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96-520: NASA Administrator Michael Griffin ordered a number of changes in the originally planned Crew Exploration Vehicle (now Orion MPCV ) acquisition strategy designed by his predecessor Sean O'Keefe . Griffin's plans favored a design he had developed as part of a study for the Planetary Society, rather than the prior plans for a Crew Exploration Vehicle developed in parallel by two competing teams. These changes were proposed in an internal study called

192-609: A MSE degree in aerospace science from the Catholic University of America in 1974; a PhD degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland in 1977; a MS degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California in 1979; an MS degree in applied physics from Johns Hopkins University in 1983; an MBA degree from Loyola University Maryland in 1990; and an MS degree in civil engineering from George Washington University in 1998. Griffin

288-407: A Senate subcommittee that the first book he ever received was a book on astronomy and space when he was five years old, and "I was absolutely fascinated by it, and from that time forward, I never considered for myself anything other than being a Scientist or Engineer or Mathematician and involving myself in the space business." Griffin has collaborated with several space advocacy organizations such as

384-747: A budget that reduced space research funding by about 25%, including indefinite deferrals of planned programs such as the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter , the Terrestrial Planet Finder , and the Space Interferometry Mission . The logic was that funding Project Constellation , a presidentially mandated program, was the top priority of the space agency. Funding for a New York Company to research the Prometheus space nuclear program has also been put on hold, although Griffin has said he

480-599: A combined value of $ 3.5 billion as part of the Commercial Resupply Services program. In February 2018, Griffin was appointed as Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering by Donald Trump . One of his first actions was to create the Space Development Agency . The organization was tasked with procuring a proliferated constellation of low Earth orbit satellites to detect Chinese and Russian hypersonic weapons. Commercial contracts for

576-579: A farewell address to NASA on January 16, 2009, in which he praised NASA for its recovery from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and urged employees to support the new administrator, whoever it may be. He left office the day President Obama was inaugurated. On April 14, 2009, Griffin accepted a position as eminent scholar and Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville . The university established

672-523: A half years. Griffin approved the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery for July 2006 to perform the second return-to-flight mission, overriding the NASA Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Officer, Bryan O'Connor . Although O'Connor said there were still unresolved concerns that foam insulation could break off of external fuel tank and damage the orbiter, Griffin characterized the risk as acceptable, arguing that it would be better to test one change at

768-639: A much greater payload per launch than an EELV option. The crew would be launched in the CEV atop a five-segment derivative of the Shuttle's Solid Rocket Booster and a new liquid-propellant upper stage based on the Shuttle's External Tank. Originally to be powered by a single, throw-away version of the Space Shuttle Main Engine , it was later changed to a modernized and uprated version of the J-2 rocket engine (known as

864-432: A number of aspects of the original plan that was released last year. Instead of a CEV fly-off in 2008, NASA would have moved to Phase 2 of the CEV program in 2006, with CEV flights to have commenced as early as June 2011. The ESAS called for the development of two shuttle-derived launch vehicles to support the now defunct Constellation Program ; one derived from the space shuttle's solid rocket booster which would become

960-424: A professor at various universities, teaching courses in spacecraft design, Applied Math, guidance and navigation, compressible flow, computational fluid dynamics , spacecraft attitude control, aerodynamics, and introductory aerospace engineering. He is lead author of more than two dozen technical papers, and is co-author with James R. French of the astronautical engineering textbook, Space Vehicle Design . Griffin

1056-539: A scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research , said that Griffin was either "totally clueless" or "a deep antiglobal warming ideologue". In a closed-door meeting on June 4, 2007, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory , Griffin said: "Unfortunately, this is an issue which has become far more political than technical, and it would have been well for me to have stayed out of it." "All I can really do

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1152-703: A significant cut. This resulted in strong objections from the international partners that the US was not meeting its commitments, and concerns in Congress that the investment in ISS would be wasted. Beginning April 2006 there were some criticisms on the feasibility of the original ESAS study. These mostly revolved around the use of methane-oxygen fuel. NASA originally sought this combination because it could be "mined" in situ from lunar or martian soil – something that could be potentially useful on missions to these celestial bodies. However,

1248-402: A time. With that flight NASA was testing the removal of protuberance air-load ramps from cable and fuel line fittings on the exterior of the external fuel tank. This launch proved that the changes made to prevent shedding of foam at the air-load ramps were successful, allowing the Shuttle program to work towards completion of the ISS by the presidentially mandated year of 2010. The construction of

1344-456: A trip to Russia , where they attempted to purchase ICBMs . The unsuccessful trip is credited as directly leading to the formation of SpaceX . Musk offered Griffin the title of chief engineer at the company, but Griffin instead became president and COO of  In-Q-Tel , a private enterprise funded by the  CIA  to identify and invest in companies developing cutting-edge technologies that serve national security interests. In 2005, he

1440-542: Is a Space Grant university, and has a history of cooperation with both NASA at the nearby Marshall Space Flight Center , and the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal . The campus serves as the anchor tenant in Cummings Research Park , the second-largest university research park in the USA. In a 2010 Space Foundation survey, Griffin was ranked as the #7 most popular space hero. On August 14, 2012,

1536-505: Is also a general aviation flight Instructor and Pilot, and owner of a small airplane, a Beech Bonanza. In 2004 Griffin was named head of the Space Department at Johns Hopkins University APL. In or before 2023 Griffin joined the board of Castelion, a defense manufacturing company. Griffin holds seven academic degrees that he earned throughout his career. He earned a BA degree in physics from Johns Hopkins University in 1971;

1632-552: Is an American physicist and aerospace engineer who served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering from 2018 to 2020. He previously served as deputy of technology for the Strategic Defense Initiative , and as administrator of NASA from April 13, 2005, to January 20, 2009. As NASA administrator, Griffin oversaw such areas as private spaceflight , future human spaceflight to Mars , and

1728-733: Is anxious to pursue Prometheus after the earlier-priority development of the new spacecraft is completed. Earlier, in November 2005, funding for life science research conducted largely out of Ames Research Center was cut by 80%, prompting representatives of the Ames life sciences group to write a scathing letter to Griffin criticizing this cut. NASA field centers focused mainly on science rather than on human spaceflight, such as Ames and Glenn Research Center , have seen general budgetary downsizing, and many science contracts with outside researchers have been canceled. Griffin attributed these cuts, along with cuts in

1824-404: Is apologize to all you guys. ... I feel badly that I caused this amount of controversy over something like this." It was widely known that Griffin hoped to keep his job under President Barack Obama so that Constellation and NASA's other programs could maintain their steady progress. In a phone call on the day after the election, Senator Bill Nelson (D, FL) requested of Lori Garver , who led

1920-637: Is currently launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Complex 37, and the manufacturer, United Launch Alliance, had proposed launching human flights from there. However, in the estimation of costs, the ESAS assumed that all competing designs would have to be launched from Launch Complex 39, and that the Vehicle Assembly Building, Mobile launcher Platforms and pads A and B would have to be modified to accommodate them. The LC-39 facilities are much larger, more complex, older, and more expensive to maintain than

2016-477: Is the human settlement of the Solar System, and eventually beyond. I can think of no lesser purpose sufficient to justify the difficulty of the enterprise, and no greater purpose is possible." In his testimony he also advocated heavy-lift launch capabilities, development of space qualified nuclear power systems, in situ resource utilization, and cost-effective medium-size transport to low Earth orbit . Griffin told

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2112-444: Is to assume that the state of Earth's climate today is the optimal climate, the best climate that we could have or ever have had and that we need to take steps to make sure that it doesn't change. First of all, I don't think it's within the power of human beings to assure that the climate does not change, as millions of years of history have shown, and second of all, I guess I would ask which human beings -where and when-are to be accorded

2208-651: The Boeing Delta IV Heavy or Lockheed Martin Atlas V Heavy EELVs. However, with the change of NASA Administrators, Mike Griffin did away with this schedule, viewing it as unacceptably slow, and moved directly to Phase 2 in early 2006. He commissioned the 60-day internal study for a re-review of the concepts—now known as the ESAS—;which favored launching the CEV on a shuttle-derived launch vehicle . Additionally, Griffin planned to accelerate or otherwise change

2304-595: The Commercial Crew Program . The CEV re-entry module would weigh about 12 tons—almost twice the mass of the Apollo Command Module—;and, like Apollo, would be attached to a service module for life support and propulsion ( European Service Module ). The CEV would be an Apollo-like capsule, with a Viking -type heat shield , not a lifting body or winged vehicle like the Shuttle was. It would touch down on land rather than water, similar to

2400-559: The HSF Committee , Augustine Commission , or Augustine Committee ) was a group convened by NASA at the request of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), to review the nation's human spaceflight plans to ensure "a vigorous and sustainable path to achieving its boldest aspirations in space." The review was announced by the OSTP on May 7, 2009. It covered human spaceflight options after

2496-736: The International Space Station (ISS) without the use of the Space Shuttle , using cargo versions of the CEV. Originally slated for release as early as July 25, 2005, after the "Return to Flight" mission of Discovery , the release of the ESAS was delayed until September 19, reportedly due to poor reviews of the presentation of the plan and some resistance from the Office of Management and Budget . The initial CEV “procurement strategies” under Sean O’ Keefe would have seen two “phases” of CEV design. Proposals submitted in May 2005 were to be part of

2592-481: The International Space Station ; the mandated development of the Vision for Space Exploration architecture; programs outside of human spaceflight, consisting of science research and aeronautics research; and an ever-increasing share of NASA's budget devoted to line-item earmarks sometimes characterized as pork barrel spending. Vision for Space Exploration , announced by President Bush in 2004, mandated that NASA must use

2688-662: The J-2 X) used on the S-IVB upper stages used on the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets. This booster would be capable of placing up to 25 tons into low Earth orbit. The booster would use components that have already been man-rated. Cargo would be launched on a heavy-lift version of the Space Shuttle, which would be an "in-line" booster that would mount payloads on top of the booster. The in-line option originally featured five throw-away versions of

2784-577: The National Space Society , Mars Society , and the Planetary Society : On March 11, 2005, President George W. Bush announced his intention to nominate Griffin to serve as the 11th Administrator of NASA. He was confirmed by the Senate on April 13, 2005. Griffin was subsequently sworn in by Vice-president Dick Cheney , a rarity for a NASA administrator and signifying the importance NASA held to

2880-522: The Russian Soyuz spacecraft . This would be changed to splashdown only to save weight, the CST-100 Starliner would be the first US spacecraft to touchdown on land. Possible landing areas that had been identified included Edwards Air Force Base , California, Carson Flats ( Carson Sink ), Nevada, and the area around Moses Lake, Washington state. Landing on the west coast would allow the majority of

2976-657: The SSMEs on the core stage, but was changed later to five RS-68 rocket engines (currently in use on the Delta IV Heavy rocket), with higher thrust and lower costs, which required a slight increase in the overall diameter of the core. Two enlarged five-segment SRBs would help the RS-68 engines propel the rocket's second stage, known as the Earth Departure Stage (EDS), and payload into LEO. It could lift about 125 tons to LEO, and

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3072-564: The Saturn I by replacing the S-IV second stage (90,000-pound-force (400,000 N), 43,380,000 lb-sec total impulse), with the S-IVB (200,000-pound-force (890,000 N), 96,000,000 lb-sec total impulse). The S-IB first stage also increased the S-I baseline's thrust from 1,500,000 pounds-force (6,700,000 N) to 1,600,000 pounds-force (7,100,000 N) and propellant load by 3.1%. This increased

3168-504: The 100 Most Influential People of 2008. Griffin received the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement's National Space Trophy in May 2009. On March 13, 2008, Griffin was awarded the title of 74th Honorary Chancellor at Florida Southern College during its annual Founder's Day Ceremony. On May 22, 2011, Griffin was awarded honorary DE degree from the University of Notre Dame . On July 11, 2018, asteroid 159999 Michaelgriffin

3264-535: The 1980s, where he helped design the successful Delta 180 series of missile defense technology satellites for the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) . Griffin soon rose to deputy for technology, where he conceived and directed the first space-to-space interception of a ballistic missile in powered flight, and the first space-borne reconnaissance of ballistic missile targets in boost phase and mid-course flight. In 1991, Griffin

3360-516: The 9-year old Constellation program to be so behind schedule, underfunded and over budget that meeting any of its goals would not be possible. President Obama removed the program from the 2010 budget effectively canceling the program. One component of the program, the Orion crew capsule was added back to plans but as a rescue vehicle to complement the Russian Soyuz in returning Station crews to Earth in

3456-669: The Apollo lunar program ended, three Apollo CSM/Saturn IBs ferried crews to the Skylab space station. In 1975, one last Apollo/Saturn IB launched the Apollo portion of the joint US- USSR Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). A backup Apollo CSM/Saturn IB was assembled and made ready for a Skylab rescue mission, but never flown. The remaining Saturn IBs in NASA's inventory were scrapped after the ASTP mission, as no use could be found for them and all heavy lift needs of

3552-882: The Apollo program was squandered by a change in focus to Shuttle and space station programs that only reached orbit: "I spent some time analysing what we could have done had we used the budgets we received to explore the capabilities inherent in the Apollo hardware after it was built. The short answer is we would have been on Mars 15 or 20 years ago, instead of circling endlessly in low Earth orbit." Griffin has been criticized by space research organizations such as NASA Ames Research Center life sciences group for shifting portions of NASA's budget from science to human spaceflight. Griffin had stated that he would not shift "one thin dime" of funding from science to human spaceflight, but less than six months later, in February 2006, after NASA Constellation funding did not reach requested levels, NASA revealed

3648-573: The Apollo program were made from LC-34 and LC-37 , Cape Kennedy Air Force Station . The Saturn IB was used between 1973 and 1975 for three crewed Skylab flights, and one Apollo-Soyuz Test Project flight. This final production run did not have alternating black and white S-IB stage tanks, or vertical stripes on the S-IVB aft tank skirt, which were present on the earlier vehicles. Since LC-34 and 37 were inactive by then, these launches utilized Kennedy Space Center's LC-39B . Mobile Launcher Platform No. 1

3744-502: The Apollo spacecraft. The only major difference was that the S-IVB on the Saturn V burned only part of its propellant to achieve Earth orbit, so it could be restarted for trans-lunar injection . The S-IVB on the Saturn IB needed all of its propellant to achieve Earth orbit. The Saturn IB launched two uncrewed CSM suborbital flights to a height of 162 km, one uncrewed LM orbital flight, and

3840-512: The Bush Administration. Administration even recalled its former NASA transition Team Director and Chief of Staff, Courtney Stadd , to assist Griffin. On September 28, 2007, Griffin said that NASA aims to put a man on Mars by 2037. In an interview with The Guardian in July 2008 Griffin stated, in criticism of the Space Shuttle program , that an opportunity to push on to Mars by extending

3936-667: The Delta IV Heavy was a "clean sheet" design, still in service, which used only liquid propellant. Conversely, the failure rate of the Shuttle SRB was used to estimate the failure rate of the Ares I, however only launches subsequent to the loss of Challenger were considered, and each shuttle launch was considered to be two successful launches of the Ares even though the Shuttle SRBs do not include systems for guidance or roll control. The Delta IV

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4032-513: The ESAS was based on its estimates of safety and cost. The authors used the launch failure rate of the Titan III and IV as an estimate for the failure rate of the Delta IV heavy. The Titan combined a core stage derived from an early ICBM with large segmented solid fuel boosters and a hydrogen-fueled upper stage developed earlier. It was a complex vehicle and had a relatively high failure rate. In contrast,

4128-544: The Exploration Systems Architecture Study, whose results were officially presented during a press conference held at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. , on September 19, 2005. The ESAS included a number of recommendations for accelerating the development of the CEV and implementing Project Constellation , including strategies for flying crewed CEV flights as early as 2012 and methods for servicing

4224-407: The ISS was completed in early 2011, and then the Space Shuttle was retired. In a follow-up interview to his May 31 interview with NPR 's Steve Inskeep airing June 1, 2007, on NPR News' Morning Edition , Griffin said: I have no doubt that global—that a trend of global warming exists. I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with. To assume that it is a problem

4320-449: The LSAM for descent to the lunar surface for a week of exploration. Part of the LSAM could be left behind with cargo to begin the establishment of a long-term outpost. Both the LSAM and the lunar CEV would carry a crew of four. The entire crew would descend to the lunar surface, leaving the CEV unoccupied. After the time on the lunar surface had been spent, the crew would return to lunar orbit in

4416-538: The Moon's south pole. But this decision had not yet been taken and would depend on potential international and commercial participation in the exploration project. The Artemis Program hopes to set up a small international lunar outpost by 2028 The use of scalable CEVs and a lander with methane-fueled engines meant that meaningful hardware testing for Mars missions could be done on the Moon. The eventual Mars missions would start to be planned in detail around 2020 and would include

4512-516: The Phase 1 portion of CEV design, which was to be followed by an orbital or suborbital fly-off of technology demonstrator spacecraft called FAST in 2008. Downselect to one contractor for Phase 2 of the program would have occurred later that year. First crewed flight of the CEV would not occur until as late as 2014. In the original plan favored by former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, the CEV would launch on an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV), namely

4608-579: The RS-68 engines for the core stage will allow NASA to only use one). The crew would then be launched in the CEV on the SRB-derived booster ( Ares I ), and the CEV and LSAM will dock in Earth orbit. The EDS would then send the complex to the Moon. The LSAM would brake the complex into lunar orbit (similar to the Block D rocket on the failed Soviet moonshot attempt in the 1960s and 1970s), where four astronauts would board

4704-532: The Russian Progress cargo ships. Lockheed Martin was selected as the contractor for the CEV by NASA. This vehicle would ultimately become the Orion MPCV with its first flight in 2014 ( EFT-1 ), its first crewed flight in 2022 ( Artemis 2 ), and first lunar landing flight in 2024 ( Artemis 3 ). Only one version of the vehicle was constructed to support deep space missions with ISS crew transfers being handled by

4800-415: The Saturn I's low Earth orbit payload capability from 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) to 46,000 pounds (21,000 kg), enough for early flight tests of a half-fueled Apollo command and service module (CSM) or a fully fueled Apollo Lunar Module (LM), before the larger Saturn V needed for lunar flight was ready. By sharing the S-IVB upper stage, the Saturn IB and Saturn V provided a common interface to

4896-520: The Saturn I's payload limit of 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) to 162 km would allow testing of only the command module with a smaller propulsion module attached, as the command and service module would have a dry weight of at least 26,300 pounds (11,900 kg), in addition to service propulsion and reaction control fuel. In July 1962, NASA announced selection of the C-5 for the lunar landing mission, and decided to develop another launch vehicle by upgrading

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4992-451: The Saturn I, replacing its S-IV second stage with the S-IVB , which would also be modified for use as the Saturn V third stage. The S-I first stage would also be upgraded to the S-IB by improving the thrust of its engines and removing some weight. The new Saturn IB, with a payload capability of at least 35,000 pounds (16,000 kg), would replace the Saturn I for Earth orbit testing, allowing

5088-571: The Schafer Corporation announced that Griffin would assume the role of chairman and CEO at the company. The Schafer Corporation is a technology company providing products and professional services to Government and Industry customers. It was founded in 1972. On December 4, 2017, Reuters reported that Griffin was nominated by President Donald Trump to be Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)). The U.S. Senate confirmed him by voice vote on February 15, 2018. As

5184-573: The Space Shuttle to finish construction of the International Space Station by the end of 2010. By June 2006, due to ongoing concerns with the safety of the Shuttle in the wake of the Columbia disaster, only one flight had been performed. Per the Presidential mandate of the Vision for Space Exploration, Griffin mandated that 18 more Space Shuttle flights be performed in the remaining four and

5280-556: The US space program could be serviced by the cheaper and more versatile Titan III family and also the Space Shuttle . In 1959, NASA's Silverstein Committee issued recommendations to develop the Saturn class launch vehicles, growing from the C-1 . When the Apollo program was started in 1961 with the goal of landing men on the Moon, NASA chose the Saturn I for Earth orbital test missions. However,

5376-665: The USD(R&;E), Griffin established technology modernization priorities for the DoD. On June 23, 2020, Griffin announced that he was leaving his position as USD(R&E) to pursue a private sector opportunity. His deputy, Lisa Porter , announced her departure on the same date. In August 2020, Griffin joined the board of directors at Rocket Lab , a recent SPAC . As of December 12, 2022, Griffin has sold all company shares granted to him. The stock had lost more than 60% of its value since it became publicly traded in November 2020. Mike Griffin left

5472-401: The ascent stage of the LSAM. The LSAM would dock with the CEV. The crew would return to the CEV and jettison the LSAM, and then the CEV's engine would put the crew on a course for Earth. Then, much like Apollo, the service module would be jettisoned and the CEV would descend for a landing via a system of three parachutes. Ultimately a NASA-sponsored lunar outpost would be built, possibly near

5568-452: The ascent stage. The ascent stage would be powered by a methane / oxygen fuel for return to lunar orbit (later changed to liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, due to the infancy of oxygen/methane rocket propulsion). This would allow a derivative of the same lander to be used on later Mars missions, where methane propellant can be manufactured from the Martian soil in a process known as In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). The LSAM would support

5664-512: The board in September 2024. Griffin is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Defense Department's highest award which can be conferred on a Non-Government employee, Distinguished Public Service Medal (1986); AIAA Space Systems Medal (1988), Significant Technical Accomplishment Award (Delta 183 Mission Team) from American Defense Preparedness Association (1989); NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal (1994); Goddard Astronautics Award (2007); and selection by Time Magazine as one of

5760-405: The command and service module to be flown with a partial fuel load. It would also allow launching the 32,000-pound (15,000 kg) lunar excursion module separately for uncrewed and crewed Earth orbital testing, before the Saturn V was ready to be flown. It would also give early development to the third stage. On May 12, 1966, NASA announced the vehicle would be called the "uprated Saturn I", at

5856-494: The constellation were given to L3Harris and SpaceX to build Starlink military satellites . CIA Director Mike Pompeo called the project a “Strategic Defense Initiative for our time, the SDI II". Griffin has encouraged the development of boost-glide hypersonic weapons such as the AGM-183 ARRW . In 2020, he signaled that the United States would be making a major investment in production of hypersonic weaponry at scale. Before his appointment as NASA administrator, Griffin

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5952-445: The crew of four on the lunar surface for about a week and use advanced roving vehicles to explore the lunar surface. The huge amount of cargo carried by the LSAM would be extremely beneficial for supporting a lunar base and for bringing large amounts of scientific equipment to the lunar surface. Artemis will use separately launched landers under the CLPS Program to deliver support equipment for lunar outposts. The lunar mission profile

6048-420: The eminent scholar position in 1986. Griffin has established the Center for System Studies at the university, which will address the need for " systems thinking " in industry and the government. System studies involve research to understand the many complex ways that technology, nature, people, and society interact so that the workings of an engineered solution are more predictable and more desirable. UA Huntsville

6144-415: The end of the S-IVB burn. AS-206, 207, and 208 inserted the Command and Service Module in a 150-by-222-kilometer (81-by-120-nautical-mile) elliptical orbit which was co-planar with the Skylab one. The SPS engine of the Command and Service Module was used at orbit apogee to achieve a Hohmann transfer to the Skylab orbit at 431 kilometers (233 nautical miles). The first five Saturn IB launches for

6240-413: The event of an emergency. The proposed "ultimate goal" for human space flight would appear to require two basic objectives: (1) physical sustainability and (2) economic sustainability. The Committee adds a third objective: to meet key national objectives. These might include international cooperation, developing new industries, energy independence, reducing climate change, national prestige, etc. Therefore,

6336-506: The fate of the Hubble telescope . While he describes himself as a "simple aerospace engineer from a small town", Griffin has held several high-profile political appointments. In 2007 he was included in the TIME 100 , the magazine's list of the 100 most influential people. Griffin's appointment as administrator was associated with a significant shift in the direction of the agency. He began signaling intended changes at his Senate confirmation hearing. Griffin's early career began at APL in

6432-409: The first crewed CSM orbital mission (first planned as Apollo 1 , later flown as Apollo 7 ). It also launched one orbital mission, AS-203 , without a payload so the S-IVB would have residual liquid hydrogen fuel. This mission supported the design of the restartable version of the S-IVB used in the Saturn V, by observing the behavior of the liquid hydrogen in weightlessness . In 1973, the year after

6528-413: The human spaceflight budget, as being necessitated by a $ 3.2 billion shortfall. The National Research Council also concluded that NASA's total funding has not been enough to fulfill all its mandates and remain strong in science. However, during Griffin's term, science budgets were, as a percentage of NASA's total budget, in line with those during Project Apollo. There has been some discussion, after

6624-437: The ideal destination should contain resources such as water to sustain life (also providing oxygen for breathing, and hydrogen to combine with oxygen for rocket fuel), and precious and industrial metals and other resources that may be of value for space construction and perhaps in some cases worth returning to Earth (e.g., see asteroid mining ). Michael D. Griffin Michael Douglas Griffin (born November 1, 1949)

6720-411: The incoming Obama Administration's Transition Team, that the Administration allow Griffin to remain as NASA administrator to provide programmatic and management continuity. However, his resignation (required of and offered by all agency heads due to an incoming president) was accepted. In part, this was because of disagreements between Griffin and Garver over the state of Project Constellation. Griffin gave

6816-553: The instrument unit at the Space Systems Center in Huntsville, Alabama . Located at the top of the S-IVB stage, it consisted of a Launch Vehicle Digital Computer (LVDC), an inertial platform, accelerometers, a tracking, telemetry and command system and associated environmental controls. It controlled the entire rocket from just before liftoff until battery depletion. Like other rocket guidance systems, it maintained its state vector (position and velocity estimates) by integrating accelerometer measurements, sent firing and steering commands to

6912-413: The main engines and auxiliary thrusters, and fired the appropriate ordnance and solid rocket motors during staging and payload separation events. As with other rockets, a completely independent and redundant range safety system could be invoked by ground radio command to terminate thrust and to destroy the vehicle should it malfunction and threaten people or property on the ground. In the Saturn IB and V,

7008-584: The modern facilities at Complex 37 and are entirely inappropriate for the Delta, which is integrated horizontally and transported unfueled. This assumption was not justified in the report and greatly increased the estimated operational cost for the Delta IV. Finally, the decision in 2011 to add an uncrewed test of the Orion on a Delta IV clearly contradicts the ESAS conclusion that this was infeasible. The Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans Committee (also known as

7104-527: The nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station used by the Saturn IB for the early Apollo earth orbital missions. The ESAS recommended strategies for flying the crewed CEV by 2014, and endorsed a Lunar Orbit Rendezvous approach to the Moon. The LEO versions of the CEV would carry crews four to six to the ISS. The lunar version of the CEV would carry a crew of four and the Mars CEV would carry six. Cargo could also be carried aboard an uncrewed version CEV, similar to

7200-470: The nickname "Cluster's Last Stand". The four outboard engines were mounted on gimbals , allowing them to be steered to control the rocket. Eight fins surrounding the base thrust structure provided aerodynamic stability and control. Data from: General characteristics Engine The S-IVB was built by the Douglas Aircraft Company at Huntington Beach, California . The S-IVB-200 model

7296-627: The now cancelled Ares I to launch the CEV, and an in-line heavy-lift vehicle using SRBs and the shuttle's external tank to launch the Earth Departure Stage and Lunar Surface Access Module which was known as Ares V (this design was reused for the Space Launch System ). The performance of the Cargo Shuttle Derived Launch Vehicle (SDLV) would be 125 to 130 metric tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). A SDLV would allow

7392-526: The payload capability to 46,000 pounds (21,000 kg). The S-IB stage was built by the Chrysler corporation at the Michoud Assembly Facility , New Orleans . It was powered by eight Rocketdyne H-1 rocket engines burning RP-1 fuel with liquid oxygen (LOX). Eight Redstone tanks (four holding fuel and four holding LOX) were clustered around a Jupiter rocket LOX tank, which earned the rocket

7488-472: The privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that's a rather arrogant position for people to take. Some climate scientists referred to his remarks as ignorant. In particular, James E. Hansen , NASA's top official on climate change, said Griffin's comments showed "arrogance and ignorance", as millions will likely be harmed by global warming. Jerry Mahlman ,

7584-518: The range safety system was permanently disabled by ground command after safely reaching orbit. This was done to ensure that the S-IVB stage would not inadvertently rupture and create a cloud of debris in orbit that could endanger the crew of the Apollo CSM. Acceleration of the Saturn IB increased from 1.24 G at liftoff to a maximum of 4.35 G at the end of the S-IB stage burn, and increased again from 0 G to 2.85 G from stage separation to

7680-579: The reentry path to be flown over the Pacific Ocean rather than populated areas. The CEV would use an ablative (Apollo-like) heat shield that would be discarded after each use, and the CEV itself could be reused about 10 times. Accelerated lunar mission development was slated to start by 2010, once the Shuttle retired. The Lunar Surface Access Module, which would later be known as Altair , and heavy-lift booster ( Ares V ) would be developed in parallel and would both be ready for flight by 2018. The eventual goal

7776-534: The release of the Summary Report by the Human Space Flight Committee that NASA has not been funded sufficiently to pursue a strong science program while continuing to focus on aeronautics and space exploration, the two key mission of the NASA. Limitations on NASA's budget include a mandated continuation of the Space Shuttle program, including safety upgrades and testing; the mandated construction of

7872-400: The same time the "lunar excursion module" was renamed the lunar module . However, the "uprated Saturn I" terminology was reverted to Saturn IB on December 2, 1967. By the time it was developed, the Saturn IB payload capability had increased to 41,000 pounds (19,000 kg). By 1973, when it was used to launch three Skylab missions, the first-stage engine had been upgraded further, raising

7968-453: The technology is relatively new and untested. It would add significant time to the project and significant weight to the system. In July, 2006, NASA responded to these criticisms by changing the plan to traditional rocket fuels (liquid hydrogen and oxygen for the LSAM and hypergolics for the CEV). This has reduced the weight and shortened the project's timeframe. However, the primary criticism of

8064-503: The time NASA had planned to retire the Space Shuttle . A summary report was provided to the OSTP Director John Holdren , White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and NASA Administrator on September 8, 2009. The estimated cost associated with the review was expected to be US$ 3 million. The committee was scheduled to be active for 180 days; the report was released on October 22, 2009. The Committee judged

8160-500: The use of Lunar ISRU and also be "conjunction-class", meaning that rather than doing a Venus flyby and spending 20–40 days on the Martian surface, the crew would go directly to Mars and back and spend about 500–600 days exploring Mars. The ESAS estimated the cost of the crewed lunar program through 2025 to be $ 217 billion, only $ 7 billion more than NASA's current projected exploration budget through that time. The ESAS proposal

8256-461: Was a combination of earth orbit rendezvous and lunar orbit rendezvous (LOR) approach. First, the LSAM and the EDS would be launched atop the heavy-lift, Shuttle-derived vehicle ( Ares V ). The EDS would be a derivative of the S-IVB upper stage used on the Saturn V rocket and will use a single J-2X engine similar to that used on the SRB-derived booster (originally two J-2X engines were to be used, but

8352-415: Was also working toward an MS degree in computer science at Johns Hopkins University before being appointed as NASA chief. In April 2009, Griffin was named eminent scholar and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville . In 2004 testimony to Congress on the future of human spaceflight, he stated, "For me, the single overarching goal of human space flight

8448-678: Was appointed NASA administrator, where he pushed for commercial cargo and crew transportation services. After NASA lost a GAO protest from SpaceX on a sole-source contract to RocketPlane Kistler, Griffin led a reorganization of the contract into a competition called the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. Twenty aerospace companies applied to the COTS program, of which two companies, RocketPlane Kistler and SpaceX were selected by NASA. In December 2008, NASA awarded SpaceX and Orbital Sciences contracts with

8544-490: Was estimated to cost $ 540 million per launch. The infrastructure at Kennedy Space Center , including the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and Shuttle launch pads LC-39A and 39B was maintained and adapted to the needs of future giant launch vehicle. The new pad LC-39C was later constructed to support small launch vehicles with the option of constructing LC-39D or resurrecting the former LC-34 or LC-37A pads at

8640-472: Was modified, adding an elevated platform known as the "milkstool" to accommodate the height differential between the Saturn IB and the much larger Saturn V. This enabled alignment of the Launch Umbilical Tower's access arms to accommodate crew access, fueling, and ground electrical connections for the Apollo spacecraft and S-IVB upper stage. The tower's second stage access arms were modified to service

8736-565: Was named after him. The main-belt asteroid was discovered by astronomer Marc Buie at the Kitt Peak National Observatory , Arizona, in 2006. On January 1, 2020, Michael Griffin was named an IEEE fellow. Saturn IB The Saturn IB (also known as the uprated Saturn I ) was an American launch vehicle commissioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the Apollo program . It uprated

8832-469: Was originally said to be achievable using only existing NASA funding, without significant cuts to NASA's other programs, however, it soon became apparent that much more money was needed. Supporters of Constellation saw this as a justification for terminating the Shuttle program as soon as possible, and NASA implemented a plan to terminate support for both Shuttle and ISS in 2010. This was about 10 years earlier than planned for both programs, so must be considered

8928-624: Was president-elect of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He is a member of American Astronautical Society and International Academy of Astronautics . Griffin had worked at NASA prior to serving as NASA administrator, including as associate administrator for exploration. When he was nominated as NASA chief, he was head of the Space Department at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland . Griffin has been

9024-498: Was similar to the S-IVB-500 third stage used on the Saturn V , with the exception of the interstage adapter, smaller auxiliary propulsion control modules, and lack of on-orbit engine restart capability. It was powered by a single Rocketdyne J-2 engine. The fuel and oxidizer tanks shared a common bulkhead, which saved about ten tons of weight and reduced vehicle length over ten feet. General characteristics Engine IBM built

9120-552: Was the president and CTO of Orbital Sciences , then a small entrepreneurial space launch company In 1995, Griffin authored a report published by The Heritage Foundation , "Ending America's Vulnerability to Ballistic Missiles", offering recommendations for advancing the recently cancelled Brilliant Pebbles program. There he advocated for a new proliferated low Earth orbit constellation of sensors and space-based interceptor weapons to defend against ballistic missiles. In early 2002 he met entrepreneur Elon Musk and accompanied him on

9216-588: Was to achieve a lunar landing by 2020, the Artemis Program is now targeting a lunar landing in 2024. The LSAM would be much larger than the Apollo Lunar Module and would be capable of carrying up to 23 tons of cargo to the lunar surface to support a lunar outpost. Like the Apollo LM, the LSAM would include a descent stage for landing and an ascent stage for returning to orbit. The crew of four would ride in

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