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7 Oct 2008 Christopher Martin Chair, ASRAT California Institute of Technology

Report from the Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Assessment Team to the NASA Advisory Committee/Astrophysics Subcommittee. 7 Oct 2008 Christopher Martin Chair, ASRAT California Institute of Technology. Outline. ASRP Enables World-Class Science ASRP Develops Technology for Future Missions

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7 Oct 2008 Christopher Martin Chair, ASRAT California Institute of Technology

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  1. Report from the Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Assessment Teamto the NASA Advisory Committee/Astrophysics Subcommittee 7 Oct 2008 Christopher Martin Chair, ASRAT California Institute of Technology

  2. Outline • ASRP Enables World-Class Science • ASRP Develops Technology for Future Missions • ASRP Trains the Next Generation of Space Experimentalists • ASRP vitality challenged by budget pressure & old technology vehicles • Revitalizing the Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Program: Discussion Points • Program size • Program selection • Early career • Orbital sounding Rockets

  3. ASRP Enables World-Class Science 1st All-Sky Maps of Soft X-ray Background Discovery of the hot interstellar medium McCammon et al. 1983 Far-UV Blue Dust in IC 405 ( 100x rise to blue!) France et al. 2004 UV Background Fluctuations Constrain Star Formation History Martin & Bowyer 1989 UV Spectroscopy of Comet Hale-Bopp McPhate et al. 1999 Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Assessment Team

  4. ASRP Enables World-Class Science • New observational capabilities not available on any orbital mission • 3D spectroscopy • Highly multiplexed spectroscopy • Extended object spectroscopy • Polarimetry & spectropolarimetry • High contrast imaging & spectoscopy • High resolution spectroscopy • New wavelength ranges • Targeted to emerging science questions • Front-rank science fields such as Exoplanets, GRBs, Reionization advance extremely quickly. A major NASA role often requires quick-response experimental programs • Exploiting new developments in technology • Sounding rockets today can do things only possible with orbital missions 10-20 years ago • Sounding rockets today can do things never before possible • Transient science & Targets of Opportunity • Bright supernovae • Bright gamma-ray bursts • Comets • Multi-λ Calibration

  5. ASRP Enables World-Class ScienceX-ray-XQC-McCammon (PI) Workforce Technology • Science • 1. Weak Iron lines show that most Fe is missing from Galactic hot gas. • 2. Bright lines with redshift <.005 show that • most of thermal radiation is not from a hot IGM • 3. CVI lines can be used to determine contributions from charge exchange on solar • wind heavy ions • 4. Plasma line diagnostics on hot gas in bubble surrounding the Sun • 5. First detection of long-sought Iron M-lines • 6. Lack of counts below 50 eV rules out Strongly Interacting Dark Matter candidates. 3 6 4 2 1 5

  6. ASRP Develops Technology for Future MissionsA unique environment that cultivates innovation • Sounding rocket instrument designs must, in order to compete for science, • be innovative • exploit the latest technology • bring new technologies to flight-tested maturity • be cost-effective • Sounding rocket development environment • Complements strict, requirements driven high-cost mission approach • Fosters innovation & prudent risk-taking • Allows flexibility to exploit/develop low cost COTS technology • Provides flight-operations experience & design refinement over successive missions • Sounding rockets can quickly & inexpensively test technology directly supporting strategic missions from conception through science analysis

  7. ASRP Develops Technology for Future MissionsASRP has been a fertile source of new technologies

  8. ASRP Develops Technology for Future MissionsMany enabling mission technologies grew from ASRP

  9. ASRP Develops Technology for Future MissionsMany enabling mission technologies grew from ASRP • Aberration-corrected holographic gratings • Malina EUV spectrum of white dwarf HZ43 • HIRES instrument (Cash/Green?) R~30,000 spectrograph • Technology proven for FUSE & HST/COS • FUV optical coatings • McCandliss -- Normal incidence SiC optics • Used on Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) Astro-2 • Used to reduce FUSE costs by factor of 2 • X-ray calorimeters • XQC sounding rocket instrument: diffuse background observations     • factor of 60 improvement in X-ray energy resolution (over CCDs)  • baselined for most major NASA, ESA, and JAXA X-ray missions

  10. ASRP Trains the Next Generation of Space ExperimentalistsEnd-to-end Mission Training -- Broad, Deep, Unique, Irreplaceable • Mission design and execution, exploiting emerging technology, subject to the unforgiving rigors of spaceflight, formed a crucible of experience that has consistently produced leaders in space science • Specific experience includes: • Instrument systems: Optical, mechanical, thermal, electrical, contamination design, testing, execution • Mission support systems: telemetry, communication, attitude control, power, recovery • Operations systems: Flight operations, ground support, command uplink control • Systems Engineering, Integration & Test: environmental requirements, prototype testing, vacuum calibration, vibration, spin, moment, sequence testing, integrated operation • Management: Design, fab, integrate, test, fly within tight manpower, cost, schedule constraints; balance cost, risk, performance • SRP Training is unique • Industry uses matrix-based organizations, is driven by market forces, cannot educate multidisciplinary system engineers with necessary breadth of experience to define & lead complex missions • Intellectual foundation is eroding • Retirement • Alternate careers

  11. ASRP Trains the Next Generation of Space ExperimentalistsSpace-flight Leaders Value Sounding Rocket Training • ‘The space workforce is fundamentally a craft-based "guild", where knowledge is passed from generation to generation.  However ... process-profit focus has profoundly affected the aerospace workforce ... science and engineering is treated as a commodity ...[which]... has broken ... the generation-to-generation training thread within the entire aerospace enterprise.’ • Steve Battel, 2008

  12. ASRP Trains the Next Generation of Space Experimentalists

  13. Case Study:ASR Program made GALEX a success

  14. Case Study:ASR Program made GALEX a success

  15. Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Program Support Has Fallen Flight Rate ASRP Groups

  16. Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Program Support Has Fallen • The environment • Missions are becoming very large, complex, with long development cycles • Technology development costs are exponentially rising • The cost of bad decisions has exploded • Many in leadership positions, with significant responsibility for high-cost missions, have no flight experience • Innovation, timeliness, excitement, attractiveness to new talent suffer • A core feeder for science innovation, technology, & trained mission leaders has badly eroded • ASRP had fallen to ~2 flights/yr in 2004 • 5 minute sounding rocket flights were competed against conventional and long-duration balloons • Many established groups lost funding • It is challenging for a new Sounding Rocket group to establish itself • Young talent is choosing alternate careers

  17. Revitalization of the Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Program: Discussion Discussion Point 1: NASA should maintain a bare minimum of a dozen well-funded astrophysics sounding rocket programs and set a goal of raising the number to twenty groups over time. Discussion Point 2:Sounding Rocket selections should balance short-term and long-term science potential. There is benefit of closer alignment of strategic missions and technology/training potential of ASRP. Discussion Point 3:Initiate a Young Rocket Scientist Program that provides stable funding for 7 years to support the formation of new Sounding Rocket groups. Discussion Point 4:Initiate a highly competitive but stable Orbital Sounding Rocket (OSR) program, whose purpose is to launch science payloads (~1000 lb) into low Earth orbit frequently (1/yr) at low cost, with a mission duration of 1-30 days. Payload selection would be based on scientific merit and use of proven sounding rocket instruments.

  18. Discussion Point 1: Program Size Discussion Point 1: NASA should maintain a bare minimum of a dozen well-funded astrophysics sounding rocket programs and set a goal of raising the number to twenty groups over time. • Size: 12-20 groups will yield • Benefits grow non-linearly • a flight rate of 7-12 per year • 6-10 papers in the Astrophysical Journal per year (goal 1-2 per month) • 5-8 Ph.D.s per year • A critical mass for competition, collaboration, and innovation: 4-6 groups each in IR, UV, X-ray, Exoplanets • Workforce Renewal: • NASA Astrophysics Budget = $1B/year ~ 5000 FTEs • If 3% of staff are trained in flight programs, half choose other careers, half come from other programs, and spend 30 years per career  attrition rate is 5 per year • Rebuilding depleted workforce, rebalancing age distribution requires higher rate • Technology Development: • 12-20 groups will develop 1-2 new technologies per payload, 1 new payload every 3-5 years  >5 new technologies per year in ~5 fields  1 -2 new technology per year per field

  19. Discussion Point 2: Program Selection Discussion Point 2: Sounding Rocket (R&A) selections should balance short-term and long-term science potential. Benefit of closer alignment of strategic missions and technology/training potential of ASRP. • Selections must balance short term science payoff with long-term strategic investments in enabling technology & training of the next generation of space experimentalists • A roughly equal weighting of science, strategic technology, and training is appropriate • Can offer a low cost development track for strategic missions which provides targeted technology development (TRL 6-7) & targeted intellectual capital development. • Selection process should accommodate programs that combine detector & technology development, sounding rocket flight validation, OSR flight into long-term program design • Realign expertise level of review panels to strategic goals so that rebalanced criteria can be used effectively • Include experienced SR scientists. For example, either primary or secondary reviewer of SRP is experienced SRP. • Include experienced technologists with long-term strategic perspective. • Programs with new payloads should have 4-5 year durations. • 3 year duration program is appropriate for reflights, but is insufficient time to design, test, and fly a new experiment

  20. Discussion Point 3: New Blood Discussion Point 3: Initiate a Young Rocket Scientist Program that provides stable funding for 6-7 years to support the formation of new Sounding Rocket groups. • Justification • Sounding rocket group base (12-20 groups) needs to be renewed at a rate of 1 per 2-3 years • Sounding rocket program would benefit from attracting new scientists not necessarily trained by existing sounding rocket groups • There are formidable challenges to starting a new sounding rocket program • Talented young scientists would be attracted by a prestige award & stable funding • Specifics • Select 1 YRS every 2-3 years • Select for 6-7 years period (4-5 yrs + 2 yrs to build up laboratory), consistent with tenure cycle • Encourage partnerships with established groups/labs/centers • Encourage matching (startup) $ from Universities/Labs

  21. Discussion Point 4: Orbital Sounding Rockets Discussion Point 4: Initiate a highly competitive but stable Orbital Sounding Rocket (OSR) program, whose purpose is to launch science payloads (~1000 lb) into low Earth orbit frequently (1/yr) at low cost, with a mission duration of 1-100 days. Payload selection would be based on scientific merit and use of proven sounding rocket instruments. • The OSR program will be managed and operated by the NASA Wallops Flight Facility (WFF). • The OSR program is analogous to the successful Long Duration Balloon Program, in which Astrophysics Balloons perform breakthrough science • Goal is ~1 flight/year, intermediate duration: min 1 day, typical 1-4 week • OSR payloads selected competitively based on scientific merit and instruments proven in sounding rocket flights. • Routine opportunities for small (1-100lb) secondary payloads created. • Cost, based on preliminary WFF study is 15M$/flight, including payload modification, test and integration, launch vehicle procurement and processing, and launch and mission operations.

  22. Discussion Point 4: Orbital Sounding Rockets • Science Breakthrough Potential • Increase in observation time by factors of 102-103 expands envelope of sounding rocket research dramatically, spurs new investigations, yields enormous discovery potential. • Frequent, low-cost missions foster a vital research program, taking risk is essential in testing new ideas. • Provide scientific proof of concept for large missions • Many high-priority candidate investigations proposed in preliminary survey: • Study of re-ionization phase in early universe • Imaging/spectroscopy of planets orbiting selected stars • Evolution and study of the local interstellar medium (ISM) • Star formation in the Local Group of galaxies • Evolutionary history of a large sample of hot white dwarf stars • Topology of the magnetic field in the ISM • Technology Development Potential • Orbital missions will spur development of new or improved sounding rocket instruments • Technology development cycle -instruments subjected to more demanding environment (longer duration, thermal cycling and control, radiation exposure) • Feeds development of instruments for advanced missions

  23. Discussion Point 4: Orbital Sounding Rockets • Work Force Training Potential • Frequent opportunities to train a new generation of young space scientists and engineers through hands-on experience of all phases of a satellite mission: • Design and test of science payloads • Integration and launch operations • Mission operations – payload monitoring and commands – pointing maneuvers • Data handling and telemetry – ground station operations • Thermal control • Analysis and correction of anomalies • Particle upsets in electronics • Capability for rapid deployment of breakthrough science concepts will attract new talent & science-driven missions into SR program

  24. Orbital Sounding RocketsMaking the Program Work • Wallops Flight Facility has an experienced engineering team and an infrastructure which can handle all aspects of a mission: - payload design, test and integration - launch vehicle procurement and processing - launch operations - control and tracking facilities for operations on-orbit • Build on the NASA sounding rocket implementation philosophy, proven in 4 decades of operation (85% mission success) : - established engineering team handles all missions – improves with time - standardized sub-systems and interfaces - use commercially available components and sub-systems where possible - constrain cost and documentation, accept occasional failures, goal is mission success rate > 90 percent

  25. Orbital Sounding RocketsMaking the Program Work Use new generation of low-cost small launch vehicles, which are now operational (Falcon I, Minotaur I) or in development (ATK) Simplify and lower cost of launch operations for small satellite launch vehicles Science payloads based on instruments proven in sounding rocket missions Rapid development and test cycle – 1-2 years for science payload upgrade - integration and launch of vehicle and payload in ~ 6 weeks – demonstrated in both SR and SLV missions

  26. OSR Concept: Modify Proven Sounding Rocket Payloads to Support 1-30 day Missions Power Module C&DH Module Antenna Shutter Door Telescope Structure ACS Module Fixed Solar Panels

  27. OSR Concept: Exploit Sounding Rocket Program Infrastructure, Philosophy, & Cost-Effectiveness to give Maximum Science/Dollar with Moderate Risk Note: Preliminary ROM costs Sounding Rocket Program Office

  28. Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Total Program Costs Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Assessment Team

  29. Mission Cost Comparison $ 100 M $ 50 M $ 0 M Average Sounding Rocket (PL + Launch) OSR (PL + Launch) Small, Class-D Earth Sci Satellite (SMEX) Sounding Rocket Program Office

  30. View from CongressSenate Language (9/28/08) • SEC. 504. IMPORTANCE OF A BALANCED SCIENCE PROGRAM.    It is the sense of Congress that a balanced and adequately funded set of activities, consisting of NASA's research and analysis grants programs, technology development, small-, medium-, and large-sized space science missions, and suborbital research activities, contributes to a robust and productive science program and serves as a catalyst for innovation. •  SEC. 505. SUBORBITAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES.    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that suborbital flight activities, including the use of sounding rockets, aircraft, and high-altitude balloons, and suborbital reusable launch vehicles, offer valuable opportunities to advance science, train the next generation of scientists and engineers, and provide opportunities for participants in the programs to acquire skills in systems engineering and systems integration that are critical to maintaining the Nation's leadership in space programs. The Congress believes that it is in the national interest to expand the size of NASA's suborbital research program. It is further the sense of Congress that funding for suborbital research activities should be considered part of the contribution of NASA to United States competitive and educational enhancement and should represent increased funding as contemplated in section 2001 of the America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 16611(a)).

  31. Summary The Astrophysics Sounding Rocket program has had, and must continue to have, a profound impact on the success of the nation’s space science program, because it provides timely and fresh scientific seeds, critical technology development, and irreplaceable recruitment and training of future mission leaders. The program has, however, lost its vitality and must be renewed. A rededication to this program will pay off dramatically in the scope, cost-effectiveness, and scientific discovery potential of NASA’s future medium and large missions.

  32. BACKUP

  33. ASRP Enables World-Class Science 1st Cosmic X-rays Giacconi et al. 1964 1st X-ray Pulsar Bradt et al. 1969

  34. ASRP Enables World-Class Science 1st X-rays from Coma Cluster Meekins et al. 1970 Discovery of X-rays from Active Star Capella Catura et al. 1975

  35. ASRP Enables World-Class Science 1st X-rays from QSO Bowyer et al. 1970 Soft X-ray Background Anisotropy Bowyer, Field & Mack 1968

  36. ASRP Enables World-Class Science 1st UV spectrum of QSO Davidsen et al. 1977 Discovery of H2 in ISM Carruthers 1970

  37. ASRP Enables World-Class Science Long-slit UV Spectroscopy of Halley Woods et al. 1986 1st Extreme UV Spectrum of Hot White Dwarf Malina et al. 1982

  38. ASRP Enables World-Class Science Far-UV Grey Dust and Scattering Efficiency in NGC 2023 Burgh et al. 2002 Far-UV Blue Dust in IC 405 ( 100x rise to blue!) France et al. 2004 Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Assessment Team

  39. ASRP Enables World-Class ScienceIR-CIBER-Bock (PI)

  40. ASRP Enables World-Class ScienceFar UV - LIDOS - McCandliss (PI) • Science: • Goals • Determine the far-UV scattering and extinction properties of the dust within the Orion Nebula. Account for the total far-UV luminous output from stars, dust and gas. • Mission Objective • - Acquire longslit spectra of the nebula with a holographic grating, symmetrically feeding integrating and photon counting detectors to achieve high dynamic range. Flight Data from 36.243 UG, 10 Jan 2008. LIDOS Longslit Imaging Dual-Order Spectrograph • Top (Bright Target) • First FUV spectrum of 1 Ori C, primary power source of the Orion Nebula. Acquired with CCD delta-doped by JPL. • Bottom (Faint Targets) • Longslit profiles of nebular dust scattered light. Acquired with photon counting MCP. Workforce Training: Technology Development: From One Generation to the Next Far-UV Sensitive Delta Doped CCD Dual Order Spectrograph

  41. ASRP Enables World-Class ScienceX-ray-XQC-McCammon (PI) Workforce Technology • Science • 1. Weak Iron lines show that most Fe is missing from Galactic hot gas. • 2. Bright lines with redshift <.005 show that • most of thermal radiation is not from a hot IGM • 3. CVI lines can be used to determine contributions from charge exchange on solar • wind heavy ions • 4. Plasma line diagnostics on hot gas in bubble surrounding the Sun • 5. First detection of long-sought Iron M-lines • 6. Lack of counts below 50 eV rules out Strongly Interacting Dark Matter candidates. 3 6 4 2 1 5

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