Boeing Lunar vehicles

> Via HobbySpace.com (actually RLV news,
> http://www.hobbyspace.com/Links/RLVNews.html>): Boeing has
conceptual
> drawings of their bid for the CEV and associated hardware. As I
> predicted, it looks a lot like Apollo.
> http://boeingmedia.com/images/search.cfm?product_id25> These
are
> drawings from Boeing's PR people, so I wouldn't put too much stock
in
> details, but it's nice to see they're taking capsules seriously.

Boeing's plan makes a lot of sense to me. Note the modularity of
the design: a DeltaIV main booster, then a lunar transfer propulsion
module, a resource module, and either the crew cabin or an
autonomous cargo module. This same type of vehicle could perform
the Hubble salvage I talked about earlier, bringing Hubble either
back to the ISS or to a lunar polar orbit. It would build a lunar-
orbit space station in only two launches. It could probably
resupply the ISS.

>
> Based on some comments by Jeff Greason on sci.space.policy, I
think
> it's actually unlikely that the CEV will be a capsule. Jeff
argues
> (persuasively) that political forces within NASA, notably from
JPL,
> will push for a lifting body, perhaps something derived from the X-
38
> CRV. Bad news for Boeing (maybe). Any CRV that doesn't try to
> duplicate shuttle functionality is a move in the right direction
as far
> as I'm concerned, though I do prefer a capsule for the sake of
> simplicity.
>
> ......Andrew

So would I. The KISS method should be followed whenever possible.

Ed