september / october 2010 - american astronautical society

SPACE TIMES • September/October 2010 1

THE MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICANASTRONAUTICAL SOCIETYISSUE 5 VOLUME 49

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2010

2 SPACE TIMES • September/October 2010

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E A M E R I C A N A S T R O N A U T I C A L S O C I E T Y

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2010

ISSUE 5–VOLUME 49

AAS OFFICERSPRESIDENT

Frank A. Slazer, Northrop GrummanEXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

Lyn D. Wigbels, RWI International Consulting ServicesVICE PRESIDENT–TECHNICAL

Srinivas R. Vadali, Texas A&M UniversityVICE PRESIDENT–PROGRAMS

Kathy J. NadoVICE PRESIDENT–PUBLICATIONS

David B. Spencer, Penn State UniversityVICE PRESIDENT–STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS ANDOUTREACH

Mary Lynne Dittmar, Dittmar AssociatesVICE PRESIDENT–MEMBERSHIP

Patrick McKenzie, Ball AerospaceVICE PRESIDENT–EDUCATION

Angela Phillips DiazVICE PRESIDENT–FINANCE

Carol S. Lane, Ball AerospaceVICE PRESIDENT–INTERNATIONAL

Clayton Mowry, Arianespace, Inc.VICE PRESIDENT–PUBLIC POLICY

Peggy Finarelli, George Mason University/CAPRLEGAL COUNSEL

Franceska O. Schroeder, Fish & Richardson P.C.EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

James R. Kirkpatrick, AAS

AAS BOARD OF DIRECTORSTERM EXPIRES 2010Linda Billings, George Washington UniversityRonald J. Birk, Northrop GrummanRebecca L. Griffin, GriffinSpace LLCHal E. Hagemeier, National Security Space OfficeDennis Lowrey, General Dynamics AISMolly Kenna Macauley, Resources for the FutureErin Neal, ATKLesa B. RoeRosanna Sattler, Posternak Blankstein & Lund LLPRobert H. Schingler, Jr.Woodrow Whitlow, Jr.TERM EXPIRES 2011Peter M. Bainum, Howard UniversityRobert H. Bishop, Marquette UniversityMark K. Craig, SAICJ. Walter Faulconer, Strategic Space Solutions, LLCJonathan T. Malay, Lockheed MartinChristopher Nelson, Oceaneering Space SystemsArnauld E. Nicogossian, George Mason UniversitySuneel Sheikh, ASTER Labs, Inc.Patricia Grace Smith, Patti Grace Smith ConsultingGregg Vane, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

TERM EXPIRES 2012A. William Beckman, The Boeing CompanySteven Brody, International Space UniversityLance Bush, Paragon Space Development CorporationJürgen Drescher, German Aerospace CenterPaul Eckert, The Boeing CompanySteven D. Harrison, TASCFelix Hoots, The Aerospace CorporationKim Luu, Air Force Research LaboratoryNicole Jordan Martinez, X PRIZE Foundation

SPACE TIMES EDITORIAL STAFFEDITOR, Jeffrey P. Elbel

PHOTO & GRAPHICS EDITOR, Dustin DoudPRODUCTION MANAGER, Diane L. Thompson

BUSINESS MANAGER, James R. Kirkpatrick

SPACE TIMES is published bimonthly by the American AstronauticalSociety, a professional non-profit society. SPACE TIMES is free tomembers of the AAS. Individual subscriptions may be ordered fromthe AAS Business Office. © Copyright 2010 by the AmericanAstronautical Society, Inc. Printed in the United States of America.ISSN 1933-2793.

PERIODICALSSPACE TIMES, magazine of the AAS, bimonthly, volume 49,2010—$80 domestic, $95 foreignThe Journal of the Astronautical Sciences, quarterly, volume 58,2010—$180 domestic, $200 foreignTo order these publications, contact the AAS Business Office.

REPRINTSReprints are available for all articles in SPACE TIMES and all pa-pers published in The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 3

FEATURESPROJECT CATCH - An ISU Masters Team Oceans ProjectUtilizing Space Technology to Catch Perpetrators of Illegal,Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing 4Humanity’s dependence on fishing for sustenance and livelihood iswell known throughout the world. Last year, nineteen students fromten different countries formed a team to work on the InternationalSpace University Oceans Project to determine how space can assistwith the fishing issues in the world’s oceans.by Yuval Brodsky, Manuel Cuba, Emmanouil Detsis, Heidi Fuqua,Peter Knudtson, and Edward Ross

University Rover Challenge 9The University Rover Challenge, an international competition hostedby the Mars Society, challenges university students from around theworld to design and build the next generation of Mars rovers.by Christine Nyirjesy Bragale

University of Arizona SEDS Chapter Wins AAS-ISU Award 12Through a joint award by the American Astronautical Society and theInternational Space University, the University of Arizona chapter (UASEDS)was recently recognized for their membership diversity.by Kyle Stephens

TECHNICAL CONFERENCE 1434th Annual AAS Guidance & Control Conference

AAS NEWS 16AAS Annual Awards and Fellows

UPCOMING EVENTS 19

AAS NATIONAL CONFERENCE 20

NOTES ON A NEW BOOK 22Servicing the Hubble Space Telescope: Space Shuttle AtlantisReviewed by James M. Busby

IN MEMORIAM 22

6352 Rolling Mill Place, Suite 102Springfield, VA 22152-2370 USATel: 703-866-0020 Fax: [email protected] www.astronautical.org


PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

AAS – Advancing All Space

Frank A. [email protected]

ON THE COVERFRONT: Piloted by Pete Siebold and Mike Alsbury, the free-flying Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo test vehicle named VSS Enterprise achieves manned free-flight from 45,000 feet andsuccessfully glides to a landing at Mojave Air and Spaceport. Virgin Galactic is aiming to develop the world’s first commercial manned space system and tourism business. (Source: VirginGalactic)

BACK: Thought to be the first snapshot of a suspected asteroid collision, this Hubble Space Telescope image shows an X-shaped object at the head of a commet-like trail of material that hadcollided over a year ago. Until now, astronomers have relied on models to make predictions about the frequency of these collisions and the amount of particles produced. (Source: D. Jewitt/UCLA/NASA/ESA)

A number of years ago, during the debates over whether to support the futureInternational Space Station, the phrase “It’s about life on Earth” used by supportersbegan to appear as a tag line on newspaper ads, brochures, etc. To the Space Station’sopponents, it certainly did not resonate – their view was, if you want to improve life onearth, do it by spending directly on whatever needs investment. The problem is thatassumes you have advance knowledge of what you will need to know, and it also ignoresthe serendipitous discoveries that sometimes occur during scientific research.

Congress recently passed a three-year NASA Authorization Bill by huge bipartisan margins in each chamber, and thePresident signed it into law. This was the result of a great struggle over the future of the human exploration program, and,no doubt, some of the emotion on both sides was tied to legitimate differences on how we should best advance humanexploration of our solar system. What resulted was a compromise that can hopefully provide some measure of stability –assuming adequate budgets are forthcoming – so that NASA and its contractors can make solid progress in the yearsahead. The largest risk to NASA’s exploration program is that this new plan, as with the 2004 Vision for Space Exploration,may not be adequately funded to succeed. It’s similar to the flip side of the old saying “Without a destination, any road willdo” – without adequate funding, any NASA plan will fail.

While the human exploration plan generated a range of conflicting opinions, one provision in the President’s budgetmet with little attention – keeping ISS in orbit through at least 2020 and adequately funding its needs for research andsupport. I suspect this consensus is the result of common sense – why throw away something so many nations invested somuch to build without allowing it to be fully utilized? – as well as the expectation that it may yet yield substantial researchbenefits for life on Earth.

We were recently treated to yet another example of how investments in human exploration sometimes pay unimaginabledividends during the successful rescue of the 33 Chilean miners trapped for over two months half a mile below ground.NASA, which has a rich history of cooperation with Chile, was asked to provide help in keeping the miners alive in theisolation they faced – for which the closest analog is a space mission. The miners were rescued largely through the effortsof the Chileans, but it is notable that NASA was seen as a resource to provide hope, and, in fact, the help provided wasgreatly appreciated by that country. Who could have anticipated that research such as that performed on the ISS – whereits crew members routinely go six months or more without seeing their loved ones – could help in the alien environmentdeep below the earth? Yet it did, showing once again that space investments are truly about life on Earth.

Life on Earth


BackgroundDuring the 2009/2010 academic year,

nineteen students from ten differentcountries formed a team to work on theInternational Space University (ISU)Oceans Project. The focus of the OceansProject was to determine how space canassist with the IUU (illegal, unreported andunregulated) fishing issues in the world’soceans. The Oceans Project was one of twoteam projects undertaken by theInternational Space University MastersProgram based at the ISU Central Campusin Strasbourg, France.

Introduction“Now, it is a different story. The catch

is greatly reduced. We are no longer ableto effectively fish – no long able to fish aswe used to.” (Master fisherman Tombo ofSierra Leone)

Humanity’s dependence on fishing forsustenance and livelihood is well knownthroughout the world. Over the course ofthe 20th century, fishing technology hasevolved to the point where the potential toharvest a specific marine wildlifepopulation exceeds that population’s abilityto sustain its numbers. This phenomenonis known as fishery collapse, and it hasdirect consequences on the heritage andeconomies of the people that depend onthese fisheries. Often fishery collapse is theresult of poor resource managementschemes and the inability or unwillingnessof nations to enforce existing resource

PROJECT CATCH - An ISU Masters TeamOceans Project Utilizing Space Technology toCatch Perpetrators of Illegal, Unregulated,and Unreported Fishingby Yuval Brodsky, Manuel Cuba, Emmanouil Detsis, Heidi Fuqua, Peter Knudtson, Edward Ross

management regulations. It is a complexsocioeconomic reality of modern timeswith diverse causes and manifestations.

A large contributor to the poormanagement of marine species is a set ofpractices loosely grouped under the titleIllegal, Unregulated, and Underreported(IUU) fishing. IUU fishing practicesinclude fishing in contravention of laws andregulations, fishing by vessels that do nothave permission to fish, and misreportingor not reporting catch amounts. Existinginternational laws leave the responsibilityof managing oceanic resources toindividual countries, but, with fewexceptions, countries lack the means or willto enact effective IUU fishingcountermeasures. Space-enabled solutionscan play a part in monitoring, detecting,identifying, and reporting IUU fishingactivities on a global scale.

Addressing the problem of IUU fishingthrough space resources was the challengepresented to a group of masters students atthe International Space University (ISU)in Strasbourg, France. ISU is an institutiondedicated to the interdisciplinary,international, and intercultural educationof the next generation of space leaders. Theone-year masters program focuses on real-world applications of scientific andmanagerial theory. One of the hallmarksof the program is a team project spanningseveral months and addressing complicatedtechnical and social challenges. TheMasters 2010 Team Project Oceans (TP

Oceans) sought to address the growingthreats to the sustainability of the oceans.The team brought together space remotesensing and telecommunications to createProject Catch.

Project Catch System ArchitectureTP Oceans students discovered that

ocean sustainability efforts are hamperedprimarily by inefficient data collection/delivery methods as well as the high costsof existing monitoring systems. PreventingIUU fishing is not an exception to this, andthe countries most affected by IUU fishingare those with the least resources formitigating it. The TP Oceans studentsdesigned the Project Catch system toprovide lawmakers and enforcementagencies with the information they need tocombat IUU fishing and improve fisheriesmanagement. Global coverage was a driverin Project Catch, such that multiplecustomers will share and reduce the totalsystem costs. In this way, the system couldbe made more affordable for developingcountries while still benefiting wealthiernations. Project Catch is composed of twointerdependent, yet separate components:the Catch-VMS spaced-based vesselmonitoring system (VMS) and the Catch-GIS “plug n’ play” geographicalinformation system (GIS).

Catch-VMS is an improvement onexisting satellite-based efforts to monitorglobal fishing fleets with the goal ofproviding information at a lower cost.


While many developed countries require aVMS to apply for a fishing license, manydeveloping nations cannot afford theinfrastructure to do the same.Compounding this difficulty, existing VMSare normally limited to infrequent reportson a vessel’s position and status, requiringcostly patrols to determine if the vessel isin compliance with fishing regulations. TPOceans sought to solve these issues byoutlining a system to provide continuousglobal coverage, increased positiontransmission rate, and reduced cost throughincreased usership.

Catch-VMS consists of a transmitterinstalled on fishing vessels and multiplecorresponding receivers installed as hostedpayloads on a global satellite constellation.In order to prevent fishermen from sendingfalse position data through tampering withthe transmitter, independent positioning

techniques can be used against suspiciousvessels. TP Oceans selected a techniqueknown as multilateration, which requiresmultiple satellites to be in view of eachtransmitter at all times. This ability ispossible with any of the planned GlobalNavigation Satellite Systems (GNSS),such as GPS. As a benchmark design, TPOceans evaluated the systems performanceof the Catch-VMS for the case whenreceivers were “installed” on the GalileoGNSS constellation.

Catch-GIS is a software packagedesigned to seamlessly integrate andanalyze multiple data sources for signs ofIUU fishing and report this informationdirectly to the relevant authorities in a time-sensitive manner. Many countries do notpossess the means to collect the variousforms of data nor the expertise to quicklyand continuously analyze it for signs of

IUU fishing. TP Oceans sought to addressthese gaps by conceptualizing software thatcould easily incorporate multiple datasources, perform automatic analyze fordetecting IUU activities, provide time-sensitive alerts to national authorities, andmaintain a history of global IUU activity.

Catch-GIS is built around a “plug n’play” software architecture that allows theuser to add or subtract the data sources thatCatch-GIS brings together. This allowsdeveloped countries with extensive shipdetection and satellite imagery capabilitiesto use Catch-GIS to its full potential. Onthe other hand, countries limited inresources would be able to accessinternationally shared IUU preventioninformation in order to provide a basic levelof IUU fishing protection. This informationcould include fishing vessel registries, listsof suspected IUU perpetrators, fishing

A sample output screen of Catch-GIS. The particular patterns of various fishing methods trigger alarms. Catch-GIS tracks vessel activities,identifying two potentially illegal activities (purse-seine fishing and transhipping). Vessels identified as fishing vessels are denoted by black rings.


regulations, etc. In this way, both developedand developing nations can incrementallybuild an IUU fishing monitoring anddetection system by adding new datasources at a pace reflecting need, expertise,and funding.

Data Integration MethodologyThe core idea of Project Catch is the

management, integration, andinterpretation of different data sourcesthrough software algorithms to identifysuspected IUU fishing activity. In order toidentify vessels and activities, Catch-GISis capable of relying on multiple datasources. IUU fishing is comprised ofunique activities, each of which is bestdetected using different data sources.Catch-GIS is capable of querying amultitude of databanks, including nationaland international vessel registries, vesselwhite-lists and black-lists, port authorities,scientific laboratories, and enforcementagencies. When this data is available tothe Catch-GIS software, it can increase thefidelity of the IUU detection algorithms andprovide additional identifying features ofvessels to law enforcement authorities.

The system takes a step-wise approachto suspected IUU fishing identificationbeginning with the identification of allvessels in an area, followed by only thosethat are fishing vessels, and ending withfishing vessels suspected to be engaged inIUU fishing activities. It is highly unlikelythat this process will be easy as those whocurrently and knowingly fish illegally willcontinue to attempt to in the future, despiteProject Catch. Therefore, the TP Oceansstudents considered ways of detecting non-compliant ships.

To assist in identifying fishing vesselswhich do not equip VMS, Catch-GISemploys a detection algorithm based on aseries of image overlays. Using a space-based radar image, all vessels in a regioncan be identified, and fishing vessels canbe separated out based on known patterns.Positions reported by Catch-VMStransmissions can be overlaid on the imagefor the time the image was taken. Anyfishing vessels which do not match with aVMS report can be considered suspicious.

The architecture of the Catch-VMS system is illustrated above. The ship transmitter signal ispicked up by the satellite receivers onboard a Medium Earth Orbiting (MEO) satellite constella-tion. This data is transferred to the data relay satellite in Geostationary (GEO) Orbit beforebeing transmitted to the Navigation Ground Station and onto the central office for data integra-tion and processing.

In many regions where infrastructureexists, these non-compliant vessels can betracked using techniques such as terrestrialradar and acoustic vessel detection. Theradar imagery could also be used toperform wake analysis, providing keyidentifying features of non-compliantvessels to enforcement agencies.

If vessels are compliant with VMSregulations, it is still possible that they are

non-compliant with other fishingregulations. The simplest method fordetermining whether or not a ship is inviolation of fishing regulations uses thepositions received from the Catch-VMStransponders. Software algorithms basedon geographical and temporal data canidentify vessels which violate the lawthrough activity such as fishing out ofseason or fishing in restricted waters. The


Due to the frequent CatchVMS transmission, better pattern recognition algorithms can be implemented for fishery monitoring. Traditional VMShave a transmission frequency of roughly one hour, allowing vessels to enter and leave restricted waters between transmissions. The morefrequent transmissions of Catch-VMS would identify such operations.

frequent reporting rate of the Catch-VMSalso allows for the determination of thespecies of fish caught and the fishing gearused by the fishing vessel based on the paththe vessel traces over time. Team member,Edward Ross, is currently working on thedevelopment of this software.

Is Project Catch a financially viablesolution?

One of the main concerns of the TPOceans students was the cost of IUUmonitoring and detection efforts. Reflectingon the fact that most IUU activity happensin developing nations, much effort wastaken to make Project Catch financiallyviable. A Partial Economic Analysis of theprojected costs versus benefits of ProjectCatch was undertaken to shed light onwhether or not this goal was accomplished.

TP Oceans utilized data fromorganizations such as the InternationalCommission for the Conservation ofAtlantic Tunas (ICAT) and the Food andAgriculture Organization of the UnitedNations (FAO) in performing a PartialEconomic Analysis on implementingProject Catch for Eastern Atlantic andMediterranean blue fin tuna. This analysisconsidered variables such as the high socialcosts of retiring dozens of fishing vessels,fishermen outplacement, the reduction ofEastern Atlantic and Mediterranean blue

fin tuna quotas, the reduction of IUU, asimplified economic model of price,variations in income tax revenues, and a20 year plan for recovering the species,among others. The result was thatimplementing Project Catch wasfinancially sound, with a net present valueof almost USD 80 million and an internalrate of return of 16%. Even though theinitial investment is in the order of almostUSD 175 million, making the speciessustainable generates a gradual increasein income tax, to the point of making theinvestment a positive one by the year 2018.

The results of TP Oceans’ PartialEconomic Analysis are preliminary, andan extensive economic analysis is stillneeded. A Detailed Economic Analysiswould involve a more complex model thatincludes ecological economics, a bettereconomic model of price, additionalexternalities (for example, bettersurveillance of the Mediterranean), thelatest fishery statistics from theInternational Commission for theConservation of Atlantic Tunas, and theeffects of the current European crisis inthe cost of capital and inflation, amongother variables. It is expected that this newversion will serve as a model to determinethe viability of implementing Project Catchfor the rest of the species exploited by theEU fishing industry.

A second economic concern is howProject Catch deals with non-compliantvessels. IUU fishing is, by nature, carriedout by individuals that disregard rules andregulations. An improved VMS and GIScan act as a stronger deterrent, but they cannever fully eliminate IUU fishing activitieson their own. As a result, techniquesindependent of VMS compliance will needto be explored and several creativesolutions will need to be offered in a moreextensive economic analysis.

ConclusionThe prospect of eliminating IUU fishing

after implementing a system such as ProjectCatch is currently unclear. There willalways be those who will disregard anylaws or regulations if there is a profit to bemade. While not completely solving theproblem, Project Catch will at least makeIUU fishing less economically attractive.This will reduce the profit margin of thisdangerous activity, reduce the number offishers involved, and ultimately minimizethe human impact on marine life. Theproblem of IUU fishing is bothtechnological and societal; Project Catchhas presented a “proof of concept” for thetechnological aspect of the solution and hasonly touched upon the societal measuresthat need to be implemented to fully tackleIUU fishing. Through the assistance of


Project Catch in conjunction withgovernmental support, our oceans may beprosperous once again.

Authors:TP Oceans consisted of 19 team membersfrom diverse academic, professional, andcultural backgrounds.

Isah Akor, NigeriaChristian Anuge, NigeriaBustanul Arifin, IndonesiaYuval Brodsky, CanadaMarco Bruno, ItalyAnne-Lise Coudry, FranceManuel Antonio Cuba, PeruEmmanouil Detsis, GreeceLeanne Evans, CanadaHeidi Fuqua, USPeter Knudston, USPaul McGillion, IrelandLanre Oluwatoyin, Nigeria

Mark Picciani, CanadaMark Poon, CanadaEdward Ross, CanadaMichael Safyan, USAmrut Yalagi, India

Author Mailing Address:TP OceansInternal Space UniversityParc d’Innovation1 rue Jean Dominique Cassini67400 Illkirch, Graffenstaden, France

The International Space University andOceans Project members gratefullyacknowledge the support of the PewEnvironmental Group & the PewCharitable Trusts and the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration for thisproject of invaluable information andcontacts.

The International Space University, the‘gold standard in interdisciplinary spaceeducation’, is a graduate school that

conducts programs at its central campusin Strasbourg, France, and at locationsaround the world. ISU offers a unique corecurriculum covering all disciplines relatedto space programs and enterprises – spaceand earth sciences, engineering, satelliteapplications, policy and law, business andmanagement, and space and society. ISUalso provides short courses for professionaldevelopment and life-long learning. Sinceits founding on the campus of MIT in 1987,with noted author and visionary Sir ArthurC. Clarke as its first Chancellor, ISU hasgraduated more than 2900 students from100 countries, many now in seniorpositions with commercial and governmentspace-related organizations throughout theglobe.

For further information on the InternationalSpace University: www.isunet.edu; furtherinformation on this and other ISU teamprojects, and for download, please go to:w w w. i s u n e t . e d u / p u b l i c a t i o n s /student_reports. Team website: http://ocean.isunet.edu

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Greenbelt MarriottGreenbelt, MarylandMarch 30-31, 2011

49th Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium

www.astronautical.org


University Rover ChallengeJune 23, 2010Contact: Christine Nyirjesy Bragale, TASC, [email protected]; Tel: 703-653-5996

Hanksville, Utah – The Mars Society this June hosted its fourth annual University Rover Challenge, an internationalcompetition that challenges university students from around the world to design and build the next generation of Marsrovers, NASA’s “robot geologists” that have explored Mars since 2004. Under an oppressive Utah desert sun, sevenmulti-disciplinary teams from the U.S., Canada and Poland raced their rovers to locate a distressed astronaut, performedmaintenance on a faulty equipment panel, conducted a survey of several distant targets, and returned a rock sample thatcontains evidence of microbial life forms.

The winners of the University Rover Challenge: Oregon State University, York University, and The Magma Team. (Source: Mars Society)

“These teams and their rovers were pitted against tremendously hard problems,” said Kevin Sloan, director of theUniversity Rover Challenge. “The complexity of these tasks, and the expertise required to solve them, pushes the leadingedge of research in robotics. The students demonstrated new and exciting ways of performing collaborative human-robotplanetary exploration.”

In the equipment servicing task, teams had to use their rovers to read instructions on a panel that explained a sequenceof actions, including turning switches and plugging in four dangling power cords. Oregon State University made its waythrough most of the switches and properly inserted one plug.

“Inserting even just one plug was a tremendous feat,” said Sloan. “I put this task into the competition knowing that itwould be a stretch for everyone. It’s pretty remarkable that they solved this type of unconstrained problem.”

York University was successful with most of the switches and was able to raise one of the cords to the plug. IowaState’s rover succumbed to the heat; smoke poured out of the rover when the motor controller of its arm burned out.

During the site survey task, the teams used their rovers to locate the exact GPS coordinates of six markers. A few wereon level ground, but most were higher up on some hills. Judges looked for five equally weighted components: correctnumber of markers, accuracy of reported altitude, mobility of rover, use of the correct coordinate system (UTM), andprecision of coordinates.


Teams explored multiple sites of potential biological interest. From these, they chose the “most interesting” site fromwhich to return a sample between 25 and 250 grams. After the run, they had 30 minutes to analyze the samples and databefore delivering a field briefing to the judges.

Imagine being lost on Mars…you’d definitely want the Oregon State rover looking for you. In this last task of thechallenge, teams were provided a last-known GPS coordinate and a broad relative bearing for the distressed astronaut.They had only 40 minutes to locate him. The Magma Team for Poland passed just four meters from the astronaut, but theircamera was looking in the wrong direction and failed to see the target. The other teams had trouble finding their way butOregon State team found the missing astronaut in a record 3 minutes 38 seconds. [This video captures the task well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqkTGMI0gXg]

The Oregon State rover managed to flip every switch and insert the only test plug in the competition on the test rack. (Source: MarsSociety)


Christine Nyirjesy Bragale is a space enthusiast and public relations lead at TASC, Inc., the title sponsor of the 2010 UniversityRover Challenge.

Oregon State won the challenge, with York University(Toronto), last year’s winner, placing second. The MagmaTeam from Poland came in third.

“Today’s university students will be the Marspioneers,” said Dave Manser, director of technology atTASC, Inc., the competition’s title sponsor, during theaward ceremony. Manser, self-proclaimed “child of theApollo program” and a certified space-flight controllerwho worked on the International Space Station, noted thatthe URC competitors will be at the peak of their careerswhen man might explore Mars. “I challenge you to bethe scientists, engineers, politicians, fundraisers,promoters, entrepreneurs and dreamers for this quest,”he said. “This is your generation’s destiny.”

Iowa State team members triaging their rover with broken armelectronics due to the hot desert sun. (Source:Mars Society)

The 2009 Champion York University gets in a practice run outside of the Mars Desert Research Station before the competition. (Source:Mars Society)


University of Arizona SEDS Chapter WinsAAS-ISU Award

Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) is a fully student-run space organization dedicatedto expanding a human presence in space as well as educating the public about the benefits of continued exploration.Founded by Peter Diamandis, Bob Richards, and Todd Hawley in the 1980s, SEDS today consists of over 25chapters at colleges and universities across the nation. Chapters can be found at Texas A&M University, MassachusettsInstitute of Technology, University of Arizona, University of Central Florida, and many other institutions. Eachchapter is run differently, but in general, most SEDS chapters will focus on outreach events, engineering projects,and networking events.

With space exploration being the main focus, SEDS members are typically aerospace engineering majors. Whileother majors do exist within SEDS, some chapters have difficulty recruiting individuals from outside of this discipline.Other chapters are more successful. Through a joint award by the American Astronautical Society and the International

by Kyle Stephens


Kyle Stephens is president of the University of Arizona SEDS Chapter.

Space University, the University of Arizona chapter (UASEDS) was recently recognized for their membershipdiversity.

UASEDS is atypical in that aerospace engineering majors are actually in the minority. Members are more likely tohave majors like Astronomy, Physics, Optical Sciences and Engineering, Science Education, Business, MaterialsSciences and Engineering, and various other engineering disciplines. These demographics are not a result of a weakaerospace engineering program: the University of Arizona’s College of Engineering has a respected program withseveral hundred students. Instead, it can mainly be attributed to the fact that UASEDS is supported primarily by theDepartment of Planetary Sciences and the Lunar and Planetary Lab. Through these entities, a greater focus on thescientific benefit of space exploration has developed within UASEDS. As a result, UASEDS focuses less on how toget to space and land safely and more on why we need to go and what to do once we are there.

UASEDS has been a diverse chapter for several years now, so it was not a recent development, but meetings andevents are presented in such a way to keep the interest of this diverse membership. For example, during the generalmeetings throughout the year, a presentation is usually given on some topic relating to space by a UASEDS member.Topics vary greatly, from standard topics like “Developments in Commercial Space” and “Why Space?” to moredetailed presentations such as “Adaptive Optics in Land-Based Telescopes” and “The Business of Space.” Withthese diverse presentations, members are able to not only find an aspect of space exploration that interests them, butthey are also able to share their knowledge on a particular topic with others. Engineering projects are run in a similarway. While UASEDS does currently have a rocket project underway, past projects have included the constructionof an 18" Dobsonian telescope and participation in the CanSat Competition. The primary lesson learned throughthis experience is understanding that while an individual may have an interest in space, the specifics of that interestmust be addressed for that basic interest to become a passion.

One of UASEDS’ primary goals is to share an interest in space with the community. Therefore, outreach eventsare common. Whether it is bringing out telescopes to community events, helping kids make air-powered rockets, orgiving presentations to the general public, UASEDS is committed to sharing a passion for space. As a part of theAAS-ISU award, $250 was given to UASEDS for club use. It has been determined that the award money will be puttoward the purchase of a Bell Jar as well as supporting equipment for science demonstrations during outreachevents. This purchase will be made during the beginning of the Fall 2010 semester to supplement future outreachactivities. Diversity has proven to promote intelligent discussions, better networking, and more successful outreachwithin SEDS. For this reason, UASEDS will continue to strive for membership diversity in the future.

A popular way of donating to an organization is through a gift by means of a will (i.e., to make a bequest). Youmay decide to consider either a general bequest to the AAS or a bequest targeted to an existing or new AASscholarship or an award fund. These bequests are deductible against estate and inheritance taxes.

There are also tax advantages when making charitable donations to the AAS while you are living. Such giftscould contribute to the memory of someone who has passed away or be made in the honor of a person who isstill alive. In addition, special occasions offer opportunities for gifts to be directed to the Society.

As a final note, although the AAS is able to provide suggestions for charitable giving, your financial or legaladvisor should be consulted about such actions.

Charitable Giving and the AAS


TECHNICAL CONFERENCE

4:00 pm daily Room check-in at the Beaver Run Resort front desk6:00-10:00 am daily Conference registration4:00-6:00 pm daily Conference registration

Friday, February 46:00-8:00 pm Early registration6:00-9:00 pm “Wine and Cheese”

Saturday, February 5 – Wednesday, February 9Poster Session (held in Break Room during breakfast)OrganizerMary Klaus, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, [email protected], 303-971-2724

Saturday, February 57:00-10:00 am Session I – “Design Approaches for Precision Pointing Applications”Theme: Various spacecraft mission requirements continue the push for improved vehicle pointing performance. Significant advancements have recently been made in sensors,actuators, isolation systems, and spacecraft design for precision pointing applications. This session examines design approaches for jitter suppression and control, thermal effectsmitigation, in-flight calibrations, extended state estimation for instrument pointing, and flexible-body excitation and control.OrganizersJim Chapel, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, [email protected], 303-977-9462Larry Germann, Left Hand Design, [email protected], 303-652-2786National ChairpersonAl Bosse, Draper, [email protected], 256-890-7392

5:00-8:00 pm Session II – “Technical Exhibits”Theme: The Technical Exhibits Session is a unique opportunity to observe displays and demonstrations of state-of-the-art hardware, design and analysis tools, and servicesapplicable to advancement of guidance, navigation, and control technology. The latest commercial tools for GN&C simulations, analysis, and graphical displays are demonstratedin a hands-on, interactive environment, including lessons learned and undocumented features. Associated papers not presented in other sessions are also provided and can bediscussed with the author. Come enjoy and excellent complimentary buffet and interact with the technical representatives and authors. This session takes place in a social settingand family members are welcome!OrganizersScott Francis, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, [email protected], 303-977-8253Kristen Terry, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, [email protected], 303-971-7450Vanessa Baez, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, [email protected], 303-971-6481

Sunday, February 67:00-10:00 am Session III – “Advances in GN&C”Theme: Many programs depend on heritage, but the future is advanced by those willing to design and implement new and novel architectures, technologies, and algorithms tosolve the GN&C problems. This session is open to papers with topics ranging from theoretical formulations to innovative systems and intelligent sensors that will advance thestate of the art, reduce the cost of applications, and speed the convergence to hardware, numerical, or design trade solutions.OrganizersZach Wilson, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, [email protected], 303-971-4799Alex May, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, [email protected]; 303-977-6620National ChairpersonsBrad Moran, Charles Stark Draper Labs, [email protected], 617-258-1263Gabe Rogers, Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Lab, [email protected], 443-778-7298

2:00-4:00 pm Session IV – “Commercial and Civil Overhead Imagery Systems”Theme: The commercial and municipal overhead imagery market has historically been met with airborne sensors while government intelligence demands have been met withlarge, space-based assets. Commercially-owned high-resolution space-systems now globally augment commercial, civil, and military imagery requirements leading to cross-market growth and a strong demand for high-performance imaging satellites. In this session, leading remote sensing contractors provide summaries of related GN&C requirements,solutions, and challenges.OrganizersBill Frazier, Ball Aerospace & Technology Corp., [email protected], 303-939-4986Jay Speed, Ball Aerospace & Technology Corp., [email protected], 303-939-5322National ChairpersonDan Schuresko, NGA, [email protected], 703-264-7161

34th Annual AAS Guidance & Control ConferencePlease visit the AAS Rocky Mountain Section website at http://aas-rocky-mountain-section.org/for additional information about the Conference, Beaver Run Resort, recreational activities, andthe town of Breckenridge, Colorado.

CONFERENCE AGENDA


Monday, February 77:00-10:00 am Session V – “Small Body Proximity Operations”Theme: Spacecraft proximity operations in the vicinity of small bodies such as asteroids and comets represent a challenge to traditional operations, mission design and navigationscenarios. Short orbital periods about small bodies coupled with the required small response times and long round-trip light times drive autonomy and robust mission designs. Themission design problem is greatly complicated by distended shapes that ultimately drive chaotic trajectories with sensitivities to initial condition errors, perturbations and gravityfield errors. Navigation strategies must reply upon traditional radiometric data types coupled with optical imaging and landmark tracking. This session explores the currentprogress in trying to meet these challenges as mission enablers for future efforts.OrganizersDave Chart, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, [email protected] , 303-977-6875Ian Gravseth, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., [email protected], 303-939-5421National ChairpersonChris D’Souza (NASA/Johnson), [email protected], 281-483-8246Dan Scheeres (University of Colorado), [email protected], 303-492-7420

4:00-6:00 pm Session VI – “Microvibration”Theme: Microvibration, with its effects on payloads and GNC systems, is becoming an ever more important consideration. As the sensitivity of missions has increased, requirementshave tightened and the need for mitigation of microvibration has also increased. This is in turn has lead to challenges in design, characterization and testing. This ‘semi-tutorial’style session is intended to use real-world examples as an introduction to the sources and negative effects of micro-vibration on spacecraft. Additionally, this session will outlinevarious techniques for mitigating and reducing the effects while also explaining the difficulties in measuring and testing for micro-vibration.OrganizersLisa Hardaway, Ball Aerospace, [email protected], 303-939-4335National ChairpersonStephen “Phil” Airey, ESA TEC-ECC, [email protected], +31 (0)71 565 5295

6:00-7:00 pm Social Hour7:00-9:00 pm Dinner8:00-9:00 pm Dinner Speaker: General Lance Lord (Ret.)

Tuesday February 87:00-10:00 am Session VII – “Servicing and Assured Disposal”Theme: Sudden failures of on-orbit assets can create challenges & safety risks for the international satellite community. Recent losses such as DSP-23 and Galaxy 15, with theirresultant uncontrolled drift through the geo belt, have placed other operational satellites in harm s way. On-orbit servicing, whether robotic, telerobotic, or manned, is required toeither prevent such mission losses or else move failed satellites to safe disposal orbits. This session will explore various challenges and technologies in this increasingly-urgentarena.OrganizerMichael Osborne, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, [email protected], 303-977-5867Mike Drews, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, [email protected], 303-971-3622National ChairpersonBo Naasz, NASA/Goddard, [email protected], 301-286-3819

4:00-7:00pm Session VIII – “Global Navigation Satellite Systems”Theme: Since becoming operational, Global Positioning System (GPS) has ushered in a wave of new technologies, capabilities, and products taking advantage of precise timingand navigation signals. The GPS receiver industry was born, and GPS revolutionized military and commercial business, affecting everything from aviation and spacecraft, to cellphone technology and automobile navigation, to ship navigation and container tracking. Recent advances in GPS products, along with developments in other Global NavigationSatellite Systems (GNSS), further continue to push state of the art advances in a host of applications while striving to meet new requirements. Examples include AccuracyImprovements Initiatives (AII) by GPS, new military and civil signals in the latest generation of GPS IIR-M, and GPS IIF satellites, and new receivers. Development of the nextgeneration of spacecraft and control systems is already underway for GPS, the European Galileo system, and others. This session is intended to discuss advances in GPS productsincluding new capabilities and signals, advances in other GNSS systems (Galileo, GLONASS, COMPASS, etc), advances in GNSS receiver technology, and space applicationsof GNSS.OrganizerLee Barker, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, [email protected], 408-742-4679Shawn McQuerry, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, [email protected], 303-971-5264National ChairpersonChris Hegarty, MITRE, [email protected], 781-271-2127Col Stephen Steiner, SMC GPS Wing Commander, [email protected], 781-271-2127

Wednesday February 97:00-10:00 am Session IX – “Recent Experiences”Theme: Lessons learned through experience prove most valuable when shared with others in the G&C community. This session, which is a traditional part of the conference,provides a forum for candid sharing of insights gained through successes and failures. Past conferences have shown this session to be most interesting and informative.OrganizerChris Randall, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., [email protected], 303-939-6732Cheryl Walker, TASC, [email protected], 719-393-8487National ChairpersonBob Friend, Boeing Space Systems, [email protected], 562-797-2605David Geller, SDL and Utah State University, [email protected], 435-797-2952

Special Note: Because we are emphasizing a ‘paperless’ method for collecting and distributing papers, it will be valuable if you can bring a laptop computer to themeeting. We will provide wireless in the conference area for distribution of papers, but we will not be providing Internet service. If you cannot bring a laptop, we will provideyou with an electronic version of the papers on premises either by CD or copies placed on your personal ‘thumb drive’.


AAS ANNUAL AWARD RECIPIENTSSpace Flight Award to William H. Gerstenmaier, NASA Headquarters ~ AAS’s highest honor – individual whoseoutstanding efforts and achievements have contributed most significantly to the advancement of spaceflight and spaceexploration ~

Flight Achievement Award to the STS-131 Crew – Commander Alan Poindexter, Pilot James P. Dutton Jr.,Mission Specialists Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Rick Mastracchio, Naoko Yamazaki, Clayton Anderson,and Stephanie Wilson ~ outstanding achievement as a flight crew or flight crew member ~

Industrial Leadership Award to Clayton Mowry, Arianespace, Inc. ~ outstanding leadership in development andacquisition of space systems ~

Victor A. Prather Award to the STS-125 EVA Team – Commander Scott D. Altman, Pilot Gregory C. Johnson,Mission Specialists Andrew J. Feustel, Michael T. Good, John M. Grunsfeld, Michael J. Massimino, and K.Megan McArthur ~ outstanding contributions in the field of extravehicular protection or activity in space ~

Lloyd V. Berkner Award to Patricia Grace Smith, Patti Grace Smith Consulting ~ significant contributions to thecommercial utilization of space technology ~

W. Randolph Lovelace II Award to Firouz Naderi, Jet Propulsion Laboratory ~ outstanding contributions to spacescience and technology ~

Melbourne W. Boynton Award to James P. Bagian, M.D., P.E. NASA Astronaut ~ recognizes significant contributionsto the biomedical aspects of spaceflight ~

John F. Kennedy Astronautics Award to Michael D. Griffin, University of Alabama in Huntsville ~ outstandingcontribution to public service through leadership in promoting our space programs for the exploration and utilization ofouter space ~

Military Astronautics Award to Duane W. Deal, United States Air Force ~ outstanding leadership in the application ofastronautics to the development of space systems for national defense ~

Carl Sagan Memorial Award to Charles Elachi, Jet Propulsion Laboratory ~ demonstrated leadership in research orpolicies advancing exploration of the Cosmos ~

Eugene M. Emme Junior Astronautical Literature Award to Jay Gallentine – Ambassadors From Earth: PioneeringExplorations with Unmanned Spacecraft ~ recognizes an outstanding book that advances public understanding ofastronautics, rewarding originality, scholarship, and readability ~

Eugene M. Emme Junior Astronautical Literature Award – Children’s Category to Eric Braun – If I Were AnAstronaut (Dream Big) and Young Adult Category to Brian Fies – Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow ~recognizes efforts to inspire and educate K-12 students through books that effectively communicate the concept andpossibilities of astronautics ~

– Complete descriptions and past recipients at www.astronautical.org/award –

AAS 2010 FELLOWSBruce A. Conway, University of Illinois at Urbana

I. Michael Ross, Naval Postgraduate School

James D. Turner, Texas A&M University

– Complete list of Fellows at www.astronautical.org/membership/fellows –

AAS NEWS


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a clear explanation of technical concepts provided. The tone should lean more toward conversational rather than formal.Articles should also be written for a well-educated audience that has a great interest in space topics but may not necessarilybe familiar with your specific topic. Virtually any topic involving space science, technology, exploration, law, or policymay be covered. Issues relevant to the civil, commercial, and military and intelligence space sectors alike are also welcomed.

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The submission deadline is the 15th of the month prior to the issue date (i.e., June 15 for the July/August issue). Pleasesubmit articles to [email protected] or contact the AAS Business Office at 703-866-0020.


AAS Corporate MembersAAS Events ScheduleNovember 16-17, 2010AAS National Conference"ISS: The Next Decade"Radisson Resort at the PortCape Canaveral, Floridawww.astronautical.org

February 4-9, 2011AAS Guidance and Control ConferenceBeaver Run Resort and Conference CenterBreckenridge, Coloradowww.aas-rocky-mountain-section.org

February 13-17, 2011*AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Winter MeetingLoews New Orleans HotelNew Orleans, Louisianawww.space-flight.org

March 15-17, 2011Space, Propulsion & Energy Sciences InternationalForumUniversity of MarylandCollege Park, Marylandwww.ias-spes.org/SPESIF.html

March 30-31, 201149th Robert H. Goddard Memorial SymposiumGreenbelt MarriottGreenbelt, Marylandwww.astronautical.org

July 31-August 4, 2011*AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist ConferenceAlyeska ResortGirdwood, Alaskawww.space-flight.orgAbstract Deadline: April 5, 2011

UPCOMING EVENTS

AerojetThe Aerospace CorporationAir Force Institute of Technologya.i. solutions, inc.Analytical Graphics, Inc.Applied Defense Solutions, Inc.Applied Physics Laboratory / JHUArianespaceAuburn UniversityBall Aerospace & Technologies Corp.The Boeing CompanyBraxton Technologies, Inc.CSCDittmar Associates, Inc.Edge Space Systems, Inc.Embry-Riddle Aeronautical UniversityGeorge Mason University/CAPRHoneywell Technology Solutions, Inc.International Space UniversityJet Propulsion LaboratoryKinetX, Inc.Lockheed Martin CorporationNational Institute of AerospaceNoblisNorthrop GrummanOrbital Sciences CorporationParagon Space Development CorporationThe Pennsylvania State UniversityPhillips & CompanyRaytheonRWI International Consulting ServicesSAICThe Tauri GroupTechnica, Inc.Texas A&M UniversityUnited Launch AllianceUnivelt, Inc.Universal Space NetworkUniversities Space Research AssociationUniversity of Alabama in HuntsvilleUniversity of FloridaUniversity of Texas at AustinUtah State University / Space Dynamics LabWomen in Aerospace

*AAS Cosponsored Meetings

Thank you for your continued support!

Renew your AASmembership today atwww.astronautical.org


AAS NATIONAL CONFERENCE

PROGRAMTuesday, November 167:00 Registration Opens / Continental Breakfast – Sponsored by Northrop Grumman8:30 Welcome and Announcements

Frank Slazer, Northrop Grumman, AAS President8:40 Introduction of Keynote Speaker

Robert Cabana, Director, NASA KSC and Symposium Honorary Chair8:45 Keynote – Charles F. Bolden, Jr., NASA Administrator invited9:30 Break – Sponsored by Northrop Grumman9:45 Importance of ISS in the Next Decade: Views of the Partnership

Moderator: James Zimmerman, President, International Space Services– NASA – Michael Suffredini, Manager, ISS Program, NASA JSC– CSA – Pierre Jean, Director Space Exploration Operations and Infrastructure– ESA – Bernardo Patti, Head, ISS Programme Department, Directorate of Human Spaceflight– JAXA – Tetsuro Yokoyama, ISS Program Manager– Roskosmos – Alexey Krasnov, Director, Piloted Space Programs Department

11:45 LuncheonGuest Speakers: Frank DiBello, President and CEO, Space Florida – remarks and introduction

Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp, Chair, Space Florida Board invited Presentation of AAS Space Flight Award

1:30 Positioning ISS for the Utilization EraMark Uhran, Assistant Associate Administrator for ISS, NASA Headquarters

2:00 The National Laboratory – Present and FutureModerator: Marybeth Edeen, Manager, ISS National Lab, NASA JSC

– Modeling of An ISS National Lab Organization Study – Jeanne DiFrancesco, Principal, ProOrbis– National Institutes of Health – Fei Wang, Director Musculoskeletal Development, Tissue Engineering, & Regenerative

Medicine Program, NIH– BioServe – Louis Stodieck, Director, BioServe Space Technologies, University of Colorado at Boulder– NanoRacks - Jeff Manber, Managing Director, NANORACKS, LLC– National Lab Education Project – Mark Severance, Education Project Manager, ISS National Lab, NASA JSC

3:30 Break – Sponsored by Northrop Grumman4:00 ISS: Enabling Utilization, Preparing for Exploration and Testing Technology

Moderator: Rick Howard, Deputy Chief Technologist, NASA Headquarters– Enabling Utilization – Joy Bryant, Vice President and Program Manager, ISS, The Boeing Company– Advanced Concepts and Technology Development Demonstrations – Benjamin Neumann, Director, Advanced

Capabilities Division, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters– ISS as a Technology Testbed – Jason Crusan, Chief Technologist, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA

Headquarters6:00 Adjourn6:15 AAS Honors and Awards Reception – Sponsored by USRA

AAS National ConferenceInternational Space Station: The Next Decade – Utilization and ResearchNovember 16-17, 2010 – Radisson Resort at the Port – Cape Canaveral, Florida

Organized with the support of the NASA Kennedy Space CenterSponsored by The Boeing Company – Honeywell – Northrop Grumman – Space Florida – USRA


Wednesday, November 177:00 Registration Opens / Continental Breakfast – Sponsored by Honeywell8:00 KSC Update – Janet Petro, Deputy Director, NASA KSC8:30 Research and Development on the ISS: Scope and Opportunities

Moderator: Rod Jones, Manager, ISS Payloads Office, NASA JSC– NRC Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space:

A Status Report – Elizabeth (Betsy) Cantwell, Decadal SurveySteering Committee Co-Chair and Director, MissionDevelopment Engineering Directorate, Lawrence LivermoreNational Lab

– Human Research – Clarence Sams, Lead Scientist for the ISS Medical Project, NASA JSC – Patrik Sundblad, Head of Life Science Unit, Directorate of Human Space Flight (or Martin Zell, Head of ISS

Utilization Department, Directorate of Human Spaceflight), European Space Agency– Biology and Biotechnology – Nicole Buckley, Director, Life & Physical Sciences, Space Science, Canadian Space Agency (CSA)– Physical and Materials Sciences – Francis Chiaramonte, Program Executive for ISS Research - Physical Sciences,

Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters– Space Science – Yoshinori Yoshimura, Director Space Environment Utilization Center, Human Space Systems and

Utilization Mission Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) (or Masazumi Miyake, Directorof JAXA Houston Office)

10:30 Break – Sponsored by Honeywell10:45 Research and Development on the ISS: Results from the Principal Investigators

Moderator: Julie Robinson, ISS Program Scientist, NASA JSC– Vaccines Against Microbes - Jeanne Becker, Chief Science Officer, Astrogenetix, Inc.– Materials Testbeds – Kim de Groh, Senior Materials Research Engineer, NASA GRC– Astronaut Bone Loss - Sara Zwart, Deputy Manager for Nutritional Biochemistry (or Scott Smith, Manager, Nutritional

Countermeasures for Spaceflight-Induced Bone Loss), NASA JSC– Constrained Vapor Bubble (CVB) - Peter Wayner, Jr., Professor of Chemical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic

Institute12:30 Luncheon: A Visual Tour of the ISS

Guest Speaker: Member of active Astronaut corps2:00 ISS – Inspiring and Educating

James Stofan, Associate Administrator for Education (Acting), NASA Headquarters2:30 Supporting ISS Operations in the Post-Shuttle Era

Moderator: Lynn Cline, Deputy Associate Administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters– Logistics, Resupply, Integration and Transport (ESA – ATV; JAXA – HTV; RSA – Soyuz / Progress) – Jeff Arend,

Manager, Program Integration, NASA JSC– Engineering Services for ISS Operations – Therese Thrift,

Program Director, Cargo Mission Contract, LockheedMartin Information Systems & Global Services

– Commercial Resupply Program (CRS) – Kathy Lueders,Manager, Transportation Integration Office, ISS Program,NASA JSC

– Orbital Sciences Corporation – Frank Culbertson, SeniorVice President & Deputy General Manager, AdvancedPrograms Group

– SpaceX – Ken Bowersox, Vice President of MissionAssurance & Astronaut Safety

– Commercial Crew – Edward Mango, Director, CommercialSpace Transportation Planning Office, NASA KSC

4:30 Direct from the ISS: Closing Comments from ISS Crew5:00 Closing Reception


NOTES ON A NEW BOOK

Servicing the Hubble Space Telescope: SpaceShuttle AtlantisReviewed by James M. BusbyServicing the Hubble Space Telescope:Space Shuttle Atlantis by Dennis Jenkinsand Jorge R. Frank. Specialty Press, 2009.120 pages. ISBN: 978-1-58007-138-3.

Jenkins and Frank have put out twoprevious books similar in format to thisone. Last year’s The Apollo-11 MoonLanding and Return to Flight: SpaceShuttle Discovery. All three of these booksare photo journals about these missions.As photo journals go, these are quite good,but servicing Hubble is the widest in itsscope. This is the tale of the shuttle missionthat almost didn’t happen.

The book begins with a photo historyof visual astronomy, Dr. Edwin P. Hubble,and the development of the large orbitalspace telescope. Then, through speciallyselected photography, it shows thewondrous discoveries the Hubble has madein operation. A couple of pages each gothrough what was improved with eachshuttle mission flown to it. Then the authorstell about the cancellation of the servicing

Rocketeer and spaceflight enthusiast Robert C. Truax passed away on 17 September2010 at age 93. As a US Naval Academy midshipman, he demonstrated one of his thrustchambers to British Interplanetary Society members in July 1938. During WWII, he workedside by side with Robert Goddard on liquid-propellant JATO designs. The American RocketSociety presented its prestigious Goddard Memorial Award to Truax in 1951.

During 1953–1955, Truax independently proposed most of the elements subsequentlyfound in the Polaris missile submarine program. Assigned to the Air Force in 1955, he initiatedthe Thor missile program before overseeing Project 117L, that service’s first satellite program.

As a civilian after 1959, Truax headed Aerojet-General’s Advanced Development Division,where he conceived an ultra-heavylift, sea-launched, reusable booster—Sea Dragon. TheAAS gave him its William Randolph Lovelace II Award in 1967. By then, he had formedTruax Engineering Inc., which focused initially on steam rockets, one of which powered EvelKnievel’s canyon-jumping SkyCycle in 1974.

An early promoter of privately funded human spaceflight, Truax pursued inexpensive booster development into thetwenty-first century, even competing for the X-Prize. In 2003, the Air Force inducted him to its Space and Missile PioneersHall of Fame.

Rocketeer Robert C. Truax passes away at age 93

missions and about the reinstatement ofSTS mission 125 on “Atlantis.” Pages aregiven to the scientific equipment, shuttlemission training, and even the stacking andde-stacking of the launch vehicle andorbiter. The little known details arewonderful to see – the “joking” crewphotos, engine and payload installation,and even the emergency plans and delaysare shown and thoroughly described.

The final third of the book is given tothe STS-125 mission itself in beautifulcolor photography. Each of the space walksis covered along with whatever scientificinstruments were serviced and improved.Special attention was given to the changesin the flight plan – from the seven monthdelay caused by the on-orbit failure of

additional Hubble control equipment to thelast minute change in the orbiter landingsite to California because of weather. Thebook ends with shuttle “Atlantis” at longlast back in Florida entering the checkoutbuilding – a neat book.

As I have stated in previous reviews, Ilike these types of books as they are great“scrapbooks” about important moments onthese projects, and, as we are sadlywrapping up the shuttle, these are greatstories to tell about the Orbiter’s missions.They are also significant for the modelerswho want to celebrate these highlights inplastic or resin.

Jenkins and Frank have abundantfeeling for this, and they deliver. Thesebooks are not for everyone...but for mostof us!

James M. Busby is an Aerospace FlightHistorian at the Aerospace LegacyFoundation and a member of the AAS HistoryCommittee.

In Memoriam


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