Recent content by DLR

The Lunar base would become a second ISS, taking significant funds away from other projects. And in the end it has to be abandonend when it's time to move on to Mars because it would be too expensive to maintain it. Yes. That's why we should work towards getting to Mars. But going to the Moon...

A Lunar Base would have been a terrible money sinkhole. Technologies relevant for Mars are better tested on Earth or in Space, rather than on the Moon. The Lunar environment is very dissimilar from Mars. Just because it's "in space" doesn't mean its the optimal testing ground for Mars...

Meanwhile NASA is backing off from its Lunar Base plans: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17052-nasa-may-abandon-plans-for-moon-base.html ... perhaps in favour of putting Mars on the fast track ... :speakcool: ... although I somehow doubt that.

Since Skylab was constructed from an S IV B ... it's about the same size.

Manned Venus Flyby http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_Venus_Flyby

Nevertheless it's quite an interesting mission scenario. With relatively little effort and a larger launch vehicle (such as the Saturn V or Ares as opposed to the Magnum used in HOPE) travel times cut be slashed further. It seems doable. I'd love to see this in orbiter! :hotcool:

PCTV Delta v: L1 Departure: 0.58 km/s Trans-Jupiter Injection: 4.55 km/s Callisto orbit insertion: 3.75 km/s One-way trip time: 851 Days Callisto Departure: 3.87 km/s Earth Slow-Down burn: 1.87 km/s ==> Direct Entry One-way trip time: 836 Days Cargo and Propellant are flown out on separate...

That's the name of a 2003 NASA study. It examined the possibility of flying a manned mission to the Jovian Moon Callisto in the 2040s. Mission and vehicle plans were drawn up. The propulsion systems studied included Bimodal Nuclear Thermal Rocket (BNTR), NEP, VASIMR and even Magnetised Target...