In prepared testimony last week before the Senate Subcommittee on Science and Space, former space shuttle program manager Wayne Hale urged lawmakers to boost spending for the commercial crew program:
Poised on the cusp of these new systems, we run the risk of being penny wise and pound foolish as we make the same mistake that doomed the space shuttle to much higher cost operations: starving a spacecraft development program in the name of saving a few pennies for today’s budget bottom line resulting in the compromised systems that, if they fly at all, will not be cheap enough to enable business in space….
Currently, the commercial space effort stands uncomfortably close to the brink of financial starvation. Deep space transportation development is being stretched out by similar restrictions. Business is looking to see if the government is serious about providing the critical support or whether this effort will be wasted as so many earlier government programs which withered away on the very cusp of success: National Launch System, Orbital Space Plane, and others.
Hale’s full testimony is reproduced after the break.
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Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana gave a spirited defense of NASA’s turn toward commercial space operations earlier this week, saying the space agency would not block a proposed commercial launch complex on land it controls at the Shiloh site:
“If it works out that that’s the right thing to do, we’ll make sure that the land is available for them to do that,” he said.
Asked if NASA was an advocate for the proposed Shiloh launch complex, Cabana said it was a state initiative.
Aviation Week reports that the U.S. Air Force and SpaceX are within a week of agreeing on a plan for the certification of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets to compete to launch defense payloads.
The plan includes launching Dscovr (Deep Space Climate Observatory) aboard a Falcon 9 in late 2014 to the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L1, which is located 930,000 miles from Earth. SpaceX will also launch the Air Force’s Space Test Program (STP-2) mission — which consists of two satellites — aboard a Falcon Heavy in mid-2015.
“SpaceX says that in addition to preparing for the two OSP-3 missions and additional flights of the Falcon 9 and Heavy variants, it must undergo extensive audits of its spacecraft control and operations software along with reviews of launch site operations prior to certification,” Aviation Week reports.
Once the launch vehicles are certified, SpaceX will be able to compete with United Launch Alliance for defense missions.
In addition to a bill that would allow for the closing of Boca Chica Beach for SpaceX launches, three other pieces of space-related legislation are making their way through the Texas Legislature.
The bills, all sponsored by State Rep. John Davis (R-Houston), include:
HB 545, which would enable municipalities to establish their own spaceport development corporations;
HB 1791, which would align space flight activities in Texas with federal regulations;
HB 417, which would require one member of the state’s Aviation Advisory Committee to come from the commercial spaceflight industry.
HB 545 and HB 1791 have been approved by the House and are now before the Senate Economic Development Committee. HB 417 is before the House Transportation Committee for review.
The Texas State Senate Committee on Administration has approved a measure that would allow officials to close Boca Chica Beach to allow for SpaceX to launch Falcon rockets from a proposed launch complex near Brownsville. The approval paves the way for a vote in the full Senate, where approval is expected.
The measure had been held up for two days after John Whitmire, D-Houston, raised concerns about setting a precedent by closing a public beach for a private company. Whitmire’s concerns were addressed and he now supports the legislation, according to media reports.
Artist’s conception of the proposed SpaceX commercial launch facility near Brownsville, Texas.
The Brownsville Herald reports that more than 500 people attended a public hearing last night to hear the results of the FAA’s preliminary environmental impact statement on SpaceX’s proposed launch facility:
Of those gathered at the International Technology, Education and Commerce Center Tuesday night, dozens shared their views on the project, which showed a general consensus of cautious optimism that the project — which aims to construct a vertical rocket launch site at the eastern end of State Highway 4 — will bring jobs while making a minimal impact on the environment.
Santa Fe, N.M. (NMSA PR) – Governor Susana Martinez today announced that Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, has signed a three-year agreement to lease land and facilities at Spaceport America to conduct the next phase of flight testing for its reusable rocket program. The company will be a new tenant at Spaceport America, the state-owned commercial launch site located in southern New Mexico.
Made in Space will fly the first 3D printer in space next year aboard a SpaceX Dragon freighter, which will deliver it for use by astronauts aboard the International Space Station, CTO Jason Dunn announced on Saturday.
Dunn told attendees at the Space Hacker Workshop in Mountain View, Calif., that this will be the first time that humans will conduct manufacturing operations off the Earth. The 3-D machine will allow astronauts to print parts and components on orbit instead of having to ship them up from Earth.
The company, which is based at the NASA Ames Research Park at Moffett Field, Calif., has been working for three years to perfect 3D printers capable of working in microgravity gravity. Dunn said the Made in Space has flown more than 400 microgravity parabolas to test out printers.
Made in Space was formed in 2010 by alumni of the Singularity University, which runs a summer program at NASA Ames in California.
On Sunday, I dropped by Bob’s Army Navy Store in Mojave, hoping to pick up a pair of good binoculars for the SpaceShipTwo flight scheduled for the next day. Although my search was in vain, I did visit the area on the west side of the building where there are a variety of rocks for sale.
There were rocks of every kind: large rocks and small rocks, crystals, rocks with scaly lizards scurrying underneath to escape from someone who was equally afraid of them. I was fascinated. I had no idea there were that many types of rocks. Or that people would want to buy such things in large numbers. What would they use them for? I was stumped.
What really caught my interest, though, was the petrified wood.
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