Poll: When do you think the VSE will be cancelled/changed?

[frodo1008]

The space shuttle had nothing to do with the decease in the American satellite launching business! Where do you people get your information from anyway?<br /><br />What has caused the decrease of the American satellite launching business is the same thing that is even making it very difficult for the far less expensive Arienspace, Russian, and Chinese launch industry. There simply is NOT enough launch business for the number of launch vehicles in the making. <br /><br />In the 1980's it was thought that LEO types of communication satellite systems were going to blanket the world. Well for many reasons it just didn't happen. But what did happen is a vast increase in the ability to build launch systems to launch all of those future satellites. By this time the STS system (shuttle to the uninformed) was totally out of the picture for the launching of commercial satellites, so the STS system itself was not a factor at all!! <br /><br />By the way, not all American satellite rocket launch systems are out of business (even here your information is not totally correct). While most of the very few commercial launches that are now being made are indeed launched on launchers not made in the USA (as are many other goods, and now even services) the government itself still supports our own launch industry with launches by the Delta II (NASA uses this most reliable of rockets for almost all of its robotic launches), there are very lucretive contracts for the military launches of both the regular ELV's and the newer EELV's, and even launches by such as DARPA (which as I said I do NOT oppose at all!) for smaller vehicles such as space-x's Falcon I.<br /><br />THen there is the quite successful Sea Launch program of Boeing, which does indeed launch commercial satellites. Although the launch vehicles themselves are Ukranian, the overall management of this very inovative program is Boeing's. Why do people keep thinking that such organizations as Boeing lack inovation and vision when

 

[radarredux]

> <i><font color="yellow">The space shuttle had nothing to do with the decease in the American satellite launching business! Where do you people get your information from anyway?</font>/i><br /><br />Because it was official policy to shutdown all other launch vehicles and force all launches on the space shuttle, so following Challenger the US had virtually no acccess to space.<br /><br />Later, when ISS was being designed, most of the major components were designed so <i>ONLY</i> the space shuttle could deliver them, so following Columbia construction of ISS ground to a halt.<br /><br />When NASA was asked to if commercial services could supply ISS, NASA said "No, only the shuttle was able to do it." Only after Congress continued to press NASA did they relent.<br /><br />For nearly 40 years NASA has actively campaigned to kill off anything that might serve as competition to the space shuttle.<br /><br />As a starting point, you might want to consider reading the article in The Space Review.</i>

 

[frodo1008]

The space shuttle has not launched a commercial satellite since at least the Challenger accident. How does this then stop other American launch systems from competing? <br /><br />There are only two factors that have stopped such American efforts:<br /><br />One is the reduced cost of the efforts of other countries (which has NOTHING to do with the shuttle).<br /><br />The other is the current lack of such launches, due to the increased life of satellites already launched. (which ALSO has nothing to do with the shuttle)<br /><br />I agree that what you are saying was indeed NASA's policy some 30 years ago, but it was a FAILED policy. Such a policy has not been in affect for at least the last twenty years or so, because it was basically such a failure. Where have you been? <br /><br />There are indeed faults with the shuttle, that will drive the phase out of this vehicle over the next five years, but blaiming it for the decrease of commercial satellite busines is NOT one of them!!<br /><br />By the way, not only has Sea Launch been quite successful in the commercial launch business, but if Elon Musk and space-x can actually deliver commercial payloads to LEO for anywhere near the prices that he has been quoted at, then this American enterprize will quite probably force most of ALL the other launchers of commercial payloads out of business!! Should we also then blame that on the shuttle also?

 

[arkady]

VSE - Verband Schweizerischer Elektrizitätsunternehmen ? <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "<font color="#0000ff"><em>The choice is the Universe, or nothing</em> ... </font>" - H.G Wells </div>

 

[spacefire]

"Connected Swiss electricity enterprises"???? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[holmec]

>The problem is you do not state your information as your opinion. Many people believe everything they read, even on the web.<<br /><br />That may be true. Maybe most people don't understand that when someone says something and does not back it up, it is considered the opinion of the person. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#0000ff"><em>"SCE to AUX" - John Aaron, curiosity pays off</em></font></p> </div>

 

[holmec]

>.NASA buys launch services from a private company.<br /><<br /><br />In such a scenarion I imagine that it would be a cooperative effort between NASA and private sector, since NASA has all the current data on moon trips. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#0000ff"><em>"SCE to AUX" - John Aaron, curiosity pays off</em></font></p> </div>