The Year in Space: 2004

Time now for the year in space awards. I've been struggling with some
of these categories so, in the spirit of wussing out, I have decided to
divide them into public and private space. It is, in any case,
appropriate for the new age we find ourselves in.

Winner in the private space category goes to Burt Rutan and his team at
Scaled Composites. Before SpaceShipOne made its series of flight, the
idea of private space flight seemed, to most, to be fanciful. But there
is nothing like actually doing a thing to make prove that the thing is
possible. The coming age of sub orbital barnstorming, cruises in low
Earth orbit and, in the fullness of time, tourist hotels in Earth orbit
and on the Moon owes its prospect to Rutan and his people.

Winner for public space goes to President George W. Bush for announcing
the Moon, Mars, and Beyond Vision and, more importantly, for proving
that he meant it. The Vision will take NASA out of low Earth orbit,
leaving it to the activities of the new space commercial sector, and
transform the space agency from a high tech, space taxi service to a
modern day Corps of Discovery. A lot of people, including some of the
President's friends, didn't think he was serious. During the fight
to fund the Vision, the President and his true allies proved the
skeptics wrong.

Loser in the private space category goes to the Canadian Da Vinci Team
in the X Prize race who, for a time, looked like was going to give
Rutan a race. They did not.

Loser for public space goes to Lori Garver, the erstwhile NSS Executive
Director and NASA Associate Administrator who discovered that the price
of being considered for John Kerry's NASA Administrator would be to
turn on the President's Moon, Mars, and Beyond Initiative which she
had initially supported. To paraphrase the playwright Robert Bolt (who
was paraphrasing God), "It profits not a person to sell her soul even
for the whole world, but Lori, for NASA Administrator?" Turns out she
did not get even that.

Best pictures from space. Saturn and her Moons from the Cassini probe.

Best pictures from space runner up. The surface of Mars from Spirit and
Opportunity.

Most hopeful development in space. Transition Space's free market
proposals for fulfilling the President's Moon, Mars, and Beyond
Initiative.

Runner up. The passage of the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act.

Most fun development in space. Sir Richard Branson's announcement of
Virgin Galactic and sub orbital jaunts on two ships that will have
familiar names: VSS Enterprise and VSS Voyager. I hear that Captain
Kirk and Flight Officer Ripley have already signed up.

Best space opera movie (by default, I think, for being the only one
released this past year.) The Chronicles of Riddick, which was not half
bad given its poor box office.

Best space book (that I have actually read). Moonrush by Dennis Wingo,
for presenting an intriguing rationale for going back to the Moon,
though an insider tells me that the idea has been percolating in
certain quarters for years.

Best space book runner up. New Moon Rising by Frank Sietzen and Keith
Cowing for the inside look at the development of the President's
Moon, Mars, and Beyond Vision.

Best space reporter. James Oberg, for actually knowing of what he
writes and talks about, which is not necessarily true for all reporters
on the space beat.

Award for most idiotic statement on space policy. Sherwood Boehlert for
suggesting that the President's Moon, Mars, and Beyond Vision was the
right way to go, but that Congress should not fund it adequately.

Space hero in the private space category. Mike Melvill for flying
SpaceShipOne not just once, but twice

And, finally, space hero in the public space category. House Majority
Leader Tom Delay for standing like a stone wall against the House
Appropriators' attempts to gut the President's Moon, Mars, and
Beyond Vision.

"Mark R. Whittington" wrote in
ups.com:

Winner for public space goes to President George W. Bush for announcing
the Moon, Mars, and Beyond Vision and, more importantly, for proving
that he meant it. The Vision will take NASA out of low Earth orbit,
leaving it to the activities of the new space commercial sector, and
transform the space agency from a high tech, space taxi service to a
modern day Corps of Discovery. A lot of people, including some of the
President's friends, didn't think he was serious. During the fight
to fund the Vision, the President and his true allies proved the
skeptics wrong.

And, finally, space hero in the public space category. House Majority
Leader Tom Delay for standing like a stone wall against the House
Appropriators' attempts to gut the President's Moon, Mars, and
Beyond Vision.

We shall see. The props to Bush and DeLay are well-deserved for getting
NASA a 5% increase for FY2005 while everything else except DoD and Homeland
Security got a cut. However, this year is not the end. NASA's funding plan
for the new program requires another 5% increase in FY2006, and 2%
increases in FY2007-09. Meanwhile, the word in DC is that Bush is
considering a domestic spending freeze that would only give NASA a 1%
increase for FY2006. We'll know in February, when the budget is due to be
released.

On Sun, 26 Dec 2004 19:09:02 -0600, in a place far, far away, Bill the
Cat made the phosphor on my monitor glow in such a way
as to indicate that:

And, finally, space hero in the public space category. House Majority
Leader Tom Delay for standing like a stone wall against the House
Appropriators' attempts to gut the President's Moon, Mars, and
Beyond Vision.

We shall see. The props to Bush and DeLay are well-deserved for getting
NASA a 5% increase for FY2005 while everything else except DoD and Homeland
Security got a cut. However, this year is not the end. NASA's funding plan
for the new program requires another 5% increase in FY2006, and 2%
increases in FY2007-09. Meanwhile, the word in DC is that Bush is
considering a domestic spending freeze that would only give NASA a 1%
increase for FY2006. We'll know in February, when the budget is due to be
released.

On the other hand, if the difference between a 1% increase and a 5%
increase in next year's budget is really the difference between going
beyond earth orbit or not, then NASA undoubtedly needs new management.

h (Rand Simberg) wrote in
:

On Sun, 26 Dec 2004 19:09:02 -0600, in a place far, far away, Bill the
Cat made the phosphor on my monitor glow in such a way
as to indicate that:

And, finally, space hero in the public space category. House
Majority Leader Tom Delay for standing like a stone wall against the
House Appropriators' attempts to gut the President's Moon, Mars, and
Beyond Vision.

We shall see. The props to Bush and DeLay are well-deserved for
getting NASA a 5% increase for FY2005 while everything else except DoD
and Homeland Security got a cut. However, this year is not the end.
NASA's funding plan for the new program requires another 5% increase
in FY2006, and 2% increases in FY2007-09. Meanwhile, the word in DC is
that Bush is considering a domestic spending freeze that would only
give NASA a 1% increase for FY2006. We'll know in February, when the
budget is due to be released.

On the other hand, if the difference between a 1% increase and a 5%
increase in next year's budget is really the difference between going
beyond earth orbit or not, then NASA undoubtedly needs new management.

Technically speaking, it wouldn't make or break the program. At worst, it
would delay milestones a year (e.g. CEV Spiral 1 tests in 2009 vice 2008).

Politically speaking, it would give the program's opponents the impression
that Bush is no longer serious about it - and that may be all the ammo they
need. That may prove to be more important than the technical
considerations. In that case, it matters little who manages NASA.

Most hopeful development in space. Transition Space's free market
proposals for fulfilling the President's Moon, Mars, and Beyond
Initiative.

Minor nitpick: It's Transformational Space, or t/Space.
All in all, a great list.

"Neil Halelamien" wrote in message
All in all, a great list.

YEAH!

On Sun, 26 Dec 2004 23:51:53 -0600, in a place far, far away, Bill the
Cat made the phosphor on my monitor glow in such a way
as to indicate that:

On the other hand, if the difference between a 1% increase and a 5%
increase in next year's budget is really the difference between going
beyond earth orbit or not, then NASA undoubtedly needs new management.

Technically speaking, it wouldn't make or break the program. At worst, it
would delay milestones a year (e.g. CEV Spiral 1 tests in 2009 vice 2008).

Politically speaking, it would give the program's opponents the impression
that Bush is no longer serious about it - and that may be all the ammo they
need. That may prove to be more important than the technical
considerations.

I think that's unlikely. Even a one percent increase in an
environment in which all other discretionary spending is being cut is
still indicative of strong support, and there aren't enough political
opponents to matter for at least the next two years, and probably
four, unless the administration really does become unserious about it.
I think that unlikely based on what they've done so far.

Mark R. Whittington ) wrote:
: Time now for the year in space awards. I've been struggling with some
: of these categories so, in the spirit of wussing out, I have decided to
: divide them into public and private space. It is, in any case,
: appropriate for the new age we find ourselves in.

: Winner in the private space category goes to Burt Rutan and his team at
: Scaled Composites. Before SpaceShipOne made its series of flight, the
: idea of private space flight seemed, to most, to be fanciful. But there
: is nothing like actually doing a thing to make prove that the thing is
: possible. The coming age of sub orbital barnstorming, cruises in low
: Earth orbit and, in the fullness of time, tourist hotels in Earth orbit
: and on the Moon owes its prospect to Rutan and his people.

I agree.

: Winner for public space goes to President George W. Bush for announcing
: the Moon, Mars, and Beyond Vision and, more importantly, for proving
: that he meant it. The Vision will take NASA out of low Earth orbit,
: leaving it to the activities of the new space commercial sector, and
: transform the space agency from a high tech, space taxi service to a
: modern day Corps of Discovery. A lot of people, including some of the
: President's friends, didn't think he was serious. During the fight
: to fund the Vision, the President and his true allies proved the
: skeptics wrong.

How did he prove he meant it? Why are the skeptics wrong?
Wait, let's see if he mentions his space initiative in his State of the
Union Address next month. What will you say if he leaves it out?

This week he is working on that speech in Texas.

: Loser in the private space category goes to the Canadian Da Vinci Team
: in the X Prize race who, for a time, looked like was going to give
: Rutan a race. They did not.

: Loser for public space goes to Lori Garver, the erstwhile NSS Executive
: Director and NASA Associate Administrator who discovered that the price
: of being considered for John Kerry's NASA Administrator would be to
: turn on the President's Moon, Mars, and Beyond Initiative which she
: had initially supported. To paraphrase the playwright Robert Bolt (who
: was paraphrasing God), "It profits not a person to sell her soul even
: for the whole world, but Lori, for NASA Administrator?" Turns out she
: did not get even that.

You're not politically biased are you?

: Best pictures from space. Saturn and her Moons from the Cassini probe.

: Best pictures from space runner up. The surface of Mars from Spirit and
: Opportunity.

I think you have these two reversed, but that is only my opinion.

: Most hopeful development in space. Transition Space's free market
: proposals for fulfilling the President's Moon, Mars, and Beyond
: Initiative.

We'll see, especially that third week next month.

: Runner up. The passage of the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act.

: Most fun development in space. Sir Richard Branson's announcement of
: Virgin Galactic and sub orbital jaunts on two ships that will have
: familiar names: VSS Enterprise and VSS Voyager. I hear that Captain
: Kirk and Flight Officer Ripley have already signed up.

His reality show ain't that great...

: Best space opera movie (by default, I think, for being the only one
: released this past year.) The Chronicles of Riddick, which was not half
: bad given its poor box office.

: Best space book (that I have actually read). Moonrush by Dennis Wingo,
: for presenting an intriguing rationale for going back to the Moon,
: though an insider tells me that the idea has been percolating in
: certain quarters for years.

: Best space book runner up. New Moon Rising by Frank Sietzen and Keith
: Cowing for the inside look at the development of the President's
: Moon, Mars, and Beyond Vision.

: Best space reporter. James Oberg, for actually knowing of what he
: writes and talks about, which is not necessarily true for all reporters
: on the space beat.

: Award for most idiotic statement on space policy. Sherwood Boehlert for
: suggesting that the President's Moon, Mars, and Beyond Vision was the
: right way to go, but that Congress should not fund it adequately.

: Space hero in the private space category. Mike Melvill for flying
: SpaceShipOne not just once, but twice

: And, finally, space hero in the public space category. House Majority
: Leader Tom Delay for standing like a stone wall against the House
: Appropriators' attempts to gut the President's Moon, Mars, and
: Beyond Vision.

Naw, you're not a partisan politician at all! LOL!

Nothing about ISS or Chinese space flight?

Eric

Eric Chomko wrote:
Mark R. Whittington ) wrote:
: Time now for the year in space awards. I've been struggling with
some
: of these categories so, in the spirit of wussing out, I have
decided to
: divide them into public and private space. It is, in any case,
: appropriate for the new age we find ourselves in.

: Winner in the private space category goes to Burt Rutan and his
team at
: Scaled Composites. Before SpaceShipOne made its series of flight,
the
: idea of private space flight seemed, to most, to be fanciful. But
there
: is nothing like actually doing a thing to make prove that the thing
is
: possible. The coming age of sub orbital barnstorming, cruises in
low
: Earth orbit and, in the fullness of time, tourist hotels in Earth
orbit
: and on the Moon owes its prospect to Rutan and his people.

I agree.

: Winner for public space goes to President George W. Bush for
announcing
: the Moon, Mars, and Beyond Vision and, more importantly, for
proving
: that he meant it. The Vision will take NASA out of low Earth orbit,
: leaving it to the activities of the new space commercial sector,
and
: transform the space agency from a high tech, space taxi service to
a
: modern day Corps of Discovery. A lot of people, including some of
the
: President's friends, didn't think he was serious. During the fight
: to fund the Vision, the President and his true allies proved the
: skeptics wrong.

How did he prove he meant it? Why are the skeptics wrong?
Wait, let's see if he mentions his space initiative in his State of
the
Union Address next month. What will you say if he leaves it out?

This week he is working on that speech in Texas.


The President demonstrated his seriousness by issuing the veto threat
and by playing hard ball to get full funding.

: Loser in the private space category goes to the Canadian Da Vinci
Team
: in the X Prize race who, for a time, looked like was going to give
: Rutan a race. They did not.

: Loser for public space goes to Lori Garver, the erstwhile NSS
Executive
: Director and NASA Associate Administrator who discovered that the
price
: of being considered for John Kerry's NASA Administrator would be to
: turn on the President's Moon, Mars, and Beyond Initiative which she
: had initially supported. To paraphrase the playwright Robert Bolt
(who
: was paraphrasing God), "It profits not a person to sell her soul
even
: for the whole world, but Lori, for NASA Administrator?" Turns out
she
: did not get even that.

You're not politically biased are you?

: Best pictures from space. Saturn and her Moons from the Cassini
probe.

: Best pictures from space runner up. The surface of Mars from Spirit
and
: Opportunity.

I think you have these two reversed, but that is only my opinion.

: Most hopeful development in space. Transition Space's free market
: proposals for fulfilling the President's Moon, Mars, and Beyond
: Initiative.

We'll see, especially that third week next month.

: Runner up. The passage of the Commercial Space Launch Amendments
Act.

: Most fun development in space. Sir Richard Branson's announcement
of
: Virgin Galactic and sub orbital jaunts on two ships that will have
: familiar names: VSS Enterprise and VSS Voyager. I hear that Captain
: Kirk and Flight Officer Ripley have already signed up.

His reality show ain't that great...

: Best space opera movie (by default, I think, for being the only one
: released this past year.) The Chronicles of Riddick, which was not
half
: bad given its poor box office.

: Best space book (that I have actually read). Moonrush by Dennis
Wingo,
: for presenting an intriguing rationale for going back to the Moon,
: though an insider tells me that the idea has been percolating in
: certain quarters for years.

: Best space book runner up. New Moon Rising by Frank Sietzen and
Keith
: Cowing for the inside look at the development of the President's
: Moon, Mars, and Beyond Vision.

: Best space reporter. James Oberg, for actually knowing of what he
: writes and talks about, which is not necessarily true for all
reporters
: on the space beat.

: Award for most idiotic statement on space policy. Sherwood Boehlert
for
: suggesting that the President's Moon, Mars, and Beyond Vision was
the
: right way to go, but that Congress should not fund it adequately.

: Space hero in the private space category. Mike Melvill for flying
: SpaceShipOne not just once, but twice

: And, finally, space hero in the public space category. House
Majority
: Leader Tom Delay for standing like a stone wall against the House
: Appropriators' attempts to gut the President's Moon, Mars, and
: Beyond Vision.

Naw, you're not a partisan politician at all! LOL!

Nothing about ISS or Chinese space flight?
Nothing much happened this year on either front.


Eric

Rand Simberg ) wrote:
: On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 19:08:06 +0000 (UTC), in a place far, far away,
: (Eric Chomko) made the phosphor on my
: monitor glow in such a way as to indicate that:

: : Winner for public space goes to President George W. Bush for announcing
: : the Moon, Mars, and Beyond Vision and, more importantly, for proving
: : that he meant it. The Vision will take NASA out of low Earth orbit,
: : leaving it to the activities of the new space commercial sector, and
: : transform the space agency from a high tech, space taxi service to a
: : modern day Corps of Discovery. A lot of people, including some of the
: : President's friends, didn't think he was serious. During the fight
: : to fund the Vision, the President and his true allies proved the
: : skeptics wrong.
:
: How did he prove he meant it? Why are the skeptics wrong?
: Wait, let's see if he mentions his space initiative in his State of the
: Union Address next month. What will you say if he leaves it out?

: That there was no particular reason to mention it, which is in fact
: the case.

Rand, I am referring to the upcoming SOU. Someone mentioned that this past
year's SOU and the initiative itself were close together, therefore Bush
had no reason to mention it. Okay, fine. Let's see what Bush says in his
SOU 2005 about space. What will you say if he says nothing about it?

Eric