New Mars Forums

It could be the cure for aids or it could be what wipes out the planet. It should be studied on the Moon or in a lab in orbit first.

If everyone else is going to launch from there, and put stuff in an  orbit ideal for that launch site, can we afford not to?

If other countires decide to build a space station in an equatorial orbit, then the US would simply not be able to contribute any launch services.  However, the US has enough power and influence that it could probably bully any group that it is part of into using a 28 degree orbit.

MOSCOW, October 20 (RIA Novosti) - The first test launch of the new Russian Soyuz 2-1A carrier rocket from the Plesetsk Space Center is highly likely to be postponed for several days because of ground systems failure, a competent source working on the launch program told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

"According to preliminary data, the first launch of the new Soyuz, previously scheduled for October 29, will be postponed for several days, to November 2 - November 5," he said.

According to the source, postponement of the launch date is nothing extraordinary.

"It is always extremely difficult to prepare for the first launch, for it attracts much attention, and it's better to check everything once again than fail in the end," the source said.

Previously senior engineer with the Progress design bureau Valery Abrashkin told RIA Novosti that the first experimental task for the Soyuz 2-1A would be to orbit the Oblik Russian spacecraft.

"In fact, this satellite, with its service life expired because it was built many years ago and has since been not launched for financial reasons, is just a mock-up of payload," Abrashkin said.

However, according to the engineer, the Oblik will be equipped with all necessary testing devices.

"The spacecraft has modern vibration and temperature sensors to check the operation of the first- and second-stage modernized engines," the engineer said.

The first vehicle of the new Soyuz generation also has a large four-meter fairing that enables the rocket to take 300kg of additional payload.

"New Soyuzes will take to the outer space from the new launching pad our people will build at the Kourou space center in French Guiana. As soon as we have a record of several successful launches from our pads and enough statistical data, we will move the Soyuzes to the Guiana site," Abrashkin said.

Russia to Built New Orbital Platform
10/14/2004 15:20

Roskosmos chief Anatoly Perminov said at the International Space Congress in Vancouver that according to Russia's federal space program for 2006-2015, Russia is going to develop a new orbital basic platform available for cosmonauts.

Roskosmos cited Anatoly Perminov as saying that this platform will let continue and increase the researches currently conducted at the International Space Station. He adds, the new platform will combine the advantages of a manned complex and an unmanned space vehicle.

The Roskosmos chief said the new orbital platform "is particularly meant for development and tests of perspective interplanetary complexes and for testing the complex of new generation transport and hardware systems." The Roskosmos release reports that the complex will include a reusable system for orbiting freight and new braking mechanisms for freight delivery to the Earth and to planets.

Anatoly Perminov believes that assembly and launching of a manned complex to Moon and Mars must be done on the orbit. This in its turn requires creation of an assembly platform and an effective system to provide assembly operations with transport and hardware.

The Roskosmos chief reports Russian space research institutes and industrial companies have been working on the problem since 1960-70s. "Russia has a large scientific and technical reserve essential for such a global project," Anatoly Perminov says. For instance, various aspects of a Martian expedition are worked on now: organization of the expedition, flight routs, projects of an interplanetary complex, training and medical care of space crews, life-support systems and so on.

Russia is also experienced in organization of long manned flights. The Russian methods for selecting and training of cosmonauts, the effective medical care during space flights save health and efficiency of space crews.

However, Anatoly Perminov adds the interplanetary manned expedition demands joint efforts of countries with leading space technologies and great achievements. This is important for technical maintaining as well as for financial support of the project. The exact date of the project implementation depends upon several factors such as the scope on international cooperation, its technological, industrial and financial reserves, Anatoly Perminov concluded.

I wonder why NASA doesn't sell advertising?  There must be some law that prevents them from doing it.  Just think of what a Victoria's Secret add would look like as it blasted off from the Cape.

Whenever I talk about humans on mars it's only as far as the mars direct plan.  Others here want massive human populations on mars from the first landing.  So launching many GPS satellites for mars is not necessary in my opinion while others think it is a necessary first step.

That said, yes the CEV will cost quite a bit if we do it right, but I think it can perform as advertised after we shake the bugs out. The technology is simply not that difficult, much of it will be on hand by then... heat shield, parachutes, docking guidence (DART demonstrator), escape motors (Lockheed's PADD), OMS engines (X-37 derived?), all that will be done before the CEV project even begins in earnest. I think it can perform the same function as the Apollo CSM and perhaps become an "American Progress" light cargo hauler too without costing more then $100-150M-ish per copy.

The only caveat is that during 1/3 of the year, crop yields will fall because of dust storms (during thick global dust storms, insolation drops considerably).

               -- RobS