Space Exploration 2008 PDF
Preview Space Exploration 2008
SPACE EXPLORATION 2008 x David M. Harland Brian Harvey and SPACE EXPLORATION 2008 Dr David M. Harland Brian Harvey, M.A., H.D.E., F.B.I.S. Space Historian 2 Rathdown Crescent Kelvinbridge Terenure Glasgow Dublin 6W UK Ireland Front cover illustration: Landing on Mars. The Phoenix lander as it approaches the Martian surface at about 8 kilometres per hour using 12 thrusters to control its speed. Artist’s impression courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/Corby Waste. Back cover illustrations (Top): The International Space Station in August 2005, as viewed from the Space Shuttle Discovery. Image courtesy NASA. (Middle): An Ariane 5 launcher blasts off into the skies of Kourou, French Guyana, above Europe’s spaceport. Image courtesy ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Service Optique CSG. (Bottom): NASA’s Orion crew exploration vehicle orbits the Moon with disc-shaped solar arrays tracking the Sun to generate electricity. Artist’s impression courtesy Lockheed Martin Space Systems. SPRINGER-PRAXIS BOOKS IN SPACE EXPLORATION SUBJECT ADVISORY EDITOR: John Mason B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D. ISBN 978-0-387-71667-1 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York Springer is a part of Springer Science + Business Media (springeronline.com) Library of Congress Control Number: 2007931637 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or re- view, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior per- mission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. © Copyright, 2008 Praxis Publishing Ltd. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Cover design and cartoons: Jim Wilkie Typesetting and design: BookEns Ltd, Royston, Herts., UK Printed in Germany on acid-free paper x CONTENTS Preface – Welcome to Space Exploration 2008 vii 1 The Epic Journey Continues….. 2 The Annual Review by Brian Harvey 2 Prepare for Lift-off!….. 36 The Future of Space Tourism by Erik Seedhouse 3 Stepping Out into the Solar System….. 48 A Human Mission to an Asteroid by Leonard David 4 Long Duration Spaceflight….. 58 The Work of the Institute of Bio-Medical Problems by Dominic Phelan 5 Another Giant Leap….. 68 Human Missions to Mars by Donald Rapp 6 Beyond the Solar System….. 80 Technologies for Ultra-Deep Space Probes by Gregory Matloff 7 Reviving the Old, Introducing the New….. 92 Russia’s New Space Science Projects by Igor Afanasiev RETURN TO THE MOON 8 Paving the Way for Future Exploration….. 104 The SMART-1 Mission to the Moon by Peter Rathsman 9 NASA’s New Robotic Lunar Program….. 116 Seeking Water on the Moon by David M Harland 10 And When We’re Back on the Moon, What Next?..... 128 The Role of a Future Moonbase by David Schrunk SOLAR SYSTEM LOG 11 Probing the Mysteries of Our Nearest Star….. 140 Studying the Sun from Space by Martin Mobberley 12 Focusing on the Red Planet….. 150 Mars Exploration Update by James Graf 13 Fire and Water….. 162 The Phoenix Mission to Mars by Peter Smith 14 Report from the Ringed Planet….. 170 Cassini at Saturn Update by David M Harland vx (cid:81)(cid:3)NASA’s Mariner 2 spacecraft which, a quarter of a century ago, became the first spacecraft to successfully encounter another planet. Mariner 2 was launched on 27 August 1962, sending it on a 109-day flight to Venus. On the way it measured for the first time the solar wind, a continuous stream of charged particles flowing outwards from the Sun. As it passed within 35,000 km of the surface of Venus on 14 December 1962, Mariner 2 scanned the planet with infrared and microwave radiometers, revealing that Venus has cool clouds and an extremely hot surface. Image courtesy NASA/JPL. xvvii Preface WELCOME TO SPACE EXPLORATION 2008 SPACE EXPLORATION 2008 is the second in In last year’s volume we introduced a section a series of annuals by Springer–Praxis designed called Return to the Moon, in which we reviewed to report the latest news, views, information and plans by China and India to send spacecraft to ideas on the exploration of the Solar System. investigate the Moon. Here, we continue this important theme: As the series unfolds our team of writers will not only report on both the pathfinding voyages Leading Swedish space engineerPeter Rathsman of robotic space probes and human missions, but reviews the European Space Agency’s pioneering will also review future activities and look back to SMART-1 mission which spent 22 months in lunar the great events of the past. orbit before being steered to a precision impact on the surface. In this volume: Space historian David Harland looks forward to Erik Seedhouse,a research scientist in life the mission of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, sciences and physiology, and an astronaut training and discusses why it is thought that there could be consultant for Bigelow Aerospace, assesses the water ice in the polar regions. prospects for space tourism. Leonard David,SPACE.com’s senior space writer, The role that a future lunar base will serve is looks at how a human flight to an asteroid might explained by author and specialist in quality laws be undertaken. and space development, David Schrunk. Dominic Phelan,a Dublin-based writer with a special interest in the Russian space programme, visits the Institute for Bio-Medical Problems (cid:81)(cid:3)Few sights in the Solar System are more strikingly beautiful than softly hued in Moscow and describes how, through simulated Saturn embraced by the shadows of its missions on the ground, Russia is learning stately rings. Images taken with how humans can survive long-duration missions Cassini’s wide-angle camera into deep space. using blue, green and red spectral filters were used Donald Rapp,once manager of the Mars to create this colour view, Exploration Technology Program at the Jet which approximates the scene as it would appear Propulsion Laboratory, considers how we will follow to the human eye. The our robots to Mars. view was brightened to enhance detail visible Gregory Matloff,author and expert in possibilities in the rings and within for interstellar propulsion, reviews technologies for their shadows. Image ultra-deep-space probes. courtesy NASA/JPL/ Space Science Institute. Igor Afanasiev,a noted space journalist based in Moscow and editor of the magazine Novosti Kosmonautiki, explains how Russia is reviving its space science programme, and outlines some of the missions that are being developed. vviiiix (cid:81)(cid:3)Backdropped by the blackness of space and Earth’s horizon, the International Space Station is viewed from the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The early results from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Earlier the STS-117 and Expedition 15 crews concluded about eight are presented by James Graf, the project manager days of cooperative work on board the shuttle and station. at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, together with an Image courtesy NASA. update on Mars Express, Mars Global Surveyor, Odyssey and the two Mars Exploration Rovers. The mission of the Mars Phoenix lander is explained Solar System exploration will always be at the by the principal investigator, Peter Smith of the heart of any annual on space exploration. The Solar University of Arizona. System Log section contains in this volume: David Harland gives an update of the Martin Mobberley, former president of the Cassini–Huygens mission which is exploring the British Astronomical Association and space author, Saturnian system. looks at spacecraft observations of the Sun and considers whether the coming maximum in the 11- But first, a review of all the key developments year sunspot cycle will be the most active yet. in 2006. (cid:81)(cid:3)While sitting at a favourable location for winter-time solar energy, NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, is taking exposures for a view called the ‘McMurdo Panorama’. This portion of the work in progress looks toward the north. ‘Husband Hill’, which Spirit climbed, is on the horizon near the centre. ‘Home Plate’ is between that hill and the rover’s current position. Wheel tracks imprinted when Spirit drove south from Home Plate can be seen crossing the middle distance of the image from the centre to the right. Image courtesy NASA/JPL/Cornell. xviii (cid:81)(cid:3)Spot the Astronauts! This panoramic scene of the International Space Station could be used for a quick game of “find the two astronauts in this picture.” The combined crews of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and ISS resumed construction work on the station in September 2006. The two STS-115 crew members in this picture were participating in the second of three scheduled spacewalks. Astronaut Daniel C. Burbank can be recognized by the broken red stripe on each leg of his extravehicular mobility space suit. Not so readily visible is astronaut Steven G. MacLean, representing the Canadian Space Agency, just above and to the left of Burbank. Image courtesy NASA. Space Exploration 2008 11 1 The Epic Journey continues... They were stocking up the ship for the new mission: Bunny made sure that no one economised on the AstroKat Snax!! Fifty years ago, just a year after the launch of the first satellite, Sputnik 1, the race to the Moon began. Since that time, every year has brought its own crop of launches and recoveries, exciting developments and new records. Here Brian Harvey looks back at the historic events of 1958, and then reviews the highlights of 2006. 1 - The Epic Journey Continues . . . The Annual Review 2
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