Frank DiBello's Vision for Florida at the National Space Club

“Florida is hot!” That is how Frank DiBello, Space Florida’s President and CEO, started his annual update at today’s National Space Club luncheon. And he’s not kidding. My phone app gave a temperature of 90 degrees as I left the talk this afternoon but my car thermometer read 97 degrees – and it’s not even summer yet! “And not just because of our weather,” he continued. The aerospace market in Florida is hot.

Although technology failed us when he attempt to show this promotional tourism video, he got the point across: space is important to Florida’s past, present, and future.

A lot of Frank’s talking points were familiar: Florida has a talented workforce, space infrastructure, and a great history of achievement. The Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station combined) is a jewel of the state. There’s no denying that so many in the space business (such as myself) love working in Florida.

Frank discussed some of Space Florida’s big recent successes: the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) hand-over from NASA to Space Florida, Blue Origin’s decision to launch and manufacture at the Cape, the OneWeb and Airbus decision to open a factory here. So many big news items, so little time to discuss them all in detail!

Frank’s main focus was the future. Ever since 1989 when the state created Florida Space Authority, Space Florida’s predecessor organization, the state’s goal has been to attract and retain space business. Space Florida’s goal is to become a global leader in space, but there is and always will be competition. “The marketplace can and will speak with its feet,” Frank warned, as he has in the past. But joyfully he added, “ And many are speaking with their feet by coming here.”

Frank spoke of his vision for Florida’s spaceport in 2025 (a bit of an arbitrary date, generally meaning “the future”). His vision is to create an independent spaceport authority to handle routine launches and is tailored to handle commerce. Federal institutions such as NASA and the DoD have their charters. But with academic and private sectors, the space industry will grow. He emphasized that this agency may not be Space Florida; it may be a federal, state, or quasi-government agency.

To assist with the evolution of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Frank plans to create a Commercial Industry Task Force to assess whether Space Florida is truly achieving the goal they’ve set for being global leader. At this time, he didn't have a lot of details to reveal about this task force, just the general idea that there's work to be done.

Work that needs to be done, for example: space infrastructure is being modernized and continues to be upgraded. Right now, there is a capacity problem in nitrogen and helium pipelines at the Cape. ULA and SpaceX both require use of these pipelines. If one user needs it, another user must wait. Businesses shouldn’t have to wait on their competition. There's also old, outdated infrastructure. Every piece of infrastructure needs to have a function or create revenue, or it will be disposed of.

“Our job as a spaceflight authority is to think outside the fence,” Frank joked. Within the Q&A, he wrapped up by advocating that we support Space Florida’s efforts by advocating for NASA and DoD programs and budgets. It’s hard to do long range planning with short term politics that are questioned every few years.

Frank and I may disagree in regards to the need for NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion for programmatic and political stability, but I agree with his desire for sustainability and long-term planning. Florida has come a long way since the retirement of the Space Shuttle program five years ago and will continue to grow as NASA, DoD, and private industry make long-term plans and continue to do them.

This is how baby Josephine and I do NSC luncheons - in style! - June 14, 2016

Space Science Awesomeness at Florida Space Institute and a Reusable Rocket in the Port

Hello pretty reusable rocket stage! - May 10, 2016

I have an internal debate every time. Should I bring my baby to this professional event? Why shouldn't I? But I've never seen anyone else bring a baby. What are my options, aside from skipping the event? Will anyone actually care?

Lately, the debate has been decided by this definitive statement: “I'm about to bring a baby to a conference for three whole days. I need to get over it.”

And so, for the National Space Club's monthly luncheon, I brought my baby along with me. The guest speaker was Ray Lugo, the head of the Florida Space Institute (FSI) which I was sort of under as a graduate student at the University of Central Florida (UCF). I wasn't going to miss his talk about my grad university and colleagues!

Attendees immediately made me feel welcome as I walked through the door with Josephine in my arms. The first person I spoke with, Barry, told me that he was glad I brought her. To my surprise, three people took photos with me and her. Eddie put my unsettled mind at ease, telling me that he brought his kid to events like this when they were little. The man I sat next to even plated my salad and poured my water for me. Thank you, everyone!

She slept while I ate. Then awoke and babbled during the talk! - May 10, 2016

Ray gave an overview of FSI for those unfamiliar. This began with an overview of the professors, all of which I knew and had worked with during my time as a graduate student. Then he went over some of their current research project. First, Josh Colwell and Addie Dove's projects. Strata-1 is a regolith size distribution project launched to the International Space Station. The cubesat experiment Q-PACE is another regolith experiment to study dust dynamics in microgravity, very similar to my grad research. NanoRocks, which had just begun when I was a student, flew on ISS in 2014 with NanoRacks.

Next, Phil Metzger's projects. World is Not Enough (WINE) is a collaboration with Honeybee Robotics to develop an ISS cubesat to test in-situ resource utilization technology such as sample acquisition, volatiles capture, and 3D-printed cold gas thrusters that use water vapor. Phil is also working on developing asteroid simulants and ISRU using clay but the slides moved too quickly for me to read it all.

Ray then discussed some of Dan Britt's projects such as the development of Martian sensors and a mission called Gulliver to conduct Martian moon sample return. He also mentioned an Earth observation cubesat mission and ground-penetrating radar to study asteroids. He concluded his talk by mentioning that UCF may bid to take over the operationsof the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico.

Ray Lugo at the National Space Club Florida Committee luncheon - May 10, 2016

Already at Port Canaveral for the talk, I stopped by Milliken's to check out the recovered SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage that launch and landed on a ship in the ocean on Friday. I stepped off the sidewalk onto a little dirt path so I could get a shot with the rocks and palm frond. So cool! I love living in Florida.

A space geek, a reusable rocket, and a baby. - May 10, 2016

Thank you, National Space Club Florida Committee, for making this working mom feel welcome.

Progress Happening at NASA KSC with Center Director Bob Cabana

NASA KSC Director Bob Cabana at National Space Club - March 8, 2016

Every year, the National Space Club Florida Committee is honored to hear from NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, also a former astronaut (STS-41, STS-53, STS-65, and STS-88). Today he was back at the luncheon at Cape Canaveral to give us an update on KSC!

No official NASA talk would be complete with the obligatory Journey to Mars mention and chart. Bob didn't harp on it. Instead, he dove right into the meat of his presentation: upgrades and progress at KSC. The big push here over the past few years has been including commercial industry and making infrastructure modifications to become a multi-user spaceport.

One of the exciting pieces of space hardware I got to see last year was the Orion crew capsule for Exploration Mission EM-1 in the O&C building's high bay being worked on by Lockheed Martin. Orion is officially scheduled to launch in fall 2018, but will likely slip. In addition to mentioning Orion, Bob also talked about SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule and Boeing's CST-100 Starliner crew capsule, both currently scheduled for launch in 2017.

Bob also spoke up modifications to the mobile launcher and the crawler transporter. After modifications, this will be the crawler transporter for the next 30 years, he said. He also mentioned that modifications to the Space Launch System (SLS)'s launch pad 39B have been completed. Because SLS is only scheduled to launch at the most once per year, they are seeking additional users for that pad.

Although there are more ULA and SpaceX launches scheduled at the Cape in the next few months, the next NASA Launch Services mission isn't until the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-Rex) launches on an Atlas V, currently expected to be in September. I'm excited about this robotic probe mission which will bring back a sample from a carbonaceous asteroid!

NASA and Space Florida recently signed an agreement for Phase B of Exploration Park. For those unfamiliar, the only building currently in Exploration Park is the Space Life Sciences Laboratory (SLSL) where I've coincidentally worked in for three previous jobs or projects. In Phase B, Blue Origin will build a manufacturing plant for its reusable rockets. I was surprised to learn how big this facility will be! According to Bob, it will be seven stories tall and have a bigger footprint than the huge Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at KSC.

Bob spoke a bit about the workforce drop-off after the space shuttle program ended. KSC's NASA workforce is currently stable and predicted to remain approximately constant so long as budgets are relatively constant. He gave an anecdotal story about NASA losing employees to private industry which is ramping up right now.

National Space Club luncheons are always a fun place to catch up with colleagues. Where else can I show off baby photos (the launch photos in my previous blog entry) to the KSC Director, a U.S. Congressman, and so many other space enthusiasts in the room? Bob also graciously gave me a little bit of his time for a 30 second interview (see below): What is your favorite thing happening at KSC in the coming year? Check it out!

Spacey Halloween Fun at Kennedy Space Center

Two years ago, I had the privilege of attending the National Space Club's Celebrate Space dinner with two young ladies, Sarah and Kelly, as my dates. We dined under the space shuttle orbiter Atlantis, danced the night away with KSC director Bob Cabana, and walked barefoot around the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex grounds after the party had ended. Much fun was had!

Sarah, Kelly, Bob Cabana, and me - October 19, 2013

On Saturday, we three once again attended the NSC's Celebrate Space party. Only these year, it was Halloween themed! Costumes were optional, but I couldn't resist. The day I bought my ticket, I already knew what I would dress as. My belly bump is around, most celestial objects are round – perfect!

The now iconic Pluto heart surface feature photo was fresh on my mind. I ordered a print-out of that image on a large piece of fabric which I then pinned to a scarf to tie around my waist. On the day of the event, it took a lot of pins to smooth a flat Pluto image around my pregnant belly! My daughter Josephine transformed into the dwarf planet Pluto for the evening.

My torso was to be the New Horizons probe, basically a gold foiled box with a large antenna dish. My human analog consisted of a gold sequin top, a glittery gold foam antenna dish hat, and lots of glittery gold make-up. To set the scene in space, I ordered little gold star hair accessories and attached them to a black skirt.

Pluto & New Horizons - October 17, 2015

Throughout the evening, a few people recognized Pluto and loved it. Many more people asked me what I was, then loved it. A few people asked me if I was Glinda the Good Witch – not even close. Three people asked me if I was really pregnant. Yes, yes I am. Josephine's frequent kicking was a constant reminder that Pluto is alive and active.

Adorable Kelly dressed as a 1950s astronaut wife, one of the Mercury 7. Commander Sarah looked sleek in her futuristic spacesuit. Many others dressed in space-related or other costumes, and still others came in cocktail attire. Even Bob got in on the costume fun and danced the night away.

My shoes are not meant for dancing these days, but that didn't stop me from getting on the dance floor a few times. Astronaut wife Kelly, Pirate Bonnie, and I posed for a photo in front of Atlantis. My shoes came off by the end of the evening as the party winded down. Our plan to walk the grounds barefoot again was foiled by construction - next time! A good time was had by all. Kudos to the National Space Club for a fun event!

Bonnie, Kelly, and me - October 17, 2015

Losing the Forest for the Trees in NASA Exploration Systems Development

NASA's Bill Hill discusses previous space exploration achievements - July 14, 2015

Sandwiched between Pluto celebrations today, I attended the monthly National Space Club luncheon. Today's guest speaker was Bill Hill, NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development.

We all know that engineers aren't always the best public speakers. Sometimes the people with the best technical knowledge have difficulty translating that information to an effective presentation. The experts in the room probably didn't learn anything new from today's talk, and in fact a few of us caught some errors. (This Jupiter/Mars mix-up caught by my friend Ryan was my favorite.) But we made the best of it.

Although NASA's New Horizon's mission to Pluto got a brief mention in the beginning, the talk stuck to NASA's current exploration talking points, especially the “journey to Mars.” Science enables exploration and exploration enables science, he said. But we are limited by the top line, that is, funding and budgets. Along those lines, international partnerships are the key to sustainability.

The speaker briefly mentioned the major lesson of the International Space Station (really, all space missions): what works on Earth doesn't work so well in space. We are building capability and experience. He focused on the Orion exploration vehicle and NASA's work to build a better booster. In an audience question about how well Congress responds to NASA, he stated that we need to prove our worth every day.

One thing that struck me about this talk is that we can get lost in the details about what we're working on and forget the bigger picture and purpose. Today should be a day when every NASA employee should be celebrating the success of a NASA mission to explore the solar system, especially someone with the word exploration in his title, and yet he sounded like even mentioning it was an obligation. He wasn't excited about Mars either, it seemed like he was forced to mention it because “journey to Mars” is the current NASA buzzphrase. The only thing that seemed to excite the engineer was talk about the Orion test launch last December and the rocket booster testing.

But why do we care about a new spacecraft or a new rocket? What good is a new exploration system without the spirit of exploration? In pure engineering thought, his concern is: how do we get this system to work the way we want it. I come at it from scientist thought: what do we want this system to do, and why? His colleagues may only care about the how, but the rest of the world wants to know the what and the why. And so do I.

A Vision for Florida's Space Future with Frank DiBello of Space Florida

 

Space Florida President & CEO Frank DiBello, National Space Club, June 9, 2015

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of hanging out with my space peeps at the National Space Club luncheon. It’s always a pleasure to see familiar faces, meet new ones, and hear a great talk.

This month’s lunch speaker was Frank DiBello giving his annual update on Space Florida. I keep up on the news well enough to know pretty much everything he was going to say, but it’s still interesting to note how he says it. Style, tone, and emphases matter just as much as facts and figures.

Space Florida is a state entity that focused on aerospace economic development. I’ve been working with them in various ways for a couple of years now, most strongly with the Shiloh commercial spaceport initiative, the NASA transfer of the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF), and the annual Florida Space Day. I find it all exciting and a lot of fun!

Frank began with the usual warnings that Florida needs to evolve. This has been an issue for several years now. For so many years, Florida had the space shuttle program to keep us happy and complacent, but when that program ended, the world shifted under many people’s feet.

We need additional and diverse businesses to keep our high-tech sector here, and we need to make ourselves business-friendly to do so. We’ve seen companies choose to set up shop elsewhere because Florida isn’t evolving fast enough, but we’ve also seen companies such as mine choose to locate in Florida. Slowly, Florida is becoming a hub of aerospace industry outside of direct NASA influence. I would like to see it happen faster, but nothing in the space industry happens quickly.

Frank said that the marketplace votes with its investment dollars and its feet. We have aggressive domestic and international competition. To effectively compete, we need to be efficient, low cost, and responsive to the next generation. Florida can't rely on its space heritage. The goal is to become a business location.

Frank described his vision for the future of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport.  He spoke about the numerous infrastructure projects that Space Florida has financed, 20 if I heard correctly.

There is some state political/financial uncertainty at the moment that is holding up the final approval for the SLF handover, but he will ask his board to approve it next week. He spoke about turning the area into a private and commercial spaceport.

Frank touched on the concept of community. We need a community of businesses and capabilities to maintain business here. It is a community challenge that we all have a part in. We are expanding the pool of businesses here who might want to use the future spaceport. He spoke of future private commercial spaceport operations under FAA and OSHA regulations rather than Air Force, and that the Air Force supports moving in this direction (I wish I could be a fly on the wall for those talks!).

Frank spoke about simplifying: creating one regulation authority, one proving structure, and consistency in launch indemnification and insurance. He envisions evolving to a future where business processes are defined less by fences and more by marketplace need. Surprisingly, he noted that change needs to happen not only with federal partners, but also within Space Florida. As much as I love and support them, the common criticisms are valid: they are slow and not always responsive. Frank noted this and remarked that changes are underway.

Space Florida video

I and a couple others had a chance to ask questions after. Of course Shiloh came up. The environmental study on the land is progressing, but of course nothing ever happens as quickly as we’d like. Space Florida gifted us all with Florida state quarters that have the space shuttle on them. “Space Florida, because it’s who we are as Floridians,” says Mike Rowe on the talk's concluding video for the We Are Go campaign.

Some of the conversations that I had after the talk inspired me, and I’m looking forward to taking this inspiration forward. As awesome as my career is, somethings it can seem mundane until someone or something reminds me what we’re all working for.

Tokens from Space Florida - Florida state quarters with the space shuttle!

State of the Center Update with Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana

May 12, 2015 National Space Club Florida Committee luncheon

Today I had the pleasure of returning to the National Space Club monthly luncheon. It's always a fun time to catch up with my space peeps over lunch and hear a good talk. Today's presentation was the annual update from NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Bob Cabana.

Maybe because I've heard Bob speak so much recently, or maybe because all the upper management at NASA are saying the same things, but I didn't hear anything new or noteworthy in today's talk. It was a very standard NASA/KSC presentation including the intro video that I've seen at least twice before. Surprise remarks or new announcements make for a more interesting presentation, but there's something to be said for listening closely to the company message to hear the unspoken and note what's being deemphasized. For example, maybe I missed it, but I don't think the Space Launch System was mentioned once.

Bob's presentation contained lots of NASA PR catchphrases, the first one being: Time to be bold again! I don't think anyone on the planet outside of NASA management would use the word bold to describe NASA in its current state, but in its defense, the agency's hands are tied. I'm sure NASA would love to be bold again, if only it was left alone by its political masters.

Bob's presentation was a general overview of what NASA is up to these days. We explored the Moon with Apollo then left, but now is the time for pioneering, another current catchphrase. Through the International Space Station, humanity established a presence in low-Earth orbit, but now is the time to move on to establish a presence further in the solar system. And by that, NASA means Mars. With robots we've established a presence on Mars, but now we want to do so with humans. Bob spoke about the “pay as you go” method, building on robotic precursors. No additional details were given.

As an astronaut himself, Bob delighted in telling us about the Mark and Scott Kelly twin study. One twin (Scott) will fly on the International Space Station for a year while the other (Mark) remains on Earth, and after a year, their medical results will be compared. This project was controversial in my previous ISS job because of the questionable scientific merit, but it is good PR for NASA.

Bob spoke about the Orion program and recounted the EFT-1 launch in December. He noted that the general feeling at KSC was, “We're back,” and that he didn't expect the launch to feel as good as it did. I have to agree with him. Even though EFT-1 was way over-hyped compared to its actual importance, KSC did seem to come alive for that launch. I very much hope that EFT-1 doesn't mirror Ares I-X's fate.

A mandatory talking point over the past few years, Bob wrapped up by describing the ways in which KSC is becoming a multiuser spaceport and is transforming launch operations. I noted that Bob admitted that it's not happening as quickly as he'd like, “but it is happening.” He briefly mentioned the Shuttle Landing Facility hand-over to Space Florida, a very long time coming, and joked that he'd done all that he could and it was up to Space Florida now. Space Florida, of course, has the reverse opinion. Maybe we'll hear more from Space Florida CEO Frank DiBello when he gives his annual NSC luncheon update next month.

Bob's presentation allowed no time for questions, which was a shame because the most interesting and noteworthy information could have come from his answers to audience questions. He did make an off-the-cuff remark about how astronauts are so soft now, not like the explorers who roughed it in the olden days like Shackleton's expedition to the Antarctic. I ran into (nearly literally) astronaut Chris Ferguson after the talk and I wonder if he feels the same way about current astronauts versus the explorers of old.

KSC Director Bob Cabana - May 12, 2015

To the Space Station, Commercially

It was another gorgeous 80 degree almost-spring day in Florida as I drove to Cape Canaveral. Though I was a little farther south than Kennedy Space Center, the Vehicle Assembly Building still towers in the distance as I drove over the causeway (that is, bridge). The highway that begins in Orlando ends at the coast and turns south at Cape Canaveral where it cutely becomes Astronaut Boulevard. Right near that bend is a stretch of hotels, and that was my destination.

Three National Space Club chapters exist, and I'm lucky enough to live near one of them. Ever since I partnered with the NSC Florida Committee four years ago to co-host one of their networking events, I've been a member and a regular attendee of the monthly luncheons. The crowd comes together to dine, socialize, network, and listen to a guest speaker or two share the latest exciting news in the space industry.

Today's talk was a panel. Lisa Colloredo, the Associate Manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, was the moderator. The two panelists were Barry Matsumori of SpaceX and Pete McGrath of Boeing. The joke was that this panel would be a cage match. It wasn't; the real cage match will be between SpaceX's Elon Musk and ULA's Tory Bruno at a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee hearing next week, if they both attend!

All three speakers opened up with videos. NASA's videos have gotten so much better with time. The video montage featured NASA's commercial crew providers. Lisa Colloredo discussed how NASA is preparing the International Space Station for the commercial companies who will visit the station. The Commercial Crew Program is only as successful as the commercial crew providers, she said, but added that industry has really stepped up! Unless I missed it, I noted that Sierra Nevada Corporation wasn't mentioned at all since they did not win the latest Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts.

Barry Matsumori of SpaceX was the first panelist to speak. He opened with an exciting video typical of SpaceX's flashiness. He began by boasting that SpaceX has had 16 successful Falcon 9 rocket flights, and with 10 engines each, that's 160 successful engines. I seem to recall that a boost stage failure a few years ago doomed an Orbcomm payload to the wrong orbit, but maybe that's not counted as an engine failure for some reason. In either case, SpaceX's Falcon 9 spaceflight success certainly is much improved from its Falcon 1 early years.

The speaker went on to comment that SpaceX is learning to work with NASA and that NASA learning to work with SpaceX! It's such a culture clash, I do hope working relationships are improving. He talked a bit about the Dragon capsule. It had a porthole from the beginning because human transportation has always been the goal. Dragon's success rate is 100%.

SpaceX is continuing infrastructure improvements in Florida. Launch Complex (LC) 40 is their primary launch pad. They are modifying the former space shuttle pad LC 39A (the one Blue Origin competed for) by refurbishing the flame shoot and the pad mouth. They are also building a hanger there nearly twice as large as their existing LC 40 hanger. They are planning for their first test firing in July or August (because the hottest months in Florida need more heat, I think!). They've also converted LC 13 into Landing Complex 1 for when they land their rocket stages on terra firma instead of ocean barges. I'm looking forward to seeing that!

Barry Matsumori concluded by reaching a hand of friendship to his Boeing colleague, stating that SpaceX and Boeing are complements to each other. Both are needed in the space industry. Pete McGrath of Boeing picked up the tone and agreed, reminding us that the space industry is incestuous; employees move around.

Pete McGrath showed a video too, more of a simulation to get the point across that modifications to the infrastructure of LC 41 are happening at the same time as launches on the same pad, which makes for a busy and demanding logistical schedule. My friend Ryan tweeted that the video reminded him of a cross between two video games, the Kerbal Space Program and the Sims.

The speaker also discussed the conversion of the old space shuttle Orbital Processing Facility 3 (OPF3) to the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF, not quite Star Wars' C3PO). They removed a whole lot of steel, added 1500 feet of clean room, and created both a low and high bay. The facility will be used for vehicle integration. They expect the first test flight hardware by this summer, followed by the qualification, orbital, and flight test hardware.

The Boeing capsule CST-100 is being designed to land on dry ground with the help of parachutes, but can make emergency water landings. An audience member asked where Boeing is planning to land. White Sands, New Mexico is their primary, but they also have other locations in mind. Within the capsule, astronauts will wear a new spacesuit designed by the David Clark Company, which he said has designed every spacesuit flown to date, but I'm thinking he means in America only.

Finally, the speaker discussed the commercial market, which was a hot topic in the question and answer session. When I worked for CASIS, the fact that the International Space Station has a finite lifetime was always in the back of my head. Right now everyone agrees on keeping the ISS running until 2020, and most are in agreement about 2024, but there are no plans for the ISS past 2024. He stressed that we need to start thinking about a post-ISS market, and mentioned Bigelow Aerospace's Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) as an example, which is set to launch in September. Barry Matsumori agreed and cited international astronaut services as a possible market, stating that the demand is there.

An audience member asked about the time it will take to refurbish the companies' respective crew capsules. Both the Dragon and the CST-100 are reusable. Boeing said 6 months for theirs, but SpaceX would not say. Both panelists promoted examples of microgravity research that can be conducted in space on their facilities. They gave one example each in the time allotted to them; I could write two or three blog entries dedicated to the subject.

I had my hand up to ask about beyond-low Earth orbit (LEO) travel such as Mars, but someone else asked it first. Boeing has no plans to make their capsule rated to travel beyond LEO; it's not set up to fly for long periods of time, it's not radiation hardened for the Van Allen belts, etc. Boeing is building specifically for the mission that NASA has given them and that drives down cost and risk. In contrast, SpaceX's destination has been Mars from the beginning. Affordability is paramount to them achieving their goals. They are working on building systems which will support such a mission. They see the Commercial Crew Program is a stepping stone.

Both speakers agreed that additional funds might speed up their crew program development, but not by much, months rather than years. This has been a big topic lately in Congress because of the concern of relying on Russia for astronaut transportation. Congress wants to know if pumping more money into the program would speed up America's ability to provide our own human transportation to space, whether that's through NASA or a commercial partner. Surprisingly, the answer seems to be a unanimous no, more money won't accelerate things much. Technology takes time.

The NSC luncheons aren't all about the awesome talks. I got to hang with my space peeps, meet new people, respond to people's curiosity about my new company Swiss Space System, and respond to their curiosity about my new name. I sat at a table with my NSC luncheon buddy Bonnie who is shorter than I am (and I'm 5'1”) and has more energy than even I have. I also sat with an old friend Bill who I used to co-run a local technology society with. I greeted acquaintances, colleagues, friends, and new faces. I chatted with a man who I view as a mentor. I caught up with my favorite space newspaper reporter James Dean who I made even later to NASA's afternoon briefing on the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission which is scheduled to launch on Thursday.

The space community does some awesome things, but we're really about the people, not the hardware. I love what I do because of the people I do it with and the mission we advance together. Events like the NSC luncheons bring people together to meet, do business, and get to know each other. I feel so thankful to be a part of it.

James Dean's Florida Today article on the event can he found here.