NASA moon shot gets rocket blast, more money

NASA continued to develop its future moon landing program this week by getting a positive test on the rocket it might use to land humans on the moon and increasing the budget for the spacecraft it will use to get them there.

First off, Northrop Grumman said it successfully demonstrated the rocket engine known as the TR202 lunar descent engine that could be used on the spacecraft that lands on the moon. Northrop said it demonstrated stable combustion over a broad throttling range, utilizing what it calls high-performance pintle injector technology to control the spacecraft and allow a soft, precise lunar landing.

The TR202 program is funded by NASA's Propulsion and Cryogenic Advanced Development Project within the Exploration Technology Development Program.

Northrop pintle injector technology was used on the original Apollo Lunar Module Descent Engine and the company is working with NASA to develop the technology as a candidate propulsion option for the Altair lunar lander.

According to NASA Altair will be capable of landing four astronauts on the moon, providing life support and a base for weeklong initial surface exploration missions, and returning the crew to the Orion spacecraft that will bring them home to Earth. Altair will launch aboard an Ares V rocket into low Earth orbit, where it will rendezvous with the Orion crew vehicle.

Meanwhile, NASA bumped up the contract money it will spend to develop lunar spaceflight vehicles by $20 million to $58.75 million. The contract which is being split amongst Northrop, Boeing and others is intended to develop materials and aerodynamic, aerothermodynamic and acoustics technology for aerospace vehicles, NASA said.

Such budget increases and surely many more like it in the future will only generate more concern over future manned space ventures.

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