Utah’s Role in Orion
As NASA looks to life after the space shuttle, space agency officials came to Salt Lake City on Tuesday to discuss the future of human space exploration. Brigham City’s ATK Launch Systems Group will play a key role in propelling NASA’s next-generation Ares Launch Vehicles. The Utah tie prompted NASA to hold a public meeting here to gather comments on the program.
When NASA astronauts walk on the moon again, they will have received a significant lift from Utah.
Brigham City’s ATK Launch Systems Group is developing the rocket engines that will carry the space agency’s planned Ares Launch Vehicles into space. But before any launch countdowns can begin, NASA had more earthly matters to take care of in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.
Officials from the space agency held a public meeting to gather comments for an Environmental Impact Statement on NASA’s Constellation Program - which is designed to send astronauts to the moon, Mars and eventually deeper into space.
NASA held its final public hearing in Utah because of ATK’s operations in the state. The company will test-fire the new rockets at its facility near Brigham City.
“What are your concerns about what NASA is proposing to do?” Kenneth Kumor, the space agency’s National Environmental Policy Act coordinator, asked the eight members of the public who attended.
Possible topics for discussion ranged from air quality issues to launch noise levels to orbital debris. The lone question in the public comment session related to finance.
“Have you estimated the cost of all of this?” asked Paul Callister, of Salt Lake City, after hearing a presentation on the Constellation Program.
John Connolly, who is with NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, said the budget through 2010 will be around $30 billion.
A more frequent question Connolly addresses is about why NASA should bother going back to the moon.
“It’s more scientifically interesting than it was during the Apollo era,” he said of the Earth’s closest neighbor.
Since the last Apollo moon landing in 1972, researchers have learned even more about the natural satellite. For example, some moon craters are so deep that parts of them never receive sunlight.
Experts believe frozen ice or frozen hydrogen may be lurking in these shady spots, Connolly explained.
“If there’s hydrogen on the moon,” he said, “that’s a big deal.”
Hydrogen can be mixed with oxygen to create rocket fuel, meaning crews could manufacture their own fuel for trips back to Earth. Carrying less fuel means more cargo could be shipped on moon missions.
More importantly, setting up bases on the moon would be practice for eventually putting people on Mars.
Connolly acknowledged that the next-generation Orion Crew Exploration Vehicles that will carry people to the moon look a lot like the old Apollo capsules. The lunar landers of new and old also will seem familiar.
“We wanted this to look like Star Trek,” he said. “What we got was our parent’s space vehicle again.”
Blame physics for the retro look.
When it comes to re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere, the Millennium Falcon wouldn’t stand a chance. Any gadgets sticking out on the sides of futuristic space vehicles would burn off in re-entry. The best option is still blunt objects like the Apollo capsules.
The rockets that will be used to send the Orion craft into space also borrow from NASA history. The Orion craft will sit atop a modified Solid Rocket Booster, similar to the kind ATK made to push the space shuttle into orbit.
“Anything that has fire coming out of it is built up here” in Utah, Connolly said of the launchpad phase of NASA’s future missions.
The space shuttle fleet is scheduled to be phased out by 2010, with the first Ares missions coming in 2014. NASA wants to be strolling on the moon by no later than 2020.
Such relatively short deadlines have kept Utah’s ATK facilities busy. A test launch for Ares with no astronauts aboard is scheduled for 2009.
“Our employees are at a high level of energy supporting the space shuttle as well as getting ready for the Ares program,” said George Torres, a spokesman for ATK.
Connolly said NASA also has work left to prepare for returning to the moon, including redesigning space suits and finalizing details on the lunar lander. This time around, NASA is looking for a long-term presence on the moon with an eye toward preparing for the possible colonies on Mars and elsewhere.
“Apollo was essentially a camping trip,” Connolly said. “The Constellation Program is about exploring and settling the frontier.”
