SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004 THE MAGAZINE OF … · THE MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUTICAL SOCIETY...

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E A M E R I C A N A S T R O N A U T I C A L S O C I E T Y

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004

I S S U E 5 V O L U M E 4 3

Preparing the NextGeneration of Space Professionals

2 SPACE TIMES • September/October 2004

AAS OFFICERSPRESIDENT

Jonathan T. Malay, Lockheed Martin CorporationEXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

Mark K. CraigVICE PRESIDENT–TECHNICAL

Paul J. Cefola, MITVICE PRESIDENT–PROGRAMS

John C. Beckman, Jet Propulsion LaboratoryVICE PRESIDENT–PUBLICATIONS

Robert G. Melton, Penn State UniversityVICE PRESIDENT–MEMBERSHIP

Terrence G. ReeseVICE PRESIDENT–EDUCATION

Arun K. Misra, McGill UniversityVICE PRESIDENT–FINANCE

Shannon Coffey, Naval Research LaboratoryVICE PRESIDENT–INTERNATIONAL

Frederic Nordlund, European Space AgencyVICE PRESIDENT–PUBLIC POLICY

James A. Vedda, The Aerospace CorporationLEGAL COUNSEL

Franceska O. Schroeder, Fish & Richardson P.C.EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

James R. Kirkpatrick, AAS

AAS BOARD OF DIRECTORSTERM EXPIRES 2004E. Fenton Carey, Federal Aviation AdministrationMichael L. CianconeJohn W. Douglass, Aerospace Industries AssociationMargaret G. Finarelli, International Space UniversityAlison B. Fortier, Lockheed Martin CorporationCarolyn L. HuntoonIan Pryke, George Mason UniversityKerry Wesley, Spectrum Astro, Inc.Thomas L. Wilson, Swales Aerospace

TERM EXPIRES 2005Peter M. Bainum, Howard UniversityLynn F. H. ClineLori B. Garver, DFI InternationalWilliam G. Gregory, HoneywellMaureen P. Heath, Northrop GrummanRoger D. Launius, Smithsonian InstitutionGeorge W. Morgenthaler, University of ColoradoRichard M. Obermann, House Committee on ScienceMichael M. Watkins, Jet Propulsion LaboratoryLyn D. Wigbels, RWI LLP

TERM EXPIRES 2006John E. Cochran Jr., Auburn UniversityAshok Deshmukh, Technica Inc.Angela DiazGraham Gibbs, Canadian Space AgencyRobert E. Lindberg, National Institute of AerospaceG. David Low, Orbital Sciences CorporationArthur F. ObenschainTodd Probert, Honeywell Technology SolutionsFrank A. Slazer, The Boeing CompanyTrevor C. Sorensen, University of Kansas

SPACE TIMES EDITORIAL STAFFEDITOR, Amy Paige Kaminski

PRODUCTION MANAGER, Cathy L. EledgeBUSINESS MANAGER, James R. Kirkpatrick

SPACE TIMES is published bimonthly by the AmericanAstronautical Society, a professional non-profit society. SPACETIMES is free to members of the AAS. Individual subscriptionscan be ordered from the AAS Business Office. © Copyright2004 by the American Astronautical Society, Inc. Printed in theUnited States of America.

PERIODICALSSPACE TIMES, magazine of the AAS, bimonthly, volume43, 2004—$80 domestic, $90 foreignThe Journal of the Astronautical Sciences, quarterly,volume 52, 2004—$155 domestic, $170 foreignThe publications listed above can be ordered from the AASbusiness office.

REPRINTSSee a story you’d like to share? Reprints are available for allarticles in SPACE TIMES and for all papers published in TheJournal of the Astronautical Sciences.

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E A M E R I C A N A S T R O N A U T I C A L S O C I E T Y

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004

ISSUE 5 – VOLUME 43

6352 Rolling Mill Place, Suite 102Springfield, VA 22152-2354 U.S.A.Phone: 703-866-0020 Fax: [email protected] www.astronautical.org

ENTERING SPACEEditor’s Message 3

UPCOMING EVENTAAS National Conference and 51st Annual Meeting“Transformation and Vision for Space:NASA’s Partnership with Industry and Government” 4

FEATURESSpace Science Education: A Race to Pass the Passion 6The summer’s Tour de France bicycle race provides context tothe efforts of executives, teachers, and other leaders who hopespace science can attract youth to careers in science, technology,engineering, and mathematics.by Karen L. Rugg

The Aerospace Industry: A Professional’s Survival Guide 11New customer demands and other business factors are dramaticallychanging the workforce needs—and hence the employmentstandards—of aerospace organizations.by Reece Lumsden

Space Exploration: An International Endeavor 15The value of international cooperation cannot be underestimatedfor established national space agencies working towards scientificgoals—or for young professionals eager to improve their skillsand make meaningful contributions to the aerospace field.by Srimal Wangu Choi

NOTES ON A NEW BOOKSpace Politics and Policy: An Evolutionary Perspective 18reviewed by Mark Williamson

The International Space Station: From Imagination to Reality 19reviewed by Mark Williamson

IN ORBITSpace 3G 20In order to move beyond low Earth orbit, a new generation musttake up the torch of exploration. But will this generation—mygeneration—be ready to accept the challenge?by Sarah R. Ramsey

Too Many Minds: Achieving the Right Engineering Mix 22Aerospace projects are bound to benefit from the expertise of systemengineers...but it’s quality, not necessarily quantity, that counts.by Jose J. Guzman, Ph.D.

SPACE TIMES • September/October 2004 3

Is the space industry heading towards a workforce crisis in the next several years?As space professionals, we can hardly attend a conference, workshop, or other industryevent that does not in some way or another lament or warn of the difficult road ahead forgovernments and private organizations to attract young people to the field and to work forthese potential employers. While the bottom-line message of virtually all of these sessionsis that the industry needs to scramble to find ways to get youth interested in space careers,it’s essential that the space community focuses on the right set of issues when planning for the future of the industry.

Clearly, there is a continued demand for aerospace workers. Regardless of the fact that the Apollo days are bygoneand that the commercial demand for satellite launches has not panned out as projected in the late 1990s, we are still anation devoted to exploring and using space. Innovation and technological prowess are still American ideals, satelliteservices pervade many parts of daily life, and President Bush has committed the nation to a future in human and roboticspace exploration. All the while, the demographics of the NASA workforce and of large aerospace companies suggest thata huge wave of retirements—and hence the loss of a vast amount of knowledge and experience—may be imminent. New,enthusiastic scientists and engineers must be found, many in the industry proclaim, to keep America strong in space.

Usually that is where the story ends. The piece that tends to go unnoticed is the fact that the youth of today havenot altogether lost interest in space as a profession. As a young professional in the field, I have encountered dozens upondozens of others like me who have aspired for much of their lives to find meaningful employment in a space-related field.NASA along with numerous companies and research organizations currently do a tremendous service to the space communityby offering students incredible opportunities to get involved early on in the field—and the number of applicants for theseinternships tends to far exceed the number of slots available. As Karen Rugg and Srimal Choi show in their articles,teachers and organizations—from big-name NASA to small nonprofits like Project INSPIRE in Utica, Michigan—areworking tirelessly to mint young people that will be prepared and excited to take over their predecessors’ reins.

As I see it, the real challenge for the space industry in the upcoming years is not to fixate on boosting supply butrather to ensure that the supply of young space professionals and the demand for new workers match up effectively. Thekey? Those eager to enter the aerospace workforce and those searching for new employees need to be sure to go thedistance to understand their mutual expectations. Up-and-coming scientists and engineers, for their part, must be familiarwith the landscape of today’s aerospace industry and be ready to prepare and market themselves to meet the employmentneeds of space-related companies and organizations (see the articles in this issue by Reece Lumsden and Jose Guzmanaddressing this point). At the same time, employers can assure their successful futures by keeping the processes for applyingfor jobs simple, looking to previous interns as potential candidates for vacant positions, and—most importantly, as writerSarah Ramsey alludes—tasking entry-level workers with satisfying projects and offering challenging goals.

Preparing the next generation of space professionals is a critical task, and current methods can always be improved.But with much of the groundwork done and with sharp, energized young people waiting in the wings, the process shouldnot be an arduous one.

Amy Paige Kaminski

ENTERING SPACE

Brian Nord, currently a physics graduate student at the University of Michigan, positions a theodolite to measure diffraction ona reflective surface as part of research to improve the alignment of space telescopes. Nord performed the research at NASA’sGoddard Space Flight Center during the 2004 NASA Academy, a summer program designed to introduce undergraduate andgraduate students to NASA research and prepare them for careers in aerospace-related fields. (Source: NASA Academy)

ON THE COVER

Editor’s Message


As of press time, Senator John Kerry’s presidential campaign headquarters had not issued a policy statementon space, and AAS believes it is unlikely that he will make it a campaign issue. AAS does not expect thatPresident Bush will make space an issue of his campaign, either, since his policy is reflected in the spaceexploration vision he announced earlier this year.

For the latest details on the candidates’ public statements and policy positions, check out the official Kerryand Bush web sites as well as the Republican and Democratic web sites:

www.johnkerry.com www.georgewbush.comwww.democrats.org www.gop.com

Space and the 2004Presidential Campaign

UPCOMING EVENT

AAS National Conference and 51st Annual Meeting“Transformation and Vision for Space: NASA’s Partnership with Industry and Government”

November 16-17, 2004Pasadena Hilton, Pasadena, California

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16

7:30 am Registration / Continental Breakfast

8:45 am Welcome

Jonathan T. Malay, AAS PresidentLockheed Martin Corporation

Charles Elachi, Director, Jet PropulsionLaboratory, and Director of AdvancedPlanning, NASA Headquarters

9:00 am Carl Sagan Memorial Award Lecture andPresentation

Steven Squyres, Professor of Astronomy,Cornell University; Principal Scientist,Mars Exploration Rover Team

10:00 am Break

10:30 am Session 1: Status and Future of the RoboticScientific Exploration Program

MarsFirouz Naderi, Director, Mars Program,Jet Propulsion Laboratory

CassiniRobert Mitchell, Program Manager,Cassini, and/or Dennis Matson, ProjectScientist, Cassini (invited)

12:00 pm LuncheonAl V. Diaz, Associate Administrator,Science Mission Directorate, NASAHeadquarters

1:30 pm Session 2: Focus on Education

Adena Loston, Chief Education Officer,NASA Headquarters

2:30 pm Break

2:45 pm Session 3: Focus on Public Engagement

Neal M. Burns, Director, Center for BrandResearch, College of Communication,University of Texas

Roundtable

Moderator: Blaine A. Baggett, Office of Communicationsand Education, Jet Propulsion Laboratory


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Membership Benefits Include: Subscriptions to the quarterly Journal of theAstronautical Sciences and the bi-monthly Space Times magazine as well as reducedrates at all AAS conferences. Visit the AAS web site for further information on benefits.

Membership Type� Member .............................. $85� Affiliate ........................... $85� Senior Member ............ $100� Retired ............................. $35� Teacher (K-12) ............... $35� Student (full-time) ........ $35

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Panelists: Gregory W. Hayes, Director, ExternalRelations, NASA Johnson Space Center

Neal M. Burns, Director, Center for BrandResearch, College of Communication,University of Texas

(Others TBD)

6:30 pm Reception & Awards Banquet withSpeaker

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17

7:30 am Registration / Continental Breakfast

8:30 am Session 4: Exploration Program

Shuttle Return to Flight StatusWayne Haye, NASA Johnson Space Center

International Space Station Status and FuturePlans

William H. Gerstenmaier, Manager, SpaceStation Program Office, NASA JohnsonSpace Center

10:00 am Break

10:30 am Session 4 Continues

Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) StatusSpeaker TBD

Prometheus/Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO)Status

John R. Casani, Manager, JIMO Project,Jet Propulsion Laboratory

12:00 pm LuncheonElection Results and Implications for SpacePolicy

Rep. Jerry Lewis (R) (invited) andRep. Bradley Sherman (D) (invited)

1:30 pm Session 5: Plans and Acquisition Models

NASA System Engineering/Acquisition ModelSpeaker TBD

Industry Experience with DoD/NavyAcquisition Model

Chuck Allen, Vice President for SpaceExploration, The Boeing Company

2:30 pm Break

3:00 pm Session 5 Continues: Roundtable onIndustry/Government Partnerships

Moderator: Robert Walker, Chairman, Wexler & WalkerPublic Policy Associates (invited)

Panelists: Eugene Tattini, Deputy Director, Jet PropulsionLaboratory

Christopher J. Scolese, Deputy Director,NASA Goddard Space Flight Center(invited)

Chuck Allen, Vice President for SpaceExploration, The Boeing Company

Speaker TBD

5:00 pm Closing Reception

For program updates and online registration, visit www.astronautical.org.

�


Space Science Education: A Race toPass the PassionThe summer’s Tour de France bicycle race provides context to the efforts of executives, teachers, andother leaders who hope space science can attract youth to careers in science, technology, engineering,and mathematics.by Karen L. Rugg

July 19—it’s the final week of theTour de France. As I get swept alongwith the riders, reveling in unique Tourterminology such as peleton, bonk,kreeged, and hooptey, I realize thatspace science—the study of the solarsystem and the universe beyond—is theLance Armstrong of the educationworld. In the race to draw kids to thewonders and benefits of science, tech-nology, engineering, and mathematics(STEM), leading educators, elected of-ficials, and potential employers hopethe wonders of space can get them intothe start house.

And this race is on. The No ChildLeft Behind Act of 2001 contains lan-guage driving the application and mea-

surement of math and science curricula.The U.S. House of Representatives re-cently formed a STEM caucus to “pro-mote and improve all areas of scienceand math education including K-12,higher education, and workforce issuesin Congress” and “to increase the vis-ibility and importance of STEM educa-tion and work to educate members ofCongress and their staff on the issuessurrounding STEM education.” So far,thirty-two members have joined. TheNASA Flexibility Act of 2004, passedby the House and Senate, addresses the“brain drain” at the space agency, giv-ing it more flexibility to recruit and re-tain a highly skilled workforce. TheAldridge Commission’s final report on

the implementation of the new U.S.space exploration policy states that“NASA is in a unique position to en-gage young people in their studiesthrough the excitement of space explo-ration.” To professionals striving to winthe race for young minds, space scienceis attractive because it integrates thedisciplines that form STEM.

Is space science destined to be theposter child for STEM education? Is ita fair expectation? And do we know ifspace science works as the subject uponwhich all other subjects can draft, mak-ing the ride easier for everyone?

Mapping the Route

At the start of each Tour day,Outdoor Life Network commentators AlTrautwig and Bob Roll display a com-puter-generated image of the day’sroute. While describing each day’s stageof the race, they place it in the contextof the entire three weeks of competi-tion. So I went in search of a compa-rable bigger picture for space scienceeducation.

When you perform a Googlesearch for “space science,” the first linkto appear is that of the Challenger Cen-ter for Space Science Education. Dr. BillGutsch is the new chief executive of-ficer and president of the ChallengerCenter. For more than thirty years as aneducator, writer, scientist, televisionproducer, and administrator, he has en-gaged the public on astronomy and sci-ence. For someone who came to theChallenger Center just four months agoStudents receive instruction in a space station simulator at the Challenger Center in

Alexandria, Virginia. (Source: Challenger Center)


from his position as chairman of theAmerican Museum of Natural Historyand Hayden Planetarium in New YorkCity, Gutsch has a strong idea of wherethings stand.

“One of the frustrations to me isthat, in the actual core curriculum, spacescience is a narrow little wedge of partof another narrow little wedge calledEarth science that manifests itself hereand there in the K-9 curriculum and thatmay pop up a month or two in eighth orninth grade science,” Gutsch says. “It’sunfortunate because the universe is abig place and our Earth is a tiny speck—it seems out of proportion.”

During the next few minutes ofconversation, he reveals what will becommon themes from teachers, re-searchers, and program developers in-volved in space science education. Thefirst is that being a great teacher comesdown to knowing your subject matterand caring about your subject matter.That’s how the passion is passed. Thesecond is that young people must bemade aware of the fact that thousandsupon thousands of people—engineers,scientists, writers, public relationspeople—make a space mission pos-sible. It’s not all about being an astro-naut because not everyone can be.“Everybody’s essential. If space getsyou excited, you can dream about partici-pating in an active way,” Gutsch says.

A third theme is that teachers arekey. When asked what he would say tothe Bush administration about how itcan support space science and encour-age STEM, Gutsch replied, “We needto do everything we can to ensure thatthe people in the formal and informaleducation sectors are the best trainedand qualified and enthusiastic peoplewe can possibly create. The other wayI’d try to sway a president’s heart is togive money to programs that are goingto help create a critical bridge betweenwhat the child experiences in his class-room and what the child experienceslater at home in the evening and onweekends.” He asserts that parents must

feel they’re in a position to take an in-terest in what kids learn after school.

The Domestiques of SpaceScience Education

In Tour de France parlance, teach-ers are the domestiques of space science.They are the people who, after seeingnew learning standards strip core cur-ricula to the basics a few years ago, haveworked to inject the “cool factor” ofspace back into the classroom whereverthey can. These learning standards, or“Standards of Learning” (SOL) in somestates, are the benchmarks created byboards of education to define what eachstudent is expected to recall, replicate,manipulate, understand, or demonstratein subjects including science, English,and mathematics.

Teachers, in true domestiquefashion, are sacrificing position andglory for the good of the whole. Theyare doing the hard work to keep spacescience in the race.

Lisa Bacon, membership activi-ties liaison for education at the Ameri-can Institute for Aeronautics and Astro-nautics, sees these characteristics

among her fourteen hundred educatorassociates. “The SOL have driven a lotof things into the classroom and a lotof things out—rockets, airplanes, thefun stuff of science. Our educator asso-ciates are committed to SOL, but they’retrying to sneak the fun stuff back in.Teachers have been struggling to keepkids engaged. As NASA’s Earth sciencemissions involve weather forecasting andother data-gathering with easily-drawnapplications to everyday life, teachers areinspired to keep kids interested.”

Bacon echoes Gutsch’s themethat teachers are key. “You know youcan’t reach every student individually,but with teachers you know you’re im-pacting twenty-five kids per classroomin elementary school, maybe 150 or soper year.” And Bacon emphasizes theimportance of training teachers: “Mak-ing teachers more comfortable teachingthe material gets them excited and in-terested, and that will make a big dif-ference at some point.”

Karen Hall is a seventeen-yearteacher of integrated physics and chem-istry at LaPorte High School in LaPorte,Texas. She teaches the “reluctant sci-ence students”—kids who have no ex-

In an engineering teamwork exercise at Project INSPIRE in Utica, Michigan, a student-parent team assembles a geodesic dome with only a box of parts, a blueprint, and twentyminutes. Project INSPIRE uses aerospace simulators to motivate students and parentsin the greater Detroit area to higher achievement in science and math. (Source: ProjectINSPIRE/Raye Klopfenstein)


pectations to go to college. But even inthat setting, Hall finds that space reelsthem in. “I start my year by showingthe movie Apollo 13,” she says. “Wespend time talking about the applica-tions of space and why it’s importantfor them to learn about the space pro-gram and how it impacts their lives ona daily basis. I then use that for the restof the year to focus them on a concept,such as weight versus mass.”

Her experience has taught heranother key theme: “What it takes forany of us to be interested in anything isto see it and use it.” Space science helpsto make space relevant. She recounts thestory of one student who started as ajanitor at the Sonny Carter TrainingFacility at Johnson Space Center andworked his way up to being a diver atthe facility’s neutral buoyancy traininglab. He told Hall later: “I remember wealways used to talk about space in class.I thought, ‘I want to work there,’ andyou always told us we could.”

Hall leaves us with this realitycheck: “I’ve realized that my studentswon’t always remember the scientificprinciples. But the most important thingis that these kids we educate now arethe ones who are going to decide

whether or not we have a space program,whether or not we’re going to continue tobe explorers, whether or not we’re goingto sit back and wait to see what otherpeople discover and then use their work.”

Pat Palazzolo is a multi-award-winning teacher in the Upper St. ClairSchool District outside Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania. She was one of the state’stwo finalists in the Teacher in Spaceprogram of the 1980s, is a NASA SpaceAmbassador, uses space-themed lessonplans in her classes regardless of sub-ject, and mentors students in the pur-suit of their career goals and dreams.

“Unfortunately, I’m seeing a sat-ing of space in the high school curricu-lum,” says Palazzolo. “Schools arepushing AP [advanced placement]courses that are important but that don’ttalk about or relate to space science.Leaders are missing how many differ-ent disciplines are touched by spacescience. NASA realizes it, as do our newEducator Astronauts. But our leadersaren’t reaching high enough.”

Like teacher Karen Hall,Palazzolo has nurtured students intocareers in space science. A student whoparticipated in the Challenger Center’sMarsville program, a twelve-week

project during which students plan amission to Mars and a multi-nationalsettlement on the Red Planet, was se-lected by NASA for a co-op at JohnsonSpace Center. Apparently Johnson wasfascinated by the air and water supplysystems he built for Marsville. “Whowould have thought that it would bewhat I did in middle school that got meconnected to NASA?” he recalls.

Palazzolo also has a specific rec-ommendation on how the White Houseand the Department of Education canhelp. “We should offer an advancedEarth and space science course at thehigh school level. As in government andpolitics, if even for just one semester,there should be an AP elective specifi-cally about space science that covers thefields of engineering and sciences. [Acourse like] that would connect the dis-ciplines and keep the career opportuni-ties alive and in front of the students.We need to help students integrate thesciences and connect them to real life.”She adds that some of NASA’s best pro-grams are those available to college stu-dents, and so it is important to reachout to high school guidance counselorswho can give college-bound students a“heads up” on programs to consider.

A Matter of Seconds

Measuring the results of a racelike the Tour de France has come downto a science. Riders flash across the fin-ish line as ”photo finishes” and micro-chips on each bike determine the win-ner down to fractions of a second.

If only determining the impact ofspace science education could be soeasy. The voices of experience confirmthat space science successfully engagesyouth, but the question from nonprofitsand government agencies and compa-nies that invest in space science educa-tion products is, does it work? Thereare some answers, primarily anecdotaland affective, but the important trendis that the answers are hardening.

Pat Palazzolo (right) stands with House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlertafter receiving Women in Aerospace’s 2002 Aerospace Education Award. (Source:Women in Aerospace)


The Challenger Center operatesfifty-two simulation centers in theUnited States, Canada, and England. Italso fields a program called “Journeythrough the Universe” that tours schoolsto visit youth, train teachers, and bringscience programming to families. Todate, the Challenger Center has col-lected anecdotal evidence of programimpact, but Dr. Gutsch’s goal is “to in-crease the amount of testing we doacross all of our programs and services.We have good anecdotal and affectivenumbers, but we want more cognitivenumbers.”

The Boeing Company’s SummerScience Camp (SCC) has been laudedfor its efforts to track participants for afew years to discover whether their in-terest in science carries through to ca-reer choices. The approach is currently“soft,” but Project Manager MarieMungaray says the feedback is stillvaluable. “Many of the kids who returnyear after year later return to volunteerand mentor the younger kids,” she ex-plains. “Boeing has hired several SCCparticipants as college interns, and sev-eral were recently hired by Boeing af-ter graduating from college. Five or sixformer SCC participants are now work-shop leads teaching the same projectsthey did as kids.”

Dr. Carole Cameron Inge, execu-tive director of the National Institute forTechnology Policy and Research(NITPR) at Longwood University inSouth Boston, Virginia, is the lead fora new research agreement betweenNITPR and NASA’s Center for DistanceLearning (CDL). During the next year,NITPR will develop an educationaltechnology method to test studentachievement related to CDL contentsuch as NASA’s Kids Science NewsNetwork, NASA SCIence Files, NASACONNECT, NASA LIVE, and NASA’sDestination Tomorrow. “We’re prima-rily looking at student achievement re-lated to the content and then to achieve-ment related to the method of deliveryof the content, whether that be stream-

ing video or two-way interactive video.But first and foremost is studentachievement,” Inge says. Data collec-tion for CDL products before this studyhad been primarily summative, mean-ing data were collected to determineusage, distribution, or penetration of theproduct into the target audience.

NITPR has been busy in recentyears because, as Inge notes, a coupleof things have happened. “The No ChildLeft Behind Act of 2001 has over onehundred references to scientifically-based research and calls for ‘quantita-tive, rigorous evaluation that measures[program] impact on student achieve-

The results of a 2003 survey of Boeing Summer Science Camp attendees demonstratethe influence the program is having on student interest in science.

“One of the key values of NASA content is that it presentsscience in a very exciting, applied manner... Many kids whomay have never thought of math or science as useful or rel-evant will find information and role models that apply tothem.” – Carole Inge

Summative research tends not to ex-plore the impact of a program. Inge be-lieves the new NITPR method will of-fer one of the first formative evaluationsof CDL content, examining the effects ofCDL products on student achievementand youth interest in science overall.

ment.’ Companies with education prod-ucts are putting serious dollars intoevaluation. We’ve been very busy.”

Inge also echoes a commontheme: to make space science relevantthrough application. “One of the keyvalues of NASA content is that it pre-


sents science in a very exciting, appliedmanner. The science applications NASApresents range from testing new typesof tires for the space shuttle to helpingtag and track turtles in the ChesapeakeBay. Behind these applications arepeople with very diverse interests and

personas of objects online, we’ll haveto see more sophisticated approaches.We’re definitely in a long-term scenariowith NASA CDL, not only for the evalu-ations but also to contribute to NASA’sdevelopment of emerging technolo-gies.”

they expect them to understand therelevance of space science.

2. Educators, guidance counselors, ca-reer advisors, and parents should re-member that space science is notdone only by astronauts. It is im-portant to communicate to youththe depth and breadth of availablecareer opportunities.

3. Leaders need to recognize, whensetting expectations and programbenchmarks, that the current levelof curriculum focus on space sci-ence in schools is dangerouslysmall.

4. Programs are needed in middleschools to bridge the gap betweenelementary and high schools.

5. Evaluation models need to adapt ascontent, and the technologies thatdeliver that content, change rapidly.

6. Teachers recognize the unique abil-ity of space science to provide anintegrated view of the basic sci-ences (physics, chemistry, biology).This ability should be exploited.

7. Teachers are key. The best trainedand motivated teachers will inspireothers, and their students, to “passthe passion.” ■

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Karen L. Rugg is president of

Karlynne Communications, which special-izes in developing creative concepts forpublic education and engagement cam-paigns. She is currently president ofWomen in Aerospace and is credited as aco-writer with John Spencer of Space Tour-ism: Do You Want to Go? released by Apo-gee Books in September 2004.

Photo and Graphics Editor WantedSpace Times seeks a volunteer to assist in selecting photos and graphics toaccompany articles appearing in the magazine. No graphics or editorial expe-rience is necessary, only an eagerness to unleash one’s visual creativity insupport of up to six issues each year. Contact Amy Kaminski, Space Timeseditor ([email protected]), for more details.

There is no doubt that space science is still “cool” and that itcontains the stamina and strength to capture the interest ofany youth, regardless of socioeconomic status, education level,or career goals.

backgrounds. Many kids who may havenever thought of math or science as use-ful or relevant will find information androle models that apply to them.”

The NASA CDL study launchesthis fall. What is promising is that, ac-cording to Inge, NITPR will be doingformative types of research for NASAfor the next several years. “It’s wonder-ful, actually,” she says. She then offersthis prediction: “The science of evalu-ation is an ever-growing and changingfield. In the 1960s we saw a qualitativemovement, and today we see a re-focuson quantitative measures. Educationevaluation designs—because contentand method of delivery are dynamic—will have to become more sophisticated.As NASA takes its content into 3D orcreates virtual environments online, oras kids become avatars and take on the

Rules of the Road

There is no doubt that space sci-ence is still “cool” and that it containsthe stamina and strength to capture theinterest of any youth, regardless of so-cioeconomic status, education level, orcareer goals. And it is encouraging thata number of efforts are underway toconduct more rigorous evaluations ofspace science education programs.

But to protect the STEM educa-tion movement from being dropped offthe back of the peloton, teachers, evalu-ators, and space science education prod-uct providers remind us of a number ofkey points:

1. Educators and professionals need tohelp youth “see it” and “use it” if


The Aerospace Industry:A Professional’s Survival GuideNew customer demands and other business factors are dramatically changing the workforce needs—andhence the employment standards—of aerospace organizations.by Reece Lumsden

If you’ve looked at variousaerospace industry magazines over thelast few years, there’s been a recurringtheme mentioned with a growingsense of urgency. The issue at hand,common to a multitude of technologyindustries worldwide, is that the aero-space industry is not well, indicatedby the number of jobs lost and thegrowing problems in sourcing newtalent. This article will provide an in-sight into the issues ranging from thestate of the launch industry and thecurrent employment market to thekinds of skill sets required of thosewanting to enter the industry at thistime of unprecedented change.

Before progressing any furtherhowever, I need to define my terms.Exactly what do I mean when I talkabout the aerospace industry, or thespace industry as a subset of theformer? It’s more than just semanticsbecause if, when looking at the spaceindustry one just considers the spacesegment, he or she is obviously tak-ing a very small sample of companies.But taking too broad a view and con-sidering all those companies derivingsome kind of revenue from space prob-ably results in more organizations be-ing included than excluded. Microsoftis not part of the space industry, yetsoftware and information technologyhave a huge role to play. Due to thisambiguity in definition, I’ll focus onthe most obvious elements of thespace industry: launchers and satel-lites.

Launch Vehicles and Satellites

Most people associate launchvehicles and satellites with the spaceindustry more than any other com-modities. The problem, however, isthat these portions of the industry haverelatively flat revenue projections andhence offer limited prospects for anysubstantial growth. A recent article inthe Australian Financial Review, forexample, reported that low commercialdemand combined with a suspensionfrom making bids on new federallaunch contracts could cost Boeing’srocket and satellite manufacturing di-vision up to $100 million.

Why is that? Is Boeing doingsomething wrong or wasting re-sources? Quite the opposite, in fact.As Boeing’s profit projections are upfor 2004, one can’t say it’s a systemiccompany issue. No, the heart of thematter is that Boeing, like most otherlaunch service providers, doesn’t of-fer any prospects for growth becausethe launch industry is heavily saturatedand is showing signs of consolidation.

If we turn our attention to thedevelopment of launch vehicle tech-nology itself, there is also littlegrowth. This is because the launchsystems around today are pretty muchthe same as they were twenty or thirtyyears ago. Of course, there have beensome efficiencies gained here or there,but fundamentally, chemical propul-sion using solid and liquid propellantshas not really changed.

From Abraham Maslow’s Hier-archy of Needs, we know that “satis-fied needs no longer motivate.” In

terms of launch vehicle use, this meansthat clients have no need to get into spacevia new means because current systems al-ready provide for them. They will onlyconsider alternate means if they come at asignificantly lower price than the $10,000

As long as customers are content with theservices provided by expendable launcherssuch as the Atlas 2AS shown here, launchcompanies are unlikely to fund new rockettechnologies, without which no new jobs willemerge. (Source: International LaunchServices)


per kilogram currently offered, whichis something that the Ansari X Prizecompetition is designed to address.

The development of launch ve-hicles in most parts of the world hascome through government, usuallymilitary, programs. Why? Because theysaw dual-use applications early on andtended to be strategic in their approachto development—and they have verylarge capital budgets at their disposal.After the fundamental launch vehicletechnologies were developed, commer-cial entities saw they could be turnedinto applications that people would buy.They had little need to pay off hugeamounts of research and developmentinvestment as most of it had been doneby the military; as a result, commercialproviders didn’t have to wait long be-fore making a profit.

This hints at why launch serviceproviders have no need or reason to shiftfrom using expendable launch technol-ogy: they are still able to extract profitsfrom the vehicles they currently have.If they were to move on to develop newlaunch vehicle technology, they wouldhave to go through another cycle of re-couping development costs and wouldonly start making a profit after that.

From the original premise of asick aerospace industry, one can beginto appreciate the commercial providers’position. If there’s no requirement fromcustomers for new developments, com-panies will not expend capital toward

such developments. If there’s no money,no new jobs will be created or newpeople be required. This suggests thatif there is to be change, governmentmust step in.

Houston, Do We Really HaveA Problem?

The congressionally mandatedCommission on the Future of the UnitedStates Aerospace Industry was estab-lished to investigate all aspects of aero-space: air and space, civil and military.After a lengthy data collection and de-liberation process, the commission pre-sented its final report in November2002. One of the commissioners, TomBuffenbarger of the International Asso-ciation of Machinists and AerospaceWorkers, commented recently that therecommendations have not caught theattention of policy makers.

If Congress goes to the troubleof commissioning a panel, membersmust think there’s something seriouslywrong; such action also implies theythink something can actually be doneabout it. But one reason for a percep-tion of nil action may be because therereally is nothing that can be done. Whydo some think that we can revitalize theaerospace industry and create jobs? Isit a possibility that maybe, like themanufacturing industry, these jobs havebeen relocated elsewhere and that it’snow just a matter of dealing with the

situation as best we can? The U.S. gov-ernment could sink large amounts ofmoney into the industry to prop it up,but this is probably not very likely. Inthe new era of globalization, manycountries have found they can no longershield their economies through protec-tionist policies if they are to becomeinternationally competitive.

The Current Market

So what is the size of the aero-space employment market at the mo-ment? Figure 1 shows that as of the year2000 the aerospace workforce had beenreduced to a little under 800,000 in theUnited States and to around 430,000 inthe European Union. More recent fig-ures indicate that the aerospaceworkforce probably fell to just below580,000 in the United States and toaround 408,000 in Europe by 2002. Insum, the United States has lost some600,000 scientific and technical aero-space jobs since 1991.

Despite the large volume of evi-dence suggesting the industry is in adire state, there exist studies that do notshare this view. The RAND Corporationreleased a study this year that con-cluded: “Despite recurring concernsabout potential shortages in scientific,technical, engineering, and mathemat-ics personnel in the U.S. workforce,particularly in engineering and informa-tion technology, we did not find evi-

Figure 1: Aerospace employment in the United States and the European Union, 1980–2000. (Source: Final Report of the Commis-sion on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry)


dence that such shortages have existedat least since 1990, nor that they are onthe horizon.” This study, which usedfigures up to the year 2000, representsa completely different view from thecommonly presented one. What I be-lieve this view highlights is that it’s nota shortage of people that’s the issue; formany, even though the industry is in abad state, the romantic notion of work-ing on a space project is still a verypowerful attractor and ensures that en-thusiasm for the industry remains. Rather,there is a shortage of jobs and hence theneed by those who want to enter the in-dustry to have the right skill sets.

The Impact of BusinessRestructures

Shifts in focus among aerospaceproduct and service providers and us-ers are prompting changes in profes-sional skill requirements. Until the late1990s, companies provided their launchvehicles and other pre-packaged goodsand services to customers on an as-isbasis, meaning the focus was on thegood or service, not the customer. Thesituation now, however, is that custom-ers don’t want companies to sell themequipment; they now want providers tosupply solutions that meet their needs.

This change has been most evi-dent in the military world. In the past,one generation of military aircraft wassuperseded by another in an actionknown as a platform replacement: a newaircraft was simply put in place of theold one. Today, clients don’t just wanta replacement aircraft, they want a re-placement capability. What that meansis that satisfying the capability an air-craft previously provided may now takean aircraft, a ship, and a few unmannedaerial vehicles. In the space world, thesame thing is occurring. Customersdon’t just want a launch vehicle: theywant an end-to-end provider that givesthem the solution for putting a certainpayload into space.

Companies who do this now needa new breed of employee because their

focus has changed. They now requiresomeone who can focus not just on theplatform but on the far bigger goal ofthe solution that includes the platformas a subset. This does not mean theycan bypass technical knowledge—theywill always need engineers who knowabout the technology—but it means thatthey want people who can think in stra-tegic terms and see the big picture.Companies are after people who can seeacross multidisciplinary boundaries,and part of this starts with thinking insystems terms.

Valued Skills

Systems thinkers take a struc-tured, logical approach and break tasks,ideas, and concepts into their sub-com-ponents. They look at different capabili-ties, how they link together, and whathappens at the interfaces. Systemsthinking is everywhere, as manifestedby the Aldridge Commission’s recentadvice that NASA follow a “system-of-systems” approach in its pursuit ofPresident Bush’s new space exploration

agenda. No matter where you look inthe aerospace world, companies are af-ter systems thinkers.

The new market dynamics alsomean companies need to be more re-sponsive to emerging and new markets.As a result, there is a growing need tohire technically minded people whoalso possess a proactive, entrepreneur-ial mentality. This disposition can beindependent of the context: one doesnot have to work in a private industryto exhibit entrepreneurial traits. Entre-preneurship involves making thingshappen by calling on a wide range ofdifferent information sources and net-works and being innovative and creativein solving problems. Still other creden-tials can help budding aerospace pro-fessionals develop skills highly valuedby potential employers. Involvement ina professional society is an invaluableway of preparing for entry into theworkforce, not only allowing studentsand young graduates to build their net-works and find out what’s happeningin the industry but also giving them theability to talk with senior figures with

Networking with those already established in the aerospace sector can help studentsand young professionals learn about business trends and employment prospects inthe field. (Source: International Space University)


whom they would not normally have theopportunity to interact. Professionalsocieties form the bridge between uni-versities and industry and allow stu-

everything. Undertaking an MBA withlittle experience in the workforce canbe inappropriate as it requires an abil-ity to put into practice, or at least see

For many, even though the industry is in a bad state, the romanticnotion of working on a space project is still a very powerfulattractor and ensures that enthusiasm for the industry remains.

dents to be aware of issues when enter-ing the workforce for the first time.Society memberships also allow com-munication and presentation skills to beimproved in settings that will not incurprofessional repercussions.

Finally, aerospace professionalsmay consider pursuing Master of Busi-ness Administration (MBA) degrees. AnMBA has seemed to be the logicalchoice for people wanting to color theirtechnical backgrounds with businessand management experience. But aword of caution is in order: timing is

the functioning of, concepts taught in areal work setting. It’s probably a goodidea for one to get a few years of expe-rience before considering an MBA.

Conclusion

While it is not unambiguous thatthere is trouble in the aerospace indus-try, it is clear that the field is experi-encing a large amount of turbulence.Ironically, the areas we most associatewith the space industry tend to be ex-periencing the least growth. With theindustry at the lowest point it has been

in a very long time—perhaps ever—itis understandable that those wanting toenter the industry for the first time ap-proach it with a sense of trepidation.Nonetheless, there’s no shortage ofpeople, although there is a shortage ofthose possessing the right skill sets.

Many view the aerospace indus-try as being one of dwindling opportu-nities, but it can also be viewed as theprovider of new ones, vastly differentfrom those offered in the past. ■___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Reece Lumsden is an associate ofAthena Global (www.athenaglobal.com), amember of the Futuraspace space consult-ing network headquartered in France, asenior consultant with Kobold Services,and managing director of Lumsden Con-sulting Pty Ltd (www.lumsdenconsulting.com), based in Canberra, Australia. Es-tablished in 2003, Lumsden Consultingprovides specialist space advice and engi-neering services to civil and military cus-tomers as well as focused mentoring ser-vices to young engineers in the student toyoung graduate range through the“Futurestars” mentoring system.

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Space Exploration: An International EndeavorThe value of international cooperation cannot be underestimated for established national space agenciesworking towards scientific goals—or for young professionals eager to improve their skills and makemeaningful contributions to the aerospace field.by Srimal Wangu Choi

In his January 14, 2004, speechon the vision for space exploration,President Bush stated: “We’ll inviteother nations to share the challenge andthe applications of this new era of dis-covery [which] is a journey, not a race,and I call on other nations to join us onthis journey, in a spirit of cooperationand friendship.”

Indeed, there is a rich array ofnations with which partnering may bean option. A brief glance at recent newsheadlines reveals: China Starts Devel-opment of Its First Lunar Explo-ration Craft; India and BrazilSign Agreement for Cooperationin Space; Europe’s SMART-1Leaves Earth on Long Journey tothe Moon. Many governmentsaround the world are becomingactive in space exploration pur-suits.

World governments haveworked together on space projectsbefore. In doing so, they havefaced many hurdles, such as com-petitiveness, non-proliferation is-sues, and changing political cli-mates. These considerations makelong-term commitments challeng-ing. Currently, heightened na-tional security concerns have di-vided nations even further, en-couraging them to work autono-mously to a greater extent.

I have had the privilege ofworking in various internationaland intercultural environments,through the International SpaceUniversity and the Space Genera-tion Advisory Council. Throughmy experiences I have learned thatdespite the challenges, there aremany benefits, practical and intan-

gible, to international cooperation. Forthis reason, I believe our space explo-ration initiative can benefit greatly fromcollaboration and cooperation withother countries.

In 1999, I participated in the In-ternational Space University (ISU)Summer Session Program. That summerit was held at the Suranaree Institute ofTechnology in Nakhon Ratchasima,Thailand, which is located 250 kilome-ters northeast of Bangkok. The ISU,which began at the Massachusetts In-

stitute of Technology in 1988, is a non-profit organization that provides gradu-ate level programs that are international,interdisciplinary, and intercultural intheir scope. From its main campus inStrasbourg, France, ISU moves its ten-week summer session to a different lo-cation each year. This change in venueprovides a truly international and inter-cultural environment for the partici-pants. ISU offers three academic pro-grams tailored to the needs of post-graduates and professionals in the space

sector and those who wish to workin space-related fields: the two-month Summer Session Program(SSP) and two eleven-month mas-ters programs: Master of SpaceStudies and Master of Space Man-agement.

I was one of eighty-eightstudents from twenty-four coun-tries in the 1999 SSP. My fellowstudents at the SSP came frombackgrounds as diverse as law,medicine, engineering, business,and social sciences. Some weregraduate students, while somewere well established in their ca-reers with corporations, institu-tions, and space agencies aroundthe world. We all attended thesame four weeks of core lectureson a variety of space-related sub-jects given by world experts intheir fields. After a half-day exam,we chose which of two group de-sign projects we wished to focuson during the remaining six weeks.I worked on a project entitled“Strategies for Human ExplorationAway from Earth.”

Since 2002, I have partici-pated in the Space Generation Ad-

The author creates a Thai traditional decorationduring an International Space University “culturenight” at the 1999 Summer Session Program.(Source: International Space University)


visory Council (SGAC) in support ofthe United Nations Programme onSpace Applications. SGAC formed aspart of UNISPACE III in 1999, whenalumni of the International Space Uni-versity organized and convened theSpace Generation Forum (SGF). Theaim of the forum was to express the vi-sions and perspectives of youth with

and promote a continuous and interac-tive dialogue on space-related issuesbetween the United Nations and youngpeople of the world, and to further en-able creativity, enthusiasm, and vigorof youth that shall be used to advancehumankind through the peaceful usesof outer space.”

often seemed to defer to American, Ca-nadian, and European ideas. It was onlylater, when he requested some dedicatedtime to formally address the group, thatwe realized he had an enormous amountof technical expertise to contribute tothe project. He had not spoken up dur-ing informal discussions because he didnot want to be perceived as impolite.Our lack of understanding of his Japa-nese culture almost prevented us fromincorporating some excellent engineer-ing design ideas into our group project.

Learning to work in an intercul-tural team provides additional benefits.International collaboration can providea spark of creativity that leads to newapproaches to problems. A classic ex-ample is the story of Dr. EdwardDeming. After World War II, Dr. Demingtraveled from the United States to Ja-pan to help rebuild the country. Whilehe was there, he was invited to give lec-tures on his statistical quality tech-niques, which were all but ignored inthe United States. His lectures were verypopular with Japanese executives, whoalready believed in Kai Zen, a Japaneseconcept that means “continuous im-provement.” By adopting Dr. Deming’stheories, many Japanese manufacturingcompanies were able to produce high-quality products at reduced costs. Thisallowed them to eventually beat theirAmerican competitors.

Collaborating and communicat-ing with international partners has theadditional benefit of providing a spark

In October 2002, the Space Generation Advisory Council convened the Space Generation Summit, which brought together approxi-mately two hundred international young delegates to develop and contribute a youth vision of space to the World Space Congress.(Source: Space Generation Advisory Council)

Through my international experiences I have gained a betterunderstanding of the fact that we are all humans workingtogether toward a vision of a better future.

As North American representativeof SGAC, I have had the privilege towork with my international counterpartson a biweekly basis. I have noticed thatas an American, it is easy for me to ex-pect that my international teammateswill conform to my cultural norms:speak English, know about my spaceprogram and its vision, understand“where I’m coming from”—and evenknow what my idioms mean. It is easyfor me to proceed with this status quoand take the easiest path, and not goout of my way to understand where theyare coming from.

This mindset, however, can leadto misunderstandings and missed op-portunities. For example, at the ISUsummer session, a Japanese team mem-ber of my project group was quiet and

regard to future space activities. Of theten recommendations from the SGFtechnical report that were accepted bythe United Nations, five were integratedinto the Vienna Declaration output ofthe United Nations conference. One ofthe recommendations was “to create acouncil to support the United NationsCommittee on the Peaceful Uses ofOuter Space, through raising awarenessand exchange of fresh ideas by youth.The vision is to employ the creativityand vigor of youth in advancing human-ity through the peaceful uses of space.”

The goal of this organization isto develop and maintain a fruitful rela-tionship between young people and theUnited Nations Committee on PeacefulUses of Outer Space and other spaceexperts. SGAC’s vision is “to enable


of friendly competition. The progressof other countries in their outer spaceexploration efforts can present addi-tional impetus for the United States tocontinue to excel in its space explora-tion projects as well as to seek out othercountries as partners on exploration ini-tiatives.

The European Space Agency al-ready has Mars Express spacecraft inorbit around Mars, and SMART-1 is cur-rently en route to the Moon. Both arepart of the European Space Agency’slong-term Aurora solar system explo-ration plan, which involves human androbotic space flights. The Indian SpaceResearch Organization has allocatedfunds for a lunar mission in 2008 andis thinking about a Mars mission there-after. India has invited other countriesto participate in the lunar mission andreports that Canada, Germany, Russia,and Israel have expressed interest.China has announced a program tolaunch a satellite to orbit the Moon in2006, land a probe on the lunar surfacein 2010, land a rover there in 2012, andcollect lunar samples using a roboticspacecraft by 2020. The Japan Aero-space Exploration Agency plans tolaunch the LUNAR-A probe, which isintended to study the origin and evolu-tion of the Moon (the launch was re-cently delayed).

Finally, working together createsunderstanding and friendship withpeople of other countries and cultures.Through my international experiencesI have gained a better understanding ofthe fact that we are all humans workingtogether toward a vision of a better fu-

The Cassini-Huygens mission to explore Saturn is an example of international coopera-tion at its best. NASA provided the Cassini spacecraft, the Italian Space Agency fur-nished the high-gain communication antenna, and the European Space Agency sup-plied the Huygens probe, which will plummet into Titan’s atmosphere later this year.Already, the mission has revolutionized scientific understanding of the ringed planet.(Source: NASA/JPL/Caltech)

ture. Already the United States and othernations have signed hundreds of scien-tific and technological agreements andhave ratified several treaties preventingconflicts in space and supporting spaceexplorers. Since the beginning of thespace age, countries have worked to-gether to explore space for the benefitof all humanity.

As we in the space industry worktoward implementation of the new spaceexploration initiative, I believe it is veryimportant to incorporate internationalcooperation into the vision. In the grand

scheme of things, isn’t this what spaceexploration is all about? As the Apollo11 lunar landing vehicle plaque com-memorating the first landing of humanson the Moon reads: “We came in peacefor all mankind.” ■___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Srimal Wangu Choi is currently theSpace Generation Advisory Councilrepresentative for North America and isactive in the ISU and NASA Academyalumni organizations. Srimal works forOrbital Sciences Corporation and residesin Arlington, Virginia.

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NOTES ON A NEW BOOK

Reviewed by Mark Williamson

Space Politics and Policy:An Evolutionary Perspective

Space Politics and Policy: An Evolu-tionary Perspective, edited by EligarSadeh. Dordrecht: Kluwer AcademicPublishers, 2003. 520 pages. ISBN: 1-4020-0902-X. $65.00 (paperback).

There are many of us who wouldlike to think that space exploration isenabled purely by science, technology,and the desire to explore strange newworlds. In reality, however, its missionsand applications are shaped and gov-erned by politics, policy, and money.

This book is a recognition of thatunpalatable truth. In addition to provid-ing a detailed analysis of space policyhistory, it explores the role of politics,law, ethics, economics,

and a multitude of other scientifically“soft” subjects that have just as muchbearing as the physics of ion propul-sion on whether we ever get to live onMars. The late Carl Sagan was clear onthe point: “Governments do not spendvast sums just for science, or merely toexplore. They need another purpose,and it must make real political sense.”

The product of more than a dozencontributors, the book has two mainthemes. First is the evolution of spacepolicy in its response to dramatic po-litical events, such as the launch ofSputnik 1. The other theme is spacepolicy’s role as an integral part of pub-lic policy in an international framework,

addressing, for example, its mili-tary applications and its role increating economic wealth.

Some of the chapters areheavy going, since this is a text-book aimed primarily at studentsand professional decision mak-ers. On the other hand, there areno complex equations and inde-cipherable diagrams to interruptthe flow, so there is no reasonwhy any interested personshould not gain access to thesubject.

Additional access is af-forded via sections at the endof the book. Rather than add-ing references to the end ofeach chapter, the publisherhas opted to include a dedi-cated section for chapternotes which runs to a hun-dred pages. While most ofthe notes are standard ref-erences, a few are more

than a page in length, forming essaysin their own right. As befits a book ofthis type, it also has a comprehensive,twenty-five-page index.

While economists write of “con-tingent valuation” and policy experts of“utilitarian doctrine,” such jargon iskept to a minimum, and many of thechapters offer a deep insight into theirsubjects. In fact, some of them—suchas “Space and the Environment” and“Ethics and Off-Earth Commerce”—push the boat into relatively unchartedwaters. Does space exploration risk con-taminating other planetary bodies, per-haps even destroying the forms of lifewe are trying to discover? Equally, doesit risk returning some unknown patho-gen to Earth and destroying the humanrace? These and other questions regard-ing the effects of our space policy areamong the important considerationstouched on in the book.

And I say “our space policy” ad-visedly, since all except one chapterhave American authors. Surely a booksuch as this, on a subject so broad andinternationally-based, should makemore of a nod to international spacepolicy than a single, eighteen-pagechapter translated from a French origi-nal. After all, the responsible explora-tion of those “strange new worlds” restswith all spacefaring nations. Perhapsthere is a little more evolution to expe-rience before we have a true perspec-tive on the many, interconnected issuesof space policy. ■___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mark Williamson is an independentspace technology consultant and author.


Reviewed by Mark Williamson

The International Space Station:From Imagination to Reality

The International Space Station:From Imagination to Reality, edited byRex Hall. London: The British Inter-planetary Society, 2002. 160 pages.ISBN: 0-95065-976-2. $46.00/$37.00members (paperback).

Everyone reading this reviewknows something about the Interna-tional Space Station (ISS), and manywill have actually seen it. It is, after all,one of the brightest points of light inthe night sky. But only those directlyinvolved in the project will know asmuch about the ISS as there is to learnfrom The International Space Station:From Imagination to Reality.

In addition to a module-by-mod-ule exposition of American hardware,it covers the background of the less wellknown Russian modules and their ori-gins in the defunct Mir 2 program.There are also chapters on the spaceshuttle missions to the ISS, the spacestation crews, and the scientific researchconducted in orbit by those crews.

The tone of the introduction issurprisingly forthright but hits the nailon the head for many space watchers:the ISS is a project that both inspiresand bores people. It is inspirational be-cause it has brought so many nationstogether to design, build, and crew thestation, but it is boring because one dayof station news is very much like an-other: the ISS no longer grabs the head-lines. It is also inspirational in the sensethat it shows us what large, cooperativespace missions of the future—such asmissions to Mars—could be like butboring at the same time in its confine-ment of crews to low Earth orbit, con-stantly in motion but going nowhere.

This dichotomy highlights an in-herent contradiction of space explora-

tion and development: everyone inthe space business wants spacetravel to be successful enough tobecome an everyday event; how-ever, success—as illustrated bythe ISS—makes space travel justanother aspect of reality that wetake for granted. This is part ofthe explanation for the book’ssubtitle, From Imagination toReality, but it also reflects themotto of the publisher, theBritish Interplanetary Society(BIS), which has been pros-elytizing about space sinceits foundation in 1933.

As one would expectfrom the BIS, this book isaimed at the space enthu-siast who craves informa-tion on his or her favoritesubject; as far as the ISS isconcerned, it fits the bill. Not only isthe text crammed with information butalso a number of useful tables and de-scriptive boxes supply additional data,down to the call signs used by ISS flightcontrollers. Many of the chapters comecomplete with lists of references, allow-ing the real information junkies to digeven deeper. One failing—a result of thebook being a multi-author work, nodoubt—is the lack of an index, and thisis something the publisher might liketo reconsider for a second edition. Thereare also a number of spelling mistakes,which is inexcusable in the era of thecomputer spellchecker.

On the plus side, the book’s nu-merous color photographs are well pro-duced and make for an attractive pack-age. More importantly, they give a goodimpression of what it must be like tolive and work both inside and outsidethe station. From a photographer’s point

of view, the lightand clarity in low Earth orbit islittle short of stunning, as some of thepictures in the book illustrate. One un-derstated example is a shot of a materi-als experiment back-dropped by a sun-rise that could have come from anartist’s airbrush—something many of uswould give an eyetooth to see firsthand.

The ISS itself is still a work inprogress, and this book is intended tobe the first in a series that will docu-ment its construction and operation. Aswe squint up at the sky for a glimpse ofthat slowly moving point of light, wemust hope that it, too, will be simplythe first in a series of international spacestations. Until then, this book will helpto keep the spark of imagination alive. ■___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mark Williamson is an independentspace technology consultant and author.


IN ORBIT

Space 3GIn order to move beyond low Earth orbit, a new generation must take up the torch of exploration. But willthis generation—my generation—be ready to accept the challenge?by Sarah R. Ramsey

Regardless of whether you reference Logan’s Run, anynumber of Star Trek episodes, or Babylon 5, the idea of pass-ing the torch from one generation to the next is older thanscience fiction itself. Humans have only been active, directedexplorers of space for about five decades. In that short time,three distinct generations have taken up the call to explorespace. As a member of the newest generation, I believe it istime for us to consider what we will do as that torch is passedto us. How do we plan to finally move the human race be-yond low Earth orbit (LEO)?

The first generation founded active space exploration.They gave us astronauts, the Moon shot, Voyager, and NASA.The second generation grew up watching the United Statesgo to the Moon and became the scientists, engineers, andastronauts who designed, built, and flew the space shuttleand space station. They also sent us back out into the solarsystem, sometimes spending an entire career devoted to oneor two wonderful missions like Galileo or the Hubble SpaceTelescope.

My generation, the third generation, grew up know-ing there were footprints on the Moon, even though we neverwitnessed anyone actu-ally going there. Formost of us, LEO is ourbackyard, and therehave always been spaceshuttles and stations.We all wanted to go toSpace Camp (raise yourhand if you wanted togo because you thoughtyou might get stuck onan accidental shuttlelaunch with KateCapshaw!). The Rus-sians have always beenour partners, andNASA has always hadbudget problems. Wegrew up on Tang, teach-ers in space, Star Wars,rogue computers, andlizard aliens thatlooked like humans.

We take for granted that satellites route our cell phone callsand pagers, give us twenty-four-hour-a-day weather updates,and can read the license plate of a car on the ground.

We are the LEO generation. We’ve never known any-thing different.

As with any new generation, some legacies will bepassed down to us, and some unforeseen goals and oppor-tunities will come our way. We have many paths from whichto choose and just as many opinions on which direction togo and how to get there. But as we begin influencing thedirection of policy and missions, will we be content to sim-ply follow the lead of past generations?

America has a grand new vision for space explora-tion. While the details are still being defined, one thing iscertain: it is my generation that will bear the largest por-tions of both the work and the cost. This is not a complaint.I believe we are willing to do both, as long as we are actu-ally accomplishing a goal.

According to the Entertainment Software Association,computer and video games sales totaled $7 billion in 2003,with more than 239 million games sold. The average age

for game players istwenty-nine. Why arewe willing to investthis much time andmoney into games?For people accus-tomed to living in avirtual reality, we re-alize a greater sense ofaccomplishment frombuilding a virtualplanetary colony thanwatching a launch ofthe space shuttle onthe evening news.

Video games al-low us to play thefirst-person role, aphenomenon that ech-oes throughouttoday’s popular cul-ture. In the past,people were content to

Computer games like “Civilization III” offer players virtual training for spaceexploration missions, but whether and when actual space travel becomes apossibility for the masses depends on the will and commitment of the risinggeneration of explorers. (Source: Atari/Firaxis)


live vicariously through their heroes: movie stars, soldiers,astronauts. Today, our favorite games are first person, real-ity shows top the charts, and anyone can be a publishedauthor on the internet. We don’t want to watch; we want todo.

For all our reputa-tion as slackers, my gen-eration does not have aproblem with disinter-est. Instead, we have toomany outlets for our in-terest. Call it AttentionDeficit HyperactivityDisorder if you like, butwe live in a put-up-or-shut-up world. If you donot keep our attention,we’ll find somethingelse that will. It is not impatience; anybody who has everplayed the computer games “The Sims” or “Civilization”can tell you that some things take time, and it pays to thinkin the long term. In other words, it is not the timeline thatmatters. It’s where we end up and what we do along theway.

Memoirs from the people who won the space race inthe 1960s say they accomplished what they did because no-

body told them it couldn’t be done. We carry the same en-thusiasm for exploration as those who have gone before us.But have we been conditioned to the thought that space istoo hard, that it cannot be done? Or do we still believe that,

given commitmentand hard work, noth-ing is impossible?

We have theability to shape thefuture; there is no des-tination out of ourreach. What can weaccomplish? Whatwill be our legacy?Will we finally estab-lish a human presencebeyond where we’vealready been, or will

we become so caught up in the destination that we lose sightof the journey? It’s our future. Let’s go do something aboutit. ■___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sarah R. Ramsey is a policy analyst in the Space Opera-tions Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. She is a Presi-dential Management Intern and holds an M.A. from the GeorgeWashington University in science, technology, and public policy.The views expressed here are her own and not necessarily thoseof her employer.

We carry the same enthusiasm for exploration asthose who have gone before us. But have we beenconditioned to the thought that space is too hard,that it cannot be done? Or do we still believe that,given commitment and hard work, nothing isimpossible?

2005 CanSat Competition AnnouncedAAS, in cooperation with other organizations, is sponsoring a new competition that will allow college studentteams the opportunity to participate in a hands-on space design program at an affordable cost. The competitioninvolves writing a mission proposal, generating design documentation, and launching a “CanSat” to an altitude of1.6 kilometers (one mile). The requirements for a CanSat are that all components of the payload must fit inside astandard soda can. Missions have been designed for both the undergraduate (rookie) and graduate (advanced)levels, and the deadline for applications is November 30, 2004. The launch will be held in the desert outside of theSan Diego area in early June 2005. For additional information, see www.cansatcompetition.com.

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IN ORBIT

Too Many Minds: Achieving theRight Engineering MixAerospace projects are bound to benefit from the expertise of system engineers...but it’s quality, notnecessarily quantity, that counts.by Jose J. Guzman, Ph.D.

If you haveseen the movie TheLast Samurai, youwill likely recall ascene where TomCruise’s character isstruggling in a swordpractice with one ofthe samurai. Ayounger samuraistops him and tellshim “too manyminds”—he is think-ing too much aboutwhat he is trying toachieve. Just do it, gofor it, the youngsamurai says.

“Too manyminds” also might bea good description forwhat is happening inthe aerospace business nowadays. In this case, the prolif-eration of the so-called “systems view” and myriad pro-cesses, in both industry and the government, appear to beweakening the engineering practice. The users of the sys-tems view—systems engineers—tend to apply deductivereasoning and analytical tools to analyze and trade optionsto develop and integrate system concepts. They are no doubtan important part of an engineering project. But, if projectmanagers do not select their systems engineers carefully,the proliferation of systems engineers and the focus on thesystems view of projects could lead to a weak understand-ing of the fundamentals required to make an engineeringproject successful. In fact, projects and organizations willbuckle when there is too much weight at the top. It is, there-fore, important to have experts in each of the subsystems tostrengthen the engineering foundation of the project.

I cannot help but wonder if this systems or processview of engineering was one of the contributing factors forthe Columbia accident. Was it that too many people werethinking about the “big picture” and forgot to pay more at-

tention to the engi-neering details? It is,of course, easy tocriticize, and in hind-sight everything al-ways looks clear. Butpaying attention todetails in complexsystems such as thespace shuttle is ex-actly one of the manyhats that the systemsengineer must wear.Understanding whatrequires more investi-gation and what canbe considered a“closed item” re-quires experience andsubsystems expertise.It also requires beingable to ask important

questions and figure out when the pieces of the puzzle arenot falling in place. Hence, it is extremely important thatengineering organizations choose their systems engineersand project managers very carefully.

A good systems engineer will have direct knowledgeof at least two or more aerospace subsystems and will mostlikely have ten or more years of project experience. Thisexperience and cross-technology expertise is often obtainedby years of working in the field and moving among differ-ent subsystems. A good, solid engineering education is thefoundation that provides the analytical engine: it helps theengineer to work on the actual engineering details that makethe difference between success and failure in individual sub-systems. Creativity can be cultivated but not really taught.Therefore, aerospace systems research and development or-ganizations should provide havens for creative individualsto unleash their full potential. Properly channeled, theseindividuals will make their organizations grow and shine.Otherwise, they may act like prima donnas and could endup weakening rather than enhancing the organization.

Safe operation of complex systems like the space shuttle requires systems en-gineers to be able to visualize and understand not only the "big picture" but alsofine details. (Source: NASA/Kennedy Space Center)


Academia is also aware of the growing problem ofcomplex engineering systems and many schools are con-stantly improving their systems engineering curricula. Aglance through some newspapers and technical magazinesreveals that there seem to be many one-day or short coursesin systems engineering. Is this a good idea? It is hard to say,but most likely not. Some similarities with Masters of Busi-ness Administration programs are readily apparent: for in-stance, programs seem to be popping out everywhere, witha lot of universities seeming to be after a quick buck. Ofcourse, these programs might provide a good review or in-troduction to systems engineering concepts, and both in-dustry and government organizations should keep an eyeout for individuals that might benefit from such training.This investment is especially important as the complexityof engineering projects increases and we start approachingproblems with a “system-of-systems” view. Indeed, just re-cently the President’s Commission on Implementation ofUnited States Space Exploration Policy recommended thatNASA use this approach, integrating and synthesizing mul-tiple systems and tasks, to manage the president’s visionfor space exploration.

It is clear that aerospace engineering organizationsneed good systems engineers. But these engineers shouldperhaps follow the Marines motto: “the few, the proud.”Obtaining systems engineers with the proper mix of experi-ence, cross-technology expertise, analytical knowledge, andcreativity is a non-trivial task for any organization. Typi-cally, senior engineers can help with the selection process.If the selection of these individuals is performed properly,engineering projects will run more efficiently. Another ben-efit of making a good selection is that organizations withsystems architects could select individuals from the systemsengineering ranks. These architects tend to be very creativeindividuals who develop long-term visions for their orga-nizations. The analysis of technical gaps and the creation oftechnology investments are fundamental tasks of the architects.

Another point to consider is that no matter how goodindividual systems engineers are, they still need solid back-

ing from the organizations that employ them. I believe thatcombining good systems engineers with the “skunk works”model of organizational operations could lead to the effi-cient development of complex aerospace engineering projectsin record times. This recipe is often referred to as BASIC (seeT.F. Hanson’s 1987 book, Engineering Creativity), and itstands for:

1. Top level BACKING2. AUTOCRATIC leader3. SMALLEST possible number of people4. ISOLATION from standard procedures5. CREATIVE talent

Following the system-of-systems concept, then, per-haps the best approach to aerospace project managementwould be to embed BASIC within BASIC; that is, to selectboth the systems engineer and subsystem team leaders basedon all the applicable BASIC tenets. With this approach, tech-nical risk is mitigated since each subsystem has an expertand also runs more efficiently. Nevertheless, sufficient timeshould be allocated for integration of the different sub-systems.

We all know we need systems engineers and systemsarchitects for success in aerospace projects. The point is thatperhaps systems developers should be more careful in whoand how many people they select for these positions. A goodmix of experience, cross-technology expertise, analyticalknowledge, and creativity is needed in systems engineers.Finding qualified individuals is extremely important, espe-cially as complexity increases and we move towards a sys-tem-of-systems view. However, no matter how good indi-vidual systems engineers are, they still need solid backingfrom their employers. I believe that combining good sys-tems engineers with the “skunk works” model might be agood start. ■___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jose J. Guzman, Ph.D., is an aerospace engineer in theMaryland space industry. He graduated from Purdue Univer-sity in 2001.

AAS Space Law Workshop a SuccessThe AAS held its second International Space Law Workshop June 28-30 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The participantsworked in three groups to tackle a number of topics including: the processes for developing space law; uniformimplementation and enforcement of principles articulated in the United Nations space treaties; and how theinternational community has responded to issues such as orbital debris, spectrum allocation, space nuclear powersources, and space property rights. Please notify the AAS business office if you would like to be on the distributionlist for the workshop’s final report, which will be published this fall.


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UPCOMING EVENTS

*AAS Cosponsored Meetings

October 19–21, 2004*Short Course: “The U.S.Government Space Sector”George Mason UniversityArlington, Virginiawww.gmupolicy.net/space/

November 16–17, 2004AAS National Conference and51st Annual MeetingPasadena HiltonPasadena, Californiawww.astronautical.org

January 23–27, 2005*AAS/AIAA Space FlightMechanics Winter MeetingCopper Mountain ResortCopper Mountain, Coloradowww.space-flight.org

AAS Meeting ScheduleAAS CORPORATE MEMBERSa.i. solutions, Inc.The Aerospace CorporationAir Force Institute of TechnologyAnalytical Graphics, Inc.Arianespace IncorporatedAuburn UniversityAXA SpaceBall Aerospace & Technologies Corp.The Boeing CompanyCarnegie Institution of WashingtonGeorge Mason UniversityGottfried International, Inc.Honeywell, Inc.Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc.International Space BrokersJet Propulsion LaboratoryLockheed Martin CorporationNorthrop Grumman Space TechnologyOrbital Sciences CorporationRaytheonSpace Systems/LoralSpaceVestSpectrum Astro, Inc.Swales AerospaceThe Tauri Group, LLCTBSG Government Technologies LLCTechnica, Inc.Texas A&M UniversityUnivelt, Inc.University of FloridaUtah State Univ. / Space Dynamics Lab.Virginia Polytechnic Inst. & State Univ.Women in AerospaceWyle Laboratories

February 5–9, 200528th Rocky Mountain Guidance andControl ConferenceBeaver Run Resort andConference CenterBreckenridge, Coloradowww.aas-rocky-mountain-section.org

March 29–30, 200543rd Goddard Memorial SymposiumGreenbelt Marriott HotelGreenbelt, Marylandwww.astronautical.org

June 2–4, 2005*Student CanSat CompetitionPlaster City, Californiawww.cansatcompetition.com

August 7–11, 2005*AAS/AIAA AstrodynamicsSpecialist ConferenceEmbassy Suites ResortLake Tahoe, Californiawww.space-flight.org

See page 4for details

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