The Discovery Program: NASA Gets it Right
By Ed Downs
Our August issue of In Flight USA carried coverage and comments about the ending of America’s Manned Space Program (read on www.inflightusa.com). America’s surrender of leadership in manned space flight to a country with space technology from the late 1950s is, at best, questionable. Those making this fateful decision should have asked the question, “What happens to the International Space Station (ISS) if that obsolete technology breaks down?” Well, it has, and no answer is at hand.
On Wednesday morning, August 24, 2011 a Russian Progress M-12M vehicle lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on an unmanned supply mission to the ISS. This is the booster system that has been used since the late 1950s and is now used to launch the manned Soyuz capsule. It did not reach orbit. This is currently the only vehicle combination used to take crews to and from ISS. It is now grounded. The Russian Proton rocket was to have served as a back up, but it, too, failed just a week earlier. The much touted entry of privatized boosters into service that are man rated is at least five years in the future. America’s more than $100 billion investment in ISS is in significant jeopardy due to self-serving political decisions. NASA has lost much of its glitter.
Then there is the NASA Discovery Program. Yes, like you, I did not know what that was. In early August, this writer was invited to attend a special presentation being made by the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium. In the last editorial, I implored readers to support local aviation museums, planetariums and science activities, especially those that reach out to kids. It is up to us old guys to keep the memories and dreams of space explorations alive. The event I attended was called the “Vesta Fiesta” and was to include live science demonstrations, a presentation by local experts regarding asteroids and a live presentation by the NASA “Project Dawn” team from the Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. The main feature was a live feed as the Dawn Spacecraft entered an orbit around the asteroid “Vesta,” with the evening ending by looking at the “real deal” telescopes provided by the Astronomy Club of Tulsa. Wow, an evening filled with learning. But where did this program come from? What is “Vesta” and why spend big bucks to get there? This curious writer began to look for some form of government program that did little and sapped funds from manned space flight. Boy, was I wrong.
In today’s world of failing economy, lost jobs and high debt levels, science and aviation related research are being scrutinized as being unnecessary and wasteful. The most recent rhetoric for politicians and senior NASA management is, “let private industry do the job, let NASA learn to live in the commercial world with low bid contracts and fixed price payments based upon results.” Those tough talking points may sound good for political speeches and reports to congress, but those who speak them have obviously not called a meeting to talk with the “real workers” of NASA. If they had, they would have met the Discovery Project team. Formed in 1992, The Discovery Project’s mission is to manage the exploration of our solar system by using a system of solicited proposals from private industry, small businesses, universities and government laboratories. The inclusion of creating educational opportunities and public outreach is considered a key element of any Discovery Project venture. But here is the big catch. No proposal may exceed $299 million, much less, if possible. A special category of project has a price limit of $35 million per mission. It is stressed that bidders must, to the extent possible, utilize existing hardware and materials, with technological advancement and cleverness taking the place of big budget spending and overruns. So far, the Discovery Project has nine missions underway or planned, with five more in the works. Some of these have significantly beat budget, coming in at under $150 million, and offering adventures most of you have heard about, but may not have fully appreciated. They include the Mars Pathfinder, orbiting the planet Mercury, searching for solar winds (the mortal enemy of GPS), exploring comets and, of course, the Dawn spacecraft.
Gosh, you say, that sounds neat, but that is still a lot of money. True, but let’s put this dynamic scientific research into perspective. The Dawn project came in at under the $299 million cap. This project has 21 major partners, including major aerospace companies, research laboratories, universities, science teams and participation from three nations. The project has a life span approaching 15 years and has employed solar technology never before utilized as the singular form of spacecraft propulsion. Scientists and engineers will be employed throughout the life of the Dawn program, and technological fallout leads the way for advanced interplanetary and eventually, interstellar research. All of this for under $300 million. “But,” say the anti-science crowd, “couldn’t that money have been better spent for the most popular of “shovel ready” projects, like highway or high speed rail construction?” Sure, it could. Given the use of average cost factors gleaned from several statistical sources, a $300 million budget will get you about 3.75 miles of four-lane highway or two-track, high-speed rail. Gosh, that will get this writer about half way to my local Dollar General store. Just think of how the planet will benefit from the reduction in my driving! Better yet, $300 million might just cover the cost of running a major political campaign. Now, there is a deal. Look at all the high paid PR folks, speech writers and lawyers who will benefit, to say nothing of the barrage of mud-slinging TV ads we all get to watch. Get the point – your elected officials need to know where you want your money spent.
Okay, just what is the Dawn program? The spacecraft “Dawn” is so named because it is seeking the “dawn” of time. By traveling over 1.7 billion miles, Dawn will look at two “Proto” planets orbiting in amongst the famed asteroid belt that resides between Mars and the gas giant, Jupiter. Often referred to as “asteroids,” Vesta (almost 400 miles in diameter) and Ceres (almost four times the mass of Vesta) are actually “proto planets,” meaning planets that did not mature into full-scale planets, such as the recently re-defined Pluto. They can be seen with the naked eye and were once thought to be planets. Vesta is what our earth was over 4.5 billion years ago, giving us an incredible glimpse into the construction or our own world. Well defined surface features date back to the creation of our solar system. An orbiting exploration process will last a year at Vesta before heading out for an orbital exploration of Ceres. With a solar panel “wing span” of 65 feet, the Dawn spacecraft is powered with ion engines, using the molecular excitation of xenon gas to create thrust equal to the weight of a piece of printer paper. But that has been enough to vary speeds by up to 13,000 mph and give it an unlimited range without the use of chemical fuels. This is the first full-scale use of this propulsion system and is what will eventually be used for long-range, interplanetary flights. Dawn is looking 4.5 billion years into the past while preparing us for the future, assuming the leadership of this country learns to think past the next election.
To be sure, the Vesta Fiesta was a great evening, and a good reminder that the “real workers” at NASA were not the ones that surrendered. These exceptional folks soldier on in spite of poor funding and indifferent leadership. The Discovery Project is one of many NASA efforts that are readily available to the public (like the Aviation Safety Reporting Program) at no cost. NASA sponsored science and aviation programs continue. It is up to all of us to support these fine folks by letting our elected officials know how we want them to spend our money. Oh yes, there were a lot of kids at the Fiesta, all excited and all learning. Let’s keep it that way.
