Nuclear Energy for Space Travel

One of the Future ATP campers asked, "What’s the difference between nuclear power on a submarine and nuclear energy that Cassini uses?" In reality they are very different sources of power. The nuclear power on a submarine comes from a controlled fission reaction which allows you to control the power available and in essence the rate of fuel usage. Additionally a submarine generates MW's of power to propel and power the onboard systems. Cassini uses radioisotope thermal generators (RTGs) of 630 W. This means that the power is generated from the decay of a radioisotope. The material undergoes radioactive decay and generates heat which is then used to generate electricity. There are a number of good references available on both systems and the strengths of both to fulfill different missions.

Submarine Experience

Another Future Astronaut Training Camp student from the cosmospher asked, "How did your time on a submarine prepare you for space travel?" I usually joke about being in a metal tube, miles from anywhere, enveloped in a hostile (unsurvivable) environment, with limited communication, and people you have to trust with your life. The only differences being the food on a submarine is better and the view in space is better. I have spent years in a highly technical environment where the decisions made on a regular basis affect the lives of all those onboard. The crews are highly trained and highly capable people who have dedicated there lives (and risked them) to the enterprise at hand. Additionally they must trust that the rest of the crew is as well trained and capable as they are. Then I got to NASA and found out that it is basically the same thing.

Training Difficulties

One of our Cosmosphere campers asked what the most rigorous part of my training has been? The answer is that all of it is rigorous in that you must be precise. The consequences on ascent or entry, during robotics operations, or during an EVA can be dire so the expectation in training is that they must be done right. The resources and time available to accomplish the task are limited, so in addition to being precise, you must be efficient. Because of this the rigor isn't defined necessarily by absolute "right ways" but by repetitive accomplishment of the task within bounds where you can gain insight and efficiency so that the end result is the successful timely completion of the mission.

STS-126 Update

My name is Steve Bowen and I am an astronaut scheduled to fly on STS-126 (ULF-2) to the International Space Station later this year.  Although you may learn a little about me by reading my NASA biography, there are some things that may be of interest that the biography doesn't say. 

 

The possibility of becoming an astronaut had always been a dream, but I never thought it would happen.  My dad made sure we were all watching our black and white TV on July 20, 1969.  Back then it didn't seem like you had to try and find science and space in the news.  The Apollo missions, Skylab, Mariner, Viking, Voyager etc., were all front page stories in the newspapers and on television.   It was these early exposures to the worlds of NASA that led to my interests in science and engineering. 

 

I grew up in Cohasset, Massachusetts, a small coastal suburb south of Boston.  I was the fifth of six children in the family.  I have 3 brothers and 2 sisters.  Somehow, my parents managed to get us all through college. My dad was a tile-man (he laid tile on floors, walls, etc.) and my mom was the school system "attendance lady."  We didn't miss a lot of school.  I graduated from a public school, Cohasset High School, in 1982 and went to the United States Naval Academy.  I did my best in school and tried to keep many opportunities open.  Education was and is the path to a more fulfilling life.  Education and hard work allow for more choices, and more choices usually mean more interesting opportunities.  Sometimes opportunities are missed, options are closed off or choices are made for you, for whatever reason, but the more options - the more opportunities. 

 

Once I graduated from the Naval Academy in 1986, I joined the submarine force.  Twelve years later, the opportunity to apply to become an astronaut presented itself and so I applied.  I was lucky enough to have been selected and all those choices and opportunities along the way made that possible.   And now, I have been assigned as part of the crew of STS-126 (ULF-2).  The crew is an amalgam of experiences and backgrounds each contributing to the whole.   It's a great privilege and a lot of fun to work with my crewmates, the training teams, and the mission teams.  These are groups who are humbling to be around.

Read more about Steve Bowen, the STS-126 mission and the rest of the STS-126 crew

 

Follow the progress of shuttle missions.