aerospace america october 2009

2009·3.4 MB·English

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Mars
laboratory
lands on
red ink
Space debris: A growing challenge
A conversation with Graham Love
A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS
toc.OCT2009.qxd:AA Template 10/7/09 11:23 AM Page 1
October2009
DEPARTMENTS
Page4
EDITORIAL 3
Ourfutureinspace.
INTERNATIONALBEAT 4
EuropelooksforUCAVsynergies.
ASIAUPDATE 8
Page8
SoutheastAsiareachestowardspace.
WASHINGTONWATCH 10
Page10
Aviationandspaceflightunderscrutiny.
HONORS&AWARDS 14
CONVERSATIONS 16
WithGrahamLove.
VIEWFROMHERE 18
Ishumanspaceflight“optional”?
ENGINEERINGNOTEBOOK 22
NASAcoatinghelpskeepheartsbeating. Page18
OUTOFTHEPAST 44
CAREEROPPORTUNITIES 46
FEATURES
MARSLABORATORYLANDSONREDINK 24
WiththeMarsScienceLaboratory’slaunchwindowsoonclosingandimportant
Page24
challengesremaining,NASAhasactedtosafeguardthetroubledprogram.
byFrankSietzenJr.
SPACEDEBRIS:AGROWINGCHALLENGE 30
Asspacedebrisproliferates,expertssayportionsofnear-Earthorbitcould
becomeunusableifmitigatingstepsarenottakensoon.
byLeonardDavid
CLOUDYFORECASTFORNPOESS 38
Workinghandinhandwithbothmanufacturersandairlines,EASA’sgoalis
tomakeflyingEurope’sskiesassafeaspossible.
byJamesW.Canan
BULLETIN Page30
AIAAMeetingSchedule B2
AIAACoursesandTrainingProgram B4
AIAANews B5
MeetingProgram B13
CallforPapers B22 Page38
COVER
TheMarsScienceLaboratoryisNASA’smostcomplexMarsefforttodate.Itslargeroverwillbehousedinan
aeroshellwithaheatshield.Formoreonthisambitiousprogram,turntothestorybeginningonpage24.
AerospaceAmerica(ISSN0740-722X)ispublishedmonthlybytheAmericanInstituteofAeronauticsandAstronautics,Inc.at1801AlexanderBellDrive,Reston,Va.20191-4344[703/264-7577].
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Postmaster:Sendaddresschangesandsubscriptionorderstoaddressabove,attentionAIAACustomerService,703/264-7500.PeriodicalpostagepaidatHerndon,VA,andatadditional
mailingoffices.Copyright©2009bytheAmericanInstituteofAeronauticsandAstronautics,Inc.,allrightsreserved.ThenameAerospaceAmericaisregisteredbytheAIAAintheU.S.Patent
andTrademarkOffice.40,000copiesofthisissueprinted.ThisisVolume47,No.9.
Oct09.edit.qxd:AA Template 9/11/09 12:33 PM Page 1
®
isapublicationoftheAmericanInstitute
ofAeronauticsandAstronautics
ElaineJ.Camhi
Editor-in-Chief
PatriciaJefferson
AssociateEditor
GregWilson
ProductionEditor Ourfutureinspace
JerryGrey,Editor-at-Large
ChristineWilliams,EditorAIAABulletin
“TheU.S.humanspaceflightprogramappearstobeonanunsustainabletrajec-
Correspondents
tory.Itisperpetuatingtheperilouspracticeofpursuinggoalsthatdonotmatch
RobertF.Dorr,Washington
allocatedresources.”
PhilipButterworth-Hayes,Europe
MichaelWestlake,HongKong ThisistheopeningstatementoftheSummaryReportoftheReviewofHuman
SpaceFlightCommittee,releasedonSeptember8.Thereviewwasannouncedon
ContributingWriters
May7bytheOfficeofScienceandTechnologyPolicy;thecommitteewasledby
RichardAboulafia,JohnBinder,James
NormanAugustine,formerchairmanoftheAdvisoryCommitteeontheFuture
W.Canan,MarcoCáceres,EdwardFlinn,
TomJones,ThéoPirard,DavidRockwell, oftheUnitedStatesSpaceProgram.
FrankSietzen,J.R.Wilson The12panelmembers,alldeeplyinvolvedinU.S.spaceefforts,wereasked
notonlytoexamineNASA’scurrenteffortsinhumanspaceflight,buttoexplore
FitzgeraldArt&Design
otherpotentialoptionsforsustainingaU.S.presenceinspace.Thegroupfirst
ArtDirectionandDesign
lookedatcurrentactivities—thespaceshuttle’ssafetyrecordanditsreliability,the
CraigByl,ManufacturingandDistribution futureoftheinternationalspacestation,andtheConstellationprogram—then
DavidW.Thompson,President
consideredthepossibilitiesforthefuture.
RobertS.Dickman,Publisher
Inthecourseofitsdeliberations,thecommitteeidentifiedfivealternativesce-
STEERINGCOMMITTEE nariosforfuturehumanspacetransportationandexploration,positingdifferent
MichaelB.Bragg,UniversityofIllinois; destinationsandvehiclesforreachingthem.Allofthealternativeshadbenefitsand
PhilipHattis,DraperLaboratory;MarkS. drawbacks,butallwereencumberedbythesameproblem:Nonecouldberealized
Maurice,AFOSR;LauraMcGill,Raytheon; underthepresentNASAbudgetoutlook.
GeorgeMuellner,Boeing;MerriSanchez,
Twoofthescenariosassumedcurrentspendinglevels.Inbothofthosecases,
NationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministra-
thegroupfoundthattheheavyliftAresVwouldnotbereadyuntilthelate2020s,
tion;MarySnitch,LockheedMartin
withlittleornopossibilityofalunarlandingbeforethe2030s,ifatall.More
EDITORIALBOARD telling,thecommitteefoundthat“noplancompatiblewiththeFY2010budget
NedAllen,LockheedMartinAeronautics; profilepermitshumanexplorationtocontinueinanymeaningfulway.”Theother
Jean-MichelContant,EADS;Eugene threealternativescallforabudgetincreaseof$3billionannually,anincreasethe
Covert,MassachusettsInstituteofTechnol- committeebelieveswouldenableaviable,sustainableexplorationeffort.
ogy;L.S.“Skip”Fletcher,TexasA&MUni- PresidentObama’sbudgetforFY10totalsapproximately$3.5trillion.Of
versity;MichaelFrancis,UnitedTechnologies;
thatamount,NASA’stotalFY10budgetof$18.7billionrepresentsjustover
ChristianMari,Teuchos;CamMartin,
0.5%.Thereisnoquestionthatmoneyistight,andallU.S.programsarescram-
NASADryden;DonRichardson,Donrich
blingforfunding.Butthispercentage,whichhasnotchangedmuchoverseveral
Research;DouglasYazell,Honeywell
budgetcycles,doesnotappeartorepresentarealandsustainedcommitmentto
ADVERTISING
humanspaceflight.A$3-billionincreaseinfundingwouldbelessthan0.1%of
NationalDisplayandClassified: theU.S.budget,butcouldmeana100%improvementinourfutureinspace.
RobertSilverstein,240.498.9674 ForyearstheU.S.hasmaintaineditspreeminenceinspace,butnotwithout
[email protected] budgetshortfallsandoftenattheexpenseofotherNASAprograms.Asexplo-
WestCoastDisplay:GregCruse, rationactivitiesbecomeincreasinglyglobal,eventhe“firstamongequals”status
949.361.1870/[email protected]
wouldseemtobeinperil.
Thecommitteeconcludedthat“Explorationprovidesanopportunityto
SendmaterialstoCraigByl,AIAA,1801
AlexanderBellDrive,Suite500,Reston,VA demonstratespaceleadershipwhiledeeplyengaginginternationalpartners;toin-
20191-4344.Changesofaddressshouldbe spirethenextgenerationofscientistsandengineers;andtoshapehumanpercep-
senttoCustomerServiceatthesameaddress, tionsofourplaceintheuniverse.”Seemstobeworthpayingfor.
[email protected],orbyfaxat ElaineCamhi
703/264-7606.
Editor-in-Chief
SendLetterstotheEditortoElaineCamhi
[email protected]
October2009,Vol.47,No.9
BEATlayout1009a.qxd:AA Template 9/11/09 12:35 PM Page 2
EuropelooksforUCAVsynergies
WILL EUROPE END UP WITH A SINGLE UN- Separatepaths Taranis as part of the initial work into
mannedcombatairvehicleprogram? The U.K. and France are the two Euro- the emerging DPOC (deep and persist-
At the start of the year such an idea pean countries with the greatest invest- ent offensive capability) requirement,
would have seemed unlikely. After all, ment in UCAV technologies, and they whichcouldseeUCAVsflyingalongside
Europe’slargestaerospaceindustriesare have very different UCAV priorities and Eurofighter Typhoons and Lockheed
pursuing three separate UCAV technol- road maps. France wants to have the MartinF-35JointStrikeFightersasearly
ogy demonstrator/prototype programs, technology matured for its Future Com- as 2018. And unlike other European
withdifferentcapabilitiesandtodifferent bat Air System (FCAS) program, which countries, the U.K. is already using
timescales. While continental European couldreplacethecurrentDassaultRafale UCAVs,havingdeployedarmedGeneral
countries have more or less agreed to mannedfightersin2030.Thecountryis Atomics MQ-9 Reapers in Afghanistan
combine their UCAV programs into a spearheading the nEUROn program beginninginNovember2007.Theyare
singlejointventure,theU.K.isdevelop- with other European nations to fly a flown from Kandahar Air Base in Af-
ing its own capability, with experience technology demonstrator by 2011 as ghanistanbytheRAF’s39Squadronpi-
gainedfromworkingwithU.S.partners. partofthelong-termroadmaptodevel- lots, based in Creech AFB, Nev., also
EveniftheU.K.wantstocooperatewith opingFCAScapabilities. thehomeoftheUSAFReaper-equipped
its European partners, it will be prohib- In contrast, the U.K.’s Ministry of 42ndAttackSquadron.Aswellascarry-
ited from sharing much of its UCAV Defence (MOD) is spending £124 mil- ingoutintelligence,surveillance,andre-
knowledge through technology transfer lion with BAE Systems to develop a connaissance missions, these Reapers
constraints,agreedwithU.S.partners. UCAV technology demonstrator called are equipped with Hellfire missiles and
PavewayTwobombs.
InstrategicrequirementsforUCAVs,
timescales,andindustrypriorities,there-
Taranis
fore,thetwocountriescouldnotbefur-
therapart.
Until now, that is. Economic neces-
sity is driving France and the U.K. to
work together on a host of new defense
collaborative projects, including UCAV
research. The continent simply cannot
affordthreecompetingUCAVprograms.
Joiningforces
In a July 6 announcement following a
meeting between U.K. Prime Minister
Gordon Brown and French President
Nicolas Sarkozy, the two governments
agreed to “in the mid- to long-term, as-
nEUROn sess the scope for collaboration on un-
manned air vehicles—ISTAR (intelli-
gence, surveillance, target acquisition)
and UCAS (unmanned combat air sys-
tem)—by undertaking a detailed joint
study to map out the key elements of
any collaborative programs and estab-
lishingconcretediscussionsbetweenour
industries.”
Butwillamajorpolicychangeatthe
governmentlevelbefollowedbyapolicy
changeattheindustriallevel?Howeasy
willcooperationbe,giventhemajordif-
4 AEROSPACEAMERICA/OCTOBER2009
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ExperimentalEuropeanUCASprograms
Description Companiesinvolved Timescales
Taranis
AjointlyfundedU.K.government/private BAESystems,Rolls-Royce,QinetiQ,GEAviation.BAE Firstflight2010.Theflighttrialsofthe
industrytechnology-demonstratorprogram, SystemsandQinetiQaremanagingautonomy technologydemonstratorwilltake
TaranisisastealthyintercontinentalUCAV systems.GEAviationisresponsibleforproviding placeatthetestrangesatWoomerain
featuringlowobservable(LO)technologies. thefuelgaugingsystemsandthecomplete SouthAustralia.
TheTaranisplatformhasadelta-wingshape, electricalpowersystem.Rolls-Royceprovidesthe
tricycle-typelandinggear,andisthesizeofa engine,andBAESystemsAustraliasuppliesthe
BAESystemsHawktrainer.Itispoweredbya flightcontrolcomputingsystem.TheIntegrated
Rolls-RoyceAdourengineimprovedforlong- SystemsTechnologies(Insyte)divisionofBAE
endurancehotandhighoperations.The SystemsisprovidingC4ISTARsupport.Insyteis
controlportioncoversRFandtheinfrared developingmissionmanagement,missionplan-
spectrum,whileLOcharacteristicsinclude ningandcontrol,payloadcontrol,andimagery
innovativeengineintakeandnozzledesigns. analysisandexploitation.Claverhamprovides
Weaponssystemscouldincludehigh-power theprimaryflightcontrolactuationsystem,and
microwavesandlaserweapons. MeggittAircraftBrakingSystemsprovidesthe
wheels,brakes,andbrakecontrolsystems.
nEUROn
Thetechnologyconceptvehicleisunderstood TheprogramisledbyDassaultAviation,whichis Programstartedin2004,withflighttrials
tomeasure9.3minlengthwitha12.5-m responsibleforgeneraldesignandarchitecture, duetostartin2011atIstres,France,where
wingspan—aboutthree-quartersscaleofa flightcontrolsystem,finalassembly,andground thevehiclewillbeassembled.Laterflight
productionUCAV.Maximumtakeoffweightis tests,aswellastheflighttests.Otherpartners trialstobecarriedoutinSweden,forstealth
5,000-6,500kg(11,000-14,300lb),andmaximum are:Alenia(Italy):internalweaponbay,electrical andweaponsreleasevalidationwork.Final
speedisMach0.85witha12-hrendurance. poweranddistributionsystem,airdatasystem, flighttrialstotakeplaceinItaly.
Incorporatesadvancedstealthtechnologies andgroundandflighttests;SAAB(Sweden):
suchasanengineintakethatfeaturesradar- designoffuselage,avionics,fuelsystem,and
absorbingmaterialandinfraredsignature flighttesting;HellenicAerospaceIndustry
suppression.Theairvehiclehasfourcontrol (Greece):rearfuselage,exhaustpipe,testrig;
surfacesandtwoweaponbays,eachsizedfor EADS(Spain):wings,groundstation,datalink
aMk.82bomb.Systemsoftwareisbasedon integration;RUAG(Switzerland):windtunnel
Arinc653softwaredesignstandard.TheFrench tests,weaponinterface.
governmentisprovidinghalfoftheprogram’s
€400-millionbudgetwithotherfinancing
supplied byothermembernations.
AgileUAVWithinNetworkCentric
Environments(Agile-NCE)
TheprogramisinvestigatingdatalinksandEADS ThestudywascommissionedbytheGerman
network-enabledtechnologywithinaUCAV FederalOfficeofDefenseTechnology
framework.Twoairvehiclesaretakingpart andProcurementin2007.Finlandand
intheprogram—EADSisbuildingasecond Switzerlandhavesubsequentlyjoined
UCAVtechnologydemonstratorfollowing theproject,whichisduetorununtil2013.
thecrashoftheBarracudaflyingtest-bed
prototypeinGooseBay,Canada,in2006.
Themainworkcomprisesevaluating
risk-reduction,keytechnologies,andfuture
operationalconcepts,carriedoutthrough
simulationsandflighttests.
ferences between the nEUROn and price. It is a highly complex partnership next-generationcombataircraft.
Taranisprograms? with three main goals—maintaining and Taranis,ontheotherhand,isanall-
Problemone—nEUROnisnotmerely developing the skills of the participating U.K. industry effort to meet a govern-
atechnicaldemonstrationprogram,itis European aerospace companies’ design ment requirement for the U.K. to de-
a validator of European advanced-tech- offices;investigatingandvalidatingtech- velop a sovereign capability in UCAV
nologyindustrialcooperation,apartner- nologiesthatwillbeneededby2015to technology.
shipofsixEuropeancountriesresearch- design next-generation combat aircraft; Problemtwo—bothprogramsareal-
inghowcompaniesindifferentcountries andvalidatinganinnovativecooperation ready well advanced. “The nEUROn
canworktogethertoprovidetheappro- process by establishing a European in- program is now ready to fully enter the
priate technologies at the appropriate dustry team responsible for developing developmentandmanufacturingphase,”
AEROSPACEAMERICA/OCTOBER2009 5
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Mantis Talarion
said Philippe Koffi, of the French Dele- Systems’ Mantis and EADS’ Talarion Spain, in nEUROn—the military air sys-
gation Generale pour L’Armement projects are being designed primarily as tems company is manufacturing CFC
(DGA), at a London UCAV conference ISTAR platforms, but both could be de- partsandassumingresponsibilityforthe
inJuly.“Thelong-leadtimemanufactur- velopedtocarryweapons,astheReaper data exchange systems. The other is its
ing has already started. The final design has evolved from the Predator. EADS is ongoing work on the Agile-NCE (net-
review was held in April 2009, and sys- reported as saying it has decided not to work-centricenvironments)study.
temglobaldefinitionisfrozen.” make major investments in UCAVs, Given a governmental go-ahead for
There are two other European UAS though it is keeping its options on two developmentthisyear,themaidenflight
programsthatmayhavethepotentialto fronts. One is through continuing in- of Talarion would be in 2013, and with
develop UCAV capabilities. Both BAE volvement by its subsidiary, EADS firstseriesdeliveriesin2015.Again,the
U.K.isseekingamoreaggressivedevel-
opment path for its next-generation
INSPIRE ISTARUAS,withthefirstflightofMan-
passion tisplannedforlaterin2009.Earlierthis
yeartheU.K.’sMODsaiditwasconsid-
ering deploying Mantis in Afghanistan
during2010.
IMPACT Newroadmaps
innovation Whether Anglo-French cooperation will
result in a joint UCAV by 2030 will de-
pendverymuchonhowtheirrespective
defense ministries draw up their UAS
road map—with more intensive UCAS
IGNITE
collaboration most likely in the post-
imagination Taranis,post-nEUROnflighttrialera.
The U.K.’s MOD is currently devel-
oping a UAS strategy to 2023, and its
immediate preoccupation is with inte-
grating its new Watchkeeper ISTAR
INVEST
platforms—based on the Elbit Systems
in the future Hermes 450—by 2013. The ministry
has identified 16 capability areas where
unmanned systems should be used in
thefuture,withthesespanningtasksin-
cluding ISTAR, deep target attack, and
theaterairspace.
In July the MOD outlined to UAS
manufacturersitsrequirementsforanew
medium-altitude long-endurance ISTAR
UAV, stressing that competitorssuch as
BAESystems,Thales,EADS,andSelex
www.aiaafoundation.or g would have to work together to ensure
the next generation of UAVs would be
6 AEROSPACEAMERICA/OCTOBER2009
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ExperimentalEuropeanISTARprogramswithpotentialforcarryingweapons
Description Companiesinvolved Timescales
Mantis
AjointlyfundedU.K.government/privateindustryprogram,Mantis BAESystems,GEAviation, Firstflight2009.
isalong-endurancetwin-engineISTARplatformwithautonomous QinetiQ,Meggitt,Rolls-Royce,
missionsystemcapability.Theadvancedconcepttechnologydem- SelexGalileo.
onstratorhasawingspanofover20mandfeaturesafly-by-wire,
all-electriccontrolsystem.ItispoweredbyRolls-RoyceRB250B-17
engines.Theproductionaircraftisreportedtohaveamaximum
operatingaltitudeofabout55,000ft.Mantisisbeingdesignedfor
24-hrenduranceoperationswithapayloadcapabilityequivalent
of12MBDABrimstonemissilesorsixRaytheonPavewaybombs.
Talarion
ISTARUASwitha27.9-mwingspan,EADShasproposedaprogram EADSDefenseandSecurity– Givenagovernmentalgo-aheadfor
ofsixTalarionsystemseachforFranceandGermanyandthreefor governmentpartnersfrom developmentin2009,themaiden
Spain.OnesystemcomprisesthreeTalarionplatformsplusground France,Germany,andSpain. flightwouldbein2013withfirst
segment.France,Germany,andSpainhavefundedastudyphase— seriesdeliveriesin2015.
productiondecisionisawaited.
abletousecommongroundstationsand
Events Calendar
supportsystems.TheMODhasalsoset
up a new UAS procurement division
OCT.1-2
withintheDefenceEquipmentandSup-
ResolvingUncertaintiesinAirframeNoiseTestingandCAACode
port organization to smooth differences
Validation,Bucharest,Romania.
between air force and army UAS re-
Contact:L.Koop,[email protected]
quirements. The Future Systems team
within the new division will focus on OCT.12-16
MantisandTaranisdevelopment. SixtiethInternationalAstronauticalCongress:SpaceforSustainable
In its road map, the French DGA is PeaceandProgress,Daejeon,Korea.
considering 100 potential UCAV capa- Contact:http://iac2009.kr/
bilities,accordingtoKoffi.Thesewillbe
OCT.19-22
prioritized in terms of life cycle costs,
SixteenthAIAA/DLR/DGLRInternationalSpacePlanesandHypersonic
mission effectiveness, and fleet sizing.
SystemsandTechnologiesConference,Bremen,Germany.
After nEUROn, the DGA will be devel-
Contact:703/264-7500
oping complementary technology and
operational concept demonstrations. OCT.21-22
The French defense ministry is due to InternationalSymposiumforPersonalandCommercialSpaceflight,
begin a more detailed study into UCAV LasCruces,N.M.
developmentsbeyondnEUROnlaterthis Contact:www.ispcs.com
year.BothnEUROnandTarantisfeature
OCT.25-29
the Anglo-French Rolls-Royce/Turbo-
IEEE/AIAA28thDigitalAvionicsSystemsConference,Orlando,Fla.
mecaAdourengine.
Contact:T.Redling,903/457-7822;[email protected]
The prospects for further collabora-
tionbetweenthetwocountrieshavealso OCT.26-28
been improved with the in-service date EighteenthInternationalMeshingRoundtable,SaltLakeCity,Utah.
for the U.K.’s DPOC UCAV apparently Contact:JacquelineHunter,505/284-6969,[email protected]
slipping from 2018 to nearer 2025, OCT.29-30
comingclosetoFrance’sFCAStarget. JointConferenceonSatelliteCommunications2009,Nara,Japan.
Anindustrial-leveldecisiontomerge Contact:YoshihisaTakayama,[email protected]
the UCAV programs of France and the
NOV.3-6
U.K. would not be feasible at least until
NDIAAircraftCombatSurvivabilitySymposium,Monterey,Calif.
2015—aftertheflighttestsoftheTaranis
Contact:MeredithGeary,703/247-9476;[email protected]
andnEUROn.Butthefactthattheissue
is now under serious consideration by NOV.15-20
governments, if not yet by industry, is a TwentiethInternationalCongressofMechanicalEngineering,
seriouschangeofcourse. Gramado,Brazil.
PhilipButterworth-Hayes Contact:JoanLuisAzevedo,[email protected]
Brighton,U.K.
AEROSPACEAMERICA/OCTOBER2009 7
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SoutheastAsiareachestowardspace
MUCH ATTENTION HAS FOCUSED ON THE ology, and mapping, using either their work on military aircraft and by mainte-
Asian “space race” involving China, ownhome-builtorothersatellitesincon- nanceandrepairofairliners,withPhilip-
Japan, India, and to a lesser extent junctionwiththeirowngroundstations. pine Aerospace Development and PT
South Korea—countries that are all in- The Philippines has a planetarium Dirgantara Indonesia (formerly IPTN)
tent on sending people and/or machin- andanobservatoryplusageneraleduca- alsoperformingaircraftassemblywork—
ery into orbit or toward the Moon. But tional program in astronomy run under and,inIPTN’scase,designingandbuild-
there is no less interesting a range of the auspices of the Philippine Atmo- ing its own or joint-venture models. But
space-related activity taking place spheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical still, obviously, the aerospace industry
among some of Asia’s smaller powers. ServicesAdministration,thoughthereis has in general been more “aero” than
This centers principally on developing no formal university course in the sub- “space”—except today in Indonesia, a
andusingspacetechnologyforcommu- ject. A shortage of people qualified for nationthathasbecomeheavilyinvolved
nications, control of resources and—es- topscientificjobsissomethingofaself- inthehardwareofrocketry.
pecially—education. fulfilling situation, as there are currently
Within this Southeast Asian group, fewsuchjobstobehad. Indonesiancivilactivities...
themajornationsintermsofgeographi- Thailand has science education pro- Indonesia’s need for air travel across its
cal size or economic power are the grams run by the National Science and 3,275-mi.widthand1,373-mi.depthis
Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thai- TechnologyDevelopmentAgency,some obvious—the country is roughly three
land,andIndonesia.Allfiveareinvolved involvingthedevelopmentofsmallsatel- timesthesizeofTexas.Perhapslessob-
at varying levels in the use of space for lites, while Singapore is seeking to vious behind the tourism-generated
broadcasting, communications, meteor- spreadknowledgeofandinvolvementin stereotypesofbalmyweather,cleanblue
spaceresearchbythenot-for-profitSin- seas,andlongwhitebeachesistheneed
gapore Space and Technology Associa- for space-based communications to link
tion and hopes to launch its own mi- itsfivelargeand13,677smallerislands,
crosatellite X-Sat—a technology demon- about 6,000 of which are inhabited by
strator built by Nanyang Technological thecountry’s240millionpeople.
University—laterthisyear. Hence the vital nature of the role
Malaysia put itself somewhat ahead playedbytheNationalInstituteofAero-
of its colleagues by launching its own nautics and Space (Lembaga Penerban-
Earth observation satellite, RazakSat, gandanAntariksaNasional,orLapanby
into LEO on July 14 via commercial its local acronym). Lapan was set up in
launcherSpaceX’sFalcon1rocketfrom 1964 and has as its brief the carrying
Kwajalein in the Pacific. The Malaysian outofcivilandmilitaryaeronauticaland
NationalSpaceAgency(knownbyitslo- space-relatedresearch,aswellasthere-
cal name Angkasa) has now achieved sponsibility for connecting all the popu-
two major goals: putting up RazakSat, latedislandswithtelecommunications.
andsendingaMalaysianintospace—or- Lapan’s involvement with satellites
thopedic surgeon Sheikh Muszaphar includes the whole range of Palapa and
Shukor flew in a Russian Soyuz space- Lapsat Indonesian broadcasting and
craft to do a stint at the ISS in October telecommunications spacecraft that be-
2007. gan operating in 1976, with their new-
MalaysiathusbecamethefirstSouth- generation replacements continuing in
eastAsiannationtohaveanastronautof service to this day. Lapan also oversees
its own, though this is somewhat unfair research into the atmosphere, global
to Indonesia, which had two payload warming,theenvironment,remotesens-
specialists in training and on the flight ing, communications systems, satellite
schedulewithNASAuntiltheChallenger technology,andweatherstations.Inad-
shuttle disaster in 1986 forced the can- dition,itrunswell-establishedrocketmo-
cellationoftheirmissions. torandpropellantlaboratories.
InJulyMalaysialauncheditsownEarthobservation All five countries developed their That the Palapa satellite series was
satellite,RazakSat,onaFalcon1. aerospace industries via engineering originally built and launched by U.S. in-
8 AEROSPACEAMERICA/OCTOBER2009
ASIA1009layout-1.qxd:AA Template 9/11/09 12:36 PM Page 3
terestsislargelyirrelevant;throughthese Five major universities conduct
satellites, Indonesia became only the courses up to postgraduate level, with
thirdcountryaftertheU.S.andCanada majors in astronomy, aeronautical engi-
to have its own domestic broadcasting neering,remotesensing,andgeograph-
andtelecommunicationssatellitesystem. ical information systems. At the junior
The point was only partly political con- level, there are contests to find the best
trol—disaster relief and economic devel- home-made “rocket” powered by pres-
opment could also proceed at a faster surizedwater,asawayofgeneratingin-
pace than before. Indeed, just as with terestinrocketryandspace-relatedmat-
Canada, Indonesia’s name for the satel- tersgenerally.
lites was devised for social reasons:
Palapa is a mythical fruit that a former ...andmilitaryefforts BosschaobservatoryisnearBandung,WestJava.
ruler is said to have sworn could not be Butthesedays,Indonesia’sscientistsand
enjoyed until the entire archipelago was engineers are intent on joining the big
united; Canada’s satellites were named leagues, even though they suffer from extra $3 million-$5 million to develop
Anik, an Inuktitut word meaning “little budgetary handicaps. Lapan wants to the RX-420 and the bigger RX-520.
brother,” also signifying the desire for launchitsownsatelliteonitsownrocket. This roughly matches the increase of
unity. Itsgoalsincludemilitaryneedsaswellas about 21% granted to Indonesia’s mili-
Inanotherimportantarea,education civilambitions. taryatthesametime.
and awareness, Indonesia is well en- To this end it has been cooperating AtatestoftheRX-420inJuly,Indonesian
dowed with scientific institutions and fa- with Indonesia’s military since 1995 to DefenseMinisterJuwonoSudarsonosaidhis
cilities built up over many years, with develop more efficient rockets, while at ministrywasstillcalculatingtherelativecosts
planetariums in the capital, Jakarta, as the same time monitoring the strategic ofdevelopingguidedmissilesandimporting
well as in Surabaya in East Java (a navy Malacca Strait between Indonesia and majorarmamentssuchasfighteraircraft.
facility) and Tenggarong in East Kali- Malaysia—a well-known area for piracy
mantan on the huge island of Borneo. against commercial shipping—from Pushtowardspace
The country also has two observatories: space, with data from the satellite La- Ofmoresignificanceisthepushtoreach
Bosscha, near Bandung in West Java, pan-TUBsat’s remote-sensing gear, de- space. Last year Indonesia signed an
for astronomical research, and the veloped in conjunction with Germany’s agreementtocooperatewithUkrainein
WatukosekSolarObservatoryatGunung Technical University Berlin. But missiles space exploration and data acquisition.
PerahuHillinEastJava.All thesefacili- intendedtodefendshippinginthestrait Earlier, in 2006, Indonesia and Russia
ties are used to generate a high aware- would necessarily have a relatively short had signed an agreement that would in-
ness of space research among students range, and there have been no reports volve Russian Antonov An-124 heavy
and the public at large and to promote ofanyguidanceorotherneededsystems transport aircraft configured as “air
the use of science in everyday life—for beingdeveloped. launchsystems”operatingfromBiakIs-
instance,traininggovernmentofficialsto A pact with China signed in 2005 land. Under this agreement, at about
help fishermen in the use of GPS units specifically included acquiring technol- 35,000 ft the aircraft would drop a
tomonitorfishingareas. ogy for missiles with a range of up to rocket that would, at least in theory, be
150 km (94 mi.). Rockets of various capable of lofting 3.5 tons of payload
sizes have been tested fairly regularly. into LEO more cheaply than launching
The smallest is the solid-fueled RX-100, fromtheground.
which is 1.9 m long and 110 mm in di- TheattractionofBiak,oroflaunch-
ameter, weighing 30 kg, and is used to ing from the ground from much of In-
test payload subsystems. A two-stage donesia,isthatproximitytotheequator
RX-150-120witharangeof24kmwas would give a rocket the benefit of the
launched from a moving armored per- Earth’srotationtohelpreachescapeve-
sonnel carrier in March. RX-250s (250 locity. In theory, at least, the first air
mm in diameter) have been fired regu- launchwasplannedfor2010.
larly since 1987, with range progres- Whatever the likelihood of air
sivelyincreasingto53kmin2007. launches, Lapan is pressing on with its
If there is a formal program to de- own rocket research. The scale of the
velop missiles in Indonesia, it is very rocketsisincreasing.LastDecemberthe
quiet, possibly because Lapan’s budget agency ran a ground test with an RX-
for 2008 was the same as for 2007 at 420weighing1,000kganddesignedto
only 200 billion rupiah ($19.9 million), reach 50 km altitude. This rocket is de-
InOctober2007,SheikhMuszapharShukor
traveledtotheInternationalSpaceStation. though in July Lapan was promised an (Continuedonpage13)
AEROSPACEAMERICA/OCTOBER2009 9
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Aviationandspaceflight
underscrutiny
ONAUGUST8,APIPERPA-32RSARATOGA general aviation enjoys considerable
private plane collided with a Eurocopter clout on Capitol Hill. Critics say visual
AS350B2 sightseeing helicopter at navigationofsmallaircraftisfineinwide
about 1,000 ft over the Hudson River openspaces,butnotinthecrowdedsky
west of New York City. Dramatic video overtheHudson.
footage showed the Saratoga dropping Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) said
from the sky with one wing missing he would hold hearings into small-air-
while the helicopter, no longer with a craftsafety.Rep.JerroldNadler(D-N.Y.)
main rotor, plummeted like a rock. All called the collision “a tragic and power-
ninepeopleinbothaircraftperished. fulreminderofwhatwehaveknownfor
some time—that New York’s airspace is
far too congested to be unregulated by
theFAA.”
A corridor along the Hudson below
1,100 ft has long been crowded with
VFR flyers who are required to visually Rep.JerroldNadler
“seeandavoid”topreventcollisions,just
as pilots do in uncontrolled airspace all alsolookingintowhetheradistractedair
over the country. Among users of the traffic controller and the temporary ab-
Hudsonairspacein2008were409,235 senceofthecontroller’ssupervisorwere
helicopter passengers. Helicopter tour- factors, although they appear not to
WreckagefromtheAugust8crashispulledfrom ism did about $290 million worth of havecontributedtothecollision.
theHudsonRiver.PhotocourtesyTomHenricks. business last year without a mishap. Like Babbitt, NTSB chair Deborah
Along the Hudson, helicopters typically A.P. Hersman spoke of interagency co-
Theaircraftwereinuncontrolledair- operate at lower altitudes than fixed- operation, but she also said that NTSB
space operating under visual flight rules wingairplanes. has been issuing safety recommenda-
(VFR) in clear weather. It was the worst FAAadministratorRandyBabbitt,in tions aimed at preventing midair colli-
air crash in the New York region since what was partly a nod to NTSB investi- sions since the board was founded on
2001. It received considerable attention gators,announcedthathisagencywould April1,1967.Theboardoperatesinde-
asalocalstoryinandaroundNewYork, reviewsafetymeasuresforlow-flyingair- pendently and, unlike the FAA, is not a
but almost immediately went viral, with craft in the New York area. The FAA is partoftheDept.ofTransportation.
executive and legislative branch leaders Hersman says that over the past 22
in Washington pointing to issues of na- years the NTSB has issued 50 recom-
tionalsignificanceraisedbythecollision. mendations focused on enhancing the
The FAA is responsible for assuring safetyofairtouroperations,andthat20
thesafetyofflightprocedures,whilethe of these remain “open,” meaning the
NationalTransportationSafetyBoardin- FAAhasnotactedonthem.
vestigates accidents and determines a After a crash in Hawaii back in
“probablecause.”TomanyinWashing- 1994,theNTSB,thenheadedbyJames
ton, a local New York tragedy high- Hall, issued a special report calling on
lightedanationalconcern:NTSBhasno the FAA to “implement national stan-
enforcement powers, and the FAA can dards [for helicopter tour operators] by
routinely decide not to act on a recom- theendof1995.”Theagencyhasnever
mendationfromtheboard. acted on that recommendation but says
The tradition of flying in open sky it has implemented some NTSB recom-
withouttrafficcontrol,andevenwithout mendations,helpingtoreduceaccidents
a radio, is as old as aviation itself and is in the air tour industry from about 13 a
strongly backed by proponents of gen- yeartojusteightin2007.
eralaviation.TheFAAhaslongbeenre- In a statement, Nadler denounced
luctant to restrict VFR flying, because NTSBchairDeborahA.P.Hersman theFAA’s“WildWestapproach”toreg-
10 AEROSPACEAMERICA/OCTOBER2009