Ben the Space Brit

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• Commented on Should Congress Design the Next Big Booster?

  Frank, the SLS has three predictable forms: The smallest is the two x SSME version, which I call 'SLS-L'. It can lift ~30t to the orbit of the ISS. It is perfect to launch the Orion + signficant enough margin...

• Commented on Should Congress Design the Next Big Booster?

  Frank, I've been thinking about some of the questions at the bottom of your article. "-Why the rush for a new heavy lift vehicle: What is it for-and do we really need one sooner rather than later? Can we make...

• Commented on NASA HLV Development: Hurry Up And Wait

  Simply put, the vehicle's first mission will be US-indigenous crew transfer to the ISS. This is because Congress has zero confidence that "SpaceX", which appears to have become shorthand for Commercial Space for some reason, has the ability to do...

• Commented on The Moon Is Shrinking

  This isn't really surprising. After all, all current theories about the Moon's origin suggest it was originally molten. Liquids tend to have greater volume than solids so, as the Moon cools, it would have shrunk. As the Moon has no...

• Commented on Send More Money - Or Cut Something Out

  So what happens if this "advanced propulsion system" fails before or during the EOI burn? In such a circumstance, an assured return capability using a capsule on a ballistic re-entry would be grately preferrable to an orbit that might not...

• Commented on SpaceX Gives a Preview of Falcon X and XX

  This is only a guess on my part, but I think it is 'ecks' for 'Extended' or 'Exploration'. 'Ecks' is often used as the suffix or prefix for advanced vehicles....

• Commented on Space Station Experiences Partial Cooling Shutdown

  That's a question that has only ever been hand-waved away, IMHO. If nothing else, this incident will make those who campaigned for STS-135 (and the outside chance of an STS-136) seem prescient....

• Commented on Video: Boeing CST-100 Crew Transport Docking With Bigelow Space Station

  This may be an entirely random comment, but when I first saw this video, something occured to me: Thanks to their involvement with Bigelow and ULA, Boeing can actually claim to offer a complete LEO HSF package - Capsule, LV...

• Commented on White House/ Senate Compromise Reaction

  Ironically, the burden of maintaining the US SRM industry doesn't fall on NASA. The military and ULA use far more of it than NASA does with no more than 12 RSRMs a year. It's just that ATK know that the...

• Commented on NASA Reauthorization Bill Provides ATK with a Glimmer of Hope

  It's fairly simple and has been discussed elsewhere. It essentially goes like this: 1) Take the shuttle ET and replace the oval LOX tank with a more conventional oblong one. 2) Thicken the tank walls so that it can take...

• Commented on White House/ Senate Compromise Reaction

  Frankly, I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the NYT's quoted comments in Keith's post. People outside the community really didn't know what Ares-I was for, did they? I have to congratulate the NYT for not just getting...

• Commented on Nelson & Hutchison Have a "Major Breakthrough" to Announce

  The rumour is that the President has offered his support for the bill. If so, that is a major hurdle crossed and should make the next steps a bit easier. IMHO at least, it might also mean Charles Bolden gets...

• Commented on Senate Rejects Obama's Space Plan

  @ RC, I'm basing my comments on the various statements made by senators and representatives since FY2011 was rolled out. The 'usual suspects' (those who have a lot of say about space funding) have all seemed to be of the...

• Commented on Senate Rejects Obama's Space Plan

  I have to say that this doesn't surprise me. There are two facts to keep in mind here: 1) The main priority of the House and Senate appears to have been to maintain as many jobs as possible; 2) None...

• Commented on Senate Prepares To Throw Road Block At NASA Policy

  Much remains to be set in stone (or at least in a bill to put before the Senate). However, it is my understanding that Senator Nelson wishes to authorise a directly-derived SDLV. This would likely come in LEO and BEO...

• Commented on Asteroid Lutetia Revealed by Rosetta

  @ GREverett, Oddly enough, that is what my mother said when I showed her the image. I reminded her that it is a rock the size of the Greater London area several tens of millions of miles away. @ warp,...

• Commented on Senate Prepares To Throw Road Block At NASA Policy

  Landing would be difficult and expensive, mostly because of the costs of developing a lander in parallel to maintaining the ISS. However, I am completely sure that, if the directive were given, an Orion could be orbiting the Moon on...

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

  Keith, I'm thinking that Obama has been learning from Tony Blair and has been issuing his subordinates orders in informal, non-minuted meetings held without any witnesses from outside the inner circle. That way, if anything ever blows up in his...

• Commented on Senate Prepares To Throw Road Block At NASA Policy

  "I'm still wondering why Obama/NASA HQ hasn't been looking for a compromise." Because (and this came as a great surprise to me when I realised it) Obama isn't the compromising sort. It is his way or the highway and he...

• Commented on Orion Passes Phase 1 Safety Review

  I think that a more appropriate question is: How far away from being flyable is it? If Orion can be brought to readiness in less than five years (on an EELV-Heavy rather than the underpowered and expensive Ares-I), then I...

• Commented on Cernan Calls On Bolden To Resign

  Irrespective of your view of President Obama's space vision, I really think that Administrator Bolden should be kept away from live microphones from now on. He has made several major slips that have hardened opposition to the President's policies. He...

• Commented on The Cape Week in Review - KSC Research Park Ground Breaking, Shuttle Launches Pushed Back

  With STS-134 now no earlier than Feb 2011, it is beginning to seem that inertia alone may end up delivering a sort of minimal shuttle extension. With shuttle activities continuing so far into 2011, I think that the economic argument...

• Commented on House Gets Firm With NASA Over Data Request

  In some ways, this is a political master class. President Obama is showing how a total unwillingness to compromise can completely steamroller the checks and balances of the American political set-up. FWIW, I suspect that we are seeing a deliberate...

• Commented on White House Responds To Congress on FY 2011 Budget

  Eddie, for the record, I am also anti-Ares. I consider the ALS to be one of the major causes of the current problems. That said, I remain unconvinced that this 'dash for commercial' will do anything significant for human space...

• Commented on White House Responds To Congress on FY 2011 Budget

  "What is the bold new human space flight initiative that Obama refers to?" Go to an asteroid some time in the 2020s in a spaceship that is yet to be designed using technology yet to be designed (or even adequately...

• Commented on Sen. Nelson Attempts To Formulate a Compromise

  Whilst I wouldn't put it as acidically as Gonzo, I do agree that the real enemy of any future NASA plan (and that incldues the President's FY2011 proposals) is the sick management culture in the agency. They can turn the...

• Commented on Shuttle Derived Launch Vehicle Idea Is Still Alive

  "What is heavy lift anyway?" In this context? It's a launch vehicle that can send 80,000kg/176,400lbs to LEO. This is more-or-less the same as what OSTP was calling for in a report they issued once (although they were pushing for...

• Commented on Huntsville Constellation Layoff Update

  It's simple enough. All that sound and fury? It's just sound and fury. There is no solid commitment for the extra funding nor are there attempts to engage the public. Even those most furiously shouting 'save Ares-I' in Congress are...

• Commented on Huntsville Constellation Layoff Update

  Although I may not agree with Miles on all the minuate of his post, I have to agree with the general thrust of his comments. If CxP teaches us nothing else, it is that NASA has found the glass ceiling...

• Commented on Musk Corrects Wall Street Journal Article

  Cygnus is a cargo-only hauler and, unlike Dragon, does not have a re-entry vehicle. If they wanted to compete in the commercial crew launch market, they would need to replace the Cyngus's cargo hauler with a completely new crew-carrying re-entry...