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Planetary News: Human Spaceflight (2005)

NASA Unveils Plans to Return to the Moon;

Planetary Society Responds

By Amir Alexander
September 19, 2005

By 2018 astronauts will again roam the surface of the Moon promised NASA administrator Michael Griffin in a press conference this morning. The briefing was called to unveil NASA’s plans to implement President Bush’s Vision for Space Exploration, which was announced in January 2004.

The key component in NASA’s proposed architecture is the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), called for in the President’s statement, which will make possible easy and reliable access to space. The CEV design unveiled today is conceptually inspired by the Apollo program, and makes extensive use of components from the Shuttle and its boosters.

In his presentation Griffin explained in detail how the CEV would be used for a Lunar landing, and estimated the time it would take to reach that goal. The new vehicle’s first flight, he said, would take place in 2012, and the Moon landing will be accomplished by 2018. He also suggested that a permanent Lunar base could be established, manned by astronauts for 6 months at a time. Asked about a mission to Mars, however, Griffin said that there is no schedule, and that NASA’s planning had not reached that stage.

The Planetary Society Responds

Before becoming NASA administrator Griffin was a lead author of a report commissioned by The Planetary Society on extending human presence in space. His views are well known in the Society, and his presentation elicited a range of responses from Society officers. While supportive of Griffin’s efforts to turn the vision for space exploration into reality, some showed concern that the emphasis on a Lunar mission will slow down more ambitious exploration goals.

“I applaud this crucial first step of our national space vision” said Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chairman of the Board of The Planetary Society. “Of course,” he added, “the vision does not dead-end at the Moon. “So while I congratulate Administrator Griffin for jump-starting our renewed presence in space, we must remember that a true program of exploration holds not just one object as our destination, but the entire Solar System and beyond.”

Wesley T. Huntress Jr., President of The Planetary Society, also pointed out the promise of the new exploration architecture, while expressing some concerns. “The best part of the plan” he said, “is that we finally have an intelligent and sensible approach to the launch vehicles required for deep space exploration. “The lunar elements seem mired in Apollo-like thinking, and unfortunately there seems to be little consideration of the real goal beyond the Moon -- Mars. “Nevertheless it is a good start, and congratulations are due to Mike Griffin. “Let's lay the foundation with these new launch vehicles and the CEV and see how we can improve the rest with time.”

Society Executive Director Louis Friedman, while sharing Tyson’s and Huntress’s optimism, expressed concerns on a range of issues in the plan presented by Griffin: “The plan announced by NASA today to fulfill the Moon/Mars Vision for Space Exploration is an essential and welcome step putting meat on the bones of the space policy” said Friedman. “The Crew Exploration Vehicle is the crucial first step, and it now moves from just being a name to a specification of how it will enable humans to explore beyond Earth orbit. “What is sadly missing from the announcement is the public and political rationale, particularly there was little mention of either the Mars goal or international participation. “It is doubtful that either public support exists for simply a return to the Moon or for providing financial resources for sending humans to other worlds as a national endeavor only. It should be a global effort from the beginning.”

Friedman was also skeptical about the prospects of finding “lunar resources for rocket fuel and permanent presence in lunar bases,” which he referred to as “science-fiction.” “If we get bogged down on lunar macro-engineering projects then exploration of the solar system could be thwarted” he warned. “Nevertheless,” he added, “there is a lot of time to re-work the details of lunar operations and Mars mission planning, hopefully in concert with many others on Earth.”

A blunter assessment was given by former Society Chairman of the Board, Bruce Murray: “I am disappointed there seems to be so little emphasis on Mars here relative to the President’s original announcement” said Murray. “I am worried that Bush’s bold vision of Mars will get reduced to warmed-over Apollo Moon flights.”

Going to the Moon

 

In the briefing Griffin provided a detailed account of the stages of a CEV journey to the Moon and back. Each CEV mission, he explained, will include two separate launches. The Crew Launch Vehicle will be a four segment solid fuel rocket powered by a shuttle main engine, whose mission will be to launch the CEV and the crew into low Earth orbit. A Heavy Cargo Launch Vehicle will consist of five shuttle main engines and two shuttle boosters, which will be able to lift as much as 125 metric tons of cargo into low Earth orbit.

For a Lunar mission the Heavy Cargo Vehicle will launch first, sending two crucial components into low Earth orbit: a Lunar landing module, similar in look and design to the Apollo landing craft, connected to a rocket booster that had not yet been fired. The Crew Launch Vehicle will launch somewhat later, carrying the astronauts and the CEV. Once in low Earth orbit the CEV will chase down and connect to the Lunar landing module. The rocket booster will then be fired, sending the CEV - now including the Lunar lander - out of Earth orbit and towards the Moon.

The spacecraft that will then enter orbit around the Moon will look remarkably like an Apollo craft. The CEV will be made up of a “command module” and a “service module” very similar to their predecessors of 35 years ago, though larger and more capable. With a base diameter of 5.5 meters, as compared to Apollo’s 3.9 meters, the spacecraft will have three times the internal space of Apollo, allowing for a crew of four astronauts. In addition, unlike Apollo the CEV will sport a pair of solar panels, which will provide a reliable source of power during its sojourn in space.

Once in orbit around the Moon the astronauts will transfer into the lander, which will then separate from the CEV and descend to the Lunar surface. The now crewless, but fully automated, CEV will continue to circle the Moon until the astronauts’ return. Although according to Griffin early missions will last 4 to 7 days, the spacecraft can stay in Lunar orbit for up to 6 months without a crew.

The Lunar module itself, carrying four astronauts, will settle on the surface of the Moon much like the old Apollo landers. The new module, however, will be considerably more capable than its predecessor: Whereas Apollo landing sites were limited to the Moon’s equatorial regions, the CEV’s lander will be able to reach any point on the Lunar surface – including the poles.

For the return voyage, the top section of the Lunar module will rejoin the CEV, which with the astronauts on board, will head back to Earth. As was the case with Apollo, the service module will be jettisoned before entering the atmosphere. Only the command module – the very tip of the original Crew Launch Vehicle – will return to Earth beneath a canopy of parachutes.

The new exploration architecture, Griffin said, could be used to establish a Lunar base, where astronaut crews would rotate much as they now do in the International Space Station. He emphasized, however, that the CEV does not necessitate taking this route, but rather makes it possible if such a decision is made down the road.

The new system, according to Griffin, promises to return NASA to human space exploration without exceeding current budgetary constraints. This is possible because the CEV will draw 85% of its components from the shuttle, and will be able to use existing resources and infrastructure. According to NASA estimates, Griffin said, the price tag of the CEV project over the next 13 years will be only 55% of the cost of the Apollo program.

While the CEV is clearly designed with a Lunar landing in mind, it is also flexible enough to allow for a myriad of other missions. These would include expeditions to low Earth orbit to link with the Space Station, or repair space telescopes and other satellites. More significantly from the point of view of the vision for space exploration, the CEV would provide the basic components of a mission to Mars. According to Griffin, such a mission would require several hundred tons of fuel and supplies. These could be easily launched into space by the Heavy Lift Vehicle, before connecting with the CEV for the long journey to Mars. Nevertheless, Griffin added, there is currently no schedule for a human mission to Mars.