Berrimilla Down Under Mars

Berrimilla Down Under "Mars Status Report 8 May 2008

noon 1237.47 16450.27 28 days at sea

At about this time in any long journey - for me, in a marathon, it kicks in around 25 k - one becomes conscious of distance travelled, which focuses the mind on distance yet to go and, for me anyway, there's always a tendency to anxiety and depression. I've never started a marathon, let alone anything like this, knowing absolutely that I would finish it and there's always that corrosive doubt travelling in company - what if...Then, in a marathon, perhaps around 37-38 km, certainty takes over and while the body slowly eats itself, there's an end and an achievement in sight and the pain is diminished. We're not anywhere near there yet on this gig."

Current location N 16 16.29 E 165 50.34 - South of Wake Island

Earlier status reports

Everest Update

NASA Everest Trek Blog Update 10 May 2008

"Scott Parazynski found us there and it was very good to see him. He was very excited to see us too and explained his ascents up through the Ice Fall as well as climbs to Camp I and Camp II.

As we were about to head back to Base Camp (merely 3 minutes away) a large portion of a glacier caved on a mountain ledge adjacent and to the left of the Ice Fall creating an avalanche that lasted about 2 minutes. Within seconds the snow plume created by the ground impact drifted over us giving the appearance of a light snowfall. This was a very unique experience to see, being so close to a large avalanche, but Scott mentioned it is a common occurrence here at Base Camp."

More updates at Everest OnOrbit

Heretics at the AIAA

Statement by Robert Dickman - Senate Hearing on Reauthorizing the Vision for Space Exploration

"Use of the CEV to provide crew rotation for the International Space Station (ISS) is not projected after 2017, jeopardizing the opportunity to reach the full benefit of this unique research facility. There are alternatives to the Ares-Orion for access to the ISS, including commercial and government approaches. However, none will be available without additional funding."

Editor's note: It would seem that some of the occupants of the 9th floor at NASA HQ are not at all happy with what the Executive Director of the AIAA said on Capitol Hill this week. Calling for consideration of non-Ares launch solutions and alternative approaches other than those ordained by ESAS is tantamount to heresy in Mike Griffin's world view. Stay tuned.

Everest Update

On the way down, NASA Everest Trek Blog

"When we finally made it to base camp we were greeted by a very happy and active Scott Parazynski. He was bounding across the rocks as we were barely catching our breath. To see him so positive gave us all a lot of energy. We took a lot of pictures around base camp, and the Khumbu ice fall."

Today's Video: SCUBA Tanks and Rapid Prototype Development at ARC

Editor's note: NASA Ames Research Center has been developing the Modular Common Spacecraft Bus (MCSB). The MCSB is a spacecraft designed to go to a variety of destinations such as lunar surface/orbit, Mars orbit, asteroid missions, and Earth orbit. The MCSB uses a cold gas propulsion system (and some SCUBA tanks) rather than a hot gas rocket. This only allows a few seconds of flight time - but it also reduces the time needed to prepare for repeat flights from intervals of many days - even months - down to around 40 minutes. This allows rapid prototype development to be conducted. The video below shows a series of tests conducted in 2007 and 2008. More to follow.

Kicking A Bad Habit When It Comes To Space Paradigms

Bootstrapping the Moon, Dennis Wingo, SpaceRef

"In thinking about the how and the why of the economic development of space, mental frameworks are of crucial importance. A mental framework governs everything in terms of how any particular engineering project evolves from concept to implementation. Over time in the space arena our mental framework has evolved, in ways not all together positive from the perspective of those of us who believe that the economic development of space is practical and indeed crucial to the continuing development of our planetary civilization. This missive will explore the mental framework of economic development (the level zero requirement in government speak) and then explore how that would unfold."

VSE Hearing

Hearing: Reauthorizing the Vision for Space Exploration

Wednesday, May 7, 2008 09:30 AM Archived Webcast

Statement by Frederick Tarantino
Statement by Joan Johnson-Freese
Statement by Robert Dickman
Statement by Gene Kranz
Statement by George Whitesides

Editor's note: Gene Kranz is listed as representing the Coalition for Space Exploration as a witness at this hearing. Yet if you go to their website there is no mention of this hearing nor any mention of Kranz's participation in it. No press release or media advisory was issued in advance of the event. I am told that the Coalition spends $20,000 or more per month to run this website. I do not think they are getting their money's worth. The people in charge of this website are clearly asleep at the wheel.

Editor's update: The Coalition eventually updated their website so as to reflect Kranz's presence - but only after the hearing was over. They back dated it to make it look like it was posted at 9:30 am. So much for drawing attention to an event in advance, eh?

What To Do When VSE and ESAS Flop

Plan B For Outer Space, Dennis Wingo, SpaceRef

Those of us who were disappointed with the demise of SEI shared the frustrations that I am sure that Dr. Griffin shared and is trying to fix today with the ESAS architecture. NASA is furiously working to make the Ares 1 overcome its problems while also looking to the future in the development of the Ares 5 and the retirement of the Shuttle. However, there are many of us out here who were around then, I have written before, think the same forces that killed SEI are going to kill the ESAS architecture and Constellation systems.

Everest Update

Scott Parazynski Everest Update: 30 April 2008 - Back at Base Camp, EverestOnOrbit

"Keith Cowing 30 April 2008 10:20 pm EST: I just got a phone call from Scott Parazynski at Everest Base Camp. He reports that he and his team feel great and that they returned to Everest Base Camp yesterday from Camp II after a 4 day stay. This was their second rotation up to Camp II which is also known as Advanced Base Camp. Camp II is located at 6,065 meters (19,900 feet)."

1st Day's Trek, NASA Everest Trek

"Yesterday we started the trek to Mt. Everest. We took a small prop plane from Kathmandu to Lukla. It was a short forty minute flight. The landing was very interesting, as the runway was built into a mountain. There was a cliff on one side and a rock wall on the other."

Jack Schmitt Talks About A Return to the Moon

Reader note: "Dear NASA Watch, I thought some of the NASA Watch readers might be interested in the YouTube video(s) from a recent lecture by Jack Schmitt, head of the NASA Advisory Council. Jack spoke to a full house at an IMAX theater in Houston, fielded 40 minutes of questions, gave a lecture entitled "Return to the Moon: What it was like and what it will be like", and then fielded another 25 minutes of questions. Jack also signed copies of his book for 2.5 hours after the lecture events. I'd be glad to have half his stamina when I'm that age!"

http://www.spacecenterlectureseries.com/
http://www.spacecenterlectureseries.com/past.html

Earth's Smartest Person - Update

NASA's 50th Anniversary Lecture By Professor Stephen Hawking

"Even if we were to increase the international budget 20 times to make a serious effort to go into space, it would only be a small fraction of world GDP. There will be those who argue that it would be better to spend our money solving the problems of this planet, like climate change and pollution, rather than wasting it on a possibly fruitless search for a new planet. I am not denying the importance of fighting climate change and global warming, but we can do that and still spare a quarter of a percent of world GDP for space. Isn't our future worth a quarter of percent?"

NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale's Blog: Lecture by Professor Stephen Hawking

Hawking Lectures On Why Humans Should Go Into Space, Wired

Changing Travel Plans

Nepal bans reporting from Everest, BBC

"The Nepalese authorities have imposed a complete communication ban on journalists from the base camp upwards."

News blackout at Everest base camp, BBC

"We knew there were restrictions on satellite phones and video cameras but were now told that even pre-recorded radio material on non-political subjects would not be allowed. Nor would informal chats with the hundreds of mountaineers currently in the camp, the tourism ministry official, Prabodh Dhakal, said. If any mountaineer talked to the BBC, he or she would be expelled, he added."

Editor's 28 April note: Of course, I saw this coming too - it was inevitable.

Editor's 22 April note: To clarify a bit on my Everest trip since many of you have asked: less than 2 weeks from departure, after I had paid, my 25 day stay at Everest Base Camp was suddenly cut by the climbing guide company to 10 days (with no explanation) while the cost of getting there was more or less identical. I was given no basic information as to what electronic items I could/could not bring with me. I cancelled my trip with great reluctance (an understatement) due to lack of confidence in what I could expect once I arrived.

Editor's 4 April note: I will not be travelling to Everest Base Camp as I had planned. I cancelled the trip today. Long story - suffice it to say that there are significant logistics uncertainties that have arisen in the past week or so that persist and make the value of being there to observe and record somewhat limited.

Bulldozers On The Moon

Click on image to enlarge

Cat shoots for the moon - Company teams with NASA to build habitats, roads on lunar surface, Journal Star

"Caterpillar and NASA - the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - are getting closer to having the right earthmoving - er, moonmoving - equipment available to put on the moon in less than a decade to build habitats, roads and other infrastructure that could sustain life on the lunar surface. "We're pretty far along. I would say our partnership with Caterpillar is right on schedule," said Lucien Junkin, NASA's chief engineer of the Chariot project the two have been working on since 2006."

Editor's note: This is all very cool, but I can't seem to find the agreement or solicitation whereby this "partnership" between NASA and Caterpillar was put in place. Of course, it is certainly quite logicial for NASA to work with companies who already engage in many of the activities that will be performed on the moon. I am wondering why NASA has not made more public mention of this agreement and the interesting work it facilitates.

Video, Caterpillar (link is sometimes not functioning)

Editor's update: I have now learned that this partnership is the result of one of the NASA Innovative Partnership Program’s (IPP) FY 07 Seed Fund awards.

Yet Another Analog for Planetary Exploration

Editor's note: The 10 meter sailing vessel Berrimilla completed a circumnavigation of the world via Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope, (http://www.berrimilla.com) during which her crew, Alex Whitworth and Pete Crozier, linked up with the crew of the International Space Station.

As a result of this contact, Alex and Pete were invited by Leroy Chiao, who was the Commander of the ISS during their contacts, and Keith Cowing to give a presentation about Berrimilla's voyage to a Risk and Exploration Symposium at Louisiana State University (co-chaired by Leroy and Keith), using the voyage as a simple analog for a journey into deep space.

After the Symposium, in a bar on the edge of LSU Campus, Pascal Lee drew a map in Alex's notebook. This became an invitation to undertake another, rather more symbolic voyage through the North West Passage to link up with the Haughton-Mars Project on Devon Island in time to observe the total solar eclipse on 1 August 2008.

Editor's update: Leroy and I are a bit concerned about our friend Alex. Read the following words and imagine, instead of worrying about reaching Dutch Harbor, Alaska, that he is talking about Mars and the problems he and his crew mates are having getting back to base in a dust storm with a broken rover. Talk of remaining electrical power evokes Apollo 13 issues. All previous updates are online here.

Berrimilla Down Under Mars Status Report 27 April 2008

"We have a smidge over 4000 miles to Dutch. The next 700 or so of that is potentially windless. We may or may not have an engine. We have about 300 litres of diesel and 5 litres of oil. We need about 3.5 amps to run the computer and instruments. The airgen can carry that - mostly - when we have wind.

Really skinny but manageable as long as the engine lasts. If the engine really has the dickies, then it's a long sail with very limited comms and whatever the airgen will give us to run the systems. Water will definitely be a problem."

Send a message to the crew of Berrimilla - post in their "Gustbook"

Defenders Can Also Be Explorers

Afghanistan Heroes Offer to Colonize Moon, Mars and Beyond, LiveScience

"... on Wednesday I received an e-mail from SFC William H. Ruth of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division stationed somewhere in Afghanistan. Sgt. Ruth wrote in response to SPACE.com Senior Editor Tariq Malik’s story Monday about Prof. Stephen Hawking’s belief in extraterrestrial life and he has a suggestion for NASA"

When Apollo On Steroids Just Isn't Enough

Establishing the Vision for Space Exploration, Dennis Wingo, SpaceRef

"To those of us who have committed our lives to the proposition that the exploration and development of space as the means by which we can build a prosperous global civilization that will last far beyond our current limits to growth, recent events have a familiar and depressing feel. There is a principle in the entrepreneurial world that if you present a business plan to an investor that does not meet their criterion for funding, you dont get funded. The same principle applies to government spending with the congress, executive branch and the people fulfilling the role of the investor."

The Smartest Person Alive Speaks About Space Exploration

Stephen Hawking calls for Moon and Mars colonies

"Stephen Hawking called for a massive investment in establishing colonies on the Moon and Mars in a lecture in honour of NASA's 50th anniversary. He argued that the world should devote about 10 times as much as NASA's current budget - or 0.25% of the world's financial resources - to space."

Update From Everest Base Camp

Scott Parazynski Everest Update: 19 April 2008 - Heading for Camp 1

"19 April 2008 4:00 am EST. Update by Keith Cowing. I just got a satellite phone call from Scott Parazynski at Everest base Camp. He was expecting to leave a voice mail when I picked up the phone. We had a short chat during which he updated me on his stay. Scott and his team have been at Everest Base Camp at an elevation of 5,380 meters (17,700 ft) on the south side of Mt. Everest in Nepal for a week now."

Inspired by a Conference to Explore

Editor's note: The 10 meter sailing vessel Berrimilla recently completed a circumnavigation of the world via Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope, (http://www.berrimilla.com ) during which her crew, Alex Whitworth and Peter Crozier, linked up with the crew of the International Space Station. A number of interesting physical, psychological and planning similarities were apparent.

As a result of this contact, Alex and Peter were invited by Leroy Chiao, who was the Commander of the ISS during their contacts to give a presentation about Berrimilla's voyage to a Risk and Exploration Symposium at Louisiana State University (co-chaired by Leroy and Keith Cowing), using the voyage as a simple analogue for a journey into deep space.

After the Symposium, in a bar on the edge of LSU Campus, Pascal Lee drew a map in Alex's notebook and, perhaps foolishly, signed it.

This became an invitation to undertake another, rather more symbolic voyage through the North West Passage to link up with NASA's Haughton-Mars Project on Devon Island, which Pascal runs, in time to observe the total solar eclipse on August 1 2008.

Berrimilla Down Under Mars Status Report 18 April 2008

Listen up - Alex Right you lot - listen up and you can shout at me later. Some rather crudely potted philosophy - don't know whether I can get this into words that I like but it seems worth a go. I think I'm speaking for McQ here too, but she's asleep so can't ask her.

Lots of people have asked me why we do this. Are we mad, foolhardy, plain self indulgent or what are we trying to prove?? Lots and lots more people - more than I could count, if I ever cared - have said to me and Pete that they found the last one truly inspirational, fascinating, life changing - all that really good stuff, and they meant it.

POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 09:04

NRC Interim Report on ESMD

Review of NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program: An Interim Report

"On October 10-11, 2007, the committee held a general data-gathering meeting at which representatives from NASA headquarters briefed the members on the ETDP. The meeting was followed by site visits from subsets of the full committee to three NASA centers for detailed presentations on each of the 22 individual program projects. The results of the committee's study as of December 2007 are described in the present interim report. The committee's final report, described below, is planned for release in the summer of 2008."

Update From Axel Heiberg

McGill High Arctic Research Station (MARS) Status Report - Dale Andersen: 16 April 2008

"Here are a few more pictures and words for you regarding the CSA/McGill University Satellite system here at the CSA camp at Expedition Fiord on Axel Heiberg. Note that some engineering support was provided by NASA Ames - NASA Research and Engineering Network (NREN) engineer Ray Gilstrap. You can see him assembling one of the point to point wireless repeater bases we used."

When Smart People Make Dumb Suggestions

Demand for Europe space rethink, BBC

"Despite [Lord Martin Rees] views, though, Europe is pursuing a vigorous human spaceflight policy and has so far spent 5bn euros ($8bn; £4bn) on the space station. Just last week, Esa unveiled a campaign to recruit the European astronauts of tomorrow. Britain has also hinted at a change in its long-standing opposition to human space activities following several high-profile reports. One, a specially convened government advisory panel, suggested the UK's policy has damaged the country both scientifically and economically."

Editor's note: It would seem that Lord Martin is in a distinct minority in regard to his anti-human spaceflight stance. Besides, we all know what Dr. Who would say - and he is much more in tune with reality.

Yuri's Night Celebrated In The Middle of the Pacific

Berrimilla Down Under Mars Status Report 13 April 2008

"We spoke on the satphone to Leroy and Karen for Yuri's night. Interesting change of circumstances - when Pete and I first spoke to Leroy, he was up there hurtling around in his concatenation of tin cans and plumbers tubing and we were on a speaker phone in the Falklands, at Arlette Betts' house. This time, we were in the vee-hicle, by no means hurtling though, and Leroy and Karen were on the speaker phone."

Berrimilla Down Under Mars Status Report 12 April 2008

"One small sip............

One small sip for humankind, one huge sip for Yuri. We thought a Consultation in his memory at lunchtime would be appropriate and it was. We have 3 versions of Dr Cooper's medicinal compound this time - one brewed by Pete, one by Steve and one by Jasper - and we think that with proper abstemiousness (abstention? or maybe that's just for the pollies)the supply will get us to Dutch. There is a small quantity of emergency rocket fuel as well, just in case."

NASA Chariot Tests

NASA plans to test lunar truck near Moses Lake, Columbia Basin Herald

NASA will launch lunar vehicle to Moses Lake, AP

"Central Washington might not seem like a lunar landscape to some people, but NASA sees enough similarities with the moon that it plans to test a prototype of a lunar vehicle there this summer. NASA is preparing to send astronauts to the moon by 2020 to build a lunar outpost. As part of that preparation, it's testing a prototype of a 1 ton lunar truck called the Chariot. NASA expects to begin testing the vehicle near the Grant County ORV Park on June 2 or 3 and finish about two weeks later, said Lucien Junkin, a robotics engineer and the design lead with the Johnson Space Center."

Down Under Mars

Berrimilla Down Under Mars Status Report 11 April 2008

"Plodding north - we're 30 miles NE of Crowdy Head and a smidge north of Lord Howe Island, so this is the furthest north I have ever been in Berri in the Pacific but I hope we can keep breaking that little stat. Just making 3 kts into the current - swell not so bad, lovely morning. Satphone rigged and seems to be working. Time for some coffee and a wad. I dont think today will be a hundred miler. Will now have to do complicated maths to work out what time it is in Texas and Louisiana for Yuri's night phone calls. Everything seems to be working so far...just a bit slow on the hoof"

Setting A Good Example

More than the Moon, editorial Eric Sterner, Washington Times

"In short, the high visibility of returning to the moon offers an opportunity to build the kind of "soft-power" that serves America's long-term national interests. The reverse is also true. Having made the commitment, laid out a plan, and started to develop capabilities, changes in direction can only send a message of American inconstancy. Procrastination, especially for short-term budget considerations, can only undermine faith in American leadership and priority setting. Failure to execute can only send a message of incompetence."

VSE on 60 Minutes

"NASA is preparing to return its astronauts to the moon, in preparation for a future mission to Mars. Bob Simon reports. Sunday, April 6, at 7 p.m. ET/PT on 60 Minutes (video)"

The Next Giant Leap For Mankind (video), 60 Minutes, CBS

"From the mountains of Utah to the factory floors of Cleveland, from the space center in Houston to the marshes of Virginia, spacesuits are being tested, rockets are being fired, and capsules are being designed. The United States is once again aiming to launch astronauts to the moon and yes, even, to Mars."

More Than Good Rocket Science Is Needed at NASA

Mixed signals, editorial, Houston Chronicle

"It is unsettling that with time running out before the grounding of the shuttles, so much uncertainty remains, both with the Constellation replacement program and NASA employment projections. This, in fact, may be rocket science, but it seems the agency is sorely in need of some good old-fashioned long-term management and planning expertise."

Exploration Hearing Statements

Prepared Statement By Richard Gilbrech
Prepared Statement By Kathryn Thornton
Prepared Statement By Cristina Chaplain
Prepared Statement By Noel Hinners
Opening Statement By Chairman Mark Udall

"Thus, at a minimum, NASA needs to follow good program management practices and do its best to control costs, something the GAO witness will discuss. NASA also needs to do a better job of keeping Congress informed of its progress on critical initiatives, so we can determine if they are proceeding in the right way and on budget. In addition, it means that we need to make sure that NASA's Exploration program is structured in a way that ensures that the critical long-term exploration research and technology investments will be made."

Shake, Rattle, and Roll Report

NASA to Brief Media About Ares I Rocket Vibration Report

"NASA will host a media teleconference on Thursday, April 3, at 2:30 p.m. EDT to discuss findings from the Ares I thrust oscillation focus team. The team has been studying possible vibration concerns in the early designs of the new crew launch vehicle NASA is designing as part of the Constellation Program, which is building a spacecraft that will return humans to the moon by 2020."

An Interesting Hearing Ahead on the VSE

Hearing Charter: NASA's Exploration Initiative: Status and Issues

Live Webcast

"On Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 10:00 a.m., the House Committee on Science and Technology's Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics will hold a hearing to review the status of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Exploration initiative and examine issues related to its implementation.

Everest On Orbit Update

Scott Parazynski Everest Update: 3 April 2008 - Dingboche, Nepal

"Another wonderful but challenging day in the mountains! In an effort to get our bodies acclimatized to the thinner air of Everest Base Camp and above, we left our camp in Dingboche this morning and ascended a rather steep ridgeline above the valley, peaking at 16,400 feet above sea level."

Everest OnOrbit

Skydiving From The Edge Of Space

Media Advisory: Announcement of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Trophy 2008 winners and unveiling of Trophy Artifacts case

"Col. Joseph W. Kittinger Jr., 2008 Lifetime Achievement Trophy"

Joseph Kittinger, WIkipedia

On August 16, 1960 he made the final jump from the Excelsior III at 102,800 feet (31,330 m). Towing a small drogue chute for stabilization, he fell for 4 minutes and 36 seconds reaching a maximum speed of 614 mph (989 km/h) before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet (5,500 m).

Mountaineering and Climbing on Mars

Mountaineering and Climbing on Mars

"Initial human missions to Mars will be a precious commodity wherein a maximum amount of information is gathered by each crew. As was the case during innumerable terrestrial missions of exploration, the Martian terrain that visiting crews must traverse in order to gain an understanding will often be difficult. This is accentuated by the fact that Mars is a world of geology - one whose surface area is equal to dry surface on Earth. Human crews will be called upon to use a variety of skills and tools to traverse the Martian surface - including those often associated with hiking, mountaineering and technical climbing. While rovers and other mechanical devices will be employed, it should be assumed that skills commonly associated with rock climbing, caving, and mountaineering on Earth will also be required."

Everest OnOrbit

Doc Does Politico

Both parties should save space, opinion, Scott Horowitz, Politico

"Similar poll numbers characterize popular approval of NASA’s Constellation Program, which is designing and building the next generation of launch vehicles, Ares I and Ares V, as well as the spacecraft Orion and Altair to replace the space shuttle, return humans to the moon and travel to Mars and beyond."

Editor's note: Funny how Scott Horowitz neglects to mention in the short bio at the end that he is currently being paid by both NASA and ATK to work on the Ares 1 rocket. So much for full disclosure.

Everest OnOrbit Update

Scott Parazynski Everest Update: 1 April 2008 - Tengboche, Nepal

"I just got a satellite phone call from Scott in Nepal. He and his team are currently in Tengboche (altitude: 3,867m - 12,687ft) where it is now evening. They have been resting in Tengboche while their bodies acclimate to the altitude. Tomorrow morning (2 April) they will depart for Dingboche (alt: 4,530 m - 14,800 ft). Once there they will rest again to continue their process of acclimatization to ever increasing altitude."

More info at onorbit.com/everest

The Party Is Over at KSC

NASA: Up To 6,400 Job Losses at KSC When Shuttle Retires, Orlando Sentinel

"In the bleakest employment forecast for Kennedy Space Center yet, a NASA report due out on Tuesday estimates that as many as 6,400 contractors could lose their jobs at KSC by 2011 right after the space shuttle is retired. With no rockets to launch, the KSC workforce, whose primary mission is to prepare NASA spacecraft for liftoff, is expected to go from 8,000 contract jobs today to between 1,600 and 2,300 in 2011."

NASA To Hold News Briefing on the Space Shuttle to Constellation Workforce Transition Report

"NASA will hold a teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, April 1, to discuss a report to Congress on the agency's workforce strategy while transitioning from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program.

The briefing participants are:
- Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington
- Rick Gilbrech, associate administrator, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters"

ESMD's Revolving Door - Update

Ares I Vibration Problem Fixable, Aviation Week

"Horowitz, now an independent aerospace consultant whose clients include ATK, the Ares I first-stage contractor, and a "greybeard" advisor to NASA through the NASA Engineering and Safety Center, served on the tiger team that reviewed the thrust oscillation issue after it arose last fall. Garry M. Lyles, the senior NASA engineer who headed that review panel, is scheduled to brief Congress on his findings the week of March 31."

Earlier posts

ESMD's Revolving Door

ESMD's Revolving Door - Update

Everest OnOrbit Update

Scott Parazynski Everest Update: Day 8 - March 30, 2008 - Namche Bazar, Nepal (photos), OnOrbit.com

Scott Parazynski's Location: 31 March - 2 April 2008 (map)

"Scott Parazynski and his team left Namche Bazar on 31 March and headed to Tengboche. His team will spend a full day acclimatizing in Tengboche, and then depart on 2 April for Dingboche. The map below shows their general location."

Scott Parazynski Everest Update 28 March 2008, OnOrbit.com

"This morning I arose at 0530 to climb up to a high point above the village, where I saw Everest for the first time --- the sun rising dramatically from behind it. Huge swirling clouds over it and Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world, showed the power of the jet stream at those altitudes."

Everest OnOrbit

JSC's Moon Truck

Not a Mercury or Saturn, but It Goes Way Off Road, NY Times

"It turns on a dime and parallel-parks like a dream. On the downside, it’s a little pricey (at $2 million or so) and its top speed is a pokey 15 miles an hour. Still, there’s a lot to like about the concept car taking shape here at the Johnson Space Center. Did I say car? The new moon buggy conceived by space center engineers is anything but a car or a buggy. Its official name is Chariot, and this, my friends, is a truck. A heavy duty workhorse of a truck."

Living on Earth - Living on Mars

Six High-Tech Earth Cities That Will Provide Blueprints for Martian Settlers, io9.com

"If humans land on Mars by 2037 as NASA hopes, they'll need cities modeled on ones that already exist in extreme climates on Earth. Here are six high-tech (and a few low-tech) cities that would have a passing shot at survival in the Martian climate. Of course there are the obvious choices, like research stations in Antarctica. But there are other possibilities, like the instant city model developed at Black Rock City, home to arts festival Burning Man, which you can see here nestled in a Martian crater. And there are others potential Martian city models that might surprise you, like ones in Nunavut, Canada and in ancient Native American pueblos."

Everest OnOrbit Update

Scott Parazynski Everest Update 26 March 2008

"We depart for the KTM airport at 0500 local tomorrow to fly to Lukla, when the trek really begins. We met up as a full IMG team for the first time late this afternoon, and I just returned from our welcome dinner at a nearby rooftop garden restaurant."

Astronaut to Climb Everest for his Vacation, Wired

"Five time Space Shuttle Astronaut Scott Parazynski, 46, will be fulfilling a life long dream of climbing Mt. Everest "on his own time and on his own dime" this May. True to form, Parazynski's packing list would make any Shuttle commander proud, down to the weight in grams of everything he is taking with him."

Rocket Scientist Training, NASA Everest Trek

"Here's a training routine you can use if you want to be a rocket scientist"

Everest OnOrbit Timeline

"The following is a timeline for Scott Parazynski, Keith Cowing, and the NASA Everest Team treks to Everest Base Camp. This schedule is tentative and subject to revision."

More updates at Everest OnOrbit, OnOrbit.com

Today's Video: Everest Expedition 2008 Trailer

"Astronaut Scott Parazynski soon sets off for a new expedition. This time, he won't be leaving Earth."

Everest On Orbit Update

Astronaut Scott Parazynski's Everest Journal: Leavin' on that 2:16 plane to Katmandu

"OK, so Gladys Knight has a better knack for lyrics, but I'm about to depart on a pilgrimage today that I've been dreaming of (and preparing for) my entire life --- a trip that I hope will take me all the way to the summit of Mount Everest."

What Gear Does An Astronaut Bring to Climb Mt. Everest?

Editor's note: Scott left for Nepal on Sunday. I leave on 18 April. That said, Scott's gear database is 95% similar to what I will be bringing - except that my gear (in terms of insulated clothing) will be adequate for nearby ascents we'll be making up to 20,000 feet. Scott is headed for 29,000 feet at -40F above more than half of Earth's atmosphere. He'll be standing in the jet stream.

Scott is also a bit more weight (up mass) conscious than I am. I am bringing a lot of electronic gear and will have two porters carrying my gear. At first I felt like a total wimp (I have climbed 1,000 foot cliffs) to pay someone to carry my stuff. It costs USD $250 to get a duffel bag (I will have 2) to Everest Base Camp and back. Alas, I live at sea level so I am just going to shut up and accept the situation.

Then I learned that this number just also happens to be the average annual income for someone in Nepal. As such, I am inclined to think of more things to carry up - and perhaps more porters to pay. I'll also be spending a week or so by myself in a desperately poor third world country trekking at high altitude with two porters and a Sherpa with minimal English skills.

It is truly another world that Scott, I, and others will be entering even before we reach Everest Base Camp.

NASA Everest Trek Team Biographies

Team NASA Everest Gear

The Team NASA Everest Gear Store is now online at Cafepress. Team NASA Everest is a group of 18 NASA employees led by EVA flight controller Sabrina Singh who will be trekking in to Everest Base Camp in the first week of May.

Team NASA Everest Trek Team Biographies

Why Bother Exploring

Mars plan is lost in space, opinion, Washington Times

"As I read the plans to bring back rock samples from Mars and build bases on the moon, a few questions come to mind. First, how much do we really want to know about other planets and heavenly bodies? As an extreme example, take Phobos, the moon of Mars. Phobos is a large rock. Photos at reasonable resolution are clearly of scientific value, as would be determination of the type of rock. Beyond that, what is worth knowing? It"s a rock."

Odyssey Moon RFI Released

Odyssey Moon - Request for Information for a Payload Flight Opportunity on the Odyssey Moon "MoonOne" (M-1) Lunar Lander

"Odyssey Moon Limited (OML) is a private commercial lunar enterprise offering lunar services and products to aid humanity's sustained return to the Moon. Odyssey Moon will be sending a series of small robotic missions to the Moon in support of science, exploration and commerce in the coming decade. In December 2007, the company was unveiled as the first official competitor for the Google Lunar X PRIZE. It was also announced that mission design work had begun by the company's prime contractor, MDA Space Missions of Canada."

Everest OnOrbit Update

Everest OnOrbit 2008: An Overview

"Scott Parazynski leaves for Nepal on 23 March 2008 to climb Mt. Everest asa non-guided member of the International Mountain Guides (IMG) group composed of Scott, Adam Janikowski, Kami Sherpa and Ang Namgya Sherpa. The summit window extends (approximately) from the second to the third week in May - although it can be a little earlier - or later - depending on weather - and "traffic" on the mountain. Sabrina Singh will lead Team NASA to Everest Base Camp in early May."

Editor's note: Everyone going on this trip is paying 100% of their total costs and is going on vacation time.

Facebook Group
Twitter Feed
Everest OnOrbit, OnOrbit.com

Thoughts on Marburger's Speech

Marburger's Speech, Selenian Boondocks

"For a short duration before Griffin got in as NASA's Administrator, NASA was actually acting in a way to more fully fulfill mandate to "promote commercial as well as international participation "to further U.S. scientific, security, and economic interests." Under the guidance of O'Keefe and Steidle, NASA setup several billion dollars worth of "Human and Robotic Technologies" research to help develop and field the technologies that would allow it to more effectively achieve its exploration goals. It was set to operate its exploration architecture in a way to leverage to the maximum extent possible existing and future commercial capabilities. To act as though NASA can't do that is to ignore the fact that that was its very plan up until Griffin took the reigns."

A Peek Inside White House Thinking on Space?

Address by OSTP Director John Marburger at the Goddard Memorial Symposium

"I agree completely with the third point about international collaboration and the opportunity for United States leadership, but there are phrases in the other points that make me uneasy. Yes, it is time to go beyond LEO with people as explorers. But no, the purpose of sustained human exploration is not "to go to Mars and beyond." The purpose of sustained human exploration is, as the second point states "to serve national and international interests." And I think of those interests as much broader than simply going somewhere and coming back. Our current space exploration policy says "The fundamental goal of this vision is to advance U.S. scientific, security, and economic interests through a robust space exploration program." Exploration that is not in support of something else strikes me as somehow selfish and unsatisfying, and not consistent with the fact that we are using public funds for this enterprise, no matter how small a fraction of the total budget they may be."

Write Your Own VSE

Return to Luna: A Short Story Science Fiction Contest by the National Space Society

"WE ARE LOOKING FOR: Science Fiction stories that show the adventure of lunar settlement. We want to feel the romance of life there, the wonder of the lunar frontier, of its magnificent desolation. We prefer near future (50 to 150 years from now), realistic stories about human lunar settlement. We want good characterization and well-written, tight prose. We want to feel what it's like to live on the Moon."

Looking Ahead

Remarks at 3rd Annual Space Exploration Conference by NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale

"So let me make this point clear. There's more than a vision at NASA. There's a program, a plan, and a clear direction for the future. Today, NASA is well engaged with the work to build the spacecraft, launch vehicles and space systems, and define the exploration strategy that will enable the establishment of a lunar outpost in the 2020s. We will honor our commitment to our partners and finish assembly of the International Space Station with the Space Shuttle fleet, while building a 21st century space transportation system for humans, the Orion crew exploration vehicle, that will make its first flight to the space station by 2015 and first mission to the Moon by 2020."

Alt.VSE Meeting Postscript: No One From NASA Took Notes

NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Responses to Questions from NASA Watch Feb. 27, 2008

"Q: Did NASA pay for any civil servants and/or contractors to attend the Stanford University meeting "Examining the Vision - Balancing Science and Exploration" meeting last week? If so which civil servants and/or contractors attended? What contracts and/or projects was this travel and work time charged to? Are these attendees required to prepare a trip report or summary of their activities in connection with this meeting? Will any such reports be made available to the media?

A: Three NASA employees are listed: Brian Muirhead of JPL and Chris MacKay and Russ Kerschmann of Ames Research Center. NASA's Constellation Program funded Muirhead's travel. MacKay and Kerschmann did not incur travel expenses."

Editor's note: NASA employees attending a meeting in an official capacity - one of great interest to the 9th floor - yet NO ONE filed a trip report, wrote a memo, or conveyed ANYTHING to management as to what they did - or what was said?

Exploration Conference Charts

3rd Space Exploration Conference Briefing Materials Online

"The American institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), in collaboration with NASA, is pleased to announce that the Third Space Exploration Conference will be held February 26-28, 2008 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. After each panel concludes, panelists' briefings will be made available here in PDF format."

Editor's note: I will be curious to see how much of what Steve Cook has placed on the chart "Some Ares I "Myths" Debunked" in his presentation he still stands by in six months given internal documents that show how his program is seeking to reduce and/or eliminate much of the Development Flight Instrumentation (DFI) on the Ares I-X flight test.

Official NASA Constellation Propaganda Makes it to YouTube

Editor's note: This is one instance where using professional announcers would have been preferable to sticking NASA engineers in front of a camera simply because of their management position. Or at least find some people at NASA who can speak without mumbling. Someone should also rewrite the script so as to scrub out the acronyms and the awkward NASAspeak such as "we expend the ascent stage". No one in the real world "expends" anything. However, they do "discard" or "throw things away".

Reader note: Also included in the lists of NASASpeak: "Foam 'liberates' from the ET."  Come on now NASA, it "breaks off" !!

Google Lunar X Prize Grows

The X PRIZE Foundation Announces Official Contenders in Private Moon Race

"The X PRIZE Foundation and Google, Inc. today announced the first ten teams to register for the Google Lunar X PRIZE, a robotic race to the Moon to win a remarkable $30 million in prizes. This international group of teams will compete to land a privately funded robotic craft on the Moon that is capable of roaming the lunar surface for at least 500 meters and sending video, images and data back to the Earth."

ESMD Responds to Ares and Orion Questions

NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Responses to Questions from NASA Watch Feb. 20, 2008

Q: Has NASA directed civil servants and/or contractor personnel to look at Orion CEV designs that would be limited flying a crew of 4 to the ISS?

A: No.

Remembering an Explorer

Fossett Remembered for Daredevil Spirit, AP

Steve Fossett: The Times obituary, Times Online

"Steve Fossett made a fortune as a commodities broker in Chicago before embarking on a second career as an adventurer and record setter. He vanished while piloting an aircraft over the Nevada desert. He took off from Yerington, Nevada, on September 3, 2007, on what should have been a three-hour flight. But despite a huge search neither he nor his aircraft was seen again."

Stanford VSE Update Meeting: Yawn

Editor's note: Nothing of substance was discussed. Nothing of substance was decided. The VSE is safe - for now. Mike Griffin got all worked up about this meeting - for nothing.

Alas, Scott Horowitz was rather forceful in his defense of the VSE - often profane in doing so. Not exactly the best salesman NASA could put forth in such an environment - officially or unofficially.

Next.

Space Experts Say: Restore Funding and Enhance International Outreach to Put Humans on Mars While Sustaining NASA's Science Mission, Planetary Society

"This workshop achieved a consensus that NASA's resources have not been commensurate with its mandated missions of exploration and science," said G. Scott Hubbard, former director of NASA's Ames Research Laboratory in Mountain View, California, and a consulting professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford."

Editor's update: Wow. How profound. NASA needs more money.

Attendees
Agenda

VSE Upgrade Update

Media Briefing on Examining the Vision Workshop

"Journalists are invited to attend a Post Workshop Briefing about "Examining the Vision: Balancing Science and Exploration" on Thursday, February 14, 2008, in person in Menlo Park, California or via telecon. The Planetary Society and the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University will host the two-day, invitation-only workshop, "Examining the Vision: Balancing Science and Exploration," February 12-13."

Experts to Discuss U.S. Space Plan, NY Times

"In an interview last week, Dr. Griffin said: "We spent three years reassessing the policy and codifying it. Changing it now? I think that's just stupid." He has suggested that some of the opposition is a sour-grapes effort by aerospace contractors who wanted a second shot at rich contracts. But, he said last week, "We don't change space policy in the United States very often -- if so, you can't get anything done." ... Dr. Friedman said he was dismayed by the sharpness of NASA's reaction, since members of the workshop are "people who have worked with NASA for years, instead of against it."

Examining the Vision - Balancing Science and Exploration, earlier post
Goodbye VSE - Hello USSEP, earlier post
Alt.VSE Update, earlier post
Revising the VSE: Keeping Our Eyes On The Prize, earlier post
ALT.VSE: Reinventing Bush's Vision for Space Exploration, earlier post

Yawn - Its The Coalition for Space Exploration

Coalition for Space Exploration Official Statement Regarding the White House's FY 2009 Budget Request for NASA

"The Administration's $17.6 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2009 keeps NASA on course for completing the International Space Station and retiring the space shuttle on time in 2010. In addition, the proposal allows for full funding of the Constellation Program's Orion spacecraft and Ares I launch vehicle, with an eye toward the first test flights in 2008 and 2009, respectively."

Editor's note: In one sentence the Coalition says that the budget keeps everything funded and then moments later they suggest that more money would be nice. Well which is it? They also took 2 days to issue this "release" while every other organization under the sun had one out within hours. Meanwhile, their website still points to their other (previous) website at http://www.spaceadvocate.com/ which was taken away from them by some Turkish telemarketer. (7 Feb Update: they finally removed this link - but have never explained publicly what happened). The company (Griffin Marketing) that runs this activity gets something like $20,000 a month. The coalition itself gets about $1 million a year from aerospace companies. Given this obvious lackluster performance, I have to ask: just what value does the Coalition for Space Exploration actually provide?

ARC Gets De facto Lead on Lunar Science

NASA Names Interim Lunar Science Institute Director

"David Morrison has been appointed interim director of the NASA Lunar Science Institute, based at the Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., effective immediately. A nationwide search for a permanent director is under way."

NASA budget includes $80 million lunar satellite project for Ames center, San Jose Mercury News

"The federal space program's proposed budget solidifies NASA's Ames Research Center as the center for studying the moon. The budget, released today, includes $80 million for the development of a satellite to study what little atmosphere the moon has. The satellite will be developed and built at the center at Moffett Field and set to launch sometime in 2013 to 2014. "We are now basically the lead agency for lunar science," said S. Pete Worden, director of NASA/Ames, after the announcement."

Branding the VSE And/Or USSEP

Acceptance Slow for Bush's Space Plan, Washington Post

"Four years after President Bush called for Americans to return to the moon and then voyage on to Mars, NASA is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to design, build and test the spacecraft that would make it possible. But the effort has yet to capture the public's imagination as the Apollo project did in the 1960s, something tacitly acknowledged recently when NASA hired a New York advertising firm to help "brand" the program, now dubbed Constellation."

50 Years Of American Space Exploration

PBS host kicks off space festivities, Huntsville Times

Video: Flags are flying at the new Davidson Center for Space Exploration, Huntsville Times

Tonight we celebrate 50 years in space, Huntsville Times

"Presence of von Braun, team will be great at Davidson event. When the city last saw him, he stood on the floor of the Von Braun Civic Center, the new $15 million arena that was named for him. Like most every event Wernher von Braun attended, he was the man who energized the crowd, the star attraction."

Goodbye VSE - Hello USSEP

From: advanced-capabilities-bounces@lists.hq.nasa.gov
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:49 AM
To: advanced-capabilities@hq.nasa.gov
Subject: [advanced-capabilities] New title for VSE

New Policy:

The Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) title has been changed to the

"U.S. Space Exploration Policy"

Please take note of the new title and refrain from using VSE in letters, presentations, etc.

Distant Memorials

Constructing the Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial Inukshuk on Devon Island

"On Wednesday, 18 July 2007, Leroy Chiao, Matt Reyes, myself and a group of Inuit students constructed a memorial inukshuk on Devon Island to honor the crew of Space Shuttle Challenger."

Arctic Memorials and Starship Yearnings

"Our task was a somewhat solemn one. We were here to erect a memorial to Columbia astronaut Michael Anderson. Two memorials have already been erected by members of the HMP Team. The memorials take the form of an inukshuk, a stone sculpture in rough human form used by the Inuit to mark territory. These stone structures serve as reference points for those who traverse this desolate place."

Alt.VSE Update

Scientists Hope to Adjust the President's Vision for Space, Science (subscription)

"When U.S. President George W. Bush laid out his plan for a revamped civilian space program in January 2004, he said it would provide "a great and unifying mission for NASA." That expansive vision included a launcher to replace the shuttle, a lunar base, and a slew of robotic missions to the moon and Mars that would put smiles on the faces of even the most skeptical planetary scientists. But 4 years later, that vision has instead triggered a civil war among competing interests within the space community. Some space researchers want to delay the launcher and a lunar base to protect the stalled science budget, whereas industry lobbyists are pressing hard to speed up those schedules."

50 Years Ago Today

First U.S. Satellite a Triumph of American Ability and Vision, AIA

NASA JPL Explorer 1 website

Explorer I Resolution Introduced to Commemorate 50th Anniversary of the Birth of the U.S. Space Program

"January 31, 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the first U.S. satellite - Explorer I - and the dawn of the U.S. space program. Leaders of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology marked that anniversary with the introduction of a U.S. House Resolution late yesterday remembering the landmark day and the remarkable advances the U.S. space program has yielded."

The following 4 videos offer different views of the launch and mission of Explorer 1. In the first video, MSgt. Stuart Queen talks about the Explorer 1 launch: "as a giant rocket was catapaulted into outer space".

Another video

NASA: Explorer 1 -- JPL and the Beginnings of the Space Age

First U.S. Satellite launched - newsreel

Taking Space Exploration to the Broader Exploration Community

Scott Parazynski at the Explorers Club: The Story of the International Space Station and the Mother of all Roadside Service Calls

"Tonight, The Explorers Club invites you to join Dr. Parazynski as he takes you along on one of the most dangerous spacewalks in NASA's history: enduring seven hours and 19 minutes of time working in the vacuum of space while risking potential electrical shock, sharp objects that could puncture his spacesuit and a long journey back to the safety of the station."

Revising the VSE: Keeping Our Eyes On The Prize

Editor's note: An effort to examine alternate approaches to NASA's current Vision for Space Exploration has been in the news of late. For every one of these efforts that makes the news, several others - also involving people of equal stature within the space community - are also underway albeit without nearly as much fanfare.

NASA will have a hard time arguing with some of the logic that enters into and emerges out of these activities. Some alternate architectures will be mostly science-driven whereas the VSE is destination/Presidential decree-driven. Some will be a hybrid - with commerical goals included.

All approaches will have merits. All will have weaknesses.

To be honest, I am a bit agnostic about the specific destinations so long as the policy is inherently logical, linked to a firm budget, politically realistic, linked to commercial opportunities, and harnessed to engineering reality - so long as the endpoint is expansion away from Earth in a self-perpetuating and sustaining fashion. If done properly, we'll eventually get to visit everything.

If we reset the VSE every election cycle I am a bit afraid that each reiteration will be weaker than the previous one - and that NASA will be (rightly) accused of having attention deficit disorder.

However, forces are aligning that seek to refine/replace George Bush's VSE - and there is not much NASA can do about this if the notion catches on - especially if this effort has the support of one or more of Bush's prospective successors.

The legacy we all should be thinking about leaving behind as we dabble in alternate visions must be how vibrant the notion of a "vision" for space exploration is. And in so doing, we must assure that whatever vision emerges and moves forth to become our nation's next iteration of space exploration quidance is able to morph and adapt to changing circumstances - such that the core notion of exploration and moving forward - and outward - is always retained.

Moon Stuck, Aviation Week

Letter to the Editor Regarding Aviation Week Article "Moon Stuck"

Examining the Vision - Balancing Science and Exploration (Draft agenda, speakers)

"10:00 - 11:30 Panel: Space Science as Exploration Moderator: Len Fisk Panelists: Wes Huntress, John Klineberg, Doc Horowitz, Owen Garriott"

Alt.VSE Update

Dissent Grows as Scientists Oppose NASA's New Moon Mission, Popular Mechanics

"NASA's current plan for manned space exploration focuses on establishing a base on the moon, as a vital stepping stone for a visit to Mars. The initiative has been trumpeted by the Bush administration, which wants the first mission to launch by 2020. But trouble is brewing as a growing group of former mission managers, planetary scientists and astronauts argues against any manned moon mission at all. One alternative, they say: Send astronauts to an asteroid as a better preparation for a Martian landing."

ESAS 101 For Dummies

NASA Administrator Mike Griffin's Remarks to the Space Transportation Association (with audio)

"Today's topic is motivated by the inquiries I've had lately, in one forum or another, concerning various aspects of NASA's post-Shuttle spaceflight architecture. None of the questions is new, and all of them were elucidated during our Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS)... But more than two years have gone by, and the logic behind the choices we made has receded into the background. People come and go, new questioners lacking subject matter background appear, and the old questions must be answered again if there is to be general accord that NASA managers are allocating public funds in a responsible fashion."

Griffin Gets Snarky at DC Breakfast

Editor's note: I just find it curious that Mike Griffin can get so thin skined as to refer to my question's tone as being "pejorative" and then be snide and insulting in response when I declined to "remove that tone" - and then turn around and say - using a pejorative term - that his employee "screwed up" a moment later. Gee Mike, I know I'm not a pleasant person to interact with, but isn't there a more professional way you could have characterized Jeff Hanley's actions?

Mike Griffin speaks and takes questions at the Space Transportation Association Breakfast, 22 January 2008, Washington DC

Cowing: Last week I asked a question of ESMD Public Affairs about whether the Ares 1-Y flight had been delayed. They replied "NASA has not announced a 12 month postponement of any Ares or Orion test flights and has no plans to do so". Yet several days before that. Jeff Hanley, the Constellation program manager, wrote a memo that said exactly that - that he had internal plans and changes and that the Ares 1-Y had been shifted by one year. Now, are you going to be shifting the launch of Ares 1-Y and if not, why is your Constellation Program Manager announcing this to more than 80 people within the agency?

Griffin: Well, if you could take the pejorative tone out of your voice I'll actually try and answer your question.

Cowing: No ... I'm not going to remove it.

Griffin: You're not going to remove the pejorative tone from your voice?

Cowing: No sir.

Griffin: I guess you're not capable of it. Um .. I'll answer your question.

Um, actually, Jeff screwed up.

We normally like our program managers, when they are ready to announce a delay or a re-phasing of the program (becaus