NASA Presents New Space Taxi Designs

Sept. 29 -- The next-generation space vehicle is on the drawing boards now and NASA has just issued newly defined requirements.

The designers who built the Space Shuttle back in the 1970s probably thought the orbiters would be in a museum by now. No one expected shuttles to still be flying in the year 2003. The remaining three shuttles — Atlantis, Discovery, and Endeavour — will be the backbone of the American space program for another decade, perhaps longer.

The breakup of the shuttle Columbia over Texas on February 1 depleted NASA's already limited ability to transport crews and cargo into space. And there is little chance this will improve soon since all shuttles remain grounded until NASA implements the recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB).

‘Lifeboat’ Limits Crew

The lack of shuttle support is a problem for the crew members aboard the International Space Station, who are now dependent on the Russian Progress and the Soyuz space vehicles for supplies. A Soyuz craft is always docked at the ISS as an emergency escape system if needed. And since the Soyuz can only carry three astronauts, the ISS can only be staffed by a maximum three-person crew until another escape option is available.

The lack of a next-generation space vehicle was noted in the CAIB report on the Columbia accident,which chastised NASA and those who make space policy in this country for being shortsighted.

"Because of the risks inherent in the original design of the Space Shuttle, because that design was based in many aspects on now obsolete technologies, and because the Shuttle is now an aging system but still developmental in character, it is in the nation's interest to replace the Shuttle as soon as possible as the primary means for transporting humans to and from Earth orbit," the authors wrote.

For now, NASA would like to supplement the shuttle with a simpler craft: An Orbital Space Plane that would ferry astronauts and some cargo to the International Space Station, and also serve as a "lifeboat" on the ISS.