International Society of Logistics—Logistics Spectrum Proposed Article, August 2005 Achieving Mastery of Space Operations by Transforming Space Logistics

By James Michael Snead, P.E.

he American Institute of operations both on the Earth and in consortia, and non-state actors. U.S. Aeronautics and Astronautics’ space that deal with: (1) Design, defense and intelligence activities in (AIAA) Space Logistics development, acquisition, storage, space will become increasingly Technical Committee (SLTC) movement, distribution, maintenance, important to the pursuit of U.S. national T 1 focuses on innovative, near-term space evacuation, and disposition of space security interests. logistics to establish safe and affordable materiel; (2) Movement, evacuation, What the Space Commission human and robotics spacefaring and hospitalization of people in space; focused on with these findings was the operations throughout the Earth- (3) Acquisition or construction, fact that opening new frontiers involves system and beyond. To help accomplish maintenance, operation, and disposition a key transformation in operational this vision, the SLTC and the Space of facilities on the Earth and in space to capabilities. The initial era of Logistics Division of the International support human and robotics and scientific study does not Society of Logistics (SOLE) are taking operations; and (4) Acquisition or generally emphasize the establishment steps to reestablish a previously furnishing of services to support human of routine, affordable logistics successful partnership between SOLE and robotics space operations. operations to, from, and within the new and the AIAA that as waned in recent frontier. However, with time, as years, perhaps reflecting the recent woes Achieving Mastery of Space economic and other advantages of the of the American space program. Operations new frontier become apparent, Space still has the allure of the The context for understanding the government and private enterprise begin mysterious that provokes a return to the renewed importance of space logistics to make logistics infrastructure imagination of our youth. Yet, while was established in early 2001 by the investments to reap these rewards. This still a new and exciting frontier today, Commission to Assess United States is an important turning point because its future for human civilization National Security Space Management the act of planning and building the revolves around the creation of new and Organization (generally referred to initial logistics infrastructure necessarily space logistics capabilities that will as Space Commission). creates the knowledge, experience, and make human space operations safe and industrial base—how I define mastery The first era of the space age was routine. The focus of this article in on of operations—necessary to establish one of experimentation and discovery. describing how near-term space economically useful, acceptably safe, Telstar, Mercury and Apollo, Voyager logistics capabilities can be achieved and acceptably affordable logistics and Hubble, and the Space Shuttle and, equally important, why building capabilities within the new frontier. taught Americans how to journey into these new capabilities is important. Once these are established, this new space and allowed them to take the first mastery becomes the important tentative steps toward operating in Defining Space Logistics foundation for creating and supporting space while enlarging their knowledge new government and private operations The SLTC has adopted the of the universe. We are now on the in the new frontier. following broad definition of space threshold of a new era of the space age, logistics, based on the generally devoted to mastering operations in accepted definition of military logistics. space. (Emphasis added) Von Braun’s Original Space logistics is the science of Mastering near-earth space Spacefaring Vision planning and carrying out the movement operation is still in its early stages. As As the recent investigations into the of humans and materiel to, from, and mastery over operating in space is technical and economic challenges within space combined with the ability achieved, the value of activity in space necessary to overcome to repair the to maintain human and robotics will grow. Commercial space activity Hubble Space Telescope highlight, we operations within space. In its most will become increasingly important to have not yet achieved an initial mastery comprehensive sense, space logistics the global economy. Civil activity will of space operations. This is a addresses the aspects of space involve more nations, international consequence of decisions made over the

1 International Society of Logistics—Logistics Spectrum Proposed Article, August 2005 course of nearly five decades that 4) Build a permanently inhabited emphasized immediate operational goals as a place both to without making necessary investments observe the Earth and from which in space logistics. to launch future expeditions to the In the early 1950s Dr. Wernher Von Moon and planets. Braun, at the time probably the most 5) Undertake human exploration of widely recognized “rocket scientist,” the Moon with the intention of introduced his ideas on how to become a creating Moon bases and eventually spacefaring civilization. This was a permanent colonies. period of significant public interest in 6) Undertake human expeditions to aerospace technology with the breaking Mars and eventually colonize the of the “sound barrier” in 1947, the first planet.”2 western flights of rockets into space, the emergence of peaceful uses of nuclear Acting to fulfill this vision, the energy, rapid progress in aircraft design, United States undertook a wide variety the initial growth of TV, and the initial of technology development programs. In period of sightings of UFOs and related addition to the well known X-15, lesser sci-fi movies. Starting with an initial known programs included the X-20 technical conference in Texas, moving DynaSoar partially reusable Earth-to- on to a series of well-illustrated articles orbit , the first in the leading popular magazine of the “aerospaceplane” program, several day, Collier’s, and culminating in two nuclear thermal rockets for to- and in- specials on the Walt Disney TV show, space propulsion, and Project Orion, an Dr. Von Braun explained to a captivated interesting concept for nuclear-powered public how to become spacefaring. interplanetary space propulsion. And all of this within a dozen years of breaking By the end of the 1950s, the the believed to be impenetrable sound essence of Von Braun’s spacefaring barrier! vision was captured in the American space program. Recently, Dr. Roger Being unfamiliar with this initial Launius, previously the chief historian phase of the American space program, of NASA (1990-2002) and currently the many today believe that the human Chair of the Division of Space History space program started with President of the Smithsonian Institute’s National Kennedy’s famous 1961 address to Air and Space Museum), looked back at Congress establishing the goal of these early years. It was viewed as an landing humans on the Moon by the end “integrated space exploration scenario of the decade. What actually happened, centered on human movement beyond as Dr. Launius’ article indicates, is that this planet and involving these basic President Kennedy eliminated steps 3 ingredients accomplished in essentially and 4 of the integrated space exploration this order: scenario to accelerate step 5. This change effectively eliminated building a 1) Earth orbital satellites to learn useful and sustainable space logistics about the requirements for space infrastructure. Referring to comments technology that must operate in a Dr. Hans Mark, director of the NASA hostile environment. Ames Research Center during the 2) Earth orbital flights by humans to 1960s, made in 1987, Dr. Launius determine whether or not it was noted, “Mark suggested that the result really possible for humanity to of Apollo was essentially a explore and settle other places. technological dead end for the space 3) Develop a reusable for program. It did not, in his view, foster travel to and from Earth orbit, an orderly development of spaceflight thereby extending the principles of capabilities beyond the lunar atmospheric flight into space and missions.”3 making routine space operations. These remarks are not meant to Figure 1 disparage the remarkable Von Braun’s concepts used in Collier’s Magazine (copyright©Terry Sunday, used with permission).

2 International Society of Logistics—Logistics Spectrum Proposed Article, August 2005 accomplishments of the lunar landing 2) Spacelift for oversize and heavy he argued, identify the third best program. The American space program cargo, space platforms, and solution—“the one that can be validated has always, and still is, part of broader components of space facilities and and deployed without unacceptable cost landscape of national and international large spacecraft. or delay.”4 political activities. What this brief recap 3) Space logistics facilities in low Sir Watson Watt was not arguing of the early years of the American space Earth orbit (LEO). that near-term imperatives prevented the program is meant to highlight is the fact 4) Reusable transportation within use of technologies that had not yet been that the SLTC’s vision is essentially a space for passengers and cargo. operationally deployed. Rather, he return to the original American vision of argued that a measure of the maturity of human spacefaring operations of the 5) Mobile logistics support the technology at the time the system 1950s—a vision that emphasizes capabilities throughout the Earth- development is begun needs to be building permanent to-space and in- Moon system. considered. Today, this is accomplished space logistics capabilities. 6) Space habitats (e.g., hotels) in LEO through the use of Technology to support human operations. Readiness Levels (TRL) where the Near-Term Space Logistics current maturity is assessed on a scale of Opportunities Defining “Near-Term” 1-9 with “9” being a technology or The previously cited comments by In developing new operational subsystem currently in successful the Space Commission anticipated that capabilities there is always a “tug of operation. Within the aerospace an opportunity for transforming space war” between the systems engineers and industry, it is generally accepted that logistics would happen as the Space the technologists. To provide value, when the enabling technologies reach a Shuttle ended its operational period. technologists need opportunities to TRL of 6—system/subsystem model or With the release of the updated U.S. bring new technologies into operation. prototype demonstration in a relevant Space Transportation Policy, the current As a result, they argue, often environment (ground or space)—the time frame for ending Shuttle operations passionately, for system solutions technologies are sufficiently mature to is 2010, or so, coincident with the incorporating new technologies. support a decision to initiate a formal completion of assembly of the Systems engineers, on the other hand, development program. Hence, near-term International Space Station. From a wish to be able to meet the customer’s system solutions are those employing planning perspective this provides a needs for capability with acceptable TRL 6-9 critical technologies whose target for assessing options for cost, risk, and schedule. development can be initiated without implementing improvements in space Some programs are designed to unacceptable cost or delay. logistics capabilities. One focus area of provide technologists with the the SLTC is to “provide example maximum opportunity to insert new Transforming Space Access innovative logistical architectures and technologies. The X-30 National There is no avoiding the fact that to related system concepts to support Aerospace Plane and the X-33 Venture transform space logistics and achieve an future mission planning and improved Star programs of the 1980s and 1990s initial mastery of space operations, public understanding.” We have were two examples. Both were aimed at space access must first be transformed. undertaken this by developing achieving reusable, single-stage This is an area that has been the subject examples, much as Dr. Von Braun did spacelift; a goal requiring significant of considerable debate, but without clear in the 1950s, of what may be achieved. advancements in flight vehicle resolution. The primary issue is a broad technologies. public perception of what may be called Logistics Functions Needed Other programs are intended to a “space access barrier.” Reinforced by The goal for transforming space provide a new operational capability the loss of two Space Shuttles and the logistics is to establish within space a quickly. A classic example is the British failure of the X-30 and X-33 programs logistics support environment that challenge, in the late 1930s just prior to to realize their single-stage goals, the enables human and robotics space the outbreak of hostilities, to build a popular perception is that substantial operations to be undertaken with coastal early warning radar capability. further technology advancement is “aircraft-like” safety, effectiveness, and Sir Robert Watson Watt led this effort required to achieve “aircraft-like” operability. The initial functional and, as a result, coined his “Law of the routine and safe space access. However, capabilities to achieve this were evident Third Best” to address such situations. popular perceptions are not always on in Dr. Von Braun’s conceptualizations Watson Watt argued that when target. Looked at from the context of in the 1950s. responding to critical near-term needs what practical near-term options are available today, two sets of solutions 1) Reusable Earth-to-orbit-and-return that cannot be satisfied through become evident. space transportation for passengers available systems, the best solution and cargo. never comes and the second best First would be the development of solution takes too much time. Instead, fully-reusable, vertically-launched,

3 International Society of Logistics—Logistics Spectrum Proposed Article, August 2005 rocket-powered two-stage-to-orbit space deployed. With three operational transportation systems. These would systems of each type, six operational replace the Space Shuttle and systems would be brought into service. Expendable Launch Vehicles for Assuming that one system of each type transporting passengers and most in is depot for maintenance, the four medium-class payloads to LEO. Recall systems in flight status would have a that the original Space Shuttle design mission capacity of about 50 missions proposals from the late 1960s were fully per year at IOC and perhaps as many as reusable, rocket-powered, two-stage 200 missions per year at FOC. With an systems—only later changed to the average delivered cargo of 12 tons and current partially-expendable system 80 percent of the missions used to design to meet development funding transport cargo, this modest fleet could Figure 2 constraints. With nearly 35 years of transport about 1,900 tons and 400 Generic TSTO reusable space access further technology advancement, there passengers to orbit each year once FOC system with externally-carried cargo is no reason today to believe that is achieved. module and passenger spaceplane. industry could not now successfully It is expected that these projections develop such systems. Recent of mission capabilities will be greeted government and industry conceptual with some measure of skepticism; in design studies support this contention. part because similar claims were made These studies indicate that these during the early years of the Space unmanned reusable systems would Shuttle program. However, noting that transport 25,000-35,000 lbs to LEO, by the time these new reusable spacelift when launched east from Kennedy systems could be initially flying around Space Center (KSC). With the carriage 2012 and reach FOC in about 2017, of a small winged spaceplane in place of their design will have benefited from an external cargo module, the system over 40 years of technology and system could also transport about 10 passengers design advancements since the start of to LEO. (See Figure 2.) the Space Shuttle program in 1972. It is Consistent with the current TRL 6- time to update expectations of what is Figure 3 9 technologies used in these systems, possible to achieve. After all, this is Generic super heavy spacelifters with they would be suitable for what is nearly twice the length of time as took reusable fly-back boosters, shown with referred to as “routine” spacelift. Each place between the breaking of the sound the Saturn V. The reusable boosters of these flight systems would be capable barrier in 1947 and the first lunar would be similar to the first stage of the of being turned around for re-launch landing in 1969. reusable space access system shown about every four weeks at the initial The other near-term option is to above. operational capability (IOC) and augment the near-term reusable spacelift offset by the assembly and operational perhaps as frequently as every week capability with an unmanned super advantages achieved. when full operational capability (FOC) heavy spacelift capability. This would is achieved. Such systems are thus be a Saturn V-class system capable of The third best solution for meeting distinguished from a “responsive” placing approximately 160,000-180,000 this super heavy spacelift need has been spacelift capability, discussed in the lb into an east orbit from KSC. For under study for almost 30 years. It is a updated U.S. Space Transportation perspective, this is the equivalent to the Shuttle-derived system as shown in Policy, that aims for turning a system weight of about three empty Shuttle Figure 3. Because this super heavy around in only one day or less. Recent external tanks. spacelifter would be developed studies indicate that responsive spacelift concurrently with the reusable space Why the need for such a super systems, as well as system designs access systems, this solution would heavy spacelifter? Because this provides employing advanced airbreathing provide acceptable performance and the capability to launch large and heavy propulsion, require further technology flight rates—perhaps 3-5 flights per components of space systems into orbit investment prior to the start of year—while minimizing program for later assembly in LEO, as described development and, hence, are not development cost and risk compared in more detail below. The need to be considered to be near-term options. with a “clean-sheet” approach. This able to transport oversize components solution also provides for generating To meet the U.S. Space during the construction of terrestrial continued value from and providing for Transportation Policy’s requirement for logistics infrastructure is quite common. a measured upgrading of an important assured space access, at least two types The additional transportation cost is of near-term systems would be element of the existing space industrial base. It neatly transforms the existing

4 International Society of Logistics—Logistics Spectrum Proposed Article, August 2005 manned Shuttle system into a critical element of an emerging integrated space logistics infrastructure. These two near-term solutions, which through the emphasis on the use of TRL 6+ technologies could be available near the time Space Shuttle operations are ended, provide a significant improvement in space access for passengers and cargo. Not only will this change substantially decrease current space access costs, it will also provide additional capacity to exploit the lower costs, as typically happens as new logistics infrastructure is brought into operation. More importantly, these changes provide the transportation improvements needed to take the next steps in transforming in-space mobility and logistics support.

Initial LEO Facilities As with all new frontiers, the space frontier needs facilities to receive and house arriving passengers and cargo, service the transportation and other space systems, and support general assembly and construction. This will enable scheduled transportation and other logistics support services to be established that, in turn, enable new private and government space operations to be undertaken with improved confidence. To accomplish this, two types of initial orbiting facilities would be built. One will be a general-purpose logistics base and the other will be a combination space hotel and space office park. The design of all logistics facilities inherently incorporates capacity constraints. For highways, it’s the number of lanes. For airports, it’s the length and load bearing capacity of the runway and ramps. For seaports, it’s the channel and dockside depth and ship maneuvering area. For orbiting space facilities, it’s the size of the pressurized space hangars and other pressurized compartments. When environmental conditions for conducting logistics servicing Figure 4 operations are important, hangars LEO Space Logistics Base showing a cut-away view of one of the base’s provide a controlled environment where two space hangars for conducting on-orbit servicing and support. cargo and vehicles can be received or

5 International Society of Logistics—Logistics Spectrum Proposed Article, August 2005 discharged in the “natural” environment space hangar for installation when would be required to transport the and but they can also be enclosed within pressurized. smaller components and the an artificial environment designed to This hangar configuration provides construction personnel and their facilitate good human functioning— three separately pressurizable sections— equipment and supplies to orbit. pressure, temperature, humidity, the main hangar deck, the spherical Building this base would make first use lighting, maneuverability, etc. work bay, and the upper internal work of the Super Heavy Spacelifter and An important attribute of orbiting compartments. Vehicle and satellite would use much of the extra capacity of space logistics facilities will be their servicing, cargo unloading, and the reusable space access systems ability to conduct effective logistics passenger transfer would take place in during their first years of operation. support. As repair operations on the the main hangar deck. Large component Once operational, the Space Hubble Space Telescope and external servicing and zero-g training would be Logistics Base would provide a base of repair operations on the International performed in the spherical work bay. operations for supporting on-orbit Space Station have shown, conducting Bench-level component servicing would assembly and servicing of satellites, such logistics servicing operations while be undertaken in the work supporting in-space business operations, wearing a space suit is difficult. While compartments. and assembling other space facilities, design and technology advancements in While this space hangar is quite large space platforms and spacecraft. It space suit designs will help, the near- large when compared with the ISS would also provide a base of operations term solution to expanding in-space modules, it is only about 20 percent for reusable in-space mobility systems logistics supportability is to provide larger in diameter and about the same that would deploy and recover satellites. space hangars of sufficient size that the length as the Shuttle’s External Tank. The initial Space Logistics Base would satellites, spacecraft, and other Hence, it would be built using the same probably be assembled in a 28 deg components requiring servicing can fit manufacturing methods used today to inclination orbit, which equates to a due within the orbiting logistics facility’s build the External Tank or improved East launch from Kennedy Space pressurized space hangar. methods such as spin forming. Either Center. This maximizes the launch The near-term TSTO reusable space way it would be probably be built on the performance of the new space access access systems discussed earlier can same manufacturing line that would systems and provides a base suitable for transport cargo and passengers to orbit. build the center core propellant tanks for supporting logistics operations to The cargo container dimensions will be the super heavy spacelifter. geostationary orbit and to lunar orbit. Future bases may be positioned at in the range of 4.7 m in diameter by 9 m The Space Logistics Base, shown in higher or lower orbital inclinations, in length; about one half of the Shuttle Figure 4, uses two hangars. These are depending on mission needs. It is also Orbiter’s payload bay. For passenger mounted on “top” of a long structural be possible that smaller versions of this transport, small with a truss that serves as a “space dock” for base may be assembled in lunar orbit or wingspan—perhaps after folding the assembling and supporting large space geostationary orbit to further expand in- wing tips—of about 7 m would be used. platforms and spacecraft. The hangars space logistics support capabilities. Space hangars must have a pressurized face in opposite directions to de-conflict envelope and primary pressure doors of the movement of cargo and vehicles into One early use of the space dock sufficient size to receive items of this the hangars. In between the two hangars would be to assembly a space hotel. size. are “recycled” center core propellant While the Space Logistics Base would One configuration for such a space tanks from the super heavy spacelifters have some capacity for housing hangar is shown in Figure 4. used to launch the hangars. These are transient personnel, it would not be Approximately 10 m in diameter and 35 used to store the air when the hangars suitable for housing business travelers, m in length, the hangar’s primary are evacuated. On top of the hangars, researchers, and tourists. A separate pressure boundary structure, including within the rectangular array of solar facility, co-orbiting with the Space the forward flat pressure bulkhead, arrays and waste heat radiators, is the Logistics Base, would be needed. primary pressure doors, and aft crew module. It includes the command One concept for building a space spherical work bay, would be launched and control facility, crew support, and hotel would be a design using the space into orbit as a single payload of a super crew rest quarters for a crew size of hangar and crew module elements of the heavy spacelifter. Internal hangar about twenty. This base design would Space Logistics Base (See Figure 5). components, such as the internal work require 5 super heavy spacelifter flights This design is characterized as a hub compartments, would be carried into to launch the base’s larger components and spoke design with the hangars being orbit as cargo on the reusable space such as the twin hangars. On the order incorporated into the hub and the crew access system and then taken into the of 40 reusable space access flights per module serving as the spokes. year, over a period of about two years,

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This configuration has two advantages. First, the hotel can rotate about the long axis of the hub to produce modest levels of artificial gravity in the spokes. This enables the spokes to be divided into floors with different floors being used for housing, support facilities (e.g., mess halls and medical facilities) and leased work areas for business use and research and development. The baseline 4-spoke configuration shown in Figure 5 has about 2,300 m2 of useful floor area in addition to considerable volume in the hub. This would provide sufficient area for approximately 100 people. A 12- spoke configuration would have about 7,000 m2 of floor area and could accommodate about 300 people. The second advantage of this configuration is that it can be deployed with a reasonable number of Super Heavy Spacelift missions. The 4-spoke, 100 person, configuration requires 3 Super Heavy Spacelift missions for the hub, one for each spoke, and one for carrying oversize components such as the solar arrays—a total of 8 missions. The 12-spoke configuration would require about 10 additional missions. As mentioned previously, the core propellant tanks of the Super Heavy Spacelifter would be “recycled” to provide additional pressurized volume. This is used with both the Space Logistics Base’s crew module and the hotel’s hub and spokes. This feature, which would be incorporated into the design of the Super Heavy Spacelifter, both reduces the number of required launches and simplifies the on-orbit assembly by minimizing the number of components requiring handling. These recycled tanks would be used for “low tech” applications such as sleeping quarters, storage, etc. They would be internally reconfigured in orbit, while pressurized, as part of the assembly of the base and hotel. This approach should substantially reduce the time and cost of building these large facilities. Figure 5 In-space Mobility LEO Space Hotel/Office Park shown being assembled at the LEO Space Logistics The Space Logistics Base would Base’s space dock. Cut-away views of the hotel’s spokes show the internal serve as the operating base for two arrangement of the floors in each spoke.

7 International Society of Logistics—Logistics Spectrum Proposed Article, August 2005 reusable spacecraft. The Space Logistics Vehicle (SLV) comes in several configurations. The “tug” version, shown in Figure 4, is used for local cargo handling, passenger transport, and supporting space dock assembly operations. Modular in design, the SLV can be crewed or operated remotely. Its components are sized to fit both within the reusable space access system’s cargo module as well as within the base’s space hangar for servicing and support. Larger versions of the SLV would provide increased mobility within Earth- GEO-Moon space. Single, extended- performance versions could depart the LEO base, travel to geostationary orbit, conduct a servicing mission on a satellite, and then return to the base. Two of these SLVs, operating as a staged vehicle, could deploy large satellites into geostationary orbit or delivery a standard cargo container to lunar orbit. On completing the delivery, the SLVs return to the LEO base for servicing in preparation for the next mission. After completing assembly of the space hotel, the space dock would be used to assembly the Space Logistics Transport (SLT). The SLT would have two functional capabilities; transporting cargo and passengers, and providing “on-site” logistics support. The SLT is primarily a modified space hangar with an added propulsion module. The modified hangar would be launched to the space dock using the Super Heavy Spacelifter. The smaller components, such as the propellant tanks, flight deck, and rocket engines, would be transported using the reusable space access systems. With this approach, all of the components, except for the SLT’s hangar, can be checked out and configured for installation within the base’s pressurized hangars. Incorporating a hangar into the SLT’s design enables the logistics support architecture—parts, tools, equipment, technicians, training, etc.— developed initially for LEO logistics Figure 6 operations to be extended throughout Space Logistics Transport shown being assembled at the LEO Space Logistics Base’s Earth-GEO-Moon space. This is a key space dock and departing the base for a cargo delivery mission. The cut-away views step in extending mastery of space show the forward space hangar, the aft propellant module, and the flight deck.

8 International Society of Logistics—Logistics Spectrum Proposed Article, August 2005 operations. If affords future space problems under discussion, at least in a mission planners, developers, and general way, I think it is also safe to operators a defined set of available state that many of us have not realized logistics services that can be included in the enormous scope of the tasks their operational model. And, as a direct performed in the logistics area. I hope consequence, this also provides a set of the discussions bring about a better critical subsystems, e.g. propulsion and understanding of the fact that logistics power, and an associated supplier base support is a major portion of most large that can be tapped to design these new development projects. Logistics support, missions at a lower cost and with in fact, is a major cause of the success increased confidence. or failure of many undertakings. With the use of nuclear thermal Opening the space frontier requires propulsion, the SLT would be capable mastery of operations in space. This of conducting missions to geostationary mastery can be achieved by establishing orbit, lunar orbit, and the Earth-Moon an integrated space logistics libration points. The SLT would be able infrastructure in low Earth orbit, to transport astronauts and cargo for the extending this first throughout the renewed lunar exploration program to Earth-Moon system and, then, on to lunar orbit or delivery new space Mars. The importance of creating these telescopes to the libration points. It new logistics capabilities is apparent could also be used to support the today, just as it was in the 1950s and deployment of large satellites, such as 1960s. A growing partnership between ultra-high power communication SOLE and the AIAA can help to satellites built in the Space Logistics provide an improved public Base’s space dock, in geostationary understanding of how these needs can orbit. be met with safe, operationally The SLT can also carry and refuel effective, and affordable near term smaller spacecraft such as the SLV. solutions. Configured for surface landing, modified SLVs could be used to ferry passengers and cargo to and from the 1 lunar surface. Thus, the combination of Final Report of the Commission to Assess near-term reusable space access United States National Security Space Management and Organization, pp.21. systems, LEO bases, SLT, and SLV 2 would provide an integrated space Roger D. Launius, “Kennedy’s Space transportation network capable of Policy Reconsidered: A Post-Cold War Perspective,” Air Power History, Winter transporting passengers and cargo 2003, p. 22. almost anywhere within the Earth-Moon 3 Roger D. Launius, “Kennedy’s Space system, with the next step, of course, Policy Reconsidered: A Post-Cold War being on to Mars. Perspective,” Air Power History, Winter 2003, p. 26. 4 Conclusion Arthur M. Squires, “The Tender Ship: In the late 1960s, Dr. Von Braun Governmental Management of spoke at an early meeting of SOLE in Technological Change,” Birkhäuser, 1986, Huntsville, Alabama: pp. 122. We have a logistics problem coming up in space, however, that will challenge the thinking of the most visionary logistics engineer. As you know we are currently investigating three regions of space; that near-Earth, the lunar region, and the planets. … While it is safe to say that all of us have undoubtedly been aware of many or most of the logistics requirements and

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