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> To visit L2 you basically need a a vehicle and rocket capable of performing a moon mission which hasn't been available since 1972. You don't need to land on
by avmich 5y ago
> To visit L2 you basically need a a vehicle and rocket capable of performing a moon mission which hasn't been available since 1972.
You don't need to land on anything - and that's a quite large delta-V saving, about 5 km/s for Apollo-style missions. So you save on mass, and you can spend savings elsewhere.
- shirro 5y agoNASA keep calling SLS block 1 a moon rocket and it can't land anything on the moon either. All it can do is transfer crew to a halo orbit and back. And Orion clearly isn't a very capable vehicle for satellite refurbishing. Without an airlock EVAs would require depressurising the whole vehicle and it can't carry any big payloads or a robotic arm. My guess is after mass is added for all the capabilities shuttle had for spacecraft servicing you probably do need a real moon rocket.