Parabolic Arc

Some notes from today’s Next-generation Suborbital Researchers Conference concerning upcoming flights and vehicle development. In this report: Southwest Research Institute, XCOR, Armadillo Aerospace, Masten Space Systems, Blue Origin and Teachers in Space.

Southwest Research Institute – Alan Stern

• Eight flights on XCOR and Virgin Galactic vehicles, with options for up to 17 missions
• SwRI scientists will fly after XCOR and Virgin Galactic have FAA licenses
• XCOR flights will be on Lynx Mark I (maximum altitude of 61 kilometers)
• Expect that flights will have occurred by the 2013 Next-generation Suborbital Researchers Conference
• Previously spent nearly a decade to fly seven microgravity experiments; will be able to do eight flights within a year
• Three experiments already prepared for suborbital flights
• Flights will involve a “significant number of experiments”
• Putting scientists back in the loop on experiments — less remote control
• Scientists on board reduce the cost of automation, they can react to data on a real-time basis and make changes

XCOR — Jeff Greason and Andrew Nelson

• Greason: Good progress on various Lynx elements….vehicle has external and internal payload capability
• Nelson: Good progress on refining the Lynx shape, some minor tweaks to be made as a result of supersonic wind tunnel tests
• Nelson: Rocket tests and cockpit mockup are in an advanced state
• Nelson: ready to put together parts of the vehicle and go flying

Armadillo Aerospace – Neil Milburn

• Tube rocket (STIG) launch set for March 9 from Spaceport America should all go well
• Boiler plate version of the suborbital vehicle be flying by September or October
• Will begin work on suborbital vehicle once tube rocket test is complete
• Technology can send payloads up to 500 kilometers — a lot of microgravity time

Masten Space Systems – David Masten

• We’re flying now, not just in the future
• Xogdor will fly to 100 kilometers with 4 minutes of microgravity time
• Masten 2011 plans:
  • finish Xaero with CRuSR flights
  • build Xogdor (100 km vehicle)
  • vertical landing testbed, plume impingement project (SBIR)

Blue Origin – Gary Lai

• New Shepard reusable vehicle has multiple configurations for experiments
• creating a plug and play system where researchers can plug in their experiments
• patent for landing at sea is for use “down the road”; now focused on operations in west Texas

Teachers in Space – Ed Wright

• Partnering with Make Magazine to experiment kits that can be made by students and their teachers
• Experiments would be for orbital and suborbital flights
• Working with a start-up that wants to test a 3-D printer in microgravity — project involves NASA Ames
• [Editor's Note: This company is in all likelihood Made in Space, a start up formed by alumni of last year's Singularity University summer session. The company is pursing this goal.]