How To Settle Space
Jeff Foust has a report on two speeches at the recent ISDC, from Jeff Greason and Paul Spudis. [Update a few minutes later] Grant Bonin explains the economics of rockets, and why the Senate Launch System is a waste of money.
Search Results for: senate launch system
NASA Comes To Its Senses
It looks like the “two-phase” approach to the Senate Launch System, which would have resulted in a rocket that flew only four times for billions per flight, is dead. The problem is, they still have to operate within the absurd design constraints imposed by the porkers on the Hill.
Congressional Rocket Follies
Mark Matthews has the latest on the absurdities of the Senate Launch System.
Houston, We Have An Earmark Problem
Over at Tea in Space web site, the Senate Launch System earmark is explained: Do the senators who authored this language have more knowledge about systems engineering than NASA employees and contractors? Do the senators who authored this language have more knowledge about acoustical flight dynamics of SRBs than NASA employees and contractors? Do the … Continue reading Houston, We Have An Earmark Problem
How To Explore
Alan Wilhite, Doug Stanley, Dale Arney and Chris Jones have put together an extremely politically incorrect technical presentation, in that it explains how one does serious space exploration and even development without using the Senate Launch System. They baselined Falcon 9 and its heavy version for the launch systems. I haven’t looked at it in … Continue reading How To Explore
Solving The Real Problem
One of the most bizarre aspects of contemporary space policy is the degree to which the policy establishment has completely thrown in the towel on reducing the cost of access to orbit, as exemplified by the Senate Launch System. Stewart Money lays out the technical issues on the off chance that the community will come … Continue reading Solving The Real Problem
Human Spaceflight Anniversaries
Sixty years ago today, the first human went not only into space, but into orbit. Two decades later (by coincidence–it was scheduled to occur two days earlier than the anniversary, but a computer timing issue delayed the flight), the Space Shuttle first ascended from a launch pad. At the time, the Shuttle was viewed as … Continue reading Human Spaceflight Anniversaries
The Year In Review
…from Dave Barry: APRIL …when the abandoned Chinese space station Tiangong-1, which has been anxiously watched by scientists as its orbit decayed, plunges back to earth and, in a worst-case outcome, fails to land on attorney Michael Avenatti, thus enabling him to continue appearing on CNN more often than the Geico Gecko. Meanwhile President Trump, … Continue reading The Year In Review
The Latest In Apolloism
A defense of the SLS over at an Alabama news outlet. Let the fisking commence:
SLS
Almost every sentence of this Cooke, Cook and King SLS op-ed is high-octane unadulterated unsubstantiated bullshit. http://t.co/TRtZCEoffj — Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) July 15, 2015 I'm going to put up a blog post about this despicable SLS op-ed before I drive up to New Space. Set phasers to fisk. http://t.co/TRtZCEoffj — Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) July 15, 2015 Let … Continue reading SLS