American s/f litera- design for observation or transmitter pur- this endeavor in perspective, Voyager 1 ture’s efforts to offer plausible solutions poses. If a spacecraft were to be sent to a (reported in another session) is a 722-kg to star flight generations ago. The social star such as Alpha Centauri, then a track- space probe launched on 5 September sciences tracks of 100YSS below proba- ing station and transmitter could very well 1977; circa 15 October 2013 its distance bly owe more to the British heritage illus- be sent to the opposite celestial coordi- from Earth stood at 126 AUs, the farthest trated by Brian Aldiss, Arthur Clarke and nates (e.g., right ascension declination) of any known man-made object. It was Olaf Stapleton; the first, examining life on with respect to the sun to provide mission accelerated into interstellar space by suc- a millennia-long round trip to Tau Ceti; support. In the past detecting signals vs. cessive Grand Tour planetary flybys the last, contemplating sentient life’s natural processes from amid the stars has coasting away at ~17 km/sec. movement across planets and stars on a been directed SETI; in the future, if time scale similar to the stars’ ages them- probes or spacecraft are launched to the Remaining “time and distance” presenta- selves. The Journal of the British Inter- stars, then the problem is communication tions concentrate on operational issues: planetary Society (BIPS) Interstellar Stud- without attenuation or distortion. Here is Jeremy Straub from University of North ies series continues to explore that domain where the two authors make the case for Dakota examined forerunner robotic ex- on a quantitative or theoretical basis un- the KLT vs. the more traditional Fast Fou- ploration prior to human missions in “An paralleled in this country. rier Transform tool. Co-Author Stephane Exploration Strategy for an Interstellar Dumas of the Canadian chapter of the Human Precursor Craft.” The strategy But where in the spectrum has current SETI institute presented “Interstellar boils down to autonomy in the face of lag science fiction evolved? We gained a Communication with Gravitational lens times over light year distances. Similarly, glimpse Friday night (September 20th) via and the Karuhen-Loeve Transform Timothy Meehan from Saber Astronautics a panel discussion of current writers. The (KLT).” A background presentation is offered a company developed risk man- sampling included Mary Doria Russell, available from the SETI institute (see agement and fault identification software Jack McDevitt, Ken Scholes, and Karin Links below) summarizing Maccone’s tool to address interstellar spacecraft oper- Lowachee. Also participating were TV award winning 1996 text (References). ations in “Reducing Operational Risk for journalist Linda Lorelle, actor LeVar Bur- Deep Space Missions through Predictive ton (veteran of Star Trek – the Next Gen- On the eve of the conference it was an- Modeling.” Eray Ozkural of Bilkent Uni- eration, but also of the PBS Reading nounced by the Jet Propulsion laboratory versity in Turkey surveyed the state of Rainbow program) and Jason Batt. In the lively debate which followed, Dr. Russell fired the opening broadside, a 12-step self -help program self-introduction, “Hello, my name is Maria and I am a recovering academic…”

Dr. Russell, whose abandoned (?) field and career was “biological anthropology,” said, after learning (perhaps from Howard Zinn’s People’s History) that Columbus was “not necessarily a hero,” she decided to re-examine the terrestrial age of explo- ration in The Sparrow, her prize winning 1996 first novel of a voyage to Alpha Centauri in starship Giordano Bruno. As a given, with extraterrestrial contact Jesuit Figure 2. Solar Gravitational Lens Geometry, Minimum Focal Length = 550 AU and FOCAL Spacecraft Position. (Continued on page 9)

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 8 Page 9

(Continued from page 8) on Education which commenced with “Astrosociology in the Classroom,” pre- Cover Story missionaries take the exploration initiative sented by Kathleen Toerpe from the As- as they often did four centuries or so earli- trosociology Research Institute offering er. Unlike Zinn, her point of view is reli- an introductory college course: a multidis- overseas contributors, 100YSS included gious vs. Marxist; not an accusation ciplinary and evidentiary approach to in- local presenters. In the opening address, against social systems, but the deeper struction covering the astrosocial dimen- we were startled to hear Dr. Jemison call question (like Job’s?) of why do things go sion of space exploration. out, “…And we also have Frank Hughes so awry. Another panelist, Ken Scholes, here.” “Everyone” knew Frank Hughes having attended a divinity school himself, Subsequently, two more presentations had because in his years of working at astro- shared Russell’s focus: dealing with hu- similar messages about STEM education. naut training, beside Dr. Jemison, he had man zeal to spread civilization and faith, Beside, adding “Art” to science, technolo- trained all of the astronauts. We asked on this world today or other planets later. gy, engineering and mathematics teaching him about this assertion before the Both examine traditional beliefs on the objectives, a case was also made for evening’s sci-fi panel, sitting in the lobby larger cosmic canvas or else the imagined reaching out to young women students. over drinks and reviewing the day’s canvas a cosmic frontier inspires; they events and telling stories. “Yes and no.” explore earlier adventures and replay The next speaker connected to the parallel As Frank put it, he had arrived at JSC too them in hope of a different result, chal- sessions on the same floor via the solo late to work with John Glenn on his 1962 lenging explanations for suffering, in- performance mentioned above (Debussy: Mercury flight, but eventually checked spired by grief, the neglected dimension Nuit d’etoiles sous tes voiles Sous ta brise him off before Glenn’s second orbital of s/f as literature. Admittedly, for Russell et tes parfums; Triste lyre qui soupire Je mission in 1998 on the STS-95 Shuttle starship Giordano Bruno was merely the reve ...). Opera singer and educator flight. Back in the Time for the Stars era, bus, not where her book’s truths would Adrienne Provenzano in “Getting All Frank built and fired model rockets in the abide. Other panel writers addressed these Hands on Deck: Using STEAM- Educa- Montana copper mining town where he concerns more obliquely– or else stressed tion Strategies to Include Girls and Wom- grew up. Retired from the NASA JSC as continuity in the human condition. In Jack en in Interstellar Space Exploration,” cited chief of Flight Training since 1999, he Devitt’s words, Roman centurions looked STEM interest surveys showing 75% in- now serves with the firm Tietronix as VP forward to the latest model chariots, terest primary school girls, but descent to for educational and training products. hence… 20% STEM enrollments at college levels. Examples of The example of artistic pur- In “Grappling with 100YSS Psychosocial We hope that the conference will video suits of women astronauts, e.g., flute play- Problems,” Dr. Hughes’ basic point was stream this discussion someday. ers Ellen Ochoa and Cady Coleman on the that starship flight reversed most trends in ISS argued for an integrated curriculum recent human communications much more Viewing of a 2013 science fiction film to approach. “STEaM Power: The Ability to even than a flight to Mars or an asteroid the icy Jovian moon Europa followed Create Beautiful Minds,” by Seattle- would: “The near instant communications (The Europa Report). Clearly, a kinship based educators Matthew O’Laughlin and that humans expect to friends, family and existed to the 2001: A Space Odyssey Whitney Martin seconded this view, “to colleagues will gradually dwindle until from 1968, but in discussion that followed show how art is the hook on which diffi- there is no possibility for immediate con- bio science session chair Dr. Obalisi sub- cult concepts hang with ease. Those who versation anymore. If we reach just 1% mitted that despite the film’s eye for de- learn to use science and art together are light speed, the delay increases by 36 sec- tail, it was “The Blair Witch Hunt” in the ideal citizens of the future.” For Paul onds every hour. In 24 hours, delay builds space. Like the V-2 of 1950s movies Webber with “100YSS Education in to 14.4 minutes... Communications with standing in for presumed larger vehicles, Space: Are we ready?” robotics was the Earth will reduce to email and text com- an Atlas V - like vehicle launched a crew education gap, based on the implications munication and then to even less as delays of five or six astronauts to Europa to of starship autonomy with or without mount. News of Earth can keep on com- check for life under the ice. They found it, crew. ing each day but it will get more stale but to their own ruin turned every corner since the time it was sent will be further in where the audience foresaw disaster. Too Liverpool University (UK) researcher the past. There will be effectively no two- bad director and cast were not present as Matthew Bullock’s “Interstellar Explora- way communications back to Earth that is well to explain the motif of the deadpan tion and Colonisation of Exoplanets, Posi- not stilted and business-like. Over time, end. However, discovering that the car tion and Projections” could very well have all the people you have left behind on was locked in a public garage several appeared in the BIPS journal with its par- Earth will have died as well as the original blocks away and it was raining, the ticular brand of graphic formulation and passengers on the space ship.” night’s philosophical ruminations came to Kardeshev civilization levels. The broad, an end. galactic view of Olaf Stapleton was appar- This was a fundamental psycho-social ent. This meant more than simply putting problem of crew-ship-mission design and Education on Earth and in Flight a human footprint on a planetary surface. integration.

Dan Hansen chaired the Friday sessions As noted above, beside out of town and (Continued on page 10)

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 9 Page 10

Cover Story The plan for the SKA in South Africa neering to be too fascinating to ignore. begins with 64 parabolic dish antennas She explains that oxygen only diffuses known as the MEERcat. The SKA, how- 250 microns, meaning that all engineered (Continued from page 9) ever, will consist of an array of 1000 re- tissue must be within 250 microns of each ceivers. (Question for readers: How will other or they die. Hence, currently grown In Other Plenary Sessions 1000 receivers be spread over a square tissue is very thin. There are ways around kilometer? Ten by ten clusters of ten?). this. One way is to leach all the cells of an In the “State of the Universe,” chaired by organ. You can then put in any cells you astronomer and SETI pioneer Dr. Jill Similarly, in subsequent session titled want in the container of the original or- Tarter, a distinguished panel provided “Trending Now,” Dr. Jeff Kuhn described gan. In reproduce bones, she encapsulates updates on astronomical developments the “Colossus Telescope” for seeing exo- cells in hydrogels and grows them in a tangential to interstellar flight. Dr. Adrian planets. (See Figure 2.) Dr. Ronke petri dish. Harvesting the cell for graph to Tiplady reported on “South Africa’s Olabisi, an aerospace engineer and medi- a mouse bone growth can be observed. Square Kilometer Array (SKA),” a devel- cal doctor on the staff of Rutgers Univer- Attempts to grow meat substitutes could opment in his homeland that would give sity described her life sciences work with prove beneficial considering that the US the southern hemisphere as much or more crucial import to interstellar flight surviv- cattle consume grain enough for 800 mil- radio spectrum astronomical coverage as al, “Growing Meat, Bones and Other Or- lion people. Josh Schonwald, a food critic, in the north. Florida State University as- ganics in the Lab.” Dr. Armen Papazian tasted the first lab-grown beef burger on trophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi provided the described “Money Mechanics for Space” August 5, 2013. It did not taste good. “Cosmology Dark Matter Update” and and Dr. Roy Marcus provided, Ariel Anbar, a survey of “Astrobiology.” “Fundamentals for Engineering Systems.” Destination: Space Jeffrey Nasanov from the Voyager pro- gram at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Colossus technology addresses the need to As in the 2012 conference Joe Ritter from gave the “Voyager 1 Update.” But once decrease the mirror weight per square the University of Hawaii Institute for As- again, of local significance, Dr. David meter and to provide dynamic mirror tronomy chaired the Destination Session. Black reported on “Exoplanets.” "phasing" to allow a large telescope struc- The institute operates the Mauna Kea Ob- ture that can be much less stiff (and less servatory and understandably promotes Many of our readers are probably aware massive) than conventional structures. An advances in observing techniques. Dr. that for decades Dr. Black directed the effective 60-80 meter aperture resolution Ritter described some advanced ground Lunar and Planetary Science Institute on would be obtained by 60 independent off- based observatory systems for better reso- Bay Area Blvd, the host institute for the axis 8m telescopes effectively merged lution of extra-solar planets (e.g., charac- annual Lunar and Planetary Science Con- into a telescope-interferometer. The pri- terizing their atmospheres). There were ference, preparing for its forty fifth year. mary consists of 60x8m off-axis parabolic returns to and variations on these themes As early as the mid 1980s, before there primaries. The secondary structure is less in 2013. were any definite finds, Dr. Black had than 5m in diameter with 60 independent been publishing reports on exoplanet for- 0.5m optics. Every primary is served by This year Ritter provided two more pa- mation and detection. “TOPS, Toward its own secondary bringing light into one pers. In “Remote Sensing of Exoplanets Other Planetary Systems,” was an early Gregorian focus. and Combined Propulsion, Imaging and survey of the state of knowledge about Power Generation Subsystems for Star- exo-planets and their detection, compiled Dr. Ronke Olabisi obtained degrees in ships,” Ritter reported a recent technology by Dr. Black at the LPI. aerospace engineering from MIT and Uni- that could advance all five of the above: versity of Michigan but found tissue engi- (Continued on page 11)

Figure 3. Colossus Telescope: (A) Primary 8-m Mirrors, 74-m Aperture. (B) Secondary Mirrors within 5-m Structure. (C) Gregorian Telescope Focus.

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 10 Page 11

(Continued from page 10) Ziolo’s presentations we will discuss to- gether in another section. Cover Story “low density photonic muscle polymer that allows shape nano-actuation using Becoming an Interstellar low power lasers.” Civilization and Economics resource world of has been examined since Malthus through the Club of Rome In a second paper, time tagged photon We noted a tendency on opposite sides of and its “Limits to Growth” publications intensity interferometry employed with the Atlantic to look at the starship studies on which the World3 program is based. inexpensive spacecraft constellations through different lenses. Here in the Ziolo wonders if off-world strategies will would enable long baseline astronomy States, we focus on spacecraft specifica- win the game. and astrometry missions which could im- tions or prospective destinations; else- prove resolutions by a factor of a thou- where they contemplate what it all might And speaking of Kardeshev levels, what sand (i.e., nano-arcsecond resolution). someday mean. In several presentations about actually running into interstellar civilization metrics on the “Kardashev” civilizations already established? In In the 100YSS for 2012, several recently scale are applied. What in creation is that? “Astrobiological Matrix” Ziolo suspects discovered exoplanet systems (e.g. near A gross measure of a civilization’s ad- human spread into space makes indirect or faint M Dwarf stars) were examined as vancement, based on amounts of energy it direct detection or contact with advanced possible starship destinations in this ses- is able to use. Three designated levels I, civilizations exponentially more likely. sion. Margaret Turnbull in “Destinations II, and III are indicated in Table 2 below, Conversely, less likely if we remain plan- to Inspire a Space-faring Generation” and human civilization on Earth right et bound. Citing Stanislaw Lem’s science spoke to the issue at the back of the minds now, for lack of an appropriate Roman fiction story “Fiasco” to illustrate how then and now: “If an attractive destina- numeral, is denoted as zero. A Type I contact could go catastrophically wrong, tion, or even a list of potentially attractive civilization uses all available resources he recommends more attention to devel- destinations, were known, the simple de- impinging on its home planet, Type II oping a matrix of alien possibilities a pri- sire to go there could overwhelm almost harnesses all the energy of its star, and ori, at least accounting for life forms any technical or mental resistance.” The Type III of its galaxy. First proposed in based on elements C, H, O, N, P and S. list of known worlds, now very numerous 1964 by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kar- Starting from these fundamentals, should and widespread, was reviewed and evalu- dashev, amendments have been proposed we work our way toward alien psycholo- ated once more. or else incorporated. For example, stars gy? But of course. and planets come with radii and flux lev- In an earlier Horizons, we reported on els far above and below that of Earth or We wrote and revised this article amid the William Bottke’s LPI public lecture argu- sun respectively. For example, Jupiter federal government shutdown and private ing for the widespread existence of unat- (10x wider than Earth) with its own radi- investment deliberations over much more tached exoplanets. Marshall Eubanks, ant flux might be mistaken for a level I modest space ventures. With that intro- cites gravitational microlensing to similar civilization if we are not satisfied with the duction we turn to another facet of inter- effect in “Dark Earths - Initial Goals for giant world model of thermal equilibrium. stellar metamorphosis from caterpillar Interstellar Exploration.” With inferred A level I Earth would be “globally stage: interstellar civilization economics. population estimates, the nearest “dark warmed” indeed if most of the power gen- Several speakers addressed this sundry Earth” could be within ∼0.5 light year of erated were strung out over a wide band matter, perhaps giving their takes on what the Solar System. Larger bodies, likely around the sun. There might be other met- Heinlein’s Long Range Foundation should farther away. Further infra-red survey rics to use beside simply power though, be like. At the federal level, energy ex- should tell whether we have a better luck and perhaps with relief we can report that penditures per annum (i.e. power), figure of the draw. Promoters would be well encounter of others with "power” has only into the overall budget deliberations in advised to name these objects something been hypothetical thus far. this fraction of K0 world civilization. like “Greenland.” Michael Ziolo, a psychiatrist with the Perhaps a Kardeshev scale can be devel- Among the remaining presentations, Ben- University of Liverpool (UK) is a BIS oped to describe interstellar civilization jamin Solomon in “Empirical Evidence community member exploring such sce- based on money? Dr. Armen Papazion Suggests A Need For a Different Gravita- narios, as indicated by “Devising the began his talk contemplating the text on tional Theory” cites several investigators’ ‘Prime Radiant’: A Strategy for Seeding every US dollar: “This note is legal tender observations of 13 inconsistencies in the K0 →K3 Transition.” Ziolo also ex- for all debts – public and private.” Beside physical theories supportive of subspace amines dynamic models of world econo- the problem of financing an expedition concepts of spacecraft transport across my for the next 100 years (e.g., World3) into a vast void like the Chinese did for th space without expulsion of mass. Solo- and notes: “Permanent space habitation decades in the 15 century, how do you mon, at least joins White and Woodward implies an evolutionary ‘long jump’ far make a monetary transaction in the vast in search for the means towards this end; greater than taken by our distant ancestors depths of it. In Roman times, the Mediter- however, we did not view the presentation from sea to land,” assuming we as a spe- ranean basin, India and China all conduct- or locate further background. Michael cies are even so intent. The paradox or ed trade; money was exchanged, but not wonder of economic growth in a limited (Continued on page 12)

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 11 Page 12

tive. Fanny Mae allowed everyone to the wax and wane of snow cover over the Cover Story buy a house. Likewise, the government Arctic and the Ozone Hole in the south. can support research for fifty years by Measures of population, water and emis- offering reduced rate of return to inves- sions by nation in bar charts rotated into (Continued from page 11) tor. Like a bond or coupon, it can be view. “It was a lament,” someone at the recovered in 5, 10, or 20 years. dais later summarized. Was hope more directly. Neither China nor Rome were  Technology bubbles form from public than 100 million times farther away than able to reach each other with boatloads of enthusiasm, but bubble generation is the Moon? coin. Our current day approach hardly hard to predict. A company that rides a even involves paper any more, but one bubble though can earn fabulous wealth. We shared a table with attendees to whom wonders how you can beam and back a A successful company starts the bubble we were only briefly before introduced. promissory note across light years of or ball rolling, but implosion, disillu- One of us had asked a propulsion present- space. sionment, and crisis need to be watched er about the use of an exotic fuel: an iso- for by all. “We don’t want people to tope of Americium for the nuclear frag- In “Economies in a Stellar Civilization – look at astronauts the same way they ment fission rocket. Was it nearly as diffi- Carrying a Bit of Earth to the Stars” econ- look at bankers today,” Ray observed. cult to obtain as say anti-matter? A third omist Zubin Ray from India notes that party pointed out that Americium was value, property and trade, defined on So where does all this leave us? What of commonly used in smoke detectors, so… Earth since pre-history really provide no the future for Earth, star travel and even The exchange attracted the attention of the precedent for a space based system with 100YSS? In lieu of an Olympics style attendees from Washington State. As we problems including very long time spans closing ceremony, we attended the Satur- awaited the performance, Kelvin Lynn for exploitation focused gains and cords day evening dinner which did not feature demurred that he was not sure whether or tied to Earth. Promotion of private entre- a keynote address, but the performance of not he should have presented a paper, but preneurship and investment into space violinist Kenji Williams, accompanying maybe next year. We asked, “Well, what exploration further complicates this equa- artists and the video presentation Bella is it that you do?” His card said he was the tion, requiring “time bound generation Gaia. Violinist, keyboard and vocalists director of the Materials Research Insti- value” and necessary socio-legal struc- accompanied a mix of intricate images tute. “I build and invent positron storage tures to encourage capital flow. Ray ob- from space, the wilderness and oceans of devices…” serves: Earth and graphic images of human im-  Big corporations gain monopolies and print on the planet. First came the Pacific References exert strong control on market type, but NW coast from the track of the ISS; there with strong control, even if a venture is followed hydrographic and varied spectral 1. Millis, M., Davis, E., Frontiers of Pro- risky, it will still have access to funding. images from around the world. In helio- pulsion Science, AIAA, 2009.  People in the West do not invest in the centric space we could see the Encased in 2. Maccone, C., Deep Space Flight and long-term; there’s no multi-generation the undulating jellyfish of its magneto- Communications: Exploiting the Sun as thinking. Returns must be within their sphere trailing away from the sun. At con- a Gravitational Lens, Praxis-Springer. lives. In India they invest across genera- tinental scales, we observed the dynamic 2009. tions. but dissimilar circulatory cells of the 3. Black, D., TOPS – Toward Other Plan-  Government tax credit can be an incen- Mediterranean, the Oceans and the Gulf, etary Systems, Lunar and Planetary Science Institute, Houston, TX.

Links 1. http://www.seti.org/seti-institute/weeky-lecture/deep-space-flight-and-communications-seti-klt-and-astronautics-2009 2. http://www.centauri-dreams.org Houston 100YSS coverage: http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=29122 3. Performance of Bella Gaia with Kenji Williams and accompanying artists The Baum Foundation, http://thebaumfoundation.org/environment/bella-gaia United Nations Environmental Program, http://vimeo.com/67499493

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 12 Page 13

Staying Informed

[1]

Above: Source: Wikipedia. Image credit: NASA. Above: An artists' impression of the first Orion spacecraft in orbit attached to a Del- ta IV Upper Stage during Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1). Image credit: NASA. Image source: Wikipedia and Flickr.

Above: Mission Summary. Image credit: NASA.

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 13 Page 14 Museum 1940 Air Terminal Museum at Hobby Airport An AIAA Historic Aerospace Site DOUGLAS YAZELL, EDITOR

We reviewed pictures from three monthly Wings ford of Bynum, Texas, came to this event in & Wheels events on the museum website to find August of 2013. The drawing was held during a few great images for this issue of Horizons. the July 2013 Wings & Wheels event. Museum The August 2013 Wings & Wheels theme was volunteer Blair McFarlain join the winner to the Lone Star Lodestar Roundup. Two of the fly the airplane Waco, Texas, where hangar three photographs included here are aerial shots space had been secured. On the way to Waco taken by museum volunteer Larry Orr. Museum they stopped at the famous Southern Flyer This is a bimonthly column volunteer Max Tribolet was the pilot. diner in Brenham, Texas. about the 1940 Air Terminal Wings & Wheels is a monthly lunch-hour- Wings & Wheels visitors are no longer al- Museum, a 2008 addition to centered celebration at the museum. It takes lowed on the roof of the first or second floor, the list of AIAA Historic Aero- place on the third Sunday of most months. Clas- nor in the control tower. Those visits will be space Sites. The museum is sic car owners often accept the invitation to dis- allowed again one day once renovation re- restored and operated by the play the vehicles in front of the museum, and stores the building to the state required by fire non-profit Houston Aeronauti- aircraft make a spectacular display behind the codes. museum. The museum building itself is a unique cal Heritage Society. sight inside and out. The displays and paintings The old control tower is no longer in use for inside the museum on the ground floor are worth now, but the newer control tower is even fur- 1940 Air Terminal Museum the visit. And the lunch option is usually the ther away from the runways. That’s old 8325 Travelair Street popular Flaming Patties gourmet food truck. school! They respect their elders at Hobby Houston, Texas 77061 Airport! (713) 454-1940 This year’s raffle airplane winner Allen Lang- (Continued on page 15)

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 14 Page 15

(Continued from page 14)

Image credits: The 1940 Air Terminal Museum, Wings & Wheels event of August 2013.

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 15 Page 16

Opinion Climate Change and Local Responses DOUGLAS YAZELL, EDITOR (ARTICLE #5 IN THIS BIMONTHLY SERIES)

NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY mospheric concentrations of carbon diox- REACTS TO ide and other heat-trapping greenhouse IPCC REPORT RELEASE gases have increased sharply since the Industrial Revolution. Fossil fuel burning REPORT REINFORCES NEED dominates this increase. Human-caused basic patterns of weather experienced can FOR ACTION TO ADDRESS increases in greenhouse gases are respon- change, sometimes in counterintuitive CLIMATE CHANGE, SAYS sible for most of the observed global aver- ways -- some areas may experience cool- AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION age surface warming of roughly 0.8°C ing, for instance. This raises no challenge (1.5°F) over the past 140 years. Because to the reality of human-induced climate 27 September 2013 natural processes cannot quickly remove change. WASHINGTON, DC—The following some of these gases (notably carbon diox- Impacts harmful to society, including statement is attributable to American Geo- ide) from the atmosphere, our past, pre- increased extremes of heat, precipitation, physical Union (AGU) executive director/ sent, and future emissions will influence and coastal high water are currently being CEO Christine McEntee: the climate system for millennia. experienced, and are projected to increase. “Today’s release of the Intergovern- Extensive, independent observations Other projected outcomes involve threats mental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) confirm the reality of global warming. to public health, water availability, agri- Assessment 5, Working Group 1 report These observations show large-scale in- cultural productivity (particularly in low- reinforces what the scientific community creases in air and sea temperatures, sea latitude developing countries), and coastal has known for some time now: Our cli- level, and atmospheric water vapor; they infrastructure, though some benefits may mate is changing and human activity is a document decreases in the extent of be seen at some times and places. Biodi- major influencer. The science is clear and mountain glaciers, snow cover, perma- versity loss is expected to accelerate due the scientific community is in agreement. frost, and Arctic sea ice. These changes to both climate change and acidification Climate change is already threating are broadly consistent with long- of the oceans, which is a direct result of our economic health, public safety, and understood physics and predictions of increasing carbon dioxide levels. national security. From issues of food how the climate system is expected to While important scientific uncertain- security to energy availability, communi- respond to human-caused increases in ties remain as to which particular impacts ties, cities, states, and regions across the greenhouse gases. The changes are incon- will be experienced where, no uncertain- U.S. and around the world are feeling the sistent with explanations of climate ties are known that could make the im- effects. change that rely on known natural influ- pacts of climate change inconsequential. It is not too late to address the impacts ences. Furthermore, surprise outcomes, such as of climate change, but the window for Climate models predict that global the unexpectedly rapid loss of Arctic sum- meaningful action continues to close. temperatures will continue to rise, with mer sea ice, may entail even more dra- Lessening the negative outcomes will the amount of warming primarily deter- matic changes than anticipated. require rapid societal responses that are mined by the level of emissions. Higher Actions that could diminish the threats informed by science and that reflect the emissions of greenhouse gases will lead to posed by climate change to society and perspectives and commitment of all stake- larger warming, and greater risks to socie- ecosystems include substantial emissions holders, including international, national, ty and ecosystems. Some additional cuts to reduce the magnitude of climate regional, and local governments, the busi- warming is unavoidable due to past emis- change, as well as preparing for changes ness community, the energy industry, sci- sions. that are now unavoidable. The community entific researchers, and many others.” Climate change is not expected to be of scientists has responsibilities to im- The climate change position statement uniform over space or time. Deforestation, prove overall understanding of climate of the AGU: urbanization, and particulate pollution can change and its impacts. Improvements have complex geographical, seasonal, and will come from pursuing the research Human-induced climate change longer-term effects on temperature, pre- needed to understand climate change, requires urgent action cipitation, and cloud properties. In addi- working with stakeholders to identify rel- tion, human-induced climate change may evant information, and conveying under- Humanity is the major influence on the alter atmospheric circulation, dislocating standing clearly and accurately, both to global climate change observed over the historical patterns of natural variability decision makers and to the general pub- past 50 years. Rapid societal responses and storminess. lic.” can significantly lessen negative out- In the current climate, weather experi- Adopted by the American Geophysical comes. enced at a given location or region varies Union December 2003; Revised and Reaf- “Human activities are changing from year to year; in a changing climate, firmed December 2007, February 2012, Earth’s climate. At the global level, at- both the nature of that variability and the August 2013.

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 16 Page 17 The JSC Astronomical Society Astronomy Building an Astronomer’s Chair Complete with Sketch Desk and Red Lighting (Part 3 of 7) JIM WESSEL, JSCAS EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH CHAIRMAN

This time we will cover the seat at- tachment site, and the construction of the armrests and footrest.

A place for everything, and everything in its place The JSC Astronomical Society (JSCAS) Since I elected to use a boat seat as the www.jscas.net basis for my astronomer’s stool, I feel it’s important to discuss the design of This article first appeared in the the attachment site in detail. This is November 2010 issue of Starscan, the the 2nd of the two very important spots JSCAS newsletter. on the stool that needs to be particular- ly well made, and failure to do so If you will compare the previous picture could have injurious repercussions. with the following one, you will discern We didn’t take the seat apart to con- that we measured and cut the plywood firm, but we suspect that the internal square to exactly fit (mine was 9” x 9.5”) screw threads where the retaining onto a set of plastic ‘ribs’ on the underside screws attach are made of plastic, and of the seat. This was planned, and we likely susceptible to either deforming thought that it would provide the maxi- under pressure, or completely ripping mum amount of stability (wood against out if enough torque stress were to be the hard plastic) while minimizing the applied. Needless to say, we intended weight of the plywood. One of the post this part of the construction to be a construction comments addresses this “one and done shot” with no re-dos. point in greater detail, later. The sizing of We were fortunate that this turned out this particular piece of plywood is really to be the case in our build out. I don’t dependent on the underside of the seat know if boat seats are uniform in their that you decide on. Obviously, we meas- location of screws on the underside of ured and drilled the holes to match the the chair, but I will say that the screws placement of the seat’s retaining screws. that came with the chair were not sat- Here I changed from the original machine isfactory for our purpose of creating to hex head screws, and they were coun- an astronomer’s stool, as they were tersunk. In the picture below, you can also just too short. The original screws see the original pencil marks that were were intended to penetrate and hold used to determine the exact center of the onto the thin metal “Lazy Susan” ei- four screws, which in turn, is the center of ther on a johnboat type seat, or at the support for the seat. The 3/4” pipe floor top of a fixed pedestal. In our case, the flange was attached using T-nuts prein- screws need to be long enough to hold stalled on the back side of the plywood the chair onto a nice thick piece of before mounting it to the seat bottom. Use plywood (I used ¾” plywood). For the of T-nuts prevents having to cut out spac- reader’s information, the screws need- es in the plastic bottom to accept standard ed are going to vary dependent on the nuts and washers. manufacturer’s design of the boat seat (actually the internal screw housing [depth] inside the side), and your choice of plywood thickness, so plan accordingly. Here is an image of the plastic underside of the boat seat to The following picture shows the integrat- give you an idea of a starting place for ed unit, with the pipe going into the seat my build out: attachment site on the piece of plywood. (Continued on page 18)

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 17 Page 18

We countered this problem in two ways. Astronomy The first was to get a pair of much heavier and harder to bend 3/16” x 1” x 4' steel (Continued from page 17) flats for the arm supports, and the second was to plan on placing an even heavier The second major use of this plywood 1/8” x 1.5” x 6’ steel flat around the top of square on the underside of the seat is as a the two side supports and around the back place to attach desired armrests, since the rest of the chair. The addition of the 3 boat seat did not come with them original- larger metal supports really solidified the ly. In order to fabricate a reasonable set of rigidity of the armrests. As a result, the armrests, we first needed to determine the armrests now easily support my arms’ optimum width for the supports (where weight without outward flex, and even my elbows would naturally rest in the better, they will handle the increased load lateral plane) and what height would be of the sketch desk as well (its construction After the lateral armrests were complete, comfortable. We made this measurement will be covered later in the description). we started measuring the needed length of by me simulating armrests on a scrap However, this is not to say that the arm- the top restraining steel flat. Determining piece of plywood (it was wider than any rests alone will support my weight (they where the two bends were to occur was conceivable width I might choose) and certainly won’t). If I have to adjust my challenging as the seat back needed to be changing its height by stacking 2” x 4”s positioning in the chair I have to reach accounted for in its fully upright position, underneath it (all resting in my lap), then down outside the armrests to the seat itself and we did not make the final bend or cut measuring both the height and the width and lift my weight through my arms on the steel flat until we were 100% sure from the attached ¾” plywood, via a side pressing against the seat. To start attach- they were both exactly correct. Four 1/4- view. This or a similar measuring effort ing the armrest supports, the chair was 20 x 1/2” screws and nuts were used to will reflect a personal preference for the inverted, the supports placed in their cor- connect the overlapping pieces of metal, eventual armrest positions that the reader rect positions, and measurements were and any portion protruding past the nut needs to figure out for himself. Post con- taken to evenly distribute the drilled loca- was cut off and ground smooth. A side struction, the right angle measurements of tions for the screws (see following pic- view and 3/4 view of this step are shown resultant width and height of the armrest ture). We then countersunk the screw below. supports for my chair are 19” and XX heads into the steel flats to ensure that respectively. there were no sharp edges to cut an un- wary finger in the dark. I originally bought a pair of 1” x 1/8” metal flats which were bent by hammer- ing in a vise to the desired shape for the armrest supports (see below). After loose- ly attaching the top wooden piece to the metal support and resting my arms’ weight on them, we found that the sup- ports were very susceptible to outward flexing with a minimal amount of weight or pressure. This was a critical design flaw and needed to be addressed immedi- ately.

We decided on #8 3/4” flathead wood screws to attach the armrest supports to plywood on the underside of the chair. Pilot holes insured that the screws seated correctly and ended up flush with the sur- face of the metal without additional wood damage (see picture below). At this time, the top pieces of wood (which were al- ready sanded, and notched to sit on top of the lateral supports) were permanently attached to the metal supports by four #8 1/2” screws, (predrilled to prevent split- ting of the thin small pieces of wood), and again countersinking them for safety. (Continued on page 19)

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 18 Page 19

(Continued from page 18) found. The rope was then cut and the sec- ond “S” was tied onto the free end. To Astronomy The third and final use of the plywood prevent the footrest from sliding along the attachment site under the chair was to length of the rope, I placed the footrest at support a hanging footrest. A footrest was the optimal position, then opened the not an original consideration in the design weave of the nylon and inserted a bolt of the astronomer’s stool, but rather some- through it, and then attached a washer on thing I found out that needed to be ad- the backside. The same process was re- dressed when I sat in the chair when it peated for the rope at the other end of the was at full extension. When I was high up footrest, and as a result, movement is min- in the air, I realized that the weight of my imal. legs was going to eventually crush down the front edge of the foam inside the seat, But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, be- and cause an uncomfortable pressure fore you make the end connections on the point for the back of my upper legs. As a rope you need to have the footrest in be- result, we had to brainstorm to think up a tween, and that design process is outlined suitable method to account for this prob- here. To make footrest, we took a scrap following picture. lem. We considered a wide metal loop, piece of 2” x 4” and visualized what sort of like a stirrup, but noted that it would be the maximum width I would would be a problem for disassembling the need for a comfortable placement of my stool and putting it in the trunk of my car feet. My measurement was found to be for transportation to a dark site. We also 18”, and we took a 1/2” X 18” drill bit, thought of a simple piece of rope, but and drilled through the center of the board found that it was not very comfortable for lengthwise from both ends. This wasn’t an my legs or feet for long periods of time. easy task, as a long drill bit is prone to So we settled on a combination of a stiff torque and curving along its length, and footrest and a flexible hanging system, all we eventually had to repeat the whole of which was attached to the underside of process a second time as the bit broke the chair. The following picture will help through the side of the board on the first with the description of the attachment site attempt. Afterwards, we threaded a 4’ build out as well as the two ends of the section of nylon rope through the hole to Next Time: Construction of the support- rope which holds the footrest. get to the stage of construction shown in ing “legs” and “feet.” the picture below.

As you can see, we drilled two holes Since we had previously built out the sup- through the front steel flat and the under- ports for the pedestal we had a fair idea of lying plywood for the 2, #2 screw eyes where the hanging footrest would come that provide the points of attachment for into contact with the plywood supports for the 2, “S” hooks at the ends of the piece the pedestal. As you can imagine, a move- of rope. The total length of rope necessary able 2” x 4” swinging into and hitting on was determined by attaching one fixed the edge of a piece of plywood is going to (completed with a tied-on spring hook) cause considerable damage to both pieces end to the eye screw, the footrest was then of wood. We fixed this issue by putting placed under my feet, and the other end of ½” angle onto the four long corner edges the rope fed through the other eye screw – of the footrest (similarly, the plywood had with the rope being pulled and adjusted to 3/8” channel put on its outside edges for different lengths (equaling heights of the its protection). You can get a better idea footrest) until a comfortable position was of the completed hanging footrest in the (Continued on page 20)

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 19 Page 20

Astronomy JSC Astronomical Society Calendar Upcoming Items from the JSCAS Calendar (Copied on October 12, 2013)

Our JSCAS meetings are held on the second Friday of every month at 7:30 P.M. in the auditorium of the USRA building (almost always at this location): 3600 Bay Area Blvd, at the SW corner of the intersection with Middlebrook Drive.

2013 November 8, 2013: Dr. Stanley Love, NASA/JSC, The Antarctic Search for Me- teorites: Exploring an Ice Planet. November 9, 2013: Family Space Days Star Party at LPI December 13, 2013: Winter Solstice Party

(Continued from page 19) 2014 January 10, 2014: Bob Taylor, 2013 Astronomy Y ear in Review February 14, 2014: Don Halter, TBA (To Be Announced) March 14, 2014: TBA (To Be Announced) Below: Education and public outreach from April 11, 2014: Paul Maley, JSC Trip to Fort McKavett, April 24-27, Tenta- the Lunar and Planetary Institute includes tive “Cosmic Explorations: A Speaker Series.” May 9, 2014: Texas Star Party, May 25-June 1

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/lectures

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 20 Page 21

Space: Drawings, Fears, and the Dreams of Children PHILIPPE MAIRET, 3AF MP

A while ago, in December of 2012, I sug- [Editor’s note: When he wrote this article, about the conquest of space above is a gested to my son Loup, when he was nine Philippe Mairet was not thinking about nice coincidence.] years old, that he create a drawing about our Horizons reprints of the 1950s Col- space. I told him, “Loup, draw what you lier’s magazine series, Man Will Conquer want,” and I said, “Add a question or a Space Soon! I arranged the translation sentence, and add your signature.” above so that the last words are, “Conquest of Space.” This issue of Hori- Children have a way of conceiving space zons presents the last of eight installments which can vary from one to another. For of this Collier’s series. Mairet’s writing some children, “Space is for escaping,” such as in the Dis- ney Pixar movie WALL-E. The characters flee in rockets to another planet to escape an ecological disaster on Earth. This was mentioned by a col- league recently in la Gazette #28, the newsletter of l’Associ- ation Aeronautique et Astro- nautique de France, Midi- Pyrenees (3AF MP) Chapter. Others, like Loup, ask them- selves the question, “How will people be able to survive in space?”

Still others dream in their in- fancy of planets and the Moon. They sometimes draw them. Less common are those who draw comets and even aster- oids. Children who want to become astronauts, cosmo- nauts, spationauts, or taiko- nauts are an older age.

[AIAA Houston Section mem- ber and Chinese sister section contact person Marlo Graves tells us the Chinese prefer the word astronaut instead of tai- konaut.]

Although some children neither dream of space nor have night- mares about space, let us allow children the freedom to imag- ine the future of the Conquest of Space.

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 21 Page 22 Astronomy Comet ISON: Bang or Bust? DR. PATRICK E. RODI Comet C/2012 S1 was discovered in during the day on Earth. As of late Octo- Comet ISON is expected to appear the September 2012 by Russian astronomers ber, scientists believe that about 2.2 mil- brightest around perihelion; however, it Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok lion pounds of gas are escaping the comet will be less than 1° of arc from the Sun at using data from the International Scien- every day. Comet ISON was photo- its closest, making it difficult to observe tific Optical Network (ISON), and is com- graphed on October 8, 2013 by Adam against the Sun's glare. The comet’s sur- monly known as Comet ISON. This sun- Block of the University of Arizona. His face temperature at perihelion is expected grazing comet is predicted to reach peri- image is shown in Figure 1. to approach 5,000° F. Additionally, it will helion on November 28, 2013 In early 2013, a light curve was gener- be within the Sun’s Roche radius (where (Thanksgiving Day), when it will pass at a ated to illustrate the comet’s brightness the Sun’s tidal forces first overpower the distance of only 730,000 miles above the with time. By extrapolating these data, a comet’s self-attraction forces), meaning it star’s surface (~2.7 solar radii from the very bright comet was predicted. Howev- might disintegrate. In December, it will be center of the Sun). Based on its trajectory er, it has since exhibited a “slowdown growing dimmer, but assuming that it it is believed that this comet came from event” in its rise in apparent brightness remains intact, it will be visible from both the Oort Cloud and has never passed by and is now only expected to reach an ap- hemispheres of Earth. After perihelion, its the Sun before. Therefore it could have a parent magnitude of −3 to −5, or about the outbound trajectory will take it north on large quantity of fresh material to out gas. same brightness as Venus. This type of the celestial sphere, passing within two If true, this comet could produce a very behavior has been exhibited by many oth- degrees of Polaris on 8 January, 2014. bright tail that could possibly be visible er Oort cloud comets. Earth will pass near the comet’s path around January 14-15, 2014. Any residual comet dust could create a meteor shower. In late September, Comet ISON passed by Mars and the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured a number of photographs of the object, shown in Figure 2. Additionally, a video showing obser- vations from NASA’s Deep Impact Mis- sion is available at Space.com. NASA’s pair of Solar TErrestrial RElations Obser- vatory (STEREO) spacecraft will have a good view as the comet passes close to the sun. Illustrations showing the predicted path of the comet through the STEREO spacecrafts’ fields of view are available at a NASA website. Will Comet ISON be the “comet of the century,” fizzle out, or disintegrate? No one is certain. But in the next few months, we will have a front row seat for the ce- Figure 1. Comet ISON photographed on October 8, 2013. Image credit: Adam Block, lestial show. University of Arizona.

Figure 2. Comet ISON photographed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on September 29, 2013. Image credit: NASA.

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 22 Page 23

Address to AIAA Houston Section about James C. McLane, Jr. the late James C. McLane, Jr., Part 2 of 6 1923 - 2012 JAMES C. MCLANE III

June 13, 2013 developed a trust between two countries University of Tennessee Space Institute. It who were at the time engaged in ruthless took quite a while for the US State De- His years in the society were marked by and inefficient competition. My father partment to approve the venture, but the many curious developments. But I am was very involved in Apollo Soyuz – but trip was made and was very successful. most proud of his efforts to establish a more about that later. By that time my father had become well liaison, back in the early 1990’s between acquainted with senior engineers in the the AIAA Houston Section and the A brush with cancer convinced my Dad to Chinese space program and he thought it Shanghai Astronautical Society, possibly retire early at the age of 60. He and my was a good time to explore a formal rela- China’s closest technical match to the mother took up world travel. They went tionship between the AIAA and a parallel AIAA. I’ll try to explain how this rela- on a number of commercial tours to plac- Chinese technical entity. tionship came about. es like Europe and the Middle East. My father happened to be a member of the A sister section arrangement between the The current restrictions on technical inter- American Vacuum Society. This organi- local AIAA section and the Shanghai As- faces with foreigners are especially clear zation supported educational foreign trips tronautical Society was the eventual result to those of us who got to experience the under the “People to People” initiative, a of that idea. The agreement resulted in relatively open exchange of information program begun in the 1950’s by President exchanges of society newsletters and host- and technology during the early days of Eisenhower. These exchanges involved ing of visitors by the society members in NASA. Current limitations have made visiting host countries and meeting with the respective countries. All together my fraternal contacts with foreign entities people there who were in your own pro- parents made five trips to China, trips more difficult than ever. The AIAA and fessions. In that capacity my parents were which included visits to rocket and satel- many other technical associations have able to travel extensively in Russia, Japan lite fabrication facilities and launch sites. I had to learn to function under strict rules and China where they met engineers and recall my dad said that one plant they vis- regarding technology transfer to foreign toured industrial and scientific facilities. ited made big boosters in one area and countries. This has hindered efforts to washing machines in another! There are foster international cooperation in human My folks really liked China, which at that probably some folks in this audience who space flight. An exception has been time was definitely a “third world” coun- traveled to China with my parents on trips NASA’s special technical exchange rela- try, but a place with great aspirations and hosted by the Chinese engineers. tionship with the Russians which has ena- enthusiasm, especially in regards to bled us to build the successful Internation- Space. Some Chinese engineers my father The Chinese Sister Section relationship, al Space Station. The Station is a great met invited him to return to lecture on as indeed many associations with foreign example of how technology exchanges space environment simulation. China at entities, became much more challenging can benefit the international community that time was so backward that my fa- after 911 and the increasing restrictions on and serve the interest of the US at the ther’s travel expenses were paid by a information exchanges with foreigners same time. This US/Russian arrangement United Nations grant to developing na- imposed by ITAR rules that restrict shar- was pioneered by the Apollo Soyuz test tions. His lectures were patterned after a ing of technical, information. project of the mid 1970’s, a program that series that he had already presented at the

Above: Jim & Dorothy McLane and space scientists from the Shanghai Astronautical Society, on November 3, 1994, at the McLane home, 1702 Fairwind Road, Houston. The interpreter is Kylin Lee. Image credits: James C. McLane III.

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 23 Page 24

All calendar items are subject to change without notice. Section council meetings (email secretary2013[at]aiaahouston.org) Time: 5:30 - 6:30 PM usually Day: First Tuesday of most months except for holidays. Location: NASA/JSC Gilruth Center is often used. The room varies.

Upcoming Section events Audiobook in work by Ted Kenny, NASA/JSC, Chair, AIAA Houston Section History tech- nical committee, Suddenly Tomorrow Came, A History of JSC. The author of this 1993

book is Henry C. Dethloff. See that web page for author information and a short bio.

2013 Conferences www.aiaa.org (Events link) 3 - 7 November 2013, Ribeirao Preto, 22nd International Congress of Mechanical Engineer- ing – COBEM 2013 5 - 7 November 2013, Frankfurt, 8th International Conference Supply on the Wings

2014 Conferences www.aiaa.org (Events link) 13 - 17 January 2014, National Harbor, Maryland, 16th AIAA Non-Deterministic Approaches Conference 13 - 17 January 2014, National Harbor, Maryland, 22nd AIAA/ASME/AHS Adaptive Struc- tures Conference 13 - 17 January 2014, National Harbor, Maryland, 32nd ASME Wind Energy Symposium 13 - 17 January 2014, National Harbor, Maryland, 52nd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting 13 - 17 January 2014, National Harbor, Maryland, 55th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference 13 - 17 January 2014, National Harbor, Maryland, 7th Symposium on Space Resource Utili- zation 13 - 17 January 2014, National Harbor, Maryland, AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Con- ference 13 - 17 January 2014, National Harbor, Maryland, AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference 13 - 17 January 2014, National Harbor, Maryland, AIAA Modeling and Simulation Technolo- gies Conference 13 - 17 January 2014, National Harbor, Maryland, AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition (SciTech2014) 13 - 17 January 2014, National Harbor, Maryland, AIAA Spacecraft Structures Conference (formerly the AIAA Gossamer Systems Forum) 26 - 30 January 2014, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 24th AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting 27 - 30 January 2014, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium (RAMS) 2014 2 - 6 February 2014, Atlanta, Georgia, American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting 1 - 8 March 2014, Big Sky, Montana, 2014 IEEE Aerospace Conference 24 - 26 March 2014, Lille, France, 49th International Symposium of Applied Aerodynamics 30 April 2014, Washington, DC, 2014 Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala 5 - 9 May 2014, Pasadena, California, SpaceOps 2014 26 - 28 May 2014, St. Petersburg, Russia, the 21st St. Petersburg International Conference on Integrated Navigation Systems 5 June 2014, Williamsburg, Virginia, 2014 Aerospace Today and Tomorrow 16 - 20 June 2014, Atlanta, Georgia, 11th AIAA/ASME Joint Thermophysics and Heat Transfer Conference

Calendar

Horizons: published bimonthly by the end of February, April, June, August, October & December at www.aiaahouston.org.

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 24 Page 25

Automated Transfer Vehicle Mission Control 3AF MP Center (ATV-CC) EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY WEBSITE ATV CONTROL CENTRE and operates, a complex space control grammed mission plans and, if needed, to The main function of the Automated centre specialised in handling ATV mis- implement any changes. Transfer Vehicle Control Centre (ATV- sions in orbit. ATV-CC Flight Control Room CC) is to operate Automated Transfer Under the authority of ESA, ATV-CC Additionally the Centre is in charge Vehicles (ATV). is responsible for the preparation and vali- of the orbitography, the localisation of In the elegant, modern 'Fermat Build- dation of the monitoring and control tools ATV and monitoring its approach to the ing' of the Toulouse space centre, the used by the 30 mission control staff dur- International Space Station. This is a chal- French space agency CNES, under a con- ing the flight. The Control Centre is also lenging task, requiring a very high degree tract signed with ESA in 2003, developed responsible for carrying out the pro- of technical skill. Among the different flight control and piloting capabilities, ATV-CC also directs the undocking of ATV from the International Space Station. The Control Centre can command an operation to keep ATV in the vicinity of the International Space Station for up to eight weeks and, if needed, even perform a re-docking. An ATV mission requires complex interactions and shared responsibilities between space organisations dispersed throughout the world. Team at work in the ATV Control Centre ATV-CC works with the Guiana Space Centre, in charge of launch and deployment of ATVs. For rendezvous, docking and departure, ATV-CC works in close coordination with the Mission Con- trol Centres in Moscow and Houston. Above: ATV Control Centre is housed in the CNES Fermat Building in Toulouse All ATV ground control commands Fermat Building at the Toulouse Space Centre houses the Automated Transfer Vehicle are issued from Toulouse. For example, in Control Centre (ATV-CC). The French space agency, CNES, was responsible for the case of a major malfunction during the development of the Control Centre, and prepares, coordinates and supports all ATV rendezvous, ATV-CC, as well as the operations on behalf of ESA. Copyright: CNES. Space Station crew, can initiate the Colli- sion Avoidance Manoeuvre to move the 20-tonne spaceship away from the Station before attempting another rendezvous the next day. To allow continuous coordination with the other control centres and to re- main in constant contact with ATV during a mission ATV-CC relies on the Intercon- nection Ground Subnetwork, which is based at the German Space Operations Centre, at Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany. Above: ESA mission controllers on con- ATV-CC is directly linked to the Colum- sole bus Control Centre, which also plays the Released: 16/02/2011 4:38 pm. Copy- role of the central node of the communi- right: CNES/S. Girard, 2011. ESA mission cations network with ESA's partners. controllers on console at ATV-CC on 15 Last update: 4 June 2013 Above: ATV-CC during Ariane launch February 2011, during the first launch attempt 15 February 2011 attempt for ATV Johannes Kepler. Fore- Released: 16/02/2011 4:38 pm. Copy- ground: Jean Christophe Ronnet; back- right: CNES/S. Girard, 2011. ground: Jean Michel Bois.

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 25

Page 26

Section News Image credits: ESA.

From AIAA Daily Launch, October 28, 2013

ATV-4 Spacecraft To Undock From ISS Today. Russia’s RIA Novosti (RUS) (10/28) reports the ESA’s ATV-4 cargo spacecraft is expected to un- dock from the ISS today. It will then be five days before it is sent into the atmosphere to burn up. According to the article, the spacecraft will be posi- tioned so the ISS astronauts can observe what takes place in order to gather information that “might be useful for calibrating future reentries.” Jean-Michel Bois, head of the ATV operations team in Europe, said this was a “fitting end” for the vehicle. Association Aéronautique et Astronautique de France (3AF)

Sister Section of AIAA Houston Section since 2007 Jumelée avec AIAA Houston Section depuis 2007

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 26

Page 27

Boeing Completes Mission Control Center Interface Test Section News Sept 13, 2013, Rebecca Regan, John F. Kennedy Space Center

For the first time, the Mission Control Center (MCC) at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston has tested communications with a commercial, crew-capable spacecraft, as The Boeing Company conducted an interface test between the MCC and software planned for the company's CST-100 spacecraft.

Boeing has partnered with NASA to develop a fully integrated crew transportation system, with its CST-100 spacecraft and United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). New commercial spaceflight capa- bilities being developed by NASA partners through com- mercial crew initiatives could eventually provide services to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station, launching from U.S. soil.

Image credits: Boeing (artist concepts).

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

www.aiaahouston.org P.O. Box 57524 Webster, TX 77598 Downloaded October 29, 2013

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 27 Page 28

Rice University AIAA Student Section Advisor: Student Section Professor Andrew Meade, meade[at]rice.edu News 713-348-5880, www.ruf.rice.edu/~meade/

Above: Image credit: Rice University.

Above: The Rice Space Institute Student Association (RSISA) is not associated with AIAA, but we have similar interests. The RSISA and the image above were noticed by Horizons team members on Monday, October 28, 2013. The date of the XCOR visit is not spec- ified.

Above: Image credit: Rice University. Student Section News Please send inputs to Dr. Gary Turner, our College and Co-Op Chair. His e-mail address is: collegecoop2012[at]aiaahouston.org His backup for this task is Editor Douglas Yazell: editor2012[at]aiaahouston.org. Our Section’s web page lists the related websites. We publish most bimonthly issues at www.aiaahouston.org by the last day of each even-numbered month, and the submissions deadline is three weeks earlier. The November / December issue is an exception. It is published by December 10, not December 31.

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 28 Page 29

The Texas A&M University AIAA stu- dent section started work on its web site Student Section for the new year as of August 10, 2012: News http://stuorg-sites.tamu.edu/~aiaa/ Faculty advisor: Professor John E. Hurtado, jehurtado[at]tamu.edu, 979-845-1659. The student section is not as- Facebook American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics: Texas A&M Chapter sociated with climate change Twitter @AIAA_TAMU studies, but climate change is LinkedIn AIAA - Texas A&M University Chapter a subject of interest for AIAA Chair Rahul Venkatraman acepilotrjv [at] tamu.edu and NASA. Vice Chair Alejandro Azocar alejandroazocar [at] tamu.edu Treasurer Steve Anderson andeste [at] tamu.edu Student Section News Secretary Sam Hansen hansen_s08 [at] tamu.edu Please send inputs to Dr. Gary Turner, our Col- Speaker Chair Jacob Shaw jashaw94 [at] tamu.edu lege and Co-Op Chair. His e-mail address is: Activity Chair Kristin Ehrhardt kristin159 [at] tamu.edu collegecoop2013[at]aiaahouston.org Publicity Chair Nick Page npage340 [at] tamu.edu His backup for this task is Editor Douglas Ya- SEC Representative Nhan Phan Trongnhanphan [at] tamu.edu zell: editor2013[at]aiaahouston.org. Our Sec- Webmaster Nick Page npage340 [at] tamu.edu tion’s web page lists the related websites. Graduate Class Rep. Chris Greer gree5362 [at] tamu.edu We publish most bimonthly issues at Senior Class Rep. Nicholas Ortiz ibesmokin [at] tamu.edu www.aiaahouston.org by the last day of each Junior Class Rep. TBA even-numbered month. The submissions dead- Sophomore Class Rep. TBA line is three weeks earlier. The November / De- Freshman Class Rep. Farid Saemi farid.saemi [at] gmail.com cember issue is an exception. It is published by December 10, not December 31.

Experts on Climate Change Gerald North Texas A&M University TAMU Times article Global climate change and modeling, statistics, IPCC process September 26, 2013, adapted from the press release [email protected], 979.845.8077 The College of Geosciences at Texas A&M Uni- Andrew Dessler versity has experts who can answer media inquiries Climate change drivers and mechanisms, policy about the science of climate change, especially as it [email protected], 979.862.1427 relates to the upcoming United Nations Intergovern- John Nielsen-Gammon mental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. Global & regional climate change, Texas climate, extreme climatic events The IPCC, specifically its Working Group I that [email protected], 979.862.2248 evaluates the physical science of climate change, Gunnar Schade will present its Fifth Assessment Report Summary Greenhouse gases & global carbon cycle, climate-chemistry interactions for Policymakers September 27, 2013, in Stock- [email protected], 979.845.0633 holm, Sweden. Don Collins While the report is unlikely to contain much new Atmospheric particles and climate, geoengineering information regarding the well understood basics of [email protected], 979.845.6324 planetary warming such as greenhouse gases and Andrew Klein greenhouse heating, ocean acidification, or sea level Climate change and tropical glaciers rise, it is likely to convey a message of increased [email protected], 979.845.5219 scientific certainty of how humans have affected Achim Stoessel global climate, and the steadily increasing risks to Polar oceans in climate models societies under current global business-as-usual [email protected], 979.862.4170 CO2 emissions scenarios. R. Saravanan A persistent gap remains between the scientific Variability and predictability of global climate consensus on global warming and the public’s per- [email protected], 979.845.0175 ception of these science results. The science results Debbie Thomas say Earth is warming, this warming is dominated by Past climates human greenhouse gas emissions, and continued [email protected], 979.862.7742 unmitigated emissions will have significant adverse Ethan Grossman societal impacts. Thus, accurate reporting to the Past climates public is an important service. Geosciences faculty [email protected], 979.845.0637 can work with media in assessing the IPCC report Steven Quiring and the science, policy and public perception of Climate and Water climate change. [email protected], 979.458.1712

AIAA Houston Section Horizons September / October 2013 Page 29