U.S. Human Space Flight Committee-Washington, DC Part 7 from U.S. HSF Committee on Vimeo.
A pdf slide show related to this Augustine Committee video can be found at the following URL:
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/361842main_15%20-%20Augustine%20Sidemount%20Final.pdf
2 comments:
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I'll talk about the Shuttle-C in one of my next suggestions to the HSF
now, I've just posted my suggestion #8 for the Human Space Flight Plans Committee and NASA:
"resize the Orion to 4.5 meters and its crew to three astronauts"
http://ow.ly/f3vQ
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The most interesting thing about Shannon's lecture was that the development cost he estimated for the Side-mount concepts were only 6.5 billion. Development of the Ares 1 alone is estimated to cost between 30 and 40 billion. That's really not surprising, IMO, since the Side-mount concept continues to use most of the existing flight structure: the same expendable fuel tanks, the same solid rocket boosters, the same space shuttle main engines.
He also said that the first test flight for the Side-mount could be ready in just 4 and a half years! That means both the shuttle replacement and the heavy lift vehicle could be ready by 2015 if NASA began working on the Side-mount concept in 2010.
This concept saves billions of dollars could enable us to return to the Moon in 2016!
Eventually, I'd like to see the Ares V heavy lifter developed since it could place at least twice as much payload on the lunar surface as the Side-mount heavy lifter, per flight. But right now, I think the Side-mount concept is both the fastest and the cheapest way for humans to return to the Moon and set up a permanent base there.
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