Two astronauts explore the moon from NASA’s Altair Lander. Credit: NASA
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER PRESS RELEASE
San Diego, CA – With major implications for long-duration space travel, a study from the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Medical Center demonstrates that the high-energy radiation found in space may lead to premature aging and prolonged oxidative stress in cells. The findings suggest that astronauts may be at increased risk of colon cancer due to exposure to the high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation found in space.
“Radiation exposure, either intentional or accidental, is inevitable during our lifetimes,” says Kamal Datta, M.D., assistant professor at Lombardi and the study’s lead author. “But with plans for a mission to Mars, we need to understand more about the nature of radiation in space. There is currently no conclusive information for estimating the risk that astronauts may experience.”
The kickoff of Project Constellation – NASA’s program to return humans to the moon and travel to Mars – has led to increased scrutiny of radiation exposures during space travel. A 2004 report from the National Academies suggested that cancer incidence may be higher in the astronaut population as compared to the general U.S. population, and the National Research Council published a report last month that recommended increased research into the radiation exposures experienced by astronauts during space travel, as well as development of new radiation shielding technologies.
Current risk estimates for radiation exposure rely exclusively on the cumulative dose a person receives in his or her lifetime. The Lombardi study suggests that a more accurate risk assessment should include not only dose, but also the quality of radiation.
Continue reading ‘Study: Long-Duration Astronauts at Greater Risk for Cancer, Premature Aging’
The Government Accountability Office’s report on the NASA Constellation program has some interesting information about the space agency’s efforts to send astronauts back to the moon and on to Mars. GAO found that:
- NASA has already spent more than $7 billion on the program since its inception in 2004 - with nearly $230 billion projected over the next 20 years.
- Engineers must close significant knowledge gaps and refine many requirements in order to conduct preliminary design reviews on Ares and Orion scheduled for August and September.
- The space agency’s efforts involve a high-risk strategy of “concurrent” technology development - working on different systems at the same time and integrating them later.
The General Accountability Office’s review of NASA’s Constellation lunar program is in and…things aren’t looking up at the moment. GAO examined technical and programmatic risks for the still-evolving Ares rocket and Orion spacecraft. It’s a preliminary progress report because the space agency is still in the process of defining the program.
“The challenges NASA is facing pose risks to the successful outcome of the projects. For example:
- Both vehicles have a history of weight issues;
- Excessive vibration during launch threatens system design;
- Uncertainty about how flight characteristics will be impacted by a fifth segment added to the Ares I launch vehicle;
- Ares I upper stage essentially requires development of a new engine;
- No industry capability currently exists for producing the kind of heat shields that the Orion will need for protecting the crew exploration vehicle when it reenters Earth’s atmosphere; and
- Existing test facilities are insufficient for testing Ares I’s new engine, for replicating the engine’s vibration and acoustic environment, and for testing the thermal protection system for the Orion vehicle.
Continue reading ‘GAO: Ares/Orion Overweight, Underpowered and Potentially Deadly’
Massive job cuts in space program likely
Associated Press
“More than 8,000 NASA contractor jobs in the nation’s manned space program could be eliminated after the space shuttle program is shut down in 2010, the agency said Tuesday.
“The number of civil servants is expected to remain roughly the same, but dramatic job cuts are possible among private contractors as NASA transitions to the Constellation program, which is developing the next-generation vehicle and rockets to go to the moon and later to Mars.”
NASA faces job flight
Daytona Beach News-Journal
NASA: Michoud’s Employment Future Cloudy
Associated Press via Yahoo News
More than 1,000 jobs may be lost at Michoud
New Orleans Times-Picayune
Marshall jobs ‘pretty stable’
The Huntsville Times
The Houston Chronicle is concerned that the United States will lose its leading role in space exploration.
The Chronicle’s editors are primarily worried about a possible five-year gap in human spaceflight that could follow the retirement of the space shuttle in 2010. It may take NASA that long to get its new Constellation system online. In the meantime, NASA will be dependent upon the Russians for rides to the International Space Station. And China will be expanding its human spaceflight program.
“Congress should heed U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and other lawmakers who are pressing for an additional $2 billion to speed up the construction of the Orion vehicle,” the editors say.
NASA has awarded small contracts to five companies to conduct a 210-day study of the agency’s in-house design for a human lunar lander. The five companies are:
Andrews Space, Seattle
The Boeing Co., Houston
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Denver
Northrop Grumman Corporation, El Segundo, Calif.
Odyssey Space Research, Houston.
The contracts total $1.5 million; the largest is for $350,000. These awards are part of NASA’s effort to send astronauts back to the moon by 2020.
“These studies will provide valuable input for developing a sound set of requirements for the Altair lunar lander,” said Jeff Hanley, the Constellation Program manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Industry collaboration will provide insight for our planning and early design efforts for the spacecraft.”
The Orlando Sentinel has a story about the challenges faced by Florida’s Space Coast with the wind down of the shuttle program and potentially long gap before the Constellation program replaces it.
“According to Washington insiders, NASA — which until now has refrained from putting numbers on work-force losses — will announce in two weeks that 4,000 jobs will disappear with the shuttle in 2010,” the paper reports. “Experts anticipate another few thousand associated jobs will follow suit.”
The new Constellation program will require far fewer jobs than the space shuttle. In addition, Florida also is facing competition from Virginia, Texas and other states and countries.
SOURCE: PURDUE UNIVERSITY NEWS SERVICE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University engineers are conducting experiments using a new hydrogen facility to help NASA create designs to improve the cooling efficiency and performance of the J-2X rocket engine, critical for future missions to Mars and the moon.
More efficient cooling improves performance and reduces the need for costly overhauls, said William Anderson, an associate professor in Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
The new hydrogen facility allows Purdue researchers to study fundamental processes in hydrogen-oxygen engines, such as the J-2X and the engine that will be used by astronauts during their descent to the moon.
Continue reading ‘Purdue University Facility Works on Improving NASA Moon Engine’
Credit: NASA
Rob Coppinger has an interesting analysis of NASA’s Ares V program on his Hyperbola blog. He takes a look at how the space agency’s moon rocket, based on space shuttle technology, has evolved since it was first incorporated as part of NASA’s Exploration Systems Architecture Study.
The story focuses on how engine selection and other factors affected the design and payload capacity of the Ares V. It’s a very detailed piece, so I won’t attempt to fully summarize it here. However, if you are interested in the details of why certain engines were chosen and the performance trade-offs that resulted, this would be a good read.
NASA will be using space shuttle ceramic tiles on its new Orion spacecraft in order to save weight, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
The newspaper reports that NASA originally wanted to use a “Frisbee-shaped disc of a material called PICA as Orion’s main heat shield.” However, serious thrust issues with the Ares I rocket have required engineers to go with the lightweight tiles to reduce the capsule’s weight. Officials say the tiles are safe and their use on Orion is not likely to lead to a Columbia-type accident.
“The tiles were available,” said Cleon Lacefield, who is Orion program manager for Lockheed Martin. “They gave us the heat protection we needed, and the newer generation is very tough. They increased the damage tolerance over other alternatives we were looking at.”
The continued use of the tiles will save a handful of the hundreds of tile technician jobs that now exist to service the much larger space shuttle, which is scheduled for retirement in 2010. As few of 10 tile technicians will remain. Overall, the end of the shuttle program will likely take about 5,000 jobs with it.
