Re: starship-design: Infrastructure in space [was: FTL travel...]

[Zenon Kulpa <zkulpa@zmit1.ippt.gov.pl>]

> From owner-starship-design@lists.uoregon.edu Sun Apr 23 04:00:31 2000
> From: KellySt@aol.com
> 
> In a message dated 4/21/00 12:41:12 PM, zkulpa@zmit1.ippt.gov.pl writes:
> 
[...]
> >Exactly. It is the biggest problem on the way to make mankind 
> >a truly spacefaring civilization. One possibility seems to be 
> >a happy event of some new space industry popping up - such that 
> >it is profitable up front, as operated from Earth, but at some time 
> >of its development it is found to become even more profitable 
> >when it starts using space resources - enough so to justify 
> >the next big investment in, say, asteroid mining or something. 
> >What kind of an industry it could be?
> >Nobody knows as for now, I am afraid. Clarke back in the fifties
> >thought it will be large manned geosynchronous commsats - but it 
> >fizzled, as miniaturization, automation, and reliability of 
> >electronics made human crews redundant. Currently many look with  
> >hope towards space tourism - but I am not so sure here...
> 
> What are your concerns about space tourism?  Its currently the mostlikely 
> reason to develop major space launch infastructure and orbital facilities?
> 
My concern is that it may be not enough of a reason to start all that.
Let us cross our fingers, though...

-- Zenon Kulpa