NASA Spinoff Publication

NASA Spinoff Publication

What good could come from NASA if we went to the MOON?
What good came from NASA because of the Apollo missions?
What good comes from NASA and its various missions?

Often the research that is done can also be used in our everyday life.
The transfer of that technology is known as a NASA Spinoff.

You might think of Tang and the Apollo missions.
Sorry wasn't a NASA Spinoff.
The product just became familiar with the Apollo missions.

Never mind, there are a lot of items that fit the category of a NASA Spinoff.

Maybe you would like to read about some of them, that is if you have a lot of free time.
NASA says that since 1976 there are over 1600 articles. Not included in that are over 100 stores in the 1973 and 1974 reports.

The current issue of NASA Spinoff Publication can be found here:
- http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/Spinoff2008/index.html

Here is the home page for STI, Scientific and Technical Information which you may well want to look at.
- LRK -
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http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/
NASA Spinoff

Spinoff is NASA's annual premier publication featuring successfully commercialized NASA technology. For more than 40 years, the NASA Innovative Partnerships Program has facilitated the transfer of NASA technology to the private sector, benefiting global competition and the economy. The resulting commercialization has contributed to the development of commercial products and services in the fields of health and medicine, industry, consumer goods, transportation, public safety, computer technology, and environmental resources. Since 1976,
Spinoffhas featured between 40 and 50 of these commercial products annually. Spinoff maintains a searchable database of every technology published since its inception. If you think you have the makings of a spinoff, please contact us through the contributor form.
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More information about the history of NASA Spinoff.
- LRK -

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http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinhist.html
History of Spinoff

As a result of a 1958 congressional mandate, NASA, in 1962, created the Technology Utilization Program. It was supported by Technology Utilization Offices at each of the field centers and four Industrial Applications Centers (IACs). The number of IACs grew rapidly to seven by the early 1970s and ten in the early 1980s.

Early studies of Tech Briefs, the publication dedicated to informing the scientific community about available NASA technologies, and ongoing requests received for supporting information, indicated a strong need in the private sector for new technology to aid in the development of commercial products and services. When spinoff products began to emerge from space technologies, NASA considered the possibility of an annual report to present at congressional budget hearings. The result was a black and white “Technology Utilization Program Report,” published in 1973, followed by another one in 1974. The technologies in these reports created
interest in the technology transfer concept, its successes, and its use as a public awareness tool. The reports generated such keen interest by the public that NASA decided to make them into an
attractive publication. Thus, the first four-color edition of Spinoff was published in 1976.

Each year since, a new issue has highlighted the transfer of NASA technology to the private sector. The Agency distributes copies to politicians, economic decision makers, company CEOs, academics, professionals in technology transfer, the news media, and the general public.

NASA’s Spinoff publication accomplishes several goals. First, it is a convincing justification for the continued expenditure of NASA funds. It serves as a tool to educate the media and the general public by informing them about the benefits and dispelling the myth of wasted taxpayer dollars. It reinforces interest in space exploration. It demonstrates the possibility to apply aerospace technology in different environments. It highlights the ingenuity of American inventors, entrepreneurs, and application engineers, and the willingness of a government agency to assist them. And finally, it continues to ensure global competitiveness and technological leadership by the United States.

The total number of stories published since 1976 is over 1,600, which does not include approximately 100 stories featured in the 1973 and 1974 reports.

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Well are you ready to sit back with your favorite drink and read on.
Just a few issues to catch up on.
- LRK -

http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/back_issues_archives.html [1976 - 1995
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff1996/index.html
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff1997/spin97.html
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff1998/spin98.htm
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff1999/index.htm
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff2000/index.htm
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff2001/index.htm
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff2002/index1.html
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff2003/index.html
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/Spinoff2004/index.html
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/Spinoff2005/index.html
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/Spinoff2006/index.html
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/Spinoff2006/index.html
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/Spinoff2008/index.html

Alright, who wants to copy all 1700 items to a list that you can pull out of your mouth like a magician, just pull the ribbon out slowly, sounding off each of the items that have had their begging with NASA and now find a place with us. That would be a mouthful wouldn't it?

How many more could you speak to when we set up shop on the Moon and solve the problems in doing so?
What technology will transfer to use down here on Earth?

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinfaq.htm
SPINOFF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Spinoff's objective?
When and why was Spinoff created?
Who receives Spinoff?
How do I subscribe to Spinoff?
How does NASA transfer its technology to the private sector?
What is the difference between a "NASA spinoff" and a "NASA success"?
How does Spinoff differ from NASA's Tech Briefs publication?
Did NASA invent the ever-popular memory foam found in many consumer
applications?
Did NASA invent Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)?
Did NASA invent cordless power tools?
Did NASA invent barcodes, quartz clocks, or smoke detectors?
Are Tang, Teflon, and Velcro NASA spinoffs?

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http://www.sti.nasa.gov/spinoff/database
SPINOFF DATA BASE

This database contains abstracts of all Spinoff articles published since 1976. Links to the full-text articles in PDF are also provided.

Inclusion in this database does not imply that the products are still commercially available. To check the availability of a product, contact the manufacturer using information provided within each entry. Similarly, inclusion does not imply NASA endorsement or validation of claims made by the companies regarding performance or effectiveness.

Search using any of the following fields:

snip
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A website about spinoff - LRK -

http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html

This was last updated in 2002 so out of date but maybe what you are talking about.

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

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NASA Instruments Reveal Water Molecules on Lunar Surface

Well the word is out, THERE IS WATER on the Moon.

The press is getting the word. Web sites are echoing.

Did Congress and the President here?
Now all we need is $$$$$$$$$$$
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/topics/moonmars/features/moon20090924.html
NASA Instruments Reveal Water Molecules on Lunar Surface

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA scientists have discovered water molecules in the polar regions of the moon. Instruments aboard three separate spacecraft revealed water molecules in amounts that are greater than predicted, but still relatively small. Hydroxyl, a molecule consisting of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom, also was found in the lunar soil. The findings were published in Thursday's edition of the journal Science.

NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper, or M3, instrument reported the observations. M3 was carried into space on Oct. 22, 2008, aboard the Indian Space Research Organization's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. Data from the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer, or VIMS, on NASA's Cassini spacecraft, and the High-Resolution Infrared Imaging
Spectrometer on NASA's Epoxi spacecraft contributed to confirmation of the finding. The spacecraft imaging spectrometers made it possible to map lunar water more effectively than ever before.

The confirmation of elevated water molecules and hydroxyl at these concentrations in the moon's polar regions raises new questions about its origin and effect on the mineralogy of the moon. Answers to these questions will be studied and debated for years to come.

"Water ice on the moon has been something of a holy grail for lunar scientists for a very long time," said Jim Green, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This surprising finding has come about through the ingenuity, perseverance and international cooperation between NASA and the India Space Research Organization."

snip
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Pass it on, Talk it up. Get the ball rolling, we want to go drilling on the Moon.
- LRK -

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http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/24sep_moonwater.htm?list965414
Water Molecules Found on the Moon
09.24.2009

September 24, 2009: NASA scientists have discovered water molecules in the polar regions of the Moon. Instruments aboard three separate spacecraft revealed water molecules in amounts that are greater than predicted, but still relatively small. Hydroxyl, a molecule consisting of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom, also was found in the lunar soil. The findings were published in Thursday's edition of the journal Science.

The observations were made by NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper, or M3 ("M-cubed"), aboard the Indian Space Research Organization's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. NASA's Cassini spacecraft and NASA's Epoxi spacecraft have confirmed the find.

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I would really like to have ground proof. Boil that regolith for my coffee water. :-)

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/sep/HQ_09-215_LRO_First_Light.html
Sept. 17, 2009
RELEASE : 09-215

NASA Lunar Satellite Begins Detailed Mapping of Moon's South Pole

GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA reported Thursday that its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has successfully completed its testing and calibration phase and entered its mapping orbit of the moon. The spacecraft already has made significant progress toward creating the most detailed atlas of the moon's south pole to date. Scientists released preliminary images and data from LRO's seven instruments. "The LRO mission already has begun to give us new data that will lead to a vastly improved atlas of the lunar south pole and advance our capability for human exploration and scientific benefit," said Richard Vondrak, LRO project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

LRO is scheduled for a one-year exploration mission in a polar orbit of about 31 miles above the lunar surface, the closest any spacecraft has orbited the moon. During the next year, LRO will produce a complete map of the lunar surface in unprecedented detail, search for resources and safe landing sites for human explorers, and measure
lunar temperatures and radiation levels.

snip

For more information about LRO and to view the new images, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/lro
snip
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http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/090923-moon-water-discovery.html
It's Official: Water Found on the Moon
By Andrea Thompson
Senior Writer
posted: 23 September 2009
06:17 pm ET

Since man first touched the moon and brought pieces of it back to Earth, scientists have thought that the lunar surface was bone dry. But new observations from three different spacecraft have put this notion to rest with what has been called "unambiguous evidence" of water across the surface of the moon.

The new findings, detailed in the Sept. 25 issue of the journal Science, come in the wake of further evidence of lunar polar water ice by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and just weeks before the planned lunar impact of NASA's LCROSS satellite, which will hit one of the permanently shadowed craters at the moon's south pole in hope of
churning up evidence of water ice deposits in the debris field.

The moon remains drier than any desert on Earth, but the water is said to exist on the moon in very small quantities. One ton of the top layer of the lunar surface would hold about 32 ounces of water, researchers said.

snip
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http://blogtopscience.blogspot.com/2009/09/scienceblogs-channel-physical-science_25.html
ScienceBlog Channel : Physical Channel

The Moon is a Not-So-Harsh Mistress [Built on Facts]
Posted: 24 Sep 2009 12:16 PM PDT
Astronomers and space exploration enthusiasts around the web are expressing lots of enthusiasm for the discovery of water on the moon by the Indian Chandrayaan-1 orbiter. Long story short (Ethan has a good version of the long story), the probe discovered relatively large quantities of water frozen throughout the lunar soil just below the surface. It's not just at the bottom of craters in the polar regions, but instead seems to be quite widespread.

It's a big deal for a lot of reasons. From a pure science perspective, it's exciting to learn such a major and mostly unexpected fact about or nearest large celestial neighbor. From a human exploration perspective, water is vital for long term lunar settlement. It's not just something to drink, it's a potential source of breathable oxygen as well as a source of atomic hydrogen and oxygen for chemical production of all kinds of important substances. Rocket fuel is the
most obvious, but far from the only possibility .

snip
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http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/24/water-on-shakes-magic-8-ball-mars-this-time/
Water on (shakes Magic 8 Ball) mars this time

Hard on the heels of the water-on-the-Moon announcement comes news of water on Mars (there’s also a press release). Now, we already know there’s water ice on Mars; it’s been seen in a zillion places. What’s cool about this is that there’s a lot of it, and the water is incredibly pure: less than 1% of it is made up of dirt mixed in. That’s probably better than I get out of my tap at home.

Well, not really. But still. Here’s a shot of the ice:

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/gallery/press/20090924a.html
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/gallery/press/20090924a/site3_br.jpg

This picture, taken in November 2008, is by the awesomely awesome HiRISE camera on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has seen several of these patches, where ice just beneath the surface is
excavated and ejected by an impact event. They all appear to be craters formed from recent impacts, and by "recent" I mean recent: the one shown above was not there in early 2008.

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NASA Science News for September 24, 2009
Fresh meteorite impacts are exposing underground ice on Mars. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is beaming back must-see photos of the process at work.

FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/24sep_martianice.htm?list965414
snip

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

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Letter to the Augustine Commission

I have received some comments about the last post on "The $3-billion-a-year question - Can you answer the question - Why?"
It seems you think we should go to the Moon and to develop it.
Some would say we should continue with what we had set out to do.

Dr. Ronald Wells, who has a small private company and does photogrammetric analysis of lunar & planetary photos, sent me a note that he had co-written a 3-page letter to the Augustine Commission with William Mellberg, a noted aerospace historian (AW&ST; Aviation publications; last month's Keynote Speaker at the 60th Anniversary of the maiden flight of the Avro Jetliner in Toronto; author of "Moon Missions"; etc.). The letter apparently had some impact at NASA because Ron also noted that they had received a very nice reply from Michael Hawes, Associate Administrator of the Program Analysis & Evaluation Division (NASA's in-house OMB). They also had an earlier email from Jack Schmitt in support. Ron showed me these letters, too. They also sent the letter to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Az), but after they had sent copies to their cc: list.

You can read a bit more about Ronald A. Wells here. Much thanks for all the Apollo information he has sent me over the years. - LRK -

http://history.nasa.gov/alsj/Rwells.htm

Ron gave me permission to post their Augustine Commission letter.
- LRK -

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Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Augustine Commission
Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee
NASA Headquarters
300 E St. SW
Washington DC 20024-3210

hq-humanspaceflight@mail.nasa.gov

Dear Panel Members:

Allow us to begin with a quotation:

"We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win ..."--President John F. Kennedy (speaking at Rice University in 1962)

We wish we had sent this letter to you sooner. If we had, we would have told you that the best plan for Human Space Flight that we've read was already issued last year by NASA HQ (NP-2008-08-542-HQ ), "NASA Advisory Council Workshop On Science Associated With The Lunar Exploration Architecture" (February 27-March 2, 2007; Tempe, Arizona). This workshop report was prepared by an Organizing Committee of 31 scientists distilled from material presented by 75 attending scientists.

The report justifies all aspects of America's return to the Moon in terms of conducting Lunar Science, Earth Science, Heliophysics and Astrophysics from a lunar research station located on the rim of Shackleton Crater at the Moon's South Pole. It also discusses the long-term value of such a lunar base for Planetary Science and the future exploration of Mars and other destinations (such as asteroids). It is a well-reasoned and viable plan (Apollo 17 scientist-astronaut Dr. Harrison H. Schmitt provided significant input) which NASA should be following now and in the coming decade.

We will not belabor the points already raised by a document in the public domain. But it should (at the very least) have formed the working basis for your Commission. That said, please permit us to add some further points. The implementation of the recommendations in the aforementioned NASA report would have a profound effect on the development of a new industry and economy based on space travel and the exploration of the Solar System--comparable, we would suggest, to the effect on the global economy of commercial airline development during the last century. This transition to the future should be led by the United States as we are in the best position to carry freedom and free enterprise into the New Frontier.

It is not a question of whether any one program will fit within the NASA budget. The point is that the NASA budget MUST be increased to facilitate adoption of the NASA Advisory Council's 2008 workshop recommendations (as it was during the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations in support of the Apollo Program). In other words, NASA should stay on course with the Constellation Program--including the development of both the Ares I (now ready for its first test launch) and Ares V launch vehicles. It is an investment in our children's future--not a waste of resources (which would be the case were these recommendations not implemented, and the work already accomplished to be cast aside).

To illustrate this point, we would like to cite four historical cases related to the lack of political will on the part of three different governments with regard to the development of the aircraft industry:

(1) The forced cancellation of the Northrop YB-49 flying wing in 1949, after contracts had already been drawn up with the U.S. Air Force, has been described by some aerospace experts as the single greatest mistreatment of an American aircraft manufacturer by the American government--and as the worst political and defense blunder in the history of the United States. Thirty years after the B-49 was cancelled (largely on political grounds), the "wheel" had to be reinvented with the Northrop B-2. What was the cost to the American taxpayer (and to aeronautical science) of the misguided decision to cancel the flying wing program (and its related stealth technology) 60 years ago?

(2) The forced cancellation by the Canadian government of the Avro C102 Jetliner, first flown 60 years ago this month, has been rated by some airline industry experts as the single greatest technological and economic blunder in Canada's history. This pioneering jet transport set numerous records as it toured major airports across North America. Howard Hughes, who owned TWA at the time, wanted to purchase the Jetliner for commercial air routes. The aircraft was a full decade ahead of any similar transport. But the Canadian government prevented the Jetliner from going into production because of political considerations. Consequently, Canada lost billions of dollars in export revenues and the opportunity to lead the world in jet transport development.

(3) In a similar defense blunder by the Canadian government, the Avro CF-105 Arrow, the most advanced jet fighter of its time, was canceled by a newly-elected prime minister on the grounds of cost savings. In a single day, that misguided decision put nearly 15,000 highly-skilled people out of work at Avro, and another 15,000 employees in support industries across Canada. The brand-new Arrows were ordered to be scrapped in the presence of armed security guards. What a total waste! Avro went out of business as a result, and Canada lost the opportunity to lead the world in the design and development of advanced military aircraft. (Canada's loss was America's gain as two dozen of Avro's best engineers came to NASA and took leading roles in the Apollo Program. Owen Maynard, for example, was a key figure in the design of the Lunar Module.)

(4) A somewhat similar fate befell the Swedish aircraft manufacturer, SAAB. Although it produced several highly-advanced jet fighters in the 1950s (Tunnan, Lansen, Draken) because successive Swedish governments had the will to pay the high price for high technology, Sweden's short-sighted leaders pulled the plug on SAAB's first commercial airliner in 1951. The Scandia, as it was called, could have enjoyed global sales. But owing to the Cold War heating up at that time, the Swedish government ordered SAAB to abandon a promising commercial program to focus on the production of warplanes. Thus, SAAB lost the opportunity to generate billions of export dollars for Sweden's economy. (The firm finally entered the airline market 30 years later with its SAAB 340 regional transport.)

The message is clear: governments which do not have the will to invest in high technology and to balance that technology between civilian enterprises (such as America's space program) and military programs do not lead the world in economic development.

The moral of these stories with respect to the current administration is that its rush to change horses in midstream--in fact, to give up trying to cross that stream at all--will lead to disastrous consequences that can have a serious effect on profligate spending which should have been more wisely invested instead of wasted.

More to the point, if we (the United States) do not return to the Moon to explore and employ its resources for the benefit of humankind, someone else will (for their own benefit). We believe, as John Kennedy believed, that America should lead the way into the New Frontier. What a tragedy it would be to turn our backs on the future--and to ignore the legacy of President Kennedy.

Every great adventure throughout history has been marked by something simple, yet profound--the will to do it.

Does America still have the will?

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Ronald A. Wells, CEO
Tranquillity Enterprises
Abingdon, VA 24211


William F. Mellberg, Consultant,
Aerospace Historian and Author
Park Ridge, IL 60068


cc: Senator Barbara Mikulski, MD
Senator Bill Nelson, FL
Charles F. Bolden, Jr., NASA Administrator

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Fig. 1. The Avro Jetliner in flight in 1949, North America’s first commercial jetliner, cancelled in production by C. D. Howe of the Canadian Government leading to the loss of Canada’s preeminence in the commercial jet industry. (By permission of George Laidlaw via Jim Floyd)

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Fig. 2. The Northrop YB-49 in flight over Edwards Air Force Base, California in 1948, cancelled by Stuart Symington, Secretary of the Air Force, after contracts had been signed with Northrop. Thirty years later, the Northrop B-2, its successor, became the preeminent U.S. bomber. (U.S. Air Force photo no. 090706-F-1234K-053)

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Two other notes from you folks I have copied below.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
Here's my answer:

The answer, while almost impossible to put into words, is one humanity
has addressed and answered before. Why leave Africa? Why learn to travel
over the world's oceans and colonize the other continents before anyone
was there? Why, for that matter, colonize uninhabitable places like
Arizona? Whatever the answers to these questions, any answers are
identical to the answer of, Why send people to explore and colonize the
planets?

The question should hardly be worth asking. If it is, why don't we all
just go back to a rift valley in Africa and go quietly extinct.

-- Donald
snip
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Larry,

Virtually every science fiction writer has said that if we don't
look to the stars and plan for exploration, we will stagnate and
die. Piers Anthony in his Introduction to this little gem, "But What
of Earth?", talks about an experiment with mice (I've also heard it
with rats). These two rodents, one male and one female, are placed
in a very large cage with plenty of food, shelter and no predators.
Of course they breed like crazy. After a while the cage is
overcrowded. Even though there is still plenty of food, the rodents
start to go crazy. Some get paranoid, some attack anything, and the
young become just wierd. Well, you get the picture. Look at any
newspaper and you'll see that we have too many rats on this little
blue marble. If we don't keep looking up and dreaming; well, you get
the picture.

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

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The $3-billion-a-year question - Can you answer the question - Why?

Do you want to go to the Moon, Mars, and Beyond?
Why?

I know, you think, yes go, go.
How do you convince those in charge of the pocket book that they should fund?
Just saying, "Because ...." may not be enough.
You might want to read what Jeff Foust has written and see what you think.
- LRK -

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http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1472/1
The $3-billion-a-year question
by Jeff Foust
Monday, September 21, 2009

It’s little surprise that, since the Review of US Human Space Flight
Plans Committee (aka the Augustine committee after its chairman, Norm
Augustine) released its summary report nearly two weeks ago, that its
contents have dominated the debate about the future of NASA’s
exploration plans. The options included in the report were in line
with what the committee considered during its public hearings, but the
report’s language, starting with its initial sentence—“The U.S. human
spaceflight program appears to be on an unsustainable trajectory”—made
its contents particularly stark. NASA’s current program, with its
current budget and its current schedule, just isn’t possible;
something would have to change.
snip

The debate over options and funding, though, is missing a bigger, more
strategic question. It’s a question that, if answered completely and
convincingly, makes it much easier to resolve the issues of the
options to pursue and funding needed to accomplish them. It’s a
question of childlike simplicity but can be difficult to answer. It
can also be summarized in a single word: why? As in, why should the US
have a human spaceflight program?
snip
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What some have offered as reasons we should go to space.
- LRK -
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http://www.nssnyc.org/amillionreasons.html
A Million Reasons To Go To Space
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Some more thoughts.
- LRK -
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http://cygo.com/why_space.html

Adventure, exploration, learning what's out there

Wealth, opportunities, jobs
-- Most everything made on earth can be made in space at less cost.
Manufacturing facilities can be made quickly using a few mold forms,
asteroid materials, sand casting, and assembly of molded pieces into
modules that interconnect.
-- Business means jobs and space has everything the bright
entreprenuer wants and the additional advantage of the flexibility in
controlling G-forces from many times that of earth down to zero-G and
the added increased productivity and any new product possibilities
discovered therefrom.
-- The world's oil and gas reserves are running out. We must deal with
the energy crisis and the depletion of natural resources. The
resources of space are essential to any serious effort to tackle these
problems.
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And if you would like to live in space.
- LRK -

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http://groups.google.com/group/space-renaissance-initiative?hl=en&pli=1
Space Renaissance Initiative

Space Renaissance is a new, global philosophy, having its basic ground
on Earth, and its natural development in the extraterrestrial space.
Our founding concepts are New Humanism and Astro Humanism. We look at
the past Renaissance (1500) as an inspiration for patronage and
capability to aim high, and to make great projects by means of good
will and mutual cooperation.
Among our scopes:
- to give birth to a Foundation
- to build a great school for graduates and post-graduate doctorates and masters
- to build the philosophy and the culture of the Space Age, to help
the New Renaissance of Humanity in Space
The Space Renaissance Initiative published a call for a world wide
forum -- the Space Renaissance Forum -- to be held one week before the
next G20!
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Well it will be interesting to see what develops in the next 30 years,
that is if I live to be 101. :-)

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://www.spacetoday.net/
Proton launches communications satellite
Posted: Sat, Sep 19 10:15 AM ET (1415 GMT)
A Proton rocket successfully launched a new communications satellite
for Canadian operator Telesat early Friday. The Proton M lifted off
from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 3:19 pm EDT Thursday (1919 GMT
Thursday, 1:19 am Friday local time) and released the Nimiq 5
satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit 9 hours and 15 minutes
later. The satellite is a Space Systems/Loral 1300-series spacecraft,
weighing 4,745 kilograms. It will be located at 72.7 degrees west
longitude in GEO, providing direct-to-home television services to
North America using 32 Ku-band transponders. The launch was the
seventh Proton mission of 2009, five of them being commercial missions
for International Launch Services. The launch also took place just
hours after another mission from Baikonur, the launch of a Russian
weather satellite on a Soyuz.
Related Links:
Space News article
http://www.spacenews.com/launch/telesat-eyes-new-satellite.html
Spaceflight Now article
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/proton/nimiq5/
ILS press release
http://www.ilslaunch.com/news-091809
Telesat press release
http://www.telesat.ca/_CMS/Files/Nimiq%205%20Launch%20Success%20FINAL.pdf
snip
==============================================================
http://www.spacepolitics.com/
Congressman Hernandez?
September 20, 2009 at 5:03 pm · Filed under Congress, NASA

NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez, back on Earth after competing the
STS-128 shuttle mission to the ISS earlier this month, is
contemplating his future, a Stockton (Calif.) Record article today
notes. He tells his hometown paper that he hopes to get assigned “to a
space mission aboard a Russian aircraft”, which is likely the paper
garbling a desire tto go to the ISS on a Soyuz mission. The paper adds
something interesting, though: “He also is contemplating a political
career to represent the Stockton area in Congress.”
snip
==============================================================
http://www.personalspaceflight.info/
PERSONAL SPACEFLIGHT
Space tourism, public space travel, and the beginnings of a new industry
snip
==============================================================

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

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

NASA's new lunar mapper begins primary mission

NASA's new lunar mapper begins primary mission

LRO has started mapping the Moon and being in a polar orbit lets it
cross the poles on each orbit.
Already data is starting to fill in what the poles have to offer for
finding Hydrogen and possibly water in those dark craters.
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av020/090917mapping.html
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: September 17, 2009

After two months of checkout and calibration, NASA's $504 million
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was maneuvered into a circular
31-mile-high mapping orbit Tuesday and scientists said Thursday the
spacecraft's instruments are delivering intriguing clues about the
possible presence of water ice.

"The moon is starting to reveal her secrets, but some of those secrets
are tantalizingly complex," said Michael Wargo, NASA's chief lunar
scientist.
snip
--------------------------------------------------------

Check out the LRO information and the results of the briefing.
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/south_pole.html
LRO Early Results Press Conference Visuals
09.17.09

GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA showcased new images from the Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter's seven instruments and provided updates about
the topography of the moon's south pole during a news conference on
September 17. NASA also provided an update about the spacecraft's
status and mission plans. The briefing took place at NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

› NASA press release
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/sep/HQ_09-215_LRO_First_Light.html

Briefing Speakers

› Craig Tooley, LRO project manager, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
› Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist, Exploration Systems Mission
Directorate, NASA Headquarters
› Richard Vondrak, LRO project scientist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
› David Smith, Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter principal investigator,
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Images and Multimedia in Support of the News Conference
snip
--------------------------------------------------------

More information and links, images, videos.
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/main/index.html
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
NASA's First Step Back to the Moon

Mission News
--------------------------------------------------------

LRO has a Twitter account if you want to keep up with what they have to say.
http://twitter.com/LRO_NASA

I hope not only the press but the general public gets the word that we
are at the Moon and getting good data'
Hopefully we will have some good decisions on where would be a good
place to land with humans.

AND, that we do indeed land humans on the Moon with the goal to
understand it and develope it.
- LRK -


Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/sep/HQ_09-215_LRO_First_Light.html
Sept. 17, 2009
RELEASE : 09-215

NASA Lunar Satellite Begins Detailed Mapping of Moon's South Pole

GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA reported Thursday that its Lunar Reconnaissance
Orbiter, or LRO, has successfully completed its testing and
calibration phase and entered its mapping orbit of the moon. The
spacecraft already has made significant progress toward creating the
most detailed atlas of the moon's south pole to date. Scientists
released preliminary images and data from LRO's seven instruments.

"The LRO mission already has begun to give us new data that will lead
to a vastly improved atlas of the lunar south pole and advance our
capability for human exploration and scientific benefit," said Richard
Vondrak, LRO project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
in Greenbelt, Md.

LRO is scheduled for a one-year exploration mission in a polar orbit
of about 31 miles above the lunar surface, the closest any spacecraft
has orbited the moon. During the next year, LRO will produce a
complete map of the lunar surface in unprecedented detail, search for
resources and safe landing sites for human explorers, and measure
lunar temperatures and radiation levels.

"The LRO instruments, spacecraft, and ground systems continue to
operate essentially flawlessly," said Craig Tooley, LRO project
manager at Goddard "The team completed the planned commissioning and
calibration activities on time and also got a significant head start
collecting data even before we moved to the mission's mapping orbit."

The south pole of the moon is of great interest to explorers because
potential resources such as water ice or hydrogen may exist there.
Permanently shadowed polar craters that are bitterly cold at their
bottoms may hold deposits of water ice or hydrogen from comet impacts
or the solar wind. The deposits may have accumulated in these
"cold-trap" regions over billions of years. If enough of these
resources exist to make mining practical, future long-term human
missions to the moon potentially could save the considerable expense
of hauling water from Earth.

First results from LRO's Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector, or LEND,
indicate that permanently shadowed and nearby regions may harbor water
and hydrogen. Additional observations will be needed to confirm this.
LEND relies on a decrease in neutron radiation from the lunar surface
to indicate the presence of water or hydrogen.

"If these deposits are present, an analysis of them will help us
understand the interaction of the moon with the rest of the solar
system," Vondrak said.

Data from LRO's Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter, or LOLA, however,
indicates that exploring these areas will be challenging because the
terrain is very rough. The roughness is probably a result of the lack
of atmosphere and absence of erosion from wind or water, according to
David Smith, LOLA principal investigator at Goddard.

LRO's other instruments also are providing data to help map the moon's
terrain and resources. According to the first measurements from the
Diviner instrument, large areas in the permanently shadowed craters
are about minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Kelvin), more than cold
enough to store water ice or hydrogen for billions of years.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera is providing high-resolution
images of permanently shadowed regions while lighting conditions
change as the moon's south pole enters lunar summer.

LRO's Lyman Alpha Mapping Project, or LAMP, also is preparing to
search for surface ice and frost in the polar regions. The instrument
provides images of permanently shadowed regions illuminated only by
starlight and the glow of interplanetary hydrogen emission. LAMP has
provided information to confirm the instrument is working well on both
the lunar night and day sides.

The Mini RF Technology Demonstration on LRO has confirmed
communications capability and produced detailed radar images of
potential targets for LRO's companion mission, the Lunar Crater
Observation and Sensing Satellite, which will impact the moon's south
pole on Oct. 9.

Meanwhile, LRO's Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation
instrument is exploring the lunar radiation environment and its
potential effects on humans during record high, "worst-case" cosmic
ray intensities accompanying the extreme solar minimum conditions of
this solar cycle.

Goddard built and manages LRO, a NASA mission with international
participation from the Institute for Space Research in Moscow. Russia
provides the neutron detector aboard the spacecraft.

For more information about LRO and to view the new images, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/lro

- end -

snip
==============================================================
http://www.raumfahrer.net/forum/smf/index.php?topic=4230.msg117047#new
[Comments in German and Images - LRK -]
snip
==============================================================

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

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

Successful Berthing of the Demonstration Flight HTV at the ISS

------------------------------------------------------------------
http://iss.jaxa.jp/en/

The HTV-1’s berthing was complete at 10:49 a.m. September 18, as the
HTV FCT confirmed the power and data transmission between the HTV-1
and the ISS. The hatch opening of the HTV's Pressurized Logistics
Carrier (PLC) is expected in the early morning of September 19. The
next HTV-1 Mission update will be posted on September 19.
------------------------------------------------------------------

So Japan is happy that flying to the ISS was successful and then it
looks like China is happy about what they are doing in space.
- LRK -

------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.d250ad11b26dc10b20fcd37105b9e552.71&show_article=1
China says will push space programme to catch up West
Sep 17 04:27 AM US/Eastern

China said Thursday its rapidly growing space programme was the
crowning achievement of the nation's high-tech transformation and
pledged to continue to develop it to close the gap with Western
countries.
snip

Copyright AFP 2008, AFP stories and photos shall not be published,
broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed
directly or indirectly in any medium
[So go read the article, especially the part where it says, "I
believe...." - LRK -]
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/China_says_will_push_space_programme_to_catch_up_West_999.html
------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright, I am waiting to hear how happy our Congress is with what we
are doing in space.
OK, we are getting ready to make a big splash (hopefully) at a lunar
pole and mapping is started with LRO.

------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/sep/HQ_09-215_LRO_First_Light.html
RELEASE : 09-215
Sept. 17, 2009

NASA Lunar Satellite Begins Detailed Mapping of Moon's South Pole

GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA reported Thursday that its Lunar Reconnaissance
Orbiter, or LRO, has successfully completed its testing and
calibration phase and entered its mapping orbit of the moon. The
spacecraft already has made significant progress toward creating the
most detailed atlas of the moon's south pole to date. Scientists
released preliminary images and data from LRO's seven instruments.

"The LRO mission already has begun to give us new data that will lead
to a vastly improved atlas of the lunar south pole and advance our
capability for human exploration and scientific benefit," said Richard
Vondrak, LRO project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
in Greenbelt, Md.

LRO is scheduled for a one-year exploration mission in a polar orbit
of about 31 miles above the lunar surface, the closest any spacecraft
has orbited the moon. During the next year, LRO will produce a
complete map of the lunar surface in unprecedented detail, search for
resources and safe landing sites for human explorers, and measure
lunar temperatures and radiation levels.
snip
------------------------------------------------------------------

Is that enough to cheer about or do you want someone to say, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
[JAXA:0209] Successful Berthing of the Demonstration Flight HTV at the ISS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** JAXA MAIL SERVICE ***
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Successful Berthing of the Demonstration Flight HTV at the ISS

September 18, 2009 (JST)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

The Demonstration Flight H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) was successfully
berthed at the International Space Station (ISS) at 10:49 a.m. on
September 18 (Japan Standard Time, JST.)

The HTV started its final approach to the ISS, and was captured by the
ISS robotic arm at 4:51 a.m. on September 18 (JST.) Then at 10:49 a.m.
on September 18 (JST,) the HTV was berthed at the ISS after being
maneuvered by the ISS robotic arm.

The ISS onboard crew will transfer the cargo shipped in the
Pressurized Carrier of the HTV to ISS. Cargo in the unpressurized
carrier will be lifted out by the ISS and Kibo robotic arms to be
installed onto the Kibo's Exposed Facility. More details of the cargo
transfer operation will be advised as they become available.

Reference Link:
You can find out more detailed information on the following Web site.
http://iss.jaxa.jp/htv/

Successful Berthing of the Demonstration Flight HTV at the ISS

The Demonstration Flight H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), launched by the
H-IIB Test Flight Launch Vehicle on September 11, 2009 from the
Tanegashima Space Center, was successfully berthed at the
International Space Station (ISS) at 10:49 p.m. today, on September 18
(Japan Standard Time, JST.)
The Demonstration Flight HTV was docked at the ISS through the unique
Japanese method of being maneuvered by the ISS robotic arm. The HTV
onboard cargo is now ready to be unloaded at the ISS.
With the successful berthing at the ISS, the HTV mission overcame the
most critical point of the mission. However, the important operations
of cargo transfer, departure from the ISS, and re-entry to the
atmosphere still remain. We will do our utmost to successfully
complete all the tasks of the mission.

September 18, 2009
Keiji Tachikawa
President, JAXA

This page URL:
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/09/20090918_htv_e.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Publisher : Public Affairs Department
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Marunouchi Kitaguchi Building,
1-6-5, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8260
Japan
TEL:+81-3-6266-6400

JAXA WEB SITE :
http://www.jaxa.jp/index_e.html
snip
==============================================================
http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_articles/shining_lamp_dark_side_moon
Shining A LAMP On The Dark Side Of The Moon

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), launched on June 18th,
2009, will return more data about the Moon than any previous mission.
The Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP), developed by Southwest
Research Institute, uses a novel method to peer into the perpetual
darkness of the Moon's so-called permanently shadowed regions - the
dark side of the moon.

LAMP is nearly identical to the successful Alice instruments developed
by SwRI, already flying aboard the joint NASA/ESA Rosetta spacecraft,
which is targeting the ancient comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and NASA's
New Horizons spacecraft, which will probe the atmospheric composition
of Pluto and search for an atmosphere over its large moon Charon. LAMP
weighs only 6.1 kilograms and uses only 4.5 watts of power.

snip
==============================================================

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

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

Armadillo Aerospace won the second level Lunar Lander Challenge on Monday!

Webwizard6 alerted me to the recent update from Armadillo Aerospace.
Up, up, and back down in a prescribed manner.

-------------------------------------------
http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home
Welcome to Armadillo Aerospace!

Armadillo Aerospace is a leading developer of reusable rocket powered
vehicles. We are focused on VTVL (vertical takeoff, vertical landing)
suborbital research and passenger flights, with an eye towards
eventual paths to orbit.
snip

http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home/News
News Archive

2009 Lunar Lander Challenge: Level 2 -- Done!
http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home/News?news_id=367

2009-09-14 update:

It has been a long time since I did an update, but it hasn't been because nothing has been going on. Quite the opposite, in fact -- things have been incredibly busy. Outside of Armadillo, the big new for me personally was that Id Software, my video game company, was acquired by Zenimax Media. This doesn't have any real impact on my relative time commitment to Armadillo, since I expect to continue devoting the majority of my time to software for the foreseeable future, but it does mean that I have more personal resources to call on if necessary.
snip

This will be the technical update, I'll leave it to Phil and Matt to put together the media and color update. The X-Prize website has some early videos of the flights, but I expect that there will be some great footage from the NASA TV crew later.

http://thelaunchpad.xprize.org/2009/09/2009-ngllc-videos-of-armadillos.html
snip
-------------------------------------------

You can read an article by Jeff Foust and view videos here.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1467/1
Playing the waiting (and winning) game

by Jeff Foust
Monday, September 14, 2009

It’s easy to miss Caddo Mills Municipal Airport. About the only evidence of the airport visible from the highway leading north from Interstate 30, about 70 kilometers northeast of Dallas, is a highway sign just before an intersection and, at the intersection itself, a faded sign advertising a now-defunct glider business there. The first hint that something usual was happening there on Saturday was the police checkpoint on the side road leading onto the airport. At the checkpoint an officer asked simply, “Are you here to watch it?”

There was little chance of mistaking what “it” was. The little-used airport is home to Armadillo Aerospace, having taken over the hangar previously used by the glider business, and Saturday was the day that the team planned to fly its Super Mod vehicle, named Scorpius, on a flight profile for Level 2 of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge (LLC). (The Scorpius name is in honor of Microcosm, the company that provided the high-pressure lightweight composite tanks used on the vehicle; Microcosm proposed a class of launch vehicles called Scorpius a number of years ago.) A successful flight would put Armadillo in prime position to claim the $1-million first prize for Level 2 as part of NASA’s Centennial Challenges program.

snip
-------------------------------------------

I am trying to catch up with the trials and tribulations of launching a VTVL by Armadillo Aerospace at there News Archive.
http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home/News

You might like to see just how hard it is to break into the space business.
Check out the above News Archive.

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://thelaunchpad.xprize.org/2009/09/2009-ngllc-videos-of-armadillos.html
2009 NGLLC: Videos of Armadillo's Successful Attempt 9/13/2009 07:39:00 AM

For your viewing pleasure, here are the two flights conducted by Armadillo Aerospace yesterday. With this success, Armadillo is in position to win the $1 million Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge - Level Two, First Place prize.

We offer our heartiest congratulations to Armadillo--and our best wishes to the other teams. We look forward to attending launches by team Masten, team Unreasonable Rocket, and perhaps others in the coming weeks. Reminder: the last day to register is Tuesday!

More camera angles--including some beautiful video from the onboard cameras--will be coming soon. Without further ado:
snip
==============================================================
http://spacestation-shuttle.blogspot.com/
NASA International Space Station Mission Shuttle Earth Science News Technology Mars System
Get latest news on Nasa International Space Station Shuttle Missions Google Earth Science and Technology Universe Astronomy Moon and Mars Solar System Milky Way Planet Earth Satellite Space Telescope
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Eyes on the Prize

Armadillo Aerospace successfully met the Level 2 requirements for the Centennial Challenges - Lunar Lander Challenge and qualified to win a $1 million dollar first place prize. The flights were conducted Sept. 12 at the Armadillo Aerospace test facility in Caddo Mills, Texas.

To qualify for the Level 2 prize, Armadillo Aerospace's rocket vehicle took off from one concrete pad, ascended horizontally, then landed on a second pad that featured boulders and craters to simulate the lunar surface. After refueling at that pad, the vehicle then repeated the flight back and landed at the original pad. The vehicle completed the round trip, including fueling and refueling operations, in one hour and 47 minutes. That was well within the two and half hour time limit for the challenge. Armadillo Aerospace also met the requirement to remain aloft under rocket power for three minutes during each of the flights.

In this image, technicians Neil Milburn, Russ Blink and Mike Vinther are shown on the launch pad performing a vehicle inspection.

snip
==============================================================

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

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

Space Shuttle Discovery Returns to Earth After Successful Mission

Space Shuttle Discovery Returns to Earth After Successful Mission

Watched the landing on NASA TV (when it wasn't stalled)
Land now, no tomorrow, well skip KSC and land at Edwards.
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------
Space Shuttle Discovery Returns to Earth After Successful Mission
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/sep/HQ_09-212_Discovery_Lands.html

EDWARDS, Calif. -- Space shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven astronauts ended a 14-day journey of more than 5.7 million miles with an 5:53 p.m. PDT landing Friday at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The mission, designated STS-128, delivered two refrigerator-sized science racks to the International Space Station. One rack will be used to conduct experiments on materials such as metals, glasses and ceramics. The results from these experiments could lead to the development of better materials on Earth. The other rack will be used for fluid physics research. Understanding how fluids react in microgravity could lead to improved designs for fuel tanks, water systems and other fluid-based systems.

STS-128 Commander Rick Sturckow was joined on the mission by Pilot Kevin Ford, Mission Specialists Pat Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny Olivas and European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang. NASA astronaut Nicole Stott flew to the complex aboard Discovery to begin a nearly three-month mission as a station resident, replacing Tim Kopra, who returned home on Discovery.

snip
--------------------------------------------------------

How interesting, I am asked what kinds of science has been accomplished on the ISS and some reports over the years have talked about what hasn't and what has.

Two racks delivered to the ISS, here in 2009 when similar ones were desired long ago but were delayed with all of the adjustments to whatwould become the ISS.

One rack will be used to conduct experiments on materials such as metals, glasses and ceramics.
The other rack will be used for fluid physics research.

When I was at NASA Ames I remember the centrifuge that was going to be attached to the ISS and never happened. There was going to be a facility to load modules for experiments that never materialized either.
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------
Factors Affecting the Utilization of the International Space Station for Research in the Biological and Physical Sciences (2003)
Space Studies Board (SSB)

http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10614&page=8
1
Introduction

TASK DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY
This report represents phase II of a study requested by Congress and conducted by the Task Group on Research on the International Space Station to examine factors affecting the utilization of the International Space Station (ISS) for research. The phase I report, released in September of 2001, looked at the readiness of the scientific community to utilize the ISS1 and the benefits and costs of flying additional shuttle missions dedicated to science during the station build-up2 (NRC, 2001). During the course of that study, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that it would make major changes in the final ISS configuration in order to address construction cost overruns. These design changes (discussed
below) would reduce considerably the research capabilities of the ISS and therefore had to be taken into account when the task group made its phase I recommendations. While the task group concluded in that report that the research community was in fact ready to utilize the
ISS, it also pointed out that the uncertainty resulting from years of schedule delays, funding fluctuations, and lack of flight opportunities seriously threatened the continued viability of the ISS research community in many disciplines. The task group also noted that the planned reductions in ISS capabilities would exacerbate this problem considerably.
snip
--------------------------------------------------------
[The above report can be read on-line and even down loaded if you care to register with The National Academies Press.]

For what is reported that has been accomplished on present ISS in its limited 3 person, no life boat version, see the recent report.
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/sep/HQ_09-203_ISS_Science_Report.html
NASA Publishes Report about International Space Station Science
RELEASE : 09-203

snip
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20090029998_2009030907.pdf
(5.8 MB, 262 pages, yrs 2000 - 2008)
International Space Station - Science Research Accomplishments During the Assembly Years: An Analysis of Results from 2000-2008
snip
--------------------------------------------------------

So what happens now? Do we continue to take things up to the ISS and let some more science be done or does the ISS get dumped in 2016?

The Augustine Report is being presented and debated and decisions on what gets funded will appear and missions may disappear.

Did you read the LEAKED email that Mike Griffin has supposedly sent to unknown persons?
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_space_thewritestuff/2009/09/exnasa-chief-griffin-calls-augustine-panel-irresponsible.html
Ex-NASA chief Griffin calls Augustine panel "irresponsible"
posted by Robert Block on Sep 10, 2009 3:07:37 PM

CAPE CANAVERAL - Former NASA Administrator Michael Griffin apparently has sent a scathing memo to friends and supporters in Washington, lashing out at the work of the presidential committee reviewing NASA’s human space flight plans and calling some of its recommendations “irresponsible.”
snip

Clearly the battle lines in the looming fight over the future of human space flight at NASA are being drawn.

READ THE EMAIL HERE: Download Griffin's Augustine Email
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/files/griffins-augustine-email.docx
snip
--------------------------------------------------------

Well at least I don't need to worry about my job, I don't have one. :-)
You may not feel the same and would really like to see us doing exciting things with space that you and your kids could take part in, and maybe even get paid for.

Do you know someone, who just might know someone, who knows someone, that could poke someone and say, hey we would like to continue looking up. :-)

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

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
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
Space Shuttle Discovery Returns to Earth After Successful Mission
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/sep/HQ_09-212_Discovery_Lands.html

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov

Allard Beutel
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
allard.beutel@nasa.gov

Sept. 11, 2009

RELEASE : 09-212

Space Shuttle Discovery Returns to Earth After Successful Mission

EDWARDS, Calif. -- Space shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven
astronauts ended a 14-day journey of more than 5.7 million miles with
an 5:53 p.m. PDT landing Friday at Edwards Air Force Base in
California.

The mission, designated STS-128, delivered two refrigerator-sized
science racks to the International Space Station. One rack will be
used to conduct experiments on materials such as metals, glasses and
ceramics. The results from these experiments could lead to the
development of better materials on Earth. The other rack will be used
for fluid physics research. Understanding how fluids react in
microgravity could lead to improved designs for fuel tanks, water
systems and other fluid-based systems.

STS-128 Commander Rick Sturckow was joined on the mission by Pilot
Kevin Ford, Mission Specialists Pat Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny
Olivas and European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang. NASA
astronaut Nicole Stott flew to the complex aboard Discovery to begin a
nearly three-month mission as a station resident, replacing Tim Kopra,
who returned home on Discovery.

Weather concerns prevented the crew from returning to NASA's Kennedy
Space Center in Florida, the primary end-of-mission landing site. In
7-10 days, Discovery will be transported approximately 2,500 miles
from California to Florida on the back of a modified 747 jumbo jet.
Once at Kennedy, Discovery will be separated from the aircraft to
begin processing for its next flight, targeted for March 2010.

A welcome ceremony for the crew's return to Houston will be held at
Ellington Field's NASA Hangar 990 at 4 p.m. CDT on Saturday, Sept. 12.
The public is invited to attend.

In addition to carrying a new station crew member, Discovery and the
crew also delivered a new sleeping compartment, an air purification
system and a treadmill named after comedian Stephen Colbert. The
mission included three spacewalks that replaced experiments outside
the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory and an empty ammonia
storage tank. Ammonia is needed to move excess heat from inside the
station to the radiators located outside.

Disney's toy astronaut Buzz Lightyear also returned from the space
station aboard Discovery. He flew to the station in May 2008 on
shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission and served as the longest tenured
"crew member" in space. While on the station, Buzz supported NASA's
education outreach by creating a series of online educational outreach
programs.

The crew's return will be broadcast on NASA Television's video file.
For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming
video, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

With Discovery and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the
launch of shuttle Atlantis on its STS-129 mission. Atlantis' liftoff
currently is targeted for Nov.12, although shuttle and station teams
are assessing Nov. 9 as a potential launch date. The flight will focus
on storing important spare hardware on the station's exterior. The
11-day flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of
two platforms to the station's truss, or backbone. Atlantis also will
bring Stott back to Earth.

Stott and STS-128 astronaut Hernandez are providing updates on
Twitter. To connect to their Twitter feeds and other NASA social
media, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/collaborate

For more about the STS-128 mission and the upcoming STS-129 flight, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov

- end -

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Wonder where the trash will go now that Discovery has landed at Edwards? - LRK -
--------------------------------------------
http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts128/090907fd11/index2.html
Leonardo stowed as space crews say their farewells
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: September 7, 2009

Closing out a successful resupply mission, two Discovery astronauts,
operating the International Space Station's robot arm, detached a
cargo module from the lab complex late Monday and returned it to the
shuttle's cargo bay for the trip back to Earth Thursday.

snip
Loaded with 2,412 pounds of no-longer-needed hardware and trash, the
Leonardo multi-purpose logistics module was disconnected from the
station's forward Harmony module around 8 p.m. Shuttle pilot Kevin
Ford and Jose Hernandez, operating the space station's robot arm,
carefully moved the module to Discovery's payload bay where it was
locked down shortly after 9 p.m.

snip
==============================================================
Factors Affecting the Utilization of the International Space Station
for Research in the Biological and Physical Sciences (2003)
Space Studies Board (SSB)

http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10614&page=3
Executive Summary

Construction of the International Space Station (ISS), under
development since the late 1980s, began with the launch of its first
element in November 1998 and is ongoing. In the spring of 2001, the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that it
would make major changes in the final configuration of the ISS in
order to address serious construction cost overruns. The new ISS
configuration is referred to by NASA as “Core Complete”; the earlier
configuration was based on NASA’s Rev. F design documentation. Some
decisions regarding the new configuration are yet to be finalized, but
the changes from Rev. F currently include the deletion of a crew
return vehicle, which will force a reduction in the number of ISS crew
from six or seven to three; the deletion of a number of the major
science facilities planned for the ISS; and a reduction in the number
of annual shuttle flights to the ISS. Serious concerns have arisen
within the science community and elsewhere that these changes would
jeopardize the ability of the ISS to support the world-class science
that has often been cited as its primary purpose. This report examines
the factors, including ISS design changes, that limit the ability of
the science community to utilize the ISS for research and makes
recommendations for maximizing the ISS’s research potential.

IMPACT OF CORE COMPLETE DESIGN ON RESEARCH

The task group reviewed individually most of the principal areas of
science that were intended to be supported on the ISS and considered
the impact that the design changes would have on each. The level and
type of impact resulting from the design changes in the ISS vary
considerably from discipline to discipline. The physical sciences
received the majority of the cuts made in facilities and equipment for
experiments. Two of the three materials science research racks planned
for the ISS were canceled, along with all but two of the experiment
modules for the remaining materials facility. More than half of the
planned materials investigations on the ISS were deselected, and the
scope of work for those that remain has been reduced dramatically. One
of the two facilities supporting fluids research (it was also intended
to support combustion research) was canceled, along with a number of
experiment modules. About 28 percent of the planned fluid physics
experiments have been canceled so far, with the remaining experiments
now expected to fly in 2005-2008 if funds become available for the
development of the experiment modules. The only remaining facility for
combustion research was canceled and then reinstated, but its future
remains uncertain. The stowage space for combustion research was
reduced by half and its allocation of crew time by 70 percent. The
result is that each set of combustion experiments has been replanned
and will be constrained to fewer tests over a smaller range of
conditions, thus reducing their scientific value.

snip
http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10614&page=R1
==============================================================

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

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