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SPACE TIMES • November/December 2010 1

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2010

THE MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICANASTRONAUTICAL SOCIETYISSUE 6 VOLUME 49

2 SPACE TIMES • November/December 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

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2010

ISSUE 6–VOLUME 49

AAS OFFICERSPRESIDENT

Frank A. Slazer, Northrop GrummanEXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

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

David B. Spencer, Penn State UniversityVICE PRESIDENT–PROGRAMS

J. Walter Faulconer, Strategic Space Solutions, LLCVICE PRESIDENT–PUBLICATIONS

Richard BurnsVICE PRESIDENT–STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS ANDOUTREACH

Ken Davidian, Federal Aviation AdministrationVICE PRESIDENT–MEMBERSHIP

Randall Correll, Ball AerospaceVICE PRESIDENT–EDUCATION

Dustin Doud, SpaceXVICE PRESIDENT–FINANCE

Carol S. Lane, Ball AerospaceVICE PRESIDENT–INTERNATIONAL

Lance Bush, Paragon Space Development CorporationVICE PRESIDENT–PUBLIC POLICY

Marcia Smith, Space and Technology Policy Group, LLCLEGAL COUNSEL

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

James R. Kirkpatrick, AAS

AAS BOARD OF DIRECTORSTERM EXPIRES 2011Peter M. Bainum, Howard UniversityRobert H. Bishop, Marquette UniversityMark K. Craig, SAICJonathan T. Malay, Lockheed MartinPatrick McKenzie, Ball AerospaceChristopher 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 UniversityJürgen Drescher, German Aerospace CenterPaul Eckert, The Boeing CompanySteven D. Harrison, TASCFelix Hoots, The Aerospace CorporationKim Luu, Air Force Research LaboratoryNicole Jordan Martinez, X PRIZE FoundationClayton Mowry, Arianespace, Inc.

TERM EXPIRES 2013Ronald J. Birk, Northrop GrummanVince DeFrancisci, USRAPeggy Finarelli, George Mason University/CAPRRebecca L. Griffin, GriffinSpace LLCHal E. Hagemeier, National Security Space OfficeSusan J. Irwin, Euroconsult USMolly Kenna Macauley, Resources for the FutureKathy J. NadoLesa B. RoeWoodrow Whitlow, Jr.

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

FEATURESChicken Little Was Right: Protecting Earth from KillerAsteroids and Comets 4Asteroids and comets are no laughing matter. In fact, colliding with abig one could be the ultimate catastrophe.by William F. Burrows

Out of This World: Human Achievement Reaches a Pinnacle onthe International Space Station 9Fifteen nations from five major space agencies have collaborated todesign and build what’s been called “one of the greatest engineeringfeats of all time.” The International Space Station shatters the moldas an engineering, scientific, management, and diplomatic achievement.by Paula Korn, Melissa Matthews, Kelly Melone, Ed Memi, Adam Morgan,Tabatha Thompson, and Sean Wilson

UPCOMING EVENTS 13

49th ROBERT H. GODDARD MEMORIAL SYMPOSIUM 15

3rd WERNHER VON BRAUN MEMORIAL SYMPOSIUM 16

CALL FOR PAPERS2011 AAS/AAIA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference 18

2009 EMME AWARD BOOKSAmbassadors from Earth: Pioneering Explorations withUnmanned Spacecraft 202009 AAS Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Award WinnerReviewed by Emme Award Panel of the AAS History Committee

If I Were an Astronaut 212009 AAS Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature (Youth) Award WinnerReviewed by Emme Junior Review Panel

Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? 212009 AAS Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature (Youth) Award WinnerReviewed by Emme Junior Review Panel

NEW AAS OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS 22

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

ON THE COVERFRONT: A true-color view of an aluminum oxide industrial waste spill in Hungary as seen from NASA’s EarthObserving-1 satellite. Merged with a local stream, the sludge was up to 6.5 feet deep in some places. Themajority of aluminum oxide is consumed for the production of aluminum using the Hall-Héroult Process.(Source: NASA)

BACK: Poised for liftoff, a ULA Delta 4 rocket waits for launch in Cape Canaveral, FL. Its true purpose classified,the payload is believed to be an electronic eavesdropping satellite with a huge collecting antenna that NRODirector Bruce Carlson said is “the largest satellite in the world.” (Source: ULA)


PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

AAS – Advancing All Space

Frank A. [email protected]

Ok, so I know that, even though I am writing this over the Thanksgiving weekend, this issuewon’t be published until December, and some members won’t see this issue until January.Therefore, it may seem odd that I would use the word Thanksgiving in the title for this column,but, in fact, it is perfectly appropriate since I want to use this issue to recognize our AASProfessional Staff – Executive Director Jim Kirkpatrick and Executive Assistant DianeThompson.

2010 has been a good year for the Society with some growth in membership and a number of successful events including thethird Von Braun Symposium held in Huntsville, Alabama, and the 2010 National Conference, focused on the next ten years ofthe International Space Station, held in Cape Canaveral, Florida. These events, along with the quadrennial International SpaceConference of Pacific-basin Societies (ISCOPS), held by the AAS in Montreal, Canada, were successful due to the localplanning committee and event volunteers involved, but a disproportionate share of the credit is due to the efforts of Jim andDiane – our only two paid staff members from our small office condo in Springfield, Virginia.

Beyond these events, as well as others such as the Goddard Symposium, Jim and Diane take on the myriad tasks associatedwith running a professional society. Diane, for example, is the Production Manager for Space Times, and Jim’s tasks includesupporting the AAS President, the other officers, and the Board of Directors (and believe me, this President appreciates thehuge amount of work involved!) as well as the annual CANSAT competition in the spring.

Jim has been the Executive Director of AAS since October 2000. He firstjoined the Society in 1993, and served as member of the Executive Committeeand Board of Directors, and held the office of Executive Vice President. Aretired Naval Intelligence Officer, he made deployments to both the WesternPacific and Mediterranean and had foreign assignments in Moscow and Japanduring his 30-year career. His last active duty assignment was the Assistantto the Director of Naval Intelligence for Foreign Liaison. He has a BA fromAugustana College and an MA from Pepperdine University. Jim volunteersin many community organizations, and is an active member of Rotary andthe Chamber of Commerce.

Diane has been theExecutive Assistant and

Production Manager for AAS since February 2007. Prior to joining the AASstaff, Diane served as Senior Staff Aide to the Fairfax County (Virginia) Boardof Supervisors Vice Chairman/Braddock District Supervisor, ExecutiveAdministrative Assistant to the Fairfax County School Board, ExecutiveAssistant to the Association for the Advancement of International Education,and Executive Assistant to the Superintendent of the Alexandria City PublicSchools. She has a BA from George Mason University and is currently pursuingan MBA from the University of Phoenix.

I hope you will join me in expressing the Society’s collective thanks to these fine professionals for the work they have donefor the Society in the past as well as the successes they will enable us to achieve in the future. All the best for a great new year!

An AAS Thanksgiving


Chicken Little Was RightProtecting Earth from Killer Asteroids and Cometsby William E. Burrows

Six hundred thousand people died, and thelocal damage was more than a trilliondollars. But the loss to art, to history, toscience – to the whole human race, for therest of time – was beyond all computation.It was as if a great war had been foughtand lost in a single morning … After theinitial shock, mankind reacted with adetermination and unity that no earlier agecould have shown. Such a disaster, it wasrealized, might not occur again for athousand years – but it might occurtomorrow. And the next time, theconsequences could be even worse. Verywell; there would be no next time. Sobegan Project Spaceguard.– Arthur C. Clarke Rendezvous with Rama

It’s hard to love an asteroid. Once upona time there was a little prince who livedon one that he thought was a star. It wascalled B612 and it was hardly much biggerthan he was. “When you look up at the skyat night,” he told Antoine de Saint-Exupery,the French aviator and writer, “since I’llbe living on one of them, for you it will beas if all the stars are laughing. You’ll havestars that can laugh.”

Stars may laugh. But with the exceptionof B612, asteroids and comets are nolaughing matter. In fact colliding with a bigone could be the ultimate catastrophe –perhaps the end of Earth itself.

“One thing that makes the comet andasteroid impact hazard so importantrelative to other hazards is that it is theone hazard that is capable of killing billionsof people; of putting at risk our entirecivilization,” the late Eugene M.Shoemaker said as he carefully made hisway around Meteor Crater (also known asBarringer Crater) near Flagstaff, Arizonaon a National Geographic special called“Asteroids: Deadly Impact” which was

shown on PBS. Shoemaker was a geologistwho was intensely interested in the threatof asteroid and comet impacts on the homeplanet. He was among the first scientiststo defy conventional scientific wisdom bydeclaring that most, if not all, of the craterson the Moon were caused by impacts, notvolcanoes.

In March 1993 Shoemaker, his wifeCarolyn, and David H. Levy, an eclecticamateur astronomer, spotted a string ofsome 20 cometary fragments heading forJupiter. Over the course of seven days thefollowing year – July 16 – 22 –astronomers and others around the worldwere awed as they became the first humansto witness a collision between a comet orasteroid and a planet. The fragments werecollectively named in honor of theirdiscoverers: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.

“We can have any number of storms orearthquakes or volcanoes, and they can do

terrible damage locally, but they do not putthe entire planet at risk the way an impactdoes,” Shoemaker went on. The differencein destruction between such home-growndisasters and a collision with an asteroidor comet measuring 300 yards acrosswould be considerable.

The force of the impact that createdMeteor Crater was roughly 150 times thatof the atomic bomb that virtuallyobliterated Hiroshima and killed orwounded some 200,000 of its inhabitants.

“It’s like being in a hail of bullets goingby all the time,” Shoemaker added. “Theyare bullets. They are bullets out there inspace.” Indeed, it is widely believed thatone or more of those “bullets” plowed intowhat is now the Yucatan area of Mexicoabout 65 million years ago and, like acolossal bomb, threw so much debris intothe atmosphere that it clouded the sky andeventually killed off the dinosaurs and

A view of the Meteor Crater from Space. Layers of exposed limestone and sandstone are visiblejust beneath the crater rim, as are large stone blocks excavated by the impact. (Source: NASA)


caused the mass extinction of many otherspecies of animals and plants. A series ofdiscoveries made by oil prospectors andthen by Nobel physicist Luis Alvarez, hisgeologist son Walter, and three colleaguesin 1980 showed a 120-mile-wide circle thatconstitutes the outline of an impact crater.The impactor – the asteroid or comet thatcaused the crater – is thought to have beenlarger than Mt. Everest and could havebeen moving at a velocity of 20,000 to40,000 miles an hour.

Alternately, one reputable team ofscientists led by Gerta Keller, a PrincetonUniversity geoscientist, maintains that theYucatan impact happened 300,000 yearsbefore the huge reptiles disappeared,showing, as The Wall Street Journal putit, that “The Space Rock Was Framed.”

Whether or not the so-called Big Bangfinished off the dinosaurs, the fact that itoccurred 65 million years ago makes itancient history, and where many people areconcerned, that is when the asteroid threatended. They know that the “bullets” arestill out there somewhere, but they don’tassociate them with another serious impact.Yet Meteor Crater was caused when oneor more iron-laced rocks or a comet struckthere roughly 50,000 years ago, which ispractically yesterday in geological time.And what happened over thePodkamennaya Tunguska River Basin inRussia’s Central Siberian Uplands justafter dawn on June 30, 1908 shows thatthe home planet is still menaced by thingsthat go bump in the night (or, as ithappened, in the early morning).

Eyewitnesses reported that a veryintense blue-white streak suddenlyappeared in the sky, followed by the soundof a tremendous, thunderous explosion. Theblast was so powerful that it knockedpeople off their feet 40 miles away. “I wassitting on the porch of the house at thetrading station, looking north,” a man wholived nearby reported. “Suddenly, in thesky north … the sky was split in two, andhigh above the forest the whole northernpart of the sky appeared covered with fire.I felt a great heat, as if my shirt had caughtfire… At that moment there was a bang inthe sky, and a mighty crash… I was thrown

20 feet from the porch and lostconsciousness for a moment… The crashwas followed by a noise like stones fallingfrom the sky, or guns firing. The earthtrembled…”

Twenty-nine years later, in 1937, thefirst group of scientists reached the desolatearea and were stunned by what they found.Most of the trees within roughly 20 milesof where the mid-air explosion occurredwere down and heavily charred. And thefact that all of them were in a circle thatpointed away from the center, plus theabsence of a crater, left no doubt as to whathad happened. An asteroid or stonymeteorite had exploded as it penetrated thethickening atmosphere. Arthur C. Clarkelater noted that “Moscow escapeddestruction by three hours and 4,000

kilometers – a margin invisibly small bythe standards of the universe.” But that maynot have been the case. For years that“intruder” was thought to have been about100 yards across – the size of theproverbial football field. But MarkBoslough, a physicist at the SandiaNational Laboratory in New Mexico (whois otherwise renowned for his hoaxes) leda team that studied the explosion with asupercomputer and concluded thatwhatever blew up over the forest was farsmaller than 100 yards – probably on theorder of about 35 yards. Rocks that sizeslam into Earth on an average of once every200 to 250-or-so years (102 years havepassed since the rock exploded overTunguska). Since there are more relativelysmall rocks than large ones out there, the

A view of the Vredefort Crater, the world’s largest verified impact crater on Earth. Geologistsbelieve the impact occurred approximately 2 billion years ago, during the Paleoproterozoic era.(Source: NASA)


chances of being hit by a smaller one aregreater than of being hit by a larger one.But of course the extent of the damage andpossible deaths goes up with the size andvelocity of the impactor.

The discovery of the Yucatan crater andreconstruction of what caused it werewatershed events. There was serious publicconcern over the monumental collision andthe following year, 1981, NASA held aworkshop at Snowmass, Colorado on“Collision of Asteroids and Comets withthe Earth: Physical and HumanConsequences.” The meeting was usefulin that astronomers and other scientistsdiscussed what was known about thesituation, yet it also demonstratedimplicitly that a great deal remainedunknown.

The wake-up call came eight years later.On March 23, 1989, an asteroid biggerthan an aircraft carrier and moving at46,000 miles an hour crossed Earth’s orbitless than 400,000 miles away. That soundslike there was room to spare. But in fact,this planet had been at that point only sixhours earlier, and the monster wasn’t evendiscovered until it had already passed. HadApollo Asteroid 1989FC, as it waschristened, struck Earth, the AmericanInstitute for Aeronautics and Astronautics(AIAA) calculated, the explosion wouldhave been the equivalent of 1000 to 2500one-megaton hydrogen bombs. That wouldhave caused the instant deaths of millionsin a city with a high population density.

That definitely got the AIAA’s attention.The following year, 1990, it recommendedto Congress that two fundamentallyimportant studies be undertaken: one toincrease the detection rate of near-earthasteroids [NEOs] and the other to findsways to stop any that are probably goingto strike Earth. The House Committee onScience, Space and Technology, which washeaded by Rep. George E. Brown ofCalifornia, responded by putting this in theNASA Multiyear Authorization Act of1990:

“The Committee believes that it isimperative that the detection rate of Earth-orbit-crossing asteroids must be increasedsubstantially, and that the means to destroy

A complete photo-mosaic of the southernhemisphere of the planet Mercury as capturedby Mariner 10 between 1974 and 1975. (SourceNASA/JPL)

or alter the orbits of asteroids when theythreaten collision should be defined andagreed upon internationally.”

The result was an inch-thick reportcalled the Spaceguard Survey (which gotits name from a similar study described inClarke’s 1973 novel, Rendezvous withRama). “Impacts by Earth-approachingasteroids and comets pose a significanthazard to life and property,” the richlydetailed document explained. “Althoughthe annual probability of the Earth beingstruck by a large asteroid or comet isextremely small, the consequences of sucha collision are so catastrophic that it isprudent to assess the nature of the threatand prepare to deal with it.” While the size-to-damage ratio was unclear, the reportsaid, a mile-size impactor would dodamage on a global scale. The answer, thesurvey concluded, was to start acoordinated international effort usingground-based telescopes to locate andcatalogue as many as 100,000 NEOs –about 10 percent of the total population –during the survey’s first 25 years.

That has now been done and it showsthat there is no foreseeable threat by aplanet-killing asteroid. The problem comesfrom the smaller rocks, which are capableof doing severe regional damage if one ormore hits land, or close enough to it tocause a tsunami. The report contained astartling illustration of a tiny “+” markerthat represented Earth surrounded by ablizzard of oblong tracks representing largerocks orbiting around it. There was also a

map of this world showing impact craterson every continent, including theubiquitous Meteor Crater, which hasbecome a kind of logo for the impactfraternity.

The survey also noted up front that“Spacecraft exploration of the terrestrialplanets and the satellites of the outerplanets has revealed crater-scared surfacesthat testify to a continuing rain of impactingprojectiles.”

Indeed, Mariner 10’s three encounterswith Mercury in 1974 and 1975 turned upso many impact craters that the planetlooked as though it had been bombardedby artillery fire since it came into existence.And that, in effect, is exactly whathappened. The Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft,and particularly Voyager 2’s epic GrandTour, in which it had close encounters withfour of the five outer planets and severalof their moons, starting at Jupiter inJanuary 1979 and ending at Neptune at theend of August 1989, sent back anunprecedented stream of imagery thatshowed planetary and moon surfaces thathad been wracked by impactors, some ofthem horrendously large.

Estimates of the number of asteroid andcomet strikes that have inflicted damageon this planet vary considerably because,unlike other bodies with surfaces in thisneighborhood, Earth is a living entity andtherefore has vegetation that can cover ordisguise craters, deserts and oceans thatcan hide them, wind erosion that canpractically erase them altogether, and platetectonics that radically change the planet’scrust every few million years or so. Theestimated number of large craters variesbetween 139 and more than 170. Thelargest of them that has been discoveredso far is the Vredefort Crater in SouthAfrica, which was made about two billionyears ago and is 300 kilometers across. Itmakes Meteor Crater look like a potholein comparison.

Asteroids, comets, and meteors havecaptivated our collective imagination forcenturies. Comets have been taken asportents of major events, good and evil,throughout recorded history. Van Goghcelebrated the awesome sight of a comet


Asteroid Apophis was discovered on June 19,2004. On April 13, 2029, the asteroid will make arecord-setting flyby, coming no closer than 18,300miles from Earth. (Source: NASA/UH/IA)

streaking overhead by painting “StarryNight.”

Doomsday (make that Doom$day) orthe threat of it because of large rocks orchunks of ice sells. A made-for-televisiondrama called “Asteroid” that was made in1997 won an Emmy for outstanding specialvisual effects. There was a video gamecalled “Asteroids” that required the player,who was in a spaceship, to destroy thehurtling rocks while avoiding a collisionwith one. Hollywood got on board in 1998with two nail-biters: “Deep Impact” and“Armageddon.” The first was about atelevision reporter who was investigatinga political scandal in Washington anddiscovered a comet bearing down on Earth.It turned out that the president knew aboutit and dispatched a spacecraft namedMessiah to intercept it and nuke it tosmithereens. The comet was blown intoonly two pieces, though, one of whichslammed into the Atlantic and started atsunami that drowned New York andWashington. The other impacted in Canadaand caused the equivalent of nuclearwinter. The hapless president reacted byordering that a network of caves be builtto hold a million people who were chosenby lottery. “Armageddon” was moreupbeat. It showed an oil driller played byBruce Willis who was rocketed to anasteroid heading toward Earth, landed onit, and martyred himself by blowing it upwith a carry-on nuke a week before impact.(In fact, that would have turned acannonball into grapeshot.)

Several books on the subject have alsobeen published, including Countdown toApocalypse: Asteroids, Tidal Waves andthe End of the World, whose title speaksfor itself; Our Final Hour by Sir MartinRees, whose impeccable credentialsincluded being England’s AstronomerRoyal; and Mitigation of HazardousComets and Asteroids, which contained 17somewhat technical chapters written byreputable scientists who described thesituation and ways to mitigate it (as endingthe threat, one way or another, is called).

David Morrison, a widely respectedastronomer at NASA’s Ames ResearchCenter in California, started an Internet

service called NEO News that regularlyreported on new sightings and otherdevelopments. The B612 Foundation,which was named after that tiny inhabitedasteroid, was founded in October 2001 byApollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart, EdLu, a Shuttle astronaut; Piet Hut, aprofessor of interdisciplinary studies atPrinceton; and Clark Chapman, a seniorscientist and space expert at the SouthwestResearch Institute in Boulder, Colorado.The foundation’s stated goal is specificallyto protect Earth from asteroid strikes. Itsfirst choice is a 270-yard rock namedApophis. It is supposed to pass by at a safedistance in 2029, but some astronomerstheorize that it may get caught in Earth’sgravitational pull as it passes and comearound again… and again… and again inever-tighter orbits until it hits us. AnatolyPerminov, the head of the Russian SpaceAgency, has suggested an internationaleffort to nudge Apophis off course, andSchweickart and his colleagues havesuggested the possibility of using anastrotug the way tug boats nudge ships inharbors, to do the same thing to Apophis.

A NASA-sponsored Science DefinitionTeam published a seminal report, “Studyto Determine the Feasibility of Extendingthe Search for Near-Earth Objects toSmaller Limiting Diameters” in 2003.Congress responded by passing Public law109-155, the NASA Authorization Act of2005, which called for the space agencyto detect, track, catalogue and characterizethe physical characteristics of NEOs equalto or greater than 140 yards in diameter.The intention was laudable. But since thereare a lot more small asteroids than largeones, the task became more expensive, andthe funding to do it was wholly inadequate.Legislators who necessarily had morepressing priorities put the relatively distantpossibility of a run-in with Apophis on theproverbial back burner.

In 1996, an International SpaceguardFoundation was started in Rome byworriers who declared that it was neededfor “the protection of the Earthenvironment against the bombardment ofobjects of the solar system (comets andasteroids).” A Torino Scale, which is the

equivalent of the Richter Scale thatquantifies earthquake threats, was inventedto do the same thing for the asteroid andcomet menace. It begins at 0, at which thelikelihood of a collision is nil, and ends at10, when a collision that causes a globalclimatic catastrophe is certain. That worst-case scenario occurs once every 100,000years or more. (Whew!)

Still, an impact on the lower end of thescale could still be catastrophic. That iswhy the American Institute of Aeronauticsand Astronautics (AIAA) held aninternational meeting, the 2004 PlanetaryDefense Conference: Protecting Earth fromAsteroids, in Orange County, California.Eighty-one papers, most of them highlytechnical, were delivered on subjects suchas “Deflecting a Near-Term Threat:Mission Design for an All-Out NuclearOption” and “Close Proximity Operationsfor Implementing Mitigation Strategies.”

Steven Wolfe, who was on Brown’sstaff, later joined Prof. Robert Shapiro, anNYU chemistry professor, and me, to startan Alliance to Rescue Civilization (ARC),whose intention was to call the public’s andpoliticians’ attention to the impact threatand begin to back up civilization’s record,both on the home planet and in a lunararchive, so that if all else fails, whathappened at the Great Library at


William E. Burrows is an aerospacehistorian. He has written about spacesince the Apollo Program. His booksinclude: This New Ocean: The Story ofthe First Space Age; Deep Black: SpaceEspionage and National Security;Exploring Space: Voyages in the SolarSystem and Beyond; and The SurvivalImperative: Using Space to ProtectEarth. Mr. Burrows won the AAS 1998Eugene M. Emme AstronauticalLiterature Award and the 2008 John F.Kennedy Astronautics Award.

A NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of the comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9. When the comet was observed, its train of 21 icy fragmentsstretched across 710 thousand miles of space: three times the distance between the Earth and Moon. (Source: NASA/ESA/H. Weaver andE. Smith)

Alexandria would not be repeatedworldwide.

The National Research Council, whichis part of the prestigious National Academyof Sciences, became involved in 2008. Itformed two panels of specialists to addressthe impact threat: a 14-member Survey andDetection Panel to collect information onthe threat and describe it, and a 16-memberMitigation Panel that was supposed to usethat data to devise a way of protecting theplanet. The Survey and Detection Panelmet three times and heard experts describethe threat in considerable detail. Some ofthe panelists, themselves, madepresentations. The fate of the MitigationPanel remains uncertain.

Dr. Harold Reitsema, an astronomerwho recently retired from the BallAerospace & Technologies Corporation inBoulder, Colorado was one of the speakers.His presentation, which he developed withsome colleagues in the company, called forsending an NEO-surveying observatorywhose heart is an infrared telescope to anorbit similar to Venus’s, from where itwould have a far better perspective ofthreats to Earth than can be seen by lookingat the sky from the planet’s surface or fromany other place in the firmament.

Ball says that in less than seven and ahalf years, the observatory could spot andtrack more than 90 percent of all NEOslarger than 140 yards and half of thoselarger than 50 yards. It put the mission’s

cost at $638 million, including the launchvehicle.

Finally, the National Research Councilissued its own comprehensive report,“Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth-Object Surveys and Hazard MitigationStrategies” in 2010. The 134-pagedocument was based on material that hadbeen presented at the three meetings, whichincluded the range of threats and theprobabilities of their happening. But thereport’s most ominous section was aboutpolitics, not science. It noted that there is aglaring lack of will to protect the UnitedStates and the rest of the world againstpotential impactors. The implication wasthat planetary defense is a relatively lowpriority; that there are more pressing short-term dangers facing mankind.

The consensus of those who producedthe NRC report was that there is noforeseeable danger of a serious asteroid orcomet impact during the next 30 years.Where most politicians are concerned, thatmight as well be an eternity.

But time is obviously the enemy. RobertF. Arentz, an advanced systems managerfor new business at Ball, was one of thosewho helped formulate the NEO SurveyMission that was the subject of Reitsema’spresentation, and has helped to develop adefensive system, put the situation inchilling perspective. “It’s not a matter ofif,” he said of the impact threat. “It’s amatter of when.”

When that dark day dawns, it may bepossible to prevent the collision, or at leastlimit its effect, by adapting some of theweapons, including nuclear-pumped x-raylasers, brilliant pebbles, and electro-magnetic rail guns, that were dreamed upfor the Strategic Defense Initiative(popularly known as “Star Wars”) thatEdward Teller and his colleagues dreamedup, and President Ronald Reaganannounced, in 1983. They could belaunched as needed to attack an impactorthat could not be nudged off course. Wecould simply pretend that the asteroid orcomet was a huge Soviet warhead. Sincethe damage from the impactor could be fargreater than that caused by a thermonuclearweapon, the defensive system could becalled brilliant boulders.


It’s a well-known fact in that there’snothing easy about manned space flight.The decades-long, multinational effort thathas culminated with the completion of theInternational Space Station is a shiningexample of the complexities involved in thisendeavor. Just imagine designing,constructing and operating a flyinglaboratory the size of a five-bedroom housewith the wing-span of a football field thattravels 220 miles out at Mach 25, orbits theEarth every 90 minutes, and stays in orbitfor 20 years or more. Now that’s anythingbut routine!

Fifteen nations from five major spaceagencies have collaborated to design andbuild what’s been called “one of the greatestengineering feats of all time.” Recognizedby the National Aeronautics Associationwith the 2009 Collier Trophy for “thedesign, development and assembly of theworld’s largest spacecraft,” the space stationshatters the mold as an engineering,scientific, management and diplomaticachievement.

As NASA’s prime space stationcontractor for the design, development,integration, testing and delivery of all theU.S.-built elements, as well as theintegration of international partnerelements, Boeing has been there every stepof the way.

“Nothing this complex has ever beenattempted before — plain and simple,” saidJoy Bryant, vice president and programmanager for Boeing’s International SpaceStation program. “Attempting it is onething, but what is truly remarkable aboutthe International Space Station is that we’veaccomplished it.”

When, How, and Where Did It AllBegin?

Inhabited space stations go back as faras the early 1970s, when Russia (then the

Out of This WorldHuman Achievement Reaches a Pinnacle on theInternational Space Stationby Paula Korn, Melissa Matthews, Kelly Melone, Ed Memi, Adam Morgan, Tabatha Thompson, and Sean Wilson(The authors of this article include current and former members of the Boeing Space Exploration Communications Team)

Soviet Union) launched the world’s firstoutpost in space, the Salyut 1 (1971). TheUnited States soon followed with the launchof Skylab (1973). In 1983, the United Statesbegan planning Space Station Freedom. In1986, the Russians began construction ofthe Mir, which became the world’s firstconsistently inhabited long-term researchstation in space. In the 1990s, aninternational partnership coalesced to buildthe International Space Station, enabling acooperative effort among American,Russian, European, Japanese and Canadianspace agencies. In November 2010, wecommemorated the 10th anniversary ofcontinuous human presence on theInternational Space Station, demonstratingsustained life and work on orbit.

Conceived as an internationalundertaking from the beginning, the spacestation has grown in size, scope andtechnical complexity as it was designed,built and launched, piece by piece, frommultiple locations around the world. At itspeak, the development efforts involved morethan 100,000 dedicated people. Thecomplex assembly phase spanned 15 yearsand provided no opportunity to pre-assembleelements or fit-check interfaces on theground.

The first space station module launchedfrom the Baikonur Space Center inKazakhstan on November 20, 1998, was aRussian-built and U.S.-funded unit calledZarya. The second module, the U.S.-builtUnity, was launched aboard Space ShuttleEndeavour from Kennedy Space Center 14days later. The two elements were joinedtogether in orbit.

Innovation has been a key factor in everyaspect of the station’s development. Qualityand attention to detail has to be perfect.Physical tolerances, for example, could notexceed 3/1,000th of an inch or risk an airleak.

The International Space Station photographed byan STS-132 crew member on Space Shuttle Atlantisafter undocking on May 23, 2010. (Source: NASA)

“Hardware integration has been one ofour biggest challenges,” said MarkMulqueen, vehicle director for Boeing’sInternational Space Station program.“Given the cost and effort involved inlaunching a piece of hardware into space,there simply has been no room for error…”because major components could not be fit-checked on the ground before final assemblyon orbit.

Orbiting DiplomacyThe only thing more complex than the

engineering that went into building theInternational Space Station is the diplomacybehind it. The five primary space agenciesrepresenting 15 countries signedagreements to build and operate the stationon January 29, 1998, along with severalbilateral agreements between individualagencies. Together, the agreementsrepresented an intricate web of contributionsand barters.

Melanie Saunders, now AssociateDirector at NASA’s Johnson Space Centerin Houston, helped negotiate the basicagreement with Russia.

“We had worked together before duringthe Apollo-Soyuz Test Program in the1970s, but nothing on this scale,” sherelated. “Our space programs had evolved


Astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Clayton Anderson install a 1,700-pound ammonia tank on the station’sStarboard 1 truss during STS-131. (Source: NASA)

in parallel, but very separately. We haddifferent approaches to design, test,verification, training, pretty mucheverything. What we have now pulls the bestfrom both.”

During that intense planning period, thepartners forged quality relationships thatchallenged preconceptions still lingering atthe end of the Cold War. Virginia Barnes,then-International Contracts manager forBoeing, helped set up the Boeing and NASAoffices in Moscow.

“There’s a whole new paradigm in workwhen you get to know people. Ourrelationship was built more on similaritiesthan differences,” explained Barnes. “Worldpolitics have not always been stable, but therelationships on the space front haveendured. That’s very promising.”

The program was venturing into a newrealm: international relations. Astronautsand engineers were now becoming linguistsand diplomats. During spacewalks,astronauts and cosmonauts would have toswitch seamlessly between English andRussian as they communicated with missioncontrol in Houston or Moscow.

Although language barriers were the firstsignificant obstacle the partners had toovercome, funding to build the station wasa close second. In addition to requiring thateach partner contribute either hardware orsystems, the agreement also obligated the

partners to pay for their own researchprograms, launch their own experimentsand pay for their share of common operatingexpenses, including transportation of crewto and from the station as well as propellantto fuel the launch vehicle. This process takespolitical finesse because each partnercountry is bound by commitments to itsconstituents.

“We had to work out a lot of sidearrangements to make it successful,”Saunders said. “As you work through thosechallenges, the silver lining is a growingpartnership. You grow stronger as a team.”

Devising Solutions in Thin AirCollaborative spirit and a can-do attitude

are what characterize the way space stationcrews on orbit work with their counterpartson the ground — especially when it comesto solving problems that could jeopardizethe crew’s safety or the ability of the stationto function. Scott Keepers, structures andmechanical systems manager at Boeing,likened the relationship to an “orchestra thatnever gets to play together until openingnight.”

A demonstration of this improvisationalorchestra’s capability came during theshuttle’s October 2007 mission to the spacestation. Astronauts were on a spacewalk tore-position one of the solar arrays thatpowers the station when they hit a snag.

Each solar array wing consists of twophotovoltaic blankets that arrive folded likean accordion. The blankets are mechanicallyextended and retracted along a mast, angledto capture to the sun’s energy. As the blanketunfurled, it caught the sunlight, creating areflection so strong that neither missioncontrol nor the space station crew could seethe operation clearly. Once the glare hadpassed, station commander Peggy Whitsonalerted NASA that the panels had torn intwo spots.

According to Keepers, the response wassimilar to an emergency room triage, wherethe first goal is to stabilize the patient.Within minutes, multiple teams sprang intoaction at NASA’s Johnson Space Center inHouston. The solution would require aconglomeration of engineering andoperations expertise. One team went to workon identifying the problem, a secondconsidered whether the situation posed animmediate hazard and a third focused oncreating a solution.

“They could use only what they hadonboard to fashion a fix,” said Mike Raftery,deputy program manager of Boeing’sInternational Space Station. The basicconcept began with a couple of pieces ofcardboard and some string.

“We derived a scheme using these objectsthat looked like cuff links, only a littlebigger, essentially two small pieces ofaluminum with a twist tie — kind of like acable — that connected them together,”Raftery related. “They would put these littlecuff links through the holes in the solar arrayto build a structure that would carry the loadof the blanket when they extended it.”

Within 36 hours from the initial event,the ground team provided a workablesolution to the on-orbit crew. The newprocedure consisted of wrapping all the toolsneeded with nonconductive tape; attachingthe boom that is normally used to inspectthe shuttle to the end of the station’s roboticarm; then sending out the tallest astronaut,Scott Parazynski, anchored to a footrestraint on the boom, to cut through thetangled wires and reinforce the damagedarea with the improvised cuff links. Whatbecame a seven-hour spacewalk, resulted ina successful resolution.

Matt Duggan, space station missionoperations manager for Boeing, creditsNASA with fostering a cooperative


Astronaut Scott Kelly, Expedition 25 flight engineer,in the Cupola on October 13, 2010, four days afterhe and two other crew members arrived at theInternational Space Station. (Source: NASA)

atmosphere that encourages creativeproblem solving; “It’s a very goodrelationship … And it removes a lot ofbarriers to communication that could existwith a more rigid organization.”

Of course, open communication lines arejust as important to the daily operation ofthe space station as they are when the teamsare responding to a crisis. A typical day inthe engineering control center known as theMission Evaluation Room, or MER, canlook like any other office environment filledwith desks and computers. It is divided bysubsystem teams with each team seated at aconsole.

The operations team drives the spacestation, so members of that team are at thecontrols 24/7, making sure the vehicle issafe. The engineering team in the MERmonitors for problems that may be bubblingjust under the surface.

“It takes a lot of people and lot ofdifferent kinds of skills,” said Raftery. “Oneof the things I think is important to stress isthat the teamwork model really appliesacross country lines.”

Indeed, this multinational effort is beingnoticed. Aviation Week magazine recentlyhonored the International Space Stationwith the 2010 Aviation Week SpaceLaureate Award, recognizing the team forits success in overcoming political andtechnical obstacles to earn a reputation as amodel of international cooperation.

“Go for Research”The International Space Station is now,

in every sense, an orbiting laboratory and amulti-billion dollar macro-engineering

success. A culmination of 26 expeditions,34 space shuttle missions and 145 EVAs hasresulted in an international asset in LowEarth Orbit. The station has integrated morethan 20,000 kg of hardware and software,supporting more than 200 unique researchinvestigations by more than 1,500 scientists— all while station assembly andconstruction were underway. Now, with“assembly complete” on the horizon, it’stime to turn our attention to making surethat this asset is productive in the nextdecade. It’s “GO for research.”

In 2005, the U.S. Congress authorizedNASA to designate roughly half of theAmerican segment of the station as aNational Laboratory, and encouraged NASAto open research opportunities to otherfederal entities, as well as privateresearchers. Experiments are designed byinvestigators on the ground, housed on orbitin “racks,” or external pallets, andmaintained by ground operators and/orastronauts in space. The full capability ofresources are in place and the astronauts,previously busy with the assembly phase,will now be able to devote significantly moretime to research.

Sharing Scientific and EconomicObjectives

The strategic objectives of theInternational Space Station are to enable theadvancement of science, technology,education and math (STEM), and tostimulate economic growth. In other words,open up a new economy in Low Earth Orbitwith the space station positioned as acatalyst.

Tactically, these objectives are bestachieved by launching an initiative thatlooks at the station’s mission from twoperspectives: First, what are NASA’smission requirements and mission-drivenneeds for the space station? And second,what are our nation’s requirements and usesfor the space station?

NASA’s needs dovetail neatly with thebroad space-faring objectives, initiallyadvanced in 2004 in the Vision for SpaceExploration and later refined and restatedby President Obama in his 2011 Budget forNASA. The primary objectives are toadvance scientific research that will helpastronauts survive and thrive on the longerduration missions required by such distant

objects as the moon or Mars, study our ownhome planet as well as the cosmos aroundus, and advance spacecraft technology to thenext generation.

As Dr. Neal Pellis, senior scientist forNASA Space Life Sciences at Johnson SpaceCenter explained, designating the spacestation as a U.S. National Laboratory fitsthe exploration format extremely well —the kind of scientific exploration that leadsto discovery that, in turn, leads tobreakthrough development and innovation— on Earth.

However, these two perspectives don’tfully accommodate all the partners and otherentities that are interested in accessing andutilizing this amazing orbiting asset. Dr.Julie Robinson, program scientist for theInternational Space Station at NASA,explained that the station’s internationalpartners’ needs account for about 25 percentof the shared laboratories of the Destiny,Kibo and Columbus elements. NASA’sneeds and the nation’s needs split theremaining 75 percent of the lab’s usage.

NASA’s mission-driven research on thestation covers a significant scientificterritory. The space station, in addition tobeing a working proof-of-concept forbuilding life-sustaining structures in amicrogravity environment, is an orbitingclassroom and laboratory and its missionspecialists are teachers and scientists.

Redefining ExplorationThe non-profit National Laboratory

initiative was established to respond torequirements of the National Institutes ofHealth, National Science Foundation,Department of Defense, Defense AdvancedResearch Projects Agency and Departmentof Agriculture, among other federalagencies, along with various academicresearch institutions and private entities thatare entering into entrepreneurialdevelopmental enterprises in partnershipwith NASA. Accounting for half of theU.S.’s use of space station, the NationalLab’s over-arching objective is to stimulate,develop and manage non-NASA uses of thestation.

Mark Uhran, NASA’s assistant associateadministrator for the International SpaceStation, explained that the policy issue, withregard to future utilization of the station byits various stakeholders, agency,


government, industry, institutions andinternational partners, has everything to dowith diversity and time.

For example, while NASA may befocused on next-generation space vehicletechnology and mitigating the effects of longduration in space on crew health, a privateinstitution or firm may be trying to developa vaccine for bacterial pathogens afterdiscovering heightened virulence in thebacterium in a microgravity environment.

Although scientific research in spaceover the past 25 years has been performedduring shuttle missions using space labs andresearch lockers, in addition to the RussianMir program, none of those programsafforded science much more than a briefspace lab experience.

“It’s pretty tough to advance an R&Dagenda when you’ve got only one missionper year, a week or two in the lab at best,”Uhran said. Permanently operatinglaboratories are needed.

Dr. Robinson describes the differencebetween NASA’s fundamental missions forthe space station and the National Lab’s.Where NASA is focused on performingscience that will promote space exploration,National Lab users are driven by othermotives. For example, the NationalInstitutes of Health are focused onimproving human health on Earth. They

Astronauts Michael Good and Garrett Reisman, mission specialists on STS-132, perform the mission’s finalspacewalk on May 21, 2010, to install new batteries for the B side of the port 6 solar array. (Source: NASA)

may choose to fund a piece of research that’snot all that different from what NASA maychoose to fund, but they’ve chosen it with adifferent objective.

“The space station utilization pie isn’tdivided up according to discipline. It’sdivided by mission,” Dr. Robinsonexplained. “And with all these differentstakeholders doing research with discreteobjectives — the diversity helps us get fulleconomic return from the station. It meansthat commercial or non-profits can use thespace environment to develop an improvedproduct or service or drug therapy to makepeople’s lives better.”

The Power of MicrogravityWe’ve all seen images of astronauts and

mission specialists floating about the stationor anchored to the treadmill or at aworkstation. But where we tend to take themicrogravity environment for granted,scientists most definitely do not. As lifeevolved over billions of years, gravity hasnever changed. Therefore, there’s nodefined set on how living systems adapt togravitational changes. It’s impossible topredict what will be learned by controllinggravity as an experimental variable, butwhen scientists do a good job of controllinga variable they couldn’t control before,breakthroughs often result.

A particularly timely example is theseries of National Laboratory Pathfinder –Vaccine (NLP-V) missions, sponsored byAstrogenetix, Inc., a subsidiary ofSPACEHAB, Inc. This initiativesuccessfully brought industry together withacademic and government interests in thedevelopment of a vaccine for Salmonella.Building on exploratory work fundedinitially by NASA that identified geneticchanges in Salmonella related to increasedvirulence in space, Astrogenetix applied theknowledge to rapidly identify a candidatevaccine.

Ironically, the current and futureutilization of the International Space Stationis, perhaps, the most eloquent realizationof NASA’s original three-part missionconceived long before the notion of such anorbiting asset was even a glimmer inNASA’s eye: To improve life here, to extendlife to there, to find life beyond.

The use of the space station as atechnology demonstration test bed for thehardware, software, instrumentation andprocesses for space exploration systems, aswell as a potential “base-camp” for futureexploration missions, means the third goalis a possibility upon which we can continueto hang our space-faring dreams. Thecompletion of the station assembly and itsability to sustain a full crew and meet theLow Earth Orbit needs of our internationalpartners satisfies the second. And theactivities of the on-orbit National Labpromise to fulfill the first part of NASA’smission.

The space station now provides anopportunity to continuously - notepisodically - explore, experiment anddiscover.

“Progress in science is not reallymeasured by the amount of data youcollect,” Dr. Pellis points out. “It’s measuredby the number of answers you get.”

Dr. Robinson takes a wider view, as shewrote in the Houston Chronicle in early2010.

“Scientists from all over the world areusing space station facilities, putting theirtalents to work in almost all areas of scienceand technology. They’re sharing thisknowledge to make life on Earth better forpeople of all nations and expanding thehorizons of our exploration capabilities.”


AAS Corporate MembersAAS Events ScheduleFebruary 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 29-31, 201149th Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium“NASA: More Than You Imagine”Greenbelt MarriottGreenbelt, Marylandwww.astronautical.org

June 10-12, 2011Student CanSat CompetitionAbeline, Texaswww.cansatcompetition.com

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

*AAS Cosponsored Meetings

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 UniversityGeneral Dynamics AISGeorge Mason University/CAPRHoneywell Technology Solutions, Inc.International Space UniversityJet Propulsion LaboratoryKinetX, Inc.Lockheed Martin CorporationNational Institute of AerospaceN. Hahn & Co., Inc.NoblisNorthrop 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

Thank you for your continued support!

Deadline for 2011 AASLady Mamie Ngan

Scholarship applicationsis January 4, 2011


Membership Type! Regular .................................. $100! Affiliate ............................. $100! Senior ................................. $115! Fellow (renewal only) .... $115! Retired .................................. $50! Teacher (K-12) ................... $45! Student (full-time) ............ $45

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Membership Benefits Include: Subscriptions to the quarterly The Journal ofthe Astronautical Sciences and the bi-monthly Space Times magazine, as wellas reduced rates at all AAS conferences. Visit the AAS website for additionalinformation about benefits.

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A popular way of donating to an organization is through a gift by means of a will (i.e., to make a bequest). You maydecide to consider either a general bequest to the AAS or a bequest targeted to an existing or new AAS scholarship oran 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 gifts couldcontribute to the memory of someone who has passed away or be made in the honor of a person who is still alive. Inaddition, 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 legal advisorshould be consulted about such actions.

Charitable Giving and the AAS

Presentations from the AAS National Conference(ISS - The Next Decade) are posted at

www.astronautical.org


49th ROBERT H. GODDARD MEMORIAL SYMPOSIUM

Tuesday, March 296:00 Evening Networking Reception /

Symposium Warm-up

Wednesday, March 307:30 Registration Opens / Continental Breakfast8:30 Welcome and Announcements

- Frank Slazer, Northrop Grumman, AAS President- Harley Thronson, Associate Director for Advanced Concepts in Astrophysics, NASA GSFC

8:40 Introduction of Keynote SpeakerRob Strain, Director, NASA Goddard SpaceFlight Center and Symposium Honorary Chair

8:45 KeynoteCharles F. Bolden, Jr., NASA Administrator invited

9:45 Panel: NASA Headquarters AssociateAdministrators

12:00 Awards LuncheonGuest Speaker: Member of Congress

1:30 How We Got Where We AreRoger Launius, Senior Curator, Division ofSpace History, National Air and Space Museum,Smithsonian Institution

2:00 Panel: Yuri’s 50th Anniversary and theFuture of Human Spaceflight

3:30 Break3:45 Panel: NASA’s Three Chiefs – Operations

and Research5:15 Presentation of Carl Sagan Memorial Award

and Closing RemarksRecipient: Charles Elachi, Director, JetPropulsion Laboratory and Vice President,California Institute of Technology

5:45 Networking Reception

49th Robert H. Goddard Memorial SymposiumNASA: More Than You Imagine

Greenbelt Marriott Hotel, Greenbelt, MarylandMarch 29-31, 2011

– Program Outline –Thursday, March 318:00 Registration Opens / Continental Breakfast9:00 Introduction of Keynote Speaker

Rob Strain, Director, NASA Goddard SpaceFlight Center and Symposium Honorary Chair

9:05 KeynoteJohn Holdren, Science Advisor to the Presidentand Director, Office of Science and TechnologyPolicy invited

9:45 Panel: Protecting Our Home11:30 Luncheon

Guest Speaker: David Neyland, Director,Tactical Technology Office, Defense AdvancedResearch Projects Agency (DARPA)

1:00 NASA’s Educational Initiatives1:30 Panel: Partnerships That Matter3:00 Break3:30 Panel: Commercial Spaceflight to LEO5:00 Wrap-up and Final Thoughts5:15 Closing Reception


3rd WERNHER VON BRAUN MEMORIAL SYMPOSIUM

With a theme of “21st Century Approachesto the Use and Development of Space,” the thirdWernher von Braun Memorial Symposium washeld on the campus of The University of Alabamain Huntsville, October 25-27. The AmericanAstronautical Society (AAS) organized the eventwith the support of UAHuntsville, NASAMarshall Space Flight Center, and the HuntsvilleNational Space Club. Co-sponsors includedAerojet, ATK, The Boeing Company, Honeywell,JHU/Applied Physics Laboratory, NorthropGrumman, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, andTeledyne Brown Engineering. The symposiumfeatured panel discussions and guest speakersreflecting government, industry, academia,business, and international perspectives. RebeccaSpyke Keiser, NASA’s Associate DeputyAdministrator for Policy Integration, gave thekeynote address. Space News was the mediasponsor.

“We were excited to return to Huntsville for what is becoming an annual event for the space community, since the city has playedsuch a central role in America’s space program,” said AAS Executive Director Jim Kirkpatrick. “The Symposium provided anexcellent opportunity to learn about varied and diverse approaches, both domestic and international, to developing and using spacecapabilities.”

Panels on October 26 covered perspectives on U.S. space policy; international views on the future use and development of space,and creating security, stability, and sustainability using space. Ambassador Gregory Schulte, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defensefor Space Policy, was the luncheon speaker. Presentations on October 27 included the outlook for the aerospace industrial base,engaging aerospace professionals of the future, and the innovations and operations of the Marshall Space Flight Center that have laidthe foundation for the future. NASA’s Associate Administrator, Chris Scolese, was the luncheon speaker.

Presentations have been posted at www.astronautical.org.

3rd Von Braun Symposium Hits the Markin Huntsville

Panelists Bretton Alexander, Marcia Smith, Michael Griffin, and Gary Payton. (Source: Chrystal Morgan/UAHuntsville)

Luncheon speaker Christopher Scolese. (Source: Chrystal Morgan/UAHuntsville)


The 2011 AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference will be held July 31-August 4, 2011, at The Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood,Alaska. The conference is organized by the American Astronautical Society (AAS) Space Flight Mechanics Committee and co-sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Astrodynamics Technical Committee. Manuscripts aresolicited on topics related to space-flight mechanics and astrodynamics, including but not limited to:

• Asteroid and non-Earth orbiting missions• Atmospheric re-entry guidance and control• Attitude dynamics, determination and control• Attitude-sensor and payload-sensor calibration• Dynamical systems theory applied to space flight problems• Dynamics and control of large space structures and tethers• Earth orbital and planetary mission studies• Flight dynamics operations and spacecraft autonomy• Orbit determination and space-surveillance tracking• Orbital debris and space environment• Orbital dynamics, perturbations, and stability• Rendezvous, relative motion, proximity missions, and formation flying• Reusable launch vehicle design, dynamics, guidance, and control• Satellite constellations• Spacecraft guidance, navigation and control (GNC)• Trajectory / mission / maneuver design and optimization

Manuscripts will be accepted based on the quality of the extended abstract, the originality of the work and/or ideas, and the anticipatedinterest in the proposed subject. Submissions that are based on experimental results or current data, or report on ongoing missions,are especially encouraged.Complete manuscripts are required before the conference. The working language for the conference is English.

SPECIAL SESSIONSProposals are being considered for suitable special sessions, such as topical panel discussions, invited sessions, workshops, mini-symposia, and technology demonstrations. A proposal for a panel discussion should include the session title, a brief description of thediscussion topic(s), and a list of the speakers and their qualifications. For an invited session, workshop, mini-symposium, ordemonstration, a proposal should include the session title, a brief description, and a list of proposed activities and/or invited speakersand paper titles. Prospective special-session organizers should submit their proposals to the Technical Chairs.

VENUELocated just 40 miles from Anchorage and the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, the Alyeska Resort is near three nationalparks and the Kenai Peninsula, and surrounded by the Chugach Mountains. More information about the resort facilities and activitiescan be found at the website http://www.alyeskaresort.com.

BREAKWELL STUDENT TRAVEL AWARDThe AAS Space Flight Mechanics Committee announces the John V. Breakwell Student Travel Award. This award provides travelexpenses for up to three (3) U.S. and Canadian students presenting papers at this conference. Students wishing to apply for this

CALL FOR PAPERS ABSTRACT DEADLINE: April 5, 2011

CALL FOR PAPERS2011 AAS/AAIA Astrodynamics Specialist ConferenceThe Hotel Alyeska, Girdwood, AlaskaJuly 31-August 4, 2011


award are strongly advised to submit their completed paper by the abstract submittal deadline. The maximum coverage per studentis limited to $1,000. Details and applications may be obtained via http://www.space-flight.org.

INFORMATION FOR AUTHORSBecause the submission deadline of April 5, 2011 has been fully extended for the convenience of contributors, there are no plans todefer this deadline due to the constraints of the conference planning schedule. Due to the large number of expected submissions, weencourage authors to submit abstracts early. Notification of acceptance will be sent via email by May 10, 2011. Detailed authorinstructions will be sent by email following acceptance. By submitting an abstract, the author affirms that the manuscript’s majoritycontent has not been previously presented or published elsewhere.Authors may access the web-based abstract submittal system using the link available via the official website http://www.space-flight.org. During the online submission process, authors are expected to provide:1. a paper title, as well as the name, affiliation, postal address, telephone number, and email address of the corresponding author andeach co-author;2. an extended abstract in the Portable Document File (PDF) format of at least 500 words that includes the title and authors, andprovides a clear and concise statement of the problem to be addressed, the proposed method of solution, the results expected orobtained, and an explanation of its significance to astrodynamics and/or space-flight mechanics, with pertinent references andsupporting tables and figures as necessary; and3. a condensed abstract (100 words) to be included in the conference program, which is directly typed into the text box provided onthe web page and avoids the use of special symbols or characters, such as Greek letters.Foreign contributors requiring an official letter of acceptance for a visa application should contact the Technical Chairmen by emailat their earliest opportunity.

Technology Transfer Notice Technology transfer guidelines substantially extend the time required to review abstracts and manuscriptsby private enterprises and government agencies. To preclude late submissions and withdrawals, it is the responsibility of the author(s)to determine the extent of necessary approvals prior to submitting an abstract.

No-Paper/No-Podium Policy – A complete manuscript must be electronically uploaded to the web site prior to the conference inPDF format, be no more than twenty pages in length, and conform to the AAS manuscript format. If a complete manuscript is notreceived on time, then its presentation at the conference shall be forfeited; and if a presentation is not made by an author at theconference, then the manuscript shall be omitted from published proceedings.

Questions concerning the submission of papers should be addressed to the technical chairs.AAS Technical Chair AIAA Technical ChairDr. Hanspeter Schaub Dr. Brian C. GunterAerospace Engineering Sciences Department Physical and Space Geodesy (PSG)ECNT 321, 431 UCB Delft Inst. of Earth Obs. & Space Systems (DEOS)Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research Delft University of TechnologyUniversity of Colorado Kluyverweg 1, 2629 HS Delft, The NetherlandsBoulder, CO 80309-0431 +31-15-27-82565303-492-2767 +31-15-27-82348 (fax)303-492-2825 (fax) [email protected]@colorado.edu

All other questions should be directed to the General Chairs.AAS General Chair AIAA General ChairDr. Ryan P. Russell Dr. William Todd CervenGuggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering The Aerospace CorporationGeorgia Institute of Technology 15049 Conference Center Drive270 Ferst Drive Suite 600Atlanta, GA 30332-0150 Chantilly, VA 20151404-385-3342 571-307-4208404-894-2760 (fax) 571-307-4317 (fax)[email protected] [email protected]


NOTES ON NEW BOOKS

2009 AAS Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Award: Winner

Ambassadors from Earth: PioneeringExplorations with Unmanned Spacecraft

Ambassadors from Earth: PioneeringExplorations with UnmannedSpacecraft, by Jay Gallentine, Lincoln:University of Nebraska Press, 2009, 500pages, illustrated.

The history of humanity’s firstventures into space has long beenovershadowed by the heroic and well-publicized adventure of mannedspaceflight in the 1960s and ‘70s.However, it was in the 1950s thatAmerican and Soviet scientists andengineers established the unmannedprograms that produced the Sputnik andExplorer satellites. Thus inaugurating thespace age, as Jay Gallentine recounts inthis year’s recipient of the 2009 EugeneE. Emme Award for AstronauticalLiterature. In the United States and theSoviet Union these robotic probes wherethe heralds of the crewed ships thatfollowed. Their descendants outpaced thecislunar ventures of the manned spaceprograms by visiting Venus, Mars,Jupiter and beyond. It is to thedominantly scientific aims of thesespacecraft that we owe our currentdetailed knowledge of the solar system.

Ambassadors from Earth is anenergetic and accessible account of thechallenges encountered and successesachieved by the relatively unsungscientists and engineers who pioneeredthe robotic (instrumented) exploration ofspace. Gallentine’s history is impressivenot only for its careful research andcomprehensive reporting but the lightway in which it is presented. Thechallenge that the author set for himself

Reviewed by the Emme Award Panel of the AAS History Committee

was to tell a familiar story in a way thatis accessible and also adds significantdetail to what we know. A wonderfulexample is his recount of the events thatlead up to the triumphant 1958photograph of Van Allen, Pickering, andvon Braun holding aloft a model ofExplorer I (96-97). The effect is to placethe reader in the moment, providing thekind of lived detail routinely excludedfrom program histories.

This book’s adept handling of theSoviet program that produced theSputnik, Luna and Venera probes inparallel with the US’s Explorer, Viking,Mariner, and Voyager programs enforcesthe lesson that pioneering the spacefrontier was never exclusive to the West.It was more an international venture, if

a competition, in the same vein as earlierattempts to gain the South Pole or tosummit Everest. On either side of thisinternational space race Gallentine takescare to recover the human stories behindthe geopolitical maneuvers of the ColdWar. Thus he digs into the backgroundand motivations of the large corps ofAmericans and Russians who suppliedthe hard-won ingenuity that made theinstrumented exploration of spacepossible. What this means is that thereader learns about individuals such asGeorge Ludwig, the University of Iowagraduate student whose work wasessential to James Van Allen’s discoveryof Earth’s radiation belts. AndGallentine’s account of the dangerouspolitical intrigue and interference thatattended Soviet efforts enhances respectfor what Chief Designer Korolev andother members his team was able toachieve.

Ambassadors from Earth is this year’sEmme Award winner not only becauseof its careful attention to the scientificand technical achievements of its subjectbut also for its energetic portrait of thelives and personalities responsible for thecreation and flight of unmannedspacecraft. This reminds us that howeverexotic the destination or the technologythat takes us there, our motives andcapabilities will always be earthbound,grounded in the world we know. Thisbook provides a wonderful way ofrenewing interest in the pioneeringcontributions of the unmanned spaceprograms pursued by the United Statesand the Soviet Union.


NOTES ON NEW BOOKS

2009 AAS Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature (Youth) Award: Winners

If I Were an Astronaut

Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow?

The Emme Award for Astronautical Literature (Youth), or Emme Junior as it is affectionately called, is a newAAS award to recognize publications aimed at K-12 students who seek to inspire and educate today’sstudents (and tomorrow’s leaders). Entries were judged on originality (format, style, and subject), ability toinspire, educational content, technical accuracy, and effectiveness in reaching the intended audience. Weare pleased to recognize the following recipients of the inaugural Emme Junior Awards.

Emme Junior (Children)

Emme Junior (Young Adult)

If I Were an Astronaut, by Eric Braun,Picture Window Books

A question asked by parents andteachers is, “How do we get young peopleexcited about space and its importance?”Many will answer, “Make it interesting forthem and start them when they are young.”Eric Braun has done just that in his bookIf I Were an Astronaut.

Braun lets children in on the life of anastronaut during a mission to theInternational Space Station. The writingstyle and illustrations help children

Reviewed by the Emme Junior Award Panel

understand the fun and excitement of anastronaut’s job while teaching them theimportance of space exploration. SharonHarmer’s descriptive illustrations nicelycomplement Braun’s text – the charmingchild-like characters and simple yetthorough illustrations create an awarenessof the fascinating places beyond ouratmosphere.

If I Were an Astronaut puts children intothe shoes (or rather, helmet) of an astronautand will be one of the first looks into thespace program for many children. Thisbook also provides children with a glossary

of terms, and a list of other books to readand internet sites to visit for moreinformation. Braun also delves into whyastronauts go into space – to conductexperiments, to perform mechanicaloperations, and to make scientificdiscoveries – while keeping it “kid-friendly.”

This book is an excellent choice foranswering that question.

Whatever Happened to the World ofTomorrow?, Brian Fies, Abram ComicArts

Whatever Happened to the World ofTomorrow? answers the question – if it stillneeded to be asked – of whether a graphicnovel can be as educational andentertaining as a standard book. Yes it can– perhaps it can even do more.

This is a book that can be enjoyed on anumber of levels. There are somewonderfully sly and ironic asides that onlya careful reader will spot. But mostly thebook takes us on an enjoyable ride throughthe imagination of a young child from the1930s onward. The personal tales show

Reviewed by the Emme Junior Award Panel

how America’s love of space sciences andthe promise of the future rose on loftynational dreams of a bright future wherescience cured all problems, only to beslowed by a mixture of cynicism and

reality. Its examination of futures past isfascinating, especially to compare them soclosely side-by-side.

It would be a pessimistic finale, to lookhow many of the dreams of prior decadesdid not happen, if not for the book’s ending,which says something very important thatfew books for adults or youth ever capture– and certainly never as well as this book.In short, it shows how not reaching thedreams of the past is not always a badthing, as long as they are replaced bynewer, smarter, better dreams, based onnew ideas, new experience, and a freshsense of wonder. We can’t imagine a bettertime for young people to hear this inspiringmessage, and this book delivers it withgrace and style.


NEW AAS OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS

Introducing the OfficersTerm Expires November 2012Frank A. Slazer - President Northrop GrummanLyn D. Wigbels - Executive Vice President President, RWI International Consulting ServicesDavid B. Spencer - Vice President Technical Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Penn State UniversityJ. Walter Faulconer - Vice President Programs President, Strategic Space SolutionsRichard D. Burns - Vice President Publications Deputy Project Manager for the Space Science Mission Operations Project, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterKen Davidian - Vice President Strategic Communications and Outreach Office of Commerical Space Transportation, Federal Aviation AdministrationRandall Correll - Vice President Membership Director, Business Development, Space Science and Exploration, Ball Aerospace & Technologies CorporationDustin Doud - Vice President Education Manager, Business Development, SpaceXCarol S. Lane - Vice President Finance Vice President, Washington Operations, Ball Aerospace & Technologies CorporationLance Bush - Vice President International Chief Strategic Officer, Paragon Space Development CorporationMarcia S. Smith - Vice President Public Policy President, Space and Technology Policy Group, LLCFranceska O. Schroeder - Legal Counsel Principal, Fish & Richardson P.C.

Introducing the New DirectorsTerm Expires November 2013Ronald J. Birk Director, Civil & Military Systems Business Development, Northrop GrummanVince DeFrancisci Director, Program Development, Universities Space Research Association (USRA)Peggy Finarelli Senior Fellow, Center for Aerospace Policy Research, George Mason UniversityRebecca L. Griffin President, GriffinSpace LLCHal E. Hagemeier Deputy Director, National Security Space OfficeSusan J. Irwin President, Euroconsult USMolly Kenna Macauley Research Director and Senior Fellow, Resources for the FutureKathy J. Nado Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, NASALesa B. Roe Director, NASA Langley Research CenterWoodrow Whitlow, Jr. Associate Director for Mission Support, NASA

Steven B. Jolly – Chair, Rocky Mountain Section Lockheed Martin AstronauticsJames McQuerry – Chair, Guidance & Control Committee Ball Aerospace & Technologies CorporationMike Ciancone – Chair, History Committee NASA Johnson Space CenterLance Bush – Chair, International Programs Committee Paragon Space Development CorporationThomas J. Eller – Chair, Space Flight Mechanics Committee ASTRO USA, LLC

And the Unsung Heroes – AAS Chairs and EditorsMoriba K. Jah – Chair, Space Surveillance Committee Air Force Research LaboratoryJeff Elbel – Editor, Space Times SAIC – ChicagoKathie Howell – Editor, The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences Purdue UniversityBob Jacobs – AAS Publications Office Univelt IncorporatedDick Obermann – Capital Hill Liaison House Committee on Science and Technology


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