NASA INSTRUMENTS REVEAL WATER MOLECULES ON LUNAR SURFACE

Sept. 24, 2009

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

DC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
agle@jpl.nasa.gov

RELEASE: 09-222

NASA INSTRUMENTS REVEAL WATER MOLECULES ON LUNAR SURFACE

WASHINGTON -- NASA scientists have discovered water molecules in the
polar regions of the moon. Instruments aboard three separate spacecraft revealed water molecules in amounts that are greater than predicted, but still relatively small. Hydroxyl, a molecule consisting of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom, also was found in the lunar soil. The findings were published in Thursday's edition of the journal Science.

NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper, or M3, instrument reported the observations. M3 was carried into space on Oct. 22, 2008, aboard the Indian Space Research Organization's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. Data from the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer, or VIMS, on NASA's Cassini spacecraft and the High-Resolution Infrared Imaging Spectrometer on NASA's EPOXI spacecraft contributed to confirmation
of the finding. The spacecraft imaging spectrometers made it possible to map lunar water more effectively than ever before.

The confirmation of elevated water molecules and hydroxyl at these concentrations in the moon's polar regions raises new questions about its origin and effect on the mineralogy of the moon. Answers to these questions will be studied and debated for years to come.

"Water ice on the moon has been something of a holy grail for lunar scientists for a very long time," said Jim Green, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This surprising finding has come about through the ingenuity, perseverance
and international cooperation between NASA and the India Space Research Organization."

From its perch in lunar orbit, M3's state-of-the-art spectrometer measured light reflecting off the moon's surface at infrared wavelengths, splitting the spectral colors of the lunar surface into small enough bits to reveal a new level of detail in surface composition. When the M3 science team analyzed data from the instrument, they found the wavelengths of light being absorbed were consistent with the absorption patterns for water molecules and hydroxyl.

"For silicate bodies, such features are typically attributed to water and hydroxyl-bearing materials," said Carle Pieters, M3's principal
investigator from Brown University. "When we say 'water on the moon,'
we are not talking about lakes, oceans or even puddles. Water on the
moon means molecules of water and hydroxyl that interact with
molecules of rock and dust specifically in the top millimeters of the
moon's surface. "

The M3 team found water molecules and hydroxyl at diverse areas of the sunlit region of the moon's surface, but the water signature appeared stronger at the moon's higher latitudes. Water molecules and hydroxyl previously were suspected in data from a Cassini flyby of the moon in
1999, but the findings were not published until now.

"The data from Cassini's VIMS instrument and M3 closely agree," said Roger Clark, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist in Denver and member of both the VIMS and M3 teams. "We see both water and hydroxyl. While the abundances are not precisely known, as much as 1,000 water molecule parts-per-million could be in the lunar soil. To put that into perspective, if you harvested one ton of the top layer of the moon's surface, you could get as much as 32 ounces of water."

For additional confirmation, scientists turned to the EPOXI mission while it was flying past the moon in June 2009 on its way to a November 2010 encounter with comet Hartley 2. The spacecraft not only confirmed the VIMS and M3 findings, but also expanded on them.

"With our extended spectral range and views over the north pole, we were able to explore the distribution of both water and hydroxyl as a function of temperature, latitude, composition, and time of day," said Jessica Sunshine of the University of Maryland. Sunshine is
EPOXI's deputy principal investigator and a scientist on the M3 team. "Our analysis unequivocally confirms the presence of these molecules on the moon's surface and reveals that the entire surface appears to be hydrated during at least some portion of the lunar day."

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the M3
instrument, Cassini mission and EPOXI spacecraft for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Indian Space Research
Organization built, launched and operated the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft.

For additional information and images from the instruments, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov/topics/moonmars


For more information about the Chandrayaan-1 mission, visit:



http://isro.gov.in/Chandrayaan/htmls/home.htm


For more information about the EPOXI mission, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov/epoxi


For more information about the Cassini mission, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov/cassini

Response to ARPA-E RFI

Karen Cramer Shea

Karen.shea@gmail.com

ARPA-E Request for Information: Space Solar Power

Executive summary

Space solar power is a scalable, base load, carbon emission free power source which has been overlooked in our search for alternatives to fossil fuels. Since its inception in 1968 only $80 Million has been spent to study and develop Space Solar Power as compared with $21 Billion for Fusion¹. While both are power sources of the future, we know space solar power can produce more energy than it requires. It is time to invest in space solar power development.

"We can remain the world's leading importer of foreign oil, or we can become the world's leading exporter of renewable energy. We can allow climate change to wreck unnatural havoc, or we can create jobs preventing its worst effects. We can hand over the jobs of the 21st century to our competitors, or we can create those jobs right here in America.” President Barack Obama

The Case for Space Solar Power

Space solar power is the new technology the nation needs and the President has been looking for. The US needs new energy sources. The US used to be an energy exporter now we send billions of dollars every month abroad to supply our energy needs and our standard of living is faltering because of it. Conventional energy sources are being stretched to the limit and still three quarters of the human population lives with little or no electricity. Every energy option seems to fall short of a solution. Fossil fuels release carbon which seems to be causing climate change. Current renewable energy resources can not support base load power needs and make up a tiny fraction of our energy portfolio. Biomass might be used for base load but competes with food supply and may only transform energy from one form to another rather than produce energy. All of the Earth’s energy sources are being stretched to the limit and still not meeting demand. Prices are rising and the environment is suffering. We need to think outside of the box, beyond the limits of the Earth.

The Sun is a vast energy source which is the ultimate source of all power on Earth. What we need is a way to tap into the Sun’s energy directly. Putting solar collectors is space is the way to do this. Solar cells in space collect 7 times more power than those on Earth. This is because in space there is no night, no atmosphere, no weather, and the sun angle is always ideal because the collectors are always pointed at the sun.

Space solar power would collect solar energy in space and transmits it down to the surface of the Earth using microwaves or lasers. Power would be transmitted near end users, nearly anywhere on Earth. The solar collectors could be in low earth orbit, geosynchronous orbit or even on the lunar surface. In the beginning solar arrays would be manufactured on Earth and assembled in space. In the longer term solar arrays could be constructed on the Moon from lunar materials which would make this a virtually pollution free energy source.

Space solar power satellites were first proposed by Dr. Peter Glaser in 1968. The Concept was studied by DOE and NASA during the 1970’s. In 1975 Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex did experiments in wireless power transmission. During the 1990’s NASA studied the space solar power. In 2007, the Pentagon’s National Security Space Office issued a report on space based solar power which included a discussion of using it to power forward military bases. In 2008 Discovery Channel did a special featuring John Mankins testing wireless power transmission between two Hawaiian Islands, a key space solar power technology. In 2009 Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) announced an agreement to by 2000 MW of space solar power starting in 2016². Also in 2009 the Japanese make space solar power a national priority and plan to spend $21 billion to build a space solar power satellite over the next 30 years³.

Space solar power already powers a hundred billion dollar industry, the satellite industry. We know we can build space solar power satellites and have for years. Satellites in space have used solar collectors for decades. We have shown we can wirelessly transmit power in the Goldstone test decades ago. We know how to build and deploy large structures in space, Sky Lab and the International space Station. Space solar power is not new and does not have any road blocks. Space solar power has not been deployed because there has never been enough money to determine the best way to deploy this transformational energy technology and bring down the cost to match terrestrial alternatives. Fusion has received over the $21 billion of funding for its development. While space solar power has only received $80 million almost none of that in the past decade. Even wood has been better at $95 million since 1985⁴.

Space solar power is the Cinderella of alternative energy. The alternative no one talks about, hidden, wearing rags and starved. Like Cinderella, space solar power has enormous untapped potential which will remain dormant unless it is given the proper attention. It is time space solar power was invited to the Ball and given the resources to make a reasonable showing. ARPA-E support could bring this promising source of unlimited, carbon-free base load power over the threshold and into market deployment. Space solar power is the path back to American energy independence and allowing the US once again to become an energy exporter.

Why Space Solar Power Has Not Been Developed

The Giggle Factor – space solar power seems like science fiction; people have a difficult time taking it seriously.

Future Shock - we can not psychologically accept we are advanced enough to deploy space solar power, which becomes self-fulfilling.

The DOE Focus on Nuclear Technology - has a resulted in fusion receiving over the $21 billion of funding for its development. While Space solar power has only received $80 million almost none of that in the past decade¹. Even wood has been better at $95 million since 1985⁴.

Cheap oil - diverted attention from space solar power in the 1970’s and hopefully will not distract us again.

ARPA-E Aims

ARPA-E Aim - Enhance our economic security by identifying technologies with the potential to reduce energy imports from foreign sources

Space solar power will enhance American economic security by allowing the US to become a net energy exporter. Once our transportation system can be converted to electric vehicles, the US can stop importing energy entirely.

ARPA-E Aim - Reduce energy-related greenhouse gas emissions

Space Solar Power also has no greenhouse gas emissions

ARPA-E Aim - improve efficiency across the energy spectrum.

Space Solar Power improves efficiency across the energy spectrum because power from space can be wirelessly transmitted right where it is needed.

Once wireless power transmission technology is perfected and if it is sufficiently efficient, power could be beamed through space from one side of the Earth to another, creating a global wireless smart grid. This grid would be like the global communications system, transmitting power instead of information up to satellites and back down thousands of miles away.

ARPA-E Aim - Ensure we remain a technological leader in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies.

Space solar power will ensure the US remains a technological leader in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. Developing space solar power will include research in solar technologies and wireless power transmission techniques.

ARPA-E Aim - Focus on high risk, high payoff concepts - technologies promising true energy transformations.

Space solar power is a high-payoff concept and promises true energy transformation since it would allow us to collect some of the yottawatts of energy, the Sun puts out.

The only part of ARPA-E’s mission that Space Solar Power doesn’t completely comply with is the high risk requirement. Space solar power is not high risk. The fact that it is not high risk is made evident by the number space solar power companies which have already been organized, for instance, Solaren already has a contract with PG and E. Other countries are also very interested; the Japanese plan to spend 21 billion dollars on development of a space solar power satellite.

The questions involved with space solar power now, are not if or how but who, when and how best.

- Which is the best type of solar collectors to use?

- Which type of solar cell best balances cost, mass and durability issues?

- Which is best wireless transmission method - lasers or microwaves?

- Where and how do we best build the receiving stations?

- Which manufacturing techniques are most scalable?

- Which frequency is best considering size, electronics, atmospheric and, International Telecommunications Union issues?

- What safety precautions need to be taken with space solar power?

- How best do we transmit the power from place to place?

- When in this century will the cost of energy rise high enough and Moore’s law reduce the cost of the technology sufficiently for space solar power to be profitable?

- Who will control space solar power?

- In 2050, will we be buying power from space from the Japanese in 2050 or selling it to Saudi Arabia?

- Which US agency, if any, will invest in space solar power?

Space Solar Power has suffered from a policy dilemma. The Department of Defense wants to use space solar power for forward bases but can not build it, since, it is clearly not in their mission and because they are looking at lasers and microwave beams for offensive military purposes. This makes DOD lead on this issue politically impossible. Though, the DOD is very interested in being a customer because space solar power would dramatically cut the cost of power in forward bases. Especially, the cost in lives as the generator fuel trucks are easy targets.

Space solar power is clearly within the mission of both NASA and the DOE. Unfortunately, NASA considers space solar power to be energy and the DOE has considered it to be space. Neither is funding space solar power research. Added to this, NASA is in crisis with the retirement of the Space Shuttle, while trying to operate the International Space Station and return to the Moon with a launch system with is behind schedule, over budget and loosing capability. The Augustine Committee is calling for a $3 billion increase in the NASA budget just to keep up with its current commitments. NASA clearly can not take the lead on this issue. As Dr. Scott Pace Director of the Space Policy Institute pointed out, “If an issue cuts across multiple categories and doesn’t fit into any one of them, that’s likely because it’s strategic.” Space Solar Power is clearly a strategic technology.

We need to answer The President’s call and find clean energy, renewable energy sources for America to control, to allow America to again become an energy exporter and to provide American jobs. Space solar power is that energy source. It is a scalable, base load, carbon free energy source which we can control. Now is time the Cinderella of alternative power was allowed to go to the Ball. ARPA-E could be space solar power’s fairy god mother and turn this scrawny, over looked child in rags into a shining jewel for the world to admire. A beauty, the prince (large investors) will fall in love with and have to have and then we will all live happily ever after, in a world with abundant clean power. Space solar power is a renewable source of clean energy which can be developed in the US, manufactured by US workers launched from US territory and export power to anywhere in the world. Space solar power is also nearly technologically ready to implement, is transformational, scalable, renewable, abundant and carbon emissions free.

References

1. Space-Based Solar Power As an Opportunity for Strategic Security, Phase 0 Architecture Feasibility Study, Report to the National Security Space Office, October 10, 2007 http://www.nss.org/settlement/ssp/library/nsso.htm

2. SPACE SOLAR POWER: THE NEXT FRONTIER? by: Jonathan Marshall on April 13, 2009, on the Next 100 (Pacific Gas and Electric’s Blog) http://www.next100.com/2009/04/space-solar-power-the-next-fro.php

3. Mitsubishi, IHI to Join $21 Bln Space Solar Project by Shigeru Sato and Yuji Okada on Bloomberg.com on August 31, 2009 http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aF3XI.TvlsJk

4. Pork Alert: Senate Agriculture Appropriations CAGW’s Pork Patrol^SM Takes a Closer Look at Fiscal 2010 Agriculture Pork by Citizens Against Government Waste http://www.cagw.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=12186

The Mars Society on The Augustine Comittee

Mars Society Review of Augustine Committee Summary Report

According to the Augustine Committee, despite spending nearly five years and billions of dollars on the new Constellation Program, NASA is nearly twice as far from the Moon today as it was in 1961. At that time, NASA had conducted only one manned space flight when President John F. Kennedy committed the Nation to land a man on the Moon before 1970. The Committee claims that sending humans on a similar mission is a distant goal, even if tens of billions of dollars of additional funding are added to NASA's budget over the next 15 years. It presents a decadal plan that will get us nowhere in the next decade.

The Augustine Report

SUMMARY REPORT of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee

The U.S. human spaceflight program appears to be on an unsustainable trajectory. It is

perpetuating the perilous practice of pursuing goals that do not match allocated resources. Space

operations are among the most complex and unforgiving pursuits ever undertaken by humans. It

really is rocket science. Space operations become all the more difficult when means do not match

aspirations. Such is the case today.

The nation is facing important decisions on the future of human spaceflight. Will we leave

the close proximity of low-Earth orbit, where astronauts have circled since 1972, and explore the

solar system, charting a path for the eventual expansion of human civilization into space? If so,

how will we ensure that our exploration delivers the greatest benefit to the nation? Can we explore

with reasonable assurances of human safety? And, can the nation marshal the resources to embark

on the mission?

Japan to Invest $21 Billion in Space Solar Power

Mitsubishi, IHI to Join $21 Bln Space Solar Project By Shigeru Sato and Yuji Okada

Sept. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and IHI Corp. will join a 2 trillion yen ($21 billion) Japanese project intending to build a giant solar-power generator in space within three decades and beam electricity to earth.

Astroid Defense

Scientists design spacecraft to save Earth A spacecraft capable of saving the world from a catastrophic asteroid collision has been designed by British space scientists.

Now, a team of British engineers have designed a real-life spacecraft to save the world from destruction.Their invention, called a "gravity tractor", would be deployed when an orbiting rock is detected on a collision course with Earth.

ARPA-E Looking for New Energy Ideas

Let's all tell the dvanced Research Project Agency – Energy, about Space Solar Power.

Request for Information
Program: Advanced Research Project Agency – Energy (ARPA-E)
Release Date: August 31, 2009
Deadline for Responses: September 25, 2009, 5:00PM EST
Submission Method: Responses are to be submitted as email attachments sent to
arpa-e-rfi@hq.doe.gov

Objective:
The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) seeks public and
stakeholder input on 1) programmatic areas well suited for support by ARPA-E and 2)
specific scientific and technological opportunities to overcome key technological
roadblocks to the development of widely market deployable transformational
technologies relevant to the ARPA-E mission. The information collected through this
process will assist ARPA-E in developing potential programs and funding opportunities.

Pro Space Canidate - Good Space Guy running for King County Executive in Washington State

KPLU Interview

Goodspaceguy, an amateur astronomer, can talk long about space exploration even inhabitating space. In person, he doesn't dwell all that much on space-related talk except for saying, "I want Boeing to build a lot of spacecraft and I want them to build it here in King County."

Goodspaceguy's blog -Our Spaceship Earth

Lunar Sacrament

A poem by Ron Drummond

Lunar Sacrament

Buzz Aldrin took

the sacrament on the moon,

cup, wine, wafer, prayer:

cross made out of nothing

but bottled air

stirred into brief

cruciform presence

by an articulate hand,

human reverence

hovering in a bubble

above an ancient bone-dry sea

that knew more change

in a few life-pulsing hours

than in the thousand thousand

millennia that came before.

Neil Armstrong bore witness,

spoke not a word,

told no one what,

in that timeless, momentary

ceremony before their

long short walk,

he'd seen and heard,

a flickering cross of life,

or nothing,

on a briefly

untranquil sea.

Copyright © 2009 by Ron Drummond


For more information about the history of this event.

Next Step in Space: Support Commercial Spaceflight!

Next Step in Space: Support Commercial Spaceflight!

Unless we act now... America is 18 months from being dependent on foreign countries to put astronauts into space.

Unless we act now... the United States will be unable to provide human space transportation for a minimum of 5 years.

Unless we act now... we will send more than a billion US taxpayer dollars overseas that could be re-invested in our own economy.

It doesn't have to be this way.

On Facebook Next Step in Space: Support Commercial Spaceflight!

Posts on Space Settlement Blog Day

I want to thank everyone who particapated in Space Settlement Blog Day. It was very successful. There were several very interesting essays written for the occasion.

Space Settlement Blog Day by Douglas Mallette on The Space Advocate

Settle the Final Frontier by Elizabeth Barrette on Gaiatribe

Can We Afford to Settle Space? by David Brandt-Erichsen on National Space Society Blog

Celebrate the First Steps By Marianne Dyson on Mission Blog

40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing! by
Shanksow on Aerospace, Technology, Paranormal and Ufos News

Exploration, Development and Settlement of Space by Karen Cramer Shea on The Space Movement

July the 20th: Space Exploration Day/Space Settlement Day on Day of X

Stumping for Space: Three Vignettes from a Layman by Jake Christensen CHILDE JAKE'S PILGRIMAGE

From Olduvai Gorge to the Sea of Tranquility by Alex Michael Bonnic on The Discovery Enterprise

Space Settlement post by David Riseborough on Earth Space Continuum Earth Space Continuum

Space Settlement, Social Media and Blogging by Aron Sora on
Habitation Intention

Intentional Communities in Outer Space by Bob Steinke on The Liber(al)tarian Network

More on Apollo 11 anniversary By Andy Janes on Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Catgirls

Moon Colonization: An American Historical Perspective Nick Azer on Luna C/I: Moon Colonization and Integration

Plasma Wind's Contribution to the Space Settlement Blog Day -Plasma Wind

How will it really happen? by Dale Amon on Samizdata

Space Settlement Blog Day by SpaceCrazed on SpaceCrazed

Opening The Way Out By Gregory Anderson on The Way Out

“Benevolent Science Fiction” on The Scattering

Step by step to space settlement and More about space settlement day Clark S. Lindsey Space Transport News

you can Reach the MOON NOW By Mark on Moonbounce by KB9RQZ

Moon-Mine News by Niklas Järvstråt

Moon Business (Twitter)

Happy Space Settlement Blog Day! By Charles Radley on The Moon Society Blog


Sponsored by the National Space Society, the Space Frontier Foundation, the Space Movement, the Moon Society, and Space Renaissance Initiative.

Exploration, Development and Settlement of Space

Space exploration, space development and space settlement up until now have seen as a continuum which go together. Once we have explored space we will develop it which will mean settling it. That is the way it was always assumed it would work, but today the paths seem to be diverging. One path would lead us to explore Mars. One Path would have us develop Solar Power Satellites. But where is the path that leads to settlement?

The exploration of Mars seems to be the path of choice for many in the space movement. The problem is Mars is the Easter Island of space, far from everything, few unique resources and mainly of interest because of the evidence of past life there. The Moon has a much greater development potential than Mars but she is totally ignored. The Moon is the girl next door and Mars is the Hollywood sweet heart. Nothing shatters a romantic image faster than reality. So maybe we need to go to Mars so we can get past the fixation and really move forward with development.

The development of space solar power is quickly becoming a necessity for the continued economic survival of our society. By default it seems to be our only hope for sufficient amounts of carbon free base load power. Terrestrial solar and wind do not provide base load power, clean coal maybe unworkable, nuclear is too dangerous to spread widely to less stable countries. Space solar power is the ultimate in clean energy source when made from lunar materials, since nothing would imapct earth's environment except the power. The Moon is actually closer to geostationary orbit energy wise than the earth. Providing a reasonable percent of the Earth's power needs with space solar power would most cost effectively be done through developing the Moon. This would seem great for space settlement, but unfortunately the current plans for mining the Moon and building space solar power would be done with automation. The new Movie "The Moon" shows what it might be like, one man one the Moon supervising an automated base. This doesn't bode well for space settlement.

Space settlement must be our ultimate goal. We must have thriving communities off of Earth or we are doomed to extinction on the Earth, it is just a matter of time. Why should humans go into space? There is one reason that can never be automated and isn't dependent on economic justification. That is science. We will never really be able to automate science. While we can automate particular experiments. The scientific exploration is testing the unknown automation can only be done where you know what you are trying to do. To fully understand the history of life on Mars, and the geology of the Moon will require humans on the Moon and Mars for long periods of time. To use the far side of the Moon's radio silence for all the possible radio astronomy observations and the lunar stability and vacuum for all the possible physics experiments would take large numbers of scientists, engineers and support staff. To do these experiments will take years not days. So the scientists will be the settlers of space. Around the science bases the cities will form because they will be the first markets in space.

While many argue that science can be done more effectively on the ground, this will not always be true. First, if we go to Mars and develop space solar power, the cost of space travel will have dropped dramatically. Second, if the goal is science than we will be sending scientist to do their own research. Not doing science by proxy or as an add on to a mission with other purposes. Third, eventually we will research the limits of the the experiments possible on Earth. Eventually, science in space will be justified in terms of cost/ benefit once launch cost go down, missions are designed for science as the main purpose, and as we push the limits of Earth.

Getting beyond the limits of Earth is why we have to explore, develop and settle space. While the paths of these are diverging because we have already explored the best place to develop and development may no longer require humans. We must continue to strive for the exploration, development and settlement of space even if these goals are pursued separately.

Happy Space Settlement Blog Day

We have 34 blogs participating. This is a great success. What a great way to honor the Apollo 11 landing.

Please let us know which of their blog posts you liked and found interesting.

Thanks to all the blogs which are participating. Thanks to David Brandt-Erichsen and Brice Russ for all their technical work which has made Space Settlement Blog Day so successful. Thanks to all the sponsors the National Space Society, the Space Frontier Foundation, the Space Movement, the Moon Society, and Space Renaissance Initiative.

Please Digg Space Settlement Blog Day.

Participating Blogs:

• National Space Society Blog


• NSS Mission Blog


• The Moon Society Blog


• Space Frontier Foundation Blog


• The Space Movement Blog


• Aerospace Pirate


• Aerospace, Technology, Paranormal, and UFOs News


• Artsnova Digital Art and Space


• Childe Jake's Pilgrimage


• Day of X


• Discovery Enterprise


• Gaiatribe


• Global Spin


• Habitation Intention


• I wanna be an African Aviator


• The Liber(al)tarian Network


• Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Catgirls


• Luna C/I: Moon Colonization and Integration


• Moonbounce by KB9RQZ


• Moon-Mine


• Moon Business (Twitter)


• My Year of Science


• Neil Armstrong


• pdw.weinstein.org


• Plasma Wind


• Potentia Tenebras Repellendi


• Samizdata


• San Diego Space Society


• The Space Advocate


• Spacebeing


• SpaceCrazed


• Space Transport News


• Spacevidcast


• The Way Out

6 Days Until Space Settlement Blog Day

Space Settlement Blog Day is now 6 days away. 29 blogs have signed up so far.
For More information go to Space Settlement Blog Day .

Sign up your blog.

Blog for and about space settlement on July 20th.

Space Settlement Blog Day

Space Settlement Blog Day

Blog for and about space settlement on July 20th

July 20th 2009 is the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. July 20th is also Space Exploration Day. After 40 years of space exploration it is time to begin space settlement. In order to honor all who risked their lives for space exploration and all who are dedicated to opening the new era of space settlement, we ask everyone to blog about space settlement on July 20th. Feel free to write about any aspect of space settlement, and about settlement at any space location — orbital settlements, settlements on the Moon, Mars, asteroids, or any place else. If you want more information or need ideas about space settlement go to the NSS Space Settlement Nexus.

SIGN UP YOUR BLOG HERE so we know which blogs are participating and we can send traffic your way. See list of participating blogs.

Sponsored by the National Space Society, the Space Frontier Foundation, the Space Movement, the Moon Society, and Space Renaissance Initiative.

For more information about this event contact Karen Cramer Shea.

Music for Remebering Apollo

Moon Walkers Song by Glyn Bailey &The Many Splendid Things


For All Mankind by Graham Smith



Apollo Guys

Apollo Guys pays tribute to the people in the Apollo Program who landed the first humans on the moon, as well as looks forward to the Constellation Program that will take us back to the moon, to Mars, and then beyond.

Although they may work on trajectories, structures, hypersonic fluid flow, rocket engines, robots, or space suits during the day, the co-ops at NASA are more than just engineers. They are more than mere nerds. They are ambassadors to their generation for NASA. They can sing. They can dance. They can even rap (OK, not really). These videos were made by the co-ops at NASA on their own time, with their own resources. They care deeply about America's space program, and they want to help you get more involved with NASA's activities.

Apollo Guys (Apologize)

Watching on the screen
Saturn V lifts off the ground
After many sims,
Flight control has got it down
You say that its not easy, but
Astronauts are all moonbound and wait
Were watching them on TV
Walking on the lunar ground and say

We did it, Apollo guys
We did iiiiit
In 1969
We landed (on. the. moon)

Well take another chance, take a shot
Do it all for you
Orion and Ares take us back
Back to the mooooon yeaaah yeaaah
Its time for us to move ahead
Having breakthroughs each daaay
The past we have to thank,
Our progress is because of yoooou
And we all say

We did it, Apollo guys
We did iiiiit
In 1969
We landed (on. the. moon)

We did it, Apollo guys
We did iiiiit
In 1969
We landed (on. the. moon)

We did it, Apollo guys, yeaaaah
In 1969, yeaaaah

Watching on the screen
Saturn V lifts off the ground.

Mars Society Convention

Twelfth International Mars Society Convention University of Maryland, College Park,
July 30 - August 2, 2009

NewSpace 2009

Space Frontier Foundations NewSpace 2009 - Agenda Released!

Held at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, the conference programming will span Friday, July 17, through Monday, July 20.

Friday, July 17: Space Elevator Day:

Hosted by the Space Science and Engineering Institute, a special one-day session will explore the potential and possibilities of space elevator technology with panels such as “Carbon Nanotube Technology”, “Economic Growth Opportunities”, and “Spaceward and the Elevator Games”. In the evening, the regular conference programming will commence with a screening of the film Orphans of Apollo.

Saturday, July 18: Enabling the Future:
“As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.” ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Serving as the opening day of the full NewSpace conference, Saturday will begin with a special session organized by NASA Ames, which will explore public and private partnerships, small satellites, and commercial space initiatives at this leading edge research center. The afternoon will investigate what opportunities the future holds for NewSpace and features panels such as “Suborbital Point-to-Point: Going Places or Taking Us for a Ride?”, “Space Solar Power: Is There Light at the End of the Tunnel?”, and “NewSpace in the Age of Economic Uncertainty”.

Sunday, July 19: The Business of NewSpace:

Sunday morning will host a Business Plan Competition, where submitters will compete for real prizes. The afternoon will investigate business and policy of NewSpace with panels such as “Commercial Lunar Opportunities” and “Drawings to Dockings: the Future of COTS”. The day will close with a series of business case studies, where both successful and unsuccessful startups will be investigated and compared.

Monday, July 20: Apollo Anniversary Day: Moon, Mars, and Beyond:

Monday will serve as a look at what destinations lie in the future for NewSpace. To this end, it will investigate not only what destinations exist and how they will be utilized, but also how will we get there. This will be done with panels such as “Commercial Space Facilities”, “Eat or Be Eaten: The Threat and Promise of Near Earth Objects”, and “Lunar Science and Settlement”. The day will conclude with a final view of “Where Do We Go from Here?” The annual gala will follow, which will serve not only to commemorate Apollo, but to investigate what Apollo means to the future.



“For twenty years, the Space Frontier Foundation has led the public conversation about the rapid economic development and settlement of space. Today, amidst global concerns about jobs, the environment, and the future, we invite you to join us help solve those challenges by opening the space frontier. Come to Silicon Valley this July and become a part of this next great era in human history.”

~ James Muncy, Space Frontier Foundation co-Founder

Mars Society Convention

Twelfth International Mars Society Convention
Who: Hundreds of Mars Experts and Enthusiasts

What: Twelfth Annual International Mars Society Convention

When: July 30 - August 2, 2009

Where: University of Maryland, College Park
Lodging info is now available.

Why:Your chance to hear the latest news and research from Mars, and to join us in advancing the cause of human space exploration!

Register: Online

Connect: With other attendees on Facebook

Space Elevator Conference 2009

Space Elevator Conference 2009

Explore the frontiers of space exploration this summer with a four-day conference on the Space Elevator in Redmond, Washington at the Microsoft Conference Center.

Thursday, August 13 through Sunday, August 16, 2009

The Space Elevator is a radical new way to access space less expensively than possible with chemical rocket technology. The technology offers solutions to many of the problems facing communities today, including but not limited to the need for clean, renewable energy.

The Space Elevator uses a carbon nanotube ribbon that stretches from the surface of the earth to a counterweight in space. Climbers ascend the ribbon, lifting cargo and passengers to earth orbits and launching space ships to distant planets.

The 2009 Space Elevator Conference focuses on all aspects of Space Elevator development, engaging an international audience of scientists, engineers, educators, managers, entrepreneurs, enthusiasts and students. This conference will feature topical discussions in all of the four pillars of Space Elevator development: science/technical, political/social, legal, and economic. Other topics include the space missions and the style of life on Earth that Space Elevator technology will enable.

The conference is sponsored by Microsoft Corporation.

Space Canada Pushes Space Solar Power

“FROM THE SUN TO THE EARTH” An International Symposium on Solar Energy from Space Sponsored by SPACE Canada & the International Academy of Astronautics

Space Canada Promotes Solar Energy From Space

Major NASA Reviews Coming

Refining Constellation’s plans to make 2015 - Hanley proposes major changes

The Constellation Program (CxP) is heading towards a crucial period of its early life, with several studies being set up at various levels to determine the forward plan for both NASA and Constellation.

Lori Garver, former NASA Associate Administrator of Policy and Plans, and space policy adviser to Democratic politicians - who was expected to be named the new NASA Administrator earlier in the week according to sources - will lead a major content review of the Constellation Program, in an attempt to find a way forward to get the schedule “back” into the March, 2015 timeframe for the debut manned flight of Orion.

General Peter Worden, Director of NASA’s Ames Research Center (ARC), will also spearhead a NASA review, which is deemed to have “wide scope” - likely to include shuttle extension - while a main body “Blue Ribbon Panel” will work with the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in Washington, possibly overseeing all of the studies.

Specifics for the reviews - to be announced in May - are still being built, although sources are noting a 60 day study on the launch vehicles will be undertaken, akin to a updated version of the Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS), while other sources claim that the concentration will be focused soley on the current architecture that centers around the Ares launch vehicles.

Space Movement Facebook Fan Page

The is a new Space Movement Facebook Fan Page.

Check it out.

World Moon Bounce Day

The NSS Blog has a post World Moon Bounce Day Celebrates 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon Landing by Amara D. Angelica.

World Moon Bounce Day will be June 27 in Australia and June 26 in the U.S., Echoes of Apollo (EOA), an international space education organization, in cooperation with the National Space Society, will announce Tuesday. Participants worldwide will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing by bouncing radio voice transmissions off the moon, known as “moon bounce.”

Check our Echos of Apollo

Japanese Aim To Set Robotic Foot on the Moon by 2020

Japan aims for walking robot on the moon by 2020

Japan hopes to have a two-legged robot walk on the moon by around 2020, with a joint mission involving astronauts and robots to follow, according to a plan laid out Friday by a government group.

Space Settlement Nexus on NSS Web Site

Space Settlement Nexus - The National Space Society Website has a library of information about space settlement avalible. It has over 30,000 pages of reference material.

New Space Movement Facebook Page

New Space Movement Facebook Page . We created a page becuase it allow easier comminication with all the memebers of the Space Movement. I hope everyone who is a memeber of the Space Movement will join our new Page, so we can keep in touch.

Coalition for Space Exploration 2009-2010 Board of Advisors

Coalition for Space Exploration Announces 2009-2010 Board of Advisors include Crystal Bloemen, Dr. Guy Bluford, James Cameron, Bradley Cheetham, Bob Crippen, Dr. Roger Crouch, Jake Garn, Fred Gregory, Gerry Griffin, Dr. Bernard Harris, Steve Hawley, Dr. Tom Jones, Dr. Joe Kerwin, Jeanne Kregel, Gene Kranz , Nick Lampson, James “Jim” Lovell Jr., Miles O'Brien, Damaris Sarria, Dr. Paul Spudis, Dr. Dave Weldon.

Space Renaissance Press Conference In London On March 31

Space Renaissance Initiative – Press Release
Press conference 2009 March 31st - 16.00
British Interplanetary Society - 27/29 South Lambeth Road - London, UK
Press Kit for Press Conference

The Space Renaissance Initiative (SRI) will present a proposal to ignite a space economic revolution on 2009 March 31st, before the G20 summit.

The proposal is a simple priority-driven agenda: to develop low-cost civilian space transportation, orbital and sub-orbital space tourism, lunar industrialization, spacebased solar power, and the use of near-Earth asteroids to build space infrastructures. These include research and industrial settlements on the Moon; orbital stations, resources utilization, space hotels, service facilities and space debris collection.

This is not speculation. All of these goals can be achieved within the first half of this century. By the second half of this century, based on the experience gained in near-Earth space, Mars and the Martian moons will be settled with the long-term goal of terraforming the red planet.

In order to help the development of the civilian space industry, we recommend governments should provide incentives in the form of tax abatements and financial help for companies working in the space industry; new investment funds for space tourism and the space industry; and special programs geared towards universities and other educational systems. These policies also extend to private organizations, individuals, space agencies, and financial institutions.

Governments can invest public money toward the new space economy through space agencies (primarily devoted to science and exploration), more commercially oriented agencies (to be chartered), and private enterprise, for the industrialization of the Moon-Earth region.

With a current population of almost seven billion people, human growth on planet Earth is rapidly becoming unsustainable. Problems stem from a shortage of raw materials and lack of inexpensive and accessible energy. This dearth of resources, which results in continuous global economic recessions, could cause our civilization to implode to one billion within the end of this century, with increasing risk of humanity falling back to pre-technological ages.

The only fundamental solution to assure continued growth of civilization is to open the high frontier and start surveying the resources of the solar system. Space contains unimaginable amounts of unexploited resources on the Moon, asteroids and other planets. Establishing a foothold off-Earth would also protect humanity from planetwide catastrophes.

Happy Ada Lovelace Day!

Ada Byron Love Lace, born "Ada Byron, the only legitimate child of Lord Byron, was born in December of 1815, and one month later her mother in a bitter and celebrated separation, left the "mad and bad" Byron and took Ada with her."- Source: www.sonoma.edu

Ada Lovelace was one of the world's first computer programmers, and one of the first people to see computers as more than just a machine for doing sums. She wrote programmes for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, a general-purpose computing machine, despite the fact that it was never built. She also wrote the very first description of a computer and of software.

Ada Lovelace Day is an international day of blogging to draw attention to women excelling in technology. Women's contributions often go unacknowledged, their innovations seldom mentioned, their faces rarely recognised. We want you to tell the world about these unsung heroines. Whatever she does, whether she is a sysadmin or a tech entrepreneur, a programmer or a designer, developing software or hardware, a tech journalist or a tech consultant, we want to celebrate her achievements.

Happy Ada Love Lace Day. To Celebrate I am taking three girls to the Baltimore Science Center. This is by chance rather than planning but it is very fitting.



In the field of Space Exploration there are many women to celebrate.

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova – First woman in space

Sally Kristen Ride - First American woman in space.

Peggy Annette Whitson - First Femal Space Station Commander

Shannon Matilda Wells Lucid - First American woman to make a long-duration space station mission.

Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Blair Salton Clark, Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe, Judith Arlene Resnik who gave their lives on the Space Shuttle.



Or those who kept their feet on the ground like-

Donna Shirley - Managed Mars Exploration at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Jill Cornell Tarter - Director of the Center for SETI Research.

Who would you like to acknowlegde on Ada Lovelace Day?

Does International Cooperation Benefit The United States of America?

U.S. government space spending, which makes up more than 80 percent of global government space budgets

according to Government Budgets on the Space Foundation Web Site.

The US government spends four times as much on space as ALL the other governments combined.

This raises the question - Why are doing international cooperation?

It is usually claimed that the US can't afford to go it alone in space. This can't possibly be true since the United States Government is spending 80 percent of the of global government spending on space. The last 20% can't possibly make or break any project since much of that money must be spent just doing the basics such as having an office and nurturing local industry.

With the road block of ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) making it expensive and legally dangerous to do international aerospace trade, and all the cost of coordination, International Cooperation can not possibly be less expensive than purely American projects.

While I can see value in rewarding our Allies by allowing them to participate in our space activities off the critical path. I don't see how putting any partner on the critical path benefits any US space project.

Does the United States really benefit from international cooperation or is it just an excuse for government officials to travel abroad on the U.S. taxpayers dime?

Is Inspiration Without A Destination Morally Repugnant?

In An Astronaut's Letter to President Obama: Six Space Policy Musts, Tom Jones writes as the last of his Space Policy must-

Inspire the Next Generation of Space Explorers
Look our young people in the eye and tell them that we need explorers—doers—who are citizens of the most forward-looking nation on Earth. Tell them America is signing up a world-beating corps of talented scientists and engineers and turning them loose to explore the asteroids, the moon, and the solar system. That same team can conquer terrestrial challenges in energy, defense, environmental protection and high-tech competition. Generations of Americans found prosperity and forged our nation's future on the frontier. Mr. President, reignite the excitement generated by those epic Apollo voyages. Launch our future explorers to prove themselves at the frontiers of space.

I find this morally repugnant. Since NASA has no intent give our children a future by "turning them loose to explore the asteroids, the Moon, and the solar system." NASA intends to spend several hundred billion dollars to camp on the Moon for a few years then abandon it to go on a few Mars Missions. No plans for settlement anywhere. No plans to let more than a hand full of people ever go. No plans to go to the asteroids or anywhere else in the solar system expect the Moon and Mars. It is cruel to suggest anyone has a real chance of going into space through NASA. Because they don't. If NASA wants to use space to inspire our children to study math and science then we must give them a future in space. Otherwise NASA is simply guilty of child abuse.

Why is NASA Horrible At Implementing Space Policy?

In an article in the Space Review Is the US serious about space policy? by Jeff Foust. He discusses a roundtable discussion of space policy experts titled “Challenges for Space Policy in 2009” in Washington last week. (The event took place under the Chatham House Rule, so that none of the discussion can be attributed to any speaker.) One speaker said “We’re horrible at implementing policy, absolutely horrible. We’ve got to figure out why we’re horrible.” There are several reason why the US is so horrible at implementing space policy these include the rush to engineering, pre-mature choice, and the discord between talk and action.

There is the rush to engineering instead of considering a larger long term plan. As the long term plan is developed elements can be considered. Each element needs to be carefully considered as to how it fits with other elements, and long term implications and requirements driven by the choice of that element. Then the best entire package can be chosen with the elements which bring the best options at the least cost for the entire package. The elements in the package should be chosen always remembering that good is the enemy of the best. This is often talked about in terms of the need to lower standards to only do good enough instead of the best possible solution which is often more expensive and takes longer. But I question this interpretation. The best solution can only be considered in terms of the larger plan. If pursuit of perfection in a single element means the project is delayed due to difficult engineering or cancelled due to cost overruns, or simply that other elements suffer than that was obviously not the best choice. The best solution is one that makes the whole project work best not the individual element. There are implications for every choice. Moving too quickly to engineering locks in choices and drives up costs. The rush to engineering is one reason why NASA is horrible at implementing space policy. (For more on the rush to engineering see The critical role of advanced technology investments in preventing spaceflight program cost overruns by John C. Mankins, December 1, 2008)

Premature choice is another reason why space policies have consistently failed. Premature choice is related to but different from the rush to engineering; they are however mutually reinforcing tendencies of NASA which have caused many cost overruns, delays and failed projects. NASA chose to replace the Saturn 5 with the Shuttle before the Moon Landing. Having put all its eggs in the basket of the space shuttle, NASA had to make it to work. Even when it became obvious NASA had bit off more than it could chew. We are still living with the consequences today. NASA needs to return to pattern of testing different options, it had before Apollo. The rush to the Moon with the all up testing of the Saturn 5, which actually worked, started NASA down a dangerous path. NASA needs to have a more Darwinian approach to projects. Testing options against each other in small projects before making major decisions for big projects. Premature choice is one reason NASA is horrible at implementing space policy.

Discord between talk and action is another reason why NASA is horrible at implementing space policy. For instance NASA says that the goal for Vision for Space Exploration is to develop the Moon but there is little work being done on insitu resource utilization. Use of resources is fundamental to any development. Using space resources is especially important because of the extremely high launch costs. Discord between talk and action is extremely detrimental to effective leadership and management since workers begin to question every directive wondering is management serious about this one are is this just empty rhetoric. One reason there is discord between talk and action is that there is always discord within NASA about what it should be doing. NASA employees tend to have their own dreams of space and ideas how to accomplish that but NASA as an organization tends to be lead by commands from outside mainly the White House, momentum, or great visions of what space exploration should be. NASA is not good at suggesting its own direction which is developed organically. So, there is always internal resistance to whatever is the space policy of the day. NASA has developed many methods to keep this resistance hidden, but this resistance still undercuts the implementation of space policy. The methods of controlling this resistance also stifle technologically innovation.

Space policy implementation at NASA is horrible because of the rush to engineering, premature choice and the discord between talk and action. The discord between talk and action, premature choice and the rush to engineering are all related. Rushing to engineering and premature choice mean that management may quickly realize they are not on the right path to achieve success but they can not change their rhetoric because that would endanger funding and force them it admit that mistakes were made. For NASA to become effective at implementing space policy they will need to change there culture to one of open discussion of long term plans before engineering begins, one of embracing lots of small scale testing and letting the results choose the path forward, one of striving for honestly matching talk and action. NASA is one of America’s greatest assets which has been less than effective lately, hopefully with change brought on by new direction and leadership NASA can live up to its potential.

Space Solar Power Video

Space Based Solar Power - Alternative Energy Solution

FACT: There aren't enough resources on this planet to sustain continued human growth and increasing quality of life.

FACT: If we want to avoid catastrophic war, suffering, and global shortages of energy, we need to start looking to space seriously for solutions.

Space Based Solar Power is the first step.

Music - "Pulse" by Yoko Kanno

1 Million New Jobs From Space Infrastructure!

1 Million new jobs, and more from Space Infrastructure!

Space Solar Power Will Be Needed To Supply Most Of The Worlds Power By 2100

The End of Easy Energy and What to Do About It by James Michael Snead


Abstract


Easy energy refers to the current oil, coal, and natural gas energy sources that provide about 86% of the U.S.’s and the world’s energy. An increasing average world per capita demand for easy energy combined with a growing U.S. and world population will exhaust recoverable resources of easy energy this century, probably within the lifetime of today’s young children. Current sustainable nuclear and renewable energy sources provide only about 14% of the world’s electricity and modern fuel needs. To meet the world’s projected 3X increase in energy needs by 2100, if not decades earlier, today’s sustainable energy production must expand by a factor of over 25X. This paper’s assessment of the energy production potential of conventional nuclear, geothermal, wind, ground solar electric, and land biomass finds that these will fall significantly short of both the U.S.’s or the world’s 2100 sustainable energy needs. To fill the substantial sustainable energy shortfall that will emerge by 2100 as the era of easy energy ends, space solar power and algae biodiesel—absent the extensive use of advanced nuclear energy and/or undersea methane hydrates—will need to be substantially developed. Space solar power will be needed to supply most of the U.S.’s and the world’s dispatchable electrical power generation capacity while hydrogen produced with off-peak space solar power electricity and algae biodiesel will be needed to fill the fuels shortfall.

Orphans of Apollo at GWU

I went to Inaugural Event of the new Arthur C. Clarke Fellows Endowment of the International Space University. It was a wonderful event, which also included an inspiring tribute to Arthur C. Clarke and a showing of Orphans of Apollo and Q&A with Michael Potter the Director.

Orphans of Apollo is about Walt Anderson and Mircorp leasing of the Mir Space Station for commercial use and all the feathers it ruffled. I wondered about the name because real orphans of Apollo are not interested in anything in orbit except the Moon. The movie takes us on a rollercoaster ride through this attempt at space commercialization. I knew many of the people in the movie during that time. I remember being amused by what they were trying and amazed they got so far.

What I enjoyed most about the evening is seeing how much progress the space movement is making. The movie Orphans of Apollo included a clip with Elon Musk and Space-X which are becoming serious contenders in the launch field. But the thing that was giving me the most hope was the event itself especially Michael Potter's speech which would have done Rick Tumlinson proud.

I studied at GWU under John Logsdon. Dr. Logsdon is a friend of large aerospace companies and was always concerned about his reputation. Dr. Logsdon would not have allowed Michael Potter and Jeff Manber in the door let alone thrown them an event. I remember talking to Dr. Logsdon about having an event to discuss property rights in space and being told he was not interested and he did not want the event to occur on GWU property.

Listening to Michael Potter speak at an event sponsored by the George Washington University Space Policy Institute is like seeing cars drive under the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. As a teenager I used to live in Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate was one of the last things I saw in the city before I left. At the time there were groups of heavily armed soldiers about 20 yards apart, on each side of the Brandenburg gate, with guns pointed at each other. No one had passed through the gate in decades. Now there is a major street running under the gate when I first saw a picture of it as it is now I stared for 10 minutes trying to get my head around the concept. I feel like that now. The Space Policy Institute under Dr. Scott Pace is a fundamentally different place than it was a year ago.

SPACEFARING LOGISTICS INFRASTRUCTURE

Here is an interesting paper which considers what would be required to build a spacefaring civilization, which I thought I should bring to the attention the space movement.

SPACEFARING LOGISTICS INFRASTRUCTURE: THE FOUNDATION OF A SPACEFARING AMERICA By JAMES MICHAEL SNEAD

Abstract
The American spacefaring dream, which envisions average Americans being able to safely and routinely travel to and work in space, remains the American public’s benchmark for measuring progress in America’s human space enterprises. This article begins with a brief review of the ideas and developments that led up to the formation of the American spacefaring dream in the late 1950s. It continues with discussion of how building new logistics infrastructure capabilities has enabled America to lead the world in opening new physical and technological
frontiers and why this provides a successful model for fulfilling the American spacefaring dream of opening the space frontier. The article concludes with the identification of specific planning objectives to guide the development, construction, and operation of an integrated American spacefaring logistics infrastructure.