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235 - "The Saturn V just needs to be evolved to the point where it would have been if we hadn't waisted time on the shuttle."

Good point. However, what has happened is that the greedy space contractors, and the burro-crats have also evolved to the point where 'stuff' is no longer affordable, literally.

I know a only few exact prices, but do you realize that the cost of the crawlers cost 7.5 million new, when originally built? And that was for 2 of them.

But the time the shuttle was flying in the late 80's, the cost for building an orbiter, just the orbiter, had gone to $2 billion, and the cost for 'repairing' just one of the crawlers had gone up to $50 million. I wasn't involed, but just 'refurbishing' the Colombia in 1990-1991, cost, either $792 million or 1.7 billion (the price was so exhorbitant I can no longer remember which is correct as both prices are believable). Essentially, by the time I left (1992), costs had gotten so out of hand that I was paying $89 for one simple sheet metal screw. A simple piece of butcher block paper to protect the RCS engines from the weather (old cost $17 for a roll, which would do 500 motors) went to $100, to do cover 1ea RCS motors. So, it cost $2400 for each launch, just for the paper to cover the RCS exhausts. I held one valve in the palm of my hand, cost $4.3 million,.

In other words, the greedy contractors and the lazy burro-crats, technology or no technology, have made it prohibitively expensive to do even the most simple things, such as nuts & bolts.

Man, that is amazing. I agree, the only thing that will keep this from happening is Red Tape.

When I worked at JSC, I attended an Artemus Society meeting. They wanted to colonize the moon using a very utilitarian approach. They planned to fund it by filming a documentary (and selling the rights), selling research data, and do some merchandising.

Anyway, they figured a private company could do anything that Nasa did, at 1/10 the price. I don't doubt it.

BTW, They had a neat idea for a LEO-LEM transfer vehicle that was essentially a EMU for two...with it's own GNC and = a big motor. Unconventional, uncomfortable...but cheap!