St. Louis is traditionally known as the “Gateway to the West;” however, it may soon become the gateway to the solar system. In the rich tradition of the city being a focal point for frontier exploration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration along with Saint Louis University professors, Paul Czysz and Chris Rahaim are assisting in the development of a spacecraft that could take frequent flights into space.

This is the result of NASA’s newly formed Integrated Technology Assessment Center, which has allotted a one-year, $100,000 grant to SLU. This grant is expected to develop into a three-year $400,000 agreement. This money will go towards Mr. Czysz’s team to review, examine and evaluate ideas for the hopeful spacecraft, brought to them by NASA.

Czysz and Rahaim are currently working with at least two other graduate students from the University’s Parks College of Engineering and Aviation. Since January the team has been given two concepts to look over and critique. They study many of the craft’s perplexities, such as propulsion, construction, sizing and aerodynamics. “Most of the problems we have found so far are `I forgots'” explains Czysz. “We find the things that may result in the craft weighing two million pounds instead of the expected one million.”

Czysz explained that he Rahaim, and their team, many of whom are students, and professionals from Boeing and other companies around the area, are looking to make sure that the concepts proposed are “practical and do-able.” “It has to be more than a wish list,” said Czysz.

NASA currently has 108 concepts being evaluated across the country. At SLU, however, they are wanting to do 16 in a year, but more realistically are looking at five to six.

The purpose of these evaluations are to create a craft that can travel into space on a regular basis, and be used not only by NASA, but by commercial businesses as well. With this kind of development NASA can better maintain satellites, and space stations.

The new development of this type of spacecraft is also more economically sound than using the space shuttle. It currently takes up to 100,000 staff to keep the shuttle program going, and it takes less than a dozen missions a year. Plus, the shuttle must go through a complete overhaul after every mission.

As reported in a press release put out by SLU, Czysz said, “This is not science fiction. I have believed for more than 40 years that frequent flights to space are possible.”

Czysz, who has been with the University since 1992, worked on a similar program years ago, but was “killed by the politics of it all.”

Before coming to SLU, Czysz had spent seven years in the Air Force and 20 years with McDonnell Douglas.