Comments on: Transcript of Newt Gingrich January 25 Space Policy Speech http://blog.nss.org/?p=3242 Blogging for the creation of a spacefaring civilization Thu, 23 May 2013 02:52:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: David Brandt-Erichsen http://blog.nss.org/?p=3242&cpage=1#comment-24713 David Brandt-Erichsen Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:49:38 +0000 http://blog.nss.org/?p=3242#comment-24713 I have been reminded that Bigelow habitats do not provide enough radiation shielding for long-term use on the Moon, and that Dragon can land on the Moon but not carry enough fuel to take off again. True enough, and important details. It was not my intention to work out the details, but to point out the enormous discrepancy in cost between the sustainable economic model for Dragon/Falcon/Bigelow vs. the unsustainable economic model for SLS/Orion/MCPoRN. Romney's criticism that a lunar base is unaffordable is absolutely correct if the SLS/Orion/MCPoRN model is used. That's why that model should be scrapped. I have been reminded that Bigelow habitats do not provide enough radiation shielding for long-term use on the Moon, and that Dragon can land on the Moon but not carry enough fuel to take off again. True enough, and important details. It was not my intention to work out the details, but to point out the enormous discrepancy in cost between the sustainable economic model for Dragon/Falcon/Bigelow vs. the unsustainable economic model for SLS/Orion/MCPoRN.

Romney’s criticism that a lunar base is unaffordable is absolutely correct if the SLS/Orion/MCPoRN model is used. That’s why that model should be scrapped.

]]> By: David Brandt-Erichsen http://blog.nss.org/?p=3242&cpage=1#comment-24613 David Brandt-Erichsen Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:45:38 +0000 http://blog.nss.org/?p=3242#comment-24613 In the GOP debate the day after Gingrich's speech, the other Republican candidates criticized his plan, and in so doing demonstrated their total lack of understanding both of his plan and of space issues in general. Mitt Romney, for example, stated "I'm not looking for a colony on the Moon. I think the cost of that would be hundreds of billions, if not trillions." Nonsense. Here is a very rough outline of how to do a lunar base within current budgets. 1. Scrap Orion as a total waste of money, and buy Dragon off the shelf. Dragon is (or, rather, soon will be) capable of landing either crew or cargo on the Moon. Orion can't. 2. Scrap SLS (or, as I call it, MCPoRN -- the Monster-Cost Pork Rocket to Nowhere) as a total waste of money, and buy Falcon Heavy launches instead. Falcon Heavy flies next year (zero development cost) and will be available long before any other heavy lift. The cost per pound is 97% less than Shuttle. For the cost of the first two SLS flights (including development costs), you can buy 400 Falcon Heavy flights instead. If you can't build a lunar base with 400 Falcon Heavy flights, you are not thinking very hard. 3. Buy Bigelow habitats off the shelf. They will work just fine on the Moon. 4. The primary missing hardware element is a lunar lander capable of landing equipment larger than what might fit in Dragon. This would be a good target for Gingrich's prize money to help develop. In the GOP debate the day after Gingrich’s speech, the other Republican candidates criticized his plan, and in so doing demonstrated their total lack of understanding both of his plan and of space issues in general. Mitt Romney, for example, stated “I’m not looking for a colony on the Moon. I think the cost of that would be hundreds of billions, if not trillions.”

Nonsense. Here is a very rough outline of how to do a lunar base within current budgets.

1. Scrap Orion as a total waste of money, and buy Dragon off the shelf. Dragon is (or, rather, soon will be) capable of landing either crew or cargo on the Moon. Orion can’t.

2. Scrap SLS (or, as I call it, MCPoRN — the Monster-Cost Pork Rocket to Nowhere) as a total waste of money, and buy Falcon Heavy launches instead. Falcon Heavy flies next year (zero development cost) and will be available long before any other heavy lift. The cost per pound is 97% less than Shuttle. For the cost of the first two SLS flights (including development costs), you can buy 400 Falcon Heavy flights instead. If you can’t build a lunar base with 400 Falcon Heavy flights, you are not thinking very hard.

3. Buy Bigelow habitats off the shelf. They will work just fine on the Moon.

4. The primary missing hardware element is a lunar lander capable of landing equipment larger than what might fit in Dragon. This would be a good target for Gingrich’s prize money to help develop.

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