So say we all! http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/03/nac-select-human-exploration-destination-asap/
Just don't let it be a lunar base in case Romney gets elected. Because he'd fire you all.I'm just saying that to point out that announcing a "grand plan" right now (i.e. with more fanfare than the existing plan) may will have negative consequences on the public support front. It's easy for enthusiasts like me (and presumably NAC) to say that "if only we had a big grand plan, everyone would be excited," but the real public perception of such an announcement right now would be immense skepticism and even mocking (Newt and Mitt proved that) because of the huge focus on budget-cutting these days (something I think is very misplaced, but that's the 'reality' of public perception right now).
Of course they can pick an EM-1/2 gateway as the initial destination, still leaving flexibility for NEA's or lunar mission.
Just don't let it be a lunar base in case Romney gets elected. Because he'd fire you all.I'm just saying that to point out that announcing a "grand plan" right now (i.e. with more fanfare than the existing plan) may will have negative consequences on the public support front. It's easy for enthusiasts like me (and presumably NAC) to say that "if only we had a big grand plan, everyone would be excited," but the real public perception of such an announcement right now would be immense skepticism and even mocking (Newt and Mitt proved that) because of the huge focus on budget-cutting these days (something I think is very misplaced, but that's the 'reality' of public perception right now).(All that to say that I'd like such a grand plan ala Newt's, if I thought it had any chance of not having a negative public reaction like Newt's did.)
Seriously, there HAS to be a plan of some kind to advance the program, to give it focus, and build some momentum. If people are serious about space, well, they'll just have to fight this hurdle (as congress has in the past) when the time comes. They did it with SLS, they can do it with the choice of destination (after all, they will be providing the funding for it).
Quote from: Ronsmytheiii on 03/27/2012 01:50 amOf course they can pick an EM-1/2 gateway as the initial destination, still leaving flexibility for NEA's or lunar mission.IMHO an EML-1/2 gateway is not a meaningful exploration destination because there's nothing there to explore. Instead I'd view an EML-1/2 as a capability, just like SLS, MPCV, propellant depots, ISS, and a solar-electric tug.My view is that our primary exploration destination should be Phobos, with NEOs as a planned warmup. A little thought should be put into making sure the Phobos architecture is extensible to a Mars landing, but that's not a priority since a level of funding sufficient for a Mars landing is speculative.
We should stop referring to EM-L1/L2, NEA's, the Moon, or Mars Moons as destinations. The destination is Mars. All the other places or locations in space are stepping stones on our journey to Mars. Reaching these stepping stones will give us confidence we can go further. Whether we make use of all of these stepping stones or only some, or in which order, is not yet decided.And why should it be decided now, when we do not yet have the capabilities to go beyond Earth orbit? Since budget will continue to be a principal constraint, there are still many trades to be made to ensure we make the most cost-effective choices.
NASA is trying to figure out exactly what they can do with just the Block 1A SLS.At this point it doesn't seem like much.I'm assuming a Lunar Lander can't be done without Block 2 because of stuff I've seen on L2.The destination is most likely going to be NEA around 2025 using 2x Block 1A vehicles.
Quote from: Robotbeat on 03/27/2012 12:24 amJust don't let it be a lunar base in case Romney gets elected. Because he'd fire you all.I'm just saying that to point out that announcing a "grand plan" right now (i.e. with more fanfare than the existing plan) may will have negative consequences on the public support front. It's easy for enthusiasts like me (and presumably NAC) to say that "if only we had a big grand plan, everyone would be excited," but the real public perception of such an announcement right now would be immense skepticism and even mocking (Newt and Mitt proved that) because of the huge focus on budget-cutting these days (something I think is very misplaced, but that's the 'reality' of public perception right now).(All that to say that I'd like such a grand plan ala Newt's, if I thought it had any chance of not having a negative public reaction like Newt's did.)There's a difference between a "grand plan" and a "grandiose" plan. Newt was saying he wanted a colony with 10,000 people and wanted to turn the Moon into the 51st US state. Of course everyone laughed at it. So did I. ...
Quote from: Chris Bergin on 03/26/2012 10:28 pmSo say we all! http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/03/nac-select-human-exploration-destination-asap/Great article, Chris. As are the rest of in this series. (Love the BSG reference, BTW)
Quote from: Warren Platts on 03/27/2012 04:15 amQuote from: Robotbeat on 03/27/2012 12:24 amJust don't let it be a lunar base in case Romney gets elected. Because he'd fire you all.I'm just saying that to point out that announcing a "grand plan" right now (i.e. with more fanfare than the existing plan) may will have negative consequences on the public support front. It's easy for enthusiasts like me (and presumably NAC) to say that "if only we had a big grand plan, everyone would be excited," but the real public perception of such an announcement right now would be immense skepticism and even mocking (Newt and Mitt proved that) because of the huge focus on budget-cutting these days (something I think is very misplaced, but that's the 'reality' of public perception right now).(All that to say that I'd like such a grand plan ala Newt's, if I thought it had any chance of not having a negative public reaction like Newt's did.)There's a difference between a "grand plan" and a "grandiose" plan. Newt was saying he wanted a colony with 10,000 people and wanted to turn the Moon into the 51st US state. Of course everyone laughed at it. So did I. ...Nope, he only said he'd establish a lunar base by his second term.He also mentioned that he'd get the process in place for allowing a lunar colony to become a state at some point considerably in the future, but that was a separate point, and it was something he had done well in the past.Of course, everyone forgot about that immediately and started mocking the whole idea, suddenly saying that Newt had claimed he'd establish the Moon state by the end of his second term. Even you, as much as you support lunar exploration and utilization, apparently bought into that misrepresentation. And that's my point. Right now, being "tough" on any sort of interesting government project is popular. If 'Bama had talked about going to Mars in the sort of grand way that some want, he'd be mocked in just the same manner, and all sorts of people (even those who consider themselves well-informed) would be joining right in.