Mission Requirements Not Only Factor In Development of New Launch Vehicle

摘要

Robert Zubrin's commentary on NASA's Space Launch System ["NASA's New Booster Program," Oct. 17, page 19] missed the mark in a number of respects. He fails to recognize the current economic climate, as well as grant that the development of any launch vehicle program is not solely driven by mission requirements. It's easy to Monday-morning quarterback choices made at the onset of any technology development program, but without acknowledgment that schedule and budget are the other two constraining arms of the program triad (mission requirements being the third), such speculation and criticism demonstrate a naivete.