(Cris Fitch) writes:

Not long ago it looked like the Medium lift market was
over-subscribed with Proton, Ariane-5, Sea Launch, Atlas-5
and Delta-IV. Now with the retirement of Shuttle and a
new plan for manned exploration coming into being, we've
got to ask ourselves:

1) Launch lots of medium payloads
or
2) Go Heavy

I've got to argue in favor of #1, hoping that the economics
of all these medium lift launchers will reduce the overall
cost of these plans. Standardize the payloads (a la the building
of MIR) and assemble what you need for each mission. Pay
companies for the results (e.g. fuel delivered to the right
orbit).

Sadly, I expect the current administration to go for (2.) if re-elected.
IMO, this whole "Based on Moon and Mars" scam is merely a civilian cover
to develop heavy-lift vehicles to implement Rumsfeld's "Vision for 2020"
wet dream, which makes even Reagan's "Star Wars" program look cheap and
impotent by comparison: It calls for the total militarization of space,
denial of access to LEO, and the ability to attack targets on the ground
from orbit. But read the documents, and come to your own conclusions:

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1113-03.htm,
http://www.fas.org/news/usa/2001/usa-010508zds.htm
http://www.gsinstitute.org/resources/extras/vision_2020.pdf
http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/space20010111.html
http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/space20010111.pdf


-- Gordon D. Pusch

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