Weiler Gives Outlook on Space Science
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March 14, 2003 Inside Volume 33 Number 6 News Briefs . 2 3X Reorganization . 3 Special Events Calendar . 2 Retirees, Letters . 4 Lew Allen Awards . 2 Passings, Classifieds . 4 Jet Propulsion Laboratory moons for hundreds of days, the proposed project would represent a huge leap in space science, he said. “That’s Galex, SIRTF DR. ED WEILER, NASA’S ASSOCIATE why I use the word ‘revolution’ vs. ‘evolution’ in terms prepare at Weiler ADMINISTRATOR FOR SPACE SCIENCE, of science capability,” he said. “You cannot do this mission with chemical power—there would be so much ADDRESSED JPL STAFF MARCH 3, Cape for April fuel, you’d have no payload. gives COMMENTING ON THE STATE OF THE “Some of us believe that if we’re going to have a launches ENTERPRISE FOLLOWING THE RECENTLY future of 10, 20, 30 years of planetary exploration— and eventually even humans—we’re not going to do it he launch of the APPROVED FISCAL YEAR 2003 BUDGET. T outlook without nuclear fission,” he noted, adding that NASA Galaxy Evolution Noting the quick pace at which JPL will track current has launched 17 or more nuclear payloads over the Explorer (Galex), missions and prepare new ones for launch over the next years. “We know how to do it, we know what agencies a JPL-managed few years, Weiler asked whether the “faster, better, we have to work with, we know how to be safe.” satellite that on space cheaper” mantra of the 1990s was worth it. In the ’80s, Weiler also expressed his excitement about the po- will observe 1 million galax- he said, the average number of launches in the Office of tential of optical communications. Radio frequency for ies across 10 billion years of Space Science was “a couple in a good year. It was never the 2005 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, for instance, cosmic history to help astrono- science this many (as today). This is what ‘faster, better, cheap- will peak at about 2.2 megabits at closest range, about mers determine when the stars er’ gave us.” 300K at maximum range. He said the optical communi- and elements we see today had By Mark Whalen Weiler then discussed Project Prometheus, a new cations system for the 2009 Mars orbiter will be about their origins. has been delayed to NASA program to develop nuclear power reactors that 10 megabits at closest range and 1 megabit of continu- March 28 at the earliest. would be used for spacecraft power and for electric ous coverage at the maximum distance. Tests performed on the space- propulsion. The agency is not abandoning the “faster, Now is “the perfect time” to develop optical commu- craft at Kennedy Space Center nications missions, he said, because much of the tech- before mating with its Pegasus nology has been developed for defense and commercial launch vehicle discovered a dis- Dr. Ed Weiler’s talk is use. “Our job is now to figure a way to get laser light connected cable from the star available from the Daily from Mars or Jupiter to the vicinity of the Earth.” tracker to the spacecraft bus. The Weiler urged the audience to speak with pride about cause of this is being investigated. Planet’s video archive what they do for a living, but advised not to talk in JPL developed Galex’s science (http://dailyplanet). jargon. “Think about what might excite the guy or gal instrument with optics contribu- who’s paying (your) salary. If you can say to your neigh- tions from the French Space bor, ‘I work on a program that’s going to search for life Agency. Science operations and in the universe or look for the beginning of time,’ you data analysis will be performed at might strike up a conversation. Talk about the questions Caltech with support from Japan’s you’re trying to answer. They don't deserve acronyms; Yonsei University. they deserve better.” The mission is crucial to under- Bob Brown / JPL Photolab Bob Brown standing how galaxies, the basic The associate administrator had praise for those who structures of our universe, form better, cheaper” approach, said Weiler, but is recogniz- have made their careers at the Lab. “You might feel and function. From its orbit high ing the value of an occasional flagship mission. He was accomplishment and get a higher salary for going to above Earth, the spacecraft will referring to the first mission of Project Prometheus, the work in outside industry, or you could stay at JPL. Let’s sweep the skies for 28 months Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, proposed for launch in 2011. say you might work on Mars 2013, the first real in- using state-of-the-art ultraviolet JPL will be the center in charge of the proposed mission, depth astrobiology mission. You might play a small part. detectors. with the Department of Energy, a number NASA centers, But let’s say that mission detects life on Mars—previ- For more information about and industry heavily involved. ous or even current-day life. You will have worked on the mission, visit http://www. With the ability to closely orbit each of the Jovian the biggest discovery in the history of the human race.” galex.caltech.edu. Meanwhile, the Space Infrared e m e h Telescope Facility arrived at the t m ARS Kennedy Space Center March 6 New information about what is tional pull of the Sun. This causes a conclusions about the Mars core, to begin final preparations for its Scientists inside Mars shows the Red Planet solid body tide with a bulge toward according to JPL’s Dr. Bill Folkner, launch next month has a molten liquid iron core, con- and away from the Sun (similar in another co-author of the paper. aboard a Boeing say Mars firming the interior of the planet has concept to the tides on Earth). The precession is the slow motion Delta II rocket. some similarity to Earth and Venus. However, for Mars this bulge is of the spin pole of Mars as it moves The observatory has a liquid JPL researchers, analyzing three much smaller, less than 1 centimeter along a cone in space (similar to was shipped to Florida from the years of radio tracking data from the (0.4 inch). By measuring this bulge a spinning top). For Mars, it takes Lockheed Martin iron core Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, in the Mars gravity field we can 170,000 years to complete one plant in Sunnyvale, Calif. concluded that Mars has not cooled determine how flexible Mars is. The revolution. The precession rate By Mary Hardin The telescope will spend a few to a completely solid iron core; size of the measured tide is large indicates how much the mass of more weeks in a clean room rather, its interior is made enough to indicate the core of Mars Mars is concentrated toward the preparing for its April 15 launch. up of either a com- cannot be solid iron but must be at center. A faster precession rate The Space Infrared Telescope pletly liquid iron core least partially liquid.” indicates a larger dense core, com- Facility marks the finale of or a liquid outer The team used Doppler tracking pared to a slower precession rate. NASA’s Great Observatories core with a solid of a Global Surveyor radio signal to In addition to detection of a liquid program, which includes the inner core. Their determine the precise orbit of the core for Mars, the results indicate Hubble Space Telescope, the results are spacecraft around Mars. “The tidal the size of the core is about one-half Chandra X-ray Observatory published in bulge is a very small but detectable the size of the planet, as is the case and the Compton Gamma Ray the March 7 force on the spacecraft,” said JPL for Earth and Venus, and that the Observatory. Its unprecedented online issue planetary scientist Dr. Alex Konopliv, core has a significant fraction of a infrared sensitivity will allow of the journal co-author on the paper. “It causes a lighter element such as sulfur. astronomers to capture what Science. drift in the tilt of the spacecraft’s In addition to measuring the they affectionately call “the “Earth has an outer liquid iron orbit around Mars of one-thousandth Mars tide, Global Surveyor has been Old, the Cold, and the Dirty,” This artist’s concept of the interior core and solid inner core. This may of a degree over a month,” able to estimate the amount of ice referring to the coldest, oldest, be the case for Mars as well,” said The researchers combined infor- sublimated, changed directly into a of Mars shows a hot liquid core and most dust-obscured objects JPL planetary scientist Dr. Charles mation from Mars Pathfinder on the gaseous state, from one pole into and processes in the universe. that is about one-half the radius Yoder, lead author on the paper. Mars precession with the Global the atmosphere and then accreted For more information, visit of the planet. “Mars is influenced by the gravita- Surveyor tidal detection to draw onto the opposite pole. http://sirtf.caltech.edu. 2 Lee wins Korean physicists award The North America and Yucatan Universe DR. HWANG LEE, a senior member of Peninsula images created from the Quantum Computing Technologies the map are available online at Special Events Calendar http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov. Group, Section 367, has won the 180-101, is designed to assist employ- prestigious Association of Korean Cost/price analysis class April 3 Ongoing Support Groups ees newly eligible for the Caltech/JPL Physicists in America’s Outstanding TIAA/CREF retirement plan with “Cost/Price Analysis,” the seventh Alcoholics Anonymous—Meetings are Young Researcher Award for 2003.