1st SLS launch should be unmanned for safety, NASA study findsMay 13, 2017 - 11:30 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - It's an exciting time for spaceflight, for sure. Both NASA and SpaceX have plans in place to send rockets and humans into our solar system. Elon Musk's company wants to use the moon as a pit stop on its way to Mars, and NASA wanted to include a human crew on its now-delayed launch to test a new rocket and companion capsule. However, a study by NASA has concluded that sending astronauts on the first flight is not feasible as the costs of keeping them safe are just too high, Engadget said. NASA's acting administrator Robert Lightfoot Jr. requested the review back in February when he announced the agency's intention to add the crew to its 2018 launch. "I know the challenges associated with such a proposition," he wrote in a memo to NASA employees, "like reviewing the technical feasibility, additional resources needed, and clearly the extra work would require a different launch date." In April, the launch date was pushed back to 2019 due to technical problems. Whether NASA or the Trump administration will take the recent study into account or not is still up in the air, according to a Bloomberg source. Still, adding a human crew to a potentially catastrophic maiden voyage like this can only increase the chances of a national tragedy, which would definitely slow down the current rush to return to space, Engadget said. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |