Re: starship-design: A Rocket a Day Keeps the High Costs Away

[KellySt@aol.com]

File:   A Rocket a Day Keeps the High Costs Away.url (104 bytes)

> This is a page on John Walker's web site. The entire site is interesting 
> reading but this page is relevant to David and my earlier conversations 
> about lowering the cost of access to space.
> 
> John makes the case, correctly, that we can lower the cost by a factor of 
> ten RIGHT NOW, without any significant advancements in technology. He also 
> points out that this plan is within reach of most of the national aerospace

> corporations. There are only two things missing vision and will.

Actually neiather of those is a factor.  The problem is their no current
market for that much launch capacity.  The aerospace companies have far
better cheaper designs with decades of dust on them, but no buyers.  Even the
SSTO (also decades old) is having a hard time finding a buyer (NASA balked
big time), but the market seems to growing seriously at the moment as new sat
clusters aer ready to be launched (hundreds of sats) for the internet and
phone markets.


>  http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/rocketaday.html
> 
> Now that we are finally getting some interest in commercial access, we are 
> about to see a major shift in the corporate balance of power. The Boeings, 
> and Lockheeds, etc. that continue to milk the cash cow rather than boldly 
> take the reins in their own hands will suddenly find themselves playing 
> catch-up in a crowded playing field with limited launch space left.
> 
> Isn't that an entertaining idea?
> 
> Lee
There are certainly several stat ups looking to tap into those new markets.
 We list a couple in the LIT 'library' pages if I remember correctly.

Kelly