Comments on: A successor to the STS with Atlas 5 ? https://www.habitablezone.com/2011/07/21/a-successor-to-the-sts-with-atlas-5/ Sat, 11 Apr 2026 02:11:35 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: TB https://www.habitablezone.com/2011/07/21/a-successor-to-the-sts-with-atlas-5/#comment-4210 TB Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:19:48 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=2663#comment-4210 That's a good question. The assembly of the Space Station would have needed heavy-lift boosters, or smaller modules. Manned trips to the Space Station are already done routinely using conventional boosters (Russian). Obviously, recovering large payloads from orbit could only have been done with the Shuttle, or a similar system. Same for on-orbit manned work on delivered payloads. I don't know about things like the Hubble repair. Some form of dual launch and rendezvous might have handled the equipment transfer and human repair crews separately. It would make an interesting study. SpaceX's "Falcon Heavy" is intended to launch Shuttle-class payloads for about $1,000/lb. We'll see. There are many concepts for upgrading conventional rockets to have reusable hardware, such as recoverable engine modules or even recoverable stages. That’s a good question. The assembly of the Space Station would have needed heavy-lift boosters, or smaller modules. Manned trips to the Space Station are already done routinely using conventional boosters (Russian).

Obviously, recovering large payloads from orbit could only have been done with the Shuttle, or a similar system. Same for on-orbit manned work on delivered payloads. I don’t know about things like the Hubble repair. Some form of dual launch and rendezvous might have handled the equipment transfer and human repair crews separately. It would make an interesting study.

SpaceX’s “Falcon Heavy” is intended to launch Shuttle-class payloads for about $1,000/lb. We’ll see.

There are many concepts for upgrading conventional rockets to have reusable hardware, such as recoverable engine modules or even recoverable stages.

]]> By: mcfly https://www.habitablezone.com/2011/07/21/a-successor-to-the-sts-with-atlas-5/#comment-4208 mcfly Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:01:10 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=2663#comment-4208 Could the accomplishments of the shuttle have been achieved with non-reusable hardware? How would the bottom line have looked had we gone that route? Could the accomplishments of the shuttle have been achieved with non-reusable hardware? How would the bottom line have looked had we gone that route?

]]> By: VelociraptorBlade https://www.habitablezone.com/2011/07/21/a-successor-to-the-sts-with-atlas-5/#comment-4184 VelociraptorBlade Sun, 24 Jul 2011 06:57:09 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=2663#comment-4184 One shots will never replace the reusables! The idea of going back to that era of spaceflight is simply preposterous. One shots will never replace the reusables! The idea of going back to that era of spaceflight is simply preposterous.

]]> By: Lee https://www.habitablezone.com/2011/07/21/a-successor-to-the-sts-with-atlas-5/#comment-4096 Lee Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:33:53 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=2663#comment-4096 The HL-20/Dream Chaser is small enough that it could be launched into orbit with one or two SRBs. They have a failure rate of 1 out of 270 to date. The HL-20/Dream Chaser is small enough that it could be launched into orbit with one or two SRBs. They have a failure rate of 1 out of 270 to date.

]]> By: TB https://www.habitablezone.com/2011/07/21/a-successor-to-the-sts-with-atlas-5/#comment-4091 TB Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:19:34 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=2663#comment-4091 The HL-20, on which the Dream Chaser was modeled, was intended to use escape rockets and parachutes for launch pad abort. I expect a similar concept will be developed for Dream Chaser, probably using its own rockets in an escape mode. The HL-20 was intended in part as a Space Station rescue vehicle, and the advantages over a capsule include a more benign reentry environment (lower g's) for possibly injured astronauts, and a broader choice of landing sites. The HL-20, on which the Dream Chaser was modeled, was intended to use escape rockets and parachutes for launch pad abort. I expect a similar concept will be developed for Dream Chaser, probably using its own rockets in an escape mode.

The HL-20 was intended in part as a Space Station rescue vehicle, and the advantages over a capsule include a more benign reentry environment (lower g’s) for possibly injured astronauts, and a broader choice of landing sites.

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