Lockheed Martin Considers Mixed Fleet For Launching New Space Vision

SPACE TRAVEL

Lockheed Martin Considers Mixed Fleet For Plan Bush

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Washington (SPX) May 05, 2004
John Karas, Lockheed Martin vice president for Space Exploration, said today that incremental, evolutionary development of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) family that began in the 1960s is a vital lesson that can yield important dividends well into the future.

In testimony today before a Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space Hearing, Karas cautioned that the nation's launch systems providers need to fully understand the goals of exploration missions and requirements before driving the architecture to accomplish them. The subcommittee is studying U.S. space launch capabilities including the space shuttle and future launch vehicles.

"Some in our industry often like to jump to solutions, but it's not about heavy lift. It's not about the Nina, Pinta or Santa Maria. It's about the total requirements for exploration for the entire mission model," Karas said.

Karas cited Lockheed Martin's Atlas launch vehicle, which has evolved over four decades to its current capabilities, as one of the candidates for further evolution to support potential lunar or Mars missions

"We are focusing on EELV-derived systems to support new space exploration missions, but also addressing shuttle-derived and "clean sheet" approaches to heavy lift. Once the overall space transportation requirements are defined, the best solution can be selected based on what is affordable and sustainable," he said.

SPACE TRAVEL

Hemorrhaging from the Fingertips

Moffett Field (SPX) May 04, 2004
NASA Research Park (NRP) launched a new Exploration Lecture Series at NASA Ames Research Center, to feature top researchers and academics, who will examine new technologies for human and robot-based exploration, as well as on-going and planned space exploration missions. The first lecture, "The Moon, Mars and Beyond," featured Dr. Andrew Chaikin, author of "A Man on the Moon: The Triumphant Story of the Apollo Space Program." The book was the basis for Tom Hanks' HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon," which won an Emmy for best miniseries in 1998.

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