Re: What is the Crew Exploration Vehicle supposed to be?

From: Rand Simberg (newsgroups_at_transterrestrial.com)
Date: 08/02/04 

Date: Mon, 02 Aug 2004 04:44:57 GMT

Neil Halelamien wrote:

> While reading articles about the Moon-to-Mars plan, I've seen frequent
> mention of the Crew Exploration Vehicle. Unfortunately, even after
> looking through some online resources, I'm still confused about what
> exactly the CEV is supposed to actually be.
>
> Is it supposed to be just a capsule (hopefully compatible with
> different types of rockets already developed or in-development), or is
> it a capsule + rocket combination?
>
> Is the same vehicle intended to be used to travel to LEO (and dock with
> ISS) -and- land on the moon -and- land on Mars? If so, that sounds like
> a recipe for disaster, almost as bad as using the same vehicle for both
> passenger transport and heavy cargo.

It's still TBD, but the conventional thinking on it is that it's a suite
of modules--a capsule for entry and crew life support, and kittable
modules analogous to an Apollo service module. It may be part of a
system that eventually goes to Mars, but it's unlikely that it would be
the whole of it. And it's not a launch vehicle--it's a payload.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Perhaps theres hope for NASA yet
    ... > "With regard to the Crew Exploration Vehicle, ... For what reason do you want to stay on the moon? ... Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: ...
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  • Re: Perhaps theres hope for NASA yet
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    (sci.space.shuttle)
  • Re: With shuttles fate largely sealed,does that mean winged spaceship is dead,and will remain dead i
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  • Re: SRB-Based EELV Launcher Article
    ... Capsule plus OMS? ... The Crew Exploration Vehicle is supposed to be a low-risk concept. ... And you can clearly put a 4 person capsule on, oh, ... > And that's about 8 tons. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: SRB-Based EELV Launcher Article
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