Space Access Update is Space Access Society's semi-weekly publication. Space Access Society's goal is to promote affordable access to space for all, period. We believe in concentrating our limited resources at whatever point looks like yielding maximum progress toward this goal.
For the moment, our main focus is on supporting BMDO's "SSRT" (Single Stage Rocket Technology) program, DC-X and its planned-but-not-yet-funded followon, SX-2. Space Access Update is thus for the moment largely about the technology and politics of DC-X and SX-2.
We anticipate a change of focus in a couple of months, if all goes well. Once SX-2 startup funding is (with your help!) assured, we plan to begin working on establishment of a healthy second X-rocket development track at NASA, and on getting development of suitable engines started for the fully reusable orbital ships that should come after SX-2 and NASA's X-rocket.
With luck and hard work, we should see one or more fully reusable SSTO testbeds flying to orbit toward the end of this decade, with production prototypes entering test a couple of years after that. Join us and help us make this happen.
Henry Vanderbilt, Editor, Space Access Update
[For more info on Space Access Society, on our next annual conference "Space Access '94 (March 11-13 in Scottsdale, Arizona) or on the DC-X/SSTO video we've recently begun shipping, write us at 4855 E Warner Rd #24-150, Phoenix AZ 85044, or email hvanderbilt@bix.com.]
[Editors note -- For those of you seeing this for the first time who need a bit more context, look for the subsequent post titled "DC-X Background".]
DC-X (and its test site at White Sands Missile Range) is currently on standby, shut down but not yet torn down and trucked away, with a small maintenance crew keeping an eye on things. As of this evening, it looks possible that flight test preparations could be underway again as early as the end of next week. "Could be", mind; despite the good news about FY '94 funding (see "DC-X/SX-2 Funding" story below) there are still a number of hurdles ahead.
You may recall that DC-X flight test money ran out in late October, one day before the fast turnaround test was due to be flown. At the time, it looked as if the DC-X contract would have to be terminated by November 3rd if new funding didn't show up. This would have required that the test site be torn down, the equipment (and DC-X itself) placed in storage, and the test crew reassigned or laid off. This would have made it expensive and time- consuming to restart DC-X flight testing; chances are that if this termination had happened, DC-X never would have flown again.
Fortunately, BMDO, MDA, and WSMR seem to have worked out a deal to keep the contract active and the test site intact, albeit dormant. WSMR didn't have any other immediate use for that particular patch of desert, so leaving the test site set up wasn't a major problem. McDonnell-Douglas had already moved most of the DC-X crew back to Huntington Beach, but kept a small maintenance crew onsite even after November 3rd. They say they have no plans to lay off anyone anytime soon.
The precise details of the deal to keep the contract alive aren't known, but it seems very unlikely that BMDO came up with any more money beyond the $5 million or so in temporary FY'94 "continuing resolution" funding they'd already put into DC-X flight test this fall. As long ago as the April DC-X rollout, there was good-humored sparring between BMDO and MDA about how much it might be worth in the long run to MDA to keep this project alive.
If a lot of things all go perfectly, the DC-X test site could be bustling again by the end of next week. Practically speaking, it will probably take longer, but it does look like DC-X will be flying again before the end of the year.
Our first batch of "S.A.S. DC-X/SSTO Video v1.0" tapes went out Monday via USPS First Class; our thanks to everyone who's waited patiently for their tapes, in some cases for over a month. People who requested tape contents and ordering info through mid-September should have gotten email already; replies to tape (and SAS and SA'94) info requests since mid-September will be going out over the next two days. Our sincere apologies for the delay.
We now have a firm contract with the Safari Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona for "Space Access '94", our March 11th-13th 1994 look at the technology, politics, and economics of near-term affordable access. (Note that some of our earlier flyers listed the wrong hotel.) The preliminary SA '94 speakers list includes Hunter, Gaubatz, Hudson, and Burnside Clapp from the rocket world, Niven from the SF world, Pournelle, Harry Stine and Rick Cook from both sides. We expect to add more over the coming months. Write or email for more info on SA'94.
And if you want to see a really beautiful two-page composite photo of DC-X's second flight, find a copy of the Sunday _New York Times_ magazine section for 11/07/93 and turn to pages 46-47. It's worth a trip to your local library or out-of-town newsstand; it'll knock your eyes out. We're looking into getting the right to reproduce it on something more durable than newsprint, but it could take a while. Get a look at a copy while the paper is still fresh if you can.
The House-Senate conference committee on the DOD Appropriations bill for FY '94 (which already started October 1st) came back with their compromise version of the bill this morning, which was quickly passed by the full House, then this evening by the Senate. The President will sign this bill by tomorrow night, lest the entire Defense Department shut down at midnight when the current temporary "continuing resolution" DOD funding expires.
There is $40 million for DC-X and its followon in this bill, and there's essentially no chance this will be changed or deleted before the bill becomes law. We've won! Time to celebrate!
OK. Finished now? Good, because what we've won was a major battle, but it wasn't the war.
What this bill actually provided is $40 million for "a competitive SSTO program" to be conducted by ARPA, the DOD Advanced Research Projects Agency. The language barring ARPA from paying another government agency to actually manage the project (normal ARPA practice) is gone, a good thing as this clause was a guaranteed DC-X/SX-2 killer. As one wag put it at the time, "If ARPA has to run this in-house, they'll most likely spend the money on a new supercomputer and paint 'SSTO' on the side."
The problem is that, from early reports (we won't see the actual bill language before Friday at the earliest) the bill doesn't specify who will run this "competitive SSTO program". ARPA could pick anyone at all, or use the money for paper studies inhouse, or simply not do anything with it.
There's also the matter of the still-pending DOD Authorization conference bill. Latest word is that the DOD Authorization is finalized, but won't be voted on and signed until sometime next week. We still haven't a clue as to what sort of SSTO-killer language might be in this, or what conditions might be imposed on doing SSTO; they're being very close-mouthed about it.
There is an urgent need over the next few days to persuade ARPA to commit to continuing the DC-X "Single Stage Rocket Technology" (SSRT) project under its current BMDO management team. This is the next big push.
If this goes well, the next step will be to put $5 million into completing DC-X flight testing. The remaining $35 million would be used to start a fast-track design competition to build the SX-2 high-speed reusable rocket testbed as a followon to DC-X.
(Background: The DOD Authorizations conference is essentially the Senate Armed Services Committee meeting with the senior two-thirds of the House Armed Services Committee. The Defense Authorizations bill in general sets out what items money may be spent on, in what manner, and under what conditions.)
(Background: The DOD Appropriations conference is mainly made up of the Defense Subcommittees of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. The Defense Appropriations bill sets the actual amounts of money available for various programs, in effect writing the checks.)
If you've been in contact with anyone on the House or Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense subcommittees (John Murtha, HAC Defense chair, Daniel Inouye, SAC Defense chair), be sure to write, phone, or fax them and thank them for the $40 million they appropriated within the DOD budget for SSTO. Make a special effort to thank Murtha; his support was crucial.
And be sure, while you're at it, to ask them to make sure that ARPA uses the existing proven-succesful BMDO SSRT "DC-X" management team to run the new "competitive SSTO program". (BMDO SSRT is the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization's Single Stage Rocket Technology program)
You should also contact Representative Pat Schroeder (House Armed Services Committee, R&T subcommittee chair) to thank her for her support for SSTO, and to ask her to make sure ARPA uses the existing proven-successful BMDO SSRT management team to run the new "competitive SSTO program".
John Murtha, House Appropriations Committee, Defense Subcommittee Chair phone(202) fax address 225-2065 225-5709 2423 RHOB, Washington DC 20515 Patricia Schroeder, HASC Research & Technology Subcommittee Chair phone(202) fax address 225-4431 225-5842 2208 RHOB, Washington DC 20515
And thanks to all of you out there who've worked to get us this far. This may have been only one battle of many, but it was a big one, and hard- fought, and we won it. Our ideas are gaining acceptance and we as a group are gaining strength. If we stay focussed and stick together, we'll keep on winning.
Henry Vanderbilt "Reach low orbit and you're halfway to anywhere
Space Access Society in the Solar System."
4855 E Warner Rd #24-150 - Robert A. Heinlein
Phoenix, AZ 85044
602 431-9283 voice/fax "You can't get there from here."
(hvanderbilt@bix.com) - Anonymous
"SSTO? C'mon, the only people who support that are Trekkies
and right-wingers." - The Unknown Staffer
-- Permission granted to redistribute the full and unaltered text of this --
-- piece, including the copyright and this notice. All other rights --
-- reserved. In other words, intact crossposting is strongly encouraged. --