Mars Laboratory Lands on Red Ink

Home , Ares I, Ares V, Augustine Committee, Bosscha Observatory, Hermes (satellite), Marooned (novel)

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Mars laboratory lands on red ink

Space debris: A growing challenge A conversation with Graham Love

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October 2009

DEPARTMENTS Page 4 EDITORIAL 3 Our future in space.

INTERNATIONAL BEAT 4 Europe looks for UCAV synergies.

ASIA UPDATE 8 Southeast Asia reaches toward space. Page 8

WASHINGTON WATCH 10 Page 10 Aviation and spaceflight under scrutiny.

HONORS & AWARDS 14 CONVERSATIONS 16 With Graham Love.

VIEW FROM HERE 18 Is human spaceflight “optional”?

ENGINEERING NOTEBOOK 22 NASA coating helps keep hearts beating. Page 18 OUT OF THE PAST 44 CAREER OPPORTUNITIES 46

FEATURES MARS LABORATORY LANDS ON RED INK 24 With the Mars Science Laboratory’s launch window soon closing and important Page 24 challenges remaining, NASA has acted to safeguard the troubled program. by Frank Sietzen Jr.

SPACE DEBRIS:A GROWING CHALLENGE 30 As space debris proliferates, experts say portions of near-Earth orbit could become unusable if mitigating steps are not taken soon. by Leonard David

CLOUDY FORECAST FOR NPOESS 38 Working hand in hand with both manufacturers and airlines, EASA’s goal is to make flying Europe’s skies as safe as possible. by James W.Canan

BULLETIN Page 30 AIAA Meeting Schedule B2 AIAA Courses and Training Program B4 AIAA News B5 Meeting Program B13 Call for Papers B22 Page 38 COVER The Mars Science Laboratory is NASA’s most complex Mars effort to date.Its large rover will be housed in an aeroshell with a heat shield.For more on this ambitious program,turn to the story beginning on page 24.

Aerospace America (ISSN 0740-722X) is published monthly by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. at 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, Va. 20191-4344 [703/264-7577]. Subscription rate is 50% of dues for AIAA members (and is not deductible therefrom). Nonmember subscription price: U.S. and Canada, $163, foreign, $200. Single copies $20 each. Postmaster: Send address changes and subscription orders to address above, attention AIAA Customer Service, 703/264-7500. Periodical postage paid at Herndon, VA, and at additional mailing offices. Copyright © 2009 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., all rights reserved. The name Aerospace America is registered by the AIAA in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 40,000 copies of this issue printed. This is Volume 47, No. 9. Oct09.edit.qxd:AA Template 9/11/09 12:33 PM Page 1

is a publication of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Elaine J. Camhi Editor-in-Chief Patricia Jefferson Associate Editor Greg Wilson Production Editor Jerry Grey, Editor-at-Large Our future in space Christine Williams, Editor AIAA Bulletin “The U.S. human spaceflight program appears to be on an unsustainable trajec- Correspondents tory. It is perpetuating the perilous practice of pursuing goals that do not match Robert F. Dorr, Washington Philip Butterworth-Hayes, Europe allocated resources.” Michael Westlake, Hong Kong This is the opening statement of the Summary Report of the Review of Human Space Flight Committee, released on September 8. The review was announced on Contributing Writers May 7 by the Office of Science and Technology Policy; the committee was led by Richard Aboulafia, John Binder, James W. Canan, Marco Cáceres, Edward Flinn, Norman Augustine, former chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Future Tom Jones, Théo Pirard, David Rockwell, of the United States Space Program. Frank Sietzen, J.R. Wilson The 12 panel members, all deeply involved in U.S. space efforts, were asked not only to examine NASA’s current efforts in human spaceflight, but to explore Fitzgerald Art & Design Art Direction and Design other potential options for sustaining a U.S. presence in space. The group first looked at current activities—the space shuttle’s safety record and its reliability, the Craig Byl, Manufacturing and Distribution future of the international space station, and the Constellation program—then David W. Thompson, President considered the possibilities for the future. Robert S. Dickman, Publisher In the course of its deliberations, the committee identified five alternative sce- STEERING COMMITTEE narios for future human space transportation and exploration, positing different Michael B. Bragg, University of Illinois; destinations and vehicles for reaching them. All of the alternatives had benefits and Philip Hattis, Draper Laboratory; Mark S. drawbacks, but all were encumbered by the same problem: None could be realized Maurice, AFOSR; Laura McGill, Raytheon; under the present NASA budget outlook. George Muellner, Boeing; Merri Sanchez, Two of the scenarios assumed current spending levels. In both of those cases, National Aeronautics and Space Administra- the group found that the heavy lift Ares V would not be ready until the late 2020s, tion; Mary Snitch, Lockheed Martin with little or no possibility of a lunar landing before the 2030s, if at all. More EDITORIAL BOARD telling, the committee found that “no plan compatible with the FY 2010 budget Ned Allen, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics; profile permits human exploration to continue in any meaningful way.” The other Jean-Michel Contant, EADS; Eugene three alternatives call for a budget increase of $3 billion annually, an increase the Covert, Massachusetts Institute of Technol- committee believes would enable a viable, sustainable exploration effort. ogy; L.S. “Skip” Fletcher, Texas A&M Uni- President Obama’s budget for FY10 totals approximately $3.5 trillion. Of versity; Michael Francis, United Technologies; that amount, NASA’s total FY10 budget of $18.7 billion represents just over Christian Mari, Teuchos; Cam Martin, 0.5%. There is no question that money is tight, and all U.S. programs are scram- NASA Dryden; Don Richardson, Donrich Research; Douglas Yazell, Honeywell bling for funding. But this percentage, which has not changed much over several budget cycles, does not appear to represent a real and sustained commitment to ADVERTISING human spaceflight. A $3-billion increase in funding would be less than 0.1% of National Display and Classified: the U.S. budget, but could mean a 100% improvement in our future in space. Robert Silverstein, 240.498.9674 For years the U.S. has maintained its preeminence in space, but not without [email protected] budget shortfalls and often at the expense of other NASA programs. As explo- West Coast Display: Greg Cruse, ration activities become increasingly global, even the “first among equals” status 949.361.1870 / [email protected] would seem to be in peril. Send materials to Craig Byl, AIAA, 1801 The committee concluded that “Exploration provides an opportunity to Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500, Reston, VA demonstrate space leadership while deeply engaging international partners; to in- 20191-4344. Changes of address should be spire the next generation of scientists and engineers; and to shape human percep- sent to Customer Service at the same address, tions of our place in the universe.” Seems to be worth paying for. by e-mail at [email protected], or by fax at Elaine Camhi 703/264-7606. Editor-in-Chief Send Letters to the Editor to Elaine Camhi at the same address or [email protected] October 2009, Vol. 47, No. 9 BEATlayout1009a.qxd:AA Template 9/11/09 12:35 PM Page 2

EuropelooksforUCAVsynergies

WILL EUROPEENDUPWITHASINGLEUN- Separate paths Taranis as part of the initial work into manned combat air vehicle program? The U.K. and France are the two Euro- the emerging DPOC (deep and persist- At the start of the year such an idea pean countries with the greatest invest- ent offensive capability) requirement, would have seemed unlikely. After all, ment in UCAV technologies, and they which could see UCAVs flying alongside Europe’s largest aerospace industries are have very different UCAV priorities and Eurofighter Typhoons and Lockheed pursuing three separate UCAV technol- road maps. France wants to have the Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters as early ogy demonstrator/prototype programs, technology matured for its Future Com- as 2018. And unlike other European with different capabilities and to different bat Air System (FCAS) program, which countries, the U.K. is already using timescales. While continental European could replace the current Dassault Rafale UCAVs, having deployed armed General countries have more or less agreed to manned fighters in 2030. The country is Atomics MQ-9 Reapers in Afghanistan combine their UCAV programs into a spearheading the nEUROn program beginning in November 2007. They are single joint venture, the U.K. is develop- with other European nations to fly a flown from Kandahar Air Base in Af- ing its own capability, with experience technology demonstrator by 2011 as ghanistan by the RAF’s 39 Squadron pi- gained from working with U.S. partners. part of the long-term road map to devel- lots, based in Creech AFB, Nev., also Even if the U.K. wants to cooperate with oping FCAS capabilities. the home of the USAF Reaper-equipped its European partners, it will be prohib- In contrast, the U.K.’s Ministry of 42nd Attack Squadron. As well as carry- ited from sharing much of its UCAV Defence (MOD) is spending £124 mil- ing out intelligence, surveillance, and re- knowledge through technology transfer lion with BAE Systems to develop a connaissance missions, these Reapers constraints, agreed with U.S. partners. UCAV technology demonstrator called are equipped with Hellfire missiles and Paveway Two bombs. In strategic requirements for UCAVs, Taranis timescales, and industry priorities, therefore, the two countries could not be further apart. Until now, that is. Economic necessity is driving France and the U.K. to work together on a host of new defense collaborative projects, including UCAV research. The continent simply cannot afford three competing UCAV programs.

Joining forces In a July 6 announcement following a meeting between U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the two governments agreed to “in the mid- to long-term, as- nEUROn sess the scope for collaboration on unmanned air vehicles—ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition) and UCAS (unmanned combat air system)—by undertaking a detailed joint study to map out the key elements of any collaborative programs and establishing concrete discussions between our industries.” But will a major policy change at the government level be followed by a policy change at the industrial level? How easy will cooperation be, given the major dif-

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Experimental European UCAS programs Description Companies involved Timescales Taranis A jointly funded U.K.government/private BAE Systems,Rolls-Royce,QinetiQ,GE Aviation.BAE First flight 2010.The flight trials of the industry technology-demonstrator program, Systems and QinetiQ are managing autonomy technology demonstrator will take Taranis is a stealthy intercontinental UCAV systems.GE Aviation is responsible for providing place at the test ranges at Woomera in featuring low observable (LO) technologies. the fuel gauging systems and the complete South Australia. The Taranis platform has a delta-wing shape, electrical power system.Rolls-Royce provides the tricycle-type landing gear, and is the size of a engine, and BAE Systems Australia supplies the BAE Systems Hawk trainer.It is powered by a flight control computing system.The Integrated Rolls-Royce Adour engine improved for long- Systems Technologies (Insyte) division of BAE endurance hot and high operations.The Systems is providing C4ISTAR support.Insyte is control portion covers RF and the infrared developing mission management, mission plan- spectrum,while LO characteristics include ning and control, payload control, and imagery innovative engine intake and nozzle designs. analysis and exploitation.Claverham provides Weapons systems could include high-power the primary flight control actuation system, and microwaves and laser weapons. Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems provides the wheels,brakes,and brake control systems.

nEUROn The technology concept vehicle is understood The program is led by Dassault Aviation, which is Program started in 2004, with flight trials to measure 9.3 m in length with a 12.5-m responsible for general design and architecture, due to start in 2011 at Istres, France, where wingspan—about three-quarters scale of a flight control system, final assembly, and ground the vehicle will be assembled.Later flight production UCAV.Maximum takeoff weight is tests, as well as the flight tests.Other partners trials to be carried out in Sweden, for stealth 5,000-6,500 kg (11,000-14,300 lb), and maximum are: Alenia (Italy): internal weapon bay, electrical and weapons release validation work.Final speed is Mach 0.85 with a 12-hr endurance. power and distribution system, air data system, flight trials to take place in Italy. Incorporates advanced stealth technologies and ground and flight tests; SAAB (Sweden): such as an engine intake that features radar- design of fuselage, avionics, fuel system, and absorbing material and infrared signature flight testing; Hellenic Aerospace Industry suppression.The air vehicle has four control (Greece): rear fuselage, exhaust pipe, test rig; surfaces and two weapon bays, each sized for EADS (Spain):wings,ground station,data link a Mk.82 bomb.System software is based on integration; RUAG (Switzerland):wind tunnel Arinc 653 software design standard.The French tests,weapon interface. government is providing half of the program’s €400-million budget with other financing supplied by other member nations.

Agile UAV Within Network Centric Environments (Agile-NCE) The program is investigating datalinks and EADS The study was commissioned by the German network-enabled technology within a UCAV Federal Office of Defense Technology framework.Two air vehicles are taking part and Procurement in 2007.Finland and in the program—EADS is building a second Switzerland have subsequently joined UCAV technology demonstrator following the project, which is due to run until 2013. the crash of the Barracuda flying test-bed prototype in Goose Bay, Canada, in 2006. The main work comprises evaluating risk-reduction, key technologies, and future operational concepts, carried out through simulations and flight tests.

ferences between the nEUROn and price. It is a highly complex partnership next-generation combat aircraft. Taranis programs? with three main goals—maintaining and Taranis, on the other hand, is an all- Problem one—nEUROn is not merely developing the skills of the participating U.K. industry effort to meet a govern- a technical demonstration program, it is European aerospace companies’ design ment requirement for the U.K. to de- a validator of European advanced-tech- ofﬁces; investigating and validating tech- velop a sovereign capability in UCAV nology industrial cooperation, a partner- nologies that will be needed by 2015 to technology. ship of six European countries research- design next-generation combat aircraft; Problem two—both programs are al- ing how companies in different countries and validating an innovative cooperation ready well advanced. “The nEUROn can work together to provide the appro- process by establishing a European in- program is now ready to fully enter the priate technologies at the appropriate dustry team responsible for developing development and manufacturing phase,”

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Mantis Talarion

said Philippe Koffi, of the French Dele- Systems’ Mantis and EADS’ Talarion Spain, in nEUROn—the military air sys- gation Generale pour L’Armement projects are being designed primarily as tems company is manufacturing CFC (DGA), at a London UCAV conference ISTAR platforms, but both could be de- parts and assuming responsibility for the in July. “The long-lead time manufactur- veloped to carry weapons, as the Reaper data exchange systems. The other is its ing has already started. The final design has evolved from the Predator. EADS is ongoing work on the Agile-NCE (net- review was held in April 2009, and sys- reported as saying it has decided not to work-centric environments) study. tem global definition is frozen.” make major investments in UCAVs, Given a governmental go-ahead for There are two other European UAS though it is keeping its options on two development this year, the maiden flight programs that may have the potential to fronts. One is through continuing in- of Talarion would be in 2013, and with develop UCAV capabilities. Both BAE volvement by its subsidiary, EADS first series deliveries in 2015. Again, the U.K. is seeking a more aggressive development path for its next-generation ISTAR UAS, with the first flight of Man- INSPIRE tis planned for later in 2009. Earlier this passion year the U.K.’s MOD said it was considering deploying Mantis in Afghanistan during 2010.

New road maps IMPACT Whether Anglo-French cooperation will result in a joint UCAV by 2030 will de- innovation pend very much on how their respective defense ministries draw up their UAS road map—with more intensive UCAS collaboration most likely in the post- IGNITE Taranis, post-nEUROn ﬂight trial era. The U.K.’s MOD is currently devel- imagination oping a UAS strategy to 2023, and its immediate preoccupation is with inte- grating its new Watchkeeper ISTAR platforms—based on the Elbit Systems INVEST Hermes 450—by 2013. The ministry in the future has identiﬁed 16 capability areas where unmanned systems should be used in the future, with these spanning tasks including ISTAR, deep target attack, and theater airspace. In July the MOD outlined to UAS manufacturers its requirements for a new medium-altitude long-endurance ISTAR UAV, stressing that competitors such as BAE Systems, Thales, EADS, and Selex www.aiaafoundation.org would have to work together to ensure the next generation of UAVs would be

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Experimental European ISTAR programs with potential for carrying weapons Description Companies involved Timescales Mantis A jointly funded U.K.government/private industry program, Mantis BAE Systems, GE Aviation, First flight 2009. is a long-endurance twin-engine ISTAR platform with autonomous QinetiQ, Meggitt, Rolls-Royce, mission system capability.The advanced concept technology dem- Selex Galileo. onstrator has a wingspan of over 20 m and features a fly-by-wire, all-electric control system.It is powered by Rolls-Royce RB250B-17 engines.The production aircraft is reported to have a maximum operating altitude of about 55,000 ft.Mantis is being designed for 24-hr endurance operations with a payload capability equivalent of 12 MBDA Brimstone missiles or six Raytheon Paveway bombs. Talarion ISTAR UAS with a 27.9-m wingspan, EADS has proposed a program EADS Defense and Security– Given a governmental go-ahead for of six Talarion systems each for France and Germany and three for government partners from development in 2009, the maiden Spain.One system comprises three Talarion platforms plus ground France, Germany, and Spain. flight would be in 2013 with first segment.France, Germany, and Spain have funded a study phase— series deliveries in 2015. production decision is awaited.

able to use common ground stations and support systems. The MOD has also set Events Calendar up a new UAS procurement division OCT. 1-2 within the Defence Equipment and Sup- Resolving Uncertainties in Airframe Noise Testing and CAA Code port organization to smooth differences Validation, Bucharest, Romania. between air force and army UAS re- Contact: L. Koop, [email protected] quirements. The Future Systems team within the new division will focus on OCT. 12-16 Mantis and Taranis development. Sixtieth International Astronautical Congress: Space for Sustainable In its road map, the French DGA is Peace and Progress, Daejeon, Korea. considering 100 potential UCAV capa- Contact: http://iac2009.kr/ bilities, according to Koffi. These will be OCT. 19-22 prioritized in terms of life cycle costs, Sixteenth AIAA/DLR/DGLR International Space Planes and Hypersonic mission effectiveness, and fleet sizing. Systems and Technologies Conference, Bremen, Germany. After nEUROn, the DGA will be devel- Contact: 703/264-7500 oping complementary technology and operational concept demonstrations. OCT. 21-22 The French defense ministry is due to International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight, begin a more detailed study into UCAV Las Cruces, N.M. developments beyond nEUROn later this Contact: www.ispcs.com year. Both nEUROn and Tarantis feature OCT. 25-29 the Anglo-French Rolls-Royce/Turbo- IEEE/AIAA 28th Digital Avionics Systems Conference, Orlando, Fla. meca Adour engine. Contact: T. Redling, 903/457-7822; [email protected] The prospects for further collaboration between the two countries have also OCT. 26-28 been improved with the in-service date Eighteenth International Meshing Roundtable, Salt Lake City, Utah. for the U.K.’s DPOC UCAV apparently Contact: Jacqueline Hunter, 505/284-6969, [email protected] slipping from 2018 to nearer 2025, OCT. 29-30 coming close to France’s FCAS target. Joint Conference on Satellite Communications 2009, Nara, Japan. An industrial-level decision to merge Contact: Yoshihisa Takayama, [email protected] the UCAV programs of France and the U.K. would not be feasible at least until NOV. 3-6 2015—after the flight tests of the Taranis NDIA Aircraft Combat Survivability Symposium, Monterey, Calif. and nEUROn. But the fact that the issue Contact: Meredith Geary, 703/247-9476; [email protected] is now under serious consideration by NOV. 15-20 governments, if not yet by industry, is a Twentieth International Congress of Mechanical Engineering, serious change of course. Gramado, Brazil. Philip Butterworth-Hayes Contact: Joan Luis Azevedo, [email protected] Brighton,U.K.

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SoutheastAsiareachestowardspace

MUCHATTENTIONHASFOCUSEDONTHE ology, and mapping, using either their work on military aircraft and by mainte- Asian “space race” involving China, own home-built or other satellites in con- nance and repair of airliners, with Philip- Japan, India, and to a lesser extent junction with their own ground stations. pine Aerospace Development and PT South Korea—countries that are all in- The Philippines has a planetarium Dirgantara Indonesia (formerly IPTN) tent on sending people and/or machin- and an observatory plus a general educa- also performing aircraft assembly work— ery into orbit or toward the Moon. But tional program in astronomy run under and, in IPTN’s case, designing and build- there is no less interesting a range of the auspices of the Philippine Atmo- ing its own or joint-venture models. But space-related activity taking place spheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical still, obviously, the aerospace industry among some of Asia’s smaller powers. Services Administration, though there is has in general been more “aero” than This centers principally on developing no formal university course in the sub- “space”—except today in Indonesia, a and using space technology for commu- ject. A shortage of people qualified for nation that has become heavily involved nications, control of resources and—es- top scientific jobs is something of a self- in the hardware of rocketry. pecially—education. fulfilling situation, as there are currently Within this Southeast Asian group, few such jobs to be had. Indonesian civil activities... the major nations in terms of geographi- Thailand has science education pro- Indonesia’s need for air travel across its cal size or economic power are the grams run by the National Science and 3,275-mi. width and 1,373-mi. depth is Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thai- Technology Development Agency, some obvious—the country is roughly three land, and Indonesia. All five are involved involving the development of small satel- times the size of Texas. Perhaps less ob- at varying levels in the use of space for lites, while Singapore is seeking to vious behind the tourism-generated broadcasting, communications, meteor- spread knowledge of and involvement in stereotypes of balmy weather, clean blue space research by the not-for-profit Sin- seas, and long white beaches is the need gapore Space and Technology Associa- for space-based communications to link tion and hopes to launch its own mi- its five large and 13,677 smaller islands, crosatellite X-Sat—a technology demon- about 6,000 of which are inhabited by strator built by Nanyang Technological the country’s 240 million people. University—later this year. Hence the vital nature of the role Malaysia put itself somewhat ahead played by the National Institute of Aero- of its colleagues by launching its own nautics and Space (Lembaga Penerban- Earth observation satellite, RazakSat, gan dan Antariksa Nasional, or Lapan by into LEO on July 14 via commercial its local acronym). Lapan was set up in launcher Space X’s Falcon 1 rocket from 1964 and has as its brief the carrying Kwajalein in the Pacific. The Malaysian out of civil and military aeronautical and National Space Agency (known by its lo- space-related research, as well as the re- cal name Angkasa) has now achieved sponsibility for connecting all the popu- two major goals: putting up RazakSat, lated islands with telecommunications. and sending a Malaysian into space—or- Lapan’s involvement with satellites thopedic surgeon Sheikh Muszaphar includes the whole range of Palapa and Shukor flew in a Russian Soyuz space- Lapsat Indonesian broadcasting and craft to do a stint at the ISS in October telecommunications spacecraft that be- 2007. gan operating in 1976, with their new- Malaysia thus became the first South- generation replacements continuing in east Asian nation to have an astronaut of service to this day. Lapan also oversees its own, though this is somewhat unfair research into the atmosphere, global to Indonesia, which had two payload warming, the environment, remote sens- specialists in training and on the flight ing, communications systems, satellite schedule with NASA until the Challenger technology, and weather stations. In ad- shuttle disaster in 1986 forced the can- dition, it runs well-established rocket mo- cellation of their missions. tor and propellant laboratories. In July Malaysia launched its own Earth observation All five countries developed their That the Palapa satellite series was satellite, RazakSat, on a Falcon 1. aerospace industries via engineering originally built and launched by U.S. in-

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terests is largely irrelevant; through these Five major universities conduct satellites, Indonesia became only the courses up to postgraduate level, with third country after the U.S. and Canada majors in astronomy, aeronautical engi- to have its own domestic broadcasting neering, remote sensing, and geograph- and telecommunications satellite system. ical information systems. At the junior The point was only partly political con- level, there are contests to find the best trol—disaster relief and economic devel- home-made “rocket” powered by pres- opment could also proceed at a faster surized water, as a way of generating in- pace than before. Indeed, just as with terest in rocketry and space-related mat- Canada, Indonesia’s name for the satel- ters generally. lites was devised for social reasons: Palapa is a mythical fruit that a former ...and military efforts Bosscha observatory is near Bandung, West Java. ruler is said to have sworn could not be But these days, Indonesia’s scientists and enjoyed until the entire archipelago was engineers are intent on joining the big united; Canada’s satellites were named leagues, even though they suffer from extra $3 million-$5 million to develop Anik, an Inuktitut word meaning “little budgetary handicaps. Lapan wants to the RX-420 and the bigger RX-520. brother,” also signifying the desire for launch its own satellite on its own rocket. This roughly matches the increase of unity. Its goals include military needs as well as about 21% granted to Indonesia’s mili- In another important area, education civil ambitions. tary at the same time. and awareness, Indonesia is well en- To this end it has been cooperating At a test of the RX-420 in July, Indonesian dowed with scientific institutions and fa- with Indonesia’s military since 1995 to Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said his cilities built up over many years, with develop more efficient rockets, while at ministry was still calculating the relative costs planetariums in the capital, Jakarta, as the same time monitoring the strategic of developing guided missiles and importing well as in Surabaya in East Java (a navy Malacca Strait between Indonesia and major armaments such as fighter aircraft. facility) and Tenggarong in East Kali- Malaysia—a well-known area for piracy mantan on the huge island of Borneo. against commercial shipping—from Push toward space The country also has two observatories: space, with data from the satellite La- Of more significance is the push to reach Bosscha, near Bandung in West Java, pan-TUBsat’s remote-sensing gear, de- space. Last year Indonesia signed an for astronomical research, and the veloped in conjunction with Germany’s agreement to cooperate with Ukraine in Watukosek Solar Observatory at Gunung Technical University Berlin. But missiles space exploration and data acquisition. Perahu Hill in East Java. All these facili- intended to defend shipping in the strait Earlier, in 2006, Indonesia and Russia ties are used to generate a high aware- would necessarily have a relatively short had signed an agreement that would in- ness of space research among students range, and there have been no reports volve Russian Antonov An-124 heavy and the public at large and to promote of any guidance or other needed systems transport aircraft configured as “air the use of science in everyday life—for being developed. launch systems” operating from Biak Is- instance, training government officials to A pact with China signed in 2005 land. Under this agreement, at about help fishermen in the use of GPS units specifically included acquiring technol- 35,000 ft the aircraft would drop a to monitor fishing areas. ogy for missiles with a range of up to rocket that would, at least in theory, be 150 km (94 mi.). Rockets of various capable of lofting 3.5 tons of payload sizes have been tested fairly regularly. into LEO more cheaply than launching The smallest is the solid-fueled RX-100, from the ground. which is 1.9 m long and 110 mm in di- The attraction of Biak, or of launch- ameter, weighing 30 kg, and is used to ing from the ground from much of In- test payload subsystems. A two-stage donesia, is that proximity to the equator RX-150-120 with a range of 24 km was would give a rocket the benefit of the launched from a moving armored per- Earth’s rotation to help reach escape ve- sonnel carrier in March. RX-250s (250 locity. In theory, at least, the first air mm in diameter) have been fired regu- launch was planned for 2010. larly since 1987, with range progres- Whatever the likelihood of air sively increasing to 53 km in 2007. launches, Lapan is pressing on with its If there is a formal program to de- own rocket research. The scale of the velop missiles in Indonesia, it is very rockets is increasing. Last December the quiet, possibly because Lapan’s budget agency ran a ground test with an RX- for 2008 was the same as for 2007 at 420 weighing 1,000 kg and designed to In October 2007, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor only 200 billion rupiah ($19.9 million), reach 50 km altitude. This rocket is de- traveled to the International Space Station. though in July Lapan was promised an (Continued on page 13)

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Aviationandspaceflight underscrutiny

ON AUGUST 8, A PIPER PA-32R SARATOGA general aviation enjoys considerable private plane collided with a Eurocopter clout on Capitol Hill. Critics say visual AS350B2 sightseeing helicopter at navigation of small aircraft is fine in wide about 1,000 ft over the Hudson River open spaces, but not in the crowded sky west of New York City. Dramatic video over the Hudson. footage showed the Saratoga dropping Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) said from the sky with one wing missing he would hold hearings into small-air- while the helicopter, no longer with a craft safety. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) main rotor, plummeted like a rock. All called the collision “a tragic and power- nine people in both aircraft perished. ful reminder of what we have known for some time—that New York’s airspace is far too congested to be unregulated by the FAA.” A corridor along the Hudson below 1,100 ft has long been crowded with VFR flyers who are required to visually Rep. Jerrold Nadler “see and avoid” to prevent collisions, just as pilots do in uncontrolled airspace all also looking into whether a distracted air over the country. Among users of the traffic controller and the temporary ab- Hudson airspace in 2008 were 409,235 sence of the controller’s supervisor were helicopter passengers. Helicopter tour- factors, although they appear not to Wreckage from the August 8 crash is pulled from ism did about $290 million worth of have contributed to the collision. the Hudson River. Photo courtesy Tom Henricks. business last year without a mishap. Like Babbitt, NTSB chair Deborah Along the Hudson, helicopters typically A.P. Hersman spoke of interagency co- The aircraft were in uncontrolled air- operate at lower altitudes than fixed- operation, but she also said that NTSB space operating under visual flight rules wing airplanes. has been issuing safety recommenda- (VFR) in clear weather. It was the worst FAA administrator Randy Babbitt, in tions aimed at preventing midair colli- air crash in the New York region since what was partly a nod to NTSB investi- sions since the board was founded on 2001. It received considerable attention gators, announced that his agency would April 1, 1967. The board operates inde- as a local story in and around New York, review safety measures for low-flying air- pendently and, unlike the FAA, is not a but almost immediately went viral, with craft in the New York area. The FAA is part of the Dept. of Transportation. executive and legislative branch leaders Hersman says that over the past 22 in Washington pointing to issues of na- years the NTSB has issued 50 recom- tional significance raised by the collision. mendations focused on enhancing the The FAA is responsible for assuring safety of air tour operations, and that 20 the safety of flight procedures, while the of these remain “open,” meaning the National Transportation Safety Board in- FAA has not acted on them. vestigates accidents and determines a After a crash in Hawaii back in “probable cause.” To many in Washing- 1994, the NTSB, then headed by James ton, a local New York tragedy high- Hall, issued a special report calling on lighted a national concern: NTSB has no the FAA to “implement national stan- enforcement powers, and the FAA can dards [for helicopter tour operators] by routinely decide not to act on a recom- the end of 1995.” The agency has never mendation from the board. acted on that recommendation but says The tradition of flying in open sky it has implemented some NTSB recom- without traffic control, and even without mendations, helping to reduce accidents a radio, is as old as aviation itself and is in the air tour industry from about 13 a strongly backed by proponents of gen- year to just eight in 2007. eral aviation. The FAA has long been re- In a statement, Nadler denounced luctant to restrict VFR flying, because NTSB chair Deborah A.P. Hersman the FAA’s “Wild West approach” to reg-

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ulating the airspace. In a telephone in- current long-range plan, devel- terview with Aerospace America, Nadler oped by the Bush administra- said the problem of handling uncon- tion in the wake of the 2003 trolled airspace “goes way beyond local Columbia disaster, is to com- concerns in New York” and that the plete the ISS, retire the shuttle FAA needs to “alter its culture” to be fleet, and develop an Apollo- more responsive to VFR safety issues. like crew capsule that will be “It makes no sense that the FAA allows launched to the station by new unregulated flights in a crowded sky over Ares I rockets. A larger Ares V a busy metropolitan area,” said Nadler, rocket would boost the space- and added that he would support con- craft, called Orion, on longer gressional hearings. Nadler believes all A test firing of the Ares I rocket engine had to be rescheduled reaching missions to the Moon. aircraft should be required to carry colli- after a mechanical problem arose. If Washington shifts to an sion-avoidance warning devices. emphasis on civilian-operated, said Norman R. Augustine, former CEO privately financed spaceflight, it is not Shift in space of Lockheed Martin and chair of a 10- clear what will happen to any of these Retired Marine Maj. Gen. Charles Bold- member panel looking into spaceflight plans, or even to the Ares I rocket. A en is now settled in his new job as NASA options. The panel, President Obama’s test firing of the rocket motor was administrator. However, even from his Review of the United States Human scrubbed on August 27 after a mechani- office on the ninth floor in the northwest Spaceflight Plans Committee, had not cal failure; it was successfully fired on corner of the agency’s headquarters in yet released its findings at press time, but September 10. Bolden has hinted that Washington, Bolden has only limited lee- they were dribbling out, and some came because the Augustine committee does way to shape U.S. spaceflight policy. from Bolden after he was briefed by the not support the existing federally fi- Bolden is a former A-6 Intruder attack committee. nanced human spaceflight program, the pilot who flew in combat in Vietnam, Augustine and other committee test launch of the full vehicle scheduled and a former astronaut known for a members publicly painted a bleak future for October 31 might never happen. take-charge persona and a readiness to for NASA-operated, government-funded make decisions. But in Washington at journeys by U.S. astronauts. (See ‘Is hu- Want not,waste not the moment, the future of the U.S. man spaceflight optional?,” page 18, for As Congress returned from its long Au- space program rests with the White more information.) gust recess, deliberations on the FY10 House and its reaction to a report from a The Obama administration had set defense appropriations bill shifted into committee headed by a retired aero- up the Augustine committee to scrutinize high gear. In past years, Congress has al- space executive. NASA’s current plans for retiring the ways added major aircraft procurements “Our view is that it will be difficult shuttle orbiter, completing the space sta- to the Pentagon spending bill, even with the current budget [for government] tion, and returning to the to do anything that’s terribly inspiring,” Moon, and to examine alternative strategies for moving beyond LEO. Despite its international label, the ISS relies primarily on the U.S. to under- write its construction and operating costs. Under the current plan, NASA has no funds in its projected downstream budget to operate the orbiting laboratory beyond 2015. Al- lowing the ISS to deorbit and fall to its destruction—after years have been spent building it—is a potential option now being seriously considered. While the committee was busy wrapping up its report, On August 17, President Obama spoke to the Veterans of Foreign Bolden was acting on the pol- Wars about his opposition to funding what he called “wasteful Norman R. Augustine icy he inherited. The agency’s military projects.”

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when the administration did not request them. This year, however, with the president and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates determined to curtail unwanted programs, and with a democratic major- ity in both houses on Capitol Hill, it is unlikely that legislators will be able to tack on the F-22s, C-17s, and C-130Js that they routinely added in earlier years. Experts on both sides of the aisle in Washington now say that further production of the F-22 Raptor superfighter beyond the administration’s ceiling of 187 airplanes is a dead issue. Obama used an August 17 speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars to reiterate his opposition to funding what he called “wasteful military projects,” which to The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has charged that the V-22 (rt.) has been him means the F-22 and a competing underperforming in Iraq, while the CH-46E has a strong record. turbofan engine for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. and still under way for a few overseas forming in Iraq, is unsuited for shipboard The president told his audience in customers, always offered buyers a deployment, and is exceeding estimated Phoenix, Ariz., that it does not make choice between powerplants from the operating costs. Rep. Edolphus Towns sense to spend $2 billion on more F-22s nation’s two main engine makers, Pratt (D-N.Y.) argued for an end to V-22 pro- in the fiscal year that begins on October & Whitney and General Electric. But duction. “It’s time to put the Osprey out 1. The Senate Armed Services Commit- other fighters such as the F-15 Eagle and of its misery,” said Towns. tee had proposed an F-22 add-on, but F/A-18E/F Super Hornet have been of- The V-22 has not suffered a serious the full Senate later overturned it. The fered to buyers with only a single engine mishap in Iraq. However, three Marine U.S. “can move ahead with a fleet of type available. V-22 squadrons there produced average newer, more affordable aircraft,” such as At the VFW, Obama decried ongo- “mission-capable rates” of 57%, 61%, the JSF, Obama said. ing attempts by Congress to fund the and 68%, the GAO reported. In contrast, Legislators have long held that a pro- General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136 en- the 50-year-old CH-46E Sea Knight hel- gram the size of JSF, which could pro- gine, the competing powerplant to Pratt icopter, which the V-22 was intended to duce 5,000 jet fighters for the U.S. and & Whitney’s F135, for the JSF, saying it replace, had an 85% mission-capable its allies, needs the insurance provided is wrong to continue investing in the rate. The GAO reported that just 47 of when two types of engines are available F136 “when one reliable engine will do the 105 Ospreys that the Marine Corps for the same aircraft. The F-16 Fighting just fine.” Gates also publicly reaffirmed has bought since 1988 are considered Falcon program, begun in the 1970s his desire to ax the F136, downplaying “combat deployable” today. The GAO alleged cost and scheduling issues with also said that a V-22 requires $11,000 in the F135. operating costs per flying hour, or 140% Obama told the veterans: “Waste more than the CH-46E. would be unacceptable at any time, but Towns said the V-22 “has problems at a time when we’re fighting two wars in hot weather, it has problems in cold and facing a serious deficit, it’s inexcus- weather, it has problems with sand, it has able.” The reference to two wars is itself problems with high altitude, and it has re- a shift in Washington thinking: Leaders stricted maneuverability...we’ve gotten in both parties often talk of “the wars in half the aircraft for three times the cost.” Iraq and Afghanistan”; they rarely use The GAO report and committee hear- the phrase “global war on terrorism.” ings did not cover the USAF version of The focus on alleged waste came at the Osprey: The Air Force has an opera- a time when the V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft tional V-22 squadron that has not yet de- was again drawing fire in Washington. A ployed but appears to be functioning study of the Osprey deployments to Iraq without excessive cost or reliability issues. by the Government Accountability Office Robert F.Dorr and June 23 hearings by the House [email protected] Committee on Oversight and Govern- Dorr is coauthor with Thomas D. Jones of ment Reform produced charges that the Hell Hawks, the story of an American Rep. Edolphus Towns Osprey has been seriously underper- fighter group in combat.

12 AEROSPACE AMERICA/OCTOBER 2009 (Continued from page 9)

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rocket launched in Indonesia to date in The main areas of concern are the the country’s quest to loft a satellite into makeup of the fuel itself, exhaust noz- space by 2014. The intention is to set zles, and cracking of the rockets’ fins. up a four-stage rocket, with the first The fuel mixture needs to be adjusted to three stages to be RX-420s and the improve the thrust available, while the fourth an RX-320. A two-stage rocket exhaust nozzles are to be produced as consisting of two RX-420s is planned to special steel and aluminum alloy castings be tested next year, with a four-stage as- instead of milled graphite blocks—this is sembly to be fired in 2011. expected to save 40% of the current 90- To carry a 50-kg satellite into an or- kg weight of each nozzle. Cracked fins bit 300 km above Earth, the launch ve- are thought to be caused by local aero- hicle is to consist of three RX-420s in dynamic heating, and adding insulation A rocket from the Indonesian Aeronautics and the first stage as boosters, two RX-420s is expected to cure the problem. Space Agency (LAPAN) was on display at a in the second and third stages, and an Next year Lapan is to develop military exercise at a military camp in Bandung. RX-320 at the top. If problems are booster separation systems and nozzle found, the stack may be changed to re- ignition methods that will work in the at- clared to use all local materials to avoid place one or more RX-420s with the mospheric conditions at 20-km altitude problems with embargos when buying bigger RX-520 rocket—still solid-fueled— and above, when lower rocket stages are items from other countries. as a way of reducing the total structural jettisoned and upper stages take over. That ground test was followed up in weight while trying to retain the original Also on the menu is a vibration damper July with the firing of an RX-420 from payload. Lapan’s engineers are trying to that will protect the satellite during its West Java on a test flight that apparently cut still more structural weight from the ride to orbit. MichaelWestlake went perfectly. This was the largest RX-420. [email protected]

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GrahamLoveInterview by Frank Sietzen

You are restructuring your company fast-jet pilot simulator, for example, to partners in Europe and elsewhere—I from a defense research agency to a give pilots the opportunity to improve am thinking in particular of the issue technology provider. How far has this their performance and tactics in a safe behind the ITAR waiver for the Joint process to go—how much of your environment. We are working to develop Strike Fighter. Is this impacting your business is still in research and how new training for landing jets on carriers. business, and how do you see this is- much is in providing front-line techni- At the center at RAF Waddington, near sue being resolved? cal solutions? What would be the Lincoln, we train pilots not just in their We are finding this reasonably easy. ideal balance? own aircraft but in how to work alongside We have a separate North American QinetiQ is the former research labo- other aircraft, before they go to the the- team, carefully selected and with a ratories of the U.K. Ministry of Defence atre. This gives us all an ability to learn proven track record, with an independ- and was privatized in 2006. We have un- not just how to use the technology but ent board of directors. dergone something of a major transfor- also how to use it more cost-effectively. Perhaps our business model makes mation, from an organization which just Another major area for us is cyber this less of an issue for us. Although ex- a few years ago relied on 100% rev- warfare and cyber security. We are in- pertise moves both ways across the At- enues from the U.K. government to a vesting heavily on both sides of the At- lantic, our business model was initially very much more broad-based business. lantic and working increasingly closely based on taking products and services Last year our turnover was £1.6 bil- with intelligence agencies. from the U.K. market to the U.S. lion, 47% of which came from North Again, Zephyr is a good example of America. So that’s quite a major shift. Tell me more about the training at this, as it was initially developed in Farn- We still have most of our business based RAF Waddington. borough, U.K., for the U.K. Ministry of in the U.K., though we do have a major At RAF Waddington, air force pilots Defence, but we are now under contract presence in North America and Aus- train alongside British Army forward air to the Dept. of Defense. In the other di- tralia. We now have 15% of revenues controllers and artillery personnel prior rection, the TALON family of ground ro- coming from research work and the bal- to deployment to Afghanistan. The con- bots were developed in Boston but have ance from technology-based services and tract is worth £26 million over the next been sold to the MOD and the DOD. technologies inserted within platforms— four years. So although we have to work or from products themselves, such as Under the contract sponsored by within the same regulatory controls as long-endurance unmanned air systems the RAF, we are working with Boeing to everyone else, we are more about ex- (UAS). But the last few years have been provide around 44 weeks’ access to spe- porting U.K. technology to the U.S. about transforming the business. cialist synthetic training facilities each Don’t forget we are not a manufacturer, year. The primary users are headquar- so we tend to export the expertise of What are the key technology areas ters-level fire planning cells and fire sup- our people rather than technology and where you are aiming to have a domi- port teams, who act as the eyes and ears products themselves. nant share of the market? There are four key capabilities that are central to our strategy moving for- “We want to change the ratio from five people per ward. One of the major areas includes unmanned aircraft to five aircraft per person.” robotics and autonomy—such as the Mantis and Taranis unmanned combat vehicles in the U.K. We are also involved on the front line for artillery batteries, Have you noticed any difference in with the Zephyr high-altitude long-en- plus the RAF pilots that will be operating the transatlantic defense/aerospace durance UAV. We are working with au- alongside them in the region and engag- marketplace since the election of tonomous systems in the unmanned ing in ground attack missions. By work- President Obama? ground vehicle market and with under- ing together they safely experience the There were the mechanical effects water vehicles as well. complexities of controlling aircraft, ar- of a change of administration and an- At the same time we are involved in tillery, and other assets before they get nouncements of potential changes which electronic warfare and radar markets. to the front line. will have to be voted through by Con- The training and simulation environ- gress. But most of our work in North ment has also been an important busi- There still appear to be problems with America is related to long-term pro- ness for us, especially in preoperational the rules on exchanging information grams, so we have not been particularly training. We have developed the JOUST between U.S. program managers and impacted by the changes.

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Interview by Philip Butterworth-Hayes

In looking at new aerospace research to threats and opportunities—is sev- our effort to enable the routine use of markets, which do you see as the real eral leagues more complex than re- unmanned aircraft in nonsegregated air- “game-change” or “step-change” tech- mote control. What are the major space. Such systems could also be used as advisory systems for manned aviation. We think our expertise in autonomy and “It is ironic that the more autonomous a system is, the more sense-and-avoid could also be applied as effort needs to be put into the man-machine interface.” cockpit advisory systems to enable a reduced crew concept while maintaining the required levels of aviation safety. nology areas that will radically alter technical hurdles to developing true capabilities? Can you give me some autonomy, what has QinetiQ achieved QinetiQ has been heavily involved in idea of how you are addressing these so far, and what is your view as to programs like ASTRAEA [autono- markets? when we will see this achieved in the mous systems technology-related air- We think the autonomy is a very im- battlefield—if it hasn’t been achieved borne evaluation and assessment] portant area—taking operational person- already? that aim to ensure UAVs can fly safely nel out of harm’s way but still [keeping The biggest hurdles are not in in civil airspace. Can you describe how them] in the loop in making strategic de- achieving an autonomous system but in close we might be to seeing military cisions—and we are spending a fair making it easy to use for human opera- UAS platforms regularly accessing amount of time developing ways of be- tors and certifying it for operational use. civil airspace, and what are the issues ing able to control groups of vehicles at It is ironic that the more autonomous a still to be resolved? the same time. We want to change the system is, the more effort needs to be It’s not just military UAVs; we antic- ratio from five people per unmanned air- put into the man-machine interface. A ipate an increasing market for civilian craft to five aircraft per person. key example of our certification work is use. The earliest would be starting in We are also looking at new power (Continued on page 21) sources, such as solar power and fuel cells. We’ve developed the Zephyr UAV, which by day flies on solar power gener- Graham Love became CEO of QinetiQ in the Institute of Chartered Accountants in ated by amorphous silicon arrays and by 2005.Previously he was the company’s England and Wales,and a companion of night is powered by lithium-sulphur bat- chief financial officer and was also the Chartered Management Institute U.K. teries that are recharged during the day responsible for its North American opera- He is also a fellow of the Royal Aeronauti- using solar power, to the stage where it tions, leading a targeted acquisition cal Society.Love is a board member of is now ready for production. And it’s program to create a substantial platform both STEMNET and SEMTA,two been fantastic working with Boeing on in the U.S.defense and security markets. U.K.-based organiza- the Vulture ultra-long-endurance UAS, tions focused on sponsored by DARPA. With Vulture we Love’s career has included management educational are working toward developing a UAS roles with Ernst &Young,KPMG,and outreach. that can maintain an airborne payload Shandwick,as well as several years in on station for an uninterrupted period of international consulting.In the late more than five years using a fixed-wing 1980s he was part of the senior manage- aircraft. ment team that made Shandwick the Our customers are interested in IS- world’s number-one public relations TAR [intelligence, surveillance, target ac- group through a major acquisition quisition, and reconnaissance] platforms, program involving the purchase of more so we are also developing sensors that than 30 PR agencies worldwide. allow the systems to deliver data and in- He was formerly chief executive of Comax telligence. Examples are lensless cam- Secure Business Services,leading the eras, hyperspectral cameras, and satel- company through its privatization in lite communications. 1997 before its sale to Amey in 1999.

True autonomy—the ability of a UAS Love holds a degree in English from to develop its own missions and react Cambridge University.He is a fellow of

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Ishumanspaceflight“optional”?

PERHAPSTHEBESTPRODUCTTOCOME of the Vision for Space Exploration, con- exploration activities. As the last require- from the Review of Human Spaceflight tinuing cuts to NASA’s exploration ment seemed too restrictive, Augustine Plans Committee was recognition of the budget have crippled the agency’s plans obtained approval to examine options hard truth that our space spending does to return humans to the Moon. With pro- that exceed the projected exploration not match our dreams. The current U.S. jected funds, NASA will be lucky to build budget profile. space budget is incapable of taking us to the Orion successor to the space shuttle The committee was to submit its final the Moon or anywhere beyond LEO. and extend the life of the ISS beyond exploration options and report to the In its August 12 public deliberations, 2015. It has no chance, said the commit- president’s Office of Science and Tech- the panel, led by Norm Augustine, made tee, of sending astronauts beyond LEO nology Policy by August 31. However, plain that since the 2004 announcement by 2020 or even during the decade after. the panel’s maturing deliberations at The panel’s grim cost as- press time made clear that President sessments were a sobering Obama will face a tough decision in distillation of the troubles coming weeks: Come up with the added facing not only NASA’s funds to execute NASA’s Constellation Constellation program, but “program of record,” choose one of the any of the half-dozen other committee’s options for exploring be- exploration options outlined yond LEO, or scale back America’s am- by the Augustine committee. bitions in human spaceflight. The panel bluntly declared that NASA’s present budget Rocket science vs.economics cannot support future explo- Augustine’s panel had to deal with three ration plans. Without com- knotty questions: whether to retire the mitting more resources, the shuttle in 2010; whether to extend the U.S. will find its astronauts lifetime of the ISS; and what launch sys- marooned in LEO for the tem will be most affordable and effective foreseeable future. in enabling exploration beyond LEO. The committee noted that the shut- Decisions for the tle could probably be flown safely president through 2015 at a rate of one or two The White House chartered flights a year to support the ISS with the committee to identify crew rotation and cargo. It would cost and characterize a range of NASA $3 billion-$4 billion a year to options spanning the rea- cover the shuttle’s infrastructure and op- sonable possibilities for con- erations costs, and the agency would tinuation of U.S. human also have to conduct an expensive risk spaceflight activities beyond assessment to certify the system for con- retirement of the space shut- tinued flight. NASA’s projected budget tle. The White House further includes none of these costs; in fact, it asked the panel to formulate shows shuttle spending falling by some options addressing the fol- 90% in FY11, to just over $300 million lowing objectives: expediting in program termination costs. The panel a new U.S. capability to sup- therefore recommended that NASA export utilization of the ISS; tend the program only if it plans to build supporting missions to the a shuttle-derived heavy cargo booster. Moon and other destinations NASA, with its partners, has com- beyond LEO; stimulating pleted 83% of the ISS, but beyond 2015 The Endeavour crew’s STS-127 mission in July delivered the Japanese commercial spaceflight capa- the facility’s future is uncertain: NASA’s Kibo laboratory’s exposed research facility, bringing the ISS within bility; and fitting these op- spending plan assumes that ISS will be a few elements of completion. The president’s decision on future human spaceflight will determine if the shuttle will retire after its tions within the current decommissioned the following year, with half-dozen remaining missions. budget projection for NASA no funds allotted to operations past

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2016. Because the panel thought it unlikely that any combination of the remaining partners would be capable of operating or supplying the station, it seemed to favor continued ISS operation by NASA through at least 2020. Panel members noted that the agency would need additional funding to revive its onboard research program and so recoup its investment in the outpost. Addressing what kind of government launch system would be best suited to support the ISS and beyond-LEO travel, The committee’s launch system options include a pair of Ares V heavy cargo vehicles. One would launch an Orion crew exploration vehicle, a second its Earth departure stage and lander/cruise habitat. the committee discussed five possible rocket combinations. It first reviewed the “Program of Record,” NASA’s Constel- shuttle today. The junking of the Vehicle A second alternative would tackle lation program, using the Ares I booster Assembly Building, the crawler-trans- global exploration of the Moon through to launch an Orion capsule to the ISS, porters, and Launch Complex 39 would a sustained series of missions to interest- or, coupled with an Ares V cargo rocket, be a drastic and irreversible turn away ing science targets. The resulting discov- to the Moon. from our past in hopes of finding a eries would eventually point to a pre- The second system, using two Ares cheaper route to space. ferred location for an outpost, enabling V heavy lifters, could reach the Moon or The panel expressed an eagerness in-depth investigation. deep space. One of these “light,” lower to enhance these options with a concept A dash for deep space was the third cost versions of the Ares V would carry that originated in the 1950s with Wern- option, a “flexible path” taking astro- the Orion crew module; the other would her von Braun—orbital refueling. Pro- nauts into lunar orbit, to the Earth-Sun loft the departure stage and Altair lunar pellant would be transferred in LEO Lagrange points, to near-Earth objects lander. The vehicles would then ren- from either a companion-launched re- (NEOs), and eventually to a flyby of Mars dezvous and dock in either Earth or lunar fueling tanker, or an orbital storage de- or a rendezvous with its moons. The orbit for a Moon landing. pot. Augustine’s committee argued that panel stated this was the fastest option The panel next described a shuttle- re-fueling would enable use of smaller for getting astronauts out of LEO, bring- derived heavy lifter, making maximum launchers for a given payload, or boost ing a variety of exploration targets within use of the shuttle’s engines, boosters, the out-of-LEO payload capacity of any reach while avoiding the budget spike and tank. Both side-mount or in-line ve- upper stage. Developing orbital refuel- caused by early development of landers hicle designs are feasible; its cargo would ing capability would require a substantial and surface systems. rendezvous with an Orion crew launched technology investment, and the panel The final and most ambitious option on a commercial booster. The panel recommended that at least $1 billion be aimed directly at putting human explor- hoped this fostering of commercial spent annually on such high-payoff ex- ers on Mars, skipping intermediate desti- space capability would evolve naturally ploration technologies. nations. The Moon would be visited only to development of commercial crew to test Mars hardware and surface oper- services to LEO. Under this vision, rou- Deep space options ations, if at all. tine access to LEO for crew and cargo The panel looked farther into the future would shift to commercial providers, to generate options for sending human Broken budgets while NASA would fly the riskier explo- explorers beyond LEO. Although not More important to the U.S.’s future in ration missions. bound to recommend a “best” option to space than the technical details was the The fourth launch system considered the president, the committee will present panel’s mid-August declaration that, un- was a “super-heavy” version of the ex- the pros and cons of each alternative. By der present budgets, the nation could pendable Delta IV, again paired in LEO mid-August, the panel had largely nar- not execute any of these options. Hu- with a commercial crew transport. The rowed the beyond-LEO exploration op- man exploration beyond LEO simply panel also discussed a fifth option—to tions to four. costs more—more than NASA esti- build a new, commercially developed First is the Program of Record, the mated, and surely more than the presi- LOX/RP-1 (kerosene) booster. This Sat- Constellation plan to use the Ares boost- dent’s budgeteers had hoped it would. urn V-class heavy lifter should offer ers to establish a lunar outpost for explo- Panelist and former astronaut Sally Ride NASA long-term savings, but would ration and exploitation of the Moon. Ini- stated that under the White House’s likely mean abandoning nearly all the tial sorties would lead to a growing projected spending profile, NASA can- Kennedy Space Center facilities that complex of habitats and vehicles capable not hope to execute the Constellation took us to the Moon and still support the of expeditions far from the base. program. The budget through 2020 is

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too small to field the heavy-lift Ares V, hopes of remaining a leader in human NASA’s ticket to the Moon, let alone spaceflight. Sometimes lost in the tech- develop a lunar lander or conduct mis- nical details of shuttle retirement, the fu- sions to NEOs. ture of the ISS, new boosters, and future Ride stated that to implement Con- paths for exploration is the overriding stellation’s lunar return on schedule, question: Why should the U.S. be in- NASA would need at least $50 billion in volved in human spaceflight at all? additional funds in the coming decade. If Leadership in space for national spending were to remain at the lower policy and prestige reasons is one an- White House projections, Ares V would swer; developing cutting-edge technolo- Adoption of any of several of the committee’s not fly until 2028, long after the ISS options would send the Ares I booster the way gies to keep our economy competitive plunges into the Pacific. of NASA’s X-33 VentureStar, canceled in 2001. is another. The clear message was that if Even more fundamentally, our civi- NASA’s budget stays at historic levels, Ares I, or Delta IV, or a new commercial lization will not survive unless we de- U.S. astronauts have little chance of ever booster) guarantees a dead end: Aimed velop extensive deep-space experience, leaving LEO. Even with more generous only at supporting ISS, the human sufficient to ward off a future asteroid or funding than the White House plans, spaceflight program will likely end when comet impact. and skipping a lunar landing, NASA the station does. Human spaceflight also demands the would not be able to launch explorers to The committee seemed to find at- best talent from our educational and re- NEOs until well after 2025. tractive Lindsey’s contention that the search institutions, and inspires our new rocket system should be powerful young people, the next generation of What is exploration worth? enough to reach several deep-space des- problem-solvers, to choose careers in The White House got more from the Au- tinations (the Moon, Lagrange points, science and engineering. gustine committee than it bargained for. NEOs), using just a few launches. Be- Humans are able and flexible explor- Instead of a comforting range of afford- cause the U.S. is unlikely to design more ers, capable of tackling the toughest sci- able options, all within the next decade’s than one heavy lifter in the next few entific questions posed by our solar sys- planned spending profile, it got a loud decades, NASA should build the one that tem neighbors. But it will be decades wake-up call. The president is now faced gives it the most flexibility. before we see the most important dis- with hard choices: either significantly in- As to the cost of exploration, Lind- coveries from our planetary expeditions; crease NASA spending (perhaps 25% or sey urged that NASA be given sufficient human space exploration cannot be jus- more), or oversee a major rollback of budget for adequately supporting presi- tified solely by scientific return. U.S. human spaceflight plans. dential and congressional direction. The We should focus our human efforts In his July public testimony before last five years of Constellation have dem- in space on a more vibrant and immedi- the committee, NASA chief astronaut onstrated the havoc that ensues when a ate goal: building a substantial, expand- Steve Lindsey gave a common sense as- reasonable plan is chronically under- ing commercial presence in space. We sessment of future choices in space. He funded. A stable budget stems from a must use space resources (energy, water, argued that NASA’s next launch system long-term national commitment to see a other volatiles, and structural metals) must take us beyond LEO. Building a program through. Citing the demise from the Moon and NEOs to fuel an eco- LEO-only system (such as Orion atop over the last 15 years of the X-30 Na- nomic explosion off the planet. tional Aerospace Plane, the X-33 Ven- Generating wealth in space, in a va- tureStar, and the X-38 crew return vehi- riety of locations between the Earth and cle, Lindsey asked, “How many canceled the Moon, is the surest route to sustain- new human spaceflight programs can ing economic and scientific exploration. NASA survive?” Whether it is solar power beamed to Whatever new exploration system Earth, or propellant farms fueled by lu- the White House chooses, NASA’s man- nar ice, or industrial facilities fed by as- agers argue that the nation must follow teroidal raw materials, making space a through—and build it. With alternative hotbed of entrepreneurial activity will en- “paper” plans always theoretically better gage the public imagination and ensure (or faster, or cheaper) than the real one necessary taxpayer support. Explorers under construction, the U.S. must com- should be sent where opportunity beck- In August, Lockheed-Martin proposed using two mit to building the new system or resign ons. Why go to space? To enrich us all. docked Orion spacecraft for expeditions to NEOs, itself to watching others explore. Four decades after Apollo, will the one of the destinations the committee includes U.S. again lead the way to space, or will in its deep space or flexible path exploration Answering“Why?” we cede the frontier to those determined option. Some NEOs require less delta-V to reach than a round trip to the lunar surface, and their The Augustine committee was chartered to reap its rewards? Tom Jones low gravity eliminates the need for a lander. to produce viable choices for the White www.AstronautTomJones.com (Image courtesy Lockheed Martin.) House, for NASA, and for this country’s [email protected]

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(Continued from page 17)

2015, by which time we expect to have old and underpowered for the height is a market that will continue to grow. understood the route to certification and above sea-level at which they have to op- We’re also developing our mission how to reinterpret manned aircraft regu- erate in Afghanistan, and we had to de- solutions for the Dept. of Defense and lations. It is likely to be a gradual build-up liver a solution that would rapidly in- Dept. of Homeland Security, in mission- to establish robust procedures. We are crease their effectiveness. We identified critical technologies and cyber warfare. not expecting fully routine access until that by using a new type of rotor blade— As well as buying companies, our the following decade. based on an existing longer version of core business in North America has blades used on the Sikorsky S61 heli- grown organically over the last year by Is there really a market for solar- and copter, comprising advanced aerofoil 15%. I wouldn’t rule out further acquisi- fuel-cell-powered aircraft, given your sections, increased twist, and a swept tions, but our main focus for growth in knowledge gained from Zephyr and tip. A significant performance gain could North America is continued organic others, and if so, how do you see this be delivered, so we set about proving growth. developing? this at a fraction of the cost and time it Yes, I do think there is a market for would have taken if we had developed There is increasing pressure on the this technology, because what it delivers an all-new system. U.K. defense budget. For example, is persistence. Whether for surveillance In this area, success is achieved there is now considerable debate over or communications relay, a solar-pow- through a combination of knowing what whether the U.K. can afford some of ered, persistent unmanned aircraft offers is going on in the outside world and hav- the “big-ticket” programs to which it the most effective solution, far more ing the people to identify and manage committed—such as a third tranche of cheaply than a satellite, for example. the right technology. Eurofighter Typhoons and two new Zephyr uses the most efficient bat- aircraft carriers. There are growing ar- teries and solar cells available today, and Your U.S. business is growing rapidly guments that the U.K. needs new we are excited about the potential of this, through sales of products such as the equipment—smaller, faster—to sup- both in the aviation industry and beyond. Talon mine-clearing robot, and North port troops in the field. Do you have a American business now accounts for view on this? There is increasing pressure on com- almost half of group sales. Are you The U.K. government has an- panies such as yours to move badly aiming for the company to become a nounced that it will conduct a new needed technology from the research mainly U.S. business, but with legacy strategic defense review to look again at labs to the operational theater as interests in the U.K. and continental our priorities and, for the moment, they quickly as possible. How can we im- Europe? And how will North Ameri- are allocating resources without such a prove the way we convert theoretical can business grow—through organic review. But the key, I believe, is to sus- research successes into real products? growth or takeovers or both? tain research knowledge in the U.K., so It is important that we understand The U.K. is still our major source of we can support mission capabilities and what the customers actually want, and revenue and will continue to be so. But tie production more closely to the front- that we have the ability to develop the North America has been a very success- line requirements. fundamental technology required. We ful market for us. We have acquired 15 have to develop a strong capability reach U.S. companies in the last five years, You are strong in the U.S., U.K., and and ensure we have a high level of readi- and with 47% of our turnover from this Australia—but what about continental ness. This is a major enabler, from the market, we will continue to grow this Europe? How important is this market customers’ point of view. business—we believe the U.S. budget will to you? But also the client has to be pre- continue to grow. We have a particular The U.K., North America, and Aus- pared to take more off-the-shelf solu- expertise in autonomy and robotics; tralia are where we have focused our tions. Sometimes it is better to receive Talon robots are manufactured in North main efforts. We’re not turning our back 85% of the requirement in quick time America, and there are already over on continental Europe, but we have than to wait for 100% of the original 2,500 Talons in-theater. found it is smaller and much harder to requirement. We’re also seeing growth in systems penetrate than other areas. And I think it is also important that engineering markets, and we have tar- However, we are playing an increas- customers are prepared to keep to the geted the U.S. Army aviation segment. ingly important role in the technology original specification—and that suppliers We are supporting helicopter operations development for civil aerospace, and are are clear that the systems they develop in Iraq and Afghanistan, for example, involved in several of the European really remain fit for purpose. where we aim to deliver increased per- Commission’s seventh framework aero- For example, we were asked to help formance for less money. On the Black- space research programs. This is espe- with the RAF Sea King helicopters, hawk, we have developed a mainte- cially so in the arena of “clean aircraft which were to be deployed to Afghan- nance system that will save $50 million technologies”—in airframes, systems, istan. These aircraft are now relatively over the lifetime of the project, and this and propulsion.

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NASAcoatinghelpskeepheartsbeating

A NASA TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED FOR AN Role of serendipity aerospace high-speed research program LaRC-SI was discovered by accident. is now part of an implantable device for While researching resins and adhesives heart failure patients. for advanced composites for high-speed NASA Langley in Hampton, Va., aircraft, Bryant noticed that one of the created an advanced aerospace resin polymers he was working with did not called Langley Research Center’s Solu- behave as predicted. After putting the ble Imide, or LaRC-SI. This highly flexi- compound through a two-stage con- ble “superplastic” is resistant to chemi- trolled chemical reaction, expecting it to cals and withstands extreme hot and cold precipitate as a powder after the second temperatures. It was also determined to stage, he was surprised to see that it re- be biologically inert, making it suitable mained soluble. This novel characteristic for medical use, including implantable ended up making the polymer a very sig- devices. nificant find, eventually leading Bryant “One of the advantages of this mate- and his team to win several NASA tech- rial is that it lends itself to a variety of nology awards, and an “R&D 100” diverse applications, from mechanical A Medtronic Attain Ability left-heart lead is award. connected to a CRT device to improve the heart’s parts and composites to electrical insula- efficiency to increase blood flow to the body. The unique feature of this compound tion and adhesive bonding,” says Rob The lead is one of the thinnest available is the way it lends itself to easy process- Bryant, a NASA Langley senior re- because of NASA’s LaRC-SI, an aerospace plastic ing. Most polyimides (a group of remark- searcher and inventor of the material. used as insulation. Image credit Medtronic. ably strong and incredibly heat- and In July 2004, NASA licensed the chemical-resistant polymers) require patented insulation technology to Med- complex curing cycles before they are tronic, a medical technology company two lower chambers and improve the usable. LaRC-SI remains soluble in its fi- based in Minneapolis, Minn. Medtronic heart’s efficiency to increase blood flow nal form and does not require further engineers incorporated the material into to the body. chemical processing to produce final ma- its Attain Ability left-heart lead, which CRT devices, which are stopwatch- terials such as thin films and varnishes. the Food and Drug Administration re- sized, are implanted into the chest and Because the production of LaRC-SI cently approved. connected to the heart by leads, such as does not require complex manufacturing the Attain Ability left-heart lead. A lead is techniques, it has been processed into Latest of many medical uses a special wire that delivers energy from a useful forms for a variety of applications, The use of this material in a medical im- CRT to the heart muscle. Electrical im- including mechanical parts, magnetic plant is the latest in a long line of med- pulses generated by CRTs resynchronize components, ceramics, adhesives, com- ical applications that have benefited heartbeats and improve blood flow. posites, flexible circuits, multilayer from NASA technology. The NASA insulation material makes printed circuits, and coatings on fiber op- “Langley Research Center’s Soluble possible the compact and flexible design tics, wires, and metals. Imide is an excellent example of how of Medtronic’s CRT lead, one of the When Bryant made his discovery, his taxpayer investment in NASA materials thinnest left-heart leads available. Placing team was heavily involved in the aircraft research has resulted in a direct benefit a lead in the heart is widely recognized polymer project and could not afford to beyond the aerospace sector by extend- by physicians as the most challenging as- develop the polymer resin further. Be- ing the quality of life through medical pect of implanting CRT devices. The lieving it was worth fuller exploration, technology,” says Bryant. narrow design allows doctors to choose though, he devised a plan for funding de- Heart failure occurs when the heart from among different sites on the heart velopment and submitted it to Langley’s muscle is unable to pump effectively to to deliver optimal therapy. The lead is chief scientist, who endorsed the effort. meet the body’s need for blood and oxy- delivered by an inner catheter, a feature Bryant then left the high-speed civil gen. It is a chronic and progressive con- that helps physicians place the lead di- transport project to develop LaRC-SI. dition that affects more than 5 million rectly in difficult-to-reach areas of the The result is an extremely tough, light- Americans and more than 22 million in- heart. Clinical studies in the U.S. and weight thermoplastic that not only is sol- dividuals worldwide. Cardiac resynchro- Canada showed physicians were suc- vent-resistant, but also can withstand nization therapy, or CRT, is designed to cessful in placing the Attain Ability lead temperature ranges from cryogenic lev- coordinate the contraction of the heart’s 96.4% of the time. els to above 200 C.

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With these unique characteristics, the material holds potential for many commercial applications that Bryant believes will ultimately benefit industry and the nation. “LaRC-SI,” he explains, “is a product created in a government laboratory, funded with money from the tax- paying public. What we discovered helps further the economic competitiveness of the United States, and it was our goal to initiate the technology transfer process to ensure that our work benefited the widest range of people.” Several NASA centers, including Rob Bryant, a senior researcher at Langley, examines a model of a cardiac resynchronization therapy Langley, have explored methods for using device. Bryant invented the aerospace plastic LaRC-SI that is used as insulation on one of the thinnest LaRC-SI in a broad range of applica- left-heart leads available for a CRT. Photo by Sean Smith, NASA Langley. tions—for radiation shielding, as an adhesive, and in replacing conventional rigid circuit boards, for example. In the com- NASA shared what it knows about the tures, various amounts of solvent are re- mercial realm, LaRC-SI can now be compound’s properties as we continued moved to the point where it becomes in- found in several commercial products, in- our testing and evaluations.” soluble but retains its melt processability. cluding a piezoelectric actuator called In March 2007, working in the U.S. Characteristics in which LaRC-SI excels THUNDER (thin-layer composite uni- and Canada, Medtronic conducted the include solubility in conventional high- morph ferroelectric driver and sensor), first clinical implants of the Medtronic boiling solvents; melt flow and bonding fabricated by FACE International in Nor- over-the-wire lead (Model 4196), a dual- properties; electrical properties (low dis- folk,Va.,another R&D 100 award winner. electrode left ventricular lead for use in sipation factor and high dielectric heart failure patients with CRT devices. strength); and resistance to harsh envi- A collaborative effort “Through this partnership, Medtronic ronments such as radiation, cryogenic Working with the Innovative Partnerships was able to deliver a product with en- and elevated temperatures, most fluids, Program office at Langley, Medtronic hanced material properties,” says Stormo. and corrosives; and biological inertness. licensed the new material. It has been “In turn this helps our patients, which is LaRC-SI is made from commercially evaluated for space applications, high- the core of Medtronic’s mission.” available monomers. A wholly aromatic performance composites, and harsh en- Placing a lead in the left ventricle high-performance thermoplastic poly- vironments, but this is the first time it has (LV) is widely recognized by physicians imide, it is a self-bonding/noncuring been used in a medical device. as the most challenging aspect of im- resin. In addition to its superior mechan- According to Bryant, “This partner- planting CRT devices. Anatomic chal- ical, electrical, and adhesive properties, ship validates the belief we had that lenges can make it difficult to access and it has an extensive range of processing LaRC-SI needed to be introduced in [or work within the coronary sinus to place choices that allow it to serve as a dielec- by] the private sector: Lives can be saved a lead in the desired vein of the LV. The tric inner layer, a substrate coating, or and enhanced because we were able to lead is specially designed for optimal the substrate. develop our laboratory findings and pro- tracking over a guide wire, which is in- Other products in which the material vide public access to the material.” tended to give physicians greater ability offers potential application include matrix Medtronic is the world leader in med- to deliver the left-heart lead in difficult- resin for composites (carbon fiber and ical technology, providing lifelong solu- to-access veins. glass); electronic packaging components; tions for people with chronic disease. It Once it is implanted in the LV, two optical cladding; dielectric coatings and offers products, therapies, and services electrodes located at the tip of the lead films; structural and mechanical parts, that enhance or extend millions of lives. offer physicians options for tailoring de- filled or unfilled; high-temperature adhe- Each year, 6 million patients benefit livery of stimulation to each patient. sives, coatings, and barriers; radiation from Medtronic’s technology, used to When approved by the FDA, the lead is shielding; flame-retardant foam (struc- treat conditions such as diabetes, heart expected to be the smallest left ventricu- tural and flexible); and low-pressure disease, neurological disorders, and vas- lar lead on the U.S. market. bonding for sandwich panel construction. cular illnesses. For more information about Langley “Our work with NASA Langley was Other features and applications Research Center’s Soluble Imide, visit very collaborative,” says Lonny Stormo, LaRC-SI film is made by casting or http://technologygateway.nasa.gov/ Medtronic vice president of therapy de- spraying a solution consisting of xylene, Advanced_Materials.html. livery R&D. “Our scientists discussed N-methyl-pyrrolidinone, and LaRC-SI Edward D. Flinn Medtronic’s material requirements, and powder. At different drying tempera- [email protected]

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Mars laboratory lands on red ink

n NASA’s catalog of planned robotic Mars MSL has become a test case for placing man- missions, the largest and most complex is a agement constraints and budget boundaries Iproposal to land on the Martian surface a moon even a favored project. bile spacecraft roughly the size of a school bus. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), Setting the research goals conceived by NASA engineers and weighing From the outset, NASA established four goals in at over 2,000 lb, is the most ambitious for all Mars missions: Determine if life ever Mars mission ever planned. The lander, existed on Mars, define the planet’s climate, weighing 10 times more than previous Mars compile data on its geology, and establish rovers, will carry to the planet the most ad- data about Mars that could be used in future vanced collection of scientific equipment ever human visits. brought there. Eight scientific research goals were also MSL’s primary mission is to evaluate the set. Three are biological: Determine the na- planet’s ability, past or present, to sustain life. ture and inventory of organic carbon com- And unlike the previous robotic Mars mis- pounds; inventory the chemical building sions, this one will steer itself through the blocks of life (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, Martian atmosphere in a space-shuttle-like de- oxygen, phosphorous, and sulfur); and iden- scent trajectory, then use a combination of tify features that may represent the effects of rocket propulsion, parachutes, and crane-like biological processes. Two goals are geological hoists to drop the rover onto a carefully pre- and geochemical: Investigate the chemical, planned, narrowly defined landing site. isotopic, and mineralogical composition of the But in the face of such challenging goals, surface and near-surface geological materials; technical problems and budgetary pressures and interpret the processes that formed and by Frank Sietzen have led to a flight delay and have even threat- modified rocks and soils. Two others are plan- Contributing writer ened the viability of the project itself. Indeed, etary process goals: Assess long-timescale (4-

The MSL rover, called Curiosity, is part of the most ambitious Mars exploration program ever planned.

NASA’s MSL, the most ambitious Mars mission yet planned, has faced major challenges, both technical and budgetary. With the current launch window fast closing and important issues still unresolved, the agency has taken decisive action and unusual steps to safeguard the troubled program.

billion-year) atmospheric evolution processes; timescale atmospheric evolution and deter- and determine the present state, distribution, mining the present state, distribution, and cy- and cycling of water and carbon dioxide. Fi- cling of water and carbon dioxide. nally, there is one surface radiation objective: The fourth objective for habitability in- Characterize the broad spectrum of surface volves surface radiation and is the same as the radiation, including galactic cosmic radiation, scientific goal described in that category. solar proton events, and secondary neutrons. All of this was supposed to begin with a Four specific scientific objectives for hab- launch this year. But as vehicle testing contin- itability were also established. The first is to ued, hardware problems increased, and by assess the biological potential of at least one late 2008 it was clear that the launch to Mars, target environment by determining the nature scheduled in a window that will close late this and inventory of organic carbon compounds, month, would not be possible. searching for the chemical building blocks of “We will not lessen our standards for test- life, and identifying features that may record ing the mission’s complex flight systems, so the actions of biologically relevant processes. we are choosing the more responsible option The second objective is to characterize of changing the launch date,” said Doug Mc- the geology of the landing region at all appro- Cuistion, headquarters director of Mars explo- priate spatial scales by investigating the chem- ration. Since the launch window for a Mars ical, isotopic, and mineralogical composition mission opens only every two years, the of surface and near-surface materials, and by agency was now aiming at 2011—and even interpreting the processes that have formed that would be a challenge. Technical problems rocks and soils. had raised budget pressure on the project, to The third is to investigate planetary the point where cancellation was not out of processes relevant to past habitability (includ- the question. This ambitious mission had hit a ing the role of water) by assessing the long- bumpy trajectory while still in the lab. And

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based on Spirit and Opportunity, the rovers that landed on Mars in 2004. The entry and descent system, however, is of an entirely new design. Total launch mass is 7,500 lb.

A complex flight plan Following launch aboard the Atlas V 541 booster, the cruise phase of the mission will begin after spacecraft separation. During the year-long coast, spacecraft health and system calibrations are to be performed. If the trajectory requires them, small midcourse correction burns by the vehicle’s onboard propulsion Like two pieces of a giant clam, system will be fired. This will ensure that the the aeroshell’s backshell (above) therein lies a tale of too much mission and not spin rotation that began following separation and heat shield (below) come enough time—or money. continues in such a way that the spacecraft’s together to protect the rover and the propulsion stage that safely antennas remain aimed at Earth and the solar delivers it to the surface of Mars. Spacecraft details panels at the Sun, because solar energy pow- The MSL rover will be contained inside a ers the spacecraft during this period. trans-Mars coast cruise stage and aeroshell As MSL approaches Mars, a number of with a heat shield. In a new design approach, final preparations are planned, including final the rover will deploy its wheels using a lan- trajectory midcourse correction maneuvers. yard-hydraulic method much as an airplane Small attitude pointing updates will be sent to drops its landing gear prior to landing. the craft, ensuring antenna alignment for en- The spacecraft assembly includes the try communications. Frequent “delta DOR” aeroshell and related components that will measurements will be taken to orient the hold the rover and shield the spacecraft as it spacecraft position for entry into the atmo- enters the Martian atmosphere and descends. sphere. On board, the software for the entry The spacecraft assembly—all hardware above will be loaded and activated. The first of sev- the upper stage of the Atlas V launch vehicle— eral surface sequences and communication consists of the cruise stage, an entry descent windows for the first “sol” (Martian day) will and landing system of parachutes and crane- be loaded into the computer. During the ap- like hoist, and the wheeled Mars surface rover. proach phase, NASA will use the Deep Space The encapsulated spacecraft aeroshell is Network increasingly, to determine more ac- reminiscent of the Viking landers that touched curate trajectory data as the vehicle nears the down on Mars in 1976. The rover design is planet. The DSN’s 34-m and 70-m antennas will both be used. At 78 mi. above the planet, the entry, descent, and landing phase will begin. Using small rockets, the spacecraft will make its final orientation to the atmosphere. The encapsulated descent stage/aeroshell will separate from the cruise stage and will be positioned for entry, the blunt end of the pica-coated heat shield facing the flight path. The MSL will feature the first soft-landing system used in a robotic Mars mission. After the parachute has significantly slowed the vehicle’s descent and the heat shield separates, the descent stage will separate from the backshell. Using four steerable engines, the descent stage will slow down the nested rover even further to eliminate the effects of any horizontal winds. When the vehicle has been slowed to nearly zero velocity, the rover will be released from the descent stage. A bridle and “umbilical cord” will lower the rover to the ground. During the lowering, the rover’s

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Engineers took the MSL rover for a test drive in the lab. The “Scarecrow” engineering model, so named because it was still missing its computer brain, easily traversed large rocks in JPL’s “Mars Yard.”

front mobility system will be deployed so that The rover’s mission will be to use its ad- it is essentially ready to rove upon landing. vanced suite of on-board instruments to gather When the onboard computer senses that rock and soil samples, crush the rocks, and touchdown is successful, it will cut the bridle. distribute the samples inside the rover to a se- The descent stage will then pitch away from ries of laboratories and test chambers for the rover and power away at full throttle to a analysis. The instruments and equipment will crash-landing far from the MSL rover. If the be contained inside a rover body similar in de- atmospheric trajectory maneuvers are suc- sign to the earlier rovers, using a rocker-bogie cessful, a series of steerable S-turns will have suspension system as before but with larger, oriented the descending spacecraft toward a six-wheel-drive wheels. narrow, targeted 12-mi. ellipse, much smaller than the 93-mi.x12-mi. ellipses that were the Hardware and software woes targets of Spirit and Opportunity. This smaller For the tracked wheeled system, NASA at first footprint will have been selected before chose a wet lubricant to coast the gears that launch, based on orbital photography. The drive the wheels. The wet lubricant system principal means of communication between was selected because the MSL was designed the rover and Earth will be radio relays be- to operate at much colder latitudes on Mars, tween the rover and Mars orbiters. notes NASA’s McCuistion. “We then switched Three minutes before landing, the space- to a dry system because we didn’t have to craft will deploy a parachute while the de- warm it up,” he tells Aerospace America. scent stage fires a series of retro rockets to “There were no additional heating require- slow the descent for the final 1,640 ft. The engines on the stage will slow the descent to a hover, at which point the rover will be Mars Science Laboratory: Components dropped from the stage enclosure by a tether Allocated Mass, kg Cumulative Mass, kg for the last several feet before touchdown. Cameras mounted on a mast above the Rover 850 850 rover will help guide the spacecraft to specific Descent stage (dry) 829 1,679 surface targets. It will use a small nuclear-pow- Descent stage propellant 390 2,069 ered radioisotope power source that will give Heat shield 382 2,451 the mission a full Mars year (687 Earth days) Cruise stage (wet) 600 3,051 of exploration. The wheeled system will be ca- Backshell 349 3,400 pable of rolling over obstacles up to 25 in. in Source: NASA JPL. size and traveling up to 660 ft each day.

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The team developing the landing that if the final trajectory is changed to a “hot- system tested the deployment ter” atmospheric entry, the shield as designed of an early parachute design in has sufficient extra margin to easily accom- mid-October 2007 inside the world's largest wind tunnel, modate the change. While these design and at NASA Ames. hardware constructions are under way, science teams are evaluating four potential landing footprints. The teams will meet for a review in late winter 2010, with the possibility of adding a fifth candidate for final analysis. The exact entry and landing targets will be selected in late 2010 or early 2011.

The cost factor “Cost and schedules are taken very seriously ments,” he adds. The design of the gears was on any science mission,” said NASA’s Ed shifted from steel gears to titanium because of Weiler, associate administrator for science, at the desire to reduce weight and mass. “It was a news conference discussing the project’s de- much lighter. But the dry film on the titanium lays. “However, when it’s all said and done, [gears] didn’t work—the titanium gears were the passing grade is mission success.” Weiler unable to hold the stress,” says McCuistion. says the decision to slip the launch, while not Dry film would not stay on the gears, or ad- good news, reflects greater accountability at here to the metal. NASA then made the deci- NASA for the programs it manages. He says sion to change back to a steel gear design— that in the late summer of 2008 his direc- and with it, wet lubricants. torate first received the cost overrun on the These problems were identified during Mars program. Mars program officials were early development, he pointed out, but also optimistic that a 2009 launch could be met. “I drove up costs and development time. The ac- asked the question, [when] will you reach a tuators—which are bearings in the motors’ point where you’ll not be able to stay within motor encoder-gear box—was where the lubri- your budget for that fiscal year?” he recalls. cant issue first emerged. “The bearings in the He decided to establish weekly milestones to motors were not able to meet the launch date, track the program’s progress. “That’s unusual and made the motor unstable. The electronics for headquarters,” he adds. couldn’t handle the unstable motors,” Mc- By late November 2008 it became clear Cuistion observes. the project was starting to slip. JPL also did a There also were issues involving the avi- review that confirmed the findings. So a deci- onics software. Software for a spacecraft, in sion was made in early December that the this case the rover, is constructed in “builds” 2009 launch could not be met. “We made the during different phases of test and develop- decision not to spend one extra penny and to ment. As different instruments are activated, basically back off two years,” Weiler says. He different software also is activated and comes adds that headquarters still has a weekly mile- on line. Software during cruise phase while the stone tracking for MSL in place. spacecraft is enroute to Mars will be fine- Weiler blames technology and optimistic tuned. But the final design of the software has assumptions for the program’s troubles. “Too yet to be completed, because the hardware it- many technologies having to all fit together… self is still under development. the optimistic assumptions that contractors “We can’t finalize all of the software until could build things and make them work the the hardware is finished,” McCuistion says. first time at cryogenic temperatures, Mars Several major components are still not fin- temperatures. Too many things coming to- ished—and some of what originally was to be gether,” he says, adding that MSL’s initial validated during cruise flight will now be done budget was “based on a lot of hope...and on the ground. The motor control avionics are hope is not a management tool.” not yet done, and landing radar is not yet fi- With so much of the MSL hardware and nalized. But McCuistion says they were of a software still in assembly, if not design, and “brand new design, better than previous the program’s budget under constant moni- rovers. Better capability.” toring because of past cost overruns, the Mars One area of good design news concerns Science Laboratory may yet face the hardest the pica heat shield, now under final testing. part of its ambitious mission long before the The pica has sufficient heat resisting ability Atlas ever leaves the ground.

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SPACE DEBRIS

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Remnants of on-orbit collisions, exploded spacecraft, and defunct satellites now greatly outnumber active space assets. Looming objects have already caused orbiting vehicles, including the ISS, to make evasive maneuvers. Experts are assessing the risks and their implications for future space programs. If steps to mitigate the problem are not taken soon, say some, portions of near-Earth orbit could become unusable for the foreseeable future.

ake a long look into the clear night refuge in a docked Soyuz spacecraft to avoid a LEO is the most sky. There is no doubt that the piece of space flotsam that could have struck concentrated area for orbital debris. wonder of it all is overpowering. the station. The ISS itself has been maneu- But also take note that you are vered several times to avoid debris. eyeing Earth’s largest junkyard—a These and other past incidents constitute dumping ground for dead and dying space- a wake-up call. craft, spent rocket stages, lens caps, paint Tchips, and, yes, even a lost-to-space tool bag. Domino effect The U.S. Space Surveillance Network is Answering that call are insurers gauging the tracking more than 19,000 Earth-orbiting risks posed by debris and mulling over pre- man-made objects larger than 10 cm (4 in.) in mium increases, legal scholars reviewing the diameter. Roughly 95% of this number repre- many liability issues associated with orbital sents some form of debris. But there are also collisions, and policy specialists studying the an estimated 300,000 additional objects in need for a new set of decrees to deal with de- Earth orbit measuring 1-10 cm across, along bris and assessing the implications for future with many millions smaller than 1 cm. space programs. Slipping through space at high speed, Orbital debris “is the gravest threat to even a half-inch-wide piece of debris hitting a new and existing space systems.” That is a spacecraft can have devastating effects. view shared by two RAND experts, Caroline While all this clutter might be out of sight, Reilly, a research assistant working on de- it is hardly out of mind. Take for example the fense strategy and planning, and Peter Zim- February collision between a defunct Russian merman, former chief scientist for the Senate Cosmos spacecraft and a commercial Iridium Foreign Relations Committee and a former satellite. That crash added significantly to the State Dept. science advisor. They cite the number of bits and pieces already circling the sheer volume of debris and the lack of any Earth. The accident meant, for instance, that mechanism for cleaning it up, factors enhanc- ESA’s ERS-2 and Envisat missions were 30% ing the odds that more orbital junk, if left un- more likely to face a catastrophic impact from checked, may render portions of space tem- space debris. porarily or permanently unusable. Two years earlier—again compounding an Reilly and Zimmerman have singled out already terrible situation—was China’s destruc- work done decades ago by Donald Kessler tion of its inactive Fengyun-1C weather satel- and Burton Cour-Palais, NASA space debris lite. That January 2007 antisatellite target experts who concluded that without the practice by China produced a debris cloud, a means to remove debris, the amount of litter messy aftermath described as the most prolific in more densely populated orbits would reach and serious fragmentation in 50 years of space a critical point. Beyond that tipping point, operations. Those leftovers from the test are they said, a collision between two objects of likely to remain in Earth orbit for centuries, af- sizable mass could spur a space “domino ef- fecting the ability of satellite operators to steer fect”—now known in some circles as “the clear of on-orbit collisions. Indeed, in June Kessler syndrome”—that is, each shrapnel 2007 NASA reported maneuvering its $1.3- cloud would collide with more satellites, creat- billion Terra satellite to avoid a piece of ing subsequent impacts and more debris, until Fengyun-1C debris. that region of space becomes, in effect, a by Leonard David More recently, ISS crew members took cloud of tightly packed junk. Contributing writer

NASA’s GEO polar images are generated from a vantage point brought under control. The international aero- above the north pole, showing space community has already made signiﬁcant the concentrations of objects in strides in the design and operation of space LEO and in the geosynchronous region. systems to curtail the creation of new orbital debris, but more can be done,” said Johnson.

Space situational awareness Today, space system operators receive space situational awareness (SSA) data principally from the DOD Commercial and Foreign Enti- ties program, Johnson testified in April. “En- hancements to this program, both to serve a larger number of users and to increase the variety of services available, especially conjunction assessments, offer the greatest near-term and lowest cost improvement to space safety. In the longer term, technical advances in space This NASA image was generated from a distant oblique vantage surveillance, including more capable sensors point to provide a good view of and higher accuracy data, are likely needed.” the object population in the Lt. Gen. Larry James, commander of the geosynchronous region (around U.S. Strategic Command’s Joint Functional 35,785 km altitude). Note the larger population of objects over Component Command for Space, testified at the northern hemisphere is due the same hearing. He called space traffic mostly to Russian objects in growth both a challenge and a concern. high-inclination, high-eccen- tricity orbits. “In 1980 only 10 countries were operating satellites in space. Today, nine countries operate spaceports, more than 50 countries own or have partial ownership in satellites, If a surge of collisions started in the geo- and citizens of 39 nations have traveled in stationary belt, say Zimmerman and Reilly, “it space. In 1980 we were tracking approxi- is possible the entire belt would be closed for mately 4,700 objects in space; 280 of those business, permanently.” objects were active payloads/spacecraft, while Nicholas Johnson, NASA’s chief scientist another 2,600 were debris. Today we are for orbital debris, testified in April before the tracking approximately 19,000 objects, House subcommittee on space and aeronau- 1,300 active payloads, and 7,500 pieces of tics at a hearing called “Keeping the Space debris. In 29 years, space traffic has quadru- Environment Safe for Civil and Commercial pled,” James noted. Users.” Putting the situation in perspective, James told lawmakers that based on the he said, “While the adage ‘what goes up must past 10 years of launch activity, a conserva- come down’ still applies in the space age, tive estimate projects that the number of ac- most satellites take a very long time to fall tive satellites will jump from 1,300 to 1,500 back to Earth. In many cases, this descent can over the next decade. Depending on the ef- last hundreds, even thousands, of years. Con- fectiveness of future sensors, the overall num- sequently, after more than 4,600 space mis- ber of tracked objects could increase from sions conducted worldwide since Sputnik 1, a 19,000 to as many as 100,000, he testified. large number of human-made objects have steadily accumulated in Earth orbit.” Ensuring safe operations Johnson pointed out that the numerous James said this year’s Iridium/Cosmos colli- operational satellites now circling the globe, sion provided “an excellent example” of the as well as the human-occupied ISS, are ac- relationship the U.S. military has with com- companied by a far greater population of ob- mercial users, and of what is being done to solete spacecraft, dilapidated launch vehicle ensure safe space operations. This seemed an orbital stages, intentionally discarded refuse, odd choice of words given his follow-on com- and the wreckage of more than 200 satellite ment that the Joint Space Operations Center explosions and collisions. began increased conjunction assessment “The threat posed by orbital debris to the screening of Iridium assets 4 hr 50 min after reliable operation of space systems will con- the conjunction. The center now screens tinue to grow unless the sources of debris are more than 330 objects daily to ensure safe

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spaceflight operations for both DOD and commercial space users supporting DOD missions, he added. COSMOS “The U.S. space surveillance architecture currently detects and tracks thousands of objects, but critical gaps remain in an ability to fully track and characterize all on-orbit objects, analyze and predict conjunctions,” James IRIDIUM said. A key program to address this gap, he continued, is the “Space Fence,” foreseen as the most accurate dedicated radar in the U.S. EQUATORIAL POLAR DEBRIS DEBRIS The Iridium 33/Cosmos 2251 Space Surveillance Network, hardware that DEBRIS DISPERSION POSITIONS collision in February resulted in DISPERSION ORBITS a great increase in the debris could provide critical coverage from the south- population. Images generated ORBITS ern hemisphere. by Dan Deak. The Space Fence would be capable of performing 750,000 observations each day Space Debris Coordinating Committee, an in- and would track over 100,000 objects, tergovernmental body created to exchange in- thereby reducing coverage gaps and greatly formation on space debris research and miti- improving space situational awareness at both gation measures. LEO and MEO. In addition, James under- Other nonbinding guidelines could be de- scored the future fielding of the Space-based veloped, he suggested, such as a formalization Space Surveillance satellite, which will enable of existing rules regarding the movement of an uninterrupted scan of the entire GEO belt spacecraft between orbital locations; proto- every 24 hours—a marked improvement over cols for informing other operators when one present-day situational awareness of assets at of their spacecraft could potentially cause that altitude. damage to other space objects; and protocols Also testifying at the hearing was Richard for managing the loss of control of a satellite. DalBello, vice president for legal and govern- “Within the next decade, many more ment affairs at Intelsat General, which oper- countries will gain the ability to exploit space ates an armada of more than 50 satellites—the for commercial, scientific, and governmental largest geostationary commercial fleet assem- purposes. It is essential that the world’s gov- bled to date. He stressed that the U.S. governments provide leadership on space man- ernment should play a leadership role on the agement issues today in order to protect the issue of space traffic control. space activities of tomorrow,” he concluded. At present, satellite operators count on Sharing a similar view is Scott Pace, di- the U.S. government to monitor hardware rector of the Space Policy Institute at the such as dead satellites and other objects that Elliott School of International Affairs are drifting in geostationary orbit and could at George Washington University collide with an active satellite. DalBello said, in Washington, D.C. He also “The safety of commercial space activities can testified in favor of voluntary be ensured only if there is a commitment from “rules of the road” for space the U.S. government, and other governments traffic management. equipped with the same type of radar or opti- “Improving space situa- cal observation capabilities, to monitor uncon- tional awareness and reduc- trolled space objects and to alert commercial tion of the hazards posed operators, in real time, of the risks of collision by man-made orbital debris with their operational satellites.” Adequate are both vital to the long- funding for SSA—the ability to monitor and term sustainable use of space understand the constantly changing space en- for all nations,” Pace noted. vironment—is key, he added. “Spacefaring nations should ad- “It would be extremely valuable if satellite here to consensus orbital debris operators and governments could find a way mitigation standard practices recog- to share their collected data in an organized, nized by the Scientific and Technical cooperative fashion. Such a sharing process Subcommittee of the United Nations Commit- Space shuttle windows have been dinged by orbital debris on could result in the creation of a ‘Global Data tee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Im- many missions. Credit: NASA. Warehouse’ for space information,” DalBello proving space situational awareness should observed. He also spotlighted the space debris also be regarded as a promising area of inter- guidelines developed by the Inter-Agency national cooperation.”

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Taking out the trash “There is a tendency of some, not all, There is no question that the menace of space media to exaggerate both the near-term and clutter is real. But that hazard is largely man- far-term threats posed by orbital debris,” ageable, explains Johnson of NASA’s Orbital Johnson notes. “While the threats are real, to- Debris Program. day they are largely manageable. In addition, Johnson, a 30-year veteran of research not enough credit is given to the scientific and on the subject, tells Aerospace America that in operational communities for their efforts to the past few years, the most significant ad- date. The near-Earth space environment vance in understanding the orbital debris envi- would be much worse today without the un- ronment has involved the area near the geo- heralded efforts of a small segment of the synchronous orbit. “NASA, ESA, and Russian aerospace community during the past three sensors have detected a significant number of decades.” [pieces of] debris not yet tracked by the U.S. Clearly, a space edict on “taking out the Space Surveillance Network.” trash” would reduce future on-orbit collisions. A portion of this small (0.2-1.0-m) debris “The problem is there’s no cost-effective tech- population exhibits characteristics of high nology for doing it,” says Lawrence Wein, area-to-mass, says Johnson. Near GEO, solar professor of management science at Stanford radiation pressure exerts a strong perturbing University’s Graduate School of Business. En- force on the orbits of such debris. This in turn forcing existing rules that require space pro- affects not just the probability that one of grams to take out their own trash, he believes, these pieces might strike an intact satellite or could stem the growing threat of expensive rocket body, but also the consequences of orbiting satellites colliding with space litter. such a strike. Wein contends that what is occurring in Although there has been progress in this LEO mimics environmental economics here field, more work is needed in certain areas, on terra firma. Like resources here on Earth, notes Johnson. “Clearly, more observational space is undergoing an early assault from hu- data on debris in both low- and high-altitude man encroachment. orbital regimes is necessary to more precisely Wein and Andrew Bradley, a doctoral stu- characterize the near-Earth space environment dent at Stanford’s Institute for Computational and to monitor the growth and evolution of and Mathematical Engineering, argue for the orbital debris population. To accomplish compliance with existing NASA rules requir- ing that objects be removed from orbit within 25 years of being launched. The two call for focusing future policy on achieving full compliance with rules for getting equipment out of orbit, and for making it taboo to blow up orbiting objects intentionally. Another suggestion by Wein and Bradley is to set fees for every launch and penalize those who ignore their floating trash. Un- doubtedly this approach would necessitate heavy political and economic negotiations, “but if we could get high compliance, this problem could stay under control,” Wein believes. The fees would be used to compensate for operational spacecraft destroyed in future collisions, and partially fund R&D for space debris mitigation technologies.

A growing predicament Screen shot from an AGI Viewer this, more capable and more numerous sen- Space law specialist James Dunstan of the law file shows a Chinese antisatellite sors—radar and optical—are required.” ﬁrm Garvey Schubert Barer sees the recent scenario from January 2007 (5 min In terms of public awareness, the debris Cosmos/Iridium accident as a case of ﬁrst im- after ASAT test) with the ISS orbit issue—collisions, clouds of junk zipping portance for space law. (green line), LEO satellites (green dots), and debris ring (red). through space, and warnings to astronauts Iridium carried insurance for a collision, Credit: AGI/CelesTrak/CSSI. about close calls—makes for high media atten- Dunstan notes, but only for third-party dam- tion. And there is sometimes a degree of hype age. It is unclear whether Iridium even knew in such reporting. of the probability of the collision. Also, be-

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Space traffic management The optimistic message from Marshall Kaplan, a Reducing the threat to both human spaceflight and senior scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied satellites from destructive space debris and increasing Physics Laboratory, is that methods and systems for knowledge about the space environment is more easily reducing the debris threat will be developed over the said than done. Over the past decade and a half, the next several years. world’s major space agencies have been developing a The solution, senses Kaplan, will involve several set of orbital debris mitigation guidelines aimed at efforts, including added spacecraft shielding, extra stemming the creation of new space debris and lessening satellite onboard propellant for maneuvering, limitations the impact of existing debris on satellites and human on creating new debris, automated deorbiting of upper spaceflight. These guidelines are one essential part of stages, mandatory end-of-life risk-reduction maneuvers, the long-term sustainability of Earth orbit. and physical removal of debris from high-threat zones. The collision in February between a commercial “Success will require all spacefaring nations to Iridium satellite and a nonoperational Russian Cosmos cooperate and work together,” Kaplan notes. Still, given spacecraft underscored another essential part of this these approaches, what comes next? sustainability—knowledge about objects in orbit and There must be an ongoing international program the space environment, also known as space situational to keep debris-collision risks at acceptable levels, Kaplan awareness. suggests, a program that could be labeled space traffic “Space situational awareness is one of the most management. That effort might operate on a voluntary important space issues of our time,” said Ray Williamson, basis in which spacefaring nations agree to limitations executive director of the Secure World Foundation, on populating certain orbital slots or zones. headquartered in Superior, Colo. The group is a strong “Each nation would furthermore have to accept the advocate for a space situational awareness system that liability associated with the creation of new debris and embraces several key attributes: agree to certain restrictions on orbital usage. Space traffic •Combines data from multiple sources, including management would also entail the continued control of ground- and space-based sensors, satellite owner- debris through an active removal program that maintains operators, and space weather data. the highly used orbital regions safe for operational •Provides a level of data for civil uses by all actors, satellites,” Kaplan says. “Ultimately, the space traffic a function that the U.S. military currently does not have management program may be integrated with the the resources to provide fully. mainstream space program in a way that would permit •Mixes both unilateral solutions with international new spacecraft orbit insertions and debris removal participation and engagement, potentially saving money operations with every launch campaign,” he concludes. through combining data from existing sensors owned by [Leonard David is a research associate with the states all over the globe and enhancing overall security. Secure World Foundation.]

cause that particular Iridium satellite was well bital data by commercial operators would re- past its useful life, there is a question about lieve the U.S. Air Force of the necessity to de- whether the operator was hesitant to use any vote resources to tracking the company’s stationkeeping fuel to avoid the collision. satellites, and could provide accuracy greater Then there is the argument of the Russians, than would otherwise be commonly avail- who say that customary international law does able,” the statement continues, adding that not require them to get rid of their derelict improved SSA is essential to the well-being of satellites. Iridium argues that it is under no ob- the global space community. ligation to take active steps to avoid the colli- “This event certainly points to the impor- sion, says the space law analyst. tance of SSA to the success of the commer- Last March, Iridium issued a postcollision cial space industry, including the commercial statement explaining that it has been engaged and government customers served by Iridium. for some time with the U.S. government in an Iridium is committed to healthy cooperation effort to improve assessment and warning, between government, industry, and the inter- through activities such as the Commercial and national community to improve the capabili- Foreign Entities program. ties of SSA and to enhance the security of the “While these have been useful efforts, space environment for all constituents,” the Iridium believes this incident has demon- Iridium statement concludes. strated the need for even more aggressive action, and the company supports enhanced ac- Seeking solutions tions to increase the margin of safety for As the quandary posed by orbital debris wors- space operations,” says the statement. A spe- ens, it is stirring some to seek remedies. One ciﬁc future activity that Iridium endorses is clean-up initiative is being fostered by Mar- long-term investment to improve SSA so that shall Kaplan, a senior scientist at the Johns the space environment can be better under- Hopkins University Applied Physics Labora- stood and better characterized. tory in Laurel, Md. This still-embryonic effort “Iridium believes provision of satellite or- could entail working on simulations just to an-

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ticipate how bad the situation might become ing to take a long time,” he says. We don’t over the next few years, Kaplan tells Aero- have a good solution as yet. But there is com- space America, with the prospect of carrying ing a time when space debris reduction will out ground- and/or space-based experiments become an imperative.” on how to actually collect debris. “What we He speculates about one worrisome sce- have up there now is sufficiently large, small, nario: “If there were a catastrophic collision and numerous that it’s going to propagate between debris and the ISS where lives were and continue to make the problem worse.” lost…I think the end result would be a discon- Proposed remedies include placing in or- tinuation of human spaceflight, at least in low bit a huge aerogel-laden fluff ball to snag de- Earth orbit, until the debris problem is fixed. bris, using terminator tethers, and even using That would give us impetus to do something low-power ground-based lasers to churn out fairly soon, although you never know what the pulses of energy directed at chunks of debris. political landscape might be like.” Such energetic zaps would vaporize the sur- Decluttering the valuable real estate that face layer of the debris, causing a thin layer of is LEO will require international participation, gas to blow off. This release of gas would kick and will take the form of a major new space the debris into a higher altitude but decrease program, Kaplan suggests. While the time is its perigee. The targeted space junk would now to blue-sky space debris reduction op- then reenter and burn up in the atmosphere tions, the task ahead is akin to a superfund within a couple of days. clean-up campaign far greater than anything At present, Kaplan says, the approach ever undertaken by the Environmental Protec- being taken—trying to mitigate the increase of tion Agency in terms of money and scope. debris—is the right one. For now, the cost of “This problem has gotten a lot worse,” he cleaning up debris in LEO is not economically says. “Space debris is a growth industry, that’s workable. “It’s going to be expensive…it’s go- for sure.”

36 AEROSPACE AMERICA/OCTOBER 2009 CANANlayout1009.qxd:AAFEATURE-layout.Template 9/11/09 12:52 PM Page 2 Cloudy The National Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite System has become increasingly important to our ability to predict weather and monitor climate trends. But technical troubles,funding issues,and an unworkable management structure severely threaten this once-promising program. If corrective actions are not taken soon,a serious gap in coverage and a degraded forecasting capability appear inevitable.

he future looks forbidding for space-based weather forecasting and climate monitoring. Big problems have beset the development of advanced polar orbiting environmental satellites designed to meet both military and civilian needs. The stakes are high for the U.S., and solutions are not in sight. At issue is the troubled National Polar Orbiting Environ- mental Satellite System (NPOESS). By all accounts, its timely deployment will be critical to improving and maintaining the continuity of meteorological and climatological data from Tspace. Experts expect it to become ever more important in the years ahead as the U.S. and other nations take measures to control global warming and keep the climate on an even keel.

Early promise dims NPOESS once showed high promise. The program was created to develop and produce six satellites with highly advanced, state-of-the-art sensors and instruments for measuring and dis- seminating data on weather and climate. NPOESS was ex-

for NPOESS

pected to generate extraordinarily accurate ran into technical, weight, and cost problems. long-range and short-range weather forecasts. It seems to be doing somewhat better now but The constellation’s high-speed communica- remains problematic, officials say. tions links would give meteorologists on the NPOESS began faltering years ago. Its ground the added advantage of almost instant ever-worsening problems sounded alarms in access to weather and climate data from Congress and elsewhere early in this decade, space, experts believed. and engendered hearings, investigations, and NOAA claimed that the NPOESS satel- remedial actions. Because of financial, admin- lites would collect “a massive amount of very istrative, and technical difficulties, the program precise Earth-surface, atmospheric, and space was restructured in 2006, with the planned environmental measurements from a variety number of satellites reduced from six to four, of onboard sensors.” and onboard subsystems and sensors cut from From the outset, one major attraction of 13 to nine. Four of the remaining sensors are NPOESS was its incorporation of Raytheon’s said to be less capable than before. advanced visual/infrared imager radiometer The NPOESS schedule has slipped by at suite (VIIRS), designed to see through clouds. least six years. Cost has doubled to approxi- Military strategists and tacticians found it en- mately $14 billion, and is expected to grow by by James W. Canan ticing. So did hurricane forecasters. But VIIRS at least another $1 billion and counting. Contributing writer

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The 2006 restructuring did not do the retaining the Northrop Grumman/Raytheon trick. In its aftermath, “the program is still en- contractor team while making other changes countering technical issues, schedule delays, mostly pertaining to its management structure and the likelihood of further cost increases,” and approaches. says a General Accountability Office report. It notes that the schedules for the NPOESS Program origins Preparatory Project (NPP) demonstration The NPOESS program had its beginnings in satellite and the first two NPOESS satellites 1994, when then-President Clinton issued a are expected to be delayed by seven, 14, and directive combining the acquisition and opera- five months, respectively. These delays, GAO tion of military and civilian weather satellites says, “have endangered our nation’s ability to in one integrated program office to be staffed ensure the continuity” of weather and climate by officials from NOAA, NASA, and the DOD data from polar-orbiting satellites. and situated within NOAA. In July, in an attempt to salvage the satel- This consolidation marked a major lite, the Obama administration pumped more change from the long-established way of do- money into the program, adding $100 million ing business, in which the Air Force and the to the $282 million previously budgeted for NOAA/NASA partnership each designed, ac- the coming fiscal year 2010. But the adminis- quired, and operated its particular weather tration was under increasing pressure from satellite system in low Earth orbits—the De- Congress to make management changes in fense Meteorological Support Program the program as well. A Senate Appropriations (DMSP) and the Polar Orbiting Environmental Committee report on the program declared Satellite (POES), respectively. Big savings— that “the administration needs to disengage multibillions of dollars—and much smoother, from its autopilot management style” and more efficient management and operations “start making responsible decisions.” were expected of the move. David Powner, GAO’s director of infor- NPOESS got under way shortly there- mational technology management issues, elab- after, with Northrop Grumman under contract orated on his agency’s report in testimony be- as the system integrator and Raytheon as the fore the House Science and Technology Com- developer of prime sensors. In 1998, opera- mittee’s subcommittee on investigations and tional responsibility for DMSP satellites was oversight in June. “If any planned satellites fail transferred from the Air Force to the tri- on launch or in orbit,” he said, “there would be agency Integrated Program Office. Command, a gap in satellite data until the next NPOESS control, and communications of both the satellite is launched and operational—a gap DMSP and POES systems were combined in that could last for three to five years.” NOAA’s Satellite Operations Control Center. The worst could well happen. Some offi- POES and DMSP satellites circle the cials seem ready to give up on NPOESS in its Earth in near-polar, Sun-synchronous low present form. Such pessimism is reflected in Earth orbits, monitoring the weather almost continuously. NOAA also operates the geostationary operational environmental satellites here is general agreement that much (GOES), which are developed, acquired, and of the problem with NPOESS lies in its unwieldy, launched by NASA, and utilizes data from the Tthree-headed management structure…. European Meteorological Operational (MetOp) satellite as well. the recent report of the independent review team (IRT) that the NPOESS executive com- Too many cooks? mittee appointed to examine the program in There is general agreement that much of the the wake of its restructuring. problem with NPOESS lies in its unwieldy, A. Thomas Young, a former NASA and three-headed management structure, in which Lockheed Martin executive who headed the the administrators of NOAA and NASA and IRT, told the House subcommittee that the undersecretary of defense for acquisition NPOESS “has an extraordinarily low proba- make up the NPOESS executive committee. bility of success.” Young declared that the pro- All three agencies are represented in the gram is “hardware poor with little protection NPOESS integrated program office, which has against a launch failure or an early spacecraft management responsibility for the system as a failure,” and that the continuity of [meteoro- whole and for all weather satellite operations. logical] data from space “is at significant risk.” The Air Force is in charge of NPOESS Even so, the review team recommended acquisition. NASA is responsible for facilitat-

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ing the development of new technologies and and climate models, while DOD is content to incorporating them into the system. NOAA operate legacy [DMSP] hardware. NOAA and DOD share in the overall funding of doesn’t have any extra POES satellites to NPOESS, while NASA funds specific technol- buffer its transition [to NPOESS] while DOD ogy projects and studies under the supervision still has two DMSP satellites on the ground. of the executive committee. NPOESS is NOAA’s flagship mission, yet [it] At the House hearing, Mary Glackin, barely amounts to a rounding error in the NOAA’s deputy undersecretary for oceans Pentagon’s budget.” and atmosphere, played up both the impor- Broun also noted that another reason for tance and the plight of NPOESS. She called it NPOESS problems “is simply that space ac- a “pivotal constellation” and declared that it is quisition isn’t easy….We aren’t asking these now “at risk.” agencies to build cardboard boxes….In the If the delivery of NPOESS satellites were end, we are building one-of-a-kind innovative delayed, or if a catastrophic failure occurred hardware and launching it at 17,500 mph during launch or in space, “NOAA’s forecast- into the vacuum of space.” ing ability would be severely degraded, be- NPOESS is an example of “putting all our cause current forecast models rely heavily on eggs in one basket,” Broun said. “We have [POES] satellites that will be coming to the sought to limit our costs by putting numerous end of their useful lives,” she asserted. sensors on fewer spacecraft and launch vehi- Glackin said a gap in satellite coverage of cles,” thereby limiting opportunities for se- six months or more would be “unacceptable quential upgrades. “We have developed an ar- for weather forecasting, since NOAA would chitecture [in which] it seems that failure is not be unable to produce useful four- and five-day an option.” hurricane track forecasts,” and that the quality Contributing to NPOESS problems, the of weather forecast models would degrade. congressman added, are “issues of require- “A gap in satellite coverage of any length ments creep in satellite sensors, schedule would most likely interrupt critical climate pressure in the face of satellite data disrup- measurements that are needed for the nation tion, and cost caps” from external factors. “It to determine the cause, magnitude, and direc- really isn’t surprising that the program isn’t tion of future climate change,” she noted. run well when the managers can’t fine-tune In an attempt to close the threatened cov- fundamental…parameters like cost, schedule, erage gap, the program executive committee and performance,” he declared. decided to press into service the NPP satellite, now in development, that was originally designed to serve solely as a demonstration A gap in satellite coverage of any length satellite lacking some operational attributes. would most likely interrupt critical climate Program officials were expected to pro- measurements that are needed for the nation pose a new cost and schedule baseline by the to determine the cause, magnitude, and direction end of June, but were forced to acknowledge A “of future climate change.” — Mary Glackin, NOAA near the deadline that critical decisions on constraining costs, tightening the schedule, and mitigating technical risks would have to “Every American is impacted by this probe put off for perhaps another year. gram whether they know it or not,” Broun said. “It is our responsibility to ensure that the Funding and other problems farmers, fishermen, warfighters, and everyday The NPOESS management problems were commuters continue to receive weather and underscored and thrashed out during the climate information.” House hearings. Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia, the subcommittee’s ranking Republican, Review team findings noted that the “differing priorities and levels IRT chairman Young told the House subcom- of commitment” of the triagency NPOESS mittee that implementing the NPOESS pro- management is to be expected, “given their gram is “extremely difficult” because the pro- unique missions.” gram “is not part of a space acquisition But, declared Broun, “this divergence has organization.” His review team recommended ultimately created an untenable partnership. putting NOAA wholly in charge of the pro- NOAA is pressured by the scientific commu- gram, “with NASA acting as NOAA’s acquisi- nity to continue operation of research satel- tion organization.” The panel “recognized lites that feed cutting-edge data into weather that NOAA has a broader responsibility for

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The White weather and climate requirements than any cost a more important parameter than mis- House will be other organization, and is a natural national sion success in making program decisions, required to define advocate for this program,” Young said. and does not focus on top-level issues and the NPOESS The review panel also noted, however, timeliness in the process, said Young. programA that is that the Air Force Space and Missile Systems “in the national Center would be capable of overseeing GAO chimes in interest.” NPOESS acquisition. The GAO came down just as hard on — A. Thomas Young, In the NPOESS program, “the critical is- NPOESS management. The agency reported IRT chairman sue is that DOD/Air Force and NOAA priori- that even though the program executive com- ties are not aligned,” Young asserted. The IRT mittee has made some improvements over the found that the Air Force is satisfied with the past several years, “it has not effectively ful- performance of its existing weather satellites filled its responsibilities” and lacks the mem- and is unwilling to provide additional funding bership and leadership to oversee and operate for the next-generation NPOESS satellites to the program. improve on their performance, he said. In that vein, Powner testified last June NOAA, on the other hand, believes that “ac- that the undersecretary of defense for acquisi- cepting legacy [weather satellite] capabilities tion, technology, and logistics, who repre- would be a significant step back.” sents DOD on the NPOESS executive com- “This difference in priorities must be re- mittee, had never attended the executive solved,” Young added. The panel concluded committee meetings, and had delegated that that the NPOESS executive committee will be responsibility to the undersecretary of the Air unable to resolve it, and that “the White Force, who lacks the authority to make acqui- House will be required to define the NPOESS sition decisions for NPOESS. program that is in the national interest.” As a result, “none of the individuals who “Implementation of the IRT recommen- attend the…meetings for the three agencies dations and additional actions is urgently re- has the authority to approve the acquisition quired. Risk and unnecessary cost are being program baseline or major changes to the realized at an unacceptable rate,” the review baseline,” and as a result, “agreements be- panel chairman declared. tween committee members have been over- The IRT found that the NPOESS mana- turned by the [Air Force] acquisition authority, gerial agency must have total and absolute ac- leading to significant delays,” he noted. quisition authority, and must be fully responsi- Moreover, he continued, the committee ble for the program’s budget and funding, “does not aggressively manage risks, and Young told the subcommittee. As things many of the committee’s decisions do not stand, the NPOESS executive committee “is achieve desired outcomes.” GAO agrees with ineffective,” he said, because its individual the NPOESS review panel that unless and un- members lack decision-making authority. The til NPOESS management shortcomings are triagency NPOESS management considers corrected, “important issues involving cost growth, schedule delays, and satellite continuity will likely remain unresolved.” Problems in the development of the VIIRS (shown) and the The GAO report on NPOESS recom- cross-track infrared sounder mends that the secretary of defense direct the continue to drive up costs. undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics to attend and partic- ipate personally in NPOESS executive committee meetings. It also recommends that the defense and commerce secretaries and the NASA administrator “establish a realistic time frame for revising the program’s cost and schedule baselines,” develop plans to cut the risk of gaps in the continuity of weather satellites, and closely monitor the program’s progress and effectiveness on all fronts.

Reactions and prospects NASA and NOAA agreed with all GAO ﬁnd- ings and recommendations and said they were taking corrective measures, but DOD’s reac-

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tion was mixed. The department agreed only As a result of cost and schedule problems, to “evaluate” the recommendation that its top launch of the NPP satellite has been put off civilian acquisition official regularly attend until January 2011, a year later than estimated NPOESS managerial meetings. after the program was restructured in 2006, The news for NPOESS is not all bad. and seven months later than the July 2010 GAO reported that the program has made launch date that was projected a year ago. some progress over the past year: Three of Moreover, launches of the first and second the NPP satellite’s five instruments were deliv- NPOESS satellites—C1 and C2—are now ex- ered and integrated aboard the spacecraft; the pected to be delayed at least until March 2014 ground-based NPP satellite data processing and May 2016, respectively, GAO reported. system was installed and tested; and the NPP command, control, and communications systems passed their acceptance testing. vvv Even so, problems in the development of Despite the NPOESS program’s many prob- two critical sensors—the VIIRS and the cross- lems, the capabilities it promises are widely re- track infrared sounder (CrIS)—continue to drive garded as too compelling to dismiss. The ad- up the program’s cost and stretch its sched- ministration’s big boost of funding for the ule, GAO concluded. In addressing these is- program last summer is seen as a show of faith sues, the NPOESS program office halted or that it can be, and that it must be, turned delayed activities on other components, in- around. Many questions remain as to when cluding the development of a sensor planned the NPOESS satellites will finally fly, which infor the first NPOESS satellite, called C1, and struments will be aboard, or what they will redirected its funding to fixing VIIRS and CrIS, cost, but there is no doubt about their impor- GAO said. This caused the costs of those tance to the national interest or the increas- other components to rise, the agency said. ingly urgent need for them, officials agree.

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25 Years Ago, October 1984 26, the pictures create widespread interest around the world. The Aeroplane, Oct. 9, 1959, p. 302; Flight, Nov. 6, 1959, p. 493. Oct. 5 The space shuttle Challenger is launched on the STS 41G mission Oct. 8 Pioneer 4, considered the first successful U.S. space probe, reaches its and carries the first Canadian astro- first aphelion, or farthest point from the Sun. The 107,951,000-mi. distance is a naut, Marc Garneau. Kathryn Sullivan new tracking record for U.S. spacecraft. The probe was launched on March 3. also performs the first EVA by an The Aeroplane, Oct. 23, 1959, p. 390. American woman. NASA, Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1979-84, pp. 509- Oct. 10 Pan American World Airways initiates its 511, 677. round-the-world jet service, using Boeing 707 Intercontinental aircraft, with a flight time of a little over two days. On Oct. 27 Qantas Empire Airways of Australia starts the first jet service that goes completely around the world. Aerospace Year Book, 1960, p. 456; FAA Historical Chronology 1926-1996, p. 64.

Oct. 13 Explorer VIII, the last satellite launched during the International Geo- physical Year, is boosted by Juno II, a modified Army Jupiter missile with upper stages. In December, data gathered by the 91.5-lb spin-stabilized craft shows important possible relationships between solar activity and geomagnetic storms. And During October 1984 It also reveals more about trapped radiation and cosmic rays near Earth. E. Emme, ed., Aeronautics and Astronautics 1915-60, p. 113. —The Association of European Astro- nauts is formed and includes astro- Oct. 13 Bold Orion, a solid-fuel air-launched nauts selected to train for space mis- ballistic missile under development by the Air sions. One purpose is to enable them Force, is successfully test launched from a Boeing to exchange experiences and help plan B-47 Stratojet near Patrick AFB, Fla. It comes future European manned spaceflight. within 4 mi. of the Explorer VI satellite, which is at NASA, Astronautics and Aeronautics, an altitude of 160 mi. and orbiting at 26,000 mph. 1979-84, p. 513. Flight, Nov. 13, 1959, p. 538. 50 Years Ago, October 1959 Oct. 14 At the White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico, the solid-fuel Nike- Oct. 4 The all-solid-fuel Little Joe test Zeus antimissile is successfully flown for the first time. Flight, Nov. 6, 1959, p. 493. launch vehicle makes a 5-min. flight from NASA’s Wallops Island, Va., Oct. 17 North American’s X-15 rocket- station to test the integrity of a boiler- powered research aircraft (X-15 No. 2) plate model of the Mercury space achieves its second powered flight. Pilot capsule with a dummy escape system. Scott Crossfield flies the plane, which reaches The spacecraft’s aerodynamics are a speed of 1,419 mph and an altitude of found to be sound. D. Baker, Space- 61,781 ft. D. Jenkins, X-15—Extending the flight and Rocketry, p. 95. Frontiers of Flight, p. 609. Oct. 4 The Soviet Union’s Luna III, also called Lunik III, weighing 614 lb, Oct. 21 President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the Development Oper- starts to photograph the Moon during ations Div. of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, which includes Wernher von Braun’s its translunar “rocket team,” will be transferred to the newly formed NASA, subject to approval flight, taking the by Congress. The move is later approved, and the von Braun team transfers in first pictures of July 1960. E. Emme, ed., Aeronautics and Astronautics 1915-60, p. 114. the never-before- seen far side Oct. 28 NASA successfully launches a 100-ft-diam inflatable sphere in a subor- of the Moon. bital test flight from Wallops Island. This leads to the later use of the inflatable Released on Oct. Echo passive communication satellite, to be orbited on Aug. 12, 1960. E. Emme,

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An Aerospace Chronology by Frank H.Winter and Robert van der Linden National Air and Space Museum

ed., Aeronautics and Astronautics a total flying time of 63 hr 55 1915-60, p. 114. min, at an average speed of 176.8 mph. The real signifi- Oct. 31 The first F-106 cance of the race, how- fighter-interceptor Air ever, is that the second Boeing 247D Force squadron becomes and third place winners, a operational and is based Douglas DC-2 and Boeing 247, at Fairchild AFB, Spokane, respectively, are off-the-shelf U.S. airliners with no spe- Wash. The Aeroplane, cial modifications. Their performance dramatizes the superior- Dec. 18, 1959, p. 625. ity of American aircraft and leads to U.S. domination of the airliner industry for years to come. Flown by flamboyant air racer Roscoe Turner, the Boeing 247-D is And During October 1959 later displayed in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The Aeroplane, —Dulles International Airport, it is Oct. 24, 1934. announced, will be the name of the Oct. 23 Second Lt. Francesco Agello of the Italian new facility being built at Chantilly, air force beats by more than 15 mph the world Va., 26 mi. from Washington, D.C. speed record that he set a year earlier. Agello’s The name is in honor of John Foster machine is a Macchi-Castoldi MC-72 floatplane Dulles, secretary of state under powered by a Fiat A.S.6 2,800-hp engine. He President Eisenhower. The Aeroplane, averages 440.67 mph in two runs from Lake Garda, Oct. 2, 1959, p. 294. Italy. The Aeroplane, Oct. 31, 1934, p. 511. 75 Years Ago, October 1934 Oct. 25 Hermann Ganswindt, German aviation and space travel Oct. 1 Gustave Lemoine, former pioneer, dies in Berlin at 77. In 1883, he patented a 500-ft-long, holder of the world speed record for 50-ft-diam steam-powered dirigible airship propelled by a 100-hp land planes flying across 1,000 km engine. He offered the idea to Field Marshal Count von Moltke with a payload of 1,000 kg, and also but was turned down. Ganswindt next wrote a book about his holder of the world’s altitude record, aeronautical ideas, which managed to interest the crown is killed near Amiens, France, when prince. But the war minister interceded and Ganswindt was his parachute fails to open after he again denied. Undaunted, the inventor took out other patents leaps from a disabled plane. Aviation, and also built some of his machines, including a two-man November 1934. helicopter that flew briefly. His space travel concepts date to 1891, when he lectured at Berlin’s Philharmonic Hall. He de- Oct. 19 Mario Stoppanni and two signed an intermittently exploding dynamite cartridge spacecraft, others break the existing long-dis- but the plan was not worked out in detail. In recognition of his visionary tance, nonstop seaplane record in an ideas, a crater on the far side of the Moon has been named in his honor. Flight, Italian aircraft with an Isotta-Fraschini Nov. 8, 1934, p. 1171; W. Ley, Rockets, Missiles and Space Travel (1958 ed.), engine. The plane leaves Trieste and pp. 98-101. flies to Massena, Eritrea, in Eastern 100 Years Ago, October 1909 Africa, a distance of 2,560 mi. The previous record was 2,537 mi., flown Oct. 16 Delag (Die Deutsche Luftschiffahrt Aktiengesellschaft) between Marseilles and Senegal. is formed by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. It is the world’s The Aeroplane, Oct. 31, 1934, p. 511. first aviation company organized to carry paying passengers. Between 1910 and 1913 Delag carries 34,000 people on its Oct. 23 Charles W.A. Scott and fleet of six airships without injury throughout Germany. Thomas C. Black win one of aviation However, because these flights were not scheduled and were history’s greatest events, the Mac- for sightseeing purposes only, Delag is not considered the first Robertson race between England and airline. That honor goes to the St. Petersburg-Tampa Air Boat Australia. They win the £10,000 prize Line of 1914. R. Davies, A History of the World’s Airlines. and gold trophy when their specially built De Havilland Comet D.H. 88, Oct. 27 Wilbur Wright takes Mrs. Ralph H. van Deman on a flight in his latest powered by two 225-hp special Gipsy flyer, thus making her the first American woman to fly in a heavier-than-air craft. Six motors, lands at Melbourne after A. van Hoorebeeck, La Conquete de L’Air.

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INSPIREpassion

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