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

Re:Common sense prevails at last!

[LiquidCoooled]

The NASP is still in pre-production, and will be ready soon.
Right now, if you purchase a flying car, you get a voucher for a ticket on one of them, and also a preview beta version of Duke Nukem as well :)

My Idea for the shuttle replacement

[Sophrosyne]

It should look state of the art with straight-lines, a red stripe down the side... Here are some preliminary designs for NASA:
Image Here
Now if we could only get Majel Barrett to do the voice-over for the computer :(

Re:Common sense prevails at last!

[Fred_A]

Actually, work is underway on a design that makes do without engines alltogether. This reduces cost dramatically since the payload is now mostly the crew.

You can see images of preliminary crew training here.