Interplanetary ship vs Orion/Ares VSE

[qso1]

<p><font color="#800080">Can you elaborate some what here.And what do you mean by capabilities available to us?&nbsp; <br /> Posted by nec208</font></p><p>Near term capabilities being anything that can be extrapolated out of present day. An example being improved chemical rockets. Though improved, they are going to be costly to operate. Private enterprise may be able to realize some cost savings by starting with a clean slate.</p><p>Launch pads for example. Medium Delta rockets are launched from complex 17 pads A and B at KSC. These pads take at least a week to turn around (Refurb) between launches. Having more pads available would be one way to increase flight rates which in turn should cut costs due to economies of scale.&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>

 

[qso1]

<p><font color="#800080">Use the space station to go to the moon or mars and use a space capsule to get down to the moon or mars and back up to the space station .&nbsp;Why be up in space for 6 months or 8 months going around and around going no where!!!&nbsp; go to the moon or mars.Just build a smaller ISS with 4 or 8&nbsp; people in the space station.Do the research along the way to the moon or mars and coming back.Use a space capsule&nbsp; to land or go up to the space station.</font> Posted by nec208</p><p>It gets back as always, to cost. Its less expensive to have stations right here in earth orbit. Not only that, the station has other tasks that are not specifically related to going to the moon or mars. Technically, to go to the moon or mars for example, a space station is not even required.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>

 

[holmec]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>The fuel is problem for take off .What they could of done is built a space station&nbsp;and take off to the space station&nbsp;using the space shuttle or orion.When at &nbsp;mars use the orion to&nbsp;take off from the space station&nbsp;and to land.Why are they building space station to learn how to live in space ,how space effects the human body,understand microgravity and space radiation, science and biology so on.Why have space station up in earth going around and around for months doing it? Use the space station to go to the moon or mars and use a space capsule to get down to the moon or mars and back up to the space station .&nbsp;Why be up in space for 6 months or 8 months going around and around going no where!!!&nbsp; go to the moon or mars.Just build a smaller ISS with 4 or 8&nbsp; people in the space station.Do the research along the way to the moon or mars and coming back.Use a space capsule&nbsp; to land or go up to the space station.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /> Posted by nec208</DIV></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I don't think your understanding the problem.&nbsp; All fuel orginates from Earth.&nbsp; Earth's gravity makes it costly to get it into space.&nbsp; Also Earth's atmosphere makes it costly by providing viscosity (or as rocket guys erroneously call friction). &nbsp; No matter how you juggle it from there. &nbsp;</p><p>It would be more cost effective if you are able to generate fuel on the moon or asteroids.&nbsp; The cost of would come down drastically.&nbsp;</p><p>BTW an astroid based fuel facility has the potential to send the fuel anywhere in the inner solar system.&nbsp; </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#0000ff"><em>"SCE to AUX" - John Aaron, curiosity pays off</em></font></p> </div>

 

[nec208]

<p>It gets back as always, to cost. Its less expensive to have stations right here in earth orbit. Not only that, the station has other tasks that are not specifically related to going to the moon or mars. Technically, to go to the moon or mars for example, a space station is not even required.</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>If you are going to have the space station at the moon or mars&nbsp;yes .But what I'm talking about is killing 2 stones in one.Why pay $$$ money 6 months to go to mars and 6 months back that is 12 months looking out the window counting stars or playing cards .Build a small ISS 4 people in the space station and put those 12 months to good tax paying dollars.</p><p>Why send people to a space station 6 or 12 months doing work but not going anywhere?That is what space station are for , to live in space why not travel.</p><p>Cost will come down when NASA can do 2 missions in one.I know there was talks before of using space stations but than the ISS came up.</p><p>The way I look at it , the 20 or 30 years all that did was prove going to space is possible,learning how to build space stations and live in space and lerning how to do space-walks and space docking.Now take the next step.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[nec208]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>&nbsp;I don't think your understanding the problem.&nbsp; All fuel orginates from Earth.&nbsp; Earth's gravity makes it costly to get it into space.&nbsp; Also Earth's atmosphere makes it costly by providing viscosity (or as rocket guys erroneously call friction). &nbsp; No matter how you juggle it from there. &nbsp;It would be more cost effective if you are able to generate fuel on the moon or asteroids.&nbsp; The cost of would come down drastically.&nbsp;BTW an astroid based fuel facility has the potential to send the fuel anywhere in the inner solar system.&nbsp; <br />Posted by holmec</DIV><br /><br />When it comes to construction or space launching but that has to do to the power needed to get in space.The power is big challenge!! There is no magic power box to&nbsp;take the size of a big truck in space.</p><p>Has for space mining&nbsp;I don't think we have the technology and know how to do that yet.May be in 50 years&nbsp;or 100 years from now we may be be able to do that.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>