Posted on 01/23/2004 4:12:03 PM PST by ambrose
Planning man's return to the Moon
[ FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2004 11:40:11 PM ]
For the future of human space exploration, Nasa may turn to retro spacecraft designs. The spacecraft that is to take astronauts back to the Moon, called the crew exploration vehicle, may turn out to be more than passingly reminiscent of the old Apollo spacecraft.
Nasa is not about to start rummaging about museums for leftover equipment to fulfill President Bush's mandate, but many outside experts expect the space agency to turn away from sleek, winged, reusable designs like the shuttle and return to the simple capsules that parachute back to Earth. Such designs, updated with modern electronics, would also help the agency stay within the modest budgets that Bush has set out.
"The concept has been well proven," said Dr. Jerry Grey, director of science and technology policy for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. "It's a rumor kicking around that they were going to use Apollo-type hardware."
While getting back to the Moon may be straightforward, the further goals of establishing a permanent base and then going on to Mars are more complex. The president has not offered a timetable for either, but each will require many technologies not yet invented. No one knows, for example, how to run a construction site on the dusty, airless surface of the Moon, and at most locations, a base would require power systems that persevere through the two-week-long lunar nights.
While challenging, "I think those are all feasible," said Dr. Haym Benaroya, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Rutgers University, who has studied, out of his own curiosity, the construction challenges of a lunar base.
The tasks for a Mars mission are more challenging. A robotic factory would be sent ahead to make fuel for the astronauts' return trip. Water would have to be efficiently recycled for two and a half years. Perhaps a new propulsion system would be developed to shorten the duration of the 50-million-mile trip, which would take at least half a year with present-day chemical rockets.
A Mars spacecraft must also be rock-solid reliable, as a rescue mission would not be simple.
Boeing Exploration Concept Artwork Online (lunar lander, CEV)
Sad, but true. I've talked to quite a few people, and they all hate the idea of space exploration. They'd rather it all be spent on drugs for seniors, etc.
They'll be the first to moan like pigs about "why didn't we do something!!" if some asteroid is about to hit and we have no ability to stop it.
Not so here. The same question is raised over and over, the response to the criticism is given over and over, and there is no end. There is something else going on and whatever it is is not susceptible to rational discourse.
It's the gradual dimunition of a meme. People become accustomed to a new meme over time, it's a slow process.
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