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Commercialization

Using Existing Rockets for Future Human Exploration

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
November 29, 2010
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Mission would send astronauts to moon’s far side, Space.com via MSNBC
“While NASA has officially given up its plans to send humans back to the surface of the moon anytime soon, a contractor is proposing a mission to send a crew to a stationary spot in orbit over the far side of Earth’s neighbor. Lockheed Martin has begun pitching an L2-Farside Mission using its Orion spacecraft under development.”
Lockheed Martin Sees 2013 Space Capsule Test Flight, WS Journal
“At least some of the incoming Republican panel chairmen and other senior GOP lawmakers, these officials said, may view the proposed test flight as circumventing congressional language to quickly develop a new heavy-lift NASA rocket able to transport astronauts past low-earth orbit. Congress has adopted language strongly favoring space-shuttle derived rockets for this purpose, rather than a version of the Delta IV. The Delta IV is operated by a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing Co.”
Keith’s note: Bravo Lockheed Martin. A near-term, private sector solution to human space flight, using a commercially available rocket and Orion – much sooner than Ares 1 could have ever done so. Now, sit back and watch as the (otherwise) pro-business Republicans in Congress – especially ATK’s congressional delegation – try and stop it.

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.