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To: Young Werther
Why would NASA pick a WAR symbology rather than an astronomical sign? No classically trained Rocket engineers? Yup, in my opinion!!!

In 1995, Robert Zubrin wrote a paper on the most cost effective way to get to Mars http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1996QB641.Z83....... He postulated a shuttle derived rocket, with Space shuttle Main engines on the bottom, and a payload fairing on the top. He called the craft Ares for the Greek name for the planet Mars. The current Ares V design is not much different from Dr. Zubrin's original concept.

9 posted on 08/08/2006 3:12:59 PM PDT by jmcenanly
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To: jmcenanly

> He called the craft Ares...

Actaully, the Martin-Marietta design team, of whom Zubrin was only a single relatively *technically* unimportant (but certainly loudest) member, called the craft Ares. Giving Zubrin credit would be like giving some middle manager at a NASA subcontractor credit for naming "Saturn."

And it wasn't *his* concept. This particular style of shuttle derived vehicle dates from the late 1970's, before the Shuttle actually flew.


11 posted on 08/08/2006 7:07:28 PM PDT by orionblamblam (I'm interested in science and preventing its corruption, so here I am.)
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