Advanced Launch System: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:28, 18 November 2017

Latest revision as of 11:34, 21 June 2023

(6 intermediate revisions by 5 users not shown)

Line 1:

{{Short description|Joint US Air Force-NASA study to replace the Titan, Atlas and Space Shuttle rockets}}

{{Refimprove|date=March 2017}}

Line 4 ⟶ 5:

==Background==

[[File:Space Launch System (16525420976).jpg|alt=rocket ship|thumb|An artist's rendering of the 2010s [[Space Launch System]], which contains some design heritage from the ALS]]

The ALS was a joint USAF and NASA study from 1987 to 1990. It was an endeavour of the years following the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.]]. Colonel John R. Wormington (retired Brigadier General USAF) was the Program Director of the Joint Department of Defense and NASA Advanced Launch System Program Office. Lieutenant Colonel Michael C. Mushala (retired Major General USAF) was assigned as Wormington's deputy. The program operated from the [[Los Angeles Air Force Base]]. In October 1989, Mushala was promoted to Colonel. In February 1990, Wormington was reassigned to command the [[45th Space Wing]] at [[Patrick Air Force Base]] in [[Florida]]. Mushala became the program director and remained so until the project was disbanded in July 1990.

Although the project had a projected [[Research and development|research and development]] cost of $15 billion, its early cancellation led to a final cost just under $3 billion.

The ALS program office differed from others in that it was the only one within the [[Air Force Space Command]]. The office was furnished with [[Macintosh|Apple Mac OS personal computers]] instead of the Command's usual [[Microsoft Windows#Early versions|Microsoft Windows]] systems{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}. This was in part because NASA had already been using Apple computers. The program office pioneered what later became the [[Microsoft Project]]{{Citation needed|reason=The Wikipedia page for Project does not mention ALS or the USAF|date=July 2021}}.

== Aims ==

Line 16 ⟶ 18:

== Progress ==

In 1989, the [[Presidency of George H. W. Bush|Bush Administrationadministration]], via the Defense Acquisition Board, was asked to ratify an existing plan to have the ALS program at an advanced state of development in 1990; ready for a first flight in 1998; and fully operational in 2000.<ref>Wolfe, M.G. et al, "The Advanced Launch System." 40th International Astronautical Federation Congress, Malaga Spain, 8–14 October 1989, IAF Paper 89-229.</ref> Then, from 2000 to 2005, the ALS program would develop a modular family of [[Launchlaunch vehicle|launch vehicles]]s, with a payload capacity to low Earth orbit ranging from 5,000 kilograms to 200,000 kilograms.<ref>Branscome, D.R., "The United States Space Transportation Survey," Proceedings of the 2nd European Aerospace Conference on Progress in Space Transportation, (European Space Agency, ESA SP-293, August 1989), pages 39-44.</ref>

However, by late 1989, it was apparent that the ALS program was no longer required.<ref>"Air Force Embraces Expendable Launchers," Military Space, 17 July 1989, page 3-4.</ref> The initial phase of the SDI would employ existing [[Titan IV]] and [[Atlas II]] rockets. The launch requirements for subsequent phases of the SDI deployment were too vague to allow the immediate ongoing direction of the ALS program and its associated costs.<ref>"Adams, Peter, "Congress May Consider ALS Too Costly, Sources Say," Defense News, 27 March 1989, page 25.</ref><ref>Finnegan, Philip, "Report: ALS Program Lacks Mission, Should be Pared to Propulsion Study," Defense News, 25 September 1989, page 4.</ref>