The idea about sending people anywhere other than LEO on a rocket is silly. Rockets are not a means to an ends, but are rather an enabler to reach those ends. They should be nothing more than a way of putting large payloads of equipment and supplies into LEO. Sending that cargo to other destinations should be the job of dedicated space based craft that can travel anywhere in the solar system.
We need a launcher that can put at least 100 metric tons into orbit. That launcher should be reliable, simple, and as cheap to produce and launch as possible. Once that has been done, we need to begin constructing an adequate space station that can be used as a testbed for developing new technologies and as a shipyard to construct and maintain the ships that can carry us anywhere in the solar system.
It's a simple and straight forward solution:
1. Develop and build a reliable heavy lift launch system. (Everything else depends on this 1st step)
2. Construct an orbiting workbench and shipyard.
3. Design and build true spacecraft to carry us anywhere in the solar system.
Space/Science » in reply to re: More From PM on "Jupiter" (Moon Only plan?) - NO
People seem to misuse rockets.
The whole thread (30 posts)
- Griffen Answers Critics
- Earth scientist to replace Griffin ?