Brian Thorn wrote in
:

On 21 Aug 2005 15:09:15 GMT, "Jorge R. Frank"
wrote:

It's not a perfect solution, of course. Working out a way to send up
replacement CMGs would be a priority.

And you'll have to send replacements more frequently, since you'll
have no real idea why they keep failing if you can't bring the failed
ones back to the ground intact.

This is all just SO encouraging when we're talking about going to the
Moon and Mars. "We want to build a moon base, but don't ask us to keep
a CMG working or go up 300 miles to Hubble, it's too hard..."

No one's saying it's *too* hard. What *I* am saying is that we don't know
how to build manned space systems for long-term reliability because up
until now, we've never *had* to - everything has either been in LEO, where
servicing/replacement is relatively easy, or on relatively short (14 days)
jaunts outside of LEO.

Maybe we should just pull the plug on NASA now.

Or maybe we should just commit to *learning* how to solve the problem in
the relatively safe confines of LEO before setting out for Mars. Say, on
ISS.

--
JRF

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