AND NOW, THE SUPER SHUTTLE!

Firefly Serenity, not Super Shuttle just an example

Beautifully ugly, the new Super Shuttle will carry on in BEO (Beyond Earth Orbit) the glorious and successful tradition set by its predecessor. It is beautiful because of all the features and capabilities it has that enable it to support a variety of deep space projects.It is ugly, because unlike our well loved and honored original space shuttle, Super Shuttle is not designed to ever leave or re-enter a planetary atmosphere.It, therefore, does not require those lovely aerodynamic elements that make it flyable in an atmosphere. It is strictly a space vehicle that, like Serenity, plies space with a variety of important tasks that advances humankind's exploration of our solar system.

Super Shuttle will be the result of a joint, international design team and may be built in one of several countries, however, it will only be assembled and tested in low Earth orbit. It will be the responsibility of the commercial space companies to transfer Super Shuttle's parts up to the International Space Station where it will be fully assembled and tested.

Click to enlarge.

VASIMR or the likes thereof are the propulsion systems on Super Shuttle.Since it does not have to reach an escape velocity from any planetary body, Super Shuttle does not need the heavy lift support that spacecraft launched from Earth require. This produces a vital profile change that allows Super Shuttle's design to be a versatile "space truck", crew transport vehicle, and rescue vehicle.  In this latter function, Super Shuttle always carries on board a rescue spacecraft that, if necessary, can carry crew to or recover them from a planetary environment or space station.

Super Shuttle will be the first spacecraft to take advantage of the "in-orbit" refueling capabilities that will be a part of the expanded International Space Station (ISS).The ISS will also serve as a VASIMR service facility. Fuel and supplies for these functions will be carried to the ISS by commercial space operations.

In its space truck mode, Super Shuttle will have two robotic arms that will provide it with the ability to load and unload a variety of material including satellites, space telescopes, and roborovers and other robot devices.  In this latter function, Super Shuttle will actually carry both the crew and the roborover for the planned exploration of a Near Earth Object (asteroid). The crew on the Super Shuttle will use the robotic arms to place the roborover onto the asteroid to begin the scientific survey.  To learn more about this program you are encouraged to visit a related blog series in Explorology. You may link to it here. There are five parts in this series and you are encouraged to read all of them.

Super Shuttle has the capability to transport a total of 10 astronaut crew plus its designated mission payload. The normal crew compliment on Super Shuttle is 4 astronauts and 2 robonauts.The robonauts are not considered in the max astronaut crew limit.  Crew exchanges occur at the ISS. Super Shuttle crew are transferred to and from Earth by commercial space operations. The robonauts, however, remain on the ISS and are maintained there between assignments on the Super Shuttle.

Here is a preliminary list of possible space missions to be carried out, in part, by the Super Shuttle:

1. International exploration of a Near Earth Object
2. Placement of a special space telescope in a Venus type orbit, that will work exclusively to detect dangerous Near Earth Objects
2a. Support the launching of interdictory spacecraft to intercept and deter Near Earth Objects that are a definite impact threat to Earth.
3. Support the foundation and operation of the first International Lunar Research Park on Earth's Moon.
4. Support the construction and servicing of the International Mars Research Station (an orbiting spacecraft like the ISS).
5. Support the robotic exploration of Saturn's moon Titan.

Yes, we know all of this, right now, is still a dream, but we believe a very realistic dream that can be fully implemented by a well coordinated international space team. It will stay a dream only if we fail to act as an international body and bring spacefaring to all the citizens of planet Earth. Let's not delay; great explorations, with amazing discoveries await us.

The Grand Tour: The Maiden Voyage of Odyssey I - Part 1

Introduction: This is, at this point in time, a hypothetical voyage.  It anticipates design breakthroughs in propulsion systems and spacecraft systems that can accommodate a large population of crew and passengers. Is it theoretically feasible? Yes it is; however, there will be considerable variances from the systems and processes that are presented here.  Most of those variances will be eye-popping amazing and far more supportive of the concept of a Grand Tour than we present here.  So if you have more far reaching ideas and concepts, please share them in our comment sections. The goal is the Grand Tour, and the mission is to take as many Earthlings as possible on that tour.   All Aboard!


The Spacecraft: I am not an artist, so I will have to just describe Odyssey I. She is like a very large flying saucer, but with a huge globular center. Some say Odyssey I resembles the starship Enterprise from the old "Star Trek" series. The globular region is the passenger area that includes all services and support for their extended voyage.  The saucer area of the spacecraft houses the command and control center, crew quarters,  and the VASIMR type propulsion units. These units will enable Odyssey I to achieve speeds of 22.22km/s which is approximately 80,000km/hr (just under 50,000 miles/hr). Additionally, the uppermost area of the passenger globule houses the docking ports for when Odyssey I is attached to its geosynchronous spaceport.  The spaceport, is, in turn, the upperlevel terminal for a space elevator located on Earth at its equator.  The spaceport is positioned 150,000 miles above planet Earth.

Earth gravity compensation: Both the operations/crew area as well as the passenger globule maintain independent 1G environments.

Passenger Accommodations: The planned Grand Tour is expected to take just over 4.5 years.It includes a swing-around flybys of both the planet Jupiter and Saturn as well as a three day stop over on the planet Mars. Details of the tour are discussed in Part II, under Itinerary.  Because of the total length of the tour, passenger accommodations are quite extensive and plush. In addition to luxury "shipboard-like" cabins for a total of 250 passengers, the passenger globule provides 5 restaurants, 3 IMAX-style movie theaters, a small, stylish casino, a fully staffed health care center, and a sport center that supports, tennis, handball, basketball, a gym, and a roller rink.  The casino also includes a luxury bar and entertainment center.

• Space Observatory: The most important and outstanding special feature is the Space Observatory.  Here the passengers have the opportunity to view the solar system and the galaxy through the on-board 3 meter telescope as well as actual sightings in the observation chamber. These same views are also broadcast via the starship's CCTV system.  
• Astronomy Tutorial: Not all of the passengers are expected to be avid amateur astronomers and in recognition of this, they will have the opportunity to access, via the computer systems in their cabins an excellent introductory tutorial on our solar system. They will also receive, upon their return, their own personal set of Passenger Space Wings along with a Certificate of Achievement in Astronomy.

About the passengers:  All of the passengers, for this inaugural voyage must be at least 20 years of age and no older than age 55.  Future voyages will consider including younger passengers. There are no restrictions regarding the sex of the passengers. The individual cost for the Grand Tour is $5million.  This cost pretty well determines who the first passengers will be; the very wealthy. They come from all over the globe and in some instances are official representatives of their governments.  Each passenger has had to undergo a rigorous physical and mental evaluation that includes many of the tests that all astronauts must complete.  Additionally, they all must be exposed to the effects of weightlessness (the "vomit comet") even though it is not expected they will be in a total 0G environment.  They still need to experience this in case there is a loss of the 1G environment on Odyssey 1. 

About the crew: There is a total of 300 crew members on Odyssey 1 of which 175 are humanoid and 125 are robots.  The all human crew are involved directly with spacecraft operations and command including key engineering responsibilities. All operations staff are certified astronauts. Human crew also makeup a portion of the staffs of passenger services; including the health services area.  The robot crews perform maintenance and control functions and are also restaurant and bar wait staff.  Other robots serve as nurse-aids in the health services center.  All robots are under the supervision and control of a human, staff officer. On occasion some of the robots gather together to entertain the guests with their musical skills.

Costs and profits: The total gross passenger income from this program comes to $1,250,000,000.00. Additionally each of the vendors in the passenger center have "bought" into the program at $7.5million each. There are 10 vendors under contract producing a gross income of $75million. Finally, the program operates under a Federal space exploration grant of $10 billion.  The total gross income + grants comes to $11,335,000,000.  The anticipated gross profit is set at 8.5% of gross income (less the grant $) or $113,475,000.

THIS COMPLETES PART I of THE GRAND TOUR.  NEXT, PART II - THE VOYAGE.

KACHING! Making Space Exploration Pay: An Editorial

"Basic research will be tolerated by the political machinery only if it constitutes a balanced part of a research program that also satisfies visible economic needs."

The foregoing quote is from John S. Lewis's book Mining the Sky (ISBN 0-201-32819-4) and it clearly underscores the current crisis facing NASA and space exploration today. The dilemma is that as far as space exploration goes, there must be more human investigation of our solar system before we can clearly describe promising investment opportunities for the private sector.  Yes, astronomers have begun detecting promising potential in our asteroids and on some of our neighboring planets. Additionally, the robotic surveyors on Mars have also added tantalizing data, but none of it is currently sufficient to encourage the private sector to make the kind of "deep pocket" investments necessary to begin commercial operations in deep space. For now, NASA and its international partners must depend upon their governments to fund initial deep space exploration by humankind.

We cannot depend exclusively upon robotic tools to carry out planetary evaluations and assessments. We need direct examination by highly trained scientists and technicians to conclusively present those economic incentives that will ignite private sector involvement in humankind's expansion into deep space. Answering the question, "are there valuable assets in space" will start the process and to clearly answer that question we need to put astronaut scientists on some of our planets, and on some of our large, nearby asteroids.

No part of this vital effort is an overnight operation. It is going to take strong, concentrated planning, design and development of techniques and systems to begin deep space exploration.  Time is of the essence, and to delay any part of that process is to dangerously stifle the critical NEXT STEP in the evolutionary and economic progress of humankind. Dare we delay? We could fall back into an unrecoverable state that makes us another planetary civilization that let progress and opportunity escape them. Whoa, how do I know this?  I do not know it for sure, but I am certain that when we become deep space focused that my example will be discerned as we explore other planetary bodies throughout our galaxy and the universe.  That is right, this is not mandatory should we desire to shrivel up and disappear, but should we desire to continue to move forward and upward then space exploration is the next and most promising frontier for humankind and its future.

CREDITS: The image at the top of this blog page is from Michael Pinto in is December 9, 2008 article in Science  The article is entitled: Ten Reasons NASA Should Go To Mars Instead of the Moon

COOKED? The Realities of Tourist Flights on Space Elevators

"Good morning, I am Donia your senior flight coordinator and I welcome you to SpaceEl Flight 200 I need your complete attention as I go over with you the passenger requirements of this flight."

"Please make certain that your ascent couches are in their in-flight position. Press the green lever on the right armrest to make that adjustment. Now, also make sure that your restraint harness is fastened securely. If you are having difficulty please raise you hand and one of my assistants will come to you."

"We will be ascending at the rate of 200 miles per hour for the first hour, and then we will cut over to our rapid acceleration mode. You must be in your ascent couch and completely strapped in before we begin rapid acceleration."

"The rapid acceleration mode makes sure that we pass safely through the two radiation zones on our way to the space port. In order to do this we will be using our special VASIMR propulsion units to increase our ascent rate to 18000 miles per hour. We will do this gradually over the next half hour during which time you will experience an increase in G forces up to 5gs, however they will stabilize at 3.5gs for the remainder of our ascent. The total duration of the remainder of our flight to the spaceport is 5.5 hours."

"If you have any questions, please raise you hand. We will be departing in 15 minutes. Enjoy your trip and thank you for traveling with SpaceEl Systems."
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The above monologue is quite unbelievable, but considering the special location requirements of space elevators and the presence of intense radiation hazards from the Van Allen belts, the passenger preparations would seem realistic. Why?

First, although a serious study has been made of alternative locations, the best and most efficient and safe launch location for space elevators is at the Earths' equator. This permits the most accurate positioning of the space elevator tether and its links to its Earth-base and space anchors. Unfortunately, an equator site exposes space elevators to the most intense and thickest regions of the Van Allen radiation belts, as shown in the image above.

This is an absolutely life threatening hazard that will essentially cook the passengers of SpaceEl flight 200 unless they can be completely shielded or can pass through the radiation zones fast enough to reduce any life-endangering exposures.  In our fictional flight cited above we opt for a fast ascent through the zones.  Reading the description above makes me wonder if (a) most passengers are capable of withstanding the anticipated G forces, and (b) if any passenger bodily functions will allow them to remain strapped to their couches for a 5.5 hour period without relief.  I doubt it, or if they do it will be most likely very uncomfortable for them. The 5.5 hour duration is based upon the spaceport end of the elevator being at just over 99,000 miles above the Earth;s surface.

Another consideration is the use of VASIMR type propulsion units to speed up the ascent of the elevator.  First can the tether take the strain of such an ascent. Secondly, VASIMR propulsion units are, at this point, still in the R&D stage, and it is not certain that they would provide the needed acceleration and if so that they could meet the weight and size requirements of a space elevator.  These are all vital questions and the answers may prove to be NO!.

So, should we just chuck the idea of space elevators and move on to something else or stay with HLV systems to fling us off planet Earth?  I personally think we should NOT give up on this technology, and I think several breakthroughs will come.  Two key ones, will be effective, and lightweight radiation shielding that will allow the elevator to progress at its stately 200 miles/hour all the way to its spaceport, and the other will be an elevator propulsion system that, along with rad shields, could still move the elevator through the rad zone at a faster clip.  This latter innovation involving the development of lightweight rad shields coupled with increase ascent propulsion and speeds could solve the problem.  In this case, G forces might still be a little bit higher that Earth gravity, but less than the disabling 3.5 Gs.

Lastly, the spaceport concept served by space elevators from Earth and spacecraft that never have to exit or re-enter Earth opens the entire process of space exploration into a highly functional, potentially profitable and absolutely dynamic and thrilling prospect. This is the setting, in my mind, of a truly operational space society.  I am betting some of you, younger than me, will see it come to pass.  GOING UP!

CREDITS: The image of the Van Allen belts is courtesy of both NASA and SunTrek Adventures

GAIA: The Space Exploration Imperative

In the simplest of terms, GAIA is the complete interconnectivity of all life on Earth.  Yes there are many species, some yet to be discovered, but all of those species are life connected. That connection goes all the way back to those stunning moments when the first life form climbed out of Earth's primordial soup.  Mind you, this is a soup that was concocted through a joint effort of Earth materials and a host of space-contributed life energizing substances. Here is a link to a very interesting article on the GAIA imperative for space exploration.

GAIA is a philosophical part of me. Yes, I talk to plants and animals with daily greetings. Are those greetings acknowledged?  I believe they are, and in so doing I am immediately classed by many as a resident of fantasy land. Following this logic leads to the firm belief that not only is there life all across the universe, but that we are all connected.  Now this fully disputes the hostile encounters that makes SciFi so popular, but also so dangerously misleading.  We definitely should not begin our exploration of deep space with warships.

Want to know more about GAIA? Take a look here, but keep in mind that the original concept, which was totally centered on planet Earth, has now been broadened to encompass our entire universe. To ease you mind and spirit here is a little bit of GAIA to a reggae beat

Look up, touch the stars with your mind and spirit, GAIA awaits you.

CREDITS: Image: Caldwell 30 galaxy. Astrophoto by Waddell Robey courtesy of Slooh.com Observatories.