Re: China's Space Program


Message posted by HALSOL on June 30, 2003 at 8:49:19 PST:


Well said, Andre your analysis is spot on. Here is possible way we can return to the Moon. In the 1960's we built the Saturn V and used brute force to get to the Moon. However, developing a new heavy lift vehicle is exspensive and ineffecient. The Office of Exploration at NASA's Johnson Space Center has developed a workable scheme by using the Shuttle, and existing Delta IV boosters. This eliminates one of the biggest cost from the start - the need for a new launch vehicle.

The first phase is to place an unmanned Habitat module in low earth orbit using a Delta IV booster. Next the Space Shuttle transports the Lunar Landing Vehicle and crew into low Earth orbit. The Habittat and Lunar Landing vehicles are joined using a "manipulator system". The crew and the "stacked vehicle" are injected to the Moon-Earth Lagrangian point called L1.

The Lagrangian point is located about 80% of the way between the earth and the Moon. At this point the gravitational forces of the Earth and Moon cancel creating a stable location in orbit. In other words you can place a spacecraft at this location and it will remain static requiring no fuel adjustments to hold its location.

When the Moon is in alignment with the L1 point, the Lunar vehicle separate from the Habitat module and descends to the Lunar surface. After exploration is complete the Lunar vehicle returns to the habitat module at L1. The habitat module waits for the Space Station to come into alignment and they return to ISS. Finally the Space Shuttle docks with ISS and the crew returs home.


In Reply to: Re: China's Space Program posted by Andre' M. Dall'au on June 30, 2003 at 4:23:02 PST:

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