August 2004
August 2004
The
X-Prize, or more
correctly The Ansari X Prize, continues to grab the limelight, with
two teams now in the race. Scaled Composites, Burt Rutan's team with
SpaceShipOne, has given its official 60 day's notice and
confirmed that there will be no additional shakedown flights between
now and their prize attempts. An ex-NASA shuttle pilot has checked
the team out and announced it in compliance of the rules. September
the 29th is the big day, with the second attempt being
with in 2 weeks, which puts it at the 13th October latest.
SpaceShipOne will be partly stripped to keep the weight down
for the attempt, and unspecified additions will be made to the main
rocket engine.
But
this is private money being used here, so Scaled Composites have some
actual real competition. Most of the 20 other teams are some way off
and may not be in a position to get in by the closing date of the
competition – the 1st January 2005, and closing fast
enough to produce a bit of frantic activity in several camps. One
that is close to launch is the Toronto-based da
Vinci Project, run by volunteer labour – all 600 of them.
They're C$500,000 short of doing a launch, but stand a chance of
getting some sponsorship. Rollout of their rocket is on the 5th
August at Downsview Airport, all being well.
It's a controversial design, and we're not just talking about the artistic side – volunteers like to enjoy themselves and have made their WildFire vehicle look very “Flash Gordon”. Despite the glitzy exterior it does pack some serious firepower; the question is “Is it safe?”
You
see, it'll be dangling nearly a kilometre underneath an unmanned
balloon for the first 24 km or so, which is not a standard launch
position for manned spacecraft. Some critics suggest it may be
difficult to launch from this position; others say a launch at a
slight angle before straightening up should clear the balloon. Its
two engines run on oxygen and kerosene, but these fuels are forced
into the engine by pressurised helium rather than the traditional
turbopumps. When it comes back down again, a curious device known as
a ballute is used to keep re-entry speeds down and divert the hot
re-entry airflow away from the sides of the craft. It deploys as an
inflatable shield looking somewhat like an inverted old-fashioned
hoop skirt, as shown here on the right. Landing is by a parafoil
chute, and various backup chutes are in place thanks to some serious
paranoia. We wish them the best.
The
International Space Station is as controversial as ever. NASA has had
to pull out of fully supporting the station due to budget cuts and
the lack of a spaceworthy launch vehicle. While the other
international partners have agreed to support NASA's decision –
having a hissy fit over it won't get NASA any more budget or launch
capability – they have expressed private disappointment and
feel let down. The ISS will now not be able to reach its original
intended status as a place of scientific research, and other methods
of getting stuff up to it will have to be developed.
Just
as well then that preparations are underway to support the European
Space Agency's own resupply and cargo transfer system, Jules
Verne. The two inhabitants of the ISS will don their Russian
spacesuits and go on a spacewalk to fit an antenna and reflective
laser rangefinding patch to guide the vehicle in. They have plenty of
time as the 20.7 tonne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) won't be
launched aboard its Ariane 5 launcher until some time next
year. After then though, they'll pop up every six months or so. The
ATVs are unmanned, and will be used as a very expensive rubbish bag
once emptied. The rubbish-laden ATVs will be burned up in a fiery
re-entry.
If you fancy building yourself a Jules Verne – as shown together with the ISS in the image on the right, courtesy of ESA - you can download a printable paper model and instructions from this web page: http://nasaexplores.com/extras/jules_verne_atv/build_atv.html
Mr G.W. Bush is having a bit of a hard time convincing congress to support even his meagre proposed lunar return project, for which he had earmarked a US$886 increase in NASA's budget – about 6% on last year. The House appropriations subcommittee took advantage of the 35th anniversary of the Apollo landings on the 20th July 1969 to announce they had passed a NASA budget that was in fact cut by more than US$1 billion, or enough to fund about a week of the continuing occupation of Iraq. The weird thing is that the language of the committee was supportive of the plans, they just didn't put any money up to match the fine words. With an election looming and various politiking going on, it is unlikely that government space funding is going to be high on the American agenda. Issues such as the Gulf War, abortion and gay marriage get a lot more attention and there are those people pointing out that this money could have made the US independent of foreign oil if spent on renewable energy and so on and so forth. It does not bode well for US spaceflight. And if Bush loses, as looks likely, what happens to his pet moon project?
The
Chinese have no such concerns, and are industriously preparing for
their 2005 flight with two people. They are also scouring their
schools for a suitable woman to fire up in a national campaign
prompted by the All-China Women's Federation. The space agency
realises the necessity for mixed crews, particularly when it comes to
permanently manned space stations, and they may well let the usual
reckless males set up a space station before asking the more sensible
females to take up residence. But please, no jokes about it needing a
good clean. Orbiting females think this is vaguely amusing the first
time they hear it, but subsequently go all soggy and hard to light.
This edition is
also on the web, just point your web browser to
http://olliver.family.gen.nz. vik@olliver.family.gen.nz
"When
things are investigated, then true knowledge is achieved"
-
Confucius
Back to the Launchpad main page http://olliver.family.gen.nz/launchpad