War and Columbia Disaster
Overshadow Bush Family
Dream of a Manned
Mission to Mars
YOWUSA.COM, 14-February-03
Steve Russell
…Continued
A Plan on Paper
U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson introduced an important and bold bill in order to set some relevant goals for NASA. This was the first of recent steps
towards what appears to be a build-up of pressure on the government to make the final critical announcement.
The Mars Society, May 15, 2002
Space Exploration Act of 2002 (Full Text)
To restore a vision for the United States human space flight program by instituting a series of incremental goals that will facilitate the scientific exploration of the solar system and aid in the search for life
elsewhere in the universe, and for other purposes. The Mars Society, May 15, 2002
Bill To Enable Human Space Exploration Introduced
...the eight-year goal would require the development and flight demonstration of a reusable space vehicle capable of carrying humans from low Earth orbit to
libration points in space, which could be used to assemble large-scale scientific observatories far beyond low Earth orbit. The twenty-year goal would require development of a
reusable vehicle to carry humans to and from Martian orbit, development of a human occupied research facility on one of the moons of Mars, and development of a reusable vehicle to carry astronauts from Martian
orbit to Mars and back. "The real obstacle we face in overcoming the drift in the nation's human space flight program is not technological and it's not financial - it's the lack
of commitment to get started" said Lampson.
Then late last year, this direction was continued with an extremely bold and yet low-key announcement.
New Scientist, October 23, 2002
NASA prepares to boldly go
But now it has become clear that the agency never stopped dreaming of sending people into the unknown. Last week, without fanfare or any grand announcement,
it quietly unveiled its blueprint for the future. It calls for a space station close to the Moon that will ultimately serve as a gateway for missions all over the Solar System.
Only a few months later, a confident O'Keefe proposed an even bolder plan that seemed to be almost set in concrete.
A Plan in Concrete
In the prelude to the 2004 NASA budget announcement, O'Keefe created excitement by hinting at a possible imminent announcement for a bold and aggressive mission into space.
New Scientist, January 20, 2003
NASA boots nuclear propulsion plans
O'Keefe revealed the significant new emphasis in an interview with Los Angeles Times: "We're talking about doing something on a very aggressive schedule to not only develop the capabilities for nuclear propulsion
and power generation, but to have a mission using the new technology within this decade."
Several days later, we learnt that this new mission was not to Mars, but Jupiter and the many moons that orbit the planet.
Spaceref.com, January 29, 2003
NASA Set to Unveil ‘Jupiter Tour' Mission
... a mission which embodies a radical departure from the past four decades of planetary exploration. The "Jupiter Tour" would utilize a sophisticated
spacecraft capable of multiple jumps from an orbit around one Jovian moon to an orbit around another. Such a capability could allow close, detailed, and long-term studies to be made of some - perhaps many -
of the members of Jupiter's retinue of 40 (or more) moons.
The initial disappointment in hearing the word Jupiter instead of Mars soon gave way to hope after the release of the 2004 budget details. It became
clear that the Jupiter mission was in fact going to be a proof of concept trial for a later more critical destination of Mars which held and may hold the right environment for life.
Spaceref.com, February 2003
NASA Budget NASA's new mission places a high priority on the
search for life beyond Earth. Recent discoveries at Mars and the moons around Jupiter indicate that there may be or have been habitable environments on these worlds that supported the development of life in the
past and may support primitive lifeforms today. Perhaps the notion that "there's something out there" is closer to reality than we have imagined.
Unfortunately, before the concrete of NASA's budgetary plans had fully set, our reality literally fell from the sky, and the Shuttle Columbia with all seven crew members were lost.
The Catastrophe of Columbia
 The first shuttle mission of 2003 ended in disaster on February 1,
after successfully completing over 80 experiments for the benefit of mankind.
The launch on January 16 was the beginning of a 16 day science mission that abruptly ended only 16 minutes before returning to Earth. The effects
this will have on the 16 nations involved with the ISS program will not be fully understood until all the investigations are complete.
NASA has been investigating every possible disaster scenario from foam and ice hitting the shuttle during launch, and space debris impacts during the mission, to strange electrical phenomena on re-entry.
These and other theories will continue to be analysed by NASA until they discover the answer to this mysterious tragedy. Until then, despite the negative press coverage and "D" grade reporting such as TIME
magazine's article "The Space Shuttle Must Be Stopped", we remain extremely confident that the root cause will not result in significantly detrimental consequences for the Shuttle or manned space flight missions.
We Are Not Quitters
As a nation we have always refused to quit by bouncing back and learning from the things that bring us closer and stronger. The question before us
now, is how quickly can we get back into space and continue with our progression towards Mars.
The Independent, February 3, 2003
Space station and shuttle missions may be mothballed for years
David Shayler, an American journalist who has written a book on space disasters, said: "The guys who fly these missions accept that risk. It all depends on
politicians and the public, who don't fly these missions, and whether they accept the risk. That will tell you whether you have a future space programme or not."
So far it seems the public and politicians are very keen not to let this disaster stand between us and Mars. The Astronauts themselves are determined to get NASA back on its feet.
Space.com, February 1, 2003
Shuttle Catastrophe to Stir Political; Policy Decision Making
Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 moonwalker and former Senator from New Mexico, said that getting a shuttle back into space is critical. "You can no longer stand-down indefinitely. There is commitment to the
International Space Station effort and the people stationed there," he told SPACE.com.
The Astronauts families are determined to get NASA back on its feet.
CNN, February 3, 2003
Astronauts' families: Space exploration ‘must go on'
"And although we grieve deeply, as do the families of Apollo 1 and Challenger before us, the bold exploration of space must go on. And once the root cause of this tragedy is found and corrected, the
legacy of Columbia must carry on for the benefit of our children and yours."
NASA's contractors are determined to get NASA back on its feet.
Space.com, February 2, 2003
Shuttle Endeavour Flight Preparations Continue
WASHINGTON - United Space Alliance (USA), operator of NASA's space shuttle fleet, is continuing to prepare the shuttle Endeavour for its next flight despite the disruption to normal shuttle operations caused by
Saturday's explosion of Columbia, said Mike Curie, a spokesman for USA. ...is continuing previously scheduled maintenance work on the shuttle Discovery and does not expect that
effort to be slowed in the aftermath of the accident, Curie said.
Our President is determined to get NASA back on its feet.
BBC News, February 4, 2003
Space programme to go on, vows Bush US President George W Bush has vowed to continue
America's space programme. "America's journey into space will go on," the president said.
When the root cause is finally determined in the coming months, we will better understand the risks involved in manned space flight, we will be able
to make an educated decision on where our future in space lies, and the line will be defined separating the courageous from the cowardly.
The Fight for Mankind's Future
O'Keefe has been busy getting the house of NASA in order as the nations and people of the world are calling for a manned mission to Mars. Before
the Columbia tragedy, pieces of the plan were beginning to be laid out on the table and they were starting to fit. The anticipation of the next critical
leap in getting us to Mars was within our grasp but the sensation quickly gave way to sorrow.
Space.com, February 2, 2003
NASA's 2004 Budget Request to be Released Without Fanfare
The briefing was cancelled Saturday afternoon in wake of the worst human tragedy to befall NASA since the 1986 loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger. NASA still intends to send its 2004 budget request to Congress
and release copies to the public on Monday, but without the usual fanfare and officials briefings, agency officials said Saturday. "They obviously don't want to draw too much attention
to the budget as it is because they know it's going to change," he said. But he said he would "be surprised if NASA fundamentally changes the nature of its request" or abandons its new ambitions.
Now is not the time to abandon the ambitions of the world. NASA must get back on their feet and conquer the technological and political hindrances
that stand in our way of Mars. President Bush should be mindful of his fathers Mars mission failure to avoid repeat distractions by the current Columbia tragedy and war on terror.
Only the bold will inherit the treasures within the vastness of space and experience the twilight between two worlds. The meek as we've already been told, will inherit the Earth.
|
