NASA Exploring Cheaper Shuttle Replacement

[omega4chimp]

What if their was like a space boom and everybody started to live in space that would be sweat.

[templerman1]

All of these ideas are still utilizing 20YO tech. Add to that a one for all flight system. The STS was supposed to be a fly-back booster and orbiter but Nixon wanted to win Vietnam and so STS was what NASA settled for. NASA's out of the box thinking cap needs replacing with simple reasoning. A spaceplane to take people to LEO. A reusable remote-controled fly-back X-37B like cargo ship.

[rjpugh]

This is Shuttle-C, and it was intended to be part of the STS system from the get-go. But it was cut for budget reasons. Resurrecting this idea would be an effective way to tide us over for a while. But the various problems of the STS system would still haunt us (albeit with a slightly lower human risk), so it would be at best a stop-gap.

[Raajur]

I really hate the rocket shaped shuttles. I love how the space shuttle looks, kind of like an aeroplane... hopefully they design something similar.

[Zamolxes77]

I see, the war in Iraq cost is estimated at 600 billion, but a program to replace the shuttle is 7 to 20 billion. I wonder where we would be if 10% of war costs would be poured into space exploration.

[finalfanthero]

@Zamolxes77 Lol you wanna get to see the covenant sooner then expected?im joking,but its true what u say,war is retarding us really bad,with the money they have wasted on wars, we could be building colonies on mars and moon for resource exploitation right now.

[JustinReview]

@Zamolxes77

Cost of Stimulus and Obamacare greatly surpasses both wars combined in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[SuperKenny720]

@Zamolxes77 they already know and thats why the millitary is taking over space ecploration. Happy treking

[EdouardDubois]

@Zamolxes77

I remember hearing that the cost of the war could have paid for several trips to Mars and back. Or one big wheel-station like there is in 2001 A Space Odyssey.

[ChicaWolverina]

Hell... by now everyone should have developed space-plane shuttle, and the US should be exporting a basic 3rd gen version and have developed a few different sizes with full non-failure endo/exo propulsion solutions!~

BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

We got Reagan, and fascist corporatist, neo-confederates and more and more superstitious, ignorant deity worshipers subverting our government and brainwashing the masses!

[InfiniteMushroom]

@ChicaWolverina YES! Finally somebody gets it! Am I the only one who remembers Reagan as the greatest crack dealer of all time? HE was the one who introduced the U.S. to economic crack cocaine and patriotic hallucinations. While we were tripping out on Trickle Down and worshiping predatory CEO's, Reagan made Faustian deals with the Banksters.

The banksters aren't interested in space. Our manned space program was saved to be the last thing to be pawned off to pay interest on our mortgaged souls

[Hypergalactica]

I understand that there are many options for a future HLLV (and I love the Ares V), but NASA has a history of bad cost prediction (they're engineers, not economists). I'm not really prejudiced against this design, I just hope that they come up with something that will work. If they go with this and it doesn't work, then go with the DIRECT Jupiter rockets.

[davisgreen2020]

Rubish idea ! The Ares V was designed to lift to low Earth orbit 180 tons and 71 tons to the Moon and beyond ! This "cheaper" replacement will be no better than the Space Shuttle a "in-line" design is far safer !!! Keep Constellation !! The replacement will not be able to lift 180 tons to L.E.O or 71 tons to the Moon !! Keep the Shuttle going ( Sen.John Glenn) until a replacement in online. Keep Constellation ( Neil Armstrong) !

[valcan321]

@KingofSkullkid452 You do realise oil companies have provided ALOT of what we use to studdy the ocean right?

[4rcane]

it cost the private sector at most $80 mil to send ppl into space, which cost nasa $1billion

[Craigthepope]

The side mounted pod is such a stupid idea

[rocketshipstud6]

space-x falcon-9 rocket with dragon capsule (7 crew) begins testlaunches 8may 2010...to send americans to space station in 2011...pray that it works (or we will be stuck paying russia 50$ million per ticket on soyuz) interkosmos-usa

[SuperMagnetizer]

What we need is reusable spaceships. The Shuttle is an example. Enterprise (ALT only), Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, Endeavour. Just 5 Shuttles made 130 spaceflights so far. Why give up on reusable spaceships? The next step should be orbital refueling.

[valcan321]

@SuperMagnetizer The shuttles lack the ability to work in orbit very long sense they run on batteries. Also each launch cost 1 billion dollars and doesnt launch any more cargo into orbit than existing rockets.

[yemo34]

@SuperMagnetizer are you mad. The only reason you need to have orbital refueling is for deep space mission's. And the shuttle is incapable structurally of flying in deep space because of its ceramic tiles and mass. The shuttle's light enough to fly, But you would need a lot of fuel to propel something that size. The shuttle doesn't even need much fuel in orbital flight. The problem with even having reusable spacecraft is that they are to damn heavy, and the fuel cost's to damn much!

[Apollo580]

I would just go with orion and have private companies and our space friends the Russians help us out while we build Orion.

[fuadali16]

come on we need something new

[silviosantoz]

has anybody considered building an elevator to the moon? One time cost!

[TheLiberalssuckdick]

Yes.

Anchored deep within the earth with a counter weight on the other side to keep it tight.

[sakitakono]

yes, We don't have the tech. to make the rope yet.

[ZaneKaminski]

Wouldn't really work, although an elevator to geosynchronous orbit is more plausible... See, an elevator to the moon would have to have its center of mass in geosynchronous orbit, 35,700 km above the earth. However, the moon's orbit is not circular, so the elevator would have to expand and contract while still keeping its center of mass in GEO.

[TheFluffyDuck]

@silviosantoz The trouble is the moon ORBITS the earth. it would get twisted up :( Then there is the whole lack of materials problem

[beetweenmylegs]

do em both

[cat00012000]

Let private enterprise take over manned space flight

[beetweenmylegs]

do them both.

[BinkieMcFartnuggets]

Just send dwarves, you'll save tons on material costs and not to mention open a lot of doors for small people out there.

[ttoale]

I wish I knew why AP posts the same video 2 or 3 times. Its really annoying

[froobcity]

Pisses me off

[martinmary555]

We will go back to the moon, I say we need to build a space ship. I know it could be built, if some one could could find out how to build it!!! martinmary555 catch my video

[DonkeyFist]

Free Wilzyx!