Asteroid Day 2017 — Learn More About Protecting Earth

June 29, 2017 By TOM JONES 1 Comment

This animation of 2014 JO25 was compiled from the observations made by the 300-meter Arecibo Observatory near closest approach on 19 April 2017. The resolution is 7.5 meters /pixel. There are small bright features that may be boulders on the surface as well as raised topography that is casting shadows (Arecibo Observatory/NSF/NASA).

The last day of June is an international recognition of Asteroid Day, a global, public discussion of the hazards posed to Earth and our civilization by asteroid and comet impacts. June 30, 2017 marks the 109^th anniversary of the 40-meter-wide asteroid impact over Tunguska, Siberia, that flattened 2000 square km (800 square miles) of conifer forest. That 3- to 5-megaton explosion, generated by an asteroid impact that occurs on average every millennium, is a reminder of the devastation that awaits our society if we fail to act to prevent a future impact.

Last year the United Nations recognized Asteroid Day as a global education event, aimed at raising awareness of cosmic impacts and the need for nations to work together to head off a future impact event. The professional society of astronauts and cosmonauts, the Association of Space Explorers, introduced the United Nations measure that recognized Asteroid Day. We space fliers have seen the cosmic scars on Earth created by past impacts, and our international collaboration in space is an example of how we should apply our joint skills in space technology to find rogue asteroids and divert them from a collision with Earth.

Asteroid Day is a 24-hour global conversation kicking off on the eve of June 30, and features a day-long live broadcast from this year’s Asteroid Day headquarters in Luxembourg. Check out the program at AsteroidDay.org. The broadcast features asteroid science documentaries, interviews with scientists, astronauts, and policy makers, and interactive conversations with asteroid experts around the globe. In addition, close to a thousand events celebrating Asteroid Day will take place around the globe; you can see the map online at AsteroidDay.org. You can also participate on Twitter at #AsteroidDayLive.

During my astronaut training, I explored the depths of Arizona’s Meteor Crater, hiked the floor of Texas’ Odessa impact crater, and took in the view from the rim of the Henbury Crater complex in Australia’s great red Outback. From orbit, I observed a dozen or more impact scars scattered across the globe, some of the ~190 craters showing how our home planet has endured billions of years of cosmic bombardment.

We humans will endure another devastating asteroid or comet impact—one that could wipe out a city, a region of a continent, or our global civilization–unless we work together at finding dangerous asteroids and demonstrate our ability to change the orbit of one headed our way. Support efforts to launch an infrared space telescope to hunt for the million or so objects that could threaten us, and ask your lawmakers to fund a deflection demonstration, like the joint NASA-ESA “AIDA” mission to nudge the orbit of a harmless asteroid with a high-speed spacecraft collision. We’re all piloting this spaceship Earth together, and Asteroid Day is a wonderful opportunity to learn how to protect it.

On behalf of the Association of Space Explorers, I’ll be speaking about Asteroid Day and the asteroid hazard at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on June 30. Let’s talk asteroids!

www.AstronautTomJones.com

Tom Jones explores Meteor Crater in Arizona, Sept. 2011. (author)

My latest publication, from National Geographic, with a beautiful section on cosmic impacts. My able co-author is Ellen Stofan, PhD. (National Geographic)

STS-59 Mission Highlights (April 1994)

May 21, 2017 By TOM JONES Leave a Comment

(Author’s note: I retrieved this STS-59 highlights summary, and scanned and reformatted it for this blog.)

A Publication of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration–MH-027/5-94

Space Shuttle Endeavour

April 9 – 20, 1994

Commander: Sidney M. Gutierrez (Col., USAF)

Pilot: Kevin P. Chilton (Col., USAF)

Payload Commander: Linda M. Godwin (Ph.D.)

Mission Specialists:

Jerome Apt (Ph.D.)

Michael R. Clifford (Lt. Col., USA)

Thomas D. Jones (Ph.D.)

The payload bay of Endeavour features the large antenna of the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C / X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument. (NASA STS059-215-022)

Major Mission Accomplishments

Completed the first flight of the Space Radar Laboratory (SRL) payload, mapping 12% of the total Earth’s surface as part of NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth.
Conducted investigations in ecology, hydrology, oceanography, geology, and radar calibration, providing researchers with data to distinguish human- induced environmental changes from other natural forms of change.
Demonstrated the use of advanced multi-frequency, multi-polarized radar as a tool for all-weather, around the-clock monitoring of Earth’s environment and surface.
Conducted special processing of radar data to extract information on the dynamics of the Southern Ocean.
Successfully conducted global atmospheric measurements of carbon monoxide concentrations, important to global warming studies.
Conducted the first joint experiment between NASA and the National Institutes of Health, examining muscle and bone cell biology in space.
Completed nine direct school contacts with students around the world using the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX).
Conducted the growth of twelve Non-Linear Optical (NLO) organic crystals in the Consortium for materials Development in Space Complex Autonomous Payload (CONCAP) experiment.

Out in the woods, lost hikers may try to find some high ground in order to regain their bearings. The high perspective gives hikers a larger field of view to scan the surrounding terrain for points of interest. This is an effective method, unless the hiker’s vision is reduced by clouds, fog, or darkness.

Likewise, scientific researchers, policy makers, and military operations require information about specific regions of Earth that may be difficult to obtain due to blocked views or remote locations. The ability to “see” and gather information about objects hidden from optical observation is the driving motivation behind radar imaging from space. One of the most useful feature of imaging radar is its ability to make measurements over virtually any region at any time, regardless of weather or sunlight conditions. At some frequencies, radar waves can also penetrate through vegetation, some types of snow, and extremely dry sand.

The STS-59 mission lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center on the 62nd Space Shuttle flight carrying to space the Space Radar Laboratory-1 (SRL-1) payload as part of NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth program. SRL consists of the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) and a sensor to measure carbon monoxide distribution in the lower atmosphere. SIR-C / X-SAR (actually five separate radars) also contained the Data Processing Assembly to provide direct readout of ocean surface data. SIR-C / X-SAR was jointly developed by NASA, the German Space Agency (DARA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). NASA developed the SIR-C (L- and C-band radars). DARA and ASI developed the X-band system and all three participated in the integration of these radars into a single instrument, the SIR-C/X-SAR. Also carried in the cargo bay of Endeavour with SIR-C / X-SAR was the Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites (MAPS) developed by the NASA Langley Research Center. NASA will distribute the data and findings of these experiments to assist the international scientific community in essential research for protecting the environment.

STS-59 Crewmembers : (Front L to R) Jerome Apt, Sidney M. Gutierrez, Thomas D. Jones, (Back L to R) Kevin P. Chilton, Linda M. Godwin, and Michael R. Clifford (NASA STS059-44-004)

Once the crew was on orbit, they powered up the SRL-1 payloads and conducted a checkout of the experiment systems. Ground controllers began uplinking commands to begin radar observations during the eleven day flight. The crew worked in two shifts around the clock to conduct Earth photography and personal observation of weather and environmental conditions to compare to the SRL data after the flight. To aid in postflight data interpretation, the crew documented site conditions by maintaining a written log and taking nearly 14,000 photographs with several cameras and lenses. The crew also performed 412 attitude maneuvers, the most of any Shuttle mission, to reduce radar ambiguities, particularly in the X-band frequency radar. The mission returned approximately 47 terabits (47 trillion bits) of data–the equivalent of 20,000 encyclopedia volumes.

The SRL examined over 400 sites on Earth — 19 of which were designated as “supersites.” These sites were high priority focal points for data collection. Each supersite represented different environments within the scientific disciplines of ecology, hydrology, oceanography, geology, and radar calibration. As such, these are areas where intensive field work has occurred before, during, and after the mission. The supersite locations for ecology included: Manaus, Brazil; Raco, MI.; Duke Forest, NC.; and Central Europe. The supersite locations for hydrology included: Chickasha, OK.; Otztal, Austria; Bebedouro, Brazil; and Montespertoli, Italy. Sites for oceanography included: the Gulf Stream, mid-Atlantic; Northeast Atlantic Ocean; and Southern Ocean. The Galapagos Islands, Sahara Desert, Death Valley, CA, Andes Mountains, and Hawaii were the sites for geology. Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany; Kerang, Australia; and Flevoland, The Netherlands were the calibration sites.

Ecologists will use the radar images of the tropical rain and temperate forests to study land use, the volume, types, and extent of vegetation, and the effects of fires, floods , and clear cutting. Hydrologists will use the data to study wetlands and snow cover to estimate the soil moisture. “Hidden” water plays a major role in determining whether a region is wet or dry and influences the global distribution of energy. Oceanographers will use the data to study how the Earth’s climate is moderated by the ocean, particularly heat-transporting currents like the Gulf Stream. Geologists will use the data to map geological structures and rock formations over large areas. They can also use the data to continue studies of features that record past climate changes. On a previous shuttle flight, SIR-A demonstrated the ability to penetrate extremely dry sand, and discovered ancient river channels in portions of the Sahara Desert. The calibration team will use their results to both test calibration methods and provide calibrated data to the rest of the team.

Payload Commander Linda Godwin talks with amateur radio operators using the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX). SAREX is used by the crew to talk with students around the world. (NASA STS059-16-028)

From the vantage point of space, the SIR-C / X SAR experiments could record a 15- to 60-km wide strip of Earth. Several of the observations by SIR-C /X-SAR were processed into images in real time at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and shown during the mission. Even with high-speed computer technology, it will still take five months to produce a complete set of survey images from the large volume of data returned.

The MAPS experiment also conducted operations throughout the mission. MAPS measured concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) around the world. Carbon monoxide plays a key role in the chemical reactions in the atmosphere. Carbon monoxide combines with the hydroxyl (OH) radical and forms carbon dioxide. OH is a key participant in the breakdown and removal of greenhouse gases such as methane, which in turn is important in the chemistry of stratospheric ozone. If the availability of hydroxyl is reduced, the breakdown and removal of greenhouse gases will also be reduced. MAPS’ primary goal was to measure CO distribution between the altitudes of 4 and 15 kilometers. Two previous shuttle flights of MAPS confirmed that forest and grassland burning in the tropics were a major source of carbon monoxide, greater than previously thought. Preliminary results from STS-59 showed unexpected high concentrations in the Northern Hemisphere and correlation with crew observations of fire.

The crew not only examined Earth, but inside the crew compartment, they operated two experiments studying the growth of bone and muscle tissues in microgravity. The Space Tissue Loss/National Institutes of Health (STLNIH) experiments were the first joint venture between NASA and the NIH. The two separate experiments in middeck lockers both provided nutrients to the cells for growth, while one of the experiments allowed the crew to use a video camera to view the cell growth and downlink the video to investigators from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. The research will help scientists understand, on a cellular level, the mechanisms involved in bone loss and muscle atrophy of astronauts during spaceflight and contribute to our understanding of similar problems on Earth.

The crew also continued research on how the human body adapts to microgravity by conducting the Visual Function Tester-4 (VFT-4) experiment. Much like an electronic eye chart, the VFT measures an astronaut’s eyes for near and far points of clear vision as well as the ability to change focus within the range of clear vision.

The crew conducted nine educational contacts with students around the world using the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX). The SAREX program provides students with the opportunity to talk directly with astronauts in space via amateur radio. The technical aspect of SAREX provides the incentive for students to study math, science, and technology.

In the payload bay, the Consortium for Materials Development in Space Complex Autonomous Payload-IV (CONCAP-IV), developed by the University of Alabama-Huntsville, conducted research into the growth of Non-Linear Optical thin films and crystals through physical vapor transportation. Optical crystals are of primary importance in the Optoelectronics and Photonics industry, especially for optical computing. Also in the payload bay were three Get-Away Special (GAS) experiments by students and private researchers examining everything from thermal conductivity measurements of liquids to cellular slime mold growth in microgravity.

Taken by the SIR-C/X-SAR radar on the 40th orbit, this image shows part of Isla lsabela in the western Galapagos Islands. The image shows the rougher lava flows as bright features, while ash deposits and smooth pahoehoe lava flows appear dark. (NASA JPL P-43899)

Mission Facts

Orbiter: Endeavour

Mission Dates: April 9 – 20, 1994

Commander: Sidney M. Gutierrez (Col., USAF)

Pilot: Kevin P. Chilton (Col., USAF)

Payload Commander: Linda M. Godwin (Ph.D.)

Mission Specialist: Jerome Apt (Ph.D)

Mission Specialist: Michael R. Clifford (Lt.Col., USA)

Mission Specialist: Thomas D. Jones (Ph.D.)

Mission Duration: 11 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes

Kilometers Traveled: 7,574,784

Orbit Inclination: 57 degrees

Orbits of Earth: 183

Orbital Altitude: 222 km

Payload Mass Up: 9,717 kg

Orbiter Landing Mass: 100,776 kg

Landed: Shuttle Landing Facility (KSC)

Payloads and Experiments:

Space Radar Lab I (SRL- 1)

STLNIH – Space Tissue Loss/National Institute of Health–Cells

VFT-4 – Visual Function Tester

SAREX – Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment

CONCAP-IV – Consortium for Materials Development in Space Complex Autonomous Payload

GAS-Get-Away Special

STS-59 Crew Patch

Crew Biographies

Commander: Sidney M. Gutierrez (Col.,USAF). Sid Gutierrez was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He received a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1973 and a master’s degree in management ·from Webster College in 1977. He served as a T-38 instructor pilot and flew the F-15 Eagle with the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing. After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Gutierrez served as primary test pilot for airframe and propulsion testing on the F-16 Falcon. He has over 500 parachute jumps and more than 4,000 flying hours in approximately 30 different types of vehicles. Gutierrez was named an astronaut in 1984 and flew as pilot on STS-40 in 1991.

Pilot: Kevin P. Chilton (Col., USAF), Kevin Chilton was born in Los Angeles, California. He earned a bachelor of science degree in engineering sciences from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University. He served as a combat-ready pilot and instructor in the RF-4 Phantom II and the F-15 Eagle. Following graduation from the USAF Test Pilot school, he conducted weapons and systems tests in all .models of the F-15 and F-4. He has logged over 4,000 hours of flight time in more than 20 different types of aircraft. Chilton became an astronaut in 1988 and flew as the pilot of Mission STS-49.

Mission Specialist: Linda M. Godwin (Ph.D.), Linda Godwin was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, but considers Jackson, Missouri, to be her hometown. She earned a bachelor of science degree from Southeast Missouri State University in physics and mathematics and an MA and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Missouri, Columbia. While at the University of Missouri, she conducted research in low-temperature condensed matter physics, where she authored and coauthored several scientific papers. She is an instrument-rated private pilot. She joined NASA in 1980 and served as a flight controller and payloads officer in Mission Control for several Shuttle flights. Godwin was selected as an astronaut in 1985 and is currently Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office. She previously flew as a mission specialist on STS-37.

Mission Specialist: Thomas D. Jones (Ph.D.). Thomas David Jones was born in 1955 in Baltimore, Maryland. He earned a bachelor of science degree in basic sciences from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the University of Arizona. He served as a B-52 strategic bomber pilot and aircraft commander, accumulating over 2,000 hours of flight experience. After leaving the Air Force, Jones worked toward his doctorate, using remote sensing to investigate the composition of asteroids and meteorites, and researching the utility of asteroid resources in space exploration. He was a program management engineer for the CIA’s Office of Development and Engineering and later a senior scientist at Science Applications International Corporation, analyzing future missions to Mars, asteroids, and the outer solar system. He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1990. This was his first shuttle flight.

Mission Specialist: Jay Apt (Ph.D.). Jay Apt was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, but considers Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to be his hometown. He received a bachelor of arts degree, magna cum laude, in physics from Harvard College, and a doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As a staff member of Harvard’s Center for Earth and Planetary Physics, he supported NASA’s Pioneer Venus Mission. While at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Apt studied Venus, Mars, and the outer solar system and was Science Manager of the Table Mountain Observatory. From 1982 until his selection as an astronaut in 1985, he was a flight controller responsible for Shuttle payload operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. He has logged over 3,000 hours flying time in some 30 different types of vehicles. Apt served as a mission specialist on the STS- 37 and 47 missions.

Mission Specialist: Michael Richard Clifford (Lt Col, USA). Rich Clifford was born in San Bernardino, California, but considers Ogden, Utah, to be his hometown. He earned a bachelor of science degree from the United States Military Academy and a master of science degree in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Clifford served with the 10th Cavalry and then completed pilot training as the top graduate of his class. He served in a variety of positions with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Germany and was an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at West Point. Clifford became an experimental test pilot following graduation from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1986. He has flown over 3,000 hours in more than 50 types of aircraft. Clifford became an astronaut in 1990. He flew as a mission specialist on STS-53 aboard Discovery in December 1992.

— Flight Crew Operations Directorate, NASA Johnson Space Center, May, 1994

***

To read the inside story of STS-59, pick up a copy of “Sky Walking” via my website. To bring my vivid retelling of an astronaut’s journey to your audience, visit:

www.AstronautTomJones.com

Reaction to My Keynote at ReliablePlant 2017 Conference, 4/17

May 17, 2017 By TOM JONES Leave a Comment

From my ReliablePlant2017 keynote audience: “Dr. Tom Jones was magnificent. He was inspiring. And he told us things I hadn’t heard before.” Thank you to Noria Corporation for their sponsorship of my address. www.AstronautTomJones.com

Tom speaks at Noria Corporation’s Reliable Plant Conference

Earth Day: One Memorable Earth Shot Over Western Mongolia

April 28, 2017 By TOM JONES Leave a Comment

Altai Mountains on the China/Mongolia border,, one of our science targets on Space Radar Lab 1(NASA STS059-L17-31)

23 years ago on STS-59, Endeavour, we were 114 nautical miles up on April 14 when we snapped this 90mm Linhoff image of the Valley of the Lakes in western Mongolia. One of our Space Radar Lab 1 science targets was that snowcapped range of the Altai Mountains at lower left (for geological faulting and glacier studies). North is toward the upper right. These lakes always appeared to us as a string of aquamarine gems strung delicately together, and weather permitting, we saw them as often as three orbits each day on my “Blue Shift” (nighttime in Houston). A good photo for Earth Day.

Here’s the NASA caption: STS059-L17-031 Valley of The Lakes, Western Mongolia April 1994
The snow-covered Altai Mountain system, trending northwest-southeast, straddles the border between western Mongolia and extreme northwest China. The Altai Mountains separate two very large, desert, sparsely inhabited regions—the Valley of the Lakes in western Mongolia and the Dzungarian Basin in northwestern China. The brownish intermontane basin of the Valley of the Lakes region shows an assortment of desert landforms—alluvial fans, inland river deltas, intermittently flowing streams, and dry lakebeds. The four larger lakes captured in this photograph are Uvs (the northernmost lake partially obscured by cirrus clouds); Hyargas (immediately south of Uvs); Hara and Doroo (south of Hyagas); and Har Us (west of Hara). Each of these lakes is fed by the runoff from glaciers and snowmelt from mountains. When this photograph was taken, most of these lakes were partially covered with ice. The intermittently flowing Dzavhan River, which runs generally east to west toward three of these lakes, is a very narrow watercourse that dramatically stands out against an otherwise barren landscape. Two sizable Chinese lakes are visible southwest of the Altai Mountains.

www.AstronautTomJones.com

Ireland from STS-59 Endeavour: April 17, 1994

March 17, 2017 By TOM JONES Leave a Comment

Ireland seen from STS-59, Endeavour: 4-17-94 (NASA STS059-L13-5)

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, we look down on west central Ireland from the flight deck of shuttle Endeavour, STS-59, the Space Radar Lab 1 mission. In this 90mm lens, Linhoff camera image taken from 113 nautical miles up, we see the coast of west central Ireland. North is to the upper left. Galway Bay is the straight-edged bay at left center, with the Aran Islands at its mouth. North of Galway Bay is the curved shoreline of Lough Corrib. Lough Mask is just to the north, shaped like a snowboard. At bottom center in this image is the valley of the Shannon River, and at right center, the forked southwestern end of Lough Derg. Lough Ree is at upper right.

The peninsula at the center left is Connemara. The north coast of Ireland is at upper left. The city of Galway is visible at northern, inland edge of Galway Bay. Limerick is seen as a gray patch at the upstream end of the Shannon River estuary. Shannon Airport is nestled on the north bank of the Shannon River, on the peninsula just left of bottom center.

If you look carefully, you can just see a four-leaf clover.

NASA Image Caption: STS059-L13-005 West-Central Ireland April 1994
The west-central region of Ireland is presented in this low-oblique, north-looking photograph. Numerous lakes are scattered across the landscape as reminders of the continental glaciers that once covered the entire region. Glaciation resulted in much of Ireland having thin soil that will not support significant vegetation growth despite 40 to 80 inches (100 to 200 centimeters) of annual precipitation. The western coastal area is classified as humid temperate with cool summers and no specific dry season. The higher elevations of 1000 to 2000 feet (300 to 600 meters) usually appear tan or light brown, which indicates a lack of forested vegetation. Pastoralism is the dominant agricultural pursuit in west-central Ireland. This photograph shows a representative section of the west coast of Ireland, which contains peninsulas, bays, and islands. Viewing clockwise from north of Galway Bay are several large lakes—Corrib and Mask immediately north of the bay, Ree to the northeast, and elongated Derg south of Ree. Several cities are barely visible—Galway at the northeast end of Galway Bay and, to the south, Shannon on the north bank of the Shannon River; and Limerick on the south bank of the Shannon River.

www.AstronautTomJones.com

STS-68 Preflight: Getting Ready for Space Radar Lab 2 (1994)

March 17, 2017 By TOM JONES Leave a Comment

SRL-2 payload being transferred into payload canister transporter for rollover to OPF and installation into shuttle Endeavour. 6-28-94. (NASA KSC-94PC-806)

The STS-68 crew in the JSC photo studio:
Jones, Wisoff, Baker, Wilcutt, Smith, and Bursch. (NASA sts-6814-1994)

The crew of STS-68, Space Radar Lab 2, on Endeavour. Throughout our training syllabus, we were guided through the frantic schedule of classes and simulator sessions by our training team. Without their expertise, we would never have been ready in time for our planned Aug. 18 launch date.

Our indispensable training team poses with our crew in front of the Full Fuselage Trainer at JSC in Houston. (s94-037719).

The FFT trainer, once in Bldg. 9, is now at the Seattle Museum of Flight, still bearing the scuff marks from the boots of dozens of crews sliding down the exterior using their “Sky Genie” escape ropes.

Our crew of six included two EVA-qualified astronauts: Jeff Wisoff and Steve Smith. They trained for an unexpected spacewalk on STS-68, if needed for repairs or emergency closure of the payload bay doors or latches. As Jeff and Steve worked through their syllabus, including four underwater sessions covering most orbiter repair tasks, I visited to refresh my memory on their tools and to take some photos of them as they prepared to plunge into the 25-foot-deep pool. I’d trained for this same job on STS-59, a few months earlier. Here, Jeff is fully suited, on the donning stand, and ready to begin his training class. Steve Smith is on the other side of the stand. Crewmate and Endeavour pilot Terry Wilcutt took the photo.

Tom Jones with EV1 crewmember Jeff Wisoff, at NASA’s WETF, 1994. (NASA s94-40119)

Terry and I discussed Steve and Jeff’s work poolside at the Weightless Environment Training Facility in Bldg. 29 at Johnson Space Center. This building had once housed the Apollo-era centrifuge, but with the advent of the shuttle, the centrifuge gave way to the new WETF swimming pool for EVA training. The building also housed control consoles, life support systems, tool storage, a medical office, and diver and astronaut locker facilities. An ambulance was always parked at the WETF entrance during suited runs underwater.

Terry Wilcutt (L), STS-68 pilot, discusses contingency EVA plans with payload commander Tom Jones. (NASA S94-40116)

Tom Jones arrives at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility for the STS-68 countdown rehearsal. Aug. 1994. (NASA ksc-94pc-936)

Smith, Bursch, and Jones inspect the release for the slide wire basket at the blast bunker. (STS-68-3)

We all had a chance to drive the M113 APC, below, just in case we had to evacuate an injured crewmember from the blast bunker and get him to a nearby helipad.

The crew inspects the rear ramp into the M113 armored personnel carrier. (NASA STS-68-1)

Our crew posed on the launch pad next to Endeavour during the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. This swingarm carries flammable, gaseous hydrogen away from the external tank during launch preparations. It’s amazing to get so close to this massive machinery, even more startling to realize you’re going to ride it off the planet.

The STS-68 crew on the ET umbilical swing arm during TCDT, Aug. 1994.

The AstroVan (below) is now on display near Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Will it roll again? Here we’re loose and joking, but the atmosphere’s a little more tense on the day of the real ride to the launch pad.

Inside the AstroVan on the way to the launch pad during TCDT, August 1994. L to R: Wisoff, Bursch, Wilcutt, Baker, Jones, and Smith. (NASA)

As we waited for our strap-in and countdown rehearsal aboard Endeavour, we took some photos atop the launch pad.

Tom Jones, Steve Smith, Jeff Wisoff, and Dan Bursch wait atop Pad 39A’s 195-foot-level, at the entrance to the swing arm and White Room. 8-1-1994. (NASA)

Smith and Jones wait their turns to strap in aboard Endeavour, Aug. 1, 1994. (NASA)

Steve and I would work on the Blue Shift together with Dan Bursch while in orbit. Steve rode uphill in the MS-1 position on the flight deck, next to flight engineer and MS-2 Dan Bursch.

Our countdown rehearsal ended with a mock pad abort and an emergency egress from the crew module to the escape slide baskets on the western, or far side of the 195-foot level.

Following lunch back at crew quarters, we headed back to the pad for an afternoon press conference near the blast bunker on the pad perimeter road.

Dan Bursch, Jeff Wisoff, Mike Baker, and Tom Jones at the post-TCDT press conference. (NASA)

On the shot below, the slide wires for the escape baskets are visible, reaching back to the 195-foot level at Pad 39A. It was a hot August day on the Florida Space Coast.

The STS-68 crew l to r, Baker, Jones, Wilcutt, Bursch, Wisoff, Smith, at Pad 39A with Endeavour. (NASA sts-68-2_3)

Tom Jones and Terry Wilcutt listen to questions from the press after TCDT. (NASA STS-68-2)

Two days before launch, 20 years ago, for STS-68. The crew arrives at the Cape beach house for BBQ with family members. Left to right: Steve Smith, Mike Baker, Tom Jones, Terry Wilcutt, Jeff Wisoff, and Dan Bursch. NASA had rented us some nifty Chrysler LeBaron convertibles. (below, NASA 9-28-94)

48 hours before launch, the STS-68 crew visits family members at the beach house on Kennedy Space Center. (NASA, 9-28-94)

The day before launch, our food technicians start loading the contents of the fresh food locker: Wheat Thins in ziplocs, tortillas into dark green packages, squeezable cheese spread, picante sauce packets, peanut butter, empty water pouches, my TastyKake chocolate cupcakes and butterscotch krimpets, and (ahem) white packets of high-fiber cookies.

Loading Endeavour’s fresh food locker for flight, STS-68, ~Sep. 29, 1994. Andrea Hurd (l), and Michael D. (r) with Tom Jones (standing). (NASA)

After our pad abort on August 18, we were all eager to go. Here are the four “Hairballs” from the 1990 astronaut group flying on STS-68: Jones, Wilcutt, Wisoff, and Bursch. In the background of the suit room, we see Hoot Gibson (chief astronaut) in the blue flight suit, with tan-suited Dave Leestma (chief of Flight Crew Operations) on the right. We would shortly walk to the Astrovan for our ride to Pad 39A.

Tom Jones, Terry Wilcutt, Jeff Wisoff, and Dan Bursch suit up for STS-68. (NASA)

Tom and LIz Jones tour Endeavour at Launch Pad 39A a couple of days before launch of STS-68. (photo by Rich Clifford, NASA)

In the photo above, LIz and I posed in front of Endeavour as part of our spouse’s tour before heading to night viewing with our friends and family. We were able to see the ship from top to bottom, from the White Room down to the flame trench beneath the mobile launch platform on Pad 39A. Likely taken Aug. 17, 1994. For more info on STS-68, see: http://www.AstronautTomJones.com

STS-68, Endeavour, Space Radar Lab 2, Sep. 30-Oct. 11, 1994In “History”

Four Hairballs Head for Space–STS-68In “History”

STS-68 launch pad abort at T-1 second – VideoIn “History”

STS-59 Endeavour: Space Radar Lab 1, April 9-20, 1994

March 16, 2017 By TOM JONES Leave a Comment

The Earth dominates the STS-59 crew insignia, reflecting the focus of the first Space Radar Laboratory (SRL-1) mission on our planet’s surface and atmosphere. The golden symbol of the Astronaut Corps emblem sweeps over the Earth’s surface from the orbiter Endeavour, representing the operation of the SIR-C/X-SAR (synthetic aperture radar) and the MAPS (Measurement of Air Pollution from Space) sensors. The astronaut emblem also signals the importance of the human element in space exploration and the study of our planet. Using the unique vantage point of space, Endeavour and its crew–along with scientists from around the world–will study the Earth and its atmosphere to better understand our environment. The star field visible below the Earth represents the many talents and skills of this international SRL-1 team in working to make this “Mission to Planet Earth” a scientific and operational success. (This patch was designed by the crew of STS-59).

Twenty years ago, our STS-59 crew completed the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test in preparation for our April 9 launch. At pad 39A, with Endeavour, are Rich Clifford, Kevin Chilton, Sid Gutierrez, Linda Godwin, Tom Jones (the sole rookie), and Jay Apt. Boy, was I excited: just over two weeks til launch! (NASA KSC-94PC-468)

Tom Jones with Endeavour’s SRB and ET stack on Launch Pad 39A. The orbiter is enclosed by the gray protective structure. (NASA ksc-394c-1160.22)

Our STS-59 crew during our countdown rehearsal on 3/23/94. Here we gather outside Endeavour’s hatch in the Pad 39A White Room. Left to right are Rich Clifford, Jay Apt, Linda Godwin, Tom Jones, Kevin Chilton, and Sid Gutierrez. (NASA KSC-394C-1160.09)

On Endeavour’s middeck, Linda Godwin (right) and I wait out the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) on 3/24/94. I caught a brief nap during the 3-hour mock countdown. (NASA photo by Andy Thomas).

Endeavour rises toward its 57-deg inclination orbit at sunrise on April 9, 1994. (NASA)

I’ve written about the Space Radar Lab 1 mission, STS-59, in my book, “Sky Walking: An Astronaut’s Memoir.” But here I’ll add some details not included in the book, and some of the many hundreds of photos our crew returned to preserve our memories of these superb 11 days in space. I’ll add thoughts and photos during the coming eleven days, with the idea that the post can become an archive for the STS-59 crew and team.

As soon as we entered quarantine in late March in Houston, shuttle managers postponed the April 7 launch a day for engine turbopump inspections. Then our first launch attempt on April 8 was postponed because of high winds at Kennedy Space Center, violating the runway crosswind limits for the orbiter in case of an emergency return to the Cape. Our crew sat strapped in on the pad for about five hours as we waited for the winds to abate, but they never did. The parachute pack and its emergency oxygen bottles become extremely annoying after five hours strapped in the seat. The scrub under clear blue skies was a disappointment, but we were coming back the next day.

This was my first space shuttle launch, and it lived up to my expectations in every day. Jolts, rumbles, screaming slipstream penetrating the cabin walls, 2.5 g’s during first stage–I could barely register all the physical and emotional sensations during the 8.5 minutes of ascent. I was gratified to have Linda Godwin seated to my left on the middeck — a veteran and friend I could turn to for reassurance during this vibration-filled ride to orbit. We were smiling the whole time, but behind the smile is a lot of prayer. After a full minute at 3 g’s, with the Mach meter at 25, I thanked God when we arrived in orbit–Main Engine Cut-Off–and weightlessness.

The 16mm movie camera in Endeavour’s left ET umbilical well caught the left-side SRB separating at about 2 minutes into our ascent, ~ Mach 4. You can see the forward booster separation motors still firing. (NASA STS059-16ET-1577)

Sid, Jay, Rich, Kevin, Linda, and I were about to experience an incredibly rewarding Mission to Planet Earth.

Just out of my suit on the middeck of Endeavour, helping other crewmembers get unsuited and into “orbit” clothes. 4/9/94 (NASA)

The Space Radar Lab 1 payload in Endeavour’s cargo bay. Three cutting-edge radar instruments, a CO pollution monitor, and a terrific view of the Aurora Australis. (NASA)

Our job on SRL-1, STS-59, was to act as the space component of the Space Radar Lab science team, deployed all over the world. We commanded the orbiter to point at our 400+ science targets, monitored the maneuver execution “flown” by Endeavour’s computers after our data entries, changed high rate recorder data tapes, and took voluminous science photography to provide “ground truth” about environmental conditions that might affect the radar return from the science targets. Our crew split into two shifts, Red and Blue, to run SRL around the clock. Linda Godwin led the activation on flight day 1. The Blue Shift woke up about 10 hours into the flight and took over for our first full science shift — Jay, Rich, and me. Linda, Sid, and Kevin went promptly to bed after a very long day. We soon settled into our 12-hour shift routines and explored the world for another ten days.

Rich Clifford inserts a data storage cassette into one of our 3 high rate recorders. Each tape cassette held 50 Gb of data. We carried more than 100 onboard, with a tape change about every 30 mins for 11 days. (NASA STS059-09-12)

STS-59 crew: (L to R) Linda Godwin, Kevin Chilton, Tom Jones, Jay Apt, Sid Gutierrez, Rich Clifford. (NASA)

Our crew had 14 different cameras aboard to document our science targets. A big Linhof shot a 4×5-inch negative, using box magazines which we reloaded in a light-tight bag every night. We had four Hasselblads with 70mm film, each armed with a different lens for science photography (40mm, 100mm, 250mm, and an infrared filter atop a 250mm lens). We used Nikons for in-cabin photography using 35mm film. And we used payload bay video cameras to record the swath being seen by the radar with each data take. Here’s a shot of one of our “Decade Volcano” targets, the Philippines’ Mt. Pinatubo.

Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines, which erupted in 1991, sends ash flows surging downslope under seasonal rains. Note the emerald green crater lake at the summit. (NASA STS059-L14-170)

Kevin Chilton and Linda Godwin shoot science targets on the Red Shift aboard Endeavour. (NASA sts059-13-030)

Frozen, volcanic Onekotan Island, Russia, in the Kuriles south of Kamchatka. April 14, 1994. (NASA STS059-219-065)

Tom Jones reloads Linhoff magazines, a daily challenge, on Endeavour’s middeck. (NASA sts059-8-23)

Each work shift on the aft flight deck was run on the clock: a constant stream of orbiter maneuvers, recorder tape changes, and intense video and still photo sessions focused on the science targets below (or above, from our point of view on the flight deck). We took turns entering the maneuvers on the flight plan into Endeavour’s computers, changing and managing the 50 Gb tape cassettes, and spotting and documenting science targets with our cameras. After each target we typed entries into a laptop documenting the weather, dust, and precipitation conditions over the science site. Night passes were a bit calmer, because the photography requirements went away for the most part. We also called down fires and other environmental phenomena of interest to the Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites team. In between, we grabbed snacks and established comm with HAM radio operators around the globe. One generous HAM arranged to patch me through on a phone call to Liz, back in Houston. We spoke clearly across the miles; me over Hawaii, Liz with the kids back in Houston, until Endeavour carried me over the horizon. Priceless.

Linda Godwin, Kevin Chilton (left) and Sid Gutierrez have breakfast and read flight plan changes on Endeavour’s middeck. Work shifts were 12 hours, with 8 hours for sleep. The balance was spent on exercise, meals, and housekeeping. (NASA STS059-05-07)

One of Jay Apt’s best photos of the Aurora Australis from STS-59. The radar antennae are to the left, the Canadarm I robot arm on the right. (NASA)

One of my favorite lunch items — irradiated grilled chicken breast, mustard, 2 warm tortillas = chicken flying saucer sandwich (TM). (NASA STS059-19-020)

From Endeavour’s commander, USAF Col. (ret.) Sid Gutierrez:
Great! My best memories are of the crew and the Southern Aurora. It was a great group of folks to work with both on the ground and in Space. I remember the comment Linda made during an interview that generated that strange response from the ground. I would like to forget about the air in the water and everything that went with that. Chili falling asleep on the middeck while sending Emails late at night. Jay maneuvering the vehicle under Chili’s watchful eye. Rich and I waiting for anyone to get sick so we could actually give a real shot. I remember your enthusiasm at seeing all of it the first time and your incessant comments into the tape recorder so you could piece all this together later. And I remember the incredible feeling as we blacked out the lights and floated through the Sothern Aurora – like passing thorough something that was alive. But most of all I remember being able to eat a juicy hamburger with tomato and lettuce after we landed and then heading home to wives, husband and all the kids. Great memories! (April 12, 2013)

Endeavour commander Sid Gutierrez on the flight deck during with one of our Hasselblads. Earth is the unbeatable backdrop. (NASA sts059-19-004)

The varied science targets across the globe required all of us to learn many aspects of Earth system science: geology, volcanology, forestry, ecology, hydrology, oceanography, agriculture, pollution monitoring, desertification, and radar remote sensing theory, among others. One of my favorite “others” was archaeology, where our team used the SIR-C and X-SAR radars to probe dry sands and soils and reveal traces of ancient cultures beneath. The experiment mapped extensive “radar river” drainages beneath the Saharan sands, traced the Silk Road along the margin of the Takla Makhan desert, and zeroed in on caravan routes to the lost trading city of Ubar on the Arabian peninsula. Aboard Endeavour we carried a 200,000-year-old hand axe, recovered by USGS colleague Jerry Schaber in the 1980s from the banks of one of the Egyptian radar rivers. There aboard the most sophisticated technological tool of the late 20th century, we contemplated a floating example of the “high tech” used by Homo Erectus back when the Sahara was a grassy savannah, teeming with game. What technology will we possess in another 200 millennia? Will the space shuttle even be remembered? I, for one, can never forget it!

South coast of the Alaska Peninsula, with the C-shaped island enclosing Sosbee Bay, in sunglint. (NASA STS059-214-001)

Just out of frame on the left of this Alaska coastline is Veniaminoff volcano, one of the many active peaks on the peninsula. Here we see ocean currents and eddies made visible by the reflected sunlight, corroboration of ocean surface features observed by the radar lab. What a visual treat as well.

Our view from 120 miles up as we soar over Gibraltar, Spain, and Morocco. Snow caps the Atlas and Sierra Nevada ranges in Africa and Europe. (NASA sts059-238-074)

An early human hurled this axe at his prey along the banks of a stream in southern Egypt, perhaps 200,000 years ago. The USGS lent us this tool as we used our Radar Lab to map possible habitats of these ancient people, now hidden by the sands of the arid Sahara. (NASA sts-059-42-18)

The Blue Shift — Jay, Rich, and Tom — enjoys a meal after a shift on the flight deck. We generally had about 2.5 hours after finishing work to eat, clean up, and take care of middeck chores before hitting the sleep stations. (NASA sts059-14-06)

Our early spring view of the Alaskan coastal ranges, fronting the Inside Passage, was glorious. Our radar imaged glaciers around the world, like these near Mt. St. Elias, to help estimate their velocity downhill. STS059-228-94

Jay Apt shoots one of our science targets through Endeavour’s overhead windows. Mounted in the adjacent window was a large-format Linhof camera, taking a strip of overlapping photos to map each target. (NASA sts059-46-025)

An example of our crew science photography is shown below. This frame came from our 250mm lens on the large-format Linhof camera, mounted in the starboard overhead window of Endeavour’s flight deck. Sometimes we used the other Linhof body and shot handheld frames, just sighting over the lens barrel at the ground below. The Linhof magazines contained about 100 shots, and we had to reload them from film canisters while “off shift” on the middeck.

Vertical view of Strait of Gibraltar. Spain to lower left. Morocco to upper right. Note current flow in strait and along coast. The advantages of Gibraltar’s harbor are plain to see. (STS059-L19-837)

These bunks were on the starboard side of Endeavour’s middeck, stacked 4-high. Since each shift, Red and Blue, was off duty for 12 hours, we hot-bunked in the top three and used the bottom bunk for storage. Each station contained a reading light, fresh air vent, sliding privacy door, and a fleece sleeping bag. As this was my first flight, I didn’t realize that there were two bags in each bunk, clipped one atop the other, so I think I just hot-bunked in the same bag as Chili, probably. I slept in long pants, a T-shirt, and sweater, as it was a bit cool in the bunk. I even stuffed a sock in the vent to cut down on the cold breeze at “night.” I drifted off to sleep most nights with a Walkman playing a cassette for a few minutes; more than once I woke up to find the player drifting above my face, still delivering some soft music. In the morning, it would be tough to find the door in the pitch-dark compartment: turning over in the bag in free-fall meant that I had no way to determine which way was down, up, or the side that held the door. Groping around to find the reading light would usually set me straight. I had these bunks on three of my missions–they were quite comfortable, quiet, and private for sleep.

The SRL-1 Red Shift of Sid Gutierrez, Linda Godwin, and Kevin Chilton (bottom) prepares for their cozy night in Endeavour’s sleep stations. (NASA STS059-22-004)

May 2013: I just returned from a trip to the Mediterranean, and viewed Mt. Vesuvius from the Bay of Naples and the lovely town of Sorrento, Italy. Here is the incredible view of this active volcano from our SRL-1 imager. Vesuvius last erupted in 1944, nearly 70 years ago. It is long overdue for another outburst. Three million people live in the Naples area. Evacuation will be a huge challenge. May the mountain sleep for a long time.

Mt. Vesuvius, one of the best known volcanoes in the world primarily for the eruption that buried the Roman city of Pompeii, is shown in the center of this radar image. The central cone of Vesuvius is the dark purple feature in the center of the volcano. This cone is surrounded on the northern and eastern sides by the old crater rim, called Mt. Somma. Recent lava flows are the pale yellow areas on the southern and western sides of the cone. Vesuvius is part of a large volcanic zone which includes the Phalagrean Fields, the cluster of craters seen along the left side of the image. The Bay of Naples, on the left side of the image, is separated from the Gulf of Salerno, in the lower left, by the Sorrento Peninsula. Dense urban settlement can be seen around the volcano. The city of Naples is above and to the left of Vesuvius; the seaport of the city can be seen in the top of the bay. Pompeii is located just below the volcano on this image. The rapid eruption in 79 A.D. buried the victims and buildings of Pompeii under several meters of debris and killed more than 2,000 people. Due to the violent eruptive style and proximity to populated areas, Vesuvius has been named by the international scientific community as one of fifteen Decade Volcanoes which are being intensively studied during the 1990s. The image is centered at 40.83 degrees North latitude, 14.53 degrees East longitude. It shows an area 100 kilometers by 55 kilometers (62 miles by 34 miles.) This image was acquired on April 15, 1994 by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR- C/X-SAR) aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. SIR-C/X-SAR, a joint mission of the German, Italian and the United States space agencies, is part of NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth.
P-45742 July 13, 1995

SRL-1 added to our knowledge of the Earth’s impact history, by examining scars left by collisions with asteroids and comets. Here is the Aorounga impact cratter in northern Chad. Although the main crater (shown here) is visible to astronauts from orbit, our radar scans revealed (beneath the sands) two additional candidate craters. Aorounga may be a crater chain, caused by the impact of a string of comet fragments, or an asteroid accompanied by a couple of moonlets. I spent hours searching the landscape below for the circular forms of impact craters; it’s a pattern the human eye easily locks onto from orbit.

The impact of an asteroid or comet several hundred million years ago left scars in the landscape that are still visible in this spaceborne radar image of an area in the Sahara Desert of northern Chad. The concentric ring structure is the Aorounga impact crater, with a diameter of about 17 kilometers (10.5 miles). The original crater was buried by sediments, which were then partially eroded to reveal the current ring-like appearance. The dark streaks are deposits of windblown sand that migrate along valleys cut by thousands of years of wind erosion. The dark band in the upper right of the image is a portion of a proposed second crater. Scientists are using radar images to investigate the possibility that Aorounga is one of a string of impact craters formed by multiple impacts. Radar imaging is a valuable tool for the study of desert regions because the radar waves can penetrate thin layers of dry sand to reveal details of geologic structure that are invisible to other sensors. The image was acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) on April 18 and 19, 1994, onboard the space shuttle Endeavour. The area shown is 22 kilometers by 28 kilometers (14 miles by 17 miles) and is centered at 19.1 degrees north latitude, 19.3 degrees east longitude. North is toward the upper right. The colors are assigned to different radar frequencies and polarizations as follows: red is L-band, horizontally transmitted and received; green is C-band, horizontally transmitted and received; and blue is C-band, horizontally transmitted, vertically received. SIR-C/X-SAR, a joint mission of the German, Italian and United States space agencies, is part of NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth program. P-46712 March 20, 1996

Flight Day 9 called for a thorough pre-landing check of our reentry systems. The pilots, with Rich, our flight engineer and MS-2, stepped through hydraulic systems, flight computers, auxiliary power units (APSs), and thrusters to verify proper operation. We observed systematic thruster firings from the flight deck, and watched our elevons on the wing trailing edges rise and fall, driven by the now-awakened APU’s and hydraulic systems. Endeavour was coming fully alive; all was in readiness for entry the next day.

On Flight Day 9, Sid, Chili, and Rich ran through our flight control system checkout on Endeavour’s flight deck.
NASA STS059-12-035.

Landing for our STS-59 crew came too soon, after 11 days in orbit. We had planned a 9-day mission, but our flight control team anticipated that power conservation aboard Endeavour would extend our mission to ten full days. Good power management by our payload team and Mission Control (and our keeping the lights and electricity consumption to a minimum in the cabin) secured that extra day. Our reentry was planned for April 19, but Kennedy Space Center weather prevented a return to the Florida landing site. We waved off the landing and returned to limited Earth observations for a final day; my Blue Shift went to bed immediately for 6-8 hours, then took over from our Red Shift for final cabin stowage and payload deactivation.

On April 20, weather at Kennedy was still NO-GO, so we targeted Edwards AFB in California for landing. Our crew was disappointed to not be heading for our families in Florida, but satisfied to be heading back to Earth with our successful science mission completed. Reentry over the nighttime Pacific was a spectacular experience–the plasma pulsing around our cockpit windows provided a mesmerizing light show that I’ll never see equaled. I was perched upstairs in the MS-1 seat next to Rich Clifford, MS-2. We aided the pilots, Sid and Kevin, as they guided Endeavour into southern California and our line-up for landing at Edwards.

Entry plasma seen through the overhead windows of the shuttle flight deck. NASA S08-102-2835

Ripping over the California coast at more than Mach 5, it seemed to me that we’d never slow down enough to make the Edwards runway–I agreed with Sid’s assessment that “we’re headed for a landing in Arkansas!” But our flight computers were right on the money. Sid took control and put us gently on the concrete of Runway 22, an exhilarating touchdown for all of us aboard. Read about the entire return to Earth in “Sky Walking: An Astronaut’s Memoir.” Great landing, Sid and Kevin! Thanks a million for bringing us all home.

The main landing gear of the Space Shuttle Endeavour touches down at Edwards Air Force Base to complete the 11 day STS-59/SRL-1 mission. Landing occurred at 9:54 a.m., April 20, 1994. Mission duration was 11 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes. NASA image. NASA STS059(S)07

From the MS-1 seat, I shot video of our reentry aboard Endeavour. Jay took this shot after landing from the middeck ladder on the port side. STS059-47-11

Post-landing, I felt laden with extra weight, as if my launch and entry suit were made of lead. That video camera feels like fifty pounds. Getting out of the seat took every bit of strength I could muster; I had to force my muscles to slide over and lower my “two-ton” body down the ladder.

Jay Apt on the middeck took this shot of the ground crew at Edwards opening Endeavour’s hatch after our April 20 landing. NASA STS059-47-22

The ground crew is the first to sample the interior atmosphere of our sealed spacecraft, after six people have lived in that volume for 11 days. Our noses were used to any aromas, but they no doubt smelled the combined odors of our wet trash bin, the shuttle waste control system compartment, our dirty laundry, and six bodies who hadn’t showered in more than 10 days. They may have wanted to just close that hatch up again!

NASA KSC photo : KSC-94PC-643

The Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour is towed into Orbiter Processing Facility high bay 1 after its return to KSC on May 2, 1994. Endeavour was flown to Florida by 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft from Edwards Air Force Base in California after completion of the STS-59/SRL-1 mission. Endeavour began its processing for its next spaceflight, the STS-68/SRL-2 mission, then scheduled for August 1994.

STS-68 Preflight: Getting Ready for Space Radar Lab 2 in “History”

Endeavour Rollout to Launch Pad 39A, Aug. 8, 1995 in “History”

The View from Endeavour, April 10, 1994 in “History”

Comments»

1. Sid Gutierrez – April 13, 2013: Tom,
Great! My best memories are of the crew and the Southern Aurora. It was a great group of folks to work with both on the ground and in Space. I remember the comment Linda made during an interview that generated that strange response from the ground. I would like to forget about the air in the water and everything that went with that. Chili falling asleep on the middeck while sending Emails late at night. Jay maneuvering the vehicle under Chili’s watchful eye. Rich and I waiting for anyone to get sick so we could actually give a real shot. I remember your enthusiasm at seeing all of it the first time and your incessant comments into the tape recorder so you could piece all this together later. And I remember the incredible feeling as we blacked out the lights and floated through the Sothern Aurora – like passing thorough something that was alive. But most of all I remember being able to eat a juicy hamburger with tomato and lettuce after we landed and then heading home to wives, husband and all the kids. Great memories!
Sid

Seeing Earth in a New Way — From STS-59 Endeavour, April 1994

March 6, 2017 By TOM JONES Leave a Comment

Aconcagua amid the Andes, shot from STS-59, Endeavour. 4/14/1994. (STS059-214-012)

The highest peak outside of Asia, Aconcagua is in the lower left of this image from our STS-59 mission aboard Endeavour. This tortured region of the Andes caught our eye as we crossed South America’s western margin during our Space Radar Lab 1 mission. We were 116 nautical miles high when our crew took this Hasselblad 70mm film image, using a 250mm telephoto lens. North is to the upper left in this image, and the lighting shows that the Andes Mountains were drenched in late afternoon sunlight. Roads crossing this region of Argentina (Aconcagua is just east of the border with Chile) follow the deeply incised valleys in this image. The triple valley junction at lower right shelters the town of Puntada Vacas along Highway 7. Uspallata is at upper right, in the desert valley below the foothills. Aconcagua is not a volcano, but is lifted by the subduction of the Nazca plate beneath the South American plate just off the shore of Chile.

Wikipedia says about Aconcagua:

Aconcagua (Spanish pronunciation: [akoŋˈkaɣwa]) is the highest mountain outside Asia, at 6,961 meters (22,838 ft), and by extension the highest point in both the Western Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Mendoza Province, Argentina, and lies 112 kilometers (70 mi) northwest of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometers from San Juan Province and 15 kilometers from the international border with Chile. The mountain itself lies entirely within Argentina and immediately east of Argentina’s border with Chile. Aconcagua is one of the Seven Summits.

www.AstronautTomJones.com

Iwo Jima as seen from 120 nautical miles up from shuttle Endeavour, STS-59, in April 1994. (NASA-STS059-210-33)

On most of my passes across the Pacific on STS-59, I used that 30 minutes to take a break from the camera work and headed down to the middeck to grab a snack. But when I could see our ground track would take us over historic, even hallowed, terrain, I’d make sure to try and grab a picture. That was the case on April 12, 1994, when I shot the volcanic island of Iwo Jima with a 250mm lens mounted on a 70mm Hasselblad film camera. So many American and Japanese died in the ferocious fighting of February and March 1945: 26,000 Americans were casualties, including 6800 killed in action. Japanese losses totaled 22,000–the entire garrison. Only 216 surrendered.

The savage fighting, however, secured Iwo Jima as an airfield for fighter escorts and an emergency landing base for Japan-bound B-29 Superfortresses. The lives of thousands of U.S. airmen were saved by the Marines’ sacrifice in capturing Iwo Jima. As General James L. Jones, 32nd Commandant of the Marine Corps, said, “The valor and sacrifice of the Marines and Sailors who fought on Iwo Jima is, today and forever, the standard by which we judge what we are and what we might become.”

Just looking at the island from space drew me in to a story familiar from my reading of history; it is impossible to forget the dedication of soldiers on both sides, now allies in space as well as on Earth.

NASA Image Caption: Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands April 1994
The largest of three Volcano Islands, Iwo Jima can be seen in this view from the south. Iwo Jima is nearly 5 miles (9km) long, and 2 miles (4 km) wide and covers an area of 8 sq. miles (21 sq. km). Mount Suribachi, 546 feet (167 meters) high, on the south side of the island (lower left), is an extinct volcano. The main industries are sulfur mining and sugar refining. Iwo Jima was the scene for one of the severest battle campaigns in United States history during World War II. The battle began on February 19, 1945 against a Japanese force of over 22000 troops, who were well fortified in the numerous caves that make up the island topography. Casualties were high on both sides. The island was completely taken by United States forces on March 15, 1945. The photograph acquired of the United States flag being raised by U.S. Marines on the top of Mount Suribachi is one of the most famous photographs ever taken and inspired a memorial being built near Washington, D.C. honoring the United Stated Marine Corps. (NASA STS059-210-033)

San Francisco viewed during STS-59. (NASA STS059-213-009)

San Francisco Bay, taken by the crew of orbiter Endeavour on Space Radar Lab 1. The crew took this image from about 120 nautical miles up, on April 14, 1994. North is to the left. At top, the delta of the combined Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers spreads into San Francisco Bay. Variations in water color caused both by sediment load and by wind streaking strike the eye. Man-made features dominate this scene. The Berkeley/Oakland complex rims the shoreline of the main bay to the right (south), and San Francisco fills the peninsula in the foreground. Salt-evaporation ponds contain differently-colored algae depending on salinity. The low altitude (less than 120 nautical miles) and unusually-clear air combine to provide unusually-strong green colors in this spring scene. Hasselblad 70mm film camera with 100mm lens.

It’s easy to see the San Andreas fault stretching from upper left to lower right across the mouth of the Bay, the Golden Gate. Its famous bridge is visible crossing from San Francisco at right to Marin County at left. The Oakland Bay Bridge crosses over Treasure Island as it connects San Francisco and the Oakland area on the eastern Bay shore. Golden Gate Park is the rectangular, green swath just sought of the bridge. I was in San Francisco last January and enjoyed some delicious Chinese food in Chinatown. No good Chinese food in space! (STS059-213-009; 9-20 April 1994)

The coast of Madagascar and the Betsiboka River, laden with sediment. (NASA sts059-237-1)

Endeavour’s crew took this Hasselblad 70mm film view, using a 40mm lens, of the island of Madagascar’s west coast, with the Betsiboka River flowing northwest into the Mozambique Channel off East Africa. We were 114 nautical miles up on April 18, 1884 when we snapped this shot. We are looking southwest in this view. The Betsiboka, says Wikipedia, is:

…a 525-kilometre (326 mi) long river in central-north Madagascar. It flows northwestward and empties to Bombetoka Bay, forming a large delta. It originates to the east of Antananarivo. The river is surrounded in mangroves.^[1] The river is distinct for its red-coloured water, which is caused by river sediments. The river carries an enormous amount of reddish-orange silt to the sea. Much of this silt is deposited at the mouth of the river or in the bay.

The heavy sediment load is dramatic evidence of the catastrophic erosion of northwestern Madagascar.^[2] Removal of the native forest for cultivation and pastureland during the past 50 years has led to massive annual soil losses approaching 250 metric tonnes per hectare (112 tons per acre) in some regions of the island, the largest amount recorded anywhere in the world.

Earth-orbiting astronauts always mark the Betsiboka with a photo, updating the destructive process of erosion and sediment runoff on Madagascar, where scarcely 20% of the original rain forest remains. I hope the island nation’s citizens begin the slow, but steady process of reforesting their home, so its environment can regain its health and support a wiser, and more prosperous, human population. However, poverty and an ineffective government continue to put pressure on the remaining forest. [May 1, 2017]

Sweden and Denmark from STS-59 Endeavour, shot on April 18, 1994. Altitude 112 nautical miles. (NASA STS059-223-65)

Here’s the view across Scandinavia from my first shuttle mission, STS-59. North is at upper right. We’re looking west past Denmark at lower left, Sweden at center and right, and the snow-capped mountains of Norway at top center. At lower left, Copenhagen, Denmark, lies across the strait from Malmo, Sweden (just north of that little T-shaped peninsula off Sweden’s southern tip). That’s Oland island at right off Sweden’s eastern coast. At center left is the Kattegat, the enclosed sea between Denmark’s Jutland peninsula and Sweden. The Skagerrak is the strait, top left, winding between Jutland and Norway, and feeding into the Kattegat. At top, we can clearly see the snow line as spring advances southward. This is about as far north as our orbit (57-degree inclination to the equator) would carry us. This view brings a geography textbook–or Google Maps–to life!

NASA Image Caption:
Southern Sweden, with its plethora of lakes, is visible in this west-looking, high-oblique photograph. The lakes were created when the continental glaciers scoured this area and then receded, allowing the countless depressions to fill with water. In addition to numerous smaller lakes that are generally aligned in a north-south orientation, two large lakes—larger Lake Vänern and Lake Vättern—can be seen toward the northern edge of the photograph. The dark green area inland from the coast is forested lands. A small part of the Baltic Sea is pictured off the southeast coast of Sweden, and the Skagerrak and Kattegat, the waterway entrance into the Baltic Sea, are shown off the southwest coast of Sweden. Although no specific details can be ascertained at this scale, the four main landforms of Denmark (viewing west to east)—a peninsula (Jylland) and three islands (Fyn, Sjelland, and Lolland)—can be seen along the southern edge of the photograph. (STS059-223-065)

Restoring American Leadership in Space Achievement: The Path Forward

December 23, 2016 By TOM JONES 1 Comment

Astronaut Terry Virts captured this view of the crescent Moon from the International Space Station in March 2015. (NASA)

12/16

U.S. space policy experts are looking for hints from President-elect Trump’s transition team on how they will view and change NASA’s space exploration goals, particularly in the highly visible area of human spaceflight. Change is certainly on the way.

President Obama said publicly in October that the nation’s clear goal is to send humans to Mars on a round-trip expedition sometime in the 2030s. Initial expeditions will eventually lead, he said, to extended visits and a permanent outpost. He noted that NASA is working with industry to develop new, space-qualified habitats to “sustain and transport astronauts on long-duration missions in deep space.” NASA’s NextSTEP program has asked industry teams to propose an array of habitat technologies that can be tested at the ISS, and eventually in lunar orbit.

The President also stated that U.S. space leadership will benefit us in areas of energy, medicine, agriculture, and artificial intelligence, while delivering a better understanding of Earth’s environment.

I was surprised that President Obama spoke about space during October: it’s a topic that is very rarely on his radar screen since his “we’re going to an asteroid” speech of April 2010. Of course, he directs an agency, NASA, that often talks about our Journey to Mars, but this is to my mind the first time the President has stated that “humans to Mars” is a declared U.S. goal.

A clear goal for NASA and the nation in space is all to the good. The president is right about the benefits to the US of deep space exploration. Space exploration will also help us expand our economy into space to create new jobs, energy production, and research facilities in space.

But the President has not followed up on his own rhetoric. The fact is that in 2010 the president canceled our planned return to the Moon, substituted a call for an asteroid mission in the mid-2020s, then provided no funds to achieve that goal. Now, nearly 7 years later, he’s proposed a Mars goal, but has neglected the hard work needed to fund and build consensus toward it.

For example, his budget for NASA has not kept pace with the Mars goal. President Obama is not funding:

The new rockets and spacecraft which will be needed to reach the 2030s Mars goal. The Space Launch System and Orion by themselves cannot reach Mars. This booster and spacecraft are already being slow-walked by the administration, even before the SLS has made its first test flight (now scheduled for late 2018).
Nuclear propulsion to reduce Mars trip times and thus, radiation exposure.
Radiation shielding and countermeasures for astronauts on 3-year-long roundtrips to Mars (needed to prevent cancer and neurological damage).
A plan for creating and testing the reentry and landing technologies needed for landing humans on Mars. So far, we have managed to put just a ton at a time on Mars—once. We’ll need to land at least 25 tons at at time for any piloted mission.
Methods to tap water ice or water-bearing minerals on the Moon and on asteroids, and process them into rocket fuel and life support oxygen and drinking water.

Despite NASA’s oft-touted Journey to Mars and the President’s October declaration of Mars as a national spaceflight goal, his NASA budget does not provide funding that can eventually achieve that objective. The President’s Mars goal is just 20 years away, but we have a tremendous amount of technical and biomedical homework still ahead of us. We are not tackling this list of tasks at a pace to put humans on Mars by 2035.

The biggest challenges are radiation protection, and the technology to land big habitats and return vehicles for astronauts. Just slightly less daunting are the technologies needed for life support systems and deep-space habitats to support crews on Mars expeditions. These living spaces will need radiation shielding (perhaps a cosmic-ray-absorbing jacket of water, or sandbags of regolith mined from the Moon or asteroids). NASA is already researching deep space habitats with industry teams through its NextSTEP program in 2016.

The way to actually reach Mars, rather than just talk about it until the next administration, would be to start building and testing the needed spaceflight systems as soon as possible, accomplishing short-term milestones and building on those to achieve a true deep space presence.

Life support and spacesuit testing should move to the International Space Station immediately. By 2020, put a crew aboard the new Orion and Space Launch System (SLS) and conduct visits to a habitat around the Moon. Crews would stay for about a month while operating surface rovers on the lunar far and near sides. Commercial firms would build the rovers and ship cargo and supplies to the lunar orbit habitat.

With five years of habitat testing and experience, assemble in Earth orbit the elements of a near-Earth asteroid mission: habitat, propulsion, power, radiation shielding, and an Orion return spacecraft. Launch a crew to a nearby asteroid, on a mission lasting 6 months to a year, taking American astronauts millions of miles from Earth.

With a couple of near-Earth asteroid missions accomplished, NASA would have the skills to lead an international partnership to the Mars system, aiming for a mission to the Martian moons in the early 2030s. The proven deep space habitat would be married to a new propulsion and power system (a nuclear reactor system) to reach Mars orbit and an encounter with the small moons Deimos and Phobos.

Propellant for this mission could be mined from the Moon or furnished from nearby asteroids, extracted by robots. Use of space resources from the Moon, asteroids, and Mars system will drop the cost of eventual expeditions to the red planet.

With astronauts in Mars orbit in the 2030s, extracting water (and propellant) from the minerals there, we could then land habitats and power systems on Mars itself, there to be readied by robots for the arrival of a human expedition. A US-led, international Mars expedition could be safely undertaken by 2040.

To undertake this American expansion to and beyond the Moon, the NASA budget must rise, but not dramatically. After losing 3 percent in buying power over the past five years, NASA’s budget should be raised from $19 billion to $25 billion over the next 5 years. That new total is still just 0.6% of $4 trillion federal budget. If the new president makes this initial commitment and then keeps the NASA budget pacing inflation after 2020, we will show the U.S. is serious about expanding into deep space.

A clear goal—dominance of space between the Earth and the Moon—and a long-range plan to search for life on Mars with human explorers will preserve our leadership in space exploration, and bring new wealth from space technology and new-found space resources into our economy. That’s another way to revive American fortunes at home and around the globe.

Tom Jones is a PhD planetary scientist, veteran astronaut, and author of the new Smithsonian Book: “Ask the Astronaut: A Galaxy of Astonishing Answers to Your Questions on Spaceflight.”

www.AstronautTomJones.com

An Asteroid Companion: An Astronaut’s View, Sept. 2016

December 13, 2016 By TOM JONES Leave a Comment

(reprinted with permission of Aerospace America magazine)

By Tom Jones

A newly discovered asteroid will orbit in loose formation with Earth for centuries. Its presence reminds NASA exploration planners of attractive opportunities for robotic and human exploration as they examine varied paths toward deep space and Mars.

In April, astronomers sifting through images from the University of Hawaii’s Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System in Maui discovered a faint near-Earth asteroid, now designated 2016 HO3. Analysis of its orbit soon showed that the 50- to 100-meter-wide object circles the sun on a path very much like Earth’s, f lying formation within a few million miles of our planet for at least the next century.

University of Hawaii’s Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System in April detected a near-Earth asteroid, designated 2016 HO3, that has been orbiting in Earth’s celestial backyard for almost a century — and will be around for centuries longer. (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii)

The discovery of HO3 underscores the practical possibility of exploring nearby asteroids as a way to gain valuable deep-space experience in preparation for journeys to Mars. A skeptical Congress seems unwilling to fund NASA’s proposed Asteroid Redirect Mission, a crewed mission to an asteroid fragment placed in lunar orbit. HO3 and other, even more accessible asteroids may serve as alternate destinations: far enough beyond the moon to test astronauts on a multi-month, deepspace expedition, but not nearly as challenging and risky as a full-up, multi-year journey to the red planet. A reasonable path toward Mars may take astronauts from a lunar orbit outpost, to one or more near-Earth asteroids, and then to the Mars system in the 2030s.

Because of HO3’s relative proximity, “we refer to it as a quasi-satellite of Earth,” Paul Chodas, manager of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said in an article on nasa.gov. “Our calculations indicate 2016 HO3 has been a stable quasi-satellite of Earth for almost a century, and it will continue to follow this pattern as Earth’s companion for centuries to come.”

Asteroid 2016 H03 has been orbiting the sun in near proximity to Earth for decades. For an observer looking down on Earth as it orbits the sun, the blue lines track the asteroid’s movement relative to Earth between 1960 and 2020. (Paul Chodas/Jet Propulsion Laboratory)

As HO3 alternately races ahead of and falls behind Earth in its yearly trek around the sun, it ranges out to about 100 times the moon’s distance, then closes to as few as 38 lunar distances: from 38 million down to 14.7 million kilometers. Other asteroids make closer approaches to Earth, and can be reached with less rocket propellant. But what makes HO3 special is that it’s always around for a visit: It offers a launch opportunity every year for the next few decades.

Other typical near-Earth asteroids offer only periodic, infrequent launch windows. HO3’s discovery is a timely reminder to NASA that if it wants to get astronauts out beyond the moon in the 2020s or early 2030s, either HO3 or another attractive target is nearly always within range.

Sifting the skies

HO3’s discovery resulted from NASA’s ongoing survey of the inner solar system for potentially hazardous objects. Since 1998, when Congress directed NASA to search for near-Earth objects such as comets and asteroids large enough to cause global damage if they struck Earth, the space agency has been funding a growing array of dedicated search telescopes and the astronomers who operate them.

Today, the NASA search program’s $50 million annual budget covers search, orbit cataloging, asteroid deflection research and spacecraft mission definition. It also identifies candidate targets for NASA’s planned Asteroid Redirect Mission, ARM, in which robotic spacecraft would lift a 10- to 20-ton boulder from an asteroid and nudge the fragment into lunar orbit. Once stabilized there, an Orion astronaut crew would rendezvous with the object, examine it, and carry samples to Earth.

NASA-funded telescopes are discovering close to 2,000 near-Earth objects each year; the program has found 98 percent of the nearly 15,000 of those cataloged so far. NASA today is working to fulfill a 2005 congressional mandate to find asteroids capable of causing regional damage on Earth, meaning those 140 meters or larger in diameter. It has already cataloged an estimated 95 percent of those larger objects (based on near-Earth object population statistics and the rate at which search telescopes “rediscover” known objects). As of July 13, 1,714 objects in the catalog — some 12 percent — were termed “potentially hazardous,” capable of colliding with Earth in the distant future. None poses a significant threat of impact within the next century.

Accessible asteroids

HO3 joins dozens of other known near-Earth asteroids, NEAs, accessible to human explorers. NASA filters NEA discoveries through its NEO Human Spaceflight Accessible Targets Study, or NHATS, identifying objects whose orbits make possible roundtrip expeditions by robots or humans in 450 days or less, and a total mission velocity change, rV, of 12 kilometers per second or less (think of rV as a stand-in for how much rocket fuel you’ll need to fly the mission). President Obama set a goal of an astronaut expedition to an asteroid in its native, solar orbit by mid-2020s. But when it became evident under the president’s budgets that the combination of Orion, the Space Launch System booster, deep-space propulsion and a habitation module would not be ready by the end of the 2020s, NASA proposed the Asteroid Redirect Mission instead. With ARM, astronauts could visit an asteroid fragment delivered to lunar orbit no earlier than 2026, but NASA would still fulfill the presidential asteroid directive, after a fashion.

Does HO3 offer NASA a new, game-changing asteroid target? Veteran astrodynamicist and former NASA Johnson Space Center flight dynamics officer Dan Adamo told me in an email that although 2016 HO3 has long-term proximity going for it, it’s hardly the most attractive target out there. Writes Adamo: “As of July 11, 2016, a total of 1765 NHATS-compliant near-Earth objects was known. Of these, 566 near-Earth objects can be accessed with shorter round-trip durations than any 2016 HO3 mission. Likewise, 184 NHATS-compliant near-Earth objects can be accessed with less delta-V than any 2016 HO3 mission.”

In fact, HO3’s orbital tilt, or inclination, of 7.77 degrees imposes a significant velocity-change penalty on visiting spacecraft. By contrast, the NEA 2000 SG344 has an inclination of just 0.11 degrees, yielding a minimum mission velocity change of 3.56 kilometers per second, according to Adamo. In 2029, for example, a five-month roundtrip to SG344 requires a velocity change of only about six kilometers per second.

Nevertheless, HO3’s loitering behavior makes it a regularly accessible exploration target: a launch window to it is always handy. In any given year, for example, a 154-day round trip to HO3 could be mounted for a total velocity change of roughly 12 kilometers per second. Stretching the mission duration to one-year reduces the velocity change to 6.1 kilometers per second–significantly less than landing that same spacecraft on the moon, which takes about 9 kilometers per second. Both HO3 missions would include eight days of surface exploration time at the asteroid.

This painting by artist Pat Rawlings shows astronauts exploring a near-Earth asteroid. Asteroids could serve as alternate destinations to Mars and provide deep-space
experience. (NASA, Pat Rawlings)

Where next–if anywhere?

Although far from the optimum candidate, HO3’s discovery in our celestial backyard keeps asteroids, along with the moon, in the conversation as targets for science, human exploration and possible commercial exploitation. It’s a timely discussion: If ARM does not win support in 2017 from a new administration and a skeptical Congress, near-Earth asteroids like HO3 represent the closest physical destinations for astronauts beyond the moon. By the mid-2020s, NASA should have flown its Orion spacecraft and SLS booster several times. By adding habitation and propulsion modules to Orion, NASA would then be able to dispatch astronauts to nearby objects like HO3. NASA is already conducting habitation module studies, and such extra living space could be available a decade from now for an asteroid roundtrip.

But such a deep-space journey will still confront planners with many of the risks of a Mars expedition: radiation exposure, the effects of prolonged free-fall, and psychological isolation as Earth recedes to the size of Carl Sagan’s “pale blue dot.” Supply considerations are daunting, too: a crew of four would need to pack almost 2.5 metric tons of food for a one-year asteroid roundtrip. Still, an asteroid expedition would be less challenging in terms of time, distance, and logistics than the two-plus-year journey to the Martian moons and back. An NEA mission could offer NASA just the right-sized first step on the road to Mars.

Artist’s rendering of Asteroid Redirect Mission, NASA’s proposed crewed mission to an asteroid fragment placed in lunar orbit. Congress seems unwilling to fund
the mission, providing impetus to send astronauts to nearby asteroids instead. (NASA)

Carpe diem

More accessible NEAs like HO3 and SG344 will be found in the coming decade, offering NASA more asteroid targets of opportunity. NASA could team with robotic mining companies to send small robotic scouts to a promising few. By the mid-2020s, Orion and SLS should be ready. If ARM delivers its asteroid boulder to lunar orbit, astronauts should visit it forthwith. But in case ARM is detoured, NASA is probably already thinking of how to reorient its exploration hardware: from lunar orbit, to “local” near-Earth object missions, to eventual journeys to the Mars system. Although I think NASA’s interest in human Mars exploration is genuine, the proof of that commitment will be its willingness to seek approval and funding for an earlier deep-space foray, millions of kilometers beyond the Earth-Moon system. A near-Earth asteroid expedition is just such a “no kidding” step toward Mars, far more daunting than a return to the moon (whose advantages I’ve discussed in recent columns). A NASA serious about Mars must move beyond talk, and actually do. Near-Earth asteroids represent just the terra incognita needed to demonstrate that seriousness of purpose. ★

Rendering of a near-Earth asteroid. A handful of asteroid candidates exist that astronauts could reach in the next two decades at a lower propellant cost than going to the lunar surface. (Dan Durda/Southwest Research Institute)

Author’s Note: NAMING ASTEROIDS–An asteroid’s initial designation is assigned by the Minor Planet Center following a formula based on the year of discovery, two letters and, if need be, further digits. 2016 HO3, for example, was discovered in 2016, in the second half of April (H), and was the 89th object discovered in the latter half of April (O3).

www.AstronautTomJones.com

TOM JONES

ASTRONAUT SPEAKER

Asteroid Day 2017 — Learn More About Protecting Earth

STS-59 Mission Highlights (April 1994)

Commander: Sidney M. Gutierrez (Col., USAF)

Pilot: Kevin P. Chilton (Col., USAF)

Payload Commander: Linda M. Godwin (Ph.D.)

Mission Specialists:

Jerome Apt (Ph.D.)

Michael R. Clifford (Lt. Col., USA)

Thomas D. Jones (Ph.D.)

Reaction to My Keynote at ReliablePlant 2017 Conference, 4/17

Earth Day: One Memorable Earth Shot Over Western Mongolia

Ireland from STS-59 Endeavour: April 17, 1994

STS-68 Preflight: Getting Ready for Space Radar Lab 2 (1994)

Related

STS-59 Endeavour: Space Radar Lab 1, April 9-20, 1994

Related

Comments»

Seeing Earth in a New Way — From STS-59 Endeavour, April 1994

Restoring American Leadership in Space Achievement: The Path Forward

An Asteroid Companion: An Astronaut’s View, Sept. 2016