William Atkins
Friday, 23 October 2009 20:18
Science -
Space
Page 2 of 3
The Augustine Commission, headed by Norman Augustine, former chief of Lockheed, recommends continuing to support U.S. involvement in the International Space Station past 2015, which is the year that NASA runs out of money for continuing involvement in the project. That want active participation through at least 2020.
The Report states,
“The Committee finds that the return on investment from the ISS to both the United States and the international partners would be significantly enhanced by an extension of its life to 2020. It seems unwise to de-orbit the Station after 25 years of planning and assembly and only five years of operational life.”
It adds,
“A decision not to extend its operation would significantly impair the U.S. ability to develop and lead future international spaceflight partnerships. Further, the return on investment from the ISS would be significantly increased if it were funded at a level allowing it to achieve its full potential: as the nation’s newest National Laboratory, as an enhanced testbed for technologies and operational techniques that support exploration, and as a management framework that can support expanded international collaboration.'
The Commission report, 157 pages in length, states that the United States should re-do the Ares program.
Instead of continuing with the Ares I rocket, which is intended to take only astronauts into space, the report recommends switching to the development of a modified heavy-lift Ares V rocket, which was originally intended to take only cargo into space.
The recommended Ares V Lite, would take both humans and cargo into space. By designing and developing only one rocket, instead of two, NASA could cut the time to get both astronauts and cargo into space.
The Commission also recommends the NASA provide billions of dollars into a public sector and private sector partnership is which the private sector builds spacecraft to taxi astronauts between Earth and low-Earth orbit. They recommend that such an operation begin in 2016.
Page three concludes with comments from Mr. Augustine.
