2011 was an eventful year in space, not the least because the year represented a transition from one era-that of the space shuttle-to whatever lays ahead. It was also a time of uncertainty and even anxiety
The Last Flight of the Space Shuttle
The last flight of the space shuttle, Atlantis STS-135 delivered a cargo of spare parts and other supplies to the International Space Station as well as conducting an experiment in in-space refueling. It took off on July 8, 2011 and returned to Earth on July 21, 2011. For now, the United States has no ability to launch humans into space on its own.
The Space Launch System Begins Development
After some months of procrastination and tension between NASA and the Congress, the space agency decided on a design for the Space Launch System, a heavy lift launcher that is envisioned to take astronauts beyond low Earth orbit late this decade or early next. The first test flight, unmanned, is scheduled for 2015,
The launch of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity
The largest rover ever sent into space, the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Nov 26, 2011. About the size of a car, Curiosity will touch down on the Martian surface in August, 2012. It will roll along the Martian landscape with a variety of instruments and tools to explore the Red Planet for signs of life.
China Docks Two Spacecraft
China launched an unmanned version of its Shenzhou spacecraft, the Shenzhou 8 on Oct 31, 2011. On Nov 2, the spacecraft successfully docked with the Tiangong 1, a space station module prototype that had been previously launched into low Earth orbit.
Russia Loses Phobos-Grunt
Phobos-Grunt, a sample return probe aimed for the Mars moon Phobos, was launched on Nov 8, 2011. Unfortunately it failed to fire its engines to send it on its way to Mars and was stuck in low Earth orbit.
Dawn Orbits Vesta
Dawn, the ion engine propelled asteroid probe, entered into orbit around Vesta, one of the larger bodies in the asteroid main belt, It has been returning images and data ever since. It is due to examine Vesta for a year, before departing for its next target, Ceres, the largest asteroid in the solar system.
Commercial Space Proceeds Apace
NASA has given the go ahead for SpaceX to launch a cargo version of its Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station, now scheduled for February, 2012. If the test flight is successful, regular deliveries of cargo to the ISS will proceed, laying the groundwork for eventual manned commercial flights
In the meantime two other commercial space ventures that may take humans into space were announced. One, Stratolaunch Systems, would use an aircraft to launch a rocket from a high altitude. Another proposes to build a new version of the space shuttle and fly it commercially.
Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker. He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times and The Weekly Standard.
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