Asteroid 24 Themis

If the Obama administration is looking for an asteroid worth a human visit, how about 24 Themis? As recently reported in the journal Nature, this asteroid between Mars and Jupiter was recently found to contain water and maybe even some organic molecules. This adds further support to the idea that asteroids and comets brought life to our planet.

Another asteroid probably more worthy of a visit is Ceres. A prior Nature article noted that various images from the Hubble telescope led scientists to believe the asteroid Ceres may contain more fresh water than Earth. Ceres is 580 miles (930 km) in diameter (about the size of Texas) and represents about 25-30 percent of the asteroid belt's total mass. In fact, for about a century the asteroid was classified as a planet (see image for size comparisons with the Earth and the moon). NASA already has a spacecraft expected to encounter Ceres in 2015 (as well as the asteroid Vesta in 2011) - the Dawn Mission. Will humans follow?

Iceland and Memories of the Moon

With all of this talk about the volcanic ash from Iceland covering Europe, it may be worth remembering the role of Iceland in our first moon mission. This National Park Surface page notes "Since much of the moon's surface is covered by volcanic materials, it was very important that they know something about the lava they would encounter. This was the reason that the astronauts visited such places as Hawaii, Iceland, and Craters of the Moon."

Planetary Society Supports the President's Vision

The Planetary Society released its own statement following President Obama's speech at NASA, stating:

The Planetary Society's leadership believes this new plan will take humans beyond Earth orbit to interplanetary space sooner than was possible under the old program, and it will take us farther and to more destinations than was ever planned with the Constellation program.

We commit our energy and resources to help turn this NASA plan from words to reality. Congress must now act upon the President's proposal. We recognize that it will be a long, hard fight, that there are entrenched interests that must be overcome, that business-as-usual must be surmounted, and, and that it will require breaking through technological barriers. But if human space explorers are to reach their destination of Mars within the next few decades -- a cherished dream of Society Members -- this is the only realistic way to get there.

Go here for the full statement.

The President Speaks

Here is the official version of the President's visit to NASA's Kennedy Space Center to discuss his vision for America's space program (go here for a video of the speech):

Astronauts will soar spaceward in commercial spacecraft while NASA develops technology so humans can venture to Mars and out into the solar system, President Barack Obama told a space conference Thursday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Laying out his plans, President Obama committed NASA to a series of development milestones he said would lead to new spacecraft for astronauts to ride to the International Space Station, a modified Orion capsule developed as an emergency return spacecraft, and a powerful new rocket. He also promised a host of new technologies that would protect space travelers from radiation and other unique hazards.

"Early in the next decade, a set of crewed flights will test and prove the systems required for exploration beyond low Earth orbit," the president said. "And by 2025, we expect new spacecraft designed for long journeys to allow us to begin the first-ever crewed missions beyond the moon into deep space. We’ll start by sending astronauts to an asteroid for the first time in history. By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth. And a landing on Mars will follow. And I expect to be around to see it."

The president spoke to 200 senior officials, space and industry leaders, and academic experts inside the Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy in the same area that was used to process Apollo spacecraft for the missions to the moon in the 1960s and 70s.

Standing in front of one of the space shuttle main engines that launched former U.S. Senator and astronaut John Glenn into orbit, President Obama said, "It was from here that men and women, propelled by sheer nerve and talent, set about pushing the boundaries of humanity's reach.

"The question for us now is whether that was the beginning of something, or the end of something. I prefer to believe it was the beginning of something."

The president's fiscal year 2011 budget proposal increases NASA's budget by $6 billion throughout the next five years to fund the plans.

Noting "the sense that folks in Washington -- driven less by vision than by politics -- have for years neglected NASA’s mission and undermined the work of the professionals who fulfill it," the president said the budget increase changes that.

The president's address comes at a critical juncture for NASA because the space shuttle fleet is scheduled to be retired after three more missions. The president said it will be quicker and less costly to let private companies develop new spacecraft for astronauts rather than continue with NASA's Constellation Program, which was deemed too expensive and behind schedule.

"Pursuing this new strategy will require that we revise the old strategy. In part, this is because the old strategy -- including the Constellation Program -- was not fulfilling its promise in many ways," the president said. "That’s not just my assessment; that’s also the assessment of a panel of respected non-partisan experts charged with looking at these issues closely."

President Obama's plan largely mirrors the "flexible path" option offered by a blue-ribbon panel established by the president last year to help decide the best map for future space exploration.

The outline does not do away with all the research and development from Constellation . Noting the success of the agency's development of the Orion crew capsule, Obama called on NASA to develop a version of that spacecraft so it can be launched without a crew to the International Space Station. It will be based there as an emergency craft for astronauts living on the orbiting laboratory.

The speech kicked off the Conference on the American Space Program for the 21st Century.

Norm Augustine, chairman of the blue-ribbon panel called the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, that evaluated Constellation and came up with the "flexible path" option, endorsed the presidential strategy as the conference got under way.

Saying NASA is largely "trapped" in low Earth orbit, Augustine said industry, with NASA's guidance, can do its part for the plan.

The president acknowledged the need to get the decision right.

"Now, the challenges facing our space program are different, and our imperatives for this program are different than in decades past," the president said. "But while the measure of our achievements has changed a great deal over the past fifty years, what we do -- or fail to do -- in seeking new frontiers is no less consequential for our future in space and here on Earth."

The plan, the president said, would free NASA's designers and engineers to develop spacecraft, large rockets and new technologies that can extend the frontier of human space exploration to asteroids and even Mars.

About $3.1 billion of the additional funding would go into research and development for a heavy-lift rocket. A design for a large booster would be chosen in 2015 with the goal of launching the spacecraft a few years later. The bigger rocket could be used to loft payloads too large for most boosters, including giant fuel depots that would be parked in distant orbits so spacecraft could refuel on their way to asteroids, the moons of Mars and eventually Mars itself.

In addition to more funding, President Obama said his initiative brings more jobs than previous schedules.

"My plan will add more than 2,500 jobs along the Space Coast in the next two years compared to the plan under the previous administration," he said. "I’m proposing a $40 million initiative led by a high-level team from the White House, NASA, and other agencies to develop a plan for regional economic growth and job creation. And I expect this plan to reach my desk by Aug. 15. It’s an effort that will help prepare this already skilled work force for new opportunities in the space industry and beyond."

Taken together, the space strategy proves America is poised for a future as bright as its remarkable past, the president said.

"Fifty years after the creation of NASA, our goal is no longer just a destination to reach," Obama said. "Our goal is the capacity for people to work and learn, and operate and live safely beyond the Earth for extended periods of time, ultimately in ways that are more sustainable and even indefinite. And in fulfilling this task, we will not only extend humanity’s reach in space -- we will strengthen America’s leadership here on Earth."

Written by: Steven Siceloff, NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center

Columbus All Over Again

I think back to Columbus and the Vikings when the President mentions bypassing the moon for some more distant goal. Of course, I am all for a trip to Mars, but did we ever really hold down the moon as an outpost on the way into the solar system? We know the story of America. The vikings under Leif Eriksson were the first land in North America back around the year 1,000 and establish a small colony. However, they stayed for only a year and never fully established a presence, allowing other Europeans to permanently occupy the territory 500 years later.

Are we making the same mistake with the Chinese? In our search for an asteroid or eventual Mars landing are we handing the moon over to other countries such as China and India to set up moon colonies and take greater possession of something we occupied for a very short time 40 years ago? How will we feel if we see Chinese flags and possibly even EU flags across the moon, while we are still grounded here on Earth hitching a ride to the Space Station on a Russian rocket.

It does not give me a warm feeling, and I can see no clearer indication of the closing of the American Century. And I hope the naming of the first Mars probes "Viking" is not another cruel joke regarding our future on Mars.

The Story of Spirit - One Year into a Sand Trap

So what's going on with NASA's rover Spirit, stuck in the Martian sands since last April? Part of a pair of rovers that landed on Mars in 2004 (the second being Opportunity-sorta the names we apply to battles in the Middle East), one of the craft's six wheels became stuck in sands on the way to view the Von Braun and Goddard volcanic features. Now, about one year later, attempts to solve the problem continue to no avail. It really is a fascinating story if you think about it. Teams of scientists testing ideas in a sandbox to fix a ongoing problem on planet.

One needs to remember that Spirit was only supposed to operate for 90 days, so here we are in year six and it is still doing some great science. As you may also recall, in its second year one of Spirit's front wheel stopped working and thereafter the little craft was driving backwards dragging along one of its broken "legs." And even this dead wheel expanded science by creating shallow trenches that told us more about the surface of Mars, including potential evidence of water on the surface. So we are talking about one tough little vehicle that keeps on ticking. By the way, one more wheel died a few months back, so Spirit may not be going anywhere even if it could recover from the sand trap.

So where is it now? Well, NASA wants to continue to use Spirit to conduct "stationary science." However, with the Martian winter starting (the fourth for Spirit), the craft has been put into hibernation with just the right tilt allowing its sand-covered solar panels to recharge the batteries under a weaker winter sun. Spirit will hopefully communicate again when it is ready and its power source is in better shape.

Go here for a good video biography of the little craft that could from NASA. And visit the Spirit's Mission Manager Reports for the ongoing status of the rover.