A British Interplanetary Society Publication James Webb Telescope

The BIG ONE is coming!

Icarus with steel wings

Vol 59 No 1 January 2017 £4.50 www.bis-space.com inbox

When deployed in 2018 to a position in space four times the distance between Earth and Moon, the James Webb Space Telescope will turn its infrared eye on the earliest objects in space, pushing back our understanding of the universe even further. NASA

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Editor: Published by the British Interplanetary Society David Baker, PhD, BSc, FBIS, FRHS Sub-editor: Volume 59 No. 1 January 2017 Ann Page 6-7 Trump on Space Production Assistant: With the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the USA and Ben Jones an all-Republican Congress, the Editor looks at prospects for the space Spaceflight Promotion: programme under the new administration Gillian Norman Spaceflight 11 ISS Rescoped Arthur C. Clarke House, The Russians are downsizing their presence on the ISS so how does the 27/29 South Lambeth Road, manifest look for 2017? London, SW8 1SZ, England. Tel: +44 (0)20 7735 3160 Fax: +44 (0)20 7582 7167 Email: [email protected] 13 To Mars via HoloLens www.bis-space.com Buzz Aldrin has helped launch a new virtual experience at the Kennedy Space Center. Is this the way for Earthlings to experience Mars? ADVERTISING Tel: +44 (0)1424 883401 Email: [email protected] DISTRIBUTION 14-15 Webb Telescope optics complete! Spaceflight may be received worldwide by With two years to go before launch, the mirror is complete on the world’s mail through membership of the British biggest space telescope. Interplanetary Society. Details including Library subscriptions are available from the above address. * * * 16 German women for space Spaceflight is obtainable from UK newsagents The search is on to find the first woman from , with and other retail outlets in many countries. finalists vying for a seat on a Soyuz. In the event of difficulty contact: Warners Group Distribution, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH, England. Tel: +44 (0)1778 391 000 18-23 The Big One is Coming! Fax: +44 (0)1778 393 668 With increasing attention to the risk from Near Earth Objects, just how is * * * the impact probability assessed? Spaceflight is a publication which promotes the mission of The British Interplanetary Society. Opinions in signed articles are those of the 24-25 Massimino on the Road contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or the Council of the British Rick Mulheirn caught up with retired astronaut Mike Massimino to find Interplanetary Society. out what motivates him and what he is planning to do now. * * * Back issues of Spaceflight are available from the Society. For details of issues and prices go 27-29 Icarus Spacecraft Designs – Part 2 to www.bis-space.com or send an sae to the Peter Milne brings us up to date with continuing activity on starship address at top. studies with coverage of Resolution, Zeus and IDD designs. * * * Published monthly by the British Interplanetary Society. Registered Company No: 402498. Registered Charity No: 250556. Printed in the Regular Features UK by Latimer Trend & Company Ltd. 4-5 News Analysis – Beagle 2 New Evidence * * * Copyright © British Interplanetary Society 2016 ISSN 0038-6340. All rights reserved. 8-10 ISS Report – 16 October 2016-15 November 2016 No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, 12 Briefing notes – news shorts from around the world electronic or mechanical, including photo- copying or recording by any information storage 30 Flashback – A regular feature looking back 50 years ago this month or retrieval system without written permission from the Publishers. Photocopying permitted by license only. 31 Shelf – Reality Check – Bugs in Space – Be careful… * * * The British Interplanetary Society is a company 32 Satellite Digest – 528 October 2016 limited by guarantee. 33-37 Society News – BIS and IAASS sign MOU – Belgian branch meets – Ordnance Mission Survey on Mars – Sir Arthur Clarke Awards 2016 – NLV working day The British Interplanetary Society promotes the exploration and use of space for the benefit of humanity, by connecting people to create, 38 What’s On educate and inspire, and advance knowledge in all aspects of astronautics. Cover image: The James Webb Space Telescope is now mirror-complete (see pages 14-15). NASA

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 3 news analysis Beagle 2

New Evidence

Imaging evidence from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that Beagle 2 did land intact on the surface of Mars, with additional verification now which implies it just may still be operating and collecting information. NASA/University of Leicester

cientists in Leicester have moved one of the lander and the resolution of the HiRISE visualisation specialist Teodora Kuzmanova step closer to understanding exactly camera on the MRO, the exact configuration had to create a physically accurate 3D model what happened to the ill-fated Mars of the lander on Mars was not clear, despite of the Beagle 2 Mars Lander with surfaces SLander Beagle 2, thanks to an innovative collection of eight images of the lander and the that would accurately reflect virtual sunlight. research technique. The probe was discovered use of advanced image processing techniques. The angle of the sun had to be simulated on the Red Planet in November 2014 but Now the researchers from De Montfort along with position of a virtual camera that uncertainty surrounded what had caused its University and the University of Leicester have could take pictures equivalent to NASA’s failure to communicate with Earth. worked together to come up with a new way to Reconnaissance Orbiter. Finally these images Now, a collaboration between De Montfort detect the configuration of the lander. had to be pixelated to match the resolution of University and the University of Leicester, has Professor Mark Sims, former Beagle the Orbiter’s images. used 3D modelling technology to reveal for 2 Mission Manager and Professor of “The visual comparison between the real the first time that Beagle 2 deployed at least Astrobiology and Space Instrumentation at and simulated images could then begin to three, and possibly all four, of the solar panels the University of Leicester came up with the identify which landing configuration was the it was supposed to after touching down on concept of “reflection analysis”, of matching best fit. This was originally a proof of principle the planet’s surface. The finding will rewrite simulated and real images of Beagle 2. The project. However, we are delighted to say that scientific knowledge about the stricken Lander technique is based on simulating possible we have gone way beyond this original plan to – it was previously thought that perhaps only configurations of the lander on the surface and reach this exciting conclusion that Beagle 2 did as few as two of the four solar panels had comparing the light of the Sun reflected by the not crash but landed and probably deployed deployed. simulated lander with the unprocessed images most of its panels. Hopefully these results help Beagle 2 was part of the ESA Mars Express available from the HiRISE camera at a number to solve a long held mystery and will benefit Mission launched in June 2003. Mars Express of different sun angles. any future missions to Mars.” is still orbiting Mars and returning scientific Professor Sims turned to a team at De Professor Mark Sims added: “Although the data on the planet. Beagle 2 was successfully Montfort University to realise his concept. concept of the ‘reflection analysis’ was mine I ejected from Mars Express on 19 December Commercially available software used for didn’t know it would work. Thanks to the effort 2003 but failed to send a signal on Christmas 3D modelling, animation, visual effects and of the team at De Montfort University they Day, its scheduled landing day on Mars. It was simulation design was adapted to enable this proved that this concept could work and we presumed lost until over a decade later when analysis. Nick Higgett leader of the De Montfort have gathered more information on the failure the mystery of what happened to the mission University Simulation team said: of Beagle 2 to communicate and we are one was solved through images taken by NASA’s “The De Montfort team were responsible for step closer to knowing what happened. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). all the 3D simulation work to test the reflection work shows frustratingly that Beagle 2 came Despite its detection, due to the small size analysis concept. In order to do this, our so close to working as intended on Mars.

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A perfect fit Nick Higgett, leader of the MA Digital Design group at DMU, together with 3D specialists Teodora Kuzmanova and Dr Eric Tatham, used 3D software to model the scene in three dimensions, adjusting the position of the Sun and the resting angle and orientation of the Beagle 2, unfolding the four solar panels at different angles taking in the illumination conditions on the planet until they found the best visual match to what the NASA original images showed. These simulations were then adjusted to reproduce the resolution and view Careful analysis indicates that the spacecraft is deployed almost flat on the surface with at least three point of the NASA spacecraft. petals deployed. De Montfort University Mark Sims, Professor of Astrobiology and Space Instrumentation at the University of as conducted by Professor Jan-Peter Muller to additional funding and ideally other images Leicester (UL), former Beagle 2 Mission and his team at University College London at a variety of Sun angles, might further define Manager who derived the concept and Dr Jim announced in April 2016. The researchers, who the configuration of the first UK ESA lander to Clemmet, former Beagle 2 Chief Engineer, plan to publish their findings, add: land on Mars”, they state. advised the DMU team on the technical details “The analysis is we believe fully Beagle 2, a collaboration between industry of the lander and Mars. Professor Sims and consistent with this other work which and academia, would have delivered world- colleagues at UL compared the images, combines data from all the different sun class science from the surface of the Red Planet. simulated and real, at a detailed level and angles. This work (further) confirms that the Many UK academic groups and industrial derived the close matches. Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) sequence companies contributed to Beagle 2. Professor This work confirmed that antenna for Beagle 2 worked as expected and the Colin Pillinger from the Open University who transmission would probably have been lander did successfully touchdown on Mars led the Beagle 2 project with inspirational hampered by one of the panels failing to unfold on Christmas Day 2003. enthusiasm died in May 2014 before the fate correctly, confirming the previously supposed “However, for an as yet unconfirmed and of the lander was revealed. Others who also theory. Mr Higgett said it was as close to a undetected reason it failed to communicate died in 2014 and provided major contributions definitive explanation as would be possible following landing, although incomplete to Beagle 2 were Professor George Fraser of without landing on the planet itself. deployment for an unknown reason continues the University of Leicester and Professor David The best match four panel configuration is at to be the likely primary cause, particularly in Barnes of Aberystwyth University. a different tilt angle – in terms of angle of the the case of three panel deployment where The work was enabled by HEFCE Higher panels with respect to the lid of Beagle 2 – from the RF antenna would be unable to transmit Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) from the 3-panel configuration. This analysis also through the fourth un-deployed panel.” De Montfort University, which provided the confirms that the Beagle 2 front heat shield has The scientists add that the “reflection resources for the simulation work. The De been detected on Mars and its configuration analysis” technique used for this research Montfort simulation team was led by Nick and orientation is now also known. could find applications in other fields where an Higgett, assisted by 3D visualisation specialist This work contributes further information to illumination source is present and the target Dr Eric Tatham. The 3D computer model the analysis of why Beagle 2 failed to transmit has a limited set of configurations and is highly of Beagle 2 and satellite image simulations reflective in nature. “Further analysis of the from the surface of Mars and complements other were produced by Teodora Kuzmanova. techniques such as super-resolution imaging Beagle 2 images using the technique, subject Dr Jim Clemmet former chief engineer on Beagle 2 advised on the likely and possible An artist’s impression of how Beagle 2 may look today after landing in the Isidis basin. Via David Baker configurations of the lander. “Out of hours” private research time was used by members of the University of Leicester. Professor Mark Sims of the University of Leicester and former Beagle 2 Mission Manager derived the concept of the “reflection analysis” used in this work and helped to guide the work. Detailed analysis of the images and their match was performed by Dr Sarah Bugby and Alex Smyth at the University of Leicester and Dr Derek Pullan advised on the data available via the MRO HiRISE camera. This project was a collaboration between De Montfort University’s Digital Design Research Group and the University of Leicester’s Space Research Centre and Dr Jim Clemmet (former Beagle 2 Chief Engineer) on behalf of the Beagle 2 Consortium.

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 5 politics Trump on space

David Baker, Editor

Welders inside a large liquid hydrogen tank for NASA’s Space Launch System at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans are plugging holes left after the tank was assembled. Using frictional heating and forging , friction stir welding produces high-strength bonds virtually free of defects. High-tech programmes such as this are favoured by the Trump camp. NASA-MSFC

ith the election on 8 November of The President has no executive power to strong support from Republicans in the House Donald Trump as the 45th President do that and it took probably three to four and the Senate but it would not be a surprise of the United States people are years to turn around the human space flight to this writer to see a deflection back to the Wasking about the impact this will have on US programme when Congress reinstated a deep- Moon first as a faster demonstration of the civilian space programmes. space objective and resurrected a heavy-lift “back to business” message eagerly sought by As a long-time Washington-watcher and launcher and funded work to continue on the the Trump administration-in-waiting. It would, former resident of the US capital, I have been Orion spacecraft. Paradoxically, all at the cost as well, serve notice that the winds of change asking that question myself. So, a round-robin of Congress reducing funding for commercial are blowing strong and this feeds in to another of conference calls and discussions following contracts essential to running the ISS. concern, frequently expressed by Trump in NASA administrator Charlie Bolden’s meeting Because of this, because of events which the run-up to the election: that in recent years with the Trump team on 9 November has actually happened, there is a bruising reality America has had a lacklustre connection with begun to focus attention on some key points on the Hill that conflict brings collateral how it is seen in the world – and reversing that to conclusions about just what this does mean, damage, which in the case of the civilian space means a lot to Donald Trump. for the next four years at least. programme has been to significantly delay With Republican majorities in both the development of a world-class deep-space A new race? Senate and the House of Representatives, programme. And that is where we come back One driving factor is going to be the ever- the new Republican President has a unique to the original question: just what will a Trump onward march of ’s burgeoning space opportunity to get along with Congress. Which Presidency mean for the space programme? programme. Within five to eight years the would make a refreshing change from the To begin with, presuming rifts with a large US will be eclipsed by China’s increasing last eight years where both sides engaged in proportion of the political party he represents emphasis on deep space exploration and its acrimony, obfuscation and downright mischief- can be healed, the mantra to “make America plans for manned landings on the Moon are making which soured relations between the great again” feeds in to the general feeling well publicised. Trump himself has challenged executive and the legislature. On the other among Republicans that the past eight years America to match competition anywhere in hand, the level at which Trump will get along have seen an erosion of leadership, resolution the world and to prevail against rising with Congress depends to a large extent on and vision. A determination to reverse that of economic and technological prowess that his ability to put caustic comments about the trend feeds in to the goals now followed by threatens US pre-eminence. He has spoken “political elite” to one side and realise that NASA but with one exception. vigorously and often about the threat of losing without the acquiescence of the Capitol he can Republicans in Congress have been pace in a fast-changing world. Those threats, get very little done. In America, the President working hard to dissolve the former White to the belief that America must be first in offers options but Congress decides. House-inspired Asteroid Redirect Mission everything, will sound louder warning bells to a (ARM) and with Trump in the White House Republican administration than to a Democrat- Lessons learned that may very well mark the end of this plan. led White House. By now Spaceflight readers will be in no doubt Which would be welcomed by many outside But don’t expect the same emphasis on about the furore that broke out when President the Washington beltway who would prefer to Earth science that we have seen at NASA over Obama cancelled Constellation without see NASA focus either on an interim Moon the last few years, especially climate-change asking Congress, attempting to overthrow orientation for hardware qualification, or go all- research and associated satellite programmes, legislative acts authorising NASA to go ahead out for a reconnaissance fly-by of Mars or even which are likely to take a downturn in priority. It with Moon landings after withdrawing from a landing on Phobos. is the White House that sets NASA’s agenda, support for the International Space Station. As for the Mars directive, this is getting very which is why it took so long to find a replacement

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Administrator last time round. The White House than seemingly obvious otherwise. away from Russian engine builders and will determine the balance within the various So what are the predictions? Here goes: Ukrainian manufacturers. categories of NASA spending power but it is 1. NASA will probably get a slight increase in 7. A new National Space Policy could be in likely to be on flagship programme rather than funding. the offing, one which draws closer together the infill of science and applications. 2. The balance of spending will shift from the civilian and military fringes of both the Donald Trump has spoken energetically space science and environmental sciences NASA and the Department of Defense, about his interest in tearing up climate- to the big-ticket, flagship programmes rather than making sweeping changes in control agreements and in restoring America’s like SLS, Orion and Moon or Mars, at the the long-term goals of either. decimated coal industry. Neither the party nor expense of the Asteroid Redirect Mission. 8. Resurrection of the National Space Council the President-elect believe that humans are 3. Charlie Bolden is unlikely to remain in under the Vice-President, last functional primarily responsible for changes to the planet’s place as NASA Administrator, although during the presidency of George H. W. environmental balance. He has spoken openly that is not a given. Bush. about his opposition to agreements which 4. The new President will be more NASA- 9. Possible invitation for cooperation with curtail America’s hydrocarbon assets and the friendly than the current administration. China, currently being mooted in the economic impact that has on several States. 5. Commercial space may get a boost and Transition Team. Overall, the Trump administration is expected proper funding this time (probably the more Of course it all depends on the way the to significantly increase defence spending, urgent need of fiscal options) to accelerate larger economic plan works out and a lot of which ensures a robust and strongly funded away from a reliance on Russian Soyuz the emphasis from Donald Trump has been on military space programme, overturning recent seats. what in a previous generation would be called trends which have only lately seen restoration 6. Money will be found to accelerate a “jobs programme”. That could bring elevated of several defence space investments. Overall development of new rocket motors which spending levels which might damage the US that will be good for NASA because certain are “made in the USA” to take business space programme in the long term. crossover may be taking place which ensures some activities retain funding which might SLS Block 1B capabilities will provide a wide range of mission options for both NASA programmes and otherwise be threatened. for those of other government agencies, an investment liked by the Republicans. Boeing In the short term, the Space Launch System and Orion are probably safe, insofar as that can be said of any government programme at a time of seismic transformation. But the message Charlie Bolden took to the Trump team on 9 November was: “It isn’t broke so don’t try and fix it!” And that is exactly what its proponents want: a consistency and a reliable and predictable timetable and missions plan without tinkering, fiddling or fiscal nibbling at the edges.

The bigger picture So what of the rest of the world? The nationalistic statements from the Trump campaign raise caution on optimism that there will be sustained international cooperation between NASA and other civilian agencies abroad and between industry and its equivalent structures in other countries. Donald Trump wants a solid “made in the USA” policy and that could damage international programmes, even impacting the long-term prospects for the Orion European Service Module. But even that may have an unusual advantage for the UK. A great admirer of the decision by the British electorate to leave the EU has already attracted statements from the Trump camp tearing up assertions from the Obama administration that Britain would be at the “back of the queue” in negotiations on cooperative deals – not just on trade but on engineering projects as well. Trump himself has said that Britain would be “No 1”. If that is so, our dealings with America might attract greater opportunities for the UK space industry

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 7 space stations ISS Report 16 October – 16 November 2016

By George Spiteri

Soyuz MS-03 is rolled out on 14 November prior to launch to the ISS on 17 November carrying Commander Oleg Novitskiy, ESA’s and NASA’s . NASA

Expedition 50 is in its first weeks of operations, the orbital outpost now further preparations for their return to Earth. manned by its latest commander, , with flight engineers Rubins and Onishi did more on board training and Sergey Ryzhikov. The crew are awaiting the arrival for ’ arrival, whilst Ivanishin worked of the next Soyuz to return the station to a six person complement. with the ongoing Russian Pilot-T experiment, which aims to assess and predict the reliability vanishin, Rubins and Onishi enjoyed a Atlantic launch pad since the explosion that of a cosmonaut when performing complicated light-duty day 16 October and conducted destroyed the vehicle and damaged the launch operator tasks. final preparations for the arrival of Orbital pad in October 2014 (Spaceflight Vol 57, No IATK’s unmanned Cygnus cargo vehicle on 1, p 18). Soyuz launch the Commercial Resupply Services-5 (CRS-5) Antares was powered by its twin first stage Following a month’s delay due to technical OA-5 mission. The following day Rubins and Russian built RD-181 engines and a Castor problems (Spaceflight Vol 58, No 12, p Onishi took body measurements to determine XL solid-fuel upper stage motor. Once in orbit, 448), Soyuz MS-02/48S was launched from the impact microgravity has on body size. the spacecraft unfurled its two Ultraflex circular Baikonur’s Site 31 at 08:05 UTC on 19 Rubins also explored how skin ages quicker solar arrays. Named in honour of astronaut October (14:05 local time) in near freezing in space under ESA’s Skin-B study and Alan Poindexter, who died in 2012, Cygnus’ . It was carrying spacecraft Ivanishin worked arrival at the ISS commander, retired Russian Air with the Russian ‘Borisenko’s mother described was delayed until Colonel Sergey Ryzhikov (42) on his first MORZE nutrition the crew as “star brothers”…’ the latest Soyuz spaceflight, Andrey Borisenko an engineer experiment and packed items into Soyuz for docked to the station. from RSC (52) and retired US Army the return to Earth. Rubins and Onishi conducted several life Colonel Shane Kimbrough (49) both on their science experiments on 18 October, including second space missions. The spacecraft was Cygnus flies NASA’s Cardio Ox heart study and JAXA’s placed in a preliminary 230 x 190 km orbit After delays due to Hurricane Nicole and an Biological Rhythms 48 Hours experiment, before conducting two days of tests on Soyuz issue with a faulty ground equipment cable, which involves a crewmember wearing an MS systems. Cygnus was launched at the end of a five Actiwatch sleep monitor for four days and a Soyuz docked to the Poisk module at 09:52 minute launch window at 23:45 UTC on 17 Holter electrocardiogram for two days. Their UTC on 21 October 404 km over southern October (19:45 local time) from Wallops, Russian commander continued to pack and Russia. Mission Control Korolev radioed their Virginia atop an upgraded Antares 230 rocket. prepare Soyuz for its undocking and landing. congratulations to Ryzhikov who thanked This was the first flight of Cygnus from its mid- On 19 October, the entire crew conducted the ground “for the great support”. At 12:20

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UTC the new arrivals floated into the ISS and Soyuz descent drill prior to their scheduled Kimbrough responded by praising Ivanishin’s immediately made their way into Zvezda for landing and Kimbrough worked with NASA’s crew saying they “should feel very proud” of the traditional greetings ceremony with friends, Meteor visible spectroscopy instrument, their accomplishments. family and officials in Korolev. observing meteors in Earth orbit. His Russian Borisenko’s mother described the crew as colleagues collected saliva samples for the Re-entry “star brothers” and Ryzhikov’s first impressions Neiroimmunitet experiment and began a 24 hr Ivanishin, Rubins and Onishi floated into of Earth were of a wonderful planet that “we electrocardiogram session for the Cosmocard Soyuz MS-01/47S and closed the hatch need to take great care of”. Ivanishin took study. The new arrivals also continued with between their spacecraft and Rassvet at 21:14 the newcomers through the mandatory safety handover activities as they got acquainted to UTC on 29 October. Soyuz undocked from briefing and all six began a week of hand over life in microgravity. the ISS at 00:35 UTC on 30 October above activities with Ryzhikov’s crew familiarising The crew resumed unloading items from southern Mongolia to signal the official start of themselves to their new orbital home. Cygnus on 27 October and also continued . Ivanishin conducted a series of packing Soyuz. They also performed in flight manual hand controller tests of the new Soyuz Cygnus arrives maintenance to the Waste and Hygiene variant immediately following undocking, On 22 October, Rubins and Onishi conducted Compartment (WHC) and the Russian declaring “all the tests were successful”. final preparations for Cygnus’ arrival which crewmembers conducted another session with Soyuz performed a 4 min 37 sec de-orbit burn occurred at 11:28 UTC on 23 October. Onishi at 03:06 UTC and at an altitude of 87 km with ‘The space described Cygnus as “a beautiful vehicle” and data from this the crew in the Descent Module, the vehicle Capcom Rebecca Wingfield responded with biology experiment will separated into its three component parts at Houston’s appreciation that “you guys made form a basis for developing 03:33 UTC. Soyuz reached entry interface 3 it look really easy, great job”. The 6.4 m long antibacterial drugs…’ min later at 62 km and landed approximately supply ship was berthed at Unity’s nadir (Earth the Pilot-T experiment and removed samples 148 km south east of Dzhezkazgan at 03:58 facing) at 14:53 UTC, delivering 2,300kg of from the thermostat of the Bioplenka study. The UTC (09:58 local time) in freezing temperatures supplies and scientific equipment including data from this space biology experiment will to complete a mission of 115 days 2 hrs 22 the Saffire II payload to study combustion in form a basis for developing antibacterial drugs mins. The capsule landed upright and the crew space and the Cool Flames experiment, which and new disinfectants for surface treatments of were helped into reclining chairs, taken into the aims to examine low combustion human rated spacecraft. special medical tent erected at the landing site of droplets in microgravity. Kimbrough monitored the Veg-03 and later flown to Karaganda. The crew opened the hatch to Cygnus the experiment the following day and assisted Celebrating 16 years of continuous human following day and began unloading its cargo Rubins and Onishi with further Cygnus cargo occupancy on 31 October the crew enjoyed three days ahead of schedule. Rubins also transfers, whilst the Russian cosmonauts took light-duty after having seen off their colleagues entered the Bigelow Expandable Activity blood pressure readings. Ivanishin finalised the previous day. Indeed Kimbrough told Module (BEAM) on 24 October, collected the preparations for his crew’s return to Earth and high school students three days later he was Microbial Air Sampler (MAS) and the Surface later relinquished command to Kimbrough. surprised “how well this vehicle is performing”. Sampler Kit (SSK) and deployed the Radiation Ivanishin said that it felt like yesterday since Kimbrough devoted 30 minutes of Cygnus Area Monitoring (RAMs) delivered by the latest his crew arrived at the station adding that it had cargo transfers on 1 November and conducted Soyuz. The RAMs will return aboard Soyuz been a “very unique experience....we came maintenance on the Urine Processing MS-02. The MAS and SSK samples were from different nations” but felt “like one crew”. Assembly (UPA), whilst Borisenko and returned with Rubins and her crew. On 25 October, Kimbrough installed the Kate Rubins inside the Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft while conducting routine spacesuit checks. The hardware for NASA’s Veg-03 plant growth trio of Rubins, JAXA astronaut and cosmonaut returned to Earth on 30 October. NASA experiment. The study is a validation of tools and procedures vital for growing plants to provide fresh food such as red romaine lettuce for crewmembers. He added water to the small pouches containing seeds and fertiliser and tweeted that he was “looking forward to seeing the results in a few weeks!” Rubins and Onishi worked with ESA’s Airway Monitoring experiment, which aims to understand how space flight affects and Ivanishin continued packing items into Soyuz for the return to Earth and prepared the vehicle for undocking on the following day. Rubins explored how living in space can affect brain functions such as perception, memory and motor control under NASA’s NeuroMapping study on 26 October. Onishi devoted time to a JAXA education demonstration video. Rubins and Onishi later joined Ivanishin for the nominal

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 9 space stations

Ryzhikov worked with the Meteor and Kontur-2 worked with the Russian DAN biomedical psychophysiological experiment. This was experiments, the latter being a study of how to study and Identifikatsiya experiment which election day in the USA and Kimbrough voted control rovers on a planetary surface from an investigates the dynamic loads on the ISS. from orbit as have previous space fliers before orbiting spacecraft. Another light duty weekend over 5/6 him. The orbit was boosted by 2.45 km to an altitude November preceded several days of Ryzhikov changed a camera lens on the of 406.1 km by the Zvezda propulsion unit fired maintenance work on the US segment’s Sally Ride EarthKAM on 9 November and the for 96 secs at 03:22 UTC on 2 November. Generation System (OGS), Kimbrough entire crew assisted in swapping out a hard The manoeuvre was necessitated by the replacing a hydrogen sensor unit. The system drive to the Meteor hardware. Kimbrough imminent arrival of the next Soyuz. Meanwhile, was shut down due to a low voltage signature conducted more Cygnus cargo transfers on Borisenko and Ryzhikov researched how with the Hydrogen Orbital Replacement Unit 10 November and set up new laptops to allow microgravity affects pain sensibility courtesy (ORU). NASA blogged that the Russian ground specialists to load required software. of the Russian Algometriya experiment and did Elektron system provided “oxygen for the crew” Borisenko and Ryzhikov returned to the Pilot-T further research compensating for experiment and performed maintenance to the with the Kontur-2 ‘This was election day in the USA the OGS. Three Russian ventilation system. study, whilst and Kimbrough voted from orbit…’ days later the OGS Kimbrough commemorated US Veterans Kimbrough tended to the Veg-03 experiment was up and running once more after being Day on 11 November by recording a message and also conducted further 3D printing, checked out by ground teams. for those who serve “in defence of freedom”. pulling out two elements that were printed on Ryzhikov set up NASA’s Sally Ride Despite a light-duty day, the crew conducted consecutive days. EarthKAM inside Harmony which allows a five hour leak check of JAXA’s Group There were further Cygnus cargo transfers middle school students to photograph targets Combustion Chamber. This investigation tests on 3 November, Ryzhikov did more work with on Earth and downlink the images. He also a theory that fuel sprays change from partial the Algometriya experiment and paired up with helped his colleagues set up Canada’s Radi- to group combustion as flames spread across Borisenko to complete a questionnaire under N2’s detectors in Destiny. This hardware aims a cloud of droplets. Following another light- NASA’s Interactions study. This is conducted to help doctors understand the radiation risks duty weekend 12/13 November, Kimbrough on a weekly basis to better understand the to crewmembers’ health and develop protective conducted his final series of Cygnus cargo interpersonal relationships of both the crew and measures. transfers on 14 November, whilst Borisenko ground teams. The crew collected more blood Kimbrough photographed the of logged his food and medicine intake for the and urine samples in support of the biochemical plants in the Veggie facility and together with Russian Morze experiment and Ryzhikov profile and respiratory experiments and placed his crewmates conducted one hour of Cygnus worked with Canada’s RaDI-N radiation study. them in the Minus-Eighty Degree Laboratory cargo transfers on 8 November. Borisenko and On 15 November, Borisenko worked with for ISS (MELFI). Kimbrough spoke to ground Ryzhikov worked with the Russian Otklik study various laptops in the United States Orbital specialists to review the progress of Cygnus which records the impacts of particles on the Segment (USOS), whilst Kimbrough conducted cargo transfers, whilst Borisenko and Ryzhikov Station’s exterior and the Kontent (Content) maintenance tasks in the Quest .

Kate Rubins, left, Anatoly Ivanishin of , center, and Takuya Onishi sit in chairs outside the Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft a few moments after they landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. NASA

10 Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 space stations

powered by the RD-181 engine. Moreover, the company says that by moving the next Cygnus launch to Atlas it will give its engineers ISS Rescoped a more certain timeline in which to prepare the following flight for an Antares 230. Also, launching on Atlas raises uploaded cargo to more than 3,600kg. Orbital will fly the OA-7 mission in March on the Atlas V 401 followed by OA-8 in June and OA-9 in October, both back on the Antares 230. Each Extended Cygnus will remain at the ISS for approximately two months. At least three Dragon flights are scheduled for 2017. But these will continue, in accordance with the CRS2 contracts signed in January 2016 which committed SpaceX and Orbital ATK, as well as entrant Sierra Nevada Corporation, to continued logistical flights through to 2024 when the US plans to retire its interest in the ISS. In the Integration Facility at the in Kazakhstan, Expedition 50-51 crew members Peggy Whitson, Oleg Novitskiy (centre) and ESA’s Thomas Pesquet during a fit check dress rehearsal of their Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft. NASA Downsizing With the ISS now back up to its six-person ollowing a bleak period in resupply and commercial trip (CRS-1) followed by Orbital in complement, plans are unfolding for the next logistical uploads to the International January 2014 (OA-1). phase in activity which will see a reduction Space Station between October 2014 SpaceX has delivered a total of 15,106 kg on in the number of cosmonauts flying to the Fand June 2015, when Orbital Sciences, eight successful flights, all by Falcon 9 rocket. research laboratory. Kimbrough, Ryzhikov and SpaceX and Roscosmos suffered failures with By comparison, Orbital has lifted a total 12,129 Borisenko will return to Earth on 25 February un-crewed cargo vehicle launchers, NASA and kg on five successful flights with Cygnus and after completing 129 days in space and its US commercial partners are getting back on Enhanced Cygnus modules, two by Antares Whitson will take over command of Expedition track with a more determined approach to what 120, two by Atlas V 401 and one by the new 51 until she returns with her crew in the middle it calls “enhanced schedule assurance”. Antares 230. In total the two companies have of May. Despite a good launch and successful first lifted only 68% of their contractually agreed Under original plans, cosmonauts Aleksandr flight with its new Antares 230, sending an quantity by the end of 2016. Misurkin and Nikolai Tikhonov would have Enhanced Cygnus cargo module to the ISS SpaceX says it will resume Dragon supply flown to the ISS with NASA astronaut Mark in late October (see pages 8-10) on the OA-5 missions in late January 2017 but that date is Vande Hei in mid-March aboard Soyuz MS-04, mission, Orbital ATK has taken up an option highly contingent upon resolving the problem the latter remaining on to joined to launch the next mission, OA-7, on an Atlas which brought about a pre-flight explosion in late May by cosmonaut Fyodor Yorchikhin, V 401 similar to the rocket used to send up destroying the Falcon 9 and its Amos-6 satellite NASA astronaut Jack Fischer and ESA’s Paolo OA-4 in December 2015 and OA-6 in March payload on 1 September 2016. Nespoli on MS-05. 2016. With less than the anticipated upload of Two flights of a Falcon 9 are expected to When Misurkin’s increment returned in late logistical supplies than NASA had anticipated precede the CRS-10 Dragon flight to the ISS August, Yurchikhin would have commanded by this date, it has been felt prudent to switch and resumption of ISS resupply missions , subsequently joined by from the Antares 230 to a more predictable is dependent on how work progresses with Aleksandr Skvortsov and Ivan Wagner together launch vehicle for the next flight. getting the launch vehicle back on a revised with NASA’s Scott Tingle on MS-06. This group When the Commercial Resupply Services schedule. Uncertain too is whether this supply would then rotate into , joined in contracts were awarded at the end of 2008, flight will launch off LC-40 or LC-39A, the latter late 2017 by Sergei Ryazansky, Randy Bresnik NASA agreed to pay SpaceX $1.6 billion for being the recommissioned Saturn V/Shuttle from NASA and from on 12 flights and Orbital Sciences $1.9 billion for pad previously operational between 1967 MS-07. eight flights, commencing 1 January 2009. and 2011 and now modified for Falcon 9 and Now, in a decision to downsize the Russian Each company was to have lifted 20,000 kg Falcon Heavy. contingent, Tikhonov and Wagner have been to the ISS by the end of 2016 but delays set Because of these uncertainties, and withdrawn while Yurchikhin and Fischer in, largely as a result of Congressional action responding to both the uplift shortfall in will fly on MS-04 in March, with Ryazansky to provide insufficient funds, as requested by strategic expectations as well as the somewhat and Bresnik flying on MS-05 to round out NASA, to make this happen. less than stellar performance of the commercial Expedition 52. Misurkin and Vande Hei will Commercial resupply qualification flights companies involved, NASA suggested that fly on MS-06 in August followed by Skvortsov did not get under way until May 2012, when Cygnus flights should include another Atlas and Tingle now with Norishige on MS-07 in SpaceX sent its first Dragon capsule to the launch to gain stronger assurance that the October. Left undecided is whether Tikhonov station in a demonstration flight, followed by private/government partnership can get back or Wagner will join the ride to the ISS on MS- Orbital Sciences in September 2013. Not on track. There have been some concerns 06, returning a few days later with Yurchikhin until October 2012 did SpaceX fly the first regarding the reliability of the Antares 230, and Fischer.

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 11 news

the end of the year. China will develop the Briefing notes CZ-5 as a successor to the CZ-2, -3 and -4 launcher families. • In a remote sensing conference held at the Space Research Institute of the Russian • Russia has begun a major upgrade to its Academy of Sciences, Kirill Borisov, the satellite communications system on director of Roscosmos’ Automatic Space military a road to a fully unified network dedicated to Complexes Department, announced all land, sea, air and space wherever a new generation of remote sensing they are operating, according to Gen Maj satellites designated Resurs-PM. Four Alexander Galgosh. He also outlined will be launched as successors to the NASA has just completed rehearsals of Orion the way unmanned aerial vehicles and Resurs-P series, which were introduced spacecraft recovery, based on lessons learned transceivers placed on high flying aircraft in 2013 as high-resolution Earth imaging from the first Orion flight two years ago. NASA will respond to satellite communications environmental, resource and defence signals to integrate several separate imaging satellites. Resurs-P was joined strands of voice and data channels into a vessel in the final test which took place off by P2 launched in December 2014 and P3 single multiplexed system. The network is the coast of San Diego late October. The launched in March 2016, all three of which being designed to serve the high command team evaluated new types of equipment replaced the Resurs-DK of 2006. Resurs- structures of Russia’s armed services and and used lessons from the EFT-1 flight PM will be launched in 2020 followed by an to allow video conferencing, telephone to improve techniques and procedures additional three, in 2021, 2023 and 2024. and data transmissions to integrate with which will be further refined in a final automated troop commands. evaluation a year from now. Improved • China launched its long-awaited Long communications and better scheduling of March 5 heavy rocket from Hainan on procedures was evaluated to reduce the • Following a successful launch from 3 November. In development for nine amount of time from splashdown to crew the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in years, the CZ-5 is roughly the equivalent recovery. The first flight of a fully equipped Sriharikota, India, on 26 September, of America’s Delta 4 and has the capacity Orion on Exploration Mission-1 is expected the BlackSky Pathfinder-1 satellite to place 25 tonnes in low Earth orbit to take place late in 2018 resulting in a has been taking impressive images to or send 14,000 kg to geosynchronous splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Under validate the expectations of its owner- transfer ellipse. Designed by a team led current plans the first crewed mission (EM- operator SpaceFlight Industries. Built by by Li Dong, the rocket has a cryogenic 2) is expected no earlier than 2021. core stage, two upper stages and four Spaceflight Services, each 44 kg satellite costs $10 million and is equipped with a strap-on RP-1/LOX boosters with a launch • While protecting the primary purpose of Harris Corporation SpaceView 24 imaging mass of 331,300 kg and a lift-off thrust of the Space Launch System (SLS), NASA 3,420 kN. The core and second stages use telescope which provides images 30 is looking to expand the applications cryogenic motors while the third stage is square kilometres at high resolution. The of the heavyweight launcher by flying precursor test satellite Pathfinder-1 is powered by UDMH/N2O4 propellants. The payloads inside the upper void of the flight went well except for some third-stage currently operating in a near circular orbit large Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) deviations which were corrected to place at a height of approximately 690 km and which will become standard on the Block the Shijian-17 satellite in a geostationary an orbital inclination of 98 deg. It occupies 1B beginning in 2021 with the second transfer orbit. The next flight is planned that orbit because it shared ride space with SLS flight. One proposal is a Resource for June 2017 followed by a third before other satellites. Operational successors, as Prospector capable of going down to well as the full spectrum constellation of 60 the surface of the Moon carrying out an Hainan launch base. China Daily satellites, will orbit at 450 km. Pathfinder-2 automated resource analysis to aid future is scheduled for launch in early 2017 and engineering design of propellant extraction. the full constellation will support repeat visits to the same ground sites at hourly • Almost 45 years after NASA was denied intervals. Spaceflight Industries plans to funds to continue with a nuclear upper sell images at $90 each. stage for the Saturn launch vehicle for lunar and planetary missions, the agency • NASA’s Ground Systems Development and is once again turning to the concept in its Operations Program has just completed nuclear-thermal research programme an extensive rehearsal of how they plan underway at the Marshall Space Flight to support and retrieve Orion spacecraft Center. In a partnership with academia after they splashdown from deep space and commercial industry, scientists and missions. The recovery plan requires the engineers at NASA are looking to a new spacecraft to be secured into the well generation of low-enriched uranium fuels deck of a Navy ship in a similar manner of the kind utilised in power stations which to procedures implemented for recovery could cut Mars missions from 900 days to of the spacecraft from Exploration Flight 450 days. Instead of using weapons-grade Test-1 in December 2014. The USS San materials as early 1970s work envisaged, Diego, an amphibious ship with a landing the 900-sec specific impulse of the system platform and dock, was the prime recovery promises great gains for less risk.

12 Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 education To Mars via HoloLens

Buzz Aldrin and Mars rover driver Elisa Hines from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory share a visual experience through the Microsoft HoloLens viewing glasses. NASA-KSC

t will be years before the first Aldrin and JPL Curiosity rover driver a future Martian colony. The technology that leave the launch pad on Earth to journey Elisa Hines both appear in “Destination: accomplishes this is called “mixed reality”, to Mars. But since September, visitors to Mars”, where they guide users across the where virtual elements are merged with the Ithe Kennedy Space Center visitor complex in landscape and offer a tantalising glimpse of user’s actual environment, creating a world in Florida have been getting a taste of what those which real and virtual objects can interact. astronauts will see when they touch down on Aldrin is a regular presenter at NASA’s Kennedy The public experience developed out of the Red Planet. Space Center Visitor Complex where he pushes a JPL-designed tool called OnSight. Using “Destination: Mars”, a mixed-reality experience his message for early trips to Mars. NASA the HoloLens headset, scientists across the designed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, world can explore geographic features on Pasadena, California, and Microsoft HoloLens, Mars and even plan future routes for the held a kick-off event at the Visitor Complex on 18 Curiosity rover. September. The experience uses real imagery “The origin of Destination: Mars is part of taken by NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover to let what makes it so authentic and unique”, said users explore the Martian surface. Jeff Norris, who directs the JPL Ops Lab, which Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin joined key designed OnSight. “Everything you see in the representatives to introduce the limited-time experience came directly from our spacecraft.” experience. He said that the Moon landing For Microsoft, partnering with JPL allows cultivated what became known as “the Apollo its HoloLens technology to be applied in effect” – an enthusiasm for space research innovative ways. The mixed-reality headset that inspired a generation to study science and lets researchers work in new, naturalistic engineering. ways, whether it’s jumping to locations on the “Technology like HoloLens leads us once Martian surface or marking them with virtual again toward exploration”, Aldrin said. “It’s my annotations that collaborators can examine. hope that experiences like Destination: Mars “We’re thrilled to partner with NASA JPL in will continue to inspire us to explore.” enabling a whole new way for its scientists HoloLens is made of specialised components to study Mars via Microsoft HoloLens, and that are brought together to produce now we’re excited to finally offer the public a holographic computing, in an optical system glimpse into NASA’s use of this transformative engineered with advanced sensors, and can technology”, said Scott Erickson, general handle exceptionally large quantities of data. manager, Microsoft HoloLens.

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 13 space telescopes Webb Telescope optics complete!

Now complete, the 18 segments of the primary mirror have completed their first major test. NASA-GSFC

ith less than two years to launch on It has also provided space mission event of a significant problem preventing use an Ariane V from Kourou in French managers with valuable experience in how of the telescope. While several experimental Guiana, the international James to coordinate operations with astronauts and robotic repair concepts exist and have been WWebb Space Telescope (JWST) is counting spacewalkers, expanding the repertoire of tested, there is nothing available which could down to full completion with the optical mirrors capabilities through six Shuttle flights – one launch immediately to resolve a specific now fully assembled. to place it in orbit and five to service, repair, problem. It has been a long time in the making replace and upgrade a wide range of systems, The JWST will be located 1.5 million km from but, while some slippage is still occurring subsystems, instruments and experiments. In Earth at the Lagrange 2 point which allows it with incremental steps, overall progress is truth, Hubble has been one of the wonders of to stay on the Earth-Sun line but four times as consistent and frustrating delays, cost overruns the space age for scientists, engineers and the far away from Earth as the Moon. This allows and launch deferrals are now in the past for general public. the large sunshield to prevent light, which can this flagship NASA programme. Anticipating But some of that changes with the JWST, be felt as heat, falling on the instruments and a launch in October 2018 on one of the most named after NASA’s second administrator their sensors from the Sun, or reflected light reliable rockets ever built, JWST is the long James H. Webb who ran the space agency from Earth or the Moon. Alignment is key to awaited successor to the venerable Hubble from 1961 to 1968, because unlike the HST it is the telescope maintaining a thermal balance Space Telescope (HST). not specifically designed for repair and upgrade where it remains hidden from sources of light Launched in 1990, the HST has by visiting astronauts and it will be located in a and where the sunshade can veil thermal outperformed all expectations and provided distant place where it is unlikely any crewed emissivity from the structure of the telescope astronomers with several generations of spacecraft will ever visit it. Moreover, the very itself. But it must also point its solar arrays at improved science packages and sensory purpose of the mission would be compromised the Sun for energy and its antenna at Earth for instruments impossible to have been by human access because this is a very communications. developed when the telescope was first different telescope to the HST. JWST is an infrared observatory and put together. Astronomers, astrophysicists, Nevertheless, the telescope’s launch because of that its design is radically cosmologists, planetologists and theoreticians interface adapter ring which attaches it to the different to the Hubble Space Telescope. have all benefited from its prodigious output. payload mounting on Ariane V has optical While complementing and extending the It has also given space engineers remarkable targets which could be used by robotic repair work of the HST it has longer wavelength information into how materials behave in space vehicles to autonomously locate and position coverage and greatly improved sensitivity. over long periods, data points which contribute themselves ready to go to work. These black These longer wavelengths will allow to new generations of long-life structures in and white patches would allow computer- astronomers to look deeper into the universe orbit and beyond, helping technologists design controlled robots to carry out repairs. But and back closer to the beginning of time, new and more durable structures. such work would be only a last resort in the hopefully seeing the previously unobserved

14 Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 space telescopes

formation of the first galaxies. It will also shape or position of the segments. Conducted membranes were designed and manufactured hunt for stars and planetary systems forming by engineers from the Goddard Space Flight by the NeXolve Corporation of Huntsville, in the darkest dust clouds where visible light Center, from Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Alabama, and each is as thin a single human fades. California, and the Space Telescope Science hair. Between them the layers of kapton Institute in Baltimore, Colorado, the test was diminish the thermal energy received on the Art in science carried out with exceptionally high standards of solar side, reducing the temperature on the Testing the optical alignment of the 18 stability in temperature and humidity. inner surface of the fifth layer by 317º C. hexagonal mirrors that make up the light- To null out dispersions caused by “jitter” The final layer was delivered to Northrop gathering properties of the telescope requires in the readings, caused perhaps by tiny Grumman on 29 September, the culmination of more than static measurement. The complex vibrations coming up through the ground and several years of collaborative work to refine the arrangement of the various elements is made almost impossible to eliminate at this miniscule design and to make it as efficient as possible necessary by the sheer size of the telescope scale, the interferometer took 5,000 readings during deployment while ensuring a risk-free and the compact volume into which it is folded per second, the number being quicker than the stand-up when the ribs separating them are before installation within the Ariane V payload periodicity of any vibrations that might have extended. NeXolve worked for three years to fairing. After launch the various elements been present. Then the centre of curvature perfect the final configuration and the materials must unfold in a process of mechanical test examined the shape of the deployed from which the sunshield was made. origami that would challenge a Japanese 18-segment mirror by comparing reflected Several test programmes have already been master of the art. light with a hologram of the perfect form it completed and earlier in 2016 the Integrated Launch environments are hot, noisy, violent should have. Interfering the reflected light from Science Instrument Module (ISIM) completed and turbulent, bringing stress and shock to the mirrors with the beam from the hologram a gruelling and exacting round of simulated delicate systems and subsystems designed reference base engineers were able to see if environmental . Frozen in the 12 m for precise deployments, unfolding through there were any deviations from a symmetrical diameter Space Environment Simulator (SES) several separate sequences to provide overlap. at Goddard, the ISIM twice endured cryogenic engineers with a stable platform from which the While this method of testing is standard temperatures which it will encounter at the L2 location in which it is designed to operate. scientists can do their work. There is nothing procedure for all optical surfaces the sheer scale of the Webb mirror assembly meant Then there was a series of electromagnetic delicate about the process, however, and the unique challenges would have to be met and interference tests where it both received and design of mechanical elements must withstand overcome. This initial test went well and the propagated electromagnetic emissions in a an the transformation into a working observatory match was perfect but it is only the beginning. anechoic chamber during which it performed far from the tending touch of engineers. Another test will have to be made following as designed over an eight day period. The At launch the JWST has a total mass of a series of environmental, acoustic and ISIM contains the near-infrared camera, a 6,200 kg and when deployed in space it thermal tests simulating what the structure will near-infrared spectrograph, a mid-infrared will have a 6.5 m diameter primary mirror experience in space. instrument and the fine guidance sensor/near weighing 705 kg and possessing a focal infrared imager and slitless spectrograph. length of 131.4 m, protected by a multi- Sunshield complete There is no room for stray radiation. segmented sunshield 21.2 m long by 14 m Northrop Grumman has responsibility for For a more complete description of the wide. Machined from Beryllium and coated the important job of keeping the mirror and background and design evolution of the James with a gold layer 1000 angstroms thick, the associated infrared instruments from seeing Webb Space Telescope, see Spaceflight Vol total amount of gold over the entire mirror direct or reflected sunlight. The five separate 58, May, pp175-181. weighing 48.25 gram. Each mirror segment weighs 39.48 kg and the total deployed array The JWST sunshield is the size of a tennis court, the final assembly of which is now in completion. has a clear aperture of 25 m2. NASA-GSFC To test the JWST for all the conditions it will experience from launch to operational deployment, the flight model of the complete observatory was the only one which would possess the full range of mass and size and it is, therefore, its own full-scale simulator. To achieve this and to verify that it will deploy correctly it was necessary to make optical measurements before and after simulated environments it will encounter. In this way any minor irregularities or misshaping or malalignment of structural elements can be found before flight. To get the necessary measurements NASA used an interferometer, which was the principal device used to measure the shape of the mirror, to check down to less than a single wavelength. By measuring light reflected off the optics the interferometer was able to determine whether there were any changes in

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 15 astronauts German women for space

By Tony Quine

Marja Seidel (right) gets a brief taste of .

n March 2016, German aerospace with applicants required to be German nationals they will be helping to send into space, Claudia recruitment agency HESpace announced with a university degree in engineering or Kessler agreed: “Yes, it’s still too early now, the a private initiative called “Die Astronautin” science, or equivalent military education, subject of the spaceflight is very abstract to I(The Female Astronaut), the objective of which good physical and psychological fitness, in a many potential sponsors. We expect that not to was to find Germany’s first female astronaut. preferred age range of 27 to 37, and with a be easy, but we are convinced that we will be Although eleven German nationals have flown professional or other interest in aerospace or able to achieve it.” in space, over a period spanning almost 40 aviation. She added: “The final two candidates will years, all have been men. When the application window closed, 408 undertake an active role in raising sponsorship To add to the challenge, HEspace’s CEO, high quality applicants, had submitted their and funding, while they are training and Claudia Kessler explained that they wanted CVs, motivation statements and introductory preparing. Both will train with equal chances the woman selected to fly to the International videos, and the process of sifting the and we will only make the decision at the end.” Space Station, before 2020. Kessler herself applications to more manageable numbers On 3 October 2016, Claudia Kessler admits to being frustrated at the lack of a began. addressed the Association of Space Explorers’ German woman in space and the lack of We asked Claudia Kessler if this number 29th Congress in Vienna, where her plans were German women in ESA’s current astronaut reflected the fact that the bar had been set enthusiastically welcomed by an audience team. quite high: “Yes, but also in general, it reflects largely comprised of space travellers. By that She told Spaceflight, “First of all it was the German situation with regard to female time the candidates had been reduced to 86, always my childhood dream to become interest in technical jobs, this is something we with the next stage of the selection process, an astronaut, but I was always the wrong want to change by showing how exciting these beginning in late October and running into age when a selection process was open in jobs can be and by creating a modern role November, at DLR, in Hamburg and , Europe. The idea for Die Astronautin was model for German girls.” being focused upon psychological testing. This born after the mission of Alexander Gerst in will reduce the group to thirty, and later to 10. 2014. Then we worked on it and discussed Selection Most candidates who have been identified are it with many people, until we went public in On 14 September 2016, at an event in Berlin, aged around 30, and many work in aerospace March 2016.” HESpace revealed their initial short-list of or related professions, in line with the initial At the time of the initial announcement, it 120 candidates in front of Brigitte Zypries, requirements. was not clear how the 2020 target could be State Secretary to the Federal Minister of In their media releases, HeSpace stated that achieved with no Soyuz seats apparently Economy and Energy. Initial sponsorship and they include a fighter pilot, aerospace engineers, available within that timescale, but in the funding, to promote the programme, bring the scientists and doctors, but direct contact with last few weeks the Russians have revealed candidates together, and run the selection a selection of the candidates reveals a rich plans to reduce their ISS crew from three, to programme,from October 2016 to March 2017, variety of talents and backgrounds. It is clear two cosmonauts (see page 11). This creates in conjunction with Deutschen Zentrums für that HESpace’s approach has attracted some opportunities for them to make Soyuz seats Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) in Cologne, are very smart and able applicants. available to other ISS partners, and private now in place. The next six months will see the The candidates include a mix of women who space travellers, from late 2017. Kessler was final two candidates selected, through a multi- have harboured a life-long ambition to fly in asked if this might advance the projected stage process. space, but thought they would never get the launch date. But the biggest challenge appears to be chance, those who are drawn by the appeal of “Yes, but Soyuz is only one option, we are securing sponsorship and funding, that will get ISS as the ultimate research lab, or those who also talking with Boeing, about CST- 100, and one of the two finalists to the launch pad. This were simply curious to enter the process, and with SpaceX. The first meetings took place this is estimated to be around €30 million. Asked if see how far their talents can take them. Further August and were very positive.” this will become easier, once HESpace have information and biographies of the candidates HESpace pitched the recruitment their final two candidates, and the sponsors will will be published in next month’s issue of requirements and at a very specific audience, be able to identify with specific individuals who Spaceflight.

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Spaceflight Vol 58 March 2016 17 asteroids THE BIG ONE IS COMING!

Death and taxes, they say, are unavoidable. Add another – a catastrophic impact that could threaten all life on Earth, wiping out all but isolated fragments of the human population and changing the entire biosphere of the planet. And that’s a given. At least if the past 4.6 billion years are any guide to future possibilities. It has happened before – many times. It will happen again. The only remaining question is: when?

For several decades scientists, astronomers and at least one astronaut have risked their reputations on the ultimate doom message that Earth is in danger of a direct impact by an agglomeration of rock and metals left over from the evolution of the solar system. And there is a lot of it around. But how to quantify the magnitude of the threat and, more difficult, how to calculate the risk? The questions have been around a long time but the answers are slow in coming. Movers and shakers

uring the 1960s when NASA was taking a serious look at the mass of Mars and in colliding with the primitive Earth cast out getting men on the Moon, interest began to increase as to crustal material from an already differentiated planet to at least whether the craters were formed through volcanic action or one ring of impact debris which quickly coalesced into the Moon Dby meteoritic impacts. Subsequent research proved conclusively we see today. that most, if not all, the craters observable from Earth were the The recognition that impact events enabled the formation of product of primordial debris striking the surface, debris measured worlds and that subsequent impacts and collisions broke apart in mass from several kilogrammes to several hundred tonnes. and then reformed these bodies, perhaps several times over, By the early 1970s lunar and planetary science had progressed helped inform an awareness that dangers lurk today in the not-so- to the level where a timeline could be placed on the periodicity of distant reaches of the solar system. these events. It quickly became apparent that by far the majority Theia could conceivably have split the Earth and caused it of impact-forming collisions had occurred very early in the Moon’s to quickly reform into a sphere because its size was sufficient history, rapidly tapering off over the next several hundred million to break the planet. Far from being the culmination of gradual years to a trickle. But there was much more in lunar science accretion, the terrestrial worlds of today’s solar system are the that underpinned not only the history of our nearest celestial remnants left over from rapid, violent and chaotic collisions, neighbour but the Earth too. fragmenting and breaking apart, several times over, worlds which The Moon, it seemed, formed very soon after the formation of formed and then were smashed. the Earth, which was around 4.56 billion years ago. It originated as Such threats are unlikely to affect the physical existence of the the product of an impact with an object perhaps twice its present Earth after more than four billion years but the danger from violent size named Theia. This object significantly altered the Earth’s and life-reshaping impacts is great and the frequency with which structure by re-melting it to considerable depth. Theia was almost they can happen is alarmingly high.

An artist imagines the collision between a proto-planet and an asteroid in the early history of the solar system, forming and reforming worlds that will merge as planets from the chaos. Impacts such as that depicted here are unlikely today, 4.5 billion years after the formation of the solar system, but impacts causing major geophysical remodelling and environmental change on a colossal scale with significant loss of life are inevitable. NASA-JPL

18 Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 asteroids Counting rocks

he number of detectable Near Earth Objects (NEOs) has intervals. During its 15 years of operation, LONEOS made more been rising over the past 20 years and the list is getting than 5 million observations and discovered 289 NEOs, of which 55 bigger (see accompanying graphic, this page). Several were considered a potential threat. Torganisations and government agencies are turning to address the The Catalina Sky Survey had been stimulated by the 1998 realities of the potential threat. Most recent efforts and start-ups Congressional mandate and has use of a 1.5 m telescope on were inspired by a 1998 US Congressional mandate authorizing the summit of Mt Lemmon and a 68 cm Schmidt telescope near NASA to conduct a funded survey of NEOs as a means of Mt Bigelow, both of which are in Tucson, Arizona. Technology quantifying the threat. developed by this team was shared with Catalina’s mirror site It has been 70 years since the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, in the southern hemisphere located in Australia. Known as the Massachusetts, began cataloguing asteroids and comets and Sliding Spring Survey, it shut down in 2013 due to lack of funds. NASA’s Spaceguard programme has taken up the search in the As depicted on the adjacent chart, Catalina has made increasingly last decade assimilating data from several separate sources. One valuable contributions to the overall survey. of the best known detection programmes is LINEAR, a joint effort A collaboration between the University of Hawaii, the MIT by the US Air Force and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lincoln Laboratory and Science Applications International now more than a decade old which to date has resulted in the Corporation, the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid discovery of more than 2,500 near-Earth asteroids and almost 300 Response System (Pan-STARRS) brings together a series of comets. telescopes, astronomical cameras and advanced techniques in A successor to the Palomar-Planet crossing Asteroid Survey, astrometry and photometry to maintain a continuous global watch NEAT operated from 1995 to 2007 and was a cooperative activity which is funded partly by the US Air Force. It operates with two 1.8 between NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It was m Ritchey-Chrétien telescopes and each acquired image contains responsible for unique developments in scanning telescopes and approximately 2 GB of data with a complete sky survey completed in the use of CCDs in a camera which helped map the motion of in 40 hours. the minor planet Eris, three times farther from the Sun than Pluto, Unlike all the above, NEOWISE harvests data from the Wide-field recently the target for NASA’s New Horizons mission. Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite launched in 2009. Before Spacewatch obtains its data from the Kitt Peak Observatory in completing its survey of the inner solar system it provided infrared Arizona and principally through the 90 cm telescope at that site detection of 158,000 minor planets. The re-activation of NEOWISE, which now includes equipment, pointing and imaging capabilities following the shutdown of the satellite in 2011 resulted in the developed specifically for the purpose of discovering and tracking discovery of a new NEO, the asteroid 2013 YP139. As of December NEOs. Recently, a 1.8 m telescope has been added and this 2016, NEOWISE is 88% through its sixth coverage of the entire sky too has benefited greatly from the incorporation of specialized having made 547,000 IR observations of 23,513 separate objects of imaging equipment and computer programmes. which 602 were NEOs and 107 were comets. Now defunct, between 1993 and 2008 the Lowell Observatory Collectively, these surveys add up to a picture that helps Neat Earth Object Search (LONEOS) made a major contribution scientists turn a spotlight on the smaller bodies in the solar system, to the hunt for Earth threatening asteroids and this work was many of which are proving crucial to a refined understanding of supported financially by NASA. It had the use of a 0.6 metre their place in its evolution. But the result is both encouraging and Schmidt telescope and made discoveries by comparing four threatening, adding to knowledge and increasing awareness of the pictures of the same region of the sky at 15 and 30 minute danger they pose. We would be foolish not to take heed.

A graphic display of the pace of NEO discoveries and asteroids which may cause catastrophic impacts with Earth, as reflected through respective programmes, described on this page. NASA-JPL

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 19 asteroids

20 Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 asteroids

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 21 asteroids

Scale effect In 1995 Prof Richard P. Binzel of MIT Logging the threat presented a paper in which he defined a scale by which the probability of an Earth- t present, there are more than 1,600 known potentially hazardous asteroids of impact event could be quantified. The scale which about 10% are larger than one kilometre in diameter. The effect of even the ran from 0, where the object posed no smallest would be catastrophic if they collided with the Earth, either on land, at sea threat at all, to 10, in which the threat was Aor in polar wastelands. Objects of 35 metres across could destroy a city and take several such that civilization could be destroyed million lives with them. An impact by an object even a few hundred metres in diameter would and the environmental balance of the planet cause devastation and loss of life unprecedented in human history, either through physical completely upended. destruction caused or through tsunamis several hundred metres high racing hundreds of As displayed by the graphic on this kilometres inland. page, Binzel grouped this escalator in Events on this scale are hard to imagine but they are calculated to happen on average four categories, with 0 posing no threat every 10,000 years. But “average” does not express an equal division in expectancy – and set in white. The second category several impacts could occur within a shorter period, a few at greater intervals. And this is was a green warning rated 1, implying a only calculated with the data currently available, which is growing all the time. NEOWISE routine pass presenting no signs of threat. has calculated that there are probably as many as 6,000 hazardous asteroids more than 100 A yellow warning signified that there was metres in size. Evidence from geologists and geomorphologists support the calculation sufficient concern to alert astronomers to that such events do happen on Earth and have significantly changed the evolution of the make a detailed assessment of the object planet’s environment. and obtain a prediction of its orbit. These Quantifying the scale of the threat depends upon the criteria for judging the possibility were graded from 2, a threat probably of detecting a NEO which has a high probability of an Earth-impact trajectory. found false, to 3, a predicted 1% chance probability ratings are to a degree subjective because there are considerable uncertainties of an impact which would cause localized in the trajectory calculations and high margins of error only reducing with diminishing time destruction. The highest yellow warning, remaining before a certain impact. Observations of asteroids and NEOs can provide an 4, would signal a 1% chance of impact error-ellipse larger initially than the radius of the trajectory with respect to Earth. causing regional devastation. Initially, a newly discovered NEO with, say, a potential near-miss of 40,000 km can have an Orange scales 5-7 rated the object as estimated radius of error of 50,000 km or more. Only through a timely process of continuous threatening, 5 implying a potential threat refinement will that error factor diminish. This may move it farther away, or closer in to the greater than 1% but probably requiring Earth. The definitive calculation might even predict an impact with Earth. Because of this, attention of the civil government for some NEOs can reside in the high-danger category for very long periods and skew the monitoring, 6 posing a close encounter overall risk because there may be little or no detail on the trajectory. with a high level of impact threat, and 7 No NEO has intrinsic luminosity, all are observed purely by reflected light. Many are implying a very close encounter with a observed infrequently, their re-discovery dependent on the fidelity of previously calculated much higher level of risk. Red sectors 8-10 trajectories when they were observed providing only vague indications of where they may were categorized as certain collisions: reappear. For some objects, even comets, their paths can become perturbed by other bodies 8 presenting destructive impact but on in the solar system so that when they do reappear they are found in a different part of the a manageable scale, 9 causing regional sky. devastation and 10 which was total devastation to the point of changing the The Torino scale provides a means of giving a traffic light warning of Near Earth Objects likely to entire ecospheric balance of the planet. pose a threat. Via David Baker For comparison, the Chicxulub event 65 million years ago, which many now believe coincided with the release of vast lava lakes through the Deccan Traps, wiping out the dinosaurs, would be a category 10. The impact that created the Tunguska event in 1908 was scale 8. On average, scale 8 events occur at most every 50 year intervals, while scale 9 impacts are rated at a frequency of once every 10,000-100,000 years. Scale 10 impacts have a frequency longer than 100,000.

New ways Prof Binzel’s rating was the first organized

Background: Asteroids pose the greater danger to life as it exists on Earth today and humans may be merely the collateral damage incurred by an impact that could wipe out vast swathes of flora and fauna. NASA-JPL

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attempt to set down a universal scale by which scientists and impact event only 1% as likely as a random background event laypersons could grasp the magnitude of the assessment. It was occurring in the intervening years. A value of 0 indicates that the not scientific, in that it had no absolutes and was subjective, it was single event is equally threatening as the background hazard, while heavily dependent on available data and therefore not definitive. In a value of +2 indicates an event that is 100 times more likely than a fact objects would move up and down the lower boundaries as the background impact by an object at least as large before the date of uncertainties following an initial discovery were refined or modified. the potential impact in question. The rating levels were modified over time and became known as The Palermo scale raises the assessment from a point calculation the Torino scale. Revision of the scale is a constant process just to a comparison with what it defines as the background hazard as the location of specific NEOs within it are fluid according to level, defined as a threat value from the entire asteroid and comet received data and calculations which continually refine trajectories, population averaged over very long periods. Because there are orbital paths and assessments. While the Torino scale is useful vastly more small asteroids than large ones the background impact as a universal tool for non-professionals, serving its most valued rate will depend on the size of the NEO. The background is the purpose as a traffic-light system, there is another scale which is normalized state of affairs so that when a large NEO rises above more fluid and has greater discrimination. the background level, and the Palermo scale becomes greater than Known as the Palermo scale, it compares the likelihood of the zero, it indicates an event of impending concern. detected potential impact with the average risk posed by objects of In this way the Palermo scale is linear progressive on values the same size or larger over the years until the date of the potential obtained by direct measurement whereas the Torino scale impact. This average risk from random impacts is known as the is stepped on the basis of subjective judgement. Both have background risk and for convenience the scale is logarithmic. In their uses and together they do ensure quantification and this way, a Palermo scale value of -2 indicates a detected potential qualification. Radar system in asteroid search By Joel W. Powell

ucked away on the “back lot” of the Kennedy Space Center, as small as 5 cm on rogue Near Earth Objects. The radar capability located off NASA Parkway and E Street, is an array of three will also be useful for monitoring orbital debris, which is becoming dish antennae that look like they came right off the set increasingly hazardous to operational spacecraft. Tof the movie “Contact”. The 12 m dishes will soon be part of an Two additional antennae, obtained surplus from the Army, experimental phased array (multiple-antenna) radar system to track will be added to the array at KSC this year to furthur enhance its and study Near Earth Objects (NEOs) with far greater accuracy than capabilities. The enhanced system will be known as KARNAK – (Ka- existing facilities, such as the 70 m antenna at Goldstone, California band Array Radar for NEO Accurate Characterization). (which operates in the X-band of the radio spectrum at 8 GHz). Ka-BOOM is a joint project of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Designated Ka-BOOM, for Ka-Band Objects Observation and of NASA, the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) of Johns Hopkins Monitoring, the new facility will eventually be used to track these University, the MIT Lincoln Laboratory and the Sandia National elusive objects by radar to help defend Earth from major impacts. Laboratories. The project got underway in 2010 as a demonstration The Ka-band of the spectrum extends from 30-31 GHz. The radar of the phased-array ‘coherent uplinking’ technique, with initiation of will also be utilized to determine the size, spin rate and surface the current configuration at KSC in 2013. Full upgrade to Ka-band characteristics of NEOs to help evaluate which bodies are suitable radar capability is expected sometime in 2017. for future mining activity or scientific expeditions. Dr. Barry Geldzahler manages the Ka-BOOM network of phased At present the system works in a “space communication mode” array radar dishes at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Joel Powell at low power, essentially bouncing signals off of geosynchronous satellites in the Ka-band to demonstrate the so-called “coherent uplink arraying” technique with multiple dishes. Atmospheric fluctuations in the signals are automatically compensated in real- time, using a reference source on the target satellite (a radio beacon) or with a background astronomical source such as a quasar. With three dishes connected as a phased array, the power directed at the target can be increased by an order of magnitude, according to the NASA project scientist, Dr. Barry Geldzahler. The measurements of NEO objects with Ka-band radar will be 100,000 times more accurate than with optical telescopes alone. This capability will form the basis of a planetary defence system to detect objects with the potential to impact Earth. The next phase of the project will be to increase the total power output of Ka-BOOM to approximately 225 kW. This will establish true radar capability for the array. High-resolution radar images obtained with this technique will be able to resolve surface features

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 23 astronauts Massimino on the record

By Rick Mulheirn

Mike Massimino flew two Shuttle missions, STS-109 and STS-125, both Hubble Space elescopeT servicing missions. NASA

etired shuttle astronaut Mike would be Neil Armstrong, Tom Seaver of the picking pilots who were able to get along with Massimino has just released his new Metz, Joe Torre – a baseball manager… and of everybody including civilians, “egg heads” autobiography entitled “Spaceman: course my Dad. and the likes, but they also chose civilians RAn Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey to Unlock the that could get along with pilots. Take Tim Secrets of the Universe”. I met up with Mike on The moon landings captured your Peake. He’s a military pilot but he’s also the Blackburn leg of a gruelling UK promotional imagination but being an astronaut seemed the nicest guy in the world and in a team book tour. an impossible dream. When was it you environment when people have to work well thought to yourself “Hey, I can actually do together it really wouldn’t have worked if we I began by asking whether re-visiting a this”? didn’t help each other. I was flying with test lifetime of experiences with the benefit of In 1984, during my senior year at college I pilots who had flown thousands of hours in hindsight had revealed anything new about watched the movie “The Right Stuff” and this high performance aircraft including combat himself and had there been any surprises? rekindled my dream of becoming an astronaut. missions and they were stuck with me… with I thought the book was just going to be a And that set me thinking that maybe, I could 100 hours of private flying time. But never compilation of funny stories, but it became actually do this and I started looking in to what once was I made to feel an idiot. Even though more a book about not giving up and pursuing astronauts were actually like now…. in the I would do stupid things and felt on occasion your dream, the importance of public service modern age of the program. out of my depth, I was never made to feel that and how cool space is. I came to realize how They weren’t just test pilots but there were way by my colleagues. unusual it was that I refused to give up on my scientists, engineers, oceanographers and dream of flying in space and I didn’t know I doctors, tall people, short people and all kinds Can you give me an example of when you had that in me. of people. And I realised that if I studied these felt out of your depth? kinds of subjects then I would perhaps become There were some things I knew just weren’t for As a young lad I was inspired by the eligible and I could start to try and become an me. I loved flying in the T-38 and I’d go flying exploits of John Glenn, Neil Armstrong and astronaut. with Bob Cabana, then an astronaut and now the likes. As a child whose pictures did you the head of the Kennedy Space Center. He pin to your bedroom wall and who are his Astronaut autobiographies from the used to love taking me out and do acrobatics. modern day heroes that would make it to Mercury and Apollo are full of stories about He could do whatever he wanted and he knew your study wall today? macho test pilot rivalry. By the time you I wouldn’t throw up in the back seat. He liked As a kid the Apollo 11 guys were up there, joined NASA test pilots were only part of doing formation acrobatics with me and the Metz baseball players and professional football the astronaut corp. Did you experience Blue angels and would try to teach me to fly players. I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve macho one-upmanship first hand? real close formation. He was always there met some of my heroes so in my study today What NASA was pretty good at doing was on the stick with me but I realised that was

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where my limit was. Flying inches away from else and I never thought I’d ever feel that another aircraft was just different and it kind of way. But I didn’t know for sure what I wanted freaked me out. I have a lot of respect for those to do when I left. I knew I wanted to write a guys and when you try it out you realise what book, do corporate speaking, television and amazing skill they have. work with young people. I’m doing all those things now so yes, I’m content with what I’m You flew twice in space on STS-109 and doing now. I’m very fortunate. I’m back in my STS-125: both Hubble servicing missions. Alma Mater at Columbia University, I teach a Did anything take you by surprise on your space related course and I’m a consultant at second mission compared to the first? the Intrepid Museum. I’m in New York City with What we were doing on 125 was a bit different great friends and my kids are doing well. I’m from 109. On 109 we did some strange things back home. that had not been done before like putting in a new cooling system and running some piping You’ve flown in space twice. You’ve seen through the telescope. Things that were not and done things most of people can only normal but we were generally considered dream of. Are there any regrets, missed “standard stuff”. But on 125 we really kind opportunities or unfulfilled ambitions from of stretched it. Since it was the last servicing your time at NASA? mission we developed repairs that were more Oh absolutely. After I decided to go, I still challenging: rather than taking an instrument couldn’t believe that I was leaving but On the flight deck of ShuttleAtlantis during out and putting a new one in, we were taking sometimes your behaviour tells you things you STS-125 in May 2009, Mike Massimino’s second them apart. But on both flights, I never got tired don’t want to hear. I turned down an opportunity Shuttle mission. NASA of the beautiful scenes around me when I was to go to the space station for personal reasons space walking. and I realized I really had had enough… though Consulate in New York City to pick up my I would never have said that to anybody: I felt passport and now I find you guys are leaving Some of the Apollo moonwalkers had satisfied with what I did at NASA but I had been the European Union: I don’t understand how difficulty adjusting to normality: what do there a long time and so it was really time for that happened. I don’t necessarily speak you do that tops walking on the moon? me to leave. proper English but it’s a lot better than my Have you had any difficulty adjusting to life Italian and I thought I could use that passport post Hubble? On STS-125 you had the chance to to come here but now the rug has been pulled Yeah. When I got the astronaut job, I never kick back and enjoy the view and listen out from under me. thought I’d ever leave. We had some ex to your music. A lot of the bands you astronauts come and speak to us about what listened to were British: Coldplay, U2, and Can you ever see yourself bringing your we would do when we finished being an Genesis amongst others. Are you a closet experience and expertise to the private astronaut but I expected to be there a long Anglophile and do you harbour any desires space sector with the likes of Virgin time. But right around my second flight I started to live in the UK? Galactic, Space X? realizing that I might not get another flight. I We were just talking about that. My Italian No. Absolutely not! What I enjoy and seem really began to think about what I wanted to citizenship just came through in the middle more inclined to do than most astronauts was do. The truth of it is I wanted to do something of September: I’ve got to go to the Italian to tell the story of what was going on, be that the Hubble 3D movie, The Big Bang Show, and Mike Massimino and Rick Mulheirn meet to discuss his book and what lies behind his motivations as a that’s where I think I can make a difference: NASA astronaut and a life after NASA. Rick Mulheirn telling the story of what it was like to do this extraordinary job and despite myself… I’m doing okay.

The skipper on both your missions was Scott Altman. He is coming to Space lectures in April 2017. Can you share any funny stories about Scooter, perhaps something did not make it in to the book? Did you know he ate 30 plate sized pancakes in 30 minutes in a pancake eating competition at college…. and he came second! He’s a little distraught about that even to this day: he’s been psychologically scarred by the whole experience.

Spaceman is published by Simon and Schuster and available from all good book stores. I would like to thank Jamie Criswell from Simon and Schuster for making this interview possible.

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 25 inbox

26 Spaceflight Vol 58 March 2016 starships

Icarus Spacecraft Designs – Part 2

By Peter Milne

The original design of Resolution. Via Peter Milne

art 1 of this description of the Icarus binary system with two sun-like components, it remaining material and creating the conditions spacecraft designs appeared in is of astronomical interest and had also given for fusion. Spaceflight Vol 58 No 4 pp 143-145. indications of an exo-planet. The fusion reaction ejects alpha particles PIt described the designs of the Firefly and which also heat the outer material and Ghost variants of the Icarus spacecraft. This Starship Resolution create additional fusion, which becomes a article describes the Resolution, Zeus and The design team for Resolution chose to stay self-sustaining ignition of the fuel pellet. The UDD designs. All of these designs continue to close to the original Deadalus concept. In their charged particles produced by the fusion progress and incorporate continuous iteration. design the propulsion system is based on reaction are then directed through the engine By the time full papers are submitted to JBIS Shock Ignition Inertial Confinement Fusion, nozzle to produce thrust. Pellets are ejected there may have been further evolution, but the using Deuterium and Helium-3 as the fuel. into the combustion chamber at a rate of aim of this article is to provide a more general Unlike Daedalus, however, the Icarus mission 150 per second, resulting in fusion reactions preview. requires deceleration at the target star system, at the same rate. Each pellet has a mass All Project Icarus spacecraft designs were requiring the carriage of additional fuel. The of approximately 0.3g and a diameter of to meet the same overall requirements, fuel for the initial acceleration, 20,700 tonnes, approximately 10 mm. which were developed from the original BIS is contained in 12 fuel tanks that are jettisoned The baseline design for Starship Resolution Daedalus study. The propulsion would be after use, and a further four tanks contain requires the spacecraft to rotate 180 degrees, based on fusion, to allow comparisons with 3,900 tonnes of fuel for deceleration. to fire its engine in the opposite direction for the Daedalus design, but rather than a fly-by Pellets of fuel are injected into the deceleration. An alternative option is to employ of the target star system Icarus requires full combustion chamber, one by one. The pellets a Medusa Sail, which would be deployed deceleration and the deployment of probes for are compressed by laser beams, uniformly behind the spacecraft. The fusion reaction exploration. Initial studies continued to show a spread around the pellet. This heats the outer would then take place within the volume of fusion driven Icarus would be large because of layer of the pellet and material exploding off the sail, generating thrust against the sail and the propulsion system, so a nominal payload the surface causes the remaining material decelerating the spacecraft. was agreed at 100-150 tonnes. on the inside to be driven inwards with great At the start of the mission, the total dry mass Another requirement was to set the mission force, eventually collapsing into a tiny near- of the Starship Resolution will be 1,238 tonnes, time to 100 years which was a relaxation of the spherical ball. With the correct design of the plus 24,000 tonnes of fuel. A 9 mm thick shield Daedalus design to help with the deceleration ignition system, the shock waves caused by comprising 54 tonnes of Beryllium protects plans of Icarus. Alpha Centauri was selected as this process are synchronised and meet at this spacecraft from interstellar material. A the target star system for Icarus because, as a the centre of the pellet, further heating the total of 200 tonnes (plus the 20,700 tonnes

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 27 starships

of spent fuel) will be shed when the fuel tanks Since Starship Resolution is a close update When those plasmoids meet, at the focus, for acceleration are detached, leaving 4,338 to the original Daedalus design, its software their momenta cancel and they remain tonnes at the start of the deceleration. Of that modelling allows for the same parameters as stationary for a long enough time that the liner mass, 150 tonnes is allocated for the payload. for Daedalus to be input. In that configuration, forms around the resultant pellet, and continues The vehicle length is 2 km and its diameter is the model’s output is consistent with the then to compress that pellet. Magnetic coils 50 m. Daedalus performance, and gives confidence form a field which expels the reaction by- The mission profile for Starship Resolution that the values for Starship Resolution are products. As the plasma moves through the comprises around 15 years acceleration, realistic. field an electric current will be generated, and around 81.5 years cruise at 4.83% of the capacitors will be charged providing energy to speed of light, and around three years of Zeus continue the process. deceleration, arriving at the Alpha Centauri star The Zeus variant of the Icarus spacecraft The spacecraft will commence its mission system with an excess velocity of 1.28km/s. utilises Plasma Jet Magneto Inertial Fusion with sufficient Tritium for the acceleration Once deceleration has been completed, the (PJMIF). This is a greater variation to Daedalus phase only. Fuel for the deceleration phase scientific probes will be deployed. The jet than Resolution, and the fusion propulsion will need to be created on-board. The neutrons power from the fusion drive is 1.8TW. system combines magnetic confinement and generated by the fusion process will strike a The design for Resolution is currently inertial confinement of the plasma. Magnetic Lithium shield, and this will generate a fresh being revised, to incorporate a five-engine fields confine an initial, warm, low-density supply of Tritium. However, a moderator must stage, in order to reduce the 15 year boost plasma, which is then compressed to fusion be placed between the fusion reaction and the phase. This version of the Icarus spacecraft conditions using an impulsive driver or “liner”, Lithium, to slow the neutrons to the optimum is named Endeavour. Whilst this design is not for inertial confinement. The fuel comprises energy for the production of Tritium to occur. yet finalised, the latest performance analysis Deuterium and Tritium. However, not all of the neutrons generated indicates a boost phase lasting 3.2 years, A total of 150 gas-fed plasma guns are in the fusion reaction will be “captured” since a cruise phase lasting 93.8 years, and a located around three concentric rings around (for example) the nozzle area will include no deceleration phase lasting 2.93 years, with a the parabolic nozzle. All of these guns are screening. total mission time to the target of 99.9 years. aimed at the focus of the parabola, but with A neutron multiplier, such as Beryllium or The total propellant mass is 26,000 tonnes, a dispersion to allow the formation of a stable Lead, could be introduced before or within the of which 22,000 is for acceleration and 4,000 liner. There are also two theta pinch guns, moderator to overcome this. A further problem is for deceleration. The payload mass is directly opposite each other, firing spheromak is that Tritium decays with a half-life of 12.3 unchanged. plasmoids towards the same focus. years, so a large quantity of Tritium must be

A digital rendition of the Endeavour with its five-engine configuration. Via Peter Milne

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A sketched outline for the Ultra-Dense Deuterium concept, advocated by a research group. Via Peter Milne carried to ensure that sufficient fuel is available is around 150 m long in order to match the re-used for deceleration. The total jet power for for the deceleration burn. However, the reaction spacecraft diameter. The shield material has the first stage is 13.15 TW, and 0.87 TW for the of the neutrons and Lithium produces Tritium been chosen to be Kevlar, and with a depth of second stage. For deceleration, a jet power of and Helium-4. It may be possible to employ the 40 cm the total mass of the shield is around 0.17 TW is required. Helium-4 during the deceleration burn either as 250 tonnes. This design for the Icarus spacecraft also a supplement to, or as a replacement for, the Zeus will cruise at 4.25% of the speed incorporates a Magsail which uses a static Tritium. of light, arriving at Alpha Centauri 96 years magnetic field to deflect charged particles As for Starship Resolution, the deceleration after the start of the mission. Within that time radiated by a star, such as a plasma wind, for Zeus is accomplished by rotating the the deceleration burn will last 14.4 months, and thus impart momentum to accelerate or spacecraft 180 degrees and then firing commencing 4,700 AU from the target. decelerate the spacecraft. In this case, the its engine. The baseline design for Zeus star would be Alpha Centauri. The Magsail uses the propulsion nozzle as the reflector Ultra-Dense Deuterium comprises a superconducting loop, 150 km in for the communications antenna, so no Ultra-dense Deuterium (UDD) is an extremely diameter and carrying 159 kA. communications are possible during the dense state of Deuterium which has been The mission profile comprises the first stage acceleration phase (since the nozzle is in use postulated by a particular research group, burn for five years, up to 8% of the speed for propulsion) or during the deceleration (since and which has also been described as being of light, followed by a second stage burn for the nozzle is again in use, but also because it a form of “metallic Hydrogen”, as is thought 1.38 years to 10% of the speed of light. The is pointing away from Earth). to exist at the centre of Jupiter. To date, there cruise phase would last for 35.8 years. Initial While the fusion propulsion system is in use, has been no independent confirmation of its deceleration would use the Magsail for around waste heat can be used to generate electricity. existence. However, should this material exist, 21 years, reducing the velocity to 1% of the During the cruise phase and after arrival at UDD would provide a very convenient fuel speed of light, followed by a burn of the second Alpha Centauri a fission reactor will generate for fusion-propelled spacecraft since no initial stage engine for 1.5 years before arriving at electricity. compression would be required. There is, Alpha Centauri. The total mission time, then, is The other design variants for Icarus have therefore, no time limit on the confinement of around 65 years. chosen a planar dust shield on the front of the the plasma and virtually all of the plasma will Barnards’s Star, the original Daedalus spacecraft. In the case of Zeus, this shield is burn. target, could be reached within around 80 conical. A half-cone angle of 9 degrees results A two-stage design has been implemented, years, and star systems at 10 to 15 light years in a theoretical reduction of 98.1% of kinetic with seven engines in the first stage and two distance from Earth could be reached within impact energy, but also requires that the cone in the second stage. The second stage is also the prescribed 100 year timeline.

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 29 reflection

FLASHBACK – January 1967

A regular feature looking back 50 years this month

anuary 1967 saw the launch of an impetus to the orbiting early-warning satellite spacecraft seemed insoluble. The CSM-012 entirely new class of Soviet “satellite”. programme to look “down” on, rather than Block I spacecraft was being prepared for its Designated Kosmos 139 it was in reality “across” to, launch sites in the USSR. first manned flight in late February and very Jnot a satellite at all and re-entered before The R-36 would receive the NATO few systems were cleared for launch. With a completing one orbit of the Earth. It was the codename SS-9 Scarp and the first test flight successful series of 10 Gemini flights behind first flight of a Fractional Orbit Bombardment took place on 28 September 1963. Flight tests them, mission planners in Houston eagerly System (FOBS), a Russian missile, designed with the R-36ORB began in December 1963 awaited the opportunities afforded by Apollo to to outwit US and NATO air and missile defence but not until January 1967 was the first full conduct increasingly sophisticated operations screens covering the approaches across the flight test mounted, requiring it to be declared leading to a manned lunar landing. North Pole – the shortest route between the to the United Nations innocently as Cosmos Major delays surfaced in late 1965 with a USSR and North America. 139. It was launched into an orbit of 209 x 143 software discrepancy in sequencing and timing With developments in Intercontinental km at an inclination of 50º and re-entered to showing variables. The obtained on Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), by the early 1960s land at the Kapustin Yar test site. board the spacecraft were different from those military thinking in America and the USSR As for the R-36 ICBM, this huge rocket had a derived on the ground by several minutes. switched from countervalue to counterforce throw- of 5.8 tonnes and when it appeared Overall, software for the Apollo Guidance and strike, neutralising US missile fields, launch it stimulated a major response from the United Navigation computer was proving generally sites and airfields in a surprise attack to States, but that is another story. Suffice to say more troublesome than comfortable for this prevent a response in kind. that between 1965 and 1973, some 238 R-36 late stage, with launch date bearing down For the Americans it was essential to extend launchers were deployed, feared by NATO upon the engineers and technicians working the warning time of such an attack so that a as the SS-9 which could carry a single 10 MT preparations at Cape Canaveral. response could be launched while a large part warhead or up to three 3 MT re-entry vehicles. It was but one of several idiosyncrasies of the hostile strike force was still in its silos Despite numerous flight tests the FOBS plaguing the Apollo spacecraft, the first manned and getting off the runways. Which pushed application was argued away at the Strategic flight being only with the Block I vehicle which development of an expansive early-warning Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) talks in the 1970s was incapable of supporting a lunar mission network, the Ballistic Missile Early Warning and the orbiting of weapons of mass destruction and which carried several key systems which System (BMEWS) forward of the Defence banned. But the capability exists and had already been completely redesigned for Early Warning (DEW) line that had, in the implementation of existing ICBMs in this role is the Block II Moon flights. Among some NASA 1950s been raised across the Canadian border merely a matter of carrying a de-orbit bus and managers there was continued annoyance at to detect incoming Russian bombers. BMEWS reprogramming the guidance and flight control having gone down the Block I/Block II road, would circle the northern hemisphere between electronics. After all, if ever used in anger, who diverting some highly experienced engineers Alaska and Fylingdales, Yorkshire. would be around to protest the violation? to work with a spacecraft configuration which Responding to this, on 16 April 1962 a was only being completed so that Apollo could Russian government decree authorised the Countdown fly early. Nothing about it was permanent or a Yuzhnoye Design Bureau (OKB-586) to develop In the United States an increasingly frustrating real contribution to the programme’s ultimate a heavy ICBM (8K67) capable of attacking and complex series of problems with the Apollo objective. the US from any direction. It also authorised an orbital derivative, the R-36ORB (8K69), The base thrust unit of the SS-9 (R-36) ICBM and FOBS launcher. Via David Baker capable of flying a depressed trajectory down over the South Pole and north again across the equator to de-orbit its nuclear warhead on US missile silos and airfields supporting the airborne nuclear strike inventory. In this way, the attack would come from the southern hemisphere and hit America from behind as well as from the north with conventional ICBMS. Moreover, it would not be possible to tell where the warhead would fall. While the orbit inclination could be calculated from observing the powered flight phase, the warhead could be de-orbited at any point along the ground track, significantly confusing the air defence systems. But the depressed trajectory and the low altitude orbit would make it exceedingly difficult to get a fix on the ascent phase anyway, which gave

30 Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 off the shelf

Hubble Huggers themselves, and picks up the the uniqueness of its content, supplementing The Hubble Space story of the remaining four Shuttle missions that any existing library on rockets of the 1960s and maintain, repair, and upgrade the telescope. adding especially useful information. The author These missions, STS-82, -103, -109, and has done a magnificent job condensing a lot of Telescope -125, restored systems, replaced instruments, information in the expanded captions and that & and attended to the telescopes degrading makes it especially useful. condition. New servicing techniques were This is Alan’s fourth book, earlier works developed, and new information about how to including two books on the Saturn V for Apogee Enhancing maintain objects in space was gleaned, which Books and one titled Sacramento’s Moon was and is essential for future space telescopes Rockets, also for Arcadia. His fourth book will be Hubble’s Vision and the International Space Station. a compilation of several hundred photographs Scores of engineers, scientists, controllers, of Saturn rocket testing and stage development managers, and workers toiled over miniscule to be published by the British Interplanetary details for each new part. Many engineering Society in 2018 to commemorate the 50th lessons were learned. anniversary of the first manned flight to the Both books also come with a bibliography vicinity of the Moon. and appendices containing much of David S and David H’s research in tabular form – a first stop for anyone wishing to research the subject. Humans in Space Now that the twilight of the Hubble Telescope Authors: Author era is approaching, it is good to see these stories David Shayler and David M. Harland Nick Kanas told so well, and documented so thoroughly. Publisher Publisher Both are available as e-books. Springer Praxis Springer Praxis Bob Stanton ISBN ISBN 978-1-493902826-2 978-3-319-18868-3 (The Hubble Space Telescope) Price 978-3-319-22643-9 The Saturn V £16.99 161 pages (Enhancing Hubble’s Vision) (paperback) Price: Rocket £22.99 414 pages (The Hubble Space Author ccording to the author there are three Telescope paperback) Alan Lawrie hurdles to long-duration, deep-space £24.99 333 pages (Enhancing Hubble’s Publisher exploration involving small groups of Vision paperback) Arcadia Publishing humans:A the physical deterioration of the body ISBN in prolonged weightlessness; the effects of solar he Hubble Space telescope has reshaped 978-1-4671-2387-7 and cosmic radiation on human tissue; and the our perception of the cosmos with clear Price psychological challenges of integration within a and deep views from above the Earth’s $22.99 96 pages select group of individuals isolated from the rest Tatmosphere, and is still providing us with (paperback) of the human population. This book is concerned inspiring images more than 26 years after its with the latter, from an author who is Emeritus launch. It was designed to be serviceable and ome books are big and contain very little; Professor of Psychology at the University of upgradable by teams of astronauts, later known others are small in volume but grow large California, San Francisco. as “Hubble Huggers”, and has been the focus from the inside out. This is one of the This is an important work and the author of six shuttle missions involving 32 astronauts. Slatter. Do not be put off by the number of pages. tackles the subject by gathering up evidence Dave Shayler and David Harland have Each one contains highly original material in and placing it in the context of current thinking skilfully and thoroughly explored the greater story expanded captions for each of the nearly 170 on psychology and psychiatry. He then behind each mission. They have amassed so colour photographs inside. extrapolates into situations which have not yet much material that they have written two books A propulsion engineer with Airbus Defence occurred in space, such as very long expeditions that can be read independently of each other. and Space at its Stevenage facility, from very far from Earth, interaction between The first book, “The Hubble Space Telescope: where he frequently travels to the US on work males and females, the loss of testosterone From Concept to Success” tells the story from assignments, the author is well known to the in weightlessness, conflict resolution and the early proposals and developments to create BIS. Alan has presented talks on the Saturn V interpersonal matching. In all these areas and a telescope serviceable in space. The story and is one of that erudite group, quite small in many more, Nick Kanas explores consequences continues with the many changes of design size, who conducts original research rather than and implications in an area which is only now and wrangling with funding until the successful regurgitating the published work of others, who getting full recognition as a major part not deployment on the STS-31 mission, and the may themselves have got their own material by only of crew selection but of performance and subsequent disappointment at discovering a the same means. Because of that his books are behaviour on Earth orbit flights. flaw in the optics. always worth reading and quoted often by others This is a fascinating book, crafted by the Ultimately, the story of the STS-61 mission, of equal historical stature. author both as an introduction to a difficult and the successful mission to correct the optics, is Published in the Images of Modern America highly specialised subject and as a guide to the told in detail with interviews and quotes from the series, this book attracts the eye of the trained neophyte in seeing beyond the physical and into main characters. The book is liberally illustrated engineer as well as the space flight enthusiast. the cognitive, behavioural and psychological with photographs, and quotations such as: “It’s Most of the images have not been published processes which are arguably the most been a small change for a mirror, but a giant before and there is an emphasis on showing important factors in astronaut selection and crew leap for astronomy”. processes in manufacturing and assembly usually assignment. This book is a first-class primer into The second book, “Enhancing Hubble’s passed over in favour of dramatic, oft-published, the complex workings of the human mind, both Vision: Service Missions That Expanded Our pictures which populate many books today. individually and as a collective group of highly View of the Universe”, is dedicated to the The really appealing factor in this book is skilled and motivated individuals.

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 31 satellite digest

Satellite Digest is Spaceflight’s regular listing of world space launches. It is prepared by Geoff Richards using orbital data from Satellite Digest-528 the United States Strategic Command Space-Track.Org website.

Spacecraft International Date Launch Vehicle Mass Orbital Inclin. Period Perigee Apogee Notes Designation Site kg Epoch deg min km km GSAT 18 2016-060A Oct 5.85 CSG Ariane-5ECA 3,404 Oct 27.00 0.09 1,436.01 35,764 35,809 [1] Sky Muster 2 2016-060B 6,405 Oct 24.62 0.03 1,436.01 35,784 35,789 [2] 11 2016-061A Oct 16.98 Jiuquan Chang Zheng 2F/G 8,080? Oct 18.70 42.79 92.11 379 389 [3] Alan Poindexter 2016-062A Oct 17.99 Wallops Antares 230 6,173 Oct 23.53 51.64 92.55 399 409 [4] Soyuz MS-02 2016-063A Oct 19.34 Baykonur Soyuz-FG 7,220 Oct 21.41 51.64 92.55 399 409 [5] Notes 1. GSAT 18 is a direct broadcast satellite built using an ISRO I-3000 bus and launched by Arianespace. Mass quoted above is at launch, dry mass is 1,480 kg. The satellite is located over 74°E, co-located with Insat 3C, Insat 4CR and GSAT 14, to provide a service to India. 2. Sky Muster (NBN Co 1B) is a telecommunications satellite built using an SS/L 1300 bus for nbn. Mass quoted above is at launch. The satellite is located over 145°E to provide a broadband Internet service to Australia. 3. Manned spacecraft with two-man crew launched to the Tiangong 2 module. Crew comprises (Commander) and (Flight Engineer). Spacecraft docked October 18.81. 4. Cygnus freighter spacecraft named in honour of the late astronaut, ISS Mission OA-5, built and launched by Orbital ATK as part of NASA’s CRS programme for transport to ISS, with 2,425 kg of cargo including new experiments. Spacecraft captured by the ISS arm October 23.50 and docked at the ISS/Unity nadir port October 23.62. Four Cubesats are to be deployed from NRCSD-E deployers after Cygnus departs from ISS. These are 4 kg Lemur 2 dual-mission 3U Cubesats built by Spire Global each carrying an AIS receiver (SENSE) to track shipping and a GPS receiver (STRATOS) for atmospheric data from occultation of GPS signals. 5. Spacecraft with three-man crew launched to the International Space Station, mission ISS-48S. Crew comprises Sergei Ryzhikov (Soyuz Commander, ISS flight engineer), Andrei Borisenko (Soyuz/ISS flight engineer) and Shane Kimbrough (Soyuz flight engineer, ISS Expedition 50 Commander, NASA astronaut). Spacecraft docked with ISS/Poisk port on October 21.41. Crew are part of ISS Expeditions 49 and 50. Additions and Updates Designation Comments 1994-057A DMSP 5D2-12 (USA 106), a decommissioned satellite, suffered a battery explosion October 23.66. 1995-038A DSCS 3B7 (USA 113) has been providing a link to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station for NSF since GOES 3 was retired in June. 1997-042A ABS 3 was relocated at 85°E October 20. 1999-071A Galaxy 11 was relocated at 45°E, co-located with Intelsat 12, October 20. 2000-046A Brasilsat B4 was manoeuvred off station at 84°W October 12 and was relocated at 91.7°W, co-located with Brasilsat B3, about October 26. 2001-002A Türksat 2A was manoeuvred off station at 42°E about September 30 and is drifting to the west. It has been retired. 2006-001A New Horizons completed transmission of Pluto encounter data October 25. 2011-040A Juno was scheduled to carry out further science operations during its periapsis pass October 19, following postponement of planned apoapsis reduction manoeuvre to investigate a propulsion issue. However, it entered a safe mode shortly before pass and did not obtain data. 1998-067GQ This is Flock 1e-11, not Flock 1e-9 as given in the decays table of Satellite Digest 526. 1998-067HA GomX-3 completed its primary mission in April and was then used for an additional experiment by the UK Met Office to successfully demonstrate gathering atmospheric wind data from reception of ADS-B signals from aircraft. 2016-017A TGO deployed Schiaparelli lander October 16.60 and entered orbit about Mars October 19.64. Initial orbit was from 350 to 95,519 km, period 4.087 days, inclination 9.65°. Schiaparelli lander reached Mars October 19.61, returning atmospheric data during entry, but a fault in the altimeter software led to premature parachute jettison and thruster shut-down. Lander impacted in Meridiani Planum at 6.11°W, 2.07°S. 2016-022A Progress MS-02 undocked from ISS/Zvezda aft port October 14.40 and was de-orbited over the Pacific Ocean October 14.53. 2016-041A MUOS 5 has used its hydrazine thrusters to reach an inclined geosynchronous orbit centred on the 105°W stable point on October 22. Add orbit from amateur trackers: Oct 23.09 9.67° 1,436.04 min 34,810 km 36,764 km 2016-044A Soyuz MS-01 crewed by Ivanishin, Onishi and Rubins undocked from the ISS/Rassvet port October 30.02 and landed near Zhezkazgan in Kazakhstan October 30.17. 2016-057A Tiangong 2 crew launched on are conducting a four-week programme of medical and other experiments. Banxing 2 inspector satellite was ejected October 22.98 to image the Tiangong/Shenzhou complex. Add object and orbit: Banxing 2 2016-57H Oct 24.37 42.79° 92.02 min 375 km 385 km International Space Station activity Recently detailed orbital decays There were no orbital manoeuvres of ISS during October: International Object name Decay End-of-October orbital data: Oct 31.89 51.64° 92.54 min 399 km 409 km Designation 2006-037A Kougaku 2 Oct 29.7 2012-001B VesselSat 2 Oct 27.1 2014-073A 2 Oct 9.7 1998-067HA GomX-3 Oct 18.50 1998-067HC Flock 2b-2 Oct 2.78 1998-067HD Flock 2b-3 Oct 14.4 1998-067HE Flock 2b-4 Oct 17.35 1998-067HK Flock 2b-10 Oct 12.0 1998-067HL Flock 2b-9 Oct 16.56 DMSP 5D2-12 exploded on 23 1998-067HM Flock 2b-13 Oct 11.0 October spreading debris along the 2016-022A Progress MS-02 Oct 14.57 orbit track. DoD 2016-044A Soyuz MS-01 Oct 30.17

32 Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 society news BIS and IAASS sign MOU

Tommaso Sgobba giving the IAASS Presentation to the meeting. Alistair Scott

n 2 November a meeting between the education and outreach. Under this MoU, the National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), a BIS and the International Association organisations will work together in pursuing post she has held since April 2010. She for the Advancement of Space Safety the highest quality standards in education is responsible for internal audit and risk Owas held at BIS Headquarters. The objective and research in all subjects related to the assessment at Agency level, and for certifying was to sign a memorandum of understanding exploration, development and use of space. technical conformity to the French Space (MoU) between the two organisations which The IAASS was represented at the Operation Act before each space operation establishes a mutually beneficial relationship meeting by its President, Isabelle Rongier- (launch and in orbit) is authorized. for cooperative activities and expanded Pomagrazak; IAASS Executive Director, Tommaso Sgobba is Executive Director publicity opportunities. Tommaso Sgobba, and by Dieter Isakeit who and Board Secretary of the IAASS. He was The meeting was the result of a suggestion is responsible for IAASS external relations. IAASS first President from 2005-2013. Up by Keith Wright of the BIS to Tommaso The BIS was represented by its President, until June 2013, when he retired from the Sgobba of the IAASS and activities under Mark Hempsell, Members of Council and by , Tommaso Sgobba consideration for cooperation include: Executive Secretary Gill Norman. was responsible for ESA flight safety, reciprocal support to publications; the Isabelle Rongier-Pomagrazak became including human-rated space systems, advertisement of symposia and workshops; IAASS President in October 2013, spacecraft re-entries, , use cooperation on initiatives in the field of space succeeding Tommaso Sgobba who was of nuclear power sources, and planetary safety and rescue; and the organisation of the first IAASS President. She is currently protection. He joined the European Space joint events. General Inspector, Director of General Agency in 1989, after 13 years in the The International Association for the Inspection and Quality, of the French Centre aeronautical industry. Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS) is a non-profit organisation committed to furthering Signing of the MoU by Isabelle Rongier-Pomagrazak and Mark Hempsell. Alistair Scott the advance of international cooperation in the scientific advancement of space systems safety. The IAASS was legally established on 16 April 16 2004 in the Netherlands. It became a member of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) in October 2004. The IAASS is based on the intellectual interaction of individual members who together shape the technical vision of the association, and make the association’s services available to stakeholders (on a non-profit basis). It has members from 26 countries. The IAASS and the BIS have common interests in promoting space activities and strengthening the space sector’s development,

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 33 society news

Initially Tommaso Sgobba supported For 10 years he chaired the ESA ISS was followed by a presentation by Tommaso the development of the Ariane 5 launcher, Payload Safety Review Panel and was Sgobba on the IAASS and its last Conference. several Earth observation and meteorological instrumental in setting up the ESA Re-entry The meeting concluded with the signing of the satellites, and the early phase of the Safety Review Panel. He holds an M.S. in MoU by Isabelle Rongier-Pomagrazak and European Hermes spaceplane. Later he Aeronautical Engineering from the Polytechnic Mark Hempsell. became Product Assurance and Safety of Turin (Italy), where he was also professor of For those readers who are interested Manager for all European manned missions space system safety (1999-2001). in finding out more about the IAASS their on Shuttle, station, and for the European Our visitors were given a tour of BIS HQ website can be found at: iaass.space-safety. research facilities of the International Space and a presentation by Mark Hempsell on the org/. Station. Society’s history and current activities. This Keith M. Wright Belgian branch meets n 29 October the Belgian branch of the British Interplanetary Society organized its third annual afternoon of lectures Oin Ternat near Brussels. The event attracted fifteen spaceflight enthusiasts from Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, France and Russia. The afternoon began with Bart Hendrickx reading out a presentation prepared by L. Paul Verhage about amateur near-space exploration using balloons reaching altitudes up to 30 km. Paul, who lives in Idaho, runs an organization called NearSys that has spent the last 19 years launching 160 of these “near-space missions” from eight US states. Outfitted with tracking devices consisting of GPS receivers and amateur radio, the Members attending the third annual meeting of the Belgian branch of the BIS. Belgian BIS balloons carry science experiments called balloonsats. They offer low-cost access to interstellar spaceship studies and talked at are few signs of co-ordination in this area, with near space and are an ideal way to introduce length about his organization’s involvement in the US, Russia and China pursuing their own youngsters to space exploration and science the Breakthrough Starshot project, which aims goals in their quest to send humans beyond and technology in general. to use lasers to launch swarms of chip-sized Earth orbit. Unable to attend the event in person, Paul probes on roughly 20-year journeys to Alpha The PowerPoint presentations shown at was kind enough to send a balloonsat to the Centauri. the meeting can be downloaded from the BIS organizers for the audience to touch and Bart Hendrickx rounded off the afternoon Belgium website at http://www.bis-space.com/ feel. Former JBIS editor Kelvin Long, himself by giving an overview of current human belgium/ co-founder of a company specializing in high- spaceflight operations by the world’s leading If anyone is interested in giving a altitude balloon launches (Nebula Sciences), spacefaring nations. He also explored presentation at the symposium next year (28 shared some of his own experiences with prospects for co-operation in the post-ISS era, October 28, 2017) please contact the Belgian near-space ballooning. coming to the inevitable conclusion that there branch by emailing [email protected] Next Kelvin took the floor himself in his capacity as Executive Director of the New BIS Members Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is), a UK- Nicholas Barsley, London Matthew Gilpin, London based non-profit organization that fosters Livio Agostini, Italy Simon “Pete” Worden, USA and promotes education, knowledge and Tony Rawlinson, Dorking Lachlan Pitt, Australia technical capabilities that may eventually Rachel Taylor, London Ted Davis, London lead to designs, technologies or enterprise Keith Pye, North Yorkshire Jean-Pierre Bernard, Bristol that will enable the construction of interstellar Andres Arribas, Germany Mark Emson, London spacecraft. Francesco Ciannamea, Italy Nicholas Bedding, Aberdeenshire Kelvin’s talk looked at past, present and Nigel Tocknell, Surrey Gopal Raj, India future activities which move us towards Mike Cronin, Aberdeenshire Swetha Kotichintala, Glasgow becoming an interstellar capability civilisation. Stephen Cooke, The Netherlands Giacomo Crippa, Italy In particular, he focused on proposed Jeff Liu, China John Berry, Herts propulsion concepts for interstellar spacecraft Bruce Harmsworth, France Brian Troutwine, US and examined the technologies required to Dallas Campbell, London Leon Taylor, Shropshire enable missions to the nearest stars within Mary Fishwick, Lancashire Alexandre Millot, Bedford the current century and beyond. Kelvin Michael Donaghy, London highlighted the pioneering role of the BIS in

34 Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 society news Ordnance Survey on Mars

Nigel Clifford and Chris Wesson give a presentation on the OS Mars mapping project. Alistair Scott

was fortunate enough to meet the new London; between them he and Chris started encountered during the project. head of Ordnance Survey (OS), the UK’s to play around with available data and GIS Chris mentioned following the publication national mapping agency this summer, at a (Geographical Information Systems) mapping and sale of this new (limited edition!) OS Ihistorical military mapping conference. Many software formats. product, he had been widely interviewed by UK Spaceflight readers will be familiar with An interesting fact which emerged early a variety of magazines; this had increased OS maps from their schooldays or weekend on was there appeared to be no agreed the visibility of the Southampton-based ramblings. Having learned some months reference Mars map used by the scientific organisation in areas where it perhaps would earlier the OS had produced their first ever community; one of the reasons proposed for have otherwise have been unknown. So, good planetary map (a quadrant of Mars, including the OS map was so the media could use a for the UK economy! the region traversed by astronaut Matt Damon map in articles and reports to which non- The length and quality of questions at the in the film The Martian) I asked during a scientists could relate. Until now specialist end reflected the audience’s wide-ranging coffee break if he might address the BIS. maps showing a particular aspect of Martian interest in the topics discussed. We look Nigel Clifford’s excellent talk covered the geology or hydrology often appeared in forward to Ordnance Survey returning to history of the OS, from military origins in the media reports which the layperson educated update us on their future Earth and space 18th century (troublesome Highlanders giving with a terrestrial mindset often found difficult mapping projects. Nigel and Chris were the invading army a run for their money in to interpret. Map projection types, colour presented with some BIS “thank you” goodies well-known local terrain) to the beautiful and schemes and the location of feature lettering before we retired to the pub. accurate paper maps we all too easily take were some of the many other challenges Alistair Scott for granted today. Looking to the present and future (including Big Data) he then discussed the new digital areas the OS is heavily involved in. These include providing future Space Chronicle civil contingency mapping for government – permitting all the emergency services to use Space Chronicle, Suppl. 3, 2016 is now available and contains the following papers: compatible maps – and projects combining data from a variety of sources which have De Havilland Rocket Engines: Part 1 – The Special Projects Group and the Origins of the Sprite Rocket Engine health/social care applications (currently being LittleLEO trialed in Manchester). Israel’s Reconnaissance Satellite Programmes, 2005-2016 Cartographer Chris Wesson then spoke Copies of Space Chronicle, priced at £15 for members, £20 to non-members, about the practicalities involved in creating P&P: UK £1.50, Europe & Rest of the World £3.50 the OS Mars map. The idea was proposed Full list of available issues – www.bis-space.com/eshop/products-page/publications/space-chronicle/ by British planetary geologist Dr. Peter Back issues are also available and can be obtained from The British Interplanetary Society 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1SZ, England Grindrod, based at Birkbeck, University of

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 35 society news Sir Arthur Clarke Awards 2016

Sir Arthur Clarke Awards, 2016 winners and organisers at the Reinventing Space Conference. Alistair Scott

he Arthur C. Clarke Foundation and 4. Space Achievement - Education and he used the Principia Mission to inspire the the BIS are pleased to announce the Outreach UK and the world of the value of science and winners of this year’s Sir Arthur Clarke The UK Space Agency Principia Education engineering and the potential to fulfil dreams. TAwards. The finalists, three in each category, Team of Jeremy Curtis , Libby Jackson and 4b. Space Achievement - Education were invited by Ms. Walda Roseman, Chair Susan Buckle – For the many education Mike Grocott, Space School, Banbury of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation Board and outreach activities that they organised For setting up the first Space Studio and Mark Hempsell, President of the BIS, to maximise the value of the Principia School in the UK and a life-long dedication to attend the Awards Ceremony at the Mission’s inspirational impact. to Space education. Reinventing Space Conference Gala Dinner 4a. Space Achievement - Special Individual 5. Space Achievement - Student in the Royal Society in London on Thursday Outreach Joseph Dudley, UKSEDS 27 October 2016, where the winners of each , ESA – For the exceptional way For his work and support for UK SEDS of the 10 Awards were announced. Mrs. Angie Edwards, niece of Sir Arthur and Chair of the Judging Panel was there to officiate. The Journal of the British Winners of the 2016 Sir Arthur Clarke Awards Interplanetary Society are: JBIS 1. Space Achievement - Industry/Project Team The SSTL Galileo Team with Gary Lay and Elizabeth Rooney For the successful completion of all 22 payloads for the European satellite navigational system Galileo. 2. Space Achievement - Industry/Project The June/July 2016 issue of the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society is now available Individual and contains the following papers: Dave Honess, Astro Pi Space Elevator – 15-Year Update For the Astro Pi project that put two Space Elevator Technology and Research Raspberry Pis on to the International Advances in High Tensile Strength Materials for Space Elevator Applications Space Station as the platform for students Obayashi Corporation’s Space Elevator Construction Concept to run their own code in space. 3. Space Achievement - Academic Study/ NASA’s Space Elevator Games: A History Research Japanese Space Elevator Competitions and Challenges Dr. Harry Ward and the University of Space Elevator Current and Future Thrusts Glasgow LISA Pathfinder team Copies of JBIS, priced at £10 for members, £40 to non-members plus P&P. For the development of the Optical Bench Full list of available issues – www.bis-space.com/eshop/products-page/publications/jbis/ Interferometer at the heart of the LISA Back issues are also available and can be obtained from The British Interplanetary Society, Arthur C Clarke House, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1SZ, England Pathfinder spacecraft.

36 Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 society news

serving in succession as PR Officer, Membership Officer, Secretary and Chair. 6. Space Achievement - Media, Broadcast and Written David Shukman, BBC News For his outstanding work as BBC television’s leading Science Correspondent covering Space Stories from the Philae landing to Tim Peake’s Principia Mission. 7. Lifetime Achievement Pat Norris, CGI For a 50 year space career starting with NASA, including an outstanding contribution to the Apollo programme, then ESA, including work on the Hubble Space Telescope and then Logica, now CGI. He has chaired UKSpace and the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Space group. 8. International Achievement The Global VSAT Forum (GVF), David Hartshorn, Secretary General. NLV working day

n Saturday 22 October, one of the Society’s latest Technical Projects held its first “working day”. The Oevent was very successful, with over half of the twenty five project members attending the meeting at the BIS HQ in London; the attendees having travelled from all over the UK, the farthest from Glasgow! aspects of a possible BIS nanosat launch placing 20-50 kg and 80-100 kg payloads into The “BIS NLV (Nanosat Launch Vehicle) vehicle. Those present brought a wide range orbit. Feasibility Study” began in March this year of experience and professional background The next such meeting will take place in the (BIS Newsletter May 2016), but until now to the discussion, including banking, the spring, date still to be finalised. Meanwhile, most of the activity has been via an online forces, and academia as well as the more for further information or to join the project, forum. This forum continues to be very expected technical expertise. This provided see the introductory webpage www.bis-space. successful, providing an invaluable facility for the balanced and broad view that such com/what-we-do/projects/project-nlv, or high-quality debate between members spread ventures need in order to be realised and to contact the project leader Robin Brand, email over a wide geographical area; with hundreds succeed. [email protected]. of pages of discussion, and nearly forty The study was originally planned to last Robin Brand documents uploaded. However, whilst many two years, and it was agreed this was both of the members have met at BIS evening desirable and realistic, and the study report lectures, and events such as the BIS Space should be basically ready by December BIS Library Conference at Charterhouse, this was the first 2017, although it was anticipated that follow- The Society’s specialist space and time a dedicated face-to-face meeting had on activity would be recommended. In the astronautics library is open Monday taken place. meantime, the study needed to tighten up on to Friday between 10.30 and 15.30 The main business of the day took place its market focus, and also in the short term, and 18.50 when there is an evening from 11 am until 4 pm, with wide-ranging “jump in” and produce relatively quickly, three lecture. Pre-booking is not required but please check in advance whether the discussions covering economic, technical, initial outline business/technical case studies library is already in use. regulatory/legal and operational/application assuming UK based launch vehicles for

Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 37 what’s on

Further information will be published in the next issue of BIS Lectures and Meetings Spaceflight. Call for Papers Future Histories and Forecasting 37th BIS Soviet/Chinese Technical Forum 25 January 2017 3-4 June 2017 Following the successful session at During the weekend of 3rd and 4th June the BIS Space Conference, the British 2017 the BIS will be holding its annual Interplanetary Society is staging a one-day Soviet/Chinese Technical Forum at the symposium on the subject of hypothetical future histories Society’s Headquarters in London. The and technical forecasting in both science fiction and space Society is now accepting proposals for programme planning. papers from former and new speakers to be included at this year’s Forum. Space Law and the UN Treaty The Soviet/Chinese Technical Forum is one of the most 31 January 2017 popular and longest running events in the Society’s history. This year will mark the 37th Forum since its inception in 1980 Speakers: Michael Franks, Adam Manning, Mike Leggett and will continue the tradition of featuring a wide ranging and Jerry Stone agenda. Details of the programme are being finalised but will feature presentations, films and debates on the history, The SPACE Project is a BIS study to re- current activities and future plans of both the Russian and examine and update the space colony Chinese space programmes. plans from the 1970s. Unlike most BIS projects this covers many topics beyond Speakers are invited to provide a short biography and the engineering aspects. These include the legal situation synopsis of their paper. Updates to the programme will be regarding the use of material from the Moon or asteroids, and published over the coming months and a selection of papers how a space colony might be governed. The UN Treaty on the from the Forum will be published in a special edition of Space Peaceful Uses of Outer Space prohibits governments from Chronicle. claiming celestial bodies, but what about a private company With a traditionally varied and exciting programme planned or consortium that wants to use lunar material? we encourage members to support the event, visit the heart The evening will include the following topics: What law would of the BIS and take the opportunity to meet old friends and apply to a space colony? Would it be necessary to draw up establish new contacts. articles of association between the colonist like the 19th Speakers are asked to send details of their papers via the BIS Centaury Pirate articles; What are the Treaty’s implications - [email protected] - to Dave Shayler, Coordinator of the for private organisations seeking to mine asteroids or build 2017 Soviet/Chinese Forum. settlements on the Moon or Mars? Is Space Law’s concept of the common heritage of mankind appropriate in the age Readers are reminded that these Notices contain only a reduced of SpaceX, Blue Origin, Deep Space Industries and Planetary description of the event. Full details can be found on the website Resources?; What is the technical and commercial potential of at www.bis-space.com/whats-on, where any updates are also the utilisation of extraterrestrial resources? carried.

Call for Papers Lectures Cosford V Venue: BIS HQ, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1SZ, 18-19 March 2017 unless otherwise stated. Members can attend free of charge. Places must be booked The next ‘Cosford’ conference event is in advance, online or by post. Each member may also obtain a being organized by the BIS West Midlands free ticket for one guest subject to availability of space. branch in conjunction with the BIS History group and is to be held over the weekend Non-Members are able to attend the Society’s lectures for 18/19 March 2017. This will be the 5th in the series and as a fee. You can order a ticket online or by post (please make before will be held at the Royal Air Force Museum facilities at cheques payable to the British Interplanetary Society). If Cosford, Shifnal, Shropshire. oversubscribed Society Members will be given priority. Presentations and papers are being sought and current If applying via our website the confirmation receipt is your proposals show a broader subject matter and coverage than entry ticket. on previous such events. Thus, the programme promises If, for reasons outside its control, the Society is required to something for everyone. There will also be an opportunity change the date or topic of a meeting, every effort will be to hear from members of the History Committee themselves made to avoid inconvenience to attendees either by notice about the results of their on-going research and current of change in Spaceflight/JBIS, on our website or by special initiatives. advice to each participant.

Readers are reminded that these Notices contain only a reduced description of the event. Full details can be found online: www.bis-space.com/whats-on

38 Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017 The British Interplanetary Society From Imagination to Reality Join online by going to www.bis-space.com/join or fill in this form Why not take a digital subscription where a PDF version of your chosen publication(s) is delivered to your inbox each month? Go to www.bis-space.com/digital

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The British Interplanetary Society

JOIN NOW FOR 2017! Your BIS membership includes: • Monthly issues of Spaceflight, the world’s leading space magazine, or JBIS, the global leader in peer-reviewed astronautical papers and our seminal history journal Space Chronicle is available for a supplementary fee • Access to a members-only website page with frequent new material including videos, lectures and reports • Membership of a worldwide network of like-minded people, uniting space industry professionals, enthusiasts and students • The opportunity to meet leading figures in space science, technology and exploration, including astronauts, with free entry to exciting evening talks (also available to members online) • Reduced rates to BIS workshops and social events meeting astronauts, scientists, engineers and opinion shapers at regular meetings • Access to the BIS library, one of the world’s most comprehensive astronautical collections including books, technical reports, journals and a full backlog of all the BIS’ publications • Odyssey, the BIS members’ e-magazine featuring interviews and articles, Society news and events with special articles covering sci-fi, art and a range of subjects linked to space and astronautics. Six issues per year. See p39 for an application form, visit our website or write for an application form to: British Interplanetary Society, Arthur C. Clarke House 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1SZ, UK Join online: www.bis-space.com/eshop

40 Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017