Space 2012. For shuttle fetichists.

[carp]

US Space Program will now look like in 2012: <br />1. The Shuttle Orbiters are retired to museums and NASA centers for display <br />2. CEV is flying with a crew aboard <br />3. Cargo variants of CEV will be flying.. <br />4. A Shuttle SRB derived launch vehicle for CEV will be flying as the 1st reusable <br />rocket flown by NASA. <br />5. A heavy lift Shuttle derived launch vehicle will be in work <br />6. The International Space Station might be finished and used for its true purpose, to <br />learn how to live, work, build and maintain systems in space <br />7. Design and fabrication of hardware for returning to the Moon would be happening <br />(a 1st in 40 years) <br />What was the US Space Program looking like before the loss of Columbia? <br />The International Space Station had been reduced to US core complete and <br />scheduled for 2004, The Shuttle was going to fly until at least 2020 and maybe <br />longer. No one was going beyond 250 miles. A return to the Moon was a generation <br />away and China and Russia had a better chance of going to Mars than the US. <br /><br />The changes at NASA, the new plan and emphasis for human exploration of the <br />Moon, Mars and the rest of solar system is a fitting tribute to the crew and a fine <br />Spacecraft. <br /><br />

 

[spacefire]

close, but let me make a few corrections:<br /><br />US Space Program will now look like in 2012:<br />1. The Shuttle Orbiters are sold to China.<br />2. CV/X is flying with a crew aboard<br />3. Early unmanned test variants of CEV MIGHT be flying..but probably not<br />4. A Falcon launch vehicle for CEV will be flying as the 1st reusable rocket flown by the private industry.<br />5. A SpaceDev derived orbital spaceplane will be in works<br />6. The International Space Station might be sold to China where the Chinese will<br />learn how to live, work, build and maintain systems in space<br />7. Design and fabrication of hardware for returning to the Moon would be happening in someone's dreams.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[carp]

"What was the US Space Program looking like before the loss of Columbia? <br />The International Space Station had been reduced to US core complete and <br />scheduled for 2004, The Shuttle was going to fly until at least 2020 and maybe <br />longer. No one was going beyond 250 miles. A return to the Moon was a generation <br />away and China and Russia had a better chance of going to Mars than the US". <br /><br />

 

[vt_hokie]

I don't believe ISS had ever been reduced to "US core complete". And, as I've mentioned earlier, proceeding to US core complete makes absolutely no sense if you're not going to install the Japanese and European labs. The additional truss/solar array elements and Node 2 serve no purpose other than to provide power and a connection for those lab modules.

 

[kdavis007]

Let me add one more:<br /><br />8. The Hubble fans still crying about NASA failure to fix the telescope..

 

[n_kitson]

Correction "The hubble fans crying because the JWST was cancelled and the funds raided to purchase a lunar-certified pogo stick for CEV exp 2. The unusued pogo stick is now in the Smithsonian because the CEV program was cancelled after 200% budget overrun" <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> (end sarcasm)

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>The Shuttle Orbiters are sold to China. <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />Not even remotely likely. Anyone who sold an Orbiter to China would definitely be facing criminal charges, probably including treason. The Orbiters have classified components; I don't even think you could sell them to Canada, our closest ally, without violating ITAR. It might be possible to sell them to a private US buyer, if they first underwent an extensive sanitization process.<br /><br />People like to talk about selling the Orbiters, but it is not as simple as saying "hey, let's make some money by slapping these things on eBay!" <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[spacefire]

about as likely as everything else he posted <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[dobbins]

8. The alt.space hardliners will still be attacking NASA and predicting wonders that never happen.<br /><br />

 

[kane007]

9. Virgin Galactic + other spacelines will be providing sub orbital excursions for the upper middle classes.<br /><br />10. T/Space will be test flying their orbital spaceliner.

 

[kdavis007]

11. The anti human in space crowd will still live in a fantasy world thinking that robots would still do a better job than humans in space...

 

[barrykirk]

Classified components?<br /><br />That is truly sad if it's true that anything in the shuttle is classified.

 

[najab]

><i>That is truly sad if it's true that anything in the shuttle is classified.</i><p>Well, it's true. And here's one that's even stranger - when the Concordes were decommissioned, there were agents of Her Majesty's Secret Service present to collect the still-secret engine management computers! Just because technology is old, doesn't mean that it isn't valuable.</p>

 

[drwayne]

Actually, when you realize that there is encryption of ground control channels, the fact that there might be classified gear becomes no longer suprising, but obvious.<br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[dobbins]

You also have to consider that the Shuttle was designed to fly classified DoD missions as well as the kind it currently flies. Removal of components needed for that function could be a major task.<br /><br />