News Release

Saint Louis University researchers review plans for frequent space flight

Grant and Award Announcement

Saint Louis University

ST. LOUIS -- In "2001: A Space Odyssey," one of the film's characters travels in an airline-like spaceship to a commercial space station orbiting Earth. Researchers at Saint Louis University don't believe this is science fiction. They believe frequent flights to space could be right around the corner.

The University is among a select group of institutions charged with reviewing concepts for commercial spacecraft for NASA. As part of its involvement in NASA's newly formed Integrated Technology Assessment Center, SLU has received a one-year $100,000 grant in what's expected to be a three-year $400,000 agreement.

A research team at Saint Louis University Parks College of Engineering and Aviation will examine the concepts and make recommendations to NASA. Paul Czysz, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, heads the team, which includes SLU professor Chris Rahaim and students. Czysz has been involved in aerospace research since 1959, when he worked on the first space plane -- a concept that never took off.

"This is not science fiction," Czysz said. "I have believed for more than 40 years that frequent flights to space are possible." So possible, he added, that Saint Louis University is offering at two concepts of its own.

If commercial space travel is to become a reality, Czysz said vehicles must be designed to travel into orbit on a regular basis. Currently, NASA sends the space shuttles on less than dozen missions a year.

The shuttle program also is expensive and time consuming, requiring up to 100,000 staff people. And although regular aircraft can fly thousands of miles before a major upgrade, the space shuttle must undergo a complete overhaul after every mission.

Besides bringing passengers to space stations, space vehicles that fly regular missions could repair the billion-dollar satellites that are left to fall to Earth or drift in space. But most importantly, these vehicles could make space travel affordable to more than just the extremely wealthy.

"When Douglas Aircraft built the first DC-3 in 1934, everyone said the average person would never be able to afford to fly," Czysz said. "Today, commercial airlines are a multi-billion dollar business and affordable transportation for most travelers. We're in the process of building the first DC-3 to space."

Some argue that pursuing frequent space flight is neither economical nor practical. Czysz quotes history to silence the critics.

"When the first railroad tracks were laid from St. Louis in the late 1880s, people said there wasn't anything in the frontier yet." he said. "But development soon followed the railroads. The same thing can happen with space travel."

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Saint Louis University is a leading Catholic, Jesuit research institution ranked 24th in the nation on the U.S. News & World Report 2001 "best buy" list. Founded in 1818, the University strives to foster the intellectual and spiritual growth of its 11,000 students through a broad array of undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs on campuses in St. Louis and Madrid, Spain.


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