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NASA Takes One Big Step to the Past
Aug. 5th, 2005 04:52 pm
From Slashdot. According to the The New York Times, NASA is looking at going back to disposable boosters for the space shuttle replacement, and using different vehicles for crew and cargo launches. Additional details are available here
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My reaction: it’s about time. The Big Dumb Booster idea was first proposed about twenty years ago, when it was first realized that the Space Shuttle was going to be an overcomplicated, inadequate vehicle. I have access to design proposals dating back to 1985 of vehicles using shuttle components to make a simpler, more effective launcher. And now twenty years later, after two, almost three disasters, NASA is actually looking at the plans.
It’s frustrating- the Shuttle, which was supposed to bring the cost to orbit down, actually is the most expensive way to launch stuff into orbit- the Big Dumb Boosters, which were derided as being inefficient and wasteful, are actually the cheaper way to go about things. And now NASA’s finally admitting that simpler is better.
This may feel like a step backward, but it’s the best thing NASA could have done, if they actually are serious about returning to space.
.
My reaction: it’s about time. The Big Dumb Booster idea was first proposed about twenty years ago, when it was first realized that the Space Shuttle was going to be an overcomplicated, inadequate vehicle. I have access to design proposals dating back to 1985 of vehicles using shuttle components to make a simpler, more effective launcher. And now twenty years later, after two, almost three disasters, NASA is actually looking at the plans.
It’s frustrating- the Shuttle, which was supposed to bring the cost to orbit down, actually is the most expensive way to launch stuff into orbit- the Big Dumb Boosters, which were derided as being inefficient and wasteful, are actually the cheaper way to go about things. And now NASA’s finally admitting that simpler is better.
This may feel like a step backward, but it’s the best thing NASA could have done, if they actually are serious about returning to space.