NASA Plans to Build Two New Shuttle-derived Launch Vehicles

spaceref.com ^ | Friday, July 1, 2005 | Keith Cowing

[demlosers]

More info:

[Arkie2]

I didn't see this in the article and it just now occurred to me that this means re entry will be accomplished via capsule much like the old days. Is that correct? I have seen many engineers claim a capsule is the most stable and safest method available for re entry.

[KevinDavis]

Right now yes..

[af_vet_rr]

They're going the HLV route, I wonder how much that's going to cost?

Burt Rutan mentioned one time, that had they kept the Saturns for heavy lifting, that they would be incredibly cheap and efficient by now - with the high-tech advances made since the 70s, they would be much lighter, safer, and with increases in fuel and engine technology, able to life even more.

[vannrox]

Oh, I'd say in about 50 years we might be able to have a small US presence on the moon. Let's give credit where credit is due..

Thank you NIXON for desroying NASA and the resources to go to the moon and Mars.

Thank you Jimmy CARTER for giving what we had developed to the Russians, and killing SkyLAB.

Thank you Ronald Regan, for the vision for NASP, the Orient Express, SDI, and the United States ONLY Space station.

Thank you Bush Sr. for cutting the NASA budget so that the development time would continue into the CLINTON presidency.

Thank you BIll CLINTON, for killing NASP, The Orient Express, SDI and reducing NASA funding by 25% (for the Children). Thank you for making the Space Station International, and now useless. Thank you for killing most manned space flight.

Thank you George W. Bush for trying to reduce the effects of over 25 years of mismanagment and political posturing by evil and selfish and short sighted people.

[vannrox]

Oh, I'd say in about 50 years we might be able to have a small US presence on the moon. Let's give credit where credit is due..

Thank you NIXON for desroying NASA and the resources to go to the moon and Mars.

Thank you Jimmy CARTER for giving what we had developed to the Russians, and killing SkyLAB.

Thank you Ronald Regan, for the vision for NASP, the Orient Express, SDI, and the United States ONLY Space station.

Thank you Bush Sr. for cutting the NASA budget so that the development time would continue into the CLINTON presidency.

Thank you BIll CLINTON, for killing NASP, The Orient Express, SDI and reducing NASA funding by 25% (for the Children). Thank you for making the Space Station International, and now useless. Thank you for killing most manned space flight.

Thank you George W. Bush for trying to reduce the effects of over 25 years of mismanagment and political posturing by evil and selfish and short sighted people.

[Lancer_N3502A]

How bout we finish what we started. Venture Star SSTO launch vehicle.

[Lancer_N3502A]

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[the lone wolf]

Please add me to the "Space Ping" list.

Thanks in advance...

[tricky_k_1972]

The reason they stopped venture star is quite simple, it doesn’t work and it never would have worked.

After some real engineers got a hold of the proposed designs the math worked out that the thing would have never gotten off the ground with the proposed payload and from a safety stand point it sucks.

Imagine having to coat the entire bottom of that goliath with today’s heat shielding and the weight involved, then factor in the distributed fuel throughout the body and the systems involved integrating all that fuel to the engines to burn it.

What eventually ended up happening was that the fuel expense got larger, the payload smaller and safety goes down the drain.

We don't currently have a fuel source, outside of Nuclear, with a high enough specific impulse to make this thing work.

Now if you think we can get nuclear powered rockets through all the rigmarole and greenies then this design is doable, only you probably won't want to anymore, why go with a lifting body and waste all that weight on structure?