http://alltheseworlds.net/space/index.php The Space Version of All These Worlds en dhitt@alltheseworlds.net Copyright 2008 Pivot Pivot - 1.40.1: 'Dreadwind' Fri, 09 May 2008 10:36:55 -0400 60 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5031&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5031&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per Space.com:
A student at the University of Mississippi will leap into the final frontier of the legal system Saturday when he receives the first-ever space law certificate in the United States.

Michael Dodge of Long Beach, Calif., earned the special distinction along with his law degree through the National Center for Remote Sensing, Air and Space Law at the university's law school.

"The professors and personnel here are the highest quality that can be found anywhere in the world, and I have learned from them the necessary skills I will need to effectively practice space law," Dodge said in a statement. "Ole Miss is, simply put, the space law expert, and anyone wishing practice in this field should get their legal education here." ]]> 5031@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Mississippi, Space Fri, 09 May 2008 10:36:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5030&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5030&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA:
STENNIS, Miss. -- NASA engineers Thursday successfully completed the first series of tests in the early development of the J-2X engine that will power the upper stages of the Ares I and Ares V rockets, key components of NASA's Constellation Program. Ares I will launch the Orion spacecraft that will take astronauts to the International Space Station and then to the moon by 2020. The Ares V will carry cargo and components into orbit for trips to the moon and later to Mars.

NASA conducted nine tests of heritage J-2 engine components from December to May as part of a series designed to verify heritage J-2 performance data and explore performance boundaries. Engineers at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss., conducted the tests on a heritage J-2 "powerpack," which, in a fully assembled engine, pumps liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the engine's main combustion chamber to produce thrust. The test hardware consisted of J-2 components used from the Apollo program in the1960s through the X-33 program of the 1990s.
...
The main objectives of the series were to resolve differences in heritage turbopump performance data and recent component-level tests, and investigate vibration and pressure drops through the turbopump inlet ducts. Tests in the series ran for durations up to 400 seconds and at power levels up to 274,000 pounds of thrust.

After the data from the test series has been reviewed and objectives met, Stennis will begin readying the test stand for the next series of tests, said Gary Benton, the J-2X project manager at Stennis. ]]> 5030@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Mississippi, Space Fri, 09 May 2008 09:39:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5029&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5029&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per The Huntsville Times:
The Apollo Saturn V moon rocket, born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, to lift men on their journeys to the moon nearly 40 years ago, is about to be named one of the "7 Wonders of America" by ABC-TV's "Good Morning America."

The honor is especially noteworthy in that the Saturn V may be one of the few man-made objects to make the list, said Larry Capps, CEO of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, home to one of the three remaining.
...
ABC's Huntsville affiliate, WAAY-TV, said Wednesday that "Good Morning America" will broadcast live segments Monday from the Davidson Center for Space Exploration.

Very cool, and, on a personal note, may be mildly cooler for me, but we'll see. ]]> 5029@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Thu, 08 May 2008 11:06:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5027&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5027&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm OK, here's yet another opportunity to send your name into space. After last week's LRO opportunity, NASA has announced an opportunity to have your name included on a DVD on the Kepler mission, which involves a space telescope that will be launched in February 2009 to look for Earth-like planets in other stellar systems. ]]> 5027@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Tue, 06 May 2008 12:05:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5026&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5026&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm 5026@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ linkdumpspace Tue, 06 May 2008 11:53:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5025&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5025&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA:
Space shuttle Discovery made the long, slow trek out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The 3.4-mile trek is one of the last major milestones leading up to the launch of Discovery on the STS-124 mission. Launch is targeted for May 31.

Carried by the slow-moving crawler-transporter, the shuttle assembly and mobile launcher platform began rolling out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at 11:47 p.m. EDT Friday night and was secured at the pad at 6:06 a.m. on Saturday.

The canister carrying the STS-124 payloads arrived at the launch pad April 29. Primary payloads are the tour-bus-sized Japanese Experiment Module-Pressurized Module and the lab's robotic arm system. The components will soon be installed in the orbiter's payload bay. ]]> 5025@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Mon, 05 May 2008 09:27:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5022&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5022&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA:
NASA invites people of all ages to join the lunar exploration journey with an opportunity to send their names to the moon aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, spacecraft.

The Send Your Name to the Moon Web site enables everyone to participate in the lunar adventure and place their names in orbit around the moon for years to come. Participants can submit their information at http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/, print a certificate and have their name entered into a database. The database will be placed on a microchip that will be integrated onto the spacecraft. The deadline for submitting names is June 27, 2008. ]]> 5022@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Fri, 02 May 2008 09:53:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5020&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5020&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm 5020@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ linkdumpspace Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:40:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5017&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5017&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm I have huge respect for astronaut Mike Foale, so, for that reason, I'm a bit sorry to see his U.S. record for total cumulative time in space, at 374 days, fall.

But since we're going to have to start pushing our duration limits if we're ever going to go anyway, I'm happy to see Peggy Whitson beat Mike's record. (And Peggy also has a special place in my heart, being the only American in space the day I started working for NASA.) ]]> 5017@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:39:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5016&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5016&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per collectSPACE:
The view of Earth from space has been captivating astronauts and cosmonauts since Yuri Gagarin exclaimed "I see Earth! It is so beautiful!" on his trailblazing flight in 1961. Since then millions of photographs have been sent back from orbit, capturing the magnificence of our home planet.

Now, for the first time in history, it can be your turn to focus the camera back at Earth.

In October 2008, Richard Garriott, son of U.S. astronaut Owen Garriott, will launch to the International Space Station on a week-long mission to conduct science experiments developed in partnership with his father and to test new Earth observation software that can help identify and take photos of targets as they enter and pass through the field of view of Earth-facing windows.

In collaboration with collectSPACE, the leading online resource for space history enthusiasts, and to benefit the Association of Space Explorers, a non-profit organization of over 300 flown astronauts and cosmonauts from 32 nations, Richard invites you to pick your place on Earth to photograph from space to present to you. ]]> 5016@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:16:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5015&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5015&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm 5015@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ linkdumpspace Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:10:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5012&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5012&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Since I've been lax on blogging lately, I haven't mentioned that there's now a new crew aboard the International Space Station (commanded by the first second-generation cosmonaut). ]]> 5012@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:00:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5008&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5008&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm
We are now available for pre-order on Amazon, albeit sans discount thus far.
We're also on Target.com.
Yeah, I'm a little excited. It's like it's a real book or something. ]]> 5008@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Editorial, Media, Space Sun, 06 Apr 2008 16:02:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5005&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5005&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA:
The Jules Verne, the first European Space Agency Automated Transfer Vehicle, docked to the aft port of the International Space Station's Zvezda Service Module at 10:45 a.m. EDT Thursday.

The unpiloted cargo spacecraft carries more than 7,500 pounds of equipment, supplies, water, fuel and gases for the station.

It also carries hopes and aspirations of the European Space Agency. The ATV and its advanced rendezvous system could play an important role in future space exploration.

The Jules Verne docked smoothly using its automated, laser guided rendezvous system. It was in many respects a repeat of the dry run on Monday. That practice approach brought the ATV to within 36 feet of the docking port. ]]> 5005@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:01:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5003&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5003&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm 5003@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ linkdumpspace Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:27:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5001&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=5001&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm ]]> 5001@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Humor, Space Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:34:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4999&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4999&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm 4999@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ linkdumpspace Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:44:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4885&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4885&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm So, yeah, in case you haven't noticed, the blog broke again.

As best as I can tell, it's because my CMS can't handle the number of entries I've put into it, which is nearing 5,000.

I'm not sure what the solution would be, save to just do like I did back in August 2004, and archive the blog to date and start afresh.

That, obviously, is going to be a lot of work. The question is, is it worth it?

Both blogging and commenting have kind of slacked off of late. I've been trying to do better, but with mixed results.

I guess what I need to know now is, is it worth the effort, and, if so, what would you want from a blank-sheet rebuild of ATW? ]]> 4885@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Editorial, Space Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:35:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4871&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4871&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA, Jan. 10 is off the books:
The Space Shuttle Program met Thursday to assess the progress made to troubleshoot an issue with the engine cutoff sensor circuit that occurred during the recent launch attempts and tanking test. Instrumentation installed for the tanking test indicate that there are one or more intermittent open circuits in the area of the feed through connector on the external tank’s liquid hydrogen tank.

The external parts of the connector will be removed and replaced with others that have been strategically soldered to ensure pin-to-socket connectivity and allow continuous electrical flow from sensors inside the external tank to the shuttle's computers.

This work will take some time to properly accomplish and to certify the redesigned configuration before flight. While a launch on Jan. 10 is no longer achievable, no launch date has been discussed. The program will take time to assess progress of the work before setting a target launch date. ]]> 4871@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Fri, 28 Dec 2007 10:04:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4865&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4865&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm When you're outside this evening, look to the east. That bright red dot is Mars, which tonight is the closest to Earth it will be until 2016, at only 55 million miles away. At this point, it's brighter than every star in the sky. And, of course, if you miss it tonight, it will remain unusually bright for weeks. (Well, technically, it will even if you don't miss it tonight, so don't feel an obligation to not look.) ]]> 4865@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:26:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4863&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4863&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm The next major component of the architecture that will return humans to the moon now has a name. The Lunar Surface Access Module -- the lunar lander -- will be known as Altair. The name joins Ares, the next-generation rockets, and Orion, the new spacecraft.

Along with the name, collectSPACE.com revealed the project logo, created by Star Trek designer Mike Okuda, drawing inspiration from Michael Collin's Apollo 11 patch. I'm kind of partial to it -- I believe the Altair and Ares logos are my favorite of the four he's designed (which can be seen at the link above).

Also, in a bit of quid pro quo, this should somehow lead to Michael Collins getting to develop some sort of logo for the new Star Trek movie. (I wonder if each ship will have its own insignia, per TOS.) ]]> 4863@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ SciFi, Space Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:22:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4861&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4861&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm In case you haven't heard, the working date is now Jan. 10, so that the shuttle team at KSC will actually get a little bit of time off for Christmas. Of course, the emphasis there is on the fact that it's the working date, since a solution to the problem that led to the scrubs this month has yet to be identified.

The ATW countdown clock has been updated. ]]> 4861@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:50:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4860&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4860&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm 4860@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ linkdumpspace Thu, 13 Dec 2007 11:11:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4859&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4859&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per Space.com:
Many meteor showers tend to disappoint, but the annual Geminid shower is relatively reliable. And this year's version, which peaks tonight, is expected to be a great one.

Meteors could start showing up anytime after dark this evening, Dec. 13, low on the eastern horizon. A better display should begin after 10 p.m. or so, when the constellation Gemini, from which the meteors emanate, rises higher into the Eastern sky.

By 2 a.m. Friday, Dec. 14, Gemini is directly overhead, and meteors will streak outward in all directions like spokes on a wheel, weather permitting.

Forecasters predict one or two shooting stars per minute during the peak hours. ]]> 4859@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Thu, 13 Dec 2007 11:08:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4855&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4855&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Another installment in my series of posts about space-related comments by presidential candidates:

Democrats
Dennis Kucinich
"She talked about an ambitious plan to retrofit American homes with wind turbines and solar panels. Mass transit systems are also desperately needed, she said.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) should be put to work on these projects, instead of sending people to the moon, Kucinich said." -- Space Politics, 10 December 2007

It joins the previous entries:

Republicans
Mike Huckabee
"Whether we ought to go to Mars is not a decision that I would want to make, but I would certainly want to make sure that we expand the space program, because every one of us who are sitting here tonight have our lives dramatically improved because there was a space program — whether it’s these screens that we see or the incredible electronics that we use, including the GPS systems that got many of you to this arena tonight. ... Or whether it’s the medical technologies that saved many of our lives or the lives or our families, it’s the direct result of the space program, and we need to put more money into science and technology and exploration." -- Space Politics, 29 November 2007

Rudy Giuliani
"He said he supported continuing to aggressively pursue space exploration." -- The Tallahassee Democrat, 5 April 2007

Tom Tancredo
"The question is a serious one and it deserves a serious answer, and that is this: Look, we’ve been — how many times up here, how many questions have dealt with the issue of deficit spending, the debt out of control? And yet, we have somebody saying, “But would you spend more money on going to Mars?" And the suggestion that we need to spend more money on space exploration. This is it, folks. That’s why we have such incredible problems with our debt, because everybody’s trying to be everything to all people. We can’t afford some things, and by the way, going to Mars is one of them.." -- Space Politics, 29 November 2007

Newt Gingrich
"...he said he would ... offer a $20 billion reward for the first private company that successfully completes a Mars mission. 'Somebody would be there and back about 40 percent of the way into the NASA process.'" -- Boston.com, 9 June 2007

Mitt Romney
"Regarding NASA's plans to return to the moon and Mars, he said he hadn't decided if that was the exact plan he'd pursue, 'but I have no reason to change that at this point.'" -- Florida Today, 7 August 2007

Democrats
Hillary Clinton
"But in a telephone interview afterward, she said that in the short term she would subordinate Bush administration proposals for human exploration of the Moon and Mars to restoring cuts in aeronautics research and space-based studies of climate change and other earth science issues.
Travel to the Moon or Mars 'excites people,' she said, 'but I am more focused on nearer-term goals I think are achievable.'"
-- The New York Times, 5 October 2007
“Democratic White House hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) has pledged to pursue 'a successful and speedy transition' from the soon-to-be retired U.S. space shuttle fleet to 'a next-generation space transportation system that can take us back to the Moon and beyond.'”
-- Space News, 14 November 2007

Barack Obama
"Barack Obama’s early education and K-12 plan package costs about $18 billion per year. He will maintain fiscal responsibility and prevent any increase in the deficit by offsetting cuts and revenue sources in other parts of the government. The early education plan will be paid for by delaying the NASA Constellation Program for five years, using purchase cards and the negotiating power of the government to reduce costs of standardized procurement, auctioning surplus federal property, and reducing the erroneous payments identified by the Government Accountability Office, and closing the CEO pay deductibility loophole. The rest of the plan will be funded using a small portion of the savings associated with fighting the war in Iraq.." -- Official Education Plan, 20 November 2007
“I’m inspired by the idea of going to Mars,” he replied, projecting friendly sincerity. “I’m also mindful of the budgetary constraints. So I won’t give you an answer right now.”
-- Space Politics, 10 October 2007

Bill Richardson
"He did say that he sees space as 'a bona fide area of economic growth and opportunity'..." -- Space Politics, 4 June 2007

John Edwards
"I am a strong supporter of our space program. It reflects the best of the American spirit of optimism, discovery and progress.

We need a balanced space and aeronautics program. We need to support solar system exploration as an important goal for our human and robotic programs, but only as one goal among several. And we need to invite other countries to share in a meaningful way in both the adventure and the cost of space exploration." -- A Blog Around The Clock, 9 July 2007

Various
Dodd said that “we’re doing okay” and left it at that. Biden professed his support for robotic programs, and when asked about human spaceflight, said, “With clear leadership we can do anything, good luck.” Kucinich said he would double spending “across the board on civilian projects and privatize where we can”, and gave a shout-out for NASA Glenn Research Center, in his district. Richardson said spaceflight was “important” and added that “we should also encourage private companies”, as he has been doing in New Mexico. -- Space Politics, 28 September 2007 ]]> 4855@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:37:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4853&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4853&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per Spaceflight Now:
Engineers are drawing up plans to load the shuttle Atlantis' external tank with supercold liquid hydrogen next week in a critical test to pinpoint the source of elusive, intermittent electrical problems in low-level fuel sensors that derailed two launch attempts.

Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale said today engineers will tap into the engine cutoff - ECO - sensor circuitry near a control unit in the shuttle's aft engine compartment to hook up test instrumentation that should help locate any bad wiring or connectors in the 100 feet or so of cabling between the box and the sensors at the base of the external tank.

The tanking test is tentatively planned for next Tuesday. ]]> 4853@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:05:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4849&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4849&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA:
NASA and an international team are developing plans and seeking recommendations to launch the first Mars mission to bring soil samples back to Earth. The ability to study soil from Mars here on Earth will contribute significantly to answering questions about the possibility of life on the Red Planet. Returned samples also will increase understanding of the useful or harmful properties of Martian soil, which will support planning for the eventual human exploration of Mars.

A task force named the International Mars Architecture for Return of Samples, or IMARS, recently met in Washington to lay the foundation for an international collaboration to return samples from Mars. NASA hosted the meeting. IMARS meeting participants included representatives from more than half a dozen countries and NASA, the European Space Agency, or ESA, the Canadian Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. ]]> 4849@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:39:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4848&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4848&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm OK, I'm sure by now everyone who cares has heard that launch is now NET Jan. 2, but I didn't have a chance to blog it before now. I've also gone and updated the countdown clock, which spent my whole trip looking like Atlantis was in orbit (or, actually, Discovery, since I hadn't changed the OV in one line of code) since it was too much trouble to change then.

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm a bit glad they pushed it back to January. If it had flown yesterday right after I got back from Florida -- again -- I would have been sick. Happy, thrilled and proud for the program, of course, but sick, personally. ]]> 4848@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:04:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4847&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4847&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm 4847@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ linkdumpspace Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:52:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4846&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4846&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm
At the end my Zero-G flight this morning, between the last parabola and touchdown at the Orlando airport, I pulled out my iPhone and began taking notes to better preserve the experience. This is going to be a bit random, but the notes were sort of stream-of-consciousness.

First, I'm going to use the term Zero-G here. Get over it. At NASA, we don't like using that term, but I'm using here because, one, people know what that means; two, the company's name is Zero-G and they used the term, and, three, I still maintain that since a reduced gravity flight can recreate conditions from positive to negative G's, it has to cross zero at some point.

One thing that surprised me was how I felt after we pulled four zero-g parabolas in a row. Even during level flight, I felt more heavy than usual. Surprised at how quickly I adapted to weightlessness. In our book, Joe Kerwin includes a poem he wrote while on Skylab, along the lines of wondering if that's not our natural state. I identified with that in a new way during the flight.

On one of the parabolas, they handed out M&Ms. I got my hands on one, and overestimated myself. Way back in 2003, Expedition 5 space station science officer Peggy Whitson (who's currently commanding Expedition 16) visited Marshall with the STS-113 space shuttle crew that brought her back to Earth at the end of her stay. They commented on the fact that when she went up there, she was a rookie, looking to her crewmates for adaptation advice, but when they brought her back from her first flight, she was far and away the microgravity expert. As evidence, they showed a video of her eating M&Ms. Other astronauts were leaning forward to eat floating candies, while Peggy had a cloud of maybe a dozen of them a foot or two away from her face, and was just tapping them lightly and sending them flying into her mouth. I didn't think I was that good, but I did place my one M&M about four inches from my mouth, and tapped it toward me. Yeah, I missed.

I need to start a group on Facebook titled "I've used my iPhone in lunar gravity." If you meet that qualification, you're welcome to join, too. (OK, that was a bit smug. But it is a cool thing to be able to say.)

It was really hard to control my movement in zero-G. For the non-lay reader, translation was very difficult; attitude was a bit easier. A bit. I think, though, that I was just really bad at it.

While I'd looked forward to the whole flying like Superman thing, the thing I'd been looking forward to perhaps most was the serenity. A little over a year ago, I was riding the super-tall Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags, which gives you two or three seconds of free fall. While everyone else was screaming, I was at utter peace. I'd looked forward to experience that again on a larger and greater scale. On my last parabola, I tucked my knees against my chest, closed my eyes, and just floated. And got two or three seconds of serenity before bouncing against a wall. Particularly hard, really, considering I hadn't given myself any momentum. Talking about it with our "coach" afterwards, she said that some flights were just more "drifty" than others, and that ours was rather drifty. Which explains, in part, why I kept floating out of our area of the plan. In part.

In addition to bouncing off the walls, I bounced off other passengers more than once. It was just kind of crowded. The person who gave me the ticket had suggested that I perform military marching maneuvers on one of the parabolas. One can perform about-face, left-face and right-face turns while floating in mid-air by moving your arms at the same time, thus demonstrating conservation of angular momentum. As it turned out, I didn't do this, because I really didn't have room.

I mentioned that it wasn't as serene as I'd hoped, or as some of the staff had indicated. Your mileage may vary, though; it might have just been the driftiness of our flight. That said, those few seconds of serenity were purely transcendent. One of those times I wish I could bottle and save for later.

We started the parabolas with one Martian gravity arc, roughly one-third Earth gravity. That was followed by four lunar gravity arcs, roughly one-sixth Earth gravity. They recommended we try doing push-ups at the beginning of these arcs, to get a feel for it. I could do one-handed push-ups easily in the Martian G, and could push myself completely off the floor with two fingers in lunar G. I envy the first people who get to live and work on the moon in a shirt-sleeve environment, unencumbered by the heavy suits the Apollo astronauts wore and with a bit of room to move around. It's going to be incredible. The feeling of walking in lunar G felt much more like zero g in a lot of ways than it did Earth g, despite really having more in common with the rules of the latter. (I also tried doing a push-up in the 1.8 G between the reduced gravity periods. I could prop myself up on my arms, but couldn't lift my knees.)

I took the motion sickness medicine they prepare and recommended we take. I did not get queasy at all. There was a very brief period of feeling a bit off -- very brief -- as we transitioned from hyper-g to weightlessness on some of the parabolas, but it was short and not at all severe. After the last parabola, the guy next to me said that probably really was enough for him, and I agreed. They intentionally stop after about 15 parabolas, because most people can handle that without problems, but are more likely to become nauseous after that. Someone did get sick on our flight, though, as evidenced by the two white bags a staff member carried past from the front of the plane between parabolas at one point.

Not sure why I made a note about this, but I did, so I'm including it -- between reduced gravity periods, I would lift my hand to get a feel for the G-forces. So there you go. More interestingly, they recommended that we lie on our backs and look at a fixed point on the ceiling during the hyper-g periods. This was in line with what I'd heard from other people beforehand, that the worst problems with dizziness come during the hyper-g periods if you move or look around too much, since you're visual and vestibular inputs won't match. By about halfway through, though, I could sit up against the wall and even look around some during the hyper-g period without problems.

I didn't take it for this reason, but I realized on the plane that I had my iPhone holster, which I'd worn to carry the phone. It was a bit of serendipity that I'd left it on, though. Part of the holster was made from a Soyuz parachute, from the Soyuz used by the Expedition 8 crew whom I got to interview while they were in orbit back in 2004. So, today, it got to experience weightlessness for a second time. I did intentionally carry, though it stayed in my pocket the entire time, my NASA badge. Just 'cause. The agency had nothing, directly, to do with me being on the flight, but I like the fact that I'll be wearing a badge that's been weightless.

A crew from Mythbusters, including Jamie and Adam, was on our flight working on a segment for an episode coming up in May or June. They were in the front third of the plane; our team was in the middle, so we could somewhat see them, but didn't interact with them. They had faux Apollo suits, and were demonstrating moonwalking. (Our coach, Brooke, ended up with a space suit glove that had floated loose at the end of the last parabola.) Thanks to their presence, we got an extra lunar parabola, so that was cool. A bit of irony -- I hate to admit it, but I'd never seen an entire episode of the show; I just don't watch that much TV. Fortunately, my traveling companion, Joe, had turned it on in the hotel room a couple of nights earlier, and I'd watched it. Good stuff. So when we saw them pre-flight, I recognized them. Joe was awed. Of course, now I'll have to start watching the show, simply for name-dropping purposes. "Hey, did you see Mythbusters last night? Say, that reminds me of the time ..."

The little surprises, like the aforementioned fact that it was much more kinetic than I expected, really added a lot, and made it a very rewarding experience. One of the things I wanted from the flight was for it to inform my writing and spaceflight knowledge, and it did that. I figured I had a pretty good idea what it would be like. In some ways I did, but other things caught me by surprise. Of course, as I mentioned before, my experiences may not transfer to others, since apparently there is some amount of difference between flights. But even the awareness of that diversity is something I didn't know before.

Speaking of diversity, I would say there were more foreign nationals on the flight than U.S. citizens, particularly not counting the Mythbusters team. I talked to people from Montreal and London, and the person in the seat next to me on the flight was there from Poland with a friend. I'm not sure what the flag was that two other people kept making sure to include in pictures, but it seemed to be a point of pride for them for two people from their country to be making a weightless flight. There was also a fair amount of diversity in age -- one team had three generations of the same family.

My team included another David who had written a book, David Mills. His book is about how the universe doesn't need God to exist.

The coach for my team, Brooke Owens, got involved with Zero-G because she previously worked for the company's founder, Peter Diamandis, who also founded the X Prize, which was where she worked for him. Today, she works for the FAA, in the department that's establishing guidelines for regulating commercial passenger spaceflight. It was kind of interesting talking to her, as representatives of new space and old space, about how exciting things are today in both of our domains, and how incredibly cool it is to be working in this field at this time. We really are lucky.

Along those lines, it reminded me of a conversation I've had with a few people, particularly collectSPACE.com founder and editor Rob Pearlman, along the lines of the fact that if we do our job right, we could put ourselves out of work. Our job is to inspire interest in spaceflight, but as that happens over the coming years and decades, more people will become involved. So perhaps there's a point as I near retirement age where I'm essentially saying, "Hey, I'd like to talk to you about spaceflight." And people reply, "Yeah, that's great, but I just saw the pictures my neighbor took during his spaceflight last week." They made mention a couple of times during the day about how we were now part of an elite group who had experienced weightless, and, perhaps so, but I don't really have any sense of being in an elite group, in large part because it's a decent-size group that's continuing to grow rapidly. And someday, that will be suborbital spaceflight. And then, who knows? But, again, exciting times.

The whole experience was rather tiring, though lack of sleep the night before and the caffeine in the motion sickness medicine wearing off before the scopalamine may have contributed to that.

I'm sure it's possible, hypothetically, to walk around in a flight suit without a bit of a swagger, but not for me.

Did I mention that, apparently, I was just plain bad at this? That was disappointing. I once played Star Wars Monopoly with some friends. I'm lousy at Monopoly, but somehow thought that my love of Star Wars would give me an advantage. Which, of course, it didn't. Similar concept today. Having written a book on living in weightlessness apparently doesn't make you any better at getting around in it.

The plane was a Boeing 727, which really excited the guy from Poland sitting next to me, because he's an aviation buff, and you simply can't fly a 727 over there any more. In fact, he'd only seen one once, when a sports team from the U.S. had flown in on one. And, yes, he went to the airport to see it when they did. Inside, the plane was kind of like if a passenger 727 had been bred with an insane asylum. Seven rows of seating in the back, just like a regular passenger jet. They brought snacks and water, and you had to put your seat backs and tray tables in the up and locked positions. Ahead of that, though, was a large open area with a padded floor and no windows.

There's a sense of family, apparently, that comes from making a zero-g flight together. Before the first parabola, we all sat in a circle, our Zero-G-socked feet touching. It almost made you want to sing Kumbaya. The sense of comfortableness was handy, though, since we were soon bouncing into each other randomly.

On one parabola in particular, I did this awesome descent at the end, sitting in mid-air and then floating gently down into the same sitting position on the floor. It was perfect, and I was proud. It had to have looked like I knew what I was doing.

The pictures I took with my iPhone in flight are awful. I'm afraid the pictures they took aren't going to be much better; I can't imagine I did anything the least bit photogenic. I even tried to do the Superman-style-flying-toward-the-camera bit, but was foiled on each occasion by other people in the way and my own ineptness. There was a professional photographer on board, and three video cameras mounted on the wall. We'll get copies of it all. Hopefully, I'll have a decent picture from that to put online by Tuesday, but I'm not getting my hopes up of anything great. I do look forward to seeing the video from the first zero-g parabola, when I smacked my head into the camera helplessly and painfully. And, by the way, I got a haircut a week ago just for this occasion.

Another small bit of disappointment. I chose to do the flight from Florida, in part, because I really liked the idea of taking off and landing from the shuttle landing strip, just to be able to say I'd landed there. However, since the shuttle launch was, as of this morning, still scheduled for today, we were relocated to Orlando.

There was very little buy-in for the planned parabola activities. The recommended that on the first lunar parabola, we not even try to stand up, but do the push-ups and perhaps bounce on our knees. Most people basically immediately popped up into a standing position and started bouncing around. There were zero-g parabolas that were scheduled for M&Ms, or playing with water, or playing catch by tossing other passengers around. Very few people did. In fact, I wasn't even aware that we were on the water parabola until I felt rain while floating around. Seeing the tiny water droplets floating in the air was pretty cool, though. And it was interesting watching the water fall from the ceiling as gravity gradually returned.

I also made a note that said "Hyper g prep" but I have no idea what it means. Possibly referring to the fact that, over the two days before the flight, I rode a centrifuge at the Astronaut Hall of Fame and Mission:Space at Epcot, both of which featured Hyper G, and neither of which gave me any problems.

Anyway, there's my notes. Doesn't really do justice to the experience, but I just needed to get at least that much out while it was still fresh on my mind. ]]> 4846@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Editorial, Space Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:37:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4845&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4845&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm
Similarly, there was a brief period Thursday morning during which I actually thought I might get to see a shuttle launch that day. I started being optimistic as I got ready to leave work Tuesday, and driving down here on Wednesday, but it was a guarded optimism. Thursday morning, though, I actually thought it might happen. Briefly.

That said, I'm still glad I came. I really would like to see a launch before we stop flying the shuttle. Really, I would. If I don't, though, it'll be easier to have peace with that if I know that at least I tried. And after two drives down from Huntsville to the Space Coast to watch the birds sit on the pad, yeah, I can say I try. (Which is not to say I'm giving up after this.) Besides, scrubs are a very real part of the spaceflight experience, and one that I'm also glad to have had. Sure, I'd like to have the experience of a launch, too. But these are experiences I'm glad I've had. One of my co-workers joked today that the next time we're having trouble getting materials for a mission ready to go online in time, they're just gonna send me back down here so it'll be scrubbed.

I'm also not giving up. I'm really hoping we'll get to see it Sunday. I'm just not getting my hopes raised too much, so I'm not setting myself up for disappointment. Again, I'm optimistic, but not really thinking it's going to happen. (But I wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised.)

Plus, the scrubs have been much better than the last time I came down, with the Walkers for STS-121 in summer 2005. This time, we've known ahead of time that they weren't going to be flying, so we've been able to find other things to do that day, as opposed to last time, when all of our time was centered around sitting on the riverside watching the shuttle not launch.

That's been a cool part of the trip, too, getting to have sort of a make-it-up-as-we-go-along adventure with Joe. I've never traveled with Joe before, and it's been proving to be a good experience. And tomorrow, we're planning on going to Epcot, which I've been wanting to do for a while.

And as much as I hate it personally, the scrubs make me proud of the agency. It would be really great to go ahead and get the Columbus laboratory module attached to the International Space Station. Really great. We've got a dwindling amount of time to finish the station, and a lot to do during that time. And, really, the risks associated with the problems they're having now are pretty slight. But they're taking the time to work through the problem, to make sure they're not taking any unnecessary and unmerited risks. And while I would love to see them go this weekend, if they don't, at least I can drive home with my head held high to be associated with this agency. ]]> 4845@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Editorial, Space Sat, 08 Dec 2007 00:13:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4842&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4842&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Incredibly enough, despite my presence, everything is looking good for today's launch of Atlantis on the STS-122 mission. No issues are being worked, and weather looks 90 percent Go for the launch, scheduled for 4:31:44 p.m. EST (3:31 CST) this afternoon.

You'll also be reassured to know that I went out last night to the Titusville riverside to take a look at the pad, and it looked good from there.

Anyway, as the day progresses, you can check Spaceflight Now's Mission Status Center for the latest updates.

And if you don't have a TV handy this afternoon, you can watch live launch coverage on NASA TV online. ]]> 4842@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Thu, 06 Dec 2007 08:38:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4839&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4839&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA:
Space shuttle Atlantis is set to begin its launch countdown for the STS-122 mission with a flurry of activities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis is scheduled to launch at 4:31 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 6.

A green light from senior NASA managers on Friday cleared the way for the last stages of launch preparations.

The seven astronauts who will fly Atlantis to the International Space Station will arrive at Kennedy at 12:30 p.m. on Monday. The countdown officially begins at 7 p.m.

"We have had three outstanding flights this year and we are looking forward to a fourth," space shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said Friday after the Flight Readiness Review concluded.

Atlantis will carry the Columbus laboratory to the space station and install it to the Harmony module, which was brought to the station in October during the last shuttle mission. ]]> 4839@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Mon, 03 Dec 2007 09:01:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4837&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4837&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA:
NASA managers will hold a flight readiness review on Friday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center marking the next major milestone for mission STS-122.

NASA officials, space shuttle program managers, engineers and contractors will discuss the readiness of space shuttle Atlantis, the flight crew and payloads to determine if everything is set to proceed for launch. Managers will also select an official launch date at the end of the session. Launch is targeted for Dec. 6 on a mission to install the Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station.

A briefing following the meeting will include Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier, Space Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale, International Space Station Program Manager Mike Suffredini and Space Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach.

The briefing will be broadcast live on NASA Television no earlier than 4 p.m. EST. ]]> 4837@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Fri, 30 Nov 2007 10:19:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4834&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4834&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm 4834@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ linkdumpspace, MacLinks Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:48:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4833&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4833&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Another installment in my series of posts about space-related comments by presidential candidates:

Republicans
Mike Huckabee
"Whether we ought to go to Mars is not a decision that I would want to make, but I would certainly want to make sure that we expand the space program, because every one of us who are sitting here tonight have our lives dramatically improved because there was a space program — whether it’s these screens that we see or the incredible electronics that we use, including the GPS systems that got many of you to this arena tonight. ... Or whether it’s the medical technologies that saved many of our lives or the lives or our families, it’s the direct result of the space program, and we need to put more money into science and technology and exploration." -- Space Politics, 29 November 2007
Tom Tancredo
"The question is a serious one and it deserves a serious answer, and that is this: Look, we’ve been — how many times up here, how many questions have dealt with the issue of deficit spending, the debt out of control? And yet, we have somebody saying, “But would you spend more money on going to Mars?" And the suggestion that we need to spend more money on space exploration. This is it, folks. That’s why we have such incredible problems with our debt, because everybody’s trying to be everything to all people. We can’t afford some things, and by the way, going to Mars is one of them.." -- Space Politics, 29 November 2007
It joins the previous entries:

Republicans
Rudy Giuliani
"He said he supported continuing to aggressively pursue space exploration." -- The Tallahassee Democrat, 5 April 2007

Newt Gingrich
"...he said he would ... offer a $20 billion reward for the first private company that successfully completes a Mars mission. 'Somebody would be there and back about 40 percent of the way into the NASA process.'" -- Boston.com, 9 June 2007

Mitt Romney
"Regarding NASA's plans to return to the moon and Mars, he said he hadn't decided if that was the exact plan he'd pursue, 'but I have no reason to change that at this point.'" -- Florida Today, 7 August 2007

Democrats
Hillary Clinton
"But in a telephone interview afterward, she said that in the short term she would subordinate Bush administration proposals for human exploration of the Moon and Mars to restoring cuts in aeronautics research and space-based studies of climate change and other earth science issues.
Travel to the Moon or Mars 'excites people,' she said, 'but I am more focused on nearer-term goals I think are achievable.'"
-- The New York Times, 5 October 2007
“Democratic White House hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) has pledged to pursue 'a successful and speedy transition' from the soon-to-be retired U.S. space shuttle fleet to 'a next-generation space transportation system that can take us back to the Moon and beyond.'”
-- Space News, 14 November 2007

Barack Obama
"Barack Obama’s early education and K-12 plan package costs about $18 billion per year. He will maintain fiscal responsibility and prevent any increase in the deficit by offsetting cuts and revenue sources in other parts of the government. The early education plan will be paid for by delaying the NASA Constellation Program for five years, using purchase cards and the negotiating power of the government to reduce costs of standardized procurement, auctioning surplus federal property, and reducing the erroneous payments identified by the Government Accountability Office, and closing the CEO pay deductibility loophole. The rest of the plan will be funded using a small portion of the savings associated with fighting the war in Iraq.." -- Official Education Plan, 20 November 2007
“I’m inspired by the idea of going to Mars,” he replied, projecting friendly sincerity. “I’m also mindful of the budgetary constraints. So I won’t give you an answer right now.”
-- Space Politics, 10 October 2007

Bill Richardson
"He did say that he sees space as 'a bona fide area of economic growth and opportunity'..." -- Space Politics, 4 June 2007

John Edwards
"I am a strong supporter of our space program. It reflects the best of the American spirit of optimism, discovery and progress.

We need a balanced space and aeronautics program. We need to support solar system exploration as an important goal for our human and robotic programs, but only as one goal among several. And we need to invite other countries to share in a meaningful way in both the adventure and the cost of space exploration." -- A Blog Around The Clock, 9 July 2007

Various
Dodd said that “we’re doing okay” and left it at that. Biden professed his support for robotic programs, and when asked about human spaceflight, said, “With clear leadership we can do anything, good luck.” Kucinich said he would double spending “across the board on civilian projects and privatize where we can”, and gave a shout-out for NASA Glenn Research Center, in his district. Richardson said spaceflight was “important” and added that “we should also encourage private companies”, as he has been doing in New Mexico. -- Space Politics, 28 September 2007 ]]> 4833@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:17:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4831&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4831&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm After completing necessary preparatory work, the International Space Station is Go for next week's STS-122 shuttle launch.

Shuttle program managers will meet Friday to set the official date. According to Florida Today, they are expected to proceed with plans for launch on Thursday, Dec. 6, at 4:31 p.m. EST. ]]> 4831@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Wed, 28 Nov 2007 10:04:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4830&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4830&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per Spaceflight Now:
Using a computer model simulation, Haruichi Washimi, a physicist at UC Riverside, has predicted when the interplanetary spacecraft Voyager 2 will cross the "termination shock," the spherical shell around the solar system that marks where the solar wind slows down to subsonic speed.

According to Washimi's simulations, the spacecraft is set to cross the termination shock in late 2007-early 2008. ...

Because Voyager 2's crossing of the shock is expected to be an abrupt and relatively brief event, scientists are working to ensure that the most is made of the opportunity. With an idea of when the spacecraft will cross the shock, they are better able to maximize coverage of the crossing.
...
"After it crosses this boundary, Voyager 2 will be in the outer heliosphere beyond which lies the interstellar medium and galactic space. Our simulations also show that the spacecraft will cross the termination shock again in the middle of 2008. This will happen because of the back and forth movement of the termination-shock boundary. This means Voyager 2 will experience multiple crossings of the termination shock. These crossings will come to an end after the spacecraft escapes into galactic space."
...
Its sister spacecraft Voyager 1, which was launched Sept. 5, 1977, crossed the termination shock in December 2004 - earlier than Voyager 2 because of a shorter trajectory. Both spacecraft are currently operational, but power sources have degraded and some of the instrumentation no longer works optimally. In the future, the spacecraft will encounter their next milestone in space: the heliopause, which is the boundary where the interstellar medium brings the solar wind to a halt. ]]> 4830@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:53:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4825&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4825&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm If you're out and about tonight, be sure and take a look at the moon, because Mars will be nearby, and particularly bright. Or so they say. Mars is moving toward its perigee for the year of 55 million miles on December 18. ]]> 4825@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:39:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4823&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4823&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

And, to start the holiday off, here's a bit of ATW-appropriate holiday music.

And, then, for Black Friday, there's always B.B. King's All Over Again -- "I`ve got a good mind to give up living, and go shopping instead." ]]> 4823@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Editorial, Space Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:38:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4822&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4822&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Another installment in my series of posts about space-related comments by presidential candidates:

Democrats
Barack Obama
"Barack Obama’s early education and K-12 plan package costs about $18 billion per year. He will maintain fiscal responsibility and prevent any increase in the deficit by offsetting cuts and revenue sources in other parts of the government. The early education plan will be paid for by delaying the NASA Constellation Program for five years, using purchase cards and the negotiating power of the government to reduce costs of standardized procurement, auctioning surplus federal property, and reducing the erroneous payments identified by the Government Accountability Office, and closing the CEO pay deductibility loophole. The rest of the plan will be funded using a small portion of the savings associated with fighting the war in Iraq.." -- Official Education Plan, 20 November 2007

It joins the previous entries:

Republicans
Rudy Giuliani
"He said he supported continuing to aggressively pursue space exploration." -- The Tallahassee Democrat, 5 April 2007

Newt Gingrich
"...he said he would ... offer a $20 billion reward for the first private company that successfully completes a Mars mission. 'Somebody would be there and back about 40 percent of the way into the NASA process.'" -- Boston.com, 9 June 2007

Mitt Romney
"Regarding NASA's plans to return to the moon and Mars, he said he hadn't decided if that was the exact plan he'd pursue, 'but I have no reason to change that at this point.'" -- Florida Today, 7 August 2007

Democrats
Hillary Clinton
"But in a telephone interview afterward, she said that in the short term she would subordinate Bush administration proposals for human exploration of the Moon and Mars to restoring cuts in aeronautics research and space-based studies of climate change and other earth science issues.
Travel to the Moon or Mars 'excites people,' she said, 'but I am more focused on nearer-term goals I think are achievable.'"
-- The New York Times, 5 October 2007
“Democratic White House hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) has pledged to pursue 'a successful and speedy transition' from the soon-to-be retired U.S. space shuttle fleet to 'a next-generation space transportation system that can take us back to the Moon and beyond.'”
-- Space News, 14 November 2007

Barack Obama
“I’m inspired by the idea of going to Mars,” he replied, projecting friendly sincerity. “I’m also mindful of the budgetary constraints. So I won’t give you an answer right now.”
-- Space Politics, 10 October 2007

Bill Richardson
"He did say that he sees space as 'a bona fide area of economic growth and opportunity'..." -- Space Politics, 4 June 2007

John Edwards
"I am a strong supporter of our space program. It reflects the best of the American spirit of optimism, discovery and progress.

We need a balanced space and aeronautics program. We need to support solar system exploration as an important goal for our human and robotic programs, but only as one goal among several. And we need to invite other countries to share in a meaningful way in both the adventure and the cost of space exploration." -- A Blog Around The Clock, 9 July 2007

Various
Dodd said that “we’re doing okay” and left it at that. Biden professed his support for robotic programs, and when asked about human spaceflight, said, “With clear leadership we can do anything, good luck.” Kucinich said he would double spending “across the board on civilian projects and privatize where we can”, and gave a shout-out for NASA Glenn Research Center, in his district. Richardson said spaceflight was “important” and added that “we should also encourage private companies”, as he has been doing in New Mexico. -- Space Politics, 28 September 2007 ]]> 4822@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:57:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4819&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4819&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm The sun is no longer the largest object in our solar system.

That honor, at least, if you measure by volume, not goes, unlikelily enough, to a comet.

Following a recent unexected eruption, Comet Holmes has a diameter of 869,900 miles (as of Nov. 9), about 5,000 miles greater than the sun (which, obviously, remains far more massive).

For the astronomy types in the audience, Holmes can be seen by the naked eye, and in some detail with a backyard telescope. ]]> 4819@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:08:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4817&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4817&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA:
The new Harmony node is now in position to receive the European and Japanese modules to be added to the International Space Station.

Station crew members moved Harmony from its temporary location on the left side of the Unity node to its new home on the front of the U.S. laboratory Destiny Wednesday morning. Disengagement of the first set of bolts holding Harmony to Unity began at 3:58 a.m. EST.

Flight Engineer Dan Tani operated the station's robotic arm. Commander Peggy Whitson operated the common berthing mechanisms, first to free Harmony after Tani had grappled it with the arm, and later to drive bolts firmly securing it to the front of Destiny.

Driving of the final bolts to attach Harmony to its new home was completed at 5:45 a.m.

After its Wednesday move, Harmony is in position to welcome visiting space shuttles. It also will offer docking ports to the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory, scheduled to arrive next month, and Japan's Kibo experiment module, to become a part of the International Space Station next year. ]]> 4817@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:05:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4816&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4816&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm I just happened to notice last week that our book, Homesteading Space, has a page on the publisher's Web site. We're still the better part of a year out from publication, so there's not a lot of info there yet, although I was amused or bemused or something to see that it lists the length at 704 pages, which ... really? Surely not. Did we write a 700-page book? I'm expecting that number to drop. We'll see. ]]> 4816@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Editorial, Space Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:59:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4814&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4814&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Another installment in my series of posts about space-related comments by presidential candidates:

Democrats
Hillary Clinton
“Democratic White House hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) has pledged to pursue 'a successful and speedy transition' from the soon-to-be retired U.S. space shuttle fleet to 'a next-generation space transportation system that can take us back to the Moon and beyond.'”
-- Space News, 14 November 2007

It joins the previous entries:

Republicans
Rudy Giuliani
"He said he supported continuing to aggressively pursue space exploration." -- The Tallahassee Democrat, 5 April 2007

Newt Gingrich
"...he said he would ... offer a $20 billion reward for the first private company that successfully completes a Mars mission. 'Somebody would be there and back about 40 percent of the way into the NASA process.'" -- Boston.com, 9 June 2007

Mitt Romney
"Regarding NASA's plans to return to the moon and Mars, he said he hadn't decided if that was the exact plan he'd pursue, 'but I have no reason to change that at this point.'" -- Florida Today, 7 August 2007

Democrats
Hillary Clinton
"But in a telephone interview afterward, she said that in the short term she would subordinate Bush administration proposals for human exploration of the Moon and Mars to restoring cuts in aeronautics research and space-based studies of climate change and other earth science issues.
Travel to the Moon or Mars 'excites people,' she said, 'but I am more focused on nearer-term goals I think are achievable.'"
-- The New York Times, 5 October 2007

Barack Obama
“I’m inspired by the idea of going to Mars,” he replied, projecting friendly sincerity. “I’m also mindful of the budgetary constraints. So I won’t give you an answer right now.”
-- Space Politics, 10 October 2007

Bill Richardson
"He did say that he sees space as 'a bona fide area of economic growth and opportunity'..." -- Space Politics, 4 June 2007

John Edwards
"I am a strong supporter of our space program. It reflects the best of the American spirit of optimism, discovery and progress.

We need a balanced space and aeronautics program. We need to support solar system exploration as an important goal for our human and robotic programs, but only as one goal among several. And we need to invite other countries to share in a meaningful way in both the adventure and the cost of space exploration." -- A Blog Around The Clock, 9 July 2007

Various
Dodd said that “we’re doing okay” and left it at that. Biden professed his support for robotic programs, and when asked about human spaceflight, said, “With clear leadership we can do anything, good luck.” Kucinich said he would double spending “across the board on civilian projects and privatize where we can”, and gave a shout-out for NASA Glenn Research Center, in his district. Richardson said spaceflight was “important” and added that “we should also encourage private companies”, as he has been doing in New Mexico. -- Space Politics, 28 September 2007 ]]> 4814@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:59:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4809&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4809&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA:
The European-built Columbus module has been loaded into the cargo bay of space shuttle Atlantis in preparation for the launch of STS-122 on Dec. 6. Columbus will be attached to the International Space Station and will serve as a laboratory and research center for station astronauts.

The Columbus segment was waiting at the launch pad Saturday when space shuttle Atlantis was rolled into place Saturday at Launch Pad 39A. Once Atlantis' payload section was covered by the Rotating Service Structure, technicians and workers opened the cargo bay doors and carefully moved the cylindrical Columbus into the shuttle. The module has already been packed with four specialized racks outfitted for experiments. Each rack is about the size of a refrigerator. The segment can hold 10 racks.

And, in preparation for the launch, from the station:
International Space Station crewmembers move Pressurized Mating Adaptor-2 from the front of the U.S. laboratory Destiny to the Harmony node early Monday, clearing the way for Harmony's relocation to its permanent home.

Harmony, with PMA-2 on its outboard end, is scheduled to be moved from its temporary position on the Unity node to the front of Destiny on Wednesday. ]]> 4809@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:38:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4799&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4799&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm SpaceDaily (sigh) has a story today about a Chinese media report saying that China is planning a space station around 2020. So, first, this isn't an official report, but rather just something said by someone involved in the space program. And, second, an official spokesman said later in the day that there's no official timetable. And, third, 90 percent of the stuff that comes out about the Chinese space program is crap anyway. But, point being, a path toward a "small-scale 20-tonne workshop" around 2020 (in comparison, Skylab, launched 12 years after the first U.S. spaceflight, was about 70 tonnes at reentry) would not be a very strong sign that they are going to beat us back to the moon. FWIW. ]]> 4799@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:26:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4797&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4797&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA:
The crew will spend today preparing for landing. Discovery’s first landing opportunity is at 1:02 p.m. EST Wednesday at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Weather forecasters predict favorable landing conditions once a cold front passes through late Tuesday night. The backup landing sites at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and White Sands Space Harbor, N.M., will not be considered Wednesday. ]]> 4797@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:28:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4796&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4796&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm

Before and after STS-120. ]]> 4796@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Mon, 05 Nov 2007 14:10:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4795&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4795&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA:
Discovery undocked from the International Space Station at 5:32 a.m. EST as they flew over the South Pacific.

STS-120 Pilot George Zamka backed the orbiter about 400 feet from the station and performed a fly-around to allow crew members to collect video and imagery of the station in its new configuration. He completed the final separation engine burn at 7:15 a.m.

The shuttle crew members are using the shuttle robot arm and the 50-foot long Orbiter Boom Sensor System to conduct a late inspection of the thermal protection system.

The crew will spend Tuesday preparing for landing. Discovery’s first landing opportunity is at 1:02 p.m. Wednesday at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

During its stay at the station, which began Oct. 25, the STS-120 crew continued the on-orbit construction of the station with the installation of the Harmony Node 2 module and the relocation of the P6 truss.

The crew installed Harmony Oct. 26 and did four spacewalks at the station. During the third spacewalk, the crew installed the P6 truss and solar array pair in its permanent location outboard of the port truss. The fourth spacewalk was changed during the mission so that the crew could repair a torn solar array on the P6 truss. Following the successful repair work, the crew was able to fully deploy the solar array. ]]> 4795@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Mon, 05 Nov 2007 13:49:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4793&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4793&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm
On this date in 2000, the Expedition 1 crew of Bill Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev boarded the International Space Station, meaning that today marks seven years of continuous human presence in space. ]]> 4793@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:15:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4792&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4792&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per Spaceflight Now:
Working around the clock, flight controllers, astronauts and engineers are fine tuning a daring plan to put an astronaut on the end of a long boom attached to the space station's robot arm - farther from the safety of the lab's airlock than any spacewalker before him - to perform emergency surgery on a mangled solar array.

Using insulated tools to minimize the risk of shock from the damaged-but-electrically-active solar panel, Scott Parazynski, a former emergency room physician and one of NASA's most experienced spacewalkers, plans to cut snagged guidewires if necessary to release tension before installing cufflink-like clips to strengthen the torn blanket enough to permit its full extension.
...
"We're faced with a difficult situation," said astronaut Dave Wolf, a Mir veteran who oversees NASA's spacewalk office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "It's a real test of the adaptability of this team, the baseline knowledge, how to work in space. We're pulling that all together, we have a time limit, of course, on this mission, we're working around the clock. And I think we're onto a solution that should work, get us pretty close to a permanently acceptable situation. We'll see how it goes Saturday." ]]> 4792@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:44:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4790&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4790&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA:
Friday’s spacewalk, already pushed back from Thursday, has been pushed back again one more day to Saturday. The shuttle and station crews will continue spacewalk preparations, transfer activities and enjoy some off-duty time today.

The spacewalk preparations include studying procedures, building tools and resizing a spacesuit glove. Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock will conduct the excursion.

Parazynski will ride the Orbiter Boom Sensor System, the shuttle’s robotic arm extension, attached to the station’s robotic arm to access a damaged solar array. Wheelock will provide guidance to the arm operators while they are maneuvering Parazynski.

The International Space Station Program changed the priority of the fourth spacewalk from inspection of a rotary joint to repair of a solar array.

A fifth spacewalk planned to occur during the STS-120 mission has been pushed back until after Discovery leaves. ]]> 4790@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Thu, 01 Nov 2007 13:46:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4786&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4786&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per Spaceflight Now:
NASA and contractor engineers worked through the night assessing a variety of options for possible repairs to fix a ripped solar blanket on a partially extended array. At the same time, planning continued for a spacewalk Thursday to more thoroughly inspect a contaminated solar array rotary joint on the other side of the space station's main power truss.

The Discovery astronauts successfully moved the 17-ton P6 solar array truss segment Tuesday, bolting it to the far left end of the power truss. The first of its two solar array wings, known as P6-2B, extended a full 110 feet as required, but the crew aborted deployment of the second P6-4B wing when one section of hinged blanket slats hung up, possibly due to a guide wire snag. Two seams between adjacent slats pulled open, resulting in separate tears, and the edges of several nearby slats were crumpled. The largest rip measured some two-and-a-half feet long.

Eighty percent deployed, the P6-4B array can generate 97 percent of the electricity of a fully extended wing. The station is not yet using power from the torn array, but engineers say tests confirm no major damage to its internal wiring.

The immediate concern is figuring out a way to fully extend the P6-4B wing to provide the necessary structural rigidity. With a partially deployed panel, none of the arrays on the left side of the main power truss can be rotated as required to track the sun without risking additional damage. As a result, the station's left-side solar alpha rotary joint, or SARJ, is locked in place while engineers assess their options.

Adding to NASA's problems, the station's right-side arrays also are locked in place because of unexpected metallic contamination inside the starboard SARJ. Astronauts Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock are working today to prepare their spacesuits and tools for a spacewalk Thursday to carry out a more detailed inspection of the right-side SARJ to look for the source of the contamination. ]]> 4786@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Wed, 31 Oct 2007 09:40:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4785&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4785&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm the iComet! ]]> 4785@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ MacsApple, Space Wed, 31 Oct 2007 09:33:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4783&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4783&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA:
Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock helped install the P6 truss in its permanent location and inspected the port Solar Alpha Rotary Joint today during STS-120’s third spacewalk. The 7-hour, 8-minute excursion wrapped up at 11:53 a.m. EDT.

Shortly after the spacewalk began, Parazynski and Wheelock went to work at the end of the port truss to help station robotic arm operators attach the P6 to its new location on P5. The two provided verbal cues to Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Dan Tani and Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson as they aligned the truss. Once the 17.5 ton truss was in place, the spacewalkers secured it and attached its power source.

In other news, the mission has been extended by a day, to allow time for a spacewalk to inspect a rotary joint of the relocated arrays. Landing is now scheduled for Nov. 7 ]]> 4783@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Tue, 30 Oct 2007 12:17:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4776&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4776&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm
My review of Black Men Built the Capitol: Discovering African-American History In and Around Washington, D.C., by Jesse Holland, my former editor at The Daily Mississippian, is coming, I promise, but not today.

In the meantime, here's a review of Francis French and Colin Burgess' In the Shadow of the Moon, the second book of the Outward Odyssey series.

On his blog, Jesse's got a link to a radio appearance he did and information about an upcoming book signing for folks in Mississippi, on Nov. 17 in Holly Springs. ]]> 4776@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Entertainment, Media, Mississippi, Space Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:22:00 -0400 http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4775&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/entry.php?id=4775&w=all_these_worlds_space_blog#comm Per NASA:
The Space Shuttle Discovery and International Space Station crews are using the station and shuttle robotic arms to move the P6 truss segment and preparing for Tuesday’s spacewalk, the third of the mission. The crews will also get some off duty time this morning.

The station robotic arm operators have handed off the P6 truss to the shuttle robotic arm operators. The shuttle’s Canadarm will hand the P6 back over to the station’s Canadarm2 later this morning after Canadarm2 moves closer to the worksite. Canadarm2 will then install P6 to the P5 truss during the mission’s third spacewalk.

And per Spaceflight Now:
Space station engineers are scrambling to determine the source of unexpected debris in a critical solar array rotary joint and considering whether to order an additional, more thorough spacewalk inspection to figure out what sort of downstream repair work might be necessary.

The international space station's right-side solar alpha rotary joint, or SARJ - a 10-foot-wide, 2,500-pound motorized gear used to turn outboard arrays to keep them face on to the sun - needs to work normally to generate the electricity required by the growing space station's myriad systems. ]]> 4775@http://alltheseworlds.net/pivot/ Space Mon, 29 Oct 2007 09:23:00 -0400