NASA has released the agendas for the three public meetings of the Augustine panel on the future of the U.S. human spaceflight program that will be held next week in League City, TX, Huntsville, AL, and Cocoa Beach, FL.
The launch date for the next shuttle mission will probably slip to the last week of August in order to allow NASA to conduct additional tests of the foam on Discovery’s external tank. Bill Harwood of CBS News’ Space Place reports that shuttle engineers want 125 more “plug-pull” tests to add to the 26 they have done already in order to ensure a statistically significant result. Greater than expected foam loss was experienced on the most recent shuttle mission, but NASA has determined that the resulting damage to the space shuttle orbiter was minor and does not pose reentry problems.
The following events may be of interest. Meetings that are closed to the public are not listed. Some events require an RSVP. Check our calendar or the sponsor’s website for further information. This list was updated on July 24 and July 26 to insert links to the newly released agendas for the Augustine panel meetings, to reflect the fact that the Senate has passed the DOD authorization bill so it will not be on the floor next week, and to add the House Rules Committee meeting on July 28 to formulate a rule for the DOD appropriations bill.
It is expected that the House will debate the FY2010 Department of Defense (DOD) appropriations bill late in the week.
Monday, July 27
1:00-4:00 EDT AIAA Seminar “Space: Stimulating Economic Growth Today and Tomorrow” 253 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC
Tuesday, July 28
10:00-4:00 CDT Augustine Panel Public Meeting, South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center, 2500 South Shore Blvd., League City, TX
8:30-noon EDT Marshall Institute and Space Enterprise Council/TechAmerica seminar “A Day Without Space: Economic Ramifications” TechAmerica, 601 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., North Building, Suite 600, Washington, DC
3:00 EDT House Rules Committee meets to formulate a rule for the FY2010 DOD appropriations bill Room H 313-Capitol
Wednesday, July 29
8:00-4:00 CDT Augustine Panel Public Meeting at U.S. Space and Rocket Center, 1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL
12:15-3:15 MT Open Sessions of NRC Committee on Near Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation: Mitigation Panel Boulder, CO
Thursday, July 30
8:00-4:00 EDT Augustine Panel Public Meeting, Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront Grand Ballroom, 1550 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL
11:00-4:00 EDT Open Sessions of NRC Committee on Impediments to Interagency Cooperation in Space and Earth Science Missions Keck Center, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, DC
12:15-3:15 MT Open Sessions of NRC Committee on Near Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation: Mitigation Panel Boulder, CO
Friday, July 31
9:30-3:15 EDT Open Sessions of NRC Committee on Impediments to Interagency Cooperation in Space and Earth Science Missions Keck Center, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, DC
The Wall Street Journal online reports that Boeing has withdrawn its protest of the GOES-R weather satellite contract to Lockheed Martin. The newspaper quotes Boeing as saying that it withdrew the protest “after gaining additional insight into the re-evaluation” of how Lockheed Martin won.
Steve Squyres, chair of the NRC’s Planetary Science Decadal Survey, has issued a second “letter to the community.” Among other things, it contains a list of upcoming steering committee and panel meetings. The website for this Decadal Survey is located here and provides up to date information about the conduct of the survey, including how to submit white papers for the committee to consider.
The chair of the Astro2010 astronomy and astrophysics decadal, Roger Blandford, also issues periodic “bulletins” to that community. The most recent was in May.
CBS News interviewed NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and Deputy Administrator Lori Garver today (July 21, 2009). Gen. Bolden told CBS’ Bill Harwood that the message to him from President Obama was very brief and explicit — “incite inspiration in young people and the country again.”
Gen. Bolden acknowleded that he and Ms. Garver need to gain the “confidence of Congress, the Office of Management and Budget and even the President” in order to move the agency forward. He believes the Augustine panel will provide “reasonable options that we can make work.” He said Mr. Augustine and he share a concern that the multiyear “gap” between the termination of the space shuttle and the availability of a new system not be prolonged.
Ms. Garver expressed optimism that Gen. Bolden and the White House will have options to choose “which will take us beyond Earth orbit in a way that all of America and the world can again be proud.”
The video from the cameras on Endeavour’s Solid Rocket Boosters is now available on NASA’s YouTube site.
The Associated Press reports that, in an interview, new NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said that: “In my lifetime, I will be incredibly disappointed if we have not at least reached Mars.” His sentiments echo those Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins at the National Air and Space Museum on Sunday night.
A webcast of the first meeting of Charlie Bolden and Lori Garver with NASA employees yesterday (July 21, 2009) does not appear to have been posted on the NASA website, but two accounts of what transpired have been published — in the Washington Post and on the Orlando Sentinel’s Write Stuff blog.
Both referred to Administrator Bolden’s tendency to choke up, and Gen. Bolden reportedly explained that his father “taught me how to cry.” The Post reported that it happened “at least five times” during the 35 minute meeting at moments when he was talking, for example, about Neil Armstrong effectively representing the agency with President Obama on July 20, and when describing what the Middle East looks like from space.
On more substantive matters, the Administrator reportedly said that NASA’s human spaceflight program “cannot continue to survive on the path that we are on right now,” and agency employees should not fear the Augustine panel’s work.
The Augustine panel that is developing options for the future of the human spaceflight program is seeking comments on scenarios identified by its Exploration Beyond LEO subcommittee. Go to the panel’s website to see what options the subcommittee is considering and send in your comments. The subcommittee plans to complete its first round of analysis by the time of the panel’s July 28-30 public meetings.
The subcommittee’s task is to:
“examine the following questions: (1) What are the appropriate destinations and sequences of exploration for human exploration beyond LEO; (2) What should be the mode of surface exploration (if any); (3) What is the strategy within the human space flight program for coordinating human and robotic exploration; (4) What are the assumed launch vehicle(s) to LEO (in terms of mass to orbit and shroud diameter); (5) What are the options for in-space fuel/oxidizer storage and transfer; (6) What is the role that space technology research and development will play; (7) What is our strategy for engaging international partners in the development of the program; and (8) What is our strategy for engaging commercial entities?”