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The Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is NASA's proposed series of human spaceflight spacecraft, intended to replace the space shuttle system. The project to develop and test the CEV is Project Constellation.
Design
As of 2004, NASA has not made any design decisions. However, it is likely that the CEV will follow the module and capsule design principles used in the Apollo, Gemini, Soyuz and Shenzhou systems, instead of the reusable spaceplane design principle used in the space shuttle system. The CEV will launch on an expendable launch system and carry crew to low Earth orbit, and perhaps more ambitiously in the future to the Moon, Mars, and other destinations.
The Draft Statement of Work for the CEV has been issued by NASA on December 9th, 2004. One month later, NASA has issued a Draft RFP (Request For Proposal) on January 21st, 2005 for the CEV (Crew Exploration Vehicle). The Final RFP is expected on March 1st 2005. NASA then plans to have a suborbital or an Earth orbit fly-off called Flight Application of Spacecraft Technologies (FAST) between two teams' CEV designs before September 1st 2008.
One of the main goals of the new CEV are lunar expeditions.
NASA will choose two main contractor teams for the flyoff. Each team will have a complete design for the CEV and its launch vehicle. The teams will also have to develop a plan for their CEV to take part in the assembly of a lunar expedition in earth orbit. The two major teams announced are:
Another announced team is t/Space, a consortium including such groups as Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites, Elon Musk's SpaceX, and Red Whittaker[1] (http://www.redteamracing.org/) of the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute.
Each contractor-led team will include subcontractors that will provide the lunar expedition astronauts with equipment, life support, rocket engines and onboard navigation systems. In the Earth orbit fly-offs, one complete CEV lunar mission design will compete against the other. NASA will choose the winner to build the final ships. Fly-offs are used by the U.S. Air Force to select military aircraft, this will be the first time that NASA has used this approach in awarding contracts.
Reusability is a valuable component, but initially not essential. The main choice will be what makes the most sense in designing the 21st century lunar craft.
Spiral development and schedule
NASA planners are focusing on a three-part plan for a return to the moon they call trade studies. NASA plans to have the winner of the fly-off competition design the CEV ships in a series of "spirals," or complete designs with spacecraft systems and subsystems:
- Exploration Spiral One (CEV Earth Orbit Capability) - Spiral 1 establishes the capability to test and checkout crew transportation system elements in Low Earth Orbit in preparation for future human exploration missions to the Moon. As new exploration elements necessary for future spirals are developed, they will be tested with the Spiral 1 CEV in the space environment to prepare for future exploration. The objective of crewed access to low earth orbit will be met by 2014.
- Exploration Spiral Two (Extended Lunar Exploration) - Spiral 2 establishes the capability to conduct human exploration missions on the surface of the Moon for extended durations. In this context, extended duration is defined as the capability to support the crew on the surface of the Moon for a minimum of four days. This objective will be met in the 2015-2020 timeframe.
- Exploration Spiral Three (Long Duration Lunar Exploration) - Spiral 3 establishes the capability to conduct routine human long duration missions on the surface of the Moon to test out technologies and operational techniques for expanding the human presence to Mars and beyond. Missions in Spiral 3 will extend in duration from those obtain in Spiral 2 up to several months to serve as an operational analog of future short stay Mars missions. This objective will be met after 2020.
- Exploration Spiral Four (Crew Transportation System Mars Flyby) Encompasses the capabilities to conduct a Mars flyby mission using elements of the Human-Mars Crew Transportation System. Timeline - After 2020.
- Exploration Spiral Five (Human Mars Surface Campaign) Encompasses the capabilities necessary to execute human Mars exploration missions. Timeline - After 2020.
NASA is also looking into building rockets with nuclear propulsion. This will not be part of the initial phase of building the Crew Exploration Vehicle.
NASA hopes to follow this schedule in development of the CEV:
- 2008 - The first prototype CEV is to be launched with a candidate launch vehicle. This is the fly-off called Flight Application of Spacecraft Technologies (FAST)
- 2008 - 3rd Quarter - NASA plans to select the final design for the lunar spacecraft and its mission mode.
- 2011 - First unmanned flight of CEV in earth orbit.
- 2014 - First manned flight of CEV in earth orbit.
- 2014 - First unmanned flight of lunar spacecraft design.
- 2015 - First manned flight of lunar spacecraft.
- 2015 - 2020 - First moon landing by astronauts in lunar spacecraft.
Origin
The proposal to create the CEV is partly a reaction to the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and the White House's review of the American space program.
The CEV replaces the Orbital Space Plane (OSP) program.
On January 14, 2004, President George W. Bush announced the CEV as part of the Vision for Space Exploration:
- "Our second goal is to develop and test a new spacecraft, the Crew Exploration Vehicle, by 2008, and to conduct the first manned mission no later than 2014. The Crew Exploration Vehicle will be capable of ferrying astronauts and scientists to the Space Station after the shuttle is retired. But the main purpose of this spacecraft will be to carry astronauts beyond our orbit to other worlds. This will be the first spacecraft of its kind since the Apollo Command Module."
Funding
President Bush's budget request for Financial Year 2005 includes: "$428 million for Project Constellation ($6.6 billion over five years) to develop a new crew exploration vehicle." Budget for year 2005 has been confirmed by the Congress in November 2004.
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