2013 Key Issues Review:Enabling Sustained Deep Space Exploration with a Broad Vision

Congressional Visits Day Preparatory Briefing TeleconferencesFebruary 14, 21, 28 and March 7, 2013

Phil Hattis, Space Policy Subcommittee Chair

The Issue

• Human and robotic exploration beyond Earth orbit has great scientific, technological, and cultural significance

• Leadership inspires STEM careers and technology advancements with economic, national security, and social benefits· Sustaining leadership requires on-going achievements in

which each generation can take some ownership• Continued exploration success requires that the following

challenges be tackled cost-effectively· Reliable and progressively more capable transportation· Fully synergistic human and robotic operations· Means to counter adverse effects on humans of space

radiation and micro-gravity de-conditioning· Power generation to meet deep space exploration needs

• Resources made available for deep space exploration must be wisely applied toward well-conceived goals

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) will evolve to enable

progressively more ambitious missions

The Orion Vehicle will support resumed human operations beyond Earth orbit

Pictures Courtesy NASA

The long-term goal is to add footprints to the rover tracks already on Mars

AIAA Recommendations

• Address both fundamental science and human aspirations· Pursue long-term, visionary objectives· Have meaningful milestones every decade that each result in significant achievements

• Complete development of launch systems that enable human access beyond low Earth orbit• Allocate some resources to advancing in-space propulsion

· Enable more efficient cargo delivery· Facilitate faster human crew transits

• Apply synergistic robotic/human capabilities to push the exploration envelope• Develop a spectrum of power generation technologies for deep space missions

· Resume Pu-238 production to power future outer-planet missions - combine this with advanced Stirling-cycle radioisotope generators that use much less Pu-238

• Fully address radiation and micro/partial gravity challenges that impact human deep space missions· Investigate counter measures and mitigation methods

• Pursue productive international collaborations· Sustain US exploration leadership in key areas including for technologies with national security benefits

2013 Key Issues Review:Complete Public/Private Human Earth-Orbit Access Programs in a Timely Manner

Congressional Visits Day Preparatory Briefing TeleconferencesFebruary 14, 21, 28 and March 7, 2013

Phil Hattis, Space Policy Subcommittee Chair

• The US has no current means to launch people to Earth orbit from its own territory· Only the Soyuz now provides US crew access to the International Space Station

(ISS) - at rising costs with each access purchase cycle· The cost of Soyuz use is now approaching $70 million per seat

• NASA resources are now being cost shared with commercial crew vehicle development teams under Public/Private Partnerships (PPPs)· The Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) program began in late 2012

with about $1 billion of NASA money being applied over close to two years and spread over three vehicle developers

· Nearly $30 million was also recently awarded to address crew safety certification· Each vehicle developer is putting in large financial contributions of its own· Congressional funding constraints on the commercial crew initiative led NASA to

limit the current program to completion of critical design reviews rather than running through initial vehicle flight demonstration

• Another development phase after the current CCiCap contracts will be needed to get to a commercial crew flight capability· The program completion schedule will be driven by available sponsorship

resources

The SpaceX Dragon would launch crews using the Falcon 9

Courtesy SpaceX

The SNC Dream Chaser and Boeing

CST-100 would launch crews using the Atlas 5

Courtesy SNC

Courtesy Boeing

The Issue

AIAA Recommendations

• Enough government resources should be applied each year to the PPPs to enable operational commercial crew vehicles by 2017· Further delay of the initial commercial crew operations is false economy

because of the continued, and rising costs to the government of using Soyuz

• Well-conceived human rating/licensing requirements/regulations should be formulated to assure safety while accommodating design and testing innovation· Imposing traditional “human rating” processes may preclude development and

operational cost efficiencies that can be enabled by innovative commercial practices

• Congress should facilitate sustained protection of commercial crew developers’ proprietary information to maximize incentives for private investment in the commercial development of human Earth orbit access