This is a Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series talk, held last November at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. It addressed some of the key aspects to NASA’s “Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission” as it looks to take human space travel to a new level by breaking out of the recent low Earth orbit missions. This talk was given by a long time veteran of the Jet Propulsion Lab, Brian Muirhead who is currently the Chief Engineer at JPL. Discussion included what is involved in planning a mission to the asteroid belt, possible target asteroids to capture, how to bring the asteroid back to orbit around the Moon for study, space craft design, propulsion, planetary defense techniques, robotic technologies required for such endeavours, and much more.

After being delayed by a day, the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket with NASA’s Orion spacecraft successfully launched from the US Air Force’s space complex at Cape Canaveral. The powerful rocket system helped the unmanned spacecraft conduct its maiden voyage which included traveling 3,600 miles (5,800 kilometers) from Earth before Orion’s 4.5 hour journey ended with a splashdown and successful recovery in the Pacific Ocean. This inaugural test was used to validate the  Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle’s (MPCV) all important heat shield and some of the avionics for a spacecraft that NASA hopes will one day allow manned missions to Mars, asteroids and possibly deeper into space.

The Orion reference has deep mythological meaning, with the constellation of the same name represented by the Greek hunter. Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius drew the Orion constellation in Uranographia, his celestial catalog back in the 1600s.

The X-38 Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) was a prototype wingless lifting body reentry vehicle to be used with the International Space Station (ISS). This picture shows a test from 1999 where the X-38 CRV was dropped from one of the wing pylons of NASA’s B-52 mothership aircraft (tail number 008 and in a role very atypical of the BUFF) based out of the Dryden Flight Research Center. Two full and one partial X-38 prototypes were built before development of this CRV was cancelled in 2002.

This NASA photo includes an interesting cross section of its research aircraft. Starting on the left and going clock wise, the major aircraft are:

Rockwell-MBB X-31 
The Rockwell-Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm X-31 was a test platform designed for validating thrust vectoring engine technology for DARPA, NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Two X-31 Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability planes were built and 500 test flights were conducted between 1990-95.

McDonnell Douglas F-15 STOL
The F-15 STOL/MTD (Short Takeoff and Landing/Maneuver Technology Demonstrator) was a modified F-15 Eagle. This technology demonstrator was used by NASA and the US Air Force to study thrust vectoring and maneuverability. The single testbed was later used for the F-15 ACTIVE (Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles) to further study enhanced aircraft maneuverability.

Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird”
This super-secretive Mach3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft originated from Lockheed’s famous Skunk Works secret projects program. NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center based out of Edwards Air Force Base in California flew SR-71 Blackbirds between 1992 and 1999, when the “Blackbird” was retired from service.

Convair F-106 Delta Dart
The F-106 was an all-weather-interceptor inducted into service with the USAF in 1959. The drone version of the aircraft (QF-106) was used by NASA in the late 1990s at Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California as part of project Eclipse. It demonstrated the ability to tow and launch a reusable launch vehicle from behind the towing airplane.

General Dynamics F-16XL
This cranked-arrow delta wing version of the USAF (and NATO) workhorse F-16 Fighting Falcon was developed to compete in the Enhanced Tactical Fighter requirement of the USAF. After losing out to the F-15E Strike Eagle, the two F-16XL planes were used by NASA to test various flight characteristics and performance measures. One of the prototypes even attained supercruise during NASA testing at Dryden Flight Research Center in California.

X-38 Crew Return Vehicle (CRV)
NASA’s X-38 was conceived as a family of vehicles to be used with the International Space Station (ISS). It included collaboration with the ESA and the German Space Agency (DLR). The wingless lifting body re-entry vehicle conducted  its first test flight in 1999 but the program was cancelled in 2002.

McDonnell Douglas/Boeing X-36
The X-36 was a prototype remotely piloted concept jet, designed to 28% scale of a fighter aircraft. Two prototypes were built and the program, which included NASA’s Ames and Dryden Research Centers, was completed in November 1997 having successfully demonstrated its tailless fighter design. Some additional testing was done in 1998 after which the two sub-scale  technology demonstrator aircraft were shelved.

The full presentation is long (2.5 hours) but worth watching for  space enthusiasts and budding, future astronauts

NASA’s main west coast facility is located at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Located in Central California, Vandenberg is preferred for spacecraft requiring a north-south orbit.

Kodiak Island facility is used by NASA for polar launch operations, providing a wide launch azimuth and unobstructed downrange flight path. The Reagan Test Site located in the South Pacific’s Kwajalein Atoll and the Wallops Island flight facility in Virginia are the other specialized NASA space launch facilities.

• exoplanets and the search for life in the rest of the universe;
• demonstration of a new app for visualizing Kepler data which could help us find Earth like planets around other stars;
• Hubble space telescope demo
• James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Panel “First Signs: Finding Life on Other Planets.”