MSNBC (JimO) - NASA mulls early retirement for space shuttle

MSNBC - NASA mulls early retirement for space shuttle

Preliminary studies look at off-loading station building to rockets

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6357772/

By James Oberg, NBC News space analyst // Special to MSNBC

Updated: 9:45 p.m. ET Oct. 28, 2004

HOUSTON - Even as NASA gears up for the space shuttle's return to flight
next year, officials at the space agency are quietly studying the
possibility of cutting back its number of missions and retiring the
spacecraft years ahead of schedule, MSNBC.com has learned.

HOUSTON - Even as NASA gears up for the space shuttle's return to flight
next year, officials at the space agency are quietly studying the
possibility of cutting back its number of missions and retiring the
spacecraft years ahead of schedule, MSNBC.com has learned.



YES YES YES YES YES!!
..
..
End the dangerous wasteful shuttle now before it kills any more astronauts....

MSNBC - NASA mulls early retirement for space shuttle

Russia says it canm launch all but 2 modules on its expendables. I say reture
the shuttle today and find another way to get the cupola to the station. Heck 5
billion would probably cover the cost of replacing a couple modules altogether.

Now that they are looking at effective spending in space, perhaps ISS will get
cut entirely.

The money saved could pay for a new station with a large anoumt of remote
control; capacity from the ground, and transhap components.
..
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End the dangerous wasteful shuttle now before it kills any more astronauts....

(bob haller) wrote in
:


HOUSTON - Even as NASA gears up for the space shuttle's return to
flight
next year, officials at the space agency are quietly studying the
possibility of cutting back its number of missions and retiring the
spacecraft years ahead of schedule, MSNBC.com has learned.



YES YES YES YES YES!!
.
.
End the dangerous wasteful shuttle now before it kills any more
astronauts....

I'm convinced.

Now more than ever I see how saying we "have to" launch all this stuff on
the space shuttle was just NASA not being able to break out of its mold.
There's no good reason this stuff can't be connected to the station
robotically.

However, I do not believe that the station construction should be cut back
because we don't want to fly the shuttle. The station needs to be
finished, in its entirety.

Not only will stopping the shuttle save billions of dollars, but if we
start increasing launch rates of unmanned rockets (EELVs or even SpaceX's)
then their price will start to fall, pretty quickly too. Though the
Russians say they could do it for us, I'd rather keep the launches in the
U.S. We need to keep growing our launch capabilities, we don't do that by
sending stuff overseas.

Tom

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6357772/

Interesting. The concept floating around seems to be to cancel a
bunch of space station modules, and move "cargo" (which I assume to
mean logistics and such, not modules) to expendables such as Delta IV
or Proton. The truss (including its solar panels), Cupola, and
Centrifuge were mentioned for the hit list.

What's motivating this is presumably a case of irresistible force
meets immovable object, with one being the delays in return to flight,
and the other being the 2010 deadline/target/goal/whatever for
retiring the shuttle. A decision on the truss would be coming up soon,
with the third flight being a truss flight, at least so it would seem
from http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/future/index.html (which is
out of date at least with respect to the STS-114 date).

But I thought the most interesting sentence was: "If the Chinese are
invited into the partnership, they also can transport personnel aboard
their Shenzhou manned spacecraft, whose second orbital flight is
expected next year." When I first heard speculation to that effect,
several years ago, I figured it was politically unlikely that the US
would be willing. But US-China relations have warmed since 9/11 (or at
least, China is no longer a priority bogeyman), so I suppose it is not
as unthinkable.

"Tom Kent" wrote in message
0.42...
Now more than ever I see how saying we "have to" launch all this stuff on
the space shuttle was just NASA not being able to break out of its mold.
There's no good reason this stuff can't be connected to the station
robotically.

Actually there are very good reasons why you can't do this. It's been
discussed in these groups many times. Try doing a Google search; you might
actually learn something.

Jeff
--
Remove icky phrase from email address to get a valid address.

Interesting. The concept floating around seems to be to cancel a
bunch of space station modules, and move "cargo" (which I assume to
mean logistics and such, not modules) to expendables such as Delta IV
or Proton. The truss (including its solar panels), Cupola, and
Centrifuge were mentioned for the hit list.


Well Russia has offered to launch all but a few pieces on expendables.

Perhaps RTF should be limited to the few items Russia cant carry? This would
allow station completion, and with say 4 shuttle flights with a skelton
crew.....

saving 5 billion a year that can be invested in a new manned launcher system


..
..
End the dangerous wasteful shuttle now before it kills any more astronauts....

"Jim Oberg" wrote in message
...
MSNBC - NASA mulls early retirement for space shuttle

Preliminary studies look at off-loading station building to rockets

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6357772/

Bah. Headline should be NASA continues to prove it has no Cajones.

(no offense to Jim, he's only reporting the news, not making it.)

One Shuttle returns to flight, the schedule for assembly will be tight enough
that shuttle flighst will quickly become routine again and people will forget
about all these stories of early retirement etc etc.

And until there is specific funding for a CEV thing, shuttle will continue to
fly and will probably be extended to 2015.

Shuttle will not stop flying before there is a replacement vehicle that is
fully funded and under contruction.

One Shuttle returns to flight, the schedule for assembly will be tight enough
that shuttle flighst will quickly become routine again and people will forget
about all these stories of early retirement etc etc.

And until there is specific funding for a CEV thing, shuttle will continue to
fly and will probably be extended to 2015.

Shuttle will not stop flying before there is a replacement vehicle that is
fully funded and under contruction.


Wishful thinking. Shuttle flying is never routine. Every little malfunction
will get sensaltionized by the media.

New manned launcher will never get built till the shuttle is done flying.

russia says it can transpoort all but a few modules, those that cant should go
by shuttle as soon as RTF then ground it permanetely.....

nasa is now fighting a loosing battle, the shuttkles days are ending, its time
to move on
..
..
End the dangerous wasteful shuttle now before it kills any more astronauts....