2005 Reports

• China and Russia are Challenging the Space Leadership of the United States Charles Vick - 14 October 2005 -- In another glaring case of the US, Central Intelligence Agency, community failure to recognize what is going on fully has been revealed due to recent space development events. One day we may wake up to a technological surprise an realize with little warning that China has launch a precursor un-crewed lunar circum-navigation Shenzhou/Zond mission or an earth orbital rendezvous lunar orbit mission because once the LM-5 booster becomes operational after 2010.
• Final Report of the Return to Flight Task Group: Annex A.2 Return to Flight Task Group July 2005 - Observations by Dr. Dan L. Crippen, Dr. Charles C. Daniel, Dr. Amy K. Donahue, Col. Susan J. Helms, Ms. Susan Morrisey Livingstone, Dr. Rosemary O'Leary, and Mr. William Wegner -- "We agree that the improvements to the Space Shuttle and its organization are real, and often significant. (...) At the same time, we believe that the leadership and management climate that governed NASA’s return-to-flight effort was weak in some important ways that bear discussion. While we explicitly address the Space Shuttle return-to-flight effort, we believe these organizational and behavioral concerns are still pervasive throughout the human spaceflight programs."
• Final Report of the Return to Flight Task Group Return to Flight Task Group July 2005, released 17 Aug 2005 [PDF 4.9MB]
• Final Report of the Return to Flight Task Group - Executive Summary June 28, 2005 Return to Flight Task Group - Of the 29 recommendations issued by the CAIB, 15 were deemed critical enough that the accident board believed they should be implemented prior to returning the Space Shuttle fleet to flight. Some of these recommendations were relatively easy, most were straightforward, a few bordered on the impossible, and others have been largely overcome by events, especially with the decision by the President to retire the Space Shuttle by 2010. NASA has fully met the intent of the CAIB for 12 of these recommendations. The remaining three recommendations were so challenging that NASA could not completely comply with the intent of the CAIB.

• 1st Space Exploration Conference January 30-February 1, 2005, Orlando, FL -- This event not only marked the first anniversary of this announcement, but was also an integral step in transforming the Vision from a set of goals into concrete realities of space exploration, allowing us to reflect on the accomplishments of this year and chart our plans for the coming year. It proved an invaluable opportunity for our colleagues in industry, academia, and the international community to share their own thoughts, plans, and goals to help us identify potential means of partnership and mutual progress.
• An Inappropriate Basis for Decision on the MEADS Anti-Missile Defense Project - An Analysis of the Documents of MoD and Parliamentary Rapporteurs Group on Ground-Based Air Defense Bernd W. Kubbig The German Government intends to participate in the missile defense system MEADS (Medium Extended Air Defense System), which is designed to ward off airplanes, helicopters, cruise missiles as well as tactical ballistic missiles with a range of up to 1,000 km. The role of MEADS is to protect soldiers on international operations as well as defending German territory. When used in combination with the improved Patriot missile plus the purchase about 300 of the newest Patriot system PAC-3, the Bundeswehr is confident of its ability to meet all current and future security challenges, and remedy existing shortcomings.
• Tables of operational military satellites TED MOLCZAN and JOHN PIKE ** The authors wish to acknowledge the international group of hobbyists who annually produce 20,000 precise observations of over 120 US military satellites, from which they derive accurate orbital elements. This small, informal group is the sole public source of orbital data for more than 40 of the satellites listed in these tables.

• The Case for Missile Defense in the Arabian GulfAir Defense Artillery by Donald M. Lionetti Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (Retired), January-March 2005

• Commercial Space Transportation Year in Review - 2004 2005 - Summarizes U.S. and international launch activities for a specific calendar year. It includes a review and analysis for the five-year period prior to the year of the Review.