Aerospace Technology 2: Advance space transportation

Create a safe, affordable highway through the air and into space.

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Exploring and developing the space frontier will require safer, more affordable, and much faster space transportation capabilities. NASA is coordinating all of its space transportation efforts under a single investment strategy — the Integrated Space Transportation Plan (See Cross-Enterprise Synergies). The Plan supports technical risk reduction activities in partnership with industry. These activities will lead to a competition in 2005 for full-scale launch vehicle development. These vehicles, combined with NASA-unique hardware, will enable NASA to meet all of its launch needs using commercially competitive, privately owned and operated Earth-to-orbit launch vehicles by 2010. NASA’s space transportation technology objectives are as follows. Mission Safety: NASA’s objective is to make space travel as safe as today’s air travel, moving space travel out of the realm of the extraordinary into the mainstream. NASA is working to reduce the risk of crew loss by designing crew escape systems and by developing for inherent vehicle safety and reliability through fewer parts and more robust subsystems. Developing tools to enable end-to-end computer design and testing of an entire vehicle and its mission, including life cycle risk assessment, will dramatically increase mission safety. In addition, integrating intelligence into vehicle systems will result in improved vehicle health management and self-repair. Safe space launch and travel will help make space accessible to all and will enhance development of the commercial space sector. Mission Affordability: NASA aims to reduce the cost of taking payloads to orbit without compromising safety or reliability. This will require improved concepts for reusable launch vehicles as well as advanced launch systems and launch operations. NASA’s strategy is to accelerate progress toward a second generation reusable launch vehicle in the near-term while fostering the development of more advanced commercial launch systems in the longer term. Opportunities for near-Earth operations and commercialization will be made available by new propulsion systems, improved materials and structures for lightweight, durable in-space transportation vehicles, and reusable systems for traveling between Earth orbits. Both afford ability and safety are essential if we are to realize a dynamic, productive space market. By developing capabilities for both medium/heavy and small payloads, including systems to transfer payloads between Earth orbits, NASA will create a true “Highway to Space.” Mission Reach: This objective aims to develop light, fast space propulsion systems that will reduce travel times. Technology focuses include small systems for deep space missions conducted by the Space Science Enterprise, missions to other planets, and breakthrough propulsion technologies to allow us to eventually reach other stars within a human’s lifetime. NEAR TERM PLANS: - Develop processes and technology improvements for safer crewed launches - Complete technology risk reduction to enable U.S. industry to significantly reduce the cost of launches to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) - Develop advanced space transportation concepts, and initiate enabling technology programs

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