Sunday, May 08, 2005

The Future of Flight?

The Future of Flight?

When NASA requested designs for a Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), two major teams--one headed by Lockheed Martin and one by Northrop Grumman and Boeing--took on the challenge. The winning concept will be chosen in 2008, and the manned vehicle flown in 2014.

NASA Receives Crew Exploration Vehicle Proposals


The future of human space transportation, not only into Earth orbit, but also back to the Moon and onto Mars, kick-started this week as NASA received contractor proposals for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). A glimpse into one concept -- provided by Lockheed Martin Space Systems near Denver, Colorado – shows a lifting body craft that can be outfitted for lunar as well as Mars operations. “Basically what we came down on was the side of safety for the crew in making our decision to go with a lifting body,” said Patrick McKenzie, CEV Business Development Manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. Additionally, the design of the basic vehicle would allow it to be utilized to support near-term human expeditions to the Moon, as well as Mars in the future, McKenzie told SPACE.com in a phone interview.

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