“But today we don’t have a Saturn V, a heavy-lift capability. The Shuttle’s payload capability is a fraction of Saturn’s. You’d need four Shuttle launches for every lunar mission, or some similar number with low-payload expendables. Like our Titan IV, the Russians” Proton, the Europeans” Ariane—”

Jays said, “If we’d built the National Launch System, we’d have heavy-lift now. But they canned that in “92.”

Geena said, “Maybe the Russians” Energia — ninety tons to LEO—”

“Junk,” Jays said bluntly. “The Energia was a piece of shit, even before they closed down the production lines. Believe me, I went out there for an Apollo-Soyuz anniversary event, and I saw what’s left of it. Energia is not an option.”

“Okay,” Frank said. “Well, alternatively we have those old studies of Shuttle-derived vehicles…”

Geena knew about some of that. There might have been the Shuttle-C, an unmanned throwaway variant of the Shuttle, capable of orbiting seventy or eighty tons. But the cost advantage would have been minimal compared to existing systems like the Titan IV, so that too got canned in 1990.

“But,” said Frank, “there was another baby I worked on called Shuttle-Z. Looked like the Shuttle on steroids: your regular solid rocket boosters and external tank, but then a cargo element that was fatter than the external tank, with four Shuttle main engines. Could have sent a hundred and thirty tons to LEO. One hell of a bird. But that would have meant a lot of changes to the processing and launch facilities, so it wasn’t economical either.”

Jays said, “If we got to sit around and wait for Shuttle II — VentureStar, or whatever the hell they call it now—”

“Yeah. We’ll never get anywhere. But what about reviving the Saturn V production lines? Have you seen those studies?…”

“Enough.” Geena held up her hands. “Let’s get real, guys. In a few weeks we aren’t talking about a new heavy-lift vehicle, or rebuilding the Saturns, or Shuttle-derived vehicles, or any of that. And we ain’t going to get an OTV. We have to think in terms of what we’ve got. We have to develop an architecture based on Shuttle and the available low-lift expendables.”

“Off the shelf and to the Moon.” Frank grinned.

“And what,” Jays said quietly, “about cost?”

Geena took a deep breath. What she was about to say went against years of ingrained NASA cultural orientation.

“Forget about the cost.”

Frank spluttered. “What?”

“I know. It’s hard. But cost isn’t going to be a factor here. Timescale is all. It’s a mind game, guys. The rules are, assume you can spend what you like, but all you can do is requisition existing components.”