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From: jmck@norge.Eng.Sun.COM (John McKernan)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: best of all worlds
Summary: This is a dumb idea
Message-ID: <143360@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 4 Oct 90 06:31:26 GMT
References: <10265.2708917a@pbs.org> <49492@olivea.atc.olivetti.com>
Sender: news@sun.Eng.Sun.COM
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca.
Lines: 20

In article <49492@olivea.atc.olivetti.com> donehoo@olivee.olivetti.com (Doyle W. Donehoo) writes:
>In article <10265.2708917a@pbs.org> pstinson@pbs.org writes:
>>We could design the next generation Apollo as a lunar taxi that would fit
>>inside a Shuttle.
>
>What a great idea!

No, what a dumb idea. The posting you quote envisioned launching an
Apollo derivative in two pieces on shuttles, followed by fuel on a
Titan IV, and then rendezvousing the whole mess in Earth orbit. At $500
million per shuttle launch, an estimated $200 million for the Titan IV,
and God only knows what amount for the to be developed Apollo
derivative, the cost would be well over 1.5 billion per launch. And
that huge expense only results in a relatively tiny lunar lander on the
moon. NASA needs to get its launch costs under control before it puts
up a space station, let alone goes back to the moon.

John L. McKernan.                                                  jmck@sun.com
Disclaimer: These are my opinions but, shockingly enough, not necessarily Sun's
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