Could U.S. go to the Moon on the cheap?

William Atkins
Sunday, 05 July 2009 20:40

Science - Space

Another plan, instead of using the NASA Constellation plan, uses a capsule placed on top of the External Tank (ET).

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Stephen Metschan’s DIRECT team proposal

In another article in the Orlando Sentinel “Alternative moon rockets to over-budget Constellation gaining traction,” author Robert Block writes that other alternatives, besides Shannon’s plan, are being publicly brought to the attention of the space community.

One such proposal comes from the DIRECT team, a group of engineers working outside of NASA. Stephen Metschan heads the DIRECT team.

Their concept, called the DIRECT proposal uses the ET and SRBs, now called the Jupiter rocket, from the shuttle to launch a capsule on top of the rocket instead of the current configuration of the orbiter riding alongside the ET.

The DIRECT 3.0 proposal was presented on June 17, 2009, at a public hearing, held in Washington, D.C., of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, the committee reviewing future U.S. space efforts.

Additional information on the DIRECT plan is found at the group’s website DIRECTlauncher.com.

Wikipedia also contains much information on the DIRECT team’s proposal.