Current Need
 Aging space shuttle fleet’s retirement is imminent
 If the ISS is going to continue operation there needs to be
a replacement to get humans to orbit fast and reliably
 Why waste all engineering and infrastructure currently in
place for shuttle?
 With a burgeoning worldwide space industry a global
network of advanced air and space ports will be needed to
manage the increased number of flights
DUST
 Merge past, existing, and future technologies to revamp
the space shuttle program in 3 step process:
 Combine American Space Shuttle, Russian Buran, and
current technologies
 Create multiple versions of the shuttle, i.e. passenger travel,
scientific missions, cargo transport etc.
 Distribute manufacturing and communications around the
world
 Allow space faring and developing nations to work together in a
similar fashion as the ISS
 Incorporate private industry for cargo transport and pointto-point earth travel
 Not just a vehicle but a globalized architecture
Space Shuttle Program
 Reusable high payload
capacity vehicle
 Large, complex support
system already in place
 Expensive program that
requires large long term
investment
 Total thrust of about
12,500 kN
Shuttle Myths
 Capsules are cheaper than STS
 Currently capsules carry 3-4 crew
 STS capable of 8 up to 12 perhaps
Shuttle Myths
 Shuttle concept and architecture is unsafe
 Although ET and SRBs have failed in the past, the orbiter is
the safest vehicles
 Smooth ride and re-entry that capsules can never offer
 STS evolution is expensive - Is it cheaper to start from
clean slate and look for new paradigms or cheaper to
insert new and maturing technologies into STS
architecture
 Shuttle is very expensive compared to capsules
 With a higher payload capacity is it really more expensive
when compared to these smaller vehicles
Soviet Buran Program
 Single liquid booster stage
 Much smoother launch
than the SRB provide on
the space shuttle
 Most powerful rocket ever
created, 29,000 to 32,000
kN
 Orbiter does not boost
itself into orbit
 Booster stage burns up on
reentry
 Only flown once program
cancelled shortly after
Past, Current, and Latest
Technologies
 SSME is one of the best cryo systems ever made so why change
it?
 Utilize the Buran liquid booster system
 Russian Energia (heavy lifting system) can provide smoother flight
and more control than SRBs
 Capable of lifting 100 metric tons into orbit
 The flight testing and design work has already been completed,
no need to create a new vehicle and spend time and money
doing this again
 Update the foam insulation on the space shuttle with latest
technology to prevent damage that has occurred in the past
Variations
Private Industry
 Corporations such as
SpaceX and Virgin
Galactic
 Used for point-to-point
suborbital travel and
earth to LEO (ISS) cargo
transportation
How to Build It?:
Global
Manufacturing
Case Study: Boeing 787 Global Supply Chain
 Instead of building the complete aircraft from the ground
up in the traditional manner, final assembly would employ
just 800 to 1,200 people to join completed subassemblies
and to integrate systems
 Boeing assigned its global subcontractors to do more
assembly themselves and deliver completed
subassemblies to Boeing for final assembly
 Intended to result in a leaner and simpler assembly line and
lower inventory
 Pre-installed systems reducing final assembly time by threequarters to three days.
Unforeseen Problems
 Intended to shorten the production process, 787
subcontractors initially had difficulty completing the extra
work
 They could not procure the needed parts, perform the
subassembly on schedule, or both, leaving remaining
assembly work for Boeing to complete as "traveled work”
 From the beginning of 2007 to 2008 the program was
delayed 4 times
Global Network
 Network of worldwide spaceports built in countries
throughout the world
 Will start in the more developed world and spread to
countries that are part of the manufacturing network
 Private corporations will be brought in main for cargo
transport and point-to-point earth transport
Updated Global Tracking and
Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)
 First put into service in 1983
 Goal to increase the amount of time that spacecraft were
in communication with the ground and improve the
amount of data that could be transferred3
 Third generation network beginning to come online within
the next 5 years
 Global FAA needed
Way Forward
 Similar to ISS develop
global coalition to build and
develop new shuttle
program
 Distribute the work
throughout the world
 Perfect the shortcomings
of the Boeing distributed
manufacturing method
 Allow developing countries
to contribute heavily to the
network and future ISS
operations
Questions
References
 Boeing Unveils 787 Final Assembly Factory Flow."
Boeing. December 6, 2006.
 "Boeing's Big Dream", Fortune Magazine, May 5, 2008,
p. 182. (online version).
 http://tdrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/