SpaceX Discusses How Private/Public Partnership Can Advance Space Exploration (ContributorNetwork)

In a recent interview with MSNBC, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was asked questions about the future of human space flight in the wake of the end of the space shuttle program. What he had to say, especially about space exploration, was intriguing.

Musk took the standard line about the new age of commercial space flight, when it is predicted private space ships, such as SpaceX's Dragon, will be taking astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Musk's company is the recipient of government subsidies to make that happen by 2015.

But what Musk said about future exploration beyond low Earth orbit and the role commercial companies would play in it bears listening to. He touted the ability of the Dragon to land vertically on the surfaces of alien worlds, such as the Moon or Mars.

The ability of the Falcon Heavy, planned to 53 metric into low Earth orbit, to conduct unmanned space exploration missions has already been discussed. A version of the Dragon, outfitted with a robotic payload, could land, according to Musk, on the surface of a variety of planets and moons in the Solar System.

Musk suggests the ultimate goal of SpaceX is to provide a private means "--to transport huge volumes of people and cargo to Mars."

That is bold talk for someone who has yet to launch people into low Earth orbit, not to speak of Mars. Musk's crewed Dragon program is dependent on government subsidies and he also suggests that any interplanetary effort would be a private/public partnership, with the government providing the bulk of the financing.

There are various scenarios that integrate commercial spacecraft, such as the Dragon and the Falcon launchers, with NASA developed hardware. Mars visionary Robert Zubrin described a Mars mission that involved use of the Falcon Heavy. The Nautilus-X space station/space craft would use commercial spacecraft such as the Dragon to take people and cargo from Earth. The Spudis/Lavoie plan to return to the Moon has a commercial element.

Another, perhaps less complicated idea would be for a lunar ship or Mars ship to be launched into low Earth orbit unmanned by the Space Launch System while a Falcon launches a Dragon with the crew, docks with the exploration ship, and transfers the crew to it. A modified Dragon could also be used as a lunar or Mars lander.

With the cancellation of the Constellation space program, NASA's future is now very much in doubt. The idea of jump starting space exploration as a private/public partnership is something worth considering as a new approach, combining NASA's expertise in beyond low Earth orbit exploration with commercial space's flexibility and capacity to conduct routine space operations more affordably.

Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker. He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the LA Times, and The Weekly Standard.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110714/us_ac/8801343_spacex_discusses_how_privatepublic_partnership_can_advance_space_exploration

gone with the wind cheap airline tickets cheap airline tickets turtles turtles pangea pangea