DIRECT Proposal Gaining Ground

[T.Neo]

Just like STS back in the late 1970's

Yes, and STS is still a pain in the .

Imagine, 20-30 years down the line, we have no Moon, no Mars, only ISS 2, sucking up funds and doing no real science.

STS is repeating itself.

 

[Moonwalker]

These manifest's just about say it all:...

It actually says that the AresI schedule is rather close to reality, while a crewed Lunar flyby in 2013 is rather ridiculous, beside the estimated number of manned Direct launches.

 

[Ghostrider]

Imagine, 20-30 years down the line, we have no Moon, no Mars...

Ah, but we'll always have Paris...

 

[T.Neo]

Ah, but we'll always have Paris...

Might not, cause political tensions created by global rescource shortages would have caused a nuclear war...

 

[Moonwalker]

Yes, and STS is still a pain in the .

Imagine, 20-30 years down the line, we have no Moon, no Mars, only ISS 2, sucking up funds and doing no real science.

STS is repeating itself.

Probably. And I would even say that Mir already is repeating itself, just in a larger international scale.

The mistake NASA made in relation of going to the moon again, but also to mars in future, was to totally abandon the capsule design and Skylab. The STS era could have been a glorious one, if NASA would have ended it and changed to an Orion-like spacecraft already in the 1990's.

 

[Urwumpe]

It actually says that the AresI schedule is rather close to reality, while a crewed Lunar flyby in 2013 is rather ridiculous, beside the estimated number of manned Direct launches.

Regarding the architecture and historic incidents - no, it is not completely unrealistic. You can get there in 4 years. But without Orion.

 

[Donamy]

I say we start a write in for DIRECT, it worked naming Enterprise.

 

[Andy44]

I like Direct, but I think I agree with Urwumpe, it's a bit too late in the game at this point. To back out of Ares and switch over to Direct will be politically difficult, to say the least, now that so much money's been spent and metal has already been bent. Add in the changes to Orion requirements brought on by the new architecture, and I'm pretty sure it's not going to happen.

My bet stands: we will see an overbudget Ares I and the LEO version of Orion and the rest gets canc'd.

But, hey, hope springs eternal, right?


-----Post Added-----

I say we start a write in for DIRECT, it worked naming Enterprise.

Enterprise never flew in space. Maybe not the omen you want.

 

[Donamy]

Enterprise never flew in space. Maybe not the omen you want.

Maybe I should have used the example, of the write-in campaign, that kept Family Guy on the air.

 

[Urwumpe]

Maybe I should have used the example, of the write-in campaign, that kept Family Guy on the air.

What do you want to create? "Orbiteers for DIRECT"?

We are just 1200 and not all of us buy it. And how do you want to tell people that DIRECT is better than Ares-etc, if they can't even do such a technical decision when buying a new car.

 

[Donamy]

If you can vote more than once in this country, why not write in 1,000 times each?

 

[Urwumpe]

If you can vote more than once in this country, why not write in 1,000 times each?

We should have more chances convincing Peter Stormare to revive his role as German Engineer or Russian cosmonaut to make a few ads for DIRECT. Then we don't need to gather signatures, then everybody wants to have one at home. :speakcool:

 

[Donamy]

Would make an awesome addon too.:speakcool:

edit:

Actually there is an awesome addon for it at Orbithangar.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Would make an awesome addon too.:speakcool:

It seems DIRECT is way ahead o' ya

This link is on the DIRECT website:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simcosmos/sets/72157594339919067/


-----Post Added-----


ALSO:

With DIRECT's ability to carry payloads to the ISS, like the MPLM, does this mean that currently cancelled components like the CAM could now be added?


-----Post Added-----


I personally would LOVE to see this go on the ISS:

http://www.aer.bris.ac.uk/research/hem/

(Although these guys seem to be unaware that the location of Node 3 on the ISS has now changed)

 

[T.Neo]

With DIRECT's ability to carry payloads to the ISS, like the MPLM, does this mean that currently cancelled components like the CAM could now be added?

I think so.

 

[Missioncmdr]

ALSO:

With DIRECT's ability to carry payloads to the ISS, like the MPLM, does this mean that currently cancelled components like the CAM could now be added?

Maybe I missed something, but where does it say that the DIRECT launcher would be able to carry payloads like that to the ISS? The MPLM and CAM were specigically designed to be launched and attached to the ISS by a Space Shuttle. Re-designing them to be launched by DIRECT would probably be way too costly.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

If you look at DIRECT's launch manifest posted somewhere below, it lists the MPLM as one payload for a CEV mission to the ISS. Jupiter 120 has enough space in-between the booster & the CEV to be able to include large payloads

 

[zerofay32]

It also has a proposed "cargo Bay" that can carry payloads in different slots like the shuttle's bay.

Zerofay32