Competition to Build the Space Shuttle's Successor

Neil Halelamien writes "The competition for the prime contract to build the Crew Exploration Vehicle, the successor to the Space Shuttle, is ramping up. Currently, 11 different companies are creating preliminary designs for systems and vehicles which could be useful in implementing NASA's Vision for Space Exploration. By the end of the year, NASA will select two teams to independently develop and build a CEV design. The two teams will launch competing unmanned prototypes in 2008, at which point NASA will award a final winning contract. Aerospace giants Boeing and Northrop Grumman have formed one team. Another "all-star" team, announced a couple of days ago, is headed by Lockheed Martin. A third team in the running is underdog t/Space, a company with a free enterprise approach to space exploration, which includes notable figures from the commercial spaceflight arena, such as Burt Rutan and Gary Hudson. There is concern that a NASA budget boost to help pay for the exploration program could draw some opposition, as most other government programs are anticipating budget cuts."

Comments

Well well well

[bozer82]

Here's rooting for the underdog. I think in an area of this magnitude it's good to see that there is something out there worth rooting for, rather than pretending that they can "rescue" people in case (for example) NASA pulls another "blow up on re-entry". Which I think is total bullshit.

Lemme guess

[TheKidWho]

Boeing and Lockheed?

One space vehicle, hold the politics

[EaterOfDog]

The politicians will f*ck this up like everything else. Remember the booster rockets for the shuttle had to be made in California? And they were too long to ship, so they had to be built in sections rather than in one piece? Then the gasket between the sections failed and caused the first shuttle accident? Because some politician had to be sure his state got a slice of the pie. And here we go again.