B
bbrence
Guest
Why did NASA decide to configure the Orion to be able to launch from Earth, carry astronauts to the moon and beyond and then land back on Earth? We had to do it this way with Apollo, but we don't have to do it that way now.<br /><br />Why not launch a much larger transport vehicle in sections on the shuttle.....and complete it at the ISS? Use the Orion capsule as a rentry vehicle only......ala Soyuz. Why not use the larger transport vehicle for trips to the moon and Mars [with a lunar/Mars lander in tow] and have it return to the ISS.....where the crew would transfer to the Orion for rentry?<br /><br />Seems to me that launching the whole thing from Earth for every flight, makes no sense. Launching from Earth orbit would seem to be the better solution. Once in Earth orbit, the transport vehicle could be refueled and used again and again. Why build a new service module for the Orion for every flight? Why launch all that weight [fuel] from Earth every time?