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SpaceX's Falcon Heavy eyed by Europe/Japan
According to RussianSpaceWeb, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket is under serious consideration for launches of major European and Japanese payloads associated with the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (formerly the Deep Space Gateway).
[...] The first payload considering Falcon Heavy for launch services is the Japanese Space Agency's (JAXA) HTV-X, and upgraded version of a spacecraft the country developed to assist in resupplying the International Space Station (ISS). HTV-X is primarily being designed with an ISS-resupply role still at the forefront, but RussianSpaceWeb recently reported that JAXA is seriously considering the development of a variant of the robotic spacecraft dedicated to resupplying the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (LOPG; and I truly wish I were joking about both the name and acronym).
[...] Regardless of the LOPG's existential merits, a lot of energy (and money) is currently being funneled into planning and initial hardware development for the lunar station's various modular segments. JAXA is currently analyzing ways to resupply LOPG and its crew complement with its HTV-X cargo spacecraft, currently targeting its first annual ISS resupply mission by the end of 2021. While JAXA will use its own domestic H-III rocket to launch HTV-X to the ISS, that rocket simply is not powerful enough to place a minimum of ~10,000 kg (22,000 lb) on a trans-lunar insertion (TLI) trajectory. As such, JAXA is examining SpaceX's Falcon Heavy as a prime (and affordable) option: by recovering both side boosters on SpaceX's drone ships and sacrificing the rocket's center core, a 2/3rds-reusable Falcon Heavy should be able to send as much as 20,000 kg to TLI (lunar orbit), according to comments made by CEO Elon Musk.
That impressive performance would also be needed for another LOPG payload, this time for ESA's 5-6 ton European System Providing Refueling Infrastructure and Telecommunications (ESPRIT) lunar station module. That component is unlikely to reach launch readiness before 2024, but ESA is already considering Falcon Heavy (over its own Ariane 6 rocket) in order to save some of the module's propellant. Weighing 6 metric tons at most, Falcon Heavy could most likely launch ESPRIT while still recovering all three of its booster stages.
Previously: NASA's Chief of Human Spaceflight Rules Out Use of Falcon Heavy for Lunar Station
Related: NASA and International Partners Planning Orbital Lunar Outpost
Russia Assembles Engineering Group for Lunar Activities and the Deep Space Gateway
This Week in Space Pessimism: SLS, Mars, and Lunar Gateway
(Score: 5, Interesting) by takyon on Wednesday August 15 2018, @10:44PM (6 children)
Is a 3.5% risk of death due to radiation exposure (including cancer, etc.) on a months-long Mars mission unacceptable? It is according to NASA [nasa.gov].
It's entirely possible that a 30-something-year-old astronaut could walk on Mars, return to Earth, and see all or most cancers cured by the time they reach age 60.
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(Score: 2) by suburbanitemediocrity on Wednesday August 15 2018, @11:41PM (1 child)
And a 40% of dying through some unexpected system failure.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday August 15 2018, @11:52PM
That's applicable to any manned space mission. And most of the risk is experienced when exiting or entering Earth's atmosphere.
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(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday August 15 2018, @11:51PM (1 child)
It is also entirely possible that if the risks were explained to all the astronauts employed by NASA, they would all volunteer for as many Mars missions as they could possibly go on anyway.
I suspect there would be a fair few who would volunteer for a one way Mars trip also.
If that's the case, let's do it.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 16 2018, @02:47AM
I recall reading once that NASA doesn't accept people who would go on known suicide missions as astronauts.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 16 2018, @01:20AM (1 child)
The incurable optimist, you.
I'm still waiting for the flying car (which is a technology problem) for 50 years already, and you think that all cancers will be cured in 30 years (a science problem)
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday August 16 2018, @03:44AM
What problem is the flying car solving? We already have regular cars and helicopters, for example. Curing cancer means you probably will live longer (depending of course, on how long it takes for the next leading cause of death to get you).