Space Quote: Next Step Mars?

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: NASA

“We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.”

-Inaugural statement by President Trump on January 20, 2024. He may want to check with NASA on the Artemis program given that the planned trip to the Moon has already cost taxpayers billions of dollars. He might also want to read a recent Politico story that discusses congressional preference for a Moon first program. The story quotes Texas Republican Brian Babin, who stated, “To bypass the moon would be a mistake.” It might also look bad to give the Moon to the Chinese long before we figure out a way to safely get to Mars. For all of Musk’s talk on this matter, the loss of a Starship rocket last week was not encouraging. We are having trouble enough getting ready to return to the Moon.

Podcast: The Future of NASA and the Space Industry

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Planetary Radio

For a good summary of the current situation at NASA and the potential potholes ahead, I recommend you listen into The Planetary Society’s Planetary Radio podcast titled “Space Policy Edition: The Challenges of Change at NASA.”

You can hear host Casey Dreier, who is Chief of Space Policy for The Planetary Society, talk with Marcia Smith, the Founder and Editor for Space Policy Online. It is a candid conversation that spares no punches at NASA management for its secrecy related to delays with the Artemis program.

A few issues that stayed with me include:

  • Why all the criticism of the Space Launch System (SLS), as well as the accolades for the still unproven Starship, when the Starship was barely an idea at the time the SLS was being designed and built?
  • Elon Musk represents a “single point of failure” in the US space program.
  • The incentives of the space billionaires, which is generally curiosity and self-aggrandizing similar to climbing Mount Everest, cannot replace the dedication to national (and even international, in the case of Artemis) interests represented by the US astronauts.

I am sure you will have your own takeaways. It is a good way to spend an hour of your time.

Space Stories: Support for the Near Space Network, Another Interesting Exoplanet, and Firefly Gets Fourth Lunar Contract

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Part of NASA’s Near Space Network. (NASA)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—Satnews: “NASA Selects Four Commercial Companies to Support Near Space Network“

NASA has selected multiple companies to expand the agency’s Near Space Network’s commercial, direct-to-Earth capabilities services, which is a mission-critical communication capability that allows spacecraft to transmit data directly to ground stations on Earth. The work will be awarded under new Near Space Network services contracts that are firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts. Project timelines span from February 2025 to September 2029, with an additional five-year option period that could extend a contract through Sept. 30, 2034. The cumulative maximum value of all Near Space Network Services contracts is $4.82 billion.

—Daily Galaxy: “NASA Discovers Massive Planet Bigger Than Earth with Gas Tied Exclusively to Living Organisms“

Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery on a planet over eight times the mass of Earth, located 120 light-years away. Using advanced technology, researchers detected a gas in its atmosphere that, on Earth, is only produced by living organisms. Could this be the first real hint of life beyond our planet? While the findings are intriguing, they come with questions that still need answering.

—Express News: “Texas-based Firefly Aerospace Gets Another NASA Moon Mission, a $179.6M Deal That’s Part of Artemis“

NASA gave Texas-based Firefly Aerospace a Christmas present of sorts — a $179.6 million deal to deliver six scientific instruments to the lunar surface as part of the Artemis program, which is intended to put astronauts back on the moon. Awarded a week before the holiday, the contract is the fourth for the Cedar Park company under the space agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. The $2.6 billion program aims to create a lunar economy while learning more about the moon in preparation for the first crewed flights to the lunar surface in more than 50 years.

NASA Accomplishments in 2024

Posted on by onespaceman2000

NASA has plenty of good news to share from 2024, as highlighted in its NASA: Best of 2024 video and accompanying press release.

Just a few of these accomplishments include:

  • In February, the first Moon landing through the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative brought NASA science to the lunar surface on Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander successfully capturing data that will help us better understand the Moon’s environment and improve landing precision and safety.
  • After launching into space in February, NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite mission is successfully transmitting first-of-their-kind measurements of ocean health, air quality, and the effects of a changing climate.
  • In June, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams safely arrived at the space station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft following launch of their flight test. With Starliner’s arrival, it was the first time in station history three different spacecraft that carried crew to station were docked at the same time. Starliner returned uncrewed in September following a decision by NASA. Wilmore and Williams, now serving as part of the agency’s Crew-9 mission, will return to Earth in February 2025.
  • Deployed NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System in space, marking a successful test of its composite boom technology.
  • Awarded nearly $45 million to 21 higher-education institutions to help build capacity for research, and announced the recipients of grants that will support scientific and technical research projects for more than 20 universities and organizations across the United States.

The long list from which this was taken is impressive. However, we also need to note a few of the problems this year. This includes troubled commercial missions to the Moon, a Boeing crew stranded on the International Space Station after a problematic Starliner test, delays in the SpaceX Starship rocket tests, a cancelled Moon rover, budget cuts at NASA as well as layoffs at JPL, cost overruns on the Mars Sample Return mission, and a delay in the Artemis II and III launch dates.

This does not override the accomplishments, but it puts them into context at a time of changing administrations in Washington. This will come with hard questions about the viability of current missions as well as the cost of future missions.

I agree 2024 has plenty of proud moments. That said, 2025 will be a very challenging year for NASA. The agency will need solid answers to hard questions, cost effective options for struggling missions, and plenty of public support to weather calls for additional budget cuts.

I have confidence NASA will come out of this even stronger, even if it is a bit bruised in the process.

Space Quote: SLS or Bust

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): NASA Administrator Bill Nelson discussing the Artemis program at a press conference last week. (NASA)

“Are they going to axe Artemis and insert the Starship? First of all, there is one human-rated spacecraft that is flying and has already flown beyond the moon, farther than any other human-rated spacecraft, and that’s the SLS combined with Orion.”

-Statement by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson at the agency’s press conference last week at the NASA Artemis Campaign Leadership News Conference. He was making reference to the SpaceX Starship replacing the Space Launch System (SLS) in the Artemis program. It was a solid answer to a question that many may have these days.