A_M_Swallow

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• Commented on Learning From The Past

  A Falcon 9 and smaller Atlas V can place 10 metric tons in LEO. So a reusable solar electric tug able to take 10 mT of cargo to EML1 or lunar orbit would be useful. New ion engine designs have...

• Commented on Should Congress Design the Next Big Booster?

  "check back in 10 years. We'll be lurking in LEO, buying rides from the Russians and Chinese indefinitely, and paying whatever price they choose." We'll be buying rides from SpaceX long before then. Only if SpaceX etc. are allowed...

• Commented on Dazed and Confused on "The Hill"

  SpaceX is not quite on cash on delivery but if the milestone is not met Musk is not paid....

• Commented on Constellation Flight Test Office Budget Cut

  An interplanetary spacecraft would allow the USA to demonstrate its technological leadership whilst saving many jobs. The jobs would initially be in development and later in operations when the spacecraft flies....

• Commented on Constellation Flight Test Office Budget Cut

  The Dragon and/or CST-100 will transport astronauts between the ground and spacestations in LEO. A method of moving them from LEO to Earth-Moon Lagrange points (delta-V 3.97km/s), lunar orbit and possibly Phobos is needed. A return path will also be...

• Commented on Challenger Center Prepares for Desert RATS 2010

  Portable base station for cell phones - that sounds like a facility that film makes can use when on location. Construction companies may be able to use it as well, at least until the utility companies can wire up the...

• Commented on Senate and White House (Apparently) Compromise on NASA Policy

  Bye bye Flagship technology missions. The Flagship technology missions are cheap so it looks like the amendments to the bill may bringing them back....

• Commented on UDPATE: Obama DID NOT "Charge" Bolden To Do Muslim Country Outreach

  It is fairly easy to show that outreach to Muslim countries was official White House (=Obama) policy. The White House may be changing policy but they have not yet had time to run a coverup. Quoting from the State Department's...

• Commented on Good Times Ahead at NASA Glenn

  Glen aerospace is there, the politicians are just not talking about it. http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/441794main_GRC_Roll_Out_Final.pdf Quote Aeronautics Research: The FY 2011 funding augmentation will be used to increase research activities into green aviation and Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) capabilities. Next...

• Commented on Orion Passes Phase 1 Safety Review

  Ares I has plenty of performance to lift Orion to orbit as demonstrated in the Constellation PDR. The challenge is to get the Orion crew module mass down so it can land safely on its 'chutes. Up-mass isn't he problem,...

• Commented on Orion Passes Phase 1 Safety Review

  Pity Ares 1 is only designed to take Dragon sized capsules to LEO....

• Commented on Space Tugs

  If the tug is up in the 20 metric ton range then its propulsion unit can be a refuellable Centaur or Falcon 9 upper-stage. The docking arm and reconnaissance radar etc. would have to go up as 'payload'....

• Commented on OMB: What Are NASA's Lowest Impacting Activities?

  The civil services main costs are meetings and paperwork. Find some documents that NASA writes that SpaceX does not. Put them up for banning....

• Commented on Building Orion

  ...A better solution is a low cost taxi vehicle (like Dragon) and a deep space vehicle that never reenters the atmosphere. That would make sense however so it's probably off the table. Manned deep space vehicles that never reenter the...

• Commented on Toward a New Space Architecture

  It will be interesting to see if the Mars Vehicle ends up being nuclear powered or using solar arrays....

• Commented on Unlikely Alliances Against Obama Space Policy

  NASA does not need a roadmap from the President, that can be written by the Administrator. NASA does however need from the President: a. money b. authorisation to proceed c. agreement for the White House not to get in the...

• Commented on Plan C For Outer Space

  @ whyisthat1 My understanding as I stated previously is that the Falcon 9 payload (a Dragon qualification vehicle) does not have re-entry capability. Are you saying it does? There is: * Dragon qualification vehicle (unit) * cargo Dragon * manned...

• Commented on Flagship Technology Demonstrations RFI Is Out

  FTD 2 is a mini propellant depot, if done properly. FTD 3 tests that we can dock with a Bigelow module, use one in a transfer vehicle and that the air conditioning works. The current Bigelow modules are unmanned....

• Commented on Flagship Technology Demonstrations RFI Is Out

  Cress was the food plant we grew at school. Ready to harvest after a few days. If cress needs gravity this can be easily provided since it only grows to about one inch high. Just put the plant pots on...

• Commented on Commercial Space Enables Exploration

  Going commercial frees NASA for deeper space? If that's true then: 1. Why is the Obama administration decreasing the amount of money related to man spaceflight from $8.4 billion a year as of 2009 down to less than $5 billion...

• Commented on Pad Abort 1 Test Successful

  You are running into the difference between price and cost. The successful outfeeds have to pay for everything else. For instance a completed launch pad only counts as successful if it launches things....

• Commented on Pad Abort 1 Test Successful

  That LAS should be useful for Orion on DIRECT....

• Commented on Using ISS Needs To Extend Shuttle - Update

  Where will the fuel tanks come from? NASA is mothballing the tools at the MAF where tanks are built, cutting off long lead suppliers and releasing workers. It would be very expensive to start up again. Part of the rush...

• Commented on Heavy Lift Launch System and Propulsion Technology RFI

  @Stan Be careful to attribute the comment you are objecting to to the correct person. Doubly so when using insults. Keep this up and people will wonder if you are a troll. p.s. If you cannot use ... use "..."...

• Commented on Heavy Lift Launch System and Propulsion Technology RFI

  Why is nuclear thermal bad? The US Navy uses it on ships every day all over the planet. The only difference is they use it to heat water, we will use it to heat hydrogen. You get lots of thrust...

• Commented on Heavy Lift Launch System and Propulsion Technology RFI

  Why isn't anyone talking about bringing back nuclear thermal? Brain-dead simple (=reliable), powerful, easy to make, double the ISP of the best chemical engines, perfect interim solution until sufficiently powerful nuke reactors + plasma thrusters are created. What is it?...

• Commented on Using ISS Needs To Extend Shuttle - Update

  Despite all the hand wringing here there is in fact an ISS logistical plan. All of the spares that are so large that they require Shuttle to bring them up are being flown to the Station by the Shuttle before...

• Commented on Using ISS Needs To Extend Shuttle - Update

  What happens when the starboard rotary joint gets fouled again...how in the world do we get the replacement there? ... One method of getting large items like rotary joints to the ISS is launch the module on an EELV. Once...

• Commented on Shelby's Contradictions Laid Bare For All To See

  > "Senator Shelby is right on here. It is a fact that SpaceX is almost 2 years behind schedule. The Cx haters went crazy when IOC of Ares went from 2013 to 2015. {snip}" The advertised first launch date for...

• Commented on More Reaction

  Simple, current American launch vehicles are cargo only. The Shuttle is finishing, in an emergency the Russian spacecraft would have failed and the Falcon 9 is several years away....