Space Launch System - Orion
Discussion
Simpo Two said:
Not a mention of it on the news this evening
Don't expect the mainstream media to pay any attention to it unless it goes seriously wrong. You need to make an effort to follow these types of missions these days. The good news is that there are plenty of resources available out there where you can keep up to date as to what is happening.Why there are massive gaps between flights, saving pennies costs pounds.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/12/artemis-i-...
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/12/artemis-i-...
Leithen said:
Forgive my ignorance, but how does it cost $1 Billion (trying hard not to use Dr Evil voice) to build a launch tower? I presume that it includes the base structure, ancillaries etc, but a billion?
Because specs keep changing resulting in delays, redesigns etc. The funding has always been the problem - being intermittent and uncertain.Simpo Two said:
So, it's splashed down safely, which is great. It's orbited the moon and come back safely to Earth.
Which is what Apollo 8 did in 1968, 54 years ago. Excuse my ignorance but what extra meaningful scientific hurdles has Orion cleared, other than (one day) having an extra astronaut?
Orion is facing the same exceptionally difficult hurdles that Apollo faced. Modern technology ought to make it easier, but the hurdles are still exceptional. Which is what Apollo 8 did in 1968, 54 years ago. Excuse my ignorance but what extra meaningful scientific hurdles has Orion cleared, other than (one day) having an extra astronaut?
The history of the South Pole offers a comparison. First reached in 1911 and 1912. IIRC it wasn’t until the 1950’s that is was visited again and then subsequently a permanent base built there. Despite modern tech, it’s a difficult place to reach and exist at.
Leithen said:
The history of the South Pole offers a comparison. First reached in 1911 and 1912. IIRC it wasn’t until the 1950’s that is was visited again and then subsequently a permanent base built there. Despite modern tech, it’s a difficult place to reach and exist at.
Good analogy. Getting there for a day trip is one thing, living there is another. Unfortunately progress went sideways for decades not forwards. It's interesting to reflect where we might be now had the momentum of the Apollo programme been maintained.Simpo Two said:
Good analogy. Getting there for a day trip is one thing, living there is another. Unfortunately progress went sideways for decades not forwards. It's interesting to reflect where we might be now had the momentum of the Apollo programme been maintained.
Jamestown colony in the 70s, fusion power by the late 80s and a mission to the Mars in the 90s, apparently :-)Simpo Two said:
So, it's splashed down safely, which is great. It's orbited the moon and come back safely to Earth.
Which is what Apollo 8 did in 1968, 54 years ago. Excuse my ignorance but what extra meaningful scientific hurdles has Orion cleared, other than (one day) having an extra astronaut?
It was not specifically a scientific mission. It was an engineering test flight to ensure the basic elements of the system worked - which it appears to have achieved. Some small scientific tests were tacked on as a "bonus" so as not to waste the opportunity but they are not the purpose of the mission.Which is what Apollo 8 did in 1968, 54 years ago. Excuse my ignorance but what extra meaningful scientific hurdles has Orion cleared, other than (one day) having an extra astronaut?
If you are going to talk about earlier around the moon and return to earth missions, Apollo 8 wasn't the first either.
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