Energy impact assessment of NASA's past, present, and future space launch vehicles

During the onset of the energy crisis in 1973, concern developed regarding the energy consumption of NASA's space launch vehicles and the potential impact of increasing energy costs on future space programs. Work done as a result of this concern is reviewed and methodology which has been applied in estimating the total energy required when using NASA space launch vehicles is described. Energy calculations for past (some phased out), present, and future NASA vehicles provide insight into energy required per unit mass delivered to orbit. A brief assessment of the total energy requirements for NASA's projected traffic model (1978--1991) indicates that the space program is not expected to have any significant impact relative to the nation's total energy needs. It is contended that similar analyses should become an integral part of the evaluation process in considering other future large U.S. programs, both space and nonspace.