NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden pays tribute to Neil Armstrong in this video, released today. Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon, died on Saturday at the age of 82 of complications following heart bypass surgery.
President Obama issued a declaration today ordering U.S. flags to be flown at half staff on the day that Neil Armstrong is laid to rest.
Funeral plans for Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon, are still being finalized, but various reports on Twitter say they will be private and will be held on Friday. Whenever he is interred, the proclamation requires that American flags at the White House, on all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all government naval vessels, in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions, as well as at U.S. embassies and other offices around the world, will be flown at half staff until sunset that day.
Armstrong died on Saturday at the age of 82 from complications following heart bypass surgery.
President Obama and Apollo 11 crewmates Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins are among the many paying tribute to Neil Armstrong. Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon, died yesterday at the age of 82 of complications following heart bypass surgery.
Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Neil Armstrong.
Neil was among the greatest of American heroes – not just of his time, but of all time. When he and his fellow crew members lifted off aboard Apollo 11 in 1969, they carried with them the aspirations of an entire nation. They set out to show the world that the American spirit can see beyond what seems unimaginable – that with enough drive and ingenuity, anything is possible. And when Neil stepped foot on the surface of the moon for the first time, he delivered a moment of human achievement that will never be forgotten.
Today, Neil’s spirit of discovery lives on in all the men and women who have devoted their lives to exploring the unknown – including those who are ensuring that we reach higher and go further in space. That legacy will endure – sparked by a man who taught us the enormous power of one small step.
Apollo 11 landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969. The mission had three crewmembers: Armstrong, commander; Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot; and Mike Collins, command module pilot. Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the lunar surface while Collins remained in the command module in lunar orbit to pilot the command module as it docked with the lunar module’s ascent stage for the return trip home.
Aldrin issued a formal statement in addition to a number of tweets yesterday (@TheRealBuzz). His formal statement is as follows:
I am deeply saddened by the passing of my good friend, and space exploration companion, Neil Armstrong today. As Neil, Mike Collins and I trained together for our historic Apollo 11 Mission, we understood the many technical challenges we faced, as well as the importance and profound implications of this historic journey. We will now always be connected as the crew of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, yet for the many millions who witnessed that remarkable achievement for humankind, we were not alone.
Whenever I look at the moon I am reminded of that precious moment, over four decades ago, when Neil and I stood on the desolate, barren, yet beautiful, Sea of Tranquility, looking back at our brilliant blue planet Earth suspended in the darkness of space, I realized that even though we were farther away from earth than two humans had ever been, we were not alone. Virtually the entire world took that memorable journey with us. I know I am joined by many millions of others from around the world in mourning the passing of a true American hero and the best pilot I ever knew. My friend Neil took the small step but giant leap that changed the world and will forever be remembered as a historic moment in human history.
I had truly hoped that on July 20th, 2019, Neil, Mike and I would be standing together to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of our moon landing, as we also anticipated the continued expansion of humanity into space, that our small mission helped make possible. Regrettably, this is not to be. Neil will most certainly be there with us in spirit.
On behalf of the Aldrin family, we extend our deepest condolences to Carol and the entire Armstrong family. I will miss my friend Neil as I know our fellow citizens and people around world will miss this foremost aviation and space pioneer.
May he Rest in Peace, and may his vision for our human destiny in space be his legacy.
Collins does not appear to have issued an official statement, but NASA’s Public Affairs head Bob Jacobs (@bnjacobs) tweeted yesterday that, when told of Armstrong’s passing, Collins said “He was the best, and I will miss him terribly.”
In their announcement of Armstrong’s passing, his family encouraged everyone who wanted to honor him to “honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.” #WinkAtTheMoon has become a new Twitter hashtag.
The National Research Council (NRC) has formally kicked off the study on the future of human spaceflight that is required by the 2010 NASA Authorization Act.
Section 204 of that law (P.L. 111-267) directed NASA to contract with the NRC in FY2012 — which ends on September 30 — for a “review of the goals, core capabilities, and direction of human spaceflight.” By law, the review is to include —
The statement of task for the study, negotiated between NASA and the NRC based on the law, provides more details on what the committee is being charged to do.
The NRC’s website says it is now in the “committee nomination process.” NRC officials have said previously that the study is expected to take 22 months once it begins, which would put its release in mid-2014.
The NRC currently has a separate study underway in response to language included in NASA’s FY2012 appropriations bill by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) on NASA’s Strategic Direction. That study covers all of NASA’s activities and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden announced on August 23 that SpaceX is now certified to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) with cargo following the successful test flight of its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft in May.
The first Dragon flight as part of the operational Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract is scheduled for October. SpaceX has been demonstrating the capability to send a cargo spacecraft to the ISS; now it is transitioning to routine services. NASA already had contracted with SpaceX for 12 resupply flight services through 2015 before the tests were completed.
The tests were part of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program where NASA provides funding for two companies to develop commercial space transportation systems to take cargo to ISS. NASA and the companies share the costs for developing the systems, which differentiates this type of agreement from a typical government development contract where the government provides all the money. The COTS program began in 2006 under the George W. Bush Administration after it decided that the space shuttle program would be terminated once ISS construction was completed and alternative ways to resupply ISS crews would be required.
The other company in the COTS program is Orbital Sciences Corp. The first launch of its Antares rocket with a Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled for December. That launch date, like those for SpaceX’s test flights, has slipped several times. Orbital will be launching from the Wallops Flight Facility on the coast of Virginia rather than Cape Canaveral, FL. Orbital did not join the COTS program until about a year and a half after SpaceX, replacing a company (Rocketplane Kistler) that failed to meet its milestones.
The corollary to the COTS program, which is for cargo services, is the Commercial Crew program. The Obama Administration embraced this initiative, the initial steps of which were taken during the Bush Administration, to replace the shuttle’s crew carrying capability. NASA recently selected three companies — SpaceX, Boeing and Sierra Nevada — for the third phase of the commercial crew program, dubbed Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCAP). Bolden also announced on August 23 that Sierra Nevada has completed its first milestone under the CCiCAP award already. That step was a program implementation plan review for its Dream Chaser spacecraft, the only winged vehicle of the three competing designs. SpaceX and Boeing are developing capsules that resemble Apollo spacecraft. Dream Chaser looks somewhat like the space shuttle.
Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser during full scale captive carry test, May 2012
Photo credit: Sierra Nevada
For those of you who were intrigued by Laura Delgado’s summary of last week’s Secure World Foundation (SWF)/Space Foundation panel discussion, the podcast of that meeting is now available.
Peter Marquez, former White House Director of Space Policy in the latter years of the George W. Bush Administration and early years of the Obama Administration, was one of the speakers at the event, which focused on space security and international cooperation in space. SWF has released the podcast on its website.
Among other things, he compared the current status of development of an International Space Code of Conduct to being digested over a thousand years in the stomach of the Star Wars creature the sarlaac. His comments on that and other issues begin at 20:26 on the recording. Other speakers are:
Introductions
Panelists:
Moderator: Victoria Samson, Washington Office Director, Secure World Foundation
The Schafer Corporation announced on August 14 that Michael Griffin is its new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Griffin was the Administrator of NASA during President George W. Bush’s second term and most recently was a professor at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. He also is the President of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the first to be elected for a two-year term.
He is identified as a member of presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s space policy advisory group on a Romney website.
In its press release, Schafer describes itself as a “leading provider of scientific, engineering and technical services and products applied to defeating national security threats.” Griffin has often described his career as having been spent about 50-50 in the civil and national security space arenas. Schafer Corporation has nine offices nationwide, including Arlington, VA; Huntsville, AL; Albuquerque, NM; St. Louis, MO; Dayton, OH; as well as in Massachusetts, Hawaii and California.
UPDATE: This article has been updated throughout, most recently by adding NASA Administrator Bolden’s statement.
Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the Moon, died today at the age of 82.
In a statement posted on the Internet, Armstrong’s family says that he died “following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures.” The statement continues: “For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.”
Photo credit: http://neilarmstronginfo.com
A naval aviator from 1949-1952, Armstrong went to work for NASA’s predecessor, the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA), in 1955 where he was an engineer, test pilot and administrator. He was chosen in the second group of astronauts in 1962. He was the command pilot for Gemini 8, conducting the first successful docking of two space vehicles.
He will be forever remembered, however, as the commander of Apollo 11 and the first man to set foot on the Moon. Along with lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin and command module pilot Mike Collins, the three entered the history books on July 20, 1969 when the lunar module, Eagle, landed at “Tranquillity Base” on the surface of the Moon.
Following the Obama Administration’s cancellation of the Constellation program, Armstrong emerged as a passionate advocate for U.S. leadership in human spaceflight and returning humans to the Moon. In testimony before the House Science, Space and Technology Committee on September 22, 2011, he said the “absence of a master plan [for human spaceflight] that is understood and supported by government, industry, academia and society as a whole frustrates everyone. NASA itself, riven by conflicting forces and the dashed hopes of canceled programs, must find ways of restoring hope and confidence to a confused and disconsolate work force.”
NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said that “As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them….Besides being one of America’s greatest explorers, Neil carried himself with a grace and humility that was an example to us all….As we enter this next era of exploration, we do so standing on the shoulders of Neil Armstrong. We mourn the passing of a friend, fellow astronaut and true American hero.”
Editor’s Note: I had the privilege — and it truly was — of working with Neil when he was a member and I the Executive Director of the 1985-1986 National Commission on Space (often called the Paine Commission after our chairman, Tom Paine). He was usually very quiet for most of any given meeting, but then would voice the most profound observation of the day and refocus the group. The Challenger tragedy happened half-way through our study and Neil agreed to serve on the Rogers Commission that investigated that accident, but he somehow managed to remain engaged with us as well during that difficult time. He was not just an excellent engineer and forward thinker, but a really nice person.
If the nation falls off a “fiscal cliff” on January 2, it won’t be for lack of warnings about the dire consequences. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) joined the chorus yesterday.
CBO, a non-partisan legislative branch agency that is part of Congress and provides its own economic forecasts independent of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), said yesterday that if Congress does not act before the end of the year, the country could be thrown into a recession.
One of the top worries is the automatic across-the-board spending cuts — sequestration — that will happen on January 2, 2013 unless Congress changes existing law. The Budget Control Act, enacted almost exactly one year ago, calls for cutting federal spending by another $1.2 trillion by 2021. The cuts would be split equally between defense and non-defense agencies, with each shouldering about $500 billion in cuts. The rest would be saved by paying less interest on the debt.
Rough estimates are that all the government activities categorized as discretionary spending, including DOD, NASA and NOAA, would be cut by about 8 percent. Each program, project or other activity would be cut by the same amount rather than based on their merit or need. The sequester was included in the Budget Control Act as a “poison pill” to motivate a special congressional supercommittee to reach agreement on some alternative, but its members threw in the towel last fall because Republicans and Democrats could not agree. Republicans insist that deficit reduction be accomplished through spending cuts only; Democrats want a combination of spending cuts and tax increases focused on wealthier individuals.
The White House, congressional Democrats and congressional Republicans have been raising the alarm about the calamitous consequences of cutting defense spending by another $500 billion since the beginning of the year, but seem no closer on reaching agreement on how to avoid it. The implications of cutting the rest of discretionary spending, such as NASA and NOAA, are hardly ever discussed, but could be equally dire.
In addition to the sequester, the Bush-era tax cuts and the payroll tax holiday will expire on December 31, raising taxes on many Americans. CBO said the combination of tax increases and spending cuts would result in good news and bad news. Good news: the deficit would shrink from $1.1 trillion to $641 billion. Bad news: “such fiscal tightening will lead to economic conditions in 2013 that will be probably be considered a recession, with real GDP declining by 0.5 percent … and the unemployment rate rising to about 9 percent in the second half of calendar year 2013.”
On August 7, President Obama signed into law the Sequestration Transparency Act that requires OMB to report to Congress on how it would implement the sequester if it goes into effect. Until now, the Administration has been holding Congress’s feet to the fire to agree on an alternative, but lacking any progress on that front, acquiesced to providing a plan by next month. OMB’s report is due 30 days from when the law was signed, which means it should be on the desks of House and Senate members when they return from their 5-week recess on September 10.
None of the 12 FY2013 appropriations bills has cleared Congress yet. Agreement was reached last month to pass a 6-month Continuing Resolution instead. That takes the FY2013 appropriations issue, at least, off of Congress’s plate for the lame duck session between the November 6 elections and the end of the year. While that should give them plenty of time to focus on the larger issues of sequestration and taxes, whether it is enough time largely depends on the outcome of the election.
NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover took a short drive yesterday to test its systems and relocate to a slightly different spot.
Curiosity landed on August 5, 2012 PDT (August 6 EDT) and its operators are slowly but surely checking out and testing its systems and instruments before starting the main trek over to Mount Sharp. The rover landed at the bottom of Gale Crater that surrounds Mount Sharp. The top of Mount Sharp, about three miles above the crater’s floor, can be thought of as being essentially at the Mars equivalent of “sea level.” NASA is basically taking advantage of an excavation of the Martian surface by Mother Nature to gain access to many layers of Martian soil that hold evidence of the planet’s evolution over the eons. Curiosity’s goal is to provide answers about the habitability of Mars — whether microbial life could have developed there in the past.
Yesterday Curiosity moved about 15 feet forward, turned 120 degrees, and then backed up about 8 feet. The tracks it created show clearly in this image released by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Image credit: NASA/Caltech-JPL
The rover ended up about 20 feet away from where it originally landed, a location now named Bradbury Landing after legendary science fiction writer Ray Bradbury who was born 92 years ago yesterday and died earlier this year. One of his best known works is The Martian Chronicles.