The Origins of Commercial Space

January 14, 2004 ... President George W. Bush announces the Vision for Space Exploration.

You've heard them. Read them. Seen them.

The people who claim that NASA was a perfect place where everyone had guaranteed jobs forever building wonder ships that would take American heroes back to the Moon and beyond.

Until Barack Obama was elected.

They claim that Obama destroyed NASA by imposing the commercial space program so he could give taxpayer money to political cronies like Elon Musk who bankrolled his election campaign.

It's all a fantasy, of course, but these people live among us here in the Space Coast, continuing to spread this nonsense.

Here's what really happened.

Commercial space originated not in 2009 when Obama took office, but in 2004 with President George W. Bush's Vision for Space Exploration.

On January 14, 2004, Bush gave his Vision for Space Exploration speech. He didn't mention commercial space, but in the detailed proposal submitted to Congress in February 2004 were the first mentions of transferring Low Earth Orbit access to the private sector.

Called The Vision for Space Exploration, the document had an introductory letter from NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. He wrote that “NASA is releasing this plan simultaneously with NASA’s FY 2005 Budget Justification. This plan is fiscally responsible, consistent with the Administration’s goal of cutting the budget deficit in half within the next five years.”

The latter didn't happen, of course, but let's focus on commercial space.

If you download the PDF at the above link, you can use Adobe Acrobat Reader to find the references to the word “commercial.” On the seventh page of the PDF, you'll find at the bottom that one of the Vision's objectives was to “Pursue commercial opportunities for providing transportation and other services supporting the International Space Station and exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit.”

On Page 23 of the PDF (page 15 in the report) is this passage:

For cargo transport to the Space Station after 2010, NASA will rely on existing or new commercial cargo transport systems, as well as international partner cargo transport systems. NASA does not plan to develop new launch vehicle capabilities except where critical NASA needs — such as heavy lift — are not met by commercial or military systems. Depending on future human mission designs, NASA could decide to develop or acquire a heavy lift vehicle later this decade. Such a vehicle could be derived from elements of the Space Shuttle, existing commercial launch vehicles, or new designs.

Two pages later is this paragraph:

As we move outward into the solar system, NASA will rely more heavily on private sector space capabilities to support activities in Earth orbit and future exploration activities. In particular, NASA will seek to use existing or new commercial launch vehicles for cargo transport to the Space Station, and potentially to the Moon and other destinations.

In his January 14 speech, Bush announced he would “form a commission of private and public sector experts to advise on implementing the vision that I've outlined today.”

Eventually known as the Aldridge Commission for its chair, former Air Force Secretary Pete Aldridge, it was officially known as the President's Commission on Moon, Mars and Beyond. Their report was released on June 26, 2004.

The Aldridge Commission holds a public hearing in New York on May 3, 2004. Image source: University of North Texas.

Section III, titled “Building a Robust Space Industry,” argues for the creation of what today many call NewSpace.

The Commission finds that sustaining the long-term exploration of the solar system requires a robust space industry that will contribute to national economic growth, produce new products through the creation of new knowledge, and lead the world in invention and innovation. The space industry will become a national treasure.

The report called for “the breaking down of barriers to commercial and entrepreneurial activities in space, as well as a cultural shift towards encouraging and incentivizing more private sector business in space. Such a change in both perspective and posture is essential if we are to develop a broad-based, societal change in space business.”

The commission noted that “It is the stated policy of the act creating and enabling NASA that it encourage and nurture private sector space.” They cited a NASA program called the Centennial Challenge that gives cash prizes for “advancement of space or aeronautical technologies,” and suggested that “NASA should expand its Centennial prize program to encourage entrepreneurs and risk-takers to undertake major space missions.”

NASA Administration Michael Griffin.

In November 2005, NASA released the Exploration Systems Architecture Study about seven months after Michael Griffin became the new NASA Administrator. Griffin became Administrator on April 14, 2005. The ESAS began in May and ended in July. According to the preface:

The ESAS Final Report presents analysis and recommendations concerning technologies and potential approaches related to NASA’s implementation of the Vision for Space Exploration. Project and contract requirements will likely be derived, in part, from the ESAS analysis and recommendations.

Within the verbose 758-page report are several references to commercial space. (Again, search the PDF for “commercial.”) Page 62 of the PDF (page 56 in the document) displays a chart for the ESAS Architecture Implementation Roadmap:

The ESAS Architecture Implementation Roadmap.

It states on that page, “Options for transporting cargo to and from the ISS would be pursued in cooperation with industry, with a goal of purchasing transportation services commercially.” The roadmap itself defines “Commercial Crew/Cargo for ISS” as a program running from 2005 through 2015, when the ISS would be retired.

In January 2006, NASA issued a release soliciting proposals for crew and cargo transportation to orbit.

NASA is challenging U.S. industry to establish capabilities and services that can open new space markets and support the crew and cargo transportation needs of the International Space Station.

For the first time, NASA is seeking non-government vehicles and commercial services to provide crew and cargo transportation for human space flight. The final announcement for Phase 1 of the Commercial Crew/Cargo Project invites proposals for Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Demonstrations. The companies or teams selected will develop and demonstrate the vehicles, systems, and operations needed to support a human space facility like the International Space Station. Once a capability is demonstrated, NASA plans to purchase these services competitively.

"This signifies a new era in space transportation with a greater role for commercial space providers," said Scott Horowitz, NASA associate administrator for Exploration Systems. "We look forward to being able to purchase services for routine access to space, as NASA explores the moon, Mars, and beyond."

In October 2006, Griffin gave a speech at the X-Prize Cup Summit. This was a landmark speech that defined the agency's commercial space doctrine as we know it.

All of you here will be familiar with our new Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demonstrations, being conducted under the framework of NASA Space Act Agreements. These landmark agreements are, truly, NASA's most significant investment to date in attempting to spur the development of the commercial space industry. But let me say this at the outset: NASA can do even better in partnering with the commercial and entrepreneurial space sector in carrying out our nation's Vision for Space Exploration. However, let me be equally blunt about the other side of the coin: "partnership" with NASA is not a synonym for "helping NASA spend its money". Just as with our international partnerships, I expect commercial and venture capital partners to have "skin in the game", contributing resources toward a common goal that is greater than that which could be easily afforded by NASA alone, while figuring out how to make a profit from it!

Griffin said that, “in my first few weeks as NASA Administrator, I met with Burt Rutan, Elon Musk, Bob Bigelow, and other space entrepreneurs to hear their ideas.”

In January 2007, Commercial Crew & Cargo Program Office (C3PO) Deputy Manager Valin Thorn delivered an overview to the AIAA Aerospace Sciences meeting. Page 5 of the presentation states:

COTS Phase 1 Demonstrations are NOT contracts for products and services — They are similar to venture capital pathfinder initiatives with associated risk tolerance and potential high return on investment.

On Page 6 is a chart titled, “COTS Notional Schedule”:

The COTS Notional Schedule.

The chart shows an ambitious schedule not just for commercial cargo, but also for crew. COTS crew services would begin in 2012 and continue until 2015, “ISS Retirement.” It notes that Crew Phase 1 is “currently unfunded” and hopes that, “Potential funding start in 2009.”

That would be in the first year of the administration of whomever succeeded President Bush.

Mr. Thorn reported that two companies had already been selected for the first COTS Demo Competition — Rocketplane-Kistler and SpaceX.

So much for the Obama/political crony conspiracy theory. SpaceX was selected years before Obama took office.

Nowhere in Thorn's presentation is mentioned Constellation. At the same time as this presentation, the Ares I was also being developed to provide crew services to ISS.

Why did NASA have two programs, one government and one public-private hybrid, developing crew vehicles to go to a place that would be retired in 2015?

No wonder the GAO issued a report in August 2009 concluding that Constellation lacked “a sound business case.”

We have issued a number of reports and testimonies that touch on various aspects of NASA’s Constellation program and in particular the development efforts under way for the Orion and Ares I projects. These reports and testimonies have questioned the affordability and overall acquisition strategy for each project and have stressed repeatedly NASA’s need to develop a sound business case — which includes firm requirements, mature technologies, a knowledge-based acquisition strategy, a realistic cost estimate, and sufficient funding and time — to support the Constellation program before making long-term commitments.

This is what the Obama administration inherited when it took office. They would eventually propose the cancellation of Constellation, and use the savings to extend the ISS as well as prime the pump for commercial cargo and crew to close the “gap” after the Shuttle's retirement where the United States would rely on other nations for access to Low Earth Orbit.

Commercial cargo and crew were in place long before the current administration. Some have complained about the use of the word “commercial” to describe the venture capital approach, but that word was in the very first VSE report sent to Congress in February 2004, as it was in the June 2004 Aldridge report and the November 2005 ESAS document. It's been around for nine years now, and the notion of using taxpayer money as venture capital for nearly as long.

If you don't like it, that's your perogative. But place blame where blame is due.

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UPDATE April 8, 2013 — I found on NASA's web site this November 7, 2005 press release announcing the creation of the Commercial Crew/Cargo Project Office.

NASA has formed the Commercial Crew/Cargo Project Office to spur private industry to provide cost-effective access to low-Earth orbit and the international space station in support of the Vision for Space Exploration.

Part of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, the office is located at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. NASA named Alan J. Lindenmoyer project manager. The office will manage orbital transportation capability demonstration projects that may lead to the procurement of commercial cargo and crew transportation services to resupply the space station.

The commercial sector will soon get an opportunity to provide these services. In testimony before a Congressional committee last week, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said, "Later this month NASA will issue a draft solicitation requesting commercial service demonstrations for space station crew and cargo delivery and return. Where commercial providers have demonstrated the ability to meet NASA's needs and safety requirements, commercial services will be purchased instead of using government assets and operations."

So if you're looking for an official “birth date” for commercial space, this could be it.

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Previously:

“Why Bush Cancelled the Space Shuttle” (March 2, 2010)

“When Bush Cancelled the Space Shuttle” (April 26, 2010)

“After Bush Cancelled the Space Shuttle” (November 28, 2010)

The Mega Tour

The Mega Tour includes both pad 39A (above) and the Vehicle Assembly Building.

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is offering a “Mega Tour” through April 7 that combines their Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Complex 39-A tours.

Click here for details.

Each tour sold separately for adults is $25, but combined KSCVC is charging $40.

Bird Zerk

I strolled through the new Angry Birds Space Encounter at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. I'm totally clueless when it comes to Angry Birds, so I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Project Vanguard and the Birth of the U.S. Civilian Space Program

Click the arrow to watch the Universal newsreel of the Vanguard TV-3 explosion.

On Monday evening April 1 (no foolin'), I'll present a lecture on Project Vanguard and how it led to the birth of the U.S. civilian space program.

The event is part of the monthly Air Force Space and Missile Museum docents meeting at the History Center. It's open to the public.

The meeting begins at 7:00 PM, and the lecture should start about 7:30 PM. To find the History Center:

From State Route 528 (AKA the Beachline), exit at Port Canaveral Terminal A and continue until you reach the signal light at Poseidon Road. You'll see a red-and-white Navaho missile on display at the corner. Turn right and then left into the Space Florida complex, which includes the SpaceX Launch Control Center. The History Center is behind SpaceX.

View Larger Map

Seeing Red

Click the arrow to watch the oversight hearing on YouTube.

The calendar listing stated simply, “Oversight Hearing.”

The 2½ hour grilling of NASA Administrator Charles Bolden was a piling on of wild accusations, political self-interests, and finger-pointing for the consequences of sequestration while simultaneously demanding that the members' pet programs be exempted.

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee that allocates NASA funding, used the opportunity to grill Bolden about the arrest of a Chinese national who worked for a NASA contractor. Bo Jiang worked for the National Institute of Aerospace. He was arrested at Dulles Airport for not declaring all the electronics he was carrying with him; according to media reports, an affidavit stated Jiang had previously taken to China a laptop with “sensitive information,” although what was “sensitive” has not been reported to my knowledge.

Wolf was the author of 2010 legislation which forbade NASA from having any contact with China. Since then, Wolf and Bolden have sparred over the law's language and intrepretation. According to one online post, Wolf claimed in 1995 that Chinese hospitals were selling human fetuses as health food.

The Hampton Roads Daily Press reports that Jiang's lawyer might call Wolf as a witness under cross-examination to ask the Representative about what the attorney calls a “witch hunt.”

U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-McLean, has linked Jiang to the congressman's contention that NASA has farmed out much of its work to contractors in order to circumvent federal restrictions on workers from China and certain other countries. Wolf has also connected Jiang to the possibility that Chinese workers were stealing NASA technology and sharing it with the Chinese military.

But Jiang's lawyer, Fernando Groene — a former federal prosecutor who now practices out of Williamsburg — said he's not going to let Wolf misportray Jiang. Groene briefly spoke to reporters after a federal court hearing Thursday in which Jiang's bond hearing was continued until next week.

When asked by a reporter if Jiang was going to plead not guilty to the charges next week, Groene answered with his own question: "To the witch hunt for which he's being made a scapegoat, or the (allegations) for which he's charged?"

Groene challenged Wolf to come to the trial in Newport News federal court to present his evidence against Jiang. "If Congressman Wolf wants to come down and testify against my client, we'll be glad to cross examine him," Groene said.

Asked why Jiang was going to China, Groene said, "He was going home."

Groene said Jiang had lost his job at the National Institute of Aerospace in Hampton in January, for reasons that Groene said were not performance related.

I think most of us would agree that China is abundantly guilty of global technology theft, hacking computer systems to steal data and wage electronic warfare, and merrily violating copyright laws.

But I also have to wonder why the chair of an appropriations subcommittee is using his position to publicly accuse one Chinese individual. The Appropriations committee provides funds from the federal treasury to finance government activities previously approved by Congress. This matter would seem more appropriate for the House Committee on Science, or perhaps Judiciary or Foreign Affairs.

For the Birds

Click the arrow to watch a Florida Today report on the opening of the Angry Birds Space Encounter.

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is now officially for the birds.

Angry Birds, that is.

Florida Today reports that the new Angry Birds Space Encounter opened today.

Dan Mitchell of Angry Birds’ creator Rovio Entertainment said bringing the birds to life has been a “tremendous experience.”

It’s “an opportunity for us to bring our game from the digital to the physical,” he said at the opening, which he attended with his 6-year-old daughter.

NASA collaborated on the project, calling it an opportunity to encourage young people in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects. Astronaut Don Pettit was on hand for today’s opening.

KSCVC issued this press release.

The internationally popular Angry Birds™ have landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for a new mission in space.

Angry Birds Space Encounter, the first comprehensive, interactive Angry Birds attraction in the United States designed for people of all ages, opened today at the Visitor Complex. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex partnered with Rovio Entertainment, creator of the globally successful Angry Birds franchise, including Angry Birds Space, to bring the beloved characters to life.

“Rovio is thrilled to partner with Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to bring this unique attraction to the fans of Angry Birds,” said Dan Mitchell, Rovio’s director of location-based entertainment, during today’s grand opening celebration at the Florida destination.

“Angry Birds Space Encounter is both a fun and educational experience,” said Bill Moore, chief operating officer of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, which operates the popular destination on Florida’s Space Coast for NASA.

“Concepts of human space exploration are incorporated into Angry Birds Space Encounter, reflecting Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s ongoing mission to encourage young people in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields of study. Kids will love interacting with their favorite Angry Birds Space characters, while parents will appreciate that their children are enjoying the learning experience,” Moore said.

The 4,485-square-foot Angry Birds Space Encounter, which is included in regular Visitor Complex admission, brings to life the space adventures of the Angry Birds as they follow their kidnapped eggs into an inter-galactic wormhole, come face-to-face with Space Pigs and gear up with heroic superpowers. Visitors encounter six interactive stations designed to engage and immerse guests in a new dimension of Angry Birds Space:

• Create Your Own Angry Bird – Red, green, blue or purple – Guests create their own Angry Bird by choosing from an array of body styles and accessories. When the bird is complete, guests can print their bird as a keepsake.
• Eggsteroids Slingshot – Ready, set, squawk! Guests take their best shot – slingshot, that is – at King Pig and Corporal Pig, competing with fellow players using mini Angry Birds launched in a slingshot to zap the Space Pigs.
• Cold Cuts Tile Puzzle – Guests line up a universe of planets and Angry Birds to solve sliding puzzles, with three levels of difficulty, featuring images of Super Red, Ice Bird, The Incredible Terence and Space King, Pig in a Bubble.
• Danger Zone – Proceed with caution! The Danger Zone features a mirrored labyrinth challenge to find the hidden Angry Birds. Guests discover surprises along the way.
• Red Planet Lazer Challenge – The Angry Birds need help finding their prized golden eggs! Guests journey to the surface of the Red Planet to search for the mythical eggs but need to watch out for lazer beams that create obstacles along the course, making the mission more difficult.
• Angry Birds Game Zone – Guests can play the actual Angry Birds Space game in a tournament against fellow guests, mastering selected levels and discovering little known hints to zap the pigs.

An Angry Birds Space photo opportunity also is available, as is Angry Birds merchandise.

NASA astronaut Donald Pettit, Ph.D., who previously announced from the International Space Station that NASA and Rovio would partner on the creation of the Angry Birds Space game, was also on hand for the grand opening.

“NASA and Rovio have worked together to teach players about physics and space exploration and energize young people regarding future careers in science and technology,” Pettit said.

The original idea for Angry Birds Space came in a Twitter message from @NASA to Rovio that said: “Hey @RovioMobile, our computers are a bit better than they were in '69. We might be able to help you launch birds if you find pigs in space.”

That tweet was the starting point for conversations that eventually led to NASA’s partnership with Rovio and the creation of the Angry Birds Space game and Angry Birds Space Encounter at the Visitor Complex.

Entertainment Design Group Inc. of Austell, Ga., developed, built and installed the Angry Birds Space Encounter at the Visitor Complex under the direction of NASA and Delaware North.

The opening of Angry Birds Space Encounter comes a few months before the Visitor Complex will celebrate the grand opening of the new $100 million home of Space Shuttle Atlantis June 29.

Located only 45 minutes from Orlando, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex features many attractions and year-round interactive programs, including meeting real astronauts. The standard bus tour, included with admission, explores the history of the Apollo moon and space shuttle programs with panoramic views of Kennedy Space Center, the Vehicle Assembly Building’s (VAB) exterior and a stop at the Apollo/Saturn V Center, where visitors see an authentic 363-foot Saturn V moon rocket and relive the historic Apollo missions that saw man land on the moon.

Other Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex attractions and activities include Shuttle Launch Experience, an incredible simulated journey of vertically launching into space and orbiting Earth aboard the space shuttle, as well as the Astronaut Training Experience ® (ATX®), Rocket Garden, two IMAX® theaters, Astronaut Encounter, Lunch With an Astronaut, U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame® and Exploration Space: Explorers Wanted.

Visitors also can share mankind’s greatest achievements and future of the space program with the entire family and receive rare access to areas of Kennedy Space Center that have been off limits to the public for decades. The KSC Up-Close Tour Series includes tours of the VAB, Launch Control Center (LCC), and Launch Pad. The VAB tour has been extended through 2013 and the LCC and Launch Pad tours are confirmed through June 30. All Up-Close Tours are $25 per adult and $19 per child (ages 3-11) plus tax, in addition to admission.

For more information on Kennedy Space Center Complex, please visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com.

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UPDATE March 23, 2013 — Here is a NASA video of the Angry Birds Space Encounter premiere.

Click the arrow to watch on YouTube.

The Sky is Falling

The trail left by the Chelyabinsk meteor on February 15, 2013.

Earlier this week, the House and Senate space authorization committees held hearings to discuss the potential threat of asteroids to Planet Earth.

The hearings were scheduled after a small meteor broke up over Chelyabinsk, Russia on February 15, 2013.

Much of the media chose to focus on a flippant remark by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. When asked by Space Coast Rep. Bill Posey what we could do if given three weeks' notice of an impending meteor strike, Bolden said, "Pray." What Bolden really meant, if you watch the hearings, is that because asteroids move so fast, we would need years' notice to nudge a killer asteroid off-course.

The Gannett news report (Florida Today is a Gannett paper) correctly buried the joke at the end of their article. Reporter Ledyard King focused on Bolden's main message, which was that such events are extremely rare, but should be taken seriously.

Bolden also took advantage of the hearings to promote the Obama administration's proposal for a human flight to an asteroid in the 2020s. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) dismissed the idea as "lackluster."

The videos of the hearings are below.

Click here to watch the March 19 House hearing.


Click here to watch the March 20 Senate hearing.

Orbital Sunset

More photos from yesterday at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

These were taken near sunset at Launch Complex 14, where the four Mercury orbital flights launched.

The monuments at the entrance to Launch Complex 14.


The Mercury 7 astronauts memorial. The plaque has the formula for orbital velocity and covers a time capsule to be opened in 2464.


The LC-14 security gate. Note the names on the parking spots.


Want to enter the blockhouse? Here are the rules.


The blast door and blockhouse entrance. (It was locked.)


All that remains of the launch pad. The Atlantic Ocean is on the other side.

Launch Complex 34 at Sunset

Launch Complex 34, used for Saturn 1 and 1B, is known to history as the site of the tragic Apollo 1 fire.

Here are photos taken today at sunset of the memorial plaque, the launch pedestal and the pad.

What's in a Name?

The Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit is one step closer to completion. Today the last letters of the sign went up, along with an American flag.

Below are photos taken this week as the sign was assembled.

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UPDATE March 17, 2013 — Here's another photo taken today:

Making the Invisible Visible

Click the arrow to watch the video on Vimeo.

Journalist and cinematographer Christoph Malin has released a 16-minute short film, The ISS Image Frontier: Making the Invisible Visible, about astrophotography by Don Pettit while serving aboard the International Space Station.

Well worth your time to watch.

To Angrily Go Where No Bird Has Gone Before

Click the arrow to watch the Angry Birds in Space trailer on YouTube.

I fully admit that the Angry Birds phenomenon is beyond me, but the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex issued a press release on March 6 announcing that a new attraction will open March 22, based on Angry Birds Space.

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Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Welcomes Angry Birds™ Space Encounter March 22

Attraction is the First of its Kind in the United States

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (March 6, 2013) — Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has partnered with Rovio Entertainment, creator of the globally successful Angry Birds™ franchise including Angry Birds Space, to bring the casual puzzle game to life. The new Angry Birds™ Space Encounter, set to open at the Visitor Complex at 11 a.m. on March 22, is the first comprehensive, interactive Angry Birds attraction in the United States designed for people of all ages.

The grand opening of Angry Birds Space Encounter will feature an appearance by NASA astronaut Donald Pettit, Ph.D., who previously announced from the International Space Station that NASA and Rovio would partner on the creation of the Angry Birds Space game.

“This one-of-a-kind experience gives guests an up-close encounter with Angry Birds Space characters in a unique multifaceted adventure featuring Danger Zone, Eggsteroids Slingshot and Red Planet Lazer Challenge,” said Bill Moore, chief operating officer of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Angry Birds Space Encounter, which is included in regular Visitor Complex admission, brings to life the space adventures of the Angry Birds as they follow their kidnapped eggs into an inter-galactic wormhole, come face-to-face with Space Pigs and gear up with heroic superpowers. Visitors encounter six interactive stations designed to engage and immerse guests in a new dimension of Angry Birds Space.

“Working with Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on bringing Angry Birds Space Encounter to life has been a great experience. We are excited to build on our relationship with NASA and bring this unique attraction to our fans,” said Dan Mitchell, director of location based entertainment for Rovio.

NASA and Rovio have worked together to teach players about physics and space exploration and energize young people regarding future careers in science and technology.

“Concepts of human space exploration are incorporated into Angry Birds Space Encounter, reflecting Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s ongoing mission to encourage young people in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields of study,” said Moore. “Kids will love interacting with their favorite Angry Birds Space characters, while parents will appreciate that their children are enjoying the learning experience.”

Entertainment Design Group Inc., Austell, Ga., has been retained to develop, build and install the Angry Birds Space Encounter, which will occupy 4,485 square feet at the Visitor Complex.

The opening of Angry Birds Space Encounter will come a few months before the Visitor Complex will celebrate the grand opening of the new $100 million home of Space Shuttle Atlantis June 29.

Located only 45 minutes from Orlando, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex features many attractions and year-round interactive programs, including meeting real astronauts. The standard bus tour, included with admission, explores the history of the Apollo moon and space shuttle programs with panoramic views of Kennedy Space Center, the Vehicle Assembly Building’s (VAB) exterior and a stop at the Apollo/Saturn V Center, where visitors see an authentic 363-foot Saturn V moon rocket and relive the historic Apollo missions that saw man land on the moon.

Other Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex attractions and activities include Shuttle Launch Experience, an incredible simulated journey of vertically launching into space and orbiting Earth aboard the space shuttle, as well as the Astronaut Training Experience® (ATX®), Rocket Garden, two IMAX® theaters, Astronaut Encounter, Lunch With an Astronaut, U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame® and Exploration Space: Explorers Wanted.

Visitors also can share mankind’s greatest achievements and future of the space program with the entire family and receive rare access to areas of Kennedy Space Center that have been off limits to the public for decades. The KSC Up-Close Tour Series includes tours of the VAB, Launch Control Center (LCC), and Launch Pad. The VAB tour has been extended through 2013 and the LCC and Launch Pad tours are confirmed through June 30. All Up-Close Tours are $25 per adult and $19 per child (ages 3-11) plus tax, in addition to admission.

For more information on Kennedy Space Center Complex, please visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com.

About Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex opens daily at 9 a.m. Closing times vary by season. Admission includes the Kennedy Space Center Tour, featuring an actual Saturn V moon rocket, Shuttle Launch Experience, 3D IMAX® space films, Astronaut Encounter, Exploration Space: Explorers Wanted and all exhibits. Admission also includes the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame®, featuring historic spacecraft and the world's largest collection of personal astronaut memorabilia opens daily at noon and closing times vary by season. Admission is $50 + tax for adults and $40 + tax for children ages 3-11. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Commander's Club Annual Pass is $63 + tax for adults and $53 + tax for children ages 3-11. For more information, call 877-313-2610 or visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com.

About Rovio Entertainment
Rovio Entertainment is an industry-changing entertainment media company and creator of the globally successful Angry Birds franchise. Angry Birds, a casual puzzle game, became an international phenomenon within a few months of its release and is now the number one paid app of all time. Following this success in mobile gaming, Angry Birds has expanded rapidly in entertainment, publishing, and licensing to become a beloved international brand.

Go for Launch

On March 5 I joined the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex tour of the Launch Control Center. Here are photos.

Outside the lobby door.

Looking up at the adjacent Vehicle Assembly Building.

In the lobby ... Launch Complex 39 won a 1966 architectural award.

Orbiter flags hanging from the lobby ceiling.

A model of the VAB and LCC. On the wall is a 1980 mural by artist Ted Brown.

Up the elevator to the third floor. Nice to know it's still safe ... through next month.

A peek at Firing Room 3 under renovation. Down the hallway are Firing Rooms 2 and 1.

Entering Firing Room 4, looking up at the Launch Director console.

The view from the “bubble” looking at the firing room floor.

The view from the Launch Director console.

The Launch Director console. There's no big red LAUNCH button.

A closeup look of the Launch Director console.

Pad 39A from the Launch Director's view.

Pad 39B from the Launch Director's view.

The five orbiter placards and the countdown clocks.

Thrill Ride

Click the arrow to watch the SpaceX CRS-2 launch on YouTube.

All seemed well until SpaceX was scheduled to deploy Dragon's solar panels.

I was about to board a tour bus at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, after watching from there the launch of the Falcon 9 with the Commercial Resupply Services 2 mission.

Standing in line, I was checking Twitter, and as I was about to board the bus I noticed a string of tweets suggesting something had gone wrong.

Then came the official word on Twitter from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Immediately I thought of that immortal line from every Star Wars film:

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

Musk's relentless critics have claimed that his space vehicles are sub-standard, fraught with flaws that NASA would not tolerate. The claims are untrue, of course, but a large army stands by with knives sharpened awaiting the first failure of a SpaceX mission to justify their claim that we have to go back to the old and bloated way of doing business in space.

After the CRS-1 launch in October, we learned that one of the nine Falcon engines had failed. It was believed initially that the engine had exploded, a mistaken assumption I made in the introduction to this video:

Click the arrow to watch the SpaceX CRS-1 engine failure on YouTube.

It turned out that the debris was only the engine casing falling away. The engine failure did not harm the other eight engines, which increased thrust to compensate for the loss.

With yesterday's launch, three of Dragon's four thruster quads failed to fire upon achieving orbit.

We learned that a minimum of two working quads were necessary to maneuver in space, and three to approach the International Space Station for berthing.

Elon's critics stood by with their carving knives.

But SpaceX diagnosed that apparently a clog had occurred in a propellant line, perhaps frozen gas. The line was pressurized, the clog cleared, and one by one the other three quads were brought on line.

The carving knives went back in the drawer.

Musk and SpaceX lived to fly another day.

Those pre-disposed to find fault with Musk's methods will cite this as yet another example of sub-standard work, yet if you look at the history of the Space Shuttle program it was fraught with problems as well — the worst being two accidents that cost fourteen astronaut lives. The early days saw loss of heat shield tiles, balky engines, and falling debris that was never solved during the thirty years of the program.

The French philosopher Voltaire wrote, “The best is the enemy of the good.” In more modern terms, the economic law of diminishing returns suggests that the more money spent on attempting to achieve perfection, the more is wasted as you try to do so.

My friend Justin Kugler wrote on his blog what may be the most reasonable interpretation of yesterday's events.

As with their recovery from a relatively minor computer anomaly on the previous flight, SpaceX’s lower-cost approach to fault tolerance so far appears to be validated here. They’ve argued that it is more cost-effective to be able to withstand an adverse event than prevent one from happening. I studied flight test engineering under their mission assurance director, John Muratore, at Rice. He showed us the history of aerospace disasters and how they can all be traced to systems that weren’t resilient to failure.

If this philosophy holds up, SpaceX will change the way the aerospace industry does business and seriously drive down the cost of getting to orbit. That will open up opportunities for private industry to bring the resources of the solar system into our economic sphere and enable government agencies, like NASA, to focus their effort on science and exploration missions instead of getting out of the gravity well.

I suspect that from Musk's critics we will hear this is just more evidence that, one day, a SpaceX vehicle will “blow up.”

One day? Sure.

Just like the Space Shuttle.

The fundamental difference is that the cost of the risk — and loss — will lie with the private vendor, not the taxpayer.

If the CRS-2 Dragon had been lost, NASA would be out only the cost of the deliverables on board. SpaceX would not be paid for a failed mission. When Challenger and Columbia were lost, the cost was absorbed by the U.S. taxpayer, as was the cost of the replacement orbiter Endeavour.

And as for the false assertion that SpaceX will risk lives, well ... NASA has lost seventeen lives in its history. Losing lives is bad for business in the private sector, so SpaceX has every monetary incentive to assure its customers survive. NASA can lose lives but the worst it faces is Congressional scrutiny and funding cuts.

So let's set aside the false claim that SpaceX will risk lives. No one wants to lose lives.

Of the three commercial crew candidates, SpaceX is the only one that will have years of experience flying its vehicle with cargo. That is one advantage they will have over the Boeing CST-100 and the Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser.

So perhaps the best way to look at this is to return to our science fiction metaphor.

We'd all love to have the Starship Enterprise. But in the real world of economics, we'll settle for the Millennium Falcon.

The SpaceX CRS-2 Pre-Game Show

NASA held two press conferences yesterday to discuss today's SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services 2 launch.

Science aboard the International Space Station.


SpaceX and NASA staff discuss the launch profile.

Florida Today reports on today's planned launch.