Need Moon Ride, Will Pay 5 Billion USD, Only Need Rocket and Tin Can
....Posted
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
��Via <a href="http://www.transterrestrial.com/archives/007354.html">Transterrestrial</a>, <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/7/11/94827.shtml?s=al">Rumours of pending increases</a> in CEV and VSE costs: <blockquote>"Word has it that internal studies done by/for Scott Pace's PA&E office show a growth in projected costs to complete the CEV program - <strong>by as much as $10-15 billion.</strong> In addition, individual lunar missions using one CEV, CLV, CaLV, LSAM, LSAS, etc. are now estimated to cost <em>$5 Billion each</em>. By comparison, Space Shuttle missions cost $0.5 billion each.</blockquote> That launched this response from Transterrestrial: <blockquote>"..if this is true, it's hard to imagine that there will be much enthusiasm for lunar missions. There certainly won't be from me, considering the alternate uses for the money..."</blockquote> Nor should there be. At 5 billion USD a pop, for what we perceive to be traditional lunar mission involving a small crew under half a dozen people, will hardly mean an ushering of humanity into the great dark beyond. <p> That being said, just what alternate uses for the money would NASA actually approve of? I'm find it hard to believe they will automatically pour it into sub-orbital research on scramjets or on human spaceflight initiates to LEO that involve cost cutting and such. <p> Something tells me that 5 billion dollars a year will go to randomn studies about how brake grease floats in space... If given that choice I'd choose the white elephant lunar landings scenario anytime.
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