a Aeronautics

and

Space Report

of the 

President

Fiscal Year

2003

Activities

National Aeronautics

and Space Administration Washington, DC 20546

F iscal Year 1997 Activities
bAeronautics and Space Report of the President 

The National Aeronautics and Space Act of

1958 directed the annual Aeronautics and

Space Report to include a “comprehensive

description of the programmed activities and the

accomplishments of all agencies of the United

States in the field of aeronautics and space

activities during the preceding calendar year.”

In recent years, the reports have been prepared

on a fiscal-year basis, consistent with the budgetary period now used in programs of the

Federal Government. This year’s report covers

activities that took place from October 1, 2002,

through September 30, 2003.
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

TABLE OF CONTENTS c

National Aeronautics and Space Administration . . . . . . . . 1

Department of Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Federal Aviation Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Department of Commerce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Department of the Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Federal Communications Commission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Department of Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

National Science Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Department of State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Department of Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Smithsonian Institution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

A-1 U.S. Government Spacecraft Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

A-2 World Record of Space Launches Successful in 

Attaining Earth Orbit or Beyond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

B Successful Launches to Orbit on U.S. Launch Vehicles 

October 1, 2002–September 30, 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

C U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights 

1961–September 30, 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

D U.S. Space Launch Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

E-1A Space Activities of the U.S. Government—Historical Budget Summary . . . . . . 139

E-1B Space Activities of the U.S. Government—Budget Authority in Millions of

Equivalent FY 2003 Dollars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

E-2 Federal Space Activities Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

E-3 Federal Aeronautics Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

d
Space Flight Enterprise

Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 was a year of great accomplishments for the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Space Flight Enterprise. But no

accomplishments, however extraordinary, could ever balance the terrible loss of the

Space Shuttle Columbia and its crew of Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael

Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon on

February 1, 2003. The Columbia accident precipitated a wrenching investigation

into the immediate, physical causes of the disaster, as well as the broader programmatic and cultural underpinnings of not only the Space Shuttle program but also

the entire Agency. In 2003, the Nation honored our fallen comrades and friends by

launching an intensive accident investigation with interagency assistance.

Throughout the year, as the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) carried out its service to our country with extraordinary skill and dedication, NASA

began the long, arduous process of recovery and reform. With the release of the

Board’s final report on August 26, 2003, NASA solemnly pledged a return to the

exploration goals to which the crew of Columbia, representatives of humanity’s best

from around the world, gave their lives. 

Although the world grieved for Columbia and its crew, the danger of exploration does not permit a retreat from its passion and reward. This passion found

expression through the success of critical NASA missions both before and after the

accident. The Space Flight Enterprise continued to provide the foundation for

NASA operations and missions, including space access and transportation, the

F iscal Year 2003 Activities

1

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS

AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

NASA
maintenance and operation of in-space laboratories for world-class scientific

research, and the means to return data from space to Earth. The Space Shuttle and

International Space Station (ISS) programs continued to be two of NASA’s most

visible programs, and through that visibility, they supported important scientific

research and inspired the next generation of explorers and leaders. The Space Flight

Enterprise’s Launch Services and Space Communications operations continued to

be at the forefront of fostering innovative and effective partnerships between the

Government and the private sector. Finally, the ever-expanding horizon of human

knowledge and curiosity compelled the Space Flight Enterprise to continue investing in the next generation of space flight technology and capabilities through the

Advanced Systems Office.

Prior to the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia on STS-107, the Space

Shuttle program successfully completed two assembly missions in support of the

ISS. The Space Shuttle Atlantis carried out STS-112, launched on October 7,

2002, for Assembly Mission 9A. The six-person crew successfully delivered and

installed the 31,000-pound Integrated Truss Assembly S1, part of the Station’s

structural, thermal, and electrical power backbone. STS-112 also delivered the

Crew Equipment Translation Aid cart that, along with the Mobile Transporter

system already installed, will provide future Station crews with important extravehicular activity support. STS-112 also flew hardware and samples for experiments

conducted aboard the ISS.

The Space Shuttle Endeavour was successfully launched on November 23,

2002, en route to the ISS for STS-113, a mission to deliver major hardware components and to support an exchange of Station crewmembers. The primary

payload was the Integrated Truss Assembly P1, the port complement to the starboard S1 segment launched on STS-112. In addition to the integration of truss

segment P1, the crew of STS-113 deployed a small, two-satellite demonstration

payload intended to validate new on-orbit inspection capabilities. STS-113 also

ferried the Expedition 6 crew of Kenneth Bowersox, Nikolai Budarin, and Donald

Petit to the Station and returned the Expedition 5 crew of Valeri Korzun, Peggy

Whitson, and Sergei Treschev to Earth after a successful 6-month tour.

STS-107, the final flight of Space Shuttle Columbia, was launched on the

morning of January 16, 2003, on an Earth-orbiting mission devoted to space, life, and

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 2
physical science research. Once in space, the STS-107 crew worked tirelessly on

research aimed at fighting cancer, improving crop yields, developing fire-suppression

techniques, constructing earthquake-resistant buildings, and understanding the

effects of dust storms on the weather. In all, STS-107 carried some 80 individual

experiments, many of which relied upon the ingenuity of the astronauts assigned to

them to record data, react to unexpected results, and quickly respond to the

inevitable complications that are an integral part of laboratory science. 

The overwhelming success of the mission was eclipsed during Columbia’s

reentry 16 days after launch. Mission controllers noted a growing number of instrumentation irregularities and failures during the reentry maneuver, and witnesses on

the ground later reported debris coming off the red-hot orbiter as early as in the

descent along the California coast. Breakup of the primary orbiter structure took

place at approximately 9 a.m. eastern standard time on February 1, 15 minutes prior

to Columbia’s scheduled touchdown at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.

The NASA Space Flight Contingency Action Plan for a major mishap

guided NASA’s actions in the initial minutes, hours, and days following the

Columbia tragedy. This plan was inspired by lessons learned from the Challenger

accident in 1986 and is updated regularly, based on crisis simulations. Among

other things, the plan specifies notification or first-response procedures and defines

the roles and responsibilities of mishap response and investigation teams. Within

minutes of the loss of contact with Columbia, the Contingency Action Plan was

activated. Immediate steps included impounding any potentially relevant information at Mission Control at Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, TX, and

notification of the President, the President’s senior staff, members of Congress, and

the Israeli Government. Ongoing mission preparations for the remaining Space

Shuttle fleet (including the orbiters Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor) were

immediately halted and all Shuttle flights grounded. 

The Contingency Action Plan also called for the immediate selection of distinguished persons outside NASA to head an independent accident investigation

team. The process of chartering the investigation team, later named the CAIB, began

about 10:30 a.m. on February 1, 1 hour after the Contingency Action Plan was first

activated. On February 1, NASA named retired Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman,

Jr., whose expertise included the investigation of the October 2000 attack on the USS

Cole, to chair the CAIB. Over the next several weeks, 12 additional members of the

F iscal Year 2003 Activities

3
CAIB were chosen for their expertise in heading civil and military offices and for their

knowledge of aviation accident investigations, aerospace safety, and NASA management and operations. Many hundreds more from Government, industry, academia,

and NASA itself were to become involved in the ensuing 7-month, nationwide

investigation. During its deliberations, the CAIB and its staff reviewed more than

30,000 documents and 84,000 pieces of debris recovered from Columbia, conducted

more than 200 formal interviews, heard testimony from dozens of expert witnesses,

and reviewed more than 3,000 comments from the public.

The interagency support and volunteerism for the recovery operations for

STS-107 involved 20,000 men and women from the Department of Homeland

Security (DHS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Environmental

Protection Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of

Defense (DOD), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the U.S. Forest

Service (FS), the National Park Service (NPS), the Texas and Louisiana National

Guard, State and local authorities, and private citizens. The Administrator testified on May 14, 2003, to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation that “The morale and commitment of the recovery team was an

inspiration to me and the entire NASA family. The outpouring of support from

local businesses, community leaders, and the citizens of east Texas have especially

humbled us.” The recovery operations, which stretched from San Francisco, CA,

to Lafayette, LA, recovered approximately 38 percent of Columbia’s dry weight. 

As a result of their investigation, the CAIB identified both proximate,

physical causes of the accident and more long-term, systemic preconditions for the

events that unfolded during STS-107. The examination of the physical evidence

(including still and video footage taken during launch, analysis of radar data taken

of Columbia by U.S. Air Force Space Command during the mission, telemetry

downlinked from Columbia during its reentry, data gathered by Mission Control,

recovered debris, and impact testing of existing Shuttle hardware) led the CAIB

to conclude that a piece of insulating foam had dislodged from Columbia’s

External Tank during launch. This impact created a hole in the left wing leading

edge, a hole large enough to let superheated air into the wing during reentry,

resulting in irrecoverable loss of vehicle control.

In addition to examining the immediate physical causes of the accident, the

CAIB conducted a broad investigation of the Space Shuttle program. The Board

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 4
looked at the history of the program, budget and funding profiles, and the organizational and cultural contributors to the accident. The Board’s deliberations on

these issues were extensive, covering over 30 years of the Space Shuttle’s history

and delving deeply into the budget and management of the program during the

past two decades. The CAIB identified issues such as lapses in the Mission

Management Team that ran the final Columbia mission, declines in Space Shuttle

program funding, perception of Space Shuttle launch schedule pressures related to

ISS construction, and a flawed NASA safety culture as contributing factors to the

loss of Columbia and its crew.

The heart of the CAIB final report is the 29 recommendations and 25

observations made by the CAIB over the course of its inquiry. In accepting the

final report from Admiral Gehman, NASA Administrator O’Keefe thanked the

Board for its thorough and comprehensive review of the STS-107 mission and the

entire Space Shuttle program. The CAIB report will serve as the blueprint for a

safe return to flight and will guide NASA’s actions throughout all of its programs.

NASA accepts the findings of the CAIB, embraces the final report, and will

comply with all of the Board’s recommendations. 

With the CAIB Report in hand, providing an exhaustive summary of the

events leading up to the loss of Columbia, NASA moved to develop the

Implementation Plan for Space Shuttle Return to Flight and Beyond to return the

Space Shuttle fleet to flight as safely and expeditiously as humanly possible.

Starting almost immediately after the accident and for the next 7 months thereafter, NASA conducted its own internal review of the Shuttle program for possible

technical and organizational improvements. This preliminary work allowed

NASA to quickly prepare the first draft of a comprehensive plan for the Shuttle’s

return to flight following the release of the CAIB report. The first version of

NASA’s Implementation Plan for Return to Flight and Beyond was issued on

September 8, 2003, and it has been periodically updated to reflect NASA’s continuing progress toward a safe return to flight. The International Space Station

program also drafted NASA’s Implementation Plan for International Space

Station Continuing Flight to demonstrate its commitment to applying the lessons

contained in the CAIB report. In the meantime, NASA has postponed further

consideration of additional competitive sourcing for the Space Shuttle program

pending completion of the Agency’s Return to Flight agenda. Finally, NASA

F iscal Year 2003 Activities

5
named an independent task force chaired by veteran astronauts General Thomas

Stafford and Richard Covey to verify NASA’s compliance with the CAIB’s Return

to Flight recommendation.

The Space Shuttle Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) held its first

summit in March of 2003, with the second summit planned for February 2004. The

goal of the SLEP and the annual summit meeting is to produce a strategic investment plan for the Shuttle aimed at keeping the program safe, reliable, and able to

perform the Agency’s missions as prescribed in the Agency’s Integrated Space Transportation Plan. The summit process organizes stakeholders from

Government, industry, and academia into eight standing panels. The panels

review proposals made from within NASA, as well as from industry partners and

other stakeholders, concerning Shuttle safety, sustainability, infrastructure, technology, performance, and operations. An integration panel was also created to

consolidate the results of the summit, while an industry panel provided perspectives from the NASA contractor community. A transition panel was established

to oversee the incorporation of required return-to-flight recommendations from

the CAIB. A strategy panel was added to the SLEP process so that scenarios

regarding the Shuttle’s future could be developed. The ongoing SLEP process contributed to the consideration of changes to the Space Shuttle made by the CAIB,

including the following: • hardening each orbiter’s thermal protection system to reduce vulnerability

to debris during both ascent and onorbit operations, 

• updating the Space Shuttle Modular Auxiliary Data System to improve data

collection during flights, and 

• improving the inspection process that examines the dozens of miles of

wiring that run through each orbiter. With the grounding of the Space Shuttle fleet, the ISS program quickly

adapted to the unplanned loss of access to the heavy-lift capabilities of the Shuttle

system. The willingness of the International Partners of the ISS program (particularly Russia) to step forward was demonstrated by a Multilateral Coordination

Board teleconference held in late February 2003. The ISS partners agreed to an

interim operational plan that included a reduction in crew size to two, crew

exchanges to be conducted on the scheduled semiannual Soyuz flights, and adjustments to the Progress resupply missions. Although the updated plan required

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 6
readjustments to the manifests of flights to the ISS, the robustness of the onorbit

ISS hardware and existing operation strategies proved capable of supporting continued crewed operations in an environment significantly different from that

which was originally planned.

Since most of the major components of the ISS still awaiting launch

required the unique cargo capacity of the Shuttle, no significant Station construction took place in 2003 following STS-113. However, NASA has maintained the

original schedules for delivering all items of U.S.-provided ISS flight hardware to

KSC and is continuing with the integration and testing of all ISS launch packages.

Nevertheless, delays to the ISS assembly sequence resulting from the Columbia

accident will require NASA to retain critical contractor expertise longer than

anticipated. NASA’s actions in response to CAIB recommendations may further

impact the ISS assembly manifest, resulting in added assembly and/or logistics missions. In addition, the ISS program must recertify or replace launch package

hardware with limited ground storage lives (for example, solar arrays and batteries), remanifest the logistics carrier scheduled for the first return mission to the

ISS, compensate for components that no longer need to remain onorbit until the

Shuttle’s return to flight, address equitable adjustments submitted by support contractors, and replace flight hardware lost on Columbia. 

By the end of FY 2003, the onorbit mass of the ISS reached 392,400 pounds

(the total mass of the ISS at the time of International Partner completion will be

approximately 1 million pounds). Eighty percent of U.S. components had been

successfully delivered and installed on orbit, along with over half of the hardware

committed to the program by the International Partners. Also by the end of the

fiscal year, 183,534 pounds of U.S. and International Partner hardware had been

delivered to KSC in Florida for final checkout and preparation for Space Shuttle

integration. These components included the P3/P4, P5, S3/S4, S5, and S6 truss

assemblies; Multipurpose Logistics Modules 1 and 2; the Japanese Experimental

Module’s pressurized segment; and the U.S. Node 2.

On April 26, 2003, ISS Flight 6S (Soyuz TMA-2), the first human space

mission following the Columbia accident, was successfully launched from

Kazakhstan to the ISS with the Expedition 7 crew of Commander Yuri

Malenchenko and Flight Engineer Ed Lu (the NASA ISS Science Officer).

Despite concerns that Station maintenance would monopolize or even overwhelm

F iscal Year 2003 Activities

7
a two-person crew, Expedition 7 succeeded in developing new procedures that

allowed them to conduct over 1,513 hours of scientific research in 74 different

investigations during their 6-month tour. Research areas included biology, physics,

chemistry, ecology, medicine, manufacturing, and the long-term effects of space

flight on humans. Commercial experiments were also conducted on bone-loss

treatments, plant growth, pharmaceutical production, and petroleum refining. A

significant component of the research involved hundreds of primary and secondary school students who prepared experiments, assigned Earth photography targets,

followed science activities via the Internet, and used the results in their classroom

studies. Expedition 8, with Commander Michael Foale and Flight Engineer

Alexander Kaleri, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on a Soyuz rocket for

ISS Flight 7S on October 18, 2003. Two days later, they arrived at the ISS. The

Expedition 7 crew landed safely in Kazakhstan a week later. The Expedition 8 crew

will be living and working on the Station through April 2004. 

The Space and Flight Support activities within the Space Flight Enterprise

also realized a number of important accomplishments during FY 2003. Space

Communications completed the successful recovery of the Tracking and Data

Relay Satellite-I (TDRS-I) geostationary space communication satellite, which

had suffered a fuel tank failure shortly after launch on March 8, 2002. Along with

the successful launch and checkout of TDRS-J in December 2002, TDRS-I

allowed NASA to continue providing an assured and robust space-based communications network for civilian and national purposes for the remainder of the

decade. Also in FY 2003, NASA began preliminary requirements definition for

the follow-on TDRS Continuation Program in conjunction with the development

of a Transformational Communications Architecture Program, an initiative led by

the DOD and involving NASA, to provide an integrated national space communications infrastructure. 

NASA was an active participant in the successful activities of the U.S. delegation to the World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 in Geneva,

Switzerland, in June, in which several key spectrum allocations were reserved for

space science and Earth science around the world. NASA also phased out the last

of its old mainframe computers in the Mission Control Center (MCC) at JSC in Texas, completing a transition to a state-of-the-art workstation environment for

all of MCC. Finally, due to a growing appreciation of the diversity of NASA’s sciAeronautics and Space Report of the President 8
entific and technology demonstration programs, the Agency decided not to exercise an additional 5-year option for its Consolidated Space Operations Contract.

Instead, NASA established a new contractual framework for the provision of the

Agency’s communications requirements under seven separate competitive contracts, which were all awarded by the close of 2003.

The Space Flight Enterprise’s Launch Services Program successfully managed all eight of its expendable launch vehicle flights in FY 2003. Launch

highlights included the final flight of the Atlas 2A, three successful flights of

Orbital Science Corporation’s Pegasus XL small air-launched vehicle, the launch

of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Spirit and Opportunity, and the launch of

the Spitzer Space Telescope. Opportunity used a high-energy version of the workhorse Delta 2 launch vehicle for the first time in order to send it through its

narrow launch window and on to Mars. All launch services procured by NASA for

its civilian missions are provided by private industry.

Office of Safety and Mission Assurance

Since the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia and its seven-person crew,

NASA has focused on understanding the causes of the accident and implementing the recommendations of the CAIB. More broadly, NASA’s FY 2003 Federal

Worker 2000 Presidential goal was 1.18 total workplace injury/illness cases per 100

workers. (The Federal Worker 2000 Presidential initiative challenges Federal

agencies to reduce the overall occurrence of workplace injuries/illness by 3 percent

per year, while improving agencies’ timeliness in reporting by 5 percent each year.

FY 1997 is the base year.) NASA’s FY 2003 case rate was 0.80 total injury/illness

cases per 100 workers. NASA continued to use the Occupational Safety and

Health Administration’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) to promote effective worksite-based safety and health. In FY 2003, the NASA JSC Sonny Carter

Training Facility and one of JSC’s contractor organizations were certified as VPP

Star sites, and JSC was recertified as a VPP Star site. Two KSC contractor organizations were also recertified as Star sites. VPP Star, the highest level of

achievement, is limited to companies that have implemented comprehensive, successful safety and health management systems that protect all employees.

Although NASA surpassed its goal at its ground-based work sites, the

Columbia accident clearly indicates that improvements in approaches to mishap

prevention in flight environments are necessary. Among the many changes underF iscal Year 2003 Activities

9
way that address the CAIB recommendations is the restructuring of Center-based

engineering and safety organizations to give them more independence and authority in ensuring flight programs/projects. To further improve its capabilities in

independent assessment of technical concerns, NASA created the NASA

Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) at the Agency’s Langley Research Center

(LaRC) in Virginia. When fully operational, the NESC will become NASA’s central location for independent engineering technical assessment and trend analysis

of NASA programs.

As part of NASA’s continual improvement activities in the area of safety,

the NASA/Navy Benchmarking Exchange formalized and institutionalized relationships with Naval Sea Systems Command through three Memoranda of

Agreement. The first addresses the sharing of information related to supplier quality; the second provides for reciprocal participation on technical assessment teams;

and the third provides for reciprocal participation on functional (capability-verification) audits. 

Space Science Enterprise

The year 2003 was a banner year for Space Science’s exploration of the universe. The excitement of missions to Mars and all our other missions begins with

a successful launch from Earth. NASA's expendable launch vehicle program has

consistently delivered superb services and unprecedented success in launching our

spacecraft.

The Space Science Enterprise started the year with a successful launch of

the Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPS) on January 12, 2003.

This University-class Explorer mission is studying the gases and dust in space,

which are believed to be the basic building blocks of stars and planets. The material between the stars is known as the Interstellar Medium (ISM) and contains

important clues about the formation and evolution of galaxies. The ISM literally

contains the seeds of future stars. Scientists using CHIPS are studying what is

called the “local bubble,” a region of space surrounding Earth’s solar system that

has a much lower concentration of gas and dust than average. CHIPS data will

help scientists determine the electron temperature, ionization conditions, and

cooling mechanisms of the million-degree plasma believed to fill the local interstellar bubble.

10Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 
Next up was the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) launched April 28,

an orbiting space telescope that is observing galaxies in ultraviolet light across 10

billion years of cosmic history. The first light on GALEX detectors was received

May 21–22, 2003. To honor the astronauts of the Space Shuttle Columbia, the

first light field was chosen in an area of the heavens that was directly overhead

Columbia as it made its last contact with NASA Mission Control. Observations

such as these made by GALEX will tell scientists how galaxies, the basic structures

of our universe, evolve and change. GALEX is also probing the causes of star formation during a period when most of the stars and elements we see today had their

origins. GALEX was named “Best of what’s new in 2003” by Popular Science magazine on November 7, 2003. 

NASA’s twin MERs, Spirit and Opportunity, were launched June 10, 2003,

and July 7, 2003, respectively. As we began the second century of flight, Spirit and

Opportunity landed safely on the surface of our neighboring planet in January

2004 and began their search for evidence of free-flowing water in Mars’s ancient

history. Spirit was the first of two golf-cart-sized rovers to land on Mars. These

rovers have begun to explore two regions to discover whether the environment

there might once have been capable of supporting life. NASA’s robotic Mars geologist, Spirit, embodying America’s enthusiasm for exploration, ran a grueling

gantlet of challenges before it could start examining the red planet. 

The last of NASA’s “great observatories” was launched on August 25. The

Spitzer Space Telescope, formerly named the Space InfraRed Telescope Facility

(SIRTF), was renamed after Dr. Lyman Spitzer, Jr. This space-borne, cryogenically

cooled infrared observatory is capable of studying objects ranging from our solar

system to the distant reaches of the universe. Right away, images from Spitzer

showed that celestial objects viewed by ground-based telescopes and even the

Hubble Space Telescope (HST) look quite different when viewed in infrared light.

Spitzer has a 5-year mission to reveal previously hidden dusty regions in the universe, as well as cold and distant objects. 

NASA’s Project Prometheus reached an important milestone with the first

successful test of an engine that could lead to revolutionary propulsion capabilities

for space exploration missions throughout the solar system and beyond. The test

involved a High Power Electric Propulsion ion engine using commercial utility

electrical power. The event marked the first in a series of performance tests to

F iscal Year 2003 Activities

11
demonstrate the new high-velocity and high-power thrust needed for use in

nuclear electric propulsion applications.

NASA’s operating spacecraft continue to produce an abundance of science

return throughout the year. NASA released the best “baby picture” of the universe

ever taken, an image that contains stunning detail of the universe just after the Big

Bang. During a sweeping 12-month observation of the entire sky, scientists using

NASA’s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) captured this new

cosmic portrait, including the afterglow of the Big Bang called the cosmic

microwave background. For the first time, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory

detected sound waves from a supermassive black hole. Evidence of the cosmic

merger of two galaxies that collided violently, spewing out a long cloud of gas and

generating a trail of black holes and neutron stars, has also been discovered in an

image taken by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. In just 1 year, Mars Odyssey has

fundamentally changed our understanding of the nature of the materials on and

below the surface of Mars. During its first year of surveying the martian surface,

Odyssey’s camera system provided detailed maps of minerals in rocks and soils. A

wonderful surprise has been the discovery of a layer of olivine-rich rock exposed in

the walls of Ganges Chasm. Additionally, new observations from our Voyager 1

spacecraft provided evidence that it was approaching formerly unexplored fringes

of our solar system.

Stardust located and successfully photographed the comet Wild 2. The

sighting took place 2 weeks earlier than expected, and NASA scientists were

ecstatic. Finding Wild 2 this early drastically increased the likelihood of success in

navigating the January encounter. The Stardust spacecraft will fly by comet Wild 2

on January 2, 2004, after almost 4 years in space. HST viewed one of the largest

known cauldrons of star birth seen in a nearby galaxy. The Solar and Heliospheric

Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft continues to capture the dynamics of a solar flare. 

NASA’s Space Science Enterprise Education and Public Outreach program

continued to be one of the largest programs in astronomy and space science education. It is aligned with and strongly supports the new NASA mission to “inspire the

next generation of explorers.” NASA’s commitment to education places a special

emphasis on precollege education, diversity, and increasing the general public’s

understanding and appreciation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. NASA holds more than 3,500 education and public outreach events annually;

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

12
maintains an online directory of hundreds of space science educational resources,

traveling museum exhibitions, and planetarium shows appearing in venues across

the country; and has a presence in every State. The Space Science Enterprise effort

has become a major national program in a very short period of time. 

Earth Science Enterprise

NASA’s Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) is dedicated to understanding

Earth as a system. From the vantage point of space, NASA provides information

about Earth’s land, atmosphere, ice, oceans, and life that is obtainable in no other

way, providing unique insight into the global environment and the effects of natural and human-induced changes on our home planet. ESE pursues answers to the

fundamental question, “How is Earth changing, and what are the consequences for

life on Earth?”

ESE works toward NASA’s goal of understanding and protecting our home

planet by producing scientific knowledge about the Earth system for decisionmakers and policymakers. NASA also develops innovative technologies and

science-based applications of remote sensing for solving practical societal problems. ESE’s applications program works in partnership with other Federal agencies,

with industry, and with State and local governments to use NASA assets to

improve agricultural efficiency, aviation safety, ecological forecasting, homeland

security, disaster preparedness, renewable energy, public health, coastal management, invasive species management, water management, and air quality.

In FY 2003, ESE continued to break new ground with innovative science,

technology, and applications. On January 25, 2003, NASA launched the Solar

Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) aboard a Pegasus XL rocket from the

belly of an L-1011 carrier aircraft. A joint partnership between NASA and the

University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, SORCE

will study the Sun’s influence on our Earth and will measure from space how the Sun

affects Earth’s ozone layer, atmospheric circulation, clouds, and oceans. The Ice,

Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), the latest in a series of Earth

Observing System Spacecraft, was successfully launched into orbit from Vandenberg

Air Force Base (AFB) on January 12, 2003. ICESat will quantify ice sheet growth or

retreat and help answer questions concerning many related aspects of Earth’s climate

system, including global climate change and changes in sea level. The SeaWinds

F iscal Year 2003 Activities

13
scatterometer was successfully launched into orbit aboard the Japanese Midori II

spacecraft on December 13, 2002, from the Tanegashima Space Center. Because of

SeaWinds’s ability to “see” ocean level winds through clouds, its data will be an

invaluable tool for hurricane tracking and high-seas marine forecasting.

In the past year, NASA also played a key role in the Earth Observation

Summit. On July 31, 2003, senior Administration officials and representatives

from 34 nations met in Washington, D.C., to plan a comprehensive, coordinated,

and sustained international Earth-observation system. The Summit convened in

order to raise awareness of the importance of cooperation and investment in Earth

observations in providing key scientific data to support global economic, social,

and scientific decisionmakers. Ministerial-level representatives of the G8 and

other countries with a significant role in Earth observation attended, as did representatives from the World Bank, the World Meteorological Organization, and

other multilateral organizations. The G8 countries rated Earth observations as one

of the top three science and technology priorities. The presentation by the NASA

Administrator of a video of a futuristic Earth-observation system and its practical

benefits to society was one highlight of the Summit. Following the Summit, an

international ad hoc Group on Earth Observations began work on a 10-year

implementation plan for a comprehensive Earth-observation system.

In addition to launching and planning for present and future Earth-observing systems, ESE also used the vantage point of space to contribute to the scientific

body of knowledge about our home planet.

Scientists operating the joint U.S.-German Gravity Recovery And Climate

Experiment (GRACE) satellite released the most accurate map yet of Earth’s gravity field. GRACE is oceanographers’ newest tool to unlock the secrets of ocean

circulation and its effects on climate. These early data, provided to eager oceanographers even before routine GRACE science operations, have already improved,

by 10 to 100 times, the accuracy of our knowledge of Earth’s gravity field.

Ultimately, GRACE will help scientists to understand the distribution of mass

under Earth’s surface, including changes in the volume of large aquifers.

Scientists working with data from NASA’s Aqua satellite have found ways

to improve the accuracy of weather predictions using data from the satellite. The

Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

14
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

15 (AMSU) instruments on the Aqua satellite are generating the most accurate,

highest resolution measurements ever taken from space of the infrared brightness

(radiance) of Earth’s atmosphere and yielding a global, three-dimensional map of

atmospheric temperature and humidity. U.S. and European research meteorologists are using these data to improve weather models and will employ them in an

operational mode in the coming months.

NASA scientists have been conducting and learning from the Cold Land

Processes Experiment. Scientists and students from six Federal agencies and many

universities studied the snow packs of the Colorado Rockies from the ground, air,

and space to improve forecasts of springtime water supply and snowmelt floods and

to study how snow cover affects Earth’s weather and climate. Measurements from

four aircraft and NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites gathered snow data by remote

sensing while scientists and students gathered data on the ground in order to make

comparisons to determine the accuracy of the satellite data. These measurements

have already proven useful in understanding how to update water and weather

forecast models with observed snow information.

The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission science team generated detailed

topographic data for South America in FY 2003. This recently released topographic

data set sheds fresh light on the diverse characteristics of South America and paves

the way for a wide variety of scientific investigations and practical applications. 

A NASA-Department of Energy (DOE) jointly funded study concludes

that Earth has been greening over the past 20 years. The article, appearing in the

journal Science, states that climate changes have provided extra doses of water,

heat, and sunlight in areas where one or more of those ingredients may have been

lacking. The authors constructed a global map of the Net Primary Productivity

(NPP) of plants from satellite data of vegetation greenness and solar radiation

absorption. NPP is the difference between the carbon dioxide absorbed by plants

during photosynthesis and the carbon dioxide lost by plants during respiration.

NPP is the foundation of food, fiber, and fuel derived from plants, without which

life on Earth could not exist.

NASA satellite observations have provided the first evidence that the rate

of ozone depletion in Earth’s upper atmosphere is decreasing. This may indicate

the first stage of ozone layer recovery. From an analysis of ozone observations from

NASA’s first and second Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment and the
Halogen Occultation Experiment satellite instruments, scientists have found less

ozone depletion in the upper stratosphere (22- to 28-mile altitude) after 1997.

This decrease in the rate of ozone depletion is consistent with the decline in the

atmospheric abundance of humanmade chlorine- and bromine-containing chemicals that have been documented by satellite-, balloon-, aircraft-, and ground-based

measurements.

NASA and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) have joined forces on

a series of programs drawing on NASA’s capabilities in monitoring, mapping,

modeling, and systems engineering to help protect the environment and enhance

American agriculture’s ability to compete in the world market. These programs,

identified as national priorities of mutual interest, include carbon management,

agricultural competitiveness, air quality, water management and conservation, and

management of invasive species. On May 30, 2003, NASA Administrator Sean

O’Keefe and USDA Secretary Ann Veneman signed an agreement inaugurating

these collaborations.

In FY 2003, NASA satellites provided scientists and fire managers with

powerful monitoring tools needed to understand how fires behave before, during,

and after damage has been done. Instruments such as the Moderate Resolution

Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite provide daily, nearly

global observations of the extent and relative intensity of fires and altitude estimates of smoke plumes. Another instrument keeps daily track of the carbon

monoxide plumes from fires and the scope of pollution produced regionally and

globally. After a fire is contained, imagery from space can help classify the burn

area into levels of severity and prioritize rehabilitation work. The imagery can also

be used over the longer term to keep tabs on the “green-up” of previously burned

areas and to monitor the effectiveness of various treatments. NASA is testing a

semiautonomous system dubbed “sensor web.” In this system, various satellites will

have the ability to communicate with each other and provide interactive layers of

images. One satellite might detect a fire starting and then signal another satellite

to take detailed or specialized images for better monitoring.

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

16
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

17 Aerospace Technology Enterprise

In FY 2003, the Aerospace Technology Enterprise accomplished many successes in the areas of aviation safety, environmental protection, air transportation

efficiency, space access, and revolutionary new capabilities and technologies.

In an effort to decrease the rate of fatal aircraft accidents, reduce the vulnerability of the air transportation system to hostile threats, and mitigate the

consequences of accidents and hostile acts, the Enterprise has developed software

systems for an advanced fuel-measurement system, developed a neural network

verification software tool, and evaluated the effects of neutron particles on flightcritical systems. In addition, the Enterprise demonstrated a Smart Icing System

that detects and mitigates ice problems and provides feedback to pilots.

The Enterprise completed combustor sector tests on two different technologies for large engines in order to establish a guide for future investment

decisions on the path to decreasing aircraft emissions. Aircraft noise reduction is

another Agency goal, and the Enterprise completed an interim technology assessment in order to decide which technologies should be developed further. The key

factor in making that decision is the impact of these technologies, on both a component and a system level, toward the overall noise-reduction goal. NASA

developed initial physics-based noise-prediction models to provide the capability

for predicting aviation noise sources, including the effects of flap, slat, and landing

gear noise; fuselage and wing shielding effects; physics-based fan noise; and propagation of engine noise within a nacelle. These models will allow the identification

of a suite of technologies that will have the highest probability of meeting NASA’s

noise-reduction objective.

NASA is committed to improving aviation efficiency—to enable more

people and goods to travel farther and faster, with fewer delays. Toward this goal,

the Aerospace Technology Enterprise completed the development and demonstration of initial functionality, as well as an evaluation of human factors, for a

Traffic Management Advisor-Multi-Center (TMA-MC), a decision-support tool

for complex airspace. The results of TMA-MC simulations indicated that 1)

metering for Philadelphia appears to be viable in the Boston Air Traffic Control

Center (ARTCC), 2) more delay-absorption capacity exists in the Boston, MA,

ARTCC than in the New York, NY, or Washington, DC, ARTCCs, 3) TMAMC’s internal departure scheduling is important, and 4) significant metering issues
exist in the Boston ARTCC. NASA also completed the development and demonstration of the active terminal-area Expedited Departure Path decision-support

tool, along with a related evaluation of human factors. Additionally, NASA completed and validated a state-of-the-art airspace model toolbox, the Airspace

Concept Evaluation System, with the ability to assess the economic impact of new

technology and National Airspace System operational performance, as well as the

ability to model the dynamic effects of interactive agents. Nor was technology

NASA’s only focus; the Agency also provided strategies for improving training and

procedures to reduce misunderstandings between pilots and air traffic controllers.

NASA sought to increase aviation mobility as measured by accessibility,

doorstep-to-destination transit time, system and user costs, and related trip reliability and safety metrics. These flight experiments evaluated, at the subsystem level,

the impact of selected technologies on lowering required landing minimums and

increasing the volume of operations at nontowered landing facilities in nonradar

airspace during meteorological conditions under which instruments must be used

instead of flying by sight. As part of the NASA/FAA/National Consortium of Aviation Mobility Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) Alliance, NASA

accomplished the goal of increased mobility by agreeing to the suite of technologies

and procedures to be included in the project flight experiments. These technologies

and procedures include 1) higher volume operations (sequencing and self-separation algorithms); 2) lower landing minima (synthetic vision with highway-in-the-sky

and velocity-vector guidance, enhanced vision, head-up display); 3) single pilot

performance (integrity monitoring, decision aiding); and 4) en route integration

(procedures for facilitating air traffic controller interaction).

In addition to improving aviation, NASA worked to improve space access.

In January 2003, the NASA Headquarters Executive Council approved the

Orbital Space Plane (OSP) Program Level 1 requirements. These requirements

were extensively reviewed by outside sources and across NASA’s Enterprises. The

OSP Program Office placed the requirements under configuration control.

Additionally, NASA established formal agreements with the ISS program and the

KSC Launch Services Provider to ensure an integrated developmental effort for

the OSP system. Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART)

successfully completed the Design Certification Review (DCR) on July 31, 2003,

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

18
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

19 and included approval of the verification approach. Results of the DCR are documented and available through the DART Project Manager’s Office at MSFC.

Looking ahead to space access in the future, NASA completed its initial

Integrated Technology Plan (ITP) for the Next Generation Launch Technology

(NGLT) Program in order to establish an investment strategy to guide future

space-transportation investment decisions. The ITP, a cooperative effort between

NASA and DOD organizations, includes technology needs from both agencies and

is now the baseline for defining the technology investment strategies for the

National Aerospace Initiative (NAI), as well as the NGLT. The ITP will be

reviewed and updated annually.

NASA also completed the Conceptual Design Review (CoDR) of the

Rocket-Based Combined Cycle (RBCC)/Integrated Systems Test of an Air-breathing Rocket (ISTAR) ground test engine (GTE). The conceptual design was

thoroughly reviewed by a technical team consisting of representatives from MSFC,

Glenn Research Center (GRC), LaRC, and the three companies of the RBCC

Consortium.

Demonstrating progress toward the development of a million-pound-thrustclass prototype engine, NASA tested configurations of liquid/liquid preburner

injector elements and gas/liquid main-chamber injectors in the Single Element

Test Rig at the Santa Susana Test Facility in California. Data were used to select

the primary and secondary configurations for the RS-84 engine design.

Another goal during FY 2003 was the development of new technologies for

enabling revolutionary capabilities. NASA created system concepts and demonstrated technologies intended to make possible new science measurements and

scientific missions. In the area of advancing the state of the art in automated science data analysis, NASA accomplished the following:

• found a novel feature in data discovery methods from known and new candidate ocean climate indices that show predictive power for land surface

dynamics; 

• demonstrated tools and techniques for automated feature extraction from

large datasets by using a robust, novel clustering method; 

• demonstrated distributed analysis and data processing to support new problem-solving paradigms through the application of various grid tools and
resources to aerospace vehicle design, data subsetting for feature identification, ground truthing, and wind dynamics applications; and

• demonstrated component autonomy technologies in planning and scheduling, supporting Mars mission operations by conducting the first full

operations readiness test of a science-planning tool for the MERs running

on Mars time using the MER engineering model and involving missionplanning teams.

In order to improve mission command data delivery, NASA demonstrated the

following: • technology capable of doubling the performance of Mars-to-Earth communications by executing an analytical comparison between the existing

state-of-the-art 35-watt Traveling Wave Tube (TWT) and the NASAdeveloped 100-watt TWT; the analysis proved that the NASA-developed

100-watt TWT would improve data rates from Mars by a factor of 2.85;

• technology capable of 10-fold improvement in Earth-orbit-to-ground communications via the development of a miniaturized 20-watt Ka-band TWT

that could increase the data rates by a factor of 15 over the existing NASA

150-megabits-per-second (Mbps) Earth-orbit-to-ground link; and

• the capability for ad hoc space and surface networking via a demonstration

of the Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) Protocol.

In the area of improving science sensors and detectors, NASA accomplished the

following: • demonstrated molecular-level sensors for environmental health monitoring

via demonstration of a gas sensor capable of detecting gas and organic

vapors at room temperature;

• demonstrated a high-efficiency, tunable, narrow-line, 2-micron laser transmitter with a record 1-joule pulse energy for a 2-micron Ho:Tm:LuLF

(holmium and thulium ions doped in lutetium lithium fluoride) laser transmitter; and

• characterized the mercury-cadmium-tellurium infrared detector, analyzed

the spectral response and current versus voltage curves, and presented

results at the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE)

AeroSense Conference.

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

20
NASA furthered the state of the art in advanced power and electric propulsion

systems by accomplishing the following:

• demonstrating a twofold increase in thruster lifetime compared to Deep

Space 1’s NASA Solar-electric-power Technology Application Readiness

(NSTAR) thruster with titanium and molybdenum ion optics; 

• completing Hall thruster lifetime and operating point correlations with 10-

kilowatt and 50-kilowatt thrusters;

• completing Hall thruster modeling at the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology;

• successfully growing two key parts of high-efficiency multibandgap solar

cell: a gallium-arsenic cell on graded silicon-to-germanium substrate, and a

two-junction Light Microscopy Module (LMM) cell on gallium-arsenic substrate; and

• demonstrating a two-flywheel system for regulating power bus voltage while

simultaneously providing a commanded output torque for attitude control.

NASA also progressed in the area of micro- and multipurpose spacecraft

components and systems. The Agency demonstrated 1) the Vaporizing Liquid

Micro-Thruster (VLM) chip integrated with a commercial valve and 2) the operation of micro-inductors applicable to direct current (DC)-DC boost converters

(circuits that translate low-voltage current to higher usable voltage) between 1 and

10 megahertz. NASA also integrated a three-axis inertial measurement unit for

microspacecraft using microgyros and commercial accelerometers. Furthermore, the

Agency assembled and demonstrated a Sun sensor on a chip using microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-fabricated silicon apertures and active pixel sensors.

NASA also fabricated and tested a liquid-compatible microvalve, a component for

microspacecraft propulsion systems. Although the Agency also fabricated and characterized battery cells, their integration into structural panels has been delayed. In

the area of large and distributed space systems concepts, NASA accomplished the

following:

• demonstrated attitude determination of individual spacecraft using GPS

receivers; 

• developed simplified equations of motion for an uncontrolled system of

spacecraft; 

F iscal Year 2003 Activities

21
• evaluated various joint designs to enable in-space assembly of inflatable

truss elements and fabricated inflatable truss components; 

• completed fabrication and initial radio frequency (RF) testing of subscale

tensioned membrane eight-element waveguide array and feed network; 

• fabricated an isogrid column using ultraviolet curable resin and unidirectional carbon fiber tows; test results show 95 percent plus curing using only

outdoor sunlight; 

• fabricated and deployed a 7-meter shape-memory composite boom for solar

sails; and

• fabricated proof-of-concept electronic circuits on membrane.

NASA achieved several accomplishments in the area of space environments and effects. The Agency developed 1) a physics-based meteoroid environment

flux model for the inner solar system, 2) a semi-empirical engineering model of

electrons and ions that included thermal plasma distributions and bulk flow effects

in the distant magnetotail; and 3) an initial version of a knowledge base for thinfilm materials. Furthermore, NASA determined the electrical properties for a wide

array of spacecraft materials and integrated data into spacecraft charging models.

The Agency also developed and published the low-Earth orbit portion of the

Spacecraft Charging Guidelines Document. Finally, NASA and the U.S. Air

Force (USAF) completed joint development of the NASACAP-2K spacecraft

charging model.

NASA continued to work toward the production of robotic systems that

can reason, make decisions, adapt to change, and cooperate among themselves and

with humans to provide safe and successful aerospace processes and mission functions with greatly reduced human participation by successfully demonstrating

individual autonomy components. NASA demonstrated these component technologies to be included in a larger, integrated demonstration. Component

capabilities demonstrated for integrated rover autonomy include 1) mixed-initiative path planning for devising paths to desired science targets, 2) autonomous

contingent planning and sequence generation, and 3) robust onboard rover execution of contingent plans.

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

22
Biological and Physical Research Enterprise

Since its inception, the Biological and Physical Research Enterprise

(BPRE) has conducted interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed, fundamental, and applied

research to address opportunities and challenges provided by the space environment and the human exploration of space. As such, BPRE manages laboratory

research on Earth and in space in the following areas: Fundamental Space Biology,

Bioastronautics, Physical Science Research, and Commercial Space Product

Development. 

BPRE implements its research programs at 8 NASA Centers, as well as

through the participation of 15 Research Partnership Centers, the National Space

Biomedical Research Institute, and the National Center for Microgravity Research

on Fluids and Combustion. BPRE also relies upon an extensive external community of academic, commercial, and Government scientists and engineers for the

implementation of its programs. Research in Earth laboratories precedes flight

research and employs NASA facilities such as drop towers, centrifuges, aircraft

flying low-gravity parabolic trajectories, and bed-rest facilities. The flight research

programs use the full spectrum of free-flying satellites, the Space Shuttle, and now

the ISS.

In support of NASA’s Vision “to improve life here, to extend life to there,

to find life beyond,” BPRE developed a comprehensive strategy to guide and prioritize all research and other activities throughout the Enterprise. The strategy

focuses our efforts to answer a set of five organizing questions:

1. How can NASA ensure the survival of humans traveling far from Earth?

2. How does life respond to gravity and space environments?

3. What new opportunities can research bring to expand humanity’s understanding of the laws of nature and enrich lives on Earth?

4. What technology must NASA create to enable the next explorers to go

beyond where humans have already been?

5. How can NASA educate and inspire the next generation to take the journey? 

These questions determine our research strategy, the laboratories and programs to execute the science, the applications for the research, and the metrics to

measure progress. 

The year 2003 was a challenging time for BPRE. We sadly remember the

loss of Columbia and mourn the deaths of seven dedicated astronauts. Perhaps the

F iscal Year 2003 Activities

23
greatest legacy of the crew of STS-107 is the outstanding science performed on this

mission, which will serve as an inspiration for the next generation of space

researchers and explorers.

NASA has invented a device called a bioreactor that has changed research

on cell growth not only in space, but also on Earth. The bioreactor helps

researchers turn cell cultures into functional tissue that can be used for experiments, transplantation, and drug development. Without a bioreactor, cells fall to

the bottom of a petri dish and grow as a sheet one cell layer thick—thinner than

a human hair. In NASA’s space bioreactor, the cells stay suspended and form the

kind of large samples researchers need. On the Space Shuttle Columbia’s final mission, STS-107, astronauts helped scientists study how prostate cancer cells and

bone cells come together. The goal was to learn about how the cells might interact in the early stages of when cancer begins to spread. During the Columbia

mission, the cell “assembly” grew to the size of a roll of pennies—much larger than

anything researchers have seen before. The Shuttle experiment was so successful

that at the end of FY 2003, NASA was planning on flying similar, longer-term

experiments on the ISS in the future. 

NASA’s bioreactor has yielded 25 patents and more than 20 licenses, and

over 6,000 units are now in universities, medical centers, and the National

Institutes of Health.

Space flight research is changing our understanding of how and why things

burn—a phenomenon scientists thought they understood thoroughly. For example, one hydrogen experiment aboard STS-107 produced the weakest flames ever

created, 100 times weaker than a birthday candle. That research—improving the

burning of hydrogen—could result in cleaner-burning car fuel in the future and

other fuels in engines and furnaces. Two major corporations, Pratt & Whitney and

General Electric, have already used space flight combustion research to improve

their jet engines.

Shifting Sands, a materials science experiment, collected data on how granular materials such as sand respond to physical stimuli, yielding new knowledge

that can be applied to predicting how soils settle and react in earthquakes and how

shorelines evolve.

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

24
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

25 In a search for nontoxic alternative ways to extinguish fires, the Columbia

crew worked diligently on a commercial experiment that focused on the formation

of flames and the use of water droplets to quench the flames. 

Perhaps the most unexpected data collected from the mission were the specimens that were recovered in the debris of Columbia. Samples of moss from an

experiment studying the effects of microgravity on plant growth were found. The

moss had been preserved in a chemical fixative in orbit. The recovered samples

yielded the same unpredicted growth pattern observed in moss grown on a previous

space flight and may uncover information about the cause of this behavior. Finally,

in another unexpected discovery, live worms (C. elegans, a small roundworm often

used in biological research) were found after the accident. They had flown on STS107 as part of a technology demonstration project to test a new medium that could

be used in future space experiments to grow the worms. Not only did the discovery

of the live samples demonstrate the ability of the growth medium to support and

sustain the worms, but the specimens also are being studied to determine what other

changes may have occurred as a result of their space flight.

Additional examples of BPRE accomplishments on both the ISS and the

Space Shuttle advanced our ability to develop technologies for applications on

Earth and for the human exploration of space:

• In FY 2003, NASA joined in the fight against crime through its continued

work with the FBI/Technical Support Working Group whose members

include the DOD, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Secret Service, and

Department of State (DOS). NASA delivered hyperspectral sensors in visible/near-infrared, ultraviolet, and shortwave infrared systems to the FBI

Academy for use in forensics science research. 

• On the ISS, BPRE investigated the complex properties of magnetorheological (MR) fluids via its Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic

Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions (InSPACE) experiment. MR fluids

are liquids that become more viscous (behave like syrup) near a magnet but

flow easily again (like water), when the magnet is removed. Suspensions of

paramagnetic particles in a nonmagnetic fluid are part of an exciting new

class of controllable fluids. Advances in MR fluid research and technology

have inspired new applications for products such as active vibration systems

for large structures like buildings and bridges, as well as actuators for robots
for space- and Earth-based applications. InSPACE’s planned series of tests

was completed on the ISS in July 2003.

• The data from another experiment on the ISS are helping NASA understand the basic nature of liquid-to-solid transitions (e.g., water freezing to

become ice). Using different types of colloids (a mixture between a liquid

and a large number of specially designed solid particles), the Physics of

Colloids in Space (PCS) experiment gathered data on the basic physical

properties of colloids with the objective of understanding how colloidal

structures grow, the rates at which they grow, and the structures that they

form. The knowledge gained from the PCS experiment will guide future

attempts to fabricate advanced, novel materials and devices with unique

physical properties that could lead to improvements in optical and computer components, ceramics, and both food and drug delivery products.

• Diseases like cancer are strongly tied to cell division and growth, as well as

the effect of environmental changes on both. Cell cultures that are synchronized so that all of the cells divide at once are important in studying

these diseases. BPRE-funded investigators developed a new cell culture

technology designed to minimize disturbances in the culture environment.

BPRE demonstrated that the experimental cell lines could achieve the multiple, synchronized cell cycles that medical researchers need. This

technology provides a better method to study the cell cycle in human,

mouse, and bacterial populations; the balance system in the inner ear; and

the development of the skeleton. 

• The NSBRI is a consortium of 12 institutions working in partnership with

NASA to prevent or solve health problems related to long-duration space

travel and prolonged exposure to microgravity. However, much of NSBRI’s

research also has the potential to provide great benefits here on Earth.

NSBRI research highlights for this year include the following: - Identifying early indications that nutritional supplements may

reduce muscle atrophy brought on by space travel, prolonged bed

confinement, or immobility. 

- Developing a new technology to characterize unknown bacteria. Its

immediate application will be to identify bacteria in space, but it may

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

26
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

27 eventually aid in diagnosing medical conditions and detecting biological hazards on Earth.

• In 2003, NASA and our partners brought the excitement of space closer to

home. A highlight of this year’s activities included partnering with the

American Library Association and Apple Computers to launch a 2-year

national tour to share space research with the general public. The exhibit

shows how NASA has contributed to every aspect of American life and

explains how the Space Shuttle and ISS, people, inanimate objects, and

American industry work in the microgravity of space. Over 400 libraries

competed for 120 opportunities to take part in the national tour. Launched

in July 2003, the exhibit will tour five locations per month. Estimated traffic through the five libraries in the opening month was 250,000. An average

of 20 additional books on space also were added to each library’s permanent

collection through NASA grants.

• Over this past year, numerous Principal Investigators funded through BPRE

research were featured on the covers of prestigious journals, including

Science, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Cell

Cycle, Journal of Cell Science, and Journal of Neurophysiology.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

28
In FY 2003, the USAF supported NASA in a wide range of activities. The

four major areas of cooperation were centered on upper level management coordination, science and technology development, space operations, and human space

flight activities.

The Partnership Council (consisting of USAF Undersecretary Peter B.

Teets; NASA Administrator Mr. Sean O’Keefe; ADM James O. Ellis, Jr.,

Commander, United States Strategic Command; Dr. Ron Sega, Director, Defense

Research and Engineering (DDR&E); and GEN Lance Lord, Commander, Air

Force Space Command) is the primary forum for high-level discussions on management coordination. During 2003, the council held two semiannual meetings

and three special sessions. The most important accomplishment at these meetings

was an examination of transformational options for space access. In particular, the

group looked at options advanced by DDR&E (which proposed an air-breathing

hypersonic first stage) and Air Force Space Command (which proposed a version

of its Operationally Responsive Spacelift (ORS), which is a new start to analyze

concepts and assess military utility for responsive on-demand access to, through,

and from space. ORS encompasses the spacelift missions of delivering payloads to

or from mission orbit and changing the orbit of existing systems to better satisfy

new mission requirements). 

In the area of science and technology development, one of the most important joint collaborative efforts currently underway between NASA and the Air

Force is the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environment System

(NPOESS), a tri-agency program involving NASA, the DOD, and the

F iscal Year 2003 Activities

29

DEPARTMENT OF

DEFENSE

DOD
Department of Commerce (DOC) that converges the DOD and DOC-NOAA

polar-orbiting weather satellite programs. Working with the NPOESS Integrated

Program Office (IPO), NASA provided preoperational risk-reduction demonstration and validation tests for four critical NPOESS sensors that will fly on the

NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP). NPP is a primary NASA mission that serves

as a “bridge” between the Earth Observation System (EOS) mission and NPOESS.

NPP is also a risk-reduction mission for the Visual Infrared Imager Radiometer

Suite (VIIRS), the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), the Advanced Technology

Microwave Sounder (ATMS), and the Ozone Mapper/Profiler Suite (OMPS) sensors; it also serves as an end-to-end test for the Command, Control, and

Communication (C3) and data-processing systems for NPOESS. NPP is on schedule to launch in October 2006.

As part of the effort to provide risk reduction to the NPOESS system, the

DOD Space Test Program launched the Navy Coriolis Mission in January 2003.

This mission hosted both a solar mass ejection imager and WindSat sensor. The WindSat sensor is new sensing technology from the Naval Research Laboratory

that will be evaluated for use on the NPOESS system. 

NASA also assisted the Space Test Program in tests of a new VibroAcoustic Launch Protection Experiment (VALPE). NASA supported two

successful sounding rocket launches from the Wallops Island launch facility. The

Air Force supported the launch of several NASA payloads from the Eastern and Western Ranges, the most notable being the Spirit and Opportunity rovers now

investigating Mars.

In more basic research and development, the Air Force and NASA continued to collaborate in several major research projects and have set up several fora

to facilitate science and technology (S&T). Three major coordination fora for collaborative work are the national Thermal Protection Systems Working Group,

which is led by the Air Force and NASA with participation by the Army, the

Navy, DOE, industry, and academia and which fosters the development of new and

advanced thermal protection materials and systems; the National Space and

Missile Materials Symposium, which fosters increased communication and understanding in pursuing key materials technology challenges for space and missiles;

and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)-JPL Annual Summit, which is

held to discuss and coordinate research efforts.

30Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

31 Other areas of research in FY 2003 ranged across the complete spectrum of

S&T activities. NASA and the Air Force worked to track and characterize orbital

debris, as well as performing asteroid surveys to detect any large objects at risk of

striking Earth. Many materials science experiments were carried out to look at

environmental effects of space exposure, as in the DOD Space Test Program

Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) experiments, as well

as high-stress/high-cycle experiments on airframe or fuel-tank materials. MISSE

will test the durability of hundreds of samples ranging from lubricants to solar cell

technologies. The samples, engineered to better withstand the punishing effects of

the Sun, extreme temperatures, and other elements, will be flown 220 miles above

Earth—outside the ISS and unprotected by Earth’s atmosphere. By examining how

the coatings fare in the harsh environment of space, researchers seek new insight

into developing materials for future spacecraft, as well as making materials last

longer on Earth. Managed by LaRC in Hampton, VA, MISSE is a collaborative

effort among NASA Centers, the USAF, and private industry. By pooling

resources, these groups can reap the rewards of collaborating on advanced material-science research, while minimizing the total investment of any one

participant.

In the Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT)

Program, AFRL and NASA have worked to develop a spiral improvement system

to the Space Shuttle Main Engines with technology benefits that will help all U.S.

next-generation rocket engines. In addition to all of these areas, NASA and the

Air Force collaborated on at least 17 other S&T programs that touched on almost

every facet of both aviation and space technologies.

Even NASA’s Mars exploration mission benefited from Air Force collaboration with NASA by utilizing Air Force-developed Rad-6000 32-bit microprocessors,

as well as Air Force-developed lithium-ion batteries, in both planetary rovers. In

addition, Air Force operational studies provided expertise on human-fatiguerelated performance issues that will help provide counter-fatigue strategies for

rover operators.

In the area of space operations, the Air Force and NASA have existing

Memoranda of Agreement establishing partnerships to support NASA launches

with Spacelift Range assets and to pursue advanced launch and test range technologies. In FY 2003, the Air Force’s Spacelift Ranges continued to support all
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

32 launch operations for NASA-piloted and robotic launches from KSC or

Vandenberg AFB. Also, at the recommendation of the Interagency Working

Group on Future Management and Use of the U.S. Space Launch Bases and

Ranges, the Air Force and NASA established the Advanced Range Technology

Working Group (ARTWG), co-chaired by Air Force Space Command and NASA

KSC. The ARTWG charter focuses on improving safety, increasing flexibility and

capacity, and lowering range costs in support of future generations of reusable and

expendable launch vehicles. The Joint Base Operating Support Contract (JBOSC)

is a procurement effort between KSC and the AF 45th Space Wing to provide unified base support services for KSC, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and Patrick

AFB. Space Gateway Support, LLC, currently operates the JBOSC, which has a

total value in excess of $2.2 billion over a 10-year period of performance.

In the area of human space flight, Air Force Space Command provided support to NASA (via United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) and

United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)) on the Columbia accident

response and subsequent investigation. BG Duane Deal, USAF, Commander of the

21st Space Wing at Peterson AFB, which is responsible for operating the space surveillance network and which assisted in the Columbia investigation, served on the

CAIB. Approximately 20 AFRL personnel from six technology directorates participated in the CAIB via the DOD Columbia Investigation Support Team.

Subject-matter expertise was provided in the fields of nondestructive inspection and

test of critical composite structures, space weather, atmospheric space chemistry and

physics, reentry physics, high-speed aerodynamics, aerothermal environments,

Kapton insulated wiring, ceramic materials, structural fatigue/fracture failure, and

human behavior “group think” decisionmaking. 

In an effort to assist NASA in its Return to Flight activities for the Shuttle

fleet, the Air Force is assisting in developing and evaluating leading-edge repair

concepts that can be applied by astronauts in orbit. To date, 20 specimens from

seven different organizations have been tested, with three concepts surviving thermal conditions representative of flight heat flux and temperature. These three will

be studied further to fully characterize the performance of the repair methods and

materials and certify the concepts for flight. The Air Force is also assisting in ana-
lyzing and improving the manual foam-spraying operation previously used on the

Space Shuttle Columbia External Tanks.

In the operational arena of human space flight, NASA and the Space Test

Program successfully completed experiments on both STS-112 and STS-113.

While the Shuttle fleet was grounded in the aftermath of Columbia, NASA

assisted the Air Force in securing cargo space for Space Test Program experiments

on the Russian Progress resupply vehicles. 

F iscal Year 2003 Activities

33
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

34
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

35

FEDERAL AVIATION

ADMINISTRATION

FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of the Associate

Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (AST) licenses and regulates

U.S. commercial space launch and reentry activities; ensures public health and

safety, as well as the safety of property; and protects national security and foreign

policy interests of the United States. AST also licenses the operation of nonFederal launch and reentry sites and encourages, facilitates, and promotes U.S.

commercial space launches and reentries by the private sector. During FY 2003,

AST licensed eight commercial launches, including the first launch of the Delta

IV, built and marketed by The Boeing Company. Three Atlas vehicles, built by

Lockheed Martin, were launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. In addition, Sea Launch, a multinational company that provides the Zenit 3SL, launched

three vehicles from a platform in the Pacific Ocean. One Pegasus XL was also

launched. The Pegasus XL, built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, carried the

OrbView 3 remote sensing satellite to low-Earth orbit. 

On November 4, 2003, AST established the Commercial Space

Transportation Safety Office, located at Patrick AFB in Florida, as a result of the

study on the Future Uses of U.S. Launch Bases and Ranges. This office supports

the mission partnership between the FAA and the USAF; coordinates and participates in inspections and evaluations of flight hardware; resolves requests for relief

from common safety requirements; and facilitates a better understanding of issues

that arise among the FAA, the range, and the launch operators. In FY 2003, the

office worked with USAF Range Safety to implement a temporary flight-restricted

area for expendable launch vehicle activities that was previously used only by the

Space Shuttle program.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

The office increased its focus on licensing activities related to new reusable

launch vehicles. On May 22, 2003, AST conducted a reusable launch vehicle mission license workshop for potential commercial reusable launch vehicle launch

license applicants and related organizations. The workshop provided detailed

information on reusable launch vehicle application requirements and procedures.

In September, AST released the Guide to Reusable Launch Vehicle Safety

Validation and Verification Planning to provide information of interest to potential reusable launch vehicle developers.

AST strengthened its training and development program in FY 2003 with

the addition of a dedicated training specialist and the creation of technical courses

on “Thin Walled Pressure Vessels,” “Introduction to Reentry Debris Survivability,”

“Introduction to Systems Engineering,” “Mobile Range Safety System

Fundamentals,” and “Introduction to Explosives and FTS Ordnance.”

AST released multiple reports in FY 2003, including 2003 U.S. Commercial

Space Transportation Developments and Concepts: Vehicles, Technologies, and

Spaceports and 2003 Commercial Space Transportation Forecasts. The forecasts,

prepared by the FAA and its Commercial Space Transportation Advisory

Committee, projected an average worldwide demand of 18.6 launches per year to

geosynchronous orbit and 5.1 launches per year to nongeosynchronous orbits

between 2003 and 2012. AST also hosted its sixth annual commercial space transportation forecast conference. Reports and other documents can be found on the

FAA/AST Web site at http://ast.faa.gov. 

In 2003, as the world celebrated the hundredth anniversary of Orville and

Wilbur Wright’s first flight, the next generation of aviation researchers forged

ahead to ensure the safety and efficiency of the next hundred years of flight. In

1903, our greatest research challenge was to master powered flight. One hundred

years later, the Federal Aviation Administration’s research and development

accomplishments span the globe.

For several years, the research community has been advocating the need to

begin planning for the development of a flexible, efficient future air transportation

system, and recently, FAA researchers have supported a number of intergovernmental and industry planning groups, such as the Federal Transportation Advisory

Group, which produced Vision 2050: An Integrated National Transportation

System. We also jointly sponsored the National Research Council Aeronautics

36
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

37 and Space Engineering Board to assess the Federal Transportation Advisory Group

(FTAG) and Air Transportation Advisory Group (ATAG) reports and recommend enabling technology and research for the future aviation system. They

published their report, Securing the Future of U.S. Air Transportation—A System

in Peril, in November 2003. Several of our senior researchers devoted over a year

to supporting the Presidential Commission on the Future of the United States

Aerospace Industry. Both the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB)

and Commission reports called for the establishment of a national program to

transform the future of the air transportation system. 

In FY 2003, the FAA’s research community began participating in a new

collaborative activity with the DOT, NASA, the DOD, the DHS, and the DOC

as part of the FAA’s Joint Planning and Development Office; the purpose of the

collaboration was to develop a strategy for creating the future air transportation

system—a system that will offer the flying public greater choices, lower prices, and

fewer delays. As part of this planning effort, funded by the FAA’s Research,

Engineering, and Development budget, FAA researchers have been integral in

identifying new strategies and R&D needs and undertaking critical systems analysis work to facilitate the transformation of the present system to the future one. 

As they work to create the future aerospace system, FAA’s researchers continue to make great safety advances for today’s system. In response to an industry

challenge to develop a practical and reliable fuel-tank inerting system to prevent

fuel-tank explosions, FAA’s researchers succeeded in developing a practical and

cost-effective prototype inerting system. In the summer of 2003, the FAA and

Airbus conducted flight tests of this inerting system in an A320 aircraft in

Toulouse, France. Data from these tests are being used to enhance the inerting

system’s design. Also, in July 2003, Boeing began a flight-test program to certify an

onboard inert-gas-generating system based on the FAA design. FAA supported

these tests with instrumentation (as described in A Description and Analysis of

the FAA Onboard Oxygen Analysis System, http://research.faa.gov/aar/tech/docs/

techreport/FY2003/DOTFAAARTN0352.pdf. Boeing announced its intent to

begin installing these systems on its 747 aircraft in FY 2005. 

As a result of FAA flammability tests of aircraft thermal acoustic insulation,

the FAA adopted new and improved flammability test standards for the thermal

acoustic insulation used in transport airplanes. The standards include new flam-
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

mability tests for in-flight fire ignition resistance and postcrash fire burn-through

resistance. These standards will improve aircraft safety by reducing the incidence

and severity of cabin fires by delaying the entry of postcrash fires into the cabin,

thereby allowing passengers more time for evacuation. To establish the new flammability test method, FAA researchers created a new test apparatus comprising

two main components: a large burner that simulates a jet fuel fire and a sample

holder representative of the fuselage structure. The FAA’s new test method, called

the radiant panel test, subjects a material heated by a radiant panel to a pilot

flame. The pass/fail criteria require that any flaming not extend beyond a 2-inch

length from the point of flame application or continue flaming after removal of the

pilot flame. 

Loss-of-control data indicate that 40 percent of accidents include a propulsion malfunction in the chain of events that lead to a crash. The FAA initially

established flight-deck instrumentation requirements for piston-engine airplanes.

Those requirements now need to be reassessed as turbine engines mature into

highly reliable and complex power plants. Hence, researchers are reviewing the

current data presented to the pilot and are examining the value of those data to

identify when the data are used, what limits are in place for the data’s use, and the

expected pilot response to an out-of-range value. 

As part of this work, researchers evaluated new technologies that can take

the propulsion-system data, currently available to the pilot via cockpit gauges, and

create a means to turn that information into communications that direct the crew

to the proper procedure when action is required. Currently, propulsion engineers,

flight-deck engineers, and human factors specialists are taking a global look at

propulsion indicators in the cockpit to understand how pilots become aware of

engine malfunctions. Researchers are categorizing the malfunctions and phases of

flight to develop a set of potential alerts that can address the various malfunctions.

Analysis of events and real event data indicate that technology to provide indications in a meaningful amount of time to aid the pilot is feasible. 

Most atmospheric aircraft icing is a result of supercooled liquid droplets

freezing on aircraft surfaces. Many clouds, however, contain both supercooled

droplets and ice particles. The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that the FAA examine whether or not aircraft icing certification

requirements should be expanded to include mixed-phase icing conditions. Since

38
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

39 there is only limited scientific information available about mixed-phase icing conditions, FAA researchers are undertaking the necessary work to assess whether

certification requirements should be changed. In recent tests using a wing section

equipped with a thermal ice protection system, FAA researchers, in collaboration

with Wichita State University, Cox & Company, and NASA GRC scientists,

made great strides in understanding supercooled droplets by discovering that in

mixed-phase icing conditions, supercooled water droplets present in the mixedphase cloud cause ice accretion. For glaze ice, which occurs at temperatures close

to 32 °F, the ice particles in the mixed-phase clouds actually reduce the overall size

of the ice accretion. The performance of the thermal ice protection system, when

used in an evaporative mode, did not seem to be adversely affected by the presence

of ice particles in the cloud. However, testing the system in a running wet mode

indicated that the power requirements at the leading edge are much higher when

ice particles are present in the simulated cloud. 

The FAA’s Aviation Weather Research Program made significant contributions to the safety of the national airspace system by working collaboratively with

industry, Government, and academia to improve aviation weather forecasting abilities. For example, in FY 2003, the National Weather Service’s Graphical

Turbulence Guidance product went into operational use. This automated software

product provides a color forecast of turbulence at any user-selected flight level

above 20,000 feet. The Current Icing Potential for Alaska product also went into

operational use. This product graphically depicts areas of icing at user-selected

flight levels in Alaska and is a variation of the already operational Current Icing

Potential product. The FAA also installed the Weather Support to De-icing

Decision Making system at Denver International Airport. This system tracks and

predicts snow accumulation so that operators can make better decisions regarding

de-icing fluids and the times in which aircraft de-icing must be repeated so that

runway plowing can be done more efficiently. 

In FY 2003, the FAA, in collaboration with the Volpe National

Transportation Systems Center, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and

the Logistics Management Institute, developed a unique capability to estimate aircraft emissions ranging from a single flight to regional and worldwide scales.

Although aircraft are not a primary source of emissions resulting from fossil-fuel

combustion, they are the only contributor to directly deposited pollutants in the
40 upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Aviation is a global enterprise, and the

System for Assessing Aviation’s Global Emissions (SAGE) offers the unprecedented capability to vary base year inputs and operational, policy, and

technology-related scenarios to assess aviation global emissions. 

SAGE is a computer tool to aid in estimating and assessing aircraft emissions on a technological, operational, and geographical basis, considering

emissions levels through all phases of flight. At the heart of the model are technical modules, including aircraft performance, aircraft movements, capacity and

delay, forecasting, fuel burn, and emissions. One typical application allows users to

develop emissions inventories based upon fleet forecasts. However, the model also

has the capability to estimate emissions, taking into account aircraft routing and

flight trajectories and outputting emissions levels by geographic location. The

model, currently limited in use to research applications, signifies a major achievement in capturing the logistical complexities of global aviation operations. FAA researchers also enhanced the Model for Assessing Global Exposure

from Noise of Transport Airplanes (MAGENTA) to include satellite geographic

information system capability to identify imagery-derived land-use classifications.

This update provides an enhanced capability to assess the impact of development

projects on numbers of people exposed to noise. Developed by the FAA and Wyle

Laboratories, MAGENTA provides the capability for global assessments of aircraft

noise and the impact of mitigation measures. The MAGENTA software and its

database allow the estimation of global noise exposure caused by civil aircraft operations. It does this by computing noise exposure contours around a large number

of civil airports and counting the number of people residing within them. The

model includes information on more than 1,700 civil airports that handle jet traffic and offers a landmark capability to assess global benefits of noise-mitigation

policy options. 

In March 2003, the FAA released an upgrade to its Layered Elastic

Design—FAA (LEDFAA) airport-pavement-thickness design software. Among its

significant improvements, the new version adds the Airbus A380 and A340-

500/600 aircraft families to the design aircraft library. A change to all 32-bit

programming improves speed and makes the software compatible with all current Windows operating systems. LEDFAA version 1.3 can be downloaded from the

FAA’s Web site at http://www2.faa.gov/arp/engineering/software.cfm. The new softAeronautics and Space Report of the President 
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

41 ware can be used to design airport pavements for traffic mixes that include the new

generation of super-heavy aircraft.

The FAA is currently exploring the role satellite technology can play in

providing communications, navigation, and surveillance to improve the capacity,

efficiency, safety, and security of the national airspace system by providing both

air- and ground-based personnel with improved real-time situational awareness of

the entire flying environment. Under an FAA contract, Boeing’s Air Traffic

Management business unit is working with the Agency to conduct several proofof-concept studies to demonstrate technologies that could be used by the FAA to

help modernize America’s air transportation system. In February 2003, using

Boeing’s Connexion 737-400 demonstration aircraft, researchers tested up- and

downlinked weather awareness, an aircraft deviation alerting system, ground display of aircraft flight data monitoring links using an onboard wireless local area

network. Researchers are currently developing the demonstration plan for the FY

2004 series of flights. 

In early 2003, the FAA’s Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) worked

with the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council to establish a

postdoctoral research associate program in support of FAA commercial space

research activities. FAA selected its first postdoctoral scholar, who is studying the

“Minimum Requirements for Environmental Control and Life Support System

(ECLSS) on Manned Commercial RLVs.” This research effort supports safety work

being done by the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation to understand better the limits of reusable launch vehicle equipment. 

CAMI’s vision researchers conducted a study to evaluate the vision requirements for persons maintaining and inspecting aircraft. Frequently recurring

inspections and maintenance are crucial for ensuring that aircraft and engines are

kept in safe operating condition. This research will form the basis for the development of a uniform vision standard for personnel performing these duties. In FY

2003, the research team completed the survey phase of the Vision Standards Study.

The team conducted surveys at nine aircraft maintenance facilities and developed

a vision task analysis and demographic profile of aircraft maintenance and inspection workers. Depending on the age of the workers, a vision screen was proposed. 

FAA researchers also further refined the Human Factors Analysis and

Classification System (HFACS). This tool is used to investigate and analyze
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

human error associated with aviation accidents and incidents. Previous HFACS

research has shown that this system can reliably be used to analyze the underlying

human factors causes of both commercial and general aviation accidents.

Furthermore, these analyses have helped to identify general trends in the types of

human factors issues and aircrew errors that have contributed to civil aviation

accidents. In FY 2003, researchers used HFACS to determine the global human

error categories associated with aviation accidents. They developed a detailed

analysis of each of the different error forms (decision, violations, skill-based, and

perceptual errors) to determine the exact nature of their genesis and relative

importance in the causal sequence of events. As in previous studies using HFACS

analysis, researchers found that skill-based error was consistently the most

common type of error leading to a general aviation accident and, in most cases,

was the precipitating error form as well. Furthermore, when violations were associated with a general aviation accident, they were more likely to result in a fatality. 

Current FAA policy allows pilots to complete 10 hours of instrument training using an approved personal computer aviation training device. FAA

researchers are comparing the effectiveness of Personal Computer Aviation

Training Device (PCATD) against training and performance in an aircraft. As part

of this effort, human factors specialists use an incremental transfer of training

research design to measure the effectiveness of a flight training device (FTD) and

a PCATD to determine the point at which additional training in an FTD or a

PCATD is no longer effective. The data enable certification personnel to determine what credit to award for different classes of FTDs within an instrument

training curriculum. Preliminary results suggest that FTDs and PCATDs are effective; however, definitive statements cannot be made until the sample is completed. 

Free Flight Phase 2 established a mandate for the FAA’s continued pursuit

of research into new automation tools. In collaboration with NASA Ames

Research Center and MITRE’s Center for Advanced Aviation System

Development (CAASD), researchers are undertaking priority research on targeted

air and surface traffic-flow management. 

The Problem Analysis, Resolution, and Ranking (PARR) tool, developed

by CAASD, is an extension of the Free Flight Phase 1 User Request Evaluation

Tool (URET). The Initial PARR Assisted Resolution Tool (ART), a part of Free

Flight Phase 2, provides the radar associate controller (D-side) with a set of tools

42
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

43 to support the development of strategic resolutions to URET-predicted aircraft-toaircraft and aircraft-to-airspace problems. In January 2003, the FAA conducted

controller-in-the-loop simulations of PARR/ART to further refine the operational

concept of use for ART. 

The purpose of the Traffic Management Advisor-Multi-Center (TMA-MC)

tool is to assist traffic management coordinators in planning and managing streams

of traffic into selected airspace, as well as into selected Terminal Radar Approach

Control (TRACON) facilities that receive traffic from two or more en route centers. Multicenter metering will enable controllers and traffic management

specialists operating within different centers to establish optimal arrival sequences

across center boundaries. Research focused on the Northeast corridor, with the

goal of improving the arrival flows into Philadelphia International Airport. During

FY 2003, the FAA conducted extensive field trials with participants from the New

York, NY, Cleveland, OH, Boston, MA, and Washington, DC, centers and the

Philadelphia TRACON. These efforts provided the FAA and NASA with an

understanding of the multicenter collaborative environment. Researchers successfully integrated the lessons learned from these trials into the TMA-MC Concept

of Operations. TMA-MC operational trial evaluation is the next critical milestone

and is currently scheduled for the summer of 2004.

The Surface Management System (SMS) tool is expected to address air traffic controller needs while providing the airlines with collaborative decisionmaking

information that should make both air traffic control and airline operations safer

and more efficient. In FY 2003, researchers demonstrated SMS in the Memphis,

TN, airline ramp tower and in the Memphis TRACON. The latter demonstration

allowed air traffic controllers and traffic manager coordinators to perform a preliminary assessment in preparation for an operational field trial. The field trial will

allow air traffic controllers and the airlines to evaluate SMS benefits in an operational environment while incorporating previous airline ramp tower capabilities

for an overall surface management system benefit. The completion of a new

research management plan supported the successful transition of SMS Build 1

research products to the Free Flight Phase 2 Program Office for operational use. 

The En Route Descent Advisor (EDA) is an automated decision-support

tool intended for use by the en route controller to handle traffic in transition airspace. EDA builds on the NASA Ames (ARC) Center-TRACON Automation
System (CTAS) to provide controllers with maneuver advisories to enable arrival

aircraft to cross TRACON metering fixes in accordance with scheduled time-ofarrival and sequence constraints derived from CTAS while guaranteeing

separation assurance and maximizing fuel efficiency. In FY 2003, the FAA and

NASA conducted initial operational demonstrations of EDA in the NASA ARC

development laboratory to refine further the EDA operational concept.

Direct-To is a decision-support tool for the radar controller (R-side) that

will provide advisories for traffic conflicts and direct routes. It includes an interactive trial planning function that allows the controller to quickly visualize,

evaluate, and enter route and altitude changes. In FY 2003, the FAA and NASA

further refined the FAA’s operational concept of use for Direct-To by conducting

operational evaluations in the FAA’s Integration and Interoperability Facility. 

The Integrated Aircraft Data Collection and Reporting (iADCR) project is

a prototyping effort to evaluate the benefits and advisability of collecting and

downlinking operating data to a ground station for real-time or near-real-time

monitoring and postflight analysis. Technology assessments, feasibility studies, and

a series of prototype systems have led to refinements in the concept of operations.

In FY 2003, the FAA demonstrated a prototype iADCR.

The FAA looks forward to even greater accomplishments in FY 2004. Please

visit http://research.faa.gov to keep apprised of the FAA’s ongoing work.

44Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

45

DEPARTMENT OF

COMMERCE

DOC

In FY 2003, the DOC engaged in a wide variety of activities that furthered

U.S. interests in aeronautics and space, including satellite operations and licensing, technology development, international cooperation, trade promotion, and

civilian and commercial space policy support.

At the Department-wide level, DOC continued its active role on the

National Security Council’s Space Policy Coordinating Committee (Space PCC),

with direct participation from Deputy Secretary of Commerce Samuel Bodman

and staff from NOAA, the International Trade Administration (ITA), the

Technology Administration’s Office of Space Commercialization (OSC), and the

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Among

the Space PCC’s accomplishments was the release of the new U.S. Commercial

Remote Sensing Space Policy in April 2003. The policy offers guidance on U.S.

Government use of remote sensing capabilities, NOAA’s licensing of commercial

remote sensing systems, foreign access to U.S. capabilities, and government-togovernment intelligence, defense, and foreign policy relationships that involve

U.S. commercial remote sensing. During its development, ITA’s Office of

Aerospace (OA) arranged briefings to U.S. industry to ensure that the new policy

would address their needs. Upon its release, NOAA immediately initiated efforts

toward the policy’s implementation. In the following months, the U.S. remote

sensing industry found itself better able to compete internationally and also

increased its sales to the U.S. Government.

In November 2002, DOC hosted the final public meeting of the

Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry, established by the

President and Congress to study issues related to the competitiveness of the U.S.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

aerospace industry. The Commission released its final report at the meeting, then

met privately with the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Commerce to discuss its

recommendations. ITA’s OA, which had co-led the study team responsible for

global market and trade issues, played a key role in the followup and implementation of the Commission’s recommendations, including organizing discussions of

the recommendations among Federal agencies and U.S. aerospace industry representatives, participating in an interagency review of Federal investments in

aerospace research and development, preparing a new national plan for transforming the Nation’s air transportation system, hosting roundtable discussions with

industry to identify workforce and education concerns and create a coordinated

Government-industry workforce action plan, and contributing to the

Administration’s review of the U.S. export control regime.

In February 2003, DOC hosted the Space at the Crossroads Conference, a

well-attended event that addressed the balance between commercial and military

space. ITA’s OA coordinated the conference with several industry associations,

including the U.S. Space Foundation and the Satellite Industry Association. In

April 2003, Deputy Secretary Bodman spoke at the National Space Symposium in

Colorado Springs, CO, the commercial space industry’s most widely attended conference. He took the opportunity to meet with numerous representatives from the

U.S. remote sensing, Global Positioning System (GPS), satellite communications,

and launch industries to hear their views on key commercial space issues. The OA

and NOAA coordinated these events.

In May 2003, the Secretary of Commerce and the NOAA Administrator

opened the first Commercial Satellite Remote Sensing Symposium, organized by

NOAA with support from NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The

well-attended meeting, which included many experts from overseas, examined the

challenges and opportunities of the growing global commercial remote sensing satellite industry. It included moderated panel sessions on the current market, products

and services, U.S. and foreign commercial remote sensing policies and practices, and

financing and investment issues. The meeting also coincided with the release of the

new U.S. Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy, which was briefed to participants by the Space Policy Director for the National Security Council.

In June 2003, DOC sponsored the U.S. Pavilion at the Paris Air Show. ITA

Under Secretary Grant Aldonas and U.S. Ambassador to France Howard Leach

46
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

47 officially opened the Pavilion and held senior-level meetings with foreign government and industry officials, as well as U.S. industry executives. Among other issues,

Under Secretary Aldonas encouraged the development of a forum to discuss areas

of aerospace cooperation between the United States and the European Union.

Also at the departmental level, DOC continued to play a key role on the

Interagency GPS Executive Board (IGEB), representing the interests of commercial, scientific, and governmental users of GPS technology during meetings of the

IGEB and its associated management bodies. DOC continued to host the offices

and meetings of the IGEB, with NOAA providing an employee to serve as the staff

director and the Technology Administration providing additional personnel and

resources.

Within NOAA, space-related activities occurred across its entire organization in FY 2003. Most notably, NOAA played a key role in organizing the first

ministerial-level Earth Observation Summit, held July 2003 in Washington, DC.

At the Summit, over 30 countries and 20 international organizations committed

to work toward the establishment of an international, comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained Earth-observation system or set of systems. The new system

will provide critical scientific data to decisionmakers around the world so that they

can make more informed decisions regarding climate, the environment, and a host

of other economic and social issues. By bringing together ministerial-level representatives from developed and developing countries with an interest and

significant role in observing systems, as well as representatives from international

organizations such as the World Meteorological Organization, the Summit raised

visibility and commitment for the issue among governmental decisionmakers. It

also marked the establishment of the Group on Earth Observations, which will

develop a 10-year implementation plan for the global Earth-observation system(s).

During 2003, NOAA chaired both the Committee on Earth Observation

Satellites (CEOS) and the Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS).

Comprising 23 space agencies and 21 associated national and international organizations, CEOS is recognized as the major international forum for the coordination

of Earth-observation satellite programs and for the interaction of these programs

with users of satellite data worldwide. IGOS brings together the major in situ and

spaced-based systems for global environmental observations in an integrated planning process for funding and management decisionmaking. During 2003, IGOS
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

coordinated the identification of user requirements in five areas: oceans, global

carbon cycle, global water cycle, geohazards, and coral reefs.

In March 2003, NOAA was certified as an official Emergency on-Call

Officer (ECO) by the Executive Secretariat of the International Charter “Space

and Major Disasters.” The International Charter aims at providing a unified

system of space data acquisition and delivery to those affected by natural or

humanmade disasters. Initial ECO duty for NOAA commenced during the week

of March 31 through April 7, 2003. For the balance of FY 2003, NOAA provided

data-acquisition support for eight separate Charter activations in response to

worldwide disasters, including an earthquake in Turkey; wildfires in France,

Canada, and Portugal; volcanic eruptions in Montserrat; flooding in Nepal; and

damage assessment for Hurricane Isabel.

During 2003, NOAA’s two Geostationary Operational Environmental

Satellites (GOES), GOES-East and GOES-West, continued to monitor the

Western Hemisphere for severe weather “triggers” in the atmosphere and to provide the kind of continuous data necessary for intensive analysis during hurricanes,

tropical storms and depressions, tornadoes, floods, and other severe weather conditions. NOAA successfully completed testing of its newest environmental

satellite, GOES-12, which is standing by in orbit, ready to replace one of the older

satellites when needed. NOAA also continued to provide space weather monitoring and forecasts to protect spacecraft and power grids.

During the 2003 outbreak of Western U.S. wildfires, NOAA provided special satellite coverage for the firefighting community, land managers, and

air-quality-monitoring personnel. Efforts included switching channels on the

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) to get better daytime

infrared data on the Western U.S. and integrating detections from GOES AVHRR

and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) automated algorithms to provide a twice-daily product, as well as a new Geographic Information

System site on the Internet.

Under an agreement with the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA),

NOAA moved its GOES-9 satellite over the Western Pacific to replace Japan’s

aging GMS-5 satellite. This action ensured continuity of geostationary satellite

services to support severe weather forecasting for Japan, for U.S. assets and territories in the Western Pacific, and for other regional allies. Prior to the operation,

48
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

49 JMA funded upgrades to NOAA’s Fairbanks Command and Data Acquisition

Station, as well as related operations costs.

NOAA’s second polar-orbiting environmental satellite, NOAA 17, provided improved product capabilities with new solid-state recorders. The satellite

continued to perform functions critical to virtually all of NOAA’s missions, such

as weather, climate, oceans, fisheries, and ecosystem monitoring.

During FY 2003, work continued toward consolidating NOAA and DOD

assets into the NPOESS. The program successfully transitioned existing

Government-held sensor contracts to its new prime contractor, Northrop

Grumman, which took full ownership of the contracted activities. Northrop

Grumman assumed full responsibility for development and performance of the

instruments and data-processing algorithms. NOAA completed an agreement

with NASA for the NPOESS Preparatory Project, a test and proof-of-concept

satellite that will validate performance of three major NPOESS instruments, the

complete command and control system, and the data processing/distribution

system. In January 2003, the Navy successfully launched Coriolis/Windsat, a proofof-concept satellite developed with NPOESS funding. The year 2003 also saw the

successful completion of all NPOESS sensor design activities, delivery of sensor

test models, and beginning of production for the first flight units of some sensors.

Using test units, NPOESS sensor performance was verified, with all sensors successfully meeting their key requirements.

NOAA and NASA collaborated in the formulation of a Memorandum of

Agreement with the European Organization for the Exploitation of

Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) to ensure sustained geostationary coverage from EUMETSAT’s Meteosat Second Generation-1 (MSG-1) satellite for

U.S. Government and private-sector users. Focusing on improved system efficiency, the Memorandum stipulates a cost-effective method using a domestic relay

satellite to disseminate high-resolution digital MSG data to users within the

United States.

In September 2003, the relay of preliminary satellite data and products

between the United States and India commenced under the auspices of a revised

Memorandum of Understanding for Scientific Cooperation in the Areas of Earth

and Atmospheric Sciences involving NOAA, NASA, and India’s Department of

Space and Department of Science and Technology.
During FY 2003, NOAA developed new satellite products to enhance the

Nation’s ability to predict weather, monitor climate change, observe ocean conditions, and detect natural hazards. NOAA developed and implemented a

processing system to provide data from NASA’s Atmospheric Infrared Sounder to

major weather forecast centers worldwide within a few hours after its collection.

NOAA also developed new experimental remote sensing and advanced software

products used at the National Hurricane Center as it monitored Hurricane Isabel’s

approach to the U.S. coast. NOAA transmitted experimental real-time satellite

products to help track Isabel. Based on both GOES geostationary and NOAA

polar-orbiter observations, the products included estimates of environmental wind

shear, storm intensity, and vortex wind structure.

Supporting the above operations, NOAA provided a suite of services

including data rescue, information technology, and scientific data stewardship.

Under data rescue, for instance, the University of Wisconsin completed the transfer of 120 terabytes of GOES satellite data from over 10,000 tapes to modern

media, which are to be transferred to the NOAA archives. NOAA also completed

the overall design of top-level architecture for its Comprehensive Large-Array

Data Stewardship System, including requirements, interface control, concept of

operations, and management plans and procedures.

During FY 2003, the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation, formed by

NOAA and NASA to accelerate the use of satellite observations in numerical

weather and climate prediction, continued its ongoing efforts and welcomed the

U.S. Navy and Air Force as new, active partners in the Center.

In the area of GPS data services, NOAA acquired and installed all necessary

hardware and communications systems to enable the Continuously Operating

Reference Stations (CORS) west parallel site in Boulder, CO, to collect and deliver

Coast Guard and FAA data. This enabled NOAA’s Forecast Systems Laboratory in

Boulder to access these data in an expedited manner. In addition, the parallel

Internet site for distributing these data to the public came online in 2003.

Also in FY 2003, NOAA continued to use GPS and remote sensing technologies to map the national shoreline, produce airport obstruction charts, and

monitor and analyze coastal and landscape changes. Similar functionality was

achieved where the Citation aircraft was utilized to support homeland security

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

50
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

efforts by providing 12 LIDAR datasets of major cities to the Army Joint Precision

Strike Demonstration Program Office and NIMA. These datasets allowed for

three-dimensional modeling of cityscapes for a variety of homeland security needs.

This unique relationship with the U.S. Army and NIMA provided NOAA with

access to LIDAR systems for research and development and met the need for a

continental United States (CONUS) response capability within 6 hours of an

event. This capability did not exist before September 11, 2001.

Finally, NOAA continued to support the FAA-led Safe Flight 21 program

by providing accurate runway and taxiway data referenced to the National Spatial

Reference System. The joint Government/industry program demonstrates the

capabilities of new technology coupled with accurate, detailed airport surveys to

increase ground safety and situational awareness for all personnel in the airport

ground movement area.

Outside NOAA, DOC organizations participated in a variety of other aeronautics and space activities. The Technology Administration engaged in many

space-related areas through its OSC and National Institute of Standards and

Technology (NIST). OSC continued to serve as the principal coordinating unit

within DOC on space-related issues, coordinating positions with and disseminating information to various bureaus with separate space-related responsibilities and

authorities, including NIST, NOAA, ITA, the National Telecommunications and

Information Administration, and the Bureau of Industry and Security.

In December 2002, OSC published a report on Suborbital Reusable Launch

Vehicles and Applicable Markets. The study was a followup to OSC’s November

2001 Government-industry workshop on market opportunities in space, which

identified suborbital space transportation as a potentially viable business area. The

report examined the technical aspects of 14 different suborbital vehicles and identified potential markets that such systems may enable. In February 2003, OSC

published Market Opportunities in Space: The Near-Term Roadmap, a summary of

issues discussed at the November 2001 workshop. These included the use of space

to enhance existing cargo delivery, tourism, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals,

power generation, and media businesses. The same month, OSC published a separate report on Space Economic Data, which offered recommendations for making

economic data about the space industry more accurate, reliable, and available.

51
During FY 2003, OSC continued to serve on the U.S. delegation, led by the

State Department, that negotiated with the European Community toward cooperation between GPS and Europe’s planned Galileo satellite navigation system.

OSC, along with NOAA, ITA, and NTIA, participated in several major strategy

development efforts in this regard, representing the interests of U.S. industry and

the end users of GPS technology, particularly with respect to nondiscrimination

and fair trade. OSC personnel delivered key messages to Europe on behalf of the

U.S. Government regarding the GPS-Galileo relationship. OSC also participated

in U.S. consultations with Japan to continue ongoing bilateral cooperation related

to GPS. These talks, held in October 2002 in Tokyo, resulted in new cooperation

to ensure interoperability between GPS and Japan’s planned Quasi-Zenith

Satellite System.

NIST was highly active in FY 2003, performing a broad range of aeronautics and space-related measurement and standards research, technology transfer,

and industry support. Notably, NIST engaged in numerous radiometric calibration

activities in support of Government and commercial space projects. Radiometric

calibration is the measurement and adjustment of sensors to improve their accuracy, sensitivity, and traceability to standards through an unbroken chain of

comparisons. NIST’s radiometric calibration activities included testing and

improvement of several facilities to support the Missile Defense Agency’s Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle program, which aims to detect and intercept dim objects

in space such as missiles; onsite calibrations of Raytheon remote sensing instruments; measurement of the radiance of blackbody sources used by DOD to

calibrate space-borne strategic infrared sensors; characterization of the spectroradiometer system used by the USGS’s Robotic Lunar Observatory, which collects

radiometric images of the Moon; calibration of NASA’s EOS sensors used for

global remote sensing; calibration of NOAA’s Marine Optical Buoy, which helps

validate ocean color measurements taken by NOAA satellites to determine phytoplankton distributions and evaluate ocean health; and cooperation with NASA

and the Scripps Institute to enable the Deep Space Climate Observatory satellite

to measure the absolute irradiance of the sunlit Earth.

NIST collaborated with NOAA, NASA, and the National Center for

Atmospheric Research to address problems of calibration and validation of

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

52
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

53 microwave radiometers for remote sensing. Measurement-based methods were

developed to evaluate uncertainty due to both detector nonlinearity and calibration target proximity. A public Web site was also developed to serve as an

international forum for standardization of radiometry terminology.

NIST obtained new NASA support for the production and compilation of

atomic spectroscopic data needed by space astronomers. To support space observations in the vacuum ultraviolet, x-ray, and infrared spectral regions, NIST

measured relevant areas of the electromagnetic spectrum, including the spectra of

iron (Fe I and Fe II) and other spectra of high cosmic abundance. NIST’s synchrotron III was used as a source of soft x rays and vacuum ultraviolet light to

calibrate mirrors, detectors, and spectrometers used in NASA spacecraft that study

solar flares and astronomical bodies, as well as the Solar Radiation and Climate

Experiment. NIST also played a critical role in the analysis of x-ray data from

NASA’s Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission and helped to develop new tools

for determining particle-size distribution on the surface of the asteroid.

NIST provided state-of-the-art laser stabilization technologies to NASA. It

performed preflight, ground-based research to explore emerging new techniques in

optical frequency measurement, atomic and molecular spectroscopy, solid-state

laser development, and timekeeping and distance ranging. These areas are vital to

NASA’s goal of exploring space-based interferometry as a means of determining

the precise orbital positions of spacecraft. Eventual applications include gravitywave detection and enhanced extragalactic imaging. NIST activities also included

consultation with NASA on space qualifications of various laser components and

stabilization circuitry for future NASA missions, as well as emerging ideas on the

use of a single phase-stabilized ultrafast laser for both timekeeping and distance

ranging in space.

With NASA funding, NIST continued to collaborate with JPL, the

University of Colorado, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics on

the development of an atomic clock system for the ISS, completing its Preliminary

Design Review in 2003. The experiment aims to test aspects of relativity theory

and demonstrate the viability of operating a primary frequency standard in space.

Space-based clocks have the potential to be about 10 times more accurate than the

best current ground-based clocks, and they could be used to study gravitational

waves and relativity, enhance space-based astronomical observations, and improve
navigation and communication. NIST also continued to conduct ground-based

experiments to investigate the development of new space-based atomic clocks

based on optical rather than microwave transitions. Using optical transitions could

potentially improve atomic clock performance by a thousandfold and shrink size,

weight, and power consumption to a tiny fraction of current levels. NIST investigated both neutral atom and trapped ion clocks; these investigations including

demonstrating multiple-stage laser cooling of neutral calcium atoms and the characterization of a new trapped mercury-ion clock.

In collaboration with the U.S. Naval Observatory, the University of

Colorado, and other partners, NIST conducted research on improving the accuracy of time signals received from GPS for the most demanding military and

civilian applications, including telecommunications synchronization, secure communications, frequency standards for advanced radar and surveillance systems, and

improvements to the international time scale. Using the microwave GPS carrier

frequency as the timing source instead of the GPS time code, NIST and its partners demonstrated time-transfer uncertainties as small as 20 trillionths of a second.

NIST developed a time-domain measurement system to characterize ultrawideband (UWB) emissions of commercially available UWB devices. A key

application is to investigate potential interference between UWB devices and GPS,

radar, and communications systems. NIST tested prototype UWB signal sources for

signal fidelity and continued to refine design guidelines for UWB antennas.

NIST continued to work with JPL on the Condensate Laboratory Aboard

the Space Station project, which will develop microgravity measurement instruments using Bose-Einstein Condensates—a fifth state of matter discovered using

NIST’s Nobel Prize-winning laser cooling technique. In FY 2003, the project

demonstrated molecule production in a condensate and constructed a multi-arm

interferometer.

Furthermore, NIST continued its collaboration with NASA’s Goddard

Space Flight Center (GSFC) to develop cryogenic transition-edge-sensor

microcalorimeter x-ray detectors for use by the future Constellation-X mission.

This mission involves an array of orbiting x-ray telescopes collecting observations

of black holes, dark matter, and other cosmic mysteries. NIST also continued work

with NASA to apply NIST micropositioners to optical beam direction for deep

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

54
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

55 space communications. A target NASA application for this is the Realistic

Interstellar Explorer.

NIST worked with an industrial partner to develop a cryocooler prototype

that achieved temperatures of about 17 kelvin. The partner plans to use this technology to subcool liquid hydrogen to 15 kelvin for use in next-generation space

vehicles. NIST also provided NASA with information on the physical properties

of substances at cryogenic temperatures as part of the Space Shuttle Columbia

investigation.

With the sponsorship of Boeing and the FAA/Transportation Security

Administration, NIST developed efficient techniques and methodologies for

measuring the electromagnetic radiation shielding of aircraft, which, among other

things, reduces interference to avionics from external radiation and onboard laptops and cell phones. NIST developed new time-domain techniques to enable fast,

reliable in situ measurements, even in high-scatter environments. The new techniques were successfully demonstrated on a Boeing aircraft at a manufacturing

plant and on an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft that

had undergone extensive shielding enhancement.

To support NASA’s need for nondestructive evaluation of aircraft and

spacecraft structures, NIST worked to enhance the acoustic emission (AE) technique. The work included experimentally and analytically characterizing AE

signals from multiple sources, identifying sources of uncertainty, and developing

reliable approaches for practical application of the technique.

NIST’s Advanced Technology Program (ATP) funded a project by Acellent

Technologies, Inc., to develop new technology in the field of structural health

monitoring, with an initial focus on evaluating new and aging aircraft. NIST also

gave an ATP award to GSE, Inc., to develop a new diesel-engine design that will

tolerate the low cetane rating and physical properties of JP5, JP8, and Jet-A fuel.

When commercialized, the engine could be made in a wide range of sizes for civilian and military aviation.

NIST’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership continued to help U.S. manufacturers of aerospace parts and systems increase productivity and reduce costs through the

adoption of lean manufacturing and other business process improvements.

In April 2003, in cooperation with NASA and the European Space Agency,

NIST hosted the fifth annual International Workshop on Aerospace Product Data
56 Exchange, a forum for discussing methods and technology for reliable exchange

and long-term archival of aerospace product data, particularly through the use of

open standards.

NIST continued to provide the tools, methodologies, standards, and measurement services needed by aerospace parts manufacturers and assemblers to

maintain their accurate and traceable use of the International System of Units (SI)

units of length, mass, and time, as well as their derived units (force, acceleration,

sound pressure, and ultrasonic power). For example, NIST provided calibration

services in areas of electrical measurements and microwave parameters to numerous aerospace corporations such as Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin

Astronautics, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Northrop Grumman, and TRW

Space and Electronics. As another example, NIST provided standards and calibrations for antennas used with a variety of satellites, spacecraft, and radar systems.

NIST also performed calibrations of length standards for U.S. aerospace companies to ensure that the dimensions of their manufactured parts conformed to design

specifications. For example, NIST developed and deployed the Laser Rail

Calibration System (LARCS) for calibrating laser tracker measuring systems,

which are becoming the tool of choice among aerospace manufacturers for inspecting large manufactured parts. The NIST LARCS system reduces the calibration

cycle for laser tracking measuring machines from 5 days to just over 5 hours,

making it economical to calibrate these instruments more frequently and increasing confidence in the measurements and their results.

DOC’s ITA also engaged in numerous activities related to space and aeronautics, primarily through its OA. As noted earlier, ITA supported several marquee

space events at the departmental level. The OA also continued to represent commercial remote sensing industry interests in the policymaking process as part of the

DOS-led Remote Sensing Interagency Working Group (RSIWG). The RSIWG is

charged with coordinating policy for the export of remote sensing satellite systems

and negotiating government-to-government agreements covering the safeguarding

of those systems’ technology. The group held consultations with several countries

on remote sensing satellite cooperation, including Canada and France.

In June 2003, ITA participated in the fourth meeting of the RussianAmerican Commercial Aerospace Working Group, established under the umbrella

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

57 of the Russian-American Business Dialogue and co-chaired by DOC, the

American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, and the Russian Aviation and Space

Agency. The objective of the working group is to foster and facilitate aerospace

trade and investment between the two countries. The June meeting resulted in

progress on market access and investment issues as the Russians indicated that aircraft import tariffs would be lowered and restrictions on foreign ownership of

aerospace joint ventures would be lowered or eliminated. 

In February 2003, ITA participated in a meeting in Moscow between U.S.

and Russian officials to share how the United States implements the World Trade

Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft (ATCA) in regards to

customs administration and the U.S. approach to dual-use and customs fraud issues.

The OA continued to play a critical role on the U.S. team seeking to

resolve aircraft noise and emissions disputes between the United States and the

European Union. The OA also continued to monitor and draw attention to

European government loans to Airbus for the development of the A380 super

jumbo jet, which the United States views as illegal subsidies. At the same time,

ITA continued to seek avenues for cooperation with European governments on

aerospace issues of mutual interest, holding senior-level discussions on possible

aerospace cooperation with Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.

The OA and the Civil Aviation Administration of China successfully carried out two activities under the 2003 Aviation and Airport Subgroup Work Plan,

part of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade. In conjunction

with the U.S. Air Traffic Control Association, the OA organized an Executive

Aerospace Trade Mission to Beijing and Chengdu in September 2003, including

participation in the Aviation Expo trade fair in Beijing. The mission introduced

U.S. executives from 10 air traffic control and airport equipment firms to seniorlevel Chinese aviation officials at a critical time when China has turned over most

airport operations to local government officials across the country. The mission also

identified the requirements for airport and air traffic management upgrades needed

to support the 2008 Olympics, as well as those which require long lead times to

accomplish. In addition, over 100 Chinese participants from various aerospace sectors participated in airport certification training sponsored by the FAA. These

events continued to foster an increasingly stronger relationship between the

American and Chinese aerospace industries.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

58 The OA played an instrumental role in pushing the United States to sign

and ratify the Cape Town Convention, an international treaty designed to facilitate asset-based financing and leasing of high-value equipment, including aircraft

and aircraft engines, by reducing risks to the seller, lender, and/or lessor. The

United States signed the Convention in May 2003, with ratification by the Senate

expected in 2004. To stimulate international interest in ratifying and implementing the Cape Town Convention, the OA organized a June 2003 seminar on the

benefits of the Convention to other nations. The seminar was cosponsored by

DOC, DOS, DOT, FAA, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and the

Aviation Working Group. Following the seminar, Panama and Ethiopia ratified

and implemented the Cape Town Convention.

The OA coordinated the signing ceremony for the sale of eight Boeing aircraft worth $1.7 billion to Pakistan International Airlines. Deputy Secretary

Samuel Bodman oversaw the event, which included Members of Congress,

Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Pakistan’s Secretary of Defense, and

senior management from Boeing and Pakistan International Airlines.

In October 2002, the OA organized and managed an airport-focused

Executive Trade Mission to South Africa. Eight U.S. business representatives participated in the mission, which featured high-level meetings with South African

industry and Government officials and enabled several participants to negotiate

sales contracts or identify local representatives, agents, and distributors.

During FY 2003, the OA, in coordination with ITA’s Advocacy Center and

overseas offices, continued to advocate in support of U.S. companies in international aerospace competitions, including commercial sales for aircraft, helicopters,

airport construction, communications and remote sensing satellites, commercial

space projects, and air traffic management projects. The OA also sponsored an

Aerospace Products Literature Center at the Paris Air Show and a similar operation

at the Beijing Aviation Expo. These events provided large numbers of trade leads

for participating companies—approximately 800 for the Paris Air Show alone.

As the lead advisory agency for Federal Government telecommunications

issues, DOC’s NTIA undertook a number of policy initiatives regarding satellites

and other space-based communications systems. NTIA provided policy guidance

on issues concerning the International Telecommunications Satellite
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

59 Organization and the International Mobile Satellite Organization. NTIA also

continued to manage the Federal Government’s assignments, nationally and internationally, for use of the radio spectrum for NOAA, NASA, DOD, and other

Government agencies with satellite programs. 

NTIA worked closely with other U.S. regulatory authorities and commercial satellite users to achieve a successful outcome at the International Telecommunication Union World Radiocommunication Conference in 2003. The

results included updating satellite regulations and protecting existing and new

spectrum allocations for GPS.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

60
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

DEPARTMENT OF THE

INTERIOR

DOI

President George W. Bush signed a U.S. Commercial Remote Sensing

Space Policy (CRSSP) on April 25, 2003. CRSSP goals include advancing and

protecting U.S. national security and foreign policy interests by maintaining the

Nation’s leadership in remote sensing space activities and sustaining and enhancing the U.S. remote sensing industry. The policy directs the U.S. Government to

rely on U.S. commercial remote sensing space capabilities to the maximum extent

possible for fulfilling imagery and geospatial needs for military, intelligence, foreign

policy, homeland security, and civil users. 

The Secretaries of Interior and Commerce and the NASA Administrator

were directed to construct an implementation plan for the Federal civil community. The DOI’s USGS led an interagency team in writing the plan, which directs

agencies to work collectively to identify and share their requirements for remote

sensing products, consolidate procurement through cost-effective contracts, and

develop a data library to facilitate the broadest possible dissemination and reuse.

Existing agency infrastructure will be leveraged to accelerate plan execution. The

plan identifies USGS as the lead civil agency, with distributed responsibilities

assigned to NOAA and the USDA. A committee of senior executives from departments and independent agencies will provide high-level guidance for

implementation and operation of these capabilities. 

April 15, 2003, marked the fourth anniversary of Landsat 7 operations

under USGS management. The U.S. archive of Landsat 7 data contains a wealth

of cloud-free land observations, with over 30 percent of archived scenes having

less than 10-percent cloud cover. The extensive network of Landsat International

Cooperator stations has augmented the global archive of Landsat 7 data with

61
62 extensive unique coverage over their individual geographic regions. Over the last

4 years, the U.S. Landsat project has produced and distributed over 55,000 scenes

to the Landsat user community. 

On May 31, 2003, unusual artifacts began to appear within image data

collected by the Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) instrument.

These artifacts were caused by a failure of the instrument’s Scan Line Corrector

(SLC), an electromechanical device that compensates for the forward motion of

the spacecraft. Repair attempts were unsuccessful. Landsat 7 is now collecting the

full complement of daily global coverage. These data collected without the SLC

are still of very high radiometric and geometric fidelity, but they leave a gap

between some scans, resulting in a loss of about 25 percent of the data in a scene.

Landsat 5, which was launched in 1984, achieved an important milestone when it

completed its 100,000th orbit on December 19, 2002. 

USGS supported the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) Extended Mission during

2003, in cooperation with NASA, by providing data reception and ground-system

operations. NASA GSFC continued to provide flight operations, additional data

reception sites, and program management. The EO-1 Extended Mission continued

to collect and distribute Advanced Land Imager (ALI) multispectral and Hyperion

hyperspectral products in response to acquisition requests placed by public and

Federal customers. Data are archived by the USGS Earth Resources Observation

Systems (EROS) Data Center and placed in the public domain. ALI data are similar to those from Landsat 7 ETM+ but utilize a newer sensor technology; ALI is a

prototype sensor for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission.

For decades, the USGS has maintained contracts for collecting new

remotely sensed data for its mapping and science needs and for those of its Federal

and State agency partners. Now the USGS has established complimentary contracts needed to procure “off-the-shelf” commercial data. These data may have

already been collected on speculation or for specific clients and are offered for

resale under negotiated licensing agreements. These new USGS contracts provide

access to a wide variety of high-quality optical and radar data collected from aerial

platforms. The contracts include flexible data use and distribution terms to support

The National Map and other USGS and civil community needs. The National

Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) was the first customer to place an order
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

63 through the contract. Their order encompassed 22,753 square miles and was procured for urban-area photo mapping in support of homeland security. The data will

remain licensed for Government use for 1 year, at which time it will be placed in

the public domain. Centralized Federal procurement has proven to be cost-effective for the Government through volume discounts, reduction of redundant

contract administration costs, and avoidance of duplicate purchases.

The USGS is working with NASA, NIMA, industry, and academia to independently validate and characterize commercial remote sensing space data

products. The results of these tests, administered by the Joint Agency Commercial

Imagery Evaluation team, assure that the data sources meet the specialized needs

of Government applications. Test results have also proven to be highly informative to commercial satellite vendors, as well as current and potential users of the

technology. Findings are presented annually at the High Spatial Resolution

Commercial Imagery Workshop. The third annual workshop was held in the

spring of 2003 at the USGS in Reston, VA, featuring the results of the evaluations

of QuickBird-2 satellite data. The USGS and its partners in the City of Sioux Falls

and Minnehaha County, SD, determined that the data met geometric specifications and could support a number of local government applications.

The USGS has the mission to provide basic cartographic information for the

United States. A primary source for these data is airborne film mapping cameras.

Since 1973, the USGS Optical Science Laboratory has been responsible for calibrating these cameras for the aerial mapping community. Over the years, the lab has

been recognized nationally for providing this essential service. The USGS calibrated 107 cameras during 2003. Today’s digital technology offers the aerial

mapping community a choice of using film cameras or increasingly sophisticated

all-digital cameras. The USGS established a Digital Camera Calibration Laboratory

and other advanced methodologies at the USGS EROS Data Center in 2003 to

address emerging sensor technologies. The lab is equipped with a target cage, hardware, and software for calibrating small- to medium-format digital cameras. The

USGS also signed an agreement with NASA’s Stennis Space Center (SSC) to start

characterizing large-format digital cameras by utilizing their field-calibration test

range. USGS awarded a grant to The Ohio State University for delivery of software
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

and results of system tests over their field test range. The USGS is working to establish standards for commercial digital aerial mapping cameras.

The USGS EROS Data Center has established joint agency agreements

with NOAA and the USDA to become part of five different instrumentation networks. These networks were established at the USGS EROS Data Center in 2003

to support calibration and validation of remotely sensed data. The networks collect information about key Earth surface properties needed to calibrate data and

ensure product validity. These properties include high-precision GPS reference

data, complete meteorological microclimate data, soil temperature and moisture

data, and surface solar radiation data. USGS will also provide continued support

for the field instruments/networks and tools required to calibrate and validate

commercial remote sensing data. The recently established USGS instrumentation

network site includes 1) the NOAA National Ocean Service Geodetic Survey

Operating Reference Station Network, 2) the NOAA Forecast Systems

Laboratory GPS Surface Observation System Network, 3) the USDA Natural

Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Climate Analysis Network, 4) the

NOAA Surface Radiation Research Branch Surface Radiation Budget Network,

and 5) the NOAA National Climatic Data Center Climate Reference Network. 

The capability to collect images having both high spatial and high spectral

resolution on very short notice is critical to Earth science applications that deal

with short-lived events. The temporal and spatial resolutions of existing civilian

satellite imaging systems are typically not sufficient for these types of applications,

so USGS scientists in Flagstaff, AZ, designed and developed a compact, portable,

airborne digital-imaging system during 2003. The main use of the new imaging

system was to detect and monitor, on short notice, 1) dust storms in the

Southwestern United States to study their impact on visibility, air quality, and climate in the region and 2) on-land sediment runoff onto coral reefs in Hawaii to

help study the impact on coral health. Besides these two applications, the airborne

digital-imaging system was used to collect data to investigate potential applications to map and monitor the benthic habitat of the Colorado River in the Grand

Canyon region; map the wildland/urban interface in mountain communities to

generate fire-hazard and tree-density maps around a community, with possible use

for near-real-time monitoring and imaging of wildfires; and map and monitor vegetation at a very high spatial resolution in national parks in Hawaii in cooperation

64
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

65 with the National Park Service (NPS). Approximately 60,000 digital images were

collected with spatial resolutions ranging from 1.2 to 0.1 m. Various image maps

and digital image products were generated for use by ongoing research and mapping projects.

The USGS EROS Data Center continued to support the AmericaView

Consortium, a nationwide collaboration of State organizations working in partnership with the USGS to foster remote sensing education, research, and

geospatial applications. As part of that support, the Data Center staff made

improvements to the USGS Global Visualization (GloVis) Web-based image

browser. GloVis allows a user to browse the entire USGS archive of Landsat

Thematic Mapper (TM) and ETM+ data through the Internet. Enhancements

included adding map reference layers and improving navigation tools. The source

code for GloVis was released to the AmericaView Consortium and the general

public, and technical assistance was provided to individual States (Texas, Alaska,

and South Dakota) in using the code to set up their own data portals. Operations

also continued for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)

Direct Broadcast project. The operations team received and archived 908 passes

with a 99.5-percent capture success rate. The team improved the reliability of the

EROS Data Center ground station by adding additional backup equipment. They

also created additional Web interfaces to distribute MODIS datasets. Finally, they

added the capability to display the MODIS U.S. composite data sets in the USGS

seamless server, allowing the user to select an area of interest and download the

corresponding data.

The NPS used data from Landsat, QuickBird, Satellite Probatoire

d’Observation de la Terre (SPOT), and IKONOS satellites, along with conventional aerial photographs and digital orthophotographs to map and monitor land

cover, vegetation, and cultural features; produce high-resolution digital elevation

maps; and map other specific features in many national parks. Light Detection And

Ranging (LIDAR) data were used to acquire baseline data from coastal parks

including Colonial National Historic Park, George Washington Birthplace

National Monument, Thomas Stone National Historic Site, and Sagamore Hill.

LIDAR also was used to acquire data on bathymetric surfaces and coral reefs in

Florida parks. In Alaska, LIDAR data were being evaluated as a means to produce

highly detailed topographic maps in areas with nearly complete canopy cover.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

66 High-resolution IKONOS satellite data were evaluated for use as a means to monitor resource damage by illegal immigrants in border parks, with prototype studies

conducted primarily at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The NPS Pacific

Island Network partnered with other Federal and State agencies to acquire data

from Landsat, IKONOS, QuickBird, EMERGE (a commercial digital aerial sensor),

and aerial photographs for applications such as mapping, change detection, and

long-term resource monitoring. National park units used land-cover data derived

from Landsat data through the interagency Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics

(MRLC) Consortium for temporal ecosystem and change-detection studies and for

providing context for analysis of higher spatial-resolution data. The NPS fire management program relies on Landsat data to map burn intensity and burn parameters

in Western parks, along with extensive use of aerial photography. 

The USGS continued to cooperate with NASA to apply airborne LIDAR

methods to aid natural resource management in national parks and national

seashores. A preliminary LIDAR submarine digital elevation model (DEM) of a

portion of the Florida reef tract within Biscayne National Park was created.

Between June and September 2003, the USGS, in cooperation with the

NPS, collected several thousand oblique aerial photographs of glacier and coastal

features in the Glacier Bay National Park/Wrangell-St. Elias National Park area of

Alaska. Both digital and film images were collected, most tied to the aircraft GPS

navigation log. These images are used as part of long-term studies to document the

response of Alaskan glaciers to changing climate and to document coastal natural

hazards and long-term shoreline change.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) used Landsat, QuickBird, and

IKONOS satellite data; LIDAR data; and conventional aerial photography and

digital orthophotography to inventory, monitor, and address concerns about

energy and mineral resource extraction, as well as urban growth, on public lands.

Satellite data were supplemented with GPS and geographic information system

(GIS) analysis to support on-the-ground resource management and decisionmaking activities.

High-resolution QuickBird and IKONOS satellite data were used to evaluate BLM lands in the Western States, including Alaska, as well as BLM lands in

Florida, Virginia, and Maryland. These data were being used in conjunction with

GPS data for endangered species habitat management; management and activity
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

67 planning; vegetation classification; invasive plant species issues; cultural resource

analysis; and wildfire forecasting, analysis, and smoke dispersion. Projects requiring higher resolution data were more evident this year, as satellites were tasked for

submeter panchromatic and 2-meter multispectral resolution for projects to be initiated in 2004. LIDAR data were analyzed over a mining area south of Turquoise

Lake, CO. The location and elevation data were used for determining size, volume,

and location of abandoned mine dumps; exploring use in measuring biomass, both

at ground surface and in tree tops; and addressing potential hydrology issues.

Numerous BLM field offices have acquired natural-color aerial photography

(scanned, rectified, and geo-referenced) to be used in vegetation evaluations for

land health assessments, habitat evaluations, road network updates, land

appraisals, off-highway vehicle information capture, abandoned mine site locations, contaminated springs source locations, and stream assessments to determine

proper functioning condition. For example, aerial photo interpretation was completed over the George River Basin in Western Alaska to assess the proper

functioning condition of stream segments. This was validated during the field

season. Digital airborne 1-meter data from visible and near-infrared sensors were

orthorectified and mosaicked for a 43-square-mile burned area near Timbered

Rock, OR, to develop an environmental impact statement. BLM also conducted a

pilot project to scan historical aerial photography and to develop an interactive

Web site in order to ensure that BLM’s Aerial Photography Archive was readily

available to State and field offices and would eventually be available to the general public.

BLM continued to use digital orthophoto quadrangles (DOQs) for monitoring the health of rangelands and riparian areas, planning field travel, and

evaluating proposed land exchanges. Partnerships were formed to acquire new

black-and-white and color-infrared DOQs throughout BLM and to work cooperatively to make these data available to the public on the Internet. These new data

are used for the evaluation of potential Southwest Willow Flycatcher habitat in

riparian areas along the Conejos River in South-Central Colorado; travel inventory and the evaluation of sites for fuel reduction in Grand Junction, CO; the study

of coal-bed methane activity and subsequent urban planning and growth; transportation planning; watershed management; and the tracking of extraction and

production of this natural resource in the Powder River Basin, WY.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

68 BLM has continued its partnership with the Colorado Division of Wildlife

to classify vegetation by watershed using Landsat TM data for the State of

Colorado. Data generated by this project have been used for fuel modeling and

habitat evaluation. BLM continued its partnership with the USDA NRCS and the

NPS to use value-added band ratio products derived from Landsat data for predictive soil mapping. BLM also contributed data and funding to support a Powder

River Basin, WY, temporal change map in conjunction with the Wyoming State

Game and Fish Department.

During 2003, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) used high-resolution satellite remote sensing and GPS to support BIA and tribal initiatives to map land use,

inventory natural resources, conduct environmental assessments, support Safety of

Dams program initiatives, and map and inventory irrigation systems. Application

specialists used digital orthophotographs, National Aerial Photography Program

aerial photography, the National Elevation Dataset, Digital Raster Graphics, and

high-resolution IKONOS satellite data as backdrops for modeling inundation

zones associated with the potential catastrophic failure of earthen dams. BIA personnel also collected GPS data on high-priority dams under BIA jurisdiction. In

addition, they developed inundation maps for input to Emergency Action Plans

for 10 dams during the reporting period.

BIA used commercial GPS receivers to collect data for 3,042 ditch miles

and 28,700 associated structures in BIA-managed irrigation systems. In addition,

digital aerial photographs with GPS coordinates were collected for all structures.

These datasets were combined to map the condition of irrigation systems and

structures on seven major BIA irrigation projects on Indian reservations in the

Western United States. Aerial photographs and satellite data were also key components in the mapping process in both the irrigation and Safety of Dams projects.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) used remotely sensed data in FY

2003 to create and update vegetation maps for use in comprehensive conservation

planning for National Wildlife Refuges in areas of the United States as diverse as

New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska. The maps are also used in managing lands

within the National Wildlife Refuge System, as well as to make critical habitat

determinations for endangered species. USFWS specialists are also beginning to

explore the use of these data for wildland fire control, following the example of

other Federal agencies working in this area.
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

69 USGS scientists continued to evaluate data from the Advanced Spaceborne

Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) imaging system.

Applications of ASTER data have been made to a wide range of geological topics,

including volcano monitoring, glacier dynamics studies, mineral resource assessment, and geological mapping. USGS scientists also served on the ASTER U.S.

Science Team that provides guidance on instrument calibration requirements, selection of data acquisition targets, and the development of standards for data products.

USGS scientists used ASTER and Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging

Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data to map distributions of hydrothermally altered rocks

on the major Cascade stratovolcanoes in the Pacific Northwest. Such rocks form

potentially unstable masses that can be dislodged by volcanic eruptions or large

earthquakes to produce hazardous rock avalanches and mudflows. The remotely

sensed data are being used in conjunction with other geological data to aid in

making volcano hazard assessments in the Cascades. Techniques developed in the

course of this work also should have applications in other volcanic regions.

USGS scientists, in cooperation with researchers from the Ground-Water

Research Program (GWRP) of Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates, used

Landsat ETM+ data to map irrigated land and agricultural crops in the Emirate.

Hydrologists in the GWRP use irrigation status and crop type data, along with

crop water use coefficients, to calculate groundwater usage. The government of

Abu Dhabi Emirate is implementing many irrigation projects throughout the

Emirate, and the monitoring of groundwater usage is a critical part of resource

management.

An important issue in coral reef environments is the impact of on-land pollution, including the amount of sediment delivered to the reef by water erosion

caused by rainstorms. The USGS, NPS, USDA, and Hanalei River Heritage Hui

in Hawaii are cooperating to assess soil-erosion impacts on coral reefs in Hawaii.

Many parameters determine the effect of a single runoff event or the accumulative

impact over a prolonged period of time, with three of the main parameters being

slope, soil type, and vegetation type and cover. Data layers representing these three

parameters, along with multitemporal Landsat TM and USGS airborne images,

were acquired for one site during 2003 and are being used to develop the algorithms and model to generate a digital landscape erosion vulnerability map.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

70 Dust emission in the Southwest United States is a concern with respect to

soil loss and its effects on air quality, as well as on human health and safety. The

USGS continued to collaborate with the California Desert Studies Consortium,

the Naval Postgraduate School, the Clark County Air Quality Group, and the

NPS to investigate methods to detect dust events, assess wind-erosion potential,

forecast dust emissions, and evaluate the likelihood of dustborne outbreaks of

infectious disease. The methods include 1) analyzing remotely sensed satellite, airborne, and ground-based images of land surfaces and dust plumes and 2)

monitoring meteorological, vegetation, and soil conditions and changes, including

aeolian sediment movement and flux at three sites of dust generation. Data collected and analyzed over the last 3 years have shown that interannual variations

in the frequency of springtime dust emission from the central Mojave Desert were

related to variations in winter precipitation and wind strength that apparently

reflected different Northern Hemispheric zonal flow patterns. 

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) specialists continued to use IKONOS 1-meter-resolution pan-sharpened multispectral

stereo satellite data. They also evaluated and exploited other high-resolution data,

including QuickBird data, pan-sharpened multispectral monoscopic satellite data

at 2-meter resolution, and LIDAR data with associated color-infrared aerial photography. The various data formats were employed to monitor five active western

coal mines on a quarterly basis for regulatory purposes, including reviewing coalmining permits, making topographic measurements, and ensuring that mine

operators comply with regulations. OSMRE specialists orthorectified the data

using high-accuracy GPS ground control. They also generated DEM products from

the IKONOS stereo pairs on a photogrammetric workstation. They monitor over

500 square kilometers of surface coal mines quarterly.

The OSMRE Technical Innovation and Professional Services Program

trained 45 State and Federal employees to generate orthoimagery and topographic

data by photogrammetric processing of aerial and satellite data; they deployed a

number of photogrammetric workstations in three States for stereo viewing and

data processing. OSMRE analysts used aerial photography at a scale of 1:24,000

covering 100 square kilometers in Oklahoma for topographic mapping and reclamation of an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site.
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

71 In 2003, OSMRE scientists tested a commercial thermal infrared camera for

mapping and monitoring coal-seam fires and locating hot spots and vents. The

technology proved worthwhile, and OSMRE purchased a camera. The instrument

was already quite in demand; it was used in Utah for monitoring coal venting in

abandoned mine areas near Price; in New Mexico for mapping a fire occurring in

a coal spoil; and in Washington, where an underground coal-seam fire near a residential neighborhood impacted a forest of large 100-year-old trees. 

OSMRE continued to expand its use of GPS for surface mine reclamation

verification, technical assistance projects, and Abandoned Mine Land (AML) reclamation designs. Mine inspectors employed GPS to verify jurisdictional boundaries of

large western mines; to field-verify locations of mine features such as hydrologic

structures, surface depressions, and reclaimed topography; and to perform contemporaneous evaluation of reclamation effectiveness. AML specialists and contractors

used GPS receivers to map subsidence complaints and acid mine drainage discharges

and to locate and inventory abandoned mine features nationwide.

DOI scientists and resource managers continued to use both the DOD

Navstar GPS Precise Positioning Service (PPS) and augmented differential GPS

for real-time positioning in wildland areas in 2003. DOI currently maintains about

1,300 PPS receivers. To support growing DOD needs, DOI has acted upon a

request from the Warner Robbins Air Force Base to make excess PPS equipment

available. Over 1,500 Precise Lightweight GPS Receiver (PLGR) units have been

identified for transfer to assist with world events. The demand for trained GPS

technical specialists to conduct fire mapping continues to grow due to this skill

category’s shortage in available fire personnel and the frequent occurrence of large

wildland fires across the United States. In response, GPS training courses were

taught in Florida and at Joshua Tree National Park, CA. New real-time differential and existing PLGR and PLGRII units were tested for position accuracy and

performance under tree canopies on a forested test network near Denver.

The NPS staff used approximately 400 GPS receivers for mapping and navigation to support a variety of NPS resource-management, law-enforcement, and

park-maintenance applications. New geodetic survey equipment was purchased to

provide accurate georeferencing for new remotely sensed data, and a database of

NPS control points, locations, and descriptions was being implemented online at

the end of the fiscal year. Digital photography is often collected and integrated
with GPS databases to provide a visual presentation of crime scenes, park

resources, and historic and other park structures.

During 2003, USGS biologists collaborated with Boise State University

(BSU) to use the Argos satellite system in six projects. They completed 4 years of

fieldwork for determining the survival, dispersal, long-range movements, and use

of the landscapes by prairie falcons that nest in Snake River Birds of Prey National

Conservation Area in Idaho. The USGS-BSU team worked with the Massachusetts

Audubon Society and used satellite telemetry to track snowy owls moving from the

Boston area in the winter to Northeastern Canada during the breeding season.

Also in 2003, the team began the second year of tracking white-faced ibis from

their nest colony in central Nevada to their wintering areas from the central valley

of California to central Mexico. This study of the source of contamination of the

birds is conducted with Earthspan, Inc., and Mexican colleagues, with the support

of the DOD Legacy Resource Management Program. The Program provides financial assistance to protect and enhance natural and cultural resources (such as

monitoring and predicting migratory patterns of birds in this study) while supporting military readiness on military lands. USGS, BSU, and the Nevada

Department of Wildlife (NDOW) have used satellite telemetry to study the mortality of relocated bighorn sheep in remote areas of Nevada. The USGS-BSU

group joined the BLM and NDOW to track the annual movements of ferruginous

hawks. In 2003, they also began research on annual sage grouse movements with

BLM, NDOW, and Idaho State University. 

USGS scientists used ECOSEARCH, a computer-based modeling procedure, to predict species occurrences for 332 New England wildlife species using

defined natural history habitat-selection models. Predictions made within

ECOSEARCH are currently based on geospatial data for wetlands, soils, topography, and vegetative structure. Information for wetlands, soils, and topography

comes from readily available National Wetlands Inventory maps, NRCS maps,

and USGS maps, respectively. Vegetation structure, such as vegetation composition and height, is estimated from aerial photographs of point intercepts for a

sampling grid containing 50-meter pixel cells. LIDAR data are also being used to

estimate vegetative structure. This technology should not only facilitate further

development of more accurate species-habitat models at increased efficiencies, but

also will be useful for such constituents as the forest products industry in assessing

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

72
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

73 their management activities. LIDAR data were collected at several sites in Maine

and New Hampshire, on private lands (International Paper, Inc.) and on public

lands such as USFWS refuges, and on USDA National Forests lands that have

well-established bird survey routes; these data were used to create Version 2 of

ECOSEARCH using statistical models for New England wildlife species. GPS was

used to mark plot locations at Badlands National Park and to map the extent of

invasive plant species at Mississippi River National Recreation Area and St. Croix

National Scenic River.

USGS Missouri Field Station, the University of Missouri, and the Missouri

Department of Conservation continued using color-infrared aerial photographs to

map vegetation within Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri. Colorinfrared aerial photos were taken in October 2003 at a scale of 1:12000, with GPS

center points, then digitally scanned, orthorectified, and mosaicked, yielding a

spatial resolution of 25 centimeters and a maximum spatial error of 5 meters. Data

from more than 1,000 pre-existing vegetation-monitoring plots (all sampled

within the past 5 years) and 343 new plots will form the basis for developing

photo-signatures for vegetation communities within the study area. All plots have

associated GPS coordinates, and most have detailed vegetation and environmental data. Analysts will also incorporate 1:24,000 and 1:12,000 color photographs of

the study area, all flown within the last 7 years and all processed as above. They

will use automated, supervised classification and on-screen three-dimensional

techniques to delineate communities.

During 2003, as part of a study of relative sea-level rise, marsh dynamics,

habitat changes, and effects on waterbirds, USGS scientists acquired aerial photography and Landsat data at study sites within Cape Cod National Seashore in

Massachusetts, Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in southern New Jersey, and

three sites within the Virginia Coast Reserve along Virginia’s Eastern Shore. They

performed a comparison of rates of change from the 1930–1940 period to the 1970s

and finally to the 1990s. They noted evidence of significant marsh loss and habitat changes at all but one of the sites, suggesting that sea-level rise may seriously

affect too many species of nesting waterbirds. 

Populations of seaducks along the Atlantic Flyway are declining, and little

is known of the critical habitats used by these species. During 2003, USGS scientists conducted the Atlantic Seaduck Project, a research project involving the
74 migration, habitat selection, and ecology of one species—scoters—that winters on

the Chesapeake Bay. During the year, satellite transmitters were surgically

implanted in scoters captured on the Chesapeake Bay and on the Restigouche

River in New Brunswick, Canada. Once released, the birds were tracked using the

“Service Argos” system on NOAA satellites. Data such as coordinates and transmitter information were transmitted from each bird. Subsequently, GIS techniques

were used to interpret and analyze the data, and ducks were tracked as they began

their migration along the coast and into various areas of Canada. During the

summer, scientists went to Quebec and Labrador to evaluate the breeding habitats

selected by these scoters. Once all the data for the year were compiled, a more

detailed picture was produced of the staging, breeding, and molting areas used by

scoters, as well as their associated habitats. Information from this study will assist

wildlife managers in locating and conserving these critical scoter habitats.

Scientists at the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center/Colorado

Plateau Field Station used low-level, high-resolution, rectified aerial photography

of Roosevelt Lake, AZ, for a variety of purposes in conjunction with the Bureau of

Reclamation (BOR). Researchers located and mapped flycatchers, along with

their breeding territories and nests, on the photographs and repeatedly returned to

the territories to track flycatcher nest success and productivity. Scientists also

marked locations of radio-tracked birds on the photographs and compared these

locations with available habitat. Overall, these photos are essential tools in this

type of research.

Scientists from the USGS Great Lakes Science Center regularly used GPS

technologies to supplement scientific research conducted in 2003. GPS receivers

and aerial photographs were used to determine sample locations, provide geographic reference for geographic information system datasets, and assist navigation

during wetland restoration projects on USFWS National Wildlife Refuges. Sidescan sonar surveys conducted throughout the Great Lakes basin and habitat-mapping

projects in the Detroit River required GPS technology to locate sample sites and

provide geographic reference for biological data. Larval fish habitat preference

studies in Lake Erie used GPS to guide sampling procedures and simplify navigation in open water. GPS was also used during native clam research in several

national parks in Michigan. A mapping-grade GPS receiver was used to determine

precisely the geographic coordinates of wetland plant sampling transects located at

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

75 specific elevations along the U.S. shore of Lake Ontario. Correctly identifying

sampling locations was a critical part of the binational wetland research efforts

included in the International Joint Commission’s reevaluation of the water-level

regulation plan for Lake Ontario. High-resolution IKONOS multispectral data

and ASTER data provided the detail necessary to map sensitive habitats on islands

in the Great Lakes. Landsat 7 images were also a valuable addition to the wetland

research conducted in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

The first National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD 1992) for the conterminous

United States was completed in 1999 and is the current land-cover layer for the

National Map. An updated land-cover layer for all 50 States and Puerto Rico is

being developed using Landsat 7 data. MRLC (http://www.mrlc.gov), a partnership

of Federal agencies, sponsored the acquisition of the source satellite data and the

land-cover mapping. Mapping is being done in regional mapping zones to facilitate

processing. Mapping for the conterminous United States is scheduled for completion in FY 2006. 

The USGS and the FS developed new remote sensing monitoring tools and

methods to detect and map the onset and progression of oak mortality in hardwood

forests of the Mark Twain National Forest in the Central United States.

Researchers analyzed data from Landsat ETM+, ASTER, EO-1 ALI, and EO-1

Hyperion (the first hyperspectral data from a civil satellite) instruments. Study

results included data on the percent occurrence of hardwood and conifer tree stands

and black and red oak trees (the affected oak species), the level of oak mortality,

and a database of satellite data and products derived from the research.

The five-State Re-Gap Team, including the USGS-led Arizona team, used

Landsat 7 data to help develop a regional land-cover map of the Southwest

Regional Gap Analysis Program. The data also form a base for derivation of the

modeled land cover.

A team of USGS and BOR investigators mapped vegetation at Sunset

Crater, Wupatiki, and Walnut Canyon National Monuments using aerial photography. A USGS and NPS team has also acquired aerial photography for vegetation

mapping at Mesa Verde and Petrified Forest National Parks and Canyon de Chelly

National Monument.

A USGS team used Landsat 7 and MODIS data to study perennial and

annual vegetation change in the Mojave National Preserve on a seasonal and
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

76 interannual basis and to attempt to map nonnative annual grasses. Also, Landsat 7

data from 1987 to 2000 were used to study long-term landscape changes in the

south-central Mojave ecosystem.

Satellite observation is a critical component of the USGS programs addressing wildland fire mapping and monitoring. In 2003, the USGS used coarse- and

moderate-resolution satellite data in a three-tier approach to wildland fire management. At the coarse-resolution level, USGS used Advanced Very High

Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data to monitor vegetation condition in order

to forecast fire danger nationwide. The USGS provided weekly updates of vegetation condition information throughout the 2003 fire season. The National

Interagency Fire Center and others used the fire-danger forecast information to

plan and allocate firefighting resources. 

The USGS used the moderate-resolution Landsat data to map the effects of

active wildland fires and to map fire fuel condition. In 2003, the USGS prepared

burn-severity maps for approximately 60 fires that occurred on DOI land and provided Landsat data to the FS to map approximately 80 fires on FS land. The

burn-severity maps are used for assessing the extent and degree of landscape

change resulting from fire.

USGS astrogeology scientists have been heavily involved with the MER

mission that landed two rovers on the surface of Mars in January 2004. Team members developed high-resolution topographic maps of the potential landing sites for

safety analysis and general geologic context for science objectives. The team also

had responsibility for the microscopic imager, part of the imaging system deployed

on an arm on the rover. That system allows high-resolution (30-micron) panchromatic images to be taken of natural materials and rock surfaces that have been

ground down with a rock abrasion tool on the rovers. The team conducted a

number of mission rehearsals at JPL to understand exactly how the mission will

proceed. The team developed a computer system to mosaic and analyze images

that will be taken from a mast-mounted stereo imaging system. The system has

been extensively tested and debugged to make it fully operational. 

USGS scientists are conducting a major data-recovery activity in which

1960s-vintage Lunar Orbiter images of the Moon are being converted to digital data

and mosaicked. A film system on the Orbiter was used to take pictures that were

then scanned and transmitted to Earth, where they were used to prepare for the
Apollo landings. The original analog data are no longer recoverable, so first-generation negatives are being scanned and reassembled into digital images. Because of

the technology of the time, each frame consists of about 20 segments that now must

be independently scanned and reassembled. The individual frames are in turn being

mosaicked into a complete lunar image. These photographs represent some of the

highest resolution data available for the Moon. Because they were taken specifically

to see surface detail, they provide an unparalleled dataset to examine the smallscale features on the lunar surface. Since 1975, the USGS has chaired the Civil

Applications Committee (CAC) to facilitate the use of national systems data for

applications central to civil agency missions, such as mapping, charting, and geodesy; environmental monitoring, studies, and analyses; resource management;

homeland security; natural hazards; and emergency response applications. 

To represent civil community interests and advocate for civil requirements

for access to National Systems data and related technologies, the CAC participated

on a regular basis in 2003 with the National Security Space Architect (NSSA) to

represent civil requirements related to future space remote sensing architectures;

with the Federal Law Enforcement Working Group to provide advice and consultation on issues related to law-enforcement applications of remote sensing; with the

Department of Homeland Security to explore how civil agencies will use national

systems data in support of homeland security activities; and with the

USNORTHCOM Interagency Directorate to explore how the civil community can

facilitate USNORTHCOM access to and application of national systems data for

homeland defense activities.

The CAC Secretariat completed a document entitled the Civil Community

Capabilities Requirements Document for 2005–2009, based on input from CAC

member agencies. This is the first time in the 28-year history of the CAC that civil

community capabilities and requirements for exploiting national systems have

been assembled in a single document. The document will serve as a baseline and

roadmap for upgrading civil community infrastructure to prepare for the next generation of national systems.

F iscal Year 2003 Activities

77
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

78
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

79

FEDERAL

COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

FCC

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) accomplishments during FY

2003 were related primarily to commercial communications and Earth-observation

satellites. The FCC formulates rules to facilitate the provision of commercial satellite services in the United States; it also issues licenses for launch and operation of

all non-governmental U.S. satellites. Internationally, the FCC coordinates satellite radio-frequency usage with other countries. The FCC’s accomplishments for

FY 2003 are outlined below.

In FY 2003, the FCC authorized a number of commercial communication

satellite launches and operations. On March 27, 2003, the FCC granted

PanAmSat Licensee Corporation authority to launch and operate the Galaxy XII

satellite in the fixed satellite service in the C-band as a replacement for its Galaxy

VI satellite at the longitude 74° west orbit location; it was successfully launched

on April 9, 2003. On June 24, 2003, the FCC authorized The Boeing Company to

change its 2-gigahertz Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) license from a nongeostationary to geostationary authorization and to launch and operate a geosynchronous

orbit (GSO) satellite. On August 1, 2003, the FCC authorized EchoStar Satellite

Corporation to modify its Ku-band and Ka-band licenses to allow launch and operation of a hybrid Ku-/Ka-band satellite, EchoStar 9. That satellite also included a

C-band payload (commonly referred to as Telstar 13) authorized by Papua New

Guinea. It was successfully launched on August 8, 2003. On September 30, 2003,

the FCC authorized PanAmSat Licensee Corp. to launch and operate a satellite
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

80 operating at C-band, Galaxy XIII. That satellite also included a Ku-band payload

authorized by Japan. It was successfully launched on September 30, 2003. 

The FCC granted a number of Special Temporary Authorizations (STAs)

for satellite networks. Many involved routine testing and redeployment of satellites within a multiple-satellite system. Several actions, however, were notable. On

February 24, 2003, the FCC granted Intelsat LLC the authority to relocate the

Intelsat 702 satellite from the longitude 156.9° east orbit location to the longitude

55° east orbit location in order to provide the Indian Space Research Organization

with the capacity needed to maintain service pending launch of the INSAT-3E

satellite. On April 28, 2003, the FCC authorized PanAmSat Licensee Corporation

to drift the Galaxy III-R satellite, a hybrid C/Ku-band satellite, from the longitude

74° west orbit location to the longitude 111.1° west orbit location in order to provide Telesat (a Canadian satellite operator) with the capacity to provide continued

service from that location. Beginning in April 2003, the FCC issued a series of

Special Temporary and other Authorizations for the Iridium system to operate its

“Big LEO” MSS satellites in the 1620.10- to 1621.35-megahertz band. The additional authorized spectrum was to support stated satellite communications needs of

U.S. and Coalition Forces in the Middle East. 

The FCC granted a number of launch authorizations and STAs for Direct

Broadcast Satellites (DBSs). The FCC also added a number of non-U.S.-licensed

space stations to the Commission’s permitted space station list to allow these space

stations to provide domestic and international satellite service in the United

States. On December 18, 2002, the FCC added a Canadian satellite, Anik F2, to

its permitted list with certain conditions in order to allow U.S. Earth stations with

routine technical parameters to communicate with Anik F2 in the C-band and

Ku-band frequencies. On March 6, 2003, the FCC added Hispasat S.A.’s satellite,

Hispasat-1B, to its permitted list with certain conditions in order to allow U.S.

Earth stations with routine technical parameters to communicate with Hispasat1B in certain Ku-band frequencies. On July 11, 2003, the FCC added Spacecom

Satellite Communications Services S.C.C. Ltd.’s AMOS-2 satellite, licensed by

Israel, to its permitted list with certain conditions in order to allow U.S. Earth stations with routine technical parameters to communicate with AMOS-2 in certain

Ku-band frequencies. On August 8, 2003, the FCC added Telstar 13, licensed by
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

81 Papua New Guinea, to its permitted list to allow Loral Spacecom Corporation to

operate Telstar 13 in the C-band frequencies. On August 19, 2003, the FCC added

Binariang Satellite Systems SDN BHD’s MEASAT-2 satellite, licensed by

Malaysia, to its permitted list with certain conditions in order to allow U.S. Earth

stations with routine technical parameters to access MEASAT-2 in the certain Cband frequencies.

The FCC granted a number of applications for use of Mobile Earth Terminals

(METs). On March 7, 2003, the FCC granted Richtec Incorporated blanket authority to operate up to 10,000 half-duplex METs to provide MSS in the United States

via Inmarsat, Ltd., satellites in portions of the lower L-band for a term of 2 years.

On March 14, 2003, the FCC authorized SkyBitz Incorporated to increase the total

number of METs in its current blanket authorization from 20,000 to 100,000 in

order to meet escalating demand for its global locating system. On May 13, 2003,

the FCC granted GlobalStar USA, LLC, authority to add 500,000 METs for communication with the GlobalStar Big LEO non-geostationary satellites of the MSS

systems for remote telemetry and aeronautical and air-based or ground-based MSS.

On July 14, 2003, the FCC granted Vistar Data Communications, Inc., the authority to increase its authorized METs from 20,000 to 100,000 and extended its license

from 2 years to 15 years in the L-band for transportation logistics and asset-monitoring purposes.

During FY 2003, the FCC was also active in international satellite coordination. In the first quarter of FY 2003, the FCC reached Operator-to-Operator

Coordination Arrangements with the United Kingdom, Russian, Papua New

Guinean, Canadian, and Singaporean satellite operators for 226 U.S. satellite systems. In the area of Administration-to-Administration Coordination Agreements,

the FCC reached agreements with Spanish, Brazilian, and Netherlandic satellite

operators for 21 U.S. satellite systems. 

In the second quarter of FY 2003, the FCC reached Administration-toAdministration Coordination Agreements with the Australian satellite operators

for four U.S. satellite systems. 

In the third quarter of FY 2003, the FCC reached Operator-to-Operator

Coordination Arrangements with the Saudi Arabian and Singaporean satellite

operators for 11 U.S satellite systems. In the area of Administration-to-
Administration Coordination Agreements, the FCC reached agreements with

Spanish satellite operators for two U.S. satellite systems.

In the fourth quarter of FY 2003, the FCC reached Operator-to-Operator

Coordination Arrangements with the European Space Agency and Brazilian,

Canadian, and Indian Satellite operators for 81 U.S. satellite systems. In the area

of Administration-to-Administration Coordination Agreements, the FCC

reached agreements with Australian, Papua New Guinean, and Maltese

Administrations for 12 U.S. satellite systems.

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

82
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

83

DEPARTMENT OF

AGRICULTURE

USDA

In FY 2003, the USDA used remote sensing data and related technologies

to support a broad range of research and operational activities. Several agencies

applied these data and technologies, including agencies within the Farm and

Foreign Agricultural Services mission area, the Natural Resources and

Environment mission area, and the Research, Education, and Economics mission

area. Following are brief summaries from these agencies, describing how these data

and technologies were applied to accomplish various departmental goals and

objectives.

The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service

(CSREES) is the extramural research arm of USDA. CSREES primarily provides

financial assistance in the form of grants to conduct high-priority agricultural

research and education. Many grants awarded by CSREES utilize NASA data

products to solve complex environmental problems on topics such as water quality, air quality, and land-use change. A few examples of research supported by the

CSREES National Research Initiative that utilize NASA data products include

sustainable ecosystem management in Flathead County, MT; regional patterns of

biological nitrogen fixation in the Pacific Northwest; invasion potential of nonnative trees in the eastern deciduous forest; quantification of carbon and nitrogen

fluxes at a regional level from organic farming sites; and host/vector/environmental interactions in epizootic bovine abortion in California and Nevada. CSREES

also funded long-term studies in Mississippi, Kentucky, and Alabama that utilize

remote sensing and geospatial technologies to develop precision management

techniques for various agricultural production strategies. CSREES cooperated with
84 the Applications Division of the ESE at NASA to create geospatial extension programs at land-grant and space-grant institutions. This ongoing outreach program

has helped train local and regional technologists to better utilize NASA data

products and geospatial technologies.

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Production Estimates and Crop

Assessment Division (PECAD) is the focal point within FAS and USDA for assessing the global agricultural production outlook and conditions that affect world food

security. During FY 2003, the FAS satellite remote sensing program continued to

provide timely, accurate, and unbiased estimates of area, yield, and production for a

variety of crops worldwide. For example, PECAD analysts used satellite-derived

data to quickly identify unusual crop conditions and production in several countries, thereby enabling USDA experts to more rapidly and precisely determine

global supply and demand. FAS exploited many global imagery data sets during this

process, including global Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)

data from NOAA and global SPOT-VEGETATION data from Spot Image. In FY

2003, cooperative agreements with NASA enabled the use of near-real-time

MODIS imagery, as well as TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1 data to measure reservoir

levels. FAS had standing orders for Landsat 5 and 7 imagery for selected paths and

rows; however, operations were severely impaired by Landsat sensor problems and

the lack of Landsat program continuity. Budget constraints limited the use of Space

Imaging IKONOS and DigitalGlobe QuickBird data. Many of the data products

produced for global crop production intelligence by FAS are available at

http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/cropexplorer/. FAS also continued to house and

manage the USDA Imagery Archive. Through this archive, FAS distributed thousands of satellite scenes to other USDA agencies. This archive has helped USDA

save hundreds of thousands of dollars each year by eliminating duplicate data purchases among agencies.

The FS provided the majority of the more than 4,000 Federal incident management personnel involved with the Space Shuttle Columbia recovery effort that

took place in February and March 2003. Crews searched 12 hours a day, 7 days a

week over territory located in Louisiana, Texas, and New Mexico. Their goal was

to find as much material as possible before spring vegetation growth made the

search more difficult. FS personnel were primarily involved in searching the

ground, recording the coordinates of debris sites, creating maps, recovering and

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

85 transporting debris, and patrolling for possible theft of material. In addition to personnel, other resources provided by FS included helicopters for aerial

reconnaissance, all-terrain vehicles, weather stations, satellite phones, imaging

and GPS equipment, food caterers, and showers. Jim Moseley, Deputy Secretary of

USDA, and Dale Bosworth, Chief of the FS, toured the sites, surveying the recovery effort and thanking everyone for their help. 

FS continued to process data from NASA’s MODIS sensor and to use these

data to produce active wildland fire maps for the entire United States three times a

day. FS acquired MODIS imagery of the Western United States from a receiving station located at the agency’s Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC) facility

in Salt Lake City, UT. Imagery of the Eastern United States was acquired by GSFC.

RSAC used a fire-detection algorithm developed by the University of Maryland to

identify active fire locations. These locations were overlaid on a cartographic base

map that showed State boundaries, topography, major cities, and interstate highways. These maps were posted on the Internet (http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us), where

they were accessible to national fire managers and the general public.

The Active Fire Mapping Web site was accessed by a large number of users

during the 2003 western fire season. The maps provided the interagency firefighting community with a synoptic view of the wildland fire situation, aiding in the

strategic allocation of firefighting resources and assets throughout the country.

This service has been provided on a daily basis since July 4, 2001, and is a collaborative effort with GSFC and the University of Maryland. In addition, the maps

and fire-detection data were used by several major media entities, including the

Washington Post, the Cable News Network (CNN), the Associated Press, and the

Los Angeles Times. Between October 26 and November 1, 2003, which was the

most active week for southern California wildland fires, nearly 750,000 individuals accessed the Active Fire Mapping Web site to view maps of fire activity.

At the request of the FS, NASA provided emergency imagery-acquisition

services over fires in southern California in late October 2003. Images from the

MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) sensor, the Airborne InfraRed Disaster

Assessment System (AIRDAS) sensor, the Advanced Land Imager (ALI), and

Landsat 5 were used by FS to map postfire conditions in support of the Burned

Area Emergency Response program teams, who are responsible for rehabilitation

and restoration of the burned areas.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

86 During FY 2003, the FS continued to work with both NASA ARC and

NASA GSFC on a number of fire-related technologies. ARC work included

advanced sensor design and image processing from airborne platforms, as well as

unpiloted aerial vehicle development and mission profiling for tactical wildland

fire mapping. GSFC work involved preliminary designs of both air-to-ground and

air-to-satellite communications systems that will enable rapid transmission of FS

airborne thermal-image products to incident command personnel.

The mission of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is to

provide timely, accurate, and useful statistics in service to U.S. agriculture. These

statistics cover virtually every facet of U.S. agriculture, from the production and

supply of food and fiber to the prices paid and received by farmers and ranchers.

Significantly, NASS conducts the Census of Agriculture, which provides a comprehensive statistical summary of many aspects of U.S. agriculture, every 5 years.

NASS personnel have found remote sensing data and technologies to be valuable

in improving the accuracy of some statistics. 

During FY 2003, NASS used remote sensing data to construct and sample

area frames for statistical surveys, estimate crop area, and create crop-specific landcover data layers for Geographic Information Systems (GIS). NASS used Landsat

imagery, digital orthophoto quadrangles, and other remotely sensed inputs for 27

States to select the yearly sample. In addition, NASS constructed new frames in

Kentucky and Oregon. The Kentucky frame will be used for the first time in 2004,

while the Oregon frame will be used in 2005. The remote sensing acreage estimation project analyzed Landsat data from the 2002 growing season to produce crop

acreage estimates for major crops at State and county levels. These data were used

to create a crop-specific categorization in the form of a digital mosaic of TM

scenes, which was distributed to users on a CD-ROM. Data used in this project

were obtained from Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, the Missouri

boot heel, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, and a pilot area in Wisconsin.

During FY 2003, NASS headquarters and several NASS field offices continued

partnership agreements with State organizations, decentralizing Landsat processing and analysis tasks and expanding the area analyzed into central Wisconsin.

Data for the 2003 acreage estimation analysis were collected in Arkansas, Illinois,

Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, and

the entire State of Wisconsin. 
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

87 NASS, in partnership with the Florida Department of Citrus, tested the feasibility of using high-resolution imagery such as QuickBird to count citrus trees

remotely. NASS, in conjunction with the USDA Agricultural Research Service,

continued research on MODIS data from the Terra satellite, examining the potential to replace AVHRR data with MODIS data in generating vegetation condition

images. If successful, MODIS data would provide an additional input for setting

yield estimates. A specific pilot was conducted for the State of Iowa.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is the primary

Federal agency working with private landowners to help them protect and conserve their natural resources. Much of the land management business conducted

by NRCS has been accomplished using geospatial and remote sensing data and

technologies. For over 50 years, NRCS has used aerial photography to carry out

conservation programs. Today, the NRCS exclusively uses digital orthoimagery

and GIS at county field service centers nationwide. 

NRCS purchased all aerial photography and derivative digital orthoimagery

products from commercial sources by coordinating and cost-sharing, to the maximum extent possible, with other Federal and State agencies. In FY 2003, NRCS

acquired 1-meter or better resolution orthoimagery for 20 States and Puerto Rico.

Most of the orthoimagery was acquired by cost-sharing with the Farm Service

Agency (FSA) through the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP). This

program helped NRCS increase the amount of data acquired while reducing the

funds necessary, supporting agency efforts to refresh the orthoimagery at the

county field services on a 3- to 5-year cyclic schedule. Another successful means

for acquiring imagery was through partnerships formed between NRCS and various State agencies. In previous years, NRCS cooperated with member agencies of

both the National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP) and the National Digital

Orthophoto Program (NDOP). During the past couple of years, however, the

USGS-led NAPP/NDOP programs have been unsuccessful in maintaining consistent funding levels for carrying out a national program, and as a result, NRCS

participation in NAPP/NDOP was limited to a couple of States in FY 2003. 

In response to USDA conservation programs, homeland security,

e-Government, and county service center GIS requirements, NRCS worked in

conjunction with the USDA and FSA to establish a Geospatial Data Warehouse

and a Geospatial Data Gateway to provide agency users and the public with
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

88 online, 24/7 access to archived geospatial data, including imagery, developed or

purchased by FSA and NRCS. All imagery purchased by NRCS resided in the

public domain, permitting NRCS to freely distribute data and imagery internally

and externally without costly and restrictive use licenses.

In FY 2003, NRCS extensively used 1-meter orthoimagery nationwide for

conducting soil surveys as part of the National Cooperative Soil Survey program.

Soil scientists used digital orthoimagery as the base for mapping and digitizing soil

surveys. Approximately 60 percent of the Nation’s detailed soil surveys have been

converted to a nationally consistent digital geospatial format. 

NRCS continued to contract for high-resolution aerial photography (less

than 1-foot ground resolving distance) as a source for collecting data for the annual

continuous National Resources Inventory (NRI) program. The NRI required highresolution imagery over confidential statistical sampling sites. NRCS purchased

NRI imagery for approximately 70,000 sites nationwide. Six aerial firms acquired

the natural-color imagery within short photo-periods during the growing season.

The USDA-FSA Aerial Photography Field Office contracted for the imagery

because of its responsibility for contracting aerial photography for USDA.

NRCS increased its use of satellite imagery by accessing Landsat imagery

archived in the FAS-managed USDA Imagery Archive. In FY 2003, NRCS purchased additional commercial off-the-shelf remote sensing and GIS software

licenses. NRCS resource planners were able to use satellite and other digital

imagery on a daily basis because this software had become more user-friendly and

readily available on personal workstations. 

In FY 2003, NRCS completed its purchase of Nationwide Differential GPS

(NDGPS) receivers from a USDA GPS contract. At the conclusion of the fiscal

year, over 4,100 GPS receivers were being used in everyday applications by soil scientists, engineers, and resource-planning specialists at the county level.

The NRCS was well represented on Federal remote sensing, GPS, and geodata coordinating committees. NRCS devoted much time and many resources to

support the work of the Federal Geographic Data Committee’s Geospatial One

Stop initiative as well as NAIP, NAPP, and NDOP coordination.
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

89

NATIONAL SCIENCE

FOUNDATION

NSF

The National Science Foundation (NSF) continued to serve as the lead

Federal agency for the support of ground-based astronomy and space science. NSF,

through the Division of Astronomical Sciences and, to a lesser extent, the

Division of Physics and the Office of Polar Programs, sponsored a broad base of

observational, theoretical, and laboratory research aimed at understanding the

states of matter and physical processes in the universe. Areas of research ranged

from the most distant reaches of the universe and the earliest moments of its existence to the nearby stars and planets just being formed. A sample of these activities

is presented below.

The NSF also supported the development of advanced technologies and

instrumentation for astronomical sciences and provides core support for optical and

radio observatories that maintain state-of-the-art instrumentation and observing

capabilities accessible to the community on the basis of scientific merit. The NSF’s

national astronomical facilities include the National Radio Astronomy Observatory,

the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, the National Optical Astronomy

Observatory, and the National Solar Observatory (NSO). The NSF also provides for

the United States’ share and serves as the Executive Agency for the Gemini

Observatory, an international partnership operating optical/infrared telescopes in

both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. FY 2003 saw the second year of construction of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, an interferometer located near San

Pedro de Atacama, Chile, being constructed in partnership with Europe and

Canada. 

One of the most stunning scientific findings of the 20th century was that

“normal” matter—the atoms, protons, neutrons, and electrons that compose our
90 material existence—makes up just a tiny fraction of our universe. Most of the matter

in the universe is “dark matter,” thought to be in the form of some as yet undiscovered particle that neither emits nor blocks light and passes right through “normal”

matter as if it were not there. Even more surprising is the recent discovery, now

reached from numerous independent methods of investigation, that the universe is

dominated by “dark energy.” Much research activity is now directed toward understanding the nature of both of these invisible components of the universe.

NSF-funded investigators have conducted an inventory of the amount and

distribution of this dark matter by measuring its subtle gravitational effects on the

light of distant galaxies. The pattern of dark matter they probe is accepted as consistent with the theory that all the structures in the universe are descendants of the

tiny fluctuations in the early universe that are seen by cosmic background radiation measurements such as the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe satellite.

These tiny “seeds” accumulate more and more matter under the influence of gravity until they become galaxies and clumps of galaxies hundreds of millions of

light-years across. So now we can “see” the dark matter and understand how it fills

the universe and builds galaxies—but we still do not know what it is made of. 

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) continues to yield results that are

changing our view of the evolution of the universe. The SDSS team has found the

most distant objects in the universe, with newly discovered quasars at redshifts

6.05, 6.2, and 6.4. Last year saw the announcement of the detection of the GunnPeterson (GP) trough in a quasar at z=6.3, the almost complete absence of blue

light in the spectrum, due to large quantities of neutral hydrogen in the intergalactic medium. To see any blue light, most of the hydrogen in the universe must

be ionized, presumably by the hot stars that arise when galaxies form. Looking to

great distances is looking back in time; we are probing back to a time less than 1

billion years after the Big Bang and proving by the GP trough that most galaxies

had not yet formed. This effect is now seen in a second quasar, the newly discovered object at z=6.4, greatly strengthening the evidence that the universe finished

its transition from a neutral to an ionized state at a redshift of about 6, some 800

million years after the Big Bang, and pinning down the time of galaxy formation. 

For technical reasons having to do with the properties of the night sky and

the spectral energy distributions of the galaxies themselves, it has been difficult to

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

91 study galaxies at the intermediate redshifts of 1 to 2, a key period in galaxy formation. Now, an international team has equipped the Gemini telescopes with a unique

and powerful technique that counteracts the fluorescence that contaminates the

far-red end of the optical spectrum in the night sky. The result of this work is that

Gemini can obtain much deeper spectra in this far region than ever before possible.

Called “nod & shuffle,” this method synchronizes a small shift in the telescope’s

pointing on the sky with a precise shuffling of the images on the charge-coupled

device detector to significantly increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the data. Using

this technique, Gemini astronomers have discovered that the apparent “redshift

desert” of galaxies that was thought to exist at an epoch of about one-third to onehalf the age of the universe is actually well populated with galaxies. 

One of the competing theories of how our galaxy formed is that it has been built

up primarily by the agglomeration of many smaller pieces through a process called hierarchical clustering. A number of NSF-funded researchers have developed simulations

of the accretion of subgalactic pieces or of smaller galaxies as they merge with larger,

more massive galaxies like the Milky Way. Stars from these accreted systems are

stripped off by the tidal gravitational field of the Milky Way and form trails and streams

that may still exist today. If a realistic number of merging events are included, it is possible to build up something that looks very similar to the stellar halo of our own galaxy. 

Through the efforts of several NSF-funded teams, just such evidence of old

merger events is starting to be found in our Milky Way galaxy and our neighbor the

Andromeda galaxy. The most recent and intriguing evidence of such a merger close

to home has come from a team of scientists using the SDSS. They have discovered

a previously unseen band of stars in the outer disk of the Milky Way galaxy. Hidden

from view because it is behind the stars and gas on the same visual plane as the

Milky Way, this ring could help to explain how our own galaxy was assembled. 

The large ground-based data archives that are accumulating are enabling

astronomers to explore many new areas of astronomy and space science. The developing National Virtual Observatory (NVO) will provide access to a vast array of

astronomical databases and archives, uniting the data from both ground-based and

space-based facilities. An NVO prototype, developing a new approach to finding

undiscovered objects buried in immense astronomical databases, has produced an

early and unexpected payoff: a new instance of a hard-to-find type of star known as
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

92 a brown dwarf. The star emerged from a computerized search of information on millions of astronomical objects in two separate astronomical databases. That search,

formerly an endeavor requiring weeks or months of human attention, took approximately 2 minutes. NVO researchers emphasized that a single new brown dwarf

added to a list of approximately 200 known brown dwarfs is not as scientifically

exciting as the timing of the new discovery and the tantalizing hint it offers to the

potential of NVO. The discovery came at a stage when organizers were simply

hoping to use NVO to confirm existing science, not make new findings. 

An NSF-funded group has detected a planetary companion in orbit around

the primary star of the double star system Gamma Cephei. The team used highprecision radial velocity measurements in four independent data sets spanning the

time interval 1981–2002 to find a long-lived variation in radial velocity. The

measured effect has a period of 2.47 years and a semiamplitude of 27 meters per

second. This corresponds to a minimum planetary mass of 1.59 times the mass of

Jupiter and an orbital semimajor axis of 2.03 Astronomical Units, just twice the

Earth-Sun distance. Gamma Cephei is the shortest period binary star system for

which an extrasolar planet has been found, and it may provide insights into the

relationship between planetary and binary star formation. 

Other NSF-funded researchers are studying collisions that shaped the solar

system. In particular, they have developed the “Giant Impact” theory, in which the

Moon formed from debris ejected when Earth collided with a Mars-sized body

about 4.5 billion years ago. These researchers have also produced a model in which

the Pluto-Charon system formed from a grazing impact between like-sized objects. 

NSF continued a joint activity with the USAF Office of Scientific Research

to provide the U.S. astronomical community with access to state-of-the-art facilities at the Advanced Electro-Optical System telescope on Maui, HI. The

Improved Solar Observing Optical Network (ISOON) telescope at the NSO on

Sacramento Peak, NM, a joint USAF/NSO project, is now fully operational.

ISOON collects data on a daily basis and makes it available on the Web for the

tracking and prediction of solar activity. 

The NSO Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun Spectral

Vector Magnetograph is now producing full-disk magnetograms and vector magnetograms. These data are being added to the NSO Digital Library and will be a major

product in the Virtual Solar Observatory when it comes online. Regular vector
magnetographs of the full solar disk permit early identification of solar regions that

are likely to produce activity in the form of flares and coronal mass ejections.

F iscal Year 2003 Activities

93
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

94
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

95

DEPARTMENT OF

STATE

DOS

The DOS supports U.S. space activities through the negotiation of bilateral

and multilateral agreements on scientific and technical cooperation with partner

countries and through outreach programs designed to support key U.S. foreign

policy objectives, including sustained growth, transportation safety, and sound

environmental management.

In FY 2003, DOS conducted successful negotiations with the Japanese

Government to reach an understanding concerning current and future space

launch vehicle cooperation. This resulted in the removal of longstanding policy

obstacles that had impeded the export of U.S. components for Japanese space

launch vehicles. 

In advance of European implementation of its planned Galileo satellite navigation system, DOS proposed a new draft framework agreement on satellite

navigation systems between the United States and the European Community and

its member states. The parties achieved significant progress toward an agreement

when the European side addressed a major security concern for the United States

by proposing a signal structure for Galileo’s Public Regulated Service that would not

directly overlay the U.S. GPS military code. Other issues remained to be resolved.

Through new outreach activities, DOS continued to harness U.S. leadership in geospatial technologies, including GPS, remote sensing, and Web-based

mapping, in support of transportation safety and sustainable development applications. Under DOS leadership and with funding from the Interagency GPS

Executive Board, the GPS outreach team developed an exhibit to promote GPS

technology and applications that traveled to the India 2003 Global Navigation

Satellite Systems (GNSS) Conference in New Delhi, India, and the World Radio
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

96 Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. As a followup to the initiative on Geographic

Information for Sustainable Development that the United States brought to the

Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development, DOS promoted the

distribution of global Landsat datasets for environmental and agricultural applications through regional conferences in the developing world.

DOS continued work with the United Nations (U.N.) Office of Outer

Space Activities for the development and exploitation of GNSS applications.

DOS provided funding for the last in a series of four regional GNSS workshops

held under the auspices of the United Nations and the United States. The two

final workshops were held in Santiago, Chile, for the Latin American region, and

in Lusaka, Zambia, for the African region. The workshops brought together

regional experts and decisionmakers to advance awareness and support for the use

of GNSS applications for sustained growth, transportation safety, and environmental management.

Through the coordinated efforts of DOS and NASA, the number of countries participating in the U.S.-led GLOBE program was expanded to 105. Formerly

known as the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment program, GLOBE is a hands-on science and education program that involves primary

and secondary school students around the world in scientific research on Earth’s

environment. The Principality of Liechtenstein, Gabon, the Republic of Rwanda,

and the Republic of Maldives joined the program in 2003.

During FY 2003, DOS again led U.S. Government participation in the

U.N.’s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. The committee undertook significant work in areas such as global navigation satellite systems, the

problem of orbital space debris, meteorology, astronomy and astrophysics, space

transportation, human space flight, planetary exploration, and environmental

monitoring. The committee also considered legal issues related to international

liability and responsibility of launching nations, international financial security

interests in space equipment, and equitable access to the geostationary orbit. 
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

97

DEPARTMENT OF

ENERGY

DOE

In FY 2003, the DOE’s Office of Science (SC) cooperated with NASA in a

wide variety of activities, such as developing experimental techniques of fundamental physics for use in outer space, using plasma science to devise new

propulsion systems, engaging in joint efforts to understand atmospheric and environmental phenomena, and entering into a working partnership in advanced

computing research. These activities were carried out under a Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU) between NASA and DOE signed by NASA

Administrator Daniel Goldin and DOE Secretary James Watkins in 1992.

Through an Implementing Arrangement with NASA signed in 1995, the

SC continued in 2003 to build the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) for use

on the ISS. The AMS is an international experiment designed to use the unique

environment of space to search for and measure various unusual types of matter

with a greater sensitivity than previously possible. AMS will study the properties

and origin of cosmic particles and nuclei, including antimatter and dark matter.

Discovering the presence of either material will increase scientists’ understanding

of the early universe and could lead to a clearer understanding of the actual origin

of the universe. Funding in FY 2003 was used for the analysis of data acquired

during a 10-day Space Shuttle flight in 1998 and for the planning and fabrication

for an upcoming Shuttle flight for eventual deployment on the ISS in 2007.

DOE’s SC and NASA’s Space Science Enterprise have worked together

since FY 2000 to build the Large Area Telescope (LAT), the primary instrument

for NASA’s Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope mission currently scheduled

for launch in 2006. An Implementing Arrangement was signed in early 2002 for

cooperation on the LAT project, which has continued in FY 2004. This device,

using the techniques of experimental particle-physics research, is to detect gamma
rays emitted by the most energetic objects and phenomena in the universe.

Stanford University and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) are

responsible to the SC and NASA for overall project direction. SLAC, a DOE

facility at Stanford University, is responsible for the overall management of the

LAT project, the data-acquisition system, software development, the tracker

detector, and the assembly and integration of the complete instrument.

Researchers funded by DOE-SC at the University of California Santa Cruz are

building the tracker detector. DOE provided funding in FY 2002–03 for research

and development (R&D), as well as for the design and fabrication of the telescope,

in conjunction with NASA and international partners.

The SC continued to make available to NASA the Alternating Gradient

Synchrotron (AGS), part of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) complex

at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The AGS is the only accelerator in

the United States capable of providing heavy ion beams at energies of interest for

space radiobiology. Since the fall of 1995, experiments in radiobiology have been

performed using beams of iron, gold, or silicon ions from the AGS. NASA funded

these experiments as part of its Space Radiation Health Program. A new NASAfunded facility has been completed at the RHIC complex, the Booster

Applications Facility. This new user facility, renamed “NASA Space Radiation

Laboratory,” is being used to continue NASA’s radiation biology studies more

effectively, specifically to serve as a radiation simulation facility for human space

exploration. SC and NASA continued working together to expand the range of

technical resources available for experimentation and analysis of experimental

results at BNL.

Astrophysicists, supported in part by the DOE Office of High Energy and

Nuclear Physics, use the National Energy Research Scientific-computing Center

(NERSC), funded by the DOE Office of Advanced Scientific Computing

Research, to run computer simulations and analyze data. In 2002, this effort produced the first three-dimensional simulation of an exploding supernova, the first

observation of asymmetric supernova explosions (using data collected by the

HST), and the first computer model of the spiraling merger of two black holes.

Projected funding for computational astrophysics is expected to grow from $7+

million in FY 2003 to about $8 million in FY 2004.

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

98
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

99 Researchers at several DOE labs receive NASA support for their work. This

support includes an “early career” grant and an astrophysics theory grant for an

astrophysicist working on supernova modeling in NERSC at Lawrence Berkeley

National Laboratory (LBNL), as well as support for the cosmology and astrophysics

group at LBNL, which is working in several areas of cosmic microwave background

research and technology development. NASA funds also support some members of

the astrophysics theory group at Fermi Laboratory. In FY 2001 and FY 2002, LBNL

received funds from NASA as work-for-others toward the development of chargedcoupled devices, which are used for optical imaging in telescopes. Also in FY 2002,

LBNL received NASA funds for scientific analysis using data from the HST. These

funds are based on the number of HST orbits a researcher has been awarded.

In a number of NASA-funded research activities, both the transfer of knowledge to NASA and NASA’s use of research capabilities developed in the fusion

energy program continued in FY 2003. These activities have the potential to revolutionize interplanetary space travel through the use of plasma and fusion propulsion. 

Fusion propulsion concepts based upon the spherical torus (ST) and

plasma-jet-driven magneto-inertial fusion are leading concepts being studied by

NASA for advanced interplanetary missions. ST is being investigated by DOE-SC

for magnetic fusion energy applications in the National Spherical Torus

Experiment (NSTX) at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). Plasma-jetdriven magneto-inertial fusion is being investigated theoretically by DOE-SC for

magnetic fusion energy applications at General Atomics, Lawrence Livermore

National Laboratory, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Researchers at

the University of Wisconsin completed a preliminary computational study on the

feasibility of the plasma-jet-driven magneto-inertial fusion for space propulsion for

NASA MSFC using a computer code developed for inertial fusion by DOE.

The two fusion rocket concepts based upon the spherical torus and the magneto-inertial fusion have the potential to reduce traveling times to the planets by

a factor of 10 or more compared with chemical propulsion, and by a factor of 4 or

more compared with nuclear fission electric propulsion.

PPPL researchers also worked on a high-power Hall thruster, a form of electric thruster. The high-power Hall thruster has potential performance levels that

are relevant to sending advanced NASA science missions to the outer planets.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

100 PPPL worked on several other, basic plasma science projects that complement and enhance the space science activities at NASA. These projects focused

on magnetic reconnection and on ionosphere and space-related plasma physics

topics, and they are partially funded under the DOE/NSF Plasma Science

Partnership. In magnetic reconnection, experimental investigation continues on

the coupling between microscale reconnection layers and global forcing and

plasma topology evolution. 

The SC and NASA worked together to calculate the daily primary productivity of terrestrial ecosystems at diverse sites in the Northern and Central States.

Research initiated in FY 2002 will continue with the DOE-supported AmeriFlux

Program that resides in the SC. It will provide real-time meteorological and solar

radiation data for these calculations, where NASA provides data from the MODIS

platform on gross primary productivity and leaf area. This joint work investigates

continental-scale seasonal and geographic patterns of productivity. The AmeriFlux

program produces unique ground-based measurements of carbon dioxide exchange,

which is a measure of net ecosystem production, from some 20 locations across the

United States. These results provide an independent collaboration of NASA’s productivity calculations based on data derived from remote sensing.

The NASA Aqua Satellite was launched in May 2002. One of the instruments on board is the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). The NASA AIRS

Instrument Team requires profiles of atmospheric thermodynamic variables in

order to validate the performance of the AIRS instrument. These data were provided by Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) ground-based instruments

and balloon launches from three OS ARM sites (Barrow, AK; Lamont, OK; and

the Republic of Nauru) all equipped for advanced radiosonde operations.

Additional balloon launches were conducted for the acquisition of data during

AIRS overpasses.

The SC, NSF, and NASA continued close three-way collaboration on the

development and implementation of climate models. All three agencies support a

variety of collaborative activities associated with the Community Climate System

Model. The NASA Earth-System Modeling Framework project is coordinated

with the OS Scientific Discovery through Advanced Scientific Computing effort
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

101 in climate modeling to develop software frameworks and implement efficient software engineering practices for complex climate models.

The OS Low Dose Radiation Research Program continued to have an ongoing interaction with the Space Radiation Health Program in NASA’s BPRE. The

focus of research in the DOE Low Dose Radiation Research Program continued to

be on doses of radiation that are at or below current workplace exposure limits.

The primary area of emphasis of the NASA Space Radiation Health Program continued to be understanding the biological effects of space radiation that account

for radiation risks. In FY 2001, NASA and DOE developed a Memorandum of

Agreement (MOA) to better coordinate their common interests. This close collaboration between NASA and DOE enhances progress in understanding and

predicting the effects and health risks resulting from low-dose radiation. DOE and

NASA also issued joint Requests for Applications in FY 2002 and 2003 for

research that addressed both DOE and NASA needs to understand the human

health effects and risks of exposures to low doses of radiation.

In the computing area, the SC and NASA continued their collaboration on

“Grids,” a way to connect geographically dispersed computer systems so that they

can work together to solve science and engineering problems. Two SC laboratories, the LBNL and the Argonne National Laboratory, set up experimental Grids

with NASA ARC in order to identify and resolve the technical and configuration

issues that arise from cross-institutional operation of the authentication and security infrastructure and cross-operation of the directory services that provide central

information service for Grids. The SC and NASA also conducted the Global Grid

Forum, a technology definition and standards organization that is providing an

invaluable contribution to the field.

Many of the NASA-funded activities listed above enter the DOE system

through Work for Others program. This program allows non-DOE sponsors access

to the SC laboratories’ unique and specialized facilities and expertise. Other areas

supported by NASA through this program include research in the space radiation

environment and its implications for human presence in space, aerogel-based

materials, combustion under microgravity conditions, the biological impact of

solar and galactic cosmic radiation exposure on astronaut health, and the genetic

and epigenetic effects produced by high-energy heavy ions.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

102 DOE has continued to support NASA’s space exploration program by maintaining the necessary program and nuclear facilities infrastructure to provide

radioisotope power systems and heater units. DOE is developing advanced

radioisotope power systems that will expand the ability of NASA to broaden

NASA’s conventional missions and mission objectives. DOE personnel provided

nuclear safety analysis to support the launch-approval process for the NASA missions to Mars that were launched in 2003. Through the competitive procurement

process, DOE awarded a contract for the development, fabrication, and qualification of a new multimission radioisotope thermoelectric generator suitable for use

in a variety of environments, including environments encountered on the surface

of Mars and in deep space. Additionally, DOE has resumed the procurement of

plutonium-238 to fuel these radioisotope power systems from Russia. The resumption of these procurements stabilized the supply of plutonium-238 from Russia and

ensured that the supply will be available to support missions into the future.
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

103

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

The Smithsonian Institution continued to contribute to national aerospace

goals through the activities of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO),

which is joined with the Harvard College Observatory in Cambridge, MA, to form

the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Here, more than 300 scientists

engage in a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, and science education. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in Washington,

DC, also contributed to national aerospace goals through its research and education

activities.

As a result of the success of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, NASA has

extended SAO’s contract to provide scientific and operational support via the

Chandra X-Ray Center through July 31, 2010. Chandra’s revelations about black

holes continued to create excitement, making the most noise in the press, in the scientific community, as well as in the public, with a story about sound waves generated

by a supermassive black hole. An image of the center of the galaxy Perseus A showed

what appeared to be a series of pressure waves—sound waves—expanding outward

from the putative black hole at the galaxy’s center. In musical terms, the pitch or frequency of the sound generated by explosive activity occurring around the center of

Perseus A translates into a note 57 octaves below middle C. At a frequency more

than a million billion times deeper than the limits of human hearing, this is the

deepest note ever inferred from observations of an object in the universe, aside from

the immediate aftermath of the Big Bang. Also attracting intense public and scientific interest was the Chandra observation of the galaxy NGC 6240. This galaxy was

found to have not one, but two supermassive black holes orbiting each other in the
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

104 nucleus of the galaxy; this was the first definitive identification of a binary supermassive black hole system.

Chandra has shown that black holes are much more common in the universe

than previously thought, but they are apparently not the predominant form of matter

in the universe. In FY 2003, astronomers reported that they used Chandra observations of the galaxy cluster Abell 2029 to make the most detailed probe yet of the

distribution of dark matter in a massive cluster of galaxies. Their results indicate that

about 80 percent of the matter in the universe consists of cold dark matter—mysterious matter as yet undetectable except via its gravitational effect.

In FY 2003, a team of researchers made a key find in the field of extrasolar

planets, or planets around other stars. They discovered a planet that transits, or

passes in front of, its star as seen from Earth. While other extrasolar planets were

known to transit, this was the first planet discovered using the transit method.

Another planet was found using the Doppler shift (“wobble”) technique; then

astronomers later realized that it also transited the star. This was the first found using

the transit technique. That discovery opened the door to finding Earth-like worlds

using the same technique. The newfound world also is notable for orbiting so close

to its star that its year is only 29 hours long; its proximity to its star bakes it to such

high temperatures that the atmosphere is thought to rain not water, but liquid iron.

In FY 2003, SAO scientists using the MMT were the first conclusively to link

exploding stars (supernovae) to a mysterious phenomenon known as gamma-ray

bursts. Also, a group of astronomers including SAO staff presented evidence that we

live in a “stop and go” universe whose expansion slowed for billions of years before

suddenly accelerating under the influence of so-called dark energy—which is, if anything, even more mysterious than dark matter.

Solar scientists at SAO continued to study the electrically charged atoms

(ions) that the Sun expels into the solar system. These ions occur in sudden bursts

called coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and in a steadier stream called the solar wind.

New observations from SAO’s UltraViolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (UVCS)

aboard the SOHO spacecraft allowed scientists to probe the physical processes that

produce CMEs, which can have a strong impact on Earth’s local space environment,

on radio frequency communications with aircraft, and on electrical power grids.

SOHO observations have permitted early detection of such eruptions, providing

warning for satellite operators to shut down vital systems before CMEs reach Earth.
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

105 In FY 2003, SAO scientists discovered a bubble of hot (5-million-degree-Celsius)

plasma that formed near the Sun in the wake of CMEs associated with the most

energetic X-class flares. Also, UVCS studies of bright, ray-like coronal streamers provided evidence that the physical processes that produce the slowest speed wind may

be similar to those producing the highest speed solar wind. These measurements are

coordinated with those of other SOHO instruments, with the extreme ultraviolet

images from the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer satellite, and with hard xray images from the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager satellite.

Construction of SAO’s Submillimeter Array on Mauna Kea, HI, was nearly

completed in FY 2003, and the dedication of the instrument was scheduled for

November 22, 2003. All eight of the receiving elements were operational by the end

of FY 2003, and preliminary observations were made on a variety of astronomical

objects. Because of the large number of spectral lines from molecules in the submillimeter part of the spectrum, the Array has already proven to be particularly useful

in probing the chemical composition of the atmospheres of planets and moons, as

well as in regions of high-mass star formation. The first scientific paper based on

observations with the Array was published this year. It reported on the flaring emission from the radio source surrounding the black hole in the center of our galaxy.

Access to the instrument will be opened to the general astronomical community

next year.

The Science Education Department (SED) at the Center for Astrophysics

continued to host workshops designed to train teachers in the use of the

Department’s many curriculum programs for grades 3 through 12. The “Cosmic

Questions” traveling museum exhibit developed by SED staff was visited by more

than a third of a million people at the Boston Museum of Science (MOS) before

moving on to the Midland Center for the Arts in Midland, MI. As the fiscal year

ended, “Cosmic Questions” was about to open at the National Geographic Explorer’s

Hall in Washington, DC. “Cosmic Questions” is designed to engage the public and

school audiences in high-quality exploration of the theme that the story of the universe is the story of us. Total attendance over the 5-year lifetime of the exhibit is

expected to be 3 to 4 million visitors. In conjunction with its “Cosmic Questions”

traveling exhibit, the Structure and Evolution of the Universe (SEU) Forum partnered with the MOS to create materials and programs that help teachers of grades 7

through 12 (and museum docents) to enhance their own content knowledge and
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

106 prepare them to use the exhibit effectively to meet science and mathematics education standards. All museums or science centers that hosted the exhibit received a

supply of “Cosmic Questions” educator guides for teachers, a train-the-trainers session for professional development providers, and a set of workshop templates that

outlined an adaptable professional development syllabus.

SED activities also included the MicroObservatory Program, a curriculum of

investigations using four online, fully robotic telescopes, which provides authentic

inquiry for students and high-quality professional development for pre- and inservice

teachers. Using the MicroObservatory telescopes and the “From the Ground UP!”

curriculum, students can plan observations, take data, and share their results with

other schools. In FY 2003, users in 20 States took more than 20,000 images, including more than 4,000 requested by visitors to “Cosmic Questions” at the MOS and

more than 3,500 requested at the exhibit’s appearance in Michigan. 

SED’s Science Media Group (SMG) has completed “Essential Science for

Teachers: Life Science,” a professional development course for elementary school

teachers. Two other 8-hour series (“Earth and Space Science” and “Physical

Science”) currently are in production. Work has begun on new projects including

collaborating with the NASA Forum on DVD-based professional development

materials for high school teachers; contributing to the NSF National Science Digital

Library; and, with funding from NSF, conducting research and development for a

large-format film (IMAX) about the history of Earth. Additionally, the SMG continued to manage the Annenberg/CPB Channel, a satellite/Web service

broadcasting free, educational programming nationwide to schools, colleges, and

communities with a reach of 86,000 schools and 64 million households.

SAO continued to offer its popular Observatory Night lectures and telescope

observation to the public on a monthly basis. In the summer of 2003, SAO held a

total of six special events at facilities in Cambridge and Harvard, MA, offering lectures and observation during the close approach of the planet Mars. Attendance

exceeded 2,500 and was limited only by space constraints. For younger audiences,

SAO provided a cutting-edge Children’s Night program on the search for planets

around other stars. Requests for tickets exceeded available space by a factor of more

than three. SAO also continued to offer Sci-fi Movie Nights to explore the theme

“Everything I Learned About Science, I Learned at the Movies.”

In FY 2003, NASM worked toward the completion of a major exhibition on

the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ achievement and toward the con-
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

107 struction of a new museum, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, both of which are

scheduled to open early in the next fiscal year. The new Udvar-Hazy Center is a

70,611-square-meter building that will house more than 200 aircraft and 135

spacecraft.

Staff members in the Center for Earth & Planetary Studies (CEPS) at NASM

continued to participate on the science teams of several spacecraft missions in FY

2003. Dr. John Grant is a Participating Scientist on the 2003 MER missions and will

be coordinating a team that will direct the rovers on Mars. He also is a CoInvestigator for the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on the

2005 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Dr. Bruce Campbell is a member of the science

team for the Shallow Subsurface Sounding Radar (SHARAD) on the 2005 Mars

Reconnaissance Orbiter. Dr. Thomas Watters is a Participating Scientist on the Mars

Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) instrument on

the Mars Express orbiter and is also a member of the imaging team for MErcury

Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER), a mission to orbit Mercury in 2009. CEPS staff were further involved in planetary mission

planning through cochairing the Mars Landing Site Steering Group, which advised

NASA on landing sites for the MERs that will achieve maximum scientific return

within safety and engineering constraints.

CEPS continued its active research program in planetary and terrestrial geology and geophysics using remote sensing data from Earth-orbiting satellites, as well

as piloted and unpiloted space missions. The scope of research activities included

work on Mercury, Venus, the Moon, and Mars, as well as corresponding field studies

in terrestrial analog regions. CEPS staff studied a variety of geologic processes such

as volcanism, tectonics, fluvial processes on early Mars, and sand transport and deposition on Earth and Mars. CEPS research topics that gained attention in the

national media included sand ripples on Mars, interactions of impact craters and

valley networks on Mars, and Earth-based radar studies of the lunar south pole that

provided the most detailed data so far on the question of the presence of water ice.

In addition, CEPS staff participated in the development and presentation of

exhibits and public programs, including special events and outreach activities in the

community. As a NASA Regional Planetary Imagery Facility (RPIF), CEPS continued to house an extensive collection of images of the planets and their satellites that
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

108 serves as a reference library for science researchers and the public in the midAtlantic and southeastern U.S. The CEPS RPIF holds the most complete collection

of lunar images of any RPIF in the world.
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

109

APPENDICES
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

110

APPENDIX A-1

U.S. Government Spacecraft Record

(Includes spacecraft from cooperating countries launched by U.S. launch vehicles.) 

Calendar Earth Orbita Earth Escapea

Year Success Failure Success Failure

1957 0 1 0 0

1958 5 8 0 4

1959 9 9 1 2

1960 16 12 1 2

1961 35 12 0 2

1962 55 12 4 1

1963 62 11 0 0

1964 69 8 4 0

1965 93 7 4 1

1966 94 12 7 1 b

1967 78 4 10 0

1968 61 15 3 0

1969 58 1 8 1

1970 36 1 3 0

1971 45 2 8 1

1972 33 2 8 0

1973 23 2 3 0

1974 27 2 1 0

1975 30 4 4 0

1976 33 0 1 0

1977 27 2 2 0

1978 34 2 7 0

1979 18 0 0 0

1980 16 4 0 0

1981 20 1 0 0

1982 21 0 0 0

1983 31 0 0 0

1984 35 3 0 0

1985 37 1 0 0

1986 11 4 0 0

1987 9 1 0 0

1988 16 1 0 0

1989 24 0 2 0

1990 40 0 1 0

1991 32 c 0 0 0

1992 26 c 0 1 0

1993 28 c 1 1 0

1994 31 c 1 1 0

1995 24 c, d 2 1 0

1996 30 1 3 0

1997 22 e 0 1 0

1998 23 0 2 0

1999 35 4 2 0

2000 31 f 0 0 0

2001 23 0 3 0

2002 18 0 0 1 b

2003 (through September 30, 2003) 24 c, g 0 2 0

TOTAL 1,548 153 99 16

a. The criterion of success or failure used is attainment of Earth orbit or Earth escape rather than judgment of mission success. “Escape” flights

include all that were intended to go to at least an altitude equal to lunar distance from Earth.

b. This Earth-escape failure did attain Earth orbit and, therefore, is included in the Earth-orbit success totals.

c. This excludes commercial satellites. It counts separately spacecraft launched by the same launch vehicle.

d. This counts the five orbital debris radar calibration spheres that were launched from STS-63 as one set of spacecraft.

e. This includes the SSTI Lewis spacecraft that began spinning out of control shortly after it achieved Earth orbit.

f. Counts OCS, OPAL, FALCONSAT, and ASUSAT microsatellites as one set, and the Picosats 4–8 as another set.

g. This includes American spacecraft not launched in the U.S.
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

111

APPENDIX A-2

World Record of Space Launches Successful

in Attaining Earth Orbit or Beyond

(Enumerates launches rather than spacecraft; some launches orbited multiple spacecraft.)

People’s European

Calendar United USSR/ Republic United Space

Year States CIS Francea Italya Japan of China Australia Kingdom Agency India Israel

1957 2

1958 5 1

1959 10 3

1960 16 3

1961 29 6

1962 52 20

1963 38 17

1964 57 30

1965 63 48 1

1966 73 44 1

1967 57 66 2 1 1

1968 45 74

1969 40 70

1970 28 81 2 1 b 1 1

1971 30 83 1 2 b 2 1 1

1972 30 74 1 1

1973 23 86

1974 22 81 2 b 1

1975 27 893123

1976 26 99 1 2

1977 24 98 2

1978 32 88 3 1

1979 16 87 2 1

1980 13 89 2 1

1981 18 98 3 1 2 1

1982 18 101 1 1

1983 22 98 3 1 2 1

1984 22 97 3 3 4

1985 17 98 2 1 3

1986 6 91 2 2 2

1987 8 95 3 2 2

1988 12 90 2 4 7

1989 17 74 2 7 1

1990 27 75 3 5 5 1

1991 20 c 62 2 1 9 1

1992 31 c 55 2 3 7 b 2

1993 24 c 45 1 1 7 b 

1994 26 c 49 2 5 6 b 2

1995 27 c 33 b 1 2 b 12 b 1

1996 32 c 25 1 3 d 10 1

1997 37 19 2 6 11 1

1998 36 25 2 6 11

1999 30 29 4 10 1

2000 29 36 5 12

2001 25 31 1 8 1

2002 18 23 3 4 12 1 1

2003 21 e 14 2 1 4 1

(through September 30, 2003)

TOTAL 1,279 2,702 10 8 59 70 1 1 154 14 4

a. Since 1979, all launches for ESA member countries have been joint and are listed under ESA.

b. Includes foreign launches of U.S. spacecraft.

c. This includes commercial expendable launches and launches of the Space Shuttle, but because this table records launches rather than spacecraft, it does

not include separate spacecraft released from the Shuttle.

d. This includes the launch of ChinaSat 7, even though a third-stage rocket failure led to a virtually useless orbit for this communications satellite.

e. Launches from U.S.-Russia joint platform included in U.S. totals.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

112 APPENDIX B

Successful Launches to Orbit on U.S. Launch Vehicles

October 1, 2002–September 30, 2003

Launch Date Apogee and

Spacecraft Name Perigee (km),

COSPAR* Designation Period (min),

Launch Vehicle Mission Objectives Inclination to Equator (°) Remarks

Oct. 7, 2002 ISS assembly 405 km

STS-112 273 km

2002-47A 91.3 min

Space Shuttle 51.6°

Nov. 20, 2002 Communications satellite Geosynchronous Maiden flight of the Delta 4 rocket.

W5**

2002-051A

Delta 4

Nov. 24, 2002 ISS assembly 397 km

STS-113 379 km

2002-052A 92.3 min

Space Shuttle 51.6°

Dec. 5, 2002 Geostationary tracking and Geosynchronous

TDRS 10 data relay satellite

2002-055A

Atlas 2A

Jan. 6, 2003 Military scientific satellite 842 km Study of ocean surface winds and 

Coriolis 822 km solar mass ejections.

2003-001A 101.6 min

Titan 2 98.7°

Jan. 13, 2003 Scientific satellite 594 km Astrophysics spectrograph.

CHIPS (Cosmic Hot 578 km

Interstellar Plasma 96.4 min

Spectrometer) 94°

2003-002B

Delta 2

Jan. 13, 2003 Earth-observing satellite 595 km Study of ice sheets.

ICESAT 579 km

2003-002A 96.4 min

Delta 2 94°

Jan. 16, 2003 Science 285 km Lost during reentry; no

STS-107 270 km survivors; 80 micro2003-003A 90.1 min gravity experiments conSpace Shuttle 39° ducted in Spacehab module.

Jan. 25, 2003 Scientific satellite 652.5 km Sun-Earth Connection satellite.

SORCE (Solar Radiation 612.8 km

and Climate Experiment) 93.4 min

2003-004A 40.0°

Pegasus XL

Jan. 29, 2003 AFRL/DOD technology demonstration satellite 805 km

XSS 10 518 km

2003-005B 98 min

Delta 2 39.75°
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

113

Jan. 29, 2003 DOD GPS satellite 20,351 km Also known as USA 166 and 

Navstar 51 173 km GPS 2R-8.

2003-005A 356 min

Delta 2 39.1°

Mar. 11, 2003 Military communications satellite Geosynchronous

USA 167

2003-008A

Delta 4

Mar. 31, 2003 Global Positioning System satellite 20,228.8 km Also known as USA 168 and 

Navstar 52 187.83 km GPS 2R-9.

2003-010A 355.6 min

Delta 2 39.0°

Apr. 8, 2003 Military communications satellite Geosynchronous Also known as Milstar 6.

USA 169

2003-012A

Titan 4

Apr. 12, 2003 Communications satellite Geosynchronous

Asiasat 4**

2003-014A

Atlas 3B

Apr. 28, 2003 Scientific satellite 697 km Carries an ultraviolet (UV) telescope.

GALEX (GALaxy 691 km

Evolution eXplorer) 98.6 min

2003-017A 29.0°

Pegasus XL

May 13, 2003 Communications satellite Geosynchronous Satellite for Greece and Cyprus.

Hellas-Sat**

2003-020A

Atlas 5

June 10, 2003 Mars Exploration Probe and Rover Mars mission; also known as Spirit.

MER-A (Mars 

Exploration Rover)

2003-027A

Delta 2

June 26, 2003 Photo-imaging satellite 429 km

Orbview 3** 365.7 km

2003-030A 92.5 min

Pegasus 97.3°

* UN Committee on Space Research

** Commerical launch licensed as such by the Federal Aviation Administration. More launch information is available at

http://ast.faa.gov/linfo_vsite/launch_info.cfm on the Web.

APPENDIX B

(Continued)

Successful Launches to Orbit on U.S. Launch Vehicles

October 1, 2002–September 30, 2003

Launch Date Apogee and

Spacecraft Name Perigee (km),

COSPAR Designation Period (min),

Launch Vehicle Mission Objectives Inclination to Equator (°) Remarks
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

114 APPENDIX B

(Continued)

Successful Launches to Orbit on U.S. Launch Vehicles

October 1, 2002–September 30, 2003

Launch Date Apogee and

Spacecraft Name Perigee (km),

COSPAR Designation Period (min),

Launch Vehicle Mission Objectives Inclination to Equator (°) Remarks

July 8, 2003 Mars Exploration Probe and Rover Mars mission; also known as 

MER-B (Mars Opportunity.

Exploration Rover)

2003-032A

Delta 2

July 17, 2003 Communications satellite Orbital parameters unknown

Rainbow 1**

2003-033A

Atlas 5

Aug. 13, 2003 Atmospheric research satellite 655 km Canadian satellite.

SCISAT 1 642 km

2003-036A 97.7 min

Pegasus XL 73.9°

Aug. 25, 2003 Scientific satellite Heliocentric orbit One of NASA’s Great 

SIRTF 363 d Observatories.

2003-038A 0.0°

Delta 2

Aug. 29, 2003 Military communications satellite Geosynchronous Also known as DSCS 3B6.

USA 170

2003-040A

Delta 4

Sept. 9, 2003 Military satellite Geosynchronous National Reconnaissance 

USA 171 Office satellite.

2003-041A 

unknown 

* UN Committee on Space Research

** Commerical launch licensed as such by the Federal Aviation Administration. More launch information is available at

http://ast.faa.gov/linfo_vsite/launch_info.cfm on the Web.
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

115 APPENDIX C

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Vostok 1 Apr. 12, 1961 Yury A. Gagarin 0:1:48 First human flight.

Mercury-Redstone 3 May 5, 1961 Alan B. Shepard, Jr. 0:0:15 First U.S. flight, suborbital.

Mercury-Redstone 4 July 21, 1961 Virgil I. Grissom 0:0:16 Suborbital; capsule sank after landing; 

astronaut safe.

Vostok 2 Aug. 6, 1961 German S. Titov 1:1:18 First flight exceeding 24 h.

Mercury-Atlas 6 Feb. 20, 1962 John H. Glenn, Jr. 0:4:55 First American to orbit.

Mercury-Atlas 7 May 24, 1962 M. Scott Carpenter 0:4:56 Landed 400 km beyond target.

Vostok 3 Aug. 11, 1962 Andriyan G. Nikolayev 3:22:25 First dual mission (with Vostok 4).

Vostok 4 Aug. 12, 1962 Pavel R. Popovich 2:22:59 Came within 6 km of Vostok 3.

Mercury-Atlas 8 Oct. 3, 1962 Walter M. Schirra, Jr. 0:9:13 Landed 8 km from target.

Mercury-Atlas 9 May 15, 1963 L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. 1:10:20 First U.S. flight exceeding 24 h.

Vostok 5 June 14, 1963 Valery F. Bykovskiy 4:23:6 Second dual mission (with Vostok 6).

Vostok 6 June 16, 1963 Valentina V. Tereshkova 2:22:50 First woman in space; within 5 km of Vostok 5.

Voskhod 1 Oct. 12, 1964 Vladimir M. Komarov 1:0:17 First three-person crew.

Konstantin P. Feoktistov

Boris G. Yegorov

Voskhod 2 Mar. 18, 1965 Pavel I. Belyayev 1:2:2 First extravehicular activity (EVA), by Leonov, 

Aleksey A. Leonov 10 min.

Gemini 3 Mar. 23, 1965 Virgil I. Grissom 0:4:53 First U.S. two-person flight; first manual 

John W. Young maneuvers in orbit.

Gemini 4 June 3, 1965 James A. McDivitt 4:1:56 21-min EVA (White).

Edward H. White II

Gemini 5 Aug. 21, 1965 L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. 7:22:55 Longest human flight to date.

Charles Conrad, Jr.

Gemini 7 Dec. 4, 1965 Frank Borman 13:18:35 Longest human flight to date.

James A. Lovell, Jr.

Gemini 6-A Dec. 15, 1965 Walter M. Schirra, Jr. 1:1:51 Rendezvous within 30 cm of Gemini 7.

Thomas P. Stafford

Gemini 8 Mar. 16, 1966 Neil A. Armstrong 0:10:41 First docking of two orbiting spacecraft

David R. Scott (Gemini 8 with Agena target rocket).

Gemini 9-A June 3, 1966 Thomas P. Stafford 3:0:21 EVA; rendezvous.

Eugene A. Cernan

Gemini 10 July 18, 1966 John W. Young 2:22:47 First dual rendezvous (Gemini 10 with 

Michael Collins Agena 10, then Agena 8).

Gemini 11 Sept. 12, 1966 Charles Conrad, Jr. 2:23:17 First initial-orbit docking; first tethered flight; 

Richard F. Gordon, Jr. highest Earth-orbit altitude (1,372 km).

Gemini 12 Nov. 11, 1966 James A. Lovell, Jr. 3:22:35 Longest EVA to date (Aldrin, 5 h.).

Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr.

Soyuz 1 Apr. 23, 1967 Vladimir M. Komarov 1:2:37 Cosmonaut killed in reentry accident.

Apollo 7 Oct. 11, 1968 Walter M. Schirra, Jr. 10:20:9 First U.S. three-person mission.

Donn F. Eisele

R. Walter Cunningham

Soyuz 3 Oct. 26, 1968 Georgiy T. Beregovoy 3:22:51 Maneuvered near uncrewed Soyuz 2.

Apollo 8 Dec. 21, 1968 Frank Borman 6:3:1 First human orbit(s) of Moon; first human 

James A. Lovell, Jr. departure from Earth’s sphere of influence; 

William A. Anders highest speed attained in human flight to date.

Soyuz 4 Jan. 14, 1969 Vladimir A. Shatalov 2:23:23 Soyuz 4 and 5 docked and transferred two 

Soyuz 5 Jan. 15, 1969 Boris V. Volynov 3:0:56 cosmonauts from Soyuz 5 to Soyuz 4.

Aleksey A. Yeliseyev

Yevgeniy V. Khrunov

Apollo 9 Mar. 3, 1969 James A. McDivitt 10:1:1 Successfully simulated (in Earth orbit) operation of 

David R. Scott Lunar Module to landing and takeoff from lunar 

Russell L. Schweickart surface and rejoining with command module. 
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

116 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Apollo 10 May 18, 1969 Thomas P. Stafford 8:0:3 Successfully demonstrated complete system, 

John W. Young including Lunar Module to 14,300 m from the 

Eugene A. Cernan lunar surface.

Apollo 11 July 16, 1969 Neil A. Armstrong 8:3:9 First human landing on lunar surface and safe 

Michael Collins return to Earth. First return of rock and soil 

Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. samples to Earth and human deployment of 

experiments on lunar surface.

Soyuz 6 Oct. 11, 1969 Georgiy Shonin 4:22:42 Soyuz 6, 7, and 8 operated as a group flight 

Valery N. Kubasov without actually docking. Each conducted 

certain experiments, including welding and 

Earth and celestial observation.

Soyuz 7 Oct. 12, 1969 A. V. Filipchenko 4:22:41

Viktor N. Gorbatko

Vladislav N. Volkov

Soyuz 8 Oct. 13, 1969 Vladimir A. Shatalov 4:22:50

Aleksey S. Yeliseyev

Apollo 12 Nov. 14, 1969 Charles Conrad, Jr. 10:4:36 Second human lunar landing explored surface of 

Richard F. Gordon, Jr. Moon and retrieved parts of Surveyor 3 

Alan L. Bean spacecraft, which landed in Ocean of Storms 

on Apr. 19, 1967.

Apollo 13 Apr. 11, 1970 James A. Lovell, Jr. 5:22:55 Mission aborted; explosion in service module. 

Fred W. Haise, Jr. Ship circled Moon, with crew using Lunar 

John L. Swigert, Jr. Module as “lifeboat” until just before reentry. 

Soyuz 9 June 1, 1970 Andriyan G. Nikolayev 17:16:59 Longest human space flight to date.

Vitaliy I. Sevastyanov

Apollo 14 Jan. 31, 1971 Alan B. Shepard, Jr. 9:0:2 Third human lunar landing. Mission demonStuart A. Roosa strated pinpoint landing capability and 

Edgar D. Mitchell continued human exploration.

Soyuz 10 Apr. 22, 1971 Vladimir A. Shatalov 1:23:46 Docked with Salyut 1, but crew did not board 

Aleksey S. Yeliseyev space station launched Apr. 19. Crew 

Nikolay N. Rukavishnikov recovered Apr. 24, 1971.

Soyuz 11 June 6, 1971 Georgiy T. Dobrovolskiy 23:18:22 Docked with Salyut 1, and Soyuz 11 crew 

Vladislav N. Volkov occupied space station for 22 days. Crew 

Viktor I. Patsayev perished in final phase of Soyuz 11 capsule 

recovery on June 30, 1971.

Apollo 15 July 26, 1971 David R. Scott 12:7:12 Fourth human lunar landing and first Apollo “J” 

Alfred M. Worden series mission, which carried Lunar Roving 

James B. Irwin Vehicle. Worden’s in-flight EVA of 38 min, 

12 s was performed during return trip.

Apollo 16 Apr. 16, 1972 John W. Young 11:1:51 Fifth human lunar landing, with roving vehicle.

Charles M. Duke, Jr.

Thomas K. Mattingly II

Apollo 17 Dec. 7, 1972 Eugene A. Cernan 12:13:52 Sixth and final Apollo human lunar landing, 

Harrison H. Schmitt again with roving vehicle.

Ronald E. Evans

Skylab 2 May 25, 1973 Charles Conrad, Jr. 28:0:50 Docked with Skylab 1 (launched uncrewed May 

Joseph P. Kerwin 14) for 28 days. Repaired damaged station.

Paul J. Weitz

Skylab 3 July 28, 1973 Alan L. Bean 59:11:9 Docked with Skylab 1 for more than 59 days.

Jack R. Lousma

Owen K. Garriott

Soyuz 12 Sept. 27, 1973 Vasiliy G. Lazarev 1:23:16 Checkout of improved Soyuz.

Oleg G. Makarov
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

117 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Skylab 4 Nov. 16, 1973 Gerald P. Carr 84:1:16 Docked with Skylab 1 in long-duration mission; 

Edward G. Gibson last of Skylab program.

William R. Pogue

Soyuz 13 Dec. 18, 1973 Petr I. Klimuk 7:20:55 Astrophysical, biological, and Earth resources 

Valentin V. Lebedev experiments.

Soyuz 14 July 3, 1974 Pavel R. Popovich 15:17:30 Docked with Salyut 3; Soyuz 14 crew 

Yury P. Artyukhin occupied space station.

Soyuz 15 Aug. 26, 1974 Gennady V. Sarafanov 2:0:12 Rendezvoused but did not dock with Salyut 3.

Lev S. Demin

Soyuz 16 Dec. 2, 1974 Anatoly V. Filipchenko 5:22:24 Test of Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) 

Nikolay N. Rukavishnikov configuration.

Soyuz 17 Jan. 10, 1975 Aleksey A. Gubarev 29:13:20 Docked with Salyut 4 and occupied station.

Georgiy M. Grechko

Soyuz 18A (Anomaly) Apr. 5, 1975 Vasiliy G. Lazarev 0:0:20 Soyuz stages failed to separate; crew recovered 

Oleg G. Makarov after abort.

Soyuz 18 May 24, 1975 Petr I. Klimuk 62:23:20 Docked with Salyut 4 and occupied station.

Vitaliy I. Sevastyanov

Soyuz 19 July 15, 1975 Aleksey A. Leonov 5:22:31 Target for Apollo in docking and joint 

Valery N. Kubasov experiments of ASTP mission.

Apollo July 15, 1975 Thomas P. Stafford 9:1:28 Docked with Soyuz 19 in joint (ASTP) 

Donald K. Slayton experiments of ASTP mission.

Vance D. Brand

Soyuz 21 July 6, 1976 Boris V. Volynov 48:1:32 Docked with Salyut 5 and occupied station.

Vitaliy M. Zholobov

Soyuz 22 Sept. 15, 1976 Valery F. Bykovskiy 7:21:54 Earth resources study with multispectral camera 

Vladimir V. Aksenov system.

Soyuz 23 Oct. 14, 1976 Vyacheslav D. Zudov 2:0:6 Failed to dock with Salyut 5.

Valery I. Rozhdestvenskiy

Soyuz 24 Feb. 7, 1977 Viktor V. Gorbatko 17:17:23 Docked with Salyut 5 and occupied station.

Yury N. Glazkov

Soyuz 25 Oct. 9, 1977 Vladimir V. Kovalenok 2:0:46 Failed to achieve hard dock with Salyut 6 

Valery V. Ryumin station.

Soyuz 26 Dec. 10, 1977 Yury V. Romanenko 37:10:6 Docked with Salyut 6. Crew returned in 

Georgiy M. Grechko Soyuz 27; crew duration 96 d, 10 h.

Soyuz 27 Jan. 10, 1978 Vladimir A. Dzhanibekov 64:22:53 Docked with Salyut 6. Crew returned in 

Oleg G. Makarov Soyuz 26; crew duration 5 d, 22 h, 59 min.

Soyuz 28 Mar. 2, 1978 Aleksey A. Gubarev 7:22:17 Docked with Salyut 6. Remek was first Czech 

Vladimir Remek cosmonaut to orbit.

Soyuz 29 June 15, 1978 Vladimir V. Kovalenok 9:15:23 Docked with Salyut 6. Crew returned in Soyuz 31; 

Aleksandr S. Ivanchenkov crew duration 139 d, 14 h, 48 min.

Soyuz 30 June 27, 1978 Petr I. Klimuk 7:22:4 Docked with Salyut 6. Hermaszewski was first 

Miroslaw Hermaszewski Polish cosmonaut to orbit.

Soyuz 31 Aug. 26, 1978 Valery F. Bykovskiy 67:20:14 Docked with Salyut 6. Crew returned in Soyuz 29; 

Sigmund Jaehn crew duration 7 d, 20 h, 49 min. 

Jaehn was first German Democratic Republic 

cosmonaut to orbit.

Soyuz 32 Feb. 25, 1979 Vladimir A. Lyakhov 108:4:24 Docked with Salyut 6. Crew returned in Soyuz 34; 

Valery V. Ryumin crew duration 175 d, 36 min.

Nikolay N. Rukavishnikov

Soyuz 33 Apr. 10, 1979 Georgi I. Ivanov 1:23:1 Failed to achieve docking with Salyut 6 station. 

Ivanov was first Bulgarian cosmonaut to orbit.

Soyuz 34 June 6, 1979 (unmanned at launch) 7:18:17 Docked with Salyut 6, later served as ferry for 

Soyuz 32 crew while Soyuz 32 returned 

without a crew.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

118 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Soyuz 35 Apr. 9, 1980 Leonid I. Popov 55:1:29 Docked with Salyut 6. Crew returned in Soyuz 37. 

Valery V. Ryumin Crew duration 184 d, 20 h, 12 min.

Soyuz 36 May 26, 1980 Valery N. Kubasov 65:20:54 Docked with Salyut 6. Crew returned in Soyuz 35. 

Bertalan Farkas Crew duration 7 d, 20 h, 46 min. 

Farkas was first Hungarian to orbit.

Soyuz T-2 June 5, 1980 Yury V. Malyshev 3:22:21 Docked with Salyut 6. First crewed flight of newVladimir V. Aksenov generation ferry.

Soyuz 37 July 23, 1980 Viktor V. Gorbatko 79:15:17 Docked with Salyut 6. Crew returned in Soyuz 36. 

Pham Tuan Crew duration 7 d, 20 h, 42 min. 

Pham was first Vietnamese to orbit.

Soyuz 38 Sept. 18, 1980 Yury V. Romanenko 7:20:43 Docked with Salyut 6. Tamayo was first Cuban 

Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez to orbit.

Soyuz T-3 Nov. 27, 1980 Leonid D. Kizim 12:19:8 Docked with Salyut 6. First three-person flight 

Oleg G. Makarov in Soviet program since 1971.

Gennady M. Strekalov

Soyuz T-4 Mar. 12, 1981 Vladimir V. Kovalenok 74:18:38 Docked with Salyut 6.

Viktor P. Savinykh

Soyuz 39 Mar. 22, 1981 Vladimir A. Dzhanibekov 7:20:43 Docked with Salyut 6. Gurragcha first Mongolian 

Jugderdemidiyn Gurragcha cosmonaut to orbit.

Space Shuttle Apr. 12, 1981 John W. Young 2:6:21 First flight of Space Shuttle; tested spacecraft in 

Columbia (STS-1) Robert L. Crippen orbit. First landing of airplane-like craft from

orbit for reuse.

Soyuz 40 May 14, 1981 Leonid I. Popov 7:20:41 Docked with Salyut 6. Prunariu first Romanian 

Dumitru Prunariu cosmonaut to orbit.

Space Shuttle Nov. 12, 1981 Joe H. Engle 2:6:13 Second flight of Space Shuttle; first scientific 

Columbia (STS-2) Richard H. Truly payload (OSTA 1). Tested remote manipulator 

arm. Returned for reuse.

Space Shuttle Mar. 22, 1982 Jack R. Lousma 8:0:5 Third flight of Space Shuttle; second scientific 

Columbia (STS-3) C. Gordon Fullerton payload (OSS 1). Second test of remote 

manipulator arm. Flight extended 1 day 

because of flooding at primary landing site; 

alternate landing site used. Returned for reuse.

Soyuz T-5 May 13, 1982 Anatoly Berezovoy 211:9:5 Docked with Salyut 7. Crew duration of 211 d. 

Valentin Lebedev Crew returned in Soyuz T-7.

Soyuz T-6 June 24, 1982 Vladimir Dzhanibekov 7:21:51 Docked with Salyut 7. Chrétien first French 

Aleksandr Ivanchenkov cosmonaut to orbit.

Jean-Loup Chrétien

Space Shuttle June 27, 1982 Thomas K. Mattingly II 7:1:9 Fourth flight of Space Shuttle; first DOD payload; 

Columbia (STS-4) Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr. additional scientific payloads. Returned July 4. 

Completed testing program. Returned for reuse.

Soyuz T-7 Aug. 19, 1982 Leonid Popov 7:21:52 Docked with Salyut 7. Savitskaya second woman

Aleksandr Serebrov to orbit. Crew returned in Soyuz T-5.

Svetlana Savitskaya

Space Shuttle Nov. 11, 1982 Vance D. Brand 5:2:14 Fifth flight of Space Shuttle; first operational 

Columbia (STS-5) Robert F. Overmyer flight; launched two commercial satellites 

Joseph P. Allen (SBS 3 and Anik C-3); first flight with four 

William B. Lenoir crewmembers. EVA test canceled when 

spacesuits malfunctioned.

Space Shuttle Apr. 4, 1983 Paul J. Weitz 5:0:24 Sixth flight of Space Shuttle; launched TDRS-1.

Challenger (STS-6) Karol J. Bobko

Donald H. Peterson

F. Story Musgrave
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119 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Soyuz T-8 Apr. 20, 1983 Vladimir Titov 2:0:18 Failed to achieve docking with Salyut 7 station.

Gennady Strekalov

Aleksandr Serebrov

Space Shuttle June 18, 1983 Robert L. Crippen 6:2:24 Seventh flight of Space Shuttle; launched two 

Challenger (STS-7) Frederick H. Hauck commercial satellites (Anik C-2 and Palapa 

John M. Fabian B-1); also launched and retrieved SPAS 01; 

Sally K. Ride first flight with five crew members, including 

Norman T. Thagard first female U.S. astronaut.

Soyuz T-9 June 28, 1983 Vladimir Lyakhov 149:9:46 Docked with Salyut 7 station.

Aleksandr Aleksandrov

Space Shuttle Aug. 30, 1983 Richard H. Truly 6:1:9 Eighth flight of Space Shuttle; launched one 

Challenger (STS-8) Daniel C. Brandenstein commercial satellite (Insat 1-B); first flight of 

Dale A. Gardner U.S. Black astronaut.

Guion S. Bluford, Jr.

William E. Thornton

Space Shuttle Nov. 28, 1983 John W. Young 10:7:47 Ninth flight of Space Shuttle; first flight of 

Columbia (STS-9) Brewster W. Shaw Spacelab 1; first flight of six crewmembers, 

Owen K. Garriott one of whom was West German; Merbold was 

Robert A.R. Parker first non-U.S. astronaut to fly in U.S. space 

Byron K. Lichtenberg program.

Ulf Merbold

Space Shuttle Feb. 3, 1984 Vance D. Brand 7:23:16 Tenth flight of Space Shuttle; two communicaChallenger Robert L. Gibson tion satellites failed to achieve orbit; first 

(STS 41-B) Bruce McCandless use of Manned Maneuvering Unit in space.

Ronald E. McNair

Robert L. Stewart

Soyuz T-10 Feb. 8, 1984 Leonid Kizim 62:22:43 Docked with Salyut 7 station. Crew set space 

Vladimir Solovev duration record of 237 d. Crew returned

Oleg Atkov in Soyuz T-11.

Soyuz T-11 Apr. 3, 1984 Yury Malyshev 181:21:48 Docked with Salyut 7 station. Sharma first 

Gennady Strekalov Indian in space. Crew returned in 

Rakesh Sharma Soyuz T-10.

Space Shuttle Apr. 6, 1984 Robert L. Crippen 6:23:41 Eleventh flight of Space Shuttle; deployment of 

Challenger Francis R. Scobee Long-Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF-1) 

(STS 41-C) Terry J. Hart for later retrieval; Solar Maximum Satellite 

George D. Nelson retrieved, repaired, and redeployed.

James D. van Hoften

Soyuz T-12 July 17, 1984 Vladimir Dzhanibekov 11:19:14 Docked with Salyut 7 station. First EVA

Svetlana Savistskaya by a woman.

Igor Volk

Space Shuttle Aug. 30, 1984 Henry W. Hartsfield 6:0:56 Twelfth flight of Space Shuttle. First flight of 

Discovery Michael L. Coats U.S. nonastronaut.

(STS 41-D) Richard M. Mullane

Steven A. Hawley

Judith A. Resnik

Charles D. Walker

Space Shuttle Oct. 5, 1984 Robert L. Crippen 8:5:24 Thirteenth flight of Space Shuttle; first with 

Challenger Jon A. McBride seven crewmembers, including first flight 

(STS 41-G) Kathryn D. Sullivan of two U.S. women and one Canadian 

Sally K. Ride (Garneau).

David Leestma

Paul D. Scully-Power

Marc Garneau
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

120 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Space Shuttle Nov. 8, 1984 Frederick H. Hauck 7:23:45 Fourteenth flight of Space Shuttle; first retrieval 

Discovery David M. Walker and return of two disabled communications 

(STS 51-A) Joseph P. Allen satellites (Westar 6, Palapa B2) to Earth.

Anna L. Fisher

Dale A. Gardner

Space Shuttle Jan. 24, 1985 Thomas K. Mattingly 3:1:33 Fifteenth STS flight. Dedicated DOD mission.

Discovery Loren J. Shriver

(STS 51-C) Ellison S. Onizuka

James F. Buchli

Gary E. Payton

Space Shuttle Apr. 12, 1985 Karol J. Bobko 6:23:55 Sixteenth STS flight. Two communications 

Discovery Donald E. Williams satellites. First U.S. Senator in space (Garn).

(STS 51-D) M. Rhea Seddon

S. David Griggs

Jeffrey A. Hoffman

Charles D. Walker

E.J. Garn

Space Shuttle Apr. 29, 1985 Robert F. Overmyer 7:0:9 Seventeenth STS flight. Spacelab-3 in cargo bay 

Challenger Frederick D. Gregory of Shuttle. 

(STS 51-B) Don L. Lind

Norman E. Thagard

William E. Thornton

Lodewijk van den Berg

Taylor Wang

Soyuz T-13 June 5, 1985 Vladimir Dzhanibekov 112:3:12 Repair of Salyut-7. Dzhanibekov returned to 

Viktor Savinykh Earth with Grechko on Soyuz T-13 spacecraft, 

Sept. 26, 1985.

Space Shuttle June 17, 1985 Daniel C. Brandenstein 7:1:39 Eighteenth STS flight. Three communications 

Discovery John O. Creighton satellites. One reusable payload, Spartan-1. 

(STS 51-G) Shannon W. Lucid First U.S. flight with French and Saudi 

John M. Fabian Arabian crew members.

Steven R. Nagel

Patrick Baudry

Prince Sultan Salman Al-Saud

Space Shuttle July 29, 1985 Charles G. Fullerton 7:22:45 Nineteenth STS flight. Spacelab-2 in cargo bay.

Challenger Roy D. Bridges

(STS 51-F) Karl C. Henize

Anthony W. England

F. Story Musgrave

Loren W. Acton

John-David F. Bartoe

Space Shuttle Aug. 27, 1985 Joe H. Engle 7:2:18 Twentieth STS flight. Launched three communiDiscovery Richard O. Covey cations satellites. Repaired Syncom IV-3.

(STS 51-I) James D. van Hoften

William F. Fisher

John M. Lounge

Soyuz T-14 Sept. 17, 1985 Vladimir Vasyutin 64:21:52 Docked with Salyut 7 station. Viktor Savinykh, 

Georgiy Grechko Aleksandr Volkov, and Vladimir Vasyutin 

Aleksandr Volkov returned to Earth Nov. 21, 1985, when 

Vasyutin became ill.

Space Shuttle Oct. 3, 1985 Karol J. Bobko 4:1:45 Twenty-first STS flight. Dedicated DOD

Atlantis Ronald J. Grabe mission.

(STS 51-J) Robert L. Stewart

David C. Hilmers

William A. Pailes
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

121 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Space Shuttle Oct. 30, 1985 Henry W. Hartsfield 7:0:45 Twenty-second STS flight. Dedicated German 

Challenger Steven R. Nagel Spacelab D-1 in Shuttle cargo bay. 

(STS 61-A) Bonnie J. Dunbar

James F. Buchli

Guion S. Bluford, Jr.

Ernst Messerschmid

Reinhard Furrer 

Wubbo J. Ockels 

Space Shuttle Nov. 26, 1985 Brewster H. Shaw 6:21:4 Twenty-third STS flight. Launched three comAtlantis Bryan D. O’Connor munications satellites. First flight of Mexican 

(STS 61-B) Mary L. Cleave astronaut (Neri Vela).

Sherwood C. Spring

Jerry L. Ross

Rudolfo Neri Vela

Charles D. Walker

Space Shuttle Jan. 12, 1986 Robert L. Gibson 6:2:4 Twenty-fourth STS flight. Launched one comColumbia Charles F. Bolden, Jr. munications satellite. First member of U.S. 

(STS 61-C) Franklin Chang-Díaz House of Representatives in space (Bill

Steve A. Hawley Nelson).

George D. Nelson

Robert Cenker

Bill Nelson

Soyuz T-15 Mar. 13, 1986 Leonid Kizim 125:1:1 Docked with Mir space station on May 5/6,

Vladimir Solovyov transferred to Salyut 7 complex. On June 

25/26, transferred from Salyut 7 back to Mir.

Soyuz TM-2 Feb. 5, 1987 Yury Romanenko 174:3:26 Docked with Mir space station. Romanenko 

Aleksandr Laveykin established record of 326 days for longdistance stay in space.

Soyuz TM-3 July 22, 1987 Aleksandr Viktorenko 160:7:16 Docked with Mir space station. Aleksandr 

Aleksandr Aleksandrov Aleksandrov remained in Mir 160 days; 

Mohammed Faris returned with Yury Romanenko. Viktorenko 

and Faris returned in Soyuz TM-2 on July 30 

with Aleksandr Laveykin, who experienced 

medical problems. Faris first Syrian in space.

Soyuz TM-4 Dec. 21, 1987 Vladimir Titov 180:5 Docked with Mir space station. Crew of Yury 

Musa Manarov Romanenko, Aleksandr Aleksandrov, and 

Anatoly Levchenko Anatoly Levchenko returned Dec. 29 in

Soyuz TM-3.

Soyuz TM-5 June 7, 1988 Viktor Savinykh 9:20:13 Docked with Mir space station. Crew returned

Anatoly Solovyev June 17 in Soyuz TM-4.

Aleksandr Aleksandrov

Soyuz TM-6 Aug. 29, 1988 Vladimir Lyakhov 8:19:27 Docked with Mir space station; Mohmand first 

Valery Polyakov Afghanistani in space. Crew returned Sept. 7 

Abdul Mohmand in Soyuz TM-5.

Space Shuttle Sept. 29, 1988 Frederick H. Hauck 4:1 Twenty-sixth STS flight. Launched TDRS-3.

Discovery Richard O. Covey

(STS-26) John M. Lounge

David C. Hilmers

George D. Nelson

Soyuz TM-7 Nov. 26, 1988 Aleksandr Volkov 151:11 Docked with Mir space station. Soyuz TM-6 

Sergei Krikalev returned with Chrétien, Vladimir Titov, 

Jean-Loup Chrétien and Musa Manarov. Titov and Manarov 

completed 366-d mission on Dec. 21. Crew of

Krikalev, Volkov, and Valery Polyakov 

returned Apr. 27, 1989, in Soyuz TM-7.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

122 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Space Shuttle Dec. 2, 1988 Robert “Hoot” Gibson 4:9:6 Twenty-seventh STS flight. Dedicated DOD 

Atlantis (STS-27) Guy S. Gardner mission.

Richard M. Mullane

Jerry L. Ross

William M. Shepherd

Space Shuttle Mar. 13, 1989 Michael L. Coats 4:23:39 Twenty-eighth STS flight. Launched TDRS-4. 

Discovery (STS-29) John E. Blaha

James P. Bagian

James F. Buchli

Robert C. Springer

Space Shuttle May 4, 1989 David M. Walker 4:0:57 Twenty-ninth STS flight. Venus orbiter 

Atlantis (STS-30) Ronald J. Grabe Magellan launched.

Norman E. Thagard

Mary L. Cleave

Mark C. Lee

Space Shuttle Aug. 8, 1989 Brewster H. Shaw 5:1:0 Thirtieth STS flight. Dedicated DOD mission.

Columbia (STS-28) Richard N. Richards

James C. Adamson

David C. Leestma

Mark N. Brown

Soyuz TM-8 Sept. 5, 1989 Aleksandr Viktorenko 166:6:46 Docked with Mir space station. Crew of 

Aleksandr Serebrov Viktorenko and Serebrov returned in 

Soyuz TM-8 on Feb. 9, 1990.

Space Shuttle Oct. 18, 1989 Donald E. Williams 4:23:39 Thirty-first STS flight. Launched Jupiter probe 

Atlantis (STS-34) Michael J. McCulley and orbiter Galileo. 

Shannon W. Lucid

Franklin R. Chang-Díaz 

Ellen S. Baker

Space Shuttle Nov. 22, 1989 Frederick D. Gregory 5:0:7 Thirty-second STS flight. Dedicated DOD 

Discovery (STS-33) John E. Blaha mission.

Kathryn C. Thornton 

F. Story Musgrave 

Manley L. “Sonny” Carter

Space Shuttle Jan. 9, 1990 Daniel C. Brandenstein 10:21:0 Thirty-third STS flight. Launched Syncom IV-5 

Columbia (STS-32) James D. Wetherbee and retrieved LDEF.

Bonnie J. Dunbar

Marsha S. Ivins

G. David Low

Soyuz TM-9 Feb. 11, 1990 Anatoly Solovyov 178:22:19 Docked with Mir space station. Crew returned 

Aleksandr Balandin Aug. 9, 1990, in Soyuz TM-9.

Space Shuttle Feb. 28, 1990 John O. Creighton 4:10:19 Thirty-fourth STS flight. Dedicated DOD 

Atlantis (STS-36) John H. Casper mission. 

David C. Hilmers

Richard H. Mullane

Pierre J. Thuot

Space Shuttle Apr. 24, 1990 Loren J. Shriver 5:1:16 Thirty-fifth STS flight. Launched Hubble Space 

Discovery (STS-31) Charles F. Bolden, Jr. Telescope (HST). 

Steven A. Hawley

Bruce McCandless II

Kathryn D. Sullivan

Soyuz TM-10 Aug. 1, 1990 Gennady Manakov 130:20:36 Docked with Mir space station. Crew returned 

Gennady Strekalov Dec. 10, 1990, with Toyohiro Akiyama, 

Japanese cosmonaut and journalist in space.

See listing for Soyuz TM-11.
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

123 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Space Shuttle Oct. 6, 1990 Richard N. Richards 4:2:10 Thirty-sixth STS flight. Ulysses spacecraft to 

Discovery (STS-41) Robert D. Cabana investigate interstellar space and the Sun. 

Bruce E. Melnick

William M. Shepherd

Thomas D. Akers

Space Shuttle Nov. 15, 1990 Richard O. Covey 4:21:55 Thirty-seventh STS flight. Dedicated DOD 

Atlantis (STS-38) Frank L. Culbertson, Jr. mission.

Charles “Sam” Gemar

Robert C. Springer

Carl J. Meade

Space Shuttle Dec. 2, 1990 Vance D. Brand 8:23:5 Thirty-eighth STS flight. Astro-1 in cargo bay.

Columbia (STS-35) Guy S. Gardner

Jeffrey A. Hoffman

John M. “Mike” Lounge

Robert A.R. Parker

Samuel T. Durrance

Ronald A. Parise

Soyuz TM-11 Dec. 2, 1990 Viktor Afanasyev 175:1:52 Docked with Mir space station. Toyohiro 

Musa Manarov Akiyama returned Dec. 10, 1990, with 

Toyohiro Akiyama previous Mir crew of Gennady Manakov 

and Gennady Strekalov.

Space Shuttle Apr. 5, 1991 Steven R. Nagel 6:0:32 Thirty-ninth STS flight. Launched Gamma Ray 

Atlantis (STS-37) Kenneth D. Cameron Observatory to measure celestial gamma rays.

Linda Godwin

Jerry L. Ross

Jay Apt

Space Shuttle Apr. 28, 1991 Michael L. Coats 8:7:22 Fortieth STS flight. Dedicated DOD mission.

Discovery (STS-39) Blaine Hammond, Jr.

Gregory L. Harbaugh

Donald R. McMonagle

Guion S. Bluford, Jr.

Lacy Veach

Richard J. Hieb

Soyuz TM-12 May 18, 1991 Anatoly Artsebarskiy 144:15:22 Docked with Mir space station. Helen Sharman 

Sergei Krikalev first from United Kingdom to fly in space. 

Helen Sharman Crew of Viktor Afanasyev, Musa Manarov, 

and Helen Sharman returned May 20, 1991. 

Artsebarskiy and Krikalev remained aboard 

Mir, with Artsebarskiy returning Oct. 10, 1991, 

and Krikalev doing so Mar. 25, 1992.

Space Shuttle June 5, 1991 Bryan D. O’Connor 9:2:15 Forty-first STS flight. Carried Spacelab Life 

Columbia (STS-40) Sidney M. Gutierrez Sciences (SLS-1) in cargo bay.

James P. Bagian

Tamara E. Jernigan

M. Rhea Seddon

Francis A. “Drew” Gaffney

Millie Hughes-Fulford

Space Shuttle Aug. 2, 1991 John E. Blaha 8:21:21 Forty-second STS flight. Launched fourth 

Atlantis (STS-43) Michael A. Baker Tracking and Data Relay Satellite 

Shannon W. Lucid (TDRS-5).

G. David Low

James C. Adamson

Space Shuttle Sept. 12, 1991 John Creighton 5:8:28 Forty-third STS flight. Launched Upper 

Discovery (STS-48) Kenneth Reightler, Jr. Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).

Charles D. Gemar

James F. Buchli

Mark N. Brown
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

124 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Soyuz TM-13 Oct. 2, 1991 Aleksandr Volkov 90:16:00 Docked with Mir space station. Crew returned 

Toktar Aubakirov Oct. 10, 1991, with Anatoly Artsebarskiy

Franz Viehboeck in the TM-12 spacecraft.

Space Shuttle Nov. 24, 1991 Frederick D. Gregory 6:22:51 Forty-fourth STS flight. Launched Defense 

Atlantis (STS-44) Tom Henricks Support Program (DSP) satellite.

Jim Voss

F. Story Musgrave

Mario Runco, Jr.

Tom Hennen

Space Shuttle Jan. 22, 1992 Ronald J. Grabe 8:1:15 Forty-fifth STS flight. Carried International 

Discovery (STS-42) Stephen S. Oswald Microgravity Laboratory-1 in cargo bay.

Norman E. Thagard

David C. Hilmers

William F. Readdy

Roberta L. Bondar

Ulf Merbold 

Soyuz TM-14 Mar. 17, 1992 Aleksandr Viktorenko 145:15:11 First piloted CIS space mission. Docked with 

Aleksandr Kaleri Mir space station on Mar. 19. The TM-13 

Klaus-Dietrich Flade capsule with Flade, Aleksandr Volkov, and 

Sergei Krikalev returned to Earth on Mar. 25. 

Krikalev had been in space 313 d.

Viktorenko and Kaleri remained on the 

Mir space station.

Space Shuttle Mar. 24, 1992 Charles F. Bolden 8:22:9 Forty-sixth STS flight. Carried Atmospheric 

Atlantis (STS-45) Brian Duffy Laboratory for Applications and Science 

Kathryn D. Sullivan (ATLAS-1).

David C. Leestma

Michael Foale

Dirk D. Frimout

Byron K. Lichtenberg

Space Shuttle May 7, 1992 Daniel C. Brandenstein 8:21:18 Forty-seventh STS flight. Reboosted a crippled 

Endeavour (STS-49) Kevin P. Chilton INTELSAT VI communications satellite.

Richard J. Hieb

Bruce E. Melnick

Pierre J. Thuot

Kathryn C. Thornton

Thomas D. Akers

Space Shuttle June 25, 1992 Richard N. Richards 13:19:30 Forty-eighth STS flight. Carried U.S. 

Columbia (STS-50) Kenneth D. Bowersox Microgravity Laboratory-1.

Bonnie Dunbar

Ellen Baker

Carl Meade

Lawrence J. DeLucas

Eugene H. Trinh

Soyuz TM-15 July 27, 1992 Anatoly Solovyov 189:17:43 Docked with Mir space station July 29. Tognini 

Sergei Avdeyev returned to Earth in TM-14 capsule with 

Michel Tognini Aleksandr Viktorenko and Aleksandr Kaleri. 

Solovyov and Avdeyev spent over six months 

in the Mir orbital complex and returned to 

Earth in the descent vehicle of the TM-15 

spacecraft on Feb. 1, 1993. 
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

125 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Space Shuttle July 31, 1992 Loren J. Shriver 7:23:16 Forty-ninth STS flight. Deployed Tethered 

Atlantis (STS-46) Andrew M. Allen Satellite System-1 and Eureca 1.

Claude Nicollier 

Marsha S. Ivins

Jeffrey A. Hoffman

Franklin R. Chang-Díaz

Franco Malerba 

Space Shuttle Sept. 12, 1992 Robert L. Gibson 7:22:30 Fiftieth STS flight. Carried Spacelab J. Jemison 

Endeavour (STS-47) Curtis L. Brown, Jr. first African American woman to fly in

Mark C. Lee space. Mohri first Japanese to fly on NASA 

Jerome Apt spacecraft. Lee and Davis first married couple 

N. Jan Davis in space together.

Mae C. Jemison

Mamoru Mohri 

Space Shuttle Oct. 22, 1992 James D. Wetherbee 9:20:57 Fifty-first STS flight. Studied influence of 

Columbia (STS-52) Michael A. Baker gravity on basic fluid and solidification 

William M. Shepherd processes using U.S. Microgravity 

Tamara E. Jernigan Payload-1 in an international mission. 

Charles L. Veach Deployed second Laser Geodynamics Satellite 

Steven G. MacLean and Canadian Target Assembly.

Space Shuttle Dec. 2, 1992 David M. Walker 7:7:19 Fifty-second STS flight. Deployed the last major 

Discovery (STS-53) Robert D. Cabana DOD classified payload planned for Shuttle 

Guion S. Bluford, Jr. (DOD 1) with 10 different secondary payloads.

James S. Voss

Michael Richard Clifford

Space Shuttle Jan. 13, 1993 John H. Casper 5:23:39 Fifty-third STS flight. Deployed Tracking and 

Endeavour (STS-54) Donald R. McMonagle Data Relay Satellite-6. Operated Diffused 

Gregory J. Harbaugh X-ray Spectrometer Hitchhiker experiment to 

Mario Runco, Jr. collect data on stars and galactic gases.

Susan J. Helms

Soyuz TM-16 Jan. 24, 1993 Gennady Manakov 179:0:44 Docked with Mir space station Jan. 26. On 

Aleksandr Poleschuk July 22, 1993, the TM-16 descent cabin 

landed back on Earth with Manakov, 

Poleschuk, and French cosmonaut Jean-Pierre 

Haignere from Soyuz TM-17 on board.

Space Shuttle Apr. 8, 1993 Kenneth D. Cameron 9:6:9 Fifty-fourth STS flight. Completed second flight 

Discovery (STS-56) Stephen S. Oswald of Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications 

C. Michael Foale and Science and deployed Spartan-201.

Kenneth D. Cockerell

Ellen Ochoa

Space Shuttle Apr. 26, 1993 Steven R. Nagel 9:23:39 Fifty-fifth STS flight. Completed second 

Columbia (STS-55) Terence T. Henricks German microgravity research program in 

Jerry L. Ross Spacelab D-2.

Charles J. Precourt

Bernard A. Harris, Jr.

Ulrich Walter 

Hans W. Schlegel 

Space Shuttle June 21, 1993 Ronald J. Grabe 9:23:46 Fifty-sixth STS flight. Carried Spacelab comEndeavour (STS-57) Brian J. Duffy mercial payload module and retrieved 

G. David Low European Retrievable Carrier, which had 

Nancy J. Sherlock been in orbit since Aug. 1992.

Peter J.K. Wisoff

Janice E. Voss
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

126 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Soyuz TM-17 July 1, 1993 Vasiliy Tsibliyev 196:17:45 Docked with Mir space station July 3. Haignere 

Aleksandr Serebrov returned to Earth with Soyuz TM-16. Serebrov

Jean-Pierre Haignere and Tsibliyev landed in TM-17 spacecraft on

Jan. 14, 1994.

Space Shuttle Sept. 12, 1993 Frank L. Culbertson, Jr. 9:20:11 Fifty-seventh STS flight. Deployed ACTS 

Discovery (STS-51) William F. Readdy satellite to serve as test bed for new 

James H. Newman communications satellite technology and 

Daniel W. Bursch U.S./German ORFEUS-SPAS.

Carl E. Walz

Space Shuttle Oct. 18, 1993 John E. Blaha 14:0:29 Fifty-eighth STS flight. Carried Spacelab Life 

Columbia (STS-58) Richard A. Searfoss Sciences-2 payload to determine the effects 

Shannon W. Lucid of microgravity on M. Rhea Seddon and 

David A. Wolf animal subjects.

William S. McArthur

Martin J. Fettman

M. Rhea Seddon

Space Shuttle Dec. 2, 1993 Richard O. Covey 10:19:58 Fifty-ninth STS flight. Restored planned 

Endeavour (STS-61) Kenneth D. Bowersox scientific capabilities and reliability to the

Tom Akers Hubble Space Telescope.

Jeffrey A. Hoffman

Kathryn C. Thornton

Claude Nicollier

F. Story Musgrave

Soyuz TM-18 Jan. 8, 1994 Viktor Afanasyev 182:0:27 Docked with Mir space station on Jan. 10. 

Yuri Usachev Afanasyev and Usachev landed in the TM-18

Valery Polyakov spacecraft on July 9, 1994. Polyakov remained

aboard Mir in the attempt to establish a new

record for endurance in space.

Space Shuttle Feb. 3, 1994 Charles F. Bolden, Jr. 8:7:9 Sixtieth STS flight. Carried the Wake Shield 

Discovery (STS-60) Kenneth S. Reightler, Jr. Facility to generate new semiconductor 

N. Jan Davis films for advanced electronics. Also carried 

Ronald M. Sega SPACEHAB. Krikalev’s presence signified a

Franklin R. Chang-Díaz new era in cooperation in space between

Sergei K. Krikalev Russia and the United States.

Space Shuttle Mar. 4, 1994 John H. Casper 13:23:17 Sixty-first STS flight. Carried U.S. Microgravity 

Columbia (STS-62) Andrew M. Allen Payload-2 to conduct experiments in materials

Pierre J. Thuot processing, biotechnology, and other areas.

Charles D. Gemar

Marsha S. Ivins

Space Shuttle Apr. 9, 1994 Sidney M. Gutierrez 11:5:50 Sixty-second STS flight. Carried the Space 

Endeavour (STS-59) Kevin P. Chilton Radar Laboratory-1 to gather data on

Jerome Apt Earth and on the effects humans have on 

Michael R. Clifford its carbon, water, and energy cycles.

Linda M. Godwin

Thomas D. Jones

Soyuz TM-19 July 1, 1994 Yuri I. Malenchenko 125:22:53 Docked with Mir space station on July 3. 

Talgat A. Musabayev Both Malenchenko and Musabayev returned 

to Earth with the Soyuz TM-19 spacecraft, 

landing in Kazakhstan on Nov. 4 with 

Ulf Merbold of Germany, who went up aboard

Soyuz TM-20 on Oct. 3, 1994. Merbold 

gathered biological samples on the effects of 

weightlessness on the human body in the first 

of two ESA missions to Mir to prepare for 

the International Space Station.
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

127 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Space Shuttle July 8, 1994 Robert D. Cabana 14:17:55 Sixty-third STS flight. Carried International 

Columbia (STS-65) James D. Halsell, Jr. Microgravity Laboratory-2 to conduct research

Richard J. Hieb into the behavior of materials and life in 

Carl E. Walz near-weightlessness.

Leroy Chiao

Donald A. Thomas

Chiaki Naito-Mukai 

Space Shuttle Sept. 9, 1994 Richard N. Richards 10:22:50 Sixty-fourth STS flight. Used LIDAR In-Space 

Discovery (STS-64) L. Blaine Hammond, Jr. Technology Experiment to perform atmoJ.M. Linenger spheric research. Included the first untethered 

Susan J. Helms spacewalk by astronauts in over 10 years.

Carl J. Meade

Mark C. Lee

Space Shuttle Sept. 30, 1994 Michael A. Baker 11:5:36 Sixty-fifth STS flight. Used Space Radar 

Endeavour (STS-68) Terrence W. Wilcutt Laboratory-2 to provide scientists with data to

Thomas D. Jones help distinguish human-induced environmental

Steven L. Smith change from other natural forms of change.

Daniel W. Bursch

Peter J. K. Wisoff

Soyuz TM-20 Oct. 3, 1994 Aleksandr Viktorenko * Soyuz TM-19 returned to Earth on Nov. 4, 1994, 

Yelena Kondakova with Yuri Malenchenko, Talgat Musabayev, 

Ulf Merbold and Ulf Merbold. Valeriy Polyakov remained

aboard Mir.

Space Shuttle Nov. 3, 1994 Donald R. McMonagle 10:22:34 Sixty-sixth STS flight. Three main payloads: the

Atlantis (STS-66) Curtis L. Brown, Jr. third Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications 

Ellen Ochoa and Science (ATLAS-3), the first Cryogenic 

Joseph R. Tanner Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the 

Jean-François Clervoy Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite (CRISTAScott E. Parazynski SPAS-1), and the Shuttle Solar Backscatter

Ultraviolet (SSBUV) spectrometer. Astronauts

also conducted protein crystal growth

experiments.

Space Shuttle Feb. 3, 1995 James D. Wetherbee 8:6:28 Sixty-seventh STS flight. Primary objective: first 

Discovery (STS-63) Eileen M. Collins close encounter in nearly 20 years between 

Bernard A. Harris, Jr. American and Russian spacecraft as a prelude 

C. Michael Foale to establishment of the International Space 

Janice E. Voss Station. (Shuttle flew close by Mir.) Main 

Vladimir G. Titov payloads: SPACEHAB 3 experiments and Shuttle

Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for

Astronomy (Spartan) 204, Solid Surface

Combustion Experiment (SSCE), and Air 

Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) Calibration 

Test. Also launched very small Orbital Debris 

Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS).

Space Shuttle Mar. 2, 1995 Stephen S. Oswald 16:15:8 Sixty-eighth STS flight. Longest Shuttle mission 

Endeavour (STS-67) William G. Gregory to date. Primary payload was a trio of ultraJohn M. Grunsfeld violet telescopes called Astro-2.

Wendy B. Lawrence

Tamara E. Jernigan

Ronald A. Parise

Samuel T. Durrance

* Mir crew members stayed for various and overlapping lengths of time.

** Flew up on Space Shuttle; remained in space aboard Russian Mir space station.

*** Returned to Earth via Space Shuttle from Russian Mir space station.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

128 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Soyuz TM-21 Mar. 14, 1995 Vladimir Dezhurov * Thagard was the first American astronaut to fly 

Gennadi Strekalov on a Russian rocket and to stay on the Mir 

Norman Thagard space station. Soyuz TM-20 returned to Earth

on Mar. 22, 1995, with Valeriy Polyakov, 

Alexsandr Viktorenko, and Yelena 

Kondakova. Polyakov set world record by 

remaining in space for 438 days.

Space Shuttle June 27, 1995 Robert L. Gibson 9:19:22 Sixty-ninth STS flight and 100th U.S. human 

Atlantis (STS-71) Charles J. Precourt space flight. Docked with Mir space station. 

Ellen S. Baker Brought up Mir 19 crew (Anatoly Y. Solovyev 

Gregory Harbaugh and Nikolai M. Budarin). Returned to Earth 

Bonnie J. Dunbar with Mir 18 crew (Vladimir N. Dezhurov, 

Gennady M. Strekalov, and Norman 

Thagard).Thagard set an American record 

by remaining in space for 115 days.

Space Shuttle July 13, 1995 Terence Henricks 8:22:20 Seventieth STS flight. Deployed Tracking and 

Discovery (STS-70) Kevin R. Kregel Data Relay Satellite (TDRS). Also conducted 

Nancy J. Currie various biomedical experiments.

Donald A. Thomas

Mary Ellen Weber

Soyuz TM-22 Sept. 3, 1995 Yuri Gidzenko * Soyuz TM-21 returned to Earth on Sept. 11, 

Sergei Avdeev 1995, with Mir 19 crew (Anatoliy Solovyev 

Thomas Reiter and Nikolay Budarin).

Space Shuttle Sept. 7, 1995 David M. Walker 10:20:28 Seventy-first STS flight. Deployed Wake Shield 

Endeavour (STS-69) Kenneth D. Cockrell Facility (WSF-2) and Spartan 201-03.

James S. Voss

James H. Newman

Michael L. Gernhardt

Space Shuttle Oct. 20, 1995 Kenneth D. Bowersox 15:21:52 Seventy-second STS flight. Carried out microColumbia (STS-73) Kent V. Rominger gravity experiments with the U.S. 

Catherine G. Coleman Microgravity Laboratory (USML-2) 

Michael Lopez-Alegria payload.

Kathryn C. Thornton

Fred W. Leslie

Albert Sacco, Jr.

Space Shuttle Nov. 12, 1995 Kenneth D. Cameron 8:4:31 Seventy-third STS flight. Docked with Mir 

Atlantis (STS-74) James D. Halsell, Jr. space station as part of International Space 

Chris A. Hadfield Station (ISS) Phase I efforts.

Jerry L. Ross

William S. McArthur, Jr.

Space Shuttle Jan. 11, 1996 Brian Duffy 8:22:1 Seventy-fourth STS flight. Deployed OAST 

Endeavour (STS-72) Brent W. Jett, Jr. Flyer. Retrieved previously launched 

Leroy Chiao Japanese Space Flyer Unit satellite. Crew 

Winston E. Scott performed spacewalks to build experience 

Koichi Wakata for ISS construction.

Daniel T. Barry

Soyuz TM-23 Feb. 21, 1996 Yuri Onufrienko * Soyuz TM-22 returned to Earth on Feb. 29, 1996, 

Yuri Usachyou with Mir 20 crew (Yuri Gidzenko, Sergei 

Avdeev, and Thomas Reiter).
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

129 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Space Shuttle Feb. 22, 1996 Andrew M. Allen 13:16:14 Seventy-fifth STS flight. Deployed Tethered 

Columbia (STS-75) Scott J. Horowitz Satellite System, U.S. Microgravity Payload 

Jeffrey A. Hoffman (USMP-3), and protein crystal growth 

Maurizio Cheli experiments.

Claude Nicollier 

Franklin R. Chang-Díaz

Umberto Guidoni 

Space Shuttle Mar. 22, 1996 Kevin P. Chilton 9:5:16 Seventy-sixth STS flight. Docked with Mir 

Atlantis (STS-76) Richard A. Searfoss space station and left astronaut Shannon 

Linda M. Godwin Lucid aboard Mir. Also carried SPACEHAB 

Michael R. Clifford module.

Ronald M. Sega

Shannon W. Lucid**

Space Shuttle May 19, 1996 John H. Casper 10:2:30 Seventy-seventh STS flight. Deployed 

Endeavour (STS-77) Curtis L. Brown Spartan/Inflatable Antenna Experiment, 

Andrew S.W. Thomas SPACEHAB, and PAMS-STU payloads.

Daniel W. Bursch

Mario Runco, Jr.

Marc Garneau 

Space Shuttle June 20, 1996 Terrence T. Henricks 16:21:48 Seventy-eighth STS flight. Set Shuttle record

Columbia (STS-78) Kevin Kregel for then-longest flight. Carried Life and 

Richard M. Linnehan Microgravity Sciences Spacelab. 

Susan J. Helms

Charles E. Brady, Jr.

Jean-Jacques Favier 

Robert B. Thirsk 

Soyuz TM-24 Aug. 17, 1996 Claudie Andre-Deshays * Soyuz TM-23 returned to Earth on Sept. 2, 

Valery Korzun 1996, with Claudie Andre-Deshays, Yuri 

Alexander Kaleri Onufrienko, and Yuri Usachev.

Space Shuttle Sept. 16, 1996 William F. Readdy 10:3:19 Seventy-ninth STS flight. Docked with Mir 

Atlantis (STS-79) Terrence W. Wilcutt space station. Picked up astronaut Shannon 

Jerome Apt Lucid and dropped off astronaut John Blaha.

Thomas D. Akers

Carl E. Walz

John E. Blaha**

Shannon W. Lucid***

Space Shuttle Nov. 19, 1996 Kenneth D. Cockrell 17:15:53 Set record for longest Shuttle flight. At age 61, 

Columbia (STS-80) Kent V. Rominger Musgrave became oldest person to fly in 

Tamara E. Jernigan space. He also tied record for most space 

Thomas David Jones flights (six) by a single person. Crew 

F. Story Musgrave successfully deployed ORFEUS-SPAS II 

ultraviolet observatory and Wake Shield 

Facility payloads.

Space Shuttle Jan. 12, 1997 Michael A. Baker 10:4:56 Fifth Shuttle mission to Mir. Jerry Linenger 

Atlantis (STS-81) Brent W. Jett replaced John Blaha as U.S. resident on Mir. 

Peter J.K. “Jeff” Wisoff

John M. Grunsfeld

Marsha S. Ivins

Jerry M. Linenger**

John E. Blaha***

* Mir crew members stayed for various and overlapping lengths of time.

** Flew up on Space Shuttle; remained in space aboard Russian Mir space station.

*** Returned to Earth via Space Shuttle from Russian Mir space station.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

130 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Soyuz TM-25 Feb. 10, 1997 Vasily Tsibliev * Soyuz TM-24 returned to Earth on Mar. 2, 

Aleksandr Lazutkin 1997, with Reinhold Ewald, Valery Korzun, 

Reinhold Ewald and Aleksandr Kaleri.

Space Shuttle Feb. 11, 1997 Kenneth D. Bowersox 9:23:36 Crew successfully performed second servicing 

Discovery (STS-82) Scott J. Horowitz mission of the Hubble Space Telescope. 

Joseph R. Tanner

Steven A. Hawley

Gregory J. Harbaugh

Mark C. Lee

Steven L. Smith

Space Shuttle Apr. 4, 1997 James D. Halsell, Jr. 3:23:34 Crew deployed a Spacelab module configured as 

Columbia (STS-83) Susan L. Still the first Microgravity Science Laboratory. 

Janice Voss Shuttle fuel cell malfunction necessitated an 

Michael L. Gernhardt early termination of the mission.

Donald A. Thomas

Roger K. Crouch

Gregory T. Linteris

Space Shuttle May 15, 1997 Charles J. Precourt 9:5:21 Sixth Shuttle mission to Mir. Michael Foale 

Atlantis (STS-84) Eileen Marie Collins replaced Jerry Linenger on Mir. 

Jean-François Clervoy

Carlos I. Noriega

Edward Tsang Lu

Elena V. Kondakova 

Michael Foale**

Jerry M. Linenger***

Space Shuttle July 1, 1997 James D. Halsell, Jr. 15:16:45 Reflight of STS-83 and the same payload, the 

Columbia (STS-94) Susan L. Still Microgravity Science Laboratory. Mission 

Janice Voss proceeded successfully.

Michael L. Gernhardt

Donald A. Thomas

Roger K. Crouch

Gregory T. Linteris

Soyuz TM-26 Aug. 5, 1997 Anatoly Solovyev * Soyuz TM-25 returned to Earth on August 14, 

Pavel Vinogradov 1997, with Vasily Tsibliev and Aleksandr 

Lazutkin.

Space Shuttle Aug. 7, 1997 Curtis L. Brown, Jr. 11:20:27 Crew successfully deployed two payloads: 

Discovery (STS-85) Kent V. Rominger CRISTA-SPAS-2 on infrared radiation and 

N. Jan Davis an international Hitchhiker package of four 

Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. experiments on ultraviolet radiation. The 

Stephen K. Robinson crew also successfully performed the Japanese 

Bjarni V. Tryggvason Manipulator Flight Demonstration of a 

robotic arm.

Space Shuttle Sept. 25, 1997 James D. Wetherbee 10:19:21 Seventh Shuttle docking with Mir. David Wolf 

Atlantis (STS-86) Michael J. Bloomfield replaced Michael Foale on Mir. Parazynski 

Scott E. Parazynski and Titov performed a spacewalk to retrieve 

Vladimir Titov four Mir Environmental Effects Payload 

Jean-Loup Chrétien experiments from the exterior of the docking 

Wendy B. Lawrence module and left a solar array cover cap for 

David A. Wolf** possible future repair of the damaged Spektr 

C. Michael Foale*** module. 
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

131 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Space Shuttle Nov. 19, 1997 Kevin R. Kregel 15:16:34 Payloads included USMP-4, Spartan 201-04

Columbia (STS-87) Steven W. Lindsey free-flyer, Collaborative Ukrainian 

Kalpana Chawla Experiment (CUE) in space biology, and 

Winston E. Scott several other “hitchhiker” payloads.

Takao Doi

Leonid K. Kadenyuk

Space Shuttle Jan. 22, 1998 Terrence W. Wilcutt 8:19:47 Eighth Shuttle docking mission to Mir. Andrew

Endeavour (STS-89) Joe F. Edwards, Jr. Thomas replaced David Wolf on Mir. Shuttle

James F. Reilly II payloads included SPACEHAB double 

Michael P. Anderson module of science experiments.

Bonnie J. Dunbar

Salizhan S. Sharipov

Andrew S. Thomas**

David A. Wolf***

Soyuz TM-27 Jan. 29, 1998 Talgat Musabayev * Soyuz TM-26 left Mir and returned to Earth on

Nikolai Budarin Feb. 19 with Anatoly Solovyev, Pavel

Leopold Eyharts Vinogradov, and Leopold Eyharts.

Space Shuttle Apr. 17, 1998 Richard A. Searfoss 15:21:50 Carried Neurolab module for microgravity 

Columbia (STS-90) Scott D. Altman research in the human nervous system. 

Richard M. Linnehan Secondary goals included measurement of

Kathryn P. Hire Shuttle vibration forces, demonstration of the

Dafydd Rhys Williams bioreactor system for cell growth, and three 

Jay Clark Buckey, Jr. Get Away Special payloads.

James A. Pawelczyk

Space Shuttle June 2, 1998 Charles J. Precourt 9:19:48 Last of nine docking missions with Mir, this one

Discovery (STS-91) Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie brought home Andrew Thomas. Payloads 

Franklin R. Chang-Díaz included DOE’s Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 

Wendy B. Lawrence to study high-energy particles from deep 

Janet Lynn Kavandi space, four Get Away Specials, and two Space 

Valery V. Ryumin Experiment Modules.

Andrew S. Thomas***

Soyuz TM-28 Aug. 13, 1998 Gennady Padalka * Docked to Mir using manual backup system

Sergei Avdeev because of prior failure of one of two 

Yuri Baturin automatic systems. Soyuz TM-27 left Mir 

and returned to Earth with Talgat Musabayev, 

Nikolai Budarin, and Yuri Baturin.

Space Shuttle Oct. 29, 1998 Curtis L. Brown, Jr. 8:21:44 Payloads included a SPACEHAB

Discovery (STS-95) Steven W. Lindsey pressurized module, the Pansat

Scott E. Parazynski communications amateur satellite, and

Stephen K. Robinson the Spartan 201-05 solar observatory.

Pedro Duque Performed biomedical experiments on

Chiaki Mukai space flight and aging. Second flight of

John H. Glenn John Glenn.

Space Shuttle Dec. 4, 1998 Robert D. Cabana 11:19:18 Payloads included Unity (Node 1), the

Endeavour (STS-88) Frederick W. Sturckow first U.S. module of the ISS, as well as

James H. Newman SAC-A and Mightysat 1.

Nancy J. Currie

Jerry L. Ross

Sergei K. Krikalev 

Soyuz TM-29 Feb. 20, 1999 Viktor Afanasyev * Soyuz mission to Mir.

Jean-Pierre Haignere 

Ivan Bella

* Mir crew members stayed for various and overlapping lengths of time.

** Flew up on Space Shuttle; remained in space aboard Russian Mir space station.

*** Returned to Earth via Space Shuttle from Russian Mir space station.
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

132 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Space Shuttle May 27, 1999 Kent V. Rominger 9:19:13 ISS supply and repair mission; also

Discovery (STS-96) Rick D. Husband launched the Starshine student passive

Daniel T. Barry reflector satellite.

Valery I. Tokarev 

Ellen Ochoa

Julie Payette 

Tamara E. Jernigan

Space Shuttle July 23, 1999 Eileen M. Collins 4:22:50 Deployed Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

Columbia (STS-93) Jeffrey S. Ashby Collins was first female commander of a

Michel Tognini Shuttle mission.

Steven A. Hawley

Catherine G. Coleman

Space Shuttle Dec. 19, 1999 Curtis L. Brown 7:23:11 Third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

Discovery (STS-103) Scott J. Kelly

Steven L. Smith

C. Michael Foale

John M. Grunsfeld

Claude Nicollier

Jean-Francois Clervoy

Space Shuttle Feb. 11, 2000 Kevin Kregel 11:5:38 Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM).

Endeavour (STS-99) Dominic Gorie The main objective of STS-99 was to obtain

Gerhard P.J. Thiele the most complete high-resolution digital

Janet Kavandi topographic database of Earth, using

Janice Voss a special radar system.

Mamoru Mohri

Soyuz TM-30 Apr. 4, 2000 Sergei Zalyotin 72:19:43 Final Soyuz mission to Mir.

Alexander Kaleri

Space Shuttle May 19, 2000 James Halsell, Jr. 9:20:9 Second crew visit to the International Space

Atlantis (STS-101) Scott Horowitz Station (ISS) (2A.2a) to deliver supplies, 

Susan Helms perform maintenance, and reboost its orbit.

Yury V. Usachev

James Voss

Mary Ellen Weber

Jeff Williams

Space Shuttle Sept. 8, 2000 Terrence Wilcutt 11:19:11 Third logistics/outfitting flight to ISS (2A.2b)

Atlantis (STS-106) Scott Altman to prepare the station for its first resident crew.

Daniel Burbank

Edward T. Lu

Yuri I. Malenchenko

Rick Mastracchio

Boris V. Morukov

Space Shuttle Oct. 11, 2000 Brian Duffy 12:21:43 Discovery’s was the 100th mission in the Shuttle

Discovery (STS-92) Pamela A. Melroy program’s history. ISS assembly mission.

Leroy Chiao

William S. McArthur

Peter J.K. Wisoff

Michael E. Lopez-Alegria

Koichi Wakata

Soyuz TM-31 Oct. 31, 2000 William Shepherd 136:17:9 Launch of first resident crew (Expedition 1)

Yuri Gidzenko to the ISS.

Sergei Krikalev

Space Shuttle Nov. 30, 2000 Brent W. Jett 10:19:58 Mission to the ISS.

Endeavour (STS-97) Michael J. Bloomfield

Joseph R. Tanner

Marc Garneau

Carlos I. Noriega
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

133 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Space Shuttle Feb. 7, 2001 Kenneth D. Cockrell 12:21:20 Delivered U.S. Laboratory module Destiny to

Atlantis (STS-98) Mark L. Polansky the ISS.

Robert L. Curbeam

Marsha S. Ivins

Thomas D. Jones

Space Shuttle Mar. 8, 2001 James D. Wetherbee 12:19:49 Delivered Expedition 2 crew to the ISS and

Discovery (STS-102) James M. Kelly returned the Expedition 1 crew to Earth.

Andrew S.W. Thomas

Paul W. Richards

James S. Voss (up)

Susan J. Helms (up)

Yuri V. Usachev (up)

William Shepherd (down)

Yuri P. Gidzenko (down)

Sergei Krikalev (down)

Space Shuttle Apr. 19, 2001 Kent V. Rominger 11:21:30 Mission to the ISS.

Endeavour (STS-100) Jeffrey S. Ashby

Chris A. Hadfield

John L. Phillips

Scott E. Parazynski

Umberto Guidoni

Yuri V. Lonchakov

Soyuz TM-32 Apr. 28, 2001 Talgat A. Musabaev 7:22:4 Launch of the first “taxi” flight to the ISS,

Yuri M. Baturin bringing a “fresh” Soyuz crew return vehicle

Dennis Tito for the ISS crew.

This mission also carried the first commercial

space tourist, U.S. businessman Dennis Tito.

Space Shuttle July 12, 2001 Steven W. Lindsey 12:18:35 Mission to the ISS.

Atlantis (STS-104) Charles O. Hobaugh

Michael L. Gernhardt

Janet L. Kavandi

James F. Reilly

Space Shuttle Aug. 10, 2001 Scott J. Horowitz 11:21:13 Returned the Expedition 2 crew to Earth.

Discovery (STS-105) Frederick W. Sturckow

Patrick G. Forrester

Daniel T. Barry

Frank L. Culbertson (up)

Vladimir N. Dezhurov (up)

Mikhail Tyurin (up)

Yury V. Usachev (down)

James S. Voss (down)

Susan J. Helms (down)

Soyuz TM-33 Oct. 21, 2001 Victor M. Afanasyez 9:18:58 Launch of the second “taxi” flight to the 

Konstantin M. Kozeev ISS, bringing a “fresh” Soyuz crew return

Claudie Haigneré vehicle for the ISS crew. Crew returned

8 d later on older Soyuz TM-32.

Space Shuttle Dec. 5, 2001 Dominic L. Gorie 11:19:36 Delivered Expedition 4 crew to the ISS.

Endeavour (STS-108) Mark E. Kelly Returned Expedition 3 crew to Earth.

Linda M. Godwin

Daniel M. Tani

Yuri I. Onufrienko (up)

Carl E. Walz (up)

Daniel W. Bursch (up)

Frank L. Culbertson (down)

Mikhail Turin (down)

Vladimir N. Dezhurov (down)
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

134 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Space Shuttle Mar. 1, 2002 Scott D. Altman 10:22:11 Fourth Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

Columbia (STS-109) Duane G. Carey

John M. Grunsfeld

Nancy J. Currie

James H. Newman

Richard M. Linnehan

Michael J. Massimino

Space Shuttle Apr. 8, 2002 Michael J. Bloomfield 10:19:43 Thirteenth ISS flight. Installation of the

Atlantis (STS-110) Stephen N. Frick S0 (S-Zero) Truss. Jerry Ross became the

Jerry L. Ross first human to fly in space seven times.

Steven L. Smith

Ellen Ochoa

Lee M.E. Morin

Rex J. Walheim

Soyuz TM-34 Apr. 25, 2002 Yuri Gidzenko 9:21:25 Launch of the third “taxi” flight to the

Roberto Vittori ISS, bringing a “fresh” Soyuz crew return

Mark Shuttleworth vehicle for the ISS crew. Crew returned

8 d later on older Soyuz TM-33. 

This mission also carried the second commercial space tourist, Mark Shuttleworth.

Space Shuttle June 5, 2002 Kenneth Cockrell 13:20:35 Delivered Expedition 5 crew to ISS.

Endeavour (STS-111) Paul Lockhart Returned Expedition 4 crew to Earth.

Franklin Chang-Diaz

Philippe Perrin

Valeri Korzun (up)

Peggy Whitson (up)

Sergei Treschev (up)

Yuri Onufriyenko (down)

Carl E. Walz (down)

Daniel W. Bursch (down)

Space Shuttle Oct. 7, 2002 Jeff Ashby 10:19:58 Delivered S1 Truss segment to the ISS. 

Atlantis (STS-112) Pam Melroy

Sandy Magnus

Piers Sellers

David Wolf

Fyodor Yurchikhin

Soyuz Oct. 30, 2002 Sergei Zalyotin 10:20:53 Launch of fourth Soyuz “taxi” flight, bringing a 

TMA-1 Yuri Lonchakov “fresh” Soyuz crew return vehicle for the ISS 

Frank Dewinne crew. 

Space Shuttle Nov. 25, 2002 Jim Wetherbee 13:18:47 Delivered Expedition 6 crew to ISS. Returned 

Endeavour (STS-113) Paul Lockhart Expedition 5 crew to Earth. Also delivered 

John Herrington the P1 Truss segment to the ISS. Expedition 6

Michael Lopez-Alegria crew returned on May 3, 2003, on Soyuz 

Ken Bowersox (up) TMA-1.

Don Pettit (up)

Nikolai Budarin (up)

Valery Korzun (down)

Sergei Treschev (down)

Peggy Whitson (down)
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

135 APPENDIX C

(Continued)

U.S. and Russian Human Space Flights

1961–September 30, 2003

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew Flight Time Highlights

(d:h:min)

Space Shuttle Jan. 16, 2003 Rick Husband 15:22:20 Science mission with 80 microgravity experiColumbia (STS-107) William McCool ments. Foam strike on left wing’s Reinforced

Michael Anderson Carbon Carbon panel during launch was 

Dave Brown responsible for Columbia’s breakup during 

Kalpana Chawla reentry, resulting in the loss of both orbiter and 

Laurel Clark crew.

Ilan Ramon

Soyuz TMA-2 Apr. 25, 2003 Yuri Malenchenko 184:21:47 Launch of Expedition 7 crew. 

Ed Lu
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

136 APPENDIX D

(Continued)

U.S. Space Launch Vehicles

Max. Payload (kg)d

Max. Dia. Geosynch. SunStages: Thrust x Height 185-km Transfer Synch. First

Vehicle Engine/Motor Propellanta (kilonewtons)b, c (m) Orbit Orbit Orbite Launchf

Pegasus 6.71x15.5h 380 — 210 1990

280e

1. Orion 50S Solid 484.9 1.28x8.88

2. Orion 50 Solid 118.2 1.28x2.66

3. Orion 38 Solid 31.9 0.97x1.34

Pegasus XL 6.71x16.93 460 — 335 1994g

1. Orion 50S-XL Solid 743.3 1.28x10.29 350e

2. Orion 50-XL Solid 201.5 1.28x3.58

3. Orion 38 Solid 31.9 0.97x1.34

Taurus 2.34x28.3 1,400 255 1,020 1994

0. Castor 120 Solid 1,687.7 2.34x11.86 1,080e

1. Orion 50S Solid 580.5 1.28x8.88

2. Orion 50 Solid 138.6 1.28x2.66

3. Orion 38 Solid 31.9 0.97x1.34

Delta II 2.44x29.70 5,089 1,842i 3,175 1990,

(7920, 7925) 3,890e

Delta-7925

1. RS-270/A LOX/RP-1 1,043.0 (SL) 3.05x38.1 [1960, Delta]

Hercules GEM (9) Solid 487.6 (SL) 1.01x12.95

2. AJ10-118K N204/A-50 42.4 2.44x5.97

3. Star 48Bj Solid 66.4 1.25x2.04

Atlas E 3.05x28.1 820e — 910k 1968, Atlas F

1,860e, k [1958,

1. Atlas: MA-3 LOX/RP-1 1,739.5 (SL) 3.05x21.3 Atlas LV-3A]

Atlas I 4.2x43.9 — 2,255 — 1990, I [1966,

Atlas-Centaur]

1. Atlas: MA-5 LOX/RP-1 1,952.0 (SL) 3.05x22.16 

2. Centaur I: LOX/LH2 73.4/engine 3.05x9.14

RL10A-3-3A (2)

Atlas II 4.2x47.5 6,580 2,810 4,300 1991, II [1966,

5,510e Atlas-Centaur]

1. Atlas: MA-5A LOX/RP-1 2,110.0 (SL) 3.05x24.9

2. Centaur II: LOX/LH2 73.4/engine 3.05x10.05

RL10A-3-3A (2)

Atlas IIA 4.2x47.5 6,828 3,062 4,750 1992, Atlas

6,170e IIA [1966,

1. Atlas: MA-5A LOX/RP-1 2,110.0 (SL) 3.05x24.9 Atlas-Centaur]

2. Centaur II: LOX/LH2 92.53/engine 3.05x10.05

RL10A-4 (2)

Atlas IIAS 4.2x47.5 8,640 3,606 5,800 1993, IIAS

7,300e [1966,

1. Atlas: MA-5A LOX/RP-1 2,110.0 (SL) 3.05x24.9 Atlas-Centaur]

Castor IVA (4)j Solid 433.6 (SL) 1.01x11.16

2. Centaur II: LOX/LH2 92.53/engine 3.05x10.05

RL10A-4 (2)
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

137 APPENDIX D

(Continued)

U.S. Space Launch Vehicles

Max. Payload (kg)d

Max. Dia. Geosynch. SunStages: Thrust x Height 185-km Transfer Synch. First

Vehicle Engine/Motor Propellanta (kilonewtons)b, c (m) Orbit Orbit Orbite Launchf

Athena

1. Athena Solid 1,450 2.36x19.8 520 245 1995

Titan II 3.05x42.9 1,905e — — 1988,

1. LR-87-AJ-5 (2) N204/A-50 1,045.0 3.05x21.5 Titan II SLV

2. LR-91-AJ-5 N204/A-50 440.0 3.05x12.2 [1964, Titan II 

Gemini]

Titan III 3.05x47.3 14,515 5,000l — 1989, 

0. Titan III SRM (2) Solid 6,210.0 3.11x27.6 Titan III 

(51/

2 segments) [1964,

1. LR87-AJ-11 (2) N204/A-50 1,214.5 3.05x24.0 Titan IIIA]

2. LR91-AJ-11 N204/A-50 462.8 3.05x10.0

Titan IV 3.05x62.2 17,700 6,350m — 1989,

0. Titan IV SRM (2) Solid 7,000.0 3.11x34.1 14,110e Titan IV

(7 segments)

1. LR87-AJ-11 (2) N204/A-50 1,214.5 3.05x26.4

2. LR91-AJ-11 N204/A-50 462.8 3.05x10.0

Titan IV 4.3x62.2 — 5,760a — 1994, 

0. Titan IV SRM (2) Solid 7,000.0 3.11x34.1 Titan IV

(7 segments) Centaur

1. LR87-AJ-11 (2) N204/A-50 1,214.5/engine 3.05x26.4

2. LR91-AJ-11(1) N204/A-50 462.5 3.05x10.0

3. Centaur:

RL-10A-3-3A LOX/LH2 73.4 4.3x9.0

4. SRMU

(3 segments) 7,690 3.3x34.3

Space Shuttlen 23.79x56.14h 24,900o 5,900p — 1981,

1. SRB: Solid 11,790.0 (SL) 3.70x45.46 Columbia

Shuttle SRB (2)

2. Orbiter/ET: LOX/LH2 1,668.7 (SL) 8.41x47.00 (ET)

SSME (3) 23.79x37.24h (orbiter)

3. Orbiter/OMS: N2O4/MMH 26.7 23.79x37.24h

OMS engines (2)

Delta III

1. RS-27A LOX/RP-1 1,043.0 (SL) 4x39.1 8,292 3,810 6,768 1998g

Alliant GEM (9) Solid 608.8 1.16x14.7

2. RL-10B-2 LOX/LH2 110 4x8.8

3. Star 48B Solid 66.4 1.25x2.04
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

138 APPENDIX D

(Continued)

U.S. Space Launch Vehicles

NOTES:

a. Propellant abbreviations used are as follows: i. Applies to Delta II-7925 version only.

A-50 = Aerozine 50 (50% Monomethyl Hydrazine, 

50% Unsymmetrical Dimethyl Hydrazine) j. Two Castor IVA motors ignited at liftoff. Two Castor IVA

RP-1 = Rocket Propellant 1 (kerosene) motors ignited at approximately 57 seconds into flight. 

Solid = Solid Propellant (any type)

LH2 = Liquid Hydrogen k. With TE-M-364-4 upper stage.

LOX = Liquid Oxygen

MMH = Monomethyl Hydrazine l. With Transfer Orbit Stage.

N2O4 = Nitrogen Tetroxide

m. With appropriate upper stage.

b. Thrust at vacuum except where indicated at sea level (SL).

n. Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters fire in parallel with the

c. Thrust per engine. Multiply by number of engines for Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME), which are mounted on

thrust per stage. the aft end of the Shuttle Orbiter Vehicle and burn fuel, as well

as oxidizer from the External Tank. The boosters stage first, with 

d. Inclination of 28.5 ̊ except where indicated. SSMEs continuing to fire. The External Tank stages next, just

before the orbiter attains orbit. The Orbiter Maneuvering

e. Polar launch from Vandenberg AFB, CA. Subsystem is then used to maneuver or change the orbit of the

Orbiter Vehicle.

f. First successful orbital launch [ditto of initial version].

o. 204-km circular orbit.

g. First launch was a failure.

p. With Inertial Upper Stage or Transfer Orbit Stage.

h. Diameter dimension represents vehicle wingspan.

NOTE: Data should not be used for detailed NASA mission planning without concurrence of the 

Director of Space Transportation System Support Programs.
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

139 APPENDIX E-1A

(Continued)

Space Activities of the U.S. Government

HISTORICAL BUDGET SUMMARY—BUDGET AUTHORITY

(in millions of real-year dollars)

NASA NASA Total

FY Total Spaceb DOD Otherc DOEd DOC DOI USDA NSFa DOT Space

1959 331 261 490 34 34 785

1960 524 462 561 43 43 1,066

1961 964 926 814 68 68 1,808

1962 1,825 1,797 1,298 199 148 51 3,294

1963 3,673 3,626 1,550 257 214 43 5,433

1964 5,100 5,016 1,599 213 210 3 6,828

1965 5,250 5,138 1,574 241 229 12 6,953

1966 5,175 5,065 1,689 214 187 27 6,968

1967 4,966 4,830 1,664 213 184 29 6,707

1968 4,587 4,430 1,922 174 145 28 0.2 1 6,526

1969 3,991 3,822 2,013 170 118 20 0.2 1 31 6,005

1970 3,746 3,547 1,678 141 103 8 1 1 28 5,366

1971 3,311 3,101 1,512 162 95 27 2 1 37 4,775

1972 3,307 3,071 1,407 133 55 31 6 2 39 4,611

1973 3,406 3,093 1,623 147 54 40 10 2 41 4,863

1974 3,037 2,759 1,766 158 42 60 9 3 44 4,683

1975 3,229 2,915 1,892 158 30 64 8 2 54 4,965

1976 3,550 3,225 1,983 168 23 72 10 4 59 5,376

TQ* 932 849 460 43 5 22 3 1 12 1,352

1977 3,818 3,440 2,412 194 22 91 10 6 65 6,046

1978 4,060 3,623 2,738 226 34 103 10 8 71 6,587

1979 4,596 4,030 3,036 248 59 98 10 8 73 7,314

1980 5,240 4,680 3,848 231 40 93 12 14 72 8,759

1981 5,518 4,992 4,828 234 41 87 12 16 78 10,054

1982 6,044 5,528 6,679 313 61 145 12 15 80 12,520

1983 6,875 6,328 9,019 327 39 178 5 20 85 15,674

1984 7,458 6,858 10,195 395 34 236 3 19 103 17,448

1985 7,573 6,925 12,768 584 34 423 2 15 110 20,277

1986 7,807 7,165 14,126 477 35 309 2 23 108 21,768

1987 10,923 9,809 16,287 466 48 278 8 19 112 1 26,562

1988 9,062 8,322 17,679 741 241 352 14 18 115 1 26,742

1989 10,969 10,097 17,906 560 97 301 17 21 121 3 28,563

1990 12,324 11,460 15,616 506 79 243 31 25 124 4 27,582

1991 14,016 13,046 14,181 772 251 251 29 26 211 4 27,999

1992 14,317 13,199 15,023 798 223 327 34 29 181 4 29,020

1993 14,310 13,064 14,106 731 165 324 33 25 180 4 27,901

1994 14,570 13,022 13,166 632 74 312 31 31 179 5 26,820

1995 13,854 12,543 10,644 759 60 352 31 32 278 6 23,946

1996 13,884 12,569 11,514 828 46 472 36 37 231 6 24,911

1997 13,709 12,457 11,727 789 35 448 42 39 219 6 24,973

1998 13,648 12,321 12,359 839 103 435 43 39 213 6 25,519

1999 13,653 12,459 13,203 982 105 575 59 37 200 6 26,644

2000 13,601 12,521 12,941 1,056 164 575 60 44 207 6 26,518

2001 14,230 13,304 14,326 1,062 145 577 60 36 232 12 28,692

2002 14,868 13,871 15,740 1,196 169 644 74 31 266 12 30,807

2003 15,364 14,360 19,388 1,305 191 649 74 42 337 12 35,053

a. NSF has recalculated its space expenditures since 1980, making them significantly higher than reported in previous years.

b. Includes $2.1 billion for replacement of Space Shuttle Challenger in 1987.

c. Other column is the total of the non-NASA, non-DOD budget authority figures that appear in succeeding columns. The total is sometimes

different from the sum of the individual figures because of rounding. The Total Space column does not include the NASA Total column

because the latter includes budget authority for aeronautics as well as in space. For the years 1989–1997, this Other column also includes small

figures for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

d. DOE has recalculated its space expenditures since 1998, making them slightly different. 

SOURCE: Office of Management and Budget

* Transition Quarter
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

140 APPENDIX E-1B

(Continued)

Space Activities of the U.S. Government

BUDGET AUTHORITY IN MILLIONS OF EQUIVALENT FY 2003 DOLLARS

(adjusted for inflation)

Inflation NASA NASA Total

FY Factors Total Spaceb DOD Otherc DOEd DOC DOI USDA NSFa DOT Space

1959 5.1487 1,704 1,344 2,523 175 175 4,042

1960 5.0663 2,655 2,341 2,842 218 218 0 5,401

1961 5.0090 4,829 4,638 4,077 341 341 9,056

1962 4.9398 9,015 8,877 6,412 983 731 252 16,272

1963 4.8854 17,944 17,714 7,572 1,256 1,045 210 26,542

1964 4.8216 24,590 24,185 7,710 1,027 1,013 14 32,922

1965 4.7656 25,019 24,486 7,501 1,149 1,091 57 33,135

1966 4.6830 24,235 23,719 7,910 1,002 876 126 32,631

1967 4.5842 22,765 22,142 7,628 976 843 133 30,746

1968 4.4427 20,379 19,681 8,539 774 644 124 0.9 4 28,994

1969 4.2879 17,113 16,388 8,632 731 506 86 0.9 4 134 25,750

1970 4.1022 15,367 14,551 6,883 578 423 33 4 4 115 22,012

1971 3.8891 12,877 12,060 5,880 630 369 105 8 4 144 18,570

1972 3.7032 12,246 11,373 5,210 494 204 115 22 7 146 17,077

1973 3.5377 12,049 10,942 5,742 521 191 142 35 7 146 17,205

1974 3.3873 10,287 9,346 5,982 535 142 203 30 10 149 15,863

1975 3.1621 10,210 9,218 5,983 499 95 202 25 6 170 15,699

1976 2.8653 10,172 9,241 5,682 482 66 206 29 11 170 15,405

TQ* 2.6763 2,494 2,272 1,231 115 13 59 8 3 32 3,618

1977 2.5942 9,905 8,924 6,257 502 57 236 26 16 167 15,683

1978 2.4893 10,107 9,019 6,816 563 85 256 25 20 177 16,397

1979 2.3297 10,707 9,389 7,073 578 137 228 23 19 170 17,039

1980 2.1548 11,291 10,084 8,292 498 86 200 26 30 155 18,874

1981 1.9789 10,920 9,879 9,554 464 81 172 24 32 155 19,896

1982 1.8040 10,903 9,973 12,049 564 110 262 22 27 144 22,586

1983 1.6859 11,591 10,668 15,205 551 66 300 8 34 143 26,425

1984 1.6149 12,044 11,075 16,464 637 55 381 5 31 166 28,176

1985 1.5575 11,795 10,786 19,886 909 53 659 3 23 171 31,581

1986 1.5077 11,771 10,803 21,298 719 53 466 3 35 162 32,819

1987 1.4722 16,081 14,441 23,978 686 71 409 12 28 165 1 39,104

1988 1.4328 12,984 11,924 25,330 1,062 345 504 20 26 165 1 38,316

1989 1.3874 15,218 14,009 24,843 777 135 418 24 29 168 4 39,628

1990 1.3361 16,466 15,312 20,865 676 106 325 41 33 165 5 36,852

1991 1.2876 18,047 16,798 18,259 994 323 323 37 33 272 5 36,052

1992 1.2394 17,744 16,359 18,620 989 276 405 42 36 224 5 35,967

1993 1.2078 17,284 15,779 17,037 883 199 391 40 30 217 5 33,699

1994 1.1796 17,187 15,361 15,531 746 87 368 37 37 212 6 31,637

1995 1.1546 15,996 14,482 12,290 876 69 406 36 37 321 7 27,648

1996 1.1302 15,692 14,205 13,013 936 52 533 41 42 261 7 28,154

1997 1.1080 15,190 13,802 12,994 875 39 496 47 43 243 7 27,671

1998 1.0868 14,833 13,390 13,432 912 112 473 47 42 232 7 27,735

1999 1.0717 14,632 13,352 14,150 1,052 113 616 63 40 214 6 28,554

2000 1.0576 14,384 13,242 13,686 1,116 173 608 63 47 219 6 28,045

2001 1.0376 14,765 13,804 14,865 1,102 150 599 62 37 241 12 29,771

2002 1.0128 15,058 14,049 15,941 1,211 171 652 75 31 269 12 31,201

2003 1 15,364 14,360 19,388 1,305 191 649 74 42 337 12 35,053

a. NSF has recalculated its space expenditures since 1980, making them significantly higher than reported in previous years.

b. Includes $2.1 billion for replacement of Space Shuttle Challenger in 1987.

c. Other column is the total of the non-NASA, non-DOD budget authority figures that appear in succeeding columns. The total is sometimes different from the sum of the individual figures because of rounding. The Total Space column does not include the NASA Total column because the

latter includes budget authority for aeronautics as well as in space. For the years 1989–1997, this Other column also includes small figures for the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

d. DOE has recalculated its space expenditures since 1998, making them slightly different. 

SOURCE: Office of Management and Budget

* Transition Quarter
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

141 APPENDIX E-2

(Continued)

Federal Space Activities Budget

(in millions of dollars by fiscal year)

Federal Agencies Budget Authority Budget Outlays

2002 2003 2004 2005 2002 2003

Actual Actual Est. Est. Actual Actual

NASA1 13,871 14,360 14,317 15,297 13,449 13,553

Defense 15,740 19,388 20,019 21,677 14,906 18,612

Energy 169 191 198 195 170 191

Commerce 644 649 761 829 579 579

Interior2 74 74 73 74 74 74

Agriculture 31 42 48 55 31 39

Transportation 12 12 12 12 12 12

NSF3 266 337 369 354 244 256

1. NASA’s totals do not include the Office of Inspector General’s budget.

2. Beginning in 2003, DOI is reporting the U.S. Geological Survey’s digital orthoimagery program within its totals.

3. Beginning in 2003, NSF is reporting the Antarctic aeronomy and astrophysics program budget within its totals.

SOURCE: Office of Management and Budget
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

142 APPENDIX E-3

(Continued)

Federal Aeronautics Budget

(in millions of dollars by fiscal year)

Federal Agencies Budget Authority Budget Outlays

2002 2003 2004 2005 2002 2003

Actual Actual Est. Est. Actual Actual

NASA1 997 1,004 1,034 919 956 974

Defense 6,995 9,432 10,505 10,470 6,655 8,314

Transportation 2,940 2,924 3,004 2,601 2,799 2,839

1. NASA’s totals do not include the Office of Inspector General’s budget.
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

143

A

AE acoustic emission

AFB Air Force Base

AFRL Air Force Research Laboratory

AGS Alternating Gradient Synchrotron

AIRDAS Airborne InfraRed Disaster Assessment System

AIRS Atmospheric Infrared Sounder

ALI Advanced Land Imager

AML Abandoned Mine Land

AMS Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

AMSU Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit

ARC Ames Research Center

ARM Atmospheric Radiation Measurement

ART Assisted Resolution Tool

ARTCC Air Traffic Control Center

ARTWG Advanced Range Technology Working Group

ASEB Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board

AST FAA Office of the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space

Transportation

ASTER Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer

ASTRA Advanced Systems, Technologies, Research, and Analysis

ATAG Air Transportation Advisory Group

ATCA Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft

ATMS Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder

ATP Advanced Technology Program

AVHRR Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer

AVIRIS Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer

AWACS Airborne Warning and Control System

B

BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs

BLM Bureau of Land Management

BNL Brookhaven National Laboratory

BOR Bureau of Reclamation

BPRE Biological and Physical Research Enterprise

BSU Boise State University

C

C3 Command, Control, and Communication

CAASD Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (MITRE)

CAC Civil Applications Committee

CAIB Columbia Accident Investigation Board

CAMI Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

CEOS Committee on Earth Observation Satellites

CEPS Center for Earth & Planetary Studies

ACRONYMS
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

144 CHIPS Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer

CIA Central Intelligence Agency

CME coronal mass ejection

CNN Cable News Network

CoDR Conceptual Design Review

CONUS continental United States

CORS Continuously Operating Reference Stations

CrIS Cross-track Infrared Sounder

CRSSP Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy

CSREES Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service

CTAS Center-TRACON Automation System

D

DART Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology

DBS Direct Broadcast Satellites

DC direct current; District of Columbia

DCR Design Certification Review

DDR&E Defense Research and Engineering

DEM digital elevation model

DHS Department of Homeland Security

DOC Department of Commerce

DOD Department of Defense

DOE Department of Energy

DOI Department of the Interior

DOQ digital orthophoto quadrangle

DOS Department of State

DOT Department of Transportation

DSR Dynamic Source Routing

E

ECLSS Environmental Control and Life Support System

ECO Emergency on-Call Officer

EDA En Route Descent Advisor

EO-1 Earth Observing-1

EOS Earth Observing System; Earth Observation Satellite

EROS Earth Resources Observation Systems

ESE Earth Science Enterprise

ETM+ Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus

EUMETSAT European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological

Satellites

F

FAA Federal Aviation Administration

FAS Foreign Agricultural Service

FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation

FCC Federal Communications Commission

FS Forest Service (USDA)

FSA Farm Service Agency

FTAG Federal Transportation Advisory Group
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

145 FTD flight training device

FY Fiscal Year

G

GALEX Galaxy Evolution Explorer

GIS Geographic Information Systems; Geospatial Information System

GLOBE Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment

(long form not really used any more but still correct)

GloVis Global Visualization

GNSS Global Navigation Satellite Systems

GOES Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites

GP Gunn-Peterson

GPS Global Positioning System

GRACE Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment

GRC Glenn Research Center

GSFC Goddard Space Flight Center

GSO geosynchronous orbit

GTE ground test engine

GWRP Ground-Water Research Program

H

HFACS Human Factors Analysis and Classification System

HiRISE High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment

HST Hubble Space Telescope

I

IADCR Integrated Aircraft Data Collection and Reporting

ICESat Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite

IGEB Interagency GPS Executive Board

IGOS Integrated Global Observing Strategy

IHPRPT Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology

InSPACE Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from 

Colloidal Emulsions

IPO Integrated Program Office (NPOESS)

ISM Interstellar Medium

ISOON Improved Solar Observing Optical Network

ISS International Space Station

ISTAR Integrated Systems Test of an Air-breathing Rocket

ITA International Trade Administration

ITP Integrated Technology Plan

J

JBOSC Joint Base Operating Support Contract

JMA Japan Meteorological Agency

JPL Jet Propulsion Laboratory

JSC Johnson Space Center
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

146 K

KSC Kennedy Space Center

L

LaRC Langley Research Center

LARCS Laser Rail Calibration System

LAT Large Area Telescope

LBNL Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

LEDFAA Layered Elastic Design—FAA

LIDAR Light Detection And Ranging

LMM Light Microscopy Module

M

MAGENTA Model for Assessing Global Exposure from Noise of Transport

Airplanes

MARSIS Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere

Sounding

MAS MODIS Airborne Simulator

MBPS megabits per second

MCC Mission Control Center

MEMS microelectromechanical system

MER Mars Exploration Rover

MESSENGER MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and

Ranging

MET Mobile Earth Terminal

MISSE Materials International Space Station Experiment

MMT Used to stand for Multiple Mirror Telescope; now just the

name of the telescope

MOA Memorandum of Agreement

MODIS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer

MOS (Boston) Museum of Science

MOU Memorandum of Understanding

MR magnetorheological

MRLC Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics

MSFC Marshall Space Flight Center

MSG METEOSAT Second Generation

MSS Mobile Satellite Services

N

NAI National Aerospace Initiative

NAIP National Agriculture Imagery Program

NAPP National Aerial Photography Program

NASM National Air and Space Museum

NASS National Agricultural Statistics Service

NDGPS Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System

NDOP National Digital Orthophoto Program

NDOW Nevada Department of Wildlife

NERSC National Energy Research Scientific-computing Center

NESC NASA Engineering and Safety Center

NESDIS National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

147 NGDC National Geophysical Data Center

NGLT Next Generation Launch Technology

NGS National Geodetic Survey

NIMA National Imagery and Mapping Agency

NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology

NLCD National Land Cover Dataset

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOS National Ocean Service (NOAA)

NPOESS National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite

System

NPP Net Primary Productivity; NPOESS Preparatory Project

NPS National Park Service

NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service

NRI National Resources Inventory

NSBRI National Space Biomedical Research Institute

NSF National Science Foundation

NSO National Solar Observatory

NSSA National Security Space Architect

NSTAR Solar Electric Power Technology Application Readiness

NSTX National Spherical Torus Experiment

NTIA National Telecommunications and Information Administration

NVO National Virtual Observatory

O

OA Office of Aerospace (DOC)

OMPS Ozone Mapper/Profiler Suite

ORA Office of Research and Applications (NESDIS)

ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory

ORS Operationally Responsive Spacelift

OSC Office of Space Commercialization (DOC)

OSMRE Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (DOI)

OSP Orbital Space Plane

P

PARR Problem Analysis, Resolution, and Ranking

PCATD Personal Computer Aviation Training Device

PCS Physics of Colloids in Space

PECAD Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division

PLGR Precise Lightweight GPS Receiver

PPPL Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

PPS Precise Positioning Service

R

R&D research and development

RBCC Rocket-Based Combined Cycle

RF radio frequency

RHIC Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

RLV reusable launch vehicle

RPIF Regional Planetary Imagery Facility
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

148 RSAC Remote Sensing Applications Center

RSIWG Remote Sensing Interagency Working Group

S

S&T science and technology

SAGE System for Assessing Aviation’s Global Emissions

SAO Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

SATS Small Aircraft Transportation System

SC Office of Science (DOE)

SDSS Sloan Digital Sky Survey

SED Science Education Department

SEU Structure and Evolution of the Universe

SHARAD Shallow Subsurface Sounding Radar

SI International System of Units

SIRTF Space InfraRed Telescope Facility (renamed Spitzer Space

Telescope)

SLAC Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

SLC Scan Line Corrector

SLEP Service Life Extension Program (Space Shuttle)

SMA Safety and Mission Assurance

SMG Science Media Group

SMS Surface Management System

SOHO Solar and Heliospheric Observatory

SORCE Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment

Space PCC Space Policy Coordinating Committee

SPIE International Society for Optical Engineering

SPOT-VEGETATION “SPOT” is the name of the imagery company; the use of all capitals is convention

SSC Stennis Space Center

ST spherical torus

T

TDRS Tracking and Data Relay Satellite

TM Thematic Mapper (Landsat)

TMA-MC Traffic Management Advisor-Multi-Center

TOPEX TOPography EXperiment

TRACON Terminal Radar Approach Control

TWT Traveling Wave Tube

U

U.N. United Nations

U.S. United States

URET User Request Evaluation Tool (Free Flight Phase 1)

USAF United States Air Force

USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture

USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

149 USGS U.S. Geological Survey

USNORTHCOM U.S. Northern Command

USSTRATCOM U.S. Strategic Command

UV ultraviolet

UVCS Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer

UWB ultrawideband VVALPE Vibro-Acoustic Launch Protection Experiment

VIIRS Visual Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite

VLM Vaporizing Liquid Micro-Thruster

VPP Voluntary Protection Program W

WMAP Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe

WTO World Trade Organization
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

150
F iscal Year 2003 Activities

151
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 

152