Texas and Commercial Space Presentation to 31st Texas Aviation Conference 14 May 2013 Chip Hill, Director Space Engineering Research Center Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station 979.845.8768
[email protected] Virgin Galactic Spaceship Two Courtesy Virgin Galactic Presentation Objective Describe the Commercial Space industry and discuss areas of interest for Texas Aviation – Introductions – Definitions – Aviation and other thoughts Space Engineering Research Center • Originally chartered as a NASA Testing on NASA Commercial Space Center (mid 80’s) Zero Gravity to support technology (space) testing aircraft and commercialization • Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Center pursuing interdisciplinary aerospace activities • Expertise/programs in thermal control, Student space group visible cameras (star trackers), energy storage, solar power, two phase flow, image processing, zero gravity testing, power beaming • Industry, government and university associations to compete for government/industry contracts and grants 4 Some Definitions… • Let’s consider altitude regimes – “Near Space”, Orbital, and beyond Orbital • Near Space is area between “airspace” and Outer Space, ~20 km (12 miles) to 100 km (62 miles) • Traditional Low Earth Orbit altitude starts at 160 km (99 miles) View of Space from 30 km • Near Space traversed by high altitude balloons and suborbital vehicles • Outer Space (including beyond Orbital) typically the province of Government and Civil (satellite) programs (Satellites $170B/year) What is Commercial Space? • Means