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From: karn@petrus.UUCP (Phil R. Karn)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Manned Mars Trip
Message-ID: <754@petrus.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 13-Dec-85 02:32:45 EST
Article-I.D.: petrus.754
Posted: Fri Dec 13 02:32:45 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Dec-85 06:54:59 EST
References: <8512071719.AA10364@s1-b.arpa>, <489@iham1.UUCP> <6218@utzoo.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Inc
Lines: 24

I keep hearing that the cost of launching something on the shuttle is
$X/kg, and further that this cost is N times launching it on the Saturn
V had we kept the production lines open. The exact values of X and N
keep changing, but the argument is the same.

Can someone present a DETAILED breakdown of the actual costs (not prices)
for the two launchers? These figures should be broken down into three
categories:

1. Up-front launcher development costs (research, development, testing).

2. Continuing operational costs that are relatively independent of the
launch rate (JSC and KSC salaries, computer system maintenance contracts,
electric bills, janitorial and landscaping services, that kind of thing).

3. Actual per-mission costs that are directly attributable to things
consumed during each mission (fuel and other consumables, SRB refurbishment,
ET and other one-shot components, short-term contract labor, etc).

I think we have to present the costs broken down this way if we're to
come up with a useful result. A single figure of $X/kg is bound to be
misleading.

Phil