NASA, ESA: No Agreement on Mars

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and his European Space Agency counterpart, Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain, failed to settle their differences on restructuring the two agencies’ joint robotic Mars exploration program at a meeting Oct. 3, and now hint that it may be time to bring Russia or another partner into the mix.

At issue is how much of the joint program that was worked out when the two agencies had a brighter fiscal outlook can be salvaged in today’s tougher economic environment.

“Every nation in the world today faces fiscal challenges,” Bolden told reporters at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) here. “ESA and the United States today are working diligently to determine how our Mars program should proceed.”

Those efforts included a bilateral meeting between Bolden and Dordain Monday to discuss the Mars program that once included a U.S.-funded Atlas V launch for a European re-entry demonstrator and data-relay Mars orbiter in the 2016 planetary launch window. Since April NASA has been balking on that earlier commitment, citing tight money (Aerospace DAILY, Oct. 3).

“Hopefully Jean-Jacques will agree with me, but what we’re trying to do is determine how we accomplish the goals of the program in the best way possible, and that may mean that we revamp the way that we were going to go about it,” Bolden said Oct. 3 in a joint press conference with Dordain and other agency heads attending the IAC. 

Originally the 2016 mission would have been followed by a 2018 U.S.-led mission to deliver two rovers to the surface of Mars to collect samples for eventual return to Earth. Europe would supply its ExoMars rover, and the U.S. would supply a follow-on to the Mars Science Laboratory rover set to launch later this year.

“I think ESA is also, hopefully, potentially, talking to other international partners to see if, because of the way that the fiscal climate is right now, if we can find ways to accomplish goals of the ExoMars program as set out,” Bolden says.

Dordain says his sit-down with Bolden here was just the latest in almost weekly meetings at a lower bureaucratic level aimed at finding a way to continue the cooperation, particularly since European industry has been working on the original joint program for three years.

“What we would like is to implement the same objectives, and No. 2, to keep as much as possible of the heritage of the industrial activities that we have done for the last three years,” Dordain says. “And for that we are discussing with NASA, but we are also considering to connect with other partners.”

One possibility is to launch the 2016 mission on an Ariane 5. Another is to bring Russia into the joint effort in exchange for a Proton launch in that planetary window.

Vladimir Popovkin, head of the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos, said no decision has been made on using a Proton for the 2016 European Mars launch. “But if it happens, we will be very happy,” he said through an interpreter.

More than 2,000 delegates from almost 80 nations have gathered in this historic port city at the southern tip of Africa to spend a week discussing the latest concepts and technologies for exploring space.

While the IAC presents public technical sessions on topics as diverse as miniature instruments for measuring gene expression in space and optical navigation for precise landings on the Moon, the leaders of the world’s established space agencies will be holding bilateral meetings out of the limelight to try to resolve some difficult issues that have come to a head since last year’s IAC in Prague.

Besides Bolden and Dordain, Popovkin also may meet with Chinese representatives on the status of the Phobos-Grunt mission to the Martian moon Phobos, with a Chinese probe riding piggyback. The mission has missed one planetary launch window already, and there are suggestions that continuing problems with the main Russian spacecraft may force another 26-month delay from the planned launch this fall.

On a brighter note, China is sending a delegation from its Manned Space Engineering Office to update delegates on the launch of its Tiangong 1 docking target, the next step on the path to a Chinese space station, and plans to launch follow-on unmanned and manned Shenzhou missions to the new orbiting facility.

Here in Africa, science ministers, national space agency chiefs and other leaders meeting at a technology summit in Mombassa, Kenya, have decided it is premature to establish an African space agency along the lines of ESA. More detail on that decision is expected, as well as early data from the recently launched Nigerian Earth-observation satellite. With growing interest across the continent in the benefits that space applications can provide, the sessions on African space developments are likely to be well attended. 

ESA photo of an Ariane 5

787 Auxiliary Power Unit

The Hamilton Sundstrand APS 5000 auxiliary power unit is installed in the tail of a 787. Credit: Michael Mecham/Aviation Week

Israel's UAV Experience Turns 40

Israel may not have been the first country to employ unmanned aircraft, but it is, without doubt, the country that has done the most to bring about the widescale acceptance of UAV use. 

The country now has marked 40 years of unmanned aircraft operations at Squadron 200, its longest existing unit based at Palmachim air base.

(Israel's first operational UAV, the Scout. Credit: IAI)

In those 40 years, the IDF has operated a range of unmanned aircraft in a variety of conflicts. The country's air force, five years ago, also shot down an adversary unmanned aircraft, marking another area of unmanned aircraft conflict where Israel has been ahead of others.

Those activities have given not just the Israeli military and edge, but also local industry. Israeli companies have become major exporters of unmanned aircraft. Aside from the U.S., Israel is the largest contributor of unmanned aircraft in Afghanistan, even though the country's military itself is not deployed there. But Germany, France, and Australia, to name just some, use the country's unmanned aircraft in supporting NATO operations there.

Where will Israel go next with unmanned aircraft?

The level of secrecy Israel sustains over some of its activities makes that had to predict. Israel has armed unmanned aircraft, but will not talk about them.

The country also  talked of using unmanned aircraft in missile defense roles, both to shoot down a launching missile or to attack a launcher, but there is little apparent activity in that field at this moment.

Given Israel's concern about Iran's nuclear program, it is hard to imagine very long-range intelligence gathering and strike systems are not somewhere part of the calculus. Israel does not talk much about unmanned combat air vehicles, but that certainly does not suggest there is not ample of effort in that arena. 

Iberia's Biofuel: A Better Balance?

There is an understandable "yawn factor" that is starting to be associated with an airline's announcement that it has conducted an alternative fuel flight. The list of those that have flown is getting so long, it may be worthwhile starting to track who hasn't joined the bandwagon.

That said, hidden in Iberia's announcement today of its first commercial biofuel fueled flight -- between Madrid and Barcelona -- is an interesting tidbit of information about the camelina sativa oil plant used by refiner Repsol as feedstock for the fuel.

Iberia says the plant "enriches the soil in which it is grown." There is much talk in the industry that the feedstock has to be sustainable -- in other words, it can not compete with food supply -- but reality is a feedstock that can grow in arid land, will grow even better in fertile land. That may mean that there will be competition for fertile soil between energy and food producers. That is what makes having a plant that can be used to aid in crop rotation interesting and, perhaps, a way to balance the demands of the two production sectors.

(Credit: Iberia)

As to the flight itself, there is little remarkable about the Iberia outing. One engine was powered by a 50/50 blend of regular fuel and biofuel, with the CO2 reduction estimated at 1,500 kg.

Iberia and Repsol plan to do more work together, but what exactly has not been defined.






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·       Iberia's Airbus A320 needed no modifications to burn the mixture of second-generation biofuel

·       The fuel's characteristics are identical to those of conventional aviation fuel. It contains a 25% proportion of fuel made from camelina sativa, an inedible oil plant. The use of the mixture cuts C02 emissions by nearly 20%

·       Repsol is the maker and distributor of the fuel, which was evaluated and approved by its Technological Center

·       Iberia supplied the aircraft, crew, and all measures needed in the maintenance area

·       The ASA (Airport and Auxiliary Services) company fueled the aircraft

·       The flight is part of the Spain's pioneering "Green Flight" project, and Iberia's strategic plan to fight climate change by taking part in several biofuel projects

·       The project is also part of Repsol corporate responsibility and sustainability program. The Spanish oil company is listed by Dow Jones are one of the most sustainable companies in its field

·       Following the success of this flight, the two companies will consider new initiatives in this area.

Madrid, October 3, 2011

Iberia and Repsol today staged Spain's first commercial flight powered by biofuel. An Iberia Airbus A320 flying from Madrid to Barcelona burned some 2,800 kg. of a mixture of 75% conventional A-1 jet fuel and 25% biofuel derived from the camelina sativa plant. The use of the mixture brought a reduction of nearly 1,500 kg. of C0₂ emissions.

The second-generation biofuels is a mixture made by ASA of synthesized paraffin bio-kerosene produced by Honeywell-UOP and evaluated and certified by Repsol at its Technological Center, which allows an almost 20% reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases.

Camelina sativa is an inedible oil plant that grows widely and can be cultivated in Spain. Unlike other plants used for biofuels, camelina enriches the soil in which it is grown.

Iberia provided the aircraft, crew, handling services, etc. for the test, and used the Peugeot electric ground vehicles it is now testing for airport use. Iberia also supplied the technical and maintenance services at Madrid Barajas airport. Together with the Airbus company and the engine manufacturers it closely monitored the technical and operational certification of this new biofuel.

Repsol produced and delivered the fuel, which was evaluated under high-performance conditions and approved at its research facility. The company has long experience in the development of biofuel at its Technological Center, one of the most advanced of its kind in Europe.

The flight was a part of Spain's pioneering "Green Flight" program to advance in the use of biofuel in aviation. The use of such fuel is called for in Iberia's strategic plan, which contains a number of measures intended to combat climate change.

Iberia's chairman Antonio Vázquez commented that "Iberia is proud to contribute our experience as an airline and an aircraft maintenance company to this initiative. The fight against climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face, and biofuel is essential for reducing our reliance on petroleum, increasing our competitiveness, and achieving the ambitious emissions-reduction targets set by the airline industry". For three years Iberia has been listed by Dow-Jones as one of the world's most environmentally sustainable airlines.

Repsol's downstream division chief Pedro Fernandez Frial said the powered flight “is another step for Repsol in its commitment to sustainable mobility, driving the development of second-generation biofuel”. He added that Repsol's New Energies unit “is contributing to the vision of a more diversified and sustainable energy future". The Spanish oil company's sustainability policies have earned it worldwide recognition, and this year Dow Jones has listed it the world's most transparent and sustainable oil company thanks to its strategy to combat climate change through sustainable refining and the making of clean fuels, among many other measures.

Following the successful flight, the two companies will now consider new initiative allowing them to advance in the research, development and use of biofuel in commercial aviation.

21 Nations Sign Declaration Opposing ETS

Leaders from European airlines and other industry stakeholders are meeting in London to discuss a range of issues, including how best to convince the European Union to back off from its plan to extend the EU’s emissions trading system (ETS) to airlines in January. Although the law underpinning the ETS’s coverage of airlines cannot be changed before year-end, the European Commission could agree to set aside enforcement pending a resolution of some of the controversial issues, notes one industry official closely tracking the discussion.

Meanwhile, representatives from 21 countries from North and South America, Asia and Africa, including the U.S., Japan, India, Russia, China, Argentina and the U.A.E., called on ICAO to continue its efforts to reduce airlines’ greenhouse gas emissions in a joint declaration signed in New Delhi on Sept. 30. The declaration opposes the EU ETS as inconsistent with international law, including the Chicago Convention. It also urges ICAO to develop a “meaningful aircraft CO2 standard with a possible implementation date of 2013. The declaration acknowledges that growing aviation greenhouse gas emissions are a concern, but it highlights the advances in fuel efficiency and stresses the need for comprehensive air traffic management reform along with advances in biofuels and other technological solutions to the problem.

The 21 countries ask the EU to refrain from applying the ETS to non-EU carries and urges the bloc to “work collaboratively with the rest of the international community to address aviation emissions.” The declaration also invites any other state to associate itself wiht the declaration, and says the countries intend to continue to work together to oppose the ETS on their airline operators.

The meeting among the European airlines and stakeholders, which comes ahead of an Oct. 6 preliminary ruling scheduled to be relased by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), was called because of fears that non-EU countrie would retaliate. Those airlines have mounted a legal challenge in a case that was heard by the ECJ in early July. The court’s final ruling still is months away.

China and Russia have suggested unilateral actions to fight the EU policy. One concern is Russia could curtail overflight rights for European airlines flying to Asia, the industry official says.

Another concern is that the European Commission’s environment directorate may negotiate so-called equivalent measures with other countries. Under the terms of the EU law, if other countries put in place equivalent measures to charge for airline carbon dioxide output, then the EU would set aside its charging mechanism for those countries. But European airline officials worry the definition of what constitutes an “equivalent measure” could lead to market distortions, giving foreign carriers a pricing edge.

In a June meeting in Brussels during which Obama administration officials demanded that the EU exempt U.S. carriers from the ETS, the topic of equivalent measures did come up. In a background briefing with reporters after the meeting, an Obama administration official said the U.S. is concerned that the concept of equivalent measures “raises the prospect of discrimination and could harm U.S. carriers.” The official went on to say that hearing EU officials’ comments on equivalent measures “did not allay our concerns.”

Meanwhile, a study on biofuels conducted by a team led by the French aerospace research agency Onera recommends that some of the revenue generated through the ETS be plowed into developing a biofuel industry to support aviation. The 26-month study was undertaken for the European Commission.

Other recommendations include putting in place incentives to encourage the production of biomass which would form the feedstock for biofuels as well as the harmonization of certification stages for sustainable biofuels through the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Photo: Airbus

S-70i Black Hawk

by Mike Vines

Appropriately feather-bedecked, this Sikorsky S-70i Blackhawk is the first example to have been fully assembled in Poland by PZL Mielec

TNT 777-200F

While the 787 delivery celebration was still underway, other aircraft were being readied for delivery, including this 777-200F for Southern Air, being operated on behalf of TNT. The aircraft was seen a few seconds from touchdown after a pre-delivery test flight.

by Joe G. Walker

United Pilots Want Training Deadline Delayed

United Airlines’ Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) leadership is calling on management to delay implementation today of new operating procedures despite a court ruling that the deadline does not degrade the carrier’s safety.

ALPA was unable to show that actual and imminent harm would arise from the airline’s decision, and that the union’s call for a temporary restraining order did not warrant the “extraordinary and drastic remedy” requested.

The union claims the deadline gave pilots insufficient time to learn new procedures, and that the program’s reliance on distance learning is problematic.

“As anticipated, the federal court determined ALPA’s lawsuit and request for a temporary restraining order were without merit,” United says. “We’ll continue to proceed with our training procedures, which are widely used within the industry, were developed working closely with Boeing, and are reviewed and approved by the FAA.”

However, ALPA continues to push for a delay. “We call on the company to once again delay the Sept. 30 deadline in good faith, and work with the Air Line Pilots Association in establishing realistic, workable training for the United pilots to complete this training that is associated with the company’s quest for a single operating certificate,” says Wendy Morse, Master Executive Council chairman.

SpaceX To Try Reusable Launch

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) engineers have concluded it may be possible to modify the company’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle to make it fully reusable, a feat SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk says could cut the cost of access to orbit “a hundred-fold.”

Speaking at the National Press Club, Musk, who also carries the title chief technical officer in his job description, says he has concluded over the past 12 months that it is at least tentatively feasible to modify the kerosene-fueled vehicle’s main and upper stages for return to Earth using propulsive landing with landing gear, protecting the upper stage with a heat shield for re-entry.

By reusing most of the vehicle, the cost of flying to orbit becomes primarily the cost of propellant, he says, which puts it at $200,000 a flight.

“We’ll see if this works,” he says. “If it does work, it will be pretty huge.”

Musk stresses that the work on reusability is unrelated to the company’s plan to launch a commercial cargo vehicle to the International Space Station (ISS) in the near future. Initially set for November, that flight has slipped along with the station’s visiting-vehicles schedule following the Soyuz launch failure that claimed a Russian Progress resupply vehicle.

The company also must await final approval to fly two Orbcomm data-relay satellites as piggyback payloads on its first flight to the station, which would demonstrate the ability of the Dragon cargo capsule to provide ISS logistics and fulfill a major milestone in the company’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services seed-money agreement with NASA.

SpaceX posted an animation of a recoverable Falcon 9’s flight profile on its website Sept. 29. But Musk cautions that it is not technically accurate, in part because of a time lag in the animation process and in part because “we’re keeping a few technical things under our hat.”

One of those is likely to be the exact flight profile that would return the unwinged vehicle to its launch site for a vertical landing, a launch-abort feat that space shuttle astronauts considered risky and never tried with the winged orbiters.

Musk says the Dragon capsule is as safe for human spaceflight now as the shuttle ever was, largely because, like the shuttle, it lacks a launch abort system that can rescue a crew from a failure on ascent. The company is working under another NASA seed-money effort to develop a pusher-type launch abort system for the Dragon, which Musk says could be ready in three years at most.

Musk acknowledges the help — financial and technical — that SpaceX has received from NASA. His biggest problem with the government at the moment is with the Air Force, he says, citing the service’s reluctance to open its launch-service procurements to newcomers like SpaceX that lack a long track record.

Musk says that reluctance grows out of a stated desire to protect the industrial base represented by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which provide the Delta IV and Atlas V launchers through United Launch Alliance. But the Atlas V is powered by RD-180 rocket engines built in Russia, he says, and large pieces of its structure are made in Switzerland.

“Which industrial base are we talking about preserving?” he says, adding that “if this decision is based on lobbying power, we’re screwed.”

Falcon 9 photo: SpaceX

USAF Calls For Broad Industry Revamp

LONG BEACH, Calif. — The U.S. Air Force is looking to the space industry for significant improvements in reducing program complexity, launch costs and development time as it struggles to balance national security space acquisition plans for 2012 through 2016 against a flattening budget.

“We must adapt cultural changes, look at risk sharing and incentivize contractor teams for extra performance,” says service acquisition chief David Van Buren. “For that we’re focused on acquisition priorities and space is a big player.”

In a lineup of 17 key Air Force investment areas by program executive offices for 2012 to 2016, the planned spending on space programs ranks second at $28.5 billion. Only the planned $33.6 billion allocated for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter exceeds this. Spending on classified programs and the Air Force’s next-generation Long Range Strike bomber comes in third at $21 billion, followed by Mobility in fourth, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance fifth and the Boeing KC-46A tanker program sixth.

Immediate space acquisition priorities include continuing support of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) communications satellite program, the Space-based Infrared System (Sbirs) missile warning constellation and restructuring procurement of Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles.

The budget request for 2012 includes further support of the planned improvement in space acquisition policy using block-buys, fixed-price contracts and multiyear procurement to lower costs and stabilize the contractor base for the AEHF 5/6 satellites in fiscal 2012 and Sbirs 5/6 in fiscal 2013. Research, test and evaluation includes requested funds for continued development of two Defense Weather Satellite System spacecraft, on-orbit checkout of Sbirs GEO-1, launch of GEO-2 and the launch and checkout of AEHF-2.

Speaking at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics meeting here, Van Buren says “no doubt there will be pressure to reduce that budget as we go forward in the February time frame.”

He adds “there are opportunities for improvement across the space portfolio. Programs are too complex, take too long to develop and launch [and] cost too much.”

Against a background of increasing pressure on budgets, all these areas need to be tackled, Van Buren says. “The sustaining base cost is frankly too high, and cycle times are too long. When we have satellites that take longer to test than to build, then we really must look at that,” he adds.

Speaking about the restructuring of EELV, Van Buren says “we need to focus on the business processes and cost control so that we do not procure one launcher at one particular time. We also have to invest in a new entrant strategy to enable the competitive environment,” he adds, specifically highlighting SpaceX, Orbital Sciences and ATK, all of which are involved in NASA’s commercial crew and space station resupply contracts. “We want to clear a new path and make sure any new entrant can be a continuing supplier.” A review of the capability to be considered for Air Force work “will depend on experience level, documentation of development and the class of payload,” Van Buren says.

USAF Concept