Re: Shuttle proves being superb manned spacecraft

behlingjo@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

The point is even if the Delta IV had the capacity to launch a
crew with the spacecraft, there is no need.

3. No value added.

Bovine exhaust. Several birds have been saved to date by the
intervention of the delivery crew.

When it comes to delivering cargo to the ISS a crewed cargo delivery
service has several advantages, among which are:

1) It reduces total program risk by reducing the number of launches.
2) Specialized cargo (SARJ, CMG) arrives as a unit load along with its
installation crew. (Which reduces station interference, mission
control load, etc... etc...)
3) Non specialized cargo (toiletries, Tang, and t-shirts) along with
standardized cargo (standard experiment racks) can be handled by the
transport crew, reducing the workload of the station crew.

Not to mention the less quantifiable morale aspects of seeing a human
being other than the ones you've been cooped up with. If I were
running a long duration station crew, I'd also seriously consider
using the cargo runs as training and familiarization runs for station
crews.

It can be debated whether the advantages are worth the costs, but the
existence of the advantages is beyond debate.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Space Shuttle commentary
    ... annuls some of the risk (thos of the crew). ... cargo were important to do unmanned you'd expect the USAF to be doing it. ... that it becomes interesting to automate the vehicle. ... in that case 3% is high stakes for the astronauts. ...
    (sci.space.shuttle)
  • Re: Shuttle proves being superb manned spacecraft
    ... crew with the spacecraft, there is no need. ... When it comes to delivering cargo to the ISS a crewed cargo delivery ... reducing the workload of the station crew. ...
    (sci.space.shuttle)
  • Re: Ares vs DIRECT
    ... How does sharing a ride with a crew "cause problems"? ... The shuttle was "manrated" just not completely on all systems. ... I used to work closely with the payload ... "cargo". ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • NASA SELECTS CREW AND CARGO TRANSPORTATION TO ORBIT PARTNERS
    ... NASA SELECTS CREW AND CARGO TRANSPORTATION TO ORBIT PARTNERS ...
    (sci.space.station)
  • Re: Ares vs DIRECT
    ... The very idea that separating crew from cargo for ISS missions is silly to ... If your launcher is big enough, you stick the cargo under Orion and fly ... combining of crew and cargo - but they didn't think the issue through fully. ... There is a massive difference between including a payload bay inside ...
    (sci.space.policy)