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Fwd: starship-design: Comparisons

In a message dated 2/1/02 7:58:21 PM, jakesmiley@netzero.net writes:

>Hello...
>
>
>
>>If his/her business will be in space (a space hotel, or a mine
>
>>on the Moon...) he/she will need.
>
>
>
>    Sure, but where did the infrastructure come from to get those people
>up
>
>there in the first place?  It sounds like your assuming a preexisting
>
>system.

No, I'm assuming a system will be built to support them when theres some 
reason to send them.  If thats a tourist industry, military, minning, or some 
other industry.  Until theres a reason, they won't build the stuff.






>    All considered, I think that the hurdles for space travel are a lot
>
>higher than those for flight.  Especially when you consider safety.  It
>took
>
>50 years before mass air transportation became popular.  Can we afford
>to wait that long with space travel?  

Ah, its been that long already.  

As to bariors.  Its about the same as for a big jet airliner.


>In the mean time we have to prove that
>
>space travel is safe and effective, without relying on tourism.

People will be willing to take risks for thrills or profit.



>    Another thing...  Most people don't have to think about how dangerous
>
>flying really is.  Think about it, flying along at .8 Mach in a thin metal
>
>tube.  As it turns out, most people _don't_ want to think about that. 
>So
>
>what happens when people are reminded every few minutes to perform a safety
>
>check or die?  That doesn't seem like a real confidence builder.

No reason they would need to anymore then they would in a airliner.  In both 
cases the machine works and your safe.  Or it fails and your in REAL trouble.



>
>    I'm not saying that tourism will _never_ work.  I just don't think
>it will ever bankroll our operations.  And once it can, we'd be making more
>money hauling around materials.  (I, for one, prefer cargo that doesn't
>talk back.)

What cargo?  No ones identified enough to keep a big fleet going, and without 
a big busy fleet, you can't can't get the costs down.




>    On to computers again...  I wasn't suggesting distributed computing
>as a
>
>main architecture.  I just thought that, since we have so many computers
>for
>
>people anyway, why not _do_ something with the idle time?

More trouble then its worth.




>    Actually the only problem that I see with people and intensive graphics
>
>apps, is that everyone wants "data" and "graphics" at the same time.  =

Thats how you display large amounts data to people.
--- Begin Message --- 
Hello...

>If his/her business will be in space (a space hotel, or a mine
>on the Moon...) he/she will need.

    Sure, but where did the infrastructure come from to get those people up
there in the first place?  It sounds like your assuming a preexisting
system.

    Alright.  Let's try and compare the beginnings of flight with those of
space travel...

    Flight -- Wood, cloth, some iron and your in business!
    Space -- You wouldn't happen to have a spare $300M?

    Flight -- Don't forget your scarf.  It's cold up there.
    Space -- It's REALLY cold up there!

    Flight -- If you're not careful, you'll hit the ground.
    Space -- If your not careful, you'll _wish_ you could hit the ground.

    All considered, I think that the hurdles for space travel are a lot
higher than those for flight.  Especially when you consider safety.  It took
50 years before mass air transportation became popular.  Can we afford to
wait that long with space travel?  In the mean time we have to prove that
space travel is safe and effective, without relying on tourism.

    Another thing...  Most people don't have to think about how dangerous
flying really is.  Think about it, flying along at .8 Mach in a thin metal
tube.  As it turns out, most people _don't_ want to think about that.  So
what happens when people are reminded every few minutes to perform a safety
check or die?  That doesn't seem like a real confidence builder.

    I'm not saying that tourism will _never_ work.  I just don't think it
will ever bankroll our operations.  And once it can, we'd be making more
money hauling around materials.  (I, for one, prefer cargo that doesn't talk
back.)

    On to computers again...  I wasn't suggesting distributed computing as a
main architecture.  I just thought that, since we have so many computers for
people anyway, why not _do_ something with the idle time?

    Actually the only problem that I see with people and intensive graphics
apps, is that everyone wants "data" and "graphics" at the same time.  They
don't accept a tradeoff (which is a dumb term, because it's all data)
acceptable.  They want both, and they want it _now_.  (I still use dial-up.
:] )  But since the computing I'm suggesting would run only during idle
periods, there's no need to try cramming everything possible down the pipe.

    If the users want graphics and data intensive programs, let 'em run a T3
to the nearest service provider.  ;]

-JS
--- End Message ---