America First? Not in space with this budget blueprint.

The Trump administration released their first budget blueprint today, and NASA could face a decrease in spending. As you can imagine, The Space Endeavor, strongly opposes such a near-sighted and uninformed budget design for America’s space agency. If America hopes to maintain our leadership in space and continue to push the boundaries of exploration, NASA will need a substantial budget increase. Like many other presidents, Trump has abandoned the needed investment for robust space exploration. Unlike other presidents, he has signaled the unwillingness to adequately study our home planet—fearing the results will counter his own opinions. Having said all of this, this is not the final budget. Only Congress has the power to budget, but they will likely come close to the administration’s proposal.

What did NASA lose and keep?

• Overall: 2017 Budget ($19.2 billion) → 2018 Proposal ($19.1 billion)
• $102 million loss to the Earth science budget. Most of the budget cuts come from missions attempting to gain knowledge regarding climate change.
• Elimination of NASA’s Office of Education (-$115 million), which would likely demolish NASA scholarships for students entering STEM fields and student programs associated with those fields.
• Cuts $88 million from the Robotic Refueling Mission.
• Elimination of missions to place a lander on Jupiter’s moon (Europa) and a crewed asteroid redirect flight using the Orion capsule.
• Space Launch System, Orion capsule, Commercial Crew, and International Space Station funding is relatively maintained.

Bottom line: NASA needs a budget increase—not a decrease. Both political parties have underserved NASA for many years, and it, unfortunately, continued today. America and the world prosper from the advancements and inspiration that NASA provides. Further curtailing an agency that turns dreams into reality only harms the future we hope to achieve.

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/nasa-budget-would-cut-earth-science-and-education/2017/03/15/c08e1e2c-0997-11e7-93dc-00f9bdd74ed1_story.html?utm_term=.b28af25d2c7e

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-presidential-budget-2018-proposal/?utm_term=.a1a70362d103

http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/a25714/nasa-budget-trump-2018/

Serious space policy or continued bluster?

Last month NASA announced they were conducting a feasibility study on adding a crew to the first planned mission for their new rocket—the Space Launch System (SLS). Currently, the first flight of the SLS (Exploration Mission 1 or EM-1) is scheduled for late 2018 with an uncrewed Orion spacecraft. The first crewed mission would occur around 2021 according to the current plan. This study apparently comes at the urging of the Trump administration, which has yet to name a NASA administrator. Is this idea just political bluster?

Before I dive into my analysis of the idea, let’s cover the basics of NASA’s new rocket and capsule. The rocket, SLS, is being designed to take astronauts past low Earth orbit. There will be several configurations known as “blocks” to gain higher performance. Astronauts will reside in the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, often referred to as the Orion spacecraft. It strongly resembles the Apollo Command/Service Module that carried astronauts to the Moon in the 1960s.   SLS and Orion are pictured below.

SLS Block Configurations. Photo Credit: NASA

Artist Rendition of Orion in Earth Orbit. Photo Credit: NASA

With that covered, let’s head back to my thoughts on the feasibility study. I am tremendously skeptical of this potential shift in mission schedule. Without a long-term space policy in place, rushing into a crewed mission serves no useful purpose. Rushing into a plan where astronauts are aboard the first SLS/Orion flight will increase risk substantially. Some of this risk could be mitigated with more funding, but that is unlikely to happen. Additionally, there is no reason to squander precious financial and time resources without a long-term plan in place. It is best to take a step by step approach with space hardware development with no long-term plan in place. My main point is simple—we need a long-term plan (ideally 10-15 years) for space exploration before rushing into anything.  

If the Trump administration would propose—and fund—a robust space policy with specifically defined goals, I would happily support the effort. Having said that, many presidents have offered grand space plans without properly shepherding the proposal through Congress for approval. When plans have been approved by Congress, administrations usually fail to push Congress for adequate funding (i.e. George W. Bush’s 2004 Vision for Space Exploration).

Given the terrible track record most presidents have with space policy, I have serious doubts about Trump’s ability to articulate, push for, and provide enduring support for a robust space effort. President Trump has a history of making grandiose proposals and statements without the needed backing. Furthermore, if President Trump waits until late this year or later to make his space policy proposal, his political capital will likely be too depleted for a major shift in space policy. A major policy change towards increased space exploration outside low Earth orbit will require more funding if NASA continues to operate the International Space Station and other important programs.

At the beginning of this post I asked if this proposal was political bluster by the new administration. My answer: without a doubt. Trump is trying to have a “Kennedy” space moment without the wisdom, support, and effort President Kennedy gave in the 1960s.

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Learn more about SLS and Orion using the links below:

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html

Sources used:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nasa-studies-adding-crew-to-super-rocket-test-flight/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/02/24/nasa-officials-discuss-trumps-push-for-first-term-moon-mission/?utm_term=.8bc8d290b207

Friendship 7: 55 Years Later

Today, we mark the 55^th anniversary of Mercury-Atlas 6, or better known as Friendship 7. This mission continues to be a memorable mission in American space history. Let’s take a look at a short history of this important flight!

After two successful sub-orbital flights in 1961, NASA was looking to achieve Earth orbit with the Mercury Program. By that time the USSR had already achieved this feat, therefore the pressure was building on the American space program to catch up to the Soviet efforts. Doing this would be easier said than done as NASA would quickly find out.

To put an American astronaut in orbit would require a version of the Atlas booster, which had a less than terrific flight record as an ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile). Regardless of the risk, it was the only ticket NASA had to achieve low Earth orbit. After a successful flight of the Mercury capsule and Atlas rocket with the chimpanzee Enos, the time for an American astronaut to reach orbit was near.

John H. Glenn Jr. was selected to fly Mercury-Atlas 6 (Friendship 7), and was poised to become the first American to orbit the Earth. Glenn’s mission had a tumultuous beginning after two postponements in late January for weather and a fuel leak in the Atlas. Finally, Mercury-Atlas 6 would fly on February 20, 1962, but hiccups continued on the 20^th with four separate launch countdown holds. Once those issues were resolved, John Glenn roared into space with an estimated 60 million people watching on television.

Concerns about how an astronaut would handle lengthy exposure to zero-gravity quickly dissipated as Glenn handled the new environment easily. One particularly interesting moment of the mission occurred when Glenn reported seeing “fire flies” around the spacecraft as the craft entered a sunrise moment of an orbit. It was later confirmed that the “fire flies” came from frost on the reaction control jets.

MA-6 did encounter some problems. A yaw attitude control jet became clogged, which caused Glenn to stop using the automatic control system. The largest complication of the mission came from a faulty signal that indicated a heat shield clamp was released early. Mission Control could not confirm whether the heat shield was fully attached—causing a major scare. Ultimately, the retrorocket pack, the rockets that performed the de-orbit burn, was left attached to hold the heat shield in place as a precaution. After completing three orbits, the capsule began re-entry to end the mission. Friendship 7 splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean with a mission time just shy of five hours. The capsule and American hero John Glenn was recovered by a U.S. Navy destroyer (USS Noa).

This mission represented an important moment for the U.S. space program because it demonstrated that NASA could at least match Soviet space achievements. John Glenn quickly became the national hero the nation needed, and a source of great pride for a country engaged in a geopolitical battle with the Soviets. Glenn’s successful flight paved the way for further space achievements that allowed the United States to take the lead in the Space Race by the mid-1960s.

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Learn more about Mercury-Atlas 6 with these links!

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1962-003A

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mercury/missions/friendship7.html

Half Are Gone

With the death of Gene Cernan last week, there are only six people alive that walked on the Moon—half are gone. Granted, we all know these heroes are not immortal, but each death from this exclusive group brings us closer to a day without any of them. The heroes of the Apollo era are slipping away from us, and it is our responsibility to soak up every drop of wisdom the remaining moonwalkers (they made it famous long before Michael Jackson) can share with humanity.

NASA’s Apollo Program made seven trips to the Moon intended for a landing, and six of them were successful. Apollo 13 standing as the now infamous successful failure.  There were more missions planned, but budget cuts forced NASA to cancel some flights. Twelve men had the distinct honor of kicking up lunar dust and spending time on another world. These men are symbols of a project that challenged an entire nation to accomplish something that was once considered science fiction. Astronauts in general, and the moonwalkers in particular, were considered the heroes of their day. Many Apollo astronauts never walked on the Moon because they were in lunar orbit or on Earth, but their work should be celebrated as well. As the world searches for the wisdom of true visionaries, the remaining Apollo astronauts—especially the moonwalkers—stand as an ultimate reminder of humanity’s best qualities.  

I do not know when humanity will travel back to the Moon, or push the boundaries of knowledge to explore another world. Yet, I am confident that we will. Until then, we must learn everything we can from the brave adventurers that became our first ambassadors to another heavenly body. Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Dave Scott, John Young, Charles Duke, and Harrison Schmitt can continue to share the vision of Apollo—and we should listen.   

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Ad Astra, Gene Cernan.

America and the world lost another hero today. Captain Eugene “Gene” Cernan, the last person to walk on the Moon, has passed away. After graduating from Purdue University, Cernan became a pilot for the United States Navy where he gained the experience that would eventually take him to the Moon. He was selected for the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1963 with the third group of astronauts (nicknamed “The Fourteen”). Gene Cernan flew in space three times during his NASA career—Gemini 9, Apollo 10, and Apollo 17. My condolences and thoughts are with his family during this difficult time. Thank you and ad astra, Gene Cernan.

Learn more about Gene Cernan’s life through the link below, or by watching the documentary “The Last Man on the Moon” available now on Netflix.

https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cernan-ea.html

Welcome to The Space Endeavor!

If you are reading this, you must have been invited or stumbled upon my new enterprise (notice the space pun) called The Space Endeavor. The premise of this project is simple—educate, promote, and inform the public about space exploration events and history. Space has always been a great passion of mine, and I have been looking for a way to share and advocate for this passion. 

Posts will include short bits about important missions or topics in space history, sharing of thoughtful space news articles, and occasionally my opinion on a space related topic. Hopefully, The Space Endeavor will allow me to advocate for space exploration in a substantial manner. Another goal of this project is admittedly selfish—I want to learn more about space exploration along with you. Continuing to learn about space exploration promises to be an adventure we can all share, but some people are skeptical.

Why space? On a personal level, nothing elicits more passion than space exploration. Yes, I was the kid who watched NASA TV and built model space shuttles instead of “normal” childhood activities, which brought about many years of bullying and mockery on various playgrounds. However, I never stopped learning about space exploration. Having said that, trying to find an educational path with space was difficult considering my limitations in mathematics. Luckily, I stumbled upon studying the politics and history of space exploration in college. Most of my college professors will say they have endured many papers with at least a loose reference to space exploration. Space has been, and will continue to be, the foremost passion of mine.

Many people understand why space is important to me, but are still wary about how space exploration benefits them. Listing all the advances in technology, science, and education seems like a logical place to begin. But, creating a laundry list of that nature does not capture the real reason why space is important to all of us. Space exploration reminds us of our common humanity, and can unite us to pursue the worthy endeavor of exploring the final frontier.

To close, I have included one of my most treasured photographs. That is me standing next to former NASA astronaut Scott Altman. Before becoming a NASA astronaut, Captain Altman was one of the F-14 Tomcat stunt pilots for the movie Top Gun—and yes, that was Altman flipping the bird at the beginning of the film. Captain Altman went on to fly the space shuttle four times (STS-90, STS-106, STS-109, and STS-125). He was the mission commander for two of those trips into space—including the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission (STS-125). During his NASA career, he flew and commanded Space Shuttle Atlantis and Columbia.

There will be some growing pains with this page/blog, but I hope you will join The Space Endeavor!

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