RE: starship-design: FTL travel

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

> >  Has anybody even considered it? Living areas require volume
> >  construction, and that type of construction has to be done some
> >  time in space. You get me into space and I will prove that one man
> >  could do it.

Yep, considering it right now....

>
> Unless your building something huge its a wast of time.

Nope, you can prefab small too.

> Easier to prefab it
> in major parts, and launch and dock the parts.  Far easier.

Nope, mine it, smelt it and manufacture it in space, the only launch costs
art for initial equipment boost, personnel rotation and consumables.
Boosting prefab housing or anything else is just perpetuating the problem.
We NEED the industry in orbit, not on the ground.

>
> If you want something office building sized you could inflate
> a structure
> that size, or larger and asemble it in it.  Harder though.

If you want something office building size, you tow a convenient asteroid
into position and hollow it out.

> >The earth sucks... no law of gravity. You are right there.
> The system as
> >I see
> >it does not provide a system that would let small companies develop
> >space transportation. I build a personal space/plane but can't get a
> >permit
> >to test or fly it.
>
> Sure you can.  Several groups are doing so now.  FAA is
> working to adapt
> their rules for comercial space plane dev now.

They are working on the RULES just as Kelly says. Right now, at this very
moment, you can launch your space plane. You cannot return it to American
air space however. Now if you launched it from here and landed it somewhere
else....well anyway, they are working on changing the rules so that entities
besides NASA can return a spacecraft to American soil.

Lee