Space Shuttle Discovery Lifts Off for Mission to International Space Station

The Space Shuttle Discovery has successfully taken off from Cape Canaveral for an ambitious construction mission to the International Space Station. Its main task will be to install the main body of the Japanese scientific lab named Kibo (which means "hope"). It will be among the largest and heaviest payloads ever to fly on the Shuttle.

Kibo is the main Japanese contribution to the ISS. Installation of the Kibo lab was begun in March, when the Endeavour delivered the first portion of it to the ISS. Following the Discovery mission, the Kibo lab will be completed when the Endeavour delivers the remaining elements next spring. When completed, it will the largest single module at the ISS and will represent a significant enhancement of the station's scientific capacity.

Among the other items on the mission's to-do list is the installation of a replacement part for the ISS toilet, which has malfunctioned. A broken toilet may not sound like much of a big deal, but it certainly is when you're living in a space station.

Among the many people who flew to Cape Canaveral to watch the launch was Congressman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), a strong supporter of the space program. This particular mission has a personal angle for her, as the Discovery's commander, astronaut Mark Kelly, happens to be her husband. A few other politicians were also on hand for the launch.

Committee Director Jeff Brooks Interviewed by Al-Jazeera English

Al-Jazeera English, the international English-language news channel created by the controversial Qatar-based network, invited Jeff Brooks, Director of the Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration, onto their nightly news program yesterday to discuss the benefits of space exploration and whether it made sense to fund it.

While the interview was only a few minutes long, the discussions ranged from the benefits derived from space exploration, the question of manned vs. unmanned missions, and the hypothetical challenge of China to American superiority in space. Mr. Brooks attempted to convince his somewhat skeptical host that space exploration is an extremely worthwhile goal that should receive increased funding, that manned and unmanned missions should be viewed as complimentary to one another rather than in competition, and that space exploration provides golden opportunities for international cooperation rather than serve as a theater for international rivalries.

Al-Jazeera English is the third-largest international English-language news channel, behind the BBC and CNN International.

Mars Phoenix Lander Successfully Lands on Mars

The Mars Phoenix lander has successfully reached Mars!

Amid a chorus of applause, wild cheering, back-slapping and handshakes at the Jet Propulsion Labratory, the data currently is rolling in from the robotic spacecraft that its entry, descent and landing has gone exactly according to plan and that it has landed in the northern reaches of the Red Planet.

The entire team of the Mars Phoenix mission is to be congratulated for their extraordinary achievement- the sixth successful landing of a robotic spacecraft on Mars in history. The Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration wishes them the best of luck in the coming months and has no doubt that they will add volumes to our scientific understanding of Mars.

Netroots Nation to Feature Space Policy Panel

When progressive bloggers from around the country descend upon Austin, TX, in July for the Netroots Nations convention, they will discussing many of the great political issues of the day. Among the many events during the convention will be a panel discussion on space policy.

The panel members will include: Lori Garver, who has been an advisor on space policy to the Hillary Clinton campaign; George Whitesides, the executive director of the National Space Society; Chris Bowers, Managing Editor of OpenLeft.com; and Patti Smith, recently retired as the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation for the FAA. The event is being organized by Andrew Hopper, a new media entreprenuer and dedicated space advocate.

The Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration believes that all grassroots political organizations, both liberal and conservative, need to be paying more attention to space policy as a political issue. Hopefully, this panel discussion is a sign that many political activists outside of the traditional space advocacy movement are becoming more aware of the need for a strong American space program.

Mars Phoenix Lander on Course for Landing Tomorrow Night

After a voyage of nearly nine months, the Mars Phoenix lander is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet tomorrow night. The landing itself will take place around 7:30 EST, with confirmation that the spacecraft survived to come at 7:53. The weather on Mars looks good and all systems on the spacecraft seem to be working perfectly.

The goal of this mission, which is being lead by Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, is to land in the far north of Mars and examine the water and ice believed to exist just beneath the planet's surface. It will also study the weather in the polar region. It is an ambitious mission. Never before has a spacecraft attempted to land so far to the north. Of eleven international attempts to land on the surface of Mars, only five have been successful.

Studying the water and ice deposits on Mars is important for both scientific reasons and for future human missions. It is possible that evidence of past or present life might be discovered in the water and ice. It is also important to gain a better understanding of how much water exists on Mars in order to plan for its use by future human expeditions to the Red Planet, who will need it for oxygen, drinking water, and perhaps manufactured rocket fuel.

If the landing is successful, NASA will have five spacecraft operating on or around Mars: the Mars Phoenix lander, the two Mars Exploration Rovers, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Mars Odyssey orbiter. In addition, the European Space Agency has an orbiter operating around Mars, the Mars Express.

NASA TV will be showing live coverage of the landing tomorrow evening. There is a tradition at the Jet Propulsion Labratory, going back to the Ranger robotic missions to the Moon back in the 1960s, to eat "good luck peanuts" just before a landing, so the Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration encourages everyone to tune in to the landing coverage and munch on some good luck peanuts while doing so.

Best of luck to the Phoenix team!

Senator Obama Discusses Space Policy in Florida

While campaigning in Florida, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama made some comments on space policy during a speech in Kissimmee. According to this article in Florida Today, he expressed support for a strong space program.

Obama stated his support for the development of the Orion spacecraft, which will replace the Space Shuttle ater its retirement. He also made comments about the need to revitalize the space program and expressed concern that other countries might "leapfrog" the United States.

However, Obama's public statements are contradicted by his policy position statement on grade-school education, which can be viewed at his website. At the end of this paper, Obama claims that he will pay for his education proposals partially by "delaying the NASA Constellation Program for five years." If enacted, this measure would effectively be the end of the Moon-Mars Initiative.

Even in the best case scenario, NASA is likely to face a five-year gap between the final flight of the Space Shuttle and the first flight of Orion. Senator Obama's proposal would, at best, increase this gap to ten years, during which time the United States will be unable to send humans into space. Realistically, however, the five year pause in Project Constellation will mean the complete end of the program. The NASA workforce will drift away, just as happened between the end of the Apollo flights and the launch of the Shuttle. And after pausing a multi-billion dollar program for half a decade, bureaucratic realities will make it all but impossible to get it moving again.

The Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration believes that if Senator Obama is truly devoted to a strong American space program, including the development of the Orion spacecraft, he should remove the cal for delaying Project Constellation from his education policy statement. Until then, we will believe what we have in writing, rather than what is mentioned in a speech.

Statement on House Resolution 6063: The NASA Reauthorization Act of 2008

Last week, Congressman Mark Udall (D-CO), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronuatics, filed House Resolution 6063, the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2008. Joining him as co-sponsors of the legislation were Congressman Bart Gordon (D-TN), Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology, Congressman Ralph Hall (R-TX), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Science and Technology, and Congressman Tom Feeney (R-FL), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. Today, it was unanimously approved by the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics.

Overall, this legislation is solid and sound. It would provide $19.2 billion for NASA in FY2009. It specifies that the mission of NASA should continue to include the establishment of a permanent human presence on the Moon and it also states that Mars should be an eventual destination for human missions. The twin goals of returning astroanuts to the Moon and eventually sending an manned expedition to Mars are a top priority for the Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration.

A particularly welcome clause in the legislation is the authorization of an additional $1 billion to accelerate the development of the Orion spacecraft and the Ares 1 rocket. Given the five-year gap that is currently expected to exist between the final flight of the Space Shuttle and the first flight of Orion, the need to shorten this time period is of critical importance. We can expect, however, that this particular allocation will come under attack as the bill works its way through the legislative process.

Regarding the proposed lunar outpost (which shall appropriately be named the "Neil A. Armstrong Lunar Outpost"), the legislation mandates that it need not be staffed by personnel at all times in order to remain operational. This makes logical sense on a certain level, but we also feel that NASA must avoid the temptation to establish an outpost where astronauts are entirely redundant. The main goal should be the creation of an outpost where human astronauts will be able to live and work for long periods of time. The legislation might be made more effective if it mandated a goal of human occupancy of the outpost for a certain portion of each year, six months being one possibility.

Another interesting item of note is that the legislation instructs NASA to "take all necessary steps" to fly an additional Shuttle mission to the International Space Station in order to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. Because the AMS is not critical to the functions of the ISS, its delivery has been in doubt for many years. The decision to fly the AMS is complicated. On one hand, it is an amazing scientific experiment that has cost the international community $1.5 billion to create. On the other hand, tere is an urgent need to retire the Space Shuttle in order to focus NASA resources more fully on the Moon-Mars Initiative. While the Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration supports the decision to fly the AMS, we also believe that the Shuttle must still be retired as soon as possible and that this one additional mission should not be seen as a justification for further Shuttle missions.

The legislation also provides for the "restarting and sustaining" the production of material to power radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which will be crucial to future robotic missions in deep space. While this will not please the anti-nuclear activists who routinely protest such missions, it does please the Committee for he Advocacy of Space Exploration.

The bill is not perfect. It does not mention the Ares V rocket and it could have had a stronger emphasis on manned Mars missions following the establishment of the lunar outpost. But all things considered, it is good legislation and the Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration will work hard to make sure it has a successful passage through the legislative process.

Senate Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics and Related Sciences Holds Hearing on NASA Reauthorization

This morning, the Senate Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics and Related Sciences held a much-anticipated hearing on the status of the Vision for Space Exploration and the coming legislation to reauthorize NASA. The chair of the Committee is Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), who flew abord Space Shuttle Columbia in 1986. The Ranking Member of the Committee is Senator David Vitter (R-LA).

Senator Nelson made extensive opening remarks, commenting on the fact that the coming NASA reauthorization legislation will be critical because NASA itself is at a crossroads. He pointed out numerous issues that need to be resolved, such as whether to launch the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, the spaceflight gap between the last flight of the Shuttle and the first flight of Orion, and the continuing expansion of Chinese spaceflight capabilities.

Senator Vitter, in his opening remarks, pointed out that he agreed with Senator Nelson's position, highlighting the fact that the American space program is not a partisan issue and is something on which Democrats and Republicans can work together. He raised the question of what role should be played by the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program and whether Congress should increase NASA's budget by $1 billion to $2 billion, as had been suggested by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), in order to accelerate the development of the Orion/Ares system.

Among the distinguished panel members invited to testify at these hearings was legendary Gene Krantz, who served as NASA Flight Director for the Apollo 11 landings and the miraculous rescue of Apollo 13. He made several key points. First, he said that the coming spaceflight gap presented a danger that NASA's best people would leave to find employment elsewhere, thus forcing the space agency to rebuild its workforce at a later date and at great cost. This, he said, is what happened between the final flight of Apollo and the first flight of the Shuttle. He also stressed that the current plan to return to the Moon is the "bst game plan" he had seen since the Kennedy administration and that current NASA Administrator Mike Griffin was the best NASA leader he had seen in decades.

Of particular importance, Krantz said, is the need for NASA and the aerospace community to realize that there is no free ride and that they needed to work harder to build public support for the space program. He lamented the large and expensive conferences held by NASA and the aerospace community, where, he said, "space people talk to space people." Preaching to the choir was no way to build public support, and he urged that NASA and the aerospace community get out of their comfort zone and encourage the general public to become involved in the space program.

Senator Vitter asked Mr. Krantz whether the existing "architecture" for the Moon-Mars initiative should be reexamined and reconsidered during the coming debates over NASA reauthorization. Krantz responded by saying that this would be a waste of time. He said that NASA had been a victim of too many studies and too many reconsiderations. Frantz stated his beleif that the current plan was "very sound" that NASA should "stay the course."

Later on, after other panel members had testified, Senator Nelson pointed out to Mr. Krantz that NASA had received 3% of the federal budget during the Apollo era, whereas it receives only 0.6% of the federal budget currently. Senator Nelson asked whether the Apollo landings had been achieved had they ben given only 0.6% of the budget. In response, Krantz said that the outcome would have been America stuck in Earth orbit while a Soviet flag flew on the Moon.

Generally, the atmosphere of the hearing was positive and space advocates can hope that there will be a strong amount of support in the Senate when the time comes for NASA reauthorization legislation.