March 14 News Items

Investigation Blames Sea Launch Accident on Engine Failure (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Contamination in an engine turbopump is the root cause of the failure of Zenit-3SL rocket that collapsed and exploded on its floating launch pad in late January, Russian officials said Tuesday. An investigation by Russian and Ukrainian officials concluded that a metal particle got into a turbopump in the first stage engine of the Zenit-3SL, causing the engine to fail immediately upon liftoff. The rocket collapsed back onto its floating launch pad, the Odyssey Launch Platform, creating a spectacular explosion but causing only minor damage to the platform. No other information about the cause of the failure, or the steps being taking to remedy the problem, were reported by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti. Executives with Sea Launch, the multinational company that operates the Zenit-3SL for commercial customers, said last month that they hope to resume operations later this year, with two launches by the end of the year.

NASA Needs $750M to Maintain Orion Schedule (Source: Aerospace Daily)
NASA will need an additional $350 million in FY-09 and $400 million FY-10 to reverse the effect of the FY-07 budget reduction and put Orion back on schedule, Michael Griffin told House appropriators. The FY-07 budget amounts to a $545 million cut to the agency's topline. The FY-07 budget bill bill further directs a reduction to human spaceflight of $677 million, $577 million of which is coming out of exploration - primarily Orion and Ares. This will push Orion's manned debut back an estimated six months to 2015.

Restoring the funding later to regain schedule will cost more than the original amount cut, Griffin said, because "money added later always costs more than money taken away now." By March 15 NASA is due to deliver to Congress its FY '07 operating plan, which will detail precisely how it proposes to deal with the funding cut. The slip to 2015 would mean NASA will miss President Bush's originally announced deadline of 2014 for the Orion's manned debut.

SpaceX Unveils New Dragon Capsule Details (Source: Flight International)
SpaceX has released new detail about its cargo and crew carrying Dragon capsule following its internal preliminary design review (PDR) completed earlier this month. The capsule's latest design can now support up to seven passengers, or carry up to 2,500kg (5,500lb) of cargo; it will use 18 SpaceX designed and manufactured reaction control/orbital manoeuvring system thrusters; be lunar fly-by capable; have an outer mould design for a lifting re-entry; and be water recoverable for an ocean landing.

SpaceX Reveals COTS Details (Source: Flight International)
SpaceX's website provides new details of the three missions the company must complete to win the NASA COTS contract for ISS re-supply it is in competition against Rocketplane-Kistler. The version of the Falcon 9 booster designed to place 8,700kg into low Earth orbit will be used to fly the Dragon for the COTS missions. Falcon 9's maiden launch is scheduled for the second quarter of 2008. For the first COTS mission, Dragon, probably to be launched from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, SpaceX plans a five-hour maiden flight for September 2008. During those hours the capsule will orbit the Earth, transmit telemetry, receive commands, demonstrate orbital manoeuvring and thermal control and re-enter the atmosphere and be recovered.

The second mission, scheduled for the second quarter of 2009, is a 10-day system check out flight with an International Space Station (ISS) approach, rendezvous and breakaway operations using the mission’s Falcon 9 upper stage as an ISS analogue. The final mission is a 3-day cargo supply flight plan with an actual ISS docking but using an empty capsule. This is to take place in the third quarter of 2009.

Company Plans Lunar Mining and Fuel Production (Source: Stone Aerospace)
Stone Aerospace, the company developing a deepwater exploration vehicle that could be a precursor for Europa exploration, announced the formation of Shackleton Energy Company (SEC) to pursue mining and processing activities at the moon's South Pole at the Shackleton Crater. SEC would produce fuels that would be used to service satellites in Earth orbit. Shackleton Crater is judged my many scientists as the most likely place to find ice and other useable compounds. The crater floor never sees sunlight and is thus an extreme cold trap, while certain peaks not far from the rim see nearly continuous sunlight and are the likely location for the industrial base camp.

Ice is believed to have been deposited in the crater from comets and asteroids that have impacted the region over billions of years. It is estimated that trillions of tons of water lie frozen in the regolith beneath Shackleton Crater. Expedition members will most likely live in inflatable structures underground to avoid radiation and to trap heat. "Once initial funding is received to initiate the detailed planning effort, we expect to be open for business in LEO in the 2015 timeframe. With a novel new and aggressive international program, we estimate the cost to be about $15 billion and offer fuels for about 1/10th the price that must be charged when launched from earth," said the company's president.

"SEC and its partners will most likely use a variety of commercial launch vehicles and power systems to place equipment and work crews on the moon and in LEO. Our philosophy is to incrementally assemble inflatable structures in LEO then deploy them to the moon as a means to open the highway for continuous bi-directional logistic support operations," he said.

Northrop to Play Reduced Role in NASA Rocket Bid (Source: AIA)
Boeing will give Northrop Grumman a minor role when it bids for a NASA rocket contract next month, according to a media report. The relationship between the two companies was strained last year when a team led by Northrop lost the competition for the next-generation spacecraft. A Northrop spokesman said the company has long recognized that it will not have a significant role in the rocket contract. Boeing declined comment.

Florida Must Pursue Spaceport, For Viability, Agency Head Says (Source: Florida Today)
Florida needs to secure an FAA license to operate at least one horizontal launch spaceport as part of a wide-ranging effort to maintain a foothold in commercial space travel. The horizontal launch site would be used for suborbital space tourism, travel and cargo operations and other commercial launch activities. Goals outlined by Space Florida President Steve Kohler during a Space Club luncheonb are ambitious but necessary if the state wants to remain a viable player in the space sector, Kohler said.

A few additional items mentioned in the report as among the top 10 immediate priorities include: Working with NASA and area economic-development officials to make sure a sizable portion of space shuttle workers are trained and ready to work on Orion, the new crew exploration vehicle. Working with federal agencies and other states, to improve federal policies that support commercial launch activities. Securing more work for future space activities, including assembly and launch.

Hubble Could Last Until 2010 Without Shuttle Visit (Source: Florida Today)
The Hubble Space Telescope could survive in orbit without a servicing mission until 2010, the year the space shuttles are set to retire, NASA chief Mike Griffin said. Contrary to earlier reports, the window to reach Hubble and repair its ailing batteries and gyroscopes does not close after December 2008. NASA originally estimated it could fly a servicing mission to the aging space telescope by early 2008, but shifted the flight to September of that year so a second shuttle could be ready in case a rescue mission were necessary.

Hubble's batteries and gyroscopes are being carefully managed by ground controllers to keep the telescope alive while it awaits a fourth, and probably final repair mission. But every month the mission is delayed, costs NASA $10 million to keep the servicing mission together, according to Griffin. The agency wants to get the Hubble mission completed in September of 2008 as currently scheduled to avoid additional costs, Griffin said. The cost of the Hubble servicing mission would likely be between $1.7 billion and $2.4 billion.

Florida Suppliers Hope for Ares Work (Source: Florida Today)
Nearly 75 small-business representatives from across Florida gathered in Cocoa Beach on Tuesday hoping to secure a sliver of work involving the new generation of space travel. A consortium of three companies -- called Team Ares -- invited the small businesses to make quick pitches on why they should be involved in efforts to build NASA's Ares 1 upper-stage rocket. Team Ares is made up of Alliant Techsystems, Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.

At stake is a contract likely worth billions of dollars over several years. Team Ares representatives said space officials want 17.3 percent of the contract work to go small-business contractors. "That adds up to a lot of money," said Jenifer Scoffield, small-business liaison officer for procurement at Alliant Techsystems, also known as ATK. Because of the quick turnaround, Scoffield said, "It's not business as usual. We need to make that 17.3 percent."

The Kourou-Cosmonaut Connection (Source: MSNBC)
The head of the Russian Space Agency came to South America at the end of February, and brought some special rocks with him. That may have seemed a tad ironic, because the space project he had come to dedicate was being delayed because construction crews were encountering too many rocks. But these were hindering excavation for a new launch pad. The rocks that the Russian brought with him were stepping stones to a future pathway. In a ceremony, a stone and memorial marker from Russia's very first space launch pad was placed at the future location of new pad in French Guyana. It may become the cornerstone for a joint all-European human orbital flight access, both to the mature space station and to other orbital facilities for research, commerce and even tourism.