The shuttle payload capability
(24 tons ) is not the correct number to use. *It is the carrying
capability of an MPLM, which is around 5 tons.

So shuttle cost is 120 million per ton

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it's just (bad) PROPAGANDA for SpaceX, the "new God" of the space
business!!!

1. if we consider that a Soyuz seat costs $51M each the price of the
Shuttle's 24 tons max cargo (LESS the $357M saved for the astronauts)
is ONLY $243 million!!!

2. the price of the Falcon/Dragon cargo il absolutely CLEAR because
SpaceX has received $250M from NASA and $250M from private investors
for COTS and the CRS contract value is $1,6Bn to carry a total of 20
tons to ISS, the calulations of costs/tons is easy, that is $105M per
ton carried to the ISS, and it's a VERY VERY VERY HIGH PRICE !!!

3. the pressurized payload carried by the MPLM is over 9 tons (Mass -
4,082 kg empty; ~13,200 kg fully loaded) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-P...gistics_Module

4. using the MPLM, the price-per-ton carried to the ISS is only $65M
(if we DON'T consider the money saved with the 7 astronauts seats) or
ONLY $27M per ton if we consider that, each Shuttle flight, means
$357M saved in Soyuz seats!!!

5. the Falcon/Dragon duo can't carry more than a copule o tons, since,
the great part of Falcon's max payload is used for the Dragon, SM,
propellants, navigation system, solar arrays and everything needed to
carry the (small) pressurized payload of the Dragon to the ISS

6. the Shuttle don't need to add a SM, propellants or other things,
since, all them, are INCLUDED in the Shuttle itself, so, the 24 tons
of cargo of the Shuttle (if optimized with better and lighter modules
and/or putting the full payload in the cargo-bay) could be nearly all
a NET cargo

7. also assuming that an optimized use of the Shuttle payload can
carry only 15 tons of NET cargo, the price per ton is ONLY $40M (if we
don't consider the money saved with the 7 astronauts seats) or $16M
per ton if we consider that each Shuttle launch means a $357M saving
in Soyuz seats

so, from EVERY point of view, the Shuttle price-per-ton is 40% to 80%
LESS than the COTS+CRS price!!!

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