Fusion Steps Forward: U.S. National Ignition Facility Unveils 'Super Laser' May 31, 2009
Posted by Nick Azer in : Fusion Power, Helium-3 , 4comments
The National Ignition Facility in Livermore, CA made big headlines today by unveiling their ‘super laser’, a major step towards developing fusion power.
Fusion power is essentially the main reason there’s a ’base race’ back to the Moon at all. Its fuel is helium-3— a resource rare on Earth, but abundant on the Moon—and its potential as a nearly-limitless energy source is astronomical. (Check out the excellent article by Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison “Jack” Schmitt for the full skinny, as well as his 2006 book on the subject).
Governor Schwarzenegger embraced the project with bear-hug enthusiasm (a pretty big development in and of itself):
“‘This laser system is an incredible success not just for California, but for our country and our world,’ Schwarzenegger said. ‘NIF has the potential to revolutionize our energy system, teaching us a new way to harness the energy of the sun to power our cars and homes.’ “- “US lab debuts super laser“, AFB via Brietbart.com
This laser represents the first time there has been a fusion laser capable of producing positive energy gain—that is, producing more energy than it took to ignite it. Clearly, an important step towards having fusion power as a viable everyday energy source.
Every development in fusion power solidifies the value of being involved in helium-3, and therefore, further encourages lunar efforts (both public and private). The pace and scale of lunar development are—and will remain—deeply intertwined with the status of fusion power as a technology.
For all the neat details of the laser itself, check out this 10-minute PBS feature from last year on it (as well as the National Ignition Facility’s own surprisingly-spiffy website):
Google Lunar X PRIZE: Video Roundup of Rover/Rocket Tech May 29, 2009
Posted by Nick Azer in : Google Lunar X Prize, rover, Team Italia , add a commentHere’s a quick, neat video from the Google Lunar X PRIZE showing what stage a lot of the teams‘ rovers and other technologies are at, from rodent-sized to rocket-powered:
My favorite there is probably Team Italia‘s spider-esque, six-legged walker—NASA has come to a similar design for their amazing ATHLETE support workhorse, so you figure they must be on to something :)
Here’s a full video of that prototype in action (shake that booty!):
LSSW: Lunar Scenario 4—Manifest Destiny? May 28, 2009
Posted by Nick Azer in : Lunar Surface Systems Workshop , add a commentThis is the latest in my ongoing series of coverage of the Lunar Surface Systems Workshop, where oodles of new, advanced concepts for NASA’s future lunar base were shown.
Lunar Surface Architecture Status: Part 4
Now that the idea of lunar scenarios is introduced, the presentation dives into selected scenarios themselves.
The first scenario is pretty brief, but comes with some spiffy imagery:
That is a graphic of the lunar base, with the technology labeled. All or most of those elements will each get their own post here in the coming weeks, but the note at the bottom there mentions two in particular: the ATHLETE (All-Terrain Hex-Legged Extra-Terrestrial Explorer) and the PUP (Portable Utility Pallet). The ATHLETE is probably the coolest thing I’ve seen from Constellation yet—video evidence of such :).
And that is a manifest showing the technology rollout to the base, under this scenario. That’s pretty darn neat, as it says right down to the quarter when they generally expect crew and elements to be there.
This scenario’s manifest shows that crew would be there 6 months at a time each of the last three fiscal years, for the middle two quarters—so from January through the end of June. In FY2020, four crew would only be there for a week in Q4 (late summer), and in FY2021 that goes up to 14 days (also in Q4).
As far as the tech, the bulk shows up in the form of the Lunar Electric Rovers (also known as Small Pressurized Rovers [SPRs]) and utilities in late 2020. The first ATHLETE shows up in late 2021, and the Core Habitat is in place by late 2022. So, despite NASA planning to have the base ‘completed’ by 2024 or so, there will be plenty of action up there before then :)
The diagram also notes that in FYs 2022, 2023, and 2024 there may be sorties to other lunar locations—potentially expeditions in the Lunar Electric Rovers (which can hold astronauts, comfortably, on trips as long as two weeks), versus seperate flights up there.
—
Check back soon for Part 5 of the Lunar Surface Architecture Status: a look at Scenario 5, which outlines nuclear fission as a lunar energy option.
NASA's Dual LRO and LCROSS Mission Launches Coming Up Soon—June 17th! May 25, 2009
Posted by Nick Azer in : LCROSS, Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter, NASA , add a comment
An exciting step for NASA is coming up fast: the combined launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO; pictured above) and the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS; pictured below) is set for June 17th.
The two craft will orbit the moon, with the LRO taking measurements of potential environmental hazards, such as radiation and lunar dust (specifically, areas where the dust will be extra-charged and therefore even more of a nuisance than usual), and with the LCROSS creating an impact in a deep-shadow crater and studying the resulting plume to see if there’s potential water ice.
As the missions get underway, I’m going to be rolling out a lot of features here at Luna C/I covering many aspects of the craft, and the work they are looking to do. Should be exciting times (and a big PR time for Constellation), so save that date, and keep an eye out for updates and detailed looks to be beginning here soon :)
It's Official: Obama Nominates Charles Bolden as NASA Administrator May 23, 2009
Posted by Nick Azer in : African-American History, Charles Bolden, NASA, Obama , add a comment
It’s official: President Obama has now nominated former astronaut Charles Bolden to be the first African-American Administator of NASA.
After quite the long saga, Sen. Bill Nelson‘s primary choice ended up as the nominee, with Obama advisor Lori Garver (head of Obama’s space transition team) selected as deputy administrator.
Here’s a video of Sen. Bill Nelson discussing the Bolden appointment:
Bolden–Obama Update: Meeting, But No Administrator Announcement Yet May 19, 2009
Posted by Nick Azer in : African-American History, Charles Bolden, NASA , add a commentThe AP has an update on Charles Bolden’s meeting with President Obama today.
Many had expected a potential announcement of Bolden being the new NASA Administrator today, but looks like that is still on hold, despite the angst of many at NASA over the temporary void in leadership.
Keep an eye here (and at the always-dependable sites NASA Watch and Space Politics) for updates as they come :)
Charles Bolden to Be Named NASA Administrator Monday? (Updated) May 15, 2009
Posted by Nick Azer in : African-American History, NASA , add a comment
NASA Watch and MSNBC are reporting that Charles Bolden will likely be nominated as NASA’s administrator after meeting with President Obama on Monday, ending a long process full of twists and turns.
The primary choice of Sen. Bill Nelson, Bolden is an astronaut veteran and would be the first African-American adminstrator of NASA. In the past I talked about the significance of that in regards to specifics of NASA’s history, in the context of Gen. Lester Lyles having then been a candidate.
Keep an eye here for further updates once his nomination becomes official…
(Editor’s Note: Originally understood meeting with Obama and potential appointment would be Friday the 15th; meeting is instead this coming Monday the 18th. Post updated with correction.)
Google Lunar X PRIZE: White Label Space Now An Official Team! May 13, 2009
Posted by Nick Azer in : brand, Google Lunar X Prize , add a comment
White Label Space was announced last week as the latest official Google Lunar X PRIZE team!
They’ve been around a while, preparing since March 2008 with blogging and twittering and other goodness to go along, but are just now an official team.
The curious name comes from the concept of a white-label product—a currently brandless product ready for another company to step in with a brand ready and apply it.
“With a strong background in space engineering and knowledge of the costs involved, the group realized that there were numerous global companies that could finance a Google Lunar X PRIZE mission with less than 10% of their yearly advertising expenditure.”- “White Label Space Joins Google Lunar X PRIZE”, official team blog, 5/8/09
A strong brand can have a tremendous impact on public relations, for both the team itself and its partners—as David Gump of Astrobotic recently attested to:
“A vision for Astrobotic grew out of long-time collaborations between Gump and Whittaker, starting back in 1989 when Gump headed the now-defunct Lunacorp and had plans to place a rover on the moon. ‘At that time we didn’t have the credibility of Google dust sprinkled on us,’ Gump said.” -”Private Moon Rover Aims for Apollo 11 Landing Site“, Space.com
Attracting outright (as White Label Space puts it) ”one or more of the biggest brands in the world” would give them that ‘Google dust’ for both a significant assist towards their mission’s cost (not unlike, say, for an expensive ballpark), and a significant boost to their credibility/visibility—especially outside space circles (where the X PRIZE and moon colonization in general are, in my experiences, virtually unknown).
It’ll be interesting to see who White Label Space manages to round up—I’m rooting for Disney/Pixar to roll in with a WALL-E tie-in, or for Starwood to embrace its name and go boldly where no hotel has gone before ;)
President Obama Initiates 90-Day Review Panel For Constellation May 10, 2009
Posted by Nick Azer in : Constellation, NASA, Norm Augustine, Obama , add a comment
Coinciding with his budget proposal last week, President Obama announced the creation of a 90-day review panel led by Norman Augustine (pictured above) to look at NASA’s Constellation program, and any adjustments that could be made to its missions (for both cost and effectiveness).
Augustine (a former Lockheed-Martin President and CEO ) is a veteran of a number of space-related committees, including (as Space Politics‘ excellent post notes) a March 2004 hearing of the House Science Committee on the then-freshly-minted Vision for Space Exploration:
“[I]t would be a grave mistake to try to pursue a space program “on the cheap”. To do so is in my opinion an invitation to disaster. There is a tendency in any “can-do” organization to believe that it can operate with almost any budget that is made available. The fact is that trying to do so is a mistake—particularly when safety is a major consideration.”-Norman Augustine, at the 2004 Vision for Space Exploration hearing (as reported by Space Politics)
Augustine is the only member of the panel so far, with the rest to be named soon. NASA Watch says that “A better choice to lead this review could not have been made“–check out and chime in on their forum on who else should join him, and things you would say to his panel, given the opportunity.
“We are planning to spend billions of dollars on the human space flight program and it’s wise to be sure we’re spending that the way we should…New information becomes available all the time. And similarly, we have a new administration and it would probably be imprudent on their part not to examine this major of a program to be sure such a long term undertaking is still on a course that makes sense to them.” -Norman Augustine, during his 5/8/09 teleconference (as reported by CNET.com)
Sounds like this is a ‘friendly’ review, if you will, and something that a lot of good could come out of. It could also give Obama more time to name his NASA administrator (see my theory on why he’s taking so long.)
Keep an eye here for updates on the additional panelists as they’re announced, and any info that comes along from this :)
A Theory: Obama Waiting for Gov. Bill Richardson, to Nominate Him as NASA Administrator? May 4, 2009
Posted by Nick Azer in : Bill Richardson, NASA, Obama , 1 comment so farPresident Obama has gone a long time without naming a new NASA administrator, with many at NASA growing nervous and some (including Sen. Bill Nelson) puzzling over what the delay is for:
“There is some political center that is slow walking this, and I don’t know what it is, who it is or why.” -Sen. Bill Nelson, as reported by Florida Today (via SpacePolitics.com)
As leading administator candidates have been dropping off the list left and right, few strong candidates seem to remain.
After Nelson’s “slow-walking” comment, I got to thinking about what events in the near future Obama could possibly be waiting for, and remembered a series of events and Obama comments from this past January…
Back in January, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was Obama’s choice for Commerce Secretary, but withdrew from consideration due to a “pay-to-play” investigation that Richardson underestimated the duration of (video).
At the time, Obama stated that he expects to have Richardson back at some point:
“Although we must move quickly to fill the void left by Gov. Richardson’s decision, I look forward to his future service to our country and in my administration.” -Barack Obama’s statement regarding Richardson’s withdrawal
As the video linked above of Richardson’s additional comments and other sources suggest, Richardson and Obama believe the investigation will eventually come out in Richardson’s favor, at which point Richardson would be clear for an appointment somewhere.
Richardson’s space credentials are strong, as are his political ones. With things not going so hot for Richardson as Governor of New Mexico since the withdrawal, he’s probably also eager to move on to something new. Things do appear to be progressing to a degree (April 29th article) in regards to the investigation.
Obama is mysteriously waiting to nominate a NASA administrator…the investigation into Bill Richardson may be waning soon…and Obama stated he expects Richardson to be back , presumably once Richardson is cleared enough of wrongdoing to ease his acceptance by Congress—which, by the way, is now also effectively filibuster-proof anyhow (thanks to Sen. Arlen Specter’s recent defection).
Could Obama simply be waiting for Richardson’s storm to blow over, in order to nominate him as Administrator?