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 the government's "SSRT" (Single Stage Rocket Technology) program, DC-X and its recently 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 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 underway shortly thereafter. Join us and help us make this happen.
Henry Vanderbilt, Editor, Space Access Update
[For more info on Space Access Society, on our upcoming engineering/politics/ economics conference "Space Access '94" (March 11-13 in Scottsdale, Arizona) or on the DC-X/SSTO video we have for sale, 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 our post entitled "DC-X Background".]
It's been almost two months since we all talked Congress into writing a check for forty million for SSTO - five million to finish DC-X flight test, the rest to start up the followon SX-2 reusable suborbital X-rocket project.
Two months later, DC-X is still grounded and the SX-2 RFP is still on hold.
You'd think that once we got $40 million appropriated for DC-X/SX-2 for this year, our troubles would be over for a while, right?
Wrong.
True, there have been some positive developments over the last couple of months regarding working-level organization and coordination of future SSTO technology development - but that will have to wait until the next Update.
Right now, the Single Stage Rocket Technology (SSRT) "DC-X/SX-2" project is in serious danger on two fronts.
One problem is familiar from last November, when we were pointing out that DC- X can only stay grounded (funds ran out in late October) for a limited period before it gets extremely difficult to restart the flight test program. Well, that time has arrived. Unless ARPA finally releases the funding appropriated two months ago, McDonnell-Douglas will begin handing out layoff notices to the DC-X crew at the end of this week. MDA won't have much choice in the matter; absent funding, the DC-X contract will be terminated by the end of this month, and people being laid off have to be given two weeks notice.
This just in: DC-X contract termination notice will be given tomorrow, with the termination effective February 1st. This isn't irreversible yet, but it's getting awfully close.
DC-X is in danger of becoming a lawn ornament, and the DC-X team is in immediate danger of being broken up and scattered. This rocket does deserve to go to the Air & Space Museum, true - but after the flight test program is completed. Ending its career now would be an incredible waste of resources, as well as an insult to everyone who has worked to get it this far.
Unfortunately, this sort of bureaucratic foot-dragging has been hard to fight, as it's difficult to prove it's anything but sensible caution by the civil service types involved.
The other problem is new. On December 31st, the Comptroller's office at the Department of Defense released a list of proposed recissions for FY'94, a list of programs which DOD would be willing to shut down, returning their funding to the Treasury.
DC-X/SX-2 was on this list in the guise of "ARPA Space Program", a fact we found out early last week. A week's worth of quiet behind-the-scenes attempts to get this fixed later, it has become obvious that "ARPA Space Program" very likely didn't get on the kill list by accident or oversight, and that it won't come off the list without a fight.
This has at least had the beneficial effect of making it quite clear that DC- X/SX-2 faces active opposition, not just overcautious foot-dragging. Now we have something definite to fight.
The immediate problem is Dr. Gary Denman, the head of ARPA. Denman has refused to appeal the DC-X/SX-2 funding recission. Apparently he simply doesn't want ARPA doing SSTO.
Denman's boss is Dr. John Deutch, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition. At the moment it's unclear how much Deutch has to do with this attempt to kill the DC-X/SX-2 "SSRT" program, but it seems unlikely Denman would be taking this tack without Deutch's backing.
Deutch in turn reports to Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. William J. Perry. As of Monday the 10th, Perry had not yet approved the draft DOD recissions list. Dr. Perry should be able to fix these problems over the next few days, should he decide to do so, by removing "ARPA Space Program" funding from the DOD recissions list, and by telling his subordinates to immediately release enough of that funding to restart DC-X flight test.
We have to reemphasize one point: DON'T contact any of the above-mentioned officials directly, unless you happen to be a drinking buddy of theirs. Members of the general public calling them about policy differences will only annoy them and make them even less likely to do what we want. The people to talk to are your elected representatives in Congress - it's part of their job to act as intermediary between the public and the bureaucracy.
What's needed at this point is intervention by one or more of DC-X/SX-2's influential Congressional backers, the senior people on the Armed Services and Appropriations committees who decided the US should pursue SSTO technology when they put together this year's DOD budget. Their expressed and explicit will is being thwarted by unelected functionaries, and they are unlikely to take kindly to this once it's brought to their attention.
(Intervention by the Administration, of course, could also clear this up quickly, but we're unlikely to be able to get any more attention and support from them now than we could last fall. The President and Vice President are both focusing their efforts elsewhere; cheap access to space is not (yet) a high priority for either. The White House space staff (OSTP, Office of Science and Technology Policy) has not yet expressed a strong opinion either way on SSTO, beyond saying they won't support it unless DOD does also. Gaining Administration support for SSTO is a worthwhile long-term effort, but is unlikely to bear fruit soon enough to solve the immediate problem.)
We reccommend that you call or fax your local Representative and/or Senators if you have any reason to believe that they're already pro-SSTO. The message to deliver is that unelected officials are attempting to thwart the will of the Congress and kill the "SSRT" Single-Stage-To-Orbit program, and that Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Perry should be told to have his people:
We also have some specific regional action reccomendations.
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. --