The tired, totally irrelevant "been there" thing

Suggest you read another blog that better explains the empty feeling I have.
- LRK -

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http://lunarnetworks.blogspot.com/2010/04/buzz-has-been-there.html
The tired, totally irrelevant "been there" thing
Friday, April 16, 2010

Paul D. Spudis
The Once and Future Moon
Smithsonian Air & Space Blogs

During a carefully staged appearance at Kennedy Space Center yesterday, President Barack Obama rolled out his plans for the U. S. space program. Although there weren’t many surprises (the White House Office of Science and Technology, under the direction of John P. Holdren, had released a fact sheet days earlier outlining details), one startling part of the speech was that we are abandoning the Moon as a goal. Though hinted at in several statements by people around the President, including NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, a path away from human return to the Moon is now officially the direction of Obama’s space policy.

The speech detailed aspects of the administration’s new space budget, which will eliminate Project Constellation, contract with commercial entities for human transport to LEO, and spend money for development of new technology so as to “revolutionize” our access and capabilities in space. The Moon was finally mentioned near the end of the speech and I felt it would be fitting to use the President’s own words as the title for this post, and then give my views of the Moon’s place in the template of space exploration.

I’ve heard the “been there” line many times since 2004 when President George W. Bush announced the Vision for Space Exploration, so hearing it one more time was not a particularly jarring experience. But stop for a moment to consider exactly what President Obama said. Lunar return critics give many reasons to NOT go to the Moon: they think that it’s scientifically uninteresting, it doesn’t contain what we need, it will turn into a money sink (preventing voyages to many other destinations in space – perhaps one on their list), that there are more pressing needs here on Earth, and I’m sure others that I haven’t yet heard. But this new space policy rationale is unique and carries with it different and significant implications for our nation’s exploration of space.

We have now added a new requirement for U.S. space missions – we must go to a place never before visited by humans. Of course, some will argue that such a concept is implicit in the word “exploration” but until recently, exploration encompassed a much wider concept where exploration was followed by exploitation and settlement by many people from many walks of life using many different skills toward a myriad of goals. I wonder if supporters of this new space policy have stopped to consider the implications of the “not been there” requirement. The new meaning of exploration contains within it the seeds of its own termination: after you’ve touched the surface, planted a flag, and collected some rocks or deployed an instrument, that destination is “done.” Or does such a formulation apply only to the Moon?

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There is more on the blog and I hope you read it all.
I have said enough for today.
I will wait a bit and see what falls out of the sky.
- LRK -


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http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/news/index.php?/archives/183-Retracing-the-Steps-of-Apollo-15-Constellation-Region-of-Interest.html
Retracing the Steps of Apollo 15: Constellation Region of Interest

http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/images/
LROC Images
LROC (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera), which is aboard the lunar satellite LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter), is currently collecting data and returning an immense wealth of information in the form of images of the Moon. Below you will find our major resources of
released images and data from LROC:
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Thanks for looking up with me.(Hopefully still)
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
============================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

============================================

A Fifteen Course Dinner and now the Check Please! - Pie in the sky for Dessert would be nice

I have this ill feeling in my stomach.
I think I eat something that doesn't agree with me.
- LRK -

Well I listened and watched and read President Obama's speech to the folks at KSC.
He says he expects to see us send humans around Mars in his lifetime with his plan.

Elon Musk of Space X has a statement of support - AT LONG LAST, AN INSPIRING FUTURE FOR SPACE EXPLORATION.
http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=20100415

Space.com has an article in agreement - Obama Aims to Send Astronauts to an Asteroid, Then to Mars
http://www.space.com/news/obama-space-plan-speech-100415.html

The National Space Society sent me an e-mail with the subject - NSS Press Release on President's Visit to Kennedy Space Center - NSS APPLAUDS PRESIDENTS COMMITMENT TO THE MISSION OF NASA AND THE ROLE OF SPACE IN PROVIDING FOR THE FUTURE.
http://www.nss.org/

Remarks by the President on Space Exploration in the 21st Century as posted on the NSS site.
http://www.space.com/news/obama-space-plan-speech-100415.html


We have been planning a long time to send humans to space. The International Space Station was going to be used to test our ability to withstand the effect of microgravity on the human body. It has been limited in scope due to budget limitations, reduction in scope and experiments canceled. Added to that just the delays in competing construction.

We have had testing on the ground for being able to withstand long periods in confined environments, with some success and some failures. We have tried to make complete ecological environments like Biosphere 2 with problems.
- LRK -

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2
snip
Biosphere 2 had two closure experiments, Missions 1 and 2. The first, with a crew of eight people, ran for two years 1991-93. Following a six month transition period during which researchers entered the facility through airlock doors and conducted research and system engineering improvements, a second closure with a crew of seven people was conducted March 1994-September 1994. In the course of that second mission, a dispute over management of the financial aspects of the project caused the on-site management to be locked out, and the mission itself to be ended prematurely.

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There has been much work done on Habitability Designs for living in space and testing the ability to get along with each other and how to feed and care for humans in confined spaces.
- LRK -

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http://hefd.jsc.nasa.gov/
Habitability and Environmental Factors Division

The Habitability and Environmental Factors Division (HEFD) at NASA/Johnson Space Center is responsible for providing a safe and productive environment for any human spacecraft or habitat and overseeing the research and technology development to enable humans to safely and effectively live and work in space. This work includes human factors and habitability systems; air and water quality, toxicology, microbiology, acoustics and radiation health; and rapid prototyping and integration of human-centered and vehicle systems. HEFD is comprised of two branches:
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We have not gone to a celestial body and stayed long enough to prove our ability to survive and make use of the resources available on location. Going back to the Moon to stay was going to be a proof test and shake out the problems of living off planet.

You can read an in depth report of how we were going to use the Lunar Resources. Topics covered included: Astrophysics, Earth Science, Heliophysics, Planetary Protection, and Planetary Science.
- LRK -

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http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/LEA/finalReport.pdf (138 page, 15.4 MB)
NP-2008-08-542-HQ

NASA ADVISORY COUNCIL WORKSHOP ON SCIENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE LUNAR EXPLORATION ARCHITECTURE FEBRUARY 27–MARCH 2, 2007 • TEMPE, ARIZONA

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The overall objective of the workshop was to provide input from the scientific community through the NASA Advisory Council to the NASA Administrator regarding science associated with the return-to-the-Moon phase of the VSE. Findings developed during the “Workshop on Science Associated with the Lunar Exploration Architecture” are intended to form a basis for Council recommendations regarding planning and implementation of NASA’s Lunar Exploration Architecture and related science programs Through attendance of their representatives, workshop considerations and findings became immediately available to the two Mission Directorates.

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President Obama said, "Now, I understand that some believe that we should attempt a return to the surface of the Moon first, as previously planned. But I just have to say pretty bluntly here: We’ve been there before."

Yes, we have been to the Moon, but done what? A three day stay is not surviving on another planet for six months or two years, it is only three days in transit to the Moon and not six to eight months in space like Mars if you use chemical propulsion. Will the VASIMR engine be tested on the ISS before the shuttle missions stop? We haven't developed nuclear power for powering ION engines on a true spaceship to do it in a shorter time. (39 days?) We don't know if we could survive off world and you don't extract someone from Mars at a moments notice.

Orbiting Mars sounds like a one time Apollo mission to me.
Been there and then cancel further missions.
- LRK -

The President said. "But I want to repeat -- I want to repeat this: Critical to deep space exploration will be the development of breakthrough propulsion systems and other advanced technologies. So I’m challenging NASA to break through these barriers. And we’ll give you the resources to break through these barriers. And I know you will, with ingenuity and intensity, because that’s what you’ve always done. (Applause.)" . . .

Yes it has been done, when properly funded, and NO it hasn't been done when funds were withdrawn and missions canceled Too many missions canceled for lack of funds or changes in World conditions and political will. As I see it the goal should be to learn how to live off world. That means more than just throwing darts at a sky map and saying why don't we go here today.
- LRK -

Well what is it going to take to get back to the Moon? Do we have to borrow a Shuttle and change out the engine in space like Jack Medaris did in "BACK TO THE MOON" by Homer H. Hickam, JR.?

Speaking of Homer H. Hickam, JR., maybe we should read his comments about the decision to cancel plans to go to the Moon.
- LRK -

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http://www.homerhickam.com/cgi-bin/blog.cgi?id=48
Homer Shrugs - 2010-04-07 07:19:40
Dear Readers:

Well, here it is April, 2010, and the dust still hasn't quite settled on the Obama's Administration's 2011 budget proposal which cancelled NASA's plan to return Americans to the moon, recommended increased reliance on commercial firms to carry Americans into low earth orbit, and a smorgasbord of baffling, nonspecific ideas for going into deep space.

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Maybe I have created some indigestion pains but let me share some more food for thought.
Dr. Ronald Wells wrote me this.
- LRK -

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Obama's decision to cancel Constellation will have dire consequences for both the future economy and security of this country in spite of his rousing speech in Florida today. Armstrong, Lovell, and Cernan as well as 27 other former astronauts, going all the way back to the Mercury program, flight controllers, and a former Administrator of Manned Spaceflight during the Apollo period are correct in that assessment.

There is no way that a commercial spacecraft can be ready to go to the ISS in the foreseeable future (5-10 years), never mind to the Moon or to Mars or to some asteroid. Commercial companies do not have the expertise, the safety record, the ability to prove the craft ready for human flight, nor the launch facilities and personnel to oversee such launches. Yes, Obama says NASA has always relied on private enterprise to build its rockets; but he fails to point out that behind every commercial engineer stood a NASA engineer overseeing design, quality control, and production schedules. NASA and the commercial companies formed tightly knit teams, which have not been allowed for under the Obama plan. The follow-on heavy launch vehicle, Ares V, was following a developmental schedule similar to the construction of the Saturn V rocket that took the Apollo astronauts to the Moon. Ares V was destined to lift twice the payload to the Moon and form the basis of travel on to Mars. It WAS the next generation vehicle for America's deep space program, but Obama wants to start over with a new design after nearly $10 billion have already been spent on Constellation which was following the tightly knit cooperative approach so necessary on a major space endeavor.

On the other hand, the launch last October of Ares I-X, the first step towards Ares V and the developmental version of the rocket to take Orion to the ISS was successful, and would be human-rated long before any commercial vehicle, domestic or foreign. Buzz Aldrin may support Obama's decision but there is a formidable array of his colleagues who have as much, if not more, experience than he has in space exploration and how to administer it, who do not agree with him. Other Apollo astronauts have written to Chairman Wolf of the Appropriations Committee expressing their disagreement over the proposed cancellation! Fortunately, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas has introduced Senate bill S.3068 which would restore funding to Constellation and mandate that it be completed.

Those who insist that Constellation is an exemplar of what is wrong with NASA have no sense of history, or of the significance that the program had for pure science and the future of the economy of this country and also its foreign policy. The NASA Advisory Council (NAC), chaired by former Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, a more cohesive and experienced panel of scientists than the Augustine Commission, Obama's politically appointed panel, examined the Constellation program on four different occasions during its development. They found nothing wrong each time with the exception of underfunding by Congress, the main reason the program is behind schedule.

The NAC also set up a marvelous science program to be carried out at Shackleton base near the lunar South Pole, an enterprise, not unlike Antarctica, which would have conducted science in 5 major areas: astrophysics, earth science (yes, earth science from a Moon base), heliophysics, planetary protection, and planetary science--all of these areas fell into the overarching exploration themes that answer why we needed to go back to the Moon: human civilization, scientific knowledge, exploration preparation, global partnerships, economic expansion, and public engagement.

Obama can intimate that we've "been there, done that" as a reason for cancelling a Return to the Moon, but his Vision for the Future is remarkably barren of a similarly detailed plan forming a change we can believe in! Schmitt has perfectly characterized both the President and Aldrin with the last two sentences of a Letter to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal (3/08/2010): "With his ongoing retrenchment and politicization of NASA, the president is signaling to the young and the world that the U.S. has withdrawn from the future of humankind in space. Mr. Aldrin's characterization of the president's budget as a "bold initiative" would be laughable if it did not represent such an abysmal lack of understanding of the consequences of this proposed retreat from American greatness."

Obama's speech today does not alter that assessment. The same can be said for other critics of NASA and the Constellation Program, such as the Planetary Society officers, and even those in NASA who lack the courage and the conviction to stand up against the President, starting at the top! NASA Administrator Bolden, Deputy Administrator Garver, and Science Advisor Holdren do not have the expertise to manage anything approaching what the Constellation program represented for America's future. In the words that Homer Hickam (author of "Rocket Boys", a.k.a. "October Skies") used today, they do not have the experience even to manage "a boy scout jamboree". Remember that shuttle astronaut Bolden believes we can get to Mars in weeks instead of months, evidence that he does not understand Hohmann transfers, and Garver's experience rises to the level of a Public Affairs Officer. Watching Obama & his Administration dismantle American exceptionalism by ceding it to China, Russia, and other countries and replacing ours with smoke and mirrors is truly a disheartening experience.

R. A. Wells
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Time for a glass of water and a couple of Alka-Seltzer.
My apologies if I caused any upset stomachs.
- LRK -

n my eighteen years supporting NASA at Ames Research Center I saw a number of reorganizations and when I left there were a lot of empty rooms and halls that echoed with ghosts of past missions canceled. I thought we had plans to go to mars and the stars by taking steps that would assure a good footing and prove we knew how to survive in the thin air of space. You don't climb Mt Everest in a direct climb, you establish base camps and adjust to the knew environment, then you proceed, picking your steps carefully lest you fall to your death or freeze in an unexpected storm. The Moon just makes sense as a base camp to check out our new tools giving us the needed information to make the final climb to space.

If you want to make a direct climb now, my blessings go with you. I hope I don't have to step over your corpse.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
============================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

============================================

Some say of going to the Moon - "Been There, Done That!"

While waiting to see where we might be going in space, I thought I would view some of how we got to the Moon and now just glibly say,"Been There, Done That!"

I have a 2 DVD set, "MISSION TO THE MOON - COLLECTOR'S EDITION" that was produced by Mark Gray at Spacecraft Films back in 2005. The set is made up of MIT B/W short films that were produced for TV back in the 60's and an Apollo 4 launch in color.

Today with all the computing power we have in our home computers and smart phones, we may well forget how much we had to build to test what we were building to take astronauts to the Moon. There was much testing of what kind of foods could be used that would supply the necessary nutrients but limit the weight and storage requirements.

The astronauts were subjected to numerous tests since we didn't know how the body would react in zero 'g' or 1/6 'g' on the Moon.

It was with a smile that I watched the old B/W movies and clothing styles as the presentation proceeded. Also, back in the 60's you had a lot of knobs, switches and mechanical devices that were big and bulky and yet machines were used to wire computer boards and test, and test, and test the equipment that was to go to the Moon. It was Interesting to see what was expected to happen while still five years before we lifted off for the Moon in July of 1969.
- LRK -

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http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000E5OABG/boxedupcom-20
Mission to the Moon
Director: Mark Gray Rating: NR (Not Rated) Format:

Price: $34.99
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5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Documentary, January 27, 2006
By Laurenc SVITOK (Bratislava Slovakia) -

This review is from: Mission to the Moon (DVD)
This two disc set "suffers" maybe from being released in the same time as fantastic and long expected Mercury set, however, it has its place in space history library. Spacecraft Films left the usual process of creating the own documentary and just used ten original NASA (Apollo 4) or for NASA produced short movies (M.I.T. Science Reporter set). All nine M.I.T.movies are slightly below thirty minutes and are black&white, Apollo 4 is fifteen minutes and in colour. All material is mainly related to the Apollo moon programm.
snip
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What got me thinking of the past was a note from Fred about a simulation of a possible trip to Venus back in 1971 using a Saturn. There is a nice YouTube presentation based on study that was one of several being conducted at Bellcomm and in Manned Space Flight whose purpose was to give guidance to the Apollo Applications Program's technical objectives by focusing on a longer range goal.

Here is what Fred sent.
- LRK -

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Hi Larry,

I found this interesting...forward to your list if you do too! A flyby of Venus using the Apollo spacecraft was once studied. (The authors must have been very sad about Apollo 1 when they published this on February 1, 1967). Now the mission profile has been illustrated with a video.

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19790072165_1979072165.pdf
MANNED VENUS FLYBY
February 1, 1967
M. S. Feldman
L. A. Ferrara
F. L. Havenstein
J. E. Volonte
P. H. Whipple
ABSTRACT
"This study is one of several being conducted at Bellcomm and in Manned Space Flight whose purpose is to give guidance to the Apollo Applications Program's technical objectives by focusing on a longer range goal. The assumed mission in this case is a three-man flyby of Venus launched in November, 1973 on a single standard Saturn V. The selected flight configuration includes a Command and Service Module similar in some respects to Apollo, an Environmental Support Module which occupies the adapter area and a spent S-IVB stage which is utilized for habitable volume and structural support of a solar cell electrical power system. The total injected weight, 106,775 lbs., is within the capability of a single Saturn V of the early 1970's. The study is focused on the selection of subsystem technologies appropriate to long duration flight. The conclusions are reported in terms of the technical characteristics to be achieved as part of the Apollo Applications Program's long duration objectives."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYpIHsZ3AdA
Manned Venus Flyby - Orbiter Space Flight Simulator 2006
rseferino
April 05, 2010
"The most complicated mission that I fly. Complex for the thin margins to maintain the original plan. Me to continue the numbers and me to finish with a ship flying over the planet Venus and returning to the Earth. My sincere admiration for people that 43 years before they calculated this mission and they made few errors...."

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The PDF file is 177 pages of a lot of information on how you would plan for a mission to Venus. The YouTube demo is well done as well. Bellcomm says this is one of several studies.
- LRK -
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http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/documents/NTRS/collection3/NASA_CR_152853.pdf

http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/arch/findaids/bellcomm/bci_frames.html
http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/arch/findaids/bellcomm/bci_sec_1.html

http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/arch/findaids/bellcomm/bci_sec_3.html
Bellcomm, Inc was a subsidiary of the American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) established in 1963 for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Bellcomm was originally organized to provide NASA's Office of Manned Space Flight with technical and management advice for the Manned Space Flight Program. As the NASA-Bellcomm relationship evolved, the latter became directly responsible for systems engineering and analysis and assisted in the overall spacecraft integration for the Apollo program. Bellcomm's Technical Library provided company personnel with immediate access to technical reports and studies dealing with a wide variety of topic affecting the American space program. When the Apollo Program ended in 1972 the company also ceased operation and the library was transferred to the National Air and Space Museum (NASM).

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Fred was interested in the YouTube presentation as he is working on YouTube presentations that help us remember the Apollo missions. I asked him to keep me in the loop in what he is doing and Fred sent this response.
- LRK -

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Hi Larry,

Here is my YouTube link which has lots of space history and future videos, plus my music videos and other favorite music and songs.

www.youtube.com/SkySights

Here is a new music video tribute to the Apollo work force. I used NASA's film with permission and added my original music. This is in two parts since YouTube has a ten-minute limit. The music was done separately, and I found that it fits well with imagining working on Apollo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_EirMy1jQo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqcoTYdosYc
When We Flew to the Moon - Part 1 and 2 (Original)
This video tells the story of a day at work building a Moon ship, the Saturn V. It is a tribute to the Apollo Program work force. "General Pre-Launch Activity at Kennedy - Part 1 and 2" silent film courtesy NASA, used with permission. Original music "When We Flew to the Moon" by Fred Becker.

Fred
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I hope there is more meaning to going to the Moon than just - "Been There, Done That!"

I don't see that we have set up a Lunar Colony or made much use of the resources on the Moon.

I hope we don't do an Apollo type three day landing on Mars and then decide to wait another 40 years to try again.

I would hope that a plan is developed that has the ultimate goal of making it possible for humans to survive in more environments than just on mother Earth. Waiting.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
============================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

============================================

Apollo 13 - Launched April 11, 1970 - 40 years past

The 40th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission is coming up and Colin Mackellar gave me a heads up. Thanks Colin.
- LRK -

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http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo_13/overview/
Apollo 13 Mission

Apollo 13 was the thirteenth in a series of missions using Apollo-specification flight hardware and was to be the third lunar landing. The launch vehicle and spacecraft were similar to those of Apollo 12. There were some differences in the makeup of the ALSEP.

Launch

The space vehicle was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 2:13:00 p.m. EST on April 11, 1970. During the launch, the second-stage inboard engine shut down early because of high-amplitude longitudinal oscillations; however, near-nominal trajectory parameters were achieved at orbital insertion. The Earth-orbital and translunar injection phases went as planned.

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Here is what Colin sent me and I am passing to you for your remembering.
- LRK -

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Hi Larry,

With the Apollo 13 40th anniversary coming up this week, I've added new material to the Honeysuckle website - and most interestingly (to me, anyway) is audio from onboard the ARIA which acquired the spacecraft after it’s longer-than-usual re-entry blackout.

The audio was recorded by the Mission Co-ordinator, David Dunn, and he has only just digitized his tapes.

As well as the full 70 minutes of his tapes, I have online a "mix" file, where I combined the first 15 minutes of his file (on the left channel) and other audio I had (on the right channel) to give it context.

See http://www.honeysucklecreek.net for the start page.

The Apollo 13 section is here

http://honeysucklecreek.net/msfn_missions/Apollo_13_mission

The ARIA audio is in this Re-entry subsection -
http://honeysucklecreek.net/msfn_missions/Apollo_13_mission/a13_re-entry_index.html

best wishes

Colin

http://www.honeysucklecreek.net,
http://vimeo.com/honeysuckle/videos
http://www.greystanes.net

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Much thanks to our friends in Australia.
A lot of information on the Honeysuckle Creek web site.
Hope you enjoy.

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
============================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

============================================

April 15, 2010 - A day to remember or Not

Before we went to Washington, D.C. area, Minjae Ormes set me a note for the April National Geographic Channel return of Known Universe series in April. Time marches on and I missed some. The next one is on April 15. This is also the day we are to hear President Obama at KSC. May the competition for your attention begin.
- LRK -

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Known Universe: Alien Contact
Thursday, April 15, at 10 PM ET/PT

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/known-universe/4497/Overview

Are we alone? It’s an age-old question that was relatively “taboo” in mainstream science until the mid-1990s, when astronomers found planets outside our solar system. Now, Known Universe joins the hunt for alien life as scientists search for planets with similar characteristics to Earth’s. We’ll take you on a journey to find planets that may support life and show you new space-based technologies that aid in the search for advanced alien civilizations.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGC/StaticFiles/Images/Show/44xx/449x/4497_Known_Universe_Alien_Contact-07_05320299.JPG
Control Room at JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is the lead US center for robotic exploration of the solar system, and conducts major programs in space-based Earth sciences. (Photo Credit: © BASE Productions)

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Whether we ever go to search for aliens by way of space ships or they come to see us will probably be a matter of the budget and political interest. [Maybe the aliens will have more interest than us.]

So far we have only gone to our Moon with the Apollo missions. Might be nice to visit Mars' moons but then maybe a few more years at LEO is all that will be seen. Stay tuned for the next episode to see where our spacesuits will tread next. Listening for hints come April 15, 2010.
- LRK -

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http://www.spacepolitics.com/2010/04/08/planning-or-lack-thereof-for-the-space-conference/
Planning (or lack thereof) for the space conference

April 8, 2010 at 4:58 pm · Filed under NASA

Today’s short-notice NASA press conference primarily covered organizational issues within the agency: which centers would be responsible for what aspects of the new plan. For example, KSC will host the Commercial Crew Development Program Office, with JSC serving as deputy; the roles are reversed for the Flagship Technology Demonstrations, with JSC in the lead. With a few minor exceptions (like Marshall taking the Centennial Challenges program office, which had been run out of Headquarters) there wasn’t much surprising there, and more importantly, no sign of any significant deviations from the original plan as rolled out two months ago. He also noted that this assignment of projects to various centers was done within NASA, without input from the administration or Congress.

During the Q&A, NASA administrator Charles Bolden was asked about the presidential space conference scheduled for a week from today in Florida (presumably at KSC). “It is a work in progress,” he said. There are several goals for the event, Bolden added, starting with giving President Obama the opportunity “to continue to conversation he has been having with members of Congress”; this will include some “private moments” with members of Congress who will be at the event. Obama will then give a “major space policy speech” that, Bolden said, is designed to try and convince people “that he is dedicated to exploration and to human spaceflight.” That will be followed by several breakout panels (he later said four) on programs in the budget proposal.

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What is announced from the White House for April 15, 2010.
- LRK -

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http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-host-space-conference-florida-april
The White House

Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 07, 2010
President Obama to Host Space Conference in Florida in April

WASHINGTON – On April 15, President Barack Obama will visit Florida to host a White House Conference on the Administration’s new vision for America’s future in space, the White House today announced.

The President, along with top officials and other space leaders, will discuss the new course the Administration is charting for NASA and the future of U.S. leadership in human space flight. Specifically, the conference will focus on the goals and strategies in this new vision, the next steps, and the new technologies, new jobs, and new industries it will create. Conference topics will include the implications of the new strategy for Florida, the nation, and our ultimate activities in space.

Further logistical details will be announced as they become available.

After an independent review panel found that the previous program to return astronauts to the Moon was fundamentally un-executable, the President included an additional $6 billion for NASA in his FY2011 budget over the next five years. This funding will help us achieve our boldest aspirations in space. The President’s ambitious new strategy pushes the frontiers of innovation to set NASA on a more dynamic, flexible, and sustainable trajectory that can propel us on a new journey of innovation and discovery.

The President and the NASA Administrator both believe that we have to be forward thinking and aggressive in our pursuit of new technologies to take us beyond low-Earth orbit. The President’s plan does this.

A foundational element of this new strategy is to invest in the development of a targeted set of inter-related technologies and capabilities that can help us travel from the Earth’s cradle to our
nearby Solar System neighborhood in a more effective and affordable way, thus laying the foundation to support journeys to the Moon, asteroids, and eventually to Mars.

After years of underinvestment in new technology and unrealistic budgeting, the President’s plan will unveil an ambitious plan for NASA that sets the agency on a reinvigorated path of space exploration.

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Anything can be proposed or legislated, but if no money to fund, then not to see happen.
Whether we hear the jingle of coins will be what determines how far we can go.
Let me byte that coin, is it real gold?
- LRK -

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NASA Budget Information
http://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/index.html

FY 2011 Budget
› FY 2011 Budget Overview (387 Kb PDF)
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/420990main_FY_201_%20Budget_Overview_1_Feb_2010.pdf

› Administrator Bolden's Statement (68 Kb)
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/420994main_2011_Budget_Administrator_Remarks.pdf

› Deputy Administrator's Remarks at the OSTP Budget Announcement (68 Kb)
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/421331main_Remarks_by_Lori_Garver_for_OSTP.pdf

› Office of Management and Budget: FY 2011 NASA Fact Sheet→
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/factsheet_department_nasa/

› NASA Budget Details From OMB→
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2011/assets/nasa.pdf

› Joint Statement From NASA Administrator Bolden and John P. Holdren,
Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy (112 Kb PDF)
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/421063main_Joint_Statement-2-1.pdf

› Joint NASA-OSTP Factsheet (70 Kb PDF)
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/421064main_NASA_OSTP_Joint_Fact_Sheet_FINAL_2020.pdf

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Thanks for looking up with me. [Do you see anything? Who is looking up with you?]
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
============================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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Images of Surveyor 3, 5, and 6 and Luna 20 and 24 from LRO

Images of Surveyor 3, 5, and 6 and Luna 20 and 24 from LRO

Larry Klaes posted to fpspace this note:
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Sky & Telescope had a post on an impact crater made by the Saturn 5 boosterstage that got Apollo 13 sort of to the Moon imaged by LRO:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/newsblog/89359412.html

In the process the author also mentions that LRO has imaged some of theSurveyor and Luna landers too! Not sure how I missed these but they arelinked from the article.They will definitely make you appreciate how tough it will be to find Luna 9.Hopefully the crashed landers left a noticable crater to help in IDing.

Larry
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http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/newsblog/89359412.html

A Blast from the Past
With the cancellation of plans to return Americans to the Moon, atleast anytime soon, you might think that NASA's Lunar ReconnaissanceOrbiter is a spacecraft without a mission. After all, LRO's two keyobjectives were to scan the lunar landscape for places where futurecrews could safely land and to assess how much water might be stashedin the Moon's polar regions. But don't worry: the global observationsbeing returned by this highly capable orbiter will keep lunarspecialists busy for decades. Here's a guide to the spacecraft's seveninstruments.

Much ado has been made of LRO's views of landing sites from previousmissions. Most famous among these is the revered Apollo 11 site,Tranquility Base, snapped a couple of times last year. The stunninglydetailed views are made possible by LRO's high-resolution cameras,dubbed LROC. The twin sets of 8-inch (195-mm) f/3.6 optics, viewingfrom an orbit only 30 miles (50 km) up, resolve the lunar terrain atabout 2 feet (0.5 m) per pixel.
snip
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You will want to check out the link and the hot links on the web pagefor more images from LRO.- LRK -Also the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter web site.

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Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/
LRO ObservationsView the full gallery of images gathered from LRO's instruments andthe associated information products derived from them. Thusinformation, including boulder distribution maps, slope maps anddigital terrain models will guide engineers and scientists as theydevelop their plans for how they will continue to explore the moon.

Photo Gallery
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/multimedia/lroimages/LROMoonImages_archive_1.html

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I guess for now this is as close to the Moon we are going to get.We can only hope that if it is Mars Direct that happens that we willhave the necessary developments in place to use on the Moon as well.Eventually both places should show a human presence and not just rover tracks.It will probably happen after I quite talking to you but maybe therewill be an after life that will let me come back and bug you all. :-)- LRK -In the mean time feel free to let me know what interests you all.- LRK -I wish we could hold NASA to what is posted here.
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http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/home/index.html
At the core of NASA's future in space exploration is a return to themoon, where we will build a sustainable long term human presence.As the space shuttle approaches retirement, NASA is building the nextfleet of vehicles to service the International Space Station andreturn humans to the moon, and possibly to Mars and beyond. In supportof these efforts, ESMD is performing field tests, designing surfacesystems and conducting advanced human research to ensure that futuremissions are safe, sustainable and affordable

snip
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Will this continue? --- ESMD is performing field tests, designingsurface systems and conducting advanced human research to ensure thatfuture missions are safe, sustainable and affordable ---Or will I have to go look at the Web Archive to see what was promised?
- LRK -

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Wayback Machine
http://www.archive.org/web/web.php
Browse through over 150 billion web pages archived from 1996 to a fewmonths ago. To start surfing the Wayback, type in the web address of asite or page where you would like to start, and press enter. Thenselect from the archived dates available. The resulting pages point toother archived pages at as close a date as possible. Keyword searchingis not currently supported.

snip
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Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
============================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK
============================================

Smithsonian - National Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian - National Air and Space Museum

While visiting the daughter and family in northern Virginia, we went to the Smithsonian near Dulles airport, Washington D.C. and had a nice time.

Extended Summer Hours:
March 29 - September 5
10:00 am - 7:30 pm

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
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http://www.nasm.si.edu/UdvarHazy/
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport is the companion facility to the Museum on the National Mall. The building opened in December, 2003, and provides enough space for the Smithsonian to display the thousands of aviation and space artifacts that cannot be exhibited on the National Mall. The two sites together showcase the largest collection of aviation and space artifacts in the world.The Center was named in honor of its major donor, and features the large Boeing Aviation Hangar in which aircraft are displayed on three levels. Visitors can walk among aircraft and small artifacts indisplay cases located on the floor, and view aircraft hanging from the arched ceiling on elevated skywalks. Many engines, helicopters, ultra-lights, and experimental flying machines are on display in a museum setting for the first time. Among the aviation artifacts on display are the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet in theworld; the Boeing Dash 80, the prototype of the 707; the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay; and the deHavilland Chipmunk aerobatic airplane.
snip
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After going to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center we watched Transformer2 on DVD at daughters house in Woodbridge Virginia. It was nice to see the scenes shot at Dulles Smithsonian after having looked at the displays and the SR-71 Black Bird. In the movie the SR-71 turns into a transformer and knocks down a wall getting out. At the museum they have a display of model transformers so you knew what to look for in the movie.

I took a picture of one of Robert McCall's wall paintings. I had bought "The Art of Robert McCall: A Celebration of Our Future in Space(Hardcover)earlier in the month, used like new, from Amazon.com for $34.99. Was nice to see the full size article.

The next day we went into Washington D.C. and saw the cherry trees in bloom and looked through the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
http://www.si.edu/Museums/

There is really too much to see and take in if you are limited by time and I wanted to see the Air and Space museum so we did not battle the crowds for the other museums along the mall. You saw tour busses from all over letting off their passengers. A very popular place to be.

We walked across the mall to the National Air and Space Museum.

National Air and Space Museum.
-------------------------------------------------------http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/flagship.cfm
The National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. has hundreds of original, historic artifacts on display, including the Wright 1903 Flyer; the Spirit of St. Louis; the Apollo11 command module Columbia; and a Lunar rock sample that visitors can touch.The Museum offers 22 exhibition galleries, the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater, flight simulators, a three-level Museum shop, and a food-court-style restaurant. Docent tours, daily free educational programs, and school group tours and activities are also available.

snip

The history of human space exploration is detailed in two exhibitions. To learn about the American and Soviet competition, visit Space Race,where artifacts on display include the V2 ballistic missile, a full-size Hubble Space Telescope test vehicle, and the backup Skylab space station that visitors can walk through.

snip
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Gene Nelson, PhD, a lunar-update reader, works as a docent at the National Mall location of the National Air and Space Museum.
http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/flagship.cfm

We met Gene and he gave us a very interesting tour of the Hubble Telescope, the CORONA spy camera satellite and the U-2.

It was great to have a guide to tell you about the behind scenes operations.

-------------------------------------------------------http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/12/new-acquistion-corrective-instruments-from-the-hubble-space-telescope/
New Acquisition: Corrective instruments from the Hubble Space TelescopeThe Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum recently obtained two monumental instruments on loan from NASA’s Goddard Space FlightCenter. The Hubble Space Telescope’s corrective optics spacetelescope axial replacement, COSTAR, and the Hubble’s wide-fieldplanetary camera WFPC2 are both now on view at the National Air andSpace Museum. COSTAR is on display at NASM in the new “Moving Beyond Earth” exhibition and the WFPC2 is on temporary display through January 10 in Space Hall, in front of a full moddle of the HubbleSpace Telescope

snip
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Gene pointed out pit marks from space debris hitting the outer skin ofthe Hubble’s wide-field planetary camera. We also looked at the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement—COSTAR.
http://smithsonianscience.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/WEB11281-2009h.jpg

Gene gave us an indepth overview of the CORONA spacecraft and its camera system. There is film strung from one end to the other to make it possible to take pictures and roll the film up onto reel canisters that could then be dropped and snagged by aircraft as it fell through the air.

-------------------------------------------------------http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/pressroom/presskits/museumkit/siflight.cfm
National Air and Space Museum Press Kit

snip
1995 The National Air and Space Museum acquires the formerly top-secret "Keyhole" camera from the Corona spacecraft, the world's first spy satellite. Other notable 1995 acquisitions include an Ilyushin Il-2M3 Shturmovik and a flight data recorder, commonly referred to as a "black box." (May)

snip
-------------------------------------------------------http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19950117000
Camera, Corona, KH-4B
Manufacturer: Itek Corporation
Country of Origin: United States of America
Dimensions:Overall: 5 ft. 8 in. tall x 5 ft. 2 in. wide x 5 ft. 5 in. deep (172.7x 157.5 x 165.1cm)Materials:Metal, glass, polyester filmThe KH-4B was the last and most advanced camera system used in ProjectCorona, America and the world's first photoreconnaissance satelliteprogram. Between August 1960 and May 1972, when the program ended, 145 Corona satellites were launched and they produced over 800,000 usable images of the USSR and other nations. Film return capsules containing the exposed film separated from the spacecraft in orbit, reentered the atmosphere, and were retrieved in midair. The Itek-made KH-4B camera was used from 1967 until the end of the program and under ideal conditions produced a ground resolution of 6 feet. This artifact was reconstructed from spare parts and was transferred to NASM by theNational Reconnaissance Office in 1995.

Transferred from the National Reconnaissance Office.

http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19950117000

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The day was too short and we had a Metro Rail ride to take back to our car in Virginia so had to bid Gene Nelson goodbye.

It was great to put a face to a lunar-update reader. Much thanks Gene.

Thanks for looking up with me.- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
============================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK
============================================