Space Flight panel study finds alternative rocket “capable”
Orlando Sentinel
A study done by NASA engineers at various agency centers on behalf of the U.S. Human Space Flight Review Committee has found that shuttle program manager John Shannon’s alternative to the Constellation rockets is capable and affordable.
The alternative rocket is similar to the current space shuttle, except that the orbiter mounted on the side of the fuel tank is replaced by a podlike container resembling a giant car-top carrier. The design is called the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle, or HLV, and was presented to the committee at its first public hearing June 17.
The study concluded that while the HLV design “is less capable than the current Constellation” rocket plans, it is “capable as demonstrated here.”
It found that the rocket “is technically viable and delivers 79.9 [metric tons] to [Low Earth Orbit] and 53.1 [metric tons to the moon.]”
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