Unaffordable and Unsustainable, NASA’s failing Earth-to-orbit Transportation Strategy |
Unaffordable and Unsustainable, NASA’s failing Earth-to-orbit Transportation Strategy |
Guest_DonPMitchell_* |
Jul 25 2006, 04:11 AM
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Guests |
The Space Frontier Foundation has gotten a lot of attention from the mainstream press with their latest Whitepaper.
They advocate a more extensive support fo free enterprise and entrepreneurship in the American space program. They suggest that NASA should no longer be allowed to develop and own new launch vehicles, and that CEV and CLV development should be cancelled. They also advise that NASA rely on Altas 5 and Delta 4 rockets, and transfer more funding to the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program. I cannot find the actual white paper on the SFF website. I don't know if SFF is particularly professional (certainly their gaudy website doesn't look it), but I have to agree with some of their points. |
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Guest_DonPMitchell_* |
Aug 2 2006, 05:27 PM
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Guests |
Precisely, the commercial satellite business is private now because it makes money, so NASA doesn't oversee it. Why do probes like Mars Express look like a Boeing 601 comsat? Because so many standard systems have evolved to satisfy the needs of a market.
Where are innovative launch vehicles? The Delta IV is an entirely new launch vehicle. Doesn't look anything like a Delta II. It is all LOX/LH2 and has a large new first stage engine with staged-combustion and a novel low-cost design for cooling. It seems that the comsat and milsat businesses are stimulating innovation and efficiency. The major launch vehicles are very big. They're designed to put payloads into GSO or low polar orbit -- both very energetically expensive operations. In the case of Dnepr, you have a very dumb rocket that can boost a medium-size payload into LEO, with no large change of the orbital plane. There hasn't been a big market for that, but perhaps that will change. Polar orbit is getting cheaper with new northern launch facilities like Kodiak. The white paper suggests that servicing ISS is ready for privatization. In theory I agree, but I doubt if the EU would stop subsidizing the Ariane/ATV plan -- even though it is not a great idea to go from Kourou to the highly inclined ISS orbit. But now who would ever pay for the real cost of a launch? This is why, if there is a viable market, you want the government to stay out. |
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Aug 3 2006, 12:20 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 809 Joined: 11-March 04 Member No.: 56 |
The white paper suggests that servicing ISS is ready for privatization. In theory I agree, but I doubt if the EU would stop subsidizing the Ariane/ATV plan -- even though it is not a great idea to go from Kourou to the highly inclined ISS orbit. But now who would ever pay for the real cost of a launch? This is why, if there is a viable market, you want the government to stay out. I can't really follow your argument. You seem to be saying that the government is outcompeting private industry in providing a service that, as far as I know, only the government needs or wants. Perhaps to make it more clear you could identify: What exactly is the product/service being provided? Who are the customers? Who are the providers? Where's the competition? How is a privatized system cheaper overall than the current system? Does even more money end up coming out of my (or any taxpayer's) pocketbook to pay for the same things that I'm already paying for? |
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