Rocket Scientist: Initial blog launch - August 28, 2011

Rocket Scientist: Initial blog launch - August 28, 2011: Initial blog launch - August 28, 2011
August 29 2001
Letter to Senator Bill Nelson, Senate Space Subcommittee

The attached 0p-ed will appear in publications in the next couple of weeks. I thought you and Senator Barbara Boxer would appreciate an advanced copy.
Before going ahead with funding a heavy lift launch vehicle it seems appropriate to have a mission, or it will likely fall by the wayside in today's tight budget situation.
An approved mission that will require heavy lift, however, will ensure its appearance. I am a strong proponent of heavy lift rocketry, but without a mission it will be only a dream.
But there is a mission. As the article points out, without Shuttle, the ISS is in a much weakened position. Were it to shut down sooner than planned, the United States cold be looking at a 20 year hiatus before sending astronauts for prolonged service in orbit again.
Everything points to a switch to something smaller than ISS - multipurpose turnkey stations drawn from the Skylab design, weighing between 75 and 100 tons.
Were we to go in this direction, a whole new world opens up. Instead of fielding only two or three astronauts at a time, which severely limits what can be accomplished, there will be hundreds, dedicated to scientific research, manufacturing and processing, and even tourist destinations.
Moreover, the United States will move into the premiere position in space exploration and exploitation, as a provider of turnkey stations to nations around the world. All this, and a heavy lift launch rocket that can be used for the wide variety of missions that include Lunar Base, Asteroid landing, Mars, SPS prototype, Deep Space, etc.