Beyond LEO – Flexible Path Revisited

In an interesting post at Vision Restoration, “Ray” tackles the desultory Flexible Path (FP) architecture of the Augustine committee, which calls for human missions to low gravity destinations and delays missions to the lunar and martian surface. The problems he finds with FP are similar to points that I’ve discussed in a previous post.
The principal [...]

Teleoperated robots can emplace and build much of the lunar outpost infrastructure prior to human arrival (Astrobotic Technology Inc.)
In an interesting post at Vision Restoration, “Ray” tackles the desultory Flexible Path (FP) architecture of the Augustine committee, which calls for human missions to low gravity destinations and delays missions to the lunar and martian surface. The problems he finds with FP are similar to points that I’ve discussed in a previous post.
The principal rationale for doing Flexible Path rather than the current program for return to the Moon is to avoid the cost of developing a new surface lander spacecraft for humans (either lunar or martian), which Augustine pronounced budget-busting for NASA. By being “flexible” and avoiding deep gravity wells, the Augustine committee saw a low cost way to send people beyond LEO. However, the Orion crew module and some type ...