SLI News

[gladiator1332]

On the SLI site are some new video animations of the SLI designs:

Here is an animation of the "Capsule" design (looks like Apollo):
www.slinews.com/animations/OSPCapsule-w-slate.mov

Here is an animation of the "Lifting Body" design:
www.slinews.com/animations/OSPLiftingBody-w-slate.mov

Here is an animation of the "Sharp Body" design:
www.slinews.com/animations/OSPSharpBody-w-slate.mov

Here is an animation of the "Wing Body" design:
www.slinews.com/animations/OSPWingBody-w-slate.mov

Just in case the links don't work, here is the section of the site they are in:
www.slinews.com/videoarchitecture.html

I was really happy to see the animation of the capsule design, because that is my favorite. I read
in Astronomy magazine about the SLI, and it made it sound like one of the the winged designs
was basically the one that is going to be chosen. At least the capsule design hasn't been scrapped
yet. Astronomy magazine said that the SLI craft will be ready in 6-7 years. Popular-Science said it
would be ready in 10-12 years. I have heard mostly by the end of the decade, so 6-7 years
sounds promising.
I also enjoyed seeing the names they have for them. I used to call them design A, B, C, or D. Now
they have more descriptive names.

[icebrain]

What do you like so much about the capsule?  The winged ones (especially sharp-body) have the
benefit of being able to accurately land at a recovery field, and are slightly more reuseable... and
they look better too.

[gladiator1332]

Its just personal opinion. I have always been into different things. It is the one design that sticks
out. There are no other SLI designs like it. It was the first one that caught my eye.

I do understand that the winged ones do have more accurate landings, and they have no need for
a recovery force.

If I had to be money I would NOT put it on the Capsule design...though I like I don't think it has
that much of a chance of winning. For the exact reasons you stated above.

[obiwan]

Well, I wonder why they don't reuse and old idea of McDonnell Douglas. Just before Apollo, the Air
Force
saw the Gemini Capsule as their vehicle to space, and they work many ideas for it. One of them
was to attached a paraglider instead of the usual parachutes so the Gemini Capsule could land on
an airfield...

[gladiator1332]

That is a cool idea and very efficient!

[C3PO]

Exacly like the X-38 ISS life boat

[obiwan]

yep, although the X38 was not a paraglider, it was a parapent

[gladiator1332]

Just a piece of an article from April 9, 2003 on the web....

"Several subcommittee members urged that NASA develop an alternative vehicle more quickly. Its
next project, the orbital space plane, is not slated to be ready until 2012.

Rep. Dave Weldon, a NASA advocate whose district until recently included Kennedy Space Center,
told O'Keefe he can't believe that the agency can't move more quickly. He suggested picking a
capsule design to slash development time.

"It would seem to me, from my perspective, that the capsule concept is a very attractive way for us
to get from here to there relatively quickly," said Weldon, R-Palm Bay."

The full article can be found here:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom/space/orl-
asecssnasa09x040903apr09,0,1336142.story?coll=orl-news-headlines

[gladiator1332]

Latest news release on www.slinews.com

NASA today announced approximately $135 million dollars will be awarded to three competing
contractor teams to continue support of NASA´s Orbital Space Plane program under the Space
Launch Initiative to provide crew rescue and transfer capabilities to the International Space
Station.

The awards are a part of a contract modification of a Cycle 1 Space Launch Initiative solicitation
originally awarded in May 2001. This modification extends existing contracts through July 2004.

The Orbital Space Plane program will provide the capability for crew rescue by 2010 and the
capability for crews to transfer to and from the International Space Station by 2012.

The three system design contractor teams - The Boeing Company of Seal Beach, Calif.; Lockheed
Martin Corp. of Denver; and a team including Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., and Northrop
Grumman of El Segundo, Calif. - will each receive approximately $45 million to design potential
candidates for the system, including the Orbital Space Plane vehicle or vehicles, ground operations
and all supporting technologies needed to conduct a mission to and from the Space Station.

The contract modification includes work to develop system specifications, including systems
analysis, trade studies and concept feasibility in preparation for NASA´s Orbital Space Plane
Program´s Systems Requirements Review. The review, scheduled for October 2003, will evaluate
the concept design based on the Level 1 requirements - guidelines that lay out the foundation
and top-level needs of the system. The review will also set Level 2 requirements that will further
narrow the scope of the system design, including requirements for crew safety, cost, and
interfacing with launch vehicles and the Space Station.

Once the Systems Requirements Review is complete, the contractors will begin work on the next
phase, which includes trade studies, development of a conceptual design that meets Level 2
requirements and supporting analysis leading to NASA´s Systems Design Review, scheduled for
April 2004. The Systems Design Review is a NASA-led review to validate the Level 2 requirements
and determine Level 3 requirements to more precisely define the needs and specifications of the
system. A full-scale development decision by NASA is expected in the fall of 2004.

The Orbital Space Plane program supports U.S. International Space Station requirements for crew
rescue, crew transport, and contingency cargo such as supplies, food and other needed
equipment. The system will initially launch on an expendable launch vehicle to provide rescue
capability for no fewer than four Space Station crew members as soon as practical - but no later
than 2010. It will also provide transportation capability for no fewer than four crew members to
and from the Space Station as soon as practical -- but no later than 2012.

For more information on the Orbital Space Plane, visit:

http://www.slinews.com