NASA’s Scrubbed Escape Pod Glides to New Home

[n2doc]

The odd story of NASA’s unused wingless escape vehicle for the International Space Station is finally over.

The prototype X-38, a 7-person, unpowered, totally automatic lifeboat, was officially laid to rest at the Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska last weekend.

Canceled in 2002 by the Bush administration in an effort to cut some costs from the International Space Station budget, the vehicle could have provided an emergency return route for astronauts on the station. It would have been docked in space, awaiting the call of duty.

The program got as far as “drop tests” during which the vehicles were dropped from B-52s and piloted to the ground. One of them is seen above. After a short freefall, the X38 deployed an enormous parafoil, which allowed it to glide softly to the ground.

The program had cost around $510 million and needed around $50 million more to complete its flight testing. At the time, an unnamed engineer told the Houston Chronicle the decision to abandon the project was “absolutely ridiculous.”

more:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/11/nasa-escape-pod-glides-to-new-home/

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. there was a prototype clean coal plant in Illinois

which recaptured carbon, scrubbed sulphur and mercury, and generated lots of power, had the Bushies allowed it to be finished.

It was cancelled when 80% completed.

[ixion]

2. ah yes, we have to scrub these useful projects so we can invade Iraq and Afghanistan

:grr: :argh:

[TheMadMonk]

3. Worse than that. They have to be scrubbed as late in the development...

...cycle as possible, to "demonstrate" how wasteful such efforts are as an excuse to continue with the more ecconomical (ie profitable) business as usual. Or in the case of space exploration to defund the whole thing as a wasteful boondoggle. Seems like the general mindset is, if it can't be weaponised it's worthless, and if it can it must be hannded over to the military as soon as its potential is recognised. The SCRAMjet being the latest such item.

[phasma ex machina]

4. The suspense would kill me, that vehicle needs windows. nt.