After Space Shuttle: Instead of Project Constellation using the proposed Orion spacecraft, why not use Soyuz?

Feb 07, 8576 by KD | Posted in Astronomy & Space

I was watching this video the other day, a NASA animation of Project Constellation going to the moon. It would involved two launches, one of the Orion spacecraft and crew, and a second, unmanned launch of a lunar lander and orbital booster, which Orion would rendezvous with and then head to the moon. And the whole time I was watching, I kept think, Instead of developing a spacecraft to be another Apollo or Soyuz, why not just go in on it with the Russians and use Soyuz?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ipfC4hhR lg
Soyuz is a modern spacecraft, Will, right down to the "glass cockpit". It is constantly being upgraded and improved upon, which NASA should have done with Apollo instead of abandoning that technology.

Instead of Constellation, if NASA would go with Direct 3.0 using Jupiter 246 and Jupiter 130, a lot of money could be saved in development cost as we would be using the same SRBs and main fuel tanks as we do now, hence also reusing the tooling that is currently use to make these items for the Space Shuttle missions. Even the RS-68 main engines would also be reused and are rated for human space flight, instead of waiting to certify the RS-72 engine. (Once it does get certified, a switch to the more powerful RS-72 could probably be made.

Soyuz maybe good to get to orbit, but in its current form will not take anyone to the moon or for ARM (Asteroid Rendezvous Mission). Also with Direct 3.0, the gap to access space would be less, from a three to five year period to 18 to 24 months. The launch infrastructure at Pad 39A and 39B would require minimal modification, where with Constellation, the pads will require extensive modification. The loss of experienced space workers from the gap generated by Constellation would be costly. And with Constellation the way it is going now, it is looking like we will have to sacrifice capability, which now seem it will drop for a six person capsule down to four, and now there is some squawk of maybe only a two person capsule, which is less than the capacity of Soyuz and even the former Apollo program.

With Direct 3.0 is capable to deliver and would be quicker, better and substantial cheaper. (One does not have to throw the baby out with the bath water). (Safer, Simpler, Sooner). With Direct, we get 6 people to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 100.86 metric tons on orbit, 6 to the ISS with 91.36 m.t. and 4 to the moon and 79.10 m.t..

Direct 3.0 make better sense. We lose the big gap and save a lot of money in the process. Direct also gives us many other configurations for other launch operations. Direct is win, win all the way; Constellation is compromise and costly.