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Article courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News

By Steve Ramirez

A standing ovation for Don Reed, manager of the Orion Flight Test Office, and the word “flawless” summed up the feelings of Thursday’s successful test of Orion’s pad abort system, at White Sands Missile Range.

The 95-second launch went off without a hitch as a prototype of Orion’s crew capsule lifted off at exactly 7 a.m., flew to an altitude of 6,090 feet, rolled over on cue, and floated back to WSMR’s desert floor at a rate of 24 feet per second. Many of the approximately 1,100 people who have worked on the project for four years hugged each other, applauded and shouted encouragement, or shook hands as their efforts proved successful for technology never tested before.

“This truly talented team showed we can do it,” said Doug Cooke, manager of NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, referring to NASA, Lockheed Martin, Orbital Sciences Corp., Alliant Techsystems, Aerojet, Honeywell, and WSMR employees who collaborated on the launch. “It was a flawless flight, and it looked great.”

A smiling Reed said the launch abort system didn’t perform exactly as it should have – it was better. The 55.5-foot-tall launch abort vehicle and crew module mock-up reached a speed of about 445 mph in three seconds. Aboard the crew capsule were 692 sensors that will provide key data to engineers as further development of the spacecraft and its launch safety system continues.

“This is a very complex system, but it all came together,” Reed said. “The performance was outstanding.”

Article courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News

By Diana M. Alba

As the 20-foot, 1,100-pound rocket fired gracefully skyward against the backdrop of a New Mexico sunrise Tuesday, something struck a chord in the heart of 19-year-old Quang Tran.

A Vietnam native who’s studying computer science at New Mexico Highlands University, Tran and his classmates were among the roughly 100 college and high school students from around the state who had science projects aboard the rocket. Going into the launch, Tran said, he was excited but didn’t realize how much the event would affect him.

“When I put on my camera and pointed to the rocket right at the time it went up, I just felt: ‘This is so emotional I can’t find any words to express it, and I think it’s one of the best moments I’ve ever experienced,” said Tran, a freshman.

Organizers called the second-ever educational launch at Spaceport America a success. The SL-4 rocket, made by the Colorado-based UP Aerospace, reached suborbital space — about 73 miles up — and fell to earth without many glitches. That’s in contrast to last year, when the first educational rocket launch only made it part of the way to space.

Though it reached suborbital space, UP Aerospace President Jerry Larson said the rocket didn’t reach its goal of 80 miles. Still, “we exceeded space by 10 miles,” he said.

In addition to students’ experiments, 30 cremated remains of people were on board, paid for by family members seeking a novel tribute to their loved ones. Charles Chafer, CEO of Celestis, which sells the memorial flights, said the most well-known figure included was the late Ralph White, discoverer of the sunken location of the Titanic. White’s remains were first flown last year, but, because the rocket didn’t reach space, had to be flown again this year.

Asked if there were additional famous names, Chafer replied: “None others, but, as I like to say, everyone has a story. Everyone has lived an interesting life.”

After a launch delay because of a crashed computer, the rocket shot into the air around 6:40 a.m. with a rushing sound. It disappeared quickly from sight.

Tran wasn’t the only one mesmerized by the event. Virginia Grossetete, 74, of Albuquerque, bought one of the $20 attendance tickets that were sold to the general public. She had glowing remarks about the launch, saying she’s optimistic about the spaceport’s future. “We didn’t think it was going to be so vivid,” she said. “Just think what it would be like to be inside.” Added Liz Crain of Albuquerque, who attended with Grossetete: “It makes us proud to be New Mexicans.”

The rocket reached its peak about 2.5 minutes into flight, officials said. Meanwhile, it took about 13 minutes to descend, landing on White Sands Missile Range ground. Officials said the rocket was quickly located and the payloads were expected to be returned to students starting Tuesday.

In all, roughly 200 spectators attended: a mix of students, their parents, state officials, journalists and members of the general public. A group of sixth-graders from Truth or Consequences took a field trip to watch the event, though they didn’t have a payload on board. “It’s an opportunity to come out here and see things others can’t,” said Skylar Green of Truth or Consequences, 12. “We’re going to hear and see with our own eyes the launch, instead of seeing it on TV.”

Students from New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico were involved with rocket projects, but didn’t attend because of final exams, said Aaron Perez, program coordinator for the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium, which hosted the launch.

Officials also offered a tour of the spaceport site, about five miles north of where the rocket was launched. Workers appeared to be making significant headway on the 10,000-foot runway and the terminal-hangar facility.

Said Rick Homans, chairman of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority: “As Spaceport America continues to move forward, it’s gratifying to see another successful launch take flight and to see the excitement in the faces of the students who launched their experiments.”

Perez said carrying out the program — including the launch and mission assurance and conducting training for students — cost about $350,000. A large part of the funding, he said, is coming from a grant aimed at helping minority students.

Tran, participating in the student launch for the first time, said it was life-changing, and he sees a future for himself in aerospace. “It is not about the project, it’s how you feel about it — how you contribute to something that carries both your hopes and faith into the sky and brings you something back,” he said.

Spaceport America, located about 45 miles north of Las Cruces, is an under-construction launch site for commercial space vehicles in southeastern Sierra County.

The 5^th Annual International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS) will held in Las Cruces, New Mexico on October 21 and 22 at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. This annual conference brings together the current space community, academics, the innovators and entrepreneurs, and the civil and military government communities to discuss the current and future growth of global space commercialization.

Keynote speakers and panel chairs for the event include:

• Gary Payton, Deputy Under-Secretary of the Air Force, Space Systems
• Lori Garver, Deputy Administrator, NASA
• Yngve Bergqvist, CEO and Founder, Ice Hotel
• Wayne Hale, Deputy Associate Administrator for Strategic Partnerships, NASA
• James Van Laak, Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Transportation, FAA
• Bill Klanke, Vice President and Publisher, Space News
• Jeff Greason, CEO, XCOR Aerospace
• Tom Burton, Department Head, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering , New Mexico State University
• Alan Stern, former NASA Associate Administrator for Space and Earth Science
• Clay Mowry, President, Arianespace, Inc.
• Marshall Kaplan, Ph.D., Space Department – Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University
• Keith Beck, General Manager, Jacobs Technology

As a prelude to this year’s conference, a workshop and tour of the NASA White Sands Test Facility is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20^th.  It will include a panel of experts who will speak to assets in the local community that are capable of supporting the commercial space industry.  On Friday, October 23^rd, there will be a tour of Spaceport America led by Steve Landeene and Dr. Jerry Brown.  Both tours require separate registration and seating is limited.

All ISPCS sessions are plenary, allowing everyone to receive the same information simultaneously. Responding to feedback, ISPCS has created multiple means of engaging the audience in discussions with speakers during the sessions. Additional networking opportunities are scheduled throughout the two days.

A video from the 2008 International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight is available on YouTube.

A complete agenda of session topics and panelists is available on the ISPCS website. Early bird conference registration ends October 1^st and online registration closes October 16^th.

The first Spaceport Community Council Meeting was held on July 21, 2009 at the Dona Ana County Government Center.  The public meeting was sponsored by the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce‘s Commercial Space Committee. The event was moderated by Garrey Carruthers, former governor and Dean of the New Mexico State University College of Business.

Steve Landeene, Executive Director of Spaceport America, provided the audience an update on the progress of Spaceport America. His presentation included videos (click the links to view) of the May 2^nd New Mexico Education Launch and the June 19^th Spaceport America ground breaking event.  Videos are also available on YouTube.

Wayne Savage, Chair of the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce’s Commercial Space Committee provided an overview of the committee’s activities in the community to help develop and publicize business opportunities related to the Spaceport. He announced that the next public forum would be held on October 20, 2009 at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. The event, The Leonard R. Sugerman Public Forum, is part of the 2009 International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS).

Following the presentations, questions from the audience were answered by representatives from Spaceport America, the Las Cruces Public Schools, MVEDA, and elected officials, including State Representative Andy Nunez, County Commissioner Scott Krahling, and City Councilor Dolores Connor. The event was taped and is being aired on the City of Las Cruces’ CLC-TV cable channel 20 for those that are unable to attend.

Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo vehicle flew over the Las Cruces International Airport at approximately 9:30 AM MST on Saturday, June 20. Originally planned as part of the formal groundbreaking ceremony of Spaceport America on Friday, June 19, a minor technical issue with an actuator and approaching thunderstorms compelled the WhiteKnightTwo to stop in Phoenix. Video of the flyover is available on YouTube.

More information about the groundbreaking and Spaceport America are available on-line:  www.spaceportamerica.com.