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"Critical Step on Journey to Mars" - Orion Test Launch this morning at 7:05 am ET

I'm guessing FY 1970, since he took office in January 1969, but those budgets are by calendar year. FWIW, 4.5% of the budget is absurd, but we had to beat those commies to the moon.
 
my uncle is a senior rocket scientist at nasa; graduated NCSU '93 with a govt paid Ph.D in aerodynamic engineering. last I saw him he was picking up some special seatbelt-like material that cost 5k a roll. he said the goal was a manned mission to mars in 2035. I laughed.
 
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I went to spacecamp twice people. And while I dont follow this stuff as closely as I used to, stuff like this still gives me chills. That is one big effing rocket.

 
Successful re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific. Bullseye hit in the Pacific.
 
I really wanted to be an astronaut after a field trip to Kennedy space center but then I see stuff like that and think: nope. Nope. Nope.
 
WellwornWideAntipodesgreenparakeet.gif
 
DistrictDeacon said:
So much thrust.
Click to expand...

While it sounds like a lot of thrust for the Delta 4 heavy, in reality we are still way short of the thrust and lift capabilities of the Saturn V rockets that took the Apollo craft to the moon. The Saturn V had a max thrust of about 7.6 million pounds, compared to about 2.1 million for the Delta 4 heavy. The Delta 4 Heavy can put about 29 metric tons of payload into low earth orbit (LEO). In comparison, the Saturn V was able to put about 118 metric tons of payload into low earth orbit. The shuttle generated about 7 million pounds of thrust, most of it from the two solid rocket boosters, and could put about 29 metric tons of usable payload (excluding the shuttle lander) into LEO.

With the development of the Space Launch System (SLS), currently set for initial flight in 2018, we will reach that capability about 2025 with the second generation ("block 1B"in NASA speak) of the SLS which is being designed with a payload of 110 m tons to LEO. Only the third iteration of the SLS, Block II, scheduled for initial flight in 2030, will lift capacity exceed what we had in the mid 1960's.
 
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