Nov 6 2003
From The Space Library
ESA's Science Programme Committee (SPC) dropped the Eddington mission and scaled back the BepiColombo mission because of budgetary concerns~the SPC had determined that ESA would only have sufficient resources to fund one new mission in the next decade. For that mission, the Committee had selected the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Pathfinder mission, which would launch in 2006 or 2007 and would test technologies and strategies for the planned 2012 LISA mission to detect gravitational waves. ESA had planned for the Eddington mission, scheduled for launch in 2008, to monitor the brightness of stars, study their interiors, and search for planets~ of the size of Earth or smaller~ passing in front of the stars. Japan and Europe had scheduled BepiColombo, their joint mission to Mercury, for launch in 2011 and had originally planned to send a lander to Mercury as part of that mission. Although the SPC had cancelled the lander portion of the mission, it still planned for ESA to launch two satellites to orbit the planet. (Vanessa Thomas, “ESA Axes Planet-Finding Mission and Mercury Lander,” Astronomy.com, 12 November 2003; Peter B. de Selding, “European Planet-Finding Mission Cancelled,” Space News, 10 November 2003.
NASA released an 84-page report, “Implementation Plan for the International Space Station Continuing Flight,” detailing NASA's plans to improve exterior inspections of the ISS and to shield the station from debris strikes, while continuing to maintain a crew aboard the ISS during the disruption of Space Shuttle flights. Before the Columbia accident, Space Shuttle crews visiting the ISS had routinely photographed the exterior of the station; NASA expressed concern that in the absence of Shuttle flights, external damage would go undetected. The report outlined plans to conduct thorough inspections of external surfaces of the ISS using external cameras and classified satellite images, as well as to inspect more closely the wiring and equipment inside the station. (Patty Reinert, “Armed with Lessons, NASA Outlines Safer Space Station,” Houston Chronicle, 7 November 2003; Marcia Dunn for the Associated Press, “NASA: Space Station Safety Can Be Better,” 7 November 2003.
The U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing transferred operation of Launch Complex 47 at Cape Canaveral Air Station to the Florida Space Authority (FSA) by means of a licensing agreement under the Commercial Space Transportation Act. J. Gregory Pavlovich, Commander of the 45th Space Wing, stated that the transfer of operations was a positive development, remarking that, although the Air Force had previously scheduled the launchpad for deactivation, licensing it to the FSA would enable Launch Complex 47 to remain available for educational use for years into the future. Under the agreement, Brevard Community College could offer as many as 200 educational launch opportunities over the following five years, allowing for hands-on technical education that would help motivate students to join the aerospace workforce. (Jim Banke, “Florida Space Authority Will Run Cape Launch Pad for Education,” Space.com, 7 November 2003, http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/fsa_cx47_031107.html (accessed 17 March 2009).
NASA announced the successful test of a launchpad-abort test vehicle designed to support its OSP Program. Wind tunnel tests had demonstrated the Lockheed Martin-designed Pad Abort Demonstration (PAD) vehicle's stability and maneuverability under simulated conditions approximating escape from a catastrophic failure of a launch vehicle. The tests, which followed the completion of September's PAD Preliminary Design Review, marked a significant success in the development of a safe and effective crew-escape system, clearing the way for the initial testing of the vehicle's engine in November 2003 and the first set of parachute drop tests in December 2003. NASA had not pursued the PAD Project to integrate crew-escape capability into spacecraft design since the Apollo program ended. (NASA, “NASA Conducts Successful Pad Abort Demonstration,” news release 03-359, 6 November 2003, http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2003/nov/HQ_03359_pad_abort_demo.html (accessed 5 February 2009).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
