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On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 06:38:01 -0500, "Morgans" <jsmorgan@chJUarNKer.net> wrote:
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>"Toks Desalu" <tdesalu@NOSPAMverizon.net> wrote in message
>news:mJQmf.1473$Bj4.1244@trndny01...
>> NASA is seaking private contractors to handle the cargo flights to space
>> station. Do you think that Burt Rutan will jump on chance to bid for that?
>
>IMHO, no. NASA would expect the winner to be ready to start bringing cargo
>soon after the bid is awarded. That would mean that the winner would have
>to have a system in place, or nearly so, already. That will mean it will
>have to be a non reusable system,, probably unmanned, and that isn't where
>he is headed.
>
>Reusable or not, by bet is that the winner will be unmanned. Just my
>guesses.
I do not disagree with you too far, but: It's possible that Rutan could make the
cargo ship by leveraging the hardware he's building for the suborbital ships.
On the Discovery TV show last year, they showed a SpaceShipOne-class vehicle
atop of Falcon rocket. A Falcon V could take a SS1 to orbit, though getting it
DOWN again might be problem. But with an unmanned ship, that ain't an issue,
and, in fact, increases your payload capability by eliminating wings, etc.
Remember, no American astronaut flew atop a rocket specifically developed for
manned flight until the Apollo program. All the rockets in Mercury and Gemini
were designed for unmanned "cargo" missions. Rutan's smartest move would be to
grab the NASA contract and let the US Government fund the development of an
unmanned orbital system....then he could adapt it for manned use.
Ron Wanttaja
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Re: NASA/Cargo flights
