[FPSPACE] Ares 1/Ares 5 or Direct?

[E.P. Grondine]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/orl-nasa1108dec11,0,2470755.story

I have thought from the start that Ares 1 was a really bad design for a manned launch vehicle, 
and
that the lunar architecture (and Zubrin's Mars architecture) Griffin
supported was simply not workable, physically and fiscally.

Neither
Thiokol nor their man Griffin will go easily, and Thiokol has a huge
amount of money from their arms sales during the Iraq war to draw on. Th PR war is on already.

ISS
is our immediate manned goal in space, and CAPS is the world's next manned goal
in space, and how to do that as cheaply and well as possible are the
questions. 

I like the Direct Shuttle derived launch vehicle, and using
EELVs and Falcon 9 along with (a) smaller manned capsule(s) for ISS
support, along with stretching ISS assembly and shuttle use.

I am not seeing Astronaut Schweikert's name being
bandied about as Griffin's successor. Another possibility would be
Astronaut Schmitt. Or any of the ASE members who worked on the impact report.

For Science, Donna Shirley certainly seems possible. Scott Hubbard as well. I disagree with Ed Weiler's priorities in space science.

E.P. Grondine
Man and Impact in the Americas 
(fpspacers
can write me off list for a special price for signed copies. It would
make a great Christmas gift for any friends you may of Native Heritage,
or a fine going away present for Administrator Griffin, who by the way
is standing in contempt of the Congress for failing to carry out their
instructions to him in the George Brown Jr. Amendment.)





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