Space Quote: Second Thoughts About a Journey to Mars

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Official mission 1 CHAPEA crew portrait (from left to right: Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell, Kelly Haston, Nathan Jones). (NASA)

“”It would still cause me a great deal of thought, but I think my answer now is it would be very difficult to leave my partner, to leave my people, for that amount of time, because it would be far more than a year…That commitment, it’s going to be a tremendous effort when people go, and I really applaud whoever gets to do that. But I’m not sure it’ll be me.”

–Statement by Kelly Haston, a Canadian research scientist, after spending 378 days as part of NASA’s yearlong Mars simulation project. She was part of a team of four individuals who lived together during this period at the Johnson Space Center in Houston in what is called the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) project. The next simulation mission is planned for next year.

Space Quote: Starliner a Money Pit for Boeing?

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): ISS view of the approaching Boeing Starliner last Thursday. (NASA)

“The Boeing Starliner is contracted to fly just six crewed missions to the International Space Station compared to 14 for the SpaceX Crew Dragon. If Boeing has any hope of earning back a return on its investment, it has to sell commercial flights of the Starliner, just as SpaceX has the Crew Dragon.”

–Editorial by Mark R. Whittington in The Hill, highlighting the issues associated with delays in getting the Boeing Spaceplane into orbit. Does this mean more tourists heading for the International Space Station (ISS)? Mr. Whittington points out the advantages of the Starliner, even if Boeing may lose some money, stating, “As good as SpaceX and its Crew Dragon are, a monopoly is never a good idea.”

Space Quote: A Private Mission to Save Hubble?

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Hubble Space Telescope returning to orbit after its second servicing mission in February 1997. (NASA)

“Perhaps the opportunity with Polaris won’t be there, but NASA can work with Congress and the Administration to request funds for a Hubble reboost or enhancement mission, using a commercial partner where NASA is in the drivers [sic] seat, and the maturity of the space systems is higher and lower risk.”

-Statement by John Grunsfeld, an astronaut who operated on Hubble multiple times, in an NPR story regarding an offer by businessman Jared Isaacman to privately fund a mission to move the Hubble Space Telescope to a higher orbit and conduct necessary repairs to extend the telescope’s life. His offer has been met with some skepticism due to the difficulty of such a mission.

Space Quote: Japanese Prime Minister Channels Star Trek

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“We are now standing at a turning point in history, embarking on a new frontier, and elevate this unshakable Japan-US relationship to even greater heights and hand it to the next generation. Finally, let me be conclude with a line from Star Trek, which you all know: To boldly go where no one has gone before.”

–Statement by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a White House state dinner on Wednesday. He was quoting part of the famous opening credits in the Star Trek television series:

These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before!

Space Quote: Space Jobs are in Demand, and Demanding

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“You’re doing this cool thing…You’re also going to be like really worked to death.”

-Comment by Griffin Rahn, who is earning his aerospace master’s degree at Georgia Tech, in a Fortune article titled “NASA is Struggling to Compete with Bezos, Musk and Their 6-figure Salaries for Starting Aerospace Engineers at Blue Origin and SpaceX.” The title of the article is self-explanatory. See any earlier posting for more on NASA’s troubles maintaining a work-life balance.