Posted on 08/14/2005 2:44:42 PM PDT by JeffersonRepublic.com
CAPE CANAVERAL -- All eyes here are on shuttle Discovery's scheduled landing this morning, but in reality NASA considers the fleet of shuttles to be outmoded flying cargo trucks soon destined for mothballs. The agency is increasingly turning its full focus to the goal that truly drives it: placing humans on Mars.
This week the National Aeronautics and Space Administration plans to launch the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, an unmanned satellite-like probe that will study the red planet for signs of past life and of existing water supplies -- as well as potential landing spots for manned missions.
Meanwhile, NASA officials have said the shuttle fleet will be permanently grounded in about 2010. Plans are underway to construct its replacement, the Crew Exploration Vehicle, which will be designed to carry at least 40 people beyond Earth's orbit and eventually to the moon and Mars.
''What we want to do is determine: Was Mars ever habitable? And are there any habitable environments today? Is life possible there?" said Michael Meyer, NASA's Mars exploration program chief scientist, who called this week's planned orbiter launch ''a very grand step" in this quest.
The orbiter will send back a rich stream of data to scientists for years, documenting in unprecedented detail the water content, topology, mineral content, atmosphere, and weather of Mars, as well as conduct the most extensive search to date for signs of previous life there.
This anticipated wealth of information stands in sharp contrast to the current Discovery mission. Aside from transporting supplies to the International Space Station, the mission's main purpose was to establish an effective video-monitoring system of the shuttle to prevent disasters such as the 2003 Columbia shuttle crash.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
WOW!
I don't how big the CEV is going to be, but in order to lift 40 people out of earth orbit - it will need to be huge.
spaceping
That is a typo.
''What we want to do is determine: Was Mars ever habitable? And are there any habitable environments today? Is life possible there?" said Michael Meyer, NASA's Mars exploration program chief scientist,
Should be able to do this with more rovers?
Oh, GFL. I don't think NASA should even be in the space biz. As soon as somebody like Martin Marietta can make a profit, space travel will be cheap and reliable.
final design will hold a dozen
If it doesn't have to enter an atmosphere, or land softly, NASA might be able to do it.
You're right - that is definitely a typo. The CEV is meant to carry at least 4 people and hopefully 6-8, but it will actually be lighter than the Space Shuttle in any event.
Anyhow, based on the technology we have now, it would be totally absurd to design a craft to lift 40 people and the necessary supplies off the Earth for an expedition. It would make far more sense to assemble such an ambitious craft in orbit or on a lunar base (of course, we'd first need to build the infrastructure in either case) and then just deliver the astronauts to take off from there.
They need to focus on a permanent moonbase first. Going to Mars is a huge leap--far beyond what can reasonably be accomplished in our lifetimes.
But of course you are right.
I have been going to some of these conferences and presentations as I want to get back into the aerospace business and somehow involve myself in this great endeavor.
I am really impressed with what is going on with this new direction. There is is a lot of great stuff on the boards.
My only complaint is that they are keeping too much of the engineering inside NASA. I wish that they would use a model closer to the DARPA one used by the DoD. I would like to see NASA just set out requirements and maintain R & D for only those areas where it is not efficient for private industry to undertake.
Large scale commerical (and political) development of space would boost our GDP by an order of magnitude over a generation, I assert. Also, there are DoD programs that are in the works too that may surprise people in a few years time.
I still maintain that if this vision is realized, it will be for this that GWB will be most remembered for in history.
To Bush's credit, he does not call this "his" vision, which is wise for it has been out there for years in one form or another, but he deserves much credit for tipping a few apple carts over yonder at NASA.
I think that only now are the idiots on the hill (of both parties) are just beginning to get it.
Whatever one's complaints about GWB, one cannot doubt that he is a visionary.
I doubt if this design makes it. Bet some combination of the Boeing and Lockheed proposals get built.
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