Heir to the Saturn 5

NASA weighs Ares alternatives, including an heir to the Saturn V

However, the rocket received high marks from NASA engineers over the shuttle derived systems in the following areas:

1) Ground Operations Safety: It eliminates the danger of stacking the Solid Rocket Boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center. Currently nobody can be in the building during stacking. It also opens up the VAB to other uses because you can have offices in the building again.

2) Costs: It eliminates at least $1 billion a year in solid costs and tens of millions more in recurring costs of shuttle-derived systems.It also takes fewer people to operate.

3) Maintenance: Boosters are heavy and thus inflict a lot of wear and tear on KSC facilities, including the Crawler-Transporter that carries the rocket on its mobile launchpad, and the 130-ft wide Crawlerway track that leads from the VAB to the pad. As this rocket would be stacked empty and fueled on the pad it would be much lighter than a rocket using SRBs.

Buzz Aldrin - Cancel the Ares 1 and V

Why We Need Better Rockets

What do we need? One rocket for all our deep space missions. Save the taxpayer's money by canceling the Ares 1 and V. And go "back to the future" in designing the big beast. So how do we get to the space station without Ares 1? Let the commercial space firms develop their own crew launchers, and crew vehicles. Why should Uncle Sam be in the people hauling business?

Peter Sage Speaks On SSP at TED

TED Space Energy Presentation - Peter Sage - 1/2

Peter Sage of Space Energy Inc. giving a presentation on Space Based Solar Power (SBSP) at the TED conference.

TED Space Energy Presentation - Peter Sage - 2/2

Orlando Sentiel Editorial for Scrapping Ares I

Pull the plug on Ares- The gist: NASA needs a new approach to keep its manned program relevant. from the Orlando Sentinel

If U.S. space-policy decisions were dictated based solely on spectacle, the Ares I would be a shoo-in as NASA's next manned vehicle. Unfortunately for fans of the rocket, cost, design and timing also matter.

Problems with all three argue for scrapping Ares I and assigning commercial rockets the task of flying to the international space station in low-Earth orbit. That would allow the agency to concentrate on its pre-shuttle mission of cutting-edge exploration.

Sherry Bell's Book is Out

Congratulations Sherry,

Living in Space edited by Sherry Bell

Living in Space is a captivating study across a wide spectrum of the issues that humanity faces, as we look beyond our home planet at future needs, future business endeavors, future learning opportunities, and future homes for our children and theirs. The authors who contributed to this volume present us with a wonderful diversity of perspectives, including the arts, philosophy, business, science, and technology, and the story that emerges from their fine writings engages the imagination. These chapters also engage our vision, and I hope this book helps us to muster the will and the commitment to proceed with the development of space for the benefit of all humanity, as it should be. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. -- Edgar Mitchell, Sc.D., Apollo 14 Astronaut, March 26, 2009