TO THE MOON, MARS, AND BEYOND

Many folks would like to see us back on the Moon and developing its resources.

Showing posts with label JWST. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JWST. Show all posts

Monday, October 21, 2013

NASA Administrator to Visit Goddard in First Trip to a Field Center Post-Shutdown

Should be an interesting visit. Would love to see the James Webb Space Telescope.
-LRK-

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NASA Administrator to Visit Goddard in First Trip to a Field Center Post-Shutdown
October 21, 2013
David Weaver
Headquarter, Washington
202-358-1600
david.s.weaver@nasa.gov
Ed Campion                                                                                    
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-0697/202-423-6285
edward.s.campion@nasa.gov
MEDIA ADVISORY M13-161
NASA Administrator to Visit Goddard in First Trip to a Field Center Post-Shutdown
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will visit the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Tuesday, Oct. 22 -- his first visit to a NASA center since the end of the government shutdown. The visit is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. EDT.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, who is Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, will join Bolden at Goddard to view the latest launch preparations for the Global Precipitation Measurement and Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft, as well as the James Webb Space Telescope.  
Media interested in attending the event should contact Ed Campion in Goddard’s Office of Communications to arrange access. He can be reached at 301-286-0697, 202-423-6285, or atedward.s.campion@nasa.gov. The deadline for accreditation is noon Tuesday.
For information about NASA's programs and missions, visit:
-end-
NASA news releases and other information are available automatically by sending an e-mail message with the subject line subscribe to hqnews-request@newsletters.nasa.gov. 
To unsubscribe from the list, send an e-mail message with the subject line unsubscribe to hqnews-request@newsletters.nasa.gov.
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NASA Back to work.
-LRK-

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NASA is once again open for business in a big way, and we’re back to our core mission implementing America’s ambitious space program.

With LADEE in lunar orbit and Juno heading toward the Jupiter after an Earth flyby, we're getting ready to wrap up another commercial cargo flight to the International Space Station and send a new crew of three to the orbital outpost. Meanwhile, MAVEN is on track for a launch to Mars on Nov. 18.
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Birds fly in formation, why not satellites.
-LRK-

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Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

The Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) is a planned NASA unmanned space mission, to study the Earth's magnetosphere using four identical spacecraft flying in a tetrahedral formation. It will be deployed in 2014. It is designed to gather information about the microphysics of magnetic reconnection, energetic particle acceleration, and turbulence, processes that occur in many astrophysical plasmas.[1]
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Thanks for looking up with me.  
- LRK -
There are several future lunar missions scheduled or proposed by various nations or organisations.
...
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Schiff Amendment to Provide FY 2012 Funding for James Webb Space Telescope Rejected

Interesting. An offer for an amendment to Provide $200 million for the James Webb Space Telescope in FY 2012 which was turned down.
Interesting, as in the NASA FY 2012 Budget Request Executive Summary there is $373.7 million suggested. 
[See PDF file listed bellow. - LRK -]
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
President’s FY 2012 Budget Request Detail Full Cost View
                                                                           Auth
                                               Actual    CR          Act
Budget Authority, $ in million     FY2010  FY 2011  FY2011   FY2012 ......
James Webb Space Telescope 438.7      ----          ----          373.7     ......
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You should read all the budget suggestions, including the areas of education that have zero dollars suggested.
- LRK -

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-- Schiff Amendment to Provide FY 2012 Funding for James Webb Space Telescope Rejected
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=37708

"The full House Appropriations Committee had been meeting for almost 3 1/2 hours yesterday when Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) rose to offer an amendment to provide $200 million for the James Webb Space Telescope in the FY 2012 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill. A vote was pending on the House floor, and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers (R- KY) was ready to take a final vote to pass the bill. After brief comments by Schiff and Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Frank Wolf (R-VA) a voice vote was called, and the amendment was rejected."
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Read on and compare notes as to what people are seeing.
- LRK -

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Congress Comes Closer to Killing NASA's James Webb Telescope

July 14, 2011 12:40pm ES
The James Webb space telescope, the successor to Hubble, just came one step closer to being thrown in the trash bin over budget cuts. Yesterday the House Committee on Appropriations approved a plan to  slash NASA's budget for next year and explicitly kill the project.

The House and Senate still need to vote on the measure before it becomes law, but it's not looking good for expensive Webb. The cost ofdeveloping the telescope has ballooned over the years as NASA has had to invent whole new technologies in order to make it work properly. Unlike the Hubble, the Webb will be much further from Earth in order to shield itself from infrared radiation, and its systems will need to function at extremely cold temperatures.
Adapting to those conditions has proved pricey for NASA. It's already spent $3 billion on the Webb, and the total cost is projected to be about $6.8 billion (it was initially budgeted at $1.6 billion total). However, once launched and put into place, the Webb will be so far from Earth that it will be impossible to service, so subsequent costs would involve only operating the telescope and analyzing its data (estimated at $1 billion over 10 years).
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On Tuesday, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden made an appeal to the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee to save the Webb. "I have tried to explain what I think is the importance of James Webb, in terms of opening new horizons far greater than we got from Hubble," Discovery News reported Bolden as saying. "I would only say that for about the same cost as Hubble in real-year dollars, we'll bring James Webb into operation."
His words apparently had little effect. Neither did an attempt to restore partial funding of the Webb with  a eleventh-hour amendment from Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California. The Republican-dominated committee shot down the measure with a voice vote, Nature reported.
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So what is at risk here?  Do we have to have a new telescope, soon, right away?  Will the money be available to properly test everything after it is integrated or will the lack of money follow right on through to launch and then have a failure?  How important is our international cooperation and and loss of face if we back out now?  A lot of questions that I hope folks are considering.
- LRK -

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To scrap the James Webb Space Telescope would be short-sighted


No one now debates whether Hubble was worth its delays and budget overruns, and yet its successor the James Webb Space Telescope now faces the axe for similar reasons


The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990 as Nasa's flagship observatory and was the largest to be flown in space at that time. In the early stages of the project, Hubble was plagued by technical delays and budgetary problems. Its troubles continued after launch, and a manned rescue mission was sent to fix Hubble's optics at huge expense. Twenty years on, it is hard to overstate the impact that Hubble has had on science, and on the public imagination. Yet today the US government is on the brink of scrapping Nasa's successor to Hubble, the multi-billion dollar James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Hubble's images have graced the front pages of our newspapers, inspired thousands to look at the sky and think about our place in the universe. They've even been made into high-fashion dresses worn by the wife of Britain's prime minister, Samantha Cameron. If you've seen any pictures of stars, nebulae or galaxies in the past 20 years, there's a good chance they were taken by Hubble.
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I know you aren't supposed to read the end of book first but the summary helps set the picture.
I would suggest looking at it just to get a feel for what was proposed and compare with what you hearing them talk about now.
- LRK -

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Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Estimates

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
President’s FY 2012 Budget Request Detail Full Cost View

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NASA FY 2012 Budget Request Executive Summary
Message from the Administrator

It is my privilege to submit President Obama's Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 budget request of $18.7 billion for NASA. Even in these difficult fiscal times, this budget supports all elements of the bipartisan NASA Authorization Act of 2010, along with the President’s agenda of innovation, education, and infrastructure. However, tough choices had to be made. That is why this budget prioritizes urgent needs, while continuing the Agency's focus on a reinvigorated path of exploration, innovation, and technological development leading to an array of challenging destinations and missions. Today, we begin to win the future..

The dedicated NASA workforce across the Nation is energized to continue our missions throughout the cosmos and here on Earth. The Agency continues to develop a capability-driven framework for affordable, sustainable, and realistic exploration, and this budget aligns our plans with the Authorization Act in a long-term, affordable, and sustainable manner. 

Our priorities are to: safely fly out the Space Shuttle this year and maintain safe access for humans to low Earth orbit as we fully utilize the International Space Station; facilitate safe, reliable, and cost effective U.S.-provided commercial access to low Earth orbit for crew and cargo as soon as possible; begin to lay the ground work for expanding human presence into deep space through development of a powerful rocket and modern crew capsule; and pursue technology development to carry humans farther into the solar system even as we extend our reach with robots and observatories and make the most of technological breakthroughs to improve life here at home.

Building on President Obama's charge to all Federal agencies, we will carry out programs of innovation to support long-term job growth and a dynamic econ omy by increasing investment in research and technology. We will educate the next generation of technology leaders through vital programs in science, technology, engineering, and  mathematics education. We will build the future through those investments in American industry to create a new job-producing engine for the U.S. economy while we remain committed to Federal goals to be stewards of our communities and make progress in our use of clean energy at our facilities.

The FY 2012 budget sets ambitious but achievable goals that foster America's continued leadership in space and forges deeper and more effective partnerships with the growing number of nations that are taking part in the space exploration enterprise. The space program remains a great value for the American taxpayer. The Agency's FY 2012 budget helps NASA to be more nimble and responsive to opportunity and encourages us to embrace a crosscutting approach to our thinking and planning that builds on the connections between our diverse missions.

NASA is at the forefront of a bright future for America—a future in which we challenge ourselves to create a global space enterprise with positive ramifications across the world. The FY 2012 budget provides the resources for NASA to innovate and discover on many fronts, and we look forward to implementing it.

Charles F. Bolden Jr.
NASA Administrator

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Now if the government doesn't figure out how we are going to fund our government, no programs are going to be funded.
You know, that could even be my military retirement, my social security, and my Medicare and Tricare.
The small amount of my Honeywell (was Allied/Signal) won't pay for my mortgage.
Well I guess I could move in with kids that live in Thailand.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
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Astrophysics Division News

Richard E Griffiths, HST Program Scientist 
Presented by Hashima Hasan, JWST Program Scientist 
Astrophysics Division 
Science Mission Directorate 
NASA Headquarters 
April  7, 2010 


What’s Changed and What’s the Same since Astro-2010 Decadal Review

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

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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Lecture 4: The Decision to Build the Shuttle

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16.885J / ESD.35J Aircraft Systems Engineering

As taught in: Fall 2005


Course Highlights

This course was administrated by shuttle astronaut and MIT Professor Jeff Hoffman and Professor Aaron Cohen, who was the Space Shuttle Orbiter Project Manager. Guest speakers provide the majority of the content in video lectures, discussing topics such as system design, accident investigation, and the future of NASA's space mission.

Course Description

16.885J offers a holistic view of the aircraft as a system, covering: basic systems engineering; cost and weight estimation; basic aircraft performance; safety and reliability; lifecycle topics; aircraft subsystems; risk analysis and management; and system realization. Small student teams retrospectively analyze an existing aircraft covering: key design drivers and decisions; aircraft attributes and subsystems; and operational experience. Oral and written versions of the case study are delivered. For the Fall 2005 term, the class focuses on a systems engineering analysis of the Space Shuttle. It offers study of both design and operations of the shuttle, with frequent lectures by outside experts. Students choose specific shuttle systems for detailed analysis and develop new subsystem designs using state of the art technology.
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Prof. Jeffrey Hoffman, 16.885J/ESD.35J Aircraft Systems Engineering, Fall 2005. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare), http://ocw.mit.edu (Accessed July 12, 2011). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
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A strange thing happened while reading e-mails. A question was asked and I did some looking.
(strange because the result of the search was very rewarding and opened up a new avenue for answers.
It almost seemed like I was supposed to find this resource.)
- LRK -
[FPSPACE] FW: The decision to build the shuttle - research inquire

We have seen various plans for NASA to go to space over the years since the beginning of the Apollo era and the formation of NASA.
These plans often changed over time and if not completely aborted before even getting started, were often modified in funding, and then maybe canceled as well.

The question was asked what was involved in the decision to build the shuttle?
I think if you have the time to view some MIT classes that are about 2 hours in length and while doing so consider the present time and what is happening in Congress with JWST or earlier with the Constellation mission, you will better understand how our government works, or doesn't. Watch carefully.  Try not to shake your head too hard.
- LRK -

There are 22 lectures in this series and I would start with Lecture 4: The Decision to Build the Shuttle. 
You should down load the PDF files of the Lecture notes to view as you watch the videos as the camera focuses on the speaker and not the projected material.
- LrK -

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Lecture Notes

The lectures from this course are available in video and audio formats. In many cases, the lecture slides are available to follow along with the videos, and biographies provide background of the guest speakers' careers.
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Lecture 4: The Decision to Build the Shuttle
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[On the lecture note, Video page, click on the "Related Resources" tab to save the PDF Lecture Notes and the Bio for Prof. John Logsdon.
Click on the "Down Load Video" tab if you want to save the video as an iTunes U MP4 - 251MB file of an Internet Archive MP4 - 423MB] - LRK -
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If you make it through Lecture: 4, then try Lecture: 1 and Lecture: 2.
If you want more and feel like you would like to go back to school, by all means continue with the rest of the 22 Lectures. :-)
I have been wearing my ears thin with watching them and looks like I will be tied up for awhile. :-)
- LRK -

After you digest the material in the lectures from those that were there in the beginning I believe you will see the chance of getting my wish below probably won't happen.
- LRK -

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My feeling is that it would be nice if Congress would agree from the beginning on what NASA proposes and then management follow through to ensure the missions are handled properly and completed instead spending a lot of money and then folding at the last moment for lack of funds. If the mission is worth doing there needs to be enough funds to complete the goal and new technology is often unpredictable in cost.
- LRK -
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At least you will have a better understanding of how our legislative system functions.  Do you fell warm and fuzzy yet?

Thanks for looking up with me.
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  • By Matt Blum Email Author 
    •   
    •    
  •  July 8, 2011  |  
    •  
  •  8:45 am  | 
  • Why You Need to Help Save the James Webb Space Telescope

The latest U.S. House of Representatives appropriations bill seeks to cut funding for NASA by $1.6 billion, and in the process eliminate the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) project. While it is undeniable that the project has had large cost overruns and is behind schedule, it is also very clear that the project will once complete be a tool of enormous worth to the scientific community — and, through them, to the general population — not just in the U.S. but in the entire world.

JWST was supposed to be finished by June 2014 and to cost about $5.1 billion. An independent review panel, however, last fall determined it would likely cost $6.5 billion and not be finished until September 2015. This is of course not a good thing, but it’s nothing new. In fact, there was a NASA project that was supposed to launch in 1983, but didn’t make it into space until 1990, and by the time it launched it had cost triple its original budget — about $11 billion in 2011 dollars. In the 21 years since its launch it has cost many billions more in servicing missions.
I refer, of course, to the Hubble Space Telescope, whose cost overruns were outlined in a General Accounting Office (now Government Accountability Office) report in 1992 (PDF). Yes, Hubble has cost the U.S. a substantial amount of money, but its contributions to science have been of incalculable worth: the way we look at the universe has changed in ways we could never have predicted before the telescope’s launch.
And JWST will be a much, much better telescope than Hubble, and not just because it has the benefit of decades-better technology. Not only will it be in a much higher orbit than Hubble, but it will be substantially larger and thus able to collect considerably more detailed and more distant observations. Scientists have some educated guesses as to what kinds of discoveries JWST could make, but it’s very likely that, as it was with Hubble, many things it will find are so revolutionary they’re simply beyond our ability to predict.
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James Webb Space Telescope Funding to be Terminated
July 6, 2011

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, is close to losing all its funding.  The fiscal year 2012 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill, being considered by the US government’s House Appropriation Committee (see the release here), is to recommend $1.6 billion dollar cuts to the total NASA budget, with about half a billion disappearing from its Science programs.

Of course, we have to remember these aren’t 100% confirmed, but why announce something so controversial if you’re not pretty sure about it? After all, part of the bill provisions include the prohibition of prisoner transfer from Guantanamo to US soil, so you’d be pretty sure about making statements of that ilk

Perhaps lobbying from the astronomy community will mellow things somewhat, but what are the alternatives? JWST is pretty ambitious (its mirror is too big to be launched fully open, and must be assembled in orbit at L2 to within millimetre accuracy).  It’s also about four times over-budget, and behind schedule (note the image says 2013 – current scheduling puts it at 2018).  Cuts are required all over the place (NASA’s not the only one to feel the pinch, if you read the rest of the release).  As astronomers, we have to ensure that lawmakers understand the associated costs with cancelling JWST.

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James Webb Space Telescope
by Risa


Sean mentioned yesterday that the next generation space telescope JWST is at risk. In a bit more detail, JWST has been cut in the House appropriations bill:
$4.5 billion for NASA Science programs, which is $431 million below last year’s level. The bill also terminates funding for the James Webb Space Telescope, which is billions of dollars over budget and plagued by poor management.
In all, the House appropriations bill cuts 1.6 billion dollars from the NASA budget. The game is not over yet — the House Appropriations Subcommittee in charge of NASA will consider this bill today, and the full Appropriations committee will meet again to consider the final bill on Wednesday — and of course the Senate will have its own bill. But this is obviously a very ominous sign for NASA astrophysics in general.
JWST is a 6.5 meter IR-optimized telescope, which has been scheduled to launch in 2018. It is certainly true that it has suffered from numerous cost overruns, and has essentially eaten the rest of the NASA astrophysics program. However, nearly all the technical hurdles have now been overcome. And the science reach of JWST is spectacular. It is now the only observatory-class mission planned to operate once the current Great Observatories (Hubble, Spitzer, Chandra) reach their end of life. JWST has been the highest priority for NASA of the Decadal Surveys and essentially every other study commissioned by the field.
Hubble Space Telescope has given us amazing views of the Universe, back to about a billion years after the big bang. However, it has reached its limits there — JWST would allow us to see well into this first billion years, to view the formation of the first stars, galaxies, and black holes, and to study in detail how radiation from these objects reionized the Universe. There are no other planned missions that will allow us to observe this earliest stage of galaxy formation with this level of detail. JWST would also allow us to observe the chemical composition of planets outside the solar system, and to image the disks around stars as they begin planet formation.

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

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