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Hello! My name is Ian O'Neill and I've been writing for the Universe Today since December 2007. I am a solar physics doctor, but my space interests are wide-ranging. Since becoming a science writer I have been drawn to the more extreme astrophysics concepts (like black hole dynamics), high energy physics (getting excited about the LHC!) and general space colonization efforts. I am also heavily involved with the Mars Homestead project (run by the Mars Foundation), an international organization to advance our settlement concepts on Mars. I also run my own space physics blog: Astroengine.com, be sure to check it out!
In an effort to bring the space news efforts from the Internet to the radio, I have my own little radio show every Wednesday!
I’ve been a regular guest on Paranormal Radio with Captain Jack (his awesome show will start immediately after mine, so stay tuned) for a few months now and it looks like they enjoy what I have to say and gave me this two hour slot each week!
I’m really excited about the possibilities this opens up as it is a great way to promote not only articles on the Universe Today and my space science blog Astroengine.com, but the whole space blogosphere. Key to this will be a regular slot for the Carnival of Space where a superb collection space news can be found on the finest space blogs. So, I hope to give the CoS good coverage each week, starting with the 80th week of the Carnival (I’m looking at you Ethan!)…
Keep up to date with the Astroengine Live schedule and how to listen in »
Astroengine Live actually started last week, but due to technical teething problems I was unable to archive the episode. If you did listen in, you would have heard me getting all excited about the possibilities for the International Space Station and the future of manned space flight, but I’ll be sure to give a quick run-down of last week’s show today.
I’m still trying to find my way with doing a live show and as the set-up is pretty basic at the moment (I can’t interview guests or have phone-ins), but this will change in the not-so-distant future.
So, if you fancy listening in today, the show starts at 4pm PST (7pm EST/midnight GMT).
To Listen Live:
Use your standard streaming audio player » Or visit WPRT Radio for more information »
Contact Me:
Send any emails about any space/science related news to: [email protected] and I’ll try to give it a mention!
Note: I also have my own theme tune! It’s based on Crystal Method’s “High Roller” that rocked anyway, but it’s now the foundation of Astroengine Live! So if anything, tune into the first 5 minutes to hear what the excellent WPRT team have created for me!
Hemorrhaging the NASA budget? Stern cites the MSL as a prime example of damaging overspending (NASA)
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It is rare you’ll see such a high-ranking ex-NASA official being so blunt with his criticism of the US space agency. Alan Stern resigned as associate administrator on April 11th this year under a cloud of controversy after it was reported the Mars Exploration Rover budget would be cut; with an emphasis on switching Spirit off for an extended period. Soon after, NASA appeared to do a U-turn and said they had no such plans to scale back rover operations. However, it would seem, Stern was caught right in the middle, but NASA would not comment as to whether Stern’s resignation was in connection to the cut-back announcement. Stern said the short-sighted attitude of NASA officials concerning budget overruns, plus the fact he was stopped from doing anything about it, precipitated his resignation. It looks like the Spirit debacle was a symptom of a much deeper illness (or “a cancer” as Stern calls it).
So, eight months after stepping down from his post as associate administrator (second only to NASA Administrator Michael Griffin) Alan Stern has written a highly critical article in the New York Times, firing a salvo across the bows of the US space exploration strategy…
Alan Stern (NASA)After writing the article “Wasteful” Sample Storage Box Removed from Mars Science Laboratory on November 22nd, I couldn’t help but think how many researchers could have had their salaries, research and institutions supported by the wasted $2 million that was so easily lost by removing the surplus rock cache from the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL).
Although I personally think the storage box would have been a waste of space on the MSL, its conception, design and implementation cost a lot of money and its removal seemed a little blasé. Yes, it might free up time for MSL scientists, and yes its removal will few up space for other instrumentation, but isn’t it irresponsible to be chopping off $2 million parts at this late stage? Let’s not forget, the MSL is being launched in a little under a year (barring any overruns… naturally).
It would appear Alan Stern has a few issues with the MSL too, as is evident from the scathing opening paragraph in his Nov. 23rd New York Times article:
“A cancer is overtaking our space agency: the routine acquiescence to immense cost increases in projects. Unmistakable new indications of this illness surfaced last month with NASA’s decision to spend at least $100 million more on its poorly-managed, now-over-$2 billion Mars Science Laboratory. This decision to go forward with the project, a robotic rover, was made even though it has tripled in cost since its inception, it is behind schedule, there is no firm estimate of the final cost, and NASA hasn’t disclosed the collateral damage inflicted on other programs and activities that depend on NASA’s limited science budget.” – Alan Stern
Ouch. He continues to highlight the MSL saying, “And the Mars Science Laboratory is only the latest symptom of a NASA culture that has lost control of spending.”
The article points out the high-level of mismanagement in the NASA system, citing several projects that have overspent as a matter of routine. Overspending appears to be inevitable, and many “pet projects” suck funds from other missions, often without accountability. But it doesn’t stop at the MSL.
“The cost of the James Webb Space Telescope, successor to the storied Hubble, has increased from initial estimates near $1 billion to almost $5 billion,” Stern writes. “NASA’s next two weather satellites, built for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, have now inflated to over $3.5 billion each!”
“The list goes on: N.P.P., S.D.O., LISA Pathfinder, Constellation and more. You don’t have to know what the abbreviations and acronyms mean to get it: Our space program is running inefficiently, and without sufficient regard to cost performance. In NASA’s science directorate alone, an internal accounting in 2007 found over $5 billion in increases since 2003.”
According to Stern, NASA overspending seems to happen across the board, but this probably isn’t the biggest concern. The fact remains that NASA’s budget does not increase with each unforeseen overrun; it stays the same, so other NASA projects suffer cuts or cancellation. I haven’t worked with NASA, so cannot comment personally, but for each NASA mission I’ve covered in the past year of writing for the Universe Today, I find myself mentioning the words “overruns”, “over-budget”, “delayed” and “expensive” more often than not. We could put this down to the fact that getting into space isn’t easy (and it is by its nature, very expensive), but NASA has been in this business for 50 years, surely they should be able to keep damaging overspending to a minimum? Apparently not.
According to Stern, the “cancer” is “endemic”, where the problems begin when scientists and engineers (sometimes politicians) try to cram features and instrumentation onto missions beyond the original budget. Then, project managers allow these features to be worked into the design, without due care of the allowed budget, assuming they will get “bailed out” down the line (sounding familiar isn’t it?). In an almost fraudulent attempt by managers (in my opinion), the projected cost increase is hidden so not to arouse any concern from the guys overseeing the budget. When the mission is being constructed, the costs balloon, forcing NASA to plough more funds into the mission (especially ‘flagship’ missions like the MSL). The money has to come from somewhere, so ‘less important’ projects suffer the consequences. To make matters worse, scientists refuse to scale back costs and congressmen block cut-backs to prevent the politically damaging loss of local jobs.
Stern continues: “The result? The costs of badly run NASA projects are paid for with cutbacks or delays in NASA projects that didn’t go over budget. Hence the guilty are rewarded and the innocent are punished.”
It is well worth reading the entire article as it makes some worrying points, but Stern is keen to emphasise that NASA is a phenomenal agency on the forefront of human ingenuity, but he doesn’t want to see the current problems jeopardise the future of US space travel and exploration. He makes some pretty obvious parallels with the current economic climate and that NASA needs to rise above the zero-accountability/bail-out climate:
“To continue such accomplishments, NASA’s managers and masters must all make cost performance just as important as mission successes, scientific discoveries and good jobs. In an era of unpopular, costly government bailouts, Americans have every right to demand that NASA cease bailing out its own errant projects and make cost increases rare, rather than routine.” – Alan Stern
The MSL - a monster amongst rovers (hopefully) (NASA)
Stern: “The Mars program is slowly committing suicide in front of our very eyes”
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NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) has been beset by technical challenges and inevitable budget overruns. The nuclear-powered rover is set for an October 2009 launch and engineers are doubling their efforts to ensure the MSL makes it to the launchpad on time. In an attempt to save money and (hopefully) time, MSL program managers have decided to remove a $2 million component from the car-sized wheeled robot. A sample storage box was conceived long after the initial MSL science goals were drawn up (a pretty controversial decision in itself), so analysed rock samples could be saved for a possible future Mars sample-return mission.
Now NASA has deemed the box “of low science value” and “wasteful” on resources that could be directed elsewhere, but outspoken critics have pointed out that by removing the box is just another component on the road to the demise of NASA’s Mars exploration program…
Wouldn’t it be great if we could dig up samples of Martian rock and launch it back to Earth? Just think about the in-depth science that could be carried out on a sample removed directly from the Mars surface. Although rovers and landers are great for in-situ experiments, you still cannot beat analysis by a scientist. Assuming infinite resources, a Mars sample return mission would be technologically possible, but in the current climate of budget cuts and overspending, it is virtually impossible. The money, quite simply, is better spent elsewhere.
So, there’s NASA constructing the most advanced rover to be sent to Mars, ever. It will be a long-term mission, powered not by sunlight but by long-lasting radioisotope thermal generators (RTGs). It will do amazing science whilst dominating the Martian landscape by day and by night. After the MSL design was drawn up, a new piece of equipment was dreamt up: a sample storage box. This may not sound very exciting, after all, its only purpose is to store rocks. Why? So a future mission can retrieve the samples and return them to Earth.
Last week, it was decided that the storage box was surplus to requirements and it will be removed from the MSL. Although it had already been built, MSL project scientist John Grotzinger (Caltech) pointed out that the instrument would have taken time away from the other instruments.
“The cache would have tied our hands to some extent,” Grotzinger said. “Now it restores our freedom.”
The MSL has run up a pricetag of over $1.5 billion, and it is expected to balloon to $2 billion by the time it launches to the Red Planet, so any excess cost should be trimmed where necessary. Alas, the storage box is low on the list of priorities and was dropped, even though $2 million had already been wasted in its development. NASA’s rationale is that more time and money will need to be put into the cache, so they may as well cut their losses.
This move isn’t a popular decision however. Ex-NASA space sciences chief Alan Stern (who resigned in March after the controversy surrounding the erroneous announcement that funds to the existing Mars rovers would be cut), is very critical of the move. “The Mars program is slowly committing suicide in front of our very eyes,” said Stern. “The only concrete step toward a sample return has been tossed after it has already been built. How does that save money?”
Indeed, this may be a signal that a sample return mission is not on the cards, certainly not involving the MSL. I would question why the sample storage box was included in the MSL at all, surely any future sample return attempt would be carried out by a devoted sample return mission? What was the motivation behind picking up rocks the MSL had analysed, only to store them for many years until a theoretical sample return robot collects the box?
When the cache was originally announced, scientists pointed out that the samples will have probably degraded by the time they are sent back anyway, so what’s the point?
Either way, the box now frees up some space on the MSL for an instrumentation cleaning station, but I can’t help but think the $2 million waste could have been prevented…
[/caption]The educational experiment currently being carried out on the space station has just returned a surprise result. It would appear the two web-weaving spiders being studied have turned their fortunes around – they have scrapped their aimless 3D mess of silk and started to create the symmetrical 2D webs more commonly seen on Earth. The experiment started off a little precarious as one of the spiders went AWOL, but it would appear the pair are back and better than ever, spinning picture perfect spider webs.
This experiment, currently being studied by hundreds of K-12 students in the USA, is one of the payloads of the STS-126 shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS), dubbed the “home improvement mission.” Not to be outdone by the space walking astronauts, the little arachnid ISS passengers have decided to do some home improvements of their own…
“While y’all have been busy doing your extreme makeover, our spiders have done an extreme makeover and have torn down their first web and have made another one,” flight controllers informed the ISS crew.
“I thought we were your main entertainment, but I guess we’ve been taken over by spiders,” Michael Fincke, space station commander, said in response.
Last weeks web... a tangled mess (NASA)And what an extreme makeover these little spiders have carried out! It may have taken them a few days to adjust to the microgravity conditions in orbit, but they have turned their little enclosure into a scene more commonly recognised in nature. Only last week, the camera attached to the spider experiment revealed that although the eight-legged guests were making themselves at home, their habitat was a little chaotic. Without gravity, it appeared that spiders could not construct a “normal” web.
However, it looks like that was just the adjustment period. On Thursday, mission control noticed the web and notified the crew to take a closer look. “We noticed the spiders’ made a symmetrical web,” Fincke radioed to Mission Control on Friday. “It looks beautiful.”
This striking turn-around by the spiders will be of great interest to biologists and students alike. Although it was interesting to study how different forms of life adapt to conditions in space, I don’t think anyone was predicting such a dramatic change in fortune. I just hope the spider duo get an extra treat for their troubles.
It turns out that the space station crew not only have spiders and butterflies in space to keep them company, they also have a collection of fruit flies to feed to the busy spiders. However, having seen the animated movie “Fly Me to the Moon” in August, we already know how flies adapt to space…
The Launch Abort System motor at full thrust (NASA)
[/caption]When the Constellation Program is completed, we’ll have a brand new generation of rocket design (Ares) and a hi-tech space ship (Orion). It only seems fair that we should also have a new kind of emergency mechanism that will carry the crew to safety should a problem during launch threaten the astronauts.
Enter the Constellation Launch Abort System, delivering a million pounds of thrust, carrying the crew a mile from any danger. Looks like it would be one hell of a ride!
Last July, I reported that the first full-scale test firing of the Orion jettison motor was successful, and it would seem the tests are continuing. Lighting up the Utah landscape, the awesome power of the Launch Abort System is abundantly clear and it looks like we are well on the road to the full-scale launch abort mock-up.
Apollo pad abort test in 1965 (NASA)In this latest series of tests, the jettison motor delivered a million pounds in thrust. This is impressive as it will quickly clear the crew of Orion from any accident during launch atop the largest rocket system designed since the Apollo Program. In fact, the Orion jettison system is an advancement of the original Apollo pad abort rocket (left).
The Constellation safety measure can be used should there be an emergency on the launch pad or as the Ares I blasts through the atmosphere. Although the experience would be a violent one (the G-force will be several times that of a normal shuttle launch), at least the crew will be carried to safety.
The ISS crew might have to wait a while before waste water is purified.
[/caption]The system has only just been installed and it is already broken down. Unfortunately, the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) don’t have the luxury of returning their faulty urine recycling system to the store to replace it with a new one.
The $154 million recycler was started up just as Thursday’s space walk was ending, but it suddenly shut down for an unknown reason. Today (Friday), the crew re-started the device, only for a sensor to alert NASA that one of the motors inside was not working. NASA engineers are now working hard to establish whether this revolutionary machine has a simple glitch, or whether the motor needs to be replaced. Either way, an answer needs to be found within the next week, as a sample of recycled water needs to be transported on board Shuttle Endeavour when it returns to Earth so it can be tested…
There are currently 10 crewmembers on the ISS, working on the home improvement STS-126 mission launched by Shuttle Endeavour. STS-126 carried the much-publicised urine recycling system, a (much needed) new toilet, a new kitchen and more crew accommodation. This is all in preparation for next year’s crew expansion plans, boosting the continuous presence from three to six astronauts and cosmonauts. The increased temporary crew presence on the space station has meant the orbital outpost is a hive of activity. The ISS has even had its orbit re-boosted by the attached Endeavour, pushing the station one mile higher. On Saturday, the crew will carry out their third spacewalk of the mission.
So what has gone wrong with the waste water recycler? Unfortunately, NASA does not know, but they are on a time-crunch to get the equipment working. Endeavour is set to return to Earth on Thanksgiving (November 27th), but STS-126 commander Christopher Ferguson has said he’d be willing to modify the schedule to allow more time to get the water purifier working.
NASA engineers are working around the clock to root out the recycler problem, but so far the sensors indicate there is a fault with one of the motors. Therefore, the problem is either with the sensor itself (in which case a method will be needed to bypass it) or the motor will need to be replaced by a later shuttle mission.
The urine recycler has been under development since the 1980’s and Bob Bagdigian, project manager at Marshall Space Flight Center, has been working on the project continuously. Bagdigian even cheered the launch of Endeavour with some recycled water from the urine and sweat of Marshall employees used to test prototypes in the laboratory. The water was a 2005 vintage. Apparently the water tastes fine… just like water. That’s because it is water (purified through distillation and filtration processes).
Let’s just hope NASA works out the recycler problems within the week so the ISS crew can send that sample back to Earth for tests.
This is a prime example of how advancing our ability to live in space can affect how we live on Earth. The urine recycler is basically a miniaturized version of water treatment plants. This technology has potential spin-off applications for mobile water purification methods in poor water quality regions in draught-stricken countries.
“This technology of how to reuse our things and be careful with them is really applicable to life on planet Earth,” space station commander Mike Fincke added.
Why do planets like Mars have a different atmosphere than Earth? Credit: NASA
[/caption]Mars is a strange planet.
There is evidence that the Red Planet once played host to a thick atmosphere and vast oceans. However, at some point in its evolution, the planet seemed to leak the majority of its atmospheric gases into space, and its oceans evaporated (or froze and then sublimated, depending on how fast atmospheric pressure was lost). There are several theories as to how the Martian atmosphere wasted away to 1% of that of the Earth’s, including the slow erosion by solar wind particles and a sudden, catastrophic asteroid impact, blasting the atmosphere into space.
Planetary scientists have known for a long time that the Martian magnetic field is very weak and therefore has little protective strength from the continuous solar wind. Through analysis of data from the retired NASA Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) satellite, a new insight has been gained.
Far from being benign however, this weak crustal magnetic field may actually be having an adverse effect on the atmosphere, capturing atmospheric particles in magnetic “bubbles” (a.k.a. plasmoids) over a thousand kilometres wide, before being blown en-mass into space…
The erosion of the Martian atmosphere by the solar wind has been long suspected as the primary mechanism behind the loss of Martian air. Although Mars air is significantly different to our own (the Martian atmosphere is primarily CO2-based, whereas the terrestrial atmosphere has a breathable nitrogen-oxygen mix), it was once thought to be much more dense than it is today.
So where did the atmosphere go? As the Martian magnetosphere is pretty insignificant (scientist believe that the global magnetic field may have been a lot stronger in the past and possibly damaged by an asteroid impact), there is little to deflect energetic solar wind ions from interacting with the atmosphere below. On Earth, we have a very strong magnetosphere acting as an invisible forcefield, preventing charged particles from entering our atmosphere. Mars does not have this luxury.
During the Mars Global Surveyor mission, launched in 1996 (ending in 2006), the satellite detected a very patchy magnetic field originating from the Martian crust, predominately in the southern hemisphere. The natural thought would be that, although weak, this patchy field might provide some limited protection for the atmosphere. According to new research using old MGS data, this is probably not the case; the crustal magnetic field may be contributing to, possibly accelerating, the air loss.
Dave Brain of UC Berkeley presented this slide at the 2008 Huntsville Plasma Workshop to explain in cartoon fashion how plasmoids carry air away from Mars.As the patchy crustal magnetic field wells up from the Martian surface, it creates “umbrellas” of magnetic flux, trapping charged atmospheric particles. Dozens of magnetic umbrellas cover up to 40% of Mars (primarily concentrated in the south), reaching above the atmosphere. These magnetic structures are therefore open to attack from the solar wind.
“The umbrellas are where coherent chunks of air are torn away,” said David Brain of UC Berkeley, who presented his MGS research at the 2008 Huntsville Plasma Workshop on October 27th.
Although this might sound dramatic, there is a real possibility that this process has been observed on Mars for the first time. The magnetic umbrellas reach through the atmosphere and feel dynamic pressure from the solar wind. What happens next is a well known mechanism in the field of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD): reconnection.
As the crustal umbrellas make contact with the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) carried by the solar wind, there is a chance reconnection may occur. According to David Brain, the MGS passed through such a reconnection region during one of its orbits. “The joined fields wrapped themselves around a packet of gas at the top of the Martian atmosphere, forming a magnetic capsule a thousand kilometers wide with ionized air trapped inside,” he said. “Solar wind pressure caused the capsule to ‘pinch off’ and it blew away, taking its cargo of air with it.”
Since this first result, Brain has found a further dozen magnetic “bubbles” carrying chunks of the Martian ionosphere with them. These bubbles are known as “plasmoids” as they contain charged particles, or plasma.
Brain is keen to point out that these results are far from conclusive. For example, the MGS was only equipped to detect one charged particle, the electron; ions have different characteristics and may therefore be affected differently. Also, the satellite took measurements at a constant altitude at the same local time of day. More data during different times and different altitudes are required.
One such NASA mission that might be able to assist in the plasmoid hunt is the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution satellite (MAVEN), scheduled for launch in 2013. MAVEN will analyse the Martian atmosphere to specifically study erosion by the solar wind, detecting electrons and ions; measuring not only the magnetic, but the electric field too. MAVEN’s elliptical orbit will also allow the probe to investigate various altitudes at different times.
So we await MAVEN to prove or disprove Brain’s plasmoid theory. Either way, this is some tantalizing evidence pointing to a rather unexpected mechanism that could be, quite literally, ripping Mars’ atmosphere into space…
Spot the difference: Spirits solar panels collected a lot of dust in two years (NASA/JPL)
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Dust — a solar panel’s worst nightmare.
Is sending solar-powered robots to the Red Planet a bad idea? Mars is a very dusty planet, and Mars dust sticks to everything, especially solar arrays. After all, Phoenix’s death was probably hastened by a Sun-blocking dust storm, and rover Spirit was battered by the combined solar panel-coated dust layer plus dust storm, nearly draining its batteries (as can be seen in the comparison above, after two years on the Martian surface, Spirit’s dusty layer was already an acute problem).
However, a NASA-sponsored MIT think-tank has weighed up the future energy needs of a manned settlement on Mars and arrived at an interesting conclusion…
It sounds like the “nuclear space debate” continues. Thinking back to when Galileo was launched toward Jupiter in 1989, or when Cassini was sent to Saturn in 1997, huge protests erupted from critics, Cape Canaveral neighbours and anti-nuclear organizations. The argument was that should there be a launch accident, the radioactive material contained inside the radioisotope thermal generators (RTGs) could be scattered through the atmosphere and over a wide area on the ground (i.e. death and destruction). While this is a scary thought, NASA engineers were very quick to point out that RTGs are virtually indestructible, even under extreme conditions during an explosion and atmospheric re-entry.
The motivation for sending plutonium (non-weapon grade Pu238) on board missions to Jupiter and Saturn has even been called into question, spawning wild conspiracy theories such as “Project Lucifer.” Therefore, it seems only sensible that NASA should want to carry out an in-depth study of all energy production techniques before committing to a potentially unpopular (and therefore politically damaging) nuclear source for future Mars colonies.
With the help of energy specialists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), NASA commissioned a study of how future manned Mars settlements can be powered. Will nuclear generators need to be constructed? Or can solar panels fulfil our proto-colony’s energy needs (regardless of the dust situation)?
Interestingly, if positioned in the correct location, solar arrays might function just as well, if not better, than the nuclear options. Solar panels could provide all the energy a fledgling colony needs.
The MIT researchers assessed 13 different energy generation systems and compared solar and nuclear options. In a presentation last month at the International Astronautical Congress in Glasgow, MIT engineer Wilfried Hofstetter compared nuclear fission reactors, RTGs, Sun-tracking solar panel arrays and non-tracking thin-film solar arrays laid atop the Martian landscape.
Like any space travel endeavour, efficiency is paramount; astronauts will need to utilize every last energy-generating ounce of equipment sent to Mars (including back-up systems).
It would appear that a large solar panel array can match nuclear generators, only if they are situated at a latitude of 0-40° north of the Martian equator. Southern latitudes have much less solar energy available for most of the year.
So what’s the best plan of action? According to Hofstetter, a Mars mission should be able to transport several 2 metre-wide rolls of thin-film solar panel arrays. Rolling out an array of these thin-film rolls could supply ample energy to a colony. For example, if the array is positioned at 25° north, measuring 100×100 metres, 100 kilowatts can be generated. The MIT researchers even calculated it would take two astronauts 17 hours to construct the array (alternatively they could get a robot to do it).
Commenting on this Mars energy solution, Colin Pillinger, planetary scientist with the Open University, UK (and head Beagle 2 scientist) said the solar array’s old foe — dust — shouldn’t be too much of a problem after all. “Dust storms tend to start in well-known places in the southern hemisphere as it warms up, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to avoid them,” he said.
So the skies may be clear for solar energy on Mars after all. Even though dust storms causes problems for our robotic explorers, manned expeditions may be able to avoid them all together. Besides, I don’t see why astronauts couldn’t pack some brushes to wipe down the arrays should dust become a problem…
Astronauts Garrett Reisman (left) and Rick Linnehan wear oxygen masks as they check their suits in preparation for their ISS spacewalk last March (NASA)
[/caption]Air quality is a serious issue for any space-based activity. After all, if a harmful gas is leaked into the sealed space station, the astronauts on board cannot simply open the window to get some fresh air. The International Space Station (ISS) and stations before it (including the Russian-built Mir) have all been afflicted with poor air-quality conditions. This is a concern for astronauts and cosmonauts as their health can suffer significantly when exposed to certain chemicals accidentally leaked.
In an effort to remove the threat of harmful chemical build-up in the ISS, a new hi-tech electronic “nose” will be tested on board the ISS next month. If successful, the ENose will be fitted as standard on manned space missions, including long-term missions to the Moon and Mars…
Crewmembers on board space ships and stations will be critically aware of the risk of poor air quality. Air pollution is a huge issue at the best of times here on Earth, but we have the advantage that we can (usually) move freely to locations where air quality is better. Naturally, this might be hard if you live in a city where exhaust fumes and stagnant weather can cause problems, or if you are affected by natural disasters such as volcanic activity or wildfires (as I found out for myself last week!), but generally we can close our windows (to stop polluted air from getting in) or open them (to vent bad air out).
However, in space, you’re stuck with the air that is being circulated, meaning an emergency will quickly develop if an undetected contaminant is released. As I write this, I’m looking at the carbon monoxide detector in my office; if CO is detected it will set off an early warning beeper hopefully saving me from being overcome by the odourless gas. This is the critical thing for the space station, should an odourless gas be released into the air, the crew may not know about it until it’s too late.
So, next month, NASA will be sending an air quality early warning detector to the station. “This ENose is a very capable instrument that will increase crew awareness of the state of their air quality,” said Carl Walz, a former astronaut and director of NASA’s Advanced Capabilities Division, which funds ENose development. “Having experienced an air-quality event during my Expedition 4 mission on the space station, I wish I had the information that this ENose will provide future crews. This technology demonstration will provide important information for environmental control and life-support system designers for the future lunar outpost.”
This life-saving gadget will use 32 sensors to identify several key organic and inorganic gaseous chemicals. These gases may be released due to solvent use or before the onset of an electrical fire. The human nose can be very tolerant of high concentrations of harmful chemicals, smelling them when it is too late, so technology has to step in and detect low levels of contaminents before they become an issue. The geeky-named “ENose” will be able to detect “fractional parts per million to 10,000 parts per million,” of harmful airborne chemicals.
The ENose sensors contain polymer films that alter their electrical conductivity in response to exposure to different chemicals. Depending on the key chemicals detected, the detector’s response will depend on which sensors have been triggered. A picture will quickly emerge as to what is causing the contamination and the crew will be notified about the emerging danger. Aerosols and vapour can both be detected.
This air-sniffing piece of kit is about the size of a shoebox and weighs only nine pounds (4 kg) and draws 20 W of power. If it is successful, the ENose will most likely be integrated into future lunar colonies, then manned missions to Mars.
A previous incarnation of the ENose was tested on the ISS in 1998 for six months (according to the NASA press release), which brings up the obvious question: Why has it taken ten years to carry out more tests on this critical bit of equipment? Surely another early warning system is currently in place? As far as I can tell, there doesn’t seem to be…
Spirit overlooking Gusev Crater (NASA artist impression)
[/caption]Last week, Mars Exploration Rover Spirit looked as if its sols were numbered. Hot on the heals of the demise of the frozen Phoenix lander, Spirit was about to succumb to a low-energy death brought on by a dust storm. The build-up of dust on the rover’s solar panels were already causing a serious problem, but as a storm raged over Gusev Crater, power output from the panels slumped to an all-time low. As Nancy reported on November 11th, mission controllers were forced to switch Spirit into a low-energy state, leaving them with no other choice but to command the robot to be silent. Although tensions were high, Spirit broke the silence last Thursday.
Now NASA controllers are working hard to manage Spirit’s power production, hopefully extending the life of the highly successful rover longer still…
At its worst, Spirit’s solar panels were outputting 89 watt hours of energy just before NASA mission control took decisive action by shutting down non-essential heaters on the rover. Before the storm, Spirit was already covered in a thick layer of dust from nearly five years of Mars roving, allowing only 33% of the sunlight falling on the panels to be used by the photovoltaic cells. During the storm, the dust situation had worsened, valuable sunlight was getting blocked by atmospheric dust clouds. Spirit was in trouble.
Spirit's solar panels were already very dusty a year ago (NASA)At their peak, both Spirit and Opportunity were able to generate 700 watt hours of energy. Should their power output drop to 150 watt hours, batteries start to drain while running heaters to keep essential equipment and instrumentation warmed. Spirit’s 89 watt hours was therefore a dire situation. Fortunately after the intrepid rover rode out the storm and checked in with mission control, by the end of Thursday, NASA was pleased to see Spirit’s solar panels generating 161 watt hours of energy. After four days, the skies were clearing and Spirit could begin slowly recharging its batteries. However, the layer of dust on top of the solar panels had thickened, allowing 3% less light to get through.
“Spirit is not out of the woods yet,” said Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Project Manager John Callas at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “The storm and all its dust have not gone away completely. And this is the time of the Martian year when storms like this can occur. So the plan ahead is to stay cautious with the rover and work on recharging the batteries while waiting out the rest of the storm’s activity.”
So, Spirit has been put on a low energy consumption diet. On Friday commands were sent to the rover to keep some of its heaters switched off and to conduct limited observations and communications. Spirit will be on a “go-slow” until the end of the month to give it some time to recover, recharge and be prepared in the event of a follow-up Gusev Crater storm.
At the end of the month no commands will be sent from Earth for a period of two weeks, as the Sun will be blocking the line of sight with Mars. Therefore Spirit will have lots of time to recover from the dust storm ordeal until communications between Earth and Mars return. After this period, NASA plans to move Spirit from its current location inside Gusev Crater (a low platform called “Home Plate”) so it can continue to explore the Red Planet (assuming there are no more damaging storms ahead).
Although this is all a huge relief, I can’t help but think that Spirit is on borrowed time.
