WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- NASA officials said they may order multiple prototypes of a proposed new moon landing craft, and then test competing designs against one another.
Retired Adm. Craig E. Steidle, the new head of NASA's office responsible for developing the crew exploration vehicle, or CEV, said a so-called fly-off competition might yield a better spacecraft in the long run, with the agency choosing the best-performing design over its closest competitor.
"We could have (CEV) prototypes flying as soon as 2009, possibly 2008," Steidle said. Under a development plan now under review at NASA headquarters in Washington, a request for industry proposals for the first automated test versions of the CEV may be released early next year.
NASA sources told United Press International the agency has not yet made a firm decision on the fly-off plan, however.
