Posted on by Jason Rhian

At Shuttle Program’s Twilight, Tears and Cheers as Triumphs and Tragedies are Remembered

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden gets choked up during the 30th anniversary of the shuttle program.

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CAPE CANAVERAL – With the shuttle program’s end less than three months away, NASA took time to honor the program that has been the focal point of the agency’s manned space flight efforts for the past thirty years. At 1 p.m., NASA’s Administrator, Charles Bolden, along with Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana, astronaut Janet Kavandi, shuttle Endeavour’s Vehicle Manager Mike Parrish and STS-1 Pilot Robert Crippen spoke to NASA employees and members of the media regarding the programs long history and its many achievements.

However, the most important announcement of the day was where the remaining shuttles will go when the program draws to a close. It was announced that the space shuttle Enterprise, a test article of the shuttle design, will move from its current home at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will be home for Discovery, which finished its last mission in March. Endeavour, which is being readied for its final flight at the end of this month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which is currently scheduled to fly the last shuttle mission in June, will go to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

From left-to-right: Former astronaut and KSC Director Robert Crippen, former astronaut and current NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, astronaut Janet Kavandi, former astronaut and current KSC Director Bob Cabana and shuttle Endeavour's Vehicle Manager Mike Parrish. Behind them is shuttle Atlantis, which will remain at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

Although Bolden and Cabana are former astronauts, they were joined by one of the two men that flew the very first shuttle mission, STS-1 – Robert Crippen. This mission is viewed as one of the most risky test flights in history. If something had gone wrong during the first mission’s launch, Crippen and Commander John Young would have had to eject from Columbia – through the vehicle’s fiery plume. However, everything worked according to plan and Columbia landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California two days later.

The weight of the day’s events had an obvious impact on Bolden and Crippen, both of whom were visibly emotional during the presentation. Crippen’s comments detailed the feelings of many in that this is a bitter-sweet anniversary. Those in attendance supported the four-time shuttle veteran with loud applause when it was announced that Atlantis would remain at Kennedy Space Center.

Former NASA astronaut and current Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana gestures toward shuttle Atlantis which will remain in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

“Stay focused, “said Bolden during his comments, referring to the gap in manned space flight that is about to take place. “It’s been a rough day.”

There was also a guest appearance from the current members of the International Space Station who called in from on orbit. They apologized for not being able to attend – before they acknowledged it was thanks to the hard work of those present that they couldn’t be there. Astronauts Cady Coleman, Ron Garan were joined by ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli as well as cosmonauts Dmitry Kondratyev, Andrey Borisenko and Alexander Samokutyaev. The station’s crew spoke about how the shuttle program made this international effort possible.

The crew of the International Space Station conduct a long-distance phone call to attendees at the 30th Anniversary event of the shuttle program. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

On April 12, 1981, the space shuttle Columbia roared into orbit on the first mission of the shuttle program. The first crew only had two astronauts on board, Apollo veteran John Young and rookie astronaut Robert Crippen. The first flight of the shuttle program took place 20 years to the day that the first human rode fire into orbit – Yuri Gagarin.

There are currently only two shuttle flights remaining, Endeavour is slated to conduct its 25th and final mission, STS-134, at the end of this month and Atlantis will launch the final mission on June 28. Once this mission is over, NASA will have to rely on Russia for access to the International Space Station until small, commercial firms; those supported under President Obama’s new plans for NASA can produce a launch system to fill the void.

“I would have been happy to get any of the orbiters here at KSC,” said Robert Crippen when interviewed. “Getting Atlantis makes this a very good day.”

The space shuttle Atlantis was on display, with commemorative banners from each of the orbiters. Atlantis will reside at Kennedy Space Center after her final flight this June. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian
Posted on by Jason Rhian

Coalition for Space Exploration Tasks us to “Think Outside the Circle”

The aerospace industry is typically filled with engineers, scientists and pilots. Hardly the segment of the population that is subject to expounding on the virtues of their trade in prose or through some other format. That said, every once and a while, a campaign, image or video comes along that simply nails what the men and women of the industry have been trying to say. Continue reading “Coalition for Space Exploration Tasks us to “Think Outside the Circle””

Posted on by Jason Rhian

STS-134 wraps up TCDT

The crew of STS-134 arrive at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

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CAPE CANAVERAL – The crew who will fly on the last flight of the space shuttle Endeavour, NASA’s youngest orbiter, arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 5:15 p.m. EDT (slightly ahead of schedule and ahead of a weather front) to conduct the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). This roughly week-long exercise trains the astronauts in launch-related elements that they will need to be aware of during launch.

Arriving in their T-38s – the crew’s commander, Mark Kelly, arrived last and made brief comments regarding the upcoming flight. The STS-134 mission is the next-to-last flight of the shuttle program.

The crew conduct safety drills at launch complex 39A. Photo Credit: NASA

The STS-134 commander, Mark Kelly, was not present for the entire training cycle for this mission due to the shootings in Tucson, Arizona that saw his wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords seriously injured. Kelly took some time off to be with her. During this time, Rick Sturckow was assigned as a backup commander for the flight.

Kelly eventually rejoined his crew as they prepared for the mission. This was because of the rapidly approving condition of his wife. He attributed this to some of the misfortune that befell space shuttle Discovery as she was prepared for her final flight. Discovery had several mechanical issues that needed to be addressed before the orbiter was cleared for its Feb. 24 launch.

“The timing of the incident coincided with the launch slip (of STS-133, Discovery’s last flight),” said Commander Mark Kelly. “When I rejoined the crew, I really had not missed that much training and managed to integrate myself fairly well back into the flow.”

The crew for this mission consists of Kelly as the flight’s commander, Pilot Greg Johnson and Mission Specialists, Mike Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel and ESA astronaut (but under the Italian Space Agency for this mission) Roberto Vittori.

Weather played a big part during this TCDT. It determined that the crew arrived early; it also required that the crew hold one of the scheduled press conferences indoors (it was originally planned to have it at the launch pad) and it cut short the flight time that the commander and pilot had in the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA).

Severe storms blew into Space Coast area shortly after the crew arrived. Launch Complex 39A, with Endeavour on it, was caught as the powerful, but brief storm passed by. NASA engineers thoroughly reviewed the orbiter and determined that there was minimal, if any, damage.

Weather played a big part in the TCDT for this mission. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

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“How Apollo Flew To The Moon” Second Edition Set For Summer Release

The second edition of "How Apollo Flew To The Moon" is set to be released this summer. Image Credit: Springer/Praxis

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Apollo: the name conjures up images of spacesuit-clad astronauts riding fantastic machines to the surface of another world. But when it comes to the brass tacks, the mechanics of how it was accomplished – the image gets a little fuzzy.

It is with that in mind that author, engineer and historian David Woods has written: How Apollo Flew to the Moon. Now while this book is written by someone that has sat down with those involved with the Apollo Program and is an engineer himself – it doesn’t read that way. This appears to be one of Woods’ key considerations from the outset.

“I believe that the essential elements of any technology can be understood by any reasonably intelligent person, provided that the words can be found to explain it,” said Woods during an interview regarding the second edition of his book which was recently released. “This was the basis for this book. There’s no point in getting into the function of every electronic component or each equation used to describe a trajectory to the Moon, but I could see no reason why a person couldn’t come to understand the broad sweep of a mission and the many layers of technology and procedure that went into one.”

Many books that cover the Apollo Program delve a little too deeply into the technical aspects that made man’s first journey to another world possible. Novices, or those without engineering degrees get quickly bored and the books find themselves warming shelves.

How Apollo Flew To The Moon defeats this problem by breaking the technical hurdles, accomplishments and other aspects of the missions into bite-sized segments. It also avoids engineer-speak, explaining points in easy-to-understand language. It also is filled with color and black-and-white images as well as diagrams that explain how things happened, why other things were selected (and others weren’t) and so on.

The first edition of the book can be found on Amazon.com for around $30, whereas the newly updated second edition will set you back around $44.95. Given the attention to detail that is contained within this tome – it is well worth the additional cost to pick up the newer edition. How Apollo Flew To The Moon, second edition, is available for preorder from Amazon.com and other outlets. The book is scheduled to be released this summer.

“The book’s initial reception has been fantastic and I have been deeply humbled by folk’s kind words about it since it first came out,” Woods said. “The second edition is nearly ready and it expands on what was written in the first edition. At over 500 pages, it will be 25 percent larger with more color photographs throughout. There are additional stories of Apollo’s engineering triumphs both on the surface of the Moon as well as in flight, much of which reflects my continuing journey into the technical achievement that was Apollo.”

The first edition cover of "How Apollo Flew To The Moon." Image Credit: Springer/Praxis
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Is National Academies Review of Astronaut Numbers Needed?

Two of the astronauts who flew the STS-123, Garrett Reisman (center) and Dom Gorie (right) have already left NASA. More appear to be following their lead. Image Credit: NASA.gov

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In the wake of the recent departure of astronaut Garrett Reisman from NASA to work for SpaceX, the necessity of the National Academies review, started this past December, to determine the of the number of astronauts that NASA needs should be called into question. Reisman is but one of many space fliers that have left NASA within the past year in what some might describe as a mass exodus from the nation’s astronaut corps.

The veteran astronauts that have left NASA recently include Dom Gorie, Marsha Ivens, Jose Hernandez and Alan Poindexter. NASA has lost an astronaut at the rate of approximately one every two months. Many have left after the crew of the final shuttle mission, STS-135, was announced. While plans for new rockets and spacecraft are on the drawing boards, it may be some time before NASA is launching anyone into space.

Long-time shuttle astronaut Marsha Ivens, along with others have left the space agency within the oast year. Photo Credit: NASA

Astronauts, by their nature, tend to be type “A” personalities, those that thrive on a challenging work environment. It is for this reason that many are probably leaving the space agency, for career tracks that are both more satisfying intellectually as well as being more lucrative.

Currently, NASA has a number of different proposals of what should follow the shuttle program, which is set to end this June when the shuttle Atlantis touches down for its final “wheelstop.” After that, the U.S. will become dependent on Russia for transportation to the International Space Station (ISS). This places NASA in an uncomfortable, if all-too familiar position, as it has had to rely on Russian Soyuz spacecraft after the Columbia disaster in 2003. Russia has recently announced that seats aboard its Soyuz spacecraft will increase; it will now cost the United States $56 million each.

Jose Hernandez left NASA in 2010 to work in the private sector. Photo Credit: NASA

Reisman is a three-time shuttle veteran, he flew up to the ISS twice, on STS-123 and STS-132 and once down on STS-124. He will join SpaceX as a senior engineer toward astronaut safety and assurance. For their part, SpaceX is thrilled to be gaining highly-skilled workers like Reisman.

“We’re excited about the great team that we are building. Our talent is the key to our success. Garrett’s experience designing and using spaceflight hardware will be invaluable as we prepare the spacecraft that will carry the next generation of explorers,” said Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and Chief Technology Officer.

In the final analysis this is speculattion. At some point, the amount of astronauts that leave the agency could level off leaving the agency with a consistent number. Also, when the agency again finds itself in the business of launching men and women into orbit and beyond it can begin looking for new astronaut candidates. The only problem with this is that if we need more astronauts – we will have to wait for them to complete the required training. While some might say this is guessing, so too is the precepts of the National Academies Review. Until NASA forges through this tumultuous time in its history the review’s findings will be inaccurate at best.

The fact is no one knows what the “future” NASA will look like. The mission objectives of the agency just a little over a year ago were wildly different than what they are today. Until the agency has a long-term mission statement, whatever conclusion the National Academies review comes up with – is academic.

As NASA bids farewell to the shuttle era, it also says goodbye to many of the men and women who have made that era a reality. Photo Credit: NASA
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Google Lunar X-Prize’s ‘college team’ gaining steam, attention and support

The Google Lunar X-PRIZE team, Omega Envoy, consists primarily of college students and is working to land a rover on the lunar surface. Image Credit: ESI

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ORLANDO – The Google Lunar X-PRIZE (GLXP) recently announced the 29 official teams that will be vying for the $30 million grand prize. One group in particular stands out amongst the list however – Omega Envoy. This team is comprised primarily by college students from the University of Central Florida, working on engineering and other degrees. However, while they may be relatively young, they have drawn the attention of the media, numerous sponsors, NASA and the space industry.

NASA has inked a deal with the tiny band of potential explorers to purchase data from their spacecraft. The space agency awarded the Innovative Lunar Demonstration Data contract to Omega Envoy. This contract is worth up to $10 million. However, while this contract and the growing list of sponsors is impressive, the feat that the team is trying to accomplish is daunting. What they are attempting to do, only nations have done before.

The GLXP requires that to win, the team must safely land a robot on the lunar surface, have it travel 1,500 feet and send back both images and data to Earth. Given the fact that, to date, only the U.S. and Russia have accomplished this before – this is no small task.

Different views of Omega Envoy's proposed lunar rover. Image Credit: ESI

The Google Lunar X-PRIZE is another effort by the X-PRIZE Foundation. The impetus behind this organization is to accelerate space exploration efforts much in the same way that the Orteig Prize accelerated air travel in the 20th Century. That prize was a paltry (by today’s standards) $25,000 for the first person to fly non-stop from New York to Paris (or vice-versa). Its winner, Charles Lindbergh, would go down in history as one of the most famous aviators of all time. It is with this premise in mind that the X-PRIZE Foundation works to inspire today’s explorers and innovators.

The Omega Envoy team under Earthrise Space Inc., has been growing, gaining experience and the attention of major aerospace players - including NASA. Photo Credit: ESI

For the original Ansari X-PRIZE it took an established (if somewhat outside of the mainstream) aerospace company with years of experience to finally accomplish the objectives laid out. Scaled Composites, renowned for their kit aircraft; successfully sent a manned spacecraft into sub-orbital space, returned safely and then sent the same spacecraft, SpaceShipOne; back into space within the required two weeks.

The non-profit organization that oversees all aspects of Omega Envoy, Earthrise Space Inc. (ESI), works to provide services to private companies, government agencies, as well as educational institutions that currently have the resources to explore space and are looking for low cost products that will accomplish their requirements. They feel that this will enhance the accessibility of technology and increase educational interest amongst the workforce that drives the space.

“Aside from the GLXP, ESI intends to continuously schedule lunar deliveries for scientific payloads and robotics,” said Earthrise Space Institute’s Project Director Ruben Nunez. “Other mission objectives for Omega Envoy entail the visual feedback of a scientific payload that will analyze the lunar terrain.”

This illustration displays what Omega Envoy's lunar lander craft might look like. Image Credit: ESI

Through the Google Lunar X-PRIZE and government contracts such as the contract with NASA, it is hoped that this initiative will enable the creation of a new economic system to support lunar exploration as well as Technology Readiness Level (TRL) advancement of innovative, commercial space systems.

“I am fortunate in that I had the opportunity to witness what Omega Envoy is capable of producing when I field tested their prototype rover during the 2009 FMARS (Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station) Expedition,” said Joseph Palaia 4Frontiers’ Vice President. “There is little doubt in my mind that this team is fully capable of accomplishing the objectives laid out in the GLXP.”

One of the Omega Envoy team members, Joseph Palaia; took a prototype of the rover to be field tested during the 2009 FMARS Expedition. Photo Credit: Joseph Palaia
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Endeavour’s Final Rollout

Endeavour begins her journey out to the launch pad under a clear, cold Florida sky. Photo Credit: Ken Kremer/www.rittenhouseastronomicalsociety.org/Dr.Kremer/K.htm

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CAPE CANAVERAL – The youngest orbiter in NASA’s shuttle fleet headed to Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the last time on Friday, Mar. 10. The shuttle started its slow trek out to the launch pad around 8 p.m. EST. Endeavour is being prepared for the STS-134 mission which is scheduled to launch on Apr. 19 at 7:48 p.m. EST.

The space shuttle Endeavour rolled out to Launch Complex for the final time at 7:56 p.m. EST. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

Endeavour was wheeled out of NASA’s massive Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on top of the crawler-transporter. This huge, tracked vehicle moves at a blistering pace of about a mile an hour. Therefore it took Endeavour several hours to reach LC39A. What is known as “Rollout” had been slated to occur the day prior, but a front of nasty weather blew in and shuttle managers decided to push the trip back a day.

The STS-134 will be Endeavour’s 25th and final mission. It is a resupply flight to the International Space Station. Its payload consists of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer -02 (AMS-02) as well as the Express Logistics Carrier-3.

Endeavour, bathed in golden light, awaits her final trip out to the launch pad. Photo Credit: Ken Kremer/www.rittenhouseastronomicalsociety.org/Dr.Kremer/K.htm

“As exciting as it will be to fly this mission, what’s even more exciting is the science that this flight will bring to the International Space Station,” said STS-134 Pilot Greg Johnson. “I have no doubt that the AMS-02 will teach us new things about how the universe works and it may even show us new particles that we didn’t even know existed.”

Commander Mark Kelly will lead the crew of six, Johnson is the pilot and the Mission Specialists will be Mike Fincke, Andrew J. Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European astronaut Roberto Vittori.

STS-134 Pilot Greg Johnson talks to reporters about his views on the upcoming STS-134 mission. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

For a while it was uncertain whether-or-not Mark Kelly, the mission’s commander would be on this historic flight. His wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was severely injured when she was shot in the head by alleged gunman Jared Lee Loughner. NASA named Rick Sturckow as the mission’s backup commander. However, Kelly announced later that he would remain the mission’s commander and resumed training with his crewmates. By all accounts, it was Giffords that encouraged him to continue and it appears that she will back at Kennedy Space Center when the mission launches.

“While all of us that have worked on Endeavour are a little sad that this is her final mission, we remained focused on conducting her last flight as safely as possible,” said Endeavour’s Flow Director, Dana Hutcherson.

Reflected in the waters of the Kennedy Space Center turn basin, Endeavour heads out for her date with history. Photo Credit: Ken Kremer/www.rittenhouseastronomicalsociety.org/Dr.Kremer/K.htm

Endeavour was constructed after the loss of Challenger in 1986. The orbiter first flew in 1992. After the STS-134 mission concludes there will only be one flight remaining in the shuttle program, STS-135, currently slated for a June 28 launch. It has been hinted that Endeavour might end up staying at Kennedy Space Center – at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. However, an official announcement has yet to be made.

Endeavour is the youngest orbiter in the shuttle fleet, this resupply flight to the International Space Station will be the last mission of its 19-year career. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian
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Discovery: Mission Complete

Commander Steve Lindsey brings space shuttle Discovery home one last time. The orbiter is now scheduled for decommissioning and retirement at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. Photo Credit: Alan Walters/awaltersphoto.com

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CAPE CANAVERAL – After logging over a year’s worth of flight time in space, the space shuttle Discovery wrapped up a historic career by safely touching down at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida at 11:57 a.m. EDT. The shuttle landed at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility on runway 15.

Discovery’s final mission was a resupply flight to the International Space Station (ISS). The shuttle delivered the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) to the orbiting outpost. Among other things, the PMM carried the first humanoid robot in space – Robonaut-2 (R2) inside. R2 is also the first robot that the U.S. has flown to the ISS.

The crew that flew Discovery on her final mission consisted of Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot, Eric Boe and Mission Specialists; Alvin Drew, Nicole Stott, Michael Barratt and Stephen Bowen. Bowen actually was not slated to fly this mission; he was a last-minute replacement for Tim Kopra who broke his hip in a bicycle accident in January.

The lead-up to Discovery’s final mission was one filled with technical hurdles that NASA’s engineers had to overcome before the shuttle thundered one last time to orbit. On the Nov. 5 launch attempt a leak at the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate (GUCP) caused a scrub. Upon inspection technicians found a section of popped-up foam on the shuttle’s external tank – this led them to discovering numerous, small cracks in the aluminum body of the external tank itself.

STS-133 marks the 39th and final mission for Discovery. The orbiter will now be retired. Photo Credit: Alan Walters/awaltersphoto.com

When Discovery was set to launch on Feb.24, a range issue crept up at the last minute almost scrubbing the launch. It was cleared with only seconds to spare.

Discovery’s service record is a distinguished one. Whenever NASA had a critical mission to fly – Discovery got the nod. The orbiter carried Sen. Jake Garn as well as former Mercury astronaut and Senator John Glenn to orbit. It delivered the Hubble Space Telescope to space. And it returned the U.S. space program to orbit, twice, after the Challenger and Columbia accidents.

“If you think of a vehicle that’s 27 years old, you never see a vehicle that age that never comes back with no flaws, however Discovery did just that, she functioned flawlessly,” said Commander Steve Lindsey upon landing. “This is a tribute to the Kennedy Space Center team.”

Discovery sits on KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility after completing its highly-successful final mission. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

The next phase of Discovery’s career is retirement; she will now head to the Smithsonian Institute’s Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center in Washington D.C. where she will be put on display. Discovery will take the place where Discovery currently resides.

“Discovery is an amazing spacecraft and she has served her country well,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “The success of this mission and those that came before it is a testament to the diligence and determination of everyone who has worked on Discovery and the Space Shuttle Program, over these many years. As we celebrate the many accomplishments of this magnificent ship, we look forward to an exciting new era of human spaceflight that lies ahead.”

There are only two missions left in the shuttle program, STS-134 onboard Endeavour which is slated to fly on Apr. 19 and STS-135 which will be flown by Atlantis on June 28.

Discovery touches down at Kennedy Space Center's runway 15, wrapping up a 27 year career. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian
A long-range shot, showing Discovery on approach to the Shuttle Landing Facility. Credit: Jason Rhian
Posted on by Jason Rhian

As Shuttle Era Ends, What Will be its Legacy?

The shuttle era is set to end this summer when Atlantis completes STS-135. What will be the program's legacy? Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

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When it comes to space flight, the media, politicians and the public tend to focus on who was “first.” Many point to the fact that the Soviet Union was first to send both a satellite and man into orbit as the impetus behind the U.S. into the new frontier. However, the “lasts” are often lost to history, forgotten in the dusty pages of some biographer’s notes. As the shuttle era closes, there are several lasts that, so far, have gone unmentioned. More importantly, the program, as a whole, has been an incredibly powerful engine for change – both within the U.S. and abroad.

Alvin Drew is the last African-American currently scheduled to fly in the shuttle program. Additionally, there is one other last that may or may not be highlighted (if NASA gets the necessary funding for the mission) – the last woman to fly in the shuttle program – Sandra “Sandy” Magnus on STS-135. Although NASA has declared STS-135 an official mission, the funding needed to fly it, has yet to be approved.

Currently, Alvin Drew will be the last African-American to fly in the shuttle program. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

These two “lasts” may or may not be noted by the media, many of whom give the appearance of looking down on the program. The shuttle, as Bob Crippen once said is often “bad-mouthed” for not living up the expectations laid out at the beginning of the program. Perhaps, in time, the shuttle program will be remembered as what it was – an engine that worked to remove many social barriers. The shuttle era could, one day, be regarded as the program that opened space flight to people of all races and nations.

The number of nations that have flown astronauts onboard NASA’s fleet of shuttles is far more expansive than most think. Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the Ukraine have all flown astronauts aboard the space shuttle.

During the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo Programs the crews were universally white and male. With the shuttle’s capacity for larger crews – that dynamic changed. The U.S. flew its first woman, Sally Ride, in 1984 (the Soviet Union flew its first woman, Valentina Tereshkova in 1963) the first African-American, Guy Bluford also flew that year. After that the backgrounds of the astronauts who flew on the shuttle continued to diversify.

Sandra Magnus is set to fly onboard shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission, she will be the last woman to fly in the shuttle program. Photo Credit: NASA

The first female pilot, Eileen Collins, flew on board STS-63 – she would go on to become the first female commander – and to return NASA to flight after the Columbia disaster on STS-114 in 2005. Charles Bolden, an African-American, commanded the first joint Russian/American shuttle mission (mission STS-61 on Discovery) and would go on to become the first African-American NASA administrator when he was selected in 2009. These are just two of numerous examples of how the shuttle has empowered different genders and races.

So while Drew’s and Magnus’ place in history may not be well remembered, those that paved the way for them as well as the shuttle’s capabilities made it all possible. Time will tell if the shuttle will be remembered for its shortcomings or if it will be remembered for allowing astronauts of all stripes to fly, for the Hubble Space Telescope to be deployed and serviced, for the International Space Station to be built and for all the other positive things that the shuttle made possible since it first flew in April of 1981.

“The shuttle has flown on such a routine basis for the past 30 years that many Americans may not realize the contributions it has made for all humankind,” said Candrea Thomas a NASA public affairs officer. “When the shuttles stop flying, I believe Americans will remember all the wonderful technologies and advancements that these amazing spacecraft, and the diverse group of people who worked on them, made possible.”

Posted on by Jason Rhian

X-37B thunders off the pad on its way to orbit

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V carries the second OTV to orbit. Photo Credit: NASAtech.net

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CAPE CANAVERAL – Much has been made about the secretive nature of the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV). Better known as the X-37B, the second of the U.S. Air Force’s OTVs roared off Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch Complex 41 at 5: 46 p.m. EDT. The Atlas V 501 thundered off of the launch pad carrying the second of the two OTVs into orbit.

The launch was to take place on Mar. 4, but looming cumulus clouds, high winds and rain pushed the launch back a day. The first launch window today opened at 4:09 p.m. EDT, however technical issues required minor work out on the launch pad and it was decided to try for launch during the second launch window’s opening.

This is the second launch of the mini unmanned X-37B space planes. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

The first OTV, USA-212 lifted off from the exact same launch pad on 22 April 2010 and returned to Earth on Dec. 3, 2010. The return to earth tested out the space planes heat shield as well as the vehicle’s hypersonic aerodynamic aspects. The space plane is small enough to be carried within the U.S. space shuttle’s payload bay, it landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The craft suffered a tire blowout upon landing, but landed safely.

“The X-37B is a scientific achievement as well as a tremendous step in space operations. By itself, the ability to put a vehicle in space, conduct experiments and tests for close to nine months and then have that vehicle autonomously de-orbit and land is an important accomplishment,” said Major Tracy Bunko an Air Force spokeswoman. “This gives the Air Force the ability to examine how state-of-the-art, highly complex technologies will perform in space before they are made operational is an important cost-saving, risk-reducing capability.”

U.S. Air Force officials stated that the X-37B program has the potential of making space experiments much more affordable. This would allow future experiment designers to focus their resources and funds on technology and innovation rather than on what they currently are forced to expend them on – basic services, redundancy and ground operations.