Armstrong blasts Obama's space plans

[Bob B.]

Former astronaut Neil Armstrong has issued a strongly worded rebuke of President Barack Obama, criticizing the president for proposed revisions to the U.S.' space program.

Armstrong: Obama Hurting Space

[Satanic Mechanic]

Armstrong and other astronauts have struck a nerve on Obama.  According to today's news, Obama is now backpeddling and talking about a "lite" version of Orion and no specific lift vehicle.  We will find out what he says tomorrow when he visits KSC on Tax Day.

SM

[DonPMitchell]

It's kind of clash of the titans, with Buzz Aldrin supporting Obama's plan and Neil Armstrong opposing it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/14/obamas-nasa-policy-divide_n_537148.html

[Johno]

Wow, Neil's got some heavyweights backing him too . . .

[DonPMitchell]

I think one big concern is not so much about repeating the Apollo missions, but about the fear that closing down all work will cause NASA to lose jobs and expertise that it will never be able to recover.

[Ottawan]

Interesting that Buzz Aldrin flew to Florida with Obama on Air Force One and agrees that re-tracing 40 year old steps is not the way to go . . . . . the Orion survives, but with what kind of mission in mind?

At least his statements promised more manned missions than before, and human flights to Mars. That shouldkeep the astronaut office happy!!!

[LunarOrbit]

It sounds to me like Orion will be scaled down to a smaller size and only used as a rescue vehicle for the ISS.

[DonPMitchell]

I'd like to see them keep the space program healthy and not lose all that expertise.  But I'd like to see them do something new.  Buzz's idea of building an interplanetary spacecraft in orbit, appeals to me way more than just landing on the Moon again.

[Johno]

Don,  I agree with you there, but the problem is how far they had already gone towards making the new program work.  Right or wrong, they'd bet everything on Constellation. . .

[ijuin]

What we need Orion (or whatever it morphs into) to do is basically for it to be a larger version of Soyuz. In other words, it would take 4-6 people on a mission of less than 14 days manned duration, with translunar capability limited to a Block II design (Soyuz was also designed for lunar missions originally). We do NOT need an all-purpose design--that was where we went wrong with Shuttle. What we need is to have our LEO ferry, and the "deep space" (asteroid/Mars) missions will have a vehicle designed for THAT purpose. Using a lunar-capable or asteroid-capable craft for your LEO ferry is akin to using a semi truck to commute to the office--just because you possess a big truck does not mean that it is the appropriate vehicle for all of your transportation needs.

[Satanic Mechanic]

Ijuin,
I believe your assessment is correct about a basic Orion.  I do see some modified versions for specific needs but for anything like long duration, asteroid rendezvous, or Mars, I see a hab module or a combination hab-propulsion module being used and Orion just for landing.

If I can use your great analogy about using a pickup to go to work...  I see Orion like a small car going to work.  When I drive, I see people with RVs driving across the country and they normally have a small car or small truck in tow.  When people in RVs arrive at their destinations, they normally do not explore the town with the RV, it is too big to maneuver, they park the RV at a campground and explore the park or town with the towed car.

SM

[ijuin]

Case in point. We do NOT need the thirty-ton monstrosity that the Orion lunar configuration was growing into--not if we aren't using it for lunar missions. If it's not going to the Moon, then it can use a smaller service module (say, half the propellant and a smaller engine--you only need about 1,000 m/s of delta-v for LEO operations, not the 2,000+ m/s needed for trans-earth insertion from Low Lunar Orbit). By shaving off mass in this manner, it can fit onto an Atlas V or Delta IV instead of needing the Ares I. If we ever do use Orion for lunar missions, then we can bother with the huge Service Propulsion System.