Re: RE: starship-design: YES, we might do it.

[KellySt@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/8/98 10:08:16 AM, david@playlink.com wrote:

>> ----------
>> From: 	AJ Crowl[SMTP:ajcrowlx2@ozemail.com.au]
>> Sent: 	Thursday, October 08, 1998 8:45 AM
>> Subject: 	starship-design: YES, we might do it.
>> 
>> Possible, yes. Happening, probably not. I seriously doubt we'll be
>> launching
>> Outer Planet missions by then, let alone interstellar flights. Some
>> Orbital
>> Cities might be up and running, while Mars colonisation might be
>> starting to
>> pick up leading to terraforming tests. I'm being pessimistic, but
>> given the
>> current state of space who can blame me?
>> 
>> 
>Actually, I'm gathering optimism about the state of the space industry -
>not because of NASA, but because of private companies.  The X Prize is
>just one of things that is giving me confidence for the future of space
>travel.
>
>Sometimes people give timelines of where they think space travel will be
>over the next fifty years, and it normally involves the government and
>NASA (i.e. by this year we will return to the moon, by that year we will
>be at Mars, etc.).  Instead, I'd like to offer a timeline for commercial
>space endeavors:
>
>2005: Private companies offering sub-orbital space tourism.
>2010: Private companies offering orbital space tourism.
>2025: Private space stations, for tourism and experimental research into
>materials and pharmeceuticals manufacturing.
>2040: Light private industry in orbit, first tourism on the moon,
>experimental private industry research into asteroid mining.
>2050: Medium private industry in orbit, early lunar tourism, first
>asteroid mining.

Plausable.  The big problem is figuring out a way to land ore cheaply enough.
I mean most ore goes for dime to dollars per pound, even the cost of launching
an empty lander blows those costs.  (An issue I'ld really like to think of a
way around.)


>Private companies will lead the way to a permanent presence in space, as
>long as there is money there.  And we all know there is.  However,
>asteroid mining and the like will be easier if there is an existing
>launch infrastructure, and I think this will be facilitated by space
>tourism.  Yes, this tourism will mainly be for the rich in the
>beginning, but it doesn't matter if it helps jump start everything and
>eventually we all get to go.
>
>I may never get to another star, and I may never go to Mars or even the
>moon... but I'm pretty confident that before my life is over I will have
>gotten the chance to see the Earth from space.
>
>Call your senator today and tell them to vote YES on H. Res. 572.  This
>bill (recently passed by the House) allows private U.S. companies to
>send reusable launch vehicles into space.  The D.O.T. will license such
>companies.

I think they already passed this one?



>------------------------------------------------------
>David Levine