Now for the implications of a EM-1 date in 4Q 2019 for this plan.EM-2 no earlier than 1Q 2023. Europa Clipper possible the first SLS-1B in 2Q-3Q 2023 with EM-2 in 2Q-3Q 2024 because of not flying crew on first flight of EUS.This pushes all the dates NETs referenced in the plan slipped to the right 1-2 years.So first manned Orion and the first ITS unmanned flight could be an either or situation as to who is first.A BTW ISS has 500m^3 of volume. An ITS has somewhere in the range of 1,000 to 2,000m^3 of volume. As a SSTO just the spacecraft lifting with a dozen persons to LEO would make an interesting instant space station. That also presumes that the dry weight of the spacecraft is as low as SpaceX would like for it to be making it able to reach orbit as an SSTO without much payload (estimate about 10mt out of its planned capability of 200-300mt when launched on top of the BFR.But alas ITS is highly speculative at this point but so is the funding for SLS/Orion through to 2025.
So if ITS is doing orbital testing in 2021, what happens to this plan?
Quote from: Negan on 05/12/2017 09:13 pmSo if ITS is doing orbital testing in 2021, what happens to this plan?Or New Armstrong? Probably not in 2021,but soon after.
NASA's Worst Plan Yet
So, the question is: If we could put a man on the Moon, why can’t we put a man on the Moon? Here’s the answer: During the Apollo program, the NASA’s mission-driven human spaceflight program spent money in order to do great things. Now, lacking a mission, it just does things in order to spend a great deal of money. Why is NASA proposing a lunar-orbiting space station? The answer to that is simple. It’s to give its Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion capsule programs something to do. The utility of such activity is not a concern. As a result, nothing useful will be accomplished.