Thread: CEV PDQ
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  #23  
Old May 9th 05, 06:11 PM
Ed Kyle
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Ed Kyle wrote:

So to get the costs for a shuttle-derived system down
to something reasonable - say $400 million per flight
at four launches per year - NASA would have to establish
a program that only employed around 6,500 (total, for
everything from factory to control center to parking
lot security, etc). This is only about one-third of the
total currently involved in the space shuttle program.
(Or it could employ the same number of workers at 1/3rd
the pay.)


Or NASA could do something remarkable and design
CEV to fly atop existing EELV assets. If four
launches were to occur each year, then the EELV
production rate would be increased from 8 to 12
annually and the per-flight launch services cost
would drop from about $120 million to $80 million
(a bit of guessing). Then, if NASA could consolidate
centers, shut down Complex 39, and run the vehicle
and mission part of the program with only 2,000
workers or so (complementing the 3,800 or so who
build and fly the EELVs), the entire CEV program
could be run for maybe $1 billion per year ($250
million per flight).

It won't happen.

- Ed Kyle