NASA SLS megarocket shortage causes tug-of-war between moon missions, Europa exploration:
NASA is choosing between human missions to the moon and a robotic mission to Jupiter's icy moon Europa as the agency manages its limited supply of megarockets in the coming years.
The agency began developing its Space Launch System (SLS) in 2010, intending for the rocket to be the agency's primary vehicle for crewed and deep-space missions. But work has been slow, and NASA and Boeing, which builds the vehicles' two main stages, are only now testing the core stage of the first SLS. It won't fly until late next year, when it makes the first flight of NASA's Artemis lunar-exploration program — an uncrewed trip around the moon known as Artemis 1. The schedule will therefore be tight for the third Artemis launch, which aims to land two astronauts near the moon's south pole in 2024.
Meanwhile, engineers are building the Europa Clipper spacecraft, designed to learn enough about the moon's ice shell, subsurface ocean and geology to help scientists determine whether the hidden ocean may suit the needs of life as we know it. And Congress has mandated the agency also use an SLS rocket to launch Europa Clipper — without consideration for whether one may be available.
[...] In terms of rocket science, right now, Europa Clipper can launch on a commercial vehicle, like SpaceX's Falcon Heavy or United Launch Alliance's Delta-IV Heavy rocket, although the mission would then need a longer cruise time to reach its destination.
But in terms of the law, NASA's hands are tied.
"Because of that, we're planning to build the Europa Clipper and then put it into storage, because we're not going to have an SLS rocket available until 2025," Bridenstine said. "That's the current plan. I don't think that's the right plan, but we're going to follow the law."
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NASA wants to buy SLS rockets at half price, fly them into the 2050s
NASA has asked the US aerospace industry how it would go about "maximizing the long-term efficiency and sustainability" of the Space Launch System rocket and its associated ground systems.
[...] In its request NASA says it would like to fly the SLS rocket for "30 years or more" as a national capability. Moreover, the agency wants the rocket to become a "sustainable and affordable system for moving humans and large cargo payloads to cislunar and deep-space destinations."
[...] Among the rocket's chief architects was then-Florida Senator Bill Nelson, who steered billions of dollars to Kennedy Space Center in his home state for upgraded ground systems equipment to support the rocket. Back in 2011, he proudly said the rocket would be delivered on time and on budget.
"This rocket is coming in at the cost of... not only what we estimated in the NASA Authorization act, but less," Nelson said at the time. "The cost of the rocket over a five- to six-year period in the NASA authorization bill was to be no more than $11.5 billion. This costs $10 billion for the rocket." Later, he went further, saying, "If we can't do a rocket for $11.5 billion, we ought to close up shop."
After more than 10 years, and more than $30 billion spent on the rocket and its ground systems, NASA has not closed up shop. Rather, Nelson has ascended to become the space agency's administrator.
Previously:
Artemis Program Requires More Cash to Reach Moon by 2024; SLS Could Cost 1,000x More Than Starship
NASA OIG: Tell Congress that Moon Rocket is Over Budget and Behind Schedule
NASA Spent a Decade and Nearly $1 Billion for a Single Launch Tower
NASA Will Pay a Staggering $146 Million for Each SLS Rocket Engine
Charlie Bolden Says the Quiet Part Out Loud: SLS Rocket Will Go Away
NASA Lays out $28 Billion Plan to Return Astronauts to the Moon in 2024
NASA SLS Megarocket Shortage Causes Tug-of-war Between Moon Missions, Europa Exploration
SLS: Nasa 'Megarocket' Assembly Begins in Florida
NASA's Europa Clipper has been Liberated from the Space Launch System
After a Decade, NASA's Big Rocket Fails its First Real Test
NASA's Massive Artemis Moon Rocket Set for Second Hot Fire Test Today 1500 EDT (1900 UTC)
NASA Has Begun a Study of the SLS Rocket's Affordability [Updated]
COVID-19 Pandemic Estimated to Cost NASA $3 Billion
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 27 2020, @02:52AM
penis mousetrap goes snap then i go hahahah and i karate chop 5 slabs of thick frozen ice with my pee pee.
3 pee pee
(Score: 5, Informative) by khallow on Tuesday October 27 2020, @03:16AM (5 children)
Basic common sense stuff can't be done because the rocket doesn't have the economics to allow it to happen. And in a US with growing fiscal weakness, the "just launch twice" solution is likely to never happen.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday October 27 2020, @03:42AM (4 children)
The basic common sense of the last two decades says if you want something cheap, go make it in China. Might work for SLS too (large grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 27 2020, @03:56AM (2 children)
> if you want something cheap,...
if you want something cheap, and you don't mind giving away your IP,...
ftfy
That's the most common reason I hear from small companies that tried to have fairly complex things made in China. After they got samples back (which often looked pretty good), a clone, but unbranded product was on the world market, undercutting the price of the original. Often within weeks--there's no shame (and apparently no penalty either) in stealing IP in China.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 27 2020, @04:13AM
That whoosh... was it deafening?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 27 2020, @05:19AM
Good for them, they learn fast. Can't say the same about you.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 27 2020, @02:40PM
No worries,
I'm sure they already have the plans. But is kind of like school textbooks. It was so screwed up to begin with, that nobody in their right minds would actually copy it.
(Score: 1) by John Bresnahan on Tuesday October 27 2020, @10:15AM (7 children)
Elon Musk’s Starship project is coming along nicely.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Tuesday October 27 2020, @12:51PM
If we're lucky, 15km SN8 launch and annual update presentation within a week or two.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Tuesday October 27 2020, @02:21PM (5 children)
I would also point out: How many Falcon Heavy launches can you buy for the cost of a single SLS launch?
Would it be possible, and if so, cheaper, to design a large mission to fly on multiple FH launches rather than a single SLS launch? Including the cost of mission design changes for multiple smaller FH payloads.
Now it seems FH isn't all that much smaller than SLS. From this . . . [spacenews.com]
People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Tuesday October 27 2020, @02:40PM (4 children)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System [wikipedia.org]
https://old.reddit.com/r/SpaceLaunchSystem/comments/8j5jum/sls_block_1_payload_now_95_tons/ [reddit.com]
http://www.parabolicarc.com/2018/05/20/payload-2020-sls-launch-air/ [parabolicarc.com]
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/09/china-appears-to-be-accelerating-development-of-a-super-heavy-lift-rocket/ [arstechnica.com]
To be fair, sometime around 2018 NASA adjusted the payload to LEO estimate for SLS Block 1 to 95 metric tons (SLS Block 1B = 105 metric tons). Not that it's a good deal, but it's better than originally anticipated.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Tuesday October 27 2020, @03:05PM (3 children)
I like comparing to FH since it is flying. Even a fully expended FH, thus lifting maximum payload weight, is cheaper than SLS.
Starship is making progress. And it will be exciting. If it materializes, I wonder how it will change the perception of SLS.
People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
(Score: 5, Informative) by takyon on Tuesday October 27 2020, @03:26PM (2 children)
There's already plans to use Falcon Heavy + Dragon XL for the Lunar Gateway, possibly Falcon Heavy for Europa Clipper, and a Starship lunar landing variant. Missions that were originally intended for SLS are shifting to SpaceX.
Further Starship development, landing Starship on the Moon, etc. will increase pressure to kill SLS. But SLS will probably survive to its first launch in late 2021, early 2022. Best case scenario, it will only fly once, and the crewed SLS + Orion launches will be cancelled.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday October 27 2020, @05:22PM (1 child)
What you describe, the cancellation of SLS, is so remarkably sensible that it strains credibility that it could or ever would happen. Like a wild kook theory found online somewhere.
People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Tuesday October 27 2020, @06:05PM
It'll be really hard to cancel the SLS program in the short term - its early missions (and thus it) were made almost politically unkillable in response to previous Shuttle replacements being repeatedly killed in response to election cycles.
On the bright side, it seems that NASA is seriously (and officially) considering Falcon Heavy and Starship for future missions, so even if SLS isn't formally killed, it may well be mothballed as soon as the first batch of "politically immortal" rockets is completed.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 27 2020, @12:47PM (1 child)
one-way throw away rockets are even worse when used for test runs ...
(Score: 5, Insightful) by DannyB on Tuesday October 27 2020, @02:52PM
You misspelled "more profitable".
People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 27 2020, @02:38PM (1 child)
I recall somebody doing something like that a long time ago in this country. I think it had something to do with tea?
If there is a cheaper, faster, safer option it is would be interesting to see if that mandate would survive a lawsuit.
My guess is the SLS budget is as high as it is because money is being siphoned off for black projects. So the mandate for the SLS, isn't really a mandate for the SLS, so much as a mandate that the fed has some place to hide spending. Groom lake has to get funded from somewhere.
So I doubt they have much complaint about inventing some other massive boondoggle whose purpose is to never be completed. Really they should have just made the thing out of cardboard.
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Tuesday October 27 2020, @02:57PM
You are overlooking the HUGE savings that SLS provides by not letting used Space Shuttle engines go to waste!
Consider the benefits* to be gained by taking an expensive, and reusable engine, and putting it on an expendable launch vehicle.
* to contractors
People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 27 2020, @04:03PM (2 children)
TFS title should read: "NASA SLS Megarocket Shortage Causes Tug-of-war Between Moon Missions, Europa Exploration, and funding The Big Welfare Machine"
(Score: 3, Informative) by DannyB on Tuesday October 27 2020, @05:27PM (1 child)
Senator Shelby, I thought Republicans were against welfare.
Unless it is to rich, powerful people.
And corporations are people too!
People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday October 27 2020, @06:42PM
Because the rich, powerful people really give a shit about that, amirite?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 27 2020, @11:49PM
frying in the morning.
SLS appears to be flaming in the face of the members supporting it.
The big old space folks' plan of probably, eventually making it work at some cost is no longer the best game in town.