[FPSPACE] Which way for NASA? A step-by-step path -- 'FlexiblePath' concept may work out better than fixation on moon orMars // September 11, 2009

[David Portree]

Jens:

 

It goes without saying that, for astronauts at least, LEO is the only game in town for the foreseeable future.

David S. F. Portree

dsfportree at hotmail.com
dportree at usgs.gov
 
http://beyondapollo.blogspot.com/

 
http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/About/People/DavidPortree/
 



 
> From: dstdba at post4.tele.dk
> To: fpspace at friends-partners.org
> Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:15:15 +0200
> Subject: Re: [FPSPACE] Which way for NASA? A step-by-step path -- 'FlexiblePath' concept may work out better than fixation on moon orMars // September 11, 2009
> 
> 
> Jim's MSNBC commentary is good - very good - given that there
> is not enough money in the pot to both land a crew on Mars
> AND bring it back home to Earth.
> 
> My only misgiving - and one that neither David nor John Charles 
> seems to address - is that we are far from ready to 'dismiss'
> low Earth orbit. "Been there, done that" is NOT in my view the
> proper attitude to the challenge of mastering LEO!
> 
> What we need is a string of international space stations. The
> ISS is in a rather arbitrary orbit, chosen to meet Russian
> requirements. Let's have a HISS as well, a High Inclination
> Space Station to study polar regions and release satellites
> into such orbits. And of course a zero inclination space
> station, from which to release interplanetary spacecraft. 
> 
> If maintaining three international space stations is too tall
> an order, I don't think time is ready yet to contemplate the
> noble plan of establishing a permanent manned outpost on, say,
> Phobos.
> 
> --
> Jens Kieffer-Olsen
> Slagelse, Denmark
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Charles [mailto:jbcharle at gmail.com] 
> Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2009 10:13 PM
> 
> [snip]
> 
> > Someday, somebody will have to actually commit to a concrete
> > architecture for human space exploration beyond low Earth orbit,
> > and let human creativity bend that architecture to new and
> > unanticipated uses. Griffin made a valiant attempt, and always
> > impressed me as someone who actually understood how things had
> > to be arranged in order to work. He also antagonized people,
> > including some who now claim he "hated" this or that, and others
> > who stood not to profit under his plans.
> 
> > On Sat, Sep 12, 2009 at 10:59 AM, David Portree 
> > <dsfportree at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> [snip]
> 
> > > JSC and Griffin *hated" the DPT approach. Which probably 
> > > means it's a good idea, JSC being the minds behind the Space
> > > Shuttle and Shuttle-launched Space Station, after all.
> > >
> > > ________________________________
> > > From: jameseoberg at comcast.net
> > > To: fpspace at friends-partners.org
> > > Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:16:04 -0500
> > > 
> > http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32767421/ns/technology_and_science-space//
> > >
> > > Commentary By James Oberg // NBC News space analyst // 
> > > Special to MSNBC
> 
> [snip]
> 
> > > None of us really knows what criteria the White House will use
> > > to select NASA's future course, or how policymakers will mix and
> > > match among the options. 
> > > In all my years of experience observing the Space Age, working
> > > within the heart of it, and writing and speaking widely about it,
> > > I've found that expecting rationality in the debate over space
> > > policy is often a folly that ends in tears.
> > >
> > > I do want to make one plea, however. My own contribution to the
> > > national debate is going to be a defense of the much-maligned
> > > "look but don't touch" option - what the panel calls "Flexible
> > > Path." I think it deserves more respect than it's been getting,
> > > and I'd be content to see it emerge from the process.
> 
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