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On Orbit => Real NASA Space Shuttle Missions => Topic started by: Admin on December 20, 2011, 02:22:58 AM
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http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/12/next-gen-shuttle-vehicle-secret-effort-save-Shuttles-ends/
Here is more: http://www.marylynnedittmar.com/
You do the math and think who sabotaged the success of this last attempt to keep the Shuttles flying until a replacement is ready to take over.
/Admin
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... Wow... :-\
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From what I have learned of this attempt to fly the Shuttles again, it really did make good sense. Both from the standpoint of getting the Shuttle and its amazing capability back to work, and also that it was not going to hinder NASA in its developement of the SLS and Orion vehicle.
Why it fell apart is something I doubt will ever be answered. At least, not with an answer that is satisfactory.
The Shuttle was a great machine, and it is not just people like me, and I assume people like those who post on this board, who love the machine and the idea that it embodied, but also investors who would go to great lenghts to put together a proposal and try to get NASA to stop destroying the Shuttles before the plan could go into action.
I look forward to their announcement of the new Shuttle-capable project. Orion has great potential in that it will carry humans further from Earth than ever before, but the Shuttle, with its capability and re-usability, needs to be built on, not cast aside as the exception to the rule of space craft. As that lone odd ball vehicle that had a payload bay, was resusable, in a sea of capsules that lithobrake back to Eartha and are cast away after its one flight.
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The nasaspaceflight article doesn't say why the project was derailed. That is by necessary choice.
The reasons are known and I am sure they will make many of us quite angry when we hear them. Eventually they will exposed, one way or another, given time.
Suffice to say that they had nothing to do with the SLS etc program. If you read carefully, everything was planned in such a way that the STS2 activity would NOT have an impact on the SLS or other NASA forward-looking activities.
/Admin
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It reminds me of the way another great flying machine (Concorde) was casually cast aside without any thought about keeping one or two in flyable condition. I am sure it could have been done if "the powers that be" could have been bothered.
Well, at least we have that other magnificent British delta wing aircraft (the amazing Avro Vulcan B2) to keep our flag flying proudly.
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I don't want to say it, but does it look like its a case of if a commercially run operation can do it for cheaper and with less red tape, would it make another organisation seem inept?
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I don't want to say it, but does it look like its a case of if a commercially run operation can do it for cheaper and with less red tape, would it make another organisation seem inept?
Well, nobody said anything about "more efficient" or "less red tape". The numbers are not much lower than what NASA needed to keep the operation going. Budgeting was NOT the issue and the more difficult tech and logistic part was not the reason either. Those parts were solved with the necessary money being made available commercially, the operational costs covered with commitments from service provided to NASA, but not only. I assume that the necessary experienced staff is not lacking either, considering the thousands which have been fired with the conclusion of the STS program.
Sadly, the reasons for derailing this attempt are much more frustrating than this, desktopsimmer :( I hope that those responsible for this political decision, will pay the ultimate political price, when time comes.
/Admin
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...yeah, they must pay for this!
>:(
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Everything concerning the Space Shuttle today are just bad news ... Must move on. I expect a lot of the next Dreamchaser from SNC. And I hope that this project will not be canceled...
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Everything concerning the Space Shuttle today are just bad news ... Must move on. I expect a lot of the next Dreamchaser from SNC. And I hope that this project will not be canceled...
Or that the "Dreamchaser" won't stay a "dream" ;)
/Admin
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hehe, yes, I don't really like this "name"... HL20 looks better but ... It's now not really the HL20...