SPACE.com - While the U.S. Air Force is mum about the orbital whereabouts of its X-37B mini-space plane, a dedicated band of amateur skywatchers has got its cross-hairs on the spacecraft.

The remains of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus were reburied with special honors during a Roman Catholic ceremony, interred beneath the altar of Frombork Cathedral in northern Poland. Copernicus had been buried in an unmarked grave in 1543, and his remains were not conclusively identified until 2005, through DNA testing.
(...)
Read the rest of Copernicus Reburied With Honors (157 words)

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Here's TWIS #18. David Letterman's reaction to his first Space Shuttle launch, Mars volunteers locked up in small area for 520 days to simulate mission, Zombie Sat Update, and an exclusive interview with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

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The upper crust of a neutron star is thought to be composed of crystallized iron, may have centimeter high mountains and experiences occasional ‘star quakes’ which may precede what is technically known as a glitch. These glitches and the subsequent post-glitch recovery period may offer some insight into the nature and behavior of the superfluid core of neutron stars.(...)
Read the rest of Astronomy Without A Telescope – Stellar Quakes and Glitches (586 words)

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Some TED talk links and articles.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
Craig Venter unveils "synthetic life"
http://www.ted.com/talks/craig_venter_unveils_synthetic_life.html

About this talk

Craig Venter and team make a historic announcement: they've created
the first fully functioning, reproducing cell controlled by synthetic
DNA. He explains how they did it and why the achievement marks the
beginning of a new era for science.
snip

[As a TED talk it is 18 minutes and chops off some of the questions
seen on other posts - LRK -]
Interesting comments below the video link.
-----------------------------------------------------

Another post with more information and links to the TED talk.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://integral-options.blogspot.com/2010/05/ted-talks-craig-venter-unveils.html
Integral Options Cafe

TED Talks - Craig Venter Unveils "Synthetic Life"

Life re-created. Blue colonies (top) indicate a successfully
transplanted genome, with self-replicating bacteria revealed in an
electron micrograph.
snip

Citation:

   Creation of a Bacterial Cell Controlled by a Chemically Synthesized Genome
   Daniel G. Gibson,1 John I. Glass,1 Carole Lartigue,1 Vladimir N.
Noskov,1 Ray-Yuan Chuang,1 Mikkel A. Algire,1 Gwynedd A. Benders,2
Michael G. Montague,1 Li Ma,1 Monzia M. Moodie,1 Chuck Merryman,1
Sanjay Vashee,1 Radha Krishnakumar,1 Nacyra Assad-Garcia,1 Cynthia
Andrews-Pfannkoch,1 Evgeniya A. Denisova,1 Lei Young,1 Zhi-Qing Qi,1
Thomas H. Segall-Shapiro,1 Christopher H. Calvey,1 Prashanth P.
Parmar,1 Clyde A. Hutchison, III,2 Hamilton O. Smith,2 J. Craig
Venter1,2,*

   We report the design, synthesis, and assembly of the 1.08-Mbp
Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0 genome starting from digitized genome
sequence information and its transplantation into a Mycoplasma
capricolum recipient cell to create new Mycoplasma mycoides cells that
are controlled only by the synthetic chromosome. The only DNA in the
cells is the designed synthetic DNA sequence, including "watermark"
sequences and other designed gene deletions and polymorphisms, and
mutations acquired during the building process. The new cells have
expected phenotypic properties and are capable of continuous
self-replication.

   1 The J. Craig Venter Institute, 9704 Medical Center Drive,
Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
   2 The J. Craig Venter Institute, 10355 Science Center Drive, San
Diego, CA 92121, USA.

   * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jcventer@jcvi.org

   Received for publication 9 April 2010. Accepted for publication 13 May 2010.

Science has made the article available for free (download the PDF -
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/rapidpdf/science.1190719v1.pdf). You can
also read a free summary article at the Science site, written by
Elizabeth Pennisi.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/328/5981/958

It took 20 years and an around $40 million to get to this point, which
is revealed online by the journal Science.

   Craig Venter and team make a historic announcement: they've
created the first fully functioning, reproducing cell controlled by
synthetic DNA. He explains how they did it and why the achievement
marks the beginning of a new era for science.

   Venter, the man who led the private effort to sequence the human
genome, is hard at work now on even more potentially world-changing
projects.

   First, there's his mission aboard the Sorcerer II, a 92-foot
yacht, which, in 2006, finished its voyage around the globe to sample,
catalouge and decode the genes of the ocean's unknown microorganisms.
Quite a task, when you consider that there are tens of millions of
microbes in a single drop of sea water. Then there's the J. Craig
Venter Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to researching genomics and
exploring its societal implications.

   In 2005, Venter founded Synthetic Genomics, a private company with
a provocative mission: to engineer new life forms. Its goal is to
design, synthesize and assemble synthetic microorganisms that will
produce alternative fuels, such as ethanol or hydrogen. He was on Time
magzine's 2007 list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

   In early 2008, scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute
announced that they had manufactured the entire genome of a bacterium
by painstakingly stitching together its chemical components. By
sequencing a genome, scientists can begin to custom-design bootable
organisms, creating biological robots that can produce from scratch
chemicals humans can use, such as biofuel. And in 2010, they
announced, they had created "synthetic life" -- DNA created digitally,
inserted into a living bacterium, and remaining alive.

       "Either he is one of this era's most electrifying scientists,
or he's one of the most maddening." ~Washington Post
snip

[TED talk link]

snip
-----------------------------------------------------

and from MEFEDiA feed
http://www.mefeedia.com/video/31298583
Craig Venter unveils "synthetic life"

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.jcvi.org/
J. Craid Venter Institute
FIRST SELF-REPLICATING SYNTHETIC BACTERIAL CELL

http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/video/
Video
-----------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.tedmed.com/what
TEDMEDS  - Where do Healthcare and Medicine Collide with Brilliant
Minds and Uninhibited Imagination?
2010 Speakers
snip
http://www.tedmed.com/videos#Craig_Venter_at_TEDMED_2009
Craid Venter at TEDMED 2009
snip
==============================================================
http://www.amazon.com/Prey-Michael-Crichton/dp/0066214122
Prey [Hardcover]
Michael Crichton
(Author)

Amazon.com Review
In Prey, bestselling author Michael Crichton introduces bad guys that
are too small to be seen with the naked eye but no less deadly or
intriguing than the runaway dinosaurs that made 1990's Jurassic Park
such a blockbuster success.
snip
==============================================================
http://www.jcvi.org/cms/fileadmin/site/research/projects/first-self-replicating-bact-cell/fact-sheet2.pdf
Fact Sheet: JCVI’s Synthetic Genomics Research
4 page
snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

NEEMO 14 crew member tests mobility of a spacesuit design. Credit: NASA

Talking with the astronauts living in the NEEMO habitat – NASA's Extreme Environment Mission Operations – is a bit like talking with Darth Vader; there's a regular hiss of air intake and outflow in the background. But the ever-present pastel blue hue in the webcam feed lets you know these astronauts aren't in space. They are living and working in an underwater habitat, 20 meters (70 feet) under the ocean, just off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. What are NASA astronauts doing under the sea?

"This is the closest thing to spaceflight I've ever had in all my NASA training," astronaut Tom Marshburn told Universe Today in the midst of his 14-day stay in NEEMO. "It is very real. Our lives are completely dependent on our habitat, we have to follow checklists and procedures to be safe, we have to watch out for each other, we're in a tight confined space and doing real work that will help future space missions. So, in all ways it is much like spaceflight, including having a great view out the window."

Except in space, there wouldn't be a giant grouper peering through the portal.
(...)
Read the rest of Finding NEEMO Helps NASA Prepare for the Future (1,099 words)

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Atlantis docked to the ISS on what could be this shuttle's last mission to space. Credit: NASA

Is this Atlantis' last mission to space? STS-132 is the last scheduled flight for space shuttle Atlantis, and it remains to be seen whether any additional shuttle flights will be added. But the imagery from this mission is incredibly rich with wonderful images of the orbiter. So, while previous shuttle mission galleries we have here on Universe Today normally feature images from the EVAs, this gallery will mainly showcase images of Atlantis. And there are some really great photos — not sure whether the astronauts/photographers are consciously focusing on the shuttle or these images are just marvelously serendipitous. We'll do a second gallery as more images come in from the later part of the mission. Enjoy!
(...)
Read the rest of Picture Gallery: STS-132, Atlantis' Last Mission (375 words)

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View of action on the Sun during this past week. Credit: NASA/SDO team

Images and data are starting to roll in from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and the images are nothing short of stunning. So, the SDO website has started a couple of new image gallery features, which will provide a "best of" weekly fix without overloading your Sun senses (and no sunscreen needed!) The first one is Pick of the Week. The image above is the first "pick" and what a pick it is! This SDO close-up shows a filament and active region on the Sun, taken in extreme UV light on May 18, 2010. It shows a dark and elongated filament hovering above the Sun’s surface, with bright regions beneath it. The filaments are cooler clouds of gas that are suspended by tenuous magnetic fields that are often unstable and commonly erupt. This one is estimated to be at least 60 Earth diameters long (about 805,000 km, or 500,000 miles). Wowza!

Click here to see a super-huge full disk image.

See below for another new SDO feature, Hot Shots.
(...)
Read the rest of New Weekly Sun Fix: SDO's Pick of the Week (111 words)

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This is very, very, interesting and has many implications.
- LRK -
-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.jcvi.org/cms/press/press-releases/full-text/article/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell-constructed-by-j-craig-venter-institute-researcher/
snip
As in the team’s 2008 publication in which they described the successful synthesis of the M. genitalium genome, they designed and inserted into the genome what they called watermarks. These are specifically designed segments of DNA that use the “alphabet” of genes and proteins that enable the researcher to spell out words and phrases. The watermarks are an essential means to prove that the genome is synthetic and not native, and to identify the laboratory of origin. Encoded in the watermarks is a new DNA code for writing words, sentences and numbers. In addition to the new code there is a web address to send emails to if you can successfully decode the new code, the names of 46 authors and other key contributors and three quotations: "TO LIVE, TO ERR, TO FALL, TO TRIUMPH, TO RECREATE LIFE OUT OF LIFE." - JAMES JOYCE; "SEE THINGS NOT AS THEY ARE, BUT AS THEY MIGHT BE.”-A quote from the book, “American Prometheus”; "WHAT I CANNOT BUILD, I CANNOT UNDERSTAND." - RICHARD FEYNMAN.
snip
-----------------------------------------------------

Check this out and stand by for more advances.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
May 20, 2010 3:12 PM PDT
Scientists create synthetic cell, version 1.0
 by Tim Hornyak

Scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute have created a synthetic cell that can survive and reproduce itself according to an artificial DNA sequence, promising designer genomes with which researchers can produce sophisticated artificial organisms.

The new bacterial cell, "Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0," is the result of a 15-year, $30 million effort by genetics pioneer Craig Venter. The study, led by the institute's Dan Gibson, is reported in the May 21 edition of the journal Science. The team of 25 researchers took Mycoplasma capricolum bacteria and completely rewrote its genetic code of more than 1 million base pairs of DNA. The data was sequenced as chemical DNA fragments and sewn together using yeast and E. coli bacteria.

snip
-----------------------------------------------------

Read a lot more at the links.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://singularityhub.com/2010/05/20/venter-creates-first-synthetic-self-replicating-bacteria-from-scratch/#more-16798
Singularity Hub - The Future Is Here Today...Robots, Genetics, AI, Longevity, Singularity

Venter Creates First Synthetic Self-Replicating Bacteria from Scratch May 20th, 2010 by Aaron Saenz

Craig Venter wants to program life the way we program computers, and today he announced a momentous win: the first synthetic self-replicating bacterium. The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) used the four types of chemicals that make up DNA, and complex assembly methods utilizing yeast cells, to ’program’ the 1.08 million base pairs that make up the genome for the bacteria cell. As described in the journal Science, the result was a synthetic copy of the Mycoplasma mycoides, dubbed M. mycoides JCVI-syn1.0, that can grow and divide like normal. The little “1.0″ highlights the vast potential of Venter’s project, as JCVI will be able to update and improve their synthetic organism base pair by base pair, gene by gene. Computers can now program sustainable synthetic life – welcome to the future.

snip
[See Video, links and more - LRK -].
-----------------------------------------------------

View the videos if you can.  Good talk.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://singularityhub.com/2010/02/08/venters-successes-in-creating-synthetic-life-video/
Singularity Hub - The Future Is Here Today...Robots, Genetics, AI, Longevity, Singularity

Venter’s Successes in Creating Synthetic Life (video)
February 8th, 2010 by Aaron Saenz

Craig Venter is pushing the boundaries of what humans can do with DNA and aims to create new life to serve our needs. At TEDMED this past year, he discussed what he and his company, Synthetic Genomics, have accomplished by analyzing and manipulating the genes of simple organisms. While the presentation was titled “What could we do with synthetic life?” it would have been more apt to call it “What we have done so far is going to blow your freakin’ mind.” Venter gives an in depth look at the methods which will lead to custom made organisms.  Biofuel, new antibiotics, vaccines – Venter could one day make them all by using yeast and bacteria to reproduce artificially constructed genomes. As many have said, synthetic biology is likely to be the defining technology of the 21st century, and Venter plans on helping to write that definition. Check out his TEDMED video, in its entirety, after the break.

snip
[screen capture and video credit: TEDMED]

[The TEDMED video - 18 minute - and a time line guide provided by Aaron Saenz. ]
-----------------------------------------------------

Some of the crew and much more at JVCI.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/photos/
First Self-Replicating Synthetic Bacterial Cell
Photos

http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/overview/
Overview

Genomic science has greatly enhanced our understanding of the biological world. It is enabling researchers to "read" the genetic code of organisms from all branches of life by sequencing the four letters that make up DNA. Sequencing genomes has now become routine, giving rise to thousands of genomes in the public databases. In essence, scientists are digitizing biology by converting the A, C, T, and G's of the chemical makeup of DNA into 1's and 0's in a computer.  But can one reverse the process and start with 1's and 0's in a computer to define the characteristics of a living cell? We set out to answer this question.
snip

http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/video/
May 20, 2010 Press Conference
snip
[Don't miss this press release  and the questions that are part of it. - LRK -]
-----------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.tedmed.com/what
TEDMEDS  - Where do Healthcare and Medicine Collide with Brilliant Minds and Uninhibited Imagination?
2010 Speakers
snip
http://www.tedmed.com/videos#Craig_Venter_at_TEDMED_2009
Craid Venter at TEDMED 2009
snip
==============================================================
http://www.jcvi.org/
J. Craid Venter Institute
FIRST SELF-REPLICATING SYNTHETIC BACTERIAL CELL
snip
==============================================================
http://www.jcvi.org/cms/fileadmin/site/research/projects/first-self-replicating-bact-cell/fact-sheet2.pdf
Fact Sheet: JCVI’s Synthetic Genomics Research
4 page
snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

I am glad someone is not just saying been there, done that. Japan to visit Venus with PLANET-C

I enjoyed Pioneer 12's visit to Venus.
Yours truly, standing in for a controller in Fig 2-12.  :-)
Pioneering Venus NASA SP-518
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19960026995_1996055001.pdf
373 p. 176.41 MB
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/missions/archive/pioneer.html
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/h2a/akatsuki/status.html
Mission Status Center
By Stephen Clark

Welcome to Spaceflight Now's live coverage of the launch of Japan's H-2A rocket with the Akatsuki probe bound for Venus. Text updates will appear automatically; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter. http://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/

1659 GMT (12:59 p.m. EDT)
We have posted a preview of the Ikaros solar sail that is launching as a secondary payload aboard the H-2A rocket. 
1555 GMT (11:55 a.m. EDT)
The rocket is now fully fueled for launch. Launch controllers just finished loading liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into both stages of the H-2A rocket.

The first stage LE-7A engine consumes hydrogen during its six-and-a-half minute firing. The second stage's LE-5B powerplant will ignite twice to place the Akatsuki orbiter on track for Venus.

The H-2A's two solid rocket boosters burn solid propellant, which has already been packed inside the motors.
snip
-----------------------------------------------------

What is scheduled to take place.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/h2a/akatsuki/100516timeline.html
H-2A/Akatsuki launch timeline
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: May 16, 2010
Updated: May 19, 2010

NOTE: Launch sequence data assumes liftoff on May 20, 2010.
snip
-----------------------------------------------------

Always nice to have some company.
May you have fair winds on your sailing venture.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/planet_c/index_e.html
May 18, 2010 Updated
AKATSUKI/IKAROS Launch rescheduled to 6:58 a.m. on the 21st (Fri) The launch of the Venus Climate Orbiter "AKATSUKI" and the Small Solar Power Demonstrator "IKAROS" by the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 17 was rescheduled at 6:58:22 a.m. on May 21 (Fri. Japan Standard Time, JST) after carefully studying the weather conditions.

Accordingly, the live launch report will begin at 6:30 a.m. on May 21(Fri., JST.) The report will be broadcast not only through the Internet, but also at JAXA i, Sagamihara Campus and other public viewing locations including some universities. You can also watch it through some CATV and cell phone providers.

   * Press Release
     http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/05/20100518_h2af17_2_e.html
   * AKATSUKI Special Site
     http://www.jaxa.jp/countdown/f17/index_e.html
   * Live Broadcast
      http://www.jaxa.jp/countdown/f17/live/index_e.html

snip

AKATSUKI (PLANET-C) is the next planetary exploration project for the Martian orbiter NOZOMI. This project’s main purpose is to elucidate the mysteries of the Venusian atmosphere. Though often referred to as Earth’s sister planet in terms of size and mass, Venus is actually very different. It is veiled in carbon dioxide, with a high temperature and thick sulfuric-acid clouds. Clarification of the causes for this environment will provide us with clues to the understanding of the birth of Earth and of its climate changes.  Therefore, Venus is a very important subject for exploration.

AKATSUKI will usher in a new era of Venusian exploration. The probe vehicle is scheduled to be launched in FY 2010 and is expected to reach Venus orbit.
snip
-----------------------------------------------------

Good pictures.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/h2a/akatsuki/100520gallery/
H-2A rolls out to launch pad for second time

The 174-foot-tall H-2A rocket moved from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad No. 1 at Japan's island spaceport around midday Thursday, local time. It was the second time the rocket has rolled to the pad. The first launch attempt Monday was scrubbed by thick clouds.
snnip
-----------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/rockets/h2a/index_e.html
Leading edge, efficient and economical technology Japanese main large-scale launch vehicle, H-IIA

H-IIA, Japan’s primary large-scale launch vehicle, is designed to meet diverse launch demands, at lower cost and with a high degree of reliability, by making the best use of the H-II launch-vehicle technology. The simplified design and improved efficiency of the manufacturing and launch processes of H-IIA have achieved one of the highest performance to cost ratio of launch system in the world, reducing the cost of launches by a half or more.

H-IIA launch service operations have been transferred to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, LTD. ahead of the launch of H-IIA Flight 13. JAXA is in charge of launch safety management (including ground safety confirmation, flight safety assurance, and overall countdown control and supervision.)

For more information http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/rockets/h2a/design_e.html
snip
==============================================================
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/ikaros/index_e.html
Space yacht accelerated by radiation of the Sun

A Solar Sail gathers sunlight as propulsion by means of a large membrane while a Solar "Power" Sail gets electricity from thin film solar cells on the membrane in addition to acceleration by solar radiation. What's more, if the ion-propulsion engines with high specific impulse are driven by such solar cells, it can become a "hybrid" engine that is combined with photon acceleration to realize fuel-effective and flexible missions.

JAXA is studying two missions to evaluate the performance of the solar power sails. The project name for the first mission is IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun). This craft will be launched with the Venus Climate Orbiter "AKATSUKI", using an H-IIA launch vehicle. This will be the world's first solar powered sail craft employing both photon propulsion and thin film solar power generation during its interplanetary cruise.
snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

I had tried to listen to the hearing of the Senate Commerce, Space & Transportation committee on Wednesday, May 12 2010, but got tired of Internet stalls of the video and finally quit listening.  In conversations with you folks I was pointed to the archived version.
Here is a Tiny URL for the link below.  http://tinyurl.com/2em5kxh
- LRK -
-------------------------------------
Hearings
The Future of U.S. Human Space Flight
Jena Longo - Democratic Deputy Communications Director 202.224.7824
May 12 2010 2:30 PM
Russell Senate Office Building - 253
-------------------------------------

If you play the video you will have about 25 minutes of nothing but the poster as the meeting didn't start on time.  It starts up with no sound so you will probably want to play with the slider to get to about the 26 minutes into the archived video.

Texts are available as PDFs below the Flash Video screen. Neil stuck with his, except for a sentence at the beginning which he missed.  Gene, however skipped some material because of the ad lib directed at Bolden, which is not in the typescript.

If you would just like to watch what Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan had to say you might take a look at the following link that Colin Mackellar in Sydney Australia made.  You can view the video and down load MP4 files for your own permanent record.
http://apollo11tv.com/testimony/
(Colin has a lot more Apollo 11 history at
http://honeysucklecreek.net/Apollo_11/index.html)

Just how we get to space and on what vehicle or combination of, doesn't seem to matter that much to me.  I would like to see work done to accomplish the end goal of being able to move off world and survive in the long term.  To me the Moon seemed like a good place to start.  Changing short term projects every new administration seems like a waste of time and money, but that is just my opinion.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
Nasa's Constellation Program - To the moon and beyond! (HD) ( CANCELED )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDja2xUslBA&feature=related

TheFutureIsRightHere  —  August 05, 2009  — On Sept. 16, 2010 at 1 p.m. EDT, the last Space Shuttle mission is expected to launch.  STS-134 (Space Transport System - stands for STS). After the shuttle's retirement, Nasa's Orion capsule will take its place. The new missions will most likely be called O.S.T.S. (Orion Space Transport System).  The Orion and the new Constellation program will take Americans back to the moon on 2020. For more information go to:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AresTV
snip
-------------------------------------

If you didn't watch the whole commission hearing and saw what Gene Cernan had to say, you might want to see Bolden's response when asked about the bail out quote.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kHDGIPSBMk&feature=youtu.be
The New U.S. Space Plan - To Bail-out Or Not Bail-out

AmericaSpace — May 12, 2010 — The "New" Space Plan

Beginning in 2011, the President no longer wants NASA to send astronauts to space. So, he's canceling Constellation. Instead, he wants NASA to subsidize and outsource human space flight.

None of the companies have ever launched a living thing. Not to worry, if the commercial launchers fall behind schedule or go over-budget, NASA will rescue them.

If the commercial launchers get into financial trouble, the NASA Administrator said NASA will bail them out. Even if it is the biggest bail-out ever.

Even bigger than GM's bail-out.

The NASA Administrator denies ever saying this.

But Gene Cernan, Apollo 17 Commander and last man to walk on the Moon heard what the NASA Administrator said.

And wrote it down.
snip
-------------------------------------

Still trying to figure out how we pass the laws we do and fund or not, those that have been passed.
To go to space or not to go to space, that is the question.
May I borrow a dollar?
Can I hitch a ride?

Listen, what do I hear?
http://www.zarya.info/Frequencies/FrequenciesPRC.php
Radio Frequencies - Peoples' Republic of China
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
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==============================================================
http://www.amazon.com/End-Chaos-Quality-Ascendancy-Democracy/dp/0977066002/
The End of Chaos: Quality Laws and the Ascendancy of Democracy [Hardcover]
David G. Schrunk

Product Description
The book discusses the application of well established quality programs to laws and lawmaking. Quality programs have the potential to end the chaos of laws and to improve the effectiveness, cost-efficiency and user-friendliness of laws in the solution of societal problems. By this means governments will be able to ascend to the status of True Democracy, in which governments always serve the best interests of the people as a whole and reflect their highest aspirations.
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http://www.amazon.com/Agendas-Alternatives-Public-Policies-2nd/dp/0673523896
Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies (2nd Edition) [Paperback]
John W. Kingdon

Product Description
This text remains the authoritative work on agenda setting and policy formation. This report on original research includes many dow-to-earth illustrations and quotations from interviews, creating enjoyable and informative reading for undergraduate students.

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http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/MarsWars-NASA-SP4410.pdf

 Mars Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Space Exploration Initiative, by Thor Hogan, NASA-SP4410, 2007, 194 pages [PDF 9.4 MB] [review]. The rise of Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and its eventual demise represents one of the landmark episodes in the history of the American space program. The story of this failed initiative is one shaped by key protagonists and critical battles. It is a tale of organizational, cultural, and personal confrontation. Skirmishes involved the Space Council versus NASA, the White House versus congressional appropriators, and the Johnson Space Center versus the rest of the space agency, all seeking control of the national space policy process.
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/

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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

On the occasion of the Open Day at the European Institutions in Brussels on 8 May, ESA astronaut Frank De Winne met the President of the European Union, Herman van Rompuy, and handed over a very special European flag.

The below article is interesting as are the comments about having to tack what you want passed onto some other proposal.  What a tangled web we weave in this game of politics.  Hmmmm, and if we didn't need $58.8 billion for the war in Afghanistan, there would be more available for human space exploration.
- LRK -

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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7004353.html
NASA's Constellation gets big boost in Senate
Order keeping it alive is added to must-pass bill funding the war
By STEWART M. POWELL
WASHINGTON BUREAU
May 13, 2010, 11:38PM

WASHINGTON — Backers of NASA's Constellation program scored a significant victory Thursday by winning the Senate Appropriations Committee's support to block the Obama administration from terminating any part of the $108 billion back-to-the-moon program before October.

And they did it by piggy-backing the restriction onto a must-pass wartime supplemental budget package involving combat dollars for Afghanistan.

Up until Thursday, the battle over NASA has largely been a political war of words — and this is the first time that a congressional committee has responded directly to President Barack Obama's NASA proposal since February, when the president declared the Constellation program should be shelved.

The maneuver was pushed by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Dallas and proposed by Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah.

By including the language in a $58.8 billion budget supplemental to underwrite the costs of combat, Hutchison and her allies virtually assured that the restriction will be adopted by the full Senate and House and signed by Obama — because the costs of the Afghanistan war must be funded.

The language declares that NASA funds “shall be available to fund continued performance of Constellation contracts, and performance of such Constellation contracts may not be terminated for convenience by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Fiscal Year 2010.”

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Wonder how the above affects S. 3068: Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act of 2010.
- LRK -

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http://tinyurl.com/22rcbpp

Recent Press Releases
Hutchison: “America Demands More From President’s NASA Plan” Joe Brenckle - Republican Press Office 202-224-3991

snip
Senator Hutchison recently introduced legislation, the Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act (S. 3068), to address these concerns by allowing for the extension of the shuttle, if needed for station sustainability, at a reduced rate of two flights per year.  The bill would also authorize the accelerated development of a NASA-owned shuttle replacement, such as a shuttle-derived design using existing systems and capabilities and the current contractor work force.
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http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3068
S. 3068: Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act of 2010
-------------------------------------

Thanks to you who are helping me keep score and watching which court the ball is in.
Keep your eye on the $$$.

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://tinyurl.com/27xhovn
Recent Press Releases
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – NASA's Constellation gets big boost in Senate
Joe Brenckle - Republican Press Office 202-224-3991
May 14 2010

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – Houston Chronicle

NASA's Constellation gets big boost in Senate
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7004353.html

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Reading about how items become law. - LRK -

"Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies" by John W. Kingdon
http://www.amazon.com/Agendas-Alternatives-Public-Policies-2nd/dp/0673523896

==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/MarsWars-NASA-SP4410.pdf

 Mars Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Space Exploration Initiative, by Thor Hogan, NASA-SP4410, 2007, 194 pages [PDF 9.4 MB] [review]. The rise of Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and its eventual demise represents one of the landmark episodes in the history of the American space program. The story of this failed initiative is one shaped by key protagonists and critical battles. It is a tale of organizational, cultural, and personal confrontation. Skirmishes involved the Space Council versus NASA, the White House versus congressional appropriators, and the Johnson Space Center versus the rest of the space agency, all seeking control of the national space policy
process.
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/

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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

The last planned flight of shuttle Atlantis has lifted off to the ISS.
 Will it really be its last flight?
- LRK -

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Shuttle Atlantis streaks into orbit on final planned flight, but . . .
http://news.cnet.com/8301-19514_3-20005035-239.html?tag=mncol;posts

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.--The shuttle Atlantis blasted off on its 32nd and final planned mission Friday, closing out 25 years of service with a 12-day flight to deliver a Russian docking module and critical spare parts to the International Space Station.

With its three hydrogen-fueled main engines roaring at full thrust, the shuttle's twin solid-fuel boosters ignited on time at 2:20 p.m. EDT, instantly pushing the fully fueled 4.5-million-pound spacecraft away from pad 39A.

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Re-visit S. 3068, it still is in the news.
- LRK -

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http://appropriations.senate.gov/
http://appropriations.senate.gov/sc-commerce.cfm
http://appropriations.senate.gov/webcasts.cfm?method=webcasts.view&id=a5d75507-dc17-4f57-b550-4981ac513b07

http://hutchison.senate.gov/

MAY 12 - Hutchison: “America Demands More From President’s NASA Plan” Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today expressed her disappointment in the Obama Administration’s proposal for NASA during a Commerce Committee hearing on the future of U.S. human space flight.

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What will be signed into law - or not - will play a role in how our space policy develops.
- LRK -

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http://tinyurl.com/22rcbpp

Recent Press Releases
Hutchison: “America Demands More From President’s NASA Plan”
Joe Brenckle - Republican Press Office 202-224-3991

snip
Senator Hutchison recently introduced legislation, the Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act (S. 3068), to address these concerns by allowing for the extension of the shuttle, if needed for station sustainability, at a reduced rate of two flights per year.  The bill would also authorize the accelerated development of a NASA-owned shuttle replacement, such as a shuttle-derived design using existing systems and capabilities and the current contractor work force.
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Again, you can track what our government is working on, and for S. 3068, see here.
- LRK -

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http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3068
S. 3068: Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act of 2010

A bill to reauthorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Human Space Flight Activities, and for other purposes.  Sponsor: Sen. Kay Hutchison [R-TX]
Cosponsors: George LeMieux [R-FL]

Text: Full Text http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-3068
Status:  Introduced Mar 3, 2010
 Referred to Committee View Committee Assignments
 Reported by Committee ...
 Senate Vote ...
 House Vote ...
 Signed by President ...

This bill is in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced bills and resolutions first go to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise them before they go to general debate. The majority of bills and resolutions never make it out of committee.
[Last Updated: Apr 14, 2010 6:19AM]

Last Action: Mar 3, 2010: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Related: See the Related Legislation page for other bills related to this one and a list of subject terms that have been applied to this bill. Sometimes the text of one bill or resolution is incorporated into another, and in those cases the original bill or resolution, as it would appear here, would seem to be abandoned.
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Where will we go from here?
- LRK -


Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/03/lawmakers-bill-extend-shuttle-2015-hlv/
Lawmakers produce Bill to extend shuttle to 2015, utilize CxP, advance HLV

March 3rd, 2010 by Chris Bergin
Senator Kay Hutchison – in conjunction with Representatives Suzanne Kosmas and Bill Posey – has produced a 37 page Bill that proposes major refinements to NASA’s FY2011 proposal, and NASA’s forward plan.  The Bill is centered around a shuttle extension to 2015, in support of fully utilizing the International Space Station (ISS), along with saving elements of Constellation – such as Orion and a Heavy Lift Launcher (HLV).

Shuttle Extension:

Efforts to reverse the 2010 retirement date of the shuttle fleet have been ongoing for a few years, without being realized – partly due to a lack of support from successive NASA administrators.

Former NASA boss Mike Griffin even worked directly against extension – mainly via protection of the Ares I launch vehicle’s budget – often citing safety concerns which had no basis in post Return To Flight reality.

With a level of support for an extension of the shuttle manifest – in tandem with the development of a Shuttle Derived HLV – gained at the Augustine Committee review into NASA’s Human Space Flight program, the door was opened for building on a 2008 Senate Bill that had already actioned pre-emptive measures to protect shuttle-related assets from decommissioning.

snip
==============================================================
Reading about how items become law. - LRK -

"Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies" by John W. Kingdon
http://www.amazon.com/Agendas-Alternatives-Public-Policies-2nd/dp/0673523896

==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/MarsWars-NASA-SP4410.pdf

 Mars Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Space Exploration Initiative, by Thor Hogan, NASA-SP4410, 2007, 194 pages [PDF 9.4 MB] [review]. The rise of Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and its eventual demise represents one of the landmark episodes in the history of the American space program. The story of this failed initiative is one shaped by key protagonists and critical battles. It is a tale of organizational, cultural, and personal confrontation. Skirmishes involved the Space Council versus NASA, the White House versus congressional appropriators, and the Johnson Space Center versus the rest of the space agency, all seeking control of the national space policy process.
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off on Friday evening with an important hardware delivery from Europe to the International Space Station: spare portions of the European Robotic Arm and the first Russian payloads to use the arm.

Space Shuttle Atlantis Lifts Off

Bonn, Germany (SPX) May 13, 2010 - Re-entry into Earth's atmosphere is considered one of the most critical moments in spaceflight. To make the journey into space and back to Earth safer, cheaper and more flexible, the German Aerospace Center has designed an experimental spacecraft.

The Shefex II project uses advanced technologies such as a sharp, angular design and active cooling of the heat shield. For the first time, scientists have tested a model of the spacecraft in a wind tunnel at Gottingen.

In early 2011, Shefex II (SHarp Edge Flight EXperiment) is scheduled to lift off from the Australian testing ground at Woomera. This is in many ways a unique spacecraft. Building on the successful Shefex I flight, and unlike previous space vehicles, the outer skin is not rounded, but has sharp edges.

Shefex II will test a system for active cooling of the heat shield for the first time in space. It is the only spacecraft project to be financed and run entirely by Germany and has the capability of returning to Earth under automatic control.

Re-entry at 12,000 kilometres per hour
To check their computer calculations before the flight, the DLR researchers will be simulating re-entry of this spacecraft using a model. Wind tunnel trials are being conducted in the High-Enthalpy Shock Tunnel at DLR Gottingen, one of Europe's main large-scale facilities for research into hypersonic flight and the re-entry of spacecraft.

In a wind tunnel that is 62 metres long, a piston first compresses propellant gas. After a steel diaphragm bursts, a powerful shock wave compresses and heats a test gas before it is accelerated into the wind tunnel at 10 times the speed of sound. That equates to a speed in excess of 12,000 kilometres per hour.

This gas then flows around the Shefex II model. This simulates the re-entry of a spacecraft into Earth's atmosphere from an altitude of roughly 35 kilometres. "At this point, the test device is experiencing temperatures of approximately 5000 degrees Celsius - as hot as the surface of the Sun," says Dr Klaus Hannemann, who is in charge of the Spacecraft Department at the DLR Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology in Gottingen.

The sharp-edged shape of Shefex promises two substantial benefits. Firstly, this could make heat shield design much simpler and safer. "A Space Shuttle has more than 25,000 differently-shaped tiles. The simple shape of the Shefex tiles reduces the maintenance costs of the thermal protection system and means that in-space replacement becomes feasible," says Dr Hannemann.

Furthermore, this multi-faceted shape results in improved aerodynamic properties. "The capsule almost achieves the same aerodynamic properties as a Space Shuttle, but is smaller and does not need to have wings," says Project Manager Hendrik Weihs from the DLR Institute of Structures and Design in Stuttgart. In conjunction with the active cooling system, this opens up new vistas for European space travel. "We could use a landing site in Germany, to which the capsule could return with pinpoint accuracy," explains Weihs.

Cooling protective layer
With active cooling of the heat shield, gas flows out through pores in the tiles. "As the gas emerges, it forms a kind of cooling protective layer across the surface, preventing atmospheric gas from making direct contact with the spacecraft," says Weihs. This technology, known as effusion cooling, is already used to cool the combustion chambers of rockets.

"Germany is assuming a pioneering role in relation to advanced re-entry systems," states Weihs as he explains the national Shefex programme. He hopes that the programme will eventually lead to a European spaceflight system, possibly even a manned one.

Shefex II on launch vehicle The goal of the Shefex programme is to test the most cost effective re-entry technology in a flight experiment. To perform the test, the capsule is placed on top of a low-cost sounding rocket. Shefex I was launched in 2005 from northern Sweden. With a height of 12.6 metres, Shefex II will be launched on a Brazilian rocket to achieve a higher velocity.

Moreover, in contrast to its predecessor, Shefex II has small wings known as canards, which enable the craft to be manoeuvred. From Woomera, Shefex II should reach an altitude of 200 kilometres. For the researchers, the interesting part begins when it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere. Then the capsule will land in the desert using a parachute.

DLR locations throughout Germany involved
The aerodynamic design, the theoretical forecast of flow characteristics and tests in the plasma wind tunnel have been conducted at the DLR Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology in Braunschweig, Cologne and Gottingen.

The Cologne site is responsible for payload instrumentation. The Shefex II experiment itself is being developed, manufactured and integrated by the DLR Institute of Structures and Design in Stuttgart.

The deployment of the launcher and the launch operations are being handled by DLR's Mobile Rocket Base (MObile RAketenBAsis; MORABA), which is based in Oberpfaffenhofen. The new DLR Space Institute in Bremen is involved, contributing a navigation experiment to the project.

Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) May 13, 2010 - Wednesday is "L-2" at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, meaning there are only two days remaining until the scheduled launch of space shuttle Atlantis on its STS-132 mission. Countdown clocks across the launch complex were activated at 4 p.m. EDT Tuesday and the countdown continues on schedule for liftoff Friday at 2:20 p.m.

During the 12-day mission, Atlantis and the mission's six astronauts are delivering an Integrated Cargo Carrier and a Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station.

"From a Space Shuttle Program and ISS Program standpoint, we're ready to launch Atlantis and get this mission under way," said Mike Moses, chair of the prelaunch mission management team that gathered today at Kennedy and gave a unanimous "go" for liftoff. According to Launch Director Mike Leinbach, the launch team is not tracking any issues that would prevent an on-time liftoff.

Atlantis' astronauts are relaxing today while technicians at Launch Pad 39A load the orbiter's power reactant and storage distribution system, which supplies super-cold propellants to the vehicle's three fuel cells and life-support system during flight.

A high-pressure system continues to dominate Florida's weather pattern, resulting in favorable weather for the rest of the week. The primary launch weather concern is a low cloud ceiling, but the forecast is good overall, calling for a 70 percent chance of favorable conditions at launch time.

STS-132 Overview
Space shuttle Atlantis is embarking on its final planned mission. During the 12-day flight, Atlantis and six astronauts will fly to the International Space Station, leaving behind a Russian Mini Research Module, a set of batteries for the station's truss and dish antenna, along with other replacement parts.

NASA astronaut Ken Ham will command an all-veteran flight crew: Pilot Tony Antonelli, and Mission Specialists Michael Good, Garrett Reisman, Piers Sellers and Steve Bowen.

After the final STS-132 Flight Readiness Review, John Shannon, Space Shuttle Program manager, pointed out that Atlantis' last planned mission will be an exciting one.

"Twelve days, three [spacewalks], tons of robotics... We're putting on spares that make us feel good about the long-term sustainability of the ISS, replacing batteries that have been up there for a while, and docking a Russian-built ISS module," Shannon said. "This flight has a little bit of everything, and it's been a great preparation for the team."

Garching, Germany (SPX) May 13, 2010 - Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching have for the first time managed to reproduce the asymmetries and fast-moving iron clumps of observed supernovae by complex computer simulations in all three dimensions.

To this end they successfully followed the outburst in their models consistently from milliseconds after the onset of the blast to the demise of the star several hours later.

Massive stars end their lives in gigantic explosions, so called supernovae, and can become - for a short time - brighter than a whole galaxy, which is made up of billions of stars. Although supernovae have been studied theoretically by computer models for several decades, the physical processes happening during these blasts are so complex that until now astrophysicists could only simulate parts of the process and so far only in one or two dimensions.

Researches at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching have now carried out the first fully three-dimensional computer simulations of a core collapse supernova over a timescale of hours after the initiation of the blast. They thus could answer the question of how initial asymmetries, which emerge deep in the dense core during the very early stages of the explosion, fold themselves into inhomogeneities observable during the supernova blast.

While the great energy of the outburst makes these stellar explosions visible far out into the Universe, they are relatively rare. In a galaxy of the size of our Milky Way, on average only one supernova will occur in 50 years. About twenty years ago, a supernova could be seen even with the naked eye: SN 1987A in the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, our neighbouring galaxy.

This relative closeness - "only" about 170,000 light years away - allowed many detailed observations in different wavelength bands over weeks and even months. SN 1987A turned out to be a core-collapse supernova, a so-called Type II event. It occurs when a massive star, which is at least nine times heavier than the sun, has burned almost all its fuel.

The fusion engine in the centre of the star begins to stutter, triggering an internal collapse and thus a violent explosion of the entire star. In the case of SN 1987A the star had about 20 solar masses at its birth.

SN 1987A is probably the best studied supernova and it is still a great challenge to develop and refine models of what was happening inside the dying star to produce its emission of radiation. One of the astonishing and unexpected discoveries in SN 1987A and many subsequent supernovae was the fact that nickel and iron - heavy elements that are formed near the centre of the explosion - are mixed outward in big clumps into the hydrogen shell of the disrupted star.

Nickel bullets were observed to propagate at velocities of thousands of kilometres per second, much faster than the surrounding hydrogen and much faster than predicted by simple hydrodynamic calculations in one dimension (1D), i.e., only studying the radial profile from the centre outwards.

In fact, it turned out that the brightness evolution (the so-called light curve) of SN 1987A and of similar core-collapse supernovae can only be understood if large amounts of heavy core material (in particular radioactive nickel) are mixed outwards into the stellar envelope, and light elements (hydrogen and helium from the envelope) are carried inwards to the core.

The details of supernova explosions are very difficult to simulate, not only because of the complexity of the physical processes involved but also because of the duration and range of scales - from hundreds of metres near the centre to tens of millions of kilometres near the stellar surface - that need to be resolved in ultimately three-dimensional (3D) computer models.

Previously conducted simulations in two dimensions (2D, i.e., with the assumption of axial symmetry) indeed showed that the spherical shell structure of the progenitor star is destroyed during the supernova blast and large-scale mixing takes place. But the real world is three-dimensional and not all observational aspects can be reproduced by 2D models.

The new computer models of the team at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics can now for the first time simulate the complete burst in all three dimensions, from the first milliseconds after the explosion is triggered in the core to a time three hours later, when the shock breaks out of the progenitor star.

"We found substantial deviations in our 3D models compared to previous work in 2D," says Nicolay Hammer, the lead author of the paper, "especially the growth of instabilities and the propagation of clumps differ. These are not just minor variations; this effect determines the long-time evolution and ultimately the extent of mixing and observable appearance of core-collapse supernovae."

In the 3D-simulations, metal-rich clumps have much higher velocities than in the 2D case. These "bullets" expand much more rapidly, overtaking material from the outer layers.

"With a simple analytic model we could demonstrate that the different geometry of the bullets, toroidal versus quasi-spherical, can explain the differences observed in our simulations," explains co-author Thomas Janka. "While we think that the differences between the 2D- and 3D-models that we found are probably generic, many features will depend strongly on the structure of the progenitor star, the overall energy and the initial asymmetry of the blast."

"We hope that our models, in comparison to observations, will help us to understand how stellar explosions start and what causes them", adds Ewald Muller, the third author of the paper. Investigating a wider variety of progenitor stars and initial conditions will therefore be the focus of future simulation work. In particular, a detailed model that reproduces all observational features of SN 1987A still remains a challenge.

Boston MA (SPX) May 13, 2010 - In a lecture on Monday at MIT, NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden Jr. defended President Barack Obama's controversial plans for the U.S. space agency's future and touted the president's plan to invest billions of dollars in basic science research.

Some in Congress have criticized Obama's proposal to cancel the Constellation program, which would have sent humans to the moon by 2020, saying such a move will effectively cede U.S. space leadership to other nations. But Bolden noted that the White House's plan would also invest an additional $6 billion in NASA over the next five years, including a 60-percent increase in earth sciences research funding, as well as a 20-percent increase in planetary sciences research.

Such an expansion could revitalize NASA's ties with institutions like MIT, which has played an instrumental role in the agency since NASA was founded in 1958.

"The frustration for me is that we always talk about the cancellation of Constellation," former astronaut Bolden said of his appearances before Congress and interviews with the media, in which he has been grilled over the president's plan. "But we are adding an incredible amount of money for research."

Bolden was at MIT to deliver the 20th annual Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) public lecture, titled "Looking Ahead to the Future of NASA." Headquartered at MIT, the MSGC's primary goal is to represent NASA in Massachusetts by supporting space exploration and research by the state's students and teachers.

David Mindell, the Frances and David Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing and director of MIT's Program in Science, Technology, and Society, said that Bolden's defense of Obama's proposal wasn't surprising, given that it's his job to do so.

"But the proposal does recommend a fresh approach that, though risky, could reinvigorate human spaceflight in the U.S. and restart research - at MIT and many other places - that had been sacrificed for the Constellation program," he said.

Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems Dava Newman agreed, saying that the proposal would strengthen - not weaken - U.S. leadership in space.

"The budget for science, engineering and technology development, testbeds and flight experiments is extraordinary, and if realized, will help NASA once again become the agency to realize exploration (both human and robotic) and major technological breakthroughs both in space and here on Earth," Newman said.

"It's very exciting to think of this future investment in science, engineering and technology and to think that MIT students and faculty will be part of the community to shape NASA's future and to realize this vision.

Looking ahead
During his talk, Bolden said NASA was going through what he called a "difficult, but very interesting" period.

As a former astronaut who completed four space flights, Bolden expressed sadness about the prospect of ending NASA's space-shuttle fleet, admitting he is "emotionally attached" to the shuttle program.

But he insisted that NASA is "committed" to Obama's new era of space exploration, which calls for a flexible path approach for NASA to gain progressively more experience, such as a lunar fly-by or exploration of asteroids, before making a trip to Mars.

The plan also calls for developing a "heavy-lift" system to launch spacecraft into deep space, as well as technologies to protect humans from long-term radiation. In the future, NASA would lease vehicles from private companies to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

"The president, with my full agreement, made a change - a big change," Bolden said of Obama's decision to undertake a new direction for NASA, adding that the agency's fundamental goal "to boldly advance the human presence beyond the cradle of Earth," has not changed, and that Mars remains an "especially compelling target."

Bolden outlined several tracks that NASA has proposed to achieve its goals, such as developing robotic technologies to scout new targets and test precision landings. He said the agency remains focused on using the International Space Station to learn more about human health issues, referring to ongoing work by ISS researchers to develop a salmonella vaccine.

He pledged NASA's commitment to develop a commercial launch industry for carrying humans into low Earth orbit, but said that the agency was still fine-tuning specific operations details, such as whether a crew would be trained at NASA facilities. He also said the agency was honoring Obama's request to collaborate with other countries like Saudi Arabia to foster science research.

When pressed to name a timetable for a manned mission to Mars, Bolden said it was "pretty vague," but that if NASA started to develop the architecture for a heavy-lift launch vehicle right now, it could be as soon as the early 2020s that a spacecraft orbits the moon, and maybe 2025 for a spacecraft or robot to land on an asteroid. Those advances could make travel to Mars a reality by 2030, he said.

Regardless of a timetable, Bolden insisted that NASA's future must include increased collaboration with research institutions like MIT, noting that, "we can't carry out this work without engaging the public."