Revisiting Space Logistics

Last November I did a post on the prospects of supply chains developing into space, titled "Outsourcing Space-bound Logistics." I was very happy to see the subject come up again over at Freight Dawg, a relatively new but excellent blog on logistics, where Eric points us to a program at MIT called "The Space Logistics Project." As I noted before, "space will obviously offer some extremely different environmental challenges than Earth-bound shipping, and quality and safety will need to be prioritized when targeting cost reductions." I believe Eric also points to this but simply noting how long it would currently take to transit space supply chains:

With transit times of up to 9 months on a mission to Mars, supply chain execution in space would be difficult.

I am not surprised that MIT has taken on this area of supply chain research, and it will be a fun site to stay up-to-date on as innovators develop all the architectures necessary to make the utilization of space supply chains a common phenomena. Once we overcome the most basic physical hurdles, space supply chains will become more sophisticated in terms of financing, IT, partnering and innovation. I am happy to see MIT using the same kind of architecture language employed here and originated by Dr. Cavinato of Thunderbird and the Institute of Supply Management.

Comments

[Eric]

Thanks for the trackback!

Meantime, I just finished reading Neil Armstrongs biography called "First Man: The Life of Neil Armstrong".
It is very interesting to read Armstrongs post mission comments from the early 1970's and compare them to where we are now with the Shuttle and the ISS.

Armstrong is an engineer first and foremost. His comments said we should explore and we should make practical efforts to colonize our sister orbital planets and beyond. Armstrong loved pure engineering. This exercise would have been right up his alley. I am frankly surprised he has no sponsorship or allied role in this MIT effort.

Most interesting in the whole MIT exercise is not the moon or mars, but virtual storage locations in mid space based on locations where orbiting bodies cancel each others gravity out. Kind of a virtual pit stop. I can see Exel now putting a virtual warehouse there! Can you say "Deep Space Nine?"

This stuff isnt fantasy. In this century this stuff will get real.

And thanks for visiting Freight dawg.

Eric

[Eric]

Visiting again. Thought i would comment again. Recently I have read that NASA has restricted height and weight on new astronauts for the first time since the Space Shuttle was put into service.

Reason? When the Shuttle is due for retirement in about 2010, the US will depend on Russian Soyuz space capsules to transport American Astronauts to the ISS. In fact, the next US space vehicle isnt really due to enter service until about 2016. So, for 5 years, America will rely on Russian space power to push our manned program forward.

Theres a whole blog tantrum that could take place here. I might just be one to do it. Net/Net...the space supply chain concept will get parked for 5 years.

We have become a nation of consumers, whose appetite for risk and exploration is as limited as our political systems whims.

Eric