400,000 Visitors to Mars…and Counting Liftoff! A Fly’s-Eye View “Spacers”Are Doing it for Themselves September/October/November 2003 $4.95 to all the craft we’ve known before... 23rd International Space Development Conference ISDC 2004 “Settling the Space Frontier” Presented by the National Space Society May 27-31, 2004 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Location: Clarion Meridian Hotel & Convention Center 737 S. Meridian, Oklahoma City, OK 73108 (405) 942-8511 Room rate: $65 + tax, 1-4 people Planned Programming Tracks Include: Spaceport Issues Symposium • Space Education Symposium • “Space 101” Advanced Propulsion & Technology • Space Health & Biology • Commercial Space/Financing Space Space & National Defense • Frontier America & the Space Frontier • Solar System Resources Space Advocacy & Chapter Projects • Space Law and Policy Planned Tours include: Cosmosphere Space Museum, Hutchinson, KS (all day Thursday, May 27), with Max Ary Oklahoma Spaceport, courtesy of Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority Oklahoma City National Memorial (Murrah Building bombing memorial) Omniplex Museum Complex (includes planetarium, space & science museums) Look for updates on line at www.nss.org or www.nsschapters.org starting in the fall of 2003. detach here ISDC 2004 Advance Registration Form Return this form with your payment to: National Space Society-ISDC 2004, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. S.E., Suite 201, Washington DC 20003 Adults: #______ x $______.___ Seniors/Students: #______ x $______.___ Voluntary contribution to help fund 2004 awards $______.___ Adult rates (one banquet included): $90 by 12/31/03; $125 by 5/1/04; $150 at the door. Seniors(65+)/Students (one banquet included): $80 by 12/31/03; $100 by 5/1/04; $125 at the door. Children of registrants free if not attending sessions or meals. Children’s program information on secondary registration form. Enclosed is a check for the total amount of $______.___, payable to: National Space Society-ISDC 2004 Please charge $______ to my credit card: VISA MC AMEX #_________________________________ Exp. Date _________ Printed name on card:_________________________________________________ Signature: _________________________________________________________ Name: _____________________________________________________________ Street address: ______________________________________________________ City:______________________________ State:_____ Zip Code:______________ Phone*: ___________________________________________________________ Email*: ____________________________________________________________ Name(s) on name tag(s): ______________________________________________ CSA Images *Email is optional. Phone is optional unless using credit card. JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2002 $4.95 to the stars THE MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL SPACE SOCIETY PAY Volume 15, Number iii September/October/November 2003 MODULES 4 Launch Pad 6 Mission Control Space Beat What’s Up? 10 Policy Insight BURT RUTAN’S PERSONAL SPACE Aviation maverick Burt Rutan has his eye on the prize—the X Prize to be precise—and is 11 Countdown building a means to capture it. BY ROB LOUGHRAN 12 Guest Space 42 Space Community 48 Lifting Off ROCKETCAM ON THE COVER: Go along for the ride with Ecliptic NSS Photographer Joe Marino cap- Technologies innovative tools for keeping an tures space shuttle Columbia in a eye on Space. time-exposed lift off in 1999. BY REBECCA STOWERS Photo: Joe Marino AD ASTRA, which means “to the stars” in Latin, is the motto of the National Space Society, an international membership group dedicat- ed to furthering the exploration and development of space. Our bimonthly magazine AD ASTRA is only one of many NSS activities aimed at creating a spacefaring civilization. For more information on NSS call 1-202-543-1900 or visit www.nss.org/ LOAD MY TRIP TO MARS NSS photographer Jim Marino suits up, trains, and joins the 400,000-plus who have already made the journey to Mars. BY JOE MARINO A WOMAN OF SPACE In an excerpt from the new book Women of Space: Cool Careers on the Final Frontier, meet a woman who dreams of building a Noah’s Ark for space. BY LAURA S. WOODMANSEE THE NEW ETIQUETTE OF PROPULSION That disc-shaped thing in the sky? Maybe it’s one of ours. The future of propulsion technology is that exotic... BY MEG BAKER THE SPACESHIPS THAT NEVER WERE Drawing board or desert flat—these next gen’ craft never quite got the green light. BY TRAVIS K. KIRCHER HONORING HEROES The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame welcomes its four newest inductees. launch pad MODULESa THANK YOU, I am sad to report that my column will again be focused on the loss of one of the members of our NSS family. Chris Pancratz, 52, Chairman of the NSS Executive CHRIS Committee, died 2 August in Virginia after a battle with cancer. During his six years on the NSS Board of Directors, he worked tirelessly in many capacities. Chris’s loss was felt around the world and at the highest levels of the Society, as demonstrated by these comments received at NSS Headquarters: Kirby Ikin Chairman of the “The loss of Chris Pancratz robs the NSS of a valuable resource—an individ- Board of Directors ual who combined the qualities of understanding and enthusiastically supporting the exploration of space, plus personal energy and organizational drive.” —Hugh Downs, Chairman of the NSS Board of Governors Christopher M.Pancratz “Chris was a true leader. He is to be admired for his never-failing energy and enthusiasm for the NSS mission.” —Tim McEgan, President of the National Space Society of Australia In addition to being named the National Space Society Activist of the Year in 2000, he also served as Acting Executive Director during a challenging time for our organization. He also served as Vice President of Public Affairs and Director of Strategic Planning, as well as being a major financial supporter of NSS and a frequent contributor to this magazine. But it was not only NSS that received Chris’ support. He had a long history of community service with the United States Jaycees Foundation, where he served on the Board of Trustees, as well as the United Junior Chamber of Commerce. This kind of selfless dedication to volunteer causes is rare, and we will deeply miss Chris and his dedication to not only the mission of NSS, but his dedication to his community. Chris was truly dedicated to the cause of opening up the space frontier, and so we dedicate this issue of Ad Astra to his memory and his family. Thank you, Chris. Kirby Ikin http://www.nss.orhttp://www.nss.ordg / 4 september Ⅲ october Ⅲ november 2003 Ad Astra to the stars transmissions IMPROVING THE PROGRAM would have been observed close up and first Space Station was delayed and redesigned, Dear Editor, hand from the space station windows. If thanks to underfunding and, at times, NASA’s In spite of the Columbia tragedy, two people repairs proved impossible or unreliable, it is own mismanagement and cost overruns, the continue to orbit the Earth on board the even possible that Columbia could have shuttle became a vehicle in search of a mis- 600 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E. International Space Station. There is both hope returned to Earth unmanned, under remote sion. The aging shuttle fleet has served us Suite 201 and sad irony in this observation. One of the control, possibly endangering the vehicle but well in that and all of its other capacities, but Washington, DC 20003 most troubling aspects of the Columbia disas- sparing the crew. it is time to limit its duties to those it was ini- (202) 543-1900 ter was being reminded that there was no Unfortunately, the habitat module and tially designed for. http://www.nss.org/ direct way to detect damage on the orbiter crew return vehicle have been put on hold As the problems that doomed Columbia prior to reentry, and that, even if such damage indefinitely. are fixed in the wake of the accident review Brian E. Chase could have been detected, there was no way to If the United States is going to continue to board’s report, we have an opportunity to Executive Director repair it. Imagine, however, a space station not have a manned space flight program, and I improve upon a space program that is already just “operational,” but fully capable, with a would vigorously argue that it should, we owe a tremendous source of national pride. The Vivian Silver habitation module able to support a full time it to our astronauts to see to it that the program cost will not be that great, and we owe it not Membership Database Manager crew of six and an automated crew return vehi- is robust and adequately funded. only to the Columbia Seven, but to ourselves. Sherry Wilson cle designed to carry the same number back to The space shuttle was originally intend- Direct Marketing / Earth in an emergency. Columbia would have ed to be just that, a space “truck” helping to Tom Sarko, NSS member & Chapter Relations Manager simply carried its experimenters to the space build, maintain and utilize a permanent space Science Department Chairman station where all of their research would have station, shuttling astronauts and materials to Palm Beach Day School been conducted. Any damage to the orbiter and from that station. While the International Palm Beach, Florida 33461 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2002 $4.95 to the stars THE MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL SPACE SOCIETY Publisher Officers National Space Society Hugh Downs, Chairman of the Board of Governors Ⅲ Kirby Ikin, Chairman of the Board of Directors Ⅲ Cliff McMurray, Executive Vice President Ⅲ Greg Allison, Chairman of the Executive Committee Ⅲ Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Liss, Senior Vice President