More New Details on NASA's CEV Launcher Studies

TheEqualizer writes "Continuing on the NYT story on NASA's current CEV launcher plans, spaceref has an even more extensive look with detailed assessments of the available options. By all accounts, it looks like NASA is picking up where it left off with Apollo but also combining it with established Shuttle technology -- the capsule concept of the 1960s atop the shuttle boosters of the 1970s being the winning combination under the current budgetary limitations. However, is this coupling of old technology and designs really the best we can do?"

Comments

Re:If it ain't broke...

[jacksonj04]

Balloons could be used to gain some kind of lift, thereby only needing lower powered boosters until such point as high powered boosters kick in to take the payload to orbit.

The big issue as far as I can see is that boosters need something to kick against, and at the moment they use the ground to get the vast majority of their initial thrust, then the thicker atmosphere to get up enough speed. With only a low velocity and thinner atmosphere for the 'big kick' to reach orbit, you'd need equivalent fuel and engines for a normal launch.

The only possible alternative is that the engines kick against the upwards velocity from a balloon 'carrier', therby pushing the balloons down and the ship upwards. Giving enough lift using balloons and the initial launch thrusters for a second-stage to kick against without expending massive amounts of fuel is in itself going to need a lot of fuel and balloons on the carrier.

So, you have a large fuel inefficient carrier providing limited lift, at which point large inefficient boosters push against this carrier to lift the load into orbit...

It's called multiple stage launches, and has been used since day one.