Space Forum / Shuttle / January 2004

Might I just throw ihnto the mix here the point that it seems to me that the
Shuttle was a great idea, and despite its problems, a lot of what is not
known about space travel would not be known if we had just piled into minute
cramped tin cans.

The Allure of an Outpost on the Moon
By KENNETH CHANG
Published: January 13, 2004  NY TIMES
For some, it is the steppingstone of the Moon, not the distant goal of Mars,

What the heck is a "space elevator"?
In the UPI new release about Pres. Bush's bold new space initiative, it said
that the committee which layed out his new policy investigated everything
from <snip> to space elevators to <snip, more stuff>.

Just minutes ago...
Steve (reporter) - "Mr. President, <unintelligble>... can
America afford a major shift in the space program to go
back to the Moon and then on to Mars?"

Though apparently not actually a serious problem, the way they have to find
leaks seems long and time consuming, something that may not be a possibility
to have if a serious leak occurred.
Is there no technology that could be used to find leaks, or at least pin

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-01-05-space-station_x.htm
CAPE CANAVERAL (AP) - The international space station is experiencing a
slow, steady drop in air pressure, and American and Russian flight
controllers are investigating possible causes of the leak.

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/01/10/mars.rover.ap/index.html
So what is the level of risk for the ten inch wheels driving over the
deflated airbags? Since they seem to plan to creep out so slowly
doesn't this allow time for corrective maneuvers?

This is my understanding of what may happen if  President Bush announces a
Moon/Mars mission:
1.The Space Shuttle is to be retired by the end of this decade.
2.A new type of crew vehicle will be developed to get personnel into low

For your entertainment:
http://www.hal-pc.org/~jsb/ColorMars.jpg
Jon

I saw a couple of articles today that mentioned the President is thinking of
proposing some sort of rekindled lunar exploration plan.  Is there anything to
this or is it just election year bullshit?

In a recent post - Jorge Frank wrote:
"NASA's current plan for return-to-flight is 1) mitigate sources of foam
debris from the ET, so it's less likely to come off in the first place; 2)
add impact-detection sensors behind the RCC panels; 3) develop RCC

i wonder why not protect the leading edges (RCC panels) of the orbiter wings
while launching to orbit with some impact-reducing material, maybe foam
itself. after ET seperation this protection could be jettisoned.
wouldn't that be a relatively cheap and quck approach for return to ...

How much less or more protection would a man need on the surface of Mars,
than in space or on the moon?
I mean, if  Earth does go to Mars with peeps, then they surely need to go
out  sometimes, maybe to dust the solar cells...!

It has been said that NASA lacks a grand vision, and that recent presidents
haven't been able to find missions as inspiring as Apollo.  It seems to me
that an equally inspiring and equally outrageous vision would be to send
unmanned probes to the nearest star.  By 21st century ...

...Preaching to the choir, but fodder for discussion:
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It is the Board's opinion that good leadership can direct a culture to
adapt to new realities. NASA's culture must change, and the Board