New Mars Forums

You are quite right. Lockheeds CEV is just another SLI/OSP rehash they are using to get some Air Force attention. Let the russians have their Kliper--and we will stick to capsules. That beats us all doing the same thing.

Kliper for LEO/ISS flights, and this for the moon:
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/dsealpha.htm

http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic … highlight=

The launch vehicles have to come first anyway. JIMO just kept getting bigger.

There is a schism. Some in USA want shuttle derived--but the suits like ULA a bit more because they can get NASA to pay for their EELVs that are not selling well.

Griffin seems to have won his push for HLLV--but I would still expect him to be undermined. It's all politics.

Here are some interesting links:

The Bifrost Bridge:
http://www.distant-star.com/issue1/dsfeat4.htm
James Powell's idea:
http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/nex … Report.pdf

RNAi
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3210/02.html

Hydrogen storage (You have this):
http://amminex.com/index_files/Page344.htm
Another researcher on nanofiber storage of hydrogen
http://www.chem.neu.edu/faculty/baker.htm

:arrow: Failure analysis for welds:
http://projects.battelle.org/verity/default.aspx

In the early 90's, Battelle scientists recognized the need for a reliable stress analysis methodology that would address the known problems encountered in conventional finite element analysis procedures for welded joints or geometric discontinuities within structures. Consequently, Battelle created, developed and validated a new patent pending methodology known as the Verity™ mesh-insensitive structural stress methodology. Although initially viewed as "too good to be true" or "too simple to possibly work," Verity™ has now been validated by leading industry experts across a broad array of industries.

Delta II was to be the fall guy--the sacrificial lamb. And that was before Falcon IX

If (and that is a big if) Musk's rocket is successful--and he chunks his 'reusability' aspect--Delta II will be finished. If it flys--it will give ULA something to worry about--and Griffin--if he stays past Bush's Presidency might just use it as leverage.

Falcon's big competitor will still be Ur-100/Dnepr--though Musk is even knocking on Proton's door with Falcon IX. So ILS will have some cheap competition.

But Falcon I hasn't launched yet. So it is all up in the air--or isn't.

OT
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums … ts=5#M4778
Kliper:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM613908BE_index_0.html
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7901

Nice product!
http://www.hlj.com/product/TAK23666
I wonder if they will do kliper?

About the best we can hope for (I hope you are not eating) would be Zubrin's Nuclear Salt Water Rocket and its 1g thrust.

The heating is going to be an issue--but it is a smoother ride than Orion.

The likelyhood of a nut even knowing directed energy weapons exist is low--let alone getting one.

Then too--there is the book.

The Poor Man's Ray Gun

You can make it with the magnetron from a microwave.

take a look at the new space daily for nanorods.

I thought DC-X had promise as a demonstrator--certainly as a lander. Place that atop the Magnum/Longfellow SD HLLV with four SRBs--and there is your direct ascent NOVA mission to the lunar poles right there.

You know the X-33 VentureStar was actually a J. Northrup design? He kept getting his cough-drop bottle confused with his suppository bottle at the home--with interesting results there at the home. So he took his bic lighter, and fused up a lozenge that was half cough-drop--half suppository. He put one hybrid in each hole so he knew he was covered.

But he put them all in the full bottle--which he threw away thinking the empty bottle had his medicine--and he died.

So some Lockheed-martin spies saw one of his lozenges---and that's where they came up with the VentureStar /X-33 design. They then tried to take it to Marshall--but took a wrong turn to the Alabama group home for retards.

"UH!--we use composite tanks for hydrogen, and leaky as a sieve engine...drool." 

And you know the rest.

My plan for the SSTO problem?

Get all the engineers who support it.

...line them up...

----and have them shot.

problem solved.

Now let's get back to Heavy Lift--something we know works.

No--it is a statement of fact--lamenting how bomb-disposal robots and 100s length Thors that put two metric tonnnes less in orbit than 50 yr. old R-7 are helping to nickel and dime NASA to death.

Yet more Goldin era stagnation.