More Canadian Women Flying High in Space Science and Engineering

Kim Binsted, all suited up for her role as chief scientist for the 2007 - 2008 Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) long duration Mars exploration analogue mission on Devon Island. Photo c/o Hawaii Public Radio.

          by Sarah Manea

Being backstage in the space industry can be just as challenging and satisfying as being an astronaut visible on the main stage.

With that in mind, here are five more Canadian scientists and engineers who have broken past the curtains and are running their own show:

• Very few people outside (or even inside) the entertainment industry are able to generate humour on cue, except perhaps for Dr. Kim Binsted, who once wrote a software program (a "Joke Analysis and Production Engine") to generate automated puns and riddles ("What do you call a spicy missile? A hot shot!") and then turned the concept into a new branch of linguistics. Dr. Binsted is a member of the faculty of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of Hawaii, where she does research on artificial intelligence, human-computer interfaces, and human factors for space exploration, while also working towards a M.Sc in planetary geology. Dr. Binsted was the chief scientist for the 2007 Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) mission, and is now working on the Hawaii Space Exploration Analogue and Simulation (HI-SEAS) project, studying food preparation methods to aid in long-term space travel and exploration.

Catherine Louise Johnson. Photo c/o Planetary Science Institute.

• Another one of the many women deserving acknowledgement for their efforts in Canadian space sciences and engineering is Catherine Louise Johnson, a professor of Planetary Geophysics at the University of British Columbia. She is a member of the MErcury Surface, Space ENvirontment, GEochemistry, and Ranging mission (MESSENGER), which completed flybys of Earth, Venus, and three flybys of Mercury, which had never been done before. Lunar geophysics and long-term geomagnetic field behavior are also areas in which Professor Johnson excels and she is currently working to solve the riddle of the length of time in which Mars could have supported an atmosphere. 

• Oddly enough, Darlene Lim, is an expert in limnology (the study of inland, fresh water bodies). Born in Kingston, ON but raised in Edmonton, she's also a respected geobiologist at the NASA Ames Research Center, who has conducted numerous experiments in the northern Arctic, the southern Antarctic, and central America. Since 1999, she has participated in the NASA/SETI Haughton Mars Project, taken part in the 2000 - 2001 FMARS long duration Mars exploration analogue mission on Devon Island and currently sits on the steering committee of the Mars Society, which administers FMARS. Dr. Lim is responsible for the co-establishment of the Pavilion Lake Research Project, aiming to determine the origin of freshwater micro biota and attain a greater understanding of these oldest Earth life forms.

Margarita Marinova prepares for action aboard the DeepWorker 6, a one man submersible used by the Pavilion Lake Research Project. Photo c/o Ben Cowie/ Pavilian Lake Research Project.

• From testing spacesuits in Antarctica to piloting a one person submersible, Dr. Margarita “Mars” Marinova has a very well rounded resume relating to the study extreme environments. She received a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and then continued on to attain a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Planetary Sciences at Caltech. Her work in Munich, Germany, on rocket propulsion engines, and the limits of habitability for Earth life have contributed to a marriage between nature and technology, which Dr. Marinova uses to research the possibility of life on Mars and beyond.

• From a very early age, Dr. Kim Tait knew she had an interest in rocks and minerals. This passion has driven her to pursue geology and geoscience and she is currently working as a curator of mineralogy at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) with a cross-appointment as Assistant Professor of Geology at the University of Toronto. She's even co-written a paper for the scientific journal Nature, which sheds new light on the age and composition of 200 million year old crystals agreed to have come from lava flows on Mars and suggests that many parts of the Martian surface are much younger than originally thought. “We have learned something very important about the application of geochronology and about the Red Planet itself,” according to Tait.

Kim  Tait, climbing a mountain during a recent trip to the Yukon. Photo c/o the ROM Research Colloquium.

Sarah Manea

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Sarah Manea is an aspiring astrophysicist, currently completing a specialist in physics and astronomy at the University of Toronto.

Was the Magellan Contract for RADARSAT Constellation a "National Policy?"

RCM image c/o MDA.

The September 4th, 2013 announcement that Mississauga, ON based Magellan Aerospace had been awarded the $110Mln CDN contract from MacDonald Dettwiler (MDA) to build the three satellite buses required for RADARSAT Constellation (RCM) has come in for some disparaging American comments, including a statement that the deal "hinged on national industrial policy as much as (on) technical know how."

The SS/L 1300 satellite bus. First available in the 1980's and used for dozens of communications satellites, the current version has a total broadcast power range from 5 to 25 kW, and can accommodate from 12 to 150 transponders. Graphic c/o SS/L.

As outlined in the September 19th, 2013 Space News article "Space Systems/Loral Passed over by Canadian Parent for Radarsat Work," the final deal could easily have  gone to MDA subsidiary Space Systems Loral (SSL), which would have used a smaller, modified version of the 1300 series satellite bus manufactured out of the SSL facility in Palo Alto, CA.

The article also quoted unnamed "MDA officials" who told investors in May, 2013 that the RCM project had been slow moving forward in order to allow time to consider “an alternative approach to manufacturing the spacecraft bus.”

Magellan was originally awarded a $6 million contract in 2009 for what was called a "phase B preliminary design" of the RCM satellite bus, and was generally perceived of as being the leading contender for follow-on bus contracts. A spacecraft bus generally consists of the spacecraft structural frame, propulsion systems, power and intra-spacecraft satellite communication equipment.

The CASSIOPE satellite, which also uses a Magellan MAC-200 bus. The existing design will be upgraded to accommodate the large, deployable C band surface aperture radar (SAR) and increased power subsystem capacity as required by RCM, plus new GPS and propulsion subsystems to support the precision orbit maintenance requirements and improved avionics to support the seven year mission lifetime. Image c/o CSA.

The first public indication that MDA was considering alternatives to Magellan was the March 13th, 2013 SpaceRef.ca article "MDA Satellite Contract Move Infuriates Government" which focused on unattributed reports that MDA was considering the possibility of "not subcontracting" a significant piece of RCM to Magellan. According to the SpaceRef article, this suggestion "blindsided the government" which was expecting MDA to subcontract out bus manufacture to Magellan, based on its participation in previous contracts and the possession of domestic satellite manufacturing facilities.

The Magellan MAC-200 small satellite bus finally chosen for RCM on September 4th will be manufactured in the Magellan facility in Winnipeg, MB.

As outlined in the September 4th, 2013 Magellan press release "Magellan Aerospace Awarded $110 Million Contract for RADARSAT Constellation Manufacture" the new bus will be an upgraded (and larger) version of one which has previously only been used for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) CAscade, SmallSat and IOnospheric Polar Explorer (CASSIOPE) satellite, which is currently awaiting launch on the first flight of the upgraded SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket.

Government Should Support Small Aero & Space Firms

An example of how large companies outsource aircraft manufacturing to a variety of international subcontractors, often to the detriment of local job creation. Graphic from the July 29th, 2011 Wall Street Journal article "the New LearJet: Now Mexican Made."

          by Brian Orlotti

As outlined in the September 9th, 2013 post “Emerson Update: Aerospace is Go but Space Still Stalled!”, Industry Minister James Moore has announced the rollout of a $110 Mln CDN technology demonstrator program for aviation companies as originally recommended by the Emerson Review.

Add that to the $1Bln CDN promised over the next seven years under the Strategic Aerospace and Defence Initiative (SADI), as allocated in the March 2013 budget, and the emerging general consensus is that large aerospace firms have done quite well from the review.

Then Heritage (now Industry) Minister James Moore responding to a question in the House of Commons on June 11th, 2013. Photo c/o Sean Kilpatrick/ Canadian Press.

However, the funding recommendations from the second volume of the review, (titled "Reaching Higher: Canada's Interests and Future in Space"), especially those targeted at smaller engineering firms and NewSpace startups, have simply not been implemented by the current government. This neglect of smaller companies is to Canada’s detriment. The deferring of aid for small start-ups and emerging companies not only inhibits growth and increases risk, but also prevents the development of Canadian manufacturing capability.

As well, the Canadian government’s apparent focus on large firms ignores a key fact: large firms don’t last forever. The history of Canadian business abounds with stories of once-mighty giants withering away. Firms with names like Mitel, Northern Telecom, and Research In Motion spring to mind.

The Canadian government would do well to incorporate attrition into its planning, grooming many small start-ups, so that a handful may emerge as large players. In an ever-more-competitive global marketplace, such diversity will be essential for long term survival. Canada will face a variety of challenges. An emerging global sector of freelancers is enabling business, engineering, design and production talent to be harnessed from anywhere on Earth at extremely competitive prices.

Peter Diamandis is scheduled to speak at the next Ideacity in Toronto, Ontario from June 18th - 20th, 2014.

Peter Diamandis of the X-Prize Foundation examined this phenomenon in the August 20th, 2013 X-Prize blog post "How to Tap 7 Million People to Solve your Problem" and the follow-up September 4th, 2013 article "An $1,000 Investment to Millions in Profit: Four Key Ways Entrepreneurs Can Use Freelancers to Profit." In essence, Diamandis is a strong advocate of small entrepreneurial teams and freelancers in technology, manufacturing, aerospace and even space.

There are those who would argue that the emerging freelancer culture is not up to the task of designing and building air/spacecraft and their subsystems. However, we are only at the beginning of a transition towards a truly global product development and production cycle. As the pool of freelancers grows and relationships mature, high-end design and fabrication will be incorporated. Small scale firms will be as easily able to tap into the worldwide talent pool as large ones, thus leveling the playing field.

Selected components and systems suppliers for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Graphic c/o the January 15th, 2013 Business Insider article on how "the Boeing 787 Dreamliner isn't very 'Made in the USA.'"

The Emerson Review itself describes the changes that have occurred in aircraft manufacturing. At one time, aircraft makers made most components themselves and purchased the rest from other firms in their own country. Nowadays, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and new Bombardier C Series aircraft (as highlighted in the review) are produced mainly outside of North America, with Canada and the US now limited to final assembly – with no guarantee that this will remain so.

Bombardier Aerospace, owner of Learjet, produces nearly all of its new Learjet 85 in Queretaro, Mexico except the wings, which are produced in Belfast, Northern Ireland. After assembly in Mexico, the aircraft are shipped to Wichita, Kansas for final assembly which involves attachment of the wings, installing the cabin interior, flight tests and delivery to the customer.

Opened in 2006, Bombardier Aerospace’s 500,000 sq. ft., 2500 employee facility in Queretaro, Mexico also produces the fuselage sections of the new Global 7000 and 8000 corporate jets as well as the flight control work package for the Q400 NextGen aircraft. Many of Bombardier’s suppliers have followed them, building new facilities and expanding existing ones in Queretaro.

With over 60 companies from 14 different countries, the 865-acre Queretaro Industrial Park in Mexico "offers the highest quality international design, engineering and construction to comfortably and effectively accommodate world-class manufacturing and warehousing/distribution facilities" according to the Hines investment, development and management website.

In addition, this expansion is by no means limited to aerospace. Bombardier Recreational Products (privately owned by the Bombardier family and no longer part of Bombardier Group) has recently built a 600,000 sq. ft. factory in the Queretaro Industrial Park to supplement its existing 400,000 sq. ft. facility in Mexico City. Bombardier Transportation (rail) has even larger facilities in Mexico (about 5,000,000 sq. ft).

In February of this year, Bombardier announced transfer of some assembly of their new C Series airliner to a new “temporary” 23,000 sq. ft. facility in Morocco. Bombardier’s Morocco facility has been given 10 hectares of land, is building out another 200,000 sq. ft. of factory space and is nearing 850 employees. In the interests of fairness, Bombardier is adding 667,000 sq. ft. of C Series airliner final assembly and service centre space to their Montreal (Mirabel) facility. The conclusion, however, is clear; other nations are expanding their industrial bases (with associated benefits) at the expense of Canada’s.

If the Canadian Government truly wishes to encourage the creation of jobs and growth in the domestic aerospace/space sector, diversification is needed. Implementing the funding recommendations in the second volume of the Emerson report will help foster the development of many small firms. Having a variety of smaller firms will help keep production (and jobs) in Canada. Canada’s aerospace/space sector will not only have breadth, but depth.

More Canadian Universities with a Space Connection

One of  the reasons why Canadian universities contribute to space activities. Since the graphic was created in 2009, government funding for space has stagnated, while private sector funding has continued to grow.

The September  3rd, 2012 post on "Canadian Universities with a Space Connection" provided a high level overview of some of the post secondary educational facilities which help to supply space science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals for both commercial and government space efforts.

Here's a slightly updated version of that earlier list, covering recent changes over the last year. The revised list now includes:

• The Carlton University Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering – Students from this faculty came in third in the 2008 NASA Great Moon Buggy Race. Its also the home of the CU3SAT micro-satellite project, which competed in the 2012 Canadian Satellite Design Challenge.

• Concordia University - Home of Space Concordia, a team of Concordia University engineering students interested in the techniques and processes of astronautical engineering. The team was an entrant in the 2012 Canadian Satellite Design Challenge. 

• Laurentian University – The 2011 Lunabotics Challenge (now known as the NASA Robotic Mining Competition) was awarded to a team from Laurentian University.

• McGill Institute of Air and Space Law – Focused on "training aviation and space focused lawyers to serve throughout the world." The faculty maintains close relationships with the American Bar Association (ABA) Forum Committee on Air and Space Law and publishes the Annals of Space Law Journal.

• The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics - A basic research centre dedicated to "exploring the world around us at its most fundamental level." The institute supports over 80 resident researchers and a vigorous visitor program of cross-disciplinary research in condensed matter, cosmology & gravitation, particle physics, quantum foundations, quantum gravity, quantum information theory, superstring theory and related areas.

• The Ryerson University Engineering Graduate Program – Focuses on aerodynamics and propulsion, aerospace structures, manufacturing, avionics and aerospace systems. 

• The University of Alberta - Home to both the Centre for Earth Observation Sciences (CEOS), which uses Earth observation and imaging technology monitor environmental changes, manage resources and formulate sustainable development policies, and the Institute for Space Science, Exploration and Technology (ISSET), a pioneering interdisciplinary centre for planetary and space research. University faculty have also organized the annual Canada-Norway Student Sounding Rocket (CaNoRock) exchange program and the University AlbertaSat-1 team competed in the 2012 Canadian Satellite Design Challenge.

• The University of British Columbia - Home of the UBC Orbit team which competed in the 2012 Canadian Satellite Design Challenge and Dr. Jaymie Matthews, who acts as chief scientist and principal investigator for the Microvariability & Oscillations of STars (MOST) microsatellite.

• The University of Calgary (UofC) - Home of the Institute for Space Research, which is part of the Department of Physics and focused on the areas of space plasma, aural imaging and analysis and modeling plus the Institute for Space Imaging Science which is leading the development of the Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe (e-POP), a scientific payload for CASSIOPE, the first, made-in-Canada multi-purpose small satellite mission from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

• The University of Guelph Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility (CESRF) - Part of Ontario Agricultural College, CESRF and its Space and Advanced Life Support Agriculture program focus on plant research for space and other closed environment related activities. Has useful connections with the Canadian Space Agency and the strong support of NASA's Advanced Life Support (ALS) community.

• The University of Manitoba - Home of the UMSATS, which competed in the 2012 Canadian Satellite Design Challenge. 

• The University of Saskatchewan Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies - Focused on the observations, theory and models are used to investigate the earth's troposphere, middle atmosphere, ionosphere and magnetosphere. Possesses strong links to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) through various contributions to the Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imager System (ODIN OSIRIS), the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) mission, the Canadian Geo-space Monitoring (CGSM) programs and the Canadian Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Change (CANDAC) plus international research connections through the Climate And Weather of the Sun-Earth System (CAWSES) program, the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) and the Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR) program.

• The University of Saskatchewan Space Design Team (USST) - A student run organization which dominated the 2011 NASA sponsored Space Elevator Games and competed in the 2012 Canadian Satellite Design Challenge (CSDC).

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• The University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) – The first Canadian academic institution able to build low cost spacecraft, micro-satellites and nano-satellites. Collaborates with business, government and academic institutions on the development of new space technologies and strengthening the Canadian skill base in space systems engineering. According to Wikipedia the institute “has seen a number of firsts: world’s first microwave-powered aircraft, the world’s first engine-powered ornithopter (both inventions of James DeLaurier) and Canada’s first space telescope MOST.” Areas of expertise include aircraft design (particularly at subsonic speeds), flight simulation, space robotics, micro satellite technology, computational fluid dynamics and nuclear fusion. The facility has close relationships with Bombardier, NASA Ames, and MD Robotics. 

• The University of Waterloo –  Home of Canada's largest engineering faculty (divided up into several different schools and research centres, most notably Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering) the university also hosts the Waterloo Space Society (WSS), which organizes and promotes space-related events at Waterloo and the larger community. The WSS also has two active engineering sub-teams: WatSat which is participated in the 2012 Canadian Satellite Design Challenge and UW Rocketry which is participated in the  Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition.

• The University of Western Ontario (UWO) – Home to the Canadian Lunar Research Network (CLRN), composed of people from a range of professions (scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs) and from a variety of organizations (academia, industry and government) focused on Moon research, plus the Centre for Planetary Science & Exploration (CPSE), focused on building planetary science, exploration and space systems design.

• York University - The old Faculty of Science and Engineering split apart into the Faculty of Science and the Lassonde School of Engineering in 2012. The new Lassonde school includes the department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering (which bills itself as the only accredited "space engineering" program in Canada) and the Earth and Space Science graduate program. It's expected that the new curriculum slowly being rolled out at Lassonde will also include student co-op placements plus (in co-operation with the Schulich School of Business and Osgoode Hall Law School) an emphasis on business and law components considered relevant to high tech engineering firms. York scientists, engineers and students have contributed the Phoenix Scout Mission, SCISAT (the Canadian Space Agency mission to research the ozone layer) the Canadian WINDII instrument (on NASA’s Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite) and the Canadian OSIRIS instrument (for Sweden’s Odin satellite). York is also home of the York University Rover Team which competed in the 2011 University Rover Challenge, an annual event organized by the US based Mars Society.

NewSpace Critic Follows the Money: Joins NewSpace Company

Paul Spudis, at the 2011 International Space Development Conference (ISDC2011), where he spoke on the  topic of "Can We Afford to Return to the Moon." Photo c/o Moonandback.

      by Brian Orlotti

On September 5th Moon Express (ME) a NewSpace firm intent on lunar resource extraction, announced the addition of two leading planetary scientists to its staff, one of whom also happens to be a strong critic of the NewSpace industry.

Jack Burns. Photo c/o Jack O. Burns.

Dr. Paul Spudis, a senior staff scientist with the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, TX has joined ME as its chief scientist. Also new to the ME roster is Dr. Jack Burns, the director of the NASA Lunar Science Institute’s Lunar University Network for Astrophysics Research (LUNAR) and member of the NASA Advisory Council. Burns joins Moon Express as chair of its Science Advisory Board, where his task will be to set the company’s scientific and resource utilization goals.

Bob Richards. Photo c/o Moonandback.

The announcement was made during a meeting of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) in Houston, Texas by ME co-founder and CEO Bob Richards, who also serves as vice-chair of the CSF’s Space Resources Committee.

“I am very happy to see the lunar science community embracing the opportunities of commercial lunar exploration,” said Richards. “The science leadership of Paul Spudis and Jack Burns will help us plan our robotic missions to maximize results for the lunar science community and our commercial interests.”

Based in Mountain View, California, ME was founded by a group of Silicon Valley and space industry entrepeneurs including Dr. Bob Richards, Naveen Jain, and Dr. Barney Pell in August of 2010. Moon Express’ stated long term goal is mining the Moon for resources including rare Earth elements like Gold, Platinum, Niobium and Yttrium as well as lunar water for use in spacecraft fuel depots. To this end, the company plans to send a series of robotic spacecraft to the Moon for ongoing exploration and development. ME intends to derive revenue from lunar transportation and data services (i.e. imagery/maps) provided by these spacecraft. Moon Express is also an entrant in the $30 Million USD Google Lunar X-Prize.

Dr. Spudis has been a long-time advocate of utilizing lunar resources to develop the Moon and cislunar space infrastructure, topics he often discusses in his popular blog, ‘The Once and Future Moon.' Spudis frequently advocates for stronger government involvement in space economic development, reflecting his ideology of beyond-Earth-orbit being the rightful domain of government. Spudis has also been a frequent critic of the NewSpace industry, arguing that it is in too primitive a stage of development and is sustained only by marketing hype and government subsidies. While deriding SpaceX supporters as “cheerleaders” and the upcoming Falcon Heavy launcher as a “fantasy rocket,” Dr. Spudis conveniently ignores how efficiently NewSpace firms have used their resources and have helped to rekindle public interest in space.

With the continuing schizophrenia, starvation and paralysis in the US space program, events like the recent departure of NASA deputy director Lori Garver and the hiring of Paul Spudis by Moon Express are potent reminders that ideology (no matter the flavour) must eventually yield to practicality.

Emerson Update: Aerospace is Go but Space Still Stalled!

Industry Minister James Moore talking with reporters at the Abbotsford Air Show on August 9th, 2013. Photo c/o Richard Lamb/ Industry Canada.

Industry Minister James Moore has announced the role-out of a $110Mln CDN program originally recommended by the November 2012 Federal Review of Aerospace and Space Programs and Policies (the Emerson Review).

The new program is essentially identical to the 3rd recommendation on page 12 of the first volume of the report (titled "Beyond the Horizon: Canada's Interests and Future in Aerospace"), which recommended that the Federal government "create a program to support large scale aerospace technology demonstration."

But funding recommendations from the second volume of the review, (titled "Reaching Higher: Canada's Interests and Future in Space"), especially those targeted at small business engineering and new-space start-ups, have not yet been publicly embraced by the current government.

The latest Emerson success, at least on the aviation side of the ledger, is promoted in the September 4th, 2013 Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) press release "Industry Minister James Moore Announces Launch of Technology Demonstrator Program," which is also available (with a few modifications) on the Federal government Canada News Centre website under the title "Harper Government Launches Key Aerospace and Defence Program."

As outlined in the press release, the Federal government will be moving forward to launch a new technology demonstrator program, to "fund large-scale technology demonstration projects designed to prove the viability of newly developed technologies prior to bringing them to market."

The program, first announced as part of the government’s 2013 Economic Action Plan and initially reported in the March 24th, 2013 post "Emerson's Space Plan Versus the Canadian Budget," will provide $110Mln CDN over four years with "a further annual commitment of $55Mln thereafter." As outlined in the press release, statements of interest for the program must be submitted by December 6th, 2013 and an announcement of approved projects will be made in the fall of 2014.

But while smaller Canadian space companies could certainly apply to the new program, there is no specific incentive for them to do so and many hoops to jump through. The majority of applicants are expected to be large aviation companies like Montreal based Bombardier.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. But what the smaller Canadian space industry is really looking for is outlined in the second volume of the Emerson report (not the first) and summarized in the December 12th, 2012 blog post "What the Space Volume of the Aerospace Review Actually Says."

Essentially, the equivalency between what the space industry wants and the aerospace industry has already been granted is predictable overall funding for procurement and programs (as outlined in the 4th recommendation on page 34. This would cost far less than the $1Bln CDN in additional funding promised over the next five years for the Strategic Aerospace and Defence Initiative, also announced in March 2013 and derived from Emerson 1st volume recommendations) plus an expansion of the funding allocated for programs which support the development of space technologies for enhanced industrial capabilities (part of the 7th recommendation, on page 41).

Key among these programs are the Space Technologies Development Program (STDP) and the Earth Observation Application Development Program (EOADP). These are currently Canadian Space Agency (CSA) managed programs for which Emerson recommended an overall additional $10Mln CDN per year during each of the next three years plus ongoing and consistent funding afterwards.

To its credit, as far back as the March 2013 Federal budget, the government indicated a willingness to tackle procurement and operational issues related to the space industry uncovered by the Emerson Review. According to the 2013 budget, the intention at the time, was to focus on:

... developing a series of strategic plans outlining the Government's space priorities over the short, medium and long term; establishing a Canadian Space Advisory Council to advise the Government on the development of these plans; stabilizing the budget of the Canadian Space Agency over the next 10 years and establishing cost-sharing models to support the development of new space projects; and implementing measures to expand the level of space-related commercial activity in Canada.

All of which is well and good. But all that strategic planning should have coalesced into something useful by now, in much the same way as policies and programs outlined in the first volume of the Aerospace Review are now being funded and implemented.

It's time to move forward with the recommendations in the second volume.

Canadian Women Flying High in Space Science and Engineering

Aubrey Bouvier. Photo c/o UWO.

While ex-astronauts Roberta Bondar and Julie Payette are most often mentioned in public statements relating to women involved in the space program, Canada also has a variety of other up and comers who are well worth getting to know. 

Listed below in alphabetical order are a few (but certainly not all), of the more notable:        

• Dr. Audrey Bouvier, an assistant professor at the Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration at the University of Western Ontario is typical of our up and coming space scientists, but also special, given that she has just received the prestigious Nier Prize (named after Alfred O.C. Nier, the American physicist who pioneered the development of mass spectrometry). The award, which recognizes outstanding research in meteoritics and closely allied fields by those under 35, was presented to Bouvier for her "significant contributions to understanding the isotopic compositions of Solar System materials and the timescales of their formation" according to the schedule of the 76th Annual Meteoritical Society meeting.  

Danielle Cormier, on the job at CSA headquarters in Longueuil, Quebec. Photo c/o CSA.

• One of the key jobs at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is the job of mission controller and Danielle Cormier, the current CSA mission controller for robotics, is generally perceived of as being very, very good at her job indeed. A CSA employee since 1995, the PQ based Cormier has received degrees in engineering from Ecole polytechnique de Montréal and Université de Sherbrooke plus a degree in space studies from the International Space University (ISU). 

• As described on the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) website, one of the core members of the Mars Phoenix spacecraft Meteorological Station (MET) Canadian science team was MET mission scientist Vicki Hipkin. Dr. Hipkin was described as an atmospheric physicist " fascinated by extreme environments," who studied the atmospheric boundary layer over Antarctic ice shelves, and is interested in atmospheric gases that might be evidence of subsurface activity on Mars. She has also worked with scientists at York University to use MET data to improve atmospheric models of the Mars water cycle and is currently the CSA senior program scientist for planetary exploration.
  

• Calgary based Shawna Pandya, has just got to be the only person ever who, when originally rejected for NASA training in 2012, was saddened that she had to fall back on her second career choice of brain surgery. Currently a neurological resident and the chief marketing officer for CiviGuard, Inc., a Silicon Valley start-up based at NASA-Ames and incubated through Singularity University, Pandya is able to combine both and is also a published author on telemedicine, space technology spin-offs for medicine and an expert on the neuroArm, the world’s first intra-operative, MR-compatible image-guided robotic arm for neurosurgery. She also expects many more opportunities to get into space.

• As outlined in the August 27th, 2013 Women You Should Know article "STEM Rock Star Natalie Panek Is Revolutionizing How We Think About Women In Tech," Calgary based Natalie Panek, has also always wanted to travel to space. According to Panek, "realistically this a huge endeavor to undertake, but I am of the mindset to set the bar really high and enjoy the journey regardless of the outcome. There are really high standards for astronaut selection and the space industry is changing so much right now, that the definition of an ‘astronaut’ could change drastically in the next few years.” Palek regularly speaks at events on leadership, women in technology, space exploration and also founded The Panek Room, a digital destination of resources that promises “revolution, inspiration and adventure” from science, engineering, and technology. As for her day job, Panek is a robotic operator and aerospace engineer at MacDonald Dettwiler (MDA).

The five women above, and the many more who could be listed in an article of this nature, bode well for the future of Canadian space activities. We should embrace their success.

Feed Your Need for More Commercial Space News

Want more commercial space news? There might be a solution.

For those of us who hunger for more, it's worth noting that the Commercial Space blog also aggregates the best international stories on the web into the "More Commercial Space News" feed, which is updated on an ongoing basis, throughout the day.

These posts are also promoted via the @acuriousguy twitter feed, in order to provide a comprehensive and easy to access overview of international commercial space activities.

Here are just a few of the stories currently being tracked:

• The big breaking story in the US this week is, of course, the possible refusal of the Russian government to allow further exports of the Russian RD-180 rocket engine, which is currently used for the first stage engines in the workhorse US Atlas-V rocket. These include the August 29th, 2013 Moonandback article "RD-180 Sales Ban Rumor," the August 28th, 2013 Space Travel article "Russian rocket engine export ban could halt US space program," and even the assumed original source of the rumour, the August 27th, 2013 Russia Today (RT) article "Russian rocket engine export ban could halt US space program." Certainly the situation is complex, both in Russia and in the US as transnational corporations like United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Aerojet Rocketdyne attempt to control access to the Russian engines and even discuss restarting the assembly line to build more. For background, check out the June 24th, 2013 blog post "Bride of RocketDyne!"

• As a counterpoint to the Russian rocket story, NASA has issued another report focused on the equipment being developed  for future "beyond Earth" space missions. According to the August 27th, 2013 NASA Exploration Systems Division Quarterly Report, the "Orion, Space Launch System and Ground Systems Development and Operations programs continued to make progress towards sending humans beyond Earth's orb" which is all well and good just so long as no one looks closely at the July 30th, 2013 Space News article "NASA Defends Space Launch System against Charge It is draining the lifeblood of Space Program," which essentially says exactly the opposite. Only time will tell if either, neither or both of  these news stories eventually end up being correct. 

• Commercial space companies are also tracked in this feed. Sample articles include the August 29th, 2013 Parabolic Arc article "Tethers Unlimited Awarded NIAC Phase II Contract" focused on the recent $500,000 NASA award presented to a private firm with a new method to create space structures, the August 29th, 2013 press release from the European Space Agency (ESA) under the title "ESA Says 200 new start-ups launched at ESA incubators" and the August 27th, 2013 Parabolic Arc article "Space Tourism Startup SHIPinSPACE Receives $7.8 Million Investment." 

Of course, the More Commercial Space News feed also includes a great many article on Canadian efforts and activities that for one reason or another, haven't yet made their way into a regular blog post.

So to get the complete view, with many many more national and international stories, updates and links, check out More Commercial Space News by either clicking on the graphic below or else subscribing to the twitter feed at @acuriousguy.

 

3D Printing in Space Now With Holographic Controls

NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne have successfully conducted a hot-fire test of a component they constructed using additive manufacturing technology. Photo Credit: NASA / Glenn

           by Brian Orlotti

Last month, NASA and missile propulsion firm Aerojet Rocketdyne completed testing of the first rocket engine part made using 3D printing.

On July 15th, a 3D-printed fuel injector assembly was successfully test-fired multiple times at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

These test firings proved the effectiveness of 3D printing in the design, manufacture and testing of critical rocket engine components and may lead to more efficient manufacturing of rocket engines in general.

Aerojet Rocketdyne (formed earlier this year when Aerojet and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne were merged) fabricated the liquid oxygen/hydrogen gas injector using an industrial-grade selective laser melting (SLM) 3D printer. SLM technology uses high-powered laser beams to melt and fuse fine metallic powders into three dimensional shapes.

3D printing’s key advantage is significant reduction in both production time and costs. Rocket engine parts are complex machined metal pieces requiring significant time and labour to produce. The fuel injector is one of the most expensive components of a rocket engine. This type of rocket fuel injector made with traditional metal casting/forging techniques would take over a year to produce. With SLM 3D printing, it can be done in less than four months---at a 70% lower cost.

In aerospace, 3D printing has been used mainly in producing simple, non-critical components like brackets and structural frames. With this successful injector test, however, Aerojet can now set its sights on making a wider-variety of rocket parts.

NASA foresees many applications for 3D printing technology in space, including the ‘printing’ of hand tools (saving on storage space and fuel), engine parts and even entire spacecraft. Significant steps in this direction are already being taken.

NASA-funded start-up Made in Space Inc. is also planning to launch the world's first zero-gravity-capable 3D printer into space in June, 2014.

Since 2010, Moffett Field, California-based Made in Space has tested a variety of 3D printing technologies on a series of microgravity flights through NASA's Flight Opportunities program. The company's current prototype uses fused deposition modeling (FDM), the technology on which most consumer-level 3D printers are based. In FDM, plastic filament is heated into a liquid and forced through a nozzle. The nozzle deposits the liquid plastic onto a build plate, building an object layer by layer. Made in Space’s 3D printer uses a mixture of ABS and more advanced space-qualified thermoplastics to build objects. The prototype has performed well in parabolic and suborbital test flights and is now ready for final testing aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

SpaceX and Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk recently announced plans to put his own stylish flourish on 3D printing. On August 23rd, Musk announced via Twitter that he will unveil a 3D printer with a holographic, gesture-controlled interface and use it to print rocket parts out of titanium before an audience. Musk has stated that his inspiration is the now-iconic holographic interface used by superhero Tony Stark in the hit ‘Iron Man’ films.

Whether among the stars or here on Earth, 3D printing technology is proof that the line between science fiction and science fact continues to blur.

Things to do Before Launching CASSIOPE

Two Falcon 9 engine arrangements. On the left, with  a 3x3 rectangular or "tic-tac-toe" pattern is the original v 1.0 arrangement.  On the right is the upgraded v1.1 arrangement, which utilizes what SpaceX calls an "octaweb". Photo c/o NASA Spaceflight.com.

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) seems publicly committed to the announced September 5th, 2013 launch date for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Cascade Smallsat and Ionospheric Polar Explorer (CASSIOPE) from Vandenburg Air Force Base.

Falcon 9 first stage with new struts in launch configuration. Photo c/o the Daily Cos.

But there are also a series of important, non-trivial modifications and upgrades to the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket which are expected to be tested out for the first time during this particular flight and lots of work remains before the launch can proceed.

Chief among the upgrades are the replacement of Merlin 1-C engines with an equal number of substantially more powerful Merlin 1-D engines. These new engines boast an increased thrust (from 95,000 to 140,000 to lbf at sea level), the capability of throttling back and forth between 70-100 percent of overall power and, as described in the March 20th, 2013 NASA SpaceFlight.com article "Falcon 9 boost as Merlin 1D engine achieves major milestone," the use of improved manufacturing processes utilizing fewer parts and less labor to lower overall production costs.

The new engines are also designed to be reused, which makes sense given that the internal structure layout of the latest Falcon 9 allows for the attachment of four landing struts, which should enable the first stage (with a little help from the new throttle control) to land under its own power after use, in much the same way as the SpaceX Grasshopper.


Altogether, according to the August 11th, 2013 Commercial Space Watch article "Update on SpaceX activities," the September 5th launch will contain the following firsts:

• It will be the first launch with the upgraded Falcon 9 V1.1. 

• It will be the first launch with the new Merlin 1-D engines, the first time with the new circular arrangement of the engines on the 1st stage booster, the first launch with fairings (to protect the payload satellite) and the first Falcon 9 launch with a satellite (the aforementioned 800 pound CASSIOPE) as the primary payload.

• It will be the first launch with the "stretched" stages. (The updated Falcon 9 is 16 m taller than before.)

• It will be the first launch at the new SpaceX Vandenberg launch facility, which has yet to be formally declared operational.

• It might also be the possible first test of a controlled return and hover above the ocean surface for the first stage booster.

All in all, it's a nice way to finish off the summer, both for Canada and for SpaceX. Here's hoping it goes off on schedule.

The Next Space Shuttle is Preparing for Liftoff

The SNC Dream Chaser space plane. Is this the true heir to the space shuttle? Graphic c/o SNC.

          by Brian Orlotti

A privately-developed mini space shuttle has successfully completed ground tests in California earlier this week as a run-up to its first flight test.

On Aug 15th, the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Dream Chaser space plane, was pulled by a pickup truck across various runways, ramps, and hangars at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base.

These taxi tow tests were done at speeds of 16, 32, 64 and 97 km/h to gauge the spacecraft's performance under landing and rollout conditions. In addition to Dream Chaser’s brakes, steering and landing gear, SNC engineers also monitored its flight computer and software, as well as instrumentation (i.e. guidance, navigation and control systems). These tests were the fourth in a series of taxi tow tests and will culminate in full flight tests this fall.

Dream Chaser is a crewed suborbital/orbital spaceplane designed to carry up to seven people to and from low earth orbit, launching vertically atop a rocket and landing horizontally on conventional runways.


As outlined in the August 15th, 2013 Planetary Society blog post "Dream Chaser mini-shuttle prepares for free flight tests," one unique feature of the new space plane is the nose landing gear, which uses a "skid strip" instead of wheels.

Dream Chaser's predecessor? The North American X-15 suborbital space plane, which utilized rear (instead of front) skid strips.

Of course, a variety of manned and unmanned missiles and even manned vehicles have operated using skids for landing gear. Cape Canaveral Air Force Station even has a runway named the "skid strip" in honor of the SN-62 Snark intercontinental cruise missile, which utilized skid landings in the late 50s and early 60s.

The vehicle also incorporates a variety of other innovative features derived from lessons learned from the space shuttle program and other areas.

These include:

• A built-in crew escape system and autonomous flight capability.

Dream Chaser mated with United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. Graphic c/o SNC.

• Maneuvering thrusters that will use a non-explosive ethanol-based fuel, allowing the Dream Chaser (unlike the Space Shuttle) to be handled immediately after landing, reducing turnaround time and costs.

• A thermal protection system (TPS) consisting of heat-resistant tiles developed at NASA Ames Research Center that (in contrast to the Space Shuttle’s TPS) can be replaced en masse after several flights rather than tile-by-tile after each flight, further reducing turnaround time and costs.

• A propulsion system consisting of two hybrid rocket engines running on powdered rubber and nitrous oxide (aka laughing gas). These substances are both non-toxic and easily stored, making them safer than liquid rocket fuels. Unlike solid-fuel rockets, Dream Chaser's hybrid fuel system would allow the engine to stop and start repeatedly, and be throttleable. This hybrid system was originally developed by SNC for Scaled Composites’ SpaceShipOne, winner of the Ansari X-Prize in 2004. SNC is also developing a similar hybrid engine for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo.

• Revealing a Canadian connection, an onboard communications system developed by MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. of Richmond, BC.

Dream Chaser is being developed as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Development program (CCDev) to provide crew and cargo transport service to the International Space Station (ISS). Beyond the NASA CCDev program, SNC envisions other applications for Dream Chaser, including crew/cargo delivery to future private space stations, functioning as a short-term orbital research lab for government and commercial customers, and even orbital space tourism.

SNC’s Dream Chaser promises to be a nimbler, smarter successor to the space shuttle. It represents the best kind of technological advance; one that learns from and honours the past while being flexible enough for the future.

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MIG-105. Another historical analogue for the current Dream Chaser, this manned test vehicle was conceived in response to the American X-20 Dyna-Soar military space project and may have been influenced by contemporary manned lifting body research being conducted by NASA. Photo c/o Wikipedia.