Now that Obama has killed the Constellation program that would have returned us to the moon by the end of the decade, NASA is looking to private companies for ways to fill the void. This, in my opinion, is a good thing. Very possibly the best thing that could have happened to America’s space program is the introduction of a little free market.

For instance, former astronaut and MIT graduate Dr. Chang-Diaz established Ad Astra Rocket in 2005 to develop his concept vehicle, the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket or VASIMR Rocket for short. The first stage was successfully tested last year. NASA and Ad Astra signed an agreement that will lead to testing the rocket on the space station by 2013.

Although the engine doesn’t have the power to reach escape velocity, the plasma engine will be great for moving cargo through space because it accomplishes two goals. First, it dramatically cuts the tonnage of fuel required to move payloads through space. This is addressed by Dr. Chang-Diaz as he explains the first planned practical application of the rocket:

One thing we’d like to do is maintain the ISS in orbit. The ISS has to be reboosted every few months; otherwise it gradually falls and burns up in the atmosphere. These reboosts require about 7 metric tons of rocket fuel per year. How much does it cost to get 7 metric tons of rocket fuel into orbit? $140 million. That’s the bill someone has to pay, each year, just for hauling up the fuel. The 200-kilowatt solar-powered VASIMR can do the same thing with about 320 kilograms of argon gas per year, which still costs about $7 million, but it decreases the price by a factor of 20. Of course, we have to make a little money ourselves, so the price decrease won’t be quite that large, but it can still save NASA a lot of money and net us a handy profit.

And second, it moves that tonnage far faster. Dr Chang-Diaz believes he can deliver loads from low-Earth orbit to Mars orbit in just 39 days.

A 10- to 20-megawatt VASIMR engine could propel human missions to Mars in just 39 days, whereas conventional rockets would take six months or more. The shorter the trip, the less time astronauts would be exposed to space radiation, which is a significant hurdle for Mars missions. VASIMR could also be adapted to handle the high payloads of robotic missions, though at slower speeds than lighter human missions.

Faster, cheaper, better. That’s what makes the free market great.

Additional viewing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5jrS9yp2kQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zSou_r-W9Q&NR=1

HT to BreitBart.

Technorati Tags: NASA, Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz, Ad Astra Rocket Company, Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket, VASIMR, International Space Station, ISS, Space Exploration

Newt Gingrich and Robert Walker coauthored an article in which they say that “the Obama administration’s budget for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration deserves strong approval from Republicans.“

Reliance on commercial launch services will provide many other benefits. It will open the doors to more people having the opportunity to go to space. It has the potential of creating thousands of new jobs, largely the kind of high-tech work to which our nation should aspire. In the same way the railroads opened the American West, commercial access can open vast new opportunities in space. All of this new activity will expand the space enterprise, and in doing so, will improve the economic competitiveness of our country.

The pair make a strong argument for privatization of parts of the space program. And he’s right — Republicans should support such efforts.

Technorati Tags: Newt Gingrich, Robert S. Walker, NASA, Barack Hussein Obama

Today marks the beginning of the fourth year of operation for Spirit. Not bad for a piece of equipment that was designed to last for 90 days. Hopefully, Spirit will be able to weather the dust storm that is currently brewing.

The House Friday overwhelmingly endorsed President Bush’s vision to send man back to the moon and eventually on to Mars as it passed a bill to set NASA policy for the next two years.

The bill passed 383-15 after a collegial debate in which lawmakers stressed their commitment to not just Bush’s ambitious space exploration plans but also to traditional NASA programs such as science and aeronautics. …

The measure permits but does not explicitly endorse retiring the space shuttle fleet by 2010, as the administration would like to do. It directs the agency to launch a new crew exploration vehicle – which would lack the full capabilities of the shuttle but could travel to the International Space Station – as close to 2010 as feasible. …

Still, there was one lone voice against the bill. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., questioned spending billions to go to Mars when “day after day … we’re told we can’t do enough for housing and we can’t do enough for health care.”