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NASA Looks Beyond Shuttle With New Spaceship
Washington (AFP) Jun 28, 2006 NASA is already looking into the future with a new generation spacecraft to replace its aging shuttle fleet that could one day take astronauts on an ambitious mission to Mars after returning to the Moon. The Discovery shuttle takes off Saturday in one of the 16 final missions to the International Space Station (ISS) for the 25-year-old fleet before its 2010 retirement amid ongoing concerns over its safety. NASA will replace the shuttle, which was not designed for use beyond low Earth orbit, with the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) to take astronauts back to the Moon by 2018 and eventually to Mars. NASA administrator Michael Griffin recently underscored the importance for the United States to have the ability to reach the Moon, saying its leadership in space exploration was at stake. "Imagine if you will a world of some future time -- whether it be 2020 or 2040 or whenever -- when some other nations or alliances are capable of reaching and exploring the Moon, or voyaging to Mars, and the US cannot and doesn't," he told a congressional panel in April. "Is it even conceivable that in such a world America would still be regarded as a leader among nations, never mind the leader?" Griffin said. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration plans to have the new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) ready for a manned flight by 2014. NASA has decided on a capsule design instead of a space plane or shuttle type of spacecraft, saying it is a much safer mode of transportation. "The new spacecraft will provide its crew with a launch escape capability, something that the space shuttle does not have which, combined with its inline design, makes the new vehicle 10 times safer than the shuttle for ascent," NASA says. The CEV also has a lesser chance of being hit by debris during liftoff as it would be positioned atop a launcher. The Columbia shuttle was struck by a piece of foam that peeled off its external fuel tank during takeoff, and the damage caused it to burn up and disintegrate as it returned to Earth in February 2003. The CEV will also have a retro look, similar to the Apollo capsule used in past Moon missions. But unlike the old spacecraft, the CEV will have the ability to parachute down on land. The CEV will be able to take three to six astronauts plus cargo to the ISS. NASA says the spacecraft could carry four astronauts to the Moon and six to Mars. The US space agency selected last year two consortia that will compete for the chance to build the blunt-body, conical CEV, which still has no price tag. US aerospace industry giant Lockheed Martin leads one group that includes EADS Space Transportation, a subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co.. The second contender is headed by US defense giant Northrop Grumman and includes US aeronautics group Boeing and Italy's Alenia Spazio. NASA is expected to pick the winner in August.
Source: Agence France-Presse Related Links NASA CEV
Botanist To Study Seed Behavior Aboard Space Station
Oxford OH (SPX) Jun 21, 2006When shuttle Discovery launches July 1, it will carry the continuing research of botanist John Kiss to study if and how well plants can be grown in microgravity. Kiss' project is one of only two experiments launched on Discovery that will be performed on the International Space Station at this time. |
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