Issue 9 Winter 2014 Magazine
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INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SPACE SAFETY Space Safety © Issue 9 Winter 2014 Magazine S P E C I A L R E P O R T SPACE FOOD Engineering and Craftmanship Interview with “GOOD WISHES ALONE WILL NOT ENSURE PEACE” Art Thompson Alfred Nobel Space Safety Winter Magazine 2014 Index 3 Letter From the New IAASS President S P E C I A L R E P O R T 4 Shutdowns SPACE FOOD 6 ISS: A Nobel Prize-Worthy II And Don’t Forget to Eat! Partnership IV HACCP: NASA’s Greatest Contribution to the Global Food Supply 13 The Road to an ICAO for Space VI SciFi Space Food: From Fiction to Future? 14 Engineering and Craftmanship - Interview with Art Thompson 7 Safe and Trustworthy VII Space Food Autonomous Robotic Assistants 18 Fear of Fear Itself through the Years IX The Future of Food on Mars XIII Earth in a Box XIV Print Your Food: 20 Gravity: Space Debris Hits the A Revolution in the Big Screen 10 The Nixon Administration and Space Kitchen Shuttle Safety - Part 2 22 Press Clips Winter Space Safety 2014 Magazine© Issue 9 Space Safety Magazine INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION Editor-in-Chief Editorial Board and FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF Koninklijke Bibliotheek, SPACE SAFETY Andrea Gini Scientific Committee n. 12042639 19/12/2012 Tommaso Sgobba ISSN: 2214-0379 Managing Editor Michael Listner Merryl Azriel Joseph Pelton IAASS www.spacesafetymagazine.com International Association Deputy Manager [email protected] for the Advancement of Carmen Victoria Felix Space Safety Postbus 127 www.iaass.org 2200AC Noordwijk Feature Editor The Netherlands Matteo Emanuelli Special Report Editor Tereza Pultarova The Space Safety Magazine is a joint publication of the ISSF Creative Director International Association for International Kristhian Mason Advancement of Space Safety Space Safety (IAASS) and the International Foundation Space Safety Foundation (ISSF) www.spacesafetyfoundation.org Cover pictures: ISS - Credits: NASA Central Region of the Milky Way - Credits: NASA, ESA, SSC, CXC, and STScI 2 Space Safety Editorial Winter Magazine 2014 Letter From the New IAASS President (COPUOS) in 2010 and then became a consultative member of the UN Eco- nomic and Social Council in 2013. The six IAASS conferences held since 2005 have made it possible to raise general awareness of Space Safety and to discuss safety-by-design practices, risk assessment tools, benchmarking techniques, and regulations. The prog- ress made is evident from the respec- tive titles of the first of these conferenc- es held in June 2005: “Space Safety: a New Beginning,” and the last one in May 2013: “Safety is Not an Option.” I intend to follow the same approach as my predecessor by providing insti- tutional and industrial stakeholders with the most recent information pos- sible, by encouraging the spread of new ideas, and by capitalizing on the work done in all technical forums. The As- sociation is now mature enough to be able to formalize existing initiatives and achieve practical results in promoting a culture of Space Safety for convention- al projects, such as technical propos- als for regulating suborbital flights, and more innovative projects such as tools for preventing conflicts between space activities and aviation operations. The international framework within which we work must continue to welcome new players, users, and promoters of space activities by providing clear and objective information on the state of the Isabelle Rongier, the new IAASS President. – Credits: CNES art, including rules, methods, and best practices. We should ensure that rules ear Reader, internationally-recognized organization that are applied today on a voluntary It is a great honor for me to have promoting safety aspects of all variet- basis become mandatory international Dbeen elected president of this ies of space operations, whether involv- standards for all, thus guaranteeing outstanding association, the Interna- ing risk for people on Earth, manned or sustainable use of space. tional Association for the Advancement unmanned orbiting spacecraft, conven- In order to achieve these objectives in of Space Safety (IAASS). tional or innovative space systems, or the future by drawing on today’s results, Having worked for more than 20 years the development of suborbital vehicles. the Association needs the ideas, expe- at CNES (the French space agency) on The Association is today an undis- rience, and involvement of every space launch and end-of-life safety of space- puted world authority on the subject of professional, young or seasoned, who craft as well as on related regulatory Space Safety, holding conferences ev- is willing to join the IAASS and contrib- and legal aspects, I greatly appreciate ery 18 months, with a regular magazine, ute. On behalf of the IAASS Board and that IAASS provides a forum for bring- numerous publications and technical Management Team, I hope that you will ing these subjects into the open for dis- working groups, and training courses continue to enjoy Space Safety Maga- cussion – subjects that previously had available to the global space commu- zine, and I thank you for your support, been kept confidential. Thanks to the nity. As a result of this recognition, the which is vital for us. unfailing and enthusiastic commitment IAASS was given permanent observer of Tommaso Sgobba, the first president status at the United Nations Committee Isabelle Rongier of the association, the IAASS is now an on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space IAASS President 3 Space Safety News Winter Magazine 2014 By Matteo Emanuelli Shutdowns In the best case, the new Space Fence will be operational in 2017 Force, because the FY2014 defense budget drafted by the White House and presented to Congress did not include This was the demoralizing view from the official NASA Twitter account during the shut- any mandatory cuts. down. The same message was broadcast from other accounts and websites connected to the agency. A Temerarious he months of September and of the objects in the existing satellite October 2013 were character- catalog, the real impact is the loss of Gamble Tized by two almost consecutive the ability to perform uncued detection shutdowns that showed how ongoing of breakups and maneuvers. Therefore, he most likely explanation is that the economic and political crisis is affect- its loss reduces the capability to warn of TAFSSS is being cut to bolster AF- ing the US space program. The most approaching conjunctions. SPC's argument for keeping the new notable impacts on space operations According to an Air Force press re- S-Band Space Fence program when were at USAF and NASA. lease, the deactivation of the system sequestration does get applied later this will save approximately $14 million per year or in early 2014 and the Pentagon year, which is actually a drop in the is then forced to make difficult choices Space Fence’s ocean considering that the Air Force on which procurement programs stay budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2014 alive,” explained Weeden in an article Shutdown amounts to $144.425 billion. However, on The Space Review. according to Brian Weeden of Secure Under the current projections, the Air irst came US Air Force Space Com- World Foundation, the drastic action Force expects the new Space Fence Fmand (AFSPC) General William was not forced by budget cuts related system to be operational in 2017 or Shelton’s memo on August 1 ordering to sequestration, as claimed by the Air 2018, which is anyway the best the shutdown of all Air Force Space Surveillance programs and sites effec- tive October 1 as a response to seques- tration-related budget constraints. The order directly affected the Space Fence, which is the nickname for the Air Force Space Surveillance System (AFSSS), able to detect orbital objects up to 30,000km away. The AFSSS, which has been opera- tional continuously since 1961 and in- cludes three VHF transmitter sites and six receiving stations, is just one part of AFSPC’s global Space Surveillance Network (SSN), but it was responsible for approximately 40 percent of all ob- servations performed by SSN. Although Space Fence’s shutdown has not sig- The new Space Fence will be built by either Lockheed Martin or Raytheon. The Air Force nificantly affected the tracking accuracy delayed awarding of the contract until March 2014. – Credits: Lockheed Martin 4 Space Safety News Winter Magazine 2014 case scenario. The new system is go- tween November 18 and December 7. Services (COTS) scored a huge vic- ing to be built by Lockheed Martin or However, the MAVEN mission was de- tory, coming to completion after Orbital Raytheon on the Marshall Islands at an termined to fall under the Anti-Deficien- Sciences Corporation’s Cygnus supply estimated cost of $1.9 billion over seven cy Act, originally put in place to provide vessel completed its first operational years. The contract for the new Space a continuous communications relay with resupply mission to ISS, bringing to a Fence, initially scheduled to be awarded the Curiosity and Opportunity rovers, close the COTS program. However, in June 2013, was delayed until March thereby allowing an emergency excep- even the commercial sector was not 2014 due to a sequestration-driven re- tion a few days into the shutdown. Oth- left untouched by the shutdown. The view by the Department of Defense. A erwise, MAVEN would have had to wait drop test of the Dream Chaser, the new new plan for Space Fence was then until the next window of opportunity, in private manned space plane by Sierra prepared and approved by the Penta- 2016, seriously weakening its scientific Nevada Corporation, scheduled to take gon at the end of November 2013. In the goal because it would have required ad- place at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research meantime, the Air Force is going to fund ditional fuel to get into Martian orbit.