You call this archeology?
Posted on 05/04/2006 6:24:09 PM PDT by anymouse
LOS ANGELES, California - A vibrant suborbital space travel industry, including space hotels, and treks to the Moon and beyond are attainable, but only if governmental regulations don't stifle creativity and breakthroughs in building affordable and safe public spaceliners.
Those are a few of the views Burt Rutan, head of the Mojave, California-based Scaled Composites--and leader of the team that designed, built and flew the milestone making SpaceShipOne, the first privately financed suborbital rocket plane--shared today with attendees of the the 25th International Space Development Conference. The event runs here May 4-7.
Rutan also took the time to fault NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle project--a key element of the space agency's Moon, Mars and beyond strategy--describing it as a taxpayer-funded research that makes absolutely no sense.
Dilemma in the making
Rutan and his Scaled Composites team are now busy at work on a fleet of suborbital spaceliners, as well as two giant carrier planes, under a deal with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic enterprise.
Rutan said that he remains worried about the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commercial space transportation regulations, tagging it a dilemma. There remain several sticky, red tape rules that may well cripple experimental research and development of passenger-carrying space planes.
Such rules are inhibiting the prospect that a sustainable suborbital space travel industry can be established, Rutan said.
Harsh words for NASA
While busy trying to make safe suborbital spaceships, Rutan said he has another goal: "I want to go to the Moon in my lifetime."
Rutan had harsh words for NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle program--and the space agency's revisit of the Moon. He likened NASA's efforts to archeology.
"They are forcing the program to be done with technology that we already know works. They are not creating an environment where it is possible to have a breakthrough," Rutan advised. "It doesn't make sense," he said, contending that programs must encourage risks "in order to stumble into breakthroughs."
Although tipping his hat to the technical competence of NASA chief, Mike Griffin, "I wouldn't have his job," Rutan added. The NASA task ahead is trying to fulfill the President Bush space exploration vision ... but given "only pennies to do it."
Safety and affordability are key
Rutan said if he was the NASA Administrator, he would call a major press conference about the agency plans to go back to the Moon.
"I'd go in front of the microphone," Rutan said, "and I'd scream at the top of my lungs, 'this is stupid,' then turn around and head back to the office and go back to work."
"If we copy what we had it won't be affordable enough or safe enough," Rutan said, to foster human space travel beyond low Earth orbit, to the Moon, and outward.
NASA's space shuttle is complex and generically dangerous, Rutan pointed out. Still, not flying the shuttle to the Hubble Space Telescope is symbolic of a larger issue.
"The budget forecast [for NASA] is to go out and spend hundreds of billions of dollar to go to Mars and yet you don't have the courage to go back to the Hubble ... it looks like you got the wrong guys doing it," Rutan concluded.
Rutan said if he was the NASA Administrator, he would call a major press conference about the agency plans to go back to the Moon.
"I'd go in front of the microphone," Rutan said, "and I'd scream at the top of my lungs, 'this is stupid,' then turn around and head back to the office and go back to work."
"If we copy what we had it won't be affordable enough or safe enough," Rutan said, to foster human space travel beyond low Earth orbit, to the Moon, and outward.
"The budget forecast [for NASA] is to go out and spend hundreds of billions of dollar to go to Mars and yet you don't have the courage to go back to the Hubble ... it looks like you got the wrong guys doing it," Rutan concluded.
space ping.
You call this archeology?
I'm reading this old book "Colonies In Space" written in 76-77. He was talking about how the STS fleet would fly over 200 times a year and bring down costs to $167/lb. to LEO.
Later HLV variants would bring down the cost to $67/lb. to LEO.
Then they could commence the building of O'Neil space colonies with a large mining base on the moon to supply the raw materials. At this pont in the book, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
I have a great respect for Rutan. I really do. But the missions are different, his and NASA's.
He is working to develop a highly reusable commuter craft for sub/low orbit travel, and a lifting body for short duration flight and near-earth abort is smart. We he developing is exactly what is needed for space commercialization and adventure travel.
NASA is using a minimal mass approach to return us to the Moon with a large number of astronauts, with habitation/scientific outposts emplaced during that mission. The NASA mission is not a matter of outright innovation, but a need to use proven technology to achieve exploration.
It may stick in Rutan's craw that NASA is not going to hype lifting bodies, but your mission profile determines what you use to get there.
I was a member of the L-5 Society back in the early 80's and really believed I would see space colonies in my lifetime. The failure to develop a follow on to the shuttle and the space station boondoggle has curbed my enthusiasm.
Yes, T.A. Hepenheimer was the author, enjoyable read. Found it at a used book store close to where I live.
Rutan said if he was the NASA Administrator, he would call a major press conference about the agency plans to go back to the Moon. "I'd go in front of the microphone," Rutan said, "and I'd scream at the top of my lungs, 'this is stupid,' then turn around and head back to the office and go back to work."I happen to be a huge fan of Rutan, but he doesn't know what he's talking about here. Going to Mars isn't going to be easy, and the main need is training. No one flying has ever been to the Moon, and no one who has been there is going back. Going to the Moon on a routine basis will produce a large body of personnel who can travel to, land on, and take off from an alien body. Getting to the Moon takes two or three days, and a Martian round trip will take two years. Endurance records in microgravity in orbit has been worthwhile for data gathering vis a vis human survival on the Mars trip, and is one of the big reasons it was done in the first place. We just never went.
I'm pretty sure I would never want to check into a suborbital hotel, unless that means it is on the ground.
Well for certain activies such a short stay hotel may just be enough. ;)
Technically Branson's Virgin Airlines sleeper cabin red-eye flights across the Atlantic are suborbital hotels.
Funny how reality once we get there doesn't always resemble our vivid imaginings.
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