Click to edit Master title style,Click to edit Master text styles,Second level,Third level,Fourth level,Fifth level,LSU 08/06/2004,*,The Unique Opportunities of Ballooning,T.Gregory Guzik,Louisiana State University,Scientific Ballooning Roadmap Workshop,August 10,2004,LSU 08/06/2004,1,Justifying the Balloon Program,In my view,1,there are three primary reasons that justify,enhancement,of the NASA scientific balloon program,Unfettered innovation leading to scientific advances,Space mission prototype development and testing,Aerospace workforce(human capital)training,1,The state of Louisiana has issued the following warning about this presentation and disassociates itself from all views,opinions,conjectures,arguments,statements,measurements,calculations,facts,figures,logic and blatant lies contained therein.This is a work of opinion.Names,characters,places,and incidents have been changed to protect the guilty.Any resemblance to actual federal agencies,projects or programs,currently funded or on the chopping block,is entirely coincidental.,LSU 08/06/2004,2,Unfettered Innovation,Ballooning is significantly less expensive and highly risk tolerant compared to all other NASA programs,Fewer,more effective personnel leads to lower cost,Minimum number of personnel are required and these are focused on solving issues rather than certification documentation,Timescale from concept to flight is short,3 5 years for balloons compared to decade or more for satellites,Untried,high risk technologies can be incorporated,Satellites usually require established“heritage,These fundamental characteristics promote innovation that is the bedrock for new scientific discoveries,Ballooning usually leads to the opening of new fields of study,Development of X-ray&Gamma-ray astronomy is a classic example,Ballooning is the“seed corn that yields a new crop of missions,LSU 08/06/2004,3,Prototype Development,The large cost of space missions requires that there be assurance that systems will function as advertised and development be within time&cost constraints,Providing the basis for this assurance is an ideal role for balloon platforms,Near-space testing of techniques,sensors and systems raises the Technology Readiness Level.,Fast turn-around&low cost allows concepts to be developed,tested,evaluated,redesigned and retested to optimize systems,Competing concepts for space missions could be initially funded for development&flight as balloon payloads,Comparison now based on flight data rather than simulations,Development of a balloon payload space mission prototype provides basis for accurate time and cost estimates,Reduces risk and saves on overall mission cost,LSU 08/06/2004,4,A Problem with THE Vision,The Presidents Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy devotes a full section in their report to education,workforce development and public engagement.,“a workforce of great technical skill in their chosen disciplines will be required in implement the system of systems that will accomplish the space exploration vision.(p.42),“The workforce required for the United States to prosper as a nation is not begin trained adequately.(footnote p.41),“2001 Hart-Rudman Commission warned that the failure of math and science education was the second largest national security threat facing America.(footnote p.41),LSU 08/06/2004,5,The suggested solution,The Presidents Commission recommends(8-1)that NASA partner with universities to develop a“virtual space academy,“goals of which are:1)to provide tangible experiences that prepare students for a future in a space-related field,and 2)to bridge the divide between engineering and science training.(p.44),“consist of university-based science and engineering experiments to train young scientists and engineers,(p.44),“designed to provide senior undergraduate and/or graduate-level experience for integrated engineering/science teams that teach systems engineering and science/engineering integration(p.44),Isnt this what university-based NASA supported science should be doing already?Why not?,LSU 08/06/2004,6,Wherefore art thou,Next Generation?,NASA has a complex assurance certification process for space missions that is problematic for most universities,Many universities uncompetitive when proposing for space missions.,Those with previous flight experience must off load much of the payload development to NASA Centers or Aerospace companies in order to cope.,Project life-cycles of a decade or more are inconsistent with most degree programs,Result is that most students are never exposed to the excitement and practical experience associated with developing a space mission,Given academic schedules,students only see a“snap-shot of the full project life-cycle,Might be able to gain some prototype testing OR data analysis experience,Students have very limited hands-on training even during internships,High risk&high cost to train students with flight hardware,LSU 08/06/2004,7,University Ballooning and t