NASA and its Future Plans

Adventures into Space

• It started under the influence of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson• Started in 1961, it was meant to combat the Soviet Union’s missions

into space. The first man in space was Russian, Yuri Gagarin• Alan Shephard was first American in Space• On July 20, 1969 the Apollo 11 rocket landed on the moon with Neil

Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin• There were 6 more successful missions onto the moon: Apollo's 11, 12,

14, 15, 16 and 17• They studied soil mechanics, meteoroids,

seismic, heat flow, lunar ranging, magnetic fields and solar wind

• An oxygen tank explosion in Apollo 13 didn’t allow them to land on the moon but they safely landed back on Earth

Apollo Program

• The Endeavour space shuttle made a landing on Wednesday June 1

• Atlantis’ final trip to space was scheduled for May 31, at 8:00 p.m.

It will be the final trip for the space shuttle missions• It first started on April 12, 1981 with the Columbia shuttle• There have been 133 flights using 5 different space shuttles:

Columbia with 28; Challenger with 10; Discovery with 39; Atlantis with 32; and Endeavour with 24

• The Challenger space shuttle exploded after 73 seconds in flight, it was caused by an O-ring seal that didn’t liftoff and the Columbia disintegrated on reentry

• One by one the shuttles are retired starting with the Discovery on March 9, 2011

• Created to maintain the Space Station and to make repairs

Space Shuttles

Challenger Explosion

• NASA gave approximately $270 million to four private commercial companies on April 18 to continue developing commercial rockets and spacecrafts capable of flying astronauts onto the International Space Station

• The plan is to have a commercial spacecraft by the middle of the decade. They believe that the price will be cheaper because they will split the money between the government and commercial uses

• Until then they will be using the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to make repairs on the international space station

• Virgin Galactic created a spacecraft to transport regular people into space, however only if you can afford it. The SpaceShip Two (SS2) costs 200,000 USD

Commercial Flights

• There will be a new rocket engine design called the J-2X rocket which is currently being tested for future development. It is to replace the old rocket engines and will be used in new lunar missions

• Some future goals for space and lunar missions include:- Blue Origin: $22 million. The company is working on a space vehicle design called the "New Shepard“ spacecraft, it is

designed to take off and land vertically.- Sierra Nevada Corp.: $80 million. Sierra Nevada is designing a lifting body called "Dream Chaser."- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX): $75 million. SpaceX plans to develop an escape system for a crewed version of its

Dragon capsule, which is an uncrewed version that has already flown.

- The Boeing Company: $92.3 million. The Boeing Company will continue development of the CST-100 crew capsule, including progression of the design and integration of the capsule with a

launch vehicle.

Future Goals

• The Zarya Control Module was the beginning of the space station with its launch on November 20, 1998 using the Russian Proton Rocket

• The station is led by the united states but uses the technology of 16 different countries: Russia, Canada, Japan, Brazil and nations from Europe

• It’s about 1,040,000 pounds, 356 feet across, 290 feet long, and takes up roughly an acre with solar panels that run the six lab station

• It started with the Russian Mir Space Station where Americans researched and later created their own station

• Used to test life in space: finding that more protein crystals may be grown in space; tissue growing undisturbed by gravity; effects of gravity on humans; basic research of flames, fluids and metals• ex. Two golden orb spiders have been delivered on the international space station to

test its effects in microgravity

Space Station

•  "Atlantis Updates." NASA. Web. 31 May 2011. <http://www.nasa.gov/rss/atlantis_update.xml>.

• "NASA - NASA Test Stand Passes Review for Next-Generation Rocket Engine Testing." NASA - Home. Ed. Paul Foerman. NASA, 31 Mar. 2011. Web. 1 June 2011. <http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/A2TestStand-033111.html>.

• "Apollo 11 Home." Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. 19 July 2009. Web. 01 June 2011. <http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/imagery/apollo/as11/a11.htm>.

• "YouTube - Challenger Space Shuttle NASA Crash." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 26 June 2007. Web. 02 June 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFO9BI_tV1U>.

• "SpaceShip Two's First "Feathered" Flight." Welcome | Virgin Galactic. 4 May 2011. Web. 01 June 2011. <http://www.virgingalactic.com/>.

• "NASA - NASA Awards Second Round of Development Awards." NASA - Home. Ed. Jeanne Ryba. NASA, 20 May 2011. Web. 01 June 2011. <http://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/home/ccdev2award.html>.

• "NASA - International Space Station." NASA - Home. NASA. Web. 02 June 2011. <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html>.

• "International Space Station Overview." Shuttle Press Kit. Shuttle Press Kit, 3 June 1999. Web. 31 May 2011. <http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/index.htm>.

• "NASA - ISS Assembly Mission 1 A/R." NASA - Home. Ed. John I. Petty. NASA, 23 Oct. 2010. Web. 02 June 2011. <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/iss_assembly_1ar.html>.

• "Many Minerals on the Moon." Astronomy Feb. 2011: 21. Print.

Bibliography