Mini Shuttle

[tierk]

Interesting article, even if from the Daily Mail.

X-37B unmanned space shuttle to be launched tonight | Mail Online

For all the talk of cancelling the shuttle programme recently, it seems that there are a number of alternatives still in the pipe and i wonder what else is being planned, tested in secret.

 

[Raven]

Yeah I saw that this morning on the BBC, pretty interesting and could help pave the way for a bigger space station and maybe even the leap to Mars.

BBC News - X-37B military spaceplane launches from Cape Canaveral

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

Interesting.

 

[tierk]

Yeah I saw that this morning on the BBC, pretty interesting and could help pave the way for a bigger space station and maybe even the leap to Mars.

BBC News - X-37B military spaceplane launches from Cape Canaveral

Funnily enough that was exactly what i was thinking about as well, well the space station bit, seeing as all the doom and gloom merchants been harping on bout the end of the shuttle programme as if the end of the world is going to come on the back of it.

Not sure about it being any use as a push to Mars though i would imagine that the vehicle used for that will be some mega structure to help the astronauts survive the trip.

 

[Raven]

Funnily enough that was exactly what i was thinking about as well, well the space station bit, seeing as all the doom and gloom merchants been harping on bout the end of the shuttle programme as if the end of the world is going to come on the back of it.

Not sure about it being any use as a push to Mars though i would imagine that the vehicle used for that will be some mega structure to help the astronauts survive the trip.

Yeah it will be but an unmanned shuttle is ideal for shifting stuff up to space without the need of all the life support and crew area etc, a large ship would need to be built in space.

 

[tierk]

a large ship would need to be built in space.

Yea i suppose a kind of space ship kit with all the parts manufactured on earth and then assembled in space. Guess it does make sense when you consider the alternatives.

Just wish that there was a lot more cooperation between national space agencies in terms of budgets, research and development as a starter. Can you imagine the strides that could be made with a intergarted space policy that encompassed all countries - well the ones that had aspirations for a space programme?

 

[old.Tohtori]

Unmanned?

That's robotics surely.

In space?

Prepare your overlord bowing mats.