New Mars Forums

It is to bad that during the primaries that we are left with only 2 terrible candidates only if we could invent the wildcard as a non party candidate, kind of like an independent to liven things up.
I guess it is time to do a write in vote.... or to chose the lesser of the two evils in this case..

The Nasa request for help is to find out whether the aerospace industry can provide more launch services for satellites, cargoes - even astronauts.
The requests within the aerospace industry and among others opposed to transferring operations from government craft to private companies have stirred up a little bit of controversy . Some experts think the move is not only essential, but overdue, however.

Quote:
NASA paid special attention to small business in the information request and also sought information on six types of space-launch services:

-- Ground to low-Earth orbit. These include vehicles that could launch satellites to orbits accessible from both Cape Canaveral and from southern California, and missions to geosynchronous orbits where most communications satellites fly.

-- Ground to interplanetary trajectory. Such flights consist of space probes powered by nuclear propulsion or what is described as large-scale, cryogenic propulsion, meaning new types of rocket engines that use super-cool fuels such as liquid hydrogen. In these cases, NASA asked potential builders to detail the size and scope of their planned craft.

-- Ground to low-Earth-orbit rendezvous. These include cargo flights from Cape Canaveral to dock with the International Space Station and offload supplies. Currently, no existing U.S. firm is capable of executing such flights, although several have expressed interest or have produced designs that could accomplish the task after the space shuttle fleet is retired.

-- Ground to high-Earth-orbit. Such craft must be capable of delivering supplies and fuel in orbit around the moon or on its surface. Here, NASA is most interested in the amount of fuel and supplies companies think they could carry.

-- Perhaps most controversial, NASA has asked if any firm is planning to gain the ability to send astronauts into Earth orbit privately. In such cases, NASA would be interested in how far along firms are in certifying their rockets to carry crews, and when such private, astronaut-launching capabilities might become available.

NASA Seeks Rocket Help
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/rocketscience-04zd.html

1 Easily solvable though the contract on steerable parachute and verticle landing thrusters as we have done with the apollo LM for Mars landing. Lunar landing are achievable once relearned by the apollo LM method only from the compound design I have put forth.

Also for Mars if lander is a lifting body design accuracy of glide followed by gentle parachute and thruster landing should hit the target very closely.

second part of making it a space plane is that you can repack the parachute and use the system again for Earth re-entry.

2 The orbit to orbit section of the ship carries the needed fuel for going and return, which are left in orbit at the destination only the lander goes to the surface from each unit.

Since two or more ships go at the same time one manned the other cargo there is more than enough supplies remaining in orbit for when the return process begin. Simply redock with what is left in orbit transfer any needed fuels and supplies from the orbiting peices sending the cargo unit away from the Moon or Mars once empty. Yes redocking may need a space walk to firmly couple the pieces back together and to make any interconnections possible.

Orbit to Orbit section size changes with destination and would carry the extra water for return for crew back to earth.

Benifits to multiple landers manned and unmanned sent at the same time is that once cargo is removed that amount of space can be reused for living area, experiments, green house and more.

Learning lunar-landing lessons
http://www.reed-electronics.com/ednmag....Comment

Found a site that list all thought of, implimented ISS modules and space vehicles.

http://www.geocities.com/i_s_s_alpha/dev_canc.htm

But if this is a three ship trio rather than a twosome I think it becomes more plausable with more margin for error or disaster.
But you are right do not over pack...

On the note of cargo vehicles the Dart demonstator is readying for an oct 26 launch. This is not only needed to off load those mission of the shuttle that could be done by an unmanned vehicle but will also be need for the much larger and longer journies to the moon or Mars in the future.

NASA DART Spacecraft Moves One Step Closer to Fall Launch
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=15162

Nasa page at Marshall space flight center
http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news/dart/

Also get the latest news on other missions from Gravity Probe B, Chandra X-ray Telescope, and more missions of the space center.

But what is really funny is the unique way to get funding that it would seem to be doing...

Sort of like the scram jet x 43 project.
http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/FS-2004-03-85-LaRC.html

The Documentary on Mars Direct Trailer. (Pages 1 2 )
Based on Zubrin's case for Mars. had the perfect view of what I was trying to describe in my low tech manner.

I was able to load the latest quick player for xp and used real player to play the link after it did a module update for the file format.

Great audio track, I also liked the Mars lander.

It was like the one I had invisioned when I started the Earth Re-entry, Moon or Mars Lander and return vehicle. One do all, part of CEV? thread.

Well I had toyed with the idea of a moving gas station by using ION drive to get the fueling station on the way to Mars then catching up to it, by as you put it coasting, refueling to give an additional speed boost.
Sort of like plane refueling by the airforce.

It appears that more science research is needed into the cause and lasting effect of long duration space flights before the journey can begin.

First we found that bone lose was something to correct, Muscle atrophy, Radiation exposure and now it would seem the immune system as well.

Are there other reasons that would stop us from ever going?

Study Suggests Spaceflight May Decrease Human Immunity
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/spacetravel-04zze.html