"Project Constellation"

Jim Burk - MarsNews.com · 2004-02-02 20:29:02

I am working on an article which will discuss the background & details of the new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), which is being developed as "Project Constellation" by NASA. It represents the most significant new research into manned spacecraft since the mid-1960s.

This program is more than about developing a new capsule. NASA is working in parallel on capabilities to launch manned spacecraft to LEO, lunar orbit, lunar landings, extended duration habitats, and interplanetary spacecraft (read: Humans to Mars)

The article will put the CEV in context with the previous efforts such as the Orbital Space Plane, X-33, and a little known program called TransHab that was designing inflatable habitats for ISS and future Mars missions, but was cancelled at the request of angry congressmen a few years ago.

The article will appear in Ares Express Issue #4, and on a new weblog I have started at [http://www.ProjectConstellation.us]www.ProjectConstellation.us.

I hope you enjoy it!

Jim Burk - MarsNews.com · 2004-02-03 23:35:47

I have emailed my article on the CEV and its past efforts to Adrian! If you'd like a preview, I've posted a small portion of it on my [http://www.projectconstellation.us/news/]Project Constellation weblog. The full article should appear on this site within the next few days

clark · 2004-02-04 14:18:21

Good job! Can't wait to see the full report.

RobS · 2004-02-04 17:03:19

I read and enjoyed your summary, Jim. I suppose the difficulty is that there isn't much new news to add to it. It might be worth calling folks at Boeing and trying to get more information about the photos of the CEV they put on their website. There seems to be an entire plan behind the pictures, complete with a sense of the masses involved. Where did the plan come from? How long ago did they develop it? Is it based just on the Delta IV? Could they develop a bigger Delta and make the architecture simpler?

Adrian · 2004-02-05 16:53:14

Jim's article is now online.

John Creighton · 2004-02-06 13:01:12

I enjoyed reading the article, it gave me a good perspective of NASA attempts for a shuttle replacement and the problems faced in the past. It seems clear to me that this crew exploration vehicle is the right approach. I am curious as to if the inflatable crew modules will doc to the CEV or if they will also be carried up in the CEV. I also feel that even though the CEV should be the current plan, research money should be spent towards some of the alternative technologies that NASA had previously planned. I am not sure what the appropriate level of funding. I wonder how much is spent annually both publicly and privately in other areas of research that are not space related. Maybe finding out this level of spending might help to gauge what is reasonable for NASA to spend on advanced launch technologies. I was also curious about the scram JET. Does it need to reach Mach 25 to work?

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#1 2004-02-02 20:29:02

Re: "Project Constellation"

#2 2004-02-03 23:35:47

Re: "Project Constellation"

#3 2004-02-04 14:18:21

Re: "Project Constellation"

#4 2004-02-04 17:03:19

Re: "Project Constellation"

#5 2004-02-05 16:53:14

Re: "Project Constellation"

#6 2004-02-06 13:01:12

Re: "Project Constellation"

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