LOS ANGELES - As NASA makes progress in fulfilling the Vision for Space Exploration laid out two years ago by President George W. Bush, the space agency's three California centers are advancing in their own roles for the program.
"NASA is in a time of transformation," returning to an emphasis on exploration, said Scott Horowitz, NASA associate administrator for exploration systems.
Horowitz gave an overview and update on the nation's new plans to return to the moon as a stepping stone to Mars and beyond during the California Space Authority's Transforming Space Conference on Friday.
The two-day event brought together the varied interests that comprise the state's space enterprise.
NASA's first goal in support of the new exploration objective is to finish construction of the International Space Station using the fleet of space shuttle orbiters, then retire those spacecraft by 2010.
"It's amazing what that vehicle has done," Horowitz said. "It has served us very well, but it's time to move on, take the lessons learned and build a new vehicle."
That new vehicle will be part of the space exploration system known as Constellation, which includes the manned spacecraft - or crew exploration vehicle, to be called Orion - and the rockets to launch that and other support craft from Earth, as well as other exploration hardware.
NASA's plans call for the Orion to be operational no later than 2014, with the goal of returning astronauts to the moon by 2020.
"The moon is just the first step" in plans to extend human presence across the solar system, Horowitz said, in manned and robotic exploration.
"We're going to learn to live and work away from this planet.
"The benefits are going to be incredible."
The launch vehicles are dubbed Ares and have two configurations for launching different payloads.
"We will be able to throw more mass at the moon in a single shot than in Apollo," Horowitz said, allowing landings anywhere on the moon's surface, including the poles.
It also means more people may be sent to the surface for a longer time than what was possible during the Apollo program.
An important early phase in development of the new manned space system will be tested by Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base.
The launch abort system is considered a critical key in ensuring astronaut safety.
"That two-stage rocket system, combined with the launch abort system, will increase safety by an order of magnitude," Horowitz said, citing the inherent risks of spaceflight.
"We can't eat up all the risk in the first eight minutes."
The launch abort system, in which a rocket pulls the crew compartment away from the launch vehicle and parachutes to a landing, is based on a similar system from the Apollo program.
It may be used during an emergency at the launch pad or shortly after launch.
Flight testing is expected to begin with the launch pad abort procedure in 2008, with four to five tests planned overall, said Dryden Center Director Kevin Petersen.
The actual test flights will be conducted at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Dryden's history of contributions to the manned space program - from development of the lunar lander trainer to flight testing the space shuttle - will continue in other areas as well.
The center will collaborate with Ames Research Center in Mountain View on the thermal protection system for the crew capsule, and will likely play a role in launch and recovery activities. One scenario for returning the crew vehicle from space has Edwards AFB as the primary landing site, much as it was in the early days of the shuttle program.
The center may also play a role in developing the next generation lunar lander, Petersen said.
In the near-term, Dryden is also supporting the exploration program in developing communication and navigation systems, testing some systems on the center's F-15 research aircraft, he said.
In addition to leading development of the thermal protection system, Ames Research Center will use its expertise in modeling and wind tunnel testing to support creation of the new exploration system, said Angela Diaz, Ames director of strategic communications and development.
From its base in Silicon Valley, the center is well-situated to contribute to the information technology needs of the program, she said, including use of the Columbia Super Computer for design and modeling.
Ames is also involved in various satellite and other small spacecraft projects.
While the agency's manned spaceflight program receives much of the popular attention, NASA's exploration plans also include extensive robotic missions such as the very successful Mars Rovers now traversing the surface of the Red Planet.
These robotic missions fall under the control of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, with its long history of unmanned space exploration.
"One key element of Constellation is having both human and robotic (systems) working together," said JPL Director Charles Elachi.
The center is laying the foundation for future manned missions to Mars with projects such as the Rovers, part of a 10-year permanent presence at the planet, both on the surface and in orbit.
"And we have to continue that exploration," Elachi said.
New missions preparing to launch to Mars include Phoenix, which will survey the polar caps and another surface rover.
Other future solar system exploration plans include missions to Jupiter and Venus, and an effort to measure the moon's gravitational field in detail. This mapping will be useful for navigation in lunar missions.
"This lays the groundwork with very high accuracy," Elachi said.
In addition to projects which send robotic vehicles across the solar system, JPL is also involved in telescopic surveys beyond the solar system, in search of Earth-sized planets elsewhere, "a family portrait of neighboring systems," he said.
While the center's reputation is for searching beyond the Earth, the technologies also are applied to learning about the Earth itself.
Images of the planet's surface are used to detect subtle changes that may be used to predict earthquakes, landslides and levee weaknesses, Elachi said.
Similar projects study soil moisture content and ocean topography.
agatlin@avpress.com
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