Memorandum
To:
From: Jake Valdez
Date: February 7, 20xx
Subject: Recommendation for extended research
Earlier this week upon your approval of the use of your facilities for research I began to look into the government imposed challenges, as well as the technological challenges that accompany the development of manned spacecraft. Since then I have conducted many interviews of your employees and made many observations of the way your company conducts its R&D of manned missions. I have developed valuable knowledge in the field of aerospace that would have been unachievable without your generosity
During my research I have figured out some of the hurdles that must be overcome to develop, test, build, and launch manned, and even unmanned, spacecraft. Some of these include obtaining licenses and purchasing insurance to cover the potential damage and loss of life that could be caused by an unsuccessful test or launch. Also designing a ship that can support a crew on a specific mission and be light enough to launch and return while still offering enough fuel and protection to keep the crew alive during the course of their mission. At the outset of my research I planned to conduct most of my own research and the use of your facilities to supplement and reinforce my knowledge. This tactic worked well for a time; however, in a field such as aerospace it can get difficult to basically teach oneself certain topics. Access to your employees and facilities quickly became essential to my research.
Government Challenges
My research has brought to my attention the need to become licensed under the Commercial Space Launch Act by the FAA to fly missions or to develop and test rockets. [i] However, it is possible to get a permit for launches and depending on the situation this may be the better option. Mission operators must also buy “insurance” for each launch to ensure that any possible damage from a failed launch is covered. This coverage ranges depending on the type of launch and will be determined by the FAA. [ii] Unmanned, experimental launches can be launched with a permit, but are ineligible to be covered by indemnification (insurance).
Figure 1: FAA Licensed Spaceports, US 2009
Source: http://www.examiner.com/article/jacksonville-s-spaceport-is-getting-closer-1
Financial Challenges
People are regularly sent into orbit to crew the ISS; however, this is a relatively close and easy target to reach compared to missions to the Moon, Mars, or even asteroids. Technology is a huge limiting factor for planning manned missions to distance bodies. A major problem is that launching one kilogram into orbit averages about $5,000. [iii] This does not include the cost to produce the launch stages that will ultimately be ditched and never reused. The cost for powering a craft that could make a journey anywhere significant past the moon would weight thousands of kilograms simply for the power supplies. [iv] Any spacecraft traveling past Earth’s magnetic field would require shielding to protect against solar radiation and micro meteorites, which would add considerable mass. This ship would also have to carry along food, supplies, and fuel for the journey. All this combined would cost millions to launch.
Technological Challenges
Most of the technical challenges in manned spacecraft involve weight. As previously discussed, every extra kilogram that needs to reach orbit cost thousands of dollars. The need to keep launch costs down drives engineers and scientists to push technology to become smaller and lighter. Aside from making current technology smaller and lighter, it is important to innovate. Advances like your Falcon-9 launch stage’s recovery and reusability drives the aerospace industry. Advances such as these allow companies to spend less on constantly manufacturing new launch stages. This cuts down on launch costs and allows companies to send more payloads into orbit. [v]
Recommendation for further research
Without the time spent at your facilities it would have been impossible to gain this level of understanding of the way the aerospace industry works. Because of this I would like to request an extension of my access to your facilities to aid in my research. I would like to look deeper into ways to improve on the technological challenges that face future space launches and how you plan to overcome them. The degree of thought that has to go into the design of a craft to make it functional for a launch fascinates me and I would appreciate the opportunity to research it deeper with the aid of your facilities and possibly a mentor from within your company.
Thank you for allowing me to go into your facilities and get a hands-on experience for what I wanted to research.
Copies:
Interviewees (hypothetical)
R&D department (hypothetical)
Mission specialists (hypothetical)
[i] International Astronautical Congress 2008 - Glasgow. THE ORIGIN AND PRACTICE OF U.S. COMMERCIAL HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT REGULATIONS (2008): 7-8. 2008. Web. 07 Feb. 2015. <http://iacse.commercial-space.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/iac-08d516.pdf>.
[ii] COMMERCIAL SPACE LAUNCH ACT. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Goa.gov. 6 June 2012. Web. 7 Feb. 2015. <http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/591391.pdf>.
[iii] "Space Transportation Costs: Trends in Price Per Pound to Orbit." Generic Price Per Pound Calculation (2002): n. pag. 6 Sept. 2002. Web. 07 Feb. 2015. <http://www.futron.com/upload/wysiwyg/Resources/Whitepapers/Space_Transportation_Costs_Trends_0902.pdf>.
[iv] "APPLICATION OF NUCLEAR ROCKET PROPULSION TO MANNED MARS SPACECRAFT - Engineering Problems of Manned Interplanetary Exploration (AIAA)." N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. <http://arc.aiaa.org/doi/pdf/10.2514/6.1963-1507>.
[v] Majumdar, Dave. "SpaceX Claims Partial Success." Technologyreview.com. N.p., 12 Jan. 2015. Web. 8 Feb. 2015. <http://www.technologyreview.com/news/533986/spacex-claims-partial-success-with-rocket-crash-landing/>.