On 2004-01-14, Edward Wright wrote:
"Jorge R. Frank" wrote in message ...

On the other hand, if Alt Access is nothing but a brief stop-gap
between Shuttle and CEV, how do you expect a commercial provider to
charge $40 million per flight but still recoup its development
costs
during the brief period before it is shouldered aside?

Simple, agree not to use CEV for ISS crew rotation/resupply if a US
commercial provider is available, CEV has plenty of non-ISS missions
(lunar/Mars/asteroids) to do.

From the White House fact sheet on the new policy: "The Crew
Exploration Vehicle will also be capable of transporting astronauts
and scientists to the International Space Station after the Shuttle is
retired." I see nothing in the fact sheet about NASA agreeing not to
use CEV for ISS crew rotation or to allow private enterprise to do
anything.

You have a url for that fact sheet edward ?

There's also a very strange statement about the CEV schedule: "The new
spacecraft, the Crew Exploration Vehicle, will be developed and tested
by 2008 and will conduct its first manned mission no later than 2014."
If the CEV will be developed and tested by 2008, what's it going to be
doing during the six years between 2008 and 2014?

Yeah, I picked that up as well. 2008 is the old date for CRV capability.
Is it possible that Bush ment it would be capable of ISS duty in 2008,
but would have to be able to get to the moon by 2014 ?

Then again, he said manned moon missions by 2020....*shrug* I dunno.

Some questions answered, more posed....Like what does "ISS Complete" mean ?
US Core Complete ? International Core Complete ?

International Core Complete is 24-25 flights away AIUI...assuming flights
happen between 2005 and 2010, thats 5 missions a year...With 2-3 orbiters,
at least 1 would have to fly 3 times a year...


Iain.