Nasa unveils Space Launch System vision

[TimberWolf]

BBC News - Nasa unveils Space Launch System vision

More powerful than the rocket that got [us] to the Moon. Destinations aren't specific, but asteroids and Mars are possibilities. I'd settle for the Moon, practise in the backyard first.

First launch (to low Earth orbit for gawd knows what purpose) due as early 2017.

[Cliphead]

BBC News - Nasa unveils Space Launch System vision

More powerful than the rocket that got [us] to the Moon. Destinations aren't specific, but asteroids and Mars are possibilities. I'd settle for the Moon, practise in the backyard first.

First launch (to low Earth orbit for gawd knows what purpose) due as early 2017.

Was reading about that earlier, could have been there by now with a bit of foresight and balls.

[doodab]

First launch (to low Earth orbit for gawd knows what purpose) due as early 2017.

The purpose of that will be testing. That flight will almost certainly be unmanned as well. Saturn / Apollo did several unmanned and earth orbit missions in the early stages.

I am very pleased they are doing this

Edit: official NASA press release here: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/sls1.html

[TimberWolf]

The purpose of that will be testing. That flight will almost certainly be unmanned as well. Saturn / Apollo did several unmanned and earth orbit missions in the early stages.

I am very pleased they are doing this

Edit: official NASA press release here: NASA - NASA Announces Design for New Deep Space Exploration System

Yep, exciting times again.

I'd prefer to see a lunar colony than a human Mars shoot myself. Robots to Mars and Moons would be fine by me and tend to be much easier without squishy humans to take care of.

[Cliphead]

Yep, exciting times again.

I'd prefer to see a lunar colony than a human Mars shoot myself. Robots to Mars and Moons would be fine by me and tend to be much easier without squishy humans to take care of.

Have you ever played with this?

[TimberWolf]

Have you ever played with this?

Nope, I'll give it a go later. Ta.

I often write my own simulations though (using my trusty old 4th order Runge Kutta for numerical integration).

Only recently I got interested in orbital slingshots, and I've coded up (Javascript, HTML5 Canvas and a text editor ) but was a bit surprised at how tricky it was to plan multiple slingshots, by hand. Might have to code the direction and time and initial positions of the planets too.

Interestingly there was a recent mission (NASA I think) that did a slingshot using the Earth. None of the above may make sense!

[Cliphead]

Nope, I'll give it a go later. Ta.

I often write my own simulations though (using my trusty old 4th order Runge Kutta for numerical integration).

Only recently I got interested in orbital slingshots, and I've coded up (Javascript, HTML5 Canvas and a text editor ) but was a bit surprised at how tricky it was to plan multiple slingshots, by hand. Might have to code the direction and time and initial positions of the planets too.

Interestingly there was a recent mission (NASA I think) that did a slingshot using the Earth. None of the above may make sense!

Makes perfect sense. Give Orbiter a shot, it's not a game but a serious simulator and knowledge of orbital mechanics is a prerequisite. I've managed several slingshots accurately both historic and ficticious (but accurate).

Lots of fun recreating the Apollo mission in real time.

[AtW]

They must try harder.

[Cliphead]

They must try harder.

How good's your diff calc?

[wurzel]

I thought they'd only recently pulled the plug on the Constellation programme - that was supposed to have ultimately had the goal of sending someone to Mars after having done a few missions to the moon first. I seem to recall Obama canned it as they couldn't afford it any more.