NASA's Constellation Program
 

I'd be interested in thoughts or information about NASA's plans for the next generation of manned vehicles.

I gather the Space Shuttle will be retired, and some years later NASA plans to have ready the Constellation system, including the Orion crew capsule, Ares launch vehicles, a lunar lander, and some other vehicles.

Can anyone discuss the advantages of the Constellation system over alternative designs, what alternative designs were considered, and the purpose and capabilities of the Constellation?

My snap impression is that the Shuttle was designed to ferry people and payloads to orbit, while the Constellation is designed to also reach the moon, hence the very different
designs. I'm not sure what I think about the rather "retro" appearance (Apollo-like) of the Constellation, but I understand that fashion isn't the point here.

It also turns out that a reusable spacecraft is much, much, much more expensive than a disposable ne.

The shuttle was not designed as a Space truck. It was an experimental vehicle to test re-usability. It was SOLD as a space truck. It could haul and ferry and send up people to fix sats.

Most Sats = 32K miles up. Shuttle = 500 miles max.

It was supposed to be a temp system and replaced.

What Nasa has figured out is that the cost of a reusable system like the shuttle is much more expensive than a system like the Russians use.

I've been inside the mock up. It seems way too small for 6 people.

New administration may want some changes.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aOvrNO0OJ41g&refer=japan

The entire re-development should have been started 15 years ago, fast-tracked, given a full budget, and done by now.

Man should have been on Mars by the year 2004, at least.

But the government (governments, actually) have other agendas, especially in this post 9/11 world.


Officials still don't see that expanding humankind into space is the most important thing we can do, as people, ever.

I've been following the program my entire life and have supported exploration enthusiastically. But must respectfully disagree with this statement. We have to far to go socially as a species. Going to other planets as research is fine but we'll just bring our problems with us. Remember what Klaatu said.