Re: Death Sentence for the Hubble?

From: Michael Kent (michael_at_syndicomm.remove.this.com)
Date: 03/13/05 

Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 01:23:53 GMT

In sci.space.policy Jeff Findley <jeff.findley@ugs.nojunk.com> wrote:

> Look at what NASA is doing with the CEV. They're setting requirements for
> the CEV and will ultimately maintain control of the project from cradle to
> grave. The chances that another organization would be allowed to buy their
> own copy of the CEV is virtually nil.

Maybe, maybe not. The USAF has allowed Boeing and Lockheed to sell Delta II
and Atlas II launches, respectively, to commercial customers. It remains
to be seen whether NASA will be as generous and, if so, whether anyone
would be willing to pay the price.

> If they weren't interested in maintaining control, they would buy manned
> launches from US companies and let the companies who win the launch
> contracts provide the manned space vehicles.

In an ideal world. In the current world we'll hopefully be able to keep
NASA control limited to the CEV itself, forcing them to buy launches from
commercial launch vehicles. That would get them out of the manned *launch*
business and into merely the manned *spaceflight* business -- a substan-
tial improvement.

Mike

-----
Michael Kent Apple II Forever!!
St. Peters, MO
michael@syndicomm.remove.this.com

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