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Report on the 1989 Space Development Conference in
REPORT ON 1989 SPACE DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE AT CHICAGO, IL
This year's conference was held in the Hyatt Regency at
Chicago's O'Hare Airport. A very capable and hard-working staff,
led by Jeff Liss, integrated 17 tracks of programming as well as
numerous exhibits and special functions into a smoothly running
whole. One fact will serve to illustrate the quality of the job
they did: There was never -- repeat never -- any line at the
registration booth.
The main tracks were: Activism/Advocacy; Business; Law;
Medicine; Overview of Space; Science; Science Fiction; Teaching;
and Update on Space. There were also sessions on Apollo (it
being the 20th anniversary year), on launch companies, Mars, a
moon base, space policy, and NASA's space station. A track
called "Many Roads to Space" contained many short presentations
of invited papers, or "poster sessions"".
If it was impossible for one person to take in all the
presentations in earlier conferences, it was triply so here. The
trend seems to be to provide more possibilities so that those
with special interests can find something worthwhile. To my
mind, this indicates the maturing of the space development
constituency. No longer is there any attempt to organize things
so no one will miss anything. (Actually, of course, this was
impossible from the beginning; the subject is too broad.) In
fact, the term "track" is inaccurate, since most presentations
took place in blocks of time on a single day.
So, since I only took in a small part of what went down at
the SDC, this will be a limited report. Perhaps others will fill
in some other details. NOTE: Anything enclosed in square
brackets is editorial comment; anything enclosed in curly braces
is off-the-wall comment, intended to be humorous. Any opinions
expressed are my own.
LAW
The LAW track took place on Friday. F. Kenneth Schwetje led
off with an "Overview of Space Law." He is the Chairman of the
ABA's Aerospace Law Committee. Next, the status of international
accords to deal with the problem of space debris was discussed by
Hon. Edward R. Finch, Jr. (General Counsel, American
International Petroleum Corp.), Gordon Woodcock (Manager, Future
Systems Studies, Boeing Advanced Civil Space Systems) and
Schwetje. The outlook for getting some effective regulations in
place was cautiously hopeful.
Edward Frankle, NASA General Counsel, explained the ins and
outs of "Contracting and Subcontracting with NASA". "The Legal
Road to Private Launching in the U.S. and Abroad" was covered by
William B. Wirin (VP of Space Commerce Corp.) and Lillian
Trippett (Counsel to the House Committee on Science, Space and
Technology). [Glenn Reynolds -- Ya shudda been there.] George
Sloup discussed the role of law in space in everyday matters:
Taxes, marriages, citizenship, real estate, and crime. Finally,
the Smithsonian's Associate General Counsel, George Robinson,
spoke on "Governing Multi-National Space Habitats."
Running concurrently with the law presentations were full-day
tracks on business and science, including NASA's Great
Observatories program, Robert Forward on "Antimatter Propulsion",
and a preview of Voyager's August 25th flyby of Neptune. The NSS
Board meeting lasted all day, and the Chapters Assembly met
elsewhere in the afternoon. The luncheon speaker was Jeffrey
Mannberg on "The Future of Free Enterprise in Space Exploration.
For those from out of town, there was a tour of FermiLab.
Rounding out the daytime events was an UPDATE on "How to Monitor
the Soviet Space Program" with Glenn Chapman, Daniel J. Gautier,
and Ben Huset.
The highlight of Friday evening was "Personal Perspectives on
Space." It featured Chicago's own Joan Esposito (WMAQ-TV news
anchor), astronaut William Thornton, and Nichelle Nichols. These
speakers had very different perspectives, and all were excellent.
Ms. Esposito is a finalist in the Journalist in Space program.
She revealed that former NASA Administrator James Fletcher
promised a renewal of this program. Dr. Thornton, a physician,
discussed his perspectives on the ways the human body changes in
weightlessness. Ms. Nichols, displaying incredible energy, spoke
for half an hour. If she has her way, there will be a national
referendum that will break NASA out of the "Function 250" funding
trap.
Running concurrently with this was the first in a series on
"Science Fiction Authors View the Real Space Program (and Other
Matters)." This session featured Robert Forward, James Hogan,
and Stanley Schmidt. For teachers, there were three sessions.
In the last, Ralph Winrich of NASA-Lewis was on hand to certify
teachers to handle lunar materials.
The "Many Roads to Space" poster sessions began on Friday
evening, and a National Space Society Town Meeting ran late into
the night. NSS also had a hospitality suite, as did the Alcor
Life Extension Foundation. In fact, Alcor {trying to "get ahead"
<G>} maintained a hospitality suite and a recruiting table
throughout the conference.
**** SATURDAY ****
Early Saturday morning there was a tour to Argonne National
Labs and a breakfast with the NSS Board of Directors. The
Opening Ceremonies for the SDC took place at 9:00 AM, and "Many
Roads to Space" resumed at 9:15.
Thomas O. Paine (former NASA Administrator) spoke on "APOLLO:
How the U.S. Did it and Where Do We Go from Here". John Logsdon,
Director of George Washington University's Space Policy
Institute, discussed "APOLLO: Was it Worth it?". Dr. Logsdon's
conclusions: Yes, it was worth it from a political standpoint
and for American prestige and self-confidence. However, the
scientific results, while impressive, did not justify the
investment. Henry Clarks, (Director, Technology Utilization
Division, NASA Office of Commercial Programs) summarized interim
results from a study now in progress, to assess in detail the
benefits to commercial companies of the space program between [I
think] 1976 and 1985. Mr. Clarks presented some impressive
numbers; I look forward to getting a copy of the final report...
someday. These panels were moderated by Richard MacLeod
(Executive Director of the U. S. Space Foundation).
MEDICINE
There was an excellent, highly detailed series of talks on
medicine and human factors, which lasted all day Saturday. Dr.
Arnold Nicogossian, Director of NASA's Life Sciences Division,
led off with a two-hour "Overview of Findings to Date on Effects
of Living in Zero G." Frank B. Salisbury (Professor of Plant
Physiology at Utah State University) spoke on "Closed Ecological
Life Support Systems."
The luncheon speaker was Dr. William Thornton. Expanding on
his remarks at the previous night's dinner, Dr. Thornton
described his research with the SKYLAB astronauts and some of the
devices he invented to measure or combat the physiological
effects of the weightless state.
"How We Will Handle the Medical Needs of a Space Station" was
the lead topic in the afternoon. Dr. James S. Logan (Manager,
NASA Aerospace Medicine) gave an overview of the development of
the medical facility planned for Space Station Freedom, and
discussed the design philosphy. I was astounded to learn that
the weight and volume allocations are only 1500 pounds and 60 cu.
ft. That includes medical electronics, surgical instruments, and
all consumables. These limits lead to some very challenging
design problems. Fortunately, medical instrument companies are
developing miniaturized instruments that promise to alleviate
part of this concern. Also, the plentiful, high-purity water
produced by fuel cells can easily be mixed with dry chemicals or
concentrated electrolytes. This greatly lessens the volume of
fluid that must be stored.
The real problem for the Station is how to do medicine in
zero G. For example, how do you administer drip IV when fluids
won't drip? How do you clear a syringe of air bubbles when they
don't separate from the liquid? How do you control the "leakage"
that occurs during surgery? There are answers to these problems,
but it requires a rethinking of routine medical practices. One
answer is to use non-invasive techniques whenever possible, and
this will produce innovations with many Earthbound applications.
Continuing on this topic, Dr. Bruce Houtchens (Associate
Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center)
described some of the instruments and procedures to be used for
"Surgery in Orbit." One of the major challenges here is the
operating table. It must secure the patient in a variety of
positions, provide attachments for medical equipment, and be very
light and strong, as well as easily stowed out of the way. A
related problem is how the surgeon and those attending anchor
themmselves during treatment. The preferred approach seems to be
shoes with hemispheres of plastic mounted at the ball of the
foot, with a small gap. The floorplate has a pattern of holes
larger than the hemispheres; with hemispheres pushed through the
holes and moved forward under the floorplate, a slight arch of
the foot produces a firm temporary attachment.
Turning to the mental-health aspects of spaceflight, Dr.
Harry C. Holloway spoke on "Psychological/Sociological Effects of
Long Distance Space Flight." Dr. Holloway chairs the Department
of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services at the University of the Health
Sciences.
The medical track continued with Dr. Nicogossian discussing
"Medical Spinoffs from Space". Finally, all the previous
participants joined in a concluding panel, "Medicine in Space --
Where Do We Go from Here?" This panel was moderated by Dr.
Robert H. Moser, Vice President of Medical Affairs for the
Nutrasweet Company.
Some other Saturday events were a four-hour seminar on
"Building a Moon Base", chaired by Dr. Wendell Mendell; an UPDATE
on "Space Shuttle External Tanks Applications" by Faye Baillif, a
Senior Engineer at Martin-Marietta; and presentations by American
Rocket Company and Third Millenium, Inc. Norman Haynes, Director
of the Voyager Project at JPL, gave us a preview of Voyager's
encounter with Neptune on August 25th. The encounter will take
place in six hours, and the round-trip time for radio commands
will be about 8 hours at that time. So Voyager will be on its
own, its observation instructions pre-loaded, and we will hope
for the best. Its path will take it just outside the suspected
partial rings around Neptune, then down behind the planet at
about a 45-degree angle with the plane of the ecliptic to pass
within 40,000 km. of Neptune's largest moon Triton.
[As an aside, the ABC affiliate in Chicago carries a late-
night network program called "Day's End", which I never saw
before. A regular feature is a shot of "day's end" at some
remote location. On Saturday night, the location was Day's End
at Neptune, and they showed an image recently received from
Voyager. They also had an interview with Hugh Downs, who was in
town for the SDC. Mr. Downs is celebrating his 50th anniversary
in broadcasting this week.]
Of course, the ACTIVISM/ADVOCACY track continued. Doug
Fulmer, new NSS Field Coordinator, spoke on the working
relationship between NSS headquarters and the chapters. Doug has
extensive experience in this sort of job, and showed a very
professional attitude. I'd say he is the type of person needed
in this position.
The banquet speaker on Saturday night was Jonathon Frakes
(Ryker on "STAR TREK: The Next Generation"). Gene Roddenberry
was scheduled, but couldn't make it for some reason. Mr. Frakes
generously stepped in -- on his first anniversary, folks -- and
ably presented Roddenberry's speech. Not to worry about Frakes'
domestic situation, though; his wife, actress Genie Francis, came
along.
Following the banquet, there was another in the SCIENCE
FICTION series. This time, the writers looking at the real space
program (and other matters) were Ben Bova, Hal Clement, Roland
Green, and Frederick Pohl. Chicago's own Moebius Theatre gave
two performances of "Humor of the Space Age". A reception
allowed informal conversation with Dr. Thornton and Astronaut Mae
Jemison.
Continuing from Friday night, the NSS Chapters Assembly held
forth until 12:30 AM. Much was accomplished in this split
session. {And, to the best of my knowledge, there was a complete
absence of "petty bickering". I find that "most fascinating".}
**** SUNDAY ****
Outreach was topic A on the ACTIVISM/ADVOCACY track Sunday
morning. Scott MacLaren and Jim Spellman (of Illini and Western
Spaceport chapters respectively) passed on suggestions for
recruiting new NSS members, and they were joined in this by
Chicago's Larry Ahearn. Mike Mackowski of St. Louis described
his involvement with local schools through the science fair
program.
International space programs got their due with presentations
on India's and Japan's effort and on the Soviet commercial space
program. The U.S. manned space program was another subject on
the morning's slate. (Unmanned programs were discussed on
Saturday.) Business and teaching tracks resumed, with the
highlight of the latter being a talk by Robert Brown of NASA's
Office of Educational Affairs.
Other programs covered the Crew Emergency Recovery Vehicle
and the Space Biosphere II Project. The ACTIVISM/ADVOCACY track
continued with talks on "Chapters Abroad" and Space Week.
Sunday's luncheon speaker was Dr. Mae Jemison. What can you
say about a daughter of the Old South, a black woman, who goes on
to become a medical doctor, earns a degree in physics, and makes
the cut for the Astronaut Corps? A simple "WOW!!!" works for me.
A five-minute standing ovation works pretty well too, and that's
what she got.
Dr. Jemison's topic was the value of early edcational
experiences, and how important it is to avoid "de-motivating"
kids, who after all are natural-born learners, in their formative
years. She illustrated the point with some anecdotes from her
own childhood and her collegiate years.
There were a number of valuable presentations on Sunday
afternoon. Dr. Gay Canough, team leader for the Lunar
Prospector, gave a status report on that privately-funded Lunar
polar orbiter. [I believe it is really going to happen.] Robert
Staehle, President of the World Space Foundation, gave an UPDATE
on the WSF Solar Sail, Crew Transportation, and Asteroid
projects. Marianne Dyson described "Europe's Columbus Space
Station Program". [Don't know if she's related to Freeman.] The
ACTIVISM/ADVOCACY track continued with discussions on doing a
newsletter, how to start and spread NSS chapters, and on the
Space Phone Tree. Just before the break for dinner, the
candidates for NSS Board of Directors had their chance to present
their positions.
One very important presentation [and long overdue, IMHO] was
given by personnel from the NASA Space Station Freedom Program.
Why is the Station designed the way it is? What were the
tradeoffs made? Haven't you wondered? I have. Of course, I'm
fortunate to have had some insight into these matters before
coming to the SDC. But for the space community at large, and
more so for the general public, much of this has been a great
mystery. And so the doubters are given a clear field. If
someone wants to declare that the Space Station is "gold-plated",
who is to dispute that? Well, finally, it is being explained to
those of us not directly involved in Station development why this
is plain wrong. And now we can pass that along to the general
public. As I said, it's about time.
Those taking part in this three-hour presentation (followed
by about an hour for questions from the audience) were: Franklin
D. Martin (Assistant Administrator, NASA Office of Exploration);
David Greenshields (Technical Assistant to Director, Space
Station Freedom Program); Gordon Woodcock (Manager, Future
Systems Studies, Boeing Advanced Civil Space Systems); and Dr.
Bruce Houtchens (Associate Professor at the University of Texas
Health Science Center).
Two talks, at the beginning and the end of the day, focussed
on the use of Lunar materials. The TEACHING track featured Hal
Clement on "Science Fiction as a Teaching Tool." Several
Startups marketing small commercial satellites were on the
BUSINESS track Sunday afternoon, as was "Geostar and SSI -- A
Case Study" by T. Stephen Cheston, Senior VP of Geostar Corp.
AMSAT, a non-profit corporation, also got in on this track.
There were no empty seats for the awards banquet Sudnay
night. Many awards were presented. [Perhaps someone else will
upload a complete list of the winners.] The Heinlein Award went
to Dr. Gerard O'Neill for his work with SSI and the concept of
space habitats. Dr. O'Neill was unable to attend, because of ill
health. Rick Norman Tumlinson of SSI accepted the award in his
stead. The award features a brass naval cannon, inspired by one
described in "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress." After commenting on
the appropriateness of this "early model mass driver," Rick made
a stirring speech. Hugh Downs also gave an excellent speech. It
was a long dinner, but I doubt if anyone minded. Nothing was
scheduled afterward except the hospitality suites -- which were
also well-attended.
**** MONDAY ****
Mars exploration took the spotlight Monday morning, with
presentations by Planetary Society Executive Director Louis
Freidman and by Carl Pilcher, Chief Scientist with NASA's Office
of Exploration. They were followed by Robert Zubrin of Martin-
Marietta, who described a "Nuclear-Thermal Ascent Vehicle Using
Indigenous Fuels for Multiple Takeoffs and Landings" on the Red
Planet. The track continued with presentations on Mars balloons,
Mars airplanes, Mars sample return missions, and the Soviet 1994
mission. The first two speakers shared the microphone in a
concluding panel, "What Next?" Concurrently, Robert McElroy of
NASA-Ames spoke on "Terraforming Mars."
Life inside the Washington beltway was the topic of the
ACTIVISM/ADVOCACY track on Monday morning. Mark Hopkins led off
with a "Report on SpacePAC". Guetta Mazetti, consultant to
SpaceCause, reported on the probable effects of personnel changes
in the 101st Congress, and on the possibility of expanding the
pool of funding for "Function 250", which is parcelled out to
NASA, NSF and other "independent" agencies. [The woman really
knows the ins and outs of that "guvamint stuff".] Some
discussion of NSS position papers followed, led by David Brandt.
Things were winding down fast on Monday morning. Many people
had to leave to catch the planes back to their "real lives". Me,
I hung around until Tuesday. I had planned to rent a car and
visit some of my old haunts, but I couldn't feature paying $50
for the privilege. So that was that. Luckily, the folks at
American Airlines got me on a flight about 4 hours earlier than
the one I had booked, so Tuesday wasn't a total loss.
And now the Eighth Annual Space Development Conference is
history. It was a grand time. Kudos to Jeff Liss, William
Higgins, Larry Ahern and Joe Redfield -- and to everyone else
involved in organizing and running this SDC, all of whom did a
terrific job. {But DAG-NAB-IT, JEFF -- There was NO PAGE FOR
NOTES in the PROGRAM BOOK!!!} Thanks are due to the National
Space Society for sponsoring the conference, and to the 28 co-
sponsor organizations; to the 20 supporting organizations; to the
four corporate sponsors and the 8 corporate supporters. And, of
course, the hotel. The O'Hare Hyatt Regency did a good job
holding up their end. [They also did well, with over 1100
registrants. To make a rough calculation, assume that translates
to 500 rooms; at $69 per room, about $35,000. Add in suites,
program rooms, meals, corkage fees, etc. and you get a nice piece
of change for one weekend...]
There were things to criticize. I really (seriously) would
have liked a blank page in the program book for notes, addresses
and such -- as I suggested after Denver. I could mention other
things. But these were noise-level stuff, insignificant,
negligible. {Sure hope my reputation as a nit-picker doesn't
suffer *TOO* much. <G>}
I have to ask myself: If it's this good after 8 years (still
with volunteer labor, remember) what will it be like in 12 more?
{A: "Something Wonderful".} Next year, the SDC returns to its
natal city. Come to Los Angeles in 1990, and next to San
Antonio, for two more data points on the curve.
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