DIRECT and upper NASA management

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barrykirk

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I would assume that the upper management of NASA, Mike Griffon specifically has heard of or read the direct proposal. <br /><br />Has anybody heard if they have made any comments about DIRECT? <br /><br />The silence from above is strangely deafening. Almost like DIRECT is being delibertly ignored by Griffon and other policy makers in upper management at NASA. I can think of three possible reasons for this. <br /><br />1) They have seen DIRECT and have good reasons to reject it. <br />The reason to reject it could be either political or technical. If the case against DIRECT was technical, then NASA would have issued an official proclamation by now to silence the DIRECT crowd. Since the silence has been deafing, the good reason to reject it would have to be political. <br /><br />2) They don't know about DIRECT <br />I can't believe that this is the case. <br /><br />3) They are saving DIRECT to introduce it at a later date. <br />The reason to save it for a later date, might be just part of a negotiation. So, should Congress or a new President reject the ARIES I and/or V, NASA has a fall back position to save the program. Another way of putting it would be that they are holding their ace card for use at a later date when it will do more good. If this is the case, the silence makes sense. <br /><br />I don't believe option 2 is the case. If option 1 is the case, then DIRECT will most likely never see the light of day. Unless a higher power, ( Congress ) mandates DIRECT. <br /><br />Therefore I'm hoping for option 3, but I'm hoping that the time to play that ace card is fast approaching. The longer it is held, the less valuable it becomes. <br /><br />Has anybody heard anything different?<br /> <br /><br />For those unfamiliar with DIRECT.<br /><br />www.directlauncher.com <br /><br />This has been a major topic of discussion on the www.nasaspaceflight.com website on the thread
 
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j05h

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Of the three recently proposed SDHLVs, DIRECT seems the most feasible. It, the ARES V and the "Jupiter" all represent a solution looking for a problem. I think the next transportation announcement will be the move to EELV. <br /><br />Has upper management heard of DIRECT? They've got web browsers, too. <br /><br />josh <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div align="center"><em>We need a first generation of pioneers.</em><br /></div> </div>
 
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barrykirk

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Well,<br /><br />I like the Atlas V series of vehicles. I'm a big fan of <br />RP-1/LOX engines ( for boost stage anyway ). It seems like the first stage of an evolved expendible vehicle with<br />RP-1 engines would be possible to make re-usable.<br /><br />We know that the SRB's are not and can not be made<br />re-usable. They are refurshible at a cost very close to <br />just building a new one.<br /><br />RP-1 engines split the difference in both thrust and ISP<br />between SRB and LH2 engines.<br /><br />The one big advantage that DIRECT has that Atlas does<br />not is the ability to start the LH2 engines on the ground.<br /><br />This means that the LH2 engine which is a high ISP<br />engine is not dead weight until the boost phase is over.<br /><br />Of course, the Centaur upper stage has the benefit that<br />it's LH2 engine can be optimized for vacuum operation<br />only.<br /><br />
 
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gunsandrockets

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"Of the three recently proposed SDHLVs, DIRECT seems the most feasible."<br /><br />For a pure cargo SDLV, a faster and cheaper alternative is a side-mount type vehicle using existing SRB, SLWET and launch pad.<br /><br />The greatest reason for an inline SDLV is to use it as a crew launcher, as the Direct scheme would.<br /><br />The Ares V inline is so different from the STS it's fairer to call the Ares V a clean sheet design than a Shuttle derived launch vehicle.<br /><br /><br />"I think the next transportation announcement will be the move to EELV. "<br /><br />Would that was true, but I doubt it. NASA seems stuck on the Ares I. And even worse NASA has scaled the Orion CEV to only fit the Ares I.<br />
 
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