MrRING
Android Futureman
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2002
- Messages
- 6,053
from Yahoo:
New Apollo-Style Capsules Could Replace Shuttles
By Barbara Johnson
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - NASA may replace its troubled fleet of space shuttles with a new generation of Apollo-type space capsules, a top space agency official said on Wednesday.
"Certainly we have considerable amount of experience flying with capsules," Dr. John Rogacki, director of NASA's space transportation directorate, told Reuters. "One might say on the capsule side it could be that that design experience may lead to a capsule being available sooner than a winged vehicle."
Unlike shuttles that land like airplanes, capsules splash down in the ocean and must be recovered by ships.
The resurrection of space capsules, which last launched three decades ago, is gaining favor among astronauts, space agency officials and congressional staffers after the shuttle Columbia disaster that killed seven astronauts on Feb. 1.
The 13 members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board were unanimous in urging NASA to replace the aging shuttles as soon as possible by using existing technology and materials.
NASA said on Tuesday that the next space shuttle flight, designed to test repairs that might have saved Columbia, would not make a March launch target and might not fly until midsummer.
The space agency has spent billions of dollars since the mid-1990s trying unsuccessfully to design a new winged spacecraft, begging the question of whether a winged plane could be delivered by 2008 under a now accelerated timetable.
"Boy, I really don't want to speculate on that because I don't want to inadvertently or unintentionally signal to our contractors that I think it is likely or it is not likely," Rogacki said.
15 TO 20 YEARS
Corin Segal, an aerospace scientist at the University of Florida, picked by NASA to design new systems, has estimated that development of the technology to produce a truly safe, winged reusable spacecraft could take 15 to 20 years.
Detailed requirements for what has been called an orbital space plane were issued by NASA this week to three contractor teams who will propose designs and compete for the work.
For now, NASA is careful to avoid publicly expressing any opinion on what shape the new craft should take, and to stress that there are pros and cons to winged and capsule designs.
But NASA spokesman Bob Jacobs said there was no requirement that the craft be plane-like despite its name.
"We haven't spelled out that it has to glide back to Earth and land like a plane. That's not a requirement," Jacobs said.
The capsule design gained momentum in March from a study headed by astronaut John Young, who has flown in both capsules and shuttles. Young, as well as Michael Kostelnick, head of NASA's human space flight program, cite the versatility of the capsule, which can move beyond low Earth orbit to the moon or beyond.
Rogacki said the orbital space plane requirements did not demand the vehicle be capable of deep space travel but that NASA will be looking at its ability to support missions beyond the International Space Station (news - web sites).
"There is a great potential for using the orbital space plane system as a basis for future exploration vehicles," Rogacki said.
The thermal tiles and wing panels used on the shuttle today could not withstand the heat and stress of trans-lunar re-entries.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...53&e=1&u=/nm/20030917/sc_nm/space_capsules_dc
New Apollo-Style Capsules Could Replace Shuttles
By Barbara Johnson
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - NASA may replace its troubled fleet of space shuttles with a new generation of Apollo-type space capsules, a top space agency official said on Wednesday.
"Certainly we have considerable amount of experience flying with capsules," Dr. John Rogacki, director of NASA's space transportation directorate, told Reuters. "One might say on the capsule side it could be that that design experience may lead to a capsule being available sooner than a winged vehicle."
Unlike shuttles that land like airplanes, capsules splash down in the ocean and must be recovered by ships.
The resurrection of space capsules, which last launched three decades ago, is gaining favor among astronauts, space agency officials and congressional staffers after the shuttle Columbia disaster that killed seven astronauts on Feb. 1.
The 13 members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board were unanimous in urging NASA to replace the aging shuttles as soon as possible by using existing technology and materials.
NASA said on Tuesday that the next space shuttle flight, designed to test repairs that might have saved Columbia, would not make a March launch target and might not fly until midsummer.
The space agency has spent billions of dollars since the mid-1990s trying unsuccessfully to design a new winged spacecraft, begging the question of whether a winged plane could be delivered by 2008 under a now accelerated timetable.
"Boy, I really don't want to speculate on that because I don't want to inadvertently or unintentionally signal to our contractors that I think it is likely or it is not likely," Rogacki said.
15 TO 20 YEARS
Corin Segal, an aerospace scientist at the University of Florida, picked by NASA to design new systems, has estimated that development of the technology to produce a truly safe, winged reusable spacecraft could take 15 to 20 years.
Detailed requirements for what has been called an orbital space plane were issued by NASA this week to three contractor teams who will propose designs and compete for the work.
For now, NASA is careful to avoid publicly expressing any opinion on what shape the new craft should take, and to stress that there are pros and cons to winged and capsule designs.
But NASA spokesman Bob Jacobs said there was no requirement that the craft be plane-like despite its name.
"We haven't spelled out that it has to glide back to Earth and land like a plane. That's not a requirement," Jacobs said.
The capsule design gained momentum in March from a study headed by astronaut John Young, who has flown in both capsules and shuttles. Young, as well as Michael Kostelnick, head of NASA's human space flight program, cite the versatility of the capsule, which can move beyond low Earth orbit to the moon or beyond.
Rogacki said the orbital space plane requirements did not demand the vehicle be capable of deep space travel but that NASA will be looking at its ability to support missions beyond the International Space Station (news - web sites).
"There is a great potential for using the orbital space plane system as a basis for future exploration vehicles," Rogacki said.
The thermal tiles and wing panels used on the shuttle today could not withstand the heat and stress of trans-lunar re-entries.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...53&e=1&u=/nm/20030917/sc_nm/space_capsules_dc
:laughing: