Schedule

1. Schedule • Today: Exploration • Tuesday Oct 28th: Weathering • Oct 30th: Slopes and Mass Movement Aqueous Processes • Nov 4th: Papers due, Atmospheres • Nov 6th: Aeolian Processes • Nov 13th: Exam 2

2. Exploration

3. How did we get where we are? • Shuttle is retired • Orion and heavy launch are years way from flight • Money is tight • Human Mars exploration is a distant dream

4. Werner Von Braun • Werner Von Braun was a brilliant, charismatic leader • From a wealthy noble family • Got interested in space exploration as a teenager • Got his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering at 22 (Hitler signed his Ph.D. paperwork) • Ran the German rocket program at 24 • A lifelong committed space-cadet

5. Rockets became the German version of the Manhattan Project. • Scaling up from the simple rockets of the 30’s to something that can travel in space was tough • Guidance • Stability • Rocket control • Engines • Pumps • Supersonic dynamics • High-G forces

7. When the first V-2 hit London von Braun remarked to his colleagues, "The rocket worked perfectly except for landing on the wrong planet."

8. When the first V-2 hit London von Braun remarked to his colleagues, "The rocket worked perfectly except for landing on the wrong planet."

10. When the first V-2 hit London von Braun remarked to his colleagues, "The rocket worked perfectly except for landing on the wrong planet."

11. Built: 6048 • Launched: 3225 • UK Killed: 2754 • Belgium Killed: ~ 3700 • German Killed: ~ 20,000 • With the resources required for the V2 the Germans could have built 48,000 tanks • Belgium 1664 • Antwerp (1610) • Liege (27) • Hasselt (13) • Tournai (9) • Mons (3) • Diest (2) • Britain 1402 • London (1358) • Norwich (43) • Ipswich (1) • France 76 • Lille (25) • Paris (22) • Tourcoing (19) • Arras (6) • Cambrai (4) • Holland: Maastricht 19 • Germany: Remagen 11

13. Operation Paperclip

14. Ended up leading the Army rocket development program in Huntsville AL • His group developed the rocket that put the first US satellite into orbit • His rockets carried the first astronauts into space

15. Von Braun’s Vision • In the 50’s he wrote a series of articles on the future in space. • He wanted to go to Mars. His plan was…. • Build a shuttle • Build a space Station • Build a big s/c in orbit • Fly to Mars

16. The idea was very direct… • Lift-off Mass: 7000 tons • Up Cargo Mass: 36 tons to 1075-mile polar orbit • Flight Rate: 4 launches per day from 2 pads on Johnston Island • Turn-Around Time: ~5 days • Assemble a fleet of s/c in low Earth orbit.

17. The orbit chosen would have put the space station in the Van Allen belts (unknown at the time) • Cosmic Rays • Working in space • Cost: • Von Braun’s estimate for Total Program Cost to 1967: ~$25B in FY03 $ (includes Space Station) • US military services spent about $220B on rocket technology in 1951-63 • NASA spent another ~$135B on Apollo • ~$30B on Shuttle development, Shuttle ops is $50 billion so far • Station is running about $40 billion

18. This would have required about 7000 tons in LEO.

19. Our view of Mars was much different then… • Much thicker atmosphere • “Canals”, vegetation, and primitive animal life.

20. Knowledgeable scientists even criticized this artist for making Mars too bleak….

21. The first part of the vision • In the 50’s NASA was created out of a tiny agency that did research in aeronautics and a collection of rocket research groups. • This was mostly in response to what the Russians were doing….. • Von Braun’s group was by far the most experienced rocket builders in the US • In the 60’s NASA had a Presidential mandate to go to the Moon. This = lots of money. • Von Braun’s group built the Saturn rockets that got people to the Moon

22. Post-Apollo • After Apollo Von Braun was NASA’s chief of advanced planning. • Von Braun’s vision of manned missions to Mars became the unstated policy shuttlestationbig s/c assembled in orbitfly to Mars • But, this is massively expensive and there was no national consensus to spend the money • What NASA did was try to do a piece at a time….first the Space Shuttle.

23. What was wrong with Shuttle? • It was, after all, built by committee…. • The need to accommodate ALL payloads • The payload bay was much larger than NASA wanted • Program designed for a launch rate of 24/year • Military Considerations • RAPID descent…very high heat loading • Cross-track landing…big delta wings, need for low-density heat shielding • Reusability • The tiles were hugely maintenance intensive. Very high maintenance costs • 5 person-days per tile….!

24. One piece at a time…. • Shuttle done, the next piece was Space Station, but funding was iffy. • For station, Reagan gave the go-ahead against unanimous advice of his cabinet. • But the money was still not there…

25. What Does NASA Spend Its Money On ? • Space Ops $4.3 Billion • Exploration $3.8 Billion • Technology $0.6 Billion • Education $0.14 Billion • Science $5.1 Billion • Aeronautics $0.5 Billion • NASA Centers $3.5 Billion

26. Bush’s initiative in context • Back in 2004 Bush redirected NASA to the Moon, then Mars • What Bush did was cut the cord on Von Braun’s vision • For some time people realized that the way to Mars was NOT thru shuttle, station, etc. • Bush redirected NASA to start with the Moon..

27. The Bush plan was to build a new series of rockets to replace the shuttle, then go to the Moon, then Mars

28. Bush’s initiative in context • But, the passage of time has not made going to Mars is not any less expensive and Bush did not provide any more money • The Ares I and V launchers were estimated to cost $32 billion to develop • Going someplace is extra… • Each Orion launch was expected to cost $1 billion.

30. Obama was left with the bill… • In fact, the “Bush” initiative did not ramp up until right after he left office…. • It required his successor to significantly increase NASA funding. • Obama started a new study which showed that there was no money to develop or run Ares. • His approach is to get private companies to develop the launchers

31. The current plan is… • Really no plan…… • Spend $6 billion on commercial launchers to supply ISS • Build the Orion spacecraft for some unspecified future mission to fly on some unspecified future launcher. • Make a decision on a heavy launcher in 2015. But that is estimated to cost ~$30 Billion

32. The reality is…. • If you want people on Mars….that is $7-10 billion/yr extra forever. • The reality is that nobody is going anywhere without a major national and international commitment. • That is not in the cards right now….