NASA’s CEV

“OK Class. Please open your textbooks to Chapter 2014: The Path Back to The Moon.”

Ready for a quick intro to NASA’s CEV?

CEV stands for Crew Exploration Vehicle. This is what is going to replace the Space Shuttle after it’s planned retirement in 2010 (only four years away, an amazing 17 trips planned…I will get into how extreme this plan is later). The mission for the CEV is to go to send humans to the Moon, Mars, and Beyond.

3044 Two vehicles will make up the CEV. The “Apollo on Steroids” Crew Launch Vehicle and the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle. These two vehicles can be seen as the two rockets furthest to the right in this image. You can see the size of these new vehicles compared to the old Saturn V rocket (NASA’s glory years) and the Shuttle (NASA’s around the block years).
 
As time goes on, I am going to be posting about developments in the CEV. I have one in the queue about the engines for the Heavy Launch Vehicle. I have already given you a hint of what you might see in my post about our trip to Kennedy Space Center. And I am sure this topic will keep you yearning for more.
 
“OK Class. Please have your research papers ready for tomorrow’s presentations.”