Costa Rica’s interest in space exploration has been growing over the last few years, and in 2011 three separate enterprises made significant strides in this field. Here’s a look at those industrious organizations and the advances they made in 2011. For these three enterprises and their aspirational leaders, space is not Costa Rica’s last frontier: it is the beginning of a bright future for Ticos to embrace and be proud of.

The Center for Atomic, Nuclear and Molecular Science (CICANUM) and Dr. Jorge Andrés Díaz, UCR

Dr. Jorge Andrés Díaz is no stranger to working with NASA. In the past, he has been invited to the Kennedy Space Center to demonstrate how his invention -a miniature mass spectrometer- could be used to detect potentially dangerous gas leaks or emissions aboard spacecraft or space stations. He is also an international partner at the Tropical Clouds Systems and Processes Center, a meteorological initiative managed by NASA.

In 2011, Dr. Díaz and CICANUM unveiled a new drone aircraft to be used for monitoring gaseous matter erupted by the active volcanoes in the country. This custom-made drone, which includes the miniature mass spectrometer and other scientific measurement gear, has really caught the attention of NASA, to the point that Dr. Díaz envisions Tico-made drones flying for NASA in the future.

The Central American Aerospace Association (ACAE) and Carlos Alvarado

By 2015, Costa Rica could be the first country in Central America to launch its very own satellite, according to ACAE President Carlos Alvarado. ACAE has been around for over 20 years, but it was not until recently that Mr. Alvarado and a group of aerospace enthusiasts decided to relaunch the project in 2010, this time with the blessing and support of the government. The rebirth of ACAE lead to a flurry of activity, including research studies and the successful launch of three aeronautical research balloons.

In 2011, ACAE announced its intention to seek funding and further support for its space projects. Mr. Alvarado believes that Costa Rica’s advances in space exploration should be a matter of public interest, and he firmly believes that a meteorological satellite launch could be achieved by 2015.

The Ad Astra Rocket Company and Dr. Franklin Chang Díaz

The headquarters of the Ad Astra Rocket Company in Liberia sit within the campus of EARTH University, a higher learning institution dedicated to the advancement of green technology. From this location, researchers are collaborating with their colleagues in Houston on the revolutionary Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR), a project which will soon promote feasible space travel to Mars and beyond.

Dr. Franklin Chang Díaz is the inventor behind VASIMR and current CEO of Ad Astra. A veteran of seven NASA space shuttle missions, Dr. Chang Díaz is one of Costa Rica’s most revered citizens. His work at Ad Astra exemplifies the fervent human spirit and desire for the advancement of scientific exploration.

In 2011, NASA agreed to fully support the work of Ad Astra with regard to VASIMR. With NASA’s support, Dr. Chang Diaz believes that the VASIMR engine could one day power manned expeditions to Mars. The work on VASIMR gained momentum in 2011, and it is currently on track to be tested in space by 2015.

VASIMR would not only facilitate missions to Mars, it could also be used for the inevitable long-term robotic exploration and colonization of the Moon. VASIMR isn’t the most ambitious project at Ad Astra. That would be Bëkuö, a giant spacecraft that Chang Díaz envisions could be the transport solution for a manned mission to Mars by 2030. The proposed size of Bëkuö is truly gargantuan; 600 metric tons, even bigger than the International Space Station. The leviathan Bëkuö could not be assembled on Earth or even the Moon. It would require construction in outer space, on the Lagrange Points.

“There’s no science fiction here”

The VASIMR and Bëkuö projects may sound like science fiction to naysayers like Robert Zubrin, president of the Mars Society and respected author of a science book that has been adapted in part by NASA as guidelines for possible missions to Mars. Earlier this year, Zubrin wrote an article which appeared on the Space News entitled “The VASIMR Hoax.” On that article, Zubrin challenged Dr. Chang Díaz to a panel discussion to defend his VASIMR project. Zubrin called VASIMR an illusion which needs to be exposed. Chang Díaz respectfully declined.

The main problem with VASIMR, according to Zubrin, is one of “alpha”, or power-to-mass ratio. The efficient power-to-mass ratio proposed by Chang Díaz for VASIMR is truly awe-inspiring, and when one envisions the alpha that would be required to power Bëkuö, it’s natural to exercise some skepticism. Perhaps Zubrin ignored the Hayabusa mission successfully launched by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency years ago. The propulsion system of Hayabusa is like a mini VASIMR, but it’s still easy to see that Bëkuö’s propulsion requirements and its sheer mass is something that troubles staunch doubters.

Enter billionaire investor, notable philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and his new space venture, Stratolaunch Systems. Like Dr. Chang Díaz, Paul Allen isn’t afraid to dream big. Stratolaunch aims to build a mobile launch system -essentially a giant airplane- that will fly large payloads to a safe altitude for further launch into space. Stratolaunch estimates that the aircraft, which will begin construction in the Mojave Desert soon, will weigh over a million pounds and its wingspan will exceed 380 feet. When considering the immensity of Stratolaunch, it’s easier to understand why Bëkuö would need to be launched from space.

The Costa Rica Star (the news website you are now reading) asked Dr. Chang Díaz about his opinion on Stratolaunch and the parallel it draws -in terms of giant mass- to Bëkuö, and whether he would consider using Stratolaunch in his projects. Here’s Dr. Chang Díaz writing from Houston:

“Sí lo consideraría. Todas estas iniciativas de acceso comercial al espacio
son más que bienvenidas y nos indican que la innovación sigue viva y su
pulso es fuerte. Además, la tecnología VASIMR complementa a estos sistemas
de acceso espacial con un medio de propulsión diseñado para operar
exclusivamente en el espacio. Aquí no hay nada fantasioso. Ambos son
elementos indispensables de una infraestructura de transporte espacial
eficiente, fiable y económicamente sostenible. Esa no existe hoy, pero es
necesaria para lograr una expansión económica robusta y diversificada más
allá de la Tierra.”

Translation: “I would consider it (using Stratolaunch). All these commercial space initiatives are more than welcome, and they tell us that innovation is still very much alive and strong. Besides, VASIMR serves to complement these space systems with a propulsion method designed to be operated exclusively in outer space. There’s no science fiction here. Both are indispensable elements of a space transport infrastructure that is efficient, viable and economically sustainable. Such infrastructure may not exist today, but it is necessary to produce a robust economic expansion that goes beyond the confines of Earth.”

Remember those words carefully, for they echo a very positive sentiment of hope in human progress. There was a time when Ticos could only dream of getting involved in projects such as the ones described above, and now they are able to make significant strides in only a year.

Notes: Ad Astra is Latin for “to the stars.” Bëkuö means “shooting star” in Bribrí, the language of an indigenous tribe of Talamanca, who are considered to be the earliest astronomers of the Americas. We would like to thank Jazmín Alvidrez at Ad Astra in Houston for her help in getting the valuable input from Dr. Chang Díaz.