Constellation/Ares: Whither NASA after the Shuttle?

[Rick]

NASA ponders manned near-Earth asteroid visit

A faction within NASA are proposing a disaster-movie-esque manned space mission to an asteroid on a trajectory close to Earth, it has been revealed.

Space.com reports that the new generation of "Constellation" manned spacecraft, with which NASA plans to replace the venerable space shuttle fleet, could be used. Constellation represents a return to old-school stacked rocket boosters, not unlike the famous Apollo craft which took men to the Moon in the 1960s and 70s.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/01/armageddon_out_to_the_asteroids/

And: http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/070730_asteroid_probe.html

[Rick]

NASA inks deal for Shuttle replacements

NASA has signed a $1.8 billion contract with Utah-based Alliant Techsystems (ATK) for "design, development, testing, and evaluation of the first stage of the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles." Ares I and V will replace the Space Shuttle fleet as NASA's primary means of getting people and stuff into earth orbit.

The deal, announced on Friday, includes delivery of five ground static test motors, two ground vibration test articles and four flight test stages. NASA doesn't get any boosters to use under this deal: the operational rockets will be subject to a seperate contract.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/13/shuttle_replacement_deal_inked/

[Rick]

NASA's plans for the system which will replace the Space Shuttle have continued to move forward. Last week, the space agency inked a deal for solid-fuelled test rockets. Now it has issued an assessment of the environmental impact which will result from the entire "Constellation" programme.

Constellation will be made up of a variety of spacecraft, including the Ares launch systems, the Orion crew module, lunar landing units, and in time - all being well - deep space systems for a journey to Mars. The main effects for Earth's environment will come from the Ares boosters, however, as they will be releasing rocket exhaust into the atmosphere.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/16/nasa_constellation_pollution/

[Rick]

The planned Ares I rocket - which will be the USA's only way of putting people into space after the Shuttle retires in 2010 - faces "significant threats" to its performance, according to an internal NASA document. The problems have already led to significant delays.

The Ares I first stage is a modified version of the solid-fuelled boosters mounted either side of the Shuttle's external fuel tank, and apparently it is here that the problems lie. The solid booster must lift the second stage - a liquid-fuelled rocket based on the J-2 design used in the 1960s Apollo moonshot programme - plus the crew module and its abort bailout system.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/08/not_so_solid_ares_i/

[Rick]

NASA has put back the planned launch of its Orion spacecraft for a year, meaning the first test launch won't be until 2014 at the earliest.

The agency's publicly-announced deadline set by Congress to conduct a first test launch of a manned Orion capsule was 2015. Internally, though, it was hoped to fast-track this to 2013 despite technical and financial issues. NASA had hoped to keep the time between the last shuttle flight and the first Orion flight to a minimum.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/12/space_shuttle_replacement_delayed/

[Rick]

Nasa has pushed back by a year its internal target date for flying the successor to the shuttle.

Agency officials say they are now aiming for September 2014 for the first crewed mission of the Orion ship.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7555927.stm

[Rick]

NASA will map the future of manned spacecraft later today, following long-running rumours of possible delays to the programme and increasing worries of over-reliance on Russian technology to support the International Space Station.

The US space agency will soon retire its fleet of Shuttle orbiters, after which America will have no manned space launch system until the arrival of the Ares I rocket and its Crew Launch Vehicle.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/19/nasa_ares_i_brief/

[Rick]

Presidential contender John McCain and two other bigshot Republican senators have written to George Bush urging that NASA keep the Space Shuttle fleet alive beyond 2010. The politicians are concerned about US reliance on Russia for manned space transport in the early years of the next decade.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Senators McCain, Hutchison (Texas) and Vitter (Louisiana) wrote to the President on Monday.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/27/mccain_calls_for_shuttle_extension/

[Rick]

The budget for NASA's Constellation programme - comprising the Orion and Ares vehicles - looks like it may have run to a few billion cubic metres of road surfacing after the agency admitted the Kennedy Space Center crawlerway over which spacecraft are trundled to their launchpads could collapse under the weight of the Ares V heavy lifter.

According to Flight Global, the 40-year-old crawlerway comprises at its thickest point "200mm of river gravel that is on top of 900mm of compacted limerock, which is in turn on top of two layers of 'select fill' that is up to 1.1m deep in total".

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/21/kennedy_crawlerway/

Flight Global: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/08/21/314931/nasa-faces-budget-busting-crawlerway-rebuild-for-ares-v.html

Nasa: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html and http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/ares/aresV/index.html

[Rick]

Nasa will study whether the space shuttle can operate beyond its planned retirement in 2010, reports say.

The agency will look at what might be required to delay the retirement of its fleet until the shuttle's replacement - Ares-Orion - begins flying in 2015.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7590449.stm

[Rick]

An internal email from NASA chief Mike Griffin has been leaked to the media. It expresses Griffin's frustration with recent US space policy, says that White House oversight offices have waged a "jihad" against the space shuttle, and offers a gloomy view of the future.

The email was obtained at the weekend by the Orlando Sentinel, and lays out Griffin's view of how America should have acted in recent years.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/08/griffin_leaked_email/

[Rick]

Europe may have to find its own solutions for transporting astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station due to short-sighted US policies that now threaten Nasa's ability to maintain a presence on the orbital outpost.

Nasa chief Michael Griffin recently gave top managers a blunt assessment of the situation in an e-mail reprinted by the Orlando Sentinel, in which he said: "My own view is about as pessimistic as it is possible to be."

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7612790.stm

[Rick]

US Presidential contender Barack Obama has outlined his views on the near-term direction to be taken by the US space programme, according to reports.

The Democratic senator believes that NASA must be given extra money if it is to extend the operational life of the space shuttle. However he seems to accept that many Democrats on Capitol Hill will be unwilling to find more cash for space, and goes on to say that the shuttle should not keep flying in the absence of extra funds.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/25/obama_nasa_shuttle_soyuz_barney/

[Rick]

A dramatic showdown that threatened to remove the US and its partners from the International Space Station (ISS) appears to be over, as lawmakers eased a trade ban that prevents Nasa from buying Russian space transportation services.

The United States is giving up its own fleet of spaceships in 2010 due to safety and cost issues.

Vehicles to replace the space shuttles are not expected until 2015 at the earliest.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7638188.stm

[mickw]

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — When astronauts return to the moon by 2020, they will do so following a familiar path and flying in a cone-shaped capsule that echoes the "good old days" of Project Apollo.

But the skin-deep similarities between Apollo's Command Module and Constellation's Orion spacecraft are far outnumbered by differences - more like improvements — that NASA's 50 years of spaceflight experience make possible.

More:   http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/080929-nasa50-orion-apollo.html

[Rick]

'It was meant to,' insists NASA

NASA has announced a successful test related to its new Ares I astronaut-carrying rocket, the planned successor to the space shuttle. A key part of the structure, critical to safe parachute recovery of the discarded first stage, successfully blew itself up last week during a trial on the ground in Utah.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/02/nasa_ares_i_stage_sep_bang_test/

[Rick]

NASA has announced the imminent debut of a promotional film entitled Return to the Moon, made for the radical new "spherical film-making" projection system.

What, you didn't know about spherical movies? Neither did we, to be honest. In essence, the idea is to project the images not onto a flat screen but onto a large sphere hanging suspended in the auditorium.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/25/nasa_spherical_moon_movie/

[Rick]

Corporate and academic robotics boffins in the States say they have validated plans for creating a spaceship landing field on the Moon using small droid dump-trucks "the size of riding mowers".

You might think that there's no great need for a prepared spaceship field on the Moon - after all, the ships will have to set down vertically on rocket thrust like the Apollo landers, so any old flattish piece of ground ought to do. But you'd be wrong.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/26/lawn_tractors_on_the_moon/

[Rick]

NASA's return to the Moon with manned missions - planned to commence from 2020 - has taken some early steps in recent days. The space agency awarded a contract for its new generation of moonwalker spacesuits, and US defence globocorp Boeing submitted proposals for the new "Altair" lunar lander.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/02/nasa_moon_landers_suits/

[mickw]

Once NASA's space shuttle fleet is retired next year, U.S. astronauts might arrive at the International Space Station via Chinese spacecraft, according to U.S. President Barack Obama's science chief.

The prospect is being aired by presidential science adviser John Holdren, head of the White House Office of Science and Technology, in an interview posted on ScienceInsider - a web-based blog from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

In the ScienceInsider interview, Holdren underscored the fact that President Obama's administration is intent on retiring the space shuttle in 2010, with the president open to an additional shuttle mission flown within 2010.

More:   http://www.space.com/news/090416-china-shenzhou-astronauts.html

[mickw]

The pieces are coming together for the first test flight of NASA's new rocket, Ares I, scheduled to lift off this summer.

The rocket prototype, called Ares I-X, is scheduled to blast off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The flight will be unmanned, and will only include a partial first stage of the rocket, which should lift the vehicle and mockups of its upper stage to about 25 miles (40.2 km) in roughly two minutes.

The test is a critical first try of the new Ares I rocket for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, which NASA hopes will replace the space shuttle as America's preeminent spaceship. Ares I is designed to carry astronauts in the capsule-shaped Orion vehicle that will sit atop the rocket. NASA aims to send crews aboard Orion to the International Space Station by 2015, to the moon around 2020 and ultimately beyond.

More:   http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/090415-tw-ares-test.html

[Rick]

NASA is dithering about whether its future plans should include a Moon base or focus on missions further out into the solar system, New Scientist reports.

Speaking yesterday, the agency's acting administrator, Chris Scolese, suggested "a shift in the agency's direction", from his predecessor Mike Griffin's commitment to a lunar outpost as part of a slated 2020 manned return to the Moon.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/30/moon_base/

[Rick]

The US House of Representatives and Senate have agreed a further $2.5bn to keep the space shuttle in service until 2011 - "if such an extension is necessary to complete currently planned missions to the International Space Station", as the Wall Street Journal puts it.

The final planned shuttle launch is Endeavour's mission STS-133 to the ISS, slated for 31 May next year. Thereafter, the US will have to rely on Russian launches pending the development of new homegrown vehicles as part of the Constellation programme - a touchy political subject.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/01/space_shuttle_extension/

[Rick]

The US Obama administration is taking a fresh look at what humans do in space and how they get there.

The White House has asked Norman Augustine, a former aerospace industry executive, to lead a review of Nasa's manned activities and report by August.

The US space agency is due to retire its shuttles next year and is working on a new crew transportation system, to be introduced in about 2014-15.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8039835.stm

[Rick]

The chairman of a panel appointed by the Obama administration to take a new look a NASA's human spaceflight program said he plans to lead an independent review that will keep an open mind on the agency's long-term plans, including whether its next-generation rocket plans should be modified or scrapped.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/08/nasa_spaceflight_review/

[Rick]

NASA is apparently sticking to its plans to retire the venerable space shuttle fleet in 2010 - despite political pressure to keep it flying, pending development of homegrown replacements to supply the International Space Station.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/08/nasa_budget/

[Rick]

US President Barak Obama is expected to tap four-time shuttle astronaut and retired Marine major general Charles Bolden as NASA's next Deputy Administrator, according to several news reports.

Pending senate approval, Bolden would be the first black person and second astronaut to take the post. He would also oversee the space agency's transition to the Ares rocket and Orion spacecraft program, as well as push NASA's plans for a new lunar program.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/16/obama_expected_to_appoint_charles_bolden/

[Rick]

Bumming a ride on Russian rockets will soon be a few million dollars more expensive. Inflation y'know.

Russia will charge US astronauts $51m for a round trip to the International Space Station beginning in 2012, a Russian space official said on Wednesday.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/13/russia_raises_rocket_fare/

[Rick]

The test firing of a new first-stage rocket motor which could one day launch US astronauts was called off just seconds before ignition on Thursday.

The stoppage was put down to a power failure in a hydraulics unit controlling the rocket's nozzle.

The US space agency was not immediately able to state a new date for the test at manufacturer ATK's Utah facility.

The five-segment booster is intended to power the early flight phase of Nasa's proposed Ares 1 launch vehicle.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8223670.stm

[Rick]

Troubled US space agency NASA yesterday scrubbed a test-firing of the Ares I rocket - which will carry American astronauts into space after the space shuttle fleet retires - with just 20 seconds left on the countdown. Meanwhile other problems have seen this week's launch of the shuttle Discovery delayed, and a moon-impact probe running seriously short of fuel.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/28/lcross_ares_snags/

[Rick]

The test firing has been completed of a new first-stage rocket motor that could one day help take US astronauts back to the surface of the Moon.

The five-segment booster is intended to power the early flight phase of Nasa's proposed Ares 1 launch vehicle - its replacement for the space shuttle.

The static test lasting just over two minutes took place at manufacturer ATK's Utah facility.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8249772.stm

[mickw]

NASA's first version of the rocket slated to replace the space shuttle and send astronauts back to the moon will make its debut test launch Oct. 27, four days early, the space agency announced Tuesday.

The rocket, a demonstration booster called Ares I-X, was previously scheduled to blast off Oct. 31, but engineers preparing the booster were able to complete work in time for the earlier liftoff, NASA officials said. Launch is set for 8:00 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) on Tuesday, Oct. 27 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

More:   http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/090922-ares1x-launch-date.html

[Rick]

The US space agency's Ares 1-X test rocket has reached its launch pad at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

The launcher's journey from its assembly building to the pad took nearly eight hours.

The super-slim, 100m-tall launcher is a demonstrator for the vehicle Nasa plans to use in the next decade to take its new astronaut crewship into orbit.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8311023.stm

Ares I-X trundles to launchpad

NASA's Ares I-X test rocket is currently trundling towards Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Centre ahead of a slated 27 October first test flight.

The vehicle, described by NASA as the "essential core of a safe, reliable, cost-effective space transportation system" and built on "cutting-edge launch technologies, evolved powerful Apollo and space shuttle propulsion elements, and decades of NASA spaceflight experience", represents the trailblazer for the agency's Constellation programme.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/20/ares_i_x/

[Mike]

If you want to watch the launch (due at 15:30 today) put this URL into your media player - mms://209.73.191.137/nqsenc004_d?StreamID=95808537&pl_auth=7e1452db85f14ff0c51ea888655192e8&ht=120&pl_b=00D90C088751AE84D25DB7207A4AE85B6F&CG_ID=1369080

[Rick]

The US space agency (Nasa) has launched a prototype rocket designed to replace the ageing space shuttle.

The Ares I-X blasted off from Florida on a flight that will test technology for the development of a future manned launch vehicle.

The 100m-tall, syringe-like rocket roared into the sky at 1530 GMT from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center.

The stick-thin launcher is the first Nasa has built in more than three decades, but its future is uncertain.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8330424.stm

[Rick]

Experts asked to review the US human spaceflight programme have given strong support to the use of commercial services to launch astronauts.

The Augustine panel published its final report on Thursday and said America could find cheaper, faster successors to the shuttle in the private sector.

The US space agency is developing two new rockets and a crew capsule.

But the committee has told President Barack Obama that these systems no longer meet the US's immediate needs.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8321353.stm

[Whitters]

More at NASA's archive.

(Hide hideously long URL -- Rick)

[mickw]

NASA's gleaming new Ares I-X rocket grew an odd-looking hood Wednesday as it launched skyward on a suborbital test flight — a telltale sign of a rocket going supersonic.

The hood was actually a vapor cone, sort of like a man-made cloud, created as the long, slender Ares I-X rocket hit Mach 1 and broke the sound barrier. Photographer Scott Andrews caught the moment 39 seconds after the 327-foot (100-meter) rocket blasted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It can also be seen in NASA's video of the Ares I-X launch

More:   http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/091028-ares-1x-supersonic.html

[Rick]

The booster used on the Ares 1-X test rocket on Wednesday was damaged when it fell back into the ocean, the US space agency (Nasa) says.

The recovery team sent to retrieve the stage from waters east of the Kennedy Space Center found a large dent in the side of the booster.

Nasa said the damage resulted from failures in the parachute system.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8334951.stm

[Rick]

Members of the US Congress are preparing to battle Obama's White House over control of NASA's Constellation moon-rocket program.

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a major 2010 spending bill that would effectively tie Obama's hands if he attempts to make changes to the current Constellation program.

The 2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill provides $3.46bn for Constellation and $1.5 billion for Ares rocket projects. It also notably includes language that would block any effort by NASA or the Obama administration to cancel or change the Constellation program without first receiving congressional approval.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/11/congress_bill_control_nasa_constellation/

[Rick]

US President Barack Obama will ask Congress to jettison NASA's plans to develop its next-generation Ares 1 crew launch vehicle and increase funds for the "simpler" Ares V heavy lift rocket to replace the space shuttle fleet.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/18/report_aresi_aresv_nasa_new_direction/