CEV Specs
9 December 2004: Crew Exploration Vehicle Request for Proposal Statement of Work,NASA
“The draft Statement of Work (SOW) for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) system summarizes the work required for the first phase of the CEV acquisition. The SOW requires the contractor to design and develop the CEV system culminating in completion of a Preliminary Design Review (PDR). The CEV system design is required to meet as a threshold, the CEV Spiral 1 and 2 requirements, with the objective to meet the CEV Spiral 3 requirements. The SOW includes a parallel risk reduction effort culminating in a 2008 flight demonstration.”
Comment from Frank Sietzen:
“A careful reading of the package of documents released today for the CEV RFP Statement of Work reveals new details about the configuration of the vehicle, and introduces some new terminology:
- The CEV will be part of a Crew Transportation System (CTS) that consists of the CEV, the CEVLV, and a launch escape system.
- The CEV shall dock in Earth orbit with the Earth Departure Stage (EDS)
- The CEV shall be capable of rendezvous and docking with the Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM), which appears to perform the same function as the Apollo Lunar Module.
- The CEV propulsive capability must be capable of returning the spacecraft from lunar orbit to re entry and landing on Earth.
- The CEV shall utilize either parachutes or parafoils.
- The CEV structure may include wheels or landing gear
- The total weight of the spacecraft is undetermined
- The initial crew size will be no less than four
- The CEV shall contain a health monitoring system, a galley, and a waste management facility.
- Launch escape capability must include on-the-pad, throughout the complete booster ascent, and Earth orbit in the event of a failure of the EDS.
- A separate RFP SOW and description will detail the requirements of the CTS booster.
Thus it would appear that the CEV/CTS/EDS/LSAM combination would be launched into orbit separately, docked together, depart for the Moon, the CEV/LSAM would dock in lunar orbit and the CEV return to an earth or water landing. The EDS may be reusable or may be stored on orbit elsewhere and be refuelable. The requirements description also mandates that the CEV design be expandable. All four elements shall be called Constellation space vehicles.
This is very much the Wernher Von Braun Earth-Orbit-Rendezvous architecture scenario! Shades of Apollo!”
