I think this was one of the best attended sessions. I counted about 110 people.
Jeff Greason started off with a brief overview of XCOR. XCOR has been around since 1999. They are a group of 25 people. They are based in Majave. They do a lot of work for the government and others via contracts, to fund their research and development into reusable space transportation.
Their business plan hasn't really changed in ten years. They want to drive the cost down of getting things into space.
Jeff showed us a video. I think it was this video:
An XCOR flight won't be a Galactic trip. With XCOR the passenger will be in the front. He will be the only passenger.
XCOR has been working on other rockets for another customers. One project was to have ten minute turn around time for a rocket. He showed us them doing it in nine and a half minutes. They have had forty test flights on this rocket.
They had a lucky event. They have a camera on the tail which shows the plume. It worked out that because of the scan frequency on the camera they see patterns. When things are working the lines are straight. When there are problems, the lines are wiggly.
He showed several more videos.
He says the turn around for the Lynx will be more like an hour.
They've struggled with various vehicle designs. He showed several iterations on rocket body design, and then on the tail design.
He says it is clear that to get to orbit we'll need to do it in stages. If going to have frequent turn around times, then want both stages need to come back to the starting point. Wings help in several ways. Can use them to turn both stages. XCOR made several design decisions with the Lynx to help learn how to do the stages with wings.
Jeff talked about the regulatory environment. He thinks it would be good to have a little more regulations. He is worried that when we finally have an accident, if the FAA hasn't had crafted reasonable regulations, then Congress will yell for draconian laws.
Jeff doesn't believe the private space industry will self regulate. In general it is more fun to build cool rockets instead of hashing out the details of standards.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
Friday, April 03, 2009
Space Access 2009 - Keith Stormo - High Expectations Rocketry
Keith Stormo is here today because he saw what Armadillo was doing a couple years back. He's been sucked in, and enjoying it. He listed the people he is working with as part of High Expectation Rocketry. They are working towards the Lunar Landing contest.
Their rocket is about 165 pounds, with a 55 pound payload. He reviewed the rocket statistics and showed us several pictures.
They are doing rocket development as a hobby, often working in the evenings after work from around 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
Their rocket is about 165 pounds, with a 55 pound payload. He reviewed the rocket statistics and showed us several pictures.
They are doing rocket development as a hobby, often working in the evenings after work from around 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2009 - Panel on Orbital Debris - Joe Carroll, James Dunstan, Jeff Foust, Dennis Wingo
(My laptop is three years old, and died near the end of James Dunstan's talk. My father was taking notes on the Orbital Debris Panel, so the review of the panel below is based on his notes.)
Some of the big questions are:
What are the approaches to debris removal?
Who should pay?
Is this the time to attack
Remove 5 objects per year, keep growth down. Doesn’t need to clean up 17,000 objects.
Dennis – no slides. Business case. His European company, orbital recovery. 1998 Delta 2 recovery – plane change, not de-orbit – hit something at de-orbit fault, (God’s fault if random decay). Three orbital regeims – LEO / NEO – most of the orbits – fast majority are government assets. These guys are not ready to part with money. GEO orbit – different animal. ~276 active spacecraft in GEO orbit. About $90 M assets. Insurance policy – duty of care. Magic word – do something. FCC ruling (few years ago) had to move to grave yard orbit at end of life. AmSat claimed would cost big – use 6 months of station keeping orbit fuel to go to grave. There is a dead bird that is being watched. Revenue potential - $100 M/year per bird (!?) Market – end of life – we’ll move your bird. If 6 months is $50 M – can justify something. Until move one, flip chart company? Another market – replace all 276 birds in the next 2 years. Closure at 700 m/s, Not move graveyard as far
Mine the asteroids? Might first gather metals from space debris.
Joe Carroll
Small vs Large Debris Objects - there are different issues.
Small objects – trackable object many, drag makes unpredictable. Threat – (? 500 tons gross)
1900 tons in big stuff – but creates small stuff in collisions. 823 objects > 10 cm from Irredium. 16 Zenit stages, 1900 lbs each – if they collide, double the trackable debris population.
Debris is clustered = 817 tons – 739 objects 81-83 inclination (97% Russian)
480 tons, 644 objects 69.9-74.1 degrees (95% Russian
Sun Sinc – 96-97 low altitude , 103 high 322 tons, 316 objects,
Other inclinations 282 tons, 389 objects – only 15% in other – allobjects > 25 kg.
Propellantless propulsion – 100 m/s / day. E-W thrust with classic orbit – not much help with polar. Field lines are vertical near pole. Spin tether horizontally – can get arbitrary .
Mission time line – change plane – climb power. Drag – tape resistance & plasma density.
Drag things below ISS? God decides when & where to reentry. Stay in inclination cluster. 240 objects – degree climb 150 KM, get phasing, sync inclination, plane change. Take pictures, capture . 3 days to drag it down. Climb 200 km/day. 66 hours – say 1 object per week - 5 years, would clean up 10% of debris, with 100 Kg device. After proof of principle, twist arm of Russians.
Small stuff – laser – ASAT – bad vibes because it creates debris. Change mind set if clean up debris. Initiative
96-103 - total: 316 objects, 322 tons
US 155 objects, 85 tons
US allies – 80 objects, 85 tons
Russian 42 objects 93 tons
China 39 objects 59 tons
Other inclinations total: 389 objects, 282 tons
US 218 objects 105 tons
Russia 126 objects 159 tons
Other 45 objects 18 tons
Jeff Foust – what’s going on, politically?
There is a lot more talk about removing debris. No clear financial model for how to pay to have objects removed. There is an International Debris conference in a month. There is a ruling that uncontrolled satellites have been abandoned and available for salvage. No one has acted on this yet. In the long run the small stuff will be cleared out. The full agenda
Someone made the claim that stuff in orbit around earth was generating a hundred billion dollars a year. Lots of debris would impact that huge revenue stream, and so there was interest at several levels to keep space junk from killing revenue producing satellites.
----------
Technorati tags: space access
Some of the big questions are:
What are the approaches to debris removal?
Who should pay?
Is this the time to attack
Remove 5 objects per year, keep growth down. Doesn’t need to clean up 17,000 objects.
Dennis – no slides. Business case. His European company, orbital recovery. 1998 Delta 2 recovery – plane change, not de-orbit – hit something at de-orbit fault, (God’s fault if random decay). Three orbital regeims – LEO / NEO – most of the orbits – fast majority are government assets. These guys are not ready to part with money. GEO orbit – different animal. ~276 active spacecraft in GEO orbit. About $90 M assets. Insurance policy – duty of care. Magic word – do something. FCC ruling (few years ago) had to move to grave yard orbit at end of life. AmSat claimed would cost big – use 6 months of station keeping orbit fuel to go to grave. There is a dead bird that is being watched. Revenue potential - $100 M/year per bird (!?) Market – end of life – we’ll move your bird. If 6 months is $50 M – can justify something. Until move one, flip chart company? Another market – replace all 276 birds in the next 2 years. Closure at 700 m/s, Not move graveyard as far
Mine the asteroids? Might first gather metals from space debris.
Joe Carroll
Small vs Large Debris Objects - there are different issues.
Small objects – trackable object many, drag makes unpredictable. Threat – (? 500 tons gross)
1900 tons in big stuff – but creates small stuff in collisions. 823 objects > 10 cm from Irredium. 16 Zenit stages, 1900 lbs each – if they collide, double the trackable debris population.
Debris is clustered = 817 tons – 739 objects 81-83 inclination (97% Russian)
480 tons, 644 objects 69.9-74.1 degrees (95% Russian
Sun Sinc – 96-97 low altitude , 103 high 322 tons, 316 objects,
Other inclinations 282 tons, 389 objects – only 15% in other – allobjects > 25 kg.
Propellantless propulsion – 100 m/s / day. E-W thrust with classic orbit – not much help with polar. Field lines are vertical near pole. Spin tether horizontally – can get arbitrary .
Mission time line – change plane – climb power. Drag – tape resistance & plasma density.
Drag things below ISS? God decides when & where to reentry. Stay in inclination cluster. 240 objects – degree climb 150 KM, get phasing, sync inclination, plane change. Take pictures, capture . 3 days to drag it down. Climb 200 km/day. 66 hours – say 1 object per week - 5 years, would clean up 10% of debris, with 100 Kg device. After proof of principle, twist arm of Russians.
Small stuff – laser – ASAT – bad vibes because it creates debris. Change mind set if clean up debris. Initiative
96-103 - total: 316 objects, 322 tons
US 155 objects, 85 tons
US allies – 80 objects, 85 tons
Russian 42 objects 93 tons
China 39 objects 59 tons
Other inclinations total: 389 objects, 282 tons
US 218 objects 105 tons
Russia 126 objects 159 tons
Other 45 objects 18 tons
Jeff Foust – what’s going on, politically?
There is a lot more talk about removing debris. No clear financial model for how to pay to have objects removed. There is an International Debris conference in a month. There is a ruling that uncontrolled satellites have been abandoned and available for salvage. No one has acted on this yet. In the long run the small stuff will be cleared out. The full agenda
Someone made the claim that stuff in orbit around earth was generating a hundred billion dollars a year. Lots of debris would impact that huge revenue stream, and so there was interest at several levels to keep space junk from killing revenue producing satellites.
----------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2009 - James Dunstan, on Orbital Debris Law
James Dunstan is a lawyer. Orbital Debris has been an issue for decades, but has become a big topic recently, because of the recent collision. There have been a few other recent events. The public is somewhat interested.
James showed a couple pictures. There is a lot of stuff up there. NORAD is tracking about 17,000 pieces of orbital debris 10 cm or larger. It is estimated that there are some 300,000 pieces of orbital debris 1 to 10 cm.
Who is responsible for all the junk? The 1972 convention on international liability makes the launching state. People launching are strictly liable for any damage caused on the Earth from a launch or reentry of any manmade object. Liable for any on-orbit collision if the fault be established.
How well has this worked? In 1978 a Soviet satellite scattered across Canada. The soviets denied responsibility and paid the Canadian government three million. Then he talked about the Iridium crash with the Russian satellite.
Is there a duty to dispose of space junk? The simple answer is NO.
A UN committee recently released seven suggestions. In the United States the FCC regulates space debris.
(Here my laptop kicked out and I lost the rest of his points.)
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
James showed a couple pictures. There is a lot of stuff up there. NORAD is tracking about 17,000 pieces of orbital debris 10 cm or larger. It is estimated that there are some 300,000 pieces of orbital debris 1 to 10 cm.
Who is responsible for all the junk? The 1972 convention on international liability makes the launching state. People launching are strictly liable for any damage caused on the Earth from a launch or reentry of any manmade object. Liable for any on-orbit collision if the fault be established.
How well has this worked? In 1978 a Soviet satellite scattered across Canada. The soviets denied responsibility and paid the Canadian government three million. Then he talked about the Iridium crash with the Russian satellite.
Is there a duty to dispose of space junk? The simple answer is NO.
A UN committee recently released seven suggestions. In the United States the FCC regulates space debris.
(Here my laptop kicked out and I lost the rest of his points.)
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2009 - Carl Tedesco - Flometrics
Carl Tedesco came this year, instead of Steve Harrington, to report on the work they do at Flometrics.
They pride themselves on being problem solvers. They focus on fluid dynamics. They are number crunchers and work threw equations.
They have a variety of techniques for flow visualization of gases and fluids. This helps them understand the problems and then can figure out solutions.
He quickly reviewed some of the projects they have worked on. One of them was helping Yamaha improve their motorcycle racing abilities. They analyzed the air flow and came up with several suggestions. The Yamaha motorcycle team went from last place one year to first place the next year. One of the suggestions was to use a small build driver.
Carl talked about how he connected up with Steve Harrington, and some of the rocket launches they have done. Recently they did a project comparing various rocket fuels, Biofuel compared to RP-1.
They have been doing rocket pump development. They have a pistonless pump. They have a NASA contract to develop the pump. It worked out that their pump is flying in zero-G today. Carl was hoping for feedback on the results before his talk.
Carl and Steve also are involved with Educational Outreach. They help students fly rockets. It is fun to see their excitement when the rocket takes off.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
They pride themselves on being problem solvers. They focus on fluid dynamics. They are number crunchers and work threw equations.
They have a variety of techniques for flow visualization of gases and fluids. This helps them understand the problems and then can figure out solutions.
He quickly reviewed some of the projects they have worked on. One of them was helping Yamaha improve their motorcycle racing abilities. They analyzed the air flow and came up with several suggestions. The Yamaha motorcycle team went from last place one year to first place the next year. One of the suggestions was to use a small build driver.
Carl talked about how he connected up with Steve Harrington, and some of the rocket launches they have done. Recently they did a project comparing various rocket fuels, Biofuel compared to RP-1.
They have been doing rocket pump development. They have a pistonless pump. They have a NASA contract to develop the pump. It worked out that their pump is flying in zero-G today. Carl was hoping for feedback on the results before his talk.
Carl and Steve also are involved with Educational Outreach. They help students fly rockets. It is fun to see their excitement when the rocket takes off.
The full agenda
----------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2009 - Rand Simbert - Lies, Dammned Lies, and Launch Costs
Rand Simberg of Transterrestrial Musings was able to slip in an unscheduled presentation titled "Lies, Damned Lies, and Launch Costs." He started off talking about Marginal Costs. Marginal Cost is the cost of doing the next one. It is computed as the Cost (N + 1) - Cost (N).
He talked about the cost of driving a car. There are a number of costs in owning a car, most of them are fixed. When driving just one more mile, the marginal cost is mostly the cost of the fuel.
Another example is a restaurants. They have a number of fixed costs, owning or renting the building, utilities, employees, and marketing. Just sitting in the restaurant costs them money. The marginal cost is in selling food. If they can sell you one more item, they are making more profit, which is one of the reasons fast-food places like to super size dishes. Moral: To Save money and lose weight, don't eat out.
The Space Shuttle has huge fixed costs due to a large "Standing Army" to support it. It is in the range of three to five billion a year. The average cost of a launch is around a billion per flight. It isn't the fuel that is the expensive costs.
This explains the cost disparities. Some times people report the cost of a flight by including the development costs. Others are just focused on the marginal costs.
How do we reduce the average costs? There are a couple options. You can reduce the fixed costs, but still need some standing army.
Another example is the Space Station. How much do Space Stations costs? In the early 1990s the SSF was estimated to cost about thirty billion. The cost of the hardware was about five billion. One lesson is we could spend twenty five billion. This would give us the full program, but we wouldn't have a station, or we could spend thirty five billion and have two space stations. The government typically chooses the first option.
What costs should we sue? Depends on the type of policy decisions. If we have an existing launch system, then it makes sense to focus on the marginal costs. If developing a new launch system, then need to think about the total cost.
When considering using the shuttle for exploration, you need to use the average cost.
When considering cost of flying existing launch vehicle can use marginal costs. When looking at development a new launch system have to factor in the development costs. This is why it is hard to justify a new launch system.
When making a decision to buy a launch do we consider average cost or marginal cost? Neither, we should just focus on the price.
Espendable rockets have high marginal costs, because have to build a new vehicle with every flight. Reusables in theory have a low marginal cost. Just like a car the marginal cost is basically the fuel. The shuttle is the worst of both worlds. It is partially expendable, where the most marginal cost is, and there is a low flight riate, so can't take advantage of reusability.
What does it mean for VSE, the total cost for the program will be about fifty billion. We'll have to fly fifty flights to get the cost down to one billion per flight.
Many of these decisions are politically motivated. Politically it is nice to get a few people to the moon. It would be nice to have lots of people going to the moon, it would drop cost.
We need to break out of the expendable mind set. With low marginal cost we could have lots more flights.
The full agenda
----------
Technorati tags: space access
He talked about the cost of driving a car. There are a number of costs in owning a car, most of them are fixed. When driving just one more mile, the marginal cost is mostly the cost of the fuel.
Another example is a restaurants. They have a number of fixed costs, owning or renting the building, utilities, employees, and marketing. Just sitting in the restaurant costs them money. The marginal cost is in selling food. If they can sell you one more item, they are making more profit, which is one of the reasons fast-food places like to super size dishes. Moral: To Save money and lose weight, don't eat out.
The Space Shuttle has huge fixed costs due to a large "Standing Army" to support it. It is in the range of three to five billion a year. The average cost of a launch is around a billion per flight. It isn't the fuel that is the expensive costs.
This explains the cost disparities. Some times people report the cost of a flight by including the development costs. Others are just focused on the marginal costs.
How do we reduce the average costs? There are a couple options. You can reduce the fixed costs, but still need some standing army.
Another example is the Space Station. How much do Space Stations costs? In the early 1990s the SSF was estimated to cost about thirty billion. The cost of the hardware was about five billion. One lesson is we could spend twenty five billion. This would give us the full program, but we wouldn't have a station, or we could spend thirty five billion and have two space stations. The government typically chooses the first option.
What costs should we sue? Depends on the type of policy decisions. If we have an existing launch system, then it makes sense to focus on the marginal costs. If developing a new launch system, then need to think about the total cost.
When considering using the shuttle for exploration, you need to use the average cost.
When considering cost of flying existing launch vehicle can use marginal costs. When looking at development a new launch system have to factor in the development costs. This is why it is hard to justify a new launch system.
When making a decision to buy a launch do we consider average cost or marginal cost? Neither, we should just focus on the price.
Espendable rockets have high marginal costs, because have to build a new vehicle with every flight. Reusables in theory have a low marginal cost. Just like a car the marginal cost is basically the fuel. The shuttle is the worst of both worlds. It is partially expendable, where the most marginal cost is, and there is a low flight riate, so can't take advantage of reusability.
What does it mean for VSE, the total cost for the program will be about fifty billion. We'll have to fly fifty flights to get the cost down to one billion per flight.
Many of these decisions are politically motivated. Politically it is nice to get a few people to the moon. It would be nice to have lots of people going to the moon, it would drop cost.
We need to break out of the expendable mind set. With low marginal cost we could have lots more flights.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2009 - Kevin Greene, "The SBA-Guaranteed Business Loan Process"
Kevin Greene is with American Capital Credit Corp, which is out of Nevada. The company can help any where in the United States. He is a consultant to help people start up businesses with Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. The SBA doesn't lend money. Banks lend the money and the SBA guarantees the money. The SBA turn around time has dropped dramatically from five months.
Kevin's group helps people submit the application. They look for banks interested in the type of loan. The 7(a) loans can go up to two millions. The 504 loans can go up to eight millions. Kevin listed things loans can be used for, a long list.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
Kevin's group helps people submit the application. They look for banks interested in the type of loan. The 7(a) loans can go up to two millions. The 504 loans can go up to eight millions. Kevin listed things loans can be used for, a long list.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2009 - Michelle Murray - FAA AST Experimental Permit Program Lead
Michelle Murray said if you launch rocket that you need to get permission from the government. The rules are different for Amateur Rocket vs. comercial. Need to talk to the AST at least 45 days before the launch. And may need to talk with the air traffic control, like if near an airport.
Class 1 - The Amateur Rocket rules were recently expanded to be more flexible. Now have three classes of rockets: model rockets, high-power rockets, and advanced high-power rockets. Need to keep things safe, but more relax than other rocket rules. For example don't worry about the environmental impact issues.
Class 2 Operating Limitations were listed. Have to follow all the rules of Class 1. One of the Class 2 rules was you can't launch through clouds.
Class 3 Operating Limitations - these are more restrictive.
The applications needs to include things like the number of rockets, expected altitude, and safety precautions you are following.
She said that the industry needs to keep things safe so can stay with the flexible rules we currently have.
The get the regulations go to here:
Browse for "Title 14" and look for:
Part 400 for Licenses & Permits
Part 101 For Amateur Rockets
Michelle has spoken at the last couple conferences. Here is my report on her 2007 and 2008 presentations.
A rocket going to orbit is not under the experimental rocket permit process. If a rocket goes to orbit you need a license.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
Class 1 - The Amateur Rocket rules were recently expanded to be more flexible. Now have three classes of rockets: model rockets, high-power rockets, and advanced high-power rockets. Need to keep things safe, but more relax than other rocket rules. For example don't worry about the environmental impact issues.
Class 2 Operating Limitations were listed. Have to follow all the rules of Class 1. One of the Class 2 rules was you can't launch through clouds.
Class 3 Operating Limitations - these are more restrictive.
The applications needs to include things like the number of rockets, expected altitude, and safety precautions you are following.
She said that the industry needs to keep things safe so can stay with the flexible rules we currently have.
The get the regulations go to here:
Browse for "Title 14" and look for:
Part 400 for Licenses & Permits
Part 101 For Amateur Rockets
Michelle has spoken at the last couple conferences. Here is my report on her 2007 and 2008 presentations.
A rocket going to orbit is not under the experimental rocket permit process. If a rocket goes to orbit you need a license.
The full agenda
----------
Technorati tags: space access
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Space Access 2009 - Charles Pooley - N-Prize
Charles talked about N-Prize, a contest for microlaunchers. These satellites are really small, between 9.9 grams and 19.9 grams. To win the contest the satellite needs to orbit at least nine time. The prize is about $1500.
According to Wikipedia, the N stands for Nanostalellite or Negligible Resources.
The hope is by getting lots of people trying different things the edge of technology will be pushed.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
According to Wikipedia, the N stands for Nanostalellite or Negligible Resources.
The hope is by getting lots of people trying different things the edge of technology will be pushed.
The full agenda
----------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2009 - Paul Breed - Unreasonable Rocket
Paul blogs about their experience at his blog Unreasonable Rockets. They had a rocket just outside the conference room here in Phoenix.
Here is one of their recent flights:
Paul talked about their activities in 2007 and what they learned.
It takes about four hours to drive from their shop to Mojave. They are tired of the drive. They are trying to do more near their home. For example they've done some testing of their controls on a remote control helicopter.
Here are some of the things they have learned in 2008:
Simpler is better
Still lots of details to get right
You can't ignore performance problems
They have learned to test in a non-destructive way. (Gave public thanks to Armadillo for tips on non-destructive testing.)
People need help, we can get paid to work on this stuff! Pretty exciting to be getting paid to work on rockets.
Paul showed a video of some of their testing.
Paul the son took over.
They are self funded. They are looking at selling flight services, up to 60 kilometers.
Unreasonable Rockets is willing to help other people develop rockets.
Paul spent several minutes thanking several people and groups of people.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
Here is one of their recent flights:
Paul talked about their activities in 2007 and what they learned.
It takes about four hours to drive from their shop to Mojave. They are tired of the drive. They are trying to do more near their home. For example they've done some testing of their controls on a remote control helicopter.
Here are some of the things they have learned in 2008:
Simpler is better
Still lots of details to get right
You can't ignore performance problems
They have learned to test in a non-destructive way. (Gave public thanks to Armadillo for tips on non-destructive testing.)
People need help, we can get paid to work on this stuff! Pretty exciting to be getting paid to work on rockets.
Paul showed a video of some of their testing.
Paul the son took over.
They are self funded. They are looking at selling flight services, up to 60 kilometers.
Unreasonable Rockets is willing to help other people develop rockets.
Paul spent several minutes thanking several people and groups of people.
The full agenda
----------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2009 - Robin Snelson - Space Tourism Specialist with Rocketship Tours
Robin Snelson wants to sell tickets for space rides. This is a good way to help the space industry. People will love going into space and seeing the earth from high up.
She talked about XCOR and the progress they are making. It is getting more normal for people to take a ride into space.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
She talked about XCOR and the progress they are making. It is getting more normal for people to take a ride into space.
The full agenda
----------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2009 - Lee Valentine - Space Studies Institute
Lee Valentine talked about the Space Studies Institute (SSI) and what they've done over the last 32 years.
Many people here at Space Access are interested in getting into space. SSI is looking at what can happen once we get into space. For example they are looking at moving or mining asteroids.
The last couple years have been rough on SSI. An executive director had a stroke and resigned. A chairman died. A director of research has resigned.
There are plans for a SSI conference this year. They have moved SSI headquarters to the Mojave spaceport.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
Many people here at Space Access are interested in getting into space. SSI is looking at what can happen once we get into space. For example they are looking at moving or mining asteroids.
The last couple years have been rough on SSI. An executive director had a stroke and resigned. A chairman died. A director of research has resigned.
There are plans for a SSI conference this year. They have moved SSI headquarters to the Mojave spaceport.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2009 - James Van Laak, FAA AST Deputy Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation
James Van Laak introduced himself. He has been with FAA for five months. He is very much into flying. He is a pilot and has flown over five thousand hours. He has built two planes, and done extensive modifications on two more planes.
He covered some recent FAA activities:
Lunar Lander Challenge - nice job by several people
Amateur Rocket Rule - recent improvements have been in the works for a couple years
Progress toward "One-Stop Shop"
Agreement on regulating hybrid launch systems - White Knight 2 will go from experimental airplane to a launch system, more paperwork.
Reviewing methods and tools - if not communicating, then it isn't working.
Drafting AST enforcement policy - James is trying to improve the enforcement policy.
James admitted there are some sort spots. He covered some of the things that the private space industry is frustrated with. He mentioned that there are some things that the FAA worries about, like sloppy, late, incomplete, and incorrect applications.
The full agenda
----------
Technorati tags: space access
He covered some recent FAA activities:
Lunar Lander Challenge - nice job by several people
Amateur Rocket Rule - recent improvements have been in the works for a couple years
Progress toward "One-Stop Shop"
Agreement on regulating hybrid launch systems - White Knight 2 will go from experimental airplane to a launch system, more paperwork.
Reviewing methods and tools - if not communicating, then it isn't working.
Drafting AST enforcement policy - James is trying to improve the enforcement policy.
James admitted there are some sort spots. He covered some of the things that the private space industry is frustrated with. He mentioned that there are some things that the FAA worries about, like sloppy, late, incomplete, and incorrect applications.
The full agenda
----------
Technorati tags: space access
Recent bulletins from NHELD
The National Home Education Legal Defense (NHELD) issues bulletins on current topics relevant to homeschoolers. They've recently published two:
Bulletin #66: The “GIVE” Act has some reasons why homeschoolers, and parents, may want to be concerned about the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act.
Bulletin #67: The Parental Rights Amendment has several reasons why we should oppose a federal constitutional ammendment to "grant" parental rights.
These are both worth reading.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
Bulletin #66: The “GIVE” Act has some reasons why homeschoolers, and parents, may want to be concerned about the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act.
Bulletin #67: The Parental Rights Amendment has several reasons why we should oppose a federal constitutional ammendment to "grant" parental rights.
These are both worth reading.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
Space Access 2009 - Frank Smith - Copenhagen Suborbitals
Frank Smith is the US representative for Copenhagen Suborbitals, a non profit group based in Copenhagen. They are doing an open source approach for space. They are designing a rocket. Others in Europe can use it; there may be some issues in exporting their technology to the United States. They have been doing some proto-typing. Current plan is to launch out of Iceland to avoid European rules on rockets on the continent.
It was a pretty short presentation.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
It was a pretty short presentation.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2009 - David Summers - Universal Transport Systems
Universal Transport System is based in Chicago. They want to build a rocket which goes from Chicago to Beijing.
David walked through technical details on their rocket design. One key thing is they have a propellant ribbon connected to the rocket as it takes off:
He talked about the benefits of this approach, and their business plan. They are having a contest on the best implementation of their approach.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
David walked through technical details on their rocket design. One key thing is they have a propellant ribbon connected to the rocket as it takes off:
He talked about the benefits of this approach, and their business plan. They are having a contest on the best implementation of their approach.
The full agenda
----------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2009 - Keith Henson
Keith Henson wants to put a half million tons of building materials a year into GEO at a cost of less than $100/kilogram. He wants to build a space based solar system which can provide cheap energy. He wants to use lasers to drive the rockets. His goal is for a rocket to fly twice a day.
He walked through a very detailed plan to launch laser driven rockets. He's looking at a $60 billion investment. This could produce a ton of energy. He is worried about the huge use of fossil fuels. His goal is space based energy production to replace fossil fuels. He believes that his approach would drop the cost of energy to a penny a kilowatt hour. At this price it is possible to produce synthetic fuel at prices lower than fossil fuels.
For more information check out this page.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
He walked through a very detailed plan to launch laser driven rockets. He's looking at a $60 billion investment. This could produce a ton of energy. He is worried about the huge use of fossil fuels. His goal is space based energy production to replace fossil fuels. He believes that his approach would drop the cost of energy to a penny a kilowatt hour. At this price it is possible to produce synthetic fuel at prices lower than fossil fuels.
For more information check out this page.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2009 - Ian Kluft on Stratofox Aerospce Tracking Team
Ian Kluft is part of the Stratofox Aerospace Tracking and Recovery Team. Ian's group has experience with tracking rockets at Blackrock. Blackrock is a great place to launch rockets, you can launch all day, up to 100,000 feet. It is far enough away from civilizaton that cell phones don't work. They stay in touch via amateur radios.
Stratofox wants to be invited to all the cool rocket launches, and are willing to help.
Stratofox stands for stratosphere fox hunt. It can be harder than a fox hunt to find a lost rocket. Tally Ho!
It has been around 2002. Their first recovery was with Paragon. Stratofox helps track and recover rockets. Ian reviewed their history. They've recovered a rocket that climbed to 20 miles and drifted six miles away from the launch site. Later they recovered a rocket that went to 72 miles and landed 20 miles away from the launch site. They've recovered Stanford BioLaunch balloons.
He encouraged those in the audience to invite Stratofox to come help with launches.
Stratofox is looking for more members. They do training. Ian walked through the steps. A person starts off as an "invitee" and meets with a member. He listed some of the skills they like members to have. It is a volunteer group. They don't have much of a budget. Donations are tax deductable.
The full agenda
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Technorati tags: space access
Stratofox wants to be invited to all the cool rocket launches, and are willing to help.
Stratofox stands for stratosphere fox hunt. It can be harder than a fox hunt to find a lost rocket. Tally Ho!
It has been around 2002. Their first recovery was with Paragon. Stratofox helps track and recover rockets. Ian reviewed their history. They've recovered a rocket that climbed to 20 miles and drifted six miles away from the launch site. Later they recovered a rocket that went to 72 miles and landed 20 miles away from the launch site. They've recovered Stanford BioLaunch balloons.
He encouraged those in the audience to invite Stratofox to come help with launches.
Stratofox is looking for more members. They do training. Ian walked through the steps. A person starts off as an "invitee" and meets with a member. He listed some of the skills they like members to have. It is a volunteer group. They don't have much of a budget. Donations are tax deductable.
The full agenda
----------
Technorati tags: space access
Chicago public school gives honor students As, but
A government school gives A's for effort, but the students are not prepared when they go off to college:
"These honors students get high grades but the curriculum doesn’t adequately prepare them for college. Some do make it but others either get discouraged or are doomed for failure."
I wonder about "professionals" who want students to feel good about themselves and give them good grades. The reality is they are lying to the poor students.
(Hat tip: Joanne Jacobs)
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Technorati tags: government schools, public school, public education, education
"These honors students get high grades but the curriculum doesn’t adequately prepare them for college. Some do make it but others either get discouraged or are doomed for failure."
I wonder about "professionals" who want students to feel good about themselves and give them good grades. The reality is they are lying to the poor students.
(Hat tip: Joanne Jacobs)
---------
Technorati tags: government schools, public school, public education, education
Space Access 2009 - Henry Spencer on The Big Top Step
Henry Spencer opened with the observation that many people start with plans for sub-orbital. But lots of people really want to get into orbit. There are several issues going from sub-orbital to orbital.
Henry trotted out some old slides. He made the point that it isn't just altitude, but velocity that you need to stay in orbit. To get into sub-orbital you need about as much fuel in mass as payload. To get into a real orbit, the ratio is closer to twenty to one, you need 19 kilograms of fuel for every kilogram of payload.
The sub-orbital market is a hundred kilometers up to five hundred kilometers. You get a better view as you go higher. People will want to the better view, but the higher you go, the rougher the re-entry is. One of the early Mercury (?) rockets went up to 14 G's, few customers will want that kind of hardship.
Long term there will be a market for inter-continental flights, to quickly get to another continent. They'll want to fly out of airports, like LAX. The ballistic flights will need to run on schedule. There is also a problem with sonic boom at take off, and re-entry.
Henry's conclusion is that a ballistic market is not a short term market.
Going to orbit
There are several benefits to launching from sub-orbital rocket. The vehicle going to orbit will have to be small. There is a market for nano-satellites, about 10 cm on each side. Most of these are solar power radios, it is hard to do much else useful. Once you get up to a cube 20 cm on a side, and can have 6 to 8 kilograms, you have many more options.
When you piggyback on a large launch, the price is in the tens of thousands of dollars. One problem with piggybacking is you have to wait until the primary load is ready. Several people commented that they had had to wait any where from a couple months to four years. You are also at the mercy of going where the primary load goes. There will be something of a market for nano-satellites.
It would be really nice to get people into orbit. The minimum package is two people and about hundred pounds. It makes sense to have one person who knows how to pilot the rocketship. Most people aren't going to want to spend a year learning which buttons to push and what to do in emergencies.
Henry talked about having one vehicle to get up to 50,000 feet and then launching a smaller craft to climb to orbit. He discussed some suggestions people have for the first stage, and reviewed some problems.
In orbit you are at least an hour away from the ground, as opposed to sub-orbital which can get you on the ground in minutes. So to be in orbit you need life support and power. If you want to land at specific places, you will need more time. Communication can be a problem, you'll need to have some kind of radio. He listed a few other issues.
The American space program has push for escape systems, but haven't really used them.
Henry says that to have reliable reusable crafts will need well trained personal. There are problems with flying in different conditions, like different weather.
In addition to various technical problems, there are things like getting credibility with investors, and dealing with regulatory organizations.
By the end of his talk there were about 80 people in the room.
The full agenda
----------
Technorati tags: space access
Henry trotted out some old slides. He made the point that it isn't just altitude, but velocity that you need to stay in orbit. To get into sub-orbital you need about as much fuel in mass as payload. To get into a real orbit, the ratio is closer to twenty to one, you need 19 kilograms of fuel for every kilogram of payload.
The sub-orbital market is a hundred kilometers up to five hundred kilometers. You get a better view as you go higher. People will want to the better view, but the higher you go, the rougher the re-entry is. One of the early Mercury (?) rockets went up to 14 G's, few customers will want that kind of hardship.
Long term there will be a market for inter-continental flights, to quickly get to another continent. They'll want to fly out of airports, like LAX. The ballistic flights will need to run on schedule. There is also a problem with sonic boom at take off, and re-entry.
Henry's conclusion is that a ballistic market is not a short term market.
Going to orbit
There are several benefits to launching from sub-orbital rocket. The vehicle going to orbit will have to be small. There is a market for nano-satellites, about 10 cm on each side. Most of these are solar power radios, it is hard to do much else useful. Once you get up to a cube 20 cm on a side, and can have 6 to 8 kilograms, you have many more options.
When you piggyback on a large launch, the price is in the tens of thousands of dollars. One problem with piggybacking is you have to wait until the primary load is ready. Several people commented that they had had to wait any where from a couple months to four years. You are also at the mercy of going where the primary load goes. There will be something of a market for nano-satellites.
It would be really nice to get people into orbit. The minimum package is two people and about hundred pounds. It makes sense to have one person who knows how to pilot the rocketship. Most people aren't going to want to spend a year learning which buttons to push and what to do in emergencies.
Henry talked about having one vehicle to get up to 50,000 feet and then launching a smaller craft to climb to orbit. He discussed some suggestions people have for the first stage, and reviewed some problems.
In orbit you are at least an hour away from the ground, as opposed to sub-orbital which can get you on the ground in minutes. So to be in orbit you need life support and power. If you want to land at specific places, you will need more time. Communication can be a problem, you'll need to have some kind of radio. He listed a few other issues.
The American space program has push for escape systems, but haven't really used them.
Henry says that to have reliable reusable crafts will need well trained personal. There are problems with flying in different conditions, like different weather.
In addition to various technical problems, there are things like getting credibility with investors, and dealing with regulatory organizations.
By the end of his talk there were about 80 people in the room.
The full agenda
----------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2009 - The Agenda
The meeting has just started and we've already been told that the Agenda is out of date, but here is one of the versions of the agenda:
Thursday April 2nd
1 pm - Registration and Hospitality open (we may have them open as early as noon, depending on how setup goes, but no guarantees.)
1:50 Henry Vanderbilt says "Welcome" and shares a thought or two
2 pm Henry Spencer, "The Big Top Step: From 100 Km To LEO - Building To Orbit From Suborbital Capabilities"
3:30 break
4 pm Stratofox Aerospace Tracking Team/Ian Kluft
4:30 Keith Henson
5:05 David Summers/Universal Transport Systems, "High Delta-V Rocket Aircraft"
5:25 Copenhagen Suborbitals/Frank Smith
5:55 break for dinner
8 pm James Van Laak, FAA AST Deputy Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation
9:10 Space Studies Institute/Lee Valentine
9:20 Robin Snelson, Space Tourism Specialist with Rocketship Tours
9:25 Paul Breed of Unreasonable Rockets
9:00 Charles Pooley, N-Prize Contestant: Team Prometheus/Aeronautic Enterprises Inc.
9:20 TBA
late - Hospitality closes
Friday April 3rd
8 am - Registration and Hospitality open
9 am - Michelle Murray, FAA AST Experimental Permit Program Lead
9:30 - Kevin Greene, "The SBA-Guaranteed Business Loan Process"
10:00 Rand Simberg, Lies, Damned Lies, and Launch Costs
10:30 break
10:40 Flometrics/Carl Tedesco
11:15 James Dunstan, on Orbital Debris Law
11:35 Panel on Orbital Debris - Joe Carroll, James Dunstan, Jeff Foust, Dennis Wingo
12:05 TBA
break for lunch
2 pm XCOR Aerospace/Jeff Greason
2:50 Garvey Spacecraft/John Garvey
3:25 break
4 pm BonNova/Bob Noteboom
4:35 Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS)/Joshua Nelson
4:45 TrueZer0/Scott Zeeb and Todd Squires
5:20 NASA Ames Human Tended Suborbital Science/Yvonne Cagle and Bruce Pittman
5:50 break for dinner
8 pm Panel, World Space Programs & Projects, Clark Lindsey, Dave Salt, Henry Spencer
8:50 Iain Finer, N-Prize Contestant: Team Kiwi 2 Space
9:10 Ed Wright, Teachers in Space's Astronaut Teacher Course Design Workshop
9:20 Brian Miller, AFI Fellow, with the short film "Cosmonaut" and a few words on attempting authentic space film
late - Hospitality closes
Saturday April 4th
8 am - Registration and Hospitality open
9 am Rocketplane Global/Chuck Lauer
9:35 Leik Myrabo, Lightcraft Technologies Inc and RPI, "International Research Collaboration on Beamed Energy Propulsion"
10:25 break
10:55 Misuzu Onuki, "Current Status Of Japanese Space Venture Companies"
11:20 Armadillo Aerospace/John Carmack
12:10 Space Frontier Foundation/Bob Noteboom and Rick Tumlinson
12:20 break for lunch
~12:45 - Registration closes
2:10 Masten Space/Dave Masten
3:10 SpeedUp/Bob Steinke
3:20 break
4:20 Jim Muncy/PoliSpace, "Minding the Space Gap"
5 pm Charles Pooley, N-Prize Contestant: Microlaunchers
5:20 Wrapup Panel, with Various Luminaries telling us What It All Means
~6 pm that's all for this year
late - Hospitality closes - see you next time!
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Technorati tags: space access
Thursday April 2nd
1 pm - Registration and Hospitality open (we may have them open as early as noon, depending on how setup goes, but no guarantees.)
1:50 Henry Vanderbilt says "Welcome" and shares a thought or two
2 pm Henry Spencer, "The Big Top Step: From 100 Km To LEO - Building To Orbit From Suborbital Capabilities"
3:30 break
4 pm Stratofox Aerospace Tracking Team/Ian Kluft
4:30 Keith Henson
5:05 David Summers/Universal Transport Systems, "High Delta-V Rocket Aircraft"
5:25 Copenhagen Suborbitals/Frank Smith
5:55 break for dinner
8 pm James Van Laak, FAA AST Deputy Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation
9:10 Space Studies Institute/Lee Valentine
9:20 Robin Snelson, Space Tourism Specialist with Rocketship Tours
9:25 Paul Breed of Unreasonable Rockets
9:00 Charles Pooley, N-Prize Contestant: Team Prometheus/Aeronautic Enterprises Inc.
9:20 TBA
late - Hospitality closes
Friday April 3rd
8 am - Registration and Hospitality open
9 am - Michelle Murray, FAA AST Experimental Permit Program Lead
9:30 - Kevin Greene, "The SBA-Guaranteed Business Loan Process"
10:00 Rand Simberg, Lies, Damned Lies, and Launch Costs
10:30 break
10:40 Flometrics/Carl Tedesco
11:15 James Dunstan, on Orbital Debris Law
11:35 Panel on Orbital Debris - Joe Carroll, James Dunstan, Jeff Foust, Dennis Wingo
12:05 TBA
break for lunch
2 pm XCOR Aerospace/Jeff Greason
2:50 Garvey Spacecraft/John Garvey
3:25 break
4 pm BonNova/Bob Noteboom
4:35 Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS)/Joshua Nelson
4:45 TrueZer0/Scott Zeeb and Todd Squires
5:20 NASA Ames Human Tended Suborbital Science/Yvonne Cagle and Bruce Pittman
5:50 break for dinner
8 pm Panel, World Space Programs & Projects, Clark Lindsey, Dave Salt, Henry Spencer
8:50 Iain Finer, N-Prize Contestant: Team Kiwi 2 Space
9:10 Ed Wright, Teachers in Space's Astronaut Teacher Course Design Workshop
9:20 Brian Miller, AFI Fellow, with the short film "Cosmonaut" and a few words on attempting authentic space film
late - Hospitality closes
Saturday April 4th
8 am - Registration and Hospitality open
9 am Rocketplane Global/Chuck Lauer
9:35 Leik Myrabo, Lightcraft Technologies Inc and RPI, "International Research Collaboration on Beamed Energy Propulsion"
10:25 break
10:55 Misuzu Onuki, "Current Status Of Japanese Space Venture Companies"
11:20 Armadillo Aerospace/John Carmack
12:10 Space Frontier Foundation/Bob Noteboom and Rick Tumlinson
12:20 break for lunch
~12:45 - Registration closes
2:10 Masten Space/Dave Masten
3:10 SpeedUp/Bob Steinke
3:20 break
4:20 Jim Muncy/PoliSpace, "Minding the Space Gap"
5 pm Charles Pooley, N-Prize Contestant: Microlaunchers
5:20 Wrapup Panel, with Various Luminaries telling us What It All Means
~6 pm that's all for this year
late - Hospitality closes - see you next time!
----------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access - Announcing a change in focus for the next couple days
Our long time readers may remember that in the Spring my father and I head for Phoenix to attend Space Access. This is a father and son activity. Instead of fishing or hunting, we come to learn about the latest happenings in the entrepreneurial space business.
For the next couple days I'll be blogging mostly about the efforts of private companies to build profitable enterprises getting into space. If you are interested in previous years here is my report on 2007 and 2008.
This year's conference looks to be well attended. The shuttle from the Phoenix airport was full with eight people. Five of the other six were first timers.
Two of them flew all the way from Germany to learn what the Americans are doing and talk about Talis Enterprise, a European private space effort.
The other three were from the US. One was from Atlanta coming to see if there might be some opportunities for work. The other two were from Denver and Seattle. They mostly came to see what the current state of private space was these days.
I just checked with the front desk, they are running about the same as the last couple years. A little over a hundred have signed up. And there are always several walk-ins.
I'm sitting next to Clark and in front of Rand who are also blogging about Space Access.
The full agenda
----------
Technorati tags: space access
For the next couple days I'll be blogging mostly about the efforts of private companies to build profitable enterprises getting into space. If you are interested in previous years here is my report on 2007 and 2008.
This year's conference looks to be well attended. The shuttle from the Phoenix airport was full with eight people. Five of the other six were first timers.
Two of them flew all the way from Germany to learn what the Americans are doing and talk about Talis Enterprise, a European private space effort.
The other three were from the US. One was from Atlanta coming to see if there might be some opportunities for work. The other two were from Denver and Seattle. They mostly came to see what the current state of private space was these days.
I just checked with the front desk, they are running about the same as the last couple years. A little over a hundred have signed up. And there are always several walk-ins.
I'm sitting next to Clark and in front of Rand who are also blogging about Space Access.
The full agenda
----------
Technorati tags: space access
This week's Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival is up
Jamie is hosting this week's Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival at Rose Cottage.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
Reminder - send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Miss Jocelyn will be hosting the next Carnival of Homeschooling at A Pondering Heart.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
Here are the instructions for sending in a submission.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
Here are the instructions for sending in a submission.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Happy April Fools
Today at work someone mentioned the "Spaghetti harvest" special by the BBC in 1957. I hadn't thought about it since last year when we hosted the Carnival of Homeschooling.
It was fun to watch it again:
The BBC Flying Penguins Documentary is also funny:
If you are currious, you might check out the Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes Of All Times.
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Technorati tags: April Fools
It was fun to watch it again:
The BBC Flying Penguins Documentary is also funny:
If you are currious, you might check out the Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes Of All Times.
----------
Technorati tags: April Fools
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