Author Topic: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?  (Read 17834 times)

Online Chris Bergin

RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #20 on: 10/21/2005 07:04 am »
That makes it interesting...keeping the Shuttle potentially going till 2012/13. I wonder how the Shuttle Bashers would respond to that ;)
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Offline FransonUK

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #21 on: 10/21/2005 07:17 am »
I can't see Griffin going for anything past 2010. I just hope he's not such a big a fan of old style transport as he seems to be to try and do all he can to do anything BUT sell the Shuttle to the media. Sometimes I wonder if he works for or against NASA.
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Offline JamesSpaceFlight

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #22 on: 10/21/2005 08:38 am »
2010 in whatever capacity I'd say. It's very important - and Griffin's own words - that there isn't a large gap in no manned space flight for the US program.

Offline Tahii

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #23 on: 10/21/2005 08:53 am »
Quote
Chris Bergin - 21/10/2005  7:04 PM

That makes it interesting...keeping the Shuttle potentially going till 2012/13. I wonder how the Shuttle Bashers would respond to that ;)
Not very kindly!

I wasn't saying keep it going, up to a point where the CEV is actually spaceworthy, just lets get the CEV's designed, built, build any new facilities, THEN retire the orbiters, and start thinking about pad modifications and the like. Something like 18 months of downtime in US Manned Spaceflight.

Offline Chris SF

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #24 on: 10/21/2005 11:08 am »
2010. Once they are retired, they are gone. Three Orbiters, a hell of a lot of capability and it would be a gamble despite the current issues with the Shuttles.

Offline tommy

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #25 on: 10/21/2005 11:12 am »
This poll is going the way I would have hoped. Ironically, on the Shuttle Basher havens like SDC they even came out on a recent poll hugely in support of the Shuttle. Ironically, more posts were against. Seems like there is a vocal minority in some places.

Offline SimonShuttle

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #26 on: 10/21/2005 01:01 pm »
Ok, who's the bright spark that put "Never" in there? Chris, get their IP and post their postal address so I can go round and laugh at them ;)

Offline anik

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #27 on: 10/21/2005 01:11 pm »
Quote
SimonShuttle - 21/10/2005  5:01 PM

Ok, who's the bright spark that put "Never" in there?

I am...

Offline SimonShuttle

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #28 on: 10/21/2005 01:14 pm »
Why? We can't keep flying them till the 25th Century. We'll have Warp Speed by then ;)

Offline Jason Sole

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #29 on: 10/21/2005 01:16 pm »
2010 for me, in any capacity. To retire now would end NASA as by the time the new president cancels the VSE, then what?

Offline anik

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #30 on: 10/21/2005 01:36 pm »
Quote
SimonShuttle - 21/10/2005  5:14 PM

Why? We can't keep flying them till the 25th Century. We'll have Warp Speed by then ;)

They can be repaired and modernized... ;)

I think that the Shuttle is one of the best manned spacecrafts... I do not want that they have ceased to fly and consequently has voted so...

P.S.: Many people will lose the work if Space Shuttle program will be closed... :(

Offline Dogsbd

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #31 on: 10/21/2005 03:47 pm »
Quote
anik - 21/10/2005  9:36 AM


P.S.: Many people will lose the work if Space Shuttle program will be closed... :(

Which is a good thing for the country, needing a army of people to keep the shuttle going is one reason for it's great expence. But hopefully the cut backs in personell can be done primarily through natural attrittion, IE people retiring. On the other hand those who will operate the SDLV's will come from the current STS workforce, just hopefully in smaller numbers.

Offline Avron

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #32 on: 10/21/2005 05:58 pm »
Quote
Tahii - 21/10/2005  2:42 AM

I have voted "When the CEV is ready". All going well, that will be a year or three after the 19 flights + HSM, but I believe that if the CEV is delayed for a significant period of time, it would be nice to see the shuttle do a couple more missions. I know that this would require a lot of advanced planning and logistics, and will almost certainly never happen, but I'd love to see it happen.

CEV, before STS retirement is what I intened.. hell so all it will take is a presidential override...
something to add to the next pres. election in the states..

Offline Ad Astra

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #33 on: 10/21/2005 09:09 pm »
Quote
anik - 21/10/2005  8:36 AM

Quote
SimonShuttle - 21/10/2005  5:14 PM

Why? We can't keep flying them till the 25th Century. We'll have Warp Speed by then ;)

They can be repaired and modernized... ;)

I think that the Shuttle is one of the best manned spacecrafts... I do not want that they have ceased to fly and consequently has voted so...

P.S.: Many people will lose the work if Space Shuttle program will be closed... :(

Problem is Anik, we can't do both the STS and CEV. STS is only LEO and we have to move on.

Online Chris Bergin

RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #34 on: 10/21/2005 09:14 pm »
Quote
anik - 21/10/2005  2:36 PM

P.S.: Many people will lose the work if Space Shuttle program will be closed... :(

This is true, although a huge amount of the STS workforce at KSC are ex-Apollo era guys due for retirement.
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Offline GirlygirlShuttlefan

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #35 on: 10/21/2005 09:18 pm »
Hi. I believe the Shuttle is not suffering the issues that make the media and public believe it is faulty or is anymore dangerous than it's expected to be. I personally think that NASA is being over cautious and it is now the safest ship its ever been. People got used to it being routine and when it went wrong everyone gave a panic reaction and that is half the reason why some people want it to stop flying.

Finishing the 19 flights it is currently set to do would be a great way of proving some doubters and naysayers wrong.

Offline Ad Astra

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #36 on: 10/22/2005 03:14 am »
But the cost is huge. $500 million a launch.

Offline Shuttle Scapegoat

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #37 on: 10/22/2005 03:29 am »
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Ad Astra - 21/10/2005  10:14 PM

But the cost is huge. $500 million a launch.

I don't think it's that much and I would also add that you would have nothing to compare it with. I keep hearing things about Soyuz and how it's cheaper, but you can not compare the two.

Offline Tahii

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #38 on: 10/22/2005 05:48 am »
Quote
Ad Astra - 22/10/2005  3:14 PM

But the cost is huge. $500 million a launch.
I've just had a look at the Wikipedia, and they also tend to indicate a $500 Million launch cost, but they explain it more thoroughly:

"Even accounting for inflation, the launch costs on the original estimates should be about $100 million today. The remaining $400 million arises from the operational details of maintaining and servicing the Shuttle fleet, which have turned out to be tremendously more expensive than anticipated. Some of this can be attributed to operating beyond the 10-year anticipated lifespan of each Shuttle."

In other words, its wrong to say it costs $500 million per launch. Think of it as $100 million + maintanence.

Offline realtime

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RE: Poll: When should the Shuttle Retire?
« Reply #39 on: 10/22/2005 06:15 pm »
You're right, they are such different craft that it's hard to compare the two in any meaningful way.

Astronautix has it at $245 million at 6 flights/year, with an additional $63M "fly-away" unit cost, whatever that means.
http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/shuttle.htm

And Soyuz is at $30-$50 million.
http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/soyuzst.htm


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