---Lucid

The Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) was NASA's planned manned spacecraft intended to carry human crews from Earth into space and back again from 2011 on. The spacecraft was to consist of a re-entry capsule capable of returning six crew from hypersonic velocities, and a standard separate service module providing basic consumables and control systems. Coupled with other modular launch vehicles, transfer stages, landing vehicles, orbital habitation modules, and surface exploration systems, the CEV was to serve as an essential component of a 'system of systems' that could support human voyages to the Moon and beyond.

The CEV would be developed in three phases, to support NASA's planned three spirals of space exploration development:

• Spiral 1 systems would be available by 2014 at the latest. They would provide the hardware to replace the space shuttle in support of manned operations in low Earth orbit. NASA hoped this capability might be available as early as 2010, when the shuttle was schedule to be retired. Otherwise only the Russian Soyuz spacecraft would be available to support International Space Station operations between 2010 and the station's planned retirement in 2016. Spiral 1 systems would also allow renewed robotic exploration of the moon.
• Spiral 2 systems would allow extended duration manned lunar exploration and robotic exploration of Mars in the period 2015-2020.
• Spiral 3 systems would allow establishment of a near-permanent lunar base and continued robotic exploration of Mars. Lunar surface habitation and power systems would be developed, and the CEV would have to be capable of long-duration lunar-surface or lunar-orbit storage between crew rotations or expeditions.

In Phase 1 of the CEV program (different from Spiral 1 of the overall program!) two contractors would develop competing CEV designs and demonstrate these in unmanned flight tests in 2008. Design of the definitive manned CEV would at the same time be taken up to the Preliminary Design Review stage. A single prime contractor would be selected to continue with Phase 2 in late 2008. That contractor would develop, test, and deploy a man-rated CEV system capable of supporting Spiral 2 requirements by 2014 (and hopefully capable of supporting Spiral 3 requirements without further modification). After completion of phase 2 the contractor would provide sustaining engineering services and production capability to support additional flights and additional CEV spacecraft.

The CEV requirements included:

• Support a minimum crew of four (increased to six in June 2005) from the Earth's surface through mission completion on the Earth's surface.
• Mass less than 15 to 18 tonnes (the precise value to be determined in preliminary contract studies). This was increased to 30 tonnes in June 2005, in line with the new NASA Administrator's desire to use a new shuttle-derived launcher instead of existing EELV launch vehicles (Delta IV or Atlas V).
• Abort capability during all phases of flight. Preferably such abort capability would be available continuously and independent of Launch Vehicle (LV) or Earth Departure Stage (EDS) flight control.
• Integrate with the Constellation Launch Vehicle (LV) to achieve low earth orbit.
• Integrate with the Earth Departure Stage (EDS) to achieve lunar orbit.
• Integrate with the Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM) to achieve lunar surface mission objectives. Preferably the CEV would be capable of transferring consumables to and from the EDS and the LSAM.
• Maximum use of existing technology.
• Open Systems Architecture. Referral common hardware and software between equipment built for acceptance testing of the flight system and the ground support equipment used to process the vehicle at the launch site.
• Simple interface between the CEV and Launch System to optimise integration.
• Certification by test to the maximum extent possible.

On 4 September 2004, NASA announced selection of contractors for initial Crew Exploration Vehicle studies. The contracts were awarded for a six-month base period. A six-month option would be exercised on a case-by-case basis, depending on the contractor's quality of performance during the base period, NASA fiscal constraints and continuing White House support for NASA's Vision for Space Exploration. The "concept 2" category consisted of research into preliminary concepts for the crew exploration vehicle and human lunar exploration. The selected companies and the value of their contracts were:

• Andrews Space Inc., Seattle -- Base: $2,999,988; Option: $2,999,941
• Draper Labs, Cambridge, Mass. -- Base: $2,988,083; Option: $2,945,357
• Lockheed Martin Corp., Denver -- Base: $2,999,742; Option: $2,999,920
• Northrop Grumman Corp., El Segundo, Calif. -- Base: $2,958,753; Option: $2,999,473
• Orbital Sciences Corp., Dulles, Va. -- Base: $2,998,952; Option: $2,994,259
• Schafer, Chelmsford, Mass. -- Base: $2,999,179; Option: $2,997,804
• The Boeing Co., Huntington Beach, Calif. -- Base: $2,998,203; Option: $2,998,346
• t-Space, Menlo Park, Calif. -- Base: $2,999,732; Option: $2,939,357

On June 13, 2005, NASA announced the down-select of two contractors: Lockheed Martin and the team of Northrop Grumman and Boeing. Phase 1 was now accelerated so that a single contractor would be selected without prototyping or flight test in 2006, so that the spacecraft could be available by 2010 as a shuttle replacement. Crew was increased to six, and launch mass to 30 tonnes, signalling the new Administrator's stated preference to develop the STK Shuttle-derived vehicle as the CEV booster, and not try to man-rate existing EELV's.

Crew Size: 6. Orbital Storage: 700.00 days. Length: 11.00 m. Basic Diameter: 8.00 m. Maximum Diameter: 10.00 m. Mass: 20,000 kg.