[FPSPACE] Ares 1/ Ares5 or Direct?

[E.P. Grondine]

Hi - 

I don't think Shuttle C is in the options space for several reasons:

1) side mount makes for messy aborts

2) airframe requirement - where from? Rockwell?

3) less mass to orbit

BUT  
 
A) SSME (main engine) kept in production. Unfortunately, SSME is more expensive, so the only way that using them could make sense was if they were mounted to a recoverable module - which is a whole lot more complicated than Shuttle C. Since that would have to be engineered, that would not close the launch gap as well as Direct.

I'm sure team Direct made an analysis of Shuttle C in depth before they came up with Direct, I just have no idea where it is.

By the way, Lyles worked on ballistic missile defense, and called a dog when it was a dog. Obama may need him for ballistic missile defense. I still think Gration is strong.

I would say that Dr. Aldrin might be in contention, but then his flyback liquid boosters are perfect, and perfect is the enemy of the very good in this tense political situation.  Its also likely that at his age the stresses of running NASA would kill him.

I certainly would like to see both him and Zubrin working in advanced concepts after this is done.

Anybody know what Dan Goldin is up to these days?

E.P. Grondine
Man and Impact in the Americas



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