Thread: CEV PDQ
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Old May 9th 05, 12:39 AM
Henry Spencer
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In article ,
Pat Flannery wrote:
[Shuttle-C variants]
Operating costs of such a vehicle could be kept low due to the amount
of man-hours that could be saved in not having to deal with the
orbiter's refurbishment and upkeep.


Emphasis on the word "could". That's not the same as "would".

Generally speaking, you cannot get a truly low-cost process by paring bits
off a high-cost one. You have to build it from scratch, adding only the
bits that are absolutely necessary.

Dave Urie of the Lockheed Skunk Works, asked in 1997 about the idea of
launching VentureStar from LC-39, said: "It's cheaper to build new pads."
--
"Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend." | Henry Spencer
-- George Herbert |