Report from the Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Assessment Team to the NASA Advisory...

Report from the Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Assessment Team

to the NASA Advisory Committee/Astrophysics Subcommittee

7 Oct 2008Christopher Martin

Chair, ASRATCalifornia Institute of Technology

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

ASRP Enables World-Class Science1st All-Sky Maps of Soft X-ray BackgroundDiscovery of the hot interstellar medium

McCammon et al. 1983

UV Spectroscopy of Comet Hale-BoppMcPhate et al. 1999

UV Background FluctuationsConstrain Star Formation History

Martin & Bowyer 1989

7 Oct 2008 3Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Assessment Team

Far-UV Blue Dust in IC 405 ( 100x rise to blue!)France et al. 2004

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

ASRP Enables World-Class ScienceX-ray-XQC-McCammon (PI)

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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.

TechnologyWorkforce

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

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

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

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

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

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

ASRP Trains the Next Generation of Space Experimentalists

Case Study:ASR Program made GALEX a success

Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Program Support Has Fallen

Flight Rate ASRP Groups

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

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.

Discussion Point 1: Program SizeDiscussion 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

Discussion Point 2: Program SelectionDiscussion 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

Discussion Point 3: New BloodDiscussion 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

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.


• 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


• 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

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

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

OSR Concept: Modify Proven Sounding Rocket Payloads to Support 1-30 day Missions

ACS Module

C&DH Module

Fixed Solar Panels

Antenna

Telescope Structure

Power Module

Shutter Door

September 14, 2008 Sounding Rocket Program Office 27

OSR Concept: Exploit Sounding Rocket Program Infrastructure, Philosophy, & Cost-Effectiveness to give

Maximum Science/Dollar with Moderate Risk

SYSTEM COST

WFF Support Systems $ 3,300 K

Launch Vehicle & Range Cost $ 10,000 K

Experiment Cost (mod for orbital flight) $ 1,000 K

On-Orbit Ops Cost $ 100 K

Misc / Contingency $ 1,000 K

TOTAL $ 15,400 K

Note: Preliminary ROM costs

Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Total Program Costs

Sub-orbital

Sounding

Rockets

Orbital Sounding Rockets

Flight Rate 10 1

Payload Costs (R&A) per flight $0.5M $1M

Payload Support Costs per flight $1.2M $4M

Launch Vehicle Costs per flight $0.3M $10M

Total per flight $2M $15M

Program Costs/year $20M $15M

Exposure time 50 min ~5000 min


September 14, 2008 Sounding Rocket Program Office 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)

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)).

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.

BACKUP

ASRP Enables World-Class Science1st Cosmic X-rays

Giacconi et al. 19641st X-ray Pulsar

Bradt et al. 1969

ASRP Enables World-Class Science

Discovery of X-rays from Active Star CapellaCatura et al. 1975

1st X-rays from Coma ClusterMeekins et al. 1970


1st X-rays from QSOBowyer et al. 1970

Soft X-ray Background AnisotropyBowyer, Field & Mack 1968


Discovery of H2 in ISMCarruthers 1970

1st UV spectrum of QSODavidsen et al. 1977

ASRP Enables World-Class Science1st Extreme UV Spectrum of Hot White Dwarf

Malina et al. 1982Long-slit UV Spectroscopy of Halley

Woods et al. 1986


Far-UV Blue Dust in IC 405 ( 100x rise to blue!)France et al. 2004

Far-UV Grey Dust and Scattering Efficiency in NGC 2023 Burgh et al. 2002


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

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.

Technology Development: Workforce Training:

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.

Flight Data from 36.243 UG, 10 Jan 2008.

Dual Order Spectrograph Far-UV Sensitive Delta Doped CCD

From One Generation to the Next

ASRP Enables World-Class ScienceX-ray-XQC-McCammon (PI)

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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.

TechnologyWorkforce

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