Boeing vs Boeing.
The story describes how Boeing is considering upgrading the X-37B to become a manned ferry to ISS, thus putting it in direct competition with the company’s other manned capsule, the CST-100.
At the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’s Space 2011 conference in November, Boeing’s Arthur Grantz revealed that the company is studying a new derivative of the Boeing/USAF X-37B. The new X-37C would be 65-80% larger than the current B version. Launched by an Atlas V rocket, X-37C could carry pressurized or unpressurized cargo or 5-6 astronauts. Grantz is chief engineer in charge of X-37 at the Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems Experimental Systems Group .
Hat tip to Clark Lindsey.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
The story describes how Boeing is considering upgrading the X-37B to become a manned ferry to ISS, thus putting it in direct competition with the company’s other manned capsule, the CST-100.
At the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’s Space 2011 conference in November, Boeing’s Arthur Grantz revealed that the company is studying a new derivative of the Boeing/USAF X-37B. The new X-37C would be 65-80% larger than the current B version. Launched by an Atlas V rocket, X-37C could carry pressurized or unpressurized cargo or 5-6 astronauts. Grantz is chief engineer in charge of X-37 at the Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems Experimental Systems Group .
Hat tip to Clark Lindsey.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Interesting ! ! Not long ago some of us were speculating on just this thing – could the X-37B or a larger derivative be used for this purpose? One thing that I think is somewhat encouraging re: the space program – there seems to be a greater willingness to think outside the box (to use a well-worn phrase!). There’s Orion, SpaceX’s Dragon & others, now the X-37B, and some healthy competition could be a good thing. Kelly, you may not agree with this – I know you prefer the idea of one program with contractors cooperating & dividing up responsibilities, and that idea does have some merits, but I think this willingness to try new approaches is healthy. It seems to me when gov’t programs grow too large & cumbersome, the bureaucracy tends to explode in size & ends up wasting not only time but money as well. I’m certainly not anti-NASA – I wish they had MORE funding & support from Congress, the President & the public, but in recent years, they don’t look like they have a clear plan, it seems to be start, stop, junk this plan, come up with another, and we end up getting nowhere. Maybe the problem is a lack of clear goals…
This isn’t actually news. As the article said the Boeing X-37 lead said last year that they weer studying this – but then and still (unless I missed something) Beoing hasn’t said they are niterested in going ahead with this.
>..Kelly, you may not agree with this – I know you prefer the idea of one program with contractors
> cooperating & dividing up responsibilities, and that idea does have some merits, but I think this
> willingness to try new approaches is healthy.
Actually I agree with you. From a customer standpoint, you can save money consolodated, adn if everyones building basicly the same thing (or mostly the same systems in similar things) its hard to justify the redundancy.
However! NASA should be about pushing technology. So developing one old school design as a back up, while funding a secound or third high risk/high gain project would make more sence.
Course in this case that hardly applies sine the X-37B based design is the lowest risk/cost option since its already developed adn operating, adn merely needs to be streached a bit adn life support adn docket systems be added. (Ok, you could skip the life support for guys in suits – but its a nit given they are off the shelf systems.)
>== It seems to me when gov’t programs grow too large & cumbersome, the bureaucracy tends to
> explode in size & ends up wasting not only time but money as well.==
Agreed, but that argues for consolodation, which would eliminate redundant section of a program. (Or you could take a more hands off program management idea adn save tons – but thats a political non starter.!)
>== [NASA] don’t look like they have a clear plan, it seems to be start, stop, junk this plan, come up
> with another, ==
No they had clear plans. Don’t replace the shuttle adn do other studies mearly for the sake of studing and burning money with studies.
Then they weer ordered to drop the Shuttle. Then Constellation got downsized adn COTS/CCDev weer not droped as expected … etc.
Yeah, you may be right that a lot of the delays, start/stop & dropped plans may not really have been as much NASA’s fault as it was too much political involvement & interference…
;)
Eiather way, a X-37 based craft could be much beterthen the capsule based designs – and cheaper.
lets drag out? or at least Build the B model of this craft. it is worthy. yet , at this time a private company has pursued the very same design with Private funding mixed with a smidgen of Federal funding. hard to grasp by NASA Shuttle proponents, yet economically feasible.
overall, us peons are arguing over tech that has existed from way Back in history as to ignited fuel thus results in lift , minus the mass, and drag multiplied by a factor of gravity and atmospheric resistance equated to orbital speed . i have to Laugh as to the wonderment and display of such values.
Other then Boeing, no commercial is developing anything this sophisticated. Not many in the busness could, and they didn’t find a customer.
>..hard to grasp by NASA Shuttle proponents..
Hardly.
I do find very many NewSpace folks inability to understand you need a buyer to develop any of these. And the list of companies hanging on the hope of NASA COTS or CCDev crumbs shows how they failed to find buyers.
No bucks, no Buck Rodgers.