Mojave Air and Space Port

New Rocket Guidance Paves Way For Inexpensive Space Research

Robin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:31:39 +0000

By Jason Paur at Wired Autopia February 15, 2012

Masten Space Systems and Draper Laboratory have successfully tested an autonomous rocket powered lander aimed at testing new guidance systems for future unmanned spacecraft. The rocket-powered vertical take-off and landing test is part of a NASA program initially aimed at developing inexpensive, reusable vehicles that can carry research experiments on suborbital flights. The program will also be used to test flight guidance and technologies for landers heading to the Moon, Mars, asteroids and beyond.

The flight took place earlier this month at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California and lasted 67 seconds. One of Masten’s Xombie rockets lifted off from the launch pad and climbed to an altitude of 50 meters (164 feet) before flying laterally for 50 meters and then landing on a second landing pad.

Full story at Wired.com

Small moves in commercial space

Robin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:45:07 +0000

By Alan Boyle, CosmicLog.com, Feb 4 2012

Commercial spaceship companies are due to get some additional breathing space, thanks to legislation that was approved by the House on Friday and seems certain to become law.
The provision takes up just a few words in the reauthorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration, but the impact of those words could be incredibly significant: Basically, they extend the current regulatory environment for reusable space vehicles for an additional three years, to October 2015. If the provision hadn’t been worked out, things could have become much more difficult for space tourism companies.

Full story at Cosmic Log MSNBC.com

Virgin Galactic’s Private Spaceship Ramping Up Toward Passenger Flights

Robin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:59:46 +0000

By Leonard David, SPACE.com’s Space Insider Columnist Date: 03 February 2012

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — This year is key for Virgin Galactic’s bid to become the first commercial spaceliner service, as rocket-powered flights of its SpaceShipTwo are on the books for summer.

Meanwhile, assembly of a second vehicle pair — the WhiteKnightTwo carrier plane and another SpaceShipTwo suborbital space plane — is in progress at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.

Full story at Space.com

Congressman McCarthy encourages spaceflight entrepreneurs

Robin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:20:14 +0000

By Joyce Grant, Ridgecrest Daily Independent, Feb. 1, 2012

Ridgecrest, Calif. — On January 24 Congressman Kevin McCarthy, stated that he supports an extension of a provision that limits the ability of the FAA to enact commercial spaceflight safety regulations. The Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act (CSLAA), legislation passed in 2004, is set to expire in December 2012 and concern is that its expiration may open the way for stifling new regulations that will impede the growth of the $34 billion commercial space flight industry.

Full story at Daily Independent

Plane Crazy Saturday Yak Feb 18

Robin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:30:01 +0000

When: Saturday, February 18, 2012 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Free Admission!
Where: Mojave Air and Spaceport Transient Parking Area – By Old Tower

Featured Aircraft of the month – Scott Glaser’s YAK-52. Briefing on YAK-52 history and flying qualities at 11 a.m. in EKAD Board Room.

The Yakovlev Yak-52 (Як-52) is a Russian primary aerobatic/trainer aircraft.

Scott Glaser is an experienced aerospace engineer and pilot. He currently holds a position at The Spaceship Company as a Flight Test Engineer for Scaled Composite’s SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnight Two vehicles.

He has previously worked as the Lead Flight Controls Engineer at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Senior Aeronautical Engineer at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and Performance and Flying Qualities Engineer at the F-22 Combined Test Force amongst other roles.

Scott also has extensive aerospace physiology experience as Director of Flight Dynamics Research at the National Aerospace Training and Research Center where he has been the principal investigator on multiple programs related to the training of pilots in high stress environments.

As a pilot, Scott in an experienced warbird aerobatic pilot, holds single, multi-engine and instrument instructor ratings and is a FAST formation lead pilot. Mr. Glaser holds both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania.

Scott will bring his beautifully restored Russian YAK-52 for our Aircraft of the Month and will give a briefing in the EKAD Board Room about the history of the aircraft and its flying qualities.

Scott is a member of the Society of Flight Test Engineers and promised to invite everyone to this Plane Crazy, so we will have lots of engineers from NASA Dryden, Scaled Composites, TheSpaceShip Company, Northrop-Grumman and other aerospace firms in the area!

Fly in and display your aircraft for Plane Crazy Saturday! Wen Painter will be on hand in the Voyager Restaurant to sign Tax-exempt forms for pilots.

All guests are reminded to observe flightline safety rules, including: no touching propellers, no running, no pets, and keep a watchful eye for taxiing aircraft! Thanks!

KMHV – TWR 127.6 WX AWOS-3 (132.225) (661.824.5218) Ground 123.9 Joshua Approach 133.65
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KMHV

See you at Mojave Air & Space Port!

Get Nosey about History! www.mojavemuseum.org

Mojave becoming aerospace epicenter

Robin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 07:50:56 +0000

BY STEVEN MAYER Californian staff writer
smayer@bakersfield.com | Saturday, Jan 28 2012 05:00 PM

MOJAVE AIR & SPACE PORT — Aerospace types love this rural desert location for its clear, dry weather, its sparse population and its comfortable distance from major news outlets.

But Dave Masten, CEO of Masten Space Systems, says there’s another reason his company stays in Mojave.

“The neighbors don’t complain,” Masten says with a grin.

“Even if you’re testing a rocket engine,” he says. “And rocket tests can be very loud.”

Long known as a place where space cowboys and scientist-entrepreneurs could carve out a niche in the specialized world of aviation and aerospace, Mojave Air & Space Port has grown — some might say grown up — in recent years to include ambitious, well-funded companies that are expected to deliver on the promise that the sky is no longer the limit when it comes to private space flight.

Full story at Bakersfield.com

Congressman McCarthy talks commercial spaceflight

Robin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:53:09 +0000

By Kevin McCarthy
Daily Independent, Ridgecrest, Calif.
Posted Jan 24, 2012 @ 12:00 PM

Eight years ago, I witnessed firsthand the beginning of a new space age right here in Kern County: the era of private spaceflight. Thousands flocked to Mojave to watch SpaceShipOne, the first privately manned spacecraft, soar into the heavens and return safely back to Earth. Today, SpaceShipOne hangs in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum as another reminder of Mojave’s impact on aerospace history.

The Mojave Air and Space Port has led the way in cutting-edge aerospace innovation, and is home to a thriving private commercial space industry that was born from the Ansari X-Prize. Companies like Virgin Galactic, Scaled Composites, the Spaceship Company, XCOR, Masten Space Systems and Firestar have racked up a list of “firsts” known around the globe. These “firsts” are having a tangible impact on our economy today.

Currently, the Space Port is at 100 percent capacity with a quarter of all jobs there in the private commercial space industry. And this is just the beginning. More jobs are coming. Just last month, a new commercial space flight venture was formed: Stratolaunch Systems. The brainchild of Paul Allen and Burt Rutan, Stratolaunch Systems aims to build a major portion of its new space delivery system at Mojave. It’s clear that the private sector is ready and willing to step up to keep America at the forefront of space flight.

But that’s also where things can get tricky. The business owners and innovators in our community are well aware of the government’s affinity to regulate just for the sake of regulating. Fortunately, in 2004, common sense legislation regarding the regulation of commercial space flight was passed that gave the industry room to innovate and grow while also protecting the safety of crew members and the public. This is an example of government allowing the private sector to do what it does best: innovate and create new technologies. However, the legislation is slated to expire at the end of this year, and that could mean a whole slew of new regulations on the growing $34 billion commercial space flight industry.

There is no question that the safety of crew members and the public is of utmost importance, but unleashing Washington bureaucrats on this industry now could mean the end of private commercial space flight in America before it even gets off the ground. That is why I am fighting to extend the 2004 provisions.

The successes witnessed and the jobs already created are just a glimpse into the full economic and technological possibilities of private commercial space flight. And I will keep fighting to allow this industry to reach its potential and see more good jobs created right here in our backyard.

Space on Earth

Robin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:23:32 +0000

A visit to a wooden hangar where the future is being born

Brian Doherty from the February 2012 issue of Reason Magazine

The sight is a wickedly thin line of shimmering and vibrant pale green. The sensation is a warm pulse. The sound is muffled to insensibility by high-grade ear protection. On my tape recorder later, however, I hear it: a sharp-edged roaring whoosh that strains my speakers to the breaking point.

It’s an honest-to-goodness rocket engine, designed to shift a spaceship floating in weightless suborbit in order to give a passenger a different viewpoint, or to position the craft for safe re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere and gravity well. It’s burning a proprietary, nontoxic fuel mixture.

Full story at Reason.com

Plane Crazy Saturday January 21

Robin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:40:36 +0000

Mojave Transportation Museum Foundation presents Plane Crazy Saturday! January 21, 2012 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Free admission!

Featured Aircraft of the Month! Chuck Coleman’s Extra 300L. Special Photo Aerobatic Presentation by Chuck Coleman 11 AM – EKAD Board Room!!

Fly in and display your aircraft for Plane Crazy Saturday! Wen Painter will be on hand in the Voyager Restaurant to sign Tax-exempt forms for pilots.

Tram rides to T-hangars with Alan Radecki! Bring the kids! Bring a camera!

All guests are reminded to observe flightline safety rules, including: no touching propellers, no running, no pets, and keep a watchful eye for taxiing aircraft! Thanks! Enjoy a day at Mojave Air & Spaceport!

See you there!

Get nosey about history! Go to: www.mojavemuseum.org

Newsletter January 2012

Robin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:42:38 +0000

News and Commentary from Stuart O. Witt, CEO and General Manager, Mojave Air & Space Port

2011 was a transformational year here in Mojave. The first privately funded, purpose-built facility to build spaceships was completed in Mojave. That’s a big deal.

Next door the announcement that Paul G. Allen and Stratolaunch will now be constructing two facilities to construct a carrier aircraft, as a critical component of a new space system, will also be built in 2012. So our Taxiway B project, which was designed 11 years ago and constructed seven years ago, now has two showcase tenants. We’re very pleased to have them in Mojave and appreciate their business.

In 2011 we also constructed a photovoltaic tracking system, using concentrated Fresnel lenses to concentrate the Sun’s energy on very small chips, powering the Administration building and others at the airport. We chose a forward leaning concentrated PV system to capture the enormous amount of solar energy falling on Mojave, and put it to our long-term use. It sends a powerful message to our new tenants, and the rest of the world, that we are a totally innovative organization looking at any way to improve efficiencies and capitalize on technology.

We also improved our primary runway. This primary runway can now handle the largest aircraft flying in the world, and that’s significant for a General Aviation airport. It’s also significant that that same runway can hold an aircraft the size of what Mr. Allen plans to produce under Stratolaunch.

For the last few years in the development of our rail yard, which we’ve used to support the wind industry and other specialty freight hauling needs, we’ve realized a considerable amount of un-budgeted revenue. That revenue has been used to enhance our entire facility, the refurbishment of many old World War II facilities that now have a new life. All of those facilities are filled.

We continue to upgrade older buildings. We will continue that in 2012, hiring local labor from the local work force. The long-term goal is to completely facelift the entire Mojave Air and Space Port to meet the needs of the future.

In 2011 we began the process of designing a new rocket test facility on the east side of the airport that would require the movement of water, power, sewer and natural gas under our primary runway, which in itself will now open thousands of acres for development on the east side.

Many of the space tenants at Mojave – Masten Space Systems, XCOR Aerospace, Firestar, BonNova and others – have been testing rocket motors quietly, if that’s possible.

In an amazing way, when you look at the totality of rocket tests worldwide, more rockets have been tested in Mojave than the rest of the world combined in the last decade. Today nine rocket tests will be conducted at Mojave, by one company, Masten. Nowhere else on Earth is that happening today.

Mojave has had a long term attachment to western Europe. Test pilots from western Europe have come to Mojave for several decades, to train and practice their skills, bring projects that are European-based over to Mojave where they have a place to test. This last year we took that to a new level. I worked with representatives of a company in the Netherlands known as Space Exedition Curaçao, and joined them in Curaçao to do an assessment of needs and assessment of operations on how they could operate suborbital spaceflights from the island of Curaçao.

We also worked with Spaceport Sweden in the Swedish Lapland in a place called Kiruna, which is actually a place very much like Mojave, a northern mining community in a very dry climate that happens to be very cold. It’s very interesting that both locations have been in the aerospace business for over 60 years. Kiruna, Sweden’s focus has been in space where Mojave’s has been in the aero. And now Mojave is getting into the space and Kiruna is branching out into the aero, for flights through the Northern Lights, and now they want to do suborbital spaceflights in Kiruna. So we signed a historic agreement to partner on projects.

Furthermore we’re looking at similar agreements with organizations from Spain and Belgium in 2012.

Through these trips and through these agreements we meet a whole new host of people around the world, and we all share common desires, and that is to actually exponentially expand human spaceflight. And we need to do that across borders. We need to do that by collaboration. This is an exciting time and we are very thankful to be at the center of it here in Mojave.

At a very local level, one thing that several of our tenants have identified as a critical need in Mojave is revitalization of the town of Mojave. So we have partnered now on starting an initiative with the Chamber of Commerce to begin a revitalization plan, no different than what the community did in Tehachapi and just made a remarkable difference in the lifestyle in Tehachapi. It helps so many ways. It helps with recruitment of the talent and workforce required to carry out your mission. It helps with retaining those people by providing a livable lifestyle in their own community.

People like and want to work green. Not everybody wants to drive a car to work. Many would like to ride a bicycle. That lifestyle is what the younger work force demands, and that’s what we intend to deliver.

As we look to the past and then reflect on what’s possible in the future, we can’t ignore the accomplishments of the designer Burt Rutan and his brother Dick the pilot, who designed Voyager. That was a remarkable accomplishment and the record stands today as the first un-refueled nonstop flight to circumnavigate the globe 25 years ago today. Fascinating accomplishment, and the legacy of that accomplishment is alive and well in Mojave today.

Looking forward to 2012, people want to know my view of what the future holds, and what’s possible. Since 2004, the last suborbital flights that carried humans and were conducted from Mojave, I’ve predicted that 2012 would be the next year. I still think 2012 will be the next exciting round of manned suborbital development flights from Mojave.

If we are successful, several companies developing these systems will then offer these systems to extend around the United States and hopefully around the world. If our government can find relief on ITAR, which is currently holding back an entire industry from a market that’s out there in the world that wants access to our minds, services and capabilities. Read that as Products. Humans made this rule. Humans can undo this rule and open an entire world market to the products coming out of Mojave and other places around the United States.

When I traveled around the world this year and met with people from Europe, long-standing customers with Mojave and developing new European customers with Mojave, people all say the same thing: What we offer here is actually quite simple, and they say, “So American.” But frankly it’s been lost on many Americans. What we offer is permission. We give people permission to dream, to develop and to test and hopefully find breakthroughs. We will not lose the focus on our primary core mission of giving people permission.

Sincerely,

Stuart O. Witt