NASA's Big Booster: Boon or Bust for Space Science?

May 8th, 2008 Author Leonard David

A just released report has taken a first look at using NASA's monster booster — the Ares V — to support visionary space science missions. Ares 1 and Ares 5 are booster elements of the space agency's Constellation system of Moon, Mars and beyond hardware.

The interim report, Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System, is a product of the National Research Council's Space Studies Board, written by a blue ribbon panel of experts.

The report notes that the first flight of Ares V is not expected until 2018 at the earliest. Lunar missions would begin in 2019 or 2020, and for at least the first several years of flights, the mega-booster would be tied up tossing hardware to the Moon to build a lunar outpost. Therefore, Ares V could not be available to support science missions until the early or mid-2020s at the earliest.

At this point, the report explains, NASA doesn't have reliable price tag info on the Ares V.

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