Quote from: pippin on 07/11/2009 09:24 pmIt's very bad for the whole industry that it doesn't yet make sense to fit something like a Centaur on a Taurus II and be able to adapt it to meet whatever avionics spec OSC may have.No, it isn't. That isn't how the rest of industry works. Airbus avionics don't work in a Boeing plane. Airbus wings don't work in a Boeing plane.
It's very bad for the whole industry that it doesn't yet make sense to fit something like a Centaur on a Taurus II and be able to adapt it to meet whatever avionics spec OSC may have.
An upper stage is an end unit and too high of level for interchangeability. Taurus II can have a LH2 stage using RL-10 engines and Honeywell gyros. Just like an Airbus and 747 can use the same GE engines and have some of the same Collins components.
Quote from: Jim on 07/11/2009 10:07 pmQuote from: pippin on 07/11/2009 09:24 pmIt's very bad for the whole industry that it doesn't yet make sense to fit something like a Centaur on a Taurus II and be able to adapt it to meet whatever avionics spec OSC may have.No, it isn't. That isn't how the rest of industry works. Airbus avionics don't work in a Boeing plane. Airbus wings don't work in a Boeing plane.Look at my post, that wasn't my point. Wings are also a bad example because it's a structure not a subsystem.
The auto industry analogy would be: buy the structure, the engine and integrated avionics
Quote from: pippin on 07/11/2009 06:05 pmI bet there are GM vehicles with Ford engines.These are the types of statements I will not abide. Don't say things you have no basis for. Besides, there aren't.
I bet there are GM vehicles with Ford engines.
None in America.
Gee... I used to complain that the Elon "Musk Q&A - Updates SpaceX status on Falcon and Dragon" thread had become an all-purpose, multiple-subject flaming thread...Now I see that the "T II Development" thread is addressing the problems of the U.S. automotive industry... probably a lot more relevant to this country's future than a poor little old MLV, I guess!
You mean Taurus II isn't the next generation mid-sized Ford? Our bad..... ;-)
Was the GAO report too pessimistic?
Ford also had the Falcon.
An academic symposium will be held this fall to explore the potential of what officials are calling "Virginia's Spaceplex" in the Wallops Island area.Accomack County and state officials met with representatives from several state universities Wednesday in Richmond to hear preliminary proposals for a concept study for the Wallops area, which would emphasize developing a vision for its potential and which eventually would lead to an economic impact analysis and concrete recommendations.The county last week issued a request for proposals for the study, saying it will aid in marketing efforts for Wallops area enterprises. But by the end of yesterday's meeting at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the group decided to take a broader approach and to concentrate on three different aspects of planning for growth in the area: to plan for immediate needs related Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Taurus II project; to hold a symposium; and to do comprehensive long-range planning.