the year she should debut
Quote from: Chris Bergin on 12/30/2015 11:56 amthe year she should debutWe are in 2015 already, Chris. Or was that 2014? No wait, I guess the first announced launch date for Falcon Heavy was 2013: http://spacelaunchreport.com/falconH.html.Anyway, what use is 53 metric tons of payload capacity to LEO? It's not even enough to lift an M1 Abrams, which weighs 54 tons! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_Abrams
Anyway, what use is 53 metric tons of payload capacity to LEO?
Quote from: rocx on 12/30/2015 12:09 pmAnyway, what use is 53 metric tons of payload capacity to LEO?The average mass of most of the ISS modules was <20 tons. I'd say that 53 tons is quite useful.
How close to the cross-fed enabled 53mt payload to LEO is the non-cross-fed fully expended full thrust falcon heavy? I'm guessing it's fairly close...
What does a Bigelow 330 module weigh? If FH can get these to LEO, 2-4 of these would be as large as ISS at a lot less expensive cost than ISS was. Army tanks won't be used in space. Way too heavy. Can't fire the cannon as the opposite reaction would take one out of it's intended orbit.
The LEO standard is not really ISS elevation anyway. It's not really that useful a metric.
[...]Specifically disruptive to Human BEO exploration plans. Scimemi, the ISS director for NASA, says he wants to build the HAB Congress just directed NASA to study and have a prototype ready for 2018. Why would we do that, when for a fraction of the cost, we could send up a prototype BA330 on a FH? (that's a rhetorical question)[...]
I have difficulty understanding the need for a habitat to be launched directly into a lunar or Mars trajectory. Earth orbit rendezvous (as originally proposed by von Braun) for refueling or mating a departure stage could be used at lower cost. Wasn't that even the original plan for Constellation? As to the habitat diameter, the FH could be equipped with a wider fairing should that be needed, or an inflatable habitat could be used. Close attention to sustainable overall cost is essential if we are going to maintain a foothold on Mars, rather than just leaving a few footsteps, which on Mars, with its blowing dust, will not last long.