Europe's ATV to merge with America's Orion MPCV ?

  It appears that NASA management is seriously considering merging the still birthing Orion/Multi Puropse Crew Vehicle program (MPCV) with the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). This marriage of convienence would take advantage of the already built ATV which has flown two vehicles to the International Space Station and would save NASA money in buying an already in production space worthy craft rather than spending money on developing and testing a domestic service module that would cost increaingly hard to come by dollars to develop, build, test, and fly.

  Whether Lockheed Martin approves of giving up development work in lieu of handing over their crew module to be shotgun wedded to a European service module remains to be seen. Bill Gersteinmaier of NASA is optomistic that melding the ATV to Orion's command module is the way to go, and would soldify already firm ties beween US and European space poliy goals and paralell hardware developments. the ATV was built with an eventual human rating in mind to carry a crew to and from orbit , but the ongoing scourge of budgetary limitations in Europe as well as the US dictate that if Europe wants a crewed version of the ATV, merging with the American Orion/MPCV might be the best way forward for both parties.

  The ATV changing into and Orion/MPCV service module would happen after 2015 though hardware modifications and management could change much sooner. The first unmanned flight of a crew capable but still test version of Orion will happen when it is launched to orbit atop a Delta IV-H booster at the end of 2013 for a EFT -1 (Exploration Flight Test) involving multiple orbits of the earth and reentry and splashdown in the Pacific as would happen at the end of a Orion/MPCV crewed mission anyway. A fully crew capable merged spacecraf able to launch atop the SLS booster for rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station or other destination beyond low Earth orbit is still slated for late 2015, or possibly later with this newly announced prospedtive program merger.

  Will the merging of the Orion and ATV be a marriage made in heaven, or a hybrid bastard with less capability than a purely American spacecraft, accompanied by the usual delays, cost overruns and loss of capability such hardware and program mergers have produce in the past ? No one knows. But the Orion and ATV programs are poised for a hardware and program merger sooner than later it appears.

Dale Sommers is alive and well and heading back to Florida.

Dale Sommers A.K.A. The Truckin Bozo is alive and well and is apparently heading back to Florida after having spent the summer in Cincinnati Ohio, where he reports the weather was hot and muggy and not to his or his wife's liking. I used to listen to the Truckin Bozo show on AM radio from 2000-2004 when I would be up nights doing what I'm doing now, reading, writing, and research, and Dale Sommers commentary on the state of the Union and how things are for the working class echoed my observations and sentiments pretty closely.

His wife Lumpy had surgery that unfortunately did not work out, and they are going to try a surgeon in Florida after they arrive back at their place in the western part of the state. I wish Dale and Lumpy the best of luck and success in her surgery to come, and health and happiness to the both of them. Dale was like an old friend for four years and I'm relieved to hear he is still in this world and still has his website up and running. (www.thebozo.com) God Bless you and Lumpy both !

Patriot Spaceman is Online

At long last, the time has come to speak to the world, and speak my mind about important issues of our times, in the US, the Western world, and out in space. There is much happening in many different realms of endeavor now, and to speak out is to affect outcomes and help to make positive things happen, and keep negative things from affecting any or all of us.An informed person has the chance to influence the direction of events, and Americans traditionally have been a proactive outspoken direct people.

From the earliest times of the settlement of America, people have used the technology of their times to speak out on major issues of the day, and this tradition continues today. With this in mind, I begin this blog-the Patriot Spaceman is now online.

There is much occuring in our blessed United States of America, enough both good and bad to occupy the time of the thoughtful man or woman. The advent of the Internet, the proliferation of the personal computer, Droid, and all other manner or personal computing device has enabled anyone to access information in enormous quantities, something that would awe Leonardo daVinci, Thomas Edison, Sun Tzu, or any other expansive mind throughout history. A proper use of modern means for modern ends is obvious to me, and should be obvious to any thinking person. I thank the Almighty for access to modern technology and tools, and intend to make the best use of them for preserving freedom and Constitutional Rights in our Rebublic, using technology to improve the quality and quantity of life, and reach beyond our planet to the Solar System, and establish both self sustaining settlements on the Moon, Near Earth Asteroids, Mars, and O'Neill style space colonies.

I also have a wide variety of interests in down to Earth subjects, and have decades of learning and experience to back my conclusions up with facts and informed opinion. I like too many subjects to list here, but will address these in the course of my postings. I also value the conclusions and opinions of more than a few people in different callings, fields of endeavor, and professions, as well as good old salt of the Earth working class men and women who keep our nation and its systems working and in good repair day in and day out. Their conclusions, experiences and opninons are also important and will find a home and a forum for their expression here in this blog.

So, welcome to the Patriot Spaceman blog. Freedom and Limited Constitutional Government in the USA. The Moon, Mars, Asteroids, the Inner Solar System in the 21st Century. With Liberty and Justice for All !