[FPSPACE] A report of the launch system/ Administrator debate

[E.P. Grondine]

Hi all - 

Here's a report:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/space/6266190.html

Here's all the things that a veteran political operator like Logsdon would never say publicly:

Let's start here: it appears Thiokol used Iraq munitions profits to lobby Bush get the CEV resized for Ares 1.

Unfortunately for Thiokol, they blew their mass estimate for the CEV, as it was beyond their and Griffin's competence, and their enlarged resized solution to that has combustion oscillations which will be very costly to overcome. 

Two, the manned option space includes not only clustered EELVs, but single core EELVs and SpaceX's Falcon as well with a smaller capsule (korabl). 

The option space also includes Direct with the larger CEV. Team Direct has no money to lobby, and for that matter most of the engineers working on it did so in fear of losing their jobs. Direct saves the largest part of the US technology base, and the jobs of those who know it.
The team working on the resized capsule stays in place as well. 

As if that were not enough, Direct is cheaper, AND allows there to be little to no gap in US manned capabilities.

For you Zubrinite Mars Nuts, there is simply no way that Ares 5 will ever be used to launch large nuclear engines for manned Mars flight. Further you simply can not do manned Mars flight with one heavy launch, as it requires too much mass. 

On the other hand, Direct has derivative larger launcher which will have a 40 year flight record. It will have a demonstrated safe launch record by 2022.

Bush is gone, Griffin is gone, and let's make sure Ares 1 goes with them.

E.P. Grondine
Man and Impact in the Americas

PS - If you want to know how bad the impact hazard really is, "Man and Impact in the Americas" is a pretty good place to start








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