Marine Lt. Col. Paul Damphousse talking about SUSTAIN, a concept for delivering marines anywhere in the world on short notice. Recognizes it as a stretch goal, but use it to drive nearer-term suborbital point-to-point technologies, which are interesting in their own right, including commercial sector, that will eventually support that goal.

Uses post-911 as an example of the need, in which we had marine expeditionary units sitting on ships ready to go, but it took weeks to get into Afghanistan because we didn’t have overflight rights over Pakistan. Suborbital and space solar power technologies converge in that they are both related to space access and can support military needs like this, and can get flight rates up to get costs down. Held a three-day workshop at Lackland AFB in February to look at suborbital military missions.

Intent is to leverage and catalyze this area. A perfect storm of commercial, civil and DoD programs that can all use suborbital systems. Future activities will include expanded suborbital missions and eventually point to point (which ultimately leads to SUSTAIN). Then, eventually, low-cost space access. Want to play the role of catalysts for entrepreneurs.

Had plenary sessions, breakout groups, proprietary briefings, networking, “grey beard” advice, then plan a conference and RFI to make a technology roadmap. Roadmap is in work. Hope it will be out, and available to everyone “soon.” Next come demonstrations and then acquisitions.

Introducing Bruce Pittman, from the NASA Ames Space Portal, to talk about research and apps for suborbital.

They’ve done two workshops, one in December with American Geophysical Union and one more recently with the American Aerospace Medicine Association. He’s not a NASA employee, he’s a contractor, and not speaking for NASA. Yvonne Cagle is NASA manager.

Question: what could you do with four minutes of microgravity. Thanking Alan Stern for starting the program when he was associate administrator. Showing list of potential applications: sensing, climaterics, vertical atmospheric sampling, gene expression, fluids, physiology, emergency procedures, countermeasures, cardiovascular deconditioning, workforce development, (ran out of time, that was about half the list). Bottom line was that there were a lot of interesting four-minute experiments. Zero-gee airplanes provide existence proof with 23 seconds, so those with experience were excited by over eight times that amount of time. Earth science, biotech (some things show up after a minute that don’t show in less than that), astrobiology, materials science, observational science, technology development and testing. Trying to show a continuum between suborbital, orbital, and perhaps all the way out to lunar missions. Gets across “valley of death” of TRL 4-7 (demonstrated but not flown). Using these capabilities as a platform for that tech development very exciting. Allows non-astronauts to perform space research in space. Allows payload recovery, frequent flights allow iteration and learning.

Shows table comparing drop towers, sounding rockets, high-altitude balloons, parabolic aircraft, and suborbital commercial. Latter has a lot of benefit versus others. Allows multiple times a day. Initially NASA was skeptical. “You mean a month.” No. “You mean a week.” No.

This is new territory in regulatory and liability policy, and providers don’t yet exist. But they didn’t want to wait until providers were ready — wanted to let project mature so when they’re ready, we’re ready.

Benefits: reduces risk for new technologies, exploring novel environments to make new discoveries, routine recovery, frequent flight.

Next talk by Greg Meholic from Aerospace, talking about High-Altitude Reconnaissance Rocket Plane (HARRP) program. Currently just a concept, with no specific requirements, but if there’s a way to use suborbital technology to go up and take a picture of things, what are the benefits, if any, relative to airplanes or satellites? In-theater vehicle to provide real-time look-down reconnaissance of regional areas. Assumed LOX/JP, for logistic convenience. Crew size of seven people. Estimated cost per flight similar to complex aircraft, with turnaround time of a few hours (e.g., B-52). Single-stage vehicles, looking at 200-300 miles altitude, with gross weight similar to F-15. Provides low-demand flying with multiple passes per day, and much higher than aircraft. Not predictable like a satellite, so adversary can’t cover up on schedule. Lower than satellites, so don’t need as fancy optics. Doesn’t replace aircraft of satellites, but is complementary (obligatory statement for political reasons — rs).

Showing notional mission plan out of Qatar, over the Persian Gulf, and glide back to base. Mission to 333 nm altitude allows about ten minutes of observation time. Aerospace has come up with some optics requirements, and 620 mm mirror would do the job. ACS from Centaur provides adequate slew rate for rough pointing accuracy. Optical stabilization will take out final jitter, with less than one pixel drift during observation time during an integration period in sunlight. Can get 50 cm resolution out hundreds of miles, and less out further. Proper trajectory shaping would allow (for example) observation of Iran without overflight in airspace. Preliminary analysis, about .3 meter resolution at a hundred kilometer radius.

Sensor packages can be tailored (Visible, IR, Radar, Hyper spectral), resolution can be selected within range, and mission profile can be varied (pop up, down range). Even with poor SNR (not sure what the acronym is), resolution remains pretty good.
Can avoid testing and cost of components for satellites due to short duration. Looking at sensors from previous programs, like U-2 and SR-71.

Forward-deployed system that can be operated out of any air base, need runway and hangar, launch stand, erector, automated propellant loading equipment, vbehicle checkout equipment. Everything can fit in a C-17.

Lt. Col. Damphousse pointing out that this mission could provide a lot of operational experience for later point-to-point applications.

Jeff Zweber up now, from Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), talking about reusable first stages (which they just put out an RFI for). He’s responsible for all of the technologies other than main engines. Edwards is working on the reusable highly operational engine for this.

Looking for reusable first stage for an expendable upper stage, goal is fifty-percent cost reduction over EELV, with a 48-hour turnaround time. They also want flexible basing. HARRP concept demonstrates advantages of that. Considering vertical takeoff, horizontal landing. Looking at limit of Mach 3.5, from which you can glide home. Want return to launch site to avoid ferrying, which eats up turnaround time. Looked at jet back, but have chosen rocket back.

Technologies: Cost and Ops data base, Safe return-to-base validation, controllability characteristics, Systems integration and technologies, autonomous flight demo, upper stage separations characteristics data, Risk reduction for operational system.

Their budget supports FAST X-vehicle-size flight experiment. Reviewing FAST technologies (Future Access to Space Technologies — hard to capture them all off the eye chart). Conceptual design is cylinder with rear double-delta wings and strakes for yaw control. Common-bulkhead, load bearing composite LOX/RP tank. Integrated Health Management System critical to vehicle design (“this is a software problem as much as anything else”). Describing RFI, first part is to support conceptual designs, second part is to demonstrate technologies. Goal is to replace EELV. Looking for things that people are doing out there that is synergistic with Air Force needs. Interested in System integration and operability, ground systems, airframe, control and health management, power, fluid, thermal and actuation, main engine (even though that’s an Edwards problem), development approach.

Two sizes for integrated demos: “Sub-X” and “FAST X.” Want to demonstrate two-day turnaround with vehicle.

My editorial comment. I’m not sure that replacing EELV is a reasonable goal for an AF reusable program. I’ll be putting up a post, or writing a policy white paper on this, I suspect.