Space shuttles have been in service since the late 70ies. Now, Lockheed Martin presented a the successor, the Crew Exploration Vehicle. The bad news is, the plans are get it in the air around 2014, which is much longer than the Apollo program i.e. needed. Certainly, after the tragic loss Challenger and Columbia safety is written with a capital S, but the space shuttle won't presumably be in the air after 2010, so there's four years without an adequate transport vehicle. The CEV is supposed to offer flexibilty, safety, (partial) reusabilty and affordability - the two latter were already aims set forth in the space shuttle program, but the space shuttle fleets maintenance and individual flights alone were up to 50 times more expensive than intially planned, furthermore the reusabilty aspect was never properly met, too many parts had to be repaired after each flight.

The Crew Exploration Vehicle is supposed to counter the problems that handicapped the space shuttle program. There won't be a reusable spaceplane, but rather a capsule similar to the one used in the Apollo program. The launch system will be expendable, but I doubt the costs can be reduced in comparison to other programs. Also, I read that the CEV is supposed to

• transport a crew to low-orbit Earth, thus being a space shuttle between the ISS and Earth
• serve as an emergency vehicle on ISS
• transport a crew to the Moon and eventually even to Mars (after 2020)

Let's see: increase safety, extend flexibilty, reduce costs, all in one. I doubt they will be able to meet all aims. Nevertheless, it has to be done. A decade ago, I talked to a teacher from my school about space exploration. She complained that all the money that the space shuttle program cost (approx. $145 billion), they could have used to fight hunger and disease in the world. That may be so, but back then I had the same opinion as I have now: No step forward is a step backward. If humanity doesn't set itself new goals, it'll stagnate. In my opinion, a self-sustaining human population in space in the future is a crucial aim. Humans explore and expand, and it is about time to expand into space.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 06, 2005 at 5/06/2005 11:22:00 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.