What can I say, but that it is an end to a major chapter in our lives.  Today I turned over the keys to our great and intrepid ship RV-103 Discovery to a young family and closed an extraordinary chapter of misadventures our commander and crew had lived with great joy and wonderful exploration.  Now Discovery will be renamed and give this new crew a set of misadventures that they will share with their family and friends as we had done with you all.

It is bittersweet, but as with all good things, they must and do come to an end.  We have traveled this great nation east to west, north to south, and many points in between.  We have visited primeval forests with trees older than Christ himself, stood in awe at the night sky in the desert, walked in the footsteps of historical characters of likes of Mark Twain and Dr. Mary Walker, traveled the Pacific coastline, panned for gold where the 1849 gold rush began, and much more.  The misadventures would not have been half as good if it wasn’t for the company of the love of my life Gypsy and our fearful leader Commander Merlin.

As this chapter closes, another one comes with the turning of the page.  That new chapter will have its own series of misadventures for us all and I do look forward to it.  New careers, new paths to walk, new experiences, new goals…the list goes on, but there will always be a special place in our hearts for our great ship RV-103 Discovery.  There may be other RV’s in the future, possibly an RV-104 or RV-105, but RV-103 was and always will be our first.

I want to thank the nearly 50,000 readers who have made this series of voyages with us on RV-103.  Your emails and messages have entertained and inspired us all.  Don’t worry though, the RV-103 blog will still be here and I will still continue to post to it from time to time.  But for now, feel free to relive our previous missions starting with our first post when we went to pick her up and name her.

Farewell Discovery.  You were a fine ship to Commander Merlin and our crew.  We will miss you.  Goodbye and Godspeed.

As you could tell from the pictures from the accident, RV-103 sustained damage to three doors and the wheel well.  CollisionTEC, of Clearwater Florida, was given the task of fixing the damage.  The owner, Dar Fortney, led the work team himself and did a fantastic job above and beyond what was needed.  Well done CollisionTEC!

Looks brand new!

“Word has leaked out that in its new budget, the Obama administration intends to terminate NASA’s planetary exploration program. The Mars Science Lab Curiosity, being readied on the pad, will be launched, as will the nearly completed small MAVEN orbiter scheduled for 2013, but that will be it. No further missions to anywhere are planned.

After 2013, America’s amazing career of planetary exploration, which ran from the Mariner probes in the 1960s through the great Pioneer, Viking, Voyager, Pathfinder, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, Spirit, Opportunity, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Galileo and Cassini missions, will simply end.

Furthermore, the plan from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) also leaves the space astronomy program adrift and headed for destruction. The now-orbiting Kepler Telescope will be turned off in midmission, stopping it before it can complete its goal of finding other Earths. Even worse, the magnificent Webb Telescope, the agency’s flagship, which promises fundamental breakthroughs in our understanding of the laws of the universe, is not sufficiently funded to allow successful completion. This guarantees further costly delays, with the ensuing budgetary overruns leading inevitably to eventual cancellation.” Credit http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/26/obama-readies-to-blast-nasa/

The planetary science guys cheered when Obama killed Human Space Flight not realizing they were next.  It has been Obama’s goal all along to destroy any trace of our nation’s exceptialism and that included our entire space program.  New Space will be the next ones on the chopping block.

How’s that “Hope and change” working out for everyone?

Most advocates of Human Space Flight programs always model HSF with the airplane model.  Government subsidized at first and eventually private for profit companies would take over.  Airplane companies that got too dependent on the government subsidies failed, but airlines that developed their commercial base succeeded.  But, maybe that is the wrong model to use.  Some programs will never be totally commercial and profitable, such as military defense with their submarines, aircraft carriers, etc., and Human Space Flight.

The airplane model worked because mail, people, and cargo needed to be moved from point A to point B.  That could be done for a profit.  But human space flight is not a profit making venture.  It is pure science and engineering in an extreme and hazardous environment.

America's Human Space Flight program is now for sale.

Commercial companies are in business to make a profit.  That’s the way it should be.  Commercial companies do not do pure science or human exploration unless there is a potential for a profit.  Take a look at pharmaceutical companies for example.  Millions of dollars are put into research for new drug compounds not for the sole purpose of saving human lives and alleviating suffering, but for the potential for profit.

Though I am an advocate for a limited constitutional government, there are some things that only governments can do and do pretty well.  Take the military for example.  Many military equipment and weapons are designed not for public use, but for the military’s use to defend our nation.  You’re not going to find cruise missiles or nuclear weapons for sale at your local gun shop.  Even such equipment as Humvees was designed to transport troops in all types of terrain, not sit in five o’clock rush hour traffic in downtown Los Angeles.  Built with that in mind, the manufactures did try to cross over into the commercial market with limited and diminishing success as a status symbol and eventually Humvees production for civilian use was ceased.  It just wasn’t profitable over the long run.  Even Ben Franklin’s postal service was better suited to be a government function and broke even while running efficiently until the unions infiltrated it.  Though FedEx and UPS, among others, now deliver packages for a profit, the common letter delivery is still primarily a government function that would bring no profit for a commercial company especially in this day and age of email.

Human Space Flight advocates always point to the day when it will become commercial and the everyday Joe will be able to buy a ticket to low Earth orbit or to the Moon.  Until much cheaper methods of leaving the Earth come into being, that day is very much unlikely.  Human Space Flight is a science, not tourism for the common man.  And, maybe we should be accepting that it is a science that will not necessarily produce a profit, but benefit mankind in the long run.  It is truly pure research and problem solving that would have applications here on Earth in some areas, but if a “profit” motive is added, then the science suffers.  SpaceX, Boeing, and Lockheed will never take up tourists unless they can make a profit.  This is not an airplane trip to a tropical destination, but a hazardous and beneficial science experiment/endeavor.   Trying to use the commercial airplane model and apply it to Human Space Flight is like trying to put a square peg in a round hole.  It is the wrong model and way of thinking.

But, our nation is now stuck with commercial space, correct model or not.  As a friend told me once who has worked in HSF since the Apollo days, we must “shore up what we have left.” Since the Obama administration has killed our government HSF and is working very hard to kill the Space Launch System or Nelson’s Folly, passed by Congress, all we have left are the commercial companies.  And it seems the Obama administration, through NASA, has set the commercial companies up to fail by passing the mantle of HSF to them way before they are ready and are still learning rocket science, and by preparing to hit them with onerous bureaucratic regulations such as FAR.

In the following posts, I will examine the various commercial companies that are trying to develop their own HSF programs and what progress they have made.  I will review their history, their current status, their predictions on when they will fly humans into orbit and to the ISS, etc.  Currently no commercial company has even passed the stage of sending a monkey into orbit as we did with Ham back in 1961.  I will NOT be discussing companies such as Virgin Galactic, for they are not a serious HSF contender, but a thrill ride to sub-orbital for very rich thrill seekers. (Though if I had $200,000 to spare, I would be booking a ride on their ship.)

Though the New Space Boys or commercial space are full of Powerpoint presentations and bravado, they still will have to produce for these United States of America.  And it is up to our nation to hold them accountable and expect results. It is also up to our nation to make sure that the Obama administration and NASA don’t sabotage commercial space and cause it to fail deliberately.   We are paying for them right now through our tax subsidies and that makes the taxpayer their stockholders and partial owners.  Obama has already cost our nation $9 billion dollars, thousands of jobs,  and seven years worth of work by killing Constellation.  Our nation cannot allow Obama, NASA, nor the commercial companies to waste anymore of our tax dollars.

First of all my apologies.  I had to take care of some duties at home that prevented me from posting the newest question at the regular time.  Because of that, answers will be accepted for this week’s questions until next Monday night at midnight EST.

The HSF Trivia Week six question was: How many astronauts were aboard the first launch of the Space Shuttle and what were the names of the crew and the shuttle?

The answer is: 2 astronauts flew on the maiden flight of Space Shuttle Columbia.  The astronuats were Commander John Young and pilot Robert Crippen.

The winner was Al K.  Congratulations Al!

The HSF Trivia Week 7 questions is: What time was it in Houston when the Apollo 13 mission lifted off the launch pad.  The answer has to be in military time.

You can submit your answers to me, Commander Merlin, at Merlin@RV-103.com.  All answers must be submitted by midnight Monday to be considered.

For a review on the game rules, go here.

Commander Merlin

There is an old saying, “Two is one and one is none.”  It means that if you have only one critical item, and that item breaks, then you have none.  Having two of the same critical item ensures that work can continue if one breaks.  Many of you have been in the situation where you only had one car for the entire household and that car breaks down.  Suddenly you have no way to get both spouses to work, the kids to school, errands run, etc.  It’s always easier when you have two or more cars in the household in the event of one breaking down.  Life might get a bit complicated because you are suddenly restricted to one car, but life does still go on for the household.

We of course are facing that this very minute with our International Space Station.  After Obama, Senator Bill Nelson, and NASA gave up our HSF, we became dependent on our old cold war enemy Russia for all transport back and forth to our $100 billion dollar ISS.  JUST ONE MONTH AFTER THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM ENDED, Russia has had two launch failures.  One last week that involved placing a satellite in an improper orbit resulting in the loss of the use of that spacecraft, and just a few days ago when the Progress Cargo ship crashed to the ground just minutes after launch, resulting in the loss of nearly 3 tons of fuel, water, O2, and various supplies.

Russian Progress Spacecraft Credit Universe Today

Now the Russian fleet is grounded until the cause of the failures can be determined and fixed.  Not surprisingly, that also means the next crewed vehicle that was supposed to launch in September is now grounded.  Our ONE access to the ISS is now NONE.

What is surprising about this is the fact that NASA and Russia are now saying they may have to abandon the ISS in November if the fleet is still grounded.  The ISS has been continuously occupied by both American and Russian crews, along with other international members for over 10 years.  Just  a little over a month ago, the very last Space Shuttle mission delivered what was supposedly a year’s worth of supplies to the ISS providing a cushion to ensure that we would not have to abandon the stationin the event of a Russian failure.

So why, after just a little over a month since the last Space Shuttle delivery, are NASA and Russia making noises they may have to abandon the ISS?  One half of the crew, 3 members (1 American and 2 Russians) are returning in their docked Soyuz towards the end of September leaving only 1 Russian, 1 American, and 1 Japanese on board.  There is no possible way that the crew of the ISS has expended that 1 year supply in just one month.  So, why the rush to abandon the entire crew by November?

Some possible answers could be that Atlantis did not deliver a one year supply as NASA claimed, or didn’t bring up the “right” supplies leaving the ISS vulnerable.  Other reasons given are “Flight rules call for returning crews to land in daylight. Their last daylight landing opportunity in November is Nov. 19.  The Soyuz spacecraft that Volkov, Fossum and Furukawa will fly home will reach the end of its certified orbital lifetime before late December — the next daylight landing opportunity.” – source Florida Today

Credit Max Gruter

No matter the reason given for abandoning the ISS, one concern I have is the fact that since we have turned over the “car keys” to the Russians, it would be just a matter of time before they would take the “house keys” to the ISS.  If the station is abandoned, what is to prevent the Russians sending up a Russian only crew once their fleet is flying again, leaving us on the ground?  They could say that while things are so “precarious” for the ISS, and with the Soyuz capabilities in question, it might be prudent to use only Russian crews who are “willing to risk their lives” to “save” the ISS.  If that happens, then they get station by default and we are left standing on the ground with no access at all.  After that, they can find all kinds of excuses for not flying our astronauts to our station.  They would not only possess the only means to get to the station, but actually physically possess the station and the only means to supply it.  (Yes, I know that Japan and ESU both have supply vehicles, but they have only flown once during test flights.)

Russia has been a somewhat difficult but overall satisfactory ally during the construction of the ISS, but politically both our nations are still quite wary of each other.  And, politics run Human Space Flight programs.  It always has and politicians/national governments are usually more concerned about getting an advantage over their peers than being cooperative with their peers.  Politicians and governments never let a crisis go to waste.

How could we head off this possible scenario?  Well, NASA likes to make lip service that someday we may go into deep space or even on to Mars.  Since a mission to Mars would take about 18 months round trip, why not send an American astronaut to the ISS for 18 months or longer to do a “Mars Voyage Study” and its effect on the human body?  That way, though we cannot transport an American astronaut back and forth to the ISS for a long time (10 years or more), we can still ensure an American presence on our station.  We can even share the results of our “study” with the Russians and our other international partners!  Someone like former astronaut Story Musgrave, the father of the modern spacewalk,  would probably go for that type of a mission.  There would be risks for that astronaut.  Prolonged exposure in Zero G of that time length has only been done by Russia (1 year), and the astronaut might not have a way home if there are not enough seats on the docked Soyuz space craft.

The point is, we must preserve what we have left of our HSF, so we cannot give up the ISS to another country that is our partner in space, but our former enemy and current competitor on Earth.

The HSF Trivia Week Five question was: Which Launch Complex/Pad was used during the Mercury Program?

The answer is: Launch Complex 14 was the site where American astronauts were launched into Earth Orbit during the Mercury Program.

The winner was Abby L.  Congratulations Abby!

The HSF Trivia Week 6 questions is: How many astronauts were aboard the first launch of the Space Shuttle and what were the names of the crew and the shuttle?

You can submit your answers to me, Commander Merlin, at Merlin@RV-103.com.  All answers must be submitted by midnight Monday to be considered.

For a review on the game rules, go here.

Commander Merlin

Well last week’s question turned out to be a bit tougher to answer.  Though some got close, no one got the right answer.  Some mentioned “fruit flies,” but they are not “animals” but insects.  Some mentioned Albert II, launched aboard a captured V-2 rocket in 1949, but they were off by one generation and one year.

The HSF Trivia Week Four question was: What is the name of the first animal to ride in a rocket for the U.S. and what year? Hint: It is NOT Ham the monkey.

The answer is: Albert I, a rhesus monkey, was launched aboard a captured German V-2 rocket (V2 No. 37) on June 11th,  1948.  Albert I was also has the unlucky distinction of being the first animal to expire during his mission and was posthumously named after the ill-fated flight. Confirmation can be found here.

This concludes the first four week series of questions and now onto the drawing for the monthly grand prize!

The winner of the very first Grand Prize is Jim McDade! Jim has won his very own Go For Launch! game which will be shipped to him shortly.  Congratulations Jim!

The HSF Trivia Week 5 questions is: Which Launch Complex/Pad was used during the Mercury Program?

You can submit your answers to me, Commander Merlin, at Merlin@RV-103.com.  All answers must be submitted by midnight Monday to be considered.

For a review on the game rules, go here.

Commander Merlin

A little over a week ago, I attended the “We Made History” event at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center.  The event was to celebrate the Space Shuttle Workforce’s accomplishments over the last 30 years.  The turnout was fantastic with over 8,000 former and current KSC employees attending.  Delaware North did a fantastic job hosting the event and my special thanks to ATK, Boeing, United Space Alliance, and the other sponsors for putting on the event.

Larry Tanner and his beloved Rocket Garden at KSC.

Glenn and Rocketman

The highlight of the evening of course was seeing my old co-workers.  Though it was a large crowd, I ran into many of my friends from TPS including Larry, Glenn Hall, Vickie, Tony, Larry T., Al, and many others.  I had not seen these people since I started my RV travels and it was great to sit with them and catch up with each other.  Most of them had been laid off, many the day after the last shuttle landed, and were working hard to find jobs.  One, had already, but most of them had not.  A couple were still at KSC working on preparing the shuttles for the museums and did not know when they would be laid off but knew it would be soon.  It was wonderful to see them all and renew our fellowship.

Mike Leinbach, former Space Shuttle Launch Director

I ran into Mike Leinbach, the shuttle launch director, and thanked him for his kind words and apology on behalf of NASA to the workers just prior to the last launch.  I asked him how much trouble he got into for apologizing, and he said he got chewed out a little bit but was grateful that NASA allowed him to stay on the job and see Endeavour off on the last launch of the program.  Good and courageous man!

Three members of the last Space Shuttle crew attended and did a presentation on their mission.  The interesting thing was, they didn’t sit with NASA administrator Charlie Bolden nor interacted with him while I was there.  I’m not actually surprised by that since they have no true future anymore as an American astronaut due to Mr. Bolden and Obama’s dismantling of our Human Space Flight Program.  They did however, interact fully with the thousands of KSC workers tirelessly shaking hands, posing for pictures, etc.

The astronaut crew doesn't sit with the NASA Administrator. Their choice or was it the pre-planned seating arrangement?

Speaking of Mr. Bolden, I finally got to face him, shake his hand, and tell him of my disappointment at what he was doing with our nation’s HSF.  It was cordial and we did not change each other’s mind in the slightest.  He was polite enough to listen though and I have to give him credit for that.  I introduced myself and gave him my RV-103.com business card.  I told him I had not been “kind” to him on my blog and that I was quite upset about the job he was doing for our nation’s HSF.  I also told him that I did not think we would see an American Astronaut on an American Launch Vehicle for at least 10 years.  He disagreed with me and said that we would be flying American Astronauts on American launch vehicles “within the next 2-5 years.” I expressed that I thought that was impossible since everything was in such disarray right now and that the New Space Boys were not even close yet in accomplishing that task.  Well the clock is ticking and we will find out who is right in time.  There were other people waiting to talk with him, so I moved on.  He promised to check out RV-103.com to see what I had to say about him, but I doubt it will happen.  At least I got to say my two cents.  My former co-workers have told me that prior to their layoffs, they also have expressed their displeasure with him in person.  But it won’t matter.  We, many of the astronauts, and thousands of other HSF employees are now unemployed while Mr. Bolden continues to hold his job along with the rest of the NASA administration.  I’m sure that fact will lend to their deafness when we try to speak.

Rocketman and NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden

Where it all started for me and the Gemini Class.

One final thing, while at the KSC Visitor Center, I had the pleasure of once more seeing where my aerospace career all started nearly 11 years ago now.  The Center for Space Education was the site for the first aerospace technician courses offered by Brevard Community College and SpaceTEC.  My Gemini Classmates and I spent two wonderful years there earning our degree, taught by some of the best in the industry.  Thanks to those instructors, I have had opportunities and experiences in life that most people can only dream of.  My thanks to them and my best wishes to Gemini and all the USA people I’ve known in their future endeavors.

We truly did make history both personally and for our nation. ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.’ ~Dr. Seuss

Godspeed to you all.

Above: The first feline to train in weightlessness on the Vomit Comet.

The HSF Trivia Week Three question was: Which Shuttle orbiter was first to use a drag chute and on what mission?

The answer is: Space Shuttle Endeavour on her maiden flight, STS-49.

Congrats to M. Gindes and T. Waddington.  Both winners will be entered into the monthly drawing for a Go For Launch! game.

The HSF Trivia Week Four question is: What is the name of the first animal to ride in a rocket for the U.S. and what year? Hint: It is NOT Ham the monkey.

You can submit your answers to me, Commander Merlin, at Merlin@RV-103.com.  All answers must be submitted by midnight Monday to be considered.

For a review on the game rules, go here.

Commander Merlin