Posted on 08/08/2020 8:33:31 PM PDT by BenLurkin
With the first two major elements of NASA’s Lunar Gateway under contract and development, Northrop Grumman has outlined their plans for the overall Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module, which will serve as the primary habitation and nexus for the lunar station.
HALO will now launch in a fully integrated configuration with Maxar’s Power and Propulsion Element — a change that has brought about alterations to HALO. The duo will launch aboard a yet-to-be-officially confirmed rocket from the Florida spaceport in 2023.
The cargo items now excluded from launching on HALO will have to be delivered separately on a future resupply mission, potentially on SpaceX’s Dragon XL craft — which is to-date the only confirmed resupply vehicle for the Gateway.
A few significant changes to HALO itself stemming from the co-manifested launch include the elimination of the service module, which would have provided propulsion and power to HALO as it went out to lunar orbit and docked with the PPE. Those elements will now be controlled by the PPE using systems already planned for the element.
This reduces the overall cost for NASA by eliminating a launch and reducing the technical risk to the Gateway by removing the PPE/HALO docking maneuver.
But even with those eliminations, Northrop Grumman still had to find other ways to reduce HALO’s mass to meet the new dual-launch requirement.
(Excerpt) Read more at nasaspaceflight.com ...
They HAD to name it, “HALO”, didn’t they?
Screw putting HALO on the moon. Put them in Portland to fight the commies.
Not that impressed with NG
We can then put it in Spaceforce.
Win.
One of these days, I’m gonna make a stiff martini, sit and play that game.
Heechee prayer fans?
High Altitude Low Opening is what it's always meant to me. For you non-military/non-skydiver types, that refers to jumping out of an aircraft at a high altitude and opening your parachute close to the ground.
Seriously, the source shows a picture of the lunar lander. It has 4 huge solar panels.
That’s great on the half month long lunar day, but what about the half month long lunar night?
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