🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <n1351t@ofa123.fidonet.org> Wales.Larrison@ofa123.fidonet.org writes:
>From: Wales.Larrison@ofa123.fidonet.org
>Subject: Re: Comparative $/lb to LEO (Was: Stupid Shuttle Cost Arguments)
>Date: 28 Dec 92  15:44:58
>David Anderman writes:
>>The Space Shuttle is simply the highest cost (per pound) launch
>>vehicle ever operated.
>  
>    ** Sigh **  This seems to have become a net legend --
>unfortunately it does not seem to be supported by fact.  I've seen
>this statement made numerous times over the past year or so in
>sci.space, but based upon a little bit of research, it seems to be
>wrong.
>   To repeat what I posted about a month ago....
>  
>    David could you provide some data to support this statement?
>For example, Pegasus costs about $14.5 M to put about 950 lbs in 150
>nmi circular 28.5 deg LEO orbit (Cost from the price for the SCD-1
>launch, planned for 1st quarter 1993, performance from the Pegasus
>Users Manual).  That's about $15,000/lb.
>    In comparison, Shuttle costs (depending on your source) about
>$350-500 M per launch. (As a check on this cost/flight range, the FY
>1992 NASA budget numbers for shuttle operating costs came to about $
>3.2 B, and there were a total of 8 flights flown in 1992, which
>gives about $ 400 M/flt, which is within the cost band I'm using).
>For a 50,000 lb shuttle payload delivered to 150 nmi 28.5 deg
>circular orbit, that's about $7000 -10,000 /lb.  (Note: shuttle
>fleet average performance to 150 nmi, 28.5 deg circ orbit is
>actually about 56,000 lbs -- so, again I'm being conservative about
>shuttle cost $/lb)
>   Titan IV, capable of putting about 32,000 lbs to the same orbit
>(note the T-IV performance is corrected to put payloads into 150 nmi
>28.5 deg circular orbits) is currently running about $360 M per unit
>(Cost data from the Oct 92 DoD Selected Acquisition Reports), which
>yields about $11,200 /lb.
>   From these data points, I think the statement "the most expensive
>per pound in orbit of all current launch vehicles" is incorrect.
>  
>   If you have better data, I would greatly appreciate it if you
>could post it.
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> Wales Larrison                         Space Technology Investor
>  
>
>--- Maximus 2.01wb
It is common for the shuttle to fly without a full cargo. In your calculation
you assumed that the payload was the maximum for the orbit. You figures are
the lower limit to the cost per pound for the shuttle.