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#3176 Re: Unmanned probes » New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt » 2006-02-20 13:40:25
Planetary Radio has an online interview with Alan Stern. Bang uptodate report on the probe's current state, also Stern's work on Rosetta and LRO instruments.
#3177 Re: Not So Free Chat » Why do we attract crazy people? » 2006-02-19 11:56:22
For instance monks and nuns deliberately choose a life of less. Are they crazy?
Yes.
#3178 Re: Interplanetary transportation » Rocket Monopoly - United Launch Alliance » 2006-02-19 11:53:32
consolodating the two lines as much as possible cuts many millions off the cost, then why not.
In a word: monopoly
#3179 Re: Unmanned probes » Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) & LCROSS impactor » 2006-02-18 09:56:09
LRO passes Preliminary Design Review
article[/url]"]
The preliminary design review concluded Feb. 9. The results of the review, on-going assessments of project cost and schedule will support a confirmation review this spring.The confirmation review represents NASA's formal decision for authorizing additional work and will set the project's cost estimate. The mission's Critical Design Review is scheduled for fall. It will represent the completion of detailed system design, the transition to assembly and integration of the mission elements.
#3181 Re: Pictures of Mars » Favorite Sci-Fi Movie? - Blade Runner for me. . . » 2006-02-17 14:34:05
Just another vote for Serenity, Best SF movie since Contact IMHO. Go see.
#3182 Re: Human missions » Private Space Tourism » 2006-02-17 13:49:44
Capitalism works.
#3183 Re: Human missions » NASA 2007 Budget » 2006-02-17 13:30:06
It seems that Griffin's honeymoon with the House committee is over. Yet as he sits with his new partner he seems quietly confident that his new budget will be approved, or better still backfilled with pork for those cancelled and delayed aeronautics, life and space sciences projects. What's the betting that the 2007 budget comes in at over $17 billion?
#3184 Re: Human missions » Jeff Bell hearts Mike Griffin » 2006-02-17 13:16:10
JWST is far enough along that its not going to get canceld unless its costs REALLY get insane.
According to the 2007 budget request JWST will cost $2.633 billion, that's off the SANE scale already with a $1.5 billion cost overrun. It's only in year 2 of a 7 year development program and it's burnt less than 30% of its budget, so it's not totally safe from cancellation.
Let's kill it, service the HST and start building the HLV now! RTTM in 2014! Mars in 2016! Way to go 
#3185 Re: Unmanned probes » New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt » 2006-02-17 12:56:26
No update on the 15 Feb TCM, maybe it's been cancelled?
#3186 Re: Human missions » there's so much knowledge, » 2006-02-14 15:41:11
Felber seems to be real and so does his presentation at STAIF 2006 (last on the agenda) along with a bunch of other people from serious organizations such as NASA, ARFL, Boeing, DoD etc etc.
#3187 Re: Unmanned probes » Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) & LCROSS impactor » 2006-02-13 13:26:59
Extract from NASA 2007 Budget request:
The LRO contains a suite of six instruments selected through a competitive process, plus a technology demonstration payload that offers additional measurement data. Taken as a whole, the instruments will map the lunar topography, provide high resolution imaging of key areas of interest, identify the characteristic signatures that could identify precise locations of important materials like water ice, and characterize the radiation environment for human explorers in addition to providing scientific data to
support the investigation of the origin and evolution of our solar system.
The LRO is scheduled for a Non-Advocate Review in the third quarter of FY 2006. At that time NASA will establish a Life Cycle Cost commmitment, and provide it to Congress.
Launch in 2008 to 50km lunar orbit with one year operational life.
Technical Parameters
The LRO will take measurements in support of future robotic and human missions by providing highly accurate mapping of lunar topography and potential resources (including water ice). After completion of the nominal one-year primary mission, LRO will move to a second orbit (to reduce the high demand for station-keeping propellant required at the lower orbit) and continue to take measurements for up to four more years.
Technical Specification
Provide lunar topography accurate to 1 meter altitude and accurate to within 100 meters horizontal position.
Identify potential water locations based on various signatures (hydrogen concentration and lyman-alpha detection) accurate to between 500 m and 10 km, depending on nature of the specific signature.
Provide a mapping of temperature distribution over the Moon's surface, with temperature accuracy of 5 degrees Celsius and position accuracy of 500 m.
Characterize the presence of lunar resources, including mineralogy. Measure the radiation environment and its effect on human tissue
simulants.
Budget in $millions
FY2005 47.4
FY2006 102.2
FY2007 119.4
FY2008 91.0
FY2009 27.9
FY2010 5.3
FY2011 1.7
Total: 394.9
#3188 Re: Unmanned probes » Mars Science Lab getting cuts ? » 2006-02-13 13:12:22
MSL looks ok now, but it might face a tight budget
http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4056
NASA's Red Planet research budget has been cut by a few hundred million. This includes the cancellation MSR Mission and the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter ? The CEV/CLV budget is getting damn near close to the massive Shuttle budget. Cancelled/Delayed indefinitely - Mars research has been cut by $243.3 million to $700.2 million. This reflects the cancellation or indefinite postponement of missions such as the Mars Sample Return Mission and the MTO
NASA has not cut the Mars research budget. What Griffin has done is reduce the *future increases* planned for that research. MGS, Odyessy, 2xMERs, MRO, Phoenix and MSL are all fully funded and approved. That takes the programme out to 2012. MSL alone will cost $1.3 billion, how much more money do you think Mars research can justify?
BTW MTO and MSR were never approved, they were only in study and MSR would have been enormously expensive, costs over $2 billion were expected. The CEV budget is ramping up as STS ramps down, most of the money will come from there.
RTTM is essential in the Vision to get to Mars, what would you rather have, more robots at Mars or people?
edit: Opps my error, MSL is not approved yet ... should be 2nd QTR FY 2006
#3189 Re: Human missions » The first Mars crew » 2006-02-12 08:33:15
This AP story today has the names and brief bios of the eleven new astronauts just selected by NASA. There are 9 men and two women, could any of them be among the first Mars crew?
Note that Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger is only 30, so she could well be the first woman on Mars! Maybe with her will be be Christopher J. Cassidy who is just 35.
#3190 Re: Human missions » NASA 2007 Budget » 2006-02-09 08:15:26
I guess Deep Space Network costs. it's more than a small team and a bunch of computers, it's an global operation, huuge infrastructure... Spread out over inhospitable places etc. 'hiring' Arecibo listening time alone would cost a pretty dime, I guess.
Still, that's a hefty price-tag they quote...
It sure does. According to the 2007 budget request Deep Space Mission System (DSMS) cost $258m in 2005, and AFAIK most of that money is consumed by the DSN supporting the approximatey 30 legacy missions such as Voyager, MGS, MERs etc etc. On top of that would be the cost of the staff supporting each extended mission.
#3191 Re: Human missions » NASA 2007 Budget » 2006-02-09 08:07:53
I also find it interesting that the CEV/CLV budget is getting damn near close to the Shuttle budget. No doubt an insurance policy. But we'll have no need for for the CEV without a complete station, and we won't have a complete station without the shuttle (theoretically) without the CaLV. If the ISS is to be an international effort, let the Russians handle the manned launches. We are the only ones with the resources, shuttle or otherwise, to get the rest of it off the ground. The CEV will do nothing for ISS construction.
It's far more than an insurance policy, the CEV/CLV is a replacement for the Shuttle with the primary purpose of supporting Lunar and Mars missions. Crew and cargo transport to the ISS is a secondary function that will happen first because of the delay in building the HLV. In time ISS crew and cargo services are expected to be provided by commercial services, freeing the CEV/CLV for exploration beyond LEO.
#3192 Re: Unmanned probes » Mars Science Lab getting cuts ? » 2006-02-06 15:36:27
Extract from NASA's 2007 Budget Request (5.1MB PDF]
The 2009 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) will be a long-duration, roving science laboratory that will be provide a major leap in surface measurement technology focusing on Mars habitability. Detailed measurements will be made of element composition, elemental isotopes and abundance, mineralogy, and organic compounds to determine if Mars has, or ever had, an environment capable of supporting life.
Schedule
Initial Confirmation Review (ICR): 2nd QTR FY 2006
Critical Design Review (CDR): 4th QTR FY 2007
Start Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations (ATLO): 2nd QTR FY 2008
Launch: November 2009
End of Prime Mission: October 2012
Budget Request $ Millions
FY2005 117.5
FY2006 253.4
FY2007 347.9
FY2008 285.6
FY2009 231.0
FY2010 50.4
FY2011 41.2
That makes a grand budget total of $1327 million
#3193 Re: Meta New Mars » Layout in date order please » 2006-02-06 05:12:00
It would be much easier to navigate this great forum if there was an alternative index available that simply put *all* posts in date order with the latest ones first. I'm getting a headache browsing all the different sections trying to spot new posts.
#3194 Re: Human missions » RAS says UK should reverse astronaut ban » 2006-02-05 16:14:22
I don't think UK should fund astronauts if they come from military background. I am all for civilian astronauts. I don't want ESA to become like NASA where it is next to impossible to join them has an astronaut if you haven't served the Air Force for 30 years.
Untrue. Many of NASA's astronauts have no military background at all. Take the last Shuttle mission STS-114 for example, the crew were:
Commander Eileen Collins - USAF
Pilot James Kelly - USAF
Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence - USN
Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi - civilian (Japan)
Mission Specialist Charles Camarda - civilian
Mission Specialist Steve Robinson - civilian
Mission Specialist Andy Thomas - civilian
Their bios are available here
#3195 Re: Human missions » The need for a Moon direct *3* - ...continue here. » 2006-02-04 01:37:18
There is a limit to what we should be trying to do robotically for the moment. But finding lunar water really is critical. Dark side communications is also required. Pratice for comsumable resupply would also be useful.
Finding lunar ice is one of several important goals for the next phase of lunar exploration. However the cost and risks of lunar ISRU using water ice or regolith will make it unlikely to happen during the initial RTTM landings and would divert scarce resources from the Mars program. Calculate what the first 100 t of lunar rocket fuel would cost given all the new expensive infrastructure needed to produce it. Having said that, the moon might work as a test bed for a Martian water ice ISRU plant.
#3196 Re: Interplanetary transportation » J-2S vs RLX vs RS-68r+ » 2006-02-03 02:29:38
Given the light weight of the J-2S, is it possible to bundle several of them together to produce the same or more thrust than the RS-68?
#3197 Re: Interplanetary transportation » Falcon 1 & Falcon 9 » 2006-02-02 10:13:18
Reserves all comment until February 9
#3198 Re: Human missions » Shuttle ST-115 Discovery: A Foam debri retest flight » 2006-02-01 08:50:44
Orlando Sentinel have published PERT type STS-121 schedules for the ETs ...
#3199 Re: Unmanned probes » New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt » 2006-02-01 08:34:50
Update from SpaceRef - 31 Jan 2006 - On taget!
TCM-1 was split into two parts, called 1A and 1B. TCM-1A was a 5 meter/second test and calibration firing conducted on Saturday, January 28; TCM-1B was a 13.3 meter/second maneuver conducted on Monday, January 30. Both maneuvers were successful. We plan to trim out the small (about 4%) residuals from the two TCM-1 burns, and to correct to the much better orbit solution we will have from another couple of weeks of tracking by the Deep Space Network (DSN) in TCM-2. This burn, which is likely to be the smallest of the three post-launch maneuvers, is scheduled for Wednesday, February 15.
#3200 Re: Human missions » Mars? Moon first. - Mars is too hard and dangerous for now. » 2006-01-31 02:50:57
ESAS says very little about the Mars architecture other than hints about NTP and it seems unlikely that NTP will happen for a long time. So how much of a Mars architecture can be put together using HLV, CLV, EDS and CEV components? Clearly a MSAM is needed, but is there enough flexibility in those components to begin Mars exploration and to evolve them into a sustainable system?