On Oct 25, 8:36*am, bob haller wrote:
...

*Unlike many supporters of commercial space I'm neutral on the
question of the SLS. My view is that commercial space will go on
whether or not the SLS is funded.
*Also, in an upcoming blog post I'll discuss that the very first
versions of the SLS scheduled to launch in 2017 will be able to launch
manned lunar missions.
* Bob Clark

Which *is something that NASA intends to to: The first human Orion/SLS mission
will *be Lunar Orbit. Maybe two or three lunar orbit flights of longer duration before
going *to L-2 or this President's precious NEO mission. I'm still a "Moon First" type,
though..

*After I wrote that post, I realized I left out a key word: with the
first launch of the SLS in 2017 we will have the capability to launch
manned LANDER lunar missions. This will be important since it will
provide an important, definite mission for the SLS from the very first
launch. The SLS has been called a "rocket to nowhere". That in fact it
will have the capability to return us to the Moon from the very first
launch will be an important point to promote its continued funding.
*Likely this first launch in 2017 will serve as an unmanned test
mission to show the cryogenic space stages can safely land and take
off from the lunar service with a human-qualified capsule. But
certainly by 2019 we will be able to do the crewed missions, on the
50th anniversary of Apollo 11.

* *Bob Clark

so wheres the money? unless theres a BIG BUDGET INCREASE for nasa,
there will be little or no $$$$ for missions, and at best one SLS
launch per year?

bob clark seriously how will such a expensive program be funded given
the economic realties we face today?

It depends on whether or not SLS is funded. But if the SLS can
perform a manned lunar landing mission as early as 2017 that would
provide a big boost to justifying its funding.
Key also is the additional cost to making the lander mission is
comparatively small in comparison to the, admittedly large, cost of
the SLS. The basis would be the Early Lunar Access proposal of the
early 90's:

Lunar Base Studies in the 1990s.
1993: Early Lunar Access (ELA).
by Marcus Lindroos
http://www.nss.org/settlement/moon/ELA.html
(Note a typo on this page: the payload adapter mass should
be 2,000 kg instead of 6,000 kg.)

This was a billion dollar mission proposal but the estimated cost was
1/10th that of Apollo. But quite key to note is the fact that most of
this cost was due to the modifications that would have had to be made
to the shuttle's SRB's and/or external tank, and to the Titan IV
launcher suggested to be used at that time, as well as for the launch
costs. The added cost of the cryogenic space stages and the capsule
was comparatively small.
So too would be the case here.

Bob Clark