Conversations with Werner J.A. Dahm Critical times for India’s space program scramsintothefuture

2010

APUBLICATIONOFTHEAMERICANINSTITUTEOFAERONAUTICSANDASTRONAUTICS X-51 October

Cover-1010X.qxd:AA Template 9/16/10 1 Page AM 10:59 9 AEROSPACE AMERICA OCTOBER 2010 VIEWlayout1010.qxd:AA Template 9/14/10 12:29 PM Page 2

Adastra:ThefutureofNASA’s astronautcorps

“THERE IS NO EASY WAY FROM THE EARTH From a high of about 140 steady diet of courses. to the stars” (Non est ad astra mollis e when I left NASA in 2001, the Astro- The first few years of ISS expedition terris via) wrote the Roman philosopher naut Office numbers today about 65 training followed the -era “backup Seneca the Younger in the first century flight-qualified crewmembers. In addi- crew” model, with each crew of three A.D. Given the uncertain future of tion, a dozen or more veteran astronauts shadowed by a replacement team that NASA’s human spaceflight plans, the continue to work for the agency in non- could step into the shoes of the prime Stoic’s words must resonate with present flying management roles, contributing crew right up through launch day. and prospective members of NASA’s as- hard-won operations experience. For the But such last-minute substitutions sel- tronaut corps. They face the 2011 end active astronauts, the mission is clear: To dom happened, and backup crewmem- of the era, inaugurating a train for and fly expeditions aboard the bers were then fed back into the training decade when perhaps only 40 U.S. as- ISS, and when not flying, to support grind for a year or more before their tronauts may journey to Earth orbit. By their colleagues who do. own turns came. Watching his prime contrast, when I first flew as a shuttle The six crewmembers of each ISS crew rumble aloft from Baikonur on a crewmember, NASA launched 84 astro- expedition generally serve six-month trail of golden flame, one backup cosmo- nauts in just two calendar years, 1994- tours, and an average of a dozen astro- naut once turned to his U.S. colleague 1995. But those days are gone, and to- nauts and cosmonauts will live aboard and wryly lamented the prospect of start- day’s corps must grapple with shrinking the station annually. By partner agree- ing over: “We are now considered the flight opportunities, new training chal- ment, Russian cosmonauts fill half those dumbest cosmonauts on the planet.” lenges, and serious questions about the slots. This leaves two for other ISS part- ISS training managers have now in- future of human space exploration. ner astronauts and four for Americans, stituted a concept called “single flow to all of whom fly aboard the four Russian launch,” where the backup team trains Soyuz spacecraft, launched annually to with the prime crew through launch, The Soyuz TMA-19 rocket launches from Baikonur provide crew transport and emergency then tackles only six more months of ex- Cosmodrome on June 16 carrying NASA Flight Engineers and escape at the station. After 2012, the pedition-specific classes before flying. Douglas Wheelock, and Soyuz Commander number of U.S. astronauts needed to First-time flyers typically spend about , to the ISS. Photo credit: crew ISS, fill the training pipeline, and 2.5 years training for an expedition, says NASA/Carla Cioffi. cover office technical assignments is Jett, with less than two years needed for about 55, says Brent Jett, chief of flight repeat ISS flyers. crew operations at NASA Johnson. Although the travel and family sepa- ration burden is still hard on crewmem- Training for long-haul bers, the single-flow streamlining reduces The ISS has been manned continuously those stresses and makes it more likely for nearly a decade, starting with the No- that some astronauts will volunteer for a vember 2, 2000, arrival of . second long-duration flight. Repeat flyers Supplying crewmembers to keep the sta- include (now chief of the tion productive and operable for another Office) and Jeff Williams. 10 years is the challenge for the current Their colleagues Mike Fossum, Don Pet- astronaut corps. Jett, who flew four shut- tit, and Sunni Williams have all been as- tle missions and commanded STS-115 signed to their second ISS tours (29, 31, in 2006, noted in an interview that he and 33, respectively). personally envies ISS crewmembers, who “really get a chance to ‘live’ in space,” as Still hiring? opposed to just “enduring” the hectic, Shannon Walker, the last member of the flat-out sprint of a shuttle mission. 2004 class to fly, is now at the ISS with But that long-duration experience Expedition 24. Nearly all of the astro- has come at a high price. The normal nauts who will fly on the station in the ISS training flow has often exceeded next decade have already been hired. three years, with half the time spent at Will NASA shut down its astronaut selec- ’s Star City for systems classes, tion process? Not at all, says Whitson— simulations, and, for the Americans, a NASA will continue to hire them in small

18 AEROSPACE AMERICA/OCTOBER 2010 VIEWlayout1010.qxd:AA Template 9/14/10 12:29 PM Page 3

pressions and produce astronauts with the right skills and temperament to suc- ceed aboard ISS. Flight Crew Opera- tions has already refocused astronaut candidate training for the coming decade of long-duration missions. Jett says that “the astronaut corps is not immune to the fundamental changes that NASA is undergoing, the biggest in 30 years. But in many ways we were better prepared for change, because we already knew the shuttle era was end- ing.” U.S. astronauts have also known since 2005 that Soyuz would be their ticket to LEO for years, pending the de- velopment of shuttle’s successor. “Other than the current uncertainty [about NASA’s long-range direction], not much has changed,” says Jett. The curriculum for the 2009 astro- Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and NASA astronaut Shannon Walker, both Expedition 24 flight engineers, naut class reflects this reality. None of its occupy their seats in the Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft. On June 28 the crew relocated the Soyuz from the members will fly on the orbiter, so except Zvezda service module’s aft port to the Rassvet mini research module 1. for a few ascent orientation sessions in the shuttle mission simulator, shuttle numbers, both to replace the few who naut candidate, or “ascan,” must fit the training has been supplanted by ISS and will leave with the shuttle’s final flight part physically. Because Russia provides Soyuz systems training, long-duration and to introduce younger crewmembers both the crew transport and emergency skills in areas such as robotics and EVA, into the corps. escape vehicles at ISS, “we won’t select and Russian language classes. “We get literally thousands of appli- a candidate [who can’t] fit in a Soyuz.” The language classes are an integral cants,” says Whitson, who served on the Who makes an ideal candidate? part of Soyuz training. Jett says that he 2004 selection board and chaired the Whitson, who spent more than a year wants to see an experienced U.S. crew- 2009 panel. “We want a diverse group on orbit with and as com- member in the left, flight engineer’s seat, of candidates,” she explains. “People mander of 16, says she’s looking for working directly with the center-seat Rus- with different backgrounds—pilots, sci- “people who are easy to work with and sian commander on rendezvous, proxim- entists, engineers—can learn from each be around.” Surveys of expedition crews, ity operations, and emergency proce- other.” Test pilots share their opera- she says, have ranked traits such as “self- dures. Shannon Walker took on this tional and decision-making experience, caring, team-oriented, good follower, and demanding engineer role during her while scientists teach their classmates leadership” at the top of those desired in June launch to ISS. The right-seater is about how research—on the ground or a future astronaut. A high-maintenance less responsible for piloting tasks but still at ISS—gets done. crewmember is poison on a long-dura- has duties in orbit operations and emer- The 23 members of my 1990 “Hair- tion flight, or even a shuttle mission. gencies. Soyuz skills will carry over to ball” group trained for the challenge of My 1990 classmates were hired ei- the space shuttle; in 1990, “Space Sta- ther as mission specialists or pilot astro- The class chosen in 2009 will train in the NEEMO tion Freedom” was just a stack of view- nauts. But when the nine new U.S. hires subsea habitat. graphs, and few of us imagined we of the 2009 group complete their train- would ever fly aboard an orbiting outpost ing, they will be termed astronauts. Only called the ISS. The station is now the when named to an ISS expedition will only flight opportunity available, and as- they receive temporary designations tronaut hiring and candidate training re- such as “flight engineer,” “U.S. segment flect that reality. lead,” or “commander.” Formal astronaut qualifications are posted at http://nasajobs.nasa.gov/as- Always training tronauts/. Jett says that in addition to Although the hiring process is not per- meeting educational, professional experi- fect, Whitson thinks the training that ence, and medical standards, an astro- candidates receive can confirm first im-

AEROSPACE AMERICA/OCTOBER 2010 19 VIEWlayout1010.qxd:AA Template 9/14/10 12:30 PM Page 4

recent Soyuz crew, a proficiency in largely ballistic vehicles little rusty during their such as Soyuz, Orion, or many commer- final simulator session, cial designs. back for refresher As the T-38, originally an Air Force training before clear- trainer, approaches 50 years in service ing them for their sta- with the astronaut corps, NASA is ex- tion launch. amining other aircraft to complement the Talon. Candidates include business Value of the cockpit jets for practicing crew coordination, or One challenge for modern turboprop trainers like the T-6 Whitson and Jett is Texan II, suitable for introducing the exposing new ascans complex aviation environment to ascans to the dynamic without flying backgrounds. decision-making envi- ronment characteristic 21st-century astronauts of spaceflight. Fast- What mix of skills will a future astronaut paced emergency- corps need? Will there be opportunities Astronauts Stephen N. Frick (front) and Rex J. Walheim, STS-122 com- filled sessions in the beyond the current LEO/ISS/Soyuz op- mander and mission specialist, respectively, prepare to fly a NASA T-38. shuttle simulator in erations? Jett says he had planned in Houston were at the 2012 to assign a cadre of about six ex- operations in new commercial or NASA- core of this process. But the ISS simula- perienced astronauts to flight testing of built vehicles when these appear. tor is better suited to systems or facilities the Orion vehicle, but that plan is on For the past 10 years, ascans have training, where problems unfold over hold until a firm schedule emerges for ei- also participated in expedition training. hours or days, and maintenance or re- ther a stripped-down, LEO-only Orion This exposes them to field experiences pairs might take weeks, as with the Au- or commercial vehicles. that showcase team-building and leader- gust coolant pump package failure. Veteran astronaut Linda Godwin, ship, often under wilderness conditions. But spaceflight emergencies do not who works with Jett in Flight Crew Op- The 2009 class members will find them- always grant astronauts the luxury of erations, says much depends on who will selves on physically demanding treks time. Life-and-death situations can arise be doing the driving: Will commercial ve- with the National Outdoor Leadership quickly, especially during launch and hicles follow a “rental car” model, requir- School, underwater at the NASA Ex- landing, or in the risk-laden hours of a ing NASA astronaut operators, or a treme Environment Mission Operations spacewalk. The most effective generic “space taxi” concept, where commercial (NEEMO) subsea habitat, or trekking training for those situations, says Jett, crews or ground-based operators deliver through snow-laden forests with Cana- comes at the controls of an airplane. a NASA crew to the station? dian military survival experts. Instructors “The value of aviation training is that The astronauts will be involved in the critique the candidates’ performance in decisions made in the cockpit have real- design and testing of any NASA-built leadership roles, and expedition mem- world consequences,” he explains. No spacecraft that emerges from current bers see how their colleagues get along simulator offers that same dynamic envi- congressional and White House debate. in a stressful work environment that de- ronment, demanding a steady stream of They also stand ready to advise commer- mands effective teamwork. critical thinking and decisions, small and cial designers on meeting human space- My classmates and I began our 1990- large, that determine one’s survival. Fly- flight standards and operations require- 1991 ascan training in the classroom, ing, or “spaceflight proficiency training,” ments. Beyond 2020, NASA explorers then practiced in part-task trainers, mov- gives ascans from a wide range of back- and their international partners may un- ing up finally to the mission simulator. In- grounds a common grounding in the art dertake exploration on NEOs, on the structors gave few, if any, exams; we of good judgment. Moon, or at Lagrange points such as demonstrated our competence in prac- During the shuttle era, astronauts Sun-Earth L2. These tasks will require tice, but this made it difficult for supervi- flew T-38 Talon jet trainers, and shuttle scientific exploration skills different from sors to assess individual performance. pilots trained in the STA (shuttle training those needed on ISS. Ascans today are evaluated systemat- aircraft), a modified Gulfstream business Outside government, commercial ac- ically by experienced instructors and as- jet capable of replicating the orbiter’s ap- cess to space may lead to privately tronauts, and NASA is no longer shy proach performance and handling quali- owned facilities in LEO. Employee as- about giving feedback. Those who can- ties. The STA will retire with the shuttle, tronauts would tend these, serving in not meet standards after supplemental and the T-38 complement at NASA’s positions ranging from adventure tour training are dropped from the program Ellington Field aircraft operation in Hous- guides to researchers in orbiting indus- before graduation. Throughout the ISS ton has already dropped from 30 to trial facilities. expedition training, right up through about 20 aircraft, reflecting the smaller Ken Bowersox, who led ISS Expedi- launch day, evaluations continue. Rus- size of the astronaut corps and the re- tion 6 and is a veteran shuttle com- sian instructors sent the members of a duced need for high-performance jet mander, is now SpaceX vice president

20 AEROSPACE AMERICA/OCTOBER 2010 VIEWlayout1010.qxd:AA Template 9/14/10 12:30 PM Page 5

for long duration [and are] able to deal for my first spaceflight; new astronaut with the ups and downs in the pace of an hires may have to wait a decade, and fu- expedition.” ture flight assignments depend on Wash- In contrast to the short, high-inten- ington decisions not yet taken. sity sprint of a shuttle mission, ISS crew- If a new program crystallizes in the members have the luxury of time. “You next few years—whether expeditions to can’t focus for six months on station near-Earth objects, a journey to La- with that same intensity,” Bowersox grange points, or pioneering the Moon— says. “On ISS, you can afford to make a crews for testing new vehicles and flying mistake, with the knowledge you have operational missions will be drawn pref- time to recover.” He points out that the erentially from the ranks of experienced fundamental reason for flying an astro- ISS astronauts. In the tradition of Lewis naut is to add value to that specific mis- and Clark, the nation will need a Corps NASA astronaut , Expedition sion. “We’ll need different types....per- of Discovery to challenge such new fron- 24 flight engineer, prepares to exit the Quest haps with broader backgrounds, maybe tiers. While cruising the weightless mod- airlock of the International Space Station to more experience in the sciences or other ules of the space station, the astronaut begin the first of three planned spacewalks to remove and replace an ammonia pump module activities than in operations.” corps is acquiring the judgment, leader- that failed July 31. ship, scientific skills, and—perhaps most Corps of Discovery important—the stamina needed to navi- Today, NASA’s projected human space- gate the uncertain corridors of NASA’s for astronaut safety and mission assur- flight manifest is relatively high on man- future. Thomas D.Jones ance. He says NASA will need ISS crew- days in LEO, but low on individual op- [email protected] members who “have the right mindset portunity. I waited just under four years www.AstronautTomJones.com

AEROSPACE AMERICA/OCTOBER 2010 21