N
nilstycho
Guest
Zubrin's Grand Plan hinges on the development of a HLLV. I am very pleased that Griffin seems to think that developing one is NASA's <i>numero uno</i> priority. However, I'm concerned that what may have once been the best concept design may be no longer viable.<br /><br />NASA's next HLLV must be either SDV or expensive, and, knowing NASA, they'll want to opt for the former. This is not unreasonable. Reviving the Energia or Saturn V is nonsense. NASA's Magnum, however, doesn't have the sufficient capacity. Baker's Ares, popularized by Zubrin, fits the bill.<br /><br />However, Ares (and Magnum, for that matter) needs ASRMs (or LFBBs?) to achieve full capacity, and with anything less than a full-capacity Ares we're going to have to do in-orbit assembly, etc.<br /><br />ASRMs (and LFBBs) have been scrapped, and nothing has taken their place. I thought RL-60s would be a nice upgrade from the Ares' RL-10s, but RL-60s have apparently been shelved.<br /><br />My question is simply this: in 1990, the Ares looked spectacular. Today, is the Ares feasible?