Hi All

SOme optimistic statements for once.

I think the SRB CEV launcher is a sensible use of well-tested technology.

I also think Shuttle derived HLLV is an even more sensible use of already well tested technology.

To me it seems some kind of rationality has prevailed in the upper echelons of NASA.

And just another thought on the road ahead, but have any of you ever read Poul Anderson's novella "The Saturn Game"? It's about the use of psycho-drama (written back in the D & D craze of the 80s) by astronauts to escape a nasty situation on Iapetus.

The scenario behind it is that large mobile industrial facilities blazed the way to the planets - a concept that makes a lot of sense if space-travel is ever to pay off. We all want Mars flights, but I think it's fair to say none of us want an Apollo-style repeat - a few visits and no long-lasting presence. Poul Anderson's concept has a lot of merit.

Adam