Re: NASA goes with RS-68

On Mon, 22 May 2006 15:56:49 -0500, Damon Hill
<damon1six1@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

simberg.interglobal@xxxxxxxxx (Rand Simberg) wrote in
news:44770190.270806178@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:

On Fri, 19 May 2006 12:51:35 -0500, in a place far, far away, Damon
Hill <damon1six1@xxxxxxxxxxx> made the phosphor on my monitor glow in
such a way as to indicate that:

At least the engine is already developed and in production, although
at $20 million apiece it's somehow gotten a lot more expensive,
given that the RS-68 is a low-cost design.

The price should go down with increased production.

One hopes so, but if Delta IV dies, then RS-68 production ceases
until CaLV flies, and even then that might not fly more than a
couple of times a year. That's optimistically ten engines a year,
plus whatever upgrades are implemented. Well, we'll see how it
works out in practice.

--Damon

I would think it's unlikely that Delta IV will die. The Titan IV is
retired now and the Shuttle isn't a realistic replacement for it's
capabilities. The DoD used the Titans for launching military
satellites into orbit and that need hasn't gone away. Where it's
unlikely that we'll ever see the Atlas Heavy you have to have
SOMETHING to do the job.

.

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