Apollo-like capsule may replace shuttle

[IndianaGreen]

Apollo-like capsule may replace shuttle
Thursday, September 18, 2003 Posted: 11:15 AM EDT (1515 GMT)



CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) -- NASA may replace its troubled fleet of space shuttles with a new generation of Apollo-type space capsules, a top space agency official said.

"Certainly we have considerable amount of experience flying with capsules," Dr. John Rogacki, director of NASA's space transportation directorate, told Reuters on Wednesday. "One might say on the capsule side it could be that that design experience may lead to a capsule being available sooner than a winged vehicle."

Unlike shuttles that land like airplanes, capsules splash down in the ocean and must be recovered by ships.

The resurrection of space capsules, which last launched three decades ago, is gaining favor among astronauts, space agency officials and congressional staffers after the shuttle Columbia disaster that killed seven astronauts on February 1.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/09/18/sprj.colu.shuttle.replacement.reut/index.html

[Feanorcurufinwe]

1. whatever works

[maxomai_vs_rove]

2. Uh oh

Isn't it usually a bad sign when a civilization's technology regresses?

[sandlapper]

3. These aren't "Shuttle replacements"!

The capsule concepts aren't suitable for cargo transport or satellite recovery and repair. The capsule concepts are intended as a replacement for the Soyuz as a Crew Return Vehicle.