Comments on: NASA Unveils New Rocket https://habitablezone.com/2011/09/14/nasa-unveils-new-rocket/ Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:41:18 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jeff-Wash https://habitablezone.com/2011/09/14/nasa-unveils-new-rocket/#comment-5841 Jeff-Wash Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:43:07 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=3641#comment-5841 First launch of this STS booster, without an upperstage, will supposedly take place by Dec/2017, a little over 50 years since the first (successful) Saturn 5 launch. Thing is, the Saturn 5 had 7.5 million Ibs of thrust at liftoff and could park over 100 metric tons in orbit. This STS will generate 8.2 million Ibs of thrust at liftoff, and YET will only be able to park 70 metric tons in orbit. That doesn't sound like progress to me. First launch of this STS booster, without
an upperstage, will supposedly take place by Dec/2017, a little over 50 years since the first (successful) Saturn 5 launch.

Thing is, the Saturn 5 had 7.5 million Ibs of thrust at liftoff and could park over 100 metric tons in orbit.
This STS will generate 8.2 million Ibs of thrust at liftoff, and YET will only be able to park 70 metric tons in orbit.
That doesn’t sound like progress to me.

]]> By: TB https://habitablezone.com/2011/09/14/nasa-unveils-new-rocket/#comment-5765 TB Thu, 15 Sep 2011 02:34:47 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=3641#comment-5765 First manned flight of the 70-metric-ton version in ten years? At a cost of $41 billion? Took less time to get from Freedom 7 to the first manned Moon landing, although they did spend more (the total cost of the entire Apollo program would be about $130 billion in today's dollars) And yes, this is mostly a NASA employment program. As a comparison, the Falcon Heavy (about 53 metric tons to LEO) is scheduled for a first launch around 2013 or 2014. They have spend around $500 million so far, but the Falcon Heavy will add to that in the future. Another interesting note: SpaceX has spent about the same amount of money to get to where they are now (launching a man-rated capsule into LEO and recovering it safely) as the solar power company Solyndra has wasted. First manned flight of the 70-metric-ton version in ten years? At a cost of $41 billion? Took less time to get from Freedom 7 to the first manned Moon landing, although they did spend more (the total cost of the entire Apollo program would be about $130 billion in today’s dollars)

And yes, this is mostly a NASA employment program.

As a comparison, the Falcon Heavy (about 53 metric tons to LEO) is scheduled for a first launch around 2013 or 2014. They have spend around $500 million so far, but the Falcon Heavy will add to that in the future.

Another interesting note: SpaceX has spent about the same amount of money to get to where they are now (launching a man-rated capsule into LEO and recovering it safely) as the solar power company Solyndra has wasted.

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