Re: Space Access Update #112 9/19/05


Pat Flannery wrote:
> Josh Hill wrote:
>
> >Which raises the question of whether that payload capacity is worth
> >spending $4.5 billion that could go to developing something more
> >interesting . . .
>
> How about....a single-stage-to-orbit lifting body using revolutionary
> metallic TPS, a composite LH2 tank, and a linear plug nozzle engine...? ;-)
> Kidding aside, one of the aims of Constellation is to try to get
> something airborne in a reasonable amount of time, and in this case
> we've got stage one for the CEV carrier around 90% ready, and the motor
> for stage two developed.

Pat, I think the point he was trying to make was that if they didn't
have to also spend all that much money on developing a new booster to
carry the CEV, that they would be able to get the CEV online sooner,
and probably have a cheaper system overall. $5B is a heck of a lot of
money. Looking at resizing the CEV so it could fit on a Delta or Atlas
Medium (ie the ones that are single-stick, no strapons) seems like a
very smart option. Even if it takes $1B to do the ultra-mystical,
super nifty "man-rating" dance and cast all the right runes on it (and
pay enough cash) to get Futron to churn out a study claiming ultra high
reliability for your system (estimated out to 15 significant
figures--cause they're smart like that), that still leaves $4B.

$4B could buy you something like 30-40 flights on Atlas V or Delta IV
M, or even more on one of the other vehicles that it could fly on if
they get it back down to a reasonable size.

NASA could have 20 people around the moon before 2010 without using any
lifters
that aren't currently existing if it really wanted to. But apparently
keeping
lazy ATK engineers off the street is a higher national priority.

~Jon

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Booster for CEV?
    ... > What boosters are under consideration for the CEV? ... Titan or Atlas ... > cycle to get CEV flying because Shuttle will be retired by 2010 ...
    (sci.space.history)
  • Re: Booster for CEV?
    ... > What boosters are under consideration for the CEV? ... either EELV (Atlas V or Delta IV) could ... cycle to get CEV flying because Shuttle will be retired by 2010 ... Titan has been retired and isn't powerful enough, ...
    (sci.space.history)
  • Re: Man-Rating Atlas V
    ... Nor are the changes for the CEV version *that* minor. ... which Atlas has never built. ... has an explicit requirement of being roomy enough for the longer lunar ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Delta Heavy too small for NRO sat
    ... the rationale for spending billions on developing the "Ares" launchers. ... Atlas isn't "man-rated", therefore it can't carry ... carry the fully-fuelled propulsion module that will carry the CEV ... How wonderfully tautological of NASA to do it that way. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
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