This week in The Space Review: While many debate the commercial elements of NASA’s new space exploration plan, the overall commercial space industry is largely focused on other issues. Jeff Foust reports on the latest round of debate between launch services providers and satellite operators about whether there is a sufficient supply of commercial launchers. The pending retirement of the space shuttle will have an impact that goes beyond just […]
The Space Show schedule for this week: Monday, April 5, 2010, 2-3:30 PM PDT: We welcome back Eric Lerner of Focus Fusion. We look forward to his updates, fusion progress reports, and more. CLASSROOM : Tuesday, April 6, 2010, 7- 8:30 PM PDT: The Space Show Classroom subject focuses on commercial and New Space rockets and launchers. Dr. Jeff Foust of Futron and The Space Review is our guest panelist. […]
The Orlando Sentinel points to a problem that shuttle supporters face in attempting to extend flights beyond the four remaining ones that are scheduled:
When asked what they would fly aboard more shuttle missions, NASA officials shrug.
“Right now, we wouldn’t have a list of things to go fly,” said Mike Moses, shuttle-launch-integration manager. “The way we built the [shuttle-launch] manifest was to give station everything it needed to make to 2015 or 2020 without the shuttle flying.”
Astronaut sings, Pacman eats a moon, Spirit Sleeps, Discovery astronauts prep for ISS resupply mission, Expedition 23 blasts off, Constellation gets a break on the kilometers and kilograms front, NASA steps on the gas to help out with the runaway Toyota investigation, the canyons of Titan, and Atlantis begins her final voyage.
Model of NASA's Orion spacecraft
As the debate over whether to cancel NASA’s Constellation program heats up, the view from Denver — home to Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin — is downbeat. Local officials are fearful over the prospects of a rather large hit on the economy, uncertain over what might replace the Constellation work, and angry with what they view as an insufficient effort by higher-level officials to save the program. The Denver Post reports:
“This is a highly visible program with enormous impact, and it’s not getting the kind of support other states are getting,” said Preston Gibson, president of the Jefferson Economic Council, which recently commissioned a study on Orion’s economic impact.
The JEC-backed study shows the Orion project has $301.3 million in annual direct and indirect economic impacts in the metro Denver area.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 on the pad at Cape Canaveral. (Credit: Chris Thompson/SpaceX)
An update from SpaceX on the first flight for the Falcon 9:
SpaceX is working closely with Ensign Bickford Aerospace & Defense Co., supplier of key components of the Flight Termination System (FTS) that will be used on Falcon 9, to complete testing of the FTS hardware and provide final data to SpaceX and Air Force Range safety officials for review and acceptance.  Certification of the Falcon 9 FTS and subsequent range availability will put the first Falcon 9 test launch towards the latter half of the anticipated March-May window, with the first attempt no earlier than May 8, 2010.
An update on the erstwhile Starwalker “reality series”, for anyone who’s interested in that cosmic soap opera with more twists than Battlestar Galactica….
It seems that with the leaves turning Down Under, the Australian media have awoken from their summer slumber and are beginning to look into the show’s executive producer/bad filmmaker/disbarred attorney/crackpot UFOlogist Jonathan Nolan.  (How would you like that on your business card?)
NASA’s decision to cancel the Constellation program and to focus on commercial rockets for crew transport has raised questions about the availability of United Launch Alliance’s product line, which includes Delta IV and Atlas V. In theory, both of these EELVs could be modified for crew use; however, the impact on the U.S. military, which is heavily dependent on these vehicles, requires careful consideration. There are complex issues of production capacity, launch schedules and rates, and costs for the Air Force, NASA and the contractors involved.
It’s a complex issue because ULA would profit from building additional rockets and unit prices could be lowered, if major changes are not required for the NASA human-rated boosters. However, the cancellation of Constellation would impact Pratt & Whitney, which was to build components for Constellation’s Ares rockets. These companies would have higher fixed costs to continue to supply engines for the EELVs without being able to ameliorate them with Constellation work . Of course, some of those problems would be resolved if NASA goes with EELVs for crew transport.
On top of these issues, the Air Force is trying to better manage the launch manifest that it has and to make sure payloads are available. Spaceflight Now has an article that deals with these efforts. The article quotes Gary Payton, the undersecretary of the Air Force for space, and includes some interesting information on costs and touches a bit on some of the potential consequences of a shift:
NMSGC PRESS RELEASE
As part of New Mexico Space Grant Consortium’s mission to promote space programs and education to New Mexico students and educators, the second annual Education Launch will take place at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 1 from Spaceport America. Along with carrying experiments designed and created by New Mexico students into space, the SL-4 launch vehicle will also be dedicated to the memory of a Farmington science and technology teacher who died of breast cancer in 2005.
New Mexico Space Grant Consortium Director Dr. Patricia Hynes said, “The promise of a new commercial space industry has created an increased interest in technology and science programs in New Mexico classrooms. The Education Launch gives our students the ability to launch their experiments into space, which is something that inspires visionary educators like Debbie Prell.”
SS2 and VMS Eve in hangar 2
It looks as if space tourism is proving popular in Taiwan, even though there seems to be a bit of skepticism from the local media:
Eight Taiwanese citizens have applied to take part in a space journey at a cost of US$200,000 per person, which is expected to create a fad for space travel if they return safely to Taiwan, a local travel agency said Thursday.
RIA Novosti has some additional information about the Russian NK-33 engine, which will be used to power Orbital Sciences Corporation’s Taurus II rocket.
A series of NK-33 rocket engine tests were successfully completed in early March by Russia’s United Engine Corporation/SNTK in Samara. The basic NK-33 engine was originally designed and produced in Russia in late 1960s for the Russian N1 lunar launch vehicle.
Aerojet purchased approximately 40 of the NK-33 engines in the mid-1990s and, under contract with Orbital. The company is currently modifying the engines specifically for the first stage of the Taurus II launcher.
Ron Grabe, Orbital’s executive vice president and general manager of its launch systems group, said after the tests that the success of the NK-33 engine tests in Russia was an important step forward in the development of the Taurus II.
According to estimates, the U.S. companies will need more than 70 NK-33 engines in 2016-2020. Nikitin said SNTK has about 40 engines in storage but would have to restart production if the U.S. contract is signed.