A White House panel charting the course for the nation's human space flight program was briefed this afternoon on alternatives to the Ares rocket and Orion spacecraft NASA is designing to replace the space shuttle and return astronauts to the moon.
Entrepreneur Elon Musk of SpaceX updated the panel on progress being made in fielding the company's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft, which are being developed to haul cargo and crew to the International Space Station.
Former astronaut Frank Culbertson of Orbital Sciences Corp. reviewed the ongoing effort to develop a Taurus II rocket and Cygnus spacecraft for the same purpose.
The representative of a group of anonymous NASA engineers laid out plans for a shuttle-derived vehicle called the Jupiter rocket -- one that could launch cargo or crew on missions to the moon.
And NASA shuttle program manager John Shannon pitched a side-mounted shuttle-derived heavy-lift launch vehicle that could launch cargo and crew on lunar missions.
You can weigh in with your own thoughts at The Panel's Website.
The briefings all were part of the first public hearing held by the Augustine Committee, which is reviewing plans for the U.S. human spaceflight program and alternative ideas.
There seemed to be a consensus that NASA is on the right course -- that the agency should set its sights once again beyond Earth orbit. The best way to get there is the matter being debated.
The panel and all briefings also thought that NASA should extend operations of the International Space Station beyond 2015.
Musk offered up a cogent opinion. He said commercial companies should step up and provide handle crew and cargo transportation to and from the $100 billion station. And NASA should focus on exploration beyond Earth orbit.
Led by former Lockheed Martin chairman and CEO Norman Augustine, the panel now will head out on field trips to Alabama, Texas, California as they gather information so they can made recommendations to President Obama by the end of August.
The panel will hold a public hearing July 30 on Florida's Space Coast at a location to be named later.
Space news and analysis from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral 
5 comments:
So what will be the liability for a private company if they lose a rocket and crew? What will that do for public sentiment and support for NASA's mission?
The public hearing in Cape Canaveral is currently scheduled for July 30th, not June 30th.
www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/meetings/index.html
Anonymous:
Thanks for pointing that out. I messed up. I'll go fix it now!
why not go to Mars with the International Space Station?
Mars...with the station....you have no clue...do you ?
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