At least NASA has Muslim outreach.
Excellent article.
Retired after 45 years in aerospace and considerable experience with the RD180’s.
NASA quote from the 60’s:
“There are no rewards for on-time failures!”
I printed that sign many times, but never posted due to potential bad reactions from the customer.
Obviously the author has not studied enough economics.
Apparently the author of this article isn’t aware of SpaceX.
Humans are currently only flying using entirely Russian equipment (Soyuz). For heavy lift Falcon 9 is currently flying, and Falcon Heavy (with more payload than any Atlas version, 53,000 kg to LEO) will fly this fall.
SpaceX is also working on a manned system, which should be available in a couple more years.
Imagine where we would be now, had the US invested in the technology research for an electromagnetic sled launch system back in 1990’s or 2000’s
I am thinking an electro magnetic rail to get the sled carrying a payload up to sub-mach speed, launch with air breathing engines to reach 6 miles up, and then launch the payload off the sled with regular but smaller rockets. Sled then flies and returns to earth for re-use.
Jesus do we not have the plans for the engines in the Saturn v and 1b ?
Russia has stolen so many designs from us, why not just start building the RD-180’s here and tell Putin to bite me if he complains?
Ted Cruz is Chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness. The Subcommittee's jurisdiction includes oversight of NASA, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. For the 111th Congress, the Subcommittee gained additional jurisdiction on science matters from the former United States Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Innovation.
What did the Atlas have for engines before the RD-180? Weren’t they American built?
What happened?