NASA Human Landing System

[sevenperforce]

Neat to see three engines on the ascent element with engine-out capability. It's the same arrangement as Starship. Presumably they can gimbal through the center of mass.

Shame there's no airlock.

Those two BE-7s look spectactular.

[tater]

A guy on NSF mentioned this paper, so I found it.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/4687582_Lunar_lander_configuration_study_and_parametric_performance_analysis/link/5df3f6a94585159aa47bf6fa/download

Different cargo lander configurations.

[RealKerbal3x]

(SpaceX seem to have built a mockup of Lunar Starship's elevator as well as a full low-fidelity mockup. Presumably that's the white NASA Starship nosecone they painted a while back.)

Edited February 24, 2021 by RealKerbal3x

[Pi_Maaster1337]

Any mod for the human landing system?

[tater]

This is actually reasonable in terms of ranking, though I think while the goals of a base and sustainability are there within Artemis, it's a lot less important than the flags and footprints that will likely drive this.

 

[RCgothic]

FSH, HLS, SLS.

NASA. Your names are bad and you should feel bad.

Edited March 16, 2021 by RCgothic

[kerbiloid]

They try various positions of S.
Finally, the S-sandwich.

Why not, it works for Space Shuttle, Saturn, and Atlas.
(Titan lacks it, that's true, but maybe has another talisman).

Edited March 16, 2021 by kerbiloid

[RCgothic]

Having finished the video, I'd agree that seems like a fair assessment.

I do think it would be mad not to try and keep Starship in the mix just because it has *so* much capability. But it's probably going to the moon at some point whether or not NASA funds it.

Edited March 16, 2021 by RCgothic

[RealKerbal3x]

HLS downselect might be announced today:

(I'm hoping for Dynetics and SpaceX)

[RCgothic]

Fingers crossed for Dynetics and SpaceX!

[MinimumSky5]

 

[kerbiloid]

Bet on Dynetics.

High CoM of SS looks weird.

[RealKerbal3x]

HLS announcement confirmed for 4pm EST on Crew-2 press conference stream! 

[sevenperforce]

Would they potentially only choose one?

UPDATE:

They chose SpaceX alone.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/04/16/nasa-lunar-lander-contract-spacex/

[RCgothic]

Ninja'd by seconds.

If they choose only SpaceX I expect it will be primarily because SpaceX bid such a low price and the funding for the project has not been forthcoming.

I wonder whether the announcement late on Friday is to let the rage to die down over the weekend.

It'd be a hugely unpopular decision, but NASA really given no choice if serious about getting to the moon on current funding. The angry congresspeople will only have themselves to blame.

 

 

 

 

 

[RealKerbal3x]

 

[RCgothic]

 

 

Sad Vulcan New Glenn and SLS noises.

[RCgothic]

 

 

 

And this is how you win a major contract:

 

 

 

[Lewie]

Heck yeah Spacex!!!!

 

[RCgothic]

 

 

 

[Scotius]

Welp. If anyone starts badmouthing this decision, both NASA and SpaceX can rightfully point at the Congress's fist tightly gripping the strings of the purse.

No monies, no multiple Moon manned modules.

Cheap bastiches.

 

[RCgothic]

 

 

 

 

 

[RCgothic]

The first three questions on this press conference were really shallow. How does Starship fit into Artemis, will Starship launch on SLS sort of thing. 

[sevenperforce]

2 minutes ago, RCgothic said:

 

We've got new legs!

And they look remarkably similar in shape to the ones shown in the most recent #dearMoon renders.

But...but there's no way SpaceX would put a seam in their heat shield! Would they? Could they? And even if they did, surely the heat shield wouldn't contact the ground directly!

I'm convinced that they are just spitballing at this point. Those new legs don't have any actual actuation path.

[RCgothic]

No takey-backies.