Des navettes jusqu'en 2015 ?

Un peu de prospective ?

- 2005 : le projet Constellation démarre tant bien que mal, mais les
missions habitées vers Mars sont renvoyées aux oubliettes.
- Avant 2010 : le programme lunaire est repoussé après 2020, en attendant la
mise au point du CEV et d'un éventuel lanceur lourd.
- Les navettes continuent d'être utilisées jusqu'en 2015 pour terminer
l'ISS, mais les équipages sont réduits par mesure de sécurité et les vols
sont espacés pour permettre une remise en état des navettes vieillissantes.
- Vers 2020, le CEV habité est mis en service (pendant 5 ans les Etats-Unis
ne disposent plus de véhicule habité) et le retour à la Lune est envisagé
pour 2035 et Mars pour 2050...

yoann a écrit:pilotless...

"Subject: Dismantling of Space Shuttle External Tank Tooling at Michoud
The PresidentThe Whitehouse
Dear Mr. President:
NASA is reportedly intending to begin dismantling of the tooling used at Michoud to build the 8.4m diameter Space Shuttle External Tanks (ET), beginning next month, as well as commencing layoffs of ET personnel, probably the following month. The reason given is to prepare for building of tooling for the Ares V tankage for the Constellation Program.I believe this to be a grave mistake, which could be inimical to our national security, for the following reasons:

1) The termination of the Shuttle Program not later than September 2010, will leave the United States totally dependent upon the Russian Soyuz launch systems for American access to the International Space Station (ISS) until the follow-on American systems become available, no earlier than 2014. Should the international situation disrupt access to the Soyuz system, because of action by Russia, or possible refusal of Congress to fund purchase of the Russian launch services, we could be faced with no access to the ISS. Should a decision be made by the next Administration to continue flying the Shuttle, we should not foreclose the capability to build more External Tanks.

2) Current NASA planning for the Constellation Program (Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle/Ares I/Ares V) has numerous milestones which, for one reason or another, are subject to slippage that may be in excess of the recently announced delay until September 2014, rather than 2013. This will, again, leave us with a major gap in our access to the ISS, subject to availability of other manned launch systems.The current status of both the Ares I and Ares V design, which was originally predicated on “maximum utilization of Shuttle technology and hardware,” is very much in flux, but is not, in my humble opinion, sufficiently mature to be certain of success. It could turn out that some alternate heavy-lift vehicle might be required that could utilize hardware that could be readily built using the existing 8.4m diameter tooling at Michoud. If that proves not to be the case, there would still be plenty of time to remove the existing tooling. Once the existing tooling is removed and destroyed, that option is foreclosed. We made this mistake with Saturn V tooling, and later with Titan 34D tooling (requiring building of new tooling for Titan IV). We should not do the same with the ET tooling.I respectfully, but strongly urge that you order that this action to destroy the tooling at Michoud be stopped, and said tooling be maintained. Should you need additional information, please let me know.
Respectfully, (signed)"

National Security Adviser Steve Hadley also would like to see it passed, Nelson said.
Rep. Howard Berman, the California Democrat who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also supports the effort

Commander Ham a écrit:Un petit message juste pour rappeler à notre ami patchfree qu'un résumé en français est grandement souhaité sur notre merveilleux forum.
Merci pour les non anglophones ;)

CBS NEWS SPACE EXPLORATION STATUS REPORTS

7:30 PM, 9/24/08, Update: House includes waiver to Iran-North Korea-Syria Nonproliferation Act in continuing resolution; would permit NASA purchases of Soyuz flights to space station

The U.S. House of Representatives today, as part of a continuing resolution needed to fund government operations past the upcoming elections and into 2009, extended a waiver to the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act that would allow NASA to purchase seats on Russian Soyuz spacecraft after the current waiver expires at the end of 2011.

"I'm thrilled! Couldn't be more pleased. Now, the Senate..." NASA Administrator Mike Griffin said in an email exchange with CBS News.

would permit NASA to keep buying manned Soyuz flights past 2011 but did not extend to the unmanned Progress flights.

By allowing NASA's authority to purchase Progress flights to expire at the end of 2011, the bill's backers were hoping to keep the pressure on NASA to buy space station re-supply flights from commercial companies such as Dulles, Va.-based Orbital Sciences Corp. and Hawthorne, Calif.-based Space Exploration Technologies, both of which are developing cargo tugs with financial assistance from NASA.

Le lobbying énergique du sénateur Bill Nelson
(Dém./Floride) et l'intervention décisive de Barack Obama en faveur de
cette mesure à travers une lettre adressée aux responsables du Congrès
ont donc payé

Stan a écrit:Selon cet article, il y a l'autorisation d'acheter des vols sur soyouz Et des progress a partir de 2012.

zx a écrit:A mon avis, elles vont être prolongées, au cas ou. (j espère bien, ca c'est un vaisseau, avec des ailes et tout et tout :P :D )