Zubrin's Moon direct (with Falcon Heavy)

[carmelo]

http://spacenews.com/op-ed-moon-direct-how-to-build-a-moonbase-in-four-years/

 

[Archibald]

Zubrin pushing for the Moon rather than Mars.

...

Geez, has hell frozen over ?

... the irony is that NASA SLS is screaming very loud

"I'm the shuttle-derived HLV needed for Mars Direct !

I am the very rocket described by Zubrin in The Case for Mars 25 years ago !

The one every single Mars Society convention dreamed about to get their Mars architecture going !"

Congress funded me and loves me, I won't be cancelled any time soon !

"And by the way, I have too few missions on my flight manifest. Which makes me too expensive to fly. GIVE ME MARS DIRECT I CAN DO IT PLEASE ! I'M THE RIGHT ROCKET FOR THE JOB !!!"

And, well... nobody cares. Nobody listens to the poor SLS screaming alone in the desert. Not even Zubrin himself, who betray Mars direct... for a lunar architecture !

BLASPHEMER !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_KOpJ2bE3o

 

[Michel Van]

Zubrin pushing for the Moon rather than Mars.
...
Geez, has hell frozen over ?

Ehh no, in Belgium is pretty warm for moment ;D

Actually Zubrin first Mars Direct proposal, feature also a Lunar Direct option
as low cost exploration of Moon by handful big rockets
Now thanks to SpaceX Falcon Heavy, we have better low cost alternative to get to Moon "Lunar Direct"

 

[publiusr]

If SLS proper is cancelled with MAF no longer making the cores--how much payload would a Falcon Heavy core have were it to be further ruggedized and SRBs used for air-start?

I know this would take some doing---but there were plans for a three-SRB vehicle after all.

A wide stance allows the crawler to still be used--and the FH core moved up higher--with either Orion or maybe a Centaur V for unmanned payloads.

 

[Byeman]

If SLS proper is cancelled with MAF no longer making the cores--how much payload would a Falcon Heavy core have were it to be further ruggedized and SRBs used for air-start?

I know this would take some doing---but there were plans for a three-SRB vehicle after all.

A wide stance allows the crawler to still be used--and the FH core moved up higher--with either Orion or maybe a Centaur V for unmanned payloads.

No, just no. SRBs are dead with SLS and Musk is not going to work with SRMs.
And what is the purpose anyways? How would this be any better? Payload capability is no longer the driving parameter for launch vehicles, it is cost. And this would just be another money pit.