Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

NASA Outlines "Flagship" Technology Demonstrations

Posted by Soulskill on from the i-don't-see-giant-laser-beam-on-there dept.

FleaPlus writes "As part of its new plans, NASA has outlined the initial series of large-scale 'flagship' technology demonstration (FTD) missions for developing and testing technologies needed for sustainable beyond-Earth exploration, complementing the smaller-scale ETDD missions outlined previously. The first four FTD missions (costing $400M-$1B each, about the cost of the recent Ares I-X suborbital rocket launch) are scheduled to launch between 2014 and 2016, demonstrating advanced in-space propulsion (next-generation ion propulsion and solar arrays), in-space propellant transfer and storage, a lightweight/inflatable mission module at the ISS (which will also test closed-loop life support), and an inflatable aeroshell for aerocapture at Mars. A multi-purpose robotic rendezvous and docking vehicle will also be developed to support these missions."

4 of 27 comments (clear)

  1. Finally some real technology development by Larson2042 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Instead of blowing money on re-inventing the wheel, except much more expensively... *cough* Ares-1

    1. Re:Finally some real technology development by Brett+Buck · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And the first one that goes in the drink, blows up, or otherwise fails, people will jump all over them for wasting millions of dollars on some pie-in-the-sky experiment instead of using proven approaches.

    2. Re:Finally some real technology development by FatLittleMonkey · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So NASA are helping a young technology company to test a hab design which, if it works, will save NASA money in the long term and increase in-space capability.

      And this is a bad thing, because?

      --
      Science is all about firing a drunk pig out of a cannon just to see what happens.
  2. Seems kind of quick? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    They couldn't have really developed all of this since the announcement of the cancellation of the Constellation program.

    Seems more likely they just grabbed a bunch of already developed tech and slammed it together.

    On the plus side, the fact that they're actually focusing on this tech which I heard they were developing years years ago, at least for the ion propulsion and inflatable structures, shows that NASA is finalyl getting off their feet and working on them.