Science > Physics > Next "Shuttle". Seperate passenger, cargo launches.
| Topic: |
Science > Physics |
| User: |
"GatherNoMoss" |
| Date: |
01 Sep 2006 03:01:55 PM |
| Object: |
Next "Shuttle". Seperate passenger, cargo launches. |
Makes no sense to launch both astronauts AND the cargo in the same
vehicle.
Would seem to me from just a safety view alone that to launch the
cargo first, and the astronuats later would be better.
An astronaut only launch vehicle would be much smaller, less
complicated, lighter, etc.
Use a dunb mega rocket to put up TONS of material into a suitable
orbit just waiting for the astronauts to pickup. Or have a robot
"tugboat" pick up the material.
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| User: "Jeff Findley" |
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| Title: Re: Next "Shuttle". Seperate passenger, cargo launches. |
01 Sep 2006 03:31:51 PM |
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"GatherNoMoss" <saints2060@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1157140915.179439.73670@p79g2000cwp.googlegroups.com...
Makes no sense to launch both astronauts AND the cargo in the same
vehicle.
Why not?
Would seem to me from just a safety view alone that to launch the
cargo first, and the astronuats later would be better.
So you're saying that it's o.k. to lose a multi-billion dollar payload (i.e.
lunar lander and TLI stage) on an unmanned launch, but it's not o.k. to lose
a crew?
An astronaut only launch vehicle would be much smaller, less
complicated, lighter, etc.
So the mega launcher would be bigger, more complicated, heavier, and
presumably less safe? Sounds like a silly way to luanch expensive payloads.
Use a dunb mega rocket to put up TONS of material into a suitable
orbit just waiting for the astronauts to pickup. Or have a robot
"tugboat" pick up the material.
Or you launch "only" 10 to 20 tons per launch to LEO and use the smaller,
less complicated, lighter, safer, and hopefully cheaper launch vehicle for
both crew and cargo so that you don't ever lose a multi-billion dollar
payload on a huge, complicated, low flight rate, failure prone, launch
vehicle.
Jeff
--
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a
little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor
safety"
- B. Franklin, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (1919)
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