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NASA's Shuttle Plans

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the men-go-on-top dept.

Gerhardius noted a NYT article (you know the obnoxious deal) about new "shuttle" designs coming out of NASA. The payloads are riding up top to avoid debris.

3 of 549 comments (clear)

  1. Whatever happened to single-stage-to-orbit? by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 4, Interesting


    As long as we're no longer trying to send up cargo along with personnel, now might be a good time to revisit single-stage-to-orbit designs such as the Delta Clipper and the Roton.

    I don't recall any debris problems with either of these designs, although the leg design seriously needs to be rethought. If you have four legs, a failure of any leg results in disaster (witness the spectacular failure of the Delta Clipper). Six legs, on the other hand, would be far more stable...you could lose any three (provided they're not all adjacent) and still pull off a successful landing.

    --
    ____

    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

  2. Too Simple, Really by Spencerian · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I know they're falling back to the Apollo-style basics here, but this is still, in some ways, compromising efficiency and performance in light of crew safety, which is important. However:

    "A ship in a harbor is safe. But this is not what ships are built for."

    I would be fine with the new design concepts if we use a Crew Return Vehicle design. One, it can carry more people and a small amount of cargo. Two, it can also be placed atop like an Apollo-style capsule. Three, it is more reusable. Think of it as a mini-Orbiter.

    Reusing and readapting the ET/SRB devices is a frugal idea as well. We just need something to routine get up and back to the ISS. Perhaps we should also look into making an in-orbit shuttle that stays in space and can move between LEO, the ISS, and the moon.

    --
    Vos teneo officium eram periculosus ut vos recipero is.
  3. Delta Clipper by ek_adam · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It was originally an Air Force project. When video of the first test was shown at ConFrancisco in 1993, it was said that if it ever got transferred to NASA they'd kill it.

    NASA was threatened by the Delta Clipper. A ground crew of 3 instead of 15,000? We can't have that! A NASA employee failed to connect the landing gear hydraulic line for one of the tests shortly after NASA took over the project.

    These days NASA is more of a jobs program than a space program.