Category Archives: Propellant Depots

One of the Most Amazing 25 Minutes in (Recent) NASA History [Updated]

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Jonathan Goff

Or at least that’s how Stephen Flemming put it on Twitter regarding Jeff Greason’s presentation at the Augustine Committee meeting today in Florida. To be fair, the rest of the subgroup also did an amazing job, especially Chris Chyba’s wrapup … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercial Space, COTS, ESAS, International Space Collaboration, International Space Competition, Launch Vehicles, Lunar Commerce, Lunar Exploration and Development, NASA, Propellant Depots, Space Policy, Space Transportation, Technology | 8 Comments

Shameless Self-Promotion: Depot Article on New Scientist

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Jonathan Goff

Last week, right after I finished sending my propellant depot white paper in to the Augustine Committee, I got contacted by David Shiga of New Scientist with some questions for an article he was writing.  The article is now available … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercial Space, NASA, Propellant Depots, RLV Markets | 3 Comments

NewSpace 2009 Propellant Depot Panel

Posted on July 11, 2009 by Jonathan Goff

I just wanted to mention that I’ll be chairing a propellant depot panel at the NewSpace 2009 conference this next week.  This year, due to time constraints, I’m going to go for a slightly different format than I did last … Continue reading →

Posted in Administrivia, Propellant Depots | 46 Comments

Random Thoughts: Pre-Depot 2-Launch Manned Missions Using L2 Swingby

Posted on June 28, 2009 by Jonathan Goff

Ok, two weeks ago, I mentioned that the “pre-depot” dual EELV launch concept my friend had passed to me could be adapted to do manned lunar missions.  Lunar missions are a lot easier to close if you assume a depot … Continue reading →

Posted in Bigelow Aerospace, Commercial Space, ESAS, Launch Vehicles, Lunar Commerce, Lunar Exploration and Development, MSS, NASA, Propellant Depots, Space Transportation, SpaceX | 13 Comments

Quick Notes: Debunking The PLF Volume Argument for HLVs

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Jonathan Goff

I noticed during the DIRECT presentation at today’s HSF public meeting, that they were asked why they would need an HLV if they had depots.  Now, I didn’t hear the exact question, since I had a phone call come in … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercial Space, ESAS, Launch Vehicles, Lunar Exploration and Development, NASA, Propellant Depots, Space Transportation | 17 Comments

Random Thoughts: Risk, Orbital Rendezvous, and Depots

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Jonathan Goff

[Ed: I’m pretty sure I’ve used this argument before, but didn’t see it on the blog, so I figured I’d put it down in writing even if it ends up being repetitive.] One of the most common criticisms I hear … Continue reading →

Posted in NASA, Propellant Depots, Space Development, Space Policy, Space Transportation | 24 Comments

Orbital Mechanics Tricksiness to Increase the Frequency of TLI Opportunities for LEO Depots

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Jonathan Goff

[Update 2/10/09 11pm: I’m actually pretty sure I made a mistake here, and my entire idea may be more or less worthless. Basically, the problem is that for any elliptical trajectory, you have a “line of apsides”, which basically is … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercial Space, Lunar Commerce, Lunar Exploration and Development, Propellant Depots, Space Transportation | 39 Comments

Propellant Depot Policy Thoughts

Posted on December 10, 2008 by Jonathan Goff

I’ve written a lot about the technical and business implications of propellant depots, and I realized I ought to discuss some of my thoughts on the the public policy side of propellant depots. On one hand, I think that propellant … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercial Space, NASA, Propellant Depots, Space Law, Space Policy | 52 Comments

Lunar Depot-Enabled Multi-Sortie Missions Part II: Centaur-Derived Landers

Posted on November 29, 2008 by Jonathan Goff

As I mentioned in the first post in this series, I wanted to paint the overall picture first, and then flesh out the details as time and interest permits. For this post, I want to discuss an interesting lander concept … Continue reading →

Posted in Bigelow Aerospace, Commercial Space, Lunar Exploration and Development, NASA, Propellant Depots, Space Transportation | 36 Comments

Lunar Depot-Enabled Multi-Sortie Missions

Posted on November 25, 2008 by Jonathan Goff

I don’t know for sure what it is, but I just don’t have a lot of mental bandwidth anymore these days. I’ve realized that I don’t have as much time or energy to pour over all the details of an … Continue reading →

Posted in Bigelow Aerospace, Lunar Commerce, Lunar Exploration and Development, Propellant Depots, Space Development, Space Transportation | 38 Comments