RE: starship-design: Raw Facts.

["L. Parker" <lparker@cacaphony.net>]

Ben,


> I too have heard theories on that idea as well. Mind you I
> problems with oil
> industry
> thinking we have oil for years to come, so I really don't
> know who to trust on
> the
> origin of oil.No doubt there is a lot of stuff floating up
> there, but even if
> you find oil
> what to do with it, as transportation costs in space are
> rather high, and
> planetary stuff
> has a deep G well to lift out. The plasma drive posted a few
> weeks back looks
> very use full
> but even with that I am guessing a 10% ISP out the potential
> 60,000 ,( 10,000 )
> one would be
> still hard pressed to earth bound resources.

Other than as a source of raw chemicals for certain things such as plastics
and fertilizers, petroleum and other hydrocarbons are not that big a deal.
If we can obtain them (and water) from comets and asteroids, great. If not,
well, now we have something to establish a trade pact with! I was simply
pointing out your error...

> > You need to do more research on the availability,
> distribution and processes
> > for extraction of metals and other material from both the Moon and
> > asteroids. There is an entire college course on this
> subject available
> > on-line for free.
> >
>  what no url?

Gee, must I do everything? <G> Alright, here you go...

http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/~neep602/neep602.html


Also you should examine this list and perhaps read John Lewis' book (link
below);

Suggested Reading:

	Asteroid Mining

http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/usaf/2020/app-r.htm (great background
info)

http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/usaf/2025/v3c16/v3c16-2.htm (another
great source of background info)

http://www.1stnetmall.com/finance/spdv/press1btm.html

http://www.permanent.com/asteroid.htm

http://www.nma.org/LAWMAY2.html

http://silcom.com/~manatee/lewis_mining.html (buy the book)

	Industry and Nano Tech

http://www.ae.gatech.edu/research/windtunnel/aclev/asi/NMBprop.html (pay
close attention to this one)

http://www.islandone.org/MMSG/McKendreeThesis95/PhdRsrchProp.html

http://www.tdf.it/english/xplos_1.htm


> Right now I know with out a collage degree, transportation
> costs will be the
> majority of
> the costs from space.

If you read the above material you will discover that transportation "in
space" is cheap. Getting out of Earth's gravity well is expensive. Returning
materials to Earth can even be done very inexpensively.

A lot of stuff is wasted,thrown away or
> misused on the
> earth.
> Space will not be the "CHEAP" answer. I see it being valuable
> in two ways.
> 1)	It will force more people to learn how fragile our
> environment and work to
> save it.

Nah, most people live their whole lives with blinders on. Space won't change
anything for them.

> 2)	It will be alternative place for life to habitat rather
> than just on the
> earth.

True.

>
> I don't claim to know much on space,and it is hard to get
> too, but what we do or
> don't do in space
> will have a deep impact on humanities future.

Ben, space IS the future...

Lee

The trouble with predicting the future is that it is very hard.
          -Yogi Berra