To: Magnum44
You haven't looked at the new Delta or Atlas lately, have you? They sport pretty impresive numbers. Which numbers are those? The only numbers that really matter are cost. That has been the legacy of launchers: The have been steadily improving in the eyes of the engineers, but in the eyes of the customer, they are the same as they ever were.
I never knew myopia could be terminal until I talked to a launcher designer.
To: hopespringseternal
Numbers that matter include cost. They also include reliability, and some measure of complexity (or simplicity), as well as lift capability (throw weight). Costs come down in mass production. The AF and Boeing have teamed to build a one stop production factory for Delta that takes Henry Fords idea of mass production to the next dimension. Unfortunately, customers outside of DoD are rare these days, so until the need for launchers goes up, real cost savings cant be realized. But the front end costs have been already been laid out. We are well positioned for unmanned access to space. Its the manned side that we fall dreadfully short on.
12 posted on
02/27/2003 1:40:12 PM PST by
Magnum44
(remember the Challenger 7, remember the Columbia 7, and never forget 9-11)
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