Post Shuttle

AugustusMinimus

namloc1980 wrote: »

NASA has no planned, let alone budgeted, payload that needs a launcher the size of the proposed SLS. Hypothetical moon missions is no justification for spending billions on a launcher of that size. Those billions would surely be better spent on doing actual science. In addition NASA has no plan or budget to build things like landers, hab modules, earth return launchers etc and with SLS hoovering up resources and budget money there won't e any money for there things until well into the next decade at the earliest. Without these things there will be no missions beyond LEO.

SpaceX have said that a Falcon Heavy will cost $125m per launch with SpaceX funding most of the development costs themselves. NASA reckon SLS will be well over $1bn per launch not including development costs. Do the maths.

They do have the BA-2100 Bigelow module which could easily feature in future architecture. Would require a 100 tonne lifter.

namloc1980

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

They do have the BA-2100 Bigelow module which could easily feature in future architecture. Would require a 100 tonne lifter.

The Bigelow only exists on a drawing board somewhere. It is many many years/decades away from being developed. In the meantime NASA will develop the SLS with no payload to actually launch.

AugustusMinimus

namloc1980 wrote: »

The Bigelow only exists on a drawing board somewhere. It is many many years/decades away from being developed. In the meantime NASA will develop the SLS with no payload to actually launch.

BA330 is being launched in 2014 and will almost certainly form some part of NASA architecture if Nautilus X is anything to go by.

BA2100 is prob achieveable by 2020.


I think at this stage, NASA are hoping to get the SLS built and then say to congress, we have a lifter, now provide us with funding for something to launch on it. An odd strategy, but then again, Congress and the Obama administration are putting a knife into NASA at the moment.

Rubecula

Tenous link here in order to ask a question or two.

Plasma drive instead of rocket motors. The televised experiments looked sort of well advanced.

Questions:

What stage are they at with them now? Does anyone know? Could they power a shuttle type of vehicle?

namloc1980

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

BA330 is being launched in 2014 and will almost certainly form some part of NASA architecture if Nautilus X is anything to go by.

BA2100 is prob achieveable by 2020.


I think at this stage, NASA are hoping to get the SLS built and then say to congress, we have a lifter, now provide us with funding for something to launch on it. An odd strategy, but then again, Congress and the Obama administration are putting a knife into NASA at the moment.

Nautilus X is nothing more than NASA day dreaming. There are literally hundreds of these concept spacecraft that have been announced by NASA down the years that have never come to anything other than some fancy graphics.

As for the Bigelow, the 330 version would be more than sufficient as a hab module for a BEO mission and as a bonus it can be lifted by existing launchers such as Delta IV or Atlas V....no need to spend tens of billions developing SLS. Stick two Bigelow 330s together and you could easily sustain a crew for months. However for NASAs BEO strategy to work they also need to develop space based cargo and fuel depots. For example for an asteroid mission a fuel/cargo depot at Lagranian point L2 would be very handy.

namloc1980

Looks like the big announcement about the new SLS will be made on the 8th July to coincide with the final launch of the STS. Link. Good timing with the world's media being present for the launch of Atlantis.

AugustusMinimus

namloc1980 wrote: »

Nautilus X is nothing more than NASA day dreaming. There are literally hundreds of these concept spacecraft that have been announced by NASA down the years that have never come to anything other than some fancy graphics.

Take out the centrafuge and it's not exactly that futuristic or beyond our means. In fact, it wouldn't be a bad stab at what might be needed for Mars transportation. A bit over the top maybe in terms of mass.

clln

ninja900 wrote: »

Were you thinking of the Nedelin catastrophe, clln?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nedelin_catastrophe

Thanks for that ninja and sorry for delay in reply,i did know about the Nedelin disater, but the N1 rumour has been around for a long time and i had never seen it unchallenged.

The disaster in China although never confirmed i believe did happen........... i will wait for a source to confirm it 100% though,having learned My lesson on the N1 rumour!:)

clln

namloc1980 wrote: »

The Bigelow only exists on a drawing board somewhere. It is many many years/decades away from being developed. In the meantime NASA will develop the SLS with no payload to actually launch.

Give credit,Bigelow seem to be bitter about America' money going outside the US............. but these inflatable modules are already proven and as said where developed by NASA,he wish's to (no pun intended )expand on inflatable modules.

He hopes to add these modules to the ISS............ build a Science Space station to support the hoped for many new ways to enter space by private companies.......... hopes to build a space hotel for the private companies to ferry thrillseekers to space.

He is one to watch as he is in parthnership with the almighty Boeing already.

Link is to homepage,but to get the big picture you have to read the whole site.

http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/

namloc1980

clln wrote: »

Give credit,Bigelow seem to be bitter about America' money going outside the US............. but these inflatable modules are already proven and as said where developed by NASA,he wish's to (no pun intended )expand on inflatable modules.

He hopes to add these modules to the ISS............ build a Science Space station to support the hoped for many new ways to enter space by private companies.......... hopes to build a space hotel for the private companies to ferry thrillseekers to space.

He is one to watch as he is in parthnership with the almighty Boeing already.

Link is to homepage,but to get the big picture you have to read the whole site.

http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/

I was referring specifically to the Bigelow 2100 that was mentioned in the post I was replying to. I know Bigelow are doing great work and already have two small inflatable modules in orbit above us but the 2100 is nothing more than a drawing board exercise at present. Also there is no launch vehicle available or planned (including SLS) that could send the 2100 BEO. The SLS heavier configuration could take it to LEO though.

clln

namloc1980 wrote: »

but the 2100 is nothing more than a drawing board exercise at present.

but that is true of all of America's planned new way to get into Space,space-x being the exception with F 9 and Dragon but even those are far from proven despite their sucess so far,again i ask that the space-x launch manifest is looked at and explain how Musk can possibly do it.
Methinks much more is ,and has being going on behind closed doors than we will ever know.

Also there is no launch vehicle available or planned (including SLS) that could send the 2100 BEO. The SLS heavier configuration could take it to LEO though.

Bigelow reading between the lines is only interested in LEO,but so what if all the grand ideas by private companies find a home if his LEO plans come to fruition?
Interesting times ahead!

namloc1980

clln wrote: »

but that is true of all of America's planned new way to get into Space,space-x being the exception with F 9 and Dragon but even those are far from proven despite their sucess so far,again i ask that the space-x launch manifest is looked at and explain how Musk can possibly do it.
Methinks much more is ,and has being going on behind closed doors than we will ever know.

Well apart from ISS resupply, SpaceX have no commercial launches penned in until 2013. They are due to launch their first ISS resupply by the end of this year. We'll see how it goes.

As an overall observation, what is happening now at NASA and the whole CCDev program with the private sector is something that should have happened a long time ago. NASA kept all their eggs in the Shuttle basket for far too long with the result now being that they will have no manned spaceflight capability from next month onwards to some unknown future date.

Hotblack Desiato

namloc1980 wrote: »

Stick two Bigelow 330s together and you could easily sustain a crew for months.

Would that be nicknamed a Deuce Bigelow? :pac:

clln

thecommander wrote: »

Wasn't there one in China too. Shrouded in secrecy too.

Seems like there were two,one in 1995 that killed six ,and another in 1996 that it is estimated killed around 500.
this short video was taken by reporters being ferried through the village of Sichuan after the bodies had been hidden.the village was decimated.
this 3 minute Discovery Channel video says it all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_EnrVf9u8s

thecommander

clln wrote: »

Seems like there were two,one in 1995 that killed six ,and another in 1996 that it is estimated killed around 500.

That's the one.